Ember was bored again.

She was in a rather unlikely position to be bored, given that a stallion was currently atop her, soldiering away, but given her occupation, simple sex wasn't especially exciting in and of itself. And though the taste of his passion was quite pleasant, Ember fed so often she'd forgotten what hunger felt like. His seed would cool the desperate mating need that she nearly always felt, and that was useful, but it wasn't interesting.

Oh, the stallion in question seemed nice enough, and his lovemaking was at least adequate. If he'd been one of the ones who needed something more than simple release—whether that was an interesting fetish or a personal problem she could help him with—she'd have been more than satisfied by the act itself. But he was just an ordinary client. She got quite a lot of the exotic ones, given what she was, but she had these too; ones who wanted nothing more than simple release with their favorite fantasy.

Ember was, in fact, in the form of Twilight Sparkle again. She was a rather popular one. All of the princesses were, though rather ironically Cadance, the alicorn of love, seemed to be the least in demand.

Then again, if certain whispered rumors were to be believed, that might be because those who truly desired her could have the real thing. Ember wasn't sure she bought into those rumors, but she wouldn't rule out Cadance having an open marriage. Such things did happen.

The stallion began to increase his pace and Ember dragged her wandering mind back to what was going on. She made appropriately appreciative noises as he pounded harder, and when he suddenly came she let out a little gasp of pleasure, sampling the taste of his passion, and then relaxed with a satisfied sigh. It had been boring, but she was a professional; she wasn't going to let the client know he hadn't exactly blown her mind.

Fortunately he seemed satisfied enough with her performance. He left with a smile, letting Ember turn off her "professional mode" and attempt to relax. Relaxation, however, proved elusive, and she let out a long sigh, feeling a heavy gloom settle over her.

Hey, you doing okay? Far Gaze's voice in her mind was gentle. You've been kinda down all evening, so I know it's not just Mr. Vanilla there.

I saw Pearl at the market today. She didn't recognize me, of course, but I tasted her emotions in passing. She's absolutely miserable.

Ah damn. That's rough. She was one of your favorites, wasn't she?

Yes. When she came back for that second session, I really hoped that she would become a regular. She seemed happy then. But now I'm left wondering, did I actually help her, or did I only make things worse in the long run?

You know her current misery probably has nothing to do with you. It's been what, two years since her last visit? His mental tone turned lightly teasing. You know you're not the center of the world, right?

Ember couldn't help but chuckle. Yes, I know. But I still wonder. And worry. I have far too much to worry about right now.

Yeah. Ember could sense Far in the other room looking down at the paperwork in front of him and heaving a sigh. Hell, maybe Pearl's having money troubles too. I think being broke makes everypony miserable. Money is really annoying, when you don't have enough of it. You know it's time to raise your prices. Either that or ask Fancy Pants to bail us out.

Ugh. I'm definitely not going to ask Fancy for money. I still feel a little bit strange about taking his charity back in the beginning. I'd never have gotten this place open if I hadn't, but...

You want to help people, not be helped, said Far with a smile.

Hah. Well, yes. I don't want to raise my prices either, though. There have been some ponies I've helped who just barely scraped together the money as it is. I don't want to turn away ponies who need me. That's why I took Fancy's help in the first place, owning the building meant that it was possible to set my prices low.

Nobody says you have to always charge full price. You're already giving some of them a financial break. You can keep your lower rates for the ones who need it, but honestly, ponies like Mr. Vanilla wouldn't feel the pinch if you raised your prices four or five times.

Ember sighed. You're right. I know you're right. She hesitated, then nodded firmly. Okay. I'll do it.

How high?

Well... double? I think given the number of customers we get that would make up our current deficit.

It would, said Far. He handled the financial end of things, and Ember trusted him to know what he was doing, so she simply nodded and sent a silent assent. Far added, personally I'd go for triple. Yes one-fifty is probably a little bit more than most courtesans charge for just a single session, but you're one of the most unique. And then we could start building up some savings.

I... well... all right. But anybody who comes in with anything that looks like real need and can't immediately pay the new price gets the old one.

Right. And speaking of the new price, here comes somebody to try it out on.

Far let Ember look through his eyes as the door swung open and a pony stepped inside. He was a soft shade of pink, something not exactly common among stallions, but that wasn't really the first thing Ember noticed. The first thing she noticed was that he was huge. He nearly had to duck to get through the door, and his shoulders were immensely broad, his body lean but heavily muscled. He easily topped Far Gaze by a head, and probably weighed half again as much.

His mane and tail were seafoam green, both cropped very short, and when he turned to close the door behind him, she could see that his cutie mark was a hoofball. "Evening," he said to Far with a nod. His voice was as low as one might expect, but soft, almost musical.

"Welcome to Ember's," said Far. "How may I help you?"

"I'm here on business,” he smirked. “The business being getting laid. Hope I'm in the right place."

Far smiled. "You are indeed. It'll be a hundred-fifty for a session, though if you don't have the funds for that on hoof, we can be... flexible here."

The big stallion chuckled. "Nah, money ain't—isn't a problem. Here." He hoofed over a trio of fifty-bit pieces.

Far made them vanish, then gestured to the door behind him. "Ember is ready to see you now, so you can go straight in."

"Thanks." The stallion opened the door and Ember dropped her connection with Far as he stepped into the room where she waited, posed on her chaise longue.

She sampled his emotions and found an overall state of calm. There was a hint of nervousness, understandably common in first time customers, and a flicker of a rather complex sadness, but overall the stallion didn't seem to be in any particular distress.

"Welcome," she said, and rose to greet him.

As she stood, his breath caught slightly, and she tasted a sudden rush of excitement, tinged with lust. "I'm Slugger," he said, giving her a nod. He was nearly at eye level with her, but she was at least three or four inches taller. It was a little bit odd to see a pony so close to her height; other than Celestia, she usually towered over her clients in her natural form.

"Slugger?" she said, giving his cutie mark a glance. "Isn't that a baseball term?"

"Ayup. My parents aren't disappointed in me, but they had some kinda inaccurate expectations."

Ember smiled. "I see. So, what can I do for you this evening, Slugger?"

"I don't want anything too wild. I've heard you can do all sorts of stuff, but the reason I'm here is, well... unless I somehow get lucky with a princess, you're the only pony I ever heard of who was taller than me." He flashed her a smile. "I have a fantasy, I guess you'd call it, about giant mares. If I could find a way to be about yea high," he held one hoof a foot or so from the floor, "I'd take it, but as it is, I figure you're the next best thing, and I'd like to see what it's like."

"Ah."

Ember nodded, her mind already working on the problem. She could probably do a little better than simply provide a few extra inches. She'd been able to mimic Celestia when she had still been an underqueen and a good head shorter than she was now. And she'd taken the forms of several larger non-ponies as well. "I think I can help you out," she said. "Is there anything else you want, besides simply for me to be tall?"

He gave a little shrug. "I think the fantasy is about being... toy-like, I suppose? So just... have your way with me." He blushed faintly, a slightly darker pink against his pink hide.

Ember smiled. "I can certainly do that. Shall we retire to the bedroom?" She beckoned with one hoof, and Slugger returned the smile and stepped forward to follow her into her bedchamber.

The lights were dim within, as they usually were. Ember didn't move to adjust them. Instead she adjusted herself. She took her usual earth pony form—blue coat, blue hair, blue eyes—but she poured extra power into the transformation, concentrating on size. The green fire of her change burned over her slowly, and when it finally cleared she stood so tall her ears nearly brushed the ceiling.

Slugger looked up at her, his eyes going wide. "Oh wow," he said absently, the words coming out without his brain even being engaged. That was no doubt busy elsewhere as he eyes repeatedly swept up and down her form, lingering on the "up" portion of that motion.

Ember's smile broadened. "Is this what you had in mind?"

"That is... even better than I had in mind. Wow."

She climbed carefully into her bed. It was a massive king-sized bed, but if she'd stretched out on it now her hind hooves would have hung off the end. Instead she curled herself on it seductively and beckoned to Slugger. He practically leaped into the bed next to her, the taste of his excitement and arousal strong in the air. Ember drew on it eagerly. She'd used so much power transforming that she was actually hungry, a sensation she hadn't felt in years. She'd had all the love—and lust—she could ever need since meeting Far Gaze, and she seldom used much magic.

Looking at Slugger, she found herself licking her lips. This was going to be extremely satisfying in more ways than one. She wrapped her hooves around him, pulling him to her body, enfolding him in a massive embrace. He groaned softly and buried his head against her chest, nearly smothered by her as she held him close. He tried to wrap his own hooves around her as well, but she was too large for him to fully embrace. He pressed closer, and Ember could physically feel his arousal pressing against her belly.

Still holding him tightly, she rolled onto her back so that he lay atop her. She picked him up and repositioned him so he was on her chest, moving the burly stallion easily. This let her pull his head up so that she could kiss him. He answered the kiss with eager passion, pushing his tongue into her mouth. She met it with her own, caressing and pushing back. He groaned softly into the kiss, parting his lips further so she could slip her tongue into his mouth.

The awareness of how large it was, how it pushed his own tongue back, only added to his arousal. His erection pushed against her, somewhere above her navel, but she paid it no attention for now. He'd wanted to be her toy, so she wasn't going to satisfy him until she'd satisfied herself.

Ember picked him up again, breaking off the kiss. Slugger made a little sound of surprise. She held him up over her, as if he were a teddy bear, his hind hooves trailing limply. He was panting a little bit as he looked down at her, and she could clearly see his cock, also hanging down beneath him, but it was anything but limp.

With a giggle of both delight and amusement, she set him down between her legs, and with one large hoof gently pushing on the back of his head, indicating what he should do.

He responded, bending his muzzle down towards her pussy. She kept her hoof on the back of his head, but lightly, as he began to nuzzle at her. "Mmm," she said, letting her head fall back to the pillows and closing her eyes. Slugger shifted just a little bit, running his muzzle up to nuzzle and then lick at one of her nipples. Ember considered re-directing him lower down, but decided that what he was doing was fine. It felt good, so she simply stroked his mane as he began to suck and nibble gently at her nipple.

She drifted, for a time, simply enjoying his attentions as he sucked on one nipple and then the other.

Eventually, however, he lowered his muzzle and lapped lightly at her pussy. She let out a soft sound of pleasure and spread her hind legs a little wider. Waking a little from the drifting haze, she put a hoof to the back of Slugger's head. She remembered what he'd said about being a toy, so she pushed his head around a bit, encouraging him to change the angle of his licking. He gave a little shiver of pleasure and obliged, licking with enthusiasm.

Ember let out a moan of pleasure. "Mmm. Good boy."

Slugger made a little muffled sound and increased the intensity of his attentions, licking with broad, swift strokes that swept over her clit at the peak of each. Ember twisted her hooves in his short mane as he worked. What he was doing was very good, but she decided that she wanted more. There were other ways she could use him.

She used her grip on his mane to pull his head back suddenly. "Stop."

"Yes, ma'am," said Slugger, going still in her hooves. She lifted him up again, examining him, considering his stiff member. That was what she wanted, but with their relative sizes it was just too small. Some other appendage, though, might be made to work.

With a sly, anticipatory smile, Ember set Slugger down again on his haunches, still between her legs. She posed him like a doll, shifting him about until he was just how she wanted him. She could taste the waves of pleasure rolling off of him. The taste was something tinged strongly with lust but also not quite lust, a flavor she knew well from ponies who had fetishes. It was a unique sort of pleasure and she savored it as she grasped one of his forelegs in hers and pushed his hoof against her mound.

He cooperated willingly, sinking his broad hoof into her. It was just the right size, spreading her wet, ready entrance open.

Ember groaned as she pushed Slugger's hoof slowly in. It went in almost to the elbow, and the broader hoof end was rubbing at some very interesting places inside. "Ah. Yes..." She tugged at Slugger's elbow and he pulled back, the hide on his leg soaked completely. That felt amazing too. She didn't have to tug to get him to push his hoof in again. So she let her hooves fall aside while he thrust his foreleg slowly in and out of her.

He twisted it a little, within, and she moaned. A small, almost shy little smile appeared on Slugger's face and he flexed his hoof, pushing it up against Ember's inner walls. He was seeking that special spot within, and as he pulled his hoof back with glacial slowness, running it along the upper portion of her pussy the whole time, he found it. Ember shuddered, letting out a soft cry and pushing her head back into the pillow.

Slugger smiled again, almost glowing with pleasure at being able to please her, and did it again, plunging his hoof in and drawing it out slowly.

"Ah... that's very good."

"Mmm." Slugger settled into a rhythm, trying to read Ember's cues, slowly increasing his pace as he heard her moans grow louder, more urgent. He could also feel how her pleasure built, how her pussy clenched and tensed around his hoof as she neared her peak. He groaned softly. Something about that was intensely erotic. His cock was absolutely aching, but he was content to please Ember without pleasing himself.

He continued his steady pace, thrusting his hoof deep within Ember and withdrawing it repeatedly. She squirmed and moaned, her eyes shut, her body tensed as her pleasure built. He began thrusting hard, shoving his hoof in as fast as he could, plunging into her depths, working to please her. She moaned and cried out repeatedly, her inner walls clenched tightly around his hoof, her body twitching and shuddering as pleasure raced along every nerve.

Getting a sudden idea, he lowered his head and licked Ember, sweeping his tongue over her clit. It was difficult to continue the motion of his hoof while hunched over, but the startled cry of pleasure he got in return was worth it.

Ember arched back, tensing further, on the very edge now. She could taste Slugger's satisfaction and arousal, which only fed her own pleasure more. All it took was one more strong, firm lick and she came, crying out again, her whole body shuddering with it.

Then with a long sigh she went limp, all the tension flowing from her as the wave crested and passed, leaving her lying languid, panting just a bit.

Slugger sat back, smiling. That had been pretty close to his fantasy. Though he caught the back of his mind wondering if it would be alright to wipe his very soaked foreleg on the bed. Fantasy had never been quite that messy. He wasn't going to complain, though.

Ember sat up, and before Slugger could go any further along that particular train of thought, he found himself distracted all over again, for Ember picked him up once more. "That was nice. You do make a good toy, but I'm not quite done with you yet."

She turned and set him near the head of the bed, leaning back against the pillows. He blinked up at her as she stallion-handled him around easily. She smiled down with a wicked little gleam in her eye. His erection stood up between his legs, hard and so flushed with blood that it was nearly purple. She bent over him and breathed on it. He gave a little shiver and his cock twitched.

Ember grinned. She extended her tongue and gave Slugger's cock the lightest possible lick.

"Ah..." His cock twitched again, and Ember could tell he was fighting not to come.

With sudden speed she closed her mouth over the head of his cock and sank down, taking him all the way. Given their relative sizes this was easy, she didn't have to fight her gag reflex at all. She rubbed her tongue along the underside of his cock while her whole mouth still enclosed it, her lips locked around the base of it, and Slugger couldn't hold on any longer, he let out a low, grunting kind of moan and came, bitter-salt seed spurting into Ember's mouth.

She kept still, dealing with a stallion's cum was always a little bit of a struggle, but the relative sizes made it easier than usual, and when he was done she slowly pulled back, sliding her lips along his length in one last caress, and then swallowed.

Then she settled herself on the bed, her head pillowed beside him, her hind hooves hanging off just a little bit, and relaxed. When Slugger's eyes started to focus again, he sat up and looked over at Ember. She tilted her head, thinking, then reached out and pulled him into her large embrace, cuddling him like a teddy bear. He sighed and snuggled back into her arms.

"How was that?" she asked.

"It was better than I'd ever imagined," he said. "I think you'll have a regular customer here."

She chuckled softly, which he felt almost as much as he heard, with his head pressed to her chest. "I'm glad."

"Although it won't be easy on my bank account," he couldn't keep himself from adding after a moment. "It really is a shame that you're the only mare this size out there."

Ember chuckled again. "You know I'm not actually a mare."

Slugger, still a little bit dazed, tipped his head back to look up at her in confusion. "What?"

"I'm not a mare. I'm a changeling."

"Oh, that."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know. I'm not, uh... I'm not the kind of pony who's into changelings. I just wanted somepony who was taller than I am."

"And yet a changeling is where you ended up." Ember shifted slightly, getting more comfortable, settling Slugger against her chest.

"You didn't look like a changeling while we were, you know."

That made Ember smile. "True. But that doesn't change what I am. Maybe you should think more about dating people other than ponies."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not a pony, yet you did enjoy being with me. Maybe that's because of my illusions, but maybe that matters less than you think. There are several other species who tend to be taller than ponies, you know."

Slugger was silent for a moment. At length he said, "I hadn't really thought about that. My fantasies have always been about giant mares."

"Fantasy often falls short of reality, unfortunately. But is there a reason you couldn't be happy with a giraffe, for example? They're certainly much taller than ponies."

He was silent again for a time, thinking. "I guess I don't have a big reason to stick with ponies. I mean, when you say 'date' I just think of ponies. But that's not really a reason all by itself."

"It isn't, no. Interspecies dating is fairly accepted these days, you know."

"Well, sure. Nopony I know has anything against it." He laughed suddenly. "But I just said 'nopony' there. Even our language just assumes everybody's a pony, doesn't it?"

"But everyone is not a pony." Ember grinned and leaned down to nuzzle the top of his head. "And just think of the possibilities! Gryphon females are all larger than the males, so they'd be used to that sort of situation, and many of them are bigger than ponies. And that's just for starters. Giraffes, as I said, are much taller. Yaks are heavier and often taller, and then there's dragons..." Ember's voice turned almost seductive as she continued. "Think about how large an adult dragon is, compared to a pony. Think about her height, her length, her sheer size. She would be able to hold you in the palm of one hand. If you think I'm big now, you've never been near a grown female dragon."

Slugger swallowed. "That is... something worth thinking about, yeah." He licked his lips. "I don't know, though. I never thought about dating non-ponies. Would a dragon think about dating non-dragons?"

"A few would. I've had a few dragon clients."

He blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes. In fact there's one I could introduce you to, we have a friendly sort of relationship, and I know she's not dating anyone else right now."

"I... uh..."

"Not sure about that?"

"I guess not. It seems kind of... I don't even know. It seems like quite a jump, to go from having an impossible fantasy to tonight, to trying to date outside my species."

"Well, you don't have to go out with my dragon friend, but I should at least introduce you. Meet for coffee, or something of that nature." With a twinkle in her eye, Ember added, "Her sessions with me were a bit like this one with you, I was handled about like a toy quite a lot, if that helps your interest levels."

Slugger could help but give a little laugh at that. "It does, yes."

"She's not me, mind, she won't have been paid to fulfill your fantasies. She's a real person and I suspect she'd want a real relationship, not just this." Ember gestured at the bed they lay on.

"I understand," said Slugger nodding. "I'd like more than just this too, to be honest. Not that this isn't nice, but it's not the same." Then he frowned faintly. "But aren't you putting yourself out of business? If I do hit it off with this dragon, I wouldn't be coming to see you again."

"That's my problem. But I like making my customers happy. If this makes you happy, then it's what I want to do." Ember smiled and nuzzled the top of his head again. "Anyway, there's no guarantees that you and she will get along. She does like them short, but that says nothing about if you'll have compatible personalities out of the bedroom. So if it doesn't work out, you're quite welcome to come back as a customer as often as you like."

Slugger nodded with a smile. "Then I guess you can hook me up."

"Wonderful." Ember gave him a little squeeze and added, "For now, though, I think I should clean you up. Come, I am probably too big for my tub at the moment, but I believe we can both just fit in the shower."

Some time later Ember sent a washed, dried and very content Slugger on his way out the door. Back in her own form she took a moment to sit in the lobby and lean against Far Gaze's side.

"Feeling better now?"

She chuckled softly. "You know me. I've improved his day, and that improved mine."

"It doesn't hurt that he had no trouble with the higher price, too. I told you that was a good idea."

Ember snorted and bent her head to nip the tip of Far's ear. "Don't get too cocky. I'm still the boss here."

"Ha. This place would be complete chaos inside a week without me. But I'm glad our financial situation is looking up. I'm glad you're looking up too. I happen to like it when you're happy."

Ember smiled and rested her head atop Far's. She felt tired. Partly because of the extra magic the size change had required, but mostly just because it had been a very long week. Thank you for caring, she said silently to Far.

Hey, I love you. And, you know, freaky insect hive bond thing. But mostly, I love you. You're a good person at your core, Ember. I know you worry about doing the right thing, but I think you mostly do, and mostly is the best any of us can hope for in this world.

I know. And I love you too, she said silently. A long, peaceful moment passed. Then Ember slowly rose to her hooves and stretched. "Well, it's not time to close up yet, we might still get another customer. I need to go clean up the spa room. Let me know if anybody else comes in."

She vanished back through the parlor door, and Far smiled fondly after her. They had a strange sort of life, one he never could have imagined as a youth picturing his future relationship or career, but he was glad he'd met Ember. The world was a better place because she was in it.

Author's Note

This chapter was commissioned by Cyanhyde as a Patreon reward. As a commissioned story, it deviates slightly from most Ember's chapters in having a solution that's not available for people in the real world. Alas.