“You’re back!” Cadance shouted with joy, a wide grin appearing on her face.

“Somepony must be very hungry,” Shining teased, his eyes moving back and forth between concentrating on his wife, and the plates which levitated around him.

“No…well, I am, but I’m just happy that my husband, and best friend in the entire world is back,” she said, grinning sheepishly. “Here, let me help you with those,” she added, closing the door behind him and taking a plate and the two cups in her own magic.

“Thanks, Caddy, that’s really, really sweet of you,” he mumbled, almost in shock from how nice she was being. She hadn’t acted like that in months. Sadly, it made him more suspicious than happy. It made him wonder what else she wanted.

“Come eat with me, sweetie,” she cooed, patting a hoof against the bed as she pushed herself up so that her back rested against the headboard. Suddenly realizing her hoof was still wet from her previous fun, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly wiped it off on the underside of the blanket before Shining had time to notice.

Her husband sighed contentedly as he climbed onto the bed, sat down beside her, and wrapped a strong hoof around her back, pulling her close. “I hope you like everything that I got, I wasn’t really sure what all you’d like and what you wouldn’t. You’ve developed quite the change in appetite with that foal.”

She levitated each of the plates in front of her face, and then carefully examined what lay on top of them. “It all looks great, my love,” she paused to take a quick sip of the reddish liquid in her cup, “and this tea is delicious,” she added after swallowing.

Shining smiled, glad he was able to please his wife. “Glad to hear it. Oh, and I talked to Twilight while I was out there. She said she was perfectly fine with holding off our plans for today. So that means we have the whole day to rest up.”

“We?” Cadance asked with a giggle.

“Of course,” Shining said with an affirming nod.

She smiled and nuzzled her head into his chest. “You’re the best husband a filly could ever ask for,” she cooed lovingly.

“It’s just what you do for somepony you love. Anyways, I thought you were hungry?” He levitated a light, airy looking pastry to her mouth.

“Oh, wow, I like this,” she teased. “All I have to do is take a bite and chew.” Shining smiled as she took off a rather large bite, getting a bit of the blueberry filling on her lips. He quickly wiped it off with a cloth napkin, causing her cheeks to grow a deeper shade of pink than they already were. “What’s gotten you in such a caring mood today, sweetie?”

“Well, after that talk last night, I really realize how much you’re going through, and how much you deserve this.” In reality, another thing that kept Shining going, was how sweet she had suddenly become. If all she had been doing was yelling at him, he most likely would have already given up; but instead, her loving happiness pushed him to do even more for her.

“Oh, it’ll be so perfect to have a day for just the two of us,” she said with a dreamy sigh before quickly finishing off her pastry. “Even if I am sick… Remember when we used to just dream of these days? Well, now we finally have one.”

Shining quickly pushed another treat in front of her mouth to which she just as quickly took a bite. “You’re right, and we’ll make the best of it.”

“I could just lay here and snuggle with you all day,” Cadance whispered, giving him a rather sweet tasting kiss on his lips.

“We could always do that if that’s what you want.”

“Hmm…maybe,” she mumbled, her mouth full of pastry and the cream within it. “You need a little something in your stomach too,” she said in concern after gulping it down. Shining opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, a pastry was shoved inside. She giggled sweetly as he began to chew.

The couple grew more and more comfortable in each other’s presence as they continued to feed one another their breakfast, laugh, talk, and cuddle. For both of them, it was beginning to feel more and more like old times. The figurative furnace of love which Cadance had pictured, was slowly being stoked with more and more wood, and the fire burning stronger and stronger. For once in a very long time, she finally felt secure, safe, and comfortable. She knew he wasn’t going to leave her. For Shining, although he was still cautious, he was letting himself grow less and less paranoid about whether or not his actions, even the simplest, would anger his wife. She seemed much more stable than she had been for months, and all that he did was receiving love and praise. At that point, he would gladly do anything for her.

After finishing their large meal, and setting the empty dishes aside, the two decided to rest, and simply enjoy the embrace of one another. Laying on his side, and Cadance doing the same, Shining wrapped his hooves around her and pulled his body into the warm hold of her belly. She blushed and wrapped her hooves around him in return before locking her lips with his. Stroking a hoof against her back and folded wings, Shining kissed back deeply. He had always enjoyed her kisses, her lips were so soft, so smooth, and completely kissable.

Suddenly, they both pulled back from the kiss in shock. Shining could feel the small kicks of hooves pushing through his wife’s stomach, and against his own. “I wonder if it knows you’re the daddy,” Cadance said with a giggle. “It probably likes all the cuddling.”

“…Yeah,” Shining mumbled, completely in awe over what he had just experienced. It was rather odd to think that something was truly alive and moving in there, but it was. It was amazing.

“You okay, sweetie?”

“I just…wow!” he muttered breathlessly.

“You can be so cute sometimes,” she teased, placing a hoof on his cheek and gently stroking it. “It is pretty amazing though, isn’t it?” He nodded his head silently, gazing down at her stomach and hoping for more. “It doesn’t happen that often. You may be waiting a while.” Her eyes suddenly grew wide, and her mouth tightened painfully. Shining could feel a sudden, and almost violent gurgle in her stomach. A few small drops of sweat began to form on the fur of her forehead.

“Caddy, are you alright?”

The pony shook her head in response and brought a hoof up to her lips, her eyes growing even wider. She somehow managed to roll off of the bed, and quickly waddled her way to the bathroom, almost déjà vu from earlier that morning. Instead of sighs of relief echoing from the bathroom though, it was the painful gurgles, gags, groans, and hacks of vomiting. Shining cringed empathetically at the sounds, and began to gag at the thought. He was very glad he couldn’t see what was coming out of her muzzle.

Quickly, and with concern, he crawled off of the bed and began pacing back and forth as he waited for her to finish, but was sure to do so at an angle where he couldn’t see into the bathroom. The flush of the toilet filled his ears, and then the sound of running water as she rinsed her mouth of the disgusting taste.

“You okay, sweetie?” Shining asked, peeping his head in after he was sure there were no signs of her vomiting again.

“Yes,” she mumbled weakly, giving him a soft smile as she made her way to him. Her eyes looked weary and glazed over. “You were right when you warned me not to eat. That probably wasn’t the best decision I’ve ever made,” she said with a laugh, attempting to lighten the mood.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered as he wrapped a hoof around her and pulled her close.

“It’s fine, I’m just really glad you’re here for me,” she cooed before leaning in and pressing her lips against his. Shining’s eyes widened in shock, and he suddenly recoiled, stumbling backwards.

“Gah,” he gagged out.

“What? What is it?” Cadance asked worriedly, but suddenly realized it was her breath. The faint trace of what she had regurgitated out of her stomach still lingered. “Oh, Shining, I’m sorry,” she gasped, and quickly rushed back into the bathroom again. Using her magic, she grabbed her toothbrush and placed a large glob of paste on its firm bristles. “Now when you kiss me, it’ll be minty fresh,” she said before thrusting the brush into her mouth.

Shining nodded his head and gulped down the rest of his now cold coffee in hopes of washing out the taste. Luckily for him, it worked perfectly.

“So I was thinking,” Cadance said after spitting out a gob of minty blue bubbles into the sink, “maybe we could take a bubble bath after I finish brushing my teeth here?”

“That sounds perfect for you, Caddy. Nice relaxing, the hot water will help sooth all those cramps-”

Cadance quickly spit out another gob so she could interrupt. “No, I said we, as in us, you and me.”

“O-oh,” Shining stuttered out, his cheeks growing red. A bath for two seemed quite intimate, but was that really what she meant by it? Or did she just want more of his company?

“Are you okay with that?” she asked, turning to face him after finishing, and hearing his rather unsure tone.

“Of course I am,” he said with a nod. “I have no idea when the last time I had a bubble bath was…probably with Twily when she was a foal.

“Well, you’ve been missing out,” Cadance said with a giggle, and made her way over to the large and elegant claw-foot bathtub to start the water.

“We’ll see,” Shining teased as he stepped to her side and levitated the bottle of bubble bath solution to his face. He had seen it sitting there when they first arrived, but never thought much of it until then. “Paradise Citrus?” he read from its title.

“Yep, that means we’re going to smell like the tropics and oranges!” Cadance exclaimed, an excited grin on her face. Shining shrugged in response before popping off its cap. “Not too much! We don’t want you cleaning up another mess do we?”

“No, not at all,” he said with a vigorous shake of his head. “Uh…how about you do it instead?” He moved the bottle over to her, and shook it gently before her face.

“Smart move,” she teased, her own magic engulfing the bottle as she poured some of the thick, orange liquid into the hot stream of running water. She smiled excitedly as a hilly terrain of orange-cream colored bubbles began to form on the water’s surface. “Can you help me in, she asked sweetly, knowing it would be a struggle for her to climb over the thick porcelain lip of the tub.

“Of course,” Shining replied just as sweetly, using his magic to aid in lifting her, and wrapping his hoof around her own to keep her steady. She sighed blissfully as her flank touched down in the warm embrace of the water, and then moved further and further up her belly as she sat herself down.

“What is it?” she asked, looking up at his husband to see a rather contemplative look on his face.

As Cadance sat down, Shining realized how little space there was going to be for him in the tub. Only a small section of emptiness was left, the mare’s large stomach and sprawled hind legs taking up much of the rest. “Do you think we can both fit?”

Struggling to look over the crest of her stomach, she replied with a, “You’ll just have to squeeze your way in,” and giggled cutely. Shining rolled his eyes teasingly before climbing in with her. He moved his flank back and forth as he eased his way in between the soft pillow of her stomach, and the hard back of the tub. The warmth of the water did feel quite nice, and the cushion of her stomach made it even more comfortable. The strong, but not overwhelming scent of citrus was quite a pleasure for his nose as well.

“I told you that you were missing out,” she said with a wink after he sighed in content.

“You’re right on that one,” he said in a rather relaxed tone as he placed his hooves behind his head.

“Is there any way you could help me, well, clean up?” she asked almost shyly. “I can do it myself, but it’s just so hard to reach down there.” She showed him exactly what she meant by attempting to stretch a hoof down to her lower belly.

“Of course I can,” Shining said sweetly. “Uh…just scrub right here?” he asked, moving his hooves to her lower belly.

“Perfect,” she cooed, feeling his strong hooves press down against her sore stomach. “And while you do that, I’ll do the upper half.” She gently splashed some of the water up over her chest, and then onto her face and mane. She would have simply just dunked herself under the water, but there was too little room to maneuver.

Shining moved his hooves in a circular motion to help rub the suds into her fur. The action felt just as soothing to him as it did to his wife. As he grew more and more relaxed, he couldn’t help but admire the beautifully rounded belly that he so gently cleaned. It was almost a perfectly spherical shape except for the small lump of her belly button which stuck out stiffly. It had always been an indent before her pregnancy. Just as her belly began to push out though, so too did the small little button. Shining smiled softly as he moved his hoof over its surface. Her belly wasn’t only beautiful, it was cute.

“That feels amazing,” Cadance said softly as she scrubbed her hooves through her mane. “It’s like you’re giving me a massage…could you go a little lower, please?”

He nodded his head and moved his hooves down, nearing her teats. Just as he had noticed earlier, they seemed quite a bit larger than normal. The soft skin on their surface seemed more red than pink as well. They looked very swollen. He turned his eyes back to her own, expecting an answer. “Is everything alright down there?”

“Oh, I’m just getting a little swollen. It’s the milk for the foal, sweetie. It’s coming a little earlier than expected. That’s all. You can go ahead and wash them, just please be gentle.”

He nodded his head and smiled before dunking his hoof into a mound of bubbles he had collected, and then bringing it carefully up to her teat. Touching her teats, or anywhere near her crotch for that matter, would normally be something Shining would consider very sexual; but this was different. He was too concentrated on trying to get her clean without hurting her in any way. Besides, he was sure she felt too sick to do something like that anyways. Although with such an amazing belly, big swollen teats, and her always delicious looking marehood, he had a rather hard time restraining himself; but he did.

Cadance let out small gasps of pain as he gently caressed his hooves against her teats, making sure to clean them thoroughly. Their surface was much more firm and taunt than normal, and their nipples were stiff and warm as if ready to burst out their contents at any second. He tried his best to hold himself back as he felt his stallionhood slowly making its way out of its sheath. He once again assured himself that all she wanted was to be cleaned, and was too sick to be doing anything like that.

“Would you mind cleaning my other naughty bits too?” she asked, almost shyly.

Shining couldn’t help but chuckle, having never heard her use a phrase like that before. “Naughty bits?” he repeated, then smirked.

She grumbled teasingly in response, and then plainly stated, “My marehood and my plothole.”

Hearing that, Shining tried his best to calm himself, and return to the relaxed and almost serious state he had been in before. He ever so softly moved a soapy hoof to the plump lips of her vulva, and brushed it across their smooth surface. Once again, he had to assure himself that this was nothing sexual; his stallionhood sneaking its way out once more. She raised her flank slightly higher for him, and he brought his other hoof to the wrinkled surface of her anus.

Cadance watched intently as he worked his hooves so gently. Even though she could barely feel his touch; against such sensitive surfaces, it was hard for her to hold back gasps of pleasure. She wanted to let them out though, to show him how much she appreciated what he was doing, how much she was enjoying it. Yet, he acted so nervous, so serious. It was as if he just wanted it to be over. If she were to let out even the quietest of moans, it could easily cause him discomfort, and make him stop. Before she was pregnant, he would have been right on top of her, prodding his rock hard cock at her lips, and begging to get inside. Now though, it was as if he didn’t even care.

Instead of expelling a moan, she opened her mouth to let out a loud sob as tears began streaming down her face. She wanted him so badly, but felt as if there was no way to get him. She was utterly confused and hurt. Just moments ago, she had felt as though they were closer than they had been in months; but now, it seemed as if they hadn’t gotten any closer at all.

“Caddy, what’s wrong?” Shining quickly asked, his eyes growing wide with panic.

“It’s…it’s just my stomach…and my teats again,” she gasped out between sobs, lying completely. “They really hurt. Maybe it’s just the way I’m sitting in here. I need to lay down.”

Shining studied his wife curiously, somehow knowing there was more than what she was letting off. Not having any luck figuring out what, and not wanting to hurt or anger his wife, Shining began wiggling his way out from between his wife and the tub itself.

Author's Note

Hey...hey you, guess what? ...The fun stuff happens after this chapter.