A Change in Scale

Chapter 2: Kindling

One Year Later-

A loud boom erupted over the streets of Griffinstone. Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom made the throngs of griffins go wild, mobs of adrenaline-pumped ponies and other creatures stomping their hooves and clapping loud. It was time for the Allied Nations Summit yet again, and Thorax and Pharynx were among the crowd, the former’s loud whoops and hollers easily heard above the throng.

“Look, Pharynx!” Thorax pointed at Spitfire flying low with the griffin acrobats. “I never knew pegasi and griffins could perform stunts together!”

Pharynx looked to where his brother was pointing, then immediately resumed watching the crowd. “I never knew ponies and griffins had such knowledge of pyrotechnics. Maybe we should start researching explosives, as well.”

Thorax sighed. “‘Oooh, maybe we should start researching explosives, as well, nyah!’ How about you just relax and enjoy the show for a change? It’s a bunch of stunts, not a display of force. Quick, over by the valley! The sun’s coming up, and they said something special—”

A series of mighty cracks rent the air. The city cannons fired right as the sun crept over the horizon, artillery shells screaming as they flew into the forest valley with frighteningly powerful blasts.

Thorax stared. “Were those live rounds?!”

Pharynx didn’t bat an eyelash. “Not a display of force at all.”

“U-Uh…” Thorax put a hoof behind his head. “S-Still, though! You gotta admit it’s pretty spectacular. All the bright colors, so many sounds booming and banging, and all these neat tricks they keep doing! How come our military doesn’t do anything like that?”

Pharynx narrowed his eyes.

“Think about it!” Thorax put a hoof around him. “The ponies have the Wonderbolts, the griffins have the Hunter-Talon Corp, so what about us? You could even give them a cool edgy name if you wanted, like the Doomslashers! Or the Swiftwings! Shiftstalkers? Eh? Ehhhhh?”

The smallest of smiles tugged at Pharynx’s lips. “Sometimes I wonder how we’re kin.”

Thorax snickered. He gave his brother a nuzzle, then turned his gaze skyward again just in time to see Fleetfoot streak low over the crowd.

Reluctantly, Pharynx glanced up at the show. He watched for about ten seconds before losing interest… but when he made to watch the crowd again, he noticed his little brother’s face. Thorax was dancing in place, his eyes sparkling with an open-mouthed smile, gasping and cheering with every stunt.

Pharynx look softened. He scooched a tad closer to Thorax, still monitoring the crowd, but occasionally looking up for the more death-defying stunts. “Doomslashers…”

***

Griffinstone was built upon and around one of the largest trees in the world. Drasil was its name, and its scope and size defied description, so massive that the record for doing a lap around its base was twenty minutes. Thorax and Pharynx’s quarters were nestled against a great root on Drasil’s south side, which while cozy enough, was quite a ways from the elevated Griffinstone Keep, where the Summit meetings were hosted.

Thorax and Pharynx watched the aerial show for another twenty minutes before they had to get ready for the meetings. They took wing and flew low over the winding city paths and homes sculpted into the living bark, a blur of colorful creatures below preparing to start the day.

“I’m not taking your place again, by the way!” Pharynx called to Thorax. “If you didn’t bring your inhibitor—”

“I brought it!” Thorax gestured to his saddlebags. “I’ll put it on once things start. I’d rather not feel numb any longer than I have to.”

Pharynx grunted. “So long as you don’t skip another day and a half of meetings. I wonder how many creatures last year wondered about ‘Thorax’ excusing himself during a five minute recess, only to come back looking and smelling like he’d just got out of the shower?”

Thorax chirped like a cricket. “I-I can’t wait to see her… her last letter said she’ll be here soon! Eeeeee! I have so many plans!”

Pharynx rolled his eyes. “How many of those plans account for potential size difference?”

It was true. The friendliness and openness of reformed changelings had been embraced more and more by the greater world, and while the growth was negligible in most changelings (about a half-inch or so) the King and Prince were… different. Thorax now stood at a towering eight foot-eleven, twice the size of most griffins and nearing three times the size of a pony. Pharynx wasn’t far behind at eight foot flat, and even the biggest griffins had to crane heads back to meet the brothers’ eyes, most passerby only came up to their chests, and the rest could easily pass under them.

“Actually, I remember she said something about having a growth spurt of her own.” Thorax tried to recall the conversation, but a lot of it was hazy. “It shouldn’t be a problem. I can just shapeshift to something smaller if need be.”

Pharynx sighed. “Look, I… I know you want to spend time with her, but don’t miss any more meetings. This is a political meeting first, and a get-together with friends second.”

Thorax got a saucy grin. “You want to talk about politics? Our relations with the dragons have never been better. We wouldn’t have that if without—”

“You KNOW.” Pharynx’s voice sliced through his brother’s. “Why we’re here. The Shah of Dromardia was looking for you, and you were nowhere to be found. The Antelese ambassador had questions about our joint logging operation, and I couldn’t answer her. The Tuktu Thane is interested in searching our western wastes for—”

“Okay! Okay!” Thorax said. “I get it. You’ve made your point, okay?!”

Pharynx pinned back his ears. “One can only hope. I’ve arranged for a carriage to fly us up to Griffinstone Keep, so as soon as we get back to the hotel, we need to get cleaned up and ready to go. We’ll have to fly up ourselves if we’re late, so don’t dawdle.”

Thorax looked up at the Keep hundreds of feet above them, built atop a branch so huge it defied all understanding. “Fine, fine...”

“I was hoping we could set aside some time to talk with the Saddle Arabians,” Pharynx went on. “There’s still a chance we can open up a trade deal—”

Just then, a strange scent filled their noses. It set off their empathic senses as well—a strange mix of roses, ozone and... sulfur? It toyed with their nostrils and overpowered the sweet scents of the excited crowd beneath them, toying with and stirring memories of...

“Pharynx,” said Thorax.

Pharynx raised his nose and sniffed. “What… IS that?”

It’d been a year since Thorax had felt this, but it was unmistakable. And it was much, MUCH stronger than before.

“I think we should land,” he said. “C’mon.”

The two of them coasted down to a dirt street. They folded their wings just as the crowd started to murmur and pause, all heads turning as one towards the grounds of the flight show. Thorax and Pharynx cringed as the emotions of the crowd began to shift, going from bland calm and sweet merriness to metallic surprise and sour fear.

Thorax looked back at the stadium they’d just been at. He sniffed again, a hungry smile creeping up on his face. “Speak of the devil…”

A massive form emerged from the smoke of the flight show. The light of dawn made it hard to see what it was, but it was approaching with startling speed.

Pharynx bristled. “Is that…?”

The performers had already scattered. The thing blotted out more and more of the sun, the crowd torn between panicking and gawking at the majestic sight. Leathery wings larger than sails, blue scales larger than shields, ivory teeth longer than swords, and clawed feet big enough for two griffins to sit in. Its body was lithe and graceful, considerably longer than tall, but even still, at least seventy feet at the shoulder. She had curved horns, her brilliant red eyes were fierce and proud...

Thorax’s heart skipped a beat. “Ember...”

Pharynx’s lips parted. “You’re kidding.”

The wind was strangely calm as Ember slowed her descent. She was massive, yes, but even she was tiny compared to the tree the city was built around. A single flap of her great wings should’ve blown over buildings and sent creatures flying, but her strokes were silent and fluid, her every move having catlike finesse. Few were astute enough to notice the subtle glow around her body, but Pharynx certainly did as Ember came close.

“So, dragons can perform magic, after all.” He snorted. “Terrific. Just when I thought they couldn’t get any more dangerous.”

Thorax ignored him. He’d been thinking for months on what to say when he and Ember were face-to-face again. Yet for all his preparation, all their back and forth letters, all the things they’d shared about the decades they’d been apart...

Ember glided past the crowded buildings and flew to the edge of the cliffside. She did a lazy circle around an empty open area and landed on all fours,her colossal feet touched down with mighty BOOMS that sent shards of stone flying. She spread her wings out far as she could while standing tall and proud.

“Greetings, Griffinstone!” she boomed loud as she could. “Rejoice, for the dragons have arrived for the Allied Nations Summit!”

It was a good thing Ember wasn’t empathic like the changelings. The foul shift in the crowd’s emotions was enough to make Thorax and Phayrnx retch, and they took wing at the same time to escape it. They didn’t really think, they just flew towards the nearest thing that didn’t reek of pungent resentment and acidic annoyance, which, in this case, happened to be Ember herself.

“Growth spurt, indeed!” Pharynx called to Thorax. “And here I was worried you might be the large one! I’d like to see you shapeshift to match that!”

“Not now, Phary!”

Ember noted the two colorful, kiwi-sized creatures approaching. “Ah, the welcoming party.” She tucked in her wings to let them approach. “I’m Dragon Lord Ember, first of my name. Where might I—”

She stopped upon making out their features.

“Thorax!” A reddish tint colored her cart-sized cheeks. “U-Uh, hi! I didn’t realize you’d… well, I suppose you saw me come in, h-heh… I, erm… meant to tell you how i-intense my growth spurt’s gotten, but I… may have been putting it off… S-So, erm… s-surprise?”

Thorax was speechless. His heart was pounding, and the closer he got to Ember, the more her emotional aura drew him in. His every vein sizzled, electric with sensual energy, so loud it buzzed in his ears.

Ember paused. She waited for him to say something, but the longer he went quiet, the more she began to suspect. His wolfish smile, the intensity in his gaze, his heavy breathing despite keeping aloft with ease. His wings were beating fast and light as he fidgeted mid-air, and Ember couldn’t help but glance at his undercarriage before remembering (again) that his kind could hide that...

“Well, well.” Ember leaned a bit closer, smirking. “Don’t I feel like a silly dragon? Can’t say I expected this, but I’m certainly not complaining. You like the new me, don’t you?”

Thorax bit back a moan. “Oh, sweet stars a-aLiVE…”

Ember licked her lips. His stutter had been accompanied by green flames beneath his barrel, his painfully hard length revealed, hefty, and dripping. “This is what happens when you become dragon lord, you know. Your size and strength increases alongside the prosperity of your subjects, more and more without ever stopping. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING good about you gets drawn out to the max, but dragons don’t actually have a max, so…”

Thorax only heard about half of that, as he was more interested in another s-word Ember didn’t seem to have a max on.

“Good to see I can still take your breath away,” Ember said giggling. “I really should’ve just told you, shouldn’t I? I don’t know why I got hung up on it.”

Thorax finally shook his head clear. He took a few more seconds to confirm that yes, this was real, but then, he shoved all thoughts aside and just said the only thing that seemed to matter.

“I missed you.”

Ember purred like the world’s largest kitten. She took a moment to let him appreciate every inch of her, turning in place and striking a pose. She was now funneling an incredible amount of energy into him, and she was only giving him more the longer he ogled her.

Pharynx fought the urge to facehoof. “For Mother’s sake...”

A moment or two of showing off later, Ember held out a claw for both Thorax and Pharynx to land. “I know you said in your letters that you were going to come, but I’m still a little surprised. Don’t changelings and griffins have a bad track record, or something?”

Art by RossmaniteAnzu - Colored by 09Hankris

Pharynx, after noticing that Thorax was still on the verge of drooling, cleared his throat. “It’s more accurate to say changelings have bad track record with everyone. Coming here is no less a risk than most other places, and even if it was, it’s our prerogative to make amends with those we’ve wronged. We want to emphasize our new love-acquiring methods render our old ones obsolete, and thus make strides towards ending hostilities.”

Ember’s great eyes slid over to him. She took in his darker color, his shrewd expression, the subtle way he always keep both her and Thorax in view. He was always right on the verge of dashing forward, but he never actually did. “Prince Pharynx. I didn’t realize you’d learned to talk like a politician.”

Pharynx shrugged. “We changelings are all about change. I’ve learned many things these past years, both from my brother, and the world.”

The two stared at each other like hawks. Neither said a word, but a conversation took place regardless.

“The yang to Thorax’s yin,” Ember said at last. “Good. Making friends and playing nice is all well and great, but as I’m sure you’ve learned, not all races are the same. I was worried some might use your peace attempts as an opportunity to take revenge.”

Pharynx’s eyes flashed. “Oh, please... PLEASE let them try.”

Ember grinned. “Therrrre’s the edge I was looking for.”

Thorax may as well have been in another dimension. He was listening to Ember’s breath rise and fall like a great bellows, her fiery scent and emotions lacing her every word. He struggled to control that familiar tension inside him, doubly so thanks to her dizzying her arousal… which he realized she was using magic to focus in on him. She was so immense neither brother could see anything but her head and chest, but thanks to her little peep show, they’d glimpsed the waterfall dripping between her legs...

“Alright, I suppose I should let you get ready for the Summit.” Ember paused to let out a yawn that showed off her cavernous mouth. “Lots of important things to talk about, and all that… But first, I’m a little tired from my flight, so I think I’ll go to the other side of that hill over there and sun myself a while.”

Thorax snapped to. “Huh? You’re leaving?!”

“Just a little ways away from the city,” Ember said without looking at him.“ Y’know, somewhere out of sight, and earshot...”

Thorax’s hips thrust on impulse. His own increased size had brought greatly increased virility, and an impressive-sized puddle had formed beneath his quivering tip. His bowling-ball sized nuts churning with enough seed to drown someone. and if he stood here much longer, he was going to coat her whole palm with pre.

Ember chuckled. She set the brothers on the ground, then after admiring her glistening palm a moment, made a long, long show of licking it clean. She spread her mighty wings and leapt up, and after rising high with a few hard beats, she angled away towards the hills.

“Y-Yeah…” Thorax mumbled. “See you—OW! Pharynx! Hey, hey, hey!”

“Don’t even think about it.” Pharynx had grabbed Thorax’s tail with magic and was now dragging him back towards the city. We’ve a Summit to get to.”

“I can’t just ditch her!” Thorax said. “She wants to—”

“You are our king!” Pharynx said, his voice rising. “You’re supposed to have our race’s best interests in mind! To be a leader is to serve the public—that’s why we’re called 'public servants'!”

Thorax freed himself with a growl. “Being late to one meeting isn’t going to be the end of the world! I’ve been waiting all year to see her—”

Pharynx whirled on him, stomped up, yanked his face down with magic. “Listen to me, and listen to me now. Our race has been a menace for longer than anyone even knows. Our mother was a monster, our grandmother was a monster, and nearly every last one who preceded them was just as bad or worse. It’s a miracle in and of itself we’ve managed to survive this long, but it’s an even greater miracle we’re allowed at these gatherings despite our past, let alone try to network or trade! You symbolize peace when all others before you have only wanted war, and the only time we make any headway is when you’re leading the way! I don’t have whatever it is you have, Thorax! None of our kind does!”

Thorax gulped. Even though he was nearly a foot taller, it felt like Pharynx was standing over him. “I-I…”

Pharynx looked straight into Thorax’s rose-red eyes. “There’s no one else like you. No other changeling can do what you can. You either guide us into a new dawn, or we fade with the setting sun. There comes a time when we all have to make sacrifices, little brother, and the burden of the crown forces us to make more than most.”

Pharynx’s look softened, and he pressed their foreheads together with a click. “Please.”

Thorax swallowed hard. There was a long silence, the brothers standing amidst the plateau. A mild morning breeze rolled through that whistled into the valley and rustled some bushes nearby. Pharynx stepped away a few seconds later, then stood still as a statue to stare hard at Thorax, waiting.

Thorax closed his eyes. Slowly, he reached in his saddlebags and pulled out a simple iron ring, plain and dull. He grimaced at it like the necessary evil it was, then carefully, he slid it on his erect member.

Pharynx breathed out a sigh. “Thank you, my King.”

The effect was immediate. Not only were Thorax’s roaring urges gagged silent, but the rest of his empathic senses, as well. When he opened his eyes, it wasn’t Thorax the Lover who stood there, but Thorax the Leader.

Thorax glanced at the morning sun. “The first meeting’s in forty-five minutes. We’ve just enough time to get back to the hotel and get ready before the carriage arrives. Lead the way.”

Pharynx saluted. “Sir.”

***

An entire day’s worth of meetings later-

Thorax stood alone in a study in the upper levels of Griffinstone Keep. It was ornately decorated compared to most of the other rooms he’d been in so far—the chairs had actual cushions, the bookcases were filled with books, the rug was in one piece, and murals of sleeping griffin chicks were carved into the walls. It was certainly a welcome change from the bland, scuffed up rooms he’d been in so far... but that wasn’t why Thorax had chosen this room to brood.

No, it was mainly because he didn’t have to crouch down in here.

The interactions with the other leaders had gone well so far. Pharynx had handled the military and trade questions, and Thorax had handled.. well, everything else. There was quite a bit to address considering the changelings were still new, and combined with how many nations were present, Thorax hadn’t gotten to speak with everyone.

Not that he was secretly grateful for that, or anything...

Thorax hung his head. Wearing the lust inhibitor always felt like taking some kind of drug. His empathic senses were as much a part of him as his legs or wings, and the sensation of his brain trying and failing to connect the dots always gave him the willies. A little voice kept insisting the should yank the thing off, but another voice reminded him of Pharynx words that morning.

“Heavy is the burden of the crown...” Thorax looked out the window to his left—

“Hey, you! Slemon—erm… um… blast this infernal language... CHANGELING, that’s it! Hey! Changeling King!”

Thorax turned. A pair of familiar dragons in armor were approaching from the far entrance, one surly and stomping while the other edged behind. Neither of them had weapons this time.

“Snarl and... Sear, I believe?” Thorax regarded each of them in turn. “You were the Dragon Lord’s escort last year at Canterlot. I didn’t realize you’d accompanied her again.”

Snarl and Sear closed the distance, pausing upon realizing they now needed to look UP at him. Sear was the one who’d initially spoken, but it was Snarl who now stepped forward, bowing and elbowing Snarl to do the same. “Ah… forgive our rudeness, Your Highness. I’m afraid Sear struggles with more than just the common language.”

Sear huffed and looked away.

Thorax was undeterred. “I’ve heard tell dragons respect strength above all else. I’d suggest you not dismiss me or my kind so easily—we’re not afraid to defend ourselves.”

He might as well have been speaking in tongues for the way they looked at him.

“Perhaps I should put it another way.” Thorax glared at Sear, the air growing heavy with changeling magic. “Lose the attitude, buster, or I'll tear out your throat while disguised as your mate.”

Sear went whiter than a polar bear in a blizzard.

“Forgive him, King Thorax!” Snarl struck Sear’s legs with his tail to make him kneel. “Please, we only came to deliver you a message from our lord!”

Thorax had had a feeling that was the case. “I’m listening.”

Snarl pointed above them. “Dragon Lord Ember wishes to speak with you in private. She’s waiting at the topmost observation platform overlooking the valley.”

Thorax let his magic fade. “Don’t test my patience again.” He exited the study without looking back, ducking through the too-small paths leading up to the higher, larger branches.

Snarl punched the side of Sear’s head. “He’s not a dragon, idiot! He doesn’t understand our ways!”

Sear chuckled, rubbed the new dent in his helmet. “No, but with that kind of ferocity, he’ll make a fine mate for the Dragon Lord.”

Snarl narrowed his eyes. “Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Demons run when a good soul goes to war’?”

“Of course.” Sear smiled and dusted himself off. “And just think, they’re all convinced his brother is more dangerous.”

***

It was approaching sundown. The treetop paths were lit by large chunks of amber with giant glow worms in them, the fresh scent of living wood and cool air comforting Thorax along the way. Normally he’d just fly up to the platform, but he wasn’t exactly in a hurry to face someone he’d just stood up, so he was admiring the view.

The warm light was almost a mirror to the distant city lights below. Thorax followed the signs that indicated the way to the observation platform, at last climbing an incredibly low and narrow flight of lengthy stairs that led out to the longest branch. The branch itself was immensely long and thick, stretching out the length and width of a hoofball field and then some. It was here that was the best place to view the deepest part of the valley beside Griffinstone: a treacherous, yawning chasm known as the Abysmal Abyss.

Ember wasn’t anywhere to be found. Thorax wasn’t sure what to think of that, but then again, perhaps this was her way at getting back him. Shrugging, he trotted the distance to the platform, which took a few minutes given its size. He waited on the empty platform a while before going to the guardrail and peering down into the expanse.

“Yeesh...” Thorax made a face. “Looks like it goes on forever.”

“It supposedly does,” said a voice behind him.

Thorax froze. He hadn’t realized, but the stairs he’d ascended had been cut through the midway point of the gigantic branch. That left plenty of room for even a giant creature to roost, even one as large as Ember. Thorax turned around, and sure enough, Ember was perched right behind the stairs like an oversized bird of prey, smiling and watching with laughing eyes.

“I flew down for a good ten minutes and didn’t see a bottom,” Ember said. “Lots of cozy-looking caves, though... some even big enough for a changeling and a dragon.”

Thorax blinked several times. “A changeling and a—wait.” He flicked out his tongue. “You’re not mad... Why aren’t you mad?”

Ember laughed. “Snarl and Sear saw everything from a bush. I’ll admit, your brother did have a point. I can’t hog you to myself when your whole race is depending on you.”

Thorax made a mental note to apologize to those two. “Okay, well… I still didn’t enjoy doing it. Been miserable all day.”

Ember beckoned him over. Thorax flew to land her palm like before, but this time, she lifted him to her cheek for a nuzzle and a kiss. “I missed you too, by the way.”

Thorax leaned against her warm scales. Her head alone was larger than his entire body, and somehow he knew she was only going to get bigger. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t smelled her at first—even in the open air and his empathy dampened, her sweet, sharp aroma was like a fog.

“How…” Thorax took several quick sniffs. “How are you doing that?”

Ember raised an eyeridge. “Doing what?”

Thorax kept sniffing her like a bloodhound. “I couldn’t smell you at all when I first got up here, but now you’re all I can smell!”

Ember giggled. “My head advisor’s been teaching me magic so I can visit cities without making a mess. Turns out there’s loads of spells that help dragons tread softly—it’s just most don’t use them.”

Thorax frowned. “I… don’t understand why they wouldn’t. Magic is dead useful! I don’t know how I’d live without it!”

“Oh, I’m with you, believe me.” Ember spread her wings around them to shield them from the wind. “But let’s not talk about me right now, okay? We don’t have as much time this year, and I know we both want to make the most of it.”

Thorax hummed. “I certainly do…”

Ember kissed him again. “Good. Now, from what I understand, you have a special ring that makes you not want to mount everything with a pulse, and your brother talked you into putting it on.”

Thorax blushed. “U-Uh, something like that.” He sat on his rump, spreading his haunches to let her see.

Ember squinted. “It’s THAT kind of ring?!” She leaned in closer, then closer still, her nostrils flaring. “Mmmm, we might be able to have some fun with this…”

Thorax hummed at her warm breath hitting his whole underside. But his brain was at a loss as to why there was no greater response, even when Ember literally gave his whole lower body a smooch.

“Quite a powerful little doohickey,” Ember said, leaning back. “This morning you looked ready to turn into the biggest thing you could and rut me in front of the whole city. Now you’re limp as a noodle! Is it something you just got recently? Or…?”

“I should’ve had it last year in Canterlot,” Thorax admitted. “But I forgot it on accidentally, so… yeah. It’s… not the first time it’s happened.”

Ember’s eyes flicked to Thorax’s crotch again, then back to his face. “No wonder your brother went off on you. I’m not sure whether to be impressed or annoyed at him, to be honest—he made sure you kept your head in the game... by keeping your other head from going in me.”

Thorax laughed despite himself. “I know Pharynx means well. He just doesn’t really get intimacy… or social interaction at all, really. Sex has never been anything more than a meal for him.”

A smile tugged at Ember’s lips. “But you’re not your brother, are you?”

In reply, Thorax used a little bit of magic of his own. Ember suddenly something soft and warm against her cheek—like an invisible pair of lips as large as her own. She looked down just in time to see Thorax’s horns lose their glow.

“We could be having sex right now, you know.”

Ember licked her lips. Her heart was beating louder the longer Thorax was touching her, creeping more and more into her ears until it was all she could hear. She kept catching shadows of his intensity, hints of his charm and need leaking out. Even in the short time they’d been talking, she’d noticed a pressure building around him, and that pressure was building stronger...

“C’mon.” Ember flared her wings wide, tightened her grip on Thorax, then leapt off the branch into the abyss below.

You can understand why Thorax screamed. Falling out of control isn’t something anyone enjoys, and nothing gets your adrenaline pumping quite like your own impending demise. He did eventually stop upon realizing Ember hadn’t slipped, though, and by the time she’d evened out and started flapping north, he was more curious than anything else.

“I’m taking us to a place I found!” Ember bellowed to him. “Just enjoy the ride!”

Thorax got goosebumps. Even over her immense wingbeats and the whipping wind, he’d heard her clear as day. The dusky pines sped beneath them as she flew at a mind-boggling speed, and once they were beyond the city, a sudden aurarolled over Thorax, spreading out far beyond him in a radius around Ember. It pressed in on all his senses like a loving embrace, and the longer he was immersed in it, the more eager he got.

Thorax held on tight to Ember’s claw. “So big…”

***

The moon and stars were out by the time they descended. Their darkvision allowed them to see they’d followed the forest valley north towards the nearby mountain range, and said valley had been growing deeper and more crag-like as the vegetation thinned. Ember was now angling towards an outcropping in the sheer cliffside, specifically to a cave big enough for even her to enter.

Thorax spotted the glint of old metal mine cart tracks leading into the cave. Ember let him take wing so she could land, and he watched her drop onto the outcropping with a THUD heavy enough to make dust fall. He followed suit once she’d folded her titanic wings.

“So I’m guessing either you really, really liked my magic kiss back there,” Thorax said upon landing. “Or you really, really didn’t.”

A shiver ran through Ember’s sinuous form. “I haven't stopped thinking about you since last year. Nodragon has been able to come close to what you did! You lovebugs are something else, you know that? ”

Thorax smiled. “I was actually a little nervous going into it with you. I was worried I might not be good enough.”

Ember rolled her eyes. “Same old Thorax. Always pulling your punches and selling yourself short.”

“Short?! I’m quite tall, thank you very much!” Thorax put his hooves on his hips. “I’ve grown a ton since the last Summit! Just… not as much as you.”

Ember waggled her eyebrows. “How big a form can you take?”

Thorax hesitated. “A-Ah, well… I’m not sure. It’s harder to shapeshift into bigger things, and the largest form I’ve ever tried—”

“Hold that thought,” Ember said with a sudden grin. “You stay exactly how you are, little lovebug. Lemme show you this neat place I found.”

The air immediately grew warmer upon them entering the mine. The entrance had been expanded from a natural opening in the earth, the griffins needing to do little to convert such a large cavern. Shards of loose rock cracked and snapped under Ember’s great weight as she led on, hordes of glowing crystals surrounding them.

“How’d you find this place?” Thorax asked as he flew alongside.

Ember flicked out her tongue like a snake. “I could taste the gems from miles off. The griffins have tons of abandoned places like this all over… perfect for a growing girl like me.”

And growing in all the right ways, too. Rippling muscles, shining scales, bright eyes, sparkling white teeth, a beautiful muzzle, a sleek barrel, long claws, deliciously wide hips, and an incredibly long tail. Thorax betted he could stare at her for hours and not get bored.

“Did it hurt?” he asked. “Growing so big, I mean. It feels nice for me and Pharynx, but that’s because we grow by molting.”

Ember laughed. “Are you kidding? Dragons love getting bigger! Sprouting new scales, feeling our bones shift, becoming greater and stronger as the world shrinks around us... there’s nothing like it!”

Thorax tried to imagine what it must’ve been like for Ember the last year. The thoughts immediately made him feel warmer. “The… e-erm, oldest changeling records mention a group of ancient changelings called the leviathans. They were so big they even dwarfed ursa majors, but we’re not sure how true that is. Considering Pharynx and I keep getting bigger, though, who know?”

Annnnnnnnnnd now Ember was picturing Thorax as a horny leviathan. A sequoia-sized changeling cock filled her thoughts, bobbing and twitching, each drip of pre able to fill a small lake. “W-Well, don’t you worry. Real or not, I know we’ll still be able to have fun! I’ve got some ideas how to make things work…”

Thorax wasn’t sure if that was exciting or ominous. “Should I know about these ideas?”

“You’ll seeeeeeeeeee~”

They kept walking until they got to an uneven fissure in one of the walls. It was covered with cracks and scrapes along the sides, made just wide and enough for Ember to squeeze through. It may as well have been an archway for Thorax, but that’s what it might’ve originally been for all they knew.

“Ergh...” Ember squeezed herself into the crack. She was dextrous enough to manage most of her body through, but her hips were another matter. Dust fell from the ceiling as her mighty claws gouged the stone like putty, her battering ram of a tail whipping side to side. Thorax blushed as he watched from a safe distance, catching glimpses of the treasure between her rear legs. He could smell the drops of honey glistening, his sensitive nose catching the heavenly scent and drawing him in like a moth to the flame.

Ember flexed and heaved. The rocks cracked around her some more, but at last she slipped in. Thorax followed without comment, following behind her sexy tufted tail. A few dozen feet later the tunnel opened into a larger area, and Thorax was able to see...

“Whoa...” It was an enormous geode. A sapphire, to be exact, around eighty feet high and a hundred and twenty feet long. Everything within the space was blue gemstone—the floor, the walls, the ceiling, all of it reflective and smooth. Collapsed platforms and pieces construction equipment were scattered about here and there, but the only surfaces that looked worked on was the smoothed-out floor.

Thorax gaped. The blue crystals were smooth and reflective, a thousand Thoraxes and Embers staring back at them. “Wow…”

The space was just large enough for Ember to be in, but only just, and already, her body heat was starting to warm up the room. “I’ll tell the griffin king about this place tomorrow, but until then, we have it alllllllll to ourselves.”

Thorax inhaled deep. He could feel a calm, fuzzy sensation in his stomach, an almost dopey look creeping up on his face. “Ember…”

“Hey, you.” She reached down and scooping him up. “I’ll admit we dragons aren't known for planning things most of the time. We handle things as we come, and whatever happens, happens. My father ruled that way, my grandmother ruled that way, on and on. I’m the first to try and do things differently, and… well, it hasn’t been easy.”

Thorax’s expression sobered. “Tell me about it.”

Ember smiled. “I’ve a lot of respect for what you’ve done. I was taught to be a leader, but you didn’t have anyone to show you the way. Yet you’ve done so much in so short a time! That’s amazing!”

Thorax put a hoof behind his head. “It sounds more impressive than—”

Ember shushed him. “You’re special, doofus. When push comes to shove, you figure out a way to win, even without force. You know how to be strong in all the right ways, and your letters have been the highlight of this entire year for me. The changelings are lucky to have you as their king.”

Thorax hummed. Ember’s giant red eyes were fierce and proud, yet holding a gentle warmth he’d come to love. He wasn’t aware her arousal had already permeated the small space... nor had he noticed he was hard as a rock.

“Of course, you’re also an amazing lover,” Ember went on. “I mean, I know already told you, but I was serious that nodragon’s come close to what we did last year. I don’t have your weird touchy-feely emotion sense, but I’ve been practicing a few things I think will make up for it. It’s payback time, little lovebug~”

Thorax’s wings were fully splayed now. He was kissing and nuzzling Ember’s palm with little trilling sounds, his head hazy as she brought him in for a soft kiss. “Wh-What… what’d you have in mind?”

Ember set Thorax down on the cool, smooth floor before coaxing him onto his back. “Let me put it this way. Dragons may not be known for planning things, but if there’s one thing we are, it’s our pride.”

Thorax quivered at her touch. “I-I’m aware…”

“You didn’t just rut me last time, you showed me pleasures I didn’t even know existed! You had me begging for more without even trying, and by the time we were through, I was nothing but a pile of mush! You left me exhausted and satisfied and wanting more so badly I’ve spent the last year getting off to thoughts of you!”

At this, Ember raised her front paw, licked it several times, then lowered a soft digit to his crotch. “Now... it’s your turn.”

Thorax gasped. His entire body shook at her first touch, but the sensations still felt far away. The inhibitor’s accursed dullness was even obscuring her rubbing his dick! “E-Ember… the, a-ah... the ring...”

“Leave it.” Ember trailed her digit upward, coating his entire chest in saliva. “It’s more fun this way.”

“But you’re… u-ungh!” Thorax thrust his hips. “N-Not doing anything for me...”

Ember smirked. She bent her great head down, opened her cavernous mouth, and licked off the pre he’d just coated his whole underside with. “Sure about that?”

Thorax’s only reply was a moan.

Ember inhaled Thorax’s sweet musk. His pheromones were so unlike a dragon’s, but damn if they didn’t tighten that knot in her belly. “Have you seriously not noticed you’re overpowering that thing?”

Thorax blinked. It took considerable effort to focus on anything that wasn’t Ember, but after fighting through the fog, he realized a few important things. Not only had Ember been sharing an incredible amount of love and lust this whole time, he’d been drinking it all in without restraint. With every passing second she empowered him further, her warm emotions free to soak in thanks his empathic senses being numbed. He had to have consumed more than he typically did in a week, maybe two! It was like Ember was pouring an entire year’s worth of pent up feelings into him!

Thorax wrapped his legs around her claw and started grinding on it. His felt on edge, jittery, his mind clouded with that familiar need. His eyes rolled back as he registered his pheromones mixing with hers in the cramped space. “M-More…”

Ember purred. Thorax’s scent easily filled her lungs now, and she moved in close to coat him in her moist breath. Her eyes rolled back as well upon tasting him, and before long she was lapping at his sex over and over. Thorax urged her on with soft sighs her name, a fresh thrill racing through him each time he caught a glimpse down her deep throat. Her wet tongue rolled out again and again to stroke his legs and groin, yet all he did was coax her on, Ember using a bit of magic to keep him in place to really lick him.

Thorax was starting to get feeling back proper. He could feel more and more of Ember’s spongy tongue, but what really excited him was her godly size. Everything about her was a feast for the senses, and he made louder and louder groans while humping her tongue. His sweet scent intensified as seconds passed, along with larger and larger waves of something sticky coating his belly and chest...

Thorax’s eyes snapped open. He looked down between Ember’s licks, shocked to find the inhibitor ring still snug and tight around his engorged cock. Yet his length was bigger and longer than he ever remembered, his burgeoning nuts drenching his chest with pre...

“H-HowwWWwWWw…” He trailed off into a moan as Ember fed him a spike of raw lust. The burst made his balls swell even bigger, and the greatest surge thus far escaped him to hit his neck and face.

“Mmmm…” Ember’s licks trailed up Thorax’s body. Even she was no match for the potent pheromones of a royal changeling, although that implied she wanted to resist in the first place. His taste was like a drug she couldn’t get enough of, and she didn’t pause in licking clean his neck, face, horns… then the rest of him for good measure. Thorax warm chitin was so smooth, so alive, so healthy, and the longer she immersed herself in him, the more she wanted.

Neither of them knew how long they went back and forth. A few minutes, five, ten, a half-hour... perhaps even longer. Ember’s eyes were fully dilated by the time she pulled back from Thorax, her breaths hard and fast, a desperate, gnawing hunger burning in her core. Thorax was coated nose to tail in her saliva and his own emissions, and without her constantly lapping the latter up, they quickly took over.

“So much…” A stray thought made Ember wonder what Thorax’s orgasms had to be like. “Oh, Io… if only you were bigger...”

Thorax didn’t speak Draconic, but the longing in Ember’s voice wasn’t lost on him. “Wh-What?”

Ember didn’t reply. Instead she pressed a claw to a scale beneath her jaw, where she’d etched a rune containing a spell. She raised her now-glowing claw and pointed it straight at Thorax.

A burning heat struck Thorax. It focused in on the sharper, pointier parts of his body, and he felt a fading sensation of feeling in those parts… before abruptly, all feeling in them vanished entirely.

“Yesssss, it worked… nngh…” Ember struggled a moment to switch positions, the ground shaking as she rolled onto her scaly back. Her sinuous tail coiled around Thorax to lift him onto her crotch. “Now you’re ready...”

Thorax didn’t need to ask what for, as the answer had been calling to his nose all day. Ember’s plan was quite clear as felt for his horns a moment, not surprised to find them vanished.

“How long?” he asked.

Ember moaned as she slid a digit in her pussy. “A-A few… mmffff… hoursssss…”

That was all he needed to hear. Ember was radiating more love and lust into than ever, and Thorax absorbed it all like a sponge, chittering as the pressure built more and more. He wasted no time in rubbing Ember’s labia with both hooves, and the instant he did, her claw pulled out to creep around him, coaxing closer...

“Yes… Th-Thorax…” Ember fought the urge to thrust her hips. “A-Ahh…”

Thorax pressed his cheek to her hot, slippery flesh. He kissed and licked with his meager mouth, massaging and rubbing her tremendous privates as best he could. She guided him deeper with a gentle claw, little by little pushing him deeper until his forehooves slipped in with a wet schlick. Before long his head followed, and he immediately began running long tongue all over her inner walls. Her powerful muscles pulled him deeper, sucking him into her hot, tight, wetness, and he buzzed his wings at the halfway point to vibrate on her clit.

Ember squealed. Thorax was a living vibrator, and his every touch strengthened her fiery desire. His magically-smoothed body tickled and teased her the deeper he went, his hooves and head pleasuring spots she hadn’t even known! She didn't know if he was using that 'pleasure-seeking' technique or flailing at random, but that didn’t stop her from pushing him in the rest of the way, her hungry cunny swallowing him whole.

The lust inhibitor may as well have been a decoration. Ember’s tight, slick tunnel engulfed Thorax, his senses saturated in her most intimate place. Raw, intense emotion oozed from her velvety softness, and he could hear her moaning his name over and over, her tunnel consumed by need. He started squirming, thrusting, wiggling, thrashing as much as possible, and soon Ember wasn’t moaning, but roaring, the muffled sound reverberating around him.

Ember raked the sapphire floor to pieces. She worked her inner muscles like she’d practiced as Thorax literally fucked her from the inside. She took breaths in great gasps, her tongue lolled out and panting, her hips rising and falling to further smash the floor. It went on like that for a while, but soon it was clear Thorax was having difficulty getting any farther inside her. Without thinking, she thrust her tufted tail into her pussy, pushing him deeper, DEEPER…

Thorax was at a loss. One second he’d been humping and thrusting like mad, the next he was being pushed by something. He was now pressed against an even smaller opening within Ember’s tunnel, guarded by a bottleneck of muscle he couldn’t get past. Thorax had just enough time to register this was the source of Ember’s lust before he suddenly sensed something beyond… something strange, unique. It was difficult to tell, but whatever the thing was felt like… strange clusters, each containing incredibly small and fragile things that shone like stars.

Thorax was speechless. There were more of those stars than he could ever hope to count, and upon detecting them, their combined latent energy sang to him like a chorus of sirens. His inhibitor’s magic was snuffed out in an instant, and Thorax’s eyes glowed white as he came in an explosion of sexual energy. The burst was so great it travelled out into Ember, and she went rigid as her muscles clenched and spasmed in a mighty peak.

Thorax felt himself slipping amidst the shared orgasm. Ember’s walls weren’t spasming in rhythm anymore, but randomly, and stronger! He fought to remain inside her, but his muscles were locked up! He tried to shapeshift as a last effort, but it was too late. He slid back farther and farther until was shunted out of Ember amidst a wave of their combined emissions. He fell spread eagle on her tail with his dick shooting into the air like a fountain, and by then he could do little but pump his hips like mad, each salvo setting off fireworks in his mind.

It was a long time before either of them came down. Thorax’s eyes refocused to stare up at the ceiling, realizing that he’d been moved at some point to the sapphire floor. He was drenched nose to tail in sexual fluids, and upon sitting up and wiping off his face, the first thing he saw was Ember’s long, body, curled into a ball around him like a living barrier.

“Mine,” she said.

Thorax chuckled. He turned and saw her head resting on the floor right beside him. “I suppose this is the closest we can get to spooning.”

Ember caressed his face with her long, forked tongue. “Mmmm, my lovebug.”

Thorax smiled. He shook himself off as best he could before flying up to lay on her head. “Was it good for you, too?”

Ember laughed. “Whatever you did at the end there made me go over so hard my whole body went numb. That hasn’t happened since the last time we were together.”

Thorax took that as a yes. He looked down at the inert metal ring still attached to his stallionhood, at last sliding it off and holding it up. “I guess you were right about it being better with the ring on.”

“I’ll say! I—” Ember paused at his tone of voice. “Wait… we broke it, didn’t we.”

“Eh, more like overloaded.” Thorax shrugged. “I can fix it when I get back to the hive.”

A smile tugged at Ember’s lips. “Somebug’s gonna get in troubbbblllleee~”

“I’d let Pharynx ream me out for a year straight if it meant spending more time with you,” Thorax said.

“Oh, shut up.” She was about to ask him what fixing the ring entailed, but just then, she felt him shifting in place atop her head. It wasn’t hard for her to guess why—she’d felt him getting a boner the second he’d laid down on her. “You really can’t get enough of me, can you?”

Thorax blushed. “I-I…”

“Here.” Ember took him in her claw again, brought him around to her chest, and held him close for a hug. The remainders of her lust seeped out of her body and into his, adding to the considerable energy she’d already shared. “Better?”

Thorax gulped. He could still hear the singing—those teeny-tiny stars, calling to him like a faint serenade. He still didn’t know how many there were...

“Thorax?”

Thorax jolted. “U-Um! Yes! Yes, much better. Don’t worry about me being horny again, it’s just part of being me. I’m more surprised at how much eggergy—ENERGY! Ahem… that you shared with me. How’d you manage to store so much?”

Luckily, Ember was too spaced out to notice. “You said changelings grow bigger and stronger the more quality love you get, right? I figured we’re going to have any kind of fun next year, you’re going to need all the help you can get. That’s why I used dragon magic to store up as much excess as I could through the year.”

And that’s when Thorax realized. “Because you’re going to just keep growing more and more.”

Ember grinned wide. “I’m averaging about two inches a day right now, but I can tell it’s speeding up. The next time you see me, I’ll be bigger than my father, and not by a little bit.”

Thorax bit back a moan. He looked behind them to gaze at her barrel, where he knew the tiny stars were waiting. Whether due to her being Dragon Lord or just being a dragon in general, something told him there’d be more next year. “E-Ember—”

“We should go get cleaned up.” Ember rose, stretching out like a cat and kneading her claws on the ground. “I’m gonna fall asleep if I keep laying down like this, and then I’ll have to smash my way out of here. I barely fit through the exit as it is.”

Thorax gulped. “Right, right… with you growing so fast, and all…”

Ember waited for him to get clear before turning to the exit. “Ahhhh, that was everything I’d hoped. I knew you wouldn’t disappoint, Thory-Thor. Not even the biggest and most hung dragons can compete with you.”

Thorax was quiet. He watched her wiggle her way back through the opening, her tail raised high to show off her still-wet slit. He felt tight and jittery, his thoughts whipping around in a whirlwind, his body working like mad to process the mind-boggling amount of energy coursing through him.

“Her lovebug…” Thorax looked at his reflection in the geode facets. Thousands of Thoraxes stared back from all sides, their glittering tails filling the room with stars. “My dragon…”

***

The Next Morning-

“Announcing! The Tzaress of the Crystal Empire and the Princess of Love, Mi Amore Cadenza!” a herald proclaimed.

The Griffinstone Keep courtyard became filled with the sound of strange trumpets. A pink alicorn with her mane in an ornate headdress appeared with an entourage of crystal ponies, all of them walking tall and proud as the other diplomats and attendants bowed and applauded.

But there was one who did a bit more than applaud.

“Princess Cadance!” Ember called over the throng. “Hey! Over here!”

Cadance stopped. It wasn’t hard for her to see who was calling, but you couldn’t really blame her for hesitating. “E-Erm, Tourmaline, go with Topaz Shine and the others to find out where we’re seated at the meeting table, would you? I’ll just be a moment…”

She left her entourage to fly over to Ember, who was laying in a sploot opposite the crowd with Snarl and Sear. Cadance smiled and waved upon approaching, much to the surprise of the other diplomats.

Ember rolled her eyes. “Yes, we know each other! You’d think this is my first Summit, sheesh…”

Cadance landed to look up at Ember with a grin. “I’m guessing that crate of truthfire gems I sent for your birthday didn’t last long.”

Ember burst out laughing. “If it makes you feel any better, they made a great dessert. Only truthfires have that cool, minty aftertaste.”

Cadance giggled. “I’ll have to make another errand to the Puddinghead Tundra, then. I hadn’t realized you’d gotten so big, so quickly!”

Ember shook her head. “We dragons have a saying: It’s better to hoard a chest of gold than a mountain of coal. I’ll take quality over quantity any day.”

Cadence frowned. “Er... not to belie what you’re trying to say, but… you do know coal is actually really valuable, right? To non-dragons, at least. We use it as an energy source.”

Ember blinked. “Wait, what? That nasty, sooty rock that starts on fire?”

Cadance nodded.

Ember looked around at the other diplomats, who all of a sudden looked very interested. “Telllll you what, Cadance? Why don’t you come with me a few minutes so we can, uh… catch up on old times, and stuff? These meetings don’t have to be just about diplomacy, and, uh... I’ve found it’s nice to touch base with old friends.”

“Sure” Cadance unfurled her wings, raising them both high, high in the air. “Ahh, stretching my wings this much is great! I need to come to these things more often!”

Ember pointed to the roof of the Keep. “C’mon. You can tell me allllll about the wonders of dirty, cruddy ol’ coal.”

Meanwhile, while this was going on, Pharynx and Thorax were in the nearby prep area waiting for their signal to enter the courtyard. Pharynx was standing watch at the entrance while Thorax lay in a sploot similar to Ember’s, his horns glowing with a body-scouring spell.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Little Fang,” Pharynx said after a time.

Thorax regarded him. “Meaning?”

“You know what I mean,” Pharynx said without looking at him. “All you and Princess Cadance talked about is what might happen if you succeed. How about what might happen if you fail?”

Thorax narrowed his eyes. He stared hard at Pharynx a few seconds, but when his brother didn’t bite, Thorax hung his head. “Why do you think I asked for her help in the first place?”

Pharynx sighed. His eyes flicked to where Cadance had been sitting a few scant minutes ago. “I always forget you sought asylum in her kingdom when you fled the hive. I suppose if anyone’s going to help you succeed in winning the Dragon Lord’s love, it’s the princess of the stuff.”

Thorax looked at him a few seconds, his lips slightly parted. “I thought you’d be mad I went to someone else instead of you.”

Pharynx shook his head. “We both know I can’t help you with this. If you’d come to me first, I’d have said you’re suffering from some kind of mind parasite. I may have forgot how you know the Love Princess, but I was well aware she’s an old friend. I’d have sought her counsel, as well.”

Thorax dragged a hoof along the ground. “O-Okay, well… that’s, e-erm… something of a relief... I-I thought you were peeved at me considering what you said when I introduced you.”

“I was complimenting her and her husband’s power,” Pharynx remarked. “She certainly seemed to appreciate the distance she repelled us during Mother’s invasion—”

“ANYWAY,” Thorax said. “Courting Ember’s not as risky as you think. Don’t forget, we’ve known each other for years. We’ve a bunch of stuff in common, we’ve been writing and thinking about each other since the last Summit, and not only did she make me burn out my inhibitor last night—”

“Which I should clip your wings for,” Pharynx grumbled.

“—LOOK at me!” Thorax gestured to himself. “This is how much love and lust she’d been harboring for me, Phary! Enough to do THIS!”

It was true molting was quite pleasant for changelings. Shedding one’s old, smaller chitin brought a lot of relief, but it was also kind of messy and gross, as the flakes of hard tissue falling off tended to get everywhere. Thorax had been trying to scour all the loose chitin off his body with a cleansing spell… but considering he’d been molting every hour since returning late last night (and growing several inches each time) he was having trouble staying clean.

Pharynx didn’t actually look. He was well aware Thorax had grown over four feet taller to now stand at thirteen-something-or-other. “How much more do you have to burn through?”

Thorax pursed his lips. He did an internal check, gauging how much love and lust was still coursing through him. “Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if I grew twice this size yet.”

Which would put him well over two stories, Pharynx realized. “This is a one-way street, Little Fang. If you go down this path, the consequences will follow you regardless of what happens. Your true form will always be gigantic, and you’ll only be able to interact with others by taking smaller forms, including our subjects! You’ll need to become the best shapeshifter alive just to lead a normal life! Better than even Mother!”

Thorax grinned. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve surpassed her.”

…

…

…

Pharynx chuckled. “Perhaps we are related, after all.”

Thorax scooted over to Pharynx. “I need to do this, Phary. I… I-I can’t just pretend these feelings don’t exist! I’ll never forgive myself if I didn’t at least try to make things work with Ember. I’ll grow to the size of a mountain if that’s what it takes—I want to be with her!”

It wasn’t easy for Pharynx to stay focused with Thorax looming in his peripheral. Even with his little brother flat on his stomach, he could still look Pharynx dead in the eye. His huge body exuded a tantalizing warmth as he took up over half the floorspace, and if he tried to stand up, his horns would tear right through the ceiling.

“And here Mother told us ingesting too much love at once was lethal.” Pharynx sighed. “Either it’s different for the royal caste, or that was another of her lies.”

Thorax made a mental note to look into that. “Look, if it helps at all, both our kingdom and Ember’s will benefit if we start a relationship. We’ll be able to work together in ways we can’t even think of right now—”

“For hive’s sake,” Pharynx said with a groan. “Are you really going to make me say what I’m actually worried about?”

It was a scene that’d repeated ever since they were nymphs. Pharynx, the great warrior, renowned hunter of their kind, feared for his subtlety, respected for his efficiency, commended for his cunning and guile. Thorax, the timid runt, weak and sensitive, with neither the will nor the spirit of a ‘true’ changeling. Few had known the two were clutchmates before the reformation.

Thorax pressed his lips into a thin line. “...I’m not going to get hurt, Phary.”

“How do you know for sure?” Pharynx demanded. “She could be using you for all you know—”

“She isn’t!” Thorax said. “You don’t have to worry—”

“Don’t tell me not to worry!” Pharynx snapped. “I’d cut a bloody swath through this entire city to keep you safe! If she breaks your heart, so help me...”

Thorax was quiet. A million responses flew through his mind, but none of them seemed right. He just sat there beside his brother, watching his face twist like he was trying to swallow his tongue.

“I’ve protected you from blades,” Pharynx said at last. “I’ve protected you from spells, traps, projectiles, and more. All our lives I’ve tried to be your shield, because the thought of you becoming prey scares me more than you’ll ever know. Dragon Lord, princess, warlord, monarch, hero, villain, legend, child, adult… I don’t care who they are, what they are. If Ember hurts you, I’ll put a ballista bolt in her neck and twist until the light leaves her eyes. Do you understand me?!”

Thorax winced. He could see it in Pharynx’s face, too—that twisted snarl, that dead look in his eyes. “I—”

Thorax was interrupted by a familiar pressure was returning. He squirmed as the feeling grew stronger and stronger, his skin feeling like there were ants beneath. “A-Ah, one second, Phary…”

He fidgeted and wiggled in place, his muscles bristling and flexing. The warmth he was giving off grew stronger, and he sprang to his hooves with his head crouched down. His horns grazed the roof as he arched his back over and over, grunting and chittering until—

CRKKKKKKK!

It was like he was caked in dried mud. Cracks formed on Thorax’s body as his chitin crumbled, first in little pieces, then larger and larger chunks until some were the size of dinner plates. A shower of chitin fell away as the growth spurt hit him, his body lengthening and widening, his head rising ever closer to the ceiling, his back legs inching towards the opposite end of the tent.

Pharynx didn’t even wiggle an ear as he magically blocked the flying debris. “Been an hour already, I see. How time flies.”

A minute or so later, the remains of Thorax’s old chitin lay littered on the floor. He twisted around and stretched with a sigh, shaking like a massive green dog to get it all free. “Ahhh… that was a good one.” He laid back down and turned back to Pharynx. “I think that was the biggest one so far.”

Pharynx could tell. They’d been eye-to-eye with each other while he was laying down before, now he barely came up to Thorax’s chin. The warmth of his little brother’s growing body was more noticeable than ever. “You alright?”

Thorax nodded. “Just a little itchy… U-Uh, hey… it’s been awhile since Cadance went out there. Has she gone over to Ember?”

Pharynx squinted. “She just did. Looks like they’re talking about something—”

He saw Cadance raise both her wings.

“—and it seems she’s given her blessing,” he said. “I guess your trysts were enough to push your friendship into something more, for it seems you and Ember are indeed a good match.”

Thorax squee’d. “I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knewwwww iiiiit~ Eee-hee-hee!”

With the signal given, Pharynx could now look away and address Thorax proper. “But that means we have work to do. If Ember really is growing as fast as you say, you’ll need to obtain an immense amount of love to match her. You’ll also need to continue gaining it so she won’t outpace you, as well as master shapeshifting, all while maintain your duties as king—”

“Pharynx,” Thorax said. “I already told you, I don’t care what I have to do. I want to be with her.”

He then looked past Pharynx, his thoughts filled with tiny twinkling stars. “I want to build a future with her.”

And for the second time in twenty-four hours, Pharynx saw his little brother’s eyes sparkle, that same wide, open-mouthed smile forming on his face.

“Tear it all…” Pharynx sighed, long and slow. He glanced at the crumbling molt shavings on the floor and clucked his tongue. “We’re going to need a bigger hive.”