The summon had been a surprise for me. At around nine at night, a heavy hoof pounded on the door of my dorm room at the Academy, just before bed. To my surprise, I was met with an agent of the royal crown, clad head to tail in silver plated armor. I feared the worst as my mind ran through every thought I could, trying to reason how such a pony as I warranted attention from a guard in late hours of the night. My mind spun, pulling up an excuse for any possible offense I committed in the past week, the past year, my entire life.
“Are you Sable Light?” the stallion half-demanded, half-commanded.
“Y-yes, er, sir,” I responded meekly. “Is there a... problem?”
“You have been summoned by the authority of the Princess. Come with haste.”
I swallowed a lump in my throat, bowing my head and following my unexpected visitor, keeping my eyes focused on the ground as the stallion escorted me. The halls were dark since the lanterns had been dimmed for the night, most of my fellow students already behind closed doors. I heard a door creak, and a low whisper.
“Sable, what’s going on?” Peeking out of a dorm door, yellow light spilling on the floor, a familiar voice called out to me. It was Violet Jewel, and I could only assume she had heard the loud knock on the door from several doors down. Realizing that fact, I became more nervous; that must have meant several other ponies had been alerted as well, and I began to feel eyes looking out of every keyhole and door crack. Quiet whispers either called out to me, or spoke amongst themselves, and I couldn’t tell if these whispers occurred in the privacy behind doors or the paranoia in my head. When I glanced up at the stallion to see if he had any care, I was met with an expression of indifference. He knew the answer, but he very much did not care.
“Um,” I cautiously asked, “Am I going to jail?”
“No,” the strange visitor responded.
“Err... when you said the Princess’ presence, are we going to Equisnox, to the Castle of the Two Sisters?”
“No.”
“Then where are we going?”
There was an awkward silence, the stallion becoming unresponsive once more. We left the dorms and moved across the school grounds, and to my surprise, a small crowd had gathered on the grass. Among them were familiar faces of professors at the academy, and--
“Professor Starswirl!” I couldn’t contain myself from calling out. His familiar cape of constellations mimicked the night sky, the dotted stars on the fabric glowing as the distant celestial lights did above. His beard contained wisps of white, carried by a subtle and cool night breeze. There was no question of Starswirl’s noble skill and intelligence amongst academic study, and he was revered as perhaps the greatest pony ever by the whole academy! Our libraries filled with decades of his spells, updated yearly with his new discoveries. No other pony matched his brilliance--Silver the Quick, the rising Clever Clover, every thinkable pony fell much too shy of him. With due exception to the Princesses, of course. Even for one of the greatest unicorns of all time, it was hard to compete with the Sisters who raised and lowed celestial bodies on a daily basis. Not to mention, defeated the dreadful Discord, imprison the terrible Tirek, and brought harmony to a land split in three. Still, he dispensed his wisdom to the great Sisters, sharing his knowledge with goddesses. It was this fact that him from being headmaster of our academy. Such a great pony had little time to micromanage humble young students such as us, when Equestria as a whole needed his aid. It was more than enough that he gave lectures to those who were miniscule in comparison to the grand scale of things.
“Sable Light!” he warmly greeted back. “It is good to see you. I hope you don’t mind our presences as intrusive. All of us wished to see you off, and let you know how overcome with pride we are for you.”
“Pride of what?” I stood in stupor. Starswirl gave me a puzzling look, but before he could respond, a great gust had begun sweeping through the grounds. Starswirl’s cape fluttered, it’s bells singing in the wind, as several other ponies struggled to keep on their hats. All our eyes turned to the skies, the previously cloudy night now clear, stars shining in audience. There was a great neighing as above us a chariot was pulled by pegasi of dark shades, their burden a brilliant silver conveyance as pallid and shining as the moon. I gasped when I spotted the figure riding in the chariot.
The pegasi descended gracefully, after cautiously circling the school grounds for landing space. I stood stunned until, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted all my professors, including Starswirl, bow deeply until their chins breezed the grass. I, too, assumed the formal bow.
“Rise, my loyal subjects.” Her voice was an unexpected boom, commanding enough that I rose without realizing it. Tall and lithe as a midnight shadow stood the nocturnal Princess, pausing for a moment before exiting her chariot. I remember her mane as shimmering so fluidly it reduced Starswirl’s mystic cape to a mimicry, a mortal copy compared to her authenticity.
“Yes, my Princess,” the other ponies chimed in due respect. I still stood stunned, and therefore speechless. The Princess’ gaze glided along us, examining each one by one. When her eyes rested on me, I smiled nervously. I would have swallowed the lump of anxiety building in my throat, if I wasn’t frozen.
“Thou must be the one called Sable Light.” I nodded, my anxious smile still plastered on my face. “We must greatly apologise for our tardiness. Our duties have occupied us, otherwise we shall have come sooner.” My astoundment turned to confusion. Why, in all realms of existence, was one of the Princesses, one of the rulers of Equestria and greater-than-Starswirl ponies of all time, apologising to me?
“As has been said,” the Princess continued in her loud, stately voice, “Thou works in the schools of apothecary has amazed us, as Starswirl and many other of this academy’s advisory council attests. We are glad to finally share our presence with thee. Pray tell, however; where art thou things? Do you plan on traveling without any inanimate accompaniments?”
“I... I’m sorry?” The spell that had overtaken me finally broke, giving me back rein of my petrified body. What it did afterwards wasn’t much better, trembling at the knees. “My Royal Highness, I... I don’t think you have the right pony. I’ve not been even told of your arrival, let alone a personal visit with one of such high esteem. Forgive me.” I bowed my head again in respect.
“I don’t think I am mistaken.” I could hear the Princess’ heavy hoofsteps, for as graceful as the night as she was, she stood at the size of a titan. No wonder it had taken several strong pegasi to draw her chariot--I mean no offense, but the Princess stood heads taller than the rest of us, even those of her company, causing her gaze to always be pointed downwards. I wondered if it ever caused her neck pain.
My hair stood on end when the Princess neared me, examining me with unveiled scrutiny. “No, you are Sable Light, the unicorn we have come to seek. Did you not get our correspondence? It has been sent several days ago. We wondered why thou had sent no response.”
“W-what?” A letter, from the Princess, sent to me? And I never received it?
The stallion that had escorted me from my room--who I had all but forgotten about--grunted. From some pouch hidden in his saddle, he pulled out a piece of parchment. Then, he handed it to me. I took it, giving the stallion a suspicious glance, undoing the wax sealed that held it shut. Surely enough, the Princess’ letter was there, finely handwritten in a font that could only belong to royalty. Signed and stamped by the royal sister herself. Albeit, dated a couple of days ago.
The Princess gave a sigh that was big enough for a small draft to pick up. “Our utmost apologies, young one. It seems that there was an error in the correspondent's delivery.”
I rapidly read the letter as the Princess spoke, rereading lines just to be sure. To the one called Sable Light... word of your reputation in the Academy has spread to the throne... in our trying times of need, bright ones such as you are needed as guiding light... therefore, with much hope and expectation, I, Princess Luna... bearer of one of Equestria’s sister crowns... request you, Sable Light... whose works have exceeded beyond that of the highest expectation... to become my apprentice... You may consider your studies at the academy complete, and the next step of your studious attendance under my observance and wing.
“I...” Finally, I swallowed the lump in my throat, clearing the way for myself to drool and drabble in newly found excitement. “I would be beyond honored, your Majesty! I cannot show any more appreciation that one as great as you should give me such an opportunity to learn beneath your great wings! Words aren’t enough, I--”
“You do not need to offer us any more gratitude, young one. Your acceptance is enough,” the Princess tenderly replied. “Though we had much hoped all this had come sooner. Nonetheless, all of us are here now. Tonight we desired to bring you to the Castle, so you would have time to settle in during the upcoming week before we began to address your studies, but you haven’t had time to prepare.”
“I’m so sorry, my Highness.” Even though it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t stop myself from apologising. ”I’ll need at least a day to pack my things, if not half of that. I’m sorry again to be such an inconvenience.”
“That won’t due.” What did that mean... ‘that won’t due’? Was she going to withdraw her offer, was the situation now too troublesome to deal with? Had I been reduced to just a waste of her time? “I shall assist you in packing, and we shall finish in half, no, a quarter of the time!”
I flinched. The triumph that accompanied her statement wasn’t just startling, but enough to wake anyone on the grounds that hadn’t already been awakened by rumors.
“R-really? Princess, you don’t have to stoop to such lowly things! The state of my room is below your presence, I haven’t even begun to tidy it up, I--”
“Nonsense, Sable Light.” Her smile was warming, though it contained a twist of impishness. I found myself smiling back. “I shall assist you. And, I beg of you, do call me Luna.”