Sleipnir Colony - A Short Story Collection

“Thank you miss Starflier, I think you’ll be very happy here.”

The stallion held a hoof which Starflier eagerly shook. She had done it, it was almost as if she had been on fire in the interview. Every question and magical test she had aced. Her heart was palpitating in her chest.

She had applied for the position as soon as it had become available, for years now the unicorn had been working in one of the numerous labs that the Equestria Terraforming Fleet employed due to the ever increasing need to have more worlds habitable for the growing population, in both a physical and numerical sense. Five hundred years ago the average amounts of planets made fit for colonisation was one every decade. Now it was one every year. The universe was huge, but it wasn’t infinite (although she was sure someponies appetites were…) and there was the increasing concern that someday, they would simply run out of planets. Projections however didn’t put that at likely to happen anytime soon however. Inside the corporation though there was already discussion and R&D happening that was looking at jump capable ships that could make their way outside the galaxy.

Starflier however had over the years been busying herself with lab work. Beakers and Bunsen burners dominated her day. Her small team that she worked with were in charge of formulating ever more compact and calorie filling foods for the crews that worked on the ships that were sent out into the unexplored sections of the universe to colonise new worlds. The further they went, the better the crew had to sustain themselves with no contact from any supply points within the already established Empire. It was extremely rare that ships simply went dark. I.E. They just vanished without a trace. Looking back over the ship roster that had only happened a hooffull of times.

It seemed though the top brass had taken note of Starflier, basically nudging her towards applying for the interview and she had seen it too. She wasn’t stupid. Before going for it however she had read over the contract. It seemed simple and her skills could be transferred, going from food engineering to ship engineering seemed like a good career move. She had brushed up on her knowledge and prepared herself as best she could. She was careful to read the contract however and some parts stood out, she had meant to ask about them in the interview but in her excitement she had simply forgot.

Clause 2.26A: The successful applicant will at all times be working from within the ships core.
Clause 4.01C: The E.T.F pledges to keep the successful applicant well fed at all times.
Clause 5.09G: Any assistance the successful applicant requires will be provided by the crew at all times. It is HIGHLY unlikely that the successful applicant will need to leave the core at ANY point during the terraforming mission.

She had assumed those clauses just meant the work was intense, she would mostly stay confined to the core and would be looked after. Still though, the pay was amazing. Five times more than what she earned currently at her job and it was simply too good an opportunity to pass up. The contract also stated the ship would be in deep space for at minimum one Equestrian year, possibly more depending on the mission. She would have to say her goodbyes before she left.

“Thank you so much! Does this mean...I got it?” Starflier asked.

“I think I can say yes with good confidence, you did very well in the interview Starflier, I think you’re exactly the pony the new ship needs. In fact, I can arrange it with your boss I think for you to come down tomorrow to the shipyards and get a sneak peak at where you’ll be working. Come down around midday.” The stallion replied.

The scientist let out a small Eeeee! - a little unprofessional but now she was certain she had the job she felt like she could let her mane down a little. “I’ll be sure to!” she said, getting up and leaving the room. “You won’t regret it! I can’t wait!” she said, happily almost skipping out the room to head home. At least if she could have skipped, Starflier was not a small pony. Like most on Equestria she was large, but not quite large enough for a pad. It was important to keep her weight down somewhat in her position.

“I’m sure you can’t…” the stallion who interviewed her said to himself with a small sigh, before getting up himself and departing the room. He had preparations to make.

The next day as promised, Starflier’s boss let her out just before midday so she could make her way down shipyards. Equestria although an agricultural colony was after all where it all began. At one point many hundreds of years ago it had boasted the largest on-planet shipyards of any of the Empire’s worlds. Much of this now had been moved into orbit, to make room for more farmland. The E.T.F however still maintained its own smaller shipyards down on the planet however. They manufactured only a few ships at a time and also it was necessary that they tested their ships in environments with gravity present. One of the few concessions for on-world shipbuilding Celestia had allowed.

She found the pony who had interviewed her yesterday waiting at the gate. After a quick greeting he led her inside. They were still finishing assembling the ship. She watched wide-eyed as hundreds of ponies either waddled around or moved about on pads, they bustled their way around the megastructure that towered above her. The ship itself was huge. She had to guess maybe a half a mile long and roughly a quarter of a mile tall. It was a somewhat boxy shape except for what she assumed was the bridge, rear engines and the lower bow and middle portions. She also observed a number of large storage tanks off to the side set up in the yard.

The lower bow sported what looked like an extremely long and thick antenna. “What’s that for?” she asked, pointing at it, then turning her attention to the tanks and asking “And those?”. The stallion just smiled.

“Ah, that is the main terraforming device. The ship itself acts like a harness and that’s where the power is output to terraform the planet. Imagine it like your horn if you will, all the energy is discharged through a focal point. I guess point and shoot?” he said dryly. “The tanks are fuel storage until we can fill the ship. After being filled it is teleported into orbit, far too big to take off from the ground.”

“What about the large round bulbous section in the middle?” Starflier asked next. This part stood out quite a bit and pushed out from the boxy shape the rest of the ship followed. It looked like somepony had placed a massive football right in the middle of the ship.

“Ah! I’m glad you asked…” the stallion said. “Follow me, we’ve got a permit.”

Showing it to a few workers who stopped them, simply nodding to let them through the two ponies made their way to the section that Starflier had asked about. A few of the workers had followed them inside.

“It’s...big.” was all Starflier said, if she had shouted her voice likely would have echoed. In fact, it made very little sense. What she, the stallion and workers were stood in was basically a huge, round room in the middle of the ship that was many, many times larger than them. The walls were lined with some sort of soft material, to cushion something she presumed. Towards the top middle there was a device that looked half finished, but it clearly extended outwards on a metal arm with a cone affixed to the end. It wasn’t completely obvious what it was. “What is this place?” she asked.

“The core.” the stallion simply replied.

“But...there’s nothing here.” the mare replied, she was starting to get worried. Why would the most important part of the ship be completely without any equipment?

“Not yet. But now the main component is.” was all he said.

Starflier’s eyes went wide. Before she could move, a number of the construction workers grabbed her and held her down. She was pinned. Unfortunately teleportation was not one of her skills, or she could have simply gotten away.

“I knew those contract clauses were too good to be true! Tell me, why am I supposed to be here all the time?! There’s NOTHING HERE!” she shouted, all the while struggling to escape the workers grasps.

“My dear isn’t it obvious? You’re going to be our core.” the stallion said with that dry smile again. As he spoke, a number of tubes, before totally hidden by the soft walls of the core room slithered out of their hiding spots and made their way closer and closer to the struggling Starflier.

The struggling stopped when she felt a number of the hoses penetrate her rear and the largest of them slipped into her mouth, clamping themselves into position. All she could do now was make angry, slightly annoyed moans as she tried to protest but instantly she felt herself start to bloat out. Those tubes weren’t empty…

“Oh and the fuel tanks you asked about? No - full of the calorie packed food your team has been creating for months now. A little ironic twist. We’re going to fatten you with your own creation.”

Starflier just internally groaned. Already her mass had ballooned and her stomach had become a huge bed beneath her as she felt herself being pumped full of the fattening mixture. Like a true stereotypical villain, the stallion went on to explain. He felt it was the least he could do now she was trapped.

“You see Starflier, there is no science in all the Empire that can terraform a planet. Ponies are good at science, but they’re great at magic.” he explained. “The company did try to develop technology that would do the job, but it lead nowhere. That’s why we need ponies like you.” he said. “Unicorns, especially ones as charged as yourself, with the right amount of mass can terraform worlds. Magic is amplified with size. At the size of most ponies the effect is minimal. Double a ponies weight and their magic increases maybe a tenth, hardly noticeable, but make a pony a hundred times their standard weight and their magical ability why...it almost explodes.” he said with a grin.

During the short explanation Staflier felt like she had already gained about 1000 pounds. Her body felt hefty and fat with the added weight. Her hooves now uselessly wiggled due to her immobility. Already she could feel her neck fattening around her head. Struggling was no longer an option, her body was becoming her own fat prison that continued to grow as she was pumped full of what packed those tubes.

“That’s why you’re now our core. You’re going to be the one that terraforms worlds for more ponies to thrive on. Your magic will make barren, lifeless worlds lush green paradises for those seeking a new life. The only caveat of course is that you need to weigh about 30 tons or more for your magic to be able to do that. I’m sorry for the deception but, we needed the right candidate for this. You’re the perfect one.”

Another 1000 pounds on through that little explanation, whilst gaining Starflier noticed the half finished device begin to extend down from the ceiling towards her. The stallion noticed the panic on her face increase the closer it got.

“Ah yes, don’t worry. That simply clamps to your horn. It’s connected to the terraforming device. Your magic will be amplified and fired outwards through it once the ship is in place.” he explained. “Don’t worry Starflier, as our core you’ll be well looked after. Of course you’ll be paid and everything in the contract adhered to. For the rest of your life you’ll be well pampered. In fact you should think yourself lucky. Most ponies only dream of the immobile sizes you’ll reach, of course you can’t show it off but...that’s the trade off.” he said. “For now just relax, fill the room and get comfy. We always line the core room as best we can. It should be nice and plush once you reach a size where your body is pressing against the walls. For now, I bid you goodbye.”

Starflier just watched as the stallion left with the construction workers, shutting the door behind him. It seemed obvious now, the contract worded the way it was. The fact also in the interview they had asked her to perform a come to life spell, bringing a plant back from the brink of death. The fattening unicorn just lay inside her growing mountain of a body. The tubes not stopping to fill her she had only heard the stallion mention tons rather than pounds in terms of weight. She knew it was some serious size when that started getting used. There was nothing she could do, the mare now almost resigned herself to her fate of being a magically charged ball of blubber, her stomach bloorrrppping and sloooossshinnnggg as she grew, her body getting bigger, bigger...bigger.

Outside, the stallion and the workers observed the final touch to the ships nameplates which now their core was in place, could be finished.

E.T.F STARFLIER - #0109

“Ship 109. What a feat. Of course her crew will never know what lies in the centre.” was all he said, before leaving the yard. He had more work to do. The Starflier may be the newest, but it wasn’t the only ship in the fleet...