Celestia sighed, her eyes dropping low as she trotted through the halls towards the Royal Observatory. After a long morning dealing with the court, a little sleep walking felt more than deserved in her book. That and a cup of coffee. Or maybe an absinthe.
The trek up the tower’s steps always annoyed her to some degree. Even years since its installation, at one royal family member’s insistence, the walk up the massive spiral staircase never seemed to get any shorter. And, perhaps most unfortunately, the open design left open between the steps left little room for an alicorn of her stature to spread her wings and simply take flight up to the top of the tower. So climb she did.
Next time, she’d go outside and take the proverbial short cut to the top.
Eventually, mercifully, she reached the top. A sculpted archway with a brilliantly carved opening led to the top floor of the astronomy tower. With a small smile, she clip clopped through the portal into the laboratory.
The room was a large dome with a titanic set of double doors on one end. The walls were lined with various tables and instruments. A few meters above them, about where a normal ceiling would begin, a set of gears and other mechanisms she didn’t entirely understand ran around the rim. She knew their purpose clearly, however. Accompanying the gargantuan telescope, currently aimed at a forty five degree angle up at a blank patch of the sky, the entire dome would rotate with the telescope, allowing it glimpse whatever it was aimed at within an entire three hundred and sixty degree radius. The entire apparatus, however, was no pony invention, instead designed and constructed by the laboratory’s strange occupant.
Virgil sat, hunched over a nearby desk in the shadow of the telescope, running his fingers over a series of a stellar maps. His eyes burned into the papers as though he were commanding them to reveal the very secrets of the universe itself. In a way, she wasn’t wrong.
“Hello mother.” He greeted her, without looking up from his maps.
She sighed. “How long have you been up?”
“Suppose I never went to sleep.”
“Virgil, honey… That makes how many nights now?”
“Nine.”
Celestia sighed, running a hoof over her face. “Honey you really should get back in the habit of sleeping. This isn’t healthy.”
“For ponies, you mean. Not healthy for ponies.” He answered, still engrossed with his charts.
“No, it’s not healthy for any pony at all. Even for alicorns.”
“Well fortunately I am not either of those things.” He glanced up at her. “And I see no purpose in indulging in something that serves no purpose for me.”
His eyes focused back up at the tip of the telescope. Silent as the grave, his feet left the floor as he floated up to the lip of first of the massive lenses and mirrors that composed the device. He glanced at the large frame holding the first external lens and snapped his fingers, conjuring a cloth and spray bottle. He sprayed the cloth and began to polish the glass in gentle, circular motions.
Celestia sighed. “Guards tell me you got in late last night.”
“I did.”
“You go out with Spitfire?”
He scoffed. “No. She just needed help studying. Unfortunately for me, she fell asleep halfway through our lesson so I brought her home.”
“How’s Stormy Flare doing?”
“Well enough.” He continued polishing the lens.
“I take it she didn’t ask many questions as to why a boy was bringing her unconscious daughter home late at night?” Celestia smiled.
Virgil turned, his eyes dark. “Not funny.”
“Oh humor your mother for a moment.” Celestia covered her mouth, suppressing a giggle.
Virgil dropped to the floor with a thud, running a hand through his snow white hair, pushing it out of his eyes. With a quick snap of his fingers the bottle and rag vanished.
“We’re not even the same species.” He deadpanned, returning to his charts.
“So what?”
"So things like that don't work."
“Well she’s quite fond of you for one. And that hasn’t stopped zebras and ponies from having loving and productive relationships.”
“You really should drop this subject.” He flipped to another chart.
“The Gala’s coming up in several weeks.”
“Quit prodding.”
“Oh for the love of the gods, ask her!”
Virgil snapped up, the unmistakable sound of paper crinkling and rubbing against itself echoing through the observatory. His eyes, normally a brilliant sapphire, now burned a ruby red. Above, the sound of metal groaning reverberated through the chamber. Below, the floor shuddered, the teeth chattering sound of stone cracking bouncing up the steps into the room. Celestia gaped, taking a step back.
Virgil’s expression softened, the shuddering subsiding with him. The metal groaning vanished and the crackling dissipated. He turned away.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He said. “I’ll fix whatever damage done.”
Celestia exhaled, placing a hoof over her chest. “Sometimes I forget you’re not the same young baby you were when you first arrived.”
He raised a hand, the metal groaning returning only to fade away just as quickly as it came.
“Nor am I some amateurish unicorn like that Sunset filly you tutored a few years back.”
“No. You’re stronger.” She answered. “So much stronger. Remember what comes with great power, Virgil.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Responsibility.”
“Virgil, you really must be careful at all times. I really don’t know if what you can do is native to your species or not. Small sample size considered.”
“Yes, it must be quite a mystery, wondering if you son’s species happen to be the gods incarnate.” Virgil rolled his eyes. “You know, to any primitive tribe or untouched sentient species, what unicorns can do would look just as indistinguishable from divinity as my abilities must look to you.”
“I’m sure you can appreciate the difference here.” Celestia retorted.
Virgil turned. “Says the one who raises the damn sun.”
She sighed. “I don’t raise the sun. I just give the planet a little push to get going.”
“I can show you the math for the energy required to rotate a body with the mass of a planet. So don’t go assuming that I’m a god.”
“I never said I do.”
“Mother please. I may not be several thousand years old but I can still see the slightly disturbed expression whenever I conjure up some impossible object out of thin air, or clone myself, or walk through walls, or do some other thing that appears to violate everything you know about the universe.”
“Yes, well,” she cleared her throat. “Conjuring an entire ocean into being in the sky because you thought the sky was an actual sea is enough to disturb anyone. Especially if it’s a seven year old doing it.”
“I could do it again if you wanted.” He smirked.
“No, uh, I think that’s quite alright, honey.”
“All it would take is a quick readjustment of the composition of the air.”
“Stop it.”
“Hmm.” He returned to his charts.
“Now I know you decided to forgo university-”
“Because it’s for idiots.”
“Yes, well, that remains to be seen. However, you’ve been quite occupied up here for the last few months now. What exactly has you so engrossed?”
“Actually, it’s quite simple.” He raised a hand, floating over a star chart for her to view. “A new star appeared in the sky a few months ago. I’ve been studying it best I can.”
“A new star?” Celestia frowned.
“Yes. I’ve circled it on the chart.”
Celestia scanned the black and white image of dots and dust until a red circle stumbled into her vision. Overall, compared to the rest of the dots, this one appeared no more or less remarkable.
“You can’t tell from the image,” Virgil continued. “But it’s bright red. Kinda just faded into view over a period of weeks. But the weird thing is that it’s been getting brighter. Can’t seem to figure it out.”
“Is it a comet?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I wouldn’t have seen it until it started forming a vapor trail. And it certainly wouldn’t be red. No, I suspect it’s something else, but I’m just not sure what exactly.”
“Well.” She floated the paper back to him. “Whatever it is, I’m sure Equestria’s brightest mind can figure it out.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” He smirked, turning his gaze to his feet.
“It certainly wasn’t a pony that designed and constructed this place.” Celestia smiled. “I know I don’t say it often enough but I’m very proud of you Virgil. Whatever you choose to do, you have my full support.”
“Even if I decide not to go to university?”
She sighed. “Yes if you insist on that one. Though I really do suggest you reconsider. Young colt like you should be out socializing.”
Virgil scoffed. “Young colts like me can’t turn water into whiskey and back again.”
Celestia coughed. “Well, uh, step one should make you very popular at parties.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the responsible one, Miss Sunbutt? You’re supposed to tell me, ‘No, my son. You better not be irresponsible and go out drinking and be partying all night. You should be studying like a responsible young colt’, or something like that.”
“In this case,” Celestia cleared her throat, “If it got you out of the castle, I’d almost welcome it.”
“Almost?”
“Almost. I don’t want you getting any fillies pregnant.”
“I have forty six chromosomes, you only have thirty two. Biological impossibility.”
“Should make you even more popular then.” Celestia laughed.
Virgil rolled his eyes. “Oh my gods. Don’t you have some meeting to attend to or Blueblood’s butt to wipe or something?”
“Yes, unfortunately I can’t spend all day bantering with you, my boy. As much as I enjoy it. Will you be able to make it to dinner tonight or should I just count on you not eating again now for the sixth day in a row?”
“That last part’s not exactly true. I had some whiskey last night with Spitfire.”
“Whiskey isn’t food.”
“Maybe not. But Clydesmorangie is.” He smirked, summoning a glass. “Breakfast of champions. Accept no substitute.”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know how it’s possible for two youngsters like you and Spitfire to share a twelve year old Dutch and have absolutely nothing happen between you.”
Virgil scoffed, sipping his drink. “Probably because she’s a quadruped and I’m a biped.”
Celestia sighed. “She really does like you, you know.”
“Yes, she likes a lot of ponies. She seemed particularly fond of Soarin’ last time I saw him.”
“I think you know what I mean.”
“Say, how many Minotaur pony relationships have you seen in recent history?”
“Are you going to be like this all day?”
“Only until this glass runs out.” He said taking another sip, before watching with some delight as the glass refilled itself.
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Get out of the castle, Virgil.”
“Is that an eviction?”
“For your sake, I hope it isn’t. Treat it as a suggestion. One I advise you follow with all possible speed.”
“On pain of death?”
She turned with a grin. “On pain of I let Blueblood and his fraternity up here to use however they see fit.”
Virgil paled. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I am the Princess of the Sun not the Princess of Mercy. Get out of the castle and socialize. Maybe you and Spitfire could do something together. Heavens know you two haven’t properly socialized beyond school work in months.”
“If this is your poor attempt to set us up, forget it.” He turned, walking toward the observatory’s open doors and leaning on the railing. His eyes traced across the green garden of the valley floor below before he took another sip from his tumbler. “Besides… she’s already interested in somepony else.”
For a moment, Celestia’s expression soften as she watched the human drink, overlooking the green plains below the city. Try as he might, she was still his mother. And there was no one else who could read him quite like her. She shook her head before replacing her mischievous grin upon her lips.
“Well then, another condition. You have to get out of the castle at least once every two days or else I let Blueblood run ragged up in this lovely little laboratory of yours. Or…”
He turned, his eyes still bore a dead expression. Yet his curiosity seemed perked at the idea of getting to stay inside his cave.
“Or…” Celestia continued. “You find yourself a date to the Gala next month.”
Virgil scowled, crushing his glass into dust between his fingers. “Oh come on! That’s not fair!”
“Whatever do you mean?” She smirked.
“That’s cheating!”
“How is that cheating?”
“Blueblood’s going to turn this place into a damn strip club!”
“Well, not if you can manage to get out of the castle once every two days.” She beamed. “Else I turn over ownership of this tower to your favorite cousin.”
“You know, I wouldn’t mind killing him.”
“You and many others. Get in line. Now those are your two options, sonny boy.”
He scowled at her, his eyes turned to daggers. Celestia had little doubt that if he so chose, that little figure of speech could become a description of reality in the blink of a metaphorical and literal eye.
“Your second request is impossible.”
“Oh don’t give me that. If that’s what you think then I suggest you get your butt out the door for the day.”
“I can’t just leave every two days! I have data to analyze and experiments to run! And I need to keep watching that new star every night!”
“Then I suggest you find yourself a date! And fast. And no cloning yourself either.”
“That’s not fair either!”
“I’ll post guards up here if I have to.”
He grit his teeth. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“It’s more of a question of why you are doing… whatever this is, to yourself.”
“I’m not a pony, mother.”
“No. You’re not. You’re something far more. You’re intelligent and powerful, yes, but I am not going to allow you to shut yourself in your ivory tower all day asking questions of the stars. You’re young. You should be out socializing with other ponies your age.”
“Other ponies my age.” He scoffed.
“Go hang out with some unicorns or something, I don’t care. Though you would probably be better served by rejoining your old posse before you decided to forgo university. I’m sure they would welcome you back with… open arms, so to speak.”
“Open wings.”
“You can fly you know.”
“They’re all trying for the Wonderbolts. Where do you think I fit in with that?”
“That’s for you to find out. Now go. I’ll even help you send a letter.”
Virgil rolled his eyes, letting out a giant exasperated sigh. A small grin flashed across Celestia’s face. He would hate her for this. At least initially. But in time, he would come to be grateful for it, even if he said nothing on the matter. No. He would enjoy his time away from his high tower and high castle. In the past, getting his predecessors into school and education had been the problem. Now, she never considered the possibility that she would be cursed with the opposite problem.
He sighed. “Very well. Send your letter.”
He trudged grumpily towards the staircase.
“Where are you going?”
He turned. “To get a drink. An actual drink since you’re banishing me from the house. Is that permitted, Princess?”
She sighed. “Go. Do as you please.”
Virgil returned an exaggerated tip of his chin. “Thank you.”
With that, he dropped down the stairwell, landing below with a dull thud. Celestia exhaled.
“You could use the stairs you know- oh forget it.”
She glanced back at the charts on the table and quietly levitated them before her, arranging them by date. The circled star continued to increase in brightness as the weeks passed. She bowed her head, her smile fading into a pout.
“Of course he saw it. Of course this time, he saw it first.”