Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

187 - Criminal Offense

Samantha tuned into another tracker and she saw that the pony she was tracking was looking at another pony, a stallion.

"I've done everything I can do, just let me do my job, dad." Her tracked pony rolled her eyes.

The stallion scowled at her. "You haven't tried enough. He has a herd, surely you can get in, even as a minor character?"

Samantha tuned out, boring politics didn't hold her interest at all. Why did she even tag that mare? She had almost zero scientific interest. Ah well. Samantha rolled upright as she heard the sound of a door opening.

Light spilled in and didn't go away, which was odd.

Celestia approached, looking miffed and imperious. Her wings were spread out and she looked down at Samantha with a careful scowl.

Was she in trouble? Was she still angry about--

"Samantha." Celestia looked down at her. "Are you aware you injured my sister?"

"She should make a full recovery." Samantha smiled gently. "By my--"

"You attacked her."

"Um, yes?" Samantha glanced around. The cool and steely tone Celestia was using was not her usual method of speech. "I..."

"You spied on me."

She was still angry at that! "I thought you weren't upset about that!"

"What did I say?"

Samantha shrank a little. "You said it wasn't right."

"You've done several things that are not right." Celestia sucked a breath through her teeth. "You will be tried, and I will be your judge. I will not be kind to a pony that hurt my sister."

Samantha began to tremble a little. Some of the magnitude of what may be happening dawned on her. "I didn't---"

"Rest yourself. Tomorrow we begin." She turned and stalked away, leaving the night guards behind her.

When the light retreated and the door closed, one of them snorted at her. "You're going to get it. Princess Celestia never looked so angry. She looked happier to see Queen Chrysalis, all things considered."

Tears began to build in Samantha's eyes. Sure, she'd made a mistake, but she would learn! She wasn't a bad pony... She sank to the floor, quivering and sniffling with building despair.

The other guard nudged the first one. "Now she looks like a proper prisoner. It's about time she felt like she was here for a real reason."

---

Night settled across from her mentor.

Nefertari smiled gently. "You seem tense."

Night let out a heave of a sigh. "Samantha's been imprisoned."

Nefer raised a brow. "The insane one? It surprises me she has not landed afoul of the law before now." She leaned forward. "Was it amusing?"

Night cracked a little smile. "She knocked out Luna in a single attack."

Nefer burst into laughter. "Priceless... I hope they don't remove her head for it, but that sounds exactly like her. I don't see what Silver sees in her, when he could--"

Night held up a hoof. "Nefertari, mentor... please."

She cleared her throat softly. "That was beneath me. She is a dear minion, and I wish her the best. With this distraction, have you been attending your practice?"

Night extended a wing and her grandfather appeared at her side beneath the wing. "We're getting used to one another, like this."

He nodded at Nefertari. "I don't understand this, exactly, but if it'll help Little Watch, I'll learn it."

Nefertari smiled. "You have a very agreeable ancestor... This is good. Departed one, your descendant seeks power to protect herself, and power to strike. Are you willing to be her right hand?" He looked at her oddly and she realized her error. "Hoof."

"Oh! Yes." He stepped forward. "What are you, exactly? I know she regards you with respect, but could you explain it to me?"

Nefertari dipped her head. "I am no descendant of yours, honored spirit. I am Nefertari, born of the Anubians. I will make no demands of you, for it is not my place to place requests or accept demands from spirits not of my blood."

She tilted her head a little. "You can ask, if you're polite. I'd hope you'd return the favor."

Nefertari raised a finger. "You're charmingly new to the spirit world. You think like the living... In time you will learn, there are rules, and etiquettes." Her eyes darted to Night Watch. "Now then, you seem to have mastered the art of calling him, but what of harnessing him?"

Night raised a brow.

"There are several ways in which our ancestors can be utilized. Let us begin with the most direct." She looked to the phantom. "Go to your descendant. Embrace her and imagine wearing her, like a fine suit. Bolster her from within and lend her your might."

He blinked at the very notion as he looked back to Night. "Are you... Night, do you want me to do this?" When she nodded, he circled around her, clearly uncertain. Despite that, he climbed onto her silently and wrapped his spectral legs around her. Suddenly he fell into her with a little gasp of surprise.

Night shivered at the sensation and tried to be still, but words spilled from her mouth. "What do I do now?" Those were not her words, or even her voice. She spoke the words of her departed grandfather.

Nefertari smirked softly. "As you have just learned, you can speak through your descendant, but that is not what she desires. Please, revered ancestor, lend her your strength."

There was a silence before Night gave a sudden gasp. She clenched her teeth a moment before she rose to her hooves. "I feel..."

"Overwhelming, at first," cautioned Nefertari. "Simply learn what it feels like, and be sure to thank your ancestor. This act, it drains him."

Night paled a little. Hurting her grandfather, that wasn't what she wanted.

Nefer saw the expression and smiled a little. "You are good to worry for him, but he will recover. In fact, he will get stronger with practice. Many spirits grow addicted to it. Right now, he can feel everything you feel. Right now... he is alive, if feeling your breath, and your hooves. Even if he is a stallion, and you are a mare, the feeling of being alive..."

Night looked down at her chest, to the unseen spirit inside of herself. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," came the reply with her own mouth, but not her voice. "I've never been a mare before..."

Nefertari clucked her tongue softly. "And not exploring. Using one so closely related has advantages."

"I would never even consider!" argued the dead stallion.

Night flushed at the thought of it. "Can we let him, hm, 'ride' other ponies?"

Nefer raised a brow. "Be careful of that. To allow a spirit into the flesh of the uninitiated is dangerous. Still, it can be done... Those closely bonded to you are most likely to accept it. Will you let your ancestor ride your husband? He might enjoy that, but don't do it without me present, just in case."

Night colored all the more vividly. "He's my grandfather!" She sat down and let out a slow breath. "Grandfather? Is that something you want?"

"I... if you wouldn't mind. I would like to hold you, even just once."

Night pinned her ears back. "I'll... ask Silver."

He suddenly fell from her, collapsing to the ground panting loudly.

Nefertari nodded at the tired spirit. "It is draining, as I warned. Rest." At her command, he was dismissed. "You are learning well, as is he. Of course, mastery of a single spirit is barely the start... A true shaman can interact with any spirit, just as I deal with your own ancestor as I do. You will find it far easier to deal with spirits that share relation to you, and it will grow harder the further they are separated. Being what you are, lunar pegasi spirits will come most easily, then solar pegasi, then other tribes of pony... Outside that, most difficult. When you can order one of my companions to go away, then I will know I stand with a peer instead of a student."

That was a challenge, and the sort that motivated Night. She nodded firmly. "I will do that then. Thank you, for teaching me."

Nefer smiled toothily. "All things come with a price."

Night tensed. "And just what price do you refer to?"

Nefer reached across and landed a single finger on Night's nose. "Nothing you will begrudge me for taking. For now, focus on your studies. I want you to call him daily and learn to work with him riding you. Learn the limits of your combined strength, and when you should let him relax. He will grow stronger as you practice."

Night looked Nefer over curiously. "Do you let a spirit ride you?"

"Only in the most dire of situations... And there are... rules." She raised a brow. "To be ridden in a proper duel is a grave offense, to the spirits, but mostly, to yourself. Any match worthy of calling a duel is one you should win with your own strength. No, save your spirits for when raw strength is required, or you need endurance. Not to win your battles for you."

Night glanced where her grandfather was a moment ago. "Show me how to banish a spirit like that, in case I run into a bad one."

She smiled. "There's a good request..." She rose to her full height. "But know that to banish like that is a direct contest of your will and theirs."

With a gesture, a plant appeared. It wasn't a normal plant. Night could see through it. Did plants have spirits?

"Of course they do," spoke Nefer with a smile. "Plants are alive, are they not? Make the spirit of this river fern retreat."

Night had her challenge.

---

Tears streaming from her face, Samantha tuned into her family, Night first. Her alpha mare was... staring at nothing. NefNef was there. What were they doing?

NefNef looked up suddenly. Had she been seen? Could everypony see her suddenly?! She flicked off the view just in case even as a sniffle quietly issued out into the darkness.

Maybe Silver... She tuned in on him to find him trying to write, but doing a poor job. He made a few scratches before he brought down a hoof on the desk he was working at, growling. "Samantha..."

Aw, he did care. She smiled a little, feeling just a bit lifted from the outburst. It was unfortunate the trackers were made for information gathering only. She couldn't speak or communicate back through them.

"Hold on..."

Was he talking to her? She tilted her head in the dark, confused.

"Just don't do anything stupid."

She never did stupid things! Well, sure, she had performed a few errors, but what is life, what is science without some errors to learn from? She sat up and wiped her teary eyes. She was many things, but stupid was not one of them. "I'll figure this out."

"What?" One of the guards had heard her.

"Oh, just, you know, science things..."

Author's Note:

The story, it continues!

Night is avoiding the Type-As along her path to shamanism while Samantha soaks in the Type-Bs in the dungeon.

Comments

[Shadow Lance]

if i was her, i would not study in these dark arts, after all she already can channel strength threw her fangs and with some enchanted equipment, she could enhance her strength

[Amethyst Blade]

7266738 Have a little variety could do wonders in battle.
Heard there was a country that losed in a war because they relied too much on one single type of missile/rocket.

Hmmm...what will Samantha do?

[Not so New Brony]

Huh, Samantha's tracking spell can't detect spirits, interesting. Though what's more interesting is how Silver seems to be communicating with her. Wonder if it's an Alicorn thing.

[tsaukpaetra]

Banish a plant? Kill it with spirit fire!
Celestia's show shook Samantha pretty deeply, certainly she's beginning to properly think on things a bit more. Keep going! ;)

[Daremo]

saw the pony - saw that the pony

climbed on her - climbed onto her

but tried to be still - and tried to be still

*****

even as a minor character?

Wait...what?? Go back to that one Samantha! Is someone operating at author level in the Silververse?

The lesson with Nefertari was interesting, but Samantha has my full attention at the moment.

Princess Celestia is in full angry and disappointed mom mode and it seems to be having the desired effect. Poor Samantha is starting to realize the gravity of her circumstances but not to the point where she will be broken. I'm fairly confident that the Princess can teach her how to be a better pony without dimming her adorkable spirit of exploration and learning.

[shinybob606]

Celestis sucked a breath through her teeth.

Celestia

[Booster Spice]

Takes a very carefully set up system so that the target doesnt know its being observed, at least directly, still not sure about the secondary effects, otherwise, by the rules somethiong being observed has to interact with the observer.

Night might be working on a River fern now, but bet she will be having a whale of a time with the Pot Of Petunias spirit.

Tommorow is Samanthas big day. Here comes the judge, here comes the judge.

[Daremo]

To add to my first comment -

Some people have clamored for a strong, more authoritative Princess Celestia. Well here she is and it's not the satisfying experience they might have envisioned, is it?

I mean, even though I know that the Princess is acting more angry and disdainful than she actually is, I still feel nervous for Samantha.

[David Silver]

7266977 Typos fixed! Tomorrow should an exciting day, right?

[Daremo]

7267073

by the rules somethiong being observed has to interact with the observer.

You're referring to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which only applies to the world of quantum mechanics. On a level that tiny any instrument we can build would likely affect whatever is being imaged. Where we live, on the macroscopic scale, it's absolutely possible to observe in a way that does not influence what is being observed.

[David Silver]

7267583 At least, not in a meaningful way. Taking a few photons from someone to see them will have no real effect on anything on the macroscopic level.

[harts fire]

yes Samantha this is real and you defiantly bucked up.

[LunaEpona]

Yay! All the types! At this point I have to say....I am imagining Samantha wearing a white lab coat and spouting things in a bad German accent. Some pony get that mare a repeating hypodermic needle gun! And a white dove with a blood fetish.

[Shadow Lance]

not to pry, but do you make enough money to not need to go to a job?

[David Silver]

7269208 I'm self-employed.

[Shadow Lance]

7269384 nice. hope your doing well!!!

[Trixterforrester]

This whole shaman thing is really starting to remind me of an anime I used to watch as a kid which was aptly called 'Shaman King', now was this just a coincidence or was there some inspiration going on with Night and Nefertari's current arc?

[David Silver]

7499766 I didn't have that in mind, but I did see it?

[Typist Gray]

Nefetari has a good attitude about all this. It actually makes me wonder how Samantha fared in the Sombra universe.

[NightmintHLW]

He tilted her head a little. "You can ask, if you're polite. I'd hope you'd return the favor."

he walked over and tilted nefnefs head?

[David Silver]

8339797
Fixed.

[Alvsecret]

"You've done several things that are not right." Celestis sucked a breath through her teeth. "You will be tried, and I will be your judge. I will not be kind to a pony that hurt my sister."

Celestis?