A cloud cast a cold and gloomy shadow over Griffonstone. The citizens had gathered in the castle courtyard, some even standing on the castle walls, as the gazed towards the funeral pyre, upon which laid the body of the fallen Prince Horus, wrapped in a funerary shroud, as a griffon priestess performed the final rites before igniting the torch. She held it out to King Godric, a solemn look on his face as he accepted it, and stood before the body of his eldest son. All the memories, the good, the bad, the happiest and the saddest, every special moment, every first, every triumph and every failure, flowed through him in that moment, and it took every fiber of his being to not allow himself to be swept away.

He heard Doran behind him, his younger son stepping up to the funeral pyre, placing his talons upon his brother's wrapped body as he took one last moment to say goodbye.

Finally, he stepped back and Godric knew it was time.

With deepest reluctance, he set the torch upon the pyre, and it was only a moment before it was ablaze. The Griffon King, the Griffon Prince and new Heir Apparent, as well as their friends, Prince Midnight and Princess Twilight, Godric's closest advisors and most trusted knights stood behind him as the fire intensified.

Midnight was garbed in his dark cloak while Twilight had opted for a black shawl around her withers.

The mourners among the citizens let out their own cries of sadness, of respect, of rage. Many held lit candles and lowered their heads. The funeral pyre burned of a magical flame, and after an hour, it had all completely been reduced to ashes. The knights involved in the ceremonial last rites stepped forward to do their duty in collecting those ashes, only for Godric to extend his wings and speak.

"My people... today, we have lost a fellow griffon. He was a friend. A knight. A champion! A prince... a brother! A son..." Godric's voice was laced with pain yet there was a disturbing undertone as he continued, "and the one to blame for this loss... is my brother, the former Lord of Griffonstone, Gar! For too long, I have tolerated his existence because he was family. My misplaced sentiment is my sin to bear, for it allowed a villain to conspire, to harm, to exploit, to dishonor the very name of Griffon! And now, it has cost me my firstborn child...

"No more...!" A dread befell everyone present as the Griffon King stepped forward, reaching into the pile of ashes that had been his son's body and funeral pyre. He held up the still-smouldering particles in his talons, the heat nothing compared to the burning within his heart, as he pressed the ashes onto his face, creating three lines down his forehead, over his eyes, and upon his beak, as his eyes flared with unforgiving fury, "For upon the ashes of my son, I vow... that I will hunt this traitor down, and I will kill him...!"

Doran was speechless, as were Midnight, Twilight, and everybirdy else present.

The only one unfazed by this, was a one-eyed griffon watching from afar, his hood hiding his face, as he slipped away, completely unnoticed.

"'Dishonored the very name of Griffon,' have I? Well..." Gar hohummed as he lounged upon the easy chair in the lounge of his old friend, Lord Garuda, the two of them having just been informed of what Wotan had reported, "Soon enough will my brother learn... that we have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of Griffon."

"I would think you'd find this development a tad more serious, Gar," Wotan growled, narrowing his eyes at his former boss, "the king has just sworn undying vengeance upon you. There's no telling what he might do next."

"King... bah! Your concern is noted, Wotan, but this news pleases me, actually," Gar huffed arrogantly as he enjoyed one of the vittles his host had generously provided, "Anger is a double-edged sword, and my big brother is in serious peril of going over the wrong one. Knowing him, he will make his next move in the spirit of boldness, but it will be a rash move, driven by careless vengeance."

"Rash or not, Gar, it would be unwise to dismiss what Godric may do next," Lord Garuda interjected, "After all, he still has his second son, as well as those alicorns, to temper his fury."

"Hmm, true, those alicorns do indeed pose a problem," Gar interlocked his talons in contemplation, "I underestimated ponies before... a mistake I do not intend to make again."

"Speaking of ponies, where's that unicorn witch of yours?" Wotan looked around the lounge warily. "While I'm grateful to her for busting us out of The Point, I didn't exactly sign on for this kind of heat."

"Is this heat any more intense than what you've done before...?" Wotan squawked in alarm as all eyes turned to a corner, where a hooded pony stood, her horn generating a subtle glow that burned a focused intensity, the room's temperature quickly becoming uncomfortably warm. Her cloak was velvet red and clasped by a ruby brooch, the unicorn mare eyeing Wotan from the shadow of her hood as she warned, "I hope not. You've yet to repay me for giving you your freedom."

"I'll repay my debt to you... but I have no intentions of crossing King Godric!" Wotan glared at the unicorn, "It was frustrating enough back when he was just a knight, but now he's king! Plus my thieves guild is completely disbanded. Only a few of my followers remain loyal to me. The rest are dead, on the run, or in hiding! We don't have the sufficient forces to go talon to talon with a formally organized king and his lot!"

The unicorn looked over to Gar, "He's got a point there. You lost your power and wealth, as well as much of your influence over the Griffon Kingdom. Unless you can make good on your word, Gar, we are done..."

"Make no mistake, my dear," Gar sneered, "while I admit your words ring with truth, I am not wholly without clout. I know for a fact that some of my old colleagues are... less than pleased with how my brother is running the kingdom. All we need do, is convince them that aligning with me will allow them to have their cake and eat it too.

"The loss of his son and heir will do some damage to the confidence the people have in my brother," Gar considered the situation, needing to weigh his options and make sure his next move worked in his favor, "and having only young Doran left, Godric will want him safe and protected. If I am to triumph over my brother, he and Doran must die, thus I alone will remain the rightful heir to the throne, allowing me to legitimately take over."

"Assuming, of course, you are able to do away with the both of them," Garuda debated skeptically, "Gar, you know you have my support, but I was left with no choice but to swear fealty to Godric after he became king. I've lost considerable wealth and authority, and my personal guard was greatly reduced. We're going to need more allies if we are to have any chance of overthrowing your brother."

"Oh ye of little faith, Garuda," Gar chuckled deviously before looking to the unicorn, "I take it the messages were delivered?"

"Each griffon you listed received the message, yes," the unicorn nodded, "though Horus and his knights managed to catch up with me on my way back here. I have to admit, his glyph magic surprised me, but in the end he was no trouble... I didn't actually intend to kill him, but it seems my offensive magicks were not as gentle as I thought. Oh well, cross another task off the checklist, I suppose."

"Heheheh, an unexpected turn of events," Gar took a sip of wine, "one that turned in our favor. Still, we can't rely on luck. If all goes well, the recipients of my message will respond, either with silence or by signing the dotted line you provided. Their signatures will really inform us they'd wish to join us?"

"Yes, by signing their names on the message, they will bind themselves to you via magical contract," the unicorn sneered within her hood, relishing the deviousness of her spellbinding, "meaning that they won't be able to back out after the fact. Loyalty is overrated; it's better to guarantee allegiance."

"I'll drink to that," Gar poured another glass of wine and offered it to his mysterious benefactor, "Soon, I'll have the necessary forces to clash with Godric and his insufferable knighthood. Once they're eliminated, and I've claimed the crown, your mistress will have my undying gratitude. But there are those alicorns to consider..."

"Worry not," the unicorn accepted the wine and sampled it, finding it a tad bitter but it gave way to the refreshing tartness of fruit, "I have waited so many years for this opportunity... to take my revenge upon those who have what should have been mine...!"

"Hmhm, well... you know what they say about revenge, my dear," Gar held out his glass to hers, and she obliged with a toast.

"True, but when mine is served..." the unicorn's horn blistered with burning mana as she savored the anticipation, "it's gonna be red hot...!!"

The next morning in the Griffonstone castle, King Godric stood in his throne room, facing the full strength of his knighthood. After the funeral, after announcing his vow to take vengeance, Godric had sent a personal summons to every member of the Sky Knights, ordering them to come to the castle. Doran, Midnight ,and Twilight stood to the right of Godric as he stood before his throne and gazed down upon his knights, his gaze steely yet gave off the intimidation of metal heated until it glowed red.

"My brothers-in-wings, my fellow knights," Godric spoke, his voice strong and reaching every corner of the throne room, "I have called you here, away from your previous assignments, because I am in need of each and every one of you. By now, you will surely have heard, my son and heir, Prince Horus, has fallen... his spirit now flies on to join our ancestors, to fly alongside the Great Skyward. His time was cut short, he was robbed of his future and rightful destiny... by the griffon who I once called my brother...

"I have called all of you here, for two purposes," Godric raised a wing towards Doran, "Some of you will be tasked with keeping my remaining son, Doran, safe and protected as his bodyguards. The rest of you... will join me, as I personally lead the hunt for Gar, so that I may kill him with my own talons!"

Everyone present was disturbed to some degree by Godric's manner and words, as one of the knights stepped forward and spoke, "My king, with all due respect... is this wise? The kingdom is still imperiled by the escapees from The Point, and the citizens need our protection. Perhaps it would do Your Majesty well as to take time to properly mourn-"

"Time, time! There's no time for time!" Godric snapped with a sharp click of his beak. "The kingdom was problematic even before The Point was besieged, all it did was add to our problems. But the true threat now is Gar! He is surely conspiring even as we speak, rallying any forces he can. But once we find him, we'll cut off the head of this snake and the malcontents will be cowed.

"Nay! I will take my time to mourn when I have Gar's head on a pike, displayed on my castle gates!!!"

"Oh my...!" Twilight whispered, disturbed by Godric's words, and she felt Midnight reach out with his wing to comfort her. She looked to him, but Midnight's eyes remained fixed on the griffon king.

"As I stated already, some of you shall remain here to guard the prince while I lead the hunt for Gar," Godric declared in a tone inarguable before looking to his alicorn allies, "As for the two of you, my friends, I would consider it a great favor if you were to investigate the lead Horus was pursuing. It may lead you to Gar or the unicorn who is aiding him."

"We would be glad to offer any aid we can, Sire," Midnight gave a respectful bow of his head, "The actions of this unicorn bring shame to Equestria, and once we find her she will be arrested and made an example of."

"But Father!" Doran finally spoke up, "Should I not accompany you to hunt for Gar? Together, we-"

"No, son," Godric's manner finally softened though it remained firm as he placed a claw on his son's shoulder, "I need you here, safe in the castle. Gar will surely target you next, and should the worst happen and he were to succeed in taking either you or I the throne would be in great danger. I can already imagine his scheme - Gar believes that if he can eliminate us, he alone will have a right to assume the throne and take over.

"Which is why you must remain here, not only where you can be protected, but also because I trust you to keep order and protect our subjects in my absence. Horus would have made a good king... but I believe you shall as well, when your time comes. You are humble yet determined, compassionate yet courageous. Please, son..."

Doran felt his father's fear and love for him as the veteran griffon gazed into his son's eyes, and then father and son shared an assuring hug before parting and Doran furrowed his brows, "You can count on me, Father."

"I always could," Godric nodded with deepest appreciation, before calling half a dozen knights forward and telling them, "I entrust to the six of you this duty: Protect and serve your Prince well in my absence."

"We will, Your Majesty," said one of the six chosen knights.

"As for the rest of you," Godric addressed the other knights who had not been tasked with protecting the prince, "Gear up and prepare, we're going after Gar and we must be prepared for anything and everything!"

"SIRE!!!" the knights all saluted before Godric waved one forward and whispered instructions to him. The knight nodded and approached the alicorns.

"Your Highnesses, King Godric has asked of me to inform you of the lead the late Prince Horus was pursuing," the knight stated with a respectful bow.

"Thank you, Sir Knight," Midnight nodded, "we'll do our best to finish what Prince Horus started."
"Be wise, watch out for each other, and please take care of King Godric," Twilight said kindly.

"It is our honor and duty, Princess Twilight. Now please, follow me," the knight affirmed before leading them to acquire the intel from the war-room.

The Hyperborean Mountain Range was one of the largest mountain ranges in the entire world, and made up a sizable portion of the Griffon Kingdom. There were many peaks so high that the air became so thin no one could reach their summits without some kind of magical or technological means to breathe in such conditions, here and there were remote valleys, some of which had griffon towns and villages. These communities enjoyed protection from their natural barriers but were also isolated, making travel in and out of them difficult without flight. It was because some of them had been remote that corrupt griffon nobles, bandits, and other ne'er-do-wells had been able to oppress the citizens living there, until finally, after Godric had become king, he'd made a concerted effort with his knights, soldiers, and agents to send aid to these oppressed communities and free them from the grip of the tyrants lording over them.

After that, Godric had ordered for outposts to be built around the Hyperborean Mountains to help travelers get around more efficiently, as well as to send search-&-rescue teams in case anyone got hurt and/or lost.

But the intel Midnight and Twilight were given led them far off from any villages in the Hyperborean Mountains, to one of the most desolate corners of the range. They found themselves facing, what appeared to be, an ancient temple, nestled between the twin mountain peaks of Huginn and Muninn. Before the doorway stood a statue of a griffon holding a staff in one claw and a round shield in the other, a hooded cowl around his head but his face was still visible, revealing a right empty eye socket. Above his chest was some kind of medallion carved into the stone, resembling a Valknut interlocking around an eye!

"What an archaeological marvel!" Twilight was amazed as she took it all in, "So this is the Temple of Odun, the veteran prophet of griffon legend!"

"It is said he surrendered his own eye in exchange for arcane wisdom," Midnight wore his cloak and kept his sword, Nightfall, at the ready, "and the magic involved in that exchange turned his eye into a talisman of great power, the Eye of Odun. No one knows what became of the Eye, but Odun himself was said to have led a clan of griffon warriors, calling themselves the Æsir, in rivalry against another griffon clan known as the Vanir. Eventually, the two clans made peace through a marriage between Odun's son, Gungir, and a griffoness named Freya."

"But the union did not last, because there was supposedly some kind of evil trickster who sowed chaos and distrust between the Æsir and Vanir, leading to a war the griffons today call Ragnarok," Twilight acknowledged as they approached the statue, "Much of their ancient history and culture was lost as a result of Ragnarok."

"And without the knowledge of their ancestors to guide them, the griffons went on to become a warlike society that became corrupt, leading to the Griffon Empire and their practice of slavery," Midnight could still remember that dark time from his prior life.

"And now, after finally recovering its pride and integrity, the Griffon Kingdom is in danger of civil war," sighed Twilight as they gazed up at the statue of Odun. Time had worn the once grand monument away, dulling some of its features, parts of it coated with old moss, but it retained its distinctive shape to make it recognizable. "King Godric is truly afraid that Gar may very well gather enough support to become a threat, and poor Horus lost his life..."

"Not to mention that unicorn's involvement," Midnight furrowed his brows, his tone becoming steely, "What could she possibly have to gain in helping a piece of scum like Gar?"

"Well, we both suspect she's the same unicorn that helped attack Starlight's old village," Twilight reminded her husband, "and if that is the case, it could mean Catrina is involved as well."

"Catrina seems to be making good on her threat to Equestria," Midnight sighed woefully as well, looking over to his wife, worrying of what the future could hold for them. "Even though this scheme is targeting the Griffon Kingdom, there's a real chance that it could drastically affect Equestria, whether Catrina is involved or not, thanks to this rogue unicorn."

"So we have to find this unicorn and stop her," Twilight said firmly.

"Well, the lead Horus was following led him here to the Temple of Odun," Midnight gazed up at the ancient architectural accomplishment, "Perhaps that unicorn was using this temple as a hideout."

"If she did, do you think there's a chance she's still here?" asked Twilight as they passed the statue and soon stood before the entrance.

"My head says 'no' but for some reason my gut says 'yes'," Midnight tapped his chin before lighting up his horn. "Stick close to me, and expect the unexpected."

Twilight nodded as she lit up her horn too and followed Midnight in, the two of them unaware that they were being watched.

Next Chapter: 423. Old Burns - Part 3 Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 27 Minutes