"Eee-no ee-no!"
"Everyone knows dinosaurs are extinct... but what if they're wrong?"
Maia Search of Canterlot High School, after spending a year in recovery from a gymnastics injury and longer time recovering from grief; goes to her mother's summer camp to serve as a counselor. While there, she and her friends, Babs Seed's older sister Sunflower Orange and nature lover Sandalwood, find themselves wrapped up in a mystery 65 million years in the making. It's between five and six feet tall, covered in feathers, and much smarter than they could have imagined. And it's not alone...
Equestria Girls: Dinosapien is a Fusion Fic written by Tarbtano
and proofread by Faith-Wolff and Lance Omikron, retelling the story of Dinosapien by combining it with My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, more specifically My Little Pony: Equestria Girls in The Bridge canon. It takes place between the second and third movies' equivalent events in The Bridge's continuity.
Readable here, though the story is still on-going.
This Fan Fic provides examples of:
- Adaptation Species Change: Another change from the TV Dinosapien is it is heavily implied the two enemy dinosaurs in this are some type of raptor (descended from Dakotaraptor according to
Word of God) instead of the Prenocephale-Pinacosaurus looking creatures the Diggers were. Eno is still a maniraptor but it's implied he is not a dromaeosaurid in this version (going by the art of him in chapter 3, he's mostly likely a troodontid). - Alternate Continuity: Due to events in The Bridge, there are slight changes to the Equestria Girls universe. The plot involving the dinosaurs is similar to, but also different than Dinosapien.
- Artistic License – Paleontology: Averted. Word of God specifically cites wanting to make the remake of the original TV show with updated paleontology knowledge of the 2010s. Eno is extremely bird like (to the extent characters in-universe mistake him for a bird) and both he and the two enemy dinosaurs, a pair of dromaeosaurids, display correct claw usage note , and have realistic traits like swallowing gastroliths and nictating membranes.
- Bears Are Bad News: One shows up forcing Eno to rescue Maia and Sandalwood, but mostly subverted. It's a mother bear protecting her cub and more stressed out than normal due to the presence of Eno's enemies in the woods than anything else, and backs off after a short confrontation with Eno.
- Big Bad: The two rival dinosaurs loose in the forest, posing a consistent threat both to Eno and the humans.
- Career-Ending Injury: It didn't cripple her after years to recovery and physical therapy, but Maia suffered a gymnastics injury that derailed her competition run.
- Continuity Nod: It's mentioned that there's an unexplained giant handprint and destroyed bridge in Everfree National Park which unknown to the characters was left during the battle between Monster X and Enjin in the original story.
- Creator Cameo: Maia's parents, Paleo Search and Gentle Heart, are the ponysonas of Tarbtano and Faith-Wolff.
- Disappeared Dad: Maia's father, Paleo Search, went missing three years ago sometime after he met Eno.
- Dumb Dinos:
- Averted by Eno. In addition to showing awareness of his surroundings, he manages to trick the other two dinosaurs into collapsing a tree to fall into a river. Eno later shows a concept of ownership when he returns Maia's necklace to her.
- Dangerously averted by the two villainous raptors. Not only are they both cunning predators, they're also purposely tracking down Eno in an attempt to eliminate him. They also learn about Maia's relationship with Paleo Search, and use it to their advantage in luring Maia to their trap. They also purposefully destroy a casting of Eno's track because they know humans are a threat who could interfere with their hunt.
- Evil Is Bigger: The two enemy dinosaurs pose a significant threat to Eno not only because they outnumber him two to one, but even individually they are somewhat larger and stronger than he is with the author comparing it to the size difference between a leopard and two lions.
- Expy: As it's a retelling with a different cast, some characters have traits akin to the TV show's roster.
- Maia Heart Search is one of Lauren Slayton, the main heroine who's paleontologist father went missing years prior and suffered a gymnastics injury.
- Sunflower Orange is one of Courtney, the heroine's best friend and latter half of the Tomboy and Girly Girl pair. Though she's a bit more outgoing and understanding of the whole "Eno" situation.
- Sandalwood is one of Cam, the third member of the three and nature lover with some ties to the national park service instead of First Nation ancestry.
- Gentle Heart is one of Dr. Hilary Slayton, the owner and main operator of the summer camp but without the paleontology background.
- Rumble and Apple Crumble play a similar role to Danny and Nelson Ort as the inquisitive campers, but aren't related in this version.
- Feathered Fiend: Averted with Eno, but played straight with his two raptor enemies.
- Guile Hero: All the core trio and Eno given they are normal teenage humans and a man sized dinosaur up against threats like fully grown grizzly bears and two larger raptors. Eno never directly fights his enemies outside of one or two sneak attacks, instead using his brains to get out of a direct confrontation such as tricking his enemies to fall into a river or puffing himself up to look bigger and scarier to intimidate the bear.
- Hero of Another Story: The events of the Bridge are mentioned, but the story is separate from them, just set in the same universe, so the main characters of the main story are this trope. It also takes place in the future compared to them.
- It Can Think:
- Eno shows strategic thinking and manages to ditch his attackers by tricking them into chasing him up a breaking tree so the falling trunk would dump them into the river.
- The same is also true of his enemies, as they're both very intelligent as well. This includes luring Maia into traps with Paleo Search's voice and smashing the cast of Eno's footprint to prevent humans from interfering.
- Noble Bird of Prey: Eno is docile to humans, fully covered in feathers, and is often compared to an owl or hawk.
- Raptor Attack: Played straight with the two enemy dinosaurs, who are trying to kill Eno and attempt to ambush Maia. Subverted with Eno, who's a similar type of creature and is gentle, but he's not a raptor (he appears to be a troodontid). Both types of dinosaurs avert this by being accurately feathered and bird-like, and having correct toe usage.
- Related in the Adaptation: Courtney and Danny Ort's roles are taken up by Sunflower Orange and Apple Crumble, whom are cousins.
- Returning the Handkerchief: Maia loses her locket necklace in the first chapter. Eno returns it in the end of the second.
- Shared Universe: Downplayed by no kaiju making an appearance, but this is the same Equestria Girls universe The Bridge used. note
- Shout-Out:
- Shown Their Work: The writer's extremely into paleontology, and as with the main fic it definitely shows.
- Smelly Skunk: Sunflower manages to clear the mess hall by intentionally leading on in their with her orange scented perfume. Getting it out, on the other hands...
- Take That!: Chapter 2 has a jab at the Spinosaurus Versus T. rex debate sparked by Jurassic Park III.
- Unpleasant Animal Counterpart: The villainous dinosaurs of the story are raptors, while Eno the troodontid(?) is the main heroic dinosaur.
- Voice Changeling: The two enemy dinosaurs appear to mimic Paleo Search's voice when they call out to Maia, albeit with a slight distortion.
