Author's Note

This is intended as an idea dump of sorts for my own story concepts. Please do not solicit your own ideas.

Prompt: Time progression of Twilight slowly getting taller over time. As years pass, she overshoots Cadance, Luna, and even Celestia. Twilight is awkward and nervous about this at first, but she slowly comes to accept it. She grows to the size of a house with no sign of slowing down, and no one knows when (or IF) her growth will stop...

Contains: Feral, Macro, Growth, Giant Pony.

Leaders Tend to be Taller

Art by Goat Train

“Twilight!” said Cadance. “It’s been so long!”

Twilight stepped off the train, hugging her sister-in-law. “I know! It’s so great to see you!”

Cadance returned the hug. The last time they’d gotten together was last Hearth’s Warming, and they’d barely gotten a chance to talk—

Wait a sec.

Cadance stepped back from Twilight, looking her up and down. “Wow, Twilight… you um…”

Twilight put a hoof behind her head. No longer did she need to look up at Cadance to meet her eyes. Instead, Cadance was the one looking up at her.

“Yeah…” Twilight had on a forced smile, her wings fluttering at her sides. “It started about six months ago.”

Cadance couldn’t help but grin. “Ahhh! Just look at you! You look great!”

Most of the growth had been in her legs. Before, Twilight had had the same wider, more compact frame most ponies had. Now, she was starting to lengthen out, not quite looking so ‘average’ anymore.

The two of them walked off the Crystal Empire’s train platform and headed for the castle. “It’s been annoying,” Twilight grumbled. “None of my clothes fit anymore, and my balance is all out of whack. It’s like going through a second puberty!”

Cadance giggled. “Hopefully it won’t last that long. Have you talked to Auntie Celestia about it?”

“I did,” Twilight said. “She said that, from what she’s seen, it’s different for every alicorn. Her growth spurt didn’t kick in for twenty years after she ascended, but then it lasted the longest out of anyone else’s. She thinks it’s based on the amount of power the alicorn has.”

That sounded about right from what Cadance recalled. She was still waiting for hers to fully kick in. “Well, you’re a pretty powerful pony. Maybe you’ll wind up outgrowing all of us!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I hope not. It’s hard enough to get around on these wobbly stilts as it is! I don’t wanna know what it’d be to get much taller.”

“Oh, come on.” Cadance patted her with a wing. “It’s not so bad! Give it some time. You’ll get used to it.

Muttering, Twilight relented. “Maybe… Maybe.”

“Thanks for coming over, Luna!” Twilight said. “You and I don’t get to talk that much, do we?”

Luna calmly sipped at her tea. “Regrettably not. ‘Tis an unfortunate truth of being a ruler; one merely does not have that much spare time.”

They were in one of the sitting rooms of Twilight’s castle, munching on some snacks. There’d been a disturbance in the Everfree Forest from the Star Beasts, and Twilight had called Luna in for assistance and input.

Twilight glanced out one of the windows, her eyes lingering on the forest beyond. “I’m glad you were able to come so quickly. I didn’t want to hurt any of the beasts if I could help it.”

Luna nodded. “I thank you for exercising restraint. I’d sensed their unrest through the Dreamrealm, and was already on my way down to assist. Part of me was worried that you’d mistake the situation as the beginnings of a rampage and use force…”

Twilight shook her head. “No, no. And especially not when I’m still getting used to all this new power I have! All my internal measurements are out of whack right now, and until things settle down, I’m not gonna be doing any heavy lifting, if you know what I mean.”

Another three months later, and Twilight was still growing. She looked less like a gangly teenager, thankfully, and had started to get that regal poise the other alicorns had. Her frame had lengthened out to not look so compact, and the fat of her face had melted away. Her mane and tail were starting to shimmer, faint eddies of magic stirring within them.

Luna did know what Twilight meant. “It’d happened to herself when my own growth spurt started. My limits fluctuated by the day, steadily rising, but always uneven. I imagine it’s much the same with you.”

Twilight felt her cheeks grow warm. “The other day, I tried to boil water. Something I’d done a million times! I evaporated the water and melted the pot…”

That got a laugh out of Luna. “Yes... definitely hold off on the spells for now.”

Twilight sighed. Even though they were both sitting, she could tell she had a few inches over Luna. It’d been the first thing she’d noticed after the action had died down, and while Luna wasn’t perturbed, it was still a little jarring for Twilight.

“When it was happening with me,” Luna continued. “It felt as though there was a giddy feeling in my chest. A coil, like a spring, trying it’s hardest to break free. Does that ring any bells?”

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “YES! That’s exactly how it feels! It’s driving me nuts!”

Luna munched on a thin mint. “When that feeling subsides, I think you’ll be done growing. If right now you still feel it, and it doesn’t seem to be dying down…”

Twilight groaned. “It’s not dying down, it’s getting stronger…”

Luna chuckled. “Then I’d also hold off on refitting your regalia.”

“Reach out with your mind,” said Celestia. “Push as far as you can go.”

Twilight obeyed. Eyes closed, she explored the limits of her magical awareness, stretching away from her, away from the ground, through the sky, and beyond. She didn’t activate her magic, she just immersed herself in it, trying to plumb its depths.

“Good.” Celestia was watching Twilight carefully, monitoring her motions. She couldn’t help but preen with pride, seeing what her former student had become. “You’re now out of the atmosphere. There are two main entities you should be sensing the strongest. A hard, cool one, and a big, warm one. Feel them?”

Twilight felt a chill. “The Moon… and the Sun?”

“Yes.” Celestia was standing side by side with Twilight, guiding her efforts. “Keep your magic dormant, but get a feel for the Moon. Register it’s weight in your mind, it’s resistance.”

Twilight did just that. It was hard not to want to poke at it, though. From what she could tell, it didn’t seem all that heavy. She wasn’t sure why Celestia thought the moon would be resistant…

Oh. Duh.

“Okay,” said Twilight. “I think I got it.”

Celestia glanced up at Twilight. A pleasant change from interacting with most ponies, she had to say. Her eyes lingered on Twilight’s ethereal, flowing mane, it’s colors waving like her namesake. It didn’t look like Twilight was needing to focus all that hard for this. Not all that surprising; Celestia could feel the power flowing off of her.

“Now, push out farther,” said Celestia. “Leave the Moon behind, and follow the warmth of the Sun. You should feel it’s call. Listen to it.”

Twilight did. The heat of the Sun beckoned to her across the expanse of space, an orb of life that sustained their whole planet. As she neared its might, she was left in sheer awe of the power that the star contained.

“Wow…”

“It’s a bit intimidating the first time,” Celestia agreed. “Don’t worry, though, it moves pretty easily. It’s not stubborn like the Moon.”

Curious, Twilight called upon her magic. The Sun twitched in the sky, shunting to the left a few minutes.

“Don’t try right now!” Celestia said quickly.

Twilight remembered herself. “Whoops! Ah, erm… sorry.”

“Relax,” Celestia said. “Breathe in, breathe out. Feel the Sun. Explore it’s size, get a feel for it’s energy.”

Twilight obeyed. The Sun was fluid, it’s energy a thick and swirling, playing around her coyly.

“Very good, Twilight” Celestia said after a time. “I think it’s safe to say you could cover for Luna and me. Maybe we’ll take a vacation, and let you and Cadance handle things.”

Twilight opened her eyes. She glanced down Celestia, her expression pensive. “You… you really think we could fill in for you?”

Celestia smiled. Even as the most mighty and powerful of the alicorns, Twilight Sparkle was still Twilight Sparkle. “I really do.”

“Not that high!” a stallion called. “That ain’t in the plans, ya ninny!”

“Oh, piss off!” a second stallion snapped. “My supervisor told me to raise all the doorframes this much!”

Rarity and Rainbow Dash hesitated as they watched a pair of construction workers argue. It was a tad interesting to visit Twilight these days, what with all the renovations they were doing.

“What are they even arguing about?” Rarity whispered to Rainbow.

Rainbow shrugged with her wings. “Probably something stupid.”

They walked past the squabbling duo, entering the castle proper. It certainly was looking different than it first had. They were starting to feel like ants in here.

“Do you think that, erm…” Rarity said slowly as they entered the room with the Cutie Map. “This all might be a tad, overkill?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. She pointed to a picture hanging on the wall of the six of them, Twilight’s massive form looming over all of them.

“Right,” Rarity said faintly. “Stupid question. I suppose I just forget sometimes...”

Rainbow looked over at the seats surrounding the table, particularly at the enormous one that loomed over all of them. It had to be ten times the size of the others. “Not sure how you could.”

Rarity ignored that. “Where is Twilight, anyways? She’s usually prompt when the Cutie Map calls us.”

The ground began to shake. From the other side of the room, a set of thirty-foot doors opened slowly, and in walked Twilight Sparkle. Her ageless face looked sculpted out of marble, her long, thin neck like a swan’s. Her mane and tail glowed with untold power, bristling with ambient, alluring magic. The sheen of her fluffy coat was full and healthy, and her elegant legs allowed her a smooth, fluid gait. A smile was always on her face these days, and there was a glint in her eyes, a hint of the godly magic that dwelled within her.

“Hey, guys!” Twilight said cheerily. “Glad you could come. The Cutie Map’s got an assignment for you two.”

“Hey, Twilight!” Rainbow took wing and flew up so they could be eye-level. “Man, the weather up here is great, isn’t it?”

Twilight gave her a flat look. “I wish you’d stop making that joke.”

Rainbow stuck out her tongue. “Stop getting bigger, and I will.”

Twilight sized Rainbow up. “Maybe you all are just getting smaller, hmm? Did you ever think of that? Because that’s what it looks like to me.”

Rainbow laughed. She swooped around and landed on Twilight’s head, right beside her horn. “You’ll have to tell us when we start looking like breezies to you.”

Twilight smirked. The coiled, spring feeling was still in her chest, its energy still flowing through her. It hadn’t died down at all, and she was starting to wonder if it ever would.

“I definitely will, Rainbow,” said Twilight. “I definitely will.”