Morning Glory – Jewel Riders Two Ch. 3

Summary: Gwenevere’s daughter Allura must lead a new generation of Jewel Riders.

Archival Note from The Jewel Riders Archive: This story is presented as it was originally published on Stormy’s “Avalon” fan site in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It is presented for archival purposes and for the enjoyment of the Jewel Riders fandom. If you are the author of this story and wish to have it removed from the Jewel Riders Archive (or wish to share more!) please email us at archivist@jewelridersarchive.com. Happy Reading!

Jewel Riders II

Chapter 3: A Gift from the Sea

Lady Haliae and Cytherea plunged down through the clouds high above the

land of Avalon, towards the southern coast.

“This is it, isn’t it?” Haliae asked the blue unicorn.

“Um, yeah I think so…” the unicorn answered.

As the unicorn touched down on the beach, a ring of sand swept away from

the downward motion of the air under her.

Haliae searched for some kind of portal that Tamara had talked about.  As

she focused on the sand dunes farther away, she saw something sparkle.

“Look, over there!” she called.

Cytherea quickly trotted over in that direction.

As they approached the sand dunes, they saw four unusually tall palm

trees.

“Those are Travel Trees!” Cytherea informed.

“Yes… Tamara said something about them… you have to call them with a

rhyme.”

“Have any rhymes handy?”

Haliae blushed.

“I’m not that good at poetry…”

“Me either…”

In the middle of their conversation, the four trees began to sparkle and

then the bark and leaves turned to clear crystal.

Haliae and Cytherea gaped at the display.

“We recognize the Heart Stone, now worn by Lady Haliae… where is it you

wish to go?”

Cytherea looked puzzled to Haliae.

“A rhyme, Haliae?”

“I dunno, this works though!” the Lady giggled.

Haliae cleared her throat.

“Great Travel Tress, we would like to go to another ocean, far from

here… will you take us there…” Haliae said and then recalled her manners,

“please?”

A wild magic portal appeared before the two.

“Wow it worked…” Cytherea said.

“Tamara said to always call upon your jewel armor before riding the wild

magic.” Haliae recalled.

She held the Heart Stone to the sky.

“BY THE MAGIC OF THE HEART STONE!”

Haliae closed her eyes and was surrounded by a bright pink light and began

to twirl around.  A burst of magic and ribbons formed her Jewel Armor as they

spun around her.  Haliae then reappeared on Cytherea’s back.

Cytherea reared and magical aqua and pink ribbons also twirled around her,

forming extensions on her saddle, and also jeweled stirrups.  On her head formed

a tiara to hold her half of the Heart Stone.  The magic disappeared, leaving

both Cytherea and Haliae in their Jewel Armor.

The armored unicorn then jumped into the wild magic portal.

Haliae held on tight as the feather footed unicorn flew through the wild

magic at a rapid pace.

“C-C-Cytherea…” Haliae said as she was bumped around on the unicorn’s

back, “c-c-can’t you go a little slower?”

“Not really, it pulls me to go faster.” the unicorn replied, “I’ve never

ridden the wild magic before… have you?”

“N-N-No…” Haliae said.

The unicorn couldn’t help but smile at her friend trying to talk which she

was getting bumped around so much.

“It will probably get better as we get used to it…” Cytherea assured.

The pair neared the end of the tunnel.

Cytherea made an effort to jump out of it as fast as she could.

She made a bumpy landing on a beach that looked almost like the one at

Avalon.

Haliae loosened her death grip on the saddle horn and the unicorn’s neck.

“Are we there yet?” she asked and opened her eyes.

She looked around at the endless skyline where under it was the sea.

“Do you suppose this is the place?” Cytherea asked her.

Haliae shrugged.

“I have no clue,” she said as she smiled.

Mist began to roll off the sea, and the white crested waves began to crash

along the shore.

The wind began to pick up and it played with Haliae’s blue hair.

“Welcome to Greece Haliae, keeper of the Heart Stone.” said a distant,

feminine voice.

Haliae turned around and looked and saw no one.

“Who’s there?” she asked.

“Come and find out.” was the last thing the voice said.

Haliae looked along the beach and footprints began to appear in the sand.

“Look at that!” Cytherea stated, as the footprints were seemingly

‘walking’ along the shore.

“I suppose she wants us to follow them.” Haliae replied.

The Lady mounted her unicorn and the pair followed the footprints, two by

two.

The footprints led them to a small cave in a huge sand dune.

Haliae dismounted and stepped inside.  It was dark, but a glint of light

entered in and reflected off the walls of the cave.

“Would you look at this!” she motioned to Cytherea to enter.

The unicorn slowly took large steps to where her friend was standing.

“The walls are pure diamond!” Cytherea commented.

“Yes, they are…” said the voice.

Haliae and Cytherea looked around for the owner of it again.

“No use looking more than you have to,” the voice giggled, “I can

sometimes show myself, then other times I might not.”

“Who are you?” Haliae asked once again.

“I am Aphrodite!” the voice answered.

“Aphrodite?”

“Yes, I am the goddess of love.”

Haliae and Cytherea walked deeper into the cave, and they saw an unknown

source of light, lighting the entire back wall of the cave.

On a diamond pedestal sat a white dove with a golden aura encircling it.

“That’s the love aura of Aphrodite…” Haliae told Cytherea.

“That’s right!” said the voice, and right before the pair’s eyes, the dove

transformed into a beautiful golden skinned lady with flowers adorning her

flowing golden hair.  The love aura also grew to encircle her now.

Haliae bowed down before the goddess.

“I have come to ask for your Spirit Stone to help protect my homeland of

Avalon.”

“Ah, the Dove’s Diamond?” Aphrodite recalled, “I seemed to have purposely

misplaced it.”

Haliae looked up, puzzled.

The goddess giggled.

“It’s all part of the test, my dear.” she said.  “You have to test to be

worthy of a goddess’ Spirit Stone.”

“What must I do?”

“You must show me that you can use your Heart Stone, for that is the only

Enchanted Jewel the Diamond will work for.”

“But Aphrodite, I have had it but a week and…”

Aphrodite calmly hushed young Haliae.

“It’s all a mind game, dear…” the goddess said as she pointed to her

head.  “You can’t let the jewel be smarter than you!  Now go to the shore and

begin your test!  You must hurry!”

Haliae still had questions, but she knew she mustn’t stay for it might

anger the goddess and she definitely didn’t want that.

***

“Jewel be smarter than me?  How can that be, Cytherea?”

The unicorn only shrugged as best as a unicorn could.

“Hmm that’s a real help…” Haliae joked.

The unicorn smirked a sly smile and continued looking through the water

for some kind of sign.

“There are three parts to your test, as there are for any test for a

Spirit Stone, the mind, the body, and the jewel!  Your test begins now!”

Aphrodite’s voice called to Haliae.

“How do you suppose…” Cytherea began.

She was interrupted by a loud rumbling noise.

Not far from the shore, a giant rock rose from the sea and circling it

were seven sharp rocks.  In the middle, where the giant rock was, there was a

beautiful sparkling heart shaped diamond.

“Look, it’s the Dove’s Diamond!” Haliae pointed.

Water flowed out from between each pointed rock.

“The water keeps flowing, it must be over some kind of magical fountain.”

the blue unicorn stated.

“That’s right!” Aphrodite’s voice appeared again.  “You must find a way to

get the Diamond out from between those rocks without going over there… no

cheating!”

“This must be a mind game.” Haliae stated.  “How can we get the jewel out

from between the rocks if we can’t swim over there?”

Cytherea kept quiet, for she knew the answer, but she also knew that it

was Haliae’s test, not her’s.

A large pile of smaller stones appeared before the Lady.

“For every one rock, there are three stones!” Aphrodite hinted.

“ACK, what kind of hint is that?”

Haliae looked at the rocks again and saw that the Diamond was floating

above the water.

“Now what in the world?” she asked herself.

She began to think a plan out.

“For every rock, there are three of these stones… so seven times

three…” she thought “is twenty-one!  I need twenty-one stones to somehow

divert the water from flowing between the rocks.”

The Heart Stone rider picked up a stone in the pile before her and she

threw it to the giant rock sticking up out of the water.  The rock wedged itself

between two of the other ones and it stopped the water from flowing between

them.  She threw six more stones which wedged between the rest of the rocks,

causing the water to become higher and flow over the first layer stones, and

causing the Dove’s Diamond to float a little higher above the water.

“Yes, I’ve got it!” Haliae said.

She continued throwing stones between the rocks, causing the water and the

Diamond to float higher.

Finally, she threw the last of the third layer of stones between the last

two rocks and the water overflowed and crushed the rock back under where it had

been before.

The Diamond was now level with the water, and would be easier to attain.

“Now I have to swim out and get it…” Haliae told Cytherea.

She stepped one foot into the water, and the Diamond quickly sunk under

the water.

Haliae was stumped for a moment, and then she dove in after it.

As she swam down and farther down, she realized that it was the test of

her body.

After a few more seconds, she could hardly stand to stay under.

“What if I drown???” she thought to herself.

She began to feel very weak as she neared the bottom of the ocean inlet

where they were standing.  She closed her eyes and sank to the bottom.

***

“SOMETHING’S WRONG!” Cytherea screamed out.  “APHRODITE, APHRODITE!

She’ll drown!”

There was no answer.

The unicorn pawed the ground nervously trying to think of some way to save

her friend.

Finally after a split second she quickly jumped into the water and did her

best to swim under.

She saw her friend far down at the bottom.

“There is no way I will reach her in time!” she thought.

The unicorn threw her head back above the water and ducked down again.

As she tried to swim down towards the lifeless Haliae, her Heart Stone

began to glow bright red and after a burst of bright magic, Cytherea had somehow

become a sea unicorn.

“I will find an explanation for this later.” she thought as she quickly

swam to her sunken friend.

The sea unicorn touched her heart Stone to Haliae’s and suddenly, with the

same kind of magic, Haliae had become a mermaid!

The gills on her sides began to open and close, and the Heart Stone rider

opened her eyes to see Cytherea waiting.

“Cytherea?” she asked, as she looked around and saw she had a fin, and

gills.

“Let’s get that Diamond!” Haliae said as she climbed onto the saddle on

her sea unicorn friend.

Cytherea quickly swam over to where the diamond had sunk and Haliae leaned

over and grabbed it as they swam past.

The sea unicorn burst through the surface of the water and Haliae climbed

off and she walked up onto the beach, followed by Cytherea.

“You both have done well!” Aphrodite’s voice was heard, “Now Haliae, take

the Dove’s Diamond and hold it to the very middle of your Heart Stone, so it

lines up with the middle facet, and shout: By the magic of the Diamond Spirit

Stone.”

Haliae nodded and did as the goddess said.

She held up her Heart Stone in her right hand and in her left she held the

Diamond.  She brought the two together and they merged as one jewel.

“BY THE MAGIC OF THE DIAMOND SPIRIT STONE!”

Magic swirled around Haliae from both pieces of the jewel.  She closed her

eyes and a golden dove flew in front of her, making her skin became a golden

tint, and her hair flew out of it’s braid and became a light yellow blond color.

She opened her eyes and saw that she had all new  yellow jewel armor, and

an all new color of skin and hair.

She blinked her eyes which had also changed to glowing gold.

“Now you have the part of my spirit that is locked inside the Spirit

Stone.” Aphrodite informed.  “This is a great power which can only last but a

few minutes, and you must use it only in the times of the greatest need.”

Haliae blinked again and saw that her skin had changed back and her jewel

armor was the normal aqua and pink.

She suddenly collapsed, and the worried Cytherea rushed to her side.

“She is alright, the overwhelming power of the Dove’s Diamond made her

collapse.” Aphrodite replied, and the unicorn was relieved when Haliae began to

sit up.

The Lady looked around and saw the goddess and the unicorn standing beside

her.

“What happened?” Haliae said, with no memory of the transformation at all.

“You became the Spirit of Aphrodite.” Cytherea quickly replied, “You don’t

remember?”

Haliae put her hand on her forehead.

“No, I don’t remember anything after I said what the goddess told me to.”

“Why is that, Aphrodite?” asked the unicorn.

“It is to protect the power of the Spirit Stones.” the goddess replied.

“To protect them?” Haliae was puzzled, she thought that she was chosen to

protect the Diamond.

“Yes, it is because there are humans who are power hungry and will want

the magic of the Spirit Stones.  So the transformation between human and spirit

gives you an alternate identity so that you will not be attacked by these

people, thus protecting both you and the Spirit Stone.  Unfortunately, after you

transform, you loose all memory of the events that take place during the few

minutes because you are inhabited by your alternate identity.”

Haliae and Cytherea looked at each other and shook their heads.

“You will learn in time.” Aphrodite replied, seeing their confusion.

Haliae nodded.

“I hope so.”

“Now that you have what you need, you must return to your friends so they

can acquire their Spirit Stones.”

“Right.” Haliae and Cytherea chorused.

The Heart Stone rider mounter her unicorn and waved as they flew into the

sky, in search for the wild magic portal leading them back to Avalon.

***

“SHE’S GOT THE SPIRIT STONE!” a loud voice thundered.

“I can see that.  Merlin must have found them to defeat us.” replied a

calmer male voice.

“You must go after her now… I have just the animal you can inhabit.”

“Yes Vesta.” the ghost replied.

In the crystal ball there was a misty image of a little blue unicorn with

winged feet and a striped mane and tail.

The ghost merged with the unicorn and it’s eyes began to glow red.

***

Meanwhile, Haliae and Cytherea located the portal and the unicorn was

going down to land.  Before she touched the ground, Cytherea began to throw a

raging fit and her eyes began to glow a demonic red.

She reared and bucked and tossed Haliae to the ground.

“Cytherea, what’s wrong??” the puzzled girl said as she began to pull

herself from the ground.

“I must destroy the Spirit Stone!” said the unicorn in an unusual low

thundering voice.

“Cytherea what’s the matter with you!”

The unicorn did not answer, she just began diving after Haliae.

Haliae dropped to the ground below to move out of the unicorn’s way, but

Cytherea’s hard hooves struck her back.

The Heart Stone rider was in much pain, the unicorn’s hooves felt like

knives, and warm blood began to ooze from her uncovered back.

She screamed in pain and tried to get up, only to be knocked back down by

the raging unicorn again.

She began to feel weak and could not move, she only began to think of what

would happen to the Jewel Riders if she died.

“No,” Haliae choked on her tears, “This isn’t Cytherea… I have to stop

her from destroying me.”

She slowly and painfully reached into the pocket on her belt and brought

the Dove’s Diamond to her face.

“By the Magic of the Diamond Spirit Stone.” she whispered.

Warm magic swirled around her body and her skin and Jewel Armor changed as

she took the shape of the Spirit of Aphrodite.

The golden goddess’ spirit then raised her hand.

“Golden Sea Healing!” she said as she waved her hand around the unicorn as

it flew past.

The low voice thundered a scream of pain as Cytherea’s musical sparkly

voice began to scream.  The different voices began to scream back and forth and

finally a burst of red flew from the unicorn’s body and she fell to the ground.

“The unicorn is injured……aaaaAAAAHHHH!” the golden goddess screamed as

her transformation wore off and left her as Haliae once again.

She fought the collapsing and staggered to Cytherea.

“Cytherea!  Please get up!” she cried.

When the unicorn showed no answer, Haliae brought out her Heart Stone and

touched it to the unicorn’s.

“Heart Stone, heal my friend, so we may be together again.” was the only

magical rhyme Haliae could think of.

The magic of the Heart Stone, combined with the power of the girls love

quickly brought life back to Cytherea.

Haliae wrapped her arms around the blue unicorn as she began to open her

eyes and lift her head.

“Cytherea, I thought I lost you!”

The unicorn slowly stood up and Haliae stood up with her.

“You didn’t though…” Cytherea’s sparkly voice replied.

Haliae closed her eyes and embraced the unicorn once more, before

mounting.

The unicorn jumped into the portal, and the two were on their way home.

The magic of friendship is a great power that can help in battles ahead.