Chapters 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.
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.
"Oh, darling! You're skin and bones," A large, white and purple pony said, "Please, you should eat; you must eat."
Handen yelped, fervently retightening her muzzle strap as she ran for an alley, ducking behind a long-unused trashbin.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.
Eventually, the voices died down. It faded back to simple chatter; things were calm, even.main restaurant, not one of the dozens of satellite kitchens that had gone up in the past year and a half.
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.
The vents barely responded to Handen's light stature as she crawled through, careful not to bang around.
Handen carefully crept through the vent, sneaking along. As far as she knew, she hadn't been caught.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.very personal~"
"Lights out, sweetie~" Toffee grinned, throwing her huge, sweaty ass back, slamming it into the wall, and Handen along with it.tons of horse meat had just been dropped on her.snap and pop beneath the pressure.
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.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.
She held her hoof on the wound until it clotted, then carefully crept out of the dumpster, running off to sweet apple acres.
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.
Handen blinked a little. "They… They think I'm dead?" She asked.
Handen sighed softly. "Not really… I still have a camp full of foals to scavenge for," She said, looking away a bit.
Granny Smith walked to the counter, where a pie was sitting, cooling on the counter.
Granny rolled her eyes, taking a bite of the pie. "Mmm-mm! I've outdone myself this time," She said.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.
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.
The tree splintered and toppled under the angered farm pony's weight. "There you are!" Applejack roared, already panting from the effort.
She heard Applejack turn. "Now I've got ya!" Applejack roared, taking another charge.
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.
"...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.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~"
She was greeted by a sharp spear and a familiar, shrill voice. "Who goes there!?" Scootaloo shouted, voice a mix of angered and panicked.
"I got caught snooping, and…" Handen hesitantly recounted the experience with Toffee Crumble in the alleyway.what!? " She squeaked.
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.
"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 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 sighed deeply as she stepped into the infirmary. Twist, Button Mash, and Coconut Cream were all resting under the care of Silver Spoon.
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.only mare the chief had. She probably feels more alone than ever now."
"I concur," Silver Spoon said as she quietly walked in, "She took a beating today."ready for the plan? Doesn't that involve… Going there?" She asked.
Handen Foot groaned softly as she awoke on the soft blanket that was one of the infirmary "beds".
She looked at the congregation of several fillies in the front chamber.
"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.
Handen looked at Scootaloo, Toola Roola, and Noisette.
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.
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.
"Think we've got everyone now that Toffee dealt with that little creep sneaking around?" One employee asked.
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.Gluglug, gluglug, gluglug.
"We got it chief!" Noisette said softly as she capped the fourth bottle of potion.Glug, glug, glug…
Two large ponies walked into the break room as it was unlocked, staring at Handen.how she "dealt with" the trespasser. Served her right for getting cocky.
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.exactly are you doing back here?" She asked.
"Here you are, little one; eat up, okay?" Glazed said gently.can't be serious," Toffee muttered, glaring at him.
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 took a few more fries, dipping them and eating them. The sauce wasn't bad either; somewhere between ketchup and honey mustard.
Applebloom stared at the bottles full of pink liquid. "This is the potion?" She asked.
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.
"Thank you," Handen choked out, "Can I go now?" She asked.
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.way too much food for her past calorie intake.
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 expected to have to take the spare key out of the mailbox, but the door was already open.
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 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.
"Here, sis, drink this!" Sweetie says, waving the cup of liquid before her face.
"S-sis?" Sweetie Bell asked after a couple minutes.
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.
"What… What was it like?" Scootaloo asked softly.
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.
"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.
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."
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.
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~"
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.
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.
After some more agonized horking, Handen finally spoke up, "What do you want with me now, you psychopath!?" She squeaked.
"From now on, you speak only when master tells you to," Toffee stated simply.
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."
Toffee smiled, "That's a good girl," She cooed, "Now, time for a bath~"
Handen gagged and coughed as she stood on her hind legs, catching her breath.
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.
"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?
Handen watched Toffee sympathetically. "T-take a breath, master," She advised softly.
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.
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.
"...You are Handen Foot, yes?" Toffee asked. That question was not intended for the open air.
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 bit her lip, "But our food makes people happy," She reasoned.
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.
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.as greasy as what had been forced upon her earlier. There was a decent amount of hay involved, if absolutely nothing else.
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 clenched her teeth. "Don't… Don't call me that," She huffed, "My name is Toffee Crumble."
However, the weight around her neck was removed.
Handen gently stepped off of her and onto the floor. The debris-ridden floor.
"Wh… What are you doing?" Toffee asked, looking up from her hooves.gotten to ?" Toffee asked.
"You also tried to crush me to death," Handen reminded.
Toffee listened to the sounds of cleaning. Crinkling paper, the gentle strokes of the broom.
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 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.
Toffee breathed hard. She didn't answer; she only pulled Handen into another kiss. This one was sloppier, needier.
Toffee whined, "It feels good…~" She purred softly, her breaths becoming soft, open-mouthed pants.
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.
Chapter 4: Faux-Martyrdom
Rarity gasped as she saw the enormous, nigh-spherical body of Twilight Sparkle laid precariously on the bed.
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.
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.
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.
"Ya did it, chief," Applebloom grunted as she pushed, "Dunno where you went afterwards, but ya did it."
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.
"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.
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."
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.
"Actually, Handen, we're looking for you," The guard expressed, "A missing pony report was filed about you months ago."
"...Do you know who's keeping you here?" The royal guard asked.
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.
The guard stared for a good long moment, watching as Toffee clung to Handen.
Toffee whined as the guard stepped closer to her, turning away to shield Handen.mine !" Toffee shouted, "And I won't let anyone take her away!"
The other guard came running up from the stairs and tackled Toffee to the ground.
Handen looked at the congregation of staff outside the house. Royal guards, yes, but nurses, and even a reporter as well.
"As she lives and breathes…" Twilight murmured, stepping over to greet Handen.
Handen's eyes were fixated on the fire, though her ears did the paying attention for her. "Are the foals okay?" She asked abruptly.
Handen nodded absently. "I'm glad everything turned out alright," She replied.
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 looked up as she heard a few guards shout. "H-hey, you can't be here!" One exclaimed.