Remain|Release|Remember

Twilight looked at her assistant with a smile. “Candy Cup, is it almost time for tea? I’m a bit anxious. Do you think he’ll like my new mane style?”

Candy Cup stared at her flatly, “Princess… no. He won’t even notice. He never does. He’s a self absorbed narcissist who doesn’t give others the time of day. I have no idea how you’ve been seeing him for three hundred years and he still doesn’t seem to get the memo. Have you two even ever… you know… done more than tease each other?”

Twilight stuck her tongue out at the silly filly. “That’s none of your business and you know it. But, no, I don’t think we have. Well… we’ve been friends a long time and I may have simply forgotten. Although, I bet he’s quite the adventurous partner. It’s unlikely I simply forgot.”

Candy scrunched up her nose. “Well, it is almost time. I’m sure the garden is set. Why do you always meet there?”

Twilight smiled. She didn’t remember, exactly, but the books had told her. “We both had an old friend that loved them. She was important to both of us. One of my original friends, actually. Fluttershy, a Guardian of Harmony.”

Candy sighed, seemingly dreamily. “I wonder what it’s like to be so important to a princess that she never forgets you… I’m sure one day I’ll slip from your mind.”

Twilight smiled comfortingly, pulling Candy into a hug. “Hush… I’ll remember you forever in my own way. I promise. But first you need to live your life! Go have fun. Take the afternoon and the evening off. I’ll meet him in the garden myself and you can have your own romantic adventure.”

She paused, then waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Do let me know if it’s something spicy.”

Candy laughed, amused at Twilight’s antics. “Phha… Have you always been an old perv?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I honestly don’t remember. Now get out of here. Maybe tonight I’ll finally convince him to swap more than stories over tea with me.”

Candy bowed, and left with a laugh while Twilight hopped off her throne. The truth was… perhaps more sad than she could let Candy know. Twilight simply didn’t know. Every time she met Discord for tea, the evening seemed to disappear.

She’d tell a few jokes, she’d have a few sips and then… it was morning and her head hurt. And then she felt good like the weight of the world was gone, and she’d check her library and there’d be new books.

The halls were getting quite filled now. It took her some time to find anything by hoof, but she’d found that if she willed it, she could conjure up whatever books she needed. Family, friends, acquaintances, enemies, they were all there. Even some details on living friends. Spike had a whole shelf to himself, and he still regularly surprised her with new adventures.

She even had books on herself. That had been alarming when she’d found those for the first time. Apparently she’d hated quesadilla’s for a very specific reason that she was glad to forget.

She couldn’t complain. The system was marvelously suited for her. Apparently hoof crafted by someone that knew her intimately well. The only mystery left was that one particular subject never seemed to have any books. At least not directly. Was it a consequence of the magic? Or was it intended by her… benefactor?

Discord.

He was referenced in other books, but had no books for himself. And she was sure she’d forgotten so many things about him. Perhaps she should ask? Had she asked before? She couldn’t remember…

The garden was calming even though the birds were loud. She actually quite liked them—they always had a musical lilt that just seemed more practiced than other birds. Discord seemed frustrated about something, but he just kept rambling on like he usually did. She always liked watching him ramble when he had a good story going.

“So I made him play the violin this time! Him! Can you believe it? That’s hardly a novel gag, and somehow he was the one that…”

She held up a hoof. As much as she wanted to keep listening, she was afraid she was entering “soon to be forgotten” time, and wanted a few memories of her own. “Discord, wait. Do you notice anything different about me?”

He drank his tea all at once, then spat it back out and drank it again. She wasn’t sure what he meant by it, but the his antics were as amusing as ever. He had always been dramatic.

“You’d interrupt my story just because you’re fishing for compliments on your hair?”

Twilight smiled. “So you did notice?”

His eyes looked downward and he grumbled into his cup, fidgeting strangely with it. “Of course I noticed… You made it look like hers.”

Twilight frowned. She hadn’t intended to copy… the mare. “Oh. I’m sorry. I… haven’t looked at her book lately and I forgot what she looked like. I didn’t mean to make you remember…”

He sighed. “Well, now you have. So thank you. I like remembering.”

She stared at him, her mind trying to ask the question she wanted, and then it just came out—surprisingly more harsh than she’d imagined. “Will you never let her go? I’ve been waiting.”

Discord looked back at her, seemingly confused. “Waiting? What for?”

Twilight looked at her own cup, the simple black tea feeling too warm to hold in the summer sun. She hadn’t intended to sound so angry. She wasn’t really angry. She was just feeling anxious. “I… never mind. Please, tell me about your friend with the violin.”

He slid across the table like a snake, knocking the cup out of her hand; unlike her he didn’t hide his emotions. The anger was crystal clear in his voice and his face. “What are you waiting for?”

She looked back up, surprised at his sudden anger and feeling ashamed. She’d lost control. She was better than that. “You?”

He stared at her, and she stared at him. His eyes glanced down her neck, then strangely down her chest. They sparked with an alien emotion, something she couldn’t place on his face. Then he blinked, and seemed to sink into the table as he quite literally grew smaller.

His voice was grating as he seemed to shrivel up. “I can’t… do this tonight.” There were tears in his eyes. “I can’t… do this. Not with you… like that.”

Twilight frowned. He wouldn’t do the ritual? Something about that scared her far more than it should. Her answer was purely out of fear, but it sounded cold. Almost cruel. “We have a deal.”

He glared up at her, frustration and sadness warring on his face. He pulled his heart out of his chest in a cartoonish gesture that rapidly turned gory as held it up to her as a mock offering. The beating red thing was squirting small amounts of blood as he held it.

“We have a deal… Yes, we do. A binding deal that we didn’t understand when we made it. Is it wrong that even if I had known, I’d have accepted it in a heart beat? You would, too. You’d trade your body, mind, soul, and more for what I gave you. I could have gotten far more from you. Or just… anything else. Are we… wrong?” His heart began to wither, the blood drying and evaporating into a red mist.

She looked at her friend. He was being dramatic, he was always dramatic. Yet, maybe there was something here. “Discord, please. I care for you. If the deal is a problem… we can renegotiate. I don’t want to hurt you. Even if things get hard for me. We can call it off and figure out something else. Whatever is happening, it’s not worth your suffering.”

His heart began to beat again, this time out of blood, and he looked at her with an amused smirk. “You? Hurt me? Oh, my dear, lovely, darling, sweet, foolish, delicious Twilight… You don’t hurt me. You’re far too loving and gentle a creature for that. Ponies just don’t have the teeth to hurt me. No, you just get the pleasure of not remembering. While I get…”

Twilight felt a fear she hadn’t in a very long time as she realized how sharp his teeth were, how close he was to her face, and how hot his breath was. He opened his mouth and

The dark was overwhelming. Her blood was pumping furiously as her heart fought just as furiously to keep up with her straining limbs. Her wings hurt, aching and shivering as she failed to flap them. Her hooves shook, exhausted. Her body was soaked in sweat and sharp teeth were sunk deep in her neck.

He was being rough.

She had discovered that she liked rough.

Piercing, burning holes peppered her body. Little stinging points where his claws and his mouth had gotten too sharp for her soft coat. She’d been helpless to stop him. He’d shown her how dangerous he really was.

She had discovered that she loved dangerous.

Now he was devouring her. His tongue wrapped around her neck from behind as his teeth clamped down sharply at the base of her neck. It was an obscenely fleshy collar, wrapped tightly and squeezing the breath out of her as he claimed her, consumed her, and held her exactly where he wanted. The grotesquely long tongue wiggled and waggled down her chest like groping tentacle even as it choked her, smearing far too sticky saliva like grease into her already slick coat as he lapped at her wounds and tasted every bit of her he wanted.

Her tail was as far to the side as it could feasibly go, and she could feel heat from the meat of him behind her. He’d tasted her fully and completely; her exposed flesh was still wet and sticky from his debauched and alien tongue. It wasn’t just her outsides, either. She still felt the tingle of pepper inside her… everywhere.

He’d been utterly merciless, and even more thorough.

She begged. He’d been teasing… or torturing… her for hours now, but she couldn’t wait anymore. She needed it now. She’d never felt like this… that she could remember. He was familiar with her in a way that couldn’t be… they couldn’t have…

“Please…” She gurgled the word out, desperate and eager as he choked even her tighter with his tongue; strangling the word out of her mouth.

He was a monster—his chimeric body was built nothing like a pony’s. His coiled torso wrapped around her possessively and she felt him squeeze her like a snake in the most corrupt and intimate embrace she could imagine. He was squeezing her everywhere, all at once.

The monster growled into her neck as his chest was in her face, his arms wrapped around her hooves, and his back pressed tightly against her belly as he tightened the impossible knot of his body around her. It still wasn’t enough. She needed to be closer to him; to be tighter and filled. She needed more. He wasn’t done with her, and she was she wasn’t done with him.

His voice was low and angry. “You will wait until I’m ready.”

Twilight gagged, unable to force out any more begging as he choked her. She couldn’t speak, but she felt what she needed just under her tail. He was close. She just needed one little push from herself or from him. Just the smallest movement. They’d both already greased the path; it was wet and slick. She just needed a moment to slide back and…

Once he was inside, he wouldn’t stop.

She knew this. She didn’t know how she knew this, but she knew this. She knew he hated to stop once he was going. All she had to do was to get him to start. And then she’ll have won.

She pushed backwards, using her alicorn strength and dragging herself hungrily towards his flesh while he growled deeper and began to squeeze. Was he fighting her? She felt like she was being smashed. Like he was crushing her.

It didn’t hurt. Not like it should. She pushed further, forcing herself back. He quivered. She grunted, putting her strength into it. Everything collapsed. He was in her, and she was…

The darkness grew still, and then…

Twilight blinked, confused at how she got into her library. Her body was shaking, and she was covered in… something wet and sticky? Was it spit? There was a bunch in her mouth, and it tasted like pepper and lemon. It wasn’t just in her mouth, either. All of her tingled and felt… squishy. She wasn’t nearly as disturbed by this as she should be. It was actually comfortingly relieving, like finding a familiar dog-ear on a well worn page in her favorite book.

She was utterly exhausted, though, and she collapsed against a bookshelf. Her limbs were shaking almost helplessly. She’d never been this tired when entering her library before.

Her body was also flush, but that much, at least, usually happened when she went to her library. There was always just a moment after she showed up and felt oddly warm and loved. She’d be lying if she said she’d never taken care of herself once or twice immediately after. Maybe more. It was hard to remember.

This time, though, she was covered in little red pinpricks and could barely move. She still felt loved, but somehow… different. Something was angry, but it wasn’t her. It felt almost wrong this time. This wasn’t, or maybe was, the deal. The peppery goo around her felt cool and tingly in the air, making the tiny wounds tingle electrically. As she gasped for air, she wondered if she’d done something wrong.

He’d warned her. She remembered that much. Chaos magic wasn’t meant to do be used like this. They’d both bent the rules tremendously and somehow it had mostly worked out. Until now, at least. She looked at her shaking hoof, wondering what the goo around her was. Some sort of ectoplasmic backlash? If that was all, she could find a way to mitigate it.

The library was worth any cost. She owed Discord everything. She got her sanctuary, and he got… a friend? What did he get?

Twilight suddenly felt particularly cold. The wetness finally felt gross. She’d given him… something. Long ago, she’d made a promise. They’d made a deal.

The cold sensation made her shiver, and then she relaxed. She couldn’t remember, but she’d given it willingly. Whatever she’d agreed to was something she was okay with. She still was; even if she couldn’t remember it.

Anything was worth this. Anything was worth her sanity, her sanctuary, and the love of her friend.

She looked up at a book then gently pulling off the shelf with her magic; careful not to get any of the strange goo on it. Reading about a friend would ease her mind.

Crystal Trend: Twilight’s close friend, and her personal assistant.

Crystal Trend was a serious pony, always making sure her style was as modern as possible. In many ways, she took inspiration from Rarity (See Guardians of Harmony) and kept herself a gem of the court. One particular quirk was her complete and utter distrust of Discord. Even when he came to Twilight with the answer to her problems, Crystal always felt like something was off. She never did learn to trust the draconequus. What follows are the memories that Princess Twilight Sparkle…”

The words hadn’t soothed her at all. Her friend hadn’t trusted him… all the way from back when it started. She’d read more later, but right now she needed something to calm her down—not something to make her more unsure. Twilight went to put the book back, when she noticed a space behind it. Curiously, she pulled more books out with her magic.

The shelf was hollow. Or rather, there was a dark cavity hidden behind it—blocked from sight by the books on the shelf. Inspecting the shelf itself, she discovered that the whole book case, from floor to ceiling, could swing towards her. Her library had a secret door.

Gently, she tugged it, and found a passage down into the dark.

Her stomach reeled nervously, but the darkness felt warm and soothing. Somehow it called to her like an old friend. She glanced back at the soft purple light that normally lit her library. It was familiar and safe but it didn’t have anything to help her right now. This dark passage was still part of her library. It was all her domain, even if it was different.

There was always risks with chaos magic. Perhaps this was something that neither her nor Discord had anticipated?

She stepped into the darkness, the urge to descend growing as she neared it. As the purple glow dimmed, she slipped down a narrow pathway, following a winding stairwell that only seemed to go deeper as the air grew warmer and more dry. The steps were dark, and steep, at first seeming to be crumbling stone but giving way to ancient and worn wood. As steep and dark as they were, she didn’t stumble. They were made for her gait.

Darkness consumed her, and for a moment she paused to simply breath in pitch black heat, just letting the dry air tingle across her body. The moment didn’t last long, the urge rose in her again and she felt as though something was calling her forward. Before she realized it, she was walking again, listening to her own wooden hoof steps like a steady beating heart. There was a red glow at the bottom. The heat seemed to dry her, the strangely comforting wetness evaporating and leaving her with a growing sense of…

Something… cozy?

As she stepped into the room, she found a warm looking couch, and a lit fireplace set into a wooden wall. The dry warmth soaked into her bones, and she relaxed. Somehow it looked like the roots of an ancient oak tree, far too large to be natural. The walls were lined with shelves and the shelves were lined with books. This was a library after all.

Her first library.

The thought settled her nerves and she breathed out, feeling safe and at home. Nothing would hurt her here. She’d found the heart of her sanctuary. There were a surprising amount of books, each uniformly black and unlabeled. They were smaller than normal, looking like little black notebooks and not like proper library books. No other wing in her library had such odd books.

She sat on the couch, setting comfortably in and found a warm cup of tea waiting for her on the coffee table. It was black tea, like she liked, but it had far too much sugar in it. It tasted oddly familiar, and she realized it wasn’t for her. It tasted like something… one of her friends would drink. An old friend. A kind one that liked sweet things. Setting it back down, she found another cup. It was larger, and the tea was properly bitter without being too sweet. This one was hers. The other was for…

Somepony who would never drink it.

Perhaps the books here were something one of her friends would have enjoyed? She levitated a book off the shelf and opened it, analyzing it like a strange artifact. The rest of her library books were hard bound and printed, as though manufactured neatly from modern technology. This book was soft, bound in the old style from long ago, when scrolls and soft plant covers were the norm. From back when she had been young.

Even the words seemed hoof written, the writing an old scrawl which she vaguely recognized as her own—just much less refined. It took her a moment to recognize the letters, her eyes unused to the shoddy hoof writing and the light from the dim fireplace. She’d always had Spike take notes for her. He’d had much sharper writing back then.

Her eyes adjusted to the flickering firelight, and she picked a place in the middle.

“ his cock slid into her, splitting her like a”

And she promptly closed the book.

Twilight blinked, putting the book back where she’d gotten it from. That had been unexpected. She wasn’t sure if she’d read that right, but she was quite sure she hadn’t read it wrong. She bit her lip curiously as she carefully grabbed another.

“as she felt his tongue swirling in her mouth, she begged for more. All she wanted was to swallow as much of him as”

And she closed that one as well.

Twilight looked at the books. They were all identical. Each one a little black notebook. She looked at her tea, then picked it up. The cup was warm. She took a big, healthy drink of it, then she set it down, next to the other cup. She looked at the couple of cups, sitting oddly next to each other. Hers was larger than the other. Both were warm. Both were in hoof’s reach. But both were just tea, nothing more. She was a pony, and ponies could be more than hot, sweet, or bitter. They could also be curious.

Maybe she needed to be more methodical about this? Since when had she been so chaotic in her methods anyways? She needed to do this her way. Looking intently, she found the top left most book. She couldn’t guarantee it was the first, there were no labels to speak of, but if there were any order at all down here it would at least be close.

Nervously she picked the book off the shelf, levitated it in front of her, and opened it to the beginning.

“The world had gone dark.

Twilight’s initial response was to panic. ‘I can’t see!’

Discord put a comforting paw on her shoulder. ‘Well… I don’t think I can fix that just yet. Is anything else wrong?’

She put her hoof over his paw, feeling the warmth in it. Blindness made sense, actually. He’d been doing… something intense to her memories, and the Occipital lobe was close enough to be affected by any disruption to her usual brain activities. Hopefully it was temporary. She might even simply regenerate over time if it was physical damage. It might take a night or two—although she’d likely have a killer headache.

‘I feel… fine, I guess? It’s just weird being blind. Can you keep holding me? I don’t like feeling… alone right now. I’m a little scared to be truthful.’

Discord slid closer, putting his claw comfortingly under her wing and picking her up like she weighed nothing. “One princess carry, coming up!”

She laughed. Somehow, she felt safe in his arms like this. It wasn’t what she expected. The magic had been… she couldn’t remember. But it was over now. Now she felt strangely free. Lighter in a way.

Snuggling into him, she pressed her face into his chest. He was surprisingly fluffy. Enticingly so. She took a big breath, just smelling him and nuzzling his chest, enjoying the sensations tingling through her hooves and her face. Even his sharp claw felt warm and secure, the way he was cradling her like he cared. And he did care. She had proof now.

As she breathed in the odd but comforting scent of buttered noodles, barn animals and flowers… she began to giggle.

Discord sounded unsure. ‘Oh… You’re… quite friendly. Even for the Princess of Friendship. Are you sure you’re feeling okay? There might be other side effects.’

Twilight wrapped her hooves around him, squeezing her face into his fluffy chest and relishing how firm he was. ‘I’m feeling fine. Wonderful. Amazing, even. I don’t know what you did, but it’s… nice.’

He hummed. ‘I’m glad it’s nice, I was worried it would be…’ There was a pause. ‘You didn’t see my ice gag, did you? I don’t think I like you being blind…’

She laughed. He was always a joker, but deep down he cared about her. He’d jut done something far more loving than anypony ever had for her, and he’d done it at an unprecedented risk to himself.

The thought rung a cord, and she had a strange sensation. He felt warm and safe. Sure, he was dangerous, but he was gently holding her right now. He could be doing anything else to her and she’d be helpless. She’d just let him play with her mind. She’d been utterly and completely at his mercy as he dug through everything that she was. He’d had unfettered, unsupervised access to everything that made Twilight Sparkle, and he’d been…

Oh.

That thought was strangely alluring. He had just done something far more intimate than anypony else could ever do to her. And he’d done it gently, carefully, and lovingly.

She shivered as the warmth grew and her nuzzling paused. What was more intimate than what they’d just done?

Nothing. No physical act could compare.

She didn’t want this feeling of intimacy to end. The sense of closeness and connection. The novel trust of safety and warmth. Nothing was like this. Nothing else would ever would be like this.

She opened her mouth, and suckled on his fur. He was spicy. It made her face flush. Her tail swished.

Discord shivered, then gently tried to pull her away. ‘Too friendly. Too friendly!’

She laughed as she held onto him. Everything felt wonderful and he was just too funny. ‘Is it, though? Can’t we be more friendly?’

He paused. ‘Twilight… I certainly care for you, but I’m not sure I…’

She pressed her lips to his chest, through his fur and into his chest. She suckled. She pressed her body closer, wrapping around him and pressing her warmth against his. She wanted more. She needed more. She needed to be closer to him.

Discord shivered. ‘Oh… Oh my.’

Twilight reached up and found his head in the dark, pulling his face down to hers. He bent easily, like he was a paper page that she’d bent in half. She felt his breath in her face and it was warm.

Her mouth pressed against his, and she whispered, letting the need in her voice be heard. He’d already seen everything and anything. He’d already been inside her far deeper than what she wanted. She wasn’t ashamed to let him know how desperate she was. ‘Please? I need this.’

He didn’t say anything, but her lips found his. She could feel him growing warmer and she wrapped her body around his fluffy chest. He let go of her, but she didn’t slide down. She was too strong.

He was quiet after her unbidden affection on his lip. His breathing was heavy. She smiled. He wasn’t arguing with her. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and hear his tongue run across his lips. He probably looked like a wolf sizing her up.

The thought made her shiver in delight. Even if she couldn’t see him, she could imagine.

Her voice was low and she felt him wrap his arms back around her, gently but more firmly. She smiled deviously in the darkness, her mind sparking with ideas. ‘Turn off the gravity. Lets just see where this takes us. Besides… I wont tell if you don’t.’”

Twilight closed the book. It kept going, but the words after that were just… the physicality that followed. She didn’t need to read it. She’d learned something.

It hadn’t been him at all. It had been her. Neither of them expected it, and when it happened… she was the instigator. At least the first time. Maybe more.

Her eyes danced across the shelves and shelves of books. Almost certainly a lot more.

She needed something more recent to compare. Something… well, not the most recent one. Something about that one was felt different. She’d wait on that on. But maybe the one before?

She plucked another book, selecting what she guessed was the second to last one; this time stealing herself for the inevitable shock inside as she opened it to near the end.

“’But why not?’ she said.

He was catching his breath, but he still sounded sad. ‘That’s the deal. This is… it. Nothing more.’

Twilight frowned, angry as she spat out the sticky remnants of the blowjob. ‘This is it? You love me! I know it and you know it! You can’t tell me it’s not that. Not anymore. Not after this.’ She gestured vaguely at them both.

He covered his face, a gesture almost wasted in the dark. ‘You think we haven’t had this conversation a hundred times? A thousand? This isn’t our first time doing this, Twilight. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve done this. Every time… I have to explain. Every time you beg me after I pluck from your mind to make your books. Every time, I just can’t say no to you. I’m sick. The first time I was surprised. The second I was confused. The tenth? The hundredth? I know you’re not in your right mind, but I just can’t… say no. Not to you. Not when you’re like this. Please… please don’t make me explain it all again.’

She scowled, her heart racing and burning. ‘I can’t understand. I don’t feel sick. Just frustrated. I have no idea why you’re being obstinate! I want this! It’s not the ritual. We can do this on other days! Find me on a Tuesday or something. Skip the ritual on a Friday. I promise you I’ll…’

He squeezed her hard, almost painfully. ‘I’m sorry, okay! I’m an idiot! I didn’t want to let her go, so I made sure we’d never…’

‘Let her go? Discord, I can’t even remember her! You can’t be trapped by some promise from hundreds of years ago. You don’t need to suffer like this. We don’t need to suffer like this. We can be tog…’

He held her even tighter. ‘No. We can’t. Of course I know how you feel. You have about as much subtlety on the matter as I have common sense. It’s not just the ritual. You can’t remember this. Not like we want. We made a deal, Twilight. I wasn’t going to let you take her place. But that didn’t stop you from trying. It didn’t stop me from reciprocating. All the deal did was make you forget. I’m always going to help you… and you’re always going to want this… and I cant say, ‘No’. We’re both trapped. Not just me.’

He muttered into her her mane, leaning down as he hugged her gently, like she was a stuffed animal and not a pony. He seemed to be crying as he complained. ‘I don’t know why I’m explaining this to you again. It doesn’t matter. It never matters.’”

Twilight closed the book. She stared at the fire, and her eyes drifted to the cup of tea that wasn’t for her. She’d never been served tea in her library before. Somepony was trying to send her a message. Somepony that was too sweet. A pony who the last thing she’d ever want was for her friends to suffer.

Twilight picked up the too sweet cup of tea, and gave it a long slow drink. It was still hot. She couldn’t remember the face, or the voice, or even what color the pony was. She’d have to read her book later and thank her. But she remembered how Fluttershy felt. Her warmth. Her kindness. Her love.

Discord had been right. The last thing she could remember was him telling her that she got the pleasure of not remembering. Now she knew it was, at least partly, the deal.

She looked at Fluttershy’s cup and felt her heart beating strangely from the warm, sugary brew. Hers and Discord’s agreement had gone on long enough. It was time for her to renegotiate the deal—and this time she’d be crystal clear.

She couldn’t let her perfect library have unlisted books. These little black books were getting properly indexed; titles and all.

Discord was going to assist her with that. This was her domain; but they’d made it together. They owed each other, and Fluttershy, that much at least. This mess needed to be put in order.

And after the library was sorted…

She took another drink of the sweet tea.

Well. They’d see where the night took them. But if she had a hunch… her eyes drifted to a shelf of little black books.

Her library had room for infinitely more books.