“Sorry, it’s just… been a bit hard to get around lately!” Audie hollered from behind Conner. The two went to the mall to shop and hang out, but Audie had been trailing behind. The skinny deer waited for him to catch up. “I’ve just felt a bit heavier lately is all… being hungry doesn’t help.” His large middle let out a groan, a sign that it was hungry again. “Hungry at all?” Connor asked, as he’d learned the telltale signs of the cow’s appetite. “Yes! I know there’s this milkshake place a bit further ahead and…” he trundled ahead at a newfound speed, heft shaking the floor as Connor was amazed at how hunger could drive someone. He ordered a small vanilla milkshake and turned to see Audie had basically gotten a gallon bucket of chocolate shake. Sitting down, the deer asked Audie about what he said earlier. “I’ve just felt heavier as of late, makes it a bit difficult to get around and do things.” The gut rumbled again and he threw back his head and chugged all of the milkshake in one go, Connor looking astonished and deducing what was causing Audie’s weight woes. “I couldn’t tell you why, though! Just seems to happen!” Connor looked at him and nodded slowly. “Uh-huh… well, if I find any way to help I’ll be sure to let you know.”
They sat and talked for a while, and Conner could swear Audie’s belly was slowly growing into the table as it gurgled and groaned rapidly, digesting the milkshake. Afterwards, they walked around for a while until Conner saw something he hadn’t seen in the mall before. “I’m gonna use the bathroom quick, brb!” The cow waved and stood waiting for him to return. As Conner snuck out of sight, he looked around for possible routes to the new location. Sneaking behind other mall-goers (who were slightly confused), hiding behind columns, even grabbing a hat to blend in better, he finally reached his destination. A new outlet with smooth granite walls and tinted windows. A neon sign titled “Your Friend’s Cure” hung above the glass doors. It caught his eye almost immediately across the mall, and felt too coincidental that this was his first time seeing it. He gulped, a little nervous, and entered. 
It was larger on the inside, and was more like a regal bank corridor than anything. Huge marble pillars that reached farther than the mall’s ceiling, with a velvet carpet ending at a marble counter on the other side of the room. He cautiously walked toward the counter but was interrupted by a shout from far off. “Hold on, I’m just… grr! Getting ready!” He could hear clattering and what sounded like pans falling on the floor, even a metal pipe? He could hear the voice swear and throw profanities around. He reached the counter and waited. A minute passed before he could hear more faint mumbling until the proprietor of the establishment came out. She looked like a cow, but some features were off. Her horns were more angular and crooked, her muzzle was more sleek and compressed horizontally, and her bright red skin didn’t help her case. “I’m Ember.” Connor was dumbfounded and stammered out a tiny “h-hey.” She leaned her head on the counter and looked him straight in the eyes. She spoke with a voice as  smooth as velvet, but with some snarkiness. “So, what brought you here? Someone you know sick with an incurable disease? Lost all their savings gambling? Or do they need a little something to… lighten their load~?” He was confused on that last part, but nodded. She let out a smile and said “I guessed as much. Let me see what I have…” she leaned back putting her feet (well, what would’ve been her feet if they weren’t sharp points) on the counter, seemingly sitting on nothing as she leaned back and put her clawed hands spread out in the air. She mimicked sliding a finger across a screen, leaving flames behind in the air until she found something that satisfied her. “There we go,” as she snapped her fingers and something clanked onto the marble. It was like a magic wand: a shaft of impeccable smooth ebony, with a vinyl grip and smooth, curved engravings on the shaft. “This will fix your friend’s problems. Just point it at them and say these words…” she leaned in and whispered to Conner, who asked her for a post it note with the words written on it. She gave him a look, manifested a post-it with the words written on it and stamped it onto his forehead. They sat in silence for a bit. Connor finally spoke. “Do you, uh… want me to pay?” She just laughed, responding with a smarmy “don’t worry about that, honey. I just get satisfaction from helping others.” Her smile turned into a devious grin as she flicked her hand, Conner feeling his weight shift as he started to fly back towards the door. As he was about to be thrown out, he could faintly hear Ember say “be careful what you wish for!” Before busting out laughing at her own joke. 

———

Conner returned to Audie, who was near the center of the mall. A large fountain stood behind him as he sat on the rim. “Sorry about that, I got a little sidetracked. Anyway, I found something that could help your weight problem.” The cow's ears perked up as he bounced up and down. “Really? Show me!” Conner reached into his pocket to pull out the wand, and showed it off. “You… got a cheap toy?” Conner looked down confused to see what Audie meant. The wand he held was different- it looked more like a kids toy than anything. He noticed an inscription on the fake metallic paint. ‘This will change its form so people don’t know I was involved.’ He blinked a few times to see if he was hallucinating. “I, uh… look, this can fix it! Trust me.” Audie thought Conner was pulling another joke, so he went along with it. “Okay, Okay. Hit me!” Conner pointed the wand at Audie, and said the phrase Ember told him. “Da tuum verum desiderium!” The wand lit up, playing a stock laser sound like there was a crappy speaker inside of it. A beam shot out and hit Audie in the stomach. They stood in silence for a bit as Audie looked down at himself and then at Conner. “Are you sure that did anything, I don’t… wait. Hey, I do feel a little lighter, actually…” He stood and tested his range of motion. “Wow, this is a lot easier! Thanks Conner!” The deer scratched his head and then noticed something peculiar. Audie was starting to look a little more… shiny? “Hey, Audie, do you feel okay?” 
“Yeah, but my stomach feels a bit tight, like I’m all bloated-“ he let out a burp as the pressure increased. Only when he put his hands on his swollen middle did he notice how shiny he was becoming. “Wh-what’s going on?” They could hear a hissing coming from within Audie, who became even shinier, with folds appearing on his limbs… no, they were seams. Audie huffed as he felt his squeaky face, muzzle rounding out and ears puffing up. Connor could see the cow’s belly lift up, like the weight was vanishing. The transformation seemed complete when his shirt had a nozzle poke out of it. Conner stared in shock at his friend, who resembled a pooltoy more than anything. Audie looked down at his squeaky form with wide eyes and poked himself. A soft creaking emanated from him. “Whoa, this is…” Conner reached out to poke as well, but he sent Audie falling backwards into the water fountain; almost like he was weightless. Audie was dumbstruck to find himself floating on the surface. He flipped over to look at Conner. “Well, this is certainly an experience.” He was enraptured with his hand and trying to push it underwater, with little luck. 
Conner was going to help the cow pooltoy out of the fountain but was stopped. A floating ghostly hand was held out in his face, approaching slowly to push him back. Audie saw it and was curious. “Is that a floating hand? What’re you doing, buddy?” The hand pushed Audie’s belly in, causing him to giggle. “H-Hey, I’m really sensitive there?” The hand snapped its fingers and manifested a bike pump. The cow’s shiny eyes shrunk nervously. “Uh, what’s that for-'' he was interrupted as the hand jammed a hose into his mouth and started to pump. He panicked as he felt his internal pressure grow, cheeks puffing out and his body creaking. “Mmh, mmph!” He tried to reach for the hose, but his limbs were becoming too rounded. Conner decided to step in. “Hey, back off!” He grabbed for the hand, which phased right through him. His mind started to rush thinking of ideas, and he got one. He rushed back to the wand and pointed it at himself. ‘Desiderium sounds like desire, right? If it’s some weird twisted thing that grants desires, I desire Audie to be back to normal!’ He thought as he spoke the phrase again. “Da tuum verum desiderium!”
A beam of light hit him. Nothing happened. He said it again. Nothing happened. He could feel a warmth spreading throughout his body, slowly clouding his mind. He was going to try again, but he heard an ominous gurgle from his stomach. He looked down to see his shirt slowly rising, warmth pooling in his stomach as he saw his belly poke out. He felt it. It was soft but firm, slowly filling his hand. His mind raced. Was it giving him the weight Audie had? Was it a malfunction? His thoughts were cut short as his pants ripped, his fattening body taking up more space. The heat in his body intensified, a comforting warmth that made him go drowsy. “I, mmh, I need…” he leaned forward onto the fountain, his pants slipping a little and revealing more of his rear. Audie managed a glance at him and his eyes grew wider. The cow was looking more like a beach ball, becoming a more spherical shape with his limbs slowly sinking in. The shine had only grown stronger, and he swears he could faintly see the water through his swollen form. Conner tried to reach for Audie in an attempt to help, but his gut was pushing him further away. The warmth overwhelmed him, his mind unable to focus. He plopped on the ground huffing and put his hands on his hefty middle. His arms were doughy, he now had a pair of moobs, and gurgles filled his ears as he slowly fattened further. Audie saw the deer expanding and tried to say his name, with only muffled noises emerging. He saw more ghostly hands appear and vanish out of sight. He realized where they were when he felt poking and prodding on his blimpy middle. Soft gentle presses, rubbing and creating squeaks, hefty slaps, the amplified sensation from being so full: these added together to make Audie blush heavily. After what felt like an eternity, the hose was removed from his mouth. Talking was still a struggle, thanks to his spherical cheeks. “Mmph, wha… ough…” he felt a hand digging into her belly, with two more appearing to rub circles into his swollen cheeks. It was like a massage treatment- despite the loud creaking and squeaking, it was quite relaxing. He started to doze off as the comforting sensations lulled him to sleep…

———

He slowly opened his eyes, feeling groggy. He started to say “that was a weird dream” before realizing how large his cheeks were, then how he couldn’t really move his legs, then how tight he felt. The reality of the situation set in. “Mmph… Connew, Connew!” He shouted, hoping to get his friend’s attention. “Mmh, huh…? W-what is it?” The deer sat up from his nap, realizing he could only sit up a third of the way before being stopped by his engorged middle. He struggled to get onto his feet, feeling newfound heft he wasn’t used too. His fat fingers felt his love handles, then he looked for his friend. Conner didn’t see him, but there was a large brown beachball in the fountain… wait. “Audie!” Conner rushed over and pulled him out of the fountain. It was far easier than expected, almost falling backward. A puffy face looked back at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect any of this! I thought it would just make you lighter and…” “you can tell me about it later. Can you get air out of me first?” Conner looked a bit dumbstruck, then reluctantly agreed. He rolled Audie up to a wall, and began pushing. Audie felt immense pressure build until he let out a ten second long belch. This continued for 10 minutes until Audie was at a size where he could walk, although with some difficulty. “Okay, Conner, tell me what happened.” The deer looked at his friend, then down at himself. “I saw this store and I was drawn to it, a lady inside gave me something that would help and it was that wand! But it looked different and she was kinda weird and creepy and…” Audie held a puffy hand to conner’s mouth, nearly covering his entire face. “Just show me where it is so we can talk to her.”
They started their trek to Ember’s establishment, which was harder than they thought. Neither of them could fit into an escalator, and stairs were out of the question. Connor could barely lift enough of himself to get up one, and Audie didn’t have enough weight to push off the stairs with, simply tumbling backward. The elevator was the next best bet, but that came with its own issues. Audie’s massive hand pressed all of the buttons when he only intended to hit one, and Conner swore he heard a cable snap when he rode it. Eventually, they reached where the store should be. Audie was worried for Conner’s mental state, and Conner was panicking. Where the marble wall and tinted windows used to be was a wooden wall with numerous signs saying “under construction- do not enter.” He turned to the cow pooltoy and pleaded. “It was right here, I swear! And there was a sign that said ‘Your Friend’s Cure!’ She even hinted she knew you wanted to weigh less!” Audie brought him into a puffy hug and he sunk into his form, like a pillow. “Hey, it’s alright. If we both turned into… this,” she gestured at her swollen form and poked his belly, “I’d say that’s proof enough. I’m just glad you’re okay.” Conner held the hug and thanked her. “So, what now?” The deer asked. “Well, I’m just happy I won’t cause my stairs to creak whenever I go down them! Getting up them might be an issue now… and keeping everything in my house intact.” Audie looked back to her rear, her legs easily taking up a 7 foot doorway. Her large puffy cow tail freely swung back and forth whenever she moved, too- it could easily knock things over. “Maybe I could be a pool lifeguard now!” They laughed but were interrupted by a large groan from Conner’s stomach. Audie smiled and said “sounds to me like someone’s hungry. Want to get a milkshake?”