//------------------------------// // The Stowaway // Story: Adventures in the Bermikun Triangle // by Rakoon1 //------------------------------// The Sea Raiders were sailing around Sino, with Dusk at the helm of the bow, with Star, Mallet and Opal with him. They were looking for a vortex to get out of the Sea of Ice. It was then Clover told him from the top of the mast: “Dusk, vortex ahoy! Fifteen degrees south, at port! I mean, starport.” They turned and saw the vortex and started heading towards it. “Just like I calculated” Opal said. “Prepare yourselves for a thermal shock. We’re going straight to Dezer in a hot season.” “Right on, Opal” Dusk replied. “I’m so over this Sea of Ice.” “But Mallet like cold” Mallet said. “It remain it of home.” “First we need to find another Waypoint and then it will be home, Mallet” Dusk said. “Here comes the heat of the Sea of Sand!” Clover exclaimed. And so they crossed the vortex which closed as soon they did it. But when they arrived at the other side, they found themselves in midair and going to crush on a high cave. Dusk reacted by activating Chaos’ legs, with him using them to land at the entrance of the cave and stopping just in time to no slip off. “This isn’t normal” Star said. “That vortex should have taken us into Dezer.” “Maybe cold season isn’t finish on Dezer” Mallet suggested. “No, it seems to me we’re still on Sino” Star said, looking to the sea with floating pieces of ice. It was then that Chaos started moving on his own. “What is happening?” Dusk asked, seeing the helm moving. “I have no idea” Opal replied, as the Chaos reached a set of ice bridges and started to go down through them. “Little princess here must have done some mistake” Calabrass said. “Okay, Calabrass, as of now, you really should have realized I barely make mistakes when it comes to the Chaos” Opal replied. “Perhaps he’s the one that made a mistake.” “Listen to you…” Calabrass said. “Putting the blame on the ship.” “This ship has his own personality” Opal reminded him. “It is not invaluable.” Clover then appeared, laying on the bow and touched Opal to get her attention and told her: “I know the Chaos inside out. I’ve never seen him make this kind of mistake.” “There’s a first time for everything” she replied. “You worry too much, princess tinker” Calabrass replied. “You’ve got to chill out, that’s all.” “I think it would be easier to have Golden Bones being nice to us than Opal chilling out” Clover replied. That caused him and Calabrass to laugh, much to Opal’s displeasure. “That’s enough, you guys” Dusk told to Calabrass and Clover, while steering, turning then to Star. “Star, try to find us another vortex to Dezer.” Taking his sextant, Star started looking for another vortex. As the Chaos was passing by an ice bridge, Clover said: “I hope the Chaos doesn’t make another error this time.” Suddenly, the ice beneath them started to crack and broke, causing them all to fall into a deep hole. When Dusk came to his senses, he rose up, seeing the Chaos there, standing on his metallic legs, while the others were nearby, also waking up. “Anything broken?” he asked. “Mallet didn’t even feel bump” Mallet replied, standing up. “What are we doing here?” Star asked, while he and Opal stood up. “That’s right” Opal said. “Why aren’t we on board?” “I think the Chaos ejected us to protect us” Dusk replied. “He really is the seventh member of the Sea Raiders. Hey, Calabrass…” Dusk extended his hoof to take Calabrass, but found that he wasn’t there. “Hey, Calabrass!” Dusk called, looking around, but not finding him. “Calabrass! Calabrass! Guys, I can’t find him!” It was then that they all heard him calling: “Dusk! Dusk!” Trying to see where he was calling from, Dusk noticed a cave. “It came from there. We’re coming, Cal! Hold on!” He and the others went to the cave, following Calabrass’ voice. It was then they found him, lying on the ground. “What are you doing here, buddy?” Dusk asked Calabrass, while going to pick him up. “Stab me, I’ve no idea” he replied. “But I heard some funny noises down here.” Hearing that from Calabrass and not liking the place where they were, Dusk said to his friends: “We better return to the Chaos. Clover can tell us more. Ghosts don’t pass out.” His friends started to move back, when Dusk noticed something. “Wait” he said. They stopped and they saw an intense light coming from the end of that cave. “Oh, what that?” Mallet asked. “No idea” Dusk answered him. “Let’s go see.” They all advanced towards the light and, when they arrived to its source, they become intrigued to see it was a strange obelisk of light surrounded by little block-like stones. “So you see that?” Dusk asked, impressed. “Is that… a Waypoint?” “That is not possible” Star replied, while approaching it with the others. “We’ve already opened the Sino Waypoint.” “Incredible…” Opal said, touching it. “Captain, can we take a sample for analyses?” “I’ve got a better idea” Dusk said, while preparing to insert Calabrass on it. “Hey!” he came to tell Dusk. “Steady, laddie. I’m a self-respected sword. I just don’t stick myself anywhere.” “Come on, Calabrass!” Dusk said. “What happened to your taste for adventure?” “Look, Opal is right. We can do a test first. Opal! Where are you, princess tinker? Come and test this thing.” “Well, well, aren’t you afraid I may… worry too much?” Opal teased him. But before any of them could say anything, Dusk inserted Calabrass on the obelisk. “Hey!” the magic sword exclaimed to his wielder. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist” he replied. At the moment, Dusk inserted Calabrass, the obelisk emanated an immense light that blinded them all for a moment. Once the light disappeared, Dusk asked: “Calabrass, are you okay?” “I’m not sure…” he replied, appearing to be tired. “I feel drained, as if someone has pumped out my energy.” “Hey, ladie!” a voice called. Dusk looked and saw to his shocked and confusion, and also to the others’, another Calabrass, floating on the air, not far away. “I… don’t believe it” the young captain said. “Are you just gonna leave me here?!” the other Calabrass asked. “We found a replicator!” Dusk realized. “What is a… replicator?” Mallet asked. “But… what is that thing?” Opal asked, while trying to look the second Calabrass more carefully. She tried to use her device to scan him, but the second Calabrass just made an angry look to her. After that, he tried to attack Dusk, who was quick to dodge. “Hey!” He attacked again and Dusk started using the real Calabrass’ blade to defend himself. “Hey, guys, do you mind giving me a hoof here?!” Dusk asked to the others. “Come here, you!” Mallet said to Calabrass’ replica. But he moved him back by using his blade and then attacked Star who was able to dodge, thanks to his flapping, which he could not hold on for long because of the intense cold threatening to freeze his wings. Noticing how close Calabrass was from hitting him, even with with him using his flying skills to dodge, Star said: “He’s too fast! He will chop us to pieces!” Understanding the seriousness of the situation through Star’s words, Dusk turned to Calabrass and told him: “Calabrass, give me the Eye of Aeria!” And so he and Calabrass transformed. When the other Calabrass prepared to attack him, Dusk counterattacked with lightning, hitting him and causing him to explode in tiny pieces of rock that showed over the present Sea Raiders. “There can only be one… and that’s me” Calabrass said. After Dusk detransformed, he and the others started heading back to the Chaos. Before following her teammates, Opal noticed some of the little pieces of Calabrass’ clone and realized she could use them to determinate what happened there. After they returned to the Chaos, Opal, knowing after what happened Dusk wouldn’t allow her to study that obelisk, said, omitting the fact she had picked some of the rocks: “It’s a pity we couldn’t take a sample… for analyses.” “I don’t want anypony to bring that sort of stuff on board” Dusk said. “It can be radioactive or something like that.” Star then returned to their side, landing, and asked: “Have any of you seen Clover?” “You know him, he must be playing his favorite game” Dusk replied. “Haunt the ghost” Mallet added. “Or else he’s still sulking because of our quarrel earlier” Opal suggested. “Don’t overestimate yourself, you know-it-all princess tinker” Calabrass told her, upsetting Opal. “We still don’t know what happened on the ice” Star said. “How did we get so far from the Chaos?” “Clover probably saw it all from the deck” Opal proposed. “You’re right” Dusk agreed. “We have to find him. Star and Mallet, you’ll go search for him at the cabinet. I’ll check the engine room and below deck.” Mallet and Star nodded and they advanced towards the cabinet. Dusk then turned to Opal and told her: “Opal, while we are looking for Clover, you analyze that sample you stole.” “Oh, you saw that?” Opal asked, a little embarrassed, while taking a piece of Calabrass’ clone she had put on her bag. Star and Mallet entered and searched through the cabinet, but they didn’t saw any sign of Clover. Dusk and Calabrass were checking the engine room. “Clover!” Dusk called. “Where are ye, you ectoplasm scum?!” Calabrass asked. When they reached the entrance to below deck, one of Chaos’ antibodies immerged from there, much to Dusk and Calabrass’ surprise. “It’s a Chaos’ antibody” Dusk said. “They show up when the ship is not feeling well. Opal was right. It was the ship himself who screwed up in passing the vortex.” It was then that the antibody started to scan Dusk. “Easy, easy now…” Dusk told it. “It’s me, all right? Your captain.” But the antibody just started to attack him with its tentacles, causing Dusk to use Calabrass to defend himself. “Calabrass, give me the Eye of Beru!” Dusk called. They transformed and Dusk shot a blast of water from Calabrass, hitting the antibody that returned to below deck. “What is going on here?” Dusk asked, while detransforming. “Is the Chaos going haywire?” Suddenly, he received a message from Opal at the engine room communicator saying: “Everypony! Meet me at the deck!” They all went there, meeting Opal who was holding some of the fragments she had taken. “It’s the remains of Calabrass’ clone” she said. “It’s a metamorphic entity that is able to clone anything that touches it immediately.” “Metamorph… what?” Mallet asked. “So it’s like changelings…” Star said. “Wait, we all were hit by particles when the sword exploded, which means…” “That this creature could already have taken the appearance of one of us” Dusk concluded. That statement cause some suspicion between the five of them. To break the ice, Calabrass told Dusk: “Now you see why the Chaos’ antibody attack ye.” “It detected the particles of your clone on me” Dusk said. “Unless it detected you were the clone yourself” Star said. Despite feeling a little hurt that his brother thought he could be an imposter, he knew he didn’t say it out of suspicion, but rather to make a point that they had an imposter between them. “I didn’t leave Dusk’s side since the cave” Calabrass said. “If he’d been cloned, I would have seen it. Now the rest of ye… Ye have been alone for some time.” “Mallet know he Mallet” Mallet said, proudly. “If I wanted to pass myself as you, I would say exactly the same thing” Star replied. It was then everypony turned to Opal who said: “I have a machine down below that can analyze genetic material. With that, we can be one hundred percent sure if one or several of you are clones.” “If one or several of us, Opal” Dusk corrected. “Right… if one of us… is a clone” she said. “Of course… I’ll be right back with the machine.” But before she could go anywhere, Star put himself on her way and said: “Stop! There’s no way you go down there alone.” “Star is right” Dusk agreed. “From now one, we stay together.” With that decision being made, they all went to the engine room and went to the halls inside Chaos. As they were moving, Opal turned to Mallet who was close to her and told him: “Don’t stick so close to me, Mallet. A princess like me must always protect her personal space.” “Mallet protect everypony” Mallet said. “The real Mallet knows very well I do not need to be protected” Opal replied. “Mallet is real Mallet!” he protested. “That’s still to be proved” Opal replied. “Okay, guys, calm down!” Star said. “I know this situation is stressful. I have already let myself be affected by, but we need to be calm, besides careful and watchful. The imposter may be provoking arguing to create disharmony on the group.” This caused everyone of them to move away to a safe distance from each other, while keeping a close look. While they traded suspicious looks, Dusk remembered one thing: “Clover!” “That’s right!” Calabrass said. “If he’s hiding, it must be for a good reason.” “Accusing the one who is not here?” Opal asked. “It’s also a clever tactic to throw out suspicion from someone else.” “Hold on, princess tinker” Calabrass said. “I have already been cloned.” “So what?” Opal asked. “Relax, everypony” Dusk said, in order to not let suspicions to increase any further. “We’re all going to test ourselves with Opal’s machine, okay?” Opal took a deep breath to calm herself and said: “Right… you’re right.” They all got to the turbine room where Opal took a machine with a place to put a hoof and an analyzer with a light on it that she had hidden inside of one turbine. “This machine is simple to use” Opal said, while getting to the others’ side. “You just put a hoof on the hole and wait for the result. Who wants to go first?” “Mallet, why don’t you have the honor?” Star asked him. “Royalty first” he replied, nervously. Star then turned to Opal and asked: “Tell me, what exactly is in that machine?” “Uh, let’s do this!” Dusk exclaimed, getting enough of all that extreme caution. “We’ve already wasted enough time talking.” He put his hoof in the hole and the machine started processing. When it was over, a green light went on, meaning Dusk was clear, much to the others’ relief. After taking his hoof, Dusk said to Mallet: “Your time, big guy.” Mallet prepared his hoof, but seemed a little hesitant. “Go on” Calabrass said. “It is not going to bite ye.” Mallet tried to put his hoof in the hole, but the size of it made it difficult. “It won’t go in” he said. “Push it” Dusk replied. He did so and Opal replied: “Careful. It’s fragile.” The machine started analyzing Mallet and he was cleared. Sighing, Mallet said, while taking back his hoof: “I told you.” “Star, it’s your turn” Dusk said. Star put his hoof in the machine which started to analyze it. However, it would appear the machine was having troubles. Despite looking suspicious, Opal commented: “Maybe your alicorn genetics, together with the fact you’re a jinchuriki, is complicating the calculation.” “Or not” Mallet said, while grabbing the handler of his sword. The situation was clearly tense for everypony, but then the machine cleared Star. He took his hoof, while cleaning his sweat, while Mallet let go of his sword. “Okay, Opal, you’ve tested all of us, now it’s your time” Star said. “Star is right” Dusk agreed. “I was about to do it” she replied, while turning the machine to her and placing her hoof in it which cleared her. “Looks like we’re all cleared.” “Yeah, but you could get any results you wanted with that machine” Star told. “Wingy, is right” Calabrass said. “Little princess here has spent a lot of time playing with that bit of a clone. She’s more likely than any of us not to be who she pretends to be.” “Hey, I can ensure you I am Opal” she replied. “Well…” Mallet said, while preparing his hooves. “Stop it!” Dusk told him. “Sorry, Opal, but if you can’t convince us real fast…” Star said, while charging his horn with magic. Feeling even more cornered seeing her friends convinced she was the imposted, Opal couldn’t keep her secret any longer and ended up exploding: “Wait! It was me!” “What?!” the others asked, a little confused. “Well, no, I’m not the clone, but…” she started. “It was me who miscalculated the coordinates for the vortex.” That revelation caused them to trade looks and then ask: “What?” “You tried to lead us into a trap?” Star asked. “No, I made a mistake!” Opal admitted. “There, I said it! Yes, I got it wrong. It was me who got it wrong, not the Chaos.” “If she is a clone of Opal, he couldn’t have known that” Calabrass said. “Guilty secrets cannot be cloned” Star said. “There’s the answer!” Dusk replied. “We each admit something we dare not admit in order to prove we’re not a clone. I’ll start. For example, I… uh… I never managed to read that book you gave me about Star Swirl’s dissertation about multiple alternate worlds all the way through.” “Don’t worry, I know about it” Star replied. “You told it was a fun reading. A fun reading… Who says that about the work of one of the greatest minds of all ponykind?” “Sorry, Star” Dusk apologized. “Well, just for you to know, I never got Clover’s jokes… neither yours” Star said. “I just pretend to laugh. Actually, it’s not that hard after having years pretending to like dad’s jokes.” That revelation caused Dusk to open his mouth of surprise, while Mallet laughed on his reaction. “Mighty Helm humor more simple to understand” he said. But then he noticed nopony else was laughing and so he stopped. Knowing it was his turn, Mallet said: “Okay, well… Mallet prefers sun of Beru to ice of Sino.” That revelation really surprised the others, as Mallet was always bragging about how good he felt of being at the cold weather of Sino. “Please, tell nopony” Mallet pleaded. “Mallet has reputation.” “Your turn, Calabrass” Dusk said to his sword friend. “I’ve never been a pirate” he told. “What?” Calabrass laughed and said: “Pirate’s humor… You make me seasick with all your fine feelings. You’re like a bunch of lassies.” “Well, you cannot make confessions like those” Dusk said. “So none of us are clones.” “Don’t forget the ghosts along the way” Star told. “What bring us back to Clover” Opal said. With that though in mind, the five Sea Raiders returned to the corridors and Dusk said: “If any of us find Clover, we keep him covered and immediately warn the others.” It was then they found another of Chaos’ antibodies who started to scan them. But as soon it finished it, it attacked them. Fortunately, Mallet was able to grab it and pin against the wall, telling: “No move!” Directing to his friends, Mallet said: “Mallet no understand. If it attack us, it does not mean we’re all clones?” Having in count that what Mallet was correct, Dusk looked around and then realized who the imposter was. “I know why the antibodies are attacking us” he said. “We’re not six. We’re seven! The metamorph has duplicated the Chaos!” The antibody was able to get free from Mallet, emitted an immense screech and moved away. It didn’t take long for they all hear the same screech approaching from all sides. A big quantity of antibody appeared, ready to attack them. “Attack!” Dusk declared, while taking Calabrass and fighting the antibodies. The others joined the fight, with Dusk shooting magic blasts, Mallet using his sword and Opal using her weapon. “They’re too many!” Dusk said. “We’ll never deal with all these antibodies!” Star added. “Looks like the best solution is to withdraw” Opal replied. “Then let’s get out of here!” Dusk exclaimed, while starting to open his way through the antibodies. “Fast!” The others started following Dusk, while more antibodies arrived to pursue them. They managed to get to the deck, but found more antibodies there. As they were keeping the antibodies at bay, Dusk asked, while slicing antibodies: “Do you remember? We woke up next to the Chaos.” “Well, next to his replica” Opal said. “Exactly” Dusk continued, while keeping fighting the antibodies. “Which means, somewhere on the ice it’s the Chaos, the real one. We have to find him as fast as we can.” They then searched for a way through the antibodies, with Mallet battling the antibodies and using all of his strength. “Ragnasala!” he shouted, while roaring at the antibodies. “Such violence…” Opal commented. “That’s you, all right, Mallet. There’s no doubt about it.” Dusk, Star, Opal and Mallet then jumped out the fake Chaos and started running away as fast as they could. It was then that the fake Chaos was activated and started pursuing the Sea Raiders. Reaching a big wall, the Sea Raiders didn’t had any other choice, but to climb it. But the fake Chaos continued to pursue them, easily climbing the ice thanks to the metallic legs. Opening his mouth at the bow to reveal the cannon, the fake Chaos started firing at them. “If this keeps this way… we’re not going to live for much longer!” Opal exclaimed, seeing how determined the fake Chaos was to hit them. “Unless…” “Spit it out, Opal” Dusk told. “Unless we shoot back at him” Opal replied. “Fire at the Chaos?” Dusk asked. “It is not the real one” Star told him. “Opal is right. We must not hesitate.” “I know, but… what if I’m wrong?” Dusk asked. “Chaos real or not real?” Mallet questioned. The fake Chaos continued to fire at them, with the aim started to get more accurate. “Obey your instincts, laddie” Calabrass told Dusk. “They’ll tell you what you should do.” “All right…” he replied. “Calabrass, give me the Eye of Blazz!” After he and Calabrass transformed, Dusk shot a blast of fire against the fake Chaos, setting him on fire, causing a big explosion. But when it cleared out, the fake Chaos seemed to not have been affected. “Fake Chaos not even hurt” Mallet told. Suddenly, the ice beneath the fake Chaos broke and he started to fall down. However, he was able to hold on. “We’ve got some time” Dusk said, detransforming and putting Calabrass back on his scabbard. “We need a plan b.” “And what is that?” Star asked. “Run!” Dusk exclaimed. And they continued to climb, hopping to keep their distance from the fake Chaos. They were able to arrive to the top and then started running away. The fake Chaos also reached the top and continue his pursue on them. The Sea Raiders started running through the ice bridges, but Dusk step on one part that cracked and crumbled, only not falling thanks to Mallet who pulled him back. “That was close…” Dusk said. They tried to go on the other ice bridge they had, but it also crumbled, leaving on the only where the fake Chaos was on. “Dusk, your plan b is getting complicated” Star told. With the fake Chaos arriving to their side, they prepared to fight it. At that moment, the real Chaos arrived, coming from beneath them and landing right in front of them, shielding them from the fake Chaos, much to their happiness. “Hey, hey, mates!” Clover shouted at them from the top of the real Chaos’ mast. “Clover!” Dusk exclaimed, glad to see their ghost friend once again. “Where have you been?” he asked. But he couldn’t get the answer at the moment, as the two Chaos were engaging in a battle, with Clover cheering the Chaos and even giving him advices. It was then that the fake Chaos sent his antibodies attack Dusk and the others. “Shipmates, prepare for battle!” he told to his friends. Meanwhile, the fake Chaos was able to corner the real one at the edge of the ice bridge, while the antibodies did the same with Dusk, Calabrass, Star, Opal and Mallet. It was then that Opal, seeing Chaos’ situation while battling his clone, got an idea. “I have the answer” she said, starting to advance towards the Chaos. “Opal!” Dusk called her. “Are you crazy?! Come back!” “Don’t worry, this time I’m sure what I’m doing” she told him. “But, if I’m wrong, what is unlikely, then good luck to you.” Using her own moves to avoid the antibodies, she was able to get to the Chaos and then headed to the engine room, while the fake Chaos was about to push the real one off the ice bridge. Once Opal got to the engine room, she activated Chaos’ propellers, what caused him to get the boost he needed to push back the his clone and then shoot at him, with the blast throwing him off instead into the bottom of the hole. The impact caused the clone to crumble away into many fractions of the stone pieces and the same happened to the antibodies. With all the battle, ice fell down to the hole, filling it. Beofre that, Dusk said: “I guess will never know what that think really was.” “Another mystery of the Triangle” Calabrass commented. Once they all returned to the Chaos, they got back to the sea, sailing away. On the deck of the bow, Clover asked to the others: “Well, are you gonna tell me what I missed?” “Ah, not much” Dusk replied, while on the helm. “We just played the secrets game.” “What?!” Clover asked. “You played without me?!” “Opal believed Mallet not Mallet” Mallet said, while laughing. “And you thought I was the clone too” she replied too. “Let’s be honest, okay?” Star asked. “We all thought the other could be the clone.” That caused some tension, as they started trading looks, as if wondering if there was any other clone between them. But then they just released laughs. Clover, who was not understanding anything, just said: “Well, nobody can take my place. I’m not a clone, I’m a clown.” “You’re right, ectoplasm” Calabrass replied, laughing. “No one, no better how go the mimic, can make jokes as bad as yours.” “At least, I didn’t got my Chaos mix up” Clover replied, before teleporting away. “Well, anybody can make mistakes” Opal replied, while going to the stairs. “But we all not I’m not just anybody.” And she laughed, while leaving, making the others also laugh, as they continued to cross Sino in search of a vortex.