Outside of the complex, Jason, Cera, Ali, Petrie, Spike and Ducky were still waiting for news on what had happened to Littlefoot. Despite his shouting and arguing, Jason was denied access into the base even after all other Red Phoenix personnel were given the all clear. Ali sat calmly next to the wire fence with Ducky and Petrie whereas Cera and Jason were pacing up and down irritably, kicking the leaf-litter in their strides.
"What's taking so long?" Cera said impatiently, "We've been waiting here for ages and we haven't been told a thing!"
"Calm down Cera. I am sure Littlefoot is all right, he probably just got a little lost when that big noise came," Ducky said trying to keep the situation as cool as possible.
"I seriously doubt that," Jason said slowly finally resting against the wall, "All sorts could be happening to Littlefoot in there. I don't trust anyone in that place."
"But we can no get in to find him. Human at front say all we have to do is wait," Petrie protested.
"That's why I say we should just charge in there and demand to see him!" Cera blurted out beginning to paw the ground, throwing the leaves onto Spike who was feasting on the bushes close by trying hard to ignore the acidic taste of the leaves.
"That's your answer to everything. Let's just rampage in there and crack a few skulls shall we? You sound like one of them," Jason snorted indignantly.
"What'd you just say? You want me to show you how I'll do it?! I can practice on you!" Cera grunted standing to charge.
"Just try it!" Jason said arrogantly standing ready to fight.
"Knock it off you two! Is that all you can do is bicker?! What's wrong with you?" Ali exploded uncharacteristically standing up to separate them before they started, "We're all worried about Littlefoot but arguing like infants isn't going to solve anything! We've tried getting inside and we failed so let's just wait a bit longer. No more fighting!" Ali returned to her seat and watched as Cera turned her back snorting and Jason leant back up against the wall with his eyes closed.
The next few moments passed by silently with no one uttering a word nor moving from their positions. Suddenly, the guard on patrol of the entrance flinched as something banged on the door behind him. As the guard backed away, the gang all looked at the door awaiting whatever was due to arrive to come out. The handle twitched and slowly rolled downwards before the heavy door swung inwards. Rising to standing, everyone crowded around the doorway to see Littlefoot stroll out into the courtyard.
"LITTLEFOOT!!!" the gang screamed in excitement. They all ran and formed a tight circle around him as the guard re-entered the complex and shut the door behind him.
"Are you okay?" Ali asked hurryingly.
"Are you hurt?" Ducky cried.
"Whoa guys! I'm fine, really I am! Nothing happened," Littlefoot said smiling at his friends' erratic behaviour.
"Good to see you not hurt Littlefoot," Petrie cawed happily perching on his head.
"I'm not so sure…" Jason said sternly.
"What do you mean? Littlefoot's here, he's fine," Cera said bluntly.
"Were you injected with anything Littlefoot? Did anyone give anything to you?" Jason questioned him with a tight, straight face.
"Huh?…N-no, nothing like that. But I do have something for you though," Littlefoot replied. Jason's stern frown melted as he looked at him a little confused. He followed his gaze to the ground and watched him scrape away the dead leaves. Jason's eyes lit up once he saw what he had brought him.
"Oh my God! L-Littlefoot…! I-I…how in the world did you…?" he stammered as he gaped at his gold pendent lying in amongst the leaves.
"I found it in that strange man's room but I'll tell you about that later. Can we get outta here now please?" Littlefoot asked beaming at the shocked look on his face.
"Yeah sure," Jason said as he picked up his pendent and fastening it around his neck again, "That's better! C'mon! Let's go!"
It didn't take them long to exit the Forest of Fear and re-enter the Grazing Pastures of the Great Valley. Along the way, Littlefoot had been describing what he had experienced whilst he stood in Dominic Westwood's immaculate office and discussed about his dreams, the Stones of Essence and the Heaven's Eternity Crystal.
"So, that Dominic character, the guy in the suit, he said about using these supposed sacred stones to go back in time and patch up all the wrongs that happened in our history?" Jason asked slightly bewildered.
"Yeah, that's what he said," Littlefoot verified as they passed through another thicket.
"That sounds wonderful," Ali said with a gentle smile. The others nodded.
"He's lying!" Jason suddenly blurted out which forced every single pair of eyes to fix on him.
"Lying? Jason, how can you say that? Mr. Westwood sounds like he really wants to help out and fix the mistakes your kind have made in their past. He said that these stones are the key to making it happen," Littlefoot said perplexed.
"…No…I don't believe him," Jason said shaking his head slowly.
"Why not?" Ducky then asked intrigued but greatly concerned.
"Just hearing that…it doesn't sound genuine; not from Westwood. He's not the sort of person to make a statement like that. I always believed that there was something fishy about that transportation pod accident and so did my mother. We both were very sceptical about the whole story. A prototype like that virus would not be announced so openly just to be attacked by protestors. It's never happened before with any other live culture to be transferred and besides, they were very rarely moved via transport pods. I've always thought that there was more to it than that."
"But what's that got to do with Mr. Westwood wanting to help your kind? Don't you want your kind to get another chance at life?" Littlefoot protested.
"It's not that but…all these reasons don't seem consistent. Remember Professor Baxter's reason for wanting to locate those stones?" The gang shuffled unsure of what to say.
"He said that the main purpose was to use the perpetual energy to supply our world with the energy it needs to function normally…something's a miss here. Someone's not being truthful," Jason pondered scratching the back of his head as Littlefoot furrowed his brow in confusion.
The gang soon arrived in the Green Meadow and the sun's glistening rays were quickly becoming fainter as the night started to creep up on them again. Everyone split up to forage for a little food whilst the light was still strong. Once they had all filled their stomachs, the gang regrouped in the centre of the meadow. The night's inky blanket had stealthily spread across the turquoise, sea blue sky and consumed the sun's last beams of light leaving the stars to shimmer and glisten like rare diamonds.
"That was good. Me really tired now after such a long day," Petrie yawned stretching his wings to full length.
"Yeah, me too," Littlefoot agreed as he, too, stretched and yawned widely.
"So much has happened today right Spike?" Ducky said merrily as Spike drew breath to yawn as well.
"It's kinda dark. Where do you suppose our folks are? I would have expected my dad to be calling me by now or at least see the twins coming to get me," Cera then noticed.
"Hmm…I dunno. I haven't heard anything all night," Ali said picking up on Cera's point.
"Let's not jinks it," Littlefoot said playfully, "we can play for a little longer and…hey! Where'd Jason go?"
"Umm…I do not know. He was with us a little while ago, he was," Ducky said trying hard not to fall off Spike's head as he looked left and right for any sign of Jason.
"He's just disappeared. How's he able to always do that?" Cera asked mildly intrigued. The gang began calling out for him but after a few shouts, they received no reply.
"Where could he have gone? This isn't like him," Littlefoot said slightly worried.
"Maybe he go home. Should we look there?" Petrie suggested.
"Maybe. Let's go check it out," Littlefoot replied leading the way to his nesting ground.
A short jog later, the gang arrived at Littlefoot's home but there was no sign of Jason. Everyone hunted around the area for even the smallest clue to his whereabouts.
"He's not here Littlefoot. We've searched this bit for ages now," Cera whinged.
"But where could he have gone? His brown holder full of human things is not here either," Littlefoot said starting to panic.
"You do not think that he has been captured by the humans again, do you?" Ducky said fearfully.
"They couldn't have taken him from right beside us! Oh…where is he? He could be…" Littlefoot stammered.
"Shhhhhh…listen!" Ali then hissed.
"What wrong Ali?" Petrie whispered curiously.
"Listen…I hear something." The gang quickly silenced and listened hard to the wind that whipped and whistled around them softly.
"What is it?" Cera asked finally picking up on the sound.
"It…it sounds like…music…" Ducky said uncertainly.
"Yeah. It does sound like music but…it's not a voice…it doesn't sound like someone's singing," Littlefoot trying to analyse the bizarre sound that was now echoing through the trees.
"What could it be? Do you think it could be Jason?" Cera suggested unknowingly.
"Maybe, it's coming from over there," Ali said pointing with her head. Without another word, the gang trotted after Ali as they followed the haunting melody that seemed to be mystically travelling on the wind.
Chapter 45: The Key to the Door of True PowerNavigating through the dark thickets and shadowy trunks of the trees, the gang tried to locate the source of the unnatural music. The melody grew louder with each thicket they crawled through as they searched desperately for its composer. Suddenly, the music stopped and everyone stood still now unsure which direction to go.
"Which way now?" Cera asked spinning in circles.
"I…I don't know. It's stopped," Ali complained.
"Me no like this place at night. Trees look really spooky," Petrie said starting to tremble.
"Oh come on Petrie! This is our home; what is there to possibly be afraid of?" Cera barked.
"Me suddenly remember Jason's story about ghosts and scary humans chasing that human girl," Petrie said now with his knees knocking together.
"D-don't be silly Petrie. That w-was ju-just a story right?………Right?!" Cera said trying to hide he nervousness as she, too, was now thinking of Jason's horror story. The gang felt incredibly frightened as they stood in the centre of the darkened thicket unsure which way to go and with the chilling feeling that they were being watched.
Suddenly, there was a rustling coming from the undergrowth behind them.
"Yyyaaahhh!!! What was that?!" Cera cried in panic leaping from her position and nearly landing on Spike.
"Sss-ssss-ssomething is m-mmoving over there," Ducky said shivering, pointing at a shadowy bush that was shaking as if it were alive.
"H-hello…ww-who's there?" Ali said nervously standing very close to Littlefoot.
"J-Jason? Is…is that you in there?" Littlefoot asked apprehensively. The bush didn't answer but the rustling suddenly got stronger. Eyes wide with dread, the gang watched as two small creatures launched out from the shrubbery without warning. Everyone squealed in fright and all they began running in all directions before all diving behind a separate bush of their own. Quivering behind their leafy shields, one by one, they popped their heads out in response to something that sounded like childish giggling. Emerging from behind their hiding places, they moved forward cautiously to investigate what it was. As the moonlight crept in between the trees, its silvery streaks fell on two, tiny figures now rolling on the ground in fits of laughter.
"Dinah! Dana! You two little troublemakers!" Cera hollered in anger in amongst her deep breaths.
"Yay! Is-a Dinee, Danee!" Dinah giggled.
"Hiya Auntie-Cerie! You-ie go-go bye-bye! Mooshie-moo!" Dana sniggered.
"Yeah, yeah! Very funny! What are you two doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be with Grandpa Threehorn?" Cera asked still slightly annoyed.
"Dinee, Danee na-na moo-zica!" Dana said excitedly.
"What'd he say Ducky?" Ali asked looking at the tiny threehorn bound up and down.
"He said they heard some strange music and decided to follow it," Ducky translated.
"They were following the music too? Hmm…I wonder if…" Cera began but the haunting melody had started again. This time, it was much louder.
"Moo-zica! Moo-zica! Is-a moo-zica Danee!" Dinah squeaked hyperactively.
"It started again…" Petrie cawed.
"It's…it sounds like it's coming from the Thundering Falls. Let's go!" Littlefoot said merrily.
"Yay! Less-ie go-go!" Dana chirped.
Now with some means of a destination, the gang plus the Threehorn Twins, pressed on through the shrubbery until the roaring of the majestic Thundering Falls could be heard getting closer. As they approached the massive waterfall, they looked around the edge of the pool to see if the music (which had now stopped) was coming from there. With nothing in sight, the gang sighed and were about to turn back when the music started again. It sounded as if it was directly on top of them.
"Where is it coming from?" Ducky whispered in case whatever was making the music suddenly disappeared if it knew it was being watched. Everyone else shrugged.
"Dinee! Dinee lookie! Is-a Two-Legs!" Dana shrieked softly.
"What? Two-Legs? Did they say Jason was here?" Littlefoot asked immediately on hearing the twins talking about him.
"Yep, yep, yep they did!" Ducky chirped.
"Look! He up there on the Jumping Rock," Petrie said pointing him out. As quietly as they could, everyone crept around the trees and, sure enough, Jason was sitting on the very edge of the high, flat rock that they all used as a natural diving board. To his lips, he was holding his custom-made piccolo he had carved himself. He was playing the same beautiful melody that the gang had been tracing all the way to the Thundering Falls.
"So, it was Jason making that strange music," Ali said as she listened to the song that made her feel strangely warm inside. As Jason continued to play, the gang stood, entranced by the haunting tune that circled on the breeze as he played on, unknowing he had an audience, over the sparkling waters that reflected the silvery beams of moonlight like silky ribbons floating on gently lapping waves emitted by the waterfall.
It was impossible to speak a word whilst Jason played atop the rock as the clouds drifted silently across the indigo night sky, increasing the emotion and beauty of his song. It was as if nature was responding to the music as the trees rustled softly as if to be dancing to the tune as the gang remained, motionless and wrapped in awe, stood at the base of the rock but slightly hidden by the swaying branches. The two juvenile threehorn twins began rocking in time with the melody as it seemed to capture them in an uncharacteristic silence. Each of them felt a strange tingling sensation, which made them partially snap out of their hypnosis. Only Littlefoot remained unphased by the feeling as he stood, completely mesmerized, listening. Strange memories started flooding back as they did before in Westwood's office once he saw the 3D model of one of the Stones of Essence.
"Wow! It's so beautiful…" Ali sighed feeling inexplicably light.
"Oh yes! It is, it is! Right Spike?" Ducky said as Spike nodded slowly and smiling widely.
"It's amazing…It's so moving…" Cera uttered in wonder.
"Yeah…what you think Littlefoot?" Petrie asked turning to him, "…Littlefoot?" Littlefoot had lowered his head as if he had been blinded by something. His eyes were clamped shut so tightly, it looked as if he was in pain.
"What's wrong Littlefoot?" Ali was sympathetically.
"I…I can't see…I can't open my eyes…" he complained as a burning erupted over his eyes, "It…it really hurts!"
"What do you mean? Did something hit you?" Ducky asked extremely worried.
"N-no! It's…it's…" Littlefoot stammered. The stinging was becoming unbearable as his eyes started to water.
"Oh Littlefoot! No cry otherwise you make me cry too," Petrie pleaded starting to sniffle.
"I'm…I'm not crying…something…is…"
Without warning, Jason's song stopped. Instantaneous to him stopping, Littlefoot felt his eyes stop burning. He snapped them open once the pain subsided, blinked once or twice and looked up.
"I…I can see again!" he exclaimed breathlessly.
"What happened?" Ali asked softly as he panted heavily.
"I don't know but…when Jason stopped, the pain stopped as well."
"But why did he stop? Huh? Where'd he go?" Cera cried as she looked up at the rock and found Jason was no longer there. The gang ran out into the clearing but Jason had disappeared again.
"He gone again," Petrie cawed exasperatedly.
"Where'd he…" Littlefoot started but he was interrupted but high-pitched squeals from the two baby threehorns.
"Two-Legs! Two-Legs go-ie bye-bye!!!" Dinah exclaimed panic-stricken.
"What? Where?" Littlefoot cried.
"There!" Ducky shouted pointing into the river. The gang gasped in horror as they saw Jason floating, facedown, in the water. Not wasting a moment, Littlefoot leapt into the water and pulled him to the shore by the hood if his jumper.
Panicking, everyone looked over Jason's unmoving body with his piccolo clasped in one hand.
"Is he all right?!" Ali cried desperately. Littlefoot tried nudging him but he flinched when he came into contact with his chest.
"What is wrong?" Ducky called as Littlefoot reared up and hissed in pain.
"Jason's burning hot! I couldn't touch him!" he replied. The others tried resting a foot on Jason's torso but they too received a burn which made them jerk.
"What's going on? Why is he so hot?" Ali asked horrified.
"Is he sick or something?" Cera said shaking her foot to revive the feeling in it.
"I don't know I…" Littlefoot began but he gasped in amazement at the sight he just saw. The others followed his gaze and they were astounded as well.
"Look! Jason's stone!" Littlefoot whispered.
"It…glowing…" Petrie said gaping with wide eyes.
"What's it doing? It looks like it's pulsing…" Cera said slowly.
"It…it looks like…it's alive…" Ali said mesmerised. As they had described, the ruby in Jason's pendent was pulsating rhythmically. It's warm, glowing, red light lit up his unconscious body and was radiating further and further outwards.
"What's going on? Why is Jason's stone doing that?" Cera asked slowly.
"Could it be? Is Mr. Westwood right? Are my dreams really coming true?" Littlefoot whispered to himself in disbelief.
"What should we do? Should we try and wake him up?" Ducky asked very concerned.
"But how? He's too hot to lay a foot on him!" Cera argued as she watched Dinah and Dana try to approach Jason again but squealed in pain on contact.
"Why not try to cool him down?" Petrie then said flying over to the river. Following him down to the bank, everyone grabbed a corner of Jason's clothing and dragged him to the edge of the water as it gently lapped the shore.
"What now? If we throw him in he could drown," Littlefoot said seriously.
"Don't worry, Spike can take care of it," Ducky announced patting Spike on the neck.
"How?" Ali asked.
"Watch! Okay Spike! Do your stuff," Ducky instructed happily. Nodding in acknowledgement, Spike lowered his head into the water and drew up a large mouthful. With his cheeks bulging, Spike turned and aimed, then, spat the water in Jason's face at full force. In response, Jason was instantly revived as he flapped around helplessly as Spike continued to spray him. Once Spike had run out of water, Jason lurched up, coughing and spluttering.
"Ack!…Ah-hey! huh? What the…? What happened?" Jason said wiping his drenched face.
"Jason! You're okay!" Littlefoot said jovially.
"Well done Spike!" Ducky said congratulating her little brother who smiled and hummed merrily.
"Uh…yeah, I guess. Man! What in the world just happened? I don't remember a thing," Jason said with his face buried in his hands.
"Two-Legs? You-ie na-na beb-ter?" Dinah asked sweetly but with a troubled expression.
"Yeah, I'm okay Dinah. Thank you. Were you guys nearby when you found me?" Jason said stroking the little threehorn with one hand.
"Uh huh! We were listening to your song Jason. It was so pretty," Ducky said giggling rather girlishly.
"You…you were listening to me? But I thought I was miles out for anyone to hear?" Jason said astounded flicking the wet sleeves of his jumper.
"Us-ie mooshie Two-Legs!" Dinah chirped happily.
"Yeah. Dinee, Danee luvvie Two-Leggie's moo-zica!" Dana agreed. The two of them began humming the melody and dancing around in circles. The gang laughed as they watched the two, baby threehorns waltz around each other in time with their humming which caused Spike to quickly join in. As the twins stopped, Jason smiled, put his piccolo to his lips and started playing again one more time.
"So, you really like it huh?" Jason asked again once he'd finished. The twins bobbed up and down as did the rest of the gang.
"It was really sweet and moving," Ali said airily.
"Yeah, it even got to me. What's it called?" Cera asked.
"It's a lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I couldn't get to sleep. She said she discovered it on the wall of one of the ancient tombs where she found the Parchment of Essences. It was inscribed on the wall in symbols and she managed to decipher the ancient language and reveal it's title. It literally translated to, "If We Hold on Together". A song that was supposed to bond souls over a great distance and even time. I've never forgotten it and whenever I feel alone, I play this melody and it gives me a strange uplifting feeling that I can't describe but recently, as I play it, I keep feeling something else as well."
"Something else? Like what?" Ducky softly.
"It's kinda hard to say. It's sorta like a…growing warmth…right here," Jason said calmly laying a hand on his chest over his pendent.
"Really?" Littlefoot said greatly intrigued.
"Yeah…well it starts off as a warmth but then it suddenly explodes into a burning. Almost like there's a fire deep inside. It becomes so intense that I always find myself blacking out and waking up some time later, completely disorientated," Jason said slightly uncertain.
"Is that what happened up on the Jumping Rock?" Petrie asked pointing up at the massive boulder overhanging the water.
"Must have been. I don't understand why it happens…it just does. I'm lucky that you guys found me this time or I may have not come around at all," he replied shrugging.
"I know what you mean Jason. I felt a burning too, in my eyes. The more I listened to you play your song, the more painful it became. I though I was going to go blind and it made my eyes water," Littlefoot said.
"Yeah, it nearly make me cry too," Petrie added starting to snivel.
"No…I wasn't crying! It was more like, something was trying to get out," Littlefoot corrected him.
"That's exactly what I feel like. Like something is desperately trying to escape from within," Jason said excitedly.
"Well, I didn't feel anything like that. I felt something tingle but that was it. No burning," Cera said flatly.
"Me neither," Ali said but with a little more compassion to her words. Littlefoot and Jason turned to look at Ducky, Petrie and Spike but they shook their heads.
"I wonder what this is all about…" Jason said resting his head on his knees.
"I'm beginning to think that all these things are linking back to my dreams. I told Mr. Westwood about them and he seems to think so too," Littlefoot stated slowly.
"I remember you mentioning that but can you recall everything about your dreams Littlefoot?" Jason asked now giving his full attention to him.
"Yeah, I want to hear it too but let's get out of here and go somewhere a bit more open," Cera suggested nervously.
The gang wandered back through the woodland with Littlefoot explaining his dreams along the way as best as he could recall. Everything from his first encounter with the old longneck in the triangular room with the three glistening waterfalls, his meetings with the two other chosen ones and his second meeting with the old longneck as she described about the three Stones of Essence and the Heaven's Eternity Crystal.
"Heaven's Eternity Crystal huh? Can't say I've ever heard mum mention anything like that in any of her reports," Jason said as they approached the last thicket before Littlefoot's home ground.
"The old longneck said that it was the most powerful thing ever. It has unlimited energy that can be used by anyone," Littlefoot said.
"And this crystal is formed when all three Stone of Essence are brought together you say?" Ali asked fascinated.
"Yeah, that's what she said," Littlefoot verified.
"But there's more to it than that right?" Jason asked picking up on Littlefoot's tone of voice.
"Yes. The stones won't just all come together, there is some sort of trick to getting them to bind together as one. When this happens, the Heaven's Eternity Crystal is formed and it's true power can be unleashed."
"Wow! That sound amazing!" Petrie said enjoying the story from on top Littlefoot's head.
"So, we believe that both you and Jason have two of the stones; the red one and the blue one. But, who has the green stone?" Cera then asked.
"I'm not sure but my dreams tell me it could be Jill. She saved us from those sharpteeth just like that strange human in white saved me from those scary trees," Littlefoot said.
"You are right Littlefoot. I remember seeing Jill with a triangular cut, emerald ring on her finger when they took me in for a second time. It looks exactly the same as my ruby and your sapphire but I don't know if she knows what it has the potential to do," Jason said analytically.
"But wait, remember when Jill was hurt in the Green Meadow after defeating those sharpteeth? Jill said something about she knew what the other humans were up to. She knew what they had planned or something like that…" Ducky said as she remembered the awful sight of seeing Jill lying in the field critically wounded.
"Do you think that maybe Jill does know something about all this?" Cera asked curiously.
"She might do but there is no way of asking her whilst she's still in her coma. I'm just praying that she makes it through that let alone asking her about all this Stones of Essence stuff," Jason said solemnly. The group nodded and hummed agreeingly.
Coming out of the last thicket, the gang walked over to Littlefoot's nesting place to sit down for a while. Jason placed his bag down at the base of his tree and climbed up to rest. As everyone else settled down under him, Jason put his piccolo in his pocket, took his pendent in his hand and stared into it. With all that Littlefoot had said about his dreams, Jason kept wondering about all that had happened. How did he activate the Chronos Doorway back in his time? Was it purely coincidence that Littlefoot's dreams had portrayed all that had happened so far? If so then what did his dreams mean? And what could it mean for their future if it was all true? As he continued to gaze hypnotically into his blood, red ruby, his thought then turned to his mother and all that she unveiled when she was working on the project. Did she know something that the Red Phoenix directors wanted to know? Would that explain why they had to flee for their lives thus resulting in her untimely death? Also, if she did know then, why in the world did she pass the pendent over to him when they were hiding in that chemical storage cupboard? Jason blinked and snapped out of his trance before dropping the pendent back down onto his chest. Sighing, he turned and looked at the others as they spoke quietly to each other. As he rolled over, Jason felt his piccolo dig into his thigh. Picking it out of his pocket again, he began contemplating what Littlefoot meant by unlocking the stones' powers in order for them to merge into their final form. He then had a strange idea that could maybe explain the intense burning feelings he and Littlefoot felt when he played his song. Feeling he had nothing to lose, and with the gang distracted, Jason started playing his mother's melody again.
The gang instantly looked up at him as he played and began feeling the same light, airy sensations that had felt before. Littlefoot smiled but couldn't help but fear that the burning in his eyes would start up again once Jason had started. As he had feared, Littlefoot began to feel the tingling in his eyes. Everyone else, on the ground, looked at him as he started blinking excessively to relieve the pain that was steadily growing. They then shot a glance up at Jason when he started to flinch awkwardly but he carried on playing regardless.
"Erm…Jason…I think you should stop now…I think you're hurt yourself and Littlefoot," Ali suggested worryingly but Jason found he couldn't stop once he had started.
"Umm…Jason…you should stop," Ducky agreed but Jason didn't respond.
"Jason! Stop playing! You're hurting Littlefoot!" Cera shouted angrily and began ramming his tree. The shuddering of vibrations up the tree trunk jolted Jason and he pulled the little, wooden instrument from his mouth, panting.
"Jason, what were you doing?" Cera barked irritably.
"S-sorry guys. I wanted to see something but as soon as I began playing I couldn't stop," Jason said breathlessly, "are you alright Littlefoot? I didn't mean to cause you any pain, I swear."
"It's okay Jason," Littlefoot said shaking his head as the burning subsided.
"So…did you find out what you were trying to achieve?" Ducky asked now greatly relieved that both of them had stopped hurting.
"I'm not sure. I'm still waiting for a…huh?" Jason said but a bright flash interrupted him. Everyone wooed in astonishment as they saw the ruby in Jason's pendent begin to glow again and as before, it was pulsating steadily.
"It doing it again! Your stone is glowing Jason," Petrie cawed in wonder.
"I've…I've never seen this before! I'm usually out cold when this happens," Jason exclaimed in awe as he watched the gleaming red light emitting from his pendent. Suddenly, Jason then saw something shimmering out of the corner of his eye. Looking down passed everyone else on the ground, as they all were looking up at him, Jason could see it radiating from the blades of grass in Littlefoot's sleeping pit.
"Hey guys! What's that down there?" he said pointing down passed them all. They all broke their gaze from Jason's pendent to follow his finger.
"What's that?!" Ali gasped.
"Littlefoot? Is that your…?" Ducky asked, her large, moony eyes were reflecting the shimmering blue ring sprinkled with glittering stars.
"It's my stone!" Littlefoot gaped pulling the grass back to reveal his lucky stone. The little, triangular sapphire was emitting a blue ring that sparkled with white stars that seem to be dripping off like twinkling water droplets. As Jason jumped down from out of his tree to huddle around everyone else, Littlefoot bent down to pick it up. Raising his head for everyone to gaze at the stone more closely, Jason then felt something twinge in his chest.
"What's wrong Jason?" Ali asked picking up on Jason's little, painful squeal.
"I…I can feel something…" he said taking his pendent in his hand. He then, instinctively, pulled it over his head and held it in front of everyone, close to Littlefoot's stone. Without warning, Jason's ruby flew out of his outstretched hand just as Littlefoot's sapphire shot out from between his teeth and they struck each other in mid-air shooting glowing sparks like two flints trying starting a fire. The gang all jumped backwards in great shock fearing that the stones were liable to cause them harm but they continued to watch as the stones hovered above their heads trying to interact with each other as if alive. After a few seconds, both stones flashed their respective colours before their lights diminished and they fell back down to the ground. A little apprehensive to advance, everyone looked at each other, all completely thunderstruck.
"What was that all about?" Ali asked eyeing everyone else. They are all still extremely shocked at what they had just witnessed.
"That was immense!" Jason exclaimed bending down to pick up his pendent, "It was as if they were possessed or something…" He closed his fist around the stone which was still warm.
"It was if they had a mind of their own," Ducky said slowly as Littlefoot did the same as Jason. Similarly, his sapphire was warm too.
"I think we're on to something here you guys…" Jason said fretfully, "It seems as though the stones react with each other when they came into close proximity."
"Yeah, and it looks at though your song is what started them off Jason," Cera said.
"Nah-nee no-no Two-Legs! Whas-a go-go?" Dinah asked shivering in fear.
"No-ie us-ie Dinee Danee nuh-uh!" Dana agreed quivering next to his twin sister. Jason patted them as they cowered up to him.
"I'm afraid I don't know what's going on twins but don't be scared. We'll get to the bottom of this…you'll see," he said to them softly but he knew that something extraordinary was at hand here. As Jason scanned the troubled expressions on everyone's faces he began wondering what all this could possibly lead to. Little did any of them realise that all would be revealed much sooner they anticipated.