Season 1
Episode 2 — Troll Has a Bad Day
A celestial court hands down a very specific punishment… and the jungle gets weird fast.
Scene 1 — Celestial Court
PREVIOUSLY THAT DAY… VISUAL DESCRIPTION Somewhere beyond time and space, beings of a mystical realm deliberate on what is to become of one of their own. The celestial court convenes… In a bright, navy-blue sky on the edge of space (Earth far below), three white glowing orbs coalesce into old judges with kind faces and an angel-like appearance. They hover behind an invisible bench in the sky, with spectrum colors filling the air and the impression of beautiful fields, trees, flowers, and hills behind them. A magnificent white-robed angel with huge black wings — buff, handsome, imposing — faces the three celestial judge entities. He looks down at his feet, scuffing them like a bored kid, nervously fiddling with his fingers. The three entities look as if they are passing sentence from the bench of some heavenly courtroom.
Art slot — celestial court wide shot
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Scene 2 — Sentence
JUDGE ENTITY 2 "Thagius Spoozikm Gumwillows, keeper of the orbs, balancer of meteors and other sundry space-time debris for the Earth realm, thou hast been found guilty of having a grumpy attitude that is not in keeping with thine station of elemental protector of Earth." JUDGE ENTITY 1 "Being 'bored' with the task of balancing Earth energies from the etheric realms not good enough for you?" JUDGE ENTITY 1 (mocking caricature of Troll) "'I'm not a darned Fae,' you say?" JUDGE ENTITY 1 (stern, leaning over an invisible bench) "'Correcting energy imbalances in the etheric streams is for sissies,' is it?" JUDGE ENTITY 3 "It is hereby decreed that thou art to escort one lone unicorn — a worthy challenge thou shalt find — a being who is also a forcibly incarnate air elemental on the Earth plane. Oh… and Sparkles is part of the fae, so you two will get along." JUDGE ENTITIES (They stifle laughter as Judge Entity 3 continues.) JUDGE ENTITY 3 "He too was pretty annoying, so you two are to assist one another… in a particular time-space location of huge significance to the great balance." JUDGE ENTITY 2 "Thou shalt escort Unicorn to a location on Earth, that THOU HAST to know as 'Mysterious Mountain.' Do this, and all will be forgiven. And so for now…" JUDGE ENTITIES (in unison) "…THOU ART BANISHED!" JUDGE ENTITY 3 (hands raised) "Banished to the Earth plane to cool off and learn some gratitude. Peace, dude."
Art slot — “THOU ART BANISHED!” moment
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Scene 3 — Falling
VISUAL DESCRIPTION Judge Entity 2 clicks his fingers — a flash. Thag starts falling, and the three celestial judges fade away into the sky as the angel plummets toward the distant ground. THAG (falling through the atmosphere, changing form) "Guys! Please, it's a savage and backwards time and place. They don't even have internet in this time! Seriously, I'll stop complaining… honestly! Guys! I'm sorry! Please! No! Argh!!!! Noooooo!!! …" JUDGE ENTITY 3 (calling down, voice getting quieter as Thag falls) "FIND SPARKLES! … MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAIN! ... all will be forgiven…." VISUAL DESCRIPTION Thag becomes a beautiful ball of energy (black wings remaining), wrapped around a glowing orb of his former angel form, falling with re-entry flames. He begins coalescing into a more… “interesting”… humanoid form, above a prehistoric jungle clearing. He lands with a thump, leaving his impression in the earth. TROLL "Ooof!!" VISUAL DESCRIPTION With smoke on his body and a few flames on his brown groin-tunic thing, he stamps out flames and looks around, slowly adapting to his new physical form. He looks at his hands and feet and facepalms.
Scene 4 — A Very Bad Day
TROLL (grumbling) "Great. Just great. Stuck here. And I have no idea about this 'mysterious mountain'." TROLL (turns pale with horror) "Oh no. And I have to find a unicorn?" TROLL (shouting at the heavens) "I HATE UNICORNS!!" VISUAL DESCRIPTION Troll wanders through the jungle and stumbles upon a playful magical unicorn, chasing butterflies and enjoying the beauty of prehistoric Earth. UNICORN (laughing) "Hi Thpooz!" TROLL (sighs) "What the?? You must be…" UNICORN "THPARKLES! 'Member me?" TROLL (grits teeth, grimaces) "They thaid you can thow me how to get to Mythteriouth mounthain to help me get therious!" "I can be theriousth Thpooz!" TROLL (wincing) "Yeah… see, I'm just gonna go ahead and call you Unicorn, OK? And you can call me Troll. Understood?" UNICORN (excited) "Awthome! We are now friendth going on a fun adventure! I love having friendth. Letth go, Troll!!" TROLL "Umm… let's get this over with." UNICORN (walking into the distance with Troll) "Tho, whatth thith mythteriouth mountain thing?... I bet it hath candy in it... I love rainbowth…"
Art slot — Troll meets Sparkles
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Scene 5 — Back to Where We Left Them
NARRATION And so it was that Troll and Unicorn came together on a journey to find Mysterious Mountain (for some reason). But now, we must fast forward to where we last saw them; beamed to safety into the prehistoric jungle with two human children: Susie and Timmy… TIMMY "Up." TROLL (looks down at Timmy, who is raising his arms.) SUZIE "He wants you to pick him up. He likes you. Do you know where we are?" TROLL "Kid… I have literally no—" VISUAL DESCRIPTION A colorful beam of glowing air from above cuts Troll off mid-sentence. Troll ducks. A spherical metallic device hovers above the group, projecting visual phenomena. It has a Paleotech logo, flashing red-and-blue lights like a police car. TROLL "RUN!"
Art slot — shepherd drone appears
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Scene 6 — The Drone & the Core
VISUAL DESCRIPTION Troll (Timmy on shoulders) and the group run into the deep forest. Looking back toward the clearing, they seem to have lost the drone. SUZIE "Why is there a shepherd drone chasing after us? What's going on? I want my mum." TIMMY (reacts to Susie's worry; lower lip curls like he's about to cry.) UNICORN (matter-of-fact) "I know. Itth a game!! Acthually I love gameth!" TIMMY (cheers up immediately and laughs.) TROLL "Little girl, I have no idea what you just said, but we better stay hidden in the forest here until I can figure things out. I am having a REALLY bad day, so I… I need to think about what the heck is going on here." UNICORN "Letth go thith way!" VISUAL DESCRIPTION Unicorn gallops into the forest and bumps into a huge metallic round sphere nestled in jungle foliage. DRONE (in the sky) "SCANNING… TARGETS ACQUIRED." VISUAL DESCRIPTION The drone swoops through branches, sees the group through digital vision. They stare at the massive sphere. DRONE "REACTOR CORE LOCATED." TROLL "What's that noise?" VISUAL DESCRIPTION The drone stops in front of the sphere, plays a cell-phone-like musical notification, and emits colorful visual phenomena. DRONE "You have… 2… new… notifications. Would you like to read them… Susie Harrington?" TROLL (sits, rubbing his head) "What in celestial heck is going on?" UNICORN (sitting on top of the huge metal sphere, awestruck) "Thath the prety lady voith in the funny plathe we went! Ball doethn't wanth to eat me anymore." NOTE TO ARTIST This is the actual ship reactor core — the one that blew up. How and why… that’s a story for another time 😉
Art slot — reactor core found in the jungle
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Scene 7 — Dr. D Calls
DRONE "Notification 1: LIVE CALL. Connecting..." VISUAL DESCRIPTION A hologram of a man appears — triumphant gleam. DR D (HOLOGRAM) "Ah, children! I see that my trusty drone has found you! How are you enjoying the delights of your mummy and daddy's playroom? Hahahahaha!!!!" ALMOST OFF-SCREEN BOB (Dr D's assistant) (whispering into Dr D's ear) "Uh, sorry sir, there…" DR D "Not now, Weener, can't you see I am busy?" OFF-SCREEN BOB "But sir!... it's Weiner, sir, and—" DR D "Not NOW, Weener! I am gloating to these brats. By now you will have realized you are actually in my facility, and your precious mummy and daddy's technology is under my control." (mocking) "Would Timmy like to see his mummy and daddy?" VISUAL DESCRIPTION Inside the hologram, a man and woman appear in volumetric projection, replacing Dr D. SUZIE AND TIMMY "Mummy! Daddy! We were in this big cool playroom and there was this explosion and there were walking bananas and—" VISUAL DESCRIPTION Dr D appears again beside the parents in a 3D tele-conference. MRS HARRINGTON "Darlings, are you all right? (frowns) What have you done NOW, Drake?" DR D "That's Dr Draconus to you, Evangeline. Oh, I just captured your kids. In exchange for their safe return to your DIMENSION…" (evil grin) "…you will sign over the rights to Paleotech to me. Isn't that right, former chairman of the board… Percival Harrington?" MR HARRINGTON "Whatever you think you have done, Dilbert, you won't get away with it." DR D "But oh… I already have… WEENER, I SAID NOT NOW!!!!" BOB WEINER (from Dr D’s side, looking at the kids’ hologram) "But sir, the children are no longer in our custody… sir… And it's WEINER — like as in a fine wine, sir — not EE as in week, sir. Sorry, sir…" VISUAL DESCRIPTION Dr D hits Bob over the head with a book. Bob whimpers and cowers. MRS HARRINGTON (to kids) "Children, you are in danger! I'm so sorry, sweetie. Susie, use your Nanocom and get back to a safe transfer point. I think it's in our main facility in the extinct volcano. I don't know what is happening, children, but we'll get to the bottom of this. Where are you now? You have to get to a transfer station—" VISUAL DESCRIPTION The parents’ feed fades into static as Dr D cuts the signal. DR D "Damn you, Bob, you incompetent imbecile. I trusted you with just one task to redirect the matter strea—" BOB "But sir, the transfer worked… however they have somehow been rescued. Surveillance satellites show a diminutive equine and a large humanoid… umm… monster… escorting Timothy and Susana Harrington away from an explosion…" DR D "What explosion? This is impossible! A… monster??" TROLL (to the hologram) "Hey, ugly? Who you calling a monster?" VISUAL DESCRIPTION Dr D’s face turns to horror as a hideous grey beast comes into view from the forest-side transmission. The hologram abruptly cuts out.
Art slot — Dr. D holo-call / parents warning
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Scene 8 — Second Call… Interrupted
DRONE "Notification 2: LIVE CALL. Connecting..." A projection of a strange-looking feminine alien humanoid in a stylish uniform appears. CEREBRA (HOLOGRAM) "Greetings, humans. I am Cerebra — this ship's computer — and I need your help! My ship has been sequestered by huma—" pzzzzt… CRUNCH. VISUAL DESCRIPTION A huge green menacing dinosaur emerges from the forest and stamps on the drone, crushing it before it can finish the message. TROLL "RUN!!!!"
Art slot — dinosaur crushes the drone
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Scene 9 — Swamp Crossing
VISUAL DESCRIPTION Troll grabs Timmy back onto his shoulders and everyone runs deeper into the jungle. They skid to a halt at the shore of a huge swampy lake filled with large, lumpy, smooth rocks. Crashing noises and stomping footsteps approach behind them. TROLL "We have to get to the other side!" VISUAL DESCRIPTION Unicorn bounces rock-to-rock, happily, nearly reaching the far shore. TROLL (lifts Susie under his arm, Timmy still on shoulders) SUSIE "Woow!" TROLL "Unicorn, we could have used your help here!" VISUAL DESCRIPTION Troll jumps onto the first rock… then the second… and watches in horror: the rock Unicorn is on… moves. Tentacles rise. Teeth appear. All the “rocks” reveal sharp teeth and tentacles. UNICORN (from near the far shore, dodging easily) "Ithn't thith fun?!" VISUAL DESCRIPTION Troll slips mid-leap. The kids tumble. Below them: the jaws of a rock monster—then above them: a huge purple hovering spaceship. A light-blue tractor beam envelopes the falling group. They rise toward the ship, but the emitter sputters — sparks fly. The kids begin to fall. Troll hangs on with one arm and uses magic with the other to levitate the kids. Prehistoric flying reptiles swoop in and peck at Troll’s face and arms. Timmy and Susie take pot shots with a plasma-based kid slingshot from below. TIMMY "I like this game!"
Art slot — swamp rocks reveal tentacles + tractor beam rescue
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Scene 10 — The Rescue Ship
VISUAL DESCRIPTION The ship drags them toward a clearing and lands. The kids and Troll lie exhausted on the ground. A drone emerges from a hatch — same spherical type, but with no Paleotech markings or police lights. The drone hovers in front of the four and projects a hologram. CEREBRA "As I was saying, before I was so rudely cut off… my name is Cerebra, this ship's computer… and I need your help!"
Art slot — Cerebra reveal / friendly drone
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Scene 11 — Mountain Lair
INT. MOUNTAIN LAIR DESCRIPTION Somewhere in a secret mountain lair on future Earth, a solitary figure crouches in the corner of a dimly lit cell. A pile of technical gadgets and components lies scattered, along with paper covered in unintelligible scribblings. A door swings open. Two humans stand silhouetted in the entrance: one wearing a cape, arms on hips like a triumphant superhero caricature; the other with clenched fists and an imposing demeanor. BOB "Looks like our guest is awake, sir." DR D (steps into a beam of light with an evil grin) END OF EPISODE 2
Art slot — Dr. D enters the cell
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Want the full Episode 2 adventure? Read Troll & Unicorn Episode 2: Troll Has a Bad Day on Amazon.
Next up: ← Episode 1