//------------------------------// // Finding the Treasure in the Book // Story: The National Treasures of Equestria // by Robert Emerald Fountain //------------------------------// After ten minutes of walking, the group reached a massive room with old steps built of wood. Some of them were rotted and were likely to collapse. Yona almost fell a few times, but she was caught before it was too late. They soon found that the stairs were far too treacherous to use. They decided to use their harnesses and ropes to descend. Those with wings did not have to rappel. They did have to swing side to side to ensure they landed on platforms rather than in thin air. Thirty minutes later, they reached a room that seemed to be empty. "How could we have hit a dead end? We didn't see any other rooms in the wall.", Cadence wondered. They looked around for a bit until Twilight happened to step on a raised carving. The carving sank in and triggered a door to open. Following this new opening, they arrived in a bigger room, but there still wasn't anything to find. Flurry spotted several carvings on one wall, and noticed that one was slightly hollowed out. There was an opening that was shaped like a pyramid in the center. Around it were engravings that showed leaves around part of a horseshoe. "Could it really be that simple?", she asked herself as she pulled out the stone piece they found atop Mount Everhoof. "The secret lies on top of the world.", Celestia and Luna said as they saw what she was doing. The stone piece fit perfectly in the opening, and completed the image of leaves around a horseshoe. Neighsay studied the engraving for a moment and then realized that he knew something existed with the same pattern. He pulled out his EEA medallion and lined the images up. When he slid it into the hollowed space, the medallion seemed to fit as if it was meant to be put there. He slowly turned the circle until everyone heard a click as the circle stopped rotating. Gallus pushed on the back of Neighsay's medallion and it moved inward with a crisp click. Suddenly, they felt a draft sweep through their hair and across their skin. They also heard the sound of stone moving. They looked over and saw that the wall under what seemed to be an archway had moved. Neghsay pulled his medallion back out and they entered this newly opened tunnel which led to a room that contained many artifacts from time long past. Everyone began looking at whatever caught their eye. "Scrolls from Starswirl's collection.", Twilight breathed. "These books explain in incredible detail about the anatomy of pegasi and unicorns." Ocellus said quietly as she opened an old book on an ornate stone table. Smolder noticed a square pedestal in the middle of the room and started examining it. She called Twilight over to look at it, and asked if Twilight knew why their voices sounded as if they were echoing. "What if this room is bigger than it looks?", Twilight wondered. Smolder breathed a fireball at the bowl on top of the pedestal and it caught the flame. Sparks appeared halfway down one side and fire shot out along a railing. The sound of the fire caught everyone's attention. They all rushed to the edge to see what was happening. The fire continued down the rail until it began splitting off and lighting up more and more. The room turned out to be absolutely ENORMOUS, and chock full of tens of THOUSANDS of artifacts from the earliest years of Equestria, and some artifacts from times earlier than that. Luna and Celestia looked at each other in astonishment at how much treasure was here. "YES!", they chanted as they hugged each other. "YOUR MOM WAS RIGHT!!", Flurry Heart crowed. They began taking pictures of everything and had articles written about the treasure. They soon set out plans for the museum to be constructed in Canterlot. Once everything was brought to the museum, citizens all over Equestria began coming to see this huge plethora of artifacts. The massive collection was soon called: "The National Treasure of Equestria," and it became extremely famous. No one would stop visiting the museum, and even those that found the treasure would often visit the collection to learn things they never knew. Weeks later, Galaxia appeared to Luna and Celestia in spirit form. "Well done, my dears. You have uncovered the long lost secrets of our history that I told you about.", she said warmly in a congratulatory manner. She hugged her two daughters and then returned to the heavens. Two months later, Flurry Heart bought a rare book about Celestia and Luna's early life, when she found a note inside the back cover. The note read: "Whoever finds this, is about to begin the journey for the most breathtaking sight in all of Equestria. Legend tells of a city made entirely of gold. This lost city has no name, so it is known by few as simply, "The Gold City." This map will help you find your way to the place where the city can be found. Good Luck! Signed, Anonymous" Flurry was shocked. She quickly wrote a letter to both Twilight and the Royal Sisters. They were excited as well. A new quest awaited.