"Sir, may I enter?" squeaked a tiny voice.

Confused, the guard looked left and right, then down. A little unicorn foal stood underhoof. The guard chuckled.

"This sign says this part of the library is restricted," he said, pointing to the plaque mounted over the archway.

"I can read," the filly said in response. "If I couldn't read, why would I be in a library?"

The guard cleared his throat roughly. "Look, there's nothing interesting in there anyway. Just old records, from what I understand. Nopony ever goes back there."

"Wouldn't that make your job superfluous?" she asked, cocking her head cutely to one side.

The guard narrowed his eyes and suppressed a smile. "That's a mighty big word for such a tiny pony. Why don't you head on over to the foal's section?"

The filly rolled her eyes and made an exasperated face. "There is no foal's section in the Royal Canterlot Library," she said.

"Exactly," said the guard, with a smirk. "The Royal Canterlot Library is no place for little kids. These aren't picture books."

"Again, I can read," she countered. "I'm doing a report on familial records of the noble houses, and none of the history books go back any further than the third century. I have a good reason to be here."

The guard looked surprised. This little filly didn't look a day over seven, but judging from her vocabulary she had to be much older than that. "You're serious, aren't you?" he asked, while she retrieved something from her saddlebags. "Well, you'll need royal approval first..."

The filly levitated a scroll up to the guard's face. "I'm Twilight Sparkle," she said, unfurling the scroll in midair.

"The Princess's student?" said the guard, plucking the scroll from the air and examining it closely.

"Please allow my student Twilight Sparkle unfettered access to the Royal Library," said the note, and it bore Princess Celestia's seal at the bottom.

"Huh. I'll be damned. Oh, er, pardon my tongue, young miss," he said.

"It's okay. Now can I go back?" she asked.

"Of course, but there are rules," he said, standing aside. "You can't check materials out from this section; you can only review them while you're here. Be very careful handling the books and scrolls."

"Understood," said the little pony, and she trotted past the guard, stopping halfway through the arch as she swiveled her neck to look behind her. "Um, mister guard, you wouldn't know why these records are guarded, would you?" she asked.

"Because they're old, I guess," said the guard. "To be honest with you, I've been assigned to this a few dozen times now, and you're the first pony to ask me anything about it."

"Interesting," said Twilight Sparkle, and then she turned and entered the alcove.