//------------------------------// // On the Run // Story: Cinematic Adventures: Jurassic Park // by extremeenigma02 //------------------------------// Back in Equestria, all hell was breaking loose. It was still dark, and Atalanta was racing through the Everfree Forest with the Cake Twins on her back. After successfully breaking them out of that cell in New Eden, they barely escaped a confrontation with Regina and worst of all her own mother, Chrysalis. Seeing her mother again, for the first time in so long, terrible memories came flooding back into the changeling’s head. She could still remember the last conversation she shared with her mother, one of which she’d rather forget… <> “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times Atalanta!” Queen Chrysalis’s voice spoke. “If you are to be Queen one day, you must be willing to find food for your subjects no matter the cost.” “Mother, I don’t want to ‘feed’ on love,” A young Atalanta replied. “I want to ‘spread’ love, share it with the world.” “Please… you are a Changeling, my dear. Changelings do not spread love; we steal it. Sometimes you are more of a weakling than that Thorax.” “If actually having a heart makes me weak, I’m glad to be! Just because your heart’s as black as coal doesn’t mean mine has to be!” “Fine! If that’s how you feel, by all means… leave the hive for all I care! Spread your so-called ‘love’ across Equestria. But I warn you: If I ever see you again, I will show you no mercy! You are no family of mine.” “The same can be said for me… Chrysalis.” <> Atalanta shook the voices out of her head, as she continued her trek across the forest. “Are you okay, Atalanta?” Pound Cake asked worriedly. “I’m fine,” Atalanta responded. “Are you sure?” Pumpkin Cake asked. “You seemed distracted.” “I’ve just… I got a lot on my mind. Don’t worry about me. What’s important is keeping you two safe and returning to your family where you belong.” “THERE THEY ARE!!!” Atalanta turned her head quickly, spotting the Black Knights on horseback racing after her and the twins. Many of them drew out their swords while a few held their bows. Notching an arrow, they released the strings, sending them flying. Soon, Atalanta was dodging arrows as they zipped by her. To ensure the safety of the twins, Atalanta placed a protective shield around the pair, who saw everything flash before them in seconds. Granted, she could’ve put the shield around ‘all’ of them, but her magic wasn’t very strong. Though her goal had always been to spread love, she was still a changeling. A changeling was only strong so long as she was able to absorb the amount of love necessary. Suddenly, a Black Knight shot an arrow straight and true and it imbedded itself in Atalanta’s hind leg. Atalanta shouted in pain as her leg gave out and the Changeling tumbled to the ground. The Cake Twins flew off her back, screaming as they soared straight towards the ground. They braced themselves for impact but found their descent rapidly halted by a magical grip upon them. Looking up, they saw Regina and Chrysalis grinning wickedly toward them. The Black Knights had Atalanta surrounded, their weapons pointing at her. “Thought you could escape us?” Regina smirked cockily. “You two aren’t going anywhere, not till I claim what’s mine.” The Evil Queen looked towards the sky as she noticed the sun descending over the horizon. The day was meeting its inevitable end. “Speaking of which… looks like time’s up,” She grinned. “How’s about the two of you making a little trip back to Ponyville? Hmm?” The Cake Twins merely whimpered, covering their frightened eyes. They may still be kids, but they ‘knew’ what she was talking about. “Splendid!” Regina smiled, facing Chrysalis. “I take it you have things under control, Chrysalis?” “Indeed, I do…” Chrysalis nodded, staring at Atalanta. “I’ve been meaning to teach this miserable excuse for a changeling a lesson for a long time now.” “Suit yourself.” Within seconds, Regina and the Cake Twins vanished in a swirl of purple smoke. Chrysalis and the Black Knights were left behind, surrounding the now weakened and injured Atalanta. Atalanta tried to muster any magic remaining, but it was a fruitless endeavor. She used all her power to protect the twins… and she failed. All she could do was stare toward her mother, who looked down upon her wickedly. “Mother… please don’t do this,” Atalanta begged. “I know somewhere within you there’s still a heart; you can still make things right!” This statement merely made Chrysalis chuckle. “Oh, sweet naïve Atalanta, you abandoned your family after all these years and only now you decide to call me ‘mother’?” Chrysalis mocked. “You always were weak. So desperate to see the good in every pony, even when it’s all for naught.” “I know you weren’t always like this, mother!” Atalanta reasoned. “I know the reason you shut everyone out and locked your heart deep within. Losing a loved one is something that will drive any pony mad… even you.” Chrysalis paused, as a genuine look of shock appeared for the first time in her life. “How did you…?” Chrysalis gasped, frowning. “’Who’ told you these things? So help me if it was Thorax or even that brother of his—” “None of my siblings told me!” Atalanta interrupted. “What do you mean?” “I mean they didn’t have to tell me anything; I found out.” “You… knew?” “Yes! Vengeance and committing evil won’t bring him back. You blame the ponies, especially Princess Celestia, but this path you’ve taken… mother, it won’t make your pain go away. You once were able to love, you still have a chance to love again.” The words of her daughter really struck Chrysalis straight in the chest like a ton of bricks. The more they sank in, the more she could briefly recall the past… a thousand years ago… when she was a youngling… like Ata. How happy she once used to be, how much care she had for Equestria, the love she had for… “NO!!!” Chrysalis screamed, tearfully. “NO! NO! NO!!! You know NOTHING of my suffering! You have a stallion to love and cherish! You have no idea the pain it feels to have the one you loved, everything you worked so hard for… ripped away from you! You can never understand… how I felt!” Chrysalis charged her horn to the point dark magic started boiling over, sparking out of control. “Now, I’m going to finish this once and for all! Starting with you… goodbye!” Just as Chrysalis was about to rain down her dark magic upon Atalanta, the swirling portal opened up. Emerging from the other side, Curtain Call and Quill Cast rode through upon their raptors, Peppermint and Blaze. The raptors shrieked and growled loudly, causing the majority of the knights to leap back in shock. They stopped right in front of Atalanta, as Quill and Curtain leapt off and landed in front of the Changeling princess assuming the defensive position. “Back off Chyrsalis!” Quill yelled. “Nobody puts the baby changeling in a corner!” Curtain added. To which Quill and Atalanta merely stared at Curtain Call awkwardly, with a ‘Seriously?’ expression. “What? It sounded a lot better in my head!” Curtain shrugged. “Well… this is a surprise,” Chrysalis smirked. “Little pony author come to save the day and the one he loves from the evil tyrant. How climatic and heroic… a shame this isn’t a fantasy like your little books! There’s no happy ending in this story.” Chrysalis soon turned her attention toward all the knights. “Seize them!” She ordered. On command, the knights charged toward the group. Quill and Curtain merely looked at each other with smiles on their faces. They both faced their raptors, delivering the exact order. “Rip them to pieces!” They both said. In the blink of an eye, Blaze and Peppermint, claws at the ready, raced head on toward the garrison of knights. Those unfortunate to cross their path were torn to pieces, as the raptors hacked and slashed with their claws, slicing through their armor. Both stallions watched proudly as the raptors fought off the knights one-by-one. But they knew, even the raptors alone were not enough to defeat ‘all’ of them. “Help Atalanta!” Curtain Call spoke determined. “This pony’s about to kick some ass!” “It’s all you buddy,” Quill nodded. Curtain Call galloped into the fray, delivering a massive buck toward a knight so powerful it sent him flying back and breaking through one of the smaller trees. “Aww yeah, that’s how we do it in Manehatten!” Curtain boasted, then his face dropped. “Ooh…” Curtain had no time to brag for long when more knights closed in and headed toward the raptors. Specifically, his eyes were on Peppermint, who snarled at the ready. And in that moment, Curtain’s burned red with rage. “NO PONY… HURTS… MY… BABY!!!” Curtain yelled, deeply. Running as fast as lightning, Curtain call raced off to aid the raptors… but mostly Peppermint. This remained Quill standing protective in front of Atalanta. “I won’t let you hurt her, Chrysalis!” He spoke defiantly. Chrysalis merely released an amused laugh, as she stared down at the stallion at her feet. “And you think you’re going to stop me?” Chrysalis chuckled. “What good is your quill and parchment against my magic? You’re weak! A spineless, pathetic excuse of a pony… except, you’re not even a pony, are you? Either way, what hope could you possibly have to make you think you stand a chance against the Queen of Changelings?” Quill looked toward Atalanta, who weakly tried to get back to her hooves. He cautiously reached out and helped her up. As he looked deeply into her magnificent eyes, he smiled lovingly. He turned back toward Chrysalis, this time a smile upon his face. “You’ve already lost Chrysalis,” Curtain declared. “I already have one thing you could only ever dream of; I have the love of a wonderful Changeling princess.” He spun around quickly, planting a kiss upon Atalanta’s muzzle. Her eyes widened with mild shock before she melted into the kiss itself. The two stayed in bliss, for a moment or two, as the power representing their love surrounded them. As a matter of fact, it was so powerful it generated a magical force all around them while Chrysalis stood in disbelief. “No! Not again!” She yelled. In an act reminiscent of Cadence and Shining Armor’s love that banished the Changelings those many years ago, the power of love from Atalanta and Quill was so strong it propelled Chrysalis and the Black Knights off into the skies above and possibly back towards New Eden. “Team Rocket blasting off again!” Curtain yelled comically. “Ash Ketchum would be mighty proud.” Eventually, Quill and Atalanta both pulled away from the kiss, staring into each other’s eyes for a moment. One could actually imagine tiny hearts floating around the pair. “I take it you missed me?” Atalanta said jokingly. “Always whenever we’re apart,” Quill responded, with a smile. Suddenly, the sound of a cleared throat caused the two to turn toward Curtain Call, and the two raptors, standing there… staring at the love birds. “Yeah hi, Curtain Call… editor here,” Curtain Call waved. “Sorry to interrupt a potential PG-13 moment here… but we do have a situation to fix? One that could ultimately save all of space and time?” “Right!” Quill quickly nodded. “We must save the twins.” “Regina’s taking them back to Ponyville,” Atalanta informed them. “Then what are we standing around here for?” Curtain asked. “Let’s save them!” Without a moment to waste, the two stallions, the changeling princess, and the two raptors charged through the Everfree toward Ponyville. Their only hope now was to band together, to save a pair of children, and return them to their families while still providing a future. And from the other side, another band of heroes were hard at work trying to set everything right… <> Back on Isla Nublar, the group from the Visitors Center were currently hiding out in a protective bunker. Unfortunately, the mood in the room was hopeless. Malcolm, his wounds bandaged, but in real pain, hung around with Ellie, Muldoon, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Time Turner. They were all hoping for some development while Ray Arnold was still at the computer terminal and looking like a complete mess. He doggedly sorted through the computer system’s line of code one… by one… by one. They just blipped by, reflected in his glasses. He turned and stared toward Hammond with absolute incredulity on his face. “No, no, no, that’s crazy!” Arnold argued. “You’re out of your mind; he’s absolutely out of his mind—” “Okay, I can’t be the only pony in the room who’s confused,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I feel like we’ve missed something very important.” “Twilight’s right,” Ellie agreed. “What exactly does this mean?” Hammond turned toward her, the twinkle back in his eye. “We’re talking, my dears, about a calculated risk, which is the only option left to us,” Hammond explained. “We will never find the command Nedry used. He covered his tracks far too well, and I think it’s obvious he’s not coming back.” “Nedry?” Time Turner asked, confused. “Never heard of him.” “You mean that obese, messy, increasingly obnoxious computer scientist who was treated poorly… or just a miserable miser consumed by greed?” Pinkie Pie questioned. Every pony looked toward Pinkie Pie; their faces riddled in confusion as the party pony eyed them side to side. “Too soon?” Pinkie Pie shrugged. “I mean, it’s surprising there was a villain right under our noses and we didn’t even see it coming—" “No… no, you’re only partly right,” Hammond admitted. “True, I found Nedry’s behavior deplorable, all he thought about was money and he didn’t have our best interest at heart. But… I don’t blame people for their mistakes; I ask them to take responsibility. And deep down, maybe he wouldn’t have resorted to any of this if how I treated him propelled him to do this… “So… shutting down the system—” “I will not do it!” Arnold shook his head. “You’ll have to get somebody else, because I will not.” “—shutting down the system is the only way to guarantee wiping out everything he did,” Hammond insisted. “If I understand correctly, all the systems will come back on their original start-up modes, correct?” “Theoretically, yes, but we’ve never shut down the whole system. It may not come back at all.” “But would we get the phones back?” Ellie asked. “Yeah, again, in theory, but—” Arnold insisted. “What about the lysine contingency?” Muldoon thought, desperately. “We could put that into effect.” “The lysine contingency?” Rarity asked. “What’s that?” “It’s absolutely out of the question,” Hammond shook his head, WALKING AWAY. “The lysine contingency – it’s intended to prevent the spread of animals in case they ever got off the island, but we could use it now,” Arnold explained. “Dr. Wu inserted a gene that makes a single faulty enzyme in protein metabolism. Animals can’t manufacture the amino acid lysine. Unless they’re continually supplied with lysine by us, they’ll go into a coma and die.” “You mean – you’d kill an entire species to save yourselves?” Twilight Sparkle asked, shocked. “You might as well raze the entire island with napalm just for declaring the dinosaurs hazardous why don’t you!” Pinkie Pie replied. “How would you even cut off the lysine?” Time Turner asked. “No trick to it,” Arnold shrugged. “Just stop running the program. Leaving them unattended.” “How soon before they become comatose?” Malcolm spoke up. “It would be totally painless – they’d just slip into unconsciousness, and they die.” “And… how long before they slip into unconsciousness?” Twilight asked, dreading the response. “About – seven days, more or less,” Arnold answered, uncertainly. “Seven days?!” The Equestrians gasped in shock. “Seven days?!” Ellie spoke exasperated. “Oh, great. Oh good – clever.” “That’ll – it’d be a first,” Malcolm remarked. “Man, and dinosaur all die together. John’s plan.” Finally, Hammond had lost his cool. He bellowed, summoning every ounce of authority at his command… and that’s quite a bit. “PEOPLE ARE DYING!!!” Hammond spoke forcefully. There was a moment in which no one dared speak, even the ponies looked at Hammond with stunned surprise. Eventually, Hammond regained himself. “Will you please shut down the system?” Hammond asked calmly. “Just try Mr. Arnold,” Rarity implored. “If not for yourself… at least for our friends who are still out there.” Arnold swallowed as he got up to his feet. “You asked for it—” Arnold warned. With a heavy sigh, Arnold slowly walked across the room to a red metal box on the wall. He took a key from his belt, unlocked the door, and opened it. There was a row of four switches inside. He flipped them off, one by one, leaving only a single lever left. His hand hovered over it… and he flipped the lever. “—and you got it,” Arnold concluded. Every monitor, every terminal, every fluorescent light shut off plunging them into near darkness. They sat there in eerie stillness for a moment. “How long will this take?” Twilight asked, hushed. “’Bout thirty seconds,” Arnold answered. They wait, in tense silence. Hammond adjusted the wilting silk handkerchief in his breast pocket. He noticed Malcolm, even some of the Equestrians, staring at him with eyes full of disapproval. “I think perhaps I’ll just sit down,” Hammond declared, sighing. “I don’t suppose you think all that much of me now, do you?” “No… you’re all right, John,” Time Turner assured. “Despite everything that’s happened, you’re an okay guy. That’s not going to change.” “It’s just you don’t have intelligence,” Malcolm stated bluntly. “You have ‘thinktelligence’.” “That’s not even a word!” Rarity remarked. “Let me finish,” Malcolm continued. “You think narrowly, John, and call it ‘being focused’. You don’t see the consequences. You’re very good at solving problems, at getting answers – but you just don’t know the right questions.” “Ian—” Ellie spoke up. “Yes?” Malcolm looked at her. “—shut up.” “Yes,” Malcolm nodded, facing Hammond. “It’s not a criticism, by the way.” “We know…” Twilight Sparkle nodded. “You’re just an honest man; Applejack would be proud of that… if she and the others ever get here.” Finally, Arnold turned back toward the box. He flipped the row of safety switches back again, then hesitated by the main switch. “Hold on to your butts,” Arnold said. He threw it… and nothing happened. There’s a very long pause. “Well… that was a dud,” Pinkie Pie pouted. “Why didn’t it work?” Twilight Sparkle looked around. “Uh—” Arnold struggled to answer. “Do any of you ponies know how to handle a gun?” Malcolm asked. “What kind of a question is that?!” Rarity gasped, horrified. “Wait! What’s that?” Time Turner pointed. Arnold, unable to understand any of this, raced to the main monitor toward where Time Turner was pointing. “HAH!” Arnold chuckled joyously. “It’s okay! Look! See that?! Look!” All eyes stared toward the monitor, which glowed with a faint amber light, the only mechanical thing in the room that’s on. The left hand corner of the screen displayed two words – /system ready And Arnold looked toward them, his face triumphant. “It’s on! It worked!” Arnold continued. “I guess that teaches us to always trust Grandpa!” Pinkie smiled, facing Hammond. “Is it okay if I call you Grandpa, Mr. Hammond?” “You may call me anything you want,” Hammond assured, smiling warmly. “Wait a minute?” Malcolm spoke up. “What do you mean ‘worked’? Everything is still off!” “The shutdown must have tripped the circuit breakers,” Arnold surmised. “All we have to do is turn them back on, reboot a few systems in here – the phones, security doors, half a dozen others – but it worked! System ready!” “But where are the breakers?” Time Turner asked. “This island’s so huge, they could be anywhere.” “Out in the maintenance shed,” Arnold answered. “Other side of the compound. I’ll go out there. Three minutes, and I can have the power back on in the entire park.” “Alone?” Twilight Sparkle questioned. “With all the dinosaurs running around, specifically the carnivores? Shouldn’t we go with you?” “Not to worry Miss Sparkle,” Hammond assured. “Mr. Arnold knows what he’s doing. Just to be safe, I’d like to have everybody in the emergency bunker until Mr. Arnold returns, and the whole system is back on its feet again.” Muldoon and Ellie proceeded to set a Gerry rigged stretcher which they set Malcom on. They prepared to carry it down a narrow path in the compound, with Hammond following behind. Before they left, the Equestrians turned toward Arnold who was preparing to leave. “Three minutes…” Twilight emphasized. “If you’re not back in three minutes, we’re coming for you.” “After everything what’s happened… what’s the worst that can happen to me?” Arnold replied, walking away. “… I’ll give him another six years before we get back to that question,” Pinkie Pie spoke. <> Later that day, Grant, along with Tim, Lex, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Spike, and Daring Do cross through the park grounds, heading across a relatively open area. All the while, Daring Do and Grant consulted the map, their only means of direction. “I’m tired, I’m hot, and I’m hungry,” Tim complained. “When we get back, I’ll be eating peanuts till my gut explodes…” Rainbow Dash groaned. “Grant… Daring… are ya sure we’re goin’ the right way?” Applejack called out. “According to Grant’s map, the visitor’s center’s just about a mile beyond that rise,” Daring Do answered. “If we just keep— Suddenly, an animal cry they heard earlier was getting closer now. Only this time it got louder, repeated by many more animals. Grant looked up from his map for a brief moment and his eyes went wide. “What is that?” Grant gestured Tim. “Tim. Tim, can you tell me what they are?” “They’re Gal… uh…” Tim tried to pronounce. “Uh… Galla… uh, Gallimimus.” “Are… are those meat-eating?” Lex asked worriedly. “Meat-a-saurs?” “I don’t think so,” Fluttershy shook her head. “They look friendly to me.” “I know exactly what Twilight would think if she were here,” Rainbow replied. She proceeded to adjust her mane in a style similar to Twilight and put on her best ‘egghead’ impression. “According to my research…” Rainbow imitated, jokingly. “Gallimimus are based on ostriches, emphasized by their birdlike qualities.” “Now Rainbow, Twilight Sparkle wouldn’t talk like that!” Applejack raised her brow. “Besides, it’s more like…” Applejack cleared her throat, then did ‘her’ impression of Twilight Sparkle. “The Gallimimus are the larest known ornithomimid, a fleet animal using its speed to escape predators and may have had good vision and intelligence comparable to ratite birds.” “You sure you weren’t thinking of becoming an actress when you went to Manehatten as a filly?” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Now hon, I’m not ‘that’ good of an actress.” They looked toward the direction the sound was coming from. All eyes squinted as the animal cries are much louder now, accompanied by a low rumble. Grant and Daring Do took a step forward. As they watched, they could make out shapes in the distance. Gallimimus, dozens of them. All at once… they were amazed by the sight. “Wow!” Daring Do admired, removing her hat. “I like the way they move! “Yeah, look at the wheeling—” Grant pointed out. “The uniform direction change! Like a flock of birds evading a predator!” “Guys… I think we better start running,” Spike suggested nervously. “Why?” Fluttershy faced Spike. “Because—they’re flocking this way,” Tim answered, backing away. Sure enough, as Rainbow Dash flapped her wings into the air and her eyes squinted for a better lock… she figured it out. “STAMPEDE!!!” Rainbow Dash shouted. And that’s exactly what it was: A stampede of at least forty Gallimimus. Lex was ready to get out of there, bolting at the first chance. Grant, along with Tim, the ponies and Spike started running across the meadow, with the Gallimimus herd heading straight for them. They took off, across the meadow, toward the relative cover of the jungle. It’s a real footrace, but the herd was far faster, and Grant knew they weren’t going to make it at this pace. While their flying companions took to the sky, Rainbow spotted something ahead. “Guys! Make for that giant root!” Rainbow Dash instructed. They proceed to jump over a huge root network. There’s enough space to hide under. Grant and Applejack stopped the kids, shoving them underneath, then followed them. They covered their heads as the herd thundered over the roots. The flying Equestrians hovered over, watching chunks of everything fly everywhere while the herd plowed overhead. Their clawed feet struck the roots dangerously close to Grant and their friends, but otherwise they were unscathed. Finally, the whole Gallimimus herd passed. Grant peered up, over the top root as the winged group landed beside them. They looked toward the trees, which the herd now ran alongside. “Well, that could’ve been worse…” Spike sighed with relief. Suddenly, they heard a roar, a very familiar roar— “Oh, buck!” Rainbow Dash grimaced, turning pale. The group whirled at the sound, but couldn’t place it, for it seemed to come from all around them. A roar emanated again from within the trees. Grant and the Equestrians scanned the trees, looking for a sign—and then it burst out, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, bursting ahead of the herd, cutting them off, throwing them into disarray, scattering them everywhere. All eyes stared as the rex kicked into overdrive, running down one of the Gallimimus, and sunk its teeth into its neck. The T-rex makes the kill in a cloud of dust and debris. Tim and Grant half rose to their feet, staring in wonder. The Equestrians, with the exception of Daring Do, were utterly horrified. “I wanna go – now!” Lex begged hushly. But most of the group were transfixed, watching the T-rex eat. “Watch how it eats!” Grant pointed out. “Please!” Lex begged. “Bet you’ll never look at birds the same way again!” “Yes,” Tim nodded in fascination. The T-rex paused in the middle of its meal and roared so greatly that the ground seemed to shake. “Can we please go now?” Fluttershy squeaked, losing patience. “Okay,” Grant nodded. “Keep low. Follow me.” “Yeah… the less I see Rexy, the better,” Spike nodded rapidly. Lex and Fluttershy turned and took off, running as fast as they could, across the open plain. Grant and the Equestrians tore themselves away and followed her… until only Tim remained, staring at the brutal massacre. “Look at all its blood!” Tim gasped, fascinated. “Come along, kiddo!” Daring Do spoke, grabbing Tim. <> Inside the bunker, Ellie paced impatiently as she came down the stairs. “Something’s happened,” Ellie muttered. “Something went wrong.” Muldoon, along with Twilight’s group, were pacing too. Among them Twilight Sparkle was the most nervous. Hammond and Malcolm are also crammed in the underground bunker. Malcolm laid on a table, while Hammond tried tending to his wounds. Hammond spoke, still feeling the obligation of the host. “This is just a delay, that’s all this is,” Hammond assured. “All major theme parks have had delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked, nothing.” “Yeah, but John, if the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists,” Malcolm remarked sarcastically. “Pirates don’t ‘eat’ the tourists, silly!” Pinkie Pie replied, lightly giggling. “They’ll kill people sure, but they are not cannibals. Now the ‘kraken’ on the other hoof—” “Pinkie… please!” Rarity groaned. “Okay, I’ll stop…” “I can’t wait anymore,” Ellie spoke up. “Something went wrong. I’m going to get the power back on.” “You can’t just stroll down the road, you know,” Muldoon pointed out. “Bob let’s not be too hasty,” Hammond spoke, checking his watch. “He’s only been gone…” “Three minutes…” Twilight Sparkle interrupted. “If Arnold wasn’t back in three minutes, we’d go for him. I’m going with you, Ellie.” “So am I!” Rarity stepped up. “Okay,” Ellie nodded. “I’ll go with you…” Pinkie Pie volunteered. “Hold on! Hold on!” Muldoon cut in. “I don’t think every pony should go at once. We need one of you to stay here and keep an eye on everyone else.” “And if our friends get to the visitor’s center, some pony has to be there while we get the power on!” Twilight added. “I’ll stay with Hammond and Malcolm,” Time Turner volunteered. “I may not be a doctor, but I’ll make sure they’re okay.” “Aw… but why don’t I help with the power?” Pinkie Pie pouted. “Pinkie… Grant, our friends, and the kids could be at the center any minute now,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “If there’s any pony, I can put my trust on to be the responsible mare at this difficult time… I need only the best foal-sitter I know!” “And… Mr. Hammond ‘did’ say there was still cake and ice cream at the restaurant…” Rarity emphasized. Pinkie Pie’s eyes started to widen greatly, as a smile slowly spread upon her face. “You mean… I get to be… responsible!” Pinkie Pie gleamed. Wow… I thought it was the cake and ice cream that would get her… Oh, come on… she’s not all about getting high on cotton candy. Replacing her glee with fierce determination, Pinkie Pie quickly pulled a pink soldier’s helmet from her mane. She placed it atop her head, tightened the strap under her chin, and tapped the hard side to ensure it was stable. “I accept this responsibility, understanding the consequences you’ve bestowed against me!” Pinkie Pie saluted. With everything settled, every pony and everyone prepared for the long journey ahead. Muldoon opened a steel cabinet with a ‘CLANG!’, revealing an impressive array of weaponry inside. He removed a shotgun and what looked like a small rocket launcher. He shoved a shell into the barrel of the rocket launcher, which accepted it with a faint electronic sizzle. Hammond searched out the set of blueprints, getting them out of the file cabinet and spread them out on top of Malcolm almost crushing his leg. But when he looked at the prints, he was confused. “’Secret Plan for Cheese Sandwich’s Anniversary Surprise’?” Hammond read. “Oops, sorry that’s mine,” Pinkie Pie smiled sheepishly. She took that blueprint off and replaced it with the ‘actual’ blueprints. She proceeded to tiptoe away as Hammond looked on, then looked back to the plans while clearing his throat. The rest of the group joined Hammond as they studied the blueprints. “This isn’t like switching on the kitchen light,” Hammond explained. “But I think we can follow this and talk you through it.” “You’ve got it, Mr. Hammond!” Twilight Sparkle nodded. Ellie proceeded to grab some walkie-talkies from the shelf and shoved them in her belt. “But you know, I should really be the one going,” Hammond offered. “Mr. Hammond, we’re proud you’re taking responsibility for what happened in the park,” Pinkie Pie assured. “But unless you want to risk breaking your ankle down a hill and getting attacked by Compys, that we won’t even meet till the ‘Lost World’, I don’t think you should—” “It’s not that,” Hammond shook his head. “Then why?” Rarity raised her brow. “Well, because you’re a—” Hammond pointed awkwardly. “I’m a… uh—” It didn’t take long for the ‘ladies’ to figure out where Hammond was going. Even Ellie was annoyed. “Really…?” Twilight Sparkle frowned, annoyed. “Come on, let’s go,” Muldoon gestured. “We’ll discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back,” Ellie backed towards the door. “You just talk us through this step by step. We’re on channel two.” “Right,” Hammond nodded. “You’re lucky you’re not as bad as Blueblood,” Rarity clarified. “I’m glad I decided not to marry him.” “Good luck, girls!” Time Turner called out. While the remaining Equestrians and their human companions made their way out of the bunker, Hammond proceeded to switch the walkie-talkie to channel two so they could keep in touch. <> Back in Equestria, the group consisting of Atalanta, Quill Cast, and Curtain Call finally burst deep through the Everfree forest. The stallions rode atop their raptors, with Atalanta holding onto Quill, the dinosaurs charging as fast as they could toward Ponyville. Now that they dealt with Chrysalis and the Black Knights, all they had to worry about was Regina… hopefully. “I swear if we don’t save those children, I’m going to hate you guys forever!” Curtain Call muttered. “You won’t have to, Mr. Call!” Atalanta assured. “We have the shears, and we still got a few hours of daylight left.” “We probably should’ve made copies of these things, but we didn’t have the time,” Quill added. “But no worries… we’ve got everything handled.” “… Then, why can’t I shake the feeling we’ve completely forgotten something?” Curtain wondered. <> Ellie, Muldoon, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie slowly stepped out of the bunker. The main compound felt different now – it belonged more to the jungle than to civilization. Muldoon has the big gun in his hands. Twilight Sparkle proceeded to hand Pinkie Pie a walkie-talkie. “Okay Pinkie Pie, we’re on channel two,” Twilight Sparkle said. “If you see or hear anything from our friends, let us know.” “Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie Pie saluted. Pinkie Pie proceeded to lift her helmet and put the walkie-talkie inside as she bounced her way back to the visitor’s center. “Stick to my heels,” Muldoon instructed the girls. Soon they started down the path, moving as quickly as they could. Eventually, they emerged from one path and came upon a slightly more open area. The huge raptor pen stood silently, surrounded, and penetrated by jungle, looming over the heroes like a haunted house. Muldoon slowed down, the girls right beside them. They noticed a hole in the fence that surrounded the raptor pen. The metal was twisted, as if gnawed, the hole was large enough for an animal to slip through. “Oh… my… Faust…” Rarity gasped, horrified. “What happened?” Twilight Sparkle whispered. “The shutdown must have turned off all the fences,” Muldoon studied the ground. “Goddamn it! Even Nedry knew better than to mess with the raptor fence.” Muldoon squatted near the hole, looking at the ground. He saw three sets of footprints. He followed them with his eyes. They head off in different directions, but all in the jungle foliage on either side of them. “Oh well, we tried!” Rarity turned to run. “Stay…” Twilight said, stopping Rarity with her magic. “Aww…” “C’mon, this way,” Muldoon gestured. The girls proceeded to follow Muldoon deep within the jungle. Eventually, they could just see the entrance to the Maintenance Shed up ahead. “I can see the shed from here!” Ellie spoke. “We can make it if we run!” But Muldoon walked slowly, as if he heard something. “No… we can’t.” “Why not?” Twilight asked nervously. “Because we’re being hunted,” Muldoon whispered. “From the bushes straight ahead.” The girls turned, very slowly, toward the bushes. At first, they couldn’t see anything. But then there’s something very faint, like a shifting of the light, and a shadow seemed to move in the bush, rustling the leaves. “Oh… no…” Rarity whimpered. “It’s all right,” Muldoon assured. “Like hell it is!” Ellie sighed. “On one hand, we have magic and a gun…” Twilight pointed out. “But we’re dealing with an experienced hunter. It could attack us before we get a chance to strike.” Muldoon raised his weapon slowly toward his shoulder. “Run… towards the shed,” Muldoon whispered. “I’ve got her.” “Are you mad!” Rarity freaked out. “You can’t possibly deal with that raptor yourself!” “You girls need to get the power back on,” Muldoon spoke firmly, aiming his fun. “This is personal.” Ellie and the girls back up, down the path, slowly. Muldoon followed behind them, keeping his gun trained in the bushes. The shadow in the bushes moved too, at an even pace with them.” “Go! Now!” Muldoon ordered. Ellie, startled, turned, and fell over a log. Twilight and Rarity quickly picked her up and together they ran towards the shed. Muldoon walked slowly into the bushes, prepared for the biggest hunt of his career. The girls ran as fast as possible – a real broken sprint, hopping over branches, flying across the open area at top speed. Over a log – ‘SPLASH!’, Ellie hit a water puddle which splashed a bit of mud on Rarity. Rarity started taking heavy breaths as if about to scream, but Twilight pushed her forward. Ellie came toward another log obstacle, grabbed a tree, and swung over it while the ponies leapt over. Once they were near the maintenance shed, there was no turning back. Eventually they reached the door, blasted through it, and slammed it behind them. They stood at the doorway of the maintenance shed, breathing hard from fear. “Mr. Arnold?” Ellie called out. “Mr. Arnold?!” Twilight Sparkle and Rarity proceeded to use their magic to light up the room, as Ellie brought out a flashlight. But even then, there was barely enough to light through the entire room and it was still pretty dark in there. “I like how this adventure wasn’t scary enough already,” Rarity complained. “Let’s just turn off the lights!” “Let’s just find Arnold and makes sure the power is up and running,” Twilight suggested. “John, we’re in,” Ellie spoke through the radio. “Great… good,” Hammond spoke, through the radio. “Okay – ahead of you should be a metal stairway. Go down it.” The girls headed into the room, shining their lights ahead of them. Before them was a maze of pipes, ducts, and electrical work on both sides of them. They walked straight ahead from the bottom of the metal stairs. “Okay, going down the stairs,” Ellie confirmed. “Right. After about twenty or thirty feet, you’ll come to a T-junction,” Hammond instructed. “Take a left.” “John, just have her follow the main cable –” Malcolm suggested. “I understand how to read a schematic!” “Ooh… I hope our friends are having better luck than we are,” Rarity hoped. <> Scrambling through the jungle, Grant, Tim, Lex, the ponies, and Spike emerged completely out of breath and exhausted. They arrived at the base of the big electrical fence that surrounded the main compound. Grant and Applejack looked up at the fence, estimating it was over twenty feet high. “Boy howdy, that’s a mighty big climb,” Applejack observed. “You guys think you can make it?” Grant asked the kids. “Nope,” Tim shook his head. “Way too high,” Lex added. “According to the map, we have to go past this fence to get to the visitor’s center,” Daring Do pointed out. Grant grabbed a stick and climbed up on the ledge. He looked toward the warning light on the fence. It’s out. He poked the wire with the stick. But no sparks. “Well, I guess that means the power’s off,” Grant guessed. “It looks safe?” Spike assumed. “Be careful Grant,” Rainbow advised. Still not trusting the fence, Grant tapped it with his foot. He moved in slowly and laid both hands on a cable and closed his fingers around it… Grant’s body shook! He screams. The kids scream! The ponies scream! Spike screams! They ALL scream… until Grant stopped, turned around slowly… and smiled wickedly. “Sweet Celestia!” Daring Do sighed heavily. “That’s not funny,” Lex replied, unamused. “That was great!” Tim cracked up. “Grant, you’re gonna give us a gosh-darned heart attack!” Applejack frowned. “How are we even going to get over this?” Fluttershy wondered. “You’re a Pegasus!” Rainbow groaned, flapping her wings. “Oh… I forget sometimes.” “Or maybe we could—” Grant pondered. Grant tried to pull the powerlines apart to make room to crawl through. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t budge. Suddenly, far in the distance, the T-rex roared from behind them. Without a second’s delay, both kids leapt to their feet and started climbing. Rainbow Dash and Daring Do quickly pick up Applejack carrying her over the fence, while Spike kept his eye on the humans and toward the jungle in case ‘Rexy’ showed up. Wait… why couldn’t they just fly the humans over the fence? You want this movie to be shorter? … Fine. <> Back in the Maintenance Shed, Ellie, Twilight, and Rarity turned a corner and found their lights shining against a wall. “Damn it! Dead end!” Ellie groaned. “Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Hammond called out. “There should have been a right back there somewhere—” “Ellie?! Girls?! Look above you—” Malcolm called out. “There should be a large bundle of cable and pipes all leading in the same direction!” “Malcolm’s right,” Time Turner spoke aside. “Follow the cables; they’ll lead to the generator.” Ellie and the girls looked up, finding a bunch of cables, which they proceeded to follow into a main corridor. “Piping… okay… following the piping,” Ellie informed. “Looks like they go back up the stairs and across the stairs… following the stairs,” Twilight Sparkle observed. “Look for a metal grate and that’s it’s longest direction,” Hammond informed. “Mr. Arnold?!” Rarity called out. “Not answering… not a good sign. Okay, we’re on the grating. “Good Miss Rarity!” Time Turner informed. “Now keep going, eventually the table will terminate in a big, gray box.” “Okay, we’re following the tubing,” Twilight spoke. “Going down a passageway. How long does this stuff go for?” “I’m not worried about how far this goes,” Rarity replied, nervously. “I just don’t want to run into anything other than Arnold down here…” <> A hand took a firm grip on one of the tight fence cables. Another hand followed it, then a third. Grant, Tim, and Lex climbed over the fence, pulling themselves up by the tension wires, crawling right past a ‘DANGER!’ sign that told them this fence ought to be electrified. “I bet I could climb over to the other side before you could even get to the top,” Lex offered teasingly. “What would you give me?” Tim asked. “Respect.” “Come on, guys, it’s not a race,” Alan spoke up. “Just wait till you guys are over this fence,” Rainbow replied. “Easy for you!” Lex called out. “You have wings.” “That’s besides the point…” “Uh hon… do ya reckon I can be on the other side by now?” Applejack pointed out. Rainbow Dash and Daring Do look down seeing they were hovering just over the other side of the fence already. “Good idea!” The Pegasi duo nodded. <> Walking quickly, the three girls followed the tubing to the end of the corridor, where they saw just a box. “Okay – we see the gray box,” Ellie confirmed, through the radio. The girls go through a mesh gate and walk towards the gray box. “’High Voltage’,” Rarity read. “Yep… this is the right place.” <> Back at the jungle, Grant and the Kids swung over the top of the fence and began climbing their way down. The ponies and Spike were waiting for them just on the other side, ready to catch them if anything goes wrong. “Good. Here we go,” Grant spoke slowly. “Over the top. Take your time. Good. Come on. Find your footing. Find your footing.” Grant and Lex continued to climb down the fence. Time was having some slight difficulty – just as he’s about to take another step, he lost his footing and almost fell… but regained control and hung on. “Don’t fall… don’t fall…” Daring Do repeated. “Don’t fall… “Daring Do! Telling him ‘Not to fall’ is stressing him out!” Spike argued. “Can’t you say something ‘positive’ like ‘You’re doing great’!? “… But he might fall.” “I KNOW!” <> “Now, girls, you can’t just throw the main switch by hand,” Hammond informed, off-screen. “You have to pump up the primer handle to give you a charge. It’s large, flat, and gray.” “We see it!” Twilight responded. “All right, here I go,” Ellie pumped herself. Ellie proceeded to pump the gray handle, which was a sluggish process. Above it, after three or four tries, a small white indicator ‘CHINGS!’ over the ‘discharged’ to ‘charged’ Ellie slammed the gray lever back into position. “Okay, charged,” Ellie declared. “Right! Now, under the words ‘contact position’ there’s a round green button which says ‘push to close’—” “Push to close…” Rarity read, shining over the button. “Push it!” Ellie proceeded to push the button. The ‘contact position’ light ‘CHINGS’ over to ‘closed’ and lights start to go on all over the panel. “Did we… did we do it?” Twilight asked. “Turner, is the power back on yet?” “Not exactly, Twilight…” Time Turner answered, reluctantly. <> Suddenly, by the time Grant and Lex dropped to the last few on the ground, an alarm started to go on. A warning light began to flash, coming back to life. The group’s eyes went wide as they quickly turned toward Tim. The boy was still far up – practically near the top, in fact, he had come to a complete stop. “Guys… what’s going on?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. “Oh no…” Daring Do realized. “The power’s coming back! <> Ellie and the ponies studied the column of twelve white indicator lights flashing on the control panel. Each was clearly labelled, one for a different area of the park. “Now girls, the red buttons turn on the individual park systems,” Hammond instructed. “Switch them on.” “You heard him Ellie,” Twilight nodded. “Let’s get this over with.” As Ellie proceeded to punch the buttons, they lit up one-by-one. She slowly worked her way toward the end of the row… marked ‘Perimeter Fence’. <> “Get down now!” Lex called out. “You’re gonna have to jump!” Alan called out. “You crazy?! I’m not gonna jump!” Tim called back. “Please Tim! Do what Dr. Grant says!” Fluttershy begged. “Tim – you have to let go!” Daring Do shouted. “The power’s coming on! Move down!” Rainbow shouted. “I can’t!” Tim called out. “I’m scared!” “I’ll count to three!” Alan instructed. “One, two, three!” But poor Tim was terrified, frozen where he was. “You’ve got to jump, Timmy!” Daring Do called out. “Before it’s too late! “I’m afraid I’m gonna fall!” “See? I said you should’ve said something positive!” Spike told Daring Do. <> Meanwhile, Ellie was still pushing buttons, now only half a dozen away from the one for the fence. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity counted the rows from five… to three… <> “I’m going up there!” Spike declared, flapping up. “Spike, where ya goin’?!” Applejack called out. “Get back!” “I’ve got to save Tim!” Spike eventually flew toward Tim, carefully clutching his claws onto Tim’s shoulders. He could see the worry on his face. “Listen to me, Tim,” Spike spoke calmly. “Listen to me. I know you’re afraid of heights.” “I hate it up here,” Tim muttered. “Look… you’re going to get electrified if you stay here. The power could come on any minute!” “Shut up! You’re scaring me. Stop!” “Shh, shh, shh… it’s okay. I’ve got you. We’re just going to get off this fence at the count of three. Just let go of the fence… and we’ll get down to the ground… slowly…” Little did they know, the fence was humming. The power was about to awake any second. The screaming from their friends below didn’t help much. “Okay, okay!” Tim confirmed. “I’m going to count to three.” “Attaboy…” Spike nodded, sweating. “We’ll do it together.” “One…” They counted in unison. <> Ellie finally pushed the button for the fences. It stopped flashing and lit up a brilliant white. Twilight and Rarity’s eyes widened with anticipation. <> “Two…” With a low, loud frightening BUZZ – the fence came to life. “AAAAHHHHHH!!!” “SPIKE!!!” The girls shouted. Cut off mid-sentence, Spike screamed as the surge raced through Tim and onto Spike. The ponies watched as the force propelled him high into the sky into the jungle below. Daring Do quickly flew up to catch Spike, only for Spike to land roughly and they fell through the trees. Tim was literally thrown from the fence, off of Spike’s grip. He slammed into Grant, and they fell to the ground. Lex and the other ponies raced toward them. “TIMMY! TIMMY!” Lex cried. “Tim, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked. “Is he okay?” Unfortunately, the moment Grant placed a hand on Timmy’s chest, he noticed a larger problem. “He’s not breathing.” “Oh no… TIM!” Applejack gasped. <> Ellie, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity watched as the banks of fluorescent lights in the maintenance shed came on, one by one. The lights are going on in rows, coming closer and closer to the trio. Finally, her row came on. “Girls, I think we’re back in business!” Ellie declared. “Thank Celestia—” Rarity never got to finished when a raptor’s head burst from behind the control panel! It slashed, taking a lunging sweep at the girls, who screamed in fear. But the raptor was stuck, tis feet and legs tangled in the maze of pipes on the floor. This was their first ‘good’ look at one of these things, and if it weren’t so terrifying, it truly was a thing of beauty. The biggest of the raptors, intensely muscled, coordinated as hell, a smoothly designed predator. “OH MY GOD!!!” Ellie shouted. The girls fell back into the pipes on the other side of the aisle. The raptor untangled itself from the pipes and gave chase, just as the girls slammed the mesh door closed. The raptor banged against the door, sending the girls falling back. Twilight and Rarity used their hinds legs to kick the door shut as the raptor continued to push himself (herself?) through the door. Thankfully, the girls were able to get the door closed and fell back onto one of the walls. Suddenly, an arm fell onto Ellie’s shoulder sending the girls screaming… when they recognized it. “Oh, Mr. Arnold,” Ellie sighed. “Thank Celestia we found you here,” Rarity sighed with relief. “There’s a giant raptor back there and—” They turned around, hoping to come face-to-face with the man. But instead, they realized Ellie was holding a disembodied arm. And when the ponies looked back, Rarity screamed seeing Ray Arnold, or what’s left of him, stuck in the tangle of pipes. Ellie moved away, his arm falling to the ground. Gasping with horror, Twilight saw Ellie moving right back near the mesh wall. “ELLIE, GET AWAY!!!” Twilight shouted. The raptor came at her again. Ellie took off running as fast as she could, and the ponies followed her back the way they came. The ponies raced over the dead arm and Arnold’s legs, never once looking back. Ellie continued running ahead, her headset dangling, the flashlight dragging behind her on its cord. They reached the stairs and hit them hard, flying up them (Or in Twilight’s case ‘literally). They could feel the raptor right behind them, hearing the clicking and clanging as it scrambled up the stairs, but again they didn’t look back. They reached the top, threw open the door, hurled themselves outside – and SLAMMED the door behind them, just as the raptor’s head snarled at them from near the top of the stairs. They ran out of the fence and collapsed. While Ellie was hyperventilating, crying in horror, Rarity and Twilight did all they could not to lose their lunch. “Can we please get off this island of horrors now?!” Rarity cried, tearfully. “We have to get back to the Visitor’s Center!” Twilight said urgently. Eventually, after a moment to catch their breath, they made a run for the center as fast as they could. The only one not among them was Robert, who they could only hope was fairing alright. I mean he ‘survives’ in the book, so why wouldn’t he? <> Robert Muldoon crept slowly through the jungle foliage, tracking his prey. He ducked and walked through a hollow log, underneath a fallen tree, following the rustling sound ahead of him. He could see just a trace of the raptor’s gray flesh as it moved behind the bushes up ahead, camouflaged enough to deny him a decent shot. Thinking he’s got a single moment; Muldoon extended the back handle of the gun and clicked it into place. He prepared to take aim. A snack slithered across a tree branch, past what resembled the large iris of a flower… only it blinked. It was very clear that it was the eye of the raptor. Muldoon, seeing it, raised his gun. Instead of running away again, the raptor rose slowly out of the brush, revealing itself to Muldoon, hissing at him. The corners of Muldoon’s mouth twitched up into a smile. He drew a bead on the animal. His finger tensed along the trigger. Suddenly, his smile vanished, both eyes popped open, and a terrible thought swept across his face. His eyes flicked to the side seeing another raptor, right beside him, claws extended and ready to pounce. “Clever girl…” Muldoon whispered. With a roar, the raptor flashed out of nowhere and pounced on him. The gun fired, but wildly, and the raptor’s claw slashed through Muldoon’s midsection. Muldoon screamed and fell back, the raptor locked on top of him, tooth and claw hacking him to pieces. As the second raptor made the kill, the first raptor strode slowly forward, watching approvingly. Then it threw its head back and snarled. Ooh… I forgot this is way different from the book. You think?! <> The remaining Equestrians looked silently toward Tim, who was still unmoving. Grant was performing CPR, alternatively compressing Timmy’s chest fifteen times, quickly, and breathing into his mouth twice. Lex was on the cusp of freaking out, the very thought of losing her brother was making her cry. Even Fluttershy couldn’t keep herself in check, the thought of losing someone so precious. They waited fifteen compressions… two deep breaths… nothing. “C’mon, Tim…” Applejack whispered, choked up. “Wake up!” “Tim!” Grant shouted. Fifteen compressions… two deep breaths… nothing. “No… no… that’s not fair!” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Tim, wake up! Please…” Fifteen compresses—Tim gasped to life, coughing his lungs out but coming too. Grant, heavily relieved, hugged the boy against him like a father holding his son. “Good boy, Tim,” Grant smiled. “Good boy.” “Deep breaths buddy, deep breaths…” Rainbow spoke gently. “Are you okay?” “Three!” Tim gasped. The ponies released a laugh, mostly out of relief. It was lucky for them that their little friend was okay. Course, they could see his hands were burnt when the fence lit him up but nothing a few bandages and medication couldn’t fix. Then it occurred to them… “Wait a second!” Rainbow Dash realized. “Where’s Daring Do and Spike?! “Over here!” All eyes turned toward the jungle as Daring Do emerged into view, dragging a dazed Spike. The green scales along his head went a little higher than usual but otherwise he seemed okay. He barely got to his feet looking toward the group as steam flew from his nostrils. “Did you order the original recipe or extra crispy?” Spike gasped, releasing smoke. Without waiting for an answer, Spike fell face first onto the dirt right before the stunned group. “Oh my…” Fluttershy gasped.”