It isn't unusual to see Princess Celestia looking out a window at her domain. Who could blame her for doing so? Every morning she stands at her chambers' balcony and uses her magic to raise the sun at dawn and then set it to give the sky to her sister's night. Indeed, the rolling green hills and great mountains int he distance that are broken up by lakes and rivers are a sight that anyone would want to see.

But today, she wasn't watching the horizon or the hustle of her citizens as they went about their business in the city below. Her typically gentle magenta eyes were locked on the rapidly disappearing train that guards were firing their spells at. But as the train leaves Canterlot on its rails, she watches it thoughtfully. So lost in thought, that she doesn't notice the commotion happening only a few metres near her.

The current holder of the position as Captain of the Royal Guard, Prince Shining Armor, was not enjoying his moments as a newly-wed. His thoughts were still on him. The prisoner that had looked into his eyes with such bestial malice that he felt ancient instincts of being prey to some ravenous predator. And the fact the city had not long since been besieged by Queen Chrysalis and her Changeling army did nothing to make this day any brighter.

The true wedding was completed not long after the prisoner dived from the hall's stained glass window and into the gardens below. He was delighted, yes, that he could call the mare he loved his wife. But the goodness of today was somewhat minuscule in his opinion.

He hears the clopping of hoof regalia approaching him, and he turns to see his beloved wife coming to his side. His wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, looks at him with pink eyes filled with nothing but question. He sighs as he straightens himself up for a coming questioning over his behaviour.

"Shining, what was that all about?!" She yells out, making the others turn to look at them both. "That thing looked ready to take that axe and do who knows what to you!" She exclaims, pink furred body shaking.

"I've gotta few ideas on what it'd wanna do with that axe." Pipes up Applejack, Southern accent shining through as she tilts her trusty stetson hat up from her face.

"Hush, Applejack!" Responds Rarity, nudging a white hoof into her orange-furred friend. "The poor dear is already shaken up just by the thought! She doesn't need to hear the fine details." She finishes, looking back at the princess in question.

"He didn't look that tough!" Shouts Rainbow Dash, hovering in the air on blue feather wings, rainbow main and tail flickering in the air as she throws her hooves in punches at an invisible enemy.

Turning, Princess Celestia looks over the group. The crowd that came to celebrate the wedding had long since left, leaving only her, the Elements of Harmony, the newly weds and her sister, Princess Luna. The group notices her movement, and watch her with rapt attention. She sighs, elegantly bringing her body to face them.

"I want you all to follow me, please." She says, turning her body to face a hallway branching off from the hall they stand in, before her gold-clad hooves start to walk gracefully over the red carpet and polished marble floor.

She hears them begin to walk behind her, many hooves clopping against the hard surface beneath them. She looks dead ahead, seriousness a mask beneath the uncertainty she hides through years of experience. She mutters to herself that she didn't think this day would ever come. The group do not hear her.

Twilight Sparkle, the student of Princess Celestia herself and an avid reader of a variety of non-fiction literature, was at a loss. She searches through her memory for any reference to the creature she had seen not long ago, but nothing comes to mind. But having learnt already to accept help from her friends, she turns to the only pony amongst them with the most experience in animals. Her pegasus friend Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy?" She states, her yellow coated friend jumps from the sudden noise, turning her head to her friend with her pink mane swinging from the motion.

"Yes?" She responds, unnerved by the recent events of both being surrounded by changelings and then having a creature break down a wooden door with an axe, murder in its eyes.

"That creature back there... I was wondering if you've heard of something like that?" Finishes Twilight, raising an eyebrow at her friend as she walks.

"No, I don't think so. I've seen monkeys, but not ones like that." She says whilst walking, one hoof to her chin as she wonders.

"Do you think it likes parties still?" Asks Pinkie Pie, the bouncing pink mare travelling with the group.

She doesn't get a response as the group comes to a stop. Princess Celestia stands before a great door, a similar lock to what had sealed the Elements of Harmony before Discord, Spirit of Chaos, had once swiped them. But this one was different. For one, it was older. It didn't share the same colourfulness that the other had.

With a teal glow enveloping her marble-white horn, Celestia slots her magical protrusion into a circular hole in the centre of the door's surface. The glow seems to flow like liquid from four channels, each leading to the four corners of the door. Once reaching them, the group notices that thick crystals had been embedded in the metal and that the magical glow seems to flow into them before swirling within the glassy structure.

A great churning comes from within the door itself, making the group stand back in alarm. Princess Celestia does not take a step back from surprise, but simply stands to the side to give the group a clear view as the door opens. Or doors.

As the first door's foot-thick steel panels slide horizontally, a grinding sound begins as gears pull apart the next solid wall-like doors. On and on, the sounds of magical seals sputtering like steam as they deactivate and the horrible creaking of aged rust grinding on itself ring out.

With nothing left but a metre-long bronze door frame where the many doors once stood sealed, Celestia's hooves carry her into the chamber within. She disappears into the darkness, where not one light shines the way. The Elements and the newly wedded royals look at each other nervously before Celestia's horn lights up in the inky blackness. With a small flash at the tip of her horn, brass braziers hung by chain to hooks on the walls light up with magical flame.

With another flash of her horn, the dust visibly hanging in the air vanishes. Twilight notes the basic cleaning spell, which she's used many times when she couldn't find Spike, her dragon assistant, to clean up for her. The group then walk into the chamber with their solar ruler, except for Pinkie who hops inside as usual.

Luna walks besides her sister and nudges her slightly with her muzzle, getting her sister to come our of her staring at the central structure. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts, before smiling at her companion ruler.

Besides Twilight, who seems to be darting from one end of the other in childlike glee at the many ancient runes, the room leaves the group slightly disappointed. All those doors for a bare room and a table?

"The decor leaves something to be expected, if you don't mind me saying." Said Rarity whilst checking herself for any dust.

Twilight's horn lights up with its purple glow as she scans over the intricately carved runes on the otherwise bland stone walls. Deeply cut into the smoothed rock itself, the almost alien symbolism has shining gold inlaid into its recesses. And so her horn's light makes the metal shine from the wall as it reflects, Twilight giggling excitedly at the prospect of such forgotten magic. Why didn't she bring a notebook?!

The floor itself is much less impressive. Being of just smoothed out rock, seemingly dug into the mountainside that Canterlot was perched against, without the carefully attention that the walls were given. Princess Celestia, Twilight's mentor, smiles at her protege's eagerness to study such runes. She walks to the side of her student, and nudges her snout into her side. Twilight stops her excited babbling to look at her teacher questioningly, before said teacher gestures upwards.

Twilight gasps, and the others do as well as they look in the same direction. Not a gasp of fear, but pleasant surprise.

Great bronze struts caked in green patina stand perched at the top of the chamber, the many struts leading from the walls to a central bronze cage. No braziers were near the ceiling to reveal these struts, but they are shone upon anyway by a great crystal glowing a gentle blue.

Twilight takes a step back to better see into the cage, and at the pony-sized crystal held within. They had seen crystals before, but not ones so... imperfect looking. Gems are found in the ground with perfectly cut sides present. But this one looked to splinter at the top and bottom. Growing out from it, smaller spike-like crystalline structures add to the rough look they are given.

"I don't think I've ever heard of a crystal like this!" Exclaims Twilight, almost bouncing like Pinkie in excitement. Rarity walks beside her and rests a hoof on her back, halting her from hopping in place in glee.

"Neither have I, although it doesn't look to refined for my tastes." She says in a matter-of-fact way, hoof removing itself from her friends back once she gets her excitement under control. Princess Luna finally speaks up, obsidian-like regalia glistening wetly under the shine of the crystal and braziers.

"We wouldn't have expected you to." She starts, making the groups eyes turn to her. "Besides this one, the only other crystal of its kind was discovered in the Frozen North in what was once the Crystal Empire. Although that one was different and could actually be cut and shaped." She finishes, brushing a rogue dust spot from her necklace with an armoured hoof.

Celestia nods to her sister, agreeing with her statement. This only makes the questions in Twilight's mind grow and become wilder. Wasn't this crystal given a better appearance because it was never meant to be seen? The thought is strangely sad to her, as such a rare object should be cherished.

"This crystal, and the one that was found in the Frozen North, are known as Mystic Stones. As Luna said, they are much rarer than other crystals. Their origins are a mystery, and the running theory was that they are condensed raw magic." Explains Princess Celestia. Twilight cringes at her mentor's words.

"How can something have raw magic? All magic has to be focused or it will end up dangerously volatile!" She exclaims, shock mixed with scholarly glee.

"Miss Sparkle, these are different crystals to what constitute the "norm". The substance they are made from is volatile, but the structure holding that magic is different. In fact, the Crystal Heart that is made from the other Mystic Stone has a unique form to this one." Luna explains casually, walking to the central table as she turns to the group. Her sister silently watches the exchange, like everyone else.

"So what makes the Crystal Heart and the one in the cage so different?" Asks Twilight, although her mind is fixed on how the Crystal Heart, an object from myth, could be real. Luna points a hoof to the crystal within, making Twilight look back at the crystal.

"This crystal is unfocused, whereas the Crystal Heart isn't. The Crystal Ponies harnessed it into focusing purely on emotional magic, by carving it into a heart-shape. The crystal above isn't carved, and so does not focus itself on a single magic form." She explains, sighing as she sees Twilight's expectant expression.

Celestia giggles into a golden-armoured hoof as the group looks at her. She coughs slightly before lighting up her horn. A small orb of light breaks off from the tip to float towards the ceiling. Now, Twilight looks at the struts and cage ribs more carefully, gasping at even more runes carved into the brass itself.

"The crystal takes a long time to be cut and shaped. We were still examining it before..." She starts, but stops with a sad expression, looking to her sister. Luna had hung her head, but rises it to make a circle movement with a hoof.

Carry on.

"...before we had to move to Canterlot. It was easier and faster to simply make the crystal focus on spells we know rather than focus it on a magic school, and let it do as it pleases." Celestia finishes, a somewhat more sombre tone to her voice.

"With respect, Princess-" Starts Rainbow Dash, her scratchy voice catching the group of guard as they turn to the hovering blue pegasus. "What does any of that have to do with the 'thing'?" She finishes, head tilted questioningly.

Princess Celestia merely chuckles elegantly into a hoof once more, amused by her brashness. She turns from the pegasus and points to the circular stone in the centre of the room. Letting everyone look at the structure, she speaks.

"The crystal is to power the runes that keep magic from affecting the object sealed in the stone there. It also powers the doors that keep none magic-users from walking in. We needed excessive security for the object within." She says with motherly patience, although smirking when she sees Twilight staring blankly at the rock.

Although the mood soon grows sombre, the group looking nervously at the two stone-faced royals as they nod to each other. Whatever they are keeping locked up, must be serious.

Princess Celestia's horn once again comes to life, shining with a yellow-tinted aura. Thin cracks circling the base of the table slowly start to glow with the same shine as her horn, before a loud "click" echoes in the small chamber. The side of the round table rumbles before panels open up. With the painful sound of rust scratching on metal, steel gears are forced through the gaps on metal rods, before the gears start to turn.

Great clouds of dust pour out of the machinery as it comes to life, making the group cough and wave a hoof in front of their faces. Suddenly, the top surface itself splits in half as machinery croaks, parting as the group gasps at the sudden sound whilst dust continues to flow from the top. The dust particles hang in the air, highlighted by the ambient light from the crystal and braziers.

With the harsh sound of rock scraping against rock, a pillar the thickness of a pony's leg rises solemnly from the centre of the table, through the cavity left by the splitting halves. Stone pillar is more square in its cross-section, and its four corners are made of thin bronze rods engraved with intricate symbols of a magical nature.

With the slowing of gears, the hidden machinery dies and silence once again hangs in the air. The group once again turns to Princess Celestia as her horn lights up, her expression firm as an ember-like ball floats from her horn's tip and to the crystal above.

Once the orb kisses the surface of the crystal, its glassy appearance glows a bright amber for a moment before dulling back to its earlier blue light. The other ponies follow the Princess' eyes as she looks back to the central pillar, as blue orbs of light travel up the engraved bronze before vanishing at the top.

For a moment, nothing happens and the Princess looks worriedly at the pillar. Her fear that the machinery had become broken from years of neglect are short, as the pillar begins to move. The top of it shines as cracks of blue light force appear on the top section of the pillar, before the four sides of the top surface split apart.

Blooming like a stone flower, the pillar opens up to deliver its contents. A tablet floats up into the air a few inches above the pillar's split top, gently rising and falling in a blue aura. Celestia holds a blank expression, but a certain tinge of apprehension graces her features for a moment. But neither she nor the ponies around her seem to notice.

"Pretty!" Yells Pinkie Pie, waltzing over to have closer look. The others do as well.

Coming closer, the details of the tablet are made more defined. The tablet itself has a somewhat thick border of a silver-like material with engravings of stars and constellations. In fact, the tablet itself is made from a stone-like material with a slight blue tint to the surface with many craters and imperfections that had been polished to form a level surface. And with an obsidian-like material inlaid into the tablet as unknown writing and symbolism, the tablet is given a mystic aura.

"The rock appears to have been from a meteor." States Luna, coming to stand at her sister's side as the others turn to her. "But I have no memory of ever allowing a meteor to hit Equestrian soil. Such an event would have risked a devastating impact that risked lives." She finishes, looking back at the tablet thoughtfully.

A novelty bit of information comes to the front of Twilight's mind, as she remembers reading about something perhaps relevant to this discussion. Not wanting to lose an opportunity to show her mentor her knowledge of various fields, she looks at both of the rulers.

"I heard the running theory is that the Badlands desert was formed by a meteor strike from a newspaper a while back. The shape of the desert on a map does resemble an impact crater. But that would mean a very big meteor hit, one perhaps as big as Canterlot!" She shouts, waiting expectantly for her mentor's input.

Celestia rubs her hoof to her chin in thought. As Celestia wonders to herself, sometimes muttering questions, Luna replaces her part in the conversation.

"We've had this tablet in our possession for a long time. Even back then, I remember it looking aged." She comments, eyes never leaving the tablet.

"But wouldn't that mean this artefact could be older than Equestria as a kingdom?" Celestia comes out of her thoughts and nods in response.

"That certainly seems to be the likely story, but I'm afraid it may always be a mystery. The story behind the tablet's creation is uncertain, and all we have are theory and speculation." Says Princess Celestia, receiving disappointed sighs from the group as the mystery remains unresolved.

"So how did you get it?" Asks Twilight, looking her mentor in the eyes questioningly. Celestia only sighs, turning her body fully towards the group of equines.

"It wasn't long after after taking the throne from Discord..."

Author's Note

Sorry if this chapter isn't as exciting as the others (if you found those to be exciting). I've already planned out the next two chapters, so hopefully you won't need to wait as long for another update (if you're still interested that is).

Thanks for reading!