Author's Note

I wrote this today. Also a commission for Drakin.

Basically: A whole lot of exposition for the Crystal Empire and it's subjects. Also Shining and Cadence gain weight

Shining Armour and Princess Cadence

As the sun rose over the snow-capped mountains to the north, Princess Cadence stretched with a groan, rolling over in the four poster bed she shared with her husband, burrowing into his side to chase away the chill of early morning.

Draping one of her front legs over his barrel, Cadence felt something weird. Something she couldn’t quite put a name too for several moments as she dozed happily. Nothing bad, if it was bad she’d have woken up immediately, but…

She curled her leg a little tighter with a content sigh, then froze. Waking enough to peek an eye open, staring at her still snoring husband.

Usually, he was the first to wake. Years in the guard had honed his habits and reflexes. Usually, he would be in the training yard by now. Studying the Crystal Guard and seeing if they did things better than the Royal Guard back in Canterlot.

These last few weeks though, he’d been forgoing that strict early rise. It was nice, Cadence thought, to be able to cuddle her husband close on these chilly mornings.

Now, though, she noticed something else.

Shining had gained weight. Not a lot, but enough for his face to look a bit puffy, and there was now a hint of softness at his barrel.

Huh. His eating habits hadn’t changed. And in spite of his later mornings, he was still exercising. Wanting to keep fighting fit, just in case.

Cadence rubbed her eyes with a fetlock, blinking more into wakefulness. Maybe it was nothing...but something tickled at the back of her mind. Something that was important but that she was forgetting.

Cadence slipped out of bed, pressed a kiss to Shining’s cheek, tucked him in, and slipped out of the royal suite. She had research to do.

(LINE BREAK)

Cadence had books strewn about on the table, almost looking like her sister in law Twilight with how hard she was researching.

Cadence was one of the few descendants of the Crystal Ponies that had escaped Sombra’s wrath a thousand years ago. Before he’d asserted complete control, and in the early months of his reign, hundreds of ponies had fled the Empire to seek asylum and ask for help.

Her ancestors had gotten Celestia and Luna involved, leading to the Empire’s vanishing from the continent. Her ancestors, while heartbroken, had carried on. Not knowing if they should mourn their losses or pray that Sombra was gone for good and that their families were in hiding while they recovered.

Even when Celestia told them what she’d seen with her own eyes, a barren field of ice and snow, the last of the Crystal Ponies held onto hope. That hope led their only matriarch to have them stay in Canterlot. Close enough news would travel should the Empire return, far enough to remain out of Sombra’s influence, should he have survived the attack.

Those Crystal Ponies kept a tight lid on their culture, keeping together. Pairing up as much was possible to keep their identities whole.

A few hundred weren’t enough, obviously, especially not when looking at the gene pool. Lots of families escaped together, making breeding difficult.

Still, the Crystal ponies kept their heads high. Writing what they could, passing their stories and culture to the generations below them, even though the percentage of Crystal blood thinned with every new generation.

When Cadence was born, her parents were two pegasi living in Cloudsdale. Yet, they still clung to the half-remembered heritage written about in the ancient books they still kept. Genetic records to keep inbreeding from happening, the tales and songs of a people long forgotten by the rest of Equestria.

Cadence’s grandmother had been estatic to find a trait in Cadence that they’d thought bred out of their genepool: the gradient of colour in her wings. Exceedingly rare in other ponies, it was a common trait of Crystal ponies.

When Cadence earned her Cutie Mark, earned her horn, her family had been so proud. Seeing the crystalline figure on her flank, like the sketches of the Crystal Heart...well, it brought hope back to them.

Still, The rest of Equestria had forgotten. Even if Cadence and her family hadn’t. They’d clung to a distant heritage, rumoured themselves royalty without riches or land.

Then the Empire came back and Cadence was ruling and the world, and her parents, had their eyes focused on her.

Cadence was a busy mare. Practical, having no issues delegating when and where it was needed, but also needing to bring hundreds of thousands of ponies over a thousand years of culture, history, and peace. Needed to change things, open the railway, keep her parents knowledgeable of what was happening. It was a lot. And while she tried to be respectful, help the Crystal Ponies along as best she could without forcing them, it was hard.

The library was different. The librarian was always kind. Willing to translate for those who couldn’t read Crystallian or couldn’t perform translation spells. Cadence, thanks to her heritage, could. Meaning she could peruse to her heart’s content.

Setting a thick history volume on the table she was using, Cadence sighed, flipping through the pages quickly, knowing she needed something towards the end of the Empire’s peace but before Sombra took over. It was probably just a line or two in one of the books at home that was throwing her off or something. Some silly little-

Heat blossomed across Cadence’s face as she hit the last chapter. The large page dominated by an illustration of Princess Amore....Amore, that was one of the ponies that was marked as thought dead by Sombra’s hoof. And one of her distant relatives, survived by a sibling and a few cousins.

She was...beautiful. Looking tall and imposing like the unicorns of old. Light pink coat, with a familiar pink to purple gradient to her mane.

Her beauty wasn’t why Cadence was blushing, though. She was blushing at the illustration of Amore’s consort, the king.

He was a Crystal Pony, unlike Shining. And though he was a little shorter than Amore he was easily three times as wide. Chubby, smiling face, wide barrel almost brushing the ground.

Going back, chapter by chapter (ruler by ruler) there was a clear similarity. A lot of Crystal Rulers were mares, stemming from the early Matriarchal roots of the earth ponies that had originally settled the area, but a number were men.

Most had partners. And those partners, be they mare or stallion, were fat in their portraits. Those portraits were often mid-life portraits, but a few of them were from earlier or later in life. Apparently, the portrait of Amore and her husband had been painted the year Sombra rose to power.

Some rulers were fat as well...and it boggled Cadence’s mind. A few would make sense...but all of them? Now she was more curious than ever.

It was almost noon when she found her answer.

The Crystal Heart was how the Crystal Ponies redirected love, light, and happiness to their lands. Their rulers, traditionally, also stored some of that inside of them. Ponies were repositories for love and magic after all, and being surrounded by it..Being connected to it would do that to a pony.

It was also understood that the ruler, the King or Princess or Empress-the one in charge-usually had reason to remain fighting fit. Their partner, on the other hoof, not so much.

Shining, the Prince in this case, was mostly ceremonial. While they did, and could, hold other offices of state like Captain of the Royal Guard, or Chief Financier, or what have you, they mostly hosted parties and saw to guests.

The Crystal Ponies a thousand years ago was very similar to how Celestia had said pony values had been at the time. Fat was good, a sign of peace, wealth, and prosperity. Many of the Crystal Ponies were so thin because of Sombra’s slavery.

Cadence shut the book with a sigh. She was also a target of this extra love...Extra love made you hungry, made you more liable to do what you wanted to do. She was a bit more resilient because of her expertise in the matter but Shining…

Would it be so bad to have a chubby husband? A fat one? As big as some of those old Kings, Queens, Empresses, and Emperors? Even a few Princes and Princesses?

Cadence didn’t think so. As she puzzled it over, she began to put the books away. Wondering if it was so bad to be a bit chubby herself.

(LINE BREAK)

Prince Shining Armour trotted around the courtyard he’d turned into something of a private gym for himself. Needing the dedicated space to do things on his own, not wanting ponies watching him if he could help it.

It’d been...oh six months since things had calmed down, and life was good. Things were peaceful, ponies were starting to recover. Though some still mourned for their families that were now a thousand years gone, but they were getting better.

None of them looked as gaunt for one, which made Shining feel better. They were feeling more comfortable, and they were prospering. Those few who hadn’t lost so much weight to Sombra’s work camps were gaining too, but Shining couldn’t judge. Not anymore.

If he didn’t curb his eating soon, he wouldn’t be able to fit into his armour. And if he was being honest with himself, Shining wasn’t so sure he could fit into it now.

Trotting was slow going. Feeling his belly bounce underneath him and his plot shake and jiggle with the movement. The rest of him jiggling and swaying too, feeling his double chin and chubby cheeks interact with the new softness of his neck. It was..uncomfortable, slow. Sweat prickling under his coat and running off him. His ease of movement was gone, every step highlighting how much weight he’d gained.

Shining didn’t quite understand what was going on, but Cadence seemed to like it. Always paying special attention to his stomach and having fun with his flanks on date night. Goading him into finishing that pie, that cake-

A thought struck him so hard that he stopped. Panting heavily in the track he’d worn into the grass. Sides heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

Cadence liked this. Liked him getting this way. Heat rose to his cheeks as he thought back to her...she’d put on a bit of weight too, recently. Not as dramatic as his, but enough that her flanks caught the attention of almost every guard as she sauntered by.

Sweet Celestia...did they both like this? Judging the fire from his groin...yes he did.

Shining licked dry lips, lifted a water bottle to his lips, and drank deeply. He needed a shower, a plate of cookies, and he’d work on that pile of paperwork in his office.

Maybe he’d leave the exercise routines for now. They weren’t doing his body any favours anymore.

(LINE BREAK)

Cadence hated being away from her home. Her subjects, her husband, the palace...All of it meant so much to her. She didn’t mind short trips away, or vacations.

What she disliked was being away for two months because the dignitaries of the other lands couldn’t be bothered to make up their own minds. What was supposed to be a two-week peace summit turned into two months of discussions in Canterlot.

Well...she’d been able to see Twilight at least.

And those outside the Empire, aside from tourists and visitors, got to see her for the first time in a long time.

Cadence had meant to keep in shape, really she had. But she could still fly...though it was slow and unwieldy. She could still use her magic, she could still do what she needed to do.

Cadence, like her husband, had been inundated with so much excess love that her body had turned it into calories. Turning it into fat. And hadn’t been helped along by her Alicorn appetite or her competitiveness. Shining finished his cake and giving her that grin? Well, by Celestia, Cadence better do the same!

Cadence was fat. With flab-coated wings, a flank even Celestia could be jealous of, a sagging stomach, and chubby cheeks. She was fat, and proud of it. Not hiding her appetite behind little salads at grand dinners.

Cadence was pretty sure she’d gained some weight while at the summit. Most of the dignitaries had, and she had the feeling it was because of her. In an area of low love, after being saturated in it for so long, her body probably released some of her excess...Might be why she’d been so hungry during most of the talks.

Shaking herself, Cadence continued to make her way through the palace. Looking for her husband. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Cadence sighed and started to climb.

Her knees hurt after the first flight, breath panting and wheezing a little as she continued to climb. Her body no longer used to climbing the stairs everyday.

Cadence’s body was plush. She gained fairly even all over, making her look in proportion. She just looked...kinder, and more huggable. Her stomach hanging to her knees, plot and flanks bulging out to overhang her hocks, the beginnings of a pigeon chest. Sagging shoulders, a thick neck, a double chin. Chubby cheeks.

Cadence thought she’d never looked better. She was a living icon for what peace could look like.

The only downside to that was stairs, and anything physical. They were harder, but Cadence didn’t mind. She was a ruler, not a soldier.

Huffing, puffing, coated in sweat, Cadence finally reached the top of the stairs. Pausing for a few moments to catch her breath and let her the burning of her legs settle down. Trying to stop herself from shaking.

Shining had written to her yesterday. There was a party planned for her return tomorrow. The Empire, her ponies, and her husband were all fine.

“Shining?” Cadence asked, pushing the door open and stepping inside their darkened suite.

She lit her magic to turn on the light, and froze, staring.

Shining was laying in bed, striking a seductive pose, and Cadence couldn’t help but feel her blood rush...down there. Her face heating as well, staring at the sight of her husband with wide, eager eyes.

Shining was...well, he was now large enough that Cadence still looked small next to him. He’d had their bed replaced, but still took up a sizable portion of this new, wide, reinforced thing.

For as smooth as Cadence’s body looked, Shining’s was riddled with rolls and folds of all sizes. Small rolls at his knees, and larger rolls where his flanks met his hocks. His stomach was large too, hanging from a wide barrel that reminded her of Princess Amore’s husband. Shining’s back was riddled with rolls and folds, and his face was almost spherical.

He easily weighed over five hundred pounds, though it was hard to get a true estimate of his size when he was laying like this.

“Cadence,” Shining crooned, a huge smile making his chubby cheeks dimple, “Come to bed.”

And Cadence didn’t need any more convincing. Diving right in.

(LINE BREAK)

Shining was indeed on the verge of immobility, Cadence noted, as she watched him shuffle around the room. Wheezing and grunting as he got himself ready for the day.

Even standing, Shining was covered in enough rolls to keep a bakery in business for a few days. He just looked...so round and soft. Smiling softly, even as he waddled around. His belly hanging below his knees and pressing into his thicker legs all at once, making movement hard.

At least Cadence could admire the effect the waddle was having on his body. Making his flanks and plot jiggle enticingly as he moved.

“You know, Shining,” Cadence said quietly, “I’m really happy here.”

“Yeah? Me too. It’s beautiful up here...and it’s nice. To help an entire Empire…” Shining blushed a bit, looking down at himself. His chest had sagged so much it had become one with his stomach, hanging uselessly towards the ground. His neck was starting to form a roll now, too. “You’re...really happy? With us like this?”

“I married you in sickness and in health,” Cadence replied quietly, “Forever and always, thick or thin. I...I love my body, Shining. And I love yours. Are you okay with it? With us like this? We could try going on a diet, exercising more, if you want.”

Shining shook his head, heat rising to his cheeks as he blushed, “No, no, dear. I like it too...I just wanted to check in was all.”

Cadence slipped out of bed, padding over to wrap a wing around Shining in a hug, squeezing against him to feel their fat press together. “I love you too, Shining. If you ever want to stop, or slow down I’ll help you. You drive me crazy like this but your love and happiness are what matters too.”

Shining nodded, pressing in together for a quick kiss as they got their day underway.

(LINE BREAK)

Cadence snuggled into Shining’s warm belly with a sigh as the sun peeked over the mountains in the east.

After a year of weight gain, the two of them had evened out. Bodies and metabolisms working out what was going on.

It was winter now, three years since the Empire had returned. Two years since their weight had stabilized.

Things would change, were changing already, but Cadence hadn’t dropped that news yet. Dropping hints here or there in the hopes Shining would notice something and realize. He hadn’t, yet, but she’d hoped.

Cadence was pregnant. After three years of trying...well, it seemed like it was happening.

Shining let out a snore loud enough that it jolted Cadence out of her doze. She peered up at her sleeping husband, absentmindedly bringing a hoof to her stomach. She had a large stomach already, the thing reaching her knees with fat alone, but she liked to pretend it was larger. Though it wasn’t, not yet.

Cadence leaned in to press a kiss to Shining’s neck, nuzzling in gently, “Shining.” She murmured. A groan was her answer, but she pressed on. Continuing to try to wake him gently. “Shining, love! I have a surprise!”

“‘Szit b’ekf’st?” Shining mumbled, his stomach letting out a groan as he did. Now he was more awake to appreciate how sleeping left him hungry.

“No, love.” Cadence giggled, pressing a row of kisses down the length of his neck. “Something better.”

“Better?” Shining repeated, brows furrowing. Peeking an eye open and yawning extravagantly. “What’s going on?”

Cadence leaned in to press their horns together, activating her magic and focusing it in the spot where the doctor had showed her.

Soon, the beating of a small heart could be heard.

It took Shining a moment, still half asleep, but then he was beaming so hard his face hurt, wrapping her in a bear hug and half-laughing, half-sobbing into her.

Cadence couldn’t help but join in, sobbing tears of happiness and squeezing him close.

Whatever the fates had planned for them, and their baby, they’d face it. She just hoped their baby would find the peace, joy, love, and prosperity they had.