Sky had never laid on a bed this luxurious. The pillows were incredibly soft, and he had a feeling that this was second only to laying on a cumulus fresh out of the weather factory.

The soft ticking of the pendulum clock on the far wall was one of the only sources of sound in the room. In addition to the bed, there was the pendulum clock, couch, dresser, desk, bookshelf, and a master bathroom. The pegasus figured that he should probably get some time in with this luxurious bed now, because if Princess Luna was ready to see him tonight, he was guessing he wouldn't get a lot of time on it; unless this was going to be something like meeting her in the 'dream realm'.

The clock on the wall gave out six chimes, and as late evening approached, Sky had been realizing more and more that his nachos on the way to the castle had worn off, and was wondering what to do for dinner; he was assuming it was going to involve pulling that rope next to the nightstand. He had never stayed at a hotel upscale enough to have room service, let alone anything like this.

His attention was pulled to the front of the room when there was a knock on the door.

"Yes? Come on in," he replied, sitting up and scooting over to the edge of the bed. The door opened, and Silver Platter took two steps into the room.

"Good evening, Mister Scribbles, I do hope you've been settling in as best as you're able," he greeted.

"By the far the most comfortable bed I've ever been on," Sky replied.

"I know the past day has no doubt been an unexpected surprise for you, so I hope you won't mind one more. Princess Celestia has become privy to your visit, as the only overnight guest in the castle tonight, and has invited you to dine with her this evening."

Sky's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open for just a moment before he composed himself.

"Wow, um, I guess I should have taken a couple days before answering this invitation to read up on proper etiquette. I mean, who am I to decline an invitation like that...?" Sky said, dropping to the floor on all fours. "How long do I have to get ready?"

Silver's stern-but-hospitable demeanor softened just a bit as he offered the pegasus a gentle smile.

"Dinner will be served in the dining room in approximately thirty minutes, sir. If I may, don't stress yourself; I speak from experience from multiple events when I say that Princess Celestia finds a lack of experience in 'proper etiquette' rather endearing. Like when you meet Princess Luna, just be yourself, Mister Scribbles."

Sky took a quick glance at himself in the mirror, and knew the one thing that could see some due attention in about twenty minutes was his mane, which had gotten rather unkempt from the past hour and a half of sinking his head into one of the very plush pillows on the bed.

"Well, in that case, Mister Silver Platter, I'll see you in about twenty minutes, after I've made myself as presentable as possible."

Silver gave Sky a curt nod, and turned to leave. The door hadn't even closed before the pegasus had made his way towards the front of the room to the master bathroom, and reached over to where he had hung his saddlebags, and took out his comb. He had just enough time to get his mane washed, dried, and styled. His purple and blue mane had always been his favorite part of himself, so he wanted that to look the best it could if he wasn't meeting just one princess tonight, but two.

He walked over to the tub, turned on the faucet, and got the water to a lukewarm temperature before putting his head under the flow, letting it run down the front and sides of his face, and down the back of his neck, making sure his entire mane was wet before he reached for the shampoo bottle. He gave the dispenser on top several squeezes as it pushed foamy soap out onto his hoof, and then proceeded to work it into his mane. After his entire head was sufficiently covered in suds, he once again bent his neck down and rinsed out the shampoo under the warm stream of water. When all of the suds had disappeared down the drain and the water coming off of his head ran clear, he reached up, shut off the faucet, and grabbed a towel to keep from dripping on the tile floor.

Being in a world-class master bathroom, it came as no surprise that there was a mane dryer resting in a metal holster in the corner of the sink counter. He reached over, turned it on, and turned the nozzle towards his mane as he began to comb it up into his signature mohawk. After another five minutes, his mane, head, and neck were completely dry.

Now that his mane was clean and styled, he went back out to his saddlebags and pulled out his folded dress shirt, black velvet vest, and bow tie; the only formal wear he owned. He figured it was essential for an invitation to a place such as this, so he was thankful he had been prepared in that manner. After he had put on the dress shirt, and slipped into the vest, there was another knock on the door, and Silver Platter entered again, just as Sky turned to him, dressed and ready.

"Quite presentable, sir. Please follow me to Her Highness' dining room."

After pocketing the key for the room, the pegasus followed the butler out into the hallway. While he initially thought the dining room would be downstairs, Silver turned to the left and took him further down the hall, away from the stairs they had come up a few hours ago. From the distance they walked before they made another ninety-degree left turn, he had to guess they were in the back half of the castle at the very least. The doors back here clearly led to larger rooms, as the doors themselves were considerably larger. The pair walked past several sets of doors and past another staircase headed down, and then Silver stopped at the next set of large doors on the right, and opened one, stepping inside.

Sky's eyes widened as he followed, and took in the marvelous looking dining room. It had to be one of the rearmost rooms on the second floor, because there were windows on both sides of the room that offered stunning views of both the city of Canterlot, and the prairie and valleys below the mountain. In the center of the room was a long oak dining table, and at the head, sat Princess Celestia of the Day.

"Mister Sky Scribbles, Your Highness, Princess Luna's invited guest," Silver announced as Sky stepped up next to the butler, and immediately offered a bow.

"Your Highness. It is an honor, and quite an unexpected pleasure, to meet you," Sky replied.

Silver Platter raised an eyebrow, somewhat impressed with the pegasus' knowledge of etiquette for having never meeting royalty before.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mister Scribbles. Please, sit down. You must be hungry," Celestia greeted, motioning to the chair at the other end of the table. Silver Platter led him across the gray and white marble tiled floor to the foot of the table. As he sat down, his eyes widened at the placement before him; namely the dozen pieces of flatware.

Silver must have noticed the pegasus' bewilderment, because before he could turn and ask, the butler merely leaned in next to him.

"Start from the outside and work your way in each course, sir," Silver whispered.

Sky smiled as he grabbed the cloth napkin and unfolded it, placing it in his lap.

"So, Luna invited you here, Mister Scribbles?" Celestia asked.

"That's correct, Princess, and so far I don't have the faintest clue as to why, but I suppose I'll find out later tonight," Sky replied.

"I believe I have an inkling, but it's really not my place to say. How are you finding your accommodations?"

"Stunning and luxurious, to say the very least. I've never stayed in a place like this before," Sky replied.

By this time, Silver had gone to the banquet table at the far right side of the room and grabbed a bottle of red wine, going over to Celestia's side of the table to pour it into her goblet, then making his way over to Sky's side. As he poured, a hoofpony came through the door he had come through a few moments ago, pushing a cart containing a large serving bowl of salad, and a glass bottle of dressing. Sky had quickly discerned the pattern of service, as Celestia was served first, and then him. Fresh, crisp salad was placed into his salad bowl with tongs, and he couldn't wait to try it.

"Raspberry vinaigrette, sir?" The hoofpony asked.

"Certainly," Sky replied, immediately nodding, watching as the delectable-looking liquid was drizzled over the greens and croutons. When the hoofpony stepped away, Sky grabbed the first fork on the left side, began sticking several greens along with a crouton, and took his first bite. It was by far one of the best salads he had ever had.

"So what do you do for a living, Mister Scribbles?" Celestia asked, sipping at her wine after her first bite.

"I'm a weather pony for Ponyville, Your Highness. Mostly the west side," Sky answered.

"Ah, so you must cover Sweet Apple Acres."

"That's frequently one of my areas, yes. So, you really can't give me any hints about what Princess Luna wants with me? Because, honestly, it's been bugging me all day. Like, what can a weather pony do for the Princess of the Night?" Sky asked.

"I realize that this invitation was out of the blue and has you mostly in the dark. It's not so much that I want to give you the wrong idea, Mister Scribbles, it's that if my suspicions are correct, then it has been quite some time since my sister has made a selection like this, that my memories of the last time she has done so may indeed not be what they once were. I will say that it probably has very little to nothing to do with your profession with the weather," Celestia told him.

Now the pegasus was even more mystified. Weather was the area that he was closest to being an expert with.

"Well, then I'll just say that the food is so delicious that it's the first thing to taking my mind off of whatever she possibly wants with me. Obviously, with the accommodations, not to mention the fact that I'm dining with royalty on a moment's notice; I'm no longer worried that I've done something wrong, and now I'm worried that I won't meet her expectations."

"Well, all I'll say on the matter for now is I hope things become clearer for you once you meet with her," Celestia reassured him.

After the salad, the next course was a minestrone soup that the pegasus likewise savored every spoonful of. The main course consisted of baked potatoes, corn, asparagus, and impeccably seasoned oatcakes. Just when Sky thought he couldn't possibly take another bite and had finished his second glass of wine, he saw there was one piece of flatware left, just before a plate was put in front of him, containing a five-layer chocolate cake with bite-sized bits of cookie dough on top of the frosting.

It nearly made him drool, doubly so when he took his first bite.

"I don't even want to think about how much extra cloud duty I'll need to take on to work this off. This is heavenly," he said just after swallowing.

"It goes right to the flanks, trust me," Celestia quipped with a smirk. Sky heard the far door open, and another hoofpony walked in, and whispered something to Silver, and the butler immediately came up to Sky's place at the table and leaned down again.

"Once service is finished, I've been informed that Princess Luna is ready for you, sir," he told the pegasus.

The nerves began to creep up again, but every bite of the delightfully sinful cake helped keep them from getting too far. Once he had taken his last bite, he had to resist licking the plate clean.

"Well, don't let me keep you, Mister Scribbles, not when some of the answers you seek are coming up. I hope you enjoyed dinner," Celestia said, getting up from her seat. Sky likewise got to his hooves.

"I absolutely did. Thank you very much for the invitation, Your Highness, and do give my compliments to your kitchen staff. I love cooking, and I've never made a meal that comes even remotely close to what I just had," Sky replied.

"I will certainly do so. If you're still here in the morning around 9 AM, feel free to join me back here for pancakes if you like. My specialty," Celestia told him with a smile.

Sky gave another bow, and turned to follow Silver Platter, who was waiting by the door. The pegasus certainly hoped he wasn't tipsy from the wine, but the dinner had certainly left him feeling positively tingly all over. That would be a meal he'd remember for quite some time, and it wasn't even the reason he had been invited here. Silver walked him back to the bedroom suite he had been given.

"I'll wait out here, sir. You won't need your formal attire for your audience with Her Highness, but I believe you'll need the royal seal that came with your invitation," he told him. Sky nodded and went inside. he removed his vest and dress shirt, folded them and left them on the dresser, before going over to his saddlebags and pulling out the crescent moon seal. He took a deep breath, then kept the seal tucked underneath his right folded wing as he went back out to the hall. They returned the way they came, passing the dining room and kept going, to a door in the far corner of the hall. It lead outside to an exterior bridge, towards one of the taller towers on the castle's northeast side. The sun had set, probably before dinner, and the moon shined bright in front of a starry night sky. The air was cool, and he had to resist ruffling his wings in order to not drop the seal he was holding.

Sky was getting the feeling that this area of the castle was Princess Luna's domain, due to the presence of what Ponyvillians frequently called 'bat-pony' EUP guards. When they came to the base of the tower, they stopped in front of the closed doors, where another armor-clad, dark gray bat-pony was standing guard.

"This is where my familiarity comes to an end, Mister Scribbles. This is Captain Pitch Black of Her Highness' Night Guard. He will take you the rest of the way. Captain Black, Mister Sky Scribbles is the pony Princess Luna is expecting," Silver stated.

"Understood, Mister Silver. Mister Scribbles, I trust you have the crescent seal? You won't be able to pass the barrier without it," Captain Black asked, his voice raspy but authoritative.

Sky immediately showed him the seal, but couldn't stop the inquisitive glance.

"Barrier?" Sky asked, clueless, and Black glanced at Silver Platter, raising an eyebrow.

"I believe Her Highness' invitation contained little to no details on what he was to expect, Captain. It would probably be best to give him the benefit of the doubt," Silver told the guard.

"Very well. Right this way, Mister Scribbles," Black replied, turning and opening the doors to the tower as Silver turned on his hooves and headed back the way he came.

Sky followed the night guard through the doors, and they immediately turned right up a spiraling staircase. The theme here was strikingly different from the other areas of the castle that he had seen. While the foyer, his bedroom suite, and the Princess' dining room had been modernized somewhat, while this tower still had cobblestone for its inner walls, lit by enchanted torches that hung in sconces every few meters. There was an arched window every time they had gone up roughly a story, and Sky was now able to make out the roof of the main structure of the castle.

After several rotations around the tower, the spiral staircase ended in a short hallway that lead to a rather sturdy-looking wooden door. Captain Black stepped to the side, and turned to Sky.

"Just through there, Mister Scribbles. The door only opens for Her Highness Princess Luna, and holders of her seal. On the other side of the door is a barrier of fog; also impenetrable to all except Princess Luna, and anypony with her seal."

With that, the night guard captain walked back the way he came, passing Sky and descended down the spiral staircase, leaving the pegasus alone in the short corridor.

Sky took another deep breath.

'Okay, this is it.' He thought to himself.

He stepped up to the door, took hold of the handle with the tip of his hoof, and pulled. He felt the seal tucked under his wing softly thrum as the door opened with a creak. There was indeed a barrier of fog that completely hid everything on the other side. He nervously reached his right hoof forward, and saw that it passed through with no resistance whatsoever. Lowering his hoof to the ground, he drew in another breath, and held it as he stepped through the layer of fog. He heard the door shut behind him, and the fog barrier wasn't thick at all.

His eyes widened, and his mind was almost instantly overwhelmed with what surrounded him. The floor was carpeted with dark blue carpet. The ceiling wasn't so much solid as it was a starry night sky. The walls were visible, and were patterned with gray and silver clouds. There was a large arched window that looked out over an otherworldly expanse of stars, and on both sides of the window, against the walls, were a crib, changing table, and playpen, and all three were considerably bigger than any foal would need.

As Sky struggled to draw breath and comprehend the adult nursery he had just stepped into, Luna, the Princess of the Night, faded into view as she came in the window from the expanse, fluttering her wings as she came in for a soft landing in between the crib and changing table.

"Hello, Sky. I am delighted you could answer my invitation so quickly. Welcome to the Guardian's Tower," she greeted with a gentle smile.

When Sky's eyes met the princess' gaze, it felt like a locked door was opened in his mind, and he had suddenly and vividly recalled last night.

'Oh gods... The dream I had...! She... She saw...!"

The situation and realization at hand were finally too much of a toll on the poor pegasus' mind. His vision began to fade as he saw the room tilt to the left, as he fell to the floor, and promptly passed out.

Author's Note

Alright, we are now nearly 10,000 words into this thing, and we are finally, finally getting to the fetish material that most of you are likely here for.

This has to be one of the slowest-paced stories I've written.

Thanks for reading, and there's much more to come!