//------------------------------// // Daring and the Doctor // Story: Cinematic Adventures: Jurassic Park // by extremeenigma02 //------------------------------// High within the mountains of Equestria, not a trace of sunlight shined along the haven of New Eden. Only a barrage of clouds as black as night darkened the very sky overhead. Within this wicked little hamlet, members of the Dark Order once more convened within the chapel of Eden. Standing at the head of the table were its two leaders: The Dark One and the Benefactor. The two menacing figures gazed over their gathered followers. Though their faces could not be seen, it was clear there was evil intentions within their black hearts. “Our progress, little as it might be, is coming along quite well,” The Benefactor announced. “However, it is not enough. If we are to have any chance at spreading our dominion across the Multiverse, we must redouble our efforts.” “How exactly do you expect to do just that from where we are?” Adagio spoke up. “She’s right,” Aria agreed. “We’ve been stuck in this rundown town for months, completely cut off from any and ‘all’ possible resources we could use!” “Why are we even here anyway?” Zoe questioned. “Surely there’s somewhere else that could serve as base of operations for our order.” Instead of providing any answers, however, the Benefactor merely gave a wave before the three Sirens. They tried to speak, to question the meaning of the Benefactor’s mysterious gesture… only to realize they couldn’t speak. It quickly dawned upon the trio that the Benefactor cast a spell of sorts, one that completely removed their voices. No matter how hard they tried to speak, no matter how rapidly they moved their lips, not a single sound emerged. “Anyone else care to input?” The Benefactor challenged. “I hate to admit it myself, but the Sirens make a valid point,” Chrysalis interjected. “We continue to stay the course we’re on now, we’ll never accomplish anything.” The Benefactor desired nothing more than to blast the Changeling and the Sirens into oblivion for such insolence. However, even the Benefactor had to admit that these woman made valid points. They’ve been held in this crumbling ruin of a town ever since leaving that cave in the mountains. Needless to say, it was no stronghold that could strike fear in the hearts of their enemies. Nor did this town provide enough space to store any weapons nor conduct their dastardly deeds. Releasing a reluctant sigh, the Benefactor retracted their spell and returned the Sirens their voices. “Overreact much?” Adagio mumbled under her breath. “Very well, you’ve made your point,” The Benefactor admitted. “Perhaps the time has come for us to move our plans to a more appropriate location.” Just then, the church doors swung violently as Regina Mills burst in. All eyes watched as the Evil Queen stalked toward the table. The whole order could see the anger burning within her eyes. “Stupid, meddling, pathetic, walking glue factories!!!” She grumbled angrily. “Gee wilickers lady, what’s got you in a bad mood?” Cozy Glow asked. Regina slowly turned her head, and the diminutive filly trembled slightly before her menacing scowl. “Something very important, something powerful of mine… is missing!” Regina snapped at her. “I assigned six of my best trained knights to watch over it. What do I find when I return? All my knights are unconscious, and someone stole what they were supposed to guard with their lives!” “Well, it certainly wasn’t any of us,” Tirek crossed his arms. “I know that you big red bumbling buffoon! No doubt it was one of those stupid ponies! That artifact is one of the most powerful relics in our disposal. I will personally rip out and crush every one of their hearts to get it back!” Seeing the fire and determination in Regina’s face, the Benefactor seemed to contemplate from under their hood. They turned their shoulder toward the Dark One, who merely gave a single slow nod. “Perhaps this is good for us,” The Benefactor spoke up. “How the hell could this be a good thing?!” Regina asked. “I mean this provides us an opportunity. To recover the artifact, gain us a new stronghold, and showcase our power over these ponies all at once.” The Benefactor continued to lay out the plan they orchestrated in their head, as the remainder of the Order listened intently. More specifically, Regina paid close attention as she was to be the epicenter of this plan. Once the Benefactor finished laying out the plan, the Evil Queen smirked wickedly. “Well… it seems it’s high time I paid these ponies a visit,” She spoke menacingly. “Looks like I’ll have to prepare my carriage for a little trip to this… Ponyville.” <> Bright and shining was the sun as it cascaded down upon another magnificent morning in the town of Ponyville. The residents of this cheery little town once more frolicked about, conducting their daily routines much like any other day. In the midst of the entire town stood the tall, glorious castle owned by the one and only Princess Twilight Sparkle. The entire crystalline outer layer shined like sparking diamonds under the shining sun. Inside the castle, tucked away in her personal office, Princess Twilight Sparkle was hard at work on her daily duties as Princess of Equestria. With all the incredible yet dangerous journeys she and her other friends have been in as of late, it became difficult to balance being a ruler and an adventurer. However, she managed it rather well. Having recently returned from their previous adventure only a few short days ago, she found a little time to catch up with any important matters that required her attention. “And… finished!” She smiled, signing the last of her documents. “I’m so glad I got to sign off on that new trade agreement with Saddle Arabia. I just hope they won’t mind if our mineral ships are a tad low at the moment. We’ll have to fix that.” It was in that moment her office door opened, turning Twilight’s gaze toward none than her favorite personal assistant, Spike. As the teenage dragon entered, Twilight couldn’t help but permit the memories to flood in her mind. Specifically, the day she first hatched him from his egg. How can she ever forget that fateful day? It was her entrance examination for Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. How she struggled miserably just to hatch one dragon egg and nearly failed. That is until in one moment, a Sonic Rainboom struck and caused her magic to go completely out of control. Such great power also made the egg crack its shell. She remembered what came out amidst the broken shells; a tiny baby dragon sucking the end of his tail. That memory made her heart swell just thinking about it… “TWILIGHT!” Twilight yelped and fell back from her chair over the sound of yelling. Slowly, she picked herself up off the ground, dusting herself as she faced Spike. “Sorry to yell, but you just seemed so off into space,” Spike apologized. “No, it’s alright, Spike,” Twilight assured him. “It’s not your fault. I was just… remembering.” “What about?” “The day you hatched.” “Ah… yeah,” Spike nodded understandingly. “Sometimes I wish I could remember that day.” “Trust me, you don’t,” Twilight giggled. “That day my magic went out of control, I ended up turning my parents into plants. The magic even made you grow at least fifty feet tall.” “But I was still super cute, right?” “The cutest.” Twilight used her wings to fly up and ruffled the scales along her number one assistant’s head as they both laughed. “So, what brings you here?” Twilight asked. “Don’t you remember?” Spike responded. “You promised Dr. Hooves you’d meet with him at Discord’s Theatre.” “Doctor… Hooves?” Twilight said confused. “You know? Time Turner?” Spike clarified. “He made those flameless fireworks for Cranky and Matilda’s wedding?” “Oh, that’s right!” Twilight remembered. “That was the day we fought the Bugbear and missed the wedding. Wait… since when have we called him ‘Dr. Hooves’?” “I have no idea,” Spike answered honestly. “Pinkie started calling him that one day and the name stuck. She was going on about ‘fandoms’ this and ‘Bronies and Pegasisters’ that. Even said something about shipping between him and Derpy.” Twilight cocked an eyebrow in curiosity, having no idea what her assistant was talking about. “I don’t know either,” Spike shrugged. “Well either way, I ‘did’ promise to meet him at the theatre. I should probably get going.” “Mind if I come too? I’ve got nothing going on today.” “Not at all,” Twilight smiled. “I can use the company.” The two emerged from the office and trotted through the many halls of the castle until eventually winding up in the foyer. There they spotted Cerise Hood, Ashlynn Ella, Madeline Hatter, and Briar Beauty, in their pony forms, talking amongst themselves. After meeting the girls during their latest adventure, discovering the horrible circumstances that had happened upon them, it was only fair that Twilight Sparkle offered them a place to stay in her castle. Since then, they’ve adapted to the pony life far better than expected. “So apparently, a pedicure in this world is called a ‘hooficure’,” Briar explained to the girls. “I thought it seemed weird at first, but actually they’re totally spelltacular! Check out my hooves.” She held up her recently polished hooves and before the eyes of her friends they sparkled like rubies. “Wow, those are positively amazing!” Ashlyn admired. “I also have to say that the fashion here in Equestria is quite wonderful! Rarity’s shop is just filled with the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen!” “Honestly, I’m more focused on all the sports here,” Cerise spoke up. “Apparently they play ‘buckball’, which is basically the pony version of ‘Bookball’. I thought about trying out for a team since I dominated back in Ever After High.” “And Pinkie has been a super hat-tastic friend since we met!” Maddie smiled. “She can bake the most wonderful treats and pulls the most hilarious pranks.” “Hello girls!” Twilight greeted, passing the group. “Any plans for today?” “Not much really,” Briar answered. “We’re meeting with Apple and Raven when they come into town today.” “That’s right, I nearly forgot that they and the princesses are stopping by,” Twilight remembered. “Well, I’ll let you girls carry on then. Spike and I are heading to town ourselves, to meet with Time Turner at the theatre. We’ll see you all later.” The girls waved their goodbyes toward Twilight Sparkle and Spike, as the main doors of the castle paved way for the duo to depart. The doors sealed behind them as they began their trek across the town streets toward the theatre. As they walked, Spike decided to strike up a conversation concerning a rather pressing issue. “Say Twilight, you ever notice that Maddie’s been acting strangely since we got home?” He asked. “She is the Mad Hatter’s daughter, Spike,” Twilight pointed out. “From what we’re told about their world, I’m surprised she isn’t even stranger than what we’ve already seen.” “Well yeah, ‘that’. But I mean she’s been acting strange in a way that doesn’t seem like her,” Spike pointed out. “She’s usually happy and cheerful all the time, but then she gets these moments where she’s sad and depressed. I’m worried about her.” “Their entire world was basically burned to the ground from what they’ve told us,” Twilight added. “It doesn’t really surprise me all that much.” “But the looks she has doesn’t seem like sadness of her world being gone, it’s like she’s carrying guilt about something… but what?” Twilight thought over Spike’s words, trying to look back into her memories to see any merit to them. She could recall several times where she noticed Maddie sulking about the halls. Those days when she’d mumble something about ‘My fault…’ and ‘If they only knew’. Twilight admittedly hadn’t taken those words to heart, but now… “Now that you mention it…” “TWILIGHT!!!” Both the pony princess and teenage dragon jumped over the loud yelling, turning their eyes toward none other than Rainbow Dash, the rainbow-maned Pegasus charging toward them at top velocity. The spitfire tomboy quickly skid to a halt just shy of crashing into the pair. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and the biggest smile was upon her face. The widest either of them had ever seen. “Holy cow, Twilight! You’ll never believe this!” Rainbow said excitedly. “You’re never, ever, EVER going to believe this. Never! Guess what?!” Twilight and Spike looked toward each other in confusion and shock as to why Rainbow Dash was so excited. Before they could question it further, however, the remainder of the Mane Six galloped their way alongside them. Twilight took notice that a few of them looked slightly disheveled and breathing heavily. “There ya are, sugar cube!” Applejack said breathlessly. “Glad we finally done caught up to ya.” “Now would you mind explaining why you ran us down?” Rarity asked, gesturing to her messy mane and coat. “Look what you did to my fabulous coat and mane! I spent all last night making it as pristine as could be. Now you messed it all up in mere seconds!” Finally, Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and allowed herself a moment to calm down. “Sorry about that guys, but I just couldn’t help myself,” She apologized. “I just learned the most awesome news ever!” “And what would that be?” Fluttershy asked. “Daring Do is coming to Ponyville!” Rainbow yelled excitedly. “Seriously?!” Pinkie asked, smiling. “Wowie wow, wow! It’s been forever since I’ve seen her. Last time was when she wanted to retire, but only because she assumed she’d caused so much trouble in Somnambula. Then Rainbow Dash got captured, tied up in the pyramid, we’re leaping across the slime pit and…” Once again, Twilight Sparkle encased Pinkie Pie in a magical bubble to keep them from hearing her long ranting. Nonetheless, every pony (Spike included) chuckled over their friend’s enthusiasm. “That’s wonderful news, Rainbow,” Twilight smiled. “I’m glad your idol is coming to town. Did she specifically say why she’s coming?” “That’s the coolest thing yet!” Rainbow added. “She wants to come here to see the magic television at Discord’s theatre. Apparently she’s heard all of our adventures and wants to see for herself.” In a fashion completely unlike Rainbow Dash, the tomboy released a fangirlish squeal of excitement which for her was a very rare occurrence. “Well ah fer one can’t wait till she gets here,” Applejack smirked. “It’s been too long since we last seen her.” “I can’t wait to hear what she’s been up to all this time,” Spike spoke up. “No doubt she’s had her own series of amazing adventures.” “You have no idea.” A new voice entered the conversation propelling every pony to see none other than Daring Do herself walking toward them. The adventurous explorer pony looked just the same as she always did. Standing before them in her signature explorer polo, pent helmet, and the compass cutie mark upon her flank. The moment Rainbow’s eyes fell upon her idol, she immediately leapt up and gave an excited cry of excitement. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Daring Do!” She squealed, racing toward her. “You’re finally here! How have you been? Any new adventures to talk about? What about Dr. Caballeron? Have you found him yet? Give him a good punch just for me? “Whoa, whoa, calm down Rainbow,” Daring spoke calmly. “One question at a time.” “Sorry,” Rainbow apologized, with a blush. “It’s just been so long since we’ve seen you; I’m just so excited you’re here!” “I can see that,” Daring chuckled. “To answer your questions: I’ve been staying busy. I’ve had plenty of new adventures to add for my new book. I haven’t found Caballeron yet, but I’m sure I will soon enough. But I haven’t come to talk to you of my adventures; I came to hear yours.” Rainbow’s smile grew larger as the rest of her friends came alongside her. “Well, you’re in luck,” Twilight told her. “I was just on my way to meet with Time Turner at Discord’s Theatre to work on the machine. If you’d like to come along, you can see it for yourself.” “I’d like that very much,” Daring nodded. “I’ll lead the way!” Rainbow yelled. The excited tomboy quickly raced alongside her idol, placing a wing casually around her shoulder as they marched the path toward the theatre. “But seriously, ‘any’ new adventures you want to talk about?” She asked again. Daring Do merely smiled with a roll of her eyes over her friend’s excitement, as did the rest of the Mane Six and Spike. Nevertheless, they continued their way down the path towards Discord’s Theatre. <> Upon their arrival, Twilight Sparkle smiled at the sight of Time Turner standing before the front of the theatre doors. The scientific Earth pony stallion waved toward them as they approached. “Ah good, glad to see you’ve arrived!” He greeted. “It’s quite nice seeing you all once again. And what’s this I see? Seems you’ve brought some company.” Daring Do stepped up and extended her hoof toward the good doctor. “It’s nice to meet you, Time Turner,” She greeted kindly. To which the doctor reached out and shook her hoof in return. “The pleasure’s all mine to meet the one and only Daring Do,” He replied. “It’s an honor to meet another hero. “I’m no hero really,” Daring brushed off. “Are you kidding?” Rainbow interrupted. “You’re as much a hero as the rest of us. The things you’ve done are nothing short of awesome and legendary.” “Honestly Rainbow, I think you give me a little too much credit,” Daring chuckled. “No way, you’re totally…” The sound of someone clearing their throat stopped the two in their tracks as they turned back toward Time Turner. “Forgive me for sounding impatient, ladies, but I’m quite excited to get a close look at this extraordinary machine,” Time Turner beckoned. “Well, I won’t keep you waiting any longer,” Twilight responded. “Right this way.” Using her magic, Twilight Sparkle unlocked the doors and pushed them open. Soon she led the rest of the group inside the theatre. Making their way toward the front, they passed along the stage and marched into the backstage area where they kept the television. The moment his eyes caught sight of the television, that was when Time Turner approached with admiration toward its splendor. “Great wickering stallions!” He spoke in amazement. “It’s even more magnificent up close!” Taking a closer inspection, Turner circled behind the television to study the remainder of the machine it was wired to. “Ah, I see you’ve wired this device with an electromagnetic frequency converter to better calibrate the high level of proton generation,” He observed. “That’s right,” Twilight nodded. “If I hadn’t, we’d be teleported to places at random. Thanks to this converter, we’re able to preselect the hyper-dynamic setting to better accommodate our travels.” Hearing these two brainy ponies discussing these matters made Rainbow Dash drone off to sleep. That is until Applejack used her tail to deliver a quick hard swat along the flank. “Ow!” She yelled, massaging her backside. “What the hay was that for?” “Don’t be rude, hun!” She scolded quietly. “You know all that egghead talk puts me to sleep,” Rainbow complained. “That doesn’t mean you have to slap me right in the flank. It’s sensitive.” “Ya sure didn’t seem tah mind it when we did the same thing last night,” Applejack smirked. Rainbow quickly shushed her marefriend with a hoof over her mouth, unable to hide her blush. “No bringing up bedroom stuff around company!” She whispered, gesturing to Daring Do. “Honestly, you two shouldn’t even be discussing it in public at all,” Rarity cringed. As the group talked amongst themselves, Daring Do approached Time Turner to examine the television for herself. “I can’t believe you stumbled upon this in the Everfree,” She said. “I know what you mean,” Twilight agreed. “It seemed like a pretty random thing to just stumble upon. Though I’m developing a theory that it’s been left there intentionally for me to find it.” As the two talked, all of a sudden, the television started to shake. Every pony stepped back as they watched the machine shake and rumble. “What’s going on?” Twilight asked in confusion. Soon the back of the device started to spark, blowing a couple gaskets within the teleportation machine. “It appears the electromagnetic frequency generator is malfunctioning,” Time Turner observed nervously. “Prolonged use of the device has caused it to break down from the inside and now it appears to be causing fluctuations in time.” “And that’s… bad?” Pinkie asked curiously. “I’m assuming it is, Pinkie,” Fluttershy nodded nervously. Suddenly, the machine opened up a swirling vortex channeling a force so great that it sucked every pony, and Spike, in its path. Helplessly they found themselves screaming and flailing about as they flew toward the device. Their screams grew, then faded as they slipped through the void heading Celestia only knows where… … or when… <> Isla Nublar 120 miles west of Costa Rica… Two pairs of eyes stared toward a restless night in the jungle. Both of them big, yellowish, distinctively inhuman. They sat hunched together staring raptly between metal slats, which turned out to be part of a large crate of sorts. How they got into this mess? Where had they come from? Who wanted them trapped in this manner? They couldn’t tell, but their eyes darted from side to side, alert as hell. All they knew for certain were two things… they were taken someplace to what they could imagine was the middle of nowhere. The other matter being… they weren’t alone. As their eyes peeked from the cage, their cage was surrounded by a group of strange creatures walking on two legs, wearing an extra layer of fur, and holding strange sticks. One of them, a grim-faced man, seemed to be in charge whether they were aware of it or not. One of the creatures approached this man, reading the look of concern on his face. “Pense que solo triamos uno,” One creature said. (I thought we were only bringing in one.) “They’re a special breed that come from associates of John Hammond,” The grim-faced man answered, in English. “I’m instructed to make sure they arrive at the park unharmed. See to it that their transfer is secured.” The one creature spoke that strange language again as others proceeded toward the cage. The eyes darted around as they snarled toward the beings. Under shouts and orders from the grim-faced man, their cage was brought toward the doors as another man climbed up the ladder and slowly opened the doorway toward what appeared to be trees before them. But soon, they were prodded by the sticks and hissed when they felt a sting upon their back ends. They were forcibly pushed forward as they made their way toward what appeared to be jungle, only to find it covered by metal walls and fencing of sorts. By the time they were pushed through, the doors were slammed shut behind them followed by a buzzing sound. Wherever they were… they were trapped in this strange place with seemingly hostile creatures. Only to find, within a matter of seconds, that they weren’t the only ones. The jungle went silent for a second until a roar rose across the trees and brush, a sound so deafening. The trees shook as something very, very large plowed ahead toward a group of crewmen in blue suits and orange hardhats standing before the jungle entrance. All heads gathered as the little clearing snapped, turning their eyes toward the direction of the sound as something burst through the trees. Among those armed with tasers and other means of defense was the grim-faced man, Robert Muldoon by name. But unlike the other workers, he was the only one armed with a shotgun and the only weapon made to kill if he needed to. He came prepared for something that was heading toward them, something very big… something dangerous. Eventually, what he and his crew were anticipating made its presence felt as the trees split apart forming a pathway to enter. A crane-like bulldozer carried its scoop and pushed forward into the back end of the large metal container, shoving it across the jungle floor towards an impressive-looking fenced paddock that toward over an enclosed section of thick jungle. A guard tower stood at one end of this holding, like something out of San Quentin. The people were barking orders as the crane carried the metal container forward toward the back end. “Everybody, heads up! Heads up!” One worker ordered. “Keep it clear! Stand back! Bring it forward. Come on! Slow it down!” “Andale! Si! Cuidado! A ver, traiganla, traiganla! Vamos con la segunda!” (Hurry up! That’s it! Careful! Come on, bring her in, bring her in! Let’s do the second one now!) “Confirmada la secunda!” (Second one confirmed!) The metal container hit the floor with a great thud. A door slid open in the pen, making a space as big as the end of the crate. Nobody moved for a second, until the grim-faced man approached eyeing the container. Growling could be heard within, as another pair of eyes stared back toward the man. “Okay, pushing team move in there!” Robert Muldoon ordered. Workers shouted orders in Spanish, beckoning the loading team to move toward the cage. “Empujen! Cuidado. Vamos, vamos!” (Push! Careful. Let’s go, go!) “I want tasers on full charge!” Muldoon added. The loading team reached to grab the cage; the movement agitated whatever was inside the cage. A terrifying shriek frightened them away, and the cage shook a bit as whatever inside growled and snapped for their hands. “Alright, steady!” Muldoon continued. “Go on. Step back in there now. Don’t let her know you’re afraid!” “Adelante, empujen! Empujen!” (Let’s go, push! Push!) “And push!” The workers reapproached the cage and began to push it into the paddock entrance slot. The crate thudded against the opening and a green light along the side of the pen lit up, an electronic buzz indicated contact was made once more. From inside the secondary crate, the eyes could see through the other side – jungle foliage, men with rifles, searchlights shining against it. The view was herky-jerk as the crate slipped into position. “We’re locked! Loading team, step away!” Muldoon ordered. “Gatekeeper!” The Gatekeeper once again climbed to the very top of the cage. The creature within the cage looked up and snarled toward the man standing above him. “Jophery, raise the gate!” Muldoon ordered. The man, Jophery by name, grabbed for the gate and slowly began to raise it when all at once – *ROAR!!!* The creature suddenly shrieked from inside the crate, and rammed the back of the cage, shoving the metal container backward and knocked Jophery clear off the crate. Now everything happened at once. The worker landed with a thud upon the jungle floor, the crate jerked away from the mouth of the holding pen flash, an alarm buzzer sounded – And a claw slashed out from inside the metal crate, sinking into the ankle of the worker, dragging Jophery toward the dark mouth between the crate and the pen. Jophery screamed and pawed the dirt, leaving long claw marks as he was rapidly dragged toward the crate. Muldoon shouted orders as he raced to grab hold of him. “Block the opening! Don’t let her get out!” “Somebody help him!” A worker shouted. “Tasers get in there, Goddamn it!” The two pair of eyes watched intensely as something was dragging the poor man so hard he momentarily slipped from the grim man’s grasp. But the man was able to catch him, struggling to pull him out as the worker was screaming in agony. Chaos erupted around the pen as the workers gathered toward the cage and pen, trying to come to the man’s aid. “Work her back!” Muldoon shouted. All the workers proceeded to taser the creature, firing their guns as the metal cage shook about. For whatever was in there, the creature was looking Muldoon straight in the eye. The efforts of these men seemed fruitless, even using a large beam or bar to pry this creature off Jophery proved ill-effective. Jophery groaned in Muldoon’s hands, as the latter tried desperately to hold onto whatever life remained. “Shoot her! SHOOT HER!!!” Amidst the wild arcs of currents from the stung gun flash, all the cracking happening around them, everything happened for the pair of creatures eyeing the bloody scene deep within their pen. Slowly, Jophery slipped away from the grim man’s hold, drawing his last agonizing breath as the creature pulled him away from the man’s grip. The gunfire kept thundering, but it was too little, too late… The worker… was gone.