Aren't You Hungry, Dear?

Chapters

Chapter 1: Night Out on the Town
Chapter 2: The Plan
Chapter 3: Game Over
Chapter 4: Faux-Martyrdom

Chapter 1: Night Out on the Town

Handen Foot looked back at the schoolhouse briefly, before her gaze returned to Ponyville. She needed food, and badly. Normally, this wouldn't be a challenge; after all, sweet apple acres was just across town, and the sun was already setting, casting long shadows for her to slink through. But she had slipped. They knew about her. They were looking for her. The Hungry Horse's employees had begun seeking her out.

Handen carefully lashed her muzzle over her face, pulling the thick straps tight. What had once been a piece of "adult entertainment" gear was now a crucial piece of protective equipment; something that could hold her mouth firmly shut on the off chance that she was caught. The townsponies just wanted to feed her; they were simply too indoctrinated by the arcane chemicals in the food to realize they were offering tainted meals to the earth pony.

Handen did, admittedly, look a bit malnourished. She was short and scrawny; not unhealthily so, but to the well-fed populace of the town, she might as well have been a clattering assembly of skin and bones. Nevermind her disheveled brown mane, or her dirt-ridden cool gray coat. She looked like a feral creature, not the last defender of pony society.
Handen slunk through the streets lowly, like a cat, her impish stature giving her the agility needed to creep through back alleys, avoiding main roads. Not too many ponies walked anymore; they were either already at one of the many franchise locations of the restaurant, or being taken care of in their own homes.

She leapt into the rafters of a nearby building as she heard a pair of voices, holding her breath tightly. The overhanging roof kept her concealed from above and the side.
"I heard corporate's planning to roll out something big for the 18 month anniversary," One Hungry Horse employee said.
"Really? I didn't know they could roll out small things," The other replied. They shared a loud laugh as they turned the corner.
Handen's eyes widened a bit, and she moved through town with greater urgency. If something was "big" for the Hungry Horse, it was "cataclysmic" for everypony else.
She scampered between the narrow alleys, ducking into the backroads.
She froze as she heard a deep, rich voice behind her.

"Oh, darling! You're skin and bones," A large, white and purple pony said, "Please, you should eat; you must eat."
Handen slowly loosened her muzzle's front strap to permit herself the ability to speak as she turned around. Rarity's enormous, wobbling form occupied her vision. Handen's mouth turned up into a bare mockery of a smile; Sweetie Bell might be happy to learn her sister's generosity still survived under the rampant consumerism.
"N-no thank you," Handen stammered weakly, "I'm not hungry."
Rarity's face turned to one of perplexed anger, "I can tell; you're starving! Come here and let me feed you," She demanded, starting to give chase, a large burger hefted in her magic beginning to unwrap.

Handen yelped, fervently retightening her muzzle strap as she ran for an alley, ducking behind a long-unused trashbin.
Rarity stood before the alley, much too engorged in her own rolls to give chase. She bit down on the unwrapped burger in frustration, grease and sauce slopping out. "Come here!" Rarity demanded, "Come and eat!" She slammed her soft, doughy body against the sides of the buildings enclosing the alley.

Handen squeaked at the sound of one of the wooden supports splintering under Rarity's force.
Handen darted from the alley, trying to get away as fast as possible.
She heard other voices ring out; Rarity's cries had alerted a couple in another street. More demands for her to join the consumption consortium; eat, consume, devour. The townsponies didn't understand why this scrawny little mare was avoiding their food; they had been lovingly poisoned into thinking it was just too good for anyone to resist, and that moving and breathing became more cumbersome was just a happy accident.
Handen leapt into an empty trash bin and pulled the lid shut behind her, closing her eyes tightly as she took shallow breaths.

Eventually, the voices died down. It faded back to simple chatter; things were calm, even.
Handen carefully crawled out of the trash can and slunk through the alley, trying to get her bearings. Then, she saw it. The back side of the restaurant. The main restaurant, not one of the dozens of satellite kitchens that had gone up in the past year and a half.
This was the closest Handen had been in a long time. Carefully peering out, she planned her attack. A pleasant flowerbox sat on a window; a bit high, but not too high to jump on. From there, a sill before a vent.

Handen crept forward, scanning the area. Not a pony in sight; they were all inside. The window wouldn't give her away; it was too crammed full of multicoloured lard to be seen through.
Handen made a break for it, leaping to the planter box, then the sill. Amazingly, she made it to the vent, popping it out of the way with a flick of her hooves. "Thank Celestia for accessible design," Handen whispered, lightly pacing into the vent.
The sounds of consumption formed a dull roar, punctuated only by the sickly-sweet voices of employees offering refills, or - Celestia forbid - more food.

The vents barely responded to Handen's light stature as she crawled through, careful not to bang around.
Then, she caught a glimpse of what looked like a water cooler through a vent. The water inside was tinted pink, and was labeled, "For the employees, vital to our success," followed by several hearts.
Was that the antidote she had heard rumours about?
She took note of it, and began slinking back the way she came. She needed bottles for carrying liquid if she were to steal any of it; not the saddlebags she had for solid food.

Handen carefully crept through the vent, sneaking along. As far as she knew, she hadn't been caught.
That's why she froze as she dropped to the ground, her vision filled with a familiar mare.
"Well, hello, sweetie~" Toffee Crumble cooed with a smirk, "Finally come to sneak a peek at what you're missing?" She asked.
Handen didn't entertain her with an answer. She bolted in the direction of an alley, squeaking as she heard Toffee thumping along behind her.
Toffee giggled, "Don't run! I just wanna talk!~" Toffee called.
Handen made it to the alley, but yelped as she realized that Toffee was still small enough to squeeze into it.
Handen froze as she saw the dead end she had put herself in, turning to face Toffee, who grinned.
"Poor little thing…~ All lost, hungry, alone~" She listed off, her horn igniting as she ripped the muzzle from Handen's face. Toffee continued, "You've been quite the little thorn in my side, you know that? Ever since you toppled that order for Princess Twilight, corporate's been up my plot asking why I lost some hundred bits' worth of goods."

Handen gulped a little. She didn't dare open her mouth. Any opportunity was doom.
Toffee continued to ramble on about how much trouble Handen had caused, slowly encroaching on the earth pony.
"...But, I'm not here to feed you any more," Toffee concluded with a smirk, "No, you're beyond converting. Now that I've got you right where I want you, I'm going to make this very personal~"
Handen yelped as she was hoisted by the tail into the air, hanging upside down against the wall. Her eyes widened as Toffee Crumble spun around, Toffee's giant plot in her face.

"Lights out, sweetie~" Toffee grinned, throwing her huge, sweaty ass back, slamming it into the wall, and Handen along with it.
Handen yelped from the sudden force; it was as if tons of horse meat had just been dropped on her.
Toffee just laughed, grinding back and forth, up and down. Handen felt as though she were being waterboarded with the sweat from the mare's ass, just focusing on staying conscious. Handen endured the crushing force, feeling her joints lightly snap and pop beneath the pressure.
Toffee giggled. She wasn't done. She reeled up and slammed her ass into the wall. Twice. Thrice. Four times.
Handen squeaked weakly with each slam.

Toffee pressed her huge ass hard up against the wall, feeling something buckle against her weight. She couldn't tell if it was Handen or the wall; and frankly, she didn't care. The mare had already almost cost her her job; Toffee wasn't feeling merciful.
Once she was satisfied with her handywork, Toffee pulled away from the now crumpled wall of the alley.
Her horn glowed as she dragged Handen out of the alley.
Handen laid limp on the ground, and Toffee smirked. "Tssk tssk, can't even handle a real mare~" Toffee taunted, her horn glowing brighter as she lifted the limp mare into the air, tossing her in the dumpster.

Handen's ear twitched as she heard a stallion's voice.
"Finally got her?" The stallion asked.
Toffee giggled, "Yup! Squashed flat and left where she belongs~" She confirmed, "Shame, too. It was nice to have something to look forward to other than deliveries."
Handen finally let loose a small breath as she no longer heard voices.
Handen winced as she stood up. A jagged piece of plastic had cut into her side. That was fine; she'd suffered worse injuries. So long as nothing got in her mouth, she was okay.

She held her hoof on the wound until it clotted, then carefully crept out of the dumpster, running off to sweet apple acres.
The night offered respite; it was dark, yes, but most ponies were already asleep. That meant far fewer passerby, and most importantly, almost no deliveries. She had an entire night to bring food, now. In hindsight, she should have waited until night time to begin with, but she was hoping to see a certain mare. The only other mare who hadn't succumbed to the corporatocracy that had consumed Ponyville.

Handen lightly knocked on the door of the apple family household. She heard a deep sigh. "Yes, yes, I'm coming, hold yer horses now," Said Granny Smith.
Granny walked over and opened the door.
Her eyes widened as she saw Handen Foot standing at the door.
"M-May I come in?" Handen asked.
Granny immediately tugged her inside, slamming the door and hugging Handen tightly.
"Oh, thank Celestia! Those corporate buggers came by and were already gloating that they'd taken care of the 'trespasser'," Granny Smith expressed.

Handen blinked a little. "They… They think I'm dead?" She asked.
"Seems like it; they were right pleased with themselves," Granny said.
Handen just laughed a little, "Well… At least I don't have to worry about them looking for me," She expressed.
Granny smiled a little, "Yer safe now, sweetheart…" She expressed, giving Handen a gentle kiss.
It was a relationship that had been born from desperation; the only two mares who weren't stuffing their gobs full of whatever gobbledygook the Hungry Horse churned out.

Handen sighed softly. "Not really… I still have a camp full of foals to scavenge for," She said, looking away a bit.
Granny nodded and sighed. "Of… Of course, sweetie," She replied, ears drooping slightly, "How's Applebloom doing?"
Handen took a seat at the table. "She's doing okay; most of the others are, too. Leaf Litter finally got some mushrooms to take root, so we'll have some of our own food soon," She explained, before her ears drooped, "Button Mash hurt his leg when he was getting water," She explained.
Granny gasped a little, "Oh dear… Let's hope his youth knits him quickly," She expressed,
Handen nodded.

Granny Smith walked to the counter, where a pie was sitting, cooling on the counter.
"Do you want some pie, dearie? I know you're here for the apples, but it's been a long while since I shared baking with anyone. All Applejack and Big Mac want is that malarkey the Hungry Horse's lot brings," Granny explained.
Handen simply nodded, "Sure," She replied softly.
She watched as Granny Smith cut two large pieces of the pie, bringing them over on plates, "Dig in, sweetie. You could use a little sugar in your life," She says.
Handen chuckled weakly, staring at the warm pie. "You're starting to sound like them," She joked.

Granny rolled her eyes, taking a bite of the pie. "Mmm-mm! I've outdone myself this time," She said.
Handen's eyes glanced around. However, they widened in terror as she followed a thin trickle of what looked like grease as it ran along a sagging floorboard.
Handen froze as she watched a single, menacing drip of grease fall from the ceiling. It landed on the pie, splashing lightly.
"Dearie, what's wrong?" Granny Smith asked.
Handen just gaped, as if she were a fish begging for water. Words failed to leave her mouth, and she pointed at the trickling string of grease.
Granny froze. "Oh, Celestia…" She murmured, looking at Handen, "I… No, no. Now's not the time for me to be selfish. There'll be plenty of time for that later," She said, standing up.

Handen leapt from her chair, "I-I need to leave," She stammered hastily.
Granny nodded. She could feel the hunger clawing at her insides. "I know, dearie… Take all the apples you need, whenever you want them," She said, walking to the pie tin hesitantly, "Tell Applebloom Granny still loves her, okay?"
Handen nodded, and ran out the door as she heard Granny bury her face in the pie.
Handen fought back tears as she ran into the orchard. She'd just lost the only mare who didn't want her to eat herself silly.
Handen found a particularly ripe tree, bucking it to loosen its bounty of apples.

Handen flinched as she heard the creak of a large door. She watched in horror as the porcine, sauce-smeared figure of Applejack crawled forth. "What in tarnation is all this bangin'!?" Applejack shouted irately.
Handen froze. She hoped Applejack couldn't see her; if Toffee crunch's attack only barely hadn't killed her, Applejack's colossal form would definitely be capable of doing the job.
Applejack snarled as she walked forth; she had a lot more of her strength than most of the ponies in town, but her enormous layers and rolls of flab still impeded her movement.
Handen carefully darted behind the tree. A smart idea in theory, at least until she heard Applejack break into a full gallop.
Handen's eyes widened, and she dove out from under the tree.
CRASH!!

The tree splintered and toppled under the angered farm pony's weight. "There you are!" Applejack roared, already panting from the effort.
Handen ran for the far side of another tree, her ears carefully paying attention to the sounds of Applejack as she charged behind her.
"I gotta get outta here," Handen thought, "But I need to get food for everyone."
Handen yelped as the tree she was behind toppled over. Applejack thankfully hadn't barreled clean through it like the last one.
Applejack panted hard, already exhausted. This was more exercise than she'd gotten in months, if not longer.
Handen carefully slunk beside her, crawling to the first fallen tree and tearing apples from it.

She heard Applejack turn. "Now I've got ya!" Applejack roared, taking another charge.
Handen filled her saddlebags as full as she could and barely dove to the side in time, a fold of Applejack's belly clipping her back leg.
Applejack tripped over the fallen tree, crushing it beneath her mass. Before Handen could get up to dodge again, she heard soft snoring.
"Guess she got her exercise for the day," Handen murmured, gently patting Applejack's side. She only received a snore in response.
"Have a nap, girl. You earned it," Handen murmured softly, taking a few more apples and some leaves from the toppled trees.

Handen then bolted for home. She didn't care about stealth now. After all, she was presumed dead; no doubt, they wouldn't be scouring nearly as hard for her. With her bounty of fruit, she darted through the town, tears streaking down her cheeks as she ran through Ponyville's barren streets.
As her eyes landed on the schoolhouse, she froze. The Hungry Horse was apparently delivering late to Cheerilee. She crept behind the back of the schoolhouse, crawling under the windows as she listened in.

"...And you don't need to worry about that trespasser you've been hearing outside your schoolhouse at night anymore, Miss Cheerilee. You'll be happy to know she's been caught and punished appropriately for disturbing you," A Hungry Horse employee said.
Cheerilee sighed in relief. It sounded more like a gasp, really. "Oh, thank goodness. I was terrified they'd come and take my meals," She expressed.
Handen gagged slightly at the thought of stealing any of the Hungry Horse's food. "...Don't need to worry about that, lady," She whispered.

The Hungry Horse employee laughed, "You don't have to worry about that any more," They promised, "You just focus on all your food, okay? We'll handle all the problematic parts~"
Handen continued creeping along. The way they deluded ponies made her sick; even more sick than their food.
She made sure no one was looking as she squeezed her way through a bush, into a tunnel. These tunnels had once belonged to a family of moles, but Handen had commandeered them when the Hungry Horse epidemic broke out. Now, they were home.

She was greeted by a sharp spear and a familiar, shrill voice. "Who goes there!?" Scootaloo shouted, voice a mix of angered and panicked.
"It's the chief!" Applebloom exclaimed, pushing Scootaloo's weapon aside as she helped Handen get her bounty through the tunnel entrance.
Handen heaved softly, "Sorry I was gone so long," She murmured.
Scootaloo backed away from her. "Ugh, you smell like… Like sweat," She huffed softly.
"What happened? We heard them Hungry Horse folks talking about taking care of a trespasser, and-" Applebloom was cut off as Handen tiredly hushed her with a hoof.
"They caught me," Handen explained.
"WHAT!?" Scootaloo and Applebloom shrieked in unison.

"I got caught snooping, and…" Handen hesitantly recounted the experience with Toffee Crumble in the alleyway.
Applebloom gagged.
Scootaloo shuddered, "That's sick," She grumbled, "Are you okay? I'm surprised you aren't broken after that."
"I got cut when she threw me in the dumpster," Handen explained, moving her saddlebag to the side to reveal the now clotted wound, "I'll be going to bed in the infirmary once I check on everyone," She explained.
Applebloom and Scootaloo nodded, "We'll wash the apples," Applebloom volunteered.
Handen bit her lip. "O-oh, Applebloom," She stammered as she dropped her saddlebags on the floor, "Granny, she… She got greased."
Applebloom's eyes went wide, "She what!?" She squeaked.
"She ate a piece of pie that was being basted with grease from the floor above," Handen explained, hugging the filly, "I-I'm so, so sorry," She expressed.
Applebloom began to sob, clinging to Handen.
Scootaloo muttered, "D-Dang it…" She was staying strong for her friend, but only barely.

After taking some time to comfort Applebloom, Handen sighed gently. "I need to check on the others," She expressed gently, setting the filly's front hooves back on the ground.
Applebloom simply whined and nodded.
Scootaloo moved to rub Applebloom's back, "I'll take care of her, Chief," She promised.
Handen nodded a bit, walking down one of the tunnels. The interior tunnels were a bit wider; they gave the ponies space to carry things. The important choke point was to the exterior world.
Handen looked at Leaf Litter, who was gingerly ladling some water over a bed of decomposing leaves. Small mushrooms were growing in the plant bed.

"Hi chief," Leaf Litter greeted, the green earth filly's mane tied into a messy bun, "The farm is starting to produce now," She explained.
Handen nodded, "Good… I brought some fresh apples from the surface today, but keep working on it," She expressed, hugging the filly.
Handen looked at the far side of the farm chamber, which had been slowly been scraped away to open up more space for planting.
"Make sure you get some air soon, okay? All the dirt and mold isn't good for you, necessary as it is," Handen expressed as she turned to leave.
Leaf Litter nodded, "O-okay, chief," She replied with a soft stammer.

Handen left the farm chamber and slunk through the tunnels, checking on Sweetie Belle. As the only unicorn, Sweetie had put herself in charge of maintaining what little magic she had learned to cast from stolen books; the lights she conjured were the only light source underground. The other filly in the cave was Sunny Daze, who was in charge of organizing what few books they had.
Handen informed them of the fresh apples she had brought, then of the location of the counter potion she had found.
Sunny Daze wrote the information down fervently in a notebook, before Handen turned to leave.
Handen would check on the several other foals in her care; mostly fillies. Not by choice, of course, it was just how things had happened.
Peachy Pie was working on a fresh spear for another potential guard; most likely Toola Roola, who was currently just a digger for the group.
A couple of other fillies were practicing fighting. As much as Handen wanted to do everything for these foals, she couldn't solely provide for them forever. So, she had a couple of them training to eventually come help her out on future foraging missions.

Handen sighed deeply as she stepped into the infirmary. Twist, Button Mash, and Coconut Cream were all resting under the care of Silver Spoon.
Silver Spoon immediately perked up as Handen entered, running over to her, "Chief, your side!" She squeaked.
Handen nodded tiredly, giving a weak smile, "You don't miss a beat," She observed.
Silver Spoon nudged her over to the last free bed, and Handen laid down on her side, sighing deeply. Her entire body ached. She was pretty sure her encounter with Toffee hadn't broken anything, but Handen's entire body screamed from the beating it had received.
Silver Spoon washed her hooves in a small bucket of soapy water before wiping Handen's wound clean with a cloth.
Handen didn't remain conscious long enough to process being bandaged; her eyes drooped shut, and sleep claimed her easily.

Applebloom's nostrils flared as she breathed deeply, looking each apple over as Scootaloo handed them. Scootaloo had taken to the soapy water, leaving Applebloom to rinse and stack them.
"...I'm sorry about Granny, Applebloom," Scootaloo said gently.
Applebloom took a deep breath, "It's not just that she's gone, Scoots," She expressed, "She was the only mare the chief had. She probably feels more alone than ever now."
Scootaloo blinked and looked away, "You think so?" She asked.
Applebloom nodded, "I know so. I saw it in her eyes," She said, "She looked like she'd been to war; like when Silver Spoon learned they got Diamond Tiara."
Scootaloo shuddered at the thought. "W-well… She's taken care of us. We need to start taking care of her a bit more."

"I concur," Silver Spoon said as she quietly walked in, "She took a beating today."
Applebloom slowly turned to look at Silver Spoon, who took a few of the washed apples for the infirmary.
"She told us they caught her," Applebloom explained, "That's why they were talking about taking care of the trespasser up above."
Silver Spoon simply nodded, "I think we need to talk to the chief tomorrow about finally exacting the plan," She expressed.
Scootaloo gulped, "Are we even ready for the plan? Doesn't that involve… Going there?" She asked.
Silver Spoon sighed, "We can't keep hiding… The adults are just going to keep getting fatter and fatter, and-" She cut herself off as her voice rose. She had taught herself not to shout, "Eventually, it'll be too late for anyone."
Scootaloo watched as Applebloom nodded in agreement. "She is right… We'll talk tomorrow. Tonight, we eat and gather our strength while the chief rests," Applebloom said.
The other two fillies nodded.

Chapter 2: The Plan

Handen Foot groaned softly as she awoke on the soft blanket that was one of the infirmary "beds".
She slowly stood up, her legs shaking as she walked, head hung low. The mood in the tunnels felt lower than usual; which was impressive. They were living like ants. Worse than ants, really; ants had a queen, a social structure, and a proper place for every single one of themselves. They were runabouts, foraging what little they could and hiding away from everything else. It tore at her. Foals weren't supposed to live like this. They should be free and happy, not terrified of what an adult might do to them if they were found.

She looked at the congregation of several fillies in the front chamber.
"Good… Morning…?" Handen stumbled out awkwardly.
"Chief, we need to talk about the plan," Applebloom said bluntly, "You told Sunny Daze about the location of the potion; we need to act on it."
Handen gulped. "I… I understand," She expressed softly. She'd hoped for a bit more time, but maybe it was good that the fillies were ready to go.

"We need a saddlebag and empty bottles that they can fill; the potion is in the water cooler. The employees drink it when they break," She explained, taking on a more authoritative voice.
A few of the fillies nodded.
"Scootaloo, Toola Roola, and Noisette will come with me," She explained.
Peachy Pie perked up, "I have Toola's spear ready to go!" She said.
"Good," Handen replied, "We will meet here at dusk. Until then, it's business as usual," She stated.
The small crowd dispersed to prepare for the plan, and Handen sighed. This was do or die, now. It all hinged on this.

Handen looked at Scootaloo, Toola Roola, and Noisette.
"Now, the plan is simple," She explained, "We will circle around back and head through a vent; Scootaloo, you will guard our exit. Toola Roola and Noisette will come with me, we will take as much as Noisette can carry as I hold back the door. Then, we leave," She instructs.
"Yes ma'am!" Replied the task force in unison.
Handen looked at Applebloom. "If I don't come back, you're the chief, okay? I spent my day writing down who to give the potion to first," She explained.
Applebloom nodded tensely, "Alright, chief. I'll be strong; y'all go make the chief proud," Applebloom said.

Handen would lead her team out through the streets, showing them the back alleyways to dive through. She had deliberately waited until late, so there'd be as little hoof traffic as possible.
"It's so quiet…" Scootaloo murmured.
"Everyone's busy eating," Handen explained in a whisper.
They poked their heads out to see the vent. It had been replaced, but it seemed that the Hungry Horse crew had assumed they'd mopped up the last of the resistant ones.
Handen pointed to the flower box. "Flowerbox, sill. Got it?" She orders simply, "Toola, you're up first. Two hops."

Toola Roola nodded, gripping her spear tightly in her mouth, running to the flower box. She hopped up onto it, then the sill, using her spear to pry the vent open.
"Now, Noisette," Handen ordered quietly.
Noisette repeated the movements, making it to the flower box before Handen sent Scootaloo over.
It was a good thing too, as Noisette misjudged her second jump. Scootaloo pushed her up, "Gotcha," Scootaloo whispered.
Handen then ran forward and led up the rear, sneaking inside and carefully leading her team through the vents. She halted them as she heard voices in the break room.

"Think we've got everyone now that Toffee dealt with that little creep sneaking around?" One employee asked.
The other nodded, "Probably. I heard that stubborn old bird out on the farm finally got some sense knocked into her, too."
Scootaloo nearly cussed. "How dare they talk about Granny like that?" She thought silently.
Eventually, the voices subsided, the door closing behind them.
"Now," Handen instructs in a sharp whisper, kicking the grate through, "Scootaloo, make sure we've got an opening on our way out."
Scootaloo nodded, heading back the way they had come as the other three dropped down.
Noisette ran to the water cooler, beginning to fill her bottles, as Toola Roola and Handen locked the door and held it shut.

For a long moment, all that could be heard was the steady glug, glug, glug of the water cooler as it filled up the bottles with the pink solution.
Then, a confused employee's voice. "I think the break room door's stuck. Who's the manager tonight…?" They asked, trailing off as they walked away to go get assistance.
"We're on the clock now. Go help Noisette," Handen whispered sharply to Toola Roola, who nodded and went to help in filling bottles.
Gluglug, gluglug, gluglug.
It was like a clock ticking down.

"We got it chief!" Noisette said softly as she capped the fourth bottle of potion.
"Good," Handen said, walking to the other two and helping them up into the vent.
"What about you, chief?" Toola Roola asked, looking down at Handen, who was standing on the desk.
Handen gave a small smile, "I'm gonna get caught," She said, "Go!" She ordered as she heard the jingle of keys from the other side of the door.
Toola Roola and Noisette disappeared into the vent, and Handen leapt from the desk.
Glug, glug, glug…

Two large ponies walked into the break room as it was unlocked, staring at Handen.
"You!? What're you doing back here!?" Toffee exclaimed.
Handen gave a sheepish smile to the stallion next to her, "I was hungry," She admitted innocently.
Toffee looked like she was about to explode, but the blue stallion next to her took the bait. "Oh, you poor thing. Come here, we'll get you settled, okay?" He said gently, gesturing for Handen to follow him.
Toffee blinked. She hadn't actually told anyone how she "dealt with" the trespasser. Served her right for getting cocky.
Handen allowed the stallion to lead her forward. "Glazed Frosting," his name tag read.

Glazed Frosting led Handen to a small break table at the back of the kitchen. "I'll go get you some things to try, alright? You can tell us all about how much you love each one," He said cheerily, leaving the proximity.
Toffee glared at Handen, "What exactly are you doing back here?" She asked.
"Well, you said I wouldn't eat no matter how hard you tried. I couldn't just let you be right," Handen said, grinning up at the mare.
Before Toffee could tell her what was what, Glazed Frosting came back with a picnic basket full of hayfries and an uncomfortably large side tub of some sort of thick, orange sauce.

"Here you are, little one; eat up, okay?" Glazed said gently.
"You can't be serious," Toffee muttered, glaring at him.
Glazed seemed confused, "What?" He asked.
"You don't find it weird that we found the one pony who's been avoiding us for months in our break room, asking for food?" Toffee asked.
Glaze shook his head, "I'm sure she just finally came around. Isn't that right, little one?" He asked.

Handen nodded and gave him a sheepish smile. She wasn't sure what was dirtier; the mud caked onto her fur and mane, or the hayfries dripping with so much grease that they looked more liquid than solid by volume. Sheepishly, she took a fry in her mouth and dipped it in the sauce, before taking the whole fry in her mouth and chewing.
Handen had to suppress a slight gag at first; there was so much oil. It oozed out of the fry as she chewed on it. It wasn't actually that bad, really; heavier than anything she'd ever had before, but it didn't taste terrible. She could see eating it once or twice a week, perhaps, but not every waking moment.
Wait, she wasn't brainwashed. The potion had worked!

Handen took a few more fries, dipping them and eating them. The sauce wasn't bad either; somewhere between ketchup and honey mustard.
Glazed Frosting smiled widely. "There you go," He said, rubbing Handen's back, "Doesn't it feel good to have some nice hot food in your belly?"
Handen nodded absently. She only hoped the fillies had made it back safely, especially as a third pony brought her a burger that looked like it could've eaten her.
"They'd better be following that list to the letter," She thought to herself, hesitantly leaning forward to bite the burger, groaning discontentedly as grease dripped down her chin.

Applebloom stared at the bottles full of pink liquid. "This is the potion?" She asked.
Noisette nodded. "The chief said so," She replied.
Scootaloo fumbled the cap off one of the bottles and took a sip, gulping hard. "Ugh… It tastes like… Sour," She grunted.
Applebloom took a curious swig, and coughed lightly as she gulped her sample down. It really did just taste sour; not like anything sour in particular.
They took the bottles of potion around the camp, making sure every filly and colt got a taste of the preventative liquid.
Then, Applebloom read over the notebook simply labeled "hit list".

It didn't hit every pony in town, of course, Handen couldn't write that fast. But it did give carefully-explained advice on who to give the potion to first; those who were most important to propagate the potion's presence. Rarity for her generosity, Twilight being a princess, and so on. It was very well thought out. Perhaps with this plan, they could finally end the year and a half of terror that Hungry Horse had wrought upon them.

Handen whined and waved her hoof, "N-No more," She groaned weakly, looking at the damage she had done to the hot "food" before her. It really was pathetic, compared to how other ponies endlessly gulped down burger after burger; she'd only managed about two dozen hayfries and a quarter of the burger before her. It was the most she'd eaten in her entire life; and probably more than she'd eaten in the past few months.
Toffee Crumble snickered, "What's the matter? Your tiny tummy all stuffed silly?"
Handen weakly nodded, trying to avoid thinking about the deluge of nausea that was already building in her guts.
Glazed Frosting gently nuzzled her, "Aww, it's okay," He said gently, "If you're full, you can always come back when you're hungry again."
Handen shied away from the oddly affectionate stallion. His coat was somehow more caked in grease than the food he had served her; if she had to guess, he probably bathed in oil.

"Thank you," Handen choked out, "Can I go now?" She asked.
Glazed nodded, helping her to the door.
Handen instinctively went to run, but nearly fell flat on her face. Her stomach was overcapacity and then some; all to give the fillies a chance to carry out the second phase of the plan.
Toffee Crumbled smirked, watching the mare stumble off. "Run, little pony. You'll need to go very, very far~" She teased under breath, looking at the small strap of the leather muzzle she had stuffed in her uniform earlier.

Handen stumbled out into an alleyway, making sure she was out of view of the restaurant, before she finally succumbed to her body's retching.
Her stomach contracted as it emptied its contents onto the street. Handen didn't fight her body at all; this was for the best. It was way too heavy, it was way too greasy, and it had been way, way too much food for her past calorie intake.
She looked at the puddle of ex-food on the ground, and started laughing. Her plan worked. Her crazy plan had worked. She'd heard neither hide nor hair of anyone having seen her task force. She threw up again, but that didn't stop her from laughing.
She stumbled slowly forward, groaning. She wasn't going to make it home. She crawled behind a bush and hunkered down.

The cutie mark crusaders slunky lowly through the streets, "Chief said we should avoid the open roads," Scootaloo commented quietly, "I hope she's alright… Toola Roola said she got caught."
Sweetie Bell gasped lightly. "She let herself get caught? What if she got…" She trailed off, trembling.
"She was in the room with the potion; she probably snuck a few gulps for herself, girls. The chief ain't stupid," Applebloom remarked.
They looked at the carousel boutique as it came into view. What had once been a lovingly maintained and carefully groomed building was now an unkept mess of wrappers and boxes.

Sweetie Bell expected to have to take the spare key out of the mailbox, but the door was already open.
"Rarity?" Sweetie called into the building.
All that replied to her were swinelike snores; deep, labored breaths of a large creature.
"Oh right… Ponies sleep at night," Applebloom remarked; none of the fillies and colts had a normal sleep schedule anymore. They usually worked at night, when even the most technicolour of ponies would be hard to see.
They crept through the house, letting out small disgusted grunts at all the greasy cardboard and paper. If Rarity were herself, she would have probably fainted at the mess.

Sweetie Bell almost screamed as she got a sight of her sister's now grotesquely porcine form. A massive glob of white fur and purple mane, with only a moderately strong suggestion of limbs. Rarity's fur was matted with oil and sweat, and even as she slept her body's mass moved in strange, undulating ways.
Applebloom looked at Scootaloo, "You stay here as lookout, Scoots. Sweetie and I'll get her to wake up," Applebloom said, creeping into the room.
Sweetie followed her, magicking a small cupful of the pink potion over as Applebloom crawled onto the sweat soaked bed.
"Rarity," Applebloom said calmly into a fold of white fur she assumed was an ear. A resounding snore confirmed her suspicions that this would be harder than she thought.

Applebloom grabbed what she thought was a fold of Rarity's neck and attempted to shake her awake. Applebloom immediately regretted her decision, given that it felt like she was grabbing a pillow that had been dipped in oil.
This did, however, rouse the slumbering blob of pony; she snorted awake, blinking once or twice. She fumbled around a bit, seemingly looking for something to eat.

"Here, sis, drink this!" Sweetie says, waving the cup of liquid before her face.
Rarity needed no further invitation; the magic coursing through her body demanded she consume, and consume she did, her own magic snatching it from Sweetie's hold and tipping it into her mouth.
Rarity gasped and coughed if she were an animal being waterboarded; the sour taste and lacking viscosity angered her tastebuds. It was already down the hatch, though.
The cutie mark crusaders watched with bated breath.

"S-sis?" Sweetie Bell asked after a couple minutes.
Rarity's eyes shot open. "Sweetie Bell!" She exclaimed excitedly, "Oh, goodness… I haven't seen you in weeks!" She expressed.
"Weeks?" Applebloom asked, "Rare, it's been over a year since either of us saw you."
Rarity's eyes shrank to pinpricks. "A year!? Is that why I'm so…?" Her voice trailed off.
Sweetie nodded, "We've been calling it getting 'greased'," She explained.
Rarity huffed and puffed. "Help me out of bed, with you?" She requested, "I need to take a walk. And a bath. And about four moons of moderate-intensity exercise," She grumbled.
"Are ya sure, Rare?" Applebloom asked, "You're, uh… Oddly calm about all this."

Rarity grunted, attempting to roll herself out of bed, "I don't have the energy to be dramatic, darling. Look at me; I'm a landwhale! I'm closer to a bag of lard than a pony," She expressed, some of her dramatic energy coming back.
Sweetie ran to her side, and with Applebloom's help, managed to get Rarity upright.
Rarity panted heavily as she landed right-side-up on the floor.
The cutie mark crusaders helped her through the boutique. Rarity briefly wept at the sight of her domain being a shrine to gluttony and consumption. The wrappers and boxes were piled high; it was amazing the restaurant could source all the packaging, really.

"What… What was it like?" Scootaloo asked softly.
"What, being greased?" Rarity asked, remembering the term the fillies had used, "Well, if I'm being honest… It's all hazy bliss. So long as I was eating, I was happy. All that mattered was that there was something in my mouth, edible or not," Rarity explained.
Applebloom shuddered, "Ugh… I can't imagine piling all that garbage down, nevermind being happy about it."

Rarity grunted as she squeezed out the already somewhat distended door of her boutique, taking deep gulps of the fresh, cool night air. In this moment, the clean air tasted better than any sort of food or drink. "I didn't think… It was just a compulsion; the hunger demanded I ate, so I ate," Rarity explained, "Though I do remember, briefly, one scrawny mare… The poor thing looked like she was skin and bones," She expressed.
Applebloom looked away slightly, "Chief…" She whispered, "We were all skin and bones, Rare. At least until the chief started sneaking out to the farm to get us food," She expressed.
"All?" Rarity asked.
Applebloom rattled off the names of those she'd lived with for the past eighteen months.

"We locked up in the schoolhouse initially, but then Miss Cheerilee got greased, an' we had to leave… Then we found the chief. She took us in, stole blankets and food and stuff for us; showed us tunnel living so we could sleep without worry of being fed that slop," She explained.
Rarity gasped, "Oh my goodness, that's awful… No wonder you're all so dirty," She expressed.
Scootaloo looked at her spear, "Chief gave us safety when none of the other adults could," She expressed, "I hope she's alright… When we stole the potion stuff to start waking everybody up, she let herself get caught by the Hungry Horse workers."

Sweetie Bell nodded, "She even stole books and stuff so we could read and write; we had our own little town underground. Silver Spoon even volunteered to be the nurse after Diamond Tiara got sick and we had to hoof her over."
Rarity blinked as the fillies told her the stories of the past year and a half. It sounded truly, truly dreadful; at least compared to the gluttonous heaven she had been partaking in.
"So… We need your help. The chief's hit list says we need to get to Twilight so we can have a princess on our side," Scootaloo eventually explained.
Rarity nodded, "Absolutely. We will show her how bad it's gotten," She stated sternly.

Chapter 3: Game Over

Toffee Crumble sighed softly as she walked out the back door of her restaurant, finally free of her uniform. She did love her job, of course; seeing ponies all enormously tubby and equally happy filled her with a certain sense of glee. But now that she was off-shift, she could finally use the muzzle that had been chafing against her fur for the past several hours.

Toffee walked around the front of the restaurant, looking towards the alleys. "Her and her alleys, tssk tssk. She's more of a rat than a pony," She tutted softly, noticing a pile of dried vomit. Though the sight repulsed her, the unicorn did follow it, looking around for her quarry.
Then she saw it. A raggedy brown tail, poking from the bushes.
Toffee smirked. "You didn't run far enough, little pony. Now you see what happens to bad animals~" She teased, stepping over the bush and muzzling the passed out earth pony.

Toffee hummed, dragging Handen Foot on the ground by the tail as she walked all the way to the far edge of town. The other mare was completely zonked out. It made Toffee chuckle a bit, "I could use her as a yo-yo and she wouldn't wake… Too bad for her," She smirked, "Playing dead will only work once~"
Toffee yawned as she got to her house, pulling Handen inside and closing the door. She walked to her basement, grabbing a large chain, wrapping it around Handen's neck like a training lead.
"Now we'll see how sneaky you are with some extra weight holding you down," Toffee snorted, now dragging Handen up the stairs by the chain, pulling on the mare's neck.

Handen gasped for air sometime later. She heard the sound of running water. She groaned as she tried to stand up. All the heard was the jingling of chains and her own raspy breaths.
She then caught a glimpse of a familiar, large unicorn before her.
Toffee smirked smugly, "About time you woke up. You really didn't like the food, huh? I should tell Frosted; his poor ol' heart would break in two," She said with a cackle.

Handen tried to speak, but only succeeded in coughing up a large clump of… Something. A mix of mucus, dried stomach contents, and a very small bit of blood. She gurgled incomprehensively as she choked up the musings of her wrecked throat.
Toffee rolled her eyes.
"Yes, yes, make your mess. I'm sure some of us love cleaning," Toffee huffed impatiently.

After some more agonized horking, Handen finally spoke up, "What do you want with me now, you psychopath!?" She squeaked.
She was punished with a sudden yard of the chain, metal links briefly digging into her neck as she was pulled into the puddle of her body's own mess.
"You don't speak to me like that anymore, understand?" Toffee growled.
Handen coughed hard, weakly righting herself.

"From now on, you speak only when master tells you to," Toffee stated simply.
Handen stared up at her with burning eyes.
Toffee rolled her own eyes, "Don't give me that look. You're covered in mud and your own filth; I could throw you to the woods and any animal would have a field day with you," She snorted.
Handen shivered a bit, slowly sitting up, her hooves slipping slightly in the now largely mopped up puddle of mucus and bile.

Toffee smirked. "Good. Master likes a quiet servant~" She purred, stepping forward, "Now, before you do anything, you need a bath. Being as kind and generous as I am, I will bathe you this once, as you're clearly not in a state to clean yourself."
Handen shied away slightly as Toffee stepped towards her, but quietly chirped out, "Thank you."
Toffee leaned her head forward, "Thank you…?" She trailed off, raising the end of the chain in her magic threateningly.
"Thank you, master," Handen corrected weakly, some light leaving her eyes as she finished the thought.

Toffee smiled, "That's a good girl," She cooed, "Now, time for a bath~"
The chain was removed from Handen's neck, but she was hefted up and into the bathtub before she had a chance to say anything.
Handen nearly screamed as she sank into the water. It wasn't too hot; far from it, actually. But it was very soapy, and all of the scratch wounds had essentially turned it into dipping a papercut in lemon juice.

Handen gagged and coughed as she stood on her hind legs, catching her breath.
Toffee smirked, "What's the matter? Still need master's help? If you insist~" Toffee teased, shoving Handen back underwater.
Handen gargled incoherently, soapy water filling her mouth. She coughed loudly as she was lifted from the bath, panting.
Toffee shoved Handen under again; longer, this time. There was a muffled look of bloodthrist in Toffee's eyes. She wanted to see this mare suffer all the guff her managers had put her through for the cart tipping incident, tenfold.
Handen weakly coughed and sputtered as she was finally lifted from the water, horking up soapy water and more messy throat content.

Toffee panted. "Grr… Get clean!" She demanded, now shoving Handen beneath the surface with one hoof and scrubbing with the other, freeing layers of caked on dirt and mess from the earth pony's body.
Handen didn't struggle this time. She just held her breath. Once again, her body had chosen not to fight; just to endure. All she had to do was endure it. It would end eventually.
Eventually, Toffee pulled her out of the water, panting harder. The large unicorn was already winded, nostrils flared as she breathed hard.

"I-I'm sorry, master," Handen stammered weakly. She didn't even know what she was apologizing for; her brain associated this with punishment, and that she had done something wrong. All of Handen's defiance had collapsed in just a few minutes. She was no longer the chief that had lead a group of young fillies and colts through a horrific year and a half of terrible living. She was hardly even a pony anymore. Just a starving, submissive pet.

Toffee heaved. She hadn't actually expected an apology. She expected Handen to fight back more than this; to keep making her mad. And yet, now the earth pony was sorry?
Toffee's grip on Handen loosened, as she began to scrub the pony with both hooves.
Handen said nothing, ears drooping low as she permitted the unicorn to wash her without complaint.
"This isn't another trick, is it?" Toffee snarled in frustration, "You're just waiting for me to lower my guard, aren't you? So I toss you out again. No, I won't fall for it this time. I will… I'll… I'll make you…" Toffee panted hard, running out of breath.

Handen watched Toffee sympathetically. "T-take a breath, master," She advised softly.
Toffee growled. "Don't… Don't tell me what to do…" She wheezed, "Even if you…have a good idea…"
Handen went silent, as per her "master's" request.
Toffee eventually decided that Handen had been cleaned to her liking, draining the bath.
"Thank you, master," Handen said, voice hollow.
Toffee huffed softly, "Good girl. You acknowledge when master does nice things for you," She puffed, hefting Handen out of the bath and reattaching the chain around her neck.

Handen allowed herself to be dried off, and then obediently followed Toffee to the living room. Toffee rolled onto her couch, belly up. Toffee heaved.
"Now," Toffee began, "You will clean master with your tongue," She stated simply.
Handen allowed herself to be led up onto the couch by a few light yanks of the chain lead around her neck.
"Where shall I start, master?" Handen asked, sitting neatly on the couch.
"You will start with my belly… And work your way to my chest. And I want to feel your whole tongue, not just little kitten licks," Toffee huffed.

Handen complied, leaning forward and beginning to lick Toffee's grease and sweat-laden fur. Every lick made Handen want to gag, but she now more than ever feared the unicorn she was cleaning.
Toffee watched her for a long moment. Each grimace of her new slave's face should have been wonderful. She had finally caught the pony who had been a thorn in her side for so long! But yet, the way Handen so obediently performed her task felt so odd. As if she had caught the wrong pony.

"...You are Handen Foot, yes?" Toffee asked. That question was not intended for the open air.
Handen shivered slightly at her full name, "Yes, master," She replied curtly between licks.
"You toppled over 100 bits worth of food going to a client… Why?" Toffee asked, now yarding the chain frustratedly.
Handen yelped lightly, now sitting on her hooves. They were folded under her, as if she were trying to make herself even smaller.
"Speak, slave," Toffee sneered.

Handen whined a bit, but looked up. "I-I… I saw what it did to ponies. I wanted it to stop. It had nothing to do with you, master," Handen whimpered.
Toffee took a long moment. That was not the answer she expected. It was surprisingly reasonable.
Handen kept speaking, for fear of discipline. "I just… I saw how it changed ponies. It make them endlessly hungry; they couldn't stop. Their bodies wouldn't let them. And then when foals started getting involved, I… I had enough," Handen expressed, looking down and away.
Handen had forgotten the 'master' at the end, but Toffee didn't feel a dire need to correct her.

Toffee bit her lip, "But our food makes people happy," She reasoned.
"It doesn't make them happy. It forces happiness upon them," Handen said, voice now somewhat biting, "It ruins them. All they know is that eating feels good, so all they can do to feel better if they feel sad is to eat more. It's a drug," Handen expressed, tears now leaking down her face, "It's a horrible, horrible drug. One you tried pedalling to everyone."
Toffee sat in stunned silence. Put plainly like that, it did sound like a rather displeasant business model. The tears now gently leaking down Handen's somewhat sunken in face made her snap back to reality some. Toffee didn't want this, did she? She just wanted others to be happy. Their happiness was hers; it was why she so loved the happy groans and gurgles of her customers.

Handen whined as she heard the sound of the chain being lifted. It did pull her by the neck, but this time, it was onto Toffee's stomach.
Handen froze as she felt Toffee's front legs wrap around her, soft rolls of fat cushioning her from all sides.
"Shhh…" Toffee cooed gently.
Handen said nothing.

Toffee looked over at the burger on the end table. It was one she had eaten many times before; the moments of happiness it had afforded her had kept her going some days.
She unwrapped it and levitated it over not to her mouth, but to Handen's. "Eat," She ordered simply.
Handen stared at the sandwich. It wasn't as greasy as what had been forced upon her earlier. There was a decent amount of hay involved, if absolutely nothing else.
"You threw up everything we gave you earlier," Toffee said, "Master demands you eat."
Handen stared for another long moment, leaning forward and taking a cautious nibble.

It wasn't bad. The food had never been bad, really; a bit much for Handen's destroyed palatte, but it was not devoid of value in and of itself. It was warm, rich… It wasn't an apple, a mushroom, or some foraged root that ran a fifty-fifty shot at making her horribly sick.
Toffee's voice caught in her throat as she tried to speak. "Good girl," Toffee eventually stammered out, "We start with one little bite."
Handen whined a soft, "Thank you, master," As she wiped some grease from her face.

Toffee clenched her teeth. "Don't… Don't call me that," She huffed, "My name is Toffee Crumble."
Handen looked up at her confusedly.
"I don't know what game you're playing that's making me so worried about you all of a sudden," Toffee began, getting worked up, "But it's working, okay?"
Handen blinked. "I'm trying to appease you," She expressed, "So you don't hurt me."
Those words cut Toffee like a knife.
Handen's eyes squeezed shut as she heard the jingling of the chains. She gulped hard.

However, the weight around her neck was removed.
Toffee released her grip on her. "Go," Toffee whined, "Leave me alone."
Handen stared at her. "What?"
Toffee's eyes squeezed shut, "Go!" She shouted, "Go free, go run, go play, go tell the world about how Hungry Horse is terrible!"
Handen's ears pinned back.
Toffee panted hard, "Just… Leave me to wallow. I messed up," She whimpered, taking a frustrated bite of her burger.

Handen gently stepped off of her and onto the floor. The debris-ridden floor.
Handen was lost. She needed to think. So she looked at the broom in the corner of the room, walked over, picked it up, and began to clean.
Toffee frustratedly devoured her burger with reckless abandon. All of a sudden, nothing made her happy. Even food, which had comforted her for so long, now refused her the emotional high. Toffee began to sob; where she craved happiness, sadness came in its place.
Handen didn't say anything, lost in thought. She just cleaned, reflecting on her experiences. Something about cleaning put her at ease; even as she was held captive.
Toffee's ears perked up as she heard the sound of crinkling paper. Handen had carefully shoved a large ball of greasy paper in the trash bin.

"Wh… What are you doing?" Toffee asked, looking up from her hooves.
"You told me to go free and do what I wanted," Handen replied, "I… I haven't gotten to clean for someone in a long time," She explained as she continued to clean, sweeping up more greasy paper into a large pile.
"Haven't gotten to?" Toffee asked.
Handen nodded, "I love cleaning. It gives me time to think… Time I haven't had in over a year, because I've been running for my life and caring for a tribe of foals for that long," She explained.
Toffee bit her lip. She should've seen that coming. "But why are you cleaning my house? I abducted you and tried to drown you, you should hate me!" She expressed.

"You also tried to crush me to death," Handen reminded.
Toffee sighed a little, "Thank you, Handen. I almost forgot about that," She snorted, rolling her eyes.
"Think about it," Handen instructed bluntly.
Toffee paused. "What?" She asked.
"You're a very vindictive pony. So, while I clean, think about it," Handen elaborated.
Toffee wanted to discipline the earth pony right there, but paused. That was what Handen was saying, wasn't it?

Toffee listened to the sounds of cleaning. Crinkling paper, the gentle strokes of the broom.
Handen hummed softly to herself, lost in thought. She finally had a chance to reflect on everything; for that, she was almost thankful for Toffee's interdiction. Finally, Handen could just focus on something that didn't challenge her.
She yelped as her tail was lightly tugged on. "Come here for a minute," Toffee grunted.

Handen set the broom down, pacing over. Toffee's horn ignited as she lifted Handen onto her belly. Handen felt Toffee's front legs wrap around her, pulling her close.
Handen stared at her, eyes trembling.
Toffee huffed softly. "Quiet," She said.
Handen looked at her, "Wh-what are you doing?" She whispered.
Toffee grunted, "I said quiet."

Handen yipped as she was abruptly pulled into a kiss. Her eyes went wide, and her immediate reaction was to pull away. Toffee's leg slid up to block her, pinning Handen to her lips.
Handen was too tired to put forth more resistance. Her eyelids drooped, and she let out a submissive whimper.
Toffee groaned. It felt good. She loved feeling Handen's lips on hers.
Toffee finally permitted Handen a breath.
"Wh-what the heck was that!?" Handen squeaked as she pulled away.

Toffee breathed hard. She didn't answer; she only pulled Handen into another kiss. This one was sloppier, needier.
"Mmmp!" Handen squeaked.
Toffee stroked her back. She needed more. Her horn illuminated, pinning Handen in place. "Hmmmgh…~" Toffee groaned. She licked at Handen's lips, closing her eyes.
Handen whined gently. She felt gross, but was powerless to stop Toffee. She just had to let it happen.
Toffee finally permitted Handen the freedom to take a breath.
Handen panted hard. Toffee looked up at her with hungering eyes.
"T-Toffee?" Handen squeaked weakly.

Toffee whined, "It feels good…~" She purred softly, her breaths becoming soft, open-mouthed pants.
"Oh, Celestia, don't tell me you're…" Handen trailed off as she felt Toffee's hoof graze her face.
"No… No, I don't hate you," Toffee whispered, "I need you…~"
Handen squeaked at that proclamation. How could she respond to that? She tensed up. "T-Toffee, let's not ge- Eemp!" She squeaked as she was abruptly tugged into an open-mouthed kiss.

Toffee groaned, her tongue invading Handen's mouth. Toffee's eyes rolled back in pleasure; this was the happiness she desired. "Mmmngh… Hmmmph…~" She groaned hungrily.
Handen's eyes squeezed shut as she submitted to the unicorn. She just let it happen… Was it really so bad? At least she wasn't being beaten, forcefed, or otherwise.
Toffee's tongue swirled around Handen's mouth. Toffee panted gently. Every second only made her want more.
Handen managed to pull away, gasping softly. "G-gah…" Handen whined.
"On second thought… I don't want you to leave, ever," Toffee purred gently, "Don't worry… Master will take care of you~" She cooed.
Handen gulped.

Chapter 4: Faux-Martyrdom

Rarity gasped as she saw the enormous, nigh-spherical body of Twilight Sparkle laid precariously on the bed.
"Oh, Celestia… Twilight! Twilight, are you okay!?" She asked, bounding over to Twilight, pouring a cup of the potion.
The encumbered princess could only let out a low groan, her sagged, stubby limbs wiggling weakly.
It took Rarity a moment to find Twilight's mouth, but then she dumped the potion in. "Down the hatch, darling… You'll feel better," She promised, having already given the potion to Starlight, Spike, and a few townsponies who had wandered out into the street at the ruckus.
Twilight coughed and wheezed. "Gurgh… Rarity, what's going on?" She asked, even that short speech draining the princess' lungs.

Rarity gently rubbed Twilight's head, "It's a long story," She expressed, "That burger we tried was tainted, and now the town's foals have been living underground in fear for the past year, and…" She threw her head back dramatically, "Ugh! All of us are just… Overstuffed slugs," She explained.
Twilight's eyes widened to the best of their ability. "It wasn't all a dream…?" She murmured, weakly wiggling her limbs, "Guhh… I can hardly move," She whined.
Rarity nodded a little, "I need to go help the others… You take care of yourself, okay? For the love of all that is good, please don't eat anything."
Twilight groaned, "Food is the last thing I want right now," She mumbled.
Rarity gently rubbed her head one more time, before leaving the room.

Rarity and the cutie mark crusaders would slowly head through town, trying to distribute a good amount of the potion. The two bottles the cutie mark crusaders had brought did eventually run dry, but they now had a small army of townsponies of varying cognizance.
As dawn slowly broke, the irate crowd descended on the Hungry Horse.
"The potion's in the water cooler at the back!" Applebloom said as she lead the charge, "Today, we fight for Ponyville!"

The crowd of ponies descended on the restaurant like a slow moving wave of destruction. The employees gawked in horror as angry ex-customers filled the restaurant, outraged at the delusion they'd been fed for the past year and a half.
The cutie mark crusaders would sneak through to the back as the adults occupied the now overwhelmed staff, sneaking through. They found a large bottle of the pink liquid and started shoving it out of the restaurant, abusing the commotion.

"Ya did it, chief," Applebloom grunted as she pushed, "Dunno where you went afterwards, but ya did it."
Scootaloo looked at her. "We'll find her, Applebloom," She promised.
Sweetie nodded, "She couldn'tve gone too far," She reasoned.
Applebloom sighed and nodded. She hoped the other two fillies were right.

Even after the raid, it took some time for normalcy to return to Ponyville; and even longer for it to spread to the rest Equestria. The damage had been apocalpytic in some ways; the sheer damage that had been done to the population crippled pegasi's ability to manage the weather, which in turn affected agriculture, which in turn affected the ability for Equestria to produce food. Nevermind the damage to royalty, and Equestria's image as a society.

Twilight grimaced lightly as she looked at the museum exhibit. The "Obesity Epidemic", as it was now more formally named, was now a documented event in Equestrian history; one that still, admittedly, plagued its population. Not nearly as severely as some months prior, but even with a strict diet, lots of exercise, and some judicious use of cosmetic magics, Twilight's figure was still a bit larger than was typically considered healthy.
She looked at a portion of the exhibit, detailing important figures from the time.

"Handen Foot"
"During the Obesity Epidemic, Handen Foot took charge of a group of Equestria's youth and lead a raid on a Hungry Horse establishment, leading to the first major distributions of the antidote. Despite her heroic acts, these pre-Epidemic photos are the latest available images of her; she disappeared shortly after the raid, and hasn't been seen since."

Twilight sighed a bit, looking at the pictures of the brown and gray pony. The mystery bothered both her and the filly sitting to her side.
Applebloom wiped her eyes as she looked at the pictures, "I still don't understand where she could've gone," She expressed.
Twilight sighed a bit, "The royal guard being incapacitated has sincerely hurt the kingdom's search efforts," She reminded, "It's only been a few weeks that most pegasi have been able to fly."
Applebloom sighed. "I know, Twi. But the rest of the foals an' I still can't help but worry; she was the only adult a lot of us could trust for a long time," She reasoned.

Twilight's eyes closed as she thought for a long moment. "Did she have any explicit enemies?" Twilight asked, taking a seat, "Having a suspect would be a good start."
Applebloom thought for a long moment, "She told us the Hungry Horse folks were always prowling for her. She had to wear a muzzle because she almost got greased once," She explained.
Twilight's eyes went slightly wide at that comment. Muzzles for ponies weren't exactly a foal-friendly topic. "I… I see. Well, we could try organizing some searches of the ex-employee's houses, I guess," She supposed.
Applebloom nodded a bit.

The searches didn't prove fruitful; especially at first. It had been a major challenge to organize an effective task force given that most officers and guards were still somewhat dreadfully out of shape.
Then, they got to the house of Toffee Crumble.
A firm knock was applied to the door. After a few long moments, a small brown and gray mare came to the door.
Handen's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, officers. Please come in, the master isn't home right now," She said curtly, walking deeper into the house.
A pair of royal guards would follow her in.
The house was spotless; every corner had been immaculately cleaned. Surfaces shone with nary a speck of dust on them.

"Actually, Handen, we're looking for you," The guard expressed, "A missing pony report was filed about you months ago."
Handen shivered slightly, her ear twitching. She turned back around to the officer and sat down. "I… I see," She replied softly.
The guard stepped towards her, and lowered his stance to be less imposing. Handen was unharmed. In fact, she looked to be very well; she was neatly groomed, seemed adequately fed (if just generally a bit lightly built), and didn't appear to have any injuries, save for some small scars that had long since healed over.

"...Do you know who's keeping you here?" The royal guard asked.
Handen shook her head, "I'm not here against my will," She dismissed.
The guard's eyes widened slightly. "You're… You're not?" He asked.
Handen nodded, "I live here, under the loving care of Toffee Crumble," She explained, "She should be home soon. She's out getting some things for dinner."

The guard scratched his head. "Could you… Tell me what your life with Toffee Crumble is like?" He asked, shooting a brief glance at the other guard who'd entered the house. The other guard slunk away to check for any signs of foul play.
"Oh, she's been very lovely to me," Handen expressed, "I allow her the attention she needs, and in exchange, I am permitted to cook and clean for her."
The guard nodded slowly, horn igniting as he wrote some things down in a small notepad. "Mm-hm…"
"I can leave any time I'd like. I simply do not; the master cares for all of my needs," Handen explained.
The guard froze as he heard a booming voice from behind her.
"Get away from her!" Toffee shouted, bounding past the guard and tugging Handen into a tight hug, holding her possessively.

The guard stared for a good long moment, watching as Toffee clung to Handen.
Handen squirmed a little, "G-good evening, master," She stammered.
Toffee looked down at her, "Did he try to hurt you at all, sweetie?" She asked.
Handen shook her head, "No master, he was very nice," She promised.
The guard cleared his throat, "Toffee, I'm going to need to need Handen to come with me," He instructed, "I just need her to answer some questions, it won't take long."
Toffee's eyes became wet with tears, "N-no! You can't have her!" She shouted, voice panicked, "I won't let you take her away!"
Handen wriggled a bit, nuzzling Toffee gently, "I-it's okay, master… I'll come right back as soon as he's done," She promised softly.

Toffee whined as the guard stepped closer to her, turning away to shield Handen.
The guard sighed softly, "Ma'am, I'm going to have to use force if you keep resisting," He expressed.
Toffee's tone switched from panic to anger on a whim. "No. No, you won't," She hissed, throwing a punch at the guard.
The guard grunted and collapsed to the ground; a sucker punch had not been what he was expecting.
He clambered to his feet just in time to see a large chair being hefted in a veil of yellow magic.
"She's mine!" Toffee shouted, "And I won't let anyone take her away!"
The guard barely ducked in time as the large chair whizzed past, knocking him to the side.

The other guard came running up from the stairs and tackled Toffee to the ground.
Toffee roared like a feral animal, hissing and biting at the guard as she was restrained.
The first guard groaned, standing up and prying Toffee's front legs open, helping Handen out of her grasp.
"Go outside," The guard instructed as Toffee screamed and cried otherwise.
Handen nodded obediently, taking a moment to tear her eyes away from Toffee Crumble as she was restrained before heading outside.

Handen looked at the congregation of staff outside the house. Royal guards, yes, but nurses, and even a reporter as well.
Handen was escorted to a nurse.
"Are you hurt at all, ma'am?" The nurse asked, voice soft and easy on the ears.
Handen shook her head, "Fine, ma'am," She replied softly.
The nurse nodded.
Handen was brought to a small convoy that had been set up. Twilight was there, as the princess who'd ordered the investigation.

"As she lives and breathes…" Twilight murmured, stepping over to greet Handen.
Handen bowed to the princess.
Twilight smiled awkwardly, "Please, it's me who should be bowing to you, Ms. Foot. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you," She expressed.
Handen nodded a bit, "Just Handen is fine," She dismissed softly, taking a seat on a blanket.
Twilight looked at her. "Please, allow me to extend our deepest of gratitudes, from all across Equestria. Because of your self-sacrifice, we wouldn't be healing as we are today," She expressed.

Handen's eyes were fixated on the fire, though her ears did the paying attention for her. "Are the foals okay?" She asked abruptly.
Twilight nodded, "Yes… We were quite surprised when they showed us the tunnels. You certainly took charge. Under normal circumstances, you would be charged for the theft of the items and food you stole, but, well… I think we're all in agreement that the circumstances are far beyond typical jurisdiction," She expressed.

Handen nodded absently. "I'm glad everything turned out alright," She replied.
Twilight looked at her. "...Is everything alright?" She asked, voice softer than before.
Handen shook her head, "Toffee. What's going to happen to her?" She asked.
Twilight blinked, watching as a particularly overweight unicorn was brought out of the house, screeching as she was thrown into a cage cart to be carted off.
"...I'm not sure," Twilight admitted softly, "You're worried about her, aren't you?"

Handen nodded, "She's troubled; very, very troubled. After we executed the plan, she abducted me," Handen explained, "She was furious. She wanted me dead. But then, something changed in her head; it was like she'd realized something. From then on, all she cared was that I was there, and so I stayed. I didn't want her vindictive side to come out on anypony else like it had come out on me."
Twilight bit her tongue and rubbed Handen's back gently, "We'll… We'll try and find a solution, okay?" She said gently, "If she's 'troubled' like you say she is, she'll probably get off with a lighter sentence…"
Handen simply nodded.

Twilight looked up as she heard a few guards shout. "H-hey, you can't be here!" One exclaimed.
She looked up as Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo ran to her.
"Chief! Ye're alright!" Applebloom exclaimed, pulling Handen into a tight hug, the other cutie mark crusaders following suit.
Handen smiled and hugged them, "Hah… Only because you followed through on the plan," She commented softly.
"When Scootaloo told us you got caught, we thought the worst had happened," Sweetie expressed.
Handen blinked. "It's… A longer story than that," She admitted, "What's important is that I bought you the time you needed."
Applebloom nodded. “You did, chief,” She expressed.
Handen smiled, “I’m just… Glad it’s all over,” She expressed, her eyes drifting back to the fire.