//------------------------------// // Chapter 103 - Staircase // Story: Quest For Harmony // by destinedjagold //------------------------------// A giant and brilliant purplish gemstone glowed faintly, and then glowed darker and darker, until the crystal became black and faintly glowing with a faint purplish light. “What's going on?” Scootaloo asked as she and the others took a step back. “I don't like the look of this...” Apple Bloom added through a slightly trembling voice. Then, black beams shot out from the crystal, hitting each of the crystal pony statues as the entire throne room shook as something shifted in the ground. As the black rays of beams faded, each crystal statues' eyes glowed black, and soon, each one of them started to move as a large portion of the floor a few feet in front of the elevated platform began to move, causing the entire room to shake. Spike and the three crusaders could barely contain their balance, while the crystal statues slowly worked their way towards them. The floor continued to shift. Now, two rectangular pieces on the floor began to move from each other. What was under the shifting floors weren't visible because of the gloominess underneath. Barely maintaining his footing, Spike spat green fumes of flame towards his claws, and created a lance. He swung it in front of him, hitting the crystal statue that was about to...do something to him. He wasn't sure what those statues were going to do, but he was not planning on finding out what. The statue flew to the side, its head shattered when it hit the wall. “T-the staircase!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, her voice trembled from the fierce vibrations of the floor. The others followed her gaze, and there, the very first step-hold was visible. It was the first that the four souls have ever seen that was both made out of crystal and was white in color. A few crystal ponies fell to the dark pit the moving floors have revealed. The vibrations slowed until the movement of the floors stopped completely. Now, Spike and the three crusaders could stand up properly, but it also means comfort for the crystal statues, which are already running towards them in pony-like speeds. Spike yelped as he blocked a crystal statue's mouth with his lance. The purple dragon was dragged back from the speed the statue had gathered, adding to its strength that Spike and the others weren't aware of yet. Another crystal statue stopped beside Spike, but instead of attacking him, it continued to run towards the three crusaders, who decided to scatter. The pursuing crystal statue gave chase to Apple Bloom while three chased after Scootaloo, and another three chased after Sweetie Belle. Spike grunted, trying his best to push the statue back. His feet were being pushed against the elevated platform. He gritted his teeth as he decided to breath out red waves of fire to the statue that was mere inches in front of him. Thick fumes of red and orange flames swallowed the statue. Spike stopped breathing out fire, but he was still pushing the statue. He mentally slapped himself in the face. Crystals aren't ice, so melting crystals with fire won't be easy... Another crystal statue gave chase to Apple Bloom. She was nearing the wall, and increased her speed as she grinned. As the wall became closer, she jumped and continued running vertically on the wall. After taking her third step, she heard a powerful crash and the shattering of glass behind her, and followed by another. Sharply, she turned her head, and jumped off of the wall, and slammed her hooves on a crystal statue's head that was chasing Sweetie Belle. She yelped and winced at how solid the head was, but she grinned nonetheless, for she managed to break the head into pieces. Now, she'll have to bear landing on sharp shards of crystals on the floor, if there are any... Sweetie Belle wasn't much of a runner, but she's pushing her hooves to run and give distance from her pursuers. While doing so, she was charging up her horn, which was a difficult of a task. If she wanted to gather enough mana energy quickly, then she needed not to move so much, or preferably, to stand completely still. She couldn't do such in her current situation. She heard a mighty crash, and shattered glass. Glancing quickly, she saw Apple Bloom on a wall. Catching her eye, she ran near the crash site, mentally praying not to cut herself with the crystal fragments that has scattered within the area. She heard another crash from behind her, and she mentally counted that she now have two pursuers after her. Scootaloo ran, and ran, until she found a corner. Grinning, she gained speed as she ran, and jumped towards the wall. She flared her wing as soon as her hooves made contact on the vertical wall. She then pushed all of her energy jumping up in a somersault, barely making enough time to escape the two statues that slammed themselves on the wall where she was mere milliseconds ago. Spinning in the air, she braced herself as she gave a powerful pound on the head of the crystal statue with her wing. The crystal head shattered before her hooves returned to the ground. Finally gathering enough mana energy, Sweetie Belle gulped, ran to a corner, and immediately stopped, turned, and blasted fierce bolts of electricity to her two pursuers which were only inches in front of her. She forced more lightning out of her horn, pushing the two statues away from her in dangerous speeds, and ended up being slammed on the opposite end of the room, the two shattered upon contact. Sweating, she stopped the flow of mana coursing to her horn as she sighed in relief. Grunting, Spike pushed his lance sideways, dragging the statue to slam itself on the elevated platform. Spike quickly withdrew his lance from the statue's mouth, and quickly stabbed its head, shattering it in the process. He grinned. “That outta teach ya!” He then turned to see the goings on, but drooped after seeing three young mares grinning back at him. The black glowing crystal behind them was slowly turning back to normal. “Took you a while to beat just one, huh Spike?” Scootaloo grinned mischievously, while the others chuckled. Spike opened his mouth to make a protest, but gasped as the entire room shook once more after a faint growl echoed. “It's closing!” Spike said, immediately trying to maintain his footing and slowly walking towards the stairs as the floors were slowly starting to close once again. “In position?” Xilfer asked through his cellular phone with one hand and drying his hair with a towel on another. “Yeah,” a male's voice responded on the phone, “though I still don't understand why you'd want us to do this though...” Xilfer shifted on the chair, eyeing the unconscious and tied security guard on the corner of his eye. “Just do it.” A sigh was heard from the other line. “I just hope this is worth the trouble of breaking inside the plant, Xilf.” “You guys were the ones telling me to help my family more,” he shrugged as he shook his wet shoes off of his feet. “But how can a black-out help?” “No questions. I thought you guys want to get the hell outta there as quick as possible?” Another sigh. “Fine. But we can't be sure how long this power-out would last.” “It may not be enough to save my bro,” Xilfer said, removing his wet socks with one hand. “But it'll be enough for me to break inside to find some answers.”