Author's Note

It is recommended that you read this with a High Contrast Dark or Ultra Darkformatting setting so as to better experience the artworks and typography.

Tittle Artwork by - JetXPegasus
and Typography by JetXPegasus

Chapter 1: Something Has Arrived

One of the reasons it is so difficult to break a connection to something or someone you have imprinted on is that after you imprint, it seeds into your mind and goes from working memory to stored, hard-wired memory from which it is much more difficult to sever that attachment.

—> Mark Goulston

The morning sun’s rays seeped through the windows of his bedroom and landed on a gray-coated stallion earth pony’s face, waking him from a fitful sleep. He groaned as he rolled over in bed to escape the harsh light, but then remembered that he had a date with his mare-friend the day before (he still got nervous whenever he said that word) and sat up, rubbing the crust from his eyes. He pulled a t-shirt over his head as he walked out into the hallway, which had dark wooden floors and pale green walls decorated with paintings that were far too big for the space. It was cozy though, and he loved it.

He passed the bathroom, where a large mirror hung over a sink, and he glanced at himself critically, wondering if his shirt would look good with or without his shades. His mane had been growing out lately – down his back. He decided to keep wearing his shades most of the time (it wasn’t exactly a fashion statement), but he figured he should probably take them off once in a while just so ponies could see what was actually going on behind those tinted lenses, so maybe they’d like that. Maybe he could ask his mare-friend about it today, she seemed nice enough. But right now he needed to get out of the house.

He stepped outside and let himself inhale the fresh air, enjoying the smell of damp leaves that clung to the grassy hills faraway, and the sweet scent of flowers in bloom. He took a deep breath as the breeze caressed his cheeks. He closed his eyes and smiled as the cool air brushed against his coat. He looked around. Fillies and colts on their way to school. Salesponies in the market. Shopkeepers bustling by to deliver their wares to eager customers. Mares walking their foals past on the dirt road. All the sights and smells of an ordinary day filled with life, not unlike any other morning on the farm. The only thing missing was…

“Hiya!~ How are you?!” A familiar voice called to him.

He turned to see a brown-coated mare earth-pony waving to him, a bright smile plastered on her face. She wore a long blue skirt that flowed loosely around her hooves. Her mane was long and tied into two pigtails on the back of her head, held together with tiny black ribbon. Her eyes glowed brightly behind her glasses, framed by golden hoop earrings, and she stood proudly while giving him a wide smile, revealing a mouth full of beautiful white teeth.

The gray earth pony smiled and walked over to his mare-friend.

Somewhere through this peaceful ordinary day faraway from Ponyville, at a clear field of grass a lavender unicorn stood at the center of a canopy. Her eyes were closed shut as her horn was lit with a brilliant light that shone from its tip. The energy from this spell created an aura of pure purity that surrounded the said horn. Her mane swayed gently in the wind.

Twilight Sparkle struggled to cast the spell from her horn. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach and she knew that there would be a great backlash when it came to her next attempt if she gets it wrong - but she was determined to do this right, no matter what. The magic needed to be precise, to hold slowly, so she didn’t make mistakes or overdoing things.

The warm rays of the sun were filtering through the canopy above her and her horn glowed with bright colors as the power coursed through its veins. It felt more like being on fire than anything else, though. Twilight wondered how long this spell was going to take, but she trusted that she wouldn't have to wait too much longer. It was almost finished.

Birds chirped from all over the field in harmony, some tweeting happily and others making raucous calls, but all of them singing the same song. Twilight smiled at their joyfulness, knowing full well that they weren't the only ones feeling this joy.

Fluttershy sat comfortably on a picnic mat, drinking lemonade that Spike made for her and everypony else that were there. Rainbow Dash was at her side, eating a plateful of delicious looking pancakes while talking about her recent read of Daring Do. Applejack was beside Pinkie Pie, who was chatting animatedly with Rarity. Spike, while handing each of the girls their lemonade, watched Twilight closely with a curious look on his face.

While focusing, Twilight distracted herself with thoughts of her childhood: the journey she had on her way into a unicorn filly, she studied magic on her own and wanted to attend Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. At the entrance exam, she had to use magic to hatch Spike's egg, but she was unable to cast a spell. A moment after she gave up, Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom startled her and caused her magic to go out of control. Princess Celestia witnessed Twilight's magical abilities and made Twilight her personal protégé.

At the time she was more interested in books than friends. Even now to this day after Twilight made friends with the best of ponies she ever met, she continues to read and consult books. Each book she read her mind was imbued with new knowledge and became very knowledgeable about Equestria's history.

One certain history that Twilight learned, however, was something she favored very much. This particular one, though, was not about the Equestrian Royal rulers, but rather about ancient animals that lived long ago. Animals that once roam the earth along with pony-kind even before ponies came into existence:

The Dinosaurs.

These stories of past prehistoric animals fascinated her because she always wondered how they all went extinct. What were they like when they were alive? How did they evolve? Were those days any worse for ponies during that time?

Twilight gasped. She took in a huge breath of air as the light from her horn dimmed and the magic she'd been holding dissolved. The magic faded away and Twilight was left with nothing more than small pebbles. Bullets of sweat ran down the sides of her neck in the air and she took a few seconds just to regain her composure.

“Are you alright, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked. “You seemed really tired. I'm sorry if I interrupted you.”

Twilight waved her off while wiping the sweat off her brow with her right hoof.

"Oh! No, I wasn't concentrating. Actually, I dozed off a bit that’s all,” Twilight assured Fluttershy. “But I think I’m getting close though, I just need to try again and concentrate. Hopefully it’ll work this time.”

“What kind of spell y’all trying to cast, Twilight?” Applejack inquired.

Spike sat down next to Pinkie Pie. With a sandwich in hand. “She’s trying to cast a teleportation spell.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

“Teleportation spell? But doesn’t she know how to do that already?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Spike shook his head.

“Oh no, that kind of spell is merely used to dodge objects or to get behind some-pony,” Spike said, waving his hand casually. “This one is a special treat. This spell could allow any pony to travel to any part of the world or checkpoint and return within the blink of an eye. We’ve already marked a spot to where she wants to go, which is why she needs to concentrate in order to find it and transport herself there.”

Applejack nodded, digesting Spike’s words. “Ah’m guessin’ she still hasn’t mastered that spell, huh?”

“Nope, not quite yet,” Spike said, glanced at Twilight with a kind smile. “But she’s getting there. It’s just gonna take time.”

“Oooo!” Pinkie Pie squealed excitedly, giggling. “What if she teleports into a world filled with cupcakes and chocolate fudge?! Or maybe a world of walking talking candies! You’d think they would like parties there.”

Twilight laughed, shaking her head.

“Pinkie, I’m pretty sure that those kinds of worlds don’t exist. Besides…” She paused briefly and felt a tingling sensation from her nose.

The tension of her muscles slowly built up from her chest as pressure built up to her nose releasing it out from her nostrils. Twilight jumped whilst sneezing and at the same time, the light in her horn grew brighter than ever and everyone that was watching her were left taken aback when their world was instantly engulfed in blinding white. The blinding light cleared and Fluttershy gasped, throwing her hooves up to her mouth.

Everypony egasped as well when they found the lavender unicorn nowhere in sight.

Darkness was all she could see. Her hair floated around her face; she couldn’t move any of her limbs here. The world was quiet. Everything was still. And yet, the last of her oxygen left her mouth and flew past her face. Her lungs began to burn. She wanted to get out of whatever limbo she was stuck in. Her eyes began to water. All she could hear was her own head rocking back and forth, banging against the invisible wall surrounding her body. It hurt. It hurt so bad. The pain was overwhelming. She couldn’t breathe. She wanted to cry, scream, plead for help, but no sound would escape her throat. She could barely move.

She knocked the back of her head on a hard surface and her eyes blinked when she heard something crack. Something was definitely broken. The noise continued and she kept bashing her head against what must have been the unseen barrier. The spot she hit got progressively softer as she banged on it again.

A small light pierced through the crack in the layer of darkness. A tiny speck of yellow illuminated the pitch black space inside her round-shape prison and it made everything look slightly better. It felt a lot less suffocating with that small speck of light illuminating her small trapped prison. With little energy her body could muster, Twilight let out a small moan and banged her head against the soft surface repeatedly until said surface exploded.

She fell on her back on something soft. Her eyes shot open, flinching slightly as they were assaulted by a bright sunlight that poured into her vision. The sun felt like daggers piercing through her head. Twilight sat up slowly on her rump, coughing out an overtone taste from her mouth. Her head throbbed intensely. Her body felt sore. So sore.

It takes her a while for her head to stop pounding. The light blinded her for a moment until her vision adjusted and she blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. It helped a lot. She looked around. She was sitting on top of twigs and fibers that were intertwined together in a circular form. From both sides, two large eggs were laid. And she burst out of one of ‘em!

Twilight’s nostrils flexed in disgust at the smell of gunk from the egg she came out of all over her. She tried hard to keep her gag reflex under control, swallowing hard as she looked at the other egg lying on the nest. Twilight looked up at the clear honey-colored sky above, then at the nest she sat upon.

Turning to her right, she found herself in a small field surrounded by mountains that extended upwards towards the sky. Behind the big hills far away from her, a forest stretched across a valley, looking like a dense patch of jungle that extended to the horizon. Small silhouettes of birds could be seen flying overhead.

Her eyes blinked, she was confused. Where in the world is she? Where are her friends?

Somewhere behind the two hills there was a powerful thump. The ground shook causing Twilight to jerk her head up and her ears perked up. Fully alarmed she scanned her surroundings finding none but grass, pebbles and bushes. Her eyes darted from tree to tree unsuccessfully finding the source. She heard it again, hearing it clearly this time. The forthcoming thud drew nearer as her head jerked around staring straight at the top of the hill.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she felt her heart leapt to her throat and somehow got out a quiet gasp. Climbing up over the hill Twilight saw the bulky heads of two giant behemoths starting their way towards her. Each step quaking the ground with dominance. The duo appeared to be quite robust and muscular. The said duo shared few traits and differences of their appearances.

Both shared identical dull reptilian eyes that stared deep into Twilight’s soul and the behemoths each protruded black and white feathers that ended in sharp points. The feathers covered their backs, wrapped around their throats like a mane, and created a sharp crest on the back of their skulls. The one on the right had dark brown leather with a yellow underbelly, and its partner's skin was green leather but darkened like the other while also sharing a yellow underbelly. Twilight choked back vile when she was struck by a wave of stench thick with decay, rot, and spilled blood. With each huffing snort from the two giants, Twilight slowly took a step back without thinking.

The two giants stopped before reaching their nest. Twilight stared at them with wide eyes in shock. A terrifying realization dawned on her. These behemoths… She knows what they are. Tyrannosaurus Rex. Or T-Rex for short measure. Gripped by silent terror, Twilight saw the father rex to her right take one step towards her, lowering its head to push its snout towards her ever so slowly.

A scream rose in Twilight’s throat but she bit down on her tongue, preventing it from coming out. Fearful and terrified she backed up, her legs shaking slightly as the rex inched closer. She recoiled as the creature sniffed her, nostrils flexed open and closed from the bulbous ends of its snout. Twilight could feel her heart hammering through her rib-cage. She felt paralyzed. The rex lifted its head and a deep growl rumbled in its chest, reverberating through her entire body. It was too close. Too close for her liking. She could feel it.

All it’ll take is for it to open its jaws wide and crush her skull between it! Which leaves her puzzled as to why it hasn’t done that yet? Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest, racing as her breathing became labored.

The mother rex to the left took a step towards Twilight. It’s left scaled three-toe talon feet dug into the dirt, giving off another deafening rumble. The sound seemed to echo in every direction. The creature pushes its snout towards Twilight. Its breath smelled rancid. It sniffed her once more, sending shivers down her spine. It's hot breath hit her, feeling her stomach flipping uncontrollably.

As if her body was on a mind of its own, Twilight whirled her body around and bolted in the opposite direction, running and dodging trees as best as she could. Behind her she heard a loud, bellow followed by heavy footfalls. The two behemoths were after her. She could hear the powerful thumps and stomping of their heavy talons leaving deep impressions in the dirt below her. She ran faster, desperate to lose the Tyrannosauruses.

Twilight’s heart was pounding as she tried her best to run, she constantly felt her hooves about to slip from the shaking ground and she panted like crazy, rushing air to her lungs.

She was thoughtless in her instinctual flight. Through said flight Twilight knew that there was no fighting or hiding, running was her only option. Twilight was lost in the forest now veering far away from where the nest had been. She was intoxicated with her adrenaline which heightened her senses. Every rustle she heard sent her heart racing even faster as her eyes darted around. Twisting around trees and vines, tripping on roots, sliding across the dirt, she did everything she could to stay away from these vicious beasts who chased her.

Twilight had never run so hard in her life, not since she escaped a trio of snakes that chased her out of a small cave. That memory scared her for days. But this was worse than anything that snake could do. Twilight finally glanced over her shoulder and saw the two behemoths weaving downhill in a serpentine pattern.

Twilight’s pupils shrunk to slits. She couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing; it wasn’t possible. She couldn’t believe her eyes. There was no way these two creatures could be real, and yet there they were, chasing her down, closing in fast. She had seen these things millions of times through one of Spike’s comic books, the movies she watched with her family, and children’s books. But not like this. Never alive, never in real life.

Twilight turned away from the two behemoths and continued to dash away. She lit up her horn and sprinted faster. Trees whipped past her, leaves flew from the force of her passing and branches whipped her face mercilessly. Her breathing was labored. Her hooves were screaming at her to slow down. She needed to catch her breath.

She kept running. One thought plagued her head: they were gaining on her. They would catch her in seconds. Her legs moved quicker and she picked up speed. The light in her horn began glowing as a faint lavender aura surrounded her. It pulsated faintly, lighting up her horn in an intense purple glow. She was nearing the end of her endurance. She couldn't run any further.

‘Please work.’ Twilight begged internally as she slowed down a little.

Twilight didn’t dare look back. She knew they were gaining on her. She closed her eyes and felt her breathing quicken and the sweat beads forming on her forehead dripping down. Her muscles burned in agony. Her muscles screamed, begging for relief, yet she couldn't give it to herself.

The light brightened up from her horn until it filled her entire body. All at once her world exploded in blinding light.

Twilight’s eyes shot open, blinking rapidly to see that she was no longer in the forest, nor was she prey to the behemoths chasing her.

She was in a grassy open field.

She raised her head, looking about, seeing nothing but grass surrounding her, nothing but trees standing tall on both sides of her. The sunlight glistened off of their polished leaves like diamonds. Twilight stood, trying to get her bearings.

“I did it… I’m back.” She breathed, smiling brightly, “I made it.”

Her joy was short-lived when a sudden powerful thump caused a tremor beneath her hooves. She snapped over her shoulder and her ears pinned behind her head when she spotted the green mother rex lumbering towards her. In spite of her pain and fear, she forced herself to stand straighter. This beast was huge, towering over her, and the massive animal surprisingly didn’t look angry.

Twilight felt the ground shake as she turned her gaze forward finding the father rex standing before her. The two behemoths stared down at her, seemingly unperturbed, though they did stop advancing. A deep growl rumbled in the male behemoth’s chest. The sound was intimidating enough to make Twilight shrink backwards slightly, though it went unnoticed by the two Tyrannosauruses, whose attention remained fixed solely on her.

A low growl echoed forth from their throats as they stepped a little closer. With trembling lips, Twilight swallowed thickly. She was paralyzed, unable to move. A whimper choked in her throat before she whispered a simple word inaudible to any-pony else.

“Help me!”

Twilight closed her eyes tightly shut and awaited the dreadful fate that was closing in on her. However, none of those gruesome scenarios occurred. After being silent for a good minute, Twilight finally dared to peek at them. What she found was something entirely unexpected. The two behemoths remained motionless, staring right into her eyes, but still showing no sign of aggression.

It wasn't until the father rex lowered its head and nuzzled its snout against Twilight’s cheek with gentle care. Twilight froze, taken aback. The mother rex took her turn and carefully nuzzled her snout against Twilight. Twilight blinked several times, stunned, unable to react to their actions. She had expected that they would eat her. She had expected to see a ferocious prehistoric predator of immense size devour her whole and spit her bits of her flesh back at its mate as a snack.

What Twilight had not expected was for these two beasts to be so… docile. To be so loving. The only thing she could do was stare blankly into their eyes and try to comprehend what was happening. She was completely and utterly stunned as tears gathered at the corner of her eyes.

This didn’t go unnoticed by the mother rex. The mother rex raised her tail and wiped some of Twilight's tears from under her eye, before pulling away from her gently. Twilight was shocked to see a unicorn-like horn protruding from the end of the mother rex’s tail. She had never seen such a sight before. No, she’d never seen any other type of Tyrannosaur have such a unique trait. How peculiar…

A terrible realization dawned on her. She Unintentionally dragged the two behemoths out from the past and into her present timeline.

Immediately she lit up her horn. Vanishing in a magenta flash and reappearing an instant later inside her library. She felt a smile spread across her face as she recognized them. Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity gathered around her. Twilight looked at them, they looked happy but also worried.

“Twilight,” Spike gasped, relieved to see her. He looked her up and down. She was covered in dirt, and sweat. Her mane was ruffled and disheveled. She looked exhausted. “Where did you go? We were worried sick!”

Twilight gave him a weak smile, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. Before she could say anything, however, a flash of green light erupted outside the window and then a thump shook the library.

“What the hay was that?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she walked over to peer outside the window. Everypony and Spike watched as Rainbow’s face went pale.

“Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked with concern. She didn’t respond. She seemed frozen in place, staring wide eyed out at the window.

Fluttershy walked over to her. Raising a hoof towards her shoulder but stopped when her eyes rolled to the window to the direction Rainbow was looking. She gasped, her body going rigid. She stumbled backwards, crashing into Pinkie Pie who immediately placed her hooves on her best friend's shoulders.

“Whoa, are you alright? What’s wrong?” Pinkie Pie questioned worriedly. Fluttershy shook violently, and she could only point her hoof at the window in response. She looked panicked; her mouth opened and closed without saying anything.

The girls and the baby drake gathered towards the window with Twilight following behind them. All except Twilight stared wide-eyed at the unbelievable sight before them. Two giant behemoths stood outside the golden oak library. The father rex growled softly as smoke billowed from its nose. It gave a snort, as both it and the mother swiveled their heads around, looking for the pony that had just vanished from their sight. The mother stepped forward carefully, examining the buildings and areas on the street.

Spike was the first one to break the silence.

“Some-pony please tell me that I’m not seeing what I THINK I’m seeing…right?” Spike asked.

Nobody said a word. Not even Twilight. She could not tear her eyes away from the scene unfolding before her. The mother rex walked slowly, sniffing the air intently. She paused, taking in the scents around her. Twilight knew it was only a matter of time before the two predators find her.

“A Dinosaur..?” Fluttershy whispered with terror. She hid behind her mane and squeezed her eyes. “But I thought they were gone?”

“Who cares?!” Rainbow Dash shouted exasperatedly, pointing at a hoof at the Tyrannosaur duo. “Let’s warn Princess Celestia before those things decide to eat ponies for lunch!”

Twilight closed her eyes, shaking her head. “No. Those creatures aren’t gonna leave here.”

Applejack arched a brow at Twilight.

“What do you mean Twilight?” Applejack asked.

“Well, when I sneezed, I accidentally transported myself into what I believed to be the cretaceous period. All while I broke myself out of an egg,” Twilight explained. Rainbow Dash blinked twice in confusion before her eyes widened comically.

“So that’s where the smell coming from! No wonder you smell so bad,” Rainbow Dash said, pinching her nose with her hoof. Twilight ignored her and carried on talking.

“When I woke up, I discovered that I was in a nest. That’s when those two arrived.” Her eyes darted to the two behemoths outside then darted back to her friends. “When they arrived, I was the only one there; I had this gunk from the egg I was in all over me, I believe that those creatures must’ve picked up on that scent and imprinted on me. Kinda like a baby with a parent.”

Rainbow Dash raised a brow.

“Wait a minute…you mean to tell me that you think.” She points her hoof at the lavender unicorn, then at the window before returning it to said unicorn while laughing incredulously. “They think, you’re their baby?”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to tell you,” Twilight replied, annoyed.

Twilight glanced back out the window once more. She watched the two beasts closely as they proceeded to search the area, ignoring a few ponies screaming and fillies staring in awe. She wondered if they were even aware of what was going on.

“Well, how else would it explain why they didn’t eat her, Rainbow Dash?” Spike questioned, shrugging his shoulders innocently. “But there’s another big elephant in the room here: How did they get here?”

Twilight sighed. “I think they got dragged into the spell when I tried to come back here.”

Applejack turned to the window. Her eyes narrowed as her expression hardened. “And now they’re roaming about in Ponyville.”

Fluttershy turned her gaze towards the window. Raising a hoof below her lip, she pondered for a moment before turning her attention back to Twilight.

“What are we gonna do about them?” Fluttershy asked.

Rarity nodded. “That’s just what I was thinking. I don’t know about you girls, but I don’t like the idea of some monster walking among us freely.”

“Well…” Twilight tried to formulate a plan, only for her thoughts to be cut off suddenly by a long low growl that struck everyone in the room dumbfounded.

All of them turned their gaze towards the window. Their hearts nearly jumped out of their chests. The two behemoths were staring at them - specifically at Twilight. Their cold, calculated reptilian eyes locked onto hers in unison. Their powerful chest chugged with each breath like some kind of mechanical engine. Twilight gulped and attempted to speak again.

“Uhhh...you let me worry about that…” She stammered awkwardly.

Twilight swallowed nervously as she watched the behemoths continue to watch her intently.

Wondering how In Equestria she’s gonna explain this to Princess Celestia.