//------------------------------// // 185 - Scientific Sentence // Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat // by David Silver //------------------------------// Samantha bounced up and down a little impatiently. They had forbidden her from writing. Writing! Of all the things they could take away... "How am I supposed to notate my findings?" She frowned into the dark. It was quite dark. That cell was cold, hard, and dark. "Excuse me?" She looked towards where she knew the guards were, though she couldn't see them. "Is it alright if I write just a little?" A sigh came from the dark. "Settle down and wait for your proper sentencing. You're under arrest. This isn't supposed to be comfortable." "I don't mind the discomfort." Samantha tapped at her chin. "I just want to make notes about it. I could be being productive while I wait." At least they hadn't found her tracking interfaces. With a flick of an ear, she could hear what was around Silver. "--took her away," came Silver's voice. "I hope she behaved herself... We have to get her out." That was Night Watch, her alpha mare. Samantha smiled in the darkness. Her family cared for her, and that was all the warmth she needed. "And a quill..." She had so many notes to make! Jails were so annoying! A face appeared at the bars and she flicked the sound off. "Prisoner. I have some questions for you. You will answer them, or you will be unhappy." Samantha tilted her head at the figure that she could vaguely determine to be a lunar pegasus. "Ask away. I will report to the best of my ability." This was more interesting than not taking notes by far. She could answer questions! "Do you always arm yourself with potentially lethal drugs?" Samantha tilted her head. "Against a normal pony, I know the proper dosage for safe subdual. I wasn't sure how much to use on a pony of Luna's purported power and considerable mass. To her credit, she withstood it for longer than most before she lost consciousness." That answer didn't seem to please the pony. "Are you aware your drug can kill?" "Well, of course." Samantha tilted her head. "Any medicine can kill if improperly used. Every doctor in Equestria has regular access to a lethal array of weaponry." "And you selected this... weapon... to use on the Princess... why?" "I was hoping to slow her down." Samantha tapped at her chin. "I misjudged the dosage severely, an error on my part." The pony slammed the bars suddenly. "She is a princess. You do not 'slow down'..." He took a slow breath. "Do you confess to attacking royalty?" Samantha blinked softly. "I did throw the dart at her." "At least sentencing will be easy." The figure turned away. "Did she attack you, by chance?" "Mm? She scared my husband, but no, she didn't attack." "Easy..." He prowled away into the darkness, lost but for the faint clip-clop of his hooves on the stone floor. Samantha sank to the floor. Answering questions had been better than nothing, but she was back to nothing. Alright, it was time to science up an answer! She frowned and rolled over, thinking of her situation. Subduing the guards would only get her in more trouble, she feared. "Excuse me?" She rolled upright. "Guard?" "You're a very noisy prisoner." But, so far, polite. "What is it?" Samantha scrambled to her hooves and approached the bars. "May I inspect you?" There was a moment of silence. "Do what?" "Inspect you. I have a limited access to lunar pegasi." Samantha tapped at her cheek. "I would be a poor scientist if I assumed Night Watch was the perfect example of all things lunar pegasus related. Something to compare to would be invaluable." "You do realize you're in prison, don't you?" "Oh, of course." Samantha waved it off. "I won't go anywhere, promise, but that doesn't mean my brain turns off. Come here, please. I'm certain you're a fine specimen of lunar pegasus." The guard did come closer, becoming faintly visible in the gloom. He was wearing the armor of a night guard. "If this is a trick to escape, it will only get you in more trouble than you already are." Samantha shook her head. "I'll be good." Since her stallion had requested it of her. She was fairly certain she could escape if she really put her head into it. "I can't see very well in the dark, can you come closer?" "This is obviously a trick." He frowned, scowling at Samantha. "I come in, and you knock me out and take the keys." A fine idea, or so Samantha thought, but she had promised... "I just want to look at you. Give your keys to another guard if you have to." "You're married to a lunar pegasus, aren't you?" He leaned in towards the bars. "You have a lunar fetish?" Samantha blinked at that with confusion. "I like Night Watch." "And you want to 'inspect' me?" "Yes, please." Samantha smiled and sat up straight. They were getting somewhere! He gave a soft snort. "I can handle one night-loving unicorn." He set down some things outside the cell and the door slid open. He looked... different, ah, he wasn't wearing his armor that had covered his features. She smiled with triumph and curiosity and approached the guard. "Let's have a look at you." He held up a hoof at her. "I'm not the only guard on duty. Don't try anything funny." "Science is not funny." Samantha rolled her eyes then got to inspecting the guard with eyes and hooves. Her hooves proved more able to take in details in the darkness, and examining the guard was much more fun than waiting for something to happen. She made mental notes as she went, but even she knew her mental notes were terrible. If she didn't write it down, it was almost as good as lost. It wasn't science, not really, it was just something to do. "Higher." She tilted her head, then raised a hoof, pressing down on a firm bit of his back and getting a happy sigh from him. Was she giving a therapeutic massage? She'd not done that before. Giggling with excitement, she got into the act, focused entirely on it as if the world didn't exist around her. "What are you doing?" came the voice of another guard, female. The pony that had been melting under her hooves went suddenly tense. "Oh, uh, n-nothing!" He gathered himself to his full height. "Just making sure she didn't smuggle anything in." "And getting felt up by her along the way?" The other guard snorted softly. "Stallions, all the same. Fine, enjoy her, but if she gets out..." "She won't!" Samantha glanced between the pony before her and the voice in the darkness. "I promised I would behave properly. I won't leave until you tell me I'm allowed to." The guard before her gestured at her. "See, she's harmless." "They're all harmless until they're not." The female stalked away with a bit of a grumble. Samantha tried to resume her massage, but he brushed her hooves away. "I have a question." "I will answer to the best of my ability." He smiled at her. "Good... Why did you attack Princess Luna? You don't... seem... Why?" Samantha tilted her head. "I was protecting my family." His ears pinned quickly. "I see... But she wasn't attacking, right?" "She had already attacked." Samantha tapped at her chin. "She demoralized and panicked my husband and refused to disclose exactly what she had done." "You can't go attacking royalty for saying things you don't like." He clopped the floor before him. "Even when you're married to one." A thought came to Samantha and she spread her hooves. "Can you extend your wings fully?" He blinked, but did so, spreading out his huge leathery wings for her to measure roughly with her hooves as she made soft murmuring noises. "What? Do you see something?" "You have a larger wingspan than she does." "Who?" "Night Watch." He shook his head. "Most mares are smaller than most stallions." He rose to his hooves. "Look, I should go." His presence was infinitely better than silence. "Wait! Can't we talk more?" "That bored, huh? Well, that's a part of jail." He stepped from the cell and closed it behind himself with a swipe of a wing. "What you did was wrong." "I'm sorry?" He smiled thinly. "It'll be up to Princess Luna. Save your apologies for her." He vanished off into the dark and she flopped to the ground. It was back to having nothing to do. She flicked an ear and suddenly saw what Surprise was up to. She was baking cakes and whistling. "You really cheer up the foals," she said. "Their parents don't seem quite as happy..." came an unknown voice that became identified quickly as Surprise turned to face a strange pony monster making cakes with its tongues as grasping digits. Fascinating... "Oh please, maybe the first time." Surprise waved it away. "They learn you're a good pony in no time at all." Surprise had an interesting new friend. Samantha found herself wanting desperately to rush over and see this new specimen for herself. What tribe were they? Perhaps they were a kind of friendly monster?! She had to know! She kicked into the darkness and groaned at her inability to perform proper science. Jail sucked! She turned the channel, as it were, tuning into Princess Celestia. She was looking in a mirror. "Hello Samantha." Samantha blinked. "Yes, I know you're watching me." She brushed gently through her mane. "I was waiting for you to look so I could speak to you directly. I will be removing these... trackers now." Samantha's expression fell to despair. "Aw, no hard feelings. I know you're trying to learn, but this isn't the way. By the way, my sister is doing fine." Celestia glanced away and back. "She probably deserved that, but you shouldn't go attacking ponies, even then." The feed cut, and soon all the other trackers on Celestia went dark.