Knight of Equestria - On Distant Shores

by SupraMacPringles

Chapter 5: The Furthering of Science

Deep within the bowels of the library there was a small makeshift laboratory, which was once the basement. Many exposed roots and machines of various sizes and designs covered the walls. Large glass tubes were filled with unidentifiable liquids. Matt took a moment to breathe it all in; It was magnificent.

Twilight had led him down here after awkwardly asking that he participate in a 'little project', leaving Spike to clean up the place. He initially wanted to deny her request, but found it hard to deny the person providing his home. Besides, how could he stifle the furthering of science?

He was looking around the room, marveling at the amount of equipment she had in such a small place. Twilight was getting out certain things she'd need for writing a detailed report.

"Thanks again for helping me with this." she said as she rummaged through a box in the corner of the room.

"It's no problem, though you haven't explained exactly what we're doing." he said, still standing at the bottom of the stairs.

She dug her head out of the box and levitated a few pieces of paper over to him.

"Something like this. Just so the princess knows what to expect."

The papers she gave him had detailed drawings of various creatures, all accented with various notes. Among them were a Griffon, a Dragon, a Draconaquis, and an insect-like creature labeled Changeling. It would seem that she wanted to catalog him for future reference.

"Ah, I see. I suppose that'll be fine."

She had seemingly found what she was searching for and motioned Matt to approach a small table in the center of the room.

"Now, just place your hoov- er, hands, on here."

The table had four silver half-circle ornaments on it. He placed his wrists in the middle-most two.

"I wonder why she needs me in this position..." he thought."These four silver things look like shackles... or handcuffs."

Just as he finished his thought, the outer two semi-circles began to glow purple and snapped shut. His arms were locked into position. He couldn't move. He also couldn't see Twilight. His mind began fearfully going through the possibilities.

"I'm trapped. What does she intend to do with me? I can't hear her, I can't see her..." His thoughts began to settle on what he thought was the most probable. His breathing began to pick up. "Oh no. This is it, isn't it? She's going to..." he gulps, "I should've guessed it. I'd make a better specimen dead."

"Are you ready?" he heard her ask.

"Not like this... I always thought I'd be killed in my sleep. But as a research specimen? If only I could break these cuffs..."

He could see a shadow being cast from behind him, and it was lifting something decently large over his head. He closed his eyes and tried to duck in preparation for the worst.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Matt didn't reply, so she assumed that there was something wrong. She had just finished searching for her readout helmet, which she hadn't used since an incident with Pinkie Pie awhile ago. From her position behind him, she could tell that his body was trembling. She began to lift up the helmet and paused when his head drooped. She delicately lowered it onto his head and then circled to a suitable position in front of him.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

He opened his eyes to see Twilight sitting a few feet in front of him. He felt something on his head and glanced up to investigate. There was a strange kind of headgear adorned with many lights resting on it. He looked back to Twilight, then to the helmet. A wave of realization hit him and he let out a relieved sigh.

"Oh... you just... ha-ha..." he said, trying to recompose himself.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. She was immensely confused at this point.

"I'm fine; I just... had a misconception."

"Are you sure?" she said, still looking mildly confused.

"Yes. It's just... the place I come from is a bit more... hostile. And the, uh... shackles... were a bit unexpected."

She looked a tad embarrassed, almost as if slamming them down was just something she did without noticing.

"Oh, those. Sorry, they just keep you in place so the helmet's reading doesn't get altered by movement. I probably should've said something first." she said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Probably." he said, "It's not a problem, though. You can start."

Her face lit up with joy at his words.

"Alright. I'll start with a few questions." she brought a clipboard to eye level.

Twilight began asking him questions, starting with basic things such as species name, abilities, and behavioral patterns. Matt responded to every question without hesitation, making the process go that much faster. She eventually began circling him and taking notes on physical appearance. She stopped when she noticed an odd mark on his right arm.

"What is that?" she said, moving closer to inspect it. "Some kind of birth mark?"

Matt looked down and his expression darkened. The mark in question was a dark line starting at the base of his palm and traveling up most of his forearm.

"No, that's... That's a scar."

He stared at it for a few seconds after that, seemingly lost in thought. She decided to move on and not ask about it.

"Alright, last question. Do your species have something similar to a cutie mark?"

His face turned into a rather large grin.

"I'm sorry, a what?"

"A cutie mark." she turned to face her side. "That mark on my flank? It appears when a pony discovers their special talent."

From the smile on his face, she could tell he was choking back laughter. He didn't falter however and answered her question.

"No, we uh... We just find them for ourselves."

She seemed satisfied enough with that answer. She released the shackles then unplugged and removed the helmet. Matt rubbed his wrists. Though the restraints weren't tight, it felt good to have his arms back. Twilight grabbed a large stack of paper out of a small bin that had a zigzagged red line on it. He guessed that it was the data from the helmet. They both headed back upstairs.

When they emerged, they found Spike re-shelving books. Most of the piles in the room had already been put back in their proper places, and it was dark outside.

"Good work, Spike." Twilight said, clearly pleased with his progress.

"As always."

Twilight chuckled. "Yes, I know. Anyway, I need you take a letter."

He scampered off and returned with quill and parchment in hand.

"Dear princess Celestia, I am pleased to inform you of the discovery of a new species in Equestria that arrived here two days ago via a trans-dimensional accident. I..."

Matt didn't pay much attention to what she was sending, instead planning his remaining time there based on what he assumed he had left.

"Now, if their postal service is anything like homes, it'll probably be at least a week before the letter gets there. Which raises the question of how someone can just send a letter to royalty anytime they want? Regardless, it'll probably be another week for the return letter to get here. So if I take the left half of the library this week, I can-"

His train of thought stopped when he noticed a large puff of flame had incinerated the data and letter.

"Huh? But... why...?" he said, trying to formulate a sentence.

Twilight, on the other hand, merely giggled at his apparent plight.

"Don't worry, that's just how we send letters to the princess. She should send a reply shortly."

He felt relieved that he wouldn't have to sit for another hour and get quizzed on mankind again, but her response just raised more questions.

"So... If you send them through Spike, how does she send the replies?"

For the first time since he arrived, Twilight looked absolutely stumped. Before she could respond, a rather unceremonious belch erupted from Spike, which somehow manifested itself into a scroll. Spike caught it, unrolled it, and read through it.

"She says she wants to see us in Canterlot tomorrow. Oh, and to bring Matt with us." he said, summarizing.

Canterlot. Matt had read quite a bit about it. It had been the capital city of Equestria for at least nine-hundred years. If he was right, it was the large castle like structure clearly visible from anywhere in Ponyville.

Twilight had since grabbed the letter, glancing through it herself.

"She'll be sending a chariot to pick us up. We'll need to be up pretty early, so we should probably head to bed now."

That suited Matt just fine. He was tired after a day of reading and experimentation. Judging from the way Spike was yawning, he would probably agree.

"Alright, then. Goodnight." he said, heading off to his 'guest room'.

"Goodnight." she replied as he closed his door.

She and Spike headed off to their bedroom. The young dragon was yawning profusely, which made sense, considering how long he'd been awake. The moment he got in his basket-like bed, he was asleep.

Twilight, on the other hand, was reflecting on the day's events. It was definitely a productive day, but something kept bothering her. Something about her human house-guest. He reacted extremely negatively when attention was called to the scar on his arm. For a few seconds, his personality seemed to change drastically. She decided to worry about it later and just get some sleep.

Matt was sat up in his bed, lost in a trance of thought. His priority was to focus on getting home somehow. Staying there wasn't an option. But what waited for him in the empty shell of a house he called home? Nothing. He needed to get back to his nothing. Where he belonged. He found himself enjoying life again, something he simply could not tolerate, and was becoming rather fond of his new associates. His arm was the reminder of what bonds become. He wouldn't let it happen again.

He sighed and tried to get comfortable, which he found to be nearly impossible.

Comments

[Viper Pit]

I am just gonna leave this here as I think it may help you Not that your story is bad its just I can't really see him as knight potential