Chapter 7
"I'm telling you right now," Princess Gwenalot growled as she pinned Sir Blunderbrain to the tunnel wall, "my argument with Crooner is not up for discussion!"
"Y-yes, ma'am," he stuttered.
She dropped him and spied a warm yellow light coming from a tunnel just up ahead. It was so inviting, so mesmerizing, that she forgot all her anger and sadness and just ignored Sir Blunderbrain as she headed to the entrance of a large cave that turned out to be filled with thousands of crystals of every color, covering nearly every inch of the area – an area that rivaled the size of the Great Hall.
They stared at it for several moments before Sir Blunderbrain finally whispered, "This is the Crystal Cavern. My sources declare this is the likeliest place for the monster to hide."
"But it's so beautiful," she whispered back. She soaked in the sights as she entered the cavern, impressed with the high ceiling and the sparkling of the crystals. "I could stay here forever."
"Well, dat can certainly be arranged," boomed a deep male voice that resonated throughout the entire cavern, followed by hearty laughter.
Sir Blunderbrain jumped in front of the Princess and held up his shield. "Monster – show yourself or fall prey to a brave Fraggle knight!"
There was a short pause before the voice replied dryly, "Knight, eh? I'm shakin' in my boots. You both seem a little hardcore for a bunch of singing and dancing featherweights. I wonder if any of the rest o' you guys are so cruel to your guests."
"We're not the ones who are cruel, foul beast!" retorted the Fraggle knight. "Four Fraggles have disappeared and now our own plants in Fraggle Rock are turning against us! They may very well start to eat us alive!"
"Well, I can't say those plants have very good taste," the voice shot back with a chuckle. "Just take a look – a gander, if you will – and you'll see just how happy and carefree you Fraggles REALLY are."
The crystals dazzled with a tremendous brilliance. When the light died down, Sir Blunderbrain and Princess Gwenalot saw images of Fraggles all over Fraggle Rock portrayed within the crystals. Some were using paddles to whack rocks at tiny creatures, who looked terrified. Some were knocking down Doozer blocks with glee.
But what got Princess Gwenalot's attention was an image of Fishface as he spoke to many capped Fraggles, including Blundig and Roughchin. He berated the Princess in front of them, warning that she would disappear just like the last time something important had to happen, like confirming her leadership by cracking the blue rock. Blundig nodded in agreement, saying that it was time that the Princess retired.
"You're a liar!" Princess Gwenalot shouted angrily, her fists clenched tightly. "Blundig promised me Fishface wasn't that mean!"
"Yeah, well, the proof is in the mushroom puddin', ain't it?"
"My fair Princess is right!" shouted Sir Blunderbrain. "Fraggles would never turn on each other."
"Hey, look – it's nothin' personal, y'know?" the voice commented. "Fraggles are tired of ineffective leadership – always goin' around havin' fun while the rest o' the poor slobs gotta scrape and save and toil under terrible jobs." He laughed. "It's high time Fraggles get a chance to enjoy life, too! I call for a change in government organization!" His laughter continued as the cavern began to rumble and shake.
The knight and the Princess started to dash back toward the entrance, but a shower of falling crystals stopped them. Suddenly, the knight pushed the Princess to the ground as the ceiling finally caved in ….