Sunset of the Dinos
It has been about four years since the events with Free fall, Smasher, and Fang. Since then the three have grown into fine young adult Dinosaurs and Pterosaur and have left the safety of Canterlot and now live in the dreaded Everfree forest under the care of Zacora. Fluttershy, Paleo Soar, and the rest of the main ponies visit them even the cutie mark crusaders have joined in on this tradition.
It is a bright cool spring day in Equestria everypony was going about their normal lives as if they never heard or saw the three hatchlings four years prior from this day. A young mare with a yellow coat, red mane, and red bow still in it trotted with her older sister an earth pony with an orange coat, yellow mane, and wearing a cowboy hat that was pulling a wagon filled with apples, the finest apples from her orchard to be exact along with lettuce and three barrels of fresh cider.
“Shoot ah wish they were still young.” The earth pony groaned pulling the wagon. “Because back then they didn’t eat and drink so much!”
“C’mon Applejack it’s them you’re talking about they’ve grown way bigger now and they diet is bigger to.” Said the mare, trying to uplift Applejack’s mood.
“Ah know Apple bloom but ah.” She was stopped when they heard a loud screech from the sky and a blinding glint.
They looked up to see Free fall, all grown up, his body still a whitish grey with that same purple marking, but his wing span is ginormous! 18 feet from tip to tip to be exact, clad in pearl white with gold trimmed armor came dive bombing straight for the mares.
“Here he comes, the big show off.” Apple bloom laughed.
The pteranodon swooped in making a small mini wind storm in his wake making Applejack almost losing her hat and Apple bloom losing her bow and their manes and tails blowing in the harsh breeze. Free fall landed in front of them delighted to see the mares he considered part of his second family. He proudly raised his head as his helmet which covered his entire top half of his head and his crest to shine as he adjusted his wings. His armor covered his chest which had the royal crest of Equestria on it and the medal he had since he was born, his back which has a saddle for a pony to ride on, his legs, and his feet which sported gold talons.
“Howdy Free fall.” Applejack said bowing her head. “How have you and your brothers been?”
Free fall nodded to Applejack nudging her with his beak letting her know that they were doing fine. They were at eye level even though by now Applejack is use to him she still couldn’t believe that was a tiny thing that couldn’t fly at all and if he did it is only for a minute or two before he would crash into something. He turned his head towards Apple bloom waiting for her to bow her head.
“Apple bloom!” Applejack nudged to her sister.
“What?!”
“Bow! You’re forgetting to bow! We are in front of royalty.”
“Oh, sorry Free fall.” She bowed her head with a blush and Free fall bowed his head back.
Free fall walked over to the wagon hoping she brought something for him. He picked and flipped over apples and lettuce until he got to the bottom of the wagon and found eel, salmon, and his favorite, cod. Free fall quickly pecked out an eel and slurped it down just as Apple bloom tried to shoo him away.
“No Free fall you can’t eat yet!” Apple playfully shouted at the pterosaur’s thievery.
“Alright ladies can we get movin?” Applejack stopped ruining the moment.
“ Alright fine sis.”
The three walked around Ponyville with everypony not really caring about the armor-clad flying reptile walking with two mares. At last they finally reached the entrance of the Everfree forest. It was an eerie silence with the air as still as a graveyard. Free fall noticed something on the ground, two large monstrous three toed foot prints that stood four inches away from them.
“Must be Fang’s marks.” Applejack concurred looking at the giant tracks. “Free fall sound the lunch bell if you don’t mind.”
Free fall nodded and cocked his head back as he stood up with his wings spread out. He let out a screech that rang through the forest, but his high pitch song also was hurting the two mare’s ears. He got louder and louder with each caw flapping his wings as he sang his eagle-like screech. He then got back on all fours and waited silently waiting for something. Not even a minute passed when the heard a low sound bellowing back in their direction. They heard footsteps, each one sounded like thunder and heard trees snap and break as the thunder became louder and louder. Down the road they then saw two large masses clad in the same shimmering pearl white and gold trimmed armor as Free fall’s. They got closer and closer the large masses evolved into giant masses of scales, armor, and horns. Fang and Smasher made their presence well known to other animals that they were here and they were in charge.
“Hi fang! Hi Smasher!” Apple bloom happily waved to the two hulking dinosaurs
Some fallen flower petals danced in front and behind them as if they themselves were welcoming back royal valiant war heroes. The two stopped in front of the two mares as they were in awe about how big they were and their armor. Fang is now the size of a full grown adult male but to the ponies he is like Godzilla to them, his scales pebbled like fine chainmail but was still that deep forest green and his bluish purple markings on his tail and legs still remain but are covered up by the finest armor Celestia had to offer. Smasher is the same way, his leathery scales are still muddy green, and his pinkish purple markings are still visible under his eyes and like his brothers he is clad in the finest armor. Fang’s armor covers his head in a helmet that has blades on the front and sides that look like tusks. His chest armor like Free fall has the royal crest and his medal on it, his small forearms have talon-like blades on the claws, on his legs are large shield-like armor that protect his thighs from attacks from dragons or hydras, his shins and feet are also armored, his tail is covered in armor plates, and the end part of his tail is protected by a sword attachment.
His brother, Smasher has his head protected by blades on his front and upper horns, his frill has a fine layer of armor on top of it so if anything tries to bite his frill it will have the taste of steel rather than his frill which would cause him to bleed to death, his chest armor like his brothers sports the same crest and his medal, his sides are protected by shields, his legs are armor plated, his feet though unlike his brothers do not sport claws but armor boots to make sure that monsters do not go for his legs and feet, and tail is protected by fine armor plates. The two looked like dragons bristling with blades and armors as if they were prepared for war. Applejack snapped back to reality after gawking at the shinning animals and started to unload the wagon. Free fall flew off the ground and perched himself on Smasher’s frill and watched the ponies do their work.
“There you go boys dig in!” Applejack said wiping the sweat off her head with her hoof.
The armored animals said nothing but dived into their lunch all except for Fang who stood there waiting for his brothers to finish.
“What’s wrong Fang? You ain’t hungry?” Apple bloom questioned with a bow of her head as with her sister.
Fang said nothing but listened and sniffed the air as if he smelled for prey. Just then a cockatrice slithered out of the bushes with its small wings; green scales, snake-like body, and poultry head clucked and hiss at the three giants. As fast as lightning Fang swung his massive head over to the cockatrice and bit it on the head before it could turn the mighty dinosaur to stone, thrashing it about like a ragdoll until he heard its little neck break from the violent shaking. Applejack shielded her sister’s eyes as Fang ate the bird hybrid with a grotesque sight. The bones of the doomed animal snapped and broke inside his mouth as his banana shaped railroad spike-like teeth made short work of its intestines which sloshed around in his massive toothed mouth as it was squashed by the broken bones it made horrid sloshing, popping, and cracking sounds while a small piece of bone, tail, and one of its claws came drooling out of his mouth as he swallowed the mesh of crushed guts, scales, feathers, wings, and bones with a burp. Applejack almost vomited from this, she has seen the armored behemoth eat before but it always made her feel sick and she was glad Apple bloom didn’t see it.
“What happened sis? Did he get the cockatrice?”
“Y-Y-Yeah h-h-he sure got him and made sure of it.”
She saw some bit of its blood oozing down with some saliva to the ground. This made the mare’s stomach urge her to release whatever was coming up. She ran behind a bush to release her lunch.
“Um, Fang? Ya got some drool there big guy.” Apple bloom pointed out being oblivious to what happened prior. “Ya alright sis?”
“Fine, ah’m just fine.” She said while still vomiting from what she saw and heard.
Fang wasn’t satisfied with just that little Cockatrice he ran off into the woods of something bigger for him eat and to fill his belly. As the rest were settled Paleo Soar came swooping in for his daily visit with the three creatures. Smasher and Free fall were overly happy to see their unicorn father and rubbed his body with their beaks.
“Where’s Fang?” Paleo Soar pondered. “He is usually the happiest to see me.”
“He went off to go his lunch.” Apple bloom happily said.
They heard loud crashes and a choir of low roars from deep in the forest. Applejack was afraid of what poor creature was under his claws and inside his armored jaws. 15 minutes later Fang returned with a hydra being dragged by its tail, its heads were sliced off including the middle center head. Applejack and Apple bloom were disgusted by the horrid sight. He dragged the carcass and landed it next to him and was taken over by excitement to see Paleo Soar. After the touchy reunion Paleo Soar unbuckled the straps on their helmets so they could feel more comfortable. Fang then dug into his kill with bone-crunching bites, gulping down large chunks of the reptile’s flesh and meat making the apples uneasy to watch except for Paleo Soar who watched the T-rex eat his meal without flinching.
As Fang ate his fill a purple unicorn being followed by a dragon that was clearly twice as big as the mare came galloping in and stopping in front of them. They were shocked about seeing Fang digging into the corpse of the fallen Hydra. Every time he tore out a chunk of flesh of the large reptile the toes and legs twitched as if was in a permanent state of running away from his murder. Twilight could barely watch this violent consuming of flesh, scales, meat, and bone. Spike watched but couldn’t handle hearing the awful snapping of its bones, the popping of its organs, the sloshing of meat being pushed around by the dinosaur’s massive head. Spike and twilight bowed their heads while the other two proceeded and Fang stopped his eating and bowed his bloodstained head. He took one last bite of his kill and pulled out its still fleshy heart. He chewed it and with made sickening sloshes and pops then finally he swallowed it.
Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Applejack, and Apple bloom galloped behind a bush and released their breakfast and lunch at the same time while Paleo Soar smiled as he pulled out a towel, trying to clean the Tyrannosaurus.
“Jeez Fang, daddy has taught you proper table manners! At least if you’re going to eat that in front of your mothers do it with some class. Remember you and your brothers are royal Canterlot guards!” Paleo tried to wipe the blood off of the t-rex’s mouth with a small towel.
“That’s all ya care about? Table manners?! Ah think he needs to be re-educated for royal table manners!”
“He is just a big baby still. They all are really, this is what they do and how they eat it’s so fascinating really if you think about it.” Paleo Soar boasted.
“We all ain’t a bunch ponies who like the sight of a giant lizard eating a cockatrice and half of a hydra!” Applejack stomped her hoof in protest.
The two began an argument about Fang’s eating habits while Twilight, Spike, Apple bloom, even Fang, Smasher, and Free fall got tired of the two bickering and walked off to Sweet apple acres. Apple bloom climbed at strapped herself to Free fall’s saddle as Twilight jumped onto Smasher while Fang grabbed his helmet and walked off. Along the way they came across Pinkie pie with a grown up Gummy walking down the street for Sweet apple acres.
“Hey Pinkie, you have everything ready for today?!” Twilight asked shouting from the back Tyrannosaurus’s back.
“Yep, I sure do! You’re never too old parties!” She shouted in a musical voice as Gummy dragged a rather large sack behind him with his teeth.
Smasher was curious about what was in there and wanted to go over and see it; Twilight lightly banged on his armor and steering the hulking Triceratops away from it.
“No, no Smasher not yet, wait till later big guy.”
Smasher obediently nodded his large horned head and started to gallop to the ranch. In the sky, Free fall flew faster with Apple bloom in the saddle, she held onto her bow as tightly as she could as the pterosaur picked up speed. While in the air they saw a blue comet with a rainbow trailing it, Free fall instantly knew who it was and flew faster trying to catch up with it. The blue comet changed its path and headed straight for the Pteranodon; Free fall gracefully glided towards it and started to tuck in his large wings. The comet dive-bombed passed the flying reptile, which he did the same ignoring Apple bloom’s pleas to slow down. He dive-bombed after the comet screeching like a proud young eagle and fully tucking his wings in. The fall for poor Apple bloom seemed like it was forever! Free fall finally caught up with the comet and was looking at…at her in the eyes.
“Hey Free fall, Glad you’re up to a challenge today!” A blue Pegasus mockingly said.
Free fall only let out a screech as he dove passed the Pegasus who accepted this challenge and flew after him. The two were reunited again and were heading straight for the ground with Apple bloom screaming her head off in a mix of terror and joy, she felt the rush of adrenaline running through her young body, she was happy to be up in the air which was a rare treat for her, the crisp spring air coldly kissed her body and coat as she plummeted to the ground. The blue Pegasus pulled back letting Free fall win the race as his wings spread and swooped away from two inches of air that was between him and the ground and landed softly and soundly onto Fang’s back armor. The party finally made it to Sweet apple acres; Free fall hopped down from Fang and letting Apple bloom to get off. Her mane was air blown back and messy. The blue Pegasus held out her hoof to the pterosaur which he proceeds to hoof bump as she bowed her head.
“Oh hey Apple bloom I didn’t see you there your mane’s a mess you should fix it for the party.” Said the blue Pegasus being completely oblivious to what had happened.
“Oh hi Rainbow dash, how are you today?” Apple bloom said as she fell to the ground.
Meanwhile back at the Everfree forest Paleo Soar and Applejack were still in a heated argument. Applejack’s brain was going numb from all the big words Paleo Soar was saying. Paleo Soar felt like he was going nowhere if he only had Techie or Star shadow to carry an intelligent conversation, even though they feel the same pain as Applejack. Paleo Soar looked around to see that they were gone Applejack followed to.
“Where’d they go off to?” Applejack asked.
“Maybe they went to Sweet Apple acres for the party?”
“Shoot! Ah should have been there by now if this egg-head pony wasn’t babbling about how he graduated when he was a colt!”
“I see no egg-head here I see an ignorant earth pony who is no smarter than a pebble!”
Paleo Soar decided to be the mature pony and broke off from the argument as his pterosaur wings grew out from his sides.
“Hop abroad misses pain in the flank.” He said with such immaturity.”
Applejack just strutted over and climbed to his back and she felt a cold icy breeze as she was pushed into the air. During the flight there was an uncomfortable silence Applejack saw worried and sadness in Paleo Soar’s eyes. It was the look of a worried father who was worried about his kids’ future.
“So, um are Free fall, Smasher, and Fang the only ones left or did you revived more of them?” Applejack asked trying to break the silence.
There was a long pause after that. Paleo Soar didn’t want to answer this. But he knew that since she is now part of the family the three made she had to know the truth. He swallowed a large lump in his throat and sighed.
“No, I could only do three eggs. Sadly they are truly the last of their kinds. Out of all the eggs I tried doing the same with the left over eggs left in the nests but they came out stillborn. I spent weeks, no months in the lab working and preparing them for a happy future but it was a lost cause. I wanted to bring back females for them so they could feel like what true love is like so they can breed and have hatchlings and feel that same joy I had felt when they were born but it looks like this will never happen.”
“Ah’m so sorry sugar cube Ah bet they must be very lonely.” Applejack said laying her head on the back of his trying to comfort him.
He sarcastically laughed at his misfortune while he accepted the earth pony’s kind offer. He then started to continue in his rant.
“I was so mad; I bucked, screamed, and cried knowing that my children could never spread their legacy. And I didn’t eat for four days because I was so mad!” Water started to form in the unicorn’s eyes but he sucked them back in and tried to finish the sad tale. “I see it in their eyes, I see that they are happy to see me, Fluttershy, Celestia, Luna, Techie, Star shadow, Zacora, and you five but they are also crying because of how lonely they are! They want to love something, to protect something, and to live happy with something they love dearly! But they can’t, they just can’t! I failed them as an owner! I failed them as a father!” He said while tears ran down his face.
Applejack cried a little bit at this knowing the three creatures she considered part of her family, they are just as much part of her family as big Macintosh, Apple bloom, her grandmother, and her friends are and are going to die off and there will be nothing to carry on their legacy. This revelation made her cry a little bit. Applejack wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words for it. She cried, Paleo cried, they both cried until the saw the orchards. Paleo Soar landed with an icy breeze and his wings disappeared. Applejack embraced the unicorn with a tight hug.
“Feel better now?”
“Ye-yeah I do, thanks AJ.”
“Now c’mon they’re expecting us.”
The two walked through the orchards to find Granny Smith bowing before the three armored clad animals showing her respects. She never thought she would be alive to see these magnificent creatures in the flesh!
“It’s great pleasure to meet the three of you.” The old mare said bowing her head. “I remembered seeing the three of you as little ankle biters but you all grown up and to see the legendary giants of the Everfree is truly an honor.” She finished with a withered old laugh.
The three bowed before the old mare showing their respects, from what the apples, Paleo Soar, Techie, and even Twilight Sparkle had told them that if it wasn’t for Granny Smith’s family Ponyville wouldn’t stand. They kneeled before her and rose back up, gracefully as a knight in front of a queen.
“I don’t know what those Canterlot folks had taught them. But they are some of the most respectable and well-mannered creatures I had ever laid my eyes on. Now I wish my grandkids could be more like them.” She finished with a playful
bantering old cackle.
“Um, Granny we are sitting right next you, and we heard that.” Big Macintosh commented clearing his throat.
The three saw Applejack and Paleo Soar walking up to the ranch and ran over to greet them. They tackled the unicorn licking him like a band of happy puppies.
“Yes I know daddy’s here. But I think your aunt Applejack might want some love’n to.” He said with a devilish grin.
The three tackled the earth pony giving her the same treatment as they gave Paleo Soar. Fang picked up the earth pony by her mane and carried her to the back of the barn with Paleo trotting happily behind his band of prehistoric children. Fang dropped the earth pony which landed flank first into a bail of hey. The three then walked into the barn in a single file line with Free fall being first, Smasher being second, and Fang being third. Paleo Soar with the help of Big Macintosh striped the animals of their armor. When each one stepped out of the barn they felt nude, their armor was like a second skin to them but they also felt lighter having that heavy armor taken away. They then rejoined the group of ponies when Rarity, Sweetie belle, Scootaloo, and most importantly Fluttershy walked in pulling a cart of something wrapped in a pink tarp. They quickly ran over to the yellow coated and pink manned Pegasus and greeted her with happy faces. The other three mares bowed their head and they did in return. Smasher wanted to look inside the cart but Fluttershy kindly grinned and told them in a motherly voice.
“Not now Smasher just wait for a little bit. These are for tonight.”
Smasher bucked the ground and walked off to join the other two. As everyone was having a good time there was a knock at the door of the main house. Apple bloom trotted over to see who it was. When she opened the door there was a young unicorn mare in front of her. Her mane was a mix of pink and black. Her coat, a violet blue that seemed to shine in the mid-day sun that was covered by a lab coat, her eyes are an icy pale blue that were covered by glasses, her cutie mark; though it looked like Paleo Soar’s but it was different. It had two claws crossing each other and a T-rex skull. She looked like she was no older than Apple bloom herself but she was actually the same age Paleo Soar.
“May Ah help you ma’am?”
The unicorn mare said nothing but fixed her glasses with her hoof with a mean serious look on her face as she clear her throat.
“Yes, I’ am looking for Paleo Soar.” She said very coldly.
Feeling slightly intimidated by the mare Apple bloom lowered herself with a frown on her face.
“He’s in the back. May Ah ask who you maybe?”
“I’ am Limestone, his assistant.” She said walking from the front porch to the back yard.
“Geez of all the times you have to be out and about with your so called ‘children’ I had to be stuck in the lab, alone, almost in the dark, no one to talk to about ‘oh LS did you do something with your mane?’ or ‘my you look lovely as ever today’, or even ‘did you sleep well through that storm last night? Because if you’re scared you can just snuggle with me.’ No! Instead of that you run off with her and your crazy monsters of science leaving me with all the darn paper work!” she thought to herself in frenzy as she stomped over to the group.
As she got over to the group the three stopped whatever they were doing and sank their bodies low to the ground as she gave the whole group a cold stare. It was like a glacier, the coldest of glaciers was staring at them.
“W-W-W-Who is that?” Twilight Sparkle asked just as scared as the three animals.
“Limestone, my assistant.” Paleo Soar said with a cold tone.
“Paleo Soar!” She shouted in a harsh voice.
“What is it Lime?” He commented back with a stone cold face.
“You, Techie, and even Star Shadow all left me! I was left all morning filing your stupid reports!”
“Stupid? Stupid?! Those reports are far beyond stupid! They are the essence of my hard work! That’s why I sit in Canterlot under the princesses’ orders! Unlike a certain mare I know who had her business go belly up.” He finished his venomous words with a snicker.
“Yes they are stupid because you have disturbed the natural order you bantering moron! Even your magic is something that should not be messed around with! The only reason why they chose you instead of me is because you like to show off more!” Limestone finished spitting her words back at him.
Fluttershy, not wanting a fight let alone an argument on a day like this wanted to break the argument but Free fall put his wing out in front of her.
“It’s like they are arguing like a married couple.” Rainbow dash whispered to the pink mane Pegasus mare.
“You two? At it again?” A dark blue Pegasus with a black mane and sky blue eyes spoke as he hover down to the ground as a light brown earth pony with a curly brown mane with blond tips came galloping after him.
“And also Paleie, err I mean Paleo I also got a letter from Celestia herself stating that there will be a race in Cloudsdaile called the ‘ Iron wing challenge’ and she wants all of us to attend.” She finished her argument and walked over to Free fall, Smasher, and Fang.
The three smiled as she petted them and kissed them on the sides of the heads. She smirked at Fluttershy as if she was taunting her by saying “they are mine!” Fluttershy just ignored this and pulled some of the carts out of the way. As the day went on the whole group held a birthday party for the three since they were born on the 7th day of spring. Limestone kept her distance from the six ponies and stayed close to Paleo Soar but kept a cold uppity expression on her face. As day turned into the evening and when that melted into sunset the sky was painted in beautiful shades of pink, orange, blue, purple, and violet the party were on their way to Canterlot for a celebration. The three were clad in their armor which clanked as they took their thunderous steps. Everypony who was walking to the castle was in awe to see the armored beasts. Some bowed, some had eyes that grew, and some were even terrified of them. Due to their massive sizes compared to their small subjects Celestia with help from Limestone ordered special gates for them just so they could get in. when they walked through the iron gates their eyes were treated to a marvelous garden! With flowing waterfalls, creeks, and ponds filled with the best fish for Free fall to eat, bushes of the finest berries and tubers Smasher could eat, and Birds of various origins that Fang could eat. Truly this would be a nirvana for them if they were still small and if they hadn’t seen this year after year. Smasher took a nibble of a blueberry bush while Fang and Free fall snatched a buzzard and eel out of the air and water and ate their meals as the marched. They then saw Celestia standing in the middle of an alter with a smile on her face. They bowed to her as she did the same. Then another Alicorn stepped out from behind her. It was Luna her younger sister, Star Shadow’s boss, and princess of the night. This is the first time she had seen them in a long time. The last time she saw them when they were juveniles, and their last they could live in Canterlot.
“My you have grown into fine creatures.” Luna gasps while patting the side of Smasher’s face.
“Yes they have and they have grown into local legends as well sister.” Celestia commented back with a giggle.
The three gave the two rulers a nod and went to their seats. They stood behind small shrines dedicated to them, covered in wreaths of beautiful flowers, small stone statues laid in front of them with their titles in graved in to each. They read.
“Free fall, the valiant flyer.”
“Smasher, the noble horned defender.”
“Fang the courageous leader.”
The three all let out a sigh of boredom. They didn’t want to be here, they wanted to be with their family, to live happily, to be…free. Limestone stepped out of her room to see the three sitting, waiting for a festival to start in their honor. She had grown just as much attached to them as Paleo Soar; in fact they see her as a mother like Fluttershy. She saw something in their eyes that the two rulers didn’t. It was the look of boredom, loneliness, and sadness. When the two princesses walked away to join their subjects Limestone trotted into the garden wearing a beautiful gown with a small tiara on her head with a frown.
“What’s wrong babies?” She said with a motherly voice.
The three looked at her with a glance of wanting to run away and go to the Everfree forest.
“I know how you feel, being alone and wanting to escape your title.”
Fang nudged her knowing that they understood her and if they could talk they would tell her how they feel about this. Since they became royal protectors of both Ponyville and Canterlot; ponies have been praising them for their good deeds and fearing them when they are angry or even just their sheer size and looks. They would tell fillies and colts that if they misbehaved Fang would gobble them up or Free fall would pluck them and carry them off. Some young mares and stallions would dare each other to go into their domain and sit in front of the old castle where they sleep in and recite a poem, mocking them and if they don’t eat them they are considered to be “tough” and go inside their castle for dates and ghost hunts. But some ponies praise them because nothing messes with them and they can sleep well knowing that their town and land is safe. But all the citizens are oblivious to them being tired of the praises of being great heroes and torment for being different and being out of place and wish to have families of their own. However Limestone, Paleo Soar, Fluttershy, and Zacora see this in their eyes. They want to cry but they know that their tears would be lost causes and empty.
“Mamma’s here its ok if your cry in front of me.” She whispered to them.
“Daddy’s here kids, I know they treat you like circus animals right now but if you wish to cry then do it.” Paleo Soar said walking next to Limestone.
Limestone blushed when she saw him near her but she focused her attention on the three depressed animals. The touchy
mood was soiled Celestia walked back into the garden.
“Hello your highness.” Paleo Soar said with a bow.
“Hello Paleo Soar, Hello Limestone out on a date?”
The two blushed until they were red as apples and both stomped their hooves in denial.
“No we are not!”
“Oh, well alright then what’s wrong with them?” she tilted her head as she pondered about the three’s sad faces.
Limestone and Paleo Soar told their ruler what was wrong with them and how long they had felt like this. Celestia sympathized with them. She actually wanted to cancel this festival but her sister wanted to see them so she gave in to her sister’s pleads. After 15 minutes of talking about their problems they decided that after tonight they will cancel the festival. They walked out of the garden and into a spacious courtyard where everypony was waiting in anticipation and terror for the three to show up. Paleo Soar stood next Limestone who stood next to Techie and Star Shadow. The torches that decorated the courtyard made low amber glows that laminated only the bottom and middle parts of the threes’ massive heads. The shadows covered where you would see their eyes making them zombie-like except the occasional twinkle that made their jade green eyes glow. Fang’s teeth and Smasher’s ivory-like horns glowed from the series of embers. The fires glowed on their armor giving it an orange almost black shade as the small fires’ reflections danced on the metal armor and the light of the moon shined on their backs. They truly looked like monsters of the fiercest caliber! Everypony including Luna, the princess who helped bring these animals back to life was even a little bit afraid of their looks! Finally Fang nodded his head that broke the silence. He let out a low hum of a growl that made everypony’s manes stand up. Some wanted to run for it fearing that he will devour them in a brutal massacre but some like his family wanted to stay for their sake.
“Greetings everypony.” Celestia announced trying to break the tension. “We are gathered here today for the last guardian spring festival. Due to reasons I wish not to go into detail. For three years this festival was made in the honor to the three animals that protect both Canterlot and Ponyville from vicious monsters. For this we all give them our greatest gratitude. Free fall, the valiant flier, Smasher, the noble horned defender, and Fang, the courageous leader we all thank you from the bottom of our hearts and bless you with a long happy life. And we also thank these six mares, Techie, Limestone, and Paleo Soar for bringing and raising these magnificent beings for all of use.” They silently bowed their heads and listened to the princess. “Without further ado let the festival begin!” she shouted with her wings spread.
There was music, contests, food, drink, the works for everypony except the three. They were too big to dance with their family and miss it. Free fall gulped down his cider like a bird drinks water as he looked at all the happy ponies having a ball and looked at his brothers which looked at him to. Paleo Soar and Limestone didn’t leave their sides through the whole party but looked on with a depressed look that was the same as their saurian children. The three then saw something that triggered something deep inside of them, couples dancing. This made each one feel very lonely as they gazed upon their tiny subjects. This also made them feel something that they put in the back of their minds for the longest time. They looked at the fine royal walls of the courtyard, the trimmed bushes, the barrels of cider, the torches, the cobblestone road that lead to the yard, their armor, and the ponies themselves and finally that thought smacked them in their mental faces as it returned to them. They felt…misplaced, they felt like they weren’t supposed to be here both in Ponyville and the time period they currently live in and…lonely very, very, very lonely. As soon as the party ended the six walked to their respected homes and Paleo Soar and Limestone walked with the children to the castle. As the band walked deep into the black cloaked Everfree forest Limestone became slightly afraid of the branches of the trees that looked more like crooked spikes with giant thorns sticking out in all directions and the howling from the other creatures.
“Um, Paleo? Is it alright if I um, lean on you for a bit?” Limestone asked slightly frightened.
“Um, I guess so? Why is the little brat scared of the forest?” He ruined the touchy moment with the sarcastic remark.
Limestone bucked Paleo Soar in the back of his head as she leaned on his body for protection. When they finally got to the old castle and into their usual lair, the old throne room the two unicorn parents took off their armor, kissed them on their scaly heads even though they tear up a bit knowing they can’t stay with them and said their goodbyes for the night knowing they will return tomorrow.
While in their chamber the three couldn’t sleep. They still had the thoughts of not belonging and loneliness still fresh in their minds. The three looked at each other as if they were communicating telepathically. They just stared at each other for about three hours then looked at the full moon and fell asleep ready for a new day.
The sun shined bright on Cloudsdaile as the cloudiseum roared with the sounds of wing beats and cheers of many excited Pegasi just waiting for this new Iron Wing tournament to start. Rainbow Dash was nervous about doing this as soon as she learned where they will have to fly in and over as part of this new race.
“Hey big sis what’s wrong?” A young Pegasus mare asked walking up to her.
“Oh hey Scootaloo. I’ am just nervous about this new race that we will be attending.”
“Why what’s wrong with it?”
“We have to fly over and in the Everfree forest that’s what!”
“That’s a problem how?”
“Did you forget who lives in that forest and who flies in the forest?”
“Free fall?”
“Yes! Free fall defends that air space violently no Pegasi has ever flown over that forest when he started to fly!”
“Aren’t the wonder bolts going to attend this? I’m sure he won’t go near them.”
“Yeah but even they are afraid of him!”
“Aren’t we close to Free fall though? I’m sure he won’t attack his own family.”
“Yeah that maybe true he is a sweetheart to us so he might let us go but it’s the other racers I’m worried about and when it comes to duty he follows.”
The two mares then walked out of the locker room out into the large coliseum made out of clouds to find other Pegasi including several armed royal guards and the wonder bolts, even Star Shadow and Aero had joined in the race.
“
Hey Star, I didn’t know you two were in this race?”
Star Shadow said nothing but a grumpy huff.
“C’mon dear say something to your friends.” Aero said to his boyfriend.” He is just as stressed out from looking for Free fall to see where exactly he is at before the race.”
“And?” Scootaloo commented.
“He couldn’t find him or his brothers.”
“Oh that can’t be good.”
They were interrupted by the sounds of horns playing as Celestia walked in with an entourage of guards.
“Mares and gentle colts!” She announced loudly.”Today my sister and I are proud to announce that the Iron Wing tournament! The course is this; you fly through the Everfree forest and over it in a series of laps. There are also check marks, with flags the winner is determined by how many flags they had collected along the way." She finished announcement.
All the racers got into a sprinting position waiting, sweating, eating the tense seconds for the trumpets to blare so they could take off. Star Shadow looked up to see Techie, Paleo Soar and limestone all sitting either on a cloud or in a hot air balloon. The seconds seemed like hours then finally the trumpets sounded as the racers flew off towards the Everfree forest unaware about what is in it. As the racers snaked their way into forest they saw the first checkmark. Rainbow Dash quickly flew passed and snatched the first flag with her mouth and put it in a sack while Scootaloo wasn’t too far behind leaving Aero and Star Shadow in third and fourth place.
“Catch me if you can slowpokes!” Rainbow Dash shouted to the others as she sped off deeper into the forest.
During this time Free fall was happily bathing in a lake, his and his brothers’ favorite watering hole that were soaking up the spring sun’s rays. As Free fall drank water from the lake he could sense something was different about the air, the others felt this to. Fang opened one of his reptilian eyes at his flier brother as if telling him he could sense it to. Smasher opened one of his eyes then nodded to Free fall to go and check to see if it’s just their imagination. The pteranodon shook off the little bit of water on his ghostly greyish white body and took to the skies with a hawk-like scream. Free fall climbed silently as if he was nothing more but a ghost, a phantom, and a specter.
He silently scanned through the clouds considering his vision is the best amongst the three, three times better than the average hawk or falcon. He then found what made around the forest seem so out of place, Pegasi racers! He knew that he had family that were Pegasi however despite him wanting to ignore them knowing they probably on a race or something of that matter but something in him was calling to him, commanding him to go and chase the intruders away from his airspace and territory. He gracefully and quietly flapped his mighty wings as glided over to the racers keeping an even pace with the stragglers. He then saw the opportunity to strike, two guards, a racer and a wonder bolt who tagged along to make sure that nopony gets left behind. Free fall locked his eyes onto the racer and started to climb down silently letting his body blend into the clouds like a ghost. He was dropping faster and faster as he slightly closed his long wingspan.
“It’s kind of scary out here.” Said the racer to a guard who paid no real attention to him. “I hope we don’t have to run into those monsters! Are all those stories true about them? Does one of them really have wings that are larger than any known dragon?”
Free fall started to deploy his talons as he was ready to swoop in. as he was silently approaching the party he quickly saw the majority of the racers and changed his direction without letting his original targets notice anything. He glided up to the main group of the racers who all had one or two flags in a sack all trying to catch up to dash and the other three Pegasi. He noticed something that he wasn’t expecting in the race’s forecast. A clearing in the sky he didn’t have the coverage of the clouds to mask his approach! The sun shined through his thin wing membrane exposing the elongated pinkie fingers and his veins crimson red and filled with rich pterosaur blood. The sun also casted a shadow on the forest floor for all the racers to see. It was now or never for him! This was his flawless hunting tactic! He had used this very same move countless of times to take down fish and to have it ruined was something he couldn’t accept. He quickly dive-bombed for the crowd of Pegasi racers who saw the great flying reptile zooming on his target but acted too late to do anything about this! Free fall landed his talons on a racer and dragged him to the ground. The racer screamed for help as Free fall plummeted to the forest floor with his catch. Free fall landed gracefully despite having a kicking and screaming Pegasus in his talons. He and the racer were the same height and the Pegasus was now looking at the flying reptile dead in the eye. Tears started to form from the Pegasus’s eyes in plead to let him go.
Free fall then noticed that he was young and harmless so he let him go but he silently tailed him to attack the others to. Free fall slingshot himself passed the racer back up high above a guard. He was like the very image the ponies feared, grey, white, powerful, angry, and most of all fast, very, very fast. He glided over the armored guard like an evil winged demon of greyish white and grabbed him by his neck and pulled him to the ground. Star Shadow finally saw a glimpse of the rainbow colored Pegasus and quickly picked up speed. Both are tied neck and neck for the lead, both have the same amount of flags, and both have the fire of victory in their eyes. They just needed one more flag. It was on top of the tallest spire on the old castle.
“Glad you caught up Star Shadow.” Rainbow dash said with a cocky attitude assuring she will win this.
“I’ am to Dash because I need someone to witness my victory!” Star Shadow shouted as he zoom passed Rainbow Dash.
They saw a series of puddles in the shape of three toed feet heading down the path to the castle. Rainbow Dash didn't really pay much attention to this and kept flying but Star Shadow saw these tracks before and knew exactly who they belonged to. In a thicket of trees Fang and Smasher saw the two fliers recognizing them as members of his family and didn’t want to bother them in fact both dinosaurs wanted to cheer victory for them but like Free fall they felt this urge they couldn’t explain that compelled them to scare off these Pegasi with brute force. Fang let out a low pitch growl that made both Pegasi stop in their tracks.
“What was that?” Rainbow Dash asked to the dark blue Pegasus.
“It sounded like a growl.” He commented back trying to keep his composer.
“A Hydra, a Manticore, or maybe a Dragon?” Rainbow Dash throwing out names to figure out who or what made that noise.
“No that sounded nothing like a hydra or a Manticore.”
Fang let out another low pitch roar that echoed through the trees making both even more scared. Seeing that the warning didn’t work Fang ordered Smasher to explode from the flora and scare them away with a gaze and nod. Smasher as if he was under a trance did exactly as his brother suggested and busted out from the trees roaring and snorting like a vicious animal.
“Oh good it’s just Smasher. Where’s Free fall and Fang?” Rainbow Dash asked unaware of what state his mind is in right now.
The triceratops said nothing but kicked the dirt ready for a charge like a bull in a rodeo. His eyes reflected not the normal happy loving dinosaur the ponies knew, they reflected something much worse. They showed malice, anger, and a primal need to chase them away from this certain area. In the back of the dinosaur’s mind he didn’t want to do this to his aunt but this urge was almost instinct to follow.
“What’s wrong Smasher its Auntie Dash you know me and its Star Shadow you know him to.”
Smasher said nothing but snorted and let out a roar that was so indescribable it shook the mare to her core knowing that he is going to charge them. His massive size compared to the two ponies would easily crush their bones into nothing but powder.
“Dash it looks like he isn’t in the mood how about we just fly back slowly and…”
Smasher picked up pace with his horns ready to gore the mare and stallion. Star shouted “Fly!” and they both took off as fast their wings could carry them with the triceratops chasing them. Fang followed the three of them under this very same trance ready to ambush them; he wasn’t going to let the two ponies escape with their lives. Smasher saw his brother readying himself to jump out at them and stopped and turned the other way.
“What’s up with him? I have never seen him act like that before!” Dash said in terror and astonishment.
“I think I know but I have to check with Paleo Soar once we get back.” Star shadow said with a calm voice.
Just then they saw a huge scaly face appear out of the trees, it was Fang! He roared as loud as possible while opening his jaws wide ready to make a meal out of his family.
“Whoa, whoa pull up, pull up now!” Star Shadow ordered as the two pulled away from the toothed maw that smelled like old rotten meat and blood.
Fang roared and started pursue the two ponies with the same kind of eyes Smasher. They snaked in between trees and stumps trying to out fly the t-rex who was keeping a spot on pace with the two fliers despite them being in a heavily wooded area. Every time Fang would get near one he would snap at them, trying to catch one of them by their back legs or tails. Every snap sounded like a steel cage closing or boulders smashing into each other. They could feel his hot breathe warming their backsides as they panted trying to fly faster than the dinosaur. They finally saw their only escape route, a clearing in the trees! They shot upward for the clearing but their wings had other plans, they wanted to stop and rest but they ignored their aching wings and flew as fast they could. Sadly their escape plan was foiled by a large shadow, it was Free fall! His wings spread out wide preventing their escape. Rainbow Dash now thought this was a really bad nightmare and she was going to wake up in her room and these three still love her as they did the day before. But this was real, this wasn’t a dream they were here to kill them. Star Shadow and RD shot down to the ground and hoofed it, letting their wings rest. Fang chased them on foot, roaring and growling as chased his meal. The two ran for what seemed like hours until Fang lost interest and walked off into the thicket of the trees.
“I-think-we-lost-him.” Star Shadow panted heavily as he felt his pulse race and felt extremely hot in his own coat.
Rainbow Dash said nothing as she tried to catch her breath. The forest grew silent, a little bit too silent. Star Shadow’s senses as a hardened Night Guard kicked him and gave him a sense of paranoia and the feeling of being watched.
“Let’s get to Paleo Soar and see what the matter with them is.” The Pegasus mare suggested. ”Something’s just not right with them. They’re usually very loving and wouldn’t do this but now.”
Suddenly they heard a loud cracking and snapping of trees and branches as Smasher and Fang broke through the trees as if they were nothing more than tooth picks! Smasher charged for Rainbow Dash!
“Get out of the way now!” Star Shadow shouted as he pushed the mare out of the way.
He then felt extreme pain as Smasher’s front horn pierced his leg. Smasher then trashed about trying to shake the Pegasi off his horn while howling and roaring. Star Shadow felt an emotion that hadn’t felt in a while which was the fear of death. He felt like Smasher was really about to kill him, a member of his family! Finally he was free but he felt something hard cracking his back, he just landed back first into a tree.
“Rainbow Dash, run!” He shouted at the frightened mare.
“But what about you?!”
“I’m alright if I could handle some Griffons then I can handle him. Now go!”
Rainbow Dash felt tears growing from her eyes knowing that he might very well die since he is losing a lot of blood from the trauma, she then saw his red blood stain Smasher’s horn as Fang slowly walked up to him with jaws oozing with saliva ready to eat one of his adoptive kin. Just as he was ready to close his jaws around the Pegasus, the look in his eyes changed. Instead of a look of primal malice and the thirst for blood it was his usual gentle gaze. He nudged Star Shadow to see if was alright. He didn’t know what exactly to make of this moment.
“What the?” He thought to himself in confusion. And he passed out from the blood loss.
Just then they heard familiar sounds, they were voices of Aero, Paleo Soar, and Fluttershy with Rainbow Dash leading them to where Star was pinned down at. The three then looked at each other and noticed the blood on Free fall’s four talons and the blood on Smasher’s front horn and started to panic. Fang scooped up the injured Pegasus in his mouth and proceeded to walk out of the Everfree forest to bring him to a proper medic. While inside his mouth Fang tasted the iron flavored blood as the passed out Pegasus sloshed around on his tongue. Aero noticed three large masses move about the forest and flew down as quick as he could. He finally met up with the prehistoric band of brothers at were the forest met the road that lead for Ponyville.
“What did you do to Star Shadow?!” Aero demanded the tyrannosaurus.
The three looked at each other, and then Fang lowered his massive head and spat out Star Shadow, alive, passed out, and covered with slimy bloodstained drool.
“Star Shadow! I’m here Star! Look at me! Open your eyes!” Aero shouted with tears in his eyes.
Smasher nudged Star Shadow with his beak unknowing that his blood has stained his horn. Star Shadow opened his eyes slowly to find the pearl white mare-like stallion looking at him with teary eyes.
“What’s all the yelling about? Cant a night guard gets some sleep around here?” He said with a groan.
“You idiot, I was so worried about you!” Aero said trying to look strong but crying at the same time.
Star Shadow pushed him away and staggered to Paleo Soar who was just as worried about losing his closet friend.
“You alright old friend?”
“He, he, yeah your dinosaurs can’t kill me!” He said as he passed out a second time.
When Star Shadow woke up he was in a hospital room. He groaned in pain while trying to move his injured leg, but all he got was a very sharp pain. He opened his eyes more to see his friends sitting next to him and Aero right by his side. He shot up with a sharp pain from his leg that followed with a sudden realization on his face.
“Paleo! Your dinosaurs, they went berserk!” He said with a shocked voice.
“Yes I was informed this by Rainbow Dash while you slept. And I was very afraid that this would happened.” He finished with a deep frown.
“Why? Why would you fear this would happen and how do you know this was going to happen?!”
Paleo Soar fell silent and walked over to a window and sat in a red and white chair that was next to it.
“Well as we all know that they were born several million years late.”
“Y-Yes but what does that have to do with anything?” Aero asked.
“Well this is important because even though they are tamed and domesticated by our terms inside each of them are still wild animal instincts, the urge to hunt, the urge to defend what is there territory by any means necessary, and most important of all the urge to find a mate.”
“You’re still leaving us in the dark Paleo.” Star Shadow commented. “It doesn’t explain why one almost killed me, one killed a guard, and why Fang tried to eat me and Dash.”
“Actually my friend it does. You see when an animal gets older hormones build inside and when that time of year comes they meld into their minds to search for a mate and eliminate any threats, prey, or competitors that come into their territory. And this important switch is starting fully turn on.”
“So you mean its.” Aero pointed out.
“Yes that’s exactly it Aero.” Techie interrupted him and continued the story. “It’s mating season for them and they filled with those rich primal hormones. But however in their state of mind they have no idea that they really are the last of their kind. And this also means they will also use this lust rage to take out their own anger and rage for their loneliness and for being misplaced in a world that is so much different from the one they were supposed to be born in.”
“That’s terrible!” Aero gasped. “We should try to put up barriers to protect Ponyville and Canterlot!”
“Sadly that’s a no-can-do.” Limestone replied back pushing her glasses back into place. “We really have nothing that they can’t break through or fly over.”
“How long does this mating season last for them?” Aero asked the grim question.
“Varies.” Limestone sadly answered. “They all are different species of dinosaur and pterosaur. We can’t really say when this will stop. Maybe a few weeks, a month, a month and a half. We don’t really know considering that they are the only living specimens of their kinds.”
“Well this sucks! So nothing to stop them?!” Aero shouted out of fear of how many lives will take for this to end.
“Yes that’s what we are saying. We have to let them sort this one out themselves.”
They all left the hospital room with grim looks on their faces. As night fell on the forest, the band of dinosaurs walked close to each other afraid of losing each other in the darkness of the forest. In their minds they were trying to figure out what exactly happened that day. Free fall having the best eyesight out of the rest sat on top of Fang’s head and helped guide his brothers back to the castle. Fang having the second best eye sight acted like a personal guard for Free fall and Smasher who had the poorest eyesight when it comes to the night. As they were on their way back they felt that urge come back to them but stronger than before. They first resisted whatever the feeling was and tried to walk further but to no use. The feeling just grew more powerful until finally they stopped resisting it and accepted it. Their eyes now filled with the same primal gaze from before burned into their jade green eyes that now seemed to glow in the dark. They now became the things Paleo, Limestone, and Techie feared they would be they now no longer acted like the sweet child-like animals that the ponies knew and love. They became guardians of this primal ancient lust filled rage. They looked at each other still as close brothers despite the hormones and testosterone now pumping into their veins and blood with. They let out an unworldly primal choir of howls, screeches, growls, and roars that echoed through the forest and Ponyville that sent chills down every creature’s spine and sent chills to the very core. They got to the castle ready to start their new reign of terror on the unsuspecting ponies that called their family when the sun rises again.
As the sun rose onto the land it felt different than most days this time of year. After what everypony heard last night the majority were terrified to go outside of their homes. Except for a gang of young mares and colts delinquents off to go to the old castle and tease Fang and his brothers for a test of bravery. Some had a great smile on their faces while some were still very scared to be out from those awful noises that rang through last night’s air.
“Maybe we should just turn back maybe there is another way to prove how tough you two are.” One mare said.
“Ha! Are you afraid of some big, scary, smelly, and stupid lizards?” A colt shouted feeling a since of proudness in his chest.
The colt teasingly mocked the mare all the way up to the old castle. The group stared into the open gates that led into the darkness. They then saw large tracks that lead out the castle and into the forest. Worse of all is that the tracks were fresh. Some of the mares were even more afraid to step near the tracks but the colts and the tougher mares decided to go on in with flash lights ready to shine them in the dinosaurs’ eyes.
“Come out; come out where ever you are!” A mare teased the three brothers but only got an echo in response inside the dark creepy castle.
“Hey freaks I command to get your big scaly asses out here!” A colt shouted trying to get their attention but nothing responded back.
Meanwhile some of the more scarred mares waited for their friends outside the castle. As minutes turned into an hour the mares heard something, footsteps, they sounded near, and they didn’t belonged to their friends and they sounded very large, gigantic for an accurate size. They dashed behind some bushes in fear that it could be the dinosaurs coming back from eating misbehaved fillies and colts like the stories they grew up on said. They then saw Fang with Free fall resting on his hip cleaning his wings with Smasher in front of them. They also noticed something dangling from Fang’s massive jaws; it was the bloodied corpse of a Manticore still twitching as if it was still trying to escape from Fang’s mouth. The trio stopped so Fang could finish what he started. He loosened his massive toothed maw to let the Manticore wiggled itself just a little bit more then like a massive steel bear trap Fang quickly closed his mouth snapping the spine of the cat hybrid in two, which caused its ribs to break and pierce its vital organs with a horrendous snapping sound as it drew its last roar of unimaginable agony. The mares quickly silenced each other afraid that Fang might do the same thing to them as he did to that Manticore. Fang then smelled something different in the air, it was a new scent that he didn’t recognize before, and he smelled the air drinking the scent like kind of bloodhound. It was the smell of fear, the mares’ fear. He then ignored it and walked with his kill and his brothers back inside the castle. Meanwhile inside the castle the colts and the mares began to trash the place by knocking over statues, busts, armor, and paintings.
“Who’s scared of some big stupid lizards now?!” A colt shouted.
His friends cheered him on as they desecrated the dinosaurs’ home unaware that the castle’s residents had in fact returned. Free fall took off from Fang’s back and hovered to Smasher’s frill and carefully landed trying to not pierce his sturdy yet very delicate frill and trying not to stab his feet on the hard boney stubs that decorated the sides of it letting Fang eat his meal in peace. Free fall and Smasher then walked into the main chamber to find the group of mares and colts destroying their home. Smasher nodded to Free fall to do something about this while he gets Fang. Free fall glided from his brother’s frill and silently glided over to a chandelier and gently blew out the only light in the room. The room was then consumed by the jaws of darkness, the only light or lights were coming from small slits from in-between the cracks of the old stone and light that bled through the beautiful stained glass mosaics. The group’s courage and bravery vanished as fast the darkness swallowed the room. They clustered together for protection and comfort. One colt hears loud footsteps coming from the darkness. The footsteps got louder as they got closer, closer, and closer to the group.
“Screw this everypony I’m leaving this dump!” He said in a frightened voice and galloped into the darkness.
They then heard noises that shook them to their very souls. They heard growls, the sounds of low roars, stomping, tearing sounds, and most of all; the sound of their friend being devoured as he cried for help then a loud crunch sound. Then a spike bracelet was spat back at the group, covered in his blood. This caused the mares to scream in horror as they saw six jade green disembodied eyes looking at them. Fang let out a roar that seemed to rattle the whole room signaling his brothers to commence the attack. Free fall swooped down grabbing a mare and dragged her into the darkness seconds later they heard her blood-curdling scream as the pterosaur peak her to death. Three members were taken in a flash of four seconds flat as Fang’s massive mouth crunched them leaving one’s hind legs kicking. He spat them out then crushed two under his mighty clawed feet leaving the other to crawl away in pain.
Free fall abducted another pony, a colt this time and did the same thing as he did to the mare. While outside the castle the frightened mares heard the screams from the doomed friends being butchered in the most unimaginable ways and took off as quickly as their legs could carry them. Smasher impaled a colt then proceeded to toss his lifeless body through a window as he slapped a mare with his tail causing her to hit a wall killing her instantly. When Fang was finished with his fun and ate the bodies he looked for the leader of the group who he spat and was to crawl away from his primal butchers. He stood in front of him with the blood from his friends staining his teeth and mouth. It was hard for the injured colt to look at the massive scaly behemoth but he did in total fear. He single hoofed what the brutality they could do and what unspeakable horrors they are very well capable he cried and pleaded with them to let him go and promised to respect them from now on. Fang looked at him then to his brothers, and then all of them nodded to each other as Fang finished the job and ate the crying colt. After the meal they roared with anger and stormed out of the castle ready to expand their territory and look for a mate to breed.
Back in Canterlot Paleo Soar looked through the giant library of books with the help of Techie, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Limestone. He franticly searched through dozens of books constantly throwing the ones he didn’t need onto the floor and some hit Spike on the top of his head.
“Um, what’s up Paleo Soar?” Twilight Sparkle asked trying her best to break the silence.
“Looking!” He said with a nervous jittery voice.
“Do you need any help there? Twilight further asked.
“Nope I’m good, just good nothing but good; say what a lovely day it is outside good time for looking something to eat!” He
shouted with a hyper babble of comments as if he was talking as fast as Pinkie Pie.
“You seem so, well, hyper.”
“Five cups of Lime’s special coffee can keep me up from six to nine!”
“He really kept you up that long?”
“He did, he wanted to look up something. I bet you if anything that idiot completely forgot what it was exactly.” Limestone sobbingly commented.
Twilight Sparkle noticed something about Limestone today that she hadn’t seen in a while. Her mane was put up in a ponytail, she had some eye shadow on her eyes, and her perfume had the scent of a pine tree forest.
“Um, Limestone?”
“Yes what is it?”
“You look nice today. You are trying to impress a certain stallion?” She asked raising an eyebrow.
“Uh, n-no defiantly not! I’ am not trying to impress that idiot.” She said with a blush.
“I never said who I just wanted to know.”
“Just drop it Twilight. I’ am going to go to get something to drink do you want anything?”
“Um, sure get me and Spike a glass of.”
She was cut off by Paleo Soar falling to the ground with a thud. He was sound asleep, snoring as if he was one of his dinosaur children. Limestone quickly rushed over to him to check up on him seeing that he was just asleep from a hard night’s work Techie pulled a blanket over him and let him sleep on the pile of books. Limestone saw a book jetting out from the side of the shelf and she bucked it lightly. She caught it with her magic. She then looked at it; it was a brown dusty book with torn and deep scratches on the cover which said. “Dinosaur encyclopedia of Equestria.”
“That’s odd.” Limestone said with a puzzled look on her face.
“Why, what is it Limestone?” Spike asked snaking his neck and head over Limestone’s head.
“Why would he want to look at this book? It’s old and out of date in terms of scientific knowledge but there is something about this book that seems like I have seen this before.”
She then walked out of the room with her whole face into the book as if she was really getting into it. Meanwhile at Sweet Apple Acers Applejack was awoken from a nice nap from her hard work with collecting apples to the sound of the cows mooing and their hooves stampeding. She first thought that something just spooked them or they broke out again and she casually walked over to the pin where they would be kept but was greeted by a rampaging stampeding heard. She quickly ducked to the side to get away from the cows, when she got a good look at the heard she noticed something in the sky, the body was maybe two or three times bigger, it glided over the bovines with such grace and elegance she at first thought it must be a Pegasus but then she noticed the profound head crest, the majestic wings, the greyish white body with a single band of purple running down the top of its crest to a small stub of a tail. It was Free fall guiding the heard somewhere. “But where though?” She thought to herself she followed the heard while staying out of his sight to see what is going on. Just then Smasher busted through the apple trees roaring and growling at the bovines scaring them into another direction as the bison sized animal followed them with Free fall.
As she followed the heard she saw something big moving in the shadows of the orchard at a good pace. The heard then took another turn towards where Applejack saw the figure running she then saw Fang jump out and knocked over some of the cows like bowling pins. He then put his foot on one of the cows as he bit and thrashed a doomed bovine in his jaws. When the cow stopped mooing Fang dug into his fresh kill while Smasher knocked down a whole tree then ate the finest apples of the fallen tree just like he did when he was just a baby as Free fall kept cawing and pecking the rest of the cows to keep them at bay for Fang to eat. Applejack couldn’t believe her very own eyes! The very same creatures she visited just a mere few days ago were doing this to the heard of prized cows! She saw their eyes reflected not tame animals but feral beasts from an ancient time. She saw
Fang’s blood stain mouth rip a leg off of a cow and swallowed it whole with a proud roar.
“What’s up with them? Ah can’t let them eat our cows like this though I have to talk to them and set them straight!”
She said as she trotted over to them. As she walked over to them she got a better look at them and saw the blood on Smasher’s horns, the caked blood on Free fall’s talons and beak and saw the fresh blood stained on Fang’s claws and the blood dripping from his teeth.
“Fang!” She shouted to the dinosaur trying to get his attention. “What do ya think you’re doing?! Those cows belong to us you should know that by now! And where did ya get that blood from? Did ya fight with some critter again?”
Fang swallowed another mouthful of cow meat then turned towards the earth pony mare that had an angry scowl on her face. She was then staring in the eyes of the prehistoric animals like a mother would look her children if they did something wrong. In their eyes they only saw her as one thing, an intruder. Smasher stepped in front of his tyrannosaurus brother to block AJ from him as he snorted.
“Smasher, move!” She ordered the triceratops.
There was only a silent defiant look in his eyes and then he started to lightly buck his head flashing the bloodstained ivory only centimeters from the mare who felt the breeze kiss her face.
“What are ya doing? It’s me Applejack! You know me, Ah’m part of your family!”
The three were now starting to get annoyed by her motherly scolding and Fang walked up to her putting his face inches from hers. He let out a roar that caused Applejack’s hat to fly off her head and made her feel very afraid. Apple bloom heard this roar and stopped whatever she was doing and ran over in that direction to check it out. Applejack then started to back off slowly out of fear.
“Alright Fang ya made your point clear to me. Ah’m just gonna walk away slowly and let you return to eating big boy.”
“Hey sis what’s with the noise is Fang, Smasher and Free fall here?” Apple asked not knowing what the situation was like.
“Apple bloom, go back to the house right now.” She ordered her sister trying to stay calm as possible.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Free fall hopped onto Fang’s back as he and Smasher began to charge them.
“Apple bloom. Run! Just run!” She shouted to her sister.
The two then found themselves being chased by the three dinosaurs. Fang had his fill for the morning of bovine and pony so he didn’t care about eating them but was more concerned on chasing them away from the orchard, the farm, Ponyville, or even Canterlot.
“What’s wrong with them?!” Apple bloom demanded her sister to explain.
“Ah don’t know they just showed up and ate the whole heard of cows! And now their chasing us that’s all Ah knows!”
The two mares kept running until they reached Ponyville, with the dinosaurs still chasing them! The three stopped dead in their tracks to look at all the ponies looking at them with awe. In their minds they had to chase or eliminate the intruders who were in their territory so they could successfully breed with any females of their species even though they were still the only ones left of their kinds. But also something else clicked back in their minds, the thoughts of loneliness, anger, and the feeling of being misplaced burned like a fire and it now fueled their rage even more. Everypony wanted to walk up and touch them feeling honored that they had graced their town with their presence. Fang let out a loud roar that spooked everypony and then ordered his brothers to split up and make sure these intruders get scared off. Smasher charged a group of ponies who fled in the nick of time. He proceeded to knock over everything in sight; he knocked over wagons, wells, half of a gazebo, and one of two wagons carrying Prince Blueblood’s prized Super Goat milk. Apple bloom saw her friends terrified of the chaos and ran to them.
“Wha-what’s going on Apple bloom?” Sweetie belle asked in terror.
“It’s Fang and his brothers! They’ve gone crazy!” Apple bloom assured her friend with terror.
“We should do something! Call the princess, the guards, the wonder bolts, or Rainbow Dash to save us!” Scootaloo shouted to her friends.
Sweetie Belle thought quickly and hid inside of a wagon that was carrying Super Goat milk which the other two young mares followed after her. Meanwhile in midst of the chaos Rarity was looking all over for her sister but her calls were drowned by ponies screaming in terror and the roars Smasher and Fang made trying to chase them. Rarity saw Applejack also looking for her lost sister as well and ran up to her.
“Have you seen Sweetie Belle?!” Rarity asked in a panicked voice.
“No ah haven’t have you seen Apple bloom?!”
They then saw Pinkie Pie and gummy running away from Free fall with the Cakes, their kids, and other ponies. They joined Pinkie Pie who was happy to see her but were still looking for their sisters. Despite the chaos in the town Pinkie Pie had a smile and almost laughing at this moment.
“Why are you so happy at a time like this Pinkie?!” Rarity asked.
“Because it’s fun to get some exercise every once and a while.”
“But Fang and his brothers are on a rampage!”
“Yes and? I’m trying still trying to have a little bit of fun sheesh.”
“Wait where is Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow dash?” Applejack asked her friend being concerned about the whereabouts of her other friends.
“Shy and Dash went to Cloudsdaile and Twilight is in Canterlot right now.” Rarity commented back to the scarred earth pony.
“Well that’s good. They’re at least out of harm’s way.”
Free fall then saw Cloudsdaile in his sights and gain altitude as he glided up towards the cloud city leaving his earth bound brothers to handle chasing away the other ponies. In Cloudsdaile Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were attending the still injured Star Shadow along with Aero who are completely unaware about was going on below them.
“How do you feel Star Shadow?” Asked Fluttershy.
“I feel better actually but I still can’t believe I have to be bed ridden for the next few days though!” Star Shadow complained with a groan.
“Oh shut up you and get some sleep.” Aero said with a wink as he hit him with a pillow.
They then heard noises coming from outside the hospital window. Everyone except for Star Shadow looked out the window to see what all the noises were about. Their faces were then turned to horror as they saw the pteranodon swoop in between the clouds scaring the Pegasi with every swoop.
“What is it?” Star Shadow asked from his bed.
“It’s Free fall!” They all shouted in unison.
“What’s he doing here?”
“I don’t really know but it looks like the time has come.” Paleo Soar vouched walking away from the window with a frown.
He then stomped the cloud floor and was about to fly outside meet with his rampaging son. Limestone wanted him to stay but he had other plans in mind and before she could say anything else he dove under the clouds with a frosty air blast and dove out again in the middle of the square with Fluttershy following him. There he saw Pegasi flying away in terror, husbands holding onto their wives, mothers holding their children, and children crying as they flew away from the flying reptile.
“Free fall!” Paleo Soar shouted to the rampaging reptile. “That’s enough mister! Don’t you understand what you are doing?!
Free fall said nothing but starred down his unicorn father. He then noticed Fluttershy behind him with a look of just shock. She couldn’t believe that the little hatchling that couldn’t fly four years ago was up here with them and causing so much chaos and suffering.
“Please stop this, do it for us, for your father, for me please.” She spoke out while trying to hide her tears.
The pteranodon said nothing but only his wings did his talking as they flapped majestically as the tips touched the clouds. He let out a caw that sounded like a giant hawk and charged for her. Paleo Soar made and ice dome by freezing the water vapors in the air and clouds and to make sure he doesn’t come from below he made an ice floor to stand on. They heard the reptile’s pecking and banging on the ice.
“What are we going to do Paleo?” Fluttershy asked with a terrified voice.
“Well knowing him he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. When he breaks the ice, fly, fly away as fast you can Fluttershy.”
“What about you?”
“A father has to do something about when his colt misbehaves right? I will distract him until you get everyone out of here, got it?”
“Ye-but!”
“Got it!”
Fluttershy looked into the stallion’s green eyes. He knew that either he wasn’t going to make it or something else just as horrible will happen. She saw that he was about to cry and she nuzzled his icy tears away as she hugged him as the ice was cracking. That hug felt like time itself slowed down for them, he hugged her back tighter and when the ice cracked she shot out of the dome and into the hospital room to usher everyone out of there. Paleo Soar made an icy fog as a transparent purple tail much like Fang’s grew and two transparent horns grew above his actual horn as he let out a roar that sounded just as primal as the dinosaurs’. Limestone saw this transformation and was moved to tears.
“This is Paleo Soar’s full power using Paleo magic Lime.” Star Shadow told her as they fled from the cloud city. “He has been developing this for years and now we can see it in full glory!”
Paleo Soar flew around Free fall bucking him in his stomach and slapping him with his tail. Free fall flew over to Paleo Soar, clawing and pecking him as he collided with his stallion father. Paleo Soar cried during the fight because he did not want to fight his own children but he knew in his heart that he had to do this, to protect Star Shadow, Techie, Aero, Fluttershy, her friends, Canterlot, Ponyville, and most of all…Limestone. After two hours of nonstop aerial dogfighting Paleo Soar could feel his magic starting to fade away and Free fall felt his wings getting tired. Paleo Soar saw this opening and charged up an ice blast to finally shoo off his reptilian son. Free fall also saw an opening and dive-bombed Paleo Soar knocking him unconscious and his extra body parts to fade away as he started to fall out of the sky. He felt himself falling, the blasts of wind touching, rubbing, kissing his body with harsh velocity. He opened his eyes slightly to see a yellow and pink blur trying to reach out to him and calling his name but his eyes closed and were ready to splatter on the ground. He felt like he was falling for an eternity while he was in a deep slumber.
Smack!
He then felt extreme pain when he finally smacked into something hard. He could then feel his limp body roll and tumble off of a slope and hit something again, and again, and again, and again until finally he stopped and landed somewhere hard.
Meanwhile in the now abandoned town Fang walked around checking to see if all the ponies fled the town. When Smasher and Free fall showed up they nodded to their leader that their deeds were done. They roared with joyful victory! As day turned to dusk Smasher helped himself to Sweet Apple Acre’s finest apples that were in a stand by a bridge where Free fall was fishing from. Fang also helped himself to some of the livestock he dragged back from the farm and happily ate the pigs and cows that he dragged to the area where he and his brothers sleep for right now. After their meals Free fall and Smasher slept by the bridge; Free fall sleeping in a tree and Smasher sleeping under the tree. But Fang wasn’t tired; his brain still thinking that there must be a female of his species was nearby. He walked over to the entrance of the town and lout out a ghostly wail. This wail sounded like nothing no pony has ever heard before. It sounded so spine chilling that even Nightmare Moon herself wouldn’t be able to sleep. Its sound reached the other side of the Everfree forest and almost to Appleoosa. It was the sound of an ancient animal pleading for something, anything to reply his calls. After two hours of the ghostly wail Fang stopped and listened to see if any other Tyrannosauruses replied his voice, he only got the echoes of his ghostly almost unworldly cries.
As dusk turned into night, the three looked at the clear night sky and was amazed by how many stars there were. They saw these stars before but only in the Everfree but clouds normally shielded the majority of them. They were wanted to catch all of these small beady diamonds and give them to a mate as a present. They also felt warm salty tears forming in their eyes, they shook their heads trying to shake off the tears but they came back stronger than before until they could take it no more and cried. They then cried themselves to sleep that night but Free fall was woken up by the sound of thunder and lightning as a rain storm fell upon the abandoned Ponyville. In Canterlot; Star Shadow, Techie, the main six, and Limestone all couldn’t sleep that night especially Limestone. Limestone moped around the castle walls with tears filling up her glasses and sniffling. She remembered what Fluttershy told her and the others earlier.
“I’m so sorry Limestone, he was falling too fast I couldn’t help him.”
“Then why Rainbow Dash?! Why weren’t you there!? You are the fastest flyer in Equestria! You should have saved him!”
“I was too busy making sure you guys get out of there safely Limestone.”
“Shut up! Just shut up! He’s dead because of” She couldn’t finish her words because she was racked with so much pain and loss.
“Limestone please listen, Fluttershy did all she could.” Twilight Sparkle said calmly trying to sooth her.
“No you listen! I should have been there! I should have taken that blow but no he did it to protect you! You and not me! I see how you two are always so close to each other! He loves you! And that’s why he’s” She couldn’t that argument either because of her jealous fit.
“No me and him are just good friends we are only like this because of them that’s all.”
“I don’t want to hear it! You’re so useless Butterfly! You all are so useless! Right now I bet our children are eating whatever is left of his corpse!”
Rarity stomped her hoof in rage at Limestone.
“Listen here! You’re not the only one who is missing someone dear to you! Right now my sister and her friends are in that town right now with those berserk lizards running that place! So you don’t have to take it out on everypony just because you lost the one you love!”
“I’m not in love with that idiot! I’m just his childhood friend! That’s all!”
“Don’t make me laugh darling, I see how you look at him from all the times we talked over the years, and how you praise him so much, you don’t have to hide it just say it.”
She knew that the unicorn mare got her. Her secret was out, she had to come clean. She bit her bottom lip and started to sweat. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh.
“Ok you win Rarity. Yes I do love him dearly ever since we were a colt and filly. Our families were very close nit so naturally we knew each other all our lives. I and he always competed with each other always trying to show off who was right and who was wrong. He was the first to get his cutie mark and I was so jealous of him but I was also proud of him. Every time a colt or even a mare would pick on me he would always be there to protect me. And I remembered what I and he promised when we were young.”
She stopped to let her tears flow from her eyes. She then stormed out of the throne room.
She sulked more as she walked up to the doors of his lab, when she walked in everything was the way he left it. Books on the floor, bones and fossils all over the place and the machine that brought Free fall and his brothers to this world was sat in a dark cold corner. She ran her hoof across the machine and looked at all the pictures on the wall. They were of Paleo Soar, the dinosaurs, Techie, Star Shadow, Celestia, Luna and one picture in the far corner that she hadn’t noticed before. She looked closely and it was a picture of her and him at a fossil dig. Their smiling faces showed not two childhood friends sharing a glorious discovery but two lovers sharing a moment captured forever in this framed picture on his desk. She fell to her knees in tears at the sight of what was inscribed into the small frame.
“I love you Lime and always will.”
The long silent crying was stopped by when she noticed a medal glowing a bright blue shade of purple. This could only mean one thing, he is alive. If he wasn’t the medal would simply crack and break considering they are the physical form of his magic. Limestone was overcome with happiness that could never be described with words as she jumped up and down cheering loudly. The others quickly ran to the lab to see what all those noises were about. They saw Limestone holding the medal with a Tyrannosaurus on it in her front hoofs, kissing it, and screaming like a little filly.
“What’s up Limestone?” Star Shadow asked raising an eye brow at her sudden change of mood.
“He’s alive, he’s alive, he’s alive!” She screamed with joy.
“Paleo Soar? Ah’m sorry sugar cube but he’s dead. Nopony could survive that fall.” Applejack said trying to snap her to cold reality.
“No silly he is alive! Look at the medal, its glowing!” She showed the earth pony mare the glowing tyrannosaurus medal.
Techie looked at the medal and she was right! It was glowing bright, brighter than anything he had seen before!
“Hey where do you think you are going?” He barked at the mare.
“I’m going to get him!” She barked him back while loading up sacks onto her back.
“Are you nuts! Those animals own that town! They would tear you apart!” Star Shadow sharply spoke.
“They are mine and his children! They wouldn’t attack their mother.”
“If so then Fluttershy should go, they see her as their mother.” Twilight suggested.
“No I must go with somepony who knows the night.”
Star Shadow stepped forward, his chest proudly poked out as if he was ready to serve Princess Luna herself.
“I will gladly come with you!” He shouted like a soldier ready for his orders.
“Wait!” Aero commanded as he pushed everyone away.
He embraced Star Shadow and then looked to Limestone.
“I’ am coming with you!”
“You sure about this Aero? You could die in fact all of us could die.”
“I don’t care; I will follow Star Shadow to the ends of the world if I have to!”
“You can count me to Limestone. I’m going to they are my kids to.” Fluttershy shyly walked over.
Limestone smiled at her kind offer and nodded to her.
The four galloped out of the castle entrance and into the black rainy world. Back in Ponyville Paleo Soar’s eyes slowly opened to find himself in an alleyway and a pool of his own red blood soaking his mane. He sat there for about four minutes trying to gather his strength to pull himself on his hooves, which he did but his legs trembled from being weak. He saw the pool of his own blood, he looked around the abandoned town to find it pitch black except the occasional lamps here-and-there on some doorways.
“That was one hard landing!” He said to himself with a groan.
He staggered around the down as the rain showered his body and cleansed him from the blood on his mane. He then looked to see how he somehow survived what seemed like a fatal fall from the sky. He saw broken branches on a large tree then he saw a house whose roof molded his fallen body then finally he saw a rock, a very large rock with some of his blood on it.
“So it looks like that broke my fall. But I can’t stay any longer I have to find somepony, anypony who is still in this place.”
He then shrugged off the rest of his aches and walked in the rain. During this time Fang and his brothers woke up due to all the thunder and lightning. Fang let out a yawn just as a bolt of lightning struck the ground, lighting up his ivory dagger-like teeth as Smasher helped him up. Free fall couldn’t fly because of the thin wing membrane being now soaked in the rain so he hopped on Smasher and huddled behind his frill. The three then marched through the abandoned town looking for a quieter place to rest for the night. After searching for about 10 minutes at most they finally saw a place for refuge from the crying monsoon. A large egg-white building with a series of buttresses and domes that were clearly large enough to fill in for the large dinosaurs it was The Equestrian Museum of Natural History that Limestone and Paleo Soar made last year to showcase all their wonderful discoveries was the perfect place for them. They broke down the doors and walked in, it was dark, very dark, save a few low dim orange lights that made ghostly glows on some of the exhibits and Free fall jumped down from his brother and shook off the rain from his body and his delicate wings. His brothers did the same and they proceeded to walk around the dark museum in their own directions.
Free fall walked into a room filled with fossils and skeletons of ancient Equestrian airborne animals. Free fall walked around the room until he accidently bumped into a button that turned on the lights that lite the whole room and the light dawned on the fossils and skeletons. Free fall didn’t know what to make of them he had never seen any of these animals before. He also had a feeling of pure amazement that some many bizarre creatures shared the very skies that he flies daily but this feeling was short lived when he stumbled across the skeleton of an adult Pteranodon hanging from the ceiling with wire holding it in the air with its wings spread out. Free fall was shocked to find this oddity and wanted to run away from this macabre display of bones but was drawn to it as if he knew it. During this time Fang also found the skeleton of an adult Tyrannosaurus Rex in a dark room but he only saw its silhouette except for its boney feet and part of its bottom jaw. He first thought that the skeleton was a living example of his kind and was glad to see it. He slowly walked to it making low growling noises thinking it’s a female in heat.
When the flashes of lightning brighten the room he saw its bone-white color and his dreams of mating were soon shattered before him. He wanted to cry, but his animal mind told him in denial that it was a female T-rex. But he also felt like he knew this dinosaur very well considering that it was just a skeleton and he is the only one left but he felt comfort at staring at the black voids where its eyes should had been.
He swung his head to see a mural of dinosaurs from his and his brothers’ time, the time they should had been born in. In the mural it showed a dim but still beautiful display of dinosaurs like his kind, a heard of duck-billed dinosaurs, dinosaurs with boney armor bristling down their bodies, dinosaurs that were no bigger than crows and ponies with scythe-like claws and teeth flashing in the dim orange hue. He then saw a scene in the mural that shook him to his very soul. A painting of a Tyrannosaurus eating a Triceratops! He remembered seeing these kinds of images when Twilight Sparkle would show them pictures of a long ago past, where dinosaurs fought amongst each other for everything.
Fang couldn’t believe this! Him? Eating his brother Smasher? In his very soul he thought this was a lie! He denied all his life but here the truth was slapping him in his face! He looked to find a picture of Paleo Soar with Limestone and him with his brothers when they were just babies in front of the two skeletons still inside the rock that preserved the two adult dinosaurs in the eternal death fight. This picture was the final straw for him! He couldn’t take it no more! He felt so much pain in him from finding out the truth about him, his kind, and him being truly alone he let out a roar that had every emotion in it. It was a mix of pain, anger, sadness and loneliness all in one voice. Its roaring cry echoed throughout the massive museum alerting his two brothers that he was in a lot of pain. He started to smash and break everything in the all but the Tyrannosaurus skeleton. He couldn’t bring his rage to destroy the pile of bones; something in him told him not to do it. He stood in the now mess of the Tyrannosaurus exhibit in tears when his brothers entered. They saw him roaring at the silent skeleton, the skull was fixed in a roaring pose as if it was mocking him by silently roaring back at him. They ran over to him and wrapped their necks on his sides and legs. Free fall latched himself onto his face draping his large wings over his eyes and hugged him. The two looked at him as if telling him “Its ok, even if our kinds were enemies in the past we are still family and we are brothers no matter what happens, we will love you till the end of time.” At that moment they looked at each other realizing that they themselves had become the very things they swore they would protect against. They had become shells of who they used to be, they became…monsters!
While outside of the museum Paleo Soar was alerted when he heard this roar and wanted to go running into the building to tell his kids its ok he’s here and he will make it better for them. But he was stopped when he really thought about how much pain the three are in from being in a time and world where they really didn’t need to be in. He looked at his reflection in a puddle deeply drank up his image.
“What have I done?! Am I really a father to them or some cruel pony that damned them?! They shouldn’t have been born, not in this life though our worlds are too different!” he said as he stomped his hoof in the puddle in anger. “I’ am still their father! Fate dealt the four of us a hoof that is both good and horrifyingly bad. As their father I must make things right for them!” He shouted to the crying black heavens.
He then continued his lonely walk in the pouring rain trying to find somepony in this dark town. He got up to Sugar cube corner and noticed a large covered wagon labeled “Super Goat Milk” on the side of it.
“What is this thing? Did Prince Blueblood leave this out here…nah it can’t be he would never leave Canterlot.” He laughed as he banged the side of the metal wagon.
When he was ready to leave the wagon a knock replied back. He trotted back over to the wagon and banged on it again. The bang replied back with a metallic clang.
“Hello? Is anypony in there?” He asked cocking an eyebrow at this oddity.
“If you’re a dinosaur go away!” A voice demanded from the inside of the wagon.
“We don’t taste good!” Another voice sounded back.
“Maybe Scoots does, she tastes like chicken.” A third voice chimed in.
“Shut up Sweetie Belle!”
Paleo Soar knew who's voices those belonged to. His face turned from curiosity to a serious face.
“Sweetie Belle, Apple bloom, Scootaloo let me in right now! I’m freezing, I’m weak, and I’m wet! Let me in.”
The door to the back of the wagon opened up and three young mares huddled together as they let the stallion in. the wagon was cramped but there was enough for him to squeeze in. they sat in silence only letting the rain tap on the metal wagon and the metal canisters filled with milk from the mighty super goat.
“So what’s it like out there now?” Apple bloom asked trying to break the long silence.
“Dark, rainy, and dinosaurs rule the streets. But that’s all I know, I did take a really nasty fall from the sky before I woke
up.” Paleo Soar said sarcastically.
“Wow really? Where’s everypony else? Where did they go?” Scootaloo frantically asked.
“I just told you I was knocked out and I recently woke up.”
“Sorry I’m just worried.”
“I’ am too.”
“So you mares have been hiding in this cramped place all night?”
“Yep, Ah’m just waiting for big sis to rescue us.” Apple bloom cheerfully commented.
“I don’t know about that, my children now own this town and the Everfree forest.”
“You praise them as if they were your real children but they really aren’t though.” Scootaloo commented on the unicorn’s statement which made him frown a bit.
“Yes they aren’t my own flesh and blood but I do seem them as kids of my very own. But they were just born too late though.”
“What do you mean?” Apple bloom said stumped by his words.
“As we know, dinosaurs had their run, a long 65 million year run where they ruled everything that their feet touched. We ponies hadn’t really been around that much so naturally we are born in a 65 million year old time gap, thus our worlds are too different to coexist.Even though Free fall, Smasher, and Fang seemed tame and friendly they still had those inner demons that they just couldn’t push aside anymore and its out now. I have heard Fang’s cry before I came here, he is in so much pain, they all are in just so much pain and they want it to go away.”
“So what are you going to do about this?” Sweetie Belle asked grimly.
Paleo Soar sucked up his tears and swallowed his sadness and said with a heavy heart.
“Kill them.”
The three mares gasped at this thought. They couldn’t imagine Paleo Soar murdering something let alone the things he held so dear and that he saw as his own kids. Apple bloom started to cry then Sweetie Belle but Scootaloo held it in.
“It’s the only way. It’s the only way to end their suffering. They are now also a threat to Ponyville and Canterlot.”
The small cramped wagon grew silent with only the sounds of two of the mares’ sniffles and the ping of the rain hitting the wagon. As time ticked by they heard voices outside of the wagon. It was faint but never-the-less they were voices of ponies. It sounded like a party of four calling their names. The three mares had smiles on their faces hearing a familiar voice. It was Fluttershy’s! Paleo Soar also heard not one but three familiar voices calling out his name! Those voices belonged to Star Shadow, Aero, and Limestone. Without thinking what or who was out there the four busted out of the wagon and into the muddy wet earth. They then saw the faint figures of their search party come into focus.
“Over here!” the four shouted to the party. “We’re over here!”
Limestone saw the three mares jumping up and down in joy that could never be described. She felt her heart stop when she found Paleo Soar with them, alive, and standing! Her heart was filled with so much joy that she didn’t care who or what was out there. She only wanted one thing, Paleo Soar.
“Paleo Soar!” She shouted as she galloped to him.
“Limestone!” He shouted with happiness as he galloped for her as well.
The two kept calling to each other as they ran to embrace. When they finally did both were crying and happy to see one another.
“I thought you died!” She happily cried to him.
“I did to; I thought I was never going to see you again.”
“You idiot don’t ever scare me like that again!”
“I won’t make any promises but I will do my best.”
She wanted to hit him for that but she was just too happy to do anything but hug him and never let go.
“But I love idiots.”
Paleo Soar blushed by her statement. He held on to her soaked body tighter and said.
“I love you to, Limestone.”
He then rested his head on hers and let this moment last for as long as it could.
“-cough-! Alright you two save it when we get back to Canterlot. We still have Granny Smith to.” Star Shadow ordered looking at his list.
“Oh, um Mr. Star Shadow. Ya don’t need to worry about Granny she’s out of town and won’t be back for a whole another week.” Apple bloom corrected his plans.
“Well that means we have everypony, then that’s a mission accomplish.” He said proudly.
“Not really.” Scootaloo said with her eyes wide opened as she and her friends went back inside the wagon.
“Why what’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked the now scared mares.
“Fang!” Sweetie Belle shouted pointing her hoof at the Tyrannosaurus who stood there in the rain with only his jade green eyes piercing though the heavy rain.
“He must have heard all that yelling you to made.” Aero said with a snarky tone. “What should we do?”
“Run!” Star Shadow immediately shouted.
The party scattered in all different directions trying to confuse the dinosaur but only leaving Paleo Soar and Limestone where they stood in front of their saurian son. The couple held onto each other as tight as they could until they were practically squeezing each other. Fang lumbered over to them with thunderous strides ready to devour his adoptive parents. Limestone shielded her vision on Paleo Soar’s neck thinking this is the end for them. Until Fang’s attention was drawn to rocks being thrown at his head. He turned to find Scootaloo kicking rocks trying to get his attention so they could have the opportunity to save themselves. Fang then started to make claps of thunder with every step as he lumbered to the metal milk carrying wagon while make low savage roars.
“Kids run!” Limestone shouted.
“No you two run! We got this covered!” Scootaloo shouted while trying to act brave.
“Hey Fang over here, you big stupid iguana!” She taunted the dinosaur by sticking her tongue out at him.
Fang took this as a form of challenge and started to walk over to the wagon. When he got closer all her bravery was sucked out as she saw the fence of railroad spike-like teeth on his top jaw in his natural death smile. She quickly felt her heart racing and she felt very terrified by his appearance alone. If this was on a different level where he wouldn’t try to eat her she wouldn’t that scared but she would be happy to see him but she knew that the dinosaur she was so fascinated by while growing up was gone forever and the grim reaper on mighty tree trunk-like legs was here ready to eat her and looking at her in the face. She quickly darted in the wagon with the rest of her friends who were just as terrified. Sweetie Belle saw his giant emerald of an eye looking down at them through plastic roofing that during the day would have kept Prince Blueblood’s prized milk warm so he could enjoy nice warm super goat milk and now it’s a viewing screen of their worst nightmare. She wanted to scream but Apple bloom put her hoof over her mouth. Fang looked at the metal wagon, sniffed it, and bumped it to see if anything would happen. These moments in time for the three mares seemed like years as the dinosaur toyed with the wagon. Was he taunting them or has his animal mind fully taken over to where he doesn’t even know what a wagon is? Either way he enjoyed doing this. He gave the wagon one finally hard bump; this made Sweetie Belle scream in terror.
Scootaloo saw the reptilian emerald blink then vanish. The three panted thinking that he went away but they were far from the truth. They heard a sound of thunder then Fang’s hideous roar that would forever be burned into the minds! When they looked up to see what was up they saw a flash of deep forest green as the steel cage of teeth came crashing down on the plastic roof causing the mares to scream of unimaginable terror as they held up the roof with their hooves to the best of their strength. They also saw every bump on his monstrous face along with the true size of his head and they could feel his hot breathe warming up fogging up the damage roof with every blow. They also found out why he was named Fang, his teeth where the size of theirs heads! Their screams only made Fang want to get rid of the roof and enjoy his meal of terrified mares even more. He kept ramming the roof and biting off chunks of it until Scootaloo bucked him in the snout by accident. He lifted his giant head and shook off the pain as he went and flipped the wagon over with his long lashing tail. The wagon rolled three times before it stopped on its side and like freshly killed animal, milk from crushed metal bottles bled out from the sides like blood. Fang walked over and tore off a wheel like he would do to his normal game nudged the bottom of it and heard the mares scream.
“We have to do something!” Limestone screamed while being immobilized by fear and love.
“I have an idea.” Paleo Soar said thinking of a harebrained idea on the spur of the moment.
His horn glowed gold that let out a very bright light.
“Hey! Hey Fang over here!” He shouted trying to get his attention away from the terrified mares. “Come to daddy! Come to daddy!”
“Paleo what are you doing!?”
“Saving those three and fixing a problem!” He said with a sarcastic remark with a smirk. “Fang come here right now!”
Fang stopped and swung his massive toothed head over to his father and his glowing horn. His mind told him to ignore it but his animal instincts told him to go to the bright shiny glowing horn. He quickly picked up his pace as he roared to them.
“Limestone, get the mares and go!”
“But what about you?! I almost lost you I’m not going to lose you again Paleo Soar I will stay here with you and our kids! And”
She was blind sighted from a kiss on her lips by Paleo Soar. This is something she had always wanted from him for such a long time and now finally she got it but in the oddest of timing. She wanted to refuse it but she then replied it back. After their short kiss she fully understood what his plan was and she galloped with him towards Fang. They branched off as Paleo Soar took to the left with the T-rex chasing him and Limestone went to the right to get the three frightened mares.
“C’mon Fang are you really this slow?” He said teasing his son. “I thought you clocked in at 35 MPH so daddy what you have!”
Fang accepted his father’s challenge and picked up more speed but the wet muddy ground made it tricky for him to do that. Meanwhile Star Shadow and Aero flew through the abandoned town like two ghosts gliding through a massive graveyard.
“We should go back and rescue the kids now.” Star Shadow ordered as he and his coltfriend landed soundly on the wet ground.
The two sheltered each other from the maelstrom with their wings as the proceeded to walk back. As they did the noticed two shadows outlined in the rain.
“Fluttershy is that you?” Aero shouted.
The shadow said nothing but turned towards the pair.
“Fluttershy? Hey Fluttershy! C’mon this isn’t funny Fluttershy, you’re creeping us out.” Aero shouted to the shadow while clutching to Star Shadow.
They then saw four emeralds staring at them then two wings merge from the black mass. They then knew who exactly who is the black mass orin this case masses. Free fall glided cawing to his brother for guidance knowing he has poor eyesight at night. The pair ducked out of his way and rolled out of Smasher’s path. They saw the two making a turn then headed straight for them again.
“Aero, run! Just run!” Star Shadow shouted to him.
“What about you Star?”
“I will be behind you Aero but right now just go or otherwise we both will die tonight!”
He nodded with giving it a second thought and flew as fast as he could in the rain with Star Shadow behind him. During this time Paleo Soar was having a hard time keeping Fang’s attention, he wanted to go back and eat the three mares. He kept flying in front of him to keep his attention but after ten minutes of chasing Paleo Soar he lost interest and went to go for Limestone and the three mares. Not knowing that Fang had lost interest in their chase Paleo Soar kept running until him, Star Shadow, and Aero all collided with each other.
“Watch where you’re going bub!” Star Shadow shouted not knowing he rammed into his best friend.
When he got his line of sight back Paleo Soar was looking not him or Aero but at the two dinosaurs charging for him.
“Paleo move out of the way!” Aero shouted pleading to his friend.
Paleo Soar just shook his head and stomped a hoof in the mud. “I’m not moving guys.”
“But, why not?”
“They are now my problem and as a father I have to make fix their mistakes and make them feel better.” He said with a sharp voice. “Go get Fluttershy, Limestone, and the kids and get out of here!”
“But Paleo-” Star Shadow said with a depressed voice.
He was cut off by Aero who understood the situation that they are in more than Star Shadow. He smiled at Paleo Soar as he and Star Shadow galloped to Limestone, Apple bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo leaving Paleo Soar alone in the rain with his two rampaging children. He let out a sigh then shook his head in disbelief and laughed at their situation.
“You two and your brother really made a mess of things here you know that?”
He kicked the muddy earth and several ice crystals popped out of the ground making an arena around them. He let out a small golden flare out of his horn that lighted up the ice crystals so his kids mainly Smasher could see their father one last time.
“This has to end tonight you two. I know you have suffered so much pain since you are in a world where it’s just too different for the three of you to live in and I’m so very sorry. But we had our laughs and cries right?”
The two roared and screeched at him then quiet down and tuned into his speech as if they knew what he was about to do. Paleo Soar then saw deep in their malice filled emeralds that there was forgiveness and acceptance of his speech and apology.
“No matter what I do know this if you can hear daddy in there. I love each of you equal as if you were my own kids and I really wish I didn’t have to do this but you leave me with no other option. I love you, I love you my little dinos and I want the three of you to be in peace.”
There were tears in all their eyes at this moment, time slowed down for them, Paleo Soar’s legs trembled, his mind wanted him not to kill his own children but however the three knew what has to be done. A fog escaped Smasher’s beak as he scrapped the ground ready for a charge. Smasher and Free fall howled and screeched as the charged Paleo Soar who was ready for them and had ice spears ready for them as well. Meanwhile Limestone, Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple bloom were getting ready to leave when they heard thunderous strides coming closer. Fluttershy looked down at a footprint that Fang left behind and saw the water that filled it up start to rumble and ripple as the sounds got closer and closer. Fluttershy then saw Fang’s glowing jade green eyes looking down at them with jaws wide open.
“Oh crap, he must have lost interest in chasing Paleo Soar.” Limestone whispered to her group.
The rest of the group just silently nodded as Fang got closer and closer until he was right in their faces. They felt is hot rancid breath warm up the cold rainy night. As if a colt lined up a row of toy soldiers Fang examined each pony with hunger, malice, and primal animalistic lust. He then focused his sights both on Fluttershy and Limestone nudging them, bumping them and smelling them. He still remembered them and still saw them as his mothers.
“Nopony move.” Apple bloom said calmly. “Ah read that his vision is based off of movement.”
Fang quickly turned his head towards Apple bloom looking at her with a stumped look.
“I heard that you runt! And I can see you clearly” He thought to himself.
The time ticked away slowly for the group all they could do was just look at his eyes and see his stomach expand and contract from his breathing. The mares were terrified about what he will do next, and then Sweetie Belle broke the long silence with a sneeze that alerted Fang as he raised his giant head.
“Sorry everypony I have allergies. I’m allergic to dinosaurs.”
Limestone pondered about this and looked at her awkwardly and said.
“How do you gain this allergy?! There are like what? Only three left in existence right now!
Sweetie Belle just shrugged as Fang let out a roar signaling that he was ready for his meal. But as he was going to eat the mares he heard a loud howl of pain followed by a screech and a thud. He knew exactly whose howl that was; it was Smasher and Free fall! And he quickly bolted in the direction that the noises came from ignoring Star Shadow and Aero who were galloping towards him. Paleo Soar stood over the bodies of his dying saurian children with ice spears jetting out from their shoulder blades, chest and frill; When Smasher collided with the ground the ice spears cracked and shattered. Finally daylight bled through the darkened still raining skies to show blood on Paleo Soar’s hooves, chest, and neck. Smasher howled grimly as he and his brother were slowly leaving this plain and entering death’s cold grasp. Tears formed in their eyes as they howled and screamed for their father. Paleo Soar already crying from his murderous task wanted to look away from the dying duo but couldn’t. He then saw something that will be forever burned into his very soul. Free fall despite slowly dying he reaches out his claw for his father’s hoof.
“I’m sorry Free fall! I’m so very sorry I had to do this!” He said with sniffles and tears.
Paleo Soar reached out his hoof to his pterosaur son to comfort him one last time. When he touched his claw he began to hum a tune that he used to three of them when they were just babies. It was a soft but also raspy in an almost tone deaf tune. He was stop by his occasional sniffles but he kept humming until the Pteranodons jade green eyes slowly closed for the last time just as the Triceratops’s eyes closed slowly with tears flowing. He slowly walked away after he put Free fall’s body next to Smasher’s drinking up what has just happened along with a stinging pain from four toed claw marks on his neck from where Free fall grabbed him. The blood trickled down his neck staining his tan coat; he had now just one more left and the most dangerous one of the three left to deal with, Fang! He galloped to meet up with his friends for he needed comfort and a shoulder to cry on for the crime against his children he had committed. The early morning’s rays bled brighter threw the black raining skies and lit up his coat but also made the blood on his body visible for anypony to see. Limestone saw the bleeding unicorn he had a face of pain and loss in his eyes. She had the urge to run over to him and comfort him but was stopped when he slowly walked over to the group and looking down at the rain soaked ground.
Fluttershy hugged him tightly to comfort him, then Star Shadow followed, then Aero, then finally Limestone all hugged the still torn unicorn in hopes on trying to cheer him up.
Fang bolted out of a thicket of small buildings roaring for his brothers could hear him. Fang stopped in his tracks and let out another roar in hopes for either of the two would reply back to him. He heard nothing but a silent town and the whispers of some small winds rustling through the trees. Fang let out another call but this time it sounded more worried than his other calls. Again no response but silence. Fang’s eyes grew wider as he feared what had happened to his brothers. He propelled himself through the town still franticly calling for his brothers.
He passed by a square that at first he didn’t pay attention to but when he came back around he noticed a large lump on the ground. He slowly walked over to it fearing that it might be Smasher wounded from a fight. As he got closer his fears became a reality before him. There, laying on the muddy soil was Smasher and Free fall; limp, lifeless, deep still bleeding gashes on their bodies, pale, and cold. Free fall’s body was of a ghostly color from what it was originally and Smasher’s was a pale muddy green. Fang instincts told him to see if they were actually dead even though he knows that they are gone. With sorrow filled bellows he nudged the dead body of his Triceratops brother hoping that he will get up. He did this to Free fall as well but like Smasher he got no response from his lifeless body. Fang desperately nudged his brothers again and again with tears forming in his eyes; He knew that he was officially the last Tyrannosaurus Rex he accepted that but now is the last living dinosaur which was something he couldn’t accept! He didn’t want to be alone in this world, he wanted something to comfort him and share his pain but that was stolen from him and now he is all alone. After 20 minutes of pushing his siblings’ bodies in his efforts to revive them he gave up and stood over their corpses sulking as the new day’s sun shined on this grim morning.
He looked up at the sun with eyes of pain and grief over the death of his brothers and let out a long painful wail that echoed throughout the town and the group of ponies heard this loud and clear. Memories of them playing, bathing, eating, and sleeping together flooded Fang’s mind all of them were like a thousand dagger piercing his heart and weighing it down like lead. He looked at his brothers faces which showed not faces of fear but peace, something that all three of them yearned for, they looked happy as if they wanted this. Fang was then blinded by unimaginable rage; he now wanted one thing and one thing only now, blood, the blood of the ponies or pony who was responsible for killing his brothers the only things that had kept him sane since they lived in the Everfree forest. He then roared as if he was making a vow to kill whoever did this and ran to intercept the ponies. Every step the Tyrannosaurus made caused painful but sweet memories of happier days fill his mind as he stomped through the town until he saw the ponies trying to leave the town. He now didn’t care if his mothers or his father killed his brothers he wanted them dead! Apple bloom saw his silhouette only a dozen yards away and was picking up speed. He ran as fast as his two strong large back legs could take him, about 45 mph, he knew that this has to end with either them dying or he dies!
“Everypony run! Get out of here as fast as your wings and hooves can take you!” Paleo Soar shouted to the group.
The group except Fluttershy and Limestone left as he said that knowing that this would be the final moment for them to confront their son. The three ponies’ hearts beat faster as they saw him getting closer and closer. To all of them time seemed to stop for them, every time Fang took a step it like an eternity had passed. With every second that ticked and every step that was taken memories of that what seemed like a happy ancient past burned into their minds like an inferno. Paleo Soar’s horn glowed gold as spikes of ice jetted from the ground exposing their sharp points to the sky he was ready to end this here…and now! When Fang got close enough the spikes rocket themselves from the dirt and shot for the dinosaur. They landed on their target with grizzly results.
The first two spikes impaled themselves and were lodged in Fang’s shoulders one landed in his stomach and one in his chest; though the one in his chest punctured his heart lightly. Despite his pain Fang kept going but he didn’t run more on the lines of a slow jog burping up his saurian blood with every stride. Fluttershy couldn’t watch the end results and shielded her eyes from the horror. Limestone wanted to cry but she and Paleo Soar had used up all their tears that night but kept a depressed poker face as they nodded to each other. Paleo Soar finally put an end to this with one last ice spike to his right leg causing the T-Rex to fall on his stomach with a loud painful thud which made on the ice spikes go further into his stomach piercing vital organs as the outside half shattered. Paleo Soar couldn’t take seeing those spikes making his son a reptilian pin cushion so with a flick of his hoof they disappeared leaving behind a bleeding and dying king.
Fang roared and howled in pain as he felt his organs slowly starting to shut down, he could feel somewhere in his being that kidneys were failing, his liver gave out, and both his large and lower intestines shutting down. He also felt that his drum of a heart starting beat slower and slower.
“We are so sorry Fang.” Paleo Soar said in a saddened voice up still kept his stone cold face on. “Daddy is so sorry things ended up like this, but now you and your brothers don’t have to feel lonely anymore, you will meet them soon and all three of you will be free from this pain that you all held on to for so long.”
Fang feeling his strength, one of the things he was so proud of was fading to nothing but he mustered up whatever power he had left in his dying body to nod in agreement to his father’s words before he slips into eternal slumber.
“Fluttershy?” Limestone asked bitterly.
“Y-yes?”
“Can you, can you sing him to sleep for us? I think he would love to hear one of his mothers’ singing voices one last time before you know.” Limestone requested as she walked over to the dying T-Rex.
Limestone kissed his nose and patted the side of his head before she and Fang himself looked at Fluttershy as if giving her the signal to sing. Fluttershy with a sad heavy heart withdrew tears that were about to fall from her gentle eyes as she cleared her throat and began to sing.
“Hush now quiet now it’s time to lay your sleepy head
Hush now quiet now it’s time to go to bed.”
Her song sounded so depressing but yet beautiful, like that of a siren a melody of two worlds ringing through Fang’s head as he felt himself slowly drifting away from this world. In his mind he imagined that he and his brothers were still playful hatchlings and were over at Fluttershy’s cottage while Paleo Soar and Limestone were out somewhere on another fossil dig. In his dying mind the day was bright and beautiful; they were in her living room on a rug as the three were being lulled to sleep by her angelic hymn of a lullaby. Fluttershy repeated this song until finally Fang closed his scaly eyelids for good as he welcomed the bittersweet embrace of death, the breathing cage that was his body stopped and there was a long silence. Fluttershy stopped singing and started to cry at the sight of his lifeless body. The three cried until they got to Canterlot which the other ponies tackled the three, hugging them Applejack, Rarity, and even Rainbow Dash kissed them showing their gratitude for saving Apple bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo from their hellish night. A month later after the ordeal Paleo Soar and Limestone got married and settled in a nice little cottage in between Ponyville and Canterlot. Paleo Soar sat in a sofa that was a deep forest green looking at an old book that said was titled “Dinosaur encyclopedia of Equestria.”
“What are you looking at dear?” Limestone asked wrapping her front legs around Paleo Soar’s neck.
“Pictures.”
“Pictures of what?”
“Pictures of when Fang and his brothers were still small.” He said with a grin as he flipped the pages.
“Yeah they were just so cute back then, then again they didn’t try to eat us when they were babies.” She finished her comment with a giggle. “I really do miss them though.” She said with a sigh.
“Me to, I wish they were here right now with Free fall trying to learn how to fly and crash into things or Smasher always breaking things and Fang always biting things. But we have to keep going and learn from what happened.”
Limestone kissed the side of his face and gingerly smiled back at him.
“Oh that’s right I forgot we were supposed to meet up with everybody this afternoon for big party” Limestone finally remembering as she tilted her head.
As the two got ready and left their cottage and walked down the road that lead into Ponyville they had a since that they were being watch from the land and the sky. They knew it wasn’t Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash but something else, it made them feel secured as if they were being watched by royal guards. They saw all their friends and even Celestia herself on top of a large slope that over looked the whole town. The party cheered when they arrived.
In Ponyville ever since the three’s passing ponies have been talking about disembodied roars and howls echoing throughout the forest and on certain nights in the town. They also speak of armor clad phantoms patrolling and flying around the outskirts of the town, Canterlot and around the old castle along with footprints that appear and disappear. For those like Paleo Soar and his friends even the princesses strongly believe that they never left Ponyville, Canterlot or the Everfree forest and are still protecting the places where they call home.
As the years rolled by Limestone and Paleo Soar had three foals, two colts and a filly. Each one was given a name that bared a resemblance to three dinosaurs’ names. As the other ponies grew up and foals of their own to. Six years had passed since the incident with Fang and his brothers and a young filly sat on top of a large hill that overlooked the entire town. She along with her two brothers was talking to three tombstones which were the helmets of Fang and his siblings.
“How are you doing big brothers?” the little filly asked as if the three dinosaurs were standing in front of her.
“Happy birthday brothers. Pops gave us these three medals for you.” One of the colts said offering three new purple medals to the silent helmets.
“I hope you like them we helped making them to.” The other colt proudly said.
“Kids time to come in now dinner time!” Limestone called out to her kids.
The three foals bowed their heads and galloped away from the silent skull-like helmets, as they galloped to their parents and the rest of the gang with their kids they heard a very faint but welcoming howl. When they finally sat down for dinner Paleo Soar looked out of a medium size round window that faced the hill. Something caught his attention which told him to look at the three helmets. And there clear as if they were still alive was Free fall, Smasher, and Fang looking down at the cottage and bowed their heads to show their respects for the unicorn who brought them to a world that was different from theirs but showed them love kindness like any other colt or filly. Fang raised his ghostly head up with his brothers following after and released a ghostly but beautiful choir of roars, howls, and screeching before he turned away to face his friends and family. After dinner he looked out the same window to see if they were still there and all that was there were their helmets shimmering in the evening sun. As night fell the gang went to the hill for a party to celebrate their birthday. To their surprise when they went to the top of the hill they saw footprints of the same size Fang would leave behind, along with footprints that would belong to a large herbivorous dinosaur and the medals were gone to. They then heard another beautifully chilling choir of those same sounds as the gang set things up for their party.