//------------------------------//
// Getting in the Triangle 
// Story: Adventures in the Bermikun Triangle 
// by Rakoon1 
//------------------------------//

Star and Dusk were both inside the tube of water, surfing to advance.

“Dusk, are you okay?” Star asked.

“Yeah, how about you?” Dusk replied.

“I’m okay too” the older brother said. “But it’s starting to be hard to hold the balance.”

“Don’t worry” the younger brother replied. “Concentrate. Just surf. Keep your balance. As long as you make it to the other side, everything's cool.”

Suddenly, a tentacle of light appeared from the depths of the tube, connecting itself with the stone on Dusk’s necklace, which started shining with an even strong light. It then pulled Dusk off-balance and send him and his surfboard to the other side.

“Dusk, no!” Star called, extending his hoof in a futile attempt to reach his little brother.

There was a flash of light and, when Dusk came to himself, he was swimming back to the surface, taking hold of his surfboard once he reached it. After regaining his breath, Dusk climbed on the surfboard.

“Whoa, I can’t believe I just survived that…” Dusk said. “That was awesome! Did you see that, big bro?”

But when he looked around to find his brother, he discovered that he was all alone and that there was nothing more than an infinite horizon.

“Where did Star go? And also, where’s the shore? I must have gone mega far. I bet I’m going to get a serman. Mom is not going to get very happy.”

It was then that he noticed something way high on the sky. It looked like a bird, but Dusk couldn’t see it clearly because of the sun. However, as soon the creature got closer, it only got bigger and bigger. It was then that Dusk saw what it was: a dragon-like creature with a slim brown rocky body. It started hoovering above the surface, as if preparing to attack. Seeing that, Dusk started panicking and shouting:

“Mom! Dad! Star!”

When it would appear Dusk would be taken by that creature, another one immerged from the depths of the sea: an immense green sticky monster with only one eye, gigantic tentacles and a threatening set of fangs. As soon it revealed itself, it swallowed the flying creature, without even chewing, diving again. All that action caused Dusk to be thrown away, with the young colt holding to his surfboard. Fortunately, he ended up keeping on his surfboard.

“ Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming, dreaming” he started saying to himself, hoping to be truth. “Still in bed and safe and...”

The stone on his necklace started glowing again. 

In the distance, over the vastness of the waters, there was what appeared to be a pirate ship, waiting calmly. It was a mixture of conventional and technology. It was mostly gray and white with yellow, green, and orange accents and the prow almost resembled a skull face. The sails were made of a blue glass-like substance that looked like to be solar panels, with them possibly being able to come apart from the middle. At the top of its mast there was a skull resting in a seven-pointed gear, with it having a different pearl-like jewel placed in each point (a red one with the symbol of a flame, an ice-blue one with the symbol of a snowflake, a yellow one with the symbol of rocks, a purple one with the symbol of a tornado, a smoky-white one with the symbol of mist and a green one with the symbol of a star), having only one point with no jewel.

Suddenly, the eyes of the skull on the mast started glowing, while the gear started moving, positioning the point with no jewel on top.

Dusk, sitting on the surfboard, looked to the jewel on his necklace and told it, annoyed by its light:

“Shut up, necklace! And here was I thinking Heartbeat gave you to me for luck.”

It was then that the same green sea monster immerged again, this time looking at Dusk. Panicking, the young colt started paddling away as fast as he could, all while saying:

“Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!”

As if sensing the danger he was in, the glow in the skull’s eyes intensified and same happened to the eyes on the face at the ship’s prow. In a matter of moments, the ship divided its sail and extended each part like they were wings. Behind, two big propellers activated and boosted the ship forward, in an amazing speed. It was in a rescue mission.

Elsewhere, in a dark green smoky room where a structured designed to act as throne place, having including staircase, a figure stood at its top. It was a tall humanoid creature with a black cloak covering most of his body, with only his superior limbs visible and with them being skeletal. He possessed a green skull-shaped-mask-like face and an ornament with seven spikes on his head.

At that moment, another character came in the chamber, starting to advance towards the figure. It was a tall pony, but with a body of a robotic skeleton made of golden bones. He was using a black pirate captain’s hat and a black cape. His face possessed the shape of a skull missing its lower jaw, giving the impression it was a mask, with green eyes with yellow pupils. But the greatest trait he had was his enormous gold sickle-like hook he had instead of a right front hoof. Reaching the base of the structure, he kneeled before the figure on top of it, as a symbol of loyalty, and the latter told him:

“Golden Bones, I sense… a presence. Something ancient awaking in the vastness of the Beru Sea.”

“We'll scour every league of ocean, Master Skullivar” Golden Bones said.

“I don’t expect anything less from you, Bones” Skullivar ordered, turning his back on his lackey. “There have been murmurs of a return of...” 

But he paused, something that surprised Golden Bones. Skullivar then opted to say:

“Whatever is out there, bring it to me.”

With his mission assigned to him, Golden Bones gets up and heads towards the exit. The entrance of the building opened like a mandible, allowing the exit to a ship, Golden Bones’ ship, which was massive and made of steel, equipped with multiple powerful weapons. The ship then advanced through a sea of greenish water covered in a thick dark fog, getting out of a fortress shaped like a spider, whose pillars looked like articulated legs with one single tower at the center.

Meanwhile, in Beru, Dusk continued to try to escape the sea monster. He could try to fight it, but his skills were not as great as his parents’ or his brother’s. He was nothing more than a normal colt. The monster opened his big mouth, preparing to swallow Dusk.

“I gotta get out of the water!” he exclaimed, while keeping paddling. “I gotta go home!”

At that moment, he saw the ship from earlier approaching. Seeing it, Dusk become more hopeful.

“Hey, a boat!” the young unicorn colt exclaimed, while agitating his front hooves. “Help! Hey, help!”

But something unexpected happened, as the ship dived in the waters and Dusk stopped seeing it. However, he didn’t have time to think about it, as the creature used one of its tentacles to launch both him and his surfboard into the air. Fortunately, the surfboard landed first on the water and Dusk, using his skills as a surfer, was able to land on it perfectly. The beast continued to approach him, creating a wave that Dusk didn’t get any other option but surf. It opened his giant mouth, preparing itself to close it over Dusk. 

It was at that precise moment that the ship got out of the water, jumping and revealing a set of metallic crab-like legs located below it that it used to give a strong blow on the monster. With the shock, the beast sank in the turmoil of waves, while Dusk started a vertiginous fall. But he didn’t end up falling in the sea, as the ship takes him with one of its legs and throws him on deck, landing then on the water, stopping and then returning to how it was before moving.

After opening his eyes, lying on the deck, Dusk said to himself, while getting up:

“Okay, brain, this has been a very fun nightmare and all, but we’re done. Like for good! Like I never want to sleep again! All I want know is wake up and be with my family.”

Without Dusk knowing, he was being spied by what seemed to be the ghost of a younger earth colt with a hoodie, all covered in a pearl blue aura, who was observing him through the sail of the ship.

“I don’t know…” he said to an unknown entity. “He’s small.”

Having heard him, Dusk looked around and asked:

“Who’s there?!”

The ghost popped his head out of the deck, causing Dusk to get scared and fall down again, and said:

“Maybe we should throw him back.”

He disappeared again, only to appear again from the deck, but near Dusk, and say, while circling around Dusk:

“Sorry! Kidding! Sometimes I have a hard time with proper joke-a-fying.

He rose up, keeping hovering in air and keep talking:

“All this time floating. Alone. Without anyone else. Please be my friend.”

Still shocked for the little ghost’s appearance, Dusk asked the only think that came to his head, while passing his hoof over his transparent head:

“Are you… a ghost?”

“You mean dead? Me? No!” the ghost replied, turning his back. “It's just that I don't know where my body is.”

He turned to Dusk and continued: 

“I lost it somewhere between here and there.” 

He flew to the ship's steering wheel that was located at the bridge, saying: 

“Lack of concentration, really. I'm a little hairy brained.” 

He then teleported next to Dusk again, coming from the deck, saying, while sitting next to Dusk: 

“I've been hiding on the Chaos ever since. And from what I've seen: he might like you even more than I do.”

That last sentence confused Dusk even more than he was already confused.

“Who's he?” he asked. “You mean the boat?”

“Of course! The Chaos!” the ghost replied, as he and Dusk got up. “He doesn't like most people but he rescued you from the Sea Beast on purpose! There must be something special about you.”

The ghost then started singing:

“You're special, you're special”. We're gonna have a blast! I've been waiting ages for a buddy to come along! Did you bring toys? Do you want to my ghost toenail collection?”

And he come to hold up and show Dusk a jar full of toes, completely grossing him out. 

“We are gonna have so much fun! I can tell you're a winner.”

But Dusk’s attention went to the skull present at the highest point of the master, whose green eyes started to glow with this weird light. At the same time, the stone of the necklace also started to glow as well. It was full of a strange energy that he didn’t know how to explain.

“What's happening? Why's it doing this? I'm not dreaming, am I?”

As soon he asked that question, the ghost pinched him, causing Dusk to release a groan of pain.

“Noope” the ghost replied.

Using his magic to take off the necklace and pointing the stone in it to the skull up there, it was shown they glowing even more.

“This is pretty weird, isn't it?”

“Cool, it's kinda like music!” the ghost gasped “I bet you're an awesome music maker.”

That moment was broken when they heard an explosion and three firefalls started coming at them.

“Watch out!” the ghost exclaimed.

And he passed through the deck, while Dusk threw himself to it, avoiding the fireballs that passed by Chaos. With the ghost looking through the hulk, Dusk looked to where the fireballs came from and saw Golden Bones’ ship, with its canons pointed at him. Thinking that could be a misunderstanding and seeing that as a possible way to get help, Dusk started agitating his hooves, while saying:

“Hey! Hey! Don't shoot! I need help!”

At his ship, Golden Bones was at the bridge of his ship, looking on his periscope, looking to the stone on Dusk’s necklace, while saying:

“Ancient indeed! Skullivar was right! The Eye of Beru! At last! However, I was expecting it to be with either Heartbeat or Bright Night. It doesn’t matter. The fact it’s with a colt makes things even easier.”

He turned to his first-mate, one of his skeletons that were similar to him, but smaller, normal colored and dressed like sailors, with the first mate having a tricorne, and said:

“All hands deport! Get ready to attack!”

“At your command, Golden Bones!” the first-mate replied, saluting his captain.

On Chaos’ deck, Dusk, seeing the strange ship approaching and having a bad felling, started calling:

“Hey, ghost! Where are you?!”

“My name is Clover, by the way” the ghost replied, appearing behind Dusk, with his head out of the deck. “And I am not a ghost, except when I call myself a ghost because it's easier than ectoplasmic specter of awesome!”

But he stopped, as he gasped and disappeared again. That confused Dusk, but when he turned around, he saw Golden Bones jumping on him, trying to hit him with his scythe, failing to do so because Dusk was able to dodge at the last moment. Feeling intimidated by Golden Bones, Dusk placed himself against the edge of the Chaos, while exclaiming:

“Help!”

“With pleasure, young colt” Golden Paladin replied. “But first, I'm going to help remove that trinket from your neck.”

He tried to use his scythe again, this time hitting at the space between Dusk’s hind hooves. The young colt started running around and Golden Bones said:

“I love it when they run.”

Dusk climbed to the Chaos’ prowl, where the bridge was, with Golden Bones following him. The young colt didn’t understand why that strange looking pirate wanted his necklace, the one Heartbeat had given to him.

“What do you want?!”

“Me? Nothing at all” Golden Bones replied. “My master does the wanting. And he wants absolutely everything!”

Dusk climbed to the plank that there was at the end of the pow, right above the prowl, retreating, while Golden Bones approached.

“Sorry, mister skeleton guy. I just want to find my brother and go home. If I give you the necklace, will you...?”

But when he hold the necklace again, the stone there started glowing and the same happened with the Chaos’ eyes and the skull at the mast. A mechanism released the plank beneah Dusk and then it activated and flew away from the ship and into the sky. It was an overboard! An overboard that drove him away from that pirate.

“Are you making fun of me, you miserable sea snail?” Golden Bones asked, not liking that colt’s attitude at all.

“No, I didn't do anything!” Dusk replied. “I didn't even move!”

“In the name of Lord Skullivar, Master of the Seven Seas, slice up that slippery eel and bring me that gem!” Golden Bones ordered to his crew, that was at their ship. 

The skeleton pirates take hold on their guns and started firing beam bullets on Dusk. The young colt, finding a great dislike for that Golden Bones and deciding to be like his brother and parents, said, while dodging the shots, using the overboard, like it was his surfboard:

“You know what? Enough! I don't know what's going on here, but I know when it's time to run and when it's time to fight!”

Without hesitating and holding tight to the plank, he directed it and knocked out the soldiers like he was bowling, causing them to fall into a big pile of bones, before surfing back up through the sky. But, for his despair, the plank started losing its power, leaving him to scream as he begins to fall back down. The Chaos, reacting to that, lowed his sail to let him land safely back on the deck, all while the plank went back to its original place on the bow.

Dusk, who had landed against the entrance to the captain’s quarter upside down, couldn’t believe something like that happened. He was able to surf on the sky! That was something he always wanted to do. If it wasn’t for the circumstances, he would be thrilled. Clover popped his head out of the deck, besides Dusk, and the young unicorn colt asks the little ghost, while getting himself straight:

“Did you do that, Clovis?”

“No, it’s the Chaos” he replied.

“Incompetent foals!” Golden Bones exclaimed, at the bow, forcing Clover to disappear again. “Get him!”

The skeleton pirates, having assembled themselves, got on board on Chaos, holding their sabers and trying to attack Dusk. Putting in practice some evasive moves his father taught him, Dusk was able to dodge them. However, he was no match for Golden Bones who pinned him against the deck with his scythe-hook.

“I'll show you how it's done” he said to his underlings, turning then to Dusk. “There is no escape, boy! Look around!”

Using the scythe-hook to get hold on the necklace, he was able to pick up Dusk and told him:

“You’re facing Golden Bones, the most feared blade of the Seven Seas.”

“Hey, let me go!” Dusk exclaimed, while trying to escape Golden Bones. “I didn't do anything!”

“And you never will” Golden Bones replies, as he reaches his hook to the open water, holding Dusk like a puppet. “Normally, I would feed you to the sharks! But Master Skullivar's interested in you! The Scourge of the Seven Seas, the devour of dreams. He wants to know where you found this” he showed Dusk the Eye of Beru. “He wants to know how did you get it from Heartbeat and Bright Night.”

“Wait, you know Heartbeat and Bright Night?” Dusk asked, surprised to hear that a pirate would know the General of Affection and the General of Portals, especially when most ponies don’t even know who the latter is.

“Who doesn’t know about those treacherous scums?!” Golden Bones exclaimed. “But enough small talk. Where did you get it?”

“It was a gift, nothing more” Dusk replied. “But Mr. Golden Bones, sir. I'll be happy to tell your boss everything you want. If you untie me…”

When the pirate was close enough, Dusk tried to kick him, only to fail, as Golden Bones was able to dodge it. He laughed and said:

“You have a salty spirit, boy. I'll give you that.”

Golden Bones then tossed Dusk to the other side of the deck, all while keeping the necklace on his hook. 

“Nothing ever gets between Skullivar and his desires” he said. “Especially when what he desires is as powerful as one of the mythic Eye of the Seven Seas.”

Getting hold of the necklace with his remaining front hoof, the stone stopped glowing and the same happened with the eyes of the skull at the mast.

Opening the door of the captain’s quart, the skeleton pirates threw Dusk in there.

“You'll wait here like a good boy.”

And he closed the door.

“No, wait!” Dusk exclaimed, going to the door and trying to talk to Golden Bones, who was locking the door, throw the closed porthole. “Take the necklace! I'm done with skeletons and monsters. Just let me go! I want to go home and be with my family.”

As he stepped away from the door, Golden Bones looked to the blue stone on the necklace, while saying:

“Ah, the Eye of Beru. Skullivar been searching for you for so long.”