"And if we rearrange this equation like this..." Barsley gave a yawn and leaned against the whiteboard, "Then we see that there are multiple possible solutions." the chalk in his hand gave a small squeak as he brought it down again, "So in this system, the actual solution will be determined by what boundary conditions we define to it." Barsley turned around to face the audience, a short murmur escaping the ponies as they noticed the black bags under his eyes, "Any questions?"
The professor was greeted with silence... and furious scribbling as the ponies took note, "No? Huh... that's good then, isn't it?" he sighed, "Again, don't hesitate to ask if there is something you do not understand. There aren't any stupid questions, just stupid answers." he paused, "How much longer till the end of class?"
"You still have a good fifteen minutes." Bluefire remarked with a smirk and watched Barsley's shoulders sag. Bluefire took a look at his notes, "Could you explain that part about general solutions to alternating potentials again?"
"You listened to that? Really?!" Barsley made a shocked face.
"Of course, why else would I be here?" Bluefire asked.
Barsley raised an eyebrow, "That's a new one... Back when in my days I usually spent class sleeping."
"Sleeping?" Bluefire made a bewildered face, "How did you learn anything then?"
"Midnight study one night before the exam?" Barsley replied with a small smile.
"You have got to be kidding me."
"Wanna bet?" Barsley smirked, but quickly dropped the smirk when he saw Bluefire's disapproving face, "Alright, alright... Back to the board, I guess."
---
"A dab of scopolamine... some benzodiazepines..." Penceleigh shifted through her vials, "Ah, yes... that should do." she pulled out one of the vials and poured some of it into the glass. "Maybe some more just to be sure..." she paused, "Where did I put my sodium pentothal?"
"Professor Penceleigh?" Celestia carefully opened the doors and looked inside, "Are you there?"
Penceleigh's head appeared from behind countless flask, a set of huge goggles blinking at Celestia, "Oh, princess. What can I do for you?"
Celestia raised an eyebrow, "You... invited me for tea?"
The eyes behind the goggles blinked a couple of times in surprise before realization settled in on Penceleigh's features, "Yes! Of course! Please beg pardon for the mess, I was just finishing an experiment. Do come in, this will only take one more moment!"
Celestia nodded with a small smile, this was certainly a side of Penceleigh she had not seen before. It seemed she was just as devoted to her work as her colleagues. "May I ask, what it is you are preparing, professor Penceleigh?"
"Something very special..." Penceleigh chuckled, "Oh... do call me Abby, princess. It helps to shorten the introductions and I never was fond of titles."
"Only if you call me Celestia." she smiled as she walked inside, "I too, sometimes tire of titles."
"Girls among girls, then?" Penceleigh looked over her notes, searching through them like a child digging for treasure, "Could you pass me the amylobarbitone?"
Celestia looked around herself in wonder, the walls were packed with closets... and all of them were filled with different vials, envelopes and bottles containing different ingredients she could not even hope to decipher... not to mention that all of them were labeled in the human language. "I am afraid that I don't know what I should be looking for..."
"Third closet to the right, second shelf... the one with the white powder inside." Penceleigh absent-mindedly pointed a finger towards the shelf and continued to stir the contents of the glass as she heated them up over a small flame.
Celestia walked up the shelf and let her gaze travel over the contents, "I can't see it."
"No?" Penceleigh readjusted her goggles, "Try the closet next to it. I must have moved it yesterday."
"Yes, there it is." Celestia floated the small bottle to the professor, "So... what are you preparing?"
Penceleigh grabbed the bottle and looked up with a big grin, "A truth serum!"
---
The guard stationed outside professor Penceleigh's lab allowed a small smile to appear on his face as he heard his princess and the human female on the other side chat. He couldn't understand all of it, but the giggling and occasional laugh were a clear sign that the two were having a good time.
Which was good, the princess deserved all the good time she could get. All of the guards knew how strenuous her chores were and that even if she would never permit them to see it, her burdens weighed heavily on her shoulders.
His thoughts were interrupted as the door was opened from the inside... and princess Celestia poked her head out with a small smile, "Private Green Frolic?"
"Yes, my princess?" he asked after a nervous salute.
"Would you mind coming inside for a short moment?"
"Of course not, my princess." Frolic replied, even though unsure what situation would require his presence, "Is there anything you need assistance with?"
"No, no..." Celestia beckoned him inside, "We just thought you would like a cup of tea."
"Tea?" he seemed unsure, "But, princess... I mean technically I am on duty and..."
"It's quite alright, Green Frolic." she ushered him towards a small table, "Please, be seated."
Green Frolic tentatively sat down, wondering if he should be nervous or consider himself lucky.
"There you go!" professor Penceleigh sat down a cup of tea in front of him... with a strange color and an even stranger smell to it, "Drink up!"
"Aren't you going to have any?"
"Oh, no. We already had enough..." Penceleigh didn't take her eyes off him, "Come on, better drink before it gets cold!"
"Are you sure this is tea?" he eyed the liquid with worry, "It doesn't really..."
"Private."
Green Frolic looked up into the face of his ruler, "Yes, my princess?"
"Drink the tea."
He cringed, "Yes, my princess."
---
"This is incredible!" Celestia whispered to Penceleigh in wonder, "I didn't think it would work so quickly!"
Private Green Frolic was currently sitting at the table with a distant look in his eyes, the empty cup still standing in front of him, "My cat is called Shimmerbutton... My mother still sends me cookies, which I eat when nopony is looking... I sometimes peek on the mares when I don't think they're looking..."
"Potency seems good too." Penceleigh chuckled.
A small flush appeared on Celestia's cheeks, "Oh, my..."
"I wet my bed until I was twelve... In fifth class I told my teacher I had to go to my grandmother's funeral when really I just had forgotten my homework... I always carry a lucky sock with me..." his eyes dilated slightly, "Why do I have a sock?" he continued, "I can't whistle... and I think princess Celestia has the hottest..."
"Alright!" Celestia quickly held his mouth shut as her cheeks burned a crimson red, "I think that is enough for today..."
"I mean, you could play the drums on those beautiful..."
Celestia quickly replaced her hoof over his mouth, her blush still increasing as she pleaded with Penceleigh, "You wouldn't happen to have something that causes short-time memory loss too, would you?"
Penceleigh tried to suppress a snort of laughter, "I'll see what I can do. But let me get some notes first..."
"I have a poster of princess Celestia over my bed... and when I'm alone I..."
"Now, Abby!"