//------------------------------// // Taking the Cake // Story: A Taste-Test of Royalty // by Liquid Savage //------------------------------// Guards looked down at their hooves, feeling the floor shake beneath them. They looked back up and stared, then looked at each other in shock, and stared back at the dimly-coloured mass of bat pony slowly waddling by. Midnight had definitely grown in the months she’d started working at the Castle. In that she had physically grown. Her belly was a wobbling sack of lard that pressed against the ground and swelled outwards from between her rolly, tree trunk-like legs. Her plot bounced and swayed behind her, getting the attention of many passers-by. Her cutie marks had stretched to fill out the new space, and her wings were borderline useless, the long unused muscles not strong enough to flap, let alone carry so much weight. Her cheeks were dimpled by an eager grin, giving her a little squint. Today was quite a special day; Princess Celestia’s birthday, to be exact. Why was Midnight so excited? Because birthdays meant cake. And Princess Celestia’s birthday obviously meant the best cake ever made, straight out of Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville, according to Luna. And that meant she got to taste them herself. A tiny voice in the back of her head wondered why Celestia hadn’t gotten her own taste tester to do it, or why she still hadn’t hired one. But most of Midnight’s thoughts were taken up by one word; cake. Luna had told her that Celestia always had two cakes prepared on her birthday; one for the public celebration, and another for the sisters themselves. And she had gotten permission from both sisters to make sure both of them were up to par. Heads turned in the private dining hall’s kitchen when the royal taste tester barged in, body quaking this way and that. “Where’s the cake?!” she demanded with a manic smile, then shook her head, sending her double chin wobbling. “Sorry, I mean hello. Are the cakes ready?” “Yes, ma’am,” said the head chef, pointing a hoof to the counter. Two triple-layer chocolate cakes stood side by side, practically oozing fudge and topped with what looked like a dozen strawberries. The world was blocked out as Midnight stared at the creations. There was only her and the cakes, just how she wanted it. Just how it should be. She couldn’t think of anything else, nor did she want to. There was only cake. Her and cake. Cake and her. Cake in her. Cake inside her. Yes, she wanted the cake inside her. She needed it inside her. “Um, Miss Blossom?” asked the chef, snapping the bat pony out of it. “Did you hear me?” “Buh, sorry,” Midnight murmured, shaking her head again, “what were you saying?” “That Princess Celestia will need an answer before two o’clock this afternoon, when the party begins.” “Ah yes, of course.” Midnight took a shaky breath and tried not to dart her eyes back to the cakes. “Um, I’m going to need some privacy.” The head chef tilted her head. “Privacy, ma’am?” “I concentrate better when I’m alone. I’ll have an answer sooner if I can focus.” The unicorn tried to avoid looking at Midnight’s bloated form and suppressed any related thoughts. “Very well then. Let us know what you think. The sooner, the better.” “Will do.” The head chef led her work force out of the kitchen, and Midnight kept up her smile until the door finally closed. She snapped right toward the cakes the moment she was alone. “Finally.” Wasting no more time, the tubby taste tester took a hearty bite of one of the cakes, moaning with sheer bliss. The mix of chocolate batter and fudge filling danced around in her mouth, making her perform a wobbly wiggle with them. And not just from endorphins. Celestia’s birthday be damned, she was the royal taste tester. She deserved all the food the Princesses did. And that was just what she was going to have. She had another large bite of the cake. And another, just to be sure. And another, and another. Before she knew it, she was licking crumbs off an empty plate and rubbing her even more distended belly with a wet belch, followed by a soft sigh. Her chocolate-and-fudge covered cheeks dimpled with a big, remorseless smile. Celestia may have been reluctant to hire her own taste tester, but she sure knew how to pick chefs. This cake was definitely fit for a Princess. She looked at the second cake. Somehow she hadn’t started on it yet. She should. It may have been made the exact same as the first one she’d demolished, but she had to be sure. After all, didn’t Celestia’s subjects deserve the same quality as their ruler? And so, she kept up her duties and shoved her thick face right into the side of the dessert for the party goers. She was more than pleased to discover that it was just as delicious as the one she’d just enjoyed. Tasted. She meant tasted. This was a job, after all. Another wet burp and another contented sigh. More crumbs to lick off an empty plate and fudge to suck off her plump cheeks and hooves. She let out another pleased moan. “I’d say these are perfectly fit for Celestia,” she giggled. “Well they would be,” Celestia said, “if there was any left.” Midnight froze and slowly turned herself around, partly due to her cumbersome girth. Celestia stood over her, eyebrow raised, expecting an explanation. The sobering sight caused Midnight to come to her senses, and she looked to the two plates she’d left devoid of cake. “Um, I,” she murmured, sitting on her oversized haunches and tapping her hooves, “I can explain…” “Somepony really enjoys her duties,” Celestia continued, then added with a smirk, “it’s a good thing I had another pair of cakes prepared and on their way to the party.” Midnight blinked. “Huh? Then why were these ones…?” “Just a little reward from Luna and I for doing such a good job for us,” she explained, then winked. “Plus, a little test of self-control.” She giggled at how red Midnight’s face turned, the bat pony’s blush showing through her grey fur and the thick splattering of chocolate & fudge. “S-so, you’re not mad…?” “Not at all,” Celestia assured with a warm smile. “Though, I’d try to slow down with how much dessert I eat from now on.” Midnight nodded. “I’ll try.” With such good cake like that around here? Not likely. Celestia nodded, then turned toward the doors. “Now then, why not accompany me to the party?” Midnight grinned and waddled after her, enticed by the idea of even more cake. She ignored the warning in the back of her head telling her she was already quite full and might make herself sick.