Your Loyal Subject

Blueblood was furious. After being sent to his room on the night of the Gala by his aunts, he really felt like he had to voice his concerns. He complained about Aversion being a "worthless peasant being given special privileges," but his voice fell on uncaring ears. Celestia and Luna were furious about his temperament.

For the day after, Blueblood threw a massive tantrum. He kicked Celestia in the hunch, hoofed Luna in the barrel, vomited on purpose, threw his glass of grape juice across the white tablecloth, and even hurled his prized, scaled-down bust of himself through the stained-glass window of the dining hall… but Aversion was still not barred from the castle. If anything, everything he did only earned Blueblood more time confined in his room.

Pacing rapidly with rough hoof movements, the young prince tried to do what he could to mitigate his rage… but the thoughts of his younger aunt giving such a lowlife undeserved treatment kept stirring him up.

"What is it going to take…" Blueblood muttered. "...for everypony to open their eyes!?"

He lowered himself to the ground and laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling with folded forelegs. Needless to say, he was sick and tired of being around a commoner, as well as being punished for something he tried to justify with his supremacist viewpoint.

"If nopony is going to get rid of him…" Blueblood said. "...then I shall do it myself!"

With that, the prince started trying to see what he could do to find a good opportunity to get rid of Aversion…

With Scolus having gone back to the hive before any of the changelings would notice he was gone, Luna and Aversion themselves went back on their own way to fulfill their daily duties… and Aversion had to, yet again, work another dull shift at the cafe.

He was idly taking the customers' orders and filling up cups with different types of coffee throughout the day.

Dear Celestia, PLEASE just let this day go by faster… he kept thinking throughout the day.

It felt like time was moving unnaturally slow. Just like any other day... the only thing that mattered to him was getting to see his lover after the end of his shift. Somehow, though, the day eventually ended, and it was now almost time for him to clock out. As he was making his way to the time clock...

"Mr. Aversion..." Star Buck said, grabbing him by the hunch. "...I have received a couple of complaints from customers again. I really need to know what's going on with you!"

Aversion's hope was shrouded in that moment by one mare who he had immense distaste for and fear of.

"O-oh... Ms. Buck..." he stammered. "...listen, I promise that—"

"I don't want to hear lousy excuses!" Star Buck said. "Customers have complained about orders taking too long, orders mixed up, and even one mention of a hair in somepony's coffee! I do not appreciate when one of my subordinates disregards the value of my business!"

The young stallion swallowed.

"It's because we're understaffed! I'm forced to pick up the extra load of ordering, preparing, serving, and counting out Bits for the register! It's getting to be too much for me! If you could just have the other staff in on these types of days, I wouldn't be having this problem!" Aversion said.

Star Buck's eyes went narrow. "Y'know what? I've had enough of you backtalking and belittling me! So, given that you are apparently unconcerned about serving the loyal customers... we'll need to have a little word in my office, now!"

Aversion knew that it would be a horrendous idea to disobey, so he followed his boss to the back of the cafe, trying to avoid tripping over his own hooves. The two spent no more than five minutes behind the closed door... and when Aversion finally emerged, his eyes were slightly teary, and he was not wearing his apron or hat, having left it in Star Buck's office.

With that, he clocked out and hastily left the building, rushing back home, and fighting to avoid crying in public. By the time he got back to his house... the tears were let off in full. Though there was nopony around, he bawled into his pillow. What happened back in Star Buck's office a few moments ago was quite devastating for him to hear.

Right about now, he really needed Luna...

Luna was setting up a table out on a balcony for her and Aversion to have their dinner. The servers would bring out their actual meal for them, but Luna had already prepared some tea for them both, keeping the pot warm by placing it on a holder with a candle burning underneath.

The Princess of the Night then went back inside to await Aversion's arrival through her closet portal, however, shortly after she left... Blueblood just so happened to have arrived at their dining spot, examining the area.

"Hmmm... no ceiling above this balcony..." he said, looking around. "...and nothing to grab hold of should one go directly upward! That shall be perfect for my plan!"

Blueblood then walked up to the table and pulled a small potion flask out from under his mane, and poured it into Aversion's pre-poured teacup above its own candle (he identified it since Luna had her own, special cup she liked to drink from).

"Heh heh heh..." the royal unicorn chuckled to himself. "...bottoms up, worm!"

Immediately after he poured it all in, that was when he heard the hoofsteps of the servers bringing out their meal. He immediately darted away toward the door to an adjacent room, closing it just as the servers stepped out to lay out the food.

Aversion entered Luna's closet through the portal.

"Hi, Avey!" Luna said.

Aversion smiled feebly. "Hey, Lulu."

"So, dinner's been prepared!" Luna said. "And I've setup a special spot for us to dine on this lovely night!"

"Excellent." Aversion responded.

With that, Luna took Aversion down the stairs of the spire to a lower area of the castle, and through a large hall to a door that led out to the balcony, where there was a single table with the food already served. There was a hay casserole, steamed broccoli, fried potatoes, a gourmet vegetable soup, and also some tea, with the pot sitting over a burning candle. They each took a seat in the chairs, and began eating.

"I had the chefs prepare the special hay casserole you like! How is it?" Luna asked.

Aversion looked up slowly as he absently forked the food into his mouth, his mood not very sunny. "...Oh, it's really good."

Luna frowned. "Avey... is something wrong? Why are you so somber tonight?"

The earth pony sighed, setting down his fork.

"...My boss put me on a suspension without pay." Aversion said. "I won't be able to afford my living expenses! It's going to be devastating to my finances..."

Luna's eyes went wide. "That's horrible! And she did it for things beyond your control?"

Aversion nodded. "Yeah. Needless to say, given what you saw when you visited my house... I don't get the best income. I've had to skip meals and get clean water from public drinking fountains just to be able to hold down a marginal budget."

"Oh, dear..." Luna said, her tone soft.

"And... to be honest..." Aversion said, taking a deep breath. "...I've even had to resort to occasional thievery just to be able to survive."

Luna's eyebrows pointed upward as she continued to listen to Aversion, who hung his head down.

"...My minimum-wage income has become so strained at times, and going hungry just wasn't an option for me... so I had to burglarize some food shops just to avoid starving. I'm not proud of myself for doing this... but I've had no other recourse. I've tried applying for poverty benefits from the state... but every single time, I've been denied." he said.

Luna's eyes hung toward the floor for a moment, before she looked back at her lover, placing a hoof on his shoulder.

"...I'm really sorry to hear that, Avey." she said. "It's really upsetting when your life doesn't provide you with the necessary means of survival."

Aversion took some sips of tea, hoping that the herbal blend would help calm him... but stopped for a moment as he looked into his cup.

"Hmmm..." he hummed.

Luna looked up. "Something wrong, Avey?"

"Well, tea tastes a little... off." Aversion said.

"Perhaps it's just a little aged?" Luna said.

"Meh, it's okay. It's not bad, just different." Aversion responded.

He set his cup down after finishing it... but only a few seconds after he did, his stomach rumbled a bit, causing the stallion to rub his belly in an attempt to ease it.

"Was that your stomach, Avey?" Luna asked. "It sounded pretty loud just now..."

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing..." Aversion said.

"But anyway, I'll tell you what, Avey..." Luna said. "...you can come to Canterlot Castle to have your meals with us, and I'll do what I can to assist you through my own financial means... so long as nopony finds out. And also... I just so happen to have been looking at some job openings in Ponyville, and I believe I could get some secret connections for you to get a more well-paying, enjoyable job!"

Aversion finally managed to smile. "Thanks, Lulu. You truly are a great marefriend to have!"

"Of course!" Luna said. "If there is anything you need from me, Avey, anything at all... all you need to do is ask!"

Just as he was about to speak, Aversion was interrupted by another loud, violent gurgling sound from his belly. Aversion lowered his head to look at the anterior portion of his gut, gently rubbing it with a hoof, his eyes narrow in confusion. Luna narrowed her own eyes and tilted her head after hearing the unsettling noise.

"Avey... are you feeling okay?" she asked.

"I don't know..." Aversion said. "...I'm not sure why my stomach's going crazy like this... and it feels like... like I'm getting really full..."

At that moment, a batpony guard exited the door to the balcony.

"Your Highness!" he spoke. "I have a report from His Highness, Prince Blueblood: the cleaning mares of your quarters are having an aggressive dispute as we speak!"

Luna sighed, hanging her head. "Oh, again? Goodness, what is it about Thursday that makes those two so bitter...?"

With that, she stood from the table and began making her way toward the door, glancing back at her coltfriend.

"Just sit tight for a moment, Avey. I'll be right back..." Luna said.

"Okay." Aversion responded.

Luna went into the castle, the guard escorting her the way up, leaving Aversion alone on the balcony. The rumbling sound from his stomach was slowly transitioning into a lower, deep bubbling sound. He did not know what was going on, except that he felt really... bloated.

"O-oh..." Aversion said, rubbing his head.

He suddenly felt kind of lightheaded along with the feeling in his gut. However, this strange feeling was not without visible effects...

...He noticed that his abdominal region was beginning to distend, very slowly but noticeably. His eyes went wide as he noticed this, and a gasp escaped his maw.

"Aah...! Wh-what's happening to me...!?" Aversion asked, gently pressing on his expanding belly. "...I-I feel funny...!"

It continued until Aversion looked quite overweight, with his limbs beginning to thicken as well. There was also a bit of expansion going to his neck and cheeks as well, causing them to puff up slightly.

"...A-am I... putting on weight or something...?" Aversion asked no one in particular.

He gently pressed on his belly again... but it did not feel soft. It actually felt firm, as if there was pressure building up inside of him. By this point, Aversion had the appearance of a morbidly-obese stallion, and was still getting bigger. The chair was squeezing his bottom, and he tried to look over the side of his enlarged body to see.

"Huh...?" Aversion uttered over the continued bubbling noise from inside his stomach. "...M-my butt's getting bigger, too?"

Eventually, the chair broke under the stress of Aversion's expanding bum, but rather than landing hard on the ground... he drifted a bit slowly. This was when he realized what was really going on. He wasn't gaining weight; he was filling up with air. His body was inflating like an enormous balloon!

Aversion's skin was becoming reflective and shiny as a result of being stretched beyond its normal range of elasticity. His cheeks were really starting to puff up as well, making it difficult for him to move his jaw. His limbs were also losing mobility as they continued to thicken and were being sucked into his ever-expanding barrel and torso, to the point where he could no longer bend them at their upper joints. The stallion gritted his teeth as a fearful expression filled his eyes.

"Please...! Make it stop...!" Aversion said, straining under the pressure he was literally under. "...I... don't wanna... POP...!"

Slowly, Aversion felt his bottom lift off the masonry floor as he began to ascend into the air. He slowly tilted forward, and he let out a nervous moan.

"Lulu!" he called, his speech slightly impaired due to his puffed cheeks. "LULU, WHERE ARE YOU!? HELP ME!"

He managed to grab hold of a rope holding up a cloth banner on the side of the tower, squeezing it between his hooves to hold him down. Sweating bullet, the stallion was gasping for breath, as the pressure inside him inhibited his breathing a bit. Also, he tried doing it to calm his nerves.

Eventually, the bubbling sound in his belly stopped, as did his inflation. This left the stallion holding on so as not to float off, all the while wondering: What caused this?

At that moment, Blueblood happened to emerge from the door below him, and upon looking up at the inflated Aversion, a wicked grin filled his face.

"Well, well... it seems that the potion brewers got it right! The Inflating Potion did work on you!" he said.

"Wait... what?" Aversion asked.

"See..." Blueblood said. "...I slipped one-hundred cubic-centimeters of the potion into your tea, causing you to fill with a lightweight gas so as to float off into the sky!"

"Why...?" Aversion asked. "...Why did you do this to me...?"

Blueblood glared. "Because, you are nothing but a worthless earth pony! You shall never amount to anything especially useful in your short, pathetic life! As I am of royalty, I am of greater status than you could ever hope to achieve!"

With that, the prince then walked over to the rope... and took a knife from the table that Luna and Aversion were eating at. Aversion's eyes went wide with fear once again as he realized what Blueblood intended to do.

"Please... d-don't do this...!" Aversion begged. "...I'm... s-scared of heights...!"

"Silence!" Blueblood shouted, using his magic to conjure duct tape over Aversion's mouth. "You shall now learn what happens when you so much as breathe the same air that is property of the Royal Family of Canterlot!"

He held the knife at the rope holding Aversion down, and smiled evilly at the inflated stallion.

"Farewell... peasant!" the Unicorn said, immediately before cutting the rope.

With nothing to hold him down, Aversion began to slowly float upward into the sky. He flailed his legs around helplessly, tears appearing in his eyes. His cries for help were muffled out by the tape, and he could not open his mouth wide enough to pull it off.

"Have fun in orbit with the satellites! Hahahahahahaha...!" Blueblood laughed as he ran back inside the castle.

Luna returned to the hall just inside from the balcony.

"Sorry, Avey..." she spoke through to the balcony door. "...those mares were not fighting at all! I really don't see what... wait..."

She noticed that Aversion was missing.

"Avey?" Luna called. "Where'd you go?"

Looking around, she saw something round in the sky, drifting subtly with the wind.

"Hmmm...?" Luna uttered. "Perhaps a child let go of their balloon?"

Using a Perception Charm, she focused very intensely on the object in the distance, and once she zoomed in enough to see that it had limbs and a head, she realized...

"...Oh my Sister!" she shrieked. "IT'S A PONY!"

With that, Luna quickly took to the sky, jetting after the inflated pony. Within ten seconds, she caught up to them, and once she was close enough...

"AVEY!" she said, seeing his color palette and cutie mark (which was fairly enlarged on his expanded plot).

"Hmmm...?" Aversion hummed through the tape on his mouth, looking in the direction of the dark-blue alicorn flying toward him. His eyes widened. "M-mmm...!"

"Don't worry, sweetie! I'll get you back down!" Luna said, encasing Aversion in a levitation spell, and bringing him with her back to the castle.

With that, Luna touched down, and then returned her attention to Aversion. When she saw that there was tape over his mouth... that was when she knew something was seriously up. She took the tape off his mouth so he would be able to speak again.

"Who did this to you...!?" Luna asked.

Aversion tensed his cheeks to try and reducing their puffiness so as to speak clearly.

"...W-well..." he spoke, still partly muffled. "...it was Prince Blueblood... he said he slipped some kind of... 'Inflating Potion' into my tea...!"

"Blueblood!?" Luna asked, her expression becoming one of fury. "That young stallion... he doesn't know when to quit, does he!?"

Luna then brought Aversion inside, stopping for a moment to examine him, gently pressing on his inflated abdomen.

"So... are you experiencing any discomfort, Avey? Does it hurt?" Luna asked.

Aversion shook his head. "No, it doesn't hurt. It just feels... really weird."

"Well, I need to have a little word with Blueblood about doing these kinds of things to others..." Luna said, releasing Aversion from the levitation spell and walking off to the hall exit.

He slowly began to float upward again.

"Wait, Lulu!" Aversion said. "Could you please... deflate me first?"

Luna bit down on the inside of her lips for a moment, thinking.

"...Sorry, Avey. But I can't let Blueblood try to get away from his punishment!" she said. "But I promise that the instant he is confined, I will be back up here to fix you!"

Aversion bumped into the ceiling as Luna walked off again, and rolled slightly. He was now basically stuck.

Luna, in the meantime, went to hunt for Blueblood. She could feel his particular magic, passively emanating from his horn, and soon enough, caught him trying to sneak around to avoid being caught by anypony.

"Blueblood!" Luna called.

Upon hearing this, Blueblood gasped and tried to get away... but Luna was quick to react and levitated him toward her. She then singed him with her red-hot angry glare.

"You best explain yourself with what you just did with that potion, Blueblood!" Luna said, fiercely. "Why do you continue to bully my poor friend!?"

"Oh, come now, Auntie Luna!" Blueblood said. "It was merely a joke! It's funny! He's now as inflated as his own ego!"

Luna was absolutely not amused.

"I find NOTHING funny about what you have done! Avey does NOT have a big ego! If anything, he feels belittled and victimized, especially with what he has had to deal with over the course of his entire life! He has been bullied by peers and abused by his family throughout his childhood! Hasn't he suffered enough!?"

"No!" Blueblood said. "Not by a longshot! A commoner like him is made to suffer! Really, who is it harming?"

"You don't know a bucking thing about him!" Luna rebutted. "Avey is not some egotistical commoner who sees himself above all else! He's a lost, hurt soul seeking love and acceptance."

"Well, I assumed he would've taken a hint from the events at the amusement park!" Blueblood said.

Luna's pupils went small. "Wait... how do you know about that?"

Blueblood gasped, clasping his hooves to his mouth as he realized his mistake. Now... Luna was not just furious, but purely and utterly enraged.

"...You did all those things to Avey at the park when we were trying to have fun, didn't you!?" she said fiercely.

Blueblood could not speak; Luna frightened him when she was angry.

"L-listen, Auntie..." he stammered. "...I-I'm sorry, okay? I apologized! Is th-that what you wanted to h-h-hear...?"

"You really think saying 'sorry' will just magically fix everything!?" Luna thundered. "No, you will be brought before the Canterlot Royal Court, where you will be given a proper punishment for everything you have done to my poor Avey!"

"W-wait, Auntie Luna...!" Blueblood said desperately.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Luna shouted, conjuring a magical muzzle over Blueblood.

With that, she took him straight to his room, and ensured that he would not be coming out until arrangements were made for a hearing.

Aversion had been absently floating in the hall on his own. He could not get himself down, but his body was starting to adapt to its expanded shape, so he was becoming more accustomed to it.

With nothing else to do, Aversion simply ended up falling asleep while still floating up on the ceiling.