It wasn’t long before the artificial rays of the sun would rise over the horizon, undoubtedly creeping through the wooden cracks of Applejack’s shelter.
Both the orange mare and her Ghillie-covered guest are slumbering on two separate hide-comprised beddings. But while the equine curled herself up peacefully, donned in Hide Armor, the Survivor’s closed eyes seemed disturbed. Twitching.
He turned his head left and right slowly, repeatedly. He was dreaming.
The human opened his eyes, his sight slowly adjusting to reality, chasing away the former darkness. He lifts his upper torso with a grunt and stretches his arms out, still seated on the bed. The man looks around the shelter, memories from last night flooding his mind until he rests his gaze on Applejack.
He had to admit, this apple Equus -- Applecrack? Applemack? He’d forgotten -- possessed a cuteness that rivaled the Shinehorn on Aberration.
Actually, scratch that.
-Nothing can surpass my adorable little Lightbulb,- He said inertly, clasping his hands together and bringing them close to his reddened cheeks.
-I can almost hear her cute little ‘Baaaas.’-
“Mmmph,” The nearby orange mare stirs after several moments, her eyes slowly opening up.
The Survivor quickly hides his actions as his arms rest on his lap.
“M-mornin’, partner,” The equine greets, followed by a yawn before; as if a switch had been hit, she takes a deep breath and rapidly bolts onto her hooves in excitement.
“Ah’righty, then! Let’s get things started!”
The Survivor tilts his head, looking at her.
She rolls her eyes. “Well, duh! Let’s go get sum progress done! Ya know, tame sumthin’ here, forge sumth’n there. Collect resources, whatever it takes to ascend as soon as possible.” She chuckles. “Know’n you, yall probably know all kinds of stuff, ‘n that’s exactly another reason why ah’m glad that yer here.”
Her hooves clop against the wooden foundation, and she plucks her hat off a small wooden storage unit before making her way over to the human.
“Please, sir,” She starts, holding her hat against her chest. “Ah know we barely know each other, and despite our alliance, ah know you can’t exactly trust me. But, please,” She lowers her head, “Teach me ah’ll that ya know.” She raises her gaze, ears flickering at attention.
The Survivor narrowed his eyes, adjusting himself as he began to stand up, soon towering over the orange pony. She followed him upward as he stood, looking up at the six-foot-four biped. ‘Least by her measurements.
The two simply just stared at each other. But Applejack’s gaze fell to the floor afterward.
“He dun wronged me, mah kin, and mah home,” She said, garnering interest in the Survivor. “Edmund Rockwell.” The equine spat, growling through gritted teeth before stomping a single forehoof and shooting her gaze back up to the Survivor.
“Ah want’ta make that no good, slithery snake pay fer what he dun did!” She points a forelimb at the human, “And you’ve been ‘round the block, hay, you came FROM Aberration, where ah need to go.” She steps closer. “You ascended this place once before and made it all the way to Rockwell. Now, ah’m not gonna pry on how you even survived there, but please show me da way!”
The Survivor crosses his arms, looking down at the equine through his Ghillie Mask. In truth, she was being foolish. One does not simply run off and mindlessly drop into Aberration’s depths, thinking they can easily just walk up to that… monstrous freak.
“Please.” Her eyes sparkled. “Just… teach me.”
The human knelt down to the slightly over four-foot dog-sized mare, lifted his left arm, and scratched behind the equine’s right ear.
“Wh-what ‘r ya… o-oh… w-woooow,” Applejack coos and leans deeper into the gesture with closed eyes, her right hind leg flinching and kicking a few times.
Yup, just like a Shinehorn. And, in truth, the orange mare had the Survivor at ‘Rockwell.’ They shared a common foe, and as the human halts his scratches, admittedly getting a confused look from Applejack, he pats her on the head before rising to his full stature.
He raises a closed fist into the air with a grunt and cheers.
“Ay haaaay!” He couldn’t talk, but the sounds he could make were close enough.
Absolute delight becomes plastered on Applejack’s face. “T-thank ya so much! Ah owe ya big time fer this! Tell ya what, ah’ll carry yer pack for ya. Or yer effects, ‘n-”
The Survivor halts her words with a raised hand, shaking his head.
“A-ah, right,” She responds sheepishly before shaking her head to regain her composure and clearing her throat.
“Thank you fer this, bud. Ah mean it.” A sudden thought comes to her. “Oh and, heh, about the, ya know, ear scratch’n thin…”
-Oh…- The Survivor said internally. -Is that considered an insult to her kind? She seemed to like it…-
“J-just, ah, warn me the next time yall do that, ah’right?” She says while rubbing a forelimb against the other.
A momentary pause ensues.
-...Wait, so she does like it?-
[CLANK]
[CLANK]
[CLANK]
“Wakey, wakey, Equus!”
Fluttershy jolts awake with a fearful gasp, her eyes settling upon the feminine ape in Chitin Armor who stood beyond the cell, their closed right fist resting on the bars.
“Rise and shine, you worthless sack of meat!” The ape sports a condescending grin. “You missed me?”
Fluttershy pondered on that for a mere moment and drew a blank. Panic and fear festered within her.
“Wh-who are you?” She meekly inquires. “Please, let me go. I’m not your enemy.”
“Meh. That doesn’t really matter to us,” The pegasus’s captor responds casually. “You fucked up by letting us catch you all alone.” The ape forms an uncomfortable smile, causing the equine’s eyes to widen. “As for who I am, well… let’s refresh your memory.”
In one swift motion, the slender ape’s implant glowed before a revolver was manifested into her right hand. And she aims the weapon directly at the pegasus.
It was all coming back to Fluttershy as she retreated deeper into her stone foundation. And upon closer inspection… that brown fur and patches of white…
This slimmer variant of the Gigantopithecus was the same one who…
“It’s y-you,” Fluttershy managed, her gaze fixated on the ranged weapon afterward. “C-Craglorn, right?”
Craglorn whistles. “Well, shit, you do remember me. Good for you, shit-head.” She brings the weapon up and beside her face. “I wonder what gave it away?”
“Wh-what did you do to Pterano?”
“What?” Craglorn inquires with a raised eyebrow. “Ah, you meant that stupid flyer of yours. Eh, don’t go worrying about them. We’re taking good care of ‘em - and you, for that matter. After all, we can’t kill either of you, as that would just alert the other members of your tribe.”
Fluttershy swallowed a lump in her throat. This was bad, really bad.
However, the ape’s words brought forth a thought that caused the equine to do away with her fear. Yes, that could work.
“You can’t keep me here forever,” The equine declares as she gets onto her hooves and looks on in determination. “let me go. Right now.”
“Ooh!” The ape feigns a recoil, turning her head down what Fluttershy only assumed was a hallway. “Watch out, guys! She’s getting angry!”
Several other voices laughed and mocked nearby, followed by a larger member of Giganto strolling into view.
“Hah!” The male ape barked, Fluttershy taking note of his armor being the same as Craglorn’s. “Is this the one you want to enter into the arena?”
Craglorn chuckles. “Sure is, Bob.”
Arena? What arena?
Fluttershy didn’t like this and refused to participate in any of this madness. Her cutie mark/implant glows before a spear is conjured into her left forelimb.
“I’ll end this nightmare and respawn back home!”
The apes recoil in absolute shock.
“What the fuck?!” Craglorn’s voice roars out. “She’s just like us?!”
Fluttershy broke off the business end of her spear and brought it to her neck. In truth, she hated this. Life is far too precious, and suicide is something that she had never wished upon any living thing, much less herself. But this was a unique situation, thanks to the Ark.
She’ll just respawn in the safety of her tribe’s home.
“Bob! Stop her!”
“I’m on it!”
Yes. This was perfect. Fluttershy could already imagine reuniting with her friends and loved ones. Far away from these terrible and sick individuals. Sure, doing this is going to hurt, but it is worth-
[PEW]
Something pierced the pegasus on her stomach region. And that sound… Fluttershy recognized it anywhere: a tranquilizing agent being fired from some kind of weapon. She had seen zoos back on Equus that used similar techniques.
She began to wobble, her eyes rolling up and into her skull as she tried to steady herself - even dropping her makeshift weapon in the process.
[PEW]
Another dosage of the sleeper agent penetrates her fur and skin.
“Daww,” Craglorn coos. “You almost made it, sweetie. It just sucks for you that Bob and the other apes here have ways of dealing with other caged survivors. You know, respawning and shit.”
Fluttershy could barely hear any of those words as she fell onto the floor, their voices becoming distant as she nearly fell unconscious.
“Shame. We came here to feed you breakfast, but it looks like we’ll be shoving it down your throat while you sleep.”
The equine’s form goes limp, her stomach rising and lowering as she drifts off into a forced slumber.
The two apes outside the cell nod in satisfaction before opening the containment, their shadow looming over the downed pegasus.
“Damn,” Craglorn said, kneeling down and grabbing onto the broken spearhead. “I’ll give her this; she’s got spirit.”
“I’ve never seen an Equus with the capability to respawn as we do,” Comments Bob. “In fact, no other creature aside from our own can do that. It’s just not possible.”
Craglorn brings a hand to her chin in thought. “Your guess is just as good as mine, buddy. However…” She sports a devilish grin. “This just makes her even more valuable for the arena.”
The larger ape stares at his slimmer counterpart for a moment, followed by a chuckle. “I know that face, Crag. Whaddya got in mind?”
“Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Oh, nothing much - but I think we have our newest and soon-to-be greatest attraction the arena has ever seen.” She raises a closed fist into the air.
“Yes, I’m certain of it! Lord Threx will be pleased!”
Craglorn turns away and exits the cage with a flourish, stopping just before the cell’s metallic doorframe.
“When she awakes, bring her outside with the others. It’s time to see what that Equus is made of.”