Author's Note
Artist: Czu
https://derpibooru.org/images/3521029
https://twibooru.org/3423591
https://ponybooru.org/images/3756192
https://ponerpics.org/images/7143179
Burdensome Blessing
A group of unicorns is known as a blessing. Rarity had been told earlier in the year that she was blessed with fertility. She felt anything but blessed, with an entire blessing being gestated inside her. She was tired, and her back ached; so did her hooves. She was now wider than she was tall, and even that couldn’t hide that her butt was bigger. She had recently taken to sleeping while standing, and at least three of them were always kicking. What little work she’d been able to finish lately had been for other ponies; she wasn’t even going to try to cover herself up, she knew it would just be an expensive tent over herself. All she could wear from her old wardrobe were her bras, and just barely. It looked like she had a second butt, a very sensitive, constantly leaking second butt. That was another reason for her not to look in the mirror, besides the fact that she couldn’t fit all of herself in its reflection anymore.
Rarity huffed. A thought crossed her mind as she slowly made her way to the kitchen. She was so thankful for her magic, more than she’d ever been in her life before. She didn’t know how Mrs. Cake could do it. The second thought that crossed her mind, while she magically opened a cabinet and pulled down a plate and glass, was how thankful she was for civilization. She had no hope whatsoever of surviving in the wild like this, as prehistoric ponies supposedly had in the times before Celestia and even before the times of the three tribes. Magic and civilization, those were certainly nice. Prehistoric pony had been adapted to the wilderness, she’d also not so coincidentally learned they had been prone to singleton pregnancies almost exclusively. She didn’t even have to turn her head, she merely had to cut her eyes to the side, to see what had once been her bulging side that was now a bulging front. Magic and civilization, those had certainly made ponies smaller, and yet bigger at the same time. She sighed.
She arranged a salad on her plate, knowing that wouldn’t be enough. She opened her refrigerator, added some leftover hay fries to the salad, and forced a large slice of cake onto the plate too. Somewhere deep in her body, but really where it had always been, she heard her stomach rumbling. She sighed again.
After eating far too much, Rarity was still a little peckish, but decided instead to return to her showroom. Few outfits were on display, with her output reduced and ponies buying her stock to help support her growing family. One caught her eye, an item that wasn’t for sale, a cute little red dress she’d worn many times before. She hovered it over to herself, and thought about how it wouldn’t even begin to fit her now. She wanted to put it back, but that was a little sad, so she instead made some mental notes about where she could adjust it to make it wearable again as soon as she’d parted from her blessing and recovered. She was certain to shrink her barrel massively, but her rear would probably take a while longer. Only after imagining herself wearing the dress around her husband and many children did she hover it back to its place.
Her hooves were sore, more sore than usual. Leaning her butt against the wall would provide only minor comfort, but if she sat down she’d better be prepared to not get back up for a while. Her chaise lounge was in view, and she just may be able to shove herself onto it. She waddled on over, set her forehooves over on it, and grunted. She rather uselessly picked up her left hindleg out of instinct, even though she knew she clearly lacked the mobility to do anything except shift her weight around slightly. “Did this get taller? I can hardly get up...” She could swear it had only been a few months since she’d used it.
Where was her husband to help her? Right, he was in the market, with Sweetie Belle. Well, when he got back, she’d have him help. Of course, he’d have to shove her from behind, and his face had a habit of finding her rear whenever he helped, and she was already positioned for that. Sweetie Belle would need to play outside for a little while, in that case...
She sighed yet again. At least resting her forehooves on the lounge helped a little.
Author's Note
Artist: Czu
https://derpibooru.org/images/3521033
https://twibooru.org/3423595
https://ponybooru.org/images/3756196
https://ponerpics.org/images/7143183
Heavy Herd
A group of ponies is called a herd. Any ponies will do, but a herd is especially a group of Earth ponies. Always the most numerous of the three tribes, these and other thoughts were on Mrs. Cake’s mind as she made her way around the kitchen. She had been thankful for the wide open spaces during her first pregnancy with the twins. Turning her head and looking back at her body, she was especially glad for it now with however many, although the entrance to the kitchen was getting awfully narrow. There seemed to be an old Earth pony rhyme about a baker mare and her baker’s dozen, just like her, but she couldn’t remember it now. Her old apron hanging on the wall caught her attention for a moment, and she chuckled. Wearing that tiny thing was out of the question these days. If she really needed to help, and getting really messy were a risk, she could always throw a blanket over her back and make an apron out of that. For now, she only wore a bra; hers was milk that didn’t need to get into their goods, at least not those meant for their patrons.
Her attention went back to her work and to the other pony in the room, the stallion who had done this to her and the love of her life. Carrot had been working so hard this past year, even getting some extra work elsewhere after the baking at times, while she and Pinkie ran the shop during the day. Housing and feeding an entire herd wasn’t cheap, but they’d manage. Cup Cake noticed a few crumbs stuck to her muzzle, and reminded herself that it wasn’t cheap keeping that dough rising before the buns were finished either, but she reminded herself how fun it was getting the starter ingredients in place, as she ran a tongue along her lips. She blushed, and glanced at Carrot to see if he had seen her or not; he hadn’t, her poor dear too busy for anything like that right now.
She grinned, and looked at the counter again. She was just glad she could still help. Fortunately, Earth ponies were gifted with more than just fertility, and she had the strong frame and muscles to carry her herd and more. She didn’t know how unicorns could manage when they got so big. Unlike her last pregnancy, she could swear she were carrying mostly Earth ponies this time around. The very strong kicking she constantly felt was evidence of that. She glanced at Carrot again. Her strength would help her pin him to the wall again later—and not that she needed it—but that was one advantage of her extra weight too. Perhaps it was too hot in the kitchen, and her demeanour wasn’t at all helping. She loudly exhaled before grabbing an icing bag in her mouth and continuing with the fancy designs for a foal’s birthday party. She smiled as much as she could with her mouth full, and thought about celebrating a certain very large birthday in the future.
The doorbell rang, and she looked to him to decide who would answer, but Carrot set a fresh tray of cookies to cool on the counter and was out the kitchen door before she could even set the icing down and shuffle herself around. That decided, she finished the little designs and dropped the bag back on the counter. She thought about taking some rest, feeling just a little shame about not helping more, and then that rhyme came back to her. She sang it gently to herself as she waddled around the kitchen looking for something that needed doing.
Good mother mare,
sat in a chair,
to give her poor hooves some rest.
Foals in the way,
try as she may,
standing again was a test.
She giggled once she was done singing. She just thought that rhyme to apply to her during her first pregnancy. Now she threatened to break the chair if she used it. She could swear there were one about stairs too, but it eluded her. She certainly couldn’t use the stairs anymore.
Try as she might, she couldn’t find anything that needed to be done. Her attention turned to those fresh cookies.
Mr. Cake walked back to the kitchen to fetch the batch of cookies, which wasn’t there anymore. Guilt was on his wife’s face, along with a new layer of crumbs.
“I guess I’ve had a little much.” She didn’t look him in the eye.
