Day 1
"'Royal Cake Sampler'? I don't know...that sounds made up." Princess Celestia frowned as she gazed at her courtier.
"I assure you, your majesty, it was a real position within the Canterlot court! Performable only by a princess, such as yourself." The well-dressed unicorn stallion smiled, holding a worn leather-bound book in his hands. Traditions of Equestrian Court Life was inscribed on the cover in faint silver letters.
"And there's no explanation in the texts? No justification of this...interesting old role you've discovered?"
"Afraid not," he replied. "But the historical committee was very excited to find it, and we think it would be a perfect fit this year!"
"Oh, very well," Celestia sighed. This is what she got for encouraging a 'revival of historical traditions' this holiday season. The alicorn was also loath to admit that after a thousand years of ruling Equestria, her memory of Canterlot history was quite hazy.
"Splendid!" the stallion beamed, then motioned towards a guard pony at the far end of the throne room, who nodded and strode through the open double doors.
Celestia stood patiently in the center of the room, a few hoofsteps from her throne, and gracefully smoothed a lock of her flowing celestial mane. The pony princess was impeccably groomed, dressed in a modest beige gown trimmed with red velvet threaded with gold. The garment fit well on her slender, stately figure, curving over her shapely bust and accentuating the modest curve of her hips. Golden bracelets adorned her wrists, and a graceful royal tiara perched atop her head. The alicorn smiled to herself; she took a personal pride in still being able to turn ponies' heads even after centuries, and this morning's walk from her quarters to day court had been no exception.
After a few minutes of waiting, the doors swung open and the guard returned, accompanied by a waiter carrying a covered serving dish. The buff-colored mare strode up to the princess, gave a graceful bow, and presented the dish to her. Uncovering it revealed a porcelain plate containing a single generous slice of yellow cake, frosted with vanilla icing and drizzles of red strawberry compote.
"Here you are, your majesty. Freshly baked from the castle kitchens," she declared.
"Thank you, my dear," Celestia said with a smile, taking the plate. She held it before her, accepting a fork from the waiter. Her mouth watered as her nose picked up the sweet scents of strawberry and vanilla. The princess sliced off a forkful of cake and eagerly passed it between her lips.
"Mmmm..." the alicorn hummed as she tasted the cool dessert. "This ish divine!" Celestia chewed thoughtfully as sweet vanilla and strawberry flavor danced across her tongue. Finally she swallowed her bite and smiled. "A bit sugary for my tastes, but very moist and flavorful."
The princess raised her fork and eagerly sliced off another bite for herself. Her subjects smiled and watched as she ate the confection, occasionally humming in pleasure as she chewed and swallowed each bite. Finally the last forkful of cake passed between her lips. Celestia finished swallowing, then graciously accepted a small glass of milk from the serving mare, draining it in three hearty gulps.
"An excellent sample. My compliments to the baker!" the alicorn said warmly.
"Thank you, Princess!" the mare beamed, taking back the plate, glass and fork and turning to exit the room.
"Is that all?" Celestia asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"I believe so," replied her courtier stallion. "This was all we had time to prepare on such short notice."
The unicorn noted a hint of a frown on Celestia's face. "Oh, not to worry, your majesty," he hastily added, "It's only the first day of sampling. We'll be sure to make adjustments as the holiday sampling season continues."
He grinned eagerly. "Starting tomorrow we'll be sure to have a plentiful selection for you!"
Day 14
Princess Celestia swallowed the last bite of cheesecake, placed her fork on the empty plate and set it aside. Blearily she reached for her glass of milk, raising it to her lips and gulping down the creamy refreshment. On the table before her was a half dozen empty plates, all of which had contained slices of cake. Nothing remained except crumbs and dollops of icing.
"Ugh...how many more cakes- *urp* -are there to sample?" Celestia asked wearily.
"Just these, your majesty," her courtier replied. He gestured over to another stallion carrying in a large serving dish, who lowered it and deposited four more plated slices of cake before her. Celestia spied carrot cake, rich red velvet cake topped with almonds, chocolate mousse cake drizzled with fudge and whipped cream, and what looked like a slice of wedding cake, elaborately frosted with rosettes and sugar-dusted patterns of vanilla icing.
The princess groaned softly as she placed a hand on her stuffed middle. The six slices of cake felt like a lead weight in her stomach. She gingerly poked and massaged the taut upper swell of her belly, cursing herself for choosing to wear her favorite pink gown this morning. Her cake-swollen tummy bulged noticeably against the skintight fabric, accentuated by the ruby red garter belt worn snug around her waist.
Two weeks of daily cake sampling was already impacting her waistline. Her slender middle had softened into a curvy potbelly, which bulged taut against her slim-fit dresses. Thicker thighs chafed together when she walked, and made wearing the few pairs of pants in her wardrobe impossible. Celestia's rear had grown embarrasingly plump; her dresses now had a mortifying habit of riding up on her rear, exposing her curves and cutie marks to reddening onlookers. Even her arms and shoulders had grown softer, burying the slight muscle tone she had built up last summer. Her chubbier breasts bulged and jiggled against the straps of her gown, left unsupported as none of her undergarments could fit her growing busom.
Celestia had confided to the royal tailor yesterday to begin letting out her favorite gowns, while putting an order in for new garments several sizes larger.
"Perhaps we could...cut back?" the princess inquired hesitantly. Tasting cakes from her own castle kitchens was one thing, but having to eat slices from every baker in the City was a daunting task. Already she could feel the familiar burning of a sugar rush coming on.
"I'm...afraid not," the stallion replied, thumbing through his history book. "The tradition is very clear - 'thy Princess must sample from Every Cake thou shalt Bake in Canterlot during Holidays.'"
Celestia groaned again as she lifted up the plate and forked a big bite of chocolate mousse into her mouth. Delectable fudgy chocolate exploded across her taste buds, momentarily drowning out the pain of fullness. Oh, if only my subjects weren't such good bakers! Celestia thought to herself.
The princess wished she could eat more. If only she wasn't so full...
Day 45
The pony princess of the sun closed her eyes and smiled in pleasure, the taste of sugary vanilla icing still on her tongue. She was halfway through her morning cake sampling session, standing before her three chef-servants in front of her golden throne. Surrounding them was a dozen cakes in all manner of styles and flavors, each with at least one slice missing.
Princess Celestia had fully committed herself to her new court task, pushing past the pain of fullness to make sure every cake her subjects baked was adequately sampled. As the days passed, she found the task became easier - her stomach slowly stretched to accommodate each wave of cake, and her taste buds grew attuned to the subtle differences of texture and flavoring in each dessert. Pain and lethargy were replaced by hunger and anticipation. Tasting cakes was becoming the princess' favorite part of the day.
It was a good thing too, because once word had gotten out about the sun princess' new royal duty, bakers from across Equestria had begun to send their baked goods to Canterlot Castle for 'sampling.' Many had even sent whole cakes instead of single slices, and while the royal secretary sent letters back reprimanding the bakers for their excess, Princess Celestia insisted upon sampling - and usually devouring - every slice that was sent to her. After all, who was she to refuse her pony subjects' kindness?
Seven weeks of daily cake sampling, however, had not been kind to the alicorn's figure. Soft, flabby breasts bulged against the neckline of the strapless purple gown she had squeezed into that morning. The dress was stretched taut across the curve of her cake-swollen stomach, which bulged out past her hefty busom. The thick lower roll of her belly swelled out past the fabric, hanging against her thighs. Purple fabric draped across the princess' massive rump, which swelled out behind her, expanded solar cutie marks left mostly uncovered. Matching purple stockings adorned her plump calves and knees, but stopped short of covering her thickened thunder-thighs. Her golden bracelets dug in slightly against her soft, flabby arms, while a thick neck roll of flab precluded her usual necklace.
Celestia licked her lips and dabbed a napkin across her soft double-chin. "Next sample!" she called to her servants, who smiled nervously to each other before cutting more slices from the unsampled cakes waiting on the serving trolley beside them. The princess waved them forward, her horn glowing as her golden magic lifted a slice of chocolate layer cake off their tray and toward her muzzle. The alicorn licked her lips and greedily bit off a large bite.
A pudgy hand gripped her flabby belly, then absentmindedly massaged her tightening stomach as she chewed. "Mmm...so delicious!" the princess crooned as the taste of sugary chocolate filled her mouth. Visions of cakes in all manner of flavors crowded out any worries about her growing plumpness - or the long afternoon nap she would invariably need while her tummy digested this mountain of confections.
This was truly a wonderful tradition, Celestia thought to herself as she swallowed and moved in for a second bite. What reason could we have had for stopping it?
Day 127
Celestia sighed as she contemplated the slice of vanilla wedding cake levitating before her, before bringing it forward and taking a bite. The last few dozen samples had sated her sweet tooth and quashed her hunger. Now the pain of fullness was taking over, making each bite just a bit harder as she struggled to finish sampling.
The morning sampling session had been disrupted by an unexpected shipment of breakfast scones from the Kingdom of Griffonstone. Celestia's advisors had decided to lengthen the afternoon sampling to ensure enough time for the princess to devour the day's offerings. Cakes and pastries were streaming in from across the world now - gracious gifts from Equestria's neighbors as they received word of Equstria's new tradition. The Canterlot Castle staff were working round the clock to ensure each day's mountain of 'samples' was unboxed and served in time.
The sun alicorn groaned as she chomped down the remaining wedding cake in three large bites. Her body had simply ballooned with fat as a consequence of stuffing herself with cake on a daily basis. Every inch of her was padded with soft adipose and heavy curves. On a good day she felt like an overpuffed marshmallow; on a bad day, more like a sack overflowing with pudding.
Celestia levitated another slice of cake forward, this one a rich red velvet with thick chocolate ganache, and pushed it into her muzzle. Plump chipmunk cheeks jiggled and swelled as her mouth filled with decadent cakey goodness and she began to chew. A silk napkin tied around her fat-padded neck kept most of the resulting crumbs from falling into her deep cleavage. The princess' breasts swelled out before her, her busom barely contained and kept shapely by a strained, overflowing brassiere of silver silk. Yet her impressive bust was far overshadowed by the titanic ball of her belly, which sat heavily atop her lap, its lower curve swelling out past the edge of her throne and forcing her enormous thighs apart. Celestia's spherical gut was only marred by the deep divot of her bellybutton, though at present its upper swell bulged painfully upwards to accommodate her pastry-packed stomach.
A pink chiffon gown trimmed with small white frills was pulled across her breasts and stretched skintight across her upper gut, its hemline stopping just above her navel. Although this dress was rapidly becoming undersized, the princess' tailors had also practically given up on adequately covering their monarch's ever-swelling gut. Instead they settled for thigh-high stockings like the lavender ones she was wearing now. Undergarments were near-impractical, but the princess was kept modest by the hefty swell of her gut at the front, and by long trains of fabric at the back to cover the two enormous globes of her rear.
The princess glanced past her busom at the plump digits of her hand, which swelled into her pillowy pale forearm, before motioning for more cake to be brought forward.
Her billowing figure made moving with any sort of grace impossible, her bloated belly and massive rump reducing her to an awkward waddle. Fortunately the castle guard had fashioned several palanquins for her to use while in public.
With the slice of red velvet devoured, a new slice floated forward. Celestia huffed when she recognized it as a generous piece of a particularly dense cheesecake, the specialty of one of Manehattan's most exclusive boutique bakeries.
Celestia dutifully gulped down the last bite of the dense dessert. As it reached her food-filled stomach, she heard a groan, then a distinct tearing sound. The princess looked down and gasped as a tear appeared along the width of her gown across her belly. As she took a breath, the tear grew wider, splitting the chiffon garment horizontally across her gut. Pudgy white flesh bulged out as the restricting garment was breached. Servant ponies smiled sympathetically and averted their eyes; the sight of their plumpening princess splitting seams was quite frequent these days.
As the princess' face reddened with embarrassment, a memory suddenly flashed inside her head - the memory of a 'wardrobe malfunction' much like this one, only long ago - along with a recollection that had eluded her these past few months. Celestia turned to face her courtier.
"I think I remember why we discontinued the Royal Cake Sampling," she declared to the stallion, who had been standing at her side supervising the tasting.
"Your majesty?" he asked in puzzlement.
"Fetch me the Book of Proclamations including the year 593 A.B." Celestia responded.
The unicorn bowed, turned on his hooves and marched off towards the castle archives. Meanwhile, her servants pressed forth with the remaining slices of cake piled high on two silver plates.
"Oh please, not more..." the princess groaned in disappointment.
But her courtiers insisted, and by the time her advisor had returned with the book, the last eight samples of Equestrian cake had disappeared inside the monarch's gullet. The stallion arrived to find the sun princess nearly pinned to her throne by the weight of her belly, while waiters carried away the empty serving trays from their cake-fattened princess with polite embarrassment.
"Mmmh...find the proclamations for Autumn of that year..." Celestia intoned as he entered, gingerly rubbing the swell of her overstuffed stomach under her ruined gown.
Her courtier complied, flipping through the yellowed parchment. "Here is the page, your majesty...and here is the proclamation establishing the position of Royal Cake Sampler! Fascinating! How did you remember the exact date?"
Celestia smiled weakly. "Skip ahead a few pages."
The stallion turned to the page for the following Spring. "Oh! 'Upon this date, the position of Royal Cake Sampler is hereby abolished. Under no circumstances is this position to be reinstated, under penalty of banishment..."
The unicorn's eyes grew wide, his mouth aghast. "B-banishment?! Your majesty, I didn't know-"
Princess Celestia gave him a reassuring glance. "It's quite alright, just a bit of hyperbole on my part. And I do believe I know the reason why..." the alicorn glanced down and patted her hefty belly for emphasis.
Oh, yes...we have noticed your...more generous proportions as of late..." the stallion responded, his face reddening with chagrin.
"How about this," she intoned. "You make a national declaration tomorrow that the Royal Cake Sampling is hereby discontinued, and I'll look the other way over any "penalties" contained within that book. After all," she quipped, "it does seem silly to be weighed down by the ideas of the past."
"Ah ha ha, yes..." the unicorn agreed, too relieved to truly appreciate the princess's pun.
"And after you've sent that declaration, you can find me the best personal trainer in Canterlot and bring him to me. Discreetly, please." The Princess gave her bloated tummy a gentle pat.
Her courtier grinned sheepishly, bowed and acknowledgement and turned to leave. But after three paces he turned around, a question on his face. "Ah, but your majesty, it may take some time for the declaration to be read across Equestria. We may still be receiving delicacies for days, if not weeks! What shall we do with them?"
A wry smile dimpled Princess Celestia's plump cheeks. "Send them all directly to my sister," she replied. "A special thank-you gift for the great weight of all Luna's duties protecting our kingdom."
