"Come on... nrrrgh... come on, damn it!" Shining Armour gritted his teeth as he struggled harder and harder to bring together the two belt buckles of his armour. A fine bead of sweat formed on his forehead as he grunted, hissed and cursed at the belt, which simply would not wrap around him no matter how hard he tried. Finally, after Shining Armour sucked his stomach in as much as he could, the straps finally met each other.
Shining let out a sigh of relief, quickly followed by a grunt as the belt buckle bit uncomfortably into his stomach. Doing his best to ignore it, he turned around and walked out of the closet and into the master bedroom he shared with his wife.
"Are you okay, honey?" The voice came from Shining's wife, Princess Cadance, who was watching him from their bed with a look of concern.
Trying desperately not to let his discomfort show on his face, Shining smiled at his wife through gritted teeth. "Oh, I'm fine, my sweet!" he said in a slightly too cheerful voice. "Just having a little trouble with my armour, that's all."
Cadance raised an eyebrow. "Shining, I could hear you grunting and swearing from out here. I think 'a little trouble' is an understatement."
"Why, whatever do you mean, love of my life?" Shining chirped, still trying to keep that forced grin on his face. "My armour's just gotten a little small. Nothing unusual there, right?"
Cadance gave him a deadpan look. "Shining, I see you without your armour every night. Plus, I can see the belt digging into you from here. You just can't accept it, can you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking ab-"
"Oh, for the love of Celestia," Cadance snapped impatiently, "I'm talking about this!" As she spoke that last word, an aura of light blue magic enveloped Shining's belt buckle and pulled it apart, freeing his stomach from the confines of its prison and allowing it to hang out unhindered.
As he looked down at his belly hanging out from his armour, Shining closed his eyes and groaned. Cadance was right. Ever since he'd become the new Prince of the Crystal Empire after its liberation from King Sombra, his day job had become much less physically demanding than it had been when he was captain of the Royal Guard back in Canterlot. Although he was still technically head of the guard in the Crystal Empire, his duties did not extend far beyond a simple daily inspection of the garrisons. This, combined with the hearty portions of food from the palace chefs he had found himself taking to, meant that he had been growing heavier over the past few months. He'd tried to ignore it for as long as he could, but now there was no denying the fact.
He, Shining Armour, formerly one of Canterlot's most decorated guards and the picture of physical fitness, had gotten fat.
Shining squeezed his eyes shut and tried to hold back the tears of shame that were pricking at his eyelids. "Alright," he muttered, bowing his head, "I admit it..."
"Pardon?" Cadance asked, straining to make out what her husband had just said.
"I said, I admit it!" Shining yelled, startling Cadance. "I'm pathetic! I'm a soft, fat bucking slob. Happy now? I suppose you're disgusted with me, you think I'm just a useless fatso who isn't fit to-"
"Shining, stop."
Something in his wife's tone of voice caused Shining to stop in the middle of his self-pitying rant. Cadance gave him a serious look.
"Now, come over here and sit down," she said, patting a hoof on the bed beside her. When Shining paused, she motioned to him with her head. "Go on, don't make me repeat myself."
Feeling a bit intimidated by his wife's tone of voice, Shining sheepishly moved to the bed and sat down beside her.
"First of all," Cadance started, "don't ever let me hear you calling yourself useless or pathetic again. You're better than that, and you know it. I won't tolerate you putting yourself down or beating yourself up over this. Understood?"
Shining nodded, feeling like a naughty colt being scolded by his mother.
"Second," Cadance continued, "you're my husband, Shining, and I'd love you no matter what kind of shape you were in. I certainly don't find you repulsive just because you've gained a little weight." Here, Cadance blushed a little. "Quite the opposite, actually."
Shining raised his head, looking at his wife quizzically. "Come again?"
"I don't think you look ugly or gross with that extra padding," Cadance elaborated. "In fact, I think it makes you look... well... kind of cute."
"Cute?" Shining repeated incredulously. "You think that all of this..." -- here, he gestured to his sagging paunch -- "...looks cute? You're kidding, right?"
"Oh, come on, Shining," Cadance said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like you're morbidly obese or anything. You're just a bit tubby. It's not the end of the world, believe me. And like I said, you don't look hideous with it. I'd even go so far as to call you pleasantly plump."
Shining said nothing, simply staring forlornly down at his belly. Cadance groaned softly. She hated seeing her husband beat himself up like this. She decided to play one last card to try and break him out of his rut.
"Look," she said softly. "If you want to lose weight, Shining, I can help you with that. We can work out a diet and exercise regimen for you or something. But before that, will you at least let me try to show you that being a bit fat isn't the end of the world?"
Shining grunted. "How do you propose to do that?"
Cadance gave him a little rub on the shoulder. "Just go and do your rounds as usual for now. When you get back later tonight, I'll show you."
Shining nodded, and slowly got up from the bed. He looked at the armour on the floor with a sense of foreboding.
"Just leave that," Cadance said, waving a hoof dismissively. "If anypony asks, you can just say it's being polished or something."
Shining nodded again, and gave his wife a small smile. "Hey, um... thanks for that. For the moral support, I mean."
Cadance gave her husband a smile back. "Like I said, sweetie, I'll love you no matter what. Now, you'd better get going before the guards wonder what's keeping you."
As Shining turned and headed out of the bedroom, Cadance couldn't help but watch his plot bouncing slightly as he walked. She shook her head. Focus, Cadance, she told herself. Now, how can I break Shining Armour out of this funk he's in?
"Hello?" Shining called out as he stepped into the bedroom. It was the end of the day, and he was just heading back from his round of inspections. Nopony had bothered to ask him about his missing armour, and to his great relief, nopony seemed to have noticed the extra jiggle he had without it.
Throughout the day, he had been wondering just what Cadance had meant by "showing him" that he shouldn't be bothered by the weight he'd gained. Well, I guess I'm about to find out, he thought.
Cadance greeted him with a big smile and a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Shining!" she said cheerfully, before dropping her voice a little and changing her expression to one of concern. "Are you feeling a bit better now?"
Shining nodded. "Yes, actually, I am," he replied. And it was true -- the walking around outside had allowed him to clear his head a little.
Immediately, Cadance's happy demeanour returned. "Great! Now, let's see if we can't break you out of this little rut you've gotten yourself into, shall we?" She pointed to the bed. "Just hop up on the bed and make yourself comfortable."
Bewildered, Shining Armour climbed onto the bed and propped himself up against the pillows. "Cadance, what's all this about?"
"Well, Shining," Cadance replied, as she approached the bedside, "I think that the main reason you've been beating yourself up over your weight is because you've only been focusing on the negatives. Tonight, I want to see if I can get you to see the positives."
"Positives?" Shining repeated, snorting. "I'm sorry, Cadance, but I'm having a hard time seeing the positives of this."
"Well, I'll just have to show you then, won't I?" Cadance smiled. "Now, let's see... positives, positives..." she muttered, looking pensive. Her face then lit up. "Oh! I've got it! Positive number one: more fat means you're softer."
"And that's a good thing, how?" Shining deadpanned.
"It means you're more cuddly!" Cadance replied. "Ripped muscles and six-packs are awesome to look at, sure, but they're just too hard to make for ideal snuggling, in my opinion. Now don't get me wrong, you always gave great cuddles, but I think that now you'll be able to give even better ones with all that pillowy softness."
Shining blinked. "You've lost me."
"Well, feel for yourself." Cadance took hold of one of Shining's front hooves and softly pressed it down into the soft paunch of his stomach. Guided by his wife, Shining's hoof slowly traced a circle around his belly, moving around the soft, warm layers of adipose.
Shining was surprised by how it felt. Cadance was right -- it did feel soft. Very soft, actually. It reminded Shining of how one of his old stuffed toys felt when he cuddled with them as a colt.
"Well?" Cadance cooed, as she continued to coax her husband's hoof around his gut. "How does that feel?"
Shining gulped. "S-soft..." he replied.
"See? Told you!" Cadance grinned. "Do you like how it feels?"
"I... I think I do."
"Would you say that being so soft is a good thing about being fat?" Cadance asked.
"Um, maybe?"
Cadance raised an eyebrow. "Shining, be honest with me."
Shining felt his cheeks go warm. "...Yes, I would," he admitted.
"Great!" Cadance beamed. "That's one positive thing we've found. Now, positive number two: having me play with your fat."
Shining almost laughed at this bizarre statement. "What?"
"Hey, don't laugh!" Cadance said firmly. "I've read that kneading and rubbing your lover's softer parts can feel very sensual for them. I think there's even a bit about it in the Pony Sutra somewhere."
Shining smirked. "I'll believe it when I see it, honey," he said.
"Alright then," Cadance replied, before climbing onto the bed herself and straddling her husband, placing both front hooves on either side of him.
"Hey, what're you-" Shining's words were cut off in his throat as his wife pressed her hooves into his belly and began to rub it slowly but deeply. He made a small gasping noise as a wave of pleasure hit him. Oh sweet Celestia, that did feel good. Really good. As she continued to massage his stomach, Cadance angled her wings downward and used the tips of the feathers to lightly tickle Shining's sides. This proved to be too much for Shining, who allowed an elated moan to slip out of his throat.
Cadance picked up on this and grinned widely. "Well, somepony's enjoying himself," she teased, pressing down more firmly into her husband's gut and increasing the speed at which she was tickling his sides. By this point, Shining's eyes were half-lidded, his face was sporting a big goofy smile, and one of his hind hooves had begun to kick reflexively as wave after wave of wonderful stimulation continued to wash over him.
"Would you say that this is a positive thing about being fat?" Cadance whispered softly into her husband's ear.
"Yessssss..." Shining mumbled, sounding like he'd been hypnotised.
"Good. That's two down. Now, let's see if we can make it a solid three." Cadance withdrew her hooves and wings, to Shining's visible annoyance.
"Hey, I was enjoying that!" he complained.
"Don't worry, we can do it again some other time," Cadance said softly. "Now, I think I've come up with a third positive thing about your weight, Shiny."
"Which is...?" Shining asked.
"We've already seen how sensitive you are with all that padding." Cadance grinned mischievously as she lowered her head towards Shining's belly until her mouth was just above his navel. "Which means..."
"Uh, Cadance?"
"...I can do..."
"Cadance, I'm not sure if I like where-"
"...this!"
Without warning or preamble, Cadance pressed her face to Shining's stomach and started mercilessly motorboating him.
"Oh no," Shining spluttered as he creased up laughing. "N-not that! Anything but tha-ha-ha-haat!" he squealed, as he writhed and laughed helplessly under his wife's tummy buzz.
"Cootchie, cootchie, coo!" Cadance teased, as she continued to buzz all around Shining's belly. Below her, the poor stallion had been reduced to uncontrollable laughter, his eyes clenched shut as tears of mirth rolled down his cheeks.
"Oh Celestia! Cadance, please! Ple-hee-ase! I c-can't breathe!" Shining gasped.
"Come on, you know you love it! Is this a positive thing about being fat, sweetie?" Cadance said happily, right before buzzing her husband yet again.
"YE-HE-HE-HEEEEEES!" Shining howled.
Finally, Cadance let up, and gave her husband a moment to calm down. Once he had, Cadance spoke.
"You see?" she said, rubbing her husband's shoulder. "We just found three great things about your weight, Shiny. Now, tell me; is being fat as horrible as you thought it was?"
"No," Shining answered honestly, smiling as he nuzzled his wife.
"Can you see why it might even be a good thing?"
"Yes," Shining replied, giving his soft paunch a rub with his hoof.
"Now," Cadance said, "do you still want to work that weight off, or do you want to keep it on?"
Shining paused. He thought about the softness of his flab. How good Cadance's belly rub had felt. The exhilaration of that tummy buzz he'd just had. How he really wanted to try all of that again.
"You know what?" he said, turning and giving Cadance a big smile. "I think I want to keep it on."
Cadance beamed back. "Well, in that case," she said, "I don't want to hear you badmouthing yourself over your weight. You're fat and you're proud, Shining. What are you?"
"I'm fat and I'm proud!" Shining Armour whooped.
Cadance laughed delightedly and pulled her husband -- her wonderfully tubby husband -- into a tight embrace. After a minute or two of simply holding each other close, Cadance spoke again.
"By the way," she said, "I'll see about getting you some larger armour tomorrow. I'll make sure you have plenty of room to grow." She winked. "Just in case."
END
