2. Rarity: Sweet Dreams

2. Rarity – Sweet Dreams

 

“RAINBOW STOP!”

 

Rainbow turned and stared at Rarity.  Her swollen neck and drooping chins wobbled to and fro, poking out just barely from a bulging, rippling mass of flesh, thinly protected by a greasy, matted coat.  Twisted treats and decadent eats circled and danced around her, singing mocking tunes at the dressmaker, praising their quivering queen.

 

“Fatter fatter fatter!  You’ll never really matter!  Faster faster, never ever stop!”  Rainbow’s gaze of shock faded, then very slowly stretched wider and wider into a mischievous grin.  Rarity could see no more beyond that grin, huge, wide, and without form—a blue smile with mountainous dimples on an endless field of powder blue.  Rainbow Dash finally stopped smiling, closed her eyes, and swallowed.  The world rumbled and she began to grow, bubbling out in every direction.  The food danced and sang in their searing high pitch, circling down to Dash’s open maw.

 

“PLEASE STOP, RAINBOW STOP!”

 

“FATTER FATTER FATTER, YOU’LL NEVER REALLY MATTER!”  Dash didn’t even chew; the food just flew in whole as she expanded.  Folds multiplied, rolling out to cover her ballooning belly.  Chins piled up on her neck and consumed it.  The food seemed to multiply as Rainbow’s quivering form crowded around them.  Rarity looked about in a panic and found she was, in fact, wearing one of her dresses, royal violets and powerful pinks, popping in the reflection of perfectly cut amethyst.  Her favorite dress.  Why was she wearing it?  She hadn’t worn it to go see…

 

“JOIN US JOIN US AND BLOW UP, TOO!”  A cupcake floated before Rarity and bounced about.

 

“Absolutely no…”  The cupcake dove in, forced itself past Rarity’s tongue, down her throat, and into her stomach.  It landed with a thud and she immediately felt herself bubbling, churning, growing.  More food lined up to make their way into Rarity as the walls of the house fell away and Rainbow floated away, ever bigger.  The dressmaker held her mouth tightly shut, but it was too late.

 

The cupcake pushed out and grew, filling her, expanding her.  Rarity’s dress grew tight, cutting into her stretched form.  Her hooves lifted from the floor as her belly grew.  Deep down, in her hindquarters, Rarity felt a wave of terrible, unwanted arousal just the fabric began to…

 

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP

 

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“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

 

Rarity sprung from her bed, sending her covers and Opalescence flying.  The cat screeched as it soared, thunked into the far wall, and fell to the floor; in an instant it scampered from the room in a panic, still unaware of why it had been disturbed with such a force and racket.  Rarity ran to her makeup table and very nearly ran through it, chucking herself against it as she explored and inspected herself with her hooves.  Her heart thundered, her eyes watered, and her hooves continued to prod and poke.  She wasn’t huge.  She wasn’t a hideous balloon.  She was the same, slim, beautifully trim and fit Rarity.  She was thin without being hard like Applejack, or like Rainbow once had been—a lady was supposed to be relaxed and dainty.  Her fur, but for some perspiration, was perfectly clean, soft, and smooth like velvet.  Her midriff was narrow and proportionate.  Her neck… well her neck could use just a little tone.  But she wasn’t becoming a huge monster.

 

“A nightmare.  It was a nightmare.”  Rarity touched the mirror and forced a laugh.  “Of course it was a nightmare.”  Oh, but her hair was a mess.  “You’re okay Rarity, it was all just a nasty dream.  You’re just the same as always.  Rainbow Dash is… well she isn’t that big.”  She frowned a little and looked away from the reflection.  Her friend had lost a lot of weight since her zenith, but was still the heaviest resident of Ponyville.  But bless her heart, she’d done everything Rarity had asked and more, from eating healthier foods to attending yoga together with Fluttershy.  During the first session, Dash wound up rolled on her back after failing a stretch and was completely unable to get up or roll over, her legs swinging up against a gelatinous gut billowing out in all directions.  It had been simultaneously alarming and very amusing to Rarity and Fluttershy.  The snow white pony giggled again and wiped some of the moisture from her eyes.  The sun hinted it would soon rise from the far horizon.

 

“May as well get started on the day.”

 

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“Uh… are you okay,” asked Twilight Sparkle, a simple, yellow dress draped over her back.

 

“Hm?  Oh, yes, of course.”  Rarity mumbled before leaning back for a particularly large yawn.  “Just fine.”

 

“You sure?  You look tired.”

 

“Is it really that easy to tell? I…”  Rarity stopped to yawn again.  “I’m sorry, I may not have gotten enough sleep last night.”  Twilight smiled gently.

 

“Well no wonder, you’ve been working so… so…”  Twilight yawned.  “…hard lately… you have to give yourself time to rest and recover.”

 

“I… know.  I usually get pl...enty of sleep but I just couldn’t get… settled down.  And I can’t take time off; Princess Luna asked… ordered a few things to update her wardrobe.”  Rarity’s eyes drooped as she struggled to speak without halting stops for gaping sighs.

 

“Well, at least come get a… a cup… ugh, now I can’t quit it.”  Both ponies giggled.  “Anyway, come get a cup of coffee with me or a snack; I bet Pinkie has something that will make you feel right as rain.”

 

“Hmm… okay.  I could use a nice latte.”  Rarity leaned back again, squinting, wavering as she yawned again, Twilight joining her midway through.  They finished and shared another laugh.  “Oh my.  And your dress—another wing job?”

 

“If it isn’t too much trouble…”

 

“It would never be too much trouble, dear.  Just leave it over there on that mannequin and I’ll fix it up for you as soon as I can.”  Rarity began to yawn again and caught herself.  “Let’s go before we both fall asleep.”  With a smile and a nod, the two departed the boutique and began towards Sugarcube Corner.

 

Rarity shuffled along behind Twilight, the weight of a sleepless night hanging from her every muscle.  Twilight had been regularly exhausted, too, ever since Celestia crowned her a princess.  Evidently it meant Twilight now had to keep up with endless reports about events around Equestria and frequently took trips out of town by herself, leaving Spike in charge of keeping the library open and in order.  Sometimes, on longer trips, Rarity would worry he was getting lonely and invite him over to spend the night with her; usually they kept separate beds, but on more than one occasion she’d woken to find him curled up and cozy with her.  It was cute and all, but she wasn’t sure what to do about it, so she pretended not to notice and faked sleeping in so he could slip away in the morning.

 

The two reached Sugarcube Corner and met raucous, childish laughter emanating from beyond the door.  A step inside revealed the Crusaders, huddled around the table, enthralled in fiendish whispers broken by fits of giggles and one-upmanship.  A week and a day prior they had determined their efforts at discovering cutie marks were failing simply because they weren’t “goin’ big and bold”, as Applebloom put it.  Evidently this meant blowing up a shed at Sweet Apple Acres as they attempted rocket science, a stunt which grounded the Crusaders and their fledgling space program for a week.  Now they were at it again, secretly swapping ideas of presumably increasing grandeur.  Sweetie Belle looked up to see her sister groggily wander into the shop.

 

“HIYA RARITY!”  Rarity winced from the explosion of volume.

 

“Sweetie~ not so loud.  Sister has a headache.”

 

“I’m sorry.  You look sleepy.”  Before Rarity could respond, Scootaloo gasped and rapidly mumbled something or another, yanking Sweetie Belle’s attention back to her friends; big sister didn’t mind.  Mrs. Cake overheard the comment, though, and concurred.

 

“Are you okay dear?”

 

“Nothing a bite to eat and a bit of tea can’t fix.”  Rarity’s stomach grumbled.  “Okay maybe a few bites, but nothing too sugary!  Eating too much is probably what kept me up last night, and I can’t afford another day of weariness.”

 

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Powdered sugar hills and cotton candy clouds, candy cane trees and mint upon the breeze.  Rarity sprawled out and made a sugar angel.  Dusty sweetness hugged her coat as she rolled over and eyed a chocolate chunk boulder, her magic revealing a rock candy gem buried deep inside.  Oh did Rarity want it ever so badl…

 

“Hiya Rarity.  Wow, you’re as big as me now!”  Rainbow Dash stood atop her.  Rarity looked down and found, yes, she was in fact as rolly polly as a pony could be.  The two smushed out, like marshmallows pressed together, Rainbow barely touching the ground for the mass between the two.  Cupcakes danced overhead.

 

“FATTY FATTY FATTY, YOURE GETTING REALLY NASTY!”

 

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“FFFFFFUCK!”  Rarity again sent her covers and Opalescence flying.  The cat fled and Rarity immediately covered her mouth, surprised by her own expletive.  Her tummy hurt, crunching and crawling with stress.  Her eyes were dried and heavy.  Her limbs felt like spaghetti.  She hadn’t slept a wink.

 

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“Rarity slow down, you’re going to give yourself a tummyache.”  Sweetie Belle worried over her sister.  After three consecutive nights of nightmares and wonderful dreams turned into nightmares, Rarity was depleted, but nonetheless stirred and tried to continue working rather than go back to face the hideous songs.  She’d forced herself through the first day on freshly baked bread and tea.  The second day consisted of scones and coffee.  This morning she was pounding pastries and demanding large mugs of espresso, defiant of Mr. Cake’s weak suggestion that espresso didn’t serve that way.  And of course, by this point, she was plenty moody.

 

“I already have a tummyache.”  Rarity tore off half a danish and gobbled it down.  “I’m trying to get rid of the tummyache.”  She caught sight of her empty mug.  “I thought this was bottomless.”

 

“Well, you see, it’s not literally bottomless.  It just means that when you run out, we’ll fill it up again for no extra charge.”  Mr. Cake stammered.

 

“Fill it.”  Mr. Cake filled it.  Rarity quaffed it.  Mr. Cake filled it again.  Rarity hesitated, her throat burning from the previous cup.  Cranky or not, hot coffee is hot.  So instead she swallowed the remainder of the danish and pushed her plate across the table.  “Please.  Dear.  Bring more.”

 

“But Rarity…”  The dressmaker’s figure had already gone to hell.  Her stomach poked out from an increasingly aggressive onslaught of sugar.  Her whole body seemed to droop just a bit.  Her coat looked a little dirty and something less than the pearly white she normally worked to maintain.

 

“Sweetie Belle, I don’t care if I have to impersonate Pinkie Pie all week, I’m going to stay up, I’m going to finish my work, and I’m going to be famous across Equestria as a royal designer.”  Mr. Cake slid a plate of pancakes in front of her.  Rarity softened her brow, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply.  “Smells… heavenly.”  She collapsed face first into the short stack and lay there.

 

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Sweetie Belle paced the clubhouse, worrying the curtains, moving around what little there was to move, trying to keep herself occupied while she waited for the others.  At last, Applebloom and Scootaloo burst in, the former laden with full saddlebags.

 

“Sweetie Belle, your prayers have been answered!”  Applebloom held her head high and skipped across the room, bags clinging as she did.  She reached a desk and slung the bags upon it, ringing loudly.

 

“Really?  What is it?  Will it help her stay awake?  That sounds like glass.”

 

“Assistant, if you would be so kind.”  Applebloom gestured to Scootaloo; the plucky pegasus promptly drew the blinds, sat the unicorn down, and sidled up next to her.

 

“Just watch, this is gonna be awesome.”  Sweetie stared in confusion as Scoots gave Applebloom a go-ahead nod.  The filly grinned, reached into her bags, and produced a vial of shining reddish-yellow grains.

 

“Behold!  Fillies and gen… uh fillies, I present to you the thirteenth wonder of the world!  It’ll be your fixer-upper from sun up to supper!  It’ll ring like a rooster when you need a booster!  You’ll go from needing to quit to lickity-split!  You’ll…”

 

“Get on with it!”  Sweetie shouted from the “crowd”.

 

“Sweetie Belle, I was practicing my sales pitch!  We’re going to get our cutie marks as traveling medicine showponies!”  Applebloom grinned, grabbing another glittering vial.  Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes.

 

“But what is it?”

 

“My dear friend, ah’m glad you asked!  From a mysterious cauldron deep in the Everfree Forest, tended by an exotic zebra and her amazing assistant, I present to you, Pep-ercorns!  Just one dose and sleep is toast!  If I may have a volunteer from the audience?”  Applebloom covered her forehead and stared out into the “crowd” of Sweetie and Scoots.  Scootaloo whistled nonchalantly before Applebloom pointed directly at her.  “You!  Come on up and get yourself some giddyup!”  Scootaloo feigned surprise and trotted forward.

 

“I don’t think you’re supposed to rhyme a word with the same wor…”  Sweetie attempted to protest, but the others ignored her.

 

“Now big filly, we haven’t met before, correct?”

 

“Who are you?”  Scootaloo crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out.

 

“Girls, I need to help…”

 

“QUIET IN THE AUDIENCE!”  Applebloom boomed.  “Now you haven’t met me and I haven’t met you.  How about you try out one of these here Pep-ercorns and let the good folks of Ponyville see just how wonderful they are!”  Applebloom opened a vial, popped out a tiny Pep-ercorn, roughly the same size as a proper peppercorn, and tossed it in the air.  Scootaloo opened wide, caught it, and swallowed.  Within moments, the pegasus sprung into the air, eyes wide as saucers, wings buzzing, and began to sprint around the room, kicking off the walls to make up for what her wings couldn’t manage.  Sweetie stared in awe, straining her neck to keep her eyes on Scoots.  Applebloom grinned.

 

“Yes good folks, a once tired and flightless chicken is now a brave, bold, and energetic pony!  And for the low, low price of five easy payments of twenty-nine bits, you too can put a spring in your step!  A bounce in your boogie!  A trot in your pl…”

 

“I’LL TAKE IT!”  Sweetie Belle interrupted Applebloom’s inappropriate rhyme, voice crackling with excitement, and galloped to the stage, swiping an armful of vials into her own bags.  Without another word she turned to sprint out of the clubhouse.

 

“Thank ya kindly ma’am, that’ll be… uh… how much did you grab?”  But Sweetie had already burst out the door and was gone.

 

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The little sister knew better than to try and pester her big sister at Carousel Boutique; Rarity’s efforts at sewing while shambling about like a zombie were going poorly.  The dressmaker had ingloriously shifted from moody to plainly pissed off, her usual lady-like composure swept aside by increasingly rude language interspersed with sugary snacks and narcoleptic fits.  So instead of offering the Pep-ercorns to Rarity directly, Sweetie Belle ventured to Sugarcube and enlisted Pinkie’s aid.  Together they ground the glowing grains into a powder and mixed some into an entire batch of doughnuts.  The plan was simple:  Rarity arrives for her sugar and caffeine fix, Pinkie offers her the Pep-ercorn laced dougnuts, Rarity eats one, and ta-da:  a fully awake and happy Rarity.  Once she finished the Princess’ clothing, she’d be stress-free and sleep like a baby.

 

When Rarity finally did show up, Sweetie stayed hidden behind the counter.  Pinkie offered some friendly joke about the abominable state of Rarity’s hair, only to earn a curt demand for food and drink.  Rarity didn’t sit down so much as she collapsed into a chair and onto a table, judging by the sound.  Pinkie retrieved the tray of doughnuts, winked at Sweetie Belle, and disappeared beyond the counter, delivering the energetic morsels to the pooped unicorn.  A moment of silence passed, followed by an exited, if pained gasp.

 

“Spicy!  Spicy!  But… ah… water… ah… Pinkie!”  Rarity stammered, gasping for air and water.  “Spicy!  Amazing!  Please!  Water!  Hot!  But awake!”  Pinkie Pie delivered a mug of milk and Rarity drained it, exhaling in relief once she finished.  “Pinkie Pie, these doughnuts are amazing!  The flavor is… odd… but I’ve never felt so alive!”  Sweetie Belle remained hidden behind the counter, stifling her excited squeals.  “What did you put in them?”

 

“Oh that’s a super-duper secret, but don’t worry!  I’ve got plenty more for you to eat until you finish the Princess’ order.”

 

“That’s wonderful Pinkie!  I’ve been so stressed out with these nightmares and not getting any sleep…”  Rarity continued on, but Sweetie Belle hung up on the word “nightmares.”  It was the first she’d heard of them.  What had Rarity spooked?  Were they from stress?  She began to run through ideas until Rarity’s tone shifted ever so slightly.  “Hm?  No, you rapscallion, I’ll not stand for such rude behavior!”  Pinkie responded with confusion.

 

“Who are you talking to?”

 

“I swear Pinkie, you really must teach your pastries some manners.  That tart just insulted my tush.”  Rarity harrumphed.  “If it doesn’t behave I’ll have to teach it a less… well I never!”

 

“Tarts can’t talk, silly.  Brownies can if you eat the right kind, but…”  Sweetie didn’t hear Pinkie finish over the sound of Rarity galloping over to the counter and lifting up the lid to the display case.

 

“I’ll show you!”  Sweetie hugged against the back of the counter, barely hidden, as Rarity shouted at a tart before seizing it and scarfing it down.  Rarity panted.  “Anybody else have anything to say?  Well alright then.  That’s better.”  Rarity closed the display case, thanked Pinkie again, gathered the doughnuts into a box, and departed the store.  All the while Sweetie Belle wondered if Applebloom neglected to mention any side-effects.

 

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Rarity had never felt more alive.  Gasoline pumped through her veins, bursting as it sprayed into her combustion heart.  Light a match and watch her go.  Every hair on her body stood at attention, tingling.  The frumpy, out-of-shape fatigue was lifted; she galloped with poise, her stomach tight and burning, her limbs kicking against the ground with eager joy.  Whatever it was Pinkie put into the doughnuts, it was nothing less than magical.

 

That said, she still felt frustrated as she sped back toward the carousel.  A couple of stale loaves of bread poking out of a garbage bin had cat-called that she made them hard.  A colt’s ice cream cone whistled and demanded inappropriate relations, to the tune of “ey gurl ey, lemme get on dem cheeks.”  She couldn’t be sure which cheeks it meant.  A cooling pie in a windowsill openly pondered if the unicorn felt as good as she did “where it counts.”  So by the time Rarity made it back to the Carousel, she was again fuming.

 

“Where have manners gone in this town, Opal?”  Rarity called out to her cat generally, stomping over to a half-made scarf.  “All the way home,” Rarity crossed her eyes and drew up her nose, “’heeeeey darling, why don’t you let me pleasure you in disreputable ways~’  Completely, utterly, totally unacceptable!”  Rarity inspected her previous work and shuddered.  “Ugh, this simply will not do.  I shouldn’t have tried making this when I couldn’t even stand up.”

 

“Yeah lady, your hooves fall asleep before you do.  In fact, they was nevah awake!”  Rarity froze, the shrill, sarcastic, richly urban voice cutting to the bone.

 

“Who said that!?”

 

“I did, ovah here.”  Rarity turned about only to finally settle upon a muffin she’d intended to eat… earlier?  Yesterday?  Time had blurred.  “Yeah, that’s right.  Your sowin’ is so bad, even blind ol’ Heihe Kellah wouldn’t wear it.”  The muffin laughed as Rarity snorted in anger.  “Nevah before has a dress gone so high and revealed so much that needs covering!”  The muffin guffawed as Rarity blushed from white, to pink, to red.  “I mean, anything you make is going to be ugly, but yah really going all out here!”  Rarity was on the verge of exploding, the Pep-ercorn steaming out her every pore, her stomach boiling and roiling.  Suddenly she whooshed to the muffin, reached down, and grabbed it.  “Hey lady, what’re ya doing?”  Rarity didn’t respond—she ate the muffin whole.  A wave of relief ran through her, but the flame of justice still burned in her mind.

 

“Now who’s laughing!?”  Rarity arched back and cackled.  Sweetie Belle stared through the window.

 

“Uh oh.”

 

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“Ma’am, the complimentary chocolates are typically reserved for the end of the spa experience and we politely advise that every customer enjoy only one piece.”  Rainbow Dash ignored Aloe and unwrapped a fourth nugget of cocoa goodness.

 

“But… they’re still complimentary?”

 

“Well… yes…”

 

“Great!”  Dash unwrapped a fifth and popped it in her mouth, dumping the rest of the now slightly misshapen chocolates back.  “Hehe, girl’s gotta watch her figure.”  Dash turned and headed for the sauna, Aloe watching the pegasus figure a moment before rolling her eyes.  Rainbow was as strong as ever, but she wasn’t getting any smaller anymore.  Her diet and exercise ran into one another, battled a while, and finally made peace.  Yoga kept her stretched and flexible, but her belly was still just round enough to ensure she couldn’t touch her back hooves with her front.  Helping Applejack now and then gave her thighs almost primed for applebucking, but they were buried under a thick, smooth layer of cushion and a butt that still bounced with every step.  Her wings were arguably the strongest they’d ever been, but her chest still puffed out beyond her legs and her neck piled up when she wasn’t looking up or stretching forward.  She didn’t seem to care anymore—just fit enough to stay good at her job and help her friends, restraining her diet just enough to not grow back to her unmanageable size again.  As she passed out of sight, she called back to the attendant.  “Oh, and I hope you’re ready to message these wings ‘cause they’re beat!”  Aloe shuddered.

 

Fluttershy was already in the sauna, bundled up in a bathrobe, cozy in a corner, eyes closed, smiling.  If Rainbow Dash hadn’t known better, she’d have guessed the sunny pegasus was sleeping.

 

“Hiya Fluttershy!”  Rainbow Dash in fact did not know better and should have guessed; Fluttershy awoke with a start.

 

“Oh!  Oh.  Hello Rainbow.  You’re… um… you’re tracking…”  Fluttershy glanced back and forth between Rainbow’s eyes and hooves until Dash took the hint, looked down, and found she was leaving a trail of chocolate hoofprints.

 

“Eh hehe… whoops.”  Rainbow blushed.  “I’ll get it on the way out, but first it’s time to get my sauna on.”  Dashie grabbed a robe, slung it around, and didn’t bother to tie it shut; the little ropes couldn’t make it all the way around her middle.  She’d tried almost all of the robes repeatedly for weeks when she was still losing weight, but had finally stopped caring.  Rainbow plopped down onto the bench next to Fluttershy, the new wood boards creaking in protest.  Their predecessors… well they hadn’t survived the first encounter.  The robe fell to Dash’s sides as her belly bounded out; Fluttershy raised a brow.

 

“You know, uh, there are still other routines we could try.  We could go do our poses on the lake!  It would really help your, um, core…”  Rainbow disagreed.

 

“My core?  It couldn’t get any stronger.”  It definitely could.  “Just last week it carried me to victory in that watermelon eating contest, remember?”  She had won the contest, but primarily because she had managed to continue while all the other contestants got sick trying to keep up.  Rainbow patted her belly.  “Nah, I think Tank here is doing just fine.”

 

“You named your tummy Tank?”

 

“Yep!”

 

“Isn’t your tortoise named Tank?”

 

“Yeah!  I can name more than one thing Tank.”  The inane conversation ceased as a familiar white unicorn wandered into the room.  Before anybody could say anything, Rarity looked down, saw the chocolate hoofprint, glared, snorted, and immediately licked it up.

 

“Hrmph.”  Rarity huffed in triumph.  Fluttershy covered her mouth while Rainbow sniggered.  Rarity was swollen as a late-term dam, her stomach blown out so far that her usually luxurious coat was stretched thin.  It didn’t even wobble as she moved, but looked ready to pop at a moment’s notice.  Nonetheless, she trotted in as though nothing was changed, no sign of pain or awkward overcompensation for the added girth.  Once close, the pegasi saw that her pupils were dilated, her eyes wide and deep.  “Sorry I’m late, girls.  I got caught up dealing with some very rude characters on the way here.”  Rarity didn’t bother with a robe, but immediately sat down beside Dash.  The planks groaned and cracked.

 

“Yeahhh… you feelin’ okay?”  Rainbow’s eyes traced the curvature of her friend’s stomach, a snowy beach ball melded into a slender-ish frame; she was a little puffy looking.  It wasn’t judgment so to speak, but Dash couldn’t help but wonder just how much Rarity had eaten.

 

“Your eyes are so big…”  Fluttershy was entranced, gazing into the bottomless void of Rarity’s pupils.  After a moment it occurred to her that she hadn’t yet seen Rarity blink.

 

“Okay?  I’ve never been better!  I must say, I have never completed so much work so quickly before I tried Pinkie’s doughnuts.  Why, not only did I finish Luna’s order, but I fixed Twilight’s dress, too.  I would have gotten even more done if people weren’t being so rude all of a sudden.”

 

“Doughnuts,” Fluttershy inquired.

 

“Oh yes.  Just a couple of days ago I wandered into Sugarcube Corner to get myself a little pick me up when Pinkie Pie offered me a brand new treat.  I’ve been brimming with energy since!  I don’t even miss sleep.”  Rarity grinned creepily, still refusing to blink as she stared over at her friends.

 

“You haven’t slept?”  Rainbow found the very proposition preposterous.

 

“Who needs sleep when you have energy like I do?”  Rainbow and Fluttershy looked at one another with deep concern.  “That reminds me, I finished off the little box Pinkie gave me; we should head over and get more.  If I can keep this up, I could clothe all of Equestria within a year!”  The pegasi concurred with a cautious and curious nod to join along.

 

“Yeah, sure.  Let’s go see what all the fuss is about.”

 

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Applebloom leaned against a tree a moment to catch her breath.  But for a couple of stops she had sprinted the distance from Zecora’s home in the Everfree Forest back to Ponyville.

 

“So, what’s wrong with my sister?”  Sweetie Belle was partially angry at Applebloom and partially angry at herself.  Applebloom held up a hoof a moment while she gasped in a few more breaths.  After one final deep inhale, she began to imitate the elusive zebra.

 

“If one Pep-ercorn you take, for a day you’ll be wide awake.  More than one and the world will soon seem a mix of reality and dream.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“It means that Rarity can’t fall asleep but she can’t stop dreamin’ either.  She’s seein’ whatever it is she sees in her dreams.”

 

“So when she starts yelling at food, it’s because she’s yelling at something from her nightmares?  That’s… odd, but it’ll wear off, right?  She keeps eating every snack that says something to her.”

 

“Well… that uh… depends.”  Applebloom rubbed the back of her head.  “Zecora also said that eating too much Pep-ercorn could keep a pony awake for too long and permanently change ‘em.”

 

“WHAT!?”  Sweetie Belle’s voice cracked in panic.

 

“Yeah… how much did you give her?  If she’s up long enough, she might not ever stop dreamwalking.  If she’s up too long… well… ponies have to sleep sometime or they… uhm… you know…”  Applebloom didn’t want to say it, but Sweetie Belle got the point.  She ran straight for the bakery, Applebloom hollering apologies after her.

 

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Sweetie Belle approached the bakery only to instinctively dive to the ground, ducking as an orange blur flew through the window and overhead, cowgirl hat floating after.  Applejack slid across the ground and groaned.

 

“I… didn’t know she could do that.”  Shouting and crashing noises rung from inside.  Sweetie Belle hesitated a moment; clearly things had gotten dangerous.  But whatever fear she felt was overwhelmed—her sister needed her.  Her sister who had always made the most beautiful dresses.  Her sister who took care of her.  Her sister who got herself muddy and nasty just to make Sweetie happy every year at the Sisterhooves Social.  Rarity—the very best sister any little filly could ask for.  Sweetie carefully nursed the door open and slipped in.

 

Inside was the most ridiculous battlefield she’d ever seen.  Pinkie Pie stood sentinel before the counter while Rainbow Dash stood on her hind legs, locked hoof to hoof with a furious Rarity.  One fat pegasus wrestling with a seemingly inflated unicorn.  The two pressed against each other, hoof to hoof, face to face, neck to neck, belly to belly, Rarity driven by a sense of righteous justice, Rainbow struggling to keep the balance of her weight to her favor without hurting her friend.

 

“I’ll show them!  I’ll show them all!  Out-of-my-way!”

 

“No way!  You eat any more and you’ll get hurt.”  Rainbow grunted and worked to reset her footing, only to have Rarity notice her distraction and push forward.  Dash’s center of gravity rose from just in front, to dead center, and then just behind—her own indulgences of all the sugary sweets in the world did the rest.  Rainbow landed on her back with a thud.  Rarity tumbled over, rolling into the baking sheet armored Pinkie Pie like a bowling ball into a pin.  Pinkie fell beneath as Rarity nearly pulled the display case’s door off its hinges and wedged herself into it, shoveling croissants down her gullet.

 

“Rarity!”  Sweetie called out, but her sister paid no attention.

 

“Go get help Sweetie Belle!  She ate the rest of those doughnuts and completely lost it!””  Sweetie’s heart sank.  Her sister had eaten all of it, all the Pep-ercorn she’d taken from Applebloom.  Enough to keep her in a blurred reality forever.  Enough to… to…

 

Sweetie Belle began to cry.  The piercing wail cut through to Rarity; it was the first moment of clarity since the nightmares began.

 

“Sweetie Belle?”  Rarity choked out her sister’s name.

 

A thunderous crash and roar sounded from outside, crackle and lightning, and a herald of horns.  Wind swept through the broken window and the door swung wide, nearly blown off its hinges.  Before them stood Princess Luna, ethereal mane vast and encompassing, horn brilliant in glow, eyes brimming white with power.

 

“SLEEP, DRESSMAKER.”  A bolt of blues and black sprung from the Princess and nailed Rarity right in her backside.  All the Pep-ercorn in the world didn’t stand a chance:  Rarity passed out, swollen body wedged tightly in the display case.  Luna surveyed the damage and throttled down, finally settling her gaze on Sweetie Belle.

 

“Thou shalt tell me all that has occurred.”

 

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Spike figured the library would survive a few minutes while he ran out to get some lunch.  Twilight had left town again to help ponies in Appleloosa search for a couple of missing youngsters:  one colt and one buffalo.  Thus, it was again left to him to keep the ponies of Ponyville educated to the fullest extent.  Unfortunately, the ponies of Ponyville didn’t seem particularly interested in visiting the library at all when Twilight wasn’t around, so Spike usually just lounged in boredom.

 

He hadn’t planned on visiting Sugarcube Corner; his plan had been to go to Equestrian State Savings & Loan to make a gem withdrawal.  But as he passed through town, he couldn’t help but notice the window on the front smashed open, a small crowd gathered around, gossiping.  Something about a fight?  Something about Princess Luna and some other ponies speaking in private in another building nearby?  Something about how “she is going to be so humiliated” and “she really let herself go.”

 

Spike snaked his way through the crowd to the bakery and tossed himself through the window, barely covered by a sheet pinned over it on the inside, billowing in the breezy afternoon.  The place was a wreck; there certainly was a fight.  But that wasn’t caught his attention.

 

There she was, his most beautiful wonderful amazing fantastic friend-but-should-be-more-than-a-friend, big and round, wedged into the display case, ass high in the air facing him.  Spike stared, pinched himself, stared again, and pinched himself again.  For a brief moment he decided it was a shame her stomach was so blown out but that nothing had taken hold elsewhere, slim limbs poking out from a stuffed center, but then decided that all her consumption, in time, would only serve to emphasize and grow into the most perfectly plump rump.  Finally Spike concluded he was already taking the new development for granted and that he was a critical jerk.  He sat down cross-legged, plopped his face onto his hands, and just enjoyed the view as it was, out of sight of anybody else.  He couldn’t help but mumble to himself.

 

“Spikey likey.”

 

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She could not see, hear, nor feel.  All was dark and silent, the clamor of her life cold and distant.  In the void she attempted to reconstruct what had happened, but could only grasp fleeting images and sensations.  She recalled immense pressure around her middle.  She heard shouts and arguing.  She felt incredible anger.  She endured the blood boiling in her veins, ever on fire since the first strange doughnut Pinkie had given her, how she couldn’t calm down.  She remembered the booming command of Princess Luna, the very last thing before all turned black.  Had the Princess slain her?  Why?

 

A world began to form around Rarity and senses began to return, but none of the sensations she remembered.  She felt plain, prim and proper.  She wasn’t stuck in anything, she was merely lying down on… sand?  No, the grains were too fine.  She opened her eyes and struggled; brilliant white blinded her.  She waited for the blur to clear.  She was on her side, lying on a hill in a vast expanse of white powder.  It reminded her of… certain parties… she’d attended in Canterlot and wondered if it was a reflection of the burning energy that had, at Luna’s command, run out.  Helluva thing to take up your nose, that stuff.  But no, when she stuck out her tongue for a lick, she discovered a far less fashionable and far more addicting vice.

 

Sugar.  Confectioner’s sugar.  The sweetest of sins.  Her heart picked up a beat.  It was another nightmare; Luna had cast her back into sleep only to subject her to another nightmare.  Rarity didn’t hesitate, with her front hooves she bent over and pinched a hind leg.  It hurt like hell but to no effect—she couldn’t wake up.  Her heart picked up another beat.  She rolled onto her back, sugar coating her side, and took deep breaths.

 

“Calm down now, there’s nothing to be afraid of… it’s just a dream.”  Rarity took another deep breath and forced a laugh.  “Just a dream, which means nothing here can actually hurt you.”  Rarity felt her heartbeat ease and she genuinely smiled, at least until she realized how much she wanted another lick of the sweetness.  Instead she focused on broccoli, concentrating with all her might, hoping, praying that since she knew she was dreaming, she’d be able to just make it appear out of thin air.  But she found no luck and no broccoli.  A cotton candy cloud passed by overhead.  Her stomach rumbled.

 

“No!  I do not want it.  I will not end up like Rainbow Dash.”  Although it was a dream… “I will not become so slovenly and inelegant.”  …so none of it would really last…  “I will not be the butt of everypony else’s jokes.”  …it was after all what her heart really desired…  “I... I don’t even like sugar.” …and there was no use lying to herself about it.  Her stomach tingled and her whole body shuddered in want.  Sugar was so, so good and so, so hard to deny.  She’d never told anybody how hard it was to pass by the chocolate dish at the spa and not do exactly what Dashie did.  Nobody knew how she had to pace her breath and drink lots of water to keep herself slowly paced at meals.  Fashion was a cruel mistress—a beautiful art, but there was no room for big ponies in it.  And no matter how much she loved, loved, loved the sticky sumptuous sweetness that surrounded her, she loved to make other ponies beautiful more.  Nopony thought fat was beautiful; nopony would believe somebody who was fat could make them beautiful.  But… nopony was here.  Another shudder, another surge of warmth in her stomach, another reminder of just how much she wanted it all.  She lifted a single hoof, caked in the heavenly stuff, and stared.  So perfect, so pleasant.  Gingerly, she brought it to her mouth and licked.

 

“Join us.”  Rarity’s heart sank.  Still on her back, she craned her neck up to find a very stale looking doughnut with a black licorice hat and spun sugar ‘stache standing behind her.  “Join us.”  In other circumstances she might have found his gruf, older voice pleasant, but not here.  “Blow up, too.”

 

“N… no… I shant…”

 

“Oh, I think you will.”  The doughnut produced a candy cane and thwacked Rarity on the nose.

 

“OW!”  Before she could close her mouth, the doughnut, jumped over and right on in.  He tasted heavenly, sweet and cake-like.  Nonetheless, she refused to swallow.

 

“You’re going to give up, Rarity.  You can’t deny what you want forever, not us.  You’re going to eat, you’re going to blow up.  Your friends will become disgusted with you.  The public will be repulsed by you.  You’ll never be anything other than our little piggy.”  The doughnut tossed his cane out of Rarity’s open mouth as though to signal something.  “Our.  Piggy.”  Something tickled Rarity down below.  Her whole body quivered, her jaw clenched shut, and she swallowed the elder doughnut whole.  It felt entirely too good.

 

“Just a dream.  Just a dream.  Just a…”  Rarity’s resilience broke.  She rolled over and started raking in all that her hooves could reach.  In the distance she could hear the catcalls of the horrible cupcakes from before, all the snide remarks of the baked goods in Sugarcube Corner.  And finally, worst of all, she could hear the revulsion of the crowd and the condemnation of her friends.

 

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With the Princess privately briefed, Luna, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Sweetie Belle returned to Sugarcube Corner to execute “Operation Sweet Dreams.”  Pinkie Pie stayed outside with Fluttershy to run interference with the crowd, who increasingly wanted to know what the Princess of the Night was doing and what had happened inside the bakery.

 

“Hey everypony!  How about a knock-knock joke?  Hey Fluttershy, knock knock~”

 

“Um… who’s there?”

 

“Buster!”

 

“Oh… I’m afraid I don’t know anybody named Buster.  I think you have the wrong door.”  Pinkie Pie ignored Fluttershy’s failure to carry the joke and pressed on as though she had.

 

“It’s me, Buster Cherry!  Is your daughter home?”  The crowd guffawed, save for a chestnut stallion with a dark brown mane.

 

“Wait, I don’t get it.  Why is everybody laughing?”  Buster Cherry was reminded of getting the door slammed in his face upon saying the exact same line when picking up his date for prom… and when picking up his date for the fall formal… and pretty much any time he tried to pick up a girl for a date.  If only he could understand why everybody was laughing, he might not be so terribly alone.  Defeated, he slinked away, hopeful that a night of painting figurines would boost his spirits.

 

Meanwhile, inside Sugarcube, the ponies discovered a scene even more unusual than the one they’d left:  Rarity still wedged in the display case, her rump red, as though somebody had struck it a couple of times.  Unfortunately, the culprit was nowhere to be found.

 

“We must focus on the challenge at hand.”  Luna theatrically motioned a hoof at the bloated, dream-stuck Rarity’s hindquarters, unceremoniously presented to her friends.  Applejack and Sweetie Belle avoided direct eye contact; Rainbow Dash couldn’t quit giggling.  “It will take time, but we shall concoct a cure for the Pep-ercorn in which your friend has overindulged.  But first, we must discover what plagues her dreams and help her overcome the fears within.”  Luna turned to the other three.  “Dreamwalking can be… unsettling.  You may feel unease upon first entering the dream, and unease greater still upon witnessing what occurs within.  It is important that you not judge your friend for what you see in the depths of her nightmare.”  Applejack raised a hoof.  “Thou hast…” Luna caught herself, nodded patiently, and revised her language to modern diction.  “You have a question?”

 

“I’m still confused.  I mean, what’dya need us for?”  Applejack cared for her friend, and out of that care hesitated at the thought of something as intrusive as dreamwalking.

 

“Were it not for the Pep-ercorn, I would simply banish your friend’s nightmare and counsel her fears, granting her guidance to face what terrifies her in this woken world.”  Luna frowned.  “But under its effect, I fear that she would be overwhelmed by both fears both real and artificial, inseparable.  We must deal with one or the other now, or she will suffer lasting harm.  We cannot yet undo the Pep-ercorn, so we must make her face her fears within the dreamscape.  I alone am not able to do this; she will need you, her friends.  Do you understand?”  Applejack nodded.

 

“What’re we going to see inside Rarity’s dream?  Is she going to be hurt?”  Sweetie Belle stared at the ground, nervous and ashamed.

 

“I do not know what we will find, but we should make haste.”  Luna paused a moment and noted Sweetie’s shame.  “Do not blame yourself for your sister’s condition, little filly.  What she fears is not your doing and what plagues her is not your creation.”  Luna gently lifted Sweetie Belle’s chin.  “Your sister loves you very much, of this I am sure.”  Sweetie Belle smiled.  Luna wasted no more time.  “Let us go, there is no more time to waste.”

 

“We’re coming Rarity!”  Rainbow Dash cheered.

 

Luna’s horn sparkled with an eerie glow, blues and blacks, brilliant stars shining from their depths.  The void grew, encompassing Luna first, then the others.  The universe contracted about them, rocked, rolled, and sucked.  The world turned to black.  Senses failed.  Sweetie Belle nonetheless felt as though she were bumpily flying through space at high speed.  Her stomach curled and she was sure she’d be sick.  She couldn’t breathe.  Nothing would be better than a breath of fresh air.  A moment later the pressure released, a woosh of air swept around her, battering her fur with fine grains.  Sweetie fell down and gasped for air, only to choke on powdered sugar.  Squeaky coughs cut through the air.

 

“What in tarnation,” Applejack exclaimed.  All around them treats danced and sang.  Cupcakes, cannoli, and caramels; rocky road golems and butterscotch butterflies.  Chocolate rocks sprung from the ground, shards of rock candy salted around.  Jelly crème doughnut blimps hovered above. The whole world was edible.

 

“This isn’t a nightmare, this is heaven.”  Rainbow’s eyes watered, a single joyous tear running down her round cheek.

 

“Stay focused!”  Luna called to the others and pointed up a hill not far away.  At the top, the silhouette of a pale pony shook against the sky.  All the tasty treats danced around the hill, spiraling in to its top, to the round figure atop it.  The foursome struck a gallop.

 

“FATTER FATTER FATTER, YOU’LL NEVER REALLY MATTER!”  Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but focus on the horrible singing as she followed the rest.  “FASTER, FASTER, NEVER EVER STOP!”  The tasty tastables were all calling to Rarity, tormenting her.  “FAILURE FAILURE FAILURE, ALWAYS A SORRY TAILOR!  REJECTION, EJECTION, YOUR ‘FRIENDS’ WILL PLOT.”  The powdered sugar was getting deeper as they went up the hill, windblown against the side.  As they grew closer, they saw Rarity splayed out on her belly, a soft white plush with a particularly overstuffed belly.  She didn’t look full, only fat, as though all she ate hung upon her without need for digestion.  Her limbs poked out, round, her cheeks rosy.  Rarity leaned forward on her gut, mouth open, as the singing sweets marched in to their doom.  “FATTER FATTER FATTER, YOU’LL NEVER REALLY MATTER.”

 

Rainbow was slowing down, out of breath; Sweetie noticed it felt like the hill got bigger the closer they got.  Dash finally stopped, glanced around, and scooped up a mouthful of sugar.  Applejack caught her and nudged her, hard, yelling something Sweetie couldn’t make out for all the singing.  Rainbow nudged her back and motioned behind her.  Applejack seemed bewildered, but Dash nodded confidently, and so the cowpony pulled around immediately behind the pegasus.  Dash stopped trying to plop over the top of the powdered sugar dunes and instead punched forward, knocking away all she could, swallowing what she couldn’t.  Sweetie gagged.  Princess Luna attempted to fly overhead, only to be swarmed by the doughnut sky armada; the Princess began to blast them away, only to get bogged down in flying jam.  Sweetie Belle was tired and scared, but began to catch up behind the sugar-plow Dash and rear-engine Applejack, pushing her large blue friend’s squishy behind.  Dash had to stop a couple of times to tell her to stop jiggling her ass.  The things they’d do for Rarity.

 

“JOIN US JOIN US,” the singing was nearly screaming.  “AND BLOW UP TOO!!!”  A roar rose up to their right as a rocky road golem thundered around, the biggest snack monster they’d seen by far.  The singing stopped and but for the rumbling of the titanic ice cream, all was silent.  Rarity finally saw her friends and attempted to gag something to them, but couldn’t speak for caramels swarming in.  The golem swung down; Rainbow and Applejack threw themselves to their left, narrowly avoiding the blow.  Powdered sugar flew everywhere.  Sweetie held her ground.  Somebody was yelling at her.  It was all so loud.  The rocky road pulled its arm back.  It was going to swing at her.  Ponies were yelling.  Rarity was gagging and gobbling and golly was she big.  Something clicked.  The ice cream fist swung down; Sweetie sprung forward.  The fist missed; Sweetie did not.  Sweetie’s teeth sunk into the rocky road golem’s ankle—smooth, creamy, and absolutely delicious.  She couldn’t help but smile at how good the monster tasted as it roared in pain.  Luna swept down, a sticky mess of doughnut filling, and scooped up the filly before the golem could stomp her.  The two landed with a thud at the top of the hill, just next to Rarity.

 

There was a moment of quiet as Sweetie Belle recovered from the crash landing and took in the situation. Princess Luna was buried under sugar.  Applejack and Rainbow Dash were stuck somewhere down the hill, dodging and fighting the golem, who’d turned its attention to them.  And before her sat Rarity, into whom all manner of sweets marched, carrying whatever sugar they could.  She grew with each passing moment, billowing, blowing up.  She was forced to stand for the size of her stomach, rolling and flowing out against her legs.  Her neck seemed to be disappearing.  Upon close sight of Sweetie, Rarity appeared upset, but nonetheless grunted a gentle “unf” with every swallow.

 

Sweetie Belle took action and kicked away a danish before it could enter her sister; the danish declared its lack of regrets as it fell down the hill.  The other foods began to beat impotently against the filly and Rarity finally swallowed enough to clear her throat.

 

“What… what is all this Rarity?  Why are you so big?”  Sweetie wanted to look her sister in the eye, but was busily staring down and blocking the frosted army.  Her tone softened as she bat away a cupcake and licked her hoof.  “Is this what you’re scared of?”  

 

“Don’t look at me!  I’m so sorry…”  Rarity wimpered in shame, wobbling.

 

“Sorry for what?”  Sweetie Belle growled at a gingerbread man armed with a candy cane and bit his head off.  “For being scared?  I mean… I guess it could be scary…”  Really she didn’t see the problem; Sweetie thought it could be a fine enough dream save for all the awful singing and noise.

 

“Sorry for what!?  Just… I’m hideous!  I’m a monster!  I’m…”  Rarity struggled to spit out the last word.  “I’m… I’m… faaaaaaat…”  She cried out the indignity and bawled.

 

“So?”

 

“So!?  It’s humiliating!  I’m reduced… to this…”  Rarity attempted to move but only sent waves of motion through the folds of her gut, demonstrating capably that she had not been “reduced” at all, but much the opposite.  “I can never go out in public like this.  You can never been seen with me.  Everybody will laugh and point.  Nobody will buy my work.  I’ll have to leave town and join some fat pony commune in the middle of nowhere.”  Rarity looked up at the doughnuts flying above.  “I’ll be stuck making mumu’s for the barely mobile pony barely on the go.”  Rarity sighed in defeat.  “Just leave me, Sweetie.  You deserve better than this.  Applejack would be a better sister anyway…”  Sweetie Belle was incredulous.

 

“That’s what all this is about!?”  Sweetie Belle crunched a cookie and watched it crumble.  She huffed a moment and realized she was getting kind of full.  “I don’t care if you’re fat!  I don’t care if other ponies laugh at you!  You’re my sister!”  She bucked a full-sized cake in twain without looking, instead piercing to Rarity’s depths with a stare.  “Other ponies don’t make you ~fabulous~,” Sweetie mocked Rarity’s voice with a dramatic and glorious flair, “you make you ~fabulous~!”  Rarity was stunned.

 

“You… you really mean that?”

 

“Mhm.”  Sweetie mumbled as she sucked on a candy cane, stolen from an ice cream sandwich, and rubbed her uncomfortably full tummy.

 

“Mhm.”  Luna’s voice muffled through a mouthful of brownie, scarfed defensively as soon as she’d managed to dig herself out of the sugar.

 

“Uh… huh…”  Applejack helped push Rainbow up the hill and both collapsed, exhausted by the climb, affirming between gasps.  Rainbow looked nauseated.

 

“Oh…”  Rarity smiled and sniffled.  “Sweetie Belle!”  The stuffed pony reached out and grabbed the less stuffed filly, embracing her in spite of a bulging belly that got in the way.

 

“Not… so… tight!”  Sweetie Belle choked  “Tummyache!”  Rarity relaxed her grasp, but still held on.  They loved her.  They’d love her no matter what.  She didn’t need to be afraid of food or weight or any such thing.  The terrible stress and strain on the dressmaker’s heart lifted and, at last, she relaxed.

 

“The nightmare is retreating.”  Luna pointed down the hill.  The teeming horde of tasty treats fell inanimate.  The ice cream golem finally fell to pieces.  The jelly doughnut armada dropped from the sky around them.  The chants evaporated.  It was over—Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Luna stood atop a hill of sugar, themselves caked in a sweet mess, surrounded by mounds of once nightmarish junk food.  Rarity’s mind began to clear and, instinctively, she began to probe Sweetie a bit with her hooves with some concern.

 

“Sweetie Belle, you should be careful.  You’re getting soft.”

 

“Rarity!”  Sweetie Bell glared angrily.

 

“Oh… right… sorry.”  Rarity blushed and the others laughed.

 

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It took a day and a half for Zecora to whip together an antidote to the Pep-ercorn with Princess Luna, who left immediately thereafter.   Rarity spent the meantime closely following Sweetie Belle, pointing out bizarre things she still saw as she waddled along, stomach still swollen, the strangest of which was a giant chocolate octopus in a pond massaging itself, declaring its name to be “big sexy.”  When they administered the cure, Rarity instantly passed out; nobody had thought ahead and Applejack wound up hauling her back home to rest and recover.

 

When she opened the store a week later, she was more or less back to normal.  An extended bath and prolonged brushing session brought her coat back to its plush and perfect state, white as the confectioner’s sugar of her now much sweeter dreams.  Her mane and tail glimmered with a silky sheen, like grape licorice.  Her once baggy eyes again shined a sapphire sea blue.  And the impossible binge had digested, relieving her of the grotesque growth in her middle, though it had been an excruciating process.

 

But… it didn’t leave entirely.  Her rump was just a little rounder and bouncier.  Her body, which had always been luxuriously soft, was softer all over.  Her perfect middle now sported a plainly visible but unobtrusive tummy.  Her neck and face had never been toned, but now hinted that they might be the first to get round if she put on any more weight.  Some days, if nobody was around, she’d look into the mirror, press her cheeks with her hooves, and make silly faces, giggling at her own adorable excess.  Some nights, she’d explore herself and engage in more adventurous fun.

 

In public she could still occasionally hear a snarky whisper.  Usually she’d let it go.  Sometimes she’d confront the rude pony, ask if they had anything to say, and when they retreated, she’d flaunt her magnificent figure as she walked away, head held high.  Sweetie Belle was right—beauty was a thing that ran through to the core, and the petty slings of bitter ponies couldn’t take that away if she didn’t let them.  And so she didn’t:  she kept up business as usual, fixed the clothes of her friends, and even let out a few of her own outfits… just in case.

 

When she first returned to the spa with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, she noted Dash’s less than eager restraint by the bowl of complimentary chocolates:  she only took three instead of five this time.  She’d been putting weight back on again and nearly crashed the day before.  Rarity smiled as her friends passed into the back and lingered.  A moment passed.  Rarity fidgeted and felt each motion of her body; she could feel the extra pounds here and there.  She didn’t mind it.  In fact… she scrunched guiltily at the thought.  She made her way after her friends, horn glowing.  Not far after followed the chocolates, aglow in her magic:  one… two… three… four… five…

 

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Epilogue

 

Richly bitter, with a smooth, silky sweet aftertaste that lingered on the tongue.  Fragrance filled the nostrils, earthy tones and hints of butter.  Black as night; black as sin.  No chewing, not yet; it melted and coated the mouth, slipped down the throat, and at last rested in the stomach.  The engine warmed and rumbled, waking to break down its decadent treat.  Sugar and caffeine broke down and entered the bloodstream.  She was relaxed, at peace, when it hit.  Warmth spread through her body and she stretched and smiled.

 

Rarity.  Loved.  Chocolate.  She had always denied herself its decadence, unmatched by any other treat in taste or effect.  Its sugar fueled; its caffeine charged; its other properties made her stir.  If she knew it wouldn’t be so horrible for her, she’d lounge around and just drink it deeply forever.  The others had looked on with mild surprise as she’d eaten the chocolates in the spa; Fluttershy with an “oh my” and Rainbow Dash with an “alright!”  But it hadn’t surprised them as much as it did her.  After the last piece she’d found herself wanting more… and not just chocolate.  The remainder of the day at the spa was an exercise in hiding just how aroused she was by five pitiful little chocolates.

 

That was weeks ago.  Even with the inspired support of her friends and sister, Rarity still hesitated with some indulgences, and this one was the most kinky of them all.  Honestly it’d contributed to her little weight gain—she made up for her abstinence by eating more of just about everything else.  It was showing, little by little, all over.  Every day she’d look in the mirror and reflect on it, smile thinking of her friends, and then proceed through the day with ever larger parts of her mind consumed by just how much she wanted chocolate.  At last one day she’d spent too long lingering in front of Bon Bon’s candy shop, just long enough for the proprietor to notice and draw her in.  Rarity nearly lost it there, awash in glorious aromas of sugars and nuts cooking away in the kitchen while colorful wrappers decorated every inch and corner of the walls.  She’d barely heard Bon Bon’s voice, at first its usual professional self, then dotted with a vocal fry that Rarity had never noticed.  Bon Bon drew Rarity’s attention to the largest non-novelty chocolate bar in the store:  a two-pound brick of absolutely dark chocolate.  A real beast.  Bon Bon offered a discount.  Rarity bought it and immediately snuck home.

 

The first tiny bite was everything she dreamed it would be and already she realized that the bar might be too much of a good thing.  If one little chip could stir her so, what would a quarter of the bar do?  A half?  The whole two pounds?  Could she even eat that much chocolate without getting sick?  She bit her lip.  She rubbed her hind legs together, feeling her rump roll with the fidgeting.  Just how good could it get?  Rarity decided she had to find out at least once, if only once, or the question would hang her.  No pleasure from dressmaking, from toys or boys, could answer the curiosity.  Rarity’s eyes darted across the boutique, from window to window.  She made sure to draw the blinds and curtains, securing them.  She double checked the doors to be sure they were locked.  She didn’t want Sweetie Belle walking in on this.

 

Rarity returned to the bar and, with a deep breath, took a large bite.  She exhaled through her nose in joy, the same tones and sensations taking hold as before, but ten-fold.  The chocolate melted in her mouth and she melted with it.  Waves of comfort washed over her, her every muscle tender, her every stress worn away.  As the effect receded, Rarity realized she was pressing herself against the floor, spreading her belly against it, pressuring her interior through to her rear.  She sheepishly giggled and rolled over onto her back, legs in the air, just to look down upon herself.  She was growing and glowing, not as fast as Rainbow Dash’s frantic stuffing had been, but still at a good clip.  To some extent it was her mind playing with her; every day in front of the mirror she could swear she was just a little bit bigger, that she felt a little bit bigger, even though the scale said she’d only put on a few pounds.  But every one she felt.

 

Rarity took the chocolate bar down from the table above and took another large bite.  So good, she couldn’t help but clench and unclench.  She was getting still warmer back there, her tummy just as warm.  Rarity let the chocolate slip from her hooves and brought them to her face.  Her cheeks were full and soft, cuter than they’d ever been.  Making sultry, pouty faces was a losing fight now, but she’d made up for it with something like Pinkie Pie’s bubbly grin tinted with luxury, lust, and inner strength.  If she really let go, though, she could match the baker’s beam in every way.  She’d never realized before just how much Pinkie’s little bit extra impacted the little details of her appearance, not until she had the same little bit extra.

 

Rarity ate another piece and shuddered.  Her neck had never been her most fit part.  It had always been soft and less toned than the rest of her body, even at the peak of her fitness.  Now it was entirely soft, a wrap of cushion that gave her a strangely “full” appearance at all times, puffed out her chest, and hinted its desire to become a proper second chin .  Applejack, who’d been the most outspoken against Rainbow’s weight gain, had cheerfully joked just the day before that hugging her neck was like hugging a stuffed toy now.  Rarity blushed and smiled at the memory, massaging her throat as her hooves continued their journey south.

 

Rarity took another bite of chocolate… then forced a second, her mouth so full she couldn’t move her tongue.  She quaked as she began to slide her hooves across her tummy.  It wasn’t THAT big, not really, but to Rarity it was big and bold and wonderful.  It was permanently stretched out from her Pep-ercorn binging, its voluminous capacity bulging out from the rest of her whether she was standing, sitting, or lying down.  A generous layer of padding spread over it, plush and pliable.  Rarity discovered early on that her newfound adipose was very sensitive in the right circumstances… this among them.  She lightly drew her hooves across her breadth, then reached down low, just below her navel, and pulled back, rubbing, massaging.  Her mouth still packed with chocolate, tongue swimming in a sea of bittersweet magnificence, Rarity hummed little moans of pleasure.  She pulled up to her middle and pressed down, the moldable middle spreading out to her sides.  But for that, for how soft she was, she’d look moderately pregnant.  But expecting mares didn’t spread like Rarity did; she drew her hooves to her sides and rubbed up and down, following a fold pressed up before each hoof, before pressing her sides back in, pushing her stomach up.  If she kept it up she was going to be so big.

 

Rarity swallowed and didn’t wait to bite off another chunk; the bar was diminishing.  Her mouth too full to scream, she moaned long and hard, hind legs stretched, fore legs hugging her belly.  The peak of the wave receeded and her rear shook in want and anticipation.  Her rear was much like her tummy, plump and pliant.  Lying down as she was now, it sank from her legs and spread against the floor… just a bit.  When she walked, she could feel it wiggle.  Sometimes she’d shake her rear just to feel that sensation, vibrations rumbling against her privates even with the slightest swing.  Her thighs were appropriately thick, again nothing like Rainbow, but enough that they’d begun to just barely tickle one another as she walked along.  The rest of her legs were also thicker, just enough that one found no bone when brushing against them.  Rarity reached down and grabbed her hind legs, then her thighs, both quivering, rubbing up and down, curling herself up a bit to reach.  Her belly piled up, feeling very satisfied, and she blushed again.

 

Rarity huffed and took another bite.  Her eyes moistened and she squeezed herself, pulling tight against her thighs, groaning as daintily as one could.  She felt her hindquarters moisten… no, they were already past that two bites ago.  She was wet.  This is where yoga paid off, though poor Rainbow was too big to really enjoy this perk.  No matter how flexible Dash got, her great bulky belly would never permit her to reach that far.  But Rarity wasn’t nearly so big… not yet at least.  She bit her lip as her hooves explored from her thighs, to her ass, to at last… she rubbed a single hoof along the length of her vulva.  She exhaled quick little breaths and shook throughout.  Heat radiated from her rear; want rocked her core; chocolate overwhelmed her tastebuds and filled her up.  As she shook, she could feel the liquefied treat slosh within her.  It was a wonder she didn’t get sick.  Her heart soared, her horn glistened with magical discharge.  She’d only just touched herself and already she felt ready to explode.  There was no stopping now.  Her hooves were occupied, massaging, probing, ready to go in.

 

Rarity rolled over, felt her doughy stomach spread over her fore legs as they reached for her vagina, and exhaled.  The last, largest piece of chocolate remained in the open wrapper, inviting on the floor.  Her neck stretched, mouth opened, and she gobbled it down, giving it no time to melt in her mouth for want of that kind of self-control.  Her ass slammed down as hard as she could, her belly smushed against her arms, her hooves just barely inside her; the pressure all combined against her interior and her whole existence rocked in ecstasy.  The chocolate was gone but she kept swallowing as though there was still something to swallow until at last she cried out, blasted with joy.  Her horn sparked and flared, bits of essence flying off in all direction.  Her vagina seared and squicked.  She’d never felt so big and so constricted, pressed against the floor and curled against herself.  Oh oh oh, quick exhales, and at last a long, electric pulse before she finally relaxed.  She uncurled, hooves withdrawn and messy, drawing fluid up her middle.  Her tongue lolled out as she rested her head on her cheek, steamy breaths charging out.  Her mind rested, blank, her horn tapped.

 

Moments passed.  It had not been comparable to sex.  It simply was sex.  Rarity’s mind wandered, wondered, and imagined just how good a stallion WITH chocolate would be.  An even kinkier proposition; it would take a while to build the courage to do it.

 

Across town, Bon Bon was already making a three-pound bar.