Hivemind Control

Luna showed up right on schedule, in a semi-formal evening dress. It was maroon with black accents. It was incomplete for it's intended purpose, as there was a large red peacock fan accessory that was supposed to be attached to the back, a black face mask, and tan boots. She'd worn none of that, just the gown tonight. She wasn't trying to impress an entire crowd with her resemblance to a cardinal at a grand masquerade, she was trying to look nice for a dinner date.

She rapped her hoof against the door and stepped back, waiting for an answer. In a few moments, the door swung open, and there stood Cosmo. He was wearing a white apron over his light green embroidered vest and blue silk shirt. The apron was a bit spattered, meaning he was actually working in the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting you to bring guests," he chuckled.

Luna glanced back at her two guard escorts. "You don't need to worry about them. They've already been fed, and they don't need to be too involved in tonight's events. More of a precaution, really."

Cosmo raised his eyebrow. "Do you distrust me so?"

"My sister has not met you, and is concerned for my safety. The former of which I plan to remedy at some point."

As Cosmo nodded in understanding, a loud sizzle was heard from the kitchen. "Come in and make yourselves at home!" he shouted as he rushed back to quiet the mess in the kitchen.

Luna and her guards walked into the front room of the farmhouse. It was a charming little cottage, sparsely decorated and mildly rugged. The most loud object in the room was the rightmost cushion for the couch. The rest of it was a dark brown affair, but the green plaid cushion seemed to be pulled from another couch entirely. Judging by the wear on the middle cushion, this was likely due to a fair bit of use making the missing piece unusable, perhaps going so far as to be beyond repair.

"Supper is just about ready!" Cosmo called from the kitchen. "I was held up at the grocer, and was late coming home to begin! I was planning to be done twenty minutes ago, but it should only be another five!"

"No problem," replied Luna. "Take your time."

She peered into the next room, a dining area with a desk on the north wall. While the desk was covered in books, papers and an ink spill, the table and chairs were spotless. Drag marks against the wood floor indicated that the table was more often against the west wall, where more books were stacked up against some equipment Luna didn't recognize. It was obvious that the chairs had been in storage and the table had been used as storage as of yesterday. He probably didn't bring a lot of company here for dinner, as this location was more for work than leisure.

Cosmo entered the room and peeled off his apron. "All done now. Whenever you're ready to begin eating, just let me know."

"How about now?" suggested Luna. "You spent all this time cooking it, the best time to eat would be while it's still warm, right?"

"Certainly, Princess." He disappeared into the kitchen, and returned right away with platters with bowls, taking a moment to set out the silverware. He also pulled out her chair for her before returning to the kitchen. When he next returned, he carried a pumpkin with no top and char marks along the bottom. As he set it down, Luna could see that it was full of soup, which had likely been cooked inside of the pumpkin. With all of the deftness one could come to expect from an earth pony, he ladled out two bowls, looking to the guards to be absolutely certain that they wouldn't be needing a place setting. He'd made enough soup, but not enough of everything else.

"So, you were considering introducing me to your sister?" asks Cosmo, sitting down in his chair opposite Luna. "Is she as caring as the rumours say?"

"She is," answered Luna, examining the soup. There were some chunks, but they were soft enough to be split with her spoon. "As you may have guessed by my companions' presence, she cares enough about me to be concerned for my safety, and she has worked to keep all of her citizens safe besides. What of your family?"

"Well, my mother, the baroness, was not too fond of socializing, opting instead to oversee the training of the security company she inherited from my grandfather. As she said, it's not safe to display all of your wealth and show how easily you can be brought down. My father was not a noble, but rather an enemy soldier that bested her in combat twice. She didn't like him at first, but the more they fought, the more they came to understand and respect each other, and when neither of them was being paid to fight each other, he left his own military to come to Equestria. That was the drake incursion in Course. Four months later, they were married, and two months after that, I was born."

Luna furrowed her brow. "That's only six months total."

"I was conceived the fourth time she captured his unit. Despite the fact that he was tied to a tree at the time, he did consent to it."

"Great soup, by the way," smiled Luna, taking in another spoonful. "Very sweet, but still savoury."

"Thank you. It's my brother's recipe. I think he took it from his girlfriend. I'm glad you're enjoying it, and will pass along your thoughts."

After the soup was eaten, the second course came out, which was half of a poblano pepper for each of them, with a seasoned stuffing.

"You had said on our first departure that you wanted to have a taste of my... produce. The soup, while good, was mainly a filler. This is more akin to what I have to offer."

Taking her first bite of the stuffing, she could taste among the croutons a distinct richness, and a firm, but not crunchy texture. These were very soft pecans, the kind of thing that would roast over nicely and practically melt on your mouth. These were top-quality nuts, and she would love to be on his list of recipients over the holidays.

"These are simply divine," she proclaimed, forgoing her manners for a moment a really digging into the meal. "You, sir, are a master of your craft."