Tonight, was date night. A night where young lovers put on their best suits and ties, dresses, shoes and extras like jewellery and makeup, in order to further advance their romantic cause. It was a night for celebration, for amorous intent, for big gestures, and all round cute and grand romance. Some chose to take their beloveds to a showing at the local theatres, others would much rather sample the delights of an open air stage show. Even some people prefer a chilling balloon ride over the landscapes. The most common choice though, was that of the romantic dinner, where one could wine and dine in the lap of luxury and then some. For a princely sum, you and your beloved could find yourselves sitting on a luxury table, enjoying the very best in furniture. Your food served by the most charming and sophisticated waiters you could imagine. The food itself being cooked up by several award-winning chefs, each one just that little bit more talented than the other, ready to bring your wildest food desires to life. Some found it to be one of the most romantic settings that you could create with your hard earned money. Others felt suffocated by the fanciness of it all, the attitudes of each waiter notwithstanding. All in all, it was a matter of opinion, but the majority of people who claimed to enjoy it couldn’t be wrong, could they?

Someone who was hoping that they weren’t was Butter, who was gearing up for his fourth date night with Applejack. They’d been going slow and steady so far, taking time to get themselves accustomed to each other again. Things were going well however, the pair naturally gelling with each other like the old days. They often joked about how things had changed since then, what with Applejack’s increased size and how she was bigger than before, and able to stand up for herself without Butter’s help. She did have a new problem instead though, that being her rising height. It was making things a little more difficult than regular life needed to be, what with the exaggerated scale. Butter was quite content to work on those particular areas himself, buying scaled up replicas of things to make her more comfortable. He was quite happy to spend money on Applejack to make her happy, but Applejack wasn’t quite returning the favour. She felt a little strange that Butter was happy to show so much love; like he was putting all his cards on the table, when the pair hadn’t even had their first kiss yet. Truthfully, Applejack felt guilty about that. Butter had been trying, and certainly there was nothing to discredit that. Getting as close as he possibly could to her, snuggling up to her, taking her on dates. He was really trying his best to make sure that Applejack loved him, and that she knew of his own, but in reality he needn’t try so hard.

Applejack loved him, she was sure of it. She just felt that it was hard for her to make that move first. Every time she felt sufficiently loved up, or the mood called to her, Butter ruined it with some big chauvinistic or romantic gesture. He was his own worst enemy as far as taking this relationship further was concerned. She was hoping that tonight would be a little different, but then, this was Butter she was talking about. She sighed as she dressed herself for the evening, pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind. Tonight was going to be the night; at the end of the whole thing she was going to have her first kiss with Butter. He didn’t know it, but she was comfortable that he was going to be able to take it like a man. The pair dressed up nicely; Butter wore his best suit, whilst Applejack begrudgingly dolled herself up. A couple of braids to her hair and a dress shirt with trousers and she was set. The only thing she needed to put on were her shoes, which she had complained about many times previously. Butter had stressed that she put them on this time though, something about the place they were going to being very particular about being fully clothed. Applejack had protested, but once she’d seen the boots that Butter had bought for her, she had no choice but to agree.

The boots were thick, black and leather, with two red apples stitched into the calves and the loops of a lasso across the toes. They even had small platforms on the heel to boost her height; with them on, she would surely crest over two inches past ten feet, much to her exasperation. Applejack surmised they were part of a rodeo outfit, but the look of them was just too good to leave behind. She put them on and showed them off for Butter, who was really quite pleased with them. Even the poses that Applejack took when she showed them off were more than just little teases. Showing off her inner thighs, hefting her chest, sticking it out, she was a wealth of femininity. With those boots, she and Butter were finally ready for their fourth date night. They made their way into the town with Butter taking the lead to show Applejack just where they were going. They passed many good places on their way, leading Applejack to wonder just where they were headed. She thought she knew every restaurant in Ponyville, not that she’d eaten at them, but she’d seen them. Butter rounded several more corners and the pair were standing before what could be considered a whole new place.

It was fancy, which was pretty much a certainty. Not just Ponyville levels of fancy though, more like Canterlot or Manehatten. The building itself was one Applejack had thought to have been abandoned long ago. If that was the case, then this place had just sprung up overnight, or even just before they had left the farm. A place like this opens up and people would have been talking and spreading rumours about it, good or bad, it would still be the hot topic for days. Applejack hadn’t heard anything from anyone about it, which cemented her belief that this was a new restaurant. Butter busied himself with greeting the doorman to prove that they were supposed to be dining there tonight. Applejack listened in; she was looking to learn anything she could about this mysterious new eatery. Butter was sparing in his terminology though, and the doorman wasn’t going to reveal anything either the way he addressed her date. So eventually, the pair of them were allowed inside, but Applejack encountered a problem.

The building that this restaurant was placed inside was an old one, certainly a couple of generations at most. The door was built for someone who was much smaller than average, certainly much smaller than Applejack. She was forced down onto her knees and made to crawl through the doorway like a dog. Not the best way to start the date, but Applejack was slowly getting used to this sort of thing happening. She was grateful that there was very little in the ways of bad weather these past few days. It minimised the amount of dirt and mess that was on the floor and it especially limited the consistency. It was just dust at the moment, but given one intense rainfall it could soon become much worse. She squeezed her way into the building, with Butter following from the rear. Given that she was too busy crawling inside; she didn’t notice the wink that Butter gave to the doorman as he walked past. Or the reply chuckle as the doorman watched where Butter’s eyes roamed.

Inside, the building had been completely renovated, a spectacular feat for something that Applejack had believed to have simply sprung up overnight. The walls were completely white, with banners and decorations of gold and silver lining them. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling and waiters dressed in black suits were milling about between the only table in there and the back room. The questions that Applejack had before began to multiply rapidly. Why were there so many staff for one table? What was with all the grandeur? Applejack didn’t know where to look; she might have been dressed to fit in, but she certainly didn’t feel like she did. The pair of them waited for a waiter to come to meet them and lead them to where they would be sitting for the evening. Applejack didn’t see why they needed to be led to where they were going to be sat, as there was only one table and only two chairs. It didn’t exactly take a genius to work out who they were meant for. Applejack bit her tongue though, not wanting to spoil Butter’s night and the work he had put in. Butter sat himself down at the table first, whilst the waiter pulled the chair out a little further for Applejack. She slid herself into the space between the chair and the table, and sat.

Her knees pulled up higher that the table, and the chair groaned under her weight. She didn’t look the perfect picture of a date, but she could be grateful of one thing: she wasn’t wearing a dress. Had she been, then she might have been revealing something to Butter that should have been saved for long after the first kiss. Butter didn’t seem to mind too much; as long as she was happy, then he would be too. He could see that she had questions though and he smirked at her whilst the pair waited for their menus. Applejack pressed herself up against the table and looked around the room for a little longer before settling her eyes on Butter. He was up to something, whether it be another romantic gesture or something else, she didn’t know. Her mind was too busy being overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of this gesture as a whole. If Butter was behind this, then he had brought together a group of staff trained in the service business, put a variety of decorations up and made a restaurant out of an abandoned mess.

Finally, Butter couldn’t let the silence reign any longer. “I know you have questions, Applejack. I can see it in your face - you don’t know what to make of this, right?”

“Ah know yer planning somethin’ romantic, something grand, jus’ like all th’ oth’r times.” Applejack replied.

“But you did like the other times right?”

“Ah did, err, ah do. Ah’m jus’ at a loss for words t’ describe what ya are up to this time…”

“Sir? Madam? Would you care to order something now?” One of the many waiters on the staff asked.

Applejack and Butter shared a glance at one another, looking into the other’s eyes before nodding in agreement to the question. The unicorn waiter levitated a notepad and quill out from a pocket on his jacket and gestured to the pair to begin reciting their orders. Butter ordered a single starter, whilst Applejack ordered two. Hers being a blue cheese wedge salad and breadsticks, whilst Butter chose a simple soup. As far as mains were concerned, both picked the most expensive and exquisite thing they could think of. Butter chose a filet mignon and coconut shrimp on the side, flashing the waiter a wide, knowing, smile. Applejack caught the smile and the frustrated response from the waiter, but kept quiet. This was all information that she could use later when she confronted him for answers behind this. He stressed that it was no matter, that the cooks were all skilled in different styles, so if there was anything she wanted, it could be made. Applejack only needed a brief second before she placed an order for a Manehattan strip steak, along with a fully loaded jacket potato. Neither of them ordered a dessert just yet, as their current meals were fairly filling so it didn’t make for a compelling case that they would be hungry afterwards. The waiter excused himself from their tableside and retreated into the kitchen to relay their order to the chefs.

Once again, the pair were left on their own, Applejack resting her hands on the table in a more relaxed pose. Of course ‘relaxed’ was a generous term for her being hunched over somewhat, peering through her partially parted knees. Butter reassured her though by resting his hands on top of hers. The size difference was a little startling, but feeling her curl her fingers around his hand eased him a little more. They stared longingly into each other’s eyes, trying to figure what the other was thinking about. For Butter, he was thinking about Applejack and how she’d grown in such a short space of time. Since the time they had entered into a relationship she had grown nearly four feet taller, leading to her being in situations like tonight with the chair. Evolution was nowhere near taking the kinds of leaps that she was going through, meaning that everything in the world was incorrectly sized. Sure, her brother, Big Mac, had been going through a similar sort of thing whilst he was growing up and for most of his adult life. Sure, he didn’t reach the heights that Applejack had reached whilst she had been growing up and for her own adult life, but he at least somewhat understood her pain.

Butter was going to have to start thinking in terms of Applejack’s growth for the future, if they were going to continue living with one another. The Apple family homestead was beginning to get a little more crowded than he would have liked. Especially when it came to sleeping arrangements; Applejack didn’t have a bed to accommodate her, so she opted to sleep on the floor instead. It was beginning to give her a bad back and Butter often woke up in the night listening to her groaning and moaning in pain while she slept. Perhaps that could be his next grand gesture after the night was done; surprising her with a place to live in comfort more befitting her rising size. That was of course the easier part of the solution. The rest was trying to get the rest of the world to confirm to her new size. Still, he was definitely not one for giving up; he was going to make her transition as easy as possible, no matter how long it took and how big she got.

Applejack was thinking about her earlier thoughts and how this night was slowly building her confidence. Even as the starters made their way to the table, she continued to think about that first kiss. She picked pieces of her salad and breadsticks up and stuck them in her mouth, wondering if it bothered Butter as much as it did her. She’d never had a lover like him, and she’d certainly never had the courage to flat out kiss someone that she had feelings for. The only other kisses in her life had come from family when she had been growing up and they were never able to hold a candle to a romantic exchange. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind as she thought about it, picturing how it would go, how he would react, whether or not he’d take the lead. There were so many things she needed to go right about it and so many things that could just turn out so very wrong. She almost wanted to speak up, to ask him if she was ever going to get one from him. What she ended up saying was much different.

“So uh, ah wus wonderin’, what’s th’ deal w’ this place? Ah ain’t never seen a restaurant ‘round here, jus’ abandoned buildings,”

“Do you really want me to spoil the big surprise so early? We haven’t even gotten to the end of the main meal yet…”

“Ah know, but ah, well, ah jus’ can’t believe how awesome all this is. An’ ah know yer all about the grand gestures, but this feels different from what ya usually do. Ah’m jus’ desperate t’ know the story behind it. Plus, ah saw the way ya were lookin’ at that waiter jus’ now…”

Butter swirled his complimentary glass of water charmingly, smirking as he did so. “Alright, Applejack, I’ll tell you. Only because I wouldn’t want that pretty head of yours to get too full of conspiracies about me,” He laughed and snorted, then began to recount the story.

It transpired that Applejack had been right; this was an old abandoned building, completely devoid of any activity for years. Butter had come across it when he was looking for a restaurant that they could visit for their next date night. They’d done plenty of things on their other dates and Butter had plenty of ideas that could make the next one grand and superior, but a part of him felt that Applejack wanted a simple pleasure. So when he found the building, he went straight to the mayor’s office to see about getting a permit to work in there. The mayor was reluctant, given that Butter didn’t have any experience in terms of construction, but after he pleaded with her for three hours straight, she had to admire his drive. She granted him the permit for as much work as he needed, provided he paid for it out of his own money. Then she granted him a second permit to allow him to actually host the event there, for a single night and not another more. So, once he had that building, he paid a visit to every restaurant he could find in Ponyville, seeing what each of them offered in terms of quality. He knew that Applejack had lived here all her life, so the chances were she’d been to all of them at least once. As soon as he’d done his research, he realised that none of them did anything that could be considered simple. There was no special spaces for couples; the decorations were loud and in your face, as if it was like a Pinkie Party, but in restaurant form.

That was when he decided on the simple decor and staff uniforms, even the idea to make it exclusive to the pair of them on their special night. A day later, he had planned out the designs of the room, down to the smallest little detail, and given it to the best interior designer in Ponyville. With their expertise, along with the local construction crew, paid for by him as per the rules, they transformed his vision into a reality, one he hoped Applejack would have loved. At this point in the story, Applejack commented about how she was amazed that he had managed to keep it all a secret from her. Butter dismissed her with a comment about how he’d struggled not to spoil the surprise early every day that they were together. He explained how the little lies he had to keep giving to stop her from getting suspicious were beginning to pile up and he was about one more day away from spilling the beans. Not to mention the niggling guilt of doing so to the pony who held the Element of Honesty, and was his girlfriend. Applejack, recalling her own experiences with lying, sympathized and promised to let him off the hook, for a price. They both shared a laugh before Butter resumed his story telling.

Next, he had to find the best chefs in Equestria to cook their food for them. He needed a range, seeing as he had no menu planned for the evening, so they needed to know how to cook whatever came up. So he had ventured to Canterlot, looking to hire the very best, who were unfortunately far too busy to even give him the time of day. Thanks to their refusals, Butter had a brainwave about what he could do instead. He dropped by the newly renamed Manehatten Institute of Fine Cooking and Baking, the place he had trained at after leaving Ponyville, and called in some favours with friends. Just little things that he had been sitting on for a long time, which half of the friends didn’t even expect him to have been serious about. Still, they agreed to his plans and he filled them in on just what roles he wanted them to fill. All those that were skilled in cooking a particular dish, whether it was meat, fish, vegetables, whatever, there would be two chefs to each category. Those that were duplicates beyond that would be the waiting staff. By this point in the story, the main courses had arrived and both Butter and Applejack kept pausing to eat up.

Butter eventually managed to explain that there had been a slight catch in his plan. By taking the night off, his friends were losing out on a fair bit of money, some of which needed the bits to keep afloat. So Butter sweetened the deal by saying that whatever was ordered on the menu, Butter would pay for out of his own pocket. Which led to explaining the in-joke behind the waiter’s reaction to their order; everyone was being paid but those who actually cooked got a bigger tip. As they came to the end of their main courses, he confessed that although he had spent a lot of money and the result wasn’t as glamorous or as showy as the others, it was all for an ulterior motive. Just as he was about to explain it, Applejack’s stomach rumbled something fierce.

The mare flushed with shame. “S-sorry about that ah-”

“Heh, are you still hungry? I mean, you can order more if you like, it is my treat after all…” Butter snapped his fingers and the army of waiters crowded around the table, notepads and quills at the ready.

“Ah dunno...ah could jus’ wait-”

“Applejack, this is a night for you - a special night. Eat as much as you like, because as long as it’s for you, I don’t mind how much it costs. I think I made that pretty clear already didn’t I?” Butter waves a hand at their surroundings.

“If yer sure…”

“Positive.”

Applejack then began to rattle of a list of food that would almost be enough to fill a small truck. Each of the waiters had at least one page of food orders in their notepad and some had left for the kitchen already. By the time Applejack had finished dictating her order; food was leaving the kitchen and making its way to her table. Cold food, various kinds of sauces, even a whole apple pie made it over to her. Butter just sat backas she abandoned some of her manners, greedily grabbing at whatever she could reach and forcing it into her mouth. Butter watched in awe as lump, after lump, of food bulged out her throat and slide all the way down to her stomach. The gurgling continued, but it was overshadowed by the gnashing and gulping Applejack made as she ploughed through each course. The chair beneath her began to creak a little as she ate; the legs bending, whining in protest as she continued to down food and further its strain to keep her up. Butter swirled his water some more, taking a sip, unable to look anywhere else as Applejack ate. Even some of his friends began to gawk as their orders were delivered and snatched from their trays before they could even place the dish down. Her stomach began to bulge outwards from the sheer volume of mass that was being piled into it. She lost that sculpted belly she had been rocking for years, instead replacing it with a rounded gut. She blushed as Butter stared at it, entranced by its rapid growth, but she just couldn’t take a break from eating.

It was like someone had switched a lever in her brain into the ‘eat continuously’ position. Like she hadn’t eaten in days, yet she knew this not to be the case. But that didn’t account for all the growth she had undergone, which in turn meant more fuel needed to burn. Working on a farm while swelling several feet taller meant her metabolism needed greater quantities, yet she had been subsidizing on normal portions out of sheer stubbornness to change. As if fearful eating her fill would only encourage her body to sprout taller, or perhaps worry, that she would eat her family’s pantry dry. The chair began to crack under the added weight of her gut, now round and full, as if she were pregnant from her feast. A loud split rocked the air, followed by a low whine which gradually increased in pitch. Before she could even take another bite out of her meal, the chair collapsed, sending Applejack’s giant butt and added weight smashing into the floor. Applejack swung backwards, kicking her legs out as she tumbled to the floor, which sent the table flying over Butter’s head. Food went soaring in all directions, Butter remaining calm remarkably, sitting there taking another sip of his water as the waiters all ducked and dived. The whole thing looked like a scene from some kind of comedy sketch programme. Applejack lay flat on her back, chest rising and falling lazily as her body processed the food more than the panic and surprise. For a moment, her mind switched off from food mode and began to recount the story Butter had told her, about his grandest gesture of affection yet. Instead of shame she felt something else welling up inside; a furiously passionate love.

Butter got up from his chair and crossed the room to where Applejack’s head lay. She was staring up at the ceiling, but as he leant in, ready to pass some smug or witty response, Applejack pulled him towards her, raising her head to meet him. Their lips locked in a somewhat crumb-filled and different sized kiss. The love was still there though; they both felt it, their bodies becoming one in a moment of passion. They kept their eyes open, staring deep into the other’s, watching, expressing, loving. Butter dropped his glass to the floor and the waiters all nodded their heads in silent approval. Applejack moved her arms around him and hugged him close to her body, kissing him deep before pulling away. They both sighed and regained their breath fairly quickly, but Applejack was first to speak.

“Butter Nut, ah, ah love ya, Sugahcube,”

Butter practically melted at the comment. “I love you too, Applejack, and really you’ve just made this night perfect. I hoped this was how tonight was going to end…”

“Even down t’ th’ table an’ th’ food?” A rumble came from her stomach, and she turned her head to burp, loudly. Her cheeks darkened around the freckles dotting them as she looked back at him abashed.

“Well, maybe not those,” he chuckled as he pressed his lips up against hers, the pair engaging in what would soon become the second of many kisses.