Inside Aphelion's and Glaze's wagon, a train controller walked in and cleared her throat. "Dear passengers, we are now reaching Stallionsfield. The upcoming stops are..." she announced, before listing various cities and towns. Standing up, Aphelion stretched his legs.
"That's our stop. Last chance to turn back, Glaze."
"Nah, we're way past that now," she answered before leaving her seat as well. "So, what's the plan?"
"We'll take a small detour once we're at the station. I can't risk getting recognized while we're in Stallionsfield, in case they send word to the rest of the Pact. It's best if they remain unaware of our arrival for as long as possible."
"Makes sense. If we happen to meet anypony from the Pact before we reach your house, what do we do?" Glaze was already imagining action scenes similar to those from her adventure novels, where the two of them would have to fight, sneak and seduce their way through a perilous path. She began smiling at the prospects of such an adventure.
"If somepony from the Pact finds us, we'll just have to tell them we're here to see my father. It certainly wouldn't be ideal, but it would be the wisest approach," Aphelion replied, instantly dashing Glaze's hopes at an epic journey. Her expression quickly went from excited to disappointed.
"Oh... I guess that makes sense as well."
Rolling his eyes, Aphelion couldn't help but smirk a little upon noticing Glaze's change in demeanor. "What, were you expecting something more dangerous?"
"N-No! Well... Kinda, but..." Glaze stuttered for a moment, looking flustered, before sighing. "Alright, yeah, I thought we'd face more resistance from a literal moon cult."
"A moon cult?" Aphelion raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't that what the pact is?"
Stifling a laugh, Aphelion tried to keep a straight face. "Wait, do you think that because there's 'crescent' in the name?"
Scrunching her nose, Glaze glared at him. "Well, sorry for not knowing much about Equestrian cults," she said while trotting toward one end of their wagon, the train slowly coming to a stop.
"Sorry, it's just..." Aphelion started while following her, repressing the urge to chuckle. "I've spent my whole life with them. I guess I tend to forget that not everypony shares the same knowledge as me."
The train fully coming to a stop, Glaze opened the door and hopped out, making sure her saddlebags were secured on her back. "Well, to be fair, I kind of grew up in a cult of my own. I get that feeling."
Exiting the train, Aphelion looked at Glaze in surprise. "Wait, really?"
"More or less. Y'see, my family is... Really big into apples."
"I remember you mentioning that when we met, yes. They're farmers, right?"
"Yes. Apple farmers spread all across Equestria. Problem is, they kind of made the whole 'apple farming' their whole personality... To the point where it's creepy."
"I... Don't really see how that makes them a cult, to be fair. They're dedicated to their craft. That's a good thing, right?"
"Not when you get shunned from the family for getting a cutie mark that isn't apple related. Or for liking strawberries more than apples."
Glancing at Glaze's cutie mark, Aphelion observed the silver compasses on her flanks. "Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. That does sound kind of extreme."
"Yeah, tell me about it. At least, they're not trying to overthrow the government," she joked while stepping further into the station, Aphelion following close behind. He opened his mouth to retort but changed his mind.
"That's... Fair enough."
"Anyway, we're here. Where's that detour you've mentioned?"
"Oh, right. That way, follow me," Aphelion said before heading away from the station, toward the woods. At the tree line nearby, a small path was visible, though barely large enough for a foal. Large roots, vines and thorny bushes covered the path. The ground itself was muddy, despite the fact it hadn't rained for a few days.
"...We should've brought boots," Aphelion sighed.
"Why, are you afraid of getting dirty?" Glaze teased, already heading for the path.
Rolling his eyes, Aphelion followed. As he trotted toward the small path, he kept an eye out for anypony near the station that might be watching him. The station, an old run-down building that was barely standing, was almost empty since very few ponies went to Stallionsfield. The hamlet was remarkably small, barely even reaching 200 inhabitants, and there was little of actual value in the village. With so few ponies to see them at the station, Aphelion and Glaze had no issue sneaking outside of the village unseen, going through the small path to the side of the train station.
Reaching the tree line, Glaze went forward without any hesitation. She stepped effortlessly over vines and roots while expertly dodging the brambles around her. Aphelion, however, struggled a lot more as he immediately winced when stepping into the mud. Awkwardly stepping over the many obstacles of the path, he felt his body make contact multiple times with the thorns and bramble bushes, causing countless bouts of irritating discomfort. Aphelion thought about using his magic to clear a path, but decided against it as he was still reeling from his recent severe magical exhaustion. Besides, he would need to preserve as much energy as possible in case things were to turn sour at the manor.
Glancing back, Glaze observed in amusement as Aphelion struggled to walk forward. "Not really the outdoors type, huh?"
"You don't say. You seem to be doing alright, however."
"Yup. Got my cutie mark for exploring dark and dangerous places, after all," she casually said while shaking her flanks. Aphelion quickly looked away, his cheeks turning darker.
"Y... Yes, that makes sense. How exactly did you get it? ...Uh, if you don't mind me asking. I know it might be a sore subject for you."
"It's fine. When I was, like, eight, my parents took me and my siblings to visit family in Ponyville. One thing led to another, me and my older brother snuck away during the night to explore a forest. We were young and dumb, and we made a bet to see who would chicken out and run back first. Little did we know, we went to a place called the 'Everfree forest'."
"The Everfree? I've heard about that before. Isn't it... Highly dangerous?"
She chuckled. "It sure is. In less than an hour, we managed to get completely lost due to the forest's... Quirks, let's say. We searched for our way back for a whole day. Or, rather, my brother did. Kept saying that I was too young, and that he would bring us out of this mess. I went along for a while, but things went bad at some point. We were attacked by these weird wolves made out of sticks, leaves and vines. Some creepy shit."
"Sounds like timberwolves. Father made me study live ones. Nasty beasts... Nearly bit my tail off."
"Yeah. They attacked, and my brother protected me. Thankfully, he was able to either kill them or drive them away, but he was in a terrible shape afterward. He was unable to walk and just... Laid there, slowly bleeding out."
"Oh... I'm sorry. Did he...?"
"He's still alive, don't worry. But that was a scary moment, for sure. Since I was too small to drag him on my own, he told me to leave him behind. I did so after some convincing and began trying to find my way back to the farm as fast as possible. However, unlike my brother, I managed to escape the Everfree in just under twenty minutes. I had seen a ton of landmarks the day before, and I also kinda instinctively knew where to go. When I found the farm back, I saw that the entire apple family had begun a search party for us. I went to one of the groups and led them back to my brother, once again in less than 20 minutes. They were able to patch him up and bring him back home safely."
"Wow... They must've seen you as a hero."
"Well, more like a stupid little filly that got herself in a lot of danger for no reason. Same for my brother. We got grounded for two months afterward. But yeah, once my brother was safe, I noticed that I had gotten my cutie mark at some point during this whole debacle. That's when I knew my talent was for exploration. I was so happy at first... But then I saw the look of disappointment on my parents' faces. Things never were the same after," Glaze sighed as she finished her story.
"Damn... Well, for what it's worth, I think you've got an awesome talent."
Blushing a little, Glaze looked forward. "T-Thanks. I... Don't really hear that often."
"I have to ask, though... How did you end up as a royal maid?"
"That's a story for another time. Let's just say, adventuring doesn't pay the bills, but being one of Celestia's personal maids does."
"Wait... You're one of Celestia's personal maids?! Why were you assigned to a random pony like me?"
"Oh, Aphy, you're anything but a random pony," she laughed. Aphelion had a double take at this nickname, then shook his head. Unsure of how to respond, Aphelion quickened his pace and went in front of Glaze.
"A-Anyway, we've got a lot of walking to do. We should reach the manor by sundown."
Laid across a large circular stone table, Steady felt the cold chains on his hooves tighten. Eclipse watched with a sadistic grin from afar as the two guards turned a large wooden wheel causing a mechanism to pull the chains further and further apart. Steady could barely move at all and felt pain across his entire body, his legs feeling like they might be ripped apart at any moment. Directly above him, a large spherical copper contraption covered in runes and engravings cackled with lightning. The rest of the room contained multiple work desks and strange tools, each looking increasingly sinister in nature. Eventually, the guards stopped turning the wheel as Steady sighed in relief. He would not be quartered today.
"Alright. You two may leave now. Go and clean the unicorn lab," Eclipse ordered while trotting to one of the desks. With a silent nod, the guards left the room, locking the door behind them.
"Good," Steady thought. "Just need to get out from this table and I may have a chance at getting out of this mess."
He remained silent as he listened to his jailor's movements, unable to see her directly. Steady heard her pulling a chair and unfurling a scroll, then writing on it. They remained in silence for what felt like an eternity, the pain across Steady's body slowly intensifying from the extremely uncomfortable position coupled with the feeling of chains pulling him apart. Eventually, Eclipse stood up and walked up to him.
"Alrighty, then. Let's begin," she hummed, then pressed a button underneath the table. Steady felt a wave of relief as the contraption across his chest unlocked itself, the three small spikes leaving his body with a small trickle of blood. Instinctively, Steady unfurled his wings to stretch them. To his left, he saw Eclipse looking disappointed.
"Aw, you've only triggered three of the spikes? I thought you'd be more fun."
"...Bucking psycho," he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Buck you," he repeated more clearly. With a huff, Eclipse turned around and walked away, toward one of the desks.
"We'll see if you can keep that attitude much longer. Something tells me you'll be a lot more polite once we're done..."
"Let me guess. Y'gonna torture me?"
"Something like that."
He scoffed. "Whatever you do, you won't get anything out of me."
"Oh, don't worry, our methods are... Very convincing. And I'm not here to interrogate you, anyway. I'm here to rip the magic from your body, baby."
Blinking a few times, Steady processed what he just heard. "The magic from my body?" He thought. "I ain't a unicorn, what is she talking about? ...Wait. Don't pegasus use magic to fly?" His eyes went wide at the realization, feeling fear and anger suddenly flooding his body. Eclipse walked back to him and chuckled.
"From that look on your face, I'm guessing you understand. Hope you didn't like flying too much... Not that you're ever getting out of here anyway."
Steady was about to snap back at her when the mare suddenly pressed another button, causing the contraption above the table to whir rapidly, the lightning around the sphere intensifying. Narrowing his brow, Steady gritted his teeth in preparation for whatever would soon happen to him as his mind began searching for any way to get out of his situation. His train of thoughts was suddenly cut off as blue specks of energy congregated into a point just above him, before causing multiple bolts of lightning to erupt and strike Steady across his body. He yelled in pain, feeling searing aches everywhere, as he slowly lost all the sensation in his wings. Through the tears forming in his eyes, Steady saw strange filaments of energy slowly rise from his wings and float up towards the sphere.
Taking a few steps back, Eclipse went to sit on a desk. "I'll give you ten minutes of fun, then we'll bring you back for rest. Your next rotation should be tomorrow. Hope this first taste will please you."
Barely able to hear what his captor just told him, Steady braced himself. This was the worst physical pain he ever felt, but the pegasus refused to let himself become a victim. Focusing on his breathing, Steady started to focus once again on ways to escape. Adrenaline rushing through his body, he knew he had a short window of opportunity before the pain would tire him too much to do anything. Taking a deep breath, Steady pulled with all his strength on the chains covering his right foreleg, his left side still suffering from a stab wound. His hoof barely moved at all. He tried again, contorting his body to put more weight behind the pull. The chains still didn't budge. Steady kept trying, pushing himself further, reaching for every bit of strength in his body.
Looking up from her desk, Eclipse raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "You're not the first one to try, dumbass. There's no way you can get out from these chains. The mechanism is too..."
Her sentence was cut short by a large 'Clunk!' sound, echoing through the room. She watched in utter confusion as Steady raised his right forehoof high, the mechanism being bested by the pegasus' determination. Instantly, Steady felt the other chains loosen, allowing him to roll away from the table. As his body fell to the floor, Eclipse stood up from her desk and ran to grab a tool with a mouth. Slowly standing back up, Steady saw his captor holding a dagger with her mouth, the blade glowing with green energy. The look on Eclipse's face was one of fear and confusion.
"...What was that about... Not getting away?" Steady asked between pants. Eclipse's eyes twitched before the mare charged him. Bracing himself, Steady waited the last moment to dodge her, simply taking a step to the side. Then, using the long, loose chains that still linked him to the table, he swung a hoof in her direction, letting the chains strike her in the back of the head.
Eclipse stumbled a little then turned back, glaring at Steady. "You... You asshole!" She growled before pouncing on him, pushing Steady to the floor. It took him all of his remaining strength to hold her up, trying as hard as he could to not let the dagger reach him. With one sudden surge of strength, Steady managed to push her away from him, causing her to hit her head once again, this time on the stone table. She winced in pain and dropped the knife to yell as Steady stood back up and grabbed her with his forelegs while she was dazed, carrying her above him before slamming her on the table. Instantly, Eclipse was struck with multiple bolts of energy, causing her to yell in pain. Eclipse began to convulse as the strange contraption's energies attempted to draw out pegasus magic from the body of an earth pony. Steady watched as she quickly became unconscious, the light slowly leaving her eyes. With a groan, he pulled her body away from the table as soon as she was out.
Checking her pulse, Steady sighed in relief after making sure she was still alive. Despite everything, he still hoped to capture her and to bring her to Canterlot. Besides, he also remembered very clearly an old promise, not to kill unless absolutely necessary...
Looking around, Steady quickly found a key that unlocked the chains on his hooves. Finally freed from his binds, he wrapped the chains around Eclipse's body, locking her in place. Then, seeing a bucket filled with water and cloths, he wrapped one around her mouth and another one around her eyes. Feeling like his job was good enough for now, Steady searched the rest of the room for any weapon. As he searched, he flapped his wings and was relieved to only feel soreness, assuming he hadn't lost his ability to fly yet.
His search was cut short by the sound of the door unlocking. Grabbing the nearest object, a heavy copper lantern, he flew toward the ceiling and waited. The two guards entered with weapons drawn, holding a sword in their mouths, clearly having heard the commotion. They carefully stepped inside, looking around with wide eyes upon seeing Eclipse bound in front of them. Using this moment of confusion, Steady swooped down and smacked one of the guards on the back of the head with the lantern as hard as he could, causing the unsuspecting guard to fall to the floor instantly. Steady smiled as he glanced at the now broken lantern.
Turning in a panic, the second guard swung his sword wildly. Easily dodging the strike, Steady flew back toward the ceiling and threw the damaged lantern at the guard. While he dodged it easily, the fear caused him to drop his sword, allowing Steady to swoop down once again and to charge the scared guard. The two stallions impacting each other hard, the guard fell to the ground as Steady began striking him in the face again and again, not letting him any respite to use his magic. Eventually, Steady managed to knock his target down.
Standing back up, he felt slight guilt at the clearly inexperienced guards, but he quickly moved on. Grabbing one of the swords and its scabbard, he secured it on his right side before leaving the room. Steady saw a large circular room with a spiraling staircase going down, toward the dungeon and the other prisoners. Multiple rooms were spread across the outer walls, which Steady assumed to be the other labs Eclipse mentioned. Another staircase was visible on the opposite side, going upward.
Steady thought for a moment about getting the rest of the prisoners out, but with such a large crowd following him, he knew his escape would become that much more difficult. Deciding instead of scouting the path ahead, he flew silently toward the staircase going up, promising himself internally to come back for the other prisoners as soon as he knew the way out was safe. The stairs led him to a large break room for the guards, thankfully empty. Given the many beds and tables spread across the room, Steady understood that more guards were bound to roam the place. He was just about to leave the break room when he noticed, on one of the tables, a large crossbow and a pouch filled with bolts right next to it. He smirked, then placed the crossbow on his back and the pouch on his left side. "That's more my speed," he mumbled while glancing at his cutie mark, two crossbow bolts crossing each other.
With one last look around the guard's break room, Steady headed out slowly, preparing to fight his way out.