It was a dark, quiet night in the village of Trottingham.  The full moon hung high against a starry backdrop, casting a gentle light over the empty roads.  Few ponies had a need to travel at such a late hour, and fewer still would want to.  But, a youthful, headstrong mare found herself traveling the silent streets.

	“Lousy good-for-nothing featherbrains,” Zippersnap muttered to herself with a scowl.  “I’m not going to put up with being slave-driven for six bits an hour, no sir!  They can clean up their own messes!”

	She stomped hard on the ground with her next step.  She was frustrated that she just couldn’t seem to hold a job in this place, and her savings were nearly drained.  She had enough money to pay this month’s rent and eat cheap hay, but that was it.  Zippersnap sighed, taking a moment to reminisce about her short-lived career as a racehorse.  She was loved, she was adored, and she felt important.  Her earnings weren’t that great, but they certainly allowed her to live comfortably and even save up for rainy days.  Ever since her old racetrack closed, she felt like she was just meandering through life with no success.  If she didn’t get a job soon, she’d be homeless…or worse, she might have to move back in with her parents!

	As Zippersnap contemplated her future, she stopped paying attention to where she was walking.  Her thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into the solid flank of a large stallion.

	“Oh…I’m sorry,” she said, taking a step back and looking at who she bumped into.  Her initial bewilderment soured when she saw that she had bumped into a large and bulky zebra wearing a distinctive brown cloak.  “Oh, it’s you,” she continued.  “What are you doing out so late?”

	“The Great Tsavo has his reasons,” the zebra said boisterously, as if addressing an invisible audience.

	“Yeah, whatever,” Zippersnap snapped back before moving to go around Tsavo and continue back to the tiny little shack she called home.  Much to her displeasure, Tsavo began trotting alongside her.

	“Tsavo must ask, how did his little trick back at the restaurant go?  Tsavo is certain that his little jar delivered much delinquency!” he said, coyly batting his eyes at the unamused mare.

	Zippersnap just shot him a defeated look before focusing back on the road.

	“…Are you alright?” Tsavo asked.  “You seem a little down.  You can tell Tsavo all about your troubles.”

	“If you don’t mind, I’m not in the mood,” Zippersnap said with a heavy sigh.

	With an elegant swipe, Tsavo took Zippersnap’s front hoof in his, prompting her to stop and look at him.

	“Please…I insist,” Tsavo said, looking Zippersnap dead in the eye.  His golden-yellow irises morphed into a ring of glowing ghostly green.  It began to expand as another ring, this time a dull gray, formed in the center of his eyes before expanding out as well.  The process repeated with glowing green and dull gray rings pulsing across the zebra’s eyes faster and faster, until they resembled a continuous flow.

	“Hnng…” Zippersnap said, already feeling the familiar tug of the zebra’s spell on her mind.  “N-not again…”

	Her tired eyes shot open as she was magically transfixed by Tsavo’s gaze.  It was like it had her head in a vice; she tried nudging her head away, but she felt stopped by some ethereal force that always kept Tsavo in sight.  On the surface, it was just a pretty pattern, but Zippersnap felt an unnatural warmth soaking through her brain the longer she stared, making her head feel numb.  With each ring came a blast of energy than made her whole body tingle and relax.  In mere seconds she felt like her whole body was made of iron; completely immovable of her own accord.  As her own eyes began to pulse with identical rings, she knew that she was fighting a losing battle.
“Come, let’s go someplace more private,” Tsavo said softly, not once breaking eye contact.  With a gentle tug of Zippersnap’s hoof, he began to lead her into a dark alley, even more secluded from the desolate streets.  Zippersnap’s limbs moved on their own to follow him, her subconscious mind betraying her and not wanting to end the feeling of total relaxation that Tsavo’s eyes were granting her.

	“Just relax,” Tsavo said as the pair finally reached the end of a secluded alleyway.  The shadows of the buildings on either side blocked the little light radiating from the moon, making Tsavo appear merely as two glowing, pulsing eyes in the darkness.  “Tell me, what has you so down?”

	Zippersnap wanted to tell him to buzz off, but the ever pulsing green and gray in her mind snuffed out any thoughts of resistance.  Her head was filled with Tsavo’s powerful voice, and she was compelled to do what he said.

	“I got fired…again…” she muttered, speaking in a soft, distant voice.  She felt like she could barely control her lips, but the bubbling bliss that Tsavo’s eyes were making her feel made such worries just wash off of her.  “I’m running…out of money…I’m scared…for the future…”

	“Fired?” Tsavo asked, his face growing somewhat sympathetic as his eyes continued to drill his spell into Zippersnap’s head.  “But you were so good at the diner.  Elaborate.”

	“The ponies here…are crazy…I quit…because of…the changeling…” Zippersnap continued.  “Next jobs…I feel scared…I can’t do…anything right…I lash out…I can’t…help it…I feel…useless…”

	A sympathetic frown came across Tsavo’s face.

	“Perhaps there is more to you than I thought,” Tsavo said, never relenting with his hypnotic spell.  “So, is it true that you feel like you have no direction in life?  That you feel worthless?”

	“Yes…” Zippersnap muttered.  It was starting to get hard to think, having been exposed to the spell for so long.  Even Tsavo’s voice was starting to sound muddy.

	“Then…perhaps, I can help with that,” he said with a smirk.

Bad end:

	“Allow the powerful Tsavo to give your life meaning,” he added.  Tsavo concentrated, making his eyes pulse even faster.  Their hypnotic light illuminated Zippersnap’s expressionless face.  “Look deep into my eyes…become thoughtless…let your mind empty…fall into complete trance…”

	“Yes…” Zippersnap said as her mind was pulverized by Tsavo’s relentless spell.  Whatever numbness and relaxation she felt earlier had increased tenfold, and Tsavo’s voice became clearer than ever before.  Her brain did as it was commanded without even giving her a chance to consider what Tsavo was saying.  One by one, the lights in her head slowly winked out.  Her feelings and thoughts drained from her like they were going down a sluice, only to be filled with a dreamy euphoria.  Her lips parted and her body straightened out, and Zippersnap stood stock and still in front of Tsavo.

	“That’s a good filly,” Tsavo said, his eyes fading back to their normal appearance.  He wouldn’t need his powers any longer.  All that would be left now would be to perform the ‘disappearing act.’

	The zebra licked his lips and slowly opened his mouth.  He took in Zippersnap’s snout, biting gently on it.  His tongue explored her motionless lips and chin, reveling in her rich taste.  Tsavo could already tell that she was a bit gamey, but he was too far gone to stop now.  He wrapped his foreleg around her head and pushed hard while his mouth expanded to take her head in.  She didn’t react at all as the warm, fleshly folds of Tsavo’s throat completely surrounded her up to her neck.  Her forelegs instantly went limp when a powerful gulp lifted them off of the ground and drove them to her sides.  Tsavo’s tongue eagerly lapped up against her toned belly as his lips traveled ever further downward.  Tsavo felt safe; not only was the alley secluded, it was dark enough that anypony looking straight down it would only hear the sound of soft gulps coming from the total darkness.  Not that he would have to worry for much longer, though; Zippersnap was thin enough that she went down smoothly, plus the fact that she was too hypnotized to resist allowed Tsavo to make quick work of her.  Soon he was slurping down her bony hind legs.  Her hooves disappeared behind his lips, and one final gulp sent the last of Zippersnap on a one-way trip to his distended belly.

	“There,” Tsavo said, laying down one of the sheets of cardboard that littered the alley, “…Tsavo has granted you direction in life: becoming padding for his handsome flanks!  Be thankful!”

	A muffled, monotone “Thank you, Tsavo,” came from the bulge that concealed Zippersnap’s head.  She was still on complete autopilot.
“Interesting…Tsavo thought consuming you would shatter your trance,” Tsavo mused.  “Not that it matters.  Even with their full faculties, no mare can escape from his glorious gut.  Now, Tsavo didn’t intend to consume a mare tonight, so he’ll need to make quick work of you.”

	Tsavo closed his eyes and focused intently as his stomach began to do its work.  His own forelegs gripped and kneaded his bulging belly to help in the digestion.  He could feel his abdominal muscles pulse and squeeze around Zippersnap’s delicate body.  He made sure to sift his sitting posture, making sure that Zippersnap remained sufficiently coated in his stomach juices.  The sound of gurgling was only interrupted by the occasional belch, which made Zippersnap’s prison tighter and more hostile with each one.

	“You know, your mind must have been exceptionally weak to remain in trance even as you’re being digested,” Tsavo said when he noticed that Zippersnap had remained completely still.  “Usually the great Tsavo's involuntary volunteers put up more of a show.”

	The zebra shrugged.  He wasn’t complaining.  All Zippersnap’s stillness did was make his processing of her much easier on his stomach.  The gurgling noises became louder and wetter as his stomach muscles contracted more tightly than ever before, kneading Zippersnap’s ever-softening flesh into brown pulp.  When Tsavo began to see her body begin to lose definition, he knew that she was finally done.  With a mighty heave and heavy slosh, Tsavo stood up and began to trot out.

	“Thanks for the pick-me-up, little mare,” Tsavo said to the obviously liquefied vat of pony goo that was his stomach.  “Perhaps Tsavo will use your extra energy to mesmerize another meaty mare this evening~”

Good end:

	“I am in need of a humble assistant, and you seem like you would be fit for the job,” Tsavo continued.  “Even if you aren’t, my…special skills…can make it so you definitely remained focused.”

	His big, pulsating eyes drew closer to Zippersnap’s face, filling even more of her vision with their dominating power.

	“You will come visit me tomorrow evening,” he said in a whisper.  “My address is 459 Lakeview Road.  It’s to the east of town, just north of Lake Trottingham.  There we will begin your assessment.  If you prove to be a good assistant, you will be compensated handsomely.  If not, well, I’ll at least give you a warm meal for your trouble.  That sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it?”

	“Yes Tsavo…it sounds like…a great idea…” Zippersnap said, the bobbing of Tsavo’s head forcing her to pantomine a nod.

	“Good,” Tsavo continued.  “Now, the mysterious and enigmatic Tsavo has many things to attend to tonight, so I will leave you.  Go home, get a good rest, and one more thing: stop being so racist!”

	“I will go home…get a good rest…” Zippersnap said, before falling silent.

	“...You WILL stop being so racist!” Tsavo finished with one last blast of hypnotic power to make his suggestion sink in.

	“…I will stop being so racist…” Zippersnap finally repeated.

	“Good.  Now, off you go.  A good night’s rest will free you from my spell,” Tsavo said, letting his eyes return to normal and shooing Zippersnap off with a wave of his hoof.   She obediently did as she was told, turning around in the alley and leaving Tsavo’s presence.  She would robotically trot right back home and collapse on her bed, just as she was instructed.  When she woke up the following morning, all she would remember would be having a conversation with the mysterious zebra, and begrudgingly accepting his offer for her services.  Something about him still didn’t sit right with her, but money is money, and zebras can’t be TOO bad.