As one of the most popular destinations within the city, the marketplace of Canterlot was, as one would expect, abuzz with activity. Ponies from all walks of life, and from all corners of the country, had come here to browse the many wares on display here, from the mundane to the bizarre and everything in between. The sun was shining brightly, and with the cool breeze flowing through the streets, it was absolutely perfect weather for it. But, walking among the many crowds of this place, there was a blonde pegasus mare, who appeared to be happier to be here than anypony else. But then, this was no ordinary mare. For just beneath the surface of that unassuming face was none other than their beloved leader, Princess Celestia. The age-old alicorn, now with this crafted image for herself, walked among the ponies of Canterlot with barely a glance cast in her direction. But then, that was exactly how she liked it. After all, when travelling for her annual journey across the nation, it was always best to keep a low profile. As she walked through the market, occasionally looking down to the magical amulet she wore, she passed by many a vendor, who would call out to her.

"Fresh vegetables! In today from Vanhoover itself!"

"Crystals! Get your crystals here! You won't find any better south of the Crystal Empire!"

"Want a dress to wear for dinner? How about a suit? We've got it all!"

"Anypony want a portrait of themselves? I guarantee you'll find none better than right here, my friends!"

Celestia chuckled to all of this, clearly pleased with how vibrant and active things were down here today. Had she been here with her normal face, everypony would be too busy staring at her or rushing to her side to get on with their lives. But here? Here, looking like she did, she could see ponies as they truly were, without having to worry about them acting differently in the presence of royalty. Naturally, as one who wanted to avoid being noticed, she did her best to not get too involved in those she saw, but, there eventually came a time when even she caught sight of something she wanted down here.

"Well now...that looks rather nice."

It was, of all things, a coffee stall, from which billowed a veritable cloud of steam in all directions. Smiling to herself, Celestia walked on over, very much in the mood for just such a beverage right now. Thankfully, there wasn't that big of a line, and the vendor of the place, a young pink unicorn mare with a blonde mane, was greeting everypony with a big wide smile. She got through her customers fairly quickly, giving Celestia an opening to approach.

"Good morning!" the vendor greeted her.

Celestia's smile widened slightly.

"And to you. I'll take the best you have!"

Nodding, the unicorn moved with surprising swiftness, getting a small cup ready in only a few moments. Taking it into her hooves, Celestia took a deep whiff of it, letting out a moan of contentment.

"Mmmmm...yes...very nice."

Rummaging around in a small bag she'd brought with her, the disguised Princess brought out two bits, giving it over to the other mare, who graciously accepted. Unfortunately, it would appear as though fate did not intend for Celestia to actually enjoy her drink today. For so caught up was she in the smell of it that, as she turned, she just so happened to have her eyes closed. This, rather inevitably, led to her accidentally bumping into somepony else, sending her coffee spilling right out of her hooves. Immediately, she got her bearings back, just in time to see that she'd unfortunately managed to get that coffee spilled onto the chest of the pony she'd bumped into.

"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry!"

But, to her surprise, a chuckle came before the response to that.

"Not to worry, Ma'am. Coffee tends not to stain armour after all."

Here, she was able to get a good look at the pony she'd nearly burned with her drink. It was another unicorn, a stallion, and was taller than her by at least an inch or two, at least while she had this image for herself. He had grey fur and a jet-black mane, and was, just as he stated, wearing a suit of armour right now. Celestia instantly recognised it as the armour worn by those of the Royal Guard who took the night shift at the Royal Palace grounds, though they occasionally patrolled the city streets from time to time. This stallion was clearly of the latter category today, and after brushing off a few stray drops of coffee from his breastplate, he looked to Celestia.

"My apologies, Ma'am. I wasn't looking where I was going."

But Celestia shook her head.

"No, the fault is mine! I was so caught up in my drink that..."

Again, the stallion chuckled.

"Don't worry, I understand. I get that way around a good cup of coffee myself."

Though still somewhat shaken at the somewhat unexpected encounter, Celestia soon found herself joining in on the laughter, albeit with a somewhat nervous tone.

"I...erm...I wasn't expecting to see one of the Guard out here."

The stallion nodded, gesturing to himself.

"Eclipse Star, at your service."

Now, since Celestia hadn't actually expected to have to come up with an actual name for herself today, suddenly being in a position where she had to give one was, of course, not a pleasant experience for her. But, after glancing around briefly, her eyes eventually settled on the sun-wearing-sunglasses she had as her cutie mark for the day, before promptly retuning her gaze to Eclipse.

"Oh! Um...my name is...Sunny...Smiles?"

The stallion opened his mouth to speak, only to be kept from doing so when the coffee vendor beside them both let out a loud an noticeable gasp.

"No...way! Sunny Smiles is my name too!"

Celestia blinked slowly, then smiled and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Oh...what a...wonderful coincidence."

Eclipse looked from one mare to the next, before settling on Celestia.

"Um...are you alright, Miss?"

Shaking herself out of her prior state, Celestia let out another dry laugh.

"Yes! Of course! I'm fine, it's just...well..."

A moment of pause, and a hastily-crafted backstory was soon in the works.

"...it's just...you get so overwhelmed, coming to the big city for the first time."

Eclipse nodded.

"Oh? You're new here?"

Celestia nodded back.

"Oh, yes. I come from...er...Baltimare! Yes! I came to Canterlot for my vacation because...well...I'd heard such good things about the city."

A fond smile came to Eclipse at that, and he glanced around the rest of the marketplace.

"Yeah...it is a pretty good city, isn't it?"

Celestia let loose a sigh as she too looked around, seeing the happy and smiling faces of all the other ponies of the marketplace.

"It is...it truly is."

But, while she was doing this, Eclipse glanced back to her, and for just a brief moment, he seemed to be struck with hesitation of some sort. Nervousness took centre stage in his face, and for a time it appeared as though he were almost terrified of what he was about to say. But, after many a drop of sweat and fallen down his brow, he eventually cleared his throat, gaining Celestia's attention once more.

"I...erm...well...I have about a week's worth of leave starting tomorrow, and...well...I know a little café just around the corner from here that I like to go to during my off-time."

Celestia nodded silently, prompting him to continue.

"And...um...I know this may seem a little forward, given that we've just met...but...I was wondering...would you care to...join me there? Tomorrow?"

A moment or two passed, with Celestia seeming just a touch taken aback by the offer.

"You...want me to give you some company?"

Eclipse nervously scratched the back of his head, a slight blush coming to his cheeks.

"Well...it's just...I kind of feel bad for causing you to lose your coffee, so...maybe you'd let me...provide you with another one? And maybe a lunch to go with it?"

Though clearly not having expected such an offer, the hidden Princess soon broke into a small but genuine smile, giving Eclipse a nod.

"Sir Eclipse...I would be delighted to join you tomorrow."

Eclipse blinked, looking like he was quite unsure of whether or not he'd heard that correctly, and when he realised that he had, he spoke in his prior fumbling manner.

"You...you mean it?"

Celestia nodded, smiling innocently to him.

"I do. Would twelve be suitable?"

Now smiling himself, Eclipse gave a frantic nod of his own.

"Yes! It'd be fantastic! No, better than that, brilliant even!"

Giggling to herself, Celestia gave a slight bow of her head.

"In that case, Sir...I shall see you tomorrow."

Eclipse, of course, was grinning like an idiot, and Celestia, for her part, started to turn around and walk off. Only when she was far enough away to be out of earshot did she finally speak up, though only to herself.

"Two new friends spending a lunch together? A stellar notion. What a pleasant fellow."

Meanwhile, Eclipse, having watched her leave, eventually turned around, and stared out into the distance before once more resuming his happy grin.

"She...she said yes? She said yes!"

Then, he let out a brief "squee" and danced in that same spot, eventually stopping when he finally noticed all the other ponies staring at him with amused expressions. So, in an effort to maintain some dignity, he cleared his throat and resumed his more "official" demeanour.

"Return to your business, citizens. Nothing to see here."

Next Chapter: A Princess' Plans Estimated time remaining: 19 Minutes