The chair groaned under the immense weight that was placed on it. Its legs were barely able to keep from collapsing. Harold Haypenny sat in the waiting room quiet and meek feeling very self conscious about himself. The seat clearly wasn't made for ponies his size. Absently fidgeting with his tie as he stared at the single worn magazine sitting on the coffee table so old it talked about how Princess Luna returned from the moon. Still he found his eyes repeatedly going back to it daring him to pick it up to read but his embarrassment of knowing he was stuck between the armrests. Its sides digging deep into his flesh. Giving up, he just sighed and leaned back as there was nothing else to do. Nothing to listen to. Nothing to read. Nothing to occupy himself with. In his boredom he stared at the yellowing bland wallpaper. There was nothing to do but sit there and think.
"Harold? Harold Haypenny is that you? Oh my it is you. I haven't seen you in years." He claimed to have been a close friend from high school to which as much as Harold tried to remember this supposed friend who called himself Ever Ruination he could only bring up the barest of memories. He was big that much he could recall about him. Everything else about him was lost.
"You like her don't you? I can see you've been watching her since she came in with those googly eyes ponies in love always seem to get. And I'm watching you wondering to myself why haven't you asked her out?"
"And I have to say she is a looker," said his supposed friend to him, "That beautiful blue color of her coat. How she has her golden hair braided with all those cute flowers in her mane and tail. Kaleidoscope she said her name was right? She's the type of unicorn anypony would give their right hoof for. A pony to build a future with. Maybe have a few foals with. It's obvious she's in the market so why haven't you asked her out? Why? Have you been friend-zoned? You have been haven’t you? It's because you know that you're overweight and everypony knows pretty mares don't date big ponies especially those with blue icing and cupcake crumbs smeared across their face and mouth. Seriously I have been watching you stick your hoof into that tub of frosting and lick it clean when you think no one is paying attention. You need to stop that."
"And I know what you’re going to say. But Rumination I already tried so many diets and exercises: The Kale Diet. The Sugar Cube Corner Diet. Forced starvation. Yoga. Diet pills, weight loss drinks and none of them have ever worked for you have they?"
"Well my friend let me tell you about a company that is guaranteed to give you everything you desire in your short life. Let me tell you about Glutton Inc." He said as he slid a card into Harold's hooves.
The directions on the card he had been given to the clinic were odd. Instead of leading him to a clinic or one of the local hospitals it led to one of the much poorer, much more violent and forgotten slums of the capitol. It was the kind of area where the royal guards seldom traveled. However when they did it was always in groups with their weapons drawn and ready. The kind of area where ponies like him could vanish without ever leaving a trace of their existence.
Even more disturbing were the streets he walked in that bad part. The further in he travelled the quieter and emptier they became. His trot slowing down to a crawl becoming timid the further in he traveled along with his having to take many stops to catch his breath along the way. The silence of the streets almost made him wish for a chance meeting across some of its more unsavory citizens. Just something, anything to bring life back to this place and help feel that Harold Haypenny wasn't quite so alone.
"EAT DRINK AND BE MERRY FOR TOMORROW WE DIET ," Read the graffiti shakily scrawled across the door to the building he had been directed to. Running across the dull, peeling gold lettering telling all who bothered to read that this was indeed the headquarters of Glutton Inc. making Harold feel very uncomfortable with his imagination assaulting him with hostile thoughts that he was in a place good ponies like him shouldn't be.
"Mr. Haypenny?" asked the nurse her sweet voice dragging him out of his memories. He’d almost fallen asleep in the chair.
She was a young and very pretty nurse Harold noted. Wearing her uniform so tight it left nothing to the imagination. Fully aware of how hot she looked in it. Low cut along the chest to expose some of the fluffiest chest fuzz he had ever seen.
"Yes?" he asked. Desperately trying to keep his eyes on her face and not let them wander to areas they really wanted to go.
"Doctor Carri On will see you now," she said.
"Oh. Really?" he muttered in embarrassment as he fought his way to freedom from the chair.
"Do you need a hoof?" The pretty nurse asked as she notably stifled a giggle.
"I'm good. Thank you nurse...?"
"Squiggles." she said.
It took a few moments for Harold to wriggle himself free of the chair and nearly broke the damned thing in the process. Nurse Squiggles watched his struggle. He swore she was amused. Finally, she put her hoof up to silence his apologies after seeing how much damage he had done to it.
"It's okay. You’re not the first patient to do that and probably not the last. He does that every time it gets broken. Gets a new chair that is much too small for our clients," replied Squiggles with a sympathetic pat, "Anyway Doctor Carri On is waiting to see you so let me walk you to him," she finished as she gently took one of his limbs and escorted him to the doctor. Yet, as he walked back he questioned his wisdom in even coming.
The chair Harold sat one this time was bigger than the one from the waiting room and better supported but still too small to fully get comfortable. It was a notion he gave up on after a few minutes. Still he was surprised to find it so brightly lit and airy with huge open windows letting copious rays of sunshine pour in helping to make the place feel cheerful and friendly which was unfortunately lost as he found himself almost suffocating by the seemingly infinite number of pictures that covered every open space on all four corners of the wall.
Hundreds of beautiful mares and handsome stallions stared back at him with friendly smiles and wide eyes that followed him as he shifted in his seat seemingly amused and repulsed at the huge pony whose ass spilled out from the sides of the chair. He swore that he caught a few of them whispering to each other from the corner of his eyes, but maybe that was just him.
Doctor Carri On himself was a dusky colored middle aged pony who constantly watched Harold over his glasses. Making Harold wonder about the doctor's sanity as the doc just regarded him with that strange, warm, and at the same time vaguely hostile smile exposing those too perfect teeth. He just stared at him with those weird empty eyes that never seemed to blink. The eyes belonging to a pony who Harold was willing to bet spent his entire life inside this room. They were the eyes that belonged to a pony who claimed to be the owner of Glutton Inc.
The interview started well enough for Harold. He talked about his medical and family history, his struggles with other weight loss programs and clinics. Why he feels the need to eat so much. He was well into his life story that it took a few minutes to realize the Doctor had raised his hoof to silence him.
"That's all well and good my friend but I want to know why you’re really doing it. Tell me about her. Tell me about the mare." said the doctor still wearing that shit-eating-grin that was starting to get on Harold's nerves.
"Her?"
"Harold, Harold, Harold," tisked the doctor as he spoke, "In my experience, there are two main reasons a pony wants to lose weight. The first is ego. The second is to attract someone special. They want to change and they want to do it in a quick and easy fashion. So they come here or places like this. So tell me, who is she?”
Harold sighed nervously and began, “Her name is Kaleidoscope and she’s from some small hole-in-the-wall town that I can’t remember….” Harold Haypenny continued to discuss his feelings for the young mare ever since she first stepped into his bakery six months ago. In fact it was right after she moved to Canterlot to be with her fiancé who had just joined the royal guard assigned to watch the princesses.
She was a friendly, laid back pony who was more than a little nervous to be in the big city having never left her town before the move. When she wandered into his bakery totally lost and overwhelmed she was crying. Ponies in Canterlot were not as nice as the ones back home.
It was Harold who had helped her settle into the big city. Having come from a long line of bakers who supplied the royal princesses with the many cakes and delicacies they have feasted upon over the many centuries had given Harold a special kind of clout that not even the nobles could possibly have ever attained. He helped to get her set up. He showed her around and taught her the ins and outs of living in the capitol. He even introduced her to some of the elite unicorns that resided there and generally helped her adapt to life in the big city.
When her fiancé suddenly came out and broke up with her so he could be with another stallion it was Harold Haypenny who was there for her. Helping the pretty eyed mare pick up the pieces and move on with her life after finding she did not want to move back to her hometown, much to Harold's joy. Only to have his joy come crashing down when he saw the beautiful mare walking down the road with another handsome stallion. Harold Haypenny realized that day that Kaleidoscope had started to date other ponies and none of them were ever going to be him.
"You’re my best friend," she had said to him with the sweetest of smiles. The mare of his dreams said before leaving his bakery.
Harold knew it was supposed to be a compliment but in reality harsher words had never spoken by anyone to him. All he could do was put on a fake smile. He hated being friend zoned. Each time she left his bakery with a different stallion he died a little.
He wanted to be mad. He really did. But he couldn't blame her. She a beautiful unicorn who deserved beautiful things while he was nothing but an obscenely fat baker with light purple fur who kept his black mane cut short along his head with three chins and a belly that had a bald patch from constantly scraping the ground when he walked.
"So you want to get laid,” stated the earth colored stallion finally after a few minutes of silently staring.
"Excuse me?" Harold stammered as he felt his stomach drop and a blush rise to his face. He half expected the Doctor to start laughing at him.
"Just a question but also a fact," the pony in front of him said, "You want to get laid. But more importantly you want to get the girl on a permanent basis. Right?”
“Well, I mean…”
“Not sure? How about a more basic and crass question,” replied the doctor, “When was the last time you’ve been able to see your dick? Can you even recall what it looks like?”
"Really?" Harold said swearing he saw one of the stallions make a rude gesture to a mare in another picture about him and snicker.
"You’re my best friend," came those mocking words to Harold again.
"Or how about the fact that your clothes have to be specially made and are twice as expensive as the ones you buy at a regular store. The fact that furniture is hard to come by having not been designed for bigger ponies such as yourself has to be a pain. Then there're the added health costs on top of that. Doctors visit, medication, nutritionists all telling you the same thing over and over again as if you haven't thought of it before. Just eat less and exercise more. Put down that hayburger and go for a jog. As if the thought had never crossed your mind. As if eating a nice tiny salad was the cure to all your woes."
"And what is your plan to help me," muttered Harold.
"See that's where I come in. The Equestrian diet industry is a million bit a year industry that shouldn't be trusted at all. Have they really helped anyone? No of course not. Each year they peddle out some new fad they swear up and down this one is the real deal. One will let you eat like a pig and get that perfect pony figure everyone wants. The kind of figure that gets mares wet in their nether region. You might lose a few pounds here and there. But it won’t stay off. It never stays off and then you’re back at square one the following year. The truth my boy is that food is an addiction born of necessity. After all, without this addiction we would all shrivel up and die but an addiction nonetheless. It's biology. It’s nature. It's genetics. A diet is us fighting against our primal urges to consume and let’s face it we will lose. Almost all ponies lose in the end."
"Well what do you do that's different doc?" asked Harold, "How can your program get me to lose weight? Surgery?"
"Not exactly," replied Carri On with a wave of his hoof. "I am a realist Harold. A pony who has lots of experience into the excesses of ponykind. A pragmatist if you prefer. You could say a pony that believes that the best solution is not some simple diet or surgery or some fad that turns your body into a yo-yo. I believe in a complete rewiring of a ponies behavior is the solution. I have found a way that will guarantee that you will be able to put down that hayburger, stop eating all that ice cream. A way for you to become that pony you always wanted to be. A way for you to get that mare Kaleidoscope you keep dreaming about."
"You’re my best friend," again those haunting horrible words flashed across his memory. Mocking and tormenting Harold while viciously ripping and tearing his heart into pieces as her perfect face seemed to be stalking his being, ready to laugh in disgust that such a grotesque fat-ass has such a crush on her.
Harold looked down. As he looked he saw the bright green sleeves of his coat stretched almost to its limits. Soon he was going to have to, once again, get his clothes made for a larger size as he has gained more weight than he ever had before. He sighed as he mentally noted that most ponies enjoyed wearing nothing as they traveled around Equestria either naked or in the skimpiest of attire. Harold was too self conscious to ever try. Too aware of how his rolls of cellulite clung to his body. Too aware of how his enormous gut nearly dragged the ground. He hated how he looked and everything about it.
“You will be sleek,” said the doctor interrupting Harold’s thoughts. “Your stomach will no longer sag so much, your posture will improve. When fillies see you coming down the streets they won’t step aside because of your size but because they will want to, no, need to get a better look at you. I can promise you this Harold. I can do better than that. I can guarantee it.”
“Y-you can?”
“Trust me Harold. The world will in time envy not just your looks but the pony behind them.”
Involuntarily Harold answered, his whisper choked up with emotion. “Okay. What do I have to do?”
“You made the best decision of your life," Dr. Carri On gloated as he rubbed Harold’s shoulders as he spoke. "Just sit there and relax. I'll take care of everything," His too perfect smile flooded Harold’s vision.
It happened so suddenly. It took a minute for it to register as reality when the Doctor slammed the clamps attached to the armrest across his limbs. Leaving a stunned Harold trapped in the chair as Doctor Carri On began to slowly pry open Harold's mouth then brace it open. He ignored Harold’s squeals of protest as he loosened his tie then wiped his mouth. "This won’t take long," Carri On joyfully shouted while as he tried to hold Harold’s tongue down.
Harold was amazed at how strong the doctor was. It was unnatural. Even so, Harold pushed and pried against the restraints. Limbs flailed flabbily around in desperation to be away from whatever weirdness the doctor had planned. He could feel himself starting to slide backwards from the legs buckling and bending with the additional weight of the Doctor placed on it.
"Don't be such a pussy," grumbled Carri On digging his hoof deeper down his own throat, "This is what you wanted so pony up."
Green saliva dripped from the corner of his tongue down onto the floor forming a transparent stalagmite of goo hanging from one side of his mouth. Revulsion and terror paralyzed Harold finding all he could do was stare, watch and listen to his grotesque retching. Seeing his limb go further inside his own body than he ever thought possible. Harold watched the pony grope around inside himself. Poking and prodding his hoof as it searched for something Harold would have given everything not to know when a cry of triumph erupted from Carri On as he slowly began to pull his hoof out of his own body.
Bile rose from his throat when he saw the thing squirm in the pony's grasp. Its color was off-white covered in whatever juices were inside that dangerous crazy pony making Harold realize it too late to do anything. Thick as a tree branch its length ending just past the elbow the thing squirmed blindly in Carrion's hoof. Its featureless head twisting, writing in the Doctors grasp. The thing’s lamprey-like mouth pumped rhythmically in the air searching out the abundance of food that had mysteriously disappeared.
From the deepest depths of Harold's soul erupted the scream. Streaming through his body to erupt from his mouth but ending into a gurgle of choking wheezes. Running on hopeless instinct he fought to break free from the binds that held him at Carri On’s mercy. His eyes followed the thing as it inched toward his mouth for its next meal.
A final loud groan came from below Harold. The legs on the chair bent downwards unable to support his enormous bulk any longer. The seat broke apart and collapsed into a pile on the floor along with Harold, or at least should have. Yet Harold still hovered in the air due to the hold Carri On had on him. "Say hello to the new and better you," whispered the doctor joyfully as the wormlike thing slide and pulsed down Harold’s throat.
"Oh Celestia! I can feel the thing inside me! That thing is inside me!." His mind screamed over and over again. Soon the words became nothing but white noise in his head. Disgust ran over Harold while oceans of bile began to rise up as Carri On finally pulled his hoof out, allowing Harold to drop onto the ground with a loud thump.
"No more stupid diets. No more meaningless fads,” said Doctor Carri On quietly. Absently shaking off the saliva that coated his limb in a thin silvery film, “No more listening to fake celebrities swear that eating some crappy nature bars made of rotting seaweed is the key to slim bodies and eternal happiness. No more bullshit. You’re gonna become the pony you always wanted to be. The pony that had been trapped inside you and looking for a way out all your life," Carrion stopped for a moment lost in thought.
Screaming and crying Harold thrashed on the ground. Swearing to himself he could feel the thing slither around inside him when the blessed blackness of shock finally overtook him. Eyes rolling back he gave a short wheeze and promptly passed out.
"Or die trying," the voice in the darkness said.
Secret sauces, exotic spices, gallons upon gallons of flavored butters floated on top of fancy creams made with foreign milks and rare gravies spilling downward from expensive and delicate white china plates etched with gold around the edges that have been piled high on the table in front of him. He reached up towards the darkened ceiling far, far above his head. The infinite bounty food had been piled by unseen hooves in front of him for his forbidden consumption.
Grilled, boiled, fried, baked, broiled his meals had been prepared in thousands of different styles made from thousands of chefs from which poured thousands of different odors assaulting Harold's nose with each one fighting for dominance against the many others smells blending into an all consuming aroma of putrid scents flooding his sinuses while he greedily stuffed his mouth with everything edible he could wrap his hooves around. Flinging the plates away Harold continued onward in a state of pure happiness. Joyfully devouring every piece of food that had the misfortune to come between hoof and grease stained mouth that dripped a continuous river of sauces, oils, grease and bits of food down his oh so many chins only to stain those very expensive tailored clothes Harold wore. Straining and groaning they cried in protest from his ever growing bulk. Barely able to contain all that was Harold Haypenny.
Ignoring the pain Harold ate. Ignoring the ripping and tearing as the skin from his chest to his loins separated from each other letting his bloated and much abused insides spill out onto the ground accompanied buy rivers of blood and fat unable to be held any longer.
He engorged past the point of bursting his intestines and stomach stretched from his body as he ate his way across the table dragging a trail of bloody organs and miles of intestines still attached to his body along with streaks of devoured and digested food that exited him as fast as he could ingest. And still he ate on. Consuming his way across the table in a terrible and mighty force of edible destruction Harold Haypenny ate. Finally, he stopped when he saw the love of his life waiting for him in its center.
"Have you tried the breast?"
On a silver platter the pony of his dreams laid surrounded by piles of roasted and glazed carrots, onions and potatoes. Kaleidoscope had been gently roasted and basted with a simple but savory gravy made from her cooked fat that pooled around her prepared body. Rear legs bound in frills while the skin from the back had been pulled back to reveal the succulent, perfectly cooked and oh so forbidden meat that had lain hidden from all to see until now while the back end had been cut open and all her organs removed only to be filled with the most succulent stuffing he had ever seen. Mixed with onions, celery, and bite sized pieces of the pony herself spilling outward from the back of her onto the platter. The Pony smirked as he walked over to her, beckoning him to come closer. Wanting him to bask in scent she gave off.
By Celestia she smelled delicious.
Tenderly he dragged his tongue across her rear leg. Tasting the delicious meat that had been hiding underneath crispy skin cooked to perfection he listened to her soft moans of pleasure as Harold pulled a small peace out and tenderly ate it. Harold never tried meat before. Never even wondered about what it would taste like. Slowly he chewed when the tears started to flow down his face as the morsel dissolved onto his tongue making him realize what he had been missing all his life.
"I know you want more," said her voice inside his head as she smiled, "Eat me baby. Eat all you can."
Harold did just that. He stuffed himself with as much of her as he could. Cramming his mouth full with the pony he loved so much. Harold worked his way down to the bone. Ripping apart the cartilage, sucking on the sweet, sweet marrow it hid inside. Harold tore into Kaleidoscope devoured her body with glee.
"Celestia you feel so good," The voice of his beloved moaned with pleasure in his head he watched her eyes roll back from a wave of ecstasy never felt before racking her body, "Try the stuffing. Devour my thighs. Just don't stop. Baby please don't stop."
His rapidly growing cock pulsed as he ripped another piece of Kaleidoscope's meat off with his teeth. Penis throbbing in rhythm in the air from each chew, each moan, each swallow, each plead from her lustful blue eyes begging for more. Never before feeling such arousal, even when he stole that copy of Playpony from that corner store near his home when he was still a foal. His own body became rigid as the start of a climax soon overcame him. Muscles tensed, his body like wood he found himself having one of the best orgasms he had ever had.
Harold Haypenny awoke from his dream and promptly threw up.
"Three pills are all you get Mr. Haypenny. All anypony gets,” The memory still fresh in his head kept playing back over and over again. “They reset the negative side effects if you should slip up. You have three strikes then you’re out of the game. Please be careful. Be very, very careful," instructed Doctor Carri On. He followed Squiggles as she escorted Harold to the door. "And avoid sugary junk foods at all costs. They really love the stuff. They can smell it in the air."
“And don’t forget this,” said Squiggles as she gave him a short stack of papers containing a strict dietary list of what he could and could not eat with portion instructions and directions for his daily caloric intake along with his pills. It was hellish. It was insane what he had been given. A starving pony wouldn't find enough nourishment to survive thought Harold.
“What happens if I don’t follow the instructions nurse...”
“Oh I’m not a nurse,” giggled Squiggles, “The doctor just hired me because I look good in a uniform.”
"What happens if I don't follow Doctor?" asked Harold, "What is it going to do to me?"
Dr. Carri On smile one more time and answered, "I work in solutions. Permanent solutions. Think of it like this Harold. I guarantee you will lose the weight one way or another. You can rest assured of that. " With that he shut the door with a loud snick leaving Harold HayPenny alone in a back alley of Canterlot, yet in a strange new world all the same.
It had been a week since his visit to Glutton Inc. A week of strange dreams and even stranger desires he had never felt before. Mostly these weird urges involved food. Daily as he went about his life did his thoughts revert back to all those things he wanted to eat but couldn't anymore. All those wonderful, wonderful things he would give his right hoof for just a lick. Delicious multilayered cake covered in buttercream frosting. Deep fried hayburgers swimming in melted cheese with a side of extra large hayfries sitting next to a large soda loaded with sugar and syrup to wash it all down. Those thoughts seemed to take up almost all of his world now. It had been a week and he was hungry. He was always hungry now-a-days. Hungrier than he had ever felt.
He had been a good pony since then. No sooner had he come home that he set about emptying his refrigerator in a purge to eliminate everything bad in his diet. The sugars, the sodas, the candies were tossed. He then replaced them with simple, wholesome and freshly farmed foods with no additives, chemicals or anything that could be considered bad for you. Realizing after just how big and empty his kitchen was as all his old food was replaced by healthier options. How lonely his world was.
Once done he finally fell asleep to the sounds of his stomach complaining. "It'll get better. It'll get better," he told himself.
In the morning he had what he considered a small breakfast, then a rather plain salad for lunch and finally came dinner. When that came he stared at his tiny plate that contained his required portion. He tried to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Why did this have to be such a nightmare, he thought before he looked up at the clock and realized it was almost time to close up. His small meal could wait.
“Hello again,” came the melodious voice once again to torment him in his bakery as Kaleidoscope entered. She was still gorgeous. Her eyes were clear as the bluest ocean and when she batted them he wanted to melt. However, in her yellow mane hung loosely braided with bright red roses tied along its length. Kaleidoscope always wore roses in her hair when she was seeing someone new. Harold wanted to puke.
“Hi Kal. What can I do for you today?” he asked with a false cheerfulness. She didn’t catch on. “The usual,” he asked as he felt his heart pound jealousy within his chest.
“You know me so well,” she giggled, picking a few cupcakes to take with her. It was a limited Hearths Warming creation he had made a few years ago that became so popular he kept it on the menu for that rest of the year and by Celestia the thing was glorious. A red and green strawberry cupcake and a cream cheese filling, with rich, thick, creamy chocolate frosting colored to match the cupcake itself topped with sprinkles. SPRINKLES! On top was a bright red cherry. He’d made it that morning. It was the most glorious thing he’d ever seen and he couldn’t have it.
“Well, I’ve got a good memory you know,” he said with a strained smile as he boxed up her purchase.
“When my new guy gets a taste of this …”
Harold gripped a container of something and zoned out as she spoke. He could feel his pulse race through his temple. Every facial muscle strained to maintain his demeanor.
“You’re such a good guy. I swear I don’t know what I would do without a friend like you in my life,” she said as she trotted out of the bakery with a flourish. Once she was gone he felt all of his muscles relax. He looked down at the container he’d held. He would have to order more red frosting for that one was crushed.
“I’m such a good pony,” he mutterd to himself as he walked into his home that night, “I followed everything on the instructions. I did what I was told,” he repeated locking the door and covering the windows as he made his way to the kitchen feeling all the while he was going to commit some horrendous crime.
It wasn’t until he felt he was completely secure did he finally pull out the cupcake he had taken from his bakery when he was sure his assistant wasn’t looking. The same kind as the one he gave to Kaleidoscope. He set it down in front of him and admired it. But in his admiration he knew he wanted it, more now than ever before.
It was edible perfection. Those were the only words Harold could use to describe it. He deserved it, after all of his dieting and putting up with customers, he deserved a treat. “Why shouldn’t I have this," he argued with himself. Going over the same excuses he had been saying over and over again while carefully holding the thing between his hooves like the most fragile of glassware, "I did everything I was supposed to. I’ve been a good pony. I followed the instructions. I obeyed the rules. I'm sure one little cupcake isn't going to ruin everything."
Sure the other part of him argued loudly. He knew that all of this was just empty excuses so he could eat a damn cupcake. It was a soothing lie in a time of weakness. However, after the initial shock of that day at Dr. Carri On’s had worn off he’d felt more willful about the entire thing. He looked over at a reflective pan. Physically nothing had changed in Harold's world which was a little disappointing. After all when a foot-long tape-worm is crammed into your mouth you would be positive that your life would be different than before.
Harold pondered those thoughts while he unconsciously unwrapped the cupcake from its protective foil. Absently letting it drop to the ground near his hooves all the while growing more confident in his decision. That it was yet another sham, some trickery to scare him off of the food he loved. He pondered bringing the sweet to his mouth and with his oh so gentle tongue. Tenderly licked the top of the cupcake, its frosting coated his tongue with a delicious sweetness that made him shudder.
Ecstasy was the only thought ran through his mind. Taste buds that had become dormant from all the bland food finally coming to life once again from a pleasure they hadn't had in awhile. The taste of forbidden sugars, creams and other flavors flooded his mouth wanting...no demanding more from what he was no longer allowed to have. Still he waited in that empty, lonely kitchen. Wondering what kind of punishment was in-store for him for breaking the no sugar rule. And waited...And waited. As his confidence grew Harold brought the cupcake even closer and in one gigantic gulp stuffed the thing into his mouth.
The flood of expensive dark chocolate with a hint of almonds cascaded into every corner. He savored every flavor the cupcake had to offer. From the real vanilla extract to the slight addition of some liqueur he wasn't able to identify. A week ago he would have gobbled it up without a second thought. His fears were quickly diminishing.
Maybe he’d have another cupcake, or a dozen. Already he was pondering about that all night bakery down the road from his house. After all this wasn’t the end of the world. He could start up again tomorrow right and proper this time. Isn't everyone allowed a cheat day?
The pain was sharp and unmerciful from the debts of his stomach, spreading outwards and wrapping Harold in a wave of intense heat. This was followed by a wave of cramps forcing his legs to buckle and his body to crash heavily onto the wooden floor so hard it sent small tremors outwards from where he laid horrified. Helplessly, he watched as a jet of blue flame belched from his mouth. He could feel the creature wriggle and squirm excitedly just beneath his layers of skin. He groaned and forced down the rising heated bile that burned his throat.
"The pills! The pills!" his mind yelled. Forcing him to strain every ounce of strength to climb back onto his hooves and rush to the bathroom as fast as he could. He ignored the rising heat and the whistling noise in his ears sounding like a tea kettle that was ready to be poured. He stumbled on hitting the walls a few times in his scramble, his body cramping and burning the entire way. Finally, after what felt like miles he made it to the bathroom.
It was the last round of shooting pains that finally forced him to the floor followed by another jet of flames erupting from his mouth when he collapsed. Through tear soaked eyes he was still able to see the bottle, grabbing it on his way down and ripping it open with his teeth. He could feel the pill start to bubble and melt from the heat pouring out from him as it landed on his tongue which he managed to swallow. Unconsciously shivering in disgust at the horrible taste that had overpowered everything he was going through.
It was almost instantaneous that he could feel the convulsions start to recede. He could feel his body beginning to cool down to his normal temperature with whatever was in that pill had begun to calm the parasite living inside him. It felt like days to Harold Haypenny for the pain to finally pass with him doing nothing but blubber as he lay panting on the cold tiled floor. Slowly darkness took him.
He was back in the land of perverse epicurean delights. Yet, he knew when he awoke it would all be gone. The only thing that would remain was the parasite that knew what he craved albeit in a twisted sort of way. Why had he signed up for this?
"You look different ... Have you lost weight?"
Delicately Harold wrapped the slice of carrot cake in the box not wanting any of its precious frosting to get stuck along its sides. He had to be very careful not to damage the slice's presentation nor get any icing on his hooves. He couldn’t risk it.
The presentation had always mattered but now it was different. He sighed as he looked at the cake as if it were a friend going away, never to be seen again. It was a deeper pain than he thought possible. He missed the sweets, the cookies, the candies, the piles of rich chocolate he was able to enjoy anytime anywhere. They were gone forever under that parasite’s watchful gaze.
But still Harold could not deny that it was working. As revolting as that tapeworm thing inside him was, it was doing its job with sixty pounds he had already lost so far. Making him feel like this could do it. This could work. He just wished he wasn't thinking about food all the time.
"What do you mean?" asked Harold.
“Your face, it looks skinnier ... I dunno you just look different ... better," said Kaleidoscope gently taking the box and putting it in her basket with the other foods she had carefully wrapped for a springtime picnic with her newest coltfriend which Harold instantly disliked. To tell the truth he disliked them all but this one he felt was borderline hatred. He was the kind of colt that exuded douchiness as if it were sweat. His eyes darted over her then back to Harold with that look. The look that said he’d be having more than just food at that picnic. Harold wanted to do nothing more than smash his hoof into his face.
Still, he just smiled and waved at the couple as they left. Harold then muttered to himself that she should just give him a chance, that he was the pony she should be looking for. He deserved at least a chance.
After they’d left he found himself staring at yet another forbidden delicacy. He kept telling himself he didn’t want the damn thing. It was the Summer Solstice cake for the after party.
It was Celestia's fault this time. A huge three story, three layered walnut cake with the middle pan in each level a decadent chocolate piled in an almost forbidden meringue buttercream lightly coated with a solid gold film finally topped with miniature chocolate chips. But what was worse, she’d paid enough for that cake so that he’d have the ingredients to make one just for himself.
After scarfing down his individual cake he sighed dejectedly. "It's not that good of a cake," he kept telling himself over and over as he brought out the pill box that he always kept with him now. Shaking out another pill into his hoof, "This wasn’t worth it at all.”
Harold was amazed at the amount of weight he was able to lose. After four months he was much thinner. He’d gone from being grotesquely obese to being just fat. He could even occasionally shop at normal clothing stores albeit rarely.
He felt great! He no longer was out of breath just walking to the bathroom. He could fit in most chairs. Various aches and pains were gone. He’d even taken up some light exercise. Even other ponies had noticed the change.
Harold realized he was slowly starting to fit in.
It wasn't without hardships however, as a baker the temptation was always there. There was always a tray of cookies or doughnuts nearby. There were always cakes and pies and other pastries and orders for them that set his sweet tooth ablaze.
He had to let his assistants do the taste testing on new items which could be a dangerous proposition. Sometimes they just didn’t know what to do and he had to correct it as best he could without doing a proper taste test. Still somehow he managed even if at night he wept openly about his plight.
However, what made it worse was the thing that lived within him. While it was true that if it weren’t for the thing he wouldn’t have lost the weight he also worried about when it would stop. At what point would the twisting worm have enough? Was it even possible that it could have enough? What would happen if he slipped up and didn’t have a pill? The thought terrified him to paralysis.
Sometimes he would have strange dreams of himself lying in bed tracing the outlines of the worm across his body. With a horrified realization before waking that he was nothing more than skin covering a pony shaped worm.
Even after all that work still he found himself hiding in the kitchen whenever Kaleidoscope came over to talk to him and gush over her newest coltfriend. How rich he was. How lucky she had been able to snag him. Letting his assistant a young unicorn named Freshly Made to get the brunt of her conversations while he usually sobbed in a corner in the kitchen.
“When we get married I’ll make sure to have the both of you make our cake,” she exclaimed proudly as she left. Her words were like shards of ice that pierced his heart.
It was too much to bear. After all that time she still hadn’t really noticed him. “Screw it,” he muttered.
Harold wanted a cake. Something decadent yet simple like a crème filled éclair. Unfortunately, they weren’t done yet. Instead Harold opted for a loaf of blueberry bread instead. It was fresh from the oven.
With shaking hooves he reached for the bottle taking his last pill, his last free pass. Popping the lid off as he shook the last one out of the bottle absently tossed it behind him while licking his lips at the thought that loaf inside him.
It had been so long and he been such a good pony.
If he had only been paying attention to what was on the floor. If only he hadn’t been so clumsy. If only a lot of things hadn’t happened the way it did. Harold might have spent the evening enjoying his final treat instead of him slipping on some fondant. As he lay on the ground clutching his back left leg he watched as the bread flew through the air and landed in the sink with dirty dishes.
It was a little over a year and Harold Haypenny never looked better. He no longer had to hide his body from others. His exercise routine had increased to include more serious weight training along with cardio vascular exercise. Suffice it to say he was ripped. He let his black mane grow long now flowed down his head and neck. Cut in the trendiest style. More than once he’d overheard a mare say in a flirty tone that he could, “… put a bun in my oven anytime.” Truly the world was his oyster.
Yet in spite of everything he’d done he still felt awkward around other ponies. The few parties and dates hadn’t amounted to more than polite conversation. None of them were her.
Ironic he pondered as he walked to his bakery. He had worked too hard to get to this state when the ponies of Equestria would welcome him with open hooves. Only to find now that he didn't really know what to do with the attention.
Harold pushed those thoughts away when an obese earth pony caught his attention. She sat quietly in the café and stared longingly into a crowd of ponies much smaller than her. As she slurped the shake her chins wobbled. Her hooves fidgeted with the slice of carrot cake set out in front of her. It took a few minutes for Harold to follow her line of sight to see what she was looking at. When his gaze caught a very handsome stallion who was busy flirting with a pair of cute mares. His mane and tail was gold like the first rays of sunlight starting the day. His blue eyes sparkled with a life all their own. His white horn glinted from the light giving him an almost celestial aura. Even Harold admitted he was an amazing looking unicorn.
Harold Haypenny felt something pull at his heartstrings as he approached the obese pony. He cleared his throat which caught her off guard. He could tell by the way she looked at him that he was not who she expected to be standing in front of her. “Excuse me miss but is this seat taken?”
“N-no,” she stammered.
They chit chatted for a bit. Harold didn’t want to be as direct as his ‘friend’ had been. It was when she started to tear up about how she never thought she could find someone because of how she looked that Harold raised a hoof. “Now ma’am I will tell you that it’s what is inside that matters ultimately. A good heart and attitude can go far. The thing is that sometimes it can be difficult initially to get a pony to give you a shot.”
“Oh please,” scoffed the mare, “Like you’d know. I mean look at you. You could have any mare you wanted.”
Harold sighed, “That’s not true. I lost out on the mare I wanted because … well I lacked confidence in who I was early on.” He then produced a photograph that he’d had of himself from one of those parties he’d helped cater over a year ago.
The mare gasped, “But you don’t look anything like that now. How…”
Harold slid a business card for Glutton Inc. across the table to her, “These … ponies helped me out and … I did lose the weight. However, just be sure you’re really ready for the changes that are coming. They can be pretty intense.”
Two weeks later Harold was catering a rich kid’s birthday party. The entire affair was okay at best. Although he felt his talents were wasted on the spoiled little filly, he still kept his mouth shut. She along with her friends had spent the day screaming their lungs out all the while running from room to room loudly as they played as his patience was starting to wear thin. Once he cut the ceremonial piece of cake for her he then spent the rest of the night either waiting to get paid so he could go home.
Harold stretched his back and listened to it pop as he twisted his neck left and right to keep it from getting stiff. The day was starting to get late and he could feel the life from the party starting to fizzle. Already a few of the ponies had left while others were starting to gather their things and preparing to say their goodbyes.
He looked over at the homemade ice cream that was almost a melted sludge in its bowl. The remaining birthday cake he had so carefully made had been carefully boxed and given to the family to enjoy later. As he packed up his ears pricked up in the direction of one of the darker corners of the ball room. Someone was trying very hard not to cry.
He quietly walked over in the direction of the sound when it occurred to him that he knew the voice. His pace quickened and before he knew he saw Kaleidoscope sitting in a rocking chair by a large window. Next to her was a huge potted plant and a half eaten piece of cake and stared out the window.
He stifled a surprised gasp to see her there. He wasn’t sure how he could have missed her but, somehow he did. “Hey Kal, are you okay?”
It didn’t take her long to tell him what had happened. She quickly pointed out her now ex-fiancé and the new mare he’d just dumped her for. To be fair she was the most beautiful pegasus Harold had ever seen. Her fur was a golden color matching her mane and tail with a smile that seemed to light up the land around her. Something about her seemed familiar but he couldn’t put his hoof on what.
"I'm so sorry," Harold said quietly as he sat quietly next to her. Whatever hatred he’d developed for Kaleidoscope had evaporated when he saw her in pain. He couldn’t stand to see her that way.
"Why do I always pick the jerks?" she sobbed, "I thought he would be different. I really did."
"It's okay Kal," he said inching his way closer to her, "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Oh that little brat is his cousin. He was made to come and I was dragged along," she sniffled "All this way just for him to tell me the wedding had been cancelled and watch him hit on another mare." Kaleidoscope blew her nose. "I saw you earlier. I wanted to say hi but you were busy and I didn't want to disturb you ... I never got to tell you how good you look," she spoke with a smirk, "I bet you have to beat the mares away with a stick."
Harold chuckled shyly but decided to press his luck by inching himself ever closer to her. Close enough to catch the scent of strawberries from her mane mixing with the sugar from the cake on her breath. "As bad as it is at least you didn't get married to him."
"Thank Celestia. The bastard wanted me to sign some pre-nup. I would have been left out on the streets when he got tired of me," Kaleidoscope grumbled bitterly, "Ever since I came here I have bounced from one bad relationship to another. Every single one of them only wanted to use me or has been a complete jerk. Are there no good stallions in Canterlot or am I just a magnet for the worse of what the city has to offer?"
"Shhh," soothed Harold gently stroking her limb and felt a light tingle from her body pass to him. Never before had Harold been so close to her. Never before would he have dared to touch her. And yet there he was holding the pony of his dreams against his muscular chest. He let her sob on his chest. Outside of her crying it was everything he ever dreamed it to be. Everything he had ever wanted.
"There are a lot of good stallions in this city," He whispered to her while his heart beat loudly in his chest, "Lots of good stallions that would give their right hoof to be where I am. Ever since I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful mare I had ever seen. All I ever wanted was not let a day go by without letting you know just how special you were. All I ever wanted was to make you happy." Harold continued letting the words he had so tightly contained flow now. Unable to stop the outpouring of feelings that had been bottled up for so long.
"Harold?"
"I always had feelings for you Kaleidoscope you are so wonderful and intelligent. The most beautiful pony I...."
It was her lips pressing into his that finally quieted him. Letting her hooves wrap around him as he did the same. Closing his eyes Harold felt the heat of her body against his chest. He could taste the cake on her breath. He could feel her warm, slippery, almost slimy tongue slide around his mouth. Her hooves pressed his head against hers as a soft groan escaped her lips. It was everything he ever wanted. Everything he ever dared to dream. For once he finally felt complete.
He didn't know how long they were like that. It felt like a blissful eternity. It wasn't until he heard the sounds of a pony clearing her throat that he regretfully pulled away from the love of his life. Harold knew it was the sound of somepony needing to get his attention but knowing this wasn't a good time for it.
"I'm um, sorry to disturb you sir," came the extremely polite voice of his young assistant that came with him to help cater the party. A voice who was debating if interrupting him would cost her future jobs and hoped to Celestia it did not, "I am almost finished putting everything back but I need your help for a few things. Plus the parents want to meet with you in the den to settle the bill. What would you like me to tell them?”
As much as he wanted to spend the rest of his life in the heaven of her limbs he still had a business to run. He slowly pulled away from her all the while staring into her pretty auburn eyes, "Work is calling me right now. Sorry. I was wondering if maybe we could … maybe get something after this? Maybe…" he squeaked.
"I'd like that," smiled Kaleidoscope, "Let me gather my things and I’ll wait for you out front until you're finished," she said scooping the rest of the cake into her mouth wordlessly watching him leap up and almost dance his way out of the room.
It only took a few minutes to settle the bill with the birthday girl’s parents. In fact it took longer to pack up all of the gear into the cart than it did to get paid for the job. Still, Harold considered it a job well done when the father said he’d tell his associates to hire him. Harold smiled sheepishly.
He looked back at the ballroom where Kaleidoscope still was. She swayed a bit, obviously slightly tipsy. Even so all of his sacrifices had paid off. He’d gotten the mare of his dreams. He looked fantastic and even more he felt it too.
Yet…
Deep inside something kept nagging at him. Something small, almost insignificant yet still important kept demanding attention as he counted out his coworker’s pay. It was something that just wouldn't let go.
“Hey you got a little green smudge on the side of your lip. Snuck a piece of cake for yourself didn’t you?” joked his assistant knowing full well of his strict diet.
"They really like sugar," the voice of Dr. Carri On floated in his mind, "They love the stuff."
"So?" Harold muttered, "It's been forever since I touched any sweets.."
"They really like sugar. They can smell it in the air."
"Good for them. I still haven't had any in a long time," he thought. Angrily he pushed that idea away as he wanted to go back to more pleasant things like the kiss he just had, the smell of her mane, or the heat of her body. The way her tongue slid across his mouth made Harold chuckle. "Funny. I never thought of her as being that kind of pony,” He thought as he absentmindedly rubbed the green smear off his mouth before staring at it. No it wasn’t icing. It was slick and slimy. Then it dawned on him.
"They really like sugar."
Harold recalled the half eaten cake.
"They love the stuff."
He recalled the smell and the taste of his cake on her breath.
"They can smell it in the air."
"Celestia," he gasped. Overcome with the horror and revulsion of the realization of what had happened inside that was soon confirmed by the sounds of panic from within the ballroom.
Legs pounding across the wooden floor he ran following the noise, dreading where it would lead. Harold rounded a corner finding himself back at the room he had left Kaleidoscope waiting.
In the center surrounded by ponies mouths open slowly backing away too stunned to know what to do. Her skin now a glowing red with tiny cracks running across her body from which small jets of yellow flame kept igniting while smoke poured from her nose and mouth as her mane and tail had caught on fire igniting anything that had gotten too close to her. Even more painful was the whistling noise like an angry tea kettle growing so loud as to make Harold wince in pain like the others when he stepped in.
"Kaleidoscope," he gasped. The heat coming from her forced him back along with the other ponies who tried to help.
She must have heard him. Slowly Kaleidoscope turned to face Harold. She stumbled along the floor leaving burning scorch hoofprints that glowed a bright red only to fade to a blackened ashy mark. The noise forced him to cover his ears; he could only watch her open her mouth to try to speak. "I...don't...feel...so...good," Kaleidoscope finally whimpered.
BOOM!
The noise came like a sonic blast. The pony ripped apart, shattering the windows. Showering all that stood there in the bloody remains of a pony once known as Kaleidoscope.
A million painful flowers bloomed only to disappear back into the darkness behind his eyes before Harold realized he had been hit with something heavy across his head. Landing right into his gore stained hooves. Gasping for air he could only stare mutely at the charred head of Kaleidoscope that he was holding. Most of her mane burned off. Her dead eyes staring back at him. Still with that look of confusion as to what was going on.
Then the screaming came. Joining with the other horrified ponies until it blotted any last remaining thoughts in Harold's mind.
