The Chaos was anchored somewhere in the Sea of Beru, with the Sea Raiders trying to do some chores… at least most of them. After making sure it was everything right with the helm, Dusk turned to his friends and asked:
“How are you doing with the chores of the Chaos?”
“Proton agitators were discharged, captain” Opal replied, after using her device, having some batteries in front of her.
“High sail repaired and better than ever” Star told, landing on the deck.
“And seaweed is all prepared to dry too, captain” Mallet said, having extended their seaweeds like if they were cloths.
“You know, Mallet, not everypony here like dry seaweed like you” Star told him.
“Or seaweed for that matter” Opal added, while using her magic to put clean her working area, putting what she didn’t needed in her engine room.
“Ah, friends will learn to like it” Mallet replied. “Mallet knows what he talks about.”
Dusk then turned to Clover who was floating around doing nothing and the captain asked:
“Clover, what about you? The deck is not going to swab itself. And, ps, I know that means mob. I looked it up.”
After going around Dusk, Clover said, while running around his captain:
“Over my dead body. Oh, wait, I don’t have one.”
And he casted a mocking laugh, while preparing to descend the stairs.
“Oh no, no, no, no!” Dusk exclaimed, following Clover through the stairs. “You’re not skipping up again. This time you’ll suck it up like everypony…”
But he didn’t finish, as he tripped over the mob that was left on the stairs and fell on the deck, with it falling over him. Star approached him, as Dusk took the mob off him and sit up, while scratching his sore head, and said, with a little smile:
“Looks like somepony has to do it. And you did look up the definition of swab, right?”
Clover, who was floating nearby, laughed of Star’s joke, causing Dusk to look at him angrily, with the little ghost still mocking his captain.
“You missed a spot” he said.
However, what nopony on the Chaos didn’t know, was that they were being observed by some mysterious entities.
“Very nice…” a male voice said, looking upon Star and Dusk. “Do you think they would be a good fit?”
“They’re perfect” a female voice replied. “So… solid.”
“Ah, ah…” Dusk said, making a fake laugh, while getting up and a green portal silently opened above them. “Phasing through objects and skipping chores… You got it so easy.”
“Sometimes I wished I had my body b…” Clover started.
But he didn’t finish, as he was sucked up by the portal and pass through it, with the chain that connected him to the Chaos appearing and being pulled with him, but when it got strained, it just broke, instead of pulling Clover back.
“Clover!” everyone called.
Before that, Dusk whistled to call upon the Plank and then he flied to the portal, along with Star, while saying:
“Clover, hang on!”
But when they were to pass through the portal, they were just pushed back. Despite Star was able to balance himself, Dusk was pushed against the Chaos, along with Calabrass and the Plank. Dusk was able to get hold and descend through the mast, while Calabrass got his blade stabbed on the deck. After he arrived to the deck, at the same as his brother, he asked:
“But what just happened right now?!”
“A vortex to Zite happened” Calabrass replied, continued as he saw Dusk’s confused look. “Zite, the Sea of Stars? You brainless scallywag…
“But Clover is bound to the Chaos” Opal said. “He can’t go anywhere.”
“Except to Zite” Calabrass told. “As weird the rules of the Triangle can be, Zite breaks them all.”
“I and Star noticed” Dusk said. “That portal totally bounced us back.”
“Only immaterial beings can enter the Sea of Stars” Calabrass clarified. “Lucky for you, the Eye of Zite can release a spirit from its body, then you can follow the little ghost. But there’s a catch. A star spectrum only lasts seven hours. If you don’t make it to your body in time, you’ll be a ghost… forever.”
“That’s some catch” Dusk commented.
“I’ve heard worse, but it’s nevertheless very unpleasant” Star said.
“It’s not all” Calabrass said. “The Eye has only juice to send only two of you.”
Hearing that, both Mallet and Opal take a step back, with the latter saying:
“Sorry, guys, but I’m not quite fitted for a mission like that.”
“Mallet stays too” Mallet said. “No way Mallet is leaving his muscles behind.”
“I will go” Star said. “I always wondered about the Sea of Stars.
“Cool, thanks bro” Dusk said, turning then to Opal. “Opal, start the countdown. Seven hours.”
She then programmed her device and prepared the countain. Dusk then grabbed Calabrass and called:
“Calabrass, give the Eye of Zite! Star Spectrum!”
The Eye was activated and, instead of transforming Dusk and Calabrass, it caused them and Star to just fall on the deck, unconscious, while their astral formed appeared. Seeing their translucent look, Star asked:
“Did it worked. Are we really… spirits?”
“There’s only one way to find out” Dusk said.
And he dived, being able to phase through the deck. Appearing then with his head out of it, he exclaimed, while getting out:
“It worked! This is one hundred per cent pure awesome!”
And he gave a big jump, while phasing trough the high sail and flying around. He can’t believe how good that felt. Maybe that was how his brother and Clover felt when flying. It was then that, while hoovering, he saw Mallet touching his face, turning then to Opal and asking:
“Are they…”
“…very much alive” Opal replied, showing her device that was showing Dusk and Star’s vitals. “Their vitals are stable. It’s like they’re sleeping.”
With the two brothers appearing behind Mallet, Dusk called:
“Hey, Guys! We’re right here! Can’t you see us?”
Star passed his hoof in front of Mallet, but he didn’t react.
“We’re spirits” Calabrass’s voice was heard, as they saw his astral form lying on the ground only to levitate. “No being can see or hear us on this plane.”
Dusk took Calabrass and said:
“Then let’s take our poltergeist back. Put your spirit belts, because we’re going to the Sea of Stars.”
And he and Star took flight in direction of the portal and they passed through it, as the time countdown started.
Once they got into Zite, they saw that it was nothing more than an endless purple void with the only sources of light being the stars and strange silver-like threats. While looking around, Dusk asked:
“How are we supposed to find anything? Besides the stars, this place is totally empty.”
“Look again, matey” Calabrass replied.
It was then that they noticed giant transparent figures walking around vaguely.
“The Ziteans…” Star said. “According to what I’ve read, they are between the first creatures in the Triangle, with a power similar to Discord, despite not as powerful. Dusk, do not agitate them. Do not even talk to them. In fact, look away.”
“Relax, I can hang with the stars” Dusk said. “Besides, they are our only chance to find Clover.”
Arriving to a pink Zitean that was nearby, Star called:
“Hey there, sir… uh, miss… We’re looking for a friend…”
But the Zitean just ignored him, continuing to advance. Turning to another one, Dusk called:
“Hey, big guy. Are you there?”
But all the Ziteans did was to ignore Dusk and continue their way.
“And they say pony starts are stuck-up. It would be logical that star beings would be more down-to-earth.”
“Maybe we can help” a female voice replied.
They turned around and saw a pink Zitean, along with a blue one. Like all the Ziteans, they had two appendices on their heads, with the pink one’s being longer, proving she was a female, with her also having a longer neck.
“Salutations, Ziteans” Star told. “We’re looking for our friend, Clover. Small, with a pearl color…”
“Talks a lot” Dusk added, who then received a reproving look from his older brother. “What, it’s accurate.”
“We know where your friend is” the female Zitean replied, much for Dusk and Star happiness.
“Follow us, nice mortals” the male Zitean told.
They started moving and Dusk and Star followed them.
“Can’t we hurry this, star shine?” Calabrass asked to the Ziteans. “I can feel my power drain in this wretched place.”
“Calabrass, stay courteous” Star told him.
Directing to them, the male Zitean said:
“Time is meaningless in the Sea of Stars.”
“As Zite has no boundaries” the female Zitean added.
“That’s great for you, but Cal is right” Dusk said. “We’re on a schedule.”
It was then that Dusk saw something and said:
“Look!”
He pointed to a big web where Clover was there, tied and gaged with the same type of web and doing his best to try to get rid of his binds.
“Clover!” Dusk called.
He took Calabrass and advanced towards Clover, trying to use the blade to cut through the threads of web, but they seemed to be unbreakable. However, it would appear Clover, even with Dusk trying to release him, was still very agitated. Suddenly, a very strange screech was heard.
“What was that?” Star asked, worried.
“That would be the yellow gamundray” the male Zitean replied.
And so they saw a very big spider coming at them. It was black with bright yellow accents and four big bright yellow tentacles at its head. It also had four yellow frightening eyes and fangs. It screeched again, while approaching Clover and Dusk. Its appearance frightened Clover even more. Before that, Star approached to help Dusk and started shooting magic beams against the gamundray, but its attacks only bounced on it.
“My magic… it’s useless” Star told.
The two Ziteans then just moved away, leaving Star, Dusk and Clover alone to fend for themselves.
“Time to unleash the storm” Dusk said, preparing to use Calabrass’s power. “Calabrass, give me the Eye of Blazz!”
“I would love to, matey” Calabrass replied. “But the Eyes are back in the Chaos with the real me.”
“Are you telling me that all the seven Eyes are off limits?” Dusk asked.
“All except the one that brought you here” Calabrass told.
“The Eye of Zite…” Dusk said. “All right, got it. Nebula Blade!”
And so Dusk transformed, along with Calabrass, using the Eye of Zite. He got an eyepatch with the form of a glowing green four-point shuriken and his left foreleg became encased in silver armor with a glowing green four-point shuriken on his shoulder and a glowing green multi-point shuriken on his hoof. Calabrass, on his turn, turned into a glowing green star-shaped axe.
He then advanced and used Calabrass’s blade to cut off two of the tentacles of the gamundray, what caused it to screech in pain.
“Even as a ghost, I nailed it” he replied.
However, his victorious claim was short-lived as the tentacles just regenerated.
“But it nailed back” Star replied.
The gamundray started using his tentacles to attack Dusk who defended the attacks with Calabrass.
“Astro Shuriken!” Dusk called, turning Calabrass into a shuriken attached to a flail.
Dusk swung Calabrass, while using him to defend himself from the tentacles. But it was then that one of the tentacles trespassed one of the tentacles and then went back. Despite it didn’t let a scratch, the feeling was very real.
“That hurted!” he exclaimed. “What’s good of being all ghosty, if I still take the hit.”
While Dusk was fighting the gamundray, Star was trying to release Clover. But the web was very strong.
“Hurry, Dusk!” he told. “There must be another Zite power.”
“There is, but it’s lame” he replied.
“Have some faith, lad” Calabrass told him.
With no other choice, Star replied, while swinging Calabrass:
“All right. Here goes nothing… Starlight Showdown!”
And a bust of light immerged from above that went to surround the gamundray, with sparkles involving it and then making it disappear. That move really impressed Dusk who said, while detransforming:
“Wow! Suddenly, I love glitter.”
Star then was able to free Clover and asked him, while the latter got up.
“Clover, are you okay? Who did this to you?”
“Those two wierdos that brought you here” Clover replied.
“The Ziteans!” Star exclaimed, looking around. “They’re gone.”
“But why would they kidnap Clover and then agree to lead us to him?” Dusk asked, putting Calabrass on his scabbard. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Unless it was part of their plan” Star replied. “They must want something from us.”
Back on the Chaos, the night had already fallen. Mallet was sleeping, while Opal was attentive to the countdown that showed that there were four hours left. The fact they didn’t get any news from their friends worried her. She turned to Mallet and called:
“Mallet? Mallet! Dusk and Star have been gone for three hours. What if don’t make it in time?”
The two Ziteans, invisible because of being in astral beings, crossed the portal, approached the Chaos, looking then to Dusk and Star’s bodies with a smile. They then went and got in them, with the male Zitean getting inside Dusk and the female one inside Star. Opal could feel something had happened and asked:
“What was that? Probably I’m hearing things.”
And so Dusk and Star opened their eyes, but they were not Dusk and Star. The two Ziteans stood up and then looked to their new bodies, with a smile, and then bumped hooves. Opal and Mallet (who had awaken) saw them and the latter said:
“Do you see? Friends are good. Opal worries too much.”
“Thank goodness!” Opal exclaimed, while approaching her friends. “You’re back to your bodies.”
“Yes, it’s good to have a body” the female Zitean replied, while observing Star’s wings.
“Well… again” the male one added, in order to not raise suspicion.
“Hold on” Opal said. “Where’s Clover?”
“He’s… here, but…” the female Zitean replied, trying to find an excuse.
“He… doesn’t want to be seen” the male Zitean lied.
“He always plays silly ticks” Mallet told.
“Yes, he’s perhaps somewhere… farting, right?” the male Zitean said.
Mallet’s stomach then growled.
“What is that unhallowed sound?” the female Zitean asked.
“Mallet hungry” Mallet said. “Mallet says to go grab some grabbing at Marituga.”
“Marituga…” the male Zitean said, sharing a look with his companion. “Yes… Let’s experience it.”
Despite Mallet didn’t notice anything strange on his two friends, Opal was clear able to say that something was off with Dusk and Star.
In Zite, Dusk, Star and Clover were floating around, trying to find their way to the portal they crossed. While on their way, Dusk said, tired:
“Floating is tiring…”
“Oh really?” Clover asked, cynically. “I thought I had it so easy.”
“We’re lost, lads” Calabrass said. “Those stars make no sense whatsoever, even to the greatest pirate that ever roam the seas. I’m talking about me here.”
“If we don’t make it in time, we’re ghost toast” Dusk said.
“Hey, I prefer the term bodily challenged” Clover replied. “Besides, you get used to it after a few hundreds of years.”
“If only you had the best navigator in all the Triangle” Star said in a joking way, while starting to go in a different way than his brother and Clover.
“Yeah, but would be really…” Dusk said, turning to Star and now seeing the portal where he was going to. “Oh…”
“Follow me, boys” Star said.
“Yeah, Star!” Clover congratulated as he and Dusk followed Star. “I take back most of the things I say about you when you’re not around.”
They crossed the portal and found themselves in Marituga, where the Chaos was moored. The lighthouse had its light on with it going around to illuminate the sea.
“There it is” Star said, as they got out of the portal.
“Oh no, look!” Dusk exclaimed, pointing to where they expected their bodies to be.
“They’re gone!” Dusk and Star exclaimed.
“Our bodies!” Star said.
“My swordy!” Calabrass exclaimed.
Dusk looked around and then saw his body and Star walking around with Opal and Mallet. With that, he then realized the two Ziteans’ motives.
“That’s what those two cosmic clowns were after: our bodies” he said.
Star and Dusk started heading towards them. Meanwhile, the two Ziteans were exploring everything they could. The male one was trying to peel an orange from the market, while the female one was tasting a door with a lick.
“Hey, come an touch this door” she said to her companion.
Seeing her friends behaving like that, Opal asked to Mallet:
“Don’t you think things are a little off here?”
But Mallet didn’t have the same opinion as Opal, as he replied:
“Our friends are hungry. Mallet acts strange too when he’s hungry. Strangely hungry…”
Dusk and Star appeared before them and tried to call for their attention.
“Guys! Guys!”
But they just passed through them.
“It’s us!” Star told. “These two are imposters!”
However, they just continued their way.
“It’s no use” Dusk said. “They can’t see or even hear us.”
“That’s because it takes a lot of practice for spirits to communicate with the living” Clover said, appearing next to them. “Just watch and learn.”
And so he advanced, with the chain bonding him to the Chaos appearing and starting to be pulled. Arriving next to Opal and Mallet, he cleared his voice and called:
“Hey, guys, listen up.”
They turned and Opal said, while the two Ziteans were observing from a little a far:
“Ah, Clover, thank goodness! But what happened?”
“Oh boy, oh boy, do I have a juicy secret about those two” Clover said to Mallet and Opal about the Ziteans. “Ready? Get this. Dusk and Star are…”
But he didn’t finish as the chain just started to pull him back to the Chaos. With Clover not there to help them, Dusk and Star’s situation just became even direr.
“Uh, we’re no longer in Zite” Star said. “Clover is anchored to the Chaos again.”
“I don’t understand” Opal said, turning to the Ziteans. “What secret? Do you have a secret?”
“Are you acusing me?” the male Zitean asked Opal.
“Come on, little friend” the female Zitean said, in order to prevent her companion from raising even more suspicions. “Let us experience the joy of eating the Mallet is raving about.”
“The Mallet?” Opal repeated, even more suspicious.
As the female Zitean took Opal and Mallet away, the male one turned to the real Dusk and Star and waved at them cynically. That really angered Dusk who exclaimed:
“That’s it! Get out of me right now!”
He took Calabrass and tried to attack the male Zitean, but the attacks only passed through him. The Zitean dropped a laugh and then replied:
“You can’t get into an already occupied body, mortal. You’re powerless, but we are not.”
He extended a hoof against them and casted a beam of energy that hit Dusk and pushed him away, while catching Star as well. They fell into a wagon and causing a noise that caught Opal’s attention.
“Did you hear something?” she asked.
But the male Zitean placed himself in front of her and told her:
“You worried too much, little friend.”
“That’s what Mallet says” Mallet told. “But I call her Opal.”
Meanwhile, Star, Dusk and Calabrass were lying on the floor, with the latter saying, while the other two got up:
“That was pretty powerful and I know power. Well, I did, when I had the Eyes of the Seven Seas in my hilt.”
“Wait, what about you, Calabrass?” Dusk said, putting his sword friend on his scabbard. “We can’t return to our bodies, but you can return to your sword. Then you can warn our friends.”
“At last, the moment I return to the sword” he replied. “It will end the Star Spectral spell.”
“But we would lose our bodies… forever” Star told.
“I love my body” Dusk said. “I don’t want some lame space ghost living in it.”
And so they continue to pursue them.
The Ziteans, Mallet and Opal arrived to the market of Marituga, where the former started eating what they could put the hooves on, with Mallet following their example as well.
“Wow, your trip to Zite must have really got you very hungry” Opal noticed.
It was then that she heard a sound that she really didn’t like to hear. It was the marching of the skeleton army. A small patrol arrived to the mark and its leader looked around and it was then saw the Ziteans, along with Opal and Mallet. Mistaken the Zitean possessing Dusk’s body as being Dusk himself, the leader said:
“Dusk Storm!”
“A skeleton patrol!” Opal exclaimed. “This is not our lucky day!”
Mallet, securing a big pumpkin to eat it, also noticed them. Turning to the skeletons, he told them:
“Mallet does not like to be disturbed while Mallet is eating.”
And he threw the pumpkin, hitting on one of the skeletons, breaking him apart. He then took his sword, activating it, while Opal took her weapon.
“Soldiers, prepare for battle!” the leader of the patrol commanded.
The real Dusk and Star arrived to the market and saw what was happening, while the Ziteans were too busy eating.
“Those two are gonna get us killed” Star said, putting his hooves on his eyes. “I do not want to see this.”
“Your ghost hooves are seen through” Dusk told him, causing Star to release a frustrated grunt.
Taking out his saber, the leader of the patrol shouted:
“For Skullivar!”
And the skeletons advanced. Mallet soon started to fight them, along with Opal.
“They’re outnumbered!” Dusk exclaimed, while taking Calabrass.
“Dusk, wait!” Star called.
But he didn’t listened, as he advanced against the ghost. However, his blows against them only passed through them. Stopping his attacks, Dusk said, frustrated:
“Okay, I’m officially over that going through stuff thing.”
Knowing they needed to conserve their bodies as much as possible, Star headed towards the Ziteans and told them:
“Behind you! I mean, behind me!”
The Ziteans turned around, while a skeleton fired at them, hitting them causing them to experience pain.
“What is that strange unpleasant feeling?” the female Zitean asked. “It… it hurts.”
“I didn’t like that either” the male Ziteans said. “Not one bit.”
While waving his sword to keep the skeletons away, Mallet said to the male Zitean:
“Dusk, maybe you can draw your sword now.”
The Zitean then took Calabrass’s sword, where they could see his unconscious self. But their attention went to the Eyes of the Seven Seas.
“Can you feel it too?” the male Zitean asked to his companion.
“Yes, I was so entranced by this solid world that I didn’t notice it” she replied. “This artefact is infused with powerful magic.”
Seeing them interested in the Eyes of the Seven Seas, Dusk said:
“If those two get the power of the Seven Seas…”
“Don’t worry, lads” Calabrass told them. “I’m the only one who can activate the Eyes.”
The male Zitean, however, proved him wrong when he used his magic to take the Seven Eyes off Calabrass’s hilt and place them around the wrist. Before that, the ghost sword said:
“Kiss your bodies goodbye.”
“Well, at least they haven’t notice that I possess the power of a tailed beast inside me” Star said.
“You know, if your vessel possess such powerful object, I wonder if mine has some power too” the female Zitean wondered.
“Okay, now we’re doomed” Star said.
The female Zitean closed eyes and focused. It was then that she found herself, in her astral form, in a strange place.
“Interesting…”
She then reached a very big cage and then she could feel it: a tremendous power coming from there.
“I can believe it… The power here is even greater than the one of that sword!”
She then approached the cage, preparing herself to try to take it. It was then she heard a loud grunt and then she saw two red eyes appearing from the darkness of the cage, the ones belonging to Kurama.
“Go away, Zitean” he told her. “My power is not yours to take.”
“Who are you?” she asked Kurama.
“I’m your worst nightmare if you don’t get out of here now” the nine-tailed fox replied. “There’s only one pony allowed to use my power and you just made sure he was out of his own body.”
“Ah, you don’t tell me what to do” the Zitean told.
She extended his arm to get to Kurama, but then he revealed himself, growling at the Zitean who got shocked for how big he was and then the tailed beast roar at her with such power that send her away.
The Zitean opened the eyes, startled, and her companion asked:
“What happened?”
“You won’t believe it” she said. “This vessel possess an even bigger power. However, it would appear accessing seems to be impossible at the moment.”
“It doesn’t matter” the male Zitean said, while showing her the Eyes of the Seven Seas. “We have more than enough.”
“It would appear Kurama can fend for himself even inside his cage” Star said. “That old fox doesn’t stop to impress me.”
“That’s good, but we still need to do something” Dusk said. “If they have control over our bodies and the Eyes…”
The Ziteans advanced against the skeletons and the male one told them:
“You! Come and face us!”
Channeling the power of the Eye of Sino, the male Zitean shot a freezing beam that froze all of the skeletons. The female Zitean then focused the power of the Eye of Blazz to shot a blast of fire that shattered the ice and blasted the skeletons away.
“That felt… good” the male Zitean told to her companion, who agreed with him.
“Uh, guys, wasn’t that a little… over the top?” Opal asked them.
“Move away, solids” the male Ziteans told to Opal and Mallet. “You’re boring us.”
He then made a repulsive wave that sent Opal and Mallet against a wagon right behind them.
“This solid world of yours is far more unpleasant than we thought” the female Zitean said.
“Agreed” the male one told. “I suggest we destroy it.”
And they took flight and started shooting destructive beams all around and then move away. Seeing them going away, Opal asked Mallet:
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Mallet still angry?” Mallet replied.
But Opal’s reproving look caused him to deliver another answer:
“Friends are coocoo in the heads?”
And so they started to follow them. Dusk and Star were on their way, with the former calling:
“Guys, wait! You don’t know who you’re up against. Guys!”
But they just passed through them.
“Save your breath” Star told him. “They cannot hear us, remember?”
“How much time do we have left, Calabrass?” Dusk asked.
“The Ziteans are draining the Eyes’ energy faster, Dusk” he replied. “The seven hours just went down to… about twenty minutes!”
“I can’t live like this forever” Dusk sighed, while he and Star run to catch up with their friends. “I like eating and surfing… and bumping my head once in a while. What do we do?!”
It was then that they heard a familiar voice say:
“Uh, for the sake of all that is gold, enough with the whining already!”
It was Sassafras who had come out of her house and was talking directly to Dusk and Star. They get to her side and Dusk asked:
“Sassafras? You can hear us?”
“Unfortunately, yes” she replied. “Being a clairvoyant isn’t a gift, I’m telling ya. It’s a curse! Now scuttle away and take your loud friends with you.”
And she closed her door, while returning inside. However, Dusk and Star just passed through the door, while the latter told the old witch, as they went down the stairs:
“We need your help to contact our friends and get our bodies back.”
“Sassafras never works for free and ghost don’t carry bits last time I checked” she replied.
“But you’re our only hope” Dusk said.
“Tough break, kid” she replied, while going to her working room. “Now beat it! I got a date with my crystal ball and I need peace and quiet.”
With Sassafras refusing to help them, Dusk could only see one way to force her to help them.
“You know what Clover does when he wants something” he said to Star.
Realizing what he was talking about, Star told:
“I am not doing that!”
“I meant that he gets annoying” Dusk told. “Follow my lead.”
And so the two then started annoying Sassafras with loud and irritating musics, all while floating around her. Sassafras couldn’t really stand all that noise. She tried to throw things at them like her crystal ball, but they just passed through them, as they didn’t have solid bodies. Unable to find another solution, she shouted:
“Fine! I’ll help you! Just stop that screeching torture already!”
Now that they got Sassafras’s help, the two brothers stopped with their singing and bumped hooves.
Meanwhile, the two Ziteans were spreading destruction through Marituga, causing its inhabitants to start running from their path. Opal and Mallet were observing them from an alley.
“Mallet thinks Dusk and Star need a little wake-me-up” he said
“Are you out of your mind, Mallet?!” Opal asked him. “They may have gone crazy, but they’re still our friends.”
But when an attack of them got very near of them, Opal told:
“On a second thought, it’s time for them to wake up from their madness.”
Mallet prepared himself to attack, but then Sassafras appeared before him and told him and Opal:
“Hold your horses! I’ve got a message for you. Two Ziteans have taken control your friends’ bodies. The real Dusk and Star are right here… in spirit form.”
Mallet appeared to not have understood what the old witch just said, specially when she talked to the empty, saying:
“There, happy? Would you stop haunting me now?”
Despite Mallet didn’t get what Sassafras said, Opal did and she said:
“That would explain a lot of things. But how can we be sure?”
Sassafras told her to wait and then she said:
“Star says that you really don’t like Mallet’s rotten and uneatable seaweeds. Wow, that kid really knows how to use words.”
“Uh, the witch really speaks the truth!” Mallet said. “Princess really hates my seaweed!”
“Saved by Mallet’s seaweeds… who would have thought?” Dusk said.
“Dusk? Star?” Opal asked, while looking around. “How do we get you back inside your bodies?”
“The Ziteans must have a weakness” Star said. “We know Kurama is stronger than them and that we could use his power to take them out, but he is in his cage.”
“Wait, my Starlight Showdown attack worked perfectly against that crawling thing back in Zite” Dusk said. “Maybe we can clear them out of our bodies.”
“I’m afraid I’m about out of juice, captain” Calabrass said.
“Where are we going to find a bright mystical light in the middle of the night?” Star asked.
At that moment, the light of the lighthouse just passed by them and, seeing it, Dusk just had one of his ideas.
“Oh, I just had an idea explosion!” he exclaimed. “Okay, we need a volunteer to play bait, a catapult, a large shiny surface and, most importantly, a banana.”
“A banana?!” Star and Sassafras asked at the same time.
“Banana?” Mallet and Opal asked, even more confused.
The Ziteans continued their path of destruction.The male one then said:
“Once we have destroyed this awful place, we’ll build a new home, one to rival Zite itself.”
They then continued their destruction until they spotted Opal who was securing a banana with her magic.
“Stop!” she told them, while showing them the banana. “You almost destroyed it.”
The two Ziteans shared a look and the male one asked:
“Why would we care?”
“Because it’s the most delicious, magnificent and special fruit ever” Opal replied. “It’s called the ban-a-na.”
The way Opal was selling the idea to the Ziteans really caused the female one to desire the banana. She ordered:
“Surrender the ban-a-na at this instant.”
“Sorry, this is the only ban-a-na in the world as we know it and it is all mine” Opal replied. “See you later.”
And she started to run away. The Ziteans followed her and the male commanded:
“Come back here, solid!”
He casted a blast against Opal, but he failed. He continued to fire, along with his companion, but Opal was always able to escape, all while keeping hold on the banana. Dusk and Star were accompanying everything through the rooftops, so that they could act at the right moment.
“Hand over the ban-a-na and we won’t hurt you” the male Zitean told Opal.
And the Ziteans continued to shoot at Opal, while she kept running away, eventually leading the Ziteans to the stairs that led to the port.
“Come and get it” she told to the Ziteans. “I guess…”
Dusk and Star were on a rooftop nearby. Now that they had the Ziteans right where they wanted it, Dusk said:
“All right, let’s do this.”
And he made a sign to Sassafras which was at the top of a tower.
“Okay, okay…” she said, while waving a banner made of seaweeds. Seeing her waving the banner, Clover turned to the Chaos and said:
“Ready, Chaos? Crogar lauching!”
And Chaos released the Plank which had Mallet on it. The Plank advanced towards the light the lighthouse was emanating, while Mallet prepared his sword. When they got there, Mallet put himself on top of the Plank and used his sword to start reflecting the light.
The Ziteans were about to attack a cornered Opal when the light started heading towards them. When they saw it coming, they shouted in fear. However, it was too late, as the light hit them, causing them to be expelled from Dusk and Star’s bodies that just fell on the floor. The Ziteans were casted away and against the floor. Seeing that his plan had worked, Dusk said:
“Yes! Let’s go, Star!”
And the two brothers jumped into their respective body and they woke up like themselves.
“Yes!” Dusk said, looking then to the Eyes of the Seven Seas which returned to their rightful place on Calabrass’s hilt, which awakened him after he had his spirit back.
“We’re back on business!” Calabrass exclaimed.
Defeated, the Ziteans went to the portal, but, before crossing it, they turned to the Sea Raiders and the male Zitean told them:
“Don’t think this is over.”
“Well come back for your bodies and, this time, we’ll bring our friends” the female Zitean said.
And they crossed the portal to Zite which then closed.
As the sun started to rise, the Sea Raiders returned to sail. As the Chaos advanced, Mallet said to his friends:
“Those two never fooled Mallet.”
“Right…” Opal said, sarcastically. “You were really smart back there.”
Turning to Clover, Dusk told him:
“Now I really know what it is to be in your ghost shoes. It’s not all giggles and sunshine being separated from your body.”
“Finally you understand my deep, deep, deep suffering” Clover said. “It will give me all the comics I want.”
“Ah… no” Star replied. “But we will find your body one day, Clover.”
“That’s a deal” he replied, but with his smile dropping as he saw Star handing him a mob.
“But, in the meantime, somepony still needs to swab the deck” Star told.
“Not it!” Dusk exclaimed, as he started run away, with Clover not so far, both laughing.