My sudden encounter with Winter Chime was a shock I had a hard time getting over as I made my way to the Royal Archives. As preoccupied with my thoughts as I was, I'd completely forgotten that I needed a chaperone present before the pony guarding the doors to the Archive would even let me in. The Royal Guard and I knew each other by name and face by this point, but rules were rules and Ironsides was a stickler for said rules. That being the case, all I got when I finally reached the doors to the Archives was a stern look and a firm "Sorry kid, but you know the rules." from the aging earth pony Guard.

We went back and forth on the matter, but the stallion's stubbornness ultimately won out and I had no choice but to back down. That wasn't before a brief image of a dream I'd had about the stallion flashed across my mind. In my irritation I let my mind wander and found myself thinking about what I'd done to Ironsides with my magic, one of the Archive doors, and his own helmet. Looking back, that dream had been both strange and horrifying. It's ridiculous to think I could do anything like that as I was back then. Still, implausible or no, those dreams and the strange emotions that came with them still scared me.

It was for that reason that I chose to retreat, hoping the stallion hadn't noticed how pale my face had probably looked. It happened in rare cases were the image of somepony I'd done terrible things to would pop up in my mind when I talked to that particular pony. It usually happened when the dream had been recent, and in the case with Ironside, that dream had only happened a few days ago at the time. Luckily I had some techniques I could use to get my mind back under control, both learned from my therapist and one I learned from my old babysitter back before I took that exam.

Before I could think about using any of what I'd learned, a sudden distraction presented itself. I hadn't even gone a few yards down the corridor from where Ironsides was standing when another familiar stallion rounded the corner, whistling some kind of tuneless yet jaunty ditty. The stallion in question was none other than Bulwark, the rookie Guard I'd first met after I'd been separate from Crimson Storm. He'd become a full-fledged Guard in the time since then and I'd seen him around the castle every so often, but we never really talked much again aside from the odd friendly greeting here and there.

As far as Guards went he was pretty friendly and had a fairly laidback personality that had somehow only grown over the last year and a half. Seeing the stallion coming my way, my eyes lit up and I jumped on the opportunity. Once I was close enough I galloped over and flagged him down, much to his surprise.

"Oh, hey, kiddo!" he called back as I rushed over to him, "not very often we get to see you out and about. How've you been?"

"I'm doing okay, thanks... but listen," I replied, trying to catch my breath, "are you... busy right now?"

"Just making my normal rounds, but my break's coming up here in a few," he shrugged before giving me a curious frown, "Why? You need something?"

In response, I held out the roll of parchment I'd been carrying and he took it, his curious frown turning somewhat bemused.

"I was headed to the Archives so I could do some research on a few subjects for an exam I have coming up," I explained as the stallion unfurled the scroll and looked over the contents, "but Ironsides won't let me in without a chaperone."

"Ah, so that's it then, is it?" he nodded before rolling the parchment back up, "well, I'm just about done here so I don't see any problem keeping an eye on you for a while."

"Really?" I asked, taking back the scroll, "is it okay for you to help me while you're on duty? I mean I appreciate it, really, and I know I asked but I don't want you to get in trouble..."

"Nah, it should be fine as long as you don't spend too much time looking around," he replied with a dismissive wave of his hoof, "just grab what you need and I'll take care of the chaperone business."

"Um, actually... I can't really take books out of the Archives," I murmured, staring down at my hooves and hoping this wasn't a deal-breaker, "we'd have to stay in the Archives while I do my research."

"Hmm..." Bulwark furrowed his brow in thought for a few seconds before giving a careless shrug, "eh, we'll figure something out. C'mon, let's go talk to Old Ironsides about letting you in."

With that, he led back down the corridor to the Royal Archives where Ironsides was still keeping vigil at the doors like a stone sentinel. All the while I silently resolved to try and talk to Bulwark more often whenever I had the chance to see him. There weren't very many pegasi wandering about the castle; even within the Royal Guard, the unicorns and earth ponies outnumbered them by a fair margin. In fact, the only other pegasus I'd gotten to know in the castle had been Crimson Storm, so I was hesitant to get close to another pegasus in the military.

I knew intellectually that they were entirely different ponies with entirely different personalities, but in my paranoid filly brain, that didn't matter. Still, after having talked to him again and having seen him around and openly conversing with other ponies, he really did strike me as just an all-around nice stallion. He was open and sociable and nothing like Crimson Storm was, so I began to think, maybe it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more friendly.

I may have been okay being a borderline recluse, but that was mostly because I was scared of talking to others for fear of what I might think or do. At the end of the day though, ponies are social creatures who need somepony to talk to every once in a while. That was doubly true for foals, and as reluctant as I was to get close to anypony else, I sometimes couldn't help but feel a bit lonely holed up in my room all the time. With that thought came the idea that maybe some time away from the castle would actually do me some good—an idea that was quickly quashed by my earlier mentioned fears.

Trying not to think about what going to school would be like, I refocused my attention back on the world outside my own mind. We'd reached the entrance to the Archives and Bulwark was already talking to Ironsides who was eyeing me with a look I couldn't quite place. Looking back, I think it might've been worry, but his wrinkled face was so grizzled and his dark green eyes were so hard that the expression came off as kind of scary instead. Needless to say, I was quick to lower my gaze, doing everything I could to not meet his.

After a bit of back-and-forth between Bulwark and Ironsides, the older Guard finally relented and let us pass. I gave Ironsides a murmured 'thank you' and hurried in past Bulwark who held one of the doors open for me. There was a strange and nostalgic mix of scents wafting through the massive repository of Equestria's recorded history that always put me at ease. The moment I stepped into the multistory wing of the castle, all my fears and worries melted away.

I was no history buff, but the sheer amount of knowledge contained within the Royal Archives always filled me with a sense of awe and reverence. There were rows and rows and rows of not just tomes, but all manner of carefully preserved documents, old important photographs, all kinds of maps, and historical artifacts. Seeing it all was enough to make me forget about my encounter with Winter Chime and my horrid dreams.

It wasn't often that I was let into the Archives, but whenever I did get a chance to come here, it always felt like my own personal holy sanctuary. I was so enraptured by it all that I completely forgot about the stallion who'd made it possible for me to be there that day. An impressed whistle brought me back to reality and I jumped slightly before turning to see Bulwark cast his own surprised gaze across the expansive space before him.

"Y'know, I've passed this place a bunch of times before, but this is the first time I've actually been inside," he commented, "I heard the Royal Archives were huge but this is way more than I expected," his gaze fell to where I stood and he raised an inquisitive brow, "you sure you're gonna be able to find what you need before the sun sets?"

"Yup!" I replied easily, puffing out my tiny chest with pride, "Ancient Scroll told me about how everything is categorized and I've more or less memorized where all the tomes and documents related to thaumatology are."

"Ancient Scroll?" Bulwark asked with a bemused frown.

"Oh, he's the Royal Archivist," I replied as I began to make my way to where I knew my research materials were waiting, "he used to be a teacher at Celestia's School and knows all kinds of neat stuff."

"Ah, I gotcha," Bulwark nodded in understanding, "sounds like an interesting guy."

"Yeah, he is," I agreed, "I haven't talked to him in a while though. I wonder if he's at the desk today..."

Before I could really get into my research I needed to check in with the pony sitting at the front desk to get my ID card. The Archive ID card was a bit different from a library card in that only certain ponies—usually castle staff, certified scholars, or other ponies whose jobs specifically required one—could own and use one. The other difference was that, like everything else in the Royal Archives, you couldn't take one with you when you left.

The cards were stored in a backroom behind the front desk and the pony at the desk would have to retrieve it for you before you could peruse the Archive's contents. I was lucky enough to be granted my own ID by the Princess herself despite how young I was as a gift for passing a particularly difficult test awhile back. The ponies who worked in the Archives, including Ancient Scroll, weren't too keen on the idea of giving a foal access to the precious items stored upon the many shelves.

Thankfully, my somewhat fastidious nature and love and respect for knowledge as a whole did a lot to convince them I could be trusted. Ancient Scroll was my favorite pony to talk to whenever I visited, but I had a fairly good relationship with all the ponies working in the Archives. I was hoping to see the old stallion, but as Bulwark and I made our way to the front desk I could see that it was another pony working behind the desk—a middle-aged unicorn mare I hadn't seen before.

The mare had a lime green coat, a bobbed light grey mane, and tired amber eyes that sat behind thick half-moon spectacles. By the dour expression she wore, it was clear the mare would've rather been anywhere else but where she was now. Normally the front desk was handled either by a chipper earth pony stallion named Silver Clip or the old unicorn stallion Ancient Scroll himself, but neither of them were anywhere to be seen.

Instead, I went up to greet this mare whose attention was focused solely on some trashy gossip magazine she was lazily flipping through. I remember being irritated that the mare had chosen to read some boring magazine when there were literally thousands of other far more interesting things to read all around her. Rather than say anything about what I thought, I instead tried to catch her attention.

"Um... excuse me," I said, craning my neck up as I came close to the desk, "Miss? My name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm here to..." I trailed off, noticing she hadn't even bothered to look up from her magazine. I frowned and tried again, speaking a bit louder this time, "ma'am? Hello? I'm here to do some research and I need my..."

No response from the mare.

I didn't want to fault the mare too badly for ignoring me while she was reading because I knew I had the same problem. That said, I still couldn't help the building irritation of being brushed off by somepony that was supposed to be helping me. Before I had the chance to worry about my irritation turning into something a little more problematic, Bulwark stepped forward and cleared his throat loudly. The mare started slightly and whipped her head around to face the stallion.

Her expression ran the gamut from annoyed to surprised to false geniality.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in an apologetic tone, "I'm so sorry, dear. I'm afraid I was rather enthralled with..." she gave the magazine a quick side glance before sliding it away, "...ah, but nevermind that. What brings you to the Royal Archives today?"

"Well, I'm so glad you asked," the Guard replied before jerking his head towards where I was standing, "believe it or not, it's this young lady here who brought me to the Royal Archives. It seems she has some business with you."

The mare finally turned to me and the moment we locked eyes she made a face—I wasn't sure what kind because it disappeared far too quickly for me to make out. Whatever the look had been, she replaced it with an apologetic smile.

"You'll have to forgive me, dear," she said, "I... didn't quite see you down there."

"I called out to you... twice," I replied flatly. I wanted to complain a bit more but I chose to ask another question instead, "who are you anyway? And where's Silver Clip? He's usually the one sitting there—him or Ancient Scroll."

Something about this didn't sit right with me, but I couldn't quite place my hoof on why at the time. All I knew was that I was getting very bad vibes from this lady.

"All fair questions I suppose," the mare said with a nod, "well from what I understand, the young stallion has unfortunately left his position to pursue another career path," she gestured to herself, "I'm his replacement, you see. You can call me Floral Delight."

"W-Wait, what?!" I cried, blinking in disbelief, "But Silver Clip loved his job! Why would he quit?"

"I'm sorry, deary, but I couldn't tell you," Floral Delight shook her head sadly, "all I know is what I've heard. As for the Royal Archivist, it seems he's been away on vacation as of a few days ago. His temporary replacement should be here by tomorrow. In the meantime, it's just me and a few of the other assistants here right now I'm afraid."

"Vacation?" I repeated quietly, my brow furrowing in bemusement, "but... well, he has been working here for a long time..." I tried to convince myself that it made sense, but something still felt off. Unable to place it and aware that I didn't have a lot of time as it was, I shook my head and decided to move on, "okay... well, like I said earlier, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm here to do some research. Can I have my ID, please?"

"Twilight Sparkle, you say? Hmm... you seem awfully young to have an ID," Floral Delight frowned thoughtfully before stepping away from the counter and towards the door leading to the backroom, "bear with me for a bit, would you, dears? I won't be but a moment."

A few seconds later she disappeared into the backroom. The moment she was out of sight, Bulwark and I looked at each other and the stallion spoke first.

"Hey, maybe it's not really my place to say," he began, lowering his head closer to me and speaking in a near whisper, "but the timing seems kinda strange, don't you think?"

"Maybe..." I replied just as quietly and with a good amount of uncertainty, "I don't know, but I think... I get the feeling that lady already knows me."

"Really?" Bulwark raised his head and stared at the backroom door, "you think so, huh? Well, Miss Delight is certainly trying to live up to her name, but to be honest I'm not exactly buying it."

So that was it; We both knew something was wrong, but all we could do was wait for the mare to come back out with my ID. I had several questions, but I figured it would be better to ask some of the other ponies working here in the Archives. I was fairly sure I wasn't going to get any more answers from Floral Delight. Bulwark and I waited for a good five or six minutes while the mare searched for my ID, and with each passing minute, I began to grow more worried.

Silver Clip would've been in and out of the backroom in a minute with my card, but this mare had been taking far too long. It was possible that she was having trouble with the filing system given that neither Silver Clip nor Ancient Scroll was there to teach her how it worked. The problem with that was that there were still other ponies who could've helped her figure it out, and I was sure Silver Clip would've taught her before he left.

All these thoughts ran through my head as I waited for Floral Delight to return, and when she finally did, there was no card to be seen.

"I'm terribly sorry—Twilight Sparkle, was it?" she began, taking her place back behind the desk, "it appears I have no identification cards under that name."

"What?!" I shouted, "of course there is! There has to be! The Princess gave me that card herself!"

"O-Oh? Is that so?" the mare replied, her eyes widening in genuine shock. For a brief second her surprised gaze shifted to Bulwark before moving back over to me, "w-well, that's certainly... ah, perhaps it was misplaced," she cleared her throat softly got her surprise under control before continuing in a calmer tone, "if that's the case, then I'll do my best to locate your ID, but in the meantime, I can't allow you use the Archives without it."

"But... but I need to use the Archives. I have an exam coming up," I whined, "what am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, if you're looking for a suggestion, there's always the Grand Canterlot Library," the mare proposed kindly, "granted their selection isn't as... extensive as what we have here in the Royal Archives, the amount of research materials they have in stock is by no means meager."

"But that's—"

"Well, I guess it can't be helped then," Bulwark cut in, "it's a shame, but what can you do, right? We'll leave it at that for now and take our leave. Thanks for the help."

"Anytime, dear," Delight replied with a genial smile, "we'll do our utmost to find that ID of yours. It's not every day you're given a gift like that, and from the Princess no less!"

"I know, right?" the stallion replied as he gently began to lead me in the other direction towards the entrance, "she's one lucky filly, having a mentor like that."

"Indeed," the mare replied, "well, you have yourselves a wonderful day now."

"You do the same," he called back before turning to me, "come on, now. We'd best get going."

"But my ID—"

"We can't do anything about it right now," he whispered, "in times like this, it's best to just retreat and regroup."

"But..."

I turned to look back at Floral Delight, only to find her once again with her nose in that trashy magazine, the courteous smile completely gone as if it had never existed. Seeing that, I felt something dark and unpleasant try to crawl its way out of me. Thankfully I was able to recognize it for what it was and quickly shoved it back down in a panic before turning away and practically marching back to the entrance.

"Fine, let's... let's just get out of here."

I heard Bulwark pause behind me for a brief second before following a moment later. I didn't look back to see what the issue was and didn't say anything else until we'd put a good bit of distance between ourselves and the Royal Archives and Ironsides. I finally turned to confront Bulwark, but the stallion spoke first.

"Yeah, there's definitely something fishy going on alright," he surmised with a sigh, "and before you get all huffy about what happened back there, let me just say I get where you're coming from, but I don't think arguing about it would've helped."

"But maybe there was something else we could've done about it," I argued, "we could've asked the other ponies working there. They know me already!"

"Somehow I don't think that would've worked out either," Bulwark replied with a shake of his head, "I'm no detective, but if there really is something going on—if they're trying to keep you out of the Archives for whatever reason, then I'm sure Miss Delight would've taken those other ponies into account."

"Why would she do that, though?" I asked, almost desperate for an answer, "I didn't do anything to her. I don't even know her!"

"Sometimes it's not about the pony right in front of you, but the pony standing behind the pony in front of you," he murmured in response, almost to himself. When he saw my look of utter confusion he chuckled and shook his head again, "look, why don't you take Miss Delight's advice for now? I'll see what I can do about your ID card."

"Wait, you will?" I asked in surprise, "but... don't you have to go back on duty soon?"

"I'll make time somehow," he waved away my concerns with a hoof, "'sides, it's the least I can do after... well..." his lazy smile fell slightly and he chuckled again before turning away and looked back at me from over his shoulder, "just... don't worry about it. I've gotcha covered, little lady."

I tried asking him what he meant, but he started off down the corridor, waving back to me one last time.

"Just make sure you study hard and pass that exam, alright?" he called back, "you wanna make the Princess proud, don't you?"

And with that, he turned a distant corner and was gone. Like Winter Chime, I watched him go until he was out of sight. I stood there for a moment, mulling over what had just happened, but in the end, I just left to find Princess Celestia. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to tell her, but it was true that I still had some studying to do. If Bulwark wanted to help me then I would leave it up to him. After my encounter with Winter Chime and what happened in the Archives, I got this deep ominous sense that life was going to get hard for me again.

Ultimately I decided to double down on ignoring the problem. After all, I just had to pass the exam and then school would keep me too busy to worry about any potential drama that might come up. That's what I said to myself anyway. Whether or not I actually believed it was another matter entirely. And what's more, my successful attempt to hide my twisted emotions back in the Archives did nothing to stop the dreams I had about Floral Delight later that night.

Author's Note

Sorry about the wait, folks. I had to drag this chapter kicking and screaming out of my brain and onto the keyboard. So it took a bit longer than I would've liked.