Quest For Harmony

by destinedjagold

Chapter 102 - Eyes

“Why do you keep calling it a switch, anyway?” Claire asked as she stood by her window, staring down at the raining streets. “Wasn't it a crystal that reveals the staircase leading down to that weird moving door?” But after seconds of silence, she turned her attention to Kronz, who was still busy with his laptop. “Kronz?”

“Hm? Switch, crystal, staircase...” he nodded, though he didn't remove his gaze from his laptop's screen and didn't stop his fingers from pressing on numerous keys in a very fast pace. “Let's just say that I don't really know what it's specifically called. But if an item has the ability to move things, or something related, then it is called a switch, right?”

Claire nodded. “That is a good point, but,” she brought a hand on her chin as she returned her gaze back on the gloomy and raining world outside. “Why did you mention it as a ‘secret switch’?”

“Well,” Kronz blinked, “was it an obvious switch?”

---

“Find anything yet?” Sweetie Belle whispered from behind the slightly opened double doors on the west wall of the throne room.

Earlier, Spike studied the marching crystal ponies' movements, and timed his chances to run towards the platform and hid himself behind the large throne that provided only a foot of a gap from leaning against the northern wall. He was now studying the back of the throne, and the wall, as he searches for something that may actually be considered as a ‘secret switch’.

Spike suddenly froze in place, making the three crusaders wonder what was wrong. A second later and he breathed out green fumes of flame and materialized into a scroll, which he caught with a claw before it touched the crystal platform.

“I may have forgotten to mention that the ‘secret switch’ I am talking about is a large purple crystal that is located at the peak of throne's backrest. At least, that's what the MLP Wiki says. Sorry for the confusion.”

Spike rolled his eyes and breathed out green fumes of flame, turning the entire scroll into dust and flew towards the crusaders, and magically materialized back into a scroll in front of Sweetie Belle. Spike then slowly and carefully walked towards the edge of the throne, and slowly took a peek at the center of the room. The crystal ponies were still marching around.

He considered attempting to reach for his claw to try and grab something if there is anything on the throne, but another scroll was coming his way. He went back to hiding behind the throne, and materialized another scroll. Unrolling it, Spike stared at a pretty artistic and colorful image. Below the large image was a text, probably from Kronz.

“Here's a picture of what the crystal castle's throne room should look like. The key is the very top purple crystal at the peak of those stacking crystals.”

Spike blinked, and stared at the image once again. ‘Why am I and Twilight in this image?’ He stared at the ‘Spike’ on the image, and then back at the giant purple gem. “That's one ‘secret’ switch all right...” he whispered, and scratched his head as he looked up. The image was not accurate, for there are no delicious stacks of crystals here, but only a plain boring wall. The throne room didn't even have curtains, not to mention that many windows. He turned around, but only saw the surface of the back of the throne. Above, there aren't any crystals either.

‘There's got to be something around here...’

---

The sky was covered by gloomy, rainy and thunderous clouds. The air was not strong, yet the rain was enough to bring forth a cold atmosphere in the earth.

However, a lone young man ignored the rain and cold as he stood a few meters from the tall gates of a huge mansion. He looked left at the gate, and saw the guard house, where inside, a fairly-lit little space was occupied by a sleeping guard, his loud snores almost piercing through the rain slamming against the ground, grass, rocks and cement.

There doesn't seem to be any other way to enter, except through the gates, and through the glass of the guard house. Blinking, he slowly looked around his surroundings, and found a large rock.

---

“This isn't related to the crystal switch, but I think I found a connection as to why the crystal ponies will freeze when you look at them. In my theory, when you conducted your little experiment, you and your companions must have somehow managed to stare back at them, and were able to see their eyes. In turn, they were also able to see your eyes. There's this weird saying that the eyes are the windows to our souls. I don't know if it connects to anything though. So, if I'm guessing this right, you are only staring at these marching ponies at a safe distance. So if that's the case, then it's safe for me to assume that they don't know of your presence. This is probably why they're still moving, because they haven't seen your eyes yet.”

Spike and the three crusaders read the latest scroll that the purple baby dragon has materialized a few seconds after he swiftly and quietly moved back through the door.

“So...” Scootaloo was the first to break the silence, “...what do we do now?” The others then stared at her while Spike rolled the scroll. “The image isn't accurate, there's no giant pink crystal key-switch-whatever, and then those moving statues need to look at our eyes for them to stop. Now what?”

“Well, the crystal must be around here somewhere...” Apple Bloom said while placing the scroll inside her saddle bag after Spike handed it to her. “I mean...it should be around here...right?”

While Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stared at each other, Spike turned towards the door.

“Well, whatever the case,” Spike said, catching the three mare's attention, “we can't search the throne room with those statues moving around.

“What are you trying to say, Spike?” Sweetie Belle asked, although she and the others already had an idea of what he's going to do. Still, it's better to ask to be sure.

“I'm going to make them stop moving!” Spike said confidently as he stepped out from the door.

Gasping, the three mares ran after him.

“Spike!” Sweetie Belle shouted, “that's crazy! Don't—!”

If the image of the throne room was that sent to them was inaccurate, then how inaccurate could the eye-to-eye information actually be? Sweetie Belle didn't want to find out, but as she and her two crusaders bolted out from the door, Spike spun in surprise, and all of the marching statues stopped and turned to see what was happening.

The instant the statues turned their crystalized heads towards them however, they stopped, and stayed completely still.

Spike blinked, and the crusaders blinked in unison.

---

Black rippling darkness danced all around, almost silhouetting the dark equine's entire figure. There was a large gap of magical traffic that he received, and it quickly faded, as if a thread had snapped, losing its connection from its owner to a kite. He snarled quietly, revealing his deathly-white gritting teeth as his eyes glowed purplish black.

---

“Sir—!” a scientist exclaimed, “something large is forcing through a portal, and we can't hold it off for long!”

---

The air was still and quiet. Unfortunately, it was broken by a loud voice from a purple baby dragon.

“There it is!” Spike exclaimed, pointing a claw at the giant pinkish crystal that was attached to the wall meters above the giant door opposite to the throne.

The giant and brilliant 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.