Reconciled Bonds

Meanwhile…

As Aylene and Littlefoot ran off to find their friends, Doc and Elaine waited patiently in silence. But it wasn't in a peaceful kind of silence. Both of them kept exchanging glances at one another. Elaine bit her lip a few times, and Doc kept taking in deep breaths.

Each of them was waiting for the other to say something first. The happiness and joy of seeing each other again seemed to have wavered a bit since Littlefoot and Aylene left. While there was still a hint of it, there was more of an uncertainty as to what they should say next. It had been so long since they had seen each other, let alone talk. They didn't quite know who should speak first.

Finally, Doc couldn't stand the quietness anymore.

"So, you finally came back."

Elaine frowned. Doc didn't sound like he was mad, but he did sound less than thrilled.

"So, what kept ya?" he asked, his tone sounding just a little bitter.

"Doc, I…" Elaine hesitated, "I'm so sorry. Believe me, I wanted to come back all those years ago, but I couldn't."

"Why's that?" Doc asked.

"The Stone just wouldn't work for me anymore." Elaine explained, looking away with sadness. "I tried and tried, but nothing I did worked. But you have to believe, I never wanted you think I abandoned you. I would never do that."

"I know." Doc said, his voice was very low. "That's not what worried me. I know you wouldn't have just abandoned our mission, nor did I ever think for a minute that you bailed out because you were afraid. I know you're not a coward, Elaine. No, that's not what worried me. I thought something horrible had happened to you. I honestly thought you had been killed back in your world."

Elaine shrunk back a bit.

"But you're obviously okay," Doc continued, "and you now have a granddaughter."

"And a grandson." Elaine added softly. "Aylene has an older brother."

"That said," Doc replied, "I can safely that you were okay the whole time you were gone. But I am curious, why did you give up trying to come back?"

Elaine brought a hand up to wipe away some tears forming in her eyes.

"Doc," she said slowly, fighting off the emotion of sadness, "I just couldn't take it anymore. I tried and tried for so long. But nothing I did worked. It became too much for me to handle. Finally, I just had to assume that the Stone stopped working for me. I thought it was because I was too old."

"Elaine, you were hardly my age when I last saw you." Doc pointed out. "You were in the prime of your life, and I can tell you are still significantly younger than me."

"I know." Elaine sighed heavily. "And the fact that Aylene was able to bring me back here pretty much debunks my theory anyway. But even now, I still don't know why it worked now and not back then. But please believe me, I never wanted to give up. I wanted to come back more than anything."

"I know you did." Doc said. "It's just…it was pretty hard without you. Not knowing if you were alive or dead. And not knowing if you were ever going to come back. For a while, I thought I would never see you again."

Elaine grimaced. She had no idea that her absence would cause this much pain to her dear friend. But she could see it in his eyes. He missed her just as much as she missed him.

Then Doc's stoic frown slowly changed into a soft smile.

"But you know, none of that seems to matter anymore. After all, if there's one thing we've learned from life, it's change what you can and accept what you can't. We've always tried to fix problems when we could. When we couldn't, we just had to move on."

"True." Elaine whispered. "But we also learned to never forget the ones we hold dear."

At last, Doc and Elaine made eye contact with each other. Doc then lowered his head towards his human friend, and Elaine reached her arms out to hug his snout.

"I thought about you every day." Elaine said warmly. "I hoped and prayed that you were safe and alive, and that someday we would see each other again."

"As did I." Doc replied in the same voice. "Though I had my doubts, I kept hoping I would see you at least one more time, my friend."

Those two words, "my friend", as simple as they were, struck a powerful cord in Elaine. A few tears escaped her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Her heart danced with happiness, and her soul felt revived.

Doc felt the same way as well. After years of waiting, wondering, hoping and fearing, he finally got to see his human friend again.

At long last, the two friends were reunited again.

After a few minutes, Elaine let go of Doc. The two looked at each other for a second before Doc looked up into the sky.

"You know," Doc said, "your granddaughter reminds me a lot of you. She has your eyes."

"Yes, I know." Elaine nodded. "And her friends are quite the curious bunch. To be honest, she and Littlefoot kind of remind me of us when we were younger. We just wanted to experience everything this world had to offer."

"True to that. That's why we left the Valley to begin with."

"Who would've thought that our adventures would take us here?"

"No one. But then again, the future is something we can never fully know. We can only keep walking on our own wondering trails until we reach the end."

"Heh, you haven't changed a bit, have you." Elaine smiled.

"I could say the same about you." Doc grinned.

At that moment, a voice called out to them.

"Grandma, we're back!"

Elaine and Doc looked over and saw Littlefoot and Aylene running back towards them with their friends close behind.

"Well, looks like we have some guests to entertain." Elaine said.

"I guess they'll want to hear our stories." Doc sighed heavily.

"That shouldn't be too hard." Elaine replied. "We've got plenty of those."


A little while later, the Gang was joined by Cera and Derek, much to Dinah and Dana's happiness. While Cera was less than thrill to be tackled by the twins, she was more interested in hearing the stories that Elaine and her Diplodocus friend had to tell than the twins.

Lucky for her, the twins were also eager to hear those stories.

During the rest of the afternoon, the Gang sat and listened to the many stories of the Lone Wanders.

They learned how Doc and Elaine first met in the Great Valley when Elaine first came to this world. Doc was an orphan who lived on his own. He met Elaine after she stumbled out of a portal and into his world. Seeing as the two were both alone, they had quickly struck up a friendship.

After a few years, they began to hear of the terrors happening to the leaf-eaters in the Mysterious Beyond. The two decided to leave the Valley to see what they could do to help. That's how their real adventures began. They traveled across the land with only just each other for company. They honed their fighting skills together until they became a cohesive team that could stand up to just about any predator that challenged them.

The whole time, the Gang was captivated by the stories of these two veterans of this world and its dangers. They didn't even notice the sun beginning to set behind the mountains surrounding the Valley. Nor did they notice the change in light as it went from gold, to pink, to red.

The stories that were being told by these two great heroes had all of their attention.

"Wow." Littlefoot exhaled. "You both had some really amazing adventures. I wish we could've been there."

"Same here." Aylene smiled. "I would love to have seen all the places you have seen."

"Well, it wasn't always fun and games, my dear." Elaine said gently. "There were times when we faced extreme dangers. There are times where I'm surprised that we managed to get out of them alive and intact."

"When you live in a world like this, survival isn't always certain." Doc added grimly. "But our footsteps were planted on the wandering trail long ago. And I wouldn't want to change that for anything."

"True." Elaine replied softly. "We did learn a lot about this world and ourselves on that trail. So in the end, I guess you can say that it was worth it."

"I guess I can agree with some of that." Derek shrugged. "But I do have to ask something."

"What's that, Derek?"

"Why did you give Aylene the Time Stone when you knew the dangers of this world? I mean, weren't you concerned for her safety?"

Elaine blinked at the question. She then regained her composure and answered calmly,

"Of course, I was. But the truth is, I thought she was going to end up in the Great Valley like I did, and just like my father. I thought the Valley was the starting place for all Time Stone users. I didn't think Aylene would end up outside of the Valley."

"Really?" Aylene asked, surprised.

"Well, I guess it's lucky for us that she ended up where we were." Cera grinned. "If she hadn't, I don't know where we'd be."

Aylene gave a big smile.

"And I don't know where I'd be without all of you," she said. "So, I guess it was a win-win situation for all of us."

The Gang couldn't help but laugh at that statement.

"Hmph, you're a cheerful bunch, aren't you?" Doc grinned. "It's very rare to see various herds of dinosaurs together. Some are just too prideful to get along."

"Well, we must be some of the exceptions." Ducky said. "Because we always have fun when we're together. Yep, yep, yep."

"And we take pride in our little herd." Littlefoot smiled. "After all, working together is how we got through many dangers."

"True to that." Aylene nodded. "I guess our meeting out in the middle of nowhere was a blessing in disguise."

"Well, we sometimes meet our friends in mysterious ways." Elaine grinned.

"And we sometimes lose them in mysterious ways." Doc frowned.

Everyone turned and looked at the elderly Diplodocus. They were half-expecting him to have a kind of sad expression on his face. But oddly enough, he looked more like he was in deep thought.

"Something wrong, Doc?" Elaine asked, concerned.

"Well, this might sound strange, but I seem to recall something that happened the night you left." Doc said.

"What that?" Petrie asked.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I remember that shortly after Elaine left for her world, a strange meteorite flew across the sky." Doc said. "It glowed an eerie blue, and was so bright that it burned my eyes just to look at it. There was something weird about it, too. I don't know what it was, but it felt…strange."

"Strange how?" Elaine asked.

"I can't quite describe it, but it had a sense of power to it. Not like a regular meteorite. Not only that, but I saw that it landed somewhere in the distance. In fact, I think landed close to the Great Valley."

"Really?" Aylene blinked. "That sounds interesting."

It was at that moment that a strong, gruff voice spoke up.

"What's going on here?!"

Everyone turned sharply around to see Topps walking towards them. Cera took one look at her father and shrunk back a bit. Derek, who was sitting next to her, put his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. She looked at him straight in the face, and he gave her a small nod and wink.

Topps stopped just a few feet away from the group, and his attention immediately turned to Doc.

"Who is this?" he asked harshly. "Are you bothering our kids?"

Doc narrowed his eyes defensively. Already, he wasn't pleased by this Triceratops's aggressive disposition.

Elaine got up from her spot, cool as a cucumber, and walked over Topps.

"Mr. Threehorn," she said graciously, "this is my friend, Doc. He was passing through the Valley and happened to run into us."

Topps glared suspiciously at Elaine, but the human woman didn't even flinch. She just maintained eye contact with him.

"Daddy, it's true!" Cera spoke up.

Topps immediately turned his attention to his daughter. She swallowed hard the moment he looked at her.

"Cera, where have you been?!" he asked, raising his voice a bit. "You were supposed to be watching the twins!"

"I-I know." Cera stuttered nervously. "But I…I mean…"

It was then that Derek got up from his spot and stood beside Cera.

"Please understand, Topps," he said calmly, "Cera just needed some alone-time for a while. We all need some time to ourselves. She just needed some time to clear her head, then she was going to take care of the twins."

"Is that true, Cera?" Topps asked his daughter, lowing his tone.

"Yes, Daddy." Cera replied, nodding her head quickly. "It's just as he said."

"I see." Topps sighed heavily. "Okay, but from now on, let me know before you wander off on your own. After all, it is your duty to watch the twins, understood?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Now, c'mon. It's late."

Without another word, Topps turned away and began to walk away.

"Right. C'mon Dinah, Dana."

The two twins laughed as they ran after Cera. As they walked away, Cera looked back over her shoulder to Derek.

"Thanks," she mouthed to him.

"No problem." Derek mouthed back.

Aylene noticed the subtle exchange. She walked up to her brother and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Derek, what was that all about?" she asked.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Derek replied, stretching his arms. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm about ready to turn in. I say we call it a day for now."

"Good idea." Petrie yawned. "Me tired. See you tomorrow."

With that, Petrie spread his wings and flew off towards his home.

"I'm tired, too." Ducky said sleepily. "C'mon Spike. Let's go home."

Spike gave a small groan as he nodded in agreement. Ducky hoisted herself up onto his neck, and he began to walk away from the group.

"I guess it's our turn." Derek shrugged. "Let's get back."

"Hey Doc," Littlefoot said eagerly, "why don't you come back with us? I want to introduce you to Grandma and Grandpa."

"Thanks, kid, but I think I'll pass." Doc said dryly.

"But Doc…" Littlefoot whined.

"Doc just needs some time alone, Littlefoot." Elaine explained. "But there's always tomorrow. How about we wait until then, okay?"

Littlefoot opened his mouth to try and protest. But he immediately closed it when he realized that Elaine had a point. Slowly, he nodded.

"Okay." Aylene piped up. "Now that that's settled, let's get back to the nest and get some sleep. Tomorrow's a new day, after all."

Littlefoot looked over at his friend and smiled. There was no way he could stay gloomy when his best friend was so optimistic.

As Littlefoot, Aylene and Derek all walked away, Doc let out a long, deep breath.

"Their good kids," he said with a small grin. "Overly curious, but good."

"You're just relieved that the days over so that you can have some space." Elaine teased.

Doc grunted in response.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Elaine waved.

"Hmph, good-night Elaine."

With that, Elaine walked away. Doc settled down in his little space and soon fell asleep.


At the base of a large, stone landmark that was in the shape of a sauropod, two large predatory dinosaurs were locked in a violent battle. One was a tannish-red Allosaurus, and the other was an olive-green Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The aura of the nighttime added an ominous vibe to their fight. The full moon shone down a silvery light, and reflected in the menacing eyes of the fighting predators.

"I told you this is my turf!" the Allosaurus roared at his opponent.

"I was here first!" the T-Rex bellowed. "So either get lost, or I'll take you down!"

The Allosaurus didn't back down. Instead, he charged forward towards his opponent and rammed his head into the center of the T-Rex's chest. The T-Rex gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, and he stumbled back a bit. As soon as he recovered, he scowled at the Allosaurus. He opened his mighty jaws and moved in to bit down on his enemy's neck.

The Allosaurus moved out of the way just in time. He retaliated and jumped up to land on the T-Rex's back. The T-Rex thrashed and moved about wildly to get the wicked biter off of him. Thinking quickly, he rushed forward and slammed the Allosaurus up against the giant sauropod rock.

The shockwave of the attack rushed up the rock and caused one of the loose stones near the base of the neck to waver.

The T-Rex slammed up against the rock again, causing the Allosaurus to let go of him and fall to the ground.

At the same time, the loose stone broke free from the rest of the rock and fell towards the earth below.

Both biters halted and looked up to see the rock coming straight towards them. They each darted away in opposite directions just as the rock came crashing to the ground, where it instantly broke apart into smaller pieces.

At the same time, a small, pulsing light penetrated the darkness of the night. The two biters looked up at the spot where the rock had once been, and saw something unusual.

A strange, eerily blue light was glowing from the hole.

Suddenly, the light pulsated even brighter for a second. It seemed to send a small wave throughout both the earth and sky.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, to the two predators shock, the earth began to tremble. It started as a small rumble, but it quickly grew and grew into a mighty force. The ground beneath their very feet shook violently, causing the trees nearby to sway and totter. Some even uprooted and fell to the ground.

The two predators panicked at the sudden turn of events and immediately fled away from the scene to find shelter.


Aylene's eyes snapped opened as the ground beneath her vibrated suddenly.

Beside her, Littlefoot woke up in a fright as he felt the earthquake. Simply out of reaction, Aylene clutched at Littlefoot, and he wrapped his neck protectively around her. All around them, the land trembled and rumbled with such a tremendous force that it caused several trees around them to topple over.

The sound of herds across the Valley could be heard as the earthquake roused them from their slumber. Rocks from the Great Wall came tumbling down to the Valley below, and the waters in the lakes and rivers splashed around wildly.

Then, just as soon as it had started, the earthquake ended.

For a moment, a stunned silence spread throughout the entire Great Valley.

Aylene swallowed hard and took in a few deep breaths to calm her rapidly beating heart. The nerves in her body tingle with shock, but slowly began to settle back down as the danger had passed.

"You okay, Littlefoot?" she asked, shakily.

"Y-Yeah." Littlefoot replied, just as shaken up as she was. "That was quite an earthquake."

"No kidding." Aylene exhaled deeply.

"Hey, are you guys okay?"

Aylene and Littlefoot looked up to see Derek running over to them. Close behind him was Grandma and Grandpa Longneck, and Elaine. All of them had a slightly disturbed glint in their eyes. The earthquake took them by surprise, too.

"Yeah, we're okay." Aylene replied. "Geez, that was unexpected."

"Well, we can't predict when earthquakes will happen, now can we?" Elaine said heavily. The sudden earthquake nearly gave her a heartattack before.

"Well, the good thing is that no one got hurt." Grandma Longneck said. "From what I could tell, that wasn't a deadly earthquake."

"Just in case, let's go and check on everyone." Grandpa Longneck said to his wife. "The rest of you stay here and try to settle down. We'll be back soon."

"Okay, Grandpa." Littlefoot nodded.

Aylene watched as the two elderly Apatosaurus's walked away.

What she didn't notice was that the stone around her neck gave a faint glow. It happened so fast that neither she, nor anyone else around her, noticed.