“I wish you had told me about your nightmares sooner,” Twilight chided as we walked down the hallway. Bright sunlight streamed in through the stained glass windows as the noonday sun shone proudly down on the snow-covered palace. Last night’s snowstorm had been cleared by the weather team earlier this morning, leaving behind a good five inches of snow. Fires blazed in the fireplaces that dotted the palace’s many rooms, fighting to keep the cold at bay. Even so, the hallways still had a nip to them, and I silently gave thanks that I had remembered to pack a sweater that Rarity had made me.

It was the day after the Gala, and Twilight and I were still at the palace, staying behind so that Twilight could visit the Canterlot Archives. After the incident at the Gala, Celestia had received word from the guard that something had happened in the dungeons. She had excused herself and hurried off quickly, taking most of the royal guards with her, leaving Luna and her Lunar Guards to work on returning the humans to their owners.

I didn’t see the point in that, seeing that their owners had abandoned them in the first place, but apparently it was the “right thing to do”.

After Celestia’s sudden departure, I decided that I had had enough ‘excitement’ for the evening. Bidding the others good night, Twilight, along with Avera and Ebony, had escorted me back to our room. Once there, Twilight had started to grill me about what had happened while I was by myself at the Gala. I had given her a brief rundown of the events, including my run-in with Blueblood, which made Twilight… bristle.

We had to crack a window open for a few minutes to clear the smoke out of the room.

After calming down, and hearing about my discussion with Luna concerning my nightmares, Twilight had decided that we needed to visit to the Canterlot Archives after breakfast in order to research what exactly the statues Lyra and I saw were.

It was well past two in the morning before Avera and Ebony left for their own rooms, and I was finally allowed to collapse upon the couch. I could hear Twilight muttering to herself as she got comfortable in the bed. I was out like a light within minutes.

Breakfast was a quiet affair; neither Celestia nor Luna showed up, but they sent their apologies for not being able to attend. I wasn’t sure why they were so busy, but I figured it had something to do with what had happened at the Gala. The palace was practically crawling with more guards than normal. When I asked Twilight why that was, she just shrugged and said that maybe it had something to do with what happened to the humans at the Gala.

I hoped that they would be able to find the unicorn responsible for that whole collar fiasco; my neck was killing me.

After breakfast, the rest of the gang said their goodbyes and caught the early train back to Ponyville, leaving me, Twilight, and my guards at the palace. Twilight had sent a quick letter to Spike, explaining that we would be staying in Canterlot longer than expected, and to behave for Primrose while we were gone. With that taken care of, we had headed off towards the archives. However, the four of us had some… unexpected company.

Three unicorn guards were accompanying us on our journey. According to their leader—a mare that had a white coat and yellow mane—they were ordered by Princess Celestia to follow us around while we were on the palace grounds.

“For added protection,” the mare said while staring up at me. Twilight had questioned her further, but the mare wouldn’t elaborate. However, she had an order from the princess, so Twilight reluctantly allowed them to follow us.

“I don’t see why we need escorts,” she had grumbled as we left the dining room.

These guards were unlike any of the guards I’d seen before. The trio wore light sets of cobalt armor that seemed to have an eerie aqua gleam to them, even when hidden in the shadows. Underneath the armor were dark purple caparisons, which almost looked like robes. Adorned upon their heads were cobalt helmets that had silver circlets attached to them; a hole in the forehead allowing for their horns to protrude. Their manes stuck out from the top of the helmet, giving each a unique crest color. The back of their armor bore the same emblem as Ebony’s dress uniform: the symbol of a fireball with the silhouette of a unicorn’s head inside.

Upon questioning why they had the same emblem, Ebony had explained to me that it was the insignia of a group of guards called the Battlemages, which she was a member of.

“Basically,” she had said as we walked down the hall, “we are part of the magical branch of Canterlot’s defense. We answer to the Archmage, as well as the princesses.”

~So, why aren’t you wearing the same armor as them?~ I had asked. ~It actually looks kinda cool~ Ebony had just given me a sheepish smile while she blushed.

“It’s back at the library, actually,” she explained, chuckling. “Primrose has been making some modifications to it over the past couple of days. Say what you will, that mare is a natural when it comes to ironwork.” I asked her about the modifications, but she just shook her head, smiling, “It’s a surprise.”

Twilight and I led the rest of our group down into the archives. Avera floated lazily through the air, her eyes slowly scanning the hall for anything out of the ordinary. Ebony walked with the Battlemages, chatting softly with one of them, a dark stallion with a light green mane.

“I knew you weren’t sleeping well your first few months here, but I thought it was due to stress; I didn’t realize it was that bad,” Twilight continued as we rounded a corner. “You should have told me!”

~I didn’t realize that dreams were so important here~ I signed with a shrug. ~Back home, they didn’t hold that much power~

“Of course dreams are important here,” Twilight tsked, shaking her head. “They have a special mystical power. Why else do you think Luna would need to patrol them?”

~Cause she’s bored during the night and has nothing better to do with her time?~ Twilight paused, shooting me a blank stare. I gave her a confused look. ~What?~

“There once was a mare from Manehattan, who dreamed she was being flattened. She awoke with a start, and in a beat of her heart, she discovered that it had actually happened.”

I gave the alicorn an incredulous look. ~So you’re telling me that if I have a dream about Rarity sticking a needle in my good eye, I should stay away from her the next day?~

“No, I… what?” Twilight asked, scrunching up her face. “That doesn’t even… I don’t know...ugh.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head as she sighed. “Look, I concede that not all dreams are mystical here, but that doesn’t mean that certain dreams don’t hold power over the dreamer. Especially if the dream was anything like the nightmares you were having.”

~I feel like you’re making this more complicated than it needs to be~ I replied, scrunching up my face slightly in annoyance. From behind us, Ebony spoke up.

“That’s because you come from a world without magic.” —I looked back to see her smirking up at me— “There was nothing to mix with the dreams of your world. I guess it would be like having soda without any fizz to it; it would just taste flat.”

“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Twilight muttered as she resumed walking. Ebony just chuckled before continuing her chat with the other Battlemages.

A few minutes later, we rounded another corner and came into view of the Archive’s entrance: a pair of large gilded doors at the end of the hall. There were vines carved into the dark oaken door frame, and a golden bust of a unicorn was perched just above the door, looking out upon the corridor with glistening ruby eyes.

A pair of unicorn guards stood at attention on either side of the doors. They were dressed in gold-trimmed crimson robes, that hung down to the floor. Large golden decorative collars rested on their withers and wrapped around to their chests. The top of the collars jutted out from their necks, designed to look like the rising sun. Golden livery rings clasped the robes together. On their heads were helmets that covered most of their face, but left their bottom jaws untouched. They both held large golden halberds.

As we approached the doors, one of the guards looked up. His dark brown muzzle was striped with the white of age. His dull gray eyes traveled over our group slowly, his face expressionless. When he spoke, his voice was deep and hoarse, “Princess Sparkle, what brings you down here today?”

“Good day, sir," Twilight said cheerfully, stopping just in front of the guard. “We’re here to do a little research and need access to the archives, if you would be so kind.” She motioned at the door with her hoof, beaming at the guard.

“I take it your entire group wishes to enter the archives?” the guard asked slowly, ignoring Twilight’s smile as his eyes slowly drifted over our group.

“Yes,” Twilight confirmed with a nod, keeping the smile on her face.

“Humans are not allowed within the archives,” the second guard spoke up. By the sound of the voice, it was clear that this one was a mare. Her coat was the same color as her partners, tinged with white as well. Her silver eyes were locked on me, but her face remained expressionless.

“Can’t you make an exception for him?” Avera asked as she landed beside me. “It’s not like he’s going to cause trouble!”

“Humans are not allowed within the archives,” the mare repeated, her gaze not wavering. “He will have to wait outside until you return, or you may take him back to your room and leave him there.”

“But he’s the whole reason we need to get into the archives in the first place!” Avera shouted, waving her hooves in the air. “You can’t seriously be telling us that he can’t come in with us!”

“Why do you want him to enter with you?” asked the male guard, turning his dull eyes to the black pegasus. “Humans can neither read or understand. I doubt that he will be of any use to you in there.”

“But Max isn’t like other humans,” Avera growled. “He’s as intelligent as a pony!” The moment those words left her mouth, both of the guards gazes locked on me. I winced, a drop of sweat trickled down my neck as they both stared at me intensely. As if sensing my nervousness, Twilight stepped closer to me, leaning her shoulder against my leg.

Eventually the mare’s expressionless face cracked, a small smile playing across her muzzle, “So, this is the human that was causing Princess Celestia trouble several months ago.”

“She spent several sleepless nights browsing the archives, looking for any reference she could find of an intelligent human,” the stallion spoke up with a small smile of his own. Both guards stared at me for several seconds, before turning and sharing a look between the two of them.

“One second please,” the mare finally said, turning back to us. She closed her silver eyes, and her horn began to glow slightly. As we watched, she slowly began to whisper to herself, almost as if she was having a silent conversation with someone who wasn’t there.

Several minutes later, the light around her horn died out, and she opened her eyes again.

“I have consulted with the Solar Princess,” the guard said. “She has vouched for him. He may enter. But be warned, human,” she added, her silvery eyes glaring up at me in such a way that I was reminded of my grandmother whenever she got angry, “take only what you need from the archives, lest it takes something from you as well.”

Raising his halberd into the air, the stallion banged the butt of it against the ground. As the echoes died down, there came a loud grinding sound from the other side of the archive’s doors. With a lurch, the double doors slowly swung open, creaking loudly as they did so. A blast of cold air blew up from deep within the inner sanctum, causing me to shiver slightly and pull my hands deeper into the sleeves of my sweater. The musty smell of old paper and dust filled my nostrils. The inside of the archives was cloaked in darkness; not a single light could be seen inside.

“Take as long as you need,” the stallion said as the doors came to a stop. He leaned on his halberd slightly, a tired look in his eyes as he smiled softly. “Please try not to get lost.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said with a nod as she led our group through the doors and into the blackness of the archives. As the last of the Battlemages entered, large gears hidden behind the doors began to turn again with a groan. Slowly, the doors to the archives began to swing shut again. With a loud thud, the doors sealed and plunged us into darkness. There was complete silence for several seconds before Twilight spoke up. Even though she whispered, her voice carried loudly through the gloom.

“Hang on a second, let me get us some light.” There was a brief jingle as Twilight began to push magic through her horn. A dim lavender light sparked to life, the source coming from the tip of Twilight’s horn. “There, that’s better,” she said with a smile.

~What’s with the darkness?~ I asked, glancing around. Even with Twilight’s spell, it was difficult to see our surroundings. I was getting an uneasy feeling as thoughts of my nightmares, and the encroaching darkness, returned.

“Light can damage some of the older works, and causes fading over time,” Twilight explained, looking around as well. “The archives are always kept dark and cool to help preserve the information stored here for as long as possible.” Beside Twilight, Ebony lit up her horn as well, casting a pink hue over herself and the surrounding area. The other unicorns followed suit soon afterward, bathing our group in a swirl of multicolored light.

~So what do non-unicorns do when they want to visit the archives?~ I asked.

“Well, usually there are a couple of lanterns around here… ah!” Looking around, Twilight grabbed a medium-sized metal object that had been resting beside one of the pillars. Picking it up with her magic, she handed it carefully to me.

Grabbing it in my hands, I studied the object closely, having to squint slightly to see the blackened metal in the darkness. It was a simple lantern, blackened with age, with a shutter covering the opening for the light. A handle on top of the lantern gave the carrier something to hold. By the shape of the wooden handle, it was designed to be held with the mouth. It even had teeth marks in the wood.

Opening the lantern’s cover, it became instantly and painfully clear that it wasn’t lit. Turning, I held it up for Twilight to see, giving her a bemused look.

“Hang on,” she said, scrunching up her face in a cute manner. The light on the tip of her horn grew marginally brighter. There was a soft click before a dim red light sputtered to life within the depths of the lantern.

“There you go,” she said with a smile as the light on her horn returned back to its original brightness. I gave her a quick smile and a nod. With that, I held the lantern up and finally got a look at the surrounding area.

Just like the other side of the doors, large pillars adorned either side of the entrance. Instead of being made out of gold, however, these seemed to be made out of a unique black metal. Thorny vines ran up the frame of the doors, reaching up towards a large black bust of a unicorn, this one with eyes of sapphire.

Turning on the spot, I shone the red light around. Our group was in a small circular clearing just on the other side of the door; several small chairs and tables rested around a motif of what appeared to be the night sky, with several strange symbols carved amongst the stars. Just on the edge of the reading area, the rows of bookshelves began. At first I thought it was just the darkness playing tricks on my eyes, but as I took several steps forward, my eyes widened when I saw that wasn’t the case.

My god, I thought, exhaling softly in shock as my head craned backwards. Those are huge! Each of the surrounding bookshelves were at least twelve feet high, the tops of them disappearing into the darkness above us. Each shelf was packed full of scrolls, books, tomes, journals, and other countless pieces of information. The shelves ran down several aisles, the ends of which disappeared into the gloom.

“Come on,” Twilight said beside me, snapping me out of my daze. She started forward, her lavender light cutting into the darkness as she delved further into the archives. “Let’s get started.” Where would we even get started? I thought, looking around at the bookshelves as I followed after her. The clop of hooves filled the air as our group moved forward.

As we walked, I sidled up next to Twilight.

~So, what was up with the guards in front of the archives?~ I asked, awkwardly looping my arm through the lantern’s handle so that I could sign.

“They’re called Sentinels,” Ebony spoke up from behind me. I glanced down at her as she sped up to walk beside me. “There are only four of them in active service at the moment, and you just met two of them.”

~Why are there only four of them?~ I asked, the lantern swinging slightly as I moved my arms.

“Because Sentinels are unique,” Ebony explained, her quiet voice carrying in the still air. Her eyes sparkled as a large grin spread across her face. “When a unicorn enlists in the Academy, they have two paths that they will end up eventually taking. One path is that of a Cleric, while the other path is that of a Battlemage.

“If a unicorn chooses to become a Cleric, or medical spellcaster, they spend most of their time learning about healing magic, as well as counterspells. The healing magic allows them to fix maladies such as burns, poisoning, diseases, and physical injuries; anything you might go to the hospital for.

“As they get older and get more experienced in the art of healing, a Cleric might get the opportunity to become a Healer, one of the elite unicorns who work in the Royal Infirmary. It’s the Healers that take on the extreme cases of magical accidents, injuries, and ailments, as well as oversee the health of the princesses themselves.

“It takes many, many years of dedication and study in order to become a Healer, and even then they must prove to a board of directors every few years that they are still versed enough to remain Healers. There is even a test they must take, which can last up to three days long.” I blinked, looking over at Twilight as Ebony spoke. She was staring at the unicorn, engrossed by what she was saying.

“On the other side of the spectrum is the Battlemages,” Ebony continued. “We focus most of our time and energy into learning about offensive magic, as well as training with actual weapons and deep meditation. While we can be versed in many different forms of magic, most Battlemages choose one particular type of magic to train solely on. Fire, water, ice, wind, earth, and energy are usually what they are good at. For instance, just like my Cutie Mark indicates, I focus solely on plant-type magic,” Ebony said, motioning with her head towards her flank, on which was adorned the picture of a black rose surrounded by a cloud of pink-colored magic.

“Battlemages have ranks, same as the other branches of Equestrian military. As we get older and gain more experience, we can rise through the ranks.”

~I think I get where this is going~ I signed, wincing as the lantern slapped against my hip. Ebony just nodded, a smirk on her face.

“I figured you’d catch on,” she said. “Much like with the Clerics, once a Battlemage has enough experience, they have the chance to become Sentinels. Unlike becoming a Healer, however, becoming a Sentinel is the ultimate honor for a Battlemage.” As she spoke about the Sentinels, Ebony got a dreamy look on her face.

~Why’s that?~ I ask, confused. ~Don’t both sides work just as hard for the same reward?~ Blinking, Ebony shook her head before replying.

“That may be the case,” she said. “But there can be any number of Healers running around the Royal Infirmary. However, there can only be four Sentinels at any given time. It’s a tradition that has been passed down since the first Sentinels were chosen over a millennium ago. Princess Celestia chose two, and Princess Luna chose the other two.

“When one of the Sentinels passes away from old age, or is killed by other means, there is a week-long period of mourning before the next one is chosen. There are rules, however, for deciding who may become a Sentinel. The Battlemage must be over the age of seventy, must have a clean record, and must have passed a psychological exam.

“Once a candidate has been chosen, the decision is voted upon by the remaining Sentinels, the princesses, and the Archmage. Should the candidate receive the majority of the vote, they become a Sentinel, and the only ways to be relieved of that title are to lose their ability to use magic, no longer be able to perform their duties, or die.”

~So, you’re telling me that those ponies we passed to get in here were the best of the best of the Battlemages?~

“Exactly,” Ebony said with a large smile and a nod. “And it is that reason that Princess Celestia entrusted them to keep all the knowledge locked within the archives safe.”

~That seems like a waste of talent~ I signed, cocking an eyebrow.

“Given the knowledge that could be buried deep within the archives, it’s probably a smart choice on the princess’s part,” she said with a shrug. I hummed thoughtfully as I returned the lantern to my hand.

We walked in silence for several more minutes after that. I sighed in relief as I saw the end of the bookshelves come into view. Thank god we reached the end, I thought, a smile on my face. There are a lot of books here, although I thought there would be more by Twilight’s description…

I trailed off, the smile slowly falling from my face as something new emerged from the darkness as we neared the end of the aisle. Is… is that a railing?

Sure enough, emerging out of the darkness was something that looked like a railing one would use on a set of stairs. There was several feet between the end of the bookshelves and the railing. It almost looked like another reading area.

Confused as to why the railing was there, I approached it hesitantly. As I drew nearer, It became apparent that there was more railing than I originally thought. It ran along the length of the floor, disappearing into the darkness on either side of me.

As I reached the railing, I saw there appeared to be something on the other side. Raising my lantern higher, I tried to get a better look, but the light wasn’t strong enough for me to see.

The sound of hooves on the floor drew nearer as Twilight moved to stand next to me. Lifting her head higher, she increased the light shining from her horn.

My jaw dropped when I saw what was revealed by the light.

What I had thought was the back wall of the archives wasn’t that at all. The railing we had reached wrapped around a massive hole in the floor, nearly fifty feet in diameter. A set of double spiral staircases emerged from the hole, rising into the air to another hole in the ceiling. Surrounding the hole on all sides were more bookshelves, which ran away from the hole like rays from the sun.

Leaning over the railing slightly, I glanced down into the pit. My eyes widened as I saw that there were several more floors beneath us, each filled with shelves of books. After three floors, the stairs disappeared into the darkness, Twilight’s light no longer able to illuminate the depth of the room.

Glancing up, I saw the exact same thing applied to the ceiling as well; the spiraling staircase rising several floors up before disappearing into darkness.

The archives weren’t just huge; they were enormous!

“Over two million books,” Twilight spoke up from beside me. I glanced over at her and saw her staring out upon the sea of bookshelves in front, above, and below us with a dreamy expression on her face. Sighing happily, she turned to look at me, giving me a large smile, “Welcome to the Archives.” My hands shaking slightly, I placed my lantern on the floor.

~This is the Archives?!~ I asked, shaking my head slowly. ~How the buck are we supposed to find anything in here?! It’ll take months just to search one floor. We don’t even know where to start looking!~

“Sure we do,” Twilight said with a smirk. I gave her a confused look, unsure how she could possibly know where anything was in this place.

“There’s an entire section just for information concerning humans on the bottom floor,” she explained, pointing a hoof down into the void. “Since the statues in your dream were human shaped, any mention of them will be within that section.”

~How many floors down do we have to go?~ I asked, gazing into the pit before us.

“We’re on the fifth floor,” Twilight said simply before turning and heading towards the stairs. I looked over at the rest of our group. Ebony glanced up at me and shrugged before following after Twilight. Sighing, I picked up my lantern and fell into step behind them.

“Be careful on the stairs,” Avera snarked as she spread her wings to take flight. “See you losers at the bottom.” She made to take off, but was stopped when five different clouds of magic grabbed her.

“No!” Twilight cried loudly, her voice echoing around the massive archives. The resulting echoes made it seem like hundreds of Twilights were shouting at once. “You can’t fly in here; the disturbance from your wings could cause potential damage to some of the older content! Until we leave, you have to remain on the ground!”

Grumbling, Avera refolded her wings and sulked as she was forced to take the stairs with the rest of us.

Descending the stairs, we passed floor after floor as we sunk further into the earth. I finally was able to see why the Sentinels told us to be careful not to get lost. How could you even find someone in this place? It’s like a miniature city! I thought, sticking close to Twilight so I didn't lose her and become lost within the labyrinth of shelves.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, we followed Twilight as she began to snake her way through the shelves. I didn’t know exactly how she knew where she was going, but I had a sneaking suspicion that she might have been here before.

As we walked, I suddenly got the eerie feeling that we were being watched. Glancing over my shoulder, I searched for any signs of movement, but couldn’t see anything in the darkness that was creeping in behind us. I swallowed nervously as I recalled the warning the mare Sentinel had given me.

Turning back to Twilight, I inched closer to her, the feeling of being watched only growing stronger.

~So, there isn’t anything living in here, is there?~ I asked, casting another nervous look around. The question caused her to snort in laughter.

“Of course not,” she chuckled, sounding as if that was the stupidest idea she had ever heard. “There’s nothing living within the archives!” As she looked up at me, she blinked in confusion. The smirk vanished from her face, replaced instead by a look of concern.

“Are you okay?” she asked, leaning her shoulder against my leg as we walked.

~It feels like something is watching us from the shadows~

“Are you sure you’re not just being paranoid?” Avera whispered loudly. Even though she sounded skeptical, she still glanced around at the surrounding darkness, her ears perked.

~I’m not sure~ I replied, chewing on my lip. We continued down the aisle, but I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder every couple of steps. As if sensing my unease, the ponies slowly began to close ranks, walking closer and closer together the farther we walked.

After several tense minutes, Twilight halted suddenly, causing me to almost trip over her. Her ears perked up and her muscles tensed. She stared into the gloom in front of us for several seconds before turning to look back at the group.

“Increase your lights a little,” she hissed to Ebony and the Battlemages. “Not full power though, just enough to give us a little more breathing room.” The four Battlemages nodded before doing as instructed. With a low hum, the area around us was suddenly bathed in a flood of multicolored light.

With the increase in visibility also came a sound that caused my heart to skip a beat: the sound of something scuttling quickly across the floor. Instantly, the Battlemages closed rank around me.

“What in Celestia’s name was that?” Avera hissed, her flank pressing into my leg as she glared at the darkness behind us. Her wings were spread and she was crouched, ready to leap.

~My paranoia~ I snarked, keeping my head on a swivel as I tried to peer through the darkness. Whatever it was, it sounded close.

“Shut up,” growled one of the Battlemages. She glared over her shoulder at me. “If you don’t have anything helpful to contribute, then keep quiet!”

“Hey!” Twilight whipped her head around. “Don’t talk to him like that!”

“Everypony shut up!” Ebony hissed, her eyes darting to and fro. Silence fell over our group, everyone’s ears staining to hear even the slightest movement. There was only silence. Whatever had been there was now gone.

“I thought you said nothing lived in here,” Avera whispered to Twilight, keeping her eyes locked behind us.

“Nothing’s supposed to,” Twilight replied, her wings trembling slightly. “The only creatures allowed in here are those that the Sentinels have let in! Nothing could have gotten in without them knowing. There’s a spell placed upon it that will alert them if anything enters without their permission!”

~Could it have been another pony?~ I asked.

“There was no way that was a pony,” the stallion Battlemage said tensely. “That didn’t sound like hooves. It had to be something else.” An uncomfortable silence fell over our group as we all stared into the darkness.

“Well, whatever it was, it’s gone now,” Ebony said slowly.

“How much further do we have to go?” Avera asked, not raising from her crouched position.

“The section we’re looking for is actually the next shelf down,” Twilight answered as she slowly began to inch her way forward. “About a minute’s walk.”

“Let’s get this over with as quickly as possible,” Avera growled.

“Agreed,” Twilight said. “Everypony stick together. If you go anywhere, for any reason, make sure you tell the group, and that you have a partner. Nopony goes off on their own, got it?” A murmur of agreement came from the Battlemages.

Placing the lantern onto the ground, I reached down and picked Avera up. She yelped as I lifted her off of the ground, “What are you doing?” Flipping her around, I placed her on my back. As she wrapped her hooves around my neck, I glanced at Twilight.

~I’ve got my partner~ Twilight just shook her head, a small smirk playing across her muzzle, though she quickly raised a hoof to hide it. I reached back down and picked up the lantern, opening the shutter again as the light from the unicorns’ horns dimmed. With that, our group continued on, albeit at a slower pace as everyone kept their ears perked.

When we reached the end of the aisle, Twilight stopped again. Motioning with her hoof, she indicated the shelves just in front of us, “These three shelves hold all the information we have on humans. If the information we are looking for isn’t here, it won’t be anywhere else.”

I glanced at the shelves in question, a lump forming in my stomach. Each of those three shelves were twelve feet high, and if they were anything like the other shelves we passed, were three hundred feet long as well. With each shelf packed full, there was a fair amount of content we were going to have to look through.

This is going to take a while, I thought as the others slowly began to make their way down the shelves.

I sighed heavily as I flipped absentmindedly through the pages of a large tome, skimming each page quickly as I looked for anything that mentioned statues.

I was relaxing in the reading area located on the far side of the human section along with Avera and the stallion Battlemage, Zen Glory. Sitting at one of the desks, I had the lantern placed upon the tabletop. It cast a red hue around the surrounding area, and gave me enough light to read by.

It had been nearly six hours since we had ventured into the depths of the archives, and we had yet to find anything at all related to the statues in my dreams. Despite the massive amount of books related to humans, most of them were just the same information repeated by a different author.

Another difficulty we were running into was that most of the information was old, meaning that much of it was… well...

“Hey,” Avera called out, flipping through a book of her own as she lounged in a chair. “Did you know that it was thought that if a male human mated with a pony mare while she was in heat, she would become pregnant with a human-pony hybrid? Any other time and she didn’t have to worry.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Zen snorted, rolling up a scroll with his magic. “Nopony’s thought like that in years. What are you reading that gives you that information?”

“The buck if I know,” Avera snickered, closing the book with a snap. Glancing at the cover, she snorted before tossing it onto the growing pile of rejects. “Some book called ‘The Mating of Humans and Ponies’ by Aged Mind.”

“She had an aged mind, alright,” Zen chuckled, picking up another scroll. “Probably had a touch of dementia as well.”

As I reached the end of the book, I closed it with a sigh. Leaning back in my chair, I rubbed my eyes as I fought back a yawn. I glanced over my shoulder as the sound of approaching hoofsteps reached my ears.

“Any luck?” Twilight asked as she emerged from the darkness, her horn bathing the reading area in a lavender glow. She had a stack of books hovering beside her head. Ebony trailed behind her, holding a smaller stack.

~Nothing~ I signed, shaking my head.

“Hey, Twilight,” Avera said, still snickering. “If you want some human-pony hybrid foals, just have Max here bump uglies with ya when you’re in heat!” Her laughter increased as Twilight blushed furiously.

Glaring at the pegasus, Twilight placed her stack of books onto the desk in front of me.

“Yes, well, dated information aside, hopefully some of these might hold what we’re looking for.” As Twilight settled down into the chair next to me, I picked up the book on the top of the stack. The cover was blank, made out of thick, dark blue leather-like material.

Cracking the aged book open, I glanced at the first page. ‘Journal CCCXCIV’ of Star Swirl, I read as I scratched my beard. Grabbing the yellowed pages, I turned them gently and began to sift through the content. About halfway through the book I found something that looked interesting.

It was during the expedition to the Lonely Mountain when we first came in contact with the creatures that Princess Celestia of the Sol had named ‘humans’. I was a member of the team dispatched to the mountain in order to observe and catalog the different fauna and flora located there. The Solar Princess was interested in moving the Capital, and wanted to make sure that there was nothing dangerous that might be a threat to her ponies.

Nine of us left from the Capital, heading off into the wilderness. Three earth ponies, three pegasi, and three unicorns, including myself. I feel that I must mention that amongst us, only four were actually ponies of science: the other two unicorns, myself, and one of the earth ponies. The others were a mixture of both the Diurnal and Nocturnal guards.

I know not why I agreed for them to come with; we would be faster on our own. I fear that these imbeciles might accidentally kill any living specimens of a new species we find. They tend to think with their stallionhoods more so than with their brains. Each wishes to score the next ‘big kill’ to impress some mare back home.

I haven’t the heart to tell them that that isn’t what mares look for in a stallion. Their eager smiles are too much, and I simply let them think what they wish. Stallions will be stallions.

That occurrence, however, did not come to pass. During our trek to the base of the mountain, we ran across neither new species nor unexpected circumstances. The only issue we encountered is hardly worth mentioning: a simple rainstorm that was easily banished by the pegasi of our group.

One particularly hotheaded Nocturnal Guard, a pink-coated mare named Firefly, boasted that she could clear the skies in just under ten seconds. I was skeptical at first, but after witnessing her brilliant display of acrobatics, I can safely say that the mare can back up her boasts. She is possibly the fastest pegasus I have seen to date.

It also helps that she is quite loyal to our expedition and its crew. Anything I ask her to do, she does without question, although I have yet to keep her attention during one of my explanations. I feel that she finds joy more in flying than science.

Not that I hold it against her. Each pony has a different love than the next. My heart is for science; hers is for the sky.

It had been nearly a fortnight since the expedition began its journey to the Lonely Mountain when we ran into the creatures. Trapped halfway up the mountain, stranded upon a narrow path, we were hit by a massive ice storm the likes of which not even Firefly could clear.

We were forced to take shelter within a shallow cave, barely protected from the elements. It was as we huddled together, trying to keep the warmth within our bodies, that we discovered them.

Having been shoved against the back wall of the cave, I noticed that the rock began to shudder slightly and a soft echo came from the stone. I tapped a hoof against the rock and got the same response.

Working on instinct, I immediately ordered one of the earth ponies to turn and buck the back wall.

My hunch was correct: it crumbled instantly, creating a hole in what was revealed to be a thin rock wall. Through the hole, we could see a tunnel that descended into the depths of the mountain. Looking to relieve ourselves of the ice and cold, we ventured into the darkness.

I was leading the group down into the tunnel with my illuminated horn. After several minutes of descent, we came across a small cavern, possibly twenty hooves wide by twenty hooves long, and thirty hooves high.

The strangest thing about this cavern, however, was the fact that it appeared to not have been made naturally; something had carved this cavern from the stone, possibly to have made a den of some kind.

When I voiced that idea to the rest, they grew uneasy. Whatever possibly needed a den of this size, we had no clue. It wasn’t a diamond dog burrow; the lack of gems was a clear sign. So what in the name of the Maker had made it?

We got our answer a few seconds later.

As if drawn by our mere presence, the owner of the den returned. The ground shuddered beneath our hooves, causing most of the guards to jump back, raising their spears. Rocks crumbled as a hole opened up near the far side of the cavern. A claw-like appendage appeared, grasping at the stone as the creature pulled itself up into the cavern.

Oh, this mysterious creature. It was like nothing I had ever seen before! It looked like a cross between a diamond dog and minotaur, but even that did not do justice to describe it.

It was a tall being, standing on two legs as tall as the Solar Princess, if not higher. It had a long, shaggy mane of brown hair atop its head and around its face. Small beady eyes surveyed us with animalistic curiosity. Its body was nearly bald; a thin layer of hair covering its pale flesh. I could now see that what I had first mistaken as claws on the end of its arms were actually much too blunt to bear that name. I believe the correct term would be ‘fingers’, if I am to base them off of the minotaurs. From the look of its genitalia, I was positive that this specimen was male.

A very healthy male, at that.

After studying us for several seconds the creature let out a loud chirp, turned and crouched, digging its claw-like appendages back into the dirt. With speed surprising for such blunt appendages, the creature burrowed into the rock, disappearing from view as quickly as it had appeared.

Snapping the rest of the group out of their shocked stupor, I ordered them to follow the creature, but to bring no harm upon it. Firefly was the first one down the hole after it.

We followed the creature for what seemed like hours, descending deeper and deeper into the depths of the mountain. I was just about to call off the hunt and return to the surface when we stumbled upon them: an entire pack of the creatures.

There had to be at least thirty of them living in this massive cavern. Some of them were thinner than the original creature, and had bulging chests. It reminded me rather of a cow’s udder. The longer mane of hair on their heads, as well as the lack of visible genitalia made it clear that this was a possible female of the same species. Several of the females were holding what appeared to be infants.

An underground river provided them with water. I don’t know what they were doing for food, but they all appeared healthy. Or as healthy as a new species could look. For all we knew, they could have been starving.

Our sudden appearance within their den drew their attention to us like moths to a candle. Thankfully enough, they did not respond towards our disturbance aggressively. In fact, they appeared more curious than anything else.

When one of the females, a small, petite thing with reddish-brown hair, approached us, the guards grew nervous. Their fear was unfounded, however, as she snuggled up against Firefly and cooed softly. I think she liked the feel of Firefly’s fur against her bare skin.

As more of the creatures ventured forth to investigate, I knew the world would never be the same. Some guards laughed, the scientists cried in joy. I remained silent.

Something about these creatures made me feel uneasy; a nagging feeling at the back of my mind, as though I was forgetting something important. I felt a chill fall over my bones, as if I had walked upon sacred ground.

As I stared at the creatures, I couldn’t help but remember something I had heard the Solar Princess say once, when I had caught her outside one night; she was staring up at the moon, a faraway look in her eyes, as she exclaimed, ‘Now I have saved lives, but destroyed gods in the process’.

I’m not sure why I thought that at this particular moment, but a stirring in my mind told me that it was correct. May the Maker have mercy on my soul for what I did next.

As I watched those new creatures huddle around us, I found myself longing for home. The faster we could herd these creatures together, the faster I would be able to return to the comfort of my home, and the warmth of my hearth...

I yawned as I reached the end of the paragraph. Turning the yellowed page, I blinked in surprise when I saw it had no writing on it. Instead, it bore rough sketches of several different humans, some male, some female. Flipping through another couple of pages, I saw that the writing continued later on, but it had nothing more to do with humans.

Sighing heavily, I closed the book and placed it on the pile of ones I had already read. Looking around, I saw that when I had been reading, the other two Battlemages had returned, and had their muzzles buried in books of their own.

“Find anything in that one?” Twilight asked me as she looked up from her book.

~Nothing useful~ I responded with another yawn. ~It was interesting though. It was a written account of when ponies first discovered humans~

“Oh, really? Who was it by?” Twilight asked, perking up.

~Someone named Star Swirl~

“Star Swirl?!” Twilight gasped, grabbing the book in her hooves. “I didn’t realize he was one of the ponies that discovered humans! Ohhhh… this is amazing!” She squealed happily as she flipped the book open and began to read.

Chuckling, I pushed myself away from the desk and stood up. I stretched, groaning happily as my back cracked several times. Satisfied that I had worked the kinks out of my spine, I turned and picked up my pile of already read books.

“Need to return those?” Ebony asked, rolling up a scroll. When I nodded, she stood up and grabbed a stack of her own. ‘I’ll go with you then.” Picking up the lantern, Ebony and I headed off.

“Hey, I was using that!” Avera called after me, earning a chuckle from Ebony. Walking together quietly, we headed back to the human section, each of us keeping our ears perked up from any sound that could indicate the thing from before was approaching.

There was no clear method of organization within the section, so I just started putting books back wherever I could find an open place. A ladder attached to the bookcase allowed us to reach the higher shelves.

I had just replaced the last book and was heading towards Ebony when something on the shelf caught my eye as I passed. Backing up several steps, I lifted the lantern to get a better look at the object. It was a small thing; looking more like a booklet than an actual book. It was leaning up against a large tome, and the only reason I noticed it was because the cover was white.

Picking up the book, I placed the lantern on the ground. Crouching so that I could use the light, I flipped the small book open and began to read. It appeared that the book was actually a group of letters bound together. It didn’t list who the recipients were, but the writer was a pony by the name of Mystic Melody.

Flipping to a random letter, I began to read.

I know it has been a while since I have last written to you, and I apologize for that. It was not by my own choice that this came to be, but I take responsibility for it nonetheless.

When I first heard of what the expedition team had found during their journey to the Lonely Mountain, I could not believe my ears. When I first saw one of these so called humans in real life… well, let’s just say that I know not what fascination ponies find with these humans, but I could have done without them.

The thing that baffles me the most, however, is just how Princess Celestia came up with a name for the species. I don’t know how she knew what ‘human’ means, or where she got the name from, but it oddly fits the creature.

Now, for the real reason I am writing to you.

Today I witnessed something that downright befuddles me. In the market, I saw a pony attempt to seduce a lone human, possibly a wild one that had wandered into town. They’ve been becoming more and more common in the wild for some reason.

Anyways, while she was trying to seduce the human, it suddenly grew aggressive and attacked the mare. By the time the guards had arrived and taken care of the human (despite the ability to dig through the mountain, a simple spear to the neck is enough to kill them) the mare was already dead.

Do you know what ponies did after seeing that horrific display? All those ponies who claim that humans would make great pets?

They said that it was simple a misunderstanding between the human and the mare; a misunderstanding! The creature can’t even understand us, how can there be a misunderstanding?!

What is it about these creatures that brings such appeal to ponies? They are aggressive creatures, I don’t care what Firefly has to say about first contact, and I don’t care how ‘awesome’ that female human of hers is. They are aggressive and violent creatures, and there is no way to breed that out!

They eat meat for Maker’s sake! All it would take is you forgetting to feed them once and then you’d be on the menu. You don’t see the nobles clamoring over each other to get manticores as pets, so why are they fighting tooth and hoof for the ‘best’ humans?

If it weren’t for the fact that they appear to have no magic attuned to them, I would believe that they had the ability to brainwash ponies.

They’re aggressive, they eat meat, they destroy any household by beginning to dig into the earth. You can’t even train them! They do not respond to any orders, they do not understand us, and they show no interest in learning. A dog has more intelligence than the humans!

The only saving grace they have is the fact that they appear to be great at pleasing a mare, and I don’t even want to know what possessed the first mare to try that, or why it spread so quickly. I had a mare in the market tell me I should try it, because apparently I looked stressed. I proceeded to chew her face off in front of everypony, and the worst part is I couldn’t even tell anypony why I responded the way I did.

Sometimes this curse condemns me to a darkened world of despair…

Anyways, I must change the subject before my emotions overwhelm me. I was talking with Sunbeam the other day, and she told me that she was…

Twilight blinked in surprise when I tossed the collection of letters down in front of her. Before she could ask me anything, I flipped it open to the letter I had read and pointed at it. Leaning forward, she began to skim the page, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Reaching the end, Twilight glanced up from the page, a mystified look on her face, “What was it I was supposed to see again?” The others were now gathered around the desk, each trying to get a look at the small open book that I had brought back to show Twilight.

~The way she described humans~ I signed, trying to hold in my frustration. How can she not see this? It’s spelled out quite clearly.

“What about it?”

~You told me that humans could be trained, such as what Applejack does~ I replied before pointing at the book. ~The author stated that humans can’t be trained~

“What does that have to do with anything?” Avera asked, rubbing her temple with a hoof. “We’re trying to find any information about those strange statues, not on how humans behaved hundreds of years ago.”

~Humans went from not being able to be trained, to being able to be trained? There has to be something going on~

“Yeah, it’s called selective breeding!” Ebony chuckled, stepping back from the desk and stretching. “Any human that showed signs of listening were more likely to be bred by breeders than those who were more ‘wild’. That, combined with the use of positive and negative influences, allowed for us ponies to domesticate humans. These letters appear to have been written over nine hundred years ago, so it’s probably safe to say that back then it was harder to train humans than it is now, due to the lack of experience.

“Plus, by the sound of things, I think this mare didn’t like humans that much, so this is probably a bit biased,” she added, eyeing the small book. I turned to Twilight, looking for help.

~Please tell me that you don’t think the same thing~ I signed, giving her a small pout. ~You have to see that something strange is ahoof here. Remember that weird human in Canterlot? You said he wasn’t acting like a typical human. Something has to be affecting them~ Twilight just yawned, her tongue poking out of her mouth in a cute manner as she stretched her wings.

“What I think is that it’s about time for us to get going,” she said, wincing as her wing popped softly. “We’ve been down here for a while, and none of us are having any sort of luck finding anything about those statues Max and Lyra saw.” As the others mumbled in agreement, I shook my head, sighing in disgust.

“So we’re giving up? Just like that?” Avera asked, cocking an eyebrow. She glared down at the large pile of books in front of her. “I had to read all of these for nothing?!” Twilight shook her head, chuckling as she began collecting books.

“No, we aren’t giving up. Even though we found nothing here, we’ve still got one more source to check out.”

“Really?” Ebony asked, cocking her head to the side. “What source is that?”

“When we get back to Ponyville, we’ll be paying Lyra a visit. Hopefully she will be able to shine some light on this.”

“Great,” Avera grumbled, crossing her legs. “We get to go visit the nut. Remind me to pack my armor.” Gathering up the books we had been sorting through, our group slowly moved through the human section, returning the books to their shelves. With that completed, we began to make our way back towards the stairs.

I wasn’t sure if it was the darkness, or the still atmosphere, but I was having difficulty keeping my eyes open. Yawning loudly, I leaned against Twilight as we walked. She gasped slightly when she felt my hip press into her. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her glance up at me, a small smile on her face. I felt her lean into my hip as well as we continued walking. We stayed that way as we snaked through the massive bookshelves and up the stairs.

When we finally reached the massive double doors, I closed the lantern’s shutters and placed it back by the pillar. Twilight knocked on the doors, canceling her light as she did so. There was a brief moment of silence before the gears groaned to life and the doors began to slowly swing open.

As we stepped out into the hall and the doors closed again, a soft chuckle came from behind us. Turning, I blinked in surprise when I saw that the Sentinels had changed during our excursion into the archives.

Unlike the pair before, this new pair were dressed in dark blue robes with silver trim. Their collars and helmets were silver as well, and the top of the collar looked like the moon. The halberds clasped in their hooves were silver as well, the heads designed like a crescent moon.

“You were in there quite a while, weren’t you, Princess Sparkle,” one of them, a gray mare, said, a smirk on her aged muzzle. “The day has gone, and the night now reigns. Did you happen to find what you were looking for?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “We couldn’t find anything that could help us.”

“Ah, pity,” tsked the second guard, another mare with a dark blue coat. She looked up at me with dull green eyes, “It’s good to see that your human heeded our warning. It would be horrible if his experience was… less than pleasant.” I blinked in surprise, giving the mare a curious look. How did she know about that?

“The other Sentinels probably told them about us when we first arrived,” Ebony explained in a whisper upon seeing my confused expression. “They may be old and wise, but the Sentinels have been known to have a rather playful streak from time to time. It doesn’t help matters that there appears to be some form of telepathy between the four of them.”

“Careful, Major,” chuckled the first guard. “You don’t want to give away all of our secrets to this human, do you?” Ebony just gave the mare a sheepish smile.

“Is there anything else we can help you with tonight, Princess Sparkle?” the second guard asked kindly, the small smile still on her face. Unlike the day Sentinels, these two seemed more relaxed.

“Yeah,” Avera said, stretching her wings. “Did you guys know you’ve got something living in there?” She jabbed a hoof at the closed archive doors, causing both Sentinels to stare at her.

"No, there’s not,” one of them said with a chuckle. “You probably just ran into one of the good doctor’s drones. It entered the Archives a few hours before you, and is still inside at this very moment. Why he sends them down here to do his research, I don’t know, but it’s nothing for you to worry about. It was probably just curious as to your presence.”

“Why didn’t the other Sentinels tell us it was in there?!” Avera growled, flickering her ear. “If it hadn’t been for Max sensing something was up, we wouldn’t have even known about it!”

“What did I tell you,” Ebony snickered. “Playful streak.” Avera grumbled, but backed off.

“I can’t believe we were in there with one of those nasty bugs,” Avera growled softly, flicking her tail in annoyance.

“I think we’re good here,” Twilight said, nodding to the Sentinels. They both returned the nod, their faces returning to their original blank expressions.

“Have a good night, Princess Sparkle,” one of them said as we began to walk off down the hall. “Sleep well, and sleep deep.”

As we walked back towards our rooms, I crossed my arms, shivering slightly. The temperature had dropped within the halls now that the sun had gone down, and I could see my breath each time I exhaled. None of the ponies seemed bothered by the chill, however.

“So, what are you guys gonna do now?” Avera asked the three Battlemages as she hovered through the air, happy to be able to spread her wings again.

“We’ll escort you to your rooms for the night,” Zen Glory said. “And tomorrow we’ll escort you to the train station, as per Princess Celestia’s orders.”

As the others chatted quietly together, I focused on walking. I was exhausted, and my neck and jaw were beginning to hurt again. I wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the couch and pass out.

Beside me, Twilight giggled as I fought to keep my eyes open, “Somepony’s tired, aren’t they?” I chuckled softly, nodding my head. “Well, we’re almost there. Our room is just around the corner.” Rounding the corner in question, I immediately ran into another human walking in the opposite direction. With a yelp, we both stumbled backwards.

Regaining my balance, I glanced over at the human, who was rubbing her forehead where it had bumped into my shoulder. She had poofy light brown hair that reminded me of Pinkie’s mane, only slightly tamer. A lock of it hung down in front of her face, covering one of her blue eyes. She had on a simple-looking white night shirt that hung down to her thighs, which I noted dimly, weren’t branded.

I also noted, with a blush, that it appeared that the night shirt was the only thing she had on.

Shaking her head to clear it, she gave me a curious look. Approaching me tentatively, she stood upon on her tiptoes to get a better look at me. Murmuring to herself, she ran an eye over me as she slowly circled.

My guards had stopped, and were eyeing the human with guarded curiosity. Avera had a small smirk on her face as she watched the female study me.

Eventually, the human stepped back, cocking her head to the side as she stared at me. Suddenly, she leaned forward and nuzzled my chin, cooing softly. She inhaled deeply, taking in my scent. I jerked my head back, confused. What the heck?

At my sudden movement, she leaned forward and nipped at my chin with her teeth before dropping down and backing away. Chirping quietly, she slipped past me and continued down the hall, leaving me feeling slightly confused.

“What was that about?” Looking down, I saw Twilight was staring at the female, her ears splayed backwards.

“Looks like you’ve caught somepony’s eye,” Avera snickered, biting on her lip to stifle her laughter. Twilight’s tail flicked at her words, and her eyes narrowed. I chewed the inside of my cheek as I watched the human walk down the hall, swaying her hips as she walked. I felt my cheeks heat up as she walked, and continued to stare down the hall even after she turned the corner.

I was snapped out of my daze by someone bumping forcefully into my hip. Twilight was glaring up at me, an annoyed look on her face.

“I thought you were tired. Weren’t we heading back to the room?” she grumbled, her ear twitching as she pouted. I nodded dumbly and started walking again, but not before glancing down the hall one last time. She wasn’t that bad looking, actually…

The rest of our journey was uneventful. Arriving at the guest room where we had been staying, Twilight and I bid the Battlemages and my guards goodnight. Avera and Ebony retreated to their own rooms, while the Battlemages headed back down the hall, letting us know that they would be back in the morning to look after us.

Closing and locking the door behind me, I sagged against it, exhausted. I yawned, wincing as my jaw cracked loudly. Smacking my lips, I pushed myself off of the door and shuffled into the room. A servant had been in during our absence, and the fire crackling softly in the fireplace heated the room against the winter chill.

As Twilight occupied herself in the bathroom, I kicked off my sandals, sighing happily as I wiggled my toes against the warm carpeted floor. When Twilight walked out of the bathroom, I yawned again and made my way over to the couch. I had insisted that Twilight take the bed, as I was used to sleeping on the couch back at the library. Compared to it, the couch here at the palace was enormous.

I had just moved to lay down when something grabbed hold of me. I yelped as I was lifted into the air. Looking around, I spied Twilight looking at me, her horn lit softly.

“Don’t be silly,” she said, a small smile on her face as she held me in her magic. “There’s plenty of room on the bed for both of us.”

~I’m comfortable on the couch, thank you~ I sighed, my cheeks warming up again. This just made Twilight laugh softly.

“Nonsense.” She levitated me over to the bed and dropped me down onto the mattress. I bounced once before sinking into the soft comforter. With a flap of her wings, Twilight jumped up onto the bed with me. A burst of magic later, and the lanterns in the room dimmed before flickering out. Only the light from the fire remained.

She snuggled under the covers, a happy sigh escaping her lips as she got comfortable, “There, that’s better, isn’t it?” I chuckled, lifting a hand and scratching behind her ears as I slipped under the comforter as well, keeping some distance between Twilight and myself. She purred happily as she leaned into my hand.

The warmth of the comforter, combined with the heat from the fire, had me fighting to keep my eyes open.

“I hope you weren’t too bored today,” Twilight murmured. “I know not everypony likes sorting through dusty old books.”

~It wasn’t that bad~ I signed, a content smile on my face. ~It was actually kind of fun~ I tried to form more words, but sleep was digging its claws into me, and I was drifting off quickly.

With darkness slowly claimed me, I felt Twilight shift next to me, closing the gap. She tentatively placed her head on my chest, sighing happily when I didn’t move to stop her. I smiled, not opening my eyes. My arm seemed to move on its own and I wrapped it around her. She snuggled in closer, draping a wing over my stomach.

“You are warm,” she whispered softly, nuzzling my chest. With that, we both fell silent, and were soon fast asleep.