(AN) Hay there, this is TimeLordMaster108 here with a new Land Before Time story and a spin off to The Fo4gotten Friend.
This story will be a two-shot and serves as a prequel to that story and explains how The Day Of Remembrance came about. It will also expand on the ending scenes to DiddyKF1's story, A Swimmer's Sad Story, since I feel it would be interesting to see how everyone would react to Ducky's tragic story, and how they came together to make sure that sort of thing would never happen again, and also the origins of the Day Of Remembrance.
Also credit goes to DiddyKF1 for helping me with the dialogue.
Anyway I hope you all enjoy and remember to Read And Review.
Disclaimer I don't own The Land Before Time, all characters and locations belong to Universal Pictures and Sullivan Bluth Studios.
The Land Before Time
Prelude To The Forgotten Friend
Ducky was sitting on a rock at Thundering Falls, looking up at her friends. The young Swimmer had just told them all about her old friend Judy and what had happened to her and her Mom, Cera had run off in a paranoid state after Ducky had yelled at her.
"Uh... do you want to come and play 'Stop The Seed' with us Ducky?" Asked Chomper
"I think I will stay here for a little while longer, thanks for the offer, though." Answered Ducky.
"Okay Ducky, we'll be over by the watering hole if you want to join us later," Informed Littlefoot, "See you Later!"
"See you later, everyone." Sighed Ducky.
"Bye Ducky." Called Petrie.
Spike gave Ducky a playful nuzzle, earning a small giggle from the young Swimmer, And before long, the others left Ducky alone to once again contemplate her thoughts in peace.
As Littlefoot and the others ran further from the Thundering Falls, they suddenly stopped and Littlefoot turned to face them.
"I can't believe all that happened to Ducky," remarked Ruby, "It's quite hard to believe."
"Me neither," replied Littlefoot in a saddened tone, "But I think now we need to make sure that everyone else knows too."
"Ohhh me no so sure, what if Ducky get all mad again?" Questioned Petrie nervously.
"She won't get mad," reassured the Longneck, "In fact I think she'll really like it if everyone knew, that way she'll have people who can help her feel better about the whole situation, and I think first we should tell our parents, I'll go tell my Grandparents and Petrie, you can go and tell your Mom."
The young Flyer nodded in agreement.
"Me and Ruby can go with Spike and tell his and Ducky's parents," Suggested Chomper While Spike nodded and babbled.
"That's a great idea Chomper," declared Ruby, "So what are we waiting for?, let's go."
The group then ran off in different directions, or flew high into the sky in Petrie's case.
Over in the woodland area Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were having an early lunch. The couple suddenly stopped eating and looked down as their Grandson approached them.
"Hello Littlefoot," greeted Grandpa Longneck warmly before noticing how unhappy the kid looked, "Are you feeling alright?, did something bad happen this morning?"
"Well my friends and I went looking for Ducky at the Thundering Falls, ... but... she seemed very upset." Sighed Littlefoot.
"I wonder what could be wrong with Ducky?" Pondered Grandma Longneck, "She's usually such a cheerful little one."
"That's exactly what we asked her," replied Littlefoot, "She then... told us... this story... of how... she once had a friend before the Earthshake happened."
"I can only guess what might have happened," said Grandpa Longneck, "Was this Friend Lost during the Great Earthshake?"
"I'm afraid not," answered Littlefoot, "She was Lost before the Earthshake."
His Grandparents gasped in shock, unable to think of what could have happened BEFORE that infamous Earthshake that had killed huge portions of their herds.
"Well it goes like this," Littlefoot began, "Some time before the Earthshake, Ducky befriended another Swimmer named Judy, who looked just like her, except she had green eyes. Back then nobody wanted to play with Ducky because the other Swimmer children were annoyed by her Yep!, Yep!, Yep!, And for some strange reason nobody wanted to play with Judy, either... until they met each other and became friends. Judy had a wonderful mother named Nitha, but her father, named Rolf, was such a dangerous Swimmer. Ducky told me, she said that he would beat up and torture his Mate and daughter on a regular basis."
"Oh, my!" Gasped Grandma Longneck.
"Of all the nerve." Added a horrofied Grandpa Longneck.
"One day, Judy came to the old nest where Ducky and her family used to live and she begged them to help her. They would've done so, but then Rolf came bursting in and attacked Ducky by throwing her into a rock. He was against Nitha and Judy ever leaving their nest for any reason, and every day Ducky and Judy didn't see each other, Judy would always have these scars and bruises the next time they met."
"That is just cruel" Hissed Grandma Longneck, "That Rolf sounds like someone who dosn't deserve to live!"
"Then one day, something so terrible happened, that I almost can't speak of it," sighed Littlefoot as he dreaded to share the next detail, the worst one of all, "One morning Ducky was awoken by her mother, who told her that something terrible had happened over at Judy's nest, and Ducky ran all the way to Judy's nest, when she got there... she found them... all dead."
"What?" Gasped his Grandparents in disbelief.
"It turned out that Rolf had killed Judy and Nitha in their sleep, then he killed himself with a tree branch, and Ducky's Mother was the one who found the bodies the next morning and told Ducky that something bad had happened, and Ducky ended up seeing the dead bodies for herself," said Littlefoot, trying not to tear up as he felt so bad for his Swimmer friend having to deal with such a horrible pain, much like his own, "She must have felt just like I did when I watched my mother die right before my eyes."
Grandpa and Grandma Longneck remained speechless. This was too horrifying to be true. Ducky loosing a best friend in such a gruesome way before the Earthshake happened? They knew it must have been so hard for Ducky to get through it much like how Littlefoot tried to cope with the loss of his mother before he found new friends. They now felt sorry for the poor little Swimmer.
"She says that it happened five days before the Earthshake and then her entire herd was killed except for her family," sniffed Littlefoot, "It seems that when she found me all alone, grieving for my mother, she may have been secretly grieving for her lost friend, because our presence apparently took Judy out of her mind for so long, ... until last night when she had a terrible sleep story."
"I could swear I heard a child screaming last night." Said Grandma Longneck.
"I guess we now know who it was, and what caused it," Sighed Grandpa Longneck, "Poor Ducky must have had a terrible sleep story where she revisited her worst memory."
"I wish I knew what to do for her?" Said Littlefoot sadly.
"Littlefoot, you and your friends have already done the best that you could do," assured his Grandfather, "Staying by her side through all the good times and the bad have helped her remember that she still has those who care for her, and we'll make sure we keep her happy while she enjoys her life here in this wonderful Great Valley."
"Except Cera perhaps," said Littlefoot doubtfully, "She became so paranoid and thought her own father could one day become just like Rolf, Ducky screamed at her in retaliation."
"Cera being Cera again," sighed Grandma Longneck, "She'll come round eventually, we all know Mr Threehorn loves his family dearly, and nothing will ever happen to them as long as he's there to protect them with the great strength that he has."
"Littlefoot... thank you for telling us this story," said Grandpa Longneck warmly, "We promise we'll do everything we can to help Ducky come to terms with this loss. It seems that Judy meant so much to her, since this tragedy happened two Cold Times ago and she has apparently never gotten over it."
"Perhaps she secretly kept this to herself before that sleep story last night renewed those old wounds and brought her back into this depressing state." Suggested Grandma Longneck.
"She admitted to us that she kept it a secret from us... until that sleep story last night." Said Littlefoot.
"The next time we see Ducky, we will give Judy the propper send-off that she has deserved for so long," smiled Grandpa Longneck, "Are your other friends doing the same?"
"Yeah, I told them to go tell their parents," answered Littlefoot, "Although I don't think Cera will tell her family."
"Then we will tell them the story," replied Grandpa Longneck, "The more this story spreads, the more residents in the Valley will be able to understand what Ducky is going through."
"I quite agree," added his Mate, "Now why don't you run along and play Littlefoot."
"Okay, I'll see you later." Said the young Longneck before running off.
Meanwhile over at the watering hole, Sura and Ruphus were lying flat on their backs and enjoying the peace and quiet. Ruphus then turned to his Mate with a look of concern.
"Do you think Ducky will be alright after last night?" Asked Ruphus, "She was pretty tired this morning, did she tell you about her sleep story while you were cleaning her last night?
"Yes," answered Sura, "She said that she found herself back in the forrest where we all lived. Then she found Judy and tried saving her, but Rolf chased them and wouldn't stop, even when Nitha showed up. Rolf then pinned Nitha down and sliced her chest with a stick, he then stabbed Judy with a stick, then he... cut off Ducky's arms and legs. I think that must be the scariest one she's had about Judy, she also told me that she's not told anybody about her, not even Spike."
Ruphus felt a cold shiver run down his spine. That sounded truly horrific, most of the previo Scary Sleep Stories Ducky had suffered had never been this horrific. Suddenly Ruphus realised what his Mate had just said and gasped with realisation hitting him like a ton of boulders.
"What!" Exclaimed her Mate in shock, "That's terrible, burying the pain only makes it worse."
The couple suddenly sat upright as they heard approaching footsteps. After a few moments Spike ate his way through a bush followed by Chomper and Ruby. Sura instantly noticed that their faces were a mixture of shock and sadness.
"Spike!, this is certainly unexpected," cried Sura in shock, "What brings you three here?, and why do you look so sad?"
"We went looking for Ducky and found her at Thundering Falls," began Ruby in a sad voice, "She was very upset and... she told me, Chomper, Spike, Cera, Littlefoot And Petrie about Judy."
Sura and Ruphus stood up with their jaws hanging open in shock. The female Swimmer then smiled proudly.
"Oh that's wonderful!" Exclaimed Sura in delight, "I told Ducky last night that she needed to tell you all, since I knew you'd understand and try to help."
"I'm still in shock that Ducky had to go through that," stated Chomper, "You must've been pretty close with Judy too."
"Me and her Mom got on very well," explained Sura, "I was the one who sadly found the bodies first. I'd woken up one morning to Patrol about a bit, then I smelled blood, so I followed it... and found... their dead bodies."
Sura bowed her head, which was followed by Ruphus gently patting her on the shoulder.
"Littlefoot decided to get Petrie to tell his Mom, and he went to tell his Grandparents," Said Chomper, "Cera won't tell her family though."
"Why not?" Asked Ruphus in confusion.
"Because she's convinced herself that her dad will become just like Rolf," explained Ruby, "She and Ducky got into an argument because Ducky had accused us of not understanding. Then when Cera thought her Dad would become like Rolf, Ducky yelled at her."
"Oh no!, Mr Threehorn wouldn't do a thing like that," answered Ducky's Mom, "She'll come round eventually. And i'll make sure me and Ruphus speak with Ducky about this yelling"
"I certainly hope so, I hope that Cera comes round," said Ruby, "Because she's Ducky's Friend, and wouldn't want to ruin her friendship with Ducky."
"Well now that Ducky's told you, we can help spread the story with Arial and Littlefoot's Grandparents." explained Sura.
Arial was sitting on the ledge in front of her home. Her children had all wondered off to find some lunch, giving her the perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy the time she had to herself.
However this peacefulness was not to last...
"Mommy!" Came a voice from afar.
Arial looked in the direction she thought the voice was coming from, she then spotted Petrie frantically flying towards her, looking as if he was fleeing from danger.
"Petrie!" She gasped, "What are you doing here!?, I thought you were playing with your friends!"
The young Flyer panted as he landed on the ledge. Arial instinctively scooped him up and hugged him while stroking his head.
"Now!, now!, Petrie just calm down," Said Arial in a comforting tone, "Take some deep breaths."
Petrie suddenly stopped panting and began taking long calming breaths, Arial then placed him on the ground and Petrie felt more calm.
"Now why don't you tell me what's troubling you," Suggested Arial, "You looked as if a Sharptooth were chasing you."
Petrie remembering what Littlefoot told him, looked up at his mother and gulped.
"Okay, here goes," began Petrie nervously, "Ducky no show up for game of Stop The Seed, so we go look for her and find her at Thundering Falls, Ducky really upset."
"Oh my!" Exclaimed Arial in shock, "I wonder what was wrong?, Ducky's normally very happy."
"Ducky say she have scary sleep story last night," continued Petrie, "She then tell us story about Friend she once have, before big Earthshake!"
"What!" Exclaimed Arial in shock, "I never realised Ducky had a friend before that Earthshake, she's never mentioned this before."
"Her Friend name Judy who look just like Ducky, except she have green eyes," explained Petrie, Judy only one who play with Ducky back then because no other kids like Ducky, they found her Yep!, Yep!, Yep!, annoying, Judy also have wonderful Mommy named Nitha."
"That sounds wonderful, stated the older Flyer, "So... I'll guess they were lost in the Great Earthshake."
Petrie gulped and shook his head causing his mother to gasp in shock, she couldn't begin to imagine what could've happened to them before the Earthshake, but she was beginning to feel it was something far worse than a Sharptooth attack or sickness, judging from Petrie's reaction.
"So what did happen to them?" Asked Arial.
Petrie once again gulped before continuing.
"Judy's Daddy Rolf so mean to Judy and her Mommy," began Petrie, he big bully who attack them, because he think they going to leave him, Ducky say he get so mad if they leave nest for some reason. Every time Ducky no see Judy, the next time they meet, she covered with bruises and scratches."
"What a monster," cried Arial in horror, he clearly dosn't deserve to be a father."
"It get worse," whimpered Petrie, "One day Judy come to Ducky and her Mommy and Daddy's old nest and beg for help, Ducky and her Mommy and Daddy agree to help, but then Judy's Daddy come bursting in and he throw Ducky into rock. He then tell Judy and her Mommy never to leave nest or else he... kill them."
Arial was almost Lost for words, she couldn't imagine a more horrible situation. Ducky didn't deserve to go through all that. And she didn't think she'd ever heard of anyone so cruel as this Rolf
"Then... Ducky and Judy see less and less of each other," said Petrie as he trembled and tears formed in his eyes, he was now dreading the next and most horrible part of the story, "Then... one day Ducky Mommy wake Ducky up and tell here there'd been nasty accident at Judy's nest. Ducky rush over there as fast as she could, but when she get there, she find... she find."
Petrie then blinked back a few tears before once again gulping.
"Judy and Nitha... both dead, Rolf dead too," said Petrie, "Ducky later find out that... Rolf kill Judy and her Mommy with tree branch, then Rolf kill himself."
"No way!" panted Arial in horror.
"Yes!" nodded Petrie in confirmation, it happen just five days before Earthshake... then Ducky sad about Judy for two Cold Times. But she hid it from us all this time because she no wanna reopen old wounds, but last night sleep story scare her so bad that she decide to tell us."
"I thought I heard someone screaming last night," recalled Arial, "And I could swear it was a child."
"It Ducky," confirmed Petrie, "She so scared by sleep story, she see Rolf kill Judy and Judy Mommy all over again."
"Oh the poor dear," lamented Petrie's Mom sadly, "That whole experience must've been so hard on her, and having to relieve it last night is something no-one deserves. The next time I see Ducky, I'll be sure to give her my full condolences."
"Ohhh that sound wonderful," remarked Petrie in joy, "Littlefoot say Ducky be so happy if we tell you and other parents, so everyone in Great Valley know."
"Littlefoot's right, and I'm so proud of you for telling me this story Petrie," thanked Arial, "Me and Littlefoot's Grandparents And The others will make sure that everyone in the Valley knows and can help Ducky."
"Hopefully Cera tell her Daddy and Tria," wondered the young Flyer, "She get all scared-ed that her Daddy become like Rolf and kill her, Tria and Tricia. Ducky get all scary and mad at her."
"Don't worry Petrie, I'm sure she'll come round eventually," assured Arial, "Now why don't you fly along and go play some more. And thank you for this talk Petrie, I love you!"
"Me love you too Mamma." Replied Petrie as he and his mother hugged.
After a few minutes Arial let go and Petrie flew off. The older Flyer continued to watch until her son was out of sight.
Cera meanwhile was aimlessly wandering through the grasslands, her mind still plagued by the events earlier that morning. Even though Ducky had sternly told her that her dad wouldn't become like Rolf, Cera was still scared of the possibility. The young Threehorn was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't look where she was going and bumped straight into a large dull grey Threehorn.
"Cera, watch where you're going!" Grumbled a gruff but familiar voice.
Cera slowly looked up and saw Topsy looking at her in slight annoyance. This sight caused her to start trembling in fear and backing away.
"Cera are you feeling alright?" asked her dad in concern, "You're shaking, and you look terrified."
Tria then came to stand next to her Mate and gave Cera the same concerned expression. Tricia looked at her older stepsister in confusion.
But before any more could be said, Cera let out an ear piercing terrified scream which stunned both Topsy and Tria and Tricia leapt up in fright and ran behind Topsy's leg. Cera then ran as fast as she could, as though a Sharptooth were chasing her.
"Cera!, wait, come back." Tria called out in a mixture of concern and confusion.
However it was no use and the two adult Threehorn were left standing there in stunned silence.
"What in the world was that all about?" Asked Topsy in confusion, "She looked petrified."
"I'm not sure dear," answered Tria before turning and seeing something, "Hay look it's Grandpa and Grandma Longneck. I wonder what they want?"
Topsy turned to face the direction his Mate was facing in and saw the two elderly Longnecks approach them.
"Ahh!, Mr Threehorn, there you are. We've been looking for you." Stated Grandpa Longneck kindly.
"Can it wait?" Asked Mr Threehorn still sounding bewildered, "We're kind of trying to deal with Cera, she just bumped into me screamed in horror and ran."
"It actually has something to do with that," explained Grandma Longneck, "We were speaking with Littlefoot earlier, and happen to know why Cera's terrified... of you Mr Threehorn as it happens."
This statement left both Threehorns confused, they could think of no reason as to why Cera would suddenly become frightened of her own dad since he'd never done anything to make her feel this way.
"But why would Cera be frightened of Topsy?" Questioned Tria in confusion, "She's always felt safe around him, and he would never do anything to hurt her."
"Well you see Cera and her friends found Ducky at Thundering Falls this morning, and she was quite upset," began Grandpa Longneck, "It turned out she had a horrible sleep story the night before about something truly awful that once happened."
"So that's who screamed last night and almost woke the entire Valley," cried Topsy in annoyance, "But what does this have to do with Cera?"
"We're getting to that!" Said Grandma Longneck, "It turns out that Ducky had a friend before the Great Earthshake. Her name was Judy and she was poor Ducky's only friend because other children found her Yep!, Yep!, Yep! annoying. The two were so close but... unfortunately Judy died before the Great Earthshake."
"What!" Exclaimed Topsy in shock, "What happened to them?, ... it must've been something very bad to cause that kind of reaction from Ducky, and to make her unhappy since she's usually happy."
"It was," answered Grandpa Longneck in a grim and sad voice, "Judy's father Rolf was a very bad tempered Swimmer who was feared amongst the other Swimmers. Every day he would beat up and torture Judy and her Mom Nitha, And any time Ducky didn't see Judy, the next time they met she was always covered in cuts and bruises. One day Judy came to Ducky's nest and begged her and her family for help, Rolf then came and attacked Judy and threw Ducky into a rock."
"That's terrible!" Exclaimed Topsy in shock and disgust.
"What a horrible monster!" Remarked Tria in shock.
"After the incident Ducky and Judy saw less and less of each other because Rolf threatened to murder Judy and her Mom if they ever left the nest for any reason," said Grandma Longneck in sadness, she knew the next part would be tough to tell but she gulped before continuing, "Then one night, six days before the Great Earthsake Rolf did the unthinkable... he murdered Judy and Nitha in their sleep before killing himself... the next morning Sura found the bodies and Ducky saw them too."
"What!" Exclaimed Topsy in horror, "That's just terrible, that stinking, selfish Tar Pit. How could anybody do that to their own daughter?"
"Poor Ducky," lamented Tria, "And obviously she's never gotten over this trauma judging from how loudly she screamed."
"She never has fully recovered," stated Grandpa Longneck, "In fact she kept it a secret from all of her friends, even Spike until this morning. When she met Littlefoot she put the incident to the back of her mind and hid it, until that sleep story last night. And now Cera's gotten it into her head that you Mr Threehorn might turn nasty just like Rolf, and kill Tria and Tricia."
Topsy looked horrofied, now Cera's strange behaviour made perfect sense. But he couldn't believe that she would believe that worst of all, not tell anyone and become scared of Ducky.
"Thank you for telling us Longneck," grunted Topsy, "I'll help spread this story to other residents, and me and Tria will have a talk with Cera. In fact tomorrow night we'll hold a special meeting for everyone in the Valley."
"That's an excellent idea Mr Threehorn," agreed Grandma Longneck, "It's settled then."
The group then parted ways, Topsy, Tria and Tricia went to go find Cera.
(AN) That's the first chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed and remember to Read And Review.
The next chapter will set up the idea for the Day Of Remembrance.
Once Again thanks to DiddyKF1 for helping me with some dialogue.
