Space is far more 'dirty' then people realize. Space dust, asteroids, and various other free floating matter in the void will cause a ship's eventual destruction without proper protection. Nowhere is this more evident than above a verdant world in the throes of war. The still sparking carcasses of a once great planetary defense fleet cluttered the planet's orbital space lanes.

The remains of untold alien corvettes, cruisers, frigates, and great battleships seemed to surround the world like some macabre black cloud. Once the home of vast populations, great space stations lay gutted in slowly deteriorating orbits, their inhabitants spilling forth apathetically into space. This was what the transport carrying Erika and her prisoners had to navigate.

Erika sat and watched as the pilot navigated the between the wreckages of alien ships. He would fly between large chunks of melted metal and pieces of eviscerated ships, but would let more manageable chunks and the odd body impact the shield. The pilot had to pay attention to his surroundings, as the ruined ships would impact each other often, and would likely break up into innumerable smaller pieces. Eventually, they made it through the newly created graveyard to the sight of the Sadistic Melody on the other side.

The Sadistic Melody's model was the typical carrier of the Atlantean Navy. It was ten miles in diameter and two miles at its tallest point. It looked like a small city of skyscrapers had been built upon a vast disk, and its coat of Nano-bots gave the illusion of it having been made entirely of burgundy bricks. Around the edges of the vast ship were ten massive white crystals, each an oval in shape and a mile high. Most of the ship's size came from also being the military's troop transport, capable of fitting an entire legion. However at the moment, the Sadistic Melody was only carrying Erika's company for a raiding run.

Absolutely minuscule in comparison, Erika's transport approached the ship and was hailed by it.

"This is Captains Alexandria of the Sadistic Melody, do you read?"

"We read you Captain." Erika responded.

"Ahh, Sparkly." The captain greeted. "What's this I hear about you taking a noble alive, and bringing her slaves along no less?"

At this, Erika became nervous and took an aside glance at the pilot who she suspected of informing the captain. Said pilot was doing a remarkable job of looking innocent while he flew.

"Personally I wonder what the noble could know that could be so important that 'you' would spare them."

"You… you see ma'am I…" Erika started with increasing shame. "The reason I took the noble and her entourage prisoner is not at all beneficial for the Empire…"

"…Go on Sparkly, I'm listening." The captain said in a neutral tone.

"Neither the noble nor her entourage know anything that would be of strategic value to us." Erika continued, wincing all the while. "I took them prisoner because they are the same species as me ma'am."

Erika couldn't help but dread what the response of her superior would be. In all her thirty years as a Warmage of Atlantis, she prided herself in her professionalism above all else. Granted, she took some liberties when it came to encountering surrendering nobles, but that was practically unofficial Atlantean doctrine by now. But now, one decision made when she wasn't in the right state of mind was going to get her a hell of a dressing-down. Her father was going to be so disappointed in her she could tell, and the black mark on her service record would never be lived down…

"I'm fine with this." Captain Alexandria stated.

What?

"Truthfully Sparkly, considering who you are and the kind of influence you have, I doubt I would be able to touch you unless you did something stupid and damaging." The captain continued. "And I think I myself would have made the same decision you did, if I had been thought of as the only one of my kind, only to find them later in life."

"Thank you Ma'am!" Erika replied with surprise and relief.

"You're welcome Sparkly." Alexandria said. "Just don't make this too much of a habit."

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Now get on board for debriefing, and I'll have a Naval Mage to see to your prisoners, Sadistic Melody out."

Erika let out a sigh of relief as the com channel closed. She had thought she was going to get it for a minute, but the benefits of the family name and an understanding superior officer came through. She nodded to the pilot who set course for the Melody's hangar bay.

The cavernous hangar of the Melody had many different levels; each one had an assortment of troop transports and corvettes packed tightly. The airways within the hangar were for the most part clear, with the occasional loading golem floating by, along with several patrols of defense golems buzzing through the air. Erika's transport settled down near a Naval Mage with a small escort of humanoid Murmillo Pattern Combat Golems. Each one of the golems was carrying the signature golem infantry weapon, the Anti-Materiel Pulse Rifle.

With a small click, the transport set down next to the group.

"Alright people, we have arrived." Erika said as she entered the hold. "Time to get off. You five, line up! Emily, carry the noble."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Well, what are waiting for?" Erika asked in irritation when the five only gave her confused stares. "I gave you an order…"

She trailed off as she remembered from the initial mind plunge that they spoke English, and she had been speaking Atlantean. She face hoofed at her stupidity.

"Line up." She repeated in English.

The ten War Mages, five ponies, and one unconscious Alicorn exited the ship to find the Naval Mage waiting and the Golems taking position around them.

"Lieutenant Commander Benjamin." He stated with hands clasped behind him.

"Captain Erika 'Sparkly' Gefallen sir." She saluted. "Presenting Gamma squad and the prisoners."

He nodded at her and looked over Gamma. He narrowed his eyes as he took in details.

"NCO Jacobs!" He barked out. "You're one officer short, explain."

"NCO Squad leader Jasmine is on medical leave sir." Jacobs responded

"Hmmm…" Benjamin nodded, satisfied with the answer, and turned back to Erika.

"Captain, command wants you to debrief them immediately." She nodded and began marching away. "Gamma I believe you deserve a bit of R and R, I'll take the prisoners and process them, dismissed!"

"Yes sir, thank you sir." Jacobs said, leading his squad away.

And with that, five mares and one unconscious Alicorn were left alone with the prim Naval Mage and his golems. They shied away slightly as he studied them, hawk like features bearing down. A minute frown graced his features as he took in the princess. He turned his gaze back to the mares, and his eyes began to glow cyan before quickly fading back to their icy blue.

"What is her condition?" He questioned.

"Good sir we don't know." Rarity stepped forward and winced inwardly as Benjamin focused his gaze on her. "When these… things were placed on us, they affected all of us differently. But what she had was by far the worst reaction. She just stood there shaking and fell unconscious, we haven't been successful in waking her."

"Hmmm… I will have an Apothecary look to her." He said, gesturing to two Golems to carry the Princess away. "You five will now follow me for processing and placement into a holding cell. Resistance will not be tolerated."

The rest of the Golems closed in.

-a short time later in the briefing room-

"… After shooting down the Lord Governor's ship, we set course for the Melody and you know the rest sirs." Erika said to the Commanding Officers.

Erika stood in a brightly lit room. The room had a coffee table off to the side, with its namesake and several cups on top of it, and a crescent shaped table in the middle, where Captain Alexandria and two Commanders sat. She stood at attention giving her report in front of this table. There was no actually briefing room, just rooms that happen to be nearby and comfortable.

"Very good Sparkly." Captain Alexandria said absently, as she and the Commanders studied holograms with video recordings from Gamma's HUDs. "You will be redeployed again in seven hours, enjoy your R and R, dismissed."

"Yes Ma'am, thank you Ma'am."

Erika exited the room into the clear hallway outside. She navigated the extensive halls via markings along the walls and floor pointing towards key rooms and locations. She was heading to the ships high-speed transit system, an absolute necessity for miles long military ships like the Melody.

As the train began accelerating past Mach one, she couldn't help but worry about how her superiors might have reacted to her utterly unprofessional behavior on world. Captain Alexandria might have been fine with it and understanding enough of her situation to let it pass. But what about the more protocol oriented officers, officers like Lieutenant Commander Benjamin? People like him certainly would not tolerate a break of protocol and the rules of engagement because someone under their command got a little emotional. All in all, this little stunt was probably going to affect future deployments of her military career for decades to come. All too soon, the train came to a stop in the crews quarters section of the ship.

Erika got off and navigated the halls, until she arrived at the door to her own personal quarters. Being an officer of her rank afforded her certain luxuries, like her own personal room. She opened the door, revealing a relatively bare bones room that was barely larger than a walk-in closet, with a small singles bed and a coffee table that doubled as her computer desk. A civilian would think it was horrible, but a military veteran like Erika thought it was a penthouse compared to most places she had been forced to sleep when she could no longer stay awake.

Erika closed the door softly behind her and sighed as her armor shifted and retracted until only a cuirass remained. She unfastened the armor with her magic, and placed it by the door before walking over and throwing herself onto her bed. Lying on her bed, Erika turned her head towards her computer on the coffee table, which appeared to be a shiny black plastic rectangular brick that had no discernible features. Little purple sparks danced across Erika's muzzle as she commanded the computer to turn on. Recognizing her magical signature, the computer instantly turned on its holographic projectors and displayed her desktop. It was a picture of her and her brother Conrad, both of them fully grown; she was smiling pleasantly, and Conrad had that ever present mischievous smile of his plastered across his face. She opened the music player, selected a techno remix, and put it on repeat before closing her eyes and listening to it as the room's lights darkened.

As Erika laid in her bed listening to her music, her mind began wandering to the subject of her race. Despite what she had said earlier about not wanting anything to do with her race anymore, she still wanted to find them. She wanted to learn about her race's histories and its cultures. She wanted to know what they did in their day to day lives, about what they considered fun. She wanted to see what life was like among people like her… for a time at least.

It was a supreme disappointment to discover her people were ruled by nobles. She could only imagine what life was like for the commoners of her race. To be restricted knowledge, and destined for a life of poverty and servitude from the day they were born. To be told how to do the jobs they did their entire lives, by someone who knew nothing about them. To be thought of as little better than dogs who could talk, and have nearly all their life's earnings taken away by greedy nobles who waste it away on wines, whores and jewels.

Well she would not have that. Her people would know of Atlantis and her glories. They would experience the peace and freedoms all Atlantean citizens took for granted. They would feel its power and majesty.

Captain Alexandria was right, she was a Gefallen. The name came with a huge amount of respect and influence, and Erika would use both of them as much as she could. She would pull as many strings as possible to get what she needed. By the time everything was said and done, she should be at the forefront of an invasion… no, a liberation fleet, ready to free her people from the tyranny of the nobility. Her people would know what it was like to be an Atlantean citizen.

"I swear it." Erika vowed.

-the holding cells-

The five Elements of Harmony now sat in a small rectangular room. The room's door was blocked with a white translucent barrier, and off in the corner was a toilet with a perforated metal wall to provide some privacy. The five dejected mares each now wore orange shirts altered to fit, with serial numbers on the back.

"Ohhh…" Fluttershy sniffed and prodded at her uncomfortable prison shirt. "What's going to happen to us? What are they going to do to us, are they going to send us to a prison?"

Fluttershy's eyes widened at the thought of being sent to a dark, terrible citadel (of doom) full of unnatural things and mean prison guards (also of doom). It has to be said, that because of the restively docile nature of ponies, there never had been much of a need for actual prisons. Yet the idea has been put forth several times, and often came out in pony fantasy books. Naturally, the prisons in these books were fantastically over the top dark (and of doom). However, due to a lack of real experience, Fluttershy, like the rest of the mares in the holding cell, was drawing from this knowledge to paint a picture of what to expect.

"I-I don't w-want to go to p-prison!" Fluttershy began stuttering at the thought of being thrown in the dankest, darkest cell and being left alone. "I'll never be able to take it!"

Applejack wobbled over on her now weakened legs, and pulled Fluttershy into a hug.

"Shh, there, there sugarcube." She comforted the fearful Pegasus. "Everything will turn out alright, you'll see." Although she was beginning to have doubts, as things seemed to be getting progressively worse, rather than better as time went on.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "And if any pony, or whatever they are, tries to do anything with you, I'll beat their flanks into next week!" Although Rarity and Applejack could tell that Rainbow Dash's usual confidence was more than a bit forced, it still had the effect of cheering Fluttershy up somewhat.

"Yes darling, everything will be fine." Rarity added. "As long as we're together, we can get through anything." She decided not to mention that their captors could easily separate them, and in their weakened states they would never be able to resist such an attempt. Or that they were technically not all together, as Twilight, or Erika as she now called herself, was no longer with them or even on their side on that matter.

"Yeah so don't worry, turn that frown upside down!" Pinkie Pie hopped over as she added her own two cents. "As soon as we get back we'll have our own welcome back party!"

Unfortunately, all the ponies' efforts to calm Fluttershy dissolved in an instant, as the barrier blocking the door flickered and died, and a figure of pure intimidation and fear walked in.

It was a bipedal creature like nearly all the others they had seen on the ship, but it terrified them like no other. It stood at over five feet, and wore a pitch black trench coat with a blood red cloak that had the hood pulled down. The face was covered by some sort of sleek gasmask, and it wore a black, peaked cap with a strange, dark pink lambda symbol on the front over his mask.

"I am Operative Daniel of the AIB, the Atlantean Intelligence Bureau." His crisp partially synthesized tone rang out. "I will be interrogating you five until I, and my superiors are satisfied. Try not to resist, I would rather this not get… unpleasant."

"Look here buddy I don't care what fancy title you've got, but if you try to even get near Fluttershy I'll…" Rainbow Dash started.

"You'll what?" Daniel said simply. "You don't seem to comprehend the situation you are in. I have the authority to do whatever is needed to retrieve the information I want from you five. That means if I wanted to, I could have you skinned alive, healed, and skinned again. And I could keep doing this until I had enough of your hide to clothe everyone on this ship. And my superiors would not care, as long as I got what was needed. In fact, they might just thank me for getting them such nice fur coats." He ran the back of his gloved hand along Dash's cheek; she tried to flinch away, but she literally put herself into a corner.

"You have no idea how many ways I can torture you and get away with it." Daniel stated, bringing his masked face close to Dash's. "I could have you burned alive, your wings plucked, or have your hooves ripped out of your legs. I could do the same to each of you and force the rest to watch and hear, and there is nothing you could do to stop…" The room became silent as Daniel suddenly stopped.

Daniel had actually used the talk of the mares' imminent torture to distract their minds and make it easier for him, a Mind Mage, to collect precise information from their memories. So while he was busy horrifying the ponies, he was also doing a precision mind plunge on Rainbow Dash. Seeing things from her viewpoint was incredibly different from what Captain Sparkly's HUD had shorn. It was also far odder. They honestly believed that the Captain had only been gone for forty five days, and the captain's Equestrain name was Twilight Sparkle. If Daniel was any less of a professional, he would have laughed aloud upon discovering this. The memories finally got to the point of the teleport, and became odder still. The teleport looked more like a dimensional crossover that the mages in the PMD corps got up to every now and then. If the implications of this were true, then it seemed the good Captain was extra-dimensional. Going further back, he started seeing memories from their home world and dimension, like how Captain Sparkly was a fully grown mare when she was sent across the dimensional boundary, and how the ponies in the room worried endlessly about her.

Daniel backed away from Dash and turned to the other ponies, doing a quick mind plunge on each. He confirmed with absolute certainty that the memories, though seen from different point of views, were completely accurate and truthful. He quickly exited the cell, leaving the now confused ponies behind him and hurried through the halls.

Following the directions on the wall he eventually came to, and entered, a room marked "Sector Control". The room was circular and its walls were covered by holographic computer screen, along with arrays of consoles beneath them. Seated at a small circular table in the center of the room were two Naval Mages, eating pastries and drinking coffee.

"Operative Daniel, sir!" they shouted with surprise.

"Open a com channel to Atlantis immediately." He ordered.

"Of course sir!" They replied and leapt for the consoles.

Daniel stood in front of the screens and waited. Mere seconds later, the digital image of the AI that ran Atlantis' communications, appeared.

"Operative Daniel." The AI greeted courteously. "How may I assist you?"

"I have an important massage for the Emperor." Daniel stated. "Tell him it's about his daughter Erika."

"One moment…" The AI said as it sent the massage.

Not half a minute later, the immensely agitated, hooded and scarfed face of Ezekiel Gefallen appeared on screen.

"REPORT, what is wrong with my daughter?" Daniels swallowed as pink electricity began to dance along Ezekiel's features.

"Nothing is wrong with Erika, Emperor Ezekiel." Daniel said as he attempted to placate the angry father. "But I have found incredible information regarding her origins sir."

"Really?" Ezekiel stated with interest. "Start from the beginning Operative."

"Yes sir, your daughter started her mission at…" Daniels began as he explained everything he had found.