Barnacle's Adventure: Pony Pirates on the High Seas

by Paradise Oasis

A Chance Meeting

The golden sunset was so beautiful.....

It was a very quiet evening, the kind you see in those watercolor paintings many like to hang in their living rooms; A golden sunset, the last rays of light shimmering on the surface of the river, a soft wind blowing through the gently-swaying trees. Such a scene was a rarity in a place as chaotic and brutal as Dream Valley normally was. But there were a few ponies who were too busy with their own concerns to enjoy this rare moment of tranquility, missing out on one of the rare tranquil moments fate allowed for the inhabitants of this land.

One such Pegasus was currently making her way along the river, quietly following the current downstream towards the sea. The young pink mare flew uncertainly towards her goal, the wind gently blowing through her purple mane, and tangling the strands of her long hair. She had come this way many a time before, but she always felt nervous coming to a place she never felt quite welcome. Finally approaching her destination, the mare landed in front a pony tavern that stood by the sea. Looking up at a rusty old sign that read the Howling Hippogriff, the Pegasus pushed the rickety old wooden door open with her free wing, and taking a deep breath, trotted inside the dilapidated old building made from the rotten planks of a hundred wrecked ships.

"Why, if it isn't North Star! So glad to see you here, lassie!" The barkeep called out, as the mare came trotting through the door. "Look, everyone! Little North Star has come ta pay another visit on us!"

A cheer went up from the crowd, as a swarthy-looking assortment of ponies raised their mugs to her in greeting. Most of the sailors- old stallions who had spent years beyond counting at sea- had known North Star since she was a little filly. For she had been sneaking down here since the days of her earliest childhood, listening to their stories of the open sea, tales of adventure on the waves. Perhaps that was why the young mare had a compass rose cutie mark, like a map on her flank that pointed towards the north star; her heart was filled with a thirst for adventure, that could never seem to be quelled.

"Arrr, North Star, good to see ye again!" A stallion in a tricorner hat called out, as the Pegasus mare took a seat near the center of the room. "How have ye been?"

"Ahoy, lassie! Good to see ye again!" Another stallion with a peg leg agreed. "Come ta here more of our stories, have ye?"

"Blimey, tis' really good to see all of you again, it 'tis!" North Star replied, speaking in the accent she had copied from these sailor ponies, trying desperately to capture some of their spirit of adventure. "I trust ye all have some jolly good new stories about yer time on the open sea?"

"Aye lass, I always have a yarn fer a pretty little thing like ye." The first stallion bragged. "Did I ever tell ye about the time me ship sank? I was stranded on a capsized rowboat, with no fresh food or water, and six hungry sharks a 'circlin around a watin' for a taste on me hide..."

"...Lassie, did I ever tell you about the time we were ran aground by pirates, off the coast of Blarkland?" The second stallion bragged. "There we were, only six of us left standin' and a hundred griffin pirates, with cutlasses in their teeth, ready to cut us to ribbons..."

And so the stories went on and on. Tales of tropical islands and shipwrecks, of buccaneers and cannon fire. Old memories poured from the mouths of these old scurvy sea dogs, emptying their minds as they filled their bellies with rum. North Star loved these tales of faraway lands and adventure, tales of places and things the nineteen-year-old mare wasn't very likely to ever see. So lost in her thoughts was North Star, that she failed to notice another pink Pegasus with a green and white-striped mane come up and sit next to her.

"Getting enough of these old scalawags' fish tales, are ye?" The sailor with four seahorses as her cutie mark greeted North Star. "Personally, I've seen adventures on the briny blue on one voyage, than these old windbags have seen in an entire lifetime!"

"Oh my word! You're... a girl sailor?!" North Star noticed the other Pegasus was wearing a gigantic bow on her tail, a piece of clothing worn by both law and custom by every mare in Ponyland. "Dear goodness, I had no idea there were mares sailing on the open sea!"

"Aye, there are a few of us... nothing in Ponyland culture prevents a mare from becoming a sailor. Though most ponies of our gender have the good sense ta stay on dry land, where is is safer." The other mare laughed. "So you're name's North Star, if I heard correctly? I'm Wave Runner, professional boatswain and scout for any ship that will hire me... though I happen to be between jobs, at the moment."

"A pleasure to meet you, miss Runner, and I'd love to hear your tales of the open sea." North Star muttered, looking down at the table. "I had always heard it was hard for a mare to become a sailor, being at sea for months with an entire shipload of stallions, who have no other mares around ..." She shivered at the thought.

"Are you kidding me?! Why do you think those beautiful merpony herds always follow Ponyland ships?" Wave Runner burst out laughing. "With those girls always around, our stallion shipmates barely notice we're there." She looked away, grumbling. "Though sometimes, I wish they would..."

"But even if a mare can go to sea, what good is a Pegasus aboard a ship?" North star asked, looking back at her own wings. "Only earth ponies have the strength to move cargo, and flying seems rather useless on a long voyage."

"Oh, you don't think flight isn't a useful ability for a scout, so she can fly short distances away from the ship?" Wave Runner smirked. "Or being able to fly up to work on the sails and rigging?"

"Blimey, I guess I could take meself for an adventure at sea, after all." North Star realized. "But I don't know the first thing about sailing, what an absolute rotter!"

"Hey, you want to go to sea, kid?" The mare asked with a nod. "Stick with me, and I'll show you the ropes of sailing."

North Star laughed, and the two mares continued to talk for awhile , until one of the younger stallion sailors came trotting up to the table, a toothy pirate's smile upon his face. The two mares paid him little notice, until the swarthy sailor finally spoke up.

"Avast thar, me pretty ladies." The earth pony greeted them, performing a small but polite bow. "I couldn't help but notice the two of ye over here by yerselves, and I thought you might be interested in some company."

The two mares looked the stallion over; turquoise body, with a long red mane flowing down over his head. A muscular flank was graced with a tug boat cutie mark, telling North star and Wave Runner that this was a pony of the sea.

"Well blimey, that's awfully nice of you and all..." North Star replied nervously. "B-but I'm not so sure about-"

"Sure, we'd be happy ta have you join us!" Wave Runner interrupted her new friend, moving over for the stallion to sit down. "What's your name sailor, and where have ye come in from?"

"Nyarr, I be Salty, a quartermaster aboard many a pony vessel." Her replied, taking a seat beside the two Pegasus "I just returned from a tour of duty on the Maretonian main, and I can think of nothing better than to spend my time on land with such two lovely angels."

North Star merely rolled her eyes, as the two sailors began to chatter and flirt with one another. North Star was considering excusing herself and heading for the door... when something totally unexpected happened.

The door to the tavern was blasted open by a chilly sea wind, causing everyone in the Howling Hippogriff to shield their eyes. When all the ponies looked back, they saw the most fierce sailor North Star had ever laid eyes upon standing in the doorway. Every sea dog and scalawag immediately fell silent, as the Blue stallion with a fiery orange mane walked across the creaking floor on his two back hooves.

As he came up to the bar, the earth pony threw a gold coin on the counter, and the bartender immediately filled a glass of rum for him, slightly shaking with fear as he served the intimidating seafarer. Downing the tankard with a single gulp, the sailor with a treasure chest cutie mark held a crumpled scrap of cloth in the air with his hoof, and turned to face the tavern full of seaworthy ponies.

"My name is Barnacle, and I am captain of a vessel." He spoke bluntly, his eyes sweeping the crowd with an intense gaze that made several sailors hide beneath their tables. "I have found a treasure map, and I need a crew to get me to it's hiding place. If any of ye have the courage to make a dangerous journey, I shall be a watin' for ye aboard the Celestia's Revenge. We set sail at sunrise."

The stallion turned stormed out of the tavern, and chatter and whispers sprung up among all the sailors who had witnessed barnacle's arrival. Some expressed an interest in his offer, while others muttered about having other voyages that needed crews, possibly out of fear of the terrifying captain. As to North Star, she could not get the fiery stallion out of her mind; especially those eyes, those blazing eyes that had seemed to burn their way into her mind. The only thing she could think of was following those burning eyes, and going wherever across this wide and dangerous world they went.

So lost in her thoughts of barnacle, that the pink mare barely heard the conspiring of her two new companions.

"Ladies, I've never seen that fellow before, but a ship's captain don't just trot in here and announce he has a map to a fabulous treasure, unless he's dead serious!" Salty whispered to the two Pegasus. "If you two want to join me, we could get aboard the ship, and earn ourselves a share of that fortune!"

"Aye, this is just the kind of adventure I've been lookin' for." Wave Runner agreed. "So we'd better head out, make our preparations, and all meet back at Barnacle's ship by sunrise. Are we in agreement?"

"....Great B'zekre, I'd follow that stallion to tartarus and back..." Was all North Star could manage, which caused caused Wave Runner to giggle. The three were just heading towards the door, when the pink mare accidentally tripped over a drunk stallion's hoof that had been sticking out from beneath the table.

"Ouch!" North Star cried out, stumbling over, and landing with her face on the floor. "Watch it, you stupid tosser! That bloody hurt!"

"Oops, sorry about that, Lassie." The drunk mumbled, barely looking up from his drink. "Didn't mean to hurt ye."

"Why, how are you hurt the little lassie like that!" Another drunk sailor yelled, rushing over, and punching the other pony out with his hoof. "That'll teach you to assault a lady, ye worthless git!"

Almost at once, other drunk sailors jumped to the defense of either one of their friends, and a gigantic fight broke out in the tavern. One stallion broke a chair over his opponent's head, while another shattered a mug on a sailor's head. Punches, kicks, biting, and general chaos spread through the the Howling Hippogriff, as several sailors smashed each other through tables.

"Oh no, not another fight in here!" The barkeep lamented, as several stallions began throwing each other through the tavern's windows, sending shards of shattered glass everywhere. "Why does this place every Friday night by these stupid seafaring drunks!?"

Caught in the middle of the brawl, Salty headbutted several of the angry pirates to the floor, before turning to the two Pegasus. "Fly your way out of here, girls! I'll hold these scurvy Scalawags off!"

Wave Runner and North Star nodded, and zipped out the door as the stallion spun around and back kicked another earth pony back into a stack of rum kegs. Lowing his head, Salty charged towards the doorway, knocking several sailors out of the way, as he galloped out the door to freedom.

Seeing that Salty had gotten out of the tavern safely, the two mares both turned in a different direction to fly home. As each of the three ponies headed off in a different direction, North Star thought about how she had unexpectedly gone from a life of hearing about adventures, to actually living one. The young mare did not know what tomorrow would bring, but she was most certain that life would never be the same again...