Title: (COMPLETE) Cookies and Milk Author: Mendicant Pastebin link: http://pastebin.com/qXKTLJsG First Edit: Monday 13th of October 2014 11:26:54 AM CDT Last Edit: Last edit on: Sunday 11th of October 2015 12:43:50 AM CDT >You are Nightmare Moon >Empress of the Equestrian Empire.    >You are in the Royal Kitchens, alone.  >It’s well into the time that was formerly mid-day.  >The castle chefs have all returned to their quarters.  >You stand over a batch of cookie dough, slowly mixing it to ensure the proper texture.  >After mixing the batter to the perfect consistency, you carefully place it onto a tray, and then into the already heated oven.  >After the oven clicks shut, and setting the small timer onto a nearby table, you peek through the thin layer of glass separating you from the soft fire inside.  >Everything is perfect.  >Yet you are still nervous.  >You step back from the oven, before laying down onto the cold marble floor.  >You gaze at the flames dancing inside the stove, and begin to think.  >… >It’s not often that you have time to yourself like this.  >Over the past year you’ve had so many meetings to attend, so many rebellions to quell, so many traitors to… dispose of.  >You’ve barely had time to explore and embrace the things that you- that Luna used to enjoy.  >You close your eyes, and simply listen to the fire echo of the walls around you.  >It’s so peaceful.  >A smile creeps upon your face.  >You're the Empress of the most powerful nation on the planet, yet you find pleasure in simply baking a batch of cookies.  >…  >That’s not entirely true.  >It’s not simply about baking cookies.  >It has a meaning much, much more significant than that.  ——————— >The smile slips off your face.  >You remember the why you… why Luna got so good at baking cookies in the first place.  >… >It was centuries ago.  >More particularly, it was the years directly following Celestia and Luna’s rise to power.  >They- you were both still young, wide-eyed rulers to a small, growing country.  >The original castle had only just been completed a few months prior, and you were still getting accustomed to the changes.  >A small city began to develop in the shadow of the castle, and soon, it became the largest settlement in Equestria.  >As the first few years slipped by, it became apparent that the Castle was in need of a more formal security force.  >While no pony ever attempted to intentionally harm the castle, you or your sister, their was the occasional accident.  >Foals would accidentally kick a ball into the gardens, and trample Celestia’s favorite flowers.  >Lovers would try and find quite along your favorite paths around the castle.  >…  >After a brief discussion, it was decided that you and Celestia would create a formal guard.  >Both of you interviewed a variety of ponies to become the first Captain of the Guard.  >Hundreds of strong, able-bodied stallions applied.  >The interviews dragged on for months, until you and Celestia found a pony that you deemed fitting for the job.  >…  >Celestial Shield. >…  >You both agreed that he was the most capable of all the applicants, and so, he received his commission.  >Both you and Celestia knighted him, as both the first Solar and Lunar Knight.  >After a few weeks, he was successfully able to expand the guard to several dozen ponies, and under his leadership, they were able to successfully defend the castle from local mischief.  ——————— >Secretly however, his ability to serve as a guard was only one reason for his selection.  >You dare say that you find him… quite attractive.  >He was a strong stallion, with broad shoulders and strong muscles.  >As the weeks went by, you began to think about him more and more.  >After much thought, you came to an… interesting conclusion.  >Perhaps… perhaps you liked him… a lot.   >One night, you expressed you feelings to Celestia, who only chuckled, and teased you about your… interest. >She said that you didn’t have any experience with stallions, and didn’t know what they liked.  >…  >You were upset.   >Of all ponies, you thought that she would take you seriously.  >She was your sister after all. >That night, you went to bed crying.  >What did she mean you didn’t know anything about stallions? >There isn’t that much to know.  >They're ponies just like every pony else. >And what did she mean that you don’t “know what they like?”  >They’re ponies!  >The like what every pony likes!  >… >It bothered you.  >It wasn’t her words that troubled you so much.  >Her tone was… condescending.  >Like she thought your feelings didn’t matter.  >…  >You did’t let that stop you though, it only motivated you.  >You were going to show Celestia that you weren’t some sort of foal. >That your feelings mattered… ——————— >Some more time passed.  >You’ve made it a habit to try and see him at least once a day.  >He would always report for duty in the morning, just after you lowered the moon.  >You would perform your duties, and than rush to the gates to meet him as he arrived.  >He would always smile and say hello, before going to the barracks.  >It would awaken the butterflies in your stomach.  >Luckily your coat hid any hint of a blush with ease.  >It was… unbecoming of a Princess to show such blatant interest.  >No, you needed to be careful courting this stallion.  >Surely any word of your interest would send the city into a frenzy.  >A princess and her guard…  >…  >Some time passed.  >You were no longer able to meet him at the gate.  >Instead, Celestia tasked you with signing documents during the early morning.  >While you were definitely excited about any increase in your official government duties, you couldn’t help but feel upset.  >It was perhaps the highlight of your day; and now it was gone.  >You tried to have Celestia schedule the document signing period at a later point, or even during the evening during your watch, yet she insisted that it must be done in the morning.  >Begrudgingly, you abided by this request.  >You would simply need to meet him during another time.  >... >A few days past until you decided upon an idea.  >You would invite him to stay for dinner with you and Celestia!  >It only made sense.  >You and Celestia should know more about the guards who protect you.  >And surely he would enjoy dinning with you.  >And Celestia.  >He seemed so happy to see you every morning, of course he would enjoy spending time with you! >…  >You remember proposing the idea to Celestia. >She was eager to agree with your proposal.  >She even suggested that the dinners start next week.  >You were so excited, you could hardly wait.  >…  >You should have known…. ——————— >The week passed agonizingly slow.  >The first dinner however, when perfectly.  >You, and Celestial Shield conversed about the many happening within the city.  >Celestia seemed to focus her conversation more personal topics. >It was very uncouth of her.  >You doubted that her and Celestial Shield so much as spoke before than, yet their conversation was very personal.  >A princess should maintain her pose at all times.  >You reminded yourself to remind Celestia of that. >… >After a few weeks, and a few more conversations with Celestial Shield, you decided to take a calculated risk.  >It was definitely a very… overt display of your interest.  >You planned to make dinner yourself, and than, if everything went to plan, go for a evening walk with him.  >You wanted to show him your evening sky.  >You remember spending seemingly countless evenings planning out a stunning new star constellation for him.  >You spent even more time perfecting a variety of recipes to satisfy almost any taste.  >You remember calling upon the local winery to use some of their most finely aged bottles.  >You wanted it to be perfect.  >…  >You should have known.  ——————— >The evening of the dinner came.  >You spent the entire afternoon preparing the ingredients.  >Agonizing over every slice of onion.  >Focusing on how each carrot was shredded, ensuring they wouldn’t be too thick, or even worse, too thin.  >Celestia was even surprisingly supportive of your efforts, and recommended which wine would best compliment the meal.  >Eventually, after hours of preparation, the dinner was almost ready to start.  >However before you returned to your quarters, you remembered to preheat the oven to make your dessert.  >Chocolate Chip Cookies.  >Your favorite.  >You’ve made a batch nearly every day since you’ve moved into the castle.  >Your recipe has undergone hundreds of iterations, before reaching it’s final form.  >You’ve experimented with imported chocolates, different species as egg donors, different types of flower…  >You’ve never had anyone test them before besides yourself.  >Until now... >... >You went to your room, and made sure your regalia was well polished, and that your coat was properly groomed.  >You applied your favorite perfume before making your way to the dinner.  >You wanted to look your best for him.  >…  >After returning to the Royal Dinning Hall, you and Celestia retrieved Celestial Shield, and escorted him to the table.  >Celestia even let you sit at the head of the table!  >She sat directly across from Celestial Shield.  >You went to retrieve the various courses of the meal, using your magic to levitate the variety of different plates, bowls, and various other items.  >After placing the food on the table, you took your seat, and began to eat.  ——————— >The dinner went well.  >Celestia pointed out that you made the meal, which seemed to impress Celestial Shield.  >Him and Celestia chuckled a few times for no clear reason, but the conversation was otherwise very entertaining.  >After the meal was over Celestia, yourself, and Celestial Shield all casually sipped on the wine, and consumed light cheese.  >Celestia and Celestial Shield drank more than you did, and Celestia moved to sit next to the guard pony, leaning on him for support.  >After a while longer, he leaned into her as well, and used his hoof to support her.  >... >They must have been tired from a long day.  >…  >Remembering that you still needed to serve dessert, you quickly left, and returned to the kitchen.  >As you went to place the cookies into the oven, you were shocked to find the oven turned off.  >You mentally berated yourself for forgetting to turn it on, earlier, even though you could have sworn you did so.  >This set back forced you to wait twenty long minutes before the cookies could be placed into the oven, and short time before they finished cooking.  >As you watched the cookies bake, you became increasingly nervous.  >You didn’t want to keep him waiting too long; he looked tired.  >Certainly he would have been making his way home soon…  >…  >Your worries were interrupted by the timer going off.  >You quickly removed the tray from the oven, and place the batch of cookies onto a plate. >After pouring two glasses of cold milk, you swiftly make your way back to the dining hall.  >Celestia should have returned to her room, so there was no was no need to pour a third glass.  >…  >As you made your way back towards the dinning hall, you became increasingly nervous.  >Did he enjoy your dinner that you made for him?  >Would he enjoy the cookies you made?  >…  >Would he go on a walk afterwards?  >You desperately wanted to show him your work with the night sky.  >So few people ever looked at it. >And no one has ever seen you perform your work besides Celestia…  >…  >You just hoped that he would find it… impressive.  ——————— >You arrived at the Dinning Hall, expecting to see Celestia and Celestial Shield.  >... >It was empty.  >…  >It was strange. You don’t remember either him or Celestia mentioning that they would be leaving…  >You assumed they must have needed to use the restrooms, so you simply at down and waited for them to return.  >…  >And waited… >…  >And waited… >You looked down at your cookies, which were now beginning to cool of; the gentle steam that radiated from them before was now gone.  >Deciding that waiting was no longer an option, you decided to see where Celestia went; surely she would know where Celestial Shield went.  >You pick up the silver plate of cookies and milk, before walking toward Celestia’s room.  >The walk wasn’t particularly long or interesting, but it felt longer than usual.  >You took the same route as you always did, yet you felt so… foolish.  >Like you were missing something.  >Something obvious…  >Yet everything was in place.  >You had your dessert in hoof.  >You had the route for your eventual evening stroll planned out perfectly.  >…  >You’d even remember to find the perfect spot to sit and show him the stars overhead.  >…  >Yet something left… off.  ——————— >On the way to your sister’s quarters you passed a series of windows, and took the moment to look outside.  >… >The sun was already down.  >… >A streak of panic went down your spine.  >You were late for your duties! >Celestia must have already lowered the sun for the evening.  >But you wanted to have Celestial Shielf see you raise the moon! >It- it was part of the plan!  >You- you needed to find him: immediately.  >You walked with a renewed sense of urgency toward Celestia’s room, and within a a few minutes, arrived.  >However, as you approached, you noticed that the door was open slightly, allowing a few rays of light to escape into the darker room.  >And you heard noises…  >Like- like Celestia was rolling around in bed.  >At least that is the best you could describe it as.  >…  >Knowing the Celestia didn’t like uninvited visitors, you decided to gently knock on the door.  >… >No response.  >But the… moans? Continued.  >You remember hearing a gentle panting.  >And a second sent of moans… no- grunts…  >Like a stallion.  >Celestial Shield?  >Confused as to what was happening, you gentling leaned into the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of the apparent commotion.  >…  >Celestial Shield was… mounted on Celestia…  >You should have- Luna should have known better.  ——————— >You immediately removed your head from the crack, and stood in the hallway, almost in awe.  >… >You- Luna didn’t understand what was happening.  >Celestia kept her sheltered.  >She didn’t understand that Celestia intentionally kept her ignorant of their relationship.  >That Celestia toyed with Luna’s childish interest and emotions.  >Even when presented with overwhelming evidence, she didn’t… understand.  >That was, until she heard what they were saying…  >…  >You stood outside, nearly motionless.  >You gently set down the cookie tray, and simply… listened.  >As you stood, you began to realize that they weren’t simply… doing something… they were talking…  >Something told you not to listen… that you should be here anymore… but curiosity prevailed, and you decided to listen.  >…  >…  >”mmm” >”ahhh-hhh”  >”Celestia your soo- so perfect…” > “So… tight…”  >SMACK!!!  >”Ahhh!!!”  >…  >…  >Concern took hold of you, and you leaned into the doorway again.  >What if he’s hurting Celestia!?! >You need to stop him!  >You need to- >... >”Yes!!! Ooo yes Shield!!! Just like- just like that!” >... >W-What?  >Why… why does she like it?  >He’s on top of her! >He’s even putting- something in her… >…  >”Yes Shield… make…uhhh... make me your Princess… claim- ahhh- claim me…”  ——————— >It- it was confusing. You- you shouldn’t be  have been there... >You needed to think about-  >... >”Tell me Shield- who-ahhh- is your favorite princess?”  >”You are Celestia… you are…”  >…  >The words linger in the air.  >While they continue to do… whatever it is they’re doing, your mind focuses on those words…  >Celestia is his favorite.  >Not you.  >You feel… stupid.  >Why does he like her over you?  >You greeted him every day…  >You even made him dinner…  >…  >You lay on the ground outside her room, and continue to listen.  >Tears gather in your eyes as you start to become almost hysterical.  >It takes everything in your power to keep quite.  >It’s just- it’s just that you’ve spent so much time planning this evening, debating every detail… and for what?  >For Celestia to be his favorite Princess?  ——————— >After a few minutes, the noise from inside the room becomes quiet, and eventually, stops entirely.  >Hoping, begging for it to be over, you peer inside once again.  >…  >Their both still on the bed, and visibly panting.  >Celestial Shield’s body lays on top of your sister, who has her wings spread across nearly the entire bed.  >After their panting stops, you watch as Celestial Shield slowly stands from on top of Celestia.  >You notice that he slowly pulls something… large out of your sister.  >It’s covered in some sort of fluid, which also appears to be leaking out of your sister’s private areas.  >For some reason, her nether region appears to glisten in the soft candle light, as if coated in some sort of water…  >But why- >…  >”Did you enjoy your… reward... my Shield?”  >He chuckles gently, before laying beside your sister.  >”You were wonderful my love.”  >He gently nuzzles her chin, an action which she gently returns.  >Her tail flicks from side to side a few times…  >”I do know how to treat a stallion right after all… I know what you like don’t I?”  >He gently caresses her wing with his hoof before responding.  >”Yes you do Celestia, yes you do…”  >…  >You remember the next event in exquisite detail.  >Celestial Shield slowly leaned in, and placed his snout again Celestia’s ear, which twitched twice in response.  >”I love you…”  ——————— >You didn’t wait for the next events to happen.  >You immediately stood up, and quickly made your way to your room.  >You cried for hours.  >You don’t remember how long exactly; you simply cried until you ran out of tears.  >He… he loves Celestia.  >It’s obvious.  >She told you before that you didn’t know how to make a stallion happy…  >…  >She made him happy.  >Whatever she did there… made him happy.  >Eventually, the tears stopped.  >You simply lied in your bed.  >However, after the tears stopped, you noticed a soft… warm feeling in your private region.  >Confused, you looked down, and saw that it was wet.  >Your sheets moist with… whatever it was.  >Immediately you thought that you might have accidentally relieved yourself, but the scent… didn’t match.  >Instead, it smelled almost like Celestia’s room.  >Was… was this what was on Celestia?  >You touch it, and feel… something rush through your body.  >…  >In a mixture of confusion, intrigue, and… something, you touch yourself again.  >It feels… strange.  >…  >You remember Shining Shield put himself into Celestia…  >…and she said she new what he liked…  >…  >Is this what he wanted?  >Do stallions like… touching this spot…?  ——————— >You continued to rub yourself gently, yet you felt something beginning to build.  >Like it was getting stronger, and urging you to rub yourself even more.  >Your body felt almost… empty…  >Like you want something side of you, to fill you with… something…  >….  >That is what Celestial Shield did to your sister… >He was… he has filling her up…  >He looked so excited, so strong, so… so…  >…  >You stopped.  >Tears you didn’t know you still had come streaming down your face.  >You felt humiliated.  >Here you lay in your bed while your sister made the stallion you… loved… happy.  >She made him feel happy.  >She knew how to make a stallion happy; you didn’t.  >It was a profound sense of uselessness.  >You spend weeks trying to make him happy, and yet she did it in one night…  >You even saw it happen with your own eyes.  >…  >A unfamiliar feeling began to creep into your mind.  >You… you -hated- Celestial Shield for not noticing you… for not giving you a chance…  >And you…. hated your sister… for taking him from you… so carelessly.  >…  >And you thought that your cookies would be enough…  ——————— >Eventually, sleep overtook Luna.  >From that day, she never looked at Celestial Shield again.  >She was too hurt to look at him.  >It was quite sad really.  >Such a weak mare…  >…  >…  >…  >The next day you woke up.  >The feeling of sadness didn’t go away.  >You made your way to breakfast slowly, arriving a little later than normal.  >Celestia was already there.  >You remember she looked so lively and excited.  >Like she had gotten the most restful sleep in ages.  >You, did not.  >…  >As you sat down at the table, she called to you.  >”Luna?”  >Your ears perked up at her voice.  “Y- Yes sister?”  >”Did you try and give me some of your late night snack last night?”  >Snack? What? “Um… I don’t know-“  >”The cookies and milk you left outside my room? While I do appreciate the gesture, I had to throw them away. There were in the hallway all night. The milk was warm and the cookies were getting stale.”  “Oh- umm… yeah… I’m sorry…”  >”It’s fine Luna. Just be more careful next time….” >She turns to eat again, and takes a few bites, before looking at one a final time.  >”And you also forgot to raise the moon! You almost sent the city into a panic last night!”  >You look down, away from her again.  “I’m sorry, I won’t forget to raise it again.”   ——————— >Years past, and you- and Luna’s self-confidence took just as long to recover.  >When it did, her sights were set much… much lower.  >The only other stallion she ever tried to woe was a gardener pony.  >Eventually, she failed again.  >He had a wife.  >From that day onward, she never attempted to win a stallion’s heart again.  >Even when she did become more… aware of her body… she was too afraid of rejection to explore it.  >She even viewed herself as unattractive, and in combination with Celestia’s… habits… she was effectively sheltered from society.  >She even requested the creation of a separate, Lunar Guard, so that she wouldn’t have to Celestial Shield, or any stallions that he might have control over.  >It was a desperate attempt at protecting herself from her past mistakes.  >…  >One day however, you had the chance to take revenge for Celestia's betrayal. >A large pack of timberwolves was roaming the Everfree forest, can occasionally attacking the nearby villages, killing ponies and damaging crops.  >At the time however, Celestia was ill with the flu, and unable to oversee the response, leaving you at the Throne.  >You called in Celestial Shield and his top officers, and sent them to stop the attacks.  >They attempted to plead with you that the Guard was not combat ready, and that the regular military should deal with the attacks.  >You would hear none of it, and sent them on their way.  >…  >They never returned.  >…  >Needless to say, Celestia was… upset.  >You said that they volunteered to protect their fellow ponies, and that you tried to reason with them to stop.  >She agreed, and said that it was in Celestial Shield’s character to do so.  >You felt… satisfied. She finally knew her what it was like to- ——————— >RING!!! >RING!!! >RING!!! >Your eyes turn to the timer, which has now finished.  >You look into the oven, and see your cookies have reach completion.  >You open the oven, and remove the cookies, before placing them on a awaiting plate.  >You take a few moments to inspect every cookie, making sure the chocolate melted properly, and the cookie is perfectly moist.  >... >After your return you managed to locate the original suppliers to the ingredients used in your recipe from centuries ago.  >While the ponies have changed, they were all still run by the same family.  >Unfortunately, they were arrested for attempted rebellion.  >In a moment of generosity, you had them freed, and returned to their land under the agreement they would provide all their produce to the Palace for pay.  >Nearly twice what they received before.  >…. >You had to ensure you had the best ingredients.  >... >After pouring two glasses of milk, you start to make your way to your chambers.  >The walk is brief, and uneventful.  >Eventually, you arrive at the doors to your bedroom.  >After taking a deep breath to gather yourself, and checking to make sure the cookies are still steaming, you open the door.  >…  >Anonymous is lying in bed, reading some military report.  >”Nightmare, where have you been? I’ve been wondering where you’ve- … …  are those… cookies?”  >Your eyes divert to the white mare at the foot of the bed, restrained by various wards and magical inhibitors.  >Your sister, Celestia.  >She looks up at you, with a clear expression of exhaustion, and resignation, before realizing her mistake of eye contact, and looking at the floor once again.  >…  >You smile, before returning you gaze to Anonymous.  “Yes my Brute, Cookies and Milk.”