Looking around her, Misty searched for a way out of her situation. She was slowly backing away as Steady approached her cautiously, getting ready to lunge at her if she tried getting away. "You don't have to make this difficult," he tried to reason.
"What do you want?!" she snapped back at him, feeling her pulse rise. While she had already planned how to run away, she needed more time.
"I think we need to have a little conversation, you and I. You eavesdropped on us, didn't you?" He asked, while glancing back at the bar. His end goal was to arrest her and Sandstorm, but without Aphelion, this task would prove more difficult. Steady was torn between waiting to reunite with Aphelion, or to go against his own advice and act on his own.
"Me? Eavesdropping? Doesn't sound right. Are you sure you weren't just talking too loud?"
Steady groaned. "Just tell me where Sandstorm is. Your little stunt in the palace hasn't gone unnoticed, y'know?"
"Why, so you can lock both of us in a cell for the rest of our lives? No, thanks. I wouldn't wish that on anypony, especially me."
"You didn't seem to mind using somepony else to take the fall, though. Don't you feel a bit guilty about it?"
"Not our fault Aphelion got caught. Sandstorm even risked getting captured herself to try and get him out!"
Steady raised an eyebrow. "...So, she didn't tell you, I'm assuming."
"...Tell me what?" Misty blinked.
"Your friend used Aphelion as bait to run away. I thought she told you that."
Misty looked incredulously at Steady, processing the information. While she couldn't tell if he was saying the truth, it was enough to make her lose her concentration on her escape plan. Her train of thought was suddenly cut short, however, as she felt her backside against a wall. Her body tensing up from the realization that she had little time remaining, a familiar feeling flooded her entire body. Misty took a deep breath, then slowly closed her eyes. The city brought her here, and it would now help her escape... Or, at least, that is what she hoped. She would have the time to think about what Steady told her later, when she would be safe.
Steady was about to answer before noticing Misty closing her eyes right in front of him. Unsure of what she was going to do, Steady decided to not let this opportunity pass by. Unfurling his wings, he jumped and lunged at her, his body quickly reaching her position. However, just as he was about to impact her, a flash of gray light blinded Steady, throwing him off-course. Crashing a few meters to the side, he quickly stood up and prepared to try again... But Misty was gone. He swore under his breath before flying above his position, scanning the streets around while doing his best to ignore the pulsing pain he felt across his body. "Dammit! I almost had her..."
Making increasingly wider circles above the city as he searched for Misty, Steady eventually gave up on that plan. He decided instead to get Aphelion back and to investigate that barbershop Morning Dew had mentioned. Unfortunately, since Misty was now aware that they were coming after Sandstorm and her, they needed to act quickly as they could no longer afford to wait for the next day. Steady hoped that Aphelion remained sober enough while he was gone and that he hadn't put himself into any more trouble.
In the alleyway next to The Nomad, a pink head peeked outside of a large trash can, scanning the night sky above. Upon seeing that Steady was gone, Misty carefully stepped out of her hiding spot, shuddering as she felt trash slowly fall out of her mane. Carefully stepping away from the alleyway, she began heading towards Smoky's, hoping that Sandstorm was back from her tasks. They needed to escape Manehattan now.
Aphelion slammed his glass down on the counter, just having chugged his fourth beer in a row. On the seat next to him, a purple pegasus was cheering him on. In front of them, the bartender looked dejected, hoping for the two stallions to get bored and to move on.
"I didn't know ya could chug like that! You don't look like the type who'd handle his alcohol that well," the pegasus laughed while patting Aphelion on the back.
"I'm... Full of surprises," he replied while stifling a burp. If Aphelion had been drinking this much, it wasn't by choice. Upon hearing that Mud was coming to their hotel, Aphelion became visibly terrified, though he attempted to hide it. Thankfully, the pegasus saw that as general nervousness and strong-hoofed Aphelion into drinking to calm him down. Aphelion, not being used to drinking more than a glass of wine at dinner, was struggling to keep up appearance, though the world spun around him.
"Well, don't let me stop ya, kid! Roonie, more booze!"
"Nah. The kid's had enough, Dart. Also, for the twentieth time tonight, my name's not Roonie."
"Yeah, yeah, shut up. Don't worry, I'll make sure he throws up outside if that's what's worryin' ya."
Hearing the words 'throw up' suddenly made Aphelion sick, or at least sicker than he already was. His face turned pale as he felt a cold sweat running down his back. Dart glanced at him, then smirked.
"Oh... Guess ya reached your limit. Go puke outside, dude. Don't worry, it's a Manehattan tradition," Dart lied.
Standing up, Aphelion quickly headed for the door, stumbling on his way out. He bumped into somepony as he went, but Aphelion didn't pay much attention to them as the only thing in his mind was to empty out his stomach. A few not very glamorous moments later, he went back inside, regretting every step that led him there. However, he noticed a new form sitting on his stool. A lanky earth pony, with a shaved mane. Mud was there, talking with Dart and Roonie. Aphelion froze up, unsure of what to do. None of them had noticed him walking back inside, as Dart was trying to convince Mud to pay for his beers while Roonie's whole body was tensed up, sweat dripping down his face. Eventually, Mud turned back and saw Aphelion while raising an eyebrow. Dart followed Mud's eyes and smiled.
"So, feeling better, kid?" Dart asked. "Don't worry, now that your gut's empty, you've got room for more booze!"
"Uh... I think I'll switch to water for the night," Aphelion replied. He needed to remain calm and to keep his head straight, or at least, as straight as possible despite the alcohol in his blood.
"Ye're no fun. Anyway, come here, so I can introduce you to the boss!"
"No need, Dart. I know the kid's father," Mud was staring at Aphelion, who felt Mud's gaze piercing into his soul.
"Wait, no shit? Why didn't you tell me, dude?" Dart asked Aphelion. He remained silent, shocked to hear that. He had no idea his father knew Mud, especially given their difference in social standing, he thought. Aphelion approached the counter, trying to remain as calm as possible. Mud's gaze lingered on him as Aphelion sat down next to him, before turning back towards the bartender.
"Two more beers, Roonie. And some water for Aph'."
"Of course," the bartender replied, too afraid to correct Mud.
Any doubts Aphelion had concerning Mud were confirmed when he referred to him as 'Aph', as he doubted there were many other ponies whose names started that way. Still, he wondered how Mud knew him, as the two of them had never met before. "How do you know my name?"
"Recognized your cutie mark. Your father described it to me, once. Not many ponies with constellations on their butts."
"Oh, I... Suppose that makes sense. Nice to meet you, Mud."
"Yeah, same. Oh, and thanks for the potions. 's good to see business bloomin' between our two parties."
Aphelion wondered if Misty and Sandstorm told their boss what really happened in Canterlot. Based on Mud's reaction, he seemed surprised to see Aphelion here, but there was no real shock, anger or any other strong emotion. Whatever they told him, they most likely left out the part where he was arrested by the royal guards. For now, Aphelion decided to pretend all went well. "Yeah... It went alright. I take it that the stolen folder was enough to cover the new price?"
There was an extremely faint shift in Mud's face, which only the bartender noticed. Aphelion being too drunk to see such small details remained unaware of this change in Mud's expression. "...Yeah. That was more than enough, I gotta thank ya. How did it go? I wanna hear it from your perspective."
"Oh, uh, well... I've got to admit, the new price did come out of left field, but I managed. Sandstorm's plan was... Well thought out and it all went smoothly. I don't think anypony saw us getting in and out of the palace."
Mud yawned, then scratched his chin in an attempt to appear relaxed. This time, however, Aphelion did notice the cracks in Mud's facade. "That's good, that's good," Mud mumbled. Aphelion understood that Sandstorm and Misty hid a lot of things from their boss and that they were probably in deep trouble thanks to Aphelion. Feeling guilty for a short moment, the memory of them betraying him quickly dispelled that regret. He wasn't responsible for their mistake.
"I gotta ask, though. What're you doing in Manehattan?" Mud asked, changing subject. "It's rare to see you guys in public, especially you."
"Oh, uh, I'm doing some... Classified work for the Pact. Nothing to worry about, though."
"Hmm. Fine, then. I won't push ya, because it's obvious they've just started gettin' you on the field and I respect your father, but Manehattan's my turf."
"R... Right," Aphelion gulped. "Of course, we know that. I'm just... Passing through, spending the night here before taking the train in the morning. We don't want to... Undermine your authority, of course."
"Kid, you're a shit liar. Listen, I won't stick my nose in your affairs, as long as you don't cause trouble for mine. Got that?"
"...Yes, sir."
Suddenly, Dart began laughing. "Sir?! Kid, you ain't in Canterlot or with your weird cult members, you gotta chill out!"
Mud turned towards the laughing pegasus, staring daggers at him. "Kid's showing respect, dumbass."
Dart quickly shut up, becoming as silent as the bartender. With a sigh, Mud stood back up. "Alright, I think I'm done here. Roonie, I'll be back next week for your debt. Get the bits, or things get ugly. Dart, with me. I need ya to get the boys, we need to have a talk with some ponies who got a little too much freedom on their hooves. And you, kid... Don't get in trouble. I respect your father more than I give a fuck about you."
The three other stallions simply nodded in silence before Mud and Dart took their leave. Aphelion remained still for a few seconds, then turned back towards the bartender.
"I have to ask... What's your real name?"
The barber shop's door violently swung open by Misty's gray aura. She ran in while ignoring the other ponies inside, left confused by this sudden entrance. As she went up the stairs, her right front hoof got stuck in one of the holes making her face plant on the steps. Getting back up, she limped towards her room, blood dripping down from her nose. Opening the door with a shaky hoof, Misty felt instant relief upon seeing Sandstorm sleeping in their bed. Grabbing the sheets with her magic, Misty yanked them away, waking up Sandstorm in the process.
"Whu.. Misty? What's up?"
"Get your stuff. We're leaving."
"What? What do you mean, we're leaving? ...Wait, are you bleeding?"
Misty ignored Sandstorm as she frantically began undoing the spell on their bags, making them visible again. Levitating half of it on her back, Misty buckled when she felt the weight combined with the pain in her hoof. Sandstorm stood up from the bed and ran to Misty, grabbing her saddlebags with her mouth before effortlessly carrying them herself. Sandstorm looked at her marefriend with a worried gaze.
"Talk to me, Misty. What's going on?"
"It's... We... Somepony's onto us. A pegasus... Crimson. Older," Misty quickly blurted out, her breaths quick and shallow.
"Oh, buck. Yeah, I know him. He was with the guards when they captured Aphelion. Shit, I didn't expect them to come after us so quickly."
"Y... Yes. We need to go now. If he gets here, we're in trouble. Shit, this whole thing is going to blow our story with Mud, too. We're screwed either way!" Misty yelled, as she began hyperventilating. Sandstorm immediately grabbed Misty's head with her forelegs, pulling her into a hug. Gently stroking her mane and shushing her, Sandstorm did her best to calm Misty down. "It's fine, don't worry... We have each other. We'll get through this together. I won't let anypony catch you."
Feeling herself calm down in Sandstorm's embrace, Misty remained still for a moment as tears began rolling down her face. "I... I just don't want to be alone again. But if we're sent to jail... Or if Mud learns what we did..."
"It won't come to that. I promise."
The two mares spent the next few minutes hugging each other. Eventually, Misty broke out of the embrace and grabbed the rest of their bags with her magic. "Let's go. I've wasted enough time already."
"Where to, though? The next train's at 6 in the morning."
"For now... Let's just run. We can camp outside of town. We just need to get out of here."
"Got it."
Finishing their preparations, the two mares began sneaking away, going through a backdoor to avoid passing through the main room of the building where too many ponies were still partying. As soon as they stepped into the streets of Manehattan, they began running towards the edge of the city. Misty did her best to ignore the throbbing pain in her hoof, which Sandstorm quickly noticed.
"Okay, let's slow down. No need to hurt yourself more," Sandstorm said with a gentle voice.
"But... We need to put as much distance as possible between us and them."
"But if you keep going like that, you won't be able to walk at all. They will catch up with us then."
Misty sighed. "Fine, you have a point."
Now going at a much slower pace, they began making good progress towards the city's edge. Looking up at the clear night sky, Misty began to think again about what Steady had told her earlier, right before her train of thought was derailed by her hearing the city. "...Sandstorm?"
"What's up? Need to stop for a moment?"
"Did... Did you leave Aphelion behind back in Canterlot?"
Stopping in her steps, Sandstorm opened her eyes wide. "I, uh... Of course not, why would you think that?"
"The pegasus after us... He told me he was there when Aphelion was caught. He said you used him as bait. Is that true?" She was looking directly into Sandstorm's eyes.
"...No, I did not. Hey, I even stayed behind to help him run away when he was out of juice, remember that?"
"It's true, but... You also told me to go ahead without you two. How exactly did they catch him, Sandstorm?"
Unable to look her marefriend straight in the eyes, Sandstorm started walking again, going at a quicker pace. "Listen, it's not important right now. We need to keep moving."
"I need to know. Did you betray him? Did you leave him behind?" Misty limped as she attempted to run next to Sandstorm.
"It's not... I didn't... We can talk about this later."
"Answer me, Sandstorm!"
"FINE!" she yelled back, breathing heavily. "I left him behind and caused the tunnels to collapse so that I could run away. I was planning for that since the start, okay?! All that matters is that we got out safely!"
Misty stopped, dumbfounded. "But... He trusted us. And he was the sole reason why we managed to pull this off. Why couldn't we get away with him?"
"Oh, I dunno, because he's a crazy cult member, maybe? You know very well that the Crescent Pact's filled to the brim with a buncha dangerous fanatics! Even Mud seems like a saint in comparison. I did Equestria a favor by leaving him behind."
Unsure of what to say, Misty lowered her head, before looking back at Sandstorm with tears in her eyes. "I... Did they do something to you? Before we met, did the Pact..."
"No. We are not not doing this now. Let's go."
Sandstorm went ahead first, Misty following a few seconds later. As the two mares walked silently towards the forest outside of town, both feeling silent tears running down their cheeks.
The hotel's door swung open as a red shape quickly went through them. Scanning the hotel lobby, Steady saw Aphelion at the bar, sleeping on the counter. The empty glasses next to him were enough for Steady to piece out some of what happened to him. He groaned, walking towards the counter when Roonie walked back from a small kitchen.
"Sorry, sir, we're closed."
"Yeah, I'm just here to pick up my colleague," he replied while shaking Aphelion's back, trying to wake him up.
"Oh, so you know him? Good. You can pay his tab, then. He kept going on about having the princess pay for his beer..."
"Nah, he's right. Send an invoice to Canterlot, with the name 'Steady Travels'. They'll deal with this. And don't worry, they tip well."
"O... Oh. I didn't expect officials from Canterlot to visit here."
"Yeah. Official crown business. Hey, d'you mind telling me what happened with him? Did he see or talk to anypony?" Steady asked, shaking Aphelion more violently.
"W... Well, I wouldn't want to break my customer's trust, y'know?"
Steady sighed. "And if I let you add a hundred bits to the tab?"
"That could loosen my tongue, sure... But I'll feel a lot safer with 200, y'know?"
Resisting the urge to dock the bartender in the face, Steady simply groaned. "Fine. Tell me."
Suddenly emerging from his drunken sleep, Aphelion felt cold water splashing on his face. He shot up and looked around, seeing a very disappointed Steady holding an empty glass of water over him. They were still in the hotel lobby, the clock on the wall indicating 2AM.
"...Good morning?" Aphelion said with a nervous smile.
"Yeah, yeah, rise and shine and all that crap. We gotta move."
"I... I thought we'd only really start tomorrow?" Aphelion replied. He felt exhausted and dizzy, the alcohol level in his body still high.
"Change of plans. Things are moving much faster. Misty knows we're coming, and I'm assuming Mud learned they went off-script with the trade in Canterlot. If we don't act fast, the mares will either skip town, or get themselves killed."
"...Shit."
"Yeah."
Aphelion got up from his stool, already feeling the adrenaline kicking in. "Alright, so where do we go?"
"Our goal's Misty and Sandstorm. We won't take down Mud on our own, so let's focus on them. We need to track them down. Do you know any spell that might help?"
"Uh... Let me think."
"No time to think. Do you know one you can do right now, or not?" Steady's tone was harsh, as he was becoming impatient.
"Buck... Alright, yes, I may know one, but... It'll probably exhaust me completely. I have this condition that makes it so..."
"Yeah, I know, the atrophy thing. Just... Get me their location, and I'll rush to them. I'll have the bartender look over you."
A voice echoed from the kitchen. "That'll cost extra!"
"Okay... Here goes nothing."
Closing his eyes, Aphelion focused on his spell, a complex sigil forming in his mind. Never having attempted this before, Aphelion wasn't sure if it would even work, especially in his current state. Still, pushing through the drunken fog in his mind, he uttered a few words before feeling his spirit shooting up from his body, which fell limp on the floor. Feeling excited, Aphelion began circling in the air, ecstatic to see his spell working. He knew however that he wouldn't be able to maintain it for very long, and he wasn't sure yet if everything went correctly. If there were any bad surprises, Aphelion would discover them soon enough.
Steady looked up in horror as he saw what looked like a ghost version of Aphelion floating above him. "...Did you just kill yourself, kid?!"
"No! No, don't worry. It's astral projection, mixed with a scrying spell. I'll be able to guide you to them, that way. Follow me!"
Aphelion phased through the ceiling, before floating back down. "Oh, uh, Maroon? Can you carry my body to our room?"
A very confused bartender looked at them, blinked once, then spoke up. "You're the first one today to use my name, so... Sure?"
Steady, not waiting another second, flew outside. Aphelion quickly followed, the two of them flying above their hotel.
"Alright, which way?" Steady asked.
Looking all around him, Aphelion noticed two threads floating in front of him: a pink one and a yellow one. They both unfurled further away, towards the edge of the city. "Over there," he replied before following them. As they flew towards the mares, they didn't notice Mud nor the small crowd behind him looking up at them, following them on the ground.