Midnight Blossom played by her owner. ~~~~~ Has definitely never thought about operating a restaurant where all uneaten foodstuffs are separated from the trash, dumped into a giant blender, and tube-fed to the appointed 'waste disposal' employee But yeah definitely never thought about being a penny-pinching old coot running a fast-food restaurant and earning rad endorsements for being 100% sustainable with no waste Are you guys hiring? Always. Okay, is there any previous experience necessary? It's a fast-food restaurant, so no. However if you have any special or unique talents you'd like to mention now would be the time. Well... I've always had an appetite... can't stop me eating really. So I know how to cook, quickly and copiously. Well, around here we don't necessarily "cook" per se... however the local sustainability groups have been on my case recently to reduce the facility's waste production. If your appetite is as vicarious as you say it is, perhaps you would be uniquely qualified for a new position I've been considering...interested? Uhhh... what's the pay like? Minimum wage. I should add, however, that this particular position comes with the perk of free food. Lots of it. Midnight's stomach grumbles, as she stares at the manager. "...Seriously? You probably wouldn't need to pay me, I was going to spend my pay on food anyway." "Well in that case, you're hired! Effective immediately. I expect to see you tomorrow morning, we're going to be doing a few 'upgrades' overnight." "Alright." Midnight stood up from the chair that was barely containing her swollen rump, and grumbling stomach, the wood creaking slightly as it returned to its normal shape. The obese bat pony leaned over the desk to shake the manager's hoof, her flabby leg swaying heavily even with the small motions. "When do you want me to show?" I smirk mischievously. "Oh let's just say...whenever you feel suitably hungry." "I rather doubt you want me showing up at 1 AM, banging on the doors and trying to start my shift." Midnight smirked back as she let the manager lead her out of the room, the smell of fryer grease, heavy meat, and that strange, arcane slop that was supposedly chicken, suddenly assaulting her nostrils, the bat pony's stomach gurgling loudly at the sensory attack. "Do I get an employee discount?" "My good mare, do your job well enough and we're talking 100%." I pause in the slightly busy kitchens before clapping loudly to get everyone's attention. "Alright, everypony! It's your lucky day, we're shutting down early tonight. Overnight project is beginning right now. Shut it all down and enjoy your evening off." Eyeing the already prepared food in the kitchen, I continue: "Eh, and give the new girl here as much as she wants, we're trying to cut down on our waste, remember?" Several of the staff looked at Midnight, one or two of the higher-ranked floor managers sniggering for a second, before several staff picked up a burger, or a packet of chips and a shake before leaving out the back, while other picked up mops and buckets, and set to work cleaning up the restaurant, helping along the few customers who had remained, even close to the early closing time. And while the ponies picked away enough of the mountain of food, the amount still left was unhealthy by even the most gluttonous metric, and damned near suicidal by any reasonable measure. Grease dripped from burgers as cheese melted on top of them, fries popped and crackled as they were pulled out of the deep fryer, condensation formed on the side of ice-cream cups, and extra-large sodas fizzled, all while Midnight licked her lips, piled the remaining food onto a tray, and carried it through to the dining floor. Her knees were shaking with the effort of carrying so much food, alongside how much of her they were normally expected to carry. "Well then, lets see just what I'm getting a discount on," the obese mare muttered to herself as she picked up the first burger, before sinking her fangs into it, ketchup and grease squirting out the sides and dribbling down her chins, like some sort of fast-food horror story, the bat pony moaning appreciatively as she chewed and swallowed the first half of the double cheese burger. "'S good," she managed to mumble before taking another cheek bulging bite, the rest of the burger disappearing into her maw. "So gonna take, advantage of that discount," she muttered to herself, before pulling a packet of fries to her mouth, and sticking it over her snout like a cardboard feedbag. "But first, need a snack." Watching gleefully as the mare begins to gorge, I wave over a nearby employee and give them a few hurried, hushed instructions. At their look of incredulity, I roll my eyes and slip them a few extra bits to seal the deal. As he moves off to do as instructed, I chuckle and head back to my office. There were phone calls that needed to be made. Meanwhile, the employee roamed about the floor, collecting all the trays of half-eaten food left by the other patrons, before unceremoniously dumping it all off at Midnight's table, the mare so engrossed in her meal she hardly realized more was being added to the heap. She'd better get used to it after all, other ponies' leftovers were about to become a primary staple in her diet... Midnight just continued to dig into her gut-busting meal, her stomach's grumbling noises of hunger slowly being replaced with gurgling and sloshing as she stuffed burger after burger, after packets of fries, after half-melted tubs of ice-cream into her bloated gut, washing the mixture of fatty, greasy, cholesterol laden food down with milkshakes and sodas, liquid dribbling out from the corners of her mouth between each hasty, desperate chug. Several of the restaurant staff stopped their cleaning duties just to watch the obese mare stuff herself to the point where they almost expected her to keel over, immobile under her swollen, pulsing gut, or more reasonably explode. It was only when she dropped the final cup to the ground, the drained cup rolling across the floor before a pegasus unconsciously picked it up and stuffed it into a garbage bag, that her hooves came back to her mouth empty while Midnight groaned quietly, one hoof kneading and pressing at her gut, squeezing out any pockets of air in a series of quiet, gut shaking belches, before she flopped to her hooves and slowly waddled towards the doors. "That was good, be seeing you guys, tomorrow," the bat pony wheezed out before she staggered out through the double doors, and out into the Canterlot evening, the slowly fading echoes of her gurgling stomach disappearing into the night. ~~~~~ I rub at my tired eyes while sipping on my third coffee of the morning. Although it had been a long night of overseeing construction, it was worth it to make sure everything was just perfect for my master plan. Fortunately, things moved swiftly enough, as not a whole lot was changed. The biggest alteration was the addition of a large empty room several meters below the restaurant, with a heavy, heavy, HEAVY duty elevator leading down to it. All the garbage receptacles were now separated into 'food waste' and 'waste,' with signage all over proclaiming new state-of-the-art sustainability processes to reduce the store's footprint. What the average customer didn't know, however, was that while the regular trash was handled just as before, all the leftover food was funneled via a series of chutes to the empty room below, where it tumbled and piled up atop a particularly large table. Midnight stumbled into the restaurant's back door, the obese bat pony's gut brushing against the door frame as she waddled in, her cheeks flushed red with exertion as she panted for breath, each gasping breath sending her flabby, and flabbier than last night, body wobbling and jiggling while she leant against the wall, and tried to regain some semblance of even breathing. "H-hey, Boss," Midnight wheezed. "Where'd you, need me?" she spoke to the manager who simply took another sip from his coffee cup, before putting the empty styrofoam cup down to one side. "Ahh, good morning Midnight. I am pleased by your punctuality. I am also pleased to inform you that your personal, private office has been completed. If you'll follow me please..." I turn and head towards my own office, relishing in the sounds of labored breathing and flesh smacking flesh behind me. I hold the door open as the obese ball of bat pony somehow lurches forward before collapsing heavily on her bulging, wobbling gut, panting for breath as her eyes cast about the room in confusion. Ignoring her for the moment, I head to the back wall of my office where I am greeted by a large, ornate painting of...well, who else? Myself, of course. Fishing out my keys, I click open a hidden keyhole and stare myself in the eye as the retinal scan completes, and sure enough the wall parts open, several layers of very thick, very heavy doors opening before me, each with their own different mechanism simply because it was more fun to watch. And at the end of the impromptu hallway? A large heavy-duty elevator, built to handle upwards of 50 tons. Turning around and enjoying the stunned look on the fat mare's face I cock an eyebrow and gesture behind me. "Come along now, I don't have all day..." "Uhhh..." Midnight stammered as she stared at the 'secret' elevator, the almost cavernous chamber hidden behind the office in a space that wasn't even hinted at from outside the building, in what was either a startling display of space-bending magic, or forward thinking. "Y-yeah, sure, just wasn't expecting the Bat-Cave, ya know." A forced chuckle came out of her lips as she followed the manager into the elevator's chamber, before the motors activated with a clunking, grinding noise, and the expansive platform, still somewhat covered in warning stickers and other signs of recent construction began to slowly descend. "So it's probably too late for me to back out, what with this," a flabby hoof gestured at the descending walls, and colossal machinery as both ponies were lowered under the restaurant. "But am I going to have to sign a NDA or something?" Midnight asked before the machinery whirred to a halt, another, oversized door rolling open to let the manager lead her further into the bowels of the restaurant. "Eugh, NDA's are such ugly business..." I lament. "I'm hopeful that won't be necessary. Especially since your employment is completely voluntary. You are free to leave at any point." The doors open to reveal a large, dark room, but with a simple clap it is immediately illuminated by a plethora of industrial fluorescent lights suspended high above, the smooth metal floors shining with reflected light. At the far end of the room sat a large table, already with a small pile of leftovers from the day's breakfast rush. "I'm banking on the fact that this particular employment can offer you what no other position can..." I trail off as I enjoy watching her eyes track onto the food across the room, smirking as she starts once again dragging her huge body forward. "Suffice to say, as long as things keep going smoothly here, the longer you have to eat to your heart's content..." "So what... you're paying me to eat your leftovers to reduce wastage?" Midnight spoke as she walked towards the pile of food, her eyes glazed over as she stared and her stomach grumbled. Her appetite rising again even after her 'breakfast' of a box of cereal and half a gallon of full-fat milk failed to completely satisfy her for long. "I don't think I've got a problem with that, until you tell me the catch." Midnight tried to feign disinterest as while it took a visible effort of will to keep herself from trotting any further forwards. Although the grumbling of her stomach, the flaring of her nostrils, and the fact her eyes kept flicking back to the pile of food, even as more and more leftovers fell from the pipe suspended over the table built the fast-food mountain higher. I quirk an eyebrow. "I'm not sure about a catch, but perhaps it's worth pondering what happens at the end of the day? We're a fast-food restaurant. We must ALWAYS have plentiful amounts of food on-hand to assure speedy customer service. What do you suppose happens to all of that food come closing time? Before we used to just throw it all out, but now..." I trail off, giving her the opportunity to mentally follow that train of thought to its logical conclusion. "Always kinda thought you guys just keep as much of it as you need in those big ol' freezers." Midnight spoke as she started to trot forwards again, her heavy hoofsteps echoing oddly in the almost cavernous room. It might have even been larger than the throne room in the castle, although her foalhood memories of following her mom about through the endless hall could barely be trusted. Everything had seemed huge back then. "Just slap it on the grill or whatever when you needed it, and cook it in a couple of minutes... or less if you're doing sliders." Midnight chuckled as she reached the bench seat, and stared at the mountain of food, running her tongue over her lips and fangs, leaving a thin layer of drool over her snout as she settled back into the seat. A bench that was designed to hold at least four ponies at once, although her pudgy flanks, and grumbling gut spilled out enough to reduce that space by half, while her hooves reached out for the first bit of food, and half-finished vegetable kebab, before she stopped, and looked over a the manager. "This is a lot of food, but I'm not seeing any sodas or shakes." She smiled as she sunk her fangs into the first chunk of fried vegetables on the wooden spit, chewing lazily before she continued speaking. "Ain't no way I can get a drink down here is there?" I smirk as I reach up and pull a hose free from the wall, easily missed if one didn't know to look for it. "Straight from the soda machine," I say with a smirk, waving it before her face before placing it on the table. "I'm afraid it's not unlimited, however. I don't need you using up all your stomach capacity on soda. We'll start with...say, a gallon per hour. Which flavor would you like?" Midnight licked her lips, her tongue picking up any loose chunks of food, scooping them back into her maw before dropping the wooden spit to the floor where it rolled under the table before she picked up a hooffull of loose fries, stuffing them into her mouth. "You got tropical flavour? Could really go for some mango drink," she managed to mutter through the mouthful of oil, potato, and salt, before her hoof reached out for the scraps of a hayburger, popping the remains into her mouth as easily as breathing. At least for a normally sized, and healthy pony. I smirk as I turn and head towards the elevator. "Mango it is. I'll be back to check up on you in a few hours..." If a response was given, it was muffled by the sounds of the mare's enthusiastic chewing and gorging. Returning topside, and ensuring all doors were locked, hidden, and all security systems checked out and online, I make my way to the kitchens. The lunch rush is just about starting, and things are beginning to get busy. After setting the soda flavor for Midnight and enabling the feed, I start making my usual inspection rounds. Noticing a batch of fries that just came out of the fryer, a mischievous idea strikes me as I pluck a strand of my mane and lay it on the fries. "OI!!" My loud and angry voice immediately garners the attention of every staff member in the room. "Which of you knuckleheads forgot to wear your hairnet, huh? This whole batch of fries is contaminated! C'mon people, we've been over this, FULL compliance with all health and safety regulations or you're all out of a job, y'hear?" Satisfied with my "angry" tirade, I make a big show of snorting disdainfully as I grab the fry bucket and promptly dump it into the receptacle labeled 'food waste.' "Alright, alright, back to work! And stay sharp, we got paying customers out there that expect quality service!" I grin as I head back to my office. Hopefully Midnight will enjoy something a little fresher. The bat pony barely noticed the rain of fresh steaming fries, lost in a gluttonous haze as she was, her hooves automatically picking up the food waste and shoveling it into her mouth, mashing leftovers together into balls of grease, meat, vegetables and starch before pushing them over her fangs and into her mouth, her sagging cheeks bulging out with food as she chewed, before swallowing, taking a gulp from the soda hose every few mouthfuls to wash out anything that stubbornly clung to her tongue, or stuck in her throat, refusing to go down into her gurgling, bubbling, sloshing gut, which had only now started to bulge outwards with its fullness. That wasn't important though. What was important was that there was food in front of her. Other ponies, lesser ponies, would be disgusted by the fact that it was a mountain of leftovers, of cast-offs and trash that was already half-eaten, but even that wasn't as important to the gorging bat pony as the mere fact it was food. Food that she was being paid to stuff herself with, paid so she could buy more food to stuff herself further, bloat herself bigger, just so she never had to stop. Midnight moaned as the thoughts echoed in her head, her tail flicking between her plot cheeks, the twin orbs of flab slowly starting to spill backwards over the bench seat, pressing against the slats of the back rest, and bulging out through the gaps between each wooden bar, even as they started to quietly creak and groan, the noise barely audible under the piggish grunts of her eating, and the straining sounds of her stomach as it tried to digest everything she was stuffing into it. I yawn and stretch as my eyes blearily blink open. With the restaurant running smoothly and my newest employee squared away, it had become time for a well-deserved executive nap. Checking the time, I decide to go check in on Midnight again, as I had said I would. A shrewd business owner I may be, heartless I am not. This time I opt to take the single elevator that I had installed for my own personal use, it was much faster and quieter than the industrial-strength one. In just a few short moments, my arrival is announced by a soft ding! and I step out into the cavernous room to the most delightful collection of sounds: grunting, chewing, slurping, and the occasional soft belch. Music to my ears. Striding forward, I simply stand off to the side for a moment or two, admiring my newest employee go about her "work." Oh yes, I had definitely judged her correctly: the mare was an absolute pig, and just as greedy and messy as one. After enjoying the show for a short while I cleared my throat to hopefully get her attention. "Good afternoon Midnight, I trust things are going smoothly down here?" "Ump... Yeah, 's all, urp, gwood." Midnight barely managed to speak through stuffed cheeks, flecks of food and small trails of drool spilling out of her mouth and landing on the dome of her bloated and swollen gut. The lunch rush had never really simmered down, leftovers and scraps constantly filtering down through the pipes that would deposit them onto the table in front of her at a steady pace. A steady pace that she was somehow managing to beat, the mountain of food having been whittled down to almost half it's starting size, while the bat pony's stomach was so packed that her coat had thinning out enough for angry red stretch-marks to peer through her dark grey fur, while her skin occasionally wobbled or shook as her overpacked stomach churned and glorped. I couldn't help but stare. This mare...this mare! I've never seen anything like it. Clearly she is full. Beyond full. Her stomach is stretched and straining, moaning and gurgling miserably as its abuse continues unabated, and all the while she continues to eat at her same hell-bent pace. Eat, and eat, and eat, and eat... I let out a small cough as my face flushes and a surge of arousal weaves its way through my body. This might just end up being even better than I expected! I take just a few more moments to fully appreciate the sight before me. One thing was for sure: the maids were about to get a raise. Turning reluctantly to leave, I call back over my shoulder. "Anything you need, Midnight? A new soda flavor, perhaps?" Midnight's hooves continued to ferry food from the table to her mouth as she thought, once even catching half a chicken sandwich as it feel from the pipe, and bouncing it straight into her mouth before it could even hit the diminished pile of cooling leftovers. "No chance of... urp, lettin' me ...omf, have more?" A flabby hoof reached down to Midnight's gut to pick up a fry that had bounced from the table to land on the shelf of her gut. The straining orb bulging out enough that it was pressed against the tables edge, the sheer volume of food forcing it to push the surface away. "Everythin's... ufff so salty... urp, 's like you wan'... Ulk ponies to buy... omf, extra drinks." The bat pony weakly turned her head to stare at the manager, winking at him before she returned her attention back to eating, picking up the pace again now that she no longer had to continue talking. Her cheeks wobbling and chins bouncing with the slight motion of turning her head away. My jaw falls open in shock. This mare was otherworldly. How a mare as fat as her could be capable of cramming even more food into her mouth with such dexterity was beyond me. "I...I'll see what I can do..." I reply weakly, my knees feeling ready to buckle as I wrench my gaze away from the alluring sight before me and hastily make my exit via the elevator. Which, I noticed with a low moan of arousal, there was no way in Tartarus Midnight could fit her bulk into right now. Resuming my customary rounds of inspection through the kitchens, if any of my employees noticed my more-vacant-than-usual expression they didn't comment on it. Which suits me just fine, I have a reputation to uphold after all. Reaching the controls for Midnight's soda feed, I stop for a moment and think. So she wants more, huh? Very well. Two gallons an hour it is. And tonight I'm installing a camera down there. Midnight, for her part, was only just aware of the manager's exit, her ears twitching slightly at the sound of his hoof steps as they faded away back into the background, the piggish mare continuing to shovel food into her maw, gulping down soda in an effort to wash her throat out, even as the fizzing bubbles stirred her packed gut, and forced her to stop, releasing air-shaking belches that, if any of the customers had bothered to put their ears to the food waste bins, could have been heard up in the restaurant floor. It was only when the final, half finished burger, and mostly empty packet of fries dropped down onto the table, to be lazily swept off of the wooden surface, and into the mare's mouth that Midnight finally let herself pause in her continued consumption. Some old instinct left over from ages longs past telling her the moon was risen, the sun was set, and most reasonable ponies were well asleep, something that she was more than willing to join them in, once she managed to reach her bed. The now morbidly obese bat-pony swayed to her hooves, her packed gut brushing against the floor as she stood there, one hoof on the table to help her keep her balance, while her wings weakly fluttered out, flapping ungainly before she managed to step forwards, one unsteady hoof after the other as she made her way towards the cargo elevator she'd come in on. With a soft sigh of relief, I latch the lock on the front door and withdraw my keys. Finally it's closing time! And boy could I go for some bed right about now. Wandering back through the kitchens, where my employees are dutifully cleaning up and disposing of all leftover food, I find my thoughts drifting to the massive bat mare beneath me, wondering what she would look like now. I step into my office and, with not a small amount of anticipation, quickly descend to whatever may be waiting. At first glance, there is immediately something different in the room. For one, the table was piling up with a reasonable but not overbearing amount of food from the kitchens, but secondly and most importantly there was not a massively obese pig of a mare seated before it. No, instead she was in the process of laboring her way across the room towards the cargo elevator we had entered from this morning. I chuckle in some amusement as I call out to her, "and where do you think you are going, my dear?" "T' my bed," she responded breathlessly, her eyes not even glancing in my direction. I frown as I notice how far she still has to go, and, come to think of it, I don't even know how far she lives from here! She might not even complete the journey, and then anything could happen to her! That just wouldn't do. Fortunately I have a contingency plan for this situation, but I am quite shocked to be already using it. "Midnight my dear, if I told you I had a spare mattress upstairs and would be more than happy to bring it down for your sleeping convenience this evening, would you find that agreeable?" Midnight could only pant and wheeze with each dragging step, her legs digging into her packed gut while her plot cheeks sagged down over her rear legs. "Y-yeah, sounds good, just lemme close my, my eyes for a second." The bat pony wobbled on her hooves for a second before falling onto her side, her eyes shut, and wheezing snores breaking out through her lips. The normally peaceful sounds of slumber undercut by her glorping, gurgling gut; the angry noise of digestion loud enough that if Midnight hadn't been in a food coma, there was no way she'd be able to sleep through the noises her gut was making. I stare in slack-jawed awe at the sight before me, scarcely able to believe that such a mare could exist. In all my wildest dreams, I'd never have thought such a thing possible. With significant effort, I force myself to turn away from the grumbling, churning mound of stomach laid out before me, and make my way unsteadily to the elevator. I have just a few more orders of business to attend to before heading home for some well-deserved rest. After a quick phone call to get a camera installed down there, a few quick words with the cleaning staff ensured the mess would be taken care of. At this rate, the maids are going to get a hell of a raise. ~~~~ Midnight groaned, squeezing her eyes shut while she tried to clutch her blankets closer over her ears, the low grumbling of something nearby assaulting her ears, and forcing her out of Luna's realm, and it's wasn't helped by the empty feeling in her gut, or the sluggishness of her limbs, but she didn't want to get up. She couldn't hear the sound of her parents making breakfast, or smell cooking grease and pancake batter wafting along the corridor to her ground floor room, meaning that if she got up now she'd have to make her own breakfast, and the last time she did that... well raw bacon tasted good, but her stomach disagreed with that course of action. In fact the only thing she could smell was the heavy grease and cheese of fast-food, maybe there was some of that left over from her dinner, it would do to keep her going before her breakfast, as the bat pony groggily shuffled herself over to the side of her bed, intending to let her flabby stomach carry her to the floor, until she reached the edge of the mattress, and felt the ground pushing against her hooves as she tried to find some purchase. Blinking her eyes open, the first thing Midnight saw was the low roof of the cavern she was in, industrial strip lighting overhead forcing her to squint while her eyes failed to adjust to the harsh lighting, before she finally remembered where she was, remembered the day long glut of yesterday, the fact she'd not even been able to make it to the elevator out of the room, although she didn't remember being rolled onto the mattress. Shrugging to herself, stiff limbs, and folds of flab working together to make her body wobble and jiggle, Midnight pulled herself to her hooves, before slowly waddling over to the table where she'd spent yesterday, salivating slightly at the sight of a full breakfast meal, before she heard the elevator doors swing open behind her. The doors part before me with a soft *ding!* Stepping into the large room, much to my delight I find that Midnight is already awake, no doubt roused to consciousness by the salty, greasy, yet still somehow appealing scent wafting off the pile of food left on the table from last night, now joined by a smattering of various half-eaten breakfast items. Every now and again, an additional morsel or two would tumble out onto the table, joining the growing pile of food. It's not going to be growing for long, if Midnight's lusty gaze and drooling maw have anything to say about it. It might have possibly been a trick of the light, but I swear she looked even bigger than when she arrived yesterday. But then again, considering how many calories the bat-mare ingested last night, it would hardly be surprising. I forcefully suppress a shudder at the thought that she might visibly gain weight on a daily basis now. "Ah, good morning Midnight! How's my favorite employee doing this fine morning? Anything I can do to make you more comfortable before starting today's shift?" Midnight slowly turned around, the action requiring her to almost constantly shuffle her hooves as the rolls of fat on her flanks and around her neck kept her from actively turning her body or neck too far, a motion that of course set her entire body wobbling and jiggling in full view of the manager. "'M good, kinda hungry." Midnight spoke, while her stomach gurgled quietly, the sound echoing oddly in the cavern and granting her words an almost unreal emphasis. "Don't suppose there's anything you can do about that?" She spoke while licking her lips, eyes constantly flickering over to the pile of food on the table. "I mean I should have some pay from yesterday, an' I could really go for a coffee to go with my breakfast, get me good and woken up, kick start my appetite for the day." "One venti coffee it is, I'll make sure it's got plenty of cream and sugar too," I finish with a wink. Seeming satisfied with that answer, I'm treated to yet another show of jiggling, wobbling flesh as Midnight turns herself back around, her attention inevitably returning to the pile of food behind her. I step into the elevator with a smirk, noticing my new video camera installed up in the corner of the room, a small blinking red light indicating that it's operational. As I exit my office and head into the kitchens, my mind is already hard at work thinking on how I can streamline my new waste-minimizing processes, and how I can turn the profits into even more food for both my customers and for the hungry beast lurking below... Midnight barely paid attention to the manager as he left, instead shuffling her body around again until she was facing the table, before continuing her slow waddle across the room to the table covered in food, gloriously greasy, fatty, cheesy, calorie ridden, and most importantly, free, food. The bat pony smirking to herself as she hefted her bulging flanks onto the bench seat, and heard the wood creak softly as her weight settled down on it. The wood bending almost imperceptibly underneath her, before she reached out and grabbed the first thing that came to her hooves. The half eaten remains of a breakfast fritter, still warm enough that thin curls of steam rose up from the bacon wrapped pastry, before she opened her mouth and popped the treat back, her teeth sinking into the crunchy bacon, and fried dough, as she moaned loudly at the flavour rushing over her tongue. The bat pony chewed several times before she swallowed the fritter, and reached out for the next foodstuff. Making my way back down into the bowels of my restaurant, having acquired a delicious calorie-laden coffee, my ears were serenaded by a wonderful chorus of chewing, grunting, gulping, and appreciative moaning. Just to see if I could, as quietly as I could manage, I snuck up behind the gorging mare and gently placed her beverage on the table just at the edge of her field of vision before pausing to see if she noticed me... Midnight barely noticed the coffee being placed down on the table, instead continuing on with the heavy, greasy breakfast foods that continued to fall from the funnel above, occasionally breaking the constant flow of omelettes, fritters, and muffins by snatching up a burger, or a half-finished packet of fries, now long cold, but no less appetising to the food addicted mare. It was only when the scent of the coffee tickled her nostrils, her snout flaring outwards as she breathed in the scent that she stopped the steady shovelling of food into her chomping, slurping maw, and grabbed the cardboard mug in both hooves, pulled the plastic lid from the top, and almost poured the still-steaming, heavily sugared coffee down her throat, chins and neck rolls jiggling obviously as she tilted her head back further and further with each needy gulp. Until, with a final swallow, smalls trickles of the almost syrup like coffee dribbling out of the corner of her mouth, Midnight dropped the empty cup to the ground, and leant back against the bench, trying to catch her breath. My jaw works soundlessly as I try to figure out what to say after witnessing such a pure, unbridled display of gluttony. Is it just me, or does it suddenly feel rather warm down here? As Midnight pants for air, I barely manage to find my voice. "I...wha...w-would you care for another...?" I desperately hope she does, if for no other reason than the fact I get to come back down here sooner to witness even more of her otherworldly consumption firsthand. If she had been capable of it Midnight would've jumped in her seat at the sound of the manager's voice, instead just lurching in her seat, sending her flabby body through a paroxysm of trembling flesh, before she managed to crane her head around enough to see the other pony standing there. "Yeah, 'nother one sounds good Urp." the small belch interrupted her, before she pressed a hoof into her flabby gut, teasing and rubbing at the flabby surface. "Maybe a bit more sugar though." I didn't have a response to that, for I was far too busy running for the elevator and mashing the up button. Taking a moment to reflect on the sudden unexpected changes in my life as the elevator hummed gently upwards, I wonder if I perhaps had bitten off more than I can chew. I shake my head free of such nonsense as I once more head for the kitchens. I just have to play my cards right and things will work out swimmingly. In truth, things were turning out even better than I could have ever imagined. It's time to ride this crazy wave as far as it will take me. This time mixing up her coffee with twice the amount of sugarcubes and cream, and making a big show of dumping another basket of fries, I try not to look hurried in front of my employees as I eagerly return to my office, having not even bothered to reset the security on the elevator. Unsurprisingly, Midnight was back to eating as I set her second beverage down on the table beside her. This time Midnight noticed the cup of coffee almost immediately, and reached out flip the lid off with one chubby hoof as she slowly moved hooffuls of fries to her mouth with the other. "Thanks, Boss." The obese bat pony muttered through the mouthful of food, chunks of half chewed food almost spilling out of her open mouth, before her hoof came up again, pushing a burger in with enough force to push the mouthful of fries to the back of her throat, before she swallowed again. "Smells good." Was her only comment before she lifted the cup up to her mouth, and once again started to chug the steaming liquid down, like a pony dying of thirst, before the cup fell from her hoof, to join the other one on the ground, leaving Midnight to pant and wheeze as her stomach gurgles and groans. The already stuffed organ groaning and churning as it attempted to deal with the insane amount of food that had been stuffed into it at such an ungodly hour, before, with a gurgle loud enough to make her flab ripple, Midnight's cheeks bulged outwards and a belch ripped out of her lips with enough force to send fries flying from the pile in front of her, landing on the floor and rolling away into dusty corners. "Urgh, went too quick, Boss I need a hoof." Midnight panted as both of her hooves reached down to knead at her gurgling gut, squishing the flesh as she attempted to knead the pockets of air out of her grumbling stomach. "Please, urp, need help." As the huge batpony mare before me moaned for help, her face screwed up in obvious discomfort, the thought briefly returning to my mind that things might get out of hoof sooner rather than later. My eyes darting about her frame as droplets of sweat began beading on my brow, I hesistate for only a moment before watching an enormous ripple run along the flank of Midnight's huge stomach, the mare in question gasping sharply before loosing a low, pained moan. Setting aside my hesitation and giving in for the time being to my suppressed desires, I lean my whole body against the side of Midnight's stomach where I had just seen the signs of her gastrointestinal distress, my hooves reaching out as far as they could to knead and rub as much of the fleshy bag of food they could. Hearing and feeling that my efforts were successful, I quickly back off and roam around to her other side before repeating the same motion. I take a moment to revel in the smooth, ever so slightly greasy feel of her fur, as a low gurgling noise begins to build deep in her core... Midnight could only groan as she felt the manager's hooves sink into her flab, the sensation of another pony's touch against her stomach almost alien, unless she considered the colts in her old classroom who would slap her stomach and plot as she passed by, just to listen to it gurgle, and those touches had no tenderness to them, not like her manager's hooves. Both of them carefully, slowly, gently teasing at the dome of flab that was sticking out from her lap, each motion stirring up the morass of food, liquid, and gas in her stomach, while the noise of sloshing and gurgling only increased, leaving the bat pony to pant and moan, both of her cheeks flushed red. "Feels good, Boss." Midnight spoke, her voice almost a low purr before her stomach gurgled again, and a cheek wobbling belch escaped her. "Keep going, mmmm, please." The bat pony gasped out, before her hooves reached out again, picking up a muffin and pushing it to her maw, chewing slowly, and loudly as her boss's hooves continued to stir up her insides, loud glorps and sloshes mixing with the noise of her resumed consumption. I bite my lip and shudder slightly as the belch rips free from Midnight's throat, echoing and reverberating throughout the large, empty chamber. A surge of arousal rushes through my body against my will, and I twist my body away from Midnight to prevent her from knowing just how hot and bothered she was making me. The thought crosses my mind that this was starting to turn into a slightly less-than-professional relationship, but I was enjoying myself far too much to care. As I back off and head to her other side, I notice that she has resumed her seemingly-unstoppable consumption, and that she was moaning in gluttonous appreciation, her cheeks flushed red with her heavy, gasping breaths. Could it be that she was enjoying this even more than myself? With that last sight as a bit of extra inspiration, I roughly shove into her huge mass once again and allow myself to go to town. Midnight was in heaven; gluttonous, piggish, food-filled heaven as she continued to stuff herself, her boss's hooves working their way over her sides, before moving over the swell of her gut, and sinking into her flab. The feeling of fullness never quite growing painful enough for her to need to stop eating, despite the fact that her own hooves were slowly starting to pick up speed again. Ferrying half-eaten breakfasts, cold burgers, and fries to her mouth. Her cherubic cheeks bulging out with the sheer amount of food she was forcing into her maw between each swallow, before she feebly reached out for the hose that was hopefully still connected to the soda machine, and took a deep, needy, suckle from the nozzle. The sound of rushing liquid was loud, louder even than the churning sound of Midnight's packed gut, and the Manager could look up and watch, his hooves working almost on autopilot as Midnight drank greedily, her throat bulging out with each swallow, while the dome of her stomach started to rise higher and higher, slowly oozing out over her lap, before, with a final moan, the hose fell from her lips, her stomach gave a final warning glorp, and her cheeks bulged out like fleshy balloons, until finally, they could contain no more, and an earth shaking belch exploded out of her, continuing on gfor well over a minute as her body attempted to purge all of the air it was being forced to contain. I am unable to tear my gaze away from the mesmerizing sight of Midnight chugging almost desperately from the soda hose, literally feeling her gut expand beneath my hooves. When she finally came up for air, it was all I could do to just hold on for my life as the air rang with her thunderous belch, the ocean of food and flab beneath me roiling and tossing ceaselessly. After what felt like forever, silence finally returned to the cavernous space. The ringing in my ears is slowly replaced with the sound of heavy, shallow breathing, though one would be hard-pressed to differentiate between my own breaths and those of the gasping, panting mare beside me. Finally returning to my senses a bit, I straighten up and back off before collecting myself as best I could. "Ahem, yes, well...i-it would certainly seem that you are feeling better now...I-I'm afraid I have some...business to attend to but I'll be back shortly..." Without even giving her a chance to reply, I was already back in my elevator heading back to the safety of privacy. Whether she was actually feeling sufficiently relieved or not, I needed to get out of there as soon as possible for fear of doing something incredibly unprofessional. I'm sure she'll be fine back there. I doubt even she, with her unbelievable appetite, could *actually* eat herself to death. Besides, I've got a camera to keep an eye on her now. Getting back to my office, I'm shocked to see that it's now early-afternoon, the passage of time down below increasingly difficult to keep track of. Regardless, I quickly slip into my private restroom to take care of some very important business. Everything else can wait. Midnight leaned back in her seat, panting and wheezing, gasping for precious oxygen as her body slackened, the sensation of pained fullness slowly drifting away leaving behind it a euphoric haze. The noise of her gurgling stomach and pounding heart filling her ears as the scent of fresh fast food filled her nostrils, just the slightest tang of salty musk detectable. "Hey, Boss you wanna, wanna go, lower" The pig of a mare spoke, squirming in her seat, rubbing her thighs together, before she opened her eyes to notice the fact she was alone in the underground cavern again, nothing but the growing pile of food, and the whiff of musk the only signs that other ponies even existed. "Gets me all hot and bothered, and then bucks off." The bat pony muttered to herself, pushing back against the wooden slats of the seat, her flabby rump and back squeezing out through the gaps between the wooden supports, while they started to bow outwards, clearly inadequate to the load being forced against them. "At least, I've got room for more now, though." She spoke to herself, before a flabby hoof picked up the closest burger and pushed it past her lips, leaving her to chew idly, splatters of grease dripping out of the sides of her mouth. "Maybe, maybe next time." ~~~~~ Today has been by no means a productive one for me. Sure, business has been great, but I myself have been unable to get much of anything done. I've sequestered myself to my office, where I've spent the past few hours pacing in agitation, absent-mindedly rifling through papers on my desk, and doing everything in my power NOT to just stare at the grainy feed I'm getting from down below. No matter what I try, the behemoth of a mare that I know is deep below me is all my mind can focus on. Down there in that room, life seems to take an almost surreal turn, and the usual laws of physics and nature are thrown out the window in favor of gross hedonism, like something out of a fever dream. This mare is starting to have an effect on me, and ever the savvy business-pone I've been my entire life, I know it's only a matter of time until something gives. I can only hope it's not my resolve. It's just good business...nothing more... While my mind agrees with this sentiment, my body is attempting to stage a rebellion. I very nearly lost my composure down there in a most unprofessional manner, and it's too early to tell what kind of consequences that may hold. As it stands, I'm already walking a thin line. Though Midnight certainly seems to enjoy her job thus far, the entire situation just reeks of a nasty lawsuit in the making. If I want to make this plan truly work, I need to do everything in my power to make her comfortable, to make her want to do this, to want to stay here... Gulping nervously, I finally comply with what my body has been wanting for a couple hours now and head towards my elevator. All I have to do is hold out a few more days and lets things progress as they will, and then surely I will have more lenience with my actions. "Patience..." I mutter under my breath, steeling myself as the doors slide open and I step forward to witness the state of my living garbage disposal... It was a sight that could hardly be believed. The grainy, blurred, pixelated camera feed had been set-up in a rush last night, and without Midnight in place for the ponies installing it, the lens only picked up the upper swell of her back and her ruffling wings. Enough exposure to show if there was a problem, but nowhere near a good enough angle to show the bat pony in her full glory. Midnight hadn't stopped eating ever since the manager had disappeared back up the elevator back to his office, and if anypony had been watching they could have been forgiven for thinking the bat pony blob had increased in speed, furiously eating as an attempt to clear away her own arousal, while her packed and sloshing gut rolled out over her thighs, grease coated hooves grabbing food and shoving it into her maw, with barely enough space between mouthfuls for her to wash it down with the sugary soda. It was one of these pauses that let Midnight's ears twitch as the elevator doors opened, and the bat pony turned her head as far as it could go against the thick collar of lard that was her neck, staring at the manager with one hooded eyes, while her hooves hovered by her mouth, clutching the squashed together remains of several sandwiches. Once again, I'm speechless. What in the wide world of Equestria is this mare?! ...And where has she been my entire life? The gears in my brain come to a shrieking, clanking halt, grinding and shearing against each other as I struggle to process what my eyes are telling me. Given how badly she needed relief the last time I came down here, I would think she'd have taken a break, or passed out for a bit, or...something! But if anything, it seems like she kept eating nonstop, and possibly even ate faster than before!! My jaw works up and down soundlessly for a moment or two as all my attention is diverted to stifling the roaring surge of arousal trying to take over my mind. Closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths, my cheeks still undoubtedly flushed and sweat beading on my brow, I return my gaze to her face and see her waiting expectantly, her cheeks and jaw still moving as she chewed even more food. "I..." Swallow. Stutter. Gape in awe. "...trust you are...well...?" I finish weakly, my knees trembling violently as my breath seems to catch in my throat. "'M fine, little sore where the seat's, been digging in." Midnight shifted her weight on the bench holding her up, the wood creaking and groaning at the motion while her belly sloshed from side to side, slapping against her thighs. "Could maybe use a, a cold dessert. Only been getting, hot food for a while, now." Midnight huffed as she chewed, pausing every few words to shove another half-eaten burger, or hoofful of steaming fries into her mouth, small dribbles of grease matting the fur around her mouth. "And it's making it a, a little hot down here." The bat pony shifted again, one hoof digging under the swell of her belly to lift it up by scant inches, fresh air rushing into the sweltering rolls of flab, before she dropped it, the noise of her gelatinous stomach impacting against her tree trunk like legs and squashed out swell of her flanks almost cataclysmic in the contained cavern. "Don't suppose I could get, some ice-cream off my pay-cheque, please Boss?" She tried to pout at the manager, the effect ruined by the way she continued to languidly graze on whatever her hooves picked up, while the hose occasionally bulged, sending spurt of syrupy soda to wash out her mouth and throat. Oh, the things I wish I could do to that glorious monument to gluttony seated before me. This whole idea had started off almost as a joke, a simple test to see how willing ponies were to basically work for free food. It made a win-win situation for me, certainly. But THIS...this has far surpassed even my wildest expectations. Swallowing heavily, I remind myself of what I must do. "I-Ice cream? Oh, yes, of course, of course..." I turn around and trot towards the elevator, perhaps a bit more quickly than I intended. "I'll be right back!" I call before stepping into the tiny space I'm becoming so familiar with. Before anything else can happen, I slam the 'up' button with a hoof and breathe a sigh of relief as I feel myself begin to rise. Another encounter successfully survived. ...Sweet Celestia, what have I gotten myself into?! But there's no turning back now, it's double or nothing time. And I'll show Midnight what 'double' looks like, that's for damn sure... Midnight looks at the elevator as the doors close, before smirking to herself as she turns back to the dwindling pile of food before her. It probably wasn't going to last much longer, but that was the problem with eating nothing but leftovers, no matter if they the were the leftovers of a restaurant or not, even eating them constantly throughout the day they were no match for a good solid filling, and by the time she'd reached any sort of fullness, the last batch had already started digesting. But she didn't need it to last much longer, she could smell the arousal on the air the moment that her manager had laid eyes on her, listening to him stutter and stammer as his eyes wandered over her body, consuming her as surely as she was consuming the wasted food. All she had to do was play with that, maybe ask him to turn her pay-cheque into more meals, give him the idea of upping portion sizes, maybe even get a soda machine installed down here so she wouldn't be stuck to one flavour all the time. The hideously obese bat pony moaned as she started to daydream, one hoof still ferrying food rom the pile to her maw, even while the other snuck under her folds and started to grope at her thighs, squishing and jiggling the pliable flesh, enough for her own arousal to pick up, leaving her flushed and sweating, her tail attempting t flick left and right, buried in her plot as it was. Taking only a short moment to compose myself in my office, I stride out into the restaurant proper, my typical and well-practiced 'business as usual, don't ask any stupid questions or you're fired' scowl firmly in place. As I made my way to the kitchens, my eyes cast over the interior of my restaurant, noticing with approval the business of my employees, and delighting in the steady flow of business even as the dinnertime rush was starting to die down. There's definitely a fair amount of scraps falling into the new waste receptacles, but most ponies around meal times eat the majority of their food. With the promise of federal sustainability grants on the horizon, perhaps it's time for ponies to get more greasy, fried deliciousness for their bits? The more offered per meal, the more to be 'recycled', and the better my numbers look. I make a mental note to get on the phone with marketing as soon as possible, smirking to myself slightly as visions of profits and an ever-expanding mare down below fill my gleeful thoughts. Arriving in the kitchens, nopony pays me any mind as I head towards the milkshake machine. Other than politely nodding, waving, and ensuring not to get in my way, my employees know not to bother me when I've got this particular look on my face. Giving short, approving nods of encouragement, I grab a pitcher and head to the ice cream machine to fill it up. With that done, I return to the shake machine to add copious amounts of milk (full-fat, of course), and start whipping up a full gallon batch of ChocoNilla(TM) milkshake. Normally a batch like this would serve six to ten customers based on size ordered, but of course this was only meant for one. Frosted beverage in hoof, I make my way out of the kitchens and back towards my office. I smirk slightly as the door closes behind me. It's always satisfying knowing that I can do basically whatever I want within my restaurant and have nopony bat an eye. A few short moments later, I'm once again stepping out into my new favorite employee's 'office', focusing firmly on striding forward confidently and placing the cold beverage on the table in front of her before finally paying her any sort of attention. But I say...is that smell what I think it is...?! Midnight can only huff and pant as she watches the manager approach with the oversized container, the chilly glistening of condensation of the sides of the plastic pitcher showing just how cold it is, both of her hooves occupied as they are with either stuffing her face, or causing her entire body to wobble and jiggle, flesh slapping against sensitive flesh. "T-Thanks, Boss." One chubby hoof reaches out to almost snatch at the pitcher, the aggressive motion causing the milkshake it is filled with to slosh and slop over the sides, spilling down to the chunky grey hoof holding it, before the spout is pressed to Midnight's lips and she tilts the jug backwards, greedily chugging at the frigid liquid as it oozes down into her mouth with the speed of molasses, thick and viscous and fattening. Not a drop of the sweet mixture escapes the mare as she chugs, each gulp long and heavy, while she screws her eyes shut at the growing feeling of lancing pain between her temples, until with a final laborious gulp, she drops the empty pitcher back down to the shelf of her gut, ignoring it as it rolls down the dome-like swell of her belly leaving a thin trail of brown sludge in its wake, to clutch at the side of her head and moan. "Urgh, too, too quick." I can only stare in awe once again as Midnight chugged an entire gallon of ice-cold milkshake in one go. It doesn't surprise me in the least when she grabs her head and groans, clearly suffering from one hell of a brain-freeze. Taking another tentative sniff of the air, I am gripped immediately by another powerful surge of arousal. Yep, it definitely smells like her down here. Luna's moons, is she getting off to this?! And why is that so hot all of a sudden?!? Gulping down a couple large lungfuls of air, I steel myself to make my exit as soon as possible, lest I once again be tempted to venture into dangerous territory. But first... "Erm, uh...i-is there anything else you might...be n-needing?" I tentatively ask the reeling, groaning pile of mare, hoping the answer will be 'no' and I can make a clean getaway. Midnight struggled to focus through the brainfreeze, there was a plan to her actions, she knew there was, she just had to put it into motion... if she could just remember it while her brain felt like there were icicles stabbed through her frontal lobe. Although when in doubt buy time. A chunky hoof reached out from the side of her head, blindly grasping for the pile of food in front of her bloated stomach, latching onto a half-finished bag of onion rings, before lifting it back to the bat pony's maw, lowering them out one by one, letting her speak slowly as her thoughts recovered from being frozen over. "Yeah, I need, need, uffff." A long wheeze escaped her lungs, sending flecks of batter flying across the swell of her gut while she tried to regain her breath. "There's an itch on, on the underside of my, stomach." Midnight moaned as her stomach glorped and groaned, the flesh wobbling as the overworked organ struggled to digest everything she'd packed into it so far. "Can you get, get it for me, please, Boss?" I feel my heart leap into my throat at her request, my face blushing so hard I'd be surprised if my ears aren't bright red. She...she didn't know did she? Surely she couldn't be on to me already...or could she? I shut my eyes and take another whiff of the air, my well-practiced nose tuning out the overwhelming scent of her to reach for the subtler things beneath...the greasy scent of hay fries, the spice of my secret sauce, the sweetness of drying cola on her fur, and... Yep. Sure enough, a simple glance down is all it takes to confirm that I'm, er, putting out as well. Is this devious minx of a mare on to me? Is she trying to get me to mess up? My mind races frantically as my eyes dart back and forth, trying desperately to work out her motives but ultimately failing. Not to mention how increasingly difficult it was to be logical with the amount of pheromones perfuming the air. Ultimately, I fall back on what I'd already decided... "give her what she wants...give her what she wants...just don't incriminate myself..." Taking a deep swallow to steady myself, I shakily step forward to stand beside the enormous bloat of her stomach. Unable to even locate her belly button, I locate a fairly clean spot of fur and decide to give it a go. "H...Here?" Midnight panted as she felt the manager's hooves on the upper swell of her stomach, barely pushing in at all, instead just resting on top of her belly as if he was scared of going any deeper, despite how clearly he wanted it from the smell in the air. The sharp tang of stallion musk obviously, even through the overpowering scent of deep-fried food and greasy meat. "Nah, lower." Midnight spoke, squirming a little as the managers hooves moved downwards, over her stomach until they were at the lowest part of her gut they could reach before he'd have to lift the fleshy orb up, both hooves squishing into her flesh which bowed underneath them, Midnight's navel close enough to his questing hooves that he could feel his limbs starting to sink into the layers of taut flab, before he started to knead at the ball of adipose, hoping he'd found the trouble spot. "Lower." Midnight wheezed, through a mouthful of hayburger, one of her own flabby hooves reaching down to lift her stomach up enough that, positioned where he was, the manager could look up to see the underside of Midnight's gut hanging over him like the ceiling to the cavern they were in, both of her thighs spread far enough apart that the deepest reaches of her belly folded downwards and filled in the gap between her legs. Folds and rolls of stomach flab squashed between the thick limbs, and bouncing as her gut continued to gurgle and glorp with the effort of digestion, while his hooves reached deeper, and deeper. "Almost, mmmmph... there." Midnight moaned, her voice muffled by the hundred of pounds of adipose that the manager was now buried in.