Princess of His Dreams

Sky woke up with a bit of drool on his pillow, as the morning sun began to shine through the very bottom of his bedroom window. Wincing and turning away from the window to not be blinded by the sunrise, he gave a stretch under his covers before throwing the sheet and blanket off of him, tapping the alarm clock off with his left front hoof, and swung his hind legs over and slid down to the floor, his hooves hitting the carpet with a muffled thump. Knowing if he didn't do it now he'd never get to it before work, he turned to his bed and made it up as best he could, tucking in the edges of his covers under the mattress, making it as neat as he could in a timely manner. With that done, he opened his bedroom door and headed down the hall to the bathroom, thankfully finding it empty. He heard the sounds of tinkering further down in the kitchen, and figured either Lyra or Bonbon was putting breakfast together before getting ready for their day. He grabbed a towel from the linen pantry, and stepped into the bathroom, flipping on the light and closing the door.

He turned the shower on and made several adjustments to the temperature, before stepping into the tub under the stream of water coming from the shower head. Starting with his indigo and blue mane, he poured shampoo into his hoof and lathered up. He knew appearances weren't critical for a weather pony, but he took pride in his mane; he always had.

His head was full of soap suds when there was a knock on the door, before he heard the doorknob turn and the door opened.

"Well, this timing couldn't be worse. You about done in there, Sky?" he heard Lyra ask.

"Just got started actually, I'll be out in a few minutes," the pegasus replied.

"Well, the mailmare has something for you," the unicorn mare replied.

"Could you sign for it?" Sky asked.

"I tried, but apparently it's your hooves only. They'll stick around for however long that takes."

Sky raised a soap-covered eyebrow. That was odd. He and his roommates signed for each other's packages all the time when the recipients weren't home.

"Well, alright. I'll get rinsed and dried off and be out as soon as I can, thanks," he told her.

"She's just outside the front door," Lyra told him, and he heard the bathroom door close.

Luckily, he wasn't absolutely soaked yet, so he adjusted the shower head and bent his neck down to get the soap out of his mane without the water running all the way down his back. When the stream down to the drain ran clear of suds, he shut off the water and shook himself dry as best he could, before pulling the plastic curtain back and stepping out onto the bathroom rug. He grabbed the towel that he had set next to the sink, unfurled it, and vigorously dried his mane for a few moments, before hanging it up on the towel rack, and combed his mane up one last time before deciding that he was presentable, and opened the bathroom door. He trotted down the hall, the last of the moisture on his hooves being soaked up by the carpet. He came to the front door, and opened it, and saw Ponyville's mailmare waiting for him.

"Good morning, Derpy," Sky greeted. "What have you got for me? You've been delivering to us for years, and you've never had a problem with us signing for each other's deliveries."

"That's usually allowed, but not with royal parcels, Mr. Sky, which is precisely what I've got for you this morning," Derpy replied.

Sky's eyes widened when he heard the word 'royal', watching as Derpy dug into her mailbag and came out with a folded pleather envelope, pulling it out with her wing before presenting him with a clipboard and a quill. He put his signature where she requested, then was given the folded packet.

"It's not every day I get one of those. Exciting morning! Hope it's good news. Have a great day!"

Sky pulled his gaze from the parcel long enough to give Derpy a smile and nod as the mare took to the skies again. Tucking the packet under his left wing, he went back inside to the kitchen, where he smelled pancakes being made. Bonbon was at the stove and Lyra was sitting at the center island, where Sky pulled out a chair and sat down across from her.

"So what have you got there, Sky? That's the first time she wouldn't let me sign for a package of yours," the unicorn said.

"I'm not sure," Sky replied, pulling the packet from under his wing and set it on the countertop. The flap was secured with a knot of twine.

"Ooh, sure looks fancy," Bonbon commented, glancing back from the stove.

"Don't have long to look before I have to get ready for work, so hopefully nothing earth-shattering," the pegasus commented as he tugged on the twine. The knot came undone, and the flap came loose. Sky lifted the top flap up, and the bottom flap down, undoing the trifold to reveal a hoof-sized metallic seal with a crescent moon engraved on it, resting on a parchment letter that had been attached to the back of the pleather.

"Whoa, a royal seal!" Lyra exclaimed.

Sky lifted the seal off of the leather, and looked at it carefully, before gently setting it on the counter, and his gaze returned to the unfolded parchment, and read silently:

Dear Mister Sky Scribbles,

Your presence is hereby requested at Canterlot Castle by Princess Luna, Her Royal Majesty of the Night and Moon. Please come at your earliest convenience. The enclosed seal will ensure secured travel by rail. Please present it at the front gates, and you will be immediately shown to a guest suite until Her Majesty is prepared and ready for you.

Sincerely,
Lemon Hearts
Night Court Liaison

"Well, what does it say?" Lyra asked, eager to see what their roommate had gotten.

"Princess Luna wants me to come to Canterlot Castle...?" Sky asked, bewildered.

"Seriously? What did you do?" Bonbon asked, shutting off the burner and coming over to the center island with a plate stacked with a dozen pancakes.

"I haven't done anything, I swear. I haven't been to Canterlot in years. Am I really expected to just... Up and go?" The pegasus asked, looking up at his roommates before returning back down to the letter.

"Well, one thing's for sure, you'll never find a better excuse to miss work than 'royal summons', that's for sure," Lyra commented.

"If you are gonna go, might want to go pack right after pancakes," Bonbon advised. "The train up to Canterlot leaves at eleven," Bonbon said.

Sky's mind was dancing. What did one even pack when you were requested by royalty? But even then, one question repeated itself again and again in his mind, until he spoke it out loud.

"What in Equestria does Princess Luna want with me?"