Silence… Silence is what was heard in Ponyville Hospital, particularly Applejack's room. Rainbow Dash was dumbstruck, because these 'big, feathery monsters' her farmer friend described sounded like another feathery monster that attacked Fluttershy earlier in the day, but bigger, much bigger.
Twilight then had a thought,
What if these feathered creatures had something to do with this great disturbance that Princess Celestia told me about when Spike woke me up to give me an urgent message. Wait a minute, disturbances?! This sounds like…
Fluttershy tapped Twilight's shoulder and said meekly,
"Twilight, it couldn't be Discord that made these creatures appear, we already ruled him out, remember?"
Twilight was shocked at how her pegasus friend seemed to have read her thoughts, but then remembered that they talked about this earlier while they were waiting to be let in by the doctor. They ruled Discord out because not only was he reformed, he couldn't have done it when these disturbances had occurred, earlier in the night.
He was at the Crystal Empire, helping her brother and her sister-in-law fix the damage in the city caused by an earthquake hours ago, which was very odd, since an earthquake had not struck in Equestria for fifteen hundred years. The damage was reportedly so great, even Discord's magic would take time to fix all the damage Equestria's first earthquake in a millennium, had unleashed on the poor Crystal Ponies.
Her train of thought stopped when Applejack bitterly said,
"He can be the only one who could do this! I never trusted Discord! It has got his cloven hoof prints all over it!"
Then a familiar voice sounded in the air,
"For the record, Applejack, I have only one cloven hoof."
The voice belonged to Discord, the Spirit of Disharmony, as the draconequus appeared in a white flash, but they all realized something was off with Discord (and that's saying a lot when put into context), he looked exhausted, with limp arms, baggy eyes, and tattered fur. Fluttershy looked at her friend with worry as the Lord of Chaos said,
"I really would have been here sooner, but the repairs took much longer when another earthquake struck and undid all my hard work. So now I'm running on fumes as I had just finished…"
Discord paused and took a deep breath and continued,
"All the repairs again. Though I do find it odd that two earthquakes happened in succession at the same place…"
Pinkie Pie patted Discord on the shoulder and said (seemingly without taking a breath),
"Aww…That really, really blows… Even I would get mega exhausted after I worked to prepare something really, really big only for it to get a ruined by a mean, nasty, natural disaster, only for me to get it all back to its super duper fun filled glory, only to get knocked back down and I put it back up, then it happens again, and again, and again, and ag…"
Applejack placed her hoof over Pinkie's mouth and shouted with annoyance,
"PINKIE! I GET IT! Discord couldn't have done it even if I thought he did! Sweet Celestia…"
She placed both of her hooves on her head rubbing it as it throbbed from a headache, while Pinkie Pie said with a smile,
"Okie-Dokie-Lokie!"
Fluttershy gave Discord some tea to help relax his aching muscles, as he said,
"Oh thank you, kind dear. I really needed that, you see Applejack, you should learn more about kindness from my dear friend Fluttershy."
It was only now did he notice bandages on his friend and asked,
"Fluttershy, what happened to your face?"
Rainbow Dash answered for her and said,
"Earlier today, she was attacked by a weird bird-lizard thing with red feathers as it attacked the animals at her cottage…It sounded like one of these 'feathered monsters' that attacked Applejack. I'm surprised you only noticed in now…"
Discord then asked, "How would you know what it looked like?"
Rarity answered, "Because dear, Me and Rainbow came racing to Fluttershy when she let out a horrifying scream. We caught a glimpse of something red disappear into the Everfree Forest, we then walked to Fluttershy, the poor dear was shaking, and she described it far better than we could."
Twilight was deeply concerned, these three creatures seemed to have deliberately attacked her friends, her train of thought gradually silenced the chatter of her friends, trying to piece this puzzle together.
Forty-five minutes later, Discord left for his home (wherever it is) to rest and regain his energy, Twilight and the others headed back to their homes to get sleeping bags, for they decided to stay with Applejack at the hospital, to make her feel safe so that the farmer can get rest for the night. As they said their good nights and drifted into sleep, Ponyville was eerily silent as the ponies are all nestled in their beds, dreaming sweet dreams without care…
Ponyville - 10:48 PM - Aside from an old gardener named Hayseed, tending to some winter plants, the streets of Ponyville were empty and silent, but not for long…
The old gardener, in a terrible state between weariness and insomnia, was walking to some more winter plants, when something caught his eyes. Hayseed was staring at maybe twenty or thirty pairs of eyes glowing in the moonlight, and they stared back at him, he then heard a series of bird-like clicks coming from the eyes.
He shook his head, trying to see if his mind was playing tricks on his eyes and ears, he thought that the sounds were unmistakable bird clicks, but all the birds are either at the cottage of that sweet pegasus mare he works for, or they are south for the winter, and Winter Wrap-Up wasn't for another seven weeks!
Hayseed knew something was wrong, but he was too tired to really care as he said quietly,
"By Celestia's mane, I have finally lost it! I'm seeing things that aren't even there, and I'm hearing sounds of something that doesn't even make sense! Mr. Hayseed, you have finally lost your marbles…"
Little did the old gardener know that he wasn't losing his mind, there were creatures looking right at him, and they were making bird-like clicks. But, they are creatures he has no idea about, they were, unmistakably, dinosaurs…
And they are looking for food…
Fortunately for Hayseed, the dinosaurs are not interested in him, a small dinosaur walked pass the old gardener and let out two shrieks that were just loud enough for the other dinosaurs to hear, and they all walked passed the elderly pony, as he caught a better view of these graceful creatures.
He now said to himself, "Now I am really losing it!"
The small dinosaurs were the plant-eating ornithopods called Leallynasaura, a active animal from what today is Australia and Antarctica. The climate in Ponyville right now is perfect for these animals, standing on two legs and having very large eyes, where they were from, nights last for months during winter. Though it is colder than they were use to, they can survive better than any other dinosaur in this season, they see well in the dark and scurry through the streets, looking for plants and fruit the ponies grew.
One lone sentry climbs up on top of an apple cart and looks around the town, alert to predators that could easily snatch one of them up, he tells the others the coast is clear by making reassuring clicks with his beak. The dominate male finds a basket full of berries, and he knocks it down with eleven others crowding around to get at the nutrient-rich berries.
A young male wanders into one of the houses and clamors through the warm house and spots a unicorn mare, sleeping soundly. The pony in question was Vinyl, the DJ pony of Ponyville, and the small dinosaur walked cautiously towards the sleeping mare, making clicking sounds all the way. Normally, the noise would make anypony wake up, but Vinyl's headphones were playing soothing ocean sounds at a high volume to help her sleep, so the dinosaur was as silent as a ninja because of it.
He leapt onto the bed and sniffed Vinyl with curiosity, he had never seen a creature like this, he thought.
He then heard the clicks from the leader which he know means 'It's time to regroup', but the room's temperature was too cozy for him to want to leave, and the mare's bed was much softer than the moss he laid on in his hatchling years.
It became obvious what he did next, he clicked to tell the nearest Leallynasaura;
I'll catch up in a bit…
And he laid down next to Vinyl and drifted into sleep with Vinyl smiling at the added warmth was pleasant, not realizing what was going on.
At the same time, the dominant female wandered into the house of the Cakes, drawn by the fake red cherry at the top of the house. She walked into the kitchen by the sweet smell of food, her nose lead her to a cabinet that housed sweet cherries. The Leallynasaura pulled the glass jar out of the cabinet and frustratingly pecked at the jar, she thought the glass was ice and was curious that in a place this warm, the 'ice' should have melted already. Then a terrific sound sounded through the house, it peaked the female's interest as she walked upstairs, looking for the source of the noise. She walked into the room of the baby twins named Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, the female dinosaur identified the small creatures as infants of the creature she looked at earlier, and knew they were calling for food. She walked towards a big pile of baby toys and stuffed animals, when the lights of the room suddenly lit up, causing the plant-eater to flinch and hide in the toys.
A stallion Earth Pony known as Mr. Cake, walked in with bottles of milk in hoof as he cradled his twins while feeding them, saying,
"There, there you two, it will be okay…"
The dinosaur couldn't understand a word of what he said, but she did know he was calming the infants down. She placed a foot in the wrong place and stepped on a plush duck that loudly squeaked, and it caused her instincts to make her lie down, perfectly still. Luck, as it seems, was on her side, because as Mr. Cake turned and saw the dinosaur dropping to lie down, he then saw his unicorn of a daughter's horn fizzle out with a magic glow.
He chuckled a little as he said,
"Now Pumpkin Cake, now's not the time for toys, little dear…"
After that, he put the twins in the crib, he then walked over to the 'toy' he believed Pumpkin was trying to grab and looked at it closely with a scowl as he said,
"Hmm…I don't remember buying this toy, or Pinkie Pie giving it to the twins either…"
The dinosaur's stillness was perfect, she really looked like a toy. By instincts, this stillness in the polar forests of the Cretaceous would make the dinosaur blend in with the forest floor and make her virtually unseen, but where she is, it made the Leallynasaura stick out like a sore hoof. She felt a terrific urge to run, but something told the little dinosaur to stay still, and she obeyed.
The camouflage worked like a charm, but differently as Mr. Cake continued,
"Oh well, it does look nice, and the big eyes make it look cute. Goodnight Pumpkin and Pound Cake…"
He turned the light off and walked to the door, with the Leallynasaura following quietly behind, but Mr. Cake closed the door before the dinosaur could exit. The dominant female furiously tried to open the door, but to no avail, she now glanced at the twins who were staring at her with eyes wide with surprise, they actually thought that one of their toys had actually come to life (very cute thought, right?). She did not like what she is seeing as those eyes kept staring at her, then Pound and Pumpkin smiled widely and giggled gleefully at the dinosaur. The female was unfamiliar with laughter and had no idea how they felt, but she knew if they get loud again, their parents will come to investigate.
Then something triggered inside her already smart mind, a motherly tenderness to the twins. She knew they had to sleep, so she grabbed one of the toys and put it next to Pumpkin in the crib, thinking they were animal carcasses to let them 'devour' the 'corpse'. The dinosaur then tenderly pulled the blanket she saw the infants in and tucked them in, and finally, she did the only thing she knew to soothe the Cake twins, clicking reassuringly. To her surprise, the Leallynasaura's clicks were making them tired as they yawned and fell fast asleep. Pumpkin's horn glowed, which freaked out the herbivore, then the unicorn magic opened the door, enough for the dinosaur to escape. The dominant female then left the Cake's shop, Sugar-Cube Corner, and rejoined her mate and the two sounded the call to leave.
Half an hour later, the young male was awakened to an unpleasant surprise, Vinyl rolled around in her sleep and hugged the Leallynasaura tightly, making him screech with surprise. Vinyl woke up half-way as the animal struggled free from her grasp, she saw the bug-eyed animal stare at her, panting at a fast pace.
How did she react?
She shrugged and said,
"Meh…Had *yawn* crazier dreams…"
And like that, she fell back asleep. The little male did not want a repeat of what just happened, he thought the pony was going to eat him, he found dirty bed sheets lying nearby and they were warm too, from the heat of the house. He lifted the thicker one on top of the pile and curled up inside the sheets, in such a way, no one would think there was something sleeping inside it.
In another house, a young colt was wide awake, shaking in fear. Why is that he heard something in the attic moving around and he believed there was a big monster up there as he continued calling,
"Mom? Mom! Mom! MOM!"
A agitated mare's voice shouted,
"FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, BUTTON MASH! GO TO SLEEP, NOW!!!"
The colt named Button Mash decides to do what his mom says, but not without pulling a golf club to him and putting on a football helmet. He was actually half-right, there was something up there, but it is not a monster, it was actually a tiny, pigeon-sized dinosaur named Epidexipteryx, a feathered dinosaur of the prehistoric forests of China.
With four ribbon-like feathers on its stubby tail, forward pointing teeth, and a elongated third finger, it was perfectly adapted for life among the trees, hunting for insects and arachnids in the trees or the attic it found itself in. The weird little dinosaur scurried about hunting the infamous Star Spiders in the attic, he found their taste addictive as he already devoured five of the creepy crawlies.
Unfortunately, the pitter-patter of his bird-like feet made Button Mash quiver in fright, as he again called,
"MOM!!!"
His mom shouted loudly, "SLEEP NOW OR I'LL GIVE YOU A REASON TO BE AFRAID!!!"
It wasn't like she was uncaring, but Button Mash has already told her about the 'big monster in the attic' three times before, and each of them were no signs of this monster. Button Mash gulped as his mom was right, so he tried to ignore the footsteps of the Epidexipteryx, most bird-like of any dinosaur, chasing Star Spiders and anything else he can catch…
As dawn approaches, the Leallynasaura clan, having eaten their fill of berries and winter pine bushes, headed back to their frozen home of White-Tail Woods. While the Epidexipteryx finds a comfy box to sleep in, having eaten his fill of; Star Spiders, Parasprites, cockroaches, millipedes, a scorpion, moths, and a beetle.
Button Mash was wide awake the whole night, much to his mother's frustration, as she said,
"Button Mash, get ready for school, then get your breakfast…"
Button Mash replied in a zombie-like drone, "Yes mom, I'm on it…" he lazily got ready and walked to the kitchen to eat his breakfast.
At morning, everyone was gathered at Town Hall, to discuss something rather troublesome, a bunch of food is missing and the snow-covered streets were littered with strange footprints. Princess Twilight and the other five ponies were over with the residents of Ponyville, trying to solve this perplexing mystery with everyone else. They have gathered what evidence there was in the town; the thousands of footprints strung across the streets, the empty basket with a few berries bitten through, frozen spit on the basket, several clumps of herbivore dung, pictures of bushes being eaten, and a impression in the snow of the mystery raider's side.
One by one, the ponies start shouting questions to Twilight,
"What ate my produce?"
"What left these footprints?"
"What barbaric thing would do something so indecent as to make our streets their toilets!"
Rainbow Dash had enough and shouted, "SHUT UP!!!"
Twilight calmly spoke to the Ponyvillians, "Settle down everypony! It will take time to find out who or what did this, please be patient, we're working as fast as we can! What we can confirm is that animals are the culprits, what species they are we can't figure out yet. Thank you."
As the mayor of Ponyville tries to settle everyone down, Twilight and her friends, minus Fluttershy, head to the castle to analyze the evidence more carefully. Fluttershy headed home to take care of her animals and to see if they are alright.
Meanwhile deep in the Everfree Forest, the six raptors were starting to wake up in their cave, they had no idea what happened last night in Ponyville and are likely to never find out.
The first to be up was Frost, then White Tip's hatchling, he stared at the little raptor and then said,
"Alright, little hatchling, go hunting and bring back food, or you'll be food…"
The young Velociraptor did as she was told, and already captured two little squirrels, then proceeded to catch more…