//------------------------------// // Uncle Orange's Invitation // Story: Jurassic Park Ponified // by RustyNails //------------------------------// Out at Sweet Apple Acres it was a gorgeous sunny afternoon. The Mane Six and Spike were having having a picnic. Twilight Sparkle laid out the blanket with her magic. Applejack and Rarity pulled out the food from the basket. Sandwiches, salads, apple fritters, and iced tea. Pinkie Pie skipped over with a basket in her mouth. Setting it down, she pulled the towel off it letting the balloons inside carry the basket away. "Ahh," Rainbow Dash pulled out her sunglasses and splashed some sunblock onto her face. "What perfect day for a picnic." "It is." said Twilight. "It's just what we need after this week. After that adventure in the Crystal Empire, I'd almost be game for a vacation." "So would I." said Rarity getting dreamy in her eyes. "Oh a nice weekend getaway where we could all stretch out and relax. On the beach, or in the mountains, or..." "Or on a beach in the mountains or in some mountains next to beach so we can have the beach and the mountains all in one place..." Pinkie Pie ranted. "Huh?" "Or maybe just a day in the grass." Pinkie fell back relaxing in the soft grass. "Wait." said Twilight. "Did I write Princess Celestia a letter this week?" The other ponies all gulped, remembering the utter insanity that happened when Twilight forgot to write to Princess Celestia. "Oh no, not again." Rainbow murmured. Spike, trying to relieve Twilight before she lost it pulled out her portable calender to check. "You sent her a letter yesterday Twilight." "Oh..good." The group breathed a sigh of relief. No Twilight going insane this time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later the ponies were finishing their lunches when Applejack pulled a cake box out of her saddle bag. "How bout some dessert Everypony." She presented a fresh steaming apple pie. The five other ponies and baby dragon got sparkly eyed over the delicious desert. "Spent all mornin makin this pie, and by the smell of it I'd say its just about right. Who wants the first slice?" Spike eagerly stood up with a plate. "I'll take it." "Righeo Spike." Applejack took the pie knife in her mouth to cut Spike a piece when the dragon began to feel queasy, holding his stomach as if about to throw up. "Goodness. You okay Spike?" asked Fluttershy. Applejack set the knife back down. "Maybe you should hold off on the pie Spike." Spike then burped up a letter from the princess. "A letter from Princess Celestia?" Twilight opened the letter and read it to herself. Dear Twilight, My Faithful Student, I once again call on the assistance of you and your friends. An important visitor of mine is developing a business venture outside the border of Equestria. He has asked you and your friends to come and sign off on it. I cannot go into details about it, but it is a quite contreversial matter of which I trust your sound judgement and yours alone. Please attend to the visitor's wishes, inspect his facilities, and report back to me on your decision. The visitor is on his way to Ponyville to meet you. Sincerely, Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria P.S. Sister, Luna says hello. "What's it say sweetness?" asked Rarity. "This is weird." said Twilight. "The princess says she wants us to inspect a business venture a visitor of hers is developing. He requested us personally. The ponies looked at each other surprised. "Why us?" asked Rainbow. "Who is the visitor?" asked Fluttershy. "She didn't say." Twilight answered. "She said he's heading to Ponyville to meet us." A low rumble came through the air above Sweet Apple Acres. It was getting louder as if it was coming closer. "Anypony hear that?" asked Spike. "Yeah." Rainbow answered. "Sounds like a helicopter." "Couldn't be." Said Applejack. "There's never any helicopters round here." It was a helicopter and it was landing right in the apple orchard. The loud rotors whipped up the wind through the apple trees, and blew away the ponies' picnic. "Our picnic!" The ponies and dragon grabbed anything they could of the picnic. Plates, the basket, and the blanket were blown up into the air and scattered by the wind. Applejack's apple pie blew up and splattered in Rarity's face. "My apple pie!" "Ugghh! That's the last of my eye shadow." Pinkie Pie was giggling at the air blowing through her mane and tail. "Weeeeeee! This is fun!!" Twilight and Applejack ran over to the helicopter shouting at the pilot. "Shut off your engine! Shut it off! Shut it off!" The pilot pointed to the barn with his hoof. Applejack saw somepony going inside. "Somepony's in ma house." She galloped down to the barn to have a word with the visitor. Whoever he was, he didn't seem to have a sense of common courtesy to show up unannounced like this. Opening the door, she found him rummaging through her kitchen cabinets. "What the hay ya'll think yer doin!?!." He turned around holding a jug of cider in his hooves. It was a tall stallion with a yellow coat and green mane. He wore a large hat and sunglasses. "Hey! I was aging that cider!" The visitor grinned a big smile. "For today. I guarantee it." Applejack raised her hoof to the the stranger's muzzle. "How dare you come bustin onto my property like this. Who in Equestria do ya'll think you are? " "Why Applejack, don't you remember me?" The stranger took off his hat and glasses revealing himself to be Applejack's old Uncle Orange from Manehattan. Applejack was so surprised she stumbled for what to say. "Uncle Orange! Where'd ya'll come from? Why I haven't seen ya'll since I was a little filly." "I know." Uncle Orange chuckled. "It has been a long time. You were such a cute filly then too. I see you haven't lost your adorable country accent either." Applejack blushed. The others came in to have it out with the intruder. "Alright!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Who's the jerk who ruined our picnic!" "And blew an apple pie in my face, ruining a fresh coat of eye shadow." "Everypony, this is my Uncle Orange from Manehattan. He was the one in the helicopter." Uncle Orange introduced himself to everyone. "A pleasure to meet you all. Terribly sorry about your picnic, I admit my arrival was a little abrupt." The ponies, taken in by Orange's friendliness suddenly forgot to be angry. "I take it you're the visitor that the princess mentioned in her letter." said Twilight. "Yes I am, and we have lots to talk about. Let me pour you all some cider and let's get down to business." He passed them all mugs of cider. "I'm putting together this spectacular business development that I want your input on. I have an island off the coast of Equestria. Princess Celestia allowed me to buy it and I've spent the last several years creating a kind of biological preserve and resort. It's really fabulous and we've spared no expense. And believe me when I say it, the attractions we have will blow away every pony in Equestria." "What kind of attractions would those be." said Twilight, skeptical of Uncle Orange's boasting. "Maybe something cool like aliens, or zombies," said Spike. "I highly doubt that Spike." "Or maybe it's an island of small miniature ponyworlds, and they all sing the same song everywhere you go all day long." said Pinkie. "Whatever," Twilight continued, "Why do you need our help?" "Well, I have this lawyer in my company. Maybe you know her. Daisy?" "Oh yeah, Daisy Whitepetal. She used to own the flowershop in Ponyville with Lily and Junebug." "Yes, well Celestia and Luna are her clients and they recommended you all, especially you Ms. Sparkle. The princess trusts your judgement more than any other pony." Twilight blushed. "Well that's certainly flattering." "Twilight! Do you know what this means?!" screamed Pinkie Pie. "A vacation to a zoo on a private island. I bet there's elephants, and rhinos, and kudus, and lions, and tigers, and bears..." "Oh my." squeaked Flutterhsy. "Gee, Mr. Orange." said Twilight. "It's a nice offer, but I'm not so sure." "Darling, how can you not be sure. A weekend getaway has literally fallen out of the sky into our hooves, and you're not sure about it?!" Twilight thought for a minute. Her mentor did request them to help Uncle Orange out. "Did I mention you'll be staying in five-star accommodations with great amenities, all expenses paid." Rarity squeezed Twilight's neck in joy. "Did you hear that Twilight, five star accommodations! What will it take to convince you?" "Maybe not choking me to death?" Rarity let her go. "I can be packed in five minutes!" Pinkie got into Twilight's face, also eager to go. "Can we go Twilight? Can we? Huh? Huh? Huh?" "What kind of park is this anyway?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Well let me put it like this. It's unlike any zoo you ever seen." "Well I'm in." Said Rainbow. "Me too." said Applejack. "Try and stop me." said Pinkie Pie. "I'll come too, if it's alright?" Fluttershy whispered. Twilight still wasn't sure, but seeing the eagerness on her friends faces, she couldn't say no. "Well...Why not. Let's go." "WooHooo!" Pinkie cheered blowing a party horn. "Alright!" said Rainbow. "Weekend trip!" "YeeHaw!" "Yay." "Meet me outside Ponyville tomorrow. We depart first thing in the morning." The group cheered each other with their mugs of cider toasting their upcoming trip. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I don't understand." Applebloom whined while watching her sister pack her saddle bags. "You said we'd be goin fishin this weekend." "I know I promised you fishin Applebloom, but somethin important has come up that the girls and I need to do." "What is it?" "We gotta go and inspect this zoo resort on an island. Princess Celestia wants us to sign off on it so it can open later this year." Applebloom suddenly got excited. A trip to a zoo resort sounded like fun. "I wanna go to! I love the zoo!" "Sorry sis, but this ain't some two day vacation. It's important business. Big pony stuff." "But?" "No buts." Applebloom pouted with disappointment. She hated being left out of something exciting because she was too little. "Now don't have a long face. We'll go fishin next week. I gotta skidadle. The other ponies are probably waiting for me. Ya'll be a good girl for Granny Smith now." While her sister headed for the door, Applebloom tried to think of a way she could go to the island too. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Uncle Orange's helicopter had relocated to the meadows outside Ponyville, and was waiting for the Mane Six to arrive. Twilight was already there with Spike behind her. Pinkie Pie skipped her way there as Rainbow Dash swooped down from the clouds. "Hey girls. We all set?" "Almost." Said Twilight. "We're still waiting for Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity." "Oh my gosh," said Pinkie. "I'm so excited about this, I've never been so excited in all my life, except all those other times I was really excited, but I mean come on this is a zoo vacation, it's even more exciting than chocolate rain and..." "Twilight." Said Spike. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" "Yes Spike. I'm sure. Somepony has to be here to watch the library." The baby dragon snorted a puff of smoke. "Ahh, it sounded really fun." "I know it does buddy, but it's really more of a business trip than a vacation. Maybe you and I will go when it's fully open. It'll be much more fun then." Spike went into full mope. He hated feeling left out of the ponies' adventures. "Come on, you'll have the library to yourself for two days. Hey, I've been saving jewels for you in the top cabinets. You could make that jewel desert you've been dreaming about." Spike was enticed by this proposition. He did enjoy having the library to himself. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. "Well, now that you put it that way." Daisy trotted up to the group. "Hello Twilight. I'm Daisy, the attorney representing the princesses." "I remember you." said Twilight. "I haven't seen you since you move to Manehattan." "Yes, we'll is the rest of the travelling party here yet." "Not yet." answered Twilight. "We're still missing half the..." Applejack trotted up. "I'm here. I'm here. Who we missin?" "Rarity and Fluttershy." said Rainbow Dash. "Here they come!" Pinkie skipped. Rarity pranced up to the copter, dressed in a big sunhat and sunglasses. Fluttershy was carrying Rarity's stack of suitcases and a trunk on her back. She strained under the weight. "Morning girls." said Rarity cheerfully. "Um...Rarity..." said Fluttershy. "Are you sure you have everything?" "Gosh Rarity." said Twilight. "It's only a two day trip, do you really need so much luggage?" "Well as any fashionable girl like me knows, whenever you go on any trip you pack their bear essentials, and make sure you have plenty of extras just in case." "Can I put these down now?" Fluttershy whimpered. "Of course dear." Flutters collapsed to the ground. The bags fell off her back. "Ouch!" said a small muffled voice. "Sorry." Fluttershy jumped. "Who said that?" "Hmm," Twilight looked at Rarity's trunk. She opened it with her magic and the Cutie Mark Crusaders fell out gasping for air. "It's hot in there." said Scootaloo. "No wonder it was so heavy." Twilight laughed. "Stowaways." "Cutie Mark Crusaders?" said Applejack sternly. "What ya'll doin here. Yer supposed to be back home with Granny Smith." "I know sis, but I told Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo about where ya'll were goin and they wanted to go and they talked me into stowinaway inside Rarity's trunk." "Nice try you three but yer not comin with us, and that's final. Now march yer hides back to Sweet Apple Acres." "You mean they're not coming?" asked Uncle Orange. "Well no, Uncle Orange. We didn't want them to, this bein important business and all..." "Nonsense. Of course they can come. I insist." The crusader's faces lit up with delight. "You mean it?" said Scootaloo excitedly. "Yes. In fact I'd love for you three to come. My special zoo is made especially for ponies like you." "Yaayyyy!" "Are you sure Uncle?" asked Applejack. "We wouldn't wanna trouble ya none." "No trouble at all Applejack. Now were running late. Everypony, onboard." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In Canterlot, the millionaire pony known as Filthy Rich made his way through the streets towards a cafe. Outside the cafe, Derpy Hooves was dining on muffins and some hot chocolate. She noticed Filthy and waved him over. "Mr. Rich!" Filthy came over and sat across from her. "We don't have much time." said Filthy. "I trust you're going to the island soon?" "In ten minutes." "Good, now you remember which embryos you're retrieving for me." "Surely. You remember our deal, right?" "Of course. You're the only pony I know who'll work for muffins." Derpy grinned her cross-eyed smile. Filthy Rich pulled out a can of shaving cream. "You'll transport them back to me in this." "How's it work?" Flithy unscrewed the bottom of the can revealing a holding mechanism that snapped up to hold the vials in place. "That's so cool." "All you have to do is get this can to the boat before it leaves for Equestria. Thanks to you I can put the plans forward on my own park, and run Mr. Orange out of business." "Pleasure to be of service to ya." "You better get going. And you know what to say if you get caught right?" Derpy smiled. "I just don't know what went wrong."