//------------------------------// // Canterlot // Story: Time trouble // by Dynomation //------------------------------// Cerato had been stuck in the small space of something called a train for sometime, laying down was the only way to get comfortable. The small box was made of something he didn`t know existed with a strength greater than rock judging from it ability to hold his weigh. He was in a cart to himself due to his size, it was obvious that fact that his tail was curled up next to his body, and he lay there wondering what this place called 'Canterlot' had in store for him. his large nostrils flared with the sense of many ponies coming closer. Raising his head off the ground, Cerato was greeted by the young Princess Twilight Sparkle. Still holding the book in her 'magic' something he wasn`t even going to ask about it, he`s brain was still trying to comprehend how the strange train moved let alone how creature could lift things without touching it. "Were nearly at Canterlot, Mister Cerato, before we get there to I was wondering about how you got here? No affence but Ceratosaur and all other Dinosaur are kinda well extinct" she asked hoping to get some answer, but Cerato graced her with more knowledge than she expected. "All dinosaur are not extinct, they rule the sky now with no pterosaurus to prey on them, young Sparkle the birds are dinosaur, study a theropod then a bird, you`ll see what I mean. And enough with this 'mister' title I`m just Cerato, I don`t need a title" he stated with his emotionless gaze looking into the small pony. A disembodied voice echoed through the carriage "Last stop Canterlot, please get ready to disembark, and mind the gap!" Cerato looked for the voice owner for a moment, then gave up as the train slowed, looking out the window he sore massive white monoliths with holes and ponies looking out of them, or talking to other on the game trails below. With 'fruit' dealers scattered about the place. Princess Luna entered Cerato`s train car and smiled "We have arrived in Canterlot, please try not to destroy or eat anypony" Cerato nodded, he`d find something to eat eventually as his stomach growled, the train came to a smooth stop as the all disembarked, with the car rocking as Cerato got out, he`s seers size compared to the others train user made him stick out like a sore thumb in the crowd. Most ponies seemed to give him a wide birth, even the ones encased in the strange 'metal' covers coward slightly, moving past them and through into 'Canterlot' with Luna and Twilight in front of him, most of the ponies there seem to stick up their noses in an snobbish fashion like any of the larger carnivores from the plains of the Jurassic. As they walked deeper into the large formation of white monoliths he found them growing large with more derations on there bases and tops, nothing Cerato could think off that was like this strange place, as they entered through a large cave opening with a wooden barrier closing behind them, Cerato managed to move his tail before it was closed in the barrier. Snarling at the thing he moved on, a predatory growl escaping his jaws, making the ponies shudder out of instinct. He paced after the 2 princesses, tail flicking slightly. The razor sharp black spines glinting in the sun. "So what was the point of bringing me here?" he asked as both the princesses stopped in front another wooden barricade in a cave entrance. "This" said Luna, opening the door without touching it again, Cerato would need to get used to that soon! But that`s not what caused Cerato the greatest confusion, in the cave was a large rock, a large brown rock with dents and patterns covering the surface. Both the princesses stepped forward and gestured for him to follow, he followed his head held low, due to the roof being too low for him to stand at his full height, he smelt the rock as both the princesses talked. "It appeared last night, I did not summon it neither did Discord. It seems to have a stupendous amount of magic contained within itself. It has enough potential magic to make the elements of harmony look weak" explained the princess. Twilight studded the rock closer "What`s more powerful than the elements of harmony?" Cerato large nostrils inspected the rock, some of the scent were unfamiliar but one was evident, fish? "It smells of fish?" stated Cerato confused, getting odd looks from both the princesses, Cerato then when back to using his oversized nostrils to inspected thither, the scent of crocodiles and other fish eaters, one being dinosaurian in nature. "It basically smells for a swamp, large carnivores, some crocs and sauropods but I don`t recognise any off the species at all" he said confused, most of the time he got an outline off the species but this he got nothing, taking one last sniff he got a piece of info that made him worried "That one large Allosaurid" Twilight looked at him "Wait this meteor smells like a prehistoric swamp?" he nodded. Twilight groaned "Supposing your nose is corrected, what was that swamp like?" Cerato looked at the patterns on the meteor for a moment "Large predators, with 3 sharp claws on each hand, bigger than anything I`ve seen" Twilight looked at him in disbelief. "How`d you come to that conclusion then?" Cerato pointed at 3 large slash marks in the rock, Twilight looked at them, mentally measuring them seeing if her calculations boor fruit she flipped through her book. She stopped at the page that matched the claws for size and shape. Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. "So young Sparkle have you found out where this meteor came from?" asked Princess Luna, trotting over to the lavender alicorn, she inspected the page for a moment. "Yeah, I think I have, the meteor come from Zebrica according to the 'scratch' marks but Cerato Dippy and Saura come from the area around Appaloosa, at least 10,000 miles apart and 60 million years between the two echo systems." Luna looked at the page for a moment "So you are saying their is a high probability that one of those is running around the place?" Twilight could only nod. Cerato looked over both their shoulders at the book, showing the beast the scratch marks were from. At least 3 times his size, about half the size of Dippy. "Princess, that meteor contains enough magic to remove them from there home, at ground zero anything could be moved, and still has enough energy to reach another 30 million years into the future of them." stated Twilight "Enough magic to span all 250 million years of Dinosaur history." Queen Chrysalis was having a bad day her minions had found a new attraction for the gladiatorial games in the changeling arena. The creature lacked most forms or knowledge about hear and her kind, considering it looked like a dragon it was most surprising as dragons are often targeted as all a changeling has to do to feed of a dragon is turn into a shiny object. And now she was contending with some kind of messenger, A small feathered bird/lizard/pony hybrid, with blue and green plumage covering his arms and body, with small primitive wings forming on his fore legs. With a scaly mouth full of sharp teeth. "My Queen would like to make an alliance with your people" it chirped. Chrysalis spoke with distain "And why should we make an alliance with your Queen?" she gritted her fangs as the hybrid spoke. "Because the one of us in the basement will be the least of your worries when the Queen of the Nile is through with you" it threatened. Chrysalis laughed swatting the bird away with a hoof, "And what is a pit-sized parrot going to do to me?" she mocked 3 claws scratched through the wall of the throne room as the wall collapsed the dust created obscured the beast from Chrysalis vision. Only two large livid yellow eyes glared at her and a sinister but seductive voice echoed through the hole in the wall. "I could do many things but to restore world order, I need an army, capable of whipping out every last mammal on this planet" it almost sang, as a wide ivory grin appeared in the cloud. "So what in it for me if I help?" asked Chrysalis, she knew that this creature wanted an army, and Chrysalis had that army, she was in the position to ask questions and this 'Queen' knew that two. "Well I just want to get rid of the mammals, what you do with 'their' land is up to you. So do we have a deal?" replied the massive smiling shadow. The small sparrow sized messenger looked at the changeling. "When do we began?" The Queen of the Nile Cerato Queen Chrysalis Princess Luna Twilight Sparkle