Several dozens of miles away to the southwest, a lone ship could be seen plowing through the waves of the Equestrian Ocean. The Royal Equestrian Navy's San Franciscolt, one of the newest pegasus carriers in the fleet, was out on her first mission: To provide any recon on where the Canterlot is. Under normal circumstances, she'd have dozens of ships surrounding her in a task force. But due to the shortage of ships after the battle of Horseshoe Bay and the importance of this mission, she was left to sail alone but with an extra amount of pegasi groups for added scouting and patrolling.

On the bridge of the carrier, a bronze colored unicorn stallion with a gray colored mane and beard while wearing a black colored uniform stood watch. Captain Triple Screw, an experienced commander with the Navy, had just been given command of this new warship just weeks prior. And this was his first mission with her. He wanted everything to go smoothly. And so far, it has been how he wanted. Next to him was a light blue colored unicorn stallion with a black mane. He had a set of binoculars in his magical grasp as he scanned the sea and sky ahead, looking for any sign of Commander Spitfire and her wingpony returning.

"Do you see any sign of them yet, Pin Point?"

"Nothing yet, sir," First Officer Pin Point answered. "I can't see anything except blue skies and the occasional cloud."

"Hmm....." Triple said as he rubbed his hoof against his muzzle. "I don't like this. Not one bit. Something in my gut is telling me something is wrong."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I'm not sure," he replied while continuing to look at the sky ahead. "But I just can't shake this feeling that something went wrong."

"To be fair though, the high command did say for them not to return until their mission was complete. Personally, I wouldn't have put that stipulation in there. But I guess that's why they're the higher ups."

The elder stallion sighed and nodded in agreement to what the other pony said. If he was in charge, he wouldn't have given those two that order to stay looking for the Canterlot until the battleship was found. But given the importance of knowing where it is and where it was going, he understood why the order was given. Soon, he looked away from the sky and down at the ocean ahead. The large warship was slicing through the waves at a speed of 30 knots, a speed that was usually only achieved on their destroyers and some of the newer cruisers.

"Hopefully they'll be back soon though," Triple said while looking out ahead. After saying that though, an idea came into his mind. He then turned to look at Pin. "Take us down to half speed. Maybe we'll be able to spot them better if we slow her down."

"Yes sir," Pin replied before rushing into the bridge to fulfill his Captain's request. As his officer was doing this, Triple gazed back up into the sky before he got out his binoculars to see better. As soon as he looked back up into the sky, his eyes caught sight of a light blue pegasus stallion coming towards them.

"Pin!" he shouted, gaining his officer's attention.

"Yes?"

"All stop! Private Wind is coming back just off the starboard bow!"

"Yes sir!" Pin replied before moving the engine controls to 'All Stop'. Triple Screw kept his sight on Tail Wind as he came in closer to the ship. "Is Commander Spitfire with him?" Pin asked as he stepped back out onto the balcony.

"Negative," Triple replied as Tail flew by and lined up with the stern of the San Franciscolt before coming in for a landing. "I don't see her anywhere." He then looked on as Tail collapsed onto the flight deck, visibly exhausted. "Stay here and keep an eye out in case she shows up. I'll go down and talk to Private Wind."

"Aye sir," Pin replied before Triple began to make his way down to the flight deck. As he did this, a crowd of ponies gathered around Tail Wind as he laid on the deck.

"Make some room!" Triple ordered as rushed toward them. "Let the poor pony breathe!" The crowd did as instructed and slowly backed away from Tail as Triple came up to him.

"Captain Screw....." Tail said as he gasped for air, clearly having pushed himself to get back to the carrier as quick as he could. "I've got..... news for you.... to hear."

"What is it, Private?"

"We found..... the Canterlot!"

"Wonderful!" Triple Screw replied as he grinned with pride. "I'll be sure to ask Commander Spitfire about the location when she gets back." He then looked around and found it odd that the fiery haired pegasus mare was nowhere to be seen. "Speaking of which," he continued before looking back at the pony in front of him. "Where is she?"

"That... isn't all I need to... say, sir." the Private replied before he slowly got to his hooves. Once upright, he just stood there for a minute or so, breathing heavily and visibly shaken. "Commander Spitfire stayed behind to see where the battleship was going. But I wasn't too far away when I heard the AF guns go off."

"You left her behind?!" Triple said, using his magic to grab the pegasus by his uniform and bring him within inches of him. "Why in Celestia's name did you do that?!"

"She ordered me to come back here!" Tail answered in defense. Hearing that, Triple sighed in response before releasing his magical grip, allowing the pegasus to quickly get some space between the two.

"Captain Screw?" Soarin's voice asked from behind the two ponies. Turning around, Triple found Lieutenants Soarin and Fleetfoot standing just a few feet in front of him. "What's going on? Where's Spitfire?"

"It seems Commander Spitfire had ordered her wingpony to return alone," the Captain answered. "But he claims he heard the Canterlot's AF guns going off, which means Spitfire's out there, dazed and confused as to where she is." He then pointed his hoof out toward the bow. "I need you two to go and find her. Bring her back safely."

"Yes sir!" both pegasi replied simultaneously before both of them took off into the air. As the two flew off, the stallion turned his attention back to Tail Wind.

"Private Tail," he said. "I want you to accompany me to the War Room. Under normal circumstances, I'd ask Spitfire. But since she is not here, I'll need you to tell the ponies waiting in there this important information regarding Canterlot."

"Y-yes sir," Tail replied nervously. With that said, the stallion slowly followed Triple Screw as they both started making their way to the War Room. Along the way, Tail was getting more nervous with each step. This would be his first time conversing with the high ranking officials of the Equestrian Military, ranging from the Royal Guard, to the Wonderbolts, and even the Navy. "S-sir," Tail said, getting Triple's attention.

"Yes?"

"P-permission to speak freely, sir."

"Granted."

"I'm nervous," he said. "I'm just a Private. Going into a room filled with Generals, Captains, and Admirals."

"They will listen to you, Tail," Triple said before placing a hoof on the young pegasus' back. "The information you have is critical. They'd be fools not to listen."

"If you say so, sir," the Private replied before the two walked down a flight of stairs to the lower deck. Soon, the two ponies stopped in front of a door with the sign 'War Room' placed above it.

"You ready, Private?" Triple asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be, sir," he replied before Triple opened the door and stepped inside. Tail quickly followed him in before a guard closed it. Inside the room was a table with a holographic map of the Equestrian Ocean. Seated around the table were five ponies. Tail recognized all of them except one. Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard. Front Line, General of the Royal Guard. Jet Stream, Lieutenant of the Wonderbolts. Fire Power, Admiral of the Royal Equestrian Navy. And finally, a small lavender unicorn mare with a purple mane that had a pink and lighter purple streak running through it.

"Greetings everypony," the ship Captain said as he approached the table.

"Hello Captain Screw," Shining Armor replied. "Have you gotten any news yet?"

"Yes," Triple replied. "But I will let Private Tail Wind here explain the situation."

"Private Tail Wind?" Jet Stream asked in a confused tone. "Where is Commander Spitfire? Why isn't she here?"

"Spitfire is... currently MIA at the moment," Triple replied, earning gasps from each pony sitting at the table. "I currently have Soarin and Fleetfoot out looking for her."

"How did this happen?" Jet asked before turning his gaze to Tail. "You were her wingpony. What in Tartarus happened?"

"We uhh.... found the Canterlot." Tail replied in a hesitant tone. "But Spitfire ordered me back to the San Franciscolt to give you guys this information." Every pony leaned in close as Tail cleared his throat before continuing. "But I wasn't far away when I heard the AF guns go off."

"You left her behind?!"

"He was following orders, Lieutenant." Triple said in Tail's defense. "But like I said, I have Soarin and Fleetfoot out looking for her now. Hopefully, they will return with her."

"Let us hope so." the Lieutenant replied.

"So what is the current location of my captured battleship?" Fire Power asked. "Where is she and where is she going?"

"We found her roughly a hundred miles northeast of here," Tail replied before a blip appeared on the map. "Her course was northeast, traveling at what appeared to be full speed."

"That doesn't make any sense," Shining said as he looked at the map. "There's nothing out there but open ocean."

"There is something, big brother," the mare said.

"What is it, Twily?"

"A common shipping route used by merchant ships," the mare replied as a yellow line appeared on the map. It stretched all the way across the Equestrian Ocean. "But there aren't any ships in that particular area right now that we know of."

"Who is that?" Tail whispered to Triple.

"Twilight Sparkle." Triple replied. "She is Shining Armor's little sister. She's one of the best battle tacticians we have."

"I see," the stallion said before looking back at the ponies as they conversed with each other.

"When is the next ship due to be in that area?" Shining asked as he looked over at Fire Power.

"Two days," he replied. "The troop transport Mareitania." After saying that, an outline of the liner appeared on the screen over on the opposite side of the ocean from where the carrier was. "She just departed Mareseilles today from what I've been told. No soldiers are on board though. Just her civilian crew."

"Is that ship carrying anything of importance?"

"Let me check," he said as he pulled up a clipboard with his magic. Fortunately, he was given a copy of the cargo manifest for the liner by the Navy. "Well, other than the usual amount of food and supplies from our allies in Prance, she is due to be carrying several dozens of crates loaded with experimental crystal resistant armor and..." His pupils shrank as he looked at what the last item on the list was.

"And?" Front Line asked. "What else is she carrying?"

"One hundred crates of high explosive gunpowder bags has been placed on her as well..."

"Gunpowder?" Shining asked. "One hundred crates of gunpowder? On an unarmored, unarmed ocean liner?"

"Who in Equestria authorized that?!" Jet asked angrily as he slammed his hoof down onto the table.

"Admiral... Broadside," Fire replied as he looked at the paper before showing it to the other ponies. "What in Equestria is he thinking?"

"Does she at least have an escort?" Twilight asked.

"No," Fire replied. "The only ships that were capable of keeping up with her at her top speed were our destroyers. And almost all of them were sunk in the aftermath of the Battle of Horseshoe Bay."

"So we have an unarmed, unarmored, and unescorted ocean liner carrying armor and munitions sailing into an area where Canterlot is heading," she continued. "This is bad. Really bad."

"But this can't mean that they're going after this ship. Right?" Triple asked. "It doesn't make any sense. Why would Sombra allow her to sail this far out into the open ocean just to sink a merchant liner? And how exactly would he even know that the ship will be there?"

"I'm not sure," Twilight replied. "That can't be the reason. There's got to be something else out there. Something we're not seeing."

"It wouldn't hurt to send them a warning though," Fire Power said. "I'm sure the Captain has got enough on his mind with this unusual cargo."

"Agreed," Triple said. "I'll be sure to have a coded message sent to the Mareitania right away."

"See to it," Shining replied before turning his attention back to the map. "We'll stay here and see if we can figure out what is going on."

"Yes sir," Triple said. "Come along, Private. We're no longer needed here."

"Aye sir," he quickly replied before both ponies walked out into the corridor.

"I'll be in the wireless room," Triple said. "I need you to go up to the bridge and tell Pin Point to get the ship going at full speed while putting us on a course heading 070.

"What for?" the stallion asked in a confused tone.

"I know that Mareitania might not be the target. But I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen. I want to be as close as we can so we can have a squadron patrol the area overhead. It'll give her at least some protection. Now go."

"Yes sir," Tail replied before saluting. Triple saluted back before the pegasus raced off to tell Pin Point the order.

---

As the pegasus carrier was racing eastward, the large ocean liner was peacefully steaming westward at a speed of thirteen knots through the waters off the coast of Prance. Even though the ship had lost some of her grandeur due to having her non-essential fittings stripped away, she was still an impressive sight to see. Equestria's largest and fastest liner. A title that her Captain and crew were proud to have.

While the ship steamed along, Steel was on the starboard bridge wing looking out ahead at the calm waters. To him, seeing this was very refreshing and relaxing as it gave him the sense that this would be another routine crossing, despite the threat of the rogue battleship out there.

"Cap," Port's voice said from inside the wheelhouse, gaining his attention.

"Yes, Port?" he asked. "What is it?"

"I just remembered something that slipped my mind earlier because of the departure," he answered. "There was a package for you that was brought aboard before you got back from your meeting."

"A package?" the Captain asked while raising an eyebrow in confusion as he wasn't expecting any mail. "Who sent it?"

"The Navy," the green stallion answered. "It was addressed from the headquarters in Manehattan."

"Strange," Steel said in his mind as he kept looking at his friend. "Why would the Navy send me something in the mail if we were going to be back in Manehattan in a few days?"

"If you want," Port said as he walked out on the wing. "You can go check it out. I had it placed in your cabin."

"Very well," Steel replied. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Yes sir," he said before Steel turned and entered the bridge. Upon entering, he looked at his helmspony who was guiding the ship along on her course.

"Steady as she goes now," he said as he walked by.

"Aye Captain," the pony replied before Steel turned and went through the door leading into his cabin. Upon entering, he found what Port was talking about. A medium sized box with the seal from the Royal Equestrian Navy on the side was sitting on the table next to his room's window. As he got closer, he noticed an envelope taped to the top of it as well.

"Wonder what all this is," He thought before opening the envelope with his magic and removing the letter inside to read.

To Captain Steel Blade of Mareitania,

As a token of my appreciation for all that you and your ship have done for Equestria, I've decided to grant you your very own personal set of crystal resistant armor. While this war has raged on, we at the Navy know that merchant ships are a strategic target for the enemy. That is why we are issuing these to all of your crew, starting with you. For safety precautions, it is strongly advised that you wear this underneath your uniform.

Once your ship arrives in Manehattan, your crew will get their sets of armor as well. But I wanted to give this to you first as a show of gratitude for the things you and your ship have done and will continue to do for this great country of ours.

Signed,
Admiral Broadside

"Broadside?" Steel asked in thought before opening the box to find the suit of armor that the letter mentioned. "Huh. Well that was nice of him to do that." Levitating the armor out of the box, the stallion gazed at it. The weight of it was certainly noticeable as well as the quality. It was definitely something that he was impressed with. "Alright," he said to himself as he took off his white uniform jacket and placed it on his bed before turning his attention back to the armor.

"Everything okay in there, Cap?" Port asked through his cabin's door.

"Yeah," he answered while putting the armor on. "Just give me a moment."

"Of course," his friend replied as he adjusted it to be more comfortable for him to move around in. He was surprised that only his front half would be protected. But then again, it was better than having nothing. He then put his uniform jacket back on. Once this was done, he walked over to a mirror and looked himself over. It was like he wasn't wearing any armor at all since it was all covered by his jacket.

"Impressive," he said while looking at his reflection. Once everything was back on, he turned his attention to his sword as it sat on its wall mount. Using his magic, the stallion levitated his sword down before taking it out of the scabbard. He smiled as he saw the reflection of himself on the polished metal before placing it back in the scabbard and securing the strap around his body. "You can come in now, Port," he said as he finished up. Doing as he said, his friend opened up the door and stepped in.

"So what was sent to you?" he asked while looking over at the open box.

"My own personal set of crystal resistant armor," the Captain answered before pulling his jacket down to expose the armor to him. "The Navy said that they want us all to start wearing these."

"Awesome!" Port exclaimed with excitement. "When do I get one?"

"When we get back to Manehattan."

"Cool," he said before they walked out of the room and back into the wheelhouse. Steel then walked back out to his spot on the starboard bridge wing and propped himself up against the railing. As he looked out ahead, there was nothing but ocean. He then turned his attention to look aft and saw that Mareitania had already put quite the distance between herself and the coast.

"Port," he said, gaining his attention.

"Yeah?"

"I'd say we're clear enough from the coast to take her speed up," he said. "All engines. Full ahead."

"All ahead full. Aye sir," Port replied before using his magic to move the telegraph levers, sending the command down to the engine rooms. As he did this, Steel closed his eyes and took in a deep breath while feeling the turbines begin turning the propellers at a faster rate. As he felt this, his confidence grew more and more with each passing second.

"Manehattan," he said in his mind while opening his eyes to look out ahead once more. "Here we come."

Next Chapter: Chapter Five Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 60 Minutes