Chapter eighteen: My Sweet, Purple Star
It was really cute to see how Twilight was basically hopping behind Celestia up the stairs and to the astronomy study. I walked behind her, an amused grin on my face at the sight in front of me, but also a slight blush.
Keep to yourself. It’s not like her flank is bouncing up and down right in front of you.
The trip up the stairs wasn’t really long, and soon we reached the last few stairs, Celestia and Twilight disappearing through the hole in the ceiling. I heard Twilight’s stunned gasp before I even made it through the gap in the ceiling, causing me to chuckle slightly before following her up into the astronomy study.
The study was as large and circular as the rest of the tower, though it had a massive dome as a ceiling, making the room seem almost cavernous. At one point in time, it must have been a soft, midnight blue to match the night sky. But, with time, it now looked almost grey from how much it had been faded and decayed.
There were more than a few telescopes scattered around the room, some of them hung up in racks and ordered nicely, and others were set around the floor pointing up at the ceiling. After a bit of scrutiny, I figured that the domed roof probably opened up to reveal the sky whenever it was in use. That, and the fact that one massive telescope was sticking out of a panel in the roof, and it didn’t look like it was breaking anything.
While I inspected the room, Twilight ran around, looking at everything and squealing in joy. Both Celestia and I had to laugh a bit at the sweet display. The sounds caused Twilight to shriek and blush, quickly coming back to us.
“It is early in the day, and most of these telescopes are broken. I don’t think there is much more to see,” Celestia said, giving Twilight a gentle smile, “Let’s leave this place, shall we?” she suggested, turning towards the stairs.
We both nodded and went down the stairs again. I could see that Twilight was about to argue, but Celestia was right. In stark difference to her old chambers, the astronomy study was mostly destroyed and left to ruins. It was a shame to see, but it was sort of unavoidable after years of being left to the mercy of the Everfree Forest.
We made our way back down through the tower and a few halls before we came out into the main hall, where the ancient thrones sat in ruin. I took a glance around before looking up at Celestia, “Are you heading back to Canterlot?” I asked curiously.
She gave me a little nod in response, “Sadly, my duties require my attention. As much as I would enjoy spending more time here with you both, it’s time for me to return to Canterlot,” she said, a regretful smile crossing her muzzle as she explained.
Twilight seemed a little downtrodden at the news, but nodded in response. Giving her an encouraging smile, I stepped up next to Twilight and gave her a little nudge with one of my wings, “She can always come visit us again,” I said to her before turning my attention back to Celestia, “Right?” I asked to get her confirmation, briefly worried that she might say that she would be too busy to visit for a while.
With a motherly smile, she nodded patiently, “Of course, I can always come and visit you two,” she said, seeming to be content with the idea.
Giving her a little smile of my own, I gently pushed Twilight towards the entrance, guiding her along towards the front doors. She glanced over her shoulder at one point to call a goodbye towards Celestia as we made our way out, but she didn’t fight to try and hold Celestia there. If she did, I wasn’t exactly sure who I should have helped, but it would have been entertaining regardless.
When we got to the front steps, I noticed that it was only around noon. There was still plenty of hours left in the day, despite having spent the entire morning adventuring. To be honest, I felt like I had been exploring for so much longer. I supposed that’s what adventuring did to a pony; it made every minute feel like an hour.
“So, did you find what you were looking for?” Twilight asked, turning her head to look at me with a sweet smile. A fresh wave of butterflies rushed through me as I smiled at her, my heart beat increasing slightly as I gazed at her. Even after all that, she was more concerned about me than anything she found interesting.
“It was good to be there. I feel a little bit more like I’m real, at least,” I said, giving her a gentle smile as I bumped into her side lightly. Seeing all the places from my past made me feel more confident that it had all actually happened, that it wasn’t just some cruel joke or a dream that I had been deluded by.
“Of course you’re real,” she said with a little smile, leaning over and kissing my cheek softly, “Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do that,” she said, her muzzle turning up into a coy grin. Stretching her back slightly, she turned away from me to get ready to take off.
I smiled and got ready as well. Before I did, however, I couldn’t help but notice that Twilight had wrapped her tail around the faux-tail from the armor that replaced my own. I wasn’t sure if she had did it consciously, but at some point between the point we walked away from Celestia and got outside, her tail had become intertwined with what was effectively mine. The thought made me smirk.
As she took off, I was quickly at her side, gliding at her own speed through the air. I enjoyed it more than I would ever before. I wasn’t much the flyer in my old town, mostly I just stayed on the ground. Now, with Twilight, it was a precious gift to glide with her through the air. All the while, I held my smile directed at her.
She looked at me and grinned, “You can’t keep your eyes off me, it seems,” she teased, causing me to laugh in response.
“Why would I? You’re beautiful,” was my simple answer that caused her to furiously blush, “And that cute blush of yours is always worth seeing,” I added with a smirk.
“You always make me, that’s cruel,” she muttered back, but with a smile of her own.
“Is there anything you wanna do now?” I asked her as the town came back in sight.
“How about just relaxing in the library and reading a bit? Maybe inspecting those books?” she gestured with her head at the two books levitating behind her in her flight. Surprisingly, she even had the doll held onto her back in a thin veil of her magic, allowing it to ride her with its fluffy arms draped around her neck.
Oh god, I forgot the books while taking off. She really is distracting me.
I blushed and nodded, “Sounds like a good idea,” I said as I made my way down towards the ground in front of the castle.
Twilight landed next to me after a moment, surprisingly not stumbling as she did so. Her success made me smile widely, “Nice landing,” I commented genuinely, nudging her lightly with a wing before starting my way up the steps to the castle.
“Thanks,” Twilight said quietly, a shy blush crossing her cheeks as she followed me up the steps. With a quick burst of magic, she pushed open the doors for us, allowing us to enter without even needing to pause to actually open the doors. It must have been really convenient to be able to use magic.
“And thank you,” I replied with a little laugh as we passed through the open doors, entering into the main hall. I looked over my shoulder to smile at her as she closed the door behind us, and she set the books and the doll down on one of the tables in the main area. I was about to start heading to the library before she stopped me with a hoof.
“Nu-uh! You’re covered in dust and sweat, there’s no way you’re going into the library like that. Go upstairs, take a shower, and put that armor away,” she commanded playfully, a grin pulling at her muzzle as she gave me the orders.
Stepping back from her, I brought a hoof to my forehead and snapped off a salute, “Yes, ma’am!” I snapped off, fighting back a laugh as I turned towards the stairs and made my way up. I was sure that she would wind up taking a shower as well, she was just about as dusty as I was. I just had the added problem of having been cased in steel for the entire day, so I practically radiated sweat.
I quickly trotted up the stairs and entered Twilight’s room. Or, I should have said, our shared room. I didn’t think that we’d be living separately any more, it was a lot harder to sleep alone. Once inside, I quickly set about unlatching and dropping the segments of my armor, taking a few minutes to disrobe before I was finally free of the steel casket.
Taking a second to sniff one of my forelegs, I gagged slightly at the smell. It was a mixture of dust, dirt, sweat and mold, and Twilight was right to ban me from the library until I smelled a bit better. Spending an entire morning in an ancient ruin wasn’t the right way to smell nice, especially not while wearing armor.
I crossed the hallway and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me before quickly setting about to showering. I didn’t take too long, choosing to take a shower that was only long enough to scrape any dust out of my fur and to make sure that I smelt nice, rather than staying in there to relax. When I stepped out, I felt and smelt a lot better than I had before.
I took a moment to dry myself off before quickly heading out into the hallway and down the stairs, making my way to the library. On my way through the main hall, I made sure to grab the books and the doll from the table they had been left on. Seeing the doll still made me chuckle a little, and forced me to try as hard as I could to not roll my eyes.
Twilight wasn’t in the library when I got there, which confirmed my suspicion that she was off taking a shower of her own to get the smells of the castle out of her fur. So, I set to work rebuilding our little pillow pile in the corner. It didn’t take too long, and I dropped onto the mound when I was done, waiting for Twilight to arrive.
While I waited, I decided it would probably be a good idea to start looking through the book that Luna had given me in the castle. Cracking the old tome open, I started scanning through the pages, curiously reading the ancient text. I must have lost track of time, because the next thing I noticed was the sound of Twilight giggling.
I looked up to find her standing there, her coat still damp from a shower, and a wide grin on her face as she looked down at me. Her magic took the book out of my hooves and hovered it away for a second, “Get a little lost in space, there?” she asked teasingly as she crawled onto the pillow mound and scooted herself into my forelegs so her back was to my chest.
“Maybe a bit,” I admitted with a little laugh of my own, shaking my head slightly in amusement. She used her magic to pull a blanket up over us and then returned the tome to my hooves so I could continue reading. However, with Twilight in my arms, I felt kind of uninspired when it came to reading.
Her coat snuggling up against mine made my heart flutter, and her humming told me that she enjoyed it as much as I did. However, as she turned her head, she blushed. I followed her gaze towards her tail, or more specifically, our tails.
“Uh, sorry, sorry!” she muttered quickly, about to move away before I stopped her with a soft kiss.
“It’s alright,” I giggled.
Without even realizing it, our tails had entwined. I had no idea how it always happened, but it just seemed to happen automatically every time we laid close together. It was a feeling I loved. It was a feeling I wanted to keep.
As I drew my muzzle over her neck, softly caressing her, she gave some soft humming, relaxing slightly. She leaned back against me, almost melting against me as she did so. It was soft, warm, and just perfect in every way.
“Please, don’t stop,” she purred slightly.
I wasn’t sure if on purpose or not, but I was more than happy to oblige.
She sounds like a happy little kitten.
I had to giggle at that while I continued to draw my muzzle over her neck, caressing every good spot I could reach, even softly nibbling on her ears from time to time. She seemed to have no problem with it, since she didn’t complain, but continued to purr even louder. It was absolutely adorable, and I loved hearing it come from her.
I could have easily spent the entire day like that; cuddled up with Twilight and running my muzzle over her neck. I could have caressed her for the entire day, doing nothing but just lying there with her. It was a perfect moment, bringing a wide smile to my muzzle as I rubbed into her neck.
On one of the rubs I did of her neck, she turned her head in mid-rub so that my muzzle ran under her chin and ended at her own muzzle. There was no hesitation as our muzzles touched, entering into a long and loving kiss with our eyes closing at the same time. I could even feel her heart beat increase slightly in her chest as our lips met.
Of course, I was surprised beyond belief when I felt Twilight’s tongue pressing against my lips, asking for entrance. I didn’t deny her. Her tongue snaked into my muzzle, exploring with inexperienced touches and innocent enthusiasm. My tongue wrestled with her own in a wet dance, but I let her keep the dominance, let her guide us.
It drew on longer than I thought it would. Our tongues played a passionate battle, never letting the other down. If it were up to me, it would have lasted forever, but at some point we had to break apart to breathe. Panting, we stared into each others eyes, just before our muzzles pressed against each other after a few deep breaths again.
Everything seemed like a dream. Never, I would’ve thought that Twilight would move on that quickly. A few deeper kisses, some touches, yes. But that she would tongue-wrestle me that soon? Never in my mind before. It was simply amazing, and I loved it. It sparked everything in me like a burning fire that longed for her.
She spun around in my grip, never breaking contact with my lips as she moved. After a few moments of awkward shuffling, she was facing me in my hooves, her chest pressed up against mine as our tongues lashed at one another. She wrapped her hooves around me and pulled me tightly against her, holding me in place as she fought my tongue for all her worth.
The feeling was incredible, having Twilight pressed up against me with her tongue in my muzzle. It felt right, to have her there with me in such an intimate way. I squeezed her slightly with my arms, pulling her as tightly as she held me, our tongues still locked in battle.
Our battle lasted for a few long moments, our tongues lashing against one another as Twilight’s tongue began getting more used to the moves of our dance. When we finally pulled away, we were both panting against one another, our muzzles only an inch apart as we got our breath back. Twilight was the first to speak, coming out with a little chuckle.
“That was incredible,” she said in a little whisper, moving forward to nuzzle against me gently as we laid there together. I only nodded in response, a smirk gracing my features as we stayed locked in our embrace. She really did sum it up perfectly though, it was incredible.
We stayed together for the rest of the afternoon, lying in the library. We’d read occasionally, but we stayed cuddled up and kissing for most of it, and whenever we weren’t cuddling, Twilight had her arms wrapped around that doll of hers. The only time we really had to break apart was whenever Spike called out that dinner was ready, and even then, it was only temporary.
I loved every minute of it.
***
“Do you want to go stargazing?” Twilight’s voice broke the silence of our reading session, making me jump a little in surprise. I had been reading the book Luna had given to me, and had been pretty taken by it. We hadn’t needed to speak much since dinner, we just enjoyed reading next to one another after our day together.
“What?” I asked, blinking a few times in surprise as I turned towards her.
“Well, we didn’t get a chance to look at the stars in the astronomy study in the ruins today. You looked a bit upset whenever we left, so I figured you were looking forward to it. Do you want to go stargazing?” she explained, giving me a loving smile as she shuffled up against me in a warm embrace.
“I would love to,” I whispered, softly nuzzling her.
She smiled at me brightly, “Did I ever show you my study upstairs?” she asked.
“I don’t think so,” I answered with a sweet kiss.
Twilight kissed me back softly, meeting my lips with her own before she pulled back and nodded, “Then let’s go upstairs. When we’re done, we can head to bed,” she said with a smile as she got up to her hooves.
Mhh, that sounds quite appealing.
She turned and slowly walked towards the doors. I slowly rose, noticing the soft sway in her hips and grinned. Alone, that small action made me raise that much faster and move hot on her tail. All the while she hummed as we left the library and went up the stairs.
The way to her private study was nearly the same as to our chambers. We just walked further down the hallway to another flight of stairs, one that led to the outer tower of her crystal castle. Twilight continued to hum all the way up to her study, only stopping after we stepped through the door, as if to await my opinion to it.
It was typical Twilight. Clean, sorted, stacks of books in every possible storage place, notes, quills and ink thoroughly stacked in some corners. A desk occupied the center of the room, with scattered papers and notes on top of it, obviously where Twilight did her most work. Behind the desk, there was a set of clear crystal doors that opened up onto a balcony, where I could see a telescope set up pointing towards the stars.
“I like it,” I said with a little grin, looking around the cluttered and yet somehow still orderly room. It fit Twilight pretty well, and it just reminded me so much more of why I liked her. I trotted over towards the door, taking the lead so I could open it for her.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said with a smile, following me over to the door. When I opened the door for her, she bowed her head towards me, “Thank you,” she said, giggling slightly as she slipped out onto the balcony with me following closely behind her.
Before I closed the doors, some cushions rushed through the doors, levitated by Twilight’s magic and settling down in front of the telescope. I noticed that they were arranged quite centered with the telescope lense, so I supposed that the snuggling wasn’t done for today. Not that I minded in the least.
Twilight smiled at me and settled down on the cushions, unfolding her wing and inviting me with a soft pat to her side. I didn’t need any second invitation, and quickly settled down at her side, enjoying the feeling of her coat against mine. I even couldn’t help a small purr from my lips on the feeling.
She giggled and leaned into me, rubbing her coat slightly against mine. That was a position I could always fall asleep or stay forever. Twilight powered her magic, which enveloped the telescope, switching it into a new position.
“Let’s start with some basic formations,” she yawned.
“Tired?” I asked.
“Kinda, yeah,” she admitted with a blush and I gave her a soft kiss.
“We can always do this another night if you’re too tired. I’m not really awake either,” I offered, giving her a soft smile as I nudged into her side softly.
She seemed to think on it for a few moments before she smiled softly, “Okay, but can we sleep out here tonight? It’s warm out,” she said, an almost foalish look of hope crossing her features as she asked.
I gave a little chuckle and nodded, “Sure,” I agreed, settling in against her and nuzzling into her pelt. It was a warm night, and the pillows were incredibly comfortable. We didn’t even need a blanket, we had each other, and that was more than enough. Twilight gave out a little sigh as she leaned up against me, wrapping her hooves around me as we snuggled in to start falling asleep.
It was so much better than sleeping alone.