A Change in Scale

Chapter 5: Lively Blaze

Three Months Later -

The Dragonlands Railway was one of the first significant acts of Queen Twilight Sparkle’s new administration. Initially a non-stop route between Equestria and the neighboring countries, the way to Mount Shearwind’s Sulfur Station hadn’t seen much traffic before Ember’s coal trade. Now, the Concordant Mountains were alive with trains from all over, leaving the once-vacant depot scrambling to transform into a proper commercial hub.

An Equestrian train entered the mountainside tunnel marking the final approach to Sulfur Station. The train’s driver, an old thestral named Steamer, checked the engine gauges as his vision adjusted for the gentle glow of countless gemstones set within the walls. Experience had taught him he could make it to Sulfur Station without any additional effort, so he took a seat by the boiler and rehearsed his Draconic.

“I hope I get to see the Dragon Lord’s hoard one of these days.” The guttural rasps and hisses made the language tricky for some races, but thestrals could speak it without so much as an accent. “Spell-Eater was saying it was the most gold he’d ever seen in one place, and that’s something coming from him. Maybe he can put in a good word for me—hay, maybe I’ll just ask myself! She seemed nice enough that one time we met, and I know Spell-Eater loved showing off that motherlode of his—”

The tunnel’s final bend revealed a surprise. A solid wall of scaly blue flesh blocked the exit, the barest hint of sunlight shining through via a sliver at the top.

Steamer screeched. He banged his wing hard as he half dove, half flew for the train whistle.

FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~

The cave shook with a great rumble. The wall of flesh wiggled, the blue scales lifting up in time to dodge disaster. Steamer screeched again as his nightbound eyes were blinded by accursed sunlight.

The train emerged into a gently-sloping plateau marking the base of the immense Mount Shearwind. The colossal statues of past dragon lords glared down at travellers making their way up the windswept path, the HISS of nearby geysers a constant accompaniment to the backdrop. A mile ahead, the bustling hub of Sulfur Station lay situated within a repurposed quarry.

But Steamer wasn’t looking at any of that. He was staring at the owner of the titanic tail he’d almost hit, who was stretched out next to the tracks alongside an equally titanic changeling.

“Mother of Twilight...” Steamer could barely see Ember’s and Thorax’s faces high above. They were like extensions of the mountain itself, so big either of them could’ve gripped Steamer’s one hundred and fifty car train like a pencil. His entire field of view was colorful chitin, shining scales, sleek muscles, and supersized limbs like living landmasses. His train was moving at top-speed, yet it took almost twenty seconds for him to chug pass their lounging forms.

“You’re kidding.” He rubbed his eyes, but the astonishing sight remained. The heady buzz of magic and life sent a thrill through Steamer’s blood. “H-How much did they grow since last time?! It’s only been two weeks!”

The great WHOOSH of Ember’s long tail sent chills down his spine. She curled it around Thorax, both of them smiling and waving at the tiny train. They then resumed nuzzling and cuddling like nothing had happened, their sleepy hums echoing off the cliffs.

Steamer didn’t know whether to be worried, angry, or dismayed. He decided on all three. “They’re lucky they’re a cute couple, else I might have some words...” He tore his gaze away and looked to Sulfur Station, his sore wing throbbing the entire way.

***

The design of Sulfur Station resembled a dragon’s claw. Four clusters of platforms were separated by the type of trains they accommodated, with things like location and type of goods shipped ordering things from there. Dragonkin of all kinds flew to and fro between the clusters—or ’talons’—most of them working, but a few also travelling. There were also a handful of non-draconic races present, the most prevalent being changelings.

Steamer powered everything down at his usual platform in Talon C. He stretched his old bones and set about gathering his things, his wandering eyes inevitably drawn to the gargantuan lovebirds in the distance. The memory of their gentle body heat was striking, their health and vigor downright palpable. He couldn’t even grasp how big their wings would be if either of them spread them out—

“Good to see you again, cousin.”

The raspy voice had come from behind him. Steamer didn’t bat an eyelash—he just grinned and continued to gather his things. “Y’know, one of these days I’m going to find a way to prove our races aren’t related.”

The voice chuckled. “All races are related. You need only go back far enough.”

Steamer turned and found Preelix sitting in the engine window. He swung his legs back and forth, small wisps of purple flame drifting from his nostrils, his mottled bronze scales and ornate tattoos shining bright in the day.

“I apologize for the Dragon Lord’s tail.” Preelix offered him a lumpy bag. “Rest assured, the wards I’ve taught her would have activated in a crash. A scare is a scare, however.”

A wondrous, fruity fragrance crossed Steamer’s nose. He snatched the bag with a skree and looked to behold a dozen ripe mangoes, all kept fresh with a Stasis spell.

“Apology accepted.” He grabbed one of the fruits, a low, happy hum bubbling from his throat.

“I imagine you got quite the view passing through.” Preelix gestured to Ember and Thorax. “They’re a good five hundred feet tall now, give or take. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Steamer made to exit the locomotive. “Please tell me you’ve been teaching them your shrinking magic. I know you’ve been teaching it to your… erm… oh, shells. What did you call the king’s brother again? I know ‘Nastorr’ means teacher, which is what he calls you, but you didn’t call him ‘student’. You called him something else.”

Preelix smiled. “‘Roh’swal’. It’s just a more traditional word for those learning the Silent Hunt, like ‘disciple’ or ‘apprentice’, that’s all. And yes, I’ve been teaching him and the others my size spells as best I can. They’re getting there.”

The chilly air was heavy with the smoky smell of industry. The high quarry walls of Talon C were dotted with the same luminous gemstones that’d been present in the train tunnel, although they only lit up once the sun fell behind the mountain. The way out of the talon was marked by a view of the sprawling mountain range, and the skies above were dotted with dragonkin traversing Mount Shearwind. Steamer took all this in as he stepped off his train, Preelix fluttering after to perch on his back.

“Got more station helpers.” Steamer tilted his head at a dozen changelings loading a freight of boxes. “Still getting along?”

Preelix couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not hard to get along with a race of empaths that are eager to please. The little friction that’s cropped up has resolved just as quickly. ”

Steamer watched the colorful changelings work together like a well-oiled machine. Looking around a bit more, he realized the changelings were focusing on detail work while the dragons managed things on a larger scale. “Took me forever to understand dragon culture and read your race’s moods. They understand it straight out of the gate. That empathy of theirs sure is something.”

Preelix followed his gaze. “They’re more like us than you think. Their king’s love of peace fills their hearts, but their prince’s ferocity runs in their blood. Like dragons, the shapeshifters have left their cruel ways behind, but the shadow of the past still calls to us. We each struggle to find a balance amidst a rapidly-changing world, with our young rulers leading the way.”

Steamer grunted. “So it’s not just the magic emotion stuff. You’re basically saying dragons and shapeshifters have so much in common, you go together like peanut butter and chocolate.”

Preelix laughed and gestured down the platform. “Or agates and shale, as we say. It also doesn’t hurt that the Dragon Lord and Shapeshifter King have been pining for each other for much of their young lives, but that’s a whole different matter.”

A quill and a collection of slightly-charred forms appeared in front of Steamer. “I brought the signing papers with me so the crews can get started loading your train,” said Preelix. “Let’s finalize the transaction so they can get started.”

Steamer fished around for his bifocals and looked things over. It all looked fine to him: One hundred and fifty cars of Dragonlands coal, paid in full by the Royal Equestrian Treasury, exchange rate set at the current year, international tariffs in accordance with the Allied Nations Treaty of Fair Commerce. Transaction approved by Royal Ambassador Prince Spike of House Sparkle, notarized by HRH Queen Twilight Sparkle of Equestria: Alicorn of Magic, Steward of the Skies, Protector of the Harmonious Realms… yadda, yadda, yadda. Steamer flipped to the last page and browsed until he found what he was looking for: Signature of Designated Equestrian Courier.

“Excellent.” Preelix took the signed papers and gestured to several nearby dragons. They immediately set to work loading literal tons of coal into the train’s many cars, the loud BANGS and metallic WHACKS filling the air. “Now, if you’ll look past the station, I don’t think you’ll want to miss this.”

Steamer frowned. “Miss what—”

A loud moan shook the air. Steamer yelped as Ember tensed up beside Thorax, her sapphire wings spreading wide like a second sky. Every dragon in the station shuddered as a sudden primal surge rushed towards her with the speed of a hundred lightning bolts, the rush of power soaking into her and burning bright. It wasn’t obvious what’d happened at first, but then Steamer noticed Ember’s great head start to rise over Thorax, her legs creeping closer to the train tracks...

“By the Sun...” Steamer watched Ember grow even bigger. The spurts came in a steady rhythm every few seconds, inch by inch, foot by foot. Her claws and spines lengthened, her limbs and tail thickened, her curvy frame grew curvier, and her strengthening voice made her moans echo throughout the mountain range. Five hundred feet became five hundred and fifteen… five hundred and thirty… five hundred forty-five… five hundred sixty...

The sensation faded at five hundred seventy-five. Ember opened her eyes and took in her new, higher vantage point, then looked down at the smiling Thorax, who now only came up to her shoulders. She could feel his eyes roving over her, his sheath bulging with every improvement he saw. Her scales were brighter. Her tail was longer. Her fangs were whiter. Her egglaying hips were even wider, her flanks and rump where thicker and stronger than ever, and deep within her, he sensed that hundreds more little lights had formed...

Thorax crooned. Ember squeezed him with her tail, their hungry expressions a mirror of each other. His hooves wandered across her hips to grope her flanks, her shapely ass so firm and thick.Ember wrapped him in her velvety wings and pressed her snout to his chest, then snaked out her long, wet tongue to lick and nibble the hollow of his neck. It wasn’t much surprise when those kisses trailed upward to meet his lips, but the surprise came when an airy, light sensation filled the air.

Steamer’s lips parted. It was the dragons who’d shuddered before, but now, it was the changelings. “So much love…”

Preelix nodded. “We’re not sure where it’s all coming from. I sense the Crystal Heart’s magic at work, but how... I’ve also sensed the same amplification energies within Prince Pharynx.”

Thorax could feel the love bubbling up inside him. It was like a living fire that burned hotter by the second, each second of infusion making him feel more alive. Flames swirled and mixed in their mouths as Thorax gripped Ember tight with a groan. That tight, coiled sensation was returning, faint at first, but soon all of his scaly chitin was itching. His muscles flexed and
bulged against Ember’s wings, his endless desire desperate for every drop of fierce, potent love.

Ember wanted to take him right there. Thorax’s stallionhood was wedged tight between their writhing forms, and the scent of his rising need was as noticeable as her own. His growing weight pressed against her until he threatened to push her over. His heavy nuts were getting denser. His horns were getting longer. His bulky muscles, his sculpted flanks, the thrum of his growing power, all of it was becoming more. She was no longer a head taller than him, but only half a head taller, and even though he was consuming more love in few seconds than most changelings did in their whole lives, he only wanted more.

Steamer watched Thorax grow and grow until he reached Ember’s new size. The spectacle seemingly passed, Steamer ran a hoof through his greying mane andglanced at Preelix. “Have I mentioned I’m glad we’re on the same side?”

Preelix didn’t laugh. Instead, his distant eyes looked up to the sun, the silence dragging while the workers toiled around them.

“The dragons will never forget the Ash Queen.” Preelix put a paw to the discolored scales across his chest. “Nor the Frost Queen, the Chaos Lord, or any others that almost destroyed our world. I foresee a bright future with these new Heavenly Sisters, but we mustn’t allow Queen Twilight Sparkle or Princess Cadance to develop inner demons of their own. Our very survival—”

Suddenly, a bulky dragon with long claws snatched Steamer’s bag of mangoes. They threw the bag into the locomotive right as Steamer yelped and whirled around… but said motion proved to throw Preelix off-balance.

“WAH!” Preelix took flight to avoid a fall. “What the—”

The rest was cut off by a flurry of claws. Displaced air blasted Preelix’s face as the dragon worker’s oddly-shiny talons missed him by millimeters. Preelix dodged the strikes and made to repel the worker with magic… but the spell slid off them like grease.

“Wha—”

SLASH!

“ARGH!” Preelix clutched his thigh. Seething, he glared daggers at the worker, who, rather than press the attack, jumped back and… bowed?

“Nine,” he called. “We’re tied up again, Nastorr.”

Preelix snarled through grit fangs. “Io above, Roh’swal!” The attack hadn’t drawn blood, but it had ripped a scale. “That wassss a good one…”

The worker’s violet eyes gained a glossy sheen. A staggering magical aura became apparent as Pharynx resumed his true form… or rather, a much smaller form of it. Granted, he still towered over his kin at eleven foot-seven...

Steamer rolled his eyes. He looked around, watching as every changeling in sight bent the knee. “I take it your daughter’s patrolling with the Drakkengard, Spell-Eater?”

Preelix didn’t reply right away. His attention remained on Pharynx, still poised to attack with that measured stare of his. Preelix’s heart was thudding fast, the thrill of battle stirring in his veins. “I apologize again, Cousin. I hadn’t realized my roh’swal would be so antsy without his regular sparring partner.”

Pharynx smirked. “You’re the one who blinked away all of a sudden. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were afraid of losing.”

Preelix’s eye twitched… until he burst out laughing. “Very good! Yes, just like that! You can’t spring a trap without first baiting your opponent! Excellent!”

Pharynx pawed the ground. He could feel Preelix's emotions plain as day—a bubbly thrill, heady attentiveness, an immeasurable store of patience, but most of all, his sour-sweet pride. “Must be embarrassing to be having trouble against me. And here I thought you were supposed to be this legendary warrior! Has the Sting of the East gotten rusty?”

Preelix narrowed his eyes, still smirking. “...That said, I am curious if that magic around you can deflect Sidewinder...”

Steamer wanted to facehoof. “You know he’s playing you, and you don’t even care.” Grumbling, he trotted for his locomotive while tossing Pharynx a dark look. “I swear, if you bruised my mangoes...”

A silence fell like a heavy blanket. Everyone on the platform was backing away from Pharynx and Preelix, the only sound being the flurry of hushed whispers, the deep, rumbling purrs of Thorax and Ember, and the clack of Steamer locking up his cabin.

“Last point,” Pharynx said. “Winner takes all.”

Preelix held out his arm. A violet flamberge of pure energy materialized in his grip, its muted hum making the spectators murmur the weapon’s name. “If you losssse your size-ssssshift completely, I win. If you draw blood on me, you win.”

“Agreed.”

The spectators ran for cover. The platform was soon cleared save for Preelix and Pharynx, who remained totally still. The wind swirled around them as they listened to the sounds of Steamer shuffling inside his cabin, who then peeked outside his window and saw the two of them still standing there like idiots.

Steamer sighed and pulled the train whistle.

FWEE!

Pharynx vanished in green flame. He melted into the shadows right as Preelix swung Sidewinder and made it split into interlocking segments. It resembled a cross between a ghostly whip and a sword, its razor sharp segments rattling the air with an eerie T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T!

Pharynx saw the serrated edged edges lashing towards him. They slid over his back with a bit of magical ‘push’ on his part, but Preelix was already attacking again before he could respond. The air filled with telltale rattling as Pharynx evaded a string of speedy attacks: Dodging left, rolling right, leaping back, ducking down, evading up, around, diagonal, front, and more. He was within the eye ofa raging bladed tornado, Sidewinder chewing through wooden boxes, raking the stone ground with flurries of sparks, and even shearing through metal carts.

“Not bad!” Preelix said. “Not bad at all! A sssssimple solution to a complex problem!”

Pharynx hissed. He could evade, but couldn’t get anywhere near Preelix. He managed to get off a spell and send a blurry illusion of himself running the opposite way. Sidewinder arced around to strike both targets, but the pause was enough for Pharynx to magically SLAP Preelix.

Preelix laughed. “What wassss that?! You won’t be drawing blood like—”

A brutal yank on Sidewinder almost tore it away. Pharynx’s subtle aura had enshrouded the blade, and with a burst of magic, had slingshotted it back at Preelix.
.
“Bah!” Preelix dismissed the weapon before it could hit. “Nice try—”

Pharynx closed with Preelix. He reared back for a strike...

FLASH!

...but hit only air.

Pharynx cursed. He searched his teacher’s emotions and soon sensed them zigzagging around behind him. Preelix was a bronze blur as he etched several draconic runes around the platform, the claw-like shapes already glowing and distorting everything around them. A shroud of impenetrable darkness was creeping towards Pharynx, its wicked tendrils reaching—

“Please.” Pharynx took aim and blasted the illusion runes apart. Unfortunately, this gave Preelix time to not only resummon Sidewinder, but also prepare an extra spell of his own. Illusory bits of coal appeared all around and started pummelling Pharynx as he fought to escape the trap. They passed right through him, of course...

WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

But the real pieces didn’t.

“Don’t get hit by too many!” Preelix called over the noise. “Black’s not your color anymore!”

Phanynx growled. The exploding coal was nothing to his scaly chitin, but the bothersome soot made it hard to see. He took wing and flew circles above the haze while Preelix continued harassing him from below. Soon Sidewinder’s rattling edge was added to the assault, and Pharynx was once more forced to do nothing but dodge.

“Plan B, then…” Pharynx took a deep breath. When Sidewinder came at him again, he spun around and cast a volley of ice at Preelix. Preelix didn’t even bother to dodge—he simply opened his mouth, inhaled, and… proved why he was called ‘Spell-Eater’. But meanwhile, Pharynx had angled himself to be in Sidewinder’s oncoming path, and after a slight change to his grease spell—

PING!

Sidewinder bounced off Pharynx’s horn. Pharynx’s head vibrated like a tuning fork as he tumbled and wobbled through the air. His concentration dropped amidst his fight to right himself, and without it, a strange ‘ball’ in his mind, compressed and separated from the rest of his essence, shuddered.

A portion of the essence unravelled. A WONDERFUL warmth flooded Pharynx’s body in an intoxicating, energetic rush, one that he couldn’t help but savor. His body shook with a magical whum, and then all at once he began to swell. His chest spread wider and fuller. His legs and wings lengthened and thickened. Pounds upon pounds of toned, bulging muscle piled onto his larger frame. He slammed his eyes shut so he wouldn’t see the world shrink around him, flames spilled from his mouth to heat the air.

Preelix felt the energy spike plain as day. He watched Pharynx grow an entire foot larger in a heartbeat, then surge four feet more a few seconds later, then explode another eight right after! “Ah, blast it.” He held back his next salvo and called to Pharynx. “Wet clay, Roh’swal! Wet! Clay!Picture yourself rolling it into a ball!”

Pharynx bit back a moan. He followed Preelix’s advice and eased his stranglehold, and after a final surge pushing him nine additional feet higher… it stopped.

Preelix folded his arms. Pharynx now stood at thirty-three feet tall—about half his true size. He was so big he could’ve let Steamer’s train pass between his legs. “Ssssloppy. Better than the others, though...”

Syrupy magic and violet flames wreathed around Pharynx. His chitin felt warm and tingly, and the tantalizing intensity still egged him on... but more importantly, he could sense something else...

“Nnnnnnf...” It hit him like a haymaker. The amazing spicy scent of lusty dragons, the addicting aroma of willing drones, and so, SO much more. It all funnelled into that familiar tightness pooling behind his groin. “H-Here we go...”

Preelix clucked his tongue. His eyes drifted to Pharynx’s… lower bits, which had just faded into view.“Io’s claws... Either all royal sssshapeshifters are born breeders, or the Crysssstal Heart has a cruel ssssense of humor...”

Pharynx shifted his back legs. The weight of his recently-enhanced package dominated his mind alongside its ever-rising need. His dense, burgeoning nuts already brushed against his thighs, bloating lower and heavier by the week with no sign of stopping. His thick, bulging sheath relinquished foot after newly-enlarged foot of its virile prize before the spectators’ eyes. The length of said prize swiftly grew past his lower ribs, its girth surpassing his bulky legs...

“U-Unggh...” A haze engulfed Pharynx’s mind. These urges, this tightness had been nothing before the Crystal Empire. “How does Thorax deal with this?”

Preelix sighed. He dismissed his illusion and Sidewinder, then flitted up to Pharynx and got his attention.

“Roh’swal,” he said. “It sssseems that hit shorted out the Out of Sight, Out of Mind sssspell. Let’s pausssse so I can re—”

Preelix realized Pharynx was smirking.

“Oh, sssshells.”

A vortex of slicing winds sprang up around Preelix. A vicious cross-breeze hit his torn scale and pulled it off entirely before he could flee.

“YEOW!” Preelix blinked to the end of the platform. He glared daggers at Pharynx, who merely continued to smirk. “Devioussss little claw-biter! You did all that on purpose, didn’t you?!”

Pharynx might’ve laughed if he wasn’t barely holding it together. Emptiness gnawed at his gut like he’d been fasting for days. Need ached in his groin that only worsened by the second. He had to end this quick and reapply the spell, or else—wait, Preelix was still talking...

“...is the lessssson I’ve been getting at with thissss game.” A toothy smile split Preelix’s face. “No matter who or what you face, no matter when or where you are, there’s no greater advantage than creativity. Always keep your wits about you in battle! The skilled and the strong are nothing before the ssssly! If you do this, then ALL will fear your wrath, from the meekest mouse to the fiercest dragon!”

Preelix then beckoned Pharynx forward. “Make me question what I know!Keep me guessing and never stop! Be unpredictable in every way! Improvisssse and adapt! NOW!”

…

…

…

Well, then.

Guess it was time for Plan C.

“RAAAGGGGH!” Pharynx’s charge scattered both debris and spectators alike. He pumped his wings with the strength of a tempest, Preelix watching all the while without moving an inch. It seemed like he wasn’t going to do anything at first, but then, he conjured a normal-looking fireball and threw it right in Pharynx’s path.

FWSSSSSSH!

A line of fire spread across the platform, then rose up like a curtain with a loud roar of flame. Pharynx could still sense Preelix’s emotions, but they couldn’t see each other—

T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T!

Sidewinder struck Pharynx from behind. It made to wrap around him, but the magic coating Pharynx saved him. He ignored the back attack and plunged through the flames even as the sword gave chase.

Once on the other side, he saw Preelix was lifting up tons of coal to block Pharynx’s path. He couldn’t even see Preelix through the mess, but he could still sense where the old wyrm was, and also that he… was eager to see what Pharynx would do?

“Keep you guessing…” Pharynx got closer and concentrated. Like all dragons, the emotions of his teacher were as fierce and intense as a mountain storm. Their love was much richer, heartier, and far more bountiful in certain circumstances, but that was just one emotion of an entire spectrum. It always puzzled Pharynx the only emotion any of his kind bothered with was the one they could eat, especially considering their redemption had proved it wasn’t a specific emotion that’d been the problem—but how they’d been acquiring it!

Preelix’s mind shone like a beacon before Pharynx. The logic seemed sound; if a skilled enough changeling shared another emotion in the same way love was shared—

“AHHHH!” A blast of alien, jittery agitation stabbed Preelix’s psyche. It was like his concentration was a calm pond, and a big rock had been thrown in to make choppy, disruptive ripples. Sidewinder disappeared in a blink. Tons of dirty coal fell crashing to the platform with a teeth-chattering WHAM. Preelix himself became engulfed in a purple aura, his own ‘ball’ of compressed essence shuddering in his mind...

Preelix traced a strange symbol across his chest. There was a whum, and several of his mottled scales fell off to reveal an ancient, ugly burn scar. The tough, ashen skin had been tattooed as well with draconic runes, but these ones were blood red. Preelix brandished a claw and pierced one of them.

“GAH!” Pharynx’s agitation rubber-banded back to him. Now those same ‘ripples’ were spreading to disperse his concentration, the remainder of his compressed essence rushing into him faster than you could say ‘feedback’. He gunned it before the euphoria took him.

Preelix wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. He was still glowing, but his aura had formed into a crimson spherical forcefield around him. Pharynx’s mind felt like taffy, but he tried to shift one of his front hooves into a dragon’s claw. He took aim at Preelix’s exposed thigh...

CRACK!

And that’s how baseball became the national sport of the Dragonlands.

Preelix went flying. Not only had Pharynx failed to shapeshift his leg, he’d clubbed Preelix’s strange barrier with a growing hoof the size of a barn door. Preelix sailed out of Sulfur Station and collided with Mount Shearwind with a BOOM like a volley of cannonballs. Chunks of stone hurtled in all directions in a shower of dust and stone. A spiderweb of cracks snaked out that could be seen all the way from the station. Every creature in the station whirled towards the noise, and even Thorax and Ember heard it a mile away.

Pharynx landed in a glowing heap. He rolled to the side and lay part way off the trashed platform, the sooty stone and steel rails groaning beneath his rising mass. It felt like a warm pair of invisible hands were massaging his whole body: stretching out his legs, billowing out his torso… and especially swelling his hefty member and nuts.

It was all Pharynx could do not to give in right there. He regained six feet of wonderful size in an instant, then another ten seconds later. He moaned low at the scrape of retreating debris around him, the tingles and jolts of his bones and muscles strengthening more and more. His body continued expanding to occupy both the platform and the railway, until the fourteen foot growth spurt put him at his current standing height of sixty-three feet, seven inches.

Pharynx’s eyes rolled back. Longer and thicker than a column, his cock risen over him by its own virile strength. His heavy, dense sack dominated his lap amidst a heady tingling buzz. He fought through the fog long enough to see a glistening violet tower of flesh towering over him, and he could hear his boulder-sized balls building their potent bounty—

THOOM!

The noise came from far away. What had Pharynx been doing, again? Something to do with Preelix, right? He was pretty sure that was right. Oh well, it probably wasn’t important. Nothing was important save for the throb of his pre-slicked shaft. His shaky hooves reached for his sensitive flesh—

“Out of sight, out of mind, thy lust and pride I now confine. Cast aside and left behind, thou shalt be whole, but also blind, thy vices gone to all but time.”

ZAP!

And just like that, Pharynx was staring up at the sky. A blur of bronze shifted in his peripheral...

“Nastorr!” Just beside Pharynx, a battered Preelix had landed on one of the remaining boxes. “Are you—”

Preelix chuckled despite the pain. “You hit like a train. I’ll have ssssome good bruises from that one...”

Pharynx sat up, his huge shadow swallowing Preelix. “I, erm… was aiming for your leg…”

Now Preelix burst out laughing. “I can’t ssssay you missed! But don’t look at me like that, oh no, no-no-no-no. I’m the one who chose to fight you at thissss size. I’ve a habit of sssshowing off in front of an audience...”

Pharynx blinked. He realized they’d gathered dozens of onlookers from the other platforms and talons. Not only that, but thanks to his lofty vantage point, he could see them gathered on the ends of their platform, perched atop nearby trains and railtowers, or just hovering in the air.

“I’d no idea your kind could usssse your empathy like that.” Preelix waved a claw, and his artificial scales gathered before him. “Unpredictable, indeed… I can’t remember the last time I had to invoke my blood runes! I guessss that means our spar is a draw.”

Pharynx saw what Preelix meant. Against the dull grey of his master’s scar, the thin rivulets of blood were clear as day. “That doesn’t count. You said I was the one who—”

“It’s a DRAW, Roh’swal,” Preelix said. “...Now, how’d I ssssend back your little surprise?”

Pharynx scrunched up his face. His retort still fought to escape, but he swallowed it with a sigh and went through the fight in his head. “You… had a surprise of your own.”

Preelix nodded. “Indeed I did. Among other things, that shield issss how I thwarted Princesssss Amore, long ago.” His fake scales reattached themselves one by one. “The craftiesssst foes always have something hidden up their sleeve: Unorthodox attackssss, versatile defenses, exploitation of weaknessssses, clever preparation, thinking on the fly, and so on. Thesssse are the pillars of the Silent Hunt, my roh’swal,and the traits I see in you. You worry your ssssize will hamper you, yet already, you’re using it to your advantage. Heed these words well: so long as you keep your mind sharp, I promisssse, you’ll only grow more capable the bigger you get.”

Pharynx’s face flushed. He looked down at himself, his legs alone each larger than a boxcar. A giddy, electric rush still raced in his chest from the bristling, addictive power thrumming inside him. He swore, he just wanted more of it the larger he became...

“I’d a feeling you had an ulterior motive with all this.” He looked to Thorax in the distance. “I’m still not totally on board, but... it wouldn’t be the first time Thorax has made me second guess my point of view. He thinks differently than the rest of us, has the courage to go against the grain.”

Preelix smiled. “You and your brother sssshare a bond more precious than any gem. I can ssssee you’ve influenced each other in many ways, and the mutual respect between you has had a great impact on your ssssubjects.”

Pharynx frowned. “How do you mean?”

“Come, now.” Preelix flew up and landed on Pharynx’s muzzle. “It’s not jusssst your brother they follow. Your devotion and sssservice has made you a hero in their eyes! Haven’t you noticed them following the example you and your brother have set? Look! They embrace your values and goalssss even now!”

Pharynx did. He saw the onlookers creeping back onto the platform little by little, their assorted murmurs arguing over who won the spar. He also identified the feelings of his fellow changelings: their sugary affection, their warm relief, their fierce pride, their hearty reverence...

“I-I...” Pharynx swallowed hard. “But, Thorax is the one who…”

Preelix patted Pharynx’s shoulder with magic. “You are their champion, roh’swal. You’re the ssssharpened blade at their sides, their symbol of ssssssstrength and pride. Without your courage and determination, King Thorax’s vision would crumble.”

It took him awhile to get there, but the more Pharynx looked on, the more he began to see. “I... make them feel safe. Thorax thinks in the long-term, so they’re trusting I’ll protect them until we’re truly at peace...”

Preelix nodded. “A united front inspires confidence, a divided one ssssows doubt. You and your brother’s trust and support of each other imparts a message of sssstability, and your success has strengthened it even more. The more confidence you insssspire, the more loyal your subjects will be… but even a popular regime can fall out of favor.”

Pharynx shifted in place. “So if Thorax has embraced his size...”

“Yes.”

It was hard to believe all of this was real sometimes. Having to be mindful of where he stepped at all times, maintaining a slew of defensive wards on top of that, the world around him always shrinking smaller. The thirty-plus feet he’d gained over the last three weeks was mostly a result of never feeling full. He'd tried to moderate himself, but his body always insisted he should be having more. Even gorging himself didn’t fill him up—just less hungry.

“Thorax chose this path for romance,” Pharynx said. “He wasn’t trying to be a better king, or benefit our race. He just wanted to be happy… to make HER happy.”

Preelix’s eyes gleamed. “True as that might be, ssssomething tells me you and your brother rarely share motive for your actions. Perhaps thissss was always meant to be.”

Pharynx sipped at the adoration. It was light and sweet, like a fizzy fruit punch one had at weddings. He relented and began consuming everything being offered, the emotions swirling into him like water down a drain. He hummed as the electric rush in his chest spurred him on.

Meanwhile, Preelix leapt back into the air and turned to those who’d gathered. “Hear me, dragons!” he shouted in Draconic. “In the name of the Dragon Lord, I, Preelix the Spell-Eater, hereby recognize the strength of the shapeshifter prince! His cleverness and guile are a boon to both his race and ours! May Io smile upon our newfound alliance!”

The bystanders cheered. The admiration and adoration went up another notch to Pharynx’s delight, and he continued to devour it without pause. A heady buzz was already gathering inside him, his scaly chitin feeling tight—

“Not bad, Greenie.”

Pharynx choked. His eyes re-focused to see an orange, hippogriff-sized dragoness hovering in front of his face. She was quadrupedal and sinuous, long, dextrous, and fit, with pink-purple spines that morphed into a frill on her head. Her sparkling blue eyes danced as she watched Pharynx cough and splutter.

“Can’t say very many have managed to hit Dad like that.” The dragoness’ smug look held his gaze prisoner. “Even fewer have lived to tell about it.”

Her spicy-sweet scent filled Pharynx’s nostrils. The wear of travel still clung to her, her well-muscled frame and large wings smudged with dirt and grime. Her scratchy voice was playful, and her emotions… well, that was another matter.

“S-Smolder?!” Pharynx’s wings twitched. “I… didn’t know you were back.”

Smolder landed on his shoulder. “Saw you and the old wyrm going at it on the way in. Thought I’d check it out.” She smirked and moved closer to his ear. “Quite the ‘royal scepter’ you’ve got there.”

Pharynx tilted his head. A vague memory regarding… something tried to surface, but a magical force pushed it away. “Wait, what?”

“Say, where’d Dad get off to?” Smolder searched the platform. She saw the crowd and the groups of workers cleaning up the mess, but that was it. “Wasn’t he just—”

“I thought I heard your voice!” Preelix zipped up from behind them. “Good timing! Did you catch the fight?”

It was easy to see the family resemblance. The most prevalent was Preelix’s bronze scales matching Smolder’s bronze horns, wing membranes, and underbelly scales, but there were other similarities, as well. The shape and pattern of all their scales matched, their tails were proportionally the same length to their bodies, their eye shape and fang structure were the same, the color of their magic was only a few shades apart, and their curved talons were identical.

Smolder looked her father up and down. She was about to say something, but then noticed his artificial scales were on crooked. She leaned in and started adjusting them for him.

Preelix blinked several times. “Again?! Grrrr, these new prossssthetics...”

Smolder giggled. “Hold still.”

“Wait, wait.” Violet magic spun about Preelix’s foal-sized form, his raw, ancient power making the air shimmer like a mirage. Pharynx felt the weight on his shoulder increase as Preelix grew to the size of an adult pony, then an adult hippogriff, then a touch beyond to stand over his daughter. “Now you can use more than your clawtipssss.”

“Right.” Smolder resumed smoothing out his fake scales. A short time later, they looked natural as could be. “Much better. Good fight, Dad.”

Preelix touched his snout to her brow. He checked her over for cuts or bruises, which made Smolder roll her eyes. “SSSSeems the Drakkengard patrol was dull as ever. I bet you could usssse a long lava soak after roughing it all week.”

Smolder’s eyes went huge. “I’d literally kill—”

The rest was drowned out by the noisy crowd. Several dragons were now shouting to Pharynx and Preelix while holding up various hard, flat surfaces. Smolder glared at the throng like she was ready to make good on what she’d just said, but they kept on yammering.

Pharynx paused between gulps of adoration. “Er… what are they doing?”

Preelix laughed. “I suppose you wouldn’t know. It’s cusssstomary for young dragons to commemorate a good battle with something sssscored.”

Pharynx raised an eyeridge. “Scored?”

“Scratch marks, ya battering ram,” Smolder said. “Show him, Dad.”

Preelix spread his wings and leapt off Pharynx. He glided over the crowd and landed behind them, and immediately, half of them split off and held out their rocks. Preelix took one and raked his claws on it.

“Just like that.” said Smolder, pointing. Her horns glowed, and all the rocks being offered to Pharynx rose up thirty feet into the air. “Here, I’ll hold them for you. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but you will need to sprout some claws.”

Pharynx still didn’t quite get it, but it didn’t interrupt his meal, so... He willed his front-left limb to become like a dragon’s, then set about scratching stones while munching away. The tightness in his chitin was yearning for release at this point, the electric sensation sizzling inside...

Smolder’s eyes gleamed. Subtly, she trailed a claw up to a spot just beneath her ribs to a very specific bronze scale. It absolutely wasn’t crooked, nor had it been at any time. “Looks like Dad talked you out of trying and failing to starve yourself. Better late than never, I suppose. Think you can keep yourself from passing out in the middle of our spars now?”

Pharynx bit his lip. “Y-You’d better still… pose a ch-challenge. I won’t be—mmmmf—catching up to my... b-brother, b-but you’llllllll still be… h-hard pressed!”

Smolder burst out laughing. “You think I’ve been going all out against someone who can barely stand? I’ve been hoping you’d get your act together, big guy! Maybe now I can cut loose!”

The ‘big guy’ moniker made Pharynx wince, but it was swiftly forgotten. “S-Speaking of cutting loose...”

It was all Smolder could do to keep her tail down. She could feel Pharynx’s body tightening, his warm chitin rumbling beneath her. She was rather tight and shaky herself, but that was from a different hunger. She laid down on her stomach and kept her front claws from wandering south.

The platform and train rails groaned under Pharynx’s increasing weight. The murmuring crowd stepped back as his growth became apparent to all, the weathered stone cracking and tempered steel bending. Pharynx reached seventy feet tall and kept on rising, tons upon tons of mass forming and spreading, claiming and empowering. Seventy-five feet tall was soon after, but there was still so much more love being offered. He started savoring it less and consuming more, and he was rewarded with a blissful heady rush while the ground fell away. Now eighty-five feet tall and rising, he sucked down the remaining edible emotions in one ravenous go. A final combo of tightness and relief made him shudder, and he outgrew the platform with a groan to finish at the new size of ninety-nine feet, seven inches.

“Ngggh...” Smolder’s stiff wings fought to unfurl. Emptiness and need roared inside her and made her squirm. Pharynx’s mouth was like a deep cave, his six-foot fangs longer than she was tall. His long, carpet-like tongue was dextrous and wet, and she could only imagine what that cock of his was like now...

Pharynx snapped out of a daze. The first thing he saw was the dragons and changelings in the crowd around him. His nostrils alone bigger than they were, and the sprawling Sulfur Station was like a model to him now. Panic was the knee-jerk reaction upon realizing the large steel trains were (comparatively) little more than toys, but he managed to avoid a full-blown freakout. He looked over at Smolder on his shoulder, and saw she was squatting like a cat with her tail curled around her.

“E-Erm…” Pharynx stifled a fiery burp. “Anyway, I’m glad I caught you before Thorax and I headed back to the hive. Ocellus came home to visit her parents last week, and she wanted me to give you a message.”

The louder, fuller boom of Pharynx’s voice made Smolder quiver. She could taste his elemental fire, smell his healthy, dragon-like scent all around her. “Nice! How’s she liking being a professor?”

Pharynx resumed scratching the crowd’s rocks like nothing had happened. “She said she’ll catch up with you proper at your friends’ next get-together, but thought you’d like to know now your friend Yona is pregnant. Again.”

The emptiness inside Smolder throbbed. Fortunately, her horns already glowing from holding the rocks, so she was able to magic her soaking slit dry. “Heh-heh... Earth ponies and yaks, man, who knew? I don’t even know how many kids her and Sandbar are up to now. I lost count with all the multiples.”

Pharynx paused. Upon the mention of kids, he could’ve swore he’d sensed a desperate desire in her. His powers of empathy were growing along with the rest of him, but near as he could tell, Smolder’s emotions were placid as always. “...Can I ask you something?”

Annnnnnnd now the throbbing was a full-on longing ache. Smolder’s heart skipped a beat as she looked up into Pharynx’s huge, looming eyes. “What’s up?”

They stared at each other in silence. Not for the first time, Pharynx found himself drawn in by her kind face, her pretty horns, her easy smile. Every time they talked in private, the stresses and tensions of being a prince seemed to fade into the background. “I didn’t think ponies and yaks could have children together. I asked Ocellus about it, but she said something about a ‘Pinkie Promise’. She added, however, you weren’t bound to the same promise.”

Smolder had to chuckle at that. “Well, look at you. Good guy prince going the extra mile to keep a Pinkie Promise. I like that.”

Pharynx didn’t normally blush, but her sudden sultry tone set his face on fire. “Did… you volunteer to go to the School of Friendship? Or did you have to go?”

Smolder’s brain encountered an error. “Wait, what?”

Pharynx started. “U-Um! I mean… th-that is… I-I-I wanted to ask you two things! Yeah!” He became very interested in scoring the offered rocks. “I’ll, a-ah… get to the other in a second...”

Io above, he was cute when he was nervous. “Certainly not what I thought you were gonna ask. Why the sudden interest, hmm?”

Pharynx shrugged. “Call it curiosity—” He was cut off by Smolder’s yelp. His shrug had nearly thrown her off his shoulder. “Shells! Sorry!”

“I-It’s fine!” A lie; a flat-out lie. She’d flared her wings to steady herself, and they’d snapped out hard like they were spring-loaded. “Ow…E-Erm, I had to go, yeah! I didn’t want to, but Dad pushed for it hard. He said he wanted me to have ‘true strength’. Didn’t really get it at the time.”

Pharynx stared. Smolder was crouched down on all fours, her stance wide, her heavy wings spread for balance. She looked like a hunter ready to swoop onto its prey. “But you wound up liking it in the end?”

“Yeah—ergh!” Smolder brute-forced her wings closed and laid back down. “Made friends, learned lots of things, mastered new magic, saved the world a few times… And at the end of it all, I realized Dad was right. Harmony and friendship are powerful stuff—they even beat Theskathur! Equestria is a powerhouse!”

Pharynx couldn’t argue with that one. “Though it certainly makes you see Canterlot Castle’s statue garden in a different light.”

Smolder’s face fell like a stone. “...Y’know, I’m not sure what thought I find scarier: one of their super-powerful immortals going bonkers, or some other nutjob getting their grubby limbs on the petrifying rainbow laser.”

A heavy silence fell. Pharynx finished scoring the rocks and Smolder levitated to them to their owners, but then she hovered up a bunch more. It seemed many wanted scorings from both combatants, and while Pharynx and Preelix weren’t thrilled, they didn’t have it in them to say no to the young drakes and dragonesses. So, they kept scratching whatever was shoved in their faces while the station workers loaded coal in the background.

“Sometimes I wish things were the way they used to be,” Pharynx said after a time. “No complicated politics, no mountain of responsibility, no strange new way of life, none of this growth business. There were once only three things I had to worry about: my orders, my brother, and the hive. That was my entire world.”

Smolder’s thoughts sobered. She got that far-off look again, the tip of her tail tracing figure-eights in the air. “Yeah, I hear you. Things were a lot easier for me before I went to the School of Friendship. I don’t resent my dad or anything, but…”

“You still miss it sometimes,” said Pharynx.

Smolder nodded. “So, what’s your second question?”

She may have been neutral towards Pharynx, but he could still sense she was the most loving dragon he’d ever encountered: She loved her family, she loved her friends, she loved her country, her race, and so, so much more. Everything she loved was precious to her, and each one made her fight that much harder. Made her fierce loyalty burn that much brighter.

“My brother and the Dragon Lord have been... discussing things,” Pharynx said. “Things that involve combining two separate entities to make something new, if you follow. Some things would be easy to merge, others would be trickier, and others still are daunting to even think about.”

Smolder made a note to start accumulating more wealth for her hoard. A lot more. “Especially if they’ve never been done before.”

Pharynx wet his dry lips. “Ocellus told me about the medical tests she’s run on your friends’ children. Compatibility with all pony variants, compatibility with all yak variants. The yakony genome is so stable that, in several generations, when the species has spread out enough…”

“Two yakonies can have kids just like two of any other race,” Smolder said. “Completely new species. Pretty cool, huh?”

Off in the distance, Thorax and Ember continued to snuggle in the sun. Neither Pharynx nor Smolder were looking that way, though—they only had eyes for each other.

“How?” Pharynx whispered. “How’d they make it happen? A spell? Alchemy? An item? A ritual?”

The thought of ‘making it happen’ made Smolder’s tail twitch. “Alright, Greenie, alright. I suppose I can tell you what I overheard and point you in the right direction. But just know—assuming this works for dragons and changelings at all—I’ve no idea if this works on a larger scale. You’ll have to ask the hippogriffs about that.”

Pharynx tilted his great head. “The hippogriffs?”

“Mmhmm.” Smolder examined one of her paws. “It was Silverstream’s post-wedding present to them. No idea what she did or used—all she said was, ‘on the next full moon, Yona and Sandbar will be in harmony forever.’ Sounded like typical Silverstream stuff, but the next thing I know, Sandbar’s junk is so huge he needs a harness, Yona is knocked up with quads, she won’t shut up about Sandbar’s ‘endurance’, and all the while, that crazy horse-fish-bird is wearing the smuggest look I’ve ever seen!”