> Hoarding The Pounds
>  by Archy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Hoarding The Pounds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since the departure of Chrysalis from leading the Changelings, things had for most of them been shifting for the better.

For Vitaromia however, she was probably one of the few outliers in this situation. A lot of Changelings had issues adjusting to their new forms and how society around them was being pushed more towards a friendly nature - something not many of them were very used to. Vitaromia however had a bit more of a dire problem that affected her to a greater degree. She was out of a job.

Her primary role in the hive had been that of an Infiltrator, or at least now that was former Infiltrator. This meant she was on the front lines before any attack was made, sort of like a scout she supposed in a standard army. Her job used to be to one of the initial Changelings to get into wherever it was they were going to suck the love from next and start to cause disruption amongst the populace and generally have them fighting and squabbling right at the crucial moment when they attacked, causing them to be at their weakest and most vulnerable. She’d then join the rest of her kin in feasting on the love they could harvest before moving on.

However, like the rest of the Changelings, she was now reformed. Reformation meant a fancy new body. She actually preferred her new look, it was much prettier than what she used to look like. Black was such a drab colour. A nice dark blue was something that she much preferred, something still dark yet much more pleasing to the eye. In any case, what she looked like wasn’t such a huge concern. It was what else reformation meant. It meant no more wars, no more stealing the love from other races. With no wars, there was no need to infiltrate and as such the lovely Vitaromia was now jobless. Spies were not something that were likely to be called on anytime soon.

She had considered what else she could do with her skills, but had come up short. Apart from military purposes what else could she apply a finely tuned skill such as sneaking to? It had baffled her to no end for weeks until she had finally come to a decision about it. Thorax wasn’t exactly advocating more war or wanting to put those that were used to a military life back to their old roles either in case there was one. Their new leader was dead set on peace and that meant showing all the other races they didn’t need their old ways anymore. Especially ones that focused on fighting in any form. Vitaromia was out of a lifestyle that suited her down to the ground, it was all she had ever known and now she had to look at making a change if she wanted to keep on going.

So the decision had been made and not lightly either. If there was nothing for her at the hive she’d seek employment and perhaps a little more elsewhere. She didn’t have much at home. The only thing she did really take with her was her standard issue helmet that she just couldn’t see herself not wearing, it was part of her identity somewhat still and she decided she’d cling onto it. At least for the time being. After selling what she did have and packing what she was left with into an easy to move and carry around bag the Changeling had fluttered her way out of the hive with little fanfare and started a self induced exploration of Equestria.

Of course she knew the land well, having conquered much of it in the name of Chrysalis. The news of the Changelings sudden adjustment had reached its way around the land, however many creatures of course were still wary of them or just didn’t believe a race of creatures that lived off love weren’t trying to use it as another ploy to invade once more. From the places she came across and tried to see if she could make a life for herself there the reformed Vitaromia got mixed reaction from the populace. None seemed willing to just welcome a Changeling with opens arms...hands or whatever appendages they might have. It varied from town to town. In some she was simply met with a distrusting eye whereas in others she was practically chased out as soon as she arrived. She could understand it though, why would you just let the enemy walk back in through your front door even if they came undisguised and with a friendly demeanour? It was the oldest trick in the book. She wouldn’t buy it so she figured they’d be somewhat stupid if other races did too. Still, she kept trying until quite by chance she happened upon another creature in a similar situation to her.

It had been in one of those small roadside rest stops that offer a bed for the night for weary travellers on their way to wherever they were going next. Vitaromia had rented a room for the night and had placed her bag inside, leaving the room locked up and then made her way back down to the very small tavern the owner ran which was part of the building. She could hear the thunderous roar of a small storm taking place outside which she was quite thankful to be out of. Even bugs didn’t like getting wet unless they had to.

She was sitting at the bar sipping on a small glass of grass cider when the door had opened and even though it was just her and a few other patrons, the room had gone even more silent than when she had entered.

The only way to describe the creatures were Satyr-like. Their actual race was unknown, either that or no creature had actually ever bothered to ask. The third thought was no one near them actually lived long enough once they found out to pass the information on. In any case, a dripping wet former guard of The Storm King was standing in the doorway who rather promptly shook themselves dry and walked up to the bar without even batting an eyelid at any creature looking their way or Vitaromia who was doing the same.

“Got a room for the evening?” came the rather gruff voice. Despite the fact that The Storm King had been routed and his forces defeated, his army still retained a very imposing attitude. The bartender pony simply nodded and practically threw a key towards him. Catching it, he sat down next to Vitaromia and just put one finger in the air and pointed towards a barrel of ale that was sat into the wall. “One.” he said, and waited patiently at the bartender pony poured him a drink. “Put it on my room tab.” were the next words, there was another nod and the two odd creatures were rather quickly the only two sat at the bar. Any other patrons seemed to make the decision to retire to their rooms for the evening.

“Dare I ask?” Vitaromia simply said, sipping at her own drink and looking to her left at the rather hulking creature. The only thing she really observed was despite being average height for one of The Storm King’s cronies, he had a slightly sleeker build and more of an upright posture. Most of them had a bit of a lean to their bodies but this one didn’t. He sat straight at the bar, idly sipping his drink.

“Ask what? I get a lot of questions.” came the response.

“Well how about a simple one, what’s your name?” Vitaromia asked.

“Krelk.” the simple word response was sufficient which he gave before taking another sip of his drink.

“Sounds about right for one of you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” was the reply. She could see the line of enquiry was already agitating him, so she decided to cut the snarky responses.

“Nothing. My name is Vitaromia. Most call me Vita. Just easier to remember. I did have another question…”

“Hmmm?”

“What is a former Storm King minion doing out here in the middle of nowhere in a rainstorm? I hardly ever see your kind out and about.” Vitaromia queried.

“Well I suppose I could say the same about you Changeling. By the way that shiny new body doesn’t fool me. We’re not in so different situations. Both of us former pawns of a tyrannical ruler. I guess it is just the way they were doing it that was different.” he mused, taking another sip of his ale. “To answer your question, I am on my way to my next job, not that you care.”

His words rang true, at least to Vitaromia. She had never really considered it before but that was probably because she hadn’t really come across or had the chance to discuss things with any other creatures in a similar situation to her. The difference being this one had found a job and the former minions of The Storm King weren’t like the Changelings in that they had varied roles within the hive, they had all been used in his military. Imagine a whole race having to find a new role in life. She was curious.

“Actually I do care. Like you say we’re not in so different situations. The difference is you seem to have found calling whereas I am still searching. What do you do?” she asked.

“Well I suppose that’s best answered by first telling you what I used to be. I was a ‘Shield Hand’, think of it like a civil enforcer. I don’t know if you had those in your former empire.” he stopped to think for a moment. “You have Changelings who would make sure the captured creatures kept in line?”

“Plenty. Wasn’t what I did but there were those who did that.” Vitaromia replied.

“Huh, well that. That was what I did. It was all I knew. But there’s other professions where keeping creatures in line makes for viable employment. Bouncer, Bodyguard. Whatever you want to call it I suppose. I applied it that, it wasn’t long before I had another job. Been doing it for a little while. I actually prefer it. I don’t have to be so rough with others, these days it’s mostly just slightly out of control fans I have to sort out.” he explained, stopping to take another sip of his drink.

Now Vitaromia really was intrigued. By total chance she had a creature right next to her she could ask for help from. He had seemed to open up once they got talking even if he was the one doing most of the talking. The atmosphere had become more relaxed, even the bartender pony had come out from the cellar and was idly cleaning a few glasses behind the bar. Good thing because once more Krelk put his finger up but this time asked “Another, please.” with a softer tone. The drink was brought just as swiftly however, that intimidating figure made sure of that.

“This might seem funny...but going back to what I said, about us not being in so different situations. It seems you’ve found your niche. I am still struggling…” she explained. It made Krelk raise an eyebrow.

“Oh, well what did you used to do?” he asked.

“I was an Infiltrator.” Vitaromia started to say, she explained about her job. How it was her duty to get into a populace and turn them against each other to make it easier for the former Changeling army to pick off a populace more easily. When she had finished, Krelk had already gotten through half of his second drink.

“Hmm...well you can’t exactly do what I do. But I am sure you could apply it to something. It is a puzzler though. But besides that, you’re a Changeling. There had to be a lot of use for shape shifting magic.” he replied.

“Hah, you’d think, but there are Unicorn ponies everywhere. In most cases being able to use magic in the way they do outweighs just being able to change into something else.” Vitaromia replied, finishing her own drink and as Krelk had, she raised a hand to signal she’d like another.

“Well, when you do find your calling make sure it’s something you enjoy. I can’t exactly say my job is a bed of roses.” Krelk carried on.

“Oh that’s right, you did mention you’re a Bouncer. What exactly do you uh...bounce?” Vitaromia said, she couldn’t really think of any other way to say it. She saw a smile cross Krelk’s lips before they went back to a neutral resting position.

“Promise you won’t laugh.”

“Why would I?”

“Some creatures have, they regretted it after.”

“Just tell me, come on Krelk it can’t be that bad.” Vitaromia said a little impatient.

“Fine, you ever heard of a famous pony pop singer? Songbird Serenade?” he asked.

“Oh yes, well even in the hive her musical influence had reached there. Actually before I left her songs were being used to encourage friendship in yet another way. I have to say I wasn’t exactly a fan…” Vitaromia explained.

“Well it’s her, It varies, sometimes I guard the backstage, other times I just make sure the concerts run smoothly. You’d think ponies wouldn’t need guards would you? But apparently even ponies get rabid fans who try to get to them during a show. Generally a stern look does the trick but honestly...It’s boring. I’ve yet to even get into a tussle. In fact the most I’ve actually done was push some of them away and then they just walked off! Ponies are far too easy to intimidate. If it wasn’t for those six who took down The Storm King and the fact they have incredibly powerful magic we’d have walked over their entire kingdom. Oh uh...no offence.” Krelk finished off, looking over at the pony bartender. They didn’t reply. “I like using my skills, I suppose like you did. Standing around just glaring at potential threats isn’t much of challenge. I feel a bit wasted. Anyway that is where I am on my way to, one of her concerts. She’s performing tomorrow. Despite the fact I have the best record out of any of her security staff they’ve yet to hire me on full time. They seem to prefer to contract my services out to just the bigger shows, I guess they don’t need me for the smaller ones.”

“Well, at least you’ve found something you can do. I’m stuck, I’ve been wandering the lands for a while now trying to find somewhere I can even settle. I suppose you get it too.” Vitaromia started to say. “Most creatures still distrust us. The worst I’ve had is being flat out chased out of town.” she sighed. “I wish I had somewhere to call home, at least then I could start looking how to apply my skills.”

“Hmm…” was all Krelk said, Vitaromia could see he was thinking.

“Hmm...what?” she asked.

“Well...no...no don’t worry about it.” Krelk said, seeming to waver off what he was about to say, Vitaromia pushed him to spit it out however.

“What is it? You were clearly going to say something.” she asked.

“It was just a thought. I have a place, it’s small. But I have been looking for some creature to move in with me. But you can probably guess how many willing applicants there are who want to live with a former servant of The Storm King, even if I set the rate shockingly low. I mean come, the rate is such a steal!” he yelled, thumping his closed fist on the top of the bar. It made the bartender pony jump and they quickly retreated back down to the cellar. “Would you be interested?”

“To have somewhere I could call home outside the hive and not be chased out of? It would be a dream come true.” Vitaromia replied. “But oh...I don’t have any money…”

“What good is money to me when no creature will even room with me in the first place? Look when you figure out what you want to do we can sort out some sort of payment, in the meantime it would just be nice not to be alone. Do you have any idea how hard it is to go from a military lifestyle where you’re constantly cooped up on cramped airships with hundreds of others of your kind to suddenly being alone?” he asked. “It’s crushing. In fact it’s one of the reasons I went for this job, at least the big crowds that Songbird Serenade draws reminds me a bit of what I used to have.” he said letting out a big heavy sigh. “Anyway, it’s your choice. I figured I’d at least ask. I’ve yet to come across another creature who has it like I have.”

Vitaromia thought on his words but she had already made her decision when he asked if she was interested. “Give me the address, when you’re back from your job I’ll be there.” she had said. The two had carried on talking into the night, sipping a few more mugs of ale until they had retired to bed. When Vitaromia had gotten up in the morning, the bartender pony informed her that Krelk had already left early in the morning. Vitaromia double checked the address she had left him, written hastily on a bar mat. It was about a days travel from where she was, no wonder Krelk had been seeking shelter for the night.

And that was it essentially, the two had been roommates for several months now. It had actually been going surprisingly well. Of course the two creatures had found out a few more quirks about one another. Krelk in particular had found that Vitaromia ability to change into things had been particularly useful, but the creature still hadn’t found a job. It was that day Krelk had gone on another for-hire job at one of Songbird Serenade’s concerts that he had asked her personally if they’d consider taking on another for-hire creature and explained the situation with Vitaromia. Krelk had tried to sell her ability to change form. “Imagine if there was deep trouble and suddenly, you had a guard that could shift into a Ursa Major, or a Bugbear.” he had said. “That will quell anything in an instant.”

So Songbird had agreed to trial it on Krelk’s advice. When he got back from his job a few days later, he found Vitaromia at home as he usually did.

“I’ve think I’ve got you something, it’s not quite using your infiltrating abilities but actually for some jobs that might come in useful.” he had started off with, immediately it had piqued the interested of Vitaromia.

“Well anything I could do that would earn us some coin would be good, not giving you some kind of rent is starting to make me feel quite guilty.” she said.

“How would you feel working with me?” he asked.

“What, on your gigs from Songbird?” she replied.

“Yeah, look I’ve been thinking as much as you how you can use your skills to the best of your ability and I’m sorry Vita but I think it’s just a case that unless the Changelings decide to go back to their old ways there just isn’t. But you have natural abilities you can take advantage of like the way you can shape shift.” he said.

“But I am not strong like you are Krelk, I can’t exactly look intimidating.” Vitaromia replied, still a  little confused at what he was getting at.

“You don’t have to look intimidating.” Krelk replied. “In fact I think you just have to look like you normally do - maybe wear that helmet you’re so fond of whilst on duty. Every creature is familiar with Changelings ability to shape shift. If somepony wants to get backstage to crash Songbird Serenade’s concert and they see you just standing by the door do you know what’s going to go through their mind? It’ll be ‘Oh no, what if they change into a bear, or an Ursa Major, or something else that could make me pony jam in about three seconds flat? I’m not going to get in their way!’” he said in rather amusing yet convincing voice that made Vitaromia giggle.

“Well I could certainly give it a go at least. You’ll ask?”

“I already did, they said yes. I got you a job in a few days time at her big concert in Manehattan. It’s one of the ones where they always want extra security. Apparently city ponies are one of the bigger groups who cause the most trouble.” he laughed. “And here I thought ponies were such civilised creatures. Oh well.” he finished. “Anyway we’ll have to leave tomorrow to make it there in time, it’s a few days travel.”

Vitaromia couldn’t think of anything else to do but give Krelk a hug, transforming herself into a rather soft bear to give him a warm, fuzzy hug to show her appreciation before shape shifting back. “Don’t worry, I won’t hug any troublemakers to death.” she said in a teasing tone.

“I doubt you will, well that’s great news.” Krelk said with a smile. “I’m going to get some rest, I’ll wake you up when we need to leave. See you in the morning.” he said, yawning and heading to bed. Vitaromia herself just smiled, finally she had something she could do. Whilst finally having a place she was settled in again was nice, it had been rather dull just sitting around the place. Tomorrow she’d be able to head out with Krelk. They had made a rather unlikely pair from the beginning but things were finally starting to come together. 

-

Over the months, things with the job had been going rather well. The first gig in Manehattan had been somewhere that Vitaromia could prove herself, and that was exactly what she did. At the first whiff of trouble she had altered her appearance to make sure the crowds kept in line. It had worked very effectively, she hadn’t even had to lay a hand on anypony. From then on she had become a regular hire for shows like Krelk. Often they got given the same assignments which meant the two very rarely left each others side. It had meant over time their relationship had grown and all for the better. The two had become more intimate, especially at home where they had time to themselves.

Vitaromia was still a Changeling after all, despite the craving for love like they used to have was now gone she still needed it in some form. Thankfully Krelk was able to provide. What had started off as just simple things like cuddling and spending an evening on the sofa together in each others arms had evolved into more and more over time. With their background being so similar the two creatures had found that they were rather much more compatible than they thought they initially were. Vita was so glad she had decided to stop at that roadside stop that night. Being with Krelk had changed her life for the better so much. However neither let it get in the way of their job.

Krelk was of course still viewed as more senior to Vitaromia, despite the fact both were hired on a basis of when they were needed for particular shows by Songbird Serenade. So this meant he did get a few more little privileges than Vita did. One of these was the backstage pass he was granted to almost every major show. Vita because of what she could do was asked to do more ‘showy’ work out the front rather than be hidden away by the back door, Krelk was more than capable of filling this role. However once the show was over and the fans had vanished, Vita sometimes managed to slip herself behind backstage. It wasn’t hard to make herself look like one of the ponies who should be there. In fact it was rather cheeky, sometimes she’d almost flaunt herself right in front of other ponies and creatures she worked with and often they were none the wiser it was her. However it was at one of these after show backstage sneaky acts that Vitaromia shouldn’t have been doing that actually worked in her favour.

She and Krelk were taking a well deserved break, the concert had been over for several hours. Ponies had left and gone home. The crew were packing equipment up. The two of them were for the most part left alone at one of the food tables to keep everyone fed. It was a good way to save money for the pair, as they’d load up on what they could before heading home.

“Nice disguise tonight.” Krelk commented as he picked up a few of those small bite-sized sandwiches from the table.

“Oh thanks, I figured for tonight just one of the runners. I doubt I am going to be asked to run anywhere, if I am I’ll just vanish and change to something else.” Vita replied.

“Good plan, I guess…” Krelk started to say, but he was stopped in his tracks, suddenly three ponies he didn’t recognise appeared in the room and none of them were wearing any sort of pass. Despite the fact the show was over and he was off duty he couldn’t just let them waltz in.

“Hey, you guys lost? Also where are your passes?” he asked, approaching them.

None of them replied, in fact all that happened was one yelled “We’ve been rumbled, get around them!” and suddenly Krelk found himself overwhelmed by a small cohort of rabid after hours fans. It seemed this lot had decided the best way to get to Songbird was to wait until after hours and then try to sneak their way in hoping that she was still around.

“Alright, break it up!” Vitaromia yelled, quickly using her magic to change herself and jump into the fight. It was two versus three but the ponies weren’t exactly a match for the trained guards. There was a minor scuffle, the table of food was knocked over and one of the ponies got covered in quite a bit of food that caused them to slip over and land flat on their back knocking them out of the fight. Now it was even numbers.

Vita and Krelk rather quickly had them pinned, Krelk pushing the one he had towards Vita who then transformed herself into a gigantic snake and used her huge size to push the three ponies out the way they had come, yelling “And stay out!” as they slid their way out the backstage door and landed on their rumps, skidding onto the grass outside. Dazed and confused as to what just happened they vanished into the night. Vita changed herself back to her normal form, helping Krelk up who held his head in his hands and rubbed his wounds to ease the slight bruising.

“You know it’s a lot easier when you’ve got a sword and shield. Or anything really, I’m still not totally used to fist fighting.” he said, giving a grin towards Vita.

“I think you did rather well, you had that one pinned pretty quick.” Vita replied.

“Indeed, so do I.” came a voice from behind the two. Krelk and VIta turned, it was Songbird Serenade. “Shame about the table though, oh well I’ll just cover the expense.” she quipped.

“M-Miss Serenade.” Vita started to say. “I uh...thank you?” was all she could really think to say.

“Don’t mention it.” Songbird replied. “From memory though, you’re not supposed to be here either. I know you’re in my employ but I don’t see pass access on that badge of yours, only his.” Songbird observed, it made Vita turn bright red.

“Oh um..well you see…” she started to say.

“It’s my fault ma’am.” Krelk quickly stepped in. “She’s my partner, I thought it would be okay to have her back here. Give her some food after the show.”

“I see...well yes, ponies have to eat. Anyway I am not here to punish, if you were on your own that fight might have gone rather differently.” Songbird said, giving them both a look of approval. “Vitaromia is it? I think from now on I’d like you to be here, I’ll upgrade you pass to make sure you have approval to be here in an official capacity.” Songbird smiled. “And Krelk? Well you’re supposed to be here anyway. Hmm...well you’re practically permanent staff anyway. How about we just make it official, from now on you’re on of my permanent show bouncers rather than just one for hire. I think you’ve more than proven yourself.” Songbird said.

“T-Thank you Songbird, you won’t regret it.” Krelk said.

“Yes, thank you so much.” Vita said as well, the two were rather in shock about what Songbird had decided on, both were more than just pleased.

“Well thank you both for acting so quickly. Who knows what those fans might have done if they had made it to me. Anyhow I must be getting back to my hotel, I trust I’ll be seeing you both at the next show. Oh and take this, I think you’ve both earned it. Consider it a small bonus for tonight.” Songbird said, pulling a small bag of bits from a hidden spot under her wing and handing it to Krelk. With that, she was gone, it just left the two to consider what had just happened.

“Well, that’s certainly something. I can be here and you are permanent staff. What does that mean?” Vita asked.

“Well...more money for a start.” Krelk replied. “But I’ll have to see what else. It could mean more. It seems we’ve been rewarded anyway.” Krelk said looking at the bag of bits. “Must be a good chunk in here.” he said, feeling its weight.

“This is...well, I wasn’t expecting this. Let's tidy up and make sure everything is put away properly. Might as well start with the table…” Vita said. The two started looking at the wreckage, already thinking about the next show.

-

Since the incident at the concert, things had been changing for the better for Krelk and Vitaromia. At least in terms of their lifestyles.

The reward money, plus the additional pay that Krelk was now getting for being a permanent employee meant that there wasn’t much in terms of what they both brought in to worry about. Before on just Krelk’s paycheck they had struggled a bit, it had helped with Vita started working but the two still found that sometimes they were a little short of bits to cover expenses. Now, those days seemed to be gone, they were even managing to put some money away each month into savings.

The extra money as well meant they could afford to splash out a little on things they weren’t able to before. When they had gotten back from that gig, to celebrate Krelk had decided to take Vita out for a nice romantic meal. He wanted to show his appreciation for the bug he had very much fallen in love with over the past months they had been together. What he wasn’t prepared for was when they went out she ordered two starters, a main meal with a number of sides and a dessert not only to eat while she was there but another to take home with her.

“You’re very hungry tonight, more so than usual?” he had asked and also commented once the waiter pony had taken their orders. Krelk had just gone with a more modest standard order of a starter and main, he wasn’t massively fond of desserts.

“Well...we want to celebrate right?” she had responded. Krelk had just smiled and agreed.

What Vita didn’t tell him was that despite the fact Changelings were of course reformed, some things about their biology hadn’t quite changed as other creatures thought. She wasn’t thinking about the fact they needed to feast on love. No, that really was gone. But Changelings still felt a hunger that they weren’t quite sure how to satisfy. In the case of Vita, where she could she was satisfying filling that hunger with food. It was one of the reasons she had sneaked her way backstage that night to be with Krelk. Of course she wanted to see and be with him but another reason was she always knew backstage was where the food table was. The Changeling made sure she had eaten her fill.

It was partially a habitual thing too. For the vast majority of her life Vita had always been starved and then gorged herself when a successful attack had taken place, making sure to fill herself as much as she could not knowing how long it would be before they attacked somewhere else and got more love. The difference was now that food was always readily available. It wasn’t so much so before the extra money but now they always made sure the fridge was stocked with things for them to each in case for whatever reason they just didn’t get a chance while working, but Vita made sure she still got to that buffet table backstage whenever she got a chance to get near it.

Krelk had noticed this too, it was of course made most obvious when he had taken her out for that celebratory meal. Suddenly however he was noticing more and more just through observing Vita as to what she was up to. It wasn’t just the ordering more food when they decided to eat out together. Years as a Shield Guard had taught him to be observant of his captees and keep an eye on everything. It was what made him perfect as a bouncer, he could often spot trouble before it even started. But now what he found most of his time doing was observing Vita and how she was behaving, especially around food.

Every show she made multiple trips to the buffet table, moreso than the other staff. Himself included. During one event where had had surmised she must have been particularly hungry she made no less than five trips in the space of just a few hours. This combined with the fact they had a stocked fridge at home and the extra money to spend out eating was having a noticeable effect on her body.

Slowly at first, but then more steadily as the bug ate more and more Krelk was seeing a shift towards her size getting to be on the plumper side. When she shape shifted, these changes were never noticeable which was why during shows when she often changed herself by default to look like some creature much more intimidating no one seemed to notice or really say anything. In fact she only really shifted back to her original form once the show was over and by that time half the staff had already dashed out to get home. Her and Krelk, as well as stage hands that were busy with their own work and a few other hired bouncers were the only ones really left who might have had enough time to idle and notice. The thing was none of them really spoke to either of them, they all knew their jobs and unless some dire emergency sprang up they hardly actually talked, sticking to their areas and jobs whilst the show went on.

As the weeks went on, the weight change in Vita however was becoming more and more noticeable. You didn’t have to be trained to watch creatures like Krelk was to see it happening. She was still eating to her heart's content and not really taking into account what the extra food was doing to her body. Krelk had tried approaching the subject a few times but he felt it best to just leave her be. On the few times he had gotten a response about it out of her she had simply mentioned what he had been thinking it might be, a natural response to the change in circumstance and the fact that it was a habit.

The thing was, Krelk wasn’t that interested in making her stop. In fact with every snack, treat or dessert that Vita was eating he was actually finding that his love for her was growing along with her body. There was something about that thicker, more luxurious body that was drawing him closer to her. Vita wasn’t one to flaunt it but the bigger she was getting the more Krelk had come to observe changes in her attitude and body. The breasts she sported now were something else too, what had started as reasonably sized B or C cups were starting to look like J, K’s and even beyond. She was having trouble finding bra’s that actually would contain the two massive chest mountains that sat just above her even bigger belly. Vita was already a confident bug when he had met her but her added size was just cementing this more in place. He had observed a rather happy sway in her hips, a more confident smile on her face and other small little details that just told him that she was enjoying the added size as much as he was.

He had started to take more note of the subtle differences in her body as well. He wondered if she still had a body like Changelings used to have those holes they once had in their legs would start to become smaller. It was an amusing thought. Right now though her body was finding other ways of dealing with the added weight. Vita’s stomach was now far more bulbous than it had been when they had first met, the pudgy bug seemed to be quite taken with the hefty belly she had formed that hung rather low between her legs. Krelk was curious how many more meals and how many more pounds it might take until it would hit the floor and then beyond that, what it might take to cause her to be unable to move. Changelings had wings sure but even those at a certain size would become useless, far too weak to lift the added weight she would eventually put on.

Her flanks too, flanks? Did Changelings call them that? They were so similar to ponies it was difficult to reason if they called those parts of their bodies the same things but it was what Krelk knew them as. Now fattened and bulbous they perched atop the rear of her like two small quivering mountains, when she walked with those generous sways to her hips her ass really moved. It was something Krelk found he could hardly take his eyes off but when she did it he had to make himself look away. It was one of the few things that made him really flustered. He always felt his cheeks heating up when he got a glimpse of that big bouncing bug butt in front of his eyes. He kept finding more and more on their trips together he was walking a little behind her, under the guise of “Just covering the real Vita.” which he certainly was, just not the rear she was probably thinking of.

It was other little things as well. Her whole body had shifted due to her extra weight. Legs that were once slender and slim, perfect for getting around quickly now were pudgy and bulbous. Of course when she shape shifted no problem, but they too being a victim of her extra size meant that her low hanging belly now rubber against them as she walked. Her neck was forming small rolls that only seemed to be getting bigger and bigger as time went on. On one hand this actually was a benefit in a small way, that helmet she continued to wear which was rather loose fitting before sat more snugly on top of her neck with a slightly better fit around her head. There certainly was some benefits to being larger that hadn’t been accounted for before Vita had started putting on the extra weight.

The little back and forth between though carried on for a number of weeks. Krelk would try to approach the subject only to back off because he didn’t want her to start losing weight with Vita knowing full well that Krelk was actually liking the change in her. She wasn’t stupid, years of having to be surreptitious and sneaky meant that she had developed a keen sense of picking uip on the emotions of others. Especially non-Changelings. It was part of her job to be good at that and Krelk was showing all the obvious signs of a creature that was trying to fight off the urge to say something for the good of her whilst actually enjoying what he was seeing and keeping his mouth shut. It didn’t help that he on occasion would actually encourage her to eat a little more, or sneak some more food onto her plate when he thought she wouldn’t notice. It was fairly obvious when an extra dumpling or two would appear out of nowhere. For the first time since they had met she was actually seeing a slightly more vulnerable and different side of him that actually went against his nature. For a creature that was so disciplined like her it was rather interesting to see him breaking his code of ethics for his own personal pleasure.

With their relationship getting more intimate and closer as well, Krelk had a few times let slip exactly how he was feeling about her. Not in a verbal way, he was a quiet lover for the most part, however it was in what he did during their alone hours that told Vita exactly what he enjoyed. Often during times of closeness he’d reach around her folds, giving more attention where she was pudgiest and biggest. She had even caught once a whisper, under his breath he had seductively cooed “There’s so much, I can’t wait for more…” it was a little ambiguous but she knew what it had meant. More size and more weight. Vita had no issue obliging of course, she was already more than intent on gorging herself more for him and for her. She had something stirring in her mind, but they had a long tour schedule coming up with Songbird Serenade. If she could pick it up during the tour and keep it hidden from Krelk it would be all the better. Her mind started to plan where she could carry it out, she was sure she’d have an opportunity.

-

It was late and the two had been travelling from the last tour stop for a few days. The last event had taken place in Canterlot which was one of the further places from where they lived. Funnily it was raining hard, much like the night when they had first met. The two got in, safe and sound at home and quickly shut the door behind them. Vita now weighed so much that much bigger and she’d start getting her body stuck between the rather generous opening. They put their stuff down and both immediately went for the towels to dry themselves off. After unpacking their things, Krelk noticed one box had been left untouched near Vita’s room.

“What’s that? I don’t remember you having that when we left.” he asked.

“Oh, something I picked up on the tour. I had to wait until we were in Maretropolis because it was the only place I could find that actually sold it. I’ll show you later.” Vita replied, her nose already in the fridge looking at what they had to eat. “Do you fancy hayburgers tonight?” she asked.

“Oh sure.” Krelk responded absentmindedly, he was still looking at the box. It was actually rather small, there couldn’t have been much within it. He decided for now to forget about it and just sit down for a moment. They had been walking for hours and his paws were killing him. Pulling his footwear off he gave them a rub to ease the tension in them. It made him wonder how Vita’s hooves fared now she had to walk just as far and that she had all that extra weight to carry around. Of course they travelled by cart or train wherever they could and was convenient, but the two still had to make it home and they lived out a little in the middle of nowhere, they had to get back by road. This tour stint had been especially long and Krelk was looking forward to a few days at home at least. Before long he could spell the frying of burgers, the smell of food always hit his nostrils rather fast - he had a rather keen sense of smell.

A plate was pushed in front of him by Vita that had a single hayburger and some fries, he casually glanced over at Vita’s own plate. She had three and double the helping of fries. Now wasn’t the time to comment, he just ate. As he finished off the last of the fries and let out a small belch she did the same, the bug having eaten the food just as fast as him and having well over double the amount. The difference was unlike Krelk, she didn’t let out a belch and kept everything down.

“So come on, I’m curious. What’s in that box?” Krelk asked again, he saw Vita smile.

“Oh right, I’ll just wash up the plates and then I’ll show you. You’ll have to give me some time, I want to make sure it fits.”

“It fits? Oh? Well that gives me a clue.” he said, mind already starting to guess at what might be inside. Vita put the plates away and then shut the door to her room. There wasn’t much noise to give away what she might be doing in there, with Krelk only hearing a few noises of her moving about. Finally the door opened and his jaw hit the floor. Of all the things he had guessed at it wasn’t quite this.

It wasn’t just a singular piece of clothing, it was an ensemble that she had bought, obviously this time instead of using extra money for food she had decided to put towards some seductive clothing that really lent itself to her plus sized figure. The dress was the biggest part of it, it covered her whole body but it was almost translucent, a very thin red cloth draped over her back and down her sides, he could even see her huge nipples that were trying their best to peek their way through the material. In fact his mind started to wonder why she had actually bothered but the more he looked and his eyes darted around her figure the more he started to appreciate just how amazing it was making her look. The contrast of the red on her blue body really made all those curves stand out just that little bit more, her folds too. This was topped off with very plain and simple gold bands on select points to keep it trim to her figure. A just as thin veil covered her muzzle but he could still easily see her mouth through it. Everything about the outfit screamed seduction, Krelk could already feel his heart racing as his brain did its best to process all the gorgeousness before him.

Changelings didn’t need love anymore, but she could feel that Krelk had an overwhelming amount of love for her. It wasn’t like she couldn’t take advantage of that, her goal was of course to entice him more to her and it seemed to have worked too well. Her exiting her bedroom now dressed in this almost seemed to have sent him into a state of stupor. When she eventually asked what he thought of it he could only utter a single word.

“Breathtaking.”

It was safe to say Krelk couldn’t hold back anymore. With Vita wearing that and with him feeling like this both of them could feel the love for one another almost radiating around the room. Vita took a few steps closer to Krelk, really shaking her ass and making her massive rolly polly rump jiggle back and forth seductively as the dress still somehow managed to cling onto her absolutely huge body. A big grin crossed her face when she was that Krelk was obviously unable to hide his passion any longer, a rather obvious and large erection appearing from between his legs.

“Seems you see something you really like.” she giggled, turning her body a full one hundred and eighty degrees so Krelk got a face full of ass. Putting his claws out he couldn’t help himself but grab as much as he could, gripping both of Vita’s quivering ass cheeks with his hands and then going to town and giving as much attention to both as he could. He had been waiting weeks, in fact months for this. Those two wrecking balls had been teasing him for months, finally he got to indulge and enjoy them in all their massive, wobbling glory.

“V-Vita...this is....” he started to say, but his words were silenced when the chunky bug decided to take advantage of his already dazed state, she was never much of a fan of foreplay anyway and it had been months she had gotten attention like this. Leaning back, she brought her massive cheeks down right onto the top of Krelk who moaned in pleasure as he felt his cock slip between her massive cheeks. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to get any lube but Vita was so massive her ass was already rather wet from simply being so large. “F-fuck…” was the last part of the sentence Krelk managed to say, before Vita started to grind on him back and forth.

As she did so she felt him lean into her, the greedy former Shield Guard putting as much of his arms around her as he could and now gripping her fat belly folds as he sensually toyed with them, his hands moving upwards to go between the fat and her ever enlarging breasts. Krelk had given up guessing what size these must be at this point, beyond a K for sure, a lovely pair of soft mountains that were pushing beyond the size chart. One hand was working between them whilst the other was working on top of them, a rather lovely mix that was starting to make Vita moan back, of course it was helped by Krelk really giving her massive ass plenty of lusty love as well. With every thrust back and forth the motions became so much more pleasurable.

“Do you mind…” she started to ask.

“D-Do whatever you want…” came the response. She had never thought of Krelk as such a sub, but with such a large Vita for him to enjoy clearly he was just going with the moment and enjoying what he had wanted for months now. That seemed like blanket permission to do whatever she wished, of course Vita wasn’t going to take advantage.

The horn on her head glowed dimly and her mouth opened, a small magical glow shooting forth. However unlike the Changelings they used to be this wasn’t an act that stole the love from Krelk to keep Vita sustained, it was mutual. As the magic touched him, she felt unlike when she fed before a willingness to give over what he had. It was incredible, in fact it felt so good that it almost interrupted Vita’s casting. But the bug held fast, still feeling Krelk work his way around her many folds as the two continued making love.

With every moment she was casting she could feel the love that Krelk had for her grow. Whilst for him this was something non-physical it seemed that for Vita it was. The longer she was keeping the spell up she was seeing a change in her body, more so than the extra food she had been eating had been providing for her. She had a moment to glance down at her massive body and saw one of Krelk’s claws actually vanish between expanding rolls of blubber. It seemed the love she was getting from him was so pure and there was so much of it she was expanding the more they made love.

“OooooHHHHhhhhhhhh Krelk…” Vita moaned, she didn’t want it to stop. Everything she was feeling was making her heart almost explode with passion. This was ten times more intense and wonderful than any feeding session she had experienced back when she was a regular Changeling. It seemed that Krelk didn’t want to stop giving her attention either, his thrusts and gropes were become more frenzied and more passionate, if she wasn’t casting a spell that required her mouth the be agape she was sure he’d have pulled her head around and kissed her passionately, but for now he seemed to be quite content with using his lips to give rather attentive kisses to her neck rolls.

For some minutes nothing but pleasurable moans filled the room, with Krelk doing his best to just work over all the lovely fat that Vita was putting on as she cast the spell. Everything about this for him was what he wanted, he wasn’t quite prepared like Vita at first for her to start actually gaining more weight when she started to share his love but it was more of what he wanted so he wasn’t going to complain about it at all. In fact at this point all he wanted to do was encourage it, he noticed that if he upped the ante in what he was doing, e.g really went in to one of her rolls and massaged it deeply she’d gain a little more weight more quickly. Working back and forth between what he had been doing and this he capitalised on it, making sure that Vita was packing on as many pounds as he could make her. The bigger she got the more he was loving every second of it.

After a few mere minutes, Vita’s belly had hit the floor and was already spreading out in front of her with a small tidal wave of shapely blubber. It was her ass though that was driving Krelk absolutely wild, while he was taking time to appreciate the massive belly that Vita was gaining his cock was being slowly and seductively being more and more wedged between a growing mountain of ass that was pushing him further and further back into the sofa. Already he could feel himself starting to leak pre. A little beneath that he felt something wet hit one of his legs, it seemed Vita was starting to leak a little too, the panting and red faced bug hardly able to contain herself. It seemed with all the jiggling, attention and with Krelk grinding his dick between her massive wobbling flanks she was coming to a point of release.

“K-Kreeeellllll- A-AaaahhHHHHhhhhhhh!” Vita almost screamed the words, her whole body shaking as she felt herself let go of a tidal wave of lust that made her whole body rock and quiver in pleasure for what felt like almost an eternity. Everything about the release was what she had hoped to get and her now massive body just intensified that, her ass quivering in pleasure, her stomach jostling about and her plump fattened breasts bouncing up and down, soaking up every bit of love it could from Krelk whilst she let her raw passion take control. A final surge from her mouth and horn almost took the love he had to give, but even in a moment of pure out of control passion she steeled herself, making sure it was a shared experience.

Krelk couldn’t keep his lust contained any longer either, he grunted at first and then after a few deep pants let himself go, releasing a rather hefty and passionate load of his own love juices into Vita. The initial sensation had started like a like a small gust of wind but what Krelk was feeling now was a hurricane of pleasure as he let his love for Vita fill her, so much so that he was sure he had added a few pounds extra to her already ridiculous figure. With a rather pleasure yell of her name he experienced the best release of his life as he gripped her as tightly as he could. Feeling himself relax Krelk flopped back onto the sofa, but only a little. Vita’s massive ass still pinned him in place and kept him there.

After a moment of silence Vita did manage to push herself forward just a little, enough to actually let Krelk get up and come to her front. It seemed the passionate love making session the two had indulged in had done more than either of them had realised whilst they were enjoying one another. Vita wasn’t just huge, she was utterly immobile. The love from Krelk had ballooned her to a size he didn’t know was possible on Changelings. Perhaps if they consumed too much love? He wasn’t sure. But before him was a still rosy-red cheeked Vita, tongue lolling out from the love she had shared with him and completely unable to move herself. Her fat belly bed stomach formed a rather soft and squishy place for her to rest, the only thing that prevented it from entering more of her vision was her two plump and fat breasts that sat just in front of her wobbling gently above her belly. Behind it her monster ass cheeks would act as a counterweight if it wasn’t for the fact that her stomach was even bigger, the sofa was a mess - not only was there the residue of both their love but there was a substance Krelk didn’t recognise. After a seductive kiss he had to say something.

“That was...wow. I can’t even describe…” were his words, still looking lovingly at Vita. She just grinned back, now having composed herself somewhat to her lover whilst she took deep breaths to try to make herself less exhausted.

“I’ve never shared an experience like that...I think it’s safe to say you and me are a little more than friends now.” she cooed, looking at herself. “Especially after you do things as wonderful as this to me.”

“W-Wasn’t expecting that, but I just couldn’t stop...you’re amazing.” Krelk said, doughy eyes still locked the engorged bug. “C-Can I ask, never done it with a Changeling before...what’s the uh...the pure pink?”

Vita looked back, a fruitless act because she was so huge. She could only assume. “Pure love juice, something only Changelings release when we’ve indulged a little too much. It seems you really love me.” she giggled.

“Mmmm, never felt this way before. S-Sorry about the dress, you kept it on the entire time. Didn’t expect to ruin it so fast heh…” he sheepishly commented, Vita had made sure the material could stretch to her size but where they had really enjoyed each other obviously it was now a little ruined. She wasn’t concerned.

“No matter, it can always be washed. This uh...might put a crimp on me getting to our next show.” she smiled.

“I’m sure we can think of something, even if it means you staying here and me making you even bigger.” Krelk cooed back, giving her folds a little teasy grope.

“I knew you loved it, I’m not stupid you know Krelk. But I’m glad you do, I love it too.”

“Well I knew the food would have an effect, I just wasn’t sure what more love might do. But everything you wanted I gave willingly. If love does this to you well I’m sure I have plenty more to give over to you.” Krelk said, giving himself a bit of a wipe down to clean off a little of his own love juice.

“Mmm, well now what Changeling, reformed or no could refuse that?” Vita replied. The two embraced once more, Krelk giving Vita a rather large hug as best he could by reaching around her. Vita felt him give her an unintentional little poke, it made her laugh and she decided to play off it.

“Save yourself a little, you only came a few minutes ago. We can do this more in the morning.” she quipped, Krelk now the one going a deep shade of red as he pulled back.

“You okay there? I’m not even sure how you can get to your room.” he commented.

“Just get me a blanket and some pillows, I’ll be fine. It’s a small sacrifice to make for feeling this good.” Vita replied. As Krelk vanished to get some things to make her more comfortable the Vita relaxed. In Krelk, she had truly found a partner that she adored and with all the love he had to share, she mused at the fact it wouldn’t be long before he made her the largest Changeling in Equestria.