Butterly Love

The light hiss of running water drowned out the sound of Fluttershy’s bathroom scale, moaning in agony as she stood atop it. She shifted around slightly, establishing her footing while the disc below her spun quickly behind the glass. The small, circular piece of cardboard was watched with dread as it spun around, the single second it took to do this seeming to take an eternity.

Then, abruptly, it stopped.

Fluttershy looked down with an all-too-familiar look of disappointment. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she waited for the disc to correct it error and spin backwards. The numbers didn’t lie, however, and as such stayed put.

287.

“Three pounds?!” She shouted, barely containing her urge curl up into a pudgy ball and cry. “I gained three pounds?!”

She looked down with a huff. “It’s...probably just water weight.” She told herself, conveniently forgetting about, among other decadent acts of gluttony, the whole cheesecake she had consumed over the course of the previous day.

Though she would never admit it to herself, due to either denial or a stubborn resistance to change, Fluttershy had a weight problem. Of course, she had always been a bit on the pudgy side, but it was only in recent years that she had ballooned up to her current weight.

She sighed as she watched her reflection fade into a blurry mess as the bathroom mirror began to fog up.

I’m just...so… she thought to herself, a drop of condensed steam rolling down her back, ...so...boring.

Twilight was a princess. Rarity had her shop in Canterlot. Rainbow Dash had just recently joined the Wonderbolts. Applejack and Pinkie were in charge of their own businesses. Her biggest achievement? Eating a whole plate of mint chocolate-chip brownies in under five minutes.

All of her friends led exciting, successful lives. She, on the other hand, was just a boring, reclusive pegasus. Aside from caring for her animal friends, all she ever did nowadays was stay cooped up in her cottage. While all of her friends were out having fun and meeting other ponies, she was sitting by herself, knitting, baking, reading cheesy romance novels, and, of course, stuffing her face all the while. Rarity had recently gotten engaged, meanwhile she had never even so much as kissed a stallion.

She had come out of her shell a little for the first few years after meeting her friends. With an excuse to get out of her cottage and walk around, she had even lost some weight. Back then she was happy and motivated. She could wake up every day and look forward to spending time with her friends.

But recently, those friends had had less and less time to spend with each other. As a result, Fluttershy had returned to her old ways, when her only two friends were her animals and food.

Fluttershy pouted and looked down at the floor. She had let her old habits get the best of her. With no incentive to diet or exercise, one extra slice of pie after dinner turned into two, then three, then four. Pretty soon, the entire pastry ended up in her belly.

While she was able to deny it at first, now, weighing in at a healthy 287 pounds, it was difficult to argue with the fact that her eating habits had taken quite the toll on her figure. But she couldn’t help it. Fluttershy was a lover of everything sweet, and it showed.

Fluttershy gazed at her now completely-blurred reflection in the steam-kissed mirror. Her habit of constantly glancing in the mirror to critique her appearance was suddenly so much more painful than before. She couldn't bring herself to wipe the steam off the glassy surface, dreading the nasty details behind the blurred, buttery blob.

Instead, she simply huffed and stepped into the shower.

“Mmm…” She purred, reveling in the simple ecstasy of hot water on her back to calm her nerves. It was here where she could relax and forget her troubles, however many they may be.

Well, most of them. As one might expect, the extra 200 pounds made washing oneself a much more involved process. Aside from the annoyance of the small space becoming tighter with every passing day, Fluttershy blushed as she felt her many fat rolls yield to the loofa as it glided across her pudgy belly. This only got worse as she moved down to her sides, the dense fat in her love handles even thicker and more pliable.

She rubbed the loofah across skin, letting it sink into her soft, pliable middle. The thick layer of fat that encased her body bounced and jiggled as she washed away the dirt, sweat and grime of the previous day.

How could I have let this happen? she thought, watching as her body jiggled with every little movement. Gone was the petite, slender pegasus she used to be. Instead, she had let herself turn into her true self: a big, fat pig.

Focus on something else, Fluttershy, she scolded herself. Like, um… she closed her eyes as she leaned her head into the stream of water, clearing her mind as she felt the warm water soak into her scalp. ...Like you trip to the market today.

In spite of her troubles, the pudgy pegasus surrendered a smile. Her weekly trips to the market gave her an excuse to go to town and see her friends. Well, some of them. She could always count on seeing Pinkie and Applejack. Twilight too if she wasn’t busy with her royal duties in her castle. Rarity and Dash, unfortunately, could only visit every few weeks.

As she finished washing her hair and moved on to her backside, Fluttershy began taking note of everything she needed to purchase, as well as the fastest route between the various stalls to ensure that she would be able to catch Pinkie or Applejack on their respective lunch breaks.

Though this smile quickly faded as she once again found herself touching her body. She cringed with guilt as she scrubbed between the rolls of her bloated backside, and her face flushed as she felt how huge her butt was.

“I’m so ugly…” she said to herself, washing the suds off the body that she dreaded to even look at. Somehow, even her daily shower had become a chore.

* * *

Running the comb through her mane one final time, Fluttershy at last convinced herself that she was presentable enough to be seen by the world. Setting the comb down on her dresser, she turned around and started towards the front door.

“Everyone, I’m going out for a few hours. Be good, okay?” she announced to an audience of her animal friends. “That means you, Angel Bunny.”

Angel rolled his eyes before hopping away.

So cute, she thought, another tiny grin brightening the space between her chubby cheeks.

All set and ready for her trip, Fluttershy strapped on her saddlebags and squeezed through the front door, making a mental note to have it widened. Again.

Fluttershy could feel her spirits lifting the moment she stepped outside. “What a beautiful day.” She said to herself, stopping for a moment to smell the fresh, warm air of the early morning. She inhaled, then exhaled slowly, savoring the soft scent. The misty morning air filled her nostrils, the chilly tang of early spring blending it all together.

“Mmm…” She sighed, her worries leaving her mind. No matter what troubled her, Fluttershy could always find solace in the tranquility of the early morning. And she would need it, too -- it was going to be a long, tiring trek to Ponyville proper. Before starting down the path to her destination, she took one last sniff of the air, savouring its sweet, buttery, aroma.

...Wait, what?

Fluttershy’s head shot up to attention. With the efficiency of a machine, her pupils darted back and forth, obsessively scanning the horizon. A fiery motivation burned in her tummy, the kind of motivation that only a fierce craving can provide.

Almost as if she were in a trance, Fluttershy diligently followed her nose to find the source of the delicious smell. Crossing the small footbridge in front of her cottage, she waddled down the path, her hoofsteps getting faster as the smell became ever stronger.

Her ears perked up as soon as she could hear the sound of a rickety set of wheels making its way down the path adjacent to hers. This path was beyond a short strip of trees, but she didn’t let such a trivial obstacle stop her.

She carefully crossed the wooded barrier, making sure to not mess up her hair. It was then that her brief quest came to an end.

“Howdy.” A low, sturdy voice greeted.

Fluttershy felt an all-too-familiar warmth rush into her thick cheeks. “U-Um…hi.”