It's a Mad Cupcake World

Trixie had set up her wagon outside of Sweet Apple Acres, on a patch of unclaimed land near the orchards. This had come somewhat as a surprise to Starlight, but she didn’t mind the trek out of Ponyville.

Trixie spotted Starlight coming and waved, Starlight waved back, beaming. Then frowned a little, “Hey, have you talked to Twilight lately? She was telling me this morning that something was going on, but then just disappeared.”

Trixie frowned, “Starlight, of course something is going on! Are you blind!?”

Starlight blinked, “Trixie, I’ve been puzzling it over all day, and I can’t figure out what’s wrong. Don’t be so dramatic.”

Trixie’s brow furrowed, “You’re kidding right? So much is different! Come on, we’ll go see Applejack. You’ll see what’s wrong.”

Starlight rolled her eye, “Okay, whatever you say. I still don’t see what’s wrong.”

They walked the short distance to Sweet Apple Acres, and Trixie couldn’t help but wince at the prominent sight of Big Mac who was laying outside the barn, immobilized by his fat so much that his hooves disappeared into the sleeves of fat hanging off his limbs.

Applejack was using an extra large mobility scooter, needing to stretch a little to reach around her stomach to control it. It was going slow, slow enough that a nearly immobile Apple Bloom could waddle quickly enough to follow behind it with little difficulty. She was reaching around her stomach to touch her hooves to the ground. They both seemed to be heading toward the house from the fields as Applejack’s scooter’s basket was full of candy apples.

“See what I mean!?” Trixie said, gesturing to the scene ahead of them.

“What do you mean?” Starlight’s brow furrowed.

“They’re so fat!”

Starlight rolled her eyes, “No kidding, Trixie.”

“They haven’t always been this heavy, Starlight!” Trixie was growing frustrated now, “Last time I was here they were thin and athletic, now they’re so fat they can’t move!”

“They’ve put on a little weight, but they haven't gained that much!” Starlight protested, “You should see some of the ponies in town! They’ve always been on the heavier side.”

“Well then, look at the trees! The apples aren’t normal! They’re all sorts of candy and chocolate. Sugar covered, caramel! Look at them all.”

“Trixie that’s why they’re called Sweet Apple Acres. They specialize in candy apples!”

Trixie brought a hoof to her face, groaning in frustration, “Wait, you said Twilight noticed things were weird right? Why don’t we go check with her?”

“Fine!” Starlight groaned. The pair turned around, and began the journey back into Ponyville proper.

Along the way, Trixie would stop and point out ‘changes’. Changes that seemed non-existant to Starlight. The number of restaurants, the size of buildings, the size of furniture, the weights of various ponies. How the ponies around town seemed barely mobile.

Starlight had answers. Ponies liked having a lot of choices for food, buildings needed to be bigger to hold more ponies, how fat was the in fashion thing to be. How Canterlot was fatter over all. All simple, all matter of fact.

“Why are you and I the only skinny ponies around, then Starlight!?”

“We’re not from Ponyville or Canterlot so of course we’re not like the locals.”

Trixie groaned, but fell silent as they approached Twilight’s castle, “Oh no, it’s changed too! The door is twice as wide, and look there’s a ramp instead of stairs.”

“It’s always been like that,” Starlight said dryly.

They entered the castle together, and it was eerily empty.

“Princess Twilight?!” Trixie called, the sound echoing.

There was a moment as the call ricocheted, and a faint call came back, “Library!”

Trixie rushed ahead, Starlight scrabbling to keep up. Toward the library. Trixie flung open the doors, and froze in place.

Twilight and Spike took up a large portion of the room. Spike was in the center, resting on a collection of pillows. He was easily as wide as three of Trixie’s put together. Most of the weight settling around his hips and stomach, leaving his marginally thinner arms to shovel piles of gems into his open mouth.

Twilight was off to the side, in between Spike and Trixie. She was still mobile, but was using four belly boards to keep her belly off the floor. Her stomach was still overhanging the boards, threatening to touch the ground anyway.

Her front half was smaller by comparison, using them to move more than her hind legs. Her hind end was the largest part of her, rolls and folds making it hard to identify specific parts. Her Cutie Mark was overblown and stretched out. Trixie couldn’t imagine Twilight had the strength to move her hind legs.

Trixie stared openly for a moment, before Starlight pushed her from behind. Swallowing dryly, Trixie approached Twilight.

“Starlight said you mentioned some things were wrong? Could you explain more?”

Twilight stared at the two mares for a moment, “What weird things?”

“You were telling Starlight weird things this morning!”

“Oooh!” Twilight said, “The food delivery is taking a long time today, I’m hoping Derpy didn’t eat it all again.”

“No there’s got to be something else!” Trixie shouted.

“Are you okay, Trixie? You’re acting weird.”

“She’s been like this all day, I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“I’m not the weird one!” Trixie snapped, “It’s everypony else who’s acting weird! I thought Twilight could help, but she won’t. I’m going to prove this!”

“Trixie, please calm down,” Starlight tried to soothe, resting a hoof onto Trixie’s shoulder.

Trixie, using her magic, shoved Starlight away, “I don’t need to calm down!”

The shove was harder than anticipated, sending Starlight stumbling into a bookshelf. The shelf rattled, and a heavy tome fell off a high shelf and onto Starlight’s head. There was a shout and Starlight rubbed at her head, tears streaming down her face.

“Creators, I’m so sorry Starlight!” Trixie exclaimed, checking over Starlight’s head, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I think so,” Starlight said, rubbing at it, “It’s okay, Trixie. It happens.”

Starlight sighed, blinking away tears and then looked over to Twilight. Starlight screamed, jumping, “What’s happened to you?! How are you so fat?”

“It’s about time!” Trixie said, “Finally!”

“Is this some kind of joke?” Twilight asked.

Starlight climbed to her hooves, and was flooded with memories. Ponies eating cupcakes and gaining weight by the mouthful, Twilight coming back from Canterlot and trying to tell her things had changed, how all of the changes seemed normal. Duplicate memories. Ones where ponies were thin, and another set where ponies were fat.

“Twilight this isn’t a comedy routine,” Starlight said, trying to convince her mentor.

Twilight rolled her eyes, reaching over her pigeon chest to try to drag herself into a more comfortable position, “Starlight this is ridiculous.”

Starlight caught sight of a heavy book on the table. Desperate, head still spinning she used her magic to throw the book at Twilight’s head. It connected, since Twilight couldn’t duck. “OUCH! Starlight what is wrong with you!?”

“Why didn’t that work?! It worked with me!” Starlight stomped a hoof in frustration.

“Maybe it’s because she’s eaten these cupcakes and you haven’t?” Trixie suggested.

“We need to fix this, Trixie. Let’s go! We need to go to Sugarcube Corner.”

Twilight wanted to call after them, but by the time she got her mouth open they’d already gone.

“Think they’ll bring back cupcakes?” Spike mumbled around a mouthful of emeralds.

“I hope so,” Twilight said. “Keep your claws crossed.”

Spike nodded, his chins and jowls rippling at the movement, “Okay.”

____

Sugarcube Corner was full of ponies, ponies Starlight had grown to care for over the last few months. Rainbow and Scootaloo were seated at a table, perching on the remnants of mobility scooters. Immobile, but still eating. Their massive rolls of flesh were squishing against each other, making it clear to see they’d been seated like this for some time.

Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara, and Spoiled Rich were taking up a large portion of the dining area with their massive bodies on destroyed carts.The Rich’s had servants feeding them, using his magic to ensure food entered not only his employers mouths but into his own as well. Locked into his body by his own fat. Cheerilee was relying on a student’s magic to put endless pastries into her mouth, eating happily whenever she had enough room free in her mouth.

Pinkie had grown so much that the display counter was gone, either removed magically or crushed under her weight. Her hind end spread out over the wall, eclipsing even her head in terms of height. Her Cutie Mark was unrecognizable, beyond overblown and stretched out. Nearly blind, most identifying parts of limbs no longer visible, Starlight could just catch sight of Pinkie rolling her eyes when Starlight and Trixie burst through the door.

There was a pause as the two mares took in the scene. Pinkie took that time to let out a loud wheeze, one that could have been a word or an exasperated sigh. Starlight opened her mouth to say something, but Pinkie’s mouth opened.

Quiet, weak, wheezing, Pinkie spoke, “Dis…”

Starlight didn’t hear the rest, but she felt the magic tug at her. She and Trixie were teleported in front of a house-sized fat blob. On instinct, Starlight threw up a magical barrier, blocking two cupcakes from flying at her and Trixie’s heads.

There was a wheezy laugh, and that was when Starlight realized this thing was Discord.

“Discord, what are you doing?” Trixie demanded, clearly catching on as Starlight did, “You need to stop this! Fix things right now!”

Another wheezy chuckle, and Starlight could finally see where Discord’s head should be.

“Why...ev’yone who has m’ c’pc’kes loves ‘em. Only one who d’nt are the ones who h’vn’t had ‘em,” Speech was slurred. Because of Discord’s fat lips? The fat around his muzzle restricting movement? Starlight couldn’t be sure.

More cupcakes appeared, but Starlight had never lowered her barrier. Blocking them again, “We’re going to stop you, Discord! We’re going to find a way to stop you, and we’re going to be back.”

Using her magic, Starlight teleported Trixie and herself away before Discord could launch more cupcakes at them.

They arrived outside of Sugarcube Corner, where they saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake outside their packed establishment, panicking. They looked normal. They’d been out of town, hadn’t they?

Mrs. Cake caught sight of Starlight, and the look of relief on her face was like a blow to the stomach, “Oh thank goodness! What’s going on, dear? Everything is so different? What happened here?!”

Trixie launched into an explanation of what they knew. Discord, the cupcakes, the effects they had on ponies, their determination for a cure.

“We have to escape now, while we can,” Starlight concluded, “The cupcakes are already everywhere here and we need to get help.”

The two earth ponies looked conflicted, looking up at their livelihood. Mrs. Cake broke down into tears, earning a hug from Mr. Cake. After a moment where Starlight didn’t know what to do, Mr. Cake began to lead Mrs. Cake away.

“Come on, honeybuns. We need to go. We can help Pinkie better this way if we can help find a cure.”

“My wagon is near Sweet Apple Acres,” Trixie said.

“Trixie, can you clear out some of your magic stuff? I need to go back to the castle and find some books. Mr. and Mrs. Cake, you can pack up some things from upstairs. Clothes, toothbrushes, that sort of thing. We’ll meet outside Sweet Apple Acres on the south side of the orchards in half an hour?”

No one looked excited about that, but they went off in different directions to do as instructed.

Starlight turned her attention back to the castle, mind spinning with ideas and possibilities. She would need books, some other science equipment, some basic necessities. Hopefully some of the canned food in the castle’s kitchens had been left alone. She’d need bits too-

Starlight shook herself, starting to gallop towards Twilight’s Palace. She could think when she got there. She didn’t want to keep the others waiting.