Chapter X: The Winds of Change
In which the gang of seven becomes more.
"My lord! I- I didn't know you were standing there," the Long Neck stammered.
Dusk chuckled. "It's alright, dear. You were trying to help Menta, and for that, you have my thanks. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like a few words with her."
She bowed courteously and left them alone. Menta sat upright.
Dusk knelt to eye level with Menta and spoke softly. "Menta, if I told you once, I've told you a thousand times: take it easy with your power. Your concern for my welfare is more like an obsession. By putting yourself in harm's way, you only make me worry more. Since you want what is best for me, please stop making me worry. Understand?"
"Yes, my lord."
Dusk sighed. "You say that and in the exact same tone every time I explain all this." He got to his feet. "Get some more rest. When you have recovered, join the rest of us in the meeting room, alright?"
"Of course, my lord." As Dusk left her, Menta let out a heavy sigh and plopped onto her back. "I'd rather risk you worrying than risk you dead."
"Don't look so surprised," Rey told Chomper. "Did you think his friendliness toward you was just a typical circumstance? He came to know of the prophecy, surely from that psychic friend of his, and he was just trying to get at least one of you on his side to keep The Seven from stopping him."
"You're lying!" Chomper exclaimed.
"Is he?" Reina asked. "Dusk is highly intelligent. He knows how to get what he wants- all made possible by pretending he wants what others do. He wears down minds, focusing on several factors, and in the end, the dinosaur is mere mud in his hands, able to be shaped as Dusk sees fit. Did he do anything nice for you when you two first met?"
"He saved me life," Chomper said in an angry tone.
"There, you see?" Reina continued. "He did something nice for you, putting you in a state of feeling obligated towards him."
"I don't know what that means, but Dusk helped me get back to the others, so he wasn't trying to keep me separated," Chomper said.
"More mind games!" Reina exclaimed. "He knows he has several chances to get you away, so he gave up that one so you would be less suspicious in the future. When you've been around, you learn how to read dinosaurs."
"I don't believe Dusk would do anything like that. If finding this stone and saving your world will take all seven of us, and Dusk wanted to make sure I didn't help you guys, why did he save my life? He would have had nothing more to worry about if he'd have let me die," Chomper explained defiantly.
Rey put his hand on his chin in thought. Chomper had a point there. If Dusk truly wanted the prophecy to fail, why didn't he let Chomper die when the chance came? Perhaps Dusk isn't as easy to read as Reina thinks.
"Besides, how do you know Dusk is the one who wants to make this terrible wish? Maybe there is another you don't know about."
"In the vision, he saw a day after the 'bright circle' had gone down, but before the sky had grown dark."
"So what?" Cera asked.
"The time in a day when the 'bright circle' is down but night has not yet taken over is called 'dusk,'" Rey explained. Now it was Chomper's turn to be speechless.
"Think what you will," was all Reina could think of to add. Then she paused. Turning to Rey, she asked, "Is it almost time?"
"Eh, we're getting there," he replied. "Although, the children are much younger, so the changes will likely take place sooner than it would for one of us. The more developed a mind is, the longer the energy takes to get through."
"Changes?" Ruby asked. "What kind of changes will the changes bring?"
"The stone radiates energy in a fair vicinity, and to those who soak it up long enough, power is given. You've all seen the power we have. It is called 'Transport.' We can disappear, then reappear any place that we can see from where we currently are. We can also bring with us anything that we have touched. Didn't you all ever wonder how I got that big pile of green food into that cave for you? However, touching something lets us Transport it one time. If we want to move it again, we have to touch it once more."
"So that's why you tapped all of us before we appeared here!" Littlefoot said.
"Correct," Rey answered. "Anyway, soon you all will have power of your own."
"You mean, we get to move around like you do?" Petrie asked.
"Very doubtful," he answered. "The power you get reflects your lifestyle. Her and I love to be on the move, and as a result, our power lets us move around with great ease. Also, your outer body will change color depending on what power you get, although the new coloration can only be seen by others with a power."
"Ooh, that sounds exciting, it does, it does," Ducky said excitedly.
"When we get the power, how do we know what to do with it?" Ruby wanted to know.
"Ah, good question. The power binds to you, becoming a natural part of what makes you, well, you. Nobody had to teach you how to breathe when you were born. Using the power will come to you as easily as when you took your first breath of fresh air. Now, I suggest we all relax here until it happens. The changes will be very strenuous on your bodies, so best get some rest."
The nine dinosaurs all sat down as comfortably as they could. The winds began to pick up, warm and pleasant on the cool day. A few minutes went by.
"This is so boring!" Cera growled. "Are you sure something is going to happen?"
"No," Reina answered. "This is all based off some random guess, and for all we know, nothing may happen at all."
The children turned to her, and she could barely suppress smiling at her sarcasm.
"Why you-"
"Cera, just calm down. Save your strength," Littlefoot reasoned.
"Ooh! If I have to listen to her one more time, I-" but she stopped as she began to feel dizzy.
"It has begun," Rey announced.
All the children except Littlefoot hung their head and their bodies began to glow. There came a bright flash from the six of them, then the light faded. Save Littlefoot, the children's bodies were now each of a different color. Ducky was blue, Petrie purple, Ruby grey, Chomper brown, Spike dark grey, and Cera dark green.
"You have all become more than you were. You will need these powers to be triumphant in this quest," Rey declared.
"Why do you keep making this out to be a big deal?" Cera asked. "We have to find the stone before Dusk's group does. If they wanna play rough, I'll show 'em a thing or two."
The Rainbow Faces sighed at her constant underestimating of the situation.
"I don't understand," Littlefoot said. "Why did they change colors, and why didn't I?"
"Your friends have been given great power, and their bodies adapted in the process. Their new colors reflect the type of power they've gained. As to why you have not, I must say, I too am at a loss," Rey told him, scratching his head. "For some reason, the power is taking longer to take effect on you."
"In the mean time, let's begin your training. You may know what your power is, but that doesn't make you adapt at using it. I will be right back," Reina told them.
Minutes later, she returned. "Up to this point, nearly all you've done against these is run. Now you have the power to fight. If you think you're capable of accomplishing this mission- I really don't care. What I want to see, is proof. Transport!"
Before the group appeared a full-grown Sharptooth, sound asleep. The children gasped.
"Err, don't you think this is a bit much for their first go at it?" Rey whispered.
"We won't see anything unless the stakes are high," she replied. "Now then!" she called out, "Make this Sharptooth run from you, and I'll know if you're all really up to this. When you gain power, you automatically know how it works. Let's see how you use that knowledge."
She bent over, picked up a small rock, and flung it at the Sharptooth. He awoke slowly, drowsily opening his eyes and getting to his feet. His eyes jerked widely however, when the meat before him came into view.
Ducky quickly looked around for water, and Cera did for plants. Petrie flew up, shaking, and flapped his wings hard. Gusts of wind blasted from them, but the Sharptooth was too big to be knocked over from them. He was forced back only slightly and batted his claws in front of his face, and Petrie flew out of reach. Spike ran up to the Sharptooth and bit his foot. It didn't hurt much, but he lifted his great leg and brought it down hard on Spike's small body.
"Spike!" Ducky screamed.
The Sharptooth screamed too, bit his shriek was in pain. He lifted his foot to reveal blood, but it wasn't Spike's. Spike's body had become very hard, harder than stone, and the spikes on his tail had punctured the Sharptooth's foot.
Cera spotted a tree and concentrated. Its roots sprung out of the ground and covered the Sharptooth's feet, but he broke out of them with ease. "No, it didn't work…"
"There is no water here. What can I do?" Ducky thought frantically. Then she looked at that tree and remembered one of Mr. Thicknose's lessons, how plants soak up water to survive. She lifted up her hands and water broke free from the tree and she flung it into the Sharptooth's eyes.
He staggered around, moving closer to the ledge, but he began to regain his balance. Ruby quickly ran up to him, flung her arms toward him, and gusts of wind rammed into him, knocking him closer to the ledge. Chomper lifted a medium-sized boulder and flung it behind the Sharptooth. The Sharptooth stepped back, lost his footing on the boulder, then Petrie added gusts of his own to Ruby's which sent him falling down the cliff.
Littlefoot watched all of this in amazement.
Rey and Reina clapped their hands together. "Well done," he said. "You used your newfound powers in conjunction with a sudden situation quite impressively."
None of the children understood that, but they figured that it was a compliment.
"As for you," Rey said, turning to Littlefoot, who was still unchanged, "I am most perplexed…"