The shadows consumed the room, and it embraced the darkness in return. The only light source for the large bedchamber being the light from the stars and moon, which slithered into the room via the moon-shaped window, dimly illuminating the desk that was placed under it. Apart from the notes and scrolls, something out of place stuck out, standing still on the desk. A doll, but not just any doll. It was clad in a pink set of armor which reflected the light of the outside, allowing some of the beams to reach further into the room.

“Guardswoman Kelly”, if Luna remembered correctly. It was the name given to the bipedal doll by the human child, perhaps only a hoofful of hours before its traumatic death. The sole thought made the Princess shiver.

She reminded herself that the Ubor was dead, its body taken away by the humans shortly before their departure. Yet, she still felt pity for it, perhaps even a touch of empathy. She knew what it felt like to be able to see your own actions, yet unable to control them. The only facts that comforted her were that it died seemingly with no pain, and that its last moments were spent in a vague attempt to redeem itself by helping others in the only way it could: warning Luna about the possible future. But what were the warnings about? Were the Ubor planning to attack her planet? What exactly were the humans up to? Too many questions and few answers.

The “book”. The old human had said it himself, “The answers you seek are most likely to be found within it.” But was that true? What if the content it held was purposely limited or manipulated? It was certainly a possibility, but Luna saw no other way than to try.

The Princess groaned, rolling off of her bed. The questions were pinching the back of her mind, begging to be answered. It had only been a few hours since the humans left, leaving behind doubt, fear, and war. One thing was certain: their legacy would live on in Equestria for ages to come.

She slowly trotted over to her desk. The flat device was there, waiting for her, holding possible answers. The path between her bed at the desk seemed endless. A pang of concern stuck her heart, as well as doubt. She still did not know how to use it, but the Admiral had claimed that it was intuitive.

Luna sat behind the piece of furniture, looking down at the glowing, pad-like device.

Pad.

It seemed fitting, especially considering that it barely resembled an actual book.

She closely examined the device. The images it displayed were moving, almost like a window to another world. “Search”, “Apps”, “Options”, those were but a few of the words that the device displayed. She was both confused and amazed at this. How did it work? Did the humans really replace paper and ink by this? Her mind reeled back, recalling the first time she saw the bipeds. Their armor, their small eyes, their towering height and strength, and all of this was only a single shade of their society. How advanced were they? How did they use magic?

Deciding that it was time to find more answers instead of raising even more questions, Luna magically grabbed a blank piece of paper and a quill. She dipped the latter on a nearby inkpot and set upon writing.

“Let us see... what should the title be?” she asked herself out loud. “Simply... humans?”

“Search Query: Humans,” came a female voice, originating from the pad. Luna almost jumped, feeling like her heart was about to leap out of her body. After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she inched closer to the desk and looked at the device.

“Homo Evolutis?” The device was now displaying a generous amount of information. With only a quick glance, Luna could see that most of it regarded the humans. Had it heard her? Was it alive? She prodded it with a hoof, and the pad offered no response.

“Uhm... Colonial Guard?”

“Search query: Colonial Guard,” the pad said once again. It was certain now: it was either alive or possessed an advanced form of magic. Neither of these possibilities made much to comfort her.

Luna sighed, grabbing a magical hold of the quill once again. With a title in mind, she began writing into the piece of paper.

“The Homo Evolutis, Part One.”

“This is the beginning of my studies regarding the “Humans”, in which I will perhaps cooperate with Twilight Sparkle.”

“Mysterious, yet familiar. I cannot say why, but it is a fact. Never did I believe in extraterrestrial life before this incident. They are powerful, yet gentle. They tower over my sister by at least two times, and their touch is enough to bend metal.”

“They left hours ago, but I can still feel their influence. The mark they left upon our world will last for an eternity. That said, I have an insatiable thirst to know more about them.”

“Ever since I stepped into the outside to see the sky shrouded by the USS Vector, I told myself that I would find out what it was, no matter what. And now I have what I need to do just that.”

“A flat device, which I decided to call ‘Pad’. I am not exactly sure as how it works, but it can hear and obey orders. If my assumptions are correct, then it holds more information than what one can store in an entire bookshelf.”

“I wonder what their society is like. Do they have gods? Are they part of an empire that spans from star to star, making their enemies tremble in fear? There are so many questions in my mind right now. I have even begun to doubt my very existence. I always wondered why there were stars that I could not move.”

“How far ahead are they from us? How big is the universe? Am I truly a goddess, or just another pawn in this massive chess board?”

“I need answers, and this device is perhaps the best chance I have.”