(Canterlot) Fire Meets Fire (Ended)

[RarityDash]

The unicorn filly nodded her head slowly as Fire and Miss Marie talked. Miss Marie seemed nice, so she really didn't mind the idea of her coming along with them. Maybe she would end up her friend as well? That would be nice: making two friends in this strange, unfamiliar city. Spirit smiled at the thought, eager to see the school with the two of them. She followed Miss Marie closely as she exited the dining hall.

[colour=#008080]“If you’ve got any questions about the School, Miss Spirit, feel free to ask them while we make our way to the library.”[/colour]

The young pony tilted her head and thought slightly moment. She was usually a pony with a lot of question, but that was usually because she didn't understand things and needed them explained to her. Upon being prompted for questions she wasn't entirely sure what to ask at first. She walked and stared ahead, a more blank than usual look on her face.

[colour=#cccccc]"Well... how many students go here... and how do you find them?" [/colour]she finally asked in a slow, paced voice, deciding it was the thing she was most curious about.

[Lux]

Fire was happy that ingrid acceptrted her offer of giving Spirit a tour of the school. It wasn't that Fire was ill equiped to do so herself, but Fire could only tell her friends what she knew as a student. Ingrid, on the other hoof, could give the teacher angle.

[colour=#FF0000]"Thanks Miss Marie! Spirit and I already ate so we can go to the library. I'm sure Miss Marie will be giving you more information about the school and your questions spirit, but i can tell you how I was able to go to this school. My parents basically appled for me to go. Now to be hare I had to of course be a unicorn and I had to have my cutie mark. So I was given an interview about me and especially about my magic, and then soon after I had an acceptance letter!" [/colour]

[Bellosh]

[colour=#008080]“Miss Heart has the gist of it,”[/colour] Ingrid Marie added as she led the group outside; [colour=#008080]“We typically don’t go out scouting for gifted unicorns because in all honesty, we don’t have to. Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns is the premiere school in the nation for talented youngsters to develop their powers. That means practically every unicorn parent with high hopes for their foals sends us applications to enroll their children here. The application process to get in is extremely competitive; out of hundreds of applications we review per year, less than a hundred of those end up meeting our enrollment standards. In total, we have about fifteen-hundred students studying and living here at the School at any given time.[/colour]

[colour=#008080]“Just to correct Miss Heart though, a foal is not required to have a cutie mark in order to be eligible for enrollment. Indeed, a third of successful applicants did not earn their marks yet at the time of their entrance examinations and interviews. For some students, it may take life experiences here at the school and away from home for them to make fundamental realizations about what they want the most out of life.”[/colour]

As Ingrid finished, she saw the entrance to the Library Tower coming up ahead. The counselor couldn’t wait to see Miss Spirit’s reaction upon seeing the library’s inside for the first time…

[RarityDash]

Spirit listened closely as the two talked about the process for accepting new students, nodding on occasion. It really sounded like this was the best school for unicorns anywhere. She wondered how'd she do at a place like this. She probably wasn't gifted enough; aside from her fire, all her magic was really weak after all--she could hardly even lift things some times. If less than a hundred ponies got accepted each year, her chances would have been even slimmer.

Of course, that didn't really matter. The line about parents sending in application stuck out to her. Being that Spirt's mother had been a manticore, it's doubtful that she would have sent Spirt to a pony school had she had the opportunity. Not to mention, being unable to write, she probably couldn't have sent in the application in the first place. Mr. Gray seemed opposed to sending her to any kind of school either. Spirit had asked him once when she first learned what a school and could still recall his reply, [colour=#666666]"School? There's no need for it, Spirit, my dear child! Why have knowledge fed to you in some stuffy classroom when you could instead learn and experience it all for yourself with your own eyes? No, all of Equestria shall be your school. And as for teachers, you already have the best there ever was right here in front of you!"[/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]"I see... it sounds like a really discerning place..."[/colour] Spirit said as Miss Marie stopped talking. She gave a nod, as a ornate door up ahead came into view. [colour=#cccccc]"So now we're going to see the library?"[/colour] she asked, head tilted. This was the place she was most curious to see. Spirit lived her life surrounded by books; she rather loved reading them too. She was very interested to see just what this school had on its shelves.

[Lux]

Fire was happy that the information that she was telling Spirit about how a pony enrolls into Princess Celestia's school was for the most part correct. What she didn't know was how many ponies were competing for acceptance into the school and how few there were actually being accepted.

[colour=#FF0000]"Wow! That many students? I guess I'm lucky to be here," [/colour]Fire said to Ingrid, [colour=#FF0000]"I guess that since I was accepted here after getting my cutie mark I thought other ponies had to."[/colour]

Fire wondered how much Spirit knew about how a school worked. Clearly she wasn't ever in an academic setting like she was seeing today. There was also the fact that for many years Spirit lived with a manticore as a mother. Her life as a young foal was anything but ordinary, and Fire questioned what she had in terms of a life between being discovered in the forest and now.

[colour=#FF0000]"Yep. We're going to see the library next. It's a place that I go to sometimes. Have you ever been tio a library, Spirit?"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

[colour=#008080]“Don’t think of it as luck, Miss Heart;”[/colour] Ingrid earnestly responded after the student showed surprise over the number of enrollment applications; [colour=#008080]“You just happen to display genuine gifts.”[/colour] The counselor took a double-take hearing Fire Heart ask if Spirit had ever been to a library. What kind of silly question was that? How could a pony of Miss Spirit’s age not have ever visited a library before? Did she live under a rock or something?

Counselor Marie stayed silent on that particular subject; rather, she simply announced; [colour=#008080]“We’re here! Just remember to use your library voices when inside; other students are trying to study.”[/colour] With that reminder, Ingrid gently pushed the fancily-decorated door open and trotted into the alabaster building.

The six-story tall Library Tower may have been the shortest of all the spires comprising Princess Celestia’s School, but Ingrid had always reckoned its interior to be the most magnificent of them all. The tower itself contained essentially one massive chamber, open to the sky thanks to a window at the very top. The ground floor itself was bare save only for the reference and lending desks at the far end, with circulation shelves behind the desks. Directly under the skylight, an emblem of Princess Celestia’s cutie mark lay on the floor surrounded by a checkerboard marble pattern. On each side of the tower, stairways led up to the above floors that housed most of the library’s books, misc. reference materials, and study areas where students either read, wrote assignments, or simply crashed in-between classes. At the far end of each of the above floors, platforms without railing stood as convenient places to land book carts on; even now, Ingrid saw a pegasus library assistant fly up with a half-loaded cart in her hooves (as an equal-opportunity employer, the School happily hired non-unicorns for support staff positions). As each of these stories formed a ring (each ring contained a wooden railing except for the book collection platforms), any part of the library could be viewed from any floor. Finally, the library’s basement housed special collection archives and private study chambers, but those were only accessible with permission through a stairwell in the circulation area.

[colour=#008080]“Well,”[/colour] whispered Ingrid Marie;[colour=#008080] “What do you think, Miss Spirit?”[/colour]

[RarityDash]

[colour=#FF0000]"Yep. We're going to see the library next. It's a place that I go to sometimes. Have you ever been tio a library, Spirit?"[/colour]

Spirit gave a small nod as Fire asked her this. [colour=#cccccc]"Yes, I think I've been to one before... maybe... but I don't have to usually since the place where I live has so many books..." [/colour]she said in her usually soft, even toned voice as she followed after Miss Marie toward the library.

[colour=#008080]“We’re here! Just remember to use your library voices when inside; other students are trying to study.”[/colour]

The filly tilted her head in confusion.[colour=#cccccc] "Umm, what's a library voice?"[/colour] she asked, curious, her voice becoming particularly quiet. She hadn't been aware that libraries had voices. She didn't wait for an answer though, for as the door to the library opened she followed inside.

It was really big. That was Spirit's initial impression. Big... and tall. It had the familiar smell of books, though it also struck her as much cleaner and more organized than her home. She decided quickly that this was a nice place. She liked it. It was big, but it was quiet and the familiar smell made her feel at home. She broke into a rare smile as she continued to look around.

[colour=#008080]“Well, w[/colour][colour=#008080]hat do you think, Miss Spirit?”[/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]"It's really nice,"[/colour] Spirit replied, nodding. [colour=#cccccc]"How many books do you think it has?"[/colour] she asked, as she continued to look up and about from shelf to shelf.

[Lux]

Ingrid gave Fire a look like lobsters were dangling from her ears. The older filly knew it was probbly due to her asking Spirit if she had been to a library. Although strange for Ingrid to hear, it was a legitimate question to ask a pony who was not familiar with much of society yet. Thankfully Spirit answered which fixed the awkward explanation that she would have to give the counselor.

Although Fire had been a student for some time, she never got over how big and amazing the library appeared. There were literally tens maybe even hundreds of thousands of books that were there!

[colour=#FF0000]"I'm glad you like this place," [/colour]Fire said making sure she kept her library voice, [colour=#FF0000]"This is I place I spend lots of time in, even more that in my dorm room. As for books, I'm thinking that there are like 250,000 here. Of course Miss Marie might have a better count. Do you want to see the higher areas of the library?"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

Counselor Marie didn’t see fit to acknowledge Spirit’s question about library voices, since the filly already showed great skill at keeping her voice down… perhaps too much so. Ingrid momentarily forgot all about Spirit’s quirkiness as the group walked into the Library Tower; if the young pony had indeed never been in a library before, it was a good thing that she was receiving a special treat for her eyes today.

Judging by Spirit’s smile, she had indeed enjoyed what she saw. Asking how many books the library had, Fire Heart guessed about 250,000. [colour=#008080]“I… actually don’t know the precise number of books in our collection,” [/colour]Ingrid quietly responded; [colour=#008080]“However, a quarter-million books is about typical for a library of this size. If you want an actual answer, feel free to ask the librarian on duty. In the meantime Miss Spirit, I can lead you up the higher floors if you’re up to it.”[/colour]

[RarityDash]

As the other two ponies answered her, Spirit just gave more sedate nods. This really was an incredible place to have so many books. [colour=#cccccc]"Two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand? That's a lot..."[/colour] she said wispily as she stepped ahead slightly. [colour=#cccccc]"That has to be at least five times as many as Mr. Gray has..."[/colour]

She thought back to her home, to "Gray Lexis' Wondrous Archive of Recherché Tomes", with its untidy, overstuffed shelves and stacks upon stacks of loose books spread about. She had never actually asked Mr. Gray how many books he had, nor has she counted them but there had to be a lot. Most of them were supposed to be really rare too, some even one of a kind.

[colour=#cccccc]"So does the library have any books that are really rare or special?"[/colour] Spirit asked curiously as she stepped back toward the others.

She gave another small nod and then added in her characteristically quiet voice, [colour=#cccccc]"I'd love to see the top floors."[/colour]

[Lux]

Fire didn't really know how many books were in the library. No pony could possible read all the books in the library much less count them.

[colour=#FF0000]"Wow, Mr. Grey has alot of books at home. I actually don't know myself how many books there are, so 250,000 is just a guess I guess."[/colour]

The unicorn thought about Spitit's request to see some old or rare books. Clearly the pony had some understanding about books to ask that. Fire could only surmize that Mr. Grey had a few in his collection.

[colour=#FF0000]"Well, there are several old books here, but I'm not sure about which ones are rare. Maybe we'll see some along the way when we get to the top floors." [/colour]

[Bellosh]

Upon Spirit’s request, Ingrid Marie led the two fillies up a spacious stairwell up towards the top floor. As they trotted upwards, Ingrid made a brief note of the orderliness and cleanliness of the library shelves; truly a testament to the skill and dedication of the library staff. Overhearing Fire Heart discuss rare books, the counselor piped in with a hushed voice; [colour=#008080]“Actually, we don’t keep our oldest and rarest books in general circulation. For those, you’ll have to go down to Special Collections in the basement, and you need permission from the librarian to do that.”[/colour] Only two more floors to go before the group reached the top level…

[RarityDash]

[colour=#FF0000]"Wow, Mr. Grey has alot of books at home. I actually don't know myself how many books there are, so 250,000 is just a guess I guess."[/colour]

[colour=#d3d3d3]"Yeah," [/colour]Spirit Flame said, soft in tone as usual.[colour=#d3d3d3] "He collects them. He says its a book store, but he almost never sells anything..." [/colour]She looked around some more and then added in a quiet voice, [colour=#d3d3d3]"But this library definitely has a lot more... and it's also a lot cleaner. Back home, all the books are all in high messy stacks that extend up from the floor...[/colour]" The filly paused and looked downward a moment. [colour=#d3d3d3]"Sometimes Mr. Gray sends me to retrieve certain books and I end up buried in them..." [/colour]she added with a gentle nod.

[colour=#008080]“Actually, we don’t keep our oldest and rarest books in general circulation. For those, you’ll have to go down to Special Collections in the basement, and you need permission from the librarian to do that.”[/colour]

On the subject of rare books, Miss Marie offered the definitive words. Spirit understood enough about things that this made sense to her. A place like this would want to keep the special books separate so they wouldn't get lost in the countless others. Back home, you could find a 500 year old tome of obscure magics in the same stack mixed in with far more contemporary fair, but for a place of this size that wasn't quite practical.

[colour=#d3d3d3]"I see," Spirit said, moving up the staircase after the mare. "That makes sense,"[/colour] she added, giving a nod. As they continued upward, she became increasingly eager to see the top.

[Lux]

[colour=#FF0000]"I guess I could understand that the rare books would be kept in a special place," [/colour]Fire said. She could have sworn that there were some older looking books in the library, but then again the unicorn was no librarian. What she could have seen was a book that appered olf but was really just well-loved and handeled by many ponies. With this thought in mind, Fire made a note to look out for these well used books to see why they were so popular.

Fire tried to stiffle her urge to laugh when she pictured Spirit looking though the towers of books in Mr. Grey's bookstore and having them sometimes cascade on the poor filly.

[colour=#FF0000]"I had that problem too once here," [/colour]Fire said, [colour=#FF0000]"I was looking for a book, and it was on the top shelf. I walked up a ladder a was able to grab it, but then my hooves slipped on the rung. As I fell, I tried to grab something, hoping that it would stop me from falling, but all I could get were more books. So I ended up falling to the ground, with other books falling on top of me. I was ok, but it did create a loud noise that cause I think everypony in the library to stop and look."[/colour]

[Bellosh]

[colour=#008080]~A messy book store that hardly ever sells anything? That’s just absolutely shocking, mmkay~[/colour]

Eavesdropping on the conversation about Mr. Gray, Ingrid Marie got the impression that the book store was Miss Spirit’s guardian… which if anything, made Spirit’s cluelessness about libraries all the more baffling. Ingrid still didn’t inquire more on the subject, as Fire Heart proceeded to elate an anecdote about fooling around with the library’s ladders. [colour=#008080]“In the future Miss Heart,”[/colour] the counselor quietly but sternly reminded the filly; [colour=#008080]“Please ask the staff for assistance if you can’t reach a book yourself. It’s not worth getting yourself hurt over.”[/colour]

With that, the group had finally reached the top level. [colour=#008080]“Feel free to look around for a little bit, Miss Spirit. When you’re ready to head back down, let me know.”[/colour]

[RarityDash]

[colour=#FF0000]"I had that problem too once here. [/colour][colour=#FF0000]I was looking for a book, and it was on the top shelf. I walked up a ladder a was able to grab it, but then my hooves slipped on the rung. As I fell, I tried to grab something, hoping that it would stop me from falling, but all I could get were more books. So I ended up falling to the ground, with other books falling on top of me. I was ok, but it did create a loud noise that cause I think everypony in the library to stop and look."[/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]Spirit listened to the story closely, looking up toward the top shelves of some of the nearby bookshelves. It was quite a drop from there, especially for a young filly.[/colour][colour=#ffffff]"I'm glad you weren't hurt," [/colour][colour=#cccccc]Spirit said, nodding. She paused, tilting her head in thought, then nodded once more.[/colour][colour=#ffffff]"It's also a good thing you didn't end up using your magic. Books burn easily..." [/colour][colour=#cccccc]she added, knowingly.[/colour]

​

[colour=#008080]“Feel free to look around for a little bit, Miss Spirit. When you’re ready to head back down, let me know.”[/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]The unicorn gave a nod to the mare.[/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Okay..." [/colour][colour=#cccccc]she said softly. She began to look around more, still mostly awed by how nice the library was. She spent a long time looking down upon the rest of the library, impressed by the view the top floor offered. Truly this was a magical place. A subtle smile crept onto her face as she continued to stare ahead.[/colour]

​

[Lux]

[colour=#FF0000]"Yeah, I'll make sure to ask somepony," [/colour]Fire said sheepishly to Ingrid. She felt like she was a little filly back in her old school getting scolded for interrupting or something to that extant. True it was dangerous trying to get a book like that, but thankfully she was not hurt and she did get her book even if it wasn't the easiest way. But Fire never was one to do things the easy way nor seek help readily if she felt she could do something.

[colour=#FF0000]"Yeah thankfully I wasn't hurt," [/colour]she said to Spirit, [colour=#FF0000]"As for my fire magic, I ddefinitely have to be careful here since there's thousand of books that can catch fire." [/colour]

[Bellosh]

[colour=#008080]“Actually, the books here can’t catch on fire,”[/colour] Ingrid Marie quietly smirked; [colour=#008080]“We’re well aware of the tragedies caused by library fires, so every book in our collection is enchanted with protection spells. Not only will they not burn, but they will not get ruined by water or fade with the passage of time. Our materials in Special Collections are protected by even more powerful enchantments. Please don’t test the strength of our enchantments though; if a book’s magic protection hasn’t been replenished recently, it might very well go up in smoke.”[/colour]

[RarityDash]

[colour=#008080]“Actually, the books here can’t catch on fire. [/colour][colour=#008080]We’re well aware of the tragedies caused by library fires, so every book in our collection is enchanted with protection spells. Not only will they not burn, but they will not get ruined by water or fade with the passage of time. Our materials in Special Collections are protected by even more powerful enchantments. Please don’t test the strength of our enchantments though; if a book’s magic protection hasn’t been replenished recently, it might very well go up in smoke.”[/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]Spirit listened to Miss Marie's words, surprised at what she was hearing. Magic could really be incredible sometimes. It was kind of sad that all she herself could do with it was burn things. She wondered if Mr. Gray knew about these kinds of enchantments? Considering he seemed to know almost everything, it was probably likely. Spirit wasn't going to test it out by trying to burn any of his prized books though. [/colour]

[colour=#cccccc][colour=#ffffff]"I see... that's really great..."[/colour][colour=#cccccc] she said with a nod. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"I would hate it if so many books were to all burn up or get destroyed..."[/colour][/colour]

[colour=#cccccc][colour=#cccccc]Continuing to look out upon the library, Spirit's eyes remained wide with a subtle excitement. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"So what else is there to see?"[/colour][colour=#cccccc] she asked after a pause, turning to look at her two new friends.[/colour][/colour]

​

[Lux]

[colour=#FF0000]"Hey, tht's really neat haveing a protection enchantment on each book," [/colour]Fire said. Being in a sschool where magic was everywhere, she suspected that there would be oething related to protection with the books from fires, water, or age. Still Miss Marie's statement confirmed it.

[colour=#FF0000]"I'm not going to test out the magic. I dion't want to see any books destroyed either."[/colour]

Spirit seemed satisfied with seeing the library and was now interested in going somewhere else.

[colour=#FF0000]"Well, I can show you a class room or where magic spells or practiced, or my dorm room. That is, unless Miss Marie has somewhere else she thinks might be neat for you to see."[/colour]

[Bellosh]

[colour=#008080]“Actually…”[/colour] Ingrid Marie hesitated before continuing; [colour=#008080]“If you’d like Miss Spirit, I can briefly show you the Special Collections section before we move on. I’m sure the librarian on duty will let us down there.”[/colour] Spirit looked like she really enjoyed touring the Library Tower, so it’d be a shame for her to miss out on the basement.

Smirking at Miss Spirit, the giddy Counselor Marie proceeded to make her way downstairs. [colour=#008080]“Just to let you know, we keep more than our most prized tomes down in the basement. He he he… you simply just have to see it for yourself.”[/colour] If everything worked out, Spirit would be a visitor lucky enough to see inside the Incubation Chamber…

[RarityDash]

[colour=#ff0000][colour=#FF0000]"Well, I can show you a class room or where magic spells or practiced, or my dorm room. That is, unless Miss Marie has somewhere else she thinks might be neat for you to see."[/colour] [/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]The young unicorn considered Fire's words a moment and nodded. She'd love to see any of those places really. To her, they all seemed rather fun. This was where her friend learned, trained her magic and lived after all. They all had to be wonderful places, just like the things she had seen so far. She opened her mouth to say that she'd love to see all three, but before she could, Miss Marie began to speak.[/colour]

​

[colour=#008080]“Actually… [/colour][colour=#008080]If you’d like Miss Spirit, I can briefly show you the Special Collections section before we move on. I’m sure the librarian on duty will let us down there.”[/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]Spirit Flame's eyes widened at the words. The Special Collections? The rarest books in this huge library that they put so much effort into keeping safe? Spirit was going to be allowed to see them? This excited her. She was Mr. Gray's assistant after all, so if there was one thing she had been taught to appreciate it was rare books. Spirit felt her eagerness rise.[/colour]

​

[colour=#008080]“Just to let you know, we keep more than our most prized tomes down in the basement. He he he… you simply just have to see it for yourself.”[/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]Spirit gave a small gasp. There was more? [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"But what can be more exciting than books?"[/colour][colour=#cccccc] she asked, her usual spacey tone now possessing a clear lilt of excitement. [/colour]

[colour=#ffffff]"I'd really like to see that...."[/colour][colour=#cccccc] she added, smiling more than her subdued emotions usually allowed.[/colour]

​

[Lux]

Fire Heart's eyes lit up when she heard that Miss Marie was going to allow her and Spirit into the Restricted Collection. In her time in Princess Celestia's School, the older filly had been to many places in the campus. The one place that she had never seen was th Restricted area. Usually this area was reserved for teachers only and if students wanted anything, they would need permission from their teachers. So far, Fire didn't need access to the area, but she was nevertheless excited.

[colour=#FF0000]"Oh I'd love to see the Restricted Area and what's there. You said there's more than books there? Are there thinks like magical artifacts?"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

Ingrid Marie’s smile grew wider; both of the fillies wanted to go down to Special Collections. Apparently, Fire Heart had not yet been down there yet, so she would be in for a wonderful surprise too. [colour=#008080]“We have a small selection of magical artifacts down in the basement too, actually. They’re not as powerful or prestigious as once kept at other museums and archives, but they’re no less important as relics for gifted unicorns to study. However… that isn’t the surprise I have in mind.”[/colour]

Within a couple of minutes, Ingrid had made her way down to the ground level. As the counselor was one of the more senior instructors at the School, the librarian running the circulation area let her and the group through without asking any questions. Counselor Marie trotted down the stairwell, which led to an underground intersection with three hallways. The hallway to the right contained private study rooms, the middle corridor led to a set of double-doors and the Special Collections room beyond them, and the left hallway terminated at a more elaborate double door. Decorated by artwork of dragons on either side, protected by a locking mechanism designed to be unlocked by unicorns, and guarded by a uniformed security watchpony (a unicorn to be precise), Ingrid would save that room for last.

Ingrid led the group down the middle hallway, the one towards Special Collections. With each step she took, the air grew a little colder. [colour=#008080]“I hope you fillies can keep warm in Special Collections,” the elder unicorn warned; “We tend to keep the place a bit… chilly.”[/colour]

[RarityDash]

[colour=#008080]“We have a small selection of magical artifacts down in the basement too, actually. They’re not as powerful or prestigious as once kept at other museums and archives, but they’re no less important as relics for gifted unicorns to study. However… that isn’t the surprise I have in mind.”[/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]Magical artifacts? Mr. Gray had told Spirit a lot about such things. In his opinion, they were a secondary concern to knowledge itself. Spirit could recall him saying something about a truly great magician being able to create his own magical artifacts. She could however recall him also mentioning some that were truly mysterious, powerful, unique and well worth coveting. If they had something like that, that would make a nice surprise for them to look at, but Miss Marie was saying it was something else entirely. [/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]Spirit was becoming increasingly curious at the thought. Just what might be down there that Miss Marie wanted them to see? It had to be something exciting right? Spirit followed after the mare with increased spring in her step, her anticipation building as they moved back toward the ground level. With any luck, she really was going to have an interesting story to convey to Mr. Gray when he returned for her. Yeah. That's right. He had told her to let her curiosity guide her to adventure, and in a ways she was perhaps doing just that. She smiled just softly as she followed Miss Marie as she began to move down a corridor.[/colour]

​

[colour=#008080]“I hope you fillies can keep warm in Special Collections. We tend to keep the place a bit… chilly.”[/colour]

[colour=#cccccc]Spirit started to recognize the cold around her just as the mare spoke. It was fairly intense, but Spirit kept trotting along. She had been through worse. Winter nights in Everfree, even with the warmth of her own fires to rely on, had been a bitter struggle to endure, and yet she had come from there alive somehow. She didn't mind the cold, however... her eyes went to Fire, remembering what the filly had said back at the cafe.[/colour]

[colour=#ffffff]"I'll be fine,"[/colour][colour=#cccccc] she said with a nod. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"But we should probably hurry. Fire doesn't like the cold..."[/colour]

​