Original: https://pastebin.com/3iV6z9sU
Polishing the Pear

Bright Mac and Buttercup/Pear Butter are expecting their first foal, and he's huge. With Buttercup consigned to bed rest, Bright has an idea to help soothe her aches.

Tags - SFW, Good Clean Married [spoiler]Belly Rubs[/spoiler]

Warm summer air wafted in through an upstairs window of the Apple Family house, carrying with it all the scents of a thriving farm. In particular, not even a city pony could miss the earthy smell of ripe, juicy apples mere days from harvest. It was tantalising - invigorating, even. The gentle daylight and crisp atmosphere made for the perfect afternoon for a pony to spend outdoors, whether working or just frolicking in the sun.

Buttercup gazed idly at the sky through her bedroom window, sprawled out lethargically on the bed, and pouted as the wonderful weather teased her. She wanted nothing more than to be outside helping Bright and Smith get ready for the harvest time, but she just didn't have the energy. On top of that, the doctor's orders had been to get plenty of bed rest for the sake of her blood pressure. She pouted to herself, silently cursing her treasonous stomach, cramp-prone legs, and aching hooves. 

The apples weren't the only thing ripening this season - as overjoyed as everyone had been to hear that she and Bright were expecting their first child, a strong and healthy colt, nobody had predicted that he might be so large. The past months had seen the developing foal - and consequently Buttercup's middle - grow dramatically, and while there'd been no end to her happiness at the whole ordeal, lately she just felt [i]full[/i]. Full and heavy and exhausted.

The culprit behind all of Buttercup's discomfort squirmed energetically, unsettling the blushing, peach-coloured surface of her belly. It was enough to make her wince, and she rolled over with a low groan. Clutching at the sheets in frustration, she was far past the point of caring about how the constant tossing and turning had been making a mess of her curly ginger hair. The new position wasn't any more comfortable than the last one, and instead brought that pout of irritation back with a vengeance. For a moment Buttercup considered trying to distract herself by playing her guitar, but that would mean getting up. And getting up was completely out of the question. Presently though, she heard the door open followed by the sound of hoofsteps coming up the stairs, and drew herself up into something approaching a sitting position.

Bright Mac knocked gently at the bedroom door and peeked inside, initially worried that his wife might be asleep. But seeing her sat there with tired eyes, the mother of all bed manes and a great big orb of a tummy fighting her hind legs for space put paid to that thought. "How you two doin'?" he asked cautiously.

"Sore."

Bright let himself into the room, closed the door quietly and made his way to the bedside. Dishevelled as she might be, the mere sight of Buttercup lifted his spirits and he couldn't help but smile. "Makin' good progress out in the orchard, but you've been inside all day. Was worried you might need a little cheerin' up."

"More like I need this foal outta me before it drives me crazy," Buttercup deadpanned, poking at her rounded form. 

Bright leaned across the bed and gently nuzzled her side, drawing a tiny noise of approval. "Any more ideas for the name?"

"Big."

That got a chuckle out of him. "That bad, huh?"

Buttercup nodded, her voice cracking. "It's awful, Mac. Everythin's so tiresome an' uncomfortable."

Bright climbed up onto the bed and settled down behind his wife, drawing her gently back against his body so that she had somewhere to lean her weight. She worked her head into the crook of his shoulder with a sigh, resting her forehooves on the near face of her belly as he held her in a protective embrace. It helped, even though both of them noticed how leaning back made her womb jut out more. "Don't you worry," he said, "won't be long now."

"Worst's yet to come," she muttered.

"Aw, it can't be all that bad," Bright said, leaning over to one side. With easy dexterity, he took a plastic bottle from the bedside table in his mouth and transferred it to Buttercup's hooves.

"Olive oil?" she asked, eyebrow raised. She'd been meaning to ask why he'd started to keep such a thing by their bed, but her mind had been firmly on weightier matters for the past few days. "There's enough cookin' goin' on in this oven already."

Bright shook his head gently, his snout once again buried in Buttercup's mane. She smelt of pears and fresh-cut timber. "Not just for cookin'. It does wonders for muscle fatigue."

"Don't think I've been eatin' enough weird things lately?"

He chuckled, carefully turning the bottle over in Buttercup's hooves so that the nozzle was pointing downwards, and dropped his voice to a whisper. "It works as a massage oil, darlin'."

It took scarcely a moment for Buttercup to realise what he meant, eyes widening in realisation, and less than a second for her to impulsively squeeze the bottle. A jet of thick, clear oil spattered across the surface of her swollen womb, quickly beginning to slide and curve towards the bed under the effect of gravity. An errant drop beaded atop the perky bulge that was her navel. Buttercup squeaked, tossing the bottle across the room on reflex. "Cold!" she cried, forelegs in the air. And then she felt his broad hooves come down on the surface of her tummy, firm and sure, and begin to rub softly in broad, sweeping curved motions, spreading the oil around.

Bright hugged his wife against his thick chest, listening to her gasp softly and squirm deeper into his embrace. He took everything slowly, recognising how tender and stressed she must have been feeling, while at the same time seizing the opportunity (any opportunity) to be close to her. The oil made his hooves glide with ease, spreading quickly amongst her sparse fur and into the firm, tense skin beneath. Eventually he leaned back against the headrest, taking his lovely mare with him and into his lap, and felt her rest her own hooves on top of his, guiding and encouraging them. 

Buttercup was amazed at how pleasant the oil felt, and very quickly let Bright take complete control. Before long she had relaxed completely, murmuring little words of happiness under her breath. Their foal kept on squirming throughout, but every time it met her husband's hoof his own smile brightened, and all of a sudden she found herself much more willing to put up with it. Before long, when the massage came to an end and Bright simply gathered her up and held her, she was so blissed out that she almost felt she could fall asleep. Looking down at herself, she marvelled at how the thin sheen of oil made her overfilled tummy shine in the afternoon light and couldn't resist a drowsy little giggle.

"Polishin' your big apple up for market, huh?"

Bright gave her a playful little squeeze, nosing at her chin. "Market? Never. We could go put you out on display if you like. Win a few ribbons."

Buttercup twitched her tail, a little indignity creeping back into her voice despite a giddy smirk. "Nopony can ever see me like this."

"Guess I've got the most beautiful mare in Equestria all to myself, then."

She kissed his chin and settled back, all her worries and discomfort forgotten for the moment, and fought the urge to yawn. "Y-up."