//------------------------------//
// 195 - As a Family 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Samantha returned to her home to find Silver and Night playing with the foals. All four looked up at her as she opened the door and it was a lovely moment. She smiled, they smiled, and hugs were given and taken in equal quantity. She hefted up the foals and began to juggle them in her magic as her quill danced across her notepad. "I have completed my assignment."

Silver tilted his head. "It took longer today. We were a little worried."

Night nodded. "Glad to see you're alright. What was the assignment?"

"I went on a date," reported Samantha as she set the two foals down and nuzzled either. "Very educational."

Silver blinked at that. "A date? With Luna?"

Night bristled at the very idea of it.

"Hmm? No. One of her guards who had shown an interest in me earlier." Samantha clopped her forehooves as she sat on her haunches. "Oh! We did not engage in any intimacies greater than a shared drink. A complete log of the event is available." She tapped at the floating notepad. "Luna said she would require a report, so I was extra thorough."

Night calmed down quickly. "A guard? Did, er, who?"

"Midnight Belle?"

Night perked her ears. "I know him... was he polite?"

"He performed several infractions of the golden rule." Samantha tapped her book. "But they were minor infractions, not worthy of immediate detainment or action. I would have corrected him, but he didn't seem... receptive?"

Silver smiled with a building joy. "And how could you tell that?"

Samantha rolled a hoof slowly. "When I pointed out other things, he rarely took interest and often focused on the negative aspect of what I was saying. He did not enjoy being informed by me."

Silver smooched her cheek. "You really are learning."

Night smiled suddenly. "You're right. That's a major step, reading a pony like that."

Samantha looked confused at the praise. "What did I do?"

Silver poked her in the chest. "You understood and reacted to a pony's emotions. Even I mess that up sometimes." He tapped his chin, "You're really growing."

Samantha began to smile, brightened as she understood the praise being given to her. "Am I better then?"

Night raised a hoof as she shook her head. "Better, sure, but it's up to Luna if you're 'all' better. Be sure to tell her what you told us tonight."

Samantha pointed at her notebooks. "It's in here. I also met an interesting pony, a goat. He did a 'reading' for me, though it seemed more of an interpretation than a reading... He drew one card from a large deck and proclaimed it had great significance for me."

"Tarot?"

Samantha blinked at Silver. "You know him?"

"Him?" Silver shook his head. "That's the name of cards, though usually used in spreads of, like, five or so?"

Samantha gave a soft 'oh'. "Well, he must be named for being good with them. He read the card for me, but I did some reading too. I think I understand it now."

Night raised a brow. "And what--" She scooped up Morning Glory as he made to take advantage of the lack of focus on him. "What did you find out?"

Samantha flipped through her book. "The answer to my progress is in the hands of my mother, who is dead, but I have an idea how to remedy that!"

Silver tilted his head at Samantha, then glanced at Night, who was also glancing at him, meeting his gaze. "Do you mean?"

"I'll ask NefNef!" Samantha tucked her notebook away. "She's an experienced shaman, so either she knows how to do it, or I will have to abandon this line of thinking."

Night blinked in surprise. "Nefertari?"

Samantha tilted her head at Night's expression. "Is that a bad idea?"

"N-no, I suppose not, but..."

Silver gestured to Night. "Why not keep this in the family?"

Samantha didn't get it. "My mother is certainly a member of my family by biological qualification, is she not?"

Night spread her wings in annoyance. "I'm a shaman too!"

Samantha blinked softly, looking back and forth between her lovers before it ticked. "Oh! You wish me to employ your services, as a measure of confidence, just as I would hope you would turn to me for all things scientific." She put a hoof at her chest. "Very well, I accept your offer. We will contact her tomorrow?"

Night blinked as the entire conversation spun on her suddenly. She realized she had never conjured a spirit besides her grandfather. "Oh, I'm..."

"We should get some sleep." Samantha plucked up the foals and carried them off to the nursery.

Silver turned to the stunned Night Watch. "Are you up for this? I'll calm her down if you want me to."

Night took a slow breath. "Will you be there?"

Silver blinked softly. "If you want me to, then I will be, gladly."

Night nodded, and they went to bed without another word on the matter until morning came for them.

Samantha was up and ready to seize the day. "I'll speak to Luna, deliver my report, and explain that I will be occupied for the remainder of the day. While I am away, you may wish to use the time to prepare for contacting my mother." She tilted her head. "I'm not sure how that's done, but I will have trust in my herd-sister." She smiled her guileless smile and trotted off towards her meeting with the Princess.

Night watched her go before turning to Silver. "I'm not sure I can do this."

Silver blinked. "But... look, why don't you talk to your teacher? Maybe she'll have some advice about doing this."

"Right, yes, good idea." Night gave a firm nod as she rose to her hooves. "Well, you wanted to see, come on." She left the room with Silver trailing behind. "It's... about time you met her, this way."

She knocked softly on the door. "Nefertari?"

The door opened, but there was no one present to do the opening.

Night bristled faintly. "We meet again. I'm here to talk to Nefertari, where is she?"

"She's busy. She's important, unlike you... It's--"

"Don't talk to my wife that way." Silver strode forward. "You have no--" His voice cut off abruptly as dread ice spread across his lips, sealing his snout shut.

Night hissed at her foe. "Begone!" She felt an intense resistance to the word, in her very soul that pushed forward like moving a boulder, but it was quiet and still. "I..."

Silver's horn glowed as he conjured fire magic to dispel the frost sealing his ability to speak. "What was that, a ghost?"

Night nodded stiffly. "Yes, but... I think I got rid of it."

Silver looked her over. "You seem surprised."

Night let out a nervous laugh. "I never did that before..."

"You're a talented pony." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'm hardly surprised that you'd do anything well that you put your head towards. Let's find Nefertari."

They went off to do that, while Samantha reached Luna's room. Only one guard was present, and he nodded to her with a smile. He seemed happy to see her and even opened the door for her without even being asked to. "Have fun."

That was curious, but Samantha didn't question the good behavior very hard and trotted past the guard. "Have a good day too!" That was polite, she was certain.

Inside were Midnight and Luna. Luna was looking down at Midnight in a classic domination pose. Was she? No, she'd made that mistake once already. She was probably doing something more intricate than an invitation to breed.

"Ah, there she is." Luna looked up from Midnight to Samantha. "Would you grace us with the report you have prepared for us from last evening's activities?"

Samantha was ready for that! With a sparkle of magic, her notebook appeared and flopped just before Luna. "Here you are, yesterday's notes. I wasn't sure what data you required, so I erred on the side of safety and recorded as much as I could."

Luna's magic seized the notebook and flipped it open, browsing quickly from one side to the other in an amazing feat of speed reading. "Remarkable. Would you like to see Midnight's notes?"

"I would!" She bobbed her head. The comparison of their notes would surely increase the-- What? Samantha looked down at the one lonely paper with two messily scrawled lines on it. Those weren't notes. Those didn't even qualify as a header! She felt... She... felt... She tried to sort through those emotions and arrived. "I'm angry."

"That makes for two of us." Luna nodded and looked to the shamed-looking Midnight. "What have you to say for yourself?"

"I'm not a unicorn!" he protested loudly. "I can't just take notes in the middle of things like she can."

Samantha paled faintly. Was it her fault? "Oh, I'm sorry. You should have asked me to give you space to take proper notes. I--"

Luna held up a hoof of silence. "The fault is not with you, Samantha. Midnight, it is not the length alone that bothers me. It's not that you didn't take it as things were happening." She tapped Samantha's thick book. "This, I don't expect. You spent the evening wishing you weren't there. When it was over, all that you remembered is that you didn't want to be there, and that you had a miserable time."

Samantha felt a new emotion welling up in her. He didn't want to be with her? She thought they were having a good time. What did she do wrong? Could she not even handle a date correctly? She felt a pain in her eyes and Luna reached for her. "And now you've made her cry. Was she that awful?" She brushed the tears away.

Midnight took a slow step backwards. "I--This was your idea, mistress."

"And so what if it was? Is it not your duty to carry out my ideas?" Luna rose to her full height, towering over the both of them. "If I asked you to woo a common dog, would that not be your sole goal in your life until the task was completed?"

Luna tore into the guard for his laxness, but Samantha was barely hearing it. She had failed the last day entirely. She was a miserable date. She would never get the hang of this. She just... wanted to understand ponies. Why were they so complicated! "What do you want!?"

Both Luna and Midnight looked towards Samantha at the sudden exclamation.

Samantha rose to her hooves, looking at Midnight with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "What. Do. You. Want?" Several needles appeared from nowhere, hovering dangerously around her. "Answer me or I'll extract the data directly."

Luna put out a hoof slowly. "Samantha, I need you to listen to me right now and nothing else in the world. Put those needles down."

"Why?!" Samantha turned on Luna. "I will learn! I will... figure this out..." She collapsed, sobbing. The needles clattered to the ground around the crying unicorn.

Midnight blinked out of his shock. "She's crazy!"

Luna struck her guard suddenly, bringing down a wing with enough force to knock him back into the door to the room. "You are dismissed! Get out of my sight!"

The door opened, allowing Midnight to fall into the hallway. The other guard pointed away, following Luna's orders for the moment before the door closed.

Luna focused her gaze on Samantha. "Catch your breath. It's alright. You did nothing wrong." She grit her teeth softly. "I was the one that... I shouldn't have used you like that."

"Used me?" Samantha peeked up from her mess. "What do you mean?"

"That stallion never liked you." Luna sighed softly. "He had a grudge against you from the start... The date was as much a punishment for him as a chance for you to practice. It was wrong of me. If you're going to be angry at anypony, you have right to be furious at me. I failed you, as a teacher."

Samantha slowly sat up. "But... the notes?"

Luna tapped the notes. "I will read them, in depth, later. This I swear. For now, relax. You did what I asked you to do, and did it well." She ventured a little smile. "You were a fine date. It's his loss that he was too blinded by his own anger to enjoy the mare beside him."