//------------------------------//
// 32 - The Missions 
// Story: The Crescent Pact 
// by Chromentazol 
//------------------------------//

Steady stared blankly at his coffee, deep in his thoughts. Feeling the morning breeze waft through his opened window, he pondered what his next move should be. On the table, next to his coffee, a large cream-colored folder laid open, its contents haphazardly spread around. The many files each indicated potential leads and clues as to the location of bases belonging to the Crescent Pact, though none of the documents contained any definitive evidence pointing to any particular place. The only location confirmed to belong to the Pact was Apogée's mansion, but that lead had dried up when the building went up in a massive ball of fire.

Thinking back on that night, Steady leaned in his chair. If Aphelion, Glaze, Misty and Sandstorm hadn't randomly gone to the mansion that night, Steady knew he would've been killed. And while he hated having to rely on luck during his missions, or escape attempts in that case, Steady had felt a massive wave of relief upon seeing that they came. Now, if only they had more time to talk things through and come up with a basic plan, Steady wondered if they could have done more. While they prevented the Pact from harnessing Nightmare Moon's powers, many ponies died that night. Steady thought about the butler he had met in the cells underneath the mansion, the one he had promised to help.

Even back then, Steady knew this was an empty promise, one he couldn't keep. And yet, he hated himself for not being able to rescue that one stallion... Or anypony else, for that matter. The few that were saved had been so only due to Aphelion and Misty's magic while Sandstorm and him stood there, helpless. Feeling a familiar sensation creep up in his very core, Steady chuckled.

"Yup. Useless as always," he spoke out loud while staring at the ceiling. Then, remembering his recent mandatory therapy sessions and the promise he had made to stop demeaning himself, Steady groaned. "... Dammit, doc's gonna be mad at me."

At first, Steady hated these sessions. They were, from the very beginning, Celestia's idea when she noticed the crimson pegasus shutting himself more and more from the world as his missions ended with injuries and casualties. Steady had tried everything to avoid those, but when the then-only ruler of Equestria made the first appointment for him, there was little he could do short of disobeying his ruler's orders.

As time went on, though, Steady began to appreciate these weekly sessions. He didn't believe that talking about what had been bothering him would 'fix' him, but Steady did discover quite quickly that it felt good to talk, to say whatever was on his mind. Of course, he would have preferred doing this with a friend around a bottle of beer, but few of those he once considered close still talked to him, although Steady knew this was his own fault.

"... Maybe I should make new friends," he murmured before taking a sip of his coffee. Putting the cup down, he smirked. "Yeah, sure. Then, I'll quit smoking too. As if that'll ever happen."

Hearing a knock on the door, Steady slowly sighed before beginning to put the files back in the folder. "Come in," he said in annoyance. The door opened slowly, revealing a meek-looking Aphelion behind. Next to him, Sandstorm struggled to keep her eyes open, her mane still incredibly messy. Finally, in the back, leaning against a wall and barely managing to stay up, Misty looked like she was about to empty her stomach's contents at any second. Glancing at the trio, Steady narrowed his eyes. "... You're late."

"Sorry, Steady... This morning was... Complicated," Aphelion replied with a weak voice.

"'s our fault, boss man. We got wasted yesterday and we're still kind of in it," Sandstorm added while looking at her marefriend in worry.

Pointing a wing toward Misty, Steady spoke up with reproach. "Is she going to be able to work? I don't want anypony to come throwing up during our meetings."

"No, I can... I can work," the sick mare barely managed to utter under her breath. "I just need to... Focus on my spell and..."

"Misty, we talked about this," Sandstorm whispered as she helped Misty stand up. "This magic 'hangover cure' never works... You need the rest, okay? If you're feeling better this afternoon, you can come back, but in the meanwhile, go have a nap."

"... Oh, and probably keep a bucket near," Aphelion added.

Misty attempted to reply, but the jumble of groans that came out of her mouth were closer to primordial, eldritch noises than they were to words. Eventually relenting, Misty stepped away from the room, stumbling as she walked. Sandstorm began to accompany her back to her room before Steady stopped her.

"She's a grown-up mare, she'll find her own way back. We're already an hour late, so get your asses in here right now."

Glaring at the crimson pegasus, Sandstorm hesitantly left Misty to her own devices. Thankfully, a guard quickly came to her side to help bring her to her room just as Misty was thinking about vomiting in one of the castle's vases. Finally entering the room, Aphelion and Sandstorm silently took their seats, the unicorn avoiding Steady's gaze while Sandstorm was staring intensely at him. Steady sighed.

"Alright, listen, you two. I don't mind you going to have fun at night and getting black-out drunk, but you gotta assume the consequences. Either be here on time, or send somepony to tell me you'll be late, or if you're not coming at all. You can be young and stupid as long as you're mature about it the day after. Got it?"

"Yeah, sure, grandpa. Like you never do anything fun after work," Sandstorm taunted as she began leaning back in her chair.

"My hobbies do not concern you. Anyways, are we ready to begin?"

"I am," Aphelion said softly before eyeing Steady's mug. "... Actually, do you think I could get some coffee before we start?"

"Good call," Sandstorm added, "let's call room service. I haven't eaten shit this morning and I'm starving."

Groaning, Steady put a hoof on his forehead. "This isn't a damned hotel, you... Fine. I'll ask somepony to bring you two breakfasts. Don't bucking leave this room in the meanwhile."

"So, if I need to pee, do I do that in your mug?" Sandstorm smirked as Aphelion stared at her with a deadpan expression. Steady elected not to answer and left the room, leaving the two hangover ponies to their own devices. For a while, they remained silent, simply enjoying the stillness of the morning before Sandstorm chuckled.

"... The old fart likes us."

"I'm pretty sure we made him angry," Aphelion replied.

"Nah. I mean, he's irritated, sure, but I thought he would've ripped us a new one or something... Instead, we barely got a lecture. He even went to get us breakfast."

"Maybe he just wants to get to work? In any case, I don't think we should repeat that in the near future."

"Hm. Maybe. Honestly, I thought he'd hate Misty and me. I'm surprised he's fine about working with us."

"Actually, that's something I wanted to ask. He once mentioned something about you two messing with him personally, and that was why he was trying to arrest you two specifically. What was that about?"

"... Yeah, that's a long story, but in short, Misty and I caused his wife to divorce him, some years ago... Honestly, we regret it. Like, it was a mess, and it was all our fault. But to be honest, I think we did him a service. She was—"

Slamming the door shut, Steady stared at Sandstorm with a neutral expression. "I don't want to hear another damn word about it, got it? No interpersonal drama bullshit during work hours."

Freezing mid-sentence, Sandstorm quickly shut her mouth before nodding. "... Yes sir." Aphelion remained still, feeling incredibly awkward.

Glancing to the side, Steady slowly went back to his chair. "... And it would be better to discuss this in private, with Misty. After hours, so I don't have to play nice with you two."

"Uh... Sure. I think that's overdue, to be honest," Sandstorm meekly added. Silence fell over the room for what felt to them like an eternity, before Sandstorm spoke up again, with a jovial tone. "... So, about that breakfast?"





Half an hour later, Aphelion was finishing his cup of coffee while Sandstorm ate her third piece of toast. Steady stood near an open window, cigarette in mouth as he gazed upon the city underneath. Attempting to speak with her mouth full, Sandstorm looked at Steady. "Sho, whaf's up for today?"

Throwing what remained of his cigarette through the window, Steady walked back toward the large table. "A few things, actually. We've got a lot to do, so we're going to have to split up the tasks. I've already assigned something for each of you."

"Alright, I'm listening," Aphelion nodded.

"Same," Sandstorm added while spitting bits of toast on the table, causing Steady to roll his eyes.

"Okay. Aphelion, before you do anything, you need to update your spells. Since you were part of the Pact for so long, there's a lot of stuff you need to unlearn. We can't have you running around using dark magic at random."

"Oh... Okay. Yes, I can do that, but... I'll probably need somepony to teach me. It'll also probably take a while, I'm afraid," the gray unicorn replied. In his mind, however, Aphelion had already started making a mental list of the spells he knew, and the ones that would be considered most problematic.

"That's why Celestia is sending you to Ponyville for a week or two. You'll work with her star student, Twilight Sparkle. She's already been briefed and is looking forward to meeting you. She's also one of the Elements bearers, though I'm sure you've been told about that."

"I've got the basic gist of it, yes... But won't I be a hindrance in her daily tasks?"

"Maybe. Try and make yourself useful over there to make it up to her, then. You're the smart type, I'm sure you'll figure out something to do. One warning, though: Sparkle is aware of the basic details concerning the Crescent Pact, but there's a lot that's still too confidential for her."

"O... Okay, so I shouldn't talk too much about my past, I suppose?"

"As much as possible, yeah. Sparkle and the rest of the bearers aren't the discrete type, so consider that any intel you leak just might get spread around. We don't want the general public to start panicking about that sort of stuff, alright?"

"Yes, got it. I'll do my best, Steady," Aphelion replied with a smile.

"Good. Your train leaves early this afternoon, so go get ready."

"Wait, I'm leaving today?! O... Okay, uh, I'll go pack my bags then. I'll... See you soon?"

Quickly shuffling out of his seat, Aphelion then left the room, quickly trotting toward his room to prepare for his impromptu trip to Ponyville. Sandstorm, who had watched their exchange silently, glared at the crimson unicorn.

"... What?" Steady asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. So, what are Misty and I doing?"

"You aren't working together for this one, I'm afraid. Actually, you're with me."

Slamming her head on the table, Sandstorm groaned. "Oh, come on! I thought I was going to have fun..."

Feeling an eyebrow twitch, Steady stared at the yellow mare. "Don't start throwing a damn tantrum. You and I will go check some of the leads we got on bases belonging to the Pact. We'll go through a few cities, ask some questions, maybe rough some ponies up to get intel, then go onto the next lead. If we work quickly, we can be done by the end of the week."

"Ugh, fine... But you're paying for everything. And I'm going shopping at least twice. Otherwise, I'll be the biggest pain in your ass you've ever met."

"That's already the case, don't worry. And the court's paying for any expense we make, as long as it's reasonable... We'll go shopping once if you play nice. That sounds good?"

"Meh, better than nothing. Fine. But what about Misty, then?" Sandstorm asked while lifting her head, a red mark where her forehead impacted the wooden surface of the table.

"She's going to be part of an expedition of sorts, inside the strange lab she and Aphelion found under the castle when they went snooping around. Luna herself is going, as well as a large number of guards and court mages, so it should be safe enough."

"Why do they need her if they've already got a collection of idiots from the court?"

"Because she's not an idiot. Luna also wanted to see Misty's magic with her own eyes. Something about her talking to cities seemed to really get Luna's attention."

Sandstorm sighed. "I guess she's too awesome for her own good. When are they doing that expedition?"

"Beginning of next week... Meaning, if we do our job quickly and efficiently, you could be back in time to go with her. Celestia thought that would motivate you to stay on track."

Scoffing, Sandstorm stood up from her seat. "You don't say. Alright, then, let's go. Let's go right now, so we can be done with it."

Steady chuckled. "Slow down. Our first train leaves tomorrow morning, so you still got a full day in Canterlot. Get ready, pack your bags and brief Misty on what she'll have to do next week."

"Got it," Sandstorm replied. "... Oh, also, what about us having... The talk, the one after work hours, you said? About your ex-wife?"

"... If Misty's feeling better by the end of the day, bring her to 'Foin Exquis'. It's a Prench restaurant near the palace. Might as well talk someplace nice... And yes, the tab's on me. If she's not feeling better by then, it'll have to wait 'til next week, when we're back."

"Sounds... Sounds good. Alright, Steady," Sandstorm said with a genuine smile. The crimson pegasus nodded with a faint smile of his own, before Sandstorm's smile turned into a smirk. "... Also, are you fine with nicknames?"

Taken aback, Steady took a moment to answer. "... Uh, depends. As long as it's not insulting."

"Hmm... Alright, got it. I'll find you a good one. I promise it won't be too cringe-worthy," Sandstorm claimed with a devilish smirk before leaving the room, leaving Steady alone. After a long, drawn-out groan, Steady reached for another cigarette.

"... By Celestia, how am I going to survive this week?"