Chapter 1: The Overlord Avatar-Wizard of the Moon Goddess

[Summary: the Gems discover Connie's hidden power]

...

It was storming outside. Steven and Connie, trying to desperately pass the time, played some games into the night. They were glancing every once in a while at the warp pad, and sighed- until Connie received a text message.

"Mom will pick me up in ten minutes..." she mumbled, looking at her phone.

"I'm sorry, Connie... the Gems are probably busy... we can watch the movie next time."

"Ugh, but tonight was supposed to be so perfect!" Connie covered her eyes in frustration. "There's even a full moon outside... just like how the movie starts!"

"I don't know about that." Steven shrugged, looking at the pouring rain through the window. "We can't really see the moon in this weather anyway." he turned back to his friend- who seemed alerted from some reason.

"Connie?"

"Wait." she stood up- looking around her. "Can't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"It... it's..." Connie walked to the cabinet. "From this thing?"

She pointed at the statue of the female figure that was holding a gem. It was making a gentle, wavy sound – barely heard.

"Oh... it's a statue from one of my early missions... you know, the one the Gems gave me as a test..."

"Why is it singing like that?"

"I... am not sure... it never did that before." Steven said, and Connie picked it up.

It suddenly flashed in bright white – and then glowed gently.

"Whoa..." they both admired – entranced by the glow.

Connie laughed a little. "That kind of tickles..."

"Really?" Steven asked and touched the statue with his finger. "Hmm... ouch." he took his hand back. "That's kinda hot-"

"STEVEN! Connie! What are you doing!"

"Keep still!"

"It's magic!"

They heard the voices along with the sound of the warp-pad activating. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl appeared there, ready for action.

Steven and Connie both yelled when Amethyst cracked her whip at them, but Garnet jumped and stopped Amethyst immediately – letting the whip wrap around her wrist.

"Hitting it will only make it explode faster!"

"Oh... whoops." Amethyst scratched herself behind the head.

"Explode?!" the human girl and the half-gem boy yelled together.

Connie tried to throw the statue away- but to her and Steven's horror, she couldn't.

"It's stuck to my hands!" she looked at the Crystal Gems for help, frightened.

"It needs to be held! Pearl!" Garnet commanded.

"On it!" Pearl nodded.

With a single graceful leap, Pearl snatched the statue from Connie's hands.

The glow stopped, and everybody sighed in relief.

"That was not supposed to do that." Pearl mumbled, somewhat sweaty. "Right, Gar- huh-hot - HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!" she tried to drop the statue- shaking her hands, but to no avail – it suddenly glowed in intense red, and the room's attendees turned panicked again.

"Oh no – get off me! Get it off me!" Pearl yelled – and Garnet rushed to her aid. She took the glowing statue from Pearl, who sighed in relief – blowing on her own hands.

Garnet summoned her gauntlets instantly. "Its energy is intense. I can't bubble–!"

She stopped talking, and ran to the fridge; she opened the freezer then- practically dunking the statue in along with her gauntlets. The gauntlets seemed to be stuck to it, and they were burning away.

"Never-mind." Garnet slammed the freezer shut, regenerating her hands. "Done."

Steven and Connie were staring at the scene with gaping jaws.

"Wow... what just happened?" Steven asked.

"Eh. Garnet foresaw a giant explosion in the temple." Amethyst shrugged. Casually, as if nothing had happened- she opened the fridge and looked for something to snack on.

"Steven! Are you okay?!" Pearl demanded then, immediately grabbing his hand.

"You should ask Connie that- she was the one holding it!"

"Right," Pearl turned to Connie – who smiled nervously.

"I – I am fine. See?" she raised her palms- they were uninjured.

"What? How?" the white Gem silently asked.

"Who cares? The stupid thing's stopped now." Amethyst turned to them. "And we have a movie to watch!" she smiled, excited- until Steven shook his head.

"No, it's too late. Connie's going home soon... we'll do that next time."

"Sheesh. I told you we should have come earlier!" Amethyst muttered to the other two Gems – and yawned. "Whatevs. I'm going to rest."

She took a bunch of edible and non-edible things from the fridge, and entered to her room in the temple.

"You're human... you're completely fragile in comparison to any Gem." Pearl continued, worried. "It should've scorched your hands off... why did the statue hurt us, but not her?" Pearl turned to Garnet.

"It only reacts to magic. Humans are not capable of magic of any sort." Garnet calmly replied.

Steven glanced at Connie- who looked a little disappointed.

"You're right... no magic in this human..." she sighed, looking at her phone. "Mom's here... I'll be going now."

Steven held on her hand then- walking her to the door.

"I'm personally glad that you have your hands." he cheerfully said. "Your mom would have banned you forever from visiting here otherwise."

"Yeah... that's a good point." Connie, encouraged, smiled a little- before she left.

Steven waved at her through the window.

"But Garnet," Pearl's voice turned significantly lower- but Steven could still hear her, "It clearly did react to her. That... energy... its scale... and it just kept on bursting from it when she held it."

Garnet nodded.

"I know. I think it came from her directly, not from the statue."

"Oh, that makes a lot of... what?!" Pearl asked then, shocked. Steven turned to them – his eyes were suddenly beaming from curiosity.

"You felt that too, didn't you?" Garnet continued. "The statue was hot, but the energy came from her. It was her power."

"Wait... are you saying Connie has magic powers?!" Steven asked – barely containing his excitement.

"But that power... and that statue... Garnet, do you actually think...?"

"Mh." Garnet shrugged. "It does look a bit like her... but... I need some time to think about it. We'll need to confirm this information... and decide what to do with it later." she went to the temple's door- still looking forward, she talked again. "Steven, it's best not to tell Connie anything about it yet."

"Aw, what?" Steven asked, with clear disappointment in his voice. "No way! Why not?"

"It could only scare her." Garnet opened the door. "And she did almost make the temple explode." she took down her shades and turned her eyes to Steven. "I know it's tempting to let her know, but please understand, it's for everyone's safety. We trust you to do the right thing. Okay?"

Steven hesitated, but then he made a short, serious nod.

"Good night, Steven." Garnet smiled, wearing her shades back as she left.

It only took a couple of seconds of self struggle, until Steven suddenly burst, cheering and jumping.

"You're a wizard, Connie." he said in a deep voice. "Milady, you look charm-ing today-eth!" he laughed. "Hey Connie, guess who is going to be the new official member of the Crystal Gems!?"

"Steven." Pearl held on her head. "Didn't you hear what Garnet has just said?"

"I know... I'm only practicing for later. I am not going to tell her anything yet." he sat on the sofa then, looking at Pearl, content. "But she will officially join us, right?"

"No," Pearl shook her head. "No, I – I don't know."

"Why not? What's wrong?"

"Steven, do you even know what Connie did?" Pearl said – lost deep in thought, she started walking about the room. "She... infused the Moon Goddess statue with an energy that had the potential to blast up a galaxy, with some direction. No human should posses such power..." Pearl chuckled then, a little neurotically. "No Gem should! It would have been one thing if that power was hidden inside the statue itself, then unlocked and moved through her and inside the statue again..." that thought seemed to comfort her. "Yes – of course! We've only confused the power source! If thousands on thousands of years were to charge the statue with constant Gem-power feed..." slowly, she stopped walking – discouraged. "It would have achieved only a fraction of the power Connie used today... and without breaking a sweat..." she contemplated again, disturbed. "Does that mean she is–?"

"The overlord wizard Crystal Gem?!" Steven happily interrupted.

"More like... an organic avatar of the Moon Goddess..." Pearl covered her mouth. "My Stars... is that why Garnet said she looks like–?"

"The overlord avatar-wizard of the Moon Goddess! Connie's going to freak! That sounds so awesome!"

"Steven – I have to go. And you should sleep." Pearl mumbled – staring blankly forward, she went and activated the temple's door. "Remember, don't tell Connie anything yet. Wait for an O.K from us first... we don't want this to get out of hand... good night."

"Good night!" Steven said – overjoyed. He ran and jumped on his bed, landing with his face down.

...

And that night, nobody had felt it.