With their selective weapons the two Equestrian beings followed the large tracks into the jungle. While it seemed like a very unlikely match between the two, Goliath actually had a lot of respect for Point Blank, more respect than Anypony else on this island. The two had grown to respect each other through the hunting trips the two have taken over the years, and now the biggest hunting challenge was somewhere close by.
The two made their way through the foliage, trying to avoid making as much noise as possible. After several moments they heard a small creature up ahead making squeaking noises. Then the smell and flies hit them. Swatting the annoying creatures aside, the two carefully came to four-foot circular rampart of dried mud. Peering inside, the two found the creature making the noise.
“It’s the rex nest!” Point Blank said quietly to the griffon. Inside the nest the squeaking creature was in fact a tyrannosaur infant picking at a dead carcass. It looked up at the two hunters, tilting its head curiously, until it grew bored and went back to his food. Goliath peered over his shoulder.
“Infant’s probably only a few weeks old. Never been out of the nest.” The griffon reasoned. “Offspring that young, parents won’t leave it alone for long.” The griffon looked around anxiously.
“Make a blind here? Wait for the buck to return?” Point Blank suggested. Goliath thought about the idea, shaking his head in disagreement.
“If the nest is upwind, so are we.” Goliath argued quietly, looking over his shoulder once more. “When he comes back, he’ll know we’re here before we have a chance.” He then looked down to the Rex Infant, a plan forming in his mind. “The trick is……make him go where we want him to…..”
Night had fallen over the island as Luna’s crescent moon rose into the sky. The creatures of the island had begun to fall into their natural slumber, with the exception of one creature. Chained to a spike embedded into the ground, the Rex infant wailed in pain into the night. During the struggle to contain it here, Goliath and Point Blank were rather furious when Blueblood accidently stepped on the creature’s leg, breaking it in the process. This would however work in the two’s favor if they wanted the Buck to show up. The infant cried out in pain as the two equestrians perched themselves into their blind, high up into a tree and downwind from the infant. The Buck would never know they were there.....
The hunters had their base camp up and running after several hours of work. Half a dozen tents have been pitched, their vehicles were off to the side and they had a blue laser perimeter fence all online. If anything tried to get into the camp they would know. They did not however have a look out on the ride located just above the camp. The ponies that Scorch had sent used this to their advantage, spying down upon the hunters. Tree Hugger peered down at the containers that held the capture dinosaurs.
“Carninthosaurus…..compsognathus…..triceratops….pachycephalosaurus….looks like they went for herbivores or small scavengers.” She noted quietly to her friends.
“This is why Scorch was in big hurry to get us all here…..he knew they were coming.” Applejack said. Tech peered down through a pair of binoculars.
“They got some big toys.” The pony said in awe. “State of the art, brand new. They came prepared.”
“What are they doing here? Are they actually gonna build another park here after what you said happened on the other island?” Babs asked quietly. The three experience mares thought hard.
“No.” Rarity shook her head. “They’re not building anything.”
“They’re moving these animals out of here. Taking them back to the mainland” Fluttershy said quietly. Tech looked overhead at the clouds beginning to form.
“We should go back to camp for the night.” He suggested. Applejack nodded.
“Ah gotta get Bab’s outta here. Anypony care to join us?” The little filly pouted at the idea of leaving, but Fluttershy was all for it. Tree Hugger and Big Mac on the other hoof didn’t look like they were gonna budge.
“Come on you two, our work has been messed up by their presence.” The pegasus mare argued. “What Scorch needed to sway the public opinion was a record of his Lost World before it was found. It’s too late for that!” Big Mac stared down long and hard at the group, before he began rummaging through his saddle bag. Tree Hugger turned to her friends.
“We can’t let them get away with it Fluttershy.”
“What do you want us to do about it?”
“Ah think ah should let you ponies know.” Mac said, getting the groups attention. “Scorch warned be ahead a time that these fella’s might show up. He honestly thought we’d have time to finish before they got here. But, in case we didn’t, he sent a back-up plan.”
“What back up plan?” Rarity asked confused. The stallion then pour the contents of his saddle bag out, revealing a wide arrange of tools including bolt cutters and pry bars.
“Me.”
“What are you gonna do?” Babs asked curiously. Rarity’s eyes widened.
“We’re gonna stick it to Blueblood darlings. Count me in Big Mac.” The unicorn mare said, joining the stallion. Tree Hugger joined the two without a moment’s notice. Applejack began shaking her head.
“Please, listen to me. We’re all teeterin’ on the edge of a very dangerous situation here. It’s Gambler’s Ruin.” Big Mac rolled his eyes at his little sister.
“The what?” Babs asked.
“Basically once things go bad, they tend to stay bad. Bad things cluster and it all goes downhill from there.” Fluttershy explained.
“It’s gonna get bad, for them.” Mac said, looking down at the hunters. The southern mare knew she wasn’t going to convince them to abandon this suicidal idea.
“Get back to camp when yer done doin’ what yer gonna do.” She said to the three, before leaving with Tech, Babs and Fluttershy. Mac gathered his tools back up into his saddlebag, before leading the two mares with him down a foliage covered slope and into the camp.
As the group snuck their way into the camp, Prince Blueblood was currently in the middle of a telecast press conference with both the investors of his new company and the board of directors all the way back in Manehatten. The video quality might have been a little shaky, but they could see and hear everything Blueblood said.
“InGen is seeking limited partners to defray some of our expenses.” The prince said into the camera. “The prospectus you’ve been given details our projected hardware and construction expenses.” The stallion trotted over to two tiny little cages holding two compys within them. “As you can see by my two friends here, the software is already fully developed.” Blueblood bent over and peered into the two cages as the little dinosaurs squeaked. “One might say……it’s be up and running. In a moment I’ll take you on a stroll through the camp and you’ll see some larger more impressive specimens.”
As the prince continued his conference, Big Mac, Rarity and Tree Hugger silently came out of the brush and into the heart of the camp that was now lit up by several spotlights.
“Wow….” Mac said quietly as the three moved to a large cage holding a Stegosaurus within. The beast turned at looked at the three before letting out a roar. Thankfully none of the hunters took this as a warning. The three ponies walked around the corner of the cage, and found the door. Rarity used her magic to pull the large pin out, before opening the door just a crack.
“You don’t bring ponies half way around the world to visit a zoo.” They heard Blueblood said in his conference. “You bring the zoo to them.” The prince had the camera lower down at the model in front of him. “Manehatten is the perfect setting. Ponies all over already associate our beautiful city with animal attractions, like the Manehatten Zoo and Sea World among others.”
The three ponies silently moved from cage to cage, pulling the pins out and opening the doors so the creatures within would be free. Mac came to a stop outside the largest cage that held a full grown Triceratops. Tree Hugger and Rarity joined the stallion as the beast let out a loud snort, blowing mist into the air. Mac had the two mares stand back as he pulled out the belt cutters, snapping the metal lock to the door.
“Scorch Firefly knew this.” Blueblood said to his investors in Manehatten. “Before he ever dreamt of an island….he began construction on an amphitheatre very near to where you’re sitting now.” He had the camera zoom in on the model in front of the group watching. “But he abandoned it in favor of something far grander and ultimately impossible. And so, the facility sits unused, unfinished, when it could be completed and ready for visitors in less than a month.” The prince took a sip from the metal cup he held. At that moment a loud rumble could be felt before the Triceratops roared and came barging right through the tent, destroying the camera equipment inside before ramming a truck and flipping it.
Bloody Dagger came scrambling out of his tent, watching as hunters and dinosaurs scurried about in panic as the hunters tents began to burn. He was caught completely off guard as the jeep off to his left exploded, launching into the air. The explosion caught the attention of Goliath and Point Blank from their blind.
”Blank look out! Jump!” The griffon said as the two abandoned their tree as the jeep came crashing down in the spot the two were just hiding. Goliath helped his hunting partner up before the two ran off in the direction of their camp. They failed to notice Big Mac hiding out in the bushes. Soon as the two passed, Mac ran from his spot and up the trail, pausing at the Rex Infant, still moaning in horrible pain. Noticing the broken leg, he made a decision. Against better judgement, the stallion pulled the stake out of the ground….
At the camp Bloody Dagger was pulled back onto his hooves by two hunters. The stallion shook the two off, before turning right into the furious eyes of Goliath.
“That’s the last time I leave you in charge.” The griffon said with a dangerous growl. Then he went about making sure the others in the group weren’t seriously injured or wounded.
Tree Hugger and Rarity made a run for it the moment the Triceratops burst through the hunters main tent.
“That’ll set them back a few days. Weeks even.” Tree Hugger said happily. The unicorn trotted over to their vehicle.
“Where’s Big Mac?” She asked. Before Tree Hugger could answer, Rarity noticed ripples in the water behind them. She trotted over in curiosity as Big Mac wadded through the murky water. Then the two mares heard the wailing of the creature on the stallion’s back. “Big Mac are you out of your mind?!” Rarity asked, getting a good look at the creature.
“It’s got a broken leg!” Mac argued. “Let’s get in the car before they hear us!” Tree Hugger hurried over and opened the back door to their vehicle.
“Do you have any idea what that is?!” Rarity shrieked, looking at the Rex infant in great fear and disdain.
“Oh boy…..Fluttershy and Applejack are not gonna like this.” Tree Hugger said as Mac loaded the infant into the vehicle.
Back at the now ruined hunter camp thunder rolled over head. Goliath examined all the cages, yet he could not find any sign of something foal. Bloody Dagger examined the Triceratops cage, and found something scattered about the ground. He picked up the now busted lock and tossed it to the griffon. Goliath examined it as Blueblood trotted over in great disdain.
“What’s going on?!”
“Isnt it obvious?” Goliath asked, looking out into the jungle. “We’re not alone on this island.” The griffon promptly tossed the lock into the burning fire.