Steven sat upon the lookout of their beach hill and took in the view of the ocean. The just appearing stars were twinkling brightly against the deep blue of the pristine sea water. He had trouble understanding how something could be so calm when it felt as if his whole world had been flipped upside down. The scene a few days prior with the mysterious green gem that resulted in Garnet smashing the main warp pad at the warp hub had really bothered him, and although the others had been ignoring his questions and acting like it never even happened he still saw Amethyst and Pearl nervously scanning the skies. But one thing was clear. They lied to him about the other gems.
Steven sighed before picking up his trash, an empty juice box and a cookie cat package (It was one of the remaining few, but he needed it to soothe his whirlwind of emotion) and headed back inside. The three gems that had been the source of his frustration were strewn about the living room, minding their own business as Steven deposited the garbage into the wastebasket and proceeded to climb into his bed, stating to the other gems that he was simply tired. Although they each shared a concerned glance, they all said their "Goodnight Steven!" and Steven said his "Goodnight Garnet! Goodnight Amethyst! Goodnight Pearl!" Showing an unusual lack of enthusiasm before he drifted off to the world of dreams.
He realized he was dreaming, but he didn't understand what was going on. It was pitch black, and he was cold. Wind tore at his clothes and even though it didn't affect the light he had to squint to avoid the flying debris carried by it. He didn't feel…alone. Steven was worried when he realized that maybe the darkness was all that was keeping him safe from whatever the…thing was that was here in his dream with him. He realized he had been holding his breath and let out a huge gasp of air that he quickly replaced before his jaw snapped shut. He heard it. Moving. Quiet steps, although it didn't sound small. It reminded him of Lion, how his beloved pet could prowl with such grace it could be unheard when it so chose. The young gem was considering running until he felt a thick, wet cloud of air slap him in the face, only now realizing that all wind had left. Steven couldn't take it anymore. "Is anyone ther-" A powerful, blood-curdling screech tore through the air and two blinding purple lights blinded him, he could feel something swinging towards his left and was surprised when nothing hit him. Then he felt a small grip on his arm, slowly moving him.
"Steven! It's time to get up! We have to go on a mission!" Said Pearl in her smooth parental voice as the boy slid out of bed and maneuvered into his day clothes. "I have food packed for us, it looks like we will be gone for most of the day… What are you doing just standing there? You're coming too!"
Only now did the fog of sleep truly clear from Steven's mind as he wiped his eyes and replied, "I get to come?" He was overjoyed. They hadn't had a mission since a day before the warp pad incident, and he needed something to get his mind off of it.
"Yeah man! Come on! These snacks are looking pretty tasty, and you know I eat when I have to wait!" Amethyst yelled in her always playful and, to Pearl, aggravating tone.
"Amethyst you're always eating." Pearl said to the side, already frustrated. It seemed to Steven that this wasn't the first time the two had bickered this morning. That became clear when Garnet stood between the two, who during Pearl's comment had already stood angrily before one another.
"That's enough you two. Let's go Steven. We have a long day ahead of us. We're exploring an uncharted warp destination, which also seems to house a gem monster. Let's get a move on."
Steven nodded after hearing the mission from Garnet and grabbed his backpack, shoving in his ukulele and joining the other three on the warp pad.
As they warped Steven regarded his fellow gems. While things had been more tense lately, this morning they had been acting quite like their usual selves. He was glad they could all get out of the beach house and do something productive. Or at least get to see somewhere cool. Steven's inner monologue was interrupted by Amethyst as their warp ended.
"Wow." Amethyst was right. The four all stepped off the pad and surveyed their new surroundings. Tall red-clay cliff faces stood all around them, the land a maze of canyons and pockets of different ecosystems in the massive clay mountainous region they found themselves in. But almost as majestically beautiful the sight was, the dead silence made it equally eerie. "So guys…where to?" Garnet surveyed her surroundings one more time before picking one trail that led down into a canyon and began walking, shortly followed by Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven. They continued this trek for roughly an hour when Steven bumped into Pearl's back.
"Steven, don't move, Garnet stopped us." Steven made an OK circle with his fingers to Pearl and turned his eyes to Garnet, who was approaching something Steven couldn't quite understand.
Garnet observed the sight before her. It looked to be a small pond, no wider than ten feet at each point. The curious thing was the blackish-purple fog continuously rolling out of it. She made an effort to avoid the small cloud of it that hovered over the water and began to walk around it when she heard a large boom coming from around the bend of the canyon before her, and only seconds later a large green lizard came bounding towards them. She turned to see Pearl and Amethyst readying their weapons having already sheparded Steven to safety behind a large boulder nearby. Garnet readied her Power Gauntlets and let out a battle cry as she met the monster head on.
Steven could only watch in awe. One of the most epic gem battles he had ever seen was playing out right before his eyes. The giant lizard resembled a kimono dragon without eyes, with only a solid green gem resting in their place. It was at least fifteen feet tall, and around twice the same length long. The trio were battling it with ease. Garnet had kept it distracted with heavy punches to its face while Pearl had been targeting weak points around its joints with each stab, and Amethyst had just been popping it with her whip all over. The reptilian-esque monster didn't last long before falling to the ground, battered and bleeding, and diffusing its physical form. Steven quickly navigated the rocks and streams to congratulate the group on a job well done.
"That. Was. Awesome! Garnet you were all like 'Bam! Boom!' And Pearl your spear was like 'Shllk!' And Amethyst, your whip was popping all over the place! Incredible!" At this point, Steven was simply too amazed, and slid to the ground against a small stump. The three others all seemed grateful for the young gem's praise as they dusted the red dirt away and tended to their cuts and bruises. Pearl bubbled the fist-sized green gem with care, only to notice something strange. The green had slowly left the center of the stone, which was rapidly being replaced by purple. Soon a small purple cloud began to fill her bubble, and she called out to the others.
"Garnet, I really, really think you should look at-" Pearl was interrupted by her bubble shattering and the massive lizard roaring to life. The Crystal Gems all fell to the ground, the lizard blocking the way they had entered and their backs to the small mysterious pond. The only thing on the minds of the three warriors was protecting Steven and Garnet quickly acted on it. She scooped the boy up and jumped back, only barely dodging the seemingly faster than earlier dodge. Pearl jumped to stab at the monster's face, only to be slapped back to the side of Garnet and Steven. Only now did Amethyst point out the striking change in the beast.
"Guys, what's all that purple junk coming out of its mouth?!" She ran back and joined the others, who were all observing the difference that had been shown to them. As she had said, a blackish purple fog rolled from its mouth as it bored down upon them. Garnet placed Steven behind her and just as it was about to impact, a pink bubble formed around the four of them. Pearl looked up from the ground to see that Steven's gem was the source, though her moment of relief was short lived when the creature slammed into the side and they bounced back into the air, before splashing into the pond. It quickly became pitch black, the only light illuminating them came from Steven's stomach.
"What do I do?" Steven asked urgently, obviously panicked by the sudden change of events.
"Just stay focused on keeping the bubble…" Garnet stopped speaking as a light peeked out from…below, followed by a dull, rising roar. Slowly but surely they kept sinking until finally they were completely engulfed in the light, upon which they immediately all fell to the side in a pile and heard a loud boom.
"What the?.." The answer quickly came to Amethyst as they looked down and saw a tree canopy. A tree canopy that was rapidly approaching. "WHY ARE WE FALLING?!" Steven was holding on to Garnet and yelled the only thing he knew to say.
"I HAVE NO IDEA!" The four all screamed on their way down before they broke through the canopy and smashed many branches on the way until they and their bubble was gently resting on a bed of vines.
After a few moments of silence, Pearl rose to a sitting position and gingerly rubbed her head. "Where are we?...How did we get here?" Garnet gave her a look that said nothing but 'I have no idea.' The bubble quickly popped and they felt the soft vines, the soft wet vines. 'That explains the sound.' Steven thought as he looked up and felt the rain falling through the hole they had made in the canopy. The group was just beginning to get up and ready to move when they heard what sounded like a stampede. It turned out it was exactly that a few seconds later when dozens of giant, cow-like beasts began bounding down the path below their hanging vines. What worried then was that these creatures definitely weren't from Earth. So where could they be? And, slightly less disturbing but much more urgent, what was that loud booming sound that was steadily increasing? Before they even had time to process this, the Gems all readied in a battle stance around Steven when they noticed someone watching them from a nearby branch. It looked as if it had the same anatomy as a human, but it was large, and in a lot of armor and wielded a massive sword. The being leapt from his tree to their vines and began to speak to them in a masculine tone, confusing them with his choice of words.
"Come on! We have to stay in front of the stampede! You don't want to see what's at the end!" And with that he ran and jumped to another tree and continued this, and was soon followed by Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet, who was carrying Steven, who also decided that it might be better to trust him when she heard the booming get even louder. The man in front of them continued his path effortlessly, much to the mystery of the four newcomers.
His mind was full of questions, but they could wait. After all, he had to get them away from the wyverns.
AN: Well? Review and let me know what you think! Dillon out!