Despite the battleship's slow top speed of 21 knots, the vessel was long gone by the time the squadron from the San Franciscolt arrived at Mareitania's wreck site. The former flagship of the Equestrian Navy was now currently plowing through the waves on course for her destination in Horseshoe Bay. As the mood throughout the vessel was one of accomplishment and celebration by the crew for what they had done, it was certainly nothing like that within the small holding cell that now housed two prisoners of war.

As the two of them laid on bunks mounted on opposite sides of the room, their moods were mostly defeat and sorrow. Both of them had just witnessed what could be the worst crime ever committed and neither could have done anything to stop it. And now, they were on their way to Horseshoe Bay to most likely be taken to the Crystal Empire for interrogation, torture, and imprisonment.

Laying on her bunk facing away from the wall, Spitfire just silently observed her new cellmate as he laid motionless across from her. The stallion was facing the wall, most likely hiding his shame from her. During the brief bits of silence between the crew's celebration and the waves, she could hear him sniffling and sobbing. Normally, she'd be the one telling ponies like him to quit crying and toughen up. But this time, she didn't want to. A Captain mourning the loss of not only his ship, but his entire crew as well was not something she had seen before. But the pain of losing fellow soldiers was something that she knew very well.

"Are... you gonna be okay?" she asked, breaking the silence within the cell. But the stallion didn't answer. All he did was just lay there. Wanting to at least do something to help console him, she scooched herself off her bunk and slowly walked over toward him. Once by his side, she gently laid a hoof on his back. "Hey. You gonna be okay?" she repeated before softly patting her hoof on him in an attempt to comfort him.

"No...." he softly answered. "I... don't think I will be."

"I get that," she replied. "You just lost everything you held close to you. That's something that... will take a lot of time to get through. Your ship. Your crew. Even that sword that I can tell meant a lot to you."

"Yeah," he said before sniffling. "It did. They all did. Mareitania. My crew. My sword. They all meant the world to me. And now... they're all gone."

"Why didn't you turn away then if your ship and crew meant that much to you?" she asked. "Didn't you get Princess Luna's warning?"

"Princess... Luna's... warning?" he answered in a confused tone before he rolled over to face her. "You mean that warning from Manehattan?"

"Yes."

"I only just managed to finish reading it before the explosion happened," he said. "I was eating breakfast in the dining saloon when it got brought to me."

"You didn't even get a chance to react to it," the mare softly replied, making her feel even worse for him.

"No," he answered. "I didn't."

As she looked at him, she could see the pain in his eyes. She could also hear it in his voice as well. It made her feel so bad for him. A civilian should never be targeted by an enemy, whether or not they could fight back. But it seemed as though Sombra didn't care as long as he accomplished what he wanted. But as she continued trying to console him, a memory of what the guards told her before flashed through her mind.

"Captain," she said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Are you familiar with... Queen Chrysalis?"

As soon as she said that name, the stallion's eyes shot wide open as his whole body shivered in response. Seeing that reaction, the Wonderbolt Commander immediately knew that whatever encounter he had with her was not a pleasant one.

"That's... a name that I had hoped to never hear again," he replied. "But... yes. I'm familiar with her. Why?"

"Well," Spitfire began to say. "She's... pretty much the reason why Sombra's out here. Why.. he did what he did."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah," she said before rubbing the back of her head with a forehoof. "Seems as though those two entered into some sort of alliance. Which would eventually turn into marriage. But for that to happen, Chrysalis wanted Sombra to prove himself to her. By... sinking your ship and taking you prisoner."

"Mother of Luna...." the stallion softly replied as he appeared stunned by what she said.

"Yeah...." she said in an awkward tone.

"So what's going to happen to us?" he asked. "Where is this ship going?"

"Horseshoe Bay most likely," she answered. "Sombra's forces captured the naval base there. From there, we'll probably get taken to the Crystal Empire. As for what happens once we get there, it's probably gonna be different for the two of us."

"I... see..." he replied before looking up at her. "You're... Commander... Spitfire. Right?"

"Yeah?" she answered, surprised that this stallion knew who she was. "How did you know?"

"My First Officer was the brother of Admiral Broadside," he answered. "He'd sometimes talk to me about his conversations with him. Your name came up a few times." He then sighed before looking down at the floor. "He's going to be so heartbroken when he hears what happened to Port."

"About that...." the mare said in an awkward tone. "Admiral Broadside was... murdered yesterday."

"What?!" Steel asked in a shocked tone. "How?!"

"According to what Princess Luna told me," she began to say. "He was thrown out of his office window at the naval base in Manehattan." The stallion just silently looked at her while trying to process what she had said. "Plummeting to his death. As to who was behind it, the investigators aren't sure."

"Well," he replied. "Sombra's been on this warship the whole time I'm guessing. So it couldn't have been him."

"Yeah," she said as she rubbed her muzzle in thought. "Though he might have the ability to teleport, I'm not sure if he could go that far."

"My guess would be that... Chrysalis, or one of her minions, is the one who did it," he softly said, making the Commander's eyes shoot wide open.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "That would make sense! They'd be able to sneak in and out undetected!"

"Be quiet in there!" a guard shouted from somewhere outside the cell. "I'm trying to take a nap here!" This just made the mare narrow her eyes as she looked over toward the direction of where the voice came from.

"I swear to Celestia," she said softly. "I'm going to beat down any guard I can find if I manage to get out of here."

"Even if you somehow manage to get out of the cell," the stallion replied as he looked at the chains wrapped around her body. "You'd still have those chains keeping your wings folded." Spitfire just sighed while trying out of instinct to move her wings. But the chains wouldn't budge.

"That's true," she said in a depressed tone.

"I'd help you out with that if it wasn't for this ring on my horn," he continued. "It looks uncomfortable."

"It is," she said before turning around and climbing back on to her bunk and laying down.

"Can't imagine what it'll be like once we get to Horseshoe Bay."

"I'd rather not think about it," the mare replied. Even though she didn't want to think about it, she couldn't help it. The thought of the two of them being led down a gangway in collars and chains just to either be teleported to the Crystal Empire or thrown in the back of some prison wagon crept into her mind. And just imagining it made her shudder in both fear and disgust. She'd rather die than be subjected to that kind of humiliation.

But now that there was a civilian prisoner with her, things became more complicated. Any attempt of escape by her could potentially put his life in danger as he'd most certainly be used by Sombra as leverage to make her compliant. If she was going to escape, she'd have to figure out a way to help him as well. As she started thinking about potential escape plans, something she remembered Sombra saying echoed in her mind.

"Hey... Captain?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"You... might wanna take that armor off."

"Armor?" he replied before moving his uniform jacket down to look at the suit of armor that he still had on. "Why?"

"Because that's... what Sombra used... to help trap you in that block of crystal."

"How... would Sombra even know about it?" the stallion asked. "This got delivered to the Mareitania before we left Mareseilles. It was a gift from Admiral Broadside."

"Given the fact that Broadside was murdered..." the mare answered. "I think it's safe to say that it wasn't him who sent it to you. Rather somepony else impersonating him." Upon saying that, his eyes widened in shock as he again looked down at the armor he was wearing. Even if he wanted to get it off, it would be very challenging to do so while his magic was being nullified.

"Food is ready, ponies," a voice said from outside the cell. Looking up, both of them saw a guard with two trays in front of him. Both of them carried one apple, a couple slices of bread, and a mug of water. "Be thankful that our King, with his kindness and mercy, has chosen to make sure that you two are fed," the guard continued as he shoved both trays through the slots of the iron bars before walking away.

"I'd rather gag than be thankful to him," Spitfire said in her mind as the guard walked away.

---

As the two ponies aboard the battleship were having to adjust themselves to being prisoners of war, the squadron of pegasi soldiers had just returned to the San Franciscolt. Each and every one of them had looks of disappointment and grief on their faces as they landed. As they landed, Captain Triple Screw looked on from the bridge deck with his hat held close to his chest before looking out at the sea in the direction they came from. He didn't need any report from any of them to know what happened. Their faces told him everything he needed to know.

"Sleep peacefully, Mareitania," he said softly to himself as he gazed out at the horizon. "You and your crew served your country admirably."

"Captain," Jet Stream said in a depressed tone as he landed beside the unicorn.

"Lieutenant," he replied. "I take it our worst case scenario was what you found out there?"

"Sadly. Yes," the pegasus answered. "It appears that the Mareitania was destroyed by Canterlot. We couldn't find any survivors amidst the wreckage. I'm afraid to say all ponies aboard that liner have been lost."

"I could tell that judging from the looks of your fellow pegasi as they landed," the elder stallion replied before sighing. "We should break the news to the others." After saying that, he looked over at his First Officer. "Left full rudder. Set course on heading 270. And... lower the flags to half staff."

"Yes sir," Pin Point replied. As the stallion went off to fulfill his Captain's orders, the two other stallions began making their way down to the War Room. The journey was silent as the only sounds heard were their hooves on the metal floor, maintaining their balance until the carrier pulled out of her turn. Soon, they found themselves in front of the armored door leading into the room where the others were. Using his magic, Triple opened the door before he and the Lieutenant stepped in. Once inside, the two were met with the gazes of the others that were seated around the holograph table.

"Greetings... everypony," Jet Stream depressingly said while he and the Captain took their places at the table.

"Are you alright, Lieutenant?" Twilight asked as she looked at him. "What happened out there?"

"I can't say for certain exactly what happened," the pegasus began to answer as he looked at his colleagues. "But the destruction we found could only lead to one conclusion." The others leaned in as they looked at him. "Canterlot destroyed the Mareitania. And most likely killed everypony aboard." As soon as he said that, each of them gasped simultaneously. "We couldn't find any survivors," he continued. "No lifeboats. No swimmers. Nothing. Just.. bodies."

"That... heartless... monster..." the Admiral said as the others just stared with mouths wide open. "All those ponies...."

"I was able to recover this," he said as he reached into his saddlebag and pulled out the hat that he recovered from the scene before setting it on the table. "It belonged to Port Side. Admiral Broadside's brother."

"I can only imagine how grief stricken his family will be when they hear about this," Shining said as he gazed at the hat. "First Broadside's murder. And now this."

"Not to mention every other family that will be affected because of this," Twilight sadly added. "There had to be hundreds of ponies on that ship. Now they're all... gone."

"What do we do now?" Admiral Fire Power asked. "That ship was carrying vital supplies needed for towns and villages all across Equestria. Not to mention the special armor for our fighters on the front line."

"I'm not sure," Shining answered. "But that isn't something for us to worry about. Celestia and Luna will have to be the ones to deal with that. Our task now is for us to return to Manehattan as soon as we can." He then turned to look at Triple Screw. "How soon can we get there?"

"We should be there by tomorrow morning," the Captain answered.

"Good," he replied.

"Should we radio ahead about the Mareitania?"

"Yes," Twilight answered, making Triple look over at her. "We should. It's the right thing to do so the families aren't waiting at the docks for a ship that'll never return."

"I'll be sure to get that sent out right away then," he said as he got out of his chair. As he walked back toward the door leading out of the room, he looked back and saw that each of them were looking down at the floor, clearly defeated by what had transpired. Seeing that, the Captain softly sighed before leaving the room. Once out in the corridor, he turned and began to make his way to the radio room.

---

As the pegasus carrier plowed through the waves at full speed toward her destination, it wasn't long before the message of what Sombra had done was sent out. As soon as it reached Equestria's shore at the naval base in Manehattan, the shock was instantly felt. From the remaining ponies of high command on down. It was unheard of for civilians to be targeted. But now, hundreds of them were now lost.

Word of this soon reached the capital of Equestria, the city of Canterlot. The very city that now had to bear the burden of having the warship named after it being turned against them. In the throne room of the royal palace, things were calm and quiet as the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia, sat quietly upon her throne while looking over various request forms. Normally, her sister would be helping her with this before she took her usual morning nap. But this time, Luna was in Manehattan overseeing the investigation into Admiral Broadside's murder.

As the benevolent ruler looked at the papers, she could see just how badly things were being affected all across her land. The war had taken an enormous toll on her country as cities and villages were being pushed to their breaking points. Supplies, provisions, and morale were draining at an alarming rate ever since the Crystal Empire had gone on the offensive. Hence the need to start bringing in supplies from Equestria's allies overseas.

Soon, the alicorn's quietness was interrupted by the sound of the massive throne room doors being unceremoniously thrusted open. Looking up from her papers, she found a member of her staff standing at the doorway holding a paper in her magical grasp. Twilight Velvet, a longtime friend and mother of both Prince Shining Armor and her current protégé, Twilight Sparkle. Normally the unicorn mare was calm and composed. But now, she looked to be in a state of shock and despair.

"Princess Celestia!" she called out from across the room as she began to rush herself toward her. "Something terrible has happened!"

"Twilight? What is wrong?" the Princess asked before taking hold of the paper with her magic and bringing it close to her to read.

To: The Royal Palace in Canterlot
From: Manehattan Naval Base

Please give this message to Princess Celestia immediately upon receiving it.

Message received from Captain of San Franciscolt. Troopship Mareitania destroyed. Canterlot likely responsible. All souls aboard lost.

As soon as she had finished reading the message, the alicorn just sat there in a state of shock. Never had she imagined a situation where civilians would be put in harm's way. Especially out in the vastness of the Equestrian Ocean. But this incident struck close to home for her as she was the one who helped save that particular liner and her Captain from meeting an unfortunate fate at the hooves of Queen Chrysalis roughly a few years earlier. And from that incident, a great friendship between the two of them was created.

"What should we do about this, Princess?" the mare asked as she looked at her. After hearing her question, Celestia stood up and inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly to steady herself.

"I'm afraid what's done is done," she replied in a low and depressed tone. "Nothing we do now will bring those ponies back to their families."

"I know that," the unicorn said. "But when the public finds out about this, it'll demoralize them more than anything else that has happened. It'll make them even more frightened than they already are too. Civilians aren't supposed to be targeted by Sombra's forces."

"I'm well aware of that, my friend," the Princess replied. "But our troops are stretched thin as it is. I'm afraid there isn't much more we can do right now." She then sighed before she started to walk toward the large doors leading out of the room. "I truly hope for the sake of everypony that this was just an isolated incident. But only time will tell."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to join my sister in Manehattan," she answered before looking back. "While I'm away, Cadance will be in charge."

"Very well," the mare replied before waving farewell to her friend. "Be safe!" Nodding silently in response, the alicorn lit up her horn before performing a teleportation spell, sending her from her castle all the way to the city of Manehattan. As she reappeared outside the naval headquarters, she looked over at the street beside her and gasped upon seeing the dried blood that was still there. In the middle of the large patch of red, a white colored outline in the shape of a stallion's body was seen.

"I knew you'd be here as soon as that message reached you, dear sister," Luna's voice said from the stairs leading up to the building's front doors. Looking over, she saw the younger alicorn sipping on her morning coffee.

"Yes," she replied. "This... was not something I could just sit back and handle from Canterlot. I needed to be out here like you."

"Indeed," her sister said as she descended the stairs to stand beside her. "Things are quickly getting out of control with everything that is going on."

"I agree," the older alicorn said while looking at the taped off crime scene. "How goes the investigation?"

"It's been progressing," Luna answered. "Though. Very slowly. We only have one witness from before the Admiral's death. Miss Octavia Melody."

"Octavia Melody," she repeated. "I know that name."

"You're familiar with her?"

"Yes," Celestia answered. "She was a member of the Canterlot Orchestra. Back before the war began."

"Ah!" Luna exclaimed. "Yes. I thought she seemed familiar. That's where I remember the mare from." She then sighed. "Forgive me, sister. This entire ordeal has been taxing on my memory."

"I feel the same at times, Luna," the older sister replied. "What did Octavia have to say for the investigation?"

"She said that moments before the Admiral's death took place, she had delivered something to him right outside of his office," Luna answered. "And what she gave to him before his death will peak your curiosity."

"My curiosity?" she asked in a confused tone. "What did she give him?"

"A copy of the cargo manifest for the Mareitania." As soon as she heard the name of her friend's liner, the older alicorn's pupils shrank as she let out a slight gasp. This reaction surprised her sister as she tilted her head while looking up at her. "Are you alright, sister?" she asked.

"Yes," she answered. "I'm sorry. I'm still... coming to terms with what that message said."

"Understandable, I suppose," the dark blue alicorn replied. "I have the manifest in question here if you wish to peruse." After saying that, she made the list appear in a flash of her magic. "Miss Melody found it laying outside the door of Broadside's office after things had calmed down. I've already confirmed the validity of this with the official manifest from the Harbor Master in Mareseilles, the port where the ocean liner last departed from."

Hearing that, Celestia took ahold of the paper with her magic before looking at it herself. Gazing through it, she could see the vast amounts of food, supplies, and various other things that were loaded into the liner's cargo hold, destined for towns all across her land. But just as she reached the last couple of items on the list, she once again gasped.

"One hundred crates of high explosive gunpowder?" she slowly said.

"Indeed," Luna replied. "I couldn't believe it myself when I first saw it. That is why I reached out to confirm the validity."

"I see."

"Also," she continued. "When I asked if she had seen anypony else with the Admiral, Miss Melody said that Sergeant Rainbow Dash was with him."

"Rainbow Dash?"

"Yes," she answered. "And just moments after she left the two of them alone, that is when the murder occurred."

"So... you're saying that..."

"Sergeant Rainbow Dash is the one who pushed him out of the window?" Luna asked. "It would seem the easiest answer. But no. I do not believe that that is what happened. Given the circumstances and the facts, it is impossible for her to be the culprit."

"What do you mean?"

"Firstly, the fact that the Admiral would have been more than capable of defending himself," she replied. "You and I both know that Broadside was well experienced in combat. I don't believe that Rainbow Dash, in her reported condition, would have been capable of subduing him long enough to throw him out the window. Even if she did somehow manage to, he would've been too heavy for her to lift."

"That is true," Celestia replied. "Have you interviewed her yet to get her side of the story?"

"That's the thing though," her sister replied. "Nopony has seen her since the murder. Which brings me to my next point. That being what Commander Spitfire revealed to me last night during our discussion. The fact that Queen Chrysalis and her changelings have aligned themselves with Sombra and the Crystal Empire."

Celestia just breathed in deeply before sighing heavily after she heard that. This was the first report of activity from the changeling Queen and her minions since she had helped save the Mareitania. Since she saved Steel from a watery grave.

"I... see..." she softly replied as she looked down toward the sidewalk they were standing on.

"Is something wrong?" Luna asked, once again surprised by her sister's reaction to what she had said.

"I'm... not sure," she answered. "Hearing that Chrysalis and Sombra are now working together against us. It shouldn't surprise me. Yet. This is the first time I've heard that rogue changeling's name since that incident with the Mareitania." She then sighed again. "I still don't know exactly what all occurred on that day between Steel and Chrysalis. He hasn't mentioned it at all whenever I talked to him. And I didn't want to pry into any repressed memories."

"Steel?" Luna asked in a surprised tone, not expecting to hear what her sister had said.

"Captain Steel Blade," she replied before a tear formed in her eye as she remembered the message she read before coming there. She didn't believe that the last time she had spoken to him would have been the last time. But that message couldn't have been more clear. All ponies, including him, onboard the liner were killed. And the liner itself was destroyed.

"Was he... a friend of yours?"

"Of course," she answered before looking back at her sister. "After I saved him, we became good friends. I'd occasionally visit him whenever he had time between voyages. We'd go out and have a meal at the local sweets shop and he'd tell me wonderful tales of places that he sailed to. It felt... nice to be able to do something like that."

"I see," Luna said as she looked at her sister. As she did this, the memory of what Spitfire had told her entered into her mind. "Well. What if I told you that there was a chance of him still being alive?"

"What do you mean?" Celestia asked in a confused tone. "That message I received said that all ponies aboard that ship had been killed. How could he still be alive if that was the case?"

"Commander Spitfire informed me of Sombra's mission," the younger alicorn replied. "And if it succeeded, then the stallion you saved is still alive. But as a prisoner of war just as she is." Hearing that, the taller one's body shivered as she imagined both her friend and the Wonderbolt Commander being prisoners of war.

"How can we be sure?" she asked.

"I was planning on having another meeting with Spitfire tonight," she answered. "As long as I can still communicate with her in the dream realm, we can use it to our advantage." She then looked up at her sister's gaze. "Don't worry," she said in a reassuring tone. "I was already planning on asking about your friend."

"That's.. somewhat comforting to know," Celestia replied. "Though if he's still alive, he must be in quite a lot of emotional turmoil over the loss of his ship and crew."

"I'm afraid there isn't much we can do for him in that regard," the Princess of the moon said. " I'm honestly surprised that I was even able to make contact with Spitfire in her dreams given her situation."

"Well," Celestia replied. "Your magic is quite different from Sombra's. Perhaps not even his dark magic can stop your access to the dream realm." She then sighed before looking up at the afternoon sky. "I just hope that things will work out in our favor. I don't know how much more this nation can take from this war."

"Indeed," her sister said. "We need to bring this war to a quick conclusion."

"So what is the investigation team doing now?"

"They are searching through Broadside's office," Luna answered. "And if my theory about what happened is true, then I know exactly what they'll find."

"What would that be?"

"Signs of changeling magic," she answered.

"So you believe that changelings did this?"

"I do."

"What makes you think that?"

"Further testimony from Miss Melody," she replied before making a notepad appear with her magic. "She was still within earshot when she heard something about 'getting a message out to that ship'. She then thought she heard something that resembled a struggle. But when she went back to look, both Broadside and Rainbow Dash were gone. So she chalked it up to her imagination. It wasn't until she returned to her desk and saw the commotion that followed what happened that she realized what took place."

Celestia just looked silently at her sister until it suddenly dawned on her what she was talking about. Why would Rainbow Dash, one of her most loyal soldiers, betray everypony by killing the Admiral before he could get a message out to the Mareitania? The answer is that it wasn't Rainbow Dash to begin with. It was a changeling disguised as her.

"So... if the mare Octavia saw.. was a changeling in disguise," she said. "Then... where's the real Rainbow Dash?"

"I had come to that very same conclusion myself," Luna replied. "As for the answer to that question, I do not know."

"Do you think she's... captured? Like Spitfire and Steel?"

"It's a possibility," she answered. "But I have no proof to support it. Perhaps the Commander can shed some light on this when I speak to her tonight."

"I certainly hope so," Celestia replied as her eyes drifted back to look at the large red stain on the pavement.

Next Chapter: Chapter Eleven Estimated time remaining: 29 Minutes