Welcome back to the next chapter! Sorry for the wait but rest assured I have every intention of getting this fanfic completed ... But we've got a long way to go to get there, starting of course with this chapter!
Please note in my headcanon I have made a species alteration reflecting scientific updates since The Great Longneck Migration. Sue's boyfriend's species is officially an Ultrasauros, a species that is no longer deemed as scientifically valid, but I've changed him to being a Sauroposeidon, another gigantic macronarian "boxhead" longneck. This of course changes nothing about the actual story.
As always, I really do appreciate feedback, in the forms of favs/follows/reviews or private messages. If you liked this story, please leave some feedback, for I could always use some to help get me motivated to write more! Guests can review anonymously as well.
A Also, if you haven't already, check out my DeviantArt page (also AllegroGiocoso) to see the pics I've come up with for this story. And of course, The Land Before Time and its universe belong to Universal. To support the franchise, make sure to buy all the movies and the TV series, which has just come out in its entirety for the first time in the States!
Chapter 19 – Mi Casa es Sue Casa
"Is that you, Sue?" Littlefoot asked curiously, looking up at the giant whiptail.
Sue giggled lightly. "Why, you do have a good memory," she smiled. "But then again, it was the journey where you met your father … Just as it was the one where I finally met my handsome one that I can look up to."
"That's right," said Sue's even taller boyfriend, seductively nipping her face, causing her to blush and giggle. "I don't think we've properly met," he said simply. "The name's Ross. And I'm truly thankful. If you and your grandparents didn't let Sue tag along with you, well … I may never have met my little lady," he said, as the two of them broke into yet more giggles.
Cera rolled her eyes. "Geez, are they sappy or what?" she muttered, causing Chomper to snicker a bit. This piqued Sue's attention. "Oh my, you're a sharptooth!"
"Yep, I'm Chomper," he said happily. "Don't worry, I'm a friendly sharptooth," he explained.
"And this is Ruby and Ali," Littlefoot filled Sue in as they introduced themselves.
Sue blushed. "It's so nice to meet you all. And we were so glad we could help. But I don't suppose … "
She looked at her boyfriend, who nodded and Sue asked, "I don't mean to be pushy, but … Well, first, can you promise to keep a secret?"
Everyone looked at each other. "As long as nothing dangerous," Petrie said evenly, and everyone else agreed.
Sue smiled. "I knew I could count on you … Well then, why don't you recover from your injuries at our place? It's a nice, private cave, really not that far from here."
"Thanks," Littlefoot said, looking at his friends. "But I don't know if we can all fit inside."
"No worries, there is plenty of room, and we've even got plenty of food inside," Ross said soothingly. "We gathered all the trees we could just as the fires started."
"The only thing is," Sue said delicately. "We can see how good friends you are with each other. And we hope well … If you could share that same kindness with our son."
"You have a son!" Ducky exclaimed. "He must be so adorable! I would love to see him, yep, yep …"
But Ducky trailed off with a gasp. In her excitement, it just dawned on her that she was speaking to a mixed species couple. This was not lost on the others, who too were sharing significant looks with one another.
"Do you mean …" Littlefoot asked curiously, his heart jolting with excitement. "You have a birth son?"
"I know, I'm a whiptail and Ross is a boxhead," Sue said, sounding slightly crestfallen with their questioning. "I know you probably aren't comfortable with interspecies couples or seeing a hybrid child. Oh well, I just thought …"
She trailed off, for she saw Chomper grinning broadly at her, while Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky and Petrie were still in shock as they looked at their mates. "No, no, that's not it!" Chomper exclaimed. "Littlefoot and Cera are a couple too, and so are Ducky and Petrie!"
"Oh yes, we are mixed couples too, just like you!" Ducky chimed in brightly.
Now it was Sue and Ross' turn to be surprised, but one look at Littlefoot, Cera and Petrie all nodding was enough to convince them. "Well, I'll be!" Sue exclaimed in amazement. "It may be more than coincidence that we met again."
"Would you please come?" Ross asked hopefully. "You might be just what our son needs."
"We'd be honored," said Littlefoot.
So the gang followed the older longnecks to their cave, and while they went slowly, the walk was still very difficult. Littlefoot, Cera and Spike, having many fast biter teeth entrenched in their soles, could not walk properly without digging the teeth in further, so they had to walk on their toes to avoid this. Ali and Shorty meanwhile had their legs very bloodied, with paths of drying blood following in their wake as they felt sharp pain all over the numerous spots the sharpteeth bit them. And while Chomper was not injured, walking was still a challenge for him as he was carrying several of the carcasses left over from the fight with his mouth and tail to relieve his hunger, which was flaring up with all of the activity.
"So, when did you all get together?" Sue asked curiously.
"We are just married, we are," Ducky explained happily. "But we had feelings for each other long before that. We all found out together and even had a double wedding!"
"A double wedding," Sue said, her eyes melting. "That's just perfect for friends like you who've always been so close."
"And we are not the only ones! Spike now has a girlfriend, right Spike?" Ducky asked cheerfully, to which Spike nodded, blushing and grunting slightly. "They do not talk much, but that is just the way Spike likes it!"
"Sounds like you make a great match," Ross said.
"And, may I ask, what about the rest of you? Do you have any special someones?" Sue asked curiously.
"No, not me, and Chomper's still a bit young," Ruby trailed off as Chomper looked curiously.
"And what about you two?" Sue cooed to Ali and Shorty.
"We saw you two fighting those sharpteeth together," Ross said. "You looked like you make a good team."
"That's just what I was thinking," Sue marveled.
Ali and Shorty both felt themselves go red, their eyes determinedly not looking at the other as Littlefoot looked at them both curiously.
"They're single like Chomper and me," Ruby said.
"Well, if you'd like a mate someday, always keep your eye out," Ross said calmly. "I always thought I'd be single my whole life. But when I met Sue … I don't know, everything just changed. Things just clicked between us. And I'm sure if you open your heart up, the same could happen to you."
"Who knows, they may even be right before your eyes," Sue said sweetly, before giggling, "Oh dear, sorry, I must sound corny, huh?"
Littlefoot carefully took glances at Ali and Shorty and saw they both looked highly abashed. He saw too that he wasn't the only one, for Cera, Petrie, Ducky, Spike and Chomper were also trying to take covert glances at Ali and Shorty, some more successfully than others but none able to avoid getting caught by Littlefoot's keen eye. Only Ruby didn't seem to be intrigued, but Littlefoot could almost make out a knowing smile on her hard to read face.
"So how about you two?" Littlefoot asked, eager to find out more about the older mixed couple. "Did you two know you could have a baby?"
"Honestly, no," Sue giggled. "We were so in love with one another we didn't give it a thought at first. But in the back of my mind, I always wanted a baby to call my own someday."
"And I always knew Sue had a love for children, and I wanted to raise a child with her," Ross explained. "So we talked it over one night … And decided to attempt the impossible."
Ross sighed as he recounted. "I won't treesweet coat it. The journey to get there was difficult to say the least. Once we both committed to it, we were … Let's say a very active couple," he said delicately. "Without any idea if we'd succeed. At times we didn't think we could do it. There were times when Sue and I talked about bringing surrogate parents in to help us out.'
"But the bigotry among others is unbelievable," Sue explained. "There were those who seemed nice but called us freaks, race traitors, or even condemned enemies of the Bright Circle. And while some kind souls wanted to help us, the pressure was incredible. There are those who'd literally try to kill anyone who'd help a mixed race couple."
"Not to mention those rotten cowards who tried to lead sharpteeth right to us to their dirty work," said Ross gruffly.
The gang looked at each other sadly. These feelings were not new to the gang, for even in the Great Valley, they had faced much judgment over the cold times due to their friendship and later their budding romantic feelings. And to this day, they knew some Valley residents disliked them for their choice of partners, though luckily they didn't see them too often, for most of them had not been on speaking terms with them and their families since they were kids and weren't part of the Circle of Elders. Nevertheless, they couldn't imagine even the most bigoted Valley resident would sink that low.
"But why?" Littlefoot asked. "Why would anyone do such horrible things?"
"They think they're in the right," Ross said gruffly. "They claim that the Bright Circle demands a strict species purity, where herds stick only to their own kinds, and still to this day, many follow this idea without question."
"Many of the dinosaurs out here have other alarming ideas," Sue said sadly. "Some males refused to help me since I refused to submit to them."
Cera coughed. "Excuse me?" she said in disbelief. "You're telling me some rockheads actually want girls to be all walked over on by boys?"
"Yes," Sue sighed. "And it's worse than that. Many herds feel males are better than females, that all females should belong to a male, and that a female's fate is decided by a courtship duel between two males."
Cera swore loudly. "That's the biggest load of sharptooth crap I've ever heard! Why don't they give them a piece of their mind!"
"Females don't have a choice," Sue explained sadly. "And in some herds, if a female would try to resist being mated with, she'd be deemed as going against the Bright Circle and an interrupter of the circle of life, and she would be forever marked for murder by the herd."
The gang paused ominously, now understanding the full breadth of Ann's situation and why there was never any accountability for her perpetrator.
"Some herds don't stop there," Ross said. "Some even are convinced that the Bright Circle made them better than everyone else, and that they have the right to invade the lands of other herds and slaughter others for the scarce green food, even claiming the land was meant to be theirs."
This gave the gang more food for thought, about Earl's hatred of boxheads for taking his family's food. Then Littlefoot thought about his father-in-law's use of the term outsiders and saw how uncomfortable Cera looked. "Perhaps this is the environment where Mr. Threehorn came from," Littlefoot thought with realization. With that in mind, he could only be grateful that Mr. Threehorn had been kicked out of the herd, otherwise, he'd never get to know Cera, and who knows how she and her father would have turned out. "And seeing how he and Cera were at first, I can only imagine how the rest of the herd would be like."
"I do not understand," Ducky sighed. "The Bright Circle and the circle of life are supposed to be good things, things of hope and faith, they are! The Bright Circle even helped us get to the Great Valley! Why would anyone use them for bad?"
"Yeah, especially since the Bright Circle is really just a dumb old flying rock in the sky," Cera said matter-of-factly. "No offense," she said quickly, for the others gave her a look.
"None taken," Ross said evenly. "Not everyone's a believer."
"Well," said Chomper through a mouthful of fast biter tails. "I think they should just stop fighting and get along! Like we do back in the Valley! I'm sick of this my kind is better than your kind crap, and these predators who try to force themselves … If anyone tried to force themselves on Ruby, I'm gonna rip …"
And in the heat of the moment, a fast biter body fell from Chomper's mouth. Everyone else was at Chomper, surprised with such an intense response without a prompt. "Relax Chomper," Ruby said, trying to conceal her own surprise. "No one's shown any interest in forcing themselves on me."
"Well that's good," Chomper said awkwardly. "Because I won't let anyone hurt you … " he trailed off and said, "If everyone was nice to each other, there wouldn't be fighting!"
"And who knows," Petrie pointed out. "Maybe if herds work together, they able to stop fires before they get bad in first place."
"Well, I'm sure everyone's not like that in the Mysterious Beyond," Littlefoot said, looking to Ali and Shorty. "We've got all these farwalker herds in the Valley who never give us any trouble."
"Yeah, and Dad wouldn't let any of that nonsense happen in his herd," Shorty agreed.
"The Old One wouldn't either," Ali agreed. "She never tried to pick a fight with everyone … Well, who didn't have sharp teeth," she admitted as the others remembered Chomper's situation and rolled her eyes.
Spike also grunted in agreement. "And Spike says Sophie and her herd are not like that either, and I feel the same way, yep yep yep!" Ducky said. "They are friendly with everyone they meet."
"You're all right," Ross smiled. "Most dinosaurs are perfectly friendly. But those who are not are loud and dangerous. All it takes is one bad treestar," he explained.
"Which is why we keep little Herbie in our cave," Sue explained. "He's young, only two cold times old. But some will stop at nothing to kill a mixed race baby, which is why we know the best way to protect him is to make sure the ones that would hate him would never know him, if you know what I mean."
"But we would like him to meet someone besides us," Ross added. "And we think you'd be just right for our little one."
"I can still remember the day he hatched," Sue sighed dreamily. "It was a peaceful, starry night. All was still when all of a sudden, his little egg began to move and out popped the cutest little head I've ever seen," she cooed. "Oh, I'll never forget it, and from the moment I first laid eyes on him, I knew I would love my little Herbie forever."
"And we always will," said Ross, as he and Sue shared another nuzzle together.
Once they got inside, they could see at once why Sue and Ross chose this cave as their spot to reside. It was wide and open, with crystalline stalactites from above and a small pool below giving the cave some light. A large pile of uprooted trees was stored away to the cave's side, and they could hear someone scampering on the ground. Looking down, they saw a tiny gray boxhead toddler with a slightly longer tail and lighter build than normal was looking up at them. For being such an isolated child however, Herbie was quite sociable and eager to see them, cooing curiously at the new arrivals and looking at his parents expectantly.
"Herbie, these are friends," Sue said slowly and clearly. "Say friends?"
"F… Friends," Herbie said before excitedly saying, "Friends! Friends! Friends!"
"That's right!" Ross smiled at his son. "You're a good boy, Herbie! Daddy's gonna give you a tree star for talking," he said, and as if he'd done it countless times before, he plucked a treestar from the stack and gave it to Herbie, who happily ate it without a second thought.
Soon, it was naptime for Herbie, which finally allowed the gang to start thinking about their own healing.
"You don't have any healing flowers around, do you?" Littlefoot asked.
Sue shook her head. "Afraid not. They're hard to come by with the fires."
"That's okay," Littlefoot said reassuringly, as he, Cera, and Spike lay belly down on the ground to allow the teeth stuck in their soles to be removed. With fast biter teeth being small and the process of extracting them painful, it seemed obvious that Ruby would be the one best suited to do it given her dexterous, nimble hands. However, the process proved to be much more challenging than she thought, for she inadvertently yanked out a tooth too fast from Littlefoot's foot, splintered one in Spike's, and pushed one in further in Cera's, causing them to shout in agony.
"Sorry, I guess my hands are too big," Ruby said, realizing just how hard it was to pry the deeply wedged teeth out. "I don't know if I could do it better than how I've been doing."
"Maybe you not," Petrie said, "But me can think of someone with smaller hands than you! Me go to Great Valley and get Guido! And while me there, me can also bring healing flowers."
"Great thinking, Petrie," Littlefoot said encouragingly.
"Me be back," Petrie promised, and he walked out of the cave before swooping out.
Ducky and Chomper meanwhile, looked for anything they could find that could serve as a cast for Ali and Shorty's bloodied feet and legs. While they were able to patch up Littlefoot, Cera and Spike's injuries during the battle, the sheer extent of the big sharpteeth's bites on Ali and Shorty's legs required a larger bandage than they had previously found. Everyone knew that moss had good wound dressing properties, but the problem was finding enough needed to completely cover the injuries. As Ducky sniffed and patrolled for moss, Chomper kept lookout for her, sniffing around for predators.
"I still do not believe Sue and Ross have a kid!" exclaimed Ducky happily. "And he is cute, yep yep yep!"
"Me neither," Chomper said. "I'm so happy for them!"
Ducky sighed. "I do wonder though …" Ducky sighed, trailing off, piquing Chomper's interest. "What is it?" he asked curiously.
"Well, if Sue and Ross can have a baby … Who is to say Petrie and I cannot have babies of our own someday," she said thoughtfully. "I know we are a physically a lot more different than they are … Even more different than Littlefoot and Cera are … But there is nothing to stop us from trying, is there?"
"No, you should totally go for it, if you want to, that is," Chomper said. "I'm sure Thicknose won't mind."
"Oh no, he won't," Ducky smiled. "But if we cannot have babies, someone in the Valley can help us out."
"Just as long as it's not someone who might be Petrie's cousin," Chomper winked.
Ducky giggled. "You do not think Brara is Pterano's ward?"
"Well knowing what Petrie's uncle was like and knowing Brara," Chomper said. "Kinda fishy, isn't it? They might really be first cousins."
"You know, that reminds me," Ducky said. "I've always wondered if Littlefoot and Ali are first cousins. The two of them sure do look alike … I even thought there were two Littlefoots, I did!"
"That would make Ali's mother Littlefoot's aunt," speculated Chomper. "And his grandparents' daughter?"
"Or maybe she could be Littlefoot's dad's sister," Ducky pointed out playfully. "Or a second cousin, or a third cousin … Or maybe many, many times removed," Ducky giggled. "Anything is possible, it is."
"I wonder if Littlefoot has ever thought about this?" Chomper asked.
"You know Littlefoot," Ducky laughed. "He has probably thought about everything, he has."
"And we only just did!" Chomper said. The two of them laughed a little more before Chomper asked, "I wonder if Ali might be a surrogate mom for Littlefoot and Cera?"
"Maybe, especially because I do not think Cera would want any threehorn to be a surrogate father … She would say they are too bossy, she would."
"Like she's to talk," Chomper teased, and the two of them giggled again.
"This surrogate partnering makes my head hurt," said Ducky. "It might be better if we cannot have kids of our own to adopt," Ducky said brightly.
"Adopt?" Chomper said curiously.
"Yeah," Ducky said simply. "If we find some eggs that do not have mommies and daddies, then we could be mommies and daddies of them ourselves."
"Just make sure they don't have parents," Chomper laughed. "My mom and dad said they were worried sick for me when they lost my egg … And even though I was a baby, I still kinda remember it."
"Yes yes yes," Ducky laughed. "They were not happy at all, oh no. But maybe you could help us Chomper. Maybe you could tell if the mommy has been sitting by the nest or not. And if the egg is indeed alone, we can raise it for ourself."
"I bet I can even tell what kind of egg it is!" Chomper said. "My sniffer hasn't failed me yet!" Chomper sighed, "I wonder if that's what I'll do if I have a kid someday."
Ducky giggled. "You are too young to worry about having kids."
"Yeah," Chomper agreed. "But … I don't know. If I have a kid someday, I don't want to pass down what I am."
Ducky put her hand on Chomper's shoulder reassuringly. "You would be a good parent, Chomper. You would raise a kid of yours to be a nice sharptooth, just like you are."
"You're right," Chomper smiled. "But still, what if my kid fell in with the wrong crowd? What if they'd betray the Valley to mean sharpteeth! It would all be my fault … All because they'd want to prove themselves as a real sharptooth because they'd only be half-sharptooth if they'd even ... Err …"
Chomper paused, suddenly realizing what he said. With a look of comprehension in her eyes as she remember what he said earlier, Ducky walked right next to Chomper's ear and said quietly, "You have someone in mind, you do."
Gulping, Chomper nodded. "Don't tell her, please!" he protested.
"Of course I will not," Ducky said, but as she turned her face toward him, he could see her eyes were brimming with enthusiasm. "But Chomper … I am so happy for you! How long have you loved her?"
"I don't know," Chomper squirmed uncomfortably. "It was kind of always there, but it changed … Before we met you guys, she was like a mother to me when I left my parents … Then a big sister … Then a best friend, and now …"
Chomper sighed. "I didn't want to admit it but … By the time you guys were discovering your feelings for each other, that's when I realized … I was just like you," he said awkwardly. "But at least you all eat green food, you're all the same age … And you and Littlefoot aren't that much bigger than Cera and Petrie … But I'll be way bigger than she is when I'm all grown up! Not to mention what she'd think of me … You heard her, she said I was too young! She'd think I'm being a silly kid, she'd think I'm creepy or worse!"
Ducky giggled. "Petrie and I were so scared of confessing our feelings to each other … And so were Littlefoot and Cera, but we all got there in the end," Ducky said. "Besides, maybe Ruby has the same feelings that you do! Only she is scared of what everyone will think of falling in love with a sharptooth and someone who is still underage."
"You think?" Chomper asked hopefully.
Ducky shrugged. "Maybe. But I will try to see if she shows any signs she feels the same,"
"Thanks Ducky," Chomper smiled. "You're a great friend. But I think Ruby will be harder to read than Ali and Shorty."
Ducky giggled. "Oh yes yes yes ... Which one do you think will make the first move?"
And laughing, the two of them went looking for moss. Relieved they both got something off their chests and confided in one another, they both were in good spirits as they found enough moss to bandage Ali and Shorty up with.
By the time Ducky and Chomper returned, Petrie had brought Guido and the healing flowers over from the Great Valley, while Ruby was tending to her sick friends in any which way she could. Petrie was indeed right about Guido, for his tiny hands and beak proved adept at removing the teeth from Littlefoot, Cera and Spike's feet. Ruby meanwhile had been feeding the healing flowers to Ali and Shorty, who had difficulty eating such little foods in the dark and narrow confines of the cave.
"Oh great, you've got the moss!" Ruby exclaimed as she ran over.
"Yep yep yep!" Ducky said cheerily as she handed it to her. She then applied the moss to their bloodied legs, and soon, everyone had begun to feel a lot better. Just then, Sue and Ross, who had taken a nap with Herbie, approached the others.
"Who's ready for dinner?" Ross asked as he brought over a couple of trees.
So being mindful of Sue and Ross' limited supply, the gang ate a modest dinner of treestars, set aside Chomper, who still had plenty of fast biter bodies to eat, and Guido, who picked some dead grubs out of the tree bark. But everyone was in such good spirits from feeling better after the sharptooth attack that the light meal hardly mattered.
After dinner, however, the gang had the highlight of their day, as they all sat in a circle and played with Herbie, who curiously investigated each and every one of them. Littlefoot loved it when Herbie crawled onto his head and touched his skin playfully, and always made sure to come up with a response to keep Herbie guessing and entertained, causing Herbie to squeal with pleasure.
Littlefoot enjoyed watching his friends interacting with Herbie too. Smaller than Herbie already, Guido was scared of the rambunctious hatchling at first, but after seeing how gentle Herbie was, he began feeling more comfortable. With little siblings of her own, Ruby already was a natural at babysitting, and he cooed in delight whenever she picked him up. Herbie wasn't scared of Chomper, and he made sure to keep his mouth shut so Herbie couldn't accidentally stab himself on one of his teeth. Chomper seemed really happy, and Littlefoot, knowing how few parents would let Chomper near their hatchlings, really felt grateful seeing how welcoming Sue and Ross were to him. At times, Herbie got confused in the when he ran into Ali and Shorty, and asked, "Mommy? Daddy?", who shared in the dim light a certain similarity with his boxhead father and whiptail mother. The two young longnecks grew increasingly embarrassed as they gently tried to correct Herbie, but it proved to be hopeless as Herbie kept messing up.
Spike, always calm and gentle, was very patient with Herbie's hijinks, and while not extremely responsive, he always had a warm smile on when Herbie wanted to see him. In contrast, Ducky and Petrie were brimming with energy when playing with Herbie. Tickling vigorously with plenty of coochy-coos as he laughed almost as much as they did, Littlefoot could tell both that Ducky and Petrie were a hit with Herbie, and how much Ducky and Petrie seemed to enjoy playing with him. He couldn't help feeling watching them that whether by blood, with a surrogate or through adoption, Ducky and Petrie would have hatchlings of their own someday.
But it was his own mate's reaction to Herbie that made him most curious. Despite her hard, gruff exterior, Cera had always showed rare moments of surprising tenderness with young ones, and with little Herbie, she once again didn't disappoint. Her eyes always seemed to soften whenever he ran to her paws, and even giggled a few times as Herbie crawled on her face and pulled at her horns. As he watched, Littlefoot knew for certain that despite her visible skepticism of the prospect, she would be a great mother – perhaps a bit grumpy and overprotective like her dad was, but with a big heart and would love her kid no matter what. Her only downfall was she was a little slow picking up on all of Herbie's emotions and gestures. All the child would need was someone to open up to and always provide a strong, stable and warm shoulder for them to cry on. A sensitive touch … A longneck's touch, that could provide everything she struggled with that the child needed. Littlefoot smiled to himself and felt all warm inside, knowing that if Cera wanted to go down that road, he would always be there, the perfect counterpart, right at her side.
In what seemed like no time, the light from outside the cave had all but disappeared, and Herbie was getting drowsy. Sue, Ross and Herbie, being on a hatchling's schedule, decided to go to bed for the night, and quickly drifted off to sleep. But Littlefoot and his friends were filled with energy after playing with Herbie, and were quietly chatting to each other. As they talked, Littlefoot wondered if his friends were thinking about everything he was - the increasingly apparent feelings between Ali and Shorty, Chomper's protective instincts toward Ruby, meeting their first mixed species child, that there was now undeniable proof a mixed species couple could conceive, and the experience of helping take care of a young child. It wasn't until a bright line abruptly shone, dazzling their eyes, when Littlefoot finally forgot about his thoughts and saw that the two rainbow faces had emerged, standing calmly in front of them as though they had been there the whole time.
"Well, well, we meet again," said Neo, the male rainbow face calmly.
His female counterpart looked annoyed. "Is this really necessary?"
"Well, they obviously don't understand our clues, which means we need to help them out."
"Fine, but no telling," she agreed.
Cera snorted in annoyance, but the rest of the gang looked curiously as Neo began to think aloud. "Let's see, we gave you six clues … The first clue shows signs of happening as we speak. But you're performing admirably with respect to the second clue, and the third clue as well, which might be enough to stop it."
"What are those clues again?" Littlefoot asked.
"That would be telling," Megte said firmly.
The gang looked frustrated as Neo kept going over the progress of the clues.
"Unfortunately, the problems mentioned in clue number four are happening in the Valley as we speak. You've met the ones mentioned in the sixth clue as well, I see. And oh yes, clue number five … I trust you all remember your sleep stories still?" Neo asked as Megte tutted warningly.
"The ones we having strange thoughts?" Petrie asked.
"The very same," said Neo. "And they're closer than you think. In fact, you've now seen five of ten ... Well one of you, six of ten ..." he said as Megte made a loud cough. "Okay, that's too much."
He looked hesitatingly at Megte, who had her arms crossed as he said, "You all are in the calm before the storm. For the time is coming when the storm will hit, and you must all be strong together and prepare for when that happens. And it is then that you must make your incredible adventure to save …"
"Enough," Megte said warningly.
"What adventure? What …" Chomper asked desperately, but Megte shook her head.
"Please, just one more clue," Littlefoot asked.
"Well," Neo said delicately, "Something happened that no one but the ten of you seem to know about. But that is not the case, you see –"
"Neo!" Megte barked. "The young ones have to figure this out for themselves, remember?"
"Oh, yes," Neo said, and with that, the two rainbow faces once again teleported out of the cave, with no trace of them left behind.
