Twilight Sparkle wiped the tears off of her face with a handkerchief ,now knowing of how the great and historical idol Starswirl the Bearded had plunged into madness over a puzzle box. Twilight wondered where the box could possibly be inside Canterlot Castle. Princess Celestia never spoke of " a dangerous puzzle box. Twilight decided to go ask her for herself. As she took out the letter hidden inside the pages of an ancient runes book. Twilight left the Royal Library waving goodbye to the librarians in her time period, Dewey and Decimal, she made her way up out of the library onto the castle grounds.

She finally found her mentor speaking with a couple of nobles from Saddle Arabia outside the maze. Twilight politely waited while Princess Celestia was telling a joke about a griffon and a pegasus. When Twilight finally started to get impatient with the obnoxious nobles, so she cleared her throat awful loudly, --AHEM-- Princess stopped laughing with the nobles to notice her pupil standing beside her. The nobles mumbled about their business being finished.

Princess Celestia asked Twilight "What is wrong my little pony?"

Twilight removed the letter from her saddlebag and unfolded it and showed it to her mentor,

Twilight spoke, her voice oozing with curiosity, " What is this puzzle box Starswirl wrote about in this letter?" "And how did it drive him to this level of obsession?"

Princess Celestia eyes widened at the question, " Let me see this letter please,"

Princess Celestia eyes raced at reading the letter, a tear formed in the corner of her right eye, "Oh Starswirl my poor poor friend," mumbled the princess.

Twilight suddenly felt guilty she had never seen her teacher this way. Twilight continued to be silent as Celestia reread the letter.

Princess Luna strolled out onto the grounds and trotted over to Twilight and Celestia, Luna looked a her sister's watery eyes. She kindly asked, "What is bothering you sister?" "Did somepony sent a hateful letter?"

Celestia could hold her regal demeanor no longer she broke down sobbing, "Its-----Starswirl's------- suicide letter---he had-- hidden--it- away-- from-- us ,"

Twilight levitated her handkerchief over to Celestia " I'm sorry princess, I didn't know this letter would bother you so much," " I found it in a book of ancient runes," "Again I apologize but can either of you tell me what is this puzzle box that Starswirl speaks of?"

Princess Luna answered, "It was a puzzle box sent to Starswirl and I am quite sure you read the letter, It drove him mad," " He stopped coming down for meals, he started to take them inside his room," He became quite obsessed, he wouldn't speak of anything else"------Celestia started to cry a bit louder-------Luna put her hoof around her sister and continued on," "He started asking everypony if they knew the solution to the riddle on the back of the box," "Months passed and everypony in the castle would hear his insane howls of anguish and frustration in the middle of the night," "Finally Starswirl wouldn't eat anymore, he stopped talking anymore," "He just became a husk of the great pony he once was," " One morning we found him dead on the ground outside the castle it appeared he had thrown himself from his tower window," Luna's voice trailed off.

Twilight stuttered out, "How--can-a-puzzle--box," she finally straightened up her voice, " do such a thing," "I mean the way you talk about it you make it sound like it has ability to control and warp a pony's way of thinking," "That sort of thing -- I- mean I don't think you can cast a want it need it spell on something like that,"

Princess Celestia finally regained her regal composure, dried her eyes and replied, " I don't think it is a want it need it spell otherwise it would have shown when Starswirl casted a malicious enchantment reveal spell," "Twilight, Luna and I have attempted to solve this puzzle box ," " We have called every genius from the corner's of Equestria, none can solve the riddle or the circle puzzle on the side." " We have called in every expert on runes to solve the circle puzzle, We wrote letters to every mathematicians to take measurements to see if that would help solve the puzzles and artists to solve the sliding puzzle," "But every time somepony would spend more than two hours with the box they would become obsessive over and did not want to leave it's side,"

Twilight's eyes widened with curiosity " Can I see this puzzle box?"

Princess Celestia suddenly grew hysterical, "Why so I can lose you too?" "You will lose your mind the longer you work on the cursed puzzle box," "I have came close to losing my mind!" "Hell it caused Luna to go insane with the thoughts of what laid inside,-Celestia practically shouting now- IT CAUSED HER TO WAGE WAR AGAINST ME!!!" "LUNA THOUGHT I WAS HIDING THE ANSWERS FROM HER!!!"-Celestia grew even more hysterical -Luna began comforting Celestia.

Twilight never seen Celestia react to anything this way not even when Discord was terrorizing Equestria or when Queen Chrysalis was impersonating Candance. Twilight felt hurt after Luna had guards escort Celestia back into the castle.

Luna looked at Twilight and spoke softly " Maybe you will fall into madness or you will be able to solve this puzzle and end everypony's curiosity I do not know..." "You have shown time and time again that you are no mere unicorn," "That you are capable of extraordinary things," I will give you the key to Starswirl's study chambers on one condition that I summon your friends to help you," "We may need the Elements Of Harmony if the puzzle box is hiding some greater evil, I will send Spike a letter requesting him and the rest of your friends," "Also do not worry about Tia she will come to understand your curiosity and the task you have decided to take."

Twilight became worried about the task that had befallen on to her shoulders but her curiosity was greater than her feelings of cautiousness. So she graciously took the key that Luna produced out of thin air and bid farewell to her. As Twilight walked up the winding stairs to Starswirl's old study chambers she cursed at herself for taking a quest that so many before has tried and failed. When she arrived at the door and unlocked the door that had been sealed for a thousand years. Twilight' face widened with astonishment for she had never seen an object so beautifully entrancing and at the same time so hideously frightful. She wanted to get to work right away but she knew better than to rush ahead without her friends by her side. So Twilight decided to head back down to Royal Library and patiently wait for her friends to arrive.

Author's Note

I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter of my story. Comments would be much appreciated and constructive criticism please. I am going to try to get at least a thousand words a chapter. Also thanks for reading this chapter in this story of mine.