Celestia's Weight Gain Experiment

“Wow Princess Luna! You do this every night?”

“Lavender’s calming scent is known to aid dreamers in achieving a restorative sleep.”

Luna seemed remarkably rejuvenated as Starlight accompanied her in the royal halls. She rolled a cart of sweet-smelling, bright, purple flowers and paused at ornate wall sconces to replace comparatively dull and wilted ones. Luna offered a whiff and Starlight happily obliged.

“That’s so thoughtful.”

“I try my best to make sure the ponies in my castle sleep peacefully.”

A curious sound interrupted the two mares’ conversation. Crunches and smacking lips and low murmurs. It was Celestia, walking with a group of fancily dressed dignitary ponies who did their best to entertain and joke with the luminous ruler. All things considered, Celestia seemed far more concentrated on her hovering tray of chocolate chip cookies as she levitated one after another to her busily chewing mouth.

“Oh, you simply must try these. They are heavenly!”

Celestia levitated a cookie each to the muzzles of her guests, and they happily chomped down, savoring the sweet flavor and continuing their conversation.

“But as always, my sister’s too busy stuffing her face to acknowledge anything I do.”

Luna’s curt tone made Starlight tense. She quickly glanced at Celestia as she walked away from her towards the far end of the hallway. Comparing the voluptuous, sun-adorned flanks to the bony posteriors of the thin dignitary ponies accentuated just how far removed Celestia had become from “average” proportions. Starlight had thought she had noticed something odd previously, but now it was impossible to ignore.

“Um…pardon me, Princess?”

“Hmm?”

Luna’s thoughts were directed inward, only barely acknowledging her companion.

“I don’t know how best to ask a question like this, but…is your sister…uh…eating a bit too much?”

Luna’s eyes widened with surprise. She stammered. She had found herself suddenly and uncomfortably conflicted between her promise to keep Celestia’s activities private and her personal frustration at what those activities had unquestionably produced.

“I…ah…well…I suppose she’s been eating a bit more than usual, but…I don’t…why are you asking about a thing like that?”

“Well, I know it is impolite to make observations like this, and I do not want to come across as disrespectful, but it’s hard to ignore somepony’s cutie marks being…larger…than usual? I mean, usually when I notice something like that on myself, I try to cut back on the sweets, but she…isn’t.”

Luna tensed and paused before taking a breath. She turned away from the cart to address the lavender mare more directly.

“She most certainly has not. I don’t think she will.”

“Pardon me, your highness, but won’t Celestia end up getting…fat?”

“She most certainly shall. It has been weeks of this. She’s been eating like a mare possessed, and the ‘consequences’ grow more apparent by the day.”