The Land Before Hooves

by Moon Flame

Chapter 16: Friendship Changes

“Where could she be?” Rarity asked hoity toity.

“I don’t know. She was here a moment ago, mumbling on about coronation ceremonies and gone faster than a turkey being chased by a timber wolf.” Apple Jack countryismed.

“More like a pony being chased by a turkey, if the turkey was her!” Dashie blasted.

Rarity, Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash looked around The Great Valley for Twilight, with emphasis on great. It brought the ponies’ thoughts to the everfree forrest. - The scary part of it.

“I am not as impressed about this place as the dinosaurs had built it up.” Rarity remarked.

Fluttershy came out above a fallen tree. “Have you seen her?”

"Yes Fluttershy, we have." Rarity replied.

"And?"

The yellow pegasus and the white unicorn looked at each other. The awkward silence answered the question.

“She’s Twilinanas, isn’t she?”

“Aha.” Rarity nodded.

Pinkie Pie came jumping out of the forest. “You should see Twilight now! She’s super fun!”

“Oh, is it that bad?!” Fluttershy wailed.

“Its pretty epic.”

“How epic?” Flutter asked Dashie.

“She thinks transforming The Great Valley into the new Equestria substitutes coming back to the actual Equestria.”

“Oh, dear Equestria... I mean Celestia.” Fluttershy replied cluelessly.

Meanwhile, inside a nearby cave, the weirdest conversation in the history of The Great Valley was taking place.

“I’m a what?”

“You’re Celestia! Congratulations your majesty! As the raiser of the sun it is your job to raise the great circle, as you call it here, in time for morning and lower it in time for sleep.”

The confused eyes of the threehorn were riveted at Twilight, her yellow disk making her look almost like the sun with horns. Twilight's violet streaked mane stood up like the back of a grown spiketail. Her eyes seemed to be somewhere else entirely. She merrily waved her hoof before leaving. “No pressure!”

“There you are!” Apple saw her come out.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Fluttershy explained.

“Oh, I’m sorry, there is only so much this little Spikey wikey can do to keep up, but Twilight will be done with her chores as soon as possible.” Twilight spouted crazily.

“You are Spike?” Apple asked blatant.

“Ooooo, I like this game! who am I!? Who am I!?” Pinkie spouted.

“Who else!? You’re princess Luna. Congratulations on your coronation!”

Pinkie changed her face and lowered her vocal tone. “I shall raise the moon and watch over your dreams. Watching the dream realm is my duty.” Pinkie sounded almost exactly like her.

“Thank you Pinkie.”

“I’m not Pinkie.”

Rarity walked up to her friend and looked straight into her shallow eyes. “Darling. Is everything alright?”

For a moment Twilight snapped out of her nanas state. “I’m fine! Totally fine, not at all sad that we probably failed a friendship quest and lost the only mean to get back to Equestria!”

Rarity smiled, blunt to her friends craziness. “That’s right. We never lost, cause we’re in this together! And as long as we stick together we’ll be just fine.”

“I’m not sure what part of being stuck in a Land Before Time counts as ‘fine’ but I’ll roll.” Dashie’s grin beamed determination. “These dinosaurs are our friends! I don’t care if I have to spend moons here. We owe them!”

“You can count me in Rainbow!” Fluttershy answered

“Me too.” Apple Jack agreed.

“And me!” Luna blasted, then adding. “Where is Pinkie?”

The white unicorn glanced around att all the ruined nature. “This place is so dry and bland, all it need is a mares touch. Am I that mare? Oh, yes indeed I am!” Rarity dramatized.

Cera came out of the cave. She looked grumpy at the ponies.

“What are you still doing here?”

Fluttershy shared a bewildered look with Pinkie. “What do you mean?”

“We’re your friends!” Pinkie put on a party smile.

Cera grumped. “We’re not friends. Littlefoot is gone. He was the reason I...” Cera hesitated. She shook her head. “Never mind. Its over.”

Pinkie only needed to look once into her green eyes to know Cera was attached to them. “Its alright Cera, you don’t need to be ashamed of being friends with us. Hey! What if we wait here? I'll send word out, using my already extensive web of friends in the Land Before Time, maybe your stepmother Tria and sister will be willing to visit us?! We could have a gigantic Par-TEY!”

“Par-TEY?”

“PAR-TEY!!!” Pinkie screeched. There were confetti popping out of nowhere.

“Wait? You have a stepmother and a sister?” Twilight asked Cera.

Pinkie Turned to Twilight. “Yes she has! Ducky told me!”

“That’s wonderful! I can’t believe you haven’t told us about them.” Rarity mingled with Cera.

The silence was long. Cera awkwardly forced her way past the ponies. “Out of the way!”

Cera closed her eyes. She didn’t need to open them. Her annoyance senses registered everything in front of her. She moved past that annoying rock. She avoided that annoying trunk. She jumped over that annoying ditch.

She moved past that smiling pink pony. She moved past that smiling pink pony. She moved past that smiling pink pony. She moved past that pony. Pony, pony, pony. Ponies everywhere!

“Yes I am!”

“OAH!”

Pinkie giggled. “Sorry I scared you.”

Cera frowned. “You didn’t scare me.”

“Remember what I said about smiiiiiliiiiiing?” Pinkie put on a broad one.

“I smile when I want to!”

Cera continued walking. The highly pitched voice of the pink pony gained a serious edge.

“Why didn’t you tell my friends about Tria and your sister?”

Cera stopped. She sighed. “Is ‘not telling’ a crime?”

Pinkie laughed. “No silly, that’s your business. I’m just curious why Fluttershy found you alone in that pile of sand.”

“I wasn’t... Oh.” Cera realized Pinkie was referring to when when the ponies first found her.

“What were you doing out there anyway?”

Cera faced the pony, who wasn’t smiling as much as looking confounded at her.

“Minding my own business. Hm!” Cera pierced the air with her tail.

“You left Tria and your sister to mind your own business in a pile of sand?”

“No.” Cera failed.

“I knew it! You were out looking, weren’t you?”

“I wasn’t looking for Littlefoot!”

Sweet victory tasted like cupcakes. Pinkies smile transformed to a grin. “I never said anything about Littlefoot.”

Ceras’ mouth dropped. She stammered “S...So what if I did? He’s... A... He owes me a debt. Hm!”

Pinkie laughed smugly. “Cera, by now you know that I don’t fall for that. I’m the element of laughter, remember? I’m not as stupid as I sound. I make friends with every creature around me, and I see you two are inseparable.” The green eyes of Cera turned emotional while the pony spoke. “You came looking for Littlefoot because you love him. Your friendship is all over you and him.”

“Of course we’re friends. Who said we weren’t?”

“But why aren’t you out looking for him now?”

“Because he failed us. He failed me.”

Now Pinkie Pie was confused for real. Had she actually misread a friend again like the time she misread Cranky Doodle Donkey? Cera continued sincerely. “I love him, don’t get me wrong. I don’t care if he wants to be here or at the end of the world, I get him. The ones that I don’t get are Petri and Ducky.”

“I didn’t look like you got him back there.”

“I always did. That’s the thing with me. Folks believe that just because I’m grumpy that I am insensitive. I’m not insensitive.” Pinkie Pie started to get really curious. She kept listening. “My father taught me. You don’t get anywhere in this world unless you make others crave for you. If they don’t need to crave for you you start to lose meaning to them.”

“So Ducky and Petri have lost meaning to you?” Pinkie asked sad.

“Of course not.”

“But you just said you didn’t get them.”

“I don’t get their thing with this reunion with Littlefoot. I missed him myself, I admit it, but it’s almost like they believe everything will go back to the way they were.”

The eyes of Pinkie sparkled with sadness and confusion at the same time. “What if things goes back to the way they were? Would that be wrong?”

“They won’t. Littlefoot was right when he talked about our adventures. Sure, we could have new ones, like this one we had with you ponies, but it will never be like before.”

The darkness was gone. Now there were balloons again. Pinkie Pie giggled. “Cera. You make this friendship business waaaaaaaaay to complicated. Friendship don’t need meaning to exist. Friendship is just friendship, and its the most magical thing there is. Look at us. You have no meaning with me, I’m Pinkie Pie! And yet you just told me aaaaaall about your feelings, just like a friend!”

Cera opened her mouth, but no words came out. What happened next the threehorn wasn’t sure. Was this what it felt like to smile without having an agenda? Cera was confused, happy and terrified at the same time.

Pinkie Pie was... Well. Pinkie?

“I’m still Pinkie Pie, Moon Flame.”

You sure are :/

---

The dirty water laid still inside the pond, to dark for Ducky to see her reflection. She had already tried to swim in it. Around her were the sound of dinosaurs eating, Ducky hadn’t had much time to make acquaintance with them. As things looked now she would come to call them her new family, all thanks to a certain dinosaur.

“Ducky?”

Ducky shot her announcer a sideways glance. “Go away.”

“Me need to talk about Littlefoot.” Petri begged.

“What is there to say? You were both right.” Duckys' tone was low and surrendering.

“Both right?”

“You were right when you said Littlefoot had forgotten what made us friends. Littlefoot was right about our past leading us here. Go home to your family, Petri. This is over.”

“Our friendship is never over. Me came to apologize. Me never been so angry, me lost control.”

Ducky turned her attention back at the water. She countinued with small pauses between each phrase. “I just thought, things could go back, to the way they were. Nope... Uh... Yea.”

“Nope?”

“I’ve been a syllable fool. Littlefoot is practically grown up, you and Cera too.” Ducky sighed. “In a way, I guess I should thank you. You made me realize the truth back there. Friendship changes. It’s about time we change too.”

Water splashed nearby. There were laughter. Ducky looked up at the playing children. Most of them were swimmers, some fliers. Some were even spiketails. Maybe Ducky could adopt one of them and raise him like her little brother?

“You miss him? Don’t you?” Petri asked

There was a long silence from the swimmer. “Hm.” Ducky mumbled.

Twigs snapped nearby. “What are you guys doing?” Cera asked disgruntled.

“Talking.” Ducky answered weakly. She saw Cera look at her sympathetically. “I’m alright Cera, I’m just contemplating, that’s all.”

“Contemplate quick then. We have a longneck to find!”

Ducky and Petri looked bewildered at the threehorn. Cera shot the flier a challenging look. “Unless you never want to see him again?”

Petri was far from angry. In fact, looking into his eyes, one would think he couldn’t hurt a mosquito. “Me sorry about my behavior, Cera.”

“Well then? What are we waiting for!?”

“He’s probably miles ahead. It will take days to find him on foot.” Ducky said.

Petri ruffled his wings. He saw his friends look at him expectingly. His face formed in guilt. “Me not sure me should find him on my own, not after what happened.”

“Well, in a way, it is your mess.” Ducky mumbled irritated.

Cera streaked her horn against Petri in a soothing way. “Don’t worry friend. I didn’t meant us.”

Ducky and Petri shared looks. “Who did you mean?” Ducky asked.

“Who do you think?”

“Rainbow Dash?” Petri asked.

Ceras' face widened into incredulous. “Of course not, we want him back, not to back with a broken leg. No, I meant the princess of friendship.”

“Twilight Sparkle? But she can’t fly, can she? At least me didn’t teach her.” Petri recalled.

The answer came from Cera with the boom of a leader. “Then she better ruffle those wings because she’ll be learning how to use them in a moment. Come on!” Cera marched away with her tail flinging around. Petri felt a boost of hope. If Cera was determined to fix this what reason did he have to mope? He looked at Ducky.

“You coming?”

Ducky kept leaning over the water. “You go. I’ll stay a little while longer.

“Me sorry Ducky, for everything. Us will fix this.”

“You do.”

Ducky heard the flyer leave as she faced the murky water. She snorted. The lonely tear sent circles across the surface.

---

“Celestia! There you are!” Twilight pupils were diminished like small rocks. Her voice sounded flimsy and deluded. Cera could almost hear the rustling of screws inside the alicorns brain as she came toward her, despite not knowing what screws were. Twilight continued.

“Me, Spike, whom I totally am, came looking for...” Spike the pony looked at Petri and gasped. “There you are Twilight!”

Petri felt the rock eyes tickle his existence. “Me, Twilight?”

“I, Spike The Brave And Glorious, stand before you to offer you my service!”

Petri glanced behind the crazed alicorn. The other five ponies had awkward smiles in their faces. “Just roll with her.” Dashie said.

“Now, all we need to do is to get down to the throne room. It’s inside your castle over there.” Spike the pony pointed her hoof at a hillside, consisting of mud and dry trees that indeed made them look like spires. Rocks had been placed in square like shapes along with twigs in between them.

“What are those?” Petri asked.

"Houses." Twilight's smile bent.

Petri looked questioning at the other ponies. "Houses?"

The face of Apple Jack widened in horror. “Believe me, you don’t want to follow her there.”

Spike the pony turned to Cera. “What do you think Celestia?”

“Have you hit your head princess? If you have I'm sure I can arrange for it to be hit again.” Cera said assertive.

“Me? Hit my head? No! I’m a baby dragon. I’m to low to reach the doorframe.”

“Cut the act! This situation is your mess to, and we need your help to fix it. ”

Twilight sighed. She came out of her creepy state. “I know, I know. It just took a new friend like yourself to hit me in the head.” Twilight smiled at Cera. “I’m glad you’re with us, you and your dinosaur friends.”

Cera returned Twilight’s smile with a grin. Petri faced Rainbow Dash. “We need to teach Twilight how to fly so she can reach Littlefoot.”

The Wonderbolt flier was not one to refuse orders, especially not one coming from her first real friend in this unforgiving land. She spread wings and put on a grin. “I’m on it!”

---

The air whispered in the trees above the pound. Children played happily in the water. One spiketail girl named Snowflake, a name she had received by her father, had taken a break away from the other children. Wandering the bead while curiously studying this new place her family had moved to, her eyes festered on a sad sight.

“Why are you molding?” Snowflake asked.

The molder did not answer.

“Why ARE you molding?!” Snowflake jumped playfully up and down.

The swimmer turned her head slightly.

“I’m not molding. I’m sulking, can’t you see? Tree’s are molding.”

“Then why are YOU molding? Snowflake jittered.

The innocent, playful eyes of the red spiketail child sparkled cutely behind her round face. Ducky felt her mood rise slightly. She laughed weakly. “I guess I am molding.”

“Stop molding. Come and play!?”

“What’s your name?”

“Snowflake!”

Ducky laughed again at the spiketail with red scales. “Suiting name.”

Snowflake and Ducky talked for a long time. Ducky was explaining why she was molding. Snowflake looked clueless at the swimmer.

“Why was he mad?”

“Littlefoot was angry because of pride and childhood traumas. Grownup things. You’ll understand, one day.”

Snowflake looked behind her. “Oh, gotta go. Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too.” Ducky felt so much better. There was nothing like talking to children to lift your mood. Steps sounded behind Ducky.

“Thanks for watching her Ducky.” A muffled voice said.

“You’re welcome.” Ducky replied while facing the water. Her soul jumped. “Wait? How did you...” She turned.

The green Spiketail stood proudly behind her. His large spikes stood up on his back and trailed all the way along his tail. His red eyes sparkled her way as his smile widened.

“Daddy!” Snowflake sprinted happily up to him.

Ducky felt her mouth drop. “You talk?!”

“Hehehe.” His laughter sounded exactly like when he was a child. “When you got a daughter you have to.”

Ducky rose to her feet. She smiled. She snorted. Her eyes watered. The swimmer and the spiketail ran and met each other halfway. Ducky hugged him like she was holding on for her dear life. “You’re a father.”

“Hmhm, yes I am.”

“I missed you Spike.”

“I missed you too, Ducky.”

---

The red dawn fell over The Great Valley. A purple creature, foreign to these lands, lifted from it with her wings flapping clumsily. Sharptooth watched the purple rodent fly over the mountain. It wouldn’t matter. The valley was full of prey, well enough to please his wife for good. She approached him from behind. She growled. He growled back.

The female turned around and eyeballed the rest of the gang. The countless raptors turned their heads rapidly left and right. Stupid as they were, they had been easy to convince. The female sharptooth roared. The hoarse answers of raptors blurred the air.

Comments

[Cipher800]

Looks like the Mane Six have gone mad.

[Keldeo_of_thepast]

“I’m still Pinkie Pie, Moon Flame.”

Ah yes the classic fourth wall break 🤣

[Keldeo_of_thepast]

“Thanks for watching her Ducky.” A muffled voice said.

As soon as that was said and it was a babytail
I knew 🤣 such a heart warming moment