In the middle of the night, four ponies carefully trotted in the bushes around the manor, circling around the dilapidated outer walls. Near the main gate, they could see guards at the ready wearing intricate purple armors, strangely reflecting in the moonlight. The guards, with spears deployed at their sides, visibly struggled to keep their eyes opened as the night slowly went on. The four intruders understood that these guards had been posted there for a long time, now. Aphelion whispered to the group, his head barely peeking above the bush.
"That's strange. Usually, the guards here work in short shifts. Somepony should've taken over for them ages ago."
"Shouldn't there be more guards outside anyway?" Glaze said with a pensive look.
"Yeah, that's pretty strange. It's almost as if they're expecting danger to surge from inside instead of outside," Misty added. "It would explain why only two guards are posted outside."
"And they're distracted. We can just sneak up on them and knock'em out, then!" Sandstorm grinned, already preparing to lunge at the guards.
"That would be a terrible idea, actually," Glaze quickly uttered, instantly shutting down Sandstorm's enthusiasm. "Look at their armors..."
"Yup. Just like the royal guards... Except, well, purple," Aphelion nodded. "Not the easiest targets, especially for ponies without an inordinate amount of strength."
"Then, just zap'em with your magic to cover my back. It's simpler than your plan," Sandstorm shrugged.
Misty and Aphelion began entertaining the idea, each of them falling deep in thoughts to search for the right approach. A worried Glaze looked at the three ponies in front of her before awkwardly clearing her throat. "Uh... Guys? Look at their amor again... More carefully, I mean."
Raising an eyebrow, Misty focused her gaze on the two drowsy guards. After a moment of confusion, her eyes went wide. "...Oh. Null enchantments. Should've figured, with the Pact..."
"Null enchantments? What are you talking about?" Aphelion asked, cocking his head to the side as the gears in his head began turning. "...Oh. Oh! You mean the Thaumic Entropy Fields?"
"Okay, you guys are going to have to dumb it down a lot," Sandstorm deadpanned. "What the buck are you three talking about?"
With a sigh, Misty spoke as she kept her eyes trained on the guards. "Enchantments made specifically to disperse incoming magical waves. Null magic is a branch of the void school of the arcane, which falls directly under dark magic," she started before turning to Sandstorm who seemed even more confused. "...Funny magic letters on the armors make magic go away from them, making us hornheads useless."
"Ah, now you're speaking my language!" Sandstorm replied a little too loudly, causing the three ponies around her to shush her and to dive their heads back into the bush. One of the guards' ears perked up as he turned his head in the group's general direction. After staring at their bush for what felt like an eternity, the guard quickly glanced at his colleague before approaching the group's position carefully, his spear drawn and ready to strike. Getting close enough to the bush, he thrusted with his weapon a few times, only hitting leaves and branches. After a quick scan of the area directly around him, the guard walked back to his spot, his friend throwing him an inquisitive look. The guard sighed.
"We've been here too long. I'm going crazy."
His friend snorted. "At least, we're not inside. The master's been cranky all day, just looking at him wrong could send you to the dungeon."
"Yeah. I guess we get to chill, here, at least. Should've brought cards, though..."
Falling back into a tired silence, the two guards failed to notice a barely perceptible movement coming from the freshly stabbed bush. Even if one of them was to notice the movement, the sight would be so benign that they wouldn't bat an eye. Crawling away from the bush, four small worms slowly inched their way toward the backside of the manor. After a relatively long trek, the worms reached a spot away from the guards' field of vision. Then with a faint flash of yellow light, the worms transformed into four ponies, three of which wearing an extremely confused look on their faces.
Aphelion was the first to whisper, sweating heavily. "Whew... Didn't expect that to work. First time I tried this spell."
Blinking a few times, Glaze shook her head. "Let's never talk about this ever again."
"Agreed," said Misty.
"It was kinda fun," Sandstorm shrugged.
"You... Enjoyed that?!" Misty whisper-yelled.
"Yeah. Gives a new perspective on life."
"What the hay are you talking about? It was just... Gross!" Misty's body shivered, still reeling from the experience.
"It wasn't that bad. Also, now I've got to ask. Would you still love me if I was a worm?"
A flabbergasted Misty stammered as she tried to process her marefriend's question when Aphelion decided to change the subject, much to Glaze and Misty's relief. "Anyway... Let's not draw any more unwanted attention. This one spell already took most of my energy, and I'd rather keep some strength for when we finally get inside."
"Right. So, where's the back door you mentioned?" Glaze asked.
"There," Aphelion pointed toward a large patch of grass further ahead. "It's an entry for the cellar. It's used by delivery ponies whenever father doesn't want to let strangers enter the manor directly... Which is often. There's an illusion spell to make it look like there's nothing."
"Won't that entrance be guarded?" Sandstorm said, still thinking about worm-related hypotheticals.
"Usually, yes, but given the circumstances, I think father moved most guards to the upper floors. There aren't many to begin with, as too many of them would draw too much attention. It's not impossible for one to be stationed there, but that should be easier to handle than two right in front of the main gate."
"Well, let's hope you're not wrong," Misty began trotting toward the designated patch of grass. As she stepped in the area, she noticed that her hooves made a very different sound: she was stepping on a large wooden trap door. Quickly following her, Aphelion approached a specific spot and fiddled with the ground, searching for an invisible handle. Biting down on what appeared to be nothing but air, Aphelion raised his head, causing the ground itself to lift up, revealing a dark staircase headed underneath the manor. Silently, the group quickly headed downstairs, Sandstorm taking the lead followed closely by Misty and Glaze. Closing their marching order, Aphelion shut the trap behind them, throwing them in pitch darkness. Sparking her horn, Misty illuminated the staircase, the group then carefully entering the cellar...
Something was off.
Steady knew something wasn't right as he kept crossing empty hallways and rooms, devoid of any guards, prisoners or regular staff members. He was expecting a lot more resistance during his escape attempt, but everything was going smoothly. This was extremely worrying to him, as it meant that whatever the Pact was currently doing, it required more security than the entire dungeon and labs underneath. Being relatively close to Celestia, Steady had a general idea of what was going on, but there were still too many unknowns in the equation.
Another worrying element was the fact that Steady was still underground, indicated by the lack of windows despite the countless rooms and corridors he went through. He knew the Crescent Pact's MO had been to hide in plain sight, but creating an entire, multi-leveled underground complex in the middle of a forest in clear sight from Canterlot bordered on complete madness. Worst, still, was that nopony at the castle had any idea this place existed.
"Guess they were a few steps ahead of us, in the end..." Steady grumbled as he burst through another set of doors, no longer caring about subtlety. Quickly scanning the area directly around him, Steady saw a large circular room. Fancy marble statues were exposed along the walls, depicting what Steady assumed to be prominent members of the Pact, though he couldn't recognize any of them. A fine purple carpet covered the entire floor, with silver and golden threads woven into it. With just a glance, he knew this carpet was worth more than a full year of his pay... And he considered himself fairly wealthy.
"The buckers are living well, at least," he chuckled as the thought of stealing some valuables quickly crossed his mind. Deciding against it, Steady carefully lifted himself up with his wings and observed the room. He couldn't see any other way out than the one he came from, and he knew for a fact this room was the last one he could reach. Squinting his eyes, Steady noticed something odd: in the center of the room, a faint circular line created a large spot on the carpet. Getting closer, Steady saw that this line was a separation: there was a second, almost identical, circular carpet in the center of the room. Looking up at the smooth marble ceiling, Steady noticed a similar shape right above the circular carpet. Putting two and two together, he began searching the room for anything that looked like a lever, button or pressure plate.
Seconds quickly turning to minutes, Steady's search was anything but fruitful. Frustrated, he went back in the air and began taking in deep breaths, focusing as much as he could on his surroundings. If he kept wasting time stuck underground, Steady knew the Pact would end up unleashing something terrible in Equestria. He had to stop them. He had no other choice.
Slowly spinning around himself, Steady noticed something. It took some time to see it clearly as the inconsistent flickering light of the torches on the walls certainly didn't help with finding clues, but Steady eventually saw small spots on the carpet: hoof-sized prints. Focusing on those prints, Steady realized that there was a larger concentration of these prints near one of the statues. Getting closer, he observed the marbled figure of a pegasus standing proudly with his wings unfurled. Steady inspected the statue and quickly saw a small slit underneath one of the wings. Sure enough, by pushing down on the statue's right wing, a clicking sound was emitted from underneath the statue... Then, nothing. With a confused look, Steady looked around to see if anything else had changed in the room. He groaned as he turned back toward the statue, hoping to see anything when a sudden sound drew his attention.
Very slowly, from the center of the room, a large stone pillar began rising upward, slowly spinning around its own axis. Looking up, Steady saw a part of the ceiling slowly opening itself, perfectly large enough for the pillar. Not wasting any time, he flew toward the opening, deciding not to wait for the pillar to fully rise. Steady felt great relief as he finally exited the hidden complex underneath the manor, his eyes spotting windows on the walls of the room directly above the pillar. However, his enthusiasm was short-lived as Steady stood right in the middle of the manor's gigantic main lobby. He saw the ostentatious double staircase in front of him, the many oaken doors alongside the walls, the large glass chandelier above his head, the extravagant set of double doors that served as the manor's main entrance... As well as the eight guards spread across the room, staring at him wide-eyed.
And yet, this wasn't the most worrying element of the situation Steady found himself in.
On the floor right above, accessible via the giant staircase, a behemoth stood silently, observing Steady. The creature, three times taller than anypony else in the room, wore a heavy black armor covering most of its body. It held no weapons, its sheer mass being more than enough. As the creature stared down at Steady, beginning to breathe heavily, the crimson pegasus felt a wave of fear creep into his mind. Despite the unnatural form of the creature and the heavy armor hiding most of its body, Steady recognized instantly what the creature was.
Furrowing his brow, Steady braced himself as a transformed Poison Dart jumped down from the railing in front of him, the remaining guards all brandishing various weapons and yelling 'intruder'.
"Told you I could handle'em," Sandstorm proudly said as she stood next to the unconscious guard, his head stuffed inside a now-empty barrel.
"You got one, sleeping guard. Not much of a challenge," Misty replied while looking at the beer-covered floor in mild annoyance, knowing the smell won't leave until she has a chance to clean herself.
"We're lucky they only placed one pony downstairs, too. Any more, and we'd be sure to alert the entire manor," Aphelion casually trotted toward a door, not paying too much attention to the guard.
"That's assuming nopony heard Sandstorm smash that guy's face in a barrel," Misty scoffed.
"It was fairly impressive, though, you've got to admit!"
"Thank you, Glaze. At least somepony here can recognize true talent."
Misty opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by a large crashing sound echoing in the room, coming from further inside the manor. The four ponies looked at each other, a panicked look in their eyes. "Wha... What was that?!" Glaze asked. "Did they notice us?"
"I don't know... It could be whatever they're doing in the observatory. Which means, we have to go now," Aphelion said as he opened the door. Looking back, he saw hesitation on the faces of Sandstorm and Glaze, but Misty had a resolute look. She simply nodded, then went past Aphelion.
"Yes. Let's end... Whatever they're trying to do. Everypony remembers the plan?"
"Y... Yup!" Glaze nodded, heading for the door as well. Sandstorm simply groaned before following the rest of the group.
"I still don't like us being here... At all," the yellow mare muttered.
The four ponies carefully traversed the corridor, remaining close to the walls and trying to be as sneaky as possible. However, their focus quickly changed from stealth to hurry as the crashing sound repeated itself, getting louder and louder as they got closer. In front of them, a simple closed door was the only thing separating them from the rest of the manor.
"Alright, let's recap one last time. This'll lead to the kitchen," Aphelion started. "The only way to the upper floors is via the staircase in the main lobby. I'll go first to see my father. Wait a few moments, then go. He'll want to talk with me in his office, I'll keep him there as long as possible. When you're done in the observatory, just run away. I'll find my own way out."
"Yup. Then, we get Misty in the observatory, I find a way to lock the door and Sandstorm and I guard the entrance. Easy as pie!" Glaze chuckled nervously. "Let's hope we won't have to deviate too much from the plan."
"It'll be fine," Misty patted Glaze's back. "I'll only need a moment inside. As long as there aren't too many ponies inside the observatory, I won't have any issues silencing them. Plus, I know you two will have my back," she smiled as she looked at Sandstorm and Glaze. The yellow mare scrunched her nose, jealous to see her marefriend relying on another mare. She decided to keep that to herself for now.
"Yeah, sure. Easy stuff. You're positive your father won't come to investigate, Aphelion?" Sandstorm asked.
"Yes. I'll make something up about having stolen some important intel about Celestia while in Canterlot. Besides, despite everything, I'm still his son. He'll want me to tell him everything that happened to me."
"Let's hope you're right," Sandstorm sighed. "Alright, let's hope our plan goes well."
With one final nod, Aphelion opened the door and ran inside the kitchen. The three mares waited in silence, the only sound being that of the strange smashing happening somewhere in the manor. As they were bracing themselves to go inside, initially expecting having to wait a few minutes, the door in front of them was reopened by Aphelion a mere thirty seconds later, an extremely panicked look on his face.
"Okay, our plan's already dead. Sandstorm, we're doing your plan B."
Misty and Glaze looked at each other, horrified. They opened their mouths to ask questions, but Aphelion quickly spoke up again. "I don't know why, or how, but Steady's here fighting guards and... Some gigantic creature in the lobby. He's not winning and-"
His sentence was cut short by Sandstorm running in, her face a mixture of fear and excitement. "Shit, let's get to the brawl, then!"
Shaking her head, Misty quickly followed, sweating bullets as their entire plan was dead in the water before they had even started. Aphelion and Glaze closed the march. "Okay, you and Aphy go to the observatory," Glaze started. "Sandstorm and I will help Steady. Hopefully, we'll be a distraction big enough to buy you two some time."
The four of them quickly traversed the few rooms separating them from the lobby, the crashing sounds mixing themselves with clear battle noises. Bursting through a final door, Sandstorm saw Steady on the ground, covered in bruises and holding a large crossbow. Two guards were knocked down next to him while three more surrounded him, with terrified looks on their faces. On the floor, multiple craters were dotted around the room. Steady's eyes were locked on a large figure a few meters away from him, which Sandstorm initially mistook for a large statue. But when it began to move, she saw the behemoth Steady was facing as well as the other guards.
"What the buck is that thing?!" She instinctively yelled, causing everypony in the lobby to turn toward her. Steady's eyes went wide.
"How the buck..." he whispered, before the massive creature lunged toward him, batting him away with a hoof and sending him flying on a wall. Glaze arrived at Sandstorm's side and, with just one worried glance, ran into the room. Sandstorm followed, the gravity of the situation becoming evidently clear as they ran toward danger. Waiting behind for an opportunity to sneak to the upper floors, the two unicorns observed the scene with concern.
Reaching the center of the room, Sandstorm leaped in the air and at the large creature while Glaze grabbed something in her saddlebags with her mouth as the regular guards were too stunned to act for a moment. Sandstorm impacted the creature with all her might, but it did not budge at all. Falling on the floor in front of it, she looked up at the creature in darkened armor, easily three times her size. She saw the purple coat underneath the armor and instinctively recognized Poison Dart, now turned into a mindless beast. Sandstorm felt fear for a second... Before that fear turned into anger and rage. This was the pony that hurt Misty, that sent her to the hospital. With fire in her eyes, she stood up as Poison Dart reared himself on his massive hind legs, about to smash his forelegs on the comparatively tiny yellow mare in front of him.
Pulling out the item she was searching for from her bags, a small pouch filled with hundreds of glass beads, Glaze noticed the guards finally reacting to their arrival, shaking their heads and running toward her. Throwing her pouch toward one her side, the beads quickly spread across the floor, causing three of the guards to slip and fall and the other three to slow down. Not letting this window of opportunity pass by, Glaze grabbed another item from her bag, a grappling hook this time, and began swinging the rope around herself, using it as an improvised flail, ready to fight the manor's guards.
As soon as they were certain the manor's defenders were too busy dealing with Sandstorm and Glaze, the two unicorns ran in, their forms becoming foggy as Misty turned their body into mist to make them more difficult to notice. While it wouldn't be enough to completely hide them in a regular situation, the fighting in the lobby provided just enough distraction for the harder-to-notice unicorns to sneak above.
Quickly climbing the staircase, Aphelion froze for a moment as he saw his father run out from his office, seething with rage as he headed toward the lobby. He turned to Misty and opened his mouth, but she was the first one to speak.
"Don't worry. I've got it. You take care of your father."
With a simple nod, Aphelion ran back toward the action, still hidden by Misty's spell.