1 The Treasure Room
The Celestia Code
by iisaw
Chapter One
The Treasure Room
As I watched the books burn among the ruins, I couldn't help the near-instinctive urges that jolted through me like electricity. I could save them! A small shield spell around the fire would starve it of oxygen almost immediately, and when the heap had cooled enough not to reignite, I could—
But I had set them burning for a reason, and it was already too late to save them. The fire wasn't small, like the countless ones I had set in the fireplace of my bedroom above the library. Those fires had been comforting, their heat gentle, their flames waving slowly—almost like Celestia's mane, when back-lit by the sun—I shook my head to clear it and brought myself back to reality.
The bonfire hissed and roared, flames and burning bits of paper leaping skyward. The heat was sharp and uncomfortable, even at a dozen lengths' distance. My mane fluttered in the breeze caused by the air rushing in to feed the blaze, as if in mockery of the ethereal motion of Celestia's. I felt nauseous again.
If I could reverse the chemical reaction—flip entropy around—perhaps the Fail-Safe spell? No, it was beyond my power. I was just panicking in a silent, cerebral way. What had been done could not be undone.
Even books that had been written by some wooden-headed ideologue, who wouldn't know the scientific method if it bucked her in the teeth, were nearly sacred to me. My reverence didn't stop me from adding a note of scathing commentary in the margins, but to actually, deliberately destroy a book? It was unthinkable.
Until that night. Until I set fire to scores of unique manuscripts that bore knowledge recorded nowhere else in the world, destroying them forever. It was a crime I could never forgive myself for, but it was an act that was unquestionably necessary.
"Twilight!" came a voice from the darkness behind me. "Twilight! Where are you?"
I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut. Unquestionably necessary—but impossible to explain or justify.
Only a few short days before, I couldn't even have imagined this appalling situation.
= = =
The whole adventure began when I discovered the obscure back room in the Canterlot Archives under a royal seal. It was a very powerful and carefully crafted seal: Only a princess could open it. Even the guardponies patrolling the Archives couldn't disable the magical lock. I had only tried it on a whim, because I was certain that Celestia would have made the distinction between a Divine Highness and a Royal or Serene Highness when setting up the spell. But, much to my surprise, the door had sighed open at the briefest touch of my magic. Evidently, I was enough of a princess for the mystical gatekeeper even though I was lowest on the alicorn totem pole.
Should I have immediately closed the vault and told Celestia that there was an oversight in her security? Absolutely. Could I have possibly resisted the urge to take "just one little peek" at the treasures within? Anypony who thinks so doesn't know me at all. I wish Spike had been with me. He would have told me to shut the door and to mind my own business. It was just barely possible that I might have listened to him.
The scrolls and books within the vault were ancient. There were a few small boxes intermixed with the manuscripts and nothing seemed to have a title or label. I touched a large volume gently with my magic and tugged it from its place. It seemed to be sturdy and well-preserved, so I carefully opened it. It was the personal diary of Coperneighcus. Next to it was a scroll of essays by the feared Fireflower of Serpent's Spire, with margin notes that looked very like the quillwork of Clover the Clever. I tried not to hyperventilate. Just then, I think I understood how a dragon might feel when it discovered a huge, unexpected cache of gems and gold.
I could lock myself in—teleport food and water directly into my stomach so I wouldn't have to look away from the pages to eat—send a note to Celestia and my friends with some lame excuse that would explain a half-year's absence.
I sighed and returned the scroll to its place on the shelf. I took a deep breath and began to formulate a rational plan. The first thing to do would be to tell Celestia I'd found the vault, and hope that the fact that it opened to my magic wasn't a mistake. I reluctantly sealed the vault and teleported to the entryway of the throne room. Morning Court had just ended, and when I asked Celestia for a few moments of her time, she suggested we walk in the upper garden as we talked.
I couldn't bear to draw out the situation with polite small-talk, so we had barely set hoof to grass before I blurted out, "That sealed room in the archives that's under the East Turret? I took a look in there this morning and... uhmn... I was wondering if I should have. I mean, I didn't know if I was allowed to."
Unless I imagined it, Celestia looked a bit surprised for an instant. "Well, you didn't have any difficulty opening it, did you?"
"Oh, not at all," I assured her.
She nodded thoughtfully and took a moment before replying. "Feel free to browse as you wish. I would ask only that you don't take any of the items away from Canterlot. It has been so long since I have looked in there, that I couldn't give you a very clear idea of the contents, but most are very rare, and many are unique."
I suddenly felt twenty pounds lighter. "Oh, thank you, thank you! Is there a list of the contents somewhere? An index, or something?"
She grinned at my enthusiasm. "I don't believe so, Twilight. Perhaps that is a task you would like to take on?"
Oh, she knew me so very well! The thought of cataloging a room full of historic manuscripts, books, and other items made me go a bit light-headed. "I'd be delighted," I said.
= = =
That afternoon, I returned to the archives and began working out a scheme and timetable for recording the vault's contents. As much as I hated to admit it, because of my already busy schedule, my visits to the vault would have to be irregular and relatively brief. I summoned a notebook, quill and inkwell from my study in the library tower, and sketched out a diagram of the layout of the room, with case and shelf numbers assigned clockwise and top-to-bottom. Then I labeled the following pages, one for each shelf, which probably left enough space for a short description of each item. (If I needed extra room, I could always use endnotes.)
I recorded the contents of the first shelf and then forced myself to quit, even though I still felt a desperate need to devour everything I touched. Just on the first shelf alone, was the history of a pre-Equestrian trading empire I'd never even heard of, and a small box being used as a bookend containing an astrolabe fashioned by Starswirl himself. Not to mention an illustrated volume on batpony anatomy! I carefully sealed the vault and sent my notebook to the bedside table in my chambers.
I was distracted and spacey at that evening, and at dinner, Luna asked me if I had met anyone special.
"Huh?" I pulled myself out of my self-indulgent revelry. "I mean... I beg your pardon, Luna?"
"You are furlongs away tonight, Twilight Sparkle," she said with a sly grin. "I know well the most common cause of such distraction."
"Oh, no! Nothing like that!"
"Nay? But now comes color to your cheeks! Tell me truly, is he a worthy stallion?"
I sputtered a bit before replying, "No, honestly, Luna—"
"Oh, Luna!" Celestia broke in, "Don't tease her like that! If Twilight wants to keep her lover a secret..."
I gave an inarticulate squeak of outrage when I realized what was going on. "Oh, you two are impossible!"
They both broke out into laughter, and, after a short period of grumpy-face, I joined them.
"I'm afraid," said Celestia, addressing her sister, "that Twilight reserves her true passion for the printed word."
"Indeed?" Luna raised an eyebrow, then turned to me. "I could arrange a romantic, moonlit evening for you and a well-proportioned bookshelf, if you wish."
"Ha. Ha."
There were a few moments of silence as the soup course was removed and the salad served, and then Celestia said to me, "Joking aside, Twilight, is there anypony you're interested in, in that way?"
"Oh. Well... I mean... uhmn... no. Not that I haven't noticed a few stallions." I felt my cheeks warming again and I shrugged. "But when would I have the time to get to know one? I study more than ever, now... I have my official duties... and I'm trying hard not to neglect my friends..."
"A romantic partner can also be a friend, Twilight," Celestia said quietly. "In fact, a relationship works best if friendship comes first."
I nodded. "I'll put 'make more stallion friends' on my to-do list."
The sisters broke out into laughter again.
"What?"
= = =
It was only a few weeks later when I found the journal. I was about seven-eighths of the way through cataloging the Vault of Treasures, as I had privately named the room of precious books, when I encountered it. Yes, weeks may seem like a long time to make a glorified list, but I was trying to be very precise and thorough, not to mention I was shuttling between Canterlot, the Castle of the Two Sisters, and my own castle in Ponyville during that time. Admittedly, I had gotten sucked into some of the more interesting pieces and lost several hours of cataloging time to fascinating sidetracks.
With my notebook and quill floating by my side, I pulled another volume from the shelf I was working on and flipped open the cover. So many of the manuscripts just started abruptly, and it took some skimming and reading to determine what their subjects were, so I was relieved to see a neatly written title page. The inscription read:
Property of
Professor Sharphoof
Crinet College Chair of Archaeology
Canterlot University.
Third Badlands Expedition
Volume II
Below that was a stamped image of a torch crossed with a writing quill. Most likely the professor's cutie-mark, I assumed. It certainly didn't match any of the university's college crests.
An archaeologist? That was odd. The name was very familiar, and as I recalled, she was a rebel or revolutionary from the eighth century of Celestia's reign, mentioned briefly in... I couldn't bring the title of the history to mind. Maybe I was confusing her with another pony of the same name. But, according to the dates in the journal, the time period was roughly the same.
I flipped through the pages and was struck by the high quality of the amazing maps, diagrams, and drawings of things that the expedition had found. The illustrations were beautifully detailed and conveyed even the texture of the items they depicted—sandstone, pottery, glass—though only black ink had been used to create them.
Then one illustration hit me like a physical blow. It was a picture of a bas-relief that covered an entire wall. The central figure was obviously Celestia, and surrounding her was a multitude of tiny creatures, mostly ponies. It wasn't uncommon for ancient art to wildly exaggerate the size difference between the Princess and her subjects, or even to place them beneath her hooves as a symbol of her sovereignty over them, but this carving was—different. The ponies beneath her hooves were obviously in pain, as if being crushed by her weight. And those surrounding her were not bowing in reverence but, rather, cowering in fear. Oh, the difference was very subtle, yes, but unmistakable nonetheless. Even conveyed second-hoof, the artist who had done the drawing was skilled enough to make the distinctions clear.
I was horrified. Who would have dared depict Celestia in such a way? Maybe Sharphoof was a rebel of some sort and she had distorted the sculpture through her drawing for... some political reason I couldn't fathom? But crude propaganda hidden away in academic notes? It didn't make any sense at all.
I hadn't considered removing any of the works from the vault before then, but I knew I couldn't rest until I had gotten to the bottom of this mystery. I could have simply asked Celestia, of course, but the mere thought of confronting her with that obscene illustration made my stomach knot up. I tucked the journal, along with the rest of my materials, into my saddlebag and sealed the vault. On the way out of the archive building, I asked the reference librarian on duty to compile a report on whatever was known about an eighth century pony (or ponies) named Sharphoof, and have it delivered to me as soon as possible.
"Of course, Your Highness!" the saffron-colored mare assured me. "I will see to it personally and immediately!"
Sometimes, it's very handy being a princess.
= = =
=
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Twilight Sparkle, had a curious Mind,
Went on adventure, and what did she Find?
Something forgotten, a dark secret to Bare,
Now Twilight is broken, her heart ready to Tear.
Herself was to blame, for seeking Forbidden,
She wished she never discovered, what was better left Hidden.
A few corrections:
I still felt a desperate need to devourer everything I touched.
devour
I gave an inarticulate squeak of outrage just before I realized what was gong on.
going
Love the scene at the end of this chapter. Twilight is well educated, but a tad lacking in imagination.
Alright, this has been tempting me from the EQD story updates for too long, let's take a look.
First chapter is interesting. A but short, but that'll just make it easier to catch up.
Alicorn humor takes no prisoners it would seem.
This is quite interesting so far. Sharply written and intriguing. I shall eagerly read on.
I noticed one error:
3407351 Bravo! Bravo! I tip my hat to you sir/ma'am. *Clap, Clap Clap* *Tips top hat to the computer screen*
Love Twilight's narration--I can almost hear her voice on every line; especially the bit about stallions with Luna and Celly.
Fantastic. I am interested.
A well-structured first chapter. It opens with Twilight dramatically burning books, which is the main driving tension. Then it flashes back to a scene with a dragon, starting a new line of tension. Then it flashes back to a discovery of a kind that appeals especially to Twilight, which is developed into a third source of tension. A very good way to start a story. My only complaints are that maybe three is teasing the reader a little too much (or maybe not), and (more importantly) I'd like to know the chronology--which came first, the scene with the dragon, or the discovery of the room and its contents?
Nice chapter! Quickly-paced, in a good way. Reminds me of Ben Bova and Rick Riordan's writing styles, the way you introduce with attention-getters and explain as the story goes on ("The first time I saw the journal," etc.). I'll definitely be continuing on through this story!
HOLY SH*T IS TWILIGHT BURNING BOOKS?!
This is bloody brilliant!
Why the hell did I not know of this one sooner?
24.media.tumblr.com/a257ad5165644b1f79354634dfdee284/tumblr_mqo61uYbwk1rj6vd5o1_400.png
~Skeeter The Lurker
The description says this takes place after season four, Yet this came out before the end of season four. Am I remembering wrong?
4255086 The discovery of the vault, which somehow lead to the dragon, which lead to book burning.
I thought this came out BEFORE Season Four
I think that you've started on a very good note by accurately capturing Twilight Sparkle's nature and voice in this opening chapter. You are correctly anticipating Twilight's likely responses and how she'd react to certain things (and the fact that the older alicorns wouldn't be able to resist teasing her).
Twilight... forging a nation is not easy. There will be strife and there will be those who refuse to accept a ruler, no matter how benevolent. So, yes, older art (and this dating from before Discord's reign in all likelihood) might be less-than-charitable to your teacher. I'll simply tell you something that we humans have learnt through bitter experience. There are things that rulers do that cannot be called 'good' and cannot be called 'right', only 'necessary'. That is why the crown is a heavy burden indeed. As one hero said: "What I did, I did without choice... In the name of sanity and of peace..."
5265443 The true difference between a good leader and a great one is the ability to define 'necessary'.
On one hoof, THIS IS AMAZING! The story's extremely well written and intriguing, and it's part of a series and nice and long.
On the other hoof... *sigh* it looks like we have a Celestia-villainizing story. It's well done, yes, but I just... I don't know. I mean, considering that the sequel's called "The Luna Cypher", maybe both of the Princesses have their secrets, but then from the cover art Twi appears to be working with Luna, so it might be a Luna-and-Twilight-team-up-against-Celestia thing and, no matter how well written it is, I'm not sure I want to read that.
However, I'm going to see how it plays out before quitting, because it could easily have Tia be not evil exactly, just ruling is complicated and she's had to do regrettable things. It does look sooo interesting...
Hmm, I am intrigued by this opening.
Cya
Raziel-chan
Well, this story sure doesn't take long to dive into the interesting.
*ouch* *ouch* *ouch* My sides!!!
But this would be appropriate for the princess of books and lists
Ooh, I love making Celestia the villain!
It has been much too long since I had read any stories on here. I think I will reread this one.
HAHAHAAAAA
YESS
Finally, the type of story I'm looking for!
COMEDY, INTRIGUE, CHARACTERISATIOISMTATION!
Thank you, this is just the story I need to lose my precious remaining 6hours of sleep.
This can not end well!
I'm gonna read it anyways. :)
Intriguing.. I shall continue reading.
But before I continue, I must ask. The other fic's in this series, do they rely on information on the fics before them? Or are they all just set in the same universe?
I'm just now getting into this for the first time and this first chapter is a spectacular hook. Premises based on princesses and equestrian history always get me excited.
8004990
They do rely to some extent on the previous books, but the others can be understood from context.
8041653
Nope, not related to Brown's book at all. I haven't read it, so I couldn't imitate it, even if I wanted to.
8224438
Excellent! You will get more of that as the story goes on.
This has been sitting on my read later list for a while, now that I've read the first chapter I am sorry that I waited so long to get to this.
8331495
I hope you enjoy all of it and the sequels!
I'm rereading. I had forgotten how good this was.
8333098
I've had this on watch for a while but always avoided it for some reason. Oh well I'm here now.
8818217
same, im glad i finally got around to it, because secret knowledge is cool.
Dude, it's like this book was made for me!
9370898
Cool! I'm glad you like it!
The purpose of a 1st chapter is to get ponies to read the other chapters. ¡This 1st chapter succeeds!
Well, this is a rather intriguing start. I am always on the look for a well-made morally gray Celestia; though usually what I find is unmistakably evil.
I do not think you are going for gray, but if I get a good evil Celestia, I will be happy too!
Whelp, it's been a good 2.5 years since I first read this. The very first MLP fanfic that I've ever read, one that broke a nearly 15ish year streak of me shunning the medium due to some woefully bad reads that left me with trauma. This story has inspired me, not only to reach out and continue to read other works, but to create my own. I eagerly look forward to re-reading this, and will try to post my thoughts as I go! (hopefully)
This whole bit is so unbelievably Twilight, I love it! Already she's being bookish and showing off random bits of magic knowledge. This is such a great cold open, even if it's a flashback. I always advocate for a strong opening to get things started, to not only get the reader interested and hooked, but to set the tone.
Subtle hints to Celestia's divinity? HMMMMMMMMM. Always loved the headcanon of the alicorns being goddesses. Been that way since day 1 for me, and it hasn't changed in 9 years! I can't help but giggle at the "doesn't know me at all" comment, it's almost meta since this is a fanfic.
I also find it interesting how so many fanfics seem to mention Morning and Night Court. I can't recall either term being used specifically in the show, so I wonder just how it entered the common fanfic lexicon.
Something else I've noticed is the first person perspective. What made you write first person as opposed to third person? When I started Magisight, I just kind of defaulted into third person since I had no idea what I was doing. Not that I'm complaining or anything, I'm curious on the benefits and downsides, from one writer to the next.
.... LOL Luna and Celestia, teasing Twilight on love.
Man, wow. I was hoping this would live up to memories on how much I enjoyed this, and just one short chapter in and I'm falling in love all over again. I don't think my next comments will be quite as verbose as this one; I'm mostly riding the hype train. It might also be a slower read for me, since I want to savor it. I also want to learn from it. I've always had this story in the back of my head when writing Magisight,, so a refresher is in order as I brainstorm ideas for the eventual sequel!
I'll read chapter 2 either tonight or tomorrow!
10228935
Well, I'm pleased it still stands up for you! And thank you for the feedback!
Having Celestia and Luna being goddesses, or goddess-level beings, is a better storytelling choice. It gives a larger possible scope right from the start.
As for Morning and Evening Court, I was in the SCA for decades, and Morning and Evening Court are a very real thing for me. For the alicorn diarchy, it seems obvious that they'd split their duties appropriately.
As for first-person. I don't remember exactly why I chose it, but I've always been concerned with getting the character personalities true to canon, and when I wrote Twi first-person, any deviation, even a small one, rang an obvious sour note, so it was helpful to do so. And then I started to have a ton of fun with it, and my fate was sealed!
10229420
i love that Victorian Era Unicorn OC, (who might be Twilight, or an Ancestor).
oh, that reminded me of this silly old video i found:
Oh boy, here I go reading this one again!! Looking forward to going through the series and getting a good refresher for the new entry!!