Cloistered away in her study, up high above the bustling town center of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle made a valiant attempt to continue her ceaseless studies as the floor, and indeed the tree it was built upon, groaned under her weight.

Her visits to Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie were frequent. Her days out with Applejack, once a more rare occurrence in careful spending of her free time over shared hayburgers, became almost daily. Even Rarity, now enamored with the idea of a brand new fashion line just for the rapidly expanding population of the obese and beyond, prattled ideas with her over oversized afternoon tea-cakes, listening close to Twilight's input, but even more closely to her stomach's insatiable desires, dreaming of broadening horizons and taking a bizarre excitement in it all as they both grew as they spoke. Rainbow Dash, blind to the fact she was slowing down thanks to her climbing kilos, needed someone to practice in front of, admittedly indulging in a little showing off, as she was still the fastest pony by margins even wider than her own.

Fluttershy, in need of someone to share evening tea with beyond just Angel Bunny, gave stillness to her hectic days. Eventually, however, the two ended up drinking so much milk and sugar in every serving that it was hardly tea anymore, more than it was a fattening, tea flavored dessert in a cup. Eventually, the milk was swapped entirely for heavy cream. Before long, that was evident, too.

Twilight had found herself stuck at the dead center of everypony else's schedules. When she had first arrived in Ponyville, she was so slender; something of an anomaly in town that made her stand out. It had been only a few months, and vividly could she recall how the townsponies stared at her, some stopping in their tracks agog, others twisting their heads as they craned their necks out from behind doors and windows in bewilderment, and how their faces carried a touch of worry, empathy, and sadness, with brows furrowed and wide eyes that shifted towards the ground as if weighted, frowns pulling at the edges of their soft, doughy faces. Twilight, a perspicacious sort, was as confused at first as they were. She agonized over it for a time, but neither she nor Spike could find anything amiss. It wasn't until later that she had realized every single pony around her was obese to the point that she appeared to be emaciated in comparison. Soon, her realization proved to be true. As she fattened, the piercing gazes of those around her faded. And to think, all of that was just a brief 2,000 pounds ago! It was a little difficult to comprehend, and its own regard difficult to accept. She had written multiple reports to Celestia documenting her experiences in her study of friendship and fatness, at first questioning and unsure, but her concerns with repeated assurances from Princess Celestia became a quieter background noise than the forefront of her thoughts. It wasn't that she even wanted time away from her friends, rather that a part of her was still slightly nervous.

Navigating as a newly obese pony was difficult, even though there had been a complete restructuring of Ponyville as a whole; from the furthest reaches of the town's outskirts into the Everfree Forest, to the busy square, to even Sweet Apple Acres, infrastructure had long adjusted to accommodate every weight, shape, and size, doors widened and every load-bearing structure reinforced. It was just a new adventure, as Dashie had framed it, to embrace a change for the better and re-learn herself, to relax away from her studies and to acquire her new bearings, trading the nimbleness of her former self for ever-present encumberment, an enormity lending itself to the town lifestyle with a sense of plush comfort, her belly nearly dragging against every surface she cantered on, jiggling and swaying from side to side with every stride.

Maybe what she really needed was someone to show her the way. Then, came a knock at the door... Rising from her study with effort, she set her gelatinous form into motion as she descended the stairs.