We investigate both experimentally and numerically the evolution of slow light in the limit of high stimulated-Brillouin-scattering gain, as in a Brillouin fiber laser. The Stokes pulse transit time is measured to decrease and the resonant modes to shift to higher frequencies with increasing pump power. Numerical simulations reveal that pump depletion introduces a nonuniform group index across the Stokes pulse as it interacts with the pump, the index being greater for the leading edge and decreasing progressively towards the trailing edge in proportion to the remaining pump power. This results in a progressive acceleration of the Stokes pulse from slow to fast as it propagates through the cavity.