The Land Before Hooves

Chapters

Chapter 1. No-Ponies Land
Chapter 2. The Desert Mark
Chapter 3. Three Reasons To Be Scared
Chapter 4. A Friend From The Past
Chapter 5. The Pink Star
Chapter 6. Light Horn
Chapter 7. The Great Circle
Chapter 8. Ponies Don't Eat Green Food
Chapter 9. The Great Drought
Chapter 10: Whispering Winds
Chapter 11: Pterodactylus Dash
Chapter 12. The Great Reunion Of The Flyers
Chapter 13. Tensions Rising
Chapter 14. The Burning Mountain
Chapter 15. The Breakup
Chapter 16: Friendship Changes
Chapter 17. The Tree Star
Chapter 18. The Last Stand
Chapter 19. If We Hold On Together
Chapter 20: The Great Valley Party
Prologue: The Element Of Loss
Prolouge. The Green Star

Chapter 1. No-Ponies Land

The alicorn opened her mouth but her eyes needed more time to adjust to the light. She took a deep breath. A dusty content entered her mouth. She coughed. Her lungs instinctively tried to ventilate again in-between her coughs, letting even more dust enter her throat. Twilight panicked. She raised her head and coughed out whatever she had swallowed. Her lids only made it half way. Her eyes watered and made the world blurry. She found the blinding sun pressing against her face, her skin burning in it’s might.

"Uh..." She groaned.

Her eyes slowly started taking in more of the landscape. It wasn’t really a desert, accept an occasional dry tree trunk here and there. The ground that Twilight had accidentally tasted wasn’t really sand, it felt much thinner under her hooves. It felt almost like old plant life that had molded away. Twilight turned her head. It was like a mirror had been placed behind her, accept a yellow patch of that mane wich revealed itself ahead, blowing in the breeze that somehow did nothing against the burning heat.

"Urgh, tarnation."

The voice had a thick country accent. “Apple Jack?” Twilight addressed the her long time friend.

“Twilight.” Apple Jacks pupils shot a bewildered look her before they wailed around the area. "Twilight. Where are we, and why are you a pony still?”

Twilight looked down at her hooves. Her front ones should be human hands by now. - Such were the nature of going through the magic mirror of Canterlot. - But even if she had been in the human world this eerie landscape would still be alien to anything she expected to see there. Something was horribly wrong.

“I don’t know Apple Jack.” Twilight answered darkly.

“Twilight? Apple Jack?!” The ponies could hear the desperate voice of their unicorn friend further ahead, immediately followed by her ear piercing scream.

“Whaaaaaa!”

Twilight and Apple Jack galloped toward the scream, their hooves sending up dust clouds as they went.

“What is it sugarcube?” Apple Jack asked.

The white unicorn did not answer. Her face was tethered to the ground, her pupils widened in disgust. Apple Jack would come to find herself in no position to argue. “Sweet Celestia! What in the hay is that?!”

Like a patch of water running down a slope, in front of the ponies, a centipede was walking with its thousand feets. Normal centipedes could also be found in the human world, but this one was different, this one was the size of a rope! All three ponies now imagined it walking underneath their coats. Twilight shrugged. “Urgh! Well, this sure doesn't look like Equestria.”

“I DON’T CARE WERE THAT THING COMES FROM AS LONG AS IT STAYS AWAY FROM ME!” The white unicorn roared. She took a few steps back.

There were the sound of wood breaking. The unicorn fell helplessly through the enormous tree trunk that she had unknowingly been standing on. Dust wailed around her as she landed inside it. There then were the sound of sliding things.

It was like the area retracted inwards towards the white unicorn named Rarity, known for her fancy dresses and prone toward dirt. The worms were the size of a filly hooves. Huge cockroaches twitched their claws like they were longing to hug Rarity. Something tickled her hoof right now.

“WHAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Twilight and Apple Jack heard Raritys scream resonating inside the trunk, making her almost sound like a distorted electric guitar. The hole that Rarity had fallen into exploded into double its size as she rocketed out of it. She frantically heaved herself onto Apple Jacks back while breathing like a scared rabbit. The usually thick coated apple farmer couldn’t believe herself for sympathizing with Rarity.

“Twilight. What is this place?!” She asked desperately.

“I told you. I don't know!” Twilight answered irritatingly.

“Girls?!” The ponies could hear the voice of one of their pegasus friends.

The three ponies made their way toward where they heard the voice. When they arrived they looked horrified at the sight of the bright yellow pony being bathed in muddy water. Its thick surface hissed by the heat which made the air vibrate over it. Underground volcanic activity formed the largest air bubbles that the ponies had ever seen. The light-yellow pegasus pony named Fluttershy had her wings raised as she tried to shake the mud from her feathers. Her desperate eyes met the group as she begged with her squeaking voice.

“Girls! Help me?!” .

“Yehahahahahah!” A happy laughter echoed the eerie air.

Just a bit further away from Fluttershy a pink earth pony jumped happily up and down on the waters surface. A bathing frog appeared to be sticking his head out of it. Whenever a bubble formed over him it caused his head to grow ten times in size.

“Come on girls. This is fun!” The happy voice, belonging to Pinkie Pie, spouted.

“Waaaaaaaah!” A raspy scream split the air. A rainbow blur came falling down from the barren tree crown from above. The blue pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash landed flat tummy into the pond, the flat splash suggesting it might has well have been a concrete floor.

“Yehahahah! Come on girls, over here!” Pinkie Pie offered her friends to join in on the fun. She took a huge leap to pounce at the giant frogs' head. It disappeared just as she was about to burst its bubble.

Suddenly, the ground started to rumble, like something big was walking over it. Before they knew it a large shadow casted itself over the ponies. Slowly turning their attention upwards, their large pupils turned small in pure terror.

The creature towered higher than Apple Jacks barn with its huge claws buried in the mud. The animal stood on two legs, which only they counted stood as tall as five ponies. The hands of the creature was comically small compared to the rest of his body, although the ponies could do anything but laugh. The head of the reptile was the size of a window inside Twilights castle, its white teeth showing themselves pearly white. The small eyes of the creature glared yellow down at the ponies, which from their perspective looked like nothing more than shaking patches of colored tufts with trembling eyewhites.

Sharptooth took a great look at the pathetic excuse of an evening dinner below him. He wasn’t even hungry. All he could think about was that loud-mouthed wife of his blabbing on about his manners during their daily morning catch. He figured he could take a quick snack.

But then again, it wouldn’t even be a challenge, like those small colorful rodents below him would even make it 2 meters with their small legs. Running 50 km per hour top speed, Sharptooth had the ability to hunt down a group of full grown spearheads, easily - Heck! A longneck juvenile would probably make it at least 10 meters - almost. Sharptooth breathed through his nostrils. There were the smell of old meat in the air. He figured something must have died further ahead. Sharptooth snorted, causing the eyeballs of the rodents below to diminish even more than they already had. He thought he might as well take the easy way to an evening snack this time. Sharptooth felt good knowing it was exactly that kind of laziness that would make his wife angry.

The huge reptile turned around and disappeared behind the trees, its rumbling steps gradually fading in the thick silence.

Minutes passed. The ponies could as well have been rocks were they stood, dense like the latter. A bubble formed in the pound. The frog took a huge leap on top of it, resulting in a pop.

“GAAAAA!!!” All the ponies exclaimed at once. They were all shaking, all except Fluttershy, who was floating stiff around pond with her four hooves piercing the air.

“Wh...wh...wh...what was that?” Rainbow Dash asked, feeling like Fluttershy.

“Wh...wh...we need to get back to Equestria.” Twilight concluded hoarsely.

“G...g...god idea.” Rarity stammered.

After gaining their bearings the six pony friends walked back to where they came, or at least, that was what they first thought. The landscape seemed to copy itself wherever the Equestrian beings threw their eyes. Twilight felt the panic rise within her.

“Twilight. Where are we?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight heard the question echo inside her head for the third time.

“I said: I DON’T KNOW!” She roared.

The other ponies minds were way to painted by the image of Sharptooth glaring down at them to react to Twilights outburst.

“Maybe if we stay here Celestia will find a way to get us back?” Rarity proposed.

Celestia was one of the main rulers of Equestria and the raiser of the sun. She had also been Twilights' teacher for a long while. She was the one who made her a princess by giving the lavender unicorn wings, thus making her an alicorn. She was also the main character of an expression - And by Celestia - how Twilight wished that her former mentor was here now.

“Stay here?“ Rainbow Dash answered Rarity incredulously. ”Are you out of your cloth designer mind?! What if that thing we saw back there decides that we are worth the chase after all? What if he comes back?”

“C...c....c....Comes back?!” Fluttershy stammered and shrunk to half her size.

“So we are supposed to just walk out into the blue? But where will we go?!” Apple Jack asked in panic.

“Well, i am going to fly up there and take a look!” Rainbow Dash boomed, feeling she needed to be the hope of the group.

Rainbow Dash, her name empathizing her raggedy mane, which indeed streaked in the seven six colors of the rainbow, had a big rock a couple of hooves in front of her. Looking up, she spread her wings and aimed straight for the dusky sky. Huffing and puffing she thrusted and hurled forward. The proud pegasus felt herself rise slightly into the air before her muzzle violently slammed into the rock. The other ponies stared at their friend in confusion. Rainbow Dash looked at her friends. She grabbed her neck in an embarrased manner.

“Just had an odd breeze.” She said laughed nervously before trying again, this time with faster thrusts.

The sweat poured down over the face of the pegasus. Her friends looked in disbelief at the sight of, arguably, the greatest flier in Equestria flying like a hummingbird. There was a big thump when Rainbow Dash hit the ground, sending up a dust cloud so big that it swallowed the whole group.

Coughing, Twilight attempted to rid the dust with her magic. Her horn gave out a small glow before quickly fading away. The dust eventually cleared by itself. But Twilight was not one to give up. Slightly aggravated, she tried to lift a small rock that laid ahead. Her horn sparkled with short intervals. The rock rose slightly from the ground before plummeting.

The anti climax fell upon the moment, infusing embarrassment into Twilight and temporary relief into Rainbow Dash. The alicorn princess, known among other things to have lifted an Ursa Minor and carried it back to its cave in Equestria, smiled and blushed.

“What in the world have gotten into you two?” Apple Jack, the earth pony with neither wings nor horn, asked her friends.

“I don't know? But for some reason my magic is severely weakened.” Twilight answered while shooting a worried look at the ground. Rainbow Dash was up on her hooves again.

“And that air up there is heavy. It almost felt like gravity were stronger here or something.”

Rainbow Dash usually considered herself the be most awesome pony around thanks to her genuinely brilliant flying. Rarity knew her and felt sympathy for her. “There, Rainbow Dash. It is clear to all of us that this isn’t Equestria.”

“Well that’s the understatement of the day. This looks like a no-ponies land.” Apple Jack remarked.

“Indeed.” Rarity said and nudged.

“It sure looked fun at first, but that broad mouth back there sure looked like a party pooper.” Pinkie Pie whimpered, her expression overflowing with sadness. Wether she was sincere or not was anyponys guess, but her friends had known her long enough to know that she never meant to deceive anypony.

“...Sharptooth.” A male voice corrected.

The ponies turned their attention toward the voice.

It was a talking tree. - Its thick trunk stood decisively and waved its barren branches like it was waiting for the ponies to answer. There were the sounds of twigs snapping. One of them fell to the ground. A dry leaf followed. The ponies looked up. Out from the trees crown, a reptile-like head protruded. It appeared to be eating.

“That was a Sharptooth, you’re lucky it wasn’t hungry or all of you would be goners.” The head said with his mouth full.

“And what in the world are you supposed to be?!” Rainbow Dash asked stubbornly.

“A longneck.” The head answered munching. His voice had a know-it-all edge. Pinkie Pie slithered her way in front of her rainbow friend.

"Longneck? He?" Pinkie Pie then asked the air. "Mother? What's a, Looooongneck?!"

Rainbow Dash gave out a raspy laughter.

“Wahahah... A ‘long’ neck, whatever do you mean...?” Rainbow Dashs words jammed inside her throat when the protruding head suddenly sailed out of the tree crown and stopped right in front of her, his neck twisting several times on the way.

“Eh, you know, never mind.”

Rarity wanted to save the moment from Rainbow Dashs rudeness.

“Nice to meet you longneck.” She greeted formally.

There were the sound of steps hitting the ground. Behind the tree the rest of the longnecks body slowly came into view while, although his head stayed in the same position, looking smugly at Rainbow Dash. Twilight studied the creature. The body of the longneck was only slightly higher than the ponies but when counting its neck it must have been capable of saying hi through an upper floor window - From the outside. Judging by the longnecks voice it sounded like he was the equivalent of their age. The longneck addressed Rarity with a serious look.

“That is nice of you..." The longneck hesitated.

"Ponies." Twilight filled in.

"Ponies." The longneck didn't sound impressed. "Yea... as i said, that is not how things work around here, out here it is survival of the fittest, i advice you save the niceness for your own family.”

"Pardon me, my own family?" Rarity asked confounded.

"Your own kind. Out here..." The longneck cut his speech, like he wasn't sure about if he should speak at all. Rarity could tell that he was suspicious of them "...other ponies." he ended.

Rarity had a feeling she didn't have the context to the awkward situation. She laughed nervously. “Point taken. And yet, would it be to much to ask for your name?”

The longneck appeared to gaze into the distance. “Shouldn’t you get going? You don’t want to be here when that sharptooth gets second thoughts about his decision.”

“Wh...w...when he gets second thoughts?” Fluttershy stammered.

“Yes, when! The Sharptooths may be lazy but they are impulsive, that one is surely going to come back. Believe me, you don’t want to be here when it does.”

“You can say that again.” Apple Jack agreed.

“But what about you, longneck?” Twilight asked, her eyes lowered in worry.

There was a long pause. The longnecks answer came with a finalizing edge.

“I’ll find my own way.”

As the ponies left the area the longneck watched them walk in a row along the top of a fallen trunk. The image caused a distant memory to touch the back of his head. As always, he closed his eyes and let the memory fall back into the dark parts of his mind where it belonged.

No, that time was over. The longneck were on his own now.

Chapter 2. The Desert Mark

The sand burned underneath Fluttershys' hooves. It parted ways as she walked over it, making every step feel as heavy as the air she breathed.

The six pony friends had found themselves walking over a vast desert. There had been arguments earlier whether this had actually been a good idea. In the end it had been the image of that big Sharptooth head that had showed up inside the ponies minds and spoken to them with his small yellow eyes.

See you later when you’ve fallen asleep, my little pony.

The discussion had then ended.

Fluttershy tried to raise her head now and then but it was almost like the blinding sun was pressing her down. Suddenly there was movement in the sand ahead. Curious, Fluttershy lowered herself. A lizard poked his head out.

“Oh. Hello there little one.”

The lizard looked at Fluttershy with his, to the untrained eye, expressionless appearance, and asked her a question. Fluttershy giggled

“I'm a pony, a pegasus pony to be exact. Here, see my wings?”

The lizard asked Fluttershy another question.

“You don’t see my kind often here because i am not from around here. I live in a place called Equestria. It is located in another dimension.”

The lizard dug out the rest of his body. His long tongue hissed as he asked his question to Fluttershy. The pegasus closed her eyes and smiled approvingly.

“Of course you can come with me! Here, climb on.”

Fluttershy reached out her hoof and let the lizard climb on top of her back.

The rest of the groups manes hanged limply at the sides of their heads due to the non existing winds. Their thoughts went to their home world, of which they missed more and more the more time went.

“Urh… How are we gonna get back to Equestria?” Apple Jack whined.

“My hoofs hurt.” Rarity complained.

“My mule burns.” Pinkie Pie whimpered.

“We should have never left the forest.” Rainbow Dash said while shooting a fat glower at Twilight. The pony princess groaned, as much of the heat as her friends complaining.

“Would you have preferred staying with the Sharptooth? Despite, wasn’t it you who wanted to leave in the first place?”

“Yea. But i didn’t mean THIS. Fluttershys confidence is less barren than this dust bowl.”

“Rainbow Dash, manners!” Rarity scowled.

Fluttershy was way to occupied talking to her new lizard friend than reacting to Rainbow Dash. She had been talking to animals ever since she was a small filly. She had her own animal care centre back in Equestria and was loved throughout the whole animal kingdom surrounding Ponyville.

As the ponies march whent on they felt more and more tired. Soon the pain in their hooves stopped bothering them, like their bodies had given up alerting them about their aching bones, speaking of…

“Look, over there!” Rarity exclaimed and pointed her hoof.

The ponies spotted a shelter-like structure ahead. As they came closer though it would soon turn out that it wasn’t a shelter at all, but a pile of bones. The spine of the dead animal laid over the sand like a hose while the chest had the spine jut upwards slightly. The head of the poor animal was buried half in the sand.

“What happened to him?” Fluttershy asked

“I don't know.” Twilight answered darkly. “But i have a feeling we should be careful from here on out.”

The ponies kept on walking, leaving the bone pile behind them. The exhaustion splintered their heartbeats, but that mattered little to the them. All they could think about was Equestria. Little did they know that they were being watched.

The longneck squinted his eyes against the sun. He had no idea why he had been following the ponies. Maybe it had been the promise of company? Or maybe he thought they might have more luck finding food and water than he had? But as he now watch them wander into the blue those thoughts didn’t matter, he knew they were going to die.

The holes that formed behind the longneck quickly filled with sand again as he walked. He figured he might as well turn tail, he surely didn’t want to be close by when the Sharptooth felt their smell.

The longneck suddenly stopped. He closed his eyes, remembering that happy pink pony that he saw jumping happily inside the pound back there. He now imagined the curly mane of the pony, stuck on a pile of bones, jutting slightly out of the sand.

The longneck gave a long sigh. No. He couldn’t just leave them, that much friendship was left in him. The longneck couldn’t remember how long he had been waiting for his own death, but somehow he had survived all this time after he left The Great Valley. He now figured he should make sure that all that wouldn’t have been for nothing.

Twilight felt her dry lips grind against one another. She couldn’t feel her hooves anymore. But now she heard a voice.

“Ponies?”

“Huh?” Twilight looked up, her stiff neck hurting. It was that longneck again. He was standing in in their way.

“Uh… Hi again.” Twilight managed.

“You are heading in the wrong direction.”

“And who made you the leader here, spaghetti head!” Rainbow Dash boomed brutish. The longneck looked down at Twilight. His distinguished eyes met her purple ones.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“Do you remember the pile of bones you walked past there?”

There was nodding among the group.

“Yes.” Twilight answered.

“Alright, first question, how do you think the creature died?”

The silence laid over the pony group. The longneck continued.

“Which way was he lying, tummy up or tummy down?”

“Tummy down.” Apple Jack answered weakly.

“Now, that means with all certainty that he died from thirst. Had he been hunted down by a sharptooth he would have laid on his back with his ribs torn apart. Now, which way did the tail point when you found him?”

Twilight looked at the longneck with realizing eyes. She knew were he was going.

“In this direction.” She answered.

“And what does that tell us about the water and food supply in this direction if he wandered through here before he died from thirst?”

The silence that followed were so complete that the ponies might as well had been nothing but a pile of bones themselves. Twilight sighed and answered. “...That we won’t find anything either.”

“Urh, my hooves hurt. I want to get back to Equestria!” Rarity whimpered.

The longneck raised what his race name suggested and looked down over the pony group.

“Listen ponies, i don’t know what this Equestria is, but whatever it is that doesn’t matter now.”

“Wait? What do you mean it doesn’t matter, its our home!” Rainbow Dash blasted, somehow managing in her dried out condition.

“I understand it is your home, and you will have plenty of time to miss it later, but right now it doesn’t matter, you are in the middle of the desert. You need to find water now or you won’t make it. Water and food, thats all that matters.”

Twilight was speechless. Was the longneck right he would have just saved their lives.

“Why are you telling us this mr…?”

“Littlefoot.”

“Littlefoot.” Twilight mirrored.

Fluttershy heard a hissing sound behind her head. It was her new friend.

“What is that?” Fluttershy answered the lizard. “Do you know were we should go?”

The tiny lizard turned his head slightly.

“Alright, down you go.”

Fluttershy reached out her hoof and let the lizard down. It went on running zig zag ahead of her.

“Come on girls, i think he can show us were we can find water.”

Fluttershy trotted after the lizard, though right then Twilight saw an agile figure come running across the desert.

“Fluttershy, WATCH OUT!” The princess blasted, to late.

Fluttershy froze. She found herself standing only a couple of hooves in front of a two legged creature. It was way smaller than the monster that they saw by the pound but it still towered over her like Littlefoot. Its head turned clockwise while glaring at her. It opened its mouth and gave out a hoarse roar. Fluttershys horrified eyes looked down. Her tiny lizard friend came running behind the new arrival, probably on his way back to her. In one sudden movement the big lizard lowered its head and glared at the tiny lizard, who froze in place.

In a flash the big lizard opened its mouth and bit hold of the tiny lizards head, tossed it into the air and swallowed it whole. Fluttershy gasped. Her pupils narrowed. The big lizard looked unbothered. It was then gone as fast as it had appeared.

Fluttershy made a long, whining sound. Her eyes filled with tears. Twilight came up behind her.

“Fluttershy.” Twilight comforted while grabbing the crumbling pegasus.

By the time Littlefoot arrived, the yellow pony was crying uncontrollably. He watched the scene from his longneck perspective and felt a big stirring inside. Not because of the dead lizard, creatures had been dying around Littlefoot for years, but something about the mourning pony with wings made him remember himself mourning his mother, who died after she tried to protect him from a sharptooth. He repeated the name he heard the others call the pony.

“Fluttershy.”

The other ponies looked at Littlefoot. They parted ways when his head came sailing. He stopped close to Fluttershy.

“That lizard was your friend.”

“H…h…h, yes…h” Fluttershy sobbed.

“And you were his friend.”

“H…h…, yes.” She sobbed again.

“And you will always remember him as your friend, just as he remembered you as his friend before he died.”

Fluttershy looked up at the longneck. She snorted.

“Yes.” She answered.

There was a short silence. Fluttershy looked straight into Littlefoots understanding eyes.

“Then, in that way, you will never be apart. As long as you remember him and everything he taught you he will remain in your heart…”

Fluttershy snorted. Her tears stopped.

“…Forever.” Littlefoots eyes got dreamy. He closed them to avoid his own tears to show.

The silence fell upon the group. Fluttershy snorted now and then but her crying had stopped.

After half an hour Fluttershy had gotten over the worst of what happened and was merely ready to move on. Twilight faced Littlefoot. She looked at him with big eyes and emphasized every phrase.

“Littlefoot, not only have you probably saved our lives, but you helped my friend grieve and get over the loss of her friend. I may be the princess of friendship back in Equestria, but i doubt that there is anything that i can give you that is enough to thank you for what you have done.”

Littlefoot didn’t quite know how to react, but he smiled modestly and reached out his tail.

“I was happy to help.”

Twilight touched Littlefoots tail. In that moment Twilights horn gave a big flash.

Littlefoot was suddenly engulfed in a great light. The longneck lifted from the ground. The other ponies stared in wonder at whatever was going on. After several seconds of hovering Littlefoot slowly landed in the sand. The light disappeared.

“Uh…What just happened?” He asked.

There were gasping from the rest of the ponies.

“Would you look at that!” Apple Jack said, sailing upon her consonants.

“Look at what?” Littlefoot asked.

“Your cutie mark!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Huh? What…” Littlefoot turned his neck around. That was when he saw it. Right there, on his left flank, was a symbol. The symbol looked like a white star with several other smaller stars around it. His face twisted in fear.

“What is this? AM I SICK!?”

Littlefoot knew very well that being sick in these lands spelled death as well as climbing straight into a Sharptooths mouth… Which he did once when he was little… but that was a different context!

Twilight looked at the mark. She shook her head in bewilderment.

“But... I don’t understand, only ponies are supposed to be able to get cutie marks.” She looked at Littlefoot, her eyes shrouded in wonder. “So much to know.” Twilights face widened into a huge smile of pure fascination. ”So much to RESEARCH!”

Twilight started jumping happily up and down like she was Pinkie Pie.

“What is a cutie mark?” Littlefoot asked whoever was listening. Apple Jack took over from the overjoyed Twilight Sparkle, known in Equestria for being a bookworm.

“Its the symbol that represents your special talent. Every one of us ponies has one, look.”

The ponies showed of their cutie marks. Apple Jack had three red apples. Pinkie Pie had three balloons. Fluttershy had three butterflies. Rainbow Dash had a cloud getting slashed by a rainbow lightning bolt. Rarity had three diamonds and the jumping Twilight Sparkle had a pink star surrounded with several other white stars. Littlefoot looked at his mark again. He should be wondering what his special talent was, but all he could think about was his question.

What in the world have i gotten myself into?

Chapter 3. Three Reasons To Be Scared

“The Great Valley?” Twilight asked Littlefoot.

“Yes. Although, the last time i was there it was little more than a dried out meadow.” Littlefoot sighed and lowered his head.

“But you believe it might be worth heading there now?” Twilight asked while nudging her hoof on his cheek in a cheering gesture.

“Well, yes... And no. You see, its a gamble, the place might be crawling with Sharptooths for all i know. I heard that all the herds left the place after The Big Drought.”

“...But?” Twilight was interrupted when Littlefoots face suddenly lit up with hope.

“...but i also know that the big waterfall never dried out completely, meaning there might still be a chance for green food to have returned there, plus there might still be other plant-eating herds that are thinking the same thing.”

For years Littlefoot had ben traveling by himself, found green food by himself, entertained himself and fought for himself. For years he had searched for his purpose in life, and so far he had told himself that the only way to do so was by doing it alone. But after he had meet these ponies something inside him had awakened, something he thought had been lost forever. That is why Littlefoot felt excitement by the notion that other herds might have gone to The Great Valley - Company. But the first end of the thought still hanged loose.

“But what about you ponies?”

Twilight smiled, forgetting about the question she wanted to ask. The decision had not taken long to make. Not only did they probably need Littlefoots help to survive but the appearance of a cutie mark on his flank could not be a coincidence.

“We’re coming with you.” Twilight answered without hesitation. Littlefoot grinned.

Around them the other ponies had taken up camp. It was in the middle of the morning and they were getting ready to head out again. Apple Jack had tried her best to gather some roots and make morning supper for them all.

But one pony had taken herself a detour.

Not far from the others Fluttershy trotted along a small dried out creek. She still couldn’t stop thinking about the lizard. Thanks to Littlefoot she had accepted that he was dead but she still felt she needed to tell his family the sad news. She was looking for signs of a lizard family right now. She spotted movement in the sand ahead. Fluttershy walked closer. She bent her hoofs down and lowered herself. It wasn’t a lizard. A yellow snake seemed to poke its tail out. Maybe it knew about any lizard families nearby?

“But hello there little one.” Fluttershy greeted.

The snake kept half his body in the sand. The protruding tail wavered in the air.

“Do you know of any lizard families nearby?” Fluttershy asked.

The snake still had it’s head buried.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

Fluttershy reached out her hoof and touched the snake. There was a brutish answer.

“What are you doing!?”

Fluttershy froze horror The sand ahead of her formed into a mountain. It ran of to the sides and revealed a four legged creature. The snake Fluttershy had touched had actually been its tail. The creature wailed its head around. It had a half moon disc around the back of its head. There was a horn poking out above its nose. There were three horns growing at the sides of its facial disc. The yellow skin of the creature made her green eyes stand out even more. She glared angrily at Fluttershy while ranting.

“Can’t a threehorn get a little rest!?”

Fluttershy stammered.

“I’m sorry...I...I...I didn’t...”

“What? What are you saying? Speak up!”

The three horn turned the rest of her body around and took three decisive steps toward the trembling pony. Fluttershy shrunk. The wind spoke more clearly than her.

“I...I didn’t mean to...I...I...”

“Are you going to apologize or what!?” The three horn boomed.

“I...I...I am trying to...” Fluttershys voice died out. She made a whimpering sound.

The threehorn looked in bewilderment at the pathetic creature that had the unfortunate hour of crossing her own sleeping hour. The scrunching yellow body, along with her yellow hair, made the pony almost look like it was part of the sand. The threehorn rolled her eyes.

Well. Might as well have a little fun now when I’m awake.

The threehorn proceeded speaking in a low and dark tone, empathizing... every... word.

“Tell me, have you ever seen a Sharptooth?”

“A Sh...sh...Sharptooth?”

“Yes, a Sharptooth.” The threehorn grinned meanly.

“Yes... I have. It’s big and...”

“Oh... no, no, no, no.” The threehorn interrupted. ”That clumsy brute you can hear coming. No, i am talking about the ones that you don’t hear coming.”

“Th...th...the one that i don't hear com...”

“The one that comes...” The threehorn paused for dramatic effect. “...While you are sleeping.” Her mean smile widened.

“Wh...wh...While I'm sleeping? That can't be...g...g...good.”

“Oh yes, if they kill you in your sleep. But then they usually don’t do that, usually they just sneak up on you and wait... right there... by your bed. And then... when you wake up and open your eyes...”

Fluttershy could imagine the three horns green eyes being the sharptooth glaring down at her. Fluttershys' teeth hammered.

“...And then, when you open them.” The threehorn jumped forward and landed her green eyes right in front of Fluttershy. “ROAAAAARGH!

Fluttershy stopped shaking. There was the sound of a goat bleating. Fluttershy fell sideways and landed on her back, her hooves jutting stiffly into the air. There suddenly were a voice coming from nearby, one with a strange accent.

“Fluttershy! Come on, i made you root soup, its my own new recipe...”

Apple Jacks breath stopped once she saw the strange creature standing next to the fainted Fluttershy. She could immediately see that the creature was up to no good.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing to my friend!?” Apple Jack scowled.

“Me!?” The threehorn exclaimed incredulous with an innocent edge. She pointed her horn and tail straight up in a superior way. “May i remind you that if was she who awoke me, HM!” Upon saying the last phrase the threehorn pointed her chin skyward.

“Well thats really putting you on the moral high ground by scaring Fluttershy.” Apple Jack said sarcastically.

“Fluttershy?! What kind of a name is that? Despite i wasn’t scaring her, i was just educating her.”

“Well you surely look like the teacher of the year with your class laying fainted on the ground!” Apple Jack raised her voice.

“Well looks like someone is longing to join her,” The threehorn said challenging.

“Well, after you yellow mushroom!” Apple Jack grinned. The threehorn looked incredulously at the strange creature with some kind of hair ball on her head.

Yellow mushroom. Well, the nerve!

The threehorn lowered her head and scraped her paws in the sand. Apple Jack planted her hooves in rodeo position.

Target acquired. Ready... Set... Go! The threehorn counted down in her head before charging. It was then like the four legged hoof creature had grown wings. Just as she was about to ram her it sailed right over her. The threehorn wailed around and came at her again.

Apple Jack turned around and galloped with the threehorn right on her tail. Ahead of them was a tree. Apple Jack planted her hooves at one of its roots and made a backflip over the threehorn. There were the sound of wood braking.

“Hujie! Looks like someone has gotten herself in a ‘wooden’ situation.” Apple Jack teased at the sight of the threehorn trying to break free.

“ROAAAAAAR!” The roar of the threehorn split the air. She pulled so hard that the entire side of the tree cracked.

The threehorn came at Apple Jack again with a piece of wood still stuck on her horn.

Apple Jack turned tail and galloped, letting the creature chase her again.

Threehorn could barely see around the junk that was stuck on her horn. I a flash the pony was gone again. Threehorn then felt something heavy land on her back. She felt a vine of some kind circulate her horn.

“Jieaaaa Verona! Put those hooves in the sky and swing em around!”

Apple Jack was now riding the threehorn. It jumped around and tried to shake her of.

Threehorn spotted a big rock jutting out from the ground ahead. She sprinted full speed toward it, planted her feet on it and lowered her head, allowing her to make a dead stop.

“Oauuuu!” Apple Jack gasped when she tumbled over threehorns head. Threehorn proceeded slamming her head against the rock and brake the wood around her horn.

After several minutes of the threehorn refusing to be tamed and Apple Jack refusing to give up both of them faced each other while breathing heavily.

“You...Better...Apologize.” Apple Jack demanded in-between her breaths.

“No...” Threehorn paused. ”She...Is...The...One...That should apologize.”

There was a raspy voice coming from the sand bead.

“Hey Apple Jack. Whats taking you so long? We need to head on out!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“Not before this horned lady apologizes for bullying Fluttershy!” Apple Jack shouted back.

“Me? bullying? I wasn’t bullying, its not my fault she's afraid of her own shadow.” Threehorn said.

“But you scared her on purpose!” Apple Jack spit.

“No i didn’t.” Threehorn lied. “Despite, if she didn’t want me to tell her my story she should’t have ruined my sleep.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Apple Jack, then at the three horn. She could help her friend and force the tired threehorn to apologize, but two against one wouldn’t be fair, and Rainbow Dash considered herself a true sportspony from mane to hoof.

“How about we settle this with a challenge?” Rainbow Dash proposed.

“Sounds fair enough to me.” Threehorn said.

Threehorn looked around. She spotted a huge boulder laying on the ground ahead. She grinned.

“I bet you that i can smash that bolder there into three big pieces.”

Apple Jack looked at the bolder, which towered four times the threehorns hight. She laughed at the clearly over confident proposal.

“Hehehe... Well, you got yourself a deal Verona.” Apple Jack swang her right hoof in a ‘bet ya’ manner. The threehorn grumped while shooting the orange pony a frown.

“My name is Cera.”

“Well... Cera. On you go.” Apple Jack offered teasingly.

Cera faced the bolder, feeling the nervosity boil up inside her. She took a deep breath, lowered her head and scraped her feets along the sand.

Target acquired. Ready... Set... Go!

Cera sprinted full speed at the bolder. Apple Jack looked confidently at Rainbow Dash before turning her attention back at the scene that she thought could only end one way.

There were the sound of rocks smashing. Apple Jacks confident face dropped in disbelief. Behind her Rainbow Dash did the same. Cera turned around smirking. Behind her the rock had smashed into, not three, but five pieces.

“Well, well, well. Look who is going to apologize here.”

“I am.” Fluttershy answered threehorn.

Cera turned toward Fluttershy, who was still lying on the ground.

“You are?” She asked bewildered.

“Yes. I apologize for wakening you Cera. That was clumsy of me and I am sorry.”

Cera closed her eyes and smiled.

“...But you still scared be on purpose!” Fluttershy added assertively.

Cera opened her eyes, her face twisting in confusion. Before she knew it she had Rainbow Dashs' glaring red pupils burning only centimeters in front of her. She had her blue wings raised in an aggressive manner. Cera backed away. She grumped.

“Hrm... Alright. I scared her on purpose and i apologize.” Ceras confident face fell slightly.

“Smart move.” Rainbow Dash lowered her wings. Despite the fact that Cera had lied to her earlier she liked the confidence of the three horn.

“My name is Rainbow Dash, nice to meet you Cera. And that pony over there is my friend, Apple Jack.”

Chapter 4. A Friend From The Past

While Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack and Fluttershy were having their encounter with Cera, Twilight Sparkle and Littlefoot had conversation about their worlds. Twilight told the longneck about Equestria. Littlefoot was in complete ecstasy, his widened eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, his tail wavering happily left and right. Twilight was now telling him about the dragons.

“...So, you se, that is what the dragons do when they choose their leader.” Twilight said in her lecture voice. Reading and learning new stuff was Twilights hobby and she was more than happy with being a teacher.

“So they then have this test, and whoever finds the gauntlet becomes the next dragon lord?” Littlefoot asked enthusiastically.

“Yes. And then, whoever holds the gauntlet gets to make decisions concerning other dragons” Twilight lectured.

“But what happens if two dragons grabs the gauntlet at the same time?” Littlefoot asked

“Well, then it’s up to the current dragon lord to decide witch one is the winner.” Twilight answered.

“Oh...” Littlefoot paused. “But what if the gauntlets fire goes out before a dragon reaches it?”

“Well, then they light a new fire.” Twilight lectured and smiled.

“Oh... But what if...?”

The minutes passed. Twilights happy teacher smile slowly transformed into a nervous smile of incredulous. The questions from this longneck just kept on coming and coming. Twilight never thought she would ever get tired of lecturing but, by Celestia, this longneck had actually succeeded. There suddenly were the sound of confetti popping. Littlefoots head was covered in colors.

“Surprise!” Pinkie Pies ear piercing voice blasted in his face. Twilight thought she might hug Pinkie Pie.

“Eh...Wha...” Littlefoot was quickly mouth blocked. Pinkie Pie said everything following in one breath.

“I was getting ready to move out with the others when i realized that we hadn’t had a Welcome To Be Your Friend party so i thought i’d bring up my party cannon that i always have with me in case of friendship emergencies like this one...”

Pinkie Pie was jumping happily up and down, constantly coming in and out of view from Littlefoots longneck perspective. Littlefoot desperately tried to clam in his words between Pinkie Pies cascade of syllables.

“Party cannon...?... Cupcakes...? Ice cream...?”

“...Aren’t you exited, cause I'm exited when you are exited and since we don’t have much time to be exited it makes me even more exited...”

Littlefoot smiled nervously, but a smile was still a smile, and that was exactly what the smile expert Pinkie Pie had been waiting for.

“Whoaaaaaaah” Pinkie Pie gave out a long gasp of excitement.” I have an idea! Why don’t we gather the rest of your friends from your past and we can have a this GIANT party all of us together!”

Pinkie Pie jumped up on Littlefoots tail and onto his back.

“My friends from the past?! But... how did you know?”

Pinkie Pie stopped jumping. She grabbed Littlefoots head and pulled it toward her, looking into his eyes.

“Oh please Littlefoot, you may not have smiled for moons, but i could see your laugh lines from a mile away. Only a happy friend would have those lines. In fact, judging from your laugh lines, you had a couple of them at least.” Pinkie Pie smiled confidently.

Littlefoots face stared in disbelief. His face slowly lowered into sadness. He lowered his eyes. Pinkies party smile faded. “Whats wrong?”

Littlefoot looked up at her again and spotted Pinkies sad expression.

“Oh. Nothing.” He shook his head, then added in a personal tone. “Well... Yes, and no. Its a long story... I’m sorry, your name.”

“Pinkie Pie.”

“Yes, Pinkie Pie.”

There was a short silence when Pinkie Pie watched Littlefoots eyes fade between telling and not telling. “Its fine, you don’t need to tell me, I'm just happy that we can all be friends.”

Littlefoot went through a short crisis. He sighed. He pulled his head out of Pinkie Pies personal space, and told his story from the beginning. Pinkie Pie jumped down to Twilight.

“I was born out here in the wild lands. My father left my mother before i hatched, didn’t meet him until much later in my life. Me and my mother traveled together with my grandparents those early days. We followed the other herds of leaf eaters toward where the big sky circle touches the ground, past the mountain that looks like a longneck, past the fiery mountains.” Littlefoot paused.
“...The way to The Great Valley.”

Littlefoots highly pitched but still close to the ground voice was well suited for storytelling. Twilight and Pinkie Pie listened passionately to his story.

“It was then that there was a big Earthquake. Me and Cera, a threehorn that I meet earlier was attacked by a Sharptooth during the earthquake. We would have died if my mother hadn’t intervened. She managed to throw the Sharptooth down a ravine but was hurt in the process.” Littlefoot sighted. There was a long pause.
“...She died in front of me.”

Twilight was paralyzed, her eyes sparkled with sadness. Pinkie Pie had started crying.

“H...h...h...Thats so saaaaad!” Pinkie sailed the word.

Littlefoot didn’t flinch. he had gotten over his mothers death a long time ago, although that didn’t mean talking about it had gotten any easier.

“...After my mother died i was alone for a while, and i probably would have died alone if it weren't for me and Cera finding each other again. She was always a bit of a leaf grubber granted.” Littlefoot smiled modestly. “...But she was all i had, and all i needed at the time. Eventually i met Ducky, a swimmer. Petri was a flyer that couldn’t fly, i remember him falling down on top of my nose when i meet him for the first time. Ducky found an orphan egg, the egg hatched Spike...”

“Spike?! Where?” Twilight exclaimed while wailing her head around. Littlefoot looked at her in bewilderment. Pinkie Pie held her hoof over her mouth to contain her laughter. Twilight looked at them both and laughed blushing.

“Hehehe, never mind.” Twilight rid her thoughts of her baby dragon back in Equestria.

“...Now Spike was a spike tail, he didn’t talk much, and rarely would he talk for as long as i knew him, but what he lacked in words he made up for in friendliness. Eventually Petri learned how to fly too, about time he did so since he was right over the mouth of a sharptooth at the time. Together... Me, Cera, Ducky, Petri and Spike, we traveled to the mountain that looked like a longneck and past the fiery mountains, and eventually we found it, The Great Valley.”

The silence was complete as Twilight and Pinkie Pie listened.

“...Spike continued living with Duckys family as her adoptive brother, i remember her having several sisters and brothers. Cera found her father and lived with him and i found my grandparents and lived with them. Together we had many adventures me and my friends. Times were sometimes hard, granted, but together we always found a way. The end”

There was a along silence.

“What an amazing tale.” Pinkie Pie said in wonder.

“But what happened?” Twilight asked.

“Happened?” Littlefoot said.

“Yes. What was it that caused you separate?”

Littlefoot sighed.

“It’s complicated.” The longneck paused. He seemed to think about his words before he said them. “It all started with the death of my grandparents. I mourned them for many nights but, eventually, it wasn’t a difficult thing to accept, they were both very old. After their deaths i waited for my father to come home and decide what would become of me. While i waited i slept over with my friends families. Eventually...“

“Wait...” Twilight interrupted. “You slept over with their families? Were there no other longnecks in the valley?”

“No Twilight, there weren't. There were a few grown ones at first but they left pretty early since they didn't have any kids.” Littlefoot then added modestly. “There were a family of tiny ones, but they had enough trouble without some giant constantly growing longneck trying to squeeze himself inside their nests. Spike had an encounter with a herd of his own kind earlier. He almost left with them one winter but decided to stay with Ducky that time, but eventually his longing for a family of his own became to strong.” Littlefoot sighed. “...One summer they returned, it was then that he decided to leave with them.”

“How did your friend Ducky take that?” Twilight asked.

“Not well, not well at all, but eventually she realized that it was the right thing to do to let Spike live and socialize with his own kind for a while, especially since one of them was a another spiketail child he befriended, what was his name?" Littlefoot thought for a moment. "Tippy. That was his name.”

“Oh, a new friend. So sweet.” Pinkie Pie put her hooves under her chin and bent her head in a adoring way. Littlefoot continued.

“It went well for a while, living with my friends families, but it was then it came.” Littlefoot paused for a dramatic effect.

“...The Big Drought.”

Twilight and Pinkie Pies faces twisted in worry.

“As i said, I'm not sure exactly what happened between us after that, but as the trees slowly died and the food became more and more scarce, me and my friends started fighting.”

“Oh no.” Twilight said.

As the princess of friendship, who had the responsibility of solving friendship crises, she had enough experience to know what heartache friends fighting each other could potentially cause. There were now a long silence from Littlefoot. He opened his mouth, like he was about to tell more, but it froze in place as his face sunk into denial. In the end he just said.

“...And then i decided to leave.”

“But...?”

“...But what a nice surprise Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie Pie was interrupted by Littlefoot. “I have no idea how that cannon of yours work but i think i’ll save myself for a big party with you and your friends.”

Pinkie Pie was about to press Littlefoot further but she realized that he didn’t want to talk about why he left his friends. She smiled at his kind words.

“Thank you, Littlefoot.” Pinkie looked down at Littlefoots feet, which were anything but what his name suggested. She giggled at his name. “I like your name.”

Littlefoot smiled modestly. His eyes trailed of. “Yea. My mom gave it to me.”

Pinkie Pie decided to leave him alone from her questions.

The camp of the others slowly came into view as Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack and Fluttershy went over the sand slope. With them they had their new found friend.

Granted, she had been a bit mean and grumpy at the beginning. But there seemed to be something genuine about her, Rainbow Dash felt, who thought she deserved a second chance. She saw Rarity packing for departure. They saw Littlefoot, Twilight and Pinkie Pie talking further ahead.

“So how many of you ponies are there?” Cera asked. “I mean, do you even know...” Ceras gasped. Her eyes widened in disbelief. A lonely tear formed in her right eye.

Target acquired. Ready... Set... Go!

Twilight and Pinkie Pie was talking to the longneck about their lives when there suddenly were the sound of sand being trampled. Littlefoot gasped. He went sailing several feet through the air, his cutie mark glistening in the sun. His huge body created a long crater when he landed.

Littlefoot caught up with his breath. His eyes widened in disbelief.

“Cera?” A huge smile formed on his face. His eyes glistened in pure joy. “Cera! Its really you!”

“Hello... LEAVER!” Cera exclaimed angrily.

“Cera. How glad i am to se you!”

“Well...” Cera seemed to flinch for a moment. ”Well I'm not. Hm!” Cera turned her head away.

“How do you know that Cera?” Littlefoot asked, still smiling widely.

“Well...” Cera hesitated. “Because i just slammed into you and I'm standing over you.”

Littlefoots smile relaxed into a friendly chill.

“Well, i guess one of us is going the wrong way then, don't we?” Littlefoot started laughing.

Cera looked at Littlefoot again. Her anger faded. A large smile formed on her usually grumpy face. Soon the air was filled with both Littlefoots and Ceras laughter. They both stood up and studied one another.

Littlefoot thought Cera had grown substantially since the last time he saw her. Her nose horn was bigger. Two more horns protruded in front of her facial disc, which had also grown. Together with her yellow skin it made her almost look like the sun poking out from behind the horizon.

Cera had to strain her eyes to look at Littlefoot once he stood up. His body was bigger and his tail was longer, but the real difference could be seen once he stretched his neck. It must be at least double the length from the last time she saw him. She remembered them having to climb a tree on their way to The Great Valley to find food, a long time ago. She could now imagine Littlefoot reaching those leaves all by himself.

The ponies watched the happy reunion with smiles upon their faces.

“But Littlefoot, who are these creatures?” Cera asked Littlefoot.

“They are ponies, Cera.”

“Ponies?”

“We are from a place called Equestria.” Twilight broke in. “Littlefoot told us all about you, Leaf Grubber.”

Pinkie Pie made a huge gasp. Twilights face twitched realizingly.

“Woops... hehehe.” Twilight laughed nervously. “Sorry.”

Ceras face froze. Slowly, her eyeballs turned sideways. Littlefoot was already halfway from there, trying to sneak away. He looked back at her.

“Heheheh... Hi Cera.”

Target acquired. Ready... Set... Go!

Littlefoot ran around the cliff, his heart beating violently of joy and panic at the same time. He found a cave around the bend. He entered it. Looking back, he saw Cera pass outside. He turned around and followed the cave further in. He saw light coming from the cave wall ahead.

The ponies saw Littlefoot poke his head out from the cave ahead. He laughed and stepped outside. Suddenly something grabbed onto his tail and managed to pull him around the corner. He managed to hold onto it to avoid being dragged inside.

“Come on girls!” Twilight called her friends.

The unicorns tried their best, using their limited magic, to try and pull Littlefoot out of the cave. The ground and pegasi ponies pulled his feet that held around the cave corner. Ceras crazy growling could be heard inside in a rabies manner. The moaning and grunting from the ponies echoed the through air. Pinkie Pies pink mouth opened wide and showed its teeth pearly white as she exclaimed.

“SHOOT HER!”

The other ponies started to tire. Littlefoots feets was pulled further and further inside the cave.

“SHOOT HER!”

“Shoot her!? With what?” Apple Jack shouted at Pinkie Pie.

“I don’t know with what, bring my party cannon, but just go ahead and shoot her already!”

There was a unison grunting when the ponies lost grip at the same time. Littlefoot disappeared inside the darkness of the cave.

Lying on the ground, Littlefoot looked straight into the darkness. Ceras yellow face, twisting into an evil grin, illuminated from it. Littlefoot nervous smile reflected her green eyes. Ceras evil laughter echoed inside the cave.

Oh yes... She had missed this.

Chapter 5. The Pink Star

Littlefoot opened his eyes for the sixth time since whenever he lost count of it. He had been lying awake for a while now, trying desperately to relax his body enough to fall asleep. Beside him laid his grandparents, sleeping as deeply as they usually did. He could hear his grandfather snoring loudly, although that wasn’t the reason the young longneck Littlefoot couldn’t sleep.

He didn’t know why, but for some reason he felt a nagging unrest growing in him, like if something was waiting for him, something big. Over him the stars laid dotted across the night sky. Birds could be heard singing over the treetops inside The Great Valley. Littlefoot stretched his long but still short neck for a longneck child. He strained his eyes. Was there a sparkle somewhere up there in the sky? He heard rustling in the bushes ahead.

“Littlefoot?” He could hear Ceras voice.

“Cera?” Littlefoot answered sleepily.

Ceras yellow head poked out of from behind the bushes.

“Littlefoot, come, theres something i’d like to show you.” She whispered.

Littlefoot yawned. He lowered his neck and went back to sleep. He felt something hard hit him in the head.

“Ao!” Littlefoot exclaimed as he saw the rock wail of to the side. “Cera. That hurt?!”

“Shhhh. Come on Littlefoot!” Ceras head disappeared behind the bushes. She poked out again and added Smirking. “Unless you’re a scaredy egg.”

Littlefoot grumped. "No, I'm not!”

“Well?" Cera urged. "Come on then!”

Littlefoot had lost count how many time Cera had woken him this way. He stretched himself and went after her.

Littlefoot and Cera ran over the hill ahead. The bright moon silhouetted their bodies against the night sky. Around them the rest of The Great Valley habitants slept as deep as the mysteries that laid beyond the stars above. When Littlefoot and Cera came into a tree area Cera turned to Littlefoot.

“Wait here, I'm just gonna check on something.”

Littlefoot closed his eyes yawned. Cera frowned and poked her horn at him.

“Ao!”

“Stay awake sleepy head.” Cera urged.

“But Cera, what is this about?” Littlefoot asked sleepily.

“You won’t believe it unless you see it with your own eyes.”

Littlefoot wasn’t sure if he could see anything with his own eyes. It was like they weighted heavier the longer he tried to look. Where were he again? Was he even awake? Or was this still a dream?

“Wait here, don’t go anywhere.” Cera said.

“Im not going anywhere grandpa.” Littlefoot blurted out.

Cera ran back to her sleeping nest. Her father laid right beside it like a breathing mountain, this being no surprise since Cera could hear his snoring from across the hill. After the threehorn girl had checked what she needed to check she went back for Littlefoot. A dark voice rumbled behind her.

“Is it that longneck again?” Cera stopped dead in her tracks. The moment she heard the tone of his voice she knew what was coming. She braced herself. “You know i have warned you about hanging out with those leaf grubbers!” Ceras father boomed.

Cera swallowed her cry. She put on a confident appearance in her voice.

“Im not going to hang out with those longnecks father.” She said.

“Then why are you heading to meet one right now?” Her father boomed.

Cera knew it was pointless to lie about meeting Littlefoot.

“Im not meeting him, he is going to meet me, he owes me a favor.” Cera still had her face turned away from her father, who grumped for an answer.

“Urgh, what favor?”

“He owes me exactly one hundred tree stars.” Cera answered confidently.

Her father grumped again.

“You know i have warned you about hanging out with those ‘longnecks’.” His voice bathed in disgust as he empathized the word. ”They are nothing but trouble. I AM your father and i KNOW whats best for you Cera!”

The dark voice of the male threehorn tore a hole straight into his daughter.

“Yes father.” The threehorn child said with a confident voice, the same confident voice that right now came out of a dropped face. Ceras green eyes were wide open and sparked with tears. “I am going to bring some stars back to you Father, the Longnecks should know that a debt to a three horn is always to be payed!” Cera managed to keep the cry out of her voice.

Ceras father grumped again. The grump almost made Cera gasp. She heard her father lay down his face. Ceras heart raced along with the silence.

“Don't let it take too long.”

After Cera had passed the tree line she stopped. She turned her yellow face downward and let her tears out on the grass below.

As Cera came out of the bushes ahead Littlefoot thought she saw her flinch.

“Is everything alright mom?” Littlefoot blurted sleepily.

Cera looked sully att Littlefoot.

“What kind of a question is that? I’m not you mom, and of course everything is alright! Why would it not be? Now, do you want to see this thing or what?”

Littlefoot yawned.

“Yes Chomper, let us have friends for dinner.”

The dinosaur children procceded through the greenest part of the valley, the one that had burned down a good couple of moon cycles ago. They then climbed the rocks close to the border of The Great Valley, their home. Cera lead Littlefoot on top of a cliff outcropping. She stared out into the blackness of the sky. She flung her eyes confusion.

“Where is it?”

“Its right there Ali, behind that hungry Crocodile.” Littlefoot sailed out yawning.

“I know i saw it.”

Littlefoot pulled himself together.

“Look Cera. Whatever you saw, maybe it was just a dream.”

“No. I know i saw it!” Cera said assertively.

Littlefoot had no idea what crazy adventure would befall them this time, but he was sure it involved at least two sharptooths, one encounter that would have no impact of the ending of their adventure and a couple of songs. - But all that could wait. He laid himself down and rested his head on a rock below. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander of. “Wake me up when whatever you saw decides to show up.”

The calmness fell over Littlefoot. He thought he heard Cera say. This is pointless, i'm heading back. He felt himself sink into a vacuum.

Suddenly it was there again - that feeling inside that something big was waiting for him. - Littlefoot opened his eyes. The stars laid tick in the blackness of the sky. One of the stars were bigger then the other stars. It gave a blink. Littlefoot yawned and raised his neck. There was another blink. Littlefoot squinted his eyes. The star became more clearer. Littlefoots eyes widened with his excitement.

Is the star changing color?

The star blinked more and more repeatedly. It slowly turned into a shade of pink, a pink star in the blackness of the sky. It blinked three times and gave a last long blink with a much greater loom. The skin of the longneck sparkled in the light. The pink star reflected in the young longnecks eyes.

The pink star reflected in the eyes of the juvenile adult longneck. It waved up and down on the flank of the sleeping alicorn. The question dug itself into Littlefoots mind as he watched Twilight Sparkle.

Could it be?

Just as Littlefoot thought about this a sudden feeling suddenly struck him. Littlefoot raised his long neck. Around him the forrest laid thick. The six ponies and Cera slept peacefully beside him.

The group had taken their way through the forest on their way to The Great Valley. Cera had been reluctant to head back there.

“Why go back to that old dust bowl?” She had said incredulous.

But now none of those thoughts mattered, all Littlefoot could feel was that sinking feeling that, right now, it was all or nothing.

“Ponies.” Littlefoot urged. They all kept on sleeping.

“Ponies!” He retried. Groaning could be heard from one of them.

“Eh, what? Cant a tired pegasi get a little rest?” Rainbow Dash whined.

“Listen ponies, we need to get out of here, now!”

The other ponies were now awake.

“What is going on?” Fluttershy asked with her tiny voice.

“Littlefoot?” Cera asked. Littlefoot looked at Cera with worrying eyes.

Cera had traveled with Littlefoot so many times before. She had lost count how many times he had gotten on her nerve to such an extent she that she rather listen to a flock of blownoses singing. But as annoying as he always was, one thing Cera was ready to admit to herself he never was. - Wrong.

“Let's get a move on ponies!” She urged.

Twilight opened her eyes and saw the others leave ahead. Apple Jack trotted up to her and nudged her with her hoof.

“Come on Twilight, something’s up.”

Apple Jack turned around and went after the others. Twilight rose up and sleepily trotted after Apple Jack. There were the sound of something breaking above Twilight. She felt something hard hit her in the head.

The world went black.

The blurry world slowly became clearer as Twilight opened her eyes. The twig that had snapped and hit her in the head laid beside her. She noticed that her friends was gone. Her muscles urged her to rise up and gallop after them. She was just about do that when she heard an all to familiar snort rumble above her. Twilights blood froze.

Slowly, without moving a muzzle, Twilight turned her eyeballs the the right. A giant foot with the largest claws that Twilight had ever seen planted itself in the mud only inches away from her. The claws moved slightly, scraping holes in the dirt. Twilight felt something fall down on top of her mane. Thick saliva dripped down over her face. There was a ground rumbling growl.

Sharptooth!

The thought screamed inside her head. Twilight was about to consider herself a dead pony when she realized that she was lying underneath a bush. The realization didn’t ease her thumping heart.

Sharptooth looked around the area. He know he smelled something, and not just anything, but the same smell he felt when he saw those colorful rodents earlier. The last evening his wife had demanded that he would bring her some more pray. When he had done that it hadn’t been enough. The three meals he brought her later hadn’t been enough either. Each humble gesture had only been answered with more bickering and whining. Eventually it had all come down to him giving up his entire supper this morning just to shut her up. His head thumped with anger. He wasn’t even all that hungry, he just wanted to sink his teeth into something and feel its life fade out between his jaws.

Twilight knew there was a deep chasm with a rocky slope, slightly to her left. She saw a rock lying in front of her. She had an idea.

Carefully, Twilight used her weakened horn magic to lift it from the ground. She had it sail slowly toward the chasm. The sharptooths' growl pushed down upon her from above. The phrase repeated inside her head.

If i drop it to soon I'm dead! If i drop it to soon I'm dead!

She dropped it.

Twilights panicked face glistened purple as her horn gave a glow and caught the rock only millimeters from the ground. Slowly she had the rock hover over the chasm. She released her spell and let the rock fall.

There was a loud clang resonating from the nearby chasm. Sharptooth leaned his head left to see what it was.

In a flash, Twilight pushed her hooves forward and galloped full speed to the right. She heard the sharptooths jaws slam only inches behind her before she jumped over the bushes and let the forest swallow her rather than him.

Sharptooth leaned his body forward as he ran. He saw a lavender patch down in the forest below. It was one of those small colorful rodents he had seen earlier. Sharptooth wondered how they tasted like?

The steps of the Sharptooth rumbled from behind her. The bushes slammed against her face. Twigs cut her lavender body. She didn't feel a thing, all she felt was her thumping heart and the perceived darkness that would be her death if those jaws reached her spine. She zig zagged between the trees, hearing them break apart behind her when something big came between them. The roar of the sharptooth pushed her hoofs to ignore even further the tiering. She spotted a fallen down tree trunk ahead. She lowered her head and galloped inside.

The walls of the trunk obliterated behind Twilight as she galloped through the corridor. Small rodents and insects fled into small niches in the wood as the trunk became shorter.

When Twilight exited the trunk she saw a dark shadow close itself over her. In a flash she planted her hooves on the ground and jumped right, barely avoiding Sharptooths jaws. Twilight moaned in pain but kept galloping for her life. Twilight spotted a pond ahead. She heard the Sharptooths steps closing in behind her. Out of options, she took a deep breath and jumped.

The world went blurry as the water engulfed Twilight. She hurled her hooves forward and swum deeper, hearing the splashing on the waters surface above. Twilight now realized that the pond she had jumped into had been a small one and that she had no plan on how to get out of it without Sharptooth reaching her. She felt the recently relived panic rise inside her again. Twilight felt her tummy jerking as her body wanted to breathe. The blurry water started growing dark. Twilight decided that being crushed between the jaws of the sharptooth would be easier than drowning. She was about to swim up again when she felt hands grabbing hold of her cheeks.

Something green blurred in front of her vision. Lips closed around her mouth. There was an inflating relief inside her chest when the lips gave air. The hands then grabbed hold of Twilights hoof and led her further down into the pond. The darkness closed around her as the hands seemed to lead her through some kind of underwater cave.

Suddenly Twilight felt the cold air wrap around her head. The hands around her hooves let go as she adjusted her eyes. There was a thin light ahead, but mostly the cave seemed pitch black. Twilight made herself out of the water and onto the stone floor. She had her horn light up the darkness.

“Woaaaaa!” A hoarse, highly pitched voice awed. “How do you do that?”

Twilight turned her head. The first Twilight noticed was the flat form of the creatures mouth. Behind it there seemed to be a pointy outcropping. The head of the creature almost looked like green half-moon. She stood straight up on two legs with her two small arms hanging in front of her like a hare.

“Oh this? This is just a illumination spell, nothing advanced.” Twilight lectured.

“And what about that pink star behind you? What is that?”

“Oh this?” Twilight answered and turned her body slightly. “This is my cutie mark, it represents my special talent.”

“It is beautiful, it is...” The creature said in wonder, then added. “...Yep, yep, yep.”

What a cute little creature this was. Twilight laughed while her mind caught up with the recent events. Her pupils slowly diminished. Her face got stuck in laughter position as she fell sideways and fainted.

Chapter 6. Light Horn

Ducky could still see the image of the glowing horn in front of her eyes. The light faded as they adjusted to the darkness of the cave again. She walked up to the strange lavender creature that had created it, her feets splashing against the wet cave floor. Duckys' hoarse voice echoed inside the cave.

“Light Horn? Are you okay Light Horn?”

Ducky laid her claws on the creatures tummy. The creature had some kind of hair coat for skin. It startled Ducky. She gasped and backed away. It almost felt like a giant rodent. Ducky knew the feeling of hair because she had a rat friend currently living in The Land Of Mists, but Duckys' mind only circulated around a dark realization right now.

“Light Horn?” Duckys voice trembled.

Ducky nudged the colorful creature in the belly. The creature didn’t move. Ducky felt her heart drop down to her feet, to emotional to notice that Twilight was still breathing weakly through her mouth.

Is she...?

Ducky breathed heavily. She whispered.

“Light Horn. Oh Light Horn, why are’t you moving Light Horn?”

Ducky looked silently at the seemingly unmoving pile of lavender coat. Her eyes filled with tears. She snorted.

“Because you are dead Light Horn. Yes you are, yep, yep, yep.”

Ducky wailed her eyes around. There was a weak light entering the cave from above. As the sun moved the light came closer to Light Horns body. This seemed like as perfect spot as any Ducky thought and started gathering stones.

After preparations had been made Ducky went down on her knees. The light had now reached Light Horns body, the pink star on her flank glistening in its wake. Ducky lowered her flat head and spoke softly.

“Oh Light Horn. Why did you leave us Light Horn?” Ducky snorted. “Why did you leave your friends and family behind, wherever they may be? They are surely going to miss you now when you’re gone, yep, yep, yep.”

It made Ducky even sadder to think that the family of Light Horn didn’t know that their daughter was dead. Hopefully they would find this cave and discover the truth via her setup.

Ducky spent a long time beside Light Horn, shedding tears in intervals. Eventually she stood up. She turned around and walked away, leaving Light Horns body at the hands of the great circle of life.

As Ducky left the cave behind her she was greeted with the daylight patching through the treetops above. But now another question occurred to her.

But how are you going to find this cave, family of Light Horn?

The answer didn’t take long for Ducky to find. She started gathering twigs.

After Ducky had made the final preparations she walked away from the cave. Her thoughts circulated around Light Horn. Even though she never knew her she couldn’t help but feel like she did in a way. It was like part of Ducky lived in a different reality, a reality were she and Light Horn had been friends for a long time. The thought that she only truly lived that reality for a couple of minutes before Light Horn died somehow brought her even closer to her. Ducky guessed that old saying was true after all - We don’t know what we have until its gone - And by the sound of the sobbing ahead it appeared as someone else had the same thought. The crying seemed to come from behind the bushes. Ducky approached slowly. She pulled apart the leaves.

Apple Jack though she heard rustling in the bushes behind her. A sharptooth was her first thought. She hoped that it was. She hoped that the sharptooth would jump on her and let her join her friend Twilight in death. The world around her were blurry with tears. Her sobbing made the small glimpse she had of it bounce constantly.

Ducky watched with curious eyes at the strange light brown creature that seemed to have some kind of yellow waterfall on her head. Ducky could hear that it was a female, but why was she crying? Slowly, Ducky approached the yellow waterfall. She reached out her hand.

Apple Jacks brain spun around in circles. Why did she had to be in such a hurry back there? Why didn’t she look behind her and made sure that Twilight actually followed her? It was only after she discovered that she wasn't that Apple Jack and the others had heard the sharptooths roar and the sound of its teeth slamming against something. From that moment Apple Jack had felt a heavy stone lying inside her belly, making it ache constantly. She felt something nudging her hoof. She found no strength to bother.

Ducky took away her hand as the sobbing light brown creature didn’t seem to react to her presence. Ducky was getting ready to walk away and leave the creature alone when something inside her told her to just be herself.

“Hello.” Ducky greeted cheerfully.

Apple Jack kept on sobbing, her face turned to the ground.

“I said, hello.” Ducky tried again.

Apple Jack still didn’t answer. Ducky made a long gasp.

“Woaaaaa... Maybe you cannot talk yet, haaa, haaa?” Ducky dragged out the ‘a’ in a ‘how are you?’ manner while looking at Apple Jack.

Apple Jack managed to gain control of her sobbing. She turned her head and looked into the eyes of the strange flat-mouthed creature. It was big, curious, unbeknownst and innocent eyes. Apple Jack felt herself fall into those eyes. Somehow it didn’t matter who the creature was, all that mattered was that those eyes saw her who she really was.

“h...h..Its all my fault.” Apple Jack sobbed.

“What’s your fault?” Ducky asked.

“h...h..Everything.” Apple Jacks eyes closed, her tears pouring down over her cheeks. Ducky jumped up in front of Apple Jack.

“So ‘Everything’ is your fault?” She asked curiously.

“...h...h...yes.”

“So then i owe ‘everything’ i have to you? My toes, my fingers, my hands, my mouth, my legs, my...?

Ducky went on about everything that she had. Apple Jack felt her mood rise slightly, but her memory herself turning away from Twilight still held her down.

“I miss h..h..her so much.” She sobbed.

“Miss who?” Ducky asked and stopped jumping.

“Twilight.”

“Who is Twilight?” Ducky asked. Apple Jack didn’t answer. She continued with a broken voice.

“What am i going to tell Celestia? What I'm i going to tell Spike?”

Ducky suddenly lit up.

“Spike?! I know a Spike. He’s my brother. He is a spiketail, not a swimmer like me.” Ducky made swimming motion with her arms. She then lowered her head in sadness. “He left my family to be with his own kind, but i don't judge him, no, no, no, he will always be my brother. Yes, he will, yep, yep, yep.”

When Apple Jack heard the green creature tell her about her brother she felt her sobbing stop. She snorted. She wiped the tears with her hoof. Ducky continued.

“Life can be so cruel sometimes. Sometimes the ones that we love gets taken away from us, like my friend Light Horn. Yep, that was her name.”

Apple Jack felt calmer the further the green creature spouted.

“It is sad that we barely got to know each other, me and Light Horn. One minute she was there and then, the next, she was aaaaaal gone.” Ducky sat down next to Apple Jack. She laid her hand on her hoof. “But i’ll always remember her. Her shining horn with her eyes and her smile and her colorful coat.”

Apple Jack saw an image of Twilight paint itself in front of her. It made Apple Jack dreamy, so dreamy that she failed to ask the creature who Light Horn was. Apple Jack joined in, going through memory lane.

“She were so kind Twili, and nerdy. A real book worm granted, but a finer princess must really be searched for to find. She always put everyone else before herself, she even helped me with my farmer chores now and then, despite her not really being cut out for hard work.”

Apple Jack felt better talking about who Twilight as a pony. Ducky had similar feelings.

“Soooo beautiful hair, Light Horn had. Covered in red streaks like the morning sky. She really lit up the darkness when it was hard to see, yep, yep, yep.

“Her lavender wings spread so wide.” Apple Jack continued. “And that cutie mark of hers, she really stood out in the crowd...”

Ducky and Apple Jack kept on talking about their respective friend. Meanwhile, inside the cave, somepony was about to become two ponies at once without knowing so.

Twilight moaned and opened her eyes. She took a deep breath, feeling the wet cave air smear inside her throat. She wailed her eyes around. She didn’t realize it yet, but from now on the questions would only pile up.

Why were there stone towers placed all around her? Why was there a flower placed on one of them? Where was that green creature that she had seen earlier? Had she been a dream? Twilight felt the confusion slide against her brain. She moaned again. She rose up on her hooves and started walking toward the light ahead, hoping to also shed light on the situation.

As Twilight exited the cave her confounded eyes immediately festered on some kind of wooden statue. The statue had four thin twigs as legs, a slightly thicker twig as body, woven together reed as a head and a pine needle sticking out of it. Is the pine needle supposed to be a horn? It looked like the poor thing was being impaled in the face. Twilight thought she heard voices ahead.

Good, finally one is going to get some answers. Twilight thought to herself.

Back behind the bushes the memories kept on flowing.

“She were so good with school fillies Twilight, she always had something to say that would cheer those small apples up and make them bloom like harvest season.” Apple Jack recalled dreamily.

“...She was so full of life Light Horn. So cheerful, so kind, so...” Ducky gasped, her eyes widened and sparkled up in joy. “...so alive. YOU’RE ALIVE!”

Apple Jack threw her eyes in the same direction as Ducky. She felt that stone inside her tummy drop to the ground. Her pony face lit up like the morning sun.

“TWILIGHT!” - “LIGHT HORN!” Both Apple Jack and Ducky shouted happily at the same time, the names blurring into TWIGHTHORN in the air.

“Heh?” Twilight blurted, her mouth bent in confusion.

Before Twilight had time to ask any questions she felt Apple Jacks hooves wrap hard around her. The green creature climbed up on Apple Jacks back and hugged around Twilights mane.

Twilight stared bewildered into the air. Inside, she did feel happy for Apple Jack and whoever the green creature was, but she had a feeling that she had missed something.

Chapter 7. The Great Circle

The great circle of life. Some talk of it as a metaphor. Some say it is the sun herself. Some even worship it as a almighty god, one that controls everything. Whatever existential view one may have, one thing remains universal. - The sun is necessary for all life. - Even when one does not know the workings of cosmos, or even that there are any of the sorts, the sun is both a life-bringer and a potential danger to all that flourishes throughout the land which it touches. It is a truth that every living creature has to accept, even in a land of dinosaurs, even in a land before time.

The beams of the sun cut through the gray clouds in the sky, creating twilight. Here it seemed as if the great circle had a special plan for the land. - The ground laid barren. The trees had almost lost all of their green. The rivers were murky, some dried away.

In these lands the great circle had decided that it was survival of the fittest. When the plant eaters searched for greener lands they left the meat eaters in fear of starvation. - When the meat eaters prayed upon the plant eaters it left them in fear of being hunted. In these lands, fear was the greatest tool one could have.

The great circle of life. Some think of it as a metaphor, some consider it to be the sun herself. A longneck female silhouetted against it as she gazed into its guiding light. She closed her eyes. She let the words run through her head again.

Follow the great circle until you reach the mountain that is shaped like a longneck and pass the mountain that burn.

It had to be there. It simply had to, or else, it would all have been for nothing. All the wandering, the gathering of the remaining green, the hatching of the young.

The longneck heard footstep behind her, followed by a voice.

“Is everything alright, my dear?”

Bron! The name roared inside the longnecks’ head, but of course she recognized it was the voice of her father, not her mate. Still, Mother Longneck felt a smile form across her face. She never got tired of hearing his kind tone.

“We should move on.” She urged.

“We could take a rest if you want to. We can always play with your son.”

It took almost ten seconds for Mother Longneck of turn her neck around and face her father. Behind him she saw her mother approach with her son. He was the only longneck child born in a long while, their last hope for the future.

Mother Longneck smirked. “I’m fine, thank you, unless you...?”

She never had time to ask before Grandpa Longneck was laughing it off.

“Don’t worry about us sweetie. Me and your mother spent a long time wandering back in our days.” Grandpa winked to his daughter. “We won’t tire so easily.”

Mother Longneck spotted a few leaves on a nearby tree. It was like Grandpa had a set of eyes behind his head. “You should take some dear, build strength.”

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry, you need food so you don’t wither away, old longneck.” Mother Longneck joked.

Both longnecks’ exchanged laughters.

“Then I'll figure that you want the little one to have some.” Her father proposed. This was always the case of Grandpa Longneck. It was like his very voice was Mother Longnecks’s own mind speaking to her, the side that only cared about love and compassion. It almost brought her to tears. Mother Longneck faced away from her father and continued their o so long wandering. Her neck, which reached almost as high as the tallest trees, swayed forward and back as she did. It gave her body momentum and allowed her to save strength. She intended to learn her son the technique came the time.

“Mother? Is this all there is left to eat?” Mother longneck heard her son ask. She glanced back at him. Her father had just given him some leaves.

“Oh, I’m sorry my dear. The land has been changing. That is why we must walk as far as we can, each day, until we reach The Great Valley.”

Mother longneck scanned the trees ahead. Her eyes widened.

By the great circle. Is it?

“Littlefoot. Quickly, come here!”

Mother Longneck stretched her neck to confirm what she saw. Indeed, one had survived, against all odds. She spoke to her son in awe.

“Look up there. A tree star. It is very special.”

The tree star was a big leaf with beautiful pointy edges, ending in five main ones that indeed made it look like a star. Mother Longneck used her teeth to pick it off from the highest branch. She used her neck to hoover it down to her son, who was jumping up and down in ecstasy.

“A tree star.” He quickly buried his face in it.

“It is very special. It’ll help you grow strong. Where we are going, there are so many of these leaves.”

Mother longneck let her son play with the leaf for a while before moving out. She saw him toss it into the air and let it fall over his head. He smelled it and used his cute little tongue to lick it.

"Come along."

Mother longneck had no idea how long they had to walk. Secretly, she didn’t even know if The Great Valley existed. If that was the case, than her and her sons fate would truly belong to the great circle. The thought was almost too heavy to bare. Mother longneck told her son all about the amount of food and water that they would find there, as much to lift his spirit as her own.

“Have you ever seen The Great Valley?” Littlefoot suddenly asked.

It took a couple of seconds for Mother longneck to turn her neck to answer her son. During those seconds, unbeknownst to her parents, Mother longneck went through a short crisis. Her son was no fool.

We won’t make it both of us. Mother longneck couldn’t help it, the thought had formed in her mind against her will. Her answer came out with a tinge of irritation.

“No.”

Littlefoot strutted closer to his mother. The tree star she gave to him he kept stored on his back. It fell off before he asked worried.

“Well, how do you know its really there?”

Littlefoots curious eyes sparkled with youth. Mother longneck never ceased to be amazed by her son. She was proud of how smart he was, or he would be if he continued asking questions like this. But this was no time for smart, this was time for hope. She looked distinguished into his eyes.

“Some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart.”

Littlefoot sighed. He lowered his head. “I don’t understand mother.”

Mother Longneck put her head underneath his chin. She lifted it and whispered. “You will understand. Some day.”

The city of Canterlot was the main capital of Equestria, the land of the ponies and home to so many other magical creatures. Its rulers names were Luna and Celestia. Two sisters, one of the night and one of daylight. While her sister raised the moon, each morning, as each pony was getting ready for work it was Celestia that raised the sun. Some could almost be excused for considering her being the sun. One was eager to meet her now.

“Wait for it.” The unicorn stallion whispered, knowing his daughter could hear. He scanned the line beyond the horizon as he gazed at it from the top of the balcony. He could hear hooves behind him.

“Father?”

“You’ll see her soon dearie. Just wait.”

The unicorn girl put on a pouting face. “Daddy, when do you think I will get my cutie mark?”

The midnight-colored unicorn stallion with dark-blue mane did not pay attention to his daughter. He knew Celestia raising the sun would sheer her up just like it had every other time.

“She will be out any minute now. Wait for it.”

The stallion thought he saw a flicker in the horizon, but other than that, nothing. The night sky stayed as deep and mysterious as before.

Where is she? She never used to be this late?

“Father, please.”

“Just a moment dearest. She’ll be here.”

The filly shot her father a goggly glare. The next day would be the day when she would join Celestias school for gifted unicorns. - She knew there would be a test, her father knew there would be a test. - She knew there was no way she was ready for the test and that she would fail and remain a blank flank for the rest of her life. - Her father was an idiot. No, not an idiot, a fool...

“Wait for it. Wait...”

The stallion heard crying behind him. He faced his daughter.

“What is wrong sugarcube?”

“I’m going to fail dad.” The filly sobbed.

The stallion went down to her level.

“You are not going to fail, look at me.”

The filly looked at her father, Night Light. Her purple eyes sparkled like her name.

“Look at me, Twilight Sparkle. You will pass. I know you will, nopony in Equestria study as hard as you do.”

“But I will never be like you.”

“You don’t need to be like me. You just need to do your best. And if you do that, then I know that you will become something great.”

Twilight’s wet eyes gained a tinge of curiosity. Night Light nodded at his own proposal.

“But how do you know that?” Twilight Sparkle suddenly asked.

Night light opened his mouth, but hesitated. He had a creeping feeling that if he failed to say his next words correctly he would ruin the life of his daughter. How did he know that she was not going to fade away in a lonely apartment somewhere when she grew up? Was there such a ting as destiny?

Night Light shook the complicated thoughts out of his mind. Behind them he saw what he know he had seen before, the image of a beautiful lavender mare, the brightest one in all of equestria. Did she have wings too? He opened his mouth and told his daughter the truth.

“Some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart.”

Twilight stared in bewilderment at her dad, who was normally all for cracking one liners.

“I don’t understand, dad.” Twilight lowered her head. Night Light used his hoof to lift it up again.

“You will understand, some day.”

Celestia never had time to raise the sun before Night Light made his way inside to make morning supper. Twilight stayed behind. She figured she might as well watch sun rise now when she was there, but all of the waiting made her bored. She used her magic to fondle a nearby flower as she sulked in a corner of the balcony.

There was a light. Twilight Sparkle turned her attention toward the railing. She jumped up to it and gazed into the horizon that laid beyond the walls of Canterlot.

There was indeed a light, but it wasn’t the sun. Twilight strained her eyes. The light intensified behind the clouds. The clouds separated, revealing a star. The star flashed with a white light.

“Heeeh, what?” Twilight said.

The white light pulsated as it slowly turned into fragrance of green. It blinked three times and gave a last long blink with a much greater loom. Twilight’s lavender coat sparkled in its light. The green star reflected in the young unicorn’s eyes.

The white star reflected in the grown alicorns eyes. It bounced up and down on the walking Longneck’s flank, the one that had so randomly shown up after the ponies met Littlefoot for the first time.

Could it be?

“Twilight? Is something going on in that mind of yours?” Rarity asked.

Twilight turned to the white unicorn. She was about to answer but was interrupted when she needed to avoid slipping on a slope rock beneath her. She gained her bearings. “Argh, its alright Rarity, I was just thinking.”

The group was making their way through some kind of rock cemetery. Pointy cliffs made navigation easy but wandering hard. More than once the group needed to turn tail and find a way around the countless crevices and ravines that could be found in the area. It was lucky that the ponies had a guide, Twilight thought. She studied the odd herd that consisted of both ponies and dinosaurs.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flapped their wings each time they encountered a gap in the ground. Pinkie Pie was jumping playfully between each rock she could set her hooves on. Apple Jack had her eyes tethered to the ground so not to lose hoofing. Twilight studied the dinosaurs in the group.

Cera brutishly forced each rock that stood in her way to the side with her strong neck and horn. Littlefoot knew the lands and was their guide. He also seemed to be the most experienced of the wanderers. He didn’t even need to look at the ground as his feet always seemed to step on the right rock. Sitting on Littlefoots’ back with her arms around his neck was their new friend, who had informed them earlier that her name was Ducky and that she was a swimmer. The ponies needed all the friends they could get in this harsh land that Canterlots’ magic mirror had dumped them into.

Ducky looked back at Twilight, her blue eyes sparkling with expectation. Twilight shook her head and smirked. She let the magic flow to her horn, creating a purple light at its peak. Duckys’ sad face lit up into a smile that would rival Pinkie Pie. She moved her mouth, seemingly saying something in whispering awe before facing away from the alicorn and grasped Littlefoots’ neck. Twilight didn't hear what she said but she had read it on her lips.

Ever since Twilight was saved by her after the Sharptooth attack Ducky had been calling Twilight Light Horn, even after Twilight told the swimmer her real name. Twilight was alright with it. Even if she towered slightly over Twilight in her Juvenile age Ducky was an extremely cute dinosaur.

Littlefoot turned his long neck around and shot a modest grin at Twilight. He then exchanged smile with Ducky.

Ever since Ducky joined the heard she and the longneck had been inseparable. Twilight recalled the reunion they had, which had been even more wonderful to watch than the one between Littlefoot and Cera. Duckys’ eyes had turned bulgy in disbelief, her huge mouth with lips that went all the way to the back of her head widening into a universe of pure happiness, her eyes watering with tears of joy, her happy shout echoing throughout the entire forest.

“LITTLEFOOT!”

Twilight wasn’t the only one thinking back. Littlefoot could not believe that he was traveling with his friends again after all this time, and on the road to The Great Valley at that. The only friends that was missing now was Petri the Flier and Spike the Spiketail.

The group stopped. A small gap laid between them and their road forward. Littlefoot looked back at the others. His eyes met Cera, who returned him with a grin.

“Oh, please Littlefoot, we’ve been through this enough times.” The Threehorn then jumped the crevice with ease.

One by one, the others followed.

Apple Jack didn’t even need to gain momentum to make the jump. The earth pony landed on her strong hooves with a heroy grump.

Twilight Sparkle used her alicorn wings to keep herself airborne just long enough to make the jump.

Rainbow Dash didn’t even need to jump. She thrusted her wings and sailed right over the crevice. She plummeted once she was over and violently face-planted the sand. Littlefoot could hear her curse and punch her wing in frustration before looking nervously at the others.

Fluttershy barely managed to make it to the crevice. She glanced down the seemingly endless pit. She whined and shrunk.

“Urgh, This again!? Can someone please help Fluttercry!?” Cera blasted brutishly.

Hearing this made Fluttershy shrink even more. Tentatively, she made her way to the crevice. She felt herself lift into the air. Littlefoot used his long, strong tail to heave the pegasus over the gap by her belly like a kitten.

Rarity made the jump with not much problem. More problem was the sticky thing that got stuck on her hoof upon landing. She ewed and tried to shake it off.

Littlefoot backed away before leaping across. The ground rumbled by the landing of his ton-heavy longneck body. The hands around his neck grasped tight.

“Everything alright Ducky?”

“Yes.” Ducky didn’t sound frightened.

“Then why are you still holding me? We are over the gap Ducky.”

“Because...” Duckys’ voice trailed of. “Because I’ve missed you, Littlefoot.”

The tension in the silent air could have been sliced with a Sharptooths’ jaw. “We all did.” Ducky added. Littlefoot saw the others look expectingly at him, one more than the others. It was like Cera was slurping out Littlefoots’ soul with her green eyes.

“Look.” Littlefoot urged. “We need to move. Can we talk about this later? I promise, I’ll explain everything."

“You don’t need to. All that matters is that you’re here now.” Ducky said reassuringly.

“Oh, but he do need to.” Cera spelled out coldly. “He do, and all that matters is that he is here now to tell us.”

The ponies shared bewildered looks. Twilight Sparkle walked up behind the Threehorn. “Excuse me Cera. If you don’t mind me asking, but what is this about?”

Cera turned to the alicorn. Her anger showed no sign of cooling. “If I don’t mind? Of course I do, Morning, Light, Shine, Sun Shine... whatever.”

Twilight felt her humility run through the sand below her. She frowned. Her voice gained a pointy edge. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Well, whatever! That’s none of your business Twi-until dawn. You heard the Longneck, let's move!”

Cera took the lead. Littlefoot and Twilight exchanged glances, the Longneck barely failing to hide his relief. Twilight looked after the Threehorn. She wailed her hoof in the air and spelled out. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”

The great circle of life. Some think of it as a metaphor, some consider it to be the sun herself. Littlefoot saw the sun set ahead, the red sky paining the landscape orange. He let the words run through his head again.

Follow the great circle until you reach the mountain that is shaped like a longneck and pass the mountain that burn.

Littlefoot turned his head and looked behind. Ducky had fallen asleep on his back. Ahead of him the ponies and his friend Cera had taken the lead.

Mother? If I get lost again, promise that you’ll show me the way.

He glanced back at Ducky again. He smiled. “Like you did before.”

Littlefoot faced the road that laid ahead and followed his herd.

Chapter 8. Ponies Don't Eat Green Food

The ponies had been walking for days. The ground below smelled like nothing. It felt hard, whether it was rock or sand or rock on top of sand nopony could be sure. Rarity couldn’t feel her lips anymore, only the raspy core inside her burning throat.

“I’m so thirsty.” She whimpered.

“We all are.” Rainbow Dash said irritated.

“How you girls have strength to argue?” Fluttershy asked weakly, her wings dragging behind her.

Cera shot the ponies a sullenly look. “How come some of you have wings and some don't?”

Twilight thought she might pass out. Her head ached. “There are three kind of ponies. Earth pony, pegasus pony and unicorns. Unicorns like Rarity have horn and pegasus have wings. Earth ponies have neither but are very strong. I am an alicorn because I have both wings and horn.” Twilight’s voice came out hoarse and rustled. Rainbow Dash wasn’t surprised. Twilight was exactly the kind of bookworm that she imagined would be happy die lecturing.

“Yea, I get that you’re different, I just can’t figure out why those of you with wings can’t fly.” Cera complained. Rainbow Dash shot the threehorn a fat glower.

Littlefoot whipped his tail on the Threehorns’ flank. “Cera! Don’t be rude.”

“I Didn’t mean anything bad!” Cera replied innocently. “It’s just, if they could fly then they could be up there, looking for green food and water.”

IF we could fly!? Rainbow Dash ranted inside her mind. Lady. You have no idea.

“The air is to heavy...” Fluttershy answered Cera, then accidentally changing the subject matter. “...The air heavy, I can’t breathe. Need water.”

“How come you three be so fresh?” Apple Jack asked the dinosaurs. There was a weak lecturing answer coming from Fluttershy.

“They are of the reptile family, Apple Jack. They are cold blooded, which means they don’t sweat. They don’t sweat, they don’t need water the same amount.”

Ducky was walking this time around. She looked worried back at the struggling poor creatures with beautiful colors. She turned to Littlefoot. “Maybe we should stop?”

“No, we can’t. If we stop they might collapse and you don’t want to fall asleep out here.”

“Then we must find water.” Cera added.

Twilight spotted a piece of dry bark on the ground, probably blown here from a forest. It was formed like an bent arch inside, creating a bowl like shape. “Hold on everypony. I’m going to try something.”

The bowl had a large patch of sand inside. Twilight had the spell in her mind, she only hoped her weakened magic would be enough. The alicorn closed her eyes, making sure to keep the bowl lodged in her head. It contained sand in the first part of her mind, the words of the spell in the second second part and the bowl containing water in the third.

Cera may have repressed the thought to the ‘nonsense’ part of her mind but she still remembered when the Rainbow Faces visited The Great Valley a long time ago. She remembered all the Spiketail crap about the Stone Of Cold Fire and how she, Littlefoot, Ducky, Petri and Spike risked their lives for some dumb legend about the stone being magical.

The threehorn watched Twilights’ horn light up, the bowl likewise. The sand inside started moving. It became spectral. The spectral surface turned mushy and conjoined, creating one singular shape. It loosened.

And that was that. The sun above reflected against the watery surface inside the bowl. Cera felt her mouth drop. “Did... Did you just turn sand into water!?”

“Wooooooooow, She did! Light Horn did. Yep yep yep.” Ducky awed.

Littlefoot hovered his head above the ponies just to be sure. His curious eyes met the lavender alicorn. “I don’t know how nutritious it is. But it should cleanse the basic thirst. Take a sip each everypony, I don’t know how many times I’ll have the strength to do this.” Twilight said.

Cera closed her eyes and shook her head. “Wait? Was that just magic I saw!?”

Twilight took a sip of the water. Her voice became stronger. “Yes Cera, it was. A basic spell.”

Cera looked at Twilight like she had just seen a ghost. “Twilight Sparkle? Was it?”

Littlefoot was completely flabbergasted. “But I don’t understand. How?!”

Cera turned to Littlefoot. Her eyes still seemed to wonder if they were awake. “There is no ‘how’, egghead! It is magic, not science.”

“Actually. Magic and science is not that unlike one another. Magic is about making something specific that you want to happen, happen. It takes practice and years of study.” Twilight lectured.

The dinosaurs nodded like they understood, barely. Littlefoot remembered when he was a child. For one second he had turned around and sworn that the Rainbow Faces disappeared out of thin air, probably flown back to space. He remember that time thinking that magic was something for wonders and places far away. Now, when he had witnessed it with his own eyes, it felt like he could reach out and grab it with his tail, like learning to shake a patch of leaves from a tree, like his Grandpa Longneck once did in The Great Valley, a long time ago.

“Can you teach me?!”

Twilight Sparkle turned to Littlefoot. Her eyes was an odd mixture of surprised of receiving the question and not so. “Teach you?”

“Yes. Teach me how to turn sand into water!”

Cera backed slightly away from the longneck. Rainbow Dash swallowed the water she had in her mouth.

“I hate to break it to you, but like Fluttershy said, you are a reptile, not a unicorn.”

“Rainbow Dash! Have some manners.” Rarity scolded.

“Whaaaaat?” Pinkie Pie squeaked. “It wouldn't be that odd. We have seen magical creatures other than unicorns in Equestria, have we?” The pink pony jumped up to the Longneck. She leaned relaxingly against his leg. She pointed her hoof at the white stars on his flank. “Despite. He has this now, has he? If a reptile from another dimension can get a cutie mark then what says he wouldn’t be able to cast a convenient or inconvenient but randomly-super-fun spell to?”

There silence fell over ponies. “Pinkie Pie has a point.” Fluttershy said.

“Will you excuse us for a moment?” Rainbow Dash lead the ponies were the dinosaurs couldn’t hear. “I don’t know about you guys, but am I the only one who feel this is a waste of time?”

“What do you mean Rainbow?” Rarity asked.

“What I mean is...” Rainbow Dash casted a glance back at the dinosaurs. “Do we even know why we are following them?”

“Littlefoot helped me.” Fluttershy pointed out.

“Yea, I know, but how do we know we can trust them? We know they won’t hurt us, but what if their Valley friends eat ponies?”

“Rainbow Dash, how can you say something like that?!” Fluttershy said melodramatic.

“But neither we or they would know that, won’t they? And how are we going to get back to Equestria again?”

“Exactly!” Twilight broke in. She had waited for the angle to pop up. “I don’t know about the Longneck doing magic stuff, but one thing I’m sure of, and that is that Littlefoots’ cutie mark can not be a coincidence.”

“What are you saying sugarcube?” Apple Jack asked interested.

“Do you all remember those objects that turned into keys that allowed us to open up that tree chest?”

“You mean the ones we received after doing something that living up to our elements wasn’t easy and later used to defeat Tirek?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Thank you Pinkie. Now, those objects couldn't have had that magic before we received them, what if Littlefoot absorbed some of Equestrias magic when I touched him, the same way those objects did?”

“You’re saying he is a key?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy imagined the giant longneck lifting from the ground and spinning around in circles before turning into a small key. She giggled to herself.

“Well, he’s got to have a purpose. That is what a cutie mark means, after all.” Apple Jack looked back at her own. The other ponies did the same.

Meanwhile, a bit out of ear reach from the ponies, a dinosaur was doing the same.

“I wonder what it’s for.” Littlefoot said.

Ceras’ mouth twisted bewilderingly. “It looks like nothing to me. Can you get it off?”

Littlefoot used his tail to rub the skin over his mark. “No Cera, I’ve tried with water too. It’s like it’s a part of me.”

Ducky studied the mark on Littlefoots’ flank, which was a white star surrounded by several smaller stars. “It looks almost like Light Horns’, but hers is the color pink.”

The ponies came up to the dinosaurs. Twilight and Littlefoot met in the middle. The alicorn spread her wings and spoke. “It is to early to say if I can teach you magic, but I will tell you some of the facts surrounding the basics. If noting else, it will be an interesting lesson about Equestria and its habitats.”

The herd of ponies and dinosaurs kept on following the bright circle in the sky. Twilight managed to perfect her spell, giving Littlefoot time to look for and find the traces of a herd. The tracks lead the group to a green area. The dinosaurs found a patch of trees which had leaves growing on them. For the dinosaurs, at the moment, the dinner was served. - For the ponies though, it was another story. - Raritys’ face cringed. “You eat leaves?”

Littlefoot swallowed. “Green food. Delicious.”

“It contains both nutrition and water, perfect food for reptiles.” Fluttershy lectured.

“Thanks Fluttershy. Tell us when your animal lesson is ready for devouring cause I’m starving!” Rainbow Dash blasted.

Littlefoot interrupted his dinner to face the ponies. He was immediately met with Fluttershys’ modest appearance. It was like her voice was the wind itself blowing against Littlefoots’ skin. “I am happy for you that you’ve found food, I hope it nourishes you far. But us ponies, we don’t eat leaves. In fact, some leaves are downright poisonous to us.”

“We need hay, grass or fruits.” Apple Jack informed.

“I think i saw an opening further back. We could go there and have a look. Maybe we’ll find fruit?” Ducky suggested.

Cera had been chewing throughout the entire discussion. Littlefoot looked at the grubbing Threehorn, then at the swimmer. “Take them Ducky. Me and Cera can stay here.”

Littlefoot saw Ducky leave with the ponies. This was as good of a time as any.

“Cera?”

Cera devoured the green. She grabbed another big chunk from the tree.

“Cera...?”

“What!?”

Littlefoot knew the threehorn well enough to know that she was usually this angry when something was annoying her, and that something could as well be the wind. Littlefoot grinned. “Do you remember when we met?”

Cera chewed and swallowed. “Ugh, of course.”

Littlefoots’ grin formed into a smug. “I would have totally bet you.”

Cera kept on eating. For a minute she thought she had pulled off her diss flawlessly. She should have known it would be impossible when it came to Littlefoot.

Oh yes, Cera did remember. She was just a small threehorn girl those days, banging her head against rocks like some noob dinosaur with mental health issues. One of those rocks had been hiding in the bushes like a coward. The rock had from there seen Cera bang her head against another rock, one that turned out to have an insect on top of it. The insect may then have emptied all of its bowels in her face, causing the hiding rock to burst out into uncontrollable laughter. Noticing the hiding rocks’ staggering amusement, Cera faced the him. “What are you laughing at?!”

Cera challenged the rock. The rock accepted and jumped out of its hiding place.

Target acquired. Ready, set, go!

Cera came at the rock. The rock came at her. They both lowered their heads, ready for the impact. One big shadow casted itself over both Cera and the rock. The grown threehorn landed in-between Cera and the rock. Ceras’ father looked straight into the horrified eyes of the rock. His voice rumbled Ceras’ flashback.

“Come Cera. Threehorns never play with Longnecks.”

Longnecks... Longnecks... Longnecks... Her fathers words, bathing in disgust, circulated Ceras head. She faced the first friend she ever had.

“Is something wrong?” Littlefoot asked.

“Yea. You would have totally bet me. I’m sure.” Cera said accommodatingly.

Littlefoot looked bewildered at the threehorn. Not only was it unlike Cera to admit defeat, but a premature defeat after a no-contest at that.

“But your father...”

“Yes! Your father, Bron.” Cera interrupted.

Now it was Littlefoots’ turn to dodge the subject of a conversation. “What about him?” Littlefoot failed.

“Well, he’s the leader of a herd, is he? You two must have had so many adventures since you left The Great Valley.”

This time it was Littlefoot that turned to grubbing. “Hm, no.” He answered.

“No?”

“Hurgh, no.”

“You mean you haven’t seen him?”

“Hm yes, that’s what ‘no’ means.” Littlefoot answered irritatingly.

“You don’t need to get angry.”

“I’m not angry.”

“Yes you are, and I remember how close you two were, don’t you want to see him?!” Cera asked assertively.

Littlefoot munched the leaves he had in his mouth, the ones that had been in short supply during The Great Drought.

His grandparents were already dead at the time, leaving Littlefoot as the only longneck in The Great Valley. Littlefoot remembered sitting on a cliff, waiting for those longnecks to show up behind the rocks, waiting for his father to return as his hunger burned. He remember waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

Littlefoot swallowed the leaves he had in his mouth, the only thing he felt he could rely on. His answer came out acid.

“No Cera, I don't.”

The ponies followed Ducky to a place that had fewer trees. Ducky scanned the surrounding crowns. The ponies didn’t feel like waiting.

“Oh, my hunger.” Rarity complained. She ran her hoof through her blue mane, feeling the conjoined hairs inside it. “Oh, my mane.” She whimpered with equal misery.

“What is that?” Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at a patch of rocks. White balls protruded out between them.

“It’s eggs.” Fluttershy was unable to keep the temptation out of her voice.

“Eggs.” Twilight mirrored, feeling her tummy fill by the bare mention of the word.

“Eggs would be nice.” Apple Jack said honest while grabbing her belly.

“Wait? Are we thinking about eating someones’ kids?!” Rarity exclaimed.

“No, of course not.” Fluttershy answered hesitantly.

“Oh no, not eggs, no.” Twilight rushed.

Pinkie Pie came dancing between her friends. Her highly pitched voice sang.

“Eggs! When I wake up, first thing I dooooo...” She pulled Fluttershys’ face close, looked straight into her eyes and whispered lustfully. “...Eggs.”

Fluttershy made a long whimpering sound and shrunk to half her size.

“Up there!” Ducky was pointing her finger upward. The ponies caught up with the swimmer. Above them, high on a branch grew a circular fruit thingy.

“Is that a fruit?” Rarity asked.

“I have no idea, nope nope nope, but it looks good. I don’t think its poisonous.” Ducky reassured hesitantly.

“You don’t think?” Apple Jack asked suspicious. There was a rainbow blur.

“First on it gets the first bite!” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings but never gained air. The pegasus sailed right over the area and face planted the rocks beside the egg nest. There was a small pond there, resulting in a splash and watery fluid flying all over her. Fluttershys’ scream echoed over the crowns. It quickly faded into relief and blushing when she saw that the eggs were ok.

“Well, we have to get it down somehow. I’ma starving for Celestias sake!” Apple Jack said.

Twilight tried to use her weakened magic but the fruit was to far away. She asked Rarity for help but it was like the fruit was nailed to the tree.

Apple Jack tried to buck the tree. She tried again, and again, and again. The fifth time a big chunk of leaves sailed down over her. Apple Jack looked around in confusion until she realized it had only been Ducky. The swimmer laughed nervously. “Forgive me, i just felt sorry for you.”

“Argh! Come on! We defeated Sombra two times for Celestias sake. How hard can it be to get one overgrown orange down from a tree!?” Rainbow Dash blasted incredulously.

“Easy.” Twilights’ face twisted in determination. “We climb.”

And climbed they did. Apple Jack was the strongest and took position at the bottom of the tree. On top of her Pinkie Pie climbed, allowing for Rarity to climb on top of her. Next climbed Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, who grew more angry each second she didn’t had her hooves on that fruit. Even though the ponies were six their combined height wasn’t enough. Rainbow Dash stood up on two hooves and stretched herself on top of Fluttershy. “Just... A bit... Further.”

Apple Jacks’ hoof suddenly tunneled through an underground hole. There was a unison grump when everypony except Rainbow Dash hit the ground, Duckys’ leaves wavering around them.

Rainbow Dash had her hooves grasping the branch. She groaned and reached out her hoof. With one final push she slammed the fruit, causing it to start wavering. Rainbow Dash lost her grip and plummeted. She flapped her wings clumsily like a bird fledgling leaving the nest. Duckys’ encouraging words could be heard from below.

“Fly Rainbow Dash! Bring out those wings! Fly, flap your wings!”

Rainbow Dash sailed limply down and landed on her butt beside the tree. Her bewildered eyes met the rest of the ponies. There was a subdued ‘thump’ accompanied by a small splash when the orange fruit pierced Rainbow Dashs’ head like a shishkebab. The fruit without eyes looked stale at the ponies. Fluttershy giggled. The fruit leaned back against the trunk. A raspy groan resonated from inside it.

The fruit tasted like water, but for ponies that had eaten roots for days it tasted like a Canterlot buffet. Ducky grubbed on some of the leaves she had tossed over Apple Jack.

“Thanks Ducky. This was really nice of you.” Twilight said.

“Its the least I could do. I couldn’t stand to see you hungry. I’ve been hungry myself and i have seen my friends hungry. Believe me, hunger is one of the worst things that can happen to you.” Ducky empathized ‘worst’. The ponies looked at each other. They each thought the same thing. - What a wonderful, caring creature Ducky was. “I remember The Great Drought.”

Twilight had heard so much ominous things about the famine by now. She remembered when she walked hungry in the desert. Her face contorted in sadness. “What happened?” She asked Ducky.

Ducky made a long sigh. She swallowed the leaf she had in her mouth and told the tragic story from the beginning.

Chapter 9. The Great Drought

“It all began with the murkying of The Thundering Fall.”

“The Thundering Fall?” Rarity asked.

Ducky made a charade with her hand of something falling from above. “The Thundering Fall that provided the river with water. It was running through The Great Valley. Mother told me it was necessary for the plant life. That, and swimming.” She made swimming notions with her arms, having her movement grow heavier as she spoke.

“One day it was easy, then, the next few days, it became more and more murky. It became harder for a swimmer to see in it and it tasted disgusting .” Ducky shrugged. She fondled with a leaf. “The water grew more shallow each day. Eventually it became thick and the fall turned into a bare sip. Green food cannot grow without water, nope nope nope. The grownups had to expand The Time Of The Great Giving to ensure the others wouldn’t go hungry.”

“The Time Of Great Giving, is that a celebration of some sort?” Twilight asked. Ducky put the leaf in her mouth and swallowed. She turned to the alicorn and her six friends. They were all sitting down, letting the food inside their bellies lay to rest. Ducky may be an older swimmer today than she was before, but her answer still came out with the eccentricity of a youth.

“We had a drought before, we had. They big waterfall was blocked by a giant rock that fell down from the sky. I remember valley became so dry that it almost burned down that time.” Ducky faced away from Twilight. The sadness in her voice pierced her words. “This time it did not burn down at least, but the water did not return, at least not to its former floatiness, nope nope nope. We had to share everything we had in order to sustain the whole valley. But we can only do that for so long.” Duckys’ eyes grew shallow. “It was then that Spike left.”

“Your brother left you?” Twilight recalled the conversation she had with Littlefoot earlier.

“He wasn’t...” Ducky flinched. “He wasn’t really my brother. He wanted to leave with the other Spiketails and that was that.”

“Especially if he was in love.” Pinkie Pie also remembered Littlefoots story. Rarity shot her pink friend a fat glower.

“I didn’t mind it, I understood why he had to go. There was no other spiketails in the valley while I had all of my siblings and my mother.”

Rarity thought about Ducky’s words about Spike leaving. She felt they did not sync with her vocal tone.

Fluttershy nudged her hoof on Duckys’ shoulder in a sooting gesture. “What happened to them?” She asked.

“I’ll get to that. As I said, I had all of my siblings to take care of, since my mother were to busy collecting rationed food.” A lonely leaf sailed down from the crown above. Ducky looked at it. The leaf had a a nourishing green fragrance. “But that food soon grew very rare, very fast...”

15 Years earlier

The leaf fell from the crown and had a dry yellow fragrance. It wasn't orange like before The Big Freeze. It was like the leaf was trying to be green but instead ended up with black dots all over its photosynthesis. It looked sick, but not old sick, more like health beaten down into weakness. It seemed to have given up in its sick state. The sad thought ran through the Saurolophus’ head, big thoughts for such a tiny head. The swimmer looked at the leaf with glassy eyes. Ducky reached out her rodent sized hand and grabbed it mid air.

Oh hunger. I hate you hunger, yep yep yep.

Duckys’ belly rumbled. She felt on it with her claw. She thought she heard her siblings play further ahead. But nay. Who was she kidding? There was no playing, only the silence of the wind, blowing all to freely through the thin crowns of The Great Valley. None of the valley kids had the strength to play.

Ducky heard rustling coming from the bushes ahead. It was probably some poor creature looking for food. Ducky glanced in its direction to make sure that it wasn’t her mother.

It turned out to be rodent. Ducky breathed a sigh of relief. The grown ups had been unsuccessful in finding the cause of the murkying of The Thundering Fall. Some said that it had to do with the great lake outside the valley growing shallow. Ducky started walking toward her siblings. Her eyes deepened in hesitation. Having changed her mind, she started walking toward the sleeping nest instead, the one were her family usually rested. Ducky hurled the bushes to the side and felt the sad sight hit her right in the face.

The longneck child breathed heavily. He had no family, none of his own kind to talk to. At least he had his friends for sleep over, Ducky thought and walked up to him. She had the leaf in her claws.

“Littlefoot?”

The older longneck child groaned. He lifted his neck against the early morning sun. He let out a big yawn. “Oah, you’re all up?”

“My mother is out to get our rations. She would bring yours to she told me.”

Littlefoot grimaced while stretching his jaw. He spotted Duckys’ leaf.

“Is that?”

Duckys’ face turned guilty. “I’m sorry.”

Littlefoots' morning mood dropped. “Oh Ducky, you heard the grown ups. All the food is to be rationed. Taking leaves from the ground is considered stealing.”

“I know Littlefoot. Please, don’t tell my mother.” Ducky looked down at the leaf, then at Littlefoot. “But it wasn’t for me.”

Littlefoot closed his eyes. He mumbled to himself in an irritating way. He opened his lids halfway and scolded calmly. “Ducky, you know we have to follow the rules. If we break them then everyone else will start breaking them to. If that happens the whole valley will be in trouble.”

Ducky became aggravated. "I can’t stand to see you hungry Littlefoot. What if the grown-ups’ forget your ration like the last time?”

“I told you Ducky, again and again, I've saved three rations already, with only me eating them I'll make it. It’s more important that you take care for your families first. Remember, I don’t have a family.”

“STOP SAYING THAT!” Ducky suddenly exploded.

There was a familiar flapping sound. The flyer landed next to the swimmer.

“Ducky? Was that you? Me heard you scream.” Petris’ voice had its usual uneven core. Ducky suddenly realized she could get them all in trouble. She swallowed her cry and dropped the leaf behind her back.

“I apologize, I overreacted.”

Petri looked at Ducky with his usual look: Empathetic with a blank core of naive stupidity. “Petri accepts, he does,” Petri nodded, then adding blankly. “What was it Petri accepted again?”

Cera suddenly came out of the bushes. “What are you guys doing?!”

“Cera? Shouldn’t you be with your father?” Littlefoot asked.

Ever since the food turned this scarce Ceras’ father had been the most deliverance about upholding the ration system. This had in turn meant that he himself had gotten a small portion compared to his size. Littlefoot thought it was heartbreaking, considering how he had stolen water for himself before The Time Of The Great Giving came to be. “Is he alright?” Littlefoot asked.

“A little weak, but he’ll be fine. My father is a tough threehorn. It will take more than hunger to take him down.” Cera boomed.

Ducky couldn’t hold it any longer. “Littlefoot isn’t eating!”

“I told you Ducky, I have...”

“Saved rations from before...” Ducky nodded irritatingly at every word. “...We know, Littlefoot, we know! But you just...!”

Duckys’ anger swallowed her words. Littlefoots’ tired eyes met the others with all of them thinking the same thing. How many times had they argued since the drought began, especially Littlefoot and Ducky? Petri hovered up in front of the longneck. His clueless eyes gained a distinguished edge.

“What I believe Ducky is trying to say, Littlefoot, is that we will ALWAYS be your family.”

Always. The word hung in the air. Littlefoot met the dreamy eyes of Cera and Ducky before turning back to hovering Petri. He recalled all adventures they had together.

“You are right, Petri.” Littlefoot folded his neck around them. “You are my family.”

Cera felt the worries about her fathers health fade away. He may be annoying, but Littlefoot was anything but someone that would leave his friends hanging.

Petri felt Littlefoots heart against his ear. Was it beating uneven for a second? The flier looked up. The longneck had his neck raised. The morning sun reflected in his eyes, eagerness floating inside them as they gazed into the blue. Petri felt his joy turn to mud in his stomach.

Petri had hoped he was wrong, but now there was no doubt that his suspicions were correct. He decided to cherish the moment while it lasted.

After being with Duckys’ family Littlefoot slept over with Cera. The conditions for this was harsh. Littlefoot had to sleep behind a line of trees as far away from Ceras’ father as possible. Littlefoot was just about to fall asleep when someone tucked in close to him.

“Move over, sleepy head.”

“What about your father?” Littlefoot asked Cera sleepy.

“That old git? I’m not a little threehorn anymore. He has no control over me.”

“Hm, okay.” The longneck mumbled and fell asleep.

The night went on. Littlefoot opened his eyes. He found the space around his belly empty. Raising his head, he saw Cera sleeping with her stirring father again. Littlefoot knew Ceras’ father enough to not be surprised. He felt sorry for her, it could not be easy to have a father like that.

Father. Where are you?

Littlefoot remembered the feeling of Brons' neck, winding soothingly around his own. The memory quickly transformed into the feeling of both his grandparents’ as well. Littlefoot felt a smile form on his face when he imagined his mother. Did he miss all of them equally? Or did he miss...?

Littlefoots’ face twitched in realization. First now, after all these years, Littlefoot realized the truth. - He did not just miss his father, his grandparents and his mother. No, Littlefoot missed his race. He remembered his mothers words before she died, the ones that had turned out wrong. When we reach The Great Valley, there will be many longnecks for you to play with.

Ali.

Littlefoot remembered Alis' barkgreen eyes, looking at him with playful intent. Was she waiting for him to find her?

But what was the rush really? Littlefoot had his friends. He had his herd, his home. He had never cared about race before. He knew he still loved his friends, even though they weren't Longnecks. He knew he didn’t need more to be happy, Littlefoot had been happy for so long he could barely remember the hole his mother left behind. He had found the valley, found friendship. What was left to find? What was missing?

“No.” Littlefoot shook his head and groaned. What did it matter if he found the answer to that? - It was all the same anyway. What purpose did it have?

What is my purpose?

Littlefoot gazed into the horizon again. Was it curiousity? No, it was something else, something much more important. All throughout his life everyone had told Littlefoot about The Great Circle of life, but what exactly was life? Was it just him, his body and how it could be defined? Was it merely the consequence of existence? The longneck, who was about to turn young adult in not so long, rose to his feet. His mind went to his father. He was returning to The Great Valley to see him. The image included Brons' face, twisting in disappointment after hearing the news. For the first time since forever, the image made Littlefoot happy, and defiant.

That, father, is my road.

Littlefoot was all he could be, but life was bigger than him. Without remorse he started walking. With each step he took he felt the excitement grow within him. With each place he passed along the way it brought happy memories of him playing with his friends, but they were all nothing but a slow goodbye.

Forgive me friends, I will always love you for who you are. Promise to take care of your families until I have my own.

Littlefoot then left The Great Valley for good.

“Littlefoot?” Petri heard Cera call below. “Littlefoot! Where are you?!”

Petri may have been soaring through the sky, but hearing Ceras’ call made him feel like he was falling down So, he finally made up his mind?

Petri made a banking turn. As he sailed downward he spotted Cera talking with Ducky. He heard some of their aggravated words.

“So he left?”

“Some of the early ransomers told me, I can’t believe it!”

“Then, what are we waiting for?!”

Ceras' last question delayed on him as Petri landed. So many times had it been the same. - Littlefoot suddenly leaving the valley, them figuring out a course of action and them going on another adventure. - Petri saw Ducky motion him to come along.

But this was different. This was no adventure. It was something more, something deeper, something that he, Cera and Ducky would never understand. The words that then came out of Petri, he would not believe himself saying.

“No!”

Ceras’ determined face contorted. She glared at the flier. “What do you mean, no?! Did you even hear us?”

“Me heard enough Cera, and me say it again - Not this time.”

Ducky looked confused at Cera, as if Cera doing something mean was something new. Ducky shot Petri a look of urgence. “I don’t know what you two are arguing about, but this will have to wait, we need to go if we want to catch up with Littlefoot.”

“No, Ducky. As me said, not this time, this time us stay.”

Cera shrugged. “Alright. We follow him ourselves.”

“No Cera. You won’t.” Ceras’ left eye twitched at the fliers defiant words. She walked closer to him with firm steps. The scare did not work. “You won’t follow Littlefoot, Cera.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Me believe I just did.”

Cera was flabberghasted. It wasn't usual for the flier to be on the offence like this.

“What do you mean Petri? We belong with Littlefoot.” Ducky reasoned.

“No Ducky, us belong with his friendship. Littlefoot wants a family of longnecks like himself. He made a decision and us have to respect that.”

“How do you know that he meant to leave us?” Cera asked.

Petri raised his wings. “Me know, Cera. Me knew it as soon as his grandparents died.” Petri turned to Ducky again. “Us must let Littlefoot go.”

A moment ago, the air had been thick with excitement over another adventure being underway. It dropped like a stone. Cera had no idea what to say. She knew Petri was right. At least she knew she was righter.

“Hm! Alright then. He made his decision, we made ours!” The threehorn marched away with her tail piercing the air. Did Petri see her flinch before leaving? Ducky made one last desperate attempt to read into the flier and reveal his doubt. Petris eyes were as watery as hers, but not with doubt. It made Ducky realize that she knew the truth too.

Duckys’ mouth dropped at the speed of her tears. Sobbing, she crumbled into Petris’ wings.

Cera felt the mud part way between her steps. She had her eyes closed all the way, letting her quest of never become annoyed with anything, anyone in any possible way guide her.

Ceras’ annoyance-sense registered a tree root in front of her. She changed course and marched around it. Cera opened her eyes for once. The path ahead was clear, no annoyances in sight. But why was her sight blurry? Now she became annoyed. This could not be tolerated! She closed her eyes and marched on. She decided that she would march to her dad. Finding his annoyance signal would be like looking for The Great Valley inside The Great Valley.

It wasn’t far now. No one knew how to curse Longnecks to oblivion like her father. Cera opened her eyes and saw a heap of valley residents. They had all gathered around were her and her father rested. One of them was Duckys’ mother. She was looking at her from afar with goggly eyes.

Each step Cera took felt heavier as she approached the group. They all looked up at her, giving her the same eyes as Duckys’ mother. Cera did not feel herself walking anymore, more like soaring through vacuum. The eyes parted ways for her. Ceras’ father was lying in the same position as she left him this morning.

Current time

Ducky ended her story. Pinkie Pie allowed herself to breathe again. And here she had thought that Littlefoots’ story was sad, that one at least had a happy ending, this one was like a sick joke. The thought roared inside Pinkies’ head. Moon Flame, cmon! Stop ruining the day for internet readers looking for pony!

“So Ceras’ father is dead?” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Uh, yea, unless you’re sleeping so hard folks around you think you’re dead!” By now, the others were used to Rainbow Dash becoming angry rather than sad.

“What a tear factory!” Rarity wailed teary eyed.

“You’re a tear factory.” Rainbow mumbled.

“But what happened to the rest of you?” Twilight asked curious.

Ducky picked up another leaf and fondled with it. “After the death of Ceras’ father the rest of us, kind of, gave up. My brother was already gone and with Littlefoot gone too the heart of the group was gone. Once the grownups realized that the valley was lost it was nothing that really kept us together. Cera went with Tria and her daughter, Petri stayed in the valley with his mother and I left the valley with my mother and siblings.”

Twilight Sparkle looked sideways at her friends, who exchanged the same analyzing look. - A longneck receiving a cutie mark, a long lasting bond broken? The possible truth hanged over Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Apple Jack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie like the leaves of the tree-crown above them:

Could this detour, this unexpected journey of theirs, be a friendship quest?

Chapter 10: Whispering Winds

The sand wavered above the sand slopes. The jittering sound of the air reshaping it lingered while whispering winds carried the tree star.

Yes, it was called that by some creatures, others simply called it an unusually big leaf. Each time the leaf was about to hit the ground the whispers lifted it again. Pointy cliffs sailed by below it as its journey continued to where The Great Circle touches the ground. The whispers spoke.

Follow the bright circle...

The tree star was hit by another whisper. It gained speed.

Follow the bright circle untill you reach the mountain shaped like a longneck.

The wind disappeared. The leaf sailed limply to the ground and stopped.

I’ll be...

The leaf flickered. The whisper had it lift once again when a shadow suddenly closed in over it.

I’ll be in your...

The huge foot stomped the tree star, cratering it below the sand. The whisper was gone.

Sharptooth scanned the area for vantage points. The air exited between his densely placed teeth with a hiss. His nose breathed, cutting off the wind. It smelled that food was near.

Another set of feet placed themselves next to the Sharptooth. The female scanned her husband like he scanned the land, seeing just as many cracks and crevices like the latter.

The male sharptooth subdued his eager to lash out. In time he would chase this female away, but for now he needed her. Of course he did love her, but love was nothing in this land without blood and meat. He needed to bring her some food or he might as well find an empty trunk for a mate.

After Sharptooth almost chased down that colorful rodent he returned to his wife with the intent of bending the truth a little. It only took him one growl to mention ‘lavender rodent’ and the egg was dropped. His wife was now in complete trance, she had given Sharptooth no time to lie further, all she growled on about now was how sweet lavender would taste. It only made Sharptooth want to crush every bone inside whatever his teeth could reach further.

Sharptooth was watching the lavender rodent now, wandering off into the distance. He saw that it had joined up with the rest of its colorful family, the same ones he remember from the pond. Three leaf eaters had also joined them, one of them being a threehorn, one a bigmouth and one a longneck. The bigmouth would be a snack. Threehorns are cocky but easily outmaneuvered.

The longneck, on the other claw, was going to become a problem. Sure, Sharptooth could easily kill the longneck, since it wasn’t fully grown yet, but one smack with its tail was all that was needed for to get Sharptooths’ foot stuck between some rocks and possibly break it. If that happened, Sharptooth would not be able to hunt, satisfy his wife so they could mate or survive in general. No, Sharptooth could not risk open conflict with the longneck. He would have to become creative.

Sharptooth glanced sideways at his wife. She had her shaking pupils riveted at the rodents. Sharptooths’ deep growl rumbled the air. She looked at him and growled back. He conveyed the part about the longneck. His wife explained her plan.

After the carnivores had left the scene the crater that Sharptooth left behind gaped open. The wind returned, but no tree star ascended.

The ponies and the dinosaurs left the desert behind them, entering an area with scalding mountains and pointy cliffs. Cera felt a cooling relief once the cold touch of the shadows engulfed her.

“Ah, finally.”

“Finally what?” Ducky asked.

“Oh, nothing, Its just so cooling... I mean, nice to be able to walk so far without tiring.”

Littlefoot laughed. Cera glared at him.

“What are you laughing at?!”

“It’s just so good to have you back, Cera!” Littlefoot boomed.

Ducky couldn’t help but blush a little. Littlefoots’ voice sounded so manly now from when he was a child, so handsome.

Behind the dinosaurs followed the Equestrian beings. Their manes were all raggedy and coats dirty. Despite them becoming much thinner since their journey began they no longer felt hunger. The truth about wandering in these lands had gotten to them, a truth Littlefoot knew very well. - The rule of bare necessities.

“How are you ponies doing?” Littlefoot asked.

“Fine here!” Rarity answered.

"Yea!" Rainbow Dash boomed.

"I'm alright!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Yea." The rest said in unison.

Dashie leaned closer to Twilight and whispered like the wind. “You know we’re being followed? Right?”

“I know, Rainbow Dash, Littlefoot told me.”

Being a Wonderbolt, Dashie was trained for survival in difficult conditions. She felt responsible for her friends, who were all used of having a household. Dashie walked up to Littlefoot.

“I talked with Twilight back there. Are you sure we shouldn’t do anything about our followers?”

When Littlefoot turned his neck to answer the pony he felt a tinge of wonder. Rainbow Dash had a mane that were the colors of the rainbow. They reminded Littlefoot of the rainbow faces. “What do you suggest?” He asked.

“Suggest? I don’t know, you’re the leader.”

“Then, in that case, we walk in a steady pace. If we go to fast we won't have the strength to fend off an attack. If we let our guard down they might decide to rush us." Littlefoot faced the road ahead and continued distinguished. "I have been followed many times. Sharptooths’ are agile but lazy. If they find a dead animal or a herd with stragglers they usually leave the healthy animals alone, especially if one of them is a longneck.”

“Then we just need to keep our cool and we’ll be alright.” Rainbow Dash looked back at her friends. “You heard the general, keep calm, your mood up, and we’ll be alright!”

“Huh... general.” Cera muttered. Dashe shot the threehorn a fat glower.

“I heard that! Got a problem with authority, soldier?”

“Soldier?” Cera shot the pegasus a smirk. “I’m a threehorn, threehorns don’t need others. We handle ourselves.”

“It’s not your choice, soldier.”

“Of course it’s my choice.”

“No it’s not, now stay disciplined or I might regret letting you in.”

Cera stopped. She faced the stubborn pegasus. “Letting me in? You didn’t let me in, i let myself in.”

“Yea... Thanks to me. If it hadn’t been for me, my friends would have left you in that pile of sand back there.”

Littlefoot genuinely admired the spirit of this rainbow pony, but he also knew that Cera would never back down.

“Ladies, this is really not the time. Cera, walk with me, and you Rainbow Dash, you walk with the ponies. We’ll settle this once our lives aren't at stake.”

Rainbow Dash kept glaring into Ceras’ green eyes. “You heard the longneck.”

Cera grinned. “You heard my friend.”

“He’s your commander!”

“He’s not!”

Littlefoot slammed his tail between the pony and the threehorn. “ENOUGH!”

Littlefoots’ neck and body towered six times Rainbow Dash. She backed away in humility. Cera grinned. “Yea! Back away you overgrown, flightless bird.”

Dashies' magenta eyes turned a tinge watery. Littlefoot shot Cera a scolding glare.

“Cera. What are you doing?!”

“What? Its not my fault she can’t fly.”

“Its not about that. Stop antagonizing others, for once in your life.”

Ceras’ voice gained a core of sincerity as it whispered to Littlefoot. “Why do we need these ponies anyway? We can find food ourselves, they’ll only slow us down.”

Littlefoot became silent. For a moment Ceras word made sense. He knew her enough to know that she cared, but still...

“Cera.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember when you and I first traveled to The Great Valley?”

“Of course I remember.”

“Do you remember when you went the wrong way?”

Cera opened her mouth, but no words came out. As the tension in the air disappeared around the group the memory of what was following them returned. Littlefoot continued darkly, clearly referring to the latter by motioning his head toward the Sharptooths. “Your pride could have gotten us all killed. Now, trust me Cera, pushing these ponies away is the wrong way.”

Abandon us was alright! Cera ranted inside, but now was not the time to delve into the past. The threehorn backed away. “Alright, old friend. I hear you.” She looked at Rainbow Dash. “I’m sorry, alright. I didn’t mean nothing by it.”

Rainbow Dash had won almost every areal race she had ever entered. Oh no, it was something alright. The threehorn would not get away with this, not for every hayburger in Equestria.

The group continued walking. Littlefoot sensed there would be water somewhere close by. If so, they would be able to regain strength and, hopefully, make the Sharptooths’ abandon their chase and look for other prey.

Ahead the rocks split the road into two paths, each one surrounded by rocky walls. Littlefoot did not like it. Both were perfect for an ambush. It was like Cera was reading his mind. “If only we had a flyer.” She said, suspiciously out loud. The rainbow pegasus looked angry at Cera.

But now another pony grunted, one that decided she have had enough moping. This world was depressing enough with its passed away mothers, dry landscape and barely fulfilled basic needs for water, food and shelter. It was all elementary for Pinkie Pie. For her, laughter was a basic need that was just as important. She came jumping on four hooves like the desert was a bouncy castle. Her highly pitched voice spouted.

“Well, I don’t know what you referred to, Littlefoot, with ‘going the wrong way’ but I’m sure it wasn’t at all something Cera is embarrassed by.”

“What!?” Cera faced the pink pony.

“Got your attention, grumpy. Stop moping Cera. Come on and smile!”

“I’ll give you a smile!” Cera charged the pony. She felt the empty air blow around her horn.

“What the?”

A cold sensation ran through Ceras' spine. She gasped. - The pony was jumping on her back.

“My name is not ‘What The?’ but it was close.”

“ROARGH!”

Cera shook the pony off and charged again. It was like the pony had been a mirage. She was now jumping on top of some cliffs.

“How the?”

“How The, What The, Pinkie Pie, I like this game, call me another name!”

“How did she get up there?!” Cera wailed incredulously. She turned to the ponies. They did not look at all surprised. Cera turned to look at the rock again and gasped. The biggest smile she had ever seen blasted only centimeters in front of her. Ceras’ eyes swam with surrender. The pink pony barely needed to breathe while spouting.

“Is it my turn now? Wrong Way! No, I’m sorry, that was mean, I meant Smile Machine - No pun intended - ahahahahaha!” Pinkie laughed insincerely. “...That, or Horny Prehistoric Animal. I guess thats viable, seeing your bones are probably going to be examined by an advanced future race in a million years or so. I guess that makes me a four hoofed, pink coat, fluffy mane, blue eyed prehistoric species!”

Fluttershy imagined someone digging up a smiling, prehistoric bone with a fluffy pink mane still attached. She giggled.

Cera had no idea how to react. It was like her anger was going around in circles in her mind. Pinkie Pie offered the threehorn a small, mushroom-like thing with green, moisturous cream in top. “Want a Cupcake?”

“Eeeeeh.” Cera blurted.

“Its not an ‘Eeeeeh.’ with four E’s silly, its a Eeeeeeeeeeeeeureka-Cupcake-with-sweet-DILL-CREAM ON TOP!”

And with that Pinkie Pie pressed the cupcake into Ceras’ mouth. The threehorn chewed. Her clueless eyes made her look almost like a hatchling. Littlefoot laughed secretly. As for Cera, she had no idea if she was to focus on the best thing she had ever tasted or the weirdest creature she had ever met. The sides of her mouth rose slightly.

Pinkie Pie sensed victory. “Come on Cera, Smile. You need it, both you and Littlefoot. You may both have lost your parents, but happiness knows no boundaries.”

“Pinkie?”

There was am urge in Raritys’ voice that miss Pie did not like. She looked worried at the white unicorn, who was head motioning the longneck. Littlefoots’ eyes swam with revelation, and sorry.

Realizing what Rarity knew, Pinkie felt her joy drop to the ground. Her eyes turned wet with sorry. “Oh. I am so, so sorry Cera. Your friend didn't know?”

Littlefoot met Ceras' eyes. They answered Pinkies’ question for her. The face of the longneck twisted in confusion. “Your father is dead?!”

Cera looked nervously left and right. “So what?”

Littlefoot turned to Ducky.

“Don’t look at me, I thought Cera told you.”

“So what? I forgot.” Ceras smile immediately gained a static nature. “Don’t be sorry. I was sad at first, sure, but I got over it.”

Littlefoot looked suspiciously at Cera. The threehorn raised her voice. “He was a bully and a grump! I don’t...

The ravine suddenly echoed with a soul raking roar, cutting Cera off. Twilight recognized it all to well.

“Shaprtooth!” Ducky exclaimed.

It was as if the cliffs was closing in around the yellow pegasus. There were three passageways around Fluttershy. One of them lead back to where they came and one lead straight into the sharp jaws of Sharptooth.

Littlefoot remembered there were two Sharptooths' after them. He felt the panic rise inside him. If they went the wrong way they would be trapped, if they weren't already. Suddenly, the yellow pegasus rocketed down the left path.

“Fluttershy! No! Wait!” Twilight went after her.

“Wait! Not that way!”

But Littlefoot was to late. The ponies had already galloped after their pegasus friend. Ducky pointed her finger after them and said with a ominous voice with preserved cuteness.

“That is moooooooost likely what the Sharptooth expects. Yep, yep, yep.”

The ponies galloped faster than the dinosaurs could keep up. Rainbow Dash hyper ventilated.

“Who knew Fluttershy could gallop this fast!?”

“Fluttershy, wait for us!” Rarity wailed.

The white unicorn had no idea why she hadn’t stayed with Littlefoot back there. This was stuff for fighters and survivors, not a misplaced fashionista who's greatest concern was forgetting her into-the-wild collection back home and having no hoof couture. She hadn’t showered in days, her hooves hurt, her hair was beyond saving, and now she was probably going to get eaten by a Sharptooth. - This was clearly the worst day ever, almost as bad as when she was forced to walk the stage of shame after overdoing her friends dresses.

The ponies reached an opening with rocks towering around them. Some of them formed small passageways. Fluttershy collapsed ahead. Twilight was the first to reach her.

Fluttershys’ eyes sparkled with regret as she turned to Twilight. “I’m sorry! I ran, I don’t know what got into me!”

“Don’t be sorry, you panicked.” The alicorn turned to her friends. They all answered her look, all except one. “Pinkie Pie, attention!” Twilight scolded.

The dead silence laid over the ponies like a cold shower of snow. Apple Jack, Rarity and Rainbow Dashs’ eyes quickly gained the same horrified expression as the pink pony. Twilight felt her blood freeze.

Right there, only a couple of meters in front of the six ponies, a rock stuck out from the ground. Peaking out behind the rock was a yellow dot. The dot was attached to a face.

Sharptooth had his prey in sight. The silence? - That was just it, and would always be, the fatal mistake of leaf grubbers. - They believed that just because he was big Sharptooth could not sneak up on them. He noticed the lavender rodent that shamed him earlier. The other rodents, he would eat himself, the lavender one he would bring for his wife.

Twilight leaned closer to Fluttershy and piped. “Now you can run.”

The face with yellow dots came sprinting way faster that his enormous body seemed to allow.

“RUN!” Twilight screamed.

“NO NEED TO TELL TWISE!” Apple Jack replied in panic.

The Sharptooth was so heavy the ground rumbled. The six ponies galloped for their lives.

“RUN! DON’T LOOK BACK!”

The steps came closer.

“THIS WAY, RIGHT!”

The ponies encircled the Sharptooth via a rock formation, allowing them to break his momentum. But the Sharptooth was way better at navigating through the rocky landscape than they thought.

Ahead laid a ravine. How long it reached the ponies had no time to interpret. With one push of their hooves they jumped it. Fluttershy saw Rainbow Dash spread her wings, flap them in vain and fall. It turned out that the Sharptooth only needed his two legs to jump the crevice. The ponies had no time to think about Rainbow Dash.

Sharptooth thought he’d head down that ravine later and find the body of that rainbow rodent. Maybe he would ask his wife to do something herself for once? It quickly turned out that running the rodents down was not the problem, but grabbing them. He slammed his teeth only centimeters from their heads. They gasped and prayed in panic.

“GALLOP IN ZIG ZAG!” Apple Jack screamed.

“NO, STAY TOGETHEEEEEREE...!” Sharptooth got hold of Twilights’ tail.

“TWILIGHT!” Pinkie Pie wailed.

Sharptooth tossed the lavender rodent airborne. He intended to catch her with his jaws but he had overestimated his toss.

The world spun around. The ground came closer below. Twilights’ horn lit up but her magic wasn’t strong enough to prevent her landing. The alicorn hit the rock with a gasp.

“NO!” Rarity screamed.

“LEAVE ME!” Twilight wailed. The jaw of the Sharptooth approach her with the speed of a heartbeat. Twilight felt it would be her last one.

The Sharptooth made a mid-growl whimper and staggered.

The longneck only glanced down at Twilight long enough to know that she was alive. Littlefoot had his tail raised high, ready to smack the monster.

Sharptooth let the grogginess lay itself. Slowly, his vision cleared. Littlefoot quickly realized that attack was the best defense. With one sudden blast of energy he rammed the Sharptooth with his head.

Sharptooth quickly rose to his feet after losing breath. - He saw the disappointed face of his wife in front of him. - Enraged by the image, he sprinted toward the rodents’ defender, faster than it had the time to raise its tail. With one push of his legs Sharptooth jumped onto the longnecks' back.

Littlefoot felt the claws of the Sharptooth pierce his skin from above. It would only be a second before he would bite hold of his neck. With one push for his life, Littlefoot rose to his hind legs.

Sharptooth had a horrified look on his face. How this juvenile longneck had the strength to lift him he had no idea. Maybe his wife had eaten so much of his prey he had lost weight?

Littlefoot let his body fall backwards, clamping the monster between himself and the rocks. The Sharptooth wobbled sideways. Littlefoot used his landing to gain momentum and swing his body around. He pressed his legs to the ground and jumped so high he almost made a side flip. Using his entire weight, Littlefoot smacked the Sharptooth with his tail while flying though the air. The monster fell backwards and hit the ground with a boom that rocked the ravine.

Sharptooth studied his attacker, who was walking toward him. His long neck ended with his face growling. The longneck was way smaller than him and appeared to be wounded. But he was also young and strong, probably a loner since before. Sharptooth was experienced, but was a bit old and, as much as he dared to admit it, a has-been in the hunting department. He had no idea what business this longneck had with these colorful rodents, but for some reason this fool was ready to fight to his death for them.

Maybe he could tell his wife he slipped? - Sharptooth figured and turned tail.

The Sharptooth dissapeared behind a rock formation ahead. Littlefoot breathed out and let the pain get to him. Rarity was already over her friend and helping her up. Twilights’ face contorted in pain.

“It’s my hoof. I think its sprained.” Twilight spared her friends any more whimpering. “Thank you Littlefoot. I owe you my life.”

Ducky came sprinting. “Littlefoot, you’re hurt!”

Cera followed shortly behind the swimmer. The face inside her yellow disc widened in amazement. “You fought off the Sharptooth? All by yourself!?”

“Thank you friends. Cera, I know you would have done the same for me.”

"I wouldn't hope for you to, don't ever do it again!" Cera scolded. Was she flinching?

“Everypony here? Rainbow Dash?” Rarity looked around for her pegasus friend.

There was a whispering wind in the air. Was it spelling out a name? Fluttershy answered Rarity with a cracking voice.

“She fell.”

Chapter 11: Pterodactylus Dash

The sky was pushing her up. Or was the ground falling with her on top? Neither. It was just her waking up.

The first Rainbow Dash saw was the clouds. She remember she had the ability to walk on them. Dashie felt the wet ground below her, meaning it had rained during the time she was passed out.

“Thanks sky, I would have needed it two days ago!” Walk on clouds - Who was she kidding? With her luck she would probably never fly again. Dashie tried to stand up. Her hooves felt numb. Despite this, there was no pain, except that wasn’t true. “Stupid air! Stupid wings!”

She ignored the grogginess. In one rapid stream of flaps Dashie rocketed toward the sky, only to plummet hoof fallen to the ground again. Some of the sand entered her mouth. She coughed it up. “Hurgh... Stupid air! Stupid wings! Stupid... Hargh... Sharptooth!”

The pegasus kept trying to bring herself airborne. Each wingbeat that did not bring her higher only made her angrier.

“Stupid air! Stupid wings! Stupid me! Fly Rainbow! Fly!”

“To many flaps.”

Rainbow Dash landed on her hooves and rapidly faced the voice. “Who’s there?”

“Excuse me miss, but what are you?”

“I asked you a question!” Dashie raised her wings in aggression. “Now, answer me or I’ll smack you!”

Rainbow Dash spotted the creature next to a dried out tree. It appeared to be standing on a branch. “Me is sorry me scared you, are you from the mysterious beyond?”

“Last chance.”

“If you tell me your name, me will tell you mine.”

The agreeable voice showed no sign of hostility. Dashie calmed herself and lowered her wings. Her heart gave a jolt when the male creature suddenly spread his own wings, which were huge compared to the rest of his birdlike body. His eyes were large and bulgy. The back of his head continued to a pointy end while the front of his face was mostly covered with his large beak. The latter was almost as long as his body and ended in a upside-down scoop. The air stirred around Dashie as the creature landed only a couple of hooves in front of her. She subdued her urges to accommodate his flying.

“Close enough.”

“My name is Petri. What's your name?”

"Rainbow Dash.”

“Rainbow Dash? Suiting name for you, indeed.”

Petri had one of the friendlies eyes Dashie had ever seen. He also had the habit of separating his words with short pauses. His voice had a rusty core.

“What did you say?” Dashie asked

“What did me say?”

“I said, what did you say?!”

“Me said... I mean, I saw you fly, and then me said...” Petri hesitated. His eyes turned blank. “What did me say?”

Dashie slammed the hoof over her face.

“Alright, lets take this from the beginning: I am here, trying to fly back to my friends. It all goes well until you say something about flaps and, very successfully might I add, break my concentration!”

“Oh, yes. To many flaps. You’re not gonna go far, with or without your broken concentration, not unless you get your thrusts and strokes right.”

Rainbow Dash put on a confident smile. “Listen pal, i don’t know where you come from, but I am an honorary member of the Wonderbolts. - Blasted my way through Cloudsdale flight school, entered highest step of the winner podium before anypony else in my age. Trust me, if anyone here knows how to fly, it’s me.”

“Me have no idea what Wonderbolt are, me have no reason to doubt you, me only have reason to doubt your downstrokes.”

Rainbow Dash thought she might explode with anger. “Then, why don't you show me?!”

Petri spread his wings of leather. His first and only downstroke was all he needed to rise three meters into the air. The flow of it still wavered the raggedy mane of Dashie as he landed softly.

Dashies’ magenta eyes glared statically at the strange creature with a chocolate brown skin. Dashie could not believe she might have gotten herself in a situation when she might be forced to accept flying lessons from a stranger. Dashie remained silent for a couple of seconds, but she quickly made up her mind. “Hmmm, alright. Come over here and show me.” Her voice darkened. “But I’m warning you, spill this to somepony else, and I have no idea what I’m gonna do.”

“Oh, me don’t know, me spilled a lot of things in my days.”

“Promise you won’t tell!”

“Tell? Oh no, me won't tell anyone about this. Spill something me might, but me won’t tell... Eh." Petri looked at Dashie cluelessly. "What is it me won’t tell?”

“Urgh... About this! About the fact that you’re teaching me how to fly, or I’ll be a laughing stock in the Wonderbolts until the end of time!”

“Oh, me won’t tell, me won’t. But me still don’t know what there is to spill. Are you and me going for drink?”

And here Rainbow Dash thought she was dumb, this guy made her look like Twilight Sparkle.

“Riiiiiiight.” Dashie sailed the vocal while frowning. “In your dream.” She muttered.

“Great. Then me will tell everyone about this but avoid spilling water.”

“Oahrg...! You know what? Forget it! I’ll handle this on my own!”

Petri saw Dashie turn tail and walk away. He looked after her like he was watching a fish wander of on dry land.

“Okay then. Me wish you luck.”

Rainbow Dash heard the flapping of the creature behind her. In just a moment, Petri would sail the sky while she would be stuck on the ground.

“Hold on.” Dashie called. Petri flew back again. Dashie turned and looked at him with surrendering eyes. “Show me how you do it.”

“How not to spill?”

“No! How to...” Dashie sighed. “Show me how to fly.”

“Oh, why didn’t you just say so? It is not that hard, but you need to put power in those first downstrokes, especially someone as heavy as you.”

Dashie had been called many things in her life but she had never been insinuated for being fat. Her right eye twitched.

“Lift your wings, just like this. Then thrust yourself forward while pressing the air down, hard.” Petri illustrated by making an arch in the air. “Now, you try.”

Rainbow Dash tried. It ended up being nothing more than a jump.

“To many strokes. as I said...”

“I know what you said!” Dashie ventilated. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. She tried again.

“No, to many again.”

“But I’m doing what you said!”

“You do to many strokes because the first one is not powerful enough. Another thing me see are your thrusts. Make sure to jump forward, rather than up, more wind for your wings to catch.”

Dashie did what Petri said. “There. Not better.” She sulked.

“Much better.”

“I’m not flying. I’m never gonna fly.” Dashies voice started cracking. “I’m a pegasus that can’t fly.”

“Only if you give up.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. Her magenta eyes swelled up with tears. “I’m a failure, a loser.”

“Me met many losers, one of them my uncle, at least he was, as long as he only cared for himself and a stupid meteorite. You want to fly home to your friends, you’re no loser, you winner.”

Dashie laughed sarcastically behind her tears. He blue ears pointed down the sides of her head. “Who would want to be friends with me? I used to be awesome. Now look at me, all I do is complain.”

“Maybe the problem is you forgot you’re awesome?”

Dashie snorted. Her crying faded. Was this truly all that was missing? Had she just forgotten about her awesomeness? Come to think of it, when was the last time she told somepony else she was awesome?

“In Equestria.” Dashie replied to herself out loud.

“What’s an Equestria?” Petri asked.

“My home.” Dashies’ magenta eyes turned glittery, but not with tears. How could she have forgotten about her home? The home she grew up in, the home were she got her cutie mark.

“What is that thing on your flank?” Petri asked.

“My mark.” The eyes of Dashie hardened with determination. She raised her wings, galloped forward and tried again. Then again. Then again. Then again. Each try resulted in a longer flight

“You got this.” Petri motivated.

“I got this!” Dashie jumped forward and stroked, only two times this round. She had soared almost five meters when suddenly the wind caught her from below.

“Oh, now you REALLY got this!” Petri cheered.

Dashie had risen several meters when gravity came with its input. Petri joined her side.

“Calm down. Don’t flap against gravity, stroke!”

Dashie did what Petri said. She needed less power in her strokes now. Rainbow Dash and Petri sailed out of the rocky ravine Dashie had fallen into. In front of her, the majestic sight of the land before time widened with its mushroom rocks and the biggest trees Dashie had ever seen. Long rivers stroked the land. Some herds could be seen wandering close to them. Somewhere, beyond the horizon, volcanos burned. Her eyes widened in awe. “Wow!"

“You did it! You're awesome!” Petri blasted.

Rainbow Dash grinned behind her tears of happiness. “I’m AWESOME!”

He told her the rainbow rodent would be here, that useless husband of hers. Was he ever going to get anything right? The female Sharptooth growled. She scanned the area around her one last time. The ravine was as empty as her husbands head. He failed to get rid of that longneck and he failed to get her the lavender rodent.

The ground rumbled when Sharptooth left the area. Was she going to do everything herself? No, she would let her husband try, just a little longer. Maybe she could, at least, get a laugh out of this before the end?

Chapter 12. The Great Reunion Of The Flyers

The face of Littlefoot creased in agony. His white teeth pressed together.

“Hold still.” The pony urged kindly. “There, you will be alright. It is only a flesh wound.”

Her voice was so soft and earnest, Littlefoot could swear Fluttershy was a creature sent from heaven.

“There. All better. Now, this will take a while to fully heal so keep that tail of yours away from scratching those bondages.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy,”

“I should be thanking you. You saved Twilights’ life.”

The group had taken shelter beneath a large secular tree. It prevented the pouring rain from wetting them, more than it already had. The pegasus pony had tentatively tied some leaves around the longnecks’ wounds. She had also placed some worms in them, which she told Littlefoot prevented it from getting infected.

“Where did you learn all this?”

“It’s my job. In Ponyville, I have my own an animal daycare center and there is always some incident.”

“But didn’t you tell us we belonged to reptile families?” Littlefoot recalled what Fluttershy said about him and his friends earlier. “What are those?”

Fluttershy giggled. Littlefoot looked so cute when asking questions. “I don’t know how it is here, but in Equestria they are an old species that goes back millions of years, long before ponies existed. Strong evidence even suggests that they and birds are distant cousins. In Equestria we call them dinosaurs.”

“Dinosaurs?” Littlefoots’ eyes lit up like the starry night sky. “Are you saying we are dinosaurs?”

The smile of the pegasus pony turned modest. She went back on working on his wound. “I am sorry, even if I knew exactly how they looked millions of years before my time, this is cross-dimension stuff, you’re better off asking Twilight about that. She is the magic expert.”

Littlefoot saw the eyes of the pony trail of. He nudged her with the tip of his tail. “Hey.” Fluttershy looked at him. “We’ll go down and find your friend, I promise.”

The eyes of the pegasus gleamed. “Your three horned friend Cera seem skeptical...” Fluttershy turned her attention to the nasty wound Littlefoot got from fighting the Sharptooth. “...and I am almost inclined to agree with her. You have done so much already.”

“I have known Cera since she was a hatchling. She may be a bit grumpy at first but once you get on her good side: Trust me, no one is more loyal.”

Fluttershy giggled, sadness still sparkling in her pupils. “Kind of like how Rainbow Dash was. She was also difficult at times but she would never leave her friends hanging.”

“Not Was - Is. - She is still alive.”

“How do you know?”

“I can feel it, that fall did not kill her. Once we’re done here we’ll go down and find her!”

Fluttershy felt so much better talking to Littlefoot, he was so full of hope. Not like herself: Fluttershy was so nice, she rarely felt any hope - Hope was something meant for her friends, and her friends was more important. - Fluttershy giggled to herself. At least she could joke about her own shortcomings.

The others had also taken cover from the rain, most of them.

Ducky was part of a race that belonged in the water. Reaching up about the same height of the ponies, her reptile skin breathed at the wet touch of the monsoon. She hopscotched in it while laughing. As it turned out, she wasn’t the only one.

“Jumping the rain is fun!” The pink pony squeaked.

“It sure is!” Ducky yodeled.

Pinkie Pie was fun, Ducky thought. She always smiled and made others feel better. But despite her constantly merry ways it was never like she didn’t care. Ducky had seen it herself: A moment ago, Pinkie Pie had been just as down about Rainbow Dash as the other ponies. She just happened to look at life from the bright side, even in the darkest moments. Or maybe she actually was a little crazy? Either way, Ducky could spend all day with her. “You can’t catch the raindrops!”

“The raindrops can’t catch me! Weeeeeehihihiiiiiiiiiiii!”

The last ‘I’ was so high in pitch it melted into the rain, making it sound like the pink pony was phasing into it. Ducky laughed so hard she lost her breath.

“At least someone is having fun.” Apple Jack chuckled.

“Indeed.” A bleak voice replied.

Apple Jack glanced sideways at her unicorn friend and felt her sudden burst in happiness come to a halt.

Raritys’ blue mane was no longer streaking gracefully down the sides of her head like a waterfall. Instead, the waterfall split in two with its ends having grown all raggedy. Her usually combed ponytail, once barely touching the ground, had its shabby end buried in the dirt. Her white coat was riddled with dark spots, probably a mixture of dried mud, sand or old fashioned tufts. Apple Jack was used to the look from all the years working in the farm, but she knew Rarity.

“Is everything alright sugarcube?”

Rarity leered at Apple Jack before seemingly giving in. “No, Apple Jack. I am not alright. This is no place for me, I belong in the sprawling city. Shops, spas, chatting with sophisticated ponies and pleasant trots down the park. Here, I look miserable and when I look miserable, I am miserable.”

“What are cities?” Cera asked, approaching the ponies.

Rarity painted the picture with her hooves. She spoke like she was narrating a drama. “Rising skyscrapers, blinking lights, taxi carts that goes with the flow, a sprawling mix of high-class ponies and fairground jocks, restaurants that offers the finest food in Equestria to the shabbier places that bring more adventure to taste. There is no beginning, there is no end. It is... the CITY!”

Ceras’ face showed no signs of contorting. “Restaurants?”

“Yes.” The air between the pony and the threehorn got thinner the longer Rarity spoke. “Serving food? Eating? Connecting? Talking gossip?”

“Taxi?” Cera blurted.

Rarity could not believe it. So much un-cultivation, it was simply un-acceptable!

The raindrops ran down the blue mane of the white unicorn, ruining her perfection. Her blue eyes gleamed with a new light. - It suddenly dawned for her. - Rarity was not here to make herself fabulous, but the land. This land before society. -This land before time. - These creatures knew nothing of the finer arts of society.

"We shall fix that!"

"Fix what?" Cera asked confused.

Rarity smiled nervously. "Oh, sorry, did I say that one out loud?"

It was about as sophisticated the conversation would get.

Littlefoot had his neck wind around the trunk of the tree. Twilight Sparkle was resting behind it. Around her hoof was a bandage like the one Fluttershy had given him. Her horn was sparkling with a purple light. Littlefoot lit up.

“Is that magic?”

“It’s a tissue mending spell. Well, not really ‘mending’, mending limbs is extremely advanced magic, more like giving nature a small hoof by calming the muscles down.”

“Wow! Can you make anything?”

“Make?”

“Make leafs fall down from the sky.”

Twilight giggled. “That was an odd request. Yes Littlefoot, I can, but they won't just exist out of nowhere, they will have to come from somewhere.”

“How?”

“When you make something appear you use a technique called...”

Twilight explained some of the basics in magic. It was like the eyes of Littlefoot grew larger with every word. She saw, however, that he did not understand. But that wasn’t odd she thought, giving some of the words she used were in old ponish.

“...However, that is only if you want to control it. Young unicorns can do it sporadically without knowing any words.”

“Can you...?” Littlefoot hesitated.

“Yes?”

“Can you bring others back from the dead.”

“No.” Twilights’ answer was quick and final. Littlefoot remained silent. “I might be able to mess with someones spirit. But even if I were that powerful, that is dark magic.”

“Dark magic?”

“Over-course, let us start from the beginning.”

The horn of Twilight lit up. There were movement on the ground. The dirt parted ways around the rock as it became airborne by itself. The longneck instinctually scanned the area around it for strings.

“How?”

“Telekinesis... And a mineral detection spell, or else I wouldn’t have known it was there. You need to visualize the object you want to manipulate. The heavier the object, the harder the spell.”

Littlefoot saw the rock hoover midair. He had so many questions his head was spinning.

“Why do I have a cutie mark?”

“Because you have a special talent, Littlefoot.”

“What is that?”

Twilight giggled. “That is something that only you can discover.”

Littlefoot suddenly had self doubts. “Do you think we will find your friend alive?”

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight sighed. “I hope so.”

“Well, tell your ‘Hope’ it will have to wait a little longer!”

“Rainbow Dash!?” Twilight exclaimed in disbelief, facing the crown above her. By now, the other ponies had already joined her side.

The eyes of Fluttershy sparkled behind her forming smile. “You’re alive!”

“And you can fly!?” Apple Jack deduced.

“Of course I can!” Dashie leaned chillingly against the trunk as she sat on a protruding branch. Her magenta eyes looked confidently down at the others. The rest of the dinosaurs joined the ponies.

“We thought we lost you.” Ducky said.

Dashie spotted Cera. “I was lost, until i remember how awesome I was.” The pegasus jumped. She made some air maneuvers that only a Wonderbolt could do, circulated the threehorn and landed only centimeters in front of her. Dashies’ grin showed no sign of stopping. “Now, if only we had more fliers in the group, but me and my new friend will do as scouting party,” Dashie looked straight into the eyes of the threehorn and ended smugly. “...At least until some of you sprout wings.”

Cera was stuck somewhere between bewilderement and annoyance and stayed there. It was enough to make Rainbow Dash bring out the chillaxing chair and bask herself in sweet vengenance.

“Pardon me miss Dash, your ‘new’ friend?” Rarity asked.

“Me are.”

The dinosaurs made a unison gasp. The mouth of Ducky rose as her eyes fell into a void of flabbergasting disbelief. Petri was perching on a protruding branch inside the tree, his modest eyes swimming in memories. “Hello, old friends.”

The smile of Littlefoot bent into a sideways grin. “Hello Petri.”

“Me cannot believe how much you all have grown.”

“Where did you go after we left?” Cera asked Petri.

Petri ruffled his wings as he faced his old friends. “Me stayed with mom and siblings until it was time for me to leave the nest. That is something every flyer eventually must do, so there was no hurting there, only duty.”

“Where is she now?” Littlefoot asked.

“Me was the last to leave. She stayed behind. Me believe she intend to end her life in the valley.”

“That’s great.” Ducky said.

“Why is that great?” Petri turned to the swimmer.

“Because that’s where we’re headed.” Cera informed.

“Back to The Great Valley? Isn’t that place dried out?”

“I don’t know, tell you mother that.” Cera joked.

“Us fliers don’t need food the same amount. Come to think of it, maybe the fall has returned?”

“Precisely!” Littlefoot boomed.

Petri turned to the strange creatures. At first he had thought that the blue one with a rainbow mane presented all the wonder which her race offered. There was now also a yellow one, an orange one, a white one that had no wings but a horn, a pink one and a purple one that appeared to be hurt.

“Pardon me asking, but what are you guys?”

Twilight managed to smile away her pain and raise her wings as she laid down. After all, she was one of the princesses, and it was her duty to represent Equestria, even in out of place situations.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle, I am the princess of friendship. Nice to meet you Petri, words cannot express how thankful I am for helping my friend! We come from a far away land called Equestria, its in another dimension. To answer your question, we are ponies, and these are my friends! If you wonder why we look so different its because...”

Twilight explained to Petri the different pony races and where they lived in Equestria. She also told him what cutie marks was and about the different princesses and creatures. Petris’ eyes did not seem to dive that much into it. Cera figured it wasn’t odd. Petris’ clueless mind barely grasped the scope of his own world. At the part about cutie marks the flier turned to Littlefoot. “Then why does Littlefoot have one?”

“That is why they travel with us.” Littlefoot joined the conversation. “They need to find a way back to Equestria and I need to figure out why I have a mark like them.” Littlefoot sounded like he was about to travel to the stars.

“Wow, that sounds exiting, almost like...”

“...Almost like we’re going on another adventure!” Both the swimmer and the flier smiled at each other.

Littlefoot turned to Cera, who for once on this journey softened her otherwise grumpy face. “See? I knew you needed us you troublesome longneck!”

Chapter 13. Tensions Rising

The wind stirred beneath her feathers once again, her rainbow mane blowing with the currents once again. She was flying, once...

“Oah.” The sudden drop almost sent the pegasus plummeting. She managed to angle her wings to the odd draft.

Rainbow Dash was still trying to perfect her flying in this foreign world with completely different gravity and weather patterns. Her friends were nothing but a line of dots against the land below. The barren trees in front of the red sun made the landscape look like a aquarelle painting. The great circle, which was what the habitants called the sun Dashie recalled, casted its light ahead. Or was it the bright circle? Either way, they needed to follow it until they reached the mountain shaped like a longneck past the mountain that burn. Dashie thought she saw the latter in the distance. It was at least eight days away she calculated.

“Its good up here. Isn’t it?” She was flanked by her company.

Rainbow Dash looked at the creature she had come to consider a friend. “Its different from Equestria, thats’ for sure. Its rough and tough. And to be here.” Dashie spread her blue wings extra. “I like it!”

“Me glad you’re getting something out of your stay. You home world sounded wonderful, the way your princess put it.”

“No, I mean THIS! Flying! Without you.” Dashies’ sincerity glimmered inside her magenta eyes. “Without your help, I might have never experienced it again!”

Petri hadn’t been accommodated like this since he learned how to fly above the jaws of the Sharptooth that killed Littlefoots’ mother. His answer came out modest. “Thanks.”

“I’m the element of loyalty, loyal to my friends, and you are my friend Petri. - From now on, until the end of time!”

“Wow! Me always wanted to have an element.” Petri smiled. “Oh yes, me am your element to.”

“Hora!” Dashie high-fived the flyer, who was to late in on Dashies’ gesture and hesitantly high-fived the air.

“Oh, yes. Me your hora to.”

“You up for a race!?”

“Race?” Petri grinned. That was a word he understood. “Oh yea, me up for it!”

The two fliers raced a couple of minutes. Most of the time Petri won. Navigating the sky was just as much about coordination as flying. Much like wandering, if one knew the layout and patterns of the land one could go almost anywhere. Dashie also needed to learn resting in flight, since she couldn’t stand on the clouds in the land before time.

Dashie caught up with her breath. “Wow, you’re fast Petri!”

“You’re not bad yourself! You go faster each round.”

“You know. In Equestria I can fly so fast I break the sound barrier.”

“Sound barrier?”

“Yes! And then, if I do that, I will create a sonic rainboom!”

“Wooooooow! Me have no idea what you just said, but me must see it! Maybe if I visit Equestria you can teach me how to sonic Petriboom.”

And here Rainbow Dash had just caught up with her breath. Her stomach turned inside out. Her eyes filled with tears. “Hhhhhhhhhhha... Oh, Sonic Petribooooohhhhhhhhaa...”

Below the recon party the wandering continued. Littlefoot and Twilight had taken point. Littlefoot turned his neck around and looked wondrously at the pony princess from Equestria. How she was able to walk without limping was a wonder, and lucky that was. The sharptooths usually singled out the weakest individuals in a herd before making their move.

“I can’t believe how well your spell worked Twilight.”

“It only eases the pain. My hoof can still turn bad by overusing it.”

It was like Twilights’ own words had a life of their own. She felt a sudden sting inside her hoof. A dotted reptile surface appeared underneath her belly. Twilight felt herself rise.

Littlefoot used his tail to carry the pony girl onto his back.

“Thanks Littlefoot.”

“You’re welcome. Tell me if I should walk slower.”

“Don’t slow down because of me. Its a long road.”

Littlefoots’ eyes filled with curiosity. “I talked to Fluttershy the other day.” Littlefoot focused deep into her eyes while asking his question. “Am I a dinosaur?”

Twilight studied the longneck. Her violet streaked mane made her purple eyes look like glimmering diamonds of pure knowledge “Its an interesting question, haven't thought about it. The data on how they looked is incomplete but we know they were a combination of lizard and birds. Equestrian historians say they existed million of a million years before us, long before the phenomenon that we know as the element of harmony evolved. I’m not sure about the correlation between our dimension and yours, but I guess there is a possibility that our timelines are different to a degree that correlates with that amount of time. If that’s the case it is possible that you are dinosaurs, in the way you would have looked if our universes had been the same.”

“So they existed before ponies? Does that mean your dinosaurs...?” Littlefoot continued asking his question using his eyes.

“...That they could do magic?” Twilight ended. They both looked down at Littlefoots’ cutie mark. Twilight squinted her eyes while her mouth formed a smile. “You know, Littlefoot? For all your random questions, once in a while you ask a reeeeeealy good one.”

The pony princess and the longneck kept exchanging knowledge. Eventually they started talking about more personal matters.

“Tell me about Spike.” Littlefoot said.

“Spike?”

“Yes, the one you mistook for our Spike when I mentioned Duckys’ brother.”

“I am...” Twilight smiled nervously. “...impressed you picked that up. Yes, Spike is my baby dragon.”

“Dragon?”

“A fire breathing dragon. Yes.”

“Fire breathing? You mean the dragons you told me about earlier breathes fire!?”

“All dragons do. I have extensive knowledge of the dragon kingdom myself...”

Dragon? Kingdom? The questions spun so fast inside his head they made Littlefoot dissy. The spinning stopped on an image of Spike the spiketail burping out a ball of flame in front of a exited Ducky. Littlefoot laughed to himself, feeling his curiosity turn to longing while the pony princess kept spouting information like someone was listening.

Before heading out the dinosaurs talked about the last one of their ensemble. They all came together around the fact that Spike was probably an entirely different spiketail at this point. In fact, Ducky herself had been the bearer of the conclusion, it was probably better they didn’t look for him. Much like the case how Petri missed his siblings, she would always remember him as a part of her family.

Still, Ducky would always hope that one day, where the sunlight patches through the border, his silhouette would be. And then, whenever that day arrived, they would finally be together again. But that would be another adventure. - Ducky had new friends now. The swimmer stopped jumping.

“How... Huh... How can you jump so long in the sand, Pinkie?” Ducky asked out of breath. “Do your... Heh... energy ever... huh... run out?”

The other ponies caught up with Ducky. Apple Jack chuckled.

“Trying to be Pinkie Pie, heh Ducky?”

“Its not unusual she keeps this up entire wanderings.” Fluttershy sounded like she was talking about one of her animals.

“Its a mystery!” Rarity dramatized.

“Say THAT again!”

“OAH!” Ducky gasped when the rainbow pegasus blurred centimeters front of her.

Cera grumped. “Is it just me, or have Rainbow Dash become more obnoxious after she learned how to fly?”

“Learned? Hah!” Dashie hovered down in front of Cera. “I ALWAYS knew! I only needed to be reminded how totally awesome i was!” She leaned close to Ceras’ ears and grinned. “Spoiler alert: Ehe, I am.”

Dashie was up above the clouds before Cera was able to open her mouth.

“You gotta hand it to her. She is pretty good at flying.” Littlefoot awed.

Cera smiled. “That’s good! We need good flyers.”

“Wait! Hold on.” Rainbow Dash came down again.

“How do you even hear us up there?!” Littlefoot asked incredulously.

“Hear you? You’re practically speaking in my face!” She put on a confident grin. “I am pretty good at hearing things from the air.”

“That’s pretty useful to.” Cera replied sincerely. The grin of Rainbow Dash turned static. Cera lifted her eyebrows. “What?! You believe I considered it my business you forgot you could fly? I didn’t mean to hurt you, I only meant to wind you up. Its not my fault you made it too easy by putting yourself on a pedestal.” Cera showed no sign of either sarcasm nor lying, and Rainbow Dash was pretty good at spotting either. The wandering continued but Rainbow Dash remained still, wondering what in Celestia just happened.

Back in Ponyville, Apple Jack and Dashie had in common their love for sport and their rivalry was legendary, and right now the country pony felt she had been blessed with an extra harvest season. She trotted up to Dashie, gave her a nudge with the hoof and comforted teasingly.

“There, there. We all still think you’re amazing, hehe.”

Littlefoot looked toward the bright circle. It shouldn’t be far now. Soon he would see the place to where he once swore he would never return. He only hoped that it was green again, otherwise they would need to share the food.

He felt his face frown, or was it his soul that lost hope?

“What’s with the wondering?” Petri landed on his back next to resting Twilight.

“Wondering? I... I’m not.”

“Not thinking about us?” Petri asked.

“No. I mean yes... I just wondered.” Littlefoot sighed.

“Listen, Littlefoot. Everything that has been is all in the past.”

Littlefoot looked back at Cera, then at Petri again. “It doesn’t feel that way.”

“You wonder about Cera and her father.”

“Yes.”

Petri looked blankly at Littlefoot a couple of seconds. “Me not sure either, me never knew my father.”

“But you knew your uncle.”

“Oh, me know him. Me met him several times after me left the valley.”

“You have?!”

“Yes. He taught me how to survive outside of it.”

Littlefoot sighed. “I still can’t believe we banished him.”

“Me not sure how his banishment apply now after the drought.”

Ahead laid a pound with trees growing around it, just as Littlefoot had predicted. The time had come for the group to rest. The ponies started making themselves comfortable. Petri leaned his head forward, seemingly focusing on something. He spread his wings and lifted from Littlefoots’ back. “Hold on.”

Littlefoot watched Petri rocket toward the water. He dove so rapidly into it that he was almost able to go under. He lifted from it with a splash. The longneck and threehorn watched in bewilderment the flyer return with something in his mouth.

“What is that?!” Cera asked disgusted.

Littlefoots’ eyes widened in a ‘aha!’ manner. “Its a fish!”

Cera looking sideways at him in a ‘duh’ manner.

“Ith sfure ith!” Petri blurted and swallowed the wiggling thing whole.

Littlefoot subdued his desire to throw up. “Your kind eat meat!?”

Cera made a gagging sound.

Petri frowned. “Thanks for treating me equal.”

Littlefoot panicked. “No, don’t take it like that! I didn’t mean...”

“No, me understand you’re surprised, me as surprised as you after my uncle showed me. It turns out that my mother only ate green to fit in with you guys, us fliers have always been hunters.”

“Raptor species!” Fluttershy lectured from afar.

Littlefoot subdued his disbelief. There was a time he would have pushed his friend away, but then he remembered Chomper.

Chomper was a sharptooth that was born in the valley after they found his egg. Littlefoot was the one that helped him through the hatching. The experience taught Littlefoot the hardship of parenthood and the wonder of being a child. It also taught him that meat eaters were individuals too with feelings and desire for company. Still...

Littlefoot looked nervously at all the vegetarian ponies. He leaned closer to Petri and whispered. “For me and Cera, its alright. But listen. if it’s ok to you, can you do this when these ponies aren’t watching?”

Petris’ eyes filled with shame. “Oh, me sorry.”

“Hey, its ok. Maybe now when you're a Sharptooth you can chase them away?” Cera joked.

Littlefoot shot the threehorn an angry glare.

“It’s ok, me won’t be a mean Sharptooth, me will be a nice Sharptooth." Petri illustrated bt growling his small teeth. The three old friends laughed. "Enough about me and my uncle, what about your father?” Petri asked Littlefoot.

“My father?” Littlefoots smile lowered.

“Yea, about Bron?”

The face of the longneck turned sully. “I haven’t seen him.”

“You... You haven’t?”

“That’s the reaction he gave me.” Cera said.

“Are we talking about Littlefoots’ father? Where is he?” Ducky joined in.

“I don’t know where he is, and I don’t wanna know.”

“Why not?” Ducky asked.

“Its just...” Littlefoot bit his lips in a contemplating manner. “I just don’t want to disturb him. He has his herd to think about and I don’t want to be in the way.”

“That wasn’t what you said a second ago.”

“Well, I guess I made up my mind then!”

Silence fell over the dinosaurs. Happy memories from long ago was flushed away by Littlefoots’ passive aggressive behavior. Petri gave him a studying look while the threehorn raised her tail high.

“Well. Fathers remain fathers, and daughters remain daughters. I’m for one am glad to be alone. I don’t need my father now, and didn’t need him then.”

Petri felt the tension growing like the wind under his wings. Did Ducky and Littlefoot avoid eye contact?

“He was always mean and cruel to everyone around him, I’m actually glad he...”

“SHUT UP CERA!” Petri raked.

The anger split the silent air, now even devoid of pony noises. They had all stopped what they were doing and was looking at them from a distance. Littlefoot suddenly realized his back felt oddly free. Feeling her presence, he turned to Twilight Sparkle. She appeared to be sneaking away. She had her right hoof halfway to the ground as she laughed nervously. “Eh heheheh. Friends! Remember, friendship isn’t always easy, but there is no doubt it is worth fighting for.”

The dinosaurs shared confused looks. Petris’ eyes sparkled with bewilderment. “You wan’t us to brawl?”

Twilight frowned.

The silence was almost vacuum, vacuum like death. Suddenly there was a stir in the air. The breeze gained speed. Whispering winds called.

Littlefoot... Littlefoot...

The sand around the hole started to form circles. The whispers gained a strong thrust. Out of the sharptooth track sailed an undamaged leaf. The tree star continued its journey.

Littlefoot.

Chapter 14. The Burning Mountain

They didn’t need to pass the mountain shaped like a longneck since they had fliers this time around. Neither did they need to face the wrath of the burning mountains like Littlefoot and his friends did twenty years ago.

“Sure we shouldn’t head that way, Cera?” Littlefoot teased.

“Haha, very funny.”

After some directional maneuvers they would pass the fiery mountains from a safe distance. The last thing Littlefoot wanted was to take risks, especially since they didn’t know if the valley was habitable. Not far from where they were now laid a lava lake that sent up airwaves and smoke rings. As long as its source didn’t erupt they would be safe.

Littlefoot still had no idea how to get the ponies home to Equestria. Twilight seemed to believe their fate laid tied with the stars on Littlefoot’s flank, his cutie mark. This extra responsibility only made Littlefoot feel worse. What if he was wrong about the valley regrowing? Would his friends still trust him, or would he had failed them like his father failed him? At least his father never failed his herd. Bron, the father that failed his son. He could be Littlefoot, the confused longneck that failed his friends, his father and his herd.

Twilight saw the longneck, seemingly wandering inside a personal mist.

“How is it?”

Littlefoot shook out of wherever. “Oh... Yes, its going. I was just thinking.” He smiled.

“Thinking? Now, that’s new!” Twilight laughed. Littlefoot laughed with her. He looked in wonder at the pony girl, her lavender coat and purple mane streaked with dawn red, her warm voice with funny personality and corky ways.

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t said this before, but it was so true. “How beautiful you are Sparkle.”

“Sparkle!?” Twilight’s shock quickly transformed into a giggle. Rarity looked jealous at her. “Well, thank you mister longneck.”

Rarity grinned. She raised her hooves high. “Oh my, this burning sun is killing me, I think I’m gonna faint!”

“Me catch you!” Petri came to the rescue. “Hoargh!” His wings flung around as he laid buried beneath the unicorn.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much Petri. You’re my hero!”

“Me glrlad mejl coubl helbh.” Petri answered.

There were the sound of rocks breaking. Rarity and Petri disappeared into a hole.

“Wait! Stand still!” Littlefoot urged. But panic was a cruel mistress. The scream of Fluttershy and Apple Jack was already sounding.

The dizziness from the landing lasted for almost a minute. Apple Jack let her groggy eyes adjust. She heard Twilight above.

“Rarity! Apple Jack! Fluttershy! Petri! Are you alright!?”

Apple Jack counted her friends. Rarity had risen to her hooves while Petri was stirring. Fluttershy ruffled her wings. “We’re alright. We just fell down a hole. A...”The air burned thick inside her throat. “Oouiiie. Do you by any means have spas in the Land Before Time?”

“What are spas!?” Ducky screamed from above.

“As much as I’d love a treat I don’t think this is a spa, Apple.” Rarity said constipated. She turned her attention at the flier that followed her down there. “Petri? Are you alright?”

Petri cursed that the hole above was to small to fly out of. It did not take long for him to feel the heat, literarily. It became more intense with each second. The air smelled of sulphur. “Me have a bad feeling bout this.”

At the surface, Littlefoot turned his attention to the lake. Unlike a minute ago, the lava appeared to be moving downward, as if an opening had just formed below. His heart made a jump. He leaned his winding neck through the hole and shouted. “Its an underground fire river, and its active!”

“Fire what?” Rarity and Fluttershy shared a bewildered look. They turned to the dark part of the cave, which had begun to glow. The heat was so intense it burned Rarity’s face. She and Fluttershy shared a frightened look.

“Its lava!” Apple Jack wailed.

“Where will we go!?” Fluttershy cried.

Petri spotted a pathway. He jumped up and down. “Hey ponies, down there!”

Rarity used her head to shovel the large flier onto her back. “Hold onto my horn Petri!”

Littlefoot saw his friends below run for safety. He was just about to breath a sigh of relief when the air was cut with a series of hissing explosions. The underground lava river caused geysers of hot air to form on the surface. They came closer at an unreal pace.

“Just like your head, Longneck!” Cera boomed and started sprinting. Littlefoot, Twilight, Ducky and Pinkie Pie followed.

Rainbow Dash was on her way to heed her friends calls when she saw the geysers. Flying low would be suicide. She decided to fly ahead and locate the safest place for her friends to fall back.

The sound of hooves echoed inside the cave while the smatter of melting rock came closer.

“What if it leads to a dead end!?”

“Good inspiration Flutter!” Apple Jack shouted sarcastically.

“Are you ok?” Rarity asked Petri, turning her head slightly.

The heat was so intense it drummed on the flyers head. “Me think me gonna be sick.”

The darkness was almost complete ahead with only the lava coming from behind illuminating it. Petri bounced up and down on the galloping pony. His face widened in panic. He opened his beak wide. “DANGER!”

The hoofing beneath Rarity gained newer depths. "Waaaaah!" Hooves grabbed her from above. She managed to grab Petri. “Petri Hold on!”

The sweat poured down off of Apple Jack’s face as she pulled Rarity. Fluttershy grabbed her from behind and helped. Just as the molten rock was about to give them all a overly heated bath Apple Jack managed to drag her friends up. She was the last to leave before the approaching lava turned the crevice into a fiery kettle.

The co klonks of the ponies was accompanied by their breathing and gasping. They galloped from passage to passage, praying that it wouldn’t lead them to a dead end. The face of the yellow pegasus contorted in pain.

“Its so hot!”

“We must find an exit before this cave becomes an oven!” Apple Jack screamed.

Below ground, things wasn’t much calmer.

“We must get of this field before we become smoked pony ala dinosaur soufflé!” Twilight screamed.

Cera shook her head while sprinting. “What’s a...? Never mind!”

Right, left and behind, sometimes ahead came explosion after explosion. Twilight screamed when a geyser formed right in front of her. The dinosaurs and ponies did their best to dodge them.

“Weeeeeeee!” The pink pony was bouncing on four hooves, dodging each explosion.

“Are you joking!? We’re in danger!” Cera blasted.

“Of course I’m joking silly, or else I would be a luny.”

“Hey! Up Here!”

“Rainbow!" Twilight spotted the pegasus high up.

“Come! This way, I see w...” A geyser drowned Dashies' voice.

“What?!” Cera asked.

“I said! There... the...”

“What!? Whaaaaaaaaa....”

Littlefoot managed to reach out his tail and catch Cera before she fell into the formed crevice.

“Hurry, we have to go!” Ducky cried.

Below cera the cave filled with lava. Littlefoot growled while trying to heave the heavy threehorn up. The ground rumbled.

“Swing me!” Cera urged.

“What!” Littlefoot hissed with his teeth pressed.

“Swing me to that edge, then I’ll grab it!”

Suddenly Cera became much easier. Twilight’s horn was sparkling. The alicorn and the longneck pulled Cera up. They barely managed to slip away before the ground below them was no more. The edge Cera had mentioned was gone long before that.

“Look! Water!” Twilight spotted an actual lake.

“That’s what I was try...n...!” The pegasus was drowned again.

Below ground, the cave got smaller around the ponies and the pterodactyl. The lava was still after them but had slowed down significantly.

“Look! Light!” Apple Jack shouted.

“Are you alright Petri?” Rarity asked the dinosaur on her back. There was no answer.

“I’m afraid he's passed out.” Fluttershy said.

The ponies exited the cave, only to probably go from fried to embalmed. Rarity was so relieved to be out she didn’t notice the drop that lead to a pound of boiling mud. She managed to gain hoofing but the flier fell off.

“Oh no!”

Petri hit the mud with a splash. He immediately started sinking into it. Rarity prayed and released.

“Did the lava boil your senses!?” Apple blasted.

The unicorn took a deep breath and dove. She quickly grabbed the flyer with her hooves and pulled him above surface. She found herself stuck, and sinking. The mud was thick and pressed against her, making breathing hard. Panic filled her hollow bones. She cursed herself for regretting saving a friend. “Get me out, get me out! I can’t move!”

Hooves embraced Rarity. They heaved her up above the surface.

“Gotchaaaaaa!”

But Rarity was stuck more that Rainbow Dash had realized. A geyser formed in the mud and de angled her wing. “Oaaaah!”

One by one Fluttershy watched her friends disappear in front of her eyes. She bit her lips while her pupils diminished. The image of a lizard reflected in them. It was running back to her over the desert when its life suddenly ended, eaten by a carnevor. Her face contorted in determination. She had watched enough friends die while she did nothing but cry. Apple Jack turned to her.

"You hold me while I get them Flutter!"

Fluttershy grinned. "Most certanly!"

Even though she was sinking, for Dashie, loyalty was everything. She looked into the panicked eyes of the unicorn. “I’m not letting you go!”

Fluttershy was holding Apple Jacks back hooves. The country pony heaved herself toward her friends. She got hold of Rainbow Dash before her head started to go under. She couldn’t see Rarity nor Petri.

“Rarity! Fight!”

“Pull me up!” Dashie screamed.

“I’m trying, oaaaah!”

Fluttershy felt her hooves falter. She gasped before hitting the mud.

Apple Jack did not see Rainbow Dash anymore. Her mind entered an area of peace. “This is it Fluttershy.”

“No! Don’t give up. Pull!”

“I love you.”

Fluttershy watched in horror the head of her friend go under.

“No!”

Fluttershy couldn’t move her hooves nor her tail. Each moment of struggling only added to the stress. “Help! Somepony! Help, please!” The mud reached her neck. “Help... Hah...Pl...is...” She held in her last breath. The world went dark.

The bubbling of the sinking hole and hissing of the geysers was the only sound. A small streak of lava ran out of the hole the ponies had come from. A tail dabbled into the mud. It went deep before ascending with a yellow pegasus holding an orange earth pony holding a rainbow pegasus holding a white unicorn holding a pterodactyl.

Fluttershy was sure she had been taken by Luna to an everlasting sleep. She felt herself hit the ground. She gasped and accidentally swallowed some mud. She coughed and opened her eyes to a blurry image of, not the princess of the night, but friendship.

“Are you alright Fluttershy?”

“Hugh, eh. Yea.”

A familiar head sailed above the alicorn. It had the same heart warming smile that helped her greave the loss of her friend in the desert. “You saved me again.”

Littlefoots smile turned modest.

“Excuse me miss Shy, but I didn’t.”

Littlefoot moved to the side, allowing another smiling friend of Fluttershy to step up. Ducky held up her hands. The tiny lizard with a familiar look hissed his tongue repeatedly.

The lizard told Fluttershy the horrible truth, that he had been following her since the desert. Guided by hatred, he finally saw his chance to get revenge for his dead brother when Fluttershy held Apple Jack over the sinking hole. Approaching her from behind, he intentended to cause her to fall. Once Fluttershy fell anyway he watched her struggle and cry for help. Once he saw her tears and gasps for air something inside of him broke into a million pieces, something that would always belong to his brother. The lizard forgave Fluttershy, with all of his broken heart, and apologized for not getting her friends there faster.

Fluttershy was paralyzed. Despite her earlier promise her eyes swelled up. “I’m... I’m so... H... Sorry. It was my fault! Thank you. Thank you so much!”

Ducky left the lizard with the crying pegasus and ran over to her own friend. “Petri!”

Petri put his wing over his head and groaned. He looked at Ducky. “Sinking hole?”

“Yep yep yep.”

“There is always a sinking hole.” The flyer complained.

Ducky laughed and hugged hard. Around them the ponies did the same.

Cera shot the longneck a disgruntled look. Littlefoot laughed his white teeth nervously. "Eh, hehehehe. At least we know from experience we'll find our way to the valley?"

A friendly grin formed across the face of the threehorn. The burning mountain whispered his sorry with a ground shaking grumble.

Chapter 15. The Breakup

“Its dry.” Dashie decided to just say it. Petri made a long sigh.

“Are you sure?!” Littlefoot asked de-hearted.

Rarity approached the longneck and the Wonderbolt flier. She had felt it for a while now - Littlefoot had been winding up the closer they got to the valley. - She was never able to intervene before Dashie displayed the level emotional intelligence she had come to expect from the brute pony by now.

“I just told you Littlefoot, the valley is all dried out! Gone, kaputt!”

“Me saw some habitants down by Tundering Fall.” Petri tried to save the situation.

The tail of Littlefoot laid still against the ground and bent in a manner of sadness. The herd all looked at each other.

“I know It's hard to keep up hope...” Twilight had to cut her inspirational speech short. The ground rumbled by the running of the heavy longneck. Rainbow Dash and Petri looked at each other as if to say This was all your fault

Littlefoot passed a canyon with round walls. Twenty years ago this was the place where he saw his mother as a cloud in the sky.

Littlefoot.

Or was it all happening now?

Littlefoot!

The passage lead Littlefoot to a tunnel, the same one he ran through when he was a child. This time he had to duck to fit through. Littlefoot saw the light at the end of it. It sent memory lanes through the eyes of the almost adult longneck.

The young longneck exited the tunnel. He saw the cloud in the sky in the shape of his mother. A gap opened through the shape and revealed the sun. Its beams gradually lit up the place of dreams, with more food that one could ever eat and more water that one could ever drink. The face of disbelief beamed from the longneck. It widened into a large smile with watery eyes of pure happiness. “Cera, Spike, Ducky, Petri, Over here!”

“Littlefoot, you found it! Yep yep yep!

“We did it! We did it together!

A small smile formed on the face of the young adult Longneck, his eyelids half closed. The beautiful memory coursed through Littlefoots’ hollow bones and filled him with happiness. As he was looking over the valley now, it seemed as if that was all Littlefoot had - Memories.

Duckys’ face widened in disbelief before falling into despair. “Oh no. No no no no no...”

Littlefoot kept smiling creepily. Hooves sounded behind him.

“Is this it? We came all this way, for this!?”

“Rarity, silence.” Twilight whispered irritated.

No longer were the meadows green. No longer did the river flow all the way. The Thundering Fall was at a level were it merely left a small creek. The large trees had been replaced with dry trunks forming ugly ensembles across the centre of The Great Valley.

The eyes of Littlefoot wandered in shadows. His smile slowly lowered into a frown. “Why haven’t the sharptooths’ moved in yet?” He sulked.

“There are some green parts down there, look.” Ducky pointed her claw toward a patch of green with some creatures gathered around it. “As long as we share the food we’ll survive.”

Littlefoot turned tail and muttered. “You share.”

The others watched in bewilderment the longneck walk away.

“Where are you going?” Fluttershy asked trembling.

Ceras’ annoyance senses registered a deja vu. “You’re leaving us AGAIN!?”

“You can come with me.” The voice of Littlefoot was bland and devoid of hope.

“What do you mean, ‘can’? We just got here!” Dashie blasted.

“I mean not to be insensitive, but you cannot be serious mr!” Rarity said femininely.

“To be perfectly honest with you Littlefoot: I believe you got your head soaring higher than a lost pegasus.” Apple Jack scolded.

Littlefoot stopped. He stared into the air a couple of seconds.

“There is nothing for me here.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked understanding.

“I like you Twilight, but tell your ponies to stay out of this.”

“Stay out!? But we need you!” Dashie exclaimed.

“Tell me to stay out.” Littlefoot heard the defiant voice of Petri behind him. He turned his long neck around and faced him. “Me know why you want to leave.”

“I’m not leaving. I was always here.”

“Then why are you walking away?”

“Cause it's over.”

“Life is never over.”

“Can’t you see? This was how it would always end: Us coming home to an empty valley with no families or food. All we did as children, everything only led us here. We never thought ahead, ever.” Littlefoots' voice sounded bleak.

“Excuse me, Littlefoot, but you’re talking crazy.” Pinkie Pie said disgruntled.

“Remember who that came from.” Dashie foreshadowed.

Petris’ agreeable stare gained an angry depth. “You're talking to yourself.”

“Maybe.” Littlefoot motioned the valley residents. “You go down, Petri. You go down, Ducky. You go home to your families, either that or follow me. I have no family.”

“No.” Petri shook his head. “Its not that either.” The air between the apatosaurus and the pterodactyl became dense. Petris’ eyes shrouded with guild. “Me was the one who convinced the others not to follow you when you left the valley fifteen years ago. Me did it because me thought you missed other longnecks but now me know me was wrong!”

“Wrong?”

“You believe you search for something, but all you ever did was avoid. Avoiding us, avoiding me!”

“No.”

“Avoiding your father!”

‘Father’ left an ominous echo in the air.

“You know nothing about me and Bron.”

“Me know you love your father!”

“No.”

The flier shook his head. “No.” Petris’ eyes widened. He took a huge breath. “Because you cannot BE HIM!!!”

By now Littlefoot was so angry he was shaking. He instinctively placed himself in an agressive sideways position. “How do you know? You never had a father.”

“You cannot hurt me Littlefoot.” Petris’ eyes swelled with tears. “Not this time.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“Because me LOVE you! But if you walk through that tunnel me never want to see you again!”

The flyer was in a complete fury. Littlefoot was taken a back. “Fine! I’ll go, you stay. I’m not a child anymore. I don’t need any of you.”

“Me should have gone with you fifteen years ago, after you LEFT us with not so much as a whisper of when or why! Me should have told you how you've forgotten EVERYTHING that brought us to The Great Valley after your mother died!”

Littlefoot raised his tail higher. “Mention her again.”

Petri swallowed his cry. “I get that you miss your parents, your grandparents and other longnecks. Ducky and me longed you when you were gone. If you weren’t so obsessed with what you don’t have you’d realize that! Did you know that Ceras’ father died after you left?!"

“Pinkie Pie told me...”

“...Did you know that she mourned him, every day, without you there to comfort her?!”

Cera walked grinning up to the longneck and spoke confidently. “Don’t listen to Petri. I know how it feels, and you are right. You don’t need your father.”

Something snapped inside Littlefoot. He turned his heavy body around and raked the threehorn with his tail, sending her crumbling. The ponies gasped in disbelief. Ducky was still looking out over the valley, seemingly blunt to everything that was happening.

Cera rose to her feet. “So you want your decision to be easy? Fine!” She readied herself. Target acquired. Ready. Set...

But the longneck was already gone.

Poderic saw his siblings gather around his mother. After making sure that none of them had seen him he turned his attention back at the cherry that was growing above. Using his tiny wings he started jumping. On the third try he managed to grab hold of the cherry, but it wouldn’t loosen from the branch. The tiny flyer looked back as he dangled, feeling the panic grow inside him. Poderic put his tiny feet against the barren bush and pulled. His white teeth growled.

There was a snapping sound. Poderic felt himself plummet. He landed on his back. The cherry went rolling against the ground. The flyer licked his beak and marched proudly toward it. As Poderic was grabbing it something hit him at top speed.

Poderics’ older sister had the cherry in her mouth, four of her brothers following her. Three other sisters went around to flank her. Poderic paddled his tiny feet and flapped his wings. He gained in on her. He followed her around the trunk of the bush, dodging several siblings along the way.

One brother managed to take the cherry from his sister. Poderic switched target. He used his head to ram his brother, sending the cherry flying again. This time Poderic grabbed it midair. He only managed to hold it for a couple of seconds before his siblings piled on top of him. The red cherry was tossed back and forth before sailing over to the barren bush.

Poderic realized he had foreseen the path of the cherry before his siblings. This would be his last chance. This time he would swallow the juicy thing the moment he got his hands on it he decided and rocketed. The ground rumbled. Something big was coming their way. A large shadow closed in over both the bush and the cherry.

Silence fell, apart from the disappearing longneck and the demolished bush. Beside it laid the cherry, mushed into a mixture of jam and sand. His siblings shrugged and flew back to his mom. Poderic remained frozen. His right eye twitched. His claws were stale and mid-grabbing, seemingly reaching out into cherry heaven.

Littlefoot ran, like he had done most of his life it seemed.

He thought about those birds he saw back there. Were those the same kind he saw when he wandered the mysterious beyond after his mother died? Was this the way it was always going to end? Him alone, searching for a better place? His head filled with memories.

“Name’s Bron. What’s yours?” The grown longneck asked.

“Littlefoot”

“No kidding. That’s funny. They called me Littlefoot when I was young.”

The memory shifted. Littlefoot had his head lowered with the sound of the grown longneck coming from behind.

“Littlefoot. We have to talk.”

A lonely tear fell from Littlefoots’ face. “Where were you? All this time, where were you?!”

“Oh Littlefoot, your mother and I knew we were going to have a hatchling. You see, we wanted to raise you in a safe place. So before you were even an egg I went off to find a new home for all of us. When I got back the earthquakes had changed everything."

The sky turned orange red. A longneck was fighting a sharptooth in the middle of a raging earthquake. Littlefoot ran up to her.

“Mother!?”

She looked down on him, her panicked eyes urgent. “RUN!”

The nightmare flashed. The Sharptooth was flying through the air. The young longneck watched the monster land on his mothers' back before biting her neck.

I’m running mother! I’m running!

The voice of his father sounded again.

"It took me so long to find where the nest had been, and nothing was left but a crack in the earth, as deep as a mountain is high. As I searched for your mother, and the young one I knew had been born, the great circle rose and fell many times.”

Littlefoot looked up at the great circle.

“I kept searching. And then, one day I met a group of young longnecks, wandering in the wilderness with no grown ups to protect them. At first I hoped one of them was you. But I soon realized that wasn’t the case. But they came to depend on me so I stayed with them, took care of them.”

The memory was infused with a boost of pride.

“And then some others joined up with us. And then some more, and some more. In time, we were a herd.”

Littlefoot looked up at his father in awe. “You mean... You’re the leader, of a whole herd!?”

The dream came to a sudden halt when Littlefoot found himself stepping on air. He slid down a sand slope and gasped as he hit the ground. He groaned and looked up. The sun patched through the silhouette of a longneck. His eyes adjusted.

“Father?”

The silhouette turned out to be the mountain shaped like a longneck. It was looking down at him with sad, disappointed eyes.

“You!”

Littlefoot grabbed a rock with his tail and flung at the mountain. “YOU WEREN’T THERE!!!” He grabbed and tossed another. “YOU... WEREN’T... THERE!!!”

Littlefoot slipped on a rock and fell on his face. As he tried to rise it felt like his strength was condensing out of him. For fifteen years Littlefoot had survived the mysterious beyond alone. He gave himself three days, at most. Without his friends there was no survival, with his friends awaited existential loneliness, for himself and for them. Littlefoot had no choice but to just accept the fact. His life was over.

Then I’ll stay here. I’m all yours, great circle.

Chapter 16: Friendship Changes

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes Fluttershy, we have." Rarity replied.

"And?"

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

“She’s Twilinanas, isn’t she?”

“Aha.” Rarity nodded.

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

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

“Its pretty epic.”

“How epic?” Flutter asked Dashie.

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

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

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

“I’m a what?”

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

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

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

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

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

“You are Spike?” Apple asked blatant.

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

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

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

“Thank you Pinkie.”

“I’m not Pinkie.”

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

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

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

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

“You can count me in Rainbow!” Fluttershy answered

“Me too.” Apple Jack agreed.

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

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

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

“What are you still doing here?”

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

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

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

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

“Par-TEY?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes I am!”

“OAH!”

Pinkie giggled. “Sorry I scared you.”

Cera frowned. “You didn’t scare me.”

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

“I smile when I want to!”

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

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

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

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

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

“What were you doing out there anyway?”

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

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

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

“No.” Cera failed.

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

“I wasn’t looking for Littlefoot!”

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

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

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

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

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

“Because he failed us. He failed me.”

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

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

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

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

“Of course not.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pinkie Pie was... Well. Pinkie?

“I’m still Pinkie Pie, Moon Flame.”

You sure are :/

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

“Ducky?”

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

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

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

“Both right?”

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

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

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

“Nope?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Who do you think?”

“Rainbow Dash?” Petri asked.

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

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

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

“You coming?”

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

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

“You do.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What are those?” Petri asked.

"Houses." Twilight's smile bent.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Why are you molding?” Snowflake asked.

The molder did not answer.

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

The swimmer turned her head slightly.

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

“Then why are YOU molding? Snowflake jittered.

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

“Stop molding. Come and play!?”

“What’s your name?”

“Snowflake!”

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

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

“Why was he mad?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Daddy!” Snowflake sprinted happily up to him.

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

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

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

“Hmhm, yes I am.”

“I missed you Spike.”

“I missed you too, Ducky.”

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

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

Chapter 17. The Tree Star

The great circle of life. Some talk of it as a metaphor, some say it’s the sun herself. Some even worship it as a almighty god, one that controls everything. Whatever existential view one may have, one thing remains universal. - The sun is necessary for all life.

The sky shaded of gray and red. The beams of The Great Circle reached all the way across the land, guiding creatures to better places. Sometimes it guided things that had been dead for a long time. But that was a time lasted, insignificant in a Land Before Time.

But some things holds on forever.

The beam of light was cut. It shone through an object, transforming the light to shades of orange and yellow. The wind gained speed. It whispered. The tree star continued its journey, a journey that was about to come to an end.

The apatosaurus was born in these lands. Now he was about to die in these lands. Ironic that it was going to happen on the road away from The Great Valley this time. He scraped his foot over the dirt. Everything felt hopeless. He obviously had to return to The Great Valley again if he wanted to stay alive. That’s where the situation weighed right now, yet he couldn’t bring himself to even stand up. He went over the different ways his feelings might have been fixed this way

What if Petri was right? What if he was trying to be like his father, who wandered the mysterious beyond until he became something great, the leader of a herd? Wasn’t that what Littlefoot was just a moment ago? Indeed, it made no sense why Littlefoot wanted to get away from his friends.

What if he was right? What if The Great Valley wasn’t big enough for him when his friends had their families to take care of? Did that mean he didn’t trust his friends anymore, who had all sworn they were his family? But if that was the case it still made no sense why Littlefoot would want to be completely alone.

At least it made sense why he had ended up here. Littlefoot had been either stupid or a fool, that much was clear. How did that insight ease his pain? It didn’t, he just couldn’t understand what was missing in his life. Had he been unaware of that, at least then he would have been a fool his friends could rely on.

The longneck felt the wind stir. Was it whispering? No. It was just that someone with wings landing behind him.

“Littlefoot?”

The voice was the same friendly female one he heard before. He looked up. The mountain shaped like a longneck was still looking down on him. But it wasn’t it that spoke.

“Littlefoot. Is everything alright?” The alicorn asked emphatically.

Littlefoot felt his throat push him toward the ground. “No, princess, it aint."

“Would you like to talk about it?”

There was a long silence from Littlefoot. “I cannot return.”

Twilight smiled. “That is your decision to make. Still, I believe it is better if we start from the beginning.”

The wind stirred again. This time it wasn’t because of someones wings. Circles of sand formed in the eerie air. A small shadow casted itself over the ground. The longneck looked up, his mouth and eyes widening in disbelief. The whispers reached his ears.

The leaf descended in graceful circles. It bounced slightly as it landed tentatively on the ground. Twilight saw the longneck walk up to it. “Are you hungry?” She asked confused. She saw the longneck fold his legs next to the leaf. He looked down at it for what felt like a minute. Twilight Sparkle’s mouth bent in bewilderment.

Littlefoot heard the whispering winds. He looked up at the mountain shaped like a longneck. He saw that a big part of its mouth had been shattered by the rock he threw.

Twilight saw the neck of the dinosaur sink. She walked closer. Her hooves send ko klonks over the rocky ground. She heard sobbing. Her ears lowered. “Littlefoot.”

Littlefoot had his tail laying bent over the sand. His tears landed next to the six edged leaf.

“Littlefoot? What’s the matter?”

“Twilight...h....h...I don’t know...h....h...I don’t know what to do.”

“You don’t always.”

“I’ve failed...h....h...Everyone.”

Twilight’s reply came with empathy and compassion. “You saved us in the desert. You saved Fluttershy by helping her with her grief. You saved my life in the canyon.”

“No....h...h... No.” The sobbing longneck shook his head. “I could...h...done all that with my...h...h my...h... friends if I had listened...h...h... to Rooter.”

"Who's that again?"

"Rooter."

“Who’s Rooter?”

“All this time....h....h...I blamed...h...Bron, my f...f...father for moms death. If I hadn’t done...h...h.” Littlefoot couldn’t manage. He couldn’t quite remember everything Rooter, a stranger creature he met right after the death of his mother, said. The only phrase of Rooter that he could remember was whipping him, giving his heart a well deserved slashing.

It is NOBODY’S fault.

The words conjured another image in Littlefoot, one he thought he had gotten over. He was searching for his mom in the pouring rain. He called her name, over and over. He found her lying on a pile of rocks. He remember running up to her. She was trying to stand up.

“Mother? Please, get up.”

“I’m... I’m not sure I can Littlefoot.”

“Yes you can. Get up.”

His mother crumbled. Her face contorted in worry. “Dear sweet Littlefoot. Do you remember the way to The Great Valley?”

“I guess so. But why do I have to know? You’re gonna be with me.”

“I’ll be with you. Even if you can’t see me.”

“What do you mean if I can’t see you? I can always see you.”

“Littlefoot. Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely.”

Listen closely...Listen closely...Listen closely... The whisper disappeared with the wind. Littlefoot felt his sobs do the same. The last of his tears hit the pool of water that had formed inside the tree star. It created circles inside it. “I miss her so much.”

“I can’t imagine.” Twilight said sincere.

“It was never about him, but about her. I thought I was searching for a purpose when all I ever did was run from the truth.”

“She’s gone.”

“My failure to recognize how much I still missed my mother caused me to blame my father for her death and abandon my friends in a time of crisis.”

“Maybe.” Twilight sat down next to Littlefoot. His long neck had her looking up at him. “Or maybe it’s just time. I don’t know how old longnecks become.”

“About 140 years.”

“So you are roughly about 35 years old, giving you were 8 to 15, lets say, when you and your mom traveled together. That means you have lived 25% of your expected lifespan, which equals the time of maturity for almost every creature in Equestria, and probably here to.”

“I’m going to pretend I understood that.”

Littlefoot and Twilight Sparkle exchanged laughter. “In urban terms. Littlefoot, you’re growing up. You’re on the border between childhood and adulthood right now. That is a turbulent time for everyone. Everything you do or feel might not always make sense to you.”

Littlefoot remained silent for a moment. “Is it that simple?”

“I believe you know the answer to that yourself. I can’t tell you what to do next Littlefoot, that is up to you. But I wan’t you to remember what I said after your first argument with Ducky, Petri and Cera.”

“Friendship isn’t always easy...” Littlefoot began.

“...But there is no doubt it is worth fighting for.” Twilight ended smiling.

The pony and the apatosaurus rose up. Twilight saw the longneck reach down and grab the tree star with his mouth. He placed it on his back.

“A souvenir?” Twilight asked.

“Not exactly. Lets head back.”

“Back to the valley?”

“Yes.”

As they were leaving, Littlefoot took another look back. The mountain shaped like a longneck was still looking down at him. Was his face still disappointed?

Chapter 18. The Last Stand

And here Ducky had thought events would go the same way as fifteen years ago. With her little brother back, maybe things could go back to some kind of normal?

“I still can’t believe I found you.”

Below the swimmer a tornado was raging. Snowflakes’ tail wavered happily left and right. “I found her dad! I found her!” She mimicked sulking. “I found her like, this.” Her round face lit up. “And I made her like, THIS!”

Ducky giggled and studied Spike, looking in wonder at how much he had changed. The stegosaurus now had large scales, shaped like diamonds, that protruded out from his back and ran all the way from head to tail. His green scales had grown much darker since childhood, making the diamond scales look like stars stranded against the early morning sky. Ending at his tail, his race name finally made sense. Four blunt spikes formed a deadly ensemble, dangerous to any sharptooth foolish enough to get to close. Spike smiled down at his daughter before turning to Ducky. “She reminds me of someone I know.”

Ducky returned. “Come on, Spike. I’m a little more grown now. I still can't believe you're talking Spike.”

“Hm hm.” Spike mumbled while nodding.

Spike returned the laughter of his step-sister while studying her. Unlike the time they were rasied together, Duckys’ face now stood taller than Spikes’. The pointy end at the back of her head had grown to its full length, making her smile almost feel like it was pulling toward Spike as it went. “You’ve turned into such a beautiful swimmer Ducky.”

“Oh, you.” Duckys’ smile turned modest. “You’re not so bad either, handsome. Who’s the lucky one?”

“Lily.”

“Is she beautiful?”

“She is.”

Duckys’ eyes filled with happiness. “I’m so proud of you little brother.”

“Oh, Ducky.” Spike hugged her. “Mom misses you.”

“How is she?”

“She settled down near the big water. I visited her some time ago. Did you know she has a new nest now?”

“I know. How’s the new arrivals doing?” Ducky asked.

“Last I saw her they were doing great.” Spikes’ tail wavered happily left and right. “We should visit her sometimes.”

Ducky blushed. “We?”

“Yes, we.”

“We have to ask your mate first then.” Ducky lit up. “Oh, I can’t believe I forgot! We have to reintroduce you to Cera and Petri. They will be be soooooo happy to see you again! Oh, and I’ll also show you my new friend, Pinkie Pie.”

“Pinkie Pie.” It wasn't delivered as a question. Ducky looked confounded at her little brother.

“You met her?”

“Hm mmmm.” Spike nodded. “She was the one that told me you were here.”

“Oh.” Ducky awed. The voice of her brother was so dark it rumbled the air.

“She is strange, and pink, but she made friends with everyone in a day. She is everywhere!” Spike rolled his eyes in a display of incredulous.

Ducky giggled. “Sounds like Pinkie alright. I traveled here with her friends. They are called ponies.”

Spike nodded at the familiar word. Pinkie Pie had spoken so fast when he met her he’d barely managed to pick up what she was saying. Ducky motioned him to come along. “We’ll see if we can’t catch up with them.”

Spike looked down at his daughter. This was the second time he had found her away from the pond. “Follow me Snowflake, closely.”

“Yes dad!” Snowflake answered playfully.

Spike kept his scolding eyes riveted at his daughter. Her ecstasy came to a sudden halt. Her green eyes gleamed with respect. “Don’t wander off like that again. The Great Valley is not as safe as it once was.”

Snowflakes’ lips fell. “Yes dad.”

“Snowflake!?”

Snowflake sighed. She subdued her sulking. “I promise. I'll stay close dad.”

Fluttershy watched the body of the lizard wrap around his mom. Both their tongs hung out while their tails bent in sadness. Two siblings joined in. The father turned to Fluttershy. He expressed his outmost gratitude for bringing their son home. He did this by happily move his tail left and right. Reptiles communicated with their tails, ponies with their ears. The ones of Fluttershy hung down. She gave him a smile of modest gratitude.

“Thank you papa lizard. I’m glad I could help, I’m just so sorry I couldn’t do anything about your other son.”

The lizard told Fluttershy what Littlefoot had already tried to tell her, that the death of his son was all part of the circle of life. Fluttershy glanced over the reunion again as she was leaving.

“Flutter? Is that you?”

The pegasus spread her wings and soared down to Apple Jack. Fluttershy had learned to fly short distances since Twilight Sparkle left. Unlike herself and her other friends, Twilight Sparkle was an alicorn with both wings and horns. Why was this relevant now? Her friend from the country spotted her dampened mood.

“Is everything alright?”

“Its nothing, really.” Fluttershy replied shyly.

“To be perfectly honest with you, and I always am, you’ve seemed down ever since what transpired in the desert sugarcube.” Apple Jack said worried.

Fluttershy showed her teeth pearly white. ”I know I’m not the most subtle griever.”

“So it is about the lizards?”

“In a way.”

“In a way?”

Fluttershy recalled the lizard mother hugging her son welcome home. In between them laid the empty area where the sons dead brother should have been.

“Twilight is an alicorn.”

“Yes?” Apple Jacks’ mouth bent. “What does this have to do with lizards?”

“It means she will live for a thousand years.”

“Yes. That’s how long Celestia and Luna have lived. What does this have to...?” Apple Jacks’ voice trailed off. The voice of Fluttershy filled with dread.

“Can’t you see, Apple Jack? Friendship is magic, and we are its elements, but what happens when magic is all that’s left?”

Apple Jack seemed to go through a short crisis. Behind her came her friends. Rarity studied the situation. “What’s this about?”

A smile formed across the masculine mule of Apple Jack. She put her hoof under the shin of the worried pegasus. “Fluttershy, why are you thinking these dark thoughts?”

“Doesn’t it bother you that we might leave Twilight to greave us for a thousand years?!” Fluttershy wailed.

The eyes of the rest of the ponies went through an existential crisis. Apple Jack glanced over all of them.

“Of course not! That’s a hundred years from now at least, way to early to worry about now.”

“It is a good question.” Pinkie Pie admitted sadly.

“Well, it sure ain’t a practical one!” Apple Jacks' green eyes basked with honesty as she looked comfortingly at Fluttershy. “Our friendship will never end. As long as we hold on together, believe me, there is nothing that will tear us apart.” She reached out her hooves and hugged Fluttershy. “Even in death.”

Rarity came out of her trance. “Apple Jack is right. Let’s not lose focus on why we belong together.” She joined in on the hug. The others followed.

Fluttershy felt the warm embrace of her friends still her worried mind. If Apple Jack said it, it had to be true. Fluttershy only wished she had received an answer to the real question there.

The air pulsated. Rainbow Dash hovered above her friends while eyeballing them.

“What are you guys doing!?”

“Friendship moment!” Pinkie Pie screeched happily with tears in her eyes.

“Well, you can celebrate later, once we’re not in immediate danger.”

“Danger?!” Apple Jack asked bewildered.

“Its the Sharptooths. They are getting ready for an attack!”

Petri pushed his wings against the upward breeze. It allowed him to make a graceful arch before landing right at the entrance to the cave. His eyes immediately festered on all the places he remembered from his childhood. The nest was nothing by an empty area. Some leaves and sticks laid stashed further in.

“Mom?!” Petri called.

Something crashed ahead. “Oh, heavens!”

Petri gasped at the familiar voice, which he quickly realized did not belong to his mother. The light from the cave entrance lit up the cerulean blue feathers of the creature. The inside of his wings had a much luster shade of green in his grown age. Petri felt the smile widen across his beak. “Guido!”

“What in the world...!?” Guido stumbled over a rock and made a face plant. “Oh, my beak. Must be the tenth time today.” His eyes met Petris. “At least I didn’t fell over you.”

“Me can’t believe it. Guido, you still here?”

Guido ruffled his wings. “This was certainly unexpected.”

Petri could see the happiness behind the humble eyes of Guido, the only creature in the valley that were probably more humble than him. His significantly longer beak and taller body witnessed how long had passed since Guido found his way to Petris family.

The feathered flyer had never seen anyone else of his kind back then. Unlike Petri, who felt ashamed whenever he was singled out, Guido was so humble he gladly threw himself into mud, just so that his friends wouldn’t feel ashamed. Petri thought it was destructive, but who was he to argue? Guido taught Petri that being different can translate to charisma if shown the proper way, something that Guido quickly turned out to be excellent at when he won over Petris' siblings better than he did. One could say that Guido was strong in his humbleness and someone you did not want as an enemy. But Guido was too nice to be anyones enemy.

“Me glad to see you again. How are you doing?”

“Your mom is doing great Petri.”

Petri frowned. “I meant you Guido.”

“Oh... Oh yes, I’m doing great too.” Guido laughed modestly, then adding rapidly. “...And your mom.”

The air stirred. Petris’ mom landed right outside the cave opening. She had a urgent look on her face. It quickly softened into happiness once she spotted him. “Petri? My son!”

Petri folded his wings around his mom. As soon as he did he felt her bones click. “Oh, mom. You really should start eating meat. You’re so thin.”

“Oh, I see.” The distrust reeked from her voice. “Your uncle taught you, didn’t he?”

“He can be really nice mom, and you know it.”

“Its none of my business now!” She scolded, looking away as she did, meaning she aimed it at herself rather than him. She looked at him and gave him a proud smile. “You have left the nest now, my son. Your life are is own, as long as you settle for green food while you're with me in the valley."

Petri looked disappointed at Guido, who shrugged. “You try and tell her to change.”

“Guido has taken good care of me. You two will have to catch up later.”

Petri registered a strange and out of place urgency in her voice. “Look around you mom, the valley is dying. Does it really matter if we turn into sharptooths now?”

“It matters as long as there is a flyer breathing who is willing to uphold the valley culture. I told you before Petri, The Great Valley is my home.”

“Home.” Petris’ voice turned dreamy. His eyes reflected what it once was. - An enclosed paradise filled with nutritious green leaves, beautiful meadows and flowing creeks.

His mother seemed to see what he saw. Her face turned serious. “Good. Keep that image in your mind. Keep it and know it before making your decision because the next few hours are going to be tough.”

“Tough? What do you mean?”

“Old friends are waiting to see you my son, but first you have to either defend this valley or flee, the decision is yours.”

“Defend? What are you talking about?!”

“I saw them from above Petri. Sharptooths!”

It was like the eyes of Petri opened a black hole of horror inside him. He shot his mother a scolding look. Her eyes turned watery. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you immediately, I simply had to look into your eyes one more time and see the flier that you have become!”

“I must save my friends!”

The mother watched her son spread his wings, four times broader now then when he was a child, and rocket out of the cave. It was like she was watching her heart fly away, one of freedom and courage.

“Good luck, Petri.”

As Spike followed Ducky it first then hit him. “What about Littlefoot?” Ducky stopped. Spikes’ face twisted in worry. “He’s not dead, is he?!”

“What does’ dead mean?” Snowflake asked clueless.

Ducky had forgotten how easily worried her brother was. “Oh no. No, he’s not dead.”

Spike saw the uncertainty in his sisters eyes. “Are you sure?! You don’t seem sure.”

“He...” Ducky hesitated. The word ‘dead’ delayed in the air.

The dry trees laid dense in the wake of the fading dawn, creating large patches of dark between them. The patches breathed. They made a hissing sounds, the same kind of hissing you would hear coming between sharp things. Spikes’ face contorted in anger. He rose his tail.

“Snowflake. Ducky, get...” The bushes rustled. The breather pounced at Ducky fast but Spike was faster and raked him. The raptor whimpered and was tossed sideways.

Ducky watched in horror the raptor limp away before finally realizing what was happening. She urgently picked up a stick from the ground and turned to her brother, who had his regretful eyes riveted at his life.

“SNOWFLAKE!”

Snowflake had no idea what that creature had done to her dad. She suddenly felt herself tumble on her back. The raptor looked down at her with yellow eyes. The space between his teeth bubbled with saliva. Snowflake never had time to get scared.

The raptors eyes became wide in horror as he rose. He got a small glimpse at the lavender rodent with a glowing horn before the rainbow came rocketing toward him.

“Take THAT!” Dashie floored the sharptooth.

Twilight turned her attention to three more Sharptooths that was coming out of the bushes. She managed to muster her limited telekinesis and stop one of them. The others came at her.

Target acquired. Ready. Set. Go!

Cera lowered her head and sent one of the raptors sailing meters into the air. She had no time to wonder who the familiar spiketail was before her back burned with claws. She growled and made a three-sixty degree turn, sending the raptor sailing. She did not feel her wounds, only annoyance. It had her charge it in a rage. The raptor turned tail and evaded. Two more raptors approached. Their eyes stared in confusion when one yellow, white and orange rodent joined the threehorn. Something nudged the side of a raptors flank.

“Tag! You’re it!”

The rodent jumped happily to his buddy. “Tag! You’re it too!”

The two raptors chased the pink menace while its laughter jittered. One time she was there, the other she was someplace else. The raptors ran in circles. There was a ringing sound when their heads bumped together like a couple of competing Pachycephalosauruses.

Apple Jack saw a vine lying on the ground. It looked strong enough. The country pony, known throughout Ponyville for her multiple rodeo medals grabbed it with her mouth and did what she did best. The vine went around the neck of a raptor but without her Equestrian magic the dragging contest was no contest.

Another male raptor saw the orange rodent stumble away from the group. Apple Jack gasped when he rammed her.

“Get away from her!” Rarity kicked the beast. The move only angered him. With one rake of his claws the sharptooth delivered Apple Jack a cut, who seemed to scream in anger rather than pain.

With one sudden movement Apple Jack bucked the raptor, sending him crumbling. Rarity looked in panic around the battlefield.

The spiketail was protecting his daughter and Ducky further back. The threehorn was becoming surrounded by the minute. Petri and Rainbow Dash was coming in for a dive. All in all, they were outnumbered ten to zilch. One raptor had his eyes glaring at Rarity, his relaxed face witnessing how easy he considered this to be. Four of his friends joined him.

“Ponies! Stay together!” Twilight went back to back with her five ponyville friends.

“There is too many of them, argh!” Apple Jack bit her lips in pain. A streak of blood ran down the side of her right hoof.

Twilight managed to grab two charging raptors with her telekinesis. Two more quickly reinforced their hovering friends, then three, making them ten in total number.

The ground rumbled by the running longneck. He planted his feet firmly in the ground and spun his winding tail around, sending six of the raptors sailing. He was quickly flanked by Cera, Petri and Spike, Ducky standing on the back of the latter while Snowflake hugged his legs.

“Hello Spike! Nice to see you again!” Littlefoot boomed while growling at the hesitating sharptooths.

“Don’t ask me about my talking yet, just help me send these Sharptooths’ down to the abyss of which they came!”

“You could not have picked better first words to say, old pal!” Cera boomed.

The ground rumbled. The barren trees parted ways ahead. Behind the legion of raptors appeared, not one, not two, but five T-rex Sharptooths. They opened their mouths wide and filled the air with a unison roar that caused the dried out branches of the valley to waver. Twilight felt the hope of the entire group drop below ground. She saw Apple Jacks’ face contort in pain as Fluttershy helped her up on Rainbows’ flank. The dinosaurs protecting them only seemed to grow taller. The ponies looked at them with pride in their eyes.

Littlefoot remembered the time before The Great Drought hit the valley. His heart went to the Thundering Fall he and his friends drank from, the pound they played in and the slopes they ran. The air filled with a wind, carrying a familiar whisper. The treestar flickered on his back.

Some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart.

Littlefoot raised his neck high and announced the intruders. “This valley may only have a small patch of green left but my mother lead me here!”

“Us ran from you when we were kids!” Petri joined the battle cry.

“No more!” Cera boomed.

“I couldn’t talk before, now I can: LEAVE MY BIG SISTER ALONE!” Spike roared like it was his last words.

Ducky raised her stick high on her brothers back. “The ponies are our friends! If you want to get to them you’re gonna have to go through us!”

The large Sharptooths’ looked at each other and shrugged. They went in separate directions, each one having their eyes riveted on the greatest threat, the longneck.

Littlefoot and his friends held the T-rexes as far away from the ponies as possible, who all seemed to have shrunk into fear. They had no other, only them, just like Littlefoot only had his mother. The sky turned orange red, illuminating the white teeth of the angry longneck. Littlefoot raked his tail toward whoever Sharptooth came to close.

“You...Will...Not...Have...Them!” He spelled out.

His friends had been pushed back. The flank of the longneck was now exposed. Sharptooth came at his front while two of his buddies flanked it.

Sharptooth grinned, the scar he got from the last battle with the longneck shining across his lips. This time his wife would finally see that he was, at least, a worthy pack leader. He looked at the Sharptooth coming from the longnecks’ left and nodded. The flanking sharptooth took a huge leap.

The sky thundered. It flashed the image of another sharptooth flying through the air before finishing off a longneck defending her only son, their last hope for the future. Twilight Sparkle could swear she was in some kind of nightmare with an earthquake raging around her. Her purple eyes turned wide in disbelief “Oh no!”

The leaping sharptooth landed on the other side of the longneck and faced the other flanker. He used the momentum to bite hold of his head and wrestle him to the ground. Before the leader Sharptooth could react he turned and rammed him.

Sharptooth thought he could hear his wife scold him as he fell. Who were this traitor who defended these pathetic leaf grubbers?

“Run! I hold them off!” The T-rex screamed.

Littlefoots’ heart skipped a beat when hearing the familiar voice.

“Chomper!?”

“There is no time! Take the colored rodents and flee!”

It would be Chomper against an army of sharptooths. “I can’t leave you!” Littlefoot wailed devastated.

Chomper turned and pushed his best friend away. “There is a cave back there! Run toward it and don’t look back!”

“Come on Littlefoot!” Cera urged. Littlefoot barely had time to admire how fierce Chomper had grown, both in body and voice.

The ponies and the dinosaurs fell back and entered the cave Chomper was talking about. Littlefoot turned and caught a small glimpse of Chomper getting rammed. The rumble of the cave-in filled the rocky area. The longneck saw the older Sharptooth overpower Chomper before the entrance to the cave crumbled. Littlefoots’ wail of despair filled the darkness.

“NOOOO!”

Chapter 19. If We Hold On Together

The cave rumbled by the raging longneck. Littlefoot used his tail to violently slam the crumbled cave entrance. A small light lit up the borders of the longnecks’ cutie mark, the light generated from the tip of a unicorns horn. “Stop!”

Littlefoot could only hear the voices of the dinosaurs who wasn’t with him anymore. His mother, his grandmother, grandfather. And now, unless he managed to break through these rocks, the first hatchling he ever brought to the world. Twilight Sparkle kept urging.

“Stop! You’ll only cause another cave in!”

Littlefoot heard the fragile walls around him rumble. He stopped struggling. He kept breathing heavily.

“Littlefoot. Please.”

Ducky walked up. “That was Chomper.” Her voice cracked. “He saved us.”

“And now he’s gone.” Petri said without contemplating his words.

“No!” Littlefoots’ eyes teared up.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the flier and longneck. “I’m sorry I yelled at you before Littlefoot.” Petri said.

“Great timing.” Rainbow Dash said sarcastically.

“Not to bad yourself.” Rarity gave the pegasus a kick.

Twilight gave Littlefoot a sooting touch with her hoof. “We only saw him become overpowered. We never saw him...” Twilight looked for the word. “...Pass. Whether he is gone or not, we owe him our hope.”

“Not to mention us. If we don’t find our way out of this cave he would have sacrificed himself for nothing.”

Twilight shot Rainbow a fat glower. Cera walked up to Littlefoot. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle is right. We must find our way out of here before we start worrying Chomper.”

Littlefoot seemed to dig out of his apathy now rather than this cave. Twilight thought she might hug Cera. Nobody could bring that longneck down to earth as well as that threehorn.

“You’re right.” Littlefoot looked at Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “Both of you. Let us find our way out of here first.”

“If there is a way out?!” Pinkie Pie wailed.

There was no way out.

That much was clear after almost an hour of scanning every crevice. What also became clear was that they weren’t alone. The other valley residents had also taken cover from the sharptooths. They had all gathered in the middle of the cave.

A day or more passed. The valley residents sent out expeditions to try and find an exit, but it all turned out hopeless. In the end they only wasted their limited air supply. They tucked themselves close to their families. Spike was hugging Lily, their daughter Snowflake and aunt Ducky.

“So you must be Ducky?” Lilys’ voice was edgy but damped by the situation.

“Nice to meet you Lily.” Ducky cursed the darkness for not allowing her to take a good look at Spikes’ wife.

Petri tucked himself next to his mother.

“So this is it, mom?” Petri tried to breathe. Guido squeezed himself next to Petri. His mother used her wing to embrace them both.

Whispers came from the other valley residents. They each ended with bitter sweet with phrases like ‘The Great Circle’. The only light source came from the ponies. Twilight Sparkle was using a spell to bring some air from the outside. Apple Jack had her hooves embracing her.

“You should save your strength Twilight.”

The air was so thin Twilight felt her head fall in and out of consciousness. Her pleading came out weak. “It can’t end like this. Not when we’ve come this far.”

“What about teleportation?” Rarity asked hushed.

“I don’t have strength. Despite, its to dangerous. If it fails someone could end up inside the ground and suffocate.”

“Not... Huh... Enough... Huh... Air...” Pinkie Pie huffed.

Rainbow Dash imagined one single Pinkie outburst sucking out all the cave air in a second. If that happened it meant it would be the last thing Rainbow Dash heard before she died. Her magenta eyes widened in horror.

Cera had tucked herself next to Littlefoot, for what that was worth. At least she wasn’t annoyed, yet. She imagined Littlefoot snoring or something before she died. If that happened she would probably waste her last gulp of breath sending the longneck flying. She smiled at the thought.

Littlefoot tried to breathe as little as he could. If he fell asleep he would never wake up again. He thought about all the happy moments he shared with the ponies of Equestria, all their adventures. When it all came down to it, maybe this wasn’t such a bad ending to this story? Littlefoot had found Cera, Ducky, Petri and Spike again. And now they were about to fall asleep together, without heartaches. Or were they?

Littlefoot raised his neck. He had it sail over to the fliers nest.

“Hey.”

Petri stirred. “Yes Littlefoot?”

“I thought about what you said to me back there, and I’m sorry I yelled at you too.”

“Me weren’t myself. Me bares the burden of my mistakes.”

Littlefoot and Petri had a long moment of eye contact. Littlefoot had his neck sail to his back. He grabbed the tree star with his mouth and dropped it next to his friend. Petris’ eyes became dreamy. They reflected the image of him sitting on Littlefoots back, guarding the tree star on their first journey to The Great Valley.

“You know me cannot take that.”

“Its just like you said, you bare the burden of your mistakes, and I bare mine. Except, you actually cared about mine. Me? I was stuck in the past, blaming Bron for moms death, traveling the mysterious beyond for years, just to level him up.” Littlefoot rolled up the leaf and placed it in Petris wings like a stick. “I should have left my heart with someone who was ready to guard it.”

“Littlefoot me...” Petris’ eyes filled with sentiment. ”Me don’t know what to say.”

“But I’m still not your carrier.” Littlefoot added smirking.

Petri smiled. He wrapped his wings around the head of the longneck. “Thank you Littlefoot.”

“Thank you Petri. For all.”

The star blinked more repeatedly. It slowly turned into a shade of pink, a pink star in the blackness of the sky. It blinked three times and gave a last long blink with a much greater loom. Littlefoot opened his eyes. The light carried a whispering wind.

“Littlefoot.”

This was how the dream usually ended, but now the stars’ light intensified again, becoming so bright that it filled the entire sky. Small shadows enclosed it. It was held up by winding tree branches.

“Littlefoot.”

“Mother. We’ll meet again soon.”

“Not yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“Others are waiting for you.”

“But I wanna see you again.

“I’ll be with you, even if you can’t see me.”

The pink star wavered in the wind. It loosened from its branch.

“I saw that before. What is that, mother?”

“The others.”

The dream started rocking, like an earthquake. The sky turned red.

“Mother? Mother!”

Sharptooth was flying through the air, about to deal the finishing blow on his mom.

The dream stopped. The sharptooth was standing on his mother but hadn’t wounded her yet. Littlefoot felt his mind calm down. What was happening? Was there something he had missed?

It was.

Littlefoot turned his head inside his dream. The threehorn kept her eyes of disbelief riveted at his mom, filled with youth and innocence. It seemed to be fading as she watched.

“You were there too.”

“I was.”

“Cera?”

The dream came alive again. Ceras’ eyes were still staring in disbelief, but the scene was another.

Littlefoot looked around him. Duckys mother was there, along with a whole bunch of other old Great Valley residents. They had all gathered around someone lying on the ground. Littlefoot felt his heart stop. Cera walked up to the unmoving shape.

“Father?”

“Cera.”

“Father!?” The threehorn shook him.

“Cera.”

“Father! No...” Cera quickly became a shaking heap of yellow. Duckys’ mother tried to comfort her but was pushed away. “FATHER! NOOOOOOO!”

Littlefoot walked up to her. He tried to touch her but his feet went through her.

The dream shifted. Cera was eating leaves with Petri and Ducky. There was no cry on her face. As always, she seemed blunt to everything around her. Ducky appeared to continue an earlier conversation with her.

“I know how much he meant to you.”

“No.” Cera answered chewing.

“No?”

Cera swallowed. “Hurg, yes. That’s what ‘no’ means.”

“You don’t need to get angry.”

The dream shifted. Cera was standing in front of the mountain shaped like a longneck. She bashed it repeatedly with her horn.

“YOU WEREN’T THERE! YOU...WEREN’T...THERE!”

“I wasn’t there.”

Cera awoke by the sound of Littlefoots’ voice. She turned to him.

“I wasn’t there.” He repeated.

Cera was about to mock Littlefoot for not making any sense when she saw his eyes. They reflected the same nightmare she have had for 15 years. Had her pride been a rock, Littlefoot would have just smashed it into but a thousand pieces.

“What difference had it made?” Cera immediately felt her words eat her from the inside. She snorted. “What...h....Difference had it...H...Made.” She sobbed.

Littlefoot embraced the first friend he ever had. “I should never had left, not without telling you.”

“I tried to...h...Find you.”

“I know.”

“Its all...h...his fault!” Cera sobbed.

“Who’s fault?”

“Fathers.”

“Oh.” Littlefoot nodded. “I see Cera. I see.”

“You don’t see shit!”

“Its not your fault, and its not your fathers fault. Look at me.” Cera allowed her teary eyes to look up at Littlefoot. His calm face beamed with understanding. “It is nobody’s fault. The great circle of life has begun. But you see, not all of us arrive together at the end.”

“What’s that light?” Someone in the cave asked.

“I miss him...h...So much.” Cera sobbed.

“And you will always miss him. But he will always be with you, as long as you remember the things he taught you.” Littlefoot smiled, on the inside as well as the outside. “...in a way, you’ll never be apart, for you are still a part of each other.”

Ceras’ felt her loneliness fade. She pulled herself closer. “My tummy hurts.”

“That too will go away in time, old friend.” Littlefoot made a long sigh. “Only in time.”

Cera snorted for the last time. She wasn’t annoyed, not this time. If she would have picked one soul in the whole world to cry in front of, by the pride of all threehorns, she would have picked this longneck.

“Littlefoot!” Ducky adressed in disbelief.

“Its your cutie mark!” Fluttershy awed.

“Yours too, Twilight!” Petri exclaimed.

Littlefoot turned to the alicorn princess. His face sparkled in its light, his mother in the blackness of the cave, his purpose. “The pink star.”

Littlefoots’ cutie mark pulsated in the eyes of the alicorn, a memory from a long time ago. “The green star.” Twilight locked eyes with the longneck. “You saw it too.”

Littlefoot was engulfed in a white light that illuminated the whole cave. The green star flashed.

“It IS a green star.” Rarity concluded dramatically.

“It is a...” Littlefoots cutie mark changed shape. Twilights’ face twisted in confusion. “Its a leaf?”

Littlefoot looked down at his flank. “Its a tree star.” He awed.

Twilight gasped. “So that’s what it was!”

Twilights’ cutie mark, representing the element of magic, sent waves across the cave, the cutie marks of her friends like wise: The apples on Apple Jack, representing the element of honesty. The diamonds on Rarity, representing the element of generosity. The butterflies on Fluttershy, representing the element of kindness. The rainbow lighting on Rainbow Dash, representing the element of loyalty. The balloons on Pinkie Pie, representing the element of laughter. The eyes of the ponies shone as they lifted from the ground.

“What’s happening Littlefoot?” Cera asked frightened.

“I don’t know.”

The ponies landed tentatively on the ground. The light from each mark reduced to a small blink. Twilight opened her beautiful, purple eyes. Three small, magical spheres circulated her horn before disappearing. A broad smile formed across her face. She already knew what was coming.

There was a sparkling sound. A string of two lights streaked across the cave roof to its floor. They parted ways like an opening curtain, letting through a welcome breeze of fresh air.

The inside of the curtain was like taken from a fantasy. Purple banderoles had the symbol of the moon on them. A majestic throne towered on top of large stairs made from granite. Engraved castle windows told the story of Dashies home. The rainbow pony spread her wings and high-fived the air. “OH YEA!”

“The magic mirror.” Twilight said dreamy.

“Its Equestria!” Rarity exclaimed laughing.

“We did it girls! We can go home!” Apple Jack cried.

Pinkie cried tears of happiness. “Friendship hug! Now!”

The the ponies formed a group hug. The dinosaurs could not take their eyes off the magical curtain.

Duckys’ tail stood up in wonder. “Beautiful!?”

“Is that magic dad?” Snowflake asked. Spike was flabbergasted. He guessed he was mute after all.

“What are those hanging things?” Petri asked.

“Is that rock? It looks so smooth.” Littlefoot remarked.

“How do they get it to form those shapes?!” Cera asked bewildered.

Rarity faced Twilight. “Your horn darling.” She looked up at her own and gasped. “MY horn, my...”

“...Our magic. It’s back!” Twilight exclaimed happily.

“In full force!” An evil smirk formed across the face of Rainbow Dash. “Anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?”

Twilight saw Dashie motion her head. The alicorn princess grinned.

The raptor picked up a leaf from the ground. He smelled it and shivered.

Tickleclaw was so hungry he could eat a grown longneck, but how leaf grubbers could eat this he had no idea. He swallowed it. It didn’t taste good, but at least it was something. He picked up another and brought it toward his mouth.

There was a chiming blast. The six colorful rodents from earlier appeared out of thin air and smiled at him. Tickleclaw looked at them in disbelief, then at his food of choice. His face flattened in acceptance. He released the leaf.

With her magic back, Twilight quickly removed the rocks that blocked the cave. The dinosaurs exited it with a growing unease.

Littlefoot looked around in dread for Chomper, or great circle forgive, his body. He saw no sign of him. It caused the stone inside of his stomach to release some. He hoped with all his heart he was alright. But now he was mostly happy. He looked down at his flank again. He smiled as he studied the tree star, his cutie mark. Was this how ponies felt too when their purpose became clear to them?

The Great Valley widened around them with its dried out trees and sand. Twilights’ cutie mark kept pulsating, hers and Raritys’. The other ponies looked at each other in confusion. But not the white unicorn and the alicorn. They exchanged smiles. Twilight spread her wings and hovered mid air. Her horn started glowing with a purple light.

“Feeling generous, Rarity?”

“Always, Twilight.”

The horn of the alicorn glowed with extra intensity. A rainbow was created with its arcs landing on the alicorn and the unicorn. Raritys’ cutie mark pulsated faster. Spectral rainbow wings spouted from her sides.

“Don’t fly to high this time.”

“As long as you lend me your magic princess.”

Rarity flapped her angel wings and took to the sky. Twilight answered her softly on the way. “You always had it.”

The rainbow wings of the white unicorn casted colored beams over the valley. She glanced over its murky water, dry forests and flat out deserts. The valley itself was surrounded by large mountains, which seemed to have more beauty in them than the valley itself. The bothered eyes of the unicorn shot their feminine intuition. Her body was connected to a string of magic, supplied by the rainbow that ended with the alicorn on the ground.

Rarity went for a dive. She stopped inside the ominous forest from earlier. She took a deep breath. Her unicorn horn started shining with a white light. She breathed out and aimed her horn. The magic had the color of the rainbow as rocketed into the ground. The earth started becoming dark brown with nutrition.

The magic continued spreading over the whole valley like fluid. The dirt spouted grass. Flowers protruded in yellow and blue. The trees grew leaves. The dry sand disappeared.

The rainbow river reached the murky water and turned it clear and nutritious. It climbed up the weak stream of water falling down the Thundering Fall. It then continued travel outside The Great Valley until it reached the countless damaged rivers.

By now, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petri and Spike had sprinted up a hill to observe everything. A huge smile formed across their faces when they saw the Thundering Fall become thunderous again. The clear water flowed through the valley and started giving the newly grown plants nourishment. The beauty of the white unicorn sparkled above a fully green valley, with more food that one could ever eat and more water that one could ever drink.

“You did it Littlefoot!” Ducky exclaimed.

“WE did it!” Littlefoot replied, the tree star on his flank sending flashes in the morning sun. The dinosaurs smiled at each other. They formed a group hug. Those with four legs got up on their back ones. Littlefoot reached down his neck and managed to lift hugging Ducky and Petri up with his head. He then streched his neck, putting the ending touch on their friendship tower.

Sharptooth walked slowly toward the purple rodent, his sharp teeth dropped all the way. She was not even using her wings anymore. The frigging thing was floating mid air with some hocus pocus lasers coming out of her - connecting with that other rodent that in turn spread her hocus pocus to hocus pocus grow plants out of hammerdung nowhere! The raptors were gone. The moment they saw the plants grow they fled beyond the mysterious beyond. Sharptooth was beyond flabbergasted. He did not notice his wife joining him.

The moment she saw the purple rodent it did not matter what went on. This time she would watch her husband fail with her own eyes.

The female roared to her husband.

Twilight Sparkle spread her wings as she hovered. Her purple and violet streaked mane combined with the rising sun made her almost sparkle like the time of day. Sharptooth did not take his disbelieving eyes off the glowing beauty.

The female sharptooth pointed her minuscule claw at the rodent and roared again.

The face of Sharptooth contorted in anger.

The female roared louder.

“GET YOUR OWN DARN FOOD WOMAN!” Sharptooth roared back in their language.

The female was taken a back. Sharptooth turned tail and marched away from the cursed place. The female looked at the purple rodent, then at her husband. She turned her head upward and made a sound bordering between roaring and whimpering. Her tail laid bent against the ground as she followed her husband out of the valley.

The ponies and the dinosaurs had all gathered around the entrance to the cave, almost all.

“Where is Pinkie Pie?” Ducky asked.

“I believe she went through the magic mirror.” Apple Jack replied.

“So she went home?” Littlefoot asked sadly.

Twilight walked up to the longneck. She smiled. “Not exactly. She’ll be back with a little surprise.” Twilight saw Littlefoot look over the valley. “Hey.” She got his attention. “We’ll find Chomper again, as soon as the others are here.”

“The others?”

“Littlefoot. Look!” Ducky pointed her claw toward the entrance to the valley. It dotted with wandering herds - Longnecks, spiketails, swimmers, hammertails, threehorns, fliers, all kinds. Some of them Littlefoot could swear looked familiar. Before he had time to wonder how the word had spread so fast the answer screeched by the cave entrance.

“Wohoooooo!”

The dinosaurs turned and was met with a sight that rocked their minds. Now there were, not just Pinkie Pie, not just her six friends, but fifty plus ponies. Awes went in waves as they all came out of the cave.

“Oh my.” Mayor awed.

“What a lovely place for a picnic.” Ms cake said to her husband, Mr cake.

Apple Jack did not look surprised, just country happy. “Well, shucks! You brought the whole darn Ponyville Pinkie.”

Maud looked sideways at her sister. “I expected more rocks.”

Pinkie Pie raised her hooves in the air.

“Time for a Great Valley PAR-TEY!”

Chapter 20: The Great Valley Party

The longneck wandered aimlessly along the border between The Great Valley and the mysterious beyond. Down below the party went on with a heavenly sound rising.

Pinkie Pie had invited the Three Gees to perform. Three brothers entered an improvised stage. One earth pony was named Merry Gravel, one unicorn named Dusted Gravel and the last a pegasi named Berry Gravel. Berry had a long mane that went down over his ears and a full beard.

Together their combined voices formed a sound that Littlefoot swore belonged where his mother was waiting for him. A steady beat came from stage now. The song had a knobbly base that sounded like nothing Littlefoot had ever heard. Either way, he thought it kicked ass.

Its just your Jive trottin’
You’re not who you seem, yea
Jive trottin’
No self esteem, yea
Jive trottin’

Ducky waved at him from afar. Littlefoot used the tip of his tail to wave back. He used his face to signal that everything was alright, that he wasn’t leaving them like 15 years ago. It would be a long time before he got over one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

He turned his winding neck around and glanced at his flank. He understood now why cutie marks was such a big deal for the ponies. His mind raced with excitement, so fast and loud he didn’t hear the Sharptooth sneaking up on him.

The mighty roar made the heavy longneck almost go airborne. Chomper laughed so hard he lost his breath.

“You should have seen your face.”

“You...huh... alive.” Littlefoot huffed.

“I was never in danger.”

“Huh...What...h?”

“What’s that?”

Littlefoot caught up with his breath. “This? It's a cutie mark.”

“Sounds gay.”

Petri arrived at the scene to see what was going on. His worried face quickly beamed with happy disbelief. “Chomper!? You’re alive!”

“Petri, my dude!”

It did not take long for Petri to bring Cera, Ducky and Spike there. They all sat down by a big rock, eager to hear what their old friend had to say.

“I’m so glad to see you” Littlefoot began.

“I’m glad to see you too man.” Chomper rubbed the top of Littlefoots head. “Dude, your neck is a mile long!”

“Its nice to see you so happy Chomper. But what happened back there?” Ducky asked, her brows bent.

“Like I told Littlefoot. I was never in danger.”

Littlefoot leaned his neck forward. “But I saw you when the cave crumbled.”

“You saw my step-dad teach me a lesson, but my mother was there to stop him.”

Cera seemed to be on the brink on getting up and run. “That Sharptooth had a thing with you mom!?”

Chomper nodded. “Did all to impress her.” His voice filled with sadness. “My biological father got along with her fine, but then he disappeared and she became a control freak. Once she met that old Sharptooth she became worse than ever. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her with all my heart, and I wanted to love my new step-dad too, but he needed to get his act together.” The red eyes of Chomper sparkled with sentiment. “Love is about giving in, not shower the other with shallow satisfactions.”

“Needed? Wanted? Those are past tense.” Spike pointed out.

Chomper laughed. “First time I hear you speak and you lecture me in grammar. I missed you man.”

“I missed you too Chomper.”

“Yes, he needed, until what happened yesterday. This evening I watched him and mom talk things over. I heard him tell her that he loved her and she told him too.” Chompers eyes filled with gratitude. “For the first time since forever they laughed and were sweet on one another. I don’t know what your rodent friends did, but whatever it was, it brought my mom back and it gave me a step-dad to be proud of.”

“That’s eh...” Cera smiled nervously. “Great.”

“Yea... Hehe, I’m glad your parents are happy Sharptooths.” Petri showed his teeth gray.

“You think I intend to bring friends for dinner tonight?” Chomper chuckled. “Don’t worry guys. They’re a long way from here, and they don’t keep track what I’m doing.”

Littlefoots’ mind was stuck on something Chomper said earlier. “What happened to your first dad?” His eyebrows lowered. “He’s not dead, is he?”

“He and mom divorced. The love had faded and it was the best thing for everyone. Why do you ask?”

Littlefoot looked at the tree star on his flank. “I know in my heart what it is, but I might have to ask Twilight Sparkle about it. She’s a pony by the way, not rodent.”

“Light Horn is the princess of friendship.” Ducky informed.

“She’s that purple one eh? My family owes her an apology. Can you give her that?”.

“Why not give her yourself?” Cera asked.

“Yea Chomper! Come down to the party!” Petri boomed.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

A pink pony came rocketing. “A Sharptooth! RUN!”

“Don’t worry Pinkie Pie. Chomper is a friend.” Littlefoot urged.

“No! I mean. - A Sharptooth friend who thinks going to a Pinkie Pie party is a bad idea. - RUN and get him!” Pinkies’ smile widened. “Of course you can come! A scary Sharptooth would stir the party up just right!”

“Right?” Chomper blurted.

“RIGHT!?”

Chompers’ demonic T-rex teeth reluctantly rose into a smile of approval. Pinkie Pie smiled so widely the air around her turned pink with glitter.

A disco ball hanged by a tent contraption. Tables were set with cupcakes and soda bottles. The Three Gees sang professional old school disco like it was their last performance. The young dinosaurs were open and learned quickly to go with the flow. The older ones looked on in bewilderment.

“The worlds gone crazy, I tell ya.” The diplodocus grumped.

“What are those weird things hanging around them?” The brontosaurus asked.

The old triceratops female turned to the brontosaurus. “There’s a foreign creature that’s blue and you ask about her wears?”

“Isn’t that the one that grew back the green food?”

This was the time Rarity had been waiting for. - After suffering the bugs, the dirt, the rough climate and the sharptooths seeking to devour her it was finally her turn to devour the scenery. She moved gracefully with her glittery orange dress made out of silk and sapphires.

“How do they hide from Sharptooths?” The styracosaurus asked.

The triceratops chuckled.

The eyes of the longneck widened in disbelief. “Speaking of.”

The leaf eaters watched the confused sharptooth walk hesitantly among the multi-colored ponies.

“Seems they gave up too.”

“I told you! The worlds gone crazy!”

Then I get that night, pony night, tonight
We know how to do it
Gimmie that night, pony night, tonight
We know how to show it

Pinkie Pie was dancing with a oviraptor named Ruby and a Hypsilophodon named Hyp. At first Hyp had been quite rude, but Pinkie Pie had broken his grump like a professional. He now smiled almost as widely as her. “Show me those moves, Hyp!”

The Hypsilophodon did some freestylin' to the drumming of pony hooves. Berry Gravels’ falsetto solo blessed the air.

Here I am
Feelin’ everypony around
Living on the friendship so fine
Bourne on the wind
Makin’ it mine

The Three Gees were Scootaloos’ favorite band of all time. She danced so hard she had to sit down.

“Excuse me?” A voice asked behind her.

She turned and spotted her feet. She bent her head upward 45 degrees and spotted her head. The filly pegasus thought she might learn to fly then and there. The green eyes of the longneck gleamed apologetically. “Sorry I scared you.”

Scootaloo smiled nervously. “Me? Scared? I’m not scared.”

Rainbow Dash landed beside Scootaloo. “Of course you’re not!” She rubbed her head. “Well, lookie here. You’re the second longneck I see in your age.”

“How do you get those colors?”

“These?” Rainbow wiggled her tail. “They’re this way naturally, miss.”

“Ali.”

“Rainbow Dash. Nice to meet you Ali.”

“Wow. You all have such different colors!” Ali exclaimed.

“That we have!” Twilight Sparkle joined them, a lilac unicorn following her.

“You’re Twilight Sparkle, the pony princess. I heard you helped regrow The Great Valley.”

Twilight smiled. “I see you’re well informed. Me and Rarity, let's not forget her. She's the white unicorn over there.” The pony and the apatosaurus introduced themselves. Twilight motioned her friend. “This is the counselor of my friendship school, Starlight.”

Ali faced to greet her, but the lilac unicorn had her attention elsewhere. The princess made fake coughs.

“Ahum... This is...Star...Light!”

Starlight wailed her head around, her face wide in horror. “Have you seen the egg!?”

Ali shrunk in fear. Her voice dwindled. “Nice to meet you...”

Twilight used her magic to drag her former student to a private corner and snarl.

“This is no time to go Glimmernanas!”

“I lost a dragon egg.”

“You WHAT?!”

“I’m sorry, Twilight. I wanted to see if Equestrias dinosaurs were related to dragons!”

“Me sorry? What about the dragons?!” Twilight covered her face in frustration. “Starlight Glimmer, this is a party, only conduct crazy scientific experiments when guests aren't watching!”

Starlights’ ears lowered. “Dragon lord Ember is going to kill me!”

“Get a move on Strut!” The Ornithomimus male blasted back at his brother.

“I’m moving Ozzy.”

“And don’t drop the egg!”

They caught their breaths under a tree. “Huh, let me take the first bite. I’m hungry!”

“Here you go Ozzy.”

Strut made sure Ozzy had his lustful eyes riveted on the egg before reaching down and grabbing a leaf. Ozzy shot him a fat glower.

“I saw that! Stop grubbing leaves, your kind eat eggs, not plants you shrunken, deformed longneck!”

“Just one bite.” Strut begged.

Ozzy gave his brother a smack with his tail. He gazed at the egg, which were green with dark spots. He closed his jaws around it. One of his tooth went sailing. The egg remained undamaged. “What is this? This is no egg!”

“It will take more than that to hatch a dragon egg.”

The brothers turned to the lecturing voice. Ozzy and Strut were the height of a triceratops belly. Spike the dragon were the height of Ozzys’ knee. He raised his finger in the air. “A dragon egg need to be heated to thousand degrees at least, for an extensive amount of time, in order to hatch.”

“Oh blasted Strut, you imbecile! We’ve been spotted. Take the egg.”

“No, you take it.”

“No, you!”

Steps rumbled the ground. A tail grasped around Ozzys leg. Before he knew it he dangled eye to eye with a familiar face.

“I thought it was you, and up to no good again I see.”

“Littlefoot.” Ozzy stammered nervously. “I see you’ve... Grown.” He hoped the longneck wouldn’t remember the time when he and Strut held him over a cliff. “Don’t drop me over a cliff, please.” Ozzy failed.

“I will now release you! You will then lay the egg on the ground, carefully.”

Ozzy tentatively did what Littlefoot said. In a flash he was disappearing into the woods, his brother on his tail. Their voices faded.

“This was all your fault Strut...!”

“Ozzy. Wait for me...!”

“I can show you how to hatch it!” Spike shouted after them.

“Those were Ozzy and Strut. They're egg thieves.” Littlefoot grabbed the egg with his tail. “The one I held was going to eat it.”

“Oooooooh.” Spike cringed. “Wouldn’t want to be his jaw. Well, I guess you deserve a dragons gratitude then.” He bowed politely. “My name is Spike.”

Littlefoot lit up. “You’re Twilight’s assistant! You’re a dragon.”

Spike stretched himself. “That I am! Little...” Spike looked hesitantly at the longnecks feet.

“Littlefoot.” Littlefoot said.

“Little... Foot.“ Spike cleared his throat. “... Hm, right. Yea.”

“Can you breathe fire?”

Spike grinned. He blew a flame the size of a campfire. Littlefoots’ impressed eyes sparkled in its light. The fire caused the tree star to show itself summery green.

“Is that a cutie mark?” Spike asked equally impressed.

“Yes.” Littlefoot streaked it with his tail. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“But only ponies are supposed to get a cutie marks.”

“I know.” Littlefoot began. Spike looked suspiciously at him. “Its a mystery, but somehow its not just a mark on my flank. I can’t explain it. Even though I always knew what I needed to do, after this mark appeared, it calls me. Over and over.”

Spikes suspicious look faded into admission. “That does sound like a cutie mark.” The tiny dragon walked on two legs. “Let’s get that egg back to Starlight Glimmer, then we can ask Twilight about it.”

“Good idea. Nice to finally meet you, Spike.”

“Nice to meet you too, Littlefoot.”

Dawn turned to night, but the light kept shining from Pinkie Pie's Great Valley Party. It grew with intensity as each soul got to know one another.

Chomper was playing with the CMC. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo galloped in circles around the amused sharptooth. Each time he roared at them they only got crazier.

Cera had finally reunited with her sister and step-mother Tria. She was showing her significantly bigger sister some ramming techniques. The cherry colored earth pony named Cheerilee took a special interest in them. Being school teacher in Ponyville, her and Cera ended up discussing teaching techniques.

A group of talkative earth ponies were making acquaintance with an old fellow named Mr Thicknose. He shifted constantly from angry to delightfully informative as his long stories was constantly interrupted. The Three Gees shook everything up.

Whether you're a pony or a griffin or a changeling
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Equestria is breakin' and everypony shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive

Rainbow Dash had lost it since she got her flight magic back. Petri watched her gracefully pull of advanced maneuvers like she ate them for breakfast. Her rainbow tail painted colors behind her. She was only a dot against the dusky sky when a membrane started forming around her. There were gasps among the dinosaurs when a gigantic rainbow suddenly exploded in the sky from the pony. Petri was flabbergasted. He swallowed all his doubts about the sonic rainbow being real.

The colors lit up the contours around Ali, along with her mood. She may smile to herself now and then, but shy as she was, she was mostly watching everyone else in silence. Fluttershy had tried to get her to talk but Ali felt sorry Starlight Glimmer. She knew she was being silly, but she felt she was responsible somehow. The Three Gees started a ballad.

Nopony gets too much heaven no more
It’s much harder to come by
I’m waiting my turn
Nopony gets too much love anymore
It’s as high as Cloudsdale
Its harder to learn

Words had come that the egg had been found. Knowing this did not stop Starlight from staring blankly into the ground. What if the egg they had found was the wrong one? Who knew how many kind of eggs one would find here? Embers’ rage wouldn’t be enough - Starlight may have just caused the death of a dragon baby. - The fact that The Three Gees was singing about heaven only made her feel worse. A tear ran down her left cheek.

“I hope you find your egg, Starlight.” A vaguely familiar voice sounded behind.

“Not now!” Starlight instinctively shot.

Ali felt her stomach squeeze. Her long tail bent behind her.

Starlight remembered who the voice belonged to. Personal crisis radiated from her heart to her face. She sighed. “I’m sorry” She turned to the longneck, her lilac face in regret. “I’ve been rude because of my mistakes and I apologize.” She reached out her hoof. “Forgive me.”

Ali backed away. She hesitantly brought her tail over to the pony. She gasped when she felt her hooves on it.

“Don’t worry. I’m not biting.” Starlight Glimmer ensured smiling.

That lost egg is less scared than you pathetic longneck! Ali cursed herself. She allowed the pony to shake her tail. They exchanged smiles. Berry Gravels’ falsetto rose to new heights.

You’re my liiiiiiiiiiiiife!
I can see a new Equestria
Everything we are will never die
Loving’s such a beautiful thing
When you are that mare, my light above
Made for all to see, our precious love.

“The egg is back!” Voices shouted.

“Safe and sound.”

Littlefoot laid the egg in front of the sad unicorn. “Are you Starlight Glimmer?”

Starlight felt her whole world return. “Thank Celestia! I was so worried!” Starlight embraced, not the egg, but the dragon inside. “Thank you. Thank you so much!”

Ali felt the stone in her belly drop when she saw the unicorn finally happy. She noticed the old friend responsible.

“Littlefoot.”

“Ali! Nice to see you here.” Littlefoot noticed how big Ali had become.

“You saved the egg.”

Littlefoot noticed how beautiful Ali had become. He kept his cool. “It was stolen by Ozzy and Strut. We might want to look out for those thieves.”

“And you stopped them?” Her voice softened.

Littlefoots’ cool failed. He blushed. His tail spazzed. “Ah. Hehe... I think they’re gone, for now. If we arrange those boulders and appoint a lookout tonight our eggs will be safe.” He just fumbled now.

Ali giggled. “Our eggs?”

Littlefoot swallowed. His heart thumped. “Ah...Eh...”

Ali noticed that no one was watching.

Spike the dragon wasn’t one to allow someone else to take all the credit. He was getting ready to march in when he saw Ali kiss Littlefoot to the sound of Three Gees under the Sonic Rainboom. The egg thieves could have dropped a mountain on it and it wouldn’t have cracked, but one egg was apparently cracked tonight, Spike figured and laughed.

Nopony gets too much heaven no more
It’s much harder to come by
I’m waiting my turn
Nopony gets too much love anymore
It’s as high as Cloudsdale
Its harder to learn

Prologue: The Element Of Loss

The party was on its last stretch. The morning sun was peaking through the border. Almost everyone had gone home to bed, the ponies headed back through the magic mirror. The Three Gees decided to do one last song before going back to Equestria. Dusted Gravel began the verse.

Don’t lose your way
When night turns to day
We’ve come so far
I might be away
But live belivin’
Dreams are for weavin’
Wonders are waiting to start

Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petri and Spike were facing Twilight Sparkle, Apple Jack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie outside the cave that lead to the magic mirror. All the things they’ve been through flashed by inside Twilights’ head as she walked up to Littlefoot.

“So I guess this is good bye.”

“I guess so.” Littlefoot replied de-hearted.

Twilight smiled modestly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t teach you magic.”

Littlefoot streaked his tail over her mule. “But you did Twilight. You taught me the magic of friendship, brought us back together. No matter how far apart we are, we will always be friends.”

“You taught me something too Littlefoot.” Littlefoot looked curious at the alicorn, who added. “But first you must reveal to me what your cutie mark means.”

Cera walked up to Littlefoot and Twilight. Her voice was grumpy again, but the cracks in it could still be heard. “Don’t think this means I’ll forgive you or anything, but even though you’re a scaredy egg Littlefoot, I want you to know that you’ve always been like a father to me.”

Littlefoot wrapped his neck around the threehorn fast enough so the others wouldn’t see her flinch. “Oh, silly Cera. Thanks for coming for me.”

Merry Gravel took over the refrain, Dusted Gravel filling. Berry moved up to falsetto.

If we hold on together
The days we shared will never die
Those see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I

“So? Are you going to tell me?” Twilight asked curious.

“I don’t know where my path is taking me, but ever since I lost my mother my loneliness have almost destroyed me and my friends while turning me against my father.”

Littlefoot looked at Fluttershy. The eyes of the pegasus reflected the image of an old lavender alicorn, fading away alone. Littlefoot continued passionately. “But I’m not alone. So many others are experiencing the same loss I did, one that feels like it will last forever. The Great Circle may have a last say in everything, but mark my words, it will have to walk over my cutie mark for me to let others face the same ordeal alone!”

“So you will look for others that greaves the loss of their loved ones?” Twilight asked.

Littlefoot faced Petri, Ducky, Spike and Cera. They shared approving smiles. If there ever was a reason to expect a longneck to maybe be away for a while, this was as good as it could get. Littlefoot faced the ponies.

“Yes.”

Twilight stepped up. She looked sad at the other dinosaurs, then Littlefoot. “So you will leave The Great Valley again?”

Littlefoot looked behind him over the hill. He saw Ali watch at him from afar. He faced the alicorn and grinned. “I might stay for a while.”

Twilight smiled at him while her eyes filled with tears. “So we’ll meet again someday?”

Littlefoot wrapped his neck around the alicorn.

“We will, Twilight Sparkle.”

The ponies and the dinosaurs formed one last group hug.

Clouds parted way for the morning sun to shine down upon The Great Valley, one of them shaped like a longneck. The pink and the green star sparkled together with a much greater loom.

The End

Authors note: I want to thank all you readers that stuck along. No matter how many you are, you make my writing worthwhile. Thanks for reading my crossover. Be sure to leave a comment and express what you thought of it.

/ Moon Flame

Prolouge. The Green Star

There was a bright light when the alicorn princess named Twilight Sparkle walked through the magic mirror. She felt the excitement growing within her as the light slowly faded and became more transparent. Soon the fading light would reveal houses, streets and people. The world of the humans would then be greeting her and her pony friends.

The bright light kept on fading before it suddenly flashed. The flash blinded Twilight.

What is happening?

This wasn't how it had been the other times Twilight had traveled through the magic mirror. Her eyes slowly adjusted. A darkness revealed itself behind the delayed flash. The darkness had stars in it, it seemed to be the night sky. One of the stars were bigger than the others. It gave out three small blinks and slowly turned green.

A green star? I have seen this before!

The memory from a long time ago speared through Twilights brain. The green star kept on blinking repeatedly before finally giving a last long flash with a much greater loom.

The world then went dark.