Tea for you.

With a faltered grin I said, unfazed by the nature of the question and the obligations that followed. "Of course."

She smiled a bit and added. "Since it's dead here, we could go now." She suggested. Her normal smile returning.

As I nodded and then went behind my desk to get a small pocket sack of bits. As we left for the nearest open restaurant with heating, I felt a sensation of unease soar through my brain. It made me nervous as I realized I was on a date with the Princess of the moon. An individual who if she wished could squash me like a bug. Yes I may be able to hold her back for a few second.....ah who am I kidding? In a magical duel she was toss me into a black hole...

Anyhow, we left the store rather quickly. As we exited as took a set of keys from the behind the counter with me. Once outside I locked the door behind me, I hid the keys with an invisibility spell and used a bit of a glue like substance I had put on it long ago to stick them right above the door. We began walking north towards the castle. The town was dead except for fellow shop owners such as myself and the occasional brave individual who stepped out for a walk in the bone chilling cold of winter.

Luna wore a light black coat with her cutie mark stitched across the back. She had her hood up besides the side of her face, as I walked to her right, I saw her long horn as well. As I thought over which of the the two of us would win in magical dueling she attempted to make contact with me.

"It's quite cold, no?" She says, a blank tone attempting to mask some thought. I'm usually pretty good at catching that kind of masking.

I didn't blurt out "Something on your mind?" when I picked up that mask of a sentence. No. I went along with it to see if Luna would bring up whatever was on her mind. I said in a cheerfully dull tone "Yes and I keep myself warm with my hatred of it. Well and this jacket..." I said with a shrug. Luna gave a slight barely audible laugh.

Then she says. "You don't seem very hate-filled." Before I can respond, however, she gestures a hoof towards a small cafe in a red brick building. It was one story tall and had a fire place judging by the small smoke stack coming protruding from its roof. It's facade was decorated with the words "Mixer's coffee" in a well-done white paint. There was a large window letting passing by potential customers see the happiness of the current customers within. Quite genius, that sort of design is. There was a small wooden door to the right of the window.

"We could have a coffee?" Luna suggested with a slight grin.

I nod in agreement and as we make our way towards the little cafe; I could spy a few words, as we grow closer, beneath the "Mixer's Coffee." they were as follow: "+Bakery, and donuts."

"And donuts" I added. Luna and I share a smile as I walk a bit faster and opened the door in time for it to receive the Princess. I wave my hoof inwards towards the main room of the cafe as she enters and we share another smile.

We enter the cafe and I shut the door behind us. I approach the counter with the cash register, Luna lagging behind me slightly as she was smiling and nodding at the few customers enjoying coffees and bread. They greet her with "Good day, Princess." or some similar socially acceptable greeting.

There's a mare behind the counter. She's a young bright yellow unicorn. Her mane is blue and comes down around the right side of her head in a gentle fall. I can see her cutie mark on her right side, its a small piece of bread that appears to be freshly baked. She smiles at me and greets the Princess (who's now up at the counter on my left) with a fine and well-emotioned "Hi, what can I get ya'?"

I'm first to speak between the both of us. "Black coffee and a glazed donut, please" I say in an oddly foal-like state. I always love a good donut, so that phrase (Minus the black coffee, that was added at age 16) has become a second nature sort of phrase.

The mare nods at me and looks to Luna for an order. "Black coffee and buttered toast, if you don't mind." Luna requests with a smile.

The mare nods and writes our order on a small note pad. "Just take a seat at any table and I'll bring your order in a minute or two." She says with a smile gesturing to the many empty tables.

The cafe, besides the wooden counter with many shelves and a few counters behind it, was mostly composed of small, stone framed, glass-circular tables. There are about twenty or so in the main room, six of which were filled already, Luna and I walk to one near the front-east facing window of the cafe. I sit on my rump across from her and smile. She smiles faintly but it's clear to me that whatever clouded her mind earlier had returned.

I notice again and my smile fades and I raise an eyebrow. "Something on your mind?" I ask in a gentle voice.

She looks at me with slight discomfort as she begrudgingly answers, making vein attempts to get me to ignore her mental plight. "Oh it's nothing. It doesn't really concern you....well actually it does but not specifically you. Just something Celestia said to me this morning."

I ignore her attempt to make me over look it and press on. "Oh yeah? What was it?" I ask.

Before Luna can answer the mare from the counter brings us our orders. She sets before me a coffee in a large white mug and a light tan shiny donut on a napkin. Then she sets before Luna a clone of the mug in front of me and a large piece of buttered toast on napkin. Before trotting away she smiles and says "Enjoy!".

After the kind mare left Luna look back at me and seemed unable to speak, but forced herself to utter the next words. "Celestia said I should...date.She said that I've had about three years to re-adjust to the world and that it's high time I start putting myself out there again." Luna says her voice growing slightly shaking as she speaks. She pauses, sighs and says. "That's why I came to visit you today. When she said that you came to mind. I couldn't help but think of my good friend and I figured you'd make an excellent......'partner' for me to date. And so I must ask: would you like to be my dating partner?"

I can't believe what I've just been offered. The chance to date a Princess! How often is this offered? I stutter slightly before I answer her. "Y-y-yes...of course." I say with a gentle nod.