//------------------------------//
// Canterlot Archaeology Museum 
// Story: Dreamquestria 
// by TheBBofC 
//------------------------------//

	The sun was setting as the Friendship Express pulled into Canterlot’s train station with Twilight and her friends on board.  Tired from the day’s travels, they proceeded to Twilight’s parents’ house, where they spent the night.  The next morning, after breakfast and some brief preparations, everyone congregated outside and were ready to start their day at the Canterlot Archaeology Museum when a green mist of ashes materialized over Twilight’s head. The ashes burst into flames, which quickly faded and revealed a small scroll.  It was certainly a surprise to be hearing from Spike so soon.  Hopefully, nothing happened to them while she was gone.
“What does it say?” Fluttershy asked as Twilight scanned the letter.
When Twilight had hoped nothing happened while she was gone, she didn’t mean it like this.  “Stephen never appeared last night,” she said with worry and confusion in her voice.
“What are you worried about?” Rainbow asked, shrugging it off.  “He probably just never fell asleep.”
“That’s possible,” said Twilight.  “But what if something went wrong on his end?”  Twilight started pacing, physically representing the way her mind must have been operating at the moment.  “We all agreed he’d spend his nights at the library until we got this figured out.  Why wouldn’t he stick to the plan unless something was wrong?”
“He’s fine, Twilight,” said Rainbow.  “He probably just got back to his world with a hurt leg and freaked out.”
Applejack walked over to Twilight.  “I agree with Rainbow Dash,” she said as she stopped Twilight’s pacing.  Applejack placed her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.  “Think about it, Twilight.  Gettin’ used to spendin’ his nights here ain’t exactly been easy for him.  He’s probably nervous about comin’ back, is all.”
“I hope he’s alright,” Fluttershy said quietly.
“Me too, Fluttershy,” said Twilight.  After wrapping up Spike’s letter, she levitated a saddlebag containing her research material onto her back.  “Either way,” Twilight perked up.  “We’re already in Canterlot and whoever is doing this to Stephen is not likely to quit whatever they’re doing so easily.  So let’s get going!”
Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity reared up and cheered their enthusiasm.  Fluttershy settled for a smile and nod in agreement.  With that, the group set out into the town.

Outside the museum, four unicorns in armor were patrolling the building’s perimeter.  Above the museum, several pegasi were changing shifts on the roof.  A brown pegasus guard and a white earth pony guard secured the doorway and stopped Twilight when she tried to enter.
“I need to check your bags,” said the white guard.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the guard as she levitated the bags off her back.  "May I ask why?  I've never had to be checked coming here before."
“Just a temporary security protocol, Ms. Sparkle,” said the brown guard.  “We're just checking for tools.”  
“I've only got a couple of books on me.  I promise,” said Twilight.
The white guard nodded in reply and opened the flaps of the bag.  After a quick glance inside, he closed the flaps and handed the bag back to Twilight.  "Here you go.  Have a nice visit."
“Thank you,” said Twilight as she put the bags back over her back and proceeded through the doors.
Things were not much different inside.  In every hallway there were at least two armored guards standing at attention like statues.  Twilight grabbed a map of the museum and led the group to the Eye of Coeus’ location.  Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie and Applejack didn’t notice the guards that much.  However, the heightened security, whatever they were there for, was giving Rarity the uncomfortable feeling one might get from being watched.  Fluttershy brought up the rear with her head hung low and her eyes alert.  
Rarity fell back to walk alongside Fluttershy, who relaxed slightly.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such security at a museum before,” said Rarity.
“I don’t really mind,” Fluttershy whispered, not seeming too honest with herself.  “Do you think something happened that would call for this much security?”
“I don’t know, darling.”  Rarity used a foreleg to lift Fluttershy’s head and straighten her posture.  “But it’s probably best if we stand tall and don’t pay them any mind.”
Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, had other ideas.  Completely unabated by their stoic glares, she picked one at random and skipped over to him.  The armored stallion stood a full head taller than her.  So jumping up was required to make eye contact with him.  “Hey there!” she said on the first bounce.  “What are you doing?” she asked on the second bounce.  “Are you guarding something? … Is it fun? … Can I join you?”  Pinkie touched down on her last bounce and shuffled next to the bronze-clad guard.  Standing as stiff as a board, she adopted an exaggerated version of the guard’s nearly emotionless, yet stern expression.  However, she only stayed there for a few seconds before leaning over to the guard.  “Hey,” she asked with a whisper and narrow, shifting eyes.  “What are we guarding?”
Flanking her hyperactive friend, Applejack pushed Pinkie away from the guard.  “Would you quit foolin’ around?” she said sternly.  “We’ve got work to do.”
Pinkie sprung forward from Rainbow’s pushing with a giggle.  “Alrighty then,” she said as she started back towards the group.  A moment later, as if Pinkie’s antics had just been registered, the guard let out an exasperated sigh before recomposing himself.
The group entered a large, windowless room that was covered wall-to-wall with examples of ancient history.  As soon as they walked in, Rarity pointed upwards.  “I just love what they’ve done with the ceiling!” she proclaimed, prompting everyone to turn their heads up.  
The ceiling had a dome of about fifteen-feet in circumference and probably ten feet in depth.  Inside the dome was a mosaic depicting the princesses of night and day circling each other with their respective heavenly bodies.  The rest of the dome around the Equestrian Diarchal Emblem was painted gold.
Pinkie gave a fascinated, “Neeeaat-ooo!”
“Huh,” said Twilight.  “That wasn’t there the last time I saw this place.”  She turned her head back down.  “But we have other things to focus on.  Such as who’s controlling the…” Twilight’s voice trailed off as she scanned the room.  Double-checking her map, she confirmed that they were in the right place, she realized that only statue that was listed on the map but missing from the room was the Eye of Coeus.
“It looks like they moved it,” said Fluttershy as she looked around the room.  “Maybe to another museum with less guards?”
Applejack looked around and spotted an elderly pink earth pony mare with a white mane and cyan eyes.  She wore glasses on her snout and lanyard with the museum logo on her neck.  “Pardon me, Ma’am,” said Applejack.  “Do you work here?” 
“I’m the museum’s manager,” said the mare.  “How can I help you?”
Twilight spoke up.  “Can you tell us where the Eye of Coeus is?”
The manager looked a little surprised at the question.  “You didn’t hear about last month’s robbery?” 
“Actually, we hadn’t,” Twilight replied.  "Can you tell us what happened?”
“Why do you want to know?” the manager asked.  “We’ve already got detectives working on it.”
A masculine voice chimed in.  “The more the merrier, I say.”  Everyone turned and saw two earth pony stallions wearing security uniforms approaching the group.  One had a sky blue coat with green eyes and a short, black mane and tail.  His flanks bore a picture of a compass rose.  The other was orange with yellow eyes, a crossed fencing foils cutie mark and a messy, brown mane and tail.  “I’m Clear Sky,” said the blue pony.  “This is Perry Riposte,” Clear Sky motioned towards the orange pony before turning to the manager.  “Ma’am, remember when Discord attacked Equestria?  These are the ponies who stopped him.”  
“Did we overhear that you’re looking for the Eye?” Perry Riposte asked.
“Actually, we wanted to talk to someone who has access to it,” Twilight responded.
Perry turned to the manager.  “Let’s give them a chance.  Maybe they’ll be able to figure out what happened.”  He turned back to the girls.  “What can we do for you?”  All eyes turned to the manager, who responded with a resigned expression and an approving nod.
“What can you gentlecolts tell us?” Rarity asked.
The manager spoke first.  “The museum was broken into one night about a month ago.  When we opened the next morning, our night guards were unconscious on the floor.  The Eye of Coeus was gone and we had a new ceiling.”  The manager pointed up to the dome.
Everyone looked back up at the ceiling, this time with a different type of appreciation.  “Well, whoever the culprit is,” said Rarity.  “They certainly have a talent for architecture.”
“Did anyone see anything?” Rainbow asked.
In unison, Clear Sky claimed he saw a pony while Perry Riposte claimed to see a dragon.  
Fluttershy’s eyes bugged and her ears went flat against her head.  “Dragons?” she asked with a squeak.  
Perry let out a frustrated sigh.  “You were there with me!  How is it you could have possibly seen a pony?”
“It was on four legs!” Clear Sky retorted angrily.
“Dragons walk on all fours too.  Plus I’ve never seen a pony with narrow pupils,” Perry snapped back.
“Princess Luna’s royal guard?” Clear Sky retorted plainly.
“Are you suggesting one of our Princess’ most loyal servants would have done this?” Perry asked angrily.
“Not at all,” Clear Sky said calmly.  “I’m merely pointing out that I’ve seen a pony with narrow pupils before.  Besides, how do you know it was a dragon?  Have you ever seen a dragon?” Clear Sky asked with a raised eyebrow and snide smile.
Perry opened his mouth to respond but didn’t speak right away.  “Not in person,” he said after a moment.  “But I’ve seen pictures!  I know what I saw!  They were big, green dragon eyes.”  He widened his eyes at Clear Sky as if to demonstrate what the criminal looked like.
Clear Sky scoffed at Perry.  “It was night time.  You could have seen anything.”
“Slow down, sirs,” Twilight interrupted.  “Why don’t you just tell us the story?” 
The two guards relaxed from their debate.  Perry took a deep breath before starting his story.  “I was on patrol when I noticed the locks on the doors had been opened.  So I locked them back up and looked around to see if someone had come in.  Then the lights went out so I got out my flashlight and met up with Clear Sky.  We heard an explosion come from this room.  When we got here, I saw this green spark knock the flashlights out of our mouths.  Then I saw something with two big, creepy dragon eyes attack us.”
“And I swear I saw the silhouette of a pony in the moonlight just before I blacked out,” said Clear Sky.  “The next thing I knew, it was morning.”
“Hold up just a second,” said Applejack.  “Ya’ll are tellin’ me that one pony (or dragon) picked your locks, put out the lights, took you down, stayed long enough to rebuild this here ceiling before makin’ off with a thousand pound statue through those skinny doors and all you saw were eyes and a shadow in the moonlight?”
“That’s silly,” Pinkie Pie giggled.  “There are no windows in this room.  The only way you’d see moonlight is if there was a big hole in the ceiling.”
Everyone stopped and looked up at the ceiling again.  There was a moment of thoughtful silence before Twilight called out, “Pinkie Pie, you’re a genius!”
Pinkie tilted her head to the side and gave a big smile.  “I am?  I thought I was a pony!”
“The culprit didn’t go back out the door with that heavy statue,” Twilight explained.  “He lifted it out through the ceiling and put it back together before he left.”
“Yes, yes,” said the manager.  “The detectives already guessed that.  But it still leaves a lot unexplained,” said the manager.  She turned to the guards.  “Are you two certain there was only one robber?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.
“I just don’t see how that’s possible,” the manager continued.  “A task like that would have required a huge team of unicorns.  There’s no way they would have all gone unnoticed.” 
“What about the dragon?” Perry asked.  
“The Eye was the only thing stolen,” said the manager.  “A dragon would have taken everything it could carry.  Plus, any dragon strong enough to carry that statue wouldn’t be able to fit in this room.”
Applejack turned to Perry.  “You said that you noticed the locks being opened while you were on patrol.  Is it possible an employee came in with a key?”  
“That’s what we thought at first too,” said the manager.  “The detectives already investigated all of the employees.  All they found was a lot of dead-ends.”
“What about using magic to force the locks open?” Twilight asked.
“I asked if that was possible to one of the unicorn detectives,” said the manager.  “He said he’d never heard of a lock picking spell and was pretty certain that if magic was used, the lock would have been broken off altogether.  So we’re certain the locks were picked with hoof tools.”
“So that’s why the guards out front wanted to make sure I didn’t have any tools with me.”  Twilight began pacing the floor with a concentrated expression.  “Maybe we should check on the Globe of Atlas,” said Twilight.
“Don’t bother,” said the manager.  “The University of Manehatten’s History Museum had a similar robbery two weeks ago.”
Twilight paused, tapping a hoof against her chin and pondering various possibilities in her head.  Eventually, she turned her attention back to the museum employees.  “Thank you for all your help, everypony.  We’ll be going now.”
“Good luck to you,” said the manager before their departure.
As the group exited the museum, Rarity approached Twilight.  “Twilight, darling, what exactly are we doing now?” she asked.
“I think we should consult Princess Celestia.”

“That was fun!” Pinkie chirped as she skipped alongside her friends.
“What are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked from overhead.  “That was a bust.  We didn’t find out anything!”
“There are still a lot of questions,” said Twilight.  “But it wasn’t a total loss.  I have an idea that the princess might be able to help us with.”
“Boy howdy,” said Applejack.  “Just think about all that was done in that one night.  Who do ya think coulda’ pulled off somethin’ like that?”
“At least we know it wasn’t dragons,” Fluttershy said with a breath of relief.  “I don’t know what I’d do if that was the case.”
“Perry Riposte said he saw narrow pupils,” said Rarity.  “Perhaps it was a team of Diamond Dogs?”
“What makes you think that?” Applejack asked.
“Think about it.  Perhaps Clear Sky thought he saw a pony but in reality, it was a dog that can walk on two legs or run on four.  Their eyes, for one who’s never seen them before, could be mistaken for a number of other creatures.  The large gemstones used in the relics would certainly catch their attention and they’re quite capable of efficient teamwork when they are willing.”
“But I always thought Diamond Dogs simply hoarded gems,” said Twilight.  “Why would they want to bring Stephen to Equestria?”
“I think I believed them when they said there was only one thief,” said Applejack.  “Any kind of team would’ve needed a whole mess of tools and time that they just ain’t got for one night.  Plus it would’a been darn-near impossible to get a whole big group of whatever in and out of there without being seen by anypony.”
“So what do you think it could have been?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well, I’m not sure,” said Applejack.  “But if I had to guess I’d say it was a unicorn.  Did ya’ll see how that ceiling was put back together?”  The group nodded in response.  “The other day, Twilight looked up some spells that would help us put the library’s floor back together lickedy-split.  The same thing could’ve been done to the museum only...you know…bigger.”
“That would make sense,” said Twilight.  “It might also explain what the staff described.  Slit pupils are usually a sign of dark magic abuse.”  The thought of how much strength would have been required for the task crossed Twilight’s mind, causing her to shudder.  “I can only imagine how powerful they’d have to be in order to remove and remodel the ceiling like that by himself and in such a short time.”
“That reminds me,” said Rainbow.  “Why the hay would somepony bother putting the museum back together in the first place?”
“Maybe they just wanted to be nice?” Pinkie Pie lightheartedly suggested.  “You know, like a, ‘sorry I took your statue so here, have this really nice new ceiling,’ kind of thing.”
“I’m not sure, Pinkie,” said Twilight.  “They would have needed to provide all the materials so it must have been a deliberate part of the plan.  Do you think that could have been a calling card?”
“A calling card?” Pinkie questioned.  “If he wanted us to call him, wouldn’t he have left an address?”
“No, darling,” said Rarity.  “A calling card is something a cat burglar might leave at the scene of a crime.  Kind of like a signature so all of the victims know it was the same culprit.  It’s like a game the thief plays.”
Pinkie’s face took on a confused expression as she raised an eyebrow at Rarity.  “Well that game doesn’t sound like too much fun.”
“I still want to know why someone would do all this in the first place,” said Twilight with a slightly frustrated tone.  “If Clear Sky and Perry Riposte saw a corrupted unicorn, this could be the plot of an enemy to the princesses.  That’s what I was hoping to talk to Princess Celestia about.  If the thief is a possible enemy to the crown, she would know.  We’ve also got the clue that the theif remodeled the museum’s ceiling to help narrow down the possibilities.”
“If it’s an enemy to the princesses, why would they make a big picture on the ceiling in their honor?”
“Maybe he’s just trying a new way to make friends?” Pinkie chimed in.
The ponies exchanged uncertain looks between each other before collectively shooting down Pinkie’s theory and continuing towards the castle.

When the group arrived at the Canterlot Castle courtroom, they were let right in and greeted from across the room by Princess Celestia’s warm smile.  “It’s great to see you again, my little ponies,” Princess Celestia said as she leapt up and glided across the room.  After greeting each other with a slight bow, the princess asked, “What brings you here?” 
“If you don’t mind, Princess,” said Twilight.  “We’ve come to find out if you know anything about the museum robberies that have happened recently.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow at the group.  “Why do you wish to know that?”
“We believe the stolen artifacts are being used for a long distance Spirit Traveler spell to bring a pony named Stephen to Equestria from another world,” said Twilight.  “We want to find out who’s doing it and why so we can stop it before he or anypony else gets hurt.”
After a moment of silence, Celestia gave them a small nod.  “Ever since the Eye of Coeus was stolen from Canterlot’s Archaeology Museum a month ago, I’ve doubled and tripled security efforts at museums around Equestria.  But so far,” the princess’ eyes closed and her head lowered slightly.  “Nothing has been prevented.”
Rainbow Dash jumped up and hovered a couple of feet off the ground.  “So we’ll help you find whoever’s doing this and give them the boot!” she shouted, clapping her front hooves together.  “Any idea where we should start looking?”
Celestia looked up at Rainbow and shook her head.  “I’m not sure.”  Rainbow deflated back to the floor.  Celestia turned around and walked towards her throne.  “None of my guards have gotten a clear view of the thief and reports vary on what they saw or how many there were.  But there is one thing I can be certain of…”  Celestia turned to face the group.  “…The mastermind of the robberies is a very powerful unicorn.”
“How do you know?” Twilight asked.
“Allow me to show you,” Celestia turned her attention to the vases full of flowers sitting on pedestals next to the throne.  Celestia magically lifted one up and carried it back towards the group.  “The Eye of Coeus, the Globe of Atlas and the Stone of Sisyphus are all magical amplifiers that equal the Elements of Harmony in terms of raw power.  They used to be hidden across Equestria but over the last few decades, have been uncovered one-by-one by archaeologists and their existence became publicly known before I could hide them again.”
“Pardon me, Princess,” said Applejack.  “What if you just took the statues back?  Seein’ how you didn’t want anypony knowin’ ‘bout them and all.” 
“My hope was to make ponies believe they had no powers so anyone who might want to use their magic for evil would not think to use them.  If I were to suddenly hide them when they’re already well known, they would draw even more attention.  When asked what I thought about the statues having powers, I tried to say they were merely legends.  But it looks like somepony started believing those legends.”
Celestia raised the vase up with her magic.  For a moment, her horn turned a light blue and a clear box appeared around the vase.  Then her eyes started glowing a bright white and the room was filled with a blinding light.  When it resided, Celestia folded her wings back to her sides.  Everyone watched as the box around the vase began glowing with a bright cyan light.  After a few seconds, the box became clear again and Celestia looked to Twilight.  “Twilight, will you please move the box?” she asked cheerfully.
Still recovering from the flash of light, Twilight blinked a couple of times and regained her visual focus.  “Uh…Certainly, Princess,” she said.  Once she felt ready, she focused a little magic on the box and tried to pull it from its place.  It felt like she was trying to move a boulder by a rope tied to her horn.  She tried once again with more effort but the box still didn’t move.  Taking a deep breath, Twilight powered up her horn as much as she could and with the same telekinetic force she once used to simultaneously levitate an Ursa Minor and an entirely filled water tower, she heaved on the box.  She would have had a better chance at uprooting the Ponyville library with her teeth.
But maybe there was another way around this?  What if Twilight could decode the spell and reverse it?  Focusing herself again, she scanned the magical aura around the vase.  It felt like an odd combination of weight an anchor spells set on a frighteningly high scale.  Upturning the barrier with brute strength might be possible.  But it would have required more force than she could presently generate.  Decoding and reverse engineering the various weight and anchor spells would have taken time and at least a few attempts.  But it would have been possible had not Celestia sealed it again with her magical signature, likely similar to the one she used to lock the doors where the Elements of Harmony were stored.
Regardless, she wouldn’t give up and was about to try again anyway when Celestia signaled her to stop.  “That’ll do, Twilight,” said Celestia.  “In case anypony believed the relics had power, I placed them under this very containment spell and in places only I would be able to get to.  For example, the Cloudsdale Museum of Ancient History.”
“Oh I get it,” said Applejack.  “It’s a catch 22.  Pegasus ponies can walk on clouds but can’t do magic.  But a unicorn who might be able to break your spell wouldn’t be able to walk in Cloudsdale in the first place.”
Pinkie’s eyes widened and she waved one of her front legs in the air, as if waiting to be called on.  “Oh!  Oh!  Oh!” she cried out.  “We’ve walked on clouds using your magic before, Twilight.  That unicorn probably knows the same spell!”
“Right you are, Pinkie Pie,” Celestia said with a smile.  “Twilight is one of the most magically talented unicorns I’ve seen in a while.  That’s how I know it must have taken an extra powerful unicorn to decode my spells and pull off these robberies.”
“The guards there described seeing dragon’s eyes,” Fluttershy noted with a nervous gulp.  “We think the thief might be using dark magic.”
“We also noticed they have a penchant for architecture,” Rarity added.
“Yeah!  Did you see the super-duper new ceiling as a present for the museum?” Pinkie blurted.
“Ah yes,” Celestia giggled slightly.  “The new dome ceiling and that lovely mosaic of my sister and I,” a smile came to her face but was quickly replaced by a pondering expression.  “The work is actually a little reminiscent of one of my former students.”
“Alright, now we’re getting somewhere!” Rainbow called out.  “Which student was it?” she asked, flying up to Celestia.
Celestia smiled at Rainbow’s enthusiasm.  “He was my protégé nearly three centuries ago.  I doubt he’s still around to perform such a task,” she said with a chuckle. 
“Darn it!” Defeated again, Rainbow dropped back to the ground.  
“Twilight,” said Celestia.  “You said a pony was being summoned to Equestria with a Spirit Traveler spell.  Where is he now?”
“We think he’s at his home world,” said Twilight.  “I’m not certain why, but the Spirit Traveler spell he’s under only takes hold and brings him here once he falls asleep there.”
Celestia thought for a moment.  “What kind of pony is he?” she asked.
“He’s an earth pony,” said Twilight.  
Celestia paused and her expression became vacant.  After a long moment, she seemed to come back into the room.  Her voice became very serious when she spoke.  “We may not know who’s doing all of this, but I think I might know where they’re going next.  If I’m right, than regardless of who it is, I’ll know what to do.”
Rainbow Dash stood straight and puffed out her chest.  “If there’s anything we can do to help, just name it!”
“Actually, I know something you can all do.  Please follow me.”
Celestia led the ponies out of the courtroom and across the castle to the massive marble pillars, purple walls and stain-glass windows of Canterlot Tower.  Once there, Celestia gracefully strode to a massive pink, purple and indigo door with jewel-incrusted gold molding on either side.  Lowering her head, she inserted her horn into the keyhole in the middle of the door and injected some of her power.  One after another, the seals on the door illuminated until half of the door was glowing a bright blue.  Then it slowly opened, allowing the princess to remove the bejeweled case inside.  
“Take these and go to Appaloosa.  About fifty miles southwest of where the fertile soil ends, you’ll find a small step pyramid with a golden key inside.  The key is invisible and won’t appear unless our culprit is using the relics to remove its seal.  It’s imperative that key remains hidden in the pyramid.”
“But if the key is invisible, how will we know if it’s still there?” asked Pinkie.
“If the shrine inside the pyramid stands, the key is in place,” Celestia replied.  “Nopony has been in that pyramid since shortly after Luna and I defeated Discord.  If that’s where the thief’s next move is, he won’t be expecting anyone to be there.  If guards are posted anywhere near it, he’ll know what to expect and attack accordingly, just as he has at the museums.  You might be able to catch the culprit if you catch him by surprise.  With the Elements of Harmony, you will be able to neutralize any dark magic the thief might be using.”
Twilight levitated the Elements’ case up and rested it on her back.  “You can count on us, Princess.”
Celestia turned around and gazed out of a southern-facing window.  “I know I can,” her tone was sincere, but there was a level of concern in her voice that none of them had ever heard before.  “But these stolen relics are capable of much more than any book will tell you.  If they have fallen into the wrong hooves, Equestria would be in great danger.  Please be very careful.”
Twilight stood tall.  “We’ll be alright, Princess.  I promise!”
“You’ll want to head home to prepare,” said Celestia.  “Spike will have more specific instructions waiting for you.  Good luck, everypony.”
With a respectful bow, the group made their way back to the train station.