Chapter Text
The sun had just about reached its zenith when Applejack heard the tinny clatter of the lunch bell at the farm house. She gave the tree she'd been bucking one last kick, then knocked the heaping bushel basket onto her back before trotting towards the tempting scent of cider and who knew what else. Trotting beneath the shade of the trees, a soft breeze rolled across her coat, cooling the light sweat she'd worked up.
~A pony's gotta enjoy lil moments like these,~ she thought to herself. Applejack reveled in the moment of pleasant breeze, sun-dappled shadow, and the crisp scent of ripe apples, and nearly ran nose-first into Fluttershy, lurking at the treeline overlooking Sweet Apple Acres' grazing meadow.
"Whoa nelly! Hey there sugar cube, what're you doin'? Playing hide and seek with Applebloom or the critters?" She grinned, the expression so natural her face simply relaxed into it.
Fluttershy mantled her wings about herself, meeting AJ's eyes only a moment before studying the grass and leaves. "N-no. I came by t-to..." With every word her nose dropped further towards the ground, pastel pink mane curtaining off more of her face.
Applejack flicked an ear, nonplussed. Fluttershy had come a long ways since she'd first met the cripplingly-shy pony, and this was a rare flicker of the old 'Shy. She almost never acted this way with her five closest friends anymore, and seldom even with her other Ponyville neighbors. "Fluttershy, are you alright? Yer actin' a mite strange today."
"APPLEJAAAACK! LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!" Applebloom hollered at the top of her tiny lungs from barely six feet away, almost teetering over from the force she was putting into the yell. She blinked when she spotted AJ standing just within the shadows of the orchard, her big sister's ears clamped down against her head. "Oh, there you ahrr. There's a scrumptious salad waitin' and one of Granny Smith's pies! C'mon!"
With a flounce of mane and tail, Applebloom galloped away, leaving AJ to roll her eyes and blow a strand of mane back into place.
"As I was sayin' before," she sighed, turning back to her friend, only to find Fluttershy on her back with all four legs in the air, rigid as a statue. That wasn't new; the timid pony had gone into shock around loud noises before. What was different was the big plush swell of tummy Fluttershy was sporting. The mound of buttercup-yellow pony pudge was hemmed in by her four legs, and AJ was shocked she hadn't noticed it, until she remembered how 'Shy had been holding her wings.
"Oh, sweetie, you don't have to go back to bein' a shrinkin' violet just because you put on a little weight."
"Eek."
Applejack blinked. "Ooookay. Ah've never seen a pony turn into a ball that fast before. Your hedgepig friends must be giving you lessons!" She gave her bushel of apples a bounce, sending it arcing up and off onto the grass without spilling a single apple, before settling down on her stomach beside her friend.
"Fluttershy, I think your tummy is cute. Would I lie to you? Think of who's askin' you that, now."
From amongst the ball of pegasus feathers and pink mane, one blue eye blinked up at AJ. "D-do you really think so?"
"Ah do," she drawled firmly, and drew a fetlocked hoof across Fluttershy's head, between her ears. "The second ah saw it, the first thing that popped into my head was 'I wanna rub that belly.'"
Fluttershy giggled, and slowly uncurled from her ball. Now that she was looking for it, AJ could see she was a bit thicker all over. 'Shy had always been just a bit soft in the rump, but that was rather pronounced now, plush cheeks smothering each other as they fought for room beneath the pink cascade of her tail. Fluttershy's legs had all grown a bit plumper, as had her neck, and it took a smile to show off the new chubbiness of her cheeks.
"I, um, came by to buy pies actually, but...I really didn't want anyone to..." She poked the front curve of her belly with a forehoof, the soft-coated plushness yielding at the pressure.
"Sugar cube, it's alright, the Apple family isn't going to make fun of you for gainin' some weight. Heck, Granny Smith'll be proud of you! You know how she goes on about us runnin' around with no meat on our flanks." Applejack winked, and coaxed another smile from the pegasus.
"I, I suppose."
"Here, I'll walk with you. You'll join us for lunch, then I'll help you pack up your pies for the trot home."
Fluttershy nodded, though familiar signs of nerves had returned. Her ears were nearly lost in her mane, almost pinned to her head, and her wings stayed glued tightly to her back. She crowded AJ a bit as they crossed the grass towards the table spread with the Apple family's lunch, and it was plain 'Shy hadn't adjusted to her new size yet. Her soft flank pressed against Applejack, and the rustic pony felt warmth rising in her cheeks.
~Tarnation and taters, it's just Fluttershy. Settle down, girl. Still, wish she'd move on ahead a tad so I could get a better look at that...~ AJ almost stopped cold, but managed to turn it into a simple stumble and keep trotting on. Before she could figure out where these wild thoughts were welling up from all of a sudden, they'd reached the table and friendly voices were folding the two in an auditory hug of welcome. In seconds she and 'Shy had big bowls of Waldorf salad in front of them and tall glasses of dark, sweet cider. Three enormous steaming pies were spaced along the table, and baskets of fresh apples were everywhere of course.
Fluttershy nibbled daintily at her salad at first, but seeing how AJ dug in with obvious appetite, she soon followed suit. While AJ passed on the pie, opting for a granny-smith apple instead, Fluttershy let Applebloom ply her with piece after piece of the sweet, cinnamon-sprinkled pastry until there was none left on the table to offer. When the two ponies shoved back from the table, the motion stirred a heavy belch from 'Shy's depths, leaving a blush burning on her cheeks. The Apples still at the table only applauded, and Granny Smith took a shaky bow.
"Glaaaad you enjoyed, child! C'mon back anytime, glad to have ya!"
"T-thank you everyone. I'd, um, love to buy some pies to, um, share with my friends tonight."
AJ had to hide her grin as Fluttershy's blush deepened to match many of the apples at the table. ~Uhhhhh-huh. 'Share' indeed.~
Bits changed hooves, and Fluttershy soon took possession of a dozen deep-dish apple pies, spread across three baskets. With a bit of rope, AJ helped sling two over her back, and the last 'Shy took in her teeth.
"I'll walk you back, hon. The apples can hold on a mite longer."
Fluttershy bobbed her head awkwardly, and set off for her cottage at a surprisingly brisk pace. It took a few minutes of trotting along beside her before Applejack deduced the reason for her speed.
~Good golly, she's still hungry, and those pies right under her nose are a stick'n carrot!~ She let the grin show this time, then gradually let 'Shy pull ahead to get a good look at the grounded pegasus in motion. Her belly bounced, slow waves rolling along her sides with each beat of her gait. That rump of hers jiggled richly, flirting with AJ's gaze from beneath the obscuring waterfall of pink tail. If 'Shy noticed AJ falling behind or gawking, she gave no sign, her eyes (or at least nose and mind) on the prize.
When they reached the cottage, Fluttershy pushed right inside and shed the pies. AJ followed her in, and gaped at the interior. What had once been spotless and cozy had deteriorated into...well, the term 'den' fit the place best at that point. The windows had been curtained with heavy velvet, and dried or canned food overfilled the kitchen cupboards. Fluttershy's bed had been moved downstairs, extra blankets piled upon it.
"You, uh, been doin' some redecorating hon?" Applejack asked, peeking at the titles of some books stacked near the front wall. Most were cookbooks, and the others seemed to be naturalist guides.
"Um, not exactly? My bear friend Ursula heard me worrying about wrinkled withers, and told me I should try hibernation. She says it's wonderfully rejuvenating. So I found sitters for Angel and my other little friends, and gave it a try." Fluttershy tried to sound casual about the whole thing while she carried a pie atop her head into the kitchen, and set it on the counter.
Applejack blinked at her, and took a few steps closer while the pegasus cut a big wedge out of the pie. The scent of cinnamon and caramelized apples spiked the air. "Have you been, uh, asleep for the past few weeks, then?"
Fluttershy blushed gently, and wagged her head. "Not...not quite. I kept waking up after a day or so, starving! I ate until I wanted to burst, and being so full made me sleepy, so I'd crawl back into bed. Um, that, um, kept...happening. I got a little better at staying asleep, but not by much. When I decided to give up, I trotted upstairs to find a bow, and saw myself in a mirror for the first time in three weeks."
Applejack was there when Fluttershy's head began to droop, the orange mare nuzzling her friend along her softened cheek and neck.
"Sweetness, you are gorgeous, and cute as a button from nose to tail. If you want to slim down, I'll help you; you won't have to ask Rainbow," she winked, and grinned as 'Shy shuddered at the thought of being at Dash's mercy. "but..."
~AJ, what are you doing?~
"Only change for your own sake, not 'cuz of what other ponies might think or say. How do you feel?" Applejack swallowed, and inside, scorned herself. It wasn't right to give her a push in this direction. It was all well and good to say that other ponies' opinions didn't matter, but this was Fluttershy, who could be crushed with a glance! She didn't need any handicaps in the social arena.
"I feel...really good," she whispered, so low AJ could barely hear her. "I love being...soft. It matches how I am inside, do you see?" She smiled, looking up to meet Applejack's surprised gaze. "A-and, um, n-no, you don't want to hear that," she laughed breathlessly, shaking her head and sending little wisps of her mane floating up from the rest.
"Go ooooooon," she grinned, outwardly just goading her friend, but inside hanging on every word. AJ had no idea why softened 'Shy was was having this effect on her, but she wasn't willing to break away and retreat. Instead she stayed, basking in the growing heat her pegasus friend was kindling in her.
"It feels naughty to be so big and plush...and to keep eating so much," 'Shy confessed, cheeks and even the insides of her ears burning. "Part of me wants to stop, but it's a very, very small part."
Applejack leaned over and fished a fork from the drawer beneath the counter, and an elastic band from a tray beside the flatware. Strapping the fork to one hoof, she dug into the big wedge of pie, splitting off the gooey tip. Applejack raised the morsel towards Fluttershy's lips, the spiced apples and golden crust glistening. "I don't think you should stop," she whispered, eyes half-lidded. "I really, really like seeing you this way, sugar cube. Too much, probably." AJ chuckled, letting her eyes roll off of 'Shy's and down towards the floor. She felt the bite of pie vanish from the fork, before the butter-colored pony slipped past her.
~Probably on her way to open the door and ask me to leave.~
Instead Fluttershy drew herself alongside her friend, raising her wings, and leaned into AJ, letting her rounded flank press into and mold against the other mare's side. Her downy wing drifted down slowly, uncertainly, before settling atop Applejack's back. "Really?" She whispered, and with every inhalation the plush pony took, her fattened flank swelled against AJ's bulk.
"Honest, hon, cross my heart. Seeing you plumped up, pretty as ever, it's makin' me want things I never really thought about." Applejack lifted a hoof, and after one false start, drew her fringe of fetlocks along Fluttershy's cutie-mark in a slow caress.
Fluttershy whimpered, the sound hardly escaping her snugly-clamped lips. "AJ, you have no idea what it's been like the last few days. I can't stop touching myself. Every hour, every minute I wanted---needed someone else to touch me, but---" She just turned her head to brush her soft cheek along Applejack's rump, the caress sending a sharp electric tingle racing up the earth pony's spine.
The orange mare returned the caress, a hot pant of breath escaping her lips as she felt the pillowy warmth of 'Shy's rear yield beneath the pressure of her muzzle. She gave her friend a gentle nibble, and was rewarded with an instant hike of that massive pink tail. The slightest slick sound registered as Fluttershy's thick half-moons flexed, and Applejack didn't bother holding back a croon of delight. Fluttershy was wet, her hidden folds loosing their nectar into the deep cleft of that glorious ass. Applejack was moist herself, and growing more-so by the second, which Fluttershy had plainly discovered if the gush of hot breath across her far more-accessible pussy was any indication.
"I-is it...? May I?" She whispered, her velvety nose resting against the muscled curve of AJ's rump.
~YES, gods yes, go wild darlin'!~ This was starting to feel dream-like, but in that rare sense when everything flowed just the way she wanted and no one and nothing resisted her will. Applejack tested the fabric of apparent reality.
"No."