New Beginnings
by AponymousAuthor
created:Tuesday 19th of June 2018 09:31:36 PM CDT
Last edit on: Saturday 23rd of June 2018 05:04:03 PM CDT
Original pastebin: http://pastebin.com/JAKUxMsv
Original post:  https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/32527167/#32535596
archive.org link: https://web.archive.org/web/20180924235932/pastebin.com/JAKUxMsv

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>Four years ago, a mysterious warrior appeared before Celestia after a rift opened between her world and another
>They were covered in heavy, metal armor and brandished a towering shield and sword to match
>On their hip was a flail that hung low, clanking against the iron covering the warrior’s form
>Above all though, the most terrifying aspect of this newcomer was the blood, dry and fresh, that stained them
>As soon as the rift had opened, so too had it closed, leaving her alone with the stranger
>It wasn’t until she’d heard their voice, deep and hollow, that she realized that this fearsome creature was a Stallion
>Seeing that she made no move towards him, he walked forwards, striding past her and out of her private chambers

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>Four years have passed since then
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>Everything had been set up perfectly, from the pancakes to the floral arrangements
>You’d made sure to get it just the way she liked it
>Standing back from the breakfast table, you admired the breakfast you’d worked hard to create for your wife and yourself
>You’d even gone so far as to include a spot for her sister, as you knew she would no doubt join the two of you eventually
Despite Princess Luna’s late nights spent working, she had made a habit of being there in the morning before she went to bed
>Setting down the last of three heated plates, you heard the sound of bare hooves on carpet, almost imperceptible to most, but not to you
>She’d taken her armor off to sneak by, was that it?
>Standing back up to your full height, you turned your head to the doorway, Celestia’s eyes locking on to yours
>”…Good Morning, my love.”
“And just where do you think you’re going, Princess?”
>Her guilty look told you all you needed to know, though perhaps you could convince her otherwise for once
>”The Yaks insisted on adjusting our meeting to this morning and, given their temperamental nature, I thought it best to acquiesce to their demands for the moment.”
“So you were planning on leaving without eating any breakfast, then? You know as well as I do that you should eat something after raising the sun, Princess.”
>Adjusting your hands to your hips, she froze in her tracks once more
>”W-Well I’ll have some of it brought to me in between meetings, and there will be appetizers there so-“
>Sighing, you stepped over to the counter and drew a large knife from the rack, and then went back to the table
>Lifting up half a watermelon, you began to rapidly dice up various vegetables, cutting them up into an easy-to-eat mixture
>Carving out a space in the half-melon, you poured the fruit in, then drizzled syrup on top of the mixture, making sure that the syrup would be noticeable, but not overpowering
>Removing a cloth napkin from the table, you folded in and slipped it underneath the watermelon, stuck a spoon into the fruit-turned-bowl, and then carried it over to Celestia
“Here Princess, the napkin will keep the condensation from dripping onto the castle floor, and you can wipe your muzzle with it when you’re finished. Once you’re done, you can wrap the spoon in the napkin and hand it off to any one of the guards or servants, they’ll know what to do with it.”
>There was a moment of realization as she processed what you’d said before that same, motherly smile grew on her face and she moved her head closer to yours, nuzzling your cheek
>”Thank you, my love, this was very sweet of you~”
>Folding one of her massive wings around your back, she drew you in for a kiss, holding you there before finally letting go, scooping a spoonful of fresh, sugary fruit into her mouth, a shiver running through her form as she did
>Given that herbivores had better senses of tastes, it always made you feel happy to see how they reacted to your food
>Slipping back into her ceremonial gold “uniform”, she waved you goodbye before heading off to handle her various duties for the day
>Just in time, too, as you heard the sound of Princess Luna collapsing into a chair at the table
>Time for you to start cleaning up

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>From the way he’d moved and spoke, Celestia found herself realizing something about the strange Stallion that had arrived through the portal
>Not only was he a warrior, but a knight of some sort
>Perhaps he was someone similar to Starswirl, but from his world?
>He was intriguing to say the least, and so Celestia had pursued him as he marched through her castle, easily tracking him down so that she could confront him on what his goals and desires were
>Despite his appearance, and the way that he spoke, his answer was not too surprising

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>Once Luna had finished up what little she ate and left for bed, you cleaned up the last of the food from the table
>You prepared lunch afterwards, ensuring that it’d be ready for your wife by the time she was finished with her meeting and, once you had things simmering away, you collected the various dirty cloths, rags, mitts, and towels from around the room
>Celestia had insisted that the maids and servants could do both yours and her laundry, but you’d insisted right back that you wished to do it yourself
>As lunch came to a boil, you served it all out, just in time for the Butler, Elderberry Brundlesnatch, to carefully taking the food from you to deliver it to Celestia
>Free from cooking for the next while, you gathered up the various dirty fabrics, bundled them up into a basket, and descended downstairs, nodding to the Ponies who bowed or saluted you
>Laundry for the two of you was often fairly easy, as Celestia didn’t tend to wear much at all, and your clothes were made to be rather durable
>You soaked and scrubbed and hung, working every stain you could find out, not stopping until your load was soft and clean
>The rhythmic nature your body took up whenever you did this always brought you back to your younger days
>You’d gotten better at removing stains with age, though

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>Celestia was going over a new treaty with the Dragons, the previous one being in desperate need of revision, when she heard a knock at the door
>Upon opening it with her magic, Elderberry Brundlesnatch trotted through, a tray held aloft by his own, cerulean magic
>”Your lunch hath arrived, Princess Celestia.”
>Celestia smiled at the fittingly-named Pony, carefully plucking the tray from the air
>Despite being old enough that he spoke like Luna, he refused to quit his post, even though Celestia was worried he might strain or hurt himself
>She did take big meals, after all
>”Thank you, Elderberry. Who made it? It smells delicious~”
>A small smile grew on the butler’s face as he replied
>”Your love-bound one, Princess Celestia.”
>She might have been rather ancient compared to most, but these small acts of love from her Husband always caused her heart to flutter like a filly’s
>”Honestly, Elderberry, he’s too good to me~”
>”On that, Princess Celestia, I shalt not comment.”
>Smiling back at him, Celestia playfully waved Elderberry away, taking a sip of her soup before going back to her paperwork
>Delicious, as always

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