The Astral Express regularly makes stops at every one of the thousands of stations sprinkled throughout the local galaxies, picking up and dropping off rushing passengers along the way. Many continue to join and depart from the voyages of the Express, it’s travellers all coming from different worlds, shouldering different burdens, and heading to different locations. But once they’re all on the Astral Express, they all share the same voyage experience, the same luxurious space and the same gourmet meals onboard, and while it’s all but ensured they’re properly catered to and reach their end destination no worse for wear than when they entered, there’s a high chance that they may not exit the Express exactly the same size they were when they entered…
Calling the Astral Express a mere ‘star-faring train’ would be a criminal understatement, and while that’s precisely what it was, it could be much better described as a several-mile-long 5-star hotel on wheels. Each of the hundreds of cars that made up the Express are the size of a large warehouse, spanning nearly a hundred meters in length and almost as wide, resembling deluxe suites with their embroidered carpets and lavish furnishings. The exterior was no less extravagant, an architectural marvel with its sleek, streamlined design and shimmering hull, offering stunning views of celestial beauty, with stars and colorful nebulas winking through the panoramic windows as it rode along the Star Rail.
One would naturally assume the conductor of such a lavish caravan would be equally resplendent and commanding, a man or woman of great charisma and showmanship. Yet, to the surprise of many first-time passengers, the conductor of the Astral Express was, in fact, a small, adorable creature by the name of Pom-Pom. Pom-Pom is a short grey and white rabbit-like biped with blue eyes and large ears (which he often used as a second pair of arms for carrying trays), most often seen wearing attire consisting mainly of red and black colors with gold embellishments all over, an outfit that wouldn’t look out of place in a steampunk novel. Not only was he the conductor of the Express, but also the cleaner, the caterer, the bellhop, and the server, effortlessly attending to the needs of the passengers with a cheerful spring in his step.
It was only very recently that Pom-Pom became aware of something that could help make the passengers’ stays even more luxurious, something he quickly came to call ‘advanced catering’; every single passenger upon the Express, whether it was their first, fifth, twelfth or hundredth time aboard, would be subject to an endless array of desserts of grandiose proportions just for them, completely free of charge! Pom-Pom was always thinking of new and unique ways to ensure the time spent on the Astral Express was an even more unforgettable experience for everyone involved, and the effects this particular ‘service’ would have on it’s patrons became apparent rather quickly to those who were subjected to it…
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The Astral Express had just departed from its first station and was well on its way on its annual voyage, and Pom-Pom was already happily wandering from carriage to carriage, carrying two appetizers on each hand upon two serving platters and planning to bring out many, many more. It had gotten considerably more difficult for him to walk across the span of the last few days, even with all the space of the interior of the Express provided; not because he had become indolent or tired, but because he, like his many passengers, had grown more than just a little corpulent. Ever since the implementation of his ‘advanced catering’ service, Pom-Pom was rather prone to “stapling” the onboard meals as a way of ensuring they were just right before serving them; after all, what’s a caterer if they don’t taste test a few of their own creations… though if one were to ever catch him in the act, they would easily see his explanation was merely a weak excuse to stuff himself silly with his very own desserts. Pom-Pom’s previous physique, a smidgen stout but otherwise perfectly fit for a creature his size, had utterly blown up and out, his fanciful conductor attire now stretched tight over his newly-acquired girth. His burgeoning belly jutted out a few feet in front of him like a pile of pillowy flab, once-slim limbs were covered in rolls, his once-prominent eyes were now nearly obscured behind his own ballooned cheeks… even his butt had broadened to a striking width, forcing him to adopt a rather exaggerated waddle just to make his way from one carriage to another, and quickly became the subject of a few lighthearted grabs and gropes. Despite the physically inconvenient outcome of his recent indulgence, Pom-Pom was still the accommodating, ever-attentive conductor he had always been, albeit with just a little added huffing and puffing as he (slowly) made his way around the Astral Express. The Express had only just begun its journey and already Pom-Pom, by his own estimation, had gained at least five times his original weight; to call him overweight would be putting it lightly, to call him