Reassigned

As he trotted towards the royal dining hall, Flash couldn't help but feel a twinge of butterflies in his stomach. He was no less excited about joining Shining and Cadance in their bedroom now than he had been earlier that afternoon, but the notion of him being fattened up had made him pause for thought. He'd seen for himself just how much Shining could put away before, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little nervous over how much food he could cope with.

Still, at least it would give him the chance to try some of the royal foodstuffs. The food served to the guards in the barracks could be described as nutritional, but basic. It had always reminded Flash of the food he got served in high school. Royalty, though? Well, it was pretty obvious where the saying "to eat like kings" came from. Licking his lips in anticipation, Flash found himself at the great doors which led to the dining hall. He entered at 1800 hours on the dot, as ordered.

Shining Armour was waiting for him inside, a warm smile on his face. "Ah, Flash!" he said cheerfully. "Punctual as always, I'm pleased to see. Are you ready for the first day of your weight gain programme?"

Flash nodded. "Yes, sir."

Shining chuckled. "Now, Flash, if you're going to serve me and Cadance personally, there'll be no need to stand on ceremony. Just call me Shining."

Flash blinked, before smiling sheepishly. "Okay... Shining," he said shyly.

"You won't regret this for a moment," Shining promised, as he led Flash to the long table in the centre of the ornately furnished room. "The food served up by the royal chefs here is second to none. I imagine it'll be a far cry from military rations," he added, winking.

Flash laughed and nodded as he took a seat beside Shining at the side of the table.

"Alright, Flash. Here we go," Shining said. "There'll just be one rule during your programme here; whatever's served to you, you must clear your plate. Understood?"

Flash nodded once more.

"Alright." Shining then called towards another set of double doors at the far end of the room. "Send it in!"

Immediately, the doors opened to reveal two ponies dressed in chef's whites, carrying two large silver platters with lids on them. They trotted briskly up to Shining and Flash and set the platters down before them, before whipping off the lids.

Flash's jaw dropped. The plate before him was piled high with the most delectable-looking food he had ever seen. Crispy fried strips of hay, browned to utter perfection, sat atop a bed of roasted vegetables amid a ring of lettuce and tomato. And the size of the meal... sweet Celestia, it was packed with food! There was scarcely a hint of the plate visible underneath it!

Flash immediately began to salivate by just looking at the food before him. Shining laughed as he took up a fork in his magical aura.

"Well, don't just look at it, Flash," he teased, before taking a bite from his own fried hay. "Dig in, soldier!"

Flash did not need to be told twice. Taking a fork in his hoof, he dug the utensil into his hay and inserted a forkful into his mouth.

Oh, sweet blessed sun and moon above. This went beyond just being great food—there were no words in the Equestrian language to describe how utterly transcendent this was. The hay practically melted on his tongue as he chewed it, sending vast, unending waves of flavour crashing relentlessly over his taste buds. This alone was worth taking Shining up on his offer, Flash decided. After a moment of startled delight, he began to emit a series of rapturous noises of sufficient gusto to make Shining start laughing again.

"I told you this would be a step up from the guards' rations, didn't I?" he said merrily, before taking another bite from his own meal.

Flash didn't respond, his eyes squeezed shut and tears of joy running down his cheeks as he continued to whimper ecstatically over his ambrosia. As he continued to delightedly wolf down his wonderful meal, he thanked Celestia, Luna, and whatever spirits may have been watching from above for granting him this privilege.

Almost before Flash knew it, his plate was empty. Huffing in disappointment, Flash looked over to Shining, who was watching him with a great big smile.

"Well done, Flash!" he said happily. "A clean plate, just like I told you. Very nice work indeed."

Flash nodded. "Thanks, si- Shining," he replied, smiling bashfully while self-consciously wiping a spot of drool from his mouth.

"Let's hope you enjoy our other courses as much as that one," Shining continued.

Flash's eyes widened. "Other courses?"

"Well, yes." Shining gave Flash a slightly hurt look. "You didn't think I'd send you back to the barracks hungry, did you? We've got two more courses to go before we're done here, Flash."

Two more courses? Flash swallowed. On the one hoof, that first course had been enough to serve as a full meal in itself, and he wasn't sure how much more his stomach could hold. On the other hoof, any opportunity to eat more of that scrumptious food was a welcome one. Inhaling deeply, Flash nodded his consent. "Okay, then."

"Excellent." Shining called once again for the chefs, who emerged carrying two new platters. This time, they contained a splendid-looking array of lettuce, buttercups and potatoes drizzled in peppercorn sauce. It was just as tasty as the first course, and Flash ate it with just as much enthusiasm.

When he was done, though, Flash felt an uncomfortable tightness began to form in his belly. He grunted, placing a hoof on his swollen abdomen in an attempt to ease the pain a little.

"Oh dear," Shining said sympathetically. "Was that a bit too much for you to handle?" Flash moaned and nodded.

"Hang on, I know how to fix this." The straps on Flash's armour were enveloped in purple as Shining unbuckled them, before placing a hoof on Flash's tummy and beginning to rub in small circles, eliciting a gasp of surprise from Flash.

"Just relax," Shining said softly, as he continued to massage Flash's aching belly. As his hoof gently kneaded and pressed into Flash's gut, he could feel the stinging pain slowly melt away, until it was gone, replaced by a pleasant feeling of fullness.

"Is that better?" Shining asked. Flash smiled and nodded gratefully. "Well, dessert should help settle your stomach a bit more, too. Something nice and simple," he said, as the chefs approached for a third and final time. This time, the platters each contained a large bowl of simple chocolate chip ice cream. Flash smiled in relief; he was worried it would be some really heavy cake or something, but ice cream sounded perfect.

Flash spent the last few minutes of his dinner cheerfully slurping down ice cream alongside his captain, enjoying the feeling of coldness spreading through his overstuffed tummy like a soothing balm. Once he'd cleaned his bowl, he leaned back in his seat and let out a low moan.

To say he'd overeaten was an understatement. He was so unbelievably stuffed that he felt like he'd need to summon a wheelchair to take him back to the barracks. His gorging had given him a good-sized food baby to show for it, forming an almost perfect hemisphere that stuck out from his abdomen as his stomach gurgled and churned.

"You did well, Flash," Shining said admiringly. "A week or so of meals like that, and we'll soon have you nice and round. But for now, I'd say you're eager to sleep that off, huh?"

Flash moaned again in acknowledgement.

"The barracks are too far away for you to walk there in that state, so I'll let you use the guest bedroom across the hall," Shining continued, giving Flash's shoulder a pat. "Now then, go and give your belly a rest. I'll see you here tomorrow at 0800 hours for breakfast. Okay?"

Flash nodded. "Thank you, Shining. For... ugh... for dinner."

Shining laughed. "The first of many, Flash. Now, off with you."

Flash got shakily to his hooves and stumbled, zombie-like, out into the hallway. Even with his belly feeling like it was about to split right down the middle, he couldn't wait for breakfast the next day.