The Crescent Pact

Tired, Steady glanced one last time at the mare posted further away in the street. Sandstorm, as ordered, stood still and kept an eye open for the house’s direct surroundings, though Steady knew he had to be quick. The mare wasn’t exactly known for her patience, after all. With a faint sigh, he knocked on the dilapidated door four times, each knock evenly spaced.

Just behind the door, Steady heard somepony shuffling for a moment before stepping closer. Then, the noises of many locks being opened. Steady felt his heart beat faster. Anxiously standing in front of the door, the pegasus silently prayed for his contact to still be sentient.

The door finally opened, though slowly and methodically, revealing a sleek white pegasus stallion, his brown mane showing a few gray hairs. The two stallions silently studied each other for a moment before the white pegasus spoke up. “Steady Travels, what a surprise,” he said in a hush tone.

“Hello, Letter. I hope I’m not interrupting your evening.”

Letter chuckled, bringing a hoof to his mouth. “Of course not. We’re always happy to see you, you know that. What… What brings you to our humble abode?” the soft spoken stallion asked.

The crimson pegasus sighed. “I need to talk to her. Is she… Awake?”

Letter lowered his gaze. “Oh,” he replied, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “Well, today is one of the better days, but I don’t know if…”

“This is important, Letter. You know I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“... Of course. Come inside,” the white pegasus defeatedly said before holding the door for Steady.

Bored out of her mind, it took all of Sandstorm’s willpower to remain at her post. It only had been a few minutes since she saw Steady enter the strange, run-down house and she was wishing he’d come out already.

“This sucks,” she mumbled. “I’m in bucking Las Pegasus and I’m just standing in the street like a doofus. I should be sipping on some crazy expensive cocktail and losing all my money gambling.”

Looking for a pebble to kick, Sandstorm’s mood continued to sour as she couldn’t find a single one due to the streets being made of clouds. Instead, she kicked into what she decided was a ‘cloud pebble’, watching it poof into the air instead of being thrown away.

“Ugh, this place sucks. I bet Misty’s having fun, at least. I’m sure even Aphelion’s having a better time in Ponyville.”

Lazily sitting down, Sandstorm scanned the area. She did have a job to do, despite her wanting to be anywhere but here. She watched as the sun set beyond the horizon, the sky turning orange, then dark as the moon climbed above. She yawned.

“What’s taking him so long?” she wondered, glancing at the house once more. There were no signs of life inside, no light coming from the windows. “... Either they’re vampires, or they got some magic anti-light windows. Wait, no, vampires are allergic to the sun, right? Not just light?”

She pondered the question, clearly not having anything better to do in her mind. “Hm. If Misty was here, she could tell me all about that nerd stuff. She read those weird smutty novels when she was younger. Maybe she’s still into that sort of stuff..,” Sandstorm smirked, thinking about how she was going to spend her time with Misty when the two of them would reunite.

Then, as Sandstorm’s thoughts turned increasingly wilder, a sudden movement brought her right back to reality. As if she received a splash of cold water, she suddenly became very aware of her surroundings.

Right on top of one of the houses surrounding her, a hunched-down figure glided from one rooftop to another. Pretending as if nothing was out of the ordinary, Sandstorm remained still, not quite turning her head to the figure just yet, keeping it on her vision’s periphery. Sandstorm’s lewd thoughts were already replaced by a quick series of plans and ideas.

“Okay,” Sandstorm thought, “whoever that pony is, they’re up to no good. Plus, they’re a flier. If they dash on me, I’ll only get a very tight window to pin them down… But how? Jump on’em? I don’t know how quick they are yet… Rope’em? Don’t got no rope. Ugh, this sucks.”

Still pretending not to have noticed anything, Sandstorm blinked as little as possible as she saw the figure creep closer to the edge of the roof, clearly preparing to plunge at any moment.

“Great,” Sandstorm continued her inner monologue. “At least, they won’t keep me waiting. Still don’t know if I’m dealing with one, or more, though… Let’s focus on what I can see. I can’t pin them down without risking falling to the ground and becoming an easy target. I don’t have anything to tie them down, or lasso them as they pass. Also, I’m sitting, which sucks. Okay, so the only option is to dodge the first pass-by. You got this, Sandstorm,” she whispered to hype herself up. And just as her mouth opened, the figure jumped from the rooftop, tearing through the air at a surprising speed towards Sandstorm.

The yellow mare, then, just as quickly pushed on her hindlegs, throwing herself to the side as the figure passed her by. Barely dodging out of the way at the last second, Sandstorm felt a sharp pain in her flank, a long line of blood beginning to pour from her open wound. Ignoring the pain, Sandstorm rolled to a standing position, turning to face her assailant and taking a defensive stance.

Right in front of her, a lithe purple pegasus stallion was hovering a few meters above the ground, holding a knife in his mouth, dripping with Sandstorm’s blood. The two stared at each other for a moment before the stallion growled and flew upwards, clearly preparing for another attack.

This time, however, Sandstorm was standing up. And she had a good idea of her opponent’s speed.

And he gave her just enough space. She chuckled. “You screwed up,” she said just as the stallion dashed once again towards her.

Just as quickly, Sandstorm launched herself forward and jumped, putting all her strength into her left hindleg, rotating her entire body as she did. And, with perfect timing, Sandstorm performed her signature move just as her target entered her range.

With one perfectly-executed spinning kick, Sandstorm knocked a few molars out of the pegasus’ mouth, causing him to spit his knife out before being sent stumbling to the ground in a loud crash. The stallion, before even being able to understand what had happened to him, was quickly pinned down by Sandstorm who took great care to restrain his wings and forehooves. He groaned in pain as she leaned closer to him.

“Well, good evening, my good sir. How does it feel to eat shit?” she asked gleefully, faking a posh accent.

Maybe this evening wasn’t going to be as boring as she thought.

Following Letter closely, Steady studied the house’s insides. Despite appearing dilapidated from the street, the house was well kept and cozy, the main hallway softly lit by a couple of candles. Along the walls were multiple old pictures depicting Letter and another amber pegasus mare. In every single picture, Steady could clearly see the love between the two. Arranged in chronological order, these many photographs depicted Letter and his wife’s long relationship, from foalhood to what Steady guessed was just a few months ago.

In each picture, Steady also noticed the worsening glow in the eyes of Letter’s wife, a light growing stronger as the years went on… Until the last picture.

In that one, she closed her eyes.

Steady stopped for a brief moment as he reached the last picture. Was he really about to ask for her help once again, despite her ailment?

Letter, upon noticing Steady had stopped, turned back. “Everything alright?” he asked.

“... Yeah,” Steady replied. “She’s not… Getting any better, is she?”

Defeated, Letter’s shoulders slumped. “... No. Her visions are… Getting worse. I’m afraid she has very few good days left,” he replied. “Any further push might…” Despite the white stallion’s best effort to keep his voice low and soft, Steady easily gleaned the accusation behind his words.

“I’m sorry,” Steady said stoically.

Letter sighed. “Me too. Perhaps you… Perhaps you could come back tomorrow, or even later this week? That way, we might… Get our house in order?”

Steady recognized Letter’s request for what it was. He was pleading for more time with his wife. Steady’s gaze lowered, unable to look in his friend’s eyes. “I’m afraid this isn’t possible. As you said, she doesn’t have many good days left… Who knows how long she’s got until she’s unable to repay her debt?”

Letter’s body stiffened. “I see. Well, then, let’s go,” he said with a heavy heart before solemnly leading the crimson pegasus to the living room.

The room, decorated with many more pictures, candles and dream-catchers, was furnished with a large wooden table, its legs covered in intricate carvings. On top of the table, more candles were placed in a glyph-like pattern, all unlit.

On yet another side, a large fireplace housed a small fire, strengthening the relaxing and cozy ambience. Above the fireplace, a large photograph was nailed, this time not only depicting Letter and his wife, but also two griffons, Steady, and… His then-wife. The photo depicted the group celebrating Letter finishing his doctorate in ancient Ponish literature. Even Steady was smiling in the photograph.

Lingering on the picture, Steady wondered where it all went wrong.

Then, Steady glanced at the opposite side of the room. There laid a large, old sofa. An old amber pegasus mare was resting atop the sofa, under a large blanket. Large, heavy bandages covered the mare’s eyes.

Steady felt his heart sink as he gazed upon what once was his close friend, Fractured Light. He stood motionless while Letter quietly flew to his wife, gently nudging her awake. “Can you hear me, my love?” he asked.

Fractured Light stirred, mumbling as she woke up. “What… What time is it?”

“We are quite far into the evening, dear,” Letter replied. “I am sorry for waking you up, but we have a guest. Steady Travels is here.”

Weakly pushing herself upright, her head turned to Steady’s location, sending chills down the crimson pegasus’ spine. “Oh… Good. Greetings, Steady.”

Finally deciding to move forward, Steady lowered his gaze, unable to meet her eyes. “It’s good to see you, Light. I’m sorry for intruding.”

She smiled. “Do… Do not worry. I was actually… Hoping you’d come visit us. It has been so… So long,” Fractured Light weakly said as Letter acquiesced. “How is Safe doing?” she continued.

Steady felt all his strength leave his body. “We… Separated.”

“...Oh, I’m sorry,” the amber mare apologized.

“Don’t be. Let’s just… I assume you know why I’m here.”

Letter remained silent, refusing to leave Fracture Light’s side, gently caressing her graying mane. With a wavering hoof, the amber mare placed a hoof on Letter’s cheek, bringing him closer. She whispered in his ear, far beyond Steady’s earshot. The crimson pegasus did notice, however, the single tear rolling down Letter’s cheek. He watched as the couple held each other tight for a long minute, before Letter finally broke the hug.

“I will be fine, go,” Fractured Light reassured her husband, this time speaking loud enough for Steady to hear.

Light nodded while Steady took a deep breath. “Very well,” he replied. “I trust you. I will… Be in the kitchen, preparing tea.” Then, leaving his wife’s side and heading out of the room, Letter stopped next to Steady. The two stallions stared at each other for an awkward moment.

“Please… Go easy on her,” Letter eventually asked, his voice still soft but breaking by the end.

Steady replied, his voice still monotonous. “I can’t promise that.” It was cruel, but he knew better than to lie to one of his oldest friends.

Steady saw Letter’s jaw clench, his wings muscle tightening as one of his foreleg trembled. Then, Letter left, looking at Fractured Light one last time. Steady stood still until Letter left the room. “... Yeah, I’d wanna punch me in the face too,” he whispered to himself before focusing back on Fractured Light.

“So, here to collect my debt?” she asked.

Steady grabbed one of the nearby chairs before placing it in front of the sofa, facing Light. “Yeah. I need your help to find… A few specific places.”

Now sitting straight, Fractured Light brought a hoof to her chin. “This is within the realm of my abilities, yes, although I’ll need a lot more details.”

Steady grumbled. “Most of it is confidential, but… I know you’re not the gossippin’ type. There’s this terrorist organization called the Crescent Pact. They recently captured multiple guards and worker ponies. We need to find where they are and if they’re still alive.”

“I understand. I just need a beacon, then.”

“A… A what?”

“A beacon,” Light repeated before chuckling. “Have you forgotten how my sight works?”

Steady scratched the back of his head. “To be frank, I never really understood how it worked to begin with. Usually, you just did your thing when we worked together.”

With a warm smile, she raised a hoof toward Steady. “Do not worry. I simply need you to focus on somepony involved in this affair. Did you know any of the guardsponies, or any of the workers? The stronger your experience with them, the more likely it is for me to find them.”

“Uh… I didn’t know’em personally, no. Never spent much time with them either,” Steady admitted before grabbing her hoof.

“Hm. And one of the kidnappers, perhaps? Even a scuffle or a brawl would be a good start.”

Steady’s eyes lit up. “Ah, yes. I’ve had a run-in with one of the high-ranking members. Some unicorn named Apogée.”

Stiffening slightly, Fractured Light’s tone grew more hesitant. “A high-ranking unicorn? I… I think this might be a tad problematic. They might notice me snooping around, so to speak… Or worse.”

“Great,” the stallion dejectedly said. “Then, how about…” he stopped to think. Fractured Light inched closer, waiting for Steady to find her beacon. She could see the gears turning in his mind before coming to a realization. “... Alright, I might have another guy, but this is definitely a long shot.”

“I’m listening.”

“I did also have a fight with him, and he’s not a unicorn. I doubt he’d be able to defend against whatever it is you do, and I have a reason to believe he’s still in one of their bases.”

“... I sense there is something else, Steady.”

“Yeah. Just one… Teensy little problem,” he admitted.

“Go on.”

“The guy’s dead.”