//------------------------------//
// The Whispering Winds 
// Story: My Little Pony: The Land Before Time 
// by Jongoji245 
//------------------------------//

A few hours after the Great Earthquake, it began to rain for the first time in months. In a shallow alcove carved by the event, the Crusaders took shelter, though time and again the wind would change direction, bringing the freezing rain to them. They huddled for warmth when they heard the sound of rocks being scattered.

Scootaloo perked her head up, "Cosgrove?"

Not wanting to risk the possibility of being attacked by another Sharptooth, she stayed with her  friends. After waiting a moment, two silhouettes appeared before the Crusaders. Entering the alcove, they are revealed to be Featherweight and Pipsqueak.

"Oh jolly good, you're alive!!" Pip piped up before hugging the Crusaders.

"Got separated too?" Asked Apple Bloom, to which the Flier and Ankle Biter nodded. 

"Wait, Featherweight, you're a flier, why don't you tell them that we're okay?" Scootaloo questioned.

"The earthquake..." Featherweight tried to move his left wing finger before wincing - "broke my wing."

Scootaloo huffed, "Great, now we're stuck and our herd doesn't know where we are."

Sweetie Belle laid down again, "Well Cosgrove should be back with Night Dancer anytime."

"Yeah, so she could berate us for leaving the herd." - Scootaloo curled back to sleep - "I hope he takes his time." 

Just after, a thunderclap got them alerted.

"Ah hope not for too long..." Apple Bloom added.

A good distance away, Cosgrove walked in the freezing rain for his mother. As the Earthquake got worse, he and the Crusaders got separated from Night Dancer again and have tried to find her before the rains came. Though the grown-ups said it was wise to stay in one area until help arrives, Cosgrove, worried about her, set out once more.

"Mother!" - Cosgrove called out as he reached a gap in the path he walked on - "Mother!!"
- Calling upon the reserves of energy he had left, the young Longneck jumped across the gap, his upper body strength pulling himself up the ledge - "Mother, where are you?"

Beneath the hard pinning of the rain, Cosgrove heard a soft moan, the tone familiar to him. Looking around, he found the body of a Duckbill laying on a mound of rubble.

"Mother!" Cosgrove bounded down the hill he stood to Night Dancer - "Mother..." hearing her son's voice, Night Dancer moved her head slowly, her eyes barely open - "Please get up."

"I'm..." - Night Dancer placed her forelimbs to the ground - "not sure I can..."

"Yes, you can." - Cosgrove desperately begged - "Get up."

The Edmontosaurus appeared to be rising onto her full stature, much to her son's delight. But then she slumped and fell once more, her snout much closer to Cosgrove. As he laid down in front of her, Night Dancer mustered her strength to slowly turn her head to Cosgrove.

"Dear sweet Cosgrove," - She said weakly - "do you remember, the way to Canterlot Crater?"

Fearing the worst, Cosgrove sniffled, "I guess so. But how am I supposed to know if you're going to be with me?"

Opening her eyes again, noticing her son tearing up, Night Dancer smiled slowly.

"I'll be with you, Cosgrove..." - She answered - "even if you can't see me."

Raising his head up, Cosgrove asked, "What do you mean if I can't see you, I can always see you! I can take care of you! Like how you cared for me!"

After a leaving the noise to the rain for a while, Night Dancer moved once more.

"Cosgrove... let your heart guide you... It whispers... so listen closely...."

With those final words, Night Dancer's tail became limp, her body relaxed and after one final breath, her head tilted to the side.

"Mother...." - Cosgrove rubbed her snout - "Mother?"

The rains continued to pour as hard as they could well into the day. It was just about the start of the afternoon when the rains finally stopped and the clouds began to part, revealing Celestia's presence on the barren land. Feeling the warmth, the Crusaders, Pip, and Featherweight woke up and shook the rain off their bodies. Still noticing Cosgrove was not around, they looked at each other.

"Ah'm going after him." Said Apple Bloom just when the young Longneck appeared before him, his head held low, but she could notice the tears on his face.

Featherweight and Pip walked towards him.

"Where's Night Dancer?" Pip asked.

Cosgrove sniffled a while when the ground beneath him collapsed. Sliding fast down a slope, Cosgrove landed on a red and yellow mass. After lying there for a moment, he was suddenly shaken off.

"Hey!" The mass revealed itself to be an injured Tsintaosaurus. Shaking the dirt off her, Sunset inspected the intruder, who began to whine - "What's your problem? You're not hurt."

With a sniffle, Cosgrove raised his head up to the Hollow Horn.

"It's not fair! She should've known better to fight against Tirek!" - He sniffled again - "It's all her fault..."

Sunset cocked her head, still retaining her glare, "All who's fault?"

"Mother's..." 

Catching on, Sunset abandoned her stern look. That answer rang into the other children, Sweetie Belle the first to tear up. Scootaloo slid down the slope and held Cosgrove in her arms. 

"Cosgrove, it wasn't her fault, it was mine!" - Scootaloo responded before she starting sniffling through her beak - "If I had only... If only..."

Sunset turned to the young Alamosaurus and Chirostenotes sobbing.

"Kids, listen to me." - Sunset asked in a calm voice, catching their attention - "It is nobody's fault, but you see, not all of us arrive together in the end."

Wiping his snout, Cosgrove turned to the Hollow Horn, "What will I do? I miss her so much."

"And you'll always miss her, but she will be with you as long as you remember the things she taught you." - Sunset rose up on her hind legs - "In a way, you'll never be apart, for you are still a part of each other."

Having yet recovered from a fractured leg caused by the earthquake, Sunset limped away west towards Canterlot Crater.   

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Featherweight, and Pip slid down and joined in the huddle, mourning and weeping until well in the afternoon. As Celestia began to set, the children began following the tracks Sunset had left. They could walk faster, but time and again, Cosgrove stopped and looked at the tracks, being very similar in shape to that of a Duckbill. Scootaloo, still suffering from guilt, responded in kind with a long hug. At one point the trail they followed were missing. They stopped and began to droop their heads and tails.



Then, they knew for certain that they were alone. And though Canterlot Crater was far away, and the journey there was perilous, they had to find their way, or the chain of life would be broken.



Apple Bloom looked up at the sun and closed her eyes.

"Celestia must pass over us many times and we must follow it to where it touches the ground." Granny Smith's voice spoke in her grandchild's head.

Opening her eyes, Apple Bloom started walking in the direction Celestia was. After she was a few feet away from them, the rest of the children began to follow. They walked along a slim part of the Great Divide, looking up at the much larger ledge their families may be on. Apple Bloom stopped for a moment and found a familiar face among three others.

"Diamond Tiara!" Apple Bloom called out before trotting over to her. 

Diamond Tiara, joined up with Snips, Snails, and Silver Spoon (a Domehead), looked over to find Apple Bloom trotting towards her.

"Oh, it's you." - Diamond turned to Silver Spoon - "That's the Threehorn that tried to maul me."

Apple Bloom shook her frill, "Maul you? I was just wanting to have some fun."

Diamond responded with a simple huff as she walked towards the ledge. A while over, the boys reconciled with Snips and Snails.

"We're trying to get to the other side." Said Snips.

Featherweight hobbled over to the ledge, looking down the gap.

"But we've already looked around, there's no way you could get across."

Diamond inched her nose horn up Featherweight, "Maybe you can't!"

Climbing down a small ledge, Diamond began her climb down.

"Hey, we're going to Canterlot Crater," - Sweetie Belle walked up to Diamond - "maybe we could" - Diamond almost slipped - "help each other!"

Straining herself up the slope, Diamond responded - "A Crown Head, does not need help from a Pebble Back!"

Just after kicking dust at Sweetie's muzzle, Diamond lost her grip and screamed as she fell down the slope into the crevice. Looking up, she saw the rest of the children gathered around the ledge.

"Well, at least you wouldn't be alone!" - Pip added.

Diamond stood back on her feet - "Well when I find my family, I won't be alone! So go away!" - Diamond turned around and began walking, her head and tail held high - "Crown Heads can be very dangerous! They only talk with other Crown Heads and they only travel with other Crown Heads!"

Diamond's rant died down as she walked deeper into the cave. Apple Bloom turned around and lead her now expanded herd towards Celestia, where they may stop, no one knows.    

As the day drew to a close, the majority of Scorpan's herd slept, with Lion Tamer and Loopty Hoop volunteering for the night watch. At the sound of flapping wings, they, along with family members of the other missing children, woke to find Trixie and Zipper land on the ground. Zipper's toothed beak was stained with tears as he hobbled back to his parents and wept. Noticing Scorpan approaching her, Trixie responded with placing a hand on her beak. The families of the children began to break down and cry.

Granny Smith stepped forward, "Don't mourn for them just yet, they will find us." The old Chasmosaurus looked up at the sky, silently praying that the children would be okay.