Eq. Divided: Whitegold's Silent Wing

Chapters

Secrets
Warnings
Forgotten
Advice
Love's Promise
Joke's On You
One Chance at Happiness
No Matter the Cost
Explanations
Safe Again...Or not
Preparations
The Siege of Stalliongrad
Tying up Loose Ends
The Price of Loyalty
New Strategy

Secrets

As the sun set on the fortified city of Manehattan, Sky Dreamer stood alone in the calm of his house's balcony. His blue coat and brown mane slightly reflected the faint orange of the sky, but the black of his clothes did not. He looked up at the sky as the twilight fell on Manehattan. If he had done so minutes earlier, the gold and jewels of his eye patch would have reflected the last light of the sun. He slightly smiled at the sight of the first star of the night, and looked back into his room.

"Starsong! Quickly, or you will miss it again!" he shouted at the open door. Not even a second after he finished, a young unicorn filly in a blue dress with a patch over her eye ran to his side.

"Is it still there?!" she asked as she looked up at the sky. Her blue eye was open wide and a smile appeared on her pearly white face as she saw the star. "There it is! It's the first one!" she said full of joy. It wasn't an overly wonderful sight, but she had never seen the clear sky until that day. "It looks like if the sky had one eye looking at us, ready to open all others!"

"Yes, one eye...like both of us." Sky Dreamer looked at the filly and extended his wing to pull her close. They looked into each other's only remaining eye with a smile. They were missing opposite eyes, but as they looked at each other their eyes and eye patches were aligned. To her it was both funny and sad at the same time, while to him it was simply cute. She had lost her left eye in an accident two years ago, but he had lost his right eye months ago thanks to a psychopath's knife. He had his eye patch made with leather, gold and tiny diamonds, while the filly's eye patch was simply white cloth.

The moment was interrupted by a golden eagle arriving to the balcony. As it came closer, Sky Dreamer put his right foreleg in front of him, wearing a thick leather cover on his hoof. The eagle landed on it as Sky Dreamer began talking to it. "What is it, Guardian?" he asked as if talking to a trusted friend. The eagle turned his head around and looked at the dark city, focusing on something on the distance. Sky Dreamer looked and saw what Guardian had come to warn him about. He sighed as a nighthoof came to the balcony, flying in front of him. "Ah, welcome, lady. What brings you here?" he asked with feigned ignorance, in reality he knew quite well why she was there.

The pegasus simply rolled her eyes at the attempt to fool her. "Mistress Rarity requests your presence immediately."

"Ah, of course..." Sky Dreamer looked at Starsong, whose usually cheerful self was now gone. "I will be back in time before dinner, I promise..." he said as he hugged his adoptive daughter, who returned the hug quickly. Starsong said nothing as she went back into the house, but Sky Dreamer knew she was sad to see him go after what had been the first day they spent entirely together in a long time. "Please watch her, Guardian," he said to the eagle, who obeyed and followed the filly into the house. With both of them gone, Sky Dreamer looked at the pegasus with a serious look, almost a glare. "Should I go like this or as one of you?"

The nighthoof did not answer, instead pointing at her clothes with her hoof. This was enough for Sky Dreamer, who went into his room and opened a wardrobe. There were many similar suits, each of them befitting a noble. Sky Dreamer, however, was no noble, and he never considered himself as such despite the luxury of his life. He had earned it thanks to his family's past and to his own worth to House Whitegold as a spy and assassin. He took one particular suit from his wardrobe, different from all others, similar to a nighthoof's, and frowned as he began to remove his current suit to put that one on. 'Of course, I couldn't go if it's not like this. Mistress Rarity does not request MY presence...she wants to see the Silent Wing.' Once he was dressed up he looked at his reflection on a mirror. Seeing himself as a nighthoof was like looking at somepony else, but he knew that deep down there was no difference, and this almost made him hate himself. He looked at his hooves and the concealed blades that were barely seen up his sleeves. 'She wants to see her assassin and spy...' He went back to the balcony where the pegasus was waiting for him, and after exchanging looks they took off and began to fly across Manehattan, headed for the Ivory Tower.

"Anything to report?" he asked the nighthoof with a serious tone she recognized instantly.

"No, sir. There are no battles, at least not on this side of Equestria. It almost seems like you and battles took a day off together," she replied as if speaking to a respected superior.

"Ironic...and the Cult?"

"If they did anything in the past week out in the open, they did so before we began scouting. The militia can give you a better report on the Undercity."

Sky Dreamer was satisfied with the news. He looked at the nighthoof flying beside him and was slightly amused by how she and other nighthooves respected him and how he quickly went from trainee to leading a squad in several months of hard work while it would have taken anypony at least one year and a half. The reason behind this was the years he had spent as a slave in House Moon and Star and the fact he had traveled all over Equestria and even into other House's capitals when he escaped Moon and Star. His knowledge of enemy territory and tactics, at least from Moon and Star, made him valuable and it earned him a place in Whitegold's military. However, while the ponies fighting for Whitegold respected him to some degree, the nobles of Whitegold did not, as they knew he had been a slave and his presence was considered by them to be tainting Whitegold's name. The only noble pony in the Inner City who was on truly friendly terms with Sky Dreamer was General Fancy Pants, and this was simply because the general knew Sky Dreamer's family. Sky Dreamer was glad to know that at least somepony in the city was not a power-hungry manipulative liar, unlike Mistress Rarity.

In the Ivory Tower, Sky Dreamer was quickly summoned by Mistress Rarity herself. He bowed down and removed his mask waiting for her to speak. He knew that he had to be careful with her, since she technically owned him and he was an expendable pawn in her games. She started talking after guards blocked the entrance.

"Sky Dreamer, the 'Silent Wing'...I suppose I did not interrupt anything important by calling you here?" she asked, her half-crystalline face showing a faint smile.

"Not at all, mistress." He knew that nothing was more important to Rarity than her own orders, and had to play by her rules. "If I may ask, why did you call me, mistress?"

"As you know, you are a valuable spy for the House, as well as an excellent negotiator when trading. Why else would I assign you to most of those missions? Your loyalty and worth to Whitegold is something that you have proven more than once." Rarity was speaking with a tone that was well-known by anypony directly addressed by her. It was the tone that she used before asking a question that usually meant she was not satisfied with an action's results or the action itself. "So, tell me, why have very reliable sources told me they saw you speaking with a mare, a yellow-colored earth pony, in Earthborn territory during your last mission there?"

Sky Dreamer was surprised, he now knew the reason why she called him, and it was terrible. He was careful not to show any emotion as he answered her. "That mare? It is not what you think, mistress. I simply tried to get information out of her through a pacific method."

"Really? Did you do the same with the other mares? The white pegasus in Cloudsdale and the zebra in the Everfree Forest?"

Sky Dreamer could just barely contain his shock. 'No...she knows. How?! I was so careful, I paid the mercenaries to keep their mouths shut! How did that get to her-...Fleur De Lis and her spies.'

"Well? I am expecting an answer!" Rarity's tone made her impatience clear.

Sky Dreamer quickly snapped out of his thoughts and talked trying to sound calm. "Sorry, I was trying to remember what zebra you were referring to, there are so many of them living with those savages. And yes, I tried to do the same with those mares, but I believe my persuasion skill does not work with all of them on the same level. As a matter of fact, I am certain they are close to revealing secrets."

"...I see...you are not lying to me, are you? You would not dare lie to me, would you?" Rarity carefully observed Sky Dreamer, looking for anything that would give him away.

Sky Dreamer wished he had kept the mask on. He would have started to break down under so much pressure were it not for his willpower. "I would never, mistress..." he said with a tone that, quite luckily, was calm.

"...Very well then. You may go now, but first, know that I no longer wish you go in the trade mission to the Everfree Forest I had assigned you. Instead, I want you to go to Stalliongrad that same day, I will give you the necessary details later." Rarity was still suspicious, and she knew very well that Sky Dreamer hated going to Moon and Star territory.

Truly, Sky Dreamer loathed the idea of going back there, but he could not disobey Rarity's orders as much as he wanted to. "As you wish, Mistress Rarity."

Sky Dreamer was quick to leave the Ivory Tower and returned home. He was in serious trouble, he had struggled to keep his friends a secret from Whitegold's high society, and now Mistress Rarity knew something wasn't right. He spent the flight home thinking about a way out of this problem, but he arrived without a clear idea. He took his normal clothes and was soon in the dining room where Starsong and Guardian were waiting for him.

"Father, you're back! What happened? Is something wrong?" Starsong asked, seeing her father's nervous expression.

Sky Dreamer hugged her and stroked her blonde mane. "Nothing is wrong, Starsong...everything is alright." To Starsong that was a relief to hear, but Guardian could see his master was troubled.

***

It was almost midnight, but Sky Dreamer could not sleep. He had spent the rest of the day thinking of something, and now he finally had an idea. He got up and walked over to his desk. Holding a pen with his mouth, he took a piece of paper and began writing. He wrote what seemed to be a long message, and once he was done he took a couple bits and jewels from his drawer. He put the money in the envelope, making sure it was an exact count of ten bits and four rubies, then he walked over to his balcony, where his eagle was resting. Upon hearing his master coming close, Guardian woke up and saw Sky Dreamer holding an envelope out to him.

"Guardian, take this and find Lucky Shot, I don't care if he is sleeping or playing cards or doing who-knows-what. Don't come back until he sends his reply. You know where he lives."

Guardian understood and took the envelope with his beak. After looking at his master again, knowing he trusted him with this, he left the balcony and headed for the Mercenary Camps outside Manehattan. Flying faster than the average pegasus, Guardian arrived in the Mercenary Camps, and found the mercenary unicorn known as Lucky Shot almost instantly, flirting with a mare. Remembering his master had ordered him to interrupt whatever Lucky Shot was doing, Guardian landed on Lucky Shot's back.

Lucky Shot was about to get friendly with the mare when he felt something on his back. Frustrated, he turned his head and took off his hat to see. "Oh, it's just you, bird..." he said in his typical soft southern accent, one that would be expected from an Earthborn pony. The mare, seeing the eagle, backed away and left without a word. "Well there goes tonight's prize...you better have a good reason, partner." Guardian let go of the envelope, which Lucky Shot later lifted with his unicorn magic. Opening it and taking the money first, he quickly read the message from Sky Dreamer. This took him less than two minutes, and after finishing he put the message back into he envelope, which in turn he put in his bag. "So, the higher-ups know, huh? Well, I tried to warn him, we all did. One can't be part of House Whitegold and not have enemies inside Manehattan...alright, Guardian, let's see what our friend is planning." Having said that, Lucky Shot turned around and ran towards Manehattan.

***

Lucky Shot and Sky Dreamer talked while sitting at the dining table in the morning. Lucky Shot was glad to be drinking his favorite wine, while Sky Dreamer, as usual, did not even bother to fill his cup. Lucky Shot was aware of the fact his friend had not invited him for a drink, and waited until Sky Dreamer told him his plan. His reaction was not exactly that of a mercenary who would do anything for money.

"Woah, hold it, partner. Are you sure about this? Don't get me wrong, I'll gladly do it, but are you sure it'll work?" Lucky Shot asked, placing his cup on the table.

"Yes. I want you to take my place and go to Everfree, find Hadya and warn her of the situation. If Rarity is still suspicious by then, then I want you to go to Cloudsdale and do the same thing with Rain Cloud." Sky Dreamer was serious, confident in his plan.

"And what if she's still on to you when you are supposed to go to Earthborn territory? You know I can't go there...because." Lucky Shot touched his horn, usually hidden by his hat.

"...I will think of something by then. Leaf Heart has the right to know as well."

"You mean she has more right than anypony to know, huh?" Lucky Shot looked at Sky Dreamer with an amused look.

"What do you mean?" Sky Dreamer asked, confused.

"Ya know. Like she's the Queen of Hearts and you're the King of Hearts?" Lucky Shot lowered and raised his eyebrows repeatedly.

"...Lucky Shot, we are not here to discuss my relationship with Leaf Heart, which is none of your concern." Sky Dreamer was not amused in the slightest.

"Alright. And I thought I was your best friend..."

"You are, and I'd rather it stays that way..."

"Meh, fair enough..." Lucky Shot went back to his drink. "You know, this is one dangerous game you're playing. I know I've said it before, but now the consequences are coming to you. You should have listened when we told you to stay in Redheart's Refuge, or at least you should have joined a House and STAYED there. You're the only pony I know who cares so much about friends that he risks his own life to keep in contact, and in the middle of war!" Lucky Shot's words were those of an angered stallion.

"Can you really blame me, after all I had to go through?" Sky Dreamer was not moved by Lucky Shot's tone.

"...I guess I can't..." Lucky Shot sighed. "But how long are you gonna keep this up? It's only a matter of time before someone with authority, on either side, causes one of your friendships to end badly, and when that day comes you'll-"

"When that day comes, I will do what is right. Until that day, I'll be doing what I have been doing the past months. Killing for money, spying for Whitegold, and living for my family and friends..." Sky Dreamer interrupted him.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you are the only pony involved in this war who thinks that way..." Lucky Shot shook his head and finished his drink.

"Well, one of us has to..." Sky Dreamer heard sounds coming from Starsong's room. He knew this meant she was waking up, and the conversation had to end soon. "So, do we have a deal?"

"You can bet on it, partner. Although, if I have to visit Stormwing territory as well, the price goes up..." Lucky Shot's face showed a somewhat sinister smile that Sky Dreamer was used to.

"Well, we won't know that until I get back from Stalliongrad...whatever I have to do there..."

"Do you think it's trade?" Lucky Shot asked, thoughtful.

"I'm afraid that if it was that, she would have given me details right there..."

"...So it's killing?"

"...Maybe it's not her intent. But if I'm going...quite likely." Sky Dreamer said ominously.

Author's Note

And here I am, writing ED again. I am going to put a lot more effort into this sequel than the first one.
Criticism welcome. Seriously, it is.

Warnings

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.

Forgotten

The sun was at the top of the sky when two airships left Manehattan. One of them headed for the Everfree Forest and the other one started to fly across the Coast of Stars. Sky Dreamer was on board, donning his nighthoof cothes, staring blankly at the fortified city.

"You seem troubled, sir."

Sky Dreamer snapped out of it and turned around. A militia pony had approached him, noticing the look on his eye. "I'm not troubled...it's just that I hoped I'd never have to go back to Moon and Star territory, at least not with orders to kill." Sky Dreamer looked at Manehattan one last time. "Plus...my daughter..."

"You will survive this, Silent Wing. You always do," the militia pony reassured him. "You have been with Moon and Star before, in case of an engagement, what should we expect?"

"Well, slaves. Moon and Star will send slaves to take the first hit, and then attack with their unicorns. But I hope it doesn't come to that. If things haven't changed in eight months, then Stalliongrad is not heavily guarded, so infiltrating it should be easy."

"Slaves, huh? Well, they will be easy to ki-" the militia pony noticed Sky Dreamer glaring at him. "I mean...sorry, sir."

Two hours into the flight, Sky Dreamer no longer looked outside the airship. He couldn't bear to look back at his old, painful life. Just being this close to Moon and Star territory made him remember the whips, shackles, agony and starvation that were common in a slave's life. They were so fresh in his memory that he could almost feel them now. He remembered his parents and Thin Veil, the only ponies that showed any love and compassion during the nearly ten years of slavery that took almost half of his entire life. He then remembered the reason his family was gone: Black Night, the Inquisitor. Even after killing him months ago, his memory made his mind burn with anger. Just remembering that unicorn face with the moon symbol tattooed on the left cheek and the long mustache made him want to kill him again and again, as many times necessary.

"We are getting close, Silent Wing. Get ready!" the captain shouted from the deck.

Sky Dreamer approached the captain, then whispered to him. "Stay flying above the island...as soon as you see me coming back, start the flight home. If you see forces gathering near you, don't even bother waiting for me."

"...Sure thing, son."

Sky Dreamer waited for the airship to be above the island in question. Looking at his comrades aboard the airship, he took off and prepared to dive to the ground. "For House Whitegold." He dived to the ground and flapped his wings when he was close enough, flying just above the ground at high speed, headed for Stalliongrad. He luckily remembered most of the turns he had to take, and even though he had just one eye, his depth perception was, mostly, fine. Not too long after, he reached the outskirts of the city Stalliongrad. However, he noticed one first change: the city had various Inquisitors patrolling it, accompanied by legionnaires. This gave him a clear idea that whatever they were doing there, it deserved vigilance. He had to create a diversion to safely infiltrate Stalliongrad, and it would have been easier if Guardian was with him. He carefully observed the patrols, and spotted one particular guard who was alone. He looked at his hoof and activated his concealed blade, then charged at the guard at such a speed that he had no time to react. With two quick stabs in the eyes, the guard was blinded. As he screamed in pain, Sky Dreamer took the chance to get into the city and hid in the first place he deemed safe.

Slowly moving from place to place, he looked at the numerous slaves that walked in the city, not as citizens, but as servants. He remembered the times he was forced to carry the mages' books, bags and even pull their carts. Once in a while he'd get a coin or some food, but those times could be counted easily by a recently born foal. However, he was genuinely thanked once by a young unicorn mare who wasn't likely to be older than himself. He never heard anything from her again, and in fact didn't remember her until now. He eventually managed to find what was so important in Stalliongrad, and what he saw scared him. They were building an Idol of the Sun and Moon, but far bigger and he deduced twice as powerful. The added size clearly required a longer construction, as it was not even halfway to being finished. He now knew why they had to send spies, something this big would easily mean Moon and Star's victory in any battle. He had to return quickly, but before taking off he saw why so many spies were lost: the sky above the construction site was being watched by Seraphs. Before he had the chance to swear to himself, he was immediately attacked. In battles, his specialty was taking out individual targets at a time, but he was greatly outnumbered and didn't have room to escape. To his surprise, he wasn't killed, and was instead captured.

"An eye patch of leather, gold and diamonds?" a seraph asked aloud.

"Then this is the one the Inquisition is looking for!" another seraph announced. "Take him to them, his crimes against the divine rule will be answered for at last!"

"Guess I'm famous around here, as well?" Sky Dreamer asked with irony.

"Silence, the Inquisition will see to it that you are burned at the stake soon."

"Woo hoo..." Sky Dreamer's sarcasm irritated his captors.

***

Sky Dreamer found himself tied to a stake in front of the gigantic monument under construction, along with the several nighthooves who had been sent to Stalliongrad, every single one of them still wearing their masks and uniforms and tied to their own stake. It seemed the Inquisition was waiting for him to execute them all. He looked to his side and saw the nighthooves looking at him. "What?" he asked.

"We are going to be executed because of you, you fool!" one of them shouted.

"Silent Wing had nothing to do with this, they would have executed us anyway!" another one replied.

"Then why did they keep asking us about him? It is him they want!"

"Yet they are going to execute us as well!"

"Alright, all of you, be quiet!" Sky Dreamer sighed. "Does anypony know why they want me exactly? No? Then stop blaming me!"

The inhabitants of Stalliongrad gathered, and soon after a pair of unicorns, male and female, the male one of being an inquisitor, walked in front of the stakes, the inquisitor speaking as the other pony removed the nighthooves' masks. "For the crime of heresy against the divine rules and teachings of the Royal Sisters, our Princesses Celestia and Luna, these traitors will burn. May Celestia and Luna have mercy on their souls!" He ordered the mare to stop at Sky Dreamer, and looking at him in the eye, he took a lit torch and levitated it near him. "The Silent Wing...guilty of the crimes of heresy, treason and murder of several Moon and Star ponies, including the famous Inquisitor Black Night, a beloved comrade...and beloved father..."

Sky Dreamer froze with shock. "FATHER?! That...that monster...had a son?!" He looked at the inquisitor, who resumed his speech.

"This murderer, the Silent Wing, shall burn, followed by his fellow assassins. His mask shall be removed, so that all will know the face of the criminal who murdered our brothers and sisters! In the name of Celestia and Luna!" He nodded at the mare, who then removed Sky Dreamer's mask. He prepared to burn the pegasus, but upon seeing his face, he dropped the torch to the ground and took a step back. "Y-YOU?!" the inquisitor said in disbelief.

Everypony present was confused by the inquisitor's reaction, especially Sky Dreamer. "No...no...no, no, no!" the inquisitor's shock persisted. "No! This is impossible!" the inquisitor fell backwards, landing on his rear. Sky Dreamer looked at him in confusion, but said nothing. "...Are you Sky Dreamer?!" Sky Dreamer was clearly surprised by the inquisitor knowing his name."...Why...why did you do it?!" the inquisitor asked, getting up. "Why did you kill my father, Sky?! Did our past mean nothing to you, 'Brother'?!"

Sky Dreamer was now shocked, and his memories flashed back to him. Something he had forgotten ever since the House enslaved him and his father. Before the war, when he was friends with the now cultist Tricky Note, he had another friend, a male unicorn known as Dusk Fire, his best friend, and one could say they were like brothers. He never knew Dusk Fire's father, he lived in Canterlot, and Dusk Fire's parents were in reality divorced. When the war began, Dusk Fire left Ponyville, and he never heard from him again. "Dusk...Fire?" he asked, as if to fully confirm the identity of the inquisitor.

"You will pay for all the lives you took, murderer!" Dusk Fire took the torch again and levitated it close to the stake. "In the name of Celestia, may your flesh burn like the fire of the sun. In the name of Luna, may your soul fade away in the light of the moon!" Dusk Fire set the wood at the base of the stake ablaze.

Sky Dreamer snapped out of his shock and held his breath since he knew inhaling the smoke was the first cause of death when burning at the stake, opposed to what others believe. He started moving his hooves, fortunately his captors did not notice his concealed blades, which he activated with some difficulty. Nearly damaging his forelegs' muscles, he managed to cut the ropes tying his hooves together, and with the smoke providing a way to move mostly unnoticed, he cut the ropes tying his wings and legs to the stake. He quickly jumped out of the fire and with his trademark swiftness did the same with the other nighthooves.

"You son of...seize them!" Dusk Fire commanded. The mare accompanying him and the seraphs attempted to stop the pegasi from escaping, but they were too quick for them and could only chase them. "Do NOT let them escape!" Dusk Fire joined the pursuit with an anger that burned more intensely than the stake.

Barely avoiding the guards and inquisitors, the nighthooves led by Sky Dreamer made their way through the city's borders, the field and coast, reaching the island the airship was still flying above. As the captain was instructed to, he turned the airship around and began the flight home as soon as the nighthooves were spotted, and though catching up was difficult considering the situation, they still made it to safety.

"Alright, start talking, 'Sky Dreamer'!" said a nighthoof, catching her breath. "What happened there?"

"...I believe that the inquisitor I killed before joining Whitegold was that unicorn's father, and now he wants to kill me for it." Sky Dreamer looked down.

"He knows you, and you knew him...what was that about?" another nighthoof asked him.

Sky Dreamer did not look at them to reply. "...We were friends before the war...when we were little kids...I honestly forgot he existed until now."

"Wait a second...you said you killed the inquisitor, Black Night I believe it was? Yes, Black Night, before you joined House Whitegold, right?"

"Yes..."

"Then, how come he knew the Silent Wing killed him? He didn't know it was you until your mask was removed, but you didn't become one of us until after the murder happened."

"...You...you make a good point. I wasn't Silent Wing then...heavens, at the time I didn't even know I'd fight under the Whitegold banner!" Sky Dreamer thought for a second. "To the ones captured before I got there...are there any cultists in Stalliongrad?" he asked the nighthooves.

They thought for minutes, until one of them finally answered. "Now that you mention it, I did see some ponies who were...or at least seemed to be cultists."

Sky Dreamer did not like the sound of that. "Everypony, we will be getting to Manehattan in three hours. Until then, please do not bother me, I have much to think about now." Not waiting for reactions, he walked away. He had indeed a lot going on in his mind. His friends' secret was nearly revealed, his family was being used to blackmail him, his old best friend now wanted him dead for something that needed to be done, and, even though this was only a hunch, somepony he knew was after him again, likely laughing at him from wherever she was. "Tricky Note...I should have killed you that day. Next time...I will fix that."

Advice

The school bell rang as the young fillies and colts ran out of Miss Cheerilee's school. Three in particular, a female light blue unicorn, a male dark blue pegasus and a male grey unicorn, walked slowly instead of running.

"Thanks again for not laughing at my song," the filly said. "I kinda expected Dreamy to laugh, why didn't you laugh?" she asked the pegasus.

"It was funny, but it was your project, I don't laugh at my friends' projects!" the pegasus answered.

"Are you sure? I swear to the princesses I saw you smiling suspiciously at mine." The other unicorn chuckled.

"Come on Dusk, you have to admit it was funny when that domino fell on your face!" the pegasus replied.

The friends laughed and continued their walk in Ponyville. Their conversation was filled with jokes, crazy misunderstandings and complaining about how difficult the school project was. Once in a while they would talk about how beautiful the day was or how cute the next bird was. They stopped in front of Sugarcube Corner, but before going in, the filly stopped them.

"Not to be a party pooper, but I just remembered I have to be home early," the filly said as she looked down.

"Well, that's ok. Next time, promise?" the pegasus asked.

"Sure! It's a promise! See you, Dreamy and Dusky!" The filly ran off.

"Tricky Note always does that. We have an arrangement and then she just leaves for something random!" the unicorn said.

"Hey, it's just her being herself. Come on, it's my turn to pay." The pegasus walked into Sugarcube Corner, closely followed by the unicorn.

"I would just like it if we were to spend at least one day after school together."

"Come on, Dusk. You have me here."

"Yes, that's not better..." the unicorn said, sarcastically.

"Dusk!"

"I am joking, Sky! Of course I like to spend time with my little brother!" The young unicorn took the pegasus' head and gave him a noogie with his hoof.

"Hey, stop it, Dusk Fire!" the pegasus said playfully.

"Sky? Partner? Are you there?"

"Huh?" Sky Dreamer woke up from his memories at the touch of a hoof on his side, realizing he must have been lost in his mind while listening to somepony talking in his dining room.

"I just basically told you my adventure in the Everfree Forest and you were just staring at the air for minutes." Lucky Shot suddenly smirked. "You were thinkin' about Leaf Heart, weren't ya?"

"...Funny...no, I wasn't." Sky Dreamer absentmindedly took a glass of wine and drank from it, but realized soon after and quickly got the drink out of his mouth.

Lucky Shot merely watched, his smile leaving as quickly as it came. "...Alright, this is serious, what happened this time?"

Sky Dreamer sighed. "Do you remember that I killed an inquisitor named Black Night when I was still unaligned, in Appleloosa?"

Lucky Shot thought deeply. "...Ah, yes, the one you burned...what about him?"

"Well...it turns out that, while I was in Stalliongrad, I found out the Inquisition is after me for killing him, and one inquisitor in particular is fixated on killing me, because Black Night was his father..."

"Oh..." Lucky Shot hoped that was it, but his friend's face made him suspect there was more to it. "...Go on."

"Well...that inquisitor, Dusk Fire, was...my best friend before the war."

Lucky Shot choked on his drink upon hearing that. After a coughing spree, he finally was in condition to talk again. "Your...what?! How come I didn't know about this?"

"I didn't tell anyone, in fact I completely forgot he existed until yesterday. I don't know how, I guess it was the slave years and the fact I never saw him again after the war started. My point is, he knew I killed his father and wanted revenge, but somepony told him it was the Silent Wing who did it. He believed it was the Silent Wing, but didn't know the pony behind the mask."

"And he found out?"

"Yes...when he was about to burn me, he removed my mask. He recognized me, and was shocked. He didn't want to believe it, then asked me why I killed his father, but before I could even think of answering, he tried to kill me. And quite frankly, I'm not sure what to do now." Sky Dreamer put a hoof to his forehead. "...He was my brother, Lucky Shot, my brother!"

Lucky Shot greatly disliked seeing Sky Dreamer so distressed, after all they were best friends. "Look, partner. If you want my advice...that friendship you had with him is as good as gone. Not only is he part of the house that brought you so many problems, but he is also the son of your parents' murderer, and I'm sure he won't listen to reason. Next time you see him, he'll likely want to kill you, so don't hesitate, just act."

"...Easy for you to say..."

"It's the only logical solution I see. You must understand one thing, Sky Dreamer, whatever bonds you had in the past, they mean nothing now. It's a miracle you've been able to keep me and the others as your friends over the past months, but just getting attached to somepony is dangerous in this war. We are your friends because we like you, and we know what you've been going through, but this Dusk Fire won't be the same, and neither will Tricky Note. Face it, partner, your old friends are gone."

"I hate to admit it, but you have a point..." Sky Dreamer sighed. "Enough of this....what were you saying?"

"Ah, yes...so, Hadya is worried about your situation, but she says you should look after yourself first instead of others. She asked how Guardian was doing, how your daughter is doing, those kind of things. And let me tell you, she is one wild dancer, if you know what I mean." Lucky Shot smiled to himself.

"...What?"

"You know, the 'Bedroom Tango'..." Lucky Shot grinned.

"...What?! Are you out of your mind?! I sent you to check on her, not sleep with her! You two barely know each other!" Sky Dreamer furiously reacted.

"Hey, we're both responsible adults, it's nothing we haven't done before...not with each other, of course."

"She's two years older than you!"

"And I am seven years older than you, so you have no say in this."

"...How did you even...? Trading doesn't take more than a couple hours!"

"It's the voodoo that I do." Lucky Shot laughed.

"So I get in trouble for talking with the enemy and you are able to sleep with the enemy?"

"I'm a mercenary, not an official part of the house. You, on the other hoof, are a nighthoof."

"...Whatever. I hope nopony suspected anything?"

"Nope, nopony suspected a thing. I am willing to bet my soul on it."

The conversation was interrupted by Guardian coming in and landing on the table, holding a note with his beak.

"Guardian? What is this?" Sky Dreamer took the note and began reading it. "General Fancy Pants wants to see me...to discuss my possible involvement in a battle against House Stormwing?"

"Ouch. What will you do?"

"...Hope I'm not involved...who am I kidding..."

Love's Promise

One of Whitegold's airships flew towards Colterado close to the dusk. There were only a handful of ponies aboard, mostly militia ponies and mercenaries, along with merchants. Upon arriving, the well-known trade between Whitegold and Earthborn began. As the merchants did their job, an Appleloosan Ranger mare walked near the airship. She paced around, worried and looking at the airship, seemingly trying to find something, or somepony, aboard.

"Did he forget? Did something happen to him?" she asked to herself.

Hours passed and the trade ended, the young mare looking on as the airship took off and left Colterado. She looked down and her eyes watered. Though many asked her what was wrong, she didn't answer and simply walked away. She reached the outskirts of Colterado and stopped, she sat down and looked at the sky. 'Sky Dreamer...Why didn't you show up? Please be alright. It would kill me if you weren't.' And so, Leaf Heart spent the next hour alone outside Colterado, thinking about her loved one. She hated being away from him, even if they couldn't help it in the middle of the war. Every night she dreamed about how different her life would be if Sky Dreamer had decided to join Earthborn instead of Whitegold. It was a selfish dream, and she knew that, but she really loved him despite their different loyalties. However, she knew that he had no choice, and was happy that he had found a good life and a family in Manehattan. She just wished he would be with her, that they didn't have to hide their love anymore, that they didn't have to meet only once a month during Whitegold and Earthborn's trades. Ever since she and Sky Dreamer's friends saved him, she had seen him only eight times, and today was going to be the 9th time, but he had not shown up at all.

Not wanting to waste more time thinking about what could have happened, Leaf Heart decided to return home, to Appleloosa. As she made her way back, a group of ponies stopped her before she could get back to Colterado. At first she thought they were cultists, but then saw they were mercenaries, not like that was any better. "What do you want?" she asked, reaching for her lasso.

"Are you Leaf Heart?" one of the ponies asked.

"...Yes, why?" she asked, still suspicious.

"Listen, missy, we got paid a lot of bits to give you this." One of the mercenaries took an envelope and gave it to her. "It's from a pegasus with a diamond eyepatch...see ya around, " the mercenary added before leaving with his group.

Leaf Heart was surprised that Sky Dreamer had sent her a letter, and through mercenaries even. It was an obvious sign something wasn't right, and she hurried back to Appleloosa to read the letter in private. She arrived late into the night, but the thought of what could be in the letter kept her from feeling tired or hungry. As soon as she entered her room, she sat on her bed, lit a candle and opened the envelope, taking a letter from inside and reading it carefully.

"Dear Leaf Heart:
I am really sorry, but I can't go into Earthborn territory for trading at least for some time. Our last time together was something I will never want to forget, but unfortunately, I wouldn't even if I wanted to. Rarity's spies saw us when we were kissing, and now Rarity is suspicious of me. She knows about us, and she knows about me and Hadya and Rain Cloud, therefore I'm officially unable to go and meet you girls, and I have to do what Rarity says for now, or else you girls will be in trouble, and so will Starsong. I know you're thinking this is what I get for joining Whitegold, but what the hay, you know I had no choice. I'm sorry, I should have realized sooner that I would inevitably end up getting in trouble if I kept trying to contact you and the others, but you can't blame me after what Tricky Note made me go through.
Speaking of Tricky Note, you probably want an update on what I have had to go through lately. I was told to investigate Stalliongrad for Moon and Star's secret weapon. I can't tell you anything about it, I hope you understand, but I found somepony there. Remember Black Night? The inquisitor you saw me burning, the one that killed my parents? I found his son, an inquisitor named Dusk Fire. But, it also turns out that Dusk Fire used to be my best friend before the war. I had completely forgotten he existed until that day. He was told the Silent Wing killed his father (I suspect Tricky Note told him somehow, she is the only pony that knows besides all of you) and he hated me for it, but he didn't know I was the stallion under the hood until that very day. He was shocked and his rage boiled, I think it's safe to say he wants to kill me more than anything, and he won't listen to reason as he thinks his father was a great pony. Also, the General now wants me to be more involved in battles, and that is not precisely good for my situation either. On a somewhat brighter note, Lucky Shot is now my contact for trading with Everfree and Stormwing, so the others know of my situation, but him and Hadya...Poor Hadya, that is all I can say. So, you can say the last week has been very eventful, and I really think I need you to help me now more than ever before.
I love you, Leaf Heart, and I miss you. Starsong really wants to meet you again, and I'm sure Guardian misses you too, in his own way. I, however, miss you the most. Sometimes I really regret joining Whitegold, and not for the reasons I mentioned earlier. I need to be with you, to feel your touch, to find comfort in your arms, and this war plus my own House blackmailing me AND Dusk's vendetta...it is not helping. I thought of something, but I can't say you will like it. Leave Earthborn and come to Manehattan with me. The General owes me a favor, and he can arrange for you to leave Appleloosa and start a new life with me here and without questioning from the military. You would be perfectly safe, and we would finally be together like we both want. I know your loyalty to Earthborn is strong, but this war will affect our relationship if we keep fighting in it. Promise me you will at least think about it, my love.
Forever yours,
Sky Dreamer
P.S.: I apologize if this letter sounds desperately sappy, living with the high society can do that to you."

Leaf Heart smiled tearfully after finishing reading. Clearly, Sky Dreamer had trouble in his hooves, but it made her happy that he would think of her. His plan was, needless to say, desperate, but Leaf Heart couldn't help but think of the possibility. She really loved him, but was it so easy to leave the House she had fought for most of her life? The answer was clearly no, but Sky Dreamer had a point, they both needed each other and that was the only way the would be together, at least until a better solution came up, but that wasn't likely. She lied down on her bed and looked out the window. 'I will think about it, I promise.'

Author's Note

...Alright I admit it, I'm a sucker for romance. Next chapter won't be as sappy.

Joke's On You

The Wall had served three purposes since its construction. One of them was to protect the inner city, giving Manehattan the name "Fortress City", another one was to serve as a military district for Whitegold's forces, at the command and direction of General Fancy Pants. The least known purpose was being a jail for war prisoners to be interrogated. This was precisely what Sky Dreamer, or rather, Silent Wing, was sent to do.

Walking down the dark halls barely lit with torches reminded him of how dark his job was. Spying is one thing, assassinating is another, and interrogating was the thing that he didn't enjoy. He could get information out of his targets, but who could tell if it was trustworthy? How could he tell if the target was lying? How could he tell if the target was just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Simply put, if the target did have information, even with the worst torture or the best offer, the information could be either the truth or lies; and if the target did not have any useful information, there was the risk of capturing or killing an innocent, and that was Sky Dreamer's problem.

"Stop, sir." A guard came to his encounter. "This area is only for authorized-"

Sky Dreamer interrupted him with a note he took from his pockets. "Lady Fleur de Lis has sent me to interrogate the changeling prisoner."

The guard read the note carefully. "...Forgive me, sir," the guard said before moving out of his way. "The other interrogators are waiting for you. Be careful, you are aware of how deceptive changelings are."

'Can't be worse than Fleur de Lis, Rarity or Diamond Tiara.' Sky Dreamer thought, laughing to himself. He kept walking towards an old wooden door with steel bars that allowed one to look inside. In front of the door were a pair of ponies, Nighthooves like him, waiting. "Greetings," he said to them as he saluted them respectfully, both mares doing the same afterwards.

"Fleur de Lis and the Mistress have given us clear instructions, Silent Wing. You are to interrogate this changeling alone, and we will make sure it doesn't attempt to kill you." The nighthooves prepared to open the door. "Whenever you are ready."

Sky Dreamer knew that they weren't there just to protect him, there had to be another reason. However, knowing what his superiors were planning against him wasn't his problem right now. He nodded at the nighthooves and they opened the door. The three of them walked in to see an obscured figure chained to the wall, staring at them with glowing green eyes. One of the nighthooves took a glowing gem from her pocket, using it as a light source.

The prisoner was indeed a changeling, clad in strange, seemingly light armor. Its black skin barely reflecting the diamond's light, its eerie green eyes and legs and wings full of holes was a sight that would make even veterans feel uneasy. The changeling stared almost exclusively at Sky Dreamer, but it was unclear with what exact intent.

"...What is your name?" Sky Dreamer asked.

For a few seconds the changeling didn't respond, but before he could ask another question, it began talking. "I am like you, I have no name..." it said with a strange voice and with short pauses between one or two words.

"...You were caught undisguised in the middle of a riot started by the Cult of Laughter in the Undercity, what were you doing there?" Sky Dreamer asked, not showing any reaction to the changeling's answer.

"I feed. The Undercity has love, though very small. The Cult spreads emotions I need." The changeling kept staring at Sky Dreamer, though it knew it didn't intimidate him.

"They spread it through insanity and chaos. Even a changeling must know that isn't, what do you call it, 'fancy food'?" Sky Dreamer laughed, followed by chuckles from his fellow nighthooves. "Don't stall, changeling. I find it very hard to believe that you were there simply to feed on emotions."

"The Cult's ways are destructive, I do not need them."

"Then what DO you need?"

"Ponies like you." The changeling smiled, making Sky Dreamer feel uneasy. "You are different. Ponies of Manehattan love their possessions, I do not need that. You love ponies important to you, that, I need."

Sky Dreamer could feel his "protectors" looking at each other, likely suspicious and confused, but not as much as he was. "Watch your tongue, changeling, and limit yourself to answering my questions. Do you know ANYTHING about the Cult's plans in Manehattan?"

"I do not need the Cult. I am not interested in their plans."

"Did you at least see WHO started the riot?!" Sky Dreamer asked, irritated.

"A hornless unicorn using the music machines that spread emotions."

Sky Dreamer's eye opened wide. Tricky Note was back and in Manehattan, it couldn't be coincidence. He felt that information was more than enough for him, and turned around, to the surprise of the changeling and the nighthooves. "We have what we needed. Let's go, friends." No more words were needed, and the three nighthooves left, the changeling looking at them go. Once outside the cell, Sky Dreamer turned to nighthooves. "I will report this to Fleur de Lis and the General. Feel free to accompany me." After both mares nodded, Sky Dreamer left the prison with them.

***

The General had, for some reason, decided to take a stroll in the Wall, where he could see the Undercity from above. He was walking in the middle of the night, accompanied by Fleur de Lis and a pair of Praetorponies. It was likely his idea of a romantic date, and unfortunately it was interrupted by three nighthooves flying and landing in front of them. He recognized Sky Dreamer's diamond eye patch and his disappointment seemingly turned into curiosity. "Ah, Silent Wing. It is nice to see you are working again. How is your shoulder?" the general said with genuine interest.

"It still hurts to lift my foreleg," Sky Dreamer replied.

"If you are here, then I assume you have already...?" Fleur de Lis asked, not finishing her question on purpose.

Sky Dreamer nodded, knowing where the question led. "Indeed, ma'am. The prisoner revealed the identity of the supposed mastermind behind the riot earlier today. I believe it is a unicorn, well, formerly a unicorn, high cultist called Tricky Note. If I am right, then Manehattan might have a more active Cult in the near future."

"I see...what do you propose we do?" the general asked, hoping Sky Dreamer would give him a good answer.

"...You are the general, sir. I am not the one best suited to propose a course of action." Sky Dreamer knew he was disappointing one of the few allies he had in Manehattan, but he was strongly against making difficult decisions that involved more than a small group.

"But, surely you have faced Tricky Note in battle before, you must have an idea of her tactics, if she has any!" the general said, attempting to remain optimistic.

"Maybe so, but I-" Sky Dreamer's good eye took notice of something at them from the Undercity side of the Wall at high speed, and quickly saw that it was dangerous. "Watch out, General!" Sky Dreamer shoved the General out of the way, to the surprise of the other ponies, but it saved him from a harmful projectile: a pie with explosives on it.

The incendiary pie hit the surface they were standing on, causing an explosion too weak to kill a pony, but still strong enough to cause severe injuries. Sky Dreamer was unfortunate enough to have his bad foreleg caught in the explosion, however the General had gotten the worst, his entire right side being injured despite his ally's intervention, though without it it would certainly have been worst for both of them, while the other ponies and Fleur de Lis were mostly unaffected. The smoke left behind by the explosion had the smell of a recently baked apple pie and gunpowder, a very odd and somewhat sickening combination, undoubtedly the Cult's work.

"Fleur de Lis? General?!" Sky Dreamer tried to clear the smoke with his wings, and he quickly noticed his foreleg was worse than before. After clearing the smoke he saw Fancy Pants on the ground with Fleur de Lis and the other ponies standing by his side. "Sweet Heavens...!" He rushed to the general's side, ignoring the excruciating pain for the moment.

"Fancy? Please say something!" Fleur de Lis said, concerned about her lover's well-being.

After a few coughs, the general began talking. "I am fine, Fleur. It's just a flesh wound!" he said faking a smile, attempting to calm her down. His fake smile disappeared when more explosions were heard on the Wall. "What is this?"

One of the praetorponies looked down at the Undercity from where they were standing. "The Cult! They are assaulting the Wall!" He pointed down at the Undercity, where the Cult had established a small forward point, attacking the wall with cannons.

"What?!" The general attempted to move, only to be held down by his lover. "But...What happened to the Wall's defenses?!"

More bombs came at the Wall, causing minor damage but injuring most of the ponies stationed in the wall, and like the General implied, the trebuchets and airships were, for some reason, not aiding in the defense. Sky Dreamer looked at the Nighthooves and spoke like a leader giving orders. "Go get our fellow Nighthooves, split up in groups of 3 and aid in the defense, I will find out what is stopping the trebuchets and airships."

The nighthooves nodded in agreement and flew away, though the general was quick to protest. "By yourself? You must go home, Sky!"

"No, general! If Tricky Note is behind this, then it's me she wants!" Sky Dreamer said. "You must get to safety, and get medical aid!"

"You are not going to fight with that foreleg of yours, and if the Cult wants you, then that is more of a reason for you to stay where they can't get you! Go home, that is an order!"

"And make the Cult keep attacking us? No, sir, I am afraid I will have to disobey your order. You are free to do whatever you want to me afterwards, but I will not let the Cult endanger our city!" With those words, Sky Dreamer took off and flew across the Wall, looking for one of the trebuchets mounted on the Wall.

After a short while, he found one, but to his surprise, the ponies supposed to operate it were held captive by cultists. 'What? Cultists HERE?! How did they...?!' he thought, but there was little time for thoughts unrelated to how to solve this. He thought of an idea that even to him seemed ridiculous but always seemed to work against cultists. He dived and landed behind the cultists. "Stop right there!" he shouted.

The cultists turned around to look at him, their smiling faces not making him flinch. "Oh how brave! The famous Silent Wing wants to attack us!" The cultists laughed like little foals. "You fool, we got you surrounded, at least from this side!"

"Surrounded? But I outnumber you!" Sky Dreamer said, taunting them.

"Wait, outnumber? But we are one...two...three..." One of the cultists turned around to count the rest of his friends. This was precisely what Sky Dreamer wanted, and the cultist was stabbed in the back and used as a charging meat shield by him.

As he made his way through the small group of cultists, Sky Dreamer dropped a smoke bomb that enabled him to hide from the crazy ponies as he made his way to the captured Whitegold ponies and released them. After the smoke cleared, the cultists' smiles turned into nervous ones as they saw that now the ponies they tied up were free.

"Ah! This ain't good!" one of them shouted.

"Who cares, go get them punchline!" another one yelled.

The cultists had succeeded in defeating the guards earlier because they took them by surprise, but now it was the opposite, and as expected, they lost. After disposing of the cultists, Sky Dreamer turned to the ponies. "How did they get to you?"

"An explosion hit us, but before we could get a clear view, the cultists climbed up the Wall with the help of Grinning Worms!"

"No point in stalling now, get to the trebuchet and show them that Whitegold will not take more of their games!" Sky Dreamer ordered, the ponies complying shortly afterwards. With that trebuchet back up, Sky Dreamer left to find another one.

***

After no more than half an hour, the Wall was now defending itself perfectly, though the Cult kept attacking. Sky Dreamer had found the other trebuchets in similar conditions to the first one, though he had not found out what happened to the Airship Hangar. It wasn't long before he found himself in front of the hangar's doors, though they were unguarded and had a large sign reading "HA HA HA". He knew this could only mean it was compromised, but before he could open the doors, a group of Whitegold forces arrived.

"Silent Wing, we were sent by the general to retake the hangar," one of the Arqueteers said.

"Your arrival is most fortunate, friends." Sky Dreamer looked at the doors. "I have no idea what is inside, so be ready for anything. I suggest sending the most durable ones first, then after taking the first hit the others will attack."

As if the suggestion was a direct order, a group of Gem Golems came to the front of the group. Not wasting more time, they opened the doors and the group charged inside. To Sky Dreamer's surprise and nearly shock, the hangar was overrun with cultists, including undead, astral demons and even ghosts, and it seemed they had been there since before the assault. Maybe it was luck or a miracle, but even though they were outnumbered, the defenders managed to dispose of the cultist threat, though not without losses. Sky Dreamer was about to kill one of the remaining cultists when he saw the cultist was begging for his life, something really strange for a cultist to do.

"Don't kill me! It's me!" the cultist said as he was engulfed in green flames and transformed into the changeling Sky Dreamer had interrogated earlier that night.

"What?!" Sky Dreamer froze in shock before going back to threatening him. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now, you have ten seconds." He waved his good foreleg with an activated blade in front of the changeling.

"I know what Cult wants! They want bodies, corpses to bolster their numbers and their magic! Attack not meant to bring down Wall, it meant to be trap for ponies! The hornless unicorn planned this!"

Sky Dreamer thought for a second. It explained the nature of the attack, but could Tricky Note's obsession with him be secondary to her current plans or was the changeling lying? Not wanting to waste time, he kept interrogating the changeling. "What are YOU doing here with the Cult?"

"I escape! I had no choice but blend in with them! Do not send me back! I do anything!"

Sky Dreamer let the changeling go, but told his allies to watch it closely. The Wall was now safe, or so it seemed. With that in mind, he decided to ask the airships' surviving crew what had happened. He walked up to an injured and disturbed but still sane pony. "How did the Cult get here?"

"They...they got into our ships...they waited, they waited until we were back, until this moment, and then they attacked us!" the pony explained, visibly shaken by what he had to experience, and Sky Dreamer could understand this.

Sky Dreamer walked closer to the windows to take a look outside, but what he saw left him with fear. The Cult was approaching the wall with a large strange contraption pulled by two Grinning Worms. On top of it were a small group of cultists, but he could not get a clear view. He asked for a spyglass and used it to take a better look. Among the cultists was none other than Tricky Note, with her unsettling smile, dark blue make up and severed horn. The mere sight of her made him boil with rage, but he chose to focus on the large contraption. While he knew the Wall was more than prepared to take it, he wanted to put an end to Tricky Note's actions once and for all, and get some answers from her as well. He spent a minute thinking of ideas when he got one from looking at the airships. He turned to the changeling and approached it. "You said ANYTHING, right?"

"Yes. But don't send me back to prison!"

"If you do as I tell you, EXACTLY as I tell you, you will be free." He got more than a couple suspicious looks from his allies, but Sky Dreamer proceeded to explain his plan.

***

The carnival contraption moved towards the wall, the cultist ponies on top of it laughing and giggling like crazy. The highest-ranking cultist among them, Tricky Note, wasn't laughing, but her smile was psychotic enough to give away her internal laughter. She waved a hoof to the drivers to tell them to stop, for in front of them was a small group of Gem Golems and Militia ponies, led by a single Nighthoof with a diamond eye patch. "DREAMY! Isn't this great? We are again together! Only, you are the one down on the ground, and I'm up here! Funny how things change, huh? Huh? Huh?!"

"We stopped your attack, Tricky Note! Surrender now or prepare to die!" Sky Dreamer shouted.

"Let me think about it for a second!" Tricky Note ducked, then got back up. "NOPE! Let's get ready to PAAAR-TAY!" With her words, the cultists began getting ready to attack. The cannon mounted on the contraption aimed at the group of defenders. "Fire at one, number that comes after one, and two plus one!" Tricky Note yelled.

However, right before the cannon fired, a volley of cannonballs came down from the sky at the cultists, destroying the contraption and blasting the cultists off of it. Before the cultists could get an idea of what had just happened, the ground defenders attacked them and an airship came out from behind a cloud, and from it came a group of Nighthooves led by Sky Dreamer, flying towards the cultists.

"Wait, what?!" Tricky Note looked at the Sky Dreamer on the ground and the one flying at her. "...I really have to lay off of this whole cider thing..." she said to herself as the flying Sky Dreamer got to her and pinned her on the ground. "Ok, you are Dreamy, but he is Dreamy too!" she said as she pointed to where the defenders were, only to see "Sky Dreamer" transforming into a changeling. "...Ooh, clever little pegasus. Imagine how smart our kids will be!" she said excitedly before being punched in the face.

"You heartless maniac! Did you tell Dusk about me and his father?!" Sky Dreamer asked before punching her again.

"Owie! Yes, I did! It wasn't nice to leave poor Dusky out of the party!" she replied before laughing.

"How did you even do it?!"

"Stalliongrad has lots of ways you can leave a letter on an inquisitor's desk, silly!"

Sky Dreamer no longer needed to ask her anything, so he prepared to stab her with his left blade. However, Tricky Note hit him in the face with her forehead, knocking him back and allowing her to roll out the way. Not wanting to let her go now, he attempted to stab her with his bad foreleg, but the acrobatic unicorn was too quick for him and he hit the ground with his hoof, hurting his already badly injured shoulder. In pain, he fell to the ground and held his foreleg.

"Oh, so you are not invincible as everypony says!" she taunted him before grabbing a spear. "Dreamy, I wanted you to be happy with me! With me, you could have even kept your friends and we could have all been happy! Why can't you understand that I am the only pony that wants you to be happy, huh?!"

Sky Dreamer was in terrible pain, but he shrugged it off long enough to look at her. "Go buck yourself, Tricky Note..."

"Tsk, tsk, Dreamy...Hey, have you heard this joke? A spear meets a pony, and the spear says 'Hi, I'm a heart breaker and I'm gonna drive myself into your chest to break yours!' so the pony says 'Woah, a talking spear!'" Tricky Note laughed as she lifted the spear, standing on her hind legs, and prepared to impale him. "I LOVE that one, cracks me up every time!" Before she had the chance to hurt him, the changeling tackled her and threw her off balance, forcing her roll away. "Hey, you ruined the punchline!" she said angrily.

The cultists were forced to regroup behind Tricky Note, and the changeling, a pair of Praetorponies, Nighthooves and Militia ponies stood by Sky Dreamer and helped him get up. "I think the punchline was made better, Tricky." Sky Dreamer looked at her and she could feel his smirk under his mask. "We killed your necromancers in the Wall, we stopped your assault and we are keeping all the bodies inside. You failed, Tricky Note...Joke's on you."

"Buzz kill! Everypony, run for it!" Tricky Note yelled as she and the few surviving cultists fled, being picked up by Euphories before the defenders could chase them.

"...Great work, everypony. You too, 'decoy'," Sky Dreamer said to the ponies and changeling by his side.

"'Decoy'?...That is good name. I am Decoy." The changeling smiled at having found a name for itself. "Will you keep your promise, pegasus?"

"...Yes, but if we ever find you involved in more Cult actions, you will be killed."

"I will no longer be involved in their actions. From now on, I follow House Whitegold," the changeling called Decoy said, to the surprise of everypony.

"Why?" Sky Dreamer asked.

"You give me freedom, I am in your debt. Until debt is paid, I follow."

Sky Dreamer and the other ponies were somewhat confused and at at the same amused by the changeling's claim. "...Have it your way, 'Decoy'..." Sky Dreamer said before attempting to walk, only to feel terrible pain in his foreleg. Even though he was exhausted, he decided to fly back to the Wall, everypony plus the changeling following him. He knew Decoy had to have an ulterior motive behind its sudden loyalty, but he thought it was the higher-ups' problem now.

In the Wall, Sky Dreamer was greeted by an unusually serious Fancy Pants, bandaged and still recovering from his injuries, accompanied by Fleur de Lis. He had disobeyed direct orders, so he naturally would have a punishment. He braced himself for whatever the general had decided.

"Sky Dreamer, Silent Wing. You disobeyed direct orders, recklessly risked your life and even freed a prisoner. What do you have to say for yourself?" the general said.

"I had to do it, general. As I suspected, Tricky Note was behind this, and I also discovered the reason behind the attack with the prisoner's help. I only tried to protect the Wall, and to some extent, I succeeded."

There was a long silence in the room, a pony could have dropped a pen and it would have been heard across the room. The general finally decided to speak. "Go home. The Mistress will decide what will happen with you."

No more words were needed. Sky Dreamer proceeded to leave the Wall and go home, watched carefully by Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis as he left. Whatever they did to him wasn't his problem at the moment. He regretted nothing that was done that night, except letting Tricky Note go.

One Chance at Happiness

It had been two days since the attack on the Wall and Sky Dreamer was still recovering from his foreleg injury. Almost as if luck was on his side, he had no orders from his superiors and that allowed him to spend those two days with his daughter. On the third day, however, he received a very unexpected and almost unwelcome visit. Standing in front of the door was none other than Decoy, the changeling that both got him in trouble and gave him the solution to one.

"...If I may be so bold to ask, what in Equestria are you doing here, changeling?" Sky Dreamer asked, intrigued by the changeling's appearance but at the same time wary of it.

"Whitegold high society gave me freedom to walk in Manehattan, yet they do not trust me. My debt is not with them, however, it is with you. I ask to be your servant, Silent Wing."

The request was met with nothing but disapproval from Sky Dreamer. "Are you insane, Decoy?! If they do not trust you, why should I of all ponies? Besides, I am not going to have servants, ever."

"Your distrust is understandable, but you can trust me. You gave me freedom, I am on your side."

"Absolutely not! Look, you can't just ask me to let you in when-"

"Woah, since when are you friends with changelings, partner?" said a very familiar voice.

"...Great, speaking of untrustworthy ponies." Sky Dreamer brought a hoof to his face.

"Very funny, Sky." Lucky Shot walked up to the pegasus and the changeling, eyeing the changeling suspiciously. "Who is this?"

"...Lucky Shot, Decoy. Decoy, Lucky Shot. What do YOU want?" Sky Dreamer said, not amused in the slightest.

"I heard about the attack on the Wall, I came as soon as I could to check on you, partner."

Sky Dreamer forgot he wasn't comfortable with the visit, even if it was brief. "That's nice of you, Lucky."

"So what does HE want?" Lucky Shot asked while looking at Decoy.

"To serve," Decoy said flatly.

"He wants to be my servant because I released him from prison in exchange for Cult information..." Sky Dreamer said, attempting to sound calm.

"...Now that's a risky game. Knowing you, you're not going to let him, are you?"

"Of course not. Why would I?"

"Well, he could be useful! You never know!"

"He is a changeling! One of the most deceptive and untrustworthy species in Equestria!"

"Hey, I told you not to judge by appearance, Sky. Give it a shot, it can't be THAT bad!"

"I promise to serve faithfully, Silent Wing. Your will is my command." Decoy bowed down as if greeting a superior.

Sky Dreamer sighed heavily. "Fine...but first things first, my daughter can't see you like that."

As soon as Sky Dreamer finished talking, Decoy transformed into an earth pony stallion with the clothes of a butler, with the addition of a mask. "Is this better?" he asked, no longer in his strange accent nor voice.

"...A little...both of you, come in." Sky Dreamer walked back into his house, followed closely by Lucky Shot and Decoy behind them. "Keep a close eye on him," he whispered to Lucky Shot, to which the mercenary nodded in agreement.

Sky Dreamer decided to get introductions out of the way quickly and to tell Starsong of this new "butler", and to make sure Guardian wouldn't blow his cover so quickly, even though the eagle wasn't there at the moment. Before he could call her, Starsong, being the curious filly she was, found them first. "Oh, Starsong, this is...Decoy, Lucky Shot's brother."

"What?" both Decoy and Lucky Shot said at the same time, looking at Sky Dreamer, before cocking their heads and raising their eyebrows as if accepting that unexpected background story.

"Oh my gosh! So you're uncle Lucky Shot's brother? Does that mean I can call you uncle as well?" the little filly asked.

Before answering, Decoy looked over at Sky Dreamer, who shook his head in disapproval. "No, it is best you don't, little one."

"See, he is actually offering himself to be our butler, Starsong." Sky Dreamer looked at Decoy. "We were just on our way to my office to discuss the terms and conditions of his employment."

"Oh, OK!" the filly said.

"Let's go, friends. I'll be back with you later, Starsong." Sky Dreamer kept walking with the mercenary and changeling, being careful not to act suspiciously until they were in his office. "Take a seat if you like, gentlecolts." Decoy was quick to take a seat, and Lucky Shot sat down beside him, keeping an eye on him as he agreed to do, Sky Dreamer quickly sitting behind the desk and looking at Decoy with a serious look. "If you really want to be my servant, then you will have to prove your loyalty." He looked at Lucky Shot and pointed at him. "Look at Lucky here. He's a mercenary, he does what anypony tells him to do without question if there is money involved, but he wouldn't sell me even for an entire gem mine."

"Now, if the price is TWO gem mines I'd think about it," Lucky Shot joked, to Sky Dreamer's annoyance.

"Lucky Shot...do me a favor and spare me your sense of humor."

"Do us both a favor and buy one."

"I understand, master. Loyalty above all else. Though, if I may ask, what drives Lucky Shot to be so loyal to you?" Decoy asked, keeping calm despite the humorous conversation.

Sky Dreamer did not like being called "master", and this was evident in his expression. "...Lucky Shot, this is something only you can answer, so if you please..."

"Let's just say Sky here has a certain...charm, if you may call it that. He is one of the kindest and most generous ponies I know, and I have seen what he has had to go through with this war. I don't know, after witnessing all those things, it's really difficult not to want to be his friend. It's one of those things that when you have them, you don't wanna let them go." Lucky Shot tipped his hat at Sky Dreamer. "I'm one of the few ponies he can truly trust with everything. In fact, I've been alternating roles of hired mercenary, moral support and adviser...Not to mention getting some sense of humor into his life, which he clearly needs."

Sky Dreamer had been proud of his friend up until that last part, even though he knew it was true. "...Right. So, do you understand, Decoy?"

"Yes, master."

"Good, now if you wouldn't mind, I have some questions for you..." Sky Dreamer prepared to interrogate his new butler when Guardian came in through the open window holding an envelope. "Guardian? Back already?" he asked, surprised to see his eagle. "And what is this?" He took the envelope from the eagle's beak and took a look at it to see who sent it.

"What is it, partner? The General? The Mistress?" Lucky Shot asked, interested in the envelope.

"...It's from Leaf Heart..." Sky Dreamer said with greater surprise.

"Mother of the sun...Well, what are you waiting for? Read it!" Lucky Shot told his friend.

As Sky Dreamer read the letter, his face went from showing surprise to something that surprised even Decoy. Upon finishing the letter, Sky Dreamer's face had a tearful smile, one that Lucky Shot had very rarely seen from him.

"...Partner? You ok?"

"Master, is everything alright?"

"...Leaf Heart...She accepted..."

"Accepted what?" Lucky Shot asked, now more interested than ever.

"...She accepted my offer to leave Appleloosa and start a new life with me, here, in Manehattan!" Sky Dreamer said with an enthusiasm that only his daughter had seen.

Lucky Shot was speechless, but Decoy smiled. "Congratulations, master. What will happen now?"

"...I believe you wanted to prove your loyalty?" Sky Dreamer asked the changeling.

"Of course."

"Then two things. One, don't call me Master, Boss is fine, but not master. Two...I have the perfect test for you."

***

Later that same day, Sky Dreamer visited the General's office, though unlike other times, he was not going as Silent Wing. This surprised the praetorponies guarding the door, but with or without outfit, they knew that he was allowed in. Upon seeing him, the General was not sure whether to show contempt, sympathy or neutrality. "Evening, Fancy Pants." Sky Dreamer sat in front of him.

"...Sky Dreamer. How is your leg?" the General asked with certain hostility in his tone.

"Much better, thank you. Look, I don't want to waste either of our times, so we will make this quick. I need that favor you owe me."

"Oh? You want me to intercede for you and make your punishment for disobeying direct orders much more bearable?"

"No, but now that you mention it, any word on what the Mistress decided?"

"No, she is busy with other things at the moment, but word of your actions has reached her."

"Good, for some reason that puts me at ease. Look, I really need you to do me that favor, and I am not speaking with my general right now."

The general sighed and smiled, albeit slightly. "What do you need, boy?" he asked in a much friendlier manner.

"I need you to order a fake assault on Appleloosa to cover the rescue of an important pony."

The general was surprised at the request, to say the least. "Beg your pardon? You want me to order an attack on Appleloosa so that you can rescue somepony? Is that what you are asking me?"

"Yes, Fancy Pants."

"...I am not sure how to respond to that. Is this pony important to Whitegold?"

"No, but to me she is."

"...I see." The general put his hooves together as he thought about the request deeply. "...It is a crazy idea the one you propose, Sky Dreamer. But, I owe you, so I guess I can do you this ONE favor. I will have to remember not to let you get favors out of me in the future. Alright, I will do it. But, you will have to give me two days to plan a safe route, both for attacking and escaping once your rescue is done, and to find a squad of infiltration specialists among the Nighthooves."

"Thank you so much, Fancy Pants, but the squad is not entirely necessary."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"I know the safest route to the pony's residence, and I will take Decoy with me."

"...Decoy? Who is Decoy?" the general asked, confused.

"The changeling that I released from prison in exchange for information."

"Ah, that creature. Is it still around? I thought it would leave Manehattan when we allowed it to leave the Wall."

The general's words made Sky Dreamer feel somewhat calmer. At least it made it possible to believe that Decoy was not sent by Whitegold's leaders to spy on him, which was one of the reasons he did not trust him. "...Yes, he is my butler. I beg you not to ask, I will explain some other time."

"Have it your way, then. This operation will be difficult to hide from the Mistress, so for the sake of both of us, I hope you know what you are doing, and that this doesn't fail."

"I won't, you have my word."

"Good. I will send a messenger to get you when the assault is planned out."

"Thank you again, sir. Good night." Sky Dreamer quickly turned to leave without waiting for the general's reply. Once outside, Guardian landed on his back and he whispered to him. "I know it's a long trip and you hate it, but you will have to go to Appleloosa again tonight and deliver the news to Leaf Heart. I promise it's the last time I'll ask you to do it with so little time between flights, ok?" Though not glad to hear he had to return to Appleloosa, Guardian made a sound that Sky Dreamer interpreted as a signal that he agreed. "Is Lucky Shot still at the house?" After a similar sound, Sky Dreamer continued. "Good, as much as Decoy wants to be loyal, I am not leaving him alone with Starsong OR my things...I just hope I am right about him, or else everything is over..."

No Matter the Cost

Sky Dreamer sat impatiently in his office. Decoy had already brought him tea about three times, or at least those were the times he counted. It had been two days, but the messenger had not appeared yet. Sky Dreamer had even arranged a slight change of plans and told Leaf Heart to move to Fillydelphia, where the operation was less of a risk and more believable, and had told the General believing this would require less time and ponies, however it was still the same.

Not wanting to fall deeper into his desperate state, he looked at his "pony" butler taking his empty teacup and replacing it with another one, and, against his better judgement, began a conversation.

"Decoy, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, sir." The changeling put down the teacup and looked at his master. "What is it?"

"Why are you here, and not with your Hive?"

"My hive no longer exists, sir. When the war started, the love we used to feed on wasn't there anymore. We starved, and not wanting to die, I left them. As fate would have it, my hive fell victim to infighting and despair. I later learned I was all that was left." Decoy explained, though he did not show sorrow or survivor's guilt.

"Really?" Sky Dreamer asked, intrigued and feeling a small bit of sympathy. "No eggs, larvae or other rogue changelings?"

"I was the only one who ever thought about leaving."

"...And why?"

"I became too aware of myself, in my Queen's words. Independence is a very rare trait in changelings, as you know."

"I see...It must have been hard for you."

"Not at all. I have no love for my hive, nor even my species."

"Seriously? Why?"

"You see this body? An earth pony used to have this very form, aside from this cutie mark." Decoy looked at his pony body in a mirror, though he took a moment to run a hoof down his own cheek. "...It belonged to my very first victim. I was still a larva, well, not literally, I was not a full adult. They sent me to feed on his love...I transformed into a pony he loved, and...you can guess what happened afterwards. But in the middle of the act, the disguise wore off." Decoy explained, this time his tone was indeed sad. "But he did not reject me, no. He loved me, and in a way, so did I. But the Queen felt the attachment was a threat...and influenced me to kill him."

"Sweet Celestia..." Sky Dreamer was, to say the least, surprised by such a story, so much that he forgot he no longer believed in the Princesses. "I can see why you grew independent, Decoy. I'm sorry."

"It is alright, sir." Decoy shook his head and looked back at him.

"...Allow me another question. Why is it that you want to help me with Leaf Heart's rescue? I know it was an order, but you smiled when I gave it to you...And answer honestly this time."

"...To survive. You are a pony who knows true love...If I help you be with your loved ones, I will have love to feed on. But with my independence, and our debt, I will do you no harm, nor to your loved ones."

Sky Dreamer, truthfully, expected as much, but the answer still caught him off-guard. He calmed down with ease, however, and continued to inquire. "Can I trust your words?"

"Yes, sir. I swear you can trust me."

Despite his ally's words, Sky Dreamer still didn't find it in himself to trust him. Still impatient about the operation, he dismissed him and left the room without touching the now cold tea, going straight to his daughter's room. He found her reading a book, and it made him quite proud to see that a filly who months ago could only read the numbers on the bit coins and the words "Mommy died. No daddy." could now read a book without problems. He had to thank her private teachers, ever since he had enough with her being bullied at school for her former life in poverty, he spent quite the fortune on some of the best tutors and teachers in order to homeschool her. He approached her and put a hoof on the book, urging the little unicorn to look up at him.

"Hello, Starsong."

"Hi, father. What's wrong?"

"We need to talk about something. Do you remember Leaf Heart?"

"The nice lady you like? Of course I do! What about her?"

"She...She's coming to live with us today. Forever."

"Really?! YAY!" The little filly jumped excitedly. She had always liked Leaf Heart, and she knew she made her father happy. However, she was not aware of the real problem with this. She had been to Redhearth's Refuge, where she met her and the other ponies that were so important to her father, but she was largely unaware of the war that separated them, and they all did their best to make sure it stayed that way.

"Yes, in fact, I will go to get her soon. I will be gone for a couple hours, but I promise you, I'll return with her," Sky Dreamer said, sure of his words. No matter what happened that night, he would definitely bring his loved one with him.

Decoy walked into the room, a faint smile on his pony face. "Boss. It's time."

"Excellent." Sky Dreamer hugged Starsong and kissed her forehead, then turned to leave. It was time to get Leaf Heart.

***

"We will be arriving outside Fillydelphia in ten minutes, everypony!" the captain of the airship shouted at the ponies on deck, mostly mercenaries, Militia ponies and Nighthooves. Though some of them were there following orders, most of them were in this operation simply because of the money.

"Alright, our spies tell us there is something of importance to Earthborn here and to the Cult here." Sky Dreamer said as he pointed at locations on a map of Fillydelphia. "If we are fast and lucky, we might be able to ignite a conflict between them both as we get what is rightfully ours. Applejack will see what it means to keep Equestria's gems from Whitegold, where they belong."

When everypony memorized the strategies he proposed, Sky Dreamer walked over to Lucky Shot and an undisguised Decoy, both of them looking over at Fillydelphia, the sun seemingly setting on it. "You two remember our plan, right?"

"We await direct conflict. Once flames of battle begin, we act." Decoy licked his teeth.

"We cover you and ourselves, get Leaf Heart, and get our flanks out of there!" Lucky Shot said as he played cards with himself.

"Good...remember, no matter what happens, three get in, four of us get out."

"Of course."

The airship landed one mile away from Fillydelphia. Not even three minutes afterwards, the assault began with the mercenaries creating a diversion, aided by the Nighthooves. After that, a group moved into Fillydelphia, heading directly for the places marked as Cult safehouses, purposely attracting attention from the Earthborn forces in Fillydelphia. It doesn't take a genius to guess that it was the perfect bait for the Cult to come out and play. It was the desired effect, and the battle soon ensued. While the Cult, the mercenaries and Earthborn fought, Whitegold's loyal forces looked for where the gems from the Fillydelphia gem mines ended up, with the intention of stealing them for Whitegold.

Meanwhile, Sky Dreamer, Decoy and Lucky Shot went into Fillydelphia. While Sky Dreamer and Lucky Shot ran across the streets looking for the place Leaf Heart said she'd be at, Decoy took out some of the immediate threats, like hoof cannoneers or the new Firespitters, using his ability to quickly disguise and his weapons of choice, serrated blades attached to his forelegs, to do so unnoticed. For his part, Lucky Shot used his revolver, made in the pre-war era, to get rid of other hostilities at range. For the greater threats, such as Juggernauts, it was Sky Dreamer's job, carefully waiting the right time to strike and blind them with his trademark stabbing-in-the-eyes tactic, then taking advantage of that to keep running.

It wasn't long before they found the place, an old, abandoned house. Leaf Heart had left a window open with a plant sitting on it like she said she would, indicating it was the right place. Sky Dreamer and his companions quickly entered the house, making sure that nopony was looking, and killing the ones that were. It wasn't long before they reached the room where Leaf Heart, alone and with her packed belongings, was waiting. Though she was wary of a changeling's presence, upon seeing Sky Dreamer taking off his mask and recognizing him, she jumped to him and hugged him tightly, a gesture he returned immediately.

"Sky, I was so worried, I...I'm glad you are alright!" she said as she tightened her grip on him.

"It's alright, Leaf Heart, I'm here." He ran his hoof down her mane, both of them lost in that moment.

"Ehem. I hate to be a buzz kill, but we gotta get the hay out of here, pronto!" Lucky Shot said, looking at the battle outside.

"Right!" Sky Dreamer let go of Leaf Heart. "Alright, we gotta go back quickly, if we're lucky they won't see you."

"And just how exactly are we going to do that?" she asked before looking clearly at Decoy. "...What is this thing, by the way?"

"Oh, right, this is a changeling that wants to serve. His name is Decoy. I'll explain later."

"Time's runnin' out!" Lucky Shot shouted.

"OK! Here, take this." Sky Dreamer took off his Nighthoof clothes and gave them to Leaf Heart, keeping the bracers that held his concealed blades, only that now they were clearly visible. "You are not a pegasus, but those bags will make it look like you can't fly. The way is long but we should pull this off if we are quick."

Though Leaf Heart was smaller compared to Sky Dreamer, the disguise was convincing enough unless inspected closely. The bags concealed the lack of wings and a large cloth concealed her tail and cutie mark, making for a good temporary cover.

Once everything was ready, the four of them ran back towards the airship. This time Sky Dreamer took on everypony that came at them from the front, fueled by nothing more than his desire to get back in one piece with his lover. If at the start of the operation Sky Dreamer killed light-armored ponies and buffalos in the cleanest way possible, he was now more ferocious, so much that it would have scared Leaf Heart and Lucky Shot if they didn't know what was at stake here. However, it was that ferocity what almost made him the victim of an unimaginably fast pegasus' spear, were it not for Decoy taking the hit for him, fortunately only hurting his hind legs.

Taking shortcuts and not risking any more surprise attacks, they reached the airship quickly, and luckily the extraction had just begun. Though some ponies were surprised to see Leaf Heart returning with them, Sky Dreamer managed to convince them she was a spy working for them. In the following minutes, the Whitegold ponies returned with stolen gems, and once all surviving ponies were on board, the airship flew back to Manehattan as Earthborn continued to battle the Cult in Fillydelphia, the battle lasting for a little longer. Sky Dreamer and Leaf Heart walked out of the crowd, Decoy and Lucky Shot following and making sure they were uninterrupted by anypony else.

Before talking with his marefriend, Sky Dreamer looked at Decoy, remembering how he risked himself to save him. "Sorry about your legs, Decoy. If you hadn't been there...Thank you."

"No need to thank me, sir. My legs can heal, I hope this proves my loyalty."

"Indeed. It did, friend." He smiled at him before looking at Leaf Heart.

"Why is that we have to do the craziest things for each other?" she asked, laughing.

"I don't know about you, but I know my reason." Sky Dreamer spread out his wing to hold her close to him. "I love you, Leaf Heart."

Leaf Heart blushed and rubbed her head against his neck. "I love you too."

"Are you sure? When we met it could hardly be called love, a more appropriate term would have been filly crush." He laughed, and he could hear Lucky Shot was laughing too.

"Oh, be quiet!" she said before kissing him. "I only have one question. How are you going to get Whitegold to stop threatening you, and to prevent them from using me for more blackmailing?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm sure you can defend yourself quite well. Besides, I think I still have an ally in the high society...Hopefully."

"Hopefully?"

"Yes...I just hope Rarity doesn't discover this whole operation, including the gem stealing cover, was my idea, or else I will really be in trouble and might just lose my only ally there..."

"Not to mention, partner, you still have a pending punishment..." Lucky Shot added.

"...Thanks for reminding me." Sky Dreamer sighed and looked up at the night sky.

"...Pending punishment?" Leaf Heart asked, now truly worried.

"Long story, Leaf Heart. It involves HER..." he replied, not happy to even mention the pony responsible for the attack on the Wall.

"Oh, Tricky Note." Leaf Heart herself felt enraged. "That heartless monster..."

"Exactly." Sky Dreamer touched his eyepatch, remembering the disturbing event which led to Tricky Note cutting his right eye off. "Even within Whitegold she makes my life a thousand times more complicated..."

Explanations

Sky Dreamer was braced for what he had coming to himself now that he stood in front of Mistress Rarity, finally summoned to face his punishment for the incident at the Wall. He was not afraid, he believed he did the right thing in defense of his House, even if he had to go against his superior's wishes.

"Explain to me, 'Silent Wing', why did you disobey General Fancy Pant's orders?" Rarity asked, looking at him carefully.

"I had two reasons for that, mistress. Based on the information the prisoner provided me, the pony behind the attack was likely a cultist who I have encountered more than once and has gone out of her way to confront me. I could not let her endanger the Wall because of me. My other reason was simply the defense of the Wall. I was not going to sit idly while ponies risked themselves defending the Wall against the Cult, I had to do something even if it involved disobeying orders that were meant to ensure my survival," he explained calmly, trusting his words and tone.

"Oh, I see. Do you think you are more important than the rest of the soldiers, Silent Wing?" the Mistress asked, feigning surprise and offense.

"Not at all, which is precisely why I refused to go to a safer place when the security of our fortress city was threatened."

"...Let us move on then." Rarity did not show it, but she was slightly frustrated that Sky Dreamer could answer her so calmly. "Why did you release the prisoner?"

"He provided me vital information, twice, and played an important role in bringing the attack to a stop. If I may add, he also allowed me to confront the cultist I mentioned before and make it clear to her that Whitegold will prevail against the cult."

"Did you end her life?"

"No, mistress. Due to an unfortunate injury on my right foreleg, I was unable to land the coup de grâce before she escaped." Sky Dreamer himself felt regret at letting her escape, but he knew showing any emotion could turn out to be an advantage for Rarity against him.

"Unfortunate. Let us move on to the other reason I called you here..." Rarity smiled, a sign that things were either alright or truly bad for the pony she talked to. "I recently learned of a certain 'secret operation' in Fillydelphia to steal gems from their gem mines, and that such operation was deliberately kept a secret from me."

Sky Dreamer gulped, and if one were to measure his temperature, they would have seen a sudden increase.

"...And I was also told that you were the one behind it," Rarity finally said, her smile turning into an unsettling smirk. "And reports of the operation confirm this fact."

Sky Dreamer used his talent of quick thinking to think of a convincing excuse, though now it was failing him. "M-Mistress, I can explain. It was not my intention to hide this operation from you, but-"

Rarity put her crystalline hoof in front of him, waving it in a gesture to make him stop talking. "I believe you deserve a 'Congratulations' and a just reward for your actions, Sky Dreamer."

To say that Sky Dreamer was surprised would have been a huge understatement. Those words went against everything he knew about Rarity since he started to work for her. "Beg your pardon, mistress?"

"Do not act so surprised. You were vital to the defense of the Wall during the Cult attack and you successfully returned Fillydelphia's gems to their rightful owners, at the same time making Earthborn and the Cult fight each other, definitely decreasing their numbers. I must admit I am impressed. You have turned out to be a valuable asset to Whitegold, despite some...flaws."

"...Thank you, Mistress Rarity." Sky Dreamer bowed down.

"You will have time to properly thank me after your next assignment." Rarity levitated an envelope with her magic, giving it to Sky Dreamer. "Our spies in Hoofington have reported a decrease in their numbers, with the last discovered spy being found with his mouth cut and twisted into a smile."

"The Cult of Laughter...I understand, Mistress. I will deal with this as soon as possible."

"Good. Now, leave me."

Sky Dreamer bowed his head and left the room. Outside the room were Leaf Heart, now in a more elegant attire to help her blend in with Manehattan's populace, and Lucky Shot, waiting for him. As he expected, Leaf Heart hugged him, concerned, and he was quick to calm her down.

"So what happened in there, partner?"

"I honestly have no idea...but I'm afraid I will have to go to Hoofington...Cult problems."

"Are you at least off the hook with the...you know?" Leaf Heart asked, trying to be optimistic.

"Yes, I am." Sky Dreamer nuzzled Leaf Heart before continuing to walk.

***

Flying to Hoofington was a crazy idea, even if alone, so against his wishes, Sky Dreamer had to travel through the tunnels. It wasn't that he hated the tunnels, but it was natural for a pegasus to prefer flying and out in the open to travelling underground. Even with the Diamond Dog's carts, it took nearly one day to get to Hoofington, and one day away from the surface level did not make this Sky Dreamer's favorite trip. His only distracting thought was that Leaf Heart and Starsong could take this day to bond, and thinking about them inevitably brought a smile to his face.

Not long after taking a five hour nap, the Diamond Dogs operating the cart told him they arrived at his destination, so Sky Dreamer quickly got off the cart and walked to the tunnel's exit, carefully placed in the basement of the house of a Whitegold spy. He was greeted by his contact's wife, a unicorn mare in elegant clothes.

"Benvenuto, Silent Wing." The mare said as she motioned for him to follow her up the stairs.

"Thank you, Miss Pearl Serenade. I was somehow expecting to see your husband, where is he?"

"Quartz Sonata is currently at a rehearsal, you know musicians. He won't be back until tonight."

"I see. Well, let's do this quickly, shall we? Where should I go?"

"The last unfortunate victim was found in his house just a couple blocks from here, to the north. The house is the only one with a golden unicorn symbol on its door. He was a very professional spy, but we do not know how the Cult found him, and we know it's not a coincidence, considering how lately a lot of spies are showing up dead. You can look for clues there, the Cult likely left something behind."

"Perfect. I will return as soon as possible."

"Oh, one last thing. The Inquistion is around here, so unless you can hide that slave mark of yours, you will need to escape quickly."

Upon hearing about the Inquistion, Sky Dreamer immediately thought of Dusk Fire and Black Night. "...I will keep that in mind." He walked towards the door and opened it. "I will knock twice three times when I return."

"Buona fortuna, Silent Wing!" the mare said as he left and closed the door.

Sky Dreamer began walking to the north, avoiding eye contact with anypony as he used anything as a cover. However, as luck would have it, nopony bothered to look at him. He felt like he was in Manehattan again, except Manehattan did not have the Inquisition around. Upon reaching the house Serenade had described, he noticed the door was open, and he knew it wasn't a good sign. He carefully walked in, finding the house to be a complete ruin. The entire structure was nearly crumbling down, though what bothered him the most was the fact that the destruction seemed recent, and the smell of gunpowder was in the air.

"Alright, pal, put your hooves in the air and nopony will get hurt!" a high pitch voice shouted.

Sky Dreamer complied, but as he did so he looked around with his only eye. "It's so like the Cult to not respect the dead and destroy their homes..."

A group of ten cultist ponies came out from under the destroyed furniture, laughing at the statement. They surrounded him, pointing pitchforks and knives at him, all the while smiling at him. "Well what are you gonna do about it, brony?"

"Simple, I take my weapons and kill you all..." Sky Dreamer said, only to be met with more laughter. "...Or not. I could always do this instead." As soon as he finished, he took a smoke bomb and dropped it, then quickly flew up and hid on top of a still hanging chandelier.

Unexpectedly, one of the cultists began throwing bombs everywhere, destroying what was still standing in the house. However, this drew the attention of patrolling Inquisitors, and they decided to run into the house, finding cultists. Naturally, the Inquisitors fought the cultists, but they were outnumbered and the one Jester throwing bombs was not making it any easier for the Inquisitors. Sky Dreamer only watched, but knew he had to make a choice. He could either escape and return to Serenade, saying it was a Cult ambush and that he could not find any clues, failing his mission, or he could aid one of the two battling sides. He had no love for either of them, but he really hated the Cult, and he thought that perhaps the Inquisitors would at least let him go for helping them. He dismissed this thought as ridiculous, but then recognized among the Inquisitors the mare that was with Dusk Fire when he attempted to execute them, and thought that he could use her to get answers about Dusk. While the sane part of his mind said this was a bad idea, he flew towards the cultists and began killing them.

He focused on the bomb juggling Jester, seemingly a pink earth pony stallion, and after clearing out some of the cultists, attacked him. However, while he expected a battle, the Jester did not put up a fight. Just the sight of his friends being slaughtered made him cower in fear, making it really easy for Sky Dreamer to knock him to the ground. However, upon doing so, the Jester's bronze mask fell off, revealing that it was no stallion at all, it was a mare, leaving Sky Dreamer very confused.

"P-Please don't kill me! Wait...MY MASK!" The mare covered her face. "Don't look at me, I'm slightly less handsome!"

After taking a moment to absorb that, Sky Dreamer used his blades to threaten him, or rather, her. "Who are you? What does the Cult want with the dead ponies?"

"I don't know, honest! The orders came from Baltimare!" the mare cried, still attempting to cover her face. "Please let me go! I don't even like these ponies, they are all crazy!"

"Says the mare with a stallion mask...I will let you go, but you will tell the Cult to no longer mess with Whitegold, or else I will be there to stop it," Sky Dreamer said as he walked away from the Jester, his instincts telling him the mare was not going to attack him.

"W-Who should I say you are?" the mare asked as she got up and retrieved her mask.

"Tell them I'm the one with the eyepatch."

The mare ran off, blasting a hole through a wall and leaving the house. Sky Dreamer shook his head and looked at what had become of the battle. Only one Inquisitor survived, and precisely the one he was interested in.

She looked at him and her horn began glowing as a crystal orb floated in front of him, enveloped in a fiery aura. "Stand back!" the Inquisitor shouted, trembling.

Sky Dreamer did not even flinch, he could see how nervous the mare was. "...Is this the first time you confront an enemy, lady?" Sky Dreamer moved closer, the orb keeping its distance.

The inquisitor was about to cast a harmful spell when she noticed the eyepatch he wore. Recognizing him as the pony Dusk Fire attempted to execute, she slowly lowered her guard, though mostly out of curiosity. "You...You are the one who murdered High Inquisitor Black Night!"

"I assure you I had my reasons."

"...What reason could you possibly have to kill a High Inquisitor?"

"See this?" Sky Dreamer turned to show her his slave mark. "It was his fault."

The Inquisitor could understand a slave could want revenge against Moon and Star, but she still did not understand how that counted as a good reason, but she wanted to know something else first. "...Inquisitor Dusk Fire seemingly recognized you before attempting to execute you. Why? Do you two know each other?"

"It is a long story. We were friends before the war, best of friends, even brothers," he explained, the memories of the past slowly bringing sorrow to his mind.

The Inquisitor could tell it wasn't a lie, since Dusk Fire had implied that during his outburst and had even told her about it. "I see." The mare made the magic orb return to its normal state and put it away under her robes. "My name is Crystal Eclipse...I believe we should talk, Sky Dreamer."

"Of course." Sky Dreamer looked around for a safe place to talk, away from curious eyes from outside the house. He noticed the second floor had not suffered a lot of damage and was safe to use. He pointed upstairs and flew up, bringing her with him. They walked into the first room they deemed comfortable and sat down, Sky Dreamer removing his mask to talk to her more directly. "Tell me, Crystal Eclipse, what is your relationship with Dusk Fire?"

Crystal Eclipse smiled and blushed a little, looking down. "He is...my coltfriend."

Sky Dreamer was surprised to hear that, and at the same time he was somewhat happy for them. "Congratulations, I suppose."

Crystal Eclipse looked at him, her smile becoming a bit weaker. "Yes, he is a great stallion...When you overlook certain flaws."

"What kind of flaws?" he asked, intrigued.

Crystal Eclipse's ears lowered and her smile left her. "...He gets violent when angered."

Sky Dreamer could not believe what he had just heard. "He...He hurts you?" he asked, concerned.

Crystal Eclipse nodded. "When you escaped, I asked him about you, but he slapped me and said it was none of my business. He apologized immediately afterwards, though. When he learned of his father's death, I tried to calm him down, but he took out his anger on me."

"And you simply let him do it?!" he asked, both with surprise and with anger.

"He was sorry! And I didn't have much of a choice, trust me, he would have done worse if I wasn't around. His father was his only family, and losing him just made him lose his mind and I understand, truly. He explained that he was raised that way, and I respect that."

Sky Dreamer's anger boiled, he knew exactly who to blame for that. "Raised by his father, no doubt. His mother was always the one to oppose acts of violence when we were kids."

Crystal Eclipse noticed the aggressive tone Sky Dreamer used to mention Dusk's father, and she knew there was something to it. "...Tell me, what do you know of Black Night? What drives you to hate him so much?"

Sky Dreamer sighed, knowing he had to retell the story of how Black Night ruined his life again. "When the war started, my unicorn mother thought we would be safe in Canterlot, so she brought me and my pegasus father. However, shortly after we arrived, non-unicorn ponies were made slaves. A friend of my parents, a unicorn mage named Thin Veil, tried to intercede for us, but the higher mages only gave us the choice, it was either me or my father. My father went to the slave camps willingly so that I could be...'free'...My mother was allowed to raise me, as long as it was in secret. I often visited my father in the slave camps, but one day everything changed. An Earthborn force assaulted Canterlot, and my father was one of the slaves sent to fight. I watched from a safe place, I watched..." Sky Dreamer's eye watered. "...I watched as a certain High Inquisitor used him as a meatshield against a Juggernaut's charge. My father was, simply put, torn apart." He heard Crystal Eclipse gasp, but he did not look at her as he continued. "I ran back to my mother, telling her everything that had happened. That night, she tried to avenge my father, she tried to kill Black Night. But Black Night found her first, in her own house, and...He used his magic to create an orb of water and forced my mother's head into it. She tried to hold her breath, but she couldn't and...She drowned. I watched her die, I just stood there, unable to do anything, unable to move. When Black Night had finished her, he saw me, he laughed at me, and sent me to the slave camps himself. The next day, Thin Veil came to the slave camps to tell me that Black Night had managed to convince Moon and Star that my mother was a traitor...you can guess who they believed. In the slave camps, for the next 10 years, Thin Veil tried to make it bearable, visiting me every time she could, bringing me food, and she's the reason I only have one slave mark. One day I escaped...She helped me, giving me money to start a new life anywhere, and opening a hole in the slave dome so that I could escape. I owe her everything..." Sky Dreamer's tears flowed from his eye, and he could hear Crystal Eclipse was nearly crying herself. "...I traveled all over Equestria, eventually finding myself in Appleloosa. When I was there, Black Night was taken prisoner, and I saw him. I took the chance and killed him, and if I could, I would kill him again, and again, and AGAIN!" he said, his rage getting the best of him, before being reduced to tears. While he always put on the disguise of a strong stallion, deep down he was a tortured soul, and no matter how many times he would tell the story, he would always end up crying, though this was only known to his friends and daughter, and now to Crystal Eclipse.

Crystal Eclipse was shocked to have followed orders from such a monster, and felt sympathy for Sky Dreamer. Slowly walking over to him, she put a comforting hoof on his shoulder, but then gave him a soft hug. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."

It took Sky Dreamer one minute to calm down, but right after doing so, he decided to ask about Dusk Fire. "How come you and Dusk Fire never knew of this?"

"Black Night...Truthfully, I never believed him, but Dusk Fire believed him when he said he would never hurt anypony for the wrong reasons. To Dusk, Black Night was like a hero, and anypony who doubted him was a fool. Dusk Fire, sadly, is really stubborn, both as an Inquisitor and as a pony...I'm...Sorry to tell you this, but, he has convinced the Inquistion and some of the officers that you are a threat that needs to be dealt with immediately. He even told me he would place a reward on your head if given the chance."

"...Sweet Heavens..." Sky Dreamer looked down as he realized what he feared and what Lucky Shot had told him was true. His friendship with Dusk Fire was gone forever.

"If...If you want, I can try to convince him otherwise. I don't care if he hurts me again, I am used to it, but he really needs to see the truth." Crystal Eclipse tried to reassure him with a smile. "He can listen to me...He has to.."

"...Thank you, Crystal Eclipse." Sky Dreamer smiled at her, before looking out the window and noticing it was almost sunset. "If you excuse me, I must return to Manehattan. Once again, thank you."

"No problem. May the Princesses bless you."

"...Yes, from wherever they are." Sky Dreamer moved towards the window and put his mask on. Waving at Crystal Eclipse one last time, he jumped out and hurried to fly back to Serenade's house. He was somehow glad to see that not all ponies in the Inquisition were monsters. Someday, he had to have a more casual talk with Crystal Eclipse...Of course, provided she was unhurt. He felt bad for Dusk Fire being manipulated by Black Night like that. At times like these, he wished he had his journal. If he showed it to Dusk Fire, there would have been a chance for him to understand.

He arrived shortly at the house, and knocked twice three times just like he had said. Serenade opened the door to let him in. "Welcome back, Silent Wing. Did you find anything?" she asked.

"No, but I made it clear to the cultists that Whitegold is not to be toyed with." Sky Dreamer went back to the basement to return to the tunnels, and to Manehattan. "I'm sorry, but I must return quickly, I beg you not to ask. I will see you later, Miss Pearl Serenade, tell Mister Quartz Sonata I said hello."

Serenade was slightly confused at his apparent hurry to return home, but in the end, she concluded all Nighthooves were the same. "Arrivederci, Silent Wing!" she said as the pegasus disappeared from her sight.

Safe Again...Or not

Sky Dreamer was certainly glad that Rarity no longer prevented him from going on trade missions. He definitely needed a rest after all that had happened, though he wished he had brought Starsong or Leaf Heart along. Then again, neither of them would be comfortable going to the Everfree Forest, even if it was just to visit Hadya. He was certainly happy that he didn't bring Lucky Shot along, even after all they had done together, he did not trust him around Hadya, or any mare that was single for that matter. He did, however, bring Guardian, who was more than happy to return to the forest, even if it was for just a couple hours.

The airship landed in a clearing in the forest, where a small group of ponies and zebras, belonging to the different tribes of Everfree, was waiting with trade goods, ready for bartering. As Whitegold's merchants began trading, Sky Dreamer left the airship and walked around, Guardian resting on his back. As he walked, he was quick to see Hadya coming to his encounter, happy to see he was alright.

"Hello, Hadya. It's good to see you again."

"It is good to see you as well, friend." Hadya noticed Guardian and approached him, gently petting the eagle's head. "I was afraid you would not be able to come anymore. What happened?"

Sky Dreamer made sure nopony was listening, but to avoid risks he kept his voice down. "I had to do a lot of things for Whitegold. I almost had to kill Rain Cloud when ordered to attack Stormwing to gather information and I had to defend the Wall against...You-Know-Who."

Hadya frowned. "Tricky Note again? She will never stop, it seems." She then noticed something she had not paid attention to since her friend arrived. "Sky Dreamer, you seem unusually calm and, dare I say, happy, yet at the same time I feel you are somehow...Sad. And do not tell me it is because you missed me. What happened?"

Sky Dreamer sat down and sighed. "Do you want the good news first, or the bad ones?"

Hadya held Guardian in her forelegs and sat down in front of Sky Dreamer. "Please, tell me what you think I should know."

"Alright...I had to go to Stalliongrad to see some kind of secret weapon. When I did, the Inquisition caught me. You remember that I killed the Inquisitor who ruined my life after I left the forest?" He waited until Hadya nodded to continue. "Well, I found his son, Dusk Fire...He was my best friend before the war, and so much torture at the hooves of the slavemasters made me forget about him like I forgot about Her. He was furious with me for killing his father, and that's an understatement. I narrowly escaped execution at his hooves, and, just two days ago I found out he will not listen to reason. I talked to his marefriend, an Inquisitor like him, but much kinder. She said that Black Night had manipulated the truth around him, that to Dusk, he was a hero, and all who question him are liars and fools. It pains me...it pains me to know that the war really took my entire past away from me. First my home, then my parents, my freedom, my first friends, my sanity...It is too much, Hadya."

Hadya couldn't help but feel sorry for her friend, and if it wasn't because they were still at risk of being seen by the other ponies, she would have tried to comfort him. "War is truly disgusting, friend. I am not a willing fighter either, you know that. But I can tell that you have suffered more than others, and I know you do not deserve this."

"Yeah, maybe I don't. It's not like I have been the most peaceful of killers either. At least I can still enjoy some of the pleasures in life. Kinda like...Lucky Shot." Sky Dreamer looked at Hadya, expecting a reaction.

Hadya's expression went from sympathetic to a facehoof. "He told you, did he not?"

"He even said you were 'one wild dancer' in the 'Bedroom Tango'."

Hadya shook her head furiously, heat rising to her face. "It was just one time, and I swear, I do not know how he did it! One moment we were talking about you and the next one he-"

"We DON'T have to talk about that right now..." Sky Dreamer quickly looked for a way to change the topic. "So, the good news. I have a butler...a changeling, no less."

Hadya was now confused. "A butler? A changeling? Does that not go against yourself?"

"He wanted to serve me after I released him from prison in exchange for information on Tricky Note...Now if I had a bit for every time I've had to repeat that recently. Anyway, I also found a way to get Leaf Heart out of Earthborn and take her to Manehattan with me."

Hadya smiled. "You mean you and her are finally...?"

Sky Dreamer nodded with a smile. "Yes, we are now living together in Manehattan, with my daughter."

"Congratulations, Sky Dreamer! It seems that life is finally smiling upon you and rewarding you for your sacrifices."

"It will definitely smile upon me when I find Tricky Note and kill her once and for all. But I see your point, yes. I haven't been this happy since I joined Whitegold."

"About her...I would truly watch my back if I were you. You never know what a cultist might do, especially one as unstable as her. Just knowing that she took the time to kidnap each of us to see what she did to you gives me an idea of how twisted her plans can be, and just what she is willing to do to see them through."

"I know...I know."

For an hour or so, Hadya and Sky Dreamer kept talking, catching up on events on Hadya's life, but not revealing any harmful secrets. When the trade was over, Sky Dreamer was quick to say good bye and return to the airship with Guardian, the merchants could not notice his absence even for a minute, and Hadya could perfectly understand.

The trip back home was uneventful as always, but Sky Dreamer did not care much about it. Once back in Manehattan, he headed directly to his house, but after Decoy opened the door for him, he saw with surprise that General Fancy Pants himself was waiting for him inside.

"Ah, Sky Dreamer! I have been waiting for you!" the General said.

"General? What are you doing here?" Sky Dreamer asked, the surprise still evident in his face.

"We need to talk...In private, if possible."

Sky Dreamer nodded and walked with him to his office, both of them sitting down to talk. "What is it, General?"

"I am Fancy Pants for the moment." Fancy pants winked, giving Sky Dreamer the signal this talk was too personal to be considered part of work. "Listen, I came as soon as I could. Tomorrow I will be far too busy to talk, and I believe Rarity will try to keep you away from here as much as she can."

"What? Why?"

"Remember the super weapon in Stalliongrad? Our spies report that it is near completion, Moon and Star forcing the slaves to redouble their efforts, more than a couple dying..."

Sky Dreamer was angered by this, and afraid at the same time that the Idol was almost complete. "We are the only ones who know of this, we must put an end to it now that we can!"

"That is precisely why I came. Rarity has decided that House Whitegold will do nothing about this."

"What?!" Sky Dreamer's voice could almost be heard clearly outside the office. "We are just going to give Moon and Star the means to win the war because she says so?!"

"Sky Dreamer, please! We are not in any condition to go on a full-scale assault against Stalliongrad! We will have to hope that this weapon is stopped by the other Houses!"

"And what if they don't have the means to stop it, Fancy Pants?! And even if they do, what about the slaves?!"

"Sky Dreamer, this is precisely why I wanted to tell you before Rarity! I know the slaves' situation troubles you, and trust me, if I could do something about it, I would, but I simply can't! And I don't mean I don't want to, I mean I CAN'T! So please, calm down!"

Sky Dreamer took a few deep breaths to calm down, though it took him more tries than usual. "Sorry, Fancy Pants. So, is this truly how it must go?"

"I'm afraid so, Sky Dreamer. I'm sorry, I know how much you hate Moon and Star and their use of slaves, and I know you must feel terrible knowing you can't do anything about it."

"...Perhaps..." Sky Dreamer put a hoof to his chin, deep in thought. "...Fancy Pants, I need a favor."

"Anything! As long as it doesn't involve fake assaults or something. Speaking of which, I'm sorry Rarity found out, I did my best to hide it."

"It's fine. Look, I want a copy of my reports about the super weapon, and a copy of the ones the spies brought."

The General was intrigued by his request, but he knew Sky Dreamer wasn't easy to convince otherwise. "...I will see what I can do. But may I ask why?"

"You may, but I may not give you an honest answer." Sky Dreamer smirked, finding it amusing how he had used the same tactic he used whenever a journalist or a fellow soldier asked him something.

"...Alright then, I will find a way to deliver them to you tomorrow through one of my trusted bodyguards. I promise I will do my best to keep it a secret from Fleur and Rarity, but you owe me!" The General laughed after trying to sound serious.

Sky Dreamer smiled. "I will keep that in mind, Fancy Pants."

A couple minutes later, Fancy Pants left the office and Decoy led him out of the house. After he was gone, Leaf Heart entered the office, having heard most of the conversation.

"I heard you and Fancy Pants talking, Sky." She approached him and gave him an affectionate nuzzle. "I'm sorry, I know how much you wanted to help the slaves."

Sky Dreamer only smiled. "And I WILL help them."

"Really? What do you have in mind?"

"Besides me and others, there are two certain important ponies that want to stop Moon and Star, and this is the perfect chance to do so."

Preparations

After a seemingly endless day of giving instructions and dealing with Earthborn politics, Supreme Commander Applejack walked into her office to focus on less stressing matters. The dimly lit room was in need of some candles being lit, and Applejack could not work without a good light source. However, as soon as she let go of her mace, her only weapon, to walk towards the candles, she heard something moving, as if a blade was being unsheathed, followed immediately by a stallion's voice,

"Supreme Commander Applejack..." the voice said as the silhouette of a Nighthoof stepped out of the shadows.

"...I thought I was alone," Applejack said, not moving a muscle, the silhouette being on her blind side.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to interrupt." The stallion slowly walked further out of the shadows, pointing a blade at her. "We need to speak."

"You come to speak? Pointing a weapon at me?" Applejack looked at the stallion, not recognizing his diamond eye patch, but knowing quite well where he had come from. "Is this how you Whitegold dogs deal with your leaders? I warn you, I do not need my mace to bring you to your knees, pegasus."

"I told you, Commander, I am only here to speak to you." Sky Dreamer retracted his blade. "Allow me." He lit up the candles himself, making up for the lack of sunlight in the room. "I have information that might be of use to House Earthborn."

Applejack still remained suspicious, knowing Whitegold ponies were famous for being liars. "Now why would I trust the words of a Whitegold assassin?"

"I am not with Whitegold." Sky Dreamer took off his mask and put his hood down, letting Applejack take a look at his face. "Rarity would frown upon my acts if she found out."

Applejack seemed to recognize the pegasus in front of her, though only faintly remembered him. "...You...You are the one who burned that unicorn months ago," she finally said, though after a small pause her surprise increased. "You joined Whitegold?!"

"A decision I regret." Sky Dreamer motioned for Applejack to sit at her desk. "Let us leave past decisions behind and focus on pressing matters."

Applejack sat on her chair, though she still looked at him suspiciously. "Keep in mind, just because you indirectly provided us with information on Moon and Star thanks to your little act of revenge does not mean you are important or anything of the like. Try to double cross me, and you will be dealt with swiftly."

Sky Dreamer silently took papers from his pockets, placing them on the desk. "Moon and Star is developing a new weapon in Stalliongrad. Similar to an Idol of the Sun and Moon, but twice the size, and I can only conclude it is twice as powerful as well. It is nearing completion as we speak."

Applejack carefully looked at the papers. Reports from Sky Dreamer himself and other Whitegold spies, all of them pointing out the incredible size of the for now inert statue, accompanied by some comparative sketches, some drawn from memory and others being closer to reality.On one side, Applejack was infuriated by Moon and Star's tactic and their exploit of slaves, but on the other side she was still skeptical about the information, especially knowing it came from Whitegold. She looked at Sky Dreamer with a serious expression, though her tone was hostile. "Tell me why I should believe this, coming from Whitegold."

"Whitegold does not even know I am here. Trust me, Rarity had no influence in my actions, and I can assure you those reports are true." Sky Dreamer was not lying, and he tried his best to make it clear, yet he could see Applejack would not easily believe him. "Please, Commander, you are so close to turning the tide of war in your favor! All you have to do is believe me! I speak the truth!"

Applejack thought about it deeply. "Believe you speak the truth, huh?" She moved her hoof towards her eye patch. "I shall be the one to determine that..."

Sky Dreamer could not describe what happened afterwards, he felt something similar to a presence watching him. Well, not him, rather, his words. He felt as if his words were very carefully observed, as if something was looking for the one bit of information that disproved his claims. All those sensations stopped when Applejack returned to her initial position, sitting on her chair.

"...It appears you aren't lying after all." Applejack put her hooves together on top of her desk. "Which brings me to my next question. Why act behind Rarity's back?"

Sky Dreamer sighed and thought his answer carefully. "...Because I lost faith in Whitegold." He said the words that he had kept in the back of his mind for months, but that had begun to believe only weeks ago. "I joined them simply because it seemed like the best choice for me to live in peace. I was wrong...I joined their forces so that I would be respected, so that I would have protection for me and my family. Instead they used me and used that which I wanted to protect to blackmail me. I wanted to be away from the war, but instead the war always found me. And now that I want to ensure one of the most despicable Houses does not win, I am met with the typical attitude of waiting to see if the other Houses can handle it, and I wish to stand idly and watch no longer."

Applejack was surprised, she did not expect such a long answer, but did not feel enough sympathy to speak to him in a friendlier tone. "I see. So, about this weapon of Moon and Star, what do you propose we do?"

Sky Dreamer looked at the map of Equestria that was on the wall behind Applejack. "You can travel by sea to the small peninsula near Stalliongrad. An airship takes one day from Colterado, but considering how you fight, it will take you two days, without unexpected problems, of course."

"Hmm." Applejack looked at the map herself. "I suppose it IS the only possible way. Alright, Earthborn will take the sea route."

"Good. Now, if you excuse me, Commander, I must return quickly to Manehattan before somepony notices my absence." Sky Dreamer turned to leave, but was interrupted just before getting to the window.

"Sky Dreamer, was it?" Applejack spoke up. "You do not need to follow Rarity. Earthborn is always in need of allies."

"...Maybe not, but I have committed far too many crimes against your House already," Sky Dreamer said, shaking his head. "I made my choice months ago...I have to deal with it." With no further talk, Sky Dreamer left Applejack's office and flew away.

***

Later that day, just after sunset, Sky Dreamer walked in Redhearth's Refuge, taking the time to remember the place he was brought to after his first encounter with Tricky Note. Nopony recognized with his uniform nor eye patch, but he did not need unnecessary talk.

He soon heard Guardian's sounds, and looked to the north to see Guardian flying towards the refuge with Rain Cloud. He smiled and went to their encounter, Guardian landing on his back.

"I did as you asked, Sky." The mare landed in front of him. "Commander Spitfire sent Wind Riders near Stalliongrad, if what you say is true then Stormwing will take action as well."

"Good, if my calculations are correct, Stalliongrad will be under attack in two days." Sky Dreamer looked up to the sky. "I really hope it all comes together."

"What do you think will happen if Stormwing and Earthborn find each other during the siege?"

"Well, if they are not brutes they will see that they are there for the same reason and cooperate...Bah, who am I kidding? At least, the two of them will ensure that thing falls."

"Sky, if you allow me to ask...Why are you risking yourself like this? I know you were a slave and all but is this really what you want? Whitegold may offer no support," Rain Cloud said, concerned about Sky Dreamer's secret plan.

"I know they won't, I know no House will, which is the reason why. Moon and Star took our freedom, they shall pay for it, and slaves like me should get what we deserve."

"...If you say so..." Rain Cloud put her hoof on Sky Dreamer's shoulder. "I really hope you succeed, friend."

"Me too, Rain Cloud. Me too..."

***

It was one day before the planned assault, or so he calculated, and Sky Dreamer had just finished hiring the services of a mercenary airship and its crew. He had already bid his family goodbye and accompanying him on board was only his best friend Lucky Shot.

"Are you sure you want to do this, partner?" Lucky Shot asked.

"Yes. You are free to return before this thing takes off." Sky Dreamer looked sympathetically at his friend.

Lucky Shot thought for a moment. Sky Dreamer could have sworn he was about to flip a coin to decide, but against his expectations Lucky Shot smiled and nodded. "Don't think I'll let you get all the fun! Besides, without me there, you might as well die! And who do you think Leaf Heart's gonna blame? I'm with you, partner."

Sky Dreamer smiled and nodded, then looked at the ship's captain. "Ready for take off, captain!"

"Everypony, get to work!" the captain shouted.

"STOP!" a familiar voice yelled.

To the surprise of everypony, General Fancy Pants and two of his bodyguards ran to the ship's hangar as he shouted from outside the ship. "Sky Dreamer, what do you think you are doing?! Call this off!"

Sky Dreamer approached the deck and looked at Fancy Pants. "I am afraid not, General!"

"You OWED me, boy!"

"And I promise to repay you, but this is something I HAVE to do!"

"You already got Earthborn and Stormwing to attack Stalliongrad, there is no need for whatever you are planning!"

Sky Dreamer wasn't surprised he found out, Whitegold did have spies everywhere. "General, I have done what Whitegold wants me to do with no reward for far too long, it's time I finally do what I think is right!"

"No reward?! Did the Mistress not tell you of your prize for all you did?!"

"She did, but I will not rest easily unless I do this! The slaves deserve their freedom, away from the war! Trust me on this, Fancy Pants!"

Fancy Pants was torn between his sympathy for Sky Dreamer and his unspoken promise to keep him safe. He looked at the ship's captain, as if silently ordering him to call it off.

The captain shook his head. "Sorry General! A mercenary's contract is with the customer and nopony else!"

Fancy Pants sighed. He looked at Sky Dreamer one last time before waving his hoof in signal that even though he wasn't happy with this, he would allow it.

Sky Dreamer nodded once again at the captain and the ship began taking off, however he could hear the General shouting something over the sound of the starting engine.

"Just answer me one thing, Sky! Why are you doing this?! Why risk so much for this?!"

Sky Dreamer did not think the answer for long. He had already found it before this part of his plan. He looked at the General from the now moving airship and shouted. "Because nopony else will!"

With that answer, the General saw the ship take off and leave Manehattan. He shook his head and sighed as he turned back to return, secretly hoping Sky Dreamer knew what he was doing.

The Siege of Stalliongrad

"Straight flush." Sky Dreamer put down his cards on the table, surprising his fellow players except for Lucky Shot.

Lucky Shot smirked and put down his own cards. "Royal flush, read it and weep."

Sky Dreamer didn't care if he lost or not, but he still found it funny how Lucky Shot always beat him. "...You are a cheater," he said, unamused.

"Nope, you're just terrible at this, partner."

Sky Dreamer looked at the window. The sun was setting, and if his calculations were correct, this meant they were one hour away from Stalliongrad. "...Some fresh air might do me good. Good game, everypony. Lucky Shot, hold on to my chips." He stood up and turned to leave.

"Can't guarantee that, partner!" Lucky Shot said as he greedily took all of his chips.

Sky Dreamer rolled his eyes and kept walking. "Oh, I'm sure you can."

As he stepped into the airship's deck, he found it relaxing how there was hardly anypony there aside from the one taking the wheel and a few spotters. He walked around, hoping it would clear his mind for the coming event. There was a small part of him that was having second thoughts, but it was too late to change plans now.

"Oi! Mr. Sky Dreamer!" The captain came to his encounter. "My lads boring you down there?"

"No, captain. I just thought it would be relaxing to come outside."

"Aye, nothing like a calm sunset before the storm that's coming." The captain motioned for Sky Dreamer to follow him to a small table with two crates being used as chairs. They both sat down as the captain took a bottle of what Sky Dreamer guessed was rum and two tankards. "Want some?"

Sky Dreamer waved his hoof, refusing the offer. He watched the captain fill his tankard and drink, looking so carefree despite his role in the Airship and what was about to happen. "You seem too relaxed, captain."

"Aye, why wouldn't I be? When I was serving under a captain myself, my captain always said 'It's no use taking your weapons out before you find the enemy.', and that's been working fine for me."

"An interesting theory, but I prefer the one my Nighthoof mentor taught me. 'It's always best to be prepared for anything, you never know when you will be vulnerable.'"

"Your mentor sounds like a wise stallion-"

"Mare, captain."

"Sorry, a wise mare. And that might work for you Whitegold nobles, but for mercenaries like us, well, we have our own way of living life." The captain laughed as he refilled his tankard and put the bottle away.

Sky Dreamer looked at the north, he could already see some lights. "...Captain, I want to ask you about this ship. Is it well suited for a quick escape under possible enemy fire?"

"Aye! She's fast and durable!"

"And can it return fire?"

"What do you take us for, mister? Of course she's well equipped for returning fire! My crew has been through battles already!"

"Good, because if it all goes according to plan, we might need to escape through the mountains."

"About that, mister. What's your reason for what you're doing? Is it fame you want? Glory?"

Sky Dreamer shook his head. "No, I just do it because it's the right thing. I have never wanted to be important, I just want some peace in my life. And if nothing else, this will bring me a small bit of that."

"Then you are the first noble who walks into my ship and says that. Respect."

"Captain! Stalliongrad is under fire!" a pony shouted from the deck.

"Well, seems like it's your turn, mister!" the captain said to Sky Dreamer, who nodded and quickly returned below deck.

***

The airship landed to the southwest of Stalliongrad, all cannons ready. Sky Dreamer and Lucky Shot were the only ponies getting out of the ship.

Sky Dreamer looked back at the ship and help up a flag depicting the Moon and Star insignia but with a red line across it. "When you see this flag, get ready!" he shouted. After the captain and the crew waved in acknowledgement, Lucky Shot and Sky Dreamer ran towards Stalliongrad.

The battle raged on the east side of Stalliongrad with Earthborn and Moon and Star, and on the west side Stormwing and Moon and Star, however within the city itself it was much worse. Earthborn, Stormwing, Moon and Star battled for Stalliongrad, and the Cult in the city joined in soon afterwards, though by the time Sky Dreamer and Lucky Shot arrived, the four factions had already fought for a while now. Though for the moment Moon and Star focused all of its able slaves to finishing the Idol, Sky Dreamer knew there was little time to waste before they sent them to fight and headed for the slave camp. This time he could care less about being silent, and simply ran as fast as he could, getting rid of anypony that stood in his way.

Once he and Lucky Shot arrived, they saw that the uprising had begun, with the camp guards fighting some of the rebellious slaves while others were too scared to act. Knowing the guards stood a better chance against the poorly trained slaves, Sky Dreamer and Lucky Shot joined the fight, aiding the slaves. The slaves were surprised to see two Whitegolds aiding them, but they gladly accepted the help nonetheless. Once the last guard was dead, one of the slaves approached Sky Dreamer, an earth pony with red coat, a half-scarred face, full brown beard and wearing a thick, translucent fur hat, the fur likely having belonged to an Ursa Minor.

"You fight well, thank you for your help. But why would a Whitegold help us?"

"We are not with Whitegold, brother. I came here to help the slaves, you, regain their freedom," Sky Dreamer said flatly.

The slaves now really were surprised, and the earth pony talked again. "And why?"

Sky Dreamer did not answer, instead just turning so that they could see his slave mark. This was more than enough to answer, though it raised further questions Sky Dreamer did not want to answer yet. "We have no time, we must act now!"

"Yes, we must act..." The earth pony rushed back to the rest of the slaves and spoke up. "Ponies of Stalliongrad! This is our moment! Stalliongrad is helpless! Moon and Star's domain over this city will fall! Now it is time we take back what they stole from us, with their blood on our hooves! They will all pay for what they have done to us, tonight we will be free at last, and we will kill anyone who stands in our way!" he shouted, his fellow slaves unsure whether to follow him or stay safe.

"No!" Sky Dreamer shouted, then flew over to the earth pony, flying beside him. "Slaves of Stalliongrad, I know what you have gone through!" He pointed at his slave mark once he made sure he had their attention. "I was once one of you! I was a slave for a decade, I fought for Moon and Star because I was forced to, I lost my life and my freedom thanks to Twilight Sparkle just like all of you! Believe me that it was difficult to escape and reach the life I have now, but it is not impossible! Look around you! As of right now, Stalliongrad is being attacked by Earthborn and Stormwing, Moon and Star will not be able to hold on to their defense, nor their super weapon, for much longer before Sparkle sends in reinforcements! We must use this chance to regain our freedom, but not to fight! We must fight injustice, but if we go and fight now, we will just become part of the ashes that will be left of this city! We must use this chance to reach the freedom you desire!" Sky Dreamer took off his mask and hood, throwing the mask away. "Today, I do not come under Whitegold's orders, nor for money, but for my duty! Today I come to give you what I regained months ago and we all lost: Freedom! I come to lead you out of this life and into one where you no longer have to live with fear of Sparkle taking away what you possess, hurting you or your families! Come with me, brothers and sisters, and together, we will leave Stalliongrad without its slaves, and Moon and Star will suffer a huge crushing defeat today! We were not born to serve the unicorns! We were not born to serve Moon and Star! We were not born to build Idols for Moon and Star to use against Equestria! We were born to be free!" Sky Dreamer took out the flag and used it to point southwest. "I have a way for us to escape to the southwest! Come with us, and we will take you all out of Moon and Star's reach! You will be free to do as you please from then, but for now, ask yourselves this: Do you want to continue to serve cowardly unicorns who hide behind you, send you to die and don't care about who you used to be before being enslaved? Or do you want your freedom?!"

The slaves felt motivated by this former slave's speech and conviction and could not help but raise their forelegs, everypony voicing their support. Sky Dreamer himself felt surprised and amused at what a moment's inspiration could do.

"That was quite a speech, young one." The earth pony said before talking to the rest of the slaves. "You heard him, everypony! Get your young and your old! Get your things, for tonight we leave!"

Sky Dreamer and Lucky Shot watched the slaves go into their less-than-well-built homes to get what little they could salvage for their escape. Lucky Shot looked at the earth pony slave as he proceeded to dehorn the unicorn corpses in the camp. "So, I take you're the leader here?" Lucky Shot asked.

"You can say that," the earth pony said as he finished dehorning three specific corpses. "My name is Cold Steel, I used to be a Royal Guard before...before all this." He held out his hoof, both ponies shaking it. "Listen, before we leave Stalliongrad, we must do something about our brothers in the Idol. We can't just leave them behind, especially when the Idol is becoming the center of attention."

"You're right. I will go see if there's a way to save them before Stormwing and Earthborn get there. Lucky Shot, you know where the exit is, I'll be there before you get there. If I'm still not there, shoot a flare and I'll hurry with the flag." Sky Dreamer prepared to fly over to the Idol, now close to being attacked.

"Gotcha. Good luck, partner!"

Sky Dreamer flew as fast as he could to the Idol, but to his surprise, there were no living slaves...the Idol was complete. He looked around quickly before deciding if it was a good idea to come back, but held on to the hope there was somepony he could save. What he saw was not a good thing in any context though. Standing behind a line of defenders were both Dusk Fire and Tricky Note. Before he could react to this shocking sight, an Euphoria attacked him and made him fall to the ground. He landed facefirst in front of his two old friends, slightly dizzy thanks to the impact.

"Ooh, look who we have here! Wakey wakey, Dreamy!" Tricky Note said.

"You...two...?!" Sky Dreamer attempted to speak and get up at the same time.

"Funny how desperate times call for desperate measures, right, Sky?"

"I knew you would return to Stalliongrad, so I looked for Dusky to bring a fitting end to this party!"

Sky Dreamer slowly got back on his hooves. "How did you...know?!"

"Just a hunch!" Tricky Note took a spear and hit Sky Dreamer with the wooden, non-lethal end, making him fall on his back.

"Isn't it ironic how the two unicorns you ruined are now this close to ending your life, Sky?"

"I ruined you?!" Sky Dreamer rolled over and got up. "You are a fool, Dusk Fire. Tricky Note was ruined way before I met her again, same thing with you!"

"How dare you?!" Dusk Fire attempted to shoot a magic firebolt at him, however Sky Dreamer's reflexes were quick to act.

"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice!" Sky Dreamer's blades activated and he charged at Dusk Fire, however before he could get to him, Tricky Note interrupted and put the spear in the way, forcing Sky Dreamer to stop.

Before any of them could move, Tricky Note quickly kicked Dusk Fire out of the way and tried to drive the spear into Sky Dreamer, who did his best to avoid it. It wasn't long before Dusk Fire got back on his hooves and decided he was done being nice. With battle raging around them, the three old friends now fought to the death in a brutal battle where only one could get out alive, putting aside once and for all the memories of their past together.

It was this battle what kept them from noticing something very important. Earthborn and Stormwing had reached the Idol with a Fortbuster and a Roc, respectively, the Idol now fully operational to take them on. While the Fortbuster fired everything it could at the Idol, the Roc used its talons to pierce the Idol's arms. The Idol itself, however, blasted the Fortbuster with one attack. While this proved that this Idol was indeed super powerful, Earthborn didn't take long to bring in smaller weapons in greater quantities, such as their many cannons. When the Idol brought down the Roc, the cannons fired, and thanks to its enormous size, no rounds missed the Idol. Though it took a great effort, the Idol could not stand the devastating attack and it began crumbling down, the magic escaping from the construct's pieces.

The enormous rock pieces fell down on the battling ponies, interrupting their battle. Sky Dreamer was the first to notice and quickly jumped backwards out of the way. However, when Tricky Note noticed, she kicked Dusk Fire again and ran away, leaving Dusk Fire on the ground. Sky Dreamer saw that Dusk Fire was moments away from being crushed to death by a falling rock. Maybe it was sympathy for Crystal Eclipse, or hope that his best friend was still there somewhere, or perhaps the hope that Dusk Fire would redeem himself, whatever it was, it drove Sky Dreamer to fly at all the speed his damaged body could allow and get Dusk Fire out of harm's way. Aside from a stare, there was no time for any further interaction between them as Sky noticed a flare to the southwest. Ignoring his lost energy and his injuries, Sky Dreamer rushed to the southwest of Stalliongrad, avoiding any confrontation.

As soon as he got to the escaping slaves, just a mile away from their escape ship, Sky Dreamer took the flag and held it up. "Now, go!" he shouted as he flew towards the ship, the slaves following him.

The ship was ready to fire at them, though seeing the flag reminded the captain that this meant they were the ones they had to save. In minutes, the ship was boarded by the slaves and it took off immediately after. Sky Dreamer fell to the deck exhausted, though Lucky Shot was fortunately close enough to catch him.

"Woah, partner, you alright?"

"Yes...I'm fine..."

"Are you sure?" Lucky Shot noticed that his friend was badly injured, his stomach bleeding on one side. "Sky, you're bleeding! We need to get you some help." Lucky Shot got his friend on his back and headed below deck.

"Tell the captain...to go through the mountains...Set course...for Redhearth's Refuge." Sky Dreamer struggled to talk.

Lucky Shot left his friend in the care of one of the crew's medics, then ran back to the deck to alert the captain. Going through the mountains, of course, required some encounters with the heavily guarded fortresses and forts. Sky Dreamer was confident that the airship would make it through, however before they even reached the mountains, Sky Dreamer passed out, exhausted from the battle and the injuries.

Author's Note

And with that we reach the final parts of this story. Please give your feedback, positive or negative.

Tying up Loose Ends

Sky Dreamer woke up slowly from his unconscious state to see that he was in an oddly familiar room. While he didn't catch it at first, he saw that it was the same room he had been in months ago, it was a medical room in Redhearth's Refuge. However this time he did not know how he ended up in there, and while he tried to remember, it was all a blur. Almost fortunately, a medic entered the room.

"Oh, you are awake, Mr. Dreamer." The medic approached him. "How are you feeling?"

"Not sure..." Sky Dreamer attempted to move his forelegs, noticing some bandages. "...How bad was it?"

"Worse than last time, I'm afraid. Months ago you came here with a missing eye and minor physical trauma. This time you had lost a good amount of blood, your wing bones were almost broken and your body was terribly injured. We did what we could as quickly as possible, but you should be fine now." The medic held Sky Dreamer's foreleg and noticed he felt no pain. "Yes, we can remove those bandages today."

"How long was I here?" Sky Dreamer shook his head, remembering what had happened between him and his old friends and the slaves' escape. "What about the ponies that brought me here?!"

"They are all fine, Mr. Dreamer. All of them are being treated right now, you will understand that they need it. And you have been here about eight days." The medic began taking off Sky Dreamer's bandages.

"Eight days?! Sweet heavens, my friends must be worried."

"I would not be so sure about that. As a matter of fact, the same ponies who brought you here months ago are outside waiting for you."

Sky Dreamer felt joy as he heard that, but it all seemed too good to be true. "Really?"

The medic had finished removing most of the bandages. "Yes, and do not worry, we have been keeping them up to speed with your condition."

"Well, now I'm not sure if I want to go outside. They could either embrace me or scold me for being reckless," Sky Dreamer joked.

"You can't stay here forever either." The medic was now finished removing all bandages. "Now go out there and don't keep them waiting."

"Thank you, doctor." Sky Dreamer walked up to his uniform, hanging on the wall. He put on his blades' bracers, then the uniform itself but kept his hood down. He walked up to the door and opened it, taking a deep breath.

Almost as soon as he walked out of the room, he was assaulted by a hug from Starsong, the little filly crying into her father's chest. Sky Dreamer hugged her back before noticing that his friends were there as well. The next thing he got was a hug from Leaf Heart, the earth pony happy to see him awake again.

"Hello." It was all Sky Dreamer could say, being under so much pressure.

"You feeling alright, partner?"

"Yes, Lucky Shot, I'm fine. How come you're all here?"

Leaf Heart broke her embrace with her lover to speak. "Lucky Shot went to Manehattan as soon as you got help, then brought Starsong, Guardian and me. Decoy stayed behind to watch the house. When we arrived, we told Guardian to get Hadya and Rain Cloud, and here they are."

Sky Dreamer was happy that his friends once more proved how much he meant to them, but could not help but feel they risked too much. "You shouldn't have. It's too risk-"

"Risky? You are the one who caused this to happen with your liberation attempt," Hadya said, though she seemed to be joking.

"...Good point. Are the slaves alright?"

"Yes, there was one of them, called Cold Steel, who wanted you to talk to him once you were ok," Rain Cloud said.

"Then I'll go do that in a while. Wait, where is Guardian?"

"He took some time to relax. By flying. He's likely circling around this building," Hadya replied.

"I see...I'll call him once I get out. Where is Cold Steel?"

Almost as if he had been waiting for him to ask, Cold Steel walked into the scene, having been behind a corner the entire time. "I am right here." He walked up to Sky Dreamer, his face bandaged but clearly unable to be reconstructed. Sky Dreamer and Lucky Shot noticed that his fur hat was now adorned with three unicorn horns. "I never had the chance to properly thank you for what you did."

"You don't have to, Cold Steel, I did what had to be done."

"It had to be done, but you were the only one who did it. Me and the other free ponies are in your debt, Sky Dreamer. If there is ever anything you need from us, we will gladly help you out."

Sky Dreamer wasn't comfortable with having more ponies owing him their freedom and being willing to repay the debt, but he still smiled and nodded. "I will keep that in mind, my friend."

A couple hours of catching up later, Sky Dreamer revealed to his friends that he had fought Tricky Note and Dusk Fire together in Stalliongrad, but that Tricky Note had escaped and he had saved Dusk Fire from certain death. This last revelation was met with strong disapproval from his friends, especially from Lucky Shot, who had warned him about letting his old friendship get in the way of the present problem. It was in the middle of the discussion that a crystal orb floated into the scene, glowing with magic. Sky Dreamer was the only one who recognized it, and therefore was the only one to understand what happened afterwards.

A voice echoed from the orb, it was the voice of Dusk Fire. "Northwest. Come alone..." As soon as those words were spoken, the orb vanished.

Sky Dreamer sighed and looked at his friends, each of them knowing what it meant. "...Stay here..."

"Give a cry if you need us," Leaf Heart said, knowing she wouldn't get Sky Dreamer to back down from this.

Sky Dreamer kissed his lover and hugged his daughter, then flew out of the refuge, headed to the northwest. Just outside he found a very small Moon and Star Inquisition force, made up of simply Dusk Fire and Crystal Eclipse. He landed in front of them, not showing neither hostility or passivity. Upon seeing him, Crystal Eclipse took a couple steps back and looked down, attempting to hide a bruise on her face.

"I'm here...What do you want?"

"Answers," Dusk Fire said in a passive aggressive tone. "Why did you kill my father?"

Sky Dreamer rolled his eye. "He killed my parents and took away my freedom."

Dusk Fire shook his head. "You can't possibly expect me to believe that. My father only killed enemies of the House, and according to what you told my marefriend here, both of your parents were in Moon and Star. My father would have never done what you claim."

"Your father was a cruel, heartless liar! Open your celestiadamn eyes, Dusk Fire! Why would I of all ponies lie about the death of MY parents?!"

The insult to his father reignited Dusk Fire's anger. "Enough of this!" Dusk Fire used his magic to lift Sky Dreamer off the ground, getting a magic grip on his neck and tightening. "I am taking you and your lies to Tartarus!"

As Sky Dreamer desperately struggled to get air, Crystal Eclipse got in front of Dusk Fire. "Dusk, please stop! He saved your life, forget this!"

Dusk Fire lifted his foreleg and painfully slapped Crystal Eclipse across her face, throwing her to the ground. "Don't you see?! I am this close to finally avenging my only family and ending this bastard's life! For your own sake, do NOT try to stop me!" he shouted, his eyes turning yellow and his magic turning black.

Sky Dreamer noticed this, and realized why his old friend was gone. He had let hatred take him over and he had unwittingly let that hatred taint his magic. He had heard and read about this from Whitegold's scholars, and knew what could happen to Dusk Fire if he kept doing it. He tried to speak, but it seemed like it was too late.

In the nick of time, a poisoned dart was shot at Dusk Fire, interrupting his magic and releasing Sky Dreamer. Seconds later, Sky Dreamer's friends appeared, having seen everything from a distance.

"You...coward! You would rather hide behind other victims of your lies rather than face me?!" Dusk Fire shouted, the yellow in his eyes intensifying.

Sky Dreamer coughed and took a breath. "I'm the coward? Look at you...You'd rather hit the mare you love and give in to hatred than accept the fact your father was a liar..."

"You bastard!" Dusk Fire attempted to cast another harmful spell, however the poison was blurring his vision and it made him an easy target for a harsh but non-lethal beating from Sky Dreamer's friends.

It took Crystal's intervention to stop the beating, however Sky Dreamer still approached the now beaten Dusk Fire and used his blades to grab him by his nearly broken armor. "Look at yourself, Dusk...Look at what you've become...All these months, you've lost your mind to hatred?! You've become a monster, but not because of me..." His rage increased the more he stared at his old friend. He was tired of everything, of Dusk's mindless obsession, of his stubbornness, of Dusk Fire himself. "You want to kill me because you don't want to accept that your father was a cold-blooded murderer and a liar. He left me without parents and enslaved! I did what I had to do. This is war, Dusk, get over it! But you can't, because even though you want to be an important inquisitor like your father was, deep down you are no more than a helpless baby foal crying for daddy, and like a baby foal, you don't care what sacrifices are made as long as you get what you want. By your so-called Princesses, you even joined forces with Tricky Note, far more of a heretic than I am, you hurt your own marefriend and you sacrificed your very magic, tainting it with your hatred, all just to try to take my life! What do you think your Princesses would think of you?! I'm sick of it, go on with your stubborn revenge if you want, but sooner or later you'll realize how wrong you are, sooner or later you'll realize just which one of us doesn't care about our past!" He let his old friend go, dropping him on the ground as Dusk Fire looked at him with now normal eyes, opened wide in surprise. "Get out of my sight..." he said coldly.

Dusk Fire was not the only one surprised by Sky Dreamer's cold words. While everypony was shocked, they knew he spoke the truth. Crystal Eclipse quickly ran to her coltfriend's side and tried to comfort him. Sky Dreamer simply turned around, his angry look still there.

"Are you....alright?" Leaf Heart asked.

"...Somewhat." Sky Dreamer looked up. "....That takes care of one problem, and now there is one left. And I've had just about enough of all this."

The rest of that day had gone awkwardly for him and his friends. When his friends returned to their homes, he told Lucky Shot to take his family back to Manehattan and wait for him, for he had planned to stop by somewhere else first.

***

For the first time in months, Sky Dreamer walked in Baltimare with the actual intent of killing a specific target, without having been ordered to. He had no intention of going incognito, and against Nighthoof rules, he wore his hood down and did not wear a mask. It was this what gave him away to a fellow Nighthoof that had been patrolling the area.

Mainly out of curiosity, the Nighthoof approached him and walked by him. "First you disappear for a week and now you appear without your mask? What do you think Fleur de Lis, and the General, will think?"

"I am not going to stay here for long, friend. I will leave as soon as I kill somepony." Sky Dreamer looked around. "If you want to help me find her..."

"Who are we talking about, 'sir'?"

"A dehorned cultist unicorn called Tricky Note."

"Dark blue make up and green eyes?" The Nighthoof pointed down a street. "I just saw her outside a Cult safehouse down the street. You better hurry if you want to kill her without attracting too much cultist attention."

"Good..." Sky Dreamer began running down the street. To his satisfaction, he saw Tricky Note talking with converted townsfolk outside a building, though she was at long a distance from the door, giving him enough time to go in for the kill.

However, as soon as he came into view, Tricky Note noticed him, losing her smile for the first time in a very long time. Surprised that he was still alive, she was gripped by fear and after nervously looking around began to run further down the street, prompting Sky Dreamer to chase her.

'You are NOT getting away this time, Tricky Note!' Sky Dreamer thought as he ran after her as fast as possible, eventually deciding to fly.

The chase lasted long enough for them to go through alleys, rooftops and through the crowd, eventually leading them to the port. Not wanting it to end there, Tricky Note tried to run into the boats and ships, hoping to lose him. Unfortunately for her, Sky Dreamer was quick enough to grab her and take her into the air above the waters before she had the chance to do so.

"It ends here and it ends NOW, Tricky Note!"

"Wait! You don't have to do this! I- I'll get better! Please, I promise to leave the Cult and reform!" Tricky Note said, fearing for her life, having no weapons on her and being afraid of the sea as she never learned how to swim.

"Oh no, I have given you FAR too many second chances!"

"You are insane!"

"Takes one to know one..." Sky Dreamer activated one of his blades and held her with his other foreleg under her chin, around her neck. "This one's for my sanity!" He stabbed her side once, ignoring her screams of pain. "This one's for all the ponies I've killed by letting you live!" He stabbed and cut through her stomach. "And now, one for every time you escaped me!" He repeatedly stabbed her in multiple parts of her body as he counted. "One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six!" He kept going on like that until he counted to thirteen. Tricky Note was not going to survive another minute before bleeding to death, but it wasn't enough for him. In one last moment of absolute rage, Sky Dreamer snapped her neck, definitely and finally killing what had become of his old best friend. Before calming down, he let her go, dropping her corpse to the sea. He breathed heavily before his upset expression turned into a faint smile.

Unbeknownst to him, the Nighthoof that had helped him had been following him and flew behind him as he brutally killed his enemy. She slowly approached him and put a hoof on his shoulder. "Are you alright, Silent Wing?" she asked nervously.

Sky Dreamer turned to face her as he calmed down completely. "Yes...Never better." He looked to the west, in the direction of Manehattan. "...I am going back home."

"Travel safe, Silent Wing." The Nighthoof saluted.

Taking one last look at the slightly red water below him, Sky Dreamer began the flight back to Manehattan. Though the General, Fleur de Lis and Rarity might scold and punish him for his reckless acts, he no longer cared. The nightmare of his past was now gone forever and his mind was at ease, and this was enough to make him smile throughout the entire flight.

Author's Note

Only one more chapter to go.

The Price of Loyalty

In the Ivory Tower, Sky Dreamer stood in front of a door in a formal white and gold outfit, patiently waiting for it to open. While returning to Manehattan after a week was difficult, explaining to the General and the Mistress what he hoped to achieve with it was not.The Mistress had heard his tale with interest, focusing greatly on what happened with Stalliongrad and the slaves. While the General was still displeased with his recklessness, Rarity instead cryptically told him that she was running out of rewards to give him. And there he was, three days later, waiting for the reward Rarity had prepared for him.

He did not think he deserved it, he was not important enough to deserve it. He was simply loyal, well, mostly, and most of the recent events he was involved with were for personal reasons rather than in the service of his House. He was not sure he even wanted this reward, as Rarity would likely find a way to use it to manipulate him . However, there was no going back now. A reward was a reward, the good consequence of an action, wasn't it?

The door finally opened and Sky Dreamer walked into the room. It was a fairly large room, enough to hold about two hundred ponies, which was fairly close to the number of ponies currently in the room. In front of him were two lines of fellow Nighthooves, standing at his sides and making way for him to continue walking while separating him from the rest of the ponies, all of them either part of the military, important nobles or merchants. At the end of the line were a small group of Praetorponies, and behind them were Mistress Rarity, General Fancy Pants, Fleur de Lis, Sweetie Belle and the other leaders of Whitegold. After a small moment of silence, Sky Dreamer began walking, the Nighthooves at his sides raising their weapons in salute as he did so. It took him a short while to get to the Praetorponies, who moved aside themselves once he reached them. He was now standing in front of Rarity, who was staring at him with her well-known smirk.

"Sky Dreamer, Silent Wing. You have done great things in the service of House Whitegold. You have proven yourself a capable spy and military strategist, returned valuable possessions to us, showed your loyalty to Whitegold and manipulated our enemies, thinning their numbers from the shadows. Your actions cannot go unrewarded." Rarity nodded at the General, who gladly took a step forward, levitating an open box at his side.

"In reward for your devotion and extraordinary service to House Whitegold, with the consent of our Mistress and leaders, I hereby award you with the title -" The General levitated a decoration from the box, a gold medal in the shape of Whitegold's emblem in a silver shield attached to a light purple ribbon with a white design resembling a gem. "- of Captain." The General carefully placed the decoration on Sky Dreamer.

Immediately after it was done, Sky Dreamer saluted. Even though he still thought he did not deserve it, he couldn't help but feel somewhat proud. The General held out his hoof, and Sky Dreamer immediately shook it with his own. He was then given the silent instruction to turn around, and once his back was no longer on the audience, everypony began applauding him. He took a look at all the ponies, stopping once he noticed Leaf Heart, Starsong and Lucky Shot among them smiling at him, and he couldn't help but smile back.

***

After the ceremony and the celebration afterwards, Sky Dreamer and his family walked home in the night. It was a mostly silent walk, and it was also silent when they walked into the house. While Leaf Heart and Starsong went to their rooms, Sky Dreamer took a moment alone in his office, promising Leaf Heart he would join her soon. He sat on his desk, looking at himself on a mirror. He focused on the decoration that now gave him the rank of Captain, feeling both proud and uncomfortable at the same time. He felt that even after all, the victory was an empty one...Though he did not know why.

"Captain Silent Wing?" said a female voice.

Sky Dreamer was almost startled by the sudden sound. "I...I thought I was alone."

"My apologies." Crystal Eclipse's crystal orb appeared in front of him. "And you are technically alone."

"Crystal Eclipse...How did you...?"

"I placed my orb inside your marefriend's saddlebag when she was not looking. I am sorry." The orb moved and Sky Dreamer followed it with his eye. "So, you are a Captain now. Congratulations."

"Thank you. How is Dusk Fire?"

"He is in Canterlot at the moment. What you said apparently affected him, he wished to be left alone."

"I see..."

"So, you have what you deserve now. What will you do now?"

"...A good question. But it is like asking you what will you do when you become a High Inquisitor."

"No. After discovering what my superior did, I am no longer precisely devoted to the cause. Well, I never was, to be honest. I thought we would deliver justice, but it turns out we twisted words meant to save lives into others meant to justify taking life away. But, I made a choice and now I have to live with it..."

"We all have those choices, Crystal Eclipse." Sky Dreamer sighed. "Whitegold rewarded me for supposedly loyal acts, when I just did what had to be done. And this places me in a tighter situation than before. There are countless others out there who suffer the injustice of war, and I am here not being able to do anything about it unless authorized. A really big price for loyalty."

"Ask yourself this, Sky Dreamer. Are you truly loyal to Whitegold?"

Sky Dreamer thought about it. It took him about a minute of full silence to think about his answer. A part of him was loyal to Whitegold, but another one was not. He had been living a double life, he had seen his actions but never gave them much thought until recently. He finally looked directly at the crystal orb and stood up. "...Captain Sky Dreamer might be loyal to Whitegold...But I, myself, am not."

"Then, just like how you have been doing what you have been doing since you joined Whitegold, perhaps you can still do something about injustice. I talked through this magic to some of the slaves in the Refuge, you truly are an inspiration to them."

Sky Dreamer looked out his window. In one of his trademark moments of inspiration, he had an idea that made him smile. He turned to the orb, still smiling. "Yes, perhaps there IS something I can do...And I know just who are the ponies who can help me. If you are on my side in this, then perhaps you can help me as well."

"I will do what I can, I promise."

* * * * * *

The sun had just gone down and the Undercity's taverns began to get filled with ponies. One of them was not very full, however, and it was the perfect place for a very small group of masked ponies to walk into. Their leader, a pegasus in dark clothes, wearing a silver and blue mask and a hat above a hooded cloak walked to the bar as his two companions, a pony with a red and gold mask and a fur hat adorned with unicorn horns, and a pony with a mask designed after playing cards, talked to some of the other ponies. The masked pegasus sat at the bar and ordered grape juice. The bartender was slightly confused by the order, or rather, he would have been if he didn't know the pegasus, for he had seen him enter his tavern for at least a couple months.

Beside the pegasus was a pink earth pony with blonde mane and torn cultist clothes, sobbing. The pegasus looked at her and ordered a drink for her as well.

"T-Thank you..." The mare took the drink. "You shouldn't have..."

"I wanted to," the pegasus replied in a dark voice. "What happened to you?"

"I was a cultist...I left and they wanted to turn me into a Smiling Doll. I lost my sister...Maybe she got turned into one." The mare kept crying. "I joined them because I thought it would be fun, but it turned all creepy and sad..."

"I know how that feels..." The pegasus slightly lifted his mask to drink, showing his blue chin.

"I wanted to make ponies smile with a big boom, not kill them all...Now the Cult wants me dead."

"Ah, yes. You are quite famous in the Undercity for running from the Cult, having been one of them before. So, you want to be safe from the Cult and help others be safe from it?"

The mare nodded before looking at the pegasus. "Oh hey, a mask. I used to have a mask. It made me look pretty."

The pegasus found that statement familiar and looked at the mare. "What is your name?"

"Bomb Fuse..."

"Well, miss Bomb Fuse. I believe you can help us..."

"Help you...?" the mare asked, confused.

"We have a group. A group that fights injustice...If you want to help prevent the Cult from killing more ponies, you can join us." The pegasus looked at her carefully, and she could feel his piercing gaze despite the mask. "But to join us, you must forget your past and who you used to be and promise your absolute devotion to a brighter future. And if you double cross us, we will make you wish you were a Smiling Doll..."

"...No pressure, huh?"

"We live in a land of war, miss Bomb Fuse. We cannot afford relaxing in this situation. Are you in or not?"

"...Alright." The mare nodded. "I'm in!"

"Excellent." The pegasus took a different, blank mask from his bags and gave it to her. "Welcome to the Phantom Masquerade, miss Bomb Fuse."

Author's Note

And it is over. I am sorry if it seemed rushed, but I really wanted to finish this fic today. For the moment, this will be my last Equestria Divided fanfic focusing on Sky Dreamer.
Please tell me if you liked it or not, criticism is welcome as always.

New Strategy

Sky Dreamer sat in the General's office with the General himself, both of them looking at a map. As the general waited for him to speak, Sky Dreamer simply stared at the map. "Why here?" he asked as he put a hoof on a marked area.

"Our informants have told us that House Stormwing has developed new ways of attacking and has gained reinforcements. We must see how these tactics can be used against us, through the method we don't use very frequently." General Fancy Pants answered, knowing that Sky Dreamer was aware of what those words meant.

"Which means a battle of lies and deception. And why send me?"

"The Mistress has suggested that you be in charge of this operation, son." The general looked at Sky Dreamer, paying attention to his reaction.

"Me?" Sky Dreamer stood up. "General, I know you have faith in me, I know the troops respect me, mostly, but I can't do that."

"Why not? You have proven yourself a capable assassin and spy, and the nighthooves' reports on you describe you as a good leader. This is your chance to truly prove yourself to the Mistress!"

"This goes against all that I have known in my entire life, general." Sky Dreamer turned and pointed to his slave mark on his right flank. "I was a slave once, you know. I was forced to follow orders for a decade. I just wanted freedom, and now that I am no longer a slave, you tell me that now I have to make other ponies follow MY orders?" He put one of his hooves on the desk. "My answer is no, general."

"Sky Dreamer...you are no longer talking to your general now. I am just Fancy Pants, your parents' collaborator." Fancy Pants sighed as he looked at him. "I have seen how the nobles treat you, how everypony treats you simply because you were a slave. You deserve more after what you went through, everypony out there who is treated like garbage deserves more. This simple operation will prove that a former slave is not garbage in any form, and that will give you the respect you deserve!"

"...Gener- I mean, Mr. Fancy Pants, you say that, but to me it seems that Mistress Rarity is trying to get rid of me, like the rest of this House."

"Well then use this to show her that she shouldn't! To show the House your worth!"

"...I can tell there will be no way of convincing you otherwise..." Sky Dreamer put his hoof on his chin, deep in thought. "Alright, I will do it, but I ask two things in return."

"Hm?" Fancy Pants raised an eyebrow. "In return? Be careful what you wish for, son..."

"First, I decide the strategy and course of action."

"Oh, consider it done! Just remember how the House acts in battle, we do not want to risk more than what we can afford losing."

"We will risk LESS than what we can afford losing..." Sky Dreamer smirked, looking at the map. "I will ask for the other thing after the operation's success."

"Very well then, we have an agreement. But, I myself ask something of you." Fancy Pants said with a smile.

"Yes?"

"Do not tell the General of our agreement or he could have me punished!" Fancy Pants laughed.

Sky Dreamer laughed as well. "As you wish, Fancy Pants!"

***

Near the base of Dragonpoint Mountain, between the mines and Northgate, a Whitegold banner stood in front of a tunnel with a pair of militaponies guarding it. A Wind Rider scouting the area took notice of them and quickly left, likely to warn allies. The militiaponies looked at the tunnel and waved their hooves in a signal, then looked at a pile of rocks to their side, making the same signal. The rocks were in reality an illusion projected by an Illusion Projector, made to cover a group of ten Arqueteers, eight Nighthooves, twelve Gem Golems and five Sapphire Sirens, plus Sky Dreamer himself.

"They will be here shortly, gentlecolts." Sky Dreamer looked at the Arqueteers. "Open fire at my command."

"Certainly," an Arqueteer answered, preparing his arquebus.

Sky Dreamer looked at the Sirens. "Ladies, as soon as we lure their troops to our trap, you know what to do." Not waiting for their usual flirtatious responses, he looked at his fellow Nighthooves. "As soon as the battle starts, we follow our plan."

Shortly after he finished, the sounds of wings flapping and hooves running were heard. A small but well-armed group of Hoplites and Ground Guards came running towards the tunnel. Sky Dreamer counted them, there were 2 of both, but judging from the few times he had been involved in battle against Stormwing, this was clearly not their full attack. The Stormwing soldiers came closer but the militiaponies did not do anything besides holding their halberds defensively. When the enemy was in range, however, the militiaponies held their halberds to stab the incoming pegasi, while from the ground in front of them a pair of armored Diamond Dogs came out and attacked the Ground Guards. The defense was successful, while the Dogs made short work of the Ground Guards, the surprise from the counterattack made the Hoplites lose their concentration for a moment, and that moment was enough for the militiaponies to attack and defeat them. Eventually, the real attack came to them, and a larger group of Hoplites, Ground Guards and Griffon Prowlers were seen approaching.

"Gentlecolts, this is it. Wait for it..." Sky Dreamer held his hoof up as the Arqueteers prepared to shoot. The enemy came closer, but Sky Dreamer did not move.

"Sir?" an Arqueteer asked, slightly nervous seeing how quickly the enemy approached the tunnel. Sky Dreamer did not respond. "If I may make a suggestion, this might be a good time to shoot!" the Arqueteer said, attempting to get the commanding officer to react, but received no response either.

The enemy was dangerously close to the tunnel's defenders when Sky Dreamer finally pointed his hoof at them. "Fire!" he commanded, and less than a second later the Arqueteers fired their guns in sync. The attack killed most of the enemy ponies, but the remaining ones and the griffons engaged the defenders in battle while reinforcements were coming from afar. This was precisely what Sky Dreamer planned, and he ordered the illusion to stop being projected. The attackers witnessed in surprise how the seemingly harmless rocks disappeared and from their place came forth a group of Gem Golems, Sirens and Nighthooves while Arqueteers were ready to shoot at them again. As the Gem Golems joined the defense of the tunnel, the Sirens stood behind the defenders and sang, then a group of militiaponies, Dogs and Ponies of Fortune came from the tunnel. With the tunnel now well defended, Sky Dreamer looked at his fellow nighthooves and began flying towards the sky. "Nighthooves, move out!" he shouted, and soon after he was joined by them.

The Nighthoof squad took the sky and targeted incoming elite pegasi and griffons, as well as retreating attackers, with Sky Dreamer taking advantage of his trademark eye stabs to take out the enemy. In the middle of the flight what seemed to be a tornado came to them. This was likely one of the new tactics of Stormwing, and the squad was forced to split up to avoid it. Almost as soon as he was out of the tornado's way, he was ambushed by a Hoplite, sending them both to the ground in the middle of the dust the tornado brought up. The Hoplite attempted to impale him with her spear, to which Sky Dreamer put his blades in front of him, just barely blocking the spear. He attempted to stab her, only to stop with his blade inches from her face. "Rain Cloud?" he asked, getting a clear view of the hoplite's face.

"Wha- You?!" Rain Cloud was surprised to see her friend, especially after the agreement they had. "What do you think you're doing here?!"

"Nice to see you too," Sky Dreamer replied sarcastically.

"You know Order 313!" Rain Cloud attempted to be quiet to avoid alerting her own allies. "Do you WANT me to kill you?!" she asked furiously.

"You wouldn't kill me even if I wanted you to." Sky Dreamer quickly jumped back and took a smoke bomb from under his clothes, throwing it to the ground below Rain Cloud. As her sight was disabled by the smoke, Sky Dreamer approached her and whispered in her ear. "Mistress Rarity knows about me and you and the others, to some extent. For now, I'm forced to play by her rules, so I strongly recommend you stay out of this." Before the smoke cleared out, he fled back to where his squad split up, the tornado having stopped during his short conversation with his friend. "Sorry, Rain Cloud...I believe we can both understand each other now."

"Sir, look who we found," a Nighthoof said upon seeing him arrive, showing him the body of a pegasus with a different design of armor. "Our spies have seen these 'Stormbringers' before."

"That report was from when they were still in training. They must be fully implemented in the military if one was here..." Sky Dreamer looked around. "Keep an eye out for more, they might send-" He was interrupted by an arrow shot at his back, just barely missing his wing. "How in Equestria...?!" he said with surprise.

"Ballistas!" a Nighthoof yelled before more arrows were shot. Sky Dreamer signaled them to retreat back to the location of the tunnel, and the squad complied.

The tunnel now had trenches in front of it, made by the diamond dogs, which served as more defense for the troops. Most of the defenders were still unharmed, though the ones injured kept fighting, inspired by the Sirens' songs, while the ones that were too injured to continue retreated into the tunnel. The squad resorted to aid in the defense of the tunnel, while Sky Dreamer retreated to the Arqueteers' position. "How many more bullets do you have?" Sky Dreamer asked one of them.

"We recently had a package of ammunition sent to us from the tunnel, sir. Why do you ask?" the Arqueteer responded, still shooting.

"Commander Rainbow Dash has decided to stop taking risks and sent ranged forces against us. Ballistas, it seems." Sky Dreamer attempted to see through the battle in front of him, and managed to catch a glimpse of one of said ballistas, behind the enemy attack force, operated by non-pegasus ponies. "This way, can you deal with it?" he said as he pointed in the direction.

"You offend me with your question, sir!" the Arqueteer said arrogantly as he pointed his arquebus in said direction and looked through the scope. "Ah, yes, now THAT is an insult! Watch this if you can." He waited for the split second the way was clear and fired, killing the pony operating the device. "Ha! Right between the eyes!"

It wasn't long after that Sky Dreamer decided to order the Arqueteers to take care of the newly discovered threats, that is to say, the ballistas and the Stormbringers, leaving the other enemy forces to his squad and the defenders. It was a dangerous move, but he had also planned ahead for this. "Bring the Trebuchet! he yelled in the direction of the tunnel. Shortly afterwards, a single Field Trebuchet was pulled out of the tunnel, just large enough to fit in, and was used to bolster the tunnel's defenses. While this was a solid strategy, it was all he brought to the battle, and he hoped there wouldn't be more surprises.

However, Whitegold wasn't the only house with surprises in this battle. When it seemed Stormwing had ran out of forces to send, a group of pony warriors wielding large weapons came into the battle, fighting with a ferocity not expected from disciplined forces. This new tactic required every defender to take action, including Sky Dreamer himself, who was injured by a blow to the shoulder soon after. These ponies had been seen by spies, but were not expected to join Stormwing so quickly. The defense ultimately prevailed when the last of these warriors was killed, at the cost of several of the defending forces, and Stormwing decided to bring the attack to a stop, their forces retreating.

"They retreat! Great work, everypony!" Sky Dreamer announced, his words were met with the cheers of the troops. He had accomplished his mission and had seen Stormwing's new tactics. Whitegold's work was done here.

Whitegold's forces returned to the tunnel. The battle had been small-scaled and short, not lasting more than a couple hours. There were many injured, but thankfully the casualties did not surpass expectations. They had 10 Arqueteers, 5 Sirens, 12 golems, 8 Nighthooves, 24 militiaponies and, counting both diamond dogs and ponies, 30 mercenaries when the battle started, while they lost 8 golems, 7 militiaponies and 16 mercenaries by the battle's end. Though the losses were few, it still made Sky Dreamer feel bad for them, after all this battle was only to test how well they could stand against Stormwing's new tactics, there was no other gain from this, save for the possible existence of another tunnel for Whitegold to use, though the exit would need to be relocated. He also felt respect for the enemy ponies that died in the battle. Nopony kept count, but he theorized it must have been close to 50, counting both griffons and ponies. He put those feelings aside, for the time being, as the troops returned to Manehattan. He hoped that this battle was enough to get Mistress Rarity and Fleur De Lis' spies to stop questioning his loyalty, but he also knew that if this battle was seen as that much of a success, he would eventually be called for more, and he had strongly mixed feelings towards this.

Author's Note

A battle chapter. This took me 3 days to plan and write. For the record, I am NOT trying to make Whitegold overpowered in battle, I just tried to make them deceptive and tricky.