-1,000 years later-

In the Canterlot Museum where all the ponies were enjoying themselves, looking at paintings, sculptures, fossils, and artifacts, a unicorn with a moderate sapphire blue mane with a moderate violet, and a brilliant rose streak on it, moderate violet eyes, and a brilliant rose star with five white stars, three of them on one side and two of them on the other side for his cutie mark named Dusk Shine was in the basement, giving a lecture to some pony mannequins dressed in suits. "Good afternoon, gentlecolts." Dusk Shine said. "First off, I'd like to thank this board for taking the time to hear my proposal. Now we all heard the legend of the Crystal Empire, a continent somewhere in the ocean that was home to an advanced civilization, possesing technology far beyond our own." He looked at the figurine of Star Swirled The Bearded, and said "That according to our friend Star-Swirled The Bearded here, was suddenly struck by some cataclysmic event that sank it beneath the sea." As Dusk Shine prepared a slide show, he said "Now, some of you may ask, why Crystal Empire? It's just a myth, isn't it? Pure fantasy. Well, that is where you'd be wrong."

As Dusk Shine started the slide show, he said "1,000 years before Ponyville was founded, the Crystal Empire had electricity, advanced medicne, even the power of flight. Impossible, you say? Well, no. No, not for them. Numerous ancient cultures all over Equestria agree that the Crystal Empire possessed a power source of some kind. More powerful than steam, than...than coal. More powerful than our modern internal combustion engines. Gentlecolts, I propose that we find the Crystal Empire, find that power source, and bring it back to the surface." Dusk Shine pressed the button, and the screen showed a picture of a page of a book appeared as he said "Now this is a page from an illuminated text that describes a book called the Crystal Journal said to have been a first-hoof account of the Crystal Empire, and its exact wherabouts." He walked over to a chalkboard that had Coast Of Appleloosa written on it, and said "Now based on a centuries-old translation of an Old Equestrian text, historians have believed the journal resides in Appleloosa." He then took out an ancient shield with Old Equestrian lettering on it, and said "But after comparing the text to the runes on this ancient shield, I found that it actually had been mistranslated." He erased Appleloosa and replaced it with Fillydelphia as he said "So, by changing the name, and inserting the correct one, we find that the Crystal Journal, the key to the Crystal Empire lies not in Appleloosa, gentlecolts, but in Flillydelphia."

Dusk Shine took a deep breath, and muttered "Pause for effect." He put the ancient shield away, and said "Gentlecolts, I'll take your questions now." Suddenly the telephone started to ring. "Uh, would you gentlecolts please excuse me for a moment?" He climbed up, and leaned on the calkboard. He picked up the telephone, and said "Cartography and Linguistics, Dusk Shine speaking." He heard angry ranting that said something about the boiler being broken. "Yeah. Uh, just...just a second." He put the telephone down, and turned on the light in the room. He removed one of the pony mannequins, and said "Pardon me, Mr. Hickenbottom." He twisted the knobs, and hit the boiler with the wrench to make it work. Once the boiler started working, he got back on the phone, and said "How's that? Is that better?" He just heard more angry ranting, and he said "Uh-huh. Yeah. You're welcome." "And don't let it happen again!" The angry voice said. "All right. Bye." Dusk Shine said as he got off the chalkboard. "Now, as you can see by this..." Dusk Shine tried to say, but he realized that he accidently erased some parts of the map when he climbed on the chalkboard. He fixed it with his magic, and said "Now as you can see by this map that I've drawn, I plotted the route that will take myself, and a crew to southern coast of Fillydelphia to retrieve the journal."

The cuckoo clock chimed in four times as Dusk Shine dusted the chalk off him, and said "Ah, showtime." He gathered his stuff, and said "Well, this is it! I am finally getting out of the dungeon." Dusk Shine looked at a picture of his grandfather named Apple Strudel who was an archaeologist before he died sometime ago, and smiled. He used to try on his grandfather's hat that never fitted him. He opened the cabinet, and took out the hat. He put it in his head, and it still didn't fit him, but he made it fit. Then a message came down the tube. He opened it and the letter said:

Dear Mr. Shine

This is to inform you that your meeting today has been moved up from 4:30 PM to 3:30 PM.

Dusk Shine looked at the clock to see that it was already four o'clock, and said "What?!" Then another message came down the tube. He opened it, and this time, the letter said:

Dear Mr. Shine

Due to your absence, the board has voted to reject your proposal. Have a nice weekend.

Mr. Fancy Pants's Office

"THEY CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" Dusk Shine cried out in dismay.