A study of cartoon physics

“Yo Tavi, we’re leaving!”

Octavia blinked and spared a glance as Vinyl Scratch made her way downstairs and entered the lobby of Ponyville’s record shop, a parade of suitcases, instruments, and electrical equipment floating behind her. She came to a stop near the exit, and the items fell into a haphazard pile on her back. The unicorn grunted as she slung an unexpectedly heavy duffel bag over her shoulders, the strap digging painfully into the thick skin on the back of her neck. “Woof. Gonna need a serious massage at the spa after this tour, babe…”

From her spot behind the counter, Octavia slowly turned the page of her magazine. “Mhm.”

The DJ raised her front hoof to wipe a bead of sweat from her face, wincing at the sight of her rather thick foreleg. “Are you sure you can’t close the store for, like, twenty minutes to help me get to the station? I normally have Cirrus around to help carry stuff, but he…” Her eyes darted around the room, and a strangled gurgle emanated from her sagging gut. Her lips curled into something between a grin and a grimace. “Heh, y’know…”

“Yes, he’s quite indisposed at the moment, as I recall.” Octavia raised her eyes over the counter to peer at her marefriend, briefly looking over the unicorn’s unusually plump figure. “As he will be for the foreseeable future. Did you remember to bring his items as well?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Vinyl wiggled her hindquarters, trying to balance the unwieldy stack of boxes and bags piled onto her back. “I dunno if we’ll even make it on time with all this stuff weighing me down.”

“Not to mention the additional baggage you’ve acquired since breakfast,” Octavia muttered, the faintest smile tugging at her lips.

Vinyl rolled her eyes and huffed, glancing over her shoulder. The slightly-broadened barrel and doughy flanks that met her eyes would take some getting used to, but they would be mostly gone before too long, thank Celestia. “What, you don’t like it? I thought you were all for being smart with money.”

Octavia returned her gaze to the magazine, scanning the pages with only mild interest. “I’ve no opinion of your… travel arrangements. Though I do appreciate your efforts to be more thrifty, dear.”

“I wasn’t asking what you think of our travel arrangements.” Octavia didn’t look up, but Vinyl's smirk grew at the faint coloring of her marefriend’s cheeks. “Hm. Noted.”

“Don’t you have a-a train to catch?” Octavia asked, rather tersely. Vinyl giggled and lifted the remaining bags with her magic. She snatched her bandmate's striped purple scarf off the counter and draped it around her neck before slowly maneuvering her way out the front door of the shop. “See you in two weeks!” Octavia called out behind her, and Vinyl waved her tail in response, the grey mare’s lingering stare and bright pink muzzle going unnoticed.

Vinyl growled as the door swung shut and smacked her in the rear, sending her stumbling the first few steps toward the train station. She quickly enveloped her cargo in a magical aura, releasing it once she was sure the items wouldn’t topple over. She briefly reconsidered her decision to carry their luggage on her back, but the thought of having to carry over a dozen heavy objects across Ponyville with her magic alone nearly turned her legs to jelly.

“Sixty-two bits for this, Scratch,” she reminded herself, commencing the slow trek across town. “Sixty-two bits.” She repeated the mantra in her mind as she waddled down the road, trying to focus on balancing the leaning tower of luggage and not on the slight jiggle she felt in her belly and plot with each step, nor the way her thighs had begun to brush together as she walked. “Ugh. You really did a number on me, C,” she grumbled under her breath, shooting a glare towards her backside.

Her body offered no response, of course, but she knew her partner (or should she say passenger) could hear her. She could just picture that amused and only barely apologetic grin he’d be giving her, were he not currently busy padding her rump.

“Ah, well.” The mare continued to drag herself forward, forcing a smile onto her muzzle. “It’s worth the trouble, yeah? Just a little pudge, carrying some stuff… and that’s one less train ticket to add to our expenses. And hey, I don’t really need to grab lunch on the ride anymore.” As though on cue, she felt a sudden pressure bubble up in her throat and let out a short belch, carrying a few white feathers along with it. She paused to cover her mouth with a hoof, and her horn lit with a sudden glow as she steadied her payload. “Eh, heh… Well, I guess you won’t, either.”

Vinyl was panting lightly by the time she reached the station, and she hobbled towards the ticket booth. The clerk smiled, unfazed by the wobbling pillar of luggage reaching towards the ceiling. “Hi there, how can I help you?”

“Yeah, two–er, one ticket to Baltimare, please.” Vinyl grinned as she paid the sixty-two bits for her ticket, then trotted over to the boarding platform and hauled herself into the first car. Once she’d packed away their things into the overhead bins, Vinyl fell back into her seat with a thump and a sigh, her soft white rear spreading over the base of the chair. She shifted around for a moment, and her expression soon melted into one of satsifaction. “Ooh. ‘Least the seats are comfy, hey C?”