Ark: Friendship is Survival

by Pomp-Neigh

Chapter 63 - Jack and Silks.

Pinkie Pie is simply at a loss for words as she stares on in shock while the large biped strolls forth with a case of ‘sea legs.’

“Now to get me effects.” The wobbly ape proceeds to the remains of the Ichthyornis. “I’ll be taking this back, you lily-livered thief.” He bends down and searches for the flyer’s implant, which had been etched into the under portion of its left wing, hidden beneath its feathers.

A light-blue hue and transparent wriggling lines escape from his diamond-shaped implant, and in mere moments, a particular apparel manifests into the ape’s left hand. He swings it in place as if it were covered in dust before placing it on his head and turning to Pinkie Pie.

He strides towards her before stopping and looking down upon the still-stunned pink mare.

He sniffles with a puzzled look. “Hmmm. Now that I’ve got a good look at you… you’re one strange-looking Equus, love.”

The pink mare finally breaks out of her stupor, barely managing to mutter:

“Oh. My. Gosh.”

“Yeah -- I’ve no idea who this Gosh ape is. But, I’ve got me hat now, so… farewell.” He finishes, rolling his right hand and bowing slightly before turning away.

“W-wait!” Pinkie grabs onto the ape’s right leg, latching onto it like a raptor but being dragged along as they move. “I-I didn’t catch your name!”

“I never offered it, las. But,” He stops, causing the equine to land flat on its stomach, but still holding on, “let go of me leg so that I might correct that error.”

Pinkie hesitantly complies as she releases her grasp on the ape, lifting herself onto her hooves as grains of sand fall from her stomach region.

The ape surveys the area, resting his eyes on a nearby boulder, smirking. “That’ll do nicely.”

He charges forth, although his ‘sea leg’ stride is still in effect. He grabs onto the boulder and proceeds to scale it, reaching its’ precipice with admirable fluidity, his noticeable muscles driving his immense form.

The ape turns back to Pinkie Pie with a flourish and spreads his arms apart. “Apes of all types and beasties alike!” He proclaims as if he were addressing an audience. “This is the day you shall always remember-”

“There he is!” A booming feminine voice makes itself known, causing Pinkie to turn to its source while her ape acquaintance’s eyes widen, followed by a sigh.

“I never get to finish that…”

“You won’t escape from us, you disgusting yeti!”

The duo is forebodingly greeted by several apes standing on the nearby cliff, two of which are of the shorter but slimmer variety and mounted upon incredibly large spiders. And thanks to HLN-A’s ever-so-helpful dossiers, although Pinkie didn’t possess all of them, she immediately recognized these arachnids as Araneos.

The other apes reminded Pinkie Pie of Granny Pithecus in terms of their builds and varying heights.

“Hey!” Pinkie exclaims, after recovering from her stupor. “That’s racing! Wait, is that the right word?” She ponders with a hoof to her chin before looking up at the yeti. “D-do you know them?”

“I truly wish I didn’t, las,” He responds, looking down at her before turning his gaze back to those on the cliff. “I really wish I didn’t.”

“If it isn’t Captain Jack Tundra!” The female light-brown giganto in the lead booms, donned in what Pinkie recognized as Chitin Armor. “There’s no use in running from us any longer, Jack. Surrender now, and we promise to kill you quickly. Which is a far kinder fate for you pirates.”

Her words garner laughter from her allies, ranging from other female voices to males, each wearing Hide and Chitin Armor while threateningly aiming their ranged weaponry.

“Oi!” Captain Jack retorts with a pointed finger. “Firstly: you stole me intro, and I’ll be wanting that back. Second: your word is about as good as my own: complete Phiomia dung.”

“C-captain?” Pinkie mutters in slight disbelief and amazement. “H-he’s a captain…?”

“Nevertheless,” Jack gives a bow at the large boulder’s precipice. “Good morning, Silk Spitters. I see my reputation precedes me. So, how might this humble yet innocent of any crime you think I’m guilty of, but possibly could be, pirate, be of assistance?”

“Tch. Don’t give me that,” The female giganto scoffs back. “You. Stole. Our. RAFT!” Her voice echoes across the land as if carried by the winds.

Pinkie winces in response, ears folding against her head as Jack seemingly cleans his right ear out with his pinkie finger.

“Quite a mouth on that one,” Jack whispers. “As for the raft, I borrowed it.” Reasoning after recovering. “Borrowed without permission, that is. But with every intention of bringing it back.”

“Hah! Well, would you look at that? We’ve got a comedian here, Silk Spitters!” She shouts while looking back over her shoulder. The group shares a laugh, and even Jack chuckles alongside them, much to Pinkie Pie’s confusion.

“N-not that I don’t like laughter, but maybe we-”

“Prepare to run, pink Equus,” Jack mutters quickly through his teeth with a sly sideglance. “And cover your eyes.”

“It’s Pinkie Pie…” She responded with a deadpan expression before noticing what Jack had manifested from his inventory, stealthily concealing it behind his back.

The laughter on the cliff comes to a sudden stop, and the sight of arrows being drawn and the sounds of guns being loaded stirs fear in the equine. And yet, Jack lowers his head, his hat concealing a smirk.

“Enough of this! Shoot that damned-” The female ape’s words were cut off as Jack suddenly moved, his right arm tossing something into the air, which caused her eyes to widen in horror.

“Oh, shit! Flash-!”

A small explosion cries out, followed by an all-encompassing light that causes those in attendance to shield their eyes with raised arms. Unfortunately, their spider mounts had been affected as the arachnids screeched in discomfort and pain. Even some of the apes roared and screamed as they failed to perceive the danger in time, eyes temporarily blinded.

“My eyes!”

“I can’t see!”

“Rraaaaaargh!”

“That Dodo fucker!” The lead female shouts with closed eyes and a shielding hand. “Someone, anyone -- shoot them!” She ordered, but none could act.

The artificial aurora starts to die down, and the lead female chances a gaze with slightly opened eyes before unveiling her orbs entirely, lowering her appendage. She instantly looked around to see if she could make out Pinkie and Jack’s retreating forms but to no avail.

She growls furiously, the pistol’s grip in her hand slowly getting crushed. “Damn you, Jack,” She raises her head and roars into the air with closed eyes, “Tuuuundraaaaa!”

Sticks are cracked by the girth of Jack’s white and gray feet as he sweeps aside various greenery with his arms, Pinkie Pie staying close from the rear. And thanks to her smaller frame, the ape literally paved the way for her.

Both Jack and Pinkie Pie made their way through the dense forest with batted breaths, drawing as much distance from their former foes as possible.

“Wh-what just happened back there?” Pinkie questions as they traversed. “Why were they so mad at you?”

“A complicated transaction, Equus. One that I shall explain once I’m sure we’re in the clear.”

Jack jumps through a large bush which consumes his form, and Pinkie jumps through it, as well… only to land straight into a net that swallows her whole and seals her within. The net is pulled upward as if some contraption has been triggered, and the rope that ties the trap at the top shut can be traced back to a nearby tree branch, the other end of the rope going down into a set of nearby bushes.

It happened so fast, and Pinkie Pie stared at Jack with a look of fear and caution. Why was he standing there with his arms crossed and looking down at her- oh…

Pinkie was far from stupid, no matter what anycreature would say or mutter under their breath, thinking she hadn’t overheard. Sure, she might not be nearly as smart as Twilight or HLN-A, but it didn’t take a genius to know what had just transpired.

“Y-you… but, why…?” She inquired, a look of betrayal and sadness plastered on her face.

Jack smirks and flashes a wink. “Pirate.”

The yeti picks up his latest catch and throws Pinkie Pie over his right shoulder, although he made sure to be as gentle as possible with the equine.

“Comfy back there?” He inquires, looking back at her.

Pinkie Pie crosses her forelimbs and snorts with narrowed eyes. “Oh, yeah. I’m real comfortable back here, you big meanie…”

Jack chuckles. “Nothing personal, love. Now, let this be a lesson from me to you: never trust a pirate you’ve just met, and I have no reason to trust you, either.”

“You say that like I’m the one who tried to hurt us back there!” Pinkie protested.

“Aye. But you also had no obligation to follow me; thus, you blindly trusted me -- a mistake on your part, las.” A sudden thought came to him. “Oh! I almost forgot.”

The Yeti gently places Pinkie Pie onto the ground, causing her to look up at him in curiosity. But she immediately regrets this as the ape manifests another type of gun from his inventory. A Longneck Rifle, she believes it’s called.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you’re just like me in a certain regard,” Jack comments as he fiddles with his rifle, loading it with some strange type of ammo.

Pinkie then quivers from this as she recognizes the ammunition upon second inspection: a Tranquilizer Dart.

She had been meaning to unlock and craft that at some point…

Jack finishes his actions, adjusting the rifle in his arms before taking aim at the pink mare. “See, I observed you before intervening with that whole Ichthyornis fiasco, and I saw how that thing on your bum glowed like my own piece of metal stitched into me flesh.

Now, If I were a betting yeti, I’d wager that you’re just like me and have all kinds of weapons stuffed away in that there metal of yours, savvy? Which would also mean that killing you would be a fruitless effort.”

Oh, no… Pinkie did not like this. However, she did wonder why her senses never warned her of this predicament. Was she in danger? Or was she not? For the first time ever, she honestly had no idea.

She laughs sheepishly. “I-If I say, ‘Please don’t shoot,’ would you still-”

[PEW]

The equine grunts as the dart pierces her flesh, specifically her right shoulder, and her eyes roll back into her skull as she groggily sways within the net, although the net causes her to trip over via binding on her forelimbs.

“F-fair… enough…”

The world slowly goes black for the pink mare, and the last thing she sees and feels is the yeti standing over her before reaching down to pick her up again…

The Silk Spitters managed to recover from Captain Jack’s actions, and their riders have calmed down their duo of spider mounts as the group sits down on logs, feasting on berries.

“How are those Araneos?” The admittedly irritated lead female giganto questions with her left hand pinching the bridge of her nostrils.

“They are recovered and prepared for combat, M’dala,” One of the riders responds, the male giganto shooting her a salute. “Shall we proceed with hunting them down?”

“If it were any other pirate, yes,” M’dala sighs, lowering her hand. “But this isn’t just any old pirate; that was Captain Jack Tundra. And, to top it all off, he’s a fucking yeti that can respawn like us.”

“How is that even possible?” A nearby female in Hide Armor inquires—a green member of the larger variant of gigantos. “I thought Yetis lacked the ability to respawn?”

“How the fuck would I know?” M’dala waves off. “As far as I’m concerned, Jack’s just an abnormality.”

“The boss isn’t gonna like this, M’dala.” A male’s voice comments; M’dala turns her gaze to a large brown member of her kind, donned in Chitin Armor. “Jack stole one of our supply rafts… and we have no idea where he stored it away as we gave chase. It still amazes me how he even managed to do that at all…”

M’dala clicks her tongue and looks down. “You don’t need to fucking remind me, Tharn.”

Tharn grunts. “Then I also don’t need to tell you how bad things will get once the boss hears of this. So, I ask you: are we going after them? Or will we go back to the boss empty-handed?”

M’dala ponders on that, fear and discomfort emanating within as she stares at the ground. And she wasn’t alone as this fear seemed to spread out to her cohorts. Then, after agonizing moments of silence, she makes a decision.

“Pack it up, everyone!” She declares before standing up. “We’re going back to Broodmother’s Rest.”

Comments

[Charlie_K]

I am so hating these damn dirty apes...

[Pomp-Neigh]

11413121
Heh, trust me when I say that they truly have replaced humanity on this Ark. Helena's intentions, while good and somewhat understandable, had a certain aftermath. The Arks always demand balance, just like nature itself.

These apes can be just as kind and cruel as mankind. Just as ponies do tend to be harsh despite being a race that preaches friendship and kindness. That's one of the things I look forward to most with this story and how the Arks can change you, no matter where you come from.

[Charlie_K]

11413128
Does that mean the damn microraptors are going to be sassy in this story?

[Theone23]

This.

THIS is why I love this story.

The MLP cast can be quite ignorant to the ways of our world, and them being present on these Arks shows them exactly how unprepared they truly are. Of course, one can't truly blame them, that's just how they were raised on Equus.

But like Granny said a few chapters ago:

"This ain't Equus anymore."

[Pomp-Neigh]

11413135
Hah! There certainly can be one. I can say this without spoilers, but we can expect both muted and talking variants of the Island's creatures.

For instance: Vanellope can't talk, but that doesn't mean another Raptor can't speak.

[Pomp-Neigh]

11413137

Thank you for that!

Yeah, surviving on the Arks will require a sort of conditioning for the beings of Equus. But they're coming along nicely, all things considered.

[Charlie_K]

11413139
I just had the weirdest mental image of Vanellope's big brother giving her such shit after coming across her and finding her hanging out with ponies.

[NotreallyaBrony]

11413151
Ha, it would be funny if the talking raptor was a intellectual type, struggling with a murderous tendency, like a roided out Dexter.

[Pomp-Neigh]

11413151

[Pomp-Neigh]

11414617

I can reveal this without much of a spoiler, but I do plan to have a Rex who acts and speaks similarly to this gem:

What can I say? I had a childhood,

[Charlie_K]

11414685
Rather fitting, since we've had MLP/Transformers crossovers before.

[Pomp-Neigh]

11414710
Exactly!

The IDW comics are underrated.