Getting Out of Hoof

“What are we going to do, Shining?” Cadance lamented, kicking her hind legs as she wallowed on the bed.

Seated beside her, Shining tenderly stroked his wife’s thigh. “Same thing we always do, Cadance - we’ll do the best we can.”

She grunted and ponderously rolled onto her side, pouting when she peered down at herself. “And how are we going to explain this?” she pressed, waving a forehoof at herself.

Ten hours - she’d woken up ten hours ago, yet her metamorphosis had continued at a staggering rate. After her failure of an outing that morning, she’d effectively hidden in her room for almost the entire day, concealing herself from the castle’s staff and visitors alike. Shining had taken care of almost everything, telling the guards and servants that she wasn’t feeling well, assuring him that he’d tend to her needs, but that was only putting a band-aid on the problem.

Without Twilight’s help, and with Sunburst away, she and her husband were on their own to deal with her increasingly awkward situation. She’d grown nearly half a foot already, the scale in their bathroom couldn’t read how much weight she’d put on, and her breasts were like two miniature milk factories, yet those were petty grievances compared to the insatiable appetite she’d developed. Upon returning to her room that morning, she’d requested Shining get her something to eat for breakfast - unfortunately, though he’d brought a modest meal back for her, it wasn’t nearly enough to satiate her hyperactive metabolism.

As she swung her gaze from her rounded belly to the stallion seated next to her, she opened her mouth and extended her tongue. While she was perfectly capable of feeding herself, having full use of her wings, legs, and magic, Shining had insisted on assisting her with her cravings. Sure enough, seeing her open, expectant muzzle, he levitated a spoonful of parfait into her maw.

“What is there to explain?” he countered, withdrawing the cleaned spoon from her full, pouting lips. “We’re having another foal!”

Swallowing her mouthful, she squinted over at him and waved at herself. “And all this?”

He smiled back at her. “It’s just a growth spurt! Maybe Celestia had something similar happen when she was around your age.”

“I - huh,” Cadance grunted, thoughtfully rubbing her chain. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Darn right I am,” he snickered.

Turning in place, slipping his hind legs onto the mattress, he cautiously crawled atop her. Even with his forelegs fully outstretched, he couldn’t touch his hooves around her once slender chest - not that he seemed to mind. He rested his cheek on her collar, basking in her warmth, and contentedly sighed.

“Besides, I really, really don’t think you have anything to worry about,” he continued, stirring the combination of yogurt, fruit, and granola. “You feel fine, don’t you?”

Eyeing the dessert, she nodded. “Yeah, I really don’t feel any different than usual.”

“Then there you go!” he chirped, presenting another spoonful to her. “You’re the Princess of Love, ruler of the Crystal Empire, and I’d bet my bottom bit that not a single one of your subjects would complain about how you look - if anything, you may get more compliments and stallions eyeing you than you usually do!”

She felt blood rushing into her cheeks as she looked away. “Oh come on - you don’t mean that…”

“I do!” he insisted, levitating the spoon and partially consumed parfait onto the nightstand. “You’re a big, beautiful, fertile mare and there isn’t a single pony in Equestria who would say otherwise.”

Laying on her, he tenderly rubbed her sides. She’d been with him for years, since before she’d even graduated school, and he still practically worshiped the ground she trotted on. As he rested his cheek against her, grinning up at her face, she couldn’t help but smile. There were plenty of good, hard working stallions out there, but she was absolutely positive that she’d found one of the best.

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” she halfheartedly asserted.

He hastily shook his head, his expression hardening as he locked eyes with her. “I’m not and you know it,” he huffed. Sliding up the mattress, he reached out and tenderly held her forehoof. “At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’m the luckiest stallion in all of Equestria and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you and Flurry safe and happy.”

“Shining,” she sighed, “it wasn’t your fault.”

“It was my fault,” he grumbled, glowering and looking away. “It would have been bad enough to live with myself after what Chrysalis did, but then the incidents with Sombra…”

Knitting her brow, using a combination of her wings, legs, and magic, she hovered him off herself and onto the floor before she stood and hopped from the mattress. “Nopony knew it was Chrysalis - not Celestia, Luna, Twilight, or the Elements of Harmony. As for Sombra, we beat him twice!”

Keeping his eyes on the balcony window, he wilted. “And if it happens again…?”

“Then we’ll teach him a third lesson,” she whispered. Turning to face him, with the bed frame creaking under her, she trotted forward and circled her wings around him. “What was it you just told me?”

He wriggled in place and peered up at her, pursing his lips as he thought for a moment. “That you’re a big, beautiful mare?”

“Not that,” she giggled.

“That we’ll do the best we can,” he murmured.

Meeting his gaze, she leaned in and kissed the top of his snout. “Mmmhmm,” she hummed. “And you need to stop it with all the flattery, Mister.”

“Oh?” he quipped, squirming free and getting to his hooves. “And why’s that?”

“Because you act like I haven’t caught some of the maids or mares in town checking you out,” she clarified.

“Please,” he chuckled, dismissively batting a hoof. “Like you have anything to worry about.”

Quirking a brow, she held a forehoof to her chest. “You’re saying I don’t?”

“I’m saying that you’re my wife, the mother of our child, and that there isn’t a mare, pony or otherwise, on the planet who could ever hold a candle to you,” he breathed. Trotting up to her, he reared onto his hind legs and reached up to wrap his forehooves around her neck. “There is one little problem though…”

“And that is?” she softly inquired, losing herself in his cerulean eyes.

He shot forward, gave her a tender kiss on the lips, and withdrew. “I might need a stepping stool if you get any bigger.”

Tittering to herself, she peered down at him. “You seriously don’t have a problem with me being this - well…this big?”

“Not in the slightest,” he firmly said. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s just more of you to love.”

While she wasn’t displeased with her appearance, chiefly concerned with what others would think of her, it was reassuring to hear that he appreciated her new, colossal look. Looking over her shoulder, she ignited her horn and levitated the half-eaten parfait over to herself. She wasn’t one to bask in flattery, but getting a few more compliments from him couldn’t hurt.

“Help me understand this,” she began, waving the spoon at him.

“It’s just that - um,” he sputtered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Helping herself to another bite of yogurt, she watched him squirm. Given how their day had started, she was absolutely sure that he’d meant what he said. She hadn’t had a morning that passionate in ages, and she honestly wouldn’t be opposed to getting her marish cravings satisfied again before bed, but turning the tables on him, getting him hot and bothered, was an exceedingly rare event. As she slowly ate her dessert, he coughed into his hoof and collected himself.

“If you have to know, it’s a combination of things,” he noted.

She flicked her hoof at him, urging him to continue. “Such as…?”

“Ok, lemme see if I can explain this; so stallions are usually the ones who take the lead ~ right?” he asked. As she nodded, he began gradually trotting around her. “There’s just something appealing about being with a bigger mare. The cuddling, being your little spoon, the way you hold me -” he paused, shivering and grinning like a fool, “they’re all really, really nice and something most stallions don’t get to experience.”

She remained silent, processing what he’d said while she finished off the remains of the parfait. He’d made a pretty good point, though it was something she’d never considered before. Stallions were typically larger and more physically powerful than mares, not to mention they were often the assertive ones during courtship or relationships, so she could see how the role reversal would be novel.

Growing increasingly amused, she strutted past him and adjusted her wings. “Once I’m back to normal, I’m not going to have to worry about you sneaking around behind my back with yaks ~ am I?”

“I would never run around on you!” he adamantly bleated, stomping a forehoof for good measure.

“But…?” she added, glancing over at him.

Tearing his eyes off her flank, he stared at her face. “But nothing! Sure I really like you like this, and I really wouldn’t mind if you stayed this big, but you’re my wife! I love you with all my heart and I’ll never leave you for anypony or anything - heck, if anything, I’m the one who has to worry about you running off!”

She balked, her eyes widening at the wild accusation. “Like I’d ever do such a thing! Most stallions would go running for the hills once they saw how huge I am!”

An impish glint flitted over his eyes as he smirked. “You want to test that?”

Moments from calling him out, she caught herself and clamped her lips shut. If he really was right about stallions having a somewhat common interest in larger females, rebuking him and accepting his challenge may have consequences - potentially lecherous consequences. Conceding to him, she looked away and hung her head.

“I am not going out like this,” she grumbled.

“I wouldn’t ask you to go out now,” he mused. “You don’t even have anything appropriate to wear - yet…”

She rounded on him and studied his face. “Yet?”

“Yet,” he repeated, smiling proudly. “So you remember how you tried to go out to the tailor this morning?”

“How could I forget,” she darkly muttered, recalling the unsuccessful and ultimately sticky endeavor.

Trotting around to her front, he held his head high. “Well I might have taken care of that for you.”

“Explain…” she breathed, suddenly anxious about whatever he’d done.

“Earlier, when I was getting us some lunch, I may have sent a scroll to Rarity. Finding a couture who’s skilled enough to make you something fitting, no pun intended, would be a bit of a trial, but I’m sure the Element of Generosity would be able to do the job with ease,” he explained.

“So you spoke with her?” she pressed, her interest piqued.

Rarity was easily one of the most skillful tailors in all of Equestria, though she hadn’t even thought of asking the mare for help. She’d been so flustered after waking up that she hadn’t had a clear head - a fact exacerbated by her husband’s more than generous affection. Feeling a bit more hopeful than she had been about the circumstances, she watched him produce a roll of parchment.

“I didn’t talk with her in person, but I did get her to agree to see us. Apparently whatever Twilight is dealing with didn’t require all the Elements of Harmony,” he smugly stated, turning his eyes to the letter. “Dear Shining, I’m so sorry to hear about the little mishap that befell poor Princess Cadance. I’m a bit busy this afternoon, but feel free to come by the Carousel Boutique first thing tomorrow morning.”

Lifting a forehoof, moments from saying how thankful she was, a thought occurred to Cadance. “What did you tell her…?”

He shrugged as he furled the scroll. “I told her there was a little accident and that you’d need some custom clothing - preferably a few garments that are both robust and able to conceal your - Ahem - rather generous breasts.”

“I…I don’t know what to say…” she stammered, moved beyond words.

“Well a thank you wouldn’t be undue,” he hummed.

He was absolutely right, she did owe him a thank you - no, she owed him more than a thank you. She’d unduly been a bit difficult earlier that morning, giving him a hard time and blaming him for her current state, yet he’d done nothing but be supportive and helpful the entire day. Suddenly inspired, feeling bad that she’d ever doubted him, she was stricken with an idea.

“I can do better than that,” she began, shunting power into her horn.

Before he could utter a word, she magically flung him onto the bed. Considering how he couldn’t get enough of her, fawning over her periodically throughout the day, there was something she could do to show her appreciation. She beat her wings and flexed her legs, sailed through the air, and landed over his supine frame.

“So you really wouldn’t mind if I was this big, even if I could smother you in your sleep?” she purred.

Holding his forehooves before his chest, he gnawed his lip and stared up at her. “Uh…uh-huh…”

Easing herself down, pinning him between herself and the struggling mattress, she shifted her considerable weight from side to side. Seeing him in such a vulnerable state, being able to handily overpower him in any conceivable way, she couldn’t help herself from indulging him slightly. She gyrated against him, using her comparably massive body to grind him against the bed, and tittered to herself.

He kicked his fore and hind legs out, hugging her for all his worth, as he peppered her collar with kisses. She could get used to this, the added strength and being large enough to manhandle him as she pleased, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. If he figured out how much she was enjoying herself, he’d fight tooth and hoof to keep her as she was - a prospect she was begrudgingly warming to.

She looked down and back at herself, in awe of just how big she’d gotten. Ordinarily speaking, were she on top of him, he would have stood out like a sore thumb - now he was barely visible. Save for the top of his head, the ends of his legs, and presumably his tail, he was all but engulfed under her. Starting as she felt something prodding her underbelly, between her heaving, engorged bosoms, she closed her eyes.

Yeah - maybe this wasn’t so bad. She never had problems getting him worked up, with a sultry look or a sinful promise assuring he’d show her a very good time between the sheets, but now she held more power over him than ever. Though she was still uncertain of how other stallions would react to her increased stature and expansive figure, she might - might just take her new self for a test run.

“Shining,” she cooed, pushing herself up just enough to get a look at his beet-red face, “tomorrow morning, if Rarity is able to throw something together for me, would you like to go out for breakfast?”

“I…I thought you didn’t want ponies to s…see you like this?” he stammered up at her.

Positively beaming down at him, she lowered her muzzle to the side of his head. “I thought you’d want to show off your big, plump, pregnant wife to everypony…”

Sensing his stallionhood jerk uncontrollably, doubtlessly smearing her cleavage with pre-cum, she withdrew and flicked her mane to the side. If, and that was a very big if, Rarity could do the impossible, making her presentable for the public, she supposed she could go on a brief foray. With her thoughts wandering, she scooped him up and fell beside him.

The way she saw it, she had two ways to deal with the situation she’d unwittingly thrown herself into: she could either embrace it with all the tact and grace she could, or she could hide herself away until Twilight found some way to restore her to her normal size - even then, there was no guarantee that the problem could be fixed. She was definitely pregnant, she couldn’t change that, but she may be stuck as an amazoness of a mare for the foreseeable future. Pulling her husband to her chest, locking one leg over his hip, she held him to herself. On the off chance that this whole mess couldn’t be rectified, at least she had one adoring fan to keep her company…