Hearts, Hooves... and a Bug
Sugar Belle wiped the sweat off her brow and took a sip of lemonade. Despite the winter chill in the air outside, inside her bakery it was warm and toasty. She sighed happily as she used her magic to press the cool glass against her cheek. It was a slow business day, with ponies preferring to grab something hot to drink or eat as opposed to cupcakes, but most did pop their heads in to say hello, and to bathe in the warmth. She gave her front counter display another once-over before settling back behind the counter, reading through a sheaf of papers, the first draft of her coltfriend Kace’s book. The genre wasn’t her favorite, preferring some romance with her action, but she still gave it a go because she was curious as to what all his ramblings had led to. Before she could really get stuck in, the bell above her door chimed, and a pony popped their head in. Sugar glanced up with a smile.
“Bugsy! Good afternoon!” She said warmly, hopping to her usual spot, making sure her apron was tied snugly around her plush stomach. “What brings you here on such a chilly day?” Bugsy shuffled his hooves a little, as if indecisive about if he should enter, before stepping all the way into her store, a pair of snowflakes following him in. He poked at the glasses on his nose, pushing them back up, and gave her a small smile. He was still only wearing the odd brown vest he habitually wore, and Sugar wondered how he wasn’t dead from the cold already.
“Hello Sugar.” Bugsy’s voice was quiet, and Sugar couldn’t recall ever hearing him speak louder than a near whisper, not even when the town threw him a surprise welcome party a few weeks ago. He walked up to the display, eyes roving her wares, before setting six Bits in front of her register, a change from his usual habit of just one cupcake. “Could I have a half dozen cupcakes, please?” Sugar smiled wider, and swept five of the Bits into her register, sliding the sixth back to Bugsy.
“Hearts and Hooves Day special, buy five, get one free! Well, it’s more of an almost Hearts and Hooves Day special, I guess.” She quickly assembled a box, and filled it with each cupcake Bugsy pointed at. She passed the box over to him, and he took one out, taking a bite. His small smile lengthened, and he sighed happily.
“I shouldn’t be buying so many at once. They’ve been ruining my figure.” Sugar couldn’t help but laugh. Bugsy was as thin as a pony could be without becoming invisible.
“Oh hush, you look like you could eat everything in my display and still not gain a single pound.” She shrugged. “Not that there’s anything wrong with a little bit of pudge. Just makes you more comfortable to cuddle!” That finally got a bit of a giggle out of Bugsy. Sugar leaned over the counter, curious about the new stallion in town. From what she’d heard, not many ponies had talked to him, and those that were able to didn’t get much from him. Still, Sugar thought she’d give it a go, seeing as Bugsy was in a more talkative mood than he usually was. “It’s strange, I got to know everypony in town, and all their stories, but not you.” Bugsy’s face fell, and he made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat.
“I don’t really like talking about my past.” He said quietly. Sugar’s own smile struggled to stay on her face, but she decided to persist.
“It can’t be all that bad. Hay, this whole town was in a cult that got rid of our cutie marks. Can you imagine that?” She laughed. “Now, c’mon, you can tell me.” Her smile faded as she saw the blank look on Bugsy’s face, and knew she pushed too far,
“Thank you for the cupcakes.” He said, voice whisper quiet, before he quickly exited. Sugar started to apologize, but the door shut before she could get a word out. She sat back down on her stool, frowning.
“He must’ve had a really bad colthood.” She murmured to herself. “I shouldn’t have tried to pry so hard.” She tapped her chin, thinking as she glanced through her display. “Maybe an apology basket is in order...”
~~~***~~~
Bugsy closed his front door and breathed a sigh of relief as the warm darkness of his home enveloped him. He set the cupcake box down carefully on a table in the front hall, and after checking that all the blinds were closed, let himself relax. A flicker of green magic sparked from his horn, and quickly raced over his body, revealing his true self. Where there was once a normal looking stallion, there was now a black changeling, his insectoid wings buzzing a little as he stretched. He hung his vest up on the coat rack, and took the box of cupcakes into his living room, and quickly stepped out the back door. He’d ringed the backyard with high hedges, so he could walk around mostly at ease without his disguise. He hustled through the cold, shivering as he banged the door to his shed open. The changeling smiled as he shut the door behind him, his wings humming happily in the heat as he stretched in front of a heat lamp. The shed was filled with an assortment of jars and tanks, most of which were empty, but quite a few were filled with bugs. What had started as a cover story had transformed into a true passion for Bugsy. He had become utterly fascinated with studying and caring for all sorts of insects and arachnids, and had filled several notebooks with his studies. He did a quick scan to make sure they were all happy, noting with a mix of happiness and sadness that both of his caterpillars had finally made their cocoons among the leaves and sticks of their enclosure. When spring rolled back around, he’d have another pair of butterflies to release into the wild, and another pair of friends he would most likely never see again. He went back inside the house and popped into his kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water, and his mind wandered on its own, back to Canterlot, and his defection.
Bugsy had been part of Queen Chrysalis’ invasion force, a reluctant part at that. He’d been one of the weakest in the Hive, and his eyesight was particularly bad, but he still wanted to fight, to fight for the Hive, and for his Queen, but his commitment soon wavered after the assault began. His hivemates had infiltrated most of the Royal Guard, so resistance had been low, but the resistance they did face... changed Bugsy. He saw how the ponies fought together, saw the love in their eyes and the way they protected each other. Love that wasn’t enforced with punishments, that wasn’t squirreled away, that wasn’t directed towards a Queen who thought of her subjects as expendable. Love that was soft, kind, warm. Bugsy had slipped away before Cadence and Shining Armour broke the assault, defeating Chrysalis and sending the rest of the changelings packing. He wandered for weeks, changing his disguise whenever he felt like he was about to be found out. He worried that he would starve, but found that there was enough love given in small gestures and kind words to sustain him. He soon abandoned copying other ponies, instead working on creating a new look, an identity of his own. Somewhere along his travels, a mare had given him the nickname Bugsy, and that had stuck. The same mare had encouraged Bugsy to get glasses, and not only was he finally able to see clearly past his own nose, the love in the mare’s actions had kept him comfortably fed for days. He wondered wistfully where she was, and if she could forgive him for both leaving, and for lying to her.
Bugsy opened the box of cupcakes and peered into it, pushing his green mane out from his eyes and nudging his glasses back up his muzzle. Making a home of Our Town had been an easy choice for him. Ponies didn’t ask too many questions here, and there was a lot of space to build a house a small distance away from the others. One of the things Bugsy had discovered in his travels was that he didn’t need direct love to sustain himself. A majority of pony food was absolutely loaded with love, and he’d found out that he needed to be careful about how much he consumed, as excess love tended to make him… squishy. Bugsy nibbled his bottom lip as he kept looking at the cupcakes. Sugar Belle loaded so much love into her baking that just one could keep him comfortably fed for a long time, and he’d eaten too many of them already since he moved to town. A hoof strayed down to his stomach, and he felt the love swirling inside him, enough of an excess that he already had a slight belly. It made him feel... strange. There was a heat in his chest as he felt the softness beneath his chitinous hoof, felt the heft of it. That was another reason why he lived among ponies. The Hive was cold, hard, and sharp. Ponies were warm, soft, squishy.
Bugsy had wanted to be just like them for longer than he could remember.
He hesitated for a moment, before grabbing another cupcake, taking a big bite, feeling the frosting slide down his throat, the love packed inside making it taste all the sweeter. He hummed with joy, his wings buzzing as he tasted the rich cake and even richer love. His hoof shot out for another, and another. Within moments, Bugsy had devoured the box, and enough love to keep him sustained for months. He let out a soft groan as he felt the love swirl faster inside him, and then he felt his belly push out against his hooves, a pink glow shining through the holes in his forelegs. He burped, and love swirled out of his mouth, a pink mist. He leaned back in his chair as his belly continued to swell, rubbing it gently with his hooves, the motion causing it to slosh audibly. He felt other parts of himself swelling as well, his chair creaking gently as the love within continued to slowly plump him up, bigger and bigger. He let out a sigh as he felt the growth slow to a stop, and sat contentedly for a moment, letting his hooves roam where they would. He eventually got up off the chair, feeling his belly wobble back and forth as he walked to his bathroom, admiring himself in the mirror. He’d let himself get... squishy before, but not to this extent. He was enjoying the sight, and the feeling, of his little potbelly before a thought burst his happy bubble. He quickly transformed into his pony disguise, and realized that his disguise hadn’t grown along with him. It was an odd sensation to feel his hoof pressing into his newly plush rump, yet it looked as if he was still a couple inches away from even touching it. He grimaced, thinking about the implications, mentally cursing himself for losing control so easily.
“Going to have to be really careful until this wears off.” He said to himself, a little sadly. He liked the softness that separated him from his former hivemates, that brought him closer in form to the ponies he so admired, but his need to remain hidden, undetected, heavily outweighed his want for softness. “That means no more cupcakes for a long while, either.” He bit his lip. He wanted to go back and apologize to Sugar Belle for leaving so abruptly, but he also knew that he wouldn’t have the willpower to resist buying another box. Bugsy went back into his shed, noting with a guilty thrill how close his bloated hips were nearly touching the smaller doorway, and settled down with a sketchbook to do a doodle of his caterpillars, making up his mind that he’d go back and apologize to Sugar Belle tomorrow, and leave his Bits behind.
~~~***~~~
The next morning, as the wan sun was starting to peek up from behind the leafless trees, Sugar Belle was unlocking her shop, and spotted a familiar orange pegasus landing along the main road, a cloud cart in tow, saddlebags bulging with mail over a flannel coat. She opened the door and rushed out to give her coltfriend, Kace, a big hug as he trotted to a stop in front of her shop.
“Kacey!” She exclaimed happily, planting a chaste kiss on the stallion’s cheek. “You didn’t have to come all the way out here yourself!”
“What, and leave you alone when it’s almost Hearts and Hooves Day so you can meet some other handsome courierpony?” Kace chuckled, and laid a decidedly not chaste kiss on his marefriend’s lips, his face cold from the weather. “There wasn’t all that much for this run, so I decided, what the hay.” He smiled self-consciously at the unasked question in her eyes. He was well known for his fear of heights. “I stayed low to the ground. Not many mountains in the way, and I paid a couple of weatherponies to keep a path clear for me.” Kace quickly removed the harness connecting him to the cloud cart, and set about unloading it. A lot of Sugar’s baking supplies came from out of town, and two crates were just for her. Kace helped bring them inside, and Sugar noticed with delight that he seemed a little softer than when she’d seen him last, his saddlebags digging tighter into his sides and belly, his warm coat stretched a bit too tight over his body. She gave his wider rump a pat as he walked by, his wings supporting a crate on his back. “Hey!”
“Hey yourself.” Sugar giggled. Kace laid the crates gently behind the counter, and took his hat off to wipe sweat off his face.
“I just got a couple more deliveries to make, then we’ll get brunch?” Sugar nodded as she looked over the packing slip, noting that nothing needed refrigeration. She quickly threw a coat on and followed Kace back outside, locking the door to her shop. “Not going to stay open?” Kace asked, a little surprised. Sugar shook her head.
“No point, it’s too cold, and too early for the Hearts and Hooves Day rush. Nopony wants to sit on cupcakes for a week.” She peered into the cloud cart. “Who are the rest of these for?”
“One crate is for the library. That’s another reason why I came down. Do you remember First Edition? From my writing workshop?” Sugar nodded. “He works for a library too, and arranged for a book swap. They’re going to refill this box with books and send it back his way tomorrow.”
“Only staying one night?” Sugar asked, disappointment creeping into her voice. Kace nodded.
“I have to, I’m sorry. Even me missing one day is going to make a big enough mess to keep me busy for the rest of the week.” He smirked. “Besides, two nights with you would make me have to take the train rather than fly.”
“Assuming you’d even fit on the train.” Sugar teased, and Kace turned a little red as they walked on. “Who’s the other crate for?”
“It’s for..." Kace had to glance at the label to get the name. “It’s for a ‘Bugsy’. It’s heavy, I hope he’s home to give me a hoof with it.” Sugar let out a little gasp, and raced back to her shop. Kace watched her go, a little confused, until she came back with a basket floating behind her, wrapped in clear plastic with a pink bow tied to the handle.
“Here! I was going to wait until he came in again, but if we’re going there already, might as well give it to him today.” Kace’s nose twitched, and he reached a hoof out to open the basket, but Sugar swatted his hoof away as she laid it gently into the cart. “Hooves off! That’s for Bugsy, not for you.” Kace shook his hoof, pretending to be hurt.
“Bugsy? Oh.” He nodded to himself. “The new guy you mentioned a few times. I thought the name rang a bell.”
“Yeah. I’m afraid I might have hurt his feelings the other day. I pried too hard about his past, before he came here, and he went super quiet and left right away.” She sighed as they started on their way. “I’ve felt awful all night, and I was going to wait until he came in again but...”
“But you wanted someone else to drag it over to his house.” Kace said, rolling his eyes in fake exasperation and grinned. “I getcha. It’s a nice gesture, and from what you've told me, he’s a good pony.” Sugar nodded, and moved closer, walking as in step with him as she could as they wandered their way to the library. “We’ll drop the books off and make a beeline to Bugsy’s place, that flight made me hungry.” Sugar smirked, and poked a bit of pudge by the harness Kace was wearing, visible even through his coat.
“Everything makes you hungry.” She teased, and Kace again flushed.
“Oh hush.”
~~~***~~~
Bugsy grimaced as he looked in the mirror at himself. His gorging the previous night had done more damage to his figure than he’d first realized. His belly, still aglow with love, hung low by his knees, the fat forcing parts of his chitin apart, and had even cracked it in some places, the soft flesh peeking out through the cracks. He turned and eyed his rump in the mirror, a blush darkening his cheeks as he saw how round and plump it had grown. His wings hummed as he gave it a squish with his hoof, but he forced himself to stop admiring himself and get into his disguise. It took more concentration than usual to change, and after the green flame had disappeared, Bugsy was shocked to see just how much thinner his pony form was compared to his ‘true’ self, nearly half as wide. He shifted on his hooves, eyes narrowing as he looked closely at his flanks, spotting a brief shimmer where his fat spilled over his disguise’s constraints. Bugsy began to debate with himself whether or not he should tweak his disguise to match his new plush body, and kept arguing with himself as he checked on his bugs, noting yet again how much more difficult it was to keep his disguise up. He was still debating with himself when the doorbell chimed loudly. He froze, before remembering that he had ordered a larger enclosure for his snails that was supposed to be delivered today. He steeled himself, pushed his glasses up higher on his nose, and walked over to the door, a slight waddle slowing his gait that he did his best to hide. Bugsy put his eye up to the peephole, seeing an orange pegasus with a blue hat and a flannel jacket hitched to a cloud cart, and opened the door.
“Hello?” He asked quietly, his breath clouding around his face.
“Hey there! I’m Kace Chase, with the Equestrian Courier Service. I’ve got a crate for a ‘Bugsy’, are you him?” Bugsy nodded, and Kace brought out a clipboard from his saddlebag. “Alright, I just need a signature on these two lines.” Bugsy took the proffered pencil and signed a scrawl on the paper. Kace quickly tore a strip off the paper, and passed Bugsy a green copy of the paperwork he’d just signed. “Thank you kindly, sir. Oh, you’ve got something else here too...” He broke into a broad grin as Sugar Belle stepped out from behind the cart, the handle of her gift basket between her teeth. Bugsy didn’t know how to react to the ambush, and he just stood there as Sugar laid the basket at his hooves.
“Hi Bugsy. I wanted to apologize for how nosy I was yesterday. There’s no excuse for it.” She smiled. “I made up a little apology basket, since you’re still pretty new in town and I hope I didn’t make you feel unwelcome.” Bugsy opened his mouth to say something, and had to bite back a gasp when he tasted the overflowing amount of love in the air. His stomach gurgled, both from the love, and from the smell of baking from the basket.
“You didn’t have to.” Bugsy said, nearly lost for words. “I was going to come in later today to apologize as well. I know you were just trying to be friendly, it’s just hard for me to open up.”
“No better way than with some friends!” Kace declared, unhitching himself, hopped into the cart, and grabbed a hold of one of the crate’s ropes with his teeth. “Gimmie a hoof with thish?” He said around the rope. Bugsy nodded, and walked around the cart, taking great care not to bump anything with his actual hips. Sugar noticed his odd strides.
“Are you okay, Bugsy? You’re limping a little.” He waved off her concern with a hoof.
“Just a little strain. I’m okay.” Kace and Bugsy quickly got the crate down to ground level, and brought it inside, Sugar Belle following with her basket. They dropped it, at Bugsy’s muffled direction, just inside the shed in the backyard, and while Kace helped him crack the crate open, Sugar took a look at all the different enclosures, eyes sparkling.
“Wow, how many bugs do you have?” She asked, staring enraptured at the cocooned caterpillars. Bugsy pushed his glasses up his nose and squinted as he thought.
“Twenty-three.” He said. “It used to be twenty-five, but I released two butterflies just before I moved here.” The crate finally fell open, revealing a large glass fish tank. Bugsy quickly reshuffled some of his smaller enclosures to make space, before he and Kace placed the fish tank in its new home. He nodded his thanks at the pegasus, and as they walked back inside the house, felt a thrill of fear. He’d never had guests over at his house before, not even when he first moved in and the town threw a little party. Kace took his hat off and wiped sweat off his forehead again, puffing a little from his efforts despite the chilly air.
“Tired? Just from that?” Sugar teased, sidling up to her coltfriend. “My my, you are out of shape.” Kace flushed.
“It was heavy! And this coat is warm!” His stomach let out a quiet growl. “Though I wouldn’t say no to a snack to recharge.”
“That’s Bugsy’s basket, not yours, mister.” Sugar tsked, but she went over to where she’d placed the basket and pulled the plastic wrap off, Bugsy’s house instantly filling with the warm smell of freshly baked cookies and other confectionery. Bugsy’s mouth began watering immediately, and without thinking he accepted a heart-shaped cookie from Sugar. All three chowed down, Bugsy’s cookie practically evaporating in his hooves. He licked the remaining crumbs from his lips, and heard a long, low growl that let him know eating that cookie was a mistake. It was jam packed with love, more than usual.
A lot more.
Bugsy felt a sudden, increasing pressure in his stomach, and a loud glooooooorp sounded in the room. He stifled a belch, then had to bite back a moan as he felt the love swirling inside his stomach like a hurricane. His stomach growled, growing louder by the second, and then he felt himself begin to swell, slowly at first. He gulped, louder than he intended, as panic and pleasure rooted him to the spot, torn between giving his growing gut a squeeze and maintaining his disguise, which was growing harder and harder to do as the changeling continued to swell. Bugsy flushed as both Sugar and Kace looked over at him with curious expressions.
“I, um, anypony want a-ah, a drink?” He said as evenly as he could, struggling to maintain his composure as he felt his belly press against his swelling thighs, heat flooding his chest and chasing away a cold chill of fear.
“Uh, sure! What have you got?” One of Kace’s eyebrow raised a little as he and Sugar watched Bugsy spin an awkward circle, the other pony’s limbs unusually stiff, walking towards what they presumed to be the kitchen with a strange, rolling gait.
“L-lemonade!” Bugsy called over his shoulder as cheerfully as he could. He could hear more chitin cracking as he swelled, even over the blorps and glorps of his belly, and he tried to hustle himself along, but the love inside him, the love slowly making him fatter and fatter, had other plans. He felt his belly brush the ground, somehow keeping disguise up through his surprised gasp, and heaved himself forwards towards the kitchen. He wouldn’t be in any less trouble in there, but at least he’d be out of eyesight-
Thunk!
Kace and Sugar were perplexed. Bugsy was seemingly stuck in the doorway, yet they could see a large gap between his slim hips and the doorframe. Kace stepped forwards, an eyebrow raised.
“Uh... you okay, Bugsy?” Bugsy tried to answer, tried to say something, but there was too much going on. The strain of holding his disguise, the strange feeling of swelling out of control, being wedged in the doorway, feeling the wood creak and crack and give around his softness. The warm heat in his chest rose higher, and hotter, as he heard Kace and Sugar approach, standing mere inches away. His hooves scraped at the ground, but it was hopeless. His growing body was wedged tight, and getting more stuck by the second. He gasped and moaned, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as the sheer pleasure of feeling his fat body getting squeezed by the door frame overrode his panic. “Bugsy?” Kace asked again, seeing the pony start to rise off the ground. He stepped forwards, and bumped his muzzle on something soft, warm, and invisible. Bugsy let out a surprised cry, and finally lost his concentration at the sensation of his flanks wobbling, even as his growth began to slow. Green flames bubbled around the bottom of his hooves, marching slowly upwards, revealing more and more of his fattened frame, until the Bugsy that Sugar Belle and Kace knew was replaced by a pair of jiggling changeling cheeks. Bugsy’s tail flicked back and forth, almost comically small compared to the two heavy, large orbs of fat that wobbled even though the doorframe held them. Bugsy’s belly glowed bright like a firefly, the pink love shining through the cracks of his chitin as his fat pushed out ever further, the growth finally tapering off as his belly pressed firmly into the ground. Both Kace and Sugar blushed a furious red as they took in the sight, Kace especially after getting a muzzle-full of ass.
“Don’t look!” Bugsy cried, his wings buzzing feebly in a vain attempt to get unstuck, but knew it was too late. “Please... don’t tell anypony.” Sugar and Kace glanced at each other.
“You might be a baker, but he brought the cake.” Kace cracked, and Sugar swatted him.
“Kace, not the time.” She said quietly. “I don’t think he’s in the mood for jokes. Gosh, can you imagine how he’s feeling? No wonder he didn’t want to talk about his past, he must have been in hiding for years, and to get outed like this...” Her voice trailed off, and tears welled in her eyes as Kace gave her a quick hug.
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” He raised his voice. “Hey, uh, Bugsy, is there any other way into the kitchen?” The changeling hesitated, confused by the question, his brain unable to process much past the pleasure, and the panic. He expected screaming, shouting, a mob of townsponies all baying for his blood, not hushed voices. He opened his mouth to reply, but couldn’t get his voice to work. Kace glanced over at the other doorway and saw a dining table. He shook his head. “I shoulda figured that out without asking.” He mumbled. Sugar followed him into the kitchen, and her heart melted further as she saw Bugsy cringe away from them.
“You don’t have a reason to be afraid of us, Bugsy.” She said quietly.
“W-why not? Everypony hates changelings.” He said, bitterly. Sugar moved closer, her hoof hovering just above Bugsy’s bloated shoulder, hesitating.
“I don’t.” Kace said, looking at the door frame. “I’ve known a couple in my time. Heck, I’ve got a crate I’m shipping back to a changeling tomorrow.”
“I don’t either.” Sugar touched Bugsy’s shoulder gently. The big changeling jumped, but he didn’t try to pull away. “And I know nopony else in the town won’t care as well. changeling or not, you’re still Bugsy, and we still love you.” Bugsy opened his eyes and blinked, his chest filling with warmth, a new, different warmth he hadn’t felt before, and he felt his fear melt away like butter. A cloud of pure, pink love floated like a halo over Sugar Belle’s head, and he tried to keep his mouth shut. Bugsy was already filled to the brim with love, but she was giving it to him, and there was nothing he could do as the pink mist swirled around his mouth. He whimpered, and instinctively shook his head, feeling himself get even fuller, knowing he was going to get so much fatter from all this love, but both Sugar Belle and Kace mistook the gesture as him not believing them.
“Ditto what she said.” Kace said, walking over to his left, Sugar on his right, and both of them squeezed Bugsy into as much of a hug as they could manage. Bugsy’s eyes widened as the warmth in his chest soared higher, watching as a cloud of love billowed out of the pair, mingling together above him. He realized that it was both their love for him, and their love for each other, looming over him. He felt his hesitation melt away, and Bugsy opened his mouth wide for the cloud funnel down into him. If either pony had been looking, they would have had to shield their eyes from the sudden bright pink light that exploded out of Bugsy’s belly, shining through the cracks in his chitin. A loud groan, so forceful it made Bugsy’s entire body wobble, rumbled out of his gut as he felt the pressure inside him sharply increase. He let out a long, low moan before the love inside made him begin to swell, faster than before.
Sugar and Kace felt the changeling push against their hooves, and both stepped back, eyes wide as light, and fat, poured out of Bugsy. His body swelled and swelled, his neck slowly disappearing under a multitude of chins, his glasses slipping off his nose, bouncing off the rising curve of his belly and clattering to the floor, thankfully unbroken. The same couldn’t be said for the doorframe, which creaked, then cracked and splintered, Bugsy’s growing belly too much bug for the walls to handle as they crumbled beneath his weight. Chitin cracked and fell away as his belly pushed him up into the air, his rapidly-plumping legs and hooves wiggling uselessly as he was entirely beached on his love-filled gut, small clouds of love puffing out of Bugsy’s mouth as burps and belches were forced out of him as he swelled, and swelled. Kace and Sugar took a step back, then another, as the tide of fat crept towards them. Sugar turned and said something to the pegasus, but Bugsy couldn’t hear what she said over the cacophony of his swelling gut, and the rushing of blood in his ears. His tongue rolled out of his mouth, his face blushing a dark green as he finally, finally let himself enjoy it. As his body grew, and grew, Bugsy squeezed and sloshed himself as much as he could, cooing and buzzing happily. He didn’t care if anypony saw him anymore, the love from Kace and Sugar was so strong that he knew they weren’t lying to him. It also felt so good, so right to be growing like this! Bugsy’s vision grew hazy, brain overloaded, his wings humming by themselves as his body lurched further outwards, his belly pushing him up higher and higher towards the ceiling. Unseen, Sugar Belle darted around him, snatching her basket and bolting out the front door just moments before Bugsy’s blubbery rear filled the living room, changeling fat bulging out the front door. Sugar set the basket down and yelled for Kace. Over the glorping of Bugsy, she heard a window shatter, and a shout of “tally ho!” before Kace soared above the house, landing gently on the grass next to her, shaking glass and wood out of his hat. He smiled sheepishly, Bugsy's glasses dangling from the corner of his mouth.
“Only way out was through the window.” There was still a red flush to his cheeks, and Sugar smiled at him.
“Took your time admiring him, didn’t you?” She teased. Kace’s blushing response was drowned out by a belch that thundered out from the house, the windows that were still intact rattling in their frames, and the ground itself seemed to jump and shake.
“BUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP!”
Then, as the pair turned back to the house, they saw the wall closest to them begin to crumble, and collapse, exposing the mammoth twin cheeks of a changeling that had had more of his daily recommended dose of love. Where his tail was comically small before, it was practically lost in all the blubber, a small green splash amongst a sea of jiggling black. Before Kace and Sugar’s eyes, Bugsy’s growth soon ground to a halt, his belly still shining a brilliant pink. Kace glanced at his marefriend.
“We should go check on him.” He said. Sugar nodded absently, seemingly mesmerized by the still-swaying rump that seemed to move with the chilly breeze. Kace flapped his wings, and after an awkward moment, carried the hefty mare up to the second floor, where thankfully Bugsy had left a window open into what seemed to be a little studio. The pair stepped carefully around the floor, the wood planks buckled and broken all around them. Sugar looked around, seeing the various bug sketches tacked up on the walls, admiring the artwork. With a gesture from Kace, the pair crept their way towards the doorway, finding the upstairs hall utterly shattered and replaced with changeling flab. Bugsy had fully filled his house, and his body spread where it wanted. Kace heard a gasping sound, and after stumbling on Bugsy’s incredibly soft and warm gut, flapped his wings to hover over to the sound, Sugar following in careful pursuit. Bugsy’s head was barely visible, sunken deep into his body, his mottled green mane mostly hidden inside his folds. His face was bloated, nearly unrecognizable, his neck disappearing into the soft folds of his chins and his chest. His eyes were unfocused, and his tongue sprawled from his mouth to rest against his multitudes of chins. His forelegs had been swallowed by pudge, only small nubs in the centre of large mounds of fat were still visible. He barely noticed Kace or Sugar in front of him, entirely absorbed in enjoying his new, massive body, any sound muffled by the hundreds and hundreds of pounds of flab, and the deafening rumbles and gurgles of his belly. “H-hey Bugsy. You doin’ okay?” Bugsy let out a long, low moan as Kace carefully landed on his flabby chest, his hooves sinking in deep. His eyes focused on the orange pegasus, barely seeing the crimson blush that turned even his nose pink, and his expression changed to a wide sloppy grin.
“I am doing jusht fine.” He said, words slurred by his cheeks. ‘Just fine’ was a massive understatement, almost as big as the changeling himself. While Bugsy had always wanted to be softer, always wished to be squishier, he vastly underestimated just how large he truly wanted to be. Now, feeling his fat wobble like ocean waves lapping at the straining walls of his former home, Bugsy felt a gnawing in his impossibly large gut that he wasn’t quite big enough yet. His eyes lazily swept from Kace to Sugar, and while her blush was just as radiant, her eyes continually flicked between Bugsy’s body, and Kace’s small potbelly. The plump edges of his lips curled upwards slightly more as he tasted the irony. For years he wanted to be just like ponies, and now here was a pony who wanted to be like him! Sugar looked like she was about to say something, but just smiled instead. She turned to Kace, and put a hoof up under his chin before whispering something in his ear. He nodded, and Bugsy suddenly felt the love between them when their gazes locked together, a pleasing electric tingle where their hooves sunk into his soft flesh. Sugar leaned forwards, and planted a gentle kiss on Kace’s lips. He kissed her back, and the kiss slowly grew in intensity. A cloud of love erupted from them, a neon-pink stormcloud that swirled like a hurricane as it swelled in size. Bugsy looked up at the cloud, his smile never wavering from his face. He knew his house was already crumbling around him, and he didn’t care. He also knew that there would be no way to hide himself now, and he didn’t care about that either, which surprised the part of his brain that wasn’t as heavily entrapped in the pleasant fog that shrouded the rest of his thoughts. Not even half an hour ago, he was fretting about his disguise, admonishing himself for losing control. But now? Bugsy didn’t care if all of Equestria was looking at him anymore. This is what he’d wanted all his life. To grow, and grow, and grow. Ceaselessly.
He opened his mouth, and the love began to pour down his throat, as a single thought echoed through the fog like a mantra.
Bigger!
Bigger!
Bigger!
