The Crown of Sands

The staircase continued down for ages in the dark. Lightning Arc moved along in the formation as the guards descended, their hoofsteps clicking and clacking on the smooth stone stairs, their armor clinking. It would have been pitch dark, had it not been for the soft glow from the Princess' horn, passing through a forest of spear hafts. Her long legs took the steps two at a time as Captain Stone hurriedly did the same.

The stairs ended abruptly, landing in a small chamber walled by gray bricks with a complex looking stone door set into the opposite wall. A thin wooden door was wedged imperceptibly into the corner behind the guards as they filed into the room and Princess Celestia came to a stop before the engraved stone door. She seemed to be studying the symbols thoughtfully.

“Stop right there!” A voice boomed from beyond the small wooden door as it was kicked open by a lion's paw, the owner swiftly darting out around the stunned guards. In one talon she clenched a small ax, and on the other she bore a round steel shield. The guards lashed at her with their spears, but she passed through the crowd like a vapor, wings beating and hind legs running. She was a griffon, and she darted forward, ax leading, at Princess Celestia.

The griffon lass' ruby eyes went wide when she saw her target. Her axehead stilled, a mere hair's length from the princess' marble colored neck, and the scowl on her face melted into a sheepish grin. The guards closed around her, leveling their spears at the griffon's throat as she bowed her head.

“Good to see you, Edith,” Princess Celestia said calmly, waving the baffled guardponies away. “I trust all has been quiet since I was last here?”

“Of course, your majesty.” The griffon lass' tone was humble, but she beamed at the princess as she looked up.

“And the others?” The princess allowed herself a small smile at the griffon's pride.

“Nolan and Bertha went below, and Vince is sleeping,” the lass answered confidently, indicating the door she had kicked open with a nod.

No way anyone slept through that, Lightning Arc mused, poking his head through the wooden door frame. To his surprise, he saw a few cots along the far wall, one occupied by a softly snoring griffon. A piece of half-eaten bread sat abandoned on the table between the beds and the door, probably where Edith had been eating breakfast before she heard the guards descending.

“Would you please open the door for us, Edith?” Princess Celestia asked politely, stepping aside.

“Of course. Is there something wrong down below?” Edith crossed to the door. She was the youngest of the griffon guards as Nolan's apprentice, and Nolan had made it a point to forbid her from descending without him. He never went far with her, just stopping at the landing of the staircase to check the torches further in.

Edith slipped her talon into the intricate carvings, her claw scratching a careful pattern through the network of shallow grooves before coming to rest in a perfect talon-print set into the center. The door shuddered for a second, unearthing a small shower of dust, before sliding into the wall with a quiet scrape.

“Thank you, Edith,” Princess Celestia said, stepping into the staircase beyond the door.

“Of course, Princess, it was my honor,” Edith chuckled genially as the guards filed past her. “Watch your steps down there, everypony.”

~ ~ ~

Nolan moved carefully along the walkway overlooking a shadowy room. Amidst the shade below, a slightly darker shadow shifted and moved along with him. Bertha's glinting violet eyes cast the faintest of lights on the urns lining the chamber below. The torches in this room had burnt out, and they would have to relight them soon, but they had no trouble seeing almost as well in the dark as they had in the torchlight.

For now, Nolan and Bertha lurked in the dark, sharp eyes scanning every detail. There had been urns disturbed here and there, as if someone had been sifting through the precious contents inside each. If someone was down here, they were a threat to the Catacombs' security. Princess Celestia's instructions had been clear; only the Princesses were allowed inside the Tomb, and if someone were able to get inside the Greater Catacombs, there was a chance they could get into the Tomb.

The sound of a multitude of approaching hoofsteps set the feathers on Nolan's head on end, and he turned to face the sound approaching from the gate. He quickly but quietly slid to the edge of the walkway, perched right above the wooden gate as Bertha slipped against the smooth stone wall next to the door, one talon held at the ready. Nolan slowly drew the sword from the scabbard at his side, the curved blade glinting faintly from the dull glow of his yellow eyes.

The hoofsteps grew louder as the guards descended yet another stone staircase. If nothing else, at least I got some good exercise, Lightning Arc noted. Also, chest plates aren't made for storage. The book he had gotten from the stranger was digging into the dark gray fur over his chest. It didn't really hurt, but it was starting to get irritating.

At the bottom of the stairs, a pair of torches illuminated a large pair of oak doors. As Princess Celestia approached, Captain Stone ducked forward and pushed at the doors. With a heavy groan, they fell open, casting a rectangle of light into the dark chamber beyond. The light revealed pale green urns lined against the walls and a stone walkway stretching overhead into the shadows.

When Nolan saw the alicorn standing in the torchlight, he silently slipped over the side of the walkway, gliding into the darkness and landing lightly beside Bertha. He lightly reached out and tapped a claw on the navy-blue cloak she had wrapped around her frame.

At Nolan's touch, Bertha gave a nearly imperceptible nod. Had the Princess stepping through the doorway been a changeling, especially a particularly powerful one, Bertha would have sensed it. What she sensed instead was the unmistakable aura of the Solar Princess, an almost tangible warmth that seemed to flow from her marble coat. Nolan sheathed his sword.

“Princess, it is an honor,” Nolan spoke, stepping from the dark and into view. Bertha slid away, deeper into the shadows, and with a quick scuffle she was up onto the walkway. “I was beginning to wonder if you had received my letter.”

“Of course, Sir Nolan. The security of the Catacombs is of the utmost of my concern.” At the mention of his title, Nolan cringed.

“Everypony, spread out. These Catacombs are a big place, and we need them secure,” Captain Stone ordered, and the guards filed past him, the princess, and Nolan. Arc noted Nolan still looked a little flustered as the torches set into sconces along the stone brick walls were lit.

“Now, Sir Nolan, I understand that items have been going missing, and it seems someone has been searching the Catacombs,” Princess Celestia stepped into the center of the chamber, watching as her guards marched through the passages leading out, a few fluttering to the walkway and making their way through the door up there.

“Yes, your highness. We've found doors ajar, torches lit, and a few of the urns tampered with. One of the urns was even toppled over, but Vince found it in time to keep the contents from spilling,” Nolan reported, keeping his eyes humbly downcast.

“Have you been able to identify what could be doing it?” Stone asked, leaning slightly on his halberd's haft. Nolan shook his head.

“We haven't seen anything down here, but Bertha tells me it isn't the crown. She says if it were, she would sense it.” Nolan's tail curled, the end wrapping around one of his back paws as he spoke.

“I don't doubt she would, Sir Nolan.” Celestia turned her attention back to the pegasus standing nearly at attention by her side. “Captain Stone, you should join your men in the search. Be sure that nothing seems amiss, and then report back to me.”

“Yes, Princess.” Captain Stone slipped away, passing through one of the doorways. One of his subordinates, the tired mare from the surface, saluted as he entered the hallway beyond, falling into step behind him.

“What's bothering you, Sir Nolan?” Princess Celestia asked, stepping closer to the glowering griffon.

“I wish you wouldn't call me 'Sir,' your highness,” Nolan explained. “At least not when none of your soldiers are around.”

“If it bothers you, I understand, Nolan.” Princess Celestia brought her face almost level with his. “You are a knight, aren't you?”

“Yes, your majesty, but...” Nolan's voice trailed off. “I'm not a knight here.”

“You are a knight in the service of a princess, correct?” Celestia's voice was calm and reassuring as she reached a hoof to Nolan's shoulder.

“I'm not a knight of your kingdom, Princess. I haven't earned that honor,” Nolan's voice dripped with cheerlessness.

“What's past is past, Nolan...” Princess Celestia righted herself. “I know you aren't one to dwell on that, so what else is bothering you?”

“Your highness, I've had nightmares for the past weeks... they keep me from sleeping, and sometimes while I'm down here, it's almost like I can still hear them...”

“What do these nightmares tell you?” Celestia's normally calm face was furrowed with concern.

“It's a voice I don't recognize, raspy and deep. It tells me 'The king lives, long live the king.' It's like someone whispering a secret in my ear, but there's no one there,” Nolan stood erect, his shoulders square, his beak set. Only the slightest glimmer in his eyes denoted the fear he felt. “Bertha never senses anything, which... worries me.”

“Hmm,” Princess Celestia's concerned eyes deepened to hard edges at Nolan's words. “We need to go to the Tomb, now.”

Nolan's eyes went wide for only a moment before he set them back. He took a moment to compose himself. Even if he was being haunted, he had to stay level-headed. It wouldn't do to scare the others.

“Right this way, your highness,” Nolan growled, determined. He indicated one of the passageways leading deeper into the Catacombs with a claw. Princess Celestia nodded, and Nolan lead through the doorway.

As they left, neither noticed the clover green unicorn mare with a jagged silver mane perched on one of the banisters supporting the walkway. They didn't see the devious smile split her muzzle as Nolan shared his nightmare. With them headed for the Tomb, neither saw her slip calmly and gracefully down from the walkway and through one of the other passages.

Now, wasn't this the way Arc headed? She wondered to herself, slipping into an alcove as a pair of pegasus guards trotted past. Neither saw her, so she pressed on. I wonder how far he got into that book?

~ ~ ~

Lightning Arc passed through an arch and emerged onto an intricate stone walkway. It was supported by a series of pillars piercing up from the shadows below and into the ceiling. The darkness in the chamber told Arc that none of the other guards had been through already.

I could have sworn I saw something move in here, Arc mused, scanning over the side of the banister fruitlessly. All that met his eyes were shadows and the dull porcelain sheen of the urns below from the torchlight at his back. It feels like someone's watching me...

Arc's head shot up, and he glanced at the arching doorway. Nothing had moved in the light that he could see, but for just a second there had been a shadow. In the distance, he could still hear the other guards making their ways through the adjoining chambers, stairwells, hallways, and pits.

A wooden door squeaked on its hinges from somewhere, echoing for a moment through the Catacombs. For a moment, all of the guards stood stock still, listening to the sound before resuming their search. Arc turned his back to the light, continuing along the walkway. The door on the other end was probably unlocked, and through it he would probably find a staircase leading to the chamber below, where he could light the torches and dispel the gloomy air that seemed to loom over him.

There it is again. Arc bolted back through the archway, but there was nothing in the passageway. Something, probably a loose bit of cloth, is casting that shadow, he reasoned. There was no reason to be so anxious, not with two dozen more of Equestria's finest just a stone's throw away.

Wait, Arc couldn't hear them anymore. Nopony was moving, or searching, or opening and closing squeaky doors. It was like he was alone down there, but he could still feel someone watching him. Suddenly, he wasn't alone in the passageway. A shadowy form, immaterial, snaked its way along the floor, curling around his hooves before dragging itself away into the dark chamber. Arc shuddered; it felt like his legs were being frozen solid.

Had he been a year younger, just a year less experienced, he would have bolted right then and there, screaming, to find the princess. Instead, he fought the instincts demanding he flee, and steeled his nerves. Now there's definitely something in there, he thought darkly, tightening his front hooves' grip on the spear. Had he been a year older, just a year more experienced, he would have bolted right then and there, shouting, to find Captain Stone or the griffons. Instead, Arc swallowed the apple-sized lump in his throat and stepped back into the shadow.

~ ~ ~

The clover colored unicorn rounded a corner just in time to see Arc disappearing through an archway, vanishing into the shadows beyond. Oh, am I too late? She wondered to herself, letting a small frown slip. The thick wooden door to the dark chamber beyond slammed shut with a clamber, a heavy metal bolt clicking into place with finality. Damn, just by a minute.

Whoever she was dealing with was clever, the unicorn noted. Magically dampening the sounds in case anypony called for Arc from outside the chamber or he decided to call for help was an admittedly smart move. They had made just one fatal mistake; they hadn't counted on a unicorn of her caliber being close enough to respond. It was almost arrogant the way they had left just a strand, an echo, of energy in the passageway, almost inviting anypony strong enough to sense it to dispel their efforts.

They must not have figured the princess would come here herself, the unicorn mare reasoned, reaching for the strand with her own magic. If she could send a flare of energy through the echo, she could shatter the spell. Better yet, if she was quick enough she could even fry whoever was after Arc. She hadn't thought the caster had figured the princess would be there, or that anypony strong enough to sense the strand would be strong enough to survive the jolt back.

It took the unicorn completely by surprise, then, that the jolt she sent along the magical channel returned to her three-fold. She didn't even have time to react before it slammed into her horn like a speeding train, sending her careening back through the passageway. She only had time for one thought before darkness overcame her. Oops.