Bed-Ridden
Bed-Ridden
A MLP: FiM story by InTheStands
All characters and places are property of Hasbro and Lauren Faust. I claim no ownership of said property, only this story.
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A loud coughing fit pierced the air of the home shared by Canterlot’s Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, and his newly-wed wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza (Cadance was what she preferred to be called). It had been a wedding to remember, and the two lovers were easily able to adapt to their new life together.
At least, until a nasty illness found its way into the Guard barracks a month ago. The good news was, the bug was easy to treat and easier to recover from it. The bad news…
Shining Armor convulsed with each cough, wrinkling the sheets of the bed he usually shared with Cadance. Groaning, mostly in annoyance, the white unicorn stallion with the blue mane and a sparkling shield of a cutie mark leaned back into his pillow. How could this have happened? He thought. His troops were almost all cured! He was sure he could escape the mini-epidemic unscathed. Yet here he was, feeling as well as he looked: Miserable. And for more reasons than just being sick.
Princess Celestia, thankfully, was sympathetic of Shining’s condition, and ordered that he take sick leave in order to recuperate. It was already a good few days he hadn’t been leading his guards, and he had no idea how many more lay ahead - the duration of the illness varied from pony to pony.
He groaned again, wondering what exactly he did to be reduced to this. His head darted upwards as soon as he heard the door to his bedroom open.
“Shining?” A female voice asked. Shining smiled a bit as a familiar face poked its way into the room.
“Twily,” Shining smirked, stifling another cough. “Come on in.”
The purple unicorn that was his younger sister trotted in. Twilight Sparkle approached the bed and gave a soft smile. “How are you doing?”
“It’s gotten better,” Shining sighed, lowering his head onto his pillow again. “But not better enough.”
“You’ve already taken all the medicine you needed,” She offered encouragement. “And you’ve already shown the worse symptoms, so it should start going away.”
“I really don’t care,” Shining rolled over to face his sister better, tiredness evident in his dark eyelids. “As long as I’m still stuck in bed, I just don’t care, Twilight.”
Twilight frowned. She knew what her B.B.B.F.F. was going through. “I understand, Shining. It’s torture having to miss your duties. But this is for the best. You’ll be getting better soon.”
“Not soon enough,” Shining, with his forelegs, pushed the pillow so that it sandwiched his head. “All I can do now is cough, sneeze, moan, and wait for somepony to feed me.” He let go of his pillow, allowing Twilight to see his now-saddened face. “I’ve never felt so useless.”
“Now just a minute!” Twilight shot back, startling him. “You might be sick, and you might feel like horse apples, but the last thing you ever will be is useless! You think you’re the first pony in Equestria to get sick? Or the only one?” Twilight reached out a foreleg, and grabbed one of his hooves in hers, her voice softening. “Beating yourself up is only going to make it worse. Please don’t do this. I don’t want it. Cadance doesn’t want it. Nopony wants it.”
Shining, frowning, looked at his pleading sister before smiling slightly and pulling her into a hug. “Thanks, Twily. I owe you.”
Twilight smiled back. “Then repay me by getting well soon.” They pulled away from the hug. “I’ll see you later, Shining.”
“You too, Twilight. Have a great-” Shining was interrupted by another loud fit of coughing. Wincing, he smiled back at the unicorn mare that was now leaving the room before once more straightening out his sheets.
Twilight closed the door behind her, saddened by the depreciation Shining was giving himself. And she wasn’t the only one who felt that way, either.
Twilight turned to face the pink alicorn she knew as her foalsitter-turned-sister-in-law. Her violet, gold and rose-striped mane framed a face that reflected her somber emotions. “He’s taking this so hard,” Cadance shook her head. “He’s never had to deal with this as a Captain.”
“I know, I know,” Twilight sighed. “He’s getting better physically…but emotionally…”
Cadance looked at the door to the bedroom before coming up with an idea. A smile formed on her face before quickly realizing Twilight was still with her. Embracing her sister-in-law, Cadance consoled the purple unicorn. “Don’t worry, Twilight. I’ll take it from here. I’ll see to it that he’s reminded how useful he is.” Cadance, picturing her plan, was thankful that Twilight couldn’t see her blushing as the unicorn mare left the house for Ponyville.
§§§
Shining grunted exasperatedly as he awoke. Middle of the night, again. Ever since he got sick.
Shining also found himself shivering slightly. Someone seemed to have opened the window. He moaned as he sat up. Sure enough, the window was wide open, allowing the dull glow that was the light from Luna’s moon to pour into the room. He realized the light was bright enough to see almost everything in the room with some degree of clarity. Snapping back to reality, he turned his head to the side. Cadance wasn’t in the bed with him. He began to grow slightly anxious, wondering if this was some dream or delusion. Hallucinations certainly weren’t in the list of symptoms Twilight found for him.
“Hello, Shining.”
The stallion instantly turned his attention to the source of the voice: The bedroom door. There stood Cadance, who had just walked in and shut the door behind her. She was wearing absolutely nothing; Her shoes, chest plate, and tiara rested with the rest of their wardrobe. He breathed slowly as she approached the bed, her motions and staring he perceived as seductive.
Was this some kind of medicine-induced dream?
Because now he certainly didn’t want to wake up.
Cadance, with magic emanating from her horn, peeled away the large blanket, leaving a bare Shining Armor. The alicorn crawled in, wrapping her hooves around her husband. He stammered. “C-Cadance? What…what’s-”
“I’ve had to sit back and watch,” Cadance interrupted him as she began, “As you laid here coughing, shivering, and talking about how useless you are. You have no idea how much that hurt your sister. How much it hurt me.”
Shining felt his heart twist, realizing now how his sister and wife must have truly felt watching him beat himself up. “Oh, Cadance. I’m so sorry.”
Cadance gave a supportive smile. “I know you are. I know you’re just mad because you’re sick. But you remember our vows: In sickness and in health.” She pulled him in for a tighter, somewhat more intimate embrace. “You’re a lot of things, Shining. Brave, kind, a fantastic leader…a wonderful husband…” She nuzzled him, a gesture he tenderly returned. “But your being sick doesn’t make you any less of the stallion I married.” They looked at each other, small tears forming in Cadance’s eyes. “And tonight…we’ll see about taking care of your recently low self-esteem.”
It then dawned on him what Cadance wanted to do. “Wait! But…what about you? You’ll have gotten it just for hugging me right now.”
Cadance merely giggled. “You talk as if being with you isn’t worth spending a few days out sick.”
Shining stared into her purple eyes, quickly accepting the fact that nothing was going to dissuade her from this. He smiled again, nodded, and gave her a kiss on the cheek before moving to her mouth, their lips connecting and their eyes closing as their hooves slowly ran up and down each other’s backs.
After a moment, their kiss became more passionate, their tongues exploring each other’s mouths. Cadance, unable to help herself, pressed harder against her husband and started to grind slightly, his strong chest warming up her small frame. Shining moaned at this action, and the two stopped their kissing, his half-closed eyes looking into hers.
Cadance smiled the warmest smile before glancing down between her and Shining. There, standing at full attention, was his stallionhood. She felt the heat rushing to her face, recalling her honeymoon and the flood of pleasure she experienced when first having taken his organ. Breaking from her reminiscing, she looked back up at Shining, who was now looking rather smug.
“Well?” Cadance asked. “Would you like me to…”
Shining’s smile quickly faded as he realized what she was asking, shaking his head. “Cadance…you know how I feel about that.”
Despite the fact that they were married, and could do whatever they wanted to each other, Shining adamantly opposed Cadance fellating him in any way. She didn’t know if it was due to his remarkable chivalry, his deep respect for her status as princess, or if it just wasn’t his cup of tea when it came to sex acts. Nonetheless, she respected his wishes, and cast out the idea from her head.
“Come on,” Cadance playfully grabbed his forelegs and pulled him down towards the foot of the bed. Shining’s head was now lower down on his pillow as Cadance stood on all fours above him. She leaned down towards her husband, and the two kissed again with just as much passion as before. Breaking away from him, she slowly lowered her back legs into a sort of squat, her marehood hovering over his penis. Shining looked down at the sight before looking back up at her in eager, almost coltlike anticipation, forcing a giggle out of her. They nuzzled into each other tenderly.
“I love you, Shining Armor.”
“I love you too, Cadance.” His tired eyes and overall sickness-ravaged appearance did nothing to hide the honesty of his words or the care she saw in his eyes.
She felt another smile decorating her face as she began to lower herself onto his genitals. The passage of time seemed to feel like an eternity for the two until Cadance felt the warmth of his member inside her, and Shining felt the warmth of her marehood around him. Cadance couldn’t help but let out a tiny moan of pleasure. Shining, meanwhile, took in short breaths. She lowered herself more and more until he was fully inside her. They remained like that for a moment or two as Cadance placed a hoof on either side of Shining to hold herself up.
Biting her lower lip and closing her eyes, she gradually raised her rear end up, feeling the friction between her and him. Shining leaned back and gave a moan of his own before feeling that awful tickling in his throat. Succumbing, he started to cough again. Cadance stroked his cheek with her hoof.
“It’s alright, honey,” Cadance soothed him. “I’m here. Just relax.” She began to slowly impale herself on him again. “Just sit back. I have this.”
Shining looked up at her, her purple eyes giving off a mixture of consolation, love, and lust. A small smile formed on his face and, following his wife’s instruction, laid back on the pillow as she moved on top of him.
Cadance fell into a pattern of rising and lowering herself on Shining’s erection, the two ponies giving off moans, sharp intakes of breath or other sounds of pleasure. Slowly, she quickened her pace, her mind becoming more and more focused on one thing: The overwhelming ecstasy that always came with sexual intercourse.
The moment seemed to last forever for the two of them as Cadance continued her up-and-down motions, every now and then giving a small grind that elicited a small cry of pleasure from her husband. Minutes passed until Cadance found herself rising and falling at a much faster pace. She looked down at Shining, his breathing, dotted with the occasional cough, becoming ragged. Clenching his teeth and shutting his eyes, he reached out and grabbed her flanks, surprising her as he pulled her down onto him before letting her rise up, continuing the pattern. He opened her eyes and looked up at her, his bared teeth now changing into a small grin.
“Feeling…better?” Cadance managed to ask between pants.
Shining coughed and panted back. “We’re both gonna feel the best!” Cadance only smiled. Shining wasn’t a master of words when it came to romantic comebacks, but he does it out of pure love for her, and that was all that mattered.
They continued their mating, their speech degrading into moans and shouts of an erotic nature. The shouts grew louder and louder as they realized their climaxes were imminent. Cadance’s forelegs trembled as she approached orgasm, finally giving way and landing her on Shining’s hot chest. He kept his hooves on her rear, pushing her down and pulling her up, taking full control for the first time in the session.
By now they were screaming, the ever-familiar feeling now coming over them. He gave one final push downward.
“SHINIIING!!”
“CADAANCE!!”
He bucked upwards, his forelegs falling to his sides and finding themselves wrapping around Cadance’s. Their grunts and screams bounded around the room as they rode out their orgasms together. The convulsions seemed to last a lifetime and a half before they realized it was over.
It took a moment for them to collect themselves. Shining opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling, before looking down and letting Cadance catch his mouth with hers. They were unable to put as much effort into their kiss due to their exhaustion, but did their best. They broke away, and Cadance furrowed her brow at him.
“Now tell me you can’t do anything.”
Shining could feel guilt encroaching on him again. “I never meant to hurt you, Cadance. Or Twilight. It’s just…I had duties to perform. I mean, I can create a shield that could protect all of Canterlot. But here I am, getting my flank kicked by some bug.”
Cadance listened intently to her husband’s problems before nuzzling into him again. “Nopony’s invincible, Shining. Not even Celestia. The only thing making this as bad as it is is your beating yourself up for what you think is being weak.” She smiled. “But I know you. And I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t accept the idea of being your shoulder to lean on. You’d be willing to do the same for me.”
Shining chuckled. Of course he would. “Thank you, Cadance. For all this.”
Cadance felt her face growing warm again as she recollected their lovemaking. She then realized some things. “That was all you, Shining. You kept going even after I couldn’t.” Shining couldn’t help but beam proudly; He was a stallion, after all. Cadance continued. “You were even coughing a bit less. Did you notice?”
“Not really,” He shook his head before placing his lips on her forehead. “But I’ll take your word for it.” They laid together in silence, taking in every second, before Shining spoke again. “I hope you realize this means it’s gonna be your turn to stay in bed soon,” He said, bringing the discussion back to his previous concerns before their mating.
Cadance responded with a deadpan ‘are you serious’ look in retaliation. “Let’s see…a lifetime with my favorite stallion AND wonderful, passionate nights…in exchange for a few days out sick.” She pretended to act thoughtful. “Yep. Completely worth it.”
Shining found the blanket, and pulled it over himself and his wife before he wrapped his forelegs around her tighter, pulling her closer to him in an affectionate hug. “I love you so much, Cadance.”
Cadance gave a ‘mmm’ sound as she buried her cheek into her husband’s white coat. “I love you too, Shining,” she managed to say before they both drifted off to sleep.