> Soarin Gives Rainbow Dash a Belly Rub > by Brony_Fife > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Rainbow Dash Gets Fat (And Then A Bunch of Other Stuff Happens) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This couldn’t have happened, Rainbow Dash thought. Not to her. I mean, come on—the chances of this kind of thing happening to Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, lay somewhere between impossible and incredibly stupid. But it happened anyway. She got fat. Rainbow Dash had been given some leave from her Wonderbolts training for three months, more than enough time to spend rockin’ Ponyville with her friends. But for one reason or another, none of her friends had any time to spare. Pinkie Pie and Applejack were tied up with work, Fluttershy was busy caring for a flock of endangered birds, Rarity would be in Canterlot for much of the foreseeable future attending fashion show after fashion show, and Twilight and Spike were both much too busy going back and forth between Canterlot and the Library. Twi never said why—just that it was important, top-secret stuff. They all had their excuses, but all that meant was that in the meantime, Rainbow Dash was left without a lot to do. She tried her moves at least once a day—but she got sick of them. She tried some of her other favorite activities—but she got sick of them, too. Nothing felt right to her anymore. Something was missing, something was just... off. It was complicated and perplexing, leaving Rainbow Dash irritable and unsatisfied. So she just stayed in her house. Her diet consisted of some considerably heavy meals—since she burned so much energy with her stuntwork—and now that she’d grown bored, lazy, and restless, that diet turned on her. Before she realized it, only a month passed before Rainbow Dash walked by a mirror and saw some light-blue whale waddling alongside her. Something had to be done, that much Rainbow Dash knew. But on the other hoof, curling into a ball underneath her bed felt like the proper thing to do. She shivered, biting her bottom lip. This can’t be happening, she thought. No way. No way, no way, no way. Should she try meeting any of her friends? Goodness, what would they think of her? Would they point and laugh? Rainbow Dash dreaded even going out into public at this size. Slowly, she crawled out from underneath her bed and trotted over to the mirror again. On her way there, Rainbow Dash noticed how the swell of her thighs wobbled, as if her butt had become a pair of giant water balloons clumsily bumping into each other. She noticed also how low her expanded belly seemed to hang below her, how it jiggled with every step she took. She became more and more self-conscious every step of her way to the mirror. Rainbow Dash stopped in front of it, looking at herself more closely. She frowned. Sighed. Jeez, she looked huge. Her flanks had ballooned wide enough to measure a doorway. Her belly wasn’t much better. Even her neck and face seemed to have packed some on. Her largely-proportioned body made her wings—once her most treasured possessions—seem comically tiny in comparison. Her hoof found its way to her face, and she groaned at herself in disappointment. “How the heck did this happen?” she asked nopony in particular. But all this revelation did was put Rainbow Dash right back where she began. What to do, what to do, what to do. Her stuntwork was the sole reason her diet didn’t fatten her up in the first place… With a clumsy crash to the ground, Rainbow Dash decided this idea was terrible. She picked herself off the ground, hoping nopony saw that. Or that nopony could see her now. Just as she feared, her wings couldn’t lift her as well or as high or taker her as fast as she was used to. Her body was just too heavy now, unable to perform the stuntwork that got her inducted into the Wonderbolts Academy to begin with. That was the thought that scared her the most. Too fat to fly meant too fat to be a Wonderbolt. Too fat to achieve the dream she wanted, too fat to reach the biggest goal of her life. All because she became careless with her meals and her choice in pastimes. Hot tears threatened to break. She wiped away at her eyes before she cast them back up from the ground. Before her was the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. She pursed her lips in thought. Could AJ help? “Well,” Applejack said as Rainbow Dash finished her story. “I see you got yourself in quite a fix, RD. Honestly, I never thought you ate as much as me.” She gave another kick to the apple tree behind her. The apples rained down and into the baskets around the tree’s base. Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow. “How much do you eat?” she asked. AJ smirked. “A lot,” she answered as she stacked the baskets atop one another. She carried them effortlessly on her back as she made her way back to the barn. “I’d have to, considerin’ how much energy I put into workin’ the farm.” Rainbow Dash followed, her body bouncing with every step. “Do you think you could let me work on your farm?” she asked. AJ turned to look at her. “I mean, I could totally use the exercise…” Applejack set down the baskets in the barn and turned around, scrutinizing Rainbow Dash. “Well, goodness knows Mac’n me could certainly use the help, with our upcomin’ catering ’n all.” She smiled. “Sure.” The days rolled by, Rainbow Dash keeping herself grounded for the time being until she was slender enough to maintain flight. The work was actually pretty strenuous—especially considering Rainbow Dash was a pegasus and not an earth pony. Pegasi were built for flight, earth ponies for power. While she didn’t have as much “apple output” as either of her employers, Rainbow Dash put forth nothing less than her best (which hopefully was still a lot). But by the end of the week, Rainbow Dash had trimmed down only a little. Maybe a wee tiny bit. Not enough to be all that noticeable. As polite as her friends were when they saw her, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel totally uncomfortable around them. Inadequate. She would speak to Fluttershy, ask her about the usual stuff—and suddenly, boom, Rainbow Dash envied her svelte, petite figure. Pinkie Pie? Well Pinkie Pie was Pinkie Pie—which meant she unintentionally drew attention to Rainbow Dash’s gargantuan gain. Twilight Sparkle? Lecture on proper dieting and exercise. From the mouth a world-renowned shut-in. Rarity? Rather not go there. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash was more self-conscious than ever before. And to make matters even worse… that catering job Applejack mentioned? It was for the Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash wanted to die. Like it wasn’t hard enough to keep away from Applejack’s delicious apple treats, not hard enough she had to subconsciously keep comparing her size to her friends’. Now that she was here, helping AJ deliver the treats to a rented room in Sugarcube Corner, all her superior officers gathered around for an afternoon of hanging out and eating confectionary, Rainbow Dash wanted more than ever to once again curl into a ball and hide. None of the Wonderbolts seemed to say anything about her body. Trying to be polite, Rainbow Dash supposed. Spitfire talked to her about how she was spending her leave, and never mentioned her noticeable fatness. But there were wandering eyes from the others. Disapproving looks. Shaking of heads. And then HE showed up. The moment Soarin cantered through that door apologizing for his tardiness, Rainbow Dash fought the urge to break down and cry. Ever since she was a teen, she’d held a crush on this Wonderbolt who’d risen in rank almost as fast as her hero Spitfire, eventually becoming Vice-Captain of the team. She’d kept that crush largely to herself, despite being unable to prevent herself from squealing in his presence like so many other fan-mares. His handsome facial features were complimented by his sky-blue color scheme, his pegasus wings bold and strong. They were powerful wings—beautiful wings. His dark blue mane conveyed a sense of electricity and fire, as if whatever force powering him could barely be contained in his body. With every movement, every step he took, a fleet of muscles whispered just beneath his fetching pelt. Rainbow Dash gulped as he walked closer to her. He greeted Spitfire first. “Sorry I’m late,” he apologized. Spitfire laughed as she raised a slice of apple pie to her mouth. “You always are,” she said. “Ironic, considering you were the one who recommended the apple treats.” Soarin shrugged as he walked around a blushing Rainbow Dash to get to the delicious pie. “Well hey, Sweet Apple Acres makes some sweet apple pie.” He helped himself to a slice. “I got kinda caught up in trying to figure out where Sugarcube Corner was, though.” Spitfire raised an eyebrow, coupling it with a disbelieving smirk. “You mean you didn’t think to just fly up in the air and look down?” Soarin chuckled a little as he swallowed. “You know me, Spitfire. I’m afraid of heights.” Spitfire responded with a slight chuckle and a shake of her head. Rainbow Dash remained silent, half-hoping Soarin would notice her, half-hoping he wouldn’t notice this winged blue hippopotamus that wandered into the bakery. Fortunately—or unfortunately—he looked aside to her as he bit into his pie. “Who’s this?” he asked. “R-Rainbow Dash,” she said quietly. Good grief! She sounded as meek as Fluttershy. Where’d that confident flyer Rainbow Dash disappear to? Did she get buried beneath all that flab and insecurity? Soarin chewed quietly for a few seconds before swallowing. “Really?” he asked. “I… kinda remember you skinnier.” Spitfire cringed at Soarin’s thoughtless statement as Rainbow Dash's blush intensified. An awkward silence descended on the three as the party around them continued unabated. “I, uh…” Rainbow Dash’s eyes darted about. “I-I have to go now.” She turned and left. Soarin watched her leave, chewing on his pie. “Huh,” he mused. “Wonder why she had to go so soon.” “Maybe it was that she was so embarrassed because the idiot stuffing pie in his face inadvertently called her ‘fat’,” Spitfire growled. She glared at Soarin intensely until he realized hismistake. He groaned and facehoofed, wishing he knew better than to just talk without thinking. He excused himself and darted out the bakery. He found a dismayed Rainbow Dash slowly trotting through Ponyville, simply wanting to go home—wanting this whole embarrassing day behind her. “Hey!” he called out. She paused as he flew nearer, gliding across the ground like a specter. “What?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as depressed and frustrated as she felt. He frowned and sighed. “I am so, so sorry for what I said back there. That was really thoughtless of me.” He bowed his head. “Forgive me?” A pause. A sigh blew through Rainbow Dash’s nostrils. “Yeah… Yeah, I forgive you.” She looked down. Still not able to see her hooves. Soarin clicked his tongue. “You, uh… well…” He ran his hoof through his mane shyly, the dark blue electric fire bending and waving under his touch. “Your… You might be facing a hu—a big—er, a problem.” Rainbow Dash connected the dots. “I’m not gonna be allowed back into the Wonderbolts unless I drop the weight I’ve gained. Right?” A sigh. A nod. “I mean, it’s not that we have anything against you,” Soarin continued, “but it might be a problem for a mare your size to—” He cut himself off with a facehoof and a groan. “Hey,” Rainbow Dash said evenly. “I get it. It’s not that you guys have anything against fatties, it’s that you can’t be sure I’ll be fit enough to perform my tricks.” She shrugged. “I get it.” With that, she turned and continued her waddling journey back home. Soarin watched her slowly walk away, the gears in his head spinning faster than usual. An idea struck him suddenly—a solution to Rainbow Dash’s mess, as well as a proper form of apology. “Wait,” he called out. “What if I help you?” “…What?” Soarin came closer, his eyes twinkling with ambition. “What if I help you lose the weight?” Rainbow Dash smirked. “By the end of my vacation? That might be asking for the impossible.” Soarin’s face fled from thoughtful to stern. “The Rainbow Dash I remember laughed in the face of impossible,” he said firmly. “That Rainbow Dash is somewhere inside you, and she wants to get back out there and fly.” His focused stare and intense words caused Rainbow Dash to blush slightly. He looked as sexy as he did in those posters she kept under her bed had on her wall. Soarin nodded with an aura of finality and authority. “I’m gonna help you find that Rainbow Dash again—the Rainbow Dash the Wonderbolts need like nothing else.” The moment this situation registered in Rainbow Dash’s mind—SOARIN WANTS TO TRAIN ME PERSONALLY OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH. "Where do I sign?" The next week was hectic. Hellish. Difficult. Scary. Puked a lot. But Rainbow Dash somehow survived Soarin’s insane training regimen. And she’d lost a few pounds to boot! Already she was in better spirits, having found a new direction. But that direction kept leading her back to Soarin. Her schoolgirl crush. Well, she was no teen filly anymore. A grown mare like her—with her talents and her motivation—should be able to impress a guy like Soarin, right? But at this size? It took a lot of personal strength to stay positive. It might take a while, but she’d be skinny again, and back in the Wonderbolts, and zipping around and just being generally awesome. But until then, she’d be carrying around all this spare mare. In fact, if she was going to be a plus-sized pegasus for the next couple months… When that particular thought crossed her mind on that particular afternoon on that particular day, Rainbow Dash wondered why she hadn’t thought to ask before. Her training for the day finished, she and Soarin decided to relax a bit in the clouds over Ponyville, merely shooting the breeze like they had after nearly every training session. Rainbow Dash had learned a lot about Soarin these past few days—and hopefully, Soarin had learned a lot about her. She never noticed her tendency to ramble (nor his) until these conversations. And then that thought crossed her mind. Rainbow Dash reclined in her cloud—now at least light enough to stand on clouds again—as Soarin finished another one of his awesome stories. This one had been about the time the Wonderbolts had to step in to stop a brownie invasion over in Fillydelphia. “…I’ll never forget that day,” Soarin finished. “We were lucky to get out alive. Brownies aren’t anything like they are in storybooks.” He laughed. “Just because they’re tiny doesn’t mean they can’t be scary. Every time I feel an itch, I get terrified I missed one and he hitched a ride.” Rainbow Dash shared a laugh with him. “The only brownies I’ve ever met were chocolate,” she giggled. Soarin’s smile broadened as he nodded. “Those are the best brownies.” A laugh. Then some quiet. Rainbow Dash looked over to Soarin as his attention wandered. She’d noticed before how his eyes seemed to travel—in the few times where she interacted with him before all this, even. His attention seemed rather short sometimes, while intensely focused other times. Soarin could go from a foal with ADD to a testosterone-fueled stallion and back again with only a little push. She’d have to make her suggestion now, before he excused himself and wandered away for the day. Rainbow Dash clicked her tongue. “Hey, Soarin?” “Yeah?” “Can you… Can you gimme a belly rub?” > Soarin Gives Rainbow Dash a Belly Rub (Or, The Reason You're Probably Even Reading This Story) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Soarin’s eyes popped open at her request, the tips of his ears snapping upward. A blush threatened his cheeks as heat built up in his ears. “Uh… wh-what?” he asked. Rainbow Dash looked at him, one eyebrow cocked quizzically. She reclined on her cloud as it gently made way for her considerable girth and placed her hoof on her belly. “You heard me,” she said. “I want a belly rub.” The heat in his face skyrocketed. Soarin was full-on blushing now. “C-Can I ask… why?” He mentally kicked himself for the mewling kitten his voice came out as. The fat in her face dimpled adorably as her lips—those perfect lips of hers—curled into that cute smile he knew he’d always love. That look in Rainbow Dash’s eyes, teasing and fun, tickled Soarin in tender spots he wasn’t aware he had. “Well, the way I see it,” she said as her hoof continued to lazily run the length of her plump middle, “it looks like it’s gonna take some time before I can shed all this weight. If I’m gonna be fat for a while, I might as well enjoy some of the perks.” It was hard to argue Rainbow Dash’s point. There wouldn’t be any harm in simply making the best of a bad situation. Not that being fat was a bad situation in Rainbow Dash’s case… That word—“fat”—struck Soarin in the face the moment it cantered playfully through his head, making him blush even harder. His mouth crumpled into a line that couldn’t make up its mind on whether it expressed defeat or confusion. Rainbow Dash giggled at his puppylike perplexity. “Yes or no?” Rainbow Dash asked. After a second, Soarin finally snapped back into the present situation. “Uh… sure.” Rainbow Dash had already reclined in her cloud, but now began to stretch, her movements reshaping the white fluffiness beneath her. Her limbs climbed in four directions, pulling the pronounced, perfect roundness of her belly into an almost ovular shape before she put her forelegs behind her head. Her body relaxed, her belly settling back into the perfect roundness from before. She motioned her head to signal she was ready. Almost shyly, Soarin fluttered over to his… his what, exactly? He’d never felt this excited over so innocuous a demand before. The prospect of settling a hoof into Rainbow Dash’s soft fat switched on every light in his mind, electrified every nerve in his body. She couldn’t be just a friend to him anymore—a crush, perhaps? He placed his hoof onto her belly slowly, taking in his first contact with Rainbow Dash. It didn’t cross his mind until now, but he’d never so much as touched Rainbow Dash before this. Not even a hug or a pat on the back in congratulation for her awesome performances, or in encouragement for the training he was putting her through. This first contact was therefore something special, not just the slight sinking of his hoof against her fat belly: it was the initial connection of Soarin to Rainbow Dash. He looked up and saw, in her eyes, that a similar realization likely crossed her mind too. She turned her head and coughed as she began to blush. Soarin smiled, taking that as his cue to really get started. His hoof glided over the fur of her belly, slowly tracing a circle around her heft. The heat in his face flared up as he marveled at just how soft Rainbow Dash was. How soft and how smooth—like a warm goose-down pillow. His other hoof pressed itself against her belly now, tenderly stroking Rainbow Dash’s generous girth. He felt her belly expand a bit—Rainbow Dash inhaling—and then contract a little—Rainbow Dash exhaling. Her new body even made the simple, everyday act of breathing magical. He’d seen a million overweight ponies, how their fat seemed to act with minds all their own. How gross and disgusting, with bodies that were nothing but flaps and bags of flesh all battling each other for dominance with every movement. Rainbow Dash was a different beast, though. Despite her eagerness to lose this extra weight, she kept her fat under her command at all times. She was perfectly round where it counted—especially her belly and her flanks—and her body would only jiggle and bounce when she wanted it to. Soarin found other fat ponies to be gross, but Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash was beautiful. There was no other word he could think of, cliché as it was. Should he say something? Soarin couldn’t think of anything that didn’t sound stupid. Even an honest admission of Rainbow Dash’s beauty would probably make her want to call this whole thing off. He elected to say nothing his hooves could not—increasing the speed of every gentle glide around her voluminous barrel. Soarin began to get into it now, his hooves starting near the top of her belly before travelling lower, then curving back up with small, circular motions. Rainbow Dash relaxed a little more, breathing a contented sigh through her nostrils while her eyes fell into a dreamy, half-lidded trance. The pleased smile on her face excited Soarin even more. It took more willpower than he thought he had to not take Rainbow Dash right then and there. “Hey,” Rainbow Dash said suddenly. Soarin snapped back up. He’d been too hypnotized by how soft she was to notice she’d probably been looking at him for a whole minute. “Y-Yes?” he asked. Almost ten seconds ticked away before Rainbow Dash breathed deep. Soarin’s hooves, still on Rainbow Dash’s belly, were given another helping of that magical breathing. “Can you, maybe, uh…” Her eyes darted as she blushed again. “Can you go a little… lower?” She smiled, her confidence beginning to shake like a cup full of dice. “That would… be totally awesome.” Soarin gulped, but retained his smile. The beads of sweat on his forehead began to crawl down his face as his hooves slid further down Rainbow Dash’s stomach—down until each one rested at either thigh, her flanks rippling upon the gentle impact. Then he brought them back up, and around, encompassing the entire width of Rainbow Dash's belly, before bringing them in low again, then repeating. Soarin must have been blushing something awful, because he heard Rainbow Dash snicker. “What’s so funny?” he asked. “You,” she said. “You act like you’ve never touched a mare before.” Soarin didn’t know how to answer that. His ears lowered. “I… haven’t, actually.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened before she burst out laughing. “Really?” she said. “Mr. Vice-Captain of the Wonderbolts himself has never been with a mare?” “OK, so that came out wrong,” Soarin said with a smile. He continued to stroke her plush paunch as he explained. “I mean, I’ve never… given a belly rub before. I’ve massaged mares. I’ve kissed and snuggled and fooled around a little, yeah, but never a belly rub.” He seemed pensive for a moment. “Nothing all that serious, either.” She raised an eyebrow. “Nothing serious? What, you mean you’re… still a virgin?” The belly rub stopped. Soarin snorted, then laughed as he blushed sheepishly as he reluctantly said, “Well… yeah.” “No way!” Rainbow Dash laughed. “I don’t buy that!” Soarin’s good humor dissipated almost instantly, his smile deflating into a defeated smirk. “Well, whether or not you’re buying, that’s what I’m selling until the right customer comes along,” he said quietly. His hooves once again glided about Rainbow Dash’s belly, like ice skaters on a rink. For a moment, Rainbow Dash was terrified she’d offended Soarin. Before she could offer an apology, Soarin started speaking again. “Groupies often offer to take it, you know,” he sighed. “But I know they’re only in it for my costume. For the badge on my uniform. Maybe that’s good enough for some of the Wonderbolts… but not this one.” His hooves traveled lower, again resting at Rainbow Dash’s ample thighs. He lightly pressed his hooves into either side of Rainbow Dash’s chub, pushing into her belly before letting it return to its original shape. His hooves began slowly drawing circles into each side, going down, then up. “So I tried dating other celebrities. Some of the mares on the team, a few musicians. Even one or two actresses.” Rainbow Dash was only half-listening at this point, enchanted by how “into-it” Soarin’s belly rub was. She nodded—celebrity dating, other Wonderbolts, musicians, actresses… “So… you tried dating Spitfire?” she asked. Soarin looked Rainbow Dash in the eye with a mischievous smirk. “Well, that was before I found out she’s a lesbian,” he said. Rainbow Dash blushed. She imagined that must have been awkward. “How about Fleetfoot?” Soarin slid his hooves from her sides to her front now. He made slow, gentle pulling motions away from the center of her belly, teasing her fat into spreading a little before bringing his hooves back towards the center and repeating. “She’s hopeless,” he chuckled as he continued to roll her roly-poly belly. “She’s in love with some…” One hoof left Rainbow Dash’s middle and was waved dismissively. “…Some… guy—I don’t remember his name. The way she talked about him, I don’t think he even knows she exists.” “How do you know?” she asked. His emerald-green eyes were curtained by mischievous eyelids as his smirk twisted some more. “Because Fleetfoot and I have been friends forever, even before we joined the ’Bolts. I know when she’s full of it.” He focused his attention, once again, on the baby blue belly below him. He mixed his movements up a little, his hooves rubbed and rolled its roundness, Rainbow Dash’s fullness squashing and stretching beneath his touch. “Tried getting together with some other celebs. Turns out most of ’em are weirdos or losers—not that I’m much better. But they were pretty outta my range anyway.” Some silence. Soarin's eyes flicked up to her face and he suddenly wanted, for a moment, to touch it. It was round, full—like the rest of her now. Her wide, magenta eyes possessed not just the courage he became attached to, but a flurry of different emotions. Her sensitivity. Her joyfulness. Her plump cheeks had gone red, her lips pressed tightly together. Her eyes darted away the moment she caught Soarin staring at her. “...Yeah?” he asked. Rainbow Dash continued to look away demurely for a second before meeting Soarin’s eyes again. “Soarin? What do you think of me?” A train wreck of different things he could say collided and meshed within Soarin’s mind. He could tell her the truth—she’s fat, but she’s beautiful—and he could tell her even more of the truth—I admire your tenacity and courage and I want you by my side forever. But he had to word it carefully; Rainbow Dash had already angsted about her ample proportions, and he'd been insensitive about it before. He sighed deeply before answering. “Why does it matter what I think of you?” Soarin never wanted to facehoof himself so hard until that moment. Of course she cared. He just got through saying that other celebrities were losers—which was way out of line to begin with (way to go, genius!)—and he suddenly said his opinion didn’t matter and—ugh! But instead of meeting his answer with scorn or confusion, Rainbow Dash merely scratched at her ear as her blush deepened. “Well… like… um…” That was about when it finally hit Soarin. The crush was mutual. Had to be. But no! Wait, wait, wait, don’t act on it! Don’t ruin this! If he ruined it, Soarin ruined it like a pro. His lips were on Rainbow Dash’s before she could properly articulate her thought. Their lips mashed for a bit before Soarin’s tongue poked at Rainbow Dash's mouth, asking to be let in. Just as shyly as her failed declaration of love, Rainbow Dash opened her mouth and Soarin’s tongue, rough and masculine, entered and courted hers. Their two tongues danced under several waves of hot breath. Their kiss was sweet, but short. Rainbow Dash squeaked as she shot up, throwing Soarin off her. She stood up, gravity taking hold of her impressive belly and pulling it down. Her wings pumped, achieving lift astoundingly well for somepony her size. Her normally-cyan face was by now a deep tomato red, her eyes shimmering with tears. “I-I’m sorry, Soarin, this is—I gotta—but—no—I—gah!” Soarin ran a hoof through his mane. “No,” he said with a wave of his hoof. “Rainbow Dash, that was my fault. I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have... done that.” He looked aside to see Rainbow Dash wiping the tears from her face. With a quiet flap of his wings, Soarin darted over to her, putting his forelegs around her and burying his face into her neck. “I’m so, so sorry if that’s not what you wanted,” he said, his voice muffled by Rainbow Dash’s body. “I didn’t mean to scare you!” Rainbow Dash returned the hug. “It’s not your fault, I freaked out. I just… I feel so ugly, and now you’re all into me and I…” Her back hutched with a sob. “…and I look like this!” Soarin pulled away from her with a look of concern. “Rainbow Dash, don’t you dare say that!” Rainbow Dash held a gasp. His voice was… commanding again. Passionate. Confident. “Don’t you dare think anything less of yourself. There’s a... a deep and significant difference between being fat and being ugly—and you’re hardly what I’d call ugly!” He put a hoof to her face, stroking it just as gently as he had stroked her belly. “Rainbow Dash, you... are... the most beautiful mare I’ve ever met,” he said. “I realize now, you were beautiful when you were skinny. And you’re beautiful now that you’re fat—and that’s difficult for anypony to pull off. You know why you’re beautiful no matter what shape you are?” Rainbow Dash sniffed. “…Why?” “’Cause you’re you. It sounds really cliché, but so long as you never lose your courage and determination, so long as you never change on the inside—you’ll always be beautiful.” Soarin’s vision began to swim. “…To me,” he finished, his voice a boyish whisper. There was silence, save for the occasional chirping of birds. The warm sunlight cascaded upon them as if approving their mutual feelings for one another. Rainbow Dash and Soarin shared another look before diving into a second kiss, this one much more passionate and long-lasting. “...So. That’s how you two got together?” Twilight asked, clapping her book shut. Rainbow Dash—now her original, aerodynamic slimness after such a long and brutal regimen—trotted across the library floor with a big grin on her face. Her wings fluttered proudly. “Yeah,” she said before stopping. "We've been steady ever since." Her smile slipped a little. There was a pause that Twilight didn’t like. “...Something wrong?” she asked. A second or so passed before Rainbow Dash gave a shrug. “Well," she sighed, "it’s complicated.” “But I thought everything was going great for you two,” Twilight said. “What’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash frowned as she continued to trot about the library. “Well, the thing is… I don’t think I’m impressing Soarin much these days.” “Why? Because you aren’t fat anymore?” An unsure shrug. “...Maybe.” Twilight shelved some more books. “Maybe you should bring this up to Soarin?” “That's the thing,” Rainbow Dash said as she leaned against a wall. “I did. You know what he told me? He said, ‘Rainbow Dash, I don’t want you throwing away your dreams of being a Wonderbolt just because I have some silly fetish.’” Twilight looked at her friend more closely. “He said that?” She nodded. “Yeah. That's Soarin for you, though… you know, he just…” Rainbow Dash met Twilight’s eyes. “He puts me first in everything he does.” Twilight caught a warped twinkling in Rainbow Dash’s eyes as her voice tightened. “Like... everything. And that means a lot to me. You know? I just wanna impress him like how he impresses me every day we get outta bed.” Twilight pressed her hoof against her lips in thought, weighing in the details she'd been given. “So… he’s attracted to ‘chubby’ you, but at the same time, he respects you enough that he has no desire to control you to benefit his new-found fetish.” “In a nutshell, yeah.” A second or so of silence. Twilight smiled. She looked this way, that way—as if making sure nopony else was looking in. Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow as Twilight’s horn shimmered and a book was pulled down from a nearby shelf. Its cover read, Shape Changing Magic: From You, To Something New! Twilight flipped it open as her smile became more mischievous. Fox-like. “Well,” she said as she held the open book out to Rainbow Dash. On it was written a spell that could transform a thin pony into a fat pony. “I think I can help you indulge him a little.” Rainbow Dash's lips split into a smile just as mischievous as Twilight’s. “I knew there was a reason we were friends!” she laughed as she playfully punched Twilight on the shoulder.