Symphony of Sorcery
Land of the Dinosaurs
65 million years
After the horrible battle between Charlie the Stegosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus, our heroes never felt so melancholy. Much like the time when they almost lost Snow White and Pinocchio, they sadly lost a dear friend. This time, Charlie would not come back. The other dinosaurs shared the same sadness. Charlie sacrificed himself for them all and no one stepped up to help him. All night they were silent, but what could they say? Fluttershy cried the most, while her friends weren’t doing any better.
Twilight sat on her haunches, staring at the ground sadly. She sat in shock, repeating the same scenario in her head of Charlie brutally killed by the Tyrannosaurus while she and her friends did nothing to help. All because she didn’t want any of her other friends to share the same fate. The guilt overtook her, it didn’t take long to lose all her strength. Tears rolled down her cheeks, as Twilight sobbed uncontrollably like the one time, when she drank Zecora’s potion and thinking Celestia died.
“What have I done?” She asked, softly.
She wasn’t asking for a specific pony, but everypony heard. They just eyed Twilight while she mourned.
“We should have helped him; he’d be alive if we did,” Twilight cried. “Why didn’t we… Why didn’t I do something?!”
Spike slowly approached Twilight Sparkle, placing a claw along her back.
“Don’t blame yourself, Twilight,” Spike said, softly. “It all happened unexpectedly. It’ll be alright.”
“No, it won’t,” She sniffed. “I’ve ruined everything. I shouldn’t have stopped any of you from coming to his aid. Now Charlie’s dead because of me; it’s all my fault!”
Twilight bawled until her eyes turned red. Her other friends approached their friend, doing their best to comfort her.
“It ain’t your fault, Twilight,” Applejack said. “It’s nopony’s fault.”
“But it’s true!” Twilight insists. “Charlie was our friend and I failed. I’m supposed to be the Princess of Friendship, not the Princess of Murder!”
Jiminy hopped onto Twilight’s muzzle, as the princess turned to him with teary eyes.
“Twilight look at me,” Jiminy spoke. “It’s not your fault Charlie’s dead. He sacrificed himself to protect us all. There was nothing more we could do.”
“But… Charlie,” Twilight said. “The other dinosuars…”
“Nopony blames you, Twilight. Not the dinosaurs, not your friends, not even Charlie. Blaming yourself will do you no good.”
“Then what do we do now? That predator killed our friend and there’s nothing we can do to bring him back.”
“Maybe not, but we can’t stay sad forever. Charlie would never want that. We have to keep him in our hearts, that’s how he’ll stay alive.”
Twilight slowly nodded, but while she understood she was still very sad. Before she knew it, the mother Diplodocus approached her bringing her head to her level. She could see the guilt and sorry on the unicorn/alicorn’s face. But the eyes alone told Twilight that she and her friends are not to blame. Twilight gazed upon the dinosaur for a few seconds before turning back to Jiminy.
“It’s not your fault, Twilight,” Jiminy said, comforting. “I promise.”
Twilight still couldn’t help but shed a few tears, as the mother Diplodocus nudged her big head against hers as any mother comforting a child. She knew Jiminy was right, they all knew Charlie wouldn’t want them to be sad forever. They mourned for him, paying their respects to him, but they had to move on while keeping Charlie in their hearts forever.
A few days passed since then, our heroes spent time with the other dinosaurs. They played and took care of the babies, hung out with some of the adults, and tried to avoid predators. Despite Charlie’s death, they did their best to have a good time. During which, the Equestrians and dinosaurs grew particularly fond of each other.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie because the best friends no one could have for the Triceratops babies; The Stegosaurus herd, especially Charlie’s friends and relatives, grew fond of Fluttershy to the point of making her an honorary Stegosaur; similar experiences happened between Rarity and the Parasaurolophus herd, Octavia and Vinyl with the Gryposaurus herd, Spike and Jiminy with the Plateosaurus herd, and even Rainbow Dash with the Apatosaurus herd.
The biggest bond of all stemmed from Twilight and the Diplodocus family. During the travel, they spent time with another every day, as if they were an actual family. Twilight being like a daughter to the mother, and sister to the young ones. Even though she has a family back home or they still had sheet music to find, she almost didn’t want to leave.
It was during this time the Equestrians and dinosaurs turned in for the night. Pinkie Pie and Applejack slept with the Triceratops family, with Pinkie the only one awake, petting ‘Cera’ to sleep.
“Good night, Cera,” Pinkie said, softly before falling asleep.
Fluttershy was asleep with the Stegosaurus herd, cuddling close to an elder whom she learned was Charlie’s grandmother; Spike and Jiminy slept with the Plateosaurus herd, Spike sleeping on the back of a teen and Jiminy atop of Spike’s back; Rarity slept with the Parasaurolophus, tucked closed to and by the tail of the alpha; and Octavia and Vinyl slept with the Gryposaurs, each sleeping close to one another.
“Tavi?” Vinyl says to Octavia.
“Hmm?” Octavia said, sleepily.
“Do ya think we’ll ever find that sheet music?”
“I believe we will, Vinyl. Sure, it has been a few days and we haven’t found a sign of it, but… I believe we’ll find it eventually. In the meantime, let’s just enjoy the time we have with our new friends.”
“Yeah, good point. Thanks.”
“You are welcome.”
The two were soon getting ready to fall asleep, making themselves comfortable.
“Tavi?” Vinyl asked.
“Yes?” Octavia asked, sleepily.
“Even if we do get stuck here for a while, I’m glad its with my best friend.”
“Good night, Vinyl.”
Vinyl smiled and shrugged, shaking her head before rolling back to sleep. But unbeknownst to her, Octavia was slightly awake and when Vinyl wasn’t looking the celloist smiled warmly.
In the meantime, Twilight slept with the Diplodocus family, the babies snuggling close to Twilight to make a bundle, as Twilight snuggled close to them in return. Finally, the mother Diplodocus rests her head and neck, encircling around her biological children and honorary daughter.
“You’re a really great mother, you know that?” Twilight says, lying her head down. “Thank you for the warmth.”
Finally, Twilight closed her eyes, drifting off into the dream world. But it was during this night… When all would change.
(Play music at 16:48)
While everyone was asleep, something terrible happened. Black clouds quietly surround our heroes, as the Equestrians went through another time sprint. It’s been quite a while since they experienced during the evolution of single-celled organisms to amphibians, but this one was completely different.
When they awoke the next morning, they gasped when they noticed something drastically changed. The landscape was different: No trees, no plants, and no lakes. Everything was dried up, nothing but sand, rocks, and mountains. The Equestrians looked on in shock; the entire valley had become a wasteland.
“What happened here?” Twilight asked. “Where’s the valley?”
“And why is it so hot this time of the year?” Octavia asked, already feeling the heat.
“Phew, we better get our sunscreen on or we’ll be as red as Big Mac’s coat,” Pinkie suggests.
Pinkie pulls out the sunscreen lotion from her saddle bag, pouring a large goop into her hoof and smeared it on every inch of her body. Luckily, she had more than enough for the rest of her friends to shield them from the scorching sun.
“Hope we have plenty o’water,” Applejack said, fanning herself with her hat. “It’s getting’ mighty toasty out here.”
Twilight looked around in worry, not a trace of life was in sight.
“Where are the dinosaurs?”
“With such devastation to the ecosystem,” Jiminy observed. “I’m starting to fear the worst.”
“They can’t be… Dead, are they?” Rainbow asked, nervously. “Or at least all of them?”
“Rainbow’s right,” Twilight said. “If there’s a chance they’re still alive, we must find them.”
“How will we find a herd of dinosaurs in a place like this?” Applejack said. “There isn’t any food.”
“Or water,” Vinyl added.
“And this heat is very bad for my skin,” Rarity complained.
“What choice do we have?” Twilight asked. “They’re our friends and they’re out there trying to survive. They need our help and I won’t lose any more lives.”
“Let’s hope we’re not too late,” Fluttershy said, nervously.
Together, they traversed through the wasteland in search of the missing dinosaur herd.
A few moments later, they still trudged along the wasteland and they were very exhausted. Their bodies sweat heavily from the heat; their tongues hung from their mouths begging for a drop of water. Even Jiminy couldn’t stand it, having to use his umbrella for shade.
“Man, this heat is brutal,” Rainbow said, breathing heavily. “Even my wings can’t stand it.”
“I don’t know what’s hotter, this place or the badlands,” Spike said, struggling to walk.
Pinkie took the worst from the heat, so much she used her tongue to drag herself.
“This heat… Is too… Unbearable!” Rarity said, between breaths. “My mane is a mess! My hooves hurt from walking! I’m TERRIBLY THIRSTY! I’m going to DIE here! Then how long will it be till the vultures feast on my fur and flesh leaving me as a skeleton?! Oh, woe is me! I don’t want to go!”
Applejack had to stand idly by watching Rarity break down dramatically, falling onto the sand despite how hot it was.
“Rarity, you’re not gonna die!” Applejack said, sweating like a pig. “Now stop overreacting!”
“And there’s no vultures in this time,” Jiminy points out. “They haven’t even evolved yet.”
But seeing Rarity still in despair, Applejack took out her water bottle from her bag and approached Rarity.
“Here, drink,” Applejack said, offering her bottle.
“Thank you, Applejack,” Rarity sighed, taking the bottle for a sip. “You truly are a dear.”
“Try to spare your energy. Haven’t you got any water on you?”
“I do.”
“What?! Then why didn’t you take some earlier?
“I was saving it in case any of you ran out. You know how generous I am.”
“Rarity, that’s very sweet of you,” Twilight said. “But you should also think about yourself, we can’t lose you too.”
Eventually, after a few seconds, they were too tired to walk any further.
“Twilight, can’t we take a break?” Octavia asked. “I can’t go any further.
“Me neither,” Fluttershy said, sweating heavily.
The purple unicorn/alicorn looked at her friends. She would insist they move on, but her friends were so tired and thirsty she couldn’t argue.
“Alright, let’s take a break. We could use a drink.”
Resting on the sand, despite how hot it was, they took a sip of water from their bottles. It was very refreshing for our heroes, they felt as if they could walk again.
“Okay, we have to be economical with our water,” Twilight said. “We don’t know how long we’ll be here, but if we ration our supplies we should have enough. How much water do we have left?”
They all gathered their water bottles to determine how much is left. Unfortunately, most of their bottles were half empty. Only Rarity’s was completely full.
“Hmm… Not good,” Twilight observed. “We won’t survive this heat with only this much left. But…”
Twilight soon charged her horn, a lavender aura surrounds Rarity’s bottle and the spell makes ten additional bottles, full of water, appear.
“There, that give us each an additional bottle of water. But remember: Save it for when it becomes too much.”
Everypony nodded in agreement, each taking a bottle and putting it in their saddle bag. They took another look around the wasteland, and all they can see for miles is more sand.
“This is hopeless,” Vinyl sighed. “They could be anywhere.”
“Rainbow, can you fly up and see if you can spot the dinosaurs?” Twilight asked.
“My wings are too exhausted from the heat,” Rainbow said.
“Can’t you try?” Spike asked.
“I’m not sure if I can,” Rainbow admits.
“Please, Rainbow,” Fluttershy begged. “It’s our only chance.”
Rainbow turned to every pony, seeing the desperation in their eyes. She took a deep breath and put a determined look.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try!” Rainbow said, facing her wings. “Wings, don’t fail me now!”
Rainbow flaps her wings very hard, taking off into the sky with all the energy she had. Despite the intense heat, she soared high enough for a good look around the land.
“Are you seeing something?!” Twilight called, from the ground.
“Nothing at a… Wait a second!” Rainbow shouts, her eyes widen. “Yes! I see them! They’re not far from here!”
“She found them!” Twilight said.
Rainbow smiled as she watched everypony cheer. Suddenly, she passed out and fell from the sky. Everypony stopped cheering, gasping in horror as their friend stopped flying.
“She’s falling!” Fluttershy said, her hooves in front of her mouth.
“Some pony do something!” Pinkie yelled.
Twilight’s horn charges up and just before Rainbow hit the ground, the magic caught her. Twilight places her softly on the ground as everypony surrounds the blue Pegasus.
“Give her a little space, please!” Jiminy said.
The little cricket hopped on Rainbow’s belly, looking at her and giving a few light slaps to the cheek.
“Rainbow? Rainbow!”
“Ugh…” Rainbow weakly opened her eyes.
“She needs water, fast!” Jiminy said.
Twilight approaches Rainbow with a bottle of water.
“Wha… What happened?” Rainbow asked, wearily.
“You passed out from the heat,” Jiminy said. “Lucky Twilight caught you, and fortunately you didn’t pass out for long.”
Twilight uses her magic to tip the bottle toward Rainbow’s mouth, while using her hooves to lift Rainbow’s head slightly upward.
“Drink,” Jiminy instructs.
Without hesitation, Rainbow drank from the bottle feeling slightly hydrated.
“Better?”
“A little…” Rainbow sighed.
“Can you stand up?” Twilight asked.
Rainbow slowly stands on her hooves; she still shook but her strength came back.
“You okay, sugar cube?” Applejack asked.
“Much better,” Rainbow said, pointing left. "The dinosaurs are that way; we have to move…”
But Rainbow barely took a step before she almost collapsed. Luckily Vinyl and Octavia caught her before she dropped onto the sand.
“Just chillax for a moment,” Vinyl suggests. “We’ll help you out.”
“You’re the best…” Rainbow said, wearily.
They hiked the trail for a few minutes, eventually discovering the herd at a dried-up water hole. Our heroes were glad to see them, but their smiles fade seeing the poor giants struggle to survive. A Parasaurolophus ate from a dried-up tree, while a Kannemeyeria ate the bark. A Triceratops searched the mud for food and water, while a Corythosaurus and a Gryposaurus drank from a tiny water hole. The more they drank, the quicker the water disappeared. The Kannemeyeria wanted a drink too, while the Grypsoaurus stopped and looked toward the top of a sand dune. He recognized the Equestrians immediately and was happy to see them.
The Gryposaurus gave a low bellow, loud enough to get the attention of the rest of the herd. They turned and saw their pony friends rushing down the sand dune towards the herbivorous giants. They all gave a hug to their favorite dinosaur.
Pinkie and Applejack managed to catch sight of the Triceratops family, and immediately warmly hugged the babies.
“Oh, Cera!” Pinkie exclaims. “We’re so glad you’re alright!”
Octavia and Vinyl managed to find the Gryposaurus herd, hugging each other in comfort; the same happened between Rarity and the Parasaurolophus herd, Spike and Jiminy with the Plateosaurus herd, and Rainbow Dash, fully recovered, with the Apatosaurus herd.
Twilight, meanwhile, kept her eyes open for the Diplodocus family, until finally… Her ears pick up a low sound. She turns around and found the Diplodocus mother calling out to her, the babies close beside her. Twilight, ecstatic upon seeing them, smile at the sight as she immediately ran toward them. She arrived and hugged the mother right away.
“I’m so glad you’re all okay,” Twilight cried, with relief.
When she let go, the mother gives a cheek rub to Twilight, which she happily returned. Like a mother and daughter reunited after so long. Right away, the babies approached and nuzzled against Twilight, which she happily repaid by petting and nuzzling them in turn.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, caught sight of the Stegosaurus herd. She was so happy, she flew fast against the heat and hugged one of them while the others gather around. The one she’s hugging was Charlie’s sister.
“I’m so glad you’re alive,” Fluttershy said, tearfully. “What’s happened to the valley?”
The stegosaurus answers with a few soft growls, as Fluttershy gasped.
“That’s terrible!”
“What did she say?” Twilight asked.
“A few years passed, and the Earth went through some drastic changes,” Fluttershy translated, sadly. “Something caused an extreme drought, destroying the entire valley… Probably the entire world. Many dinosaurs are gone, and now the ones that are left are struggling to survive. Even the little ones…”
“That is terrible,” Spike said.
“She also says there isn’t enough food and water left,” Fluttershy continued, worriedly. “If there’s no more left, they’re all going to starve.”
The Equestrians were shocked hearing Fluttershy’s words.
“Is it just me or does this sound exactly like what Deems told us?” Spike asked.
“It’s exactly what Deems told us,” Twilight said, with a sigh. “The dinosaurs are going to be extinct.”
All the Equestrians felt their hearts break, but none felt it more than Twilight. She looked upon all the dinosaurs they made friends with since they got here. Even if she knew what was coming, she didn’t want them to go… Not now.
“Jiminy, isn’t there anything we can do to help?” Twilight asked, hopefully.
“I’m afraid not, Twilight,” Jiminy said, sadly. “Looks pretty hopeless.”
“But we can’t just let them die!” Twilight said, desperately. “These are our friends!”
“Think of the children!” Octavia insists.
“I’m sorry,” Jiminy shook his head.
Twilight turns back toward the dinosaurs, most still digging for food and drinking from tiny water holes. All the Equestrians could do is keep them company. Rarity was beside the Parasaurolophus when she found a few baby dinosaurs approaching her: A Triceratops, two Diplodocus and a Parasaurolophus. They stare at her with sad eyes, the white mare immediately noticed their stomachs growling.
“Aw, you’re hungry?” Rarity asked, searching her bag. “I think I have something you’d like.”
Eventually she took out some vegetable sandwiches and gave them to each baby dinosaur.
“Here you go, little ones. Eat to your heart’s content.”
The baby dinosaurs devoured their sandwiches like they haven’t eaten in days.
“Now, now, don’t be hasty, darlings. You need to save your energy and learn to share.”
The rest of the group were handing food and water to the dinosaurs when a Triceratops approached three Diplodocus drinking from a small water hole. When he got close enough, he pushed them away to drink forcing the Diplodocus to drink from other holes. But Rainbow didn’t let that go unnoticed.
“Hey!” She shouted. “Don’t act rude, you have to share! All your lives are at stake!”
The dinosaurs heard her and immediately did as she said. Meanwhile, Applejack fed an apple to one of the Triceratops.
“We won’t have enough food if we keep feeding them,” Applejack said. “Otherwise, there won’t be enough for us.”
“But we can’t let them starve and die from dehydration either,” Fluttershy said.
“Then what can we do?” Spike asked.
These were desperate times for our heroes, trying to find a way to help their friends.
“There’s only one thing to do,” Twilight decided, as they all faced her. “We have to leave the valley and find food somewhere else.”
“Somewhere else?” Octavia asked. “But that could be so far and I’m not sure if we’ll make it. How do we know for sure if everything else in the world isn’t dried up too?”
“We can’t stay here, Octavia,” Twilight said. “The only way to stay alive is to move somewhere else.”
The dinosaurs felt unsure, scared of leaving their home. But deep down, they knew Twilight was right. If they want to stay alive, they must leave their destroyed valley. If not for the sake of themselves, they must do it for their children.
“I won’t sugar coat it: It’s going to be hard and probably dangerous, but this is our only hope,” Twilight announced. “The choice is yours: Move to live on or stay and die.”
The dinosaurs faced each other and slowly rose to their feet, ready to leave. Our heroes were ready too.
“Okay, I suggest we go that way,” Twilight points to the right. “Everypony stay close. Are you ready?”
Many of the dinosaurs nodded.
“Alright then… Let’s move!”
Together, the Equestrians and the Dinosaurs march through the wasteland hoping to find more food.
(Play at 17:47)
The Equestrians stayed close with their favorite dinosaurs, as they endured the true enemy of this journey: The sun’s heat. It tortured them, slowing a few down. But even so, they had no other choice but to keep marching. Our heroes had but a limited amount of food and water, uncertain if it’ll be enough for all the dinosaurs should they go hungry or thirsty.
Some, like Plateosaurus, dug holes in search for water. It was only when he watched the herd move on that the dinosaur joined in. A Gryposaurus tried searching the same water hole but found nothing. Suddenly, a big dust cloud appears covering everybody’s vision, making things difficult.
“Stay close, everybody!” Twilight said, coughing out the dust. “Don’t lose each other!”
The sun didn’t help, the Equestrians and dinosaurs already began to sweat and pant from the ongoing heatwave.
“Is it me or is this heatwave getting worse than before?” Spike asked.
“It sure is very hot out here,” Rarity observed. “My hooves can’t stand it.”
“Heh-heh, you know what’s funny?” Pinkie laughed, feebly. “I was planning on eating cupcakes with hot sauce when we get home. Isn’t that ironic? Heh-heh, heh-heh…”
Pinkie practically whispered that last sentence, struggling against the heat. Her friends only stared at her with a weird look.
They kept trudging across the dust could, when suddenly a Gryposaurus collapsed onto the ground. Octavia and Vinyl saw that and rushed immediately toward the exhausted dinosaur, the poor beast breathing heavily.
“Twilight!” Vinyl yelled out.
Her yell drew the unicorn/alicorn’s attention and she saw the problem.
“Keep moving, everyone!”
Both she and Jiminy, who rode on her head, ran towards Octavia and Vinyl to check on the Gryposaurus.
“He fainted!” Octavia said.
Twilight looked at the dinosaur, noting his poor shape.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight yelled. “We need your help!”
The shy Pegasus, who was with the Stegosaurus, heard and approached her friends. She was shocked at the sight as she drew closer. She touched the Gryposaurus’ head, feeling its temperature.
“He’s very hot,” Fluttershy observed. “The heat’s too much for him and he’s suffering from dehydration. He needs water.”
Octavia took her water bottle from her saddle bag.
“I don’t think we have much left. What if the other dinosaurs get dehydrated?”
“I can duplicate our water bottles again,” Twilight suggests. “It will give us more time and a chance to save them all.”
But as they nursed the exhausted dinosaur…
“TWILIGHT!!!”
They heard a familiar voice crying for help.
“That sounds like Rainbow Dash,” Jiminy said. “She needs help.”
“You three try to help that Gryposaurus,” Twilight instructs. “Jiminy and I will help Rainbow.”
“We’ll do everything we can,” Vinyl said.
Twilight ran towards Rainbow’s location while Octavia, Vinyl and Fluttershy helped the Gryposaurus. But before they could do anything, they saw another dinosaur collapse to the ground. They gasp in shock as the situation grew drastic.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Jiminy ran past the herd toward Rainbow.
“Rainbow! Rainbow!” Twilight shouts.
“HERE!” Rainbow shouted.
Turns out she wasn’t alone, as Applejack stood beside her. Twilight quickly ran towards them.
“We need your help,” Rainbow said.
“With what?” Twilight asked.
“With that!” Applejack points, worriedly.
Twilight faces her direction and saw what happened. A herd consisting of Brontosaurus and Stegosaurus were trapped in a mud pool. They tried to get out, but they were stuck roaring and bellowing for help. If that wasn’t enough, they were surrounded by three carnivorous Ceratosaurus. These predators are known for the horn atop their snout and like all theropods, these killers walk on two legs. They’re as big as humans and tall enough to tower over ponies. They slowly approached the trapped dinosaurs hungrily, but not too close to get trapped in the mud.
“Those dinosaurs are in trouble!” Twilight gasped, shocked.
“And those Ceratosaurus are going straight for them,” Jiminy points out.
“We must help them!” Rainbow insists.
“On it!” Twilight said, determined. “Nopony’s getting eaten today!”
All three ponies ran toward the trapped dinosaurs, as the Ceratosaurus got closer. One was about to attack a nearby Brontosaurus, who raised its head from the ground so the predator couldn’t reach him. The Ceratosaurus growled, trying to get a good bite off the giant herbivore.
“Hey, you!” Rainbow shouts, drawing the beast’s attention. “That’s a cowardly move! Attacking someone who’s trapped!”
“Leave them alone!” Applejack said.
The flesh-eating dinosaur growled, charging straight for the ponies.
“It’s coming for us now!” Applejack said, worried.
“Then let’s fight!” Rainbow said, pounding her hooves.
Rainbow flies toward the Ceratosaurus and once close enough, delivered a powerful uppercut. The dinosaur flew high in the air and crashed toward the ground. Two other Ceratosaurus heard and drew their attention to the ponies.
“Look out!” Jiminy points out. “Here comes some more!”
The ponies were ready for anything, while the predators came closer. Suddenly, Applejack lifts three rocks with her mouth, hurled them in mid-air and at the right moment bucked them with her hind legs at the carnivores while Twilight fired magic beams from her horn. Both the blast and rocks struck the two dinosaurs, knocking them to the ground. But soon all three Ceratosaurus got back on their feet.
“They just don’t stay down, do they?” Rainbow asked.
The predators charged again, as Rainbow flew towards one. Suddenly, she span her body round and round delivering a series of punches. The last punch sent the Ceratosaurus flying to the ground. The second was about to attack Twilight, who summons a magical shield to protect herself. The carnivore bumped against it, unable to harm her. He scratched and bit the shield, which proved too powerful. Twilight used the shield to shove the predator back. The third and the other attacked by Rainbow charged toward the ponies again. Applejack walks in front of her friends, ready to attack. As the Carnivores got closer, she stands on her hind legs, her front hooves in the air and…
“GET LOST!” Applejack shouts.
She stomps her hooves with great force to the ground, the impact caused a few cracks in the ground and creates a shockwave so big the three predators fly in the air and drop to the ground. Twilight, Rainbow and Jiminy were completely surprised, their jaws hung wide open even Applejack herself was surprised. The three Ceratosaurus got up again, looking at the cowgirl with fear. Applejack stood ready to fight again, clopping hard on the ground. The carnivores, not expecting this from their prey, ran for the hills fading into the distance. Applejack looks upon her hooves with surprise.
“Whoa!” Rainbow said, amazed. “How did you do that?”
“I knew you were strong, Applejack,” Twilight said. “But that was totally unexpected and amazing!”
“Guess I don’t know my own strength, sometimes,” Applejack smiled.
But then, the desperate cries of the trapped dinosaurs brought them back to reality.
“Come on,” Twilight urged. “We gotta get them out!”
They quickly ran toward the trapped dinosaurs, skidding in front of the mud.
“Don’t worry, ya’ll,” Applejack said to the trapped dinosaurs. “We’ll get ya out.”
“How are we going to do that?” Rainbow asked.
“Yeah, if we go in the mud, we’ll be stuck too,” Twilight points out.
“We can’t stay here doin’ nothin’,” Applejack insists. “We gotta think of something to get them out of the mud and fast!”
They all thought hard until Twilight remembered the time when an Ursa Minor terrorized Ponyville, having used her magic to lift the creature after playing soothing music to make it fall asleep. She wondered if she could do the same for the dinosaurs. It’ll acquire a lot of energy and effort, like with the Ursa Minor, but she had to if she wants to save them.
“I know what to do,” Twilight said, preparing herself. “Stand back, everypony.”
Without further questions, Applejack, Rainbow and Jiminy took a few steps back. Suddenly, Twilight charged her horn as a pink aura surrounds one of the Brontosaurus. She exerted extra magic through her horn, which glowed brighter. Just like that, the Brontosaurus levitated from the mud, its feet free and he landed safely on the sand. Twilight did the same for the rest, as Jiminy looked on wide-eyed. Applejack and Rainbow smiled, knowing she could do it.
“She’s incredible!” Jiminy gasped. “You ponies keep surprising me.”
“Yep, she’s always been number one in our book when it comes to magic,” Applejack said.
“She’s pretty awesome for an egghead,” Rainbow said.
“I heard that!” Twilight said, struggling.
After a few minutes, all the trapped dinosaurs were free, and Twilight plopped down exhausted. Her friends rushed toward her.
“Twi, you okay?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah…” Twilight sighed, breathing heavily. “Just put a little too much effort.”
“Well done, Twilight,” Jiminy smiled. “Bravo!”
A Brontosaurus approached Twilight, lowering its head gave her a lick as a way of saying, ‘Thank you’.
“You’re welcome,” Twilight smiled.
“Here, drink,” Jiminy said, offering a bottle of water.
“Thanks,” She said.
Twilight took the bottle with her magic, guzzling down the water. But then, a scream made her spit the water onto Jiminy, drenching him and making him cough.
“That sounds like Fluttershy!” Applejack said, worried.
But that wasn’t all, as more screams could be heard.
“And the others are in trouble too!” Jiminy said, wringing his clothes.
Twilight turned her attention to the dinosaurs, who shook off some of the mud.
“We in search for new land and food to survive,” Twilight explains. “Stay with the rest of the herd, I have friends to save.”
A Brontosaurus gave her a nod, motioning the others to follow the rest of the herd. Twilight, Jiminy, Rainbow and Applejack ran as fast as they could to save their friends from the unknown threat. Another dust cloud appears blinding their view. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find their friends and they gasped in fright. A familiar enemy stood face-to-face with the ponies: The Tyrannosaurus, slowly walked toward them hungrier than ever. Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Octavia and Vinyl were not only afraid, they were trying to protect two baby dinosaurs: A Stegosaurus and a Parasaurolophus. Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack and Jiminy quickly ran in front of them.
“Where have you been?” Fluttershy asked, frightened.
“We just saved some dinosaurs trapped in the mud,” Twilight explained.
A growl drew the Equestrians back to the T-Rex, which was coming closer.
“Looks like we have to fight again,” Rainbow said.
“No doubt about it,” Applejack agreed, as she and Rainbow prepared themselves.
“Twilight, I know that T-Rex,” Fluttershy whispered to Twilight. “It’s the same one that killed Charlie.”
When Twilight heard that, she turned toward the giant predator in front of her. She was afraid it was back, coming to devour her and her friends, but then she felt a raw rage remembering what it did to her new friend. She charged her horn with her magic.
“That monster will pay for killing Charlie,” Twilight said, angrily. “This time, I won’t flee!”
The giant carnivore drew closer, its tongue hanging loose from its mouth.
“I won’t let you kill anypony else!” Twilight shouts, ready to attack. “You hear me?!”
(Pause music at 19:13)
But the Tyrannosaurus didn’t listen, it kept walking toward them until suddenly, she felt very weak. She looks toward the sky, growled and fell forward with one hard thud on the sand. The Equestrians were immediately surprised.
“What happened?” Pinkie asked.
“It… It just collapsed,” Octavia said.
Twilight slowly approached the T-Rex, her horn still glowing. But the beast didn’t budge.
“Is she…?” Spike asked, nervously.
“I don’t know,” Twilight said, quietly. “I don’t see any movement.”
Twilight slowly approached the predator, close enough to touch it. But suddenly, the Tyrannosaurus bellowed a loud, fierce roar drawing Twilight back.
“AH!” She screamed.
The T-Rex roared for a few more seconds, before dropping its head on the ground, the eyes looking up. Our heroes stood silent for a moment.
“Okay, is she still alive?” Rainbow asked. “I’m not sure right now.”
Twilight looked around and grabbed a long stick with her magic. Slowly, she poked the giant predator, but it made no movement.
“No movement,” Twilight confirms.
“She’s definitely dead,” Jiminy determined. “See how her eyes look up. She must’ve suffered from dehydration.”
They never expected the killer of their new friend to die this way. The fearsome ruler of the carnivores losing its majesty. While the rest of the group stare like deer against headlights, Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike took a closer look at the lifeless predator, happy it won’t kill and eat other dinosaurs.
But then, they heard a chirping sound stemming from close by. When Twilight and Fluttershy looked on, they saw something that made them gasp with shock. Another Tyrannosaurus Rex, but the one wasn’t an adult… It was an infant. Unlike, his mother, his arms were tiny with two fingers at the front instead of three. He made a few chirps, walking toward the lifeless body of the adult Tyrannosaurus, possibly his mother. The young T-Rex sniffed the body, chirping for a response. Twilight and Fluttershy didn’t know what to say, except they felt terrible.
“She… She was a mother,” Fluttershy said, softly. “They were… Struggling to survive.”
“Just like any dinosaur,” Twilight nodded, feeling pity.
The baby dinosaur kept sniffing and chirping, even nudging its head against the adult’s body for a response. But none came. Finally, the baby dinosaur realized his mother won’t wake up, sniffing in sadness, tears welling, and a mournful cry came out. The whole thing caused Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike to cry tears of sympathy for the young predator.
“Oh Twilight, I feel so bad,” Fluttershy said, sadly. “The poor thing, losing his mother because of this heat. What do we do?”
Twilight thought about it, as she looked toward the baby T-Rex.
“We can’t leave him behind,” Twilight said. “Even if his mother was a notorious killing machine.”
“I think I know how to get his attention,” Fluttershy said, turning to Spike. “Spike, do you have a sandwich? It has to have meat in it.”
“Okay, um…” Spike dug in his backpack, taking out the sandwich. “Here you go. Why do you need it?”
“You’ll see,” Fluttershy said.
With the sandwich in her mouth, she ran back to Twilight. Taking the sandwich in her hooves, she reached out to get the infant’s attention. The young T-Rex picked up the scent, turning toward her.
“Hey, little one,” Fluttershy said. “Look what I got for you.”
The baby dinosaur slowly approached the two ponies, trying to take a bite from the sandwich. Both ponies and Spike walked backwards while the baby T-Rex followed.
“That’s it,” Fluttershy said. “Keep following.”
While Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike made the infant follow them, the rest of their friends could see from a distance. They had a mix of confusion, surprise and even shock. Jiminy’s eyes were especially wide.
“Good heavens!” Jiminy said, worried. “Do you realize what you’re doing? Do you have any idea what that is?”
“I know, Jiminy,” Twilight nodded. “But that big T-Rex was its mother; he won’t survive without her.”
“Charlie’s killer is its mother?” Vinyl asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes,” Twilight answered. “Even though she killed many dinosaurs, she’s still another creature trying to survive. We can’t leave her infant behind with no pony to care for it.”
“But Jiminy makes a point,” Octavia points out. “That dinosaur is a carnivore. What if it grows up and tries to eat us?”
“I can teach him not to eat us and let him keep his diet,” Fluttershy offered. “Maybe he can also eat insects.”
“Yeah, we could even him name Chomper or Rexy,” Pinkie said. “You know, depending on every pony’s taste.”
“I’m not sure about this,” Jiminy said, nervously.
“Jiminy, doesn’t every creature deserve a chance to live?” Twilight asked, with plea. “Whether they’re herbivore or carnivore?”
Jiminy thought it out, turning toward the motherless infant, all alone in this cruel world. Jiminy just couldn’t say no, as Twilight looked on silently pleading.
“Very well then,” Jiminy sighed.
Twilight smiled when she suddenly felt something rub against her chest, surprising her. She looks down to find… The Baby Tyrannosaurus, nuzzling her and purring as it did. The baby looked up at Twilight, a smile on his face. As Twilight gazed upon the baby, she immediately couldn’t help but find him to be… Cute, especially looking deep into his eyes. Even as a carnivore, it still held the eyes of a mere innocent creature.
“Aww…” Twilight said, petting the baby dinosaur’s head.
The others watched the scene, they too couldn’t help but smile and feel warm-hearted upon how sweet the baby was.
“He sure is a sweet, little darling, isn’t he?” Rarity comments.
“Yay, pretty sweet alright,” Rainbow agreed, but suddenly remembers. “Hey Fluttershy, what happened to that sandwich you gave him?”
“Oh, I gave it to him while we were talking,” Fluttershy explained. “I guess the sandwich managed to appease his appetite… For now, at least.”
Twilight draped a hoof over the young one’s shoulder, smiling as she turned to the others.
“Once we find a new valley, we’ll decide how we can raise him.”
Everypony nodded, turning around to move forward. But before they could move on, they couldn’t spot the herd anymore.
“Where’s the herd?” Rainbow asked.
“They disappeared through that dust cloud,” Spike points out. “I saw it myself.”
“We better move on,” Twilight urges. “Maybe we can still catch up.”
“I’m afraid there’s not much of a herd left,” Fluttershy said.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, worried.
“Twilight, I tried to help the exhausted Gryposaurus, but he was too weak,” Fluttershy explains, in despair. “We saw more dinosaurs suffer the same fate. Twilight… They’re all dying, one by one.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide with shock, she didn’t how to react to this. She felt so helpless, none more so than the others. Suddenly, they heard a sound.
“Shh! Do you hear that?’ Twilight said, softly.
She listens for the sound and recognized it.
“I know that sound; it’s the mother Diplodocus! She needs help.”
“Then, what are we waiting for?” Rainbow asked.
Together, along with the three baby dinosaurs, they followed the sound of the mother Diplodocus. It didn’t take long to find her, but it wasn’t a pretty sight. The mother laid upon the ground, suffering from the heat and struggling to get up. But she wasn’t alone, one of her babies stood beside her watching helplessly. Where the others are was a mystery, and our heroes couldn’t bear the sight.
“Come on, let’s help her,” Applejack said.
They approached the mother Diplodocus, who smiled at them the moment she sees the Equestrians.
“Oh, my goodness,” Fluttershy said, worried. “You too?”
The mother dinosaur gave a soft growl.
“The heat is too much for her,” Fluttershy observed. “Just as I feared.”
“Where are the rest of your litter?” Twilight asked.
The mother gave a sad growl, Fluttershy gasped in sorrow.
“What did she say?” Twilight asked, worried.
“Three of her babies suffered from the heat, the fourth was eaten by a predator,” Fluttershy translated. “She did everything she could to protect them, but it wasn’t enough. Now she only has one baby left.”
Everypony gasped in shock and horror. The situation was worse than they thought.
“How awful,” Rarity said, softly.
“Try to get up,” Twilight said to the mother. “We’ll help you.”
The mother Diplodocus tried to push herself to her feet, struggling to stand. But she gave up and plopped her head on the ground, breathing heavily.
“Give her some water!” Twilight said. “Where’s the water?!”
Fluttershy searched her saddle bag for a bottle of water. But then, she heard a low growl and turned around with her eyes widened. The mother Diplodocus shook her head.
“What? You don’t mean that!”
“What did she say now?” Vinyl asked.
“She said… We must leave her behind,” Fluttershy translated. “To go on without her.”
“What?!” Twilight said, shaking her head. “No… NO! We’re not leaving anypony behind. Fluttershy, the water! NOW!”
Fluttershy hesitantly made to give Twilight the water, but the mother dinosaur stopped her with another low growl.
“Could you translate the rest of what she says?” Rainbow asked.
Fluttershy nods and translate everything the mother Diplodocus growled.
“Don’t… I will only slow you down. You must leave me; I’ve got no more strength left.”
“No, please…” Twilight said, teary eyed. “Don’t…”
The dinosaur gave a smile, weakly growling.
“It’s… It’s okay,” Fluttershy translated, shedding tears. “I have one last request for you.”
“What is it?” Twilight asked. “I’ll do anything.”
The mother dinosaur softly growls, while shedding a tear.
“Promise me,” Fluttershy translated. “Promise me you’ll take good care of my baby.”
Twilight gasped, turning toward the baby dinosaur. This was a horrible situation indeed, a mother too weak and dehydrated to do anything. The baby Diplodocus would be all alone and without a mother’s care it will meet the same fate… Unless the Equestrians take care of it. Too many dinosaurs perished in this godforsaken place and Twilight wasn’t letting more die, especially the young ones.
“I promise,” Twilight nodded.
The mother dinosaur gave her one more smile, softly growling.
“Thank you, Twilight,” Fluttershy translated. “I’m glad to have you as my friend… And to have you… Part of my herd.”
Suddenly, the mother Diplodocus ran out of air and slowly closed her eyes. Our heroes couldn’t believe what happened, another good friend had died before their eyes. They immediately began to cry. Applejack and Jiminy took off their hats in respect, even Vinyl removed her sunglasses in disbelief. The baby Diplodocus walked towards Twilight, nuzzling against her while shedding tears. Twilight herself caressed the baby with her hoof.
“Don’t worry, little one,” Twilight said. “I’ll look after you… I promise.”
For almost fifteen minutes, they paid their respects for a fallen friend. Eventually, it was time to move on.
“Come, we must move on,” Twilight said, calmly. “We can’t stay much longer.”
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie and Applejack heard another chirping sound they recognized. They turned and saw the two baby Triceratops they first met, running towards the Equestrians with sadness in their eyes.
“Oh, Cera,” Pinkie cried, caressing the two babies. “You and your sister too?”
“This is terrible,” Applejack said, sympathizing. “We lose another good friend and now six baby dinosaurs lost their parents.”
“Actually, they’re not the only ones,” Spike said.
He opened his backpack and revealed an egg the size of a ball.
“I found this little fella in a nest, completely abandoned. There was no one around and I couldn’t leave it all alone. It’s another defenseless egg… Like I was.”
“We got to find a new valley with food and water,” Twilight said, worriedly. “And we have to find the missing sheet music. We stay here any longer, we’re all doomed.”
“Did you see which way the herd went exactly, Spike?” Rarity asked.
“That way,” Spike pointed forward.
“Let’s go, every pony!” Twilight said.
Spike placed the egg back in his bag and pushed through the dust cloud, as the sun cast more heat upon the landscape.
“Stay close, young’uns,” Applejack said to the babies. “I ain’t sure what’s gonna happen.”
(Continue music)
For three hours, our heroes walked across the plain and still haven’t found a valley. They stopped once in a while to eat and drink, even nursing the baby dinosaurs to keep them alive. The only trouble was the heat itself, making them very sweaty and exhausted.
“Cause I love… To make you… Smile… Smile… Smile…”
The ponies turned to see Pinkie Pie, trying to sing to keep her spirits high in the heat. The sun was driving her crazy.
“Yes, I do. Fills my heart… Sunshine… All the while… HA-HA-HA-HA!”
The others weren’t doing any better. Fluttershy and Rainbow dragged their wings across the sand, Rarity and Octavia’s manes were a complete mess and the others panted like dogs. Even Jiminy fanned himself with a feather.
“Could this heat get any worse?” Rainbow asked.
“Please, don’t jinx it Dash,” Twilight said.
“Too late, it did,” Jiminy said.
“We’ve been walking for hours!” Rainbow groaned. “We’ll never find the herd or the new valley. I’m beginning to feel this quest is ill-fated.”
“We have to keep searching, Rainbow,” Twilight said.
“For how long? My wings are tired, Jiminy’s turning crispy and Pinkie is suffering… PINKIE PIE! Just like the time we went into the Badlands to save Equestria, but…”
The two ponies watch Pinkie Pie writing in the sand, a tight grin on her face and her mane deflated. No one could tell what she was writing, looking like a bunch of random lines, but this was serious. She looked up toward them, with an eye twitch.
“So, what do you think girls?” Pinkie said. “All I need is a title. I was thinking of something along the lines of “No Cupcakes and No party make Pinkie something, something.”
“Go crazy?” Twilight asked.
“Don’t mind if I do!”
Next thing she knew, Pinkie started laughing madly rolling around in the sand and even covering up whatever she was writing. She throws her face around, her tongue hanging around, as all the others could do is watch with concern and fear. Even the baby dinosaurs hid behind one of the ponies.
“Maybe we should save our energy, Rainbow,” Twilight said.
“Save my energy?!” Rainbow shouts, tugging her mane. “If I stay one minute in this wasteland, I’ll have nothing left. I’ll be crazy as Pinkie Pie or dramatic as Rarity!”
“I beg your pardon!” Rarity gasped, insulted.
“We have to find new land,” Twilight insists. “It’s the only hope of saving the dinosaurs and their children.”
“Face it Twilight: Some of the dinosaurs perished under the heat, including the infants’ parents!” Rainbow pointed out. “What if the rest have perished as well?”
“We can’t be sure!” Twilight argues. “We need to keep looking.”
“Hey, guys! I think I found something!”
Everypony turned toward Spike, who was inspecting the ground. As they approached, they studied the ground and found a trail of footprints.
“Footprints,” Vinyl said.
“Not just any footprints,” Rarity said, using a magnifying glass. “These are big ones, several of them from a different dinosaur. And they’re still fresh, it must be the herd.”
“Rarity’s right,” Jiminy concurred, inspecting with his glasses. “They can’t be far away.”
“If we’re lucky, they found new land,” Twilight smiled, hopefully. “PINKIE!”
“Yes?” Pinkie said, poking her head out of the sand.
“Can you follow the trail and see where it leads?”
“Okey-dokey-lokey!
Pinkie Pie plopped out of the sand, shaking off the bits and fully recovered. She began to sniff the ground like a hound, as the others followed.
“They’re close all right. Yep, it’s definitely them.”
“Sic ‘em, Pinkie!” Applejack ushered.
Pinkie ran while following the footprints as a ray of hope filled the group.
“You hear that, little ones?” Fluttershy asked. “We’re almost there.”
The little dinosaurs chirped happily, running after Pinkie. The party pony was well ahead, as she followed the footprints.
“Almost there! Almost there! Almost…”
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie skid to a halt. One look ahead of her and her smile disappeared. She looks totally devastated at the grim sight.
“Pinkie, did you find the…” Twilight stopped midsentence, shocked. “Oh no…”
It didn’t take long for the others to arrive with the same reaction.
Before their eyes, an entire valley of destruction stood. No green, no water, no life. Just absolutely nothing, just the same as every place they passed. But their most shocking discovery are the various dinosaur skeletons on the ground. Corythosaurus, Triceratrops, Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus, even Tyrannosaurus Rex.
(Pause music at 19:56)
They silently walk down the hill, into the valley of death with complete looks of shock.
“Heavens to Celestia,” Rarity said, softly. “They’re all dead… They’re extinct.”
“We’ve failed,” Fluttershy said, tears streaming.
“But… But… Is there no other valley?” Twilight asked. “Is everything on this world destroyed?”
“I’m afraid so, Twilight,” Jiminy said, regretfully.
“Maybe they’re not really dead,” Pinkie said, hopefully. “Maybe there’s still some life in them."
The others can only watch as Pinkie approached the skeletal remains of a Parasaurolophus.
“Hey, buddy. Can you say something?”
But answer there came none.
“You sure you won’t say a single word? Pretty please?”
But Pinkie’s smile hid her true feelings, even she couldn’t deny the reality of the situation. The dinosaurs are gone… Forever.
“Wow… You really are dead, aren’t you?” She said, depressed.
Even though Octavia was sad for the loss of their dinosaur friends, the skeletons made her uncomfortable. The baby dinosaurs walk toward the skeletons of those they recognized, maybe even knew. They sniffed at them and shed a few tears.
“What do we do now, Twilight?” Applejack asked.
“I don’t know,” Twilight shook her head. “This is just horrible. There’s no land with food and water, and we’ve lost all of our new friends! I honestly don’t know what to do!”
Twilight shed a few tears, as Applejack placed a hoof around her friend.
“We’ve tried all we could,” Applejack said, comforting. “It’s not our fault.”
“Applejack’s right,” Jiminy said. “This environment changed drastically beyond our control. That’s what caused these poor animals to die.”
“But what’s going to happen to the baby dinosaurs?” Fluttershy asked, sadly. “We promised to take care of them.”
They all faced the baby dinosaurs, who were still looking at the skeletons.
“They’ll never survive in this world,” Twilight shook her head. “If we leave them here, they’ll suffer the same fate.”
She began to think hard, while looking at the infants. Then she nodded her head, as if she knew what must be done.
“New plan, everypony: We’re going to find the missing sheet music in this realm,” Twilight instructs. “Then, when we find the others… We’re taking the baby dinosaurs to Equestria.”
Her friends were surprised at her decision.
“Are you sure, Twilight?” Jiminy asked.
“I’ve never been so sure in my life,” Twilight answered.
“But where could we let them stay?” Spike asked.
“They can stay with me in the animal sanctuary,” Fluttershy offered. “It’ll be as close to home for them and we can visit them any time we want.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Twilight said.
“Sounds fine by me,” Applejack nodded.
“I second the notion,” Rarity said. “As much as I’d like the baby Parasaurolophus with me, can’t risk it munching on my dresses.”
The others agreed with Twilight’s idea.
“Then it’s settled, we take the infants home with us,” Twilight declared. “But first, let’s find that sheet music and get out of here.”
“We’re too tired to go any further,” Rainbow groaned. “Can’t we do it tomorrow?”
“Yeah, my hooves hurt,” Vinyl said.
Twilight looked at her friends and the infants. They were just too exhausted from walking all day.
“Let them rest, Twilight,” Jiminy advised. “They need it.”
“Fine,” Twilight sighed, nodding in understanding. “We’ll stay here for the night. Any pony have a tent?”
“I’ve got seven plus one spare, including Rarity’s jumbo-sized tent,” Pinkie answered. “They’re in the saddlebags.”
“I think it would be best we sleep with two in one tent,” Twilight suggests. “Each of us will take a baby dinosaur to sleep with her… Or him.”
She was referring to Jiminy and Spike, wouldn’t want to leave them out.
They all nod in agreement.
“Alright then,” Twilight nodded. “Let’s set them up.”
They open their saddlebags, removing five tents, including Rarity’s, and set them up. They each decided who they’re going to sleep with. Fluttershy sleeps with Rainbow, Octavia with Vinyl, Pinkie with Applejack, Jiminy with Twilight and Spike gets the chance to sleep with Rarity.
“Now that we know who’s sleeping with who,” Twilight continued. “The only thing to do is decide which baby dinosaur to sleep with. I’ll take the Diplodocus.”
“I’ll take the Stegosaurus,” Fluttershy said.
“I’ve got Cera and her sister,” Pinkie said.
“Parasaurolophus,” Rarity said, simply.
“Guess that leaves us with the baby T-Rex, Tavi,” Vinyl said, nudging Octavia.
“You sure it’s safe for a meat-eating dinosaur to sleep with us?” Octavia asked, nervously.
“Don’t worry, he won’t hurt anypony,” Vinyl assured. “Isn’t that right, Mr. T?”
The baby T-Rex nuzzled its head against Octavia’s chest, while the cellist gave a few soft pats on its head.
“Well… I suppose one night won’t hurt,” Octavia said. “He is… Kind of cute.”
“We better get to bed,” Twilight said. “We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
Everypony nodded in agreement.
“Come along, little one,” Rarity said, stroking the baby Parasaurolophus. “You get to sleep with me.”
“Don’t forget me,” Spike added.
“Yes, you too, Spikey-Wikey.”
It wasn’t long till every pony were inside their tents and in bed, even if it’s still the afternoon. All the walking in the sun tired them out, they needed the rest if they were to find the fourth sheet music. They slept without the sheets this time given how hot it was.
“Sleep well, everypony,” Twilight said.
“Sleep well,” Everypony said.
All the tents were closed, and they eventually drifted to sleep. Of course, it’s not going to be easy considering they lost all their dinosaur friends. But the infants beside them gave them some comfort. It was still a shock they couldn’t do more to help, some crying themselves to sleep. After paying their respects, eventually they drifted off to dreamland.
(Continue music)
Our Equestrian heroes had slept until noon. Normally they’d wake earlier, but they were tired from walking all day they slept longer. The sun was at its highest peak, as the moon drew close to the same position, slowly forming a solar eclipse over the desolate landscape. The Equestrians and baby dinosaurs emerge from their tents, well rested and with enough energy to press on.
(Pause at 20:22)
“Good morning, everypony,” Twilight yawned. “Did you sleep well?”
“It was difficult at first,” Rarity said. “But yes, we managed to rest well.”
Twilight looked at the sun and saw the moon drawing closer.
“Look!” She pointed, making every pony face the sky.
“Well, I’ll be!” Jiminy gasped. “The moon is moving in front of the sun. You know what that means?”
The ponies began to think.
“I know what it means,” Twilight answered. “There’s going to be a solar eclipse. It’s when the moon blocks off the sun’s light, leaving the land in darkness for a while.
Everypony spoke in awe to each other.
“Wow!” Pinkie said. “If I knew there’d be a solar eclipse, I would have brought some eclipse glasses. Watching an eclipse without glasses causes blindness, you know?”
"That is correct," Jiminy said.
“Guess that means I’m covered,” Vinyl said, adjusting her sunglasses.
“Uh guys, ah don’t want to be a spoilsport,” Applejack cut in. “But shouldn’t we find the sheet music?”
“Applejack’s right,” Twilight said. “We’ve lost enough time sleeping too long. We have to find the sheet music before the eclipse comes up.”
“But that could still take days!” Rainbow said, worriedly. “How far do we have to search for a piece of paper?”
While they talked Vinyl looked behind her and smiled.
“Maybe we don’t have to. Look!”
Everypony turned to where Vinyl is pointing. A purple sheet music floated mere centimeters above ground, ready to be taken. Everypony smiled when they found it.
“I’ll get it!” Pinkie volunteered.
She merrily hopped toward the sheet, just close enough to reach her hoof to grab it. But then her hoof stopped, and her tail began to twitch. As soon as she noticed, she gasped.
“Twitch-a-twitch! Twitch-a-twitch!”
“What’s wrong with Pinkie?” Jiminy asked.
Twilight recognized her friend’s motions all too well.
“Oh no… Her tail is twitching.”
“Twitchy tail?” Spike asked, until his eyes widen. “Twitchy tail!”
Everypony gasped, but this was unknown to Jiminy.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on there. What’s wrong?”
“Something’s gonna fall!” Spike yelled, panicking. “Something’s gonna fall! We gotta run!”
“Pinkie has these strange feelings that allow her to predict the future,” Twilight explained.
“Predict the future?!” Jiminy said, in disbelief. “That’s impossible!”
“I thought so when I first heard that,” Twilight admits. “But she proved me wrong. Those feelings are real.”
“What does a twitchy tail mean?” Jiminy asked.
“It means something’s going to fall,” Twilight answered. “I don’t know what, but it could be anything.”
(Continue music)
Suddenly, they heard and felt something beneath their hooves and feet. It made them uncomfortable. Even the baby dinosaurs knew something wasn’t right.
“Do you hear that?” Rarity asked.
“Is that your stomach, Spike?” Fluttershy asked, hopefully.
“I don’t think so,” Spike shook his head.
“It’s probably just thunder…” Vinyl said, uncertain. “From… Under… The ground?”
Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently and began to crack.
“IT’S AN EARTHQUAKE!” Twilight shouted. “Run!”
The ground cracked some more, a giant chasm opening with chunks of earth, bone and rock falling down. The Equestrians and baby dinosaurs were separated on two sides: Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Jiminy, the baby Diplodocus, baby T-Rex and baby Parasaurolophus on one side of the rift, while Rainbow, Applejack, Octavia, Spike, Vinyl, the baby Stegosaurus, along with Cera and her sister were on the other. They huddled close to the edge of the rift, struggling to keep their balance. The massive tremors grew worse.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" They screamed.
From underneath Pinkie, huge rocks lift her in the air screaming. Rocks fell down the chasm and mountains appeared from the ground, they all tried not to fall.
“Twilight!” Rainbow shouted.
“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted back.
“Stay there!” Rainbow shouts again. “We’re coming!”
Suddenly, a huge chunk of earth broke beneath Vinyl, making her scream and fall. She grabbed tightly on a piece of rock dangling over the edge, which Octavia saw.
“Vinyl!” Octavia shouted, running toward the edge.
“Tavi, no!” Vinyl shouts.
“Give me your hoof!” The cellist pony shouts, reaching her hoof out.
“Go away!” Vinyl insists. “You’ll fall too!”
“I’m not leaving without you!” Octavia said, trying to grab her friend. “Please give me your hoof!”
The white unicorn reached her hoof out but couldn’t touch Octavia’s.
“I can’t reach!”
“Just get closer! A little closer!”
Vinyl tried to get closer, but her other hoof slipped, and she almost fell into the chasm. But Octavia quickly grabbed her hoof before that could happen. She tried to hoist her up but didn’t notice the earth beneath her cracking. Applejack saw that with wide eyes, running toward Octavia.
“Octavia, look out!” She yelled.
Octavia noticed the crack increased and hurriedly hoisted Vinyl up. But it didn’t take long for the earth to crumble and drop both ponies. They screamed loudly while falling, but then the cellist pony felt something pull her tail. She looked up and saw Applejack holding her tail with her mouth.
“Hang on!” Applejack said.
Applejack hoists them up, as the Equestrians on the other side watch helplessly. Suddenly, a few huge rocks and mountains emerge behind Twilight. She used her magic to destroy a few.
“It’s going completely out of control!” Twilight said.
“Guess Mother Nature is in a bad mood today,” Jiminy said.
The tremors increased further, as chunks of earth began to plummet down the chasm. Suddenly, the baby Parasaurolophus lost its balance and almost fell. It held on the edge, trying to claw back up. The Equestrians saw that and before they could do something, the baby fell into the chasm.
“NO!” Rarity shouted.
On the other side, Rainbow took notice and quickly dived down the chasm. More rocks and bones fell down, making it difficult for Rainbow to reach the dinosaur. But determined to not let it die, she did a barrel roll and blasted off, creating a small rainboom in the process. She drew closer and closer as the baby kept falling down.
Just when it seems too late, Rainbow flew up with the baby Parasaurolophus in her hooves. In a moment of slow motion, she dodged each and every rock in her way and bounced against a few like a ball in a pinball machine. One of those rocks destroyed a Tyrannosaurus skeleton.
Meanwhile, Applejack pulled Octavia up as the grey mare held her friend’s hoof tight. But suddenly, Vinyl’s hoof began to slip.
“Octavia, my hoof is slipping!” Vinyl shouts.
“Try to hold on!” Octavia said.
“It’s sweaty!” Vinyl said, struggling to hold on.
But her hoof slipped further, until it slipped completely out of Octavia’s grip. The DJ screamed and fell down.
“VINYL!” Octavia shouted, desperately holding out her hoof.
The DJ pony kept screaming, fearing it was over. But then a familiar rainbow streak caught her. As Vinyl tilted her glasses, she stopped screaming and found herself on the back of Rainbow Dash.
“Gotcha!” Rainbow said.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Octavia sighed, smiling.
As Applejack pulled Octavia up, Rainbow flew to Twilight’s side of the chasm and placed both Vinyl and the baby Parasaurolophus safely on the ground. Everypony was so happy they were both safe.
“Thanks, Rainbow,” Vinyl smiled. “I owe ya one.”
“No biggie,” Rainbow said. “Just stay here, while I get the others.”
Rainbow flew to the other side a few times to retrieve the other dinosaurs and Equestrians. It didn’t take long till all were reunited and the Earthquake ended. Octavia rushed toward Vinyl with a tight embrace before the DJ could say anything.
“I thought I lost you… I was so afraid!” Octavia cried.
Vinyl said nothing, just returned a hug to Octavia as Rarity stroke the baby Parasaurolophus. Twilight smiles but had the feeling some pony was missing.
“Wait! Where’s Pinkie?”
“Over here!”
Everypony looked around until they faced the sky and saw Pinkie… Hovering? She was using her tail like a helicopter. Now Jiminy has seen Pinkie do unexplainable stuff, but the more these things happen the more he was used to it. Pinkie softly landed on the ground as her tail stopped spinning.
“Pinkie, did you…” Twilight began.
But before she could finish, a heavy wind struck her face. It didn’t take long for the wind to grow stronger, making all the baby dinosaurs panic.
“Now what?!” Rainbow shouted.
“With this much wind, I think a storm’s coming!” Jiminy shouted, holding his hat.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Fluttershy said, worried.
They also heard something drawing close from the distance.
“Rainbow, can you see where that sound is coming from?” Twilight asked.
“On it!” Rainbow saluted.
Rainbow took to the air, just high enough to immediately see where the distant sound came from. The wind blew a mighty storm and the sea inland, flooding everything in its path.
“Not again!”
“What do you see?!” Twilight asked.
“The sea is coming our way!” Rainbow shouts. “It’s flooding everything!”
Everypony gasped in horror, as Rainbow flew back down.
“We gotta leave now!” Spike shouted, panicking.
“We need to get to space; there’s no other way!” Twilight said.
Quickly, Twilight opened her bag and used her magic to pull out the spacesuits.
“Quick! Everypony get your suit on!”
She hastily gave the spacesuits to each pony, putting them on as fast as they can. As the sea came close, the Equestrians zipped their suits shut and put on the helmets and jetpacks quickly.
“All set to leave!” Applejack said.
“Wait!” Rarity realized. ‘The dinosaurs don’t have spacesuits!”
“Can’t you just make some?” Rainbow asked.
“I don’t have any fabric or helmets with me,” Rarity said. “Making a suit takes time.
“Uh… Guys,” Spike pointed, as the sea drew closer.
“How about your magic, Twilight?” Rainbow asked.
“I don’t know if I can,” Twilight said.
“Guys?!” Spike said, pointing rapidly.
“Then how do we take them with us?” Rainbow asked again.
“GUYS!!!” Spike shouted. “Water! Closer! NOW!!!”
They turned around and saw the water dangerously close. Twilight looked at the water, then the baby dinosaurs, repeating the process over and over until she had an idea. Granted, she never tried it before, but no time to think. Her horn glowed and she summoned a massive bubble around the babies. The bubble gathered just enough air so they could breathe.
“Let’s blast off!” Twilight said.
They all pushed the button to activate their jetpacks, flying into the air while dragging the bubble with the baby dinosaurs along. The sea flooded the ground beneath them, as the thunder roared, and the wind howled.
“Ponies away!” Pinkie shouted.
The water ascended higher until it reached the mountains. Suddenly, it stopped as our heroes dodged the lightning bolts in the sky.
“Brace yourselves!” Twilight shouted. “We’re going through the many layers again! Keep going!”
In doing so, Twilight kept one eye on the big air bubble with the baby dinosaurs as they pushed through many layers of the Earth once more. Eventually, they could see the stars again.
“Just a little more…” Twilight said, as they struggled.
(Pause at 21:40)
Finally, they’ve reached space and breathed a sigh of relief, happy to be alive.
“We’ve made it!” Spike said. “We’re safe!”
Octavia’s eyes went wide after everything, clutching Vinyl tightly.
“I don’t think I want to experience anything else that could almost end our lives,” Octavia shuddered.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Tavi,” Vinyl said, patting her friend’s back “Least we’re still alive.”
“I wouldn’t disagree with her,” Jiminy said. “If the meteor truly killed the dinosaurs, that would ruin my week for sure.”
“Oh no!” Twilight shouted, her eyes in realization.
“What is it, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.
“The sheet music!” Twilight panicked. “We forgot it!”
“Don’t panic so soon,” Pinkie said, pulling out the purple sheet music. “Ta-da!”
“Alright, Pinkie!” Rainbow said.
“Well done, Pinkie,” Twilight sighed in relief.
(Continue music)
Pinkie smiled, as she puts the sheet music away. They all took a look at the Earth, now completely covered with water as the moon stands in front of the sun, casting a red and pink glow. Fluttershy couldn’t help but shed a few tears after everything that’s happened. Rarity took notice and wrapped her arms around her. She couldn’t bear to watch her friend cry.
“There, there, darling,” Rarity said, nurturing.
“It’s all gone,” Fluttershy whispered, sobbing. “Our dinosaur friends… The valley… Gone.”
Jiminy floated towards her, trying to comfort her too.
“I know how you feel, Fluttershy. We all feel the same. Nobody ever wants these things to happen. But the mighty dinosaurs are gone. 65% of life on Earth died during this terrible extinction.”
Everypony was silent, letting the fact sink in.
“Jiminy, what happened after the dinosaurs were gone?” Twilight asked.
“Well, the Earth began to rebuild itself,” Jiminy explained. “Giant mammals were dominant species on the planet. The most famous is the Wooly Mammoth, an elephant with a fur coat able to survive the cold during the Ice Age. Another important event was the dawn of men. Some smaller mammals who survived the extinction were their earliest ancestors. In order to survive, they became apes and later they began to walk upright, slowly changing into the first humans. Soon they’d become the humans we know today.”
“Extraordinary!” Twilight said.
“I still miss them,” Fluttershy said. “Charlie… The others…”
“We all do, Fluttershy,” Jiminy said. “But after all, these magnificent creatures walked the earth for over 160 million years on the very ground we stand on after all that time. But if you look closely, you should know they’re not really gone.”
(Music at 2:51)
Fluttershy stopped sobbing to listen carefully, along with the others.
“Remember the Troodon and Archaeopteryx we saw?” Jiminy asked. “And what I said about dinosaurs and birds?”
“That they’re descendants?” Twilight asked.
“Oh yes,” Jiminy smiled. “The next time you see a bird outside or in your garden, just imagine it 600 times bigger with razor-sharp teeth.”
Fluttershy smiled and nods understandingly.
“You know, I first thought dinosaurs were mean like dragons. But I was wrong. True some were mean, but there were some very gentle. They all had one thing in common: They’re creatures that care for their young like us and other animals. They’ll do anything to stay alive. Whether you eat plants or… Eat another dinosaur. Nature is cruel, but also beautiful. You just have to look hard enough.”
Everypony nodded in agreement.
“Well, at least we saved a few dinosaurs,” Pinkie points out.
They all look toward the baby dinosaurs safe inside the air bubble.
“We’ll take good care of them,” Twilight nodded, smiling.
(Stop music at 4:09)
Suddenly, a bright light appears behind them as the portal opened.
“Come on, Deems is probably waiting,” Twilight said.
Soon they all entered the portal, which closed behind them. The flooded Earth moved in front of the Eclipse, covering everything else into darkness.
The Orchestra Stand
In the meantime, Deems, Leopold and the rest of the orchestra waited patiently for the ponies’ return. They knew how long it would take in that realm, but they still worried. Suddenly, their prayers were answered as the purple songbook glows and our heroes appear in a flash of life. The people gasp at the sight of dinosaurs the Equestrians brought with them.
“You’re back,” Leopold said.
“And with dinosaurs too!” An oboe player said.
Deems was surprised by the scenario. But he also saw they were not in a good mood. Getting over the death of the dinosaurs is a tough pill to swallow, especially for them.
“Is everything alright? What happened?”
The ponies, dragon and cricket took of their helmets, their manes slightly messy. They look upon the self-proclaimed Master of Ceremonies with sad eyes.
“It was awful, Mister Taylor,” Twilight sobbed. “We befriend those dinosaurs and now they’re all gone. Even a T-Rex killed one of them.”
Deems knew that would happen, but still he walk toward Twilight for a comforting hug. As he did, he looks upon the baby dinosaurs now free of their air bubble and looking around curiously.
“I see you brought some baby dinosaurs with you,” Deems noted.
“Their parents died during the extinction,” Twilight explained, sobbing. “We tried everything we could to save them. The Diplodocus’ mother, she asked me to care of the only infant she had left. We couldn’t leave any of them… Not there.”
“Shh, it’s alright,” Deems assured. “They’re safe now; all of you.”
The other Equestrians looked sadly at the ground.
“Mister Taylor, we’ve decided to take the infants to Equestria,” Applejack said. “We promise they’d have a great life there.”
Deems nodded in understanding.
“Come along, then. You must have experienced a lot back there. We’ll have a 15-minute intermission, everyone!”
All the members of the orchestra rose from their seat, walking down the stairs. Pinkie walked towards Deems and handed him the sheet music.
“Here’s the sheet music, Mr. Taylor sir,” Pinkie said softly.
“Thank you, Pinkie,” Deems said, as he took it. “If you need a longer break, just let me know.”
“Thank you kindly,” Applejack said. “But I think we do need a break.”
“Very well, you can tell me everything during your break. I do have something to tell you about the realm of the Rite.”
They nodded silently, still sad from the trip.
“Follow me, little ones,” Fluttershy instructs the dinosaurs.
As they all followed Deems downstairs for a well-deserved rest, the curtains of the stand close behind them.