The bright yellow fireplace was the only source of warm colors within Jasper's studies. The dark blue stone walls of the small room made the environment cold and devoid of life, or at least that was the impression he could read from the subordinates who were bothered by the ambiance when they visited. To Jasper, he preferred the lifeless stillness of the room. It helped him concentrate on matters that he needed to deal with in private, a task that would be harder if he was surrounded by more vibrant designs.
And the most suitable, and most obvious, place that Jasper conducted important business in the room was at his desk, just adjacent to the fireplace. With his head craned down, the white earth pony scanned the book that was before him in silence, though the inconsistent crackling of the fire occasionally sidelined at least a quarter of his attention. But at this point in the middle of the day, Jasper started to believe that he would soon be losing his mind.
Though this was the fifth book today that Jasper had taken notes from, it was overall the thirteenth book that he had chosen to study from his collection ever since he began his research three days ago. Ever since he encountered the catalyst that drove him toward his quest, the stallion had spent most of his time sequestered in his studies, only ever coming out to eat, relieve himself, and retreat to his bedroom at night.
What Jasper sought was real simple --- a technique to help him track down objects of immense magical power across vast distances. So far, he had only come across spells or artifacts that would either point him in the direction of an unknown magical object or would reveal magical objects within a short radius. Cautious as always, he took notes of these other methods, in the event that they could be useful in the future, but the earth pony strained himself to keep searching for the solution he sought after the most.
As much as it pained him to grit and grind his teeth, Jasper could not diminish the vein-throbbing frustration building up. He wanted to be calm and collected about his mission. The world's inhabitants, as far as they were aware, did not know the true cause of the earthshaking events that had graced them days ago, so there was no army for Jasper to battle at this moment. And yet, he felt like he was doing very little as the sands of time's hourglass trickled down.
But then again, perhaps what Jasper sought was not truly needed for the task he had been given. Maybe such a powerful object, as sacred as it was to him and the others, could be forsaken temporarily, at least until the final stages were underway. Yet, the stallion felt like it was below him to be lacking in providing every possible asset to the table.
A robust knock resounded through the door of the room, drawing Jasper out of the depths of his thoughts. The stallion straightened his neck away from the book and placed his purple eyes on the door.
"You may come in."
Having received his blessing, the creature on the other end opened the door and passed it to enter the room. Jasper was greeted by a bulky, grey pegasus stallion with a platinum blonde mane. The pegasus held a mean glare that complimented his green eyes, but Jasper was able to find satisfaction in his gloomy appearance. In a way, he had been hoping for a small distraction from his work after working himself up, even if just for a while.
"Stone Hail, my friend," Jasper delivered with a smile. "As you can see I am at hard work, as always. But I hope that you've brought me good or important news."
The pegasus' scold failed to falter. "The triplets have completed the key," he said with a low, rough tone.
Jasper raised an eyebrow. "So soon? Well, this is indeed a very welcoming update."
"Do you wish for them to present it to you?"
"I... am a bit curious to see it. Please go and fetch them."
"We---"
"Are already---"
"Here."
Three coarse, monotone voices, a feminine one, a masculine one, and another feminine one, resonated throughout the room. From behind Stone Hail, three purple unicorns cloaked in black robes entered the studies and approached Jasper in a neat row. The one on the left was a mare with a long hot pink mane, the middle unicorn was a stallion with a short green mohawk, and the mare on the right possessed a short light blue mane.
Unlike the stuck face of annoyance that Stone Hail held, the three unicorns each stared blankly at Jasper with their own cold golden eyes. There was a lifelessness in their faces that would make one believe that they were staring into an invisible void rather than at any creature that they might have come across. But like with the first visitor, Jasper could not help but smirk at the three, especially when the one in the middle levitated an object of great interest to him.
Jasper looked at the row from left to right while in his chair. "Wraith. Razor. Mayhem. I truly appreciate the hard work you have done to bring me this. Would it be of any trouble if I touched it?"
"By all means---" said Wraith.
"You may," said Razor. "But please---"
"Be gentle with it," said Mayhem. "After all, it is---"
"Still a copy," said Razor, "of---"
Wraith finished. "The original."
Jasper held out both hooves and at once the magical aura around the object ceased to be, allowing it to fall into the earth pony's grasp. His eyes examined it --- a large, cone-shaped purple crystal with a silver ring around the circular end. The sight of it and its weight in its hooves were able to split apart Jasper's lips, transforming his smirk into a toothful grin.
"I wasn't expecting his arrival so soon, as you all know," Jasper announced. "If I was a bit more prepared, I would have had someone within S.M.I.L.E. or the guard find us a way into Tartarus. But given recent events, I'm sure that the place will be heavily monitored, especially with the new monsters arriving there. But with this new Key of Unfettered Entrance, getting in should be a breeze."
The white stallion brought his eyes up and looked at Stone Hail. "Stone. I'm sure that security will be intense, so select fifty of our best followers to go with you when I decide when the time is right. And I would like for Mayhem to go with you. She's very skilled with potions, so perhaps she'll find a way to subdue most of the guards there."
Mayhem bowed her head. "I am honored."
"Of course, Jasper," Stone Hail intervened. "But may I ask how your search is going?"
Jasper brought the key forward to the triplets, and Wraith levitated it with her magic. The earth pony then shifted his body to face his desk, staring down at the book. "I haven't heard anything yet from Harvest about any further findings. But I am currently trying to uncover a way to find see if we can detect it's magical aura. But these books have been of little help."
"Well, our enemies are blinded right now. I'm certain that they won't take precautions to hide what we're seeking. But is there any assistance I can offer in your search?"
Jasper did not bother to tear his eyes away from the pages. "No, Stone. Just focus on training the creatures you'll be choosing. Me and Harvest will take care of the rest. You're all dismissed."
One by one, the four other ponies left the room with the last closing the door. With their absence, the still ambience returned to the cold room, with the only source of sound being the crackling of firewood.