//------------------------------// // Chapter 35 Shrouded Islands // Story: My Little Pirate. // by Regis Stella //------------------------------// A few weeks later... at the docks of Libertalia. "Will!" I heard Larinna yell out to me. For those who don't, after Duke the Dark Lord left the Bilge Rats, the faction's founder, Larinna, took up Duke's place, banished him from the Outposts and later joined the Dark Brethren. Now, Larinna came to me with a worried look on her face. If Larinna, who was the first pirate to fight Rathbone before I met the bony bastard, is worried about something. Then that makes me worried. "What is it, Larinna?" I asked her, "Is Duke back?" "No... worse..." She said. "...worse how, dare I ask?" "We've lost contact with Golden Sands Outpost!" She said. That got me worried a lot more than Duke coming back. Losing an Outpost is bad news, like really bad news. Only a few settlements out in the Sea of Thieves, like Golden Sands, are still frontier-settlement places that offer safe havens from all the dangers of the SoT (Sea of Thieves). So, losing one Outpost is like if the USA lost a seventh of its cities kind of bad news. "Thanks for the info, Larinna," I thanked her as I flew to the Santiano and rang the rally crew bell on the ship. "All pirates! To the docks!" I practically feel the city of pirates move to the docks. As soon as the pirates got to the docks, I told them about what was happening at the 'first settlement of the Sea of Thieves' and let Larinna explain more about it. "So, rumour has it that a strange fog has taken over Golden Sands, and the traders have gone missing!" She explained to the Outcasts. "I've sent some Bilge Rats to investigate what's happening, and they found the place abandoned and in ruins!" "We need to get over there NOW!" one outcast yelled, and the city agreed. "Agreed!" I said, and then, "ALL PIRATES! SET SAIL TO GOLDEN SANDS OUTPOST!!" "AYE!" My crew agreed as our ship, the Santiano, began to sail to the beloved Outpost. I hope we're not too late... We are too late... "Oh my gods..." We see that Golden Sands is indeed shrouded in a fog that looks like it's from the Sea of the Damned. I can see fires from some of the buildings and some wood planks floating in the water, all charred and burnt off. "Who could have done this?!" I heard Twi ask herself. "It has to be Flameheart, Right?" Pinkie said that some people somewhat agreed with her. "Does he really want this for the Sea of Thieves?" A.J. asked around. Meanwhile, I flew to the shore, and when I touched the sands of the ruined Outpost, my Damned Magic began to act up again. My horn ached, and the magic that surrounded the Outpost made me see visions of the past and what happened to Golden Sands and its people. I saw the people of Golden Sands build make-shift defences with one or two cannons, and the defenders were equipped with muskets. There were cannonballs flying all around the Outpost, and I could make out the colours of the ships that were attacking the Outpost... The Reapers Bones were attacking Golden Sands... and there was nothing that I could do about it. Then I saw the aftermath: When the Reapers captured the People of the Outpost, they were all forced to kneel at the Servant of the Flame's hooves. However, the Servant of the Flame was interested in one person. He pointed to Wonda, the blacksmith of Golden Sands, the sister of Wanda, the Warsmith. The same sister who brought back the Cursed Cannonballs to the Seas helped build The Reapers Hideout and is now part of the Dark Brethren. "Bring her and her friends," The Servant ordered his minions. "Will?" I heard a voice call me out as the vision ended. I rubbed my eyes to clear them of any lingering magic and saw Twi and the others looking at me with worry. "What happened to you? You stopped at the shore, and your eyes started to glow green again?" "I saw a vision of the past," I told her and the rest of the crew. "The Reapers attacked Golden Sands, took the denizens as prisoners, and put this place to ashes," My friends looked shocked at the news. "They were after Wonda... I think Flameheart is looking for a replacement for the Warsmith," "That'll never happen," Dashie said with confidence. "One Warsmith is bad enough," Zecora said, "We don't need another one," "Hey everypirate!" I heard Pinks yell out to us. "I found a spooky compass like it's from the Sea of the Damned! But it's also like Jackie's compass," "I thought Jack Sparrow was on a voyage somewhere in the Seas?" A.J. asked me as Pinkie came back to us. We looked at the Compass that Pinkie founded. "That's pointing to Crescent Isle!" We arrived at Crescent, which had the same damned fog as Golden Sands. We pulled up to the Isle and followed the compass 'till we found a human woman. With a big tricorne hat on and a long robe-like coat on her body, her eyes were the same as mine, Ghostly green covering both sockets. Mine only appeared like that when I got into contact with Damned Magic. Her's, however, are always on. "I knew you'd come," the woman told me. "Belle?" I asked. In my prison world, when Sea of Thieves was a game to me, Belle was meant to be the Pirate Lord early in the game's development, but that was changed later in the game. The last I, or anyone, saw of her was her stature on the RARE video game studio campus. "Ah... you do know of me," Belle said. "Your parents told me about your knowledge from another world. You know Twilight Sparkle's fate to rule Equestria. And of the Sea of Thieves, even though you have never been to this world or Equestria," "...of course, they told you," I muttered. "For those who don't know, I'm Belle. I see you have my compass. Are you ready to learn more?" "Why are the islands being covered in the Shroud?" Rarity asked Belle, "And is it to do with Captain Flameheart?" "I've spent more time than I care to consider exploring the Sea of the Damned. There is no soul that knows those waters better than me," Belle explained to us. "I have followed souls from there to here. These phantoms do the bidding of the Reapers and their master. They will do all in their power to keep their master's secrets. The Flame of Souls will allow you to uncover their secrets. (Belle brings a brazer that holds a ghostly green flame from the Sea of the Damned in front of us) Something tells me you all have seen this flame before..." Belle turns her back to us and thinks to herself, "Memories have seeped through, the gap between the worlds is thin here. Find the memories and return to me when you know more," "So... What's the latest island to be Shrounded?" Trixie asked. "Shipwreck Bay is the island you are looking for," Belle answered. "I think we're at Shipwreck Bay," Apple Bloom said as she looked at the map. It was the latest Shrouded Island (Yes, I know), and we saw Reaper ghost ships surrounding it. We rowed to the shore, found some braziers devoid of flame, and spilt up to cover the island. Me, Twi and Gilda found one brazier near a stone cliff, and as we ignited the brazier, we saw a memory of the Servant of the Flame kneeling in front of the brazier like it was a shrine and holding his sword like it was an offering to Flameheart. Like Flameheart is some kind of god. "I pledge my allegiance to you, Captain Flameheart. My sword is yours and always has been, Father," The Servant of the Flame said. That made my eyes widen, and I dropped the lantern at the reveal of what we in the Sea of Thieves Community call Flameheart Junior. "Junior?" I said in disbelief. "What?!" Twilight asked as she began to Twilighting. "You had a foal and never told me about him?!" "What? No, no, no! It's what his nickname in the Sea of Thieves Community is called: Flameheart Junior," Twi looked at me with wide eyes and then made a face of apology, snuggled up to me, and hugged my round barrel of a belly. "I'm sorry, I thought that you were talking about someone else... but that means that Flameheart has a foal of his own and is following in his hoof steps!" Twi was about to go on ahead and then said, "You know, you've become a nice stress ball as of late," That made me blush. "W-w-well, I had a lot of good meals as of late," I said shyly. "I know... my beanbag of a stallion," Twi winked, making me even more shy. Meanwhile, Gilda was laughing her tail off at Twi's teasing and my roundness. We made our way to a prisoner's cage with a brazier inside of the cage, where everyone in my crew was waiting for me, Twi and Gilda near the centre of Shipwreck Bay. "All the braziers are lit across the island, Will!" The CMC said to me. "Good work, everyone!" I told them, "Now, let's complete this adventure." As I said this, I lifted the lantern with my magic to the skeleton arm that worked as a brazier. I was hoping for the fog to go away, but it made a battle horn cry, and Reaper appeared from the shore and started to attack us. "Stop meddlin'!" One Reaper said. "That's enough snoopin'!" Another one said. "Freedom and glory!" A third one said. "Pirates for all eternity!" A fourth Reaper yelled "Let's kill us, some Outcasts!" Servant of the Flame commanded his Reapers. "We will stop your father, Junior!" I yelled as Junior laughed at me. "Please, I only do as my father wishes!" Junior said. "Just like you do with your father," "We are nothing alike!" I countered Junior. "I hope you can see reason someday! We will conquer the Sea of Thieves and take your crown from your Alicorn head!" A magic beam struck Junior, and Twi stood before me with sword and pistol drawn. "You touch Will, and I will banish you to the farthest depths of the Sea of the Damned!" "Unfortunately for you... I am not the current problem..." Junior pointed beside him, as a Soulflame Captain appeared next to him.He is," "May the flame burn!" The Soulflame Captain Yelled as Junior left the battle. "Get back here!" I yelled at Junior as the Captain clashed with my blades. "You'll never defeat my master!" The Captain yelled. "Sucks to be you then 'cause the bad guys always lose!" Dashie said as she flew through the air and slashed the Soulflame Captain in the back. Twi shot and stabbed the foe when the Captain lost some balance, and I was next to attack. "Three Sword Style..." As the ghostly pirate looked at me in fear with three swords drawn, I said, "Tiger Trap!" I slashed him, and the Soulflame pirate was gone from this world. I got up from my stance and got assaulted with a wave of Sea of the Damned magic that came from the ghost pirate and made me lose my footing, causing my friends to come to my aid. "Will? What happen to you?" My friends asked me. "I think that pirate was made of magic from the Sea of the Damned," I told them truthfully, "We need to head back to Golden Sands and meet Belle there," "IT GOT WORSE?!" My friends and I said in disbelief to Belle. "Yes," Belle said, "The Soulflame Captains were the key. Their deaths weakened the border between the worlds." "The border between worlds?" Pinkie asked Belle "Between the Sea of Thieves and the Sea of the Damned, Ms Pie," I heard my dad approach us along with mum. "Indeed, Ramsey dear," Mum said, "This was his plan all along. Flameheart is bringing a new type of fort into the Sea of Thieves from the Sea of the Damned," "As if Flameheart needs more forts that follow his beliefs," Flutters said, "We already have trouble with the Skeleton Forts and the Fort of the Damned. What else could he bring?" "Anything is possible," I told my friends. We need to raid those forts and save the people of Golden Sands!" "YEAH!" my friends yell in cheers as we board the Santiano and make our way east to the first Sea Fort, Imperial Crown Fortress. Outcasts of the Abyss singing: At the fall of Golden Sands, We were there to make a stand. And into pirate hell, we fight, Though the foe will never understand, We will never accept the demands. Forever, piracy is bright. Through the fall of Golden Sands! To be continued!