//------------------------------// // The Marshes // Story: My Little Pony: The Land Before Time // by Jongoji245 //------------------------------// As the herd of young dinosaurs ventured deeper into the swamp, the environment around them progressively became different. The hard ground they have walked for so long became muddy, keeping a historical record of past herds and fights. This only deterred Pipsqueak and Zipporwhill as they rode on the backs of their larger kin. In daylight, the steam appeared to give them a tiny of green on their usual skin/feather color. "You think that our families are going to Canterlot Crater too?" Boysenberry asked. "Maybe," - answered Scootaloo - "Scorpan said that's where all the herds are going." Button lowered his head a little, "I hope." Suddenly they heard the sloshing of mud. The sound of tropical birds and frogs, along with being partially blinded by the mists, hindered just where the sound in question is heading. "Stay close!" Apple Bloom ordered. The herd made a huddle so that they could look in thirteen different directions. Wildly they flicked their heads around, with their two smallest members bounding between members. The noise became louder and louder until it became clear that it is coming from the opposite direction from where they walking. The figure starting to reveal itself, the herd turned towards the sound. As in the Equestria Girls Universe, Schnookums is also a monitor lizard, in this case, the prehistoric Paleosaniwa. The four-legged beast stopped and stared at them, noticing their heat signature rising. Having already fought a pack of Fast Biters, the more readily armored members stood their ground. After a long moment of flicking his tongue time and again, Schnookums began trekking around the herd. Whether he was scared or already had a meal some time ago he never answered as he slowly disappeared into the mist behind them. The herd calmed down and followed the muddy footprints. They continued their trek until they came across a large body of water. They looked around to find their path sliced by water. With the footprints of other herds, including their own possibly, entering the water, they understood how deep the water is. Sweetie Belle dipped her foot into the water, feeling a grime between her fingers. "I wouldn't swim in this water even if this was the last bit of water in the world." "Guess we wait until another herd comes by." Said Cosgrove before he walked over to a bush, his pencil-shaped teeth making short work of the branches. Dinky studied the water before her face beamed. "Maybe we don't have to!" The herd looked to see Dinky walking over to a series of rocks and logs lined up "We could use these rocks to get across." Despite being an animal not adept at mountain climbing, Dinky effortlessly bounded from rock to rock, much to the confusion of her herd. The Hollow Horn turned a little, "What, your families never let you play in the bubbling mud?" The herd looked at Apple Bloom. Having no choice Apple Bloom stepped back, charged forward and jumped at the first rock she saw. The three horn slipped, her hind legs falling into the bog. "Ewww..." Said the herd. Dragging herself back on the rock, Apple Bloom leaped over to the next rock. "Come on y'all, this isn't too hard!" Said Apple Bloom as she followed Dinky. Sweetie Belle hopped next. Hopping to the next rock, the Pebble Back started to beam. "Hey, this is fun!" She turned around "Come on guys!" The rest of the herd shrugged before Scootaloo joined the rock hopping, then Cosgrove, and so forth. They continued to hop on the path given to them so deep into the swamp that they lost track of time. It was already afternoon when they stopped to rest at the trunk of a sunken tree. Dinky scouted around for any paths to follow. But a swamp is a dangerous place to stay in one spot. Ten meters from their resting place, an orange Deinosuchus was spying them from underneath a mangrove. In the tree next to her, a blue belly dragger of the same species spied the small herd as well. In her haste Sonata plunged too hard into the water. This disturbance alerted the group. Having mastered rock hopping, Apple Bloom took the lead once more. With an irritated hiss, Adagio slowly submerged into the swamp below. As the mists cleared, Apple Bloom stopped before a violet rock and a smaller moss covered rock farther away. Her confusion with the former stopped the herd. "Apple Bloom, why did you stop?" asked Scootaloo as she shuffled around to accommodate herself with Apple Bloom on the rock. "Ah'm just not sure which rock to step on next." - Apple Bloom looked at the violet rock - "This one's closer, but kinda slippery." Aria the supposed rock slowly opened her eyes after hearing that before going back to sleep. Sweetie Belle pointed to the other rock, "That one's farther away, you might not make it and fall into the icky bog." "Well, Ah don't want to slip on that close one and fall all the way in." - Apple Bloom added - "Ah can make it across to that far one." "Not saying you can't, but what if that far one is as slippery as this one?" Scootaloo questioned. Aria opened her eyes again and looked up at the three children. The children behind the Crusaders shuffled around heads, trying to wonder what's holding them up. "Huh, never thought of that." - Apple Bloom responded "Rarity said that you must always think of everything in places like this." Sweetie Belle added. "So which rock do we jump to?" Scootaloo questioned. Aria rolled her eyes at such a stupid question. "Hey!" - The Crusaders turned to Silver Spoon - "Are we going or what?" Waiting for the right answer, Aria slowly gave a sly sneer, closing her eyes in happiness. "Ah got it!" - Apple Bloom turned around - "Ah'll step on the close one with my back feet first." Taken completely out of surprise, the violet Belly Dragger was now irritated. "Then Ah can-" Not standing anymore of this, Aria erupted from the water and growled at them. Her huge size for a crocodile was enough to have the herd running away. Aria then plunged into the water so hard that the wave sent them back to the fallen tree they first rested on. Looking back, they saw no trace of the crocodile. The children eyed the swamp slowly, looking for any trace signs of danger. The natural ambiance was disturbed again when Adagio vaulted herself to their spot, barely missing them as she snapped her jaws. The herd scattered in all directions. The Crusaders, Cosgrove, and Zipporwhill ran in the direction towards a highly elevated tree where they cannot possibly reach. Noticing them climbing up the vines, Sonata submerged, grabbed the roots to the tree and pulled on them. The shock knocked the Feathered Glider off. As she slowly descended into the water, Sonata rose up and opened her toothy jaws, waiting for the pseudo-bird to land on her tongue. Wrapping his tail around a vine, Cosgrove stretched out and snatched Zipporwhill just as Sonata slammed her jaws shut. Frustrated, the blue Belly Dragger pounded her fist on the water surface as if it was a table. Button, Snips, Snail, Featherweight and Pipsqueak hobbled across stone after stone. "Hurry up, Snails!" Berated Snips. "I'm going as fast as I can, eh?" Rebuked Snails. Fast as they could hobble, Aria had chosen her intended victim. She quickly cut off Featherweight and Pipsqueak as the Deinosuchus spun around them constantly. There was no way to run, but for Featherweight there was always another option. "Hold on tight, Pip!" Swinging his long neck upwards, Featherweight vaulted off the rock just when Aria lunged from behind. Spreading his wings, the Flier really did fly. "Featherweight, your wing's okay!" Cheered Pipsqueak. "Actually my wing still hurts." Featherweight got out of his confident mode as he suddenly winced in pain. Having done so just above Sonata, the sudden shock caused Pip to fall off, bounce a little around the Belly Dragger's armored plating and into the icky marsh. Having felt him, Sonata turned her sights to the Ankle Biter, splashing water onto the tree. As the blue Belly Dragger opened her jaws, Pip swam as fast as he could to more dense roots that snagged her jaws. Pip crossed his arms, demonstrating his show of wits. But even as the ditziest of the three, Sonata knew one vital disadvantage: he would need to breathe and there's no other hole to get out than the one she's looking at. Back at the surface, Dinky, Rumble, Boysenberry, and Silver Spoon hid under a partially sunken log. Adagio first poked her jaws into the hole, trying to nip on their tails and pull them out. Frustrated, the orange crocodile pulled out and submerged. Hearing nothing but the carnage outside, Dinky tried to move when Rumble stopped her. "Are you crazy?! That's what they want you to-" Rumble was interrupted when four rows of teeth stabbed through the log. Using her characteristic Death Roll, Adagio spun the log around, rattling its contents constantly. Dinky was suddenly flung out of one entrance of the log and would have been Aria's snack had the lamed Featherweight not collided with her. A distance to shore, Diamond Tiara was running as fast and far as her legs could carry her. Looked back, she found no Sharptooth chasing her, but when she looked forward she collided with a rotted tree. Still worried out of her wits, Diamond struggled to get her horn unhooked. Featherweight surfaced from the water, flicking off any muck on his beak just before noticing Aria angrily swimming towards him. Like a goose taking off from a lake, the flier desperately flapped his wings in hopes of flying again, pulling his rear end as Aria snapped at him. The chase on the surface distracted Sonata long enough for Pip to surface. Clambering onto the vines, he took several shallow breaths just when Zipporwhill swooped in and brought him to her group. Seeing Adagio continue to pummel the log that three members of their herd hid, they had to do something. Noticing the bubbles rising in the water below, they each gave a gulp for thinking the exact crazy thought. As soon as Sonata surfaced, they jumped onto her back. The Belly Dragger thrashed across the water as they tried to guide it towards Adagio. After moments of struggling, Diamond finally breaks free but noticed that the hole she made caused a crack to rise in the tree. What she broke out of was supporting a much larger tree. Diamond screamed just before the smaller tree gave to the weight of the fallen tree. Just before Adagio can make one last bite to the log, the tree smacked her down to the depths, the waves pushing the log to shore. Aria was just about to taste Featherweight when the end of the tree pinned her midsection down. Sonata was so distracted with getting the Leaf Eaters off her back that she didn't notice the log and bumped into it. The children regrouped as they watched two of the defeated Belly Draggers struggle to get free. "That's not going to hold them down isn't it?" Said Dinky to others. After a short while standing there, the children quickly made a mad dash in the direction they were going to, not even using the rocks and logs this time. Aria managed to get her head to the surface, noticing Sonata's "cheerful" smile. Adagio managed to get her upper body out of the water to notice her two sisters squabbling over each other. With a soft hiss and a roll of her eyes, the orange Belly Dragger laid her head on the water's surface waiting for them to shut up. Just at the fringes of the mangrove swamp, Lyra and Bon Bon were walking towards their destination. In the bushes, Chrysalis was devouring a small mammal. Injured and now without a pack, it's all she could do for now. Hearing the snap of a twig, she looks up and looks around. Noticing a rustle in the bushes, Chrysalis crouched, ready to attack her next course. Just when she got close, a shadow loomed over her. The two dinosaurs stopped at the sound of a screech. They looked around, wondering what happened, unaware of a much larger threat. Lyra began stepping forward, "Must have been a Fast Biter." Suddenly Bon Bon was yanked by her tail. The yellow Hadrosaurus screamed as Tirek dragged her into a dark part of the forest. Lyra stood horrified when she heard another roar. Grogar, now having a broken horn from the Earthquake, swallowed Chrysalis before charging at her. Unable to save her friend, the Corythosaurus dodged his attack and raced her way towards the thickets. Back in the interior, the children continued to swim in the murky water. "Keep movin'" Apple Bloom orders, paddling faster. "Ah see the shore!" For the first time in all day, they reach dry land. Some of the children kissed the ground, even making a mound of dirt to snuggle. The Crusaders did spot Diamond Tiara on her back, panting like a racehorse. "Diamond Tiara," - Apple Bloom trotted to the Crown Head, to her dismay as Apple Bloom was directly above her and two of her friends side by side "What happened? Why are you so frightened?" Diamond rolled forward, "Frightened, me?" Diamond chuckled as she looked at the others "Why are you so frightened?" Getting his breath back, Rumble answered, "We're not frightened." He turned to Silver Spoon "Are we?" "No." Silver Spoon answered. "Have you found your family, eh?" Snails asked before sucking up a little air into his lungs. "I could've been with the other Crown Heads but for Silvie's sake I came back to warn you." Diamond slowly stepped towards the Dome Head - "I saw Tirek!" Now out of his wits, Snips screamed, "Tirek!!", before he jumped onto Cosgrove, holding his neck. Apple Bloom didn't believe her, " C'mon Diamond, Tirek is dead! He fell into the big underground." Diamond turned to the Three Horn, "And where when he met me!" Diamond raised her snout, showing her honor. "Oh, dear brave Diamond." Silver complemented. "Dear brave Diamond." Snips repeated, getting a look from Cosgrove. Accepting these compliments, Diamond responded, "Yes, I am brave." Cosgrove shuffled to his feet, shaking off the fat Screwhorn, "Tirek is dead!" Hmph, funny coming from you." Diamond turned her smug head to the Long Neck "My daddy said that Flat Heads have very small brains." This insult raised a few eyebrows on Button, Rumble, Boysenberry and Pip, having no fancy decoration. Apple Bloom turned Cosgrove away. "Don't listen to her, there isn't any Tirek." Still showing the benefit of the doubt, Diamond stepped on a piece of rotting bark to make herself taller. "I was all alone in the dark, just the Sharptooth and me." She turned to Zipporwhill hiding under the other end "I can hear him breathing." With a series of deep, scary breaths the Feather Glider tried to flee by was stopped by the boorish dinosaur "And I saw one big mean ugly eye looking for me!" "Wh- what did you do then?" Zipporwhill cuddled her tail. Diamond turned around, "I walked right up to him, looked at him straight in the eye... And said... RAWR!!!!" Jumping on the end of the wood so hard, Zipporwhill was flung so far ahead of the group she didn't know where she was. Spreading her wings, she slowed her descent, landing in front of a red boulder. The herd soon caught up to her. Zippy, are you okay?" Asked Button. "I think I should lie down for a while." Diamond huffed before walking away, "See, I can take care of myself. All by myself. I know my way to go and I'm not afraid of Tirek!" She laid down, giving them a snide look "I hope he doesn't eat any of you!" As the herd ate their last meal for the evening, they began to settle down. Thanks to Diamond, the herd became divided; Cosgrove watched as Button, Rumble, Snips, Snails, Zipporwhill, and Silver Spoon huddled next to Diamond Tiara. Now the thought began to sink into the Long Neck as well before he turned to his share of the herd. Scootaloo comforted him as she wrapped her arm around his body. He looked at the night sky before closing his eyes. The following morning was greeted with the sounds from a flock of Pteranodon flying over them. Apple Bloom's side of the herd woke first, turning to find Diamond's side of the herd snoring. Feeling the firm ground the three horn rose on her hind legs and slammed them. The noise startled them. "Rise n Shine!" Apple Bloom greeted "We have quite a ways to go." Apple Bloom still noticed snoring "That means you Di-" Apple Bloom turned to find Diamond's side already awake, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "That was not us." Said Boysenberry "Boulders shouldn't snore." - Dinky turned to the boulder they slept next to - "Do they?" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked up "They can't." Said the former "But Sharpteeth can!" Screamed the later. Garble woke up and rose to his full height. A few snorts in the air, the Gorgosaurus found his breakfast. The children's screams echoed the jungle as the chase began. While not as big as Tirek, Garble is much faster than him and easily began catching up to the children. With a quick turn, the children hid inside a cave. Garble looked around before bellowing, frustrated that his breakfast has evaded him. "Is he gone?" Asked Sweetie Belle "I don't know." Featherweight answered "That is the last time we let Zipporwhill choose which boulder to sleep!" Said Pipsqueak "Hey, it was dark!" Zipporwhill rebuked. The children heard the sounds of heavy footsteps approaching them. Fearing the worst, they stayed inside. "You can come on out now, youngsters, he's gone." The children walked out to find an extraordinary sight. It was another Long Neck like Cosgrove, this time much older. "Are..." Cosgrove gulped "you sure?" "Oh yeah." Mr. Green Hooves answered "Those critters are big, but dumb. You kids fooled him good." Diamond stepped forward, her horn in the air, "Yeah, I meant to do that!" Her herd mates looked disgusted. "You little ones going to be okay on your own?" "Yeah, we'll be fine." Answered Apple Bloom "Then I'll just mosey along."- The Long Neck began to walk away - "Happy trails to you." The herd looked at Cosgrove as his face beamed with excitement.