Night time, the peaceful serine landscape lay out covering Equestria in a pale glow of calmness.
Luna`s moon grazing the sky, only her and a few of the night guard were awake. She was standing on a mountain enjoying the scenery.
Luna was trying to make a new consolation just to see if anypony would notice, adjusting the last star in the Big Dipper to become brighter than usually, sure not a lot brighter but just bright enough to make it a focal point in the sky.
A few of the Night guard where on patrol around Canterlot, all of them looking up at Luna`s handy work.
“She`s doing it again” stated at the front, the large bat pony in the lead.
“Yeah apparently tomorrow the North Star become goanna be brighter” stated the second smaller one.
“Hey do you know why Celestia was called away to day? I talked Steel Hammer and he hasn`t a clue” stated the larger bat pony.
The smaller one shrugged “Feather Hoof said something about Princess Cadance needing her”
Both of them rounded a corner onto the main street of Canterlot, small candles on the street lights gave them small amount of light.
The sound of claws on cobblestone echoed down the street. Both the night guard turned to face the noise.
Discord walked around the corner, humming a tune happily to himself. Seeing the two night guard he waved “You alright Night Spear and Star Saber” greeting to two, sure Discord was Discord but he did try and make friends… most of the time.
Night and Saber were both tasked with helping Discord around Canterlot for the first few month of his reformation. With all three of them become close friends.
“Yeah, where yah headed to Discord” asked Night the larger of the two night guard.
“To my thinking tree, I had a very interesting conundrum about straws put to me” he said “Well got to go, my Zip Zap thinking tree awaits! Goodbye!” he said as he wandered off into a doorway without a wall.
Night and Saber laughed at his antics, they were still confuse how chaos was bad but hay, life in nice with or without it so, mah.
Both of them continued down the street without another word and off into the night.
Luna say on a rocky ledge when a flash of light echoed behind her “Hay Lulu, have you seen Celestia anywhere?” Discord asked lion paw scratching the back of his head
“No she`s gone to the crystal empire to talk with Cadance, she be gone for a few days at the most” stated Luna as Discord sat down next to her.
“Oh brilliant I had a question she`ll probably know the answer to” he sighed “I still not know why she decide to reform me, I really want to know” he turned to Luna.
She had a small smile on her face “I think she wanted her childhood friend back, and you’re the only one who`s still alive”
Discord smiled “Yeah the good old days, where I would cause chaos that made everpony laugh, where did it go wrong?” he looked at his paws.
“When you were corrupted by something, lying to yourself” said Luna placing a hoof on he`s shoulder.
Discord smiled “Yeah, but enough being morbid, it`s unfitting for me, for you it fine but me… well, it doesn`t seem right, does it?” he asked jumping an moving in a serpentine way.
Luna rolled her eyes “I am the Night, not Bat-Stallion, so please leave your chaotic ideas in your brain” she stated.
“But I think with my stomach” he shot back pointing to a diagram of himself with his brain located inside his stomach.
Luna held back her annoyed sigh, Celestia may have found his antics hilarious, but her no way in the merry month of May.
Discord groaned in annoyance “Your impossible to please aren`t you?” Luna gave a half-hearted stare at him “I`ve been known for that”
The lord of chaos rubbed his eyes, “Fine, fine I`ll go, no need to show me the door” he said walking away.
Both of them suddenly felt a magical presence, unlike anything they’d felt before, much like the first time Star Swirled used the time travel spell for a mere second.
“What was that?” asked Discord, he looked around in confusion, “I do not know” replied Luna.
Celestia was woken from her sleep by a strange felling, like a monster in the dark had awaken, but different lacking the monster but still with the same amount of dread.
She looked at the night sky, Luna`s modification evident. But also was a large orange and crimson meteor burning up in the stratosphere.
Luna looked at the meteor for a moment she hadn`t summoned this one and Discord wouldn`t do something so trivial, so was that it a magic meteor?
The meteor streaked over all of them and landed in the valley below, with a fiery cloud bellowing from it.
Flying down to the meteor, it was hot, too hot to touch, with it rock being almost molten, Discord licked it “Youch!” he yield in agony his tounch burnt to a small black strip of flesh, smouldering in his mouth.
Luna scenes something coming from the meteorite, “Discord get some night guard, I want this thing examined!” she ordered Discord huffed and flew off toward the Canterlot barracks.
Luna looked at the space rock closer, she could do a rough field inspection now, without being disturbed.
Horn glowing a deep blue Luna began the inspection spell, a simple spell it only to a couple of seconds to figure it out.
Only a few unknowns inside the meteorite, so why did it feel so alien?
The Everfree forest, was dead still, all the animals and monster sleeping peacefully, the dead still air gave way to a powerful breeze. With all the leaves blowing hard wipping the cold dead ones off the forest floor.
The wind exploded until nothing, and a loud thud as 3 figures crushed into the ground.
All of them equine in shape some far too big to be ponies.
The first one to wake let out a roar that had not been heard since the dragons became sentient.
The loud roar echoed through Everfree, never had a roar carried so far, it was beyond any creature in Equestria.
“Shut up, I`m trying to sleep” stated a small feminine voice from behind the creature, turning the large creature seem to stop with annoyance.
He looked at the two creatures in the clearing with him, one was massive with an elongated neck and tail, covered in light brown scales, with small ivory bumps alone it`s sides, with a row of spines along it back. Sleeping like a log, heavy snoring echoing from its nostrils. The smallest of the three creatures was hidden from his view.
“Fine” groaned the standing creature.
Ever thing felt wrong with his body, for one cognitive thinking, shoot up, he might even be able to count to 7 before using he`s claws!
Also he claws, arms much longer making him a quadruped and his ankles had increased in size as well.
His nostrils flared as he began to savvy his new surroundings, mammal everywhere?!
Reptiles ruled the earth, and what was that sweet smell, he hadn`t a clue! Everything was alien even the plants on the ground, instead of ferns, small single leaved plants.
“Were are we?” he asked himself, there defiantly wasn`t anywhere near the watering hole!
The light levels increasing slightly, the only active one sore his chance for the hunt, ‘No animals awake yet, time to get an ambush ready!’
Leaving the clearing as quickly as possible, he had seen herbivores walk so he was getting used to it pretty quickly, but it was still an awkward walk to do and even stranger to watch.
He was stumbling through the forest like a baby Allosaurus that`s just hatch, hopefully something was as easy to hunt as that.
The dense forest canopy let the light through in streaks, eliminating parts of the forest, sure his eyesight was sharp but his nose was better for navigating this forest.
Scanning from his height of 7 feet tall, his large head scanning like a bloodhound looking for a scent.
Finding a scent he recognized he moved through the forest, with elegance now even jumping over a few logs, fast foot fall with the least noise as possible.
Looking he found it a water source, finding a large bush he hunkered down ready to strike, let the wait begin.
Spike was the only one still groggy enough to not know what was going on, he court something about a roar in the night? But other than that nothing made any scene!
“Spike are you getting this?” asked Twilight, looking at the young drake.
“Aahh… no” he said with a claw pointed in the air that deflated as the sentace went on.
“Right I`m going to explain this one more time Ok?” replied the frustrated lavender alicorn.
“Ok”
“Last night a meteor landed near Canterlot-“ she was interrupted by the dragon
“So that not unusually, it happens all the time” he said with a hint of annoyance and a face of ‘Why wake me about a rock’
“Luna didn`t summon it, and about 2 hours later a roar wakes the whole of Ponyville! I think their connected, Luna is coming down within the hour, both of us and her a going to find out where that roar came from, I want you to say here and reassure ponies everything is alright”
“Oh” said Spike, He looked out a window to find a crowd of ponies crowding around Princess Luna “Give me the hard job” he grumbled.
After Luna and Twilight got into Everfree the mood changed, normal animals would be chattering away in the bushes, but the forest was completely quiet.
A twig snapped somewhere deeper in the forest, followed by a larger thud and a tree crashing down and a voice saying
“Wait up, I can only walk so fast” it was deep and slow, very gentle sounding.
“Come on we gotta find Cerato before he starts eating someone he shouldn`t!” stated a young female voice, she sounded about the CMC age.
Both the alicorn looked at each other in question before they could speak something jumped out of the small line of trees.
A small reptile like pony with claws where her hooves should be, her ‘mane’ was a small spine with a flap of scales extending joining the back of her neck. A long saurian tail extending behind her, sharp cone like teeth extended from her ponylike mussel. To bat like wings were on her back, with 3 talons on her wings with fingers and the fourth was the wing itself. Light orange fuzz covering her chest and back.
She looked up at them with massive green eyes a contrast from her orange and yellow scales, the silted pupils looked up at them for a moment.
“What?” said the ‘filly’ and Twilight at the same time.
A large light brown head poked out of the trees “Everything Ok Saura?” he looked at the two alicorn’s for a moment.
Luna was internally surprised, she wasn`t expecting something of a dragon size to be in Everfree without anypony noticing.
“Dippy do you get the feeling you’re not in Wyoming anymore?” asked the small creature.
“Yeah all the time were from Utah, what about it?” asked the large head on a long snake like neck.
Saura the small Rhamphorhynchus stood with a difficult choice ‘tell Dippy they weren`t in Utah anymore or keep him blissfully unaware?’ she didn`t get to decide.
“What are you doing in Equestria Dragon?!” boomed the large midnight blue mammal.
Dippy heard the sentence for a moment it wasn`t the word that started his primal instincts but the volume, he made him panic.
Rearing up and bellowing a whale like cry he stormed out of the trees on a panicked stampede, breaking trees with a whip like tail.
Cerato had dozed off waiting for something to eat, a familiar cry of his old friend echoed in his ear holes, jumping up he ran for where the earth shaking foot falls came from.
Saura looked at Dippy run off away from the two mammals “Grraahh” she shouted in frustaration “I just finish explaining that this stuff won`t hurt him, NICE JOB MAMMALS!!”
The ‘that stuff’ was pointed at by the ‘filly’ the grass, before Twilight could ask something the small filly took off
“Hey does anyone else smell a forest fire?” she asked
Twilight and Luna looked at each other “Ponyville!”
Cerato lungs and hollow bones rushed with air, he`s stamina was far better than any predator from his home, charging through the forest he smelt fire, and a panicking Diplodocus.
Standing on a hill near a set of weird caves he looked at a fire with Dippy rearing up in a panicked rage.
Spike wasn`t sure what had happen he was sending a message to Princess Celestia, next thing he know an earthquake makes him ignite half of the town podium on fire!
The reason for him standing on the podium was to stop the panic, fat lot of good that did! As he continued to run from the angry wingless dragon.
Spike dived under a small applecart where he found something worse than the dragon! The CMC all with net and catapults!
“What are you doing?!” he said in a angered whisper.
“Were goanna get a cutie-marks in dragon catching!” replied Applebloom whilst the other pecked over the cart with wicked smiles.
Dippy reared up and bellowed, his wipe like tail smashed through something wooden, everything was so strange that it made him panic even more.
Slamming back down onto all four his head landed in a pile of some kind of food, sweet and delicious, bright red, Dippy panic could be put on hold for food, most things are less important than food.
Dippy raised nostrils where helping breath, so he could be, as he was, nose deep in food.
The CMC and Spike all where silent as the dragon ate the apples above them. The munching of apples was loud an evident.
“This guy eats more than Aj” whispered Applebloom to her friends. All of the fillies snickered.
Scootaloo accidently hit the catapult with her hind leg, the catapult was fired at the dragon, landing on the large dragons head.
Dippy didn`t know what had landed on his head, but he wanted it off. Thrashing his head and neck violently.
Saura was racing down the pathway to her friend, sure she couldn`t fly in the dense forest, so she was using the new legs she`d got and ran.
For a Rhamphorhynchus like herself, running was impossible with all your legs practically bond together with wings or stabilising flaps.
Now she was running, it felt good!
Coming out to the forest finally she found the carnage Dippy had caused.
Taking off she flew high, enough so if she could see the massive sauropod, she could dive bomb his stupid head!
Twilight looked on in horror at the carnage, the rampage Spike caused was minimal compared to this dragon.
Cerato had made his way to the strange set of caves, sure he couldn`t let Dippy see him, but his voice could snap him out of the panic… hopefully.
Using the shadows, the Jurassic theropod made his way to the panicking Diplodocus, his new posture made stalking in the shadow easier, the only problem was his colours didn`t camouflage him as well.
Finally making his way towards the smell of the panicking dino, Cerato found his friend head having something on it, strange like a massive spider’s web, and Saura trying to stop him from panicking.
“No Dippy, argh! Hay stop swing you- argh! Stay still and I`ll get this thing off!” stated the small pterodactyl. A panicked Dippy was just what she needed!
Dippy didn`t lesson, inside smelling something, a carnivore!
Dippy started to run, charging down the hard rock floor, the screams of small child nearly crushed made Cerato come out of hiding.
The CMC where stuck under a pile of rubble the dragon had made. Sure all of them were fine.
Saura started clawing away at the rubble, her small claws not doing a lot to the massive heap in front of her.
A shadow loamed over her, Looking up she found the permanently frowning theropod, Cerato.
“What did you do this time?” he asked moving the rubble pile, his fore arms where more like legs, but his hind legs ankles had extended to become 2/3 of his legs.
The CMC heard the next line with surprise “It wasn`t me, it those mammals, I can see why you eat them” came a muffled voice.
Cerato grunted prying the pile open by standing over the entrance, so the creature inside couldn`t see him.
Applebloom walked out of the hole, unsure what to expect, followed closely by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
The hole slammed shut as the boulder stopped being supported.
“Hi!” came a friendly voice from above them, looking up there was a combination of a dragon bat and pony.
“Err howdy?” said Applebloom. She was more confused than a fox in a hen house without the hens!
The strange ‘filly’ was cut off by the voice of “STOP VILE BEAST!”
'Nightmare Moon', landed in between the CMC and this ‘filly’ facing the CMC or more precisely above them!
Standing on the mound of rubble, was a large reptile, with black horns on it nose and eyebrows, with a row of black spike along it`s back. With leopard like spots along it`s sides, with deep set dark eyes, with a red mark under the livid yellow eye. It mossy brown scales fading to a pale green underbelly.
Luna had seen may sharp teeth before but nothing like the teeth of this dragon, with sharp blade like teeth extending from upper jaw with shorter stubbier fangs on its lower jaw.
Standing 8 hooves tall and about 30 hooves the dragon like creature seem to growl.
The cutie mark crusaders ran behind the princess of the night, whilst Saura roosted on a building.
Cerato looked at the small Rhamphorhynchus on the strange structure, then back to the mammal, he jumped off the rubble and landed on his hind feet.
Assuming his classic dinosaurian pose he bellowed his roar, Luna horn sparked with anger.
Spike shot awake his head poking out of the ground under the feet of a titanic battle, with Princess Luna avoiding the attacks of a second dragon!
“Arw this day just get better and better” said Spike with an agitated gown, he ducked back down inside the hole he made as a large 3 toed foot came crashing down next to his head.
Cerato had gone into instinct mode, all his cognitive abilities on the fight an nothing else, snapping his jaws a few feet away from the flying mammal.
Luna was surprised for something of it size this creature was moving with the grace of a bird, but admiring the creature would do nothing to help her win this fight.
Spike poked his head out of his hole, this day was going ‘great’ why could he lay in today?
Then powerful earthquakes shock the earth, the bellowing cries of the first dragon echoed in the ears of everything.
Saura didn`t have time to react as Dippy crashed through the semi destroyed structure, sending her flying.
Spike sore the equine shape falling from the sky, jumping into action he sprinted sliding along the ground court the filly falling from the building.
The controlled slide turned more into a roll, then both Spike and the small filly sailed into what remained of the apple family cart.
Spike stood up, this was getting ridiculous, dusting himself off he marched to the centre of the arena where the two dragons stood in fighting position to each other.
A stream of hot green flame toward into the sky, Spike unknown to Twilight had been practicing his fire breathing abilities, so he could breathe fire for a lot longer and stronger than she through.
Cerato and Dippy both snapped out of there primal instincts, and looked at each other.
“Did I just rampage again?” asked Dippy
Cerato looked around for a moment “I think I was in a fight”
Luna and the crusaders where about to speak when a harsh Texan accent echoed across the demolished town market.
Applejack was livid, all of the cutie mark crusaders huddeld together out of fear and necessarily. “Wha did yah do to the cart Applebloom!” she hollered
Cerato cringed at the loud noise “I though Dryosaurs could shout” he commented to Dippy, who nodded.
“It weren`t us, it was twas`t the huge dragon behind you!” stated the yellow filly. Pointing at the large brown dragon`s legs.
“Bloom don`t be stupid, that’s a tree!” replied the older sister.
Dippy head lowered as Applejack turned away. Looking at his own legs with large blue eyes. Then to Cerato.
Princess Luna was bored of staring at the apple siblings fighting.
“It`s a dragon!”
“Na a tree!”
The quarrelling sister were interrupted by a large head coming in between them.
“I`m actually a Diplodocus” said the large head. A row of ivory spikes running along it`s back. The head was balanced on the tip of a very long neck, about 20 hooves long. And the tree trunk like legs where indeed connected to the large neck.
Applejack stared up in awe at the creature for a moment then snapped “You`re the one who broke ma`h cart!”
Dippy head backed away from the angered mammal, “Wait a second, you try go through here on a rampage with these feet!” lifting a massive foot to prove his point.
Cerato had sat down on the ground, as the siblings had argued, he had slipped back into the darkness of an alleyway, with a good view of the area with his friends still visible.
That was until a bright flash of light made him stumble out blindly, with his jaws snapping about wildly.
Luna had seen the smaller move vicious looking dragon sneak into the alleyway. Blinding it with a flash of magic, the creature jumped out.
Cerato had found that he could walk or run on his hind or all four legs. So at the moment he was on his hind legs, 3 toes touching the ground.
Saura was groggy until the sound of a raging Ceratosaur was hear, shaking her head to clear her vision. Saura found herself chucking slightly at the fit the theropod was throwing.
Luna wasn`t going to take any chances with this dragon, it had the most weaponry in its mouth as physically possible.
Magically handcuffs appeared on the four claws of the dragon.
Falling on the ground due to the weigh change, Cerato looked at the blue glowing objects binding his hands together.
“Answer my question and you wouldn`t be hurt, are we clear?”
An animalistic growl answered her.
Dippy was about to move towards them when the mammal gave him a hard stare, making him stay put.
“First question, who and what are you?”
Cerato gritted his teeth, his livid yellow eye staring coldly at the dark blue mammal.
“I`m Cerato the Ceratosaur” he huffed, beguilingly answering the question.
“Wha the hay is a Ceratosaur?” asked Applejack to nothing in particular.
“A large carnivorous theropod from the Jurassic era, from the theropod group of dinosaur, an ancestor of the bird” stated a purple alicorn stated nose deep in a large book. Cerato would have raised an eyebrow if he could “they died out at the end of the Jurassic, 153 million years ago” Cerato jaw hung lose slightly, that wasn`t something he wanted to know about.
“Thanks that fills me with such joy” he grumbled.
“153 million years?!” stated Scootaloo, all the other seem to have the same slack jawed expression
Dippy looked confused, his eyes spinning in there sockets, Cerato looked up at the pea brained sauropod. “Dippy you Ok?” he asked up.
Shaking his head he looked down “How many times 7 is 153- 0,0,0,0,0,0,0, err- are conifers I lost count” he semi asked.
All of the mammals stared up at him for a moment “What after 5 my brain goes to the Allosaur!”
Luna looked back to Twilight “How do you know about this creatures?”
“This bones were first discovered during your banishment, hasn`t Princess Celestia shown you Jurassic Meadows?” asked the alicorn book levitating in her magical grasp.
“Yes but this creature’s look nothing like the ones in the film” stated the lunar princess.
Saura stood up and fluttered over to the book floating in mid-air with a purple glow surrounding it.
Attaching the attention of the lunar alicorn, the large leather wings beating slowly.
Cerato tried to stand, with his fore claws placed heavily on the ground, his claws scrapped along the ground as he walked towards the mammals, standing over them he growl.
Luna looked at the large head of ‘Cerato’ he looked down “It seem you have everything you could possibly know about me, but I want answers now!”
“Very well what would you like to know?” asked Twilight smiling worriedly.
Cerato Twilight Sparkle Princess Luna Applejack Dippy Applebloom Saura
Twilight finished telling all the relevant information to Cerato and the other dinosaurs. "So that everything you need to know."
Cerato nodded slightly in taking all the information. "Yes I suppose. But if you have developed beyond letting nature command you how does society work?"
Luna interjected "Society works on a simple principle, you have the knowledge to do something, then you can get a job in it"
All the Dinosaur looked in between themselves. Dippy looked down "All I can do is eat, sleep, and walk" he stated in a depressed voice.
Applejack looked at him, as Applebloom snickered "Wha bout pooping?" getting a glare from her older sister as she continued to burst out in laugher.
Saura was about to burst into laugher when Cerato growl echoed in her ear canals. Ultra sound. She hated it when Cerato spoke in ultra sound.
"You said 'job' what does that in tell?" asking Cerato was the only mature one of the group.
"A job is something a pony does to earn bits to buy things with" said Twilight trying to explain a job the best she could.
"What a job?"
All the ponies seem to groan in annoyance. Apart from Luna she had a plan.
"I have an idea that will help your situation Mister Cerato, Dippy and the young Saura can go to Apple`s farm to help, and you can come to Canterlot to help me explain and help the night guard in training. What to say to that idea?" Luna finished her idea only to have Applejack look at her for a moment.
"I`ah don`t know bout yous but I don`t think I could afford him in Sweet apple acres, I mean I my be a lose to ma`h?"
Dippy head looked at Cerato, with pleading eyes. he didn`t want the ceratosaur to leave, but it was the only option he had.
"Listen, Dippy your the largest thing here, nothing going to hurt you. Anyway I recon you`ll only be doing heavy lifting" said Cerato petting Dippy`s head with a claw.
He looked at Applejack and said quietly "How many tons of apples do you move at once?"
"On a good day bout 3"
"Times that by 7 and that`s Dippy on a bad day"
Applejack weighed up her options nodded her head in acceptance of the deal. "Partner ya`h got a deal!"
Cerato nodded in thanks then walked over to Saura, how was grumbling "Dippy, if she misbehaviours tell me" he said lening down into to the small rhamphorhynchus, large teeth nearly scrapping the floor.
Saura smiled sarcassticly "Sure, I bet he can`t even remember what bad means"
"It not him that ya`h have to worry about" said Applejack with a slight grin on her face.
Saura gulped slightly at the though of the mammal watching over her. She sunk to the ground.
"Bloom come on, where goin home" stated Applejack making the small apple filly
Galloping after her sister, the large saurapod lumbered off after them, with Saura resting on his neck, grumbling about something.
Cerato turned to the 2 leaders, "So, what do you want me to do?"
Luna smiled slightly "I will explain on the way to Canterlot"
Cerato had been stuck in the small space of something called a train for sometime, laying down was the only way to get comfortable. The small box was made of something he didn`t know existed with a strength greater than rock judging from it ability to hold his weigh.
He was in a cart to himself due to his size, it was obvious that fact that his tail was curled up next to his body, and he lay there wondering what this place called 'Canterlot' had in store for him. his large nostrils flared with the sense of many ponies coming closer.
Raising his head off the ground, Cerato was greeted by the young Princess Twilight Sparkle. Still holding the book in her 'magic' something he wasn`t even going to ask about it, he`s brain was still trying to comprehend how the strange train moved let alone how creature could lift things without touching it.
"Were nearly at Canterlot, Mister Cerato, before we get there to I was wondering about how you got here? No affence but Ceratosaur and all other Dinosaur are kinda well extinct" she asked hoping to get some answer, but Cerato graced her with more knowledge than she expected.
"All dinosaur are not extinct, they rule the sky now with no pterosaurus to prey on them, young Sparkle the birds are dinosaur, study a theropod then a bird, you`ll see what I mean. And enough with this 'mister' title I`m just Cerato, I don`t need a title" he stated with his emotionless gaze looking into the small pony.
A disembodied voice echoed through the carriage "Last stop Canterlot, please get ready to disembark, and mind the gap!"
Cerato looked for the voice owner for a moment, then gave up as the train slowed, looking out the window he sore massive white monoliths with holes and ponies looking out of them, or talking to other on the game trails below. With 'fruit' dealers scattered about the place.
Princess Luna entered Cerato`s train car and smiled "We have arrived in Canterlot, please try not to destroy or eat anypony"
Cerato nodded, he`d find something to eat eventually as his stomach growled, the train came to a smooth stop as the all disembarked, with the car rocking as Cerato got out, he`s seers size compared to the others train user made him stick out like a sore thumb in the crowd.
Most ponies seemed to give him a wide birth, even the ones encased in the strange 'metal' covers coward slightly, moving past them and through into 'Canterlot' with Luna and Twilight in front of him, most of the ponies there seem to stick up their noses in an snobbish fashion like any of the larger carnivores from the plains of the Jurassic.
As they walked deeper into the large formation of white monoliths he found them growing large with more derations on there bases and tops, nothing Cerato could think off that was like this strange place, as they entered through a large cave opening with a wooden barrier closing behind them, Cerato managed to move his tail before it was closed in the barrier.
Snarling at the thing he moved on, a predatory growl escaping his jaws, making the ponies shudder out of instinct. He paced after the 2 princesses, tail flicking slightly. The razor sharp black spines glinting in the sun.
"So what was the point of bringing me here?" he asked as both the princesses stopped in front another wooden barricade in a cave entrance.
"This" said Luna, opening the door without touching it again, Cerato would need to get used to that soon! But that`s not what caused Cerato the greatest confusion, in the cave was a large rock, a large brown rock with dents and patterns covering the surface.
Both the princesses stepped forward and gestured for him to follow, he followed his head held low, due to the roof being too low for him to stand at his full height, he smelt the rock as both the princesses talked.
"It appeared last night, I did not summon it neither did Discord. It seems to have a stupendous amount of magic contained within itself. It has enough potential magic to make the elements of harmony look weak" explained the princess.
Twilight studded the rock closer "What`s more powerful than the elements of harmony?"
Cerato large nostrils inspected the rock, some of the scent were unfamiliar but one was evident, fish? "It smells of fish?" stated Cerato confused, getting odd looks from both the princesses, Cerato then when back to using his oversized nostrils to inspected thither, the scent of crocodiles and other fish eaters, one being dinosaurian in nature.
"It basically smells for a swamp, large carnivores, some crocs and sauropods but I don`t recognise any off the species at all" he said confused, most of the time he got an outline off the species but this he got nothing, taking one last sniff he got a piece of info that made him worried "That one large Allosaurid"
Twilight looked at him "Wait this meteor smells like a prehistoric swamp?" he nodded. Twilight groaned "Supposing your nose is corrected, what was that swamp like?"
Cerato looked at the patterns on the meteor for a moment "Large predators, with 3 sharp claws on each hand, bigger than anything I`ve seen" Twilight looked at him in disbelief.
"How`d you come to that conclusion then?" Cerato pointed at 3 large slash marks in the rock, Twilight looked at them, mentally measuring them seeing if her calculations boor fruit she flipped through her book.
She stopped at the page that matched the claws for size and shape.
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus.
"So young Sparkle have you found out where this meteor came from?" asked Princess Luna, trotting over to the lavender alicorn, she inspected the page for a moment.
"Yeah, I think I have, the meteor come from Zebrica according to the 'scratch' marks but Cerato Dippy and Saura come from the area around Appaloosa, at least 10,000 miles apart and 60 million years between the two echo systems."
Luna looked at the page for a moment "So you are saying their is a high probability that one of those is running around the place?" Twilight could only nod.
Cerato looked over both their shoulders at the book, showing the beast the scratch marks were from. At least 3 times his size, about half the size of Dippy.
"Princess, that meteor contains enough magic to remove them from there home, at ground zero anything could be moved, and still has enough energy to reach another 30 million years into the future of them." stated Twilight
"Enough magic to span all 250 million years of Dinosaur history."
Queen Chrysalis was having a bad day her minions had found a new attraction for the gladiatorial games in the changeling arena. The creature lacked most forms or knowledge about hear and her kind, considering it looked like a dragon it was most surprising as dragons are often targeted as all a changeling has to do to feed of a dragon is turn into a shiny object.
And now she was contending with some kind of messenger, A small feathered bird/lizard/pony hybrid, with blue and green plumage covering his arms and body, with small primitive wings forming on his fore legs. With a scaly mouth full of sharp teeth.
"My Queen would like to make an alliance with your people" it chirped.
Chrysalis spoke with distain "And why should we make an alliance with your Queen?" she gritted her fangs as the hybrid spoke.
"Because the one of us in the basement will be the least of your worries when the Queen of the Nile is through with you" it threatened.
Chrysalis laughed swatting the bird away with a hoof, "And what is a pit-sized parrot going to do to me?" she mocked
3 claws scratched through the wall of the throne room as the wall collapsed the dust created obscured the beast from Chrysalis vision. Only two large livid yellow eyes glared at her and a sinister but seductive voice echoed through the hole in the wall.
"I could do many things but to restore world order, I need an army, capable of whipping out every last mammal on this planet" it almost sang, as a wide ivory grin appeared in the cloud.
"So what in it for me if I help?" asked Chrysalis, she knew that this creature wanted an army, and Chrysalis had that army, she was in the position to ask questions and this 'Queen' knew that two.
"Well I just want to get rid of the mammals, what you do with 'their' land is up to you. So do we have a deal?" replied the massive smiling shadow. The small sparrow sized messenger looked at the changeling.
"When do we began?"
The Queen of the Nile Cerato Queen Chrysalis Princess Luna Twilight Sparkle
Dippy Saura Applejack Applebloom Big Mac Granny Smith
Applejack was trotting along next to what could only be described as a massive brown leg connected to a massive brown body. That had a long spindly neck with a small pony size head on a creature 108 hoof long, it didn`t seem right. But there he was with a name and Applebloom talking to him.
"Sa Dippy how did yer get sa big?" she asked sitting on his neck, Dippy lumbered along for a moment before answering it "All Diplodocus are big, but some of them aren`t as smart as me" he said boastfully, it was true by sauropod standards Dippy was a genius but by everything else's standards he was a bone head.
Saura flew over head rolling her eyes, she was really disliking the hole thing, she`d seen one reptile and he`d saved her life and here she is flying over Dippy, with a mammal in her seat. 'Yeah smart' she through brewing with rage.
Applejack was thinking deeply, she knew that Dippy would eat a lot, but he could also lift heavier than her or Big Mac put together, but only a few large boulders had fallen into there land but after they were gone what would he do?
"Dippy watch yer step, otherwise I might fall off!" stated Applebloom, rapping her hooves around the neck of the great sauropod. Dippy had misplaced a step, as one of his feet had slipped on the slick cobblestone, regaining his balance, he plodded along again.
Applejack looked at where Dippy`d nearly fallen, a large foot print lay their, Dippy`s footprint, Applejack got an idea, an idea that could help the farm, and get us out of the Diplodocus.
Big Mac had finish his chores for the day, so he rested under a tree, he could sleep through, as Winona was rolling and yipping for him to play, Big Mac looked back hopping that Applebloom would be back soon, she could play with Winona a lot more than he ever could.
Sighing as his sisters were no where in sight, he got up, fining a stick, he held it in his mouth, waving it in front of Winona, she jumped, tail wagging so it was only a blur of movement.
Throwing the stick, Big Mac yelled "Fetch!" as the stick took off, so did Winona, she soon disappeared between the rows of apple trees. Sitting down again Big Mac smiled and nearly dozed off.
"MAC! What are yer doing? Whys the ground shack`in?!" squawked the most elderly member of the Apple family or Ponyville it depended on how boastful she was feeling.
Big Ma got up, the ground wasn`t shacking, she must have finally lost it, then 'thud' the ground shook only slightly but it shook, Mac stopped and had a look around 'thud' the ground shook again a much larger noise was heard, wait a noise so it a 'thud'
...footstep?
"Hey Big Mac look up here" stated the voice of Applebloom, looking at where the voice was came from, he found a massive shadow being cast almost blocking out the sun, looking up he found Applebloom, on the neck of a dragon?
Applebloom jumped and fell onto her brothers back smiling and waving at the head on the end of the neck, it was tiny compared to the rest of the body, it head was pony size if not slightly bigger.
Granny came out of the barn and took one look of the massive brown beast looming over her grand children, and Applebloom was smiling?
"Big Mac this is my new friend Dippy, Dippy this is my big Brother Big Mac" Mac looked around trying to find the creatures head again, it large blue eyes looked into Mac green eyes.
"Hi, nice to me you Mac" he said cheerfully
"Errrrr... Howdy" said Mac unsure of what to say to the massive creature. Applebloom breathing down her neck didn`t help either.
Applejack walked up to Mac, she`d never seen him daunted by anything, but the shire size of their new house guest well, it would have daunted a dragon, apparently they don`t grown much larger than 70 hooves, and only way 10 tonnes, whilst Dippy was over 30 hooves longer and about double their weight.
"Yea`h alright Mac? yer look like yer seen a ghost" looking at her brother, Granny was wadding up to the trio of siblings.
"Who and What is that thing?!" stated the elderly farmer.
Dippy head shot up, neck bending much like a snake about to strike, but he spoke with a childish ignorance "I`m not a thing, I`m a Diplodocus! And my names Dippy. Nice to me you"
But Granny Smith was less curious she was about to explode when Applejack step in "Dippy here is gonna be staying with us for a while as he`s a bit lost, he`ll be working around der farm" she said putting on a forced smile.
Granny looked at the massive amount of brown scales behind the small wooden fence, Dippy feet came over the fence one by one, each time a foot hit the ground the earth shook.
The soft dirt compressed under his massive bulk, Dippy`s head turned to his side as a pony size green spot was picking something off his sides, Saura was doing her usual job, keeping the large sauropod free of parasites.
Dippy looked at the thing trying to eat him "Saura, what is that?" it was small and mammalian, with grey fur, it had wings with small claws, Sarua had the die creature in her hand. "No clue, but there taste" she replied swallowing the thing hole, Dippy looked slightly ill at the statement.
Landing on the ground Saura was also greeted by the elderly pony "What the hay is that?! There multiplying!"
Applebloom jumped of Mac`s back, grabbing Saura by the neck she introduced her "Granny this is Saura, Dippy`s" Saura through for a moment "Keeper" she said sarcastically.
Granny sighed as she trotted off she said "Applejack, tell`em there chores" she`d had to much excitement for one day, and retired to her rocking chair.
Dippy looked at Applejack questioning what the old mare just said, Saura groaned, chores are work, work means not fun, not fun means boring. "Right Granny, Dippy yer goanna help with anything heavy around here, or uprooting the dead trees. Saura, yer goanna help Appleboom with her chores, Ok?" she asked after both of them took in the information, the nodded, well Saura did begrudgingly.
"But all chores are finished today, yer can get yer berins now, Bloom show`em round"
Barking was heard from the trees as Winona came back with a stick covered in mud and grim from the run, placing it in front of Mac she passed out. "Mac where yer playing fetch with Winona again?" ask the blonde farm pony, Mac looked away slightly "Eeeup"
Cerato stood on a large set of scales, he wasn`t sure why, but Twilight insisted that he did, so know they knew his exact weight and length, height and now many teeth he had, holding his mouth open Twilight finished measuring his largest tooth.
Landing back down on the ground Cerato jaws snapped shut, the theropod looked at the small equine "Was that really necessary?" he was slightly annoyed by the hole thing.
"Yes, you come from a time without magic. So I was seeing how it has affect your physiology, it seems your more equine in shape, and your brains slightly more complex other than that, your the same" she said looking through X-rays and chats of the predatory dinosaur. Luna looked at the younger princess for a moment, "I am still confused about him being before magic. Could you explain that anymore Princess Sparkle?"
Twilight nodded, she`d read a lot on the subject of magic and it first appearance in the geological record, magic lives the earth with a purple-ish tint, but only if you look under a microscope, so when the first dinosaur were discovered they through they were much like dragons and breathed fire and battled like giant gladiators, after the last century and science advanced in great leaps they found out that magic appeared at the end of the Mesozoic period, or at the K.T barrier.
"Err I can try... From what scientist gathered, at the end of the region of the dinosaurs a mertorite hit Equis, that meteor contain something that triggered a chain reaction, causing the dinosaur extinction and the rise of magic and mammals, making life easier and more suited to fast adapting animals, not slow adapting, and they were replaced within a million years of magic first appearing" she explained, Cerato reaction was just to taking in all the info he could.
Whilst Luna simply nodded, but she was still confused at why all of a sudden dinosaurs started to reappear around Ponyville. Cerato had his own set off worries through. "So what your saying is, the world doesn`t have any big predators like us anymore?" Twilight half nodded, their were no predators that used their physical strength and adaptations to kill, most predators in modern day Equestria used tools or a special magical trait.
"Do they have territories?" he asked, Twilight answer wasn`t the one he wanted "No is that a bad thing, they just kinder mingle with each other" Luna knew that a predator put up with other unless they came into their den
Cerato snorted in annoyance "Theropods don`t do that, they have a territory and will kill to defend it, and almost all of them will eat your people without a second thought" he growled, lowering his head to the eye level of Twilight.
"So why didn`t you?" asked the lunar princess, Cerato head turned to her "I have an arrangement with herbivores where I`m from, I protect them in my territory, in return I get a meal from the dead or dying" Luna didn`t flinch as his nostrils flared slightly "Mercy killing?"
Cerato nodded slightly, Luna didn`t like those word, killing is killing, sure Luna had killed before, but she didn`t lie to herself, she regretted it every time, the only thing she didn`t regret killing was a changeling drone, but for Cerato his diet did demand it but, Luna couldn`t think of the reason he was trying to be the kindest he could be for the loot that life had given him.
Before anyone could say anything though a message appeared in front of Luna, form a guard outpost bordering the Badlands. It read
Post 13 reporting. A large group of dragons was seen coming out of the Badlands, aporximetly 50 of them, 3 types were evident one a large quadrapd with plates on it back, the second it smaller about a quarter of the size of the first, with no natural defence evident. The third consists of two individuals, tailing the herd, both off them walking bipedally, both as long a first spies but lighter built.
Herd is about 1 click away from the Post 13, requesting permission to investigate
Luna looked at Cerato then at Twilight "It would seem that Cerato and his friends are not the only new comers to Equestria, Twilight I am need for a large meeting in Canterlot in a dew hours, I need you to investigate this, take Cerato with you for insurance" she stated handing her the report.
Cerato sniffed the thing for a moment, but failed to notice the glow coming off of Twilight horn was becoming brighter. In a flash of blinding light the purple alicorn and mossy brown theropod where gone. Luna smiled slightly and tended to her duties whilst Celestia was away.
Cerato felt the hot unrelenting sun hit his back, finally something familiar to him, a deserts, he nostrils catching scents in the wind, a large herd of Stegosaur and Camptosaur, the last to where very familiar to him "You figured out what where dealing with?" he asked the pony princess, she shrugged. Cerato chuckled slightly. "Come on I think you need to talk to some Allosaurs"
