//------------------------------//
// Fossil 
// Story: Pinkie's Doom Parade 
// by NeuPferdfurt 
//------------------------------//

(The end is the beginning)

"It was certainly the strangest thing I had unearthed so far. Considering that I’m a paleontologist, this is saying a lot. Quite a lot.

We were not able to recover the entire skeleton, so much of our reconstruction efforts were doomed to be guesswork- at least until we found other fossils of the same species.

The truly sensational aspect of this particular specimen were an almost perfectly preserved skull and lower jaw.

The creature belonged to a strata in the fossil record it shared with quite a lot of strange lifeforms, hundreds of mysterious species that seemed to have appeared in our world almost overnight. What most of these had in common was that they seemed to be hybrids of vastly different species, a phenomenon in perfect contradiction with evolutionary theory.

Even today, I consider this first skull to be my favorite fossil find. The way it seems to be grinning at you, the way you almost get the feeling it has a vibrating aura, as if there were leftovers from the sheer energy this being had radiated during its lifetime...

The morphology of the skull suggested a blend between human and equine features, our first DNA tests however remained inconclusive. Some of us suggested it must have been a nocturnal creature, giving the disturbingly large, owl-like eyes. The teeth, though arranged in a somewhat similar fashion as the teeth of a horse (since the jaw was much shorter, however, there was no interdental space), seemed to suggest a fairly omnivorous diet, with a lot of sugar. Yes, quite a lot of sugar.

One of my colleges was even able to extract elements from the skull and the surrounding sediment, allowing him to reconstruct the critter’s hair color. It was pink, of all colors. So we decided to call the magnificent, ancient beast... “Pinkie”. It can even be read on the info plate in the museum of natural history where it is currently presented to the public.

Looking at this fossil, you feel you can almost grasp the countless adventures it has lived. You almost expect it to come to life any minute to tell you its story..."