Captain Spitfire of the Equestrian Navy Academy was making her rounds around the building checking to make sure that the new seamen recruited were in their beds like they should be. Like Seaman Sky Stinger and Seaman Vapor Trail who sneak out every so often for moonlight walks. While she had to lecture them from time to time, sometimes she allowed it because it reminded her of two other lovebirds she once knew. The tough mare let out a sigh just thinking of them and how she wished that things could be different.
When it seemed all was well she went back to her office to finish her paperwork by candlelight. As she did memories flashed through her mind.
First Lieutenant Soarin walked into the room and saluted to his captain.
"At ease." she told him.
He did and made his way to her, saying, "Captain, you know how Midshipman Dash and I have been getting close this last year?"
She raised her brow, "Yeah…?"
"Well… I'm ready to ask…"
She lifted her hoof, cutting him off, "Stop. You do realize that you're crossing professional boundaries in this case?"
He frowned and countered, "I do know that."
She challenged, "Really? You won't let your marriage get in the way of your duties?"
"Certainly not! This job is too important for the both of us to let something like a marital spat get in the way of that!"
She eyed him suspiciously while he stared her down, not budging from his spot.
Finally a smirk spread across her face, commenting, "Wow, you're really serious about this, you must really love her to risk a discharge."
Soarin smiled himself, "I figured you wouldn't go for it if I backed down, so I prepared for the last week getting ready for this moment."
She laughed, "I should have known! You looked way too confident when you walked in here. Guess that mare of yours is rubbing off on you which is good."
"So does that mean…?"
"Yes, you have my blessing for you to propose."
Suddenly he flew to her catching her off guard as he hugged her tightly.
She rolled her eyes and tried to get away from him, "Okay-okay-okay, I'm happy you're grateful and all but you know I don't like it when you hug like that."
Soarin just chuckled and let go.
Looking back now she wished she let him hug her longer had she known what was going to happen shortly after his and Dash's engagement. She could never forget the report she got when she learned when that typhoon hit and his ship was lost forever.
She walked into the officer's quarters and faced her fellow officers except Midshipman Dash whom she purposely left a note to telling her the meeting changed.
She addressed them with a solemn expression on her face surprising her crewmates and she told them, "First Lieutenant Soarin's ship was hit by a typhoon earlier this month, I just got the report this morning…"
The officers gasped with Fleetfoot shouting, "No!"
She slowly nodded her head, "Unfortunately it's true as I was sent some of the wreckage. It was destroyed completely along with the lives of those who had perished with it. So let us have a moment of silence for the lost souls that so bravely served our fine navy…" she closed her eyes hung her head as everyone else around her did the same.
After the moment of mourning was done, she told them, "Now I want everyone to give their best to support Rainbow Dash in this time of need, she won't want to show it but this will devastate her more than the rest of us. So let us be there for her, got it?"
They nodded in agreement just as a knock came and Rainbow entered in.
Spitfire bitterly laughed at that memory for all her talk of being there for a fellow officer she totally thought that Rainbow Dash was so grief-stricken to be willing to steal from the Navy's treasury. How foolish had she been to think that? Even if Rainbow wasn't in a right state of mind at the time, she was still very much a loyal member of the crew.
She opened a drawer in her desk and took out Dash's dagger. She stared at it as she remembered how she found it in the vault.
Spitfire watched her midshipman fall deeper into depression as time went on and tried to comfort her but what words could be said to someone who has lost the love of their life? So she decided to leave her be until she was ready to move on.
But then one afternoon, Fleetfoot came to her and exclaimed.
"Captain! The treasury has been robbed!"
She was quick to act and indeed saw the vault had been emptied and the only thing that was in it was a dagger, but not just any dagger, it was Rainbow Dash's…
She remembered the dread she felt when she saw that but then the dread grew more of what then Seaman Lightning Dust told her after she began questioning everyone that roomed close to the treasury.
"I saw Rainbow Dash leaving her room two nights ago and then she came back with two large bags!"
The fact there was proof in the vault and a witness she knew she had no choice but to question Dash. And when she did she hated herself for what happened afterwards.
In less than two months she lost two of her most important officers but more than that, she lost two great friends that she knows she would never be able to get back no matter how much she wished it. In these last two years alone when she was sure it was safe she allowed herself a quick cry which is what she did right now.
She told the dagger, "If I could I would tell you how sorry I was for ever doubting you in the first place. In fact, after you left Fleetfoot and I decided to look into it further and found out that there was some tampering with your room door but that's all we could find but it sure as convinced us that you were innocent all along. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to convince the king so we had no choice but to drop the case. Some day though I hope we'll come across you and tell you this though chances are you won't speak to us and I certainly can't blame you for that."
She sighed again and put away the dagger before going back to her paperwork and eventually fell asleep at her desk.
A rooster cawed out starting Spitfire out of her slumber and Fleetfoot came through the door calling out, "Morning Captain!"
The yellow mare groaned as she rubbed her eyes.
"Whoa, you okay Cap? You don't look so good."
"Just had a rough night finishing all this paperwork. So what news do you have for me today?"
"Believe it or not but I got some really exciting news from the palace. Apparently the king received a message from a king in a place called Monterufolino and he's sending his delegates that are a count and countess to talk about the possibly of a trade agreement."
Spitfire was intrigued, "Interesting… so this count and countess when will they be arriving?"
"Sometime next week is what I heard. Their steward is already here given he had to deliver the message."
"Hmmm, well since we must prepare for the arrival of visiting nobility we must make sure they arrive safely, so take a ship to go properly greet them."
"Aye-aye, Captain!" Fleetfoot quickly saluted and left.
Spitfire then took out some map charts and began to go over them while uttering, "Now where is Monterufolino…"
Rainbow shifted uncomfortably in a stuffy blue-green dress she was wearing with her stylized colorless mane. Currently she was below deck with Rarity as she was trying to put the finishing touches on and complained, "Hold still!"
"How can I?! It's squeezing the life out of me!"
"Well I would have finished the dress sooner but you and your husband wanted to leave as soon as possible so it was impossible to get you in for the proper fittings!"
"Hey you know that Luna wanted this, and we didn't want to risk angering her by dawdling around!"
A voice came, "If anything it was just as well, since dawdling is not a good thing for anyone."
They turned to the voice that made Rainbow smile.
Celaeno entered in and slightly chuckled when looking at her friend, "Never thought I would see you in a dress or married for that mattered."
"Ha-ha…" the mare rolled her eyes before saying, "Thanks again for letting us use your ship since Applejack had to take mine."
"Hey no problem, after I got cured and got your letter about finding your fiancé and was staying on the very island that he was on all this time, made me think hey it was the perfect place for me to retire that is until this happened."
Quibble Pants came in then and blinked in bewilderment before bursting with laughter and pounded his hoof to the floor.
"Ugh! Seriously?!"
The stallion wiped a tear away, "Sorry! But it's just too ironic!"
"Oh really? Like how ironic it was you to fall in love with someone else after things didn't work out for you and Daring Do?"
"Hey! You know very well she was okay with us going our separate ways after having a lack of connection! Now I feel very lucky to have found Clear Sky when we got to the island because she is such an amazing pony. And need I remind you the only reason we're here is because you still have to fulfill your promise that you would help me impress her daughter."
"Okay, okay, sheesh. At least Wind Sprint and Scootaloo are getting along so that's a step in the right direction."
"How?" he questioned.
"Well, once Scootaloo gets to know Wind Sprint more, it gives us an advantage to find things you'll have in common with her. Then you can use that to get closer to her."
"I really hope you're right about this."
"Trust me. It will. Just like my and Soarin's plan to be the Count and Countess of Monterufolino, nothing can go wrong."
Spitfire had combed through every map there was but there was no such place called Monterufolino on them making the captain's brows furrowed in suspicion then she proclaimed.
"So this count and countess are pretending to be something they're not… eh? Well I'll let them play their little game to see what's going on then I'll tell the king what I know…" she made a determined look.