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[LONG] Trixie Joins the Circus

By LurkerTurnedNewbie
Created: 2021-07-16 21:31:33
Updated: 2021-05-06 09:37:15
Expiry: Never
ocdarknsfwweight gaintrixie lulamoonstuffingburpbelchbellyextreme obesity

  1. >KRA-KRA-KRA-KOOOOOOOMMM!!!
  2. >Another brilliant flash of light lit up the sky as an enormous peal of thunder ripped its way through the sound barrier.
  3. >The-Not-So-Great-and-Powerful-Trixie flinched slightly out of instinct, but otherwise showed very little outward emotion.
  4. >Quite frankly, she didn't have the energy to.
  5. >It was the mother of all storms unleashing its fury upon the land, and she was caught right smack-dab in the middle of it.
  6. >Downtrodden, soaking wet, shivering from the cold, and practically skin and bones from malnutrition, the once showpony was now quite the sorry sight.
  7. >Ever since that blasted Alicorn Amulet incident, things had just gone from bad to worse.
  8. >Somehow the blue showmare had managed to escape significant punishment from that debacle, even managing to earn Sparkle's forgiveness, but her reputation reached a new all-time low.
  9. >Turns out trying to take over a small village inhabited by the Elements of Harmony is not a very popular decision.
  10. >Unable to put on a single show, let alone get somepony to even acknowledge her, Trixie's already meager savings dwindled further and further until finally she ran out.
  11. >Driven to panic by the threat of starvation, Trixie pursued the only remaining option she saw: using her magic to steal.
  12. >As much as it hurt her pride to do so, she tried to keep it reasonable.
  13. >A little bit here, a little bit there, not enough to significantly hamper anypony's business and hopefully also avoid detection.
  14. >But eventually, she was caught.
  15. >Driven by desperation and fear, the mare fled from the Royal Guards who apprehended her, and has been on the run ever since.
  16. >So here she was, slogging her way down a mud-soaked road, absolutely drenched with not even a raincoat to her name, her beloved cape and hat both a dirty, torn mess, her eyes bloodshot from the tears, and her body tormented by hunger.
  17. >It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.
  18. >All the showmare had wanted was a chance to show her worth again.
  19. >A way to restore her pride. Her popularity. Her reputation.
  20. >She didn't WANT to turn into an evil dictator!
  21. >She didn't WANT to turn an entire village's lives into a nightmare for a few days!
  22. >None of what she did was her intention, why couldn't anypony see that?!
  23. >But alas, she'd been down this train of thought before, and ultimately it led her nowhere.
  24. >The-Filthy-and-Very-Hungry-Trixie sniffled as a particularly icy gust of wind blasted over her, causing her bony form to shiver even harder.
  25. >'This is it,' she thought. 'This is the end. The end of Trixie. This storm will be the death of me...'
  26. >Resigning herself to the cruel fates that were, a battle she'd long resisted but finally could not any longer, she glanced upwards, peering through the sheets of rain hoping to find at least a somewhat dry place to curl up and die.
  27. >At least hoping to find a tree or a bush or something, Trixie's eyes widened as she beheld what appeared to be the dark form of a large tent in the distance.
  28. >Could it be? Actual shelter? Perhaps in her final moment she may yet have a smidgen of luck!
  29. >Willing her failing body forward, The-Grim-and-Determined-Trixie gritted her teeth and reached inside herself for that last reserve of energy, that final push.
  30. >Celestia damn it all, if she was going to die she was at least not going to wash away!
  31. >Let the ponies of this land see what they have done, and maybe, JUST maybe, they might have some remorse.
  32. >The minutes dragged on as the blue mare drove herself forward through the driving rain, the continued flashes of lightning giving her determined face an almost manic look.
  33. >After what seemed like an eternity, and at the very end of her strength, Trixie looked up one last time and saw...that she had arrived.
  34. >So intent was she on just putting one hoof in front of the other that she did not notice how close to her destination she had come...nor how utterly enormous the tent was.
  35. >The tent towered over the blue mare's head, extending well beyond her vision before curving upwards towards the very top.
  36. >The fabric of the tent rippled and moaned in the roaring wind, the sturdy anchor lines pulled taut with the strain of keeping the enormous structure on the ground.
  37. >Oddly enough, the tent was striped red and yellow, a rather offputting design but not something Trixie has time or energy to give any further thought.
  38. >It was shelter, and that was all that mattered.
  39. >Truly feeling on her last legs, Trixie slowly shuffled around the circumference of the tent until she found an opening, and slipped inside.
  40. >The tent was certainly spacious, that was for sure, with a high, vaulted ceiling and a wide open space.
  41. >It took Trixie a moment or two of wandering and observing before she realized: she had found a circus tent!
  42. >Suddenly fearing incurring the wrath of said circus owners, the showmare stopped, looked about, and listened.
  43. >But other than the muted sound of the howling wind and the flapping walls, Trixie heard and saw nothing.
  44. >In as bad a shape as she was, Trixie decided she may as well spend her last moments satisfying her curiosity about this place.
  45. >Circuses were always intriguing, who knows what might be hiding backstage?
  46. >As her wanderings continued, the cluttered amount of circus-related things became more and more apparent.
  47. >If Trixie had to guess, the crew that was setting up here got interrupted by the storm, and clearly left in a hurry.
  48. >Finding what appeared to be a set of dressing rooms, Trixie curiously peered inside.
  49. >Most of the rooms were uninteresting, just mirrors and a few random boxes of makeup and costumes.
  50. >At the end of her patience and energy, Trixie had just started to search for her final resting place when something glinted out of the corner of her eye.
  51. >Seeing an otherwise unassuming pile of boxes in the corner, Trixie mentally shrugged and headed over to investigate.
  52. >Seemed as good a place to lay down as any.
  53. >As she approached, sure enough there was a gold chain hanging out of one of the boxes.
  54. >Curious, Trixie magically grasped the object with the last of her energy and pulled it free.
  55. >She allowed herself a gasp of awe as she beheld an absolutely stunning sapphire necklace, the ornate golden chains leading to the magnificent centerpiece, an enormous and perfectly round deep blue jewel.
  56. >Smirking at the irony, Trixie pandered to her vanity one last time, floated the necklace over and fastening it around her neck.
  57. >Going back to one of the mirrors, Trixie admired how well the jewel's color complemented her own blue, albeit dirty, coat.
  58. >At least it was prettier than that blasted Alicorn Amulet.
  59. >And there was no way this one was cursed. Right? Right.
  60. >Letting out an exhausted sigh and wishing things could have turned out differently for her, Trixie took a deep breath and prepared to fall over once and for all, finally ready to draw her last breath...
  61. >When she paused. What was that smell?
  62. >Taking another couple of whiffs, Trixie's eyes widened at the salty sweet smell of what seemed to be...KETTLE CORN?!
  63. >But of course! She was in a circus tent! What kind of setup would this be without CIRCUS FOOD?
  64. >Trixie's painfully flat stomach let out a roaring growl, causing the mare to nearly double over in pain, but nonetheless she bounded forward, riding what could be her final adrenaline rush to find something to eat.
  65. >Dashing through the rooms, Trixie followed her nose until finally she found...a popcorn cart.
  66. >Time nearly stopped as Trixie beheld such a wondrous thing.
  67. >There it was, just sitting there, filled to the brim with sweet, delicious kettle corn, still kept warm by the magic that powered it.
  68. >A single tear ran down Trixie's face as she soaked in the glory of the moment...and then leapt forward eagerly. It was time to EAT!
  69. >And eat Trixie did. To hay with the potential consequences, she was a mare living on the edge, and she was going to do whatever she damn well pleased in her final moments!
  70. >Ripping the door off its hinges with her magic, Trixie wasted no time in shoveling hooffull after hooffull after heaping hooffull of delicious kettle corn into her mouth.
  71. >Kernals liberally flew as the blue hooves were nearly a blur, her jaw working nearly as fast to barely give each mouthful a chew or two before swallowing.
  72. >Driven by starvation, the showmare literally inhaled the cart full of kettle corn, and after a surprisingly short amount of time, found the cart to be empty.
  73. >Eagerly scooping up whatever pieces she dropped, Trixie moaned with satisfaction at the feeling of finally, FINALLY having solid substance in her belly.
  74. >Reaching a hoof down, the blue mare cooed gently as she lovingly stroked the slightly bulging stomach, relishing the wonderful feeling of being full.
  75. >A gentle hiccup made itself heard as its owner could only bask in the moment.
  76. >And it was then that Trixie took a moment to take in her surroundings, and realize where she was.
  77. >The kitchen.
  78. >Her smile widening as her seemingly increasingly sensitive nose picked up a multitude of tempting scents, the feast began.
  79. >A nearby cooler revealed a treasure trove of ice cream treats, and wrappers flew as the blue mare devoured them eagerly.
  80. >The sheer desire to consume, the want to eat, eat, EAT overwhelming any potential brain freeze as the breakneck pace continued.
  81. >Next came the sack of peanuts. With her energy somewhat restored, Trixie's magic busied itself with cracking open the shells while her hooves tossed them eagerly into her maw.
  82. >With a practical assembly line going, the sack found itself emptied in no time, its contents finding themselves packed into another, different, and rapidly swelling sack.
  83. >Trixie's stomach was now noticeably bulging, protruding from her otherwise anorexic frame like she had swallowed a bowling ball.
  84. >But the starving mare took no heed of such hindrances.
  85. >Funnel cakes, churros, candied apples...all found themselves promptly devoured and sent to the incessantly churning depths of Trixie's stomach.
  86. >Pausing briefly in her gluttonous feast, the blue mare sat back on her haunches, rubbing her magnificently swollen gut, her tongue lolling out of her mouth.
  87. >Sticking a proud two feet out from her body, the bulbous blue mass rested on the ground as she sat, gurgling with its load.
  88. >"BBOOOOOOOORRRRRPPPP!!" Trixie let loose a powerful belch, smacking her lips afterwards and smacking her gut in satisfaction.
  89. "Now THIS is a meal!"
  90. >Just as she was considering being finished with her meal and laying down to take a nap, one last succulent smell wafted into her nostrils.
  91. >Carrot dogs. Trixie LOVED carrot dogs.
  92. "Oh my...come to Trixie my lovelies..." Trixie murred, awkwardly getting to her hooves and waddling towards the scent.
  93. >Sure enough, her nose once again led her true: an otherwise unassuming tin that once opened, revealed its bounty: dozens of carrot dogs, fresh and ready for consumption.
  94. >Well, here there were, who was Trixie to say no? Levitating over some nearby buns, the carnage continued once more.
  95.  
  96. *Some time later*
  97. "Ooooooogh..."
  98. >A plaintive moan made itself heard from behind the carrot dog cart.
  99. >Its source was none other than an incredibly bloated Trixie, her wildly distended gut reaching beyond her legs and forcing the poor mare to lay on her side, completely unable to move.
  100. "Ohhhhh...I...I think I...BAAAAAAAARRRRPP!!....ugh...ate too much...oh my Celestia...UUUUUURRRPP!"
  101. >And although surely enough Trixie's overtaxed stomach ACHED with fullness, the showmare couldn't help but also be incredibly satisfied with herself.
  102. >The sheer gluttony, the indulgence, the wonderful feeling of FULLness she had been craving...it was all so very worth it.
  103. >Her stomach let loose another sickly groan and her cheeks puffed out, before her mouth parted with yet another powerful belch.
  104. >Looking down at herself, or as much of her as she could see, Trixie smirked at how ridiculous she looked.
  105. >The majestic necklace she wore was a sharp contrast to the tattered cape and hat along with her dirty, matted coat and mane.
  106. >The incredibly bulging belly she sported only made the entire scene more ludicrous.
  107. >But at the moment, Trixie could care less. For the first time in a long time she was dry, warm, and had a full belly.
  108. >Actually, make that a VERY full belly.
  109. >Unable and unwilling to get up and move, Trixie slowly slipped into a food coma, snoring gently as the storm continued to rage outside.
  110.  
  111. >Celestia's sun rose gently over the horizon, illuminating the landscape brilliantly, the full spectrum of colors reflecting endlessly off the dew that covered everything.
  112. >The storm had long since abated, and now there was nothing left other than the sheer brilliance of another peaceful, perfect sunrise in Equestria.
  113. >Deep within the confines of the gargantuan tent, a blue mare slept just as peacefully as the sun rose, her coat and mane looking significantly more restored and lustrous than before, despite still being quite dirty.
  114. >Unbeknownst to the sleeping figure, the sapphire necklace that she had neglected to remove last night was now glowing slightly, a gentle blue aura pulsing out from it, casting its glow on both its owner and its surroundings.
  115. >Upon closer inspection, one who may or may not have been omnisciently following said figure's plight the previous night might have noticed a slight change in said figure.
  116. >It could be reasonably said that where once laid a mare of skin and bones there was a now a remarkably fuller figure, a body that one might say belonged to one who lived a slightly overindulgent life.
  117. >Trixie's legs looked once again lively and healthy, her cheekbones no longer visible, her chest fleshed out, her belly ever so slightly pooching out, and her rump even possessing a hint of a jiggle.
  118. >But alas, it is rather difficult to admire the changes to one's own body when said one is still most assuredly sound asleep.
  119. >It was then that the peaceful morning serenity was gently nudged aside by the first sounds of activity.
  120. >Voices could be heard in the distance, shouting directions and laughing animatedly.
  121. >Squeaky wheels could be heard, the telltale sign of many a cart loaded down with supplies approaching the site.
  122. >And the great multitude of hoofsteps signified the approach of quite a few ponies.
  123. >Trixie stirred in her sleep, before slowly her purple eyes blinked open, and a yawn escaped her lips.
  124. >Trixie awoke feeling better than she had in a LONG time.
  125. >For the first time in as far as she could remember, returning to wakefulness was not the painful reminder of a constantly-empty stomach, but rather instead a pleasant satiety.
  126. >Trixie thought she caught a hint of a blue glow right when she opened her eyes, but the yawn that followed immediately after prevented her from seeing more, and with nothing unusual in sight she simply shrugged it off.
  127. >And that was when she heard them: the telltale sounds of ponies approaching.
  128. >Her eyes going wide, Trixie immediately reverted straight back into panic mode.
  129. >Bolting upright, the blue showmare quickly swiveled her head left and then right, searching desperately for a hiding spot or escape route.
  130. >This is EXACTLY how she got in this mess in the first place, and if anypony were to walk in on her she'd be caught red-hoofed.
  131. >And then it would be prison for her! Or banishment! Or banishment to prison!!
  132. >So caught up was she in her internal panicking that she failed to detect a pony muttering under its breath as it surveyed the mess inside the tent.
  133. >But that was nothing compared to the kitchen.
  134. >"Scheiße! Vhat een Celestia's güt name hast happened here?"
  135. >Trixie's eyes shrunk to pinpricks, and seeing no alternative, she dove behind the previously-full popcorn cart to cower in fear.
  136. >Never before in her life had she wished more that she knew how to teleport, but alas, Trixie's magic was not nearly as great nor powerful as she liked to claim.
  137. >"Mein gütness! Eet vould seem zat vee haff been struck by rats! Rats een great numbers ünd sizes!"
  138. >Trixie could only shudder in horror as she listened to the disembodied voice take in the remains of her carnage the previous night.
  139. >Its owner was clearly of Germane descent, the thick accent unmistakably sharpening the mysterious stallion's words.
  140. >"Ze ice cream...ze strüdeled apples...ze kettle corn...oh nein, not ze carrot dogs too! Could fate be so cruel?!"
  141. >As frantic hooves rapidly bounded over to the most assuredly empty barrel of carrot dogs, it was then that Trixie realized:
  142. >That barrel was right next to her.
  143. >Oh...buck.
  144. >Hearing a gasp, Trixie cringed, but nonetheless looked up to meet her imminent doom head-on...
  145. >Sure enough, staring down at her was the face of a beige earth pony stallion, with a short yet curly brown mane, matching brown eyes, and a short, well-clipped toothbrush moustache.
  146. >Frozen in fear and/or shock, the two ponies simply stared at each other, neither moving or speaking for a few moments.
  147. >Finally, and much to Trixie's eternal surprise, rather than going berserk and shrieking for the royal guard, the stallion smiled widely, his eyes sparkling with unconcealed excitement.
  148. >"Ahhhh, vhy hallo there young mizz! Silly me, I should haff known eet vould be you! After all, you are ze new mare, jes? Mein aides mentioned you earlier but vith zat terrible storm blowing een so suddenly...I'm afraid you vere forgotten about briefly!"
  149. >The stallion chuckled heartily to himself, as if enjoying some personal joke that Trixie had missed. Utterly baffled at this turn of events and seeing no better alternative, Trixie decided to roll with the situation as best she could.
  150. "Uhhhm, y-yep, that's me! Haha...the new mare...definitely me, ahaha..." Trixie laughed half-heartedly as she spun her lie, not quite sure what exactly she had gotten herself into.
  151. >"But of course, of course! Vith such dreadful veather, it eez only natural zat you vould let yourself een for shelter! Ünd I see zat you haff already found your uniform, eager to get started, hmm?"
  152. >Trixie faltered slightly at that. Uniform? What in Celestia's good name was this stallion on about? Looking down at herself she saw that she was only wearing her trusty hat and cape...
  153. >...Oh, and the necklace. Was that what he was referring to??
  154. "Er...beg pardon? My...uniform?" Trixie haltingly asked, trying to figure out what in the hay was going on.
  155. >"Ja, zat beautiful necklace you are vearing. Eet eez ze finest of mein beloved possessions! Eet signifies ze star of ze show! Mein number vun employee! And zat is to be you, jes? Unless I am mistaken...?" the stallion trailed off in a slightly threatening tone.
  156. >Trixie hurriedly interjected, some of her innate pride and bravado finally returning in full force. Her? The star? What a stroke of luck this could be!
  157. >She could see it now! The Great and Powerful Trixie once again performing before a huge audience of screaming fans, her magnificent feats the coup de grâce of the circus' show! The final act! The star of the event!!
  158. "Oh! Yes, absolutely! Who else to be the star other than myself, The Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie!"
  159. >So caught up was Trixie in her excitement that she fell instinctively into her old routine, leaping up on her hindlegs and casting a hooffull of her favorite pyrotechnical spells.
  160. >The stallion simply beamed all the brighter at her enthusiasm.
  161. >"Oh, vunderbar, vunderbar! Ze show simply cannot go on vithout ze final act! I vas beginning to think I vould haff to cancel mein next show, but vith you here now, ze show can go on!!"
  162. >The stallion clapped his forehooves together excitedly before wrapping a foreleg around Trixie's neck, eagerly yanking her out of the kitchen with a slight "glurk!" as he continued to expound.
  163. >"Oh jes, zis eez simply going to be perfect! I haff every confidence you vill do a fine job! But time eez short, ünd vee must get you prepared!"
  164. >Finally having recovered her breath from the iron grasp of the stallion, Trixie managed to get a word in.
  165. "Yes, but of course! Prepared! But, um...would you mind reminding me of what exactly it is I am preparing for? And, ummm...who you are again?"
  166. >The stallion gasped as if he had forgotten the most important thing in the world.
  167. >"Oh mein gütness, vhere are mein manners? Mein sincerest apologies mizz Trixie, so excited I haff been zat I haff forgotten! Mein name eez Hans Zeppelin, ünd I am ze owner ünd proprieter of zis circus, Die Zirkus Außergewöhnliche, ze most finest circus een all of Eqvestria!"
  168. "R-right," Trixie nodded, her mind spinning as it tried to process the absurdness of recent events. "And my role again is...?"
  169. >"I already told you!" the stallion laughed as he led the showmare outside the main tent and towards a cart out back, not too unlike the one she once possessed.
  170. >As they walked, the pair passed several workers who were busy cleaning up the mess from the storm, rearranging the hastily forgotten items, bringing in boxes upon boxes of fresh supplies, and setting up all manner of new equipment.
  171. >The workers glanced up at the unfamiliar mare as they passed, but seeing who she was with, they quickly lost interest and returned to their duties as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
  172. >"You are to be mein star act! Ünd vee haff little time to prepare! Worry not mein young mizz, I vill haff you ready to go een no time, but I do not haff ze time to explain! All vill be clear soon enough."
  173. >Trixie thought it was a bit odd that so little information was being divulged to her, but given how she had been found this morning she should be grateful things hadn't turned out MUCH worse.
  174. >"Ünd ze first thing to do eez to get you cleaned up! Phoo! Zat eez qvite ze stench you haff!"
  175. >Trixie looked down at herself and gave a foreleg a quick sniff. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Trixie blushed slightly as she realized how foul she did indeed smell.
  176. "Ahaha...yes, that would be wonderful. I'm afraid that's what happens when one...gets caught in such terrible weather!"
  177. >"Qvite so, qvite so. Vell you can stay een mein personal qvarters vhile vee get you acclimated to your role here. So go on, enjoy a bath, and vhen you art finished I shall haff some breakvast ready for you, ja?"
  178. "Ja!" Trixie returned jokingly, and the two shared a laugh as they stepped into the trailer.
  179.  
  180. >By the GODDESSES, Trixie could not ever remember taking such immense pleasure from a simple bath as she did just now.
  181. >Feeling the touch of warm water once again against her coat, scrubbing her mane and tail clean, feeling the dirt, the grime, the muck, the SHAME...all just wash away.
  182. >SO. WONDERFUL.
  183. >So rejuvenated was Trixie from such a simple task, with her energy and focus restored all it took was a quick spell and her cape and hat looked good as new.
  184. >Both looking AND feeling like the Trixie of old, and now with the addition of one very attractive sapphire necklace, The-Once-Again-Great-and-Powerful-Trixie confidently pushed open the bathroom door and swaggered out.
  185. "Behold! The fresh new visage of The Great and Powerful TRRRRRIXIE!"
  186. >A pair of clapping hooves could be heard across the room. "Vunderbar, vunderbar! You look truly magnificent now! I can tell you art really going to steal ze show, qvite possibly mein best act yet!"
  187. >Trixie blushed slightly at the praise as an immense surge of joy filled her heart. Finally, FINALLY things were starting to look up!
  188. >"Ünd as promised, breakvast eez served! Please, be seated ünd help yourself! Ve haff a big veek ahead of us, ja?"
  189. >Suddenly VERY acutely aware of the marvelous smells permeating the air, Trixie looked over the bountiful spread before her with a hint of drool escaping the side of her muzzle.
  190. >Stacks upon stacks of waffles littered the table, each as big around as the plates themselves and draped plentifully with syrup and butter, with more of both spreads interspersed among the many dishes.
  191. >There were several more plates: a heaping pile of hay browns, two monstrous omelettes, three whole melons cut in half, a stack of crispy, buttery toast surrounded by various jams, and what appeared to be several baker's dozens worth of donuts.
  192. >In the center of the table sat a huge bowl filled to the brim with fresh berries, and beside it were three large jugs of ice-cold liquid: one of orange juice, milk in another, and the last what looked like grapefruit juice.
  193. >The table was so loaded with food and drink, it almost looked to be buckling ever so slightly in the middle.
  194. >Despite its utterly massive feast the previous night, Trixie blushed as she felt her guts clench in NEED and unleash a truly frightening gutteral growl, eliciting a hearty chuckle from Hans.
  195. "O-oh my...Mr. Zeppelin it looks absolutely divine...but why so much? Trixie could not possibly eat all that..."
  196. >The earth pony chuckled louder. "Dohoho, please Mizz Trixie, call me Hans. Ünd forgive me eef I vas overzealous vith mein cooking, but judging by how much of my stock you ate last night, I decided to be...generous vith ze portions."
  197. >Trixie blushed further in embarassment as she was reminded of her gluttonous escapade.
  198. >"But nonezeless! Feel free to dig een! Eat vat you vant, ze rest can be put avay for later, ja? Mein first concern eez to get you vell-rested and nourished again so zat vee may begin preparing as soon as possible!"
  199. "O-of course! Absolutely!" Trixie affirmed with a newfound air of confidence, eager to partake of such a veritable bounty. And all for FREE.
  200. >"Very vell zen, I shall leave you to eet. I must be off to oversee ze continued preparations, but I vill be back to give you some lunch. Feel free to take a nap after eating mein dear, vee must haff you vell rested, after all! Ta-ta for now!"
  201. >And with that, Hans Zeppelin promptly left Trixie alone in the trailer with her own thoughts...and a veritable banquet's worth of food.
  202. >Now that Trixie had her wits about her once again, and could focus on things besides starving and being dirty, she began to realize how odd the stallion's behavior really was.
  203. >Why all the secrecy? What exactly was she 'preparing' for? And why SO MUCH food?!
  204. >Sure she had eaten so much last night that, in hindsight, she wasn't sure how she didn't just split open like an overripe blueberry, but she just chalked that up to being on the brink of starvation.
  205. >But this...THIS was crossing the border into downright absurdity.
  206. >Shaken from her thoughts by another painfully ravaging groan of hunger, Trixie decided to set these thoughts aside for the time being.
  207. "Oh, to hay with it, Trixie will play along and enjoy this while she can!"
  208. >And with that, Trixie sat her rump right down in a chair, pulled over a stack of waffles, and, levitating over a nearby fork and knife, took the first bite of many.
  209. >Trixie groaned in sheer pleasure as that first, delightful bite of fluffy, syrupy waffle passed her lips and began its final journey into her gullet.
  210. >Oh, but it was simply DIVINE!! That Hans fellow sure knew how to cook!
  211. "Ohhhh...Trixie could get used to this..." the blue mare trailed off, failing to notice the ever so slight shift in her tone as her eyes, and then the necklace she still wore, began to glow blue.
  212. >But Trixie was too caught up in the wondrous feast to notice. Oh no, now it was time to EAT!!
  213. >And with that, she was off.
  214. >The first stack of waffles didn't stand a chance. The second stood even less of a chance. By the time Trixie was devouring her third plate of waffles, the entire feast would've been trembling in fear had it the ability to do so.
  215. >Trixie moaned in pleasure as bite after bite after delicious bite of wondrous breakfast food made its way into her groaning stomach.
  216. >The waffles were delicious to begin with, but soon Trixie was so caught up in her gluttony that she began pouring even MORE syrup and butter over them, increasing their deliciousness, and also the mess she was making on herself, even further.
  217. >After devouring her fourth enormous stack of waffles, with just as many yet to go, Trixie paused to catch her breath.
  218. >Surveying the vast amount of delicacies yet to be tasted, with a lick of her lips the showmare decided it was time for a change of pace.
  219. >Her horn flaring with magic, now sporting a decidedly blue aura as well, Trixie levitated over the jug of grapefruit juice, popped the top, and began to drink...and drink...and DRINK...and then just downright chugged the liquid.
  220. >Gulp...gulp...ulp...gulp...
  221. >Lower and lower the level of liquid fell until finally the last few drops were sucked into her greedy maw, and the jug came free with a slight *pop*!
  222. >Taking a few heaving breaths, Trixie allowed the excess gas in her stomach to have its exodus: "HHUUUUUUOOOOOOORRRRRPPP!!"
  223. >Smacking her lips in satisfaction, Trixie's horn flared even brighter as one of the omelettes made its way over, and the rest of the food got busy.
  224. >As Trixie tore into her omelette hungrily with her hooves and teeth, her magic was hard at work.
  225. >The melons began slicing themseles up into neat cubes before floating over and stuffing themselves into the eagerly chomping mouth in between other bites.
  226. >The hay browns were generously salted and slathered in ketchup before being brought over on heaping forkfuls. The donuts lined themselves up in the air and made their way forward one by one.
  227. >The berries began dumping themselves liberally onto the remaining waffles along with more butter and syrup, and the toast was generously lathered in butter and jam before the slices floated over to circle Trixie's head, the hungry mare chomping into whichever she chose with glee.
  228. >The frenzied meal continued unabated, with more and more of the scrumptious, heavy food finding itself sliding down into Trixie's increasingly-packed gut.
  229. >By now the blue sphere was once again wildly distended, rushing forward to cover the majority of her lap and beginning to press against the table edge.
  230. >Leaning back with a satisfied belch, Trixie allowed her hooves to roam the gurgling, churning surface of her stomach while her magic continued to funnel food greedily into her eager mouth.
  231. >To any casual observer, the sheer amount of objects flying around in Trixie's magical grip would be impressive by itself, but all the seperate actions each was undergoing made it even more so, the mare eager to get as much food in her belly as fast as possible.
  232. >Pausing once again in her frantic chewing, another jug of liquid floated over, this time the orange juice.
  233. >Whereas the first jug was drank with gluttonous delight, this one was downright frantic.
  234. >Trixie's throat undulated endlessly as the sweet orange liquid was nearly pumped straight into the still-expanding blue stomach.
  235. >The second jug was flung from the blue lips, emptied even faster than the first, and the room echoed with a resounding "BBBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLCCCHHHH!!" before the offending mouth was once again crammed full with half a slice of toast and the first bite of the second omelette.
  236. >On and on the feast went, her pace only beginning to slow once the last few remnants of food were all that remained on the table.
  237. >Trixie moaned as the last maple bar pushed past her lips, piled high with the leftover berries.
  238. >Chewing rather slovenly yet still determinedly, the now-thoroughly-stuffed showmare moaned yet again around her final, enormous bite: "ohhhhh...shhhhooooo...guuuuudd..."
  239. >And then, with one final and powerful gulp, the last lump traveled down the throat and entered the now enormously-packed gut.
  240. >Trixie groaned in fullness, her head spinning with hedonistic pleasure as she looked down upon herself, her cheeks, chin, neck, and upper half of her gut coated in sticky syrup.
  241. >She was truly enormous now, her gut having pushed her chair twice as far away from the table as it had been when she started.
  242. >The taut blue orb was so big, it was even beginning to encroach upon her lower vision as it pushed upwards, searching desperately for more space.
  243. >Trixie's still luminescent blue eyes surveyed the carnage on the table with a smirk, enjoying the wasteland of emptied plates and bowls and jugs...
  244. >Except for the last remaining jug of ice-cold milk.
  245. >Trixie groaned in slight pain as she began warring with herself. She was full, no BEYOND full, how could she possibly want more?!
  246. >But she was now well and truly caught up in the necklace's spell. Her horn flaring weakly one last time, the jug of milk floated over towards her gasping maw.
  247. >And so she began to drink, but this time it was slow, measured, and laborious, her nostrils flaring as she gasped for air in between each painful gulp.
  248. >Gulp...sigh...gulp...groan...gulp...MOAN...
  249. >Trixie squeezed her eyes shut and willed her tired throat muscles to continue flexing, franticly rubbing her engorged tummy as she felt the cold, creamy liquid fill up every remaining nook and cranny her stomach had left.
  250. >But then, with only half of the jug gone, her stomach ran out of room.
  251. >She was full to the brim.
  252. >Pausing in her imbibement, Trixie's eyes cast about frantically as she gasped for air, battling with herself over what to do.
  253. >She tried willing her magic to take the cursed beverage away, she tried so hard, she really did...but to no avail.
  254. >Resigning herself to her fate with a groan, Trixie's exhausted throat muscles simply parted, allowing the remaining liquid to downright GUSH into her massive orb of a stomach.
  255. >With no further will to resist, all the showmare could hope for was to empty the jug as fast as possible before her stomach had a chance to revolt.
  256. >Trixie felt herself breaking into a nervous sweat as the upper swell of her stomach she could see began to tinge pink, while the tightness at her navel intensified, the skin there beginning to glow a radiant cherry red.
  257. >Whimpering quietly, Trixie gulped faster.
  258. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Trixie's lips met air. Pulling the jug free with a desperately short gasp, Trixie's horn finally faded as the jug fell to the floor with a rattle, and the engorged blue body was allowed to relax.
  259. >As she did so, however, the weight of her immensely overfilled tummy pulled the blue mare forward with a yelp, and she promptly fell belly first onto the floor, her almighty gut squelching with a very audible *SLOSH* as she wobbled atop her immensity.
  260. >Trixie's mouth parted, originally intended to let loose a cry of pain, but instead the air once again resonated with a monstrous "BBBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRPPP!!"
  261. >Panting from her morning exertion, Trixie took a few well-deserved moments to recollect her nearly-shattered wits.
  262. >And right now? She wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep this crazy huge meal off.
  263. >Just one problem: there was no WAY she was getting all four of her hooves to touch the ground...with her back hooves currently planted her forehooves still had a good three feet to go before they could reach.
  264. >Groaning in delirious determination, Trixie rotated herself forward on her hugely distended, wobbling, sloshing stomach until she could begin to pull herself forward.
  265. >Grunting with the strain, and with no small amount of help from her magic, Trixie somehow managed to wobble and slosh her way the few feet across the room she needed to a particularly comfy-looking couch, which she promptly fell over sideways onto and was out the moment her head hit a cushion.
  266. >The cabin was now silent, other than the gentle snoring of the exhausted mare and the incessant gurgling and churning of the massive stomach as it struggled to handle such an immense feast.
  267. >So big was the blue and now somewhat red sphere, that even with its owner lying on the couch a good two feet above the ground, so far did it hang over the edge that its surface still brushed the floor gently with every shallow breath.
  268. >Trixie murmured in her sleep as her mouth parted one last time to rattle the plates with an immensely powerful belch, before the silence once again descended, the massive gut gurgling around its mushy contents as it pulsated gently with the blue energy.
  269.  
  270. >Hours passed by completely unnoticed by the near-comatose blue mare, so entrenched in the deepest tendrils of sleep was she.
  271. >Despite the not-exactly-quiet noise generated by all the ruckus and activity outside, Trixie slept on without a care in the world.
  272. >She did not even have any dreams to speak of.
  273. >No, there was only one thing that stood a chance of rousing this mare...
  274. >And she began to do just that as a particularly tantalizing smell began to tickle her nose.
  275. >Stirring slightly with a groan, Trixie steadily became more and more awake as the scent continued to weave its intoxicating spell.
  276. >Finally blinking open her eyes, the showmare immediately regretted it as the harsh rays of the mid-afternoon sun nearly blinded her.
  277. >Hay, was it that time already?! How long was she out?
  278. >Covering her eyes with a hoof Trixie took in her surroundings once more.
  279. >Glancing down at herself, Trixie cringed slightly as she felt the sticky fur on her chin mush up against the sticky fur on her neck, but that could not be helped just yet.
  280. >Her belly was still swollen, but significantly less so than it had been previously.
  281. >Or...had that really happened? How could she possibly have consumed so much food?
  282. >In her still sleep-addled state, Trixie's mind could not decide if her insane breakfast had actually took place this morning or if it had been a feverish dream brought on by her midday nap.
  283. >Given the syrup still stuck to a good part of her fur, at least some of it happened, but the details still felt just outside Trixie's mental grasp, almost clear but still slightly fuzzy.
  284. >Her nose once again took a whiff of that delectable scent, and her stomach convulsed with a rolling, gurgling groan, though whether it was one of hunger or fullness Trixie could not honestly say.
  285. >Well, two things were for certain: one, she really needed another wash and two, she even MORE really wanted to know what that smell was, it was absolutely divine!
  286. >Rocking herself slightly to build momentum, Trixie groaned as she rolled to her hooves, delighted to see that her stomach didn't quite touch the floor and allowed her to walk.
  287. >Her legs spread slightly bow-legged from the fleshy mass pressing them apart, Trixie waddled off to the kitchen to sniff out that scent.
  288. >As Trixie poked her head into the cooking area she was rewarded by the sight of Hans himself working, currently stirring a large pot that was undoubtedly the source of Trixie's interest.
  289. >The stallion noticed her presence immediately; it was not particularly hard given her ponderous gait.
  290. >"Ah! Mizz Trixie! I see you art avake! Just in time too, ze stew eez almost ready, ja?"
  291. >Trixie's stomach gave another confused moan.
  292. "O-oh Hans, is that what that smell is? It is simply heavenly!"
  293. >"Oh jes, mein dear, eet eez none other zan mein famous barley stew! A recipe passed down through mein family for generations, and taught to me by mein sweet mother, bless her soul."
  294. >Hans took on a faraway look for a moment, as if envisioning his time spent at home as a young colt.
  295. >But noticing Trixie's drooling, vacant gaze brought him back to reality with a smirk.
  296. >"You like ze smell, ja? I vas making zis stew for lunch, vould you like some?"
  297. "O-oh!" Trixie startled, herself also jolting back to reality. "Y-yes please! Trixie would very much like to try some of this delectable smelling...barley stew," she finished, taking another long whiff.
  298. >Hans chuckled as he pulled a bowl from a cupboard. "But of course, of course! You vould haff to be crazy to not vant some of mein stew! Everypony loves it, ünd I do mean everypony!"
  299. >Ladling a healthy portion of the steaming liquid into the bowl, Hans gestured to Trixie to sit down at the table.
  300. >The hungry showmare was eager to comply, temporarily even forgetting about the hindrance of her still sloshy, swollen gut.
  301. >"Here you art, mein dear," Hans said, placing the gently steaming bowl before her.
  302. >"Careful now, eet eez still very hot!" Hans warned. "I vill let ze rest sit to cool for a moment, feel free to haff as much as you vish, I vill be back to get ze rest once I haff finished making mein rounds! Enjoy!"
  303. >And with that, a quick wave and a smile, Hans once again vacated the trailer.
  304. "Bye..." Trixie murmured, half-heartedly waving a hoof.
  305. >She hardly noticed his departure, so enraptured was she in examining this new culinary delight.
  306. >The broth was a deep, rich brown, smelling strongly of barley and oats.
  307. >Submerged in the hot, frothy liquid was a smattering of vegetables: carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, and squash.
  308. >It truly was a most delectable-looking meal.
  309. >Although Trixie wasn't sure if she was actually hungry or not, Hans seemed so eager to share and the stew looked and smelled SO GOOD that she didn't see the harm in having a bowl.
  310. >Besides, it would be rude to reject his offering, right?
  311. >Right.
  312. >With that quandary set aside for now, Trixie's horn flared as she levitated the spoon Hans left her to her mouth, blowing gently on the steaming portion to cool it.
  313. >As soon as that first mouth-watering bite passed Trixie's lips, her tastebuds instantly exploded, tears of pure joy springing from the corners of her eyes.
  314. >This...this was...truly...MAGNIFICENT!!
  315. >Still reeling from that first mind-numbingly good bite, Trixie stared back down at her remaining stew in awe.
  316. >There was only one thought coursing through her mind at that moment:
  317. "More...Trixie must have MORE!"
  318. >And more did she have, the spoon nearly becoming a blur as she shoveled mouthful after mouthful of delicious homemade stew into her maw, hardly caring if the still-hot liquid or vegetables slightly burned her throat and mouth.
  319. >In no time at all, the spoon clattered against the bottom of the empty bowl, and Trixie leaned back with a contended sigh, her eyes taking on a faraway look as her hooves roamed her still-massive belly.
  320. "Oh my...Trixie has never tasted something so wonderful..."
  321. >Slowly, Trixie's eyes shifted over to where the still-steaming pot sat, its contents promising even more savory goodness.
  322. >Her eyes flicked back and forth between the pot and her bowl as she warred with herself, though the battle was short-lived.
  323. "Well...Hans DID say Trixie could have as much as she wanted...surely one more bowl will not hurt!"
  324. >Steadfast in her resolve, Trixie's horn flared yet again as the bowl floated over to the pot, the ladle automatically dispensing a refill.
  325. >The bowl didn't even reach the table before the first spoonful shoved its way into Trixie's mouth, its owner giving an appreciative moan.
  326. >Trixie continued to shovel stew even faster than she did the first bowl, completely unnoticing as her eyes and her gut began to once again glow a rich, vibrant blue.
  327. >The spoon clacked against the bowl far sooner than Trixie would've liked.
  328. >Panting slightly, Trixie's eyes narrowed in confusion and annoyance as she scanned her now-empty bowl.
  329. "What? Empty again? These bowls are much too small for a ravenous mare such as myself..." Trixie huffed, her azure eyes drifting back to the pot with a smirk.
  330. "Well, Trixie supposes she will just have to have another serving! Hans insisted that Trixie take what she wanted, and that is exactly what Trixie will do!"
  331. >And so the bowl was refilled yet again, and the cycle began anew.
  332.  
  333. "OOOOOOORRRRPP!! Oof...excuse Trixie..."
  334. >The blue showmare tried unsuccessfully to stifle a belch as the spoon once again clattered against the bowl.
  335. >Trixie has just finished her eighth (...tenth? twelfth? Trixie had lost count...) bowl of succulent stew and was considerably fuller than she had been when she'd started.
  336. >The stuffed blue orb once again jutted grandly from the showmare's slightly padded form, pressing against the table and forcing Trixie to huff and puff to get the air she needed.
  337. >She was certainly full, that much was true, but was she done?
  338. >THAT was the million-bit question.
  339. >Trixie's mind pitched one last valiant battle, some small part of her screaming no, she'd had enough, it would be rude to eat all of Hans' soup.
  340. >But ultimately, Trixie's newfound greed won out, and the entire pot found itself wrapped in a blue aura as it levitated gently over towards the table.
  341. "Oh to hay with it," Trixie murmured, her eyes lidded lasciviously as they tracked the pot's movement. "Bowls are for pushovers anyways."
  342. >And if there was one thing Trixie definitely was NOT, she thought as her lips touched the rim of the pot, it was a pushover.
  343. >The large steel pot gently tilted upwards, and soon Trixie was rewarded with a steady flow of hot, savory stew, her mouth working every now and again to chew up some of the larger chunks of vegetable.
  344. >Gulp...gulp...gulp...
  345. >Trixie's throat found itself in a familiar pattern as even more liquid sustenance rushed to fill the steadily expanding fleshy orb that was her stomach.
  346. >Trixie moaned as she felt the mounting fullness, but paid it no mind.
  347. >What was a minor bellyache to her when she could have food this GOOD?!
  348. >On and on Trixie drank, the small, rational part of her mind remaining questioning how much more there could possibly be.
  349. >But the rest of Trixie didn't care. The rest of Trixie wanted it ALL.
  350. >And that was exactly what Trixie got.
  351. >Feeling the stream slowly ebb and then finally run dry, Trixie's lips parted with a satisfied "ah!" as the pot floated away, falling to the table with a decidedly hollow "CLANG!"
  352. >Trixie groaned in satisfaction, her hooves automatically gravitating towards her own gravid middle.
  353. >Though nowhere near as large as she'd been this morning, Trixie's stomach was definitely still huge, the warm sloshy mass preventing any of her hooves from touching the table or each other.
  354. >Trixie had no doubt in her mind that should she try to walk, each of her hooves would be at least a foot away from touching the floor.
  355. >But this was of no concern to Trixie right now. The only concern she had was for her wonderfully full, gurgling tummy.
  356. "BBBBUUUUUUUUUUURRRRPPP!!"
  357. >Trixie's maw parted as she loudly announced her satisfaction, gentle wisps of steam escaping the humid entrance, droplets of saliva splattering against the upper swell of her belly.
  358. >Groaning once again in hedonistic, gluttonous glee, Trixie swiveled her immense mass in an effort to return to that gloriously comfortable couch.
  359. >But gravity had a different plan.
  360. >With a short "yipe!" Trixie's chair slipped out from under her, dumping the swollen mare onto the kitchen floor with a loud *GLUNK!*
  361. >Wincing from the impact, Trixie's hoof stroked her wobbling mass consolingly, the motion continuing a good several seconds after the fall.
  362. >Drawn in by the warm, liquid meal swishing gently within the confines of her stomach, Trixie gave up on any previous effort to make it to the couch and instead let her eyes drift slowly closed.
  363. >And with that, the blue mare promptly passed out on the floor, gentle snores making themselves heard in the kitchen along with the gentle sloshing of Trixie's satisfied belly.
  364.  
  365. >Trixie was in heaven!
  366. >Or at least, that was what she assumed. Where else could a mare enjoy so many earthly delights so thoroughly?
  367. >Celestia's sun shone brightly, casting its warm, inviting glow over the quaint village, warming the air to a delightfully comfortable temperature.
  368. >Trixie breathed deep through her nose, taking in the myriad of inviting smells that wafting to and fro on the midafternoon breeze.
  369. >The crisp saltiness of hay fries, the savory richness of hayburgers, the gentle aroma of freshly baked bread, and the telltale cinammon and sugar heralding the presence of apple-related goodies all mingled to provide one incredibly tantalizing smell sensation overload!
  370. >Trixie's stomach rumbled mightily in response to such overwhelming deliciousness, demanding that its painfully empty confines be filled as soon as possible.
  371. >The showmare's head swiveled as one of the cute little denizens of the village wandered in front of her. Why, it was a cute little walking hayburger!
  372. >Upon noticing the hungry mare, the hayburger stopped, smiled, and waved. "Ah, hello zere! I take eet you art enjoying your stay een mein cute little village, no?" the talking snack greeted her in an adorable caricature of a Germane accent.
  373. >Trixie nodded, her eyes lidding slightly. "Ohhhh, YES, Trixie is...everything smells so..." Trixie paused to breath deeply once again. "...Wonderful..."
  374. >The hayburger chuckled good-naturedly. "Dohoho, but of course! Vee aim to please! Vould you like yourself a taste right now?" it asked, waggling its eyebrows playfully as it stepped forward, Trixie's mouth salivating furiously at the delicious treat presenting itself to her.
  375. "Ohhhh...yes, please...Trixie is so hungry..."
  376. >The blue mare's stomach contracted violently and downright ROARED, expressing its immediate agreement with its owner's statement.
  377. >The hayburger laughed yet again and poked the rounded blue surface. "Most vünderbar! Vee art alvays ready ünd villing to satisfy! All you haff to do now eez vake up..."
  378. >Trixie paused a moment in confusion, her muzzle scrunching up as the hayburger's strange words sunk in.
  379. "Wait...wake...up? Trixie is awake..."
  380. >The walking talking snack made no indication that it heard Trixie's words. "Come on now, Mizz Trixie, eet eez time to vake up!"
  381. >The culinary wonderland began to spin. Trixie felt increasingly dizzy and disoriented. The colors began to blur and blend together.
  382. >"Vake up, Trixie..." the familiar voice echoed, as if spoken over a great distance. "Vake up..."
  383.  
  384. >Trixie's eyes slowly blinked open, and the blue mare confusedly took in her surroundings, seemingly taking a moment to remember exactly where she was.
  385. >"Ah!" the voice spoke off to her left. Turning her head, Trixie nearly came snout to snout with her host, Hans Zeppelin. "You art avake! Very güt! I vas beginning to think you had truly overdone things ven not even ze smell of dinner could rouse you!" Hans enthused, excitable as ever.
  386. >Trixie blinked slowly a few more times, her mind struggling to comprehend the bizarre turn of events. "Er...yes, indeed...Trixie just needed a powernap..."
  387. >Hans chuckled good-naturedly. "But of course, but of course! Mein stew tends to haff zat effect on ponies too," Hans added with a wink. "But even so, you must haff been having a very güt dream to sleep so deep, ja?"
  388. "Oh!" Trixie started, the pieces of logic finally falling into place in her addled mind. "Yes! Haha...Trixie was indeed having a good dream, although Trixie sees that the wonderful smells where not just in the dream!" Trixie commented excitedly as she realized that the tasty smells were still present, if not even stronger.
  389. >"Qvite so, mein dear, qvite so! I haff just finished putting ze final touches on your dinner! I couldn't help but notice how ravenous you haff been thus far, so I haff prepared for ze vürst! Vee must spare no effort een getting you back into form, no? Vee can begin proper training very soon, I can just feel eet!"
  390. >Hans continued to chatter on excitedly, but Trixie only partially registered that he was speaking, let alone the actual words he was saying. Her attention was diverted elsewhere.
  391. >Her nose, ever the pursuer of appealing and appetizing scents, had finally located the source of the savory goodness it had detected, and the sight of said source was enough to leave Trixie slack-jawed.
  392. >If lunch left her stuffed to the max, and breakfast was a gut-buster, then dinner put them both to shame as a true whopper of a feast.
  393. >Whereas before the table had looked strained, now it audibly GROANED with the sheer mass of food weighing it down.
  394. >A small line of drool escaped Trixie's mouth as she stared, mirrored by a single tear shed by said astounded mare.
  395. >A million questions ran through the showmare's mind. Where had it all come from? How had one pony prepared so much? And WHY?!?
  396. >As gripping as these questions may have been, they were all forcefully shoved aside as Trixie's now well-rounded stomach downright LURCHED in hunger, growling and moaning like a savage beast reveling in the hunt.
  397. >Who could possibly care about why's and how's when there was so much delicious food sitting right before them, just begging to be eaten?!
  398. >And truly, there was SO MUCH.
  399. >Several heaping plates of hay fries lay interspersed about the table, each accompanied by a platter stacked high with at least two dozen hayburgers.
  400. >There were also several huge serving bowls of food, containing such goods as mashed potatoes, green beans, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and a fresh greens salad.
  401. >Adding to the spread were a couple baskets of fresh rolls, each with a small pat of butter beside them.
  402. >The jugs from before were refilled as well, this time with cola, cider, and grape juice.
  403. >And serving as the grand centerpiece in the middle of it all was an absolute pyramid of carrot dogs, too many to count.
  404. >Left temporarily spellbound by the grandeur of the feast, Trixie could not initially muster the will to do much of anything besides muttering, "oh my Celestia..."
  405. >Hans grinned at this and playfully elbowed the significantly doughier mare in the side. "Vell, vhat art you waiting for? Dig een! I know zat I am!" the stallion finished with a laugh as he strode forward, grabbing a plate and beginning to scoop himself a modest serving of potato salad.
  406. >Trixie needed no further convincing. Her eyes already flashing blue as she licked her lips, Trixie dug into her meal with gusto.
  407. >With so much food at her disposal, manners were just about the furthest thing from her mind. Sliding over one of the plates of hayburgers with her magic, Trixie promptly levitated a pair of them to her mouth, chomping eagerly at both in rapid succession.
  408. >Finishing off the first two, another pair of delicious hayburgers floated up to replace them before meeting the same gluttonous fate. This pattern continued unabated, indeed even speeding up, the blue showmare showing hardly any interest in the crumbs or splatters of ketchup escaping her hungry gullet.
  409. >As the hayburger massacre continued, Trixie's horn glowed blue once again, and the rest of the feast got busy. Several plates levitated over the spread, each getting a generous scoop from each of the serving bowls and a nicely buttered roll to go with it.
  410. >Halfway through the first pile of burgers, Trixie shifted her approach, now alternating between a juicy hayburger and a large hooffull of hay fries, slathered in even more ketchup than the burgers. As Trixie ravenously devoured the first stacks of hayburgers and hay fries, a natural pairing after all, the plates loaded with other goodies began to line up in anticipation.
  411. >Finishing her final burger with a rather chaste *BELCH*, Trixie turned her approach to the bobbing line of plates, licking her lips hungrily as the first of many floated forward.
  412. >Her eyes now glowing a solid blue, Trixie's hunger seemed unquenchable as she opened wide, upturning the plate and practically POURING the heaping mound of food into her greedy, drooling maw.
  413. >As the now steadily swelling showmare continued to messily shovel food into her mouth, Hans looked on with an approving gaze as he took a modest bite of his single hayburger.
  414. >A simple glance might label the stallion's expression as 'prideful', or perhaps proud or self-satisfied. But looking closer, there was a tiny glint of something deeper in his eyes, and the faintest trace of a smirk pulling at his features as he watched Trixie gorge with reckless abandon.
  415.  
  416. >A solid hour later, Trixie was still going strong. Having finished the first two of three servings of hayburgers and hay fries, emptying half of each of the serving bowls, downing one of the two baskets of rolls, and imbibing the whole jug of grape juice, Trixie found herself moaning in gluttonous bliss as she worked her way frantically through the final piles of burgers and fries.
  417. >Concerned by the first gentle pangs of fullness radiated from her thoroughly stuffed gut, Trixie dug in and ate even faster, determined to cram as much delicious sustenance into her digestive tract as she could before the pain of overindulgence caught up with her.
  418. >Were she in any rational state of mind, Trixie would find herself wildly questioning her rash and downright ridiculous behavior, but the fact was that she was not.
  419. >No, she was now well and truly lost to her most basest, carnal desires, the drive to glut and guzzle, eat and munch, gobble and gorge, gulp and slurp. There wasn't enough, she could never have enough, all she could think of was more, more, MORE.
  420. >Polishing off the final hayburger and meager pile of hay fries, Trixie paused only long enough to let loose with a warbling, window-rattling "BBBBEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLCCCCCCHHH!!" before resuming her gluttonous escapade with vigor.
  421. >Not that she had any interest of doing so, but had Trixie taken a moment to observe herself, she might have been fairly shocked by how much ketchup, grease, dressing, sauce, and sweat covered her cheeks, chin, neck, and upper swell of her stuffed, stuffed tummy.
  422. >Equally shocking may have been how utterly swollen she was, easily the size of an overdue expectant mother of triplets, her gut so full and round and firm it would have undoubtedly brushed the ground should she try and walk.
  423. >But no, none of this mattered to Trixie, all she cared about was the fact that there was still food on the table, and that she wanted it in her full, full belly.
  424. >Levitating up another plate loaded with food, Trixie tipped her head back and opened wide, her eyes lidding at the thrill of the feast, eagerly gulping down the first of many plates on her way to emptying the serving bowls.
  425. >Having long ago finished his dinner, Hans now sat and watched Trixie with rapt attention, his forelegs propped up on the table and his head resting on his hooves. A gentle smile played at his face as he watched Trixie eat.
  426. >And eat. And eat...
  427.  
  428. >"BBBBUUUUUUOOOOOOORRRRRPPPPT!!" The air vibrated once again with the deep, baritone reverberations of Trixie's throat muscles as she forcefully expelled yet another troublesome pocket of air, the forcefulness of her eruption carrying with it several droplets of saliva that spattered against her huge, swollen tummy.
  429. >Trixie panted slightly as she caught her breath, reveling in her accomplishment of emptying all five of the serving bowls, as well as the speed with which she downed the cool, refreshing cola. Surely it was a personal best!
  430. >But it came at the slight cost of having to spend the last few minutes belching vigorously, the bubbly soda causing Trixie's guts no end of troublesome aches and pains.
  431. >And ache Trixie's gut most certainly did, her now thoroughly stuffed midriff radiating persistantly with the dull pain of an overstretched stomach, her skin starting to tinge ever so slightly pink at the apex of her navel.
  432. >Breathing shallowly and enjoying the temporary relief, Trixie slowly turned her gaze to the massive mound of carrot dogs and grinned.
  433. >Mmmmm, carrot dogs...always had been one of Trixie's favorites. Surely there was still some room for some of those?
  434. >Licking her lips and grinning, Trixie levitated forth the first of many. "Mmmm...Trixie simply cannot wait to count just how many there are of you..." Trixie whispered almost sultrily, so caught up in the hedonistic gorge was she.
  435. >Sliding that first succulent carrot dog into her mouth, Trixie chewed thoughtfully for a few moments before swallowing with a loud *GULP*, the obvious lump of food tracing a visible path as it descended down Trixie's esophagus towards the moaning, churning depths of her overburdened stomach.
  436. "One..." Trixie cooed, licking her lips to (ineffectually) catch whatever condiments may have been left behind, even as she grabbed another carrot dog from the pile and slid it gently into her eager, panting maw.
  437. >The second carrot dog met exactly the same fate as the first, and Trixie's poor, poor tummy moaned in anguish as even more was added to its load.
  438. "Two..."
  439. >In the kitchen, Hans grinned widely as he listened to Trixie count to herself, only paying half attention to the now-empty serving bowls he was in the process of washing. He simply couldn't wait for the showmare to finish her meal, for then it would be time for dessert!
  440. "*ULP*...three..."
  441.  
  442. "Hurff...*GULP*! F-forty-three... Guh..." Trixie moaned softly as she struggled to keep her load down, her cheeks puffing up and her eyes crossing as a hoof tried and failed to suppress a rolling *UUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRPPPP!!*
  443. "F-forty...*GLOOMPH!*...uh...f-four..." Trixie's immense stomach moaned and growled angrily, loudly protesting its still steadily increasing volume, the blue surface just about roiling visibly with digestive distress.
  444. "*ULP!* F-forty five..." Trixie was so throroughly swollen that she was hardly even seated in her chair anymore. The back legs were lifted off the ground, the whole chair tilted forward as it was weighed down by the showmare's truly weighty belly.
  445. "Forty-s-six...ooohhhhhh..." The blue, pulsating gut was undeniably huge, so big and round that it could probably fit a dozen normal-sized Trixies inside. So big was it that Trixie had no doubts that should she be lying on it as if to walk, she would be twice as wide AND tall as her normal self, and as it was her belly stretched nearly to the other side of the table, and was beginning to lift it slightly.
  446. "F-forty...s-seven...*UUURP!*" Trixie groaned in an odd combination of agony and bliss, the pressure in her belly constantly alternating between pressing outwards against her overstressed, cherry-red navel and sitting just beneath the base of her esophagus, as if to block any further influx of food as her tummy pleaded with her to stop.
  447. >But...but there was just one lonely carrot dog left! Surely it would be a complete let down to leave it all alone...right...?
  448. "OooohhhhHHHHHHHhhh!! F-forty eight!" As the last of the carrot dogs slid unwillingly into the increasingly-packed confines of Trixie's stomach, a low chorus of groaning and roiling began, the blue mare's face contorting in pain as the disturbance built to a crescendo. "Ohhhhhh...stars above!! Tri...Trixie is g-going to...to...B-BURST!!"
  449. >And as Trixie's abdomen emitted one final, ferocious roar, a visible swell traveled up Trixie's throat as she reflexively squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her jaw, and puffed her cheeks, willing against the cruel fates to hold together, to not blow apart, to not be her end...
  450. >Trixie could hold it no longer. Opening her mouth to let loose with one final wail of pain, instead what came forth was something like: "HHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRPPPPP!!!"
  451. >Trixie's eyes were wide and her tongue flapped idly in the breeze as she let loose with the longest, loudest, raunchiest belch that she had never even conceived to be possible, the gastric monstrosity continuing on for a good fifteen seconds at least. Somewhere along the line, a few powerful poots escaped the blue mare's shapely rear end, but they were easily lost in the cacophony.
  452. >Once Trixie was done letting loose with the belch of a lifetime, she gasped for air before immediately cringing in pain and changing her breathing patterns to shallower, quicker breaths to avoid putting any more pressure on her incredibly compressed belly. And then she promptly collapsed in exhaustion, enlisting the assistance of all four of her limbs to gently roam the surface of her monstrosity, trying and ultimately failing to provide any real relief.
  453. >It was at that point that Hans, who was really just amazed (and also thankful) that the eruption hadn't broken half his windows and dishes, entered the room with a steaming apple pie on his back and a gallon of perfectly chilled vanilla ice cream and a spoon in hoof.
  454. >"Mein gütness, mizz Trixie!" Hans exclaimed excitedly. "I am simply amazed by zat wondrous display of consumption! Eet varms mein heart to know zat you haff so thoroughly enjoyed mein humble cooking! I am very pleased, very pleased indeed...at zis rate, vee art vell on our way to getting you prepared for ze show biz!!"
  455. >Trixie could only groan in reply, utterly collapsed upon her monstrous gut, all of her brainpower sapped by the metaphorical flashing red lights in her mind, along with the blaring alarm and the words "WARNING: CRITICAL PRESSURE REACHED" playing over and over and over...
  456. "Bleeeeeccchhh..." Trixie moaned once again, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as her eyes rolled.
  457. >"But as mein sveet Mutter vould alvays say, no truly grand meal eez complete vithout dessert, ünd I most certainly do not intend to stiff you of zat delight, ja? So, I present to you mein fresh apple pie, ala mode! Vhat do you say, hmm?" Hans asked as he strutted around Trixie's bomb of a belly, entering her field of view and regarding her eagerly.
  458. >For her part, Trixie hardly registered Hans' presence, let alone what he was saying. By the goddesses, all she wanted to do was to PASS OUT and let her stomach digest.
  459. >She did, however, notice the pie and ice cream he held in his hooves, and instinctually reacted. "Ohhhh, noooooo...n-no more...too f-full...ooooogghh..." Trixie managed to moan out, eager to express her intense discomfort.
  460. >"Too full?" Hans asked, tilting his head as if such a concept was completely foreign to him. "Don't be so silly, Mizz Trixie! Zere eez no such thing as 'too full'! Here...allow me to help you!" the stallion offered cheerfully, scooping up a spoonful of apple pie and holding it out towards Trixie's mouth.
  461. >Trixie's eyes crossed slightly as she strained to keep tabs on the encroaching food. "N-noooo...don't want...soooo f-fulllll..." Trixie mumbled, trying to offer one last token resistance.
  462. >It wasn't that it didn't smell good. No, completely the opposite: it smelled DIVINE. Trixie was sure that it was every bit as delicious as every other scrap of food Hans had prepared thus far. But...she was just so full! She dearly wished she could enjoy it without being on the complete and utter verge of bursting!
  463. >But Hans just wouldn't take no for an answer. "Here comes ze choo-choo train!" Hans giggled gleefully, taking entirely too much fun out of his 'helpfulness.'
  464. >Moaning in resigned agony, Trixie resigned herself to fate and allowed the bite of pie to enter her mouth, where it absolutely lip up her tastebuds before being slowly chewed, once, twice...and then swallowed.
  465. >The bite was small enough that it alone didn't cause Trixie any undue amounts of pain, but by their powers combined...
  466. >Another bite passed the showmare's lips, and Trixie groaned long and low, knowing that by now there was no turning back...
  467.  
  468. >Celestia's sun had long fallen beneath the horizon and Luna's moon and stars danced across the night sky as Trixie's epic binge finally drew to a close.
  469. >Other than the raucous gurgling and churning of a stomach stretched far, FAR beyond capacity, the only sound was a gentle glunking, not unlike the sound of a water dispenser being slowly emptied...
  470. >*glik*...*glik*...*gulp*...glik*...
  471. >Trixie's throat undulated slowly as she steadily took in the contents of the jug of refreshing cider, the very last part of her immense meal.
  472. >On the table before her sat the empty pie tin and carton of ice cream, the contents of both having been emptied into the heriocally stretched stomach that loomed before the blue showmare.
  473. >Halfway through her 'dessert', the weight of Trixie's belly finally overcame the friction between the chair and her rump, and she slipped forward, falling to the ground with a muffled 'whumph!' of displeasure as the chair clattered against the floor behind her.
  474. >If Trixie had felt any additional pain from that fall, she did not express it, so overloaded was her nervous system trying to process her unfathomably stuffed, aching tummy.
  475. >By now it was the only sensation she was aware of, all else being tuned out by the screaming, searing pain. A nervous onlooker would definitely be preparing to take cover at the slightest notice, the normally blue skin of the showmare now flushed bright pink, then red, and finally a vibrant, rich purple around the navel, which had long ago popped to an outie from the pressure.
  476. >Draining the last few drops of cider, Hans finally pulled away the glass jug from Trixie's lips, finally ending the incredible glutting the showmare had just undergone.
  477. >One might at first glance not think Trixie was even breathing, but she most definitely was, her breaths simply so shallow and quick that they were barely detectable, her head spinning wildly in part from the overwhelming fullness and also from the lack of sufficient oxygen.
  478. >Her face flushed bright red, her eyes squeezed tightly shut, and her limbs gently wrapped around a small portion of her gargantuan gut, as if to hold it together, Trixie was so truly stuffed she could not even speak.
  479. >"Tada! All finished Mizz Trixie! I simply knew you could do eet! You art making such vünderbar progress, easily ze best among all of mein previous employees! You art destined for great things, I can just tell!"
  480. >But Trixie did not respond. She likely did not even register the words. For as soon as she felt the merciful departure of the final jug, her overtaxed nervous system finally shut down, and she immediately fell into the deepest food coma of her life.
  481. >Hans chuckled at the lack of a response. "Oh, mein apologies. Of course you art tired, you haff worked hard today! I shall leave you to sleep, until tomorrow, ja?"
  482.  
  483. >And with that, the stallion finished his cleaning in the kitchen, humming softly to himself, before finally turning towards his bedroom, entering with just a single proud glance back at the unbelievingly overstuffed mare.
  484. >And thus, all was silent...all was still.
  485.  
  486. >Trixie frowned.
  487. >She did not like this. No not at all, not one bit!
  488. >Sure, she'd had quite a bit to eat these past couple of days...okay, maybe a LOT to eat, but still! That couldn't possibly account for such a dramatic increase in weight!
  489. >But there was really no other explanation. The Great and Powerful Trixie was now definitely Large and Bountiful as well.
  490. >Trixie sighed as her eyes cast one final look over her enlarged form in the mirror. Yep, she was now officially in 'fat' territory, something she'd never imagined having to say to herself.
  491. >Her round belly hung down to her knees, a gently wobbling blue globe that squished lightly into her thickened legs both as she walked and as she stood.
  492. >Her rump was now certainly much bigger, so much so that she could barely see it poking above and to the sides of the rest of her as she stared directly ahead.
  493. >Her chest poofed out ever so slightly, the gentlest of creases outlining her forelegs.
  494. >And to top it all off, her cheeks now had a cherubic roundness to them, and there was the hint of a second chin starting to develop.
  495. >Yep. Fat. And to think that she was borderline emaciated just a few days past.
  496. "Okay, okay Trixie, get a hold of yourself...it's just a little bit of extra flab, nothing a quick diet and extra workouts won't fix. You'll be back to your old self in no time!" the blue showmare murmured to herself, feeling slightly better after her self-peptalk.
  497. >A sudden knock at the door sent the blue mass wiggling softly as Trixie jumped slightly in shock.
  498. >"Mizz Trixie? Art you almost finished?" the telltale voice of Hans called through the door.
  499. "Er, yes, I'll be out in just a moment!" Trixie replied.
  500. >"Very güt, very güt, I just vanted to let you know your brunch eez ready!"
  501. >Trixie let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as she heard Hans' hoofsteps fade away.
  502. >As enormously grateful as Trixie was at Hans for taking her in, feeding her, and basically saving her life, she still couldn't help but feel something was slightly...off.
  503. >It was definitely odd how much food Hans liked to cook, despite his claims of sharing with the other workers. What was even more odd was how much of it Trixie had managed to consume...how much exactly? Trixie couldn't quite remember, the memories of the previous day a hazy blur of gluttonous hedonism.
  504. >But no matter Hans' odd habits, Trixie was looking forward to working on her act for Hans and becoming, as he said himself, the 'star of the show'. It really was a second chance for Trixie! She couldn't pass this opportunity up, eccentricities be damned.
  505. >She would just have to have more willpower, and take smaller portions of her meal. Yes, that was definitely it. She could do this! After all, the Great and Powerful Trixie could accomplish anything she set her mind to!
  506. >Filled with her newfound confidence, Trixie donned her treasured cape and hat, as well as that fabulous new necklace (which still fit like a charm!), and confidently strode out of the washroom.
  507. >She didn't make it two steps before her nose started shooting off fireworks in her brain and her jaw dropped.
  508. >Trixie wasn't sure if it was possible, but there seemed to be an even bigger spread then there had been last morning!
  509. >True to his word, Hans had once again prepared a brunch fit for royalty. All of her breakfast favorites: french toast with syrup, hay bacon, oatmeal, muffins, and a sumptuous-looking fruit salad adorned the table, along with a great many varied sandwiches and more of those deliciously salty hay fries.
  510. >And of course, more jugs of cool refreshment.
  511. >"Reasonable portions, Trixie," the blue showmare thought to herself as she snapped her mouth shut and strode forward, her air of cool confidence returned.
  512. >It was at that moment that Hans stepped out of the kitchen and trotted over to the table, where he deposited what looked (and smelled) like a fresh strawberry-rhubarb pie.
  513. >"Ah, zere you art! Brunch eez served, mein freünd!" Hans cheered as he himself picked up a plate and began serving himself.
  514. >Trixie floated over a plate as well and began doing the same. For just the briefest of moments, Trixie could've sworn she saw Hans giving her an odd look, but the moment passed before she could give the matter any real consideration.
  515. "Thank you very much, Hans! Everything looks delicious!"
  516. >"But of course, of course! Only ze best for mein number vün employee! Now please, take as much as you vish Mizz Mountain..."
  517. "With pleasure!" Trixie responded cheerfully, floating her now very reasonably loaded plate back to her and plopping her prodigious rump onto the closest stool, which creaked subtly under the weight.
  518. >It was only as Trixie was preparing to eat her first bite did something strike her as odd. "Err, excuse me Hans, but what did you just call me?"
  519. >Hans paused midbite and blinked at the showmare a couple times before his face lit up in recognition. "Oh! Mein apologies Mizz Trixie, mein mistake! Hohoho..." Hans chortled merrily for a moment, much to Trixie's apparent confusion.
  520. >"Jes, jes, mein previous employee een your position vas a miss Cocoa Mountain, eet vould seem I thought you vere her for a moment zere! Ohoho, how silly of me! I must be getting old indeed!" Hans chuckled some more as he went back to eating.
  521. >So genuine was Hans in all of his expressiveness, Trixie couldn't help but laugh along with him. Everypony makes silly mistakes from time to time, after all. Yes, even the Great and Powerful Trixie, impossible as that may seem.
  522. >With nothing else too occupy her mind, Trixie contented herself with enjoying her plate of delicious food. And it certainly was delicious! In what seemed like no time at all, her plate was empty, much to the chagrin of Trixie's still ernestly rumbling belly.
  523. >"No, Trixie, you musn't. You must remain firm!" she mentally reprimanded herself, although that didn't stop her from looking longingly at the remaining spread.
  524. >Hans must've caught Trixie's gaze, for he quickly spoke up: "Seconds, Mizz...Trixie?"
  525. >If Trixie had full control of her wits, she might have noticed how Hans hesitated a bit over her name, but as it was, the food on the table was simply...entrancing.
  526. >She could feel it, that irresistable pull to have more, to eat and consume everything laid before her until there was no more.
  527. >Trixie's willpower slipped another notch. "Well...Trixie supposes there's no harm in having one more plate..."
  528. >"Zat's ze spirit! Help yourself, please!" Hans cheered enthusiastically.
  529. >But Trixie hardly noticed him, so intensely focused on the food before her was she. "Trixie thinks she shall..." the blue showmare murmured, many more plates floating back to her in a deep blue aura, gazed upon hungrily by a pair of deep blue eyes...
  530. >Hans smirked as he watched Trixie dig in once again, this time with a newfound gusto...
  531.  
  532. "BBBBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAPPPP!"
  533. >A deeply powerful belch shattered the silence of the room, the deep vibrato gently vibrating the various cutlery strewn about the table.
  534. >Its source groaned in satisfied relief, slumping over slightly.
  535. >Trixie felt her senses beginning to return to her, starting with the familiar painful radiating sensation of fullness.
  536. >Groaning again, Trixie looked down at herself. Once again, she was quite the sight to behold.
  537. >The table was completely devoid of any foodstuffs, the mystery of its whereabouts solved quite handily by the presence of a massively churning blue orb of a gut.
  538. >At some point during her feast, Trixie had clearly slid forward off the stool onto her immense stomach, which she now currently straddled. Her cheeks, chin, neck, and upper chest were once again coated in a myriad of sticky substances that smelled vaguely of fruit and sugar.
  539. >Waggling her hooves slightly, Trixie moaned as she realized that she could not touch the ground. It would seem that for the time being she would remain precisely where she was.
  540. >Another deep welling in the depths of her monumental stomach prompted her to puff her cheeks before her mouth parted yet again to release a monstrous "BBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRPPPP!"
  541. >Staring blearliy about the room, Trixie noticed once again a distinct lack of her generous benefactor, indicating she'd been here for quite some time.
  542. >Moaning one last time in agonized fullness, clutching gently at the strained surface of her enormously over-packed guts, Trixie slowly fell into a restless slumber, lulled to sleep by the gentle rumbles of distress.
  543.  
  544. >One day turned into two into four into...some indefinite number of days, Trixie wasn't exactly sure at this point.
  545. >So similarly structured was every day spent at the circus for Trixie, they began to blur together.
  546. >It was just always the same! Trixie would wake up, be met with an unfathomable mountain of food for breakfast, at which point she would (apparently) imbibe it all, pass out and sleep for an indeterminate amount of time, and then wake up for another one or two (occasionally even three!) equally monstrous meals that would leave her equally immobile, anchored to the ground by the immovable mass of big, heavy, blue GUT she was attached to.
  547. >The worst part of it all was that Trixie hadn't even started to prepare for the show yet! Hans continued to insist that Trixie needed to do silly things like "rest" and "regain her strength".
  548. >Looking in the mirror, even if she did get any stronger, Trixie feared that she wouldn't be able to even move herself after much longer.
  549. >Things were really getting out of hoof.
  550. >Trixie sighed as she once again looked over the reflection of her hulking blue form. She was almost as big as a house!
  551. >So big, in fact, that she couldn't even see the entirety of her form. By now her belly and flanks were so swollen with food and fat, from the front she looked like a big, blue pumpkin: short, squat, and ENTIRELY too round.
  552. >Her belly now pushed along the floor as she walked, a soft roll forming in the middle and obscuring her navel from view. Its mass was so large it pushed against her legs, bulging out between them, and arching her back upwards.
  553. >And that was while empty. Trixie regularly found herself pinned atop her giant blue boulder of a gut, moaning helplessly as she struggled to digest her enormous meal that was so regular to her.
  554. >Her rump was even worse, both meaty globes of ass swelling even farther beyond her hefty barrel, her cutie marks more than half visible from the front!
  555. >Her tail was almost invisible, swallowed by the ocean of rolling blue flab. Her legs were like tree trunks, wider than they were long, and long since without the ability to bend at the knees. The most Trixie could manage these days was a short, waddling gait, huffing and puffing and wheezing as she tried to maneuver her immense bulk.
  556. >Her chest now had rolls, puffed out in front of her as they were squished between her huge forelegs. Her neck was at this point invisible, hidden behind her triple chin. Her cape was somehow miraculously still wearable, but Trixie already had to let it out magically, and felt like another would be due far too soon for her comfort.
  557. >The necklace, however, continued to rest comfortably about her neck. So much so, in fact, Trixie would even periodically forget that it was there, much like she would her hat and cape. As she looked herself over, she still had to admit that the stunning piece of jewelry was just so, unequivocally, HER.
  558. >Nonetheless, Trixie huffed in annoyance, her eyebrows furrowing as her cherubic, tennis-ball cheeks squished around her scowl. This really did need to stop soon, before she really was immobile!
  559. >Truly the only thing keeping Trixie any amount of calm was Hans. Hans and his jovial attitude, his constant assurances, his borderline ignorance of Trixie's growth. After all, if her employer wasn't worried about her figure, then clearly that meant SOMETHING good, right?
  560. >Trixie sure hoped so.
  561. >In fact, what few times Trixie had managed to convince Hans to show her about the circus and explain how things worked a bit, nopony else commented on Trixie's enormous mass. Trixie was sure that she was, by now, the biggest mare she'd ever personally seen, but for everypony else she seemed...almost like a familiar sight.
  562. >It was very, very odd. But, this was a circus after all. These ponies were accustomed to seeing all manner of things outlandish and otherwise inconceivable. ...Right?
  563. >Trixie SURE hoped so.
  564. >Turning about with a short huff, Trixie lumbered her way to the door of her room. Very rarely did Trixie actually make it back to this room after gorging herself senseless the night before, but she was still a proud mare, and continued to diligently wash and freshen up first thing every day. Even if it did just get more and more difficult.
  565. >Pushing the door open, Trixie cursed under her breath as she felt her flanks once again brush up snugly to the sides of the doorframe. She could feel her face reddening. Trixie was so unbelievably FAT, she even was getting stuck in doorframes! It was really quite embarassing, but Hans never seemed to notice.
  566. >Grunting irritably, Trixie's mass shifted forward inch by inch until she finally felt her rump pop free. Trixie shuddered to think that the day could soon come that she would actually get legitimately stuck.
  567. >She tried really hard not to think about it.
  568. >"Ah! Mizz Trixie! Just on time, ja? Breakfast eez almost ready!" Hans greeted happily from the kitchen. Despite not even seeing her, it was impossible to miss the shortness of breath and heavy hooffalls that preceded her entry.
  569. >As horrified as Trixie was regarding her rapid weight gain, in reality she was powerless to stop it. Especially as long as Hans continued to cook obscene amounts of food. By now, Trixie's stomach was so thoroughly stretched it required nothing less than a personal feast to leave it feeling satisfied.
  570. >Of course, even that would be a welcome change of pace by now, seeing how Hans settled for nothing short of completely, absolutely STUFFED. He always made sure to cram the poor showmare so full of delicious food she couldn't even leave the table before passing out into an overstuffed stupor.
  571. >Poor Trixie indeed! She was truly caught in a neverending cycle, only made worse by her own grumbling, hungry tummy. No matter how many times she told herself she would try to eat small and watch her portions, time and time again she would come out of her gorging trance just in time to get absolutely floored by how tearingly, burstingly full she was, release a few piteous whimpers, moans, and belches, and then promptly pass out for real.
  572. >Finally making her way to the overloaded dining table, Trixie seated herself with a huff as she began to examine this morning's spread. Initially Trixie was morbidly embarrassed upon realizing her rump was so massive she could simply sit back on her haunches and STILL be at a proper dining height, but by now that was just boring, common knowledge.
  573. "Er, Hans? Hans my dear, could Trixie ask you something?" Trixie called out as she levitated over her first box of donuts.
  574. >Hans stepped out to where Trixie could see him. The short, jovial earth pony was the picture of hospitality in his cooking apron, a skillet in hoof as he flipped another batch of pancakes. "Ja, of course! Ask avay!"
  575. >Trixie swallowed her heavy mouthful, the first of many no doubt. At this point she didn't even register the shock that the box was already a third empty.
  576. "Hans, I really must insist. These past few weeks have been a wonderful change of pace for Trixie, but you simply must allow her to begin preparing for her show! Trixie yearns to return to the spotlight, wowing fillies and stallions alike with her magnificence! Never could Trixie have imagined an opportunity such as this coming her way, and she wishes to fully seize it!"
  577. >Trixie finished her impassioned speech and put her mouth to work on its other notable talent: eating. Two donuts simultaneously floating up and stuffed themselves into the gorging mare's mouth. GLOMPHOMFNOMF!
  578. >Hans seemed to take on a pensive expression, his eyes studying the massive blue mare up and down and muttering to himself.
  579. >"Hmmm, jes, qvite so, qvite so," Hans said finally, nodding to himself in agreement before grinning widely. "Vhy mein dear, I do believe you art right indeed! I think you art more than ready to begin ze real training!"
  580. "Yaay!" Trixie cheered from her seat, the empty box sliding away only to be replaced by a heaping bowl of scrambled eggs. Finally! Her time was almost upon her!
  581. >"Ve shall begin as soon as breakvast eez finished! Eat up, mein dear, you must be fully prepared for zis!"
  582. >But there was no response from the blue showmare aside from the sounds of wild eating, chomping, and swallowing. Her desire seen to, Trixie was now entirely given over to the thrill of her meal, her eyes glowing a healthy blue as she finished off the huge serving bowl with a small belch before literally attacking a heaping pile of hay bacon.
  583. >Hans grinned as he returned to the kitchen. She was progressing nicely indeed. But for now, he had a very large, VERY hungry mare to feed...
  584.  
  585. >Trixie's eyes slowly blinked open once before squinting to block out the bright afternoon sunshine filtering in through the windows. Trixie groaned lowly as sensation returned to her body. Finally comfortable keeping her eyes open, the showmare looked down to a familiar sight: a table absolutely LITTERED with empty plates, bowls, boxes, and jugs. The remains of her massive morning feast.
  586. >Of which there was most assuredly none.
  587. >As was also the norm, the last thing Trixie remembered before nodding off was the sensation of absolute fullness, the skin of her barrel stretched drum-tight as it struggled to contain its massive load.
  588. >But for now Trixie's stomach only gurgled contentedly, still steadfastly working its way through the last bits of breakfast. Sure, Trixie COULD eat, and, if she was honest with herself, she might even have WANTED to eat right then, but more than anything else she was eager to get on with practicing for her show. The very thought filled Trixie with excitement!
  589. >Now fully awake and energized, Trixie grunted as she hefted her weight onto her hooves, ignoring the slight soreness in them from carrying such a newly acquired load.
  590. >Now...where was Hans?
  591. "Hans?" Trixie called out once, hoping he would be near at hoof. No such luck. "Hans, are you in here?"
  592. >Trixie frowned, if Hans was not in his trailer then he must be out and about overseeing other aspects of the circus preparation. Setting her brow in determination, Trixie slowly but surely began waddling her girth towards the exit. As loathe as she was to exert herself overmuch these days, Trixie could not abide another day of doing nothing! Today was the first step on her journey to greatness! Destiny waits for no mare!
  593. >Fifteen minutes later, Trixie was gasping and sweating, her massive chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Currently taking shelter from the uncomfortably hot sun in the shade of a tent, Trixie kept both eyes peeled for Hans, but so far she had seen a great many ponies but not the one she wanted.
  594. >Once or twice Trixie had even tried to get somepony's attention to ask them if they had seen Hans, but she had been so out of breath she could barely get the words out, and in their haste her labored pants were ignored as the typical struggles of a fat mare.
  595. >So here Trixie sat, taking a short breather so that she could actually get somepony's attention. And sure enough, a stallion with a forest green coat and black mane stepped out of a nearby tent and began trotting towards his next destination, his path taking him directly past Trixie's resting spot.
  596. "Excuse me, sir?" Trixie called out as he got close. His ears perked as he turned to address her, his pace slowing. Trixie didn't wait for a response before continuing. These ponies had certainly proved to be busy! "You wouldn't happen to know where Hans is right now by any chance?"
  597. >The stallion's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh yeah, I saw him earlier heading towards your tent, he usually gets it ready personally."
  598. >Trixie's eyes boggled. She had a tent?!? But that could wait. "Oh marvelous! Which one would that happen to be, again?" Trixie grinned sheepishly.
  599. >The stallion pointed a hoof. "Over that way, it's the big orange one on wheels. You can't miss it!"
  600. >Success! With a new destination in mind, Trixie once again hefted herself up.
  601. "Wonderful! Thank you so much kind sir!" Trixie thanked the stallion with a smile.
  602. >The stallion looked over his shoulder as he replied, already having resumed his previous course. "No problem Miss Mountain!"
  603. >Right! Onward towards her destiny! Onward to fame and fortune! Onward to...
  604. >Wait a minute...
  605. >Trixie spun about much faster than a mare her size had any right to, her rolls continuing to jiggle and shake for some time after.
  606. "Wait!"
  607. >Trixie's eyes cast about frantically in hopes of catching sight of the stallion once again, but clearly he had already turned a corner and was off to wherever he was headed, and Trixie was certainly in no shape to catch up to him.
  608. >Trixie frowned. What had that stallion called her? ...Wasn't that the name Hans mistakenly addressed her with from time to time? Turning back towards her destination, Trixie grumbled softly to herself under her breath as she began her slow, steady plod.
  609. >While Trixie couldn't really be mad at Hans after all he'd done for her, it still annoyed her that he got her name mixed up so often, after which she would politely correct him each time. He must be getting old and forgetful indeed if he's even using the wrong name for her talking with the other ponies!
  610. >Well, Trixie mused with a smirk, she'd just have to excel so marvelously that Hans would forget all about the mare that came before her! Soon ponies would only be talking about her, the Grrrrreat and Powerful Trrrrrrixie!!
  611.  
  612. >Trixie gaped openly as she approached the huge orange tent. It was big. Like, REALLY big. Other than the main tent Trixie had originally run into, which was meant to seat hundreds of cheering ponies, this tent was by far the biggest she'd seen. So big, in fact, that it was actually comparable in height!
  613. >Trixie wondered what in Equestria she could possibly need a tent this big for. Not that she was complaining, per say, but it certainly had caught her by surprise.
  614. >A good surprise, Trixie noted as she eagerly observed the large, sturdy iron wheels the tent was mounted on. Whatever she was going to be doing in this tent, she could at least be confident that her hardware was up to snuff.
  615. >Trixie blushed as she looked down at herself. Sure, she had put on a few...okay, a LOT of pounds, but surely she wasn't that heavy yet? No of course not, Trixie thought to herself as she climbed the short flight of stairs leading into the tent, huffing and wheezing as she went, sweat running freely down her forehead and cheeks.
  616. >After all, there was only one way to find out what mysteries awaited inside!
  617. >Finally making it to the top, Trixie hurried inside to escape the heat of the sun...
  618. >...And was promptly floored by the absolutely marvelous scent permeating the air inside.
  619. >Trixie's pupils dilated, her nostrils flared, her heavy breathing doing her no favors as she greedily took great sniffs of the air, filled with that wonderful scent...
  620. >CHOCOLATE.
  621. >At the knowledge that there were delicious treats near at hoof, Trixie's stomach promptly made itself heard with a loud, voracious GRUMBLE. Trixie gently patted her expansive midriff, her eyes still wide and darting about, trying to locate the source of such a heavenly smell.
  622. >Her stomach wholeheartedly agreed with a second, even louder rumbling GROAN, the surface of that big blue belly rippling slightly with her uncontrollable NEED.
  623. >Her gut was so loud, in fact, that it could be heard throughout the whole spacious interior of the tent, and soon a voice called out: "Hallo? Eez somepony there?" It was Hans!
  624. "I-it's Trixie!" Trixie replied, her voice shaking slightly. The blue showmare's mind was swimming in that heavenly chocolate scent, clouding Trixie's thoughts and making it increasingly difficult to focus on...anything, really. Her gut moaned once more, quiter but no less forlorn.
  625. >Hans stepped suddenly out from behind a stack of crates, his eyes lighting up as he looked Trixie up and down.
  626. >"Ah, jes! Vünderbar, vünderbar indeed! I vas not expecting you until later! Een fact, now ve art ahead of schedule! I knew zat you vould be destined for greatness Mizz Trixie!" Hans cheered with that ever-infectious smile on his face.
  627. >Trixie couldn't help but smile back. "Yes! Y-yes of course! Trixie is-mmph-most eager to begin practicing for her-ohhh-show!" Trixie gritted her teeth as she fought her way through the haze of chocolate, she had to stay focused on the task at hoof! Surely she would never get another chance such as this! It was all or nothing!
  628. >But oh, was it distracting. It was sensational. It was...alluring. Trixie licked her lips as she imagined sinking her teeth into all manner of gooey, chocolatey treats: fresh, gooey chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cream pie, rich, moist chocolate cake...
  629. >It was beginning to become unbearable. Trixie's fortitude was rapidly breaking down. She was tired, she was hungry, and, to her horror, as Trixie sank deeper into the chocolately fog, almost beginning to imagine a thick brown haze filling the air, she began to feel new droplets of moisture forming between her legs.
  630. >Trixie's cheeks flushed as she reached this realization. How embarrassing! So needy was she, so wrapped up in that wonderful chocolate stench, she couldn't even hold a straight conversation with her boss without moaning and stammering like some schoolfilly in heat! Her body was betraying her!
  631. >Surely it wouldn't hurt to ask about the smell? Get a small taste? Satisfy her craving so that she could properly focus? Yes, surely that was the trick! She just had to...organize her thoughts....hnnnnngh....MOUNTAINS OF CHOCOLATELY GOODNESS...
  632. >"Mizz Trixie?" The Flustered and Confusingly Aroused Trixie was mercifully brought back to Equestria with a jolt as she registered she was being spoken to. Just...dammit, mare! Respond! It's important! Very important! ...Right? Wasn't it? Trixie was sure of it, but she suddenly found herself drawing a blank over why it was so important...
  633. "Y-yes?" This really was the extent of what poor Trixie could manage, so overwhelmed was she.
  634. >"Eez everything vell vith you? You art shaking..."
  635. "O-oh, yes Hans, everything is just-ooooh-f-fine...I j-just...I want...oh...Hans i-if I may...what IS that absolutely heavenly smell?!"
  636. >Hans smirked at this. He made a big show of looking to either side of him, checking to see if anypony was around before he leaned towards her conspiratorially, raising a hoof to his mouth. "You vant to know?" he asked in a soft voice.
  637. "Y-yes..."
  638. >Hans' grin grew even wider. "You really vant to know?"
  639. "Ohhhh, y-yes, p-please..." Trixie moaned needily, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. Did the rubbing together of her thighs always feel this good...?
  640. >"Absolutely positively sure zat-" Hans didn't get the chance to finish as Trixie finally snapped.
  641. "YES! YES I WANT TO KNOW! FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA I NEED TO KNOW!!" Trixie's stomach chimed in once again roaring its approval in the loudest manner yet: GRRROOOOOOOOOOOOORRRROOROOOROOOOOWWWWWWLLLL!
  642. >Hans merely chuckled at this as he stepped back, eyeing up the massive wall of groaning, rumbling, needy MARE in front of him once again. "Tis our most proudest of family secrets, passed down from generation to generation, ze secret recipe fine tuned over years ünd years to become ze most delicious, most succulent, most vünderbar in ze entire vorld!"
  643. >Hans reared back on his hinds so he could cup a hoof and whisper in Trixie's ear: "...Hot fudge."
  644. >Trixie felt herself go numb. Her eyes shrinked to pinpricks. The world around her slowly fell away as she lost herself in daydreams of frolicking in lakes, no OCEANS, of steaming delicious, wonderful hot fudge...
  645. >By the goddesses, Trixie absolutely LOVED hot fudge! It was literally her favorite food of all time! Ever!!
  646. >...Wait, was that really true?
  647. >Still lost to the world around her, Trixie's daydreams were interrupted as a small part of her brain stepped forward, loudly proclaiming that no, in fact, hot fudge was NOT her favorite food! Sure it smelled really, REALLY good right now, but clearly that was going to her head! After all, she was still Trixie! And her real favorite food was...
  648. >Hot...fudge...?
  649. >Trixie frowned ever so slightly. That was it, wasn't it? Surely it couldn't be anything else? Try as she might, Trixie simply could not remember ever considering anything else her favorite food...
  650. >So why did it feel so wrong to her? Why couldn't she shake the feeling that something was messing with her head?
  651. >Shaking herself back to awareness, Trixie filed the oddity away into the back of her mind. There was time to ruminate later, now was the time for hot fudge!
  652. >No wait...wasn't there something else Trixie had come for? Ach! Why was everything suddenly so confusing?!
  653. >Hans seemed not to notice that Trixie was lost within her own mind, chuckling merrily to himself after the big reveal. "Smells good, ja? Like a little slice of chocolatey heaven, ja?"
  654. >Trixie found herself nodding in agreement. "Ohhhh, y-yes...so...wonderful..."
  655. >Reaching a hoof behind the aforementioned stacked boxes, Trixie suddenly found herself staring at the source of her 'little slice of heaven':
  656. >A gently steaming cup of rich, delicious hot fudge. At first Trixie might have mistaken it for a mug of hot cocoa, but there were tells that gave it away. The deeper, richer brown of the chocolate, the density of that thick chocolately goodness as it sloshed gently in Hans' grasp...
  657. >"Vould Trixie care for a taste?" Hans asked softly, shaking it slightly as if to further entice her. "Ze best in ze vorld, on ze honor of mein proud family name, I do guarantee eet!"
  658. >Trixie stared into the rich chocolate. As she contemplated his question. Hot fudge was delicious, but to drink it straight? Didn't it normally go on ice cream? Wouldn't it be overwhelmingly thick and sweet? Wouldn't it feel OH SO GOOD running down her throat, warming her up from the inside as she swallowed slowly, letting gravity do most of the work as the rich, thick liquid flowed like a river down her...
  659. >HAY YES TRIXIE WOULD CARE FOR A TASTE IN FACT TRIXIE WOULD CARE VERY MUCH FOR A TASTE RIGHT NOW AND SHE DOES MEAN RIGHT NOW
  660. >Snatching the cup with her magic, Trixie hastily threw her head back and literally POURED the liquid happiness down her throat.
  661. >Trixie moaned in pure pleasure as the heavenly chocolate made contact with her tastebuds. Her eyes rolled back in her head. Her magic sputtered feebly, just barely managing to keep its hold on the precious chocolate. Her hind legs twitched feebly as she felt a small gush of liquid spray the bottoms of her massive round bottom, her tail flicking downwards to soak up the juices and mask the smell...
  662. >O-oh my. Well, in a word, Trixie would have to describe the taste of the hot fudge as 'orgasmic'. It was really quite fitting.
  663. >Time seemed to slow down as Trixie basked in the wondrous sensation of the warm, rich chocolate. On and on it seemed to flow, never seeming to quit as Trixie swallowed again and again...
  664. >Until it did.
  665. >Letting out a short whine of protest, Trixie feebly shook the last few drops free of the mug before she finally had to face the reality that there was no more. Swallowing with finality, Trixie let out a sigh of disappointment as she gently placed the cup on a nearby crate...
  666. >*CLANG*
  667. >Trixie jumped slightly at the unexpected noise. Surely she didn't put it down that hard...?
  668. >The sound of somepony clearing their throat nearby grabbed Trixie's attention.
  669. >Hans stood proudly next to the 50-gallon drum he had clearly just set down. Raising a hoof, the stallion wiped the sweat off his brow. "Whooo! Zis eez too much hard work! But eet will all be worth eet een ze end, you vill see!"
  670. >Trixie just stood and gaped at him, unable to form a coherent response, her body and mind still wracked with the glorious afterglow left by the hot fudge.
  671. >Hans chuckled heartily at that. "Ohohoho! I've seen zat look before! Oh jes, many a time, mark mein vürds! Eet never gets old, ohohoho!!"
  672. >Trixie's eyes found themselves wandering to the large drum he had next to him. It couldn't possibly be...? Oh, but it probably is! Oh goddesses, there's even more? Trixie could have more?
  673. >No! Trixie shouldn't! She musn't! Trixie groaned outwardly, her head pounding inside her skull as her brain felt like it was splitting in two, only for the halves to start fighting each other savagely.
  674. >"Vould mein star performer like some more?"
  675. >Oh yes, Trixie WOULD. Make no mistake, Trixie wanted more hot fudge. She wanted it BADLY. But that one part of her mind just wouldn't shut up! It was very rudely barging its way into the forefront of her psyche, loudly demanding attention and acknowledgement.
  676. >Kinda reminded her of a certain blue mare she knew quite well...
  677. >Trixie's internal battle raged, her near overwhelming WANT for more chocolate temporarily being stymied by her voice of reason. She had a goal she was working towards! She was a showmare! Nimble and lithe and agile! Ready to wow and amaze old and young alike! She had to hone her magic, focus her talents, regain her bodily strength! Tempting as it may be, downing gallons upon gallons of pure hot fudge would do her wildy fattened figure no favors!
  678. >But...but...HOT...FUDGE...
  679. >No!! She must resist! She must stay strong! She was the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria! Her mind was her weapon, refined and practiced and precise, sharp as a tack and quick as a flash!
  680. >So why couldn't she cut through the brown haze choking her mind from the inside??
  681. "Y-yes..." Trixie moaned softly, her body trembling in sheer NEED. It wanted more chocolate fudge, and it was determined to get it!
  682. >Hans stepped forward smugly. "But of course, of course you vould...everypony vants more once zey've had a taste..."
  683. >Trixie clenched her eyes shut tightly, trying anything, ANYTHING to relieve the pain of the chaotic inferno raging inside her head. No, she couldn't give in! She couldn't! She WOULDN'T!
  684. >Trixie tried desperately to refuse, to make a rebuttal, to say anything at all. "B-but...I...I..."
  685. >Hans paused as he heard that. "Oh?" he said softly. If Trixie were able to focus on anything besides the splitting pain inside her head, she might have noticed the change in his tone of voice. "Vhat's zis? Something more to say, have we?"
  686. >Yes! Yes she had more to say! Just...had to...power...through!!
  687. >Suddenly the fog lifted. Though its presence still weighed heavily on her, Trixie could see who she really was. She could remember. She could hope and dream and aspire...
  688. >She could say no.
  689. >Straining every ounce of willpower Trixie had, she opened her eyes and looked straight into those of the stallion across from her.
  690. "N-no..." Trixie muttered weakly. "C-can't...gotta...lose weight...gotta...practice magic...gotta...wow and amaze...star of the show...great and powerful...ohhh my head..."
  691. >The fog was back, and with a vengeance. Battering at the feeble barriers protecting her vision, wearing down her will to resist that overpowering, cloying, humid, oppressing...sensational, wonderful, MAGICAL...
  692. >No! Nonononono!!
  693. >"Ah," Hans said softly. He sounded almost...sad? "I see vhat eez your problem, eet eez alvays ze same, ze poor dears never knowing vhat to think or feel, alvays getting wrapped up in zeir past, ze memories of vhat zey vunce vere, vhat zey vunce vanted..."
  694. >Hans leaned forward, locking gazes with the Struggling and Vulnerable Trixie. "You vant mein advice?" Trixie could only nod her head. Anything to get her mind back...
  695. >"Let it go," he whispered, his intense gaze never faltering.
  696. >Let...it go? Yes...yes, yes, it was so simple! She just had to let it go! Just had to-
  697. >NO! BAD MIND! BAD!
  698. "No..." Trixie moaned plaintively, struggling simply to remain conscience under the mental assault.
  699. >"Jjjjeeeesss..." Hans hissed in her ear. "Give eet up, mein dear, zat path has left you now...you haff been chosen for a different fate...a grander fate...one zat vill awe and amaze wide ünd far...for many years to come..."
  700. >Try as she might, Trixie couldn't look away from the stallion before her. "Great and Powerful Trixie...can be...again?"
  701. >Hans chuckled darkly at this as he raised a hoof to gently caress Trixie's cheek. "Mein dear, vhen I'm done vith you, ze only thing 'great ünd powerful'" Hans cruelly mimed her voice as he made hoof quotes, "vill be your stomach! Ze stomach of ze fattest mare een all of Eqvestria!!"
  702. >Trixie gasped as the horrible reality began to sink in. "No!" she cried loudly, desperately shaking her head, trying not to believe it...
  703. >But deep down, it all made sense. The absurd amount of food, her daily binges beyond all reason, her immense weight gain...it was all so painfully obvious! How could she have not seen? What did she miss??
  704. >"Oh, JES!" Hans crowed victoriously. Turning back to the drum, Hans grunted in exertion as he displayed strength Trixie didn't know he had...by lifting the entire drum above his head on his hind legs!
  705. >"Ze moment you put on zat necklace your fate vas sealed!" Hans shouted gleefully. "You art MEIN, now, ünd zere eez nothing you can do to stop eet!"
  706. >Trixie gasped in horror as a blue glow began to filter into her vision. Glancing down revealed that the necklace was almost blindingly bright blue, pulsing excitedly almost as if it was responding to its master's joyful cries of victory.
  707. >THE NECKLACE!! Of course it was! It was cursed! They are always cursed! Ohhh, Trixie you dumb foal! How could you have been so naive? So stupid? So absolutely wretchedly miserably OH MY CELESTIA PLEASE HELP I SWEAR I'LL NEVER TOUCH ANOTHER NECKLACE AGAIN I SWEAR I SWEAR I SWEAR
  708. >Trixie's horn flared, but try as she might, the once showmare couldn't manage to focus enough to do anything! Something was blocking her magic! The curse!
  709. >Out of desperation, Trixie's hooves flew to her neck, scrabbling wildly as they tried to gain purchase on the necklace. But whereas before the necklace was a comfortable, even borderline loose fit, now it was far too tight! The necklace had tightened, sinking itself into the generous blue flab it encompassed. The poor mare was unable to yank it off, and unable to undo the clasp! She was trapped!
  710. "Noooooooo!!" Trixie shrieked, tears now beginning to flow as the reality of the situation began to sink in. "No, please, stop! I'll do anything! Anything you ask! Just please, PLEASE ANYTHING BUT THIS!!"
  711. >Hans laughed cruelly as he stepped forward. "Eet eez too late, mein dear! Eet vas alvays too late! Now! Enough talk! As zey say een mein country...sit back, be merry, ünd drink up!!"
  712. >Grinning like a madpony, Hans lunged forward, swinging the barrel in a wide arc, the opening heading straight for her...
  713. >Trixie opened her mouth to scream. Or did she? Was it really her, or was it her traitorous body, eager for more delicious, steaming...
  714. "NNNOOOOOO-GLOOMPH!"
  715. >Trixie wanted desperately to scream. To call for help. To end this madness, this horror, this nightmare...
  716. >But she couldn't. Her mouth was full. Full of delicious chocolate...flowing down her throat...coating her tongue...warming her insides...mmmmm hot fudge...
  717. >Her will to resist slowly fading along with her hysteria, Trixie began to drink.
  718. >And drink.
  719. >And drink.
  720. "Ulp...ulp...ulp..."
  721. >The flow of chocolate seemed truly neverending now. But the more that flowed past her teeth and down her throat, the more Trixie began to appreciate how truly WONDERFUL it was. What was she so worked up about just a moment ago again? There was something important, she knew, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it...
  722. >Mmmm, hot fudge. Trixie LOVED hot fudge. It was literally her most favoritest food in the entire world! Ever! That much she was sure of! So creamy and delicious and rich...
  723. >Suddenly the flow stopped. The drum removed itself from her lips with a soft 'pah!' Trixie slowly returned to her senses, still swimming almost drunkenly in a chocolately haze...
  724. >Trixie's monstrous stomach gurgled happily at the offering of chocolate, its mass swollen ever so slightly to lift one of Trixie's hooves off the ground. Trixie moaned, half in need, half in sorrow as the battlefied of her mind reignited as the chocolate rush faded slightly.
  725. "Ohhhh...p-please...n-no more...no..." Trixie weakly protested, trying anything to sway the stallion before her.
  726. >Her pleas fell on deaf ears. "Vhat's zat you say? You vant more?" Hans called loudly, laughing almost manically as he dragged forward yet another drum of delicious, chocolately...
  727. "No, please...don't..."
  728. >"Vell vhy didn't you say so? I simply love having guests, so allow me to give mein piggy vhat she desires!"
  729. >Trixie groaned lowly as the second drum was pressed to her lips, her mouth helplessly parting to allow the sweet brown flow to rush unabated into her hungry, hungry belly...
  730. >Oh, so hungry. She was so very, very hungry. And this fudge was simply the most divine delicacy she ever tasted as it steadily filled up her poor empty belly, not a single nook or cranny would be spared oh no oh no soon to be so very full oh my goodness...
  731. "Ulp...ulp...ulp...ulp..."
  732. >Trixie was fully lost in the chocolatey haze. Some small part of her was waiting, waiting for...something. An opportunity? What kind? What could she possibly want besides indulging herself on more and more and MORE of this heavenly fudge which is literally her favoritest thing in the entire world oh gosh YES
  733. >So lost was she that she didn't notice the lack of chocolate flowing into her until yet another drum smushed against her chubby face, and she began to drink again...chocolate dribbled down her front as she gleefully imbibed more and more...reluctant swallows soon turned into eager pulls as Trixie slurped up the delicious, wonderful chocolate...
  734. >Oh yes so hungry...
  735. >Another drum ran dry. Another quickly replaced its spot.
  736. >"I vill say, Mizz Trixie..." Hans began, much more calmer as he now almost lazily dumped chocolate into Trixie's gullet. "You art a strong-villed mare. I vill admit zat. Ünd I haff great respect for a mare who knows vhat she vants ünd has ze determination to get eet."
  737. >"But mein dear," Hans muttered softly, leaning forward to look Trixie in the eye, noting how her gaze seemingly alternated between glazed and slovenly and alert and panicked.
  738. >Hans grinned again. "You simply musn't touch things zat don't belong to you." Thumping the mostly empty drum loudly with a hoof, Hans threw back his head and laughed heartily at his own joke, before tossing it away with a dull *THUMP* before grabbing yet another to replace it.
  739. >On and on and on Trixie drank, the magical hot fudge truly becoming almost neverending now, her belly sloshing and groaning as it continued to swell with wonderful fudge.
  740. "Ulp...ulp...ulp...ulp...ulp...ulp..."
  741.  
  742. "BBRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUPPPPP!"
  743. >The very air itself resonated with the force of the chocolatey belch that ripped free from Trixie's throat.
  744. >Even coming back up, it still tasted so good!!
  745. >Hans laughed as he removed yet another empty barrel from Trixie's chocolate-stained lips. By now she had chocolate all over her front, several brown lines running down the front of her now significantly larger belly before forming a small puddle on the ground before her.
  746. >Trixie struggled weakly as she rocked herself atop her massive gut, the mass of chocolate inside her sloshing gently as she wobbled about. By now not a single one of her hooves could touch the floor, so bloated with chocolate was she.
  747. >Mmmmmm, hot fudge...
  748. >Suffice to say, Trixie was no longer hungry. In fact, she wasn't even replete. She was past that now. She was actually feeling quite full, almost as full as she had been at the end of her very first meal with Hans. The beginning of her undoing.
  749. >"Hmmm..." Hans hummed thoughtfully, poking Trixie's rumbly, sloshy tummy with a hoof as if to gauge how full she really was.
  750. >Trixie belched sharply at the contact, before turning her head as much as she could to look at Hans, her gaze lidded and her breath short as she struggled to deal with her overwhelmingly full stomach.
  751. "Oooohhhh...no more...please...'m full..."
  752. >Hans directed a sharp gaze at the swollen blue mare before him. "But yet here you are speaking, jes? Clearly not too full yet!" Hans reasoned happily as he trotted over to retrieve yet another drum of gooey hot fudge. Just how many of these things did he have??
  753. "N-no please...so full...gonna pop..." Trixie moaned, trying desperately to convince Hans that she was ready to burst. If she could just get a break in the relentless feeding, maybe she could think, maybe she could figure something out, maybe she could...
  754. >Trixie huffed out her nose as, once again, she found herself unable to do anything but swallow sweet, delicious, warm chocolate. She moaned again, long and low, as she continued to gorge.
  755. >"Oh please, zis eez nothing," Hans said casually, waving his free hoof. "You haff much more training to do before you art ready for ze main attraction!" Hans allowed himself a chuckle. "After all...eet eez only fitting zat ze fattest mare in Eqvestria also has ze most impressive appetite ever seen..."
  756. >Trixie groaned at the thought, but continued to swallow, giving herself over to the haze for the time being.
  757. "Ulp...ulp...ulp...ulp...ulp..."
  758.  
  759. >"Vell, vell, vell, all een all an impressive first outing! Nothing short of a full dozen! I am impressed, truly you art indeed destined for greatness!" Hans chuckled as he tossed away the final empty barrel.
  760. >Trixie didn't say anything. Trixie couldn't say anything. She was too full.
  761. >"Jes, qvite so, qvite so," Hans continued to rant to himself in excitement. "Most mares can't even make eet to six! Ve are truly so far ahead of schedule, I am absolutely brimming vith excitement!"
  762. >Trixie's stomach gurgled and sloshed. She was impressively swollen. Her insides felt like they were being squeezed to death. Her face and rump were suspended about five feet in the air, Hans had really had to stretch to get the last couple of barrels up to Trixie's face.
  763. >The rest of Trixie's body was spread eagle atop her immense gut, all her fatty, thick legs forced vertical by the sheer taut pressure of her stuffed, stuffed belly. Trixie hiccuped softly, a slight trickle of chocolate escaping the side of her mouth and dribbling down her front to join its brethren on the floor.
  764. >Her eyes glowed a dull blue to match that of the jewel resting on her fat chest, its golden sheen surprisingly untouched by the brown stains.
  765. >Down towards her navel, the natural blue of her fur slowly transitioned to bright cherry red, the skin stretched far too tight over far too full of a stomach.
  766. >"Vell I think zat's a good work put een today, wouldn't you say?"
  767. >Trixie wouldn't say. She was too full.
  768. >Hans chuckled to himself in bemusement. "I shall be seeing you tomorrow zen. We will get ze hoses hooked up as vell. Güt night!"
  769. >And then Trixie was alone.
  770. >She gurgled once. Twice.
  771. >A deep groan was heard.
  772. >Trixie's maw parted as wide as was possible before finally:
  773. "UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!"
  774.  
  775. -----
  776.  
  777. >The plaza was absolutely silent as the crowd collectively held their breath, eyes wide as they stared, eagerly anticipating the conclusion of the most nigh-unbelievable feat of magical prowess they had ever seen.
  778. >The blue showmare on stage had everypony completely captivated. They had been interested, intrigued before sure, but this last trick really took the cake!
  779. >A feat that boggled the mind! The Great and Powerful Trixie had literally just SAWED A PONY IN HALF!! And a volunteer from the audience no less! The crowd wasn't sure WHAT to expect once that saw started moving, but it certainly wasn't for the stallion in question to start giggling madly commenting on how much it tickled!
  780. >Even once his upper and lower halves had been seperated, along with the ornate box he rested in, his lower hooves continued to kick in seeming glee while his upper half grinned and chuckled whole-heartedly.
  781. >But did The Great and Powerful Trixie stop there? Oh no, not even close. Producing a large blue sheet, Trixie had covered both boxes and in the blink of an eye, faster than you could say "abra-cadabra hocus pocus", the whole setup vanished!
  782. >And now the crowd stared, spellbound, as The Most Magical Unicorn in Equestria rummaged with a hoof through her hat, claiming to be "putting everything back together again".
  783. >Finally her eyes lit up, letting out a triumphant call of "Aha! It is done!" And she began to pull.
  784. >And pull.
  785. >And PULL.
  786. >Stretching farther that seemed possible, the crowd gaped as Trixie slowly but surely pulled the entire box out of her hat, completely intact just as it had been moments ago! The crowd cheered and stamped their hooves approvingly. Truly astonishing!
  787. >But Trixie merely smirked, before kicking the box open with a hind hoof.
  788. >The crowd gasped. It was empty. Where was their neighbor, their friend? What had become of him?
  789. >Exuding confidence, the crowd's gaze slowly shifted to her hat, still residing on the floor, suddenly glowing pink as it was grasped in her magical aura...
  790. >"Ta-daaa!" Trixie crowed as she whipped the hat away. And, sure enough, out tumbled the light-brown form of the stallion himself! The poor sap landed square on his rump, swaying unsteadily, eyes rolling about as he tried to regain his bearings.
  791. >Shaking his head a few times, the stallion patted himself down in amazement, marveling just as much as the crowd was that he was back in one piece!
  792. >The plaza erupted into cheers. Never before had the good townsfolk seen such magical wonders! Such raw talent! Such ethereal might!
  793. >Trixie took a bow or two as bits and flowers fell onto the stage around her, the crowd unable to wait until the show's conclusion to show their awe and appreciation.
  794. >"Thank you!" Trixie shouted graciously. "Thank you, thank you so much! Love you all! Mwa! Mwah!" Trixie paused to bask in the moment, waving to her fans, throwing exaggerated smooches at them, and just generally hamming it up.
  795. >"Thank you so much for watching my show, the performance of The Grrrreat and Powerful Trrrrrrixie!" Trixie's magically amplified voice reverberated through the plaza as she did her signature move. The crowd went even more wild.
  796. >"But it's not quite over yet, The Great and Powerful Trixie will grace you all with one final trick before the evening's out!"
  797. >An excited silence fell over the plaza, the crowd gradually hushing to better focus on Trixie's grand finale.
  798. >Her horn lit up, her brow creasing just ever so slightly as she mustered the energy for her final spell. There was a pink flash, and then, standing before her...
  799. >...was a multi-tiered chocolate wedding cake.
  800. >Trixie balked ever so slightly at this. A giant cake? Was that really what she wanted for her final trick? Her mind worked quickly to reassure her that yes, this must have been what she wanted. After all, The Great and Powerful Trixie never makes mistakes on stage! The show must go on!
  801. >Trixie smirked as she stepped closer to the chocolately monstrosity. With five thick tiers of chocolatey cakey goodness, the confectionary delight towered above Trixie's own height.
  802. >Well, this fine crowd came out here for a show didn't they?
  803. >Oh, she would give them a show all right...
  804. >"And now," Trixie called loudly, "The Great and Powerful Trixie will make this massive chocolate cake...DISAPPEAR!!" Throwing her head back and opening wide, Trixie lunged forward, taking a massive bite out of the uppermost layer, barely pausing to chew before swallowing with an audible 'GULP!' before chomping into it again.
  805. >The crowd began to go wild at this new display of magnificence. "TRIXIE! TRIXIE! TRIXIE! TRIXIE!!" the crowd began to chant, their excitement climbling higher and higher.
  806. >Swept up in the energy of the crowd, Trixie really allowed herself to go wild. Her jaw worked wildly to mash the thick, fudgy cake into a just gooey enough consistency to swallow.
  807. >The showmare's tail flicked back and forth eagerly as she chomped her way rapidly through the cake, flecks of chocolate fudge icing spewing from her mouth, occasionally landing in her mane or on her hat.
  808. >But Trixie didn't care. What could she possibly care about right now other than this delicious cake??
  809. >Trixie's lean stomach gurgled softly as its initial capacity was quickly reached and then surpassed. But Trixie wouldn't let that stop her. She was The Most Magical Unicorn in Equestria! She could handle anything!
  810. >Her belly began to swell outwards as the mass of cake inside it continued to grow.
  811. >"TRIXIE! TRIXIE! TRIXIE! TRIXIE!" the crowd continued to chant feverishly as Trixie continued her gluttonous escapade.
  812. >The final bite of the second tier slid down her esophagus into her groaning, rumbling tummy. If it weren't for the fact that the blue showmare was currently muzzle-deep into a massive cake, a casual outside observer might mistake her for being midway through a pregnancy.
  813. >Still three tiers to go, but Trixie continued to eat.
  814. >And eat.
  815. >And EAT.
  816. >Three tiers turned into two into the last one, but the "best was saved for last", as it were, for the final layer was by far the biggest.
  817. >Trixie paused a moment to swallow and groan in pained pleasure, savoring the rich chocolately taste on her tongue along with the pleasurable aching of her stuffed, stuffed belly. The swollen blue orb now stretched below her knees, giving her the appearance of a mare overdue with twins.
  818. >Her audience was by now whipped up into a frenzy, stallions and mares alike watching the show with lidded eyes, panting tongues, and hooves buried in crotches. Some of the more adventurous couples even started doing the dirty right there in the middle of a public plaza!
  819. >Trixie grinned lecherously, pleased at her ability to begin a mass orgy simply by being her 'Great and Powerful' self.
  820. >Turning her attention back to her remaining cake, Trixie continued her feast, and slowly but surely munched, gulped, and gorged away the final tier.
  821. >Three-fourths left...one-half left...one-fourth left...one-eigth left...
  822. >Trixie forced herself to swallow, allowing herself a moan of discomfort as her stomach swelled almost imperceptibly larger, and yet noticeably fuller.
  823. >Trixie stared blearily at the last bit of cake from her throne of belly. Now thoroughly swollen, Trixie's pulsating blue stomach took up the entire space between her barrel, her four legs, and the ground, and then a little bit more. Perched atop her overstuffed tummy Trixie's horn flared again, slowly lifting the last bit of cake, no more than a large slice's worth.
  824. >"Must...finish...trick...must...finish...cake..." Trixie moaned softly to herself as she shakily opened her mouth and floated the cake closer. Several times she attempted to take a bite, and several times she stopped short, her body wracked by yet another painful spasm from her grossly swollen stomach.
  825. >"Need a hoof?" a voice asked from somewhere in front of Trixie. Barely able to look up, Trixie was greeted with a mare from the audience standing before her, looking upon her kindly. She gestured to the floating slice of cake, as if to clarify her question.
  826. >Well, Trixie WAS Great and Powerful, but she supposed another volunteer from the crowd woulnd't hurt. "Uh-huh..." Trixie moaned softly, wearily shaking her head. Try as she might, she just couldn't do it! She was just too full!
  827. >Grinning happily, the mare deftly grabbed the last slice of cake before cheerily stuffing the entire thing into the showmare's gaping, panting mouth.
  828. >Momentarily taken aback, Trixie groaned once again as the simply magnificent flavor reacquainted itself with her tastebuds, and slowly but surely she began to chew.
  829. >She chewed slowly and laboriously, every now and again taking small swallows of the chocolatey mush filling her mouth. Just a little bit more...just a little bit more...
  830. >"There!" the mare before her cheered gleefully. "All done!"
  831. >Trixie groaned in utter fullness. By Celestia, did it HURT...but it was finished. She had done it.
  832. >Nodding her head slowly, Trixie uttered her reply, "thank yooooouuuUUUOOOOOOORRRRRRRRPPPPP!!"
  833. >Now thoroughly exhausted, her show completed and her audience sufficiently wowed and amazed, Trixie allowed her eyelids to lazily droop closed. Time to take a nap and let her titanic meal digest.
  834. >Wait a second...why again had she summoned a cake and stuffed herself silly with it as her final trick? That wasn't like her at all!
  835. >...Or was it? Why was it so confusing to remember?
  836. >And why did it still smell like chocolate??
  837. >"Alright Trixie!" the mare from before spoke up again. "Time for your encore!"
  838. >Encore? What? In her current state? What was she, crazy?
  839. >Begrudgingly opening her eyes so she could tell her errant fan off, whatever snarky comment she was brewing died in her throat as she noticed the steaming chocolate pie held in the mare's hoof.
  840. >What...what was she doing with that?
  841. >"Open wide!" the mare cheered, and while Trixie had no intention of doing so, the over-enthusiastic mare simply reached up, pulled Trixie's mouth open, and before she could react, crammed the entire pie into her gaping maw.
  842. >Trixie was floored. What was this mare on about? Was she crazy? ...Did she know that her pie tasted SO. GOOD?!?
  843. >Moaning ecstatically, Trixie was powerless to stop herself from chewing the delicious confection. Her tastebuds were in heaven. Not even her loudly complaining and overtaxed stomach could dissuade her from slowly swallowing such a delectable treat.
  844. >"Uff..." Trixie tried to regain her breath as her belly swelled even larger. "T-The Great and Powerful Trixie t-thanks you for your delicious treat...however she m-must decline any further offerings at this t-time..."
  845. >The mare chuckled good-naturedly at that. "Oh you needn't worry about that, miss Trixie. You actually don't have a choice!"
  846. >This got the showmare's attention. "W-wait, wha-?" Trixie's eyes widened as she realized that her entire crowd had formed a line behind this mare, each and every one of them with something absolutely loaded with chocolatey, fudgy goodness.
  847. >"W-wait! No!" Trixie began to protest. "Trixie has had enough! N-no more! Please no mo-ULK!" Trixie's protests were cut off as the next pony in line stepped forward and shoved their treat into her mouth, this time a gooey chocolate cupcake.
  848. >Again, Trixie chewed. Again, she swallowed. Again, her stomach groaned in agony as it stretched even further.
  849. >"Stop! You cannot do this to me! Cease this at once! The Great and Powerful Trixie commands you t-HURK!"
  850. >The mare chuckled again, but this time it was much darker. And...did her voice get deeper all of a sudden?
  851. >Then, much to Trixie's bafflement, the mare's face shimmered and blurred, before eventually coming back into focus, but this time as one Trixie was intimately familiar with...
  852. >"Oh, I think vee can, Mizz Trixie! Vee must proceed vith all due haste if vee art to remain on schedule! Ze show simply must go on, ja?" Hans leered at Trixie as he spoke.
  853. >Trixie's eyes went wide with fear as her heart began to palpitate more rapidly. "N-no! You can't! Not like this! Trixie was meant for greatness!"
  854. >"Oh, mein dear sveet Trixie..." Hans cooed as he leaned forward, almost coming muzzle-to-muzzle with her. "I most absolutely, certainly CAN."
  855. >"NOOOOOOO-ULP!" Trixie's cry of terror was promptly interrupted as Hans stuffed another chocolately treat into her mouth.
  856. >"Give in to your fate, Trixie!" Hans crowed victoriously. "You art indeed destined for greatness...as ze star of mein show! And zat eez all you shall ever be! Wahahahaha!!"
  857. >A sudden gurgling noise caught Trixie's attention. Looking back over her shoulder, the blue showmare started as she realized that she was getting bigger! She watched in horror as her limbs straightened and began to grow thicker. Her rump billowed outwards, folding in over itself multiple times as it grew to hideous sizes.
  858. >Her neck thickened, her chin drooped and developed several new friends, her cheeks swelled and began to encroach on her vision, and her belly rapidly filled out, rippling like liquid as it spilled forth, pushing Trixie's rapidly fattening body higher and higher.
  859. >And all the while, she still tasted chocolate. And she still grew fuller and fuller.
  860. >Trixie's mind reeled. She had to do something! Her magic! Why couldn't she call on it?! She had to stop this! She had to get free! She had to...she had to...she was falling...darkness all around...so overwhelmingly full...so...tired...
  861. >She...had to...had to...had...to...
  862. >...Or did she?
  863.  
  864. ----- NEW CONTENT 6/9/2017 -----
  865.  
  866. >Trixie's eyes sluggishly blinked open.
  867. >And then promptly squeezed back shut as her vision struggled to become reacquainted with the blinding light of the midday sun streaming into her tent.
  868. >Trixie groaned lowly, inexplicably feeling heavy and fatigued and...full. Like, really, REALLY full.
  869. "Ohhhh...my poor head..." Trixie moaned. Or at least, that's what she tried to say. What really came out was something along the lines of: "Ohhhmf mff prrf hrrrf"
  870. >...Wait what?
  871. >Slowly fluttering her eyes open once again, squinting as she adjusted to the sudden brightness, Trixie's vision swam for another moment or two before finally things began to come into focus.
  872. >And what Trixie saw caused her to gasp.
  873. >There, right in front of her face, was a large tube filled with some sort of viscous brown liquid. And, upon tracing the tube towards herself, discovered with horror that it led straight to her mouth.
  874. >Suddenly, Trixie became aware of many more bodily sensations. How her jaw ached with how wide it was stretched to accomodate the tube, about three or four hooves wide. How her cheeks squished against the heavy-duty elastic straps keeping said hose locked into place. How her tongue suddenly tasted the tantalizingly familiar taste of gooey delicious hot fudge. How her throat was swallowing periodically. How that pleasant, wondrous warmth journeyed down her neck and entered her core, warming her from inside.
  875. >And, steadily overriding all other sensations, the incredible increasing FULLNESS of her stomach. Trixie groaned in pain around her obstruction. She was absolutely PACKED. She could hardly think straight she was so full.
  876. >How long had she been laying here comatose, unwittingly ingesting hundreds of gallons of fudge and hundreds of thousands of calories??
  877. >Based on how full she was feeling, she was fairly certain she would be horrified by the answer.
  878. >Pushing that thought away for the moment, the Calm and Rational Trixie made an appearance for a short while. Yes, this was a bad situation she found herself in, clearly, but she was Trixie! She was anything but helpless! All she had to do was remove the hose from her mouth with her magic and...
  879. >And...come on...any moment now...
  880. >Trixie's brow furrowed in frustration. Why couldn't she summon her magic? She was the Great and Powerful Trixie for crying out loud! The most magical unicorn in all of Equestria! Surely she was capable o-
  881. >Ahem. The Calm and Rational Trixie returns to address the situation. First step, check her horn. Rolling her eyes back, Trixie just managed to catch a glimpse of her beautiful and perfect horn...and the fact that it had some kind of golden band on it.
  882. >Trixie gasped in horror...or at least would have had she proper function of her mouth. There was a magical inhibitor ring on her horn! Somepony was suppressing her magic on purpose!
  883. >Trixie could feel her heartrate and breathing speed up as panic began to set in. She, the Great and Powerful Trixie, had woken up to find herself in every unicorn's worst nightmare: unable to use their magic! Who would dare to suppress such raw talent? Who could possibly be so dastardly to deprive her of her better half, that which she has always lived with and couldn't possibly bear to function without?! Who would-
  884. >Hans. Trixie's eyes widened more as the past few hours caught up to her. Finding her tent. Tasting the hot fudge. Forced to glut on barrel after barrel of the heavenly stuff. The necklace, enchanted yet again!
  885. >It was all a horrible trap! What a fool of a mare she has been, to not see such a horrifying plot manifesting before her very nose, too busy was she glutting repeatedly on massive, heavy meals and falling again and again into a blissful food coma.
  886. >The food has been her undoing! She has to stop eating somehow! Has to get help! But what can she possibly do without her magic? What hope could there ever be o-
  887. >AHEM. CALM AND RATIONAL. Trixie closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Focus Trixie! You're not finished yet! If your magic is currently indisposed, then just use your hooves of course! Brilliant! Trixie old girl, you've done it again!
  888. >And so Trixie reached up and removed the hose from her mouth.
  889. >...
  890. >Or, rather, she really, REALLY wished she could! But try as she might, the blue showmare grunting and wobbling with effort, she could not move either of her forelegs more than an inch!
  891. >Glancing to her left and then to her right, panic came rushing back in as she finally beheld her own body.
  892. >She. Was. HUGE.
  893. >Her forelegs alone were as wide as she had once been long, so massively swollen with fat that there was no hope for them to bend or move at all; the only thing they were capable of doing was sinking ever further into the expansive blue flesh of her gut.
  894. >If her legs were like tree trunks, her belly was a true ocean. It stretched out beyond her impossibly weighty legs, a softly jiggling and wobbling mass that reached a frightening distance past her legs before finally curving downwards.
  895. >Looking down, Trixie was horrified to see an absolute cascade of chins, so many that she couldn't even see where her neck ended and her gut began.
  896. >Trixie had no hope of looking behind her, but judging by the weight pressing on the lower reaches of her belly, her rump must have been absolutely enormous, Trixie imagined two wobbling blue boulders competing for space, with her wonderful cutie mark a horrible, ruinous mockery of what it once was, pulled and warped out of shape and size.
  897. >Okay...it might look bad but...be calm Trixie...be...CALM...
  898. >CALMANDRATIONAL.EXE HAS FAILED. ERROR. ERROR. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEND A REPORT? Y/N
  899. >Trixie felt herself begin to hyperventilate as the reality of her situation gripped her mind like a thick, heavy tar. No longer was she the Great and Powerful Trixie, now she was the Massive and Immobile Trixie! And there was absolutely nothing she could do about it!
  900. >A sudden pang of fullness brought Trixie's attention back to her straining stomach. By now, her poor gastral organ was well and truly STRETCHED. Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes as the sheer, overwhelming pain began to override all other thoughts and sensations.
  901. >This was it! She was going to blow! Fly apart like a massive overstuffed beanbag! Gonna...gonna...HHHHNNNNNGGGGGGG...
  902. >Trixie's eyes rolled back into her head and she felt herself falling, falling into darkness...sweet, gooey hot fudge...mmmm...
  903. >The undeniably overwhelmed blue showmare shuddered once before slipping back into the sweet realm of unconsciousness.
  904.  
  905. >An indeterminate amount of time passed. Trixie awoke again, this time in utter darkness, the gentle chorus of chirping crickets floating in on the breeze.
  906. >Yet again, Trixie could not believe what her own eyes were telling her, the scope of her massiveness.
  907. >Yet again, Trixie steadily became aware of the everpresent hot fudge flowing down her throat, the ever-increasing tightness of her stomach as it somehow, miraculously (or perhaps unforgivingly) managed to hold together, to take even more and more and MORE, to grumble and groan and heave and swell unendingly, the pressure in her core that seemed to build and build and BUILD...
  908. >Yet again, Trixie fell into a deep comatose state, completely overwhelmed by the screaming sensations of her body.
  909.  
  910. >Thus, this became her cycle. Her way of life. The only experience she knew during the brief and agonizing moments she spent awake.
  911. >Were Trixie even capable of being remotely cognizant, she might have recognized the absurdity of her endlessly stretching stomach and endlessly swelling body.
  912. >She might have noticed how, despite the summer heat and her horrendously bloated form, she seemed to stay mostly clean rather than caked in dried sweat and filth as one might expect.
  913. >She might have noticed how she could still feel that accursed amulet stretching around her neck, and might have pondered more thoroughly on why her body had steadily shifted from a healthy, vibrant shade of blue to a dull, rich brown.
  914. >She might not have written such a change off as the color of the chocolate in her enormous stomach bleeding through her assuredly razor-thin hide.
  915. >She might not have explained away her suddenly brown mane as being undoubtedly stained by the massive amounts of chocolate she was constantly surrounded and filled by.
  916. >She might even have noticed her beloved cutie mark slowly fading away...only to be replaced by a new one. A brown mountain, with a deeper brown river flowing down its side.
  917. >But alas, Trixie was utterly unable to recognize any of these things, that everything that made Trixie, well, Trixie, was steadily fading away, along with all of her higher brain functions.
  918. >Slowly but surely, Trixie was becoming Not-Trixie.
  919. >But Not-Trixie didn't notice these things.
  920. >Not-Trixie couldn't notice these things.
  921. >All Not-Trixie could do was eat. And sleep.
  922. >And eat. And sleep. And eat...and eat...and...eat...eat...eat...
  923.  
  924. >Time continued to be all but an illusion for Not-Trixie, as the cycle of eating and sleeping repeated again and again and again. In the rare few moments of lucidity Not-Trixie experienced, in which she felt some deeper part of her psyche calling to her from a small, dark corner, attempting to pull her inwards, Not-Trixie found herself wondering just how long she had been laying here atop her mountainous gut, eating and sleeping continuously.
  925. >Had it been hours? Days? Weeks? Not-Trixie couldn't tell.
  926. >But ultimately, it mattered not to Not-Trixie. Not-Trixie was a very busy mare, what with all of her eating and sleeping. She really didn't have the time to devote to such frivolous activities like thinking.
  927. >And so she kept eating, and kept sleeping. On and on and on...
  928.  
  929. >Not-Trixie awakened once again with a yawn, smacking her lips contentedly as she basked in the sensation of being...
  930. >Full.
  931. >Not-Trixie blinked a few times in confusion. Only full? She was only full? Not-Trixie couldn't remember the last time she was only full, the only sensation she remembered was being achingly close to bursting!
  932. "Whatsh...the...hay?" Not-Trixie intoned slowly, each word punctuated by a labored breath and a smack of her lips.
  933. >Whoa, Not-Trixie couldn't remember the last time she heard her own voice either. Had it always been so deep?
  934. >Wait...talking? Lip-smacking? When could she do these things at all?
  935. >It was then Not-Trixie realized: her mouth was free! The everpresent hose filled with chocolate was mysteriously no more! Now this was certainly an unusual new development. The rusty gears in Not-Trixie's brain shrieked and clanked as they struggled to turn, Not-Trixie slowly pondering this newfound freedom.
  936. >Not-Trixie wasn't sure how she felt about losing the tube. On the one hoof, she had lost her source of hot fudge! How was she supposed to focus on eating and sleeping with all of these new distractions?
  937. >On the other hoof...
  938. >...
  939. >...
  940. >...Wasn't there supposed to be something good about the tube no longer being there? Not-Trixie scrunched her muzzle and frowned as she pondered and puzzled, trying to remember what exactly the significance of this new situation was.
  941. >But thinking wasn't exactly one of Not-Trixie's strong points, now was it? No, her specialties were most definitely eating and sleeping. That much she was sure of.
  942. >Not-Trixie was suddenly pulled out of what one might generously label 'internal ruminations' by the sounds of other ponies' voices nearby.
  943. >Other ponies? Not-Trixie couldn't remember the last time she saw other ponies! Did she have visitors? Oh, this was so exciting!
  944. >Sure enough, the voices, about five or six of them, entered her tent and chatted briefly before seeming to split up. Curiously, Not-Trixie began to feel what felt like little tiny pokes all across her elephantine form.
  945. >But try as she might, Not-Trixie couldn't turn her head enough to actually see any of her new guests. Confound it all! Not-Trixie wished she could be a better host! She'd spent so long alone, was it really too much to ask to get a chance to actually speak with another pony?
  946. >Fortunately, it wasn't. A stallion carrying a bucket and a mop was steadily climbing up her procession of chins towards her face. After reaching the top, the stallion panted briefly and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
  947. >And then he looked up, and saw the curious face of the monstrous mare looking back at him.
  948. >Jumping slightly in shock, the stallion held a hoof to his chest as his nervousness bled away. "Oh! Miss Mountain! You're actually awake! You just startled me is all, hehe," the stallion grinned sheepishly.
  949. >Not-Trixie grinned happily, although the stallion could hardly tell behind her massive cheeks and flowing chins. "Helllooooo~" she rumbled.
  950. >Putting down his bucket, the stallion plunged his mop into the soapy water and began to scrub away at Not-Trixie's fur. "Well don't mind me Cocoa," the stallion said cheerfully. "I'm just here for your daily cleaning. Like Hans always says, just because you're the biggest mare in Equestria doesn't mean you have to be the filthiest!" The stallion chortled at his own words before resuming his task with gusto.
  951. "Whatsh...you call...me?" Not-Trixie wheezed, her brow furrowing in confusion. What had that stallion called her? She was confused.
  952. >"Err..." the stallion paused nervously and looked about before making eye contact again. "I called you your name? You're Cocoa Mountain, the biggest mare in Equestria and the star of our show! Don't you remember?"
  953. >Not-Trixie...er, Cocoa frowned in deep thought. "Hmmmm..." she rumbled. "Don'tsh...remember..."
  954. >At this, the stallion gained an exasperated look. "Again with the amnesia, Miss Mountain? I should really let Hans know you need to see your doctor again, you always seem to forget who you are this time of year!"
  955. "Ammm...neeeee...sshhhaaaaa?" Not-Trix, er, Cocoa sounded out slowly, rolling the word about her mouth as if saying it for the first time.
  956. >"Uh, yeah, you know that thing where you totally forget who you are? It's been a problem of yours for years now," the stallion replied as he continued his work.
  957. >Cocoa pondered on this, a few new gears clicking into place to join their rusted old comrades. She smiled yet again. "Thanksh...you for...reminding...me..."
  958. >The stallion grinned. "Of course, Miss Mountain, always looking to be of service! Glad I could help!"
  959. >Cocoa Mountain seemed content with this new knowledge, settling back into her comfortable fluffiness in preparation for a short nap when a great rumbling noise began to build, steadily intensifying...
  960. >GgggggrrrrrrooooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooo...
  961. >Cocoa moaned as her massive stomach convulsed mightily, as if trying to let the entire world know of its emptiness.
  962. >Miraculously, the stallion somehow managed to keep his balance as the very surface he stood on roiled and vibrated.
  963. >When the mini-earthquake finally subsided, the stallion chuckled lightly. "Heh...unfortunately we can't do anything about that, Miss Mountain. Gotta have you nice and hungry for the show, after all!"
  964. >Cocoa squinted in confusion. "The...sshhhhow?"
  965. >"Yeah, we got a big show coming up! The first of our tour! It's only a few days away now, and you're our big star! Gotta have you in peak condition so you can truly wow and amaze that crowd!" the stallion cheerfully explained.
  966. >For some reason, Cocoa really liked the idea of wowing and amazing. It just seemed so...her. Proud that she finally had worked out the details of her new situation. Cocoa yawned widely and finally settled down for a nap.
  967. >At least she could still do one of the things she was good at...
  968.  
  969. >Cocoa awoke once again to the painful convulsions of her stomach. But in a (to her) rather cruel twist of fate, rather than the pangs of fullness she was used to feeling, her stomach instead grumbled and groaned incessantly with sheer, utter, EMPTINESS.
  970. >This sudden and unexpected reversal of sensations was a complete surprise to Cocoa! Just when she was getting accustomed to her very busy schedule of eating, sleeping, and being obscenely overfull, she was then deprived of it all! Such sheer injustice! Such utter tragedy!
  971. >Cocoa moaned unhappily as she was gripped once again by her thralls of hunger. This was simply horrible! She wasn't doing ANY of the things she was good at! She wasn't sleeping, and she DEFINITELY wasn't eating. So then what gives? What is the Proud and Enormous Cocoa Mountain to do with herself? How is she supposed to live up to her title of the Most Massive Mare in Equestria like this?
  972. >Huffing with displeasure, the mammoth mare resigned herself to her painful hunger. After all, supposedly she was getting ready for her big show! She needed to be in top form so as to truly wow and amaze! And so long as nopony was telling her to do anything differently, she supposed that meant she was doing a fabulous job.
  973. >She wasn't exactly sure how, what with the whole 'not eating' thing, but again, was perfectly happy not questioning things.
  974. >When again did that nice stallion say the show would be? A few days away?
  975. >Cocoa groaned lowly along with her stomach as she closed her eyes, willing sleep to claim her once again. It was going to be a long few days...
  976. >GGGGGGGGRRRRRROOOOOOooooooooooooo...
  977.  
  978. >"Ohhh...so hungry...need...FOOD!!" Cocoa moaned desperately as her guts roiled unhappily.
  979. >Cocoa had done her absolute best to ignore the mounting pain of her tragically underfed stomach, slipping in and out of fitful bouts of sleep simply trying to pass the time.
  980. >But it was beginning to become unbearable. The deep, chocolatey brown surface of her titanic tummy visibly rocked and rippled as its groaning chorus of displeasure made itself known.
  981. >Cocoa moaned lowly yet again as the rumblings picked up in ferocity once more, holding on with everything she had...
  982.  
  983. >Hans trotted amongst his circus tents most jauntily, a smile on his face and a spring in his step! Everything was going according to plan, and he was very pleased knowing that his show would be ready to perform on schedule! Absolutely vünderbar indeed!
  984. >His internal musings were interrupted then, although he wasn't quite sure by what. Scrunching his face in puzzlement, Hans looked about attempting to discern the source of his distraction. His hooves pawed mindlessly at the ground as he continued to searc-
  985. >Wait...
  986. >The ground...is it...shaking??
  987. >Testing the soft grassy patch of soil he currently stood upon, his sensitive earth pony hooves told him that yes, in fact, the ground WAS shaking...
  988. >And then he began to hear it. It started out low, then began to grow...
  989. >GGGGGGRRRRRR-
  990. >"Achtüng! Haff vee reached zat point already? Mein gütness!" Hans exclaimed to himself as he realized the source of the rumbling and shaking.
  991. >Wobbling on unsteady legs, Hans determinedly put one hoof in front of the other, moving as fast as he possibly could towards his trailer.
  992. >RRRRRRRRROOO-
  993. >An orange pegasus mare swooped down to hover nearby, her forehooves wringing nervously as she looked about frantically.
  994. >"Mister Hans! What in Celestia's name is going on?!"
  995. >Hans spared her a glance to see whom it was, one of his new hires if he remembered correctly, but did not stop moving towards his destination.
  996. >OOOOOOOOOOOO-
  997. >"Ahaha! Do not fret mein dear, eet eez nothing to be concerned about!" Hans called out with a chuckle, his lighthearted mood continuing despite what seemed like rather dire circumstances.
  998. >Indeed, Hans' reassurances did not make the fidgety pegasus mare any less nervous. "WHAT?! How can this possibly be nothing?!" she replied incredulously.
  999. >OOOOooooooo...
  1000. >Finally after what felt like entirely too long, the rumbling and shaking and GROANING began to come to an end. Taking a moment to readjust himself to walking on solid, not-shaking ground, Hans smiled disarmingly at the mare as he continued towards his destination at a decidedly determined pace.
  1001. >"Eet eez as I said! I know you are new here mein dear, but zis is, after all, ze CIRCUS!" Before the mare could even comprehend what was happening, Hans reared up on his hindlegs and reached up...and up...and UP...and dragged the mare to his side, holding out his other hoof as they took in the sea of tents before them.
  1002. >"Just look at eet! Eez eet not magnificent? But of course eet eez, ze circus after all eez a place of vonder ünd amazement, no?"
  1003. >The mare squirmed slightly, decidedly uncomfortable with her sudden proximity to her new boss. "U-uh...yeah, I-I guess so..."
  1004. >Hans chuckled as he released the mare and began his upbeat trot once more, although not without patting her back reassuringly. "Indeed eet eez so, ja? Vhat kind of circus vould I be running eef there vere never any surprises, hmm? Certainly not ze greatest circus around, nein nein!"
  1005. >Waving his hoof for her to follow, Hans continued walking and talking merrily. "Een ze circus business, mein dear, one must be prepared for all manner of vild and outlandish things, no? Othervise eet vould be a rather poor circus I vould think!" Hans chortled to himself.
  1006. >The mare fluttered to the ground but still looked unconvinced. "Uh...yeah okay, weird stuff's supposed to happen I get it...but that still doesn't answer my question of what WAS that??"
  1007. >Stopping before his trailer, Hans smirked over his shoulder, an unreadable glint in his eye, as he unlocked the door.
  1008. >"Zat, mein dear...vas our main event!"
  1009.  
  1010. >"A...cupcake?" the bewildered orange mare gaped at what Hans finally unveiled.
  1011. >"Mmmm, jes a cupcake, but not just any cupcake...a SPECIAL cupcake..."
  1012. >The mare did have to admit, it certainly looked special. Specially delicious! While normally one to forgo the sweets and mind her figure, the mare couldn't help but be enticed by the decadent sweet.
  1013. >Cupcake was a generous term. The pastry was as big around as a dinner plate, and as tall as a regular cake! The pink icing glistened in the light, promising sugary crunchy delight unmatched by any other, and just there on the top sat a particularly plump, succulent-looking cherry.
  1014. >"B-buh...special how...exactly...?" the mare breathed as she beheld the masterpiece of culinary confection. Slowly she began to extend a hoof, if only just to get a small taste of that delicious, wonderful...
  1015. >A sharp slap to her hoof brought the mare out of her trance with a jolt. Hans fixed her with an incriminating glare as he responded. "Special as een, not to be eaten by mein aides unless zey vish to experience some rather notable ünd unsavory side effects, ja?"
  1016. >The mare gulped at the sudden intensity in her boss's gaze and nodded. "R-right, no eating! Got it!"
  1017. >"Very güt," Hans quipped, his cheerful demeaner slipping smoothly back into place. "Now, all I need you to do eez to take zis to ze large orange ünd vhite striped tent, and give eet to ze lone resident inside...she vill know vhat to do with eet," Hans chuckled rather darkly at that.
  1018. >The pegasus gulped again as she was handed the cupcake, her wings beating as she prepared to take it to its destination.
  1019. >"Ünd remember, no funny business vith zat! Trust me, I vill know, ünd eet vill end less then vell for you, ja? Very güt! Off you go zen! Shoo, shoo!"
  1020. >At her boss's urgings the pegasus mare turned in midair and sped off towards her destination, now decidedly weirded out by the very strange goings-on of today...
  1021. >"What in Equestria have I gotten myself into..."
  1022.  
  1023. >This was it. This was how Cocoa Mountain would perish. Trapped beneath her own over-abundant form, unable to find sustenance, most assuredly going to waste away and starve to death any day now. Oh, woe be unto this cruel and heartless world! Whatever has dear Cocoa done to deserve such treatment??
  1024. >Dramatics aside, Cocoa did literally feel like she was about to starve. Her strength slowly sapping away, her body slowly began to succumb to her hunger as even her stomach seemed to lose the will to rumble incessantly after that last major outburst. Cocoa could've sworn she made the very ground shake with that one.
  1025. >Her head lolled back, her eyes stared upwards, unfocused, Cocoa allowed herself to sink away into nothingness...this was it...this was the end...she could feel her consciousness slowly fading...eyelids...so heavy...so...HUNGRY...
  1026. >A sudden gasp jolted Cocoa back into a state of semi-wakefulness. Looking about, her eyes finally settled on the orange shape of a pegasus mare hovering before her, one hoof over her mouth, her expression one that could only be described as a combination of astonishment and disgust.
  1027. >And is that...? OH SWEET CELESTIA YES IT IS.
  1028. >A giant cupcake. Just for her! Yay! She was saved!
  1029. >Summoning up every ounce of strength she had remaining, the Enormous and Proud Cocoa Mountain rotated forward ever so slightly, her barely movable limbs outstretched, her maw opening gleefully wide, her eyes glowing a deep brown like her coat...
  1030. "Cocoa...want...food...COCOA...NEED...FOOD!!"
  1031. >Squeaking in fright, the mare just about tossed the cupcake at the mountain of a mare, whom daintily grabbed it out of midair with her deep blue aura, before speeding off so quickly the Wonderbolts would've been impressed.
  1032. >But Cocoa didn't care. She had a cupcake to eat. And although it was only a pathetically small snack for a ravishingly ravenous mare such as herself, it was still food, and she wanted it!
  1033. >It tasted heavenly. Cocoa moaned in pleasure as she chewed her small offering contentedly. Swallowing it down in one gulp, Cocoa grinned lazily in her enjoyment of her sudden treat.
  1034. >And then she was out like a light.
  1035.  
  1036. >Three more times Cocoa awoke.
  1037. >Three more times the orange mare awaited her.
  1038. >Three more scrumptious cupcakes.
  1039. >Three more sweet dreams of even MORE scrumptious cupcakes.
  1040. >And then the big day finally arrived.
  1041.  
  1042. >To say the circus was abuzz with excitement would have been a gross underexaggeration. The grounds were absolutely teeming with ponies and the occasional griffon or minotaur, each racing wildly about in their efforts to finalize the last of their preparations for the show.
  1043. >Hans himself strode about the grounds in his circusmaster finery, his trusted hat perched above his head and his beloved cape billowing majestically behind him. Barking orders left and right, Hans paused a moment and grinned as his eyes settled upon a particular orange-and-white tent.
  1044. >Oh, yes. Today was going to go PERFECTLY.
  1045.  
  1046. >True to Hans' word, Die Zirkus Außergewöhnliche truly was a show for the ages, drawing a crowd from near and far that cheered louder and louder with every new feat.
  1047. >Fillies and gentlecolts alike were oohing and ahhing and cheering as each act seemed to outperform the last.
  1048. >Incredible feats of acrobatics even the Wonderbolts would be jealous of, exotic and wild creatures performing seemingly unthinkable tasks, and on unslaught of incredible stunts, each more bold and daring then the last!
  1049. >Hans grinned as he stepped aside, the spotlight shifting to focus on the giant cannon rolling forwards behind him, much to the roaring approval of the crowd.
  1050. >Things had been going just perfectly, and now...
  1051. >It was nearly time for the grand finale.
  1052.  
  1053. >Cocoa Mountain was jolted awake by a sudden prodding of her cheek. She snorted and yawned as consciousness suddenly returned to her in a flood. "Huh? Whuzzat?" she intoned groggily, her deep voice carrying throughout the room.
  1054. >Looking down, Cocoa smiled as she saw the same stallion who had been cleaning her the other day. So good it was to see him! Did that mean it was her big time?
  1055. >"Hey, hey!" he called as loudly as he could without raising his voice. "You awake, Miss Mountain?"
  1056. >Cocoa slovenly bobbed her head. "Mmmhmmm..."
  1057. >The stallion grinned. "Great! Just in time! You're about to go on! Ready for your first big show of the season?"
  1058. >Cocoa licked her lips in anticipation, as she finally heard the muted sound of an excited Germane voice shouting loudly and excitedly. The huge iron wheels of her cart began to shudder and move with a drawn out squeaking sound.
  1059. >Ready? Ready?? He wanted to know if she was ready?
  1060. >ggggggrrrrrrooooooooo...
  1061. >Gently patting her gently rumbling expanse of gut, Cocoa grinned broadly as the curtains parted. Her crowd awaited.
  1062. >And buck yeah was she ready.
  1063.  
  1064. >"Ünd finally, vun final act for you all tonight, behold as you are presented vith something nearly unfathomable! A true sight like you haff never seen before! Feast your eyes on ze largest mare in Eqvestria, Mizzzzzzz Cocoa Mountain!!"
  1065. >Members of the audience gasped and stared in shock and awe as the hulking shape that had been steadily advancing from the shadows was revealed to in fact be a living, breathing pony! How insane! One wouldn't even think ponies could get that large! Fascinating! Incredible! Astounding!
  1066. >Excited murmuring flowed freely throughout the stands as the audience beheld Cocoa's grand visage. How was such a thing even equinely possible?!
  1067. >"Oh jes, mein freunds, your eyes deceive you not!" Hans immediately cut into the ensuing calm and quiet with all the cunning and grace of a smooth criminal. "Seated before you eez really a living ünd breathing pony, just like you ünd me! Eet eez ze magic of her special talent zat allows her to be so! Incredible, no?" The crowd had to mutter their agreement.
  1068. >"But vhat's zat I hear you say? You vant proof? After all you haff seen tonight, you feel you cannot even trust your own eyes? Vell I don't blame you, vhich is vhy ze largest mare een Eqvestria vill now demonstrate her most defining trait: ze largest appetite een Eqvestria!"
  1069. >The crowd was hanging onto Hans' every word, being led along by the mastery of the craft that was truly his. The excitement in the room perceptibly rose as a HUGE tank was rolled out next to the behemoth mare.
  1070. >"Oh, jes! Be prepared for a real treat! For before your very own eyes, behold as ze massive Cocoa Mountain greedily slurps down one thousand gallons of hot fudge!"
  1071. >This simply boggled the mind of every pony in the audience. Surely not?? Surely such a feat was impossible? Yet even as they pondered, a unicorn in the back hooked up one end of a large tube to the tank and floated the other towards the fattest and most gluttonous mare in Equestria...
  1072. >After all, this was the circus, and not just any circus, but the greatest circus in all of Equestria!
  1073. >And here, the impossible becomes possible...
  1074.  
  1075. >The first thing Cocoa Mountain noticed after she ground to a halt was the light. Multiple bright, piercing lights shone on her from multiple directions. She squinted feebly for a moment or two, unaccustomed to the brightness given the normal indoors environments she had become used to.
  1076. >Then there was the noise. The hushed whispers. The excited muttering. The click-click-click of hundreds of cameras. Cocoa grinned. It was her crowd! It was her time to shine! To wow and amaze this veritable throng of ponies just as she had always wanted!
  1077. >At some point Hans had started talking, but Cocoa hadn't been paying attention to that. She was too wrapped up in her excitement to notice.
  1078. >But upon hearing the words "hot fudge" Cocoa's ears perked up. Did he say...? He couldn't have...
  1079. >Oh yes he did. Cocoa licked her lips free of copious amounts of saliva as she eagerly watched the hose descend towards her face, the very same one she had been feeding off of what felt like eons ago.
  1080. >Gently the opening slid into her wide open muzzle and the strap was looped around her head and pulled tight.
  1081. >Finally, at long last, food had once again been delivered to Cocoa Mountain. And hot fudge, of all things!
  1082. >Her most favoritest thing in the whole wide world!
  1083. >But enough of that. Now, it was time to FEED.
  1084. >And that's what she did.
  1085.  
  1086. >Hans leered openly as he watched the monstrous mare throw her head back and start sucking desperately on the hose. His eyes traced the progress of the rich, brown liquid as it steadily flowed through the clear tube, closer and closer to her awaiting gullet...
  1087. >As soon as that first drop touched her tastebuds, Hans heard her moan in sheer pleasure. It was quiet enough for the crowd to not quite hear it, but he definitely did.
  1088. >His grin widened as those chubby brown cheeks swelled with sloshing chocolate and that thick neck rippled visibly with every titanic, needy swallow.
  1089. >Perfect.
  1090.  
  1091. >Cocoa was in heaven. If this was a dream, she hoped never to wake up. This moment, just as it was, was perfect. Surrounded by adoring fans and allowed to freely gorge on her favorite treat, Cocoa couldn't imagine a more perfect situation.
  1092. >So she simply let herself enjoy it, and continued to drink that heavenly fudge.
  1093. >GLUG...GLUG...GLUG...GLUG...
  1094.  
  1095. >The crowd began to rouse as they noticed just how quickly the chocolate was disappearing. The front of the tank was clear, allowing a perfect view of the level of liquid inside. The side was also marked with measurements, one mark for every five percent.
  1096. >And the level of chocolate was dropping at an alarmingly visible rate.
  1097. >GLUG...GLUG...GLUG...GLUG...
  1098.  
  1099. >On and on the massive brown mare drank, and drank, and DRANK. She seemed insatiable, never once even slowing her downright frantic pace, too caught up in the sudden gorge to pace herself.
  1100. >That huge, bulging brown gut at first seemed bottomless, its size not even changing as she continued to chug and chug.
  1101. >But once she hit the ten percent empty mark, it finally began to visibly swell. She was starting to fill.
  1102. >Yet the aptly-named Cocoa Mountain never once stopped or even slowed her imbibement. She was a one mare eating machine and it showed.
  1103. >The crowd began to speculate on whether she could actually finish the entire tank or not. What at first seemed to be impossible was now seeming more and more likely...
  1104. >As the liquid level fell below the 25% mark, Cocoa continued to drink at her same frantic pace. By now her belly was visibly swollen, what had once been a respectable couple of pony-lengths between the front of her gut and the front of the huge wrough-iron cart she sat upon was steadily shrinking, the empty space gradually overtaken further and further by the creeping advance of brown stomach.
  1105. >But the seemingly insatiable mare didn't slow down in the slightest. As her stomach swelled further and further with goopy, sloshing hot fudge, taking up more and more space and weight within her immense body, her center of gravity began to slowly shift.
  1106. >Her head, neck, and forelegs began to raise higher into the air, pushed upwards by the increasing pressure from below. Meanwhile, her rump and haunches drooped, sagging more and more towards the rear of the huge movable platform.
  1107. >The crowd looked on in astonishment as she slowly rolled further and further back until with an earthshaking THUD!! Cocoa's tectonic buttocks slammed down onto her stage, ever so slightly hanging off the edge.
  1108. >Now seated on her rump, Cocoa's belly found itself with more space to inch forward, and gleefully it did so, rushing forward in a frantically enthusiastic bid to fill the previously-occupied space.
  1109. >More and more the immense brown stomach swelled. On and on Cocoa drank and drank...
  1110. >GLUG...GLUG...GLUG...GLUG...
  1111.  
  1112. >As the liquid chocolate level neared the halfway empty mark, Cocoa's even more hugely expanded gut gave its first gentle rumble of fullness. It was beginning to run out of room.
  1113. >But did that mean the Fattest Mare in Equestria was done? Oh, no. Not by a longshot. If anything, Cocoa seemed to sense her approaching limits and doubled down, swallowing even faster than before in a desperate race against herself to fit as much delicious hot fudge as she could inside her before she hurled...or worse. Consequences be damned, now was time for fudge!
  1114. >Cocoa's huge stomach had successfully retaken all the previously empty space before her, its huge rippling expanse smushed against almost the entirety of the surface she sat upon. With no further room to expand forward, the massive brown stomach began to widen and rise, slowly obscuring more and more of Cocoa's enormous form behind its even more daunting enormity.
  1115. >What had once been a surface full of rolls and indents was now remarkably smooth, the skin being pulled taut as she continued to pump herself fuller and fuller. One large fold was the only remaining feature on the brown expanse, almost looking like a smile painted on her very gullet itself.
  1116. >But it was steadily shrinking as Cocoa's stomach continued to swell like the world's hugest water balloon, yet her feverish rate of intake continued unabated.
  1117. >Her brow began to dampen with sweat as she strained more and more to contain her feast. Her nostrils flared wide, desperately pumping what air they could to her poor, squashed lungs. Small rivulets of chocolate escaped the corners of her mouth, running down her chubby cheeks before trickling their way down her multitude of chins.
  1118. >Cocoa groaned lowly in a hedonistic mix of pleasure and pain as her stomach rumbled with fullness once again. Cocoa wouldn't stop. Cocoa COULDN'T stop. She needed it, all of it, inside of her not-nearly-large-enough belly.
  1119. >She had felt the pain of emptiness, the desperation of ravenous hunger. She wanted to never feel it again. She needed as much as she could get, whenever she could get it. More, more, more, bigger, bigger, not enough, never enough...
  1120. >The chocolate dipped below the halfway mark.
  1121.  
  1122. >The crowd stared in spellbound awe at the sight before them. An eating machine unlike any other was continuing its gluttonous rampage despite the increasingly vocal protests from an increasingly over-strained body.
  1123. >An immense, aching strain that was beginning to take its toll. Finally the monstrous brown mare slowed in her rate of frantic gulping, now having to breathe deeply after ever swallow, her pace averaging only about one gulp per second, a far cry from her previous outlandish rate.
  1124. >And yet, in the span of only about fifteen or so minutes, the mare before them had consumed over 600 gallons of rich, chocolatey goodness. How much more could she possibly handle?!
  1125. >Cocoa knew the answer, deep down. She knew she could handle as much as she needed to before the tank ran dry. And then, only then, would she be sated. Only then would her crowd be truly wowed and amazed. Only then would her purpose be fulfilled.
  1126. >Her stomach was now approaching an alarmingly spherical shape despite its immense flabby mass it already contained. Her final fold had fallen to her relentless expansion, her deep dark navel now bared for all to see.
  1127. >The round, brown mass was just about the only thing most could see, only those with the highest seats in the back could see that at some point Cocoa had squeezed her eyes shut, her face screwed up in an expression of pain. And they could certainly see why, warily eyeing the slightest hint of a reddish hue starting to develop at the apex of her hugely swollen tummy.
  1128. >Her eyes fluttered open as she felt something brush gently against her chins. Cocoa looked down...or rather, tried to look down before her head squished up against something large, brown, and slightly pliable.
  1129. >Her own enormous gut.
  1130. >Cocoa moaned lustily at the realization of how utterly huge she had grown, how despite being perched upon her titanic rump her stomach still began to take over the vast majority of her field of vision.
  1131. >More...bigger, fuller, more chocolate more size more More MORE!!
  1132. >Cocoa Mountain's mountainous tanker of a belly let out a mournful groan of fullness as its mistress continued to feed endlessly, determined to overcome this great challenge before her.
  1133. >She continued to swallow greedily as the chocolate fell below the 25% mark.
  1134. >Gulp...*gurgle*...gulp...*groan*...gulp...*grrrrroooooooo*...
  1135.  
  1136. >Cocoa swallowed yet again with great difficulty. Every gulp was a battle of will now, a necessary forcefulness to drive yet even more chocolate into her creaking, groaning, heaving monstrosity of a belly. Every passing moment her body mounted a steadily increasing resistance to her gluttonous undertaking, but she would not be deterred! Groaning in pain as she fought down yet another swallow, Cocoa paused for breath as she allowed her cheeks to steadily fill up with the next round of chocolate.
  1137. >With only a measly 100 gallons of hot fudge remaining in the tank, it was an undeniably true statement that Cocoa Mountain had lived up to her name.
  1138. >For an absolute mountain she was.
  1139. >Colossal, titanic, planetary...nothing could do justice to how utterly grand and swollen she was.
  1140. >From the front, she was all belly. Her hindlegs had long ago vanished beneath the enormous brown swell. She had grown so wide that her forelegs were spread as far as they could go to either side yet were still hidden to all but those on the very outermost sides of the stands. Her aching neck could now rest peacefully as her head now nestled comfortably against her girth, forced upwards yet still completely supported.
  1141. >Cocoa's eyes rolled in their sockets as she desperately tried to keep swallowing. She was so incredibly huge, just a little bit more and she would really be the star of the show!!
  1142. >At this point Hans deemed it prudent to intervene on her behalf. Striding forward and turning on his mic, the circusmaster addressed his crowd.
  1143. >"Mein gütness! Fillies ünd gentlecolts, isn't she simply incredible?" The crowd roared in approval. Such a thing had not even been thought possible, yet here it was before their very eyes! Unbelievable!
  1144. >"Ünd oh my, how close she eez to her goal! I think our dear Cocoa could use a bit of assistance, no? Some encouragement, ja? Come now Cocoa, you can do eet! Chug...chug...chug...chug..."
  1145. >Cocoa's eyes widened as she heard Hans begin his juvenile yet timelessly effective chant, and slowly but surely the crowd began to join in, gaining enthusiasm and momentum rapidly.
  1146. >"CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" the crowd hollered in unison, beginning to stamp their hooves and generally make a racket.
  1147. >And sure enough, Cocoa was powerless to resist the energy in the room. With each chant, she felt her throat open and allow another swallow of chocolate to enter her monumentally overstuffed innards.
  1148. >This was it. This was the final stretch. The true test of Cocoa's ability as a showmare, whether she could truly wow and amaze as promised or if she would blow apart at the seams, unable to handle the immense pressure.
  1149. >This was it...
  1150. >"CHUG!" *gulp* "CHUG!" *gulp* "CHUG!" *gulp*...
  1151. >The chocolate level dipped lower and lower.
  1152. >Cocoa grew fuller and fuller.
  1153. >The pressure grew higher and higher.
  1154. >Cocoa's limbs were forced even farther apart by her creaking gut. She felt herself inadvertently leaning farther and farther backwards, counterbalanced by her enormous tummy.
  1155. >Her form overflowed every side of the iron cart. The apex of her stomach pushed further and further forwards, steadily advancing away from the front edge of her stage but still pulled unbelievingly taut.
  1156. >Her neck craned further and further back as her gut demanded more and more room, room that she was rapidly finding herself unable to give. All she could see was the roof of the tent, and beneath that the rumbling, churning monster of a gut that steadily climbed higher and higher above her.
  1157. >Her navel had long since popped into an outie in a fruitless effort to make more room. The skin on the front of her belly was rapidly turning red as it was stretched to its limits, and a violent splash of purple resided on the very front of her tummy where the pressure was highest.
  1158. >Cocoa felt tears come to her eyes unbidden as the pressure spiked to an unbelievably painful new high. This was it, she had reached her final capacity! Her body simply had no more room to give! Oh Celestia above, everypony duck and cover because she was READY TO BLOW!!
  1159. >And suddenly her tongue tasted air. A hollow sucking noise was all that the tube had left to offer her. She had done it...she had done it!
  1160. >"FILLIES ÜND GENTLECOLTS, GIVE IT UP FOR EQVESTRIA'S LARGEST MARE!!" Hans bellowed into the mic as the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. The tent just about shook with the jubilant uproar. Truly this had been a circus to behold, and one never to be forgotten!
  1161. >Cocoa allowed a dopey grin to cross her features as she slumped, exhausted, into her massive, pillowy form.
  1162. >She had done it. She had wowed AND amazed. Her goal in life was complete, she truly was the best at what she did. The Proud and Enormous Cocoa Mountain allowed herself to relax, basking in her moment of triumph.
  1163. >*hic*
  1164. >She hiccuped softly. Cocoa slowly frowned as she felt something shift within her titanic expanse.
  1165. >*hic*
  1166. >A sudden sharp pain lanced out from her tremendously overfilled core. Cocoa moaned desperately as the delicate balance within her steadily became undone.
  1167. >And she was powerless to stop it.
  1168. >*HIC!*
  1169. >A new pressure was building, one that really did threaten to be her undoing, to cause her to fly apart at the seams! Unable to control it, the wave of pressure billowed up her throat unbidden.
  1170. >Cocoa opened her mouth wide to scream right as the wave of force found its exit.
  1171. >"BBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-"
  1172. >The very air vibrated with the incredible force of Cocoa's belch, any and all noise immediately drowned out by its deafening bellow.
  1173. >"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-"
  1174. >The blast of humid, chocolatey air spewed upwards from her gaping maw and pressed forcefully against the roof of the tent, the fabric bowing outwards as it stretched around its frame, barely managing to withstand the force of the violent eruction.
  1175. >"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-"
  1176. >Everypony in the tent had their hooves clamped over their ears in a desperate attempt to nullify the deafening roar of Cocoa's monstrous, booming belch, manes and tails flapping in the breeze, some even toppling in their seats as they were blasted with a wave of hot air.
  1177. >"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP"
  1178. >The shockwave of sound steadily tapered off, leaving a still silence and plenty of ringing ears in its place. For her part, Cocoa slumped her head back in exhaustion and relief, the previously overwhelming pressure in her core thankfully relieved by a miniscule yet welcome amount. Her mountain of a stomach still churned and groaned angrily, stretched to the very uppermost of its limits, but it held.
  1179. >She had TRULY done it.
  1180. >Her vision swam and her hearing faded as the huge iron wheels began to move once again with a horrible creak. She could hear the roar of the crowd start up again, exhilarated by their once-in-a-lifetime experience. She could hear Hans cheering loudly, thanking the crowd again and again for coming to view his spectacle.
  1181. >The Proud and Enormous Cocoa Mountain grinned happily as the food coma of a lifetime began to overtake her. She had finally lived up to her lifelong dream of being the star of the show, adored and beloved by ponies near and far!
  1182. >Cocoa's last cognizant thought was that she couldn't wait for her next show.
  1183. >Then all was darkness.
  1184. >
  1185. >
  1186. >
  1187. >...Bad end?
  1188. >
  1189. >
  1190. >
  1191. >EPILOGUE:
  1192. >
  1193. >Princess Twilight Sparkle frowned as she read her letter from the mayor of Baltimare. Once again, nopony had seen hide nor hair of her elusive quarry.
  1194. >It had been over a year since Trixie had attempted to take over Ponyville with the help of an ancient and malevolently powerful amulet. Despite the painful experience, Twilight had found the ability within herself to forgive the wayward unicorn. After all, she simply wanted to prove that she too could impress with her magical talent!
  1195. >But, puzzlingly enough, Twilight had heard absolutely nothing since then about distant adventures or misdeeds or successes or...well, anything!
  1196. >For such an outspoken and attention-seeking mare, Twilight was sure that she would have managed to stir up some hullabaloo somewhere or another. Her personality almost demanded it!
  1197. >And yet, nothing.
  1198. >Twilight tried her best not to worry about it. She really did. Her friends reassured her constantly that she was probably just lying low, taking her time to build herself back up properly without any of the negative stigma of her previous exploits.
  1199. >Reluctantly Twilight conceded, but as the months continued to go by and her search efforts continued to turn up empty, Twilight's worries eventually found their way to the diarchs of Canterlot.
  1200. >Celestia reassured Twilight as best she could that Trixie was probably fine, but nevertheless decided it wouldn't hurt to put missing pony posters up in cities across Equestria.
  1201. >Citizens near and far balked as they walked past the posters, shocked that a mare so notorious wound up missing, how could anypony fail to notice her anyways? These days her face stood out like a sore hoof in just about every major Equestrian city and town.
  1202. >Yet after two more months of no sign of the showmare, Celestia and Luna began to admit that something seemed wrong. Surely somepony would've come forward with SOMETHING by now?
  1203. >An official investigation was launched into Trixie's disappearance, led by the best investigators the Royal Guard had to offer. After a long two weeks of questioning ponies near and far, a trail was finally picked up. Apparently the mare had been run out of Trotsworth for stealing, clearly brought on by desperation.
  1204. >At that time, it was highly likely that public opinion of the once-misguided showmare was still incredibly low, lending credence to her motives.
  1205. >But the trail ran cold at a traveling circus run by a cheerful earth pony of Germane descent. The only mare of note at the circus was an incredibly, morbidly obese one, a historical staple of freak shows and circuses everywhere.
  1206. >Besides, she was completely BROWN. The investigators were puzzled by the sudden dead-end but could make no headway.
  1207. >After eight months of unsuccessful searching, the Princesses were forced to close the case as 'unresolved'.
  1208. >Twilight was distraught. Surely this wasn't, no, COULDN'T be her fault?! She had forgiven Trixie, right? She had known that she was forgiven, RIGHT?
  1209. >Twilight didn't know, nor would she ever know.
  1210. >For it was as if Trixie had disappeared off the face of the earth, never to be heard from again...
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  1256. >SUPER SECRET BONUS LEVEL
  1257. >
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  1259. >
  1260. >Morning Rise sighed to herself in irritation as her mop plunged once again into the soapy, and by now quite brown, water. She looked around again to check how much progress she had made, and let out an irritated huff as she took in the scene around her.
  1261. >What an absolute mess!
  1262. >Morning Rise had only been with the circus for a couple of months as a simple roadie/aide, but it had been enough to go on a fairly lengthy tour and, she had to admit to herself, while she'd been leery about the whole situation at first she felt that her new employment was beginning to grow on her a little bit.
  1263. >She got to go to new places, meet plenty of new ponies, see lots of new things...truth be told, there was a lot of times where being a part of the circus was actually really fun!
  1264. >But this...this was not one of those times.
  1265. >Splattered all around the orange pegasus, covering just about any and every surface imaginable, was a thick layer of warm, gooey, viscous chocolate...specifically hot fudge. Apparently it was a circus specialty.
  1266. >Whatever it was, it looked like the interior of this tent had been hit by a veritable chocolate BOMB, and according to Hans that's just about what did happen.
  1267. >The day started off normally enough, a gentle sunrise and a pleasant temperature had most of the circus folk up and starting on their tasks fairly early.
  1268. >However, it certainly wasn't normal when the ground started shaking violently, a deep low rumble slowly building in intensity before there was suddenly a very dense, wet, exploding SPLOOSH sound...followed by utter silence.
  1269. >The first thing anypony heard was Hans' angry shouting as he galloped towards the source of the sound, a large orange-and-white tent, one that if she wasn't mistaken belonged to one Cocoa Mountain.
  1270. >"SCHEISSE! Not another vun! I svear on mein sveet mutter's grave eef zat salespony sold me another faulty model I'm going to..." Her boss entered the tent before he finished whatever he was saying and dropped out of earshot.
  1271. >Curious, and because she hadn't yet been assigned any tasks for the day, Morning Rise decided to hesitantly follow her boss and find out what had happened.
  1272. >If she was being honest with herself, this really wasn't her favorite tent around. Mostly because almost every time she had to come in here before, it was to bring some sort of food to that...beast of a mare.
  1273. >Seriously, she was ENORMOUS. And HUNGRY. Morning was actually rather afraid of her, or rather, afraid of accidentally becoming her snack! The mare was certainly large enough to snap her up and swallow her down in a simple gulp, quick as a flash and easy as pie, with nopony being none the wiser to her whereabouts.
  1274. >Morning shuddered slightly. That would be a truly AWFUL way to go...so to that end she avoided this area like it was a horde of angry parasprites.
  1275. >But Hans seemed really upset...so she figured she would at least poke her head in and see what the trouble was.
  1276. >The trouble turned out to be a whole lot of chocolate, dripping from the ceiling and pooling on the floor.
  1277. >According to Hans, one of the immense tanks they used to store the chocolate for Cocoa's show had burst, obviously leaving behind quite the sticky yet sweet mess.
  1278. >This seemed a bit odd to Morning. Firstly, she knew for a fact (since she'd been in here before) that most of the interior of the tent was normally taken up by the sheer mass of the monstrous mare herself. Yet she wasn't here...how could a multi-ton immobile mare suddenly go missing?
  1279. >Secondly, if that was the case, how and why would the chocolate be stored in the same place as the hungry, hungry mare who regularly consumed mass quantities of it? It certainly seemed like a disaster waiting to happen to Morning.
  1280. >And thirdly, where was the debris from the tank?
  1281. >Hans explained as quickly as he could while handing over a bucket and mop, much to Morning's chagrin. Apparently Cocoa Mountain was on vacation.
  1282. >Vacation?! How does a mare like that take a vacation?
  1283. >Hans had chuckled at that. "Vith a lot of help, of course! She eez avay at a specialty spa, just as she alvays eez between tours. Truly remarkable vhat a team of professionals can do to keep up appearances of even ze largest of mares, I tell you zat coat ünd mane need as much attention as zey can get, no?"
  1284. >Morning had to admit that was a good point. And upon asking about the chocolate Hans had given her a confused expression and replied, "Vhen did you think ve replaced our chocolate supply, ünd vhere did you suppose vould have enough space to make eet?"
  1285. >...Okay, point conceded again.
  1286. >Morning never really got an answer to her third question, as at that point Hans had taken off in a hurry to attend to his normal business, but not before giving her a pat on the back and a few reassuring words.
  1287. >Guess she would just have to find whatever was left of the tank, surely it had been thrown somewhere within the tent, probably smothered in chocolate too.
  1288. >And thus, Morning found herself with the extremely daunting and wing-breaking job of cleaning up all the chocolate. She was definitely going to get her workout in today, unless she would rather stand knee-deep in a small lake of chocolate.
  1289. >She really didn't, her coat stained.
  1290. >Although she set about her task with a grumble and a frown, Morning nonetheless dutifully worked away at the various chocolatey surfaces, slowly but surely making small bits of progress towards eventual cleanliness.
  1291. >But that didn't stop her mind from pondering while she worked.
  1292. >And ponder she did. The whole situation still seemed a bit...odd. While everything that had been explained to her certainly made sense, it seemed awfully convenient...almost TOO convenient, she would say. As if she was in the middle of a really cheesy mystery novel or something...
  1293. >Which, rest assured, she isn't. Seriously. Stop thinking about it.
  1294. >Anyways, while Morning Rise ultimately didn't really care about what exactly had transpired, nor had she been paying any sort of attention to Cocoa's whereabouts as she liked to maintain a...healthy distance from her, she was still a curious mare by nature.
  1295. >Well, you know what they say about curiosity...
  1296. >As Morning once more grumpily surveyed the chocolatey landscape before her, her eyes settled upon something she had missed before. All the brown was messing with her depth perception, but the harder she looked, the more she was convinced that yes, that was an entrance to some sort of back room.
  1297. >And hadn't Hans been standing over in that vicinity?
  1298. >Quickly spinning around to check and double-check that yes, she was indeed alone, Morning Rise cautiously hovered towards the area of interest.
  1299. >Just a peek, she thought to herself. That was all she needed. Just to make sure that nothing even MORE odd was hiding back there, waiting to...well, Morning wasn't sure, that's why she wanted to take a look!
  1300. >Angling herself towards the entrance, Morning found herself floating into what indeed appeared to be a back room. There were plenty of crates, boxes, barrels, and other assorted containers and props that Morning guessed were in some way related to Cocoa's...performances.
  1301. >And all of it was ALSO covered in chocolate. Morning sighed in irritation. Nothing interesting to see here, just more work for her...wait, what was that?!
  1302. >A flash of...something caught Morning's eye, and her curiosity. As she moved to look behind a particularly large stack of crates, she gasped as she beheld something truly amazing.
  1303. >A beautiful sapphire necklace, the likes of which Morning Rise had never seen before. The inlaid sapphire sparkled gleefully in what little light filtered in through the tent, seeming to amplify its brilliance, while the gold chain it was attached to gleamed softly, its smooth, polished surface an absolute delight to behold.
  1304. >So entranced was Midnight with her discovery, she failed to realize how strange it was that the necklace, and nothing else, remained entirely chocolate-free.
  1305. >Because oh, it would be a cold day in Tartarus before Morning Rise would not take a moment out of her day to appreciate such beauty. It was truly entrancing, and suddenly Morning found herself struggling to hold back a sudden urge to put it on.
  1306. >Now, Morning did not consider herself to be a particularly vain pony. Sure she, like any other self-respecting mare, took an extra moment or two in the mornings to brush her mane and tail and make sure her coat and wings were in order, but she never felt the need to go out of her way to "pretty up" as some of the higher-class mares seemed to obsess about.
  1307. >But she just couldn't help but wonder...how would she look with that beautiful necklace on? Would it suit her well? Would it match her coat? Her mane? The urge began to become an itch, an itch that really wanted to be scratched.
  1308. >Surely it wouldn't hurt to slip it on just for a moment or two, right? Take a moment to admire it, appreciate its beauty to its fullest, and then put it right back where she found it and nopony would have to know! Perfect, right?
  1309. >After all, necklaces were made to be worn! Only then can a TRUE judgement be made on it.
  1310. >Reaching out with trembling hooves, Morning deftly plucked the necklace free from the chocolatey goop it lay in (again, not seeming to have any actually ON it...) and quickly slipped it over her head.
  1311. >The necklace felt like a perfect fit. It immediately settled comfortably on Morning's shoulders, and already seemed to be the perfect length to really show off its magnificent jewel. Morning floated this way and that, craning her head to as many angles as she could to see how it looked on her.
  1312. >Too bad she didn't have a mirror on hand...but even without it Morning could tell that she looked GOOD. Like, really good.
  1313. >Morning sighed wistfully as she prepared herself mentally to take it off and put it back. Oh, how she wished she could have it. The thought briefly flashed through her mind to just grab it and run, leave this pathetic circus behind, but she quickly quashed it.
  1314. >Sure she might tell a small fib here and there...but she was no petty thief!
  1315. >Just then, Morning was startled out of her internal reverie by a sudden gasp. Whirling about in a panic, to her horror she saw none other than Hans himself standing there, a hoof held to his mouth and his eyes wide as he undoubtedly tried to process what he was seeing.
  1316. >Uh-oh. Busted.
  1317. >"O-oh! Mr. H-Hans, sir! I-I didn't see you there, hahaha..." Morning grinned and chuckled nervously, rubbing one foreleg with another as she hovered sheepishly.
  1318. >Hans didn't say anything immediately to that. Oh dear, oh mare, he must be really shocked! I'm really gonna get it now, Morning thought to herself. Time for as much damage control as she could muster...
  1319. >"S-sorry sir, I was just cleaning and then I thought I saw a room back here and was looking around and saw this necklace and it was really pretty and I just couldn't help myself and I'm really sorry sir I'll put it back right away and get back to work-"
  1320. >"Ohhhh," Hans sighed, immediately cutting into Morning's babbling. "Nein, nein, mein dear...ze necklace...oh eet eez as eef eet vas made for you! Oh mein gütness..."
  1321. >Morning's train of thought tried to freeze in place and promptly derailed. "Er...w-what?"
  1322. >"Oh but eet eez so beautiful," Hans continued, his eyes wide with awe as he stepped forward. "Eet matches your eyes so vell...oh mein stars as precious as a family heirloom eet may be, I simply cannot remember ze last mare who truly brought out eet's stunning brilliance like zis!" Hans enthused as he became more and more animated.
  1323. >The gears in Morning's head did their absolute best to process this new development, shrieking and groaning as they tried to completely reverse their direction.
  1324. >Was she crazy, or did her boss just compliment her? Her?!
  1325. >Morning blushed and did her best to look anywhere but into Hans' eyes. "O-Oh...well, that's, er, very nice of you to say s-sir, but I think I should be putting it back now..."
  1326. >She trailed off as Hans shook his head forcefully. "Oh, nein, nein mein dear, I can feel eet een mein bones...you did not find zis necklace by chance, eet vas fate zat brought eet to you!"
  1327. >"F-Fate?" Morning stammered weakly.
  1328. >"Jes, jes, qvite so! Eet eez simply too good to be true! Oh, but eet vould be a horrendous crime to make you take eet off now!"
  1329. >Morning didn't say anything, her jaw simply hanging as she tried to process she sheer bizarreness of what she was hearing.
  1330. >"No mein dear," Hans continued, "I think eet eez time you ünd I discussed your role here at ze circus...I am being struck by inspiration, ünd I am seeing you as ze new star of mein show!" Hans' eyes practically sparkled as he beamed at the orange pegasus.
  1331. >Said pegasus didn't know WHAT to say. "U-uh...w-what?"
  1332. >"Oh jes mein dear, I think zis eez going to vürk out nicely indeed...come, come! I vill get another to clean up zis mess, you I must bring to mein trailer right away to begin preparing for your new act!"
  1333. >Whoa, whoa, hold the horses for a second...her new act?!
  1334. >"Uh...w-what...?"
  1335. >Hans seemed not to be interested in wasting any more effort convincing the mare of her new status, simply reaching up and grabbing her forehoof, Hans literally dragged the mare through the air as he hurried towards the exit.
  1336. >"No time to vaste, mein dear! Ve must hurry to get you into top performing condition! I know you vill be simply magnificent!" Hans cheered as he rushed forward.
  1337. >Morning Rise finally managed to process what had just happened to her, and she allowed a huge grin to grace her features as she realized what was happening.
  1338. >Well, well, well, looks like somepony finally managed to see just what Morning Rise could offer the world, eh? Looks like things were looking up for her after all! She couldn't wait to tell her folks at home!
  1339. >Just then, Morning's stomach grumbled. Morning blushed in embarrasment but Hans' keen ears heard without a doubt.
  1340. >Looking back, Hans grinned. "But first, perhaps some lunch, jes? After all, ve simply cannot be getting you ready properly on an empty stomach!"
  1341. >Rubbing her grumbling tummy, Morning smirked. Oh, she could get USED to being treated like this...
  1342. >Never mind the fact that it wasn't even close to her normal lunchtime...or that she had just eaten breakfast a short while ago...
  1343. >She was a hungry mare NOW, and that was what mattered!
  1344. >"Mr. Hans sir, I'm not just hungry..."
  1345. >"I'm STARVING."

[SHORT] - Minty Waifu

by LurkerTurnedNewbie

[SHORT] - Good Morning, Celestia

by LurkerTurnedNewbie

[FAQ] Don't @ Me

by LurkerTurnedNewbie

[SHORT] Pinkie Lends a Hoof

by LurkerTurnedNewbie

[LONG] Trixie Joins the Circus

by LurkerTurnedNewbie