"Ste!"
8 year old Steven Universe opened his eyes to see his little sister, Blue Topaz, sitting on his belly.
"Wake up!" she babbled. "Cowal an' Moonstone an' Gawnet coming today!"
At the age of two, she still didn't talk very well, but always came to wake up her big brother.
"Yeah, come on, Ste-man!" Amethyst, his older sister by two years, coaxed.
"We have to get ready for the arrival of our aunts and cousins," added Peridot, his other older sister. She had been the middle child until Blue was born; at the age of 9, she was a bit cut off from the rest of the family.
"All right! I'm up!". Steven grabbed Blue and started tickling her.
"No! Bad Ste!" the youngest Universe shrieked. Amethyst joined in the tickle war while Peridot began tidying up the messy room.
"Mamma!" Blue yelled, attaching herself to Rose's leg. "When Awunt Pewal coming?"
"She'll be here in a few hours, along with Aunt Ruby and Aunt Sapphire," Rose laughed, picking up her youngest.
"Ste say we gonna get doughnuts."
"Yes we are. Your daddy just went to get them."
"Yay!". Blue toddled off, probably to find her big brother.
Of course, the early morning peace was shattered a few minutes later by screaming. Blue's screaming.
"Mom!" Steven yelped. Rose ran in to see Steven hugging his sister, who was crying and holding her knee. "She tripped over one of Peridot's robonoids."
"Aw, Blue! I'll go get you a bandage and a Cookie Cat, okay?". Blue nodded and sniffed.
The doorbell rang. Rose opened it to see her sisters and their families. Pearl gave her a hug while Coral, Moonstone, and Garnet went to find their cousins.
Coral was 13 and Pearl's oldest daughter. Moonstone was just two years younger. Garnet was the eldest child in the family, at the age of fourteen. Ruby and Sapphire were her mothers.
"Steve! Ames! Peri!" Moonstone called. Blue ran up to Garnet and held out her arms to be picked up.
"What happened?" Garnet asked, noticing the Crying Breakfast Friends bandage on her youngest cousin's knee.
"I twipped. I huwted, but Mommy make it better!"
"What'd ya trip over?" Coral asked.
"Pewi's toy wobonoid."
"IT IS NOT A TOY!" Peridot yelled. Blue buried her face in Garnet's shoulder. Amethyst and Steven came in.
"Wassup, Mad Miss M?" Amethyst greeted Moonstone.
"Hey, guys!" Steven said excitedly.
"So what should we do?" Coral asked.
"Me an' Gawnet pway doctow!" Blue squealed. Garnet grinned. Despite their twelve year age difference, when they saw each other, Blue only wanted to play with her oldest cousin.
"Sure, Blueberry, but what about the rest of us?" Amethyst inquired.
"You be peopwe who go to the doctow!"
"I guess we're playing hospital!" Moonstone shrugged as she made her statement.
"It would be nice to spend one day without the kids…" Rose murmured.
"It'll be great!" Ruby laughed. "We can go to the movies, get dinner, maybe do some shopping…"
"That sounds fine, but what about the children?" Pearl asked nervously.
"Garnet and Coral are more than capable of taking care of five younger children for an afternoon," Sapphire suggested. "So let's tell the kids we're going!" Greg said.
"So what should we do, Garnet?" Amethyst asked. "We can't stay inside on a beautiful day like today!"
"We could go swimming," Steven suggested. "The water park's not far."
"Blue, put on your suit," Amethyst instructed.
"Hey, Lapis!" Steven called across the park. The girl looked up and smiled.
"Hey, Steven!" she called back. He sat down next to her, dangling his feet in the water.
"What're you doing here?"
"Oh, Jasper's keeping an eye on me so Mom can get some work done."
"Who's Jasper?"
"My big sister. She's starting high school soon."
"So's Garnet!"
Before Lapis could respond, a voice came from the other side of the park.
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, FREAKSHOW!"
"That's Jasper!" Lapis squeaked. The two stood up and went to see the trouble. Jasper was facing Garnet. Blue was holding the tall girl's hand, her lower lip trembling in fear and as a signal that she was about to cry.
"Jasper, please don't scare my cousin," Garnet said coolly.
"She stepped on my foot!"
"I-I sowwy!" sobbed Blue.
"You better be, you little brat!". Garnet pursed her lips.
"Coral, take Blue. I'll handle this.". The younger girl stepped forward and picked up her cousin. Blue cried harder and buried her face in Coral's shoulder.
"Let's go, just me and you. Let's go, just one on one."
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!". The cry started quietly at first in the crowd, but soon grew to a roar. "Gawnet," whimpered Blue.
"What's goin' on here!?"
Everybody turned to see a tough-looking woman dressed in a lifeguard uniform.
"Will somebody please tell me what happened?!"
"Miss, er—" Coral began.
"Sugulite."
"Miss Sugilite, it was just a misunderstanding. Blue here accidentally stepped on Jasper's foot. She didn't mean to."
"Ah.". Sugulite turned to the teen girls who'd been about to battle it out. "Listen, ladies. I love a good fight as much as the next gal, but this isn't the way you resolve somethin' as trivial as accidentally stepping on someone's foot."
"Sorry," Garnet mumbled. Sugilite grinned. "I like you, kid. Somethin' about ya just reminds me of myself."
"GAWNET!". Blue ran up and hugged the older girl around her legs.
"I think we'd better go, before we cause more trouble," Garnet said pointedly.
The group headed to the library, where Blue could watch a play while the others looked at books or magazines. It'd be a break for all of them after the stress at the water park. It turned out, however, that Steven wanted to see the show, too.
The female lead was a head shorter than Garnet, with long wavy dark brown hair. The male lead was none other than Renaldo! It turned out to be Blue's favorite fairy tale: The Frog Prince.
Once they were done at the library, they headed to the park to unwind and play.
After a while, however, they couldn't find Blue!
"Muffin!" Steven called.
"Blue!" shrieked Peridot.
"We're in so much trouble!" Amethyst yelped.
"She's been kidnapped; I just know it!" Coral moaned in despair.
"Let's stay calm," Garnet stated. "Blue can't have gotten far. It's only been a few minutes."
Blue looked around. The butterfly she'd been chasing had taken her far away from her siblings and cousins. She couldn't see them anywhere. Frightened, the two year old began to cry.
"Hey, there, little one," a kind voice said. She looked up to see a woman taller than Garnet. She wore tinted glasses that allowed you to see her eyes and had oddly styled blonde hair. "Are you lost?" Blue nodded, sniffling. The woman pulled a hankerchief out of her pocket. "Here. Blow your nose, and I'll help you." Blue pulled on the cloth, but more hankerchiefs came out. Her eyes widened.
"How you do that?"
"Magic. Now come along."
"What you name?"
"I'm Sardonyx."
"I Bwue."
"We're so dead!" Amethyst fretted.
"Calm down," Garnet ordered. "We'll find her."
"Gawnet!". All of them turned to see Blue in the arms of a woman they didn't know. Blue squirmed and the stranger put her down. Immediately, she ran for Garnet.
"Are you hurt?" Garnet asked, holding Blue tightly.
"No. I chase a buttewfwy ovew thewe, an' Sawdonyx found me. She bwought me hewe."
"Thank you, Miss Sardonyx," Steven told the woman.
"It was no trouble. You don't have to thank me. Bye!"
Smoke surrounded her and when it cleared, she was gone.
"How'd she do that?" Amethyst asked, dumbfounded.
"She's magic!" Blue answered.
"We'd better get home," Garnet warned.
"We're home!" Greg announced as the adults came in the house.
"Daddy!". Blue took a flying leap into her father's arms.
"How was your day?" Sapphire asked.
"Mostly uneventful," Garnet answered.
"Well, it's time to go home," Pearl told her daughters. "Come along.". The sisters said their goodbyes, and so did Garnet before long. Once they'd left, Rose turned to Steven, who was sweating.
"Steven, what happened?"
"We lost Blue!" he wailed. "A really nice lady named Sardonyx found her and brought her back.". He gave his mother a quizzical expression. "Are we in trouble?"
"No, not at all. Besides, I think Blue forgives you.". Steven felt something on his leg. He looked down to see Blue sleeping on his foot.
"Well, at least we're not in trouble!"
8 year old Steven Universe opened his eyes to see his little sister, Blue Topaz, sitting on his belly.
"Wake up!" she babbled. "Cowal an' Moonstone an' Gawnet coming today!"
At the age of two, she still didn't talk very well, but always came to wake up her big brother.
"Yeah, come on, Ste-man!" Amethyst, his older sister by two years, coaxed.
"We have to get ready for the arrival of our aunts and cousins," added Peridot, his other older sister. She had been the middle child until Blue was born; at the age of 9, she was a bit cut off from the rest of the family.
"All right! I'm up!". Steven grabbed Blue and started tickling her.
"No! Bad Ste!" the youngest Universe shrieked. Amethyst joined in the tickle war while Peridot began tidying up the messy room.
"Mamma!" Blue yelled, attaching herself to Rose's leg. "When Awunt Pewal coming?"
"She'll be here in a few hours, along with Aunt Ruby and Aunt Sapphire," Rose laughed, picking up her youngest.
"Ste say we gonna get doughnuts."
"Yes we are. Your daddy just went to get them."
"Yay!". Blue toddled off, probably to find her big brother.
Of course, the early morning peace was shattered a few minutes later by screaming. Blue's screaming.
"Mom!" Steven yelped. Rose ran in to see Steven hugging his sister, who was crying and holding her knee. "She tripped over one of Peridot's robonoids."
"Aw, Blue! I'll go get you a bandage and a Cookie Cat, okay?". Blue nodded and sniffed.
The doorbell rang. Rose opened it to see her sisters and their families. Pearl gave her a hug while Coral, Moonstone, and Garnet went to find their cousins.
Coral was 13 and Pearl's oldest daughter. Moonstone was just two years younger. Garnet was the eldest child in the family, at the age of fourteen. Ruby and Sapphire were her mothers.
"Steve! Ames! Peri!" Moonstone called. Blue ran up to Garnet and held out her arms to be picked up.
"What happened?" Garnet asked, noticing the Crying Breakfast Friends bandage on her youngest cousin's knee.
"I twipped. I huwted, but Mommy make it better!"
"What'd ya trip over?" Coral asked.
"Pewi's toy wobonoid."
"IT IS NOT A TOY!" Peridot yelled. Blue buried her face in Garnet's shoulder. Amethyst and Steven came in.
"Wassup, Mad Miss M?" Amethyst greeted Moonstone.
"Hey, guys!" Steven said excitedly.
"So what should we do?" Coral asked.
"Me an' Gawnet pway doctow!" Blue squealed. Garnet grinned. Despite their twelve year age difference, when they saw each other, Blue only wanted to play with her oldest cousin.
"Sure, Blueberry, but what about the rest of us?" Amethyst inquired.
"You be peopwe who go to the doctow!"
"I guess we're playing hospital!" Moonstone shrugged as she made her statement.
"It would be nice to spend one day without the kids…" Rose murmured.
"It'll be great!" Ruby laughed. "We can go to the movies, get dinner, maybe do some shopping…"
"That sounds fine, but what about the children?" Pearl asked nervously.
"Garnet and Coral are more than capable of taking care of five younger children for an afternoon," Sapphire suggested. "So let's tell the kids we're going!" Greg said.
"So what should we do, Garnet?" Amethyst asked. "We can't stay inside on a beautiful day like today!"
"We could go swimming," Steven suggested. "The water park's not far."
"Blue, put on your suit," Amethyst instructed.
"Hey, Lapis!" Steven called across the park. The girl looked up and smiled.
"Hey, Steven!" she called back. He sat down next to her, dangling his feet in the water.
"What're you doing here?"
"Oh, Jasper's keeping an eye on me so Mom can get some work done."
"Who's Jasper?"
"My big sister. She's starting high school soon."
"So's Garnet!"
Before Lapis could respond, a voice came from the other side of the park.
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, FREAKSHOW!"
"That's Jasper!" Lapis squeaked. The two stood up and went to see the trouble. Jasper was facing Garnet. Blue was holding the tall girl's hand, her lower lip trembling in fear and as a signal that she was about to cry.
"Jasper, please don't scare my cousin," Garnet said coolly.
"She stepped on my foot!"
"I-I sowwy!" sobbed Blue.
"You better be, you little brat!". Garnet pursed her lips.
"Coral, take Blue. I'll handle this.". The younger girl stepped forward and picked up her cousin. Blue cried harder and buried her face in Coral's shoulder.
"Let's go, just me and you. Let's go, just one on one."
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!". The cry started quietly at first in the crowd, but soon grew to a roar. "Gawnet," whimpered Blue.
"What's goin' on here!?"
Everybody turned to see a tough-looking woman dressed in a lifeguard uniform.
"Will somebody please tell me what happened?!"
"Miss, er—" Coral began.
"Sugulite."
"Miss Sugilite, it was just a misunderstanding. Blue here accidentally stepped on Jasper's foot. She didn't mean to."
"Ah.". Sugulite turned to the teen girls who'd been about to battle it out. "Listen, ladies. I love a good fight as much as the next gal, but this isn't the way you resolve somethin' as trivial as accidentally stepping on someone's foot."
"Sorry," Garnet mumbled. Sugilite grinned. "I like you, kid. Somethin' about ya just reminds me of myself."
"GAWNET!". Blue ran up and hugged the older girl around her legs.
"I think we'd better go, before we cause more trouble," Garnet said pointedly.
The group headed to the library, where Blue could watch a play while the others looked at books or magazines. It'd be a break for all of them after the stress at the water park. It turned out, however, that Steven wanted to see the show, too.
The female lead was a head shorter than Garnet, with long wavy dark brown hair. The male lead was none other than Renaldo! It turned out to be Blue's favorite fairy tale: The Frog Prince.
Once they were done at the library, they headed to the park to unwind and play.
After a while, however, they couldn't find Blue!
"Muffin!" Steven called.
"Blue!" shrieked Peridot.
"We're in so much trouble!" Amethyst yelped.
"She's been kidnapped; I just know it!" Coral moaned in despair.
"Let's stay calm," Garnet stated. "Blue can't have gotten far. It's only been a few minutes."
Blue looked around. The butterfly she'd been chasing had taken her far away from her siblings and cousins. She couldn't see them anywhere. Frightened, the two year old began to cry.
"Hey, there, little one," a kind voice said. She looked up to see a woman taller than Garnet. She wore tinted glasses that allowed you to see her eyes and had oddly styled blonde hair. "Are you lost?" Blue nodded, sniffling. The woman pulled a hankerchief out of her pocket. "Here. Blow your nose, and I'll help you." Blue pulled on the cloth, but more hankerchiefs came out. Her eyes widened.
"How you do that?"
"Magic. Now come along."
"What you name?"
"I'm Sardonyx."
"I Bwue."
"We're so dead!" Amethyst fretted.
"Calm down," Garnet ordered. "We'll find her."
"Gawnet!". All of them turned to see Blue in the arms of a woman they didn't know. Blue squirmed and the stranger put her down. Immediately, she ran for Garnet.
"Are you hurt?" Garnet asked, holding Blue tightly.
"No. I chase a buttewfwy ovew thewe, an' Sawdonyx found me. She bwought me hewe."
"Thank you, Miss Sardonyx," Steven told the woman.
"It was no trouble. You don't have to thank me. Bye!"
Smoke surrounded her and when it cleared, she was gone.
"How'd she do that?" Amethyst asked, dumbfounded.
"She's magic!" Blue answered.
"We'd better get home," Garnet warned.
"We're home!" Greg announced as the adults came in the house.
"Daddy!". Blue took a flying leap into her father's arms.
"How was your day?" Sapphire asked.
"Mostly uneventful," Garnet answered.
"Well, it's time to go home," Pearl told her daughters. "Come along.". The sisters said their goodbyes, and so did Garnet before long. Once they'd left, Rose turned to Steven, who was sweating.
"Steven, what happened?"
"We lost Blue!" he wailed. "A really nice lady named Sardonyx found her and brought her back.". He gave his mother a quizzical expression. "Are we in trouble?"
"No, not at all. Besides, I think Blue forgives you.". Steven felt something on his leg. He looked down to see Blue sleeping on his foot.
"Well, at least we're not in trouble!"