//------------------------------// // III. Welcome to Dinoville! // Story: Of Dust and Gold // by Shroomkin //------------------------------// Welcome to Dinoville! Dawn came, and with it, a new day for travel. Applejack woke up the earliest out of all of her friends, stretching from her sleep. She shook her head and yawned as she rubbed her heavy eyes, trotting towards the sleeping Centrosaur. "Yer a very heavy sleeper, huh?" she said, rubbing the crest of the dinosaur. "Yeah, he is. The old age might be gettin' to the bugger," Jedidiah said, surprising the pony. "Yer up early," Applejack said with a hint of caution, causing Jedidiah to chuckle. "Welp, I have to, with my job and all," answered Jed as he drank water from his pouch. "Y'all slept so peacefully that you forgot to decide who's the one guarding," Jedidiah idly commented as he offered some water to Applejack. She accepted with a nod as she drank greedily, the heat of yesterday's sun catching up on her thirst. Trying for a more casual talk, Jed tried to ask her about things. Things that made him curious. "So," he started, "you get up at this hour often?" Applejack simply gulped down on the water, feeling refreshed. "Ya bet!" She said, giving Jed back his pouch. "Runnin' an orchard takes quite a lot of time, so Ah have to wake up early in the mornin'," exclaimed Applejack as she stepped away from the snoring Centrosaur. "Yer a sheriff, right?" she asked, looking at Jedidiah as he sat on a rock next to a pot. "Took the mantle when I saved the mayor's daughter," he calmly said with a longing look. Mistaking this feeling for something else, Applejack simply placed her hoof on his shoulder. "It's alright, Ah know that feeling..." "Well, that business of hers sure is taking quite a lot of time," Jed said, misreading the situation, completely ignorant to the pony's feelings. "Oh," Applejack said, giggling sheepishly. Never before had she blundered like that. Still, she couldn't mistake those eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who lost a lot, and given his job, she understood. They continued to talk more about their homes, their family, and even their jobs. Jedidiah was intrigued about the way they harvested apples back home. "Well, if we have you in our fields, we'd be the best in terms of selling apples," Jed joked as he nudged a chuckling Applejack. The laughter was enough to wake up the party pony, greeting them both with a hug. Noticing the idle chit-chat of the two, Pinkie Pie decided to know more about Jed, especially since she was planning on making him a "Thank you for saving us" party, something she'd probably do once they get back home and improve upon the teleporter. "Good morning to you too, Pinkie," Jed said, amused to the antics of the pink mare. Of course, Pinkie also patted the sleeping Centro, reminding her of her own pet, Gummy. In truth, she misses him a lot. "Sooooo, whatcha talkin' about?" She questioned, giving them both such a bright smile. "Nothing much, really," Jed said as he opened his pouch and gave it to Pinkie. "We were just talking about the farms, our homes, and our worlds," he told the drinking pony. "It really is fascinating, another world without dinosaurs." Pinkie simply nodded, giving back the pouch after drinking water. "You bet! Buuut, when it comes to animal friends, Fluttershy is the best pony to talk to!" While waiting for the others, they decided to talk more about Pinkie, of how she grew up in a rock farm, only to end in a baking career. "Joy Barker would like you, a lot," Jed idly said, chuckling at the sight of Pinkie doing cartwheels while explaining. As everything was happening, he noticed a butter yellow pegasus gently patting the Centro. "Good morning, Fluttershy!" Pinke exclaimed, waving at the shy pegasus. "Oh," she said, calmly fluttering towards the group. "G-good morning, everypony," Fluttershy said meekly. Jed simply smiled gently, offering her the same water pouch he gave the other two. "So, you're the animal expert?" Jed asked, prompting the pegasus to smile. Before answering though, she took a sip from the pouch and gently exhaled. "Y-yeah, I just love animals," Fluttershy said, gently giving him back the pouch. Out of all of them, it seems Fluttershy drank the least. Jed quickly got up and went towards the Centro, motioning for them to follow. Fluttershy, excited that Jed might talk more about the creature, followed eagerly along with her friends. However, Jed quickly turned to the right, confusing the others. They then found themselves near a cliff, granted, it was a small cliff that would bring no harm should they jump. Confused by this, Pinkie began to wonder, but before she could, Jed quickly got into his belly and hushed them as he pointed at something beneath the cliff. They followed and saw another herd of Centrosaurus grazing in the small oasis. "Wow!" Fluttershy exclaimed. The rest were in awe to see such animals. This wasn't the same herd, but it was still a majestic sight to behold. "Now," Jedidiah began as he looked at them. "I told you of their names, but not their natural behavior," Jed said, speaking in a hushed tone. "Despite looking like grumpy reptile rhinos, as Pinkie calls them, Centrosaurs are one of the most family oriented dinosaurs," Jed said, pointing at the dinosaurs. "These creatures are loyal to their caretakers. Aggressive when it comes to defending their family, they will surround the younglings in a circle to create this "protective ring" on them." There they saw multiple hatchlings playing with each other, with their parents nudging the babies when they get too hyperactive. This fascinated the three ponies, especially Fluttershy. "I want you to guess who the alpha is," Jed said as he watched the ponies in amazement. Pinkie, first to speak up, decided to point on a large one. "Ooh, that one! That one!" She beamed at the sight. Jed simply chuckled. "You were close, but no, that ain't it," he said, patting the mane of the pink pony as she pouted. Applejack simply pointed to the smallest, thinking about how looks can be deceiving. "That ain't the one either," he simply stated, smiling at Applejack. Finally, Fluttershy decided to speak up, pointing at the one farthest away from the group. "You're right, Fluttershy!" Jed said, making Fluttershy smile even brighter than before. "That Centro is the alpha of the herd. You can see this with not only his size, but also his horns." Jed then pointed towards their sleeping Centro, "Look at his horns in comparison to the alpha. Notice how the alpha has a third set of horns on his head. That means that this Centro is older than most in the herd," Jed explained, much to the excitement of the others. He did not mention the scars, lest he worries the other ponies. "Look at how he radiates confidence, the way he looks around instead of grazing," Jedidiah said as the lone dinosaur was sniffing and turning, vigilant of its surroundings. "Oh, I want to pet him so much!" Fluttershy said, hovering over the others. Jed simply stood up and asked them to follow them back to the campsite, to which everypony agreed. "Uhm, excuse me if I sound rude, but why do you have Mr. Thorn Charge in a saddle to begin with?" Fluttershy asked, curious to the situation. "Well, we have them as a means for transportation," Jed answered honestly. "Some are built for heavy purposes, such as our Brachiosaurs, while some are built for defending other folks." "Brahkiosawrs?" Applejack asked. "What the hey are those things?" "They are long-necked creatures as tall as some of the trees. You'll see them soon," Jed stated. "While some treat these dinos as companions, some definitely use them not just for transportation but for farming, escorts, and even transporting heavy supplies that we can't carry ourselves." Fluttershy was satisfied with that answer, beaming widely as she hovered towards the Centro, who eventually woke up and started groaning. "Careful there, Fluttershy. No matter how friendly you are, if you suddenly pet him while he is still groggy, he might just bite you," he said, pulling her back gently before an accident happens. "He may be a herbivore, but that beak can still do a lot of damage." Thorn Charge simply roared at the others as he stood up, grumpily walking towards the plants as he chomped it with his sharp beak. "Sorry about that Fluttershy, he's just a grumpy old dino, even when he was still a baby," he said as Rainbow Dash woke up to the sound of roaring. "Ughh, my head," exclaimed the cyan pegasus as she hovered towards her friends. She greeted them and looked upon Jed with amazement, recollecting the way he saved them from the bandits. It was awesome, to say the least. They all sat in the shade as Jed started to make breakfast for the rest of them, with Applejack volunteering to help. "So, how did you become a sheriff?" Rainbow asked as she was piqued with interest. Of course, since she was asleep with the others, she did not experience the early morning conversation and the mini adventure Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack experienced. "Well, I became a sheriff after a few years of work," he said, stopping as he finished chopping the onions and adding salt to the soup. "I guess saving the mayor's daughter made it faster for me to climb the ranks," he chuckled, stirring the soup gently. "That's so cool!" Rainbow said as she hovered towards Applejack, much to the chagrin of the farmer working on the ingredients. "Hehe, sorry," she apologized as she continued, "So uhh, why'd you become the sheriff?" Jed simply sighed, recollecting his age old reason. "Someone has to do something, what with all the problems going all around with bandits and stuff," Jed answered. "Not the best reason, huh?" "Are you kidding me? That's heroic!" She said, raising a hoof to the air. As they continued their idle chatter, they heard a screech of a worried unicorn. When they looked back towards the tent, they could see Thorn Charge licking the wailing unicorn, spewing that her mane is ruined at such an early hour, with no hair spa nor shower in sight. Rainbow simply chuckled at her antics. Twilight simply woke up to the commotion, worried at her friend Rarity. Since she does not know much of the Centro, she thought for sure that the Centro was hungry. Combined with the young Coelo constantly following her and nipping on her hind hoof, she really has no idea if the dino was truly safe or not. Jed simply whistled, relaxing when the Centro still followed basic commands. The dinosaur quickly stopped at what he was doing, moved towards the human, and simply grunted when he saw the cyan mare. "Good morning to you too, you big lump of horns," he said as he walked towards Rarity and Twilight. "Apologies for that, Thorn Charge likes to lick things that look like food." Rarity simply looked aghast, "Do I look like food to, to, to such a beast?!" Jed simply sighed, looking at Thorn Charge, who was busy licking Fluttershy. "Either that or he likes you girls more than me," he said, distraught that his own Centro shows more affection to strangers than to his owner. Fluttershy interjected, seeing that her friend was distraught about the situation. "Maybe he thinks that we are foals?" Twilight simply perked up with Fluttershy's explanation. "What do you mean, Fluttershy?" "Well, Jed told us that Centrosaurs are really protective animals, even forming a ring to defend their young. Maybe he thinks that we are tiny and weird, uhh, hatchlings?" Fluttershy explained, to which it satiated the hungry mind of Twilight while calming down Rarity. "Well, I suppose if you put it that way," Rarity said as she rubbed the saliva off her mane. Twilight simply stood there, basking in the warmth of a sun. A delicious smell then wafted towards her nostrils. She glanced towards the soup pot, hungry for breakfast. Spike was on her back, groggy due to the loud shriek. They all had breakfast consisting of soup. Twilight took this opportunity to ask questions. Questions such as "what are you," "what are these animals," and "where are we going," all for the purpose of learning where they were and how to go back to Equestria. After an eventful breakfast, the gang decided to continue on their journey, packing up all the stuff and generally being helpful to one another. They passed through several other dinosaurs and mammals, each differing from one another. From the carnivorous scavengers, to hostile predators, to say that the lands are dangerous is an understatement. Luckily for them, the beasts seem not to mind their presence. Finally, after hours of travel, they have now reached Dinoville Canyon. Walking a few more miles, the Mane 6 spotted a house near a waterfall. There sat a blue Parasaurolophus, with a woman tending to it. "Oh, you're back! How are you, Jed?" the woman said, brushing the crest of her Para. Standing before them is Hope Simmons, welcoming Jed back from his adventure with open arms. "Thank you kindly for catching that no good Damien, stealing wheat and bread like that," she spoke, tipping her hat to the sheriff. As she went on and talked to Jed, she noticed at the corner of her eyes a pink and purple mane. Curious, she went towards the caravan and looked inside. To say that she was shocked was an understatement. "Woah! What are these guys?" said the usually calm woman, grabbing the attention of her Para in the process. The Para, curious on what these things are, sniffed the white unicorn and sneezed on her. "Eww! Why me?!" screamed the unicorn now covered in slimy mucus. The yellow pegasus simply patted the Para, curious on what the Para is. Upon hearing the white unicorn speak, she gasped and fell unto her rump, screaming hysterics at the talking unicorn. Jed simply pinched the ridge in his nose. "Gather everyone in here to Dinoville. I'll explain everything there," Jed said, partially annoyed at what is going on. To comfort the crying unicorn, he simply said that there is a shower in his house, immediately garnering the attention of said unicorn. Waving goodbye to Hope, he continued the journey towards Dinoville. They took all the sights in. Of course, they were still in a desert, but their new surroundings impressed them. Humble houses with weird metallic chimneys and neon lights next to large stables, where multiple dinosaurs reside in. The look on Fluttershy's face when she saw a tall dinosaur with a really long neck surprised the others. "That must be them 'Brahkiosawrs' Jed talked about, though Ah imagined them to be... taller," Applejack said, only to be surprised when a gigantic Brachiosaur walked towards their caravan. "Ah take it back," she simply said. Finally, they were there. Or rather, they were on Jedidiah's house. Rarity immediately dashed towards the shower and bathed, the rest shaking their heads on the antics of their friend. "Well, guess you should just make yourselves at home for now," he stated as he grabbed his pipe, walking outside the door. "I'll go back here and pick you all up after I talk with the mayor." Rainbow simply saluted, while the rest nodded. They looked around the place, noting how cozy it feels. Spike simply waddled near the fireplace, carrying the baby Coelo while avoiding her tiny nibbles. While it didn't hurt him, it was still annoying. Twilight was simply at awe when she found Jed's office as it was filled with books she has never read before, from novels to documents of old. Applejack simply lingered outside, looking at the stables and the house itself. By the mere mention of stables, Fluttershy immediately went outside as well, looking at the dinosaurs inside. She saw a Parasaur nuzzling a few eggs, the grumpy Thorn Charge, and the speedy Coelo who saved their lives, Sky Chaser. She also saw a bull-like carnivore, sleeping in the haystacks. Rarity was, of course, freshening up after the saliva fiasco she endured, even encouraging the others to take a bath as well. Rainbow, on the other hand, was simply at awe at the trophies and medals, from speed-racing to defending the town. Pinkie, who joined Rainbow looking at the medals, decided that she wanted to see if the kitchen has any ingredients for a cake, only stopping when she saw a photograph of Jed along with a child riding on a Coelo. They were smiling in the photo, which melted her heart, hugging it and then placing it back to where it belongs. Just then, a loud knock on the backdoor can be heard. It sounded so young, which meant it was a child of some sorts. "Jed? Ya in there?" The child said. Not knowing what to do, Twilight simply teleported everyone back inside as they talked about their current predicament. "Uhh, what's going on?" Rainbow said, surprised that they were all in a random study, with Twilight simply looking on the open door. "We have to think this through, not everypony can be as kind as Jed," she said. They all nodded, especially after the bandit incident. Unfortunately for them, Pinkie simply walked towards the door, immediately welcoming the child. "Pinkie!" They all said, annoyed at their friend's behavior. "Wha-" said the child, surprised to see a pink pony in front of him. "Hi! I'm Pinkie! It's so nice to meet you!" she said as she continued to speak more and more, as fast as a Coelo running. The child simply smiled at the confusing sight, entering the house as he saw the others, panicking at their friend's actions. When he saw the baby Coelo though, he immediately squealed and hugged it, with the baby nibbling on the child's arm. "Where'd you find this cutie?" He said, looking at the baby Coelo and doing clicking noises with his tongue. Fluttershy was surprised at this action and approached the child, excited to talk with a fellow animal lover. The rest then calmed down when they saw how affectionate the young child is. "Oh wait, I forgot!" the child said, quickly turning towards the rest of them. "I'm, uhh, Barry! It's nice to meet you guys," he said, glancing towards everyone. Before the others could introduce themselves, however, he quickly told everyone to follow him, which garnered Twilight's suspicion. "Not to be rude, Barry, but why do we need to follow you?" Twilight asked. Barry simply shrugged, "Dunno, Jed said that you needed to come to the center of Dinoville." He then scratched his head while carrying the now sleeping Coelo. "Weird though, he never told me that you were, uhh, ponies?" They all nodded, with Twilight wanting to state what type of ponies they are, only for Barry to simply run towards the door and call them. With no other option left, they decided to go outside. They took more of the sights as they passed through more of the town. Once they reached the center, however, they saw a few more buildings not like the others. One seems to be a market zone while the others seem to be important government buildings. And upon reaching near their destination, they could hear someone talk. "They are sapient beings, just like us, and I hope you all welcome them like how we welcome newer citizens to our quaint little town," he said, glancing around everyone. "When he saved them from bandits, he had the chance to learn more about them, and he brought them here to help them. I just hope everyone else accepts them the way our very own sheriff did, for they are kind beings, merely longing to go home. And so, I ask of you, all of you, that you share with them the same compassion we share with others. That we share with them the same friendliness we had given to those who needed it." This caused the rest to shout with glee, accepting what their mayor is saying. "And with that, I present to you, the Equestrians!" A loud cheer can be heard when they saw the ponies, although some remained skeptical on the whole thing. Each of them were waving to some degree, with Fluttershy having the weakest wave out of all of them as she cowered behind her mane. Of course, the others found this adorable, and simply gave her a gentle smile. Rarity and Rainbow simply basked in the glory that they were having, with Applejack simply waving, nervous about the whole thing. Twilight simply smiled at everyone, with Spike waving on her back. Pinkie, however, simply went towards everyone and shook their hands, making everyone chuckle. As soon as all of the commotion stopped, they simply followed Jed and Barry back home, where they agreed to stay, so long as they help out with the town. And given that the town treated them with care the moment they were introduced and as a means to repay their savior, they thought nothing of it. Upon arriving, Barry simply waved them goodbye and walked towards the market, seeing that he has something to buy for the new Coelo. "Well, this is certainly an unexpected surprise," Rarity simply said. "I just hope that you don't assign us to really hard chores," Rarity added, looking her hooves for damages. Applejack simply nudged Rarity in the side and rolled her eyes. "Ah swear, could ya at least try and do somethin' for once?" Rarity simply scoffed at the remark, but then pondered about it. She was saved by the sheriff, the least that she can do is break a sweat. "Now now, no need to argue," Jed coughed, putting the pipe back at the desk. "I've talked with the mayor and assigned you with jobs that I'm pretty sure that you can handle," he said, making Twilight raise an eyebrow at the comment. "And what does that mean?" Twilight asked, curious, concerned, and suspicious of the whole thing. "Simple, really," Jed said. "Applejack will help in the farms, Fluttershy will take care of the dinosaurs in the stables, while Pinkie will help in the bakery. Noticing a pattern here?" Jed said, making Twilight ponder upon the situation. He then opened his pouch and drank from it. "That's if they want to, of course. We have lots of job openings, should they want it. Call it a compromise for, well, whatever's happened with y'all being here; best I can do at least." Jedidiah then glanced at the windows as he scratched his neck. "If it were up to me, none of y'all would have to work but we're really low on people after some of them going to Mokon Woods for an expedition." "That would mean that Rarity would help with something that relates to sewing, Rainbow with something related to weather, and I myself with something related to... books?" Twilight said as she anticipated the situation. Jed simply nodded as he blew out smoke from his pipe. "Well, yes and no to some parts," he continued, grabbing a piece of paper and placing it on the table, immediately writing something on it with a pencil. "After talking to each of you, that's the best I can offer up to fit your abilities." He then turned the paper so that they could read what he wrote. "Twilight, you are to help with either the librarian, or well, be a secretary in the Town Hall. Rainbow would help with the mail or be part of the scouts for the Guardian Outpost," he paused, taking a swig of water. "Of course, you'll have your very own uniform on either jobs. This applies to all of you by the way." He then turned his gaze at Rarity. "You, however, you have quite a lot of options. You can either help with the seamstress and tailors, help the saddle makers, or go and help with the stocks in the warehouse." They all went silent, pondering, thinking about what they want to do. Looking at each other, they all nodded and agreed. "Well, when you put it that way, we'll offer our services wholeheartedly," Twilight said, with Spike cheering as well. "I wish to help with the dinosaurs," Fluttershy said meekly. "Ah shucks, guess Ah'll help with the farmin', ain't got nothin better than hard work!" Applejack said, raising her Stetson. "Being the fastest flyer AND the best scout will make everypony back in Ponyville cheer my name!" Rainbow said as she did a loop in the air. "Why, I must give my services to the fine tailors and seamstresses of this fine town, don't you think so?" Rarity simply said, posing as elegantly as she can. "More cakes and bread, more happy customers in the end!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced up and down and all around. Twilight simply nodded at all of her friends. "Spike and I will take the job as a secretary. You'll need help with organizing, after all!" She gave Jed a wink. "That and all the books I can read," she mumbled. "Yeah, we'll be the best at this!" Spike said as he raised his clenched claws in the air. "Great," Jed said as he finally closed his pouch, amazed at the ponies. "I'll introduce you to your coworkers tomorrow." "Just one more thing," Twilight said, "why weren't you at the Town Center?" Jed merely coughed as he straightened his hat, "I had matters to attend to at the office. Ain't as easy to waltz in the center without trying to talk to my very worried recruits, now can I?" Twilight merely grumbled but accepted that answer. "Now, again, I ain't gonna bother you too much if you don't want to work, so uhh, are you sure you want to help out?" They all nodded. Jedidiah merely smiled as he walked outside, stretching his limbs. Tomorrow would be a great day.