It was a few days after the party that we had, to celebrate our arrival in the Sea of Thieves. The Crew was gotten used to the place for some time now. And now I want to try something that will test their might and strength as a crew.
“All limbs on deck, my Pirates!” I called out while ringing the bell on near the captain’s cabin door with my magic. Everyone was walking to the deck where I was, came in front of me, in a line. “Today we have a quest to do, so meet me at the tavern at the outpost to meet SomePirate,” I then left for the tavern to wait for them.
“I wonder what he has planned for us?” Trixie asked the group as they headed for the tavern in question.
“Well, whatever Will has planned for us, he is excited for us to do it," Rarity said.
As soon as my crew enter the tavern, I wave to them to get them over to me. "Over here, my Nakama!" I called out to them. "Now time for a story," I said then sat down on my flank as the Mysterious Stranger began to talk.
"One moment. You do well to heed my warning, for this is no ordinary voyage you're contemplating," the Mysterious Stranger started then asked, "Who here has heard of the Shores of Gold?" Everyone on my crew shook their heads, "Few Pirate have even heard of the Shores of Gold, let alone seen it with their own eyes. They say it's an island riddled with untold riches, ancient secrets, hidden tombs and deadly traps. But you won't find it on any map, for it was swallowed up by the mist of the Devil’s Shroud.” The Stranger pointed to a book with a Pirate Legend symbol on it and turned to me, “This book was your father’s journal from when you were still young, in the human world and your father was out for revenge for those who had taken you away from your father and mother. And let me say, it is an honour to meet you, at last, my lord,” the Stranger said with a bow of he head.
‘So this is what the Human world’s version of Princess Twilight, felt like when Ponies call her Princess and bowed at her.’’ I thought to myself, “There’s no need to bow to me. I maybe the Pirate Lord’s son, but I’m still just a normal creature, like all who come to this realm,” I said to him with a chuckle.
“That is true my Lord,” The Stranger said to me and continued, “It tells of his first ship, the Magpie’s Wing and the journey he took to find the Mythical ShroudBreaker. The only way to part the fog and reach the Shores of Gold.”
“Um, does our ship count as well. It has the power to ‘part the shroud’ just like this ShroudBreaker can, right?” Twilight asked the Stranger.
“Your ship, the Pirate Prince, can only use those enchantments to cross the Shroud, not sail and stay in the Shroud for a long time. Like, say about a whole day’s worth of time in the Shroud. And it will lose its power, just temporally.” The Stranger told Twilight, to which all of my crew went “Oh,”
“Now that is out of the way, I may continue. If you dare to follow in the hoofsteps of the greatest Pirate who ever lived, then take the journal and use it to find the wreck of the Magpie’s Wing. It holds clues to the ShroudBreakers whereabouts. Bring it to me, and I’ll set you on your way to the Shores of Gold. But don’t be fooled. Only the bravest, strongest Pirates will be able to make it back alive... I wish you luck. you’re going to need it.” The Stranger finishes and chuckles as he hands my father’s journal to me.
“Let’s get going now,” I told my crew as we headed for our ship.
“So, this is what you want us to go on,” Twilight said to me, “Our first voyage in the Sea of Thieves is to find a ‘ShroudBreaker’ and head for the Shores of Gold,”
“Yes, Twi. and yes, there are some mysteries that even the most lore heavy Pirates on these seas don’t know fully, yet,” I told her.
We soon boarded our ship and went to the map table to look inside the journal of my father. “Journal of the Pirate Lord. Voyage for the ShroudBreaker. (Ninth Summer on the Sea of Thieves.)” I began to read the journal, “ Page one. Chasing Legends. Another journey. Another journal. The Shores of Gold! A great secret! An island of Treasures... Swallowed by the Devils Shroud. Page two. A Lead. Ancients could reach new islands through the mists. Parts of the Shroud... Pathfinder. Wayfarer. ShroudBreaker! I will scour the Sea of Thieves and learn more.”
“Do you have to read it out loud, Will?” Scootaloo asked me.
“Of course I do, Scoot,” I told her and the Crew, “It’s a way so we can discover together as a crew. And you must all remember that the Crew Bond is sacred. That means no pranking or hurting each other. Got it, EveryPirate.”
“Yes, sir!” My crew said together.
“Back to it. Page three. Artifacts of the Ancients. Found after days of scouring islands. Very old chest, still good as new, totem inside, animal totem? More like a statue. Page four. The key to the ShroundBeaker. Sail to the secret place. Use totem. Take ShroudBreaker. Drink. Shores of Gold. Drink."
We soon arrived at the uncharted islet at N-13 just a few yards from the reef and the wreck. “So this is where your father’s first ship died and was left to rot,” Zecora said to me as I prepare for a swim without my clothes. My Alicorn body was the same as Shining Amour's body if he had wings on as well as a Unicorn's horn. I should also say that I have no Cutie Mark on my flank, which is why I was never seen without my Pirate Captain's outfit on. Thinking that I was going to get bad words for not having a Cutie Mark on my flank at all.
“Yes, it is, Zecora," I told her, "I will be back in a few minutes, alright?"
"Aye!" they all yelled as I dived into the water below.
The water was peaceful and calmed down there. I used my wings to go faster and reach the wreck of my father’s first ship, the Magpie’s Wing. From memory of the game of this world that I have played. The ship's logs should be in the cabin. I soon swim to the wreck and towards the cabin. The ship's records were in a Pirate Legend Voyage container, where you get the voyage's tasks to gain the Chest of Legends. I was running out of air. I grabbed the logs and headed back to the surface.
"He's been down there for soon time now, guys," Twilight said, worried about me.
“He’ll be alright,” Applejack said, “He’s an Alicorn for pony sake,”
“I know, I know, Applejack,” Twilight replied.
“I see him!” Apple Bloom called out, see me coming out of the water and swimming to the ship.
"I'll get a towel for him," Sweetie said as she went below deck.
I soon made it back on the Prince and got the ship's logs out of the container and put the pages of the records in the book. "Why are you doing, Will?" Fluttershy asked me.
"I'm doing this so that way we can keep the pages safe and we will know where they are," I told Flutters as I began to read the logs that soon lead us to the chest that my father threw overboard in the escape from Captain FlameHeart's ship, the Burning Blade.
We soon came to Crook’s Hollow, where the book, the new pages and my memory from the totem that looks like a scarab and I knew where we need to go from my mind.
“So close, and he didn’t even know it at the time,” I murmured to myself.
“Who did not know, Will?” Twilight asked me.
“Nothing, Twi. Let’s get the rowboats ready to land,” I told Twilight as she nuzzled my muzzle. And yes, Twilight and I are now Marefriend and Coltfriend. She said that she like me as we wander around the Outpost we stayed in for a few days, and she was the first to admit to that she has feelings for me. And I told her that I felt the same way for a long time since I first saw her in that castle library, all those months ago.
As we landed on the shores of Crook’s Hollow, I can feel the air of dread and the corruption in the ground from my hoofs. "You all feel that?" I asked my crew if they are feeling what I'm feeling right now.
"Yes," Zecora answered me, "The air around the island is full of darkness, dread and undead,"
"It's not right at all," Applejack said, "I get the feeling that these islands are filled with Skeleton Pirates, who have been cursed by something that was not meant to be touched,"
"Applejack, I thought you said that there are no such things as curses?" Apple Bloom asked her big sister.
"In the Wider World yes, Apple Bloom. But Remember that the Sea of Thieves is not a normal place from the rest of the world," I reminded the crew and our Cabin-Fillies. "If memory serves me right, the place we need to go is behind the waterfall on this island," I then said as I walked into the direction of the waterfall we need to get too.
We walked to the waterfall and around it into a cave system and saw the cave painting of a scarab on the cave wall. “So we just need to find where the large, bottom-of-a-totem size keyhole is?” Rainbow asked me.
“Look for anything that stands out from the rest of these rocks,” I said, beginning to look around the wall.
“I found something!” Pinkie called out after a minute of searching. “It looks like a slot of some kind,”
“That’s what we're looking for, nice job, Pinks,” I said as I put the totem into the slot and the stone wall slid down and reviled a hidden tomb inside with four stone pillars and a stone table that was more like a slab on the ground. Myself, Twilight, Gilda and Rainbow went inside.
“I had no idea that those Ancients can build something like this!” Twilight said in awe as well as Gilda and Rainbow. I soon began to light the brazers on the table, and a stone door blocked the entrance of the room. Releasing the water from somewhere.
"WILL!" The three friends, who were still with me, cried out at me.
"We need to solve this puzzle now," I told them, “See the pillars glowing with the symbols on them.” The three nodded, “We to rotate the cubes to match the symbols in the book,” I turned the book so they can see the symbols, "The first symbols are the ShroudBreaker and three warriors," the three friends that were with me in the tomb rushed to the pillars and turned the cubes with the symbols on them to the right order in the book. And pushed the button on the table. “Next is three boats and an ancient holding the ShroudBreaker,” I told them next, and they did the same thing as before until they got the right symbols and pressed the button, but the water was reaching our torso’s. “Last is an ancient holding the ShroudBreaker and three families. Go, go, go!” I yelled the last words. The real deal was different from the game version from the human world. It is a lot scarier than the game version that I was more familiar with. Rainbow was quick to press the button and released the water and open the tomb so the rest of the crew can get in.
"Don't do that again! Whoever it was that slammed the door!" Applejack said with an angry voice.
"Now, now, Applejack. We just came back from a life or death puzzle from this room. So there's no need to be a little mad right now, is there?" I told her as she began to calm down.
"Hey, there's something on the table," Fluttershy said to us that lead us back into the tomb.
"You're right Flutters," Trixie said in surprise, "It's like an image of rock and sand,"
"The mark on the ground in the image is where we need to dig up the Medallions from." I told them, "Three of us should get to these places and dig up whatever is there,"
"I think I know where that first one is," Gilda said and rushed to the spot she was talking about with shovel in hand. "Should be right here," She dug at the ground and reviled the Medallion with a scarab on it.
Just them Skeletons popped out of the ground and began to attack my crew, “WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!” The C.M.C screamed and hid under the legs of their respected guardians.
“Get out of here, you undead NoPirates!” I yelled as I attack the attacking Skeleton Pirates that are covered in coral and anything that was from the seafloor.
“There, that’s the last Medallion,” Scootaloo said as she puts the last Medallion in the slot at the side of the table. then the whole room shook and reviled a new door and the ShroundBreaker on the pedestal.
"All this for another totem?!" Rainbow said in disbelief.
"This totem is what we are looking for, Rainbow," I told her and show it the crew, "This is the ShroudBreaker. With this, we can get to the Shores of Gold." I then began to walk back to the Prince, "But first we need to hand it back to the Mysterious Stranger at the nearest Outpost. Which is Plunder Outpost,”
Just then, more Skeleton Pirates came to attack my crew, “Get to the ship, now!” I told them as they ran for the Prince. Only myself, Twilight, Rainbow and Trixie stood and fought the Skeletons.
The fight was short as we climbed back on our ship and set sail for Plunder Outpost. “So we just turn it in and we get to go to the Shor-,” Rainbow said before I used my magic to close her muzzle.
“Like I said before Rainbow. Do. Not. Tempt. Fate.” I told her slowly.
We soon arrived at Plunder Outpost, where our voyage was nearly done, to my crew. I was carrying an ancient, stone chest that had the ShroudBreaker in it.
“Ah, you’re back,” The Stranger called out to me and my crew, “Do you have it?”
“Yes, we do,” I told him as I sat the chest down, open it and gave him the ShroudBreaker.
“Great Ramsey’s ghost! I heard all the stories, but to hold the ShroudBreaker in my Hoofs... I never thought I would see the day.” He said as he held the ShroudBreaker in his hoofs, carefully and calmly. “Something’s Wrong...”
“What is it, sir?” Twilight asked him.
“There should be four jewels set in the base that grant the ShroudBreaker its power, but they’ve been removed. Without them, you’ll won’t last five minutes in that fog, even with the enchantments on your ship.”
Rainbow groaned, “We have to find them, don’t we?” She asked.
“Now let me think... I did hear tell that Captain Briggsy made it to the Shores of Gold. If that’s true, she might know the whereabouts of these missing stones. Not she’d ever say.”
“W-W-What do you m-mean?” Scootaloo asked the Stranger.
“Sometimes, even the best Pirates fall victim to their greed or hatred, and it changes them. Strips the flesh from their bones. Gives ‘em power, but twist ‘em up inside. Briggsy is one such abomination.”
“I have a feeling that some of us know this already,” Trixie said with fear in her voice.
“Yes, in fact, your Captain and First mate already fought one,” The Stranger said looking at Twilight and me.
“You mean Rathbone, the Gold Hoarder?” Twilight asked him.
“Yes. Pirates call them Skeleton Lords, and most Pirates flee at their approach. Not even the Order of Souls dares challenge them, and rightly so, but you... you are going to have to hunt one down.”
EveryPirate glupped, “I have eyes and ears across the Sea of Thieves since I am the Pirate Lord’s SpyMaster if you gather any of the missing pieces, I’ll see they’re restored to the ShroudBreaker on your behalf. For now, head for Plunder Outpost and speak with Madame Olivia about Briggsy’s whereabouts. Remember, Skeleton Lords are not to be taken lightly.”
“And one more thing, Will.” The Stranger told me.
“Yes?” I asked him.
“There is someone here for you,” Then a teleportation sound came from behind me and grabbed me and gave me an Alicorn size hug.
“How’s my little Pirate doing on his first voyage?” Mom asked me and squeezed me, nearly to death.
“Can’t. Breath. Mom!” I tried to call to her as everyone in the whole Outpost laughed at my Mom squeezing me.
Mom finally let me go, “Sorry, son. It’s just that I am so excited to have my first Hearth Warming Eve with you!”
“Christmas is already here?” I asked Mom to which everyone at me and said, “WHAT?”
“I was just so busy with Piracy that I didn’t know it was that time of year,” I said in defence. “Well, it’s better late than never,”
“Time for some good old Festival of Giving songs. And I know just the one,” Dad came from behind me and a tune came from behind around me.
(Cue Deck the Hulls from the Sea of Thieves soundtrack)
Everyone dancing into the night for the best holiday song in my life.
To be continued, Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Merry Christmas, and a great Festival of Giving EveryPirate at the time of writing this chapter!