Aren't You Hungry, Dear?

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.