//------------------------------//
// Blood on the Water 
// Story: Barnacle's Adventure: Pony Pirates on the High Seas 
// by Paradise Oasis 
//------------------------------//

As the griffins stood over them menacingly, Salty noticed a barrel of flour that Fizzy had left up on the deck. leaping over to the barrel, the stallion sailor smashed the flour container with a swift kick. As he smashed the barrel open, the flour filled the air, clouding the vision of everyone in the battle."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Why's it so dark?"

"I can't see anything!"

Barnacle  and Salty rushed to the side of the deck and gazed over the vessel's rail. As he looked down into the water, and noticed all of the sea creatures who had been following the boat. Leaning over the side of the ship, the pirate stallion spoke to the sirens who were still present;

"Arrrr, me lovely ladies of the deep, it pleases me that ye are still a followin' us." Barnacle spoke to the sea pony-like aquatic monsters, who  stared up at the stallion with desire. "If ye desire to sing several poor fools to their doom, why not try the griffins who are even now attacking my crew and my ship?" 

"Yes, that griffins are a far tastier treat than we ponies are." Salty agreed quickly. "Wouldn't ye ladies be perferrin' some fine chicken meat, instead of two scrawny stallions?" 

The sirens smiled, eager to follow the pony captain's suggestion; a meal was a meal, wither it was pony or not. Barnacle and Salty stuffed their ears full of wax, as the siren's eerie song started up once more. Their beautiful song filled the ears of everyone else that was on the ship. And while the mares and female griffin were unaffected, the males began to behave in a most peculiar manner.

"Those voices, so beautiful..."

"They sound like angels in the sea."

As the misty cloud around the ship began to clear, the griffins all stopped fighting with the ship's crew, and stared blankly as if in a trance. The all blindly turned their heads towards the water, completely ignoring the pony pirate crew all around them. 

"We are coming to you, our little lovely little angels."

With that, the male griffins all  began jumping off the boat, and diving into the water. The sirens instantly dove towards the mesmerized males, baring their fangs, and leaping onto their willing prey.  The mares looked down in horror and disgust, as the sirens ripped the males to shreds.  Gory chunks and feathers were sent flying in every direction, and the water was filled with a wash of blood. 

"Ewww, that is, like, sooo gross!" Fizzy called out, as the all of the mares rushed to the side of the boat to view the gory spectacle. "Can't they be less messy when they eat? The sirens sure could use some better manners."

"Great B'zekre... I thought I had seen the most horrific things on the seven seas." Wave Runner muttered, turning pale. "But this has got to be the must appalling thing I have ever witnessed."

"Was... was that one of the griffin's eyeballs floatin' in the water?" North Star almost gagged. "Ugh, I think I'm going to bloody chunder all over the bloomin' deck!"

The other crew members watched the carnage with morbid curiosity, until the feeding frenzy had come to an end. When Barnacle and the others looked back up, they noticed the female griffins had all fled while the ponies had been distracted by the carnage.

"Blimey, everyone! Have a gander at the horizon! "  North Star declared, flying up onto the ship's rigging to watch the fleeing griffins. "It looks like those feather brains flew the coop. We should all be feeling proper chuffed we won that battle!" 

"Those females will be returning to the inland, ta  inform the other griffins we be here." Salty added grimly, watching as the females disappeared over the horizon. "Which means we should get goin', before those terrible beasts come a-flin' back, nyarr!"

"But I got to wonder, cap'n, why were there griffins in the hippogriff kingdom?" Wave Runner asked, flapping up to Barnacle. "Do ye think they could have allied with the natives?" 

"I really don't believe that is the case, lassie." Captain Barnacle replied ominously. "Rather, I think it's quite possible that the griffins have invaded the noble kingdom of the hippogriffs, and they may have even managed to take over the island for themselves."

"Oh my goodness, that's just terrible!" Fizzy replied in shock, looking over towards the island. "If those mean old griffins have conquered their home, then we gotta do something, and help the hippos!"

"Blimey, your absolutely right, Fizzy!"  North Star agreed. "T'would only be right an' proper to help these poor hippogriffs out, and drive these mean and horrible blaggards!"

"Aye, and if we help them, it may also allow us to retrieve the next key." Barnacle added, as Salty lowered the gang plank, and they began trotting off the ship."If we help the hippogriffs, they will surely reward us by offering the treasures that we seek."

"There you go again,  thinking about the treasure rather than the fellows we are trying to help." Wave Runner sighed, as she trotted down the gang plank. "We should be more concerned about the hippogroffs, rather than the latest item on our little fetch quest." 

"Nyarr, don't worry, lassie... I be worried about those hippogriffs, too." The captain replied, as they all set hoof upon the sandy shore of the island. "But I'm also a thinkin' about the treasure we seek... we are pirates, after all." 

"Yeah, but we don't have to be mean pirates, right?" Fizzy asked curiously, happily hopping along after the others. "I mean, couldn't we be the happy singing- and dancing type pirates, rather than the angry and viscous stealing- type pirates?" 

And as the crew of ponies trotted away from the shore, and trekked into the dense and humid jungle, none of them even bothered to answer Fizzy seemingly pointless and obvious question, leaving the air- headed twinkle-eyed pony even more perplexed and confused.