//------------------------------//
// Solārius Astronomiae 
// Story: Lessons in the Moonlight 
// by Harmony Split 
//------------------------------//


Chapter seventeen: Solārius Astronomiae





We left the library and headed back through the hallway. I couldn’t help but think about the book with the pictures in it, my mind left behind in the pages of the book. It was all consuming in my mind, distracting me enough to stop and have Twilight walk into my flank.

“Oof! Night Glider? Is everything alright?” she asked, concerned.

“Yeah, just can’t get the pictures out of my head,” I replied.

“Then why don’t you take it with you? It’s yours, after all,” she smiled softly.

I poked the ground with my hoof, “And you’re okay with that?”

“Night Glider,” she started and gently laid a wing around me, “These are your memories of the past. They assemble who you were and all your past friends. Besides, I know that you’d never be able to let it go if you didn’t take it,” she said, a little laugh escaping her.

“As short as our relationship’s been, you know me too well,” I chuckled and she chimed in after giving me a soft peck on my muzzle.

“Get it, I’ll wait here,” she whispered.

I didn’t need any other invitation. I gave her a soft kiss directly on the lips, which made her blush to no end, before turning and galloping the whole way back. Just as I was about to say the phrase to unlock the door to the library, it simply disappeared.

Hesitating and watching carefully, I stepped in, just to see Luna sitting on some cushions in a corner. 

“It has been a long time since I was last in this room,” she greeted me with a smile.

“Luna!” I exclaimed, surprised, “I… I just wanted,” I stopped, unsure of how I could explain that I wanted to take a book from her library.

“I know. Take it, it’s yours. But you should also take this with you,” she said before levitating a blue book without any remarkable cover over to me.

“What’s this?” I asked, taking a closer look.

“It is a collection of spells for your armor, written by me. And tactics for guarding, written by you,” she smiled softly, “Use it to protect Twilight as well as you protected me.”

She also levitated the book with the pictures to me, and I took both in my wings, “Thank you, Luna,” I said before a question shot through my mind, “Luna? How did you get in here? There’s only one door.”

She winked at me, “Not everything is as it seems. Now go, I don’t think you want to make Twilight wait for long,” she giggled.

I nodded and turned, just to hesitate at the door, “Luna?”

“Yes?”

“Tomorrow night. Some flying together, just like in the old times?” I asked.

She seemed to ponder about it for a bit before showing me a genuine smile, “Sounds wonderful.”

I gave her a soft smile before leaving and going back to Twilight. She still stood in the same position where I left her.

“You got the book?” she asked and I raised my wings as reply, “What’s this one?” she asked, pointing at the blue book.

“I’ll explain it later;” I said with a peck on her lips, “Now, shall we move on?”

She nodded and we continued our way through the hall until we came to a solid wall. I could practically sense Twilight growing nervous, but I simply tilted one of the light fixtures on the wall and the hidden door opened out of the stone. 

With a sheepish smile, she moved on and we were back in the main section of the castle.

“We have to go back to the main hall at the entrance, and then to the upper levels. From there through the right hall, it will lead directly to the Solar tower,” I said with a smile.

“Solar tower?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“That was the name we Lunars gave it. Celestia and the Solar forces called it Solārius Astronomiae, but I don’t know what it means.”

She nodded, seemingly in thought as we continued on our way. I couldn’t help but smile. This had been my home over a thousand years ago, and now I was walking in here again. With Twilight, my princess and marefriend. I chuckled at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” she asked with a curious look.

“Just thinking about this whole thing. That after a thousand years, here I am walking the halls again, with another princess. But this time, I’m with my marefriend as well,” I shot her a smile. 

She returned my smile sheepishly as we made our way to the main hall and the upper levels, reaching the Solar section of the castle. It wasn’t a terribly long walk, and I had memorized the path there so there wasn’t really a chance of us getting lost. Every now and then Twilight would seem to get tense or worried, but I’d always nudge her with a wing or push up against her whenever she seemed worried.

Of course, I couldn’t really get worried as I walked around the castle. As creepy as the ruins may have been, they were my home for the longest time. It’s hard to be scared of your own home, even after it had been burnt out and destroyed.

After a few minutes of pacing through the halls, we came up to the solar section, a place that had been sequestered off from the rest of the castle and limited to the solar forces. Whether it was because of the war or because Celestia just liked having some amount of privacy, I wasn’t sure, but high ranking officers like myself were given the password in case of emergencies. So when we came up to a pair of thick golden doors, I figured it would be the same thing.

Sadly, it was not.

As soon as my wing touched the door, I got the shock of my life, and the force-field around the doors threw me back. It felt like every one of my nerves was on fire, spreading inwards from the part of my wing that had touched the door. I found myself on my back, twitching sporadically as my frayed nerves tried to figure out what the hay just happened.

I could vaguely feel that Twilight was at my side, trying to talk to me, but all I could hear was an overwhelming throbbing sound in my ears that caused the ceiling to swim in front of me. It didn’t last terribly long, but every moment felt like a lifetime. After what could have been a minute as easily as it could have been several hours, the feeling washed out of my body as if I was being magically dried off after a shower.

Once my vision returned to normal, I found Twilight sitting next to me, leaning over me with concern etched on her features. I was in her hooves, held up against her body as she watched me with wide eyes. When I finally turned my eyes towards her, her face lit up and she quickly leaned down, giving me a furious kiss.

“Night Glider! You’re okay!” she exclaimed when she pulled back, “I was so worried! You just touched the door and got flung back!” she cried out, fear still present in her voice as she pulled me tightly against her and nuzzled me.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” I mumbled, waving her concern off with a still-twitching hoof. Her concern brought a wave of warmth to my heart, though, and a smile to my muzzle.

Twilight let out a nervous laugh, pressing her forehead against mine, “Oh, quiet, you. Just lay there for a few minutes,” she said, trailing off into a whisper, “Let me have a moment,” she said, her hooves tightening around me slightly.

I stayed there in silence, letting her hold me and keep her head against mine as she settled down. As my body settled down, I relaxed in her grip, getting used to being able to feel things again. It was comforting to have her there, and I was happy in her grip.

Looking around in her grip, strangled and obscured as I was, it took me a minute to realize that Celestia was standing a meter or so to Twilight’s right, watching with worried motherly eyes. I had no idea when she had gotten there, but it was probably whenever I was lying on the ground spasming like a tortoise stuck on its back.

Twilight held me there for a few more minutes before she let out a shaky sigh and leaned back, letting me go. She still looked worried, but she seemed confident that I wasn’t about to drop dead on her. I stood up on my hooves, shaking the last of the tingly feeling from my limbs, then leaned over and kissed her on the lips quickly, giving her a reassuring smile.

An action that drew a small giggle from the sun princess, a sound that got Twilight’s attention right away. 

“Princess! Uhh… I mean, Celestia! I’m sorry, I forgot you were there,” Twilight said, flustered as a blush raced to her cheeks.

“There’s no need to worry, Twilight,” Celestia replied with another chuckle before turning to me, “Your password won’t work on this door. I sealed it myself after I found out about the rebellion.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” I mumbled.

“Only alicorns can open this door. When I sealed it, that was only Luna and I,” she smiled at Twilight, “But now you have the right to open this door, as well. This is a similar lock to the one in the castle that protected the elements, do you remember?”

“I do. What spell do I have to use?” Twilight asked.

“None. Just power up your horn, the door will recognize you after I do this,” and with that, Celestia lowered her horn and slowly put it into the small hole in the middle, powering it up.

The door glowed for a few moments before Celestia drew back. “Go ahead,” she said with a smile.

Twilight hesitated at first, but slowly moved to the door. She looked at me and I gave her a reassuring smile. Bowing her head, she slowly inserted her horn and powered up her magic. The doors glowed brightly, followed by a series of mechanical clicks before the doors swung open. 

Celestia smiled, “May I give you two a tour?”

“Uh, sure,” I said after sharing a look with Twilight.

Celestia walked in and we followed her. I hesitated at first, but I draped my wing over Twilight and she hummed softly. Surprisingly, it drew another giggle from Celestia which caused Twilight to jump, quickly trying to escape my wing.

“Don’t worry, Twilight. I’m not blind. I, too, know what it is like to fall for your most loyal guard,” Celestia explained with a patient and understanding smile.

I had no idea why, but I knew who it was, “Golden Speed,” I said, more as a statement than a question.

Celestia nodded before continuing her way while Twilight accepted my wing. She still seemed uncomfortable in front of her former mentor, but leaned into the touch.

The alabaster alicorn led us through a small hallway full of sunlight to a large, round room that seemed to be the eye of the tower. I looked up to see the stairs winding in circles for some distance up until they seemed to disappear into the ceiling. 

Her chambers aren’t in the tower, the tower is her chamber. Or at least it was in the past. 

“This is the first time in two hundred years since I’ve walked these steps,” Celestia quietly said as we made our way up the stairs. 

“Only two hundred years?” Twilight asked.

“Even though the castle was mostly destroyed by Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago, I didn’t immediately abandon it. It took much longer, but that is a story for another time,” Celestia spoke softly. 

It took a while for us to get up the steps, they seemed to go on forever. We could have just flown up the center, but I figured that Twilight probably didn’t have the wing control necessary for that sort of precision. Not to mention the fact that Celestia’s wings probably could have reached the entire span of the center of the tower.

When we got up through the hole in the ceiling, Celestia stepped off to the side to allow us to explore. The room was massive, in a word. Even after being dulled with time and covered in dust, the room was still impressive with its shades of white and gold. There were bookshelves on almost every part of the round wall, some filled with actual books and others filled with cracked or broken treasures of some sorts.

The bed at the far end of the room was almost as big as the room I slept in back in Starlight Glimmer’s town, even in tatters as it was. Looking up, there was another twirl of stairs that lead up to another level, which I assumed was a study or something. I had never been in Celestia’s private chambers, so I wasn’t sure what secrets it held.

If it weren’t in such a terrible state, the entire room would have been beautiful beyond belief, and likely very homey. As it was, it was almost nightmarish, but still held onto the threads of regality that it may have once held. Twilight seemed quite taken as she started walking from bookshelf to bookshelf with the wide eyes of a foal, engrossing herself in whatever the shelves contained.
        
“I’ve never even heard of half of these books! I can’t believe it! So much knowledge left forgotten,” she squealed, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her foalish behavior. Celestia seemed to find it amusing as well, considering the quiet chuckle that escaped her muzzle as she watched her former student.

While Twilight went about examining the room and ogling the books, I saw fit to wander around the room, eyeing the little bits of treasures here and there that hadn’t yet fallen to the decay of time. Most of them were either priceless or worthless, but Celestia didn’t really seem to have much to say about any of them. She just stood back and watched us go through her things with an amused little smile.

Eventually I came to the wreckage of the bed and found myself looking at it, wondering why Celestia would ever really need such a gigantic bed in the first place. As big as it was, two ponies could probably sleep on it and never even realize that there was another pony on it. The thought made me laugh slightly as I wandered around the bed.

What caught my eyes the most, though, was a little doll that was sitting at the head of the bed atop a little mound of pillows. It looked old, dusty, worn out and frayed in some places, but it was still intact. The little pegasus-shaped doll was a dark blue, with a faded white and grey mane and tail. I couldn’t help but feel there was something familiar about the little stuffed doll, but I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it.

I didn’t notice Celestia’s presence behind me until she spoke, making me jump, “Ahh, yes. One of Luna’s particularly favorite dolls when she was younger, before everything happened. I found it in her chambers after the rebellion, and I’m afraid I didn’t have the heart to let it go abandoned,” she said, her voice sounding particularly nostalgic as she explained.

“It looks familiar,” I said, drawing Twilight’s attention to me.

“I would say it looks pretty much like you,” she laughed. 

“What?! No way!” I exclaimed in disbelief before taking a closer look at the doll. 

There was no way that it looked like me. Sure, it had the same pelt color as me, and it was a pegasus. But the mane and tail were all wrong, and it didn’t have a cutie mark on it. Besides, Luna would never have a doll of me! That would just be absurd.

Celestia covered her muzzle with a hoof and laughed daintily, hiding her laugh as best as she could. After a moment, she shook her head, “No, Twilight is quite right. Captain Fluffykins is a representation of you, Night Glider,” she said, a sly grin gracing her features as she explained.

“Captain WHO?” I asked, my jaw dropping.

My question went unanswered as the two princesses broke into laughter. Not just the controlled dainty giggling that I had become used to, but full-body guffaws and bellows as the two mares laughed at my reaction. I felt like digging into the floor and hiding somewhere, it was strange to be the subject of laughter from Celestia, of all ponies. But, at the same time, the reaction brought a sneaking grin to my face.

“Celestia, you said you weren’t here for two hundred years. Mind if I borrow the doll for tomorrow?” I asked, a shit-eating grin refusing to leave my muzzle as a terrible idea struck my mind.

Once she recovered from her laughter, Celestia nodded, “Of course, Night Glider. If you want it, it’s yours. It would please me to know that it’s not sitting in this castle for a day longer,” she said, her grin turning into a pleased little smile.

“Great! Twilight, do you think that Rarity can repair dolls?” I asked, turning to face Twilight as I picked up the doll in my only free wing.

She looked at me before levitating the doll up, taking it from my grasp with ease, “I have a spell that can return it to its original state. It’ll be just like new,” she said with a smile, holding it in front of her face for a few moments to inspect it. Satisfied, she closed her eyes and her horn glowed brighter for a few seconds before the doll seemed to rejuvenate, color returning to it and its shape tightening until it looked like it was just made.

With the doll restored to its proper appearance, it was clear that it was meant to be me. The mane back in it’s original state, it looked exactly like mine, right down to having the highlights in the appropriate spots. I couldn’t help but scoff lightly at the fact that my mane style hadn’t changed in a thousand years. Rarity would have a fit.

Still holding it in her magic, Twilight brought the doll closer to her and nuzzled it affectionately, smiling widely as she did so. I gave a little grin, watching my marefriend snuggle a doll that looked like me. It was kind of endearing, to say the least. I gestured with a hoof, “I think Twilight wants to keep it,” I said, glancing over at Celestia with the grin on my face.

Celestia nodded after a moment, an amused hum escaping her muzzle, “I agree, I think that she may have finally found a replacement for Smarty Pants,” she said, the sly grin returning to her features as she watched Twilight snuggle with the little doll.

“As long as it’s not a replacement for me,” I replied with a grin that made Twilight blush. 

“I’d never replace you,” Twilight replied, flashing me a reassuring smile as she set the doll onto her back and went back to exploring the books. She was quickly engrossed in the bookshelves as she wandered from wall to wall, taking out random books and scanning over them. The sight made me chuckle.

Turning back towards Celestia, I glanced up, “What’s up there?” I asked, nodding in the direction of the stairs that lead further up the tower to another level.

She followed my gesture and looked up for a few moments, a clear look of thought on her face. After a moment, she smiled, “That, my dear Night Glider, is my astronomy study. That’s why this tower is called Solārius Astronomiae,” she said, leaning in conspiratorially as she explained, as if it were some big secret. Her dramatization of it almost made me laugh, but I held it back so that only a snicker could escape.

“So what, it’s a bunch of telescopes and star charts?” I asked curiously, turning my attention from the roof back to her with an inquisitive brow raised.

“Of course, all the stars in the night sky that Luna ever brought to us were observed from that room,” she said, a patient smile gracing her features as she turned towards the stairs, “Would you like to go see?” she asked softly.

In all the time I had known Twilight, I don’t think that I had ever seen her move as fast as she did at Celestia’s offer. She was at Celestia’s side before either of us really even realized that she had heard us.

It was kind of cute to know that my marefriend was so enthusiastic about the stars.