>When you stopped by Twilight's library today, you found Spike waiting for you outside, scroll in hand
>You gave him a fistbump and a couple bits as thanks for dealing with being a glorified mailbox
>You sat on a nearby bench outside the library as Spike walked back inside, probably to clean up after Twilight, again
>The seal on the scroll bore the unmistakable symbol of Princess Celestia's cutie mark
>You broke the seal and gave it a read
>Apparently, Princess Celestia had taken your request to heart
>She was going to visit you today, and this letter was your heads-up
>You exhale a breath you didn't realize you were holding in
>Guess you got some planning to do
>You figure a salad would probably be alright for dinner
>Maybe boil or scramble some eggs
>You could bake an apple pie for dessert, even
>It's a damn shame it's so tough to get other fruits in Ponyville
>The Apple Family doesn't exactly deal with fruit-based competition well
 
>After about an hour of running the fuck around the Ponyville marketplace, you're finally done
>You've gathered all the ingredients you need to make a pretty fuckin' awesome dinner
>Okay, so it's probably not going to be as good as the shit the palace chefs come up with, but you don't care
>And the best part was when you hit the fruit section
>You bought your Apple Family Apples, yeah, that was a given
>But you managed to make a stealth purchase without catching Applejack's attention
>A smile on your face, you checked your precious cargo once more
>Motherfucking strawberries! You fucking love strawberries!
>How goddamn long has it been since you had some good strawberries?!
>Finding these, and at a decent price, it was like you won the fucking jackpot
>Had to get these fuckers home pronto, if Applejack saw you with them...
>You shivered a bit, and picked up your pace
 
>You heaved a relief-filled sigh
>You made it home without running into any Apple family members
>Your precious strawberries were safe!
>Oh, and all the other shit you bought, too
>Speaking of which, the Princess is supposed to be here in a few hours
>Time to get dinner ready
>The salad was easy enough that you could wait a while longer
>Same deal for the eggs, really
>So you decided to get to work right on that apple pie
>Good thing a few of those odd jobs you did put you in Sugarcube corner
>Even if they weren't directly helping with cooking, you still learned quite a bit
>That knowledge proved to be useful in constructing the apple pie to rule them all
>This steaming behemoth of deliciousness would launch a vicious assault on the Princess' tastebuds
>There would be no survivors
 
>Right, that's the pie taken care of
>The salad and eggs followed shortly thereafter
>You decided to just hard-boil the eggs
>That way, they'd be great just on their own, or as part of the salad
>Which also happens to be done, and none too soon
>There's a knock at your door
>You answer it to find Princess Celestia standing there, though she looks a bit nervous
"Hello, good to see you, Princess. Please, come in."
>"Thank you, Anonymous. It's good to see you, too."
>She smiles, a bit awkwardly
>She makes her way inside, and you check the porch
>...No guards this time
>You briefly wonder how she managed to pull that off
>You shrug
 
"So, Princess, are you hungry? I hope you don't mind that what I've got isn't too fancy."
>You head toward the table
>"Anonymous, do you think..."
"Hmm?"
>"Could we... perhaps... drop the formality tonight? Just call me Celestia?"
"Uh... sure. I think I can do that, Celestia."
>She smiles
>"Thank you, Anonymous."
>She takes a spot at the table, you take your seat
>Dinner goes by, uneventfully
>You wind up giving her your friendship report and crack a few jokes
>She actually laughs at some of them
>It's pretty nice, really; seeing her relaxing like this
>You get the feeling she doesn't have much time to relax from day to day
 
>Before long, it's time to bring out that pie
>You bring it to the table for her to get an eyeful
>"Oh? I didn't know you were a baker, Anonymous."
>You start slicing it up
"It's not exactly my day job, but I guess I picked up enough to bake once in a while."
>"Well, I'm sure it will be wonderful. If I may... what flavor is it?"
"Apple, of course. It's not too easy to find much else, here in Ponyville."
>You offer her a slice of the pie, which she levitates to herself
"Would you believe how hard it is to find strawberries here? It's nearly impossible!"
>Her eyes go wide at the mention of "strawberries"
>But... she's not saying anything
"What, is there something wrong with strawberries, Celestia?"
>"Huh? Oh- oh, no. Nothing's wrong. It's just that, well..."
>She glances to the side
"Well?"
 
>"Promise you won't tell anypony, Anonymous?"
"Uh, okay. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
>You jab yourself in the eye that time
"Gah!"
>Celestia laughs at your misfortune before clearing her throat
>"Well... strawberries are my favorite fruit. Not many ponies know that."
>She starts eating her slice of pie
"Heh. You've got good taste. Strawberries are my favorite, too."
>She nearly chokes on her latest bite
>"What- really?"
>You nod, digging into your slice of pie, as well
>"You are just full of surprises, Anonymous..."
>The two of you finish dessert in relative silence
 
>"Anonymous, I was wondering..."
>[Yes! Go on, ask him!]
>[...Why aren't you asking him?]
>[What's wrong with you?]
"Yeah, Celestia?"
>[You can pass it off as idle curiosity!]
"Celestia?"
>"Uh- um- I mean, yes, Anonymous?"
"Are you alright? You were starting to ask me something and then you just kinda... stopped."
>"O-oh. Ah, yes. Well..."
>[You are squandering your chance, Celestia!]
>[Stop being so afraid and JUST. ASK. HIM.]
>Celestia swallowed the lump in her throat
>"Anonymous, do you have a special somepony?"
 
>You stare blankly at Celestia for a second before the question really registers in your head
>"Anonymous?"
"Uh, n-no. No, I don't. Why do you ask?"
>It was Celestia's turn to fumble verbally
>"Ah, oh, I-I was merely curious, as- um, as Hearts and Hooves Day is coming up in a few days."
>You nod
"Yeah, I remember. Probably not going to do anything for it. I don't really have anyone I've got my eye on."
>Celestia gasps
>"Really? Nopony? I was certain-"
>She stops mid-sentence
>"Anonymous, I... I'd like to know something else. A few weeks back, at your last report... that song you sang, and..."
>She glances downward
>"...That, that kiss you gave me. Why?"
 
"Oh... right, about that."
>You rubbed the back of your neck
"That, uh... that was..."
>"It was... what?"
>Oh damn
>You don't really want to say it
>But you have to tell her
>You sigh
"It was just a bet."
>"A what?"
"A bet. Rainbow Dash bet me I wouldn't do it."
>"I... see..."
>Princess Celestia stands up and walks over to the door, slowly, her head hanging
>"Thank you for a lovely evening, Anonymous. I must be going."
>Before you could say anything else, she had already closed the door and left
>You know you really fucked up.
 
>When Celestia arrived at the palace, Luna was there to greet her.
>Luna could tell something was wrong, but any question she asked was answered with silence.
>Celestia lowered the sun and retired to her chambers.
>[Why do you even try anymore, Celestia?]
>[How many thousands of years has it been, now?]
>[You've been alone for so long, maybe it's your destiny.]
>"It was foolish to think that he might..."
>[He's just a friend.]
>[Nothing more.]
>[At least you don't have to regret not asking.]
>"Even if it would have been better, had I never asked at all."
>Celestia's vision blurred with tears.
>She closed her eyes and tried to sleep.