"There's just more of me to love!"
When you are a member of royalty, there are certain rules of social decorum and appearances that you're expected to follow. Most ponies wouldn't consider hopping from hoof to hoof on a train platform with a big, eager smile on one's face to be adhering to those rules. In Twilight Sparkle's case, however, she felt she could make an exception, since she had every reason to be excited.
As if on cue, the cause of her excitement appeared on the horizon; a sleek, high-speed streamlined train bearing the banners of the Crystal Empire was speeding towards the station. Twilight let out a little squeal of excitement. That train was carrying her big brother, Shining Armour, who had agreed to spend a couple of days in Ponyville with her for some quality brother-sister time. Needless to say, Twilight was very eager to see her BBBFF again, especially since it would be the first time in a long time that he'd come to Ponyville.
The train hit the brakes with a grating metallic squealing noise as it drew closer to the station, before smoothly drifting to a gentle stop at the platform. Almost as soon as the train had stopped moving, the door on the carriage immediately behind the locomotive was thrown open. Two crystal guards stepped out of the train and bowed respectfully to Twilight, before they briefly surveyed the platform. When they were satisfied that there were no threats present, one of them motioned to somepony else to come out. Twilight beamed delightedly as she stepped forward, ready to give a warm Sparkle family welcome to her... her...
Her... extra-big brother?
Cadance had mentioned in one of her letters that Shining had put on weight over the months, but Twilight had assumed that it was just a bit of pudge. This, though, went far beyond that. Shining was... well, he was downright fat. He was wide enough that the sides of his barrel were scraping the door frame as he stepped off the train, his soft flesh squishing up against the hard crystal. As he stepped off the train proper, his weight gain became clear for the world to see. His once toned and rock-hard abdomen had swollen out into a big, soft belly that bounced up and down a little with every slightly lumbering step he took. Behind him, an equally capacious rump seemed to bounce in time with it, like a metronome. A soft, flabby second chin had formed around his neck, and his cheeks had taken on a cherubic appearance. Those same cheeks formed a pair of cute-looking dimples as he smiled upon seeing his little sister.
"Hey, Twily!" he said happily, trotting over and pulling Twilight into a hug as the guards wordlessly got back on the train behind them. "Long time no see, huh?"
"Um... y-yeah," Twilight stuttered, automatically returning the hug and idly noting how soft to the touch Shining had become. She was still trying to process just how much he had filled out. "It's great to see you again, BBBFF."
"Likewise, li'l sis," Shining chuckled, as he ruffled Twilight's mane before pulling out of the hug. "Say, you fancy getting something to eat? It was one long journey here, and I am hungry. Are there any good food joints near here?"
"Um..." Once again, Twilight's stutter betrayed her bemusement. "There's a Hay Burger just down the road, but maybe-"
"You have a Hay Burger in Ponyville?" Shining gasped, his eyes twinkling. "You're kidding! I've been fiending for some of their food! Well, what do you say we head there?"
What. Twilight blinked. Okay, this had officially passed unusual and was rapidly heading into weird territory. How, exactly, had this happened to Shining Armour, a paragon of physical fitness? The same Shining Armour who was a decorated former Captain of the Royal Guard, not to mention formerly one of Canterlot High's star linebackers? Twilight decided to do a little subtle probing into Shining's weight gain. Something told her she wouldn't be disappointed by the answer.
"Sure, why not?" she chirped, giving her brother a slightly too-wide smile. "I could go for a burger myself. We've got a lot to catch up on!"
"We sure do," Shining beamed. "Lead the way, Twily."
"So..." Twilight said slowly as they walked away from the train station. She'd have to be subtle about this if she wanted to avoid hurting her brother's feelings. "Has, um... has life in the Crystal Empire been treating you well?"
"Oh yeah," Shining replied, nodding. "Everything's been ticking along nicely ever since that nightmare with Lord Tirek. Maybe the universe decided to finally cut us a break after that," he added, laughing.
Twilight laughed alongside him. "Yeah, I guess it did. Uh, I'm guessing you really like the food there, don't you?" As soon as the words had left her mouth, she wanted to kick herself. No, Twilight! Stupid, stupid!
"What do you mean?" Shining stopped and turned to face her. "Are you talking about my weight?"
"Yes," Twilight blurted, before her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. "I mean, no! I mean, uh, sort of, but I, I, I..."
"Hey, easy, easy," Shining interrupted, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, who was desperately cramming a hoof into her mouth to try and shut herself up before her treacherous tongue did any more damage. "It's not what you think, Twi. I'm not sensitive about my weight or anything, don't worry."
"You're not?" Twilight said, an expression of immense relief crossing her face.
"Nope," Shining replied, giving her a reassuring smile. "And, well, I guess I might as well give you an explanation," he added, scuffing at the ground. "My work in the Crystal Empire isn't nearly as physical as it was when I was in Canterlot. The most strenuous thing I do on a day-to-day basis is a morning inspection of the garrisons. After that, the rest of the day is mostly sitting at a desk and dealing with paperwork. It gave me a chance to... let myself go a little bit. Cadance and the palace chefs make sure I'm kept well fed." He grinned. "Very well fed."
"But, Shining..." Twilight faltered. "You were always so athletic, ever since you got on the Canterlot High hoofball team. Don't you feel... I don't know, bad about your weight?"
"Are you kidding? It's awesome!" Shining laughed. "I can finally forget about those Celestia-damned diets and exercise regimens and just eat what I want, when I want. It's so liberating. Not to mention," he added, winking at his sister, "it's given me and Cadance some fun ideas in the bedroom."
Twilight blushed and shook her head. "Let's talk about something else..."
"Hey, we're here!" Sure enough, they'd arrived outside the Hay Burger. The restaurant was quiet at that hour of the afternoon, with only three or four other ponies joining them as they went inside and stepped up to the counter.
"Hey ho, welcome to Hay Burger," droned the bored-looking cashier, looking about as chipper as a pony on a twenty thousand bit salary can be expected to look. "Can I take your order, please?"
"I'll just get a number four with a medium soda, please," Twilight replied. "Shining, how about you?"
"Hmm..." Shining stared up at the menu for a moment before he spoke. "I'll have... two number nines, a number nine large, a number six with extra dip, a number seven, two number forty-fives, one with cheese, and a large soda."
Both Twilight and the cashier looked at Shining as if he'd gone soft in the head.
"You're kidding, right?" Twilight said slowly. "This is a joke?"
"Nope." Shining shook his head and looked at Twilight with utter sincerity. "Like I said, Twi, I'm starving after that trip. My stomach's given me an appetite to match it."
"So, um... should I value size all that, or what?" the cashier asked, looking rather dazed.
Twilight shook her head once more. "I guess."
Not surprisingly, it took a while for Shining's order to be prepared. Eventually, however, both he and Twilight were seated at one of the large round tables in the middle of the restaurant, Shining's bountiful meal spread out before him. The sprawling yet organised mass of food reminded Twilight of those Ogres & Oubliettes campaigns Shining had been so fond of in his teens.
"Oh man, this looks good," Shining grinned. A purple aura enveloped one of his burgers and raised it to his mouth. He was about to take a bite before he noticed Twilight staring at him. "Something up, Twi?"
"Shining..." Twilight replied, bringing a hoof up to her forehead, "there's no way in Equestria you can eat all that. What in Celestia's name possessed you to order that much food?"
"I told you, I'm really hungry," Shining stated. "And you don't think I can eat all this?" He gave Twilight a sly smile. "Just watch me, sister."
Twilight shrugged. "Fine," she grumbled. "On your own head be it. Should we come up with a code word in case I need to take you to the hospital?" she snarked.
Shining simply laughed, before wordlessly beginning to eat his burger. Twilight turned her attention away from him and focused on her own meal. It took her about five minutes to finish off the small hay burger and drain the soda she'd ordered. Once she was finished, she discreetly wiped her mouth with a hoof before looking over at Shining, fully expecting to find him collapsed in a food coma.
Her jaw dropped at the sight that met her. In no less than five minutes, Shining had already worked his way through two of the seven separate meals he'd ordered, and he was starting on the third one without any sign of even slowing down. He looked up and smirked when he saw his sister gaping at him with eyes that looked ready to roll out of her head.
"Tol' ya I wa' hungreh," he mumbled through a mouthful of burger, before swallowing it and immediately taking another bite.
"How did you even..." Twilight stammered.
"Appetite to match my figure, Twily," Shining chuckled, patting his belly with a hoof. "Appetite to match my figure."
From that point on, all Twilight could do was stare aghast at her brother with a kind of perverse fascination as he consumed enough food for seven different full-grown stallions on his own. She still couldn't fully process what was happening. Shining was managing to out-gorge even Rainbow Dash, who had once eaten four mega burgers on a dare with Applejack and had had to be carried out afterwards. This... this was defying all logic! He should have collapsed to the ground in a groaning heap of indigestion by now, surely! But no, he was breezing through his food as surely as if they were mere salads.
For his part, Shining was simply contenting himself with enjoying his meal—well, meals, to be strictly accurate. He hadn't been kidding when he said he'd been craving hay burgers, and this was precisely the sort of deep-fried goodness he'd been daydreaming of all morning. He steadily and industriously worked through his food, chewing and swallowing with little murmurs of appreciation, occasionally pausing to take a drink from his large soda or catch some stray drops of sauce on his lips with his tongue. By now, both the cashier and the other diners were openly staring at the fat guy who was eating a week's worth of food in one sitting, wondering just what kind of creature outside the Everfree Forest could possibly possess an appetite like that.
After what seemed like an eternity, Shining had finally eaten the very last scrap of food on the table. He leaned back in his seat, his stomach, now noticeably tighter and more distended than it had been when he came in, pressing up against the edge of the table. He closed his eyes and covered up a long belch with one hoof, while using the other to pat his gurgling, sloshing gut.
"Ooooooh, yeah," he sighed, smiling with pure contentment. "That hit the spot, alright."
Twilight was swaying slightly in her seat, looking a little faint. "You..." she stammered. "You... y-you ate all that?"
"Mm-hmm." Shining opened his eyes, resting both hooves on his gut as he looked Twilight in the eye. "Say, Twily..."
Twilight nodded almost imperceptibly.
Shining smiled. "What's for dessert?"
The colour drained from Twilight's face. Her eyes rolled upward, and with a moan, she flopped face-first onto the table.
Shining giggled to himself and gave his sizable stomach a rub with his hooves. While he waited for his sister to come around, he called over to the cashier.
"Excuse me? Any chance of getting a refill on this soda?"
END