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// The Cookie Store 
// Story: My Family 
// by Woody Hooves 
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Cookie Crisp was happy. She just gave another bag full of cookies to another customer, and got a smile from him. "Thanks Cookie! I really like your original cookies so much." The stallion said as he held the bag in his hoof. "Your welcome, Mr. Gold Wings! I'm glad you like them!" Cookie said as she returned with a wide smile on her face. "I'd bet no other pony could make cookies better than you, Cookie." He chuckled as he went towards the door to go out. Cookie blushed slightly by the compliment as she shook her hooves. "Naww, I just do what I like to do. Thank you though!" She was glad to make ponies happy with her natural talent in baking fresh cookies.

Just then, the door of the store opened as her old friend Woody Hooves walked in with a bright smile. "Woody!!" Cookie shouted with a loud giggle as she rushed to hug the brown pony. "It's been a while since you came to my store!" She said gladly. "Yeah, it has been a while heh. How have you been?" He said as he returned the hug. "I've been great! Lots and lots of ponies comes here a lot now!" Woody went over to a chair and sat down, looking around the store full of cookies.

There were many kinds of cookies in Cookie's store. There were many original cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and small cookies that had some raisins on it. There were others, but Woody wanted some chocolate ones to eat as a snack. "Hey Cookie, could I have some of those chocolate chip cookies? I'm kinda in a mood for a snack." He asked in a polite tone, as he looked at basket full of brown colored cookies. "Sure thing! How many would you like?" She asked as she went over to the basket. "Just two would be fine." He replied. Cookie took two cookies out and brought them to the table and sat down on a chair across from him. "Here ya go! So how's your wood business going?" "Oh nothing new. Nopony seems to be interested in wooden furniture anymore." He said with a sigh, once again regretting for taking this carrier. "Maybe I should change into another job or something. Something that's a little more active than siting around." Cookie had a sad look, feeling a little sorry for her friend. "Change your job? Into what?" Woody thought for a moment on what kind of job would be suitable for him. None came to his mind. "Maybe I'll give it more thought." He took a cookie and ate one of them with a smile. "Have I ever told you that I really like your cookies?"

After some time talking about their progress of their business for what seemed like hours, Woody looked at the clock. It showed that it was now '4:12' in the afternoon. He was planning to leave and go home at around '4:30', but talking with his friend seemed to have made him lose track of time. "Oh my! Look at the time! I gotta go now." Woody said as he stood up from his chair, as Cookie noticed the time too. "Oh yeah you should! Your family would be really worried about you." She glanced at the time again. "Wow.. That was quick.." They both felt as if time skipped over them. Woody took out four bits, knowing that one chocolate cookie cost two bits. He put them on the counter and tried to quickly go, when Cookie suddenly stopped him in his tracks. "Nuu! Ya don't need to pay for it! It's alright, I got ya covered." She gave him a wink, and returned the bits back to him. Woody sighed and chuckled. "Nopony ever let's me pay for their stuff." He jokingly said, as he took back the bits. "Well, I need to go. I don't want everypony to get worried too much about me." He said as he walked towards the door and waved his hoof at his friend.  "See you later, Cookie!" With that, he went out through the door and walked back to his shop.

The sun was still shining and the sky was still showing it's baby blue color. All the roads were filled with running cars, ponies going home from their work. Woody opened the door to his shop and walked in. Nothing changed. There was no sign of any ponies who visited, nor was there any recorded phone messages he used to keep track of just in case. "Nothing new. Welp, I'm outta here." He took his bag with his book out of the small workshop, and locked the shop doors. He then went to the car parking lot and got in his old car.

He drove toward Winter's school. He always picked her up when he finished his work, which technically didn't really was work. He parked the car around the school gate that had a big sign with 'Skyline High School' written on it. He watched all the young ponies come out from the gate, getting picked up by their parents or walking to their homes. He looked for his sister, when he then saw a white pegasus walking towards him.


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Winter opened the door of his brother's car and got on the front passenger seat. She threw her bag to the back and slumped onto the comfortable car seat. "Had a good day in school?" Woody asked as he drove away from the gate of the school. "Yup! The teacher liked my drawing I did in art class." She told him. "Of course they like your art! You're great at it!" Woody said as he nudged her arm with a smile.

Winter had a talent in drawing sketches. When she was young she always wanted to be good at art. So she practiced drawing pony figures at home on her desk, and drew nearly everyday. She got better over the past few years and when she went to art classes in school the teachers liked her work.

In just a few minutes they were at their house. Woody parked the car in front of the garage, next to a big family sized van. Winter got out of the car and walked inside the house as Woody opened the door for her. "Hey, wanna go out to the park tonight for a walk? I hear there's gonna be a full moon tonight." Woody asked as he went inside and wiped his hooves on a mat laying on the floor. "Yeah! That would be nice. But after I finish my homework." Winter replied with a smile as she went upstairs to her room. "Ok. After we all eat dinner then." He decided to ask the others if they would like to go too.

The first thing they realized when they walked in was the coziness and emptiness of their home. They had a big house. It had a big family sized living room, two ponies lived there. Themselves, and two others. Onyx Armor, and Hope.

Onyx Armor was a very respectful and an honorable pony. He was like a big brother to everypony who met him. But to Winter and Woody he wasn't really a blood related brother. He was actually their friend they met in the military base. They've been best friends since then, and everypony considered him a brother to them. He had black coat all over his body, and short white mane and long tail. From afar he looked like a grey earth pony, but when close up it was easy to tell that he wasn't all grey. He may look like he had a personality like a strict military pony, but if you got to know him more, he actually was a very trustable pony who respected others. In fact, he was a very honorable pony. Onyx served as a royal guard in an Equestrian military base. He had lots of work to do there, and he always made sure he finished all of them that day. He got respect from all the other ponies in the military he worked with. He used his money he got from his work, and supported his family a lot more than Woody since he had a higher job than him. 

"Hey Onyx." Woody said as he went into the living room, seeing Onyx on the couch with his phone on. "Hey." He greeted him in a tired tone, as moved his hoof around the bright screen while working on something. "Tired?" Onyx nodded at Woody's obvious question and put his phone on his lap, and laid his head back with his eyes closed. Woody sat next to him and slumped into the couch, relaxing himself. "There's gonna be a full moon tonight. Winter and I are gonna go for a walk after dinner. Wanna come?" Onyx thought for a moment. "I don't know. I'm tired from work. I want to rest." Woody nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too.. But hey, it's kinda hard to look at a full moon these days." Woody wanted him to come with them, and tried to convince him. Onyx let out a sigh, knowing that Woody loved going placed with his family including him. He thought about it again, and thought about if his marefriend would like it.  "Maybe." He decided to ask her out later. Woody also thought about asking Mimi out to look at the moon. They've been to the park a few times and they were always happy when they did, so looking at the full moon at night seemed like a perfect time to make good memories.

"Alright then." Woody said, as he looked around the big room. "Hey, where's Hope?" He asked Onyx in a worried tone. "She's not here. I think she went to the library." He replied as he was about pass out. "Oh ok then. Maybe I should ask her if she wants to come too." He said as he laid his head back, and felt himself get sleepy. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep on the couch next to his brother.