Sky Dreamer walked down the streets of Manehattan, headed for the District of Delights. Nobles and merchants alike walked past him, with very few actually acknowledging his presence. He was used to it, every time he walked into a noble, he would get a glare or a frown from them, and most of the merchants were also somewhat troubled by him, but this did not worry him in the slightest. Most nobles went in and out of the District of Delights to find pleasure, but this wasn't Sky Dreamer's case. He rarely went to the District of Delights, no matter how much his friends, or rather, associates and subordinates, recommended it, but when he did go, it was always for darker reasons. He soon found himself in front of the House of Earthly Pleasures, and he looked around to make sure nopony was watching him. Once he was sure he was alone, he opened the door.
"Ah, welcome, sir!" a blue earth pony with pink mane greeted him.
"Hello, Lotus," Sky dreamer replied, coming closer to her.
"It is rare to see the Silent Wing around here, what brings you to this fine place?" Lotus asked, giggling.
"You know what..." he replied in a low voice, almost whispering.
"Oh, that...of course, sir." Lotus led him to a door carefully hidden behind a mirror. "Good luck, handsome." Lotus winked as she opened the door.
"Thank you." Sky Dreamer walked into the next room and Lotus closed the door behind him. He walked down some stairs and found himself in a well-lit room where a few ponies talking with a slender white unicorn with pink mane. "Lady Fleur de Lis?" he called.
Fleur de Lis turned to face him. "Ah, Silent Wing, glad you can join us. Mistress Rarity has told you the details, I assume?" she asked.
"Indeed, my lady. What am I supposed to deal with tomorrow?"
"Our spies have noticed something strange in Stalliongrad. However, when sent to investigate, none of our Nighthooves returned, we have heard nothing from our spies, and our new tunnels are being discovered, forcing the diamond dogs to abandon them and cutting us off from our informants." Fleur de Lis pointed to a map on the wall, particularly to the location of Stalliongrad.
"Extending our tunnels to the north, past Canterlot?" Sky Dreamer looked at the map, focusing on the location of Canterlot and the mountains. "That is dangerous. While we can easily make tunnels below the mountains, Goldenleaf Woods is constantly under vigilance, plus it is used as training grounds for the troops. Also, there is the fact Moon and Star settlements are close to the coast, giving us less room for tunnels. And considering how the dogs work, it is not only dangerous, it's also...expensive." He looked at Fleur de Lis raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, and it is more of a waste when said tunnels are forced to be abandoned past Halfway. But it was the Mistress' idea."
"Mistress Rarity made a mistake in her schemes? That's new..." Sky Dreamer was intrigued, it was the first time he heard of Rarity's plans being thwarted.
"No, it wasn't a mistake. In fact, she used the same reasoning as you. Being a dangerous and expensive move, it was unpredictable."
"Then what went wrong?"
"Nopony knows, but to make it less of a waste, you are going to find out what is happening in Stalliongrad that deserved losing so many spies, Silent Wing." Fleur de Lis smirked.
"So, going to Stalliongrad and finding out something strange. Right, how am I getting there?" Sky Dreamer asked, knowing that there was no conventional way of getting past the mountains and going to Stalliongrad.
"We will go with you, Silent Wing," one of the ponies said.
"We are sending you and these ponies to Stalliongrad, but only you will get there. They will serve as decoys to divert Moon and Star's attention and leave you the way with no obstacles." Fleur de Lis looked at the map. "You will go directly to the north with these ponies, but you will split up near Hoofington, with each of you taking-"
"Let me stop you right there, because I am not taking part in this!" Sky Dreamer interrupted her, to the surprise of the other ponies in the room.
"Are you defying the Mistress' orders, Silent Wing?" asked Fleur de Lis, puzzled. Sky Dreamer always did everything he was told, but now he was protesting against a direct order.
"No, but I will not go if it means that comrades will be at risk of death. This here is a suicide mission for these ponies, and I will not allow anypony to die to ensure my success." Sky Dreamer's tone was the one that his fellow nighthooves and other ponies of Whitegold learned to respect, and the one Fleur de Lis rarely heard him talk with.
"...Well do you have any other ideas, Silent Wing?"
"Yes...first, these ponies will not go. Second, I suggest sending an airship over the Coast of Stars, from here-" Sky Dreamer put a hoof over the location of Manehattan on the map, then moved it forming a curve to an island near Stalliongrad "-to here. We will have a forward point near Stalliongrad in case anything goes wrong. I will then infiltrate Stalliongrad and find out what happened. Once that is taken care of, I will return to the airship before they see me, and if they do see me, the airship will provide a safe escape."
Fleur de Lis carefully analyzed his plan. It was indeed brilliant. "You make a good point, no wonder you are a valuable pony. But, the airships are part of the military, and that is General Fancy Pants' field. Not to mention, this is a complete change in plans, I will have to ask the Mistress and the General for authorization. In case it doesn't go as you planned, and no airship is authorized, what will you do?"
"I will fly there myself, and come back myself..." Sky Dreamer replied, sure of his words.
"...Very well then...everypony, time to go! Enjoy some of the pleasures upstairs!" Fleur de Lis dismissed the other ponies in the room, who were quick to leave. She was about to leave herself when she was stopped by Sky Dreamer. "Yes?"
"I have a question...what is your problem with me?" he asked, glaring at her.
"Beg your pardon?" she asked in confusion.
"Colterado, trade mission last month. I talked with a mare to get information, and somehow that got to Mistress Rarity, who assumed it was something else."
"Oh, I see. And you assume that I had to do with it? Say, you sound like you are hiding something..." Fleur de Lis smiled, and this wasn't good for Sky Dreamer.
"I'm not, I just don't want the Mistress to believe I am conspiring against the House." Sky Dreamer's tone was intimidating.
"She wouldn't believe that unless she saw something suspicious...something like this perhaps?" Fleur de Lis took a picture and showed it to Sky Dreamer, whose blue face went pale.
Sky Dreamer was looking at a picture of himself and the earth pony Leaf Heart, in the middle of a tender kiss behind a wall. It was taken at an angle that showed that whoever took it was well hidden. It all made sense now, but this only made the problem worse. "How did you...?!"
"Secret. Look, Sky Dreamer, I have a way of telling when ponies get close with ulterior motives, and when they do so because there really is something between them. I personally have no problem with this, but the Mistress does. If this little romance of yours proves to be a problem to us, then I'm afraid you and this mare will be in very big trouble, dear." Fleur de Lis put the picture away and began walking towards the stairs. "One more thing...your daughter's room has very big windows. It would be a shame if somepony were to break in through them..." she said with the subtle hint of a warning.
Sky Dreamer froze in place, shocked. The problems he had tried to avoid since he joined Whitegold were now facing him, just like Lucky Shot and his friends said. He slowly left the secret room and was back at the building's entrance.
"You look like you have seen a ghost, handsome." Lotus approached him. "Would you like the services this house can offer?"
"...Sure..." Sky Dreamer replied, more out of the need to reply than anything else. He walked deeper into the House of Earthly Pleasures for the first time in weeks, but he knew that no "earthly pleasure" would solve his problems.