Hello everyone! AllegroGiocoso here with another Land Before Time fanfiction!
First off, thank you so much for checking out this story. I love it when people read my stories, especially when they really appreciate them. And of course, when I have an idea I absolutely love, I just love to write.
Nowhere has this been more true than with my fanfic The Time of the Great Growing. I truly never had an experience like it, where I had so many ideas in my head at once that I was literally writing every day for a bit! I'm very proud of that story and am still amazed and appreciative of all the feedback I have received on it. If you haven't read it yet, I highly encourage you to check out that story, to which this is a sequel of.
Developing a sequel was something I wanted to do for a long time now, and I've went through a lot of drafts on how to go about this, but at last, I've got an idea that I'm ready to stick with. I won't be releasing chapters anywhere near the rapid pace I wrote the previous story, but my chapters will be longer on average.
A couple side notes here. As this is a sequel to The Time of the Great Growing, the two couples featured there - Littlefoot x Cera and Ducky x Petrie - will be well-established and prominently featured here. This story takes place soon after the previous one ends, not including the epilogue (that may contain some spoilers here!). But the romance, while still present, won't be as fundamental to this story as it was to its prequel.
I must warn you also that this first chapter is probably the darkest thing I've ever wrote and I had a very hard time writing it. So be prepared for it. I promise the next chapters, and probably most of the story, will be lighter, albeit darker than most of the canon sequels and probably a little darker than The Time of the Great Growing.
Though I've got the basic structure of the story worked out, I'm still open to ideas and suggestions, especially now that I'm just starting this story. Let me know if you want to see anything in the story and I'll see if I can fit it in somehow.
One last note, Chomper and Ruby are not present in the first chapter, their absence will be explained in the second. Ali and Shorty however, having been at the Great Valley at the end of my prior story, are still in the Valley right now, more detail into that in later chapters.
As always, Land Before Time and its universe belongs to Universal. Please fave/follow/review if you like this, as I appreciate feedback, also I still follow feedback on The Time of the Great Growing, so feel free to fave/follow/review on that as well. So with that, we'll go to:
The Land Before Time: Passage of the Generations
Chapter 1 – A Time of Transition
Darkness. That was all that enveloped the newly grown-up longneck as he curled up tightly on the ground, with the two elders who had watched over him for all those years lying on either side. The sky was pitch black, devoid of anything but the furthest away stars, and not even the softest noises could be heard. But although the emptiness was all-encompassing, that was the furthest thing from the young longneck's mind.
It all happened so suddenly. When the bright circle was still up, he was talking to the two of them happily before she took a long nap. Soon, he wearily said he needed to get some rest as well. The young longneck ate as he watched over them, not being able to tell anything was wrong at first. But as the Bright Circle began to set, he couldn't help but notice just how still they were. Nudging them gently, he immediately wished he hadn't. There was something strangely eerie about how cold they were, a kind of coldness that he only felt once in his life … And though it was so long ago, it still seemed as if it just happened yesterday ...
He couldn't say it. It just couldn't be. Saying those words aloud would make it final, absolute, and he couldn't let that happen. There would be no going back. He would never have a chance to share treestars on their favorite trees again. He wouldn't ever be able to ask them for any more bits of sage advice. Advice that he knew he needed now more than ever, now that he was completely alone. But advice that he was too foolish to have asked for in the past …
Feeling desperate, he knew he had to try again. "Grandma," he whimpered softly, nudging her head desperately with one front paw, before he turned to her mate. "Grandpa," he said sniffling, nudging him with the other front paw. "Please … Please get up."
As he felt those words come out of his mouth, a chill traveled down his spine, thoroughly remembering the instance when he said those words before. The one time that more than any ever he hoped he would never to have to live through again. Only this time, he didn't get any kind of a response.
Desperately, he tried all the ways he could think of to somehow get them to respond to him. He told them he loved them. He tried to pry their eyes open. He put a paw to their hearts, getting excited every moment he could feel something, only to realize a moment later that the life energy he felt had only come from himself. But it was only when he neared their private areas to find that the ground around them was deeply soiled that he fully realized the truth. That was something that neither of them would have never done if they were alive. And that, along with everything else, could only mean one thing.
"No … no …. no!" he cried, his voice very quiet. His breath seemed to have stopped as the chill inside of him spread to every fiber in his body. Trembling with deep emotion as he struggled to breathe, he felt tears steadily but uncontrollably drip down his face and onto the ground around him, and before he knew it, he had fallen onto his knees. Shaking his head, he tried to regain composure again." It can't be, Littlefoot," he told himself. "It was just a bad sleep story. Yeah, that's it … If I just try again …"
But no matter how many times Littlefoot tried to prod them awake, the response was the same. One of complete and utter nothingness.
"No, no, no …" Littlefoot whimpered. "Grandma, Grandpa … Please … please …"
But still they did not respond, and the only thing Littlefoot could feel inside was emptiness. A deep, dark emptiness, just like the sky around him. His knees beginning to vibrate, all he could do was curl up where he began to tremble uncontrollably. He knew they were getting old, but nothing could prepare him for the overwhelming sense of loss he felt. Through everything, his grandparents were always there for him to come home to. The only family he always had ever since he reached the Valley. The ones who were always there to give him support, advice, love, and give anything the way a true parent would ... And then just like that, they were gone. The warmth and love he felt had jarringly disappeared, as though an earthshake split the ground below him as he fell into a cold, dark abyss, feeling only violent bursts of pain and heartache as he kept endlessly falling. Nobody could possibly understand what he was going through. The rush of despair was so infinite, so overwhelming ... That he could only hope against hope that he wouldn't be able to feel anything anymore …
A young spiketail was eating slowly and steadily. He didn't care that he spent all day eating, nor that he was still hungry. A simple, peaceful day like this was all he could ever ask for. When he didn't have to see his friends in any kind of trouble. Just watching his longneck friend spending the day with his grandparents, his threehorn friend watching over her little sister and her friend as her father and stepmother went out for a date, and seeing his newlywed sister with her new mate, who was also his best flyer friend, just lying on a hillside together all day brought serenity to his heart. Everyone was at peace, and if they were all at peace, so was he.
As the night sky surrounded him, Spike finally began to feel that slightly bloated, warm feeling inside whenever he had a satisfying day's worth of eating. Seeing how late it was, he knew it was time for a good night's sleep. Rounding the corner, he decided to sleep at the spot he started the day at. A decision which only later he knew would end up as extremely fortuitous.
As he did, he saw a form, curled between two giant forms, begin to violently shiver and shake. Curious, he got closer, and upon doing so, his heart dropped upon recognizing his friend Littlefoot, who appeared to be in some kind of fit. In addition to his shaking, he was muttering all kinds of frantic, uncontrolled gibberish, panting very heavily, and his face was stained all over with tears, leaving big puddles behind. Seeing the forms on either side of Littlefoot, Spike realized they were Grandpa and Grandma Longneck, who were completely still.
Spike's heart began to race. He knew just how much Littlefoot loved his grandparents, but he was unprepared for just how badly their deaths would affect him. He thought back to all the times that Littlefoot had wisely led him and their friends out of trouble, and could see now that Littlefoot's deep emotions toward those he cared about, one of his favorite things about his friend, had come back to bite him. It was up to him to help Littlefoot, just as Littlefoot was always there to help him.
Running over, Spike tried licking Littlefoot, but Littlefoot remained in a deep fit. He tried ramming into Littlefoot, but that didn't get a reaction from the now much bigger longneck either. Finally, he groaned, "L … L … Litt," he tried to say, but with talking always being a difficult area for him, he knew it was no use. Spike shook his head. He knew he couldn't get Littlefoot out of this trance himself. What's more, with Littlefoot's struggling being so quiet and it being so late at night, there was no way to know Littlefoot wouldn't hurt himself before he would snap out of it. He knew he had to do just what Littlefoot would do. He needed help from his friends, and fast.
There was nothing else for it. Feeling more appreciative than ever that he saw his friends earlier that day, he knew exactly where they all were and it was up to him to make a mad dash to them. Running hard, he soon saw Ducky and Petrie still lying on that hillside, locked in a deep embrace, having fallen asleep in one another's arms. Much as he hated to do so, he had to cut his sister and friend's dreams short, so out of desperation, he made a loud, terror-filled grunt.
It worked, for at once, the two of them jolted awake. "Spike," Ducky asked as she stood up, rubbing her eyes. "What is wrong?"
Spike grunted three times in quick succession, mouthing out the name of their friend before staring at them with wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth to indicate the condition he was in. "Littlefoot?" Ducky asked.
Grunting hurriedly, Spike started hurtling toward Littlefoot. "Wait," Petrie interrupted, causing both Ducky and Spike to look at him. "Shouldn't we get Cera first? She babysitting Tricia!"
"Yes yes yes," Ducky agreed thoughtfully as Spike grunted in agreement. Turning, Spike made a mad dash to Cera's.
Cera and Tricia were sleeping together, side by side; Topps and Tria still having not returned from their romantic excursion earlier in the night. Petrie saw them first, and as Ducky and Spike followed him, he swooped down directly onto Cera's face. "Cera!" he called out, startling her awake. This made her very mad.
"What?" Cera barked as she glowered at Petrie, Tricia too dozily waking up. "Can't you see I was sleeping?"
"Cera, it Littlefoot! He in trouble!" Petrie spat out frantically.
Cera's eyes shot wide awake. Turning to her dozy sister, she ordered, "Tricia, stay here. Understand?"
"Oh all right," Tricia said as Cera bolted away. "Um Cera?" Ducky asked.
"What?" she snapped as she skidded to a stop.
"Spike know way to Littlefoot, and he go that way," Petrie explained.
Nodding understandingly, Cera changed course. "Hang on Littlefoot!" she shouted. "We're coming!"
Littlefoot was panting hard, feeling sweat all over. As his heart beat ferociously, he felt his skin go from hot to cold to back again in alternation as he breathed heavily. The pain continued unabated, and he continued to sputter out uncontrollably, the tears dripping down his face. The world he knew and loved had seemed to vanish, replaced by only a spiral of despair, which spun onward and onward within his heart.
Continuing to pant heavily, he looked around. He had to do something to stop the endless pain he was in. To somehow find a way to bring his grandparents back in his life ... Something that would bring him back together with not only his grandparents, but also his mother. Something that would be done quietly, so no one could hold him back. Something that would be easy, painless … And then it occurred to him.
Without a second thought, Littlefoot got up and his heart beating with anticipation, he went toward the place that could have ended it all much earlier, had his grandparents not heard him and his friends shrieking. But this time, his grandparents were not there to stop him, and this time, he wouldn't be shrieking.
Arriving at the Sinking Sand, he knew just what to do. Calmly, he waded into a particularly deep spot not too far from the shore and calmly stuck his head in the black, murky ooze all around him. Shutting his eyes, he imagined what he knew would happen next. All his pain would be gone, the loneliness would all cease, and he would be his with his mother and grandparents again …
"Pull! Pull! Pull!" cried a familiar voice, causing Littlefoot to spit out all the tar in his mouth. Without any warning, he felt his tail being pulled back. Littlefoot's first instinct was to resist, but he thought for a second. Someone was trying to stop him, and he recognized the breaths, paws and hands he felt on his tail, all trying to get him out, he knew at once who that would be. "My friends," Littlefoot thought. And at once, a glimmer of light broke through the deep darkness as he sudden felt a glow of warmth. His friends, who were always there by his side. His friends, who would always be there for him. And his friends, who would never be the same if he left them. He thought about each one of them in turn ... Spike ... Petrie ... Ducky ... Cera ...
The more he thought about them, the more he doubted himself as memories and thoughts of his friends kept pervading through the darkness. Each pull on his tail only weakened his dark resolve as he thought about it. They were all still there, fighting to get him out of this mess ... Fighting to keep him there, with them. They would always be together. No matter what ... He still had a purpose in life, adventures to face, life to enjoy, love and friendships to share and feel ... And as the light continued to shine through, breaking the freefall with a soft landing and feeling the warmth radiate through his heart, any thoughts he had of prematurely ending his life evaporated away.
"You guys!" Littlefoot tried to say, only to be unable to move his neck. However, he soon felt an assist from under the base of his vertically down-stretched neck. Feeling a peck he felt a little more of his neck get a little bit freed from the sinking sand. Then he felt another peck, pushing even more of his neck free. This continued until finally, all of Littlefoot's neck was freed, and with a great lift, Littlefoot was successfully able to get his head out of the sinking sand.
Opening his eyes and catching some big breaths, he saw that Petrie was anxiously flying in front of him.
"Hooray! You alive, Littlefoot!" Petrie cheered as Littlefoot realized that Petrie's persistent prying with his beak was the pecking that got Littlefoot's neck loose from the sinking sand.
"Good one, Petrie!" Cera cheered as Spike cheered along with her.
"You be all right now, Littlefoot," Petrie assured him. "Ducky go get help."
"Help?" Littlefoot asked, but turning around, Littlefoot heard, "We are here, we are, we are!"
Turning, Littlefoot saw that accompanying her were Ali and Shorty, both of whom looked thoroughly panic stricken. The full stupidity of his thoughtless actions weighing on him, Littlefoot hung his head in guilt as he heard Cera say, "All right everyone, grab onto Littlefoot's tail and pull hard!"
"And Littlefoot, do not squirm. Stay still so we can pull you out better," Ducky added.
Littlefoot nodded understandingly and let his body loosen up as all six of them grabbed onto Littlefoot's tail and heaved him through the sinking sand. All the while, Littlefoot felt more and more relieved. As he saw and fully appreciated just how much his friends cared about him, it only made him more and more guilty for just wanting to end it all. How would they have felt if he had actually succeeded? The more he thought about it, the worse he felt, and by the time he got pulled to solid ground, he could barely look at any of them.
There was a long pause before he heard Cera growl, "Don't ever do that again!"
Littlefoot tried his hardest to avert her gaze, but he could still feel her eyes boring into him. "You hear me Littlefoot?" she raged. "Don't ever, ever, ever, ever do that again!"
Littlefoot could only sniffle in response. "Cera," Ducky said quietly. "I do not think yelling will help Littlefoot feel any better."
"I don't care!" Cera shouted. "He didn't care how we'd feel when he did that!"
"Littlefoot, why'd you do it?" Shorty asked. "I didn't think you were that much of a flathead," as the others looked at him disapprovingly, causing him to clarify, "No offense."
Littlefoot could hardly get the worlds out, and when he finally did, it was only in a stutter. "Grandma and Grandpa, they're …" he gulped, unable to finish the sentence.
As Spike nodded, he turned to the others who still look confused. But then, Cera, Petrie and Ducky, all having seen Grandma and Grandpa's bodies on the way there, got looks of comprehension, and then they looked at Ali and Shortly glumly. "You mean they're …" Shorty asked confusedly, trailing off as the others glared at him.
"Gone, yes," Littlefoot finished, sadly.
There was a stunned silence. "Littlefoot," Cera said, putting a protective paw around his. "I didn't know."
"Nor did I," Littlefoot whimpered. "I had no idea. We were just talking this afternoon … Then they took a nap, and … They never woke up," Littlefoot sniffed. "I've not felt this bad since … Since losing Mother," he cried. "They're gone and … I'll never see them again," Littlefoot sniffed.
"Littlefoot," Ali said quietly. "I … I can't say I understand how you're feeling," she said. "But … Well, I've lost loved ones too. I lost my dad a long time ago, before we first met even. And then I lost Rhett … It's kind of silly, but he was my first serious crush. But we were great friends. Then one day, just like that, he was gone …" she trailed off. "But I'm sure they're up in the Great Above, watching over me, just like I'm sure your mother and grandparents are too."
"That's where me mother say Father is too," Petrie added.
"And where some of my relatives and your parents are too, right Spike?" Ducky asked as Spike nodded.
"And my mom and sisters," Cera sighed. "I never wanted to show it … But their loss has always hung over me. And Dad, that's why he was so overprotective of me, I guess … I was the last bit of her he had left." Cera then moved to grab Littlefoot's paw, preparing herself to swallow some pride "And Littlefoot? I'm, uh … so, so sorry for what I said about your mother when we were kids," she said as Littlefoot turned to her in surprise. "She was a real hero to save both of us like that, especially me given how much of a jerk I was. There's no point denying how disgusting the things I said were, or that I should've apologized to you long ago. But … I just hope you can forgive me now."
Littlefoot's eyes welled up as he brought his head to hers as they rubbed their cheeks together. "That's okay Cera," Littlefoot said, trying to conceal just how much Cera's apology meant, especially given how seldom apologies came from her. "I knew you've always been sorry in my heart. But I really appreciate you finally telling me," he said before they kissed.
"I guess you're right," Littlefoot smiled as he looked wistfully into the vast, expansive sky, which had just acquired a tint of color with the bright circle just starting to rise. "They are all there, watching over us from the Great Above."
"Yep yep yep," Ducky said. "But they would not want us to be sad. They would want us to be happy together, they would."
"And me sure they happy seeing us together right now," Petrie added. "Because we be friends forever, right?"
"Mm-hmm!" they all agreed.
Then, to everyone's surprise, a flying rock went soaring above their heads. As they looked however, they saw it radiated an intense brightness, blinding them all for a second before it shot past, making its way very slowly toward the earth's surface. They watched as the flying rock soar past their sight in wonder.
"Whoa," Ducky said as she saw it disappear.
"This reminds me of that stone of cold fire," Littlefoot said curiously.
"You mean that dumb old flying rock?" Cera asked snarkily.
But just as she did, somewhere very far away, they heard a crackling bang, saw a small eruption of sand clouds, and seconds later, they felt a thin coat of dust sprinkle down upon them.
"Me wish sky not do that," Petrie asked, rubbing his eyes.
"I wonder why it did?" Ali asked.
"Me too," Littlefoot said. "But I guess that's just another thing we'll learn, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Shorty said doubtfully. "But first, we've gotta get going first. What'd the elders think if saw us hanging out by the sinking sand?"
"Probably nothing," Cera yawned. "Other than what trouble are those overgrown eggs looking to get into this time."
Everyone laughed, but knew it would probably be best if they dispersed for the time being, so Ali and Shorty went back their herds, Ducky, Petrie and Spike went back to the hill they were on, and Littefoot and Cera headed to their nest as well.
"Thanks Cera," Littlefoot said. "You guys have really got me out of trouble this time."
"Hey, you've played the hero so much it's only natural you'd be the one needing saving once," Cera teased.
"Yeah," Littlefoot smiled. "But that's what friends are for, isn't it? To help each other!"
"Yeah, you said it," Cera agreed.
And with a much lighter heart, Littlefoot prepared to face the new day around him. He would never forget his memories with his grandparents and knew he would always miss them. But he knew that with his friends by his side, he would be able to get through whatever challenge life would throw his way.