//------------------------------// // Ponyville, Equestria // Story: Daring and the Lost Ark // by Octavia_Melody //------------------------------// The grey, yellow-maned, cross-eyed pegasus fluttered around happily, humming to herself and chasing a pink butterfly. She was flying in a grassy field a good distance (but not too far) from Ponyville. The mail/delivery pony known as Derpy Hooves lost track of the butterfly and her derped eyes widened in amazement as a blue police box materialized in front of her. The large blue box phased in-and-out with a heavy metallic hum before solidifying. The door slid open and the brown pony with the hourglass on his flank trotted out. Derpy smiled brightly and fluttered right up to the familiar face. The brown stallion realized the mistake he had just made and gave a sheepish grin. “You’re…you’re…you’re…” Derpy stammered in midair, placing her hooves on her jaw, “Dr. Hooves! You’re back! You’re finally back!” “It’s just the Doctor, Derpy.” he corrected, “It’s always been the Doctor.” “But everypony else calls you Dr. Hooves!” Derpy retorted, “I’m gonna tell everypony that Dr. Hooves is back!” “Derpy, wait!” the Doctor warned, “Derpy, listen to me. Nopony is supposed to know who I really am. Only a few ponies even know me as ‘Dr. Hooves’.” The Doctor soon realized the second mistake he made in not allowing Derpy to fly back into town when she collapsed on the ground, placing her hooves over her eyes and cowering in fear. “Derpy?” the Doctor asked, “Derpy, what’s the mat-oh…” The Doctor craned his head behind him to look at the ‘matter’. Indiana Jones had stepped out of the TARDIS, and he was not amused. “I’ve pretty much learned not to ask questions at this point after all that’s happened …” he groaned, “But I’m going to ask anyway…where the hell am I?” “Well, Dr. Jones…” the Doctor tried to explain, “Like I said before, you were somehow transposed to Equestria, a dimension where small sentient horses are the dominant species. Unfortunately, because my TARDIS is malfunctioning, we’re still in Equestria. But this is the ‘real’ Equestria.” “The other one wasn’t real enough?” Indy complained. “That was Daring Do’s Equestria.” the Doctor continued, “Daring Do is the main character in a series of novels in this world…just like in your world…I mean, uh…” “So, you’re telling me that every time someone writes a book, a new ‘world’ is created?” Indy asked. “Possibly, but not necessarily…” the Doctor replied, “It’s rather complicated…the important thing to remember is…that’s it…Daring Do!” “What about it?” Indy wondered, “I’ve had enough ‘derring do’ for one lifetime.” “I’m surprised to hear you say that Dr. Jones.” the Doctor said, “I thought adventuring was your passion. Never mind. If you somehow ended up in Daring Do’s world, then that probably means Daring Do is in your world. The trouble is that I don’t know how to get you there, and her back here…or back to her Equestria.” “So you’re telling me that one of these talking pony-things is running around my world, and I’m missing?” Indy inquired. “That’s about the size of it.” the Doctor replied. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…” Indy scoffed. “Now, Derpy, as I was saying…” the Doctor began, “Oh dear…” “What?” Indy asked. “Derpy’s gone.” the Doctor noted, “And once all of Ponyville finds out there’s another human in Equestria, you’ll never hear the end of it. You know, that’s a peculiar name for a town, ‘Ponyville’. It’s not like there’s a town named ‘Humanville’ on Earth. Well, I suppose there’s a ‘Mansfield’, but I digress…” “So what am I supposed to do now?” Indy wondered. “You could stay here with the TARDIS while I try to explain things.” the Doctor suggested, “Or you could follow me and be shunned by a world full of sentient ponies. Your choice, Dr. Jones.” “This day just keeps getting better and better.” Indy remarked. Indy followed the Doctor into town, where Derpy had already made their presence known, by flying around and shouting at ponies. Indy looked around in disbelief and almost disgust at the brightly colored pastel buildings, and their just as brightly colored equine inhabitants. Many of them returned the same look to the mysterious human. “Everything’s fine, everypony!” the Doctor assured them, “Everything’s perfectly fine. The human is my companion. I assure you, he’s harmless.” “I wouldn’t assure them of that just yet, pal.” Indy commented. Indy could easily here the not-so-soft whispers and murmurings of Ponyville’s citizens. “Another human…how can this be…how did he get here…somepony tell the mayor…somepony tell the princess…this is simply awful…” “They sure are ‘welcoming’ for a bunch of cartoony-looking multicolored little horses.” Indy remarked, “Still beats being ripped apart by a griffon or panther, I suppose…” “You must understand Dr. Jones that humans aren’t meant for Equestria, and Equestrians aren’t meant for your world.” the Doctor explained, “Your species is a threat to the equines’ existence. Why, if humans, or any other countless warlike species, managed a full-scale invasion, I doubt that these ponies would stand a chance.” “But they have to deal with griffons and ahuizotls don’t they?” Indy suggested. “Such creatures aren’t usually armed with guns and bombs.” the Doctor retorted. “Hey! Hey!! Everypony!!” a certain grey pegasus shouted from up ahead, “There’s a human in Ponyville! A big, scary human is here in Ponyvile!!” The Doctor put his face in his hoof and sighed. “I’ll handle this, Dr. Jones.” he advised. The brown Time Lord “pony” galloped up to where Derpy was flying. The “bubbly” pegasus was now shouting at all the patrons inside the bakery, Sugar Cube Corner. Panic ensued as shelves were overturned, cupcakes splattered to the floor, and everypony made a mad dash for the door. “Humans! Humans in Equestria! Not again!” was the general consensus. “Derpy!” the Doctor shouted, “Derpy!! Get down here! You’re causing a mass panic!” Derpy fluttered down to ground level and gave a sheepish grin to her friend. “Derpy…listen to me…” the Doctor chided, “I was going to properly introduce everypony to Dr. Jones. He’s not going to hurt anypony. He came here by accident and I’m trying to return him to his world. Do you understand?” “Yes, of course…” Derpy said, smiling and nodding. She then turned to the panicking crowd who was starting to surround Indiana Jones. “Hey everypony!!” she yelled, “The big, scary human is not going to hurt anypony and he’s trying to get back home!! Okay!!” “Thank you, Derpy.” the Doctor groaned, smacking his face with his hoof again. Indy rolled his eyes as the crowd of ponies surrounded him and tried to give threatening glares, but most of them were also shaking nervously. They did not know what the human was capable of doing, and Derpy’s warnings were doing nothing to lift their spirits. “Hello…” was all Indy managed to say. “Hey! Wait a second!” said a chirpy female voice, “Somepony needs to get back and clean up this…who are you?!” A certain pink pony with a frilly mane, and three balloons on her flank, had caught a glimpse of the latest human. She skipped and bounced on all four legs, making an odd ‘boing’ as she hopped past the crowd. “Pinkie!” somepony shouted, “Get away from him! He’s dangerous!” “He doesn’t look so dangerous to me.” Pinkie said, staring Indy up and down, her pupils bouncing in lock with her hopping, “But what if he is dangerous?! What if his tacky looking clothes and greasy mane are meant to lure me into a false sense of security?! What if he’s so scruffy and shabby looking because he likes to eat ponies! Run, everypony! Run!!” The crowd ran up and down in a manic frenzy once again. Pinky bounced away and shut herself inside Sugar Cube Corner. The flurry of ponies left Indy, the Doctor, and Derpy in a cloud of dust. The only pony remaining beside them was a bluish-green mare with a harp on her flank and a streak of white in her hair. “Sayyyyyyy…” she spoke up, as if barely able to contain her glee, “You’re human…aren’t you…I’m Lyra Heartstings…what’s your name, buddy?” “Buddy?” Indy questioned, looking down at Lyra, “Uh…my name is Indy…Indiana Jones.” “N.D. Anna Jones.” Lyra repeated, “So what’s the N.D. stand for, ‘nice dresser’? Those are some nice duds you got there, human.” Lyra attempted to stand on two hooves and walk as a bipedal creature. She managed to wobble up to Indy and held out a front hoof, wanting him to shake it. The Doctor nudged Indy with his forehead and Indy reluctantly shook the wannabe human’s hoof. Lyra collapsed into Indy’s arms, gave him a hug, and sniffed him. “That fresh human scent…” she remarked. “This is getting creepy…” Indy said, pushing Lyra away, “You take me back home now, Doctor, and I’ll forget this ever happened.” “I would if I could, Dr. Jones.” the Doctor replied, “I’m stuck in this small equine body, and you’re stuck in a world full of them.” “Ponies…” Indy lamented, “Why did it have to be ponies?”