//------------------------------// // Genesis // Story: My Little Pony: The Land Before Time // by Jongoji245 //------------------------------// After Discord snapped his fingers on the space-time tear, several universes had either their timelines altered or erased forever from memory. However, as his powers are very unpredictable, the Draconequus' prank also caused several other universes to form. Some remain faithful to the original show, some have slight alterations, others were mixed with other franchises. A distance away, once such mix is forming as we begin to view a world shrouded in clouds. Millions of years ago, the planet Equestria was a different place from what it is. Deep below the atmosphere, volcanoes exploded both ash, smoke, and lava while the nearby seas splashed against them, setting off steam as more water rains from the sky. The great land masses were ever moving and the temperatures ever shifting. Deep below the water, microscopic organisms began congregating until they formed into sea sponges. Even before there were ponies, dragons, elephants, or griffons, our world has become home to several types of creatures. And they too were changing A distance away, a forest of jellyfish floated about, their tentacles illuminating the seabed, revealing browsing crustaceans. Higher on the sea level, schools of primitive fish swam around until an early amphibian disturbs them. Until at last The amphibian took notice of a massive lobed fin fish and quickly swam to the surface. there was a creature capable of breathing the air the amphibian continued to walk inland, developing hard scales on its slimy body and losing the fin on its tail. and forsaking the sea. This new animal, a Saurosuchus, crawled about the jungle until it spotted an unusual creature. It is reptilian in nature, but what distinguishes it the most is that it could stand on two legs. When it spotted the predator, the Eoraptor called out to its herd, causing them to scatter about. Three of them jumped from tree trunk to tree trunk across a river. The greatest of these creatures were called A Riojasaurus browsed a few primitive ferns before raising its neck. the dinosaur! The Riojasaurus bellowed, calling forth others of its herd. Further along the river bank, a pisanosaurus steps forward for a drink. Time moves forward again to where the dinosaurs became much more diverse. Though they are so unlike us, in some ways they aren't so different at all. In the green plains, a herd of Othnielia scamper about, keeping a good distance away from a stegosaurus. Dinosaurs came in all shapes and sizes alike. A Diplodocus herd stops to feed at a group of trees. Many had flat teeth and ate the leaves of trees a distance away, a trio of allosaurus slept under the shade of a tree, one of them raises her head to spy the herd. and some had sharp teeth, and they preyed on their fellow leaf eaters. The land continued to change again, but this time for the worst. Between islands of lush greenery were barren wastes. On one such area, a herd of Gryposaurus traverse the area. But the world continued to change, and the leaves began to die. To the right of the herd, a Pachycephalosaurus manages to find a small bush began to consume it. Ruled by the leaf, this placed even the leaf eaters in a violent circle of life, fighting for their share of what the earth had left to offer.... A Thescelosaurus approaches the bush, only to be given an uppercut in the chin by the pachy. As the latter chased the bird like beast away, the former began a warning cry as it sped away. The pachy turned around to find a shadow quickly loom over. A scream echoed the waste, bringing the attention of one of the hadrosaurs. All that was left of the victim was a head, to its left were a series of clawed footprints with a blood trail - Occasionally, becoming a meal themselves. As night began to enclose, the moon, or Luna in their calling, illuminated a sand bar near a lake. A flock of Nyctosaurus scatter about, occasionally diving to catch a fish. A family herd of Centrosaurus consisting of Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor, Twilight Velvet, and Night Light walked into the freezing water to cross. Many of the dinosaur herds journeyed west to search for Canterlot Crater. A land still lush and green, it was a journey towards life. A distance from the herd, a family group of parasaurolophus rested. One was browsing among the water reeds, her grinding teeth making short work of the vegetation. Next to her, a wall-eyed individual caring for an egg. [quoteBoth Leaf Eater and Sharptooth faced challenges and had to develop their own kinds of talents to keep them safe. Especially when they stopped to hatch their young. At one point Derpy left the nest to feed just a few moments before the egg started hatching. A butterfly hovers over the egg when it explodes, revealing a baby by the name Dinky. Amazed by the flying insect she chases it around while her egg was still hung around her tail. After hopping off the inside of a log, her shackle broke, allowing her to fully roam her environment. She still chases the butterfly until it is swallowed by a snake. The two creatures stared at each other from their own points of view. Unaware of the danger, little Dinky greeted the animal with a good lick on the snake's snout. Agitated, the snake hissed at her, prompting her to flee. Amethyst Star walked over to notice the hatchling missing before hearing a high pitched scream. Dinky was now cornered up on a rock. As the snake towered over Dinky, she noticed a much larger shadow looming over them. Just when the snake was about to strike, a purple "mitten" stamped on it. Just as Derpy lifted her child by the tail, Amethyst grabbed the snake and flung it far away. "Mama!" Dinky chirped before being brought to the nest. Over to what is now Central Amareica, the sun rose over to another nest. Inspecting the brood was a mother Alamosaurus, one of many on sentry duty. As she inspects the nest a roar is heard in a nearby forest, scaring a flock of primitive birds. After a close inspection, she returns to her brood to find a Secernosaurus fondling the nest. Braying at him, the larger animal whacks the duckbill with her head, chasing him off. The small animal looks at the Club Tail and Big Mouth nests before stopping over to browse at the forest edge. Yet The small duckbill notices a drop of saliva above. Looking upward, he finds that he isn't alone. Even hatching could be dangerous. The younger animal darted out of the forest screaming. The larger animals looked at to the sound with confusion. When the Secernosaurus was a good distance away, a Labocania bursts out of the forest. The Sharptooth followed the smaller animal until it spotted much larger prey. While the larger duckbills ran away from their nests, the more armored Clubtails and larger Longnecks formed a wall between the predator and the nests. But with the nests unguarded, two Ornithomimus brothers, Flim and Flam, eyed on of the nests. Flam took the egg and fled into the jungle. Choosing a secluded spot over a cliff, the egg stealer was about to claim its prize when Flim snatched the egg. They fought over their prize, but their skirmish caused them to drop the egg into a river. As the egg floated, a primitive alligator, Brachychampsa, swallowed the egg on accident. Swimming a while underwater, it realizes its mistake and upchucks it. At the surface, a pair of Quetzalcoatlus argue for space when the egg surfaces before them. After a silent moment watching it, they bicker again. As the egg floated along, it is snatched by a passing Geosternbergia. The flying reptiles passed inland over a family herd of Chasmosaurus. This was the Apple Family, waiting along a nest for their new arrival. One of the calves, Babs Seed, inspects her new cousin when the egg began to shake. One herd had just lost a few members, but have gained a new one. The egg quickly hatched open, revealing a much smaller baby doing a handstand. And they called her The baby rolls onto her hindquarters. Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom chirped before noticing her larger family members. The eldest of the herd, Granny Smith looked down with a smile. Intimidated by the size of the head, the newborn covered its face when the matriarch licked her. Admiring the sensation, Apple Bloom allowed Applejack to lick her. The baby Three Horn returned a lick on her sister's beak, receiving a nudge and even lifting her up. All that remained of her herd were her brother, sister, cousins, and their grandmother. She knew their sight, their scent, and by their love. She knew they would be together always. "Now, you be careful, Apple Bloom." Said Applejack Apple Bloom yawned, giving a tired look at her older relatives before sleeping on her sister's snout.