For a moment, the words of the yellow mare resonated within Aphelion's mind. While he had heard her clearly, it took him a moment to fully process what he just had heard. After a few seconds of silence, Aphelion spoke up again.
"...Huh? I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. For a moment, I thought you said you wanted me to break inside the royal palace."
The mare next to him chuckled. "Nah, you heard right. If you want the goods, you'll have to assist us with some daytime robbery." Her tone was nonchalant, as if she was talking about what she ate for dinner the day prior. And yet, she was dead serious.
Aphelion began to freak out, feeling stuck in an inescapable situation. He could only see two options ahead of him: either come back empty-hoofed, failing his first and only mission outside his research room, or attempt to infiltrate one of the most secure buildings in all of Equestria in broad daylight, with next to no preparation. Neither of these options appealed to him. For a moment, Aphelion considered using his magic to steal the package he handed over and running away with it, but doing so would draw the attention of bystanders outside of the café. He also couldn't gauge the other unicorn's magical ability: for all he knew, he could be outmatched and make the situation even worse for himself.
Going through every possible scenario in his head, Aphelion weighed the pros and cons of his options. Coming back without anything will mean he failed his task, but would that really be his fault? His instructions did not plan for this eventuality and as such, coming back to the manor to explain the situation would be the wise thing to do. However, Aphelion knew that his father would not accept any excuse for failing this task. "The situation at home is already tense enough as it is, I don't think I can handle it getting any worse," Aphelion thought.
Going forward with the mare's plan would be extremely risky. Aphelion could end up being caught and sent to a dungeon, or an interrogation room where he'd be forced to spill secrets concerning the Crescent Pact. He knew he would not be able to remain silent if interrogated, especially with the violent and cruel interrogation techniques used by Celestia his father told him about. On the other hoof, if Aphelion did manage to successfully rob whatever the two mares needed him to steal, he could gain the respect of his father as well as Lord Comet's. He could also spy on Celestia from the inside too, maybe even steal classified documents. His mind was already running wild with ideas about what he could uncover about the ruler of Equestria. Aphelion only stopped thinking after noticing the yellow hoof waving in front of his face.
"Uh... Earth to Aphelion, anyone receiving me?" asked the yellow mare. Aphelion had been thinking and staring into the void, silent, for the past minute.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. I was just, uh, thinking. But yes, I'll do it. The, uh, robbery, I mean. Also, how did you know my name?"
The mare in front of him looked puzzled. "You... Were talking to yourself. In the third person. Kinda weird if you ask me."
"Ah, sorry. I tend to do that, sometimes," he said, followed by an awkward chuckle. "So, what's your name, then?"
The mare in front of him smiled. "I'm Sandstorm and my friend there is called..." her sentence was cut short by the pink unicorn staring at Sandstorm. Her eyes were conveying a clear message: don't you dare tell him my name. Not wanting to anger her friend, Sandstorm continued. "...Anyway, we have an opportunity to sneak inside the palace today, but we need a third guy. So, here's how we're going to do this. We will..." Sandstorm was once again cut off mid-sentence, this time by Aphelion, who had placed a hoof on her mouth.
"Wait! Should we really be discussing this here? What if the café's staff hears us?" he whispered, looking around nervously.
Aphelion's hoof lit up in a grayish glow, as it was forced away from Sandstorm's face. The pink unicorn was staring daggers at him, her horn illuminated in the same glow that was holding his hoof. Sandstorm spoke up. "Don't worry, they're all on my boss' payroll. We can trust them."
"Really? And who's your boss, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Not telling you. Can I go over the plan now, or is there something else you want to try and shove in my mouth?" Sandstorm was smirking.
Once again, it took Aphelion a moment to fully process the double entendre. When it finally hit him, he blushed and began fumbling his words. "...Huh? What do you mean by that? ...Oh. Oh, no, no, uh, I did not - It was not my intention to... I'd never, uh..." not being used to what felt like flirting to him, Aphelion was completely flustered. Sandstorm snickered. Her friend groaned and cringed.
"Calm down, dude. It was just a joke. Alright, so here's what we're going to do..."
Aphelion nodded. Sandstorm's plan was risky, but it had a decent chance of working. While he would still have preferred for the trade to happen as originally planned, infiltrating the royal castle would certainly help the Crescent Pact greatly. What better place to study Celestia's actions than her own home? Of course, he will only stay inside for a very brief moment, but Aphelion was ready. He looked at the two mares, standing up.
"Alright. Everything's clear to me and I'm ready. But do I have your word that you'll honor the trade if everything goes according to plan?"
Sandstorm nodded. "Yup. That's a Pinkie Promise."
"A... A what now?" Aphelion looked confused, tilting his head.
"Eh, never mind. Go ahead, we'll meet you at the spot in an hour. I need to talk to my associate. You might as well go ahead and explore Canterlot a bit, since you don't seem like you're here often," she answered.
"Uh, sure. See you soon, then."
Aphelion stood up and left the café, going back into the Canterlotian streets. Sandstorm sat back down next to her friend, placing a hoof over her shoulder. "I know you don't agree, Misty, but c'mon. He's perfect for the job and we don't know when's the next time we'll have an opportunity like that."
Misty Step rolled her eyes. "I'm sure the boss will be elated to learn you've gone against his orders... Again. Also, was the flirting necessary?" she asked, still cringing.
"Just some clever use of my natural charm," Sandstorm winked. "Why do you ask? Are you jealous, by any chance?"
Misty answered with a groan. "Shut up. I'm not dealing with your crap right now. This whole plan of yours better work out. Otherwise, the boss will... Well, you saw what happened the last time someone disobeyed him."
She turned her head, looking at the floor. Misty's eyes were filled with sadness and regret. Her friend opened her mouth, searching for the right thing to say, but no sound came out of Sandstorm's mouth. She instead took a deep breath and looked towards the windows. "It'll all be worth it, trust me. Come on, now, we have a few things to pick up as well before meeting back up with Aphelion."
As he explored the many streets of Canterlot while waiting to meet back up with the two mares, Aphelion went over the plan in his head. If Sandstorm was right, one of the palace's entrances was going to be swarmed with tourists very soon. Something about a Summer Sun Celebration and a week-long festival in the capital. He had no idea the citizens of Equestria partook in this kind of event, as he had always been taught that these types of celebrations had been banned a few centuries ago by Celestia herself. Aphelion wondered if that law had been recently lifted, or if this whole event was pro-alicorn propaganda for visiting ambassadors. Suddenly, another voice spoke in Aphelion's mind, asking a simple question.
"Isn't it weird that all of my history books have been written by members of the Crescent Pact?"
He dwelled on the thought for a moment. Being part of a secret organization plotting to overthrow Celestia's rule, Aphelion always knew that he will only be taught what he needs to know and that many things would have to remain hidden to him, for safety in case he ever gets arrested. Besides, it was totally normal for all his books to be written by objective ponies outside of Celestia's tyrannical influence... Right?
The inner voice chimed in once again. "But the ponies all around me don't seem to be under an oppressive regime..."
Aphelion shook his head. He had begun to be affected by Celestia's propaganda and to doubt the Pact's noble goals. There was only one way to shut this voice of doubt for good: by infiltrating the castle, he'd be bound to find evidence of the alicorn's tyranny. Or, at the very least, that is what he was hoping for.
He continued exploring the capital, slowly getting used to being in larger crowds. Or any crowds at all, for that matter. Aphelion had always imagined city life to be hellish, ponies always moving around in all directions, pushing other ponies around, talking loudly and obnoxiously. What was supposed to be an unbearable visit of the capital had however turned somewhat pleasant. He didn't really understand why at first but seeing all those around him going on with their lives, not paying attention to him, felt almost therapeutic. This was a stark departure from the silent rooms of his father's almost abandoned manors, where even the few maids and butlers were ordered to remain silent at all times. Aphelion felt like the city itself was alive, a fascinating swarm of countless lives interconnected with each other in some way or another. He decided to wait for his new partners in crime by sitting down on a bench, taking in the city in front of him.
What Aphelion had failed to notice, however, was the crimson pegasus tracking him from up above, hidden in a cloud.
An hour later, the three ponies stood near the main entrance of the palace. The gardens and the path were filled with sun-themed decorations and stands as a large crowd had gathered to celebrate what Aphelion learned was the first day of a week-long celebration called the Summer Sun Festival. He felt uncomfortable upon seeing so many ponies celebrating a tyrant, but Aphelion kept his unease to himself. He turned to Sandstorm and Misty.
"So, do they always celebrate Celestia doing her job?"
Sandstorm answered as she was leading the group towards one of the stands. "Once per year, yup. It's usually just a single day kind of deal, though, but they've decided to make it a week-long event in the capital. There was some deal about it being the 1000th something."
"It's because we are also celebrating the 1000th anniversary of the defeat of Nightmare Moon," added Misty Step. She spoke sternly and with annoyance, but there was a hint of excitement in her voice.
"You know about Nightmare Moon?" asked Aphelion, enthusiastically.
"Do I know about Nightmare Moon?" she scoffed. "You'll have an easier time finding a pony who doesn't know about her."
"Really? I thought Celestia would've restricted access to that kind of information. Doesn't she censor most mentions of conflicts?"
Misty looked at Aphelion, unsure of what to answer. She knew members of the Crescent Pact were extreme with their beliefs, but she still felt pity for the stallion in front of him. From what she knew about him, he had been brainwashed his entire life. Not wanting to start a debate just before their infiltration, she just sighed. "Sure. She probably changed the story in some way, but most foals still learn the... Basics from fairy tales."
"Huh. That actually sounds really interesting. I'd love to compare our stories sometime after... This," he glanced at the palace. "To see what she changed."
Aphelion looked eager to discuss this matter more deeply and Misty was just about to answer, when they noticed Sandstorm coming back from one of the stands. She was wearing a large sun-shaped hat and sunglasses. All around its rim were long, wavy sun rays slightly drooping down from their own ways. The hat looked extremely impractical. "Hey, you two seem to be getting along!" she smiled.
Just before Aphelion could answer, Misty scoffed. "No, we are not. And what's that ridiculous thing you're wearing?"
"Just thought I'd go with the vibes. C'mon, you can't look at this and say it doesn't slap," Sandstorm spun around, letting the hat's sun rays dance in the wind.
Misty was unimpressed. "Please, tell me you got this crap for free."
"I think it's kind of neat, actually," Aphelion chimed in.
With a smirk, Sandstorm went next to the stallion and punched him in the shoulder. "I knew you had good taste, both in mares and in hats."
Before Aphelion could react, the pink unicorn groaned once again. "Okay, let's move on. Let's get inside, we've wasted enough time as is."
The trio headed inside the palace. Near the entrance, there were a few booths where tourists could buy tickets to visit the castle. While these visits were available all year long, a new tour had been added for the 1000th celebration of the Summer Sun Celebration. During this tour, visitors were able to walk inside the palace's library where a literary convention was organized. Aphelion's eyes lingered on a banner with the name of the convention: The Evolution of Post-Nightmare Moon Equestrian Literature. If he hadn't been there to rob the palace, he would have enjoyed exploring this convention, even if most of the material presented were propaganda pieces. Once again, he also felt a growing doubt concerning Celestia's alleged tyrannical rule, but he quickly repressed the thought for now. Following Misty and Sandstorm's lead, he bought a ticket for the exposition. Aphelion tried not to pay attention to the royal guards around, but he couldn't help but glance at them, trying to see if the guards were looking in the trio's direction. Not noticing any suspicion on the guard's faces, Aphelion went deeper in the castle, headed towards the castle's library. Sandstorm casually stepped next to Aphelion and whispered in his ear. "Once we're in the library, you and Misty are up. Hope you're ready." Aphelion nodded, starting to feel anxious. The next step of the plan will be the hardest.
Behind the trio, hidden within the crowd, the crimson pegasus kept tailing Aphelion. He bought a ticket for the convention and made sure to keep his eyes locked on Aphelion, Sandstorm and Misty.