The Lost Land of Dinotopia

Chapter 4: Bus Ride

Celestia’s sun rose high in the sky. Everypony in the outpost was opening up their farmers market, selling wares and food. Ponies in strange leather armor stood by the bus station eating bread and fruit, talking to each other in Equestrian. Birds flew in the sky or perched on signs cawing at visitors or preening their colorful wings.

Vinyl and Octavia woke up early in the morning. After a bit of morning bickering, the sisters folded their blankets, then waited by the ticket station. The two waited until the stallion walked up, tipping his hat before entering his tiny office. He pulled open the window grinning at them.

“Hello ladies.” He said reaching under his desk. “Two tickets to Waterfall City, right?”

“Yes, please and thank you.” Octavia smiled taking the two tickets from him. "Um how much for the tickets?" She asked. The stallion blinked then shook his head.

"No charge at all."

Octavia and Vinyl both blinked in shock. "Wait you mean this is free?" Vinyl asked taking her ticket.

"Um, well yes." The man said confused.

"Sweet!" Vinyl said smiling. Octavia nodded still confused herself.

“You two better hurry up. The bus is around that building." The stallion said pointing his hoof behind the mares. The sisters turned around to see the building he was referring to. "Have a safe journey.” He said smiling, reaching for an abacus,then pushed two small clips up the rod.

Vinyl looked at her ticket as they walked off. “Hmmph, Waterfall City. I wonder how it got that name?”

Octavia shrugged sticking her ticket in her jacket pocket. She stiffened feeling the Swiss army knife in her pocket with a pinch of guilt. She sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know.”

Vinyl blinked then turned, hearing a familiar voice. She gasped pointing. Octavia turned to see the same young mare from yesterday talking to a merchant.

“Here you go, miss.” The stallion said handing her a bag of produce.

“Thank you,” She answered taking the bag of produce and sticking it in her saddle bags. Octavia followed Vinyl towards her.

“Hey, um,” Vinyl began. The mare turned to her with a kind smile. “Hi, I’m Vinyl and this is Octy.”

Octavia glared at Vinyl then returned her gaze to the young mare. “My name is Octavia. Hello.”

The mare smiled sitting down before. “Hello, my name is Aria.”

Octavia smiled. “Well we both witnessed what you did yesterday and may I be so bold to say that it was clearly amazing with that thing?”

The mare smiled nodding. “An Ankylosaurus and thank you,” She started forward the two mares followed her. “A free mind is a calm mind.” She stated softly.

“Wow,” Vinyl said smiling. “What’s that mean?”

Aria turned to her. “I’m training to be a leader. And a leader must be calm so everyone under his or her rule will look to that leader with respect and be able to rule through the most stressful of situations.” She paused and looked at Octavia and Vinyl noticing their jackets.

“Hmm you don't look like you’re from around here.” She looked at Vinyl mostly seeing her horn. “And are you a unicorn?”

Vinyl blushed. “Yep, I’m full unicorn.” She said tapping her horn. Aria smiled, amazed.

“Yes, we're not from around here.” Octavia said clearly with her accent back on again, causing Vinyl to groan, rolling her eyes. “You see we crashed in the ocean close to the island in a storm. And we were told to go to Waterfall City.”

Aria smiled. “Oh that is my destination as well.”

“Really?” Vinyl asked. Aria nodded.

“Of course. Now I understand what has happened to you and not to worry, you two were not the first. Many ponies came here the same way as you. Everything will be explained at Waterfall City once you register.”

“Register?” Octavia asked in shock stopping in her tracks. Aria stopped to look at them. “Miss, I’m afraid you are mistaken. We are not here to stay. We just want to go back to our home and find our mother.” Vinyl nodded in confirmation.

Aria nodded. “I understand completely." She paused then turned away, smiling. “Come along, the bus won’t wait.” Aria got up on her hooves and trotted towards the tall wooden towers. Octavia turned to see Vinyl giving Aria’s flank a longer look than she should have. Octavia growled and slapped Vinyl upside the head as she walked past.

“Ow, what was that for?”

“Hmmph!” Octavia grunted with her nose in the air following Aria. Vinyl sighed rolling her eyes, trotting after them. Vinyl looked around to see large carts filled with large chests and bags.

“Huh, now how can a place like this use buses?” Vinyl asked before bumping into Octavia's backside. “Hey? What... Gives?” Vinyl asked noticing Octavia was staring up at something and shaking with fear. Vinyl looked up then her mouth dropped to the ground.

“What is that thing?” Octavia asked with shock. Aria stood by Octavia, smiling up at the giant dinosaur with a long neck. On it’s back was what looked like a large carrier with a large silk barrier at the top to prevent rain falling into the carriage.

“It’s a Brach,” Aria said simply smiling. “Oh a Brachiosaurus.” She corrected herself.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Vinyl whispered with awe staring at the large creature. Aria chuckled.

“Well let's get on. Follow me.” Aria ordered, climbing up the wooden staircase to the top of the tower. Vinyl and Octavia were both in awe seeing a living breathing tale of fiction standing right next to them. Vinyl looked up seeing a wooden crane lowering a ornately designed plate of metal on top of the beast's neck.

“What is that?” Vinyl asked pointing at the metal, lowering on the Brach’s neck.

“Armor,” Aria answered putting on a teaching tone to her voice.

“For what?” Octavia asked.

“The armor is used to protect him from getting killed.”

Octavia nodded then gasped hearing the huge creature let out a short low bellow, winking at her. Octavia found herself smiling. Aria laughed.

“He said thank you for the protection.”

“Wait, you mean you can understand that thing?” Vinyl asked. Aria opened her mouth to answer but a bell starts tolling. A stallion standing at the head of the carriage, fixed his thick woolen vest and strange hat of his head.

“The bus is secure. We will be leaving for Waterfall City in a few minutes. Waterfall City direct!” He called out. Vinyl gulped watching Aria walk across a large plank sitting between the Brach and the platform then leaped into the carriage. Octavia gulped peeking down then noticed the ground seeming to be a lot farther down than normal. She gulped again closing her eyes.

“Just one hoof at a time Octy. One hoof at a time.” She whimpered slowly walking across the plank. She opened her eyes to leap into the carriage stumbling a touch catching her footing. “Oh my goodness.” She whispered with awe finding herself on an extinct creature's back. She sat down in one of the seats. The carriage was big enough to hold five ponies plus the driver at the front. Vinyl squeezed through and took a seat beside Aria in the front.

Vinyl looked behind her to see two other ponies dressed in frilly looking clothes from Canterlot, took seats beside Octavia in the back. The driver stood up at his seat and turned to see the plank swinging from a crane away from the Brach. There was a call of another dinosaur. Vinyl looked down to find the source, she gulped at the height, but that was replaced with awe as she saw another dinosaur and on it’s back was a stallion that was dressed in maroon leather armor. Vinyl remembered seeing guard ponies dressed in the same type of armor that the guards wore. She turned seeing a mare guard leaping onto the back of another dinosaur. On he head was a helmet with a large feather at the top. The smaller dinosaurs all let out these trumpet like calls as they start moving forward. Vinyl turned hearing another low roar and as a second Brachiosaurus behind them filled with pony passengers start walking forward.

“Whoa!” Vinyl yelped hanging on to her seat as the Brach started moving forward causing the carriage to move up and down with his slow body movement. Aria turned to her and smiled seeing Vinyl's shocked expression.

“I hope I don’t get sick.” Vinyl whimpered at the movement of the carriage.

Octavia gulped looking around seeing the same guard ponies riding by them. “Same here.”

As they left the outpost, the Brachs and guards continue down a well used trail through the green rolling plains. During the journey Octavia groaned with her head handing off the carriage looking green from the motion. Vinyl looked at her sister with worry.

“I didn't know you had motion sickness, Octy.”

“Don't ... Urk! Talk to me Vinyl.” Octavia warned threateningly.

Vinyl chuckled. Aria reached in her sack and pulled out a loaf of bread and start breaking it apart. She passed the pieces of fresh bread to everypony in the carriage. She held up a piece for Octavia. Octavia shook her head violently, covering her mouth with her hoof swallowing hard.

“It’ll do you some good to have something to eat.” Aria said calmly. Octavia gulped then nodded.

“Just one little bite.” She moaned taking the piece and took a tiny bite from it, chewing slowly then swallowing with a sigh. Aria smiled then passed a piece to Vinyl, then to the driver.

“Thanks.” Vinyl said taking a bite from the bread. “Mmm,”

Arai smiled taking the last piece for herself.

“So?” Vinyl asked. “Where are we going? Besides Waterfall City?”

Aria smiled reaching for a canteen offering it to Vinyl first. Vinyl shook her head. Aria took a quick sip before answering.

“To get to Waterfall City, we have to go through the Rainy Basin. It’s the home of the carnivores. We won't cross unless it’s truly essential to go through." Aria noticed the concerned looks of her two new friends. "Not to worry, we have plenty of food to appease them.” Octavia gulped with fear.

“Uh appease them... I uh don't know if bread or water of ponies might keep them appeased.” Octavia mentioned.

“I understand your worry. But yes, there is the possibility that we might be attacked. That’s why we mainly cross with a Brach Convoy. But not to worry, one out of five Brach Convoys get attacked.”

Octavia and Vinyl looked at one another with fear.

“Oh like that is something worry about.” Octavia said sarcastically groaning. Vinyl gulped. “I know this might sound stupid to ask,” Octavia mentioned with a gulp. “What are the likely threats we would be encountering?”

“Tyrannosaurus, of course.” She answered.

Octavia nodded with a new fear in her gut. “Of course.”

Vinyl gulped again. “Oh boy. I should have seen that coming.” Vinyl turned to see the guards walking by. “Hey uh Aria, what type of Dinosaurs are those?”

Aria smiled seeing them. “Oh those are Overlanders or Parasaurolophus.”

Vinyl nodded. “Why Overlanders?”

Aria smiled. “They're the ones that can travel well on land with us on their backs.”

Vinyl nodded understanding, seeing a mare riding a Parasaurolophus in a trot to catch up to them.

“Cool,”

As the sun continued to set, the Brachs and Overlanders reached the Rainy Basin. According to Aria, the land is a lush thick rainforest where the carnivores roam and where Dinotopian rivers get their water. There were very few outposts in the area that brave the basin and it's inhabitants every day for farming. She also told them about the two Carnivore Kings that control two halves of the basin, a Giganotosaurus and a Tyrannosaurus. So far, Aria hadn't heard of any threats or attacks before getting a ticket for the ride.

Lighting flashed in the sky and a rumble of thunder boomed through the forest. The sky above the trees was dark with storm clouds as another storm rolls into the area. Vinyl was lightly snoring in her seat, sleeping like the few of the other passengers. Octavia has her chin rested on the rail staring at the dark forest sleepily, the movement of the Brach rocking her to sleepiness. Suddenly the Brach stopped in their tracks letting out low bellows of worry, looking around in the darkness. Octavia woke up with everypony else feeling the stop in motion. The Overlanders stopped too, looking around and sniffing the air. The driver looked around with fear in his eyes.

“What’s going on?” Octavia moaned sleepily from her seat. “Why did we stop? Not that I’m not okay with moving or anything.”

Aria turned to her as Vinyl was yawning next to her. “It’s the Brachs. Something is spooking them.” She said with worry.

“Like what?” Vinyl asked popping her back with a wince. The driver squeezed past Aria and Vinyl grabbing a wood and rope ladder, attaching the metal rings on metal hooks on the side of the carriage and let it roll out to the ground. The driver then started climbing down the ladder, landing on the soft squishy ground looking around. Aria and the passengers followed the driver to the ground.

“What's up?” Vinyl asked looking around seeing the second Brach’s driver was lowering a ladder too, allowing the five passengers to climb down to the ground. Vinyl and Octavia followed the other passengers to the ground.

“Let’s look around.” Aria stated as she and the two drivers walked to where their path would take them. But the path was littered with fallen trees, giant puddles, and rotting stumps. Vinyl walked over to one of the strange, irregular stumps then sniffed it.

“Eeeuyuck!” She exclaimed holding her hose with her hooves backing away from the rotting mess. “What is that thing?”

One of the drivers looked at the stump then turned to aria. “These piles are droppings and they're fresh too.”

Vinyl yelped backing away again. “Gross, gross, gross!” Octavia chuckled.

“Look at these tracks. They’re so many of them.” One of the Overlander riders said pointing at the giant tracks. Aria shook her head.

“But that’s impossible.”

“What's impossible?” Octavia asked seeing the look of disbelief on Aria’s face. The driver shook his head.

“These are Tyrannosaurus tracks. And there are hundreds of them.” He said with awe.

“Is that bad?” Vinyl asked.

“Tyrannosaurus only live in small groups of four or five but this...” Arai stated pointing at all the tracks. “This looks like a giant pack...”

Octavia gulped. “That’s bad.” She said answering Vinyl’s question.

Aria gulped. “There’s a small outpost close by. We should go and make sure they are safe.”

The drivers and guards nodded. Vinyl and Octavia looked at one another, gulped then turn to follow everypony else. They had to hop over logs and fallen trees, avoiding puddles, and dinosaur scat. After the short and treacherous walk they reached a clearing. Everypony stopped with a look of horror and shock. Aria was the most distressed. What was once a small outpost was nothing but debris and fire. It looked like an abandoned plague hit village then somepony had to torch the place to destroy the plague evidence. Octavia gulped seeing fire from a tower like structure, possibly made for a Brach or long necked dinosaur to stand by. Vinyl looked down to see a giant blood splatter where somepony or something bleed to death. She gulped back nausea and continued forward. The passengers stayed close to each other looking around in the sky and in the nearby trees, their senses heightened.

Aria looked around and gasped, staring at the ground. The drivers both gasped seeing what looked to be a broken stone in a bunch of hay, still smoldering.

“The Sun Stone has failed!” The driver exclaimed with shock. Octavia and Vinyl walked closer as the passengers all gasped with fear and shock. Aria knelt down using her nose to move the broken pieces of stone together. One half of the stone slid away from the other half.

“What’s a Sun stone?” Octavia asked with confusion. Aria sighed.

“It’s a stone that gives us power and protects outlying areas from carnivores and dangers. The sun stone is a stone used from the early times of Dinotopia to protect our outposts, villages, hatchery’s, cities...” She paused looking at the two mares with pure sadness. “This one’s dead.” Everypony was silent for a moment. Aria sighed. “We must send word to the nearest Outpost, they could be in danger.” The drivers both shook their heads.

“We can’t,” One of them said. The other one nodded along.

“The next outpost is more than three to four hours away from here.” Vinyl and Octavia looked at one another then back at the drivers.

“Why’s that a problem?” Vinyl asked. Suddenly thunder boomed loudly, causing Vinyl the yelp jumping in the air hiding behind Octavia.

The first driver snorted. “The Brach’s will never carry us in this storm.”

“We’re staying here?” Octavia asked in shock.

“I’m afraid so.” Aria said with a sigh. “We have to sleep here for the night.” Octavia shook her head hearing the passengers whisper amongst themselves with worry.

“Shh,” Aria hushed. Vinyl, Octavia, and the guard all turn to her as Aria waved her hoof at them to shut them up. “Quiet.”

Everypony went silent as Aria knelt to the ground pressing her ear against the ground trying to hear. One of the drivers followed her lead and lowered himself to the ground and placed his ear on the ground.

Aria sat up looking around. “What’s wrong?” Vinyl asked with worry.

Aria sniffed the air her ears swiveling around. The driver slowly sat up on his haunches looking around with worry. The guards all walked up seeing the worry on their faces.

Arai shook her head. “Nothing... it must have been the thunder. We better get inside and get some rest.” She turned to the guards.

“We didn’t find anypony or saurian here ma'am.” Octavia looked at Aria with a funny look. They seem to think Aria was in charge. I wonder what’s so important about her? She thought to herself as everypony followed her to what look to be the sleeping area, since there were beds in the room. The whole group look around the building to see messy beds as if the ponies that were here before left in a hurry.

“Everypony pick a bed and get comfortable.” One of the guards said. “We’re sleeping here tonight.”

The passengers started moving and go into another room and get to sleep. Vinyl, Octavia, Aria, the two drivers, and a guard sat in one of the rooms. Vinyl sighed scratches her head.

“I’m bored.” She sat up and walked to one of the guards to ask him some questions. Aria came out from another room balancing a tray of strange exotic fruits and vegetables on her back. “Here we are. Dinner.” She announced.

Vinyl gasped. “Really? Like Granny Smith apples?”

“Apples?” Aria asked cutting up a strange green vegetable.

“You know those big red juicy tings. An Apple a Day keeps the doctor away?”

Aria blinks. “Um no, we don't have that type of fruit here.”

Vinyl blinked staring at a red vegetable levitating it up surprising the guard. Octavia smiled taking a cut piece of cucumber.

“Eww!” Vinyl made a face smacking her lips after taking a bite of the vegetable. “Tastes bitter.”

Aria gave her a bored look. “You’re supposed to peel it first.”

Vinyl blushed as Aria walked over to the drivers, passing the plate around. Octavia chuckled. “It seems you haven’t lost your touch Vinny.” Octavia purred taking a small bite from the cucumber smiling. Vinyl stuck her tongue out at her then started peeling the red skin.

After the small dinner and everypony got their share of food Vinyl started teaching a driver how to make a steady beat on a table. Making it a game of memory making a few taps and sounds and the driver would tap and try to copy the sounds. Aria sat down on a bed next to Octavia.

“So tell me about yourselves? Are you two related?”

Octavia blinked. “Oh uh... well yes in a way we are related. You see our father he was a... wild one. While he was in high school he got both our mothers pregnant with us while they were in school and well...” Octavia paused with a sigh. “Both our mothers uh... they both didn’t make it in the real world you know. My mother beat me as a filly and Vinyl’s mother practically abandoned her in the streets.”

Aria gave them a look of shock. “How can a mother do such a  thing to their own child?”

Octavia shrugged. “It just happened like that. My birth mother lost everything she had when she had me. She blamed me for her failures. But Vinyl’s mother... I’m not sure. Vinyl never really talked about it much. She was very young when she was left in the streets.”

“And your father? Did he know?” Aria asked with sadness. Octavia sighed.

“Father heard about Vinyl in a police report. But he couldn't afford to take care of her so he left her in the orphanage. Then father was in prison when my mother was arrested. The police took me to the orphanage where I learned that Vinyl was a my half sister.” Octavia sighed. “Then we started to get close and became sisters.”

Aria smiled. “So you two had each other?”

Octavia smiled as Vinyl started cheering for her partner at the drumming. “Dude, you’re a natural!”

“I guess you can say that.” Octavia muttered with a light smile. “Then one day we were both adopted by our mother. Cloud Striker... she knew our father and owed him a debt. That debt would be for her to care for his daughters. For a while, she hardly cared but then she started to love us and call us her daughters and we called her our mother. We were happy.”

Aria tilted her head. “Were happy?”

Octavia sighed. “When we both were sixteen Mother decided it was time for us to head into the mainland and follow our dreams. Become musicians you see. We went to the same school. I passed with flying colors but Vinyl... She was unpredictable.”

Octavia turned to see Vinyl patting the driver on the back laughing.

“Unpredictable?” Aria asked smiling.

“Well I mean... she never gave anything a chance. She doesn’t care for change at all. And she can be a... immature mule sometimes. She doesn't grow up and leave anything alone.”

Arai nodded in understanding. Lighting struck shining light into the room. Thunder boomed silently outside. After the thunder, everypony heard the sounds of unnatural screaming outside. Everypony stared at the ceiling with fear and caution as he screams stopped.

“What was that?” Vinyl asked. Aria smiled a touch.

“Nothing to worry about. Those were just creatures of the basin.” She stared still staring at the ceiling.

“It sounds like something was making them panic.” Octavia mentioned with worry, rubbing her arms in a shiver.

“Something’s making me panic.” Vinyl whimpered fixing her jacket.

Aria sat up. “Well we best get some sleep we have a long night.”

Octavia nodded with a yawn. “Well good night everypony.”

“Night,” Everypony called out getting into the beds. Vinyl gulped as she took a bed across the walkway from Octavia’s and burrowed into her sheets, shaking seeing lightning and hearing the thunder.

Vinyl gulped as her phobia of thunder and lightning kept her awake. She finally closed her eyes.

Vinyl opened her eyes to find herself crying in the streets of Manehattan, pounding at the tall door of her mother’s apartment crying. Thunder boomed causing her to scream out looking up at the storm clouds, rain falling hard on her head as she sniffed and sneezed.

“Mama!” She screamed pounding the door. “Please let me in! Please!”

She continued to scream and pound at the door as the thunder roared louder and louder until... A large shadow covered Vinyl. She turned and screamed to see a giant T-Rex roaring at her.

Vinyl sat up in her bed, panting hard from the nightmare. She looked around seeing lighting flash. She jumped then burrowed into her covers as a light rumble of thunder rolled outside. But something felt off about the thunder. There was a rumble, but there was a deep hollow sound. The rumble vibrated the floor. She poked her head out of her protective barrier of cotton to look around to see everypony deep in sleep. Vinyl gulped poking her head out of her cocoon seeing Octavia sleeping.

“Tavi?” Vinyl whispered. “Tavi!?” She whispered loudly. She used her magic to tug on Octavia’s jacket sleeve.

“Hmm?” Octavia opened her eyes. “What is it?” She groaned out, stretching her legs forward. Vinyl gulped as she crawled out of her bed landing with a thud on the floor with a silent “Ow!” She crawled to Octavia’s bed pulling herself up to where the two pressed their noses together. Vinyl chuckled sheepishly as Octavia gave her a warning glare, lifting her head up getting comfortable on her belly.

“What’s wrong, Vinyl?” She groaned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Vinyl gulped her ears went flat on her head. “Octy, I thought I heard something outside.” She whispered pointing her hoof at the window. Octavia gave Vinyl a look.

“Vinyl, it’s thundering-”

“I know that, but this was a different sound. Can you look outside? Pwease?” Vinyl asked with her puppy eyes. Octavia groaned rubbing her face then sighed.

“Fine,” Vinyl smiled, her ears perked up. Octavia sighed shaking herself then leapt of her bed, walking to a window looking outside looking around.

“See anything?” Vinyl asked messing with her hooves with fear in her eyes. Octavia smirked seeing lightning, seeing the flash of the forest then turned to Vinyl. She shook her head. Vinyl sighed with relief.

“Vinyl,” Octavia said softly wrapping her arm around her. “It’s only thunder. You're alright.”

Vinyl sighed pulling away from her and took a seat at one of the wooden tables. Octavia walked over unaware of the shadow walking past the window she just looked through. Vinyl let out another sigh looking at Octavia smiling.

“Well... I actually thought that...”

Octavia smiled. “You thought a T-Rex was coming to get you?”

Vinyl blushed then chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, I actually thought that.”

The two sister chuckled silently. Suddenly Octavia’s instincts went up hearing the sound of groaning wood. There was a sound of collapsing and a roar. The sisters looked up to see a giant three toed foot coming down on top of them.

“Get down!” Octavia screamed out pushing Vinyl to the floor as she jumped away as the foot crushed their sitting place. Octavia was in shock and awe seeing the giant leg rise up out of the hole in the ceiling.

Everypony in the room, shot up awake hearing the foot crash into the table.

“Run!” Aria screamed out leaping out of her bed. Everypony started running after her.

“Everypony run!” One of the guards screamed out pushing several guards out the door. Vinyl groaned rubbing her head as Octavia helped her stand up.

“Come on Vinyl! Run!” Vinyl got back on her hooves and followed Octavia out the doors into the air outside.

“Don't look back you idiot, run!” One of the guards screamed out, pushing another guard ahead.

Vinyl looked back and saw eight T-Rexes walking around behind them. Aria turned a corner and hid behind a small building.

“Here!” She called out. Octavia and Vinyl followed her, then pressed their backs against the wall panting. Octavia turned hearing a noise and noticed Vinyl was crying, panicking. She placed her hoof over Vinyl’s mouth, to keep her quiet. Aria gulped keeping still and silent watching the edge. Vinyl’s eyes went wide seeing the giant snout of a T-Rex sniffing the air. Octavia's mouth dropped open as sweat started sliding down her face, seeing the giant sharp teeth of it’s mouth.

The T-Rex’s snout went back from the open. Aria gulped feeling the vibrations under her hooves. Suddenly there was a noise and a roar. All three mares made a dash for the tree line as the T-Rex demolished their hiding spot roaring after them. Octavia was faster running past the hanging lanterns first to the forest. Vinyl was close behind, leaping over debris crying for Celestia to give her a longer life. Aria continued to leap over debris until her hoof got caught in some loose rope and tumbled hard, getting wrapped up in the coil of rope.

Vinyl and Octavia stopped and turned, hearing the cry and gasped to see Aria looking up as one of the T-Rexes. It slowed to a stop, his mouth watering dropping saliva rain over the frightened earth pony mare.

“Aria!” Vinyl screamed out, stuck still watching the giant carnivore.

The T-Rex roared ready to snatch Aria as a snack, but a second T-Rex pushed him away, growling with greed at Aria. The first T-Rex ran back pushing the second one away, roaring angrily at him. As the dinosaurs were distracted, Vinyl charged back to save Aria, grabbing her with her magic and helped her stand up, watching the two carnivores snap at each other, roaring and growling. Octavia ran over helping just as a screech was heard. A flying dinosaur swooped in, its claws raking the first T-Rex’s face causing it to howl. Then a second flying dinosaur flew and just about escaped the jaws of the second one T-Rex. Octavia ran over just as two more flew by screeching and cawing causing the T-Rex pack to run away roaring and snapping their jaws at the flying reptiles. Aria smiled seeing them.

“It’s alright.” She yelled over the noise. “They’re Skybax!”

“Skybax?” The sisters asked at once. Vinyl helped Aria stood up just as one of the Skybax riders leapt off the large flying reptile.

“What’s that?” Vinyl whispers Aria smiled at her.

“A Quetzalcoatlus. Everypony here know them as Skybax.”

The stallion was dressed in a red quilt like body suit with a thin metal helmet. He was wearing a sort of harness holding onto to a leather cask that seem to wrap around his back like armor.

“I am Rider. Captain of the Skybax air core.”

Everypony that were running before. came out  of their hiding places to see the Skybax commander and his . Vinyl turned to see the other three Skybax of his flock. The ponies leaped off their dinosaur partners landing on their hooves. They sat on their haunches in military fashion their helmets on their head with strange metal rimmed goggles over their eyes. Besides Captain Rider these Skybax riders wore tan uniforms.

“What happened here?” Aria asked pointing to the outpost around them.

Captain Rider sighed. “T-Rex attacked this area. A pack of them.” Vinyl blinked, seeing the Skybax watching her with his large eye. Vinyl stepped up to get closer. “Not to worry we got everypony else out of here before the storms came.” But Rider’s hoof stopped her.

“What are you doing?”

“I was-”

“I’m sorry, but nopony other than riders can approach a Skybax.” Vinyl stepped back as Rider pulled off his helmet to reveal his black mane. “These are not tamed birds. I suggest you take a step back.” Vinyl sat down next to Octavia. Rider sighed, slicking back his cut short mane. “We were in the area searching for three missing ponies and their Triceratops. So far finding them has proven to fail. We cannot find anyone. I fear that they are all dead.” Rider said sadly looking away with a sigh. Everypony in the party nodded or bowed their heads. Vinyl and Octavia looked at one another with sadness.

“From now on.” Captain Rider said, pulling on his helmet. “I declare this bus service suspended until further notice. I’ll have to of my riders escort you the rest of the way to Waterfall City.”

Aria nodded. “Thank you captain.”

The driver and guard turned to the passengers. “Alright everypony let's go. Get your belongings and walk back to the buses.” One of the drivers called out.

Rider leaped onto his Skybax’s back then the giant reptile bird leapt in the air, letting out a screech. A second rider followed him up in the air.

“Alright everypony we have a long day ahead.” One of the young riders called out leaping on her Skybax then flew into the air. Vinyl Octavia and Aria were at the back, walking down the road to the Brachs already getting up from the ground where they were sleeping.

“That was awesome! Did you see those cool guys riding on those dinosaurs as if they were pegasi? That was so cool!”

Octavia chuckled. “Yes, but they're dangerous. Like the Captain said.” She shuddered. “I’d rather be on the back of a creature that has all four hooves or uh I mean feet on the ground.” Octavia reached the ladder first and climbed up, shivering slightly as she climbed. Aria looked up then looked at Vinyl.

“Is she shaking? He said she can feel her anxiety.”

“Who?” Vinyl asked. Then noticed the Brach was looking down at them. “Oh,” Aria smiled. “I forgot you somehow... understand them.” Vinyl said slowly as Aria chuckled. Vinyl blushed chuckling too.

“Uh yeah . . . She’s has a phobia of heights.”

“Phobia?”

“A fear. She’s scared of being too high. I mean as long as she doesn’t look out the window of a ten or fifteen story building or a tower or something like that she starts sweating and freaking out until she touching the ground floor.” Vinyl sighed. “It probably got worst after we crashed.”

Aria nodded seeing Octavia finally scrawl into the carriage. Vinyl motioned for Aria to go first. Aria smiled and nodded then started up the ladder. Vinyl sighed watching her tail disappeared into the carriage.

“Wow,” She whispered climbing up the ladder.