BEAUTY,THE BEAST AND THE DINOSAURS
CHAPTER 1: BEGINNINGS
We were not the first ones on this planet. That may be common knowledge among our species but it must be emphasized that there was a time in the youngest age of our planet's existence where the dominant force alongside clouds of steam,boiling lakes of tar and fire,powerful earthquakes and exploding volcanoes were the mighty dinosaurs. Our lizards of today while incredible in their own right,were nowhere near the majesty of these kings and queens of the prehistoric age.
While there were some smaller critters around the size of a dog or rhinoceros,there were also creatures as tall as houses with tails as long as a locomotive. Some of them were flat toothed with a diet of leaves,fruit and any kind of greenery you could find,while the rest were the dreaded and fearsome sharpteeth. Whether they were the small but quick on their feet fast-biters or in the ranks of the monstrous tyrannosaurus Rex,the sharpteeth cast a shadow of fear across the entire planet.
Overtime the herds eventually migrated to a safe haven which had everything they needed to live peacefully,and it was known as The Great Valley. With a natural wall that prevented almost any sharptooth from entering and plenty of greenery,it was the perfect place for any young one to grow up in such as Littlefoot the longneck, Cera the threehorn, Petrie the flyer, Ducky the swimmer and her brother Spike the spiketail, Chomper the friendly sharptooth and his guardian Ruby the fast runner. These seven young ones had formed a very powerful and unbreakable friendship that had stood throughout many adventures and perilous dangers.
The gang of seven could never have foreseen that their latest couple of adventures would take them to worlds far beyond their own nor could they imagine that they would have the means to travel to them in the form of a magical blue stone. But there was little need for them to worry about that because it was now the special time of year where delicious pink flowers started blooming on the special tree and when the time was right,the entire valley would gather together for a sweet feast.
However there had been a slowly growing tradition over the years for the day of tree sweets to also be day for the very special dinosaur in someone's life and with the news of Ali and her herd visiting the valley for the celebration,Littlefoot seemed to have had an idea in mind. He no doubt liked Ali as a friend but he also felt that this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for him to do something special with a friend he saw so rarely. Little did he or the rest of the gang know that in another far away land or more specifically a kingdom,another story was about to unfold for them.
Once upon a time in a faraway land,a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired,the prince was spoiled,selfish and unkind. But then one winter's night,an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance,the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances,for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again,the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize but it was too late for she had seen that there was no love in his heart,and as punishment she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.
Ashamed of his monstrous form,the beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose which would bloom until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell,then the spell would be broken. If not,he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed he fell into despair and lost all hope,for who could ever learn to love a beast?
NEXT CHAPTER: TODAY'S THE DAY
Author's Note: What better way could there be to commemorate the month of love than to start the crossover between The Land Before Time and the greatest love story ever told? As with my Hunchback Of Notre Dame crossover,this will follow the original animated movie but will also feature elements from the Broadway musical and the live action remake to not only create a combination of all three,but also a story where the gang of seven helps a woman learn to love a beast.