“Find anything, Twilight?”
 
“Uh, some of these are nice, but the biggest sizes they have just aren’t… you know… big enough.”
 
“We‘ll keep looking then,” Cadance assured, “We could always check if they have anything in the back.”
 
“I hope so,” Twilight sighed. She looked around the shop as she casually pressed her hands against her rotund belly, a habit she only recently started doing. Perhaps to hold on to some semblance of control, something she felt she was severely lacking at the moment. “I will say, this place does have potential.”
 
Ever since her time at the cruise, Twilight has been experiencing a sudden rise in both her food intake and her body weight, putting on over 20 pounds within the last few weeks alone! Now nearing 600 pounds, she not only looked like a blimp, she felt like one too.
 
As if her bloated body wobbling with every laboring step wasn’t enough, she was becoming impossible for people to miss. While she’s gotten used to being on the receiving end of second looks due to her larger figure, things have felt different lately. Outgrowing her usual outfits, she was quickly running out of options, leaving her no choice but to wear overly stretched-out sweatpants and hoodies. As grateful as she was that they lasted for so long, they were now starting to fit more like a second skin than actual clothes. Feeling more and more like a walking stereotype each passing day, it was frankly getting embarrassing.
 
It was only a matter of time before the rest of her wardrobe was rendered useless as well. So with some of Rarity’s fashion tips and recommendations in mind, she and Cadance spent a good chunk of the day exploring various downtown shops and stopping for food whenever Twilight felt her stomach getting the better of her, which was far more often than she’d care to admit.
 
It took some time, but they may have finally found a shop that could actually fit her needs… sensible styles, reasonable prices, and more importantly, huge sizes. “Thanks again for helping me out, Cadance.”
 
“Of course,” she grinned back, browsing through various racks. “You know, this sort of reminds me of when I used to take you back-to-school shopping. Remember how I would carry you on my shoulders?”
 
“Yeah, but I wasn’t over a quarter-ton back then.” Twilight chuckled, a hint of cynicism in her tone.
 
Getting the sense that Twilight wasn’t in a nostalgic mood, Cadance calmly reassured her. “Trust me, I know you have a lot going on right now, but I’m here for you. Us big girls gotta stick together, right?”
 
“Right,” Twilight said with a half-hearted smile. She knew that Cadance meant well, but her words just didn’t resonate as much as they used to. She was always sort of a bigger sister to Twilight. Both figuratively, and for a while, literally.
 
It was less than a year ago when Cadance was at her heaviest. Twilight may have been pretty big back then, but Cadance looked far larger by comparison. These days, however, the roles seem to have reversed. Cadance may still be huge, but now Twilight felt downright massive!.
 
Twilight shook off her doubts and continued browsing, looking for any particular color that stood out to her.
 
“Oh, hey there!” Cadance suddenly called out. Twilight turned around to find her talking to a young, short-haired store employee. They both seem to recognize each other. “Small world, isn’t it? Do you happen to work here?”
 
“Oh, um… Hey, Dean Cadance,” the store employee smiled back. “Yeah, I just started here. So, is there anything I can help you with?” She asked as she nervously fumbled with her price tagger.
 
“Actually, yes. We wanted to know if you happen to have anything in her size?” Cadance asked as she gestured towards Twilight, who simply waved and smiled awkwardly.
 
Trying not to stare for too long at the enormous customer taking up most of the view, the employee explained, “Probably stocked in the back, but it depends which clothes you wanted. I may also need to… um… take some measurements.” She quickly muttered the last part as she brushed her hair off to the side.
 

 
“So, how do you know Dean Cadance?”
 
Twilight glanced back at the store employee, a bit surprised by the question as this girl didn’t seem like the talking type. Open to ease the awkwardness of the situation, Twilight decided to go along with it. “Well, she’s actually a family friend. I’ve known her since I was really young,” Twilight explained, her voice slightly strained from the strenuous task of keeping her arms up. “I’m guessing you went to Crystal Prep?”
 
“Yeah, I just graduated.” The employee carried on with her measuring, wrapping the tape around one pillowy arm before moving on to the next. “We actually went there together for a bit.”
 
“Oh, really?”
 
“Yeah.” The employee then tossed the tape over Twilight’s head and shoulders, wrapping it around her hefty bust. She continued, stammering a bit as she went on. “I… uh… transferred there about, like, a month or so before you… uh… transferred to Canterlot High.”
 
“Ah, I thought so. We may have passed by in the hallways at some point, then.”
 
“Yeah, I’ve seen around,” the employee, face lighting up a bit as she lowered the measuring tape until around Twilight’s extensive waistline. . “You were much… um… smaller back then.”
 
“Uh, thanks?” Twilight questioned.
 
“So… is it true you became, like, a demon or something that almost killed the old dean?”
 
Before Twilight could even think of a response, Cadence (thankfully) interrupted the conversation. “So, what do you think of these?” She asked eagerly as she held up a nice-looking set of clothes.
 
“Oh, I like them! I think those could be good to start with. Augh!” Twilight suddenly yelped as the employee started tugging hard on the measurement. “Is there a problem?”
 
“W-well, no,” she flusteredly tried to explain, “I’m just gonna need a longer tape.”