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// Enter, the Best Friends! 
// Story: The Great Wubtub 
// by The Great Wub Tub 
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        “She’s...doing...what, exactly? I’m sorry, but like, what you just described me is so completely and totally stupid and moronic that I don’t think even she’d be dumb enough to even attempt such a crazy plan!” Bubblegum Pop snorted, the dark pink diva stretched out on her massive couch, just basking in her top floor penthouse somewhere in Manehatten. Golden statues of herself still to welcome outside the doors of the penthouse, and outside of the building an electronic banner was constantly displaying her latest fashions, songs, and merchandise. Bubblegum Pop Central, BPC, it read at the top of the building in big, bright shining letters. 
        “U-Um, well, Miss Bubblegum Pop, ma’am, it was reported that Vinyl Scratch appeared at a music competition at Mighty Meals and Music Emporium, downtown. At first we believed that she might be pregnant, judging from the bump in her stomach, but, well, after listening in for a little while longer...It was gathered that she’s intentionally getting fat to reach out to the plus sized demographic…” The shy pony mumbled, pressing their index fingers together and slinking away from Bubblegum Pop. The pop star, tween idol stared at the secretary pony for a few minutes longer, her face blank, looking quite bored, if anything, before once more she spoke.
        “Inkpot, come here...NOW.” Bubblegum Pop barked out, the other pony nodded shakily before getting onto their hands and knees, crawling forward so that they were face to face with Bubblegum Pop, not daring to stand higher than the filly. Bubblegum Pop reached into the mini fridge under her couch, before taking out a can of BPC brand fizzy pop from it’s depths, cola flavor. Bubblegum Pop opened the can, taking a heavy swig of it, before suddenly spitting the entire mouthful into Inkpot’s face, staining the secretary's glasses with the foul, brown liquid.
        “I-I’m sorry, Miss BP! Y-Y-You just commanded that I keep an eye on DJ Pon3 and her significant other, Octavia, just incase they tried to do anything, like make a comeback or something! I thought that this wa...wa...warranted notice!” Inkpot stammered, but Bubblegum Pop just reached an arm out, and dumped the rest of the cola on top of the other pony’s head, her face filled with contempt. When the contents were dumped out, Bubblegum Pop crushed the can, and threw it directly into Inkpot’s face.
        “I only want to be alerted if they do anything SERIOUS, you IDIOT. Now, get this mess cleaned up, right now! Also, I want you to have them stop all production of BPC Cola, it tastes nasty now!” Bubblegum Pop directed, waggling and brushing at her tongue.
        “B-But, we brought BPC Cola back just last week!” Inkpot stuttered, getting back onto her hooves, only to receive the glaring eyes of Bubblegum Pop.
        “And now I want it discontinued! Don’t question what I say, just do it, you ninny!” Bubblegum Pop shouted, Inkpot nodding her head before turning and running from the room, no doubt to grab some janitorial staff for the large stain on the carpet. Bubblegum Pop just leaned back onto her couch, before a wicked grin began to grow across her features. “Let that big dumbo try and get fat! I won’t even have to drive her music career into the ground anymore, she’ll do it all herself! Bubblegum Pop is gonna be on top of the boards forever, baby!! All of Equestria’s ponies will love me, Bubblegum Pop!” The pony cackled, laughing loudly into the empty penthouse, basking in her own glory and expert planning.

***

        “Um, Tavi, I know what I said back at the buffet and all that, but it was more of a metaphorical, spur of the moment, I’m totally not serious sort of thing!” Vinyl Scratch pleaded, but her pleading only got a hearty laugh out of Octavia, who was gripping Vinyl’s hand and pulling her along behind herself, the cellist walking with determination and purpose. 
        “Actually, Vinyl, believe it or not, your words aren’t the only thing motivating me! It just reminded me! Our friends from Ponyville are in town, Lyra and Bonbon! They’re opening up a new candy shop, and they’ll be in Manehatten for awhile. Can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner. So, while Show Time is out and about, trying to find out a deal...somewhere, we’ll be on our own mission.” Octavia informed the alabaster DJ, Vinyl blinked a few times, before her face lit up.
        “Oh, Lyra and Bonbon are in town!? Why didn’t you say so sooner?! And, uh...what do they have to do with our, um, mission?” Vinyl inquired curiously, cocking her head towards Octavia, who stopped, only to turn and give Vinyl a wide, almost wicked grin.
        “First off, I didn’t tell you because they called yesterday while you were out in a food coma, and I didn’t think of it until now...as for what they have to do with our mission.” Octavia said, before reaching forth and gripping the soft flab of Vinyl’s pot belly, making the mare give off a soft squeak. “If there is any couple in Equestria that can’t only plump you up, but give us tips on being an even better feeder and feedee pair, it is those two love birds. You remember how thin Lyra was in music school right? You thought that her weight gain was just a coincidence to go along with meeting Bonbon?” Octavia smirked, Vinyl thinking about it.
        Back in musical academy, Lyra had been as thin as a twig, giving even Vinyl a run for her money! Then, they graduated, and Lyra had fallen in love with the young, candy creating entrepreneur known as Bonbon. Ever since then, Lyra had went from twig to big, and Bonbon’s constant fawning over the mint colored mare’s size suddenly made a lot more sense.
        “...I feel dumb now. I just thought Bonbon made good candy.” Vinyl blanched, which simply got a snicker from Octavia. 
        “Oh, she does, Scratchie...But she can make a whole lot more than ‘just’ good candy. A whole...whole lot more. She showed me once, during a time when you and Lyra were off at some convention. The things I saw, the things her candy was capable of…” Octavia stood silent for amount, staring through Vinyl, off into the past, remembering, reminiscing. Suddenly, she returned to the present, face beaming with determination, taking one of Vinyl’s hands into both of her own. “I’d stake my life on their ability to help us out now in our time of need! Do you trust me, Vivi?” Octavia asked, staring directly into Vinyl’s eyes, the DJ stunned for a few moments, mouth agape, before she shut it firmly, and gave a nod.
        “Yeah, I trust you, Octi.” Vinyl smiled softly. Octavia leaned in, and stole a kiss from the white unicorn, before they were suddenly off against, Octavia pulling Vinyl by her hand, Vinyl following with a renewed vigor inside of herself. Octavia hadn’t steered her wrong on this quest yet, and more than that, the entire thing had actually been a little fun so far! So, if Octavia wanted Vinyl to trust her about this latest step on their strange adventure! Plus, any excuse to hang out with Lyra and Bonbon against sounded good to her.
        After a few more minutes of walking down the busy Manehatten streets, and stopping to buy Vinyl’s hungry pot belly a doughnut so that it’d be silenced, they finally arrived in front of the shop. ‘Sweetie Drops Candies and Treats’ it read on the outside window and the sign above the store, Bonbon’s cutie marks serving as a large identifying factor. A small help wanted sign rested in the corner of the window, and a ‘closed’ sign hung over the door, but neither of the musicians paid it too much mind. Vinyl stared idly at the name on the sign, a small look of confusion on her face. She’d never quite gotten why Bonbon insisted on putting her stores under the Sweetie Drops name, but she didn’t question it. With a breath for good luck, Octavia and Vinyl moved into the store.
        A soft jiggle of a bell heralded the arrival of the pair, and before them stretched exactly how you’d want a candy store to look. A wide, open floor with a fountain of various candies in the center, eager to fill up various sized baggies. The walls to either side, reaching up to the ceiling, filled with sweets and treats and candy bars galore. Vinyl felt her mouth hang slightly agape once more, eyes scanning over the bounty in front of herself. Her stomach gave a small growl, and all Vinyl could do was give it a few comforting pats. They were here for bigger fish, after all. The gentle music of a lyre filled the air, the counter left empty. Octavia sashayed her way forward, a smug look on her face, before beginning to idly tap on the service bell on the counter, starting gently at first, but getting more insistent with each passing second, working her way up to a crescendo, face filled with childish delight, until finally a voice broke through her ceaseless ringing of the bell.
        “Can’t you see that the sign outside says closed!?” A voice huffed, Vinyl bouncing slightly on her hooves, excitement building in herself. The door to the back of the shop opened up, and in stepped an utter visage for the pair of musicians.
        Lyra, back in musical academy, had been tall and lanky. The typical awkward bodied mare. Now, though, she had truly blossomed into an entirely different kind of pony. Cheeks were thick, round and rosy, joined by a second chin to give her face a rounded, adorable, chuberic look to it. Her neck had thickened slightly, and she possessed a pair of meaty shoulders that connected to equally as meaty arms, even the fingers slightly thicker, yet still maintaining their dexterity. Her breasts had bloomed out, becoming to mighty milk jugs indeed, barely contained by the T-Shirt that tried to hold them, which only wanted to advertise the store front. Her breasts, the size of large watermelons, looming above a gut that had been lovingly grown out into a curve of it’s own, the type that would jiggle and quake with each step. Going further south, her wide hips were squeezed into some black khakis, the fabric doing it’s best to contain the adipose of her hips, her chunky ass, those thighs and calves, all of it summing up to give Lyra a surplus, desirable hour glass figure.
        “Lyra!!!” Vinyl Scratch declared with glee, leaping over the counter without another moment of hesitation, colliding with the surplus sized mare, who only yelped out in surprise, fat frame locked into a hug, before she burst into an equal amount of laughter and glee, wrapping her arms around Vinyl, the pair spinning briefly before pulling apart just slightly, gripping one another’s arms and bouncing up and down. “Celestia, look at you! You look great!” Vinyl beamed, Lyra just laughing along with the mare.
        “What are you two even doing here!? You should have called! Said that you were coming! Me and Bonners, we’ve just been so busy, and yeeee it’s just so great that you two are here! I’m sure Bons will be just as happy! What’s this about, cordial? Business? Candy?” Lyra fired off her rapid fire questions, before she gazed down at the bump Vinyl sported, before gasping softly, eyes snapping between the pair. “Is Vinyl pregnant?!” Lyra blurted out, staining the cheeks of the alabaster unicorn crimson. Octavia just smirked, before stepping around the counter to lift up Vinyl’s shirt, and give her potbelly a quick smack, sending it jiggling.
        “Even better. Where’s Bonbon? We’ve gotten discuss with her the matter at hand.” Octavia said, giving the belly another flick. Vinyl blushed and squirmed slightly, while Lyra’s eyes just filled with total wonderment about what was going on before her. The grin that grew on her face was enough to send a shiver down Vinyl’s spine. What had she gotten herself into now?
        “Bonbon’s in ‘the lab’. Come on, I’m sure she’ll be totally excited! No, thrilled about this. If you’re here for what I’m thinking, we got just the right candy for ya.” Lyra winked, before turning and making her way through the back door and down the steps into the basement of the building. Vinyl and Octavia exchanged a quick look, Vinyl slightly worried, Octavia nothing but confidence, before the pair of them nodded and began to follow Lyra down the same steps. In for a penny, in for a pound, or a hundred of them, give or take. 
        The atmosphere of the shop changed completely as the trio made their way underground. The friendly guise of bringing smiles to fillies faces and filling the world with sweets was gone. No, as they dove into the depths of the basement, this became the world of delving into untold candy arts that the mind could hardly stand to comprehend, of crafting treats that were illegal for very good reasons. Of pushing the boundries from just plain candy, into borderline obsession. Large test tubes of various colored liquids bubbled against the wall, while under their hooves was a thick, glass floor, hiding under it vats of unknown substances, popping and churning. A shelf filled with unknown materials lined one wall, and it all seemed to come together in a simple contraption in the center of the room. All in all, the same design as upstairs, just a different theme.
        “Bons! You’ll never guess who’s here! Vinyl and Octavia!” Lyra shouted into the basement, Vinyl and Octavia following close behind her. They knew better than to go around touching anything. This may as well have been the lab for a mad scientist, and they’d watched enough B movies to know how that usually went. 
        “Vinyl and Octavia!? Tell them to hold on a minute!” Bonbon’s voice echo’d through the basement, the sounds of a clutter and crashes being heard in the back, another separate room. Vinyl could scarcely think of what went on in there, before Bonbon suddenly burst through the door, dressed in a lab coat with heavy industrial gloves and goggles. Apparently, whatever did go on back there, Vinyl didn’t want to know. The mare removed her gloves and goggles, before just grinning at the pair, giving them a rather...sultry expression. “Well, well, well, this is an unexpected, very pleasant surprise. What’s the occasion?” Bonbon asked, making her way forward, looking over the pair.
        “We need help. I know you’ve been busy, so the squabbles of us big time musicians have probably been placed to the backburner, but Vinyl’s in dire straits. Her career is on the line, and I think I have the perfect way to fix it. A total rebranding and reimaging of her image, along with more music.” Octavia said, Bonbon stopping in front of them, leaning into Lyra’s plush form and unashamedly giving a squeeze to the large mare’s rump, while her eyes flicked between Vinyl and Octavia.
        “While, Octavia, you know that you’re our best friends, I don’t see how exactly we can help.” Bonbon said, Lyra giving Vinyl a sympathetic look, while the alabaster DJ blushed a bit, preparing for what was coming. Octavia didn’t skip a beat, before she lifted up Vinyl Scratch’s shirt, and gave her belly a firm slap.
        “I plan on getting Vinyl up to a good, plus sized weight, so that she can market herself for all the big mares out there in the world, and have a chance. Bubblegum Pop said that the new music business is all about branding and standing for more than music? Well, Vinyl is gonna stand up for all the fat chicks out there.” Octavia said, giving a firm nod, while Vinyl blushed, shifting where she stood.
        “And, um, we were hoping that you could help us out with becoming a better feederism couple. The whole fat appreciation and all that…” Vinyl Scratch blushed once again, while Lyra and Bonbon stood there, whispering between one another, Vinyl and Octavia left to stand in silence while the pair decided what to do exactly about the pair. Finally, Lyra reached forward, and placed her hands firmly onto Vinyl’s shoulders, gazing straight into the mare’s face.
        “Vinyl, you gotta be totally honest with me right here and now. Do you want to get fat? I don’t mean chubby, I don’t mean thick, I mean outright fat, so that you can actually be the poster mare for mares out there like me. If you don’t want it, you won’t be able to fit the horseshoes you’re looking to fit here. Simple as that.” Lyra informed, staring Vinyl directly in the face. Vinyl stared forward, eyes wide, the weight of Lyra’s words resting on top of her.
        Vinyl had, in the last few weeks, honestly never thought about it too in depth. Did she really want to be fat, and more than that, to represent an entire demographic? That’d never quite been her style in the first place, dealing with too much stress. That’s why she didn’t have the most loyal of fanbases. Sure, Vinyl Scratch knew that she could make music just fine, but beyond that, it always came as a challenge to her. It was why she was so grateful to Octavia and Show Time, they had done most of the heavy lifting for her in her music career. Dealing with fans, with clients, signing the deals, Vinyl had just been able to breeze through it all without a care in the world. Things had been easy, and the moment they got hard, her music career fell apart. Could she really fit the horseshoes Lyra described. Vinyl thought of looking towards Octavia, to find some guidance, but then it wouldn’t be what she wanted, now would it? Vinyl focused on Lyra. It wouldn’t be hard, to just turn around, to go home, fade into obscurity, let Bubblegum Pop win. Maybe find a nice, cozy job working a cash register at a music store…?
        Vinyl suddenly reached forward, gripping Lyra by her own shoulders, staring deeply into the golden eyes of the mint mare over the rims of her smaller, ‘casual’ shades, gripping that fat, her face looking the most determined it had in months.
        “No. I don’t want to get fat. I NEED to get fat, and I need to know how to be a proper fatty, and we need your help to make it happen. So, please, by Celestia, can ya help us out?” Vinyl suddenly pleaded, Octavia visibly taken aback by the sudden spirit coming out of Vinyl. Bonbon simply smiled, quite impressed herself. The Vinyl she knew was a mare who was more likely to hide behind those big shades of hers and crawl under her turn tables then even think about facing a problem head on. Whatever that outburst had been, it was definitely a welcome change compared to the norm. Lyra stood there, resolute and silent for a few moments, before her face turned to one of delight once more, letting go of Vinyl’s shoulders and clapping her hands once.
        “Well, awesome! Come on over here, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know! Bonbon and Octavia should probably go in the back and discuss their view of things, and make the perfect candy just for you!” Lyra cheered, before speeding to start and guide Vinyl away. The DJ glanced towards Octavia, who gave the mare a thumbs up, before turning and beginning to follow after Bonbon into the back room, where they’d begin not only crafting the candy that would plump out Vinyl’s waistline, but put her into the game for real. 
        Lyra took Vinyl to the far corner of the room, before sitting the mare down, and taking a step back. Vinyl stared up at Lyra, who just stood there for a few moments, silently, tapping her hoof for a few minutes, before giving out an aggravated huff, turning, and flopping her large rear next to Vinyl on the corner couch. 
        “Uh, something the matter?” Vinyl asked, cocking her head at the hearty mare.
        “Well, I was going to just streamline the whole process by singing to you about being a fatty, but since we’re not main or even side characters, coming up with songs on the fly is a bit of a pain in the ass, especially since in this medium all that could be provided are lyrics.” Lyra explained, pouting. Vinyl just stared at the other mare, her mouth pressed into a line as she just accepted her friends typical weirdness. Lyra just shook her head, before putting back on her game face, turning to Vinyl. “But that’s not important right now! What’s important, is filling you in on being a good feedee!” Lyra spoke, Vinyl nodding and putting on her own game face.
“Simply put, Vinyl, the whole process has to be enjoyable. Eating, binging, fullness, bellyrubs, fat appreciation, all of that has to feel as good to you as foreplay! Trust me, once you get that down...mff…” Lyra shuddered slightly, chewing her bottom lip. Vinyl just stared at her friend, cheeks lighting up a bright crimson once more, a slight fear rising that her friend might decide to get some relief while sitting right next to Vinyl...before she suddenly snapped out of it, almost making Vinyl jump. “Secondly, confidence is key! If you’re gonna represent us fatties, ya gotta be confident about it, work it girl! That means that you’re gonna have to invest in some tube tops! Put what you got on display! Besides that, well...It’s just enjoying a new kind of relationship with your partner. Like, in a proper feederism relationship...Your body is the sexiest thing in the world. Straight up, and the fact that they can take credit for it is even better. Hell of a time. There’s also this thing called mutual feederism, buuut that’s a totally different beast...BUT, Ya get what I’m laying down?” Lyra asked, cocking her head.
“I mean...I think so, yeah! If I’m gonna show off for you big gals, I better be confident about it, but behind closed doors, I can just sit back, relax, and let Tavi do most of the work with my future fat self?” Vinyl asked, Lyra just grinning and giving a double thumbs up to the mare.
“Yep, that’s pretty much all there is to it! Plus, I’m sure you’ll find lots of fun ways to work your flub on your own....Bonbon likes to eat candy out of my belly button sometimes...mff…” Lyra shuddered, before Vinyl gave her friend a firm pat on the shoulder. Same old, uncensored Lyra. Yet, that was part of the reason that they were such good friends, now wasn’t it? 
The door opposite of the room suddenly opened, and out stepped the pair of earth ponies, Bonbon striding out with swagger, a wide grin on her face, while Octavia seemed to be rather hot, her cheeks flushed, rubbing at her arm slightly. Bonbon was holding something in her hand, and making a B line for Vinyl Scratch. 
“We’ve all come to an agreement! Oh, this is exciting!” Bonbon said, before reaching out and grabbing Vinyl by the hand, tugging her onto her hooves without another word, the DJ just releasing a yelp while being led by Bonbon to a full body mirror which had lowered from the ceiling, the excitement radiating off of the mad mare doubtless. She was obviously eager to see whatever was going to go down, well, go down. When they stopped in front of the mirror, Bonbon placed a large, circular candy in Vinyl’s hand, a smile on her face. “Just pop this into your mouth, and start suckling away. The effects will become apparent soon enough.” Bonbon smiled, Vinyl just shrugged, before popping the large jaw breaker into her mouth.
Then, she waited.