>Darkness.
>Again.
>This time its entirety appears to pulse rhythmically.
>While your sight tells you nothing, your body feels the world throb around you.
>Comfort.
>Warmth.
>Your senses are filled to the brim with sheer bliss.
>Suddenly, the pulses take on a color.
>Red.
>Not alarming, but tranquil.
>The rosy void surrounds every inch of your very being.
>You ride this sensation of peace for a while longer.
>In the far distance, a familiar white slit begins to open up.
>The cozy darkness once again pushes you towards it.
>As if on queue, the world of consciousness you left behind begins to form around you.
>The bed that you laid on, the room you retired to, and the dozing guardian that holds you tightly.
>You wake to a room that wasn't yours.
>Last night, you and Soma found an empty neighborhood.
>While the supplies found were low, a place to sleep was high on your priorities.
>After perusing a few homes, you decided to settle on the one with the largest bed.
>Not like you were staying here long term anyway.
>You pull Soma's body closer to you slowly, as not to wake her.
>Though she seems to sleep like a rock.
>You dig your face into her underbelly as her warm fur tickles your ears.
>Sinking into her doughy body, she moans pleasurably in her sleep.
>Unconsciously welcoming the sensation, her fore hooves keep you from popping out.
>Her body's ability to stretch around you almost seems cartoony in nature.
>But you welcome it as her body doesn't suffocate you.
>In fact, its almost as if you can breathe through her skin.
>Diving face first into a mare's round middle is surprisingly cozy and accommodating.
>You may have thought this would be a bit creepy once.
>But the bond between you two in the last few days almost compels you to do this.
>You're her little human, and you tend to indulge a bit too much in that fact.
>Soma never seems to mind though.
>”...I really wish we could just stay like this.”
“Mmmeah.”
>”Just want to take you home, and we'll live together and everything.”
“Mmm.”
>She shifts a bit, keeping your head pinned in her.
>”Would you mind doing the house chores?  I would take care of you and everything.”
>You muster a response through her middle.
“Ah prolly need a job dere.”
>She gives a questioning whine as she scissors the rest of your body with her hind legs.
>”My job pays fine, I'd just love to see you at the end of each day.  You could even make some friends with the locals!  Doesn't that sound wonderful?”
“Ash long ash they're all nice like you.”
>She gives you a throaty laugh.
>”I promise they are.”
>She weakens the pressure on your head as her middle pushes you out.
>”While I love our time together, we should really get going.”
>You force yourself out of your trance, remembering your reality.
>Opening your bag, you take out breakfast.
>5 cans of pineapples.
>You struggle a bit with the can opener, but you open all 5 eventually.
>You offer 4 cans to Soma and keep one to yourself.
>”Such a shame we have to start rationing now, at least camp is just about 2 more days of travel.”
>She tips each can into her mouth as each fruit piece enters with a wet thump.
>Chewing for a bit, she swallows 4 cans worth of pineapples in one go.
>You eat your can just as quickly to match her pace.
>”Alright Anon, our next destination will be in another neighborhood, but just like before, we'll be going through a commercial district first.  So, we'll just do yesterday's plan and watch out for any dangers.”
>Seems simple enough.
>Yesterday went by without too much of a hitch.
>You gather your things as Soma floats her saddlebags over her back.
>The glow of her horn much weaker than you're used to as the bags hang on either side of her.
>Last night's dinner was much smaller than you anticipated.
>15 cans of assorted vegetables and fruit seemed good at the time.
>But remembering that Soma can easily down something your size without as much as a dent on her belly showed itself last night.
>She apologized for eating so much, but you knew you had to keep her fed.
>While you don't mind going without food for a day, your bag currently only holds enough food to keep yourself satisfied.
>Though you did ransack a pharmacy on the way.
>You forgot the name of the things, but you stuffed a large plastic bag with large calcium tablets.
>Its almost like candy to you, and seems to stave off hunger for a little bit.
>Soma didn't find them to her liking though.
>Today is going to be a crucial day.
>Food was scarce, but you'll have to be strong to earn your keep with your friend.
>Else you'll be her permanent resident.
>Both of you walk side-by-side in silence.
>But it wasn't an awkward silence, in fact it was a nice change of pace.
>Knowing that both of you have to conserve energy, talking would be off the list of things to do while walking.
>Giving each other a smile every once in a while was still a very enjoyable activity anyway.
>Strolling down the middle of the street, the sound of shattering glass startles you.
>”Watch it!”
>Soma gives you a sharp shove as a large stone zips past between you two.
>Focusing your attention to the noise, you see a large man dressed as a biker stroll out of clothes boutique.
>”Seems I missed, don't worry, this bat'll crack your skull wide open.”
>The biker produces a bat from behind him, coated in dried blood.
>This was obviously not his first encounter.
“What's with you?!”
>Soma puts up a threatening stance, horn in full glow as you arm yourself with your pistol.
>”Hey, hey, hey... was just trying to introduce myself.  No need for guns shorty.”
>The biker puts his hands up, bat still in hand.
>”Drop the bat, or I drop you.”
>He wears a maniacal grin in response to Soma's threat.
>You continue to point the firearm at him, making sure he stays a good distance away.
>”Heh, if you had any damned power left, you would've done that long time ago sister.”
>Two more stones fly from behind the biker into Soma's direction.
>She briefly breaks her stance to dodge one, but to have the other slam into her side.
>As she quickly checks the damage, two figures come out from the boutique.
>”You're not the only one with a posse, kid.  Girls, seems these two need a good beating.”
>The henchmen, armed with crude clubs glower menacingly at you.
>Your eyes drift over to Soma as her eyes almost speak to you.
>”Distract them.”
>She continues to look at the adversaries as you turn your attention back to this biker gang holding their ground.
“Why are you doing this?”
>The biker leader snickers at you, bearing his teeth.
>”Do you really expect me to answer that stupid fucking question?”
>You notice a gentle glow from beneath the gang members.
>You maintain eye contact with the leader, as not to reveal Soma's plan.
“I guess not, but why us?”
>”Pfft, as if I need to tell you, we haven't eaten in a day, and horse meat is starting to sound good.”
>You look over to Soma as you see sweat running down her face.
>She isn't going to last long.
>”And horse lover meat probably is just as good.”
>He smacks his lips loudly as his groupies giggle in anticipation.
>”But... I'll give you a choice kid, point that gun over to your friend there, and we can share in the goods.”
>You maintain eye contact with him, refusing to budge.
>”In fact, you're holding that gun all wrong.  Locking your elbows like that will make the kick of the gun break your fucking bones.”
>Slacking your arms a bit at his words, he gives a short hyena laugh.
>”See?  I ain't all that bad, in fact, I'd say your friend is a lot more murderous than all of us combined.”
>He hunches his back as if to whisper to you from a distance.
>”Her race did kind of throw our entire civilization into the shitter, so come on.”
>Slowly lowering his arms to shrug his shoulders, you thrust the gun in his direction.
“Keep your hands up.”
>”Come on kid, even if you shoot one of us with your obvious amount of gun knowledge, one of us will cave your skull in, and your friend over there isn't looking so hot.”
>A bit of drool escapes his mouth.
>”In fact... she'd look better on a spit over an open fire.
>Your eyes drift over to Soma once again.
>”Let them come.”
>That's what her expression tells you.
>Focusing on the leader once again, you spit out.
“Then come get some you sick fucks.”
>He growls at your response.
>”Get 'em!”
>As each member goes to raise their leg towards you, they trip simultaneously.
>The childish prank of tying their shoelaces together seemed to be Soma's saving plan.
>Except the result was much more brutal than a couple of scrapped elbows.
>The two girls behind the leader did a straight nose-dive into the concrete, effectively knocking them out.
>The biker leader on the other hand fell forward to land on his chin.  Hard.
>Dazed from the fall, you run over to point your gun at his head.
>He struggled to get up, but you put your foot into his back.
>Too weak to fight back, he opted to laugh through gritted teeth as you maintain your gun over his head.
“I may not know much about guns, but I can guarantee I won't miss at this range.”
>His mouth froths a bit as he continues to laugh.
>”You're the sick fuck, you know that?  Helping these god-damned horses destroy our world.  Hope to see you in hell.”
>You pause for a moment as you pull the trigger.
“I'll let God sort us out.”
>A loud bang rings through your ears as the biker's head leaks a bloody puddle onto the ground.
>As the adrenaline wears off, you drop your gun in realization.
>You just killed a man.
>You slowly back up, limbs shaking as you struggle to stand.
>Sitting down onto the sidewalk behind you, tears begin to fall.
>Soma trots over to you as she holds you to her chest.
>”It's okay, you saved us, it'll be alright.”
>She rocks you back and forth as you wail into her coat.
>Humming a lullaby, she cradles you as your emotions spill onto her.
“I-I-I'm a murderer...”
>”Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh... he would've killed us both if you didn't do that.”
“But...”
>”No buts... I'm sorry that this is what your world has become, but we have to survive.”
>You whine as her words ring true.
>You never wanted to hurt anyone, but you didn't want to die either.
>The only being that has shown you compassion in this bleak, new world continues to calm you down.
>Sniffling a bit, you manage to gather a bit of courage as you peek out of Soma's warm embrace.
“Th-th-thanks... I think I'm fine now.”
>She gently lets you onto the ground as you look at each other's handiwork.
>”Well... as much as I don't like to do this in front of you, can you check if the other girl is alive?”
>You nod as both of you check the pulse of the groupies.
>Kneeling down to place a finger to her neck, you glance at the gang's bodies.
>These girls were quite skinny, as was the leader.
>Seems that they really haven't eaten in a while.
>”This one's still alive, how's yours?”
“Live.”
>You turn to Soma as you get up from the ground.
“Hey Soma, how come ponies only eat live humans anyway?”
>She turns her head to the sky as she drapes the girl on her back.
>You follow suit as you drag the unconscious body and lump her on top of the other one.
>Soma motions you forward into a nearby building.
>”Well, back in Equestria, most of our foods contain a lot of energy that powers our magic.  Your world is a bit different where humans create energy from food either devoid of energy or full of it.”
>She shudders a bit.
>”Like those processed burgers and those tablet things you like to chew on has no energy, yet your bodies still process it into energy for yourself.  I guess its just how your world works.  While you are devoid of magic, you still create a lot of energy.  When you're alive of course, the energy almost instantly disappears upon death.”
>Her thoughts seem to run into each other, but you understand.
“So... I guess you'll be eating these two?”
>She sighs at you with a melancholy look.
>”Yeah... they don't nearly have enough energy as healthy humans, but beggars can't be choosers.”
>You both enter an office building, seemingly devoid of all life.
>Soma tips to the side, letting the two girls fall onto the floor.
“Guess you're fortunate they're heavy sleepers, huh?”
>”I guess... uh Anon?”
>You look at her as her ears fold against her head.
>”Since I'm really spent of energy... do you mind dragging them to my mouth?”
>Her face is a mix of uncertainty and fatigue.
“Uh... of course.”
>You drag the first girl by the feet as Soma opens her mouth.
>Strings of thick saliva dangle from her maw as you place the girl's legs into her mouth.
>”Ohhh my...”
>Soma eye's roll back in pleasure as she begins to pull the groupie into her.
>Round bulges poke out of the nurse's neck as she swallows more of the woman.
>Legs, torso, breasts and head.
>All disappear between the pony's lips.
>Each gulp sends the girl further and further down Soma's massive body.
>Slurping the last of the girl's hair, you see the bulge of the head slowly make its way down to disappear under Soma's pudgy tummy.
>An unladylike belch echos through the room.
>”Oh Celestia, I'm sorry about that.”
>You laugh at her embarrassment.
“Soma, it's going to take a lot more than that to chase me away.”
>She smiles with a blush emanating from her cheeks.
>”I... I guess you're right, thanks.”
“No problem, next one?”
>A bit surprised at your enthusiasm, she nods her head eagerly before opening her jaws once again.
>You drag the next set of feet on her tongue as you look into Soma's depths.
>The slimy insides almost draw you in, the pools of saliva inviting.
>Closing her mouth around the victim's calves, you snap out of your trance.
>Something about that seemed all too familiar to you.
>Soma's moans of pleasure as she draws her prey further into her almost thrills you as well.
>You hug Soma from behind as she swallows, stroking her neck to assist her.
>Her moans become more complex as she quickly finishes her food.
>A familiar glow surrounds you as she lifts you into the air to roll over belly up.
>She places you on the ground next to her with pleading eyes.
>”Would it be too much to ask for a belly rub?  I promise we'll get going faster.”
>You smirk as you place your hands around her large orb.
>While her stomach wasn't unnaturally large, it was a bit larger than you're used to.
>Stroking her belly, you apply different amount of pressure on your fingers as your hands surf the surface of her skin.
>”Ohhh my...”
>You change between circular rubs and straight rubs, making sure to not leave a spot unattended for too long.
>After a few minutes of this, her stomach begins to thrash a bit, voices muffled by her flesh.
>”Seems they woke up.”
>You stare at Soma's glum look, giving her a smile in response.
“If you're worried if this bothers me, don't.  I... I understand.”
>The edges of her mouth curve up a bit as she rubs your back with a hoof.
>”Thanks... my little human.”
>You grin at her pet name as you resume your rubbing responsibilities.
>Every once in a while you see the odd limb sticking out, or even a hand searching around.
>You even start to play whack-a-mole with these bulges, rubbing these areas much more intensely as they appear.
>Soma seems to really enjoy that as her face shows nothing but sheer euphoria.
>Her back arches and her tail wags with every successful “mole” whacked.
>You do nothing but smile at her state of rapture.
>Since whatever makes her happy.
>Makes you happy.
>As the struggles die down, Soma lazily rolls over as she gets up on her hooves.
>”I couldn't ask for a better human than you, you know that?”
>You feel the blood rush to your face as you look away bashfully.
“It-It's nothing, really.  I just like to see you content.”
>She gives a sultry laugh as she lays her saddlebags on her back.
>Presenting her side to you, she motions you on.
>”Come on, we can make it to the next residential area before nightfall if you ride me.”
>Without hesitation, you mount Soma as she gallops out of the building and into the street.
>”Hopefully we don't meet with any more distractions.”
>You place your head on her head, wrapping your arms around her neck.
“Yeah, that'd be a nice change of pace.”
>With the worst seemingly behind you, the 3rd day doesn't seem like a problem anymore.
>In fact, the closer to camp, the more secure the area should be.
>At least, that's what you tell yourself.