//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Three Trials // Story: The Mystery Of Simian Island // by Violet Runner //------------------------------// A white earth pony with brown patches, wearing a pair of pants washed up on a beach. Dizzy he struggled to remember where he was and how he got there. Despite his best efforts he couldn't seem to remember how he got there, but one thing in his mind was certain he had a dream and is going to see it through. Spotting a light on the side of a small mountain he decided to see what it was and if he could find someone who could help him. He walked up a small path leading up the mountain. When he got to the top he saw a gray pegasus mare sitting by a fire. “Hello! My name’s Pipsqueak Driftwood and I want to be a pirate.” He said walking up to her. “Yikes! Don’t sneak up on me like that.” She said turning to look at him. “Er… I’m over this way miss.” Pip said see the mare facing the wrong way. “Ah.” She said turning the right way this time, allowing Pipsqueak to see that she was cross-eyed. “Well then, Threepwood-“ “DRIFTWOOD.” He corrected. “Pipsqueak DRIFTWOOD.” “I see.” The cross-eyed mare said making her eyes cross the other way. “So, you want to be a pirate, eh? You look more like a flooring inspector.” She dead panned. “But if you’re serious about pirating go talk to the pirate leaders. You’ll find them in the GRIME BAR.” “Gosh. Thanks! I’ll do that. Bye now. I’m off to seek my fortune.” The white earth pony said happily. “Good luck.” The Gray mare said before he started to walk away. “Um…” He said turning around again. “Where did you say those pirate leaders were?” “The GRIME-BAR.” She said clearly. “Right. Thanks.” He said before heading back down the path. As he walked back down the path he noticed a sign post with two signs on it. One was pointing towards the top of the mountain and said Look Out. The other was pointing to another path and said Town. Turning down the path he eventually found himself at the entrance to a small port town with a sign that said welcome to the Town of Ponyville here on Brawl Island. A few feet away he could see a small building. As it was the only one with any lights on in the area he decided to check it out. “The GRIME BAR!” He said reading the sign above the door to the building. “This must be the place.” He was about to open the door and walk in when he noticed there was a small poster on the wall next to the door. “Huh? What’s this? Re-elect Governor Luna. When there’s only one candidate, there’s only one choice.” He read before shrugging it off and walking it to the Bar. As he walked into the bar he was a little surprised at what he saw. The bar was filled with many drunken sailor ponies and griffins many of which were passed out, there was even one purple mare with a grape and strawberry cutie mark swinging around on the chandelier that was made from an old anchor. Before he could take two steps a small dog with a bone in its mouth ran up to him and started growling at him. “Ruff.” Pip said looking down at the dog. “Ruff, a-roof arf! Woof woof arf woof warroof, Brawl Island! A-roof wuf: Sombra! Grrrrrrr.” The dog barked back at him. “Wuf, Sombra?” He asked the small dog. “Worf woof woof ruff ruff wor-roof wuf? Ruff arf-arf, bow-ruff Governor Luna! A-OOOOOOOO! A-OOOOO! (Ruff ruff ruff) Bow-roo wuf rowwf- Arrooof- Sombra! Grrrrrrr! Arf, oof-oof, Brawl Island! *Sniff sniff*” The dog explained before running away. “I have no idea what he just said.” He said to himself as he continued walking through the bar. As Pipsqueak walked through the bar he noticed a griffin that was wearing a big button that said: Ask me about Equestria Girls. Curious he walked up to him. “Aye.” The Griffin greeted when he noticed Pip. “Aye, yourself.” Pipsqueak said happily. “Aye.” The griffin said taking a sip of his drink. “Nice hat.” He said looking at the griffin’s hat, which had the name Grip on it. “Aye.” Grip said. “So, tell me about Equestria Girls.” Pip said looking at his button. “You mean the latest animated masterpiece from Hasbro! Why it’s an extraordinary movie with an awesome story stunning 2D and 3D animation, memorable songs. Not to mention all the references and nods to the Brony Fandom. Starring the voices of great stars such as Tara Strong, Ashleigh Ball, Andrea Libman and Tabitha St. Germain. Blu-ray now in stores. Beat the Rush! Go out and Buy Equestria Girls today!” The Griffin said excitedly. “Geeze, what an obvious sales pitch.” The want-to-be pirate said looking at the half slobber griffin. “Sorry, I just get carried away on some topics.” Grip said apologetically. “Nice talking to you.” He said backing up a bit. “Aye.” The griffin said as Pip walked away. Pip noticed three mares sitting at a table at the back of the bar away from everypony else. One was a White Unicorn with a two tone pink and purple mane. The second was a Yellow Earth Pony with a red mane with a bow in it. And the third was an Orange Pegasus with a purple mane. “What da ya want, colt? The Yellow Earth Pony asked with a southern accent. “I want to be a Pirate.” Pipsqueak exclaimed. “So what?” The Orange Pegasus said flatly. “Why bother us?” The Earth Pony asked. “Hey, don’t forget we’re short on help because of this whole Sombra thing.” The White Unicorn reminded her friends. “So?” The Pegasus asked looking at the Unicorn. “So, no pirates means no bits, and no bits means no cider. We’re getting dangerously low on cider…” “Hmm.” The Orange mare said looking pip up and down. “Do you have any special skills?” “I can hold my breath for 10 minutes.” He said proudly. “Well…” She said sceptically. “All right, but you don’t become a pirate just by asking.” “Ya’ll have ta go through…” The Yellow mare began. “The Three Trials!” The three said in Unison. “Er… What three trials are those?” Pip asked. “There are three trials every pirate must past.” The Earth Pony mare said. “You must master the sword by besting the sword master of Brawl Island. You should get somepony to train you before you do that.” The Pegasus explained. “Tha art of thievery. For this, we want ya to get a small item for us: The Idol of Many Hooves. It’s in a glass case in the Governor’s mansion just outside of town.” The Yellow mare explained. “And the quest.” The White Unicorn said taking a drink of cider. “The what?” The yellow Earth Pony asked. “Treasure hunting, you dodo.” The Unicorn mare explained. “Oh, right. There’s supposed ta be a treasure buried some were on tha island.” The red manned mare said. “You must prove yaself in each of these three areas: swordplay, thievery and, Er, treasure huntery. Then return with proof that you’ve done it.” The southern mare repeated. “And then you must drink cider with us.” The Pegasus finished off. “Cider!” The three mares shouted together. “What’s in Cider anyway?” Pip asked. “Cider is a secret mixture which contains one or more of tha following ingredients.” The red manned earth pony said. (For the love of [insert deity or other religious figure name here] do NOT mix and/or consume the following concoction. Seriously YOU WILL DIE IF YOU DO!) “Kerosene.” “Propylene glycol.” “Artificial sweeteners.” “Sulphuric acid.” “Apples.” “Acidtone.” “Red dye #2.” “Grim.” “Axle grease.” “Battery acid.” “And/or Jalapeño peppers.” The Earth pony mare finished. “As you can probably imagine, it’s one of the most caustic, volatile substances known to ponyind.” "This stuff eats right through these mugs and the cook is losing a fortune replacing them. Ha ha.” The Orange mare laughed lifting up her empty glass to show that it had a hole in it. “Well. I better get started on those trials.” The White Earth Pony said before leaving the bar.