> Invasion of the Ecosystem: Rebooted > by Cipher800 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Starting Out Small > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Amazon Rainforest, located in Brazil, is one of the biggest hotspots for life, it's there everywhere you look. No matter where you are in this place, there's always something alive there, plant or animal. Monkeys swing in the trees as birds fly at the emergent layers. At the forest floor, all sorts of creepy-crawlies ran about, but in this case, there is a wave of death that had one purpose in mind: survival of the colony. They may seem small and cute from a distance, but that's not the case. That was Ection Burchelli, commonly known as the army ant. Now, these little boogers may not do any harm by their lonesome, but you know what people say: strength in numbers. They cut apart any creature they can find and bring their remains to the colony nearby. These guys have left their mark on the Amazon and dominated the forest floor. When against these ant's it's best to stay completely still and play dead. Nothing seemed to stop them. But suddenly, in a bright flash of light, the whole colony disappears without a trace. A quick look will tell you that nothing has changed, but a keen eye can tell you otherwise. The lack of army ants or anthills on the forest floor was one such thing. Where did they go, and what was happening? Sandy, a green snake that live on the outskirts of the Everfree, enjoyed a simple life along with the other animals that lived in the cottage. The meals Fluttershy prepared were extremely nice, so much as all the other animals, save for a snarky white demon. Currently, she on a tree branch, her noodlelike body constricting around it as she enjoyed the sun. a familiar voice said. She looked to see her old pal, Rodney, a grey squirrel. the squirrel chittered. the snake said before another voice came. Rina, a cardinal, said. the bird chirped as she pointed her wing to what looked like a bunch of red and black ants covering the floor. Rina tweeted in confusion. Never before, have they seen so many ants in one place. Rodney said as he went down the tree to greet the newcomers. Sure, he knew some good jokes, but what happened next horrified everyone who was watching. The ants crawled onto the poor squirrel like a wave of death, with hundreds of sharp little mandibles biting through the poor guy, tearing bits of flesh from him. His screams of pain and terror only enhanced the horror of the scene. No matter where he would run off to, there were ants. And in no time at all, he was brought down, and the ants only left his skeleton behind. the animals screamed simultaneously. But it did not stop there. Soon enough, the ants came marching one by one, climbing up the trees by hundreds, no, there were thousands more. Whatever small animals and insects in their vicinity got caught in the massacre, screaming in pain as they met their fate. Their needs for mercy fell upon deaf ears. Not even the birds were safe, and they were forced to either fly away or become victims themselves. Throughout all this Sandy watched with wide fearful eyes and her body frozen stiff like it would always do whenever something bad happened. Then she felt tiny feet across her body. Sandy closed her eyes and waited for them to bite, to bring her death in the form of hundreds of tiny mouths ripping her apart. However, nothing came. She opened her eyes and moved ever so slowly to see that the ants were ignoring her, yet these little devils were still crawling on her own body. It made absolutely no sense for the cute little snake. She saw them butcher all her friends for whatever reason, yet they spared her life. She couldn't even think about why this is, and all she can do was watch a large amount of her friends die by the hands of those monsters, and only their skeletons were left behind. She knew some of them her whole life, some of them were very close to her, no matter how much time she spent. And then, the ants all went back into an anthill that wasn't there before, taking the flesh with them, some even ate the spare bits just laying around. How is that even supposed to be moral? These guys took her friends and they were nothing more than buffets with legs for them. she said as she went down the tree, making sure that there were no ants left in the place. They were all in the anthill. Later, Fluttershy hummed a tune, already returning from the School of Friendship, ready to feed her animals their lunch for the day. She went to her cottage to check on the animals there. There were a few laying around, like Angel Bunny and several other animals. "Okay, time for lunch, everyone!" Fluttershy said, calling out into the outskirts of the Everfree. "Where is everyone? Rodney! Salty! Kyle! Andy! Anypony in there…" she said before a familiar green snake slithered right to her, but she looked traumatized, eyes already red with tears. she said, slightly startling Fluttershy. the snake said. "But... how did you-" Sandy said, crying until Fluttershy came up to her. Fluttershy's eyes went wide as tears starting to come down from them, body visibly shaking as Sandy told her what she was forced to witness. Fluttershy hugged the snake, trying to cheer both of them up. How could ants, who were so cute with their little homes, would do something a horrid as this. Any creature that would do something so monstrous likely couldn't be doing it willingly! It was unnatural even by the Everfree's standards. "Wait, Twilight must have a book about this in her castle! I'll be right back!" Fluttershy said, coming out of the door, but not until she fed her animals some lunch. Sandy said as she slithered towards her pegasus friend. "Alright, Sandy. If it makes you better for me to bring you, then you can come with me. I'll take Angel, too." the butter yellow pegasus said as she let the snake and the rabbit hop onto her back as she went to the Castle of Friendship. > Crawling Creeps > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "And I'm telling you, what just happened was no prank by Sandy. I saw the fear in her eyes." a yellow pegasus said to her friend, a light purple alicorn with a blue mane that possessed two purple and pink strips in it. That was Twilight Sparkle, the princess of Friendship, and now, the principal to the School of Friendship. "Now that you've completely explained it, I believe you, but I have a problem, too." Twilight said as she rummaged through her library. "I've searched through the dark magic wing and I found no spell that matches their behavior. However, you may be able to knock some sense into them." "Good idea, Twilight. I think." Fluttershy said as she was about to go out when another flash of light came from the other side of the school's window. Both ponies looked to see a hive anchored one of the trees. Sandy said, pointing her tail towards the hive. The four beings went towards the window and looked out the window, and unfortunately, it was recess at the time, and the area was full of students. was all the snake can say. "Oh dear is right. Hopefully, we won't have too much trouble." Fluttershy said. But that wasn't the case, as bees went out of the hive, but not just any bees. This was a colony of Apis mellifera africansis (I made the last part myself), known to the common folk as the dreaded Africanized honeybee. These stinging terrors were hybrids between the more docile European honeybee and aggressive the African bee, also known as the killer bee. "So that is how the ants came here..." Fluttershy said before her eyes widened. "Oh no, then that means the bees are gonna be aggressive, too!" Fluttershy said as she saw a pony student attempt to communicate with the bees, only for them to attack the poor little foal, who tried to run away, only for the bees to assault the foals. "ATTENTION, EVERYPONY! YOU ALL MUST GO INSIDE IMMEDIATELY!" Twilight shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice as she immediately opened the window wide. The students, who had noticed this, all immediately fled the Africanized bees as fast as they can, which was to say, pretty fast, but not really that fast. Of course, the foal who touched the bag got the most stings, and Twilight looked at him the second he came in. "I'm so, so sorry Ms. Twilight. What's wrong with the bees here?" the little colt asked. "Me and Fluttershy were on a similar case with some ants in the Everfree. It was not pretty when the ants attacked her animals." the Princess of Friendship said. If she told them the whole truth, they'd be horrified. "But hopefully, we won't have any more trouble with insects-" Twilight said before the door opened to reveal a familiar farm pony. "Twilight! Ah have problems with these weird ant-like varmits in mah family's farm, and they keep eatin' on our apple trees. Not just the apples, but the whole tree, too!" Applejack said, electing a shock from the various creatures within the room, especially those of Twilight and Fluttershy. "A new species of insect? Things got interesting, and not in a good way." Twilight said. "Then we have no time to waste." Fluttershy said, walking to the door. "As you said before, Twilight, I can communicate with animals. When we get there, I'll figure out what's wrong with them." Before she went out the door, she turned her attention to Twilight. "Why aren't you coming?" she asked. "I have to take to the students. When those bees stung, they died, leaving their stingers behind, which is a good thing in a sense." Twilight said, pointing at the severed stingers from that were on the colt. "What do you mean by that?" Fluttershy asked the Princess of Friendship, who was plucking the stingers with her magic and placing them in a jar. "It means that with this, one, I can brew something that will help with the colt's condition, and two, I can find out the mystery to those mysterious new residents and why they are acting so crazy." Twilight said as she telekinetically strapped the colt with bandages. "So unfortunately, I won't have time. But, if you can, could you bring me some samples of these things, I really need to see them." "Well, take care, Twilight. See you then." Fluttershy said as the two went out to Applejack's orchard, leaving Twilight with the students. "Alright, we're gonna need some ingredients. Who know about brewing?" the princess asked. Meanwhile, in Sweet Apple Acres, things are going somewhat tough. Turns out that these ant-like creatures that Applejack talked about were Coptotermes formosanus, or the Formosan subterranean termite, an invasive species that was transported from its native area in Southern China and Taiwan to several different parts of the globe, and now, it was in Equestria. Fluttershy was trying desperately with talking to them, begging for them to stop, but the termites didn't understand a word she was saying. Even though Twilight was a bit busy with her students, it was fortunate that Starlight was able to join in on the ride, and she did not have anything else to do, which was why she had joined the crew. The two ponies, the snake, and the rabbit watched as Fluttershy tried to talk to the termites. When she used the Stare, however, even that failed. These creatures were just too... what's the word. Something about then seemed weird, even the other two took notice. "Nothing is working. What's wrong with them?" Fluttershy asked as her friends shrugged and/or sighed. The former bearer of Kindness was about to lose hope when she remembered something that Twilight told her before she left. "Twilight wanted some samples, she was a bit interested." the shy pegasus looked to her friend in a bit of defeat. "I'm sorry, Applejack." The Element of Honesty just put her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "It's nothin' to worry about. Ya tried your hardest, and ah sensed it. Shame about all the cider lost." the orange pony said. "It's alright, but we still have a job to do." Starlight said as she used her magic to take some of the termites off of one of the trees and put them in a plastic bag before setting up some sort of barrier. "There, Twilight taught me that spell on one of my lessons. It would keep these strange ant-things, we should pick a better name for them." the lilac unicorn said. Ponyville and the neighboring reigons weren't the only areas where this was happening. In the seas, what looked like horseshoe crabs waddled amongst the sea floor. Those were the extinct trilobites, which were a branch of arthropod related to the horseshoe crabs themselves. But something was also on the move. That was the apex predator of the early to mid Cambrian: the dreaded Anomalocaris, as it did millions of years ago on Earth, now did the same thing on Equis. > Cambrian Chaos > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- While the gang was focusing on the termite problem in Ponyville, the seas were teaming with new life. A pony diver was observing the local fauna that had appeared lately. She was originally on a friendly visit, but when a flash of light brang a bunch of new plants and animals a few hours ago, all of which were really bizzare. Along with the recently-appeared trilobites, there were other animals that would have been perking the interest of the mare. As she gazed at the new occupants, she found something that she thought looked very funny. It was a wormlike creature with eight pairs of legs, each fitted with slender claws. On it's back, a bunch of spikes sat. That was Hallucigenia, one of the first armored animals to exist, and the evolutionary ancestor of today's velvet worms and their relatives. They may have died out on Earth, but they and several other extinct species will shine again on Equis. The likes of Plectronoceras and the Nautalis family were also here. The diver swam along the reefs, which fortunately haven't sprouted new coral instantly, and began looking at the new fauna in the reef, taking pictures with her waterproof camera, which she was thankful she had. She documented the Hallucigenia and several others like it, such as Microdictyon and Cardiodictyon. "This is Seashell speaking," Seashell said jokingly. "It appears that I have found strange new animals, including what appears to be worms with legs and sometimes spikes. Another specimen looks like horseshoe crabs, but appear to be wider. And there are some weird things that look like tiny little fish swimming by me, aren't there?" Seashell said as she observed the "fish." The primitive Pikaia now swam in the reef, a whole school of them passing the diver. She decided to follow the school of primitive chordates and see where they wound up. Unlike what's happening in the land, the seas were teeming with even more of Earth's life. A school of similar-looking creatures, the Haikouichthys and the Zhongxiniscus, swam along with the Pikaia, and Seashell swam closer and reached her hoof at them, only for them to swim away from her in terror. Seaside knew fish were shy, but what she saw next was what really made her horrified. The new creature looked like a shrimp, but its length was long enough to match her own. The creature's movement was propelled by the lobes on its sides, and its head had a single pair of compound eyes and a mouth that was accompanied by a pair of barbed "arms". That was one of the Cambrian age's predators Anomalocaris. At first, she thought it was just another animal, but as a predator, it eats other animals. Of course, an Equestrian fish attempted to greet the bizzare organism, waving a fin at it to say hi. Bad move. As soon as he was close enough, he met his fate as the Anomalocaris's armlike appendages grabbed him and pulled the poor fish to the mouth of the creature, which scarfed him down without a second thought whatsoever. Seaside had no words, only staring with her eyes wide open and in fear as the abnormal shrimp turned to the school of prehistoric fish and took its pick. Equestria has never heard of predators, and all the animals lived in peace and happiness. But unlike Equis, every species of plant and animal on Earth were adapted to fight to survive, equipped with spikes, armor, sharp teeth, you name it, and you got it. Seashell has never seen this kind of life before, but she had a duty. "Barbaric actions have been taken. It looks like, no, there is a massacre going on here." Seashell said as she observed. She didn't know it or have a way to know, but it is completely normal for them. Another Anomalocaris swam to a group of trilobites, and looking directly at the scene, she saw it turn one of the trilobites over with its mouth arms, gorging at the defenseless soft tissue. "Oh dear, this isn't good." Seashell said as she swam away from them as fast as she can. Once she thought she was far away enough. She heard a scream come from the distance as she was tackled in the back by a sea pony with silver fur and a dark grey mane. "What's wrong?" Seashell asked as she observed the sea pony, who had scars on him, already staining the surrounding ocean red with blood. "Oww! I was minding my own business... when a flash of light came, and then... ow, a sea scorpion... IS RIGHT HERE! RUN AWAY!" the sea pony said as he pointed a hoof behind her. Seashell slowly turned her head around, and saw what appeared to be a giant sea scorpion, even bigger than Princess Celestia, feasting on what looks like a large fish. That sea scorpion was a powerful predator from the Ordivician period, Pentecopterus decorahensis. "Oh, and by, run away, I meant SWIM AWAY!" the sea pony said as he and Seashell immediately went the other way, where the sea pony was going. "We must go to Seaquestria. It's our best chance to survive this." he said as they swam deeper into the coral reef. Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, in Twilight's castle, Applejack was a bit bummed about the harvest. It was just fine a minute ago, but then this flash of light came into play, and the next thing she knew, termites were eating on the trees of her family's orchard. "It's just not fair. First thing, ah was bucking apples from the orchard's trees, and then, the harvest went downhill. All that cider was lost." she said before turning her head to Starlight. "But thanks for the help, Starlight. If you haven't cast that spell of yours, those darn tree varmits would've eaten the whole orchard." "It's always a pleasure to help a friend." Starlight said as she handed the termites over to Twilight. "Hopefully, with these samples that I brought, we can find the source of the problem pretty easily." the lilac unicorn said as she and Twilight went into another room along with the other two ponies. "You sound confident there, Starlight. Thanks again." the orange farmpony said as Twilight put the bag of termites on the table next to them, along with the jar of stingers left from the Africanized bees. "Angel and Sandy were worried sick when they saw the bees and these weird insects. We really should give a name for those things." the Element of Kindness said. "Let Twilight do her thing. She is one of the most talented magicians I've ever met." Fluttershy said before putting her mouth to Applejack's ear. "I bet she even has a crush on Starswirl the Bearded ever since he returned from Limbo." Fluttershy whispered into the Element of Honesty's ear, electing a giggle from her. "Let's see how this winds up." Applejack said, more on all three things than either one of them. The other two ponies nodded in response. "The sooner Twilight can get this done, the sooner we can figure it all out." Just then, a familiar pink mare came trotting about, jumping right onto the couch. "Hey, 'whatcha doing here?" > Raptors in Ponyville > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hey, 'whatcha doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked as she jumped onto the couch along with her friends. "My Pinkie Senses have been tingling all day. One of the students reported about some bees stinging him without any rhyme or reason, and he told me that Twilight was experimenting on the severed stingers, and now, I'm here with you guys." the party pony explained. "We were working on that same case, Pinkie. Applejack had a problem with an unknown species of insect. She tends to call those things 'tree mites' because they keep eating on her trees." Fluttershy said before putting her head down. "I never ever thought that my special talent would fail so badly." the Element of Kindness said before Twilight turned her attention to the termites as her horn glowed magenta. "Alright, little guys, let's see why you are eating up Sweet Apple Acres." Twilight said as she cast a special spell on the termites in the bag, only to be shocked at the results. "This is impossible. I knew magic could do strange things, but there's no such magic influencing their behavior." the Princess of Friendship said, electing gasps from everyone in the room. "But that's impossible. No animal could behave like that..." Fluttershy thought aloud. "I thought so as well. But with the spell I had, I found that they were always like that all their lives." Twilight said as she walked towards the rest of the crew, who were just as shocked as she was. "And on another side note, I figured that they came from another world for whatever inexplicable reason." the Princess of Friendship added. "Well, that explains why those strange-looking birds and lizard creatures are both in and around the areas of Ponyville and Canterlot." Pinkie Pie said. "What!" everyone said simotaneously in shock. Stalking within the open grasslands was something that looked like a bird, covered in feathers and all, but there were a few things off. Instead of a beak, there was a snout full of sharp, pointy teeth. The creature's tail was about the same length as the rest of the creature and was long and flexible, and the creature's wings had clawed fingers on them. This creature was a female Velociraptor mongoliensis. She roamed the ancient Gobi Desert in Mongolia on her lonesome until a flash of light transported her here. Sure, there was much more grass than usual, but that had its perks along with its problems. The brown and orange of her feathers slightly clashed with the green of the grass, making it slightly harder for camouflage herself. As she stalked, she found an Equestrian boar, just minding his own business, and since she was quite hungry, she lunged in for the kill. The boar was totally surprised by the assault as the Velociraptor latched onto his back, the turkey-sized creature fitting just perfectly as she sank her hook into the boar's neck. The boar had never been in a situation like this, and tried to shake the raptor off his back, but in mere seconds, he succumbed to death. The mammal's meat, while it was not very filling, tasted unfamiliar to her, as her usual prey was the primitive ceratopsian, Protoceratops anderwsi. But there was something else she needed to find. She needed to find a pack to be with since her last (and first) pack was destroyed in a sandstorm. She wasn't sure where she was and wandered aimlessly in the grasslands, calling out for any member of her species. So far, nothing had returned her calls. The Velociraptor tried once more, but this time, there was a response. She ran towards the source of it, and going towards the end of the grass, she met with two other raptors, one female and one male, both of which were packless. Eventually, the newly-formed pack managed to get out of the tall grass, looking out at the quaint little village of Ponyville. All three raptors locked eyes on these strange mammals, one of which was petting something familiar to them before it bit at the filly. Sure, it wasn't their usual Protoceratops, but they recognized it as a dinosaur, and as fast as they can, they ran for the dinosaur, a young adult who was a member of an unknown species of Pachycephalosaur found in Early Cretaceous Canada. The ponies could only watch in sheer terror as the three raptors fought the Pachycephalosaur, and in a few minutes, the thing was brought down. The boar wasn't very filling to our little raptor, but the Pachycephalosaur was. The ponies have never seen predators, not even once, and this practice was unknown to them. The citizens of Ponyville instantly cowered and ran away, looking from behind various barrels, crates, buildings, you name it, as the raptors ate their fresh kill in peace, leaving whatever scraps that remained to the vultures. But on the other side of town, near Twilight's Castle, of course, there was a different story. Five more Velociraptors were fighting an adult of an extinct species of pig known as Kubanochoerus gigas. The pig charged at the raptors, four of which jumped to the side, but the other one wasn't so lucky, have a date to the pig's face and was knocked into a nearby building. The other four raptors responded by jumping onto the Kubanochoerus, targeting its neck and back. The pig attempted to shake the raptors off its back, but only succeeded in two of them. The other two managed to grapple onto the creature's neck, the fifth raptor, by now had shook off the injuries, and latched onto the pig's neck and brought it down. Like with the pachycephalosaur, the Kubanochoerus was nothing but food to the raptors, who feasted on the pig's corpse. All the while, a certain pink pony and her friends were watching the scene. Sandy said. She never thought in all her life that it would be completely normal for any animal. But here they are, witnessing a group of raptors taking down the Kubanochoerus. "I know, Sandy. I was shocked when I heard what Twilight said." Fluttershy replied as Twilight stared curiously (with a bit of fear dosed in as well) at the whole scene. "I never thought that I'd see this up close." Twilight, on the other hand, was holding a notepad in her magic and began taking notes about the fight and how it played out. The Princess of Friendship was scared of these creatures. They appeared without warning, and they did not act like the creatures of Equestria, and were not dependant on the ponies for survival. Where they came from, every living thing does not live to live, but live to fight for survival. Twilight really wanted it to be the last of them, but she had this feeling deep within her that the invasion was far from over, and that it was just the beginning of a new era. > A New Change > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It has been approximately one hour since the raptors attacked the giant pig in Ponyville, and those who watched it would probably have nightmares for weeks to come, especially the Equestrian animals, who all were unfamiliar with the concept of carnivory. Twilight was busy cataloging her findings about the new creatures. Truth be told, her face turned green the very moment the raptors began eating the Kubanochoerus, and several ponies needed a bucket or two after the gruesome scene that happened. As for the Princess of Friendship herself, Twilight was at her castle, finishing off with the notes she wrote on her book, along with some illustrations of said creatures and handed them to Spike, who blew magical fire on them that delivered it to Celestia. Just then, Spike belched out some green fire, and a letter came back in response. "Dear Twilight Sparkle..." Twilight read while looking at the letter in her aura. "I am very sorry to say that this is not just happening in Ponyville. I've gotten reports of these quote-on-quote barbaric actions (Which I now know, thanks to your research, that these are natural occourences from the worlds they came from.) on such innocent creatures. These things are farther into the Frozen North than Yakyakistan is, and are as far south as the former Storm Kingdom, and even go way past Griffonstone's easternmost border." Everyone in the room gasped at this. Owlowiscious was still with Twilight, and he gasped. He knew they skies were not safe, but to think that their range was this far was horrifying. "I've got reports of these bone-chilling phenomena at Manehattan were a spider the size of filly was seen eating a bird and strange plants were growing on the buildings, Appaloosa where lions were seen chasing the buffalo and acacia trees were growing around the building, and a snake spat something that had blinded Braeburn. And yes, even Canterlot itself has its problems with new trees growing around, and a giant snake was seen in the moat, and I've gotten reports that the plants once tended by the ponies were growing at their own alarming rates. I'm very scared, Twilight. Me and Luna are slowly losing control of the sun and moon and the weather is slowly beginning to act on its own. These beings and mechanics are not natural in Equestria, but I'm afraid that they will be shortly. But whatever you do, do not let it stop you from helping everypony with their problems. Your fellow princes and former teacher, Celestia." "Spike, Owlowiscious, this is worse than I had hoped." Twilight said with a bit of guilt. "I have this feeling in my gut that it would be far from over, I didn't realize how right I was! Please forgive me!" Twilight said as she pounced onto Spike and crushed him with a huge amount of tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything to stop it! I'm sorry I wasn't able to prevent it. I'm sorry I was unable to do a thing! I'm sorry that-" What she had to say was interrupted when a purple arm managed to squeeze out and put a hand over Twilight's mouth, and she was still crying, but in a muffled tone. "Twilight, get a grip! This isn't your fault!" Spike said in a tone that made Twilight open her eyes and loosen her tightened grip on him, although she still had a few tears flowing down her eyes. "Look, Twilight, you aren't at stake, none of us have any fault in the situation. Not even Discord would do something as heartbreaking as that! He'd never do it! And even if you were able to prevent it, you would not see if it was coming or not!" Spike said as the alicorn finished shedding her tears as a smile spread across her face. "Cheer up, Twilight. There is no way you would've seen if it was coming, none of us have a way for this. Even Celestia admitted she was scared, but she did say not to let it get the best of you." Spike said as his adoptive sister let go of him. "Yes, you aren't able to stop it, and yes, you were not able to prevent it, but you can do something about it! You have faced two ponies possessed by darkness, helped Fluttershy reform Discord, help foil a plan made by Chrysalis to sabatoge a wedding, stopped Tirek from stealing your magic, defeated the Storm King, and you also managed to make tons of friends. We all have your back." Spike said as he put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Thanks, Spike. You really know how to cheer somepony up." Twilight said with a smile as she got up and took a deep breath of fresh air. "We've got a lot of things to do. Luna has completely adjusted to today's world, the crystal ponies are mostly done, and the Pillars of Equestria have just started with their adjustments. And now, we have to adjust to a world were survival of the fittest is slowly taking over our usual way of life. It is faster than most things, but I'm confident that we have just enough time to adjust. It is a shame that Flurry Heart will never know the peace and tranquility of the world before this incident apart from stories." Twilight admitted with her head pointing downward. Spike knew Twilight had a point there. Like with Luna, the crystal ponies, and the Pillars, they will all have to adapt to what will happen in the future. These animals may look the same, but they are also completely different. They are far dumber than Equestria's animals are, but that's the only advantage they have. From what she's seen, these creatures were much more adaptable and are driven by the will to survive, some smarter than others. The bees that showed up in the School's back grounds had far more painful stings and apparently died on contact, and the poor colt who got stung the most was covered in boils like she never saw before. Thank goodness she made that antidote. Liquify the bee stingers and mix them with healing potion and magic had helped a lot. The antlike creatures that ate on the apple trees in Sweet Apple Acres ate wood. Fortunately, she knew a spell that can give wood the qualities of stone or metal, which would be useful against these creatures. As for the ants, fortunately, they're within the Everfree, but she knew it would be more dangerous with those things around. She'll have to think of something. She already had several blank journals in which she can catalog these things, so she can keep a solid record on them. She knows that many of Equestria's flora and fauna would not stand a chance against these things, and many of them would wind up being gone forever, save for some of the monsters in the Everfree, such as the cockatrice. As for the races that built kingdoms, Twilight knew that the ponies, griffons, dragons, etc. will be able to make it, but they would never be the same again once it is all up and done. Pegasi would not be able to control the weather, and Celestia and Luna would no longer have their hold on the sun and moon. But she had to stay strong, for Celestia, for everypony in Equestria and beyond. But something happened that snapped her out of that trance. "Twilight, I don't feel so..." He fell down on his rump as he clutched his stomach in pain. He yelled as he felt his digestive system turn into jelly. "What's happening to me?" Spike yelled before screeching in pain. "Spike!" Twilight said as she ran towards the dragon she saw as a brother. Inside of him, his genetic structure was slightly rewritten began to change his stomach from within, enzymes breaking down the old digestive tract and using the soup of molecules that was once his digestive system for parts to build a new one designed not for eating gems, but for breaking down and digesting meat, and plant matter on minor occasions. He let out howls of pain as he felt two new appendages grow from his back, developing a layer of membrane between the spindly 'fingers' with the spare molecules before stopping for some reason. "Spike, Spike, are you okay?" Twilight asked as the pain subsided, leaving Spike to pant and catch his breath, feeling nerves that were not there connect to the new wings. "Ow... ow... it hurts so badly..." Spike said as he clutched his stomach. He soon took note of his new cravings, and began thinking about... roasted chicken, plucked of all its feathers and served with sauce. "Why do I crave chickens?" Twilight looked in shock. Spike was affected too? "Not you, too! I need to know what has just happened to you. I'm not gonna harm you, I'd never do that." Twilight said as she levitated her friend into the lab. She desperately hoped that nothing happened to his mind. > Kudzu and Denial > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight looked at her friend. Twilight was too young to be his mother, so she saw him more as a little brother of some kind ever since she was hatched. "It's gonna be okay, Spike, Twily's gonna see what's wrong..." Twilight said as Spike lay down on the table in her lab, fidgeting with his new, still-developing wings as she scanned him with her horn. Of all the people that had to go through this, why did it have to be Spike? What she saw, had indeed confirmed her fears. "Spike, I've found out that whatever happened caused your body to *gulp* accept animal matter..." Spike's eyes widened at this. Suddenly, Pinkie came in and looked at him. "So that's the one who was screaming. I'm not too surprised since you are on a table while Twilight was scanning you. There was no pain in any of the other dragons within the campus grounds, though." Pinkie concluded. Twilight looked at Spike. "Wait, Pinkie! From what I have heard from you, Spike was the only one affected! I can fix this! Spike said I did not know it was coming and I couldn't stop it from starting, but maybe I can reverse the damage done to him before it affects anyone else!" Twilight said as she grinned. "Come on, Spike. We got testing to do..." she said as she grabbed Spike and got him off the table quietly, the small dragon merely stretching his limbs as he got off the table. Before he left, he went to Pinkie Pie to whisper something to her. "Between you and me, I have a strong feeling that she is not gonna succeed with whatever she is planning." he told her before being dragged off. "Make sure this doesn't get to anyone in the campus!" Spike was keeping his claws anchored to the crystal walls. "Tell them to keep on teaching, and whatever you do, do not let them outside for a good amount of time until we can figure things out..." he concluded before being finally dragged out of the room. "I believe in you, Pinkie!" Spike said before he disappeared from Pinkie's view as he concluded his speech, leaving the pink mare in the room alone. She tilted her head and shrugged as she walked out of the castle and towards the direction of the School of Friendship, sighing as she went to tend to the students. "Spike's right. Everybody needs to be cheered up." Pinkie said. "And yes, I admit it, even I need someone to turn my frowny face upside-down sometimes." she said to a nonexistent audience as she hopped around to check for any changes in the students. "Hmm, I wonder what's happening with the kudzu in Manehattan…" Pinkie thought out loud. She may be at Ponyville, but Pinkie Pie is right, and so was Celestia's letter. The city of Manehattan was normally a pretty clean place, but a new plant has recently been popping up: kudzu. In the United States, kudzu in an invasive species, and is it now one in Equestria as well. The morphological differences are small and few in between, and the American kudzu is derived from four other species. Kudzu has been known to compete with the native flora for light, and acts to block their access to this vital resource by growing over them and shading them with its leaves. Without proper adaptions, the native plants would die in the process. Introduced to America in 1876 to stop erosion, this vine has become an invasive species that would disturb the ecosystems in America, and now, it is doing the same to many different parts of Equis, and since the world of Equis runs manually, there isn't a real 'ecosystem', leaving niches that did not exists yet and were even despised by the animals right for the taking for the species of Earth. You see, this little sucker reproduces via runners that attach to a surface, and it grows very fast. There were few native trees around Manehattan planted around to decorate the streets, but the tall buildings provided the kudzu with enough surface to provide it with even more light. The citizens of the city were in a bit of a panick-attack. In one of the buildings, a mare woke up and opened the blinds, only to see vines on the other side of the window, blocking her view. Her reaction? "Meh, back to bed..." the pegasus said to herself, thinking it was another crazy dream, but outside of the buildings, ponies were in a panic. Pegasi tried to clean it out, but there was another pest lingering about, and this one wasn't a plant. No, it was an animal that was stopping them. A giant hawk the size of a filly soared above the skies of a land filled with new and unfamiliar prey. Of course, this wasn't his familiar territory, but the new prey around was ripe for the killing and dived straight at the unsuspecting pegasus, but he wasn't the only pest. The pegasus saw the bird of prey coming and punched it in the beak. "That was the fourth one now!" a light blue pegasus mare with a blond mane said as she saw it plummet down. "I cannot believe these things would eat their fellow birds." she ranted, holding back the urge to throw up. As for the hawk, it soon regained momentum and took flight once again before slamming into a bloody pulp on the ground. It was the same drill every time, and the hawk quickly flew away. Remember that it wasn't the only pest. A group of small, dragon/bat-like pterosaurs came in, the males having bright colors. These were Dimorphodon, and the pegasus immediately hated them more than the hawks because they travel in packs. "Ugh, you again!" she said, recognizing the creatures from before as the ones who ambushed her partner, and now he's in the hospital. Kudzu wasn't the only plant around. Several different species of bamboo littered the streets, and cleaning ponies came in with axes to cut down the meanace. They were better than the kudzu, as they didn't soil the buildings, but the fact that some of them popped up in the streets was annoying. The moss was also a bit out of place, but it didn't have any negative effects on the buildings, although it would stain them in time. In some of the parks, Haungshan pines appeared. They didn't do much to disturb the tranquility. In fact, some of the ponies even liked them. In the branches of a new oak tree planted in the park, a grey squirrel runs from a walking pony and climbs up the tree, ready get some acorns to store for the winter. In one the Haungshan trees, several bird, namely cardinals, robins, and sparrows perched, however, there was something else lurking in the shadows, ready to interrupt the peace. Everyone heard a loud roar as a giant cat with light brown fur and a stubby tail pounced in and showed its saber-like teeth for the world to see. That was Smilodon: the saber-toothed tiger. It was a predator in the Last Ice Age before dying off by a combination of a warming climate and humans overhunting it. For over ten thousand years it lay dead, and it now is having a comeback in Equis. "Everypony run!" one of the ponies said as the large cat chased them out of the park. Meanwhile, on a train, a certain white unicorn with a dark purple mane was riding on a train to Manehattan. "In all terms of honesty, I don't get why they're in such a panic..." Rarity said as she looked at the magazine depicting cute colts on it as she sipped a cup of coffee from the dining car. She was on a business trip, and another pony had substituted as the teacher for generosity while she was gone to check Carousel Boutique's Manehattan Division. Just then, the train stopped. "Alright, welcome to Manehattan, everypony. I hope nothing out of the ordinary will dull your day." the voice of the conductor said, electing a groan from the white unicorn. "Ugh, this again. There is no soil for these strange plants to grow here. Granted there might've been an incident involving an animal eating somepony, but in all honesty, I highly doubt it would be that bad..." Rarity said as she exited the train and went through the train station, but gasped in shock at what she saw. Kudzu, a plant nonexistent in Equis, littered the surfaces of some of the tall skyscrapers that made the city. Bamboo that wasn't there before had shot up in some of the sidewalks and streets. She saw a group of ponies cutting them down and putting them in a cart. And when Rarity looked down at her hooves, she jumped backwards and reeled in disgust and the sight of moss. She looked back to see that the train was gone. "Oh my word, what has happened here!" Rarity said before she saw ponies running away. And no, she wasn't the thing they were scared of. She looked to see the same Smilodon that had been spotted at the park a few minutes ago. It looked at her with hunger in its eyes and pounced. Rarity sighed and charged her horn, engulfing the big cat in a blue aura as he vanished. She just cast a simple teleportation spell on the cat, how else was she able to move her fainting couch from place to place? She just sighed and walked to the nearby office so she can look at the new outfits. The Smilodon was teleported a few feet into the sky. It looked down to see water, and cats hated water. But it wasn't that which did it. It looked down to see a set of jaws as it fell. The Smilodon's life ended at the hands of a giant shark, blood flying everywhere as the Megalodon sank back into the ocean floor, ready to search for yet another meal. > Outback to Appaloosa > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As soon as Pinkie went into the School of Friendship, she got towards the announcement. "Twilight and Spike are not gonna be here for a while since they're busy experimenting." Pinkie said. "But don't worry about a thing, even though you cannot go outside because of those mean bees. But hey, just because they are out there doesn't mean we can't have fun anymore because of that! I swear, I will make it up to you!" In truth, she did not know what to do. The Cutie Map had called two of her friends over to Appaloosa and Canterlot, both of which had incidents where Celestia reported these strange animals showed up and caused chaos. But that doesn't mean she'll not find a way to make it up for them, and she will do it. But she was unsure about what is happening in Appaloosa. Speaking of Appaloosa, the place has a bunch of its own plants creatures of its own showing up. Judging by the plants and animals appearing in the region and the new and unusual weather patterns showing up, it is safe to say that the boom town would no longer be in a desert. However, the new moisture was blocked by the MacIontish hills, which did not give much in terms of rain to offer for the lands south of them. Acacia and boab trees sprouted from place to place, and a thin layer of grass was growing along with prickly pear cacti. Ponies were in a bit of a panic at the shifting climate. Granted, anyone would be scared if the world changed around them, but that was not what scared them. "Come on, ya can't scare the ponies here, Mr. Lion. They're too friendly!" an earth pony filly said to an African Lion, who did not understand her one bit. What he did understand was that there was free lunch right for the taking. The lion attempted to pounce, only for someone else to push her out of the way just in time. Of course, the poor sap had made a deathwish, and the lion, a free meal, and the pony, a look of shock. "How could you DO this!" she said as the lion looked at her. Her look of shock and fear turned to anger as she looked to see that this was the corpse of her friend. No, what did that guy do? "You monster!" she yelled as she pounced on the lion, and with one swift kick, knocked him into a building. "How could ya do such a thing! Eat an innocent creature, that's not darn natural!" Blossom yelled as the lion once again charged towards her, but this time, it changed tactics as it swung its claws at her, and succeeded. "Why do you do such a thing..." she said as she slammed into a building. If his expressions were human, he would've smacked his lips. This old male was an exile from his pack. He didn't know where he was, nor did he care. As long as there's food, he'll take it. But then, before he can strike, something came to her rescue. "Blossom! Ah'm coming for ya..." the voice of Braeburn replied as he locked eyes with the creature. "Another 'un. Just my day." Braeburn said. Lions were not found in Equestria unless they escaped from a zoo, which never happened. He looked to the corpse of the filly's friend. "Ya were brave tryin to save yer friend, but don't fight the creature next time." Breaburn said to the filly. A few hours ago, he and his team had chased down a whole pack of lions, as well as some Celophysis that were eating their deceased. "But as for ya, my big hairy friend..." The two stared at each other, the Apple glaring at the big cat. "Well..." The lion ran for him, going for a killing blow, only for the earth pony to throw a lasso around his muzzle. The lion looked at it, and tried to yank it around, but Braeburn held on tight. It was clear that thing wasn't giving up. It continued thrashing around as Braeburn tightened the grip. However, both partied failed to notice a pair of jaws snapping around the lion. "Momma..." Braeburn said as he looked upon the killer. It was a giant, scaly lizard with brownish scales, and a jaw covered with blood. The Allosaurus was a powerful predator in Jurassic Africa. The creature was pretty hungry and let out a loud screech as it looked at the earth pony with hunger in its eyes. He knew he couldn't take down that beast alone, not like the lion. "Gah!" he said, jumping to avoid a bite from the Allosaur. "Ah can reason with ya, gotta believe me... Yipe!" he said as he dodged yet another bite. "Please, ya have to stop this now." He spotted a bunch of cacti nearby. He turned as quickly as he could as the large Jurassic carnivore turned as quickly, only to be stopped when a rope went around its muzzle. He quietly panted as he saw four ponies attempting to take the beast down. "Hope you can succeed..." Braeburn muttered to himself as he looked forward, only to see a Red spitting cobra. He didn't have time to say anything as the snake spat venom at his eyes. "Gah! Ah can't see! Somepony help me!" the yellow earth pony said as he rubbed his eyes while the cobra slithered away. Meanwhile, the group of ponies were still busy fighting the Allosaurus. "...and that's how it happened, cousin..." Braeburn said as he 'looked' at Applejack from his bed, finishing the story he had told to her. The last thing he saw was a red snake spitting at him. A darn snake was the reason he had to stay in his bed for the time being. And now, h "Um, ah'm right over here to your left." Applejack said as her cousin looked to his left. Or, was it his left. "Ya should know that it ain't happening just here. Ah had a problem with insects eating mah trees. It's hard to believe, but it is completely natural for these creatures, Twilight even said so." There was no mistaking Applejack's words for lies. "Twilight's still studying those creatures, and some of us are going for trips we need ta do. Rarity was going to Manehattan for another business trip. Her fashion business has become successful. As for me, well, when ah heard you were blinded, ah just had to come and see ya. You're my cousin, and that means a lot." Applejack said. "But, would ya mind describing the snake?" "Alright, so, the snake that blinded me." Braeburn said. Even though he can't see, the image of the snake was still very clear to him. "It was real small, when coiled, the size of my hoof. It was also a bright red with a black stripe in it, and when ah encountered it, it unfolded a hood a never seen before. It looked like a cobra, but I haven't heard of any cobras that have retractable hoods, or the kind that can spit venom in your eyes." the cowpony said, thinking about the snake that blinded him. "The memory hurts as much as mah eyes, but why do ya want to know about this, anyway?" "Twilight had once dealed with a group of bees that dad gum stung a poor little colt to death. He lived, that was definetly for sure, but he was swellin' like a pig in a buffet. These bees died upon contact when stinging, which was both a good and a bad thing, mainly good because Twilight was able to make an antidote by mixing the stingers with magic and somethin else ah don't know much about." Applejack explained. "Maybe, but it's just speculation and hope, we can find that kind of snake so Twilight can make a cure your blindness..." "Thanks, cousin. You really know how to make mah day." Braeburn said. "Ah'll be back. If ah know Twilight, she's in her lab by now." Applejack said. "Get well soon..." > Canterlot Snake Problem > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The kudzu at Manehattan, the termites of Ponyville, the trilobites of the sea, the ants in the Everfree, and the Appaloosa's transformation from desert to savannah were just one of the things they had to worry about. The phenomenon is taking root all around the world of Equestria and beyond, and hit weather cities very hard. In fact, they were about to collapse in on themselves. Since the weather is starting to act on its own, cities such as Cloudsdale and Las Pegasus were slowly but surely becoming more and more unstable, though there was enough magic to keep them up and running for a little while as its residents did their best to keep the massive cloud city together, but the phenomenon would prove stronger in the end and tear the city down. But this next scene isn't about them. Canterlot Castle is in the spotlight today. The city had a better situation due to being perched on a cliff, but it still had to deal with the occasional plant growing in a wrong place and an animal that managed to sneak in or appeared in a flash of light, particularly pterosaurs that threatened to carry of small foals to their nests and the occasional big cat or two. In the palace itself, Celestia herself is looking at the reports. Giant cave bears have been spotted stealing food and chicks in Griffonstone, Kirin Lagoon has been dealing with giant terror birds, and ugly 'goblin sharks' as the locals called them were outright horrifying. Now those thing would give her nightmares for eons. "This has been the most stressful thing I ever been in since fighting Nightmare Moon." she said with weariness in her voice. The nobles were enough, but these strange plants and creatures... they're another story. She angrily and exhaustingly stomped her hoof on the floor. Granted, she's been in tough situations before, but there were too many darn things that hit her at once. And on the other side of the spectrum, she and her sister are losing control over the sun and moon. Now, she was tired of doing the same routine over and over again, and so is her sister, but to think what groups of religious extremist ponies, all of which she hated, would do if they find out that they are losing their power, that could spell a bunch of problems and more death by the hands of those predatory creatures. Speaking of which, there was something in the lake, a giant serpent that was bigger than the largest snakes found in Equestria. The Royal Guard was just a bluff, but she might have to buff them up so they can be better suited for the new world that is currently being made. "What good are they now..." she silently thought out loud as she got up from her throne. All she wanted right now was to sink in a hot tub with only her head above the water as she eats a slice of cake before going to bed. Why does she have to hire complete idiots for that job? But on their defense, she just made the Royal Guard as a bluff to prevent any wars. "Why did they have to be, wait, why did I have to be this... oh, stupid! Stupid!" Celestia ranted, only to kick her hoof on the wall. "BUCK!" Ever since the Titanoboa wound up, it did not know where it was. All it knew was that there was some massive cliff with a bunch of caves near the mountainside where the lake it was in. There were frogs and fish, which were idiotic enough to let it strike its first meal, before running off the first time it ate one of them. The Titanoboa had no concept of friendship and platonic love within its brain, only the instinct to survive. In this lake, it was a bit colder than usual, and it had nothing to fear, but those armored equines with floating sticks proved to be more of a nuisance than anything else. They all looked the same and kept coming like rats. "Come on, old friend, you can do this!" That was the thirty-fourth one it encountered, not that it kept count on how many, of course. Another one snakingly got and threw a spear at it, but the serpent's body moved the other way. It kept its new home in the lake, yet there were no sings of these things quitting. "Augh! I'll-" the giant snake saw the unicorn guard attempt to pounce, and bashed him with his tail, forcing him into the lake. "Gah! Celestia, help me!" The guard swam up to reveal a snake's jaw clamping onto his lower half, attempting to drag him into the water. The white guard charged his horn and attempted to jerk the black guard out of the Titanoboa's grasp. "Come on!" The snake responded in kind by diving back into the water as the guard jumped in. The snake knew one thing, these creatures were too stupid to know what else is in the water. "Gah!" Both guards looked around, holding their breaths to see some assorted Asain carp, bass, and.. "AAAH!" Both jumped up and ran in place cartoonishly as pirahnas attempted to bite them off due to the white guard leaking some blood before zooming off for land. The serpent sensed something was coming and slithered to the shore to wait off the feeding frenzy, only to look at one other guard. If it knew human expressions, it would've smacked its lips at the sight of those morsels, if it had any. In fact, it didn't have eyelids, either. The guards fruitlessly charged and threw their spears, but the snake managed to easily dodge due to its instinctual reflexes guiding it. Once the spears landed, it sped towards them and opened its mouth, ready to devour the morsels. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was busy going to Canterlot to talk with Celestia about all these creatures. She knew the white alicorn was aware of it all, but her animal friends wanted her to go there because they wanted to feel safe. The only animal friend who decided to go with her was a red bird, Albert, who came because he was scared. He tweeted something in her ear. "Yeah, I know you're scared of these creatures, and I don't blame you wanting to stay with me." Fluttershy said before Albert said something else to his caregiver. "Okay, I admit it, I am a little scared, too." the timid pegasus admitted as she pet Albert by the head feathers, which he liked. "I just hope that there isn't anything- OH MY FETLOCK BUCKING WITHERS!" Fluttershy and Albert had their respective integument stand on end at what they saw. They were glad Sandy wasn't here, she would have even more nightmares than them both, maybe even for the rest of her life. The large Titanoboa was playing tug-of-war with a white unicorn guard, trying to get the gray guard down its mouth as a black guard looked in horror. The large serpent won in the end and swallowed the delicious morsel. Fluttershy wasn't sure what to do, but something began boiling. She knew that this creature was operating solely on what was programmed in its brain, but the fact that innocent ponies were being eaten, but then, the snake eyed one of the guards and attempted went straight towards the poor sap and began wrapping around him. "That is IT!" Fluttershy snapped as she went with blazing speeds towards the creature, freeing the guard from his grasp. "I am well aware that you creatures operate only on simple thoughts, but NO ONE..." Fluttershy said as the Titanoboa hissed at her. "...shall do that to whatever my friends for as long as I live!" The snake slithered to it as fast as it could, before Fluttershy noticed the apparent bulge within its midsection. "NOW SPIT THE POOR GUARD OUT!" She said as she targeted the midsection of the snake, causing a wet guard to barrel out of the serpent's mouth. Albert spotted a continently-placed paper bag from nowhere and nearly hurled into it at the sight of what happened, and the fact that the sight of the Titanoboa alone had nearly squeezed out his insides, and the fact that several dead fish from both Equestrian and Earthly origins were floating on the surface of the lake. The Element of Kindness was not known to have a temper, but she showed it whenever somebody harms her friends. But she let her rage give way to sadness as she went back down with tears in her eyes at what she had done, even if it did the deed for survival. Albert flew to his caretaker in order to confront her, knowing that she was being protective. "You're right, we still have something to do." the Element of Kindness replied as she waved to the guards, who opened the door for her. Meanwhile, Celestia had heard the locomotion from a mile away, and recognized it as Fluttershy's voice. What was she here for? Probably because she wanted to talk to her in person. "Good thing it's her..." she thought aloud. The last thing she wanted was another noble begging for help or a priest sacrificing corn. And so, the Princess of the Day had went back to her throne, but not before making herself look presentable for the meeting, brushing her mane and putting on her regalia with a smile on her face. Not of anything else, but because a good friend and not some ambassador or noble was visiting. It only took a few seconds, but when she got to the throne room where Fluttershy was already waiting along with one of her animal friends. "I suppose you have had encounters with animals?" "Eep!" Fluttershy said before looking right at Celestia. "Oh, hey, Princess Celestia. I came to talk to you because my animal friends and I were scared, and Twilight is busy with something." the Element of Kindness replied. Celestia nodded in response. She was thankful that centuries worth of acting skills she had, or she would've wetted her bed in her nightmares. "I know that you're here for your animal friends, and I know the feeling." Fluttershy nodded in response before they began talking about the various things that had happened. Fluttershy was scared knowing the fact that it was happening through the known world and beyond, but she kept it together while they talked through their discussion over some tea and cookies. But then, Discord came in with battered fur, looking exhausted. "I couldn't prevent what happened. I've been searching high and low for answers, but I couldn't find any." he said before being hugged by Celestia. "It's okay, Discord, I forgive you. You did do your best, after all." Celestia replied. "Thanks for the help, guys. I couldn't find any answers. And whatever is happening, it's like the environment is fighting against my magic harder than I was hit by the Elements, and you got the idea how hard it struck." Discord said. Fluttershy gasped at this revelation. "But the only thing I can say is that I have to prepare for this, we all have to. Magic is still at proper levels, it seems. You can still use your magic, right? Do you feel anything tugging on it, if you know what I mean." Celestia charged her horn with a golden aura and levitated a tea cup with ease. "My magic levels are mostly the same as ever, but my hold on the sun is waning, so is Luna's hold on the moon. From what I've seen, nopony's magic is looking any weaker than it is, save for some certain fronts like weather control and plant growth. The world is starting to operate in a way that doesn't have magic. The Everfree is basically the same, but it is also starting to operate that same way." Discord let out a grin. "Good, I thought it would affect me in some way, but, then again, I am from another dimension with different physics, so that would be less likely to affect me. But what I can say is, for the time being, you have to prepare for this new world. The Age of Harmony is over, and a new age, an Age of Change, has just begun..." > Unexpected Savior > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's been a while since the animals showed up from their homes on Earth, and Ponyville looked like a ghost town filled with animals and somewhat overgrown due to plants appearing. Having never seen meat-eaters before, the ponies and animals native to Equestria were outright horrified, some were even traumatized. The animals were nothing like they ever had seen in nature before, and to them, it was the most horrid sight anyone can ever lay their eyes on. In our world, the eat or be eaten thing is nature, but they did not know it. All they knew was it wasn't safe for any of them anymore. The animals of Earth, while less intelligent, were much better at surviving than Equestria's own creatures. Survival was the main gear that was driving them, but Equestria never saw anything like that, no. Ever since they showed up, both the ponies and Equestrian animals alike have come to the conclusion that the Terran animals were naught but bloodthirsty demons, and most of the populace was locked in their own homes, save for a few adults here and there, who were trying to shoo the Terran animals away and clean up the dung that they left on the streets. Not to mention all the weird plants that grew now, ones that grew on their own alarming rates. They were scared. So, gathering as many of their native animals as they could, they went into their households to hide from what they perceived as monsters. But hiding from the world will not work out well, not with the world being able to sneak into even the most closed of places. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were forced to stay indoors due to all the 'monsters' that walked the streets of the seemingly deserted city- err, town. Since Rarity was going on her trip to Manehattan and because Scootaloo was an orphan, they had to stay in Sweet Apple Acres. Granny Smith was busy sleeping in her chair, a newspaper on her face covering the sound of her snores, which would have rang throughout the property if it weren't for that paper, with Winona sleeping by her for comfort and for protection, despite the fact she was still more fit. Winona got up and sniffed the air the moment an unfamiliar smell entered her nostrils. She knew that as the smell of those monsters, these caricatures of animals that ate one another and her fellow animals. Of course, she hadn't heard of the research, so it was easy for her to draw the conclusion they were monsters. She couldn't be any more right about the fact that something was out there. She barked loudly before running towards the hallway, awaking Granny Smith. "Wha? Whazzat? What?" she said, flinging the newspaper with surprising force. Winona ran towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders, knowing that danger was coming. "Have you got any threes?" Sweetie Belle asked as the other two looked at their cards. Outside, a Giant Ground Sloth (Megatherium) was grazing on the apple trees, and the family was too afraid to go outside of their own homes, save for Applejack and Big Mac, who took as many apples as they could while attempting to shoo the creatures away with little/no success. Yes, the ground sloth was there, but something else was coming towards the house from the other side of the orchard. A herd of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were grazing in unfamiliar, yet still edible grass, when they heard a roaring sound. A Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) was seen chasing down her prey, a young Edmontosaurus, and caused the deer to run in opposite directions. The dinosaur was too foucused on fleeing from the tiger and did not notice it pouncing, and both tumbled into the farmhouse. On the area that bordered the Everfree, an Allosaurus was waiting, looking at the tiger and the hadrosaur. The old bull let out a roar that sounded more like a whale's bellow at a higher pitch and proceeded to run towards the two fighting creatures that were tumbling towards the house. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were all playing cards since being outside was now no longer safe with all the animals walking about. "Go fish." Scootaloo replied. "Augh! It's so boring! Why did they have to come here?" Just as she asked that question, a familiar sound came as Winona arrived, barking in a nervous manner. "Winona? What's wrong?" Applebloom asked. She knew she couldn't understand her speech, but she knew there was something wrong due to how she's behaving. "Um, does anypony here that?" she asked as they all heard a rumbling sound coming from behind. The walls burst forth as the Edmontosaurus and Siberian Tiger busted in, being followed shortly by the Allosaurus. "Run!" she yelled as they ran from the fight as the Allosaurus struck them both down and ate them right on the spot. But, he was hungry, and looked at the three fillies and the dog when the dust cleared. All three of them screamed as they ran into the safety of the barn. The doors were too small for his frame, and he decided he would just bust another hole in the house. So, it ran along on the other side of the wall, and rearing his head, not caring what its purpose was, and his jaw snapped at them, causing them to run towards the other side. Fortunately for them, his head was stuck in his own hole, and it took a few tries for him to lodge out. By then, the bull saw the fillies and dog run the other direction and chased after them. By then, they all had one more thing to say. "HELP!" Fortunately for them, somebody was there. Rainbow Dash was busy flying around, attempting to shoo away some annoying pterosaurs, when she heard their plea. Unfortunately, while brave, she was also foolish, and did not care whether or not it was bigger or badder. She looked to see the farmhouse having two holes in it, and then looked to see three fillies and a dog being chased by the Allosaurus. Putting the pieces together, she charged at the Allosaurus without yet a second thought, slamming into its body. "Alright, you dirty lizard! I don't care what your deal is, but innocent fillies are not for eating!" she said. Of course, the Allosaurus didn't understand her, but it took it as a challenge and merely roared at her, showcasing its many teeth at her. That alone wouldn't scare her, but the smell of decaying animal matter and the sight of meat chunks lodged into its teeth took the Rainbow from Rainbow Dash as her mane turned a snowy white as the rainbow literally fell off like wet paint, mixing to form a brownish color. "Run!" she yelled, joining in on the crowd. None of them couldn't believe it. The fearless pony who represented Loyalty was scared to death, having known instantly what that thing had did. They immediately fled to town, hoping that the Allosaurus would get confused and give up, but carnivorous animals are usually equipped with an uncanny sense of smell, which guided the bull throughout the town and towards his prize as he walked through the unfamiliar landscape. Before long, he found them, and there was nowhere for them to hide. He ran towards them, roaring in nonexistent excitement. The three fillies, the dog, and a now rainbow-less pegasus closed their eyes and waited for death, but it didn't come. They heard a crunching sound, and Rainbow was the first to open an eye, and they couldn't believe what they saw right in front of them. None of them noticed it, but nearby, an ankylosaur known as Gastonia was grazing. The Gastonia did not have a good sense of smell, so some of Fluttershy's birds were perched onto it. They were more intelligent than birds from our world, so they were able to figure out that the Gastonia was not a threat, and that it did not have good eyesight, and they perched on it for protection, unknowillingly acting as its eyes. The Gastonia made up for it with its good hearing and sense of smell, so the moment it saw the scent of the Allosaurus and recognized it as a carnivore, and the moment the birds started panicking, its instincts kicked in, and swung its tail straight into the old bull. The Allosaurus looked at the Gastonia, and he saw the small creature, and lifted up a leg so he could flip it over and rip its head off its neck, but another swing came to his standing leg, causing him to jump back in pain. His instincts told him that it would work out well, and he immediately ran towards the Everfree, but not before looking at his original prey and letting out a loud hiss that would haunt each and every one of them for months to come. The ponies and Equestrian animals were sealed up in their houses, but when they saw what happened, they all went in to greet the Gastonia. They soon attempted to make a celebration, but due to its limited brain capacity, the Gastonia just resumed grazing, it was even given a medal, too, but that is not in its mind. It can't comprehend it, nor did it notice the shocked looks when it went away to find a new place to graze in. Fluttershy's birds were just confused. But, it unknowillingly taught us all one thing in importance. Among the facts that animals eat meat and the color of a pony's mane can literally be scared right out of them, how it was even possible was beyond even my knowledge, the ultimate lesson they learned was that the world has its ways, but not everything about it is bad. Sure, the thing had limited thought, but it acted on self-defense, and we learned that not all of them are monsters, or at least everypony else did. Spike is starting to crave meat, but fortunately, he can substitute with eggs. He also had managed to get me to stop, and told me it was going nowhere. But, we still do not know a thing about them, though Pinkie seems to be the most knowledgeable for whatever weird reason. Sincerely, your former student and fellow Princess, Twilight Sparkle. Celestia looked at the report from Twilight, with Fluttershy, Albert, and Discord in tow. "Well, it is safe to say that we might need to prepare ahead of time. I might not be able to do a thing about the creatures, but we can at the very least prepare for the next batch." she said as she walked towards the balcony. She knew she couldn't stop, and even if they somehow managed to use the Elements on these beings, they are not evil or malevolent in any way, and just are doing what they need to do to survive, so it won't be able to work. "And prepare we must..." Celestia whispered to herself as the other three went towards her. She knew Discord would scare the crap out of them, and they couldn't understand Albert, so that left Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, please tell my advisors of architecture and transportation that I need them, and while you are at it, please bring me something to get this darn headache to Tartarus, pardon my language." Celestia said. After this, she wanted to lay down and let her brain process all of that information, but now, she has a few people she needs to talk to about the creatures. Likewise, they need to prepare, and prepare is what they will do. Meanwhile, in the frozen wastelands near the Crystal Empire, a herd of mammoths were walking in search for food, not knowing that something else was stalking them from behind. The theropod kept towards the snow, seeing them head for that shiny thing in the distance. The carnivorous dinosaur did not know why they were heading towards it, and merely went their direction, not caring where they are going. As long as it can get some food, then it's golden.