Equestria Girls: The Rubicon

by Jongoji245

Outside of Everfree Part 1: Journey of the Brave (New Timeline)

While the Rainbooms and their select classmates armed themselves to the tooth with bare essentials, the Maximals and Crusaders had it pretty easy. Far as they know, no dinosaur great or small would be wearing clothing. The only thing brought to their world is the camera strapped to Dapplewood's back like a saddle. Even in radio silence, the device always records. Diver, a Deinosuchus, was looked at under scrutiny from the other inhabitants despite their reassurances. Having talked to their older acquaintances, they explored the Great Valley, hoping to find a good spot to see the migrating herd.

Tex, a newcomer to this phenomenon, has a Triceratops form. While larger than Apple Bloom's Chasmosaurus form, he is still only half the size of the other Triceratops in the valley and his brow horns curved backward. Walking on all fours was a challenge; at this point in time, he hobbled clumsily, much to Chelsey's chagrin.

As the herd of large animals explored, Dapplewood had his fun by playing “Hide from the Sharptooth” with Ruby. The two kept themselves hidden from the only theropod in the valley, Chomper. The little rex sniffed the air, trying to pick up the young dome head and fast runner. The herd stopped at a large tree with blossoming fruit, lying down to rest. Chomper narrowed his eyes; with a whole bunch of scents in the air, the game was impossible.

“Boo!” Ruby startles her young friend as Dapplewood joins her. “Scared you I did.”

“I wasn't scared.” Chomper picks up some chuckling, turning around to find it was Apple Bloom chuckling.

“Sure you did.” Apple Bloom adds.

They begin to feel the ground vibrate underneath them. The guests looked at a small canyon, where patches of snow began to fall off the rock wall. Before them came dozens of dinosaurs of different kinds. The Maiasaura, Styracosaurus, and Parasaurolophus stood as large as a bus. Larger still were the Longnecks, from the small Amargasaurus to the long Diplodocus. This impressive, but ultimately anachronistic, would impress their Twilight Sparkle if she was here.

But the peace was disturbed when the migration was joined by a loud wail. The inhabitants of the valley looked at the herd. A green and yellow Nothronychus, a therizinosaurid half Chelsey's size, was running, screaming for his life. If a Sharptooth, not Chomper, followed the herd, then the Crusaders and Maximals have their relaxation cut short. They rose up, joining Grandpa Longneck and his grandson Littlefoot. The unusual beast flopped onto the grass, feeling the blades on his beak.

“Yes, we’re safe! Are we here!? Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming!” the next individual he saw was Mr. Topsy Threehorn, Cera and Tricia’s father, looking at him with a stern face. “No, not you. No, nuh uh. I'll pinch myself.”

With two of his oddly blunt claws, the stranger pinched his feathered forearm. It wasn't a dream after all.

“And you are?” Topsy inches his nose horn, getting the stranger to back away towards his herd.

“Uhm, everyone calls me Wild Arms, though I never figured out why.” The dinosaur jumped away when Zipper landed in front of him.

“Maybeitsbecauseyouflailyourarmsalot?” Zipper answered, pointing his wing finger at him.

Wild Arms, as he is supposedly called, looked at his arms and spun them around. “Oh, that makes so much sense now!”

Grandpa Longneck, Littlefoot, Chomper, Ruby, the Crusaders and the rest of the Maximals finally arrived.

“What happened, Wild Arms?” Asked the elderly sauropod.

“Oh, what didn't happen!? The earth shook, spit out liquid fire, and the heat like you've never seen before.” Wild Arms places his left arm over his head. “It's too upsetting to talk about.” - He opens an eye, seeing his crowd not appraised for his drama - “But if you must know, it all started with a horrible BOOM! The fire mountain exploded, blew its top!” Fire everywhere you looked! There was no escape!” Wild Arms turns his body around, raising his arm at the herd's sauropods - “Oh the Long Necks, they were hit the hardest. Let me tell you, our leader was brave. He wouldn't leave any of us behind, even though he was in danger.” He places his hand on his feathered chest in a haughty manner - “I only escaped through my superior grace and agility.”

“The leader,” Littlefoot stepped before the small Nothronychus “is my dad.”

“Who?”

“Bron.” Answers Grandma Longneck.

“Oh, yes, yes. That's our leader, Bron.” Wild Arms flexes his arms, though that is out of context. What a brave Long Neck he was.” - His admiration changes when he spoke in the past tense to the only child of his leader. “Er, is. Yes, still is because he still is, I'm sure.”

“What happened to him?” Asked Sweetie Belle. Wild Arms tapped his fingers, looking down at the young sauropod.

“I don't know.” He turns to the way he and his massive herd came. “I lost him at the fire mountain.”

“He’s in trouble!” Littlefoot turns his head to his elders. “Grandpa, we have to help him!”

“Littlefoot…” Grandpa muttered in an unsure tone.

Littlefoot looks at the Crusaders and Maximals. “You guys will go with me, right?”

“We'll do what we can, but-” Before Cosgrove could finish, the younger Long Neck looked at Wild Arms once more.

“Will you take us back there? You know the way.”

“So, you want me to take you across the earth break, through the land of the feather head sharp tooth, along the moving water, back to the same fire mountain I just escaped?” Wild Arms places his hands on his hips and squinted at the youngling. “How foolish do you think I look!?”

Indeed, Wild Arms looked at the dinosaurs in front of him. Many of them had beguiled expressions.

“Very.” Scootaloo coughed.

Wild Arms looked at Littlefoot. “Let me put it this way: the answer is no.”

“Please!” The little long neck begged. “That's my dad! He needs our help!”

“He's right, Littlefoot.” Topsy reprimands him. “We can't do it.”

“But…” Littlefoot looks at his grandparents, who shared his guilty look. He turns to the guests of the human world, who looked at the ground in shame. Even in another world, safety is a priority. From the smoke and ash reaching the valley, this was one active volcano.

---

The human turned dinosaurs browsed at their temporary residence near the tree. Still getting used to being animals, it felt weird for them to eat leaves and grass. Zipper rectified that by snipping off pear shaped fruit, balancing their taste buds with the sweet meat inside. Dapplewood still has his fun playing with Chomper and Ruby, taking off the harness to roll into a mud pit and hide his scent.

Scootaloo, however, was getting bored as she chewed her food. Sure, they were in a world of extinct animals, but if anything, she is Rainbow Dash’ faithful follower. And with an attitude to match, she throws the fruit in protest.

“Why are we sitting around for?” She hollered, getting even the three youngest dinosaurs attention. “We're heroes in our world! Why don't we show them?”

“Scootaloo.” Diver motioned her toothy jaws to Scoots. “Being smothered by a volcano won't do us any good.”

“Bull-!” Scootaloo eyes Chomper and Ruby looking curiously at what she said, Dapplewood having his arms at his sides. “We've been through worse! We want to have a better experience than Rainbow Dash, right?”

“Yeah.” They all answered.

“Then why don't we show them!?”

“Okay, okay. We get the point.” Cosgrove turns his head to the direction of the volcano. “Perhaps we were a bit selfish to not help Littlefoot. We'll tell him.”

Tex looks at Chomper and Ruby. “Do you know where he might be?”

The young rex and Oviraptor made their lead throughout the valley. They tried Cera’s family hollow but did not find him or Cera. They looked to the watering hole, finding only Mama Swimmer, three of her eldest children, and her new brood of hatchlings. Spike and Ducky weren't available either. The blue sky became orange by the time they reached Petrie's nest. The next place, and what should've been their first guess anyhow, was Littlefoot's own stomping grounds near a bushel of trees. The three young dinosaurs ran ahead of their teenaged friends to Grandma and Grandpa Long Neck.

“Why hello, young ones.” Greeted the grandfather.

“What brings you here?” added Grandma.

Chomper asked this time, “Is Littlefoot here?”

The elderly sauropods greeting faces turned to those of confusion as Grandpa asked, “Have you checked at Cera’s?”

“We’ve looked for him everywhere.” - Ruby answered, spreading her arms to illustrate their search of the entire valley - “And everywhere we looked, he isn't.”

With the day growing old, and their only grandson not returning home, worry rushed to their minds as the two looked at each other. The moon came soon after, illuminating their world in a tint of blue. Joining the present crowd were Topsy and his family, Ducky’s mother, and Petrie’s mother perched on a dead tree.

“Littlefoot isn't here,” - Topsy answered first - “and Cera should be home by now too.”

“I haven't seen Petrie either.” Added Mrs. Flyer.

“Oh dear,” - Mrs. Swimmer looked in the direction of her nest - “I assumed Ducky and Spike were still out playing.”

With all the families realizing their missing children, Grandpa came to the one conclusion.

“I suspect they went out to help Bron.”

“Cera too?” Seeing his “political rival” nod his small head, the middle-aged Triceratops slammed his foot on the dirt. “What was she thinking!? We have to find them right away!”

“Littlefoot did listen closely to what Wild Arms was saying,” - Grandma added - “he must have gone the way he described.”

“So are we going to wait until tomorrow?” Asked Diver.

Grandpa Longneck looked at the moon, knowing how bright it shines this very night. “Thankfully, there’s some light from the night circle. We’ll leave now. I'll ask Wild Arms to guide us.”

Dapplewood took a few steps with his group of friends when Chelsey stopped him. “It’s best if you sit this one out this time. You deserve it, anyway.”

Dapplewood sat on the ground, watching the rescue party move farther away from him with each step. Grandma Longneck, Tria, Tricia, Mrs. Flier and Mrs. Swimmer returned to their nests. Only Chomper and Ruby were left. In his mind, the young theropod was confused; since he and Ruby arrived in the valley, they have gone on several adventures with the usual Gang of Five. Why would Littlefoot, the one dinosaur who hatched him and loved him like a brother, didn’t ask for his help. Chomper sniffed the air, imagining the scent trails left by the rescue party, especially those of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom’s for their scents were infused with smells he never recognized in his world. He approaches the young dome head with a proposal in mind.

“We should go too.” He asks of him.

“Yes,” Ruby adds. “But let’s not let them know we’re going too.”

Dapplewood rubbed his lower jaw. He was given an order, true. But Dapplewood hasn’t been to the Mysterious Beyond since his first venture. Chomper, who was raised most of his life there, would have some good knowledge on the terrain that even his brother wouldn’t know about. And Scootaloo wants to rub it that they had a better Spring Break than that of the Rainbooms, they’d need proof. The last fact had him curl a smile.

---

Having been interrupted from his rest after a long journey to the Great Valley, Wild Arms had his arms and tail drooping as he led the rescue party to the aforementioned volcano. Just out of the jungle in the outskirts of the Great Valley, the land they entered was barren with few drought-resistant bushes and trees. Zipper flew above them to keep an eye out for nocturnal predators, watching as the makeshift herd reached a large gap. Wild Arms crossed using a fallen tree bridging the gap. While Grandpa Longneck effortlessly walked over, Topsy and the teenagers had to gain enough speed to jump across. The Nothronychus continued his half-asleep walk when he jumped to a loud roar. He begins to shake as he looked at the terrain ahead of him, remembering the small arch his herd walked through.

“Okay, guys,” - Wild Arms turns around - “I’m sure you can find the fire mountain without me. I’d love to come, but, uh, I got a thing to do and it's called… live.”

“We need all the help we can get, Wild Arms.” - Grandpa answered for everyone as he lowered his head. - “With the little ones by themselves…”

Defeated, Wild Arms turned around and continued to walk to the one place he would never go through again.

“Of all the wild stunts these young ones have pulled, this is the worst!” Topsy grumbled. A common, and annoying habit is how their children are able to solve their problems easily without their guidance or permission.

“We’ll find them, Mr. Three Horn,” Grandpa replied, turning his head down to the gray Triceratops. “We’ve got to.”

It didn’t take them long to reach the rock arch that served as the entrance to their next obstacle. Chelsey accidentally crushed a hadrosaur skull, one of many discarded bones that dotted the entrance. Ahead of them were a series of mountains jutting up the barren landscape, ahead of them the erupting volcano.

Sweetie Belle gulped, turning her pebbled head to Wild Arms. “So... this is the land of.... the fluffy sharp teeth?”

“You mean the land of certain death!?” Wild Arms’ outburst echoed the canyon before being joined by another loud roar. “Yes! That is it! Okay!? Or we can be sensible, and go the long way now?” - He raises his hand - “I vote sensible. Who's with me?”

Sensible. These days, hardly anything is sensible. For the true dinosaurs, it’s having to deal with Wild Arms’ constant whining. For the humans in dinosaurs clothing, the fact that they encountered a being from a world ruled by horses and fought mythological creatures before and after coming to this world the first time around, it’s tough for them to find something sensible as eating a scoop of ice cream. Wild Arms was running out of options.

“I mean come on! How do we know if the little ones came this way?”

Cosgrove felt someone poke him. It was Zipper getting his attention before he pointed at a rock. With his long neck getting a height advantage, it was no surprise that Cosgrove had a smug look on his face.

“Well, what do you think, Chomper?” The mention of Chomper among them got everyone confused.

“Chomper?” Topsy shook his horned head as he raised a brow.

The even taller Grandpa Longneck looked in Cosgrove's direction.

“I believe we have some followers.” He chuckles before asking. “Oh, children.”

“I don't know what you mean.” Shouted a young voice not too dissimilar to Chomper. “We're not here!”

“It's okay, come on out.” Cosgrove's request had Chomper and Ruby peek their heads out. “Dapplewood, you too.”

The three children, Chomper, Ruby, and Dapplewood came into the open. But the looks of many of their older acquaintances was far from pleasant.

“Hello, everybody. Everybody, hello.” Ruby greeted uneasily.

“Hi.” Greeted Chomper with an uneasy smile.

Though seeing Chomper, a young T. rex, smile gave Wild Arms a reason to scream, “Sharptooth! Everyone, run! Save yourself!”

He hid behind a rock, expecting what damage Chomper could do to the others.

“No need for panic, Mr. Wild Arms,” Grandpa reassured him, turning his aged head to the young sharp tooth. “Chomper here is a friend.”

“Uhm,” - Without looking out from his hiding spot, Wild Arms raised his hand and pointed at the little Sharptooth - “have you taken a look at his teeth!?”

It's alright, Mr. Wild Arms” Ruby places her hand on Chompers shoulder. “Chomper only eats bugs.”

For now anyway; one day Chomper will undergo a growth spurt and become one of the largest land predators to have ever walked the earth. And when he does, bugs will be out of the menu. The inhabitants of the Great Valley know they have a wolf among sheep. In fact, twice now in his life, Chomper was almost killed by Ali's herd and from Doc.

“Dapplewood,” Chelsey stepped forward, lowered her small head at the dome head to scold him. “I told you to stay in the valley.”

Dapplewood tapped the camera before pointing at Scootaloo. The Crusaders and Maximals looked at the deep orange oviraptorid.

“What? What!?”

Topsy shook his frill and stepped towards the children, looking at Chomper in particular. “We don't need another Sharptooth when we're walking into a whole land of Sharpteeth.”

“Finally, someone who's sensible!” Wild Arms raise his hand, expecting a high five. “Up top!”

Aside from the unamused glare he gave, how could a middle-aged animal the size of an elephant give a high five? The Nothronychus lowered his hand, defeated once more.

“Six more eyes are six more chances to find them.” Ruby added to her defense.

“Please?” Pleaded Chomper.

With five children out on their own, and now with three more children with them, the grown-ups are in a pickle. Sure they could use more help. But such help can be a liability. But then again, the Crusaders and Maximals have done stuff before things got deep in their home. And Dapplewood, a boy now turning eleven years old, has done well without supervision.

Grandpa Longneck sighed. “Well, I guess we can't send you three on your own.”

Chomper and Ruby grabbed their hands, cheering at their little victory. Most of them drew a small smile. Wild Arms shook a little before fainting.

“Finally, someone put that thing out of his misery.” Apple Bloom chortled.

“Would you mind, Mr. Threehorn?” Asked Grandpa.

Topsy groaned, scooping the fainted dinosaur with his nose horn onto his armored backside. “I knew I'd be carrying him sooner or later.”

“Chomper,” - Diver grabbed Chomper’s snout and pinched it a little - “can you pick up a scent?”

“Uh huh.” - Chomper sniffed the ground, the scent of perfume and farmland being replaced by stinking plants and water - “Littlefoot... Cera… I smell them all through here!”

Forming a protective circle around Chomper, the rescue party enters the deep canyon. As they walked deeper, the larger individuals slowed their walk, making quieter steps. They looked up, watching for any loose rocks that would give away the so-called feather head sharp teeth. So far, the theropods they encountered, Red Claw, Screech, Thud, and Howler lacked feathers. Perhaps the beasts they might encounter would be true to their name and only have a corset of feathers while otherwise staying bare. Passing a watering hole and turning left onto a cliff ledge, they foot footprints of large theropods and small herbivores, the children without a doubt. The tracks turn to a cavern; from the looks of the small scrapes and blood stains on the entrance these sharp teeth were determined.

“Not too small for us, it is.” Ruby looked at her larger companions. “But too small for you, it is.”

“We’ll go another way.” Grandpa turns his neck behind him, finding two pairs of glowing yellow and red eyes in the night shadows. Without the scent of the young ones to guide them, Zipper lead them instead. One of the predators spied them before moving along; they could take the teenagers, but in such numbers, they would be no match. They reached a cul de sac with a large crevasse leading the way out.

“We’ll rest here.” Topsy laid down, getting used to having someone on his back before drifting into sleep.

Out of all of them, only Cosgrove remained awake. His small head on a long slender neck saw several menacing shapes in the shadows behind them. One of them gathered up the courage to move in the moonlight. The carnivorous beast had a pale green pelt with an olive belly, a blue crest on its snout, and blue feathers forming a mane from the head to the tail. The beast didn’t attack, just stood there looking at the herd. Cosgrove narrowed his eyes, letting out a slow growl. The theropod let out a bellow before returning to the shadows. If not brute force, then patience is what it will use. The night draws ever longer as the moon moves over the labyrinth, and Cosgrove becoming ever more tired.

“Guard change.” Cosgrove turns his head, finding Apple Bloom walking over and laying down next to him.

The young sauropod yawned, rising up from the ground and walks over to the herd. He stops, turning his head at the Chasmosaurus. “Hey… Apple Bloom?”

“Yes?” She turns around, lifting her horned snout at the Long Neck.

Cosgrove takes a deep breath, gathering the information he could in a brain no larger than a cat's. “Thanks… For what you did back then.”

Apple Bloom looks at him with wide eyes before pulling her cheeks back. She bows her head, showing her frill as polite a manner as tipping a stetson. “Much obliged.”

Cosgrove returns to the sleeping group, tucking his head underneath his tail as he drifts into sleep. Unknown to him, Dapplewood had one eye open. The boy turned dinosaur raises his domed head, looking at his sleeping giant of a brother who risked fighting Cogsworth. He turns his snout to the young Apple, the person who braved death in a gutsy move, alone in the moonlight. Dapplewood shrugs, tucking his head to sleep.

---

It's already sunset when the group wakes up from their long rest. With them away from ambush predators, they let Chomper lead the way. Now they are much closer to the erupting volcano, the sky above them now much darker through the smoke. Chomper stops, raising his nose. This scent is newer, larger, and much more menacing.

“Sharptooth!”

The word ringing in his ear, Wild Arms woke from his stupor, flopping off of Topsy as he made mad gestures like a traffic ward. “Nobody panic! We must be absolutely really certainly-!”

“Quiet, Mr. Wild Arms!” Grandpa chided quietly.

Shortly after, a loud roar echoed the valley. Zipper, high in the sky, can see the trouble much more clearly. A charcoal black Carnotaurus was right in front of them. In her research with Princess Twilight, Sunset found abelisaurs like Carnotaurus to be among the fastest of the bruiser class of sharp teeth, trading power for agility. Even in numbers, they had no intention to fight a theropod.

“This way!” Orders Topsy, motion his brow horns to a series of rock formations large enough to hide them.

Hearing the shuffling of sand, the armored theropod changed direction, sniffing the air for its new prey. Zipper could distract him, but Cosgrove shook his head when he saw Zipper descend. Wild Arms whined, muttering indistinguishable words loud enough for the sharp tooth to turn its squared head towards them. The teenagers of the group readied themselves as the beast drew closer and closer. They did hear a series of chirping sounds, followed by a roar and screeching. Chomper and Dapplewood took a peek, finding the carnotaur chasing a group of ostrich-like dinosaurs away from them.

“He's gone...” Chomper told everyone, including the frightened Wild Arms.

“Hey, did you hear that!? He's-!” - He notices the stern expressions from his companions; he did almost got them into trouble after all. - “I mean yes, he's gone!”

Out of the desert, they followed a small river in a more forested region, seeing the fiery volcano much taller than it appeared from the beginning of their journey. For the humans, it gave them a sense of how their forefathers felt when Saint Helens, Pompeii, and Vesuvius erupted. As expected from a volcano that big, the area was covered in ash, with very little vegetation aside from the dead trees. In time the land will recover.

Zipper flew ahead, keeping in mind the rocks the volcano spat. Though tiny from his point of view, the Ornithocheirus did see a group at the shore of flowing lava. It was the children along with a yellow Pteranodon. On a small islet was a brown Apatosaurus, his leg pinned by a rock. With a U-Turn, he swerved back to his rescue party.

“I found them!” Zipper talked slowly to have the elders understand. The group, even Grandpa and Cosgrove by some miracle, moved to a trot. When they reached the ridge, they saw steam spew from the other side. They saw Cera running down the hill, joining her friends on their operation. Braving rock after falling rock, they reached the top of the ridge just in time to see Littlefoot, atop of his father's head, cross the lava flow in the nick of time. The gang of five and the Pteranodon cheered at their rescue.

“Cera!” Topsy shouts, getting his oldest daughter to rush up the ash hill. Reunited once more, the Triceratops showed no anger as he rubs his nose horn with Cera's.

Spike, Ducky, and Petrie came up the hill soon after, greeted by Chomper, Ruby, and Dapplewood.

“What are you doing way out here?” Asked Ducky.

“We came to save you.” Chomper answers before looking at a heroic looking Petrie.

“Oh, we thank you. But no need saving.” Petrie raises his finger “This time, we do saving!”

Tex looked at Scootaloo. “So much for a better vacation, huh?”

Scootaloo groaned as she and Wild Arms looked at the children.

“Wild Arms!” The Nothronychus turned to see the adult Pteranodon climb up the top of the hill. “What are you doing back here?”

“Well Eta, I volunteered to lead a rescue.” He crosses his arms. “That's what I'm doing here.”

Eta, as she is called, raised a brow and chuckled a sly chuckle. “You volunteered. Really?”

Wild Arms’ confidence became uncertain as he noticed Apple Bloom looking at him as well. “Uh, yeah…” he answers unsurely as he taps his fingers.

Eta laughed as she felt the ground begin to shake. The entire party turned to the slope, finding Littlefoot hopping off his father's head. He laughed in joy as Bron walked up the hill and joined his father in law.

“Grandpa! Look what we've found!”

“I see you’ve found your father.” Grandpa answers.

“He did.” Bron looks at the children.

“We all did.” Littlefoot adds, keeping his head high.

Sweetie Belle approached the gang of five. “You have quite a group of friends.”

“You remind me of someone I know.” Grandpa looks at Bron, reminding Littlefoot of just how much of his father's son he really is. “Come on everyone, let's go home!”

“Finally! Something sensible for a change!” Wild Arms squawked in delight as he hobbled to the front of the herd.

Grandpa Longneck and Bron followed him, then Eta and Topsy. As the Crusaders and Maximals joined them, Littlefoot stayed and watch. He looked to his right, seeing Cera, Petrie and Chomper. He looked to his left, finding Ducky, Spike and Ruby. His own group of heroes with him, The long neck held his head high as he lead his band to the rescue party. Whatever things big or small, all will be encountered through the end of their days in The Land Before Time.

Author's Note:

If you haven't seen the most recent entry to the LBT franchise, I highly recommend it. It's a good comeback entry.