Inside Princess Luna's bedchambers, softly lit by the crackling fire in the old stone hearth, the alicorn stood before her wardrobe, turning an elegant black evening gown back and forth in her magic. Her husband reclined out on the writing desk bench, watching her in silence, his thoughts reflecting on the morning conversation with Scootaloo.

Luna shook her head, setting the gown back inside the black walnut wardrobe before lifting a cyan summer dress from its dark confines. Star did not notice the look she gave him, seeking his thoughts on the outfit as he lost himself in memory. She said nothing, but turned to the mirror built into the open door, admiring the way the simple dress matched her eyes.

“Luna?” Star began softly. She flicked her eyes up to look at his reflection. “Did I do the right thing?”

“Alas, my love. Tis a most subjective question. Right and wrong are often based on one's perspective.” She smiled slyly at his puzzled reflection. “To answer thy question, one must know what thy goal was in thy actions.”

Star blinked a few moments, his ears swiveling in her direction. “Uh, well, I guess I wanted to stay friends with Scootaloo. I wanted her to be happy and still be close to her.”

The blue alicorn looked over her shoulder. “In that regard, yes. Thou hath done the right thing.”

“Then why do I feel so bummed out? Like, it's not going to be the same anymore.”

“Because it shalt not be.” She set the cyan dress back into the wardrobe and turned to smile comfortingly at the pegasus. “Thou forgave her deception and offered thy continued friendship. Was there more thou wished to do or say?”

The colt looked to the floor, lost in thought for a few moments. “I guess not. I donno. I feel like I should have yelled or got angry at her for not trusting me. I mean, I can't blame her for feeling overshadowed by you. No offense, Luna, but you kind of dominate wherever you are.”

“No offense taken, my love.” She trotted to the bench, draping one of her wings over his back. “Perhaps tis regret thou art feeling? Despite thy word to Scootaloo that there would be none?”

“I...guess.” He looked away. “I think I'm more afraid that she's going to forget about me completely. Stop coming for visits and stuff.”

“Ah, perhaps then, a touch of jealousy?” She giggled at his bewildered look. “Remember what I hath told thou about Scootaloo? That after the feather incident, she wouldth need to seek out her own life?” She nuzzled at his cheek. “Things shalt not be the same, however, because of thy willingness to overlook her transgression and allow her to be free, she remains thy friend and shalt never forget thou.”

“It still hurts.” He looked away, staring at the rug though not really seeing it.

“Indeed, Star.” She smiled knowingly and kissed the pegasus on the forehead. “It never becomes easier.”

A firm knocking on the bedchamber door brought both their heads around. With a soft sigh, the alicorn gave Star a quick wing-hug and slid from his side to trot up to the door. She caught the latch in her magic and swung it open, looking down at the skinny pale-green pegasus mare just outside.

The mare wore a simple white shirt with a scroll embroidered on the front. “Sorry for the interruption, Princess.” Her eyes flicked to Star for just a moment as she bowed her head to the alicorn. “Princess Celestia urgently asks you to join her in the council room. She says there's an emergency.”

The alicorn nodded curtly. “Please inform mine sister I shalt attend post-haste.” With that, the messenger bowed her head again and flew off as the door swung close. Luna gave Starstep a sad smile. “Alas, my love. It dost appear our little game shalt wait for another time.”

Star smirked. “Did you plan all this to get out of punishment?”

She laughed as she trotted over to the bust by the bedside, levitating her onyx crown and neck-piece from the porcelain. “I did no such thing.” She shifted the crown a bit on her head to settle it just right. “I assure thou we wilst play this game later, perhaps interest should be applied to the debt? I hath a second entry for thou to tease.” She winked at the blushing colt. “For now, we must attend to mine sister. She doth not call so urgently without valid reason.” Satisfied that her regalia was in place, she swung open the door with her magic and gestured with her wing. “Come love, let us not keep her waiting.”

Star slipped from the bench and bound over to his wife, leaning up to give her a kiss, which she happily returned before the pair left the room and with regal grace, hurried down the hallway.

Near the council chambers, Star could hear the voice of a griffon yelling at somepony. The words were muffled through the heavy double-doors, but still the tone was clear. Anger. The pair of Sun-Guard mares clicked to attention at the edges of the doors when Luna and Starstep approached. As they reached for the doors handles, she held up a hoof halting them. “Hold fast, for we art not ready to enter.”

The alicorn turned to face Star yet her ears swiveled to the doors. “It doth appear that the emergency involves the Griffon leaders. Something important must have happened to have them call for a meeting prior to our scheduled time.”

Her horn glowed, bathing Star in blue-magic. A soft flash momentarily blinded the colt before revealing a vest on his body. It was black with rich blue trim and silver scroll-work throughout the fabric. “To make thou more presentable to the griffons.” She reached a hoof up to brush off a bit of fuzz from his shoulder and straightened the center-line with her magic. “A local seamstress crafted this most urgently and twas quite worth the bits. Thou art most handsome.” She smiled to his awkward grin.

“Remember that thou art but a consort in their eyes. Be courteous and dost not interrupt them. Thou may speak up when thou hath relevant information, but tis advised that thou remain in the background for now.” Their eyes met for a few moments of understanding before Star gave a curt nod. “Very well, let us walk into the lion's den, as it were.” She turned to the Sun-Guards and nodded her head. “We art ready to enter.”

As the doors opened, the voices inside went silent. Star inwardly cringed at the heated stares he received as the pair entered, the heavy doors thudding softly behind them. He counted about fifteen griffons in vests, some collected at the center around Luna's sister, the others were scattered around the room against the walls or reclining in chairs. The tension in the air caused his wings to tingle.

“Luna, thank you for coming so quickly.” Celestia said, smiling thankfully at her sister and ignoring the fuming Yellowfeather Hilda in front of her.

“Of course, Sister.” The blue alicorn glanced around at the Clan-heads, noticing a few of them clutching rolled scrolls. “Tis before our appointed time. What hath occurred that agitates our guests so?”

Yellowfeather Hilda, the griffon Star remembered sitting next to during the prior dinner, raised a clenched claw, a crushed scroll within. “This has happened! You promised us safety, instead you bring us to our doom.”

Star raised an eyebrow. Were griffons always this dramatic or was it just during clan issues? He could see Celestia suppress the urge to sigh, the slight tension at the corners of her eyes, a tightness to her upper body.

“Yellowfeather Hilda.” The white alicorn began soft as though she was speaking to a young filly. Ever patient and understanding of their tantrums. “We will discover who left these notes on your doors and deal with them promptly. Those that mean you harm cannot enter this fortress. We have wards in place and guards to ensure your safety.”

The angry griffon growled, shaking the scroll under the alicorn's nose. “No harm, NO HARM? They pinned these on our doors with daggers! Not just any daggers, but sacrificial daggers out of our history.” She narrowed her eyes. “It had to be one of yours. One of your citizens put these on our doors. Trying to frighten us so that we would bend to your will. I want them found and punished, severely.”

A small, light-tan female griffon with beige feathers and sky-blue stripes on her vest sighed. “Yellowfeather Hilda, you always overreact like this. Punish this griffon, punish that griffon. I hear tell you had a servant whipped because they winked at your eldest daughter. For a merchant Clan-head, you are just as violent as the Black Talons.” The griffon turned to a large, war-scarred female lazily reclined in a nearby chair. “No offense to you, Redfeather Natasha.”

The scarred griffon grinned quickly at the smaller female. “No offense is taken, Bluefeather Rita.”

Luna gently nudged Star with her wing, prompting him to slip away to one of the walls of the room and out of the lime-light. He watched her walk up and yank the scroll from Hilda's grasp with her magic. “I wilst not tolerate thy accusations without proof and take offense at thy treatment of mine sister. Thou art our guests and under our protection.” She stared into the griffon's eyes for long tense moments until Hilda looked away. “Now, let us see what hath caused such agitation.” Her magic unfurled the scroll, flexing it a bit to soften the creases from Hilda's crushing grip.

From Star's position, he could see a few short lines of script and a bright red image at the bottom of the white parchment. Luna frowned and looked up. “While I dost understand the threat behind the words, I dost not comprehend thy worry.” She looked out at the Clan-heads, noting more than a few seemed nervous. The alicorn looked to the magic-held scroll again, reading aloud the message. “Begone from the house of the weaker race and make no pacts with them. Begone before tomorrow evening or be killed and your clan disbanded.” She flipped it over to ensure there wasn't more to the message then back again. “No signature, only this image of a red griffon head with a red crown over it.”

A male griffon cleared his throat and stepped from the wall. Star remembered the blind griffon from the dinner. His feathers silvery-grey from age and spots of missing fur and feathers from the many scars across his body. “If I may explain, Princess?” The white-blind eyes of the griffon looked about the room, more a few of the clan-heads shying away from his intimidating looks.

“Please do, Whitefeather Alexander.”

The old griffon smiled slightly, though his twisted and chipped beak made it more a sneer. “It is not the message, as that can be seen as a simple threat, but the image on it.”

Hilda smirked, “You can't even see it.”

“No, but I can smell your fear.” He turned his sightless eyes in her direction as she snarled. “This is not the first time some foolish griffon tried to use this symbol to scare others. More than once, an ambitious griffon has tried to resurrect that ancient empire, only to die at the claws of those he sought to deceive.” He tapped a chipped claw to his beak in thought. “It's been...mmm...three-hundred years since the last one tried. I think he survived a week after using this mark to scare a rival.”

Natasha, leader of the Black Talons rolled her eyes. “What the Elder is getting to, very, very slowly, is the mark belongs to the Red Empress.” She stifled a yawn and stretched before continuing. “Sort of like you ponies and your Nightmare Moon that you use to scare your foals, the Red Empress terrifies the hatchlings.”

Star couldn't resist speaking up, “But Nightmare Moon was very real.”

“And so was the Red Empress, Consort.” Natasha grinned at the colt, looking him over. “She ruled all the clans and formed a bloody empire. She enslaved you ponies and dominated this country. Her and her champions were said to have been able to use magic and ate the hearts of those that challenged her rule. She was the most powerful griffon to have ever lived.” The large griffon slid from the chair like a cat, stalking towards the captivated pegasus. “One day, she vanished, leaving only a stone tablet that told that she would return to rule the empire again with an iron claw.” She reached out, running a talon down Star's neck and along the vest over his heart. “I'm sure you would make a fine pet for her.”

Alexander sighed, “Redfeather, please do not harass Princess Luna's consort.”

Natasha laughed and turned to stalk away. "Even blind, you see everything, Elder." Starstep breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, it seemed that both Black Talon sisters liked messing with him.

Celestia frowned. “Is there any truth to this, Whitefeather Alexander?”

He nodded. “It was an age ago, before the great pony migration to Equestria. We have plenty of historical documents on the Red Empress, she was very real. Yet, seeing as she would be older than you, Princess, I place almost no faith in her alleged return. I suspect it is a fear tactic to disrupt our discussions and draw attention from the rogue clan making attacks on the borders.”

Luna shook her head, “Or worse, a copycat. I hear tales that they are doing terrible things. Removing the hearts from the griffons they defeat and cutting the horns from unicorns.”

Alexander raised an eyebrow. “That is most disturbing. There are a few very minor clans that worship the Red Empress, but they've always kept to the darkest valleys and rarely troubled others. Perhaps one of them has united others to stir trouble? Delusions of recreating the old Red Empire?” He turned his head to face the other griffons. “Orangefeather Andrea, has your network heard anything like this?”

A slim and rather petite griffon with glasses perched on her beak lifted her head from a book. “Hmm? Oh, tid-bits. We brushed them aside as grumblings from the little clans. If this is a joining of the outcasts, then they've kept it pretty quiet. Though...” She pushed her glasses up with the tip of a claw. “We have heard of recruiting going on throughout the major cities for some sort of griffon-first movement. We didn't suspect they were related to the outcasts...but that would explain the sudden emergence of the Red Empress' crest. Her policies were very nationalistic, almost to the point of xenophobic. It would make for the perfect banner to rally the outcasts and the ultra-nationalists around.”

Luna nodded her head. “Tis fortunate then that thou received these notes.”

Hilda bristled, “Fortunate?! Are you insane?”

The blue-alicorn ignored her, “It hath given us insight into whom our foe may be. We will investigate the origins of the notes and possibly trace it to the heart of this threat.”

The ancient griffon nodded his head. “Sounds like a fine plan.” He turned his milky-white eyes to the other Clan-heads. “I suggest we all use this new information to our advantage and go back through our reports and intel.”

Andrea swiftly nodded. “I agree.” The others did as well, even the overly relaxed Natasha.

Celestia raised a hoof. “We should gather at midnight to share what new information we may have uncovered and go over plans on how to protect both our citizens.”

Yellowfeather Hilda gasped in disbelief. “No, we should leave! It has to be real, no one would dare use the Red crest unless they meant it.”

The Black Talon leader rose from her chair and flexed her wings, “Why? The Princesses have given their protection as hosts. We're as safe here as can be.” She gracefully slid up beside the outraged griffon. “If you want...” She lifted a claw to trace along the Hilda's beak. “I'll protect you personally in the bedchamber.” Star watched Hilda visibly tremble and look away embarrassed.

Alexander ignored the pair, “Those of you who doubt the protection of our hosts, you may leave the fortress. Know the message you send if you do. Those who stay, dig deep into your reports and informants and meet back here at midnight.” He gestured with a wing towards the doors.

The other griffons rose from their seats and made their way towards the exit in twos and threes. Luna gestured to Star with a faint flick of her head. He trotted his way over as Alexander joined him and the two alicorns in private conversation.

“Princesses...” The old griffon began softly, then tilted his head as Star came to a stop. “And Consort apparently. I did not wish to ruffle feathers, but I fear that one of the major clan heads is backing this movement.”

Celestia nodded, though Alexander couldn't see. “I agree.” She glanced at her sister. “Luna, I know you don't have as much experience with the griffons as I, so I ask that you trust my knowledge.”

“I do, sister.”

“Unless the Red Empress herself has risen from the grave.” Alexander said with a heavy sigh, “Then someone of power and influence has to be joining the outcast clans. We keep their power in check and remove those who might be a serious threat. We ignore their ways so long as they don't interfere with the rest of the kingdoms.” He turned his head towards Starstep. “Remember what I said about what is required to unite the clans?”

The pegasus thought for a moment. “Power, wealth, or common foe.”

“Smart lad. Any one of those three in abundance is enough to cause trouble. All three is enough to worry even me. A major clan-head with money and strength goes to the outcasts and claims they wish to resurrect the Red Empire. Instant common foe.”

Starstep glanced over his shoulder as the last of the other griffons left the room. “But who? Only like four of you were speaking, the rest were quiet.”

“Old habits, colt. At traditional griffon Clan-meets, only the highest ranking are allowed to talk until asked a question or the floor is opened to discussion.”

The white alicorn shook her head softly, her mane ignoring the movement as it flowed on it's own accord. “But who would do such a thing? If they got caught, it would be the end. It's a terrible thing that they're doing.”

“Indeed, Princess. But if they succeeded...the whole griffon empire in their claw. End justifies the means, and all that. Hilda may be a blustering fool, but she has good instincts. She can sense that this thing is a serious threat. Whoever planted these notes must be willing to follow through on the threat.”

“But I cast the wards myself. No one can enter the fortress if they intend to harm anyone. You are all under our protection.” The Sun-Goddess proclaimed.

“For that I am grateful, Princess.” The old griffon smiled, his wounded beak twisting awkwardly. “But, they seem to have found a loop-hole in your defenses.”

The blue alicorn looked to her sister. “Tia, see if thou can discover an entrance we may have missed, I will pursue the origins of this note.” She held up the damaged scroll she'd taken from Hilda.

Celestia nodded. “Very well, good luck sister.” She leaned out to give a quick nuzzle on the cheek before departing.

Luna nodded solemnly. “Yes, with luck we shalt nip this threat in the bud.”

Far from the council room, Star walked at the blue alicorn's side in the gardens as the afternoon sun heated his coat. He was quiet for a time, just being her shadow as she seemed to wander casually about the hedges and flower-beds.

“Uh...Princess? What are we doing? Aren't we going to track down where the note came from?” He gestured a hoof at the folded letter in his vest pocket.

His wife smirked, “Patience, my love. Teleportation magic is rare for unicorns. Most must walk to a summons.”

“Who's coming?”

“I will tomorrow.”

“What?” He blinked, before getting her joke and nudging her with his body. “How can you be so playful when things are so serious?”

“Why shouldth I not?” She smirked at him. Her ears swiveled about before her head followed. Moments later, Star heard the crunch of hooves on the gravel path between the rows of red roses. Around the corner marched Lighthoof in what Star assumed was a Trottingham style officer's jacket and yellow unicorn mare that seemed familiar.

“Lighthoof, Dazzle, I am glad for thy swift response to mine summons.”

Star remembered the unicorn now, one of Luna's Night-Guard lieutenants. She was a soft yellow with pale blue mane and tail, trimmed shorter than usual to give a 'no-nonsense' look. Her sharp intelligent green eyes took in Star at a glance, judged him, then focused back on the alicorn.

“We came as soon as possible, Princess.” The unicorn stated.

Luna nodded. “Any discoveries from thy questioning the guards on duty last night?”

Lighthoof shook his head. “Nothing out of the ordinary according to them. Normal rounds though the fortress. A couple of the other lieutenants were on duty as well and they saw nothing.”

Dazzle bit her lip and looked around as though to ensure they were alone in the gardens before turning back. “Princess...your sister's wards would keep out any teleportation magic, so that only leaves two possibilities.”

Lighthoof nodded in agreement, “A mole in our ranks. Somepony who's immune to the wards because of duty, or two, an entrance into the fortress no one else is aware of.”

“Princess. I suspect it's both.” Dazzle added.

Luna looked at the pair for a moment before nodding her head. “I hath come to the same conclusion.” Her magic lifted the folded letter from Star's vest and levitated it before Dazzle. “One of the threats.”

The unicorn took control of the scroll with her own magic and unfolded it to examine. “Red Empress...”

“Thou art familiar with this tale?”

“I am, Princess. You don't live this close to the griffons without learning their history. For better or worse, they pride themselves on story-telling.” She rolled it back up in her magic. “This is just the break we need.”

“Splendid, then I leave it within thy capable hooves. I, however, must attend to matters inside.” She tilted her head to Lighthoof. “Thou and Star shalt be her companions. Do what thou can, but know thy limits.”

Lighthoof bowed his head. “Of course, Princess. I'll bring your husband back to you.” He suppressed a grin at Luna's raised eyebrow.

“With all seven of his limbs intact, I should hope.” She giggled at Dazzle's bewildered expression.

Luna turned to Star and nuzzled at his nose before they shared a soft kiss. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “Be cautious, my love. I will inform Sandy that thou wilst be unable to visit this evening.” Star nodded before she pulled back and turned to leave.

The trio marched towards a side-gate, Dazzle's horn glowing softly as she lead the way, Star and Light right behind her. She glanced back at the blue-grey colt. “I've never known the Princess to be so...”

“Playful?” Star offered.

“I don't think that's quite the right word, informal perhaps.”

“I assure you, she's like this a lot in private, she just has this thing about appearances.”

“So it seems.” The unicorn smiled slightly.

“So, what exactly are we doing?”

The yellow mare trotted on, her focus on the path ahead. “Tracking spell. One of my special talents. I can find where something was created.” She paused at the barred passage set into the wall, nodding to the guard on post who then turned to unlock it. “Assuming it was made within a certain radius. I can't track cross country so we're in luck that it was written somewhere here in town.” The earth-mare guard saluted to them once the door was opened. Dazzle trotted through with a nod, the colts following close.

Her sharp green eyes looked out across the rooftops of the city that rested below the Fortress-hill. “Tension in the town has spiked, so stick close and avoid getting into fights.”

“Fights? What do you mean?” Star frowned. “I remember that everypony was on edge, but that was just a couple nights ago.”

She shook her head, close-cut mane only shifting slightly. “Been a few scuffles at the protest at the gates last night and then this morning a group of griffons attacked a funeral march. So now, everypony is eying every griffon with suspicion. Even the slightest bit of provoking ignites a fight. Problem is, the griffons that attacked the funeral march aren't from around here.”

Lighthoof frowned. “Outsiders instigating trouble?”

Dazzle nodded, finally deciding on a direction and marched on, leaving the colts to hurry after.

When the trio finally trotted into town proper, Star could feel the tension in the air. A tightness in his chest and the urge to look over his shoulder. They passed one road where a group of young griffons eyed a group of rough looking ponies from across the street. He'd seen that look before in Canterlot and knew a fight was brewing. Everywhere Dazzle led them, there were expressions of hate, fear, anger, and betrayal. He wondered if any of these griffon and pony scuffles were between friends.

Dazzle turned a sharp corner down a dark alley, ignoring the suspicious looks they got from mares at the entrance. It wove through the old section of the city, past boarded up condemned homes and forgotten pubs with faded signs. Then the maze of alleyways ended with them at the gate to what appeared to be a very old cemetery. Without a word of warning, the unicorn mare kicked open the gate, the rusty lock shattering under her hoof. Horn still glowing a gentle gold, she led the colts into the overgrown and forgotten grounds, nestled in the shadows of towering factories.

Lighthoof took to the air looping around the area around before landing next to them. “Small place, maybe seventy grave spots with a few of those little building things.” He glanced back at the entrance. “Only way in and since no-pony has touched that lock in ages...”

Dazzle gave a curt nod. “Pegasus, Griffon or Unicorn with teleportation.”

Star raised an eyebrow, “You're saying they wrote those scrolls here? In a pony graveyard?”

The tan pegasus stepped close to a mossy gravestone and brushed aside the weeds. “Not pony, dude, Griffon. Here lies Sir Brownfeather Richard.”

Dazzle scraped away the green moss from the lettering of another and peered intently at it. “Here lies Bluefeather Smith.”

“No dates?” Star asked as he walked up to one of the low sitting mausoleums, gazing up at the sharp, jagged architecture.

Dazzle shook her head moving between the headstones, her gold glow softly illuminating the shadowy graveyard. “Griffons don't like to put a measure on one's lifetime like that. They want to be remembered in stories for their accomplishments. It's why the Red Empress story is still around. Despite all the terror she caused, she's remembered for it.” She gestured with her head, short pale-green mane bouncing. “This way.”

The trio followed her through the weeds and around a couple more mausoleums before she stopped in front of one with a gate that seemed much more well-kept than the rusted ones the rest had. “The scrolls were written in here.” She gently reached out to push on the gate, surprised when it swung wide on well oiled hinges without so much as a noise. “This wasn't a one time visit.”

Star glanced around the area, as chill ran down his spine. “I think we're being watched.”

Lighthoof nodded. “Yeah, dude. I just got the feeling too.”

Dazzle looked back at the colts with her piercing green eyes. “Well, let's get out from their prying eyes.” She marched into the mausoleum and down the steep stairs just past the gate, her golden horn-glow lighting the way into the darkness.

The stairs twisted back on themselves at a landing every ten steps or so like a fire escape. Star counted about twenty landings before they reached the bottom and a heavy iron-bound oak door. Dazzle touched her horn to the lock above the handle, it's light flaring up for a moment before a metallic click echoed. She pushed it open slightly to peek in before swinging it wide.

The passage before them was walled with cut stone and carved stone floor-titles marked with some old griffon crest. Along the walls were flickering candles set into sconces, the ceilings above them blackened from the smoke of heavy use. There was no use in trying to be quiet, their hooves clicking sharply on the stone as the trio made their way carefully down the tunnel. After about hundred feet, it opened up into a chamber with a stone casket on a dais at the center. Griffon motifs were engraved on every inch of the grey coffin and beautifully carved pillars that resembled flying griffons supported the domed ceiling. A massive tapestry depicting a battle of two griffon clans dominated the opposite wall from the entrance. Easily fifty feet across. Star imagined some sort of preservation spell was woven into the fabric considering how old the art-style appeared. He couldn't help but admire the work that went into the place as Dazzle walked from one end of the room to the other.

“We're almost there but...there's no doors.” She eyed the tapestry before lifting the one end to peer behind it. “Nothing.”

Lighthoof took to the air, fluttering about looking for clues along the pillars and upper walls. Star eyed the coffin and studied it for signs of tampering, but the heavy layer of dust on the stone slab ended that idea.

Starstep sat back on his haunches near the door as Dazzle paced from one end of the room to the other, frustrated. Lighthoof took to tapping the stones along the wall. The blue-grey pegasus leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, noting how the curved dome had a golden disk set at its center. “H-uh.” His sound caught Light's attention.

“What's up, dude?”

The pegasus pointed up at the ceiling. “If we're dealing with fliers, what's to keep the secret passage on the floor?” The other two looked up at the gold disk.

Curious, Lighthoof took to the air again, hovering close to the metal plate to examine and touch it gently with a hoof. “Yeah...this thing is carved like everything else, but there's a hole at the end here.” He poked at the spot with his hoof. “Too small for a hoof...”

“But big enough for a claw?” Dazzle suggested.

“Yup. If that's what this is, what a tartarus of a way to keep out non-griffons. No horns on pegasi, and unicorns normally can't fly.” He looked down at the yellow mare. “Hope you're not afraid of heights.”

The unicorn paled slightly. “Actually...” She took a deep breath. “Ok, let's get this over with.”

With a bit of clumsy maneuvering and more than one near-accidents, Lighthoof managed to lift Dazzle up to the disk and help her insert her horn. With a grunt, and Dazzle gritting her teeth from the pressure on her neck, they managed to rotate the disk until a loud click sounded and a whirling of gears was heard inside the ceiling. The two retreated to the ground as the disk spun a few times then flipped down like a lid, leaving a gaping hole into another chamber.

“Good eyes, dude.” Light grinned at his guard-partner, the two of them sharing a hoof-bump. “Can you fly up on your own?”

Star flapped his wings a few times, then made an effort to gain altitude. He managed a few feet before tumbling over and crashing in a sprawling heap. “Not yet, sorry, feathers are still growing back.”

“S'all good, dude. That's what brothers are for.”

Up in the higher chamber, Lighthoof gasping for air after lifting two ponies through a small hole, Dazzle was sorting through papers on a desk as Star looked about. It was a simple chamber, a cheaply built desk, some stacks of forms and letters in some sort of code or language he wasn't familiar with and a rack of various weapons, recently oiled and not of pony origin. Down the wall next to the weapon rack were crates stamped with the Red Empress crest. Other than that, there was a shoddy wooden door nailed to one of the walls, covering what appeared to be a hole torn into the stone.

“Here, yes. I found the stamp for that Red Empress scroll.” Dazzle held up a stone rod with her magic, the bottom of it mounted with a rubber stamp in the shape of the crown and griffon head. “Looks like we found our origin spot.” She shuffled through the papers on the desk. “Lot of this is in code. Lady Tatyana can probably crack it.”

Lighthoof ran a hoof down the shaft of a halberd-like weapon. “But we still don't know who set all this up.” He picked up a short sword and used it to pry open one of the crate-lids. His low whistle caused Starstep to trot over and peak inside, his eyes going wide. The crate was filled to the brim with copies of the weapons on the rack. One look at the number of crates in the room gave him a quick count that this was to arm at least a platoon or more.

The tan pegasus shut the lid and hammered the nails back in with the butt of the short-sword. “Guess we found what they're going to use to attack the Clan-heads.”

Hesitantly, Starstep wandered over to the shoddy door and turned the latch. Immediately a chill ran through him.

“The buck was that?” Lighthoof shared a questioning look with Star then Dazzle.

Fighting down the strange feeling of terror in his gut, Star pulled open the door and was greeted with nothing but a black tunnel. The wall had been smashed in, letting the room punch into the side of what appeared to be a much, much older passage. It wasn't so much the look, though the stones on the other side seemed starkly different, it was the feel that told Star that this tunnel was ancient. The pegasus jumped with a start as Lighthoof brushed up against him.

“Holy...you scared the buck out of me, Light.” Star could feel his heart pounding in his chest and his wings clutching to his body.

“Sorry, dude.” The other pegasus said meekly. He glanced down one way then the other into the blackness, with only the faint light of the other room showing a few feet. “I get the feeling that this is how they got into the fortress.”

“I get the feeling no pony should go in there.”

“Come-on, I'm the one who's suppose to be afraid of dark, small underground tunnels. What's got you so spooked?”

“You don't feel it? That tingle in the wings, that chill that sets your mane on end?”

Lighthoof paused, tilting his head for a quiet moment. “Yeah...a little. Kinda eerie, but it's just an old tunnel.”

Star glanced over to Dazzle who was gathering evidence and packing it into a worn burlap sack she apparently found before tossing it over her back. “Well, I guess we better make sure this tunnel really does go to the fortress. If it does, we'll have our answer of how they got in and the Princess can ward it. If not, at least we gathered some valuable intelligence.”

“Shouldn't we leave things how we found it? What if they show back up and find all their stuff messed with?” Star asked.

The unicorn glanced about the room. “They'll do one of two things, attack anyways, or run. Either way, we can deal with it. Soon as we get back I'll get Thundermane and Shimmer to set up a stake-out at the graveyard.” Her horn flared to life, creating three little golden orbs that hovered over each of their heads. “Well, colts, let's go.”

Lighthoof stepped into the old passage looking down one way then the other. “Which way?”

After Dazzle and Star joined him, the unicorn shut the door behind them and gestured to the blue-feather hanging around Star's neck. “May I?”

“Uh, yeah, sure I guess.” He lifted the chain so the feather dangled in front of him. Gently, the unicorn touched it with her magic and recoiled.

“Ouch, she sure knows how to shield that thing.” The unicorn shook off the fuzziness in her head. “Ok, let's try that again.” She stroked it with a wisp of her gold magic and gritted her teeth before pointing down the passage. “That way...I think.”

Lighthoof raised an eyebrow. “You think?”

“I could only brush that feather without getting jolted. I just get the impression that the Princess is in that direction. Come on, one way to find out.” She started off, gold orb bobbing over her head, sack on her back rustling from all the papers she stuffed inside.

After about ten minutes, Star felt like something was watching them again and a chill crawled up his spine. He said nothing in the silence, only the soft clicking of their hooves on the stone to keep them company. But after another five, he could see the shift in Dazzle's posture, no longer confident, with lowered head and wilted ears. He glanced back, noting Lighthoof's nervous flutter of wings and looks over his shoulder as though they were being followed.

The soft glow of the orbs didn't extend terribly far, but enough for Star to get a feel for the structure of the tunnels. Braced every twenty feet with circular pillars set halfway into the walls and at the center of each twenty foot space of wall was a rusted grate at floor level, large enough to fit a pony into.

“What are those?” He asked, jumping at the loudness of his own voice.

Dazzle shook her head, as though to clear her thoughts and glanced at the grates as they passed another set. “Air-vents to the lower levels. Probably connects every level of tunnels above and below. They only put those in places where it goes deep, REALLY deep.” She shivered.

“Any idea what this place is?” Somehow, the talking seemed to push back the fear that was worming its way into his mind.

“Just a guess, but...this is probably the old castle of the Unicorn tribe pre-migration. Back when the three races lived apart. The fortress was built on the ruins but I had no idea the old castle extended so far into the surrounding land.” She halted at a four-way, glancing at each of the side passages before leading them forward.

They reached a point where the walls fell away into blackness and the trio found themselves walking on an ancient archway across a gaping nothingness. The rails had long since rotted away and being only a few pony widths across, Star paid careful attention to his footing.

As the stones of the massive bridge creaked at their weight, Star willed himself not to look down, afraid that something would look back. It was all he could do to focus on making it to the other side.

At last, all three exhaled heavily when the bridge ended and they entered the forbidding tunnel system again.

“Pre-Migration.” Star mused for a moment, doing anything to keep his mind occupied. “So, before the Princesses?”

“Yeah.” The mare nodded, her features shifting in the golden-light. “And if the scraps of history are right, those that chose not to migrate to Equestria, stayed here.” As if on cue, they began to notice doorways with old iron doors rusted shut every ten or so feet.

Lighthoof studied one for just a moment. “Looks like a dorm-room set-up or apartments, or barracks. Can't tell.”

“So maybe they hid down here from the Wendigos?” Star offered.

“Maybe it wasn't the Wendigos they should have been hiding from.” She pointed at an open doorway as they passed. When Star's orb lit the interior, he gasped. Inside were the long forgotten corpses of a family of ponies curled up together, their skeletal limbs wrapped around one another. Just as the light slid off the remains, he swore he saw ghostly images of ponies crying out to him.

“Holy buck!” Lighthoof hissed behind him.

Star glanced behind him to see his friend staring back at the open doorway as it faded into darkness. “You saw them too?”

Lighthoof's frightened eyes gave him all the answer he needed.

The unicorn shivered, her magic orb dimming for just a moment. “I...I get this feeling. No pony here died to violence.” She looked back at them. “There's no evidence of battle or signs of force entry anywhere.”

The tan pegasus stopped in mid-stride, ears swiveling. “Hsss, stop. You hear that?” He whispered.

The other two froze, looking at each other, listening intently. There was nothing but the pressing feel of the earth over Star's head, and then every so faintly, he heard clicking, like hooves on stone. The three shared a look, the unasked question; was there somepony down here as well? The echoing walls made it hard to tell its direction. Whoever it was, they were unhurried and had a long stride.

Dazzle gesture at the two and pushed on down the tunnel, her pace quickened. The colts followed on her tail, fighting down panic. When they passed by stairwells, Dazzle would pause to use her tracking magic but shortly would shake her head and move on. At each stop, the hoof-steps seemed to grow a little louder, clearly following them now. Star had to struggle to keep from breaking into a fearful gallop, not wanting to be separated from the others.

Two more stairwells and dozens of dorm-rooms. The blue-grey pegasus didn't bother to look into the open rooms, he could feel the eyes of its residents watching him. The sharp click of their follower's hoofsteps were clear and not more than a few hundred yards into the black tunnel behind them. Slow, even, methodical, yet they couldn't seem to outpace whoever it was.

Another stairwell, this time Dazzle stopped, looking through the passage and upwards with a quizzical expression, all the while, the two pegasus watched behind them in near terror as the hoofsteps approached not more than a dozen yards away. They wanted to shout at the mare to hurry, an unknowing fear writhing in their bellies.

A few yards now and still Dazzle seemed unsure, looking down the passage further on and back at the stairs. Star glanced at her then back into the darkness again, Lighthoof trembling at his side. The hoofsteps stopped just outside the radius of the light-orbs, but they knew something was there, watching. Then Lighthoof's orb flickered, faded and vanished.

“Daaaazzzle.” Lighthoof hissed a warning.

"I'm not sure this is the right one, if we get it wrong, who knows where we'll end up." She danced nervously on her hooves, eyes flicking from one path to the other.

Starstep's orb began to fade, decreasing their radius of light and he could hear whatever was there closing the distance as the halo of gold shrank. His orb flickered and vanished, leaving the two colts to back up into Dazzle's flank, taking cover in her last bit of light.

When the unicorn spared a look into the blackness behind them, her orb began to dim slightly. Her pupils shrank in terror before screaming, “Up, Up!” The mare scrambled through the opening and up the first flight of stairs, her orb brightening as they ran from whatever was below them. The two colts raced after her, an image in the back of Star's mind pictured that thing reaching out when his back was turned and grabbing him. Sweat lathered his coat as his body shifted into full flight-mode. He fought down the absolute terror that threatened to lock up his limbs and focused on keeping himself steady enough to climb the stairs. One flight at a time, each level they reached seemed to lessen the fear that clouded his mind until the three of them came to an old stone door at the very top.

Without waiting, Dazzle slammed through and the other two ponies tumbled after her into what seemed to be a storeroom. Starstep hurried to shut the door, his frightened mind not registering that this side of the door was a solid wall. A malicious, high-pitched laughter slipped through just as he sealed the passage, so close he could feel her breath.

The three huddled with each other for a short while, trembling in each others hooves, the dark echoing laughter rolling around Star's head until it ever so slowly faded into the corners of his mind. Even then, he couldn't fight the uncontrollable shivering that racked his body, finding comfort in the warmth of the other two ponies in the storeroom.

About an hour later, a runner for the Fortress kitchens found them curled up together and upon getting no intelligible response from them, fetched the guards, and they in turn summoned the Royal sisters.

Author's Notes:

Whew. Part of why this chapter took a while was trying to figure out how to link all the pieces together. There's a lot of moving parts in this arc and I had to sort them in just the right order that it made sense. Hope you enjoyed it. More to come. And no, Sandy is not forgotten. Not like Star coulda done much in his condition anyway.