It was three weeks after nightmare night when the letter came. It appeared in a swirl of dark blue shining fog, simply addressed "Pip", the small foal opened the letter with a childlike wonder. And the letter read:
Dear, Pipsqueak
You have been invited to attend a royal dinner. Please be at the royal palace in Canterlot on this dame day next week, enclosed are tickets for you and your family to ride the train first class.
The letter wasn't signed, and as it said it had three very official looking tickets that said first class on them for the train leaving six days from now. Pip horridly showed the letter to his parents who barely got the chance to read and consider it through the steady streams of "can I go, can I go, can I go" from a bouncing pip. Eventually his parents came to the decision that this wasn't a trick and six days after the boarded the train.
The car where they were to stay the over-night trip was magnificent, the beds weren't stacked like the others, there were four beds in total but his family only needed three, each with silken sheets that felt like clouds under his hooves, down pillows that were light and airy but not too soft. The room was beautifully decorated with a mellow orange on the walls and soft green curtains. The windows were rounded off and arched.
When the call for dinner came, pip's parents originally refused saying that they sadly didn't have the money for such expensive food; only when the conductor explained that the tickets had paid for everything did they even allow themselves to go into the dining car, they stared in wonder at the daffodil soufflé, golden and delicious, spinach pie, with a heavenly aroma, and so many more goodies that pip didn't even know what half of them were. Then he saw it, the desert cart, cakes four layers high, steaming fresh muffins, and the sweets, oh the sweets, he hadn't seen that many sweets even on nightmare night!
They were at Canterlot station before any of the family was awake, the conductor simply waited until they woke up, and told them that they were at their destination and asked them if they enjoyed their trip there, which was immediately met with a trio of yes' and a big hug from a little Pip.
As the family got off the train they were met with the royal guard, two very muscular stallions met them at the station and to the family's surprise, very politely asked them to come with them. Pip's parents didn't know what to say, they were worried, and surprised, and it only intensified once they saw that they were going to the castle. They slowly walked up to the giant structure beautifully made from the finest marble, with arches that looked to be the greatest artwork any of them had ever seen, the castle was easily ten stories high with colour and gardens everywhere. It had an air of respect but a beauty that left them speechless.
The guards ushered the family into the castle where they were met with Princess Celestia. The regal alicorn looked at the family with kindness and tenderness in her eyes.
"hello, I pray your trip hear was enjoyable." Said the alicorn with rainbow mane.
Before his parents could say a word, pip burst out "it was amazing! The room was big and my bed was amazing and we ate this soo, soufe, soupie…"
"Soufflé?" the princess interjected with a smile.
"yeah, that thing was really good!, thank you princess!" Pip said almost hopping.
"I'm glad you liked it, but the food wasn't my idea, you will have to thank the pony responsible when you see her later tonight," said princess Celestia as she ushered them through the castle.
The ceilings were all so high in the castle, the rugs were soft under Pip's hooves and he couldn't help but inspect every decoration in the hallway as princess Celestia asked his parents to go into the throne room with her.
"Pip is it? Would you mind going into the garden and playing while I had a talk with your parents?" asked the princess politely.
Pip simply scampered off and found an interesting butterfly to follow, but through a window he could hear the words "friendship, first, here" and then a name that was very dear to his heart, "Luna."
It was the afternoon when the guard that meet his family at the station came to find pip and tell him that dinner was ready. Pip followed, almost bouncing remembering all of the delicious food and goodies on the train. As pip stepped into the royal dining hall he could see the massive amount of chairs but almost none were taken up, in fact the only three ponies already in the room were his mother, his father, and Princess Celestia. He walked over to a chair and hopped up in it.
"hello pip, did you like the garden?" asked the princess
"yeah, the flowers were amazing and there were so many animals!" Pip said enthusiastically.
"the food will be out shortly, right after our other dining guest shows up" said the princess, smiling as if she had a joke that she wasn't allowed to tell anyone else.
Not soon after pip walked through the very same doors, a tall, dark blue pony with wings and a unicorn horn stepped through the door, pip almost fell out of his chair thinking just one word, as she walked through the door. It took pip a couple seconds before he realized it. That pony was princess Luna!
The family of three ate with the royal family that night, eating dishes none of them had dreamed they would ever eat, and by the time desert came, the only one with room left in his stomach was pip, who immediately downed the tray of confectionaries placed in front of him, and then Princess Celestia asked for everyone's attention.
"I thank you for showing up to this dinner, even though the guests were small in number this dinner was very important" began Celestia. "I have heard from my faithful student, and from my dear sister herself that only one pony would walk over to talk to my sister, a sad thing indeed but also showing that the pony had the strength of heart to at least try and see good inside of everypony"
"Pipsqueak, I believe that pony was you, and as such we have invited you and your family to the castle to ask you a very important question"
"What would that be princess?" Pip asked, truly confused
"I have talked it over with your parents and the decision now lies with you, would you like to come and live in the castle, to be Princess Luna's first true friend since her return? You would still be in school and such of course" replied the princess.
Pip was, for one of the few times in his entire life, speechless. On one hoof he would be able to see his favorite princess every day, even be her friend, on the other; he would have to move from Ponyvile. He had just moved there and sadly he wasn't making any friends.
"What about my parents?" asked the small, pinto pony.
"we have decided to let you make your own decision, we selfishly took you away from your friends when we moved to Ponyvile and your father has a job there, it would just be you in Canterlot, but we believe you are in good care if you choose to live here" pip's mother said, tearing up
"Princess Luna?" Pip asked his voice small.
"Yes?" Luna replied, genuine caring and consideration in her voice.
"Can I have some time to think it over? Maybe a day and a night?" asked Pipsqueak.
"Take all the time you need" said Luna, with a hint at a smile on her face.