Sea

Somerset read over the newspaper as he sat in a coffeehouse. It was a well-decorated room on the bottom floor of a three-story structure, with large glass windows looking over the quay and white stone walls covered with paintings and some statues. There were a number of mahogany tables sat upon hard wooden floors, and in the back a barista sat behind a bar, cleaning cups and serving coffees while behind her, another worker was busy constantly brewing. Somerset sighed as he read the headlines. Another threat of war from the south; the Queen issuing another statement about how piracy was a blight on the oceans; the admiralty asking for money again. In other words, the same headlines as almost every day.

A pony tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, and his face lit up in recognition as he saw who it was. "Hendrick! It's been a long time since I've seen you around here!"

Hendrick was a tall greenish-grey stallion. He wore a tricorn cap and a high-ranking naval uniform, and a pair of wings rested on his sides. A white mane poked out from underneath the hat, and his blue eyes looked at Somerset genially. "Indeed, my friend. Almost seven months, by my count."

"Yeah," Somerset said. "Anyway, what brings you here to Sunsport?"

Hendrick sighed. "Not anything good, unfortunately. The Queen's caught wind of some unsavory ponies making a home here in Sunsport. According to the Admiralty, they've been secretly dragging ponies off the streets and taking them to some sort of 'underground cultist temple.' You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Somerset's ears perked. "Do you know what they're called?"

Hendrick pulled out a small dossier. "They call themselves the Scarlet Dawn." He sat down in a chair next to Somerset, handing him the dossier. "Rumor has it they've bought out the Governor and the entire guard, as well."

Somerset scanned over the dossier. His eyes widened as he came across a single line. "Oh, no."

"What?" Hendrick asked.

"I think my sister's been meeting with them," he said. "It says they've been dealing in alchemical supplies, right?'

Hendrick nodded. "It's surprisingly high-quality, but it's also quite expensive. Do you know where your sister might be going to meet with them?"

Somerset thought for a second. "I think I can lead you there. It's been a few weeks since she's taken me there, though."

Hendrick stood up. "I have a force of about sixty marines waiting on board the Valiant. If you can lead me there, we can bust this operation before anypony else is in danger."

Somerset looked at the ground for a second, before another realization struck him. "Wait... she and Twilight were gone this morning," he said to himself. "They must've gone there." He looked at Hendrick. "How fast can you mobilize?"

"As soon as you're ready to take us there. They're itching to get off the ship."

Somerset nodded. "Meet me at the corner of Woodstock and Seaside in ten minutes."

Hendrick merely nodded, picked up the dossier, and began briskly walking out of the shop and towards his ship. Somerset followed Hendrick out after about a minute, breathing in the cold air before making his way to the corner.