Author's Note

A commission from the lovely Drakin, with permission and some help with Fatblack!

A fun fic, but one that took longer than intended considering everything going on. Drakin has the patience of a saint, honestly. Everyone involved loved it so I'm hoping everyone else will like it too. Especially with the warm reception the original had, and with the pandemic.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter (or Passover, or whatever else you may celebrate), and I hope this gives you all something to focus on during these times of stress and uncertainty.

Rarity's Cruise 2

Rainbow’s wings ached fiercely as she worked to keep up with Twilight, Celestia, and Luna. She was a pro-athlete for sure, but that didn’t mean she had an earth pony’s natural endurance. Nor was she used to working so hard for so long.

But her sense of pride, her sense of loyalty, drove her to work just as hard as the gods that flanked her. Even Discord, though he didn’t seem to be doing much in the way of hard work, was keeping up. Looking surprisingly serious.

Fluttershy was in danger after all, so maybe Rainbow shouldn’t be so surprised that Discord had jumped at the chance to help. He’d even used his magic to teleport them in the right direction, but it hadn’t been enough.

Whoever was behind this had to have access to some sort of stone like what Chrysalis’ throne had been made of.

“There!” Luna called, pointing.

An island lay ahead, and it wasn’t long before all of them were starting to land, Discord especially struggling to keep himself airborne without magic.

Still, they made it safely. It was warm, and lush, and Rainbow had spotted buildings in the distance. Maybe a town? Hopefully they’d get their answers.

Rainbow, in the days following her encounter with the cruise ship, had noticed a few changes to her body. Whatever had been in that liquid she’d drunk had expanded her stomach, making her hungrier. When she thought about it, really thought about it, she actually missed the sweet taste. Only her determination kept her going now. Just a few pounds heavier for her trouble.

“We should have brought Changelings.” Twilight sighed, “Or even just Thorax, I’m sure he’d have been willing to help-”

“No time.” Discord all but snarled. It was at times like these where Rainbow was reminded of how dangerous he was, and how much better off they were that he was on their side now. With him being so close to Fluttershy...well, it was good whoever had done this had gotten her involved.

Well, not good. Rainbow mentally backtracked. But...fortunate for the rescue team. To have Discord so invested in what was going on, for Fluttershy’s sake.

Before anything else could be said, Discord started onward. Dropping down to all fours, sniffing wildly. It wasn’t long before he was racing ahead, moving so quickly he blurred.

“Alright then.” Twilight said after a moment, “I was going to suggest we go in pairs, but I suppose that’s not possible now. Everypony have their radios?”

Celestia, Luna, and Rainbow nodded.

“Well then, I think we should split up. I’m sure Discord can find Fluttershy, so hopefully he’ll radio us when he does. If you run into trouble, or anything suspicious-”

“We know, Twilight.” Rainbow huffed, “It’s a small island, I’m sure we’ll get everyone home. Don’t you worry. It won’t take long to get this place sorted, I bet. And it’ll be easier once everyone else arrives.”

Backup was coming, the Equestrian leaders weren’t stupid enough to send their leaders in without backup on the way, so they could afford to take their time.

Twilight nodded, “Alright then. Everypony, try to meet back here within an hour. We’ll regroup and go from there.”

Short nods from everypony present, and they all dispersed. Quietly making their way across the island, hoping to find out where their friends had gone.

(LINE BREAK)

Luna opened the door silently, slipping into the room with hardly a sound. Subtly manipulating the shadows that were naturally cast to make herself harder to see. It wasn’t overt, and she wasn’t invisible, but it was something that helped her sneak quietly around those who weren’t paying enough attention. It was an old skill, something she’d developed as a young child to escape nurses who were intent on coddling her.

This wasn’t the same though. The consequences of being caught by somepony working on this...fat farm were real, and she couldn’t let Celestia and the others down. Not again. Not ever again, if she could help it. Equestrian citizens were in danger, and she’d sworn an oath to keep them from danger. So of course she’d made the decision to come with her sister and the others.

Creeping through what she now recognized as an office, though it was strangely empty, Luna opened the door on the opposite side of the room. One that opened onto a catwalk. Metal grating hanging suspended over what looked to be a huge indoor farm.

Luna squinted, continuing to move. Not wanting to be caught just yet. So far, everywhere she’d been had been surprisingly empty. But she wouldn’t bank on that. The longer they went without being discovered, the better.

As she worked her way across the catwalk, pausing to peer into more empty offices along the way, she could see there was something special about the farming equipment. Some kind of injector that put some kind of glowing blue liquid into the ground at regular intervals.

Whatever this was, it made the food grow huge. And it all smelled so nice…

Luna shook herself, swallowing down her drool. No, no. She needed to stay focused. The lives of creatures might well be on the line, and she couldn’t afford to be sloppy.

She eventually wound her way downstairs, onto the floor proper. She had to leave before the amazing looking garden caught her attention, so she crept her way forward. Darting between these massive buildings to enter the next one.

The moment Luna opened the door, she was hit with the mouthwatering smells of a bakery. Fresh bread, sweet treats, pies. Luna had to pause for a moment, bringing a hoof up to rub at her suddenly groaning belly.

Oh this was bad. Luna thought as she crept deeper into the building. Eyes and ears perked and alert as she made her way through yet another empty warehouse.

This one, however, was far more intricate. Machines of all sorts were pumping out products. Using things that were obviously being brought in from elsewhere, and at the other end…

Luna opened another door and just about fainted. It was like a bakery on steroids. Wherever she looked she could see something new. See something she wasn’t sure she’d ever had. Pastries, breads, all sorts of things. Many that Luna had never tried before, since they’d been invented after her banishment.

Luna had to pause to take it in, swallowing back a flood of saliva. She shouldn’t, but it had been such a long flight here and she’d had to miss breakfast…

Luna darted out to grab at a danish of some sort and gobbled it without pause. Then another, and another. Darting from shelf to shelf to push increasing amounts of things into her mouth. Even the bread was torn into hardly manageable pieces before being shoved into her awaiting maw.

Slowly enough at first, but quickly speeding up, was the effects of all the sugar-packed treats on Luna’s waistline. It started in her stomach, creating a thin layer of fat that made her stomach hang down rather than curve upwards.

From there, her face was most affected. Her cheeks puffing up and a double chin appearing as she packed on the pounds. Crumbs and sweet fruit fillings smeared across her muzzle and her cheeks, icing and more starting to join them as she slowed down her near frantic pace. Being slowed down by her increasing excess weight, Luna didn’t even pause long enough to notice. Her body bulged ever outward with every mouthful she swallowed. Her barrel widening, flanks thickening, plot jiggling, no part of her was spared. Even her regalia, her chest piece, was starting to look tight, her fat starting to roll over the edges slightly as the delicate silver tightened.

Luna settled herself near one of the shelves that was being filled by machinery. Not noticing, or caring, about the rapid changes in her physique. Her plot spreading across the ground, her stomach rolling over her hind legs, a thick double-chin merging with her chubby cheeks.

As Luna ate, she grew ever larger. Quickly outgrowing ‘chubby’ and rapidly eating herself past fatness and into the realm of obesity. Food and crumbs sticking to her muzzle, smearing across her chubby cheeks as she continued to gorge herself.

Her chest piece broke with a snap as her neck disappeared under a drooping fold that tried to hang over her pigeon chest. Finally having enough, her flab surged forward from where it had been kept tightly in check. The pieces of metal falling to the ground between her hind legs, rapidly hidden from view by Luna’s swelling belly.

Luna didn’t notice beyond letting out a heavy sigh of relief. Rustling her increasingly pillow-like wings mindlessly, not noticing their new heft. Continuing her gorging, only able to process the delicious flavours spreading across her tongue.

Luna had unknowingly trapped herself here, quickly outgaining mobility and dooming herself to an endless gorging session that would last as long as she had room in her stretching stomach.

Somewhere else in the facility, a unicorn watched the Princess of the Night gorge endlessly on sweets, and smiled.

(LINE BREAK)

“Twilight!”

Discord’s voice made a spike of fear slide down Twilight’s spine, making her freeze momentarily in place before she recognized who was speaking. She turned to face him, watching as he all but slithered across the ground to sidle up next to her.

“I’ve found the other side of the facility.” Discord hissed. His face was still as animated as ever, but there was a seriousness that Twilight didn’t expect, even with Fluttershy at stake. “I think I can get you there, but we’ll have to be quick. Something is watching us.”

A shiver ran through Twilight’s body, her hackles raising and fur standing on edge. “That’s not good.”

Discord shook his head. “They got Luna with...whatever it is they’re doing here. She’s...well she’s rather like what Rainbow described of the occupants of the ship.”

“That’s really not good.” Twilight worried at her lower lip for a moment, hardly managing to force herself forward when Discord started moving again.

Discord was silent, darting from shadow to shadow. On all fours rather than standing, which Twilight found odd. He was usually so intent on walking on his hind legs. Was it to do with the lack of magic? The seriousness of the mission? Hadn’t Starlight said he’d walked on his hind legs in the hive?

Twilight’s mind was buzzing with questions, but she needed to stay focused. Stay within sight of him so they didn’t lose track of each other.

Luna was down. Who knew where Celestia could be. Maybe caught in a similar trap, or worse. Twilight suddenly wished she could just leave, just for a moment. But Fluttershy and Rarity needed their help. And now Luna too. Plus all the other creatures that had been fattened on the cruise.

“What’s on the other side of this facility?”

“Couldn’t get the doors open.” Discord shrugged. Pausing while Twilight checked around a corner before they were moving again. “Reeks of order. Not meant for a draconequus if you ask me.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You’ll keep searching? Warn Celestia about Luna?”

“That was the plan.” Discord’s voice absolutely dripped with disdain. Rolling his eyes in return. “It’s that big metal door there. There’s a fire escape to the left, down that hallway. Not sure if it’s alarmed, but you could maybe break out through a window, or maybe circle around.” He shrugged again, then grinned. “I’m going to go find Fluttershy.”

And then he was all but taking off back down the hallway, even as Twilight sputtered and huffed. Turning her attention to the task at hand, she started to investigate.

This would be so much easier with magic. She yearned, huffing quietly. But she’d break in if she had to rip the doors from their hinges if she had to. She’d do whatever it took to keep this at bay, so the rest of Equestria stayed safe.

(LINE BREAK)

Fluttershy laid in the cool, perpetually lit place that she’d been calling home since the ship had docked. Sucking eagerly at the thick, rich shake that poured from the feeding tubes and into her gullet.

She’d grown a lot since then. And there was no doubt in her mind that if she were still on the ship, she and Rarity would have broken walls or hurt each other because of their enormity.

Fluttershy hadn’t seen a mirror in...well a very long time, so she didn’t entirely know how large she was, but she could occasionally get a mouse friend or other small creature in to talk with her, when the tubing was taken out to be cleaned. And they gave her something of an idea, coupled with what she could feel.

She resembled a blob more than she resembled a pony. The hundreds, thousands perhaps, of excess pounds of flesh had accumulated to the point where Fluttershy hardly looked like a pony at all. Her Cutie Mark was deformed beyond recognition, her limbs swallowed into hanging sleeves and deep rolls. Only her head was left relatively intact, and even the rolls of her neck and back were starting to creep forward along her skull. Trapping her mane and making it appear as though the spare tires that made up her neck were going to entrap her head: basketball sized cheeks and all.

The heavy door to the room opened, spilling in the first bits of sunlight Fluttershy had seen since she’d been moved here. She hissed around the tube, squinting and doing her best to shield her eyes from the harsh light.

“Oh Fluttershy.” Discord sounded so mournful she almost didn’t recognize him. Needing to blink away tears in order to see him with the sunlight, her eyes streaming from the bright light.

She couldn’t respond, just sniffle. Gulping down more shake as it was pumped into her gullet. Incapable of even twitching muscle beyond swallowing and blinking, she did her best to track Discord’s movements as he made his way over. Using her gargantuan body to climb up to rest near her face, shaking digits working to unhook the tubing from her mouth.

Thankfully the tubing sensed when it was removed, halting the flow of shake. Leaving Fluttershy feeling rather bereft of the familiar white noise that the feeding always brought.

“Dis...cord.” Fluttershy managed, her lips swollen and cheeks pressing into her muzzle enough that it was hard for her to form the word.

“Should’ve been there with the Dunderbolts when they went to rescue you.” Discord huffed, voice full of shame and disgust. “Can’t do anything to help you until we figure out why we can’t use magic, but you have my word, we’ll get you back home. I’m sure Rainbow Dash will love shouting you lot back into shape-”

“Dis-” Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she saw more tubing drop down from the ceiling, but Discord wasn’t paying enough attention.

The tubing wrapped around him, trapping him much like they’d trapped the Wonderbolts before him. Dragging him off of Fluttershy to across the room. Even as he squirmed and struggled. Limbs flailing as he worked to free himself.

Without his magic, though. Discord didn’t stand a chance.. The feeding tube entered his mouth at the same time Fluttershy’s entered hers. Panting, heaving for breath, mismatched eyes wide with disbelief and fear, there wasn’t much more that Discord could do except struggle weakly as he swallowed down the first few mouthfuls.

Even that small amount was enough to trigger a change, one that grew as he continued to drink and his struggles slowed to a stop.

A pot belly sprung forth from his slender frame. Fat accumulated there as his stomach stretched to accommodate the liquid. His cheek filled out, his neck thickened, and alongside an impressive gut, he was soon sporting the early changes of chubbiness. Chubby cheeks and a double chin, the rest of his body largely unchanged.

It didn’t take very long before the rest of his body started to expand with fat as well. As the weight piled on, his struggles slowed, and the tubing holding him down started to retract back into the ceiling. Leaving his body to expand across the floor alone.

Discord gained fairly evenly. He was laying down on his stomach now, his body spreading outward to either side of him more than he was being pushed into the air. His legs thickened, looking more like meaty hams than limbs, his wings being bloated with fat as well.

He gained even quicker than Luna had at the start. Outpacing ‘chubby’ and ‘fat’ within moments. Pushing himself into obesity and near immobility within minutes, watching Fluttershy with wide eyes as she watched his transformation.

Discord’s body oozed across the floor, looking more and more like a blob with every minute that passed. Guzzling down the liquid with an intensity that startled even him, especially as he felt his joints and body stiffen with fat, making it harder and harder to move his heavy limbs for all the excess fat. Rolls and folds littered his body where the various animal parts of him met, making him look surprisingly smooth and soft. His dragon scales parting to let the fatty flesh pool from between them, even his thinner limbs looking plump and fat filled.

Nothing was spared. And the two friends watched it happen. Fluttershy finally excited for some company, and Discord fearing he’d put the mission in jeopardy.

(LINE BREAK)

Twilight had, after nearly half an hour of trying, had managed to slip in through an unlocked window and into the room Discord had indicated to her. Tired, sweat-soaked, and more than a little irritated at how things were going, Twilight couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as air conditioning washed over her. Rustling her fur and feathers, starting to cool her down.

She waited in the dark corner where she’d hid herself for a few moments longer, trying to soak up what comfort she could before pressing on. The room was full of blueprints and plans. Things that, while they looked interesting, didn’t initially catch Twilight’s attention. Half-built contraptions littered desks, as did loose papers and quills.

One one desk in particular, flanked by a bookshelf, rested a thick journal. One that captured Twilight’s attention immediately, drawing her to it with such strength that Twilight didn’t stop to think about why that was an odd thing. Magic didn’t work here after all, right?

Slipping into the provided chair, Twilight flipped open the journal. It was old, the pages yellowed. Yet still very legible, obviously well looked after over the years.

As Twilight started to read, and what was being read suddenly wasn’t all that important. But it was soothing, the action of reading, even if the words slipped from her mind like water through a strainer. The simple act of reading, something that was as natural to Twilight as breathing and blinking, was enough to soothe her into relaxation.

And she continued to be lulled into relaxation. The tension drained from her body as all her senses focused on the book in front of her. Not noticing a unicorn tiptoe into the room with a tray of treats on her back. Slipping them onto the desk beside Twilight, the unicorn retreated.

As the smells of the sweet pastries wafted towards Twilight’s nose, she felt her hunger deepen, stomach growling. She reached to take one of the sweet tarts first, nibbling at it with a soft sigh. Her eyes never left the pages, even as she continued to gorge.

The effects were almost immediate. Twilight started gaining weight rapidly. Her neck softening, cheeks turning chubby, a double chin appearing as the rest of her started to expand. Her plot widened, stomach softening and sagging outward to start taking up a portion of her lap. Her wings thickened with fat, as did her legs.

As the princess grew with fat, the wall beside the desk lowered out of the way. Revealing a set of conveyor belts that would bring food to Twilight so she could eat and ‘read’ at the same time. Gorging herself silly with all sorts of goods from sweet to savoury.

It wasn’t long before the chair started to creak and groan under her weight. The legs bowing under Twilight’s new mass. The chair started to break once Twilight’s stomach filled her lap, and her cutie marks stretched to the point of unrecognizability. Her plot overhanging the edges and the rest of her looking more plump and soft with every moment that passed.

The chair breaking sent Twilight to the floor. Twilight didn’t even notice, her body shaking and jiggling with the suddenness of it. But all she cared about now was the food. Focusing entirely on gorging herself until the hungry pit that was her stomach was filled.

Shifting from sitting to lying down, so she could better get the food, Twilight’s burgeoning stomach bloated her upwards and crawled across the floor. Soon pinning her to the ground with its heft alone, much less the rest of the portly princess.

Her stomach was the largest part of her, quickly swallowing the remnants of the chair and pressing into the desk and the bookshelf. Lifting herself off of the ground, her stomach hung from an equally wide barrel, and was being marred by deep rolls that ran from her spine and were created from where her wings were nearly buried in their own sleeves of fat.

Twilight’s rear was her second largest asset. Her Cutie Mark was stretched and faded, large and growing larger. Almost to the point of unrecognizability. Flanks and plot had merged into one hanging mass that obscured her hind legs, effectively trapping them between her stomach and plot.

Her front legs were flabby and hanging limply from her torso, resting amongst the fatty rolls that made up her stomach and pigeon chest. Her fatty shoulders hindered any movements from her front legs, making them spread wide to make room for her fat.

Twilight’s face was spherical, now. With a thick slab of a double chin, and plump cheeks that continued to plump with every mouthful swallowed.

The unicorn stood behind Twilight, well out of her line of sight. Watching the immobilized mare as she gorged herself even fatter. A huge smile on her face as she watched the fruit of her labours come together.

Just a little while longer, and her plans could come into fruition.

(LINE BREAK)

Celestia had explored a few outbuildings before returning to the rendezvous point. After waiting a few anxious hours, she ended up abandoning that plan to go search for the others.

So far, she wasn’t having very much luck. Which….well she had always taken a better interest into things like diplomacy and trade, while Luna had enjoyed war games and combat.

They were both capable fighters, but Celestia knew where her skills truly were. And they weren’t in subterfuge or warfare. It was part of why she and Luna worked so well together as a team, their skills complement each other. It was why ruling alone for so long had worn on Celestia, though she had been able to spread her ideals of peace all over the world.

Still, Celestia worried. Had they regrouped elsewhere? Gotten lost? Trapped? Hurt? Fattened like the creatures on the ship?

So Celestia started looking. Finding office buildings, barns filled with chickens and cows, but none of her friends. No sign of them, which on one hoof was a good thing. But she wished she could find one of them already.

Celestia continued to creep around the facility. Creeping around rooms filled to the brim with fattened creatures. Mentally swearing that she’d come back to help them when she could.

Eventually, she wound her way into a smaller barn. One that seemed, at first, empty. But Celestia had been out for hours. Under high stress conditions. She was tired and hungry, and hoped to find somewhere to rest for a little while.

Entering the basement of the barn, Celestia froze as a succulent, sweet, familiar smell assaulted her nose. Sniffing, she rounded a corner and found a room full to bursting with cakes. All kinds of cakes. Small cakes, large cakes, of all sizes, layers, flavours, and beyond.

Red velvet, strawberry, dulce de leche, chocolate, vanilla, and all sorts of flavours in between and beyond. All of them looked beautiful and delectable, like the best cakes the royal kitchens could produce.

“One couldn’t hurt, right?” Celestia murmured to herself, swallowing reflexive drool as her mouth started to salivate. In spite of herself, she leaned in to take a bite from what looked like a small chocolate lava cake. Moaning as the taste exploded across her tongue. A small bite turning immediately into frantic gorging.

Like her sister and student before her, Celestia didn’t take long to start fattening up. Her plot blew up well before the rest of her started to pile on the pounds. Her cutie mark fading and stretching to fit the new heft to her flanks.

She moved to sit, hooves moving frantically to stuff her face full of the cakes she could reach. The movements sent ripples and jiggled through her body, the new fat collecting everywhere it could.

She was a plot heavy mare, and it wasn’t long before she was immobilized. Propped upright, her wings held tight against her flabby barrel, Celestia continued to gorge. Shifting one of the conveyor belts so all she had to do was lean forward a little and eat the cakes that came down it. Eagerly smearing crumbs and frosting all down her muzzle, smearing across her cheeks. Making a stark contrast between the cake and her coat.

Her chest piece didn’t last as long as Luna’s did. Splintering apart at the hook and eye where it fastned in the back. Falling to the floor with a thunk. Celestia’s stomach soon pooled over it, hiding it from view. All of her piling on the pounds by now, not just her plot.

It wasn’t long before Celestia’s plot pinned her to the ground, pressing against the wall behind her. Her stomach was covering up her hind legs. Her front legs rested along the uppermost fold of her stomach, spread widely to make room for the hanging folds of her neck and pigeon chest.

Four down, one to go. The unicorn pondered, watching as Celestia’s fat pushed a shelf over. Spilling cakes all over the floor. Just one left, and she was the least dangerous one.

(LINE BREAK)

Rainbow was having no luck. Without being able to make her way into the air to get a better sense of where she was, she’d gotten hopelessly lost. Not able to make it to the rendezvous point much less do much of anything else aside from continue to work her way through the facility.

Making her way into a maze of basements was the worst decision she’d made. With no focal points, and most everything looking the same, she got more lost than before. Creeping from corridor to corridor, checking rooms, trying not to leave a trace of where she’d been in case she was being followed.

Every so often she had to stop and rest, rubbing at the slight softness to her stomach. It was hard not to get distracted thinking about how hungry she was, it was hard to focus.

“Rain...bow?”

A voice broke through the quiet. A wheezing, low voice that almost had Rainbow jumping out of her skin with fright.

It took a few minutes more, but Rainbow found an unlocked door and opened it. A light clicked on, and she was left gaping at her fellow comrades.

The Wonderbolts were as big as Rarity and Fluttershy had been when Rainbow had seen them last. Immobilized, trapped in fatty prisons of their own making. No remnants of the uniform remained, but Rainbow knew them all well enough to recognize them by sight. Even if they were fattened to the point of near unrecognizability.

Maybe it was stress, maybe it was a deep desire somewhere where she didn’t need to worry anymore, but when the tubes came down from the ceiling to grab Rainbow for a second time, she wasn’t expecting them.

This solution was special, fattening to the extreme. As it pumped into Rainbow’s mouth, as she swallowed the thick solution down, it was mere moments before she started packing on the pounds. Her stomach rounding out, her plot sagging and widening, her musculature being buried under dozens of pounds of fat within minutes.

It wasn’t long before the struggling gave up completely. Rainbow accepting her fate as her fellows watched on with various mixtures of sadness and hopelessness written on their features. Spitfire looked especially guilty, and was now chugging the solution as if that would make up for trapping Rainbow in here with them.

The unicorn left once it became clear Rainbow was hers. The cyan pegasus fattened to immobility in less than an hour.

Perfect. It meant the formulas were doing what they were supposed to.

The unicorn trotted her way through the facility. Going to go make sure the rest of her plans were ready before undergoing the next steps.

(LINE BREAK)

The unicorn watched as the cargo ship was loaded up with her fattening goodies. A huge grin splitting her face as the last of the cargo was settled aboard and the gangplanks retracted. Her staff worked hard to push off and get her goods spread across the entirety of Equestria.

Manehatten first, then Canterlot, then Ponyville. Take out the major players in central Equestria first. Then sending shipments to the Crystal Empire.

All she needed to do now was continue to produce and spread her influence. It wouldn’t be long before all of Equestria was fat, and then the fun could really begin.

Epilogue

Applejack watched as the big shipment of flour and sugar was loaded up into the cellar. Keeping a watchful eye on the delivery ponies as they trundled up and down the stairs. Making sure they were doing their jobs and making sure they didn’t manage to take a jar of Zap Apple jam with them on the way out.

Normally, Big Mac’d help with this sort of thing, but he was off with Sugar Belle for the weekend. Making it a rather moot point all told. Applejack, while she could afford to check in with the delivery ponies and keep half an eye on them while she fixed the fence, she couldn’t do the unloading all by herself.

Well she could, but that would mean getting nothing else done. It was worth the fifty bits and a bit of worry to have it just be done and over with.

Applejack, engrossed in her work, didn’t seem to notice the differences, however slight, in the deliveries. Things were close enough to the normal that it didn’t matter. She had other things to deal with.

Across town, Pinkie Pie had the exact opposite problem. Noticing that things were different immediately, she’d been eager to open up these new ingredients that the Cakes had ordered to test them out.

The flour was as high a quality as it always was, creamy and soft to the touch. The sugar was even sweeter than normal, not that Pinkie seemed to mind much. All in all it was pretty decent. Nothing she’d tried tasted any worse, in fact it all tasted better.

As Pinkie frosted the first of many cupcakes, she didn’t seem to notice that her customary sampling had already had an effect on her figure. Her stomach hanging lower, her plot and flanks wobbling with every movement.

Pinkie was just excited to see how everything would turn out.

(LINE BREAK)

Spike,

I’m sorry it’s been so long, but we’ve just all been enjoying ourselves too much. You were right about all of us needing this vacation, even with everything going on. There’s real work being done on figuring out where evercreature vanished off to, and I’ll send more updates when I can.

Celestia and Luna send their well-wishes too, as does Rainbow and the Wonderbolts. We’ll stay out here for a while longer, so we can be ready when news finally reaches us. Hope you’re enjoying your little vacation too, Spike, and I’ll talk to you soon.

Princess Twilight Sparkle

PS: Please forward this to the others too. I don’t want Shining Armour or Cadance worrying after me. I’ve never been better!

It’d been months since Spike had heard from Twilight and the others, and to receive such confirmation was a huge weight off his chest. It would help everyone else relax too, since Celestia and Luna were rarely ever away from the spotlight for so long.

Spike sighed, popping a cookie into his mouth to chew it over while looking over the letter. There was something...weird, but he couldn’t put his claw on it. He shrugged, swallowing the cookie to breathe fire over the letter. Sending it straight to Shining and Cadance.

“Hey Starlight!” Spike called weakly across the library, “Twilight’s...okay! Got a...letter!”

Spike, like most of Ponyville and the area beyond, was rather fatter than he had been. Almost as wide as he was tall, the spherical, near-immobile dragon lounged against some cushions while he continued to snack on the high calorie treats Sugarcube Corner was still pumping out.

He could, if pressed and given some help, stand up and waddle around. With a drooping, hanging stomach that hung nearly to the floor, and a log-like tail that dragged behind him, the fat dragon was fairly balanced. Even with his wide hips, tree-trunk thighs, and a dragging rear that touched the floor when he did manage to stand and walk. His muzzle was squished in between two hanging cheeks. The cheeks, when combined with his meaty multiple chins, hid where his neck had been.

Starlight, who was across the library, looked up from her books. A huge smile creating dimples in her fat cheeks. “Good!” She too was much fatter than she’d once been. A belly-heavy mare, her massive stomach was keeping her pinned to the ground. Her stomach pooling around her on all sides for several feet.

“That’s good!” Starlight beamed, lighting her magic to grab at a cupcake. Happily munching on it, even as the action caused her stomach to jump forward by almost an inch. “Glad she’s excited...and well.”

Spike nodded in agreement, and the two of them went back to their respective treats. Happy to continue eating in companionable silence.

(LINE BREAK)

The letter appeared near Cadance’s head. Her magic plucked it from the air before it fell against her flab. She squinted over her massive, basket-ball sized cheeks in order to read the words. Moving to hoof the note over to Shining, who was across the throne room.

The two of them were fat enough they took up the entirety of the throne room. Munching eagerly through endless shipments of sweets and treats between the two of them. Both were more blob than pony. So fattened that they were hardly recognizable, it was hard to get a clear picture of where their bodies began and ended. Some of the few parts that were visible were because of the colour contrast between Shining and Cadance’s coat. The white and pink were obviously different, lending some ability in figuring out where Cadance ended and Shining began, but it was still difficult to see when their flab were pressed into each other and competing for space.

After they were done looking it over, Cadance set it off to Thorax in the Changeling Empire. Able to see outside the windows of the palace and see her citizens waddling through the streets. Peace was important for her war-weary people, and if it meant they weighed a little more, than who was she to judge.

Thorax and Pharynx were blobby like Cadance and Shining. Completely immobilized at the top of the hive. Which was buzzing with the extra heat and weight from the obesity of the changeling hoard.

It was peaceful here, giving them time and opportunity to recover and learn from the other cultures around them. They might not have anticipated the imports of good foods and the effects they’d had on themselves and their subjects, but it helped keep the peace.

Even Pharynx was soothed by all the food. He gorged himself completely, all day every day. Crumbs and frostings and sauces smeared across his muzzle and fatty cheeks. Leaving him all the more incapable of movement with every treat that passed into his gullet and entered his stuffed gullet.

Thorax happily sent the letter along to Ember before digging back into the treasure of cookies and pastries. Happily indulging alongside his clutch mate. The pair of them were fatty blobs, unrecognizable in comparison to the changelings they had been.

They took up the entire ‘throne’ room entirely. Fat plots and flabby backs pressing against the natural caverns of the hive, making the structure creak, groan, and crumble away whenever their bulk managed to press too much into it.

And both were as happy as they always were. The sounds of the changelings eating encompassed all everyone could ever hear.

Ember, out in the isolated dragonlands, was less a dragon and more a mountainous blob. Able to know that she got a letter but unable to read it for the fat blocking her eyes. However, she knew it meant that Twilight and the others were safe. Relaxing against her own enormity, Ember let the letter fall from her bloated claws to the flab below her.

Content to let the conveyor belts bring jeweled sweets to her mouth, Ember ate them with the knowledge that things were safe. For her dragons, and for the creatures beyond her borders.

(LINE BREAK)

The water, after such a long time feeling the mountainous weight pressing into her, felt heavenly. Helping her float along the currents of the ocean, caressing her folds and rolls. Helping keep her folds clean and cool, feeling far better than even the best massage that Aloe or Lotus had ever given her. It was heavenly enough to almost distract her from her food, which was a miracle unto itself considering her current meal had been going on for forty seven days straight. Completely uninterrupted until this point.

Rarity couldn’t really see beyond the fat that had swallowed her head, but she could just squint past her ocean of chins to see the magical screen directly in front of her eyes. Giving her a live feed, top down, of the vast archipelago of multicoloured islands adrift in the Equestrian sea.

Rarity, and her friends, were all significantly larger than anyone on the mainland. In fact, they were larger than some of the islands off of Equestria’s coast. All of them were massive, all of them were here. The six friends, and some of the earliest creatures who were fattened, were floating aimlessly. Large enough that they could bury whole towns beneath their bulk. Magic and technology linking them together to keep them fed and clean.

Rarity was one of the largest, over four times the size of the nearby natural island. While Applejack, Rarity thought so because of the colouring, was one of the smallest. Maybe at twice the size of the island, for comparison. The others were in various states between them. Fluttershy was close to Rarity in terms of size, but still smaller.

She hadn’t seen her friends with her own eyes in a very, very long time. But she didn’t mind too much. She could really only see the tubing that kept her fed with such wonderful food at all hours. Coming out from where her head was buried amidst its rolls, the tubing was miles long. A vast network of infrastructure to keep such behemoths fed and looked after. Vast tanks, on the coast perhaps, always full to keep them filled to the brim.

It was weird to feel pride about it, but it was there. Knowing that she was the largest being in all of Equestria. Outranking even the largest of the sea creatures and the yaks. Outclassing mountains, even.

As Rarity settled back, relaxing easily. She did her best to track the movement along one of the walkways pressing against her fat. Able to see somepony approaching on the screen, a dark blue unicorn who was positively skinny by the new current standards but rather obese by the old. Her large stomach swaying underneath her as she moved.

The captain watched as the mountain sized creatures all ate greedily and messily. Bumping into each other as the currents pushed against their flab. Not at all giving a care as to what else was going on around them.

“Pardon me, Miss Rarity.” The captain spoke, through the magical screen so Rarity could better hear. “I don’t want to interrupt but there’s something I have to tell you.” Reaching with her magic to turn the valve to the food tanks off. “We have a new recipe, and since you have the exquisite taste, I thought I’d bring it to you first. Do you want to try it?” Using the magic to move the hose from Rarity’s mouth just enough for her to reply.

“De...lighted...my...dear.” Rarity somehow managed around her fat swollen lips. The slight movement causing an avalanche of movement through her chins, cheeks, and neck fat. .

The captain grinned wildly, magicking a plate of sweets past the small opening where the hose was coming out of. Making sure they went straight into Rarity’s mouth. Making sure that Rarity’s bloated lips were cleaned afterwards while Rarity chewed.

Immediately, a gurgling moan made it’s way through the fashionista’s frame. Making the unicorn cling to the catwalk as it shifted along with the movement. The soft fat of Rarity’s body shifting underneath her hooves.

It took seconds, and in those seconds, added tons accumulated on Rarity’s frame. Almost hurting the vast infrastructure keeping them all together and well fed and comfortable. Though, after the tumultuous movement settled down, the captain couldn’t help but grin as she brought the hose back into Rarity’s mouth and turned the valve back on. Letting the flow go a little faster this time, to better deal with Rarity’s increased appetite.

The unicorn sighed, stretchinc. Starting to move her way down the catwalk. Reflecting on how massive her collection had become with just a little bit of work. Unable to keep the smirk, or feeling of pride, as she waddled her way back down the catwalk. Already thinking of other formulas, and better foods, for her guests.