//------------------------------// // Chapter 71 - Safe Business // Story: Ark: Friendship is Survival // by Pomp-Neigh //------------------------------// -Eastern Swamp Biome: Outpost of the Traveling Merchant- “Open the gates!” Tharn bellows from his over watch, followed by the creaking of wood emanating from the slowly parting gateway laid bare before Rainbow Dash’s eyes. Vanellope leans side to side during the gate’s opening, a mixture of anticipation and inner caution being translated through her actions, small chirps muttering from within the Raptor’s throat.  Herbert and Shirley seemed nice enough to Vanellope, but the fact remained that both she and Rainbow barely even knew any of these creatures. One of them would need to stay wary.   Once the gates are wholly parted, Rainbow dismounts her dinosaur ally with a flap of her wings, hooves landing on the grassy terrain with signs of muddy compositions. She can mildly discern some characteristics within the unveiled outpost: a sectioned-off grass field and a very particular tree.  The tree had a sense of familiarity to it, almost akin to her childhood friend’s cottage. But the massive form of Harley and two larger variety of Gigantopithecus, donned in metallic armor, obscure and harnessed the equine’s view. And it was them who made her feel slight discomfort. The armored apes stepped forth, their girth seeping into the land as their feet capsized blades of grass during their approach. The duo stopped roughly over seven feet away from the pegasus before manifesting a shield and sword from their inventory, wielding the equipment in either hand. The action caused Vanellope’s feathers to rustle, a slight growl escaping from a maw of razor-sharp teeth.  “Please, dearies,” Shirley began in a gesture of comfort, Herbert conversing with Moss nearby. “I promise everything will be ok.”  “Yeah!” Harley boomed gleefully from behind the apes and beyond the gate’s doorframe. “Please don’t be scared!” “We’re simply following protocol,” Tharn said from the over watch. But it was only then that Rainbow realized he had brought forth a ranged weapon while she turned to look at him, a scope resting over an elongated barrel.  The cyan mare had been wanting to craft a Longneck Rifle for quite some time. Especially one with a scope attachment. A pegasus with a weapon like that in their hooves? She could only imagine the awesomeness she could unleash. “We don’t mean you any harm, but you should know that we are more than capable of defending ourselves,” Tharn continued. “After all, you’re still strangers to us despite Shirley and Herbert seemingly vouching for you.”  “Surrender any and all of your weapons,” the armored ape to the right began, fierce yet feminine. “That includes taking off your armor.” “Your Raptor will need to be held within our pens during your visit,” the gruff male ape to the left comments. “Failure to comply with these terms will result in you being turned away. Attack us, and you will both find a swift end.” Moss momentarily halts his talks with Herbert, tapping the top portions of the wall with his left claw and shifting his gaze to Rainbow Dash. “That wouldn’t be smart, Equus. Trust me.” “Awww,” Harley complained. “Come on, you guys! There’s no need to scare them!” “Them’s the rules, Harley.” Tharn aims his rifle directly at Rainbow Dash’s temple, his right eye peering at her through the rifle’s scope. And a single index finger rests over the trigger.  “It’s about our safety, not scaring folks. That would only be bad for business.” “Do you agree to these conditions?” the female ape inquired, extending a hand toward Rainbow Dash and garnering the equine’s cautious gaze. “And yes, we know that, despite its appearance, your implant is exactly like ours.” “In other words: you can likely do everything we can,” the male ape chimed in. “Respawn, store away weapons, apply your enhancements—all of it. You learn to pick up on some things when you’ve gone through what we have. You're a unique Equus, to be sure, but you're far from the strangest thing we've ever seen. Keep that in mind.” Rainbow swallows the lump that had been forming within her throat, her mind racing and assessing the situation. She was allowed to turn away on one hoof, provided she did so without the intent of harming them. But on the other hoof, these apes are traveling merchants! And that certainly piqued her interest. She was never really good at dealing with merchants… that was more Applejack’s speed. Still, there was an opportunity here. Celestia knows what boons they likely possessed. Of course, that only brought another thought to the cyan mare: What do these apes even use as currency? Assuming there even is such a system... “Your answer?” the armored female ape inquired, her hand still extended. Silence takes hold, save for Vanellope’s low growls coming from Rainbow’s rear. Finally, the pegasus comes to a decision: -Celestia… please don’t make me regret this.-  Rainbow turns her head back to Vanellope. “Easy there, Vanellope.” She comforts. “These guys are merchants, and I want to see what they have to offer.”   Vanellope looks down at the pegasus, her growls slowly fading away, followed by an affirmative chirp. But a gesture from Rainbow beckoned the Raptor to lean in closer, an action that did not go unnoticed by the apes.  “But I’m also counting on you, Vanellope,” Rainbow whispered. “One of us has to go back and get help if these guys turn out to be shady.”  The dinosaur nods, and Rainbow turns her attention to the apes.  “My name is Rainbow Dash of the Tribe of Harmony. I… I accept your, uh, conditions.” “Yaaay!” Harley beamed, head going skyward and ears perking up. “Bring her in, bring her in! Ooh! This is so exciting.” Moss rolls his eyes at his sister’s antics while Herbert and Shirley are satisfied with Rainbow’s answer, along with Tharn, who lowers his rifle.  “Wise choice, Miss. Dash,” Tharn finished with a smile. “However,” Rainbow began, glancing back to the Raptor and forward again. “I want some kind of insurance. You said I have to leave my Raptor in your pens during my time here. Instead, I want her to remain outside, freely, in exchange for my full cooperation.” The pegasus could only hope this would work. Again, she wasn’t any good with merchants, but she did pick up a thing or two from watching Applejack in their booth within Ponyville’s marketplace during her cloud gazing. Along with a small dash of watching Twilight deal with some of the leaders from other nations in the Castle of Friendship. “After all, I revealed my name, the tribe I’m a part of, and I’m walking into your outpost,” she emphasized with a pointed forelimb. “I think we can all agree that puts me at a not-so-awesome disadvantage.” “Hah!” Tharn amusedly cackled from above. “You’ve got the basics down for setting up a potential transaction. I like that. Very well, we accept your request.” Rainbow nods before looking back to her implant, accessing it, and recalls the words of HLN-A: -In the event you are over-encumbered but need to make a swift escape, you can activate a sort of ‘Drop All’ function within your inventory. Of course, this can be initiated for general use, as well.-   The pegasus initiates the ‘Drop All’ feature, and a series of transparent light-blue lights escapes from her implant. Wriggling lines reached down to the ground and alongside her left hind leg, and although the event transpired with lightning speed, Rainbow herself could observe every last detail. She had long since accepted that the Ark has its own kind of magic, at least that’s how she saw it rather than the egghead explanations of HLN-A and Twilight. If somepony wants lame exposition, talk to them. A brown leather package with a copy of Rainbow’s implant resting on top, seemingly holding it together like a pin, is manifested into being, resting on the ground and next to her left hind leg.    It was all there: her Hide Armor, spears, bow and arrows, and raw materials. As for how such large objects could fit in such a containment, Rainbow recalled HLN-A saying something about the physical manifestation of an inventory.   The duo of armored Gigantos began to approach Rainbow, and per the equine’s request, they disregarded Vanellope’s presence. The female ape retrieved the pegasus’s belongings while the male ape stood at Rainbow’s side like an escort. During the affair, Vanellope stayed reasonably neutral, but a slight sense of caution would always remain deep within. She could only hope for the best for Rainbow Dash. “Proceed,” the male ape said with an appointed arm toward the entrance.  Rainbow adheres, stepping forth with both apes trailing behind her on either side. Her heart admittedly pounded as she stepped through the gate and entered the outpost, only for her ears to flicker in response to the double wooden doors closing slowly behind her.   The gate closes completely, Vanellope’s form now sealed off as Rainbow turns her gaze forward. “Sooo…” she trailed off, brushing at the ground with a forelimb. “What happens now?” “The Traveling Merchant is inside conducting business, of course,” the armored male Giganto answered. “We’ll escort you to him once he’s available. Until then, we’ll be keeping an eye on you while we wait.” He gives his female ally a nod, to which she manifests a radio before stepping away. Rainbow takes a moment to observe her surroundings, and to say that these apes lived up to their titles as merchants would be an understatement. Several crates and barrels filled undoubtedly with goods rested against every corner of the outpost, along with the very same watchtower Tharn had been stationed at. She soon spotted the same wood-comprised mid to large-sized pens that would’ve held Vanellope, about eight of them by her count, had she not made adjustments to their agreement. And while most of the pens were empty, one contained an entity she had never seen before, garnering her curiosity. The creature within was one of those theropods if Rainbow recalled the term correctly, curled up and just sleeping the day away. “Bye, mom! Bye, dad!” Harley’s voice exclaimed from nearby, Rainbow’s eyes shifting towards the Paracer and their carnivorous sibling, both peering over the wall and likely speaking to Herbert and Shirley just beyond. The cyan mare made a mental note to inquire about their situation. Perhaps it was like Spike’s? She could only wonder. “Sorry about all that,” Tharn’s encroaching voice said, Rainbow being drawn to him. “But like I said, protocol. Now, what brings you here?” Rainbow’s ears perked up. “Well, we ran into Herbert and Shirley while trekking through the swamp, and now, uh, here I am.” she finished sheepishly. “That’s it?” Tharn questioned with a raised eyebrow. “That’s it, really,” Rainbow sighed. “Look, I know how suspicious this might seem, but I seriously did not expect meeting two Paracers would then lead me to you guys.” Tharn crosses his arms. “What exactly was your plan, then? Why would you wander around in the swamp of all places?” “Would you believe me if I said I was just winging it? Because that’s the truth. Vanellope and I were just wandering around to see if we could find anything useful, maybe even tame something.”  “Ah. The usual Survivor stuff, then,” Tharn chuckles. “Well, if you’re trying to procure goods, then you’ve come to the right place. Your story seems to check out, seeing as you were escorted here by Harley and Moss’s parents. They’re good creatures, and the fact that they felt comfortable around you admittedly made us go easy on ya.” “Heh, thanks. I appreciate that.” “Alright!” Tharn beamed, clasping his hands together. “So… how about a tour of our merchandise while we wait for the big guy?” The day was almost nearing its end as both Applejack and her human companion pulled along a wooden cart filled with harvested metal and some crystal through a mildly dense forest. She had already learned so much from the Survivor, despite him being completely mute, aside from some grunts he’d make here and there. Things such as resource nodes, optimal creatures within their reach, and equipment for their current ‘level.’ Well, more like her level, if she were being honest. The Survivor was a darn veteran compared to her and had much to pass on, especially since he was a whopping level 105 compared to her meager 29. It was almost downright embarrassing…  Even still, she had already jumped leagues forward compared to the snail’s pace at which she and her loved ones had been progressing. She hated to say that… but it was the truth. They wouldn’t be reaching Edmund at this rate, let alone ascending anywhere else. Somepony needs to start getting the ball rolling a bit faster. The cowmare is brought out of her inner thoughts as a structure comes into view, one she and her companion had come to call home: Due to some wildlife getting too close for comfort, Applejack had set up spiked walls all around their box-shaped home. It was a simplistic build, sure, but it worked. And judging by her companion’s nod and ‘Thumbs up’ at the time of making the piercing barricades, she realized he was testing her.  The duo pushed open the gate and hauled their cargo in. Applejack then quickly closed the gate behind them while the Survivor sent as much metal as he could carry into his inventory.  The human then lumbered over to the nearby steps and scaled them until he stood before a forge that rested on the housing’s patio. Applejack had mimicked the human’s actions, encumbering herself and trotting over to him with a struggled grunt. For her, this was just another day at the Apple Orchard. Her eyes are filled with determination as she intakes the Survivor, who stokes the fires of the forge. And she relished seeing the resulting roaring flames of glorious progression. She had always known about the blacksmiths back home who smelted metals and forged armor and weapons for the royal guard but never expected to have any need to do so herself. But now, well… She’s glad to have an amazing teacher. 'Sides, it's not like any of her friends are in danger right now. In fact, she's certain they're all in Sanctuary planning out their next move. Well, there was that whole Twi leavin' their tribe and all... but that's probably somethin' she and HLN-A had experimented with. Naw, there's no need to worry. Right?