Author's note from 2012: This story was written 1995 or thereabouts. I present it here unaltered, for the nostalgic enjoyment of my past fans who requested I post it. Please remember, if this reads like a high-schooler with her first Mary Sue, well, that's exactly what I was! Scroll to the end for a special bonus look at the Trina sequel stories that never saw the light of day! Since then Jewel Riders has changed hands a few times; I think Digiview owns the rights at the moment so please pretend I updated the disclaimers. My old email no longer works; I'm now [email protected] if for some reason you want to email me. Starstone, a Jewel Rider fanfic by Stormdance Disclaimer: Everyone you’ve seen on TV belongs to Amazin Entertainment and/or Robert Mandell as far as I know. Trina, Silverwind, and anyone else are mine. I’m not making any money off this. Author’s note: Hiya all, I’m Stormdance and I’m to blame for the story you’re here to read. There *will* eventually be a Jewel Riders homepage connected to the story, but that’ll be in the future when I can get a computer literate family member to help me make it. While I didn’t knowingly contradict anything in the show, there are episodes I haven’t seen so I’m sure I slipped up somewhere. A lot of this is me writing the way things *might* have happened, especially Fallon and Tamara’s pasts and details about magic and Avalon. This story happens after "Full Circle," an alternate second season if you will. This story could have quite a few sequels, I’ll continue it as long as I can think of what to do with it. And as long as I get feedback! Mail me at [email protected] with your comments, suggestions, ideas, etc. I’d love to hear from you, really. OK, ‘nuff out of me. Enjoy! Starstone "Join the Jewel Riders they said, see the kingdom they said, " Drake muttered the old line, "Now look what it’s gotten us into." (You’re exaggerating) Thunder told him, (and misquoting.) "Yeah, it’s only weird and freaky wild magic like we see every other day of our lives." Drake frowned at Josh, then turned to look back at the problem. The valley in front of them was in darkness, as if night had fallen in only that one spot. It was eerie. There was 1 a village in there somewhere, whose inhabitants were now camped up on the hillside near where the two Jewel Riders were standing. Drake sighed in resignation, "Well come on, let’s check it out." The light cast by their four Forest stones was enough that they could walk without tripping over anything, but that was about it. "What on Earth could be doin’ this?" Josh asked the world at large. (It feels like an enchanted Jewel.) Stormrunner commented. "A wild jewel?" (I don’t know.) "I think we’ve found the problem." Drake called from up ahead, "Look at the Travel Trees!" The Trees were flashing from leafy to crystalline, obviously very upset. (Ho Travel Trees, ) Thunder called, (Are you all right?) "Hello Jewel Riders." The Trees answered, "We have a problem." "We noticed." Drake said, "So what’s the deal with the darkness?" "Something has gotten caught in our magic, we believe it is the source of this unnatural darkness." "Want us to take it off your hands, uh, limbs?" Drake offered. "If you would." The Trees answered. A miniature doorway opened in the air. Drake reached in and pulled out a jewel. It was shimmering aqua blue, in the shape of a six- pointed star. "I’ve never seen *that* jewel before." "Me either, "Drake said, "But then I haven’t studied Merlin’s books as much as I could have. We’d better take it back to the palace, and fast." "Would you like a ride?" the Travel Trees asked. "We’d better not, not while we’re carrying unknown magic." "Hey Drake—It hasn’t gotten any lighter, so if the jewel’s doing it—" "It’s still doing it." Drake finished. "We can ask Merlin how to stop it when we get back." _*_ Gwenevere grabbed the branch and pulled herself up, out of the leaves at the top of the tree. "Ha, beat you, Fallon!" She called down. "Maybe, but you won’t next time!" Fallon yelled back, but Gwen wasn’t listening. "Hey, what’s that?" She pointed off toward the horizon, "Sunstar, can you see—" Sunstar launched herself from the palace roof, where she had been sunning. (It looks like it’s getting dark.) she reported, (but it’s only afternoon.) "I think we’d better get out of this tree while we can still see." Was Fallon’s opinion. As the princess and her friend reached the ground, a small crowd of people came pouring out of the palace, babbling questions at the tops of their voices. Fallon sighed. "Courtiers." She muttered disgustedly, "Gwen, you want to take charge or shall I?" "You c—wait, Mother’s coming." The Queen was immediately surrounded by a mob of frightened nobles., but she suggested-- loudly—that they all return to their rooms and let the Jewel Riders handle whatever was up. Gwen lit the courtyard with her Sunstone and helped Anya persuade everyone back inside. As soon as the last question had been answered and the last fluttery 2 lady convinced that the Jewel Riders could do it better without her screeching, Tamara rushed out , a windblown Archie clinging to her shoulder. "What’s going on?" "We don’t know!" Fallon answered, "Armor on, people." The three girls summoned their armor and waited. The tension was verging on unbearable when Drake and Josh rode in through the gates. "Drake! Guys, what is all this?" "It’s nothing bad!" Drake hastened to reassure them, "We found this jewel, and it makes it dark wherever it is." "Another jewel?" "Yep." Josh said, "Drake thought he could fix it on the way back, but. " Drake shrugged sheepishly. Gwen took charge. "Tamara, send a message to Merlin." "On it." Tamara said. She put a hand on her Heartstone and spoke to the air, "Merlin, we found something strange, can you come see?" No sooner had she finished speaking than the air sparkled and Merlin appeared in a burst of magic. "Certainly I can come. What is it you’ve found?" "This jewel, Merlin." Drake said, taking it out for the wizard to see. "It makes darkness. Do you know what it is?" "Yes, I do." Merlin sounded surprised. "It is the Starstone, sister jewel to your three." He gestured at the girls. "I thought it was lost in the wild magic." "It was; the Travel Trees near Twinsprings caught it in their tunnel." Josh explained, "But how do we get it to stop doing this?" "At the moment the stone’s magic is random, undirected. It needs to be given to a Jewel Rider pairing of human and animal. Only then will its magic be fully controlled." "Another Jewel Rider?" Gwen asked uncertainly, "How will we know who?" Merlin smiled wryly, "Oh, the jewel will tell you. They are very careful to pick only the right pair." "I know about that." Gwen said with a smile for Sunstar. "You should be able to convince it to hold its magic in until then, but do not delay in this!" Merlin said dramatically, and vanished. "Such a showman." Queen Anya said. "Oh, Mother! I didn’t notice you were there!" "You were doing just fine." The Queen said, "If there’s anything I can do to help. ?" The five young Jewel Riders thought for a moment, then the ideas started coming thick and fast. "Tell the nobles not to worry if they see weird lights. "Fallon said, "Persuading an enchanted jewel is a tricky thing." "Just don’t blow anything up." Anya said. "And we’ll probably need the crystal carriage. And some maps of the kingdom." Was Gwen’s suggestion. 3 "Can Wintermane watch the babies?" Tamara asked, "I don’t know if we’ll want them along." "I’m sure she won’t mind." "Better her than me." Drake muttered, then said louder, "I think Josh and I should stay here since King Jared and Max are away, just in case something else happens." Gwen nodded. "Yes, we girls can handle this one." "I’d like a chance to look for stuff about this Starstone in the library." Tamara said. "That’s a good idea, Tamara. Why don’t you go now? If Fallon and I can’t make the jewel behave, we’ll call you." "I think we have our marching orders." Fallon said with a grin, cutting off any further suggestions. The others went back inside, and Gwen and Fallon started discussing what to do about the Starstone, magic-wise. _*_ It was a beautiful sunny day in the westernmost reaches of Avalon, or at least it had been that morning when Trina had last been outside. A servingmaid’s work is never done, she mused as she scrubbed the huge pot. When it was clean, she’d have to fill it with soup and take it up to the banquet room where the lady of the house was having some big gathering. Trina just hoped she might be able to listen in on whatever they were talking about; this might be a totally out of the way district, bordering the Thornwoods on one side and a district of rocky hills on the other, but there had to be something interesting going on, didn’t there? And the nobles would know about it, wouldn’t they? "Hey, girl!" the cook’s voice shattered her reverie, "That’s clean enough, get it over ‘ere to fill!" Trina shook the last drops of water off the pot, and brought it over, holding the thing steady while the cook filled it.