> Creme of the Crop > by Artichoke > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Creme Cheese on Toast > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sound of crashing furniture and stumbling hooves emanated through the small apartment, disturbing what had otherwise been a peaceful midmorning in the humble abode. The following string of expletives likewise helped to destroy whatever vestige of tranquility remained. Peeking around the hallway door, the brown furred head of a stallion peered inquisitively into the bedroom, keen to investigate the source of the commotion. What greeted his vision was pretty much exactly what he had expected: his housemate, Creme Fraiche, sprawled belly-up on the floor, his nightstand toppled over and amenities scattered along the carpet. “You okay, dude?” he asked to the turtled stallion, trotting over and offering a hoof in assistance. With a groan of discomfort, the cream furred earth pony accepted the it, the pair of them grunting together in their effort to bring him back to his hooves. “Ugh...Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied once standing on his own again. Reaching up a foreleg, he began to rub the back of his head gently, though out of embarrassment or to ease any pain, his housemate couldn’t be sure. “I swear, the stupid thing just comes out of nowhere,” he chuckled weakly, trying his best to play off the situation with humor. His brown furred companion simply glanced to the sideways nightstand, cocking an eyebrow before bringing his eyes back to him, a sympathetic expression on his muzzle. “Look, Cream-boy, I get you’re nervous. But you have nothing to worry about! You’ve known her for more than a year, how is this any different?” “How is it different?” he responded quickly, a slight edge of panic creeping into his voice. “Come on, Copper. We’re not talking about a walk in the park, or going to the theater or something. This is the Hearts and Hooves Day Fair! It’s not ‘just friends’ stuff anymore, it’s like, actual couple things!” “And?” he responded, confusion etching across his features. “Isn’t that what you wanted? Isn’t that why you asked her on a date in the first place?” “Well, yeah. But what if she changes her mind? What if she decides she doesn’t like me? What if she thinks I’m too...ya know?” Copper sighed, drooping his head and closing his eyes in exasperation. Looking back to his friend, he closed the distance between them before resting a hoof on his shoulder, squeezing softly while giving him a comforting smile. His lustrous gray irises stared intently into the wound stallion’s own green ones. “Look, buddy, maybe all those things do happen. And maybe tomorrow, Tirek returns and kills us all. You can’t let the ‘what ifs’ dictate you like that. You gotta have some confidence in yourself, know that you got this” Looking to the floor meekly, Creme sat still for a moment, contemplating, before again looking to his friend. “You really think so?” “Trust me, bro, you’re gonna be fine,” he said emphatically, giving him a couple firm pats on the withers to further convey his support. “Now hurry up, being late for your first date is not a good way to start.” “Heh, thanks Cop. I owe you one,” the off-white stallion responded, smiling gratefully. “You bet your ass you do,” Copper teased as he turned around to exit his housemate’s bedroom. “If ya need anything else, I’ll be in the backw]yard.” Once again, Creme Fraiche was alone in his room, his gaze pulled to the tipped stand and the lamp that had been resting on top, its shade crumpled and folded but otherwise seemingly intact. He heaved a sharp blast of air from his nose as he pick up the furniture, placing it back to its original position. This was, what? The third time he’d knocked something over this week? He had never been all that coordinated, a fact made somewhat ironic given his mother’s natural talent in ballet. He had always taken after his dad, in more ways than one, and clumsiness was just one of those traits passed from father to son. Although to be fair, it was not made any better by his, well, significant weight. Along with a passion for cooking, Creme was quite fond of enjoying the fruits of his labor, another trait he had inherited from Dad. But with him, it had perhaps gone to a bit of an extreme. To him, eating wasn’t just a pleasant pastime, it was an addiction. Often times, he simply couldn’t control himself around food, obliged to satisfy that incessant itch upon his first whiff. Needless to say, the stallion ate a lot, and all that food manifested itself as hundreds of pounds of excess fat hanging from his thick frame. Most of the extra weight congregated on his bulging stomach, soft flab hanging down to his knees while also bowing outwards to form his very round, very wide torso. His cushioned chest, covered with thick fuzz, folded slightly around his squishy shoulders, its upper portion merging with the collar of fat draped around his thick neck. A small layer of adipose clung to his forelegs, contrasting with the tree-trunk-sized thighs that would jiggle with every step. Likewise, his inflated backside formed a wobbling, bouncing shelf that stored nearly as much fat as his belly. As a teenager, Creme had learned to accept that he would almost always be the biggest pony in the room, a sentiment that had only grown more true over the first few years of adulthood. However, that didn’t stop him from feeling embarrassed about his body from time to time, something that Copper, his best friend since foalhood, had been helping him work on. Looking to the dresser mirror, the chunky stallion used a hoof to smooth out his blond mane. He gave himself a small but confident smile, his chubby cheeks creasing, before finally turning around and trotting out of the bedroom. Making his way through the dense crowd of ponies, Creme observed the love-themed attractions that filled Ponyville’s main thoroughfare. Partner dunk tanks, heart shaped ring toss and more lined the streets, the pleasant ring of laughter and merriment hanging in the air, occasionally broken by the shrill cry of shock indicative of somepony taking a sudden dip into ice cold water. Decorations covered the town, saturating the cityscape with pinks and reds and whites. Cardioid balloons were tied to nearly every lamp post, while streamers hung from the walls of houses and stores. Creme admired the festive atmosphere as he traversed through the fair, his plush frame forcing him into a slight waddle, causing his heavy gut to sway back and forth as he went. A subtle whiff of fresh baked sweets wafted across his off-white muzzle, his head turning worriedly in the direction the heavenly scent was coming from. He had made sure he filled himself up with lunch in an effort to avoid looking like a pig while on a date, but the smell of warm, gooey cinnamon buns was painfully tempting for the foodaholic. While distracted by his nose, Creme didn’t see the approaching figure until it was too late. In a moment, he had landed on his exceedingly cushioned rump, a hoof delicately rubbing the spot where his head had connected with the much slimmer stallion that was also nursing a bump. The young brown unicorn sat on his haunches, his hind legs splayed out in front of him. He wore the tan, button up shirt emblematic of a pony who worked at the post office, a small name tag reading ‘Swift Seal’ pinned to the garment. “Oof, sorry about that,” Creme apologized. As he continued to rub his sore head, he hit an especially bruised area, causing him to recoil slightly with a hissed intake of breath. “Wasn’t watching where I was going.” “Heh, guess that makes two of us,” the unicorn replied, smiling good-naturedly as he rose from his haunches. “Don’t worry about it.” Extending a hoof, he helped the earth pony up, straining as he attempted to lift even a small fraction of his weight. “You all by yourself out here?” he asked, a curious expression etching across his face. “Well, I’m actually headed to my, um, my date right now,” Creme responded, nearly stumbling on even the word in its unfamiliarity. “Good man,” the stallion smiled, lightly punching Creme’s shoulder. “What about you?” Creme reciprocated. “You got a special somepony you’re going to the fair with?” The stallion chuckled at that, a small twinkle gleaming in his eyes. “My wife doesn’t really, well, get out much, I guess you could say. We plan of enjoying today with just the two of us.” The unicorn emphasized his point with a subtle waggle of his eyebrows and a cheeky grin on his muzzle. “But hey,” he said, offering up a hoof bump. “You go knock ‘em dead.” “Heh, hopefully not literally,” Creme joked, accepting the bump with a solid clack of colliding keratin. He continued on, the incident thankfully pulling his attention away from the smell of food and allowing him to focus on finding his date. It wasn’t long before her familiar sight came into view, the stallion taking a moment to ogle her with a dopey grin before approaching. She was a fairly petite unicorn, with a light red coat and brown mane and tail, somewhat resembling a chocolate covered strawberry. Her bright blue eyes shined in the mid-afternoon light, looking for all the world like big, sparkling saphires. She stood perhaps a hair shorter than average, and her slim frame accentuated her feminine curves. Upon noticing the doughy stallion, the mare broke out into a quick trot, faster than Creme could hope to move anymore, closing the distance between them and throwing her forelegs around him. With a high pitched giggle, she pressed her muzzle into the fatty folds between his neck and chest, snuggling into the soft flesh and cooing. “It’s so good to see you, Creme!” she exclaimed, releasing the hug and smiling up at him. “It’s great to see you too, Cherry,” he replied, a strong blush forming on his puffy cheeks. Again Cherry Surprise tittered, amused at his discomfort. “You’re too cute when you’re embarrassed, you know that?” she teased. The fat stallion’s eyes went wide at the compliment, his blush strengthening. Looking away, he gave a couple strained laughs while rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof. “S-so, uh...w-where did you wanna go f-first?” he asked, desperately fighting to reclaim some of his derailed confidence. Rolling her eyes, Cherry bumped against his squishy shoulder with her own, a sympathetic smile now stretched across her snout. “Come on, Creme, relax! How many times have we hung out together? This doesn’t have to be any different.” “But its, well, ya know…” he responded unsurely. Again Cherry rolled her eyes. “First dates aren’t usually all romantic, ya know. Let’s just have some fun, yeah?” Meeting her eyes, Creme grinned gratefully and nodded, his blush lessening to just a light pink tint. “Great! I know just where to start,” she said excitedly, running off before he could even respond. “Wait for me!” he called, lifting his big butt off the ground and shuffling after her. The pair laughed heartily as they walked away from another stall, a plush toy monkey resting on the unicorn’s back, its long arms wrapped around her neck. “I never would’ve guessed you were so good at ring toss,” Creme said, fluffing the synthetic fur of the toy’s head. “Hey, I’m full of surprises,” Cherry winked, smirking playfully. “So much so they put it in my name!” Chuckling, the earth stallion turned his eyes forward, perusing what attractions lay before them. “So, where to next?” he asked. “Actually, I’m kinda hungry,” she responded, rubbing her trim stomach with a hoof. “Mind if we stop in for some grub?” For a moment, a nervous expression washed over Cremes face. Things had been going so well, now was not a good time to lose control. Closing his eyes, he steeled himself. It was like Copper said, right? He just had to have some confidence. “Sure,” he responded. “Where did you want to go?” Cherry ‘hmm’ed as she scanned the vendors present in that section of the fair. Eventually her eyes settled on a food wagon with a sign advertising all manner of fired hay products. “Oh! Let’s go there,” she decided, wasting no time before hurrying in the direction of the wagon. The chunky stallion followed, taking his place next to her in line. Taking a quick glance to make sure she wasn’t watching, he subtly grit his teeth, his lips pulled tight in his effort. The smells of grease and hay were nearly overpowering. “So what are you getting?” Cherry asked, looking up at him before panning back to the overhead menu sign. “Oh, uh,” he struggled to get out, trying his best to look anywhere but the deep fryers visible through the wagon’s service window. “I’m, I’m all set.” “Whaaat?” she replied, disbelieving. “A big guy like you oughta be starving by this point.” “R-really, I’m good.” “Psshh, alright,” she finished. As the last pony in front of them collected his meal and left, Cherry enthusiastically stepped up to the counter. “Hi!” she greeted, not waiting for a response before listing off her order. “I’ll take four triple stack hayburgers, no onions, half a dozen dogs with dijon, pickles, and sauerkraut, two fries, one large, one small, an extra large orange soda, and one fried dough.” Upon completion, she smiled innocently at the stallion manning the till, a shocked look on his snout. “Oooookay. That’ll be fifty two bits, ma’am.” With a brief flash of her horn, Cherry’s coin purse materialized in the air next to her, suspended in her magical aura. After floating the requisite number of bits to the counter, she sent the bag back to whence it came, teleporting the toy simian as well. After a no more than a minute of waiting, the large order had been collected on the wagon’s counter. Levitating the feast in her magic, the unicorn sauntered off towards an empty picnic table, giving the flabby stallion a light swat with her tail and a gesture to follow with a jerk of her head. Placing the feast atop the heart covered table, she watched out of the corner of her eye as he settled his large rump onto the bench, his soft flesh squishing outwards significantly. Creme gave her a suspicious look, there was no way she had ordered all that for herself, before glancing at the greasy fair-food worriedly. It had only been barely an hour since he had eaten, but already his stomach was yearning for more. Determined to stay strong, however, he forced his gaze back towards the mare, who was now looking at him expectantly. “Well,” she said, waving a hoof at the smorgasbord of fried hay. “Dig in!” “I told you, Cherry, I’m n-not hungry,” he insisted, though not very convincingly. “Oh come on, Creme,” she said with a playful smile. “I’ve known you long enough to know that’s not true.” Chuckling, she pushed one of the burgers towards him. “What’s one gonna hurt?” Sighing, Creme closed his eyes. It was true, he really was hungry, but he had already committed to not looking like a pig on his date. However, the smell of the overloaded sandwich wafting into his nostrils was almost heavenly, pulling his thoughts further and further away from his goal. Alright, he could afford himself one. But just one. Reaching down, he wrapped his hooves around the sesame seed buns and slowly lifted it towards his mouth. After eyeing the mare, not quite sure what to make of her poorly hidden excitement, he took a carefully measured bite of the large burger. All three patties burst with flavor and grease as he chewed. Along with the crunch of the lettuce and the snap of tangy pickles, it was as though a symphony of succulent goodness had erupted on his tongue. He shivered gently as he swallowed, the sensation of food entering his stomach like a wave of relief washing over his mind. His next bite was far less cautious, diving in and taking away as much as his cheeks could hold. Quickly, any lingering thoughts of restraint drained away from his subconscious. In just a few more bites, the large burger had disappeared into his stomach, his domed belly jiggling as he let loose a belch. Without even a second thought, he pulled another hayburger towards him, grinning happily as he bit into the juicy morsel. His thoughts seemed to spin in his brain as he devoured, a jumbled mess of incoherent nonsense and clouded rays of objection. But through the numbing chaos, one word, one feeling remained clear. More. Licking ketchup from the corner of his lips, Creme brought the third burger to him, taking a messy bite as juices puddled on the bottom of its tray. Chomp after chomp, the stallion decimated the sandwich, until not even a scrap remained. Cherry watched as he reached for the final triple stack hayburger, taking note of the glint that appeared in his eyes. With a smug smile, she pulled the little basket of fries towards her, while at the same time using her magic to grab a bottle of vinegar from the selection of condiments huddled in the center of the table. After a quartet of healthy splashes, she delicately placed a stick of salty, sour hay onto her tongue, chewing gently as she observed Creme feast. Moving on to the half-dozen haydogs, he sucked down the snappy tubes one by one, stringy sauerkraut dropping into his lap before likewise being picked up and slurped like spaghetti. After chomping through the last pup, he licked his lips clean of any residue before turning his attention to the liter of soda shimmering in the afternoon sun. Grasping the bottle in his hoof, he tipped its bottom skyward, chugging the fizzy orange soft drink while ignoring the building pressure in his now overtaxed stomach. As he gulped, the movement of his esophagus became visible, bulges of sugar-laden soda traveling down the top of his throat before being hidden by his padded neck. Releasing his grip, the empty plastic bottle clattered to the ground. The stallion, his cheeks turned a light shade of green, held his belly with one hoof, the other pounding on his meaty chest heavily. After a moment, a rush of pent up gas was propelled back up his esophagus, bowing out his cheeks before escaping with a loud Uuuuuuurrrrrrrrp. With renewed vigor, the possessed pony slid the overly large basket of hayfries to sit directly in front of him. Forgoing all manners, he didn’t even bother with using his hooves, instead sticking his muzzle directly into the pile of soft, fluffy sticks and gulping them down with only a minimal amount of chewing. After every bite, his stomach extended bit by bit. The soft, jiggling mound slowly hardening into a smooth dome. With just the dough remaining, it was only seconds until Creme had finished the last of the food, licking powdered sugar off his lips. He hunched over while cradling his stuffed belly, skin stretched tight over the boulder of digesting food, and groaned. Gradually, his mental faculties returned, along with the realization of what he had just done. His cheeks flushed red while a single hoof rubbed circles around his gut in an attempt to sooth its aching. Glancing to the trash now strewn about the table, a single thought entered the flustered stallion’s mind. Dammit. Cherry leaned her shoulder against that of the taller stallion as they walked, her companion gingerly measuring his steps to avoid pressing into his now beach ball sized middle hanging down to his knees. She hummed a happy little tune as he stepped in silence, a rosy tinge still present on his cheeks. “So, what’d you wanna do next?” she asked, looking up to him. Creme turned his head away from her, too embarrassed to meet her gaze. “I, um, I dunno. M-maybe we could just-” “Oh! Lookit that!” she interrupted, pointing a hoof across his chest towards a large, crudely painted sign of a blueberry pie, beige scent lines, or maybe it was supposed to be steam, rising from the pastry with a trio of squiggly marks. “The eating competition is about to start, and it looks like they have an open seat!” she exclaimed, bumping him in his flabby side with an elbow. “You should totally sign up!” Not waiting for a response, she grabbed his forearm with a hoof and began to drag him towards a stage set up with five folding tables, four already occupied by ponies. “Cherry, I, I really don’t-” “Come on, it’ll be fun!” Before he could voice more protests, the smell of the fresh baked pies filled his nose and overwhelmed his brain. Once again, the poor stallion felt as control over his body was wrestled away from him, his greedy baser instincts taking charge and forcing him to follow the petite mare. Approaching a stallion who seemed to be organizing the event, Cherry caught his attention with a quick hello before patting the blubbery withers of her date, presenting him to the pegasus. “Need another contestant? ‘Cause if so I’ve got your winner right here.” The stallion looked to Creme over his glasses, eyeing his slightly dilated pupils and somewhat vacant expression. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders, bringing up a clipboard in one hoof and a pen in the other. “Good enough. Name?” he questioned. “Creme Fraiche,” Cherry responded enthusiastically. “Alright,” he said, quickly scribbling across the board before looking back to Creme. “Take a seat at the open table, we start in five.” Moving dumbly, he made his way to the stage and up the steps nestled into its side. Taking his place at the unclaimed spot, he sat on his wide haunches, his large rear making a comfortable seat on the hard wooden surface. Cherry, meanwhile moved to join the fairly large crowd of a few dozen ponies that had gathered to watch the competition. From her spot, she studied the other contestants. A unicorn mare, a pegasus stallion, an earth pony stallion, and a unicorn stallion. Only the earth pony was actually bigger than Creme, but she had no doubt he could beat them all, despite his earlier meal. After a few more minutes of waiting, a wagon loaded with pies was finally rolled out next to the stage, a pair of pegasi distributing them evenly across the tables. By the time the cart had been emptied, twenty five desserts had been stacked in front of each competitor. The organizer from before then stepped out in front of the tables, addressing the ponies waiting to begin. “Alright contestants, you will have twenty minutes to eat as many pies as you can. Only clean tins will be counted, and the pony with the most at the end of the time limit wins. Are there any questions? No? Then on your marks, get set, eat!” And with that, the five ponies dug into the pie nearest them. Creme stuck his muzzle into the delicious dessert, bits of dark purple filling sticking to the fur around his snout. Opening his jaw wide, he stuffed as much as he could in his mouth, bits of flakey crust and whole blueberries providing some texture in the sweet, gloopy mess. After an enormous swallow, the sugary lump sliding down his throat, he went in again, and again, and again. In just a few bites, the pie had disappeared, devoured by the greedy stallion. Moving on to the next, whatever small part of his consciousness that remained attentive noted that apparently not all of the confections were blueberry flavored, as the tangy zest of apple tingled against his taste buds. This required a bit of a slower pace, as the chunky apple filling demanded more chewing and couldn’t be slurped down as easily as the blueberry. Regardless, the stallion ate with incredible speed, and in less than a minute nothing but an empty tin remained. With his stomach already full, every pie that Creme ravished ended up extending it a little bit more. Bite after bite, his belly pushed outwards, its rock hard surface beginning to press into the table. With reckless abandon, he demolished his fifth dessert, and then his sixth, the red, syrupy cherry filling sticking to his cheeks, making it seem as though he had just gone feral on some poor little animal. As he dug into his seventh, barely five minutes having passed, Cherry smiled proudly from crowd. The smallest member, the unicorn mare, had already given up, only having finished two of her pies, and the pegasus had slowed down significantly. As Creme continued, the skin over his middle groaned, creaking from the strain of holding in his inflated stomach. As it stretched, his white fur became sparse, exposing the bare skin, now tinted red from its struggle. His belly had gotten so big that it had begun to push the table away from him, forcing him to reach past its expanding mass. After just ten minutes he had consumed fifteen of the calorie bombs, his innards now making their displeasure known as loud gurgles rumbled from his massive tummy, the vibrations slightly rattling the stage. The pegasus had dropped out by now, leaving just the three of them to compete. The unicorn was lagging behind the most, six pies gone and already moaning and rubbing his almost imperceptibly distended middle. The earth pony had done better, ten pies in ten minutes and still trying hard to keep up. It was a futile effort, however, as the overweight stallion moved on to pie number twenty. It wasn’t long before the final opponent tapped out, leaving just Creme on the platform, still mindlessly devouring his food. His gut had expanded so much that it had finally pushed the table, and the rest of the pies, out of his reach. To compensate, Cherry had levitated the remaining morsels onto the humongous swell of his turgid belly, creating a makeshift shelf from which he could stuff the final desserts into his mouth. After just over nineteen minutes, the last tin clattered to the floor, a cheer erupting from the surrounding crowd. Leaning back, Creme cradled his inflated stomach, marveling at the incredible mass of food that rested on the wooden surface in front of him. He rubbed it gently, his hooves gliding across its tight surface, causing the skin to creak. A large belch rushed from his throat, wobbling the fat collected around the rest of his body. Past the ringing in his ears, he could barely make out the stunned voice of the organizer, announcing his victory. With a strained grunt, he tried to tilt himself onto his hooves, but was stymied by the immense weight of his mountainous middle. Trying again, he leaned back, then forth, then back again, building momentum slowly before more or less throwing himself forwards, pivoting where his stomach met the floor. Reaching out his forehooves, he caught himself before his muzzle met the floorboards, extending his back legs and finally standing up straight again. Despite being at full height, his belly never left the floor, pressing against it while also bowing out to be significantly wider than his fleshy hips. Overall the mass of fried hay and pie was larger than a beanbag chair, and far, far heftier. Taking a tentative step, it dragged along, creating a notable amount of resistance to his movement. With a few more steps, he had started to work himself into a rhythm, his gut swaying with his stride and making maintaining his balance a challenge. The stallion’s brain was a mess, the signals of anger and betrayal his digestive tract was sending bounced around his cortex like ping pong balls, preventing him from focusing on any one thought for too long. Through the haze, he could just make out Cherry’s form, rushing towards him with an ecstatic smile on her face. For a fleeting moment, a sense of relief ran through him, a feeling of safety and security. Just as the little mare had reached him, however, that feeling had gone, an overwhelming flood of strain and distress encompassing his mind. As the building pain in his head reached its apex, his vision began to darken, Cherry’s bright smile fading until nothing but blackness remained. Then, even the ringing ceased. His world had dissolved entirely, absent of any light or sound, consisting only of an ephemeral sensation of falling. Creme Fraiche awoke with a sharp snort, his eyes jerking open and his ears perking up immediately. When all that greeted his senses was yet more darkness, he blinked rapidly, worry that perhaps he had gone blind creeping into his thoughts. That was, until he noticed a small sliver of light, emanating from what he could now make out was the space underneath a door. As more of his mental faculties returned, other aspects of his situation became apparent, like the fact that he had been placed on an extremely plush bed, his head propped up by a single pillow. Bringing up a hoof, he gently rubbed his temple, the last vestiges of the mind-numbing pain that had knocked him out still stinging slightly. With a deep sigh, he flung the comforter off of himself, yawning before bracing his limbs into the cushy mattress. Counting to three in his head, the stallion heaved, twisting his body sideways until finally he met the edge of the bed. And promptly tumbled off of it. Laying on the carpeted floor in a heap, he groaned, though more out of annoyance than pain. Again lifting himself to his hooves, a task that oddly seemed harder than he was used to, he stumbled in the general direction of the glow, reaching out and waving in front of him to try and find something to aid in guiding him through the dark. After finally hitting, quite literally, solid drywall, he ran his hoof up and down the surface, slowly working his way down the wall until finding the raised bit of plastic indicative of a light switch. Flipping the lever, he had to shield his eyes for a moment, the barrage of photons manifesting more as a searing red than any recognizable shapes. After his eyes had adjusted, and he had blinked away the last of the spots, he took stock of the situation. At first glance, it was quite obvious he was in a mare’s bedroom. Everything from the pink, frilly bedspread, to the potted flowers in the windowsill, to the perfumes and makeup layed out on a nearby dresser. As the details flooded in, it didn’t take long for the off-white earth pony to feel a sense of familiarity, that he had been here before. After only a moment of racking his still rebooting brain, the last of the pieces fell into place. This was Cherry’s bedroom. Creme looked to the wall clock mounted above the bed, wincing slightly as he read the time: 12:07AM. Had he really been out that long? His eyes drifted away from the clock, sliding across the room until they fell onto a full-body mirror installed next to a small walk-in closet, where an even greater surprise was waiting for him. One that left his mouth hanging open dumbly. Staring back at him was his own reflection, obviously, but a reflection considerably more rotund than he was expecting. Approaching the plane of glass he stared in amazement at how his body moved, his folds rippling and belly swaying with every step. Though thankfully no longer a swollen, solid mass, his middle hung far lower than it used to, well past his knees, while also swelling out nearly twice as wide. His neck had also thickened, the collar of lard inches away from pressing against his chin, and his cheeks seemed to be just a bit puffier. Coming to a rest in front of the mirror, he pushed a hoof into the fat on his stomach, watching it sink into the soft flesh. Turning sideways, he could see the extent to which his backside had grown, the plush globes having exploded with wobbling fat, forming a great shelf behind him and consuming most of his tail in the process. Likewise, his hips had widened to extend just past the swell of his belly, his cutie marks distorted slightly from being stretched across the large surface. After more than a full minute of staring and feeling, Creme turned around, a process made difficult as his legs had to maneuver around his pendulous belly, and began to waddle his way to the exit. Opening the door, he struggled to squeeze his enormous butt through, copious amounts of assfat scraping against the wooden jambs. As he waddled down the hall, the feeling of carrying so much more weight struck him. Every movement he made had an added layer of difficulty, and it was already taking its toll on him. After walking just a short distance, Creme was already getting winded, his muscles not yet used to carrying what must have been well over a hundred more pounds of jiggling lard. Huffing quietly, he noted how his fattened thighs pressed and rubbed against each other as he waddled, refusing to separate no matter how far he spread his hind legs. The stallion could no longer be described as simply chubby anymore. Now, he was well and truly obese. Eventually, he came to the end of the hall, scanning the fairly large living room it opened into until he found his friend nestled into a chair under a lamp, reading from a red covered book. Alerted to his presence by his heavy, thudding hoofsteps, Cherry placed her book onto a coffee table and looked up to him, smiling sweetly. “Hey big guy, good to see you awake,” she said as she got up from her seat, trotting over to the confused stallion and wrapping a hoof around his shoulder, bringing herself in for a hug. Creme tentatively returned the gesture, still not quite sure if he really was awake. “What...what happened?” he asked as they separated. Cherry frowned worriedly at that, quickly eyeing a patch of blue just in front of his ear. “You took a pretty nasty fall when you fainted on stage, hit your head on the way down. I had a couple of the guys there help me bring you back to my place.” As Cherry finished, she couldn’t help but notice the despondent look washing over her companion’s face. “Hey, you okay?” “I-I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said quietly. “What do you mean?” “I mean me!” he shouted, suddenly much more animated. “See me! Making an absolute pig of myself! I-I tried to hold it in, I really did. But, well, now just look at me.” Creme closed his eyes, head drooping in despair. “I get it if you don’t wanna be with a gross slob like me.” ... “I’m sorry, Creme.” Slowly, the obese stallion picked his head up, looking to the petite mare with confusion clear on his features. “Huh? Sorry for what?” he asked. Sighing, Cherry drooped her own chin, staring at the floor as she spoke. “I guess it’s confession time. I may have had a hoof in what happened to you today. I might have-well, let’s just say it wasn’t a coincidence that we came up to the pie contest just as it was starting.” “But, why?” Creme responded, raising an eyebrow incredulously. Meeting his gaze meekly, Cherry tapped her forehooves together while giving him a thoroughly unconvincing smile. “Well, it may be possible that, um, in a way, I, kinda sorta, like...it?” she said, almost squeaking out the last few words. Staring at her with wide eyes, several long seconds passed before Creme could even form words. “Like it? How can you like it? Just look at this!” the stallion exclaimed. Slamming his humongous butt onto the floor in a sitting position, he grabbed his belly with both hooves, the ball of fat pooling in front of him, and shook it. The movement cased a cascade of rippling flesh, its folds and creases jiggling madly. Cherry forced her eyes away, feeling heat building up between her legs at the wild display. “Um, I-I might, uh, j-just so happen to, well, like that too…” Stunned, Creme released his gut, the mass of flab slamming back onto the floor, sloshing and wobbling to rest. He looked down, eyeing its immense swell, before once again pressing a hoof into it. He had to admit, it did kinda feel nice to be so...soft. And it’s not like he didn’t enjoy eating, even to the point of passing out. But this? Could he really ever be okay with this? He eyed the crestfallen mare, taking a heavy breath through his nose while contemplating. He wanted to be disturbed, to be upset; he wanted to feel the way he thought she should feel about him. But seeing her, looking so small and helpless, he wasn’t sure he could. After many moments of internal wrestling, the blubbery stallion came to a decision. Reaching out, he wrapped a hoof around her shoulders, bringing her to his side in a one-armed hug. It was now her turn to sport an utterly confused expression, though she still took the opportunity to cuddle into his warmth. “So, you’re not mad?” she asked, a sliver of hope seeping into her voice. Despite  everything, Creme gave her a small smile. “To be honest, I don’t really know what to think yet. But, I do know one thing,” He grinned at her, while simultaneously giving his belly a couple firm pats. “After all that pie, I could really go for some ice cream right about now.”