"Aww, what?" Steven frowned, laying upside- down on the couch, messy blond hair spread around his head like a halo. "Why not?" His voice was slightly upset- and for good reason, too!
There was barely a pause as the dark- skinned girl on the phone adjusted her own phone slightly, as Steven heard the slight rustle. "Steven, I already told you." Despite her words, Connie didn't sound especially impatient, something Steven liked about the girl. "I have tennis practice. Um, and after that, mom wants to go out for a family dinner.." she continued, and Steven whined in disappointment. No Connie today, then. "..but she said we can hang out all day tomorrow! I can come over all the time now that it's summer vacation."
There was a pause as Steven thought, and he hummed thoughtfully into the phone. "What's summer vacation?"
"You know," Connie said, and as usual, Steven felt grateful that she wasn't teasing him for not knowing something she seemed to see as common knowledge. "When school gets out for the summer?"
Steven shifted his legs anxiously, head still on the couch cushion. "I've never been to this, uh, how do you say, school.." He muttered back into the phone. "How does it work?"
Connie seamlessly answered, yet again no judgement in her voice, which Steven greatly appreciated. "It's a place where you go to learn. It's full of desks, and chalkboards.." Connie continued to list things off, of which Steven occasionally hummed in confirmation that he understood. "..and books, and maps."
Steven nodded, though Connie couldn't see it. "I see." He giggled softly, a plan forming in his head. "Thanks, Connie! See you tomorrow." After she reciprocated her goodbyes, he hung up.
Nearly half an hour later, he had managed to snag Peridot into helping him set up for "school". They had, as Steven found out, literally everything Connie had named, minus an up- to- date map (Peridot had hummed frustratedly at it, jabbing a floating finger at the Soviet Union for some reason).
Steven crossed his arms, grinning broadly at the pile. "Yep, it's all coming together!" He chimed chipperly.
Peridot stood beside him, arms crossed tightly across her chest. "So, how do we begin our, 'school'?" She asked, studying the somewhat- messy pile of supplies Steven had asked for.
Steven paused, thinking it over, before groaning and slapping his palm over his forehead. "Augh, I.. I don't know! This is everything Connie told me.." He groaned again, falling dramatically on his knees. "Why do I never ask follow- up questions?! Who will teach little Stevie now?!" He made a show of burying his head in his hands.
Peridot paused, unlinking her arms and staring at him with a surprised expression. "Wait, teach you?" Steven lifted his head from his hands as she spoke, noticing the faintly excited tone in her voice. "As in, educate you in any matter of your choice?" When he nodded, a bit of a grin rose on her face. "Ah, if only I had known that was what you had wanted! What do you want to learn about?"
Steven hesitated. Connie had spoken about school subjects.. she had claimed that math wasn't difficult, but boring, English Language Arts was an oxymoron both in it's name and in its class, and that science was sorta interesting, but it got really boring a few days in.. but she had claimed that history was a breeze.
With that thought in mind, Steven beamed. "Teach me history!"
The bright green gem hummed thoughtfully, a lone finger rubbing at her chin. "I think I may have something better than myself in the art of gem history.." Steven frowned at her words. "..human history is rather dull." She added as a quiet afterthought.
"Hey, you're the smartest person I know!" He chimed insistently, to which a light jade blush rose on Peridot's cheeks. She promptly shook her head.
"I'm not fishing for compliments, Steven," She snorted, her fingers floating up to her gem as the flush faded. "I mean it. I have no idea as to how old this thing is.. it could very well be much better than myself at telling you about gem history." Her fingers spread around her gem slightly, and Steven gawked as her gem began to glow a bright, white- green. Her fingers moved backwards slightly, her eyes closed, as a small, round object floated out of her gem.
The object expanded once it was entirely summoned, growing a handle and the round object flattening and growing wider. As the light cleared, Steven "ooooh"ed.
It was a mirror. Peridot spun the mirror with two fingers for show, and Steven noticed the pretty violet gem lodged in the back of it. He reached out to touch it, but Peridot delicately lifted it out of his reach.
"We found this gem-powered mirror at the Galaxy Warp." Peridot sniffed proudly, grinning sharp- toothedly a bit. "It can capture and display any event it's witnessed in all of Gem history.. though, again, that's only if it saw it."
Steven gasped, standing on his toes to delicately hold the mirror. He peered into it with a grin, flipping it around to gaze at the purple gem stuck firmly in it's back. He squinted, staring at a large crack straight through the middle of the gem with a frown.
"It can offer you anything you ever wanted to know about Gems and their culture." Peridot continued, nodding importantly to herself.
Steven lifted the mirror, gazing at himself in it with a small chuckle. "I must be incredibly important to Gem culture!" He exclaimed, making faces in the mirror's reflective glass.
Peridot snorted, whisking the mirror out of his grasp. "It hasn't been activated yet, Steven." She chided, to which he made a soft "oh" sound. In a louder, noticeably less kind voice, she spoke again. "Show us the Galaxy Warp."
Steven shifted, peering into the mirror as Peridot held it.
Silence. The image on the mirror didn't change, or distort, or even wiggle a little. Peridot huffed in frustration. "Show us.. the Galaxy Warp." She repeated, Steven looking into the mirror for any sign that it was showing anything different at all.
"Oh, come on." Peridot frowned deeply. "I know you've seen it! We found you there!" She insisted, waiting a few more moments.
Again, nothing was displayed on the mirror. Peridot sighed, sounding somewhat defeated.
"It is in fairly rough shape." She said softly, flipping the mirror over and staring at the broken gem. "It must finally be broken, I suppose."
Steven reached out his hands, and Peridot passed the mirror to him wordlessly. He grinned jubilantly, staring at his reflection with a soft giggle.
"Doesn't seem broken to me." He exclaimed suddenly, lowering the mirror to be eye- level. Peridot chose not to rebutt his words, instead turning to the pile of school supplies.
"I guess that's the end of your 'school'." She grunted, staring at the pile with a frown.
Steven paused, turning to Peridot and blinking. Stars grew in his eyes, and a grin shot back onto his face in a flash. "So, you could say.." He beamed widely, tapping the mirror gently against his cheek. "School's out for summer?"
Peridot sighed, looking at the outdated map with a scowl. "Yes. Well done, Steven, there are many ways to say the same thing.." She trailed off, staring at the pile intensely as Steven trotted off, the door slamming behind him.
Damn Soviet Union. She'd have to get a new map..
Steven laughed as he rushed through the beach, mirror still aimed at his face. School was out! Admittedly, it hadn't ever begun, but it was the thought that mattered, and school was out! He stopped suddenly, digging his heels sharply into the sand, ignoring how some grains got under his feet. He turned the mirror, moving slowly in a circle. If the mirror really captured everything it saw, like some kind of always- on video camera, he wanted it to see the first days of summer!
He laughed again, rushing forward again, pausing and pointing the mirror at some unique things that he stumbled upon. The holes in the wall made by the little drills when Peridot couldn't stop playing Meat Beat Mania, a couple of flowers laying around from the moss.. he made sure to narrate, too. Though, now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure if the mirror captured sound..
Eventually, he reached the more popular part of the beach, nearing the Big Donut. He trotted towards it, narrating in a mock- dramatic tone. "This is the Big Donut!" He angled the mirror to face it, before moving back to his face. "It's been around since before I was born. It has the best donuts in the world!" He giggled. "Happy summer vacation, Steven, and happy summer vacation Beach City! Yeahahaa!" He exclaimed, snickering, though the giggles were pushed out of him as he literally ran into Lars.
Steven turned as he heard a clunk followed by a "Hey!" and "Ugh!". He frowned, mirror unintentionally angled towards Lars's face.
Lars and Sadie appeared to have been in the middle of setting up some outside tables when Steven knocked into Lars, who got knocked into the table, knocking it over. Lars whirled around to face Steven, growling under his breath.
"Watch where you're going, you little fu-" He hesitated suddenly as Sadie glanced at him with wide eyes, so he extended the f and somehow turned it into an s. "..Ssssssssteven." The way Lars and Sadie glanced cautiously at eachother suggested that Lars had been about to say something else, but Steven didn't stop to wonder what it was.
"Sorry!" Steven exclaimed, gripping the mirror by it's handle as he helped the two raise the table again. As soon as it was up again, he spoke again. "I'm just so excited for summer." He hopped suddenly, laughing. "Are you excited for summer?" He playfully pointed the mirror at Sadie, who laughed softly, before using the mirror as a mock- microphone. "I'm so excited for summer!"
Sadie laughed again, wavy blond hair bouncing as she did so. "Ahh, I think I'm about as excited I can get for setting up extra seating for the summer rush.." She gestured to the other tables set up outside. "But Lars has big plans." She glanced pointedly at him.
Lars, who had been picking at something in his teeth idly, glanced down at the two as he heard his name be mentioned. He quickly smirked, crossing his arms proudly. "You bet I do! All of those out of town, summer babes.." He leaned down, cocking an eyebrow at Steven. "Traveling out of town without their boyfriends." The auburn- haired boy wiggled his eyebrows. "If you know what I mean."
Steven stared at Lars for a moment, before smiling suddenly. "Nope!"
Lars mostly ignored Steven, beginning to talk mostly to himself. "Maybe I'll get a few numbers!" He suddenly gasped, chuckling nervously under his breath, a faint flush on his cheeks. "Maybe I'll even call one.."
"Hah!" Sadie chuckled, cupping the side of her face as she tilted it. "Yeah, well, maybe I'll meet.. a new friend!" She smiled at Lars, though frowned as a bit of light got into her eye from the mirror's reflection of her.
"That's a great idea!" Steven exlcaimed, bouncing on his heels as he beamed at Sadie. "A special new friend to have fun with on the beach in the summer.." He stared to the side thoughtfully, still grinning. He suddenly gasped, angling the mirror at his face. "Maybe if I keep using the mirror to guide me.." He laughed softly, beginning to walk backwards. "..I'll walk backwards into my beach summer fun buddy!"
Lars scoffed, but called after him proudly. "Next time you see me, it'll be on the arm of a hot woman's!" As Steven continued to trot backwards, he vaguely heard Sadie mutter back, "You can stop talking like that now".
Steven giggled, his own face displayed in the mirror as he walked backwards with little worry. He mock- moonwalked, making his own little pretend- beat between snickers. The mirror swung along with his movements, but he took great care in making sure that his grip was secure enough not to drop it.
Unfortunately, he didn't think to take great care about where he was going. His miniature beat also kept him from hearing the insistent "Mayor Dewey" chant that came from a certain Mayor's automobile.
"Watch where you're going you little-" Steven heard Lars's voice call out, and he immediately looked down at the mirror to find Lars's face, identical to the one he had seen just a few moments before.. but it was coming from the mirror! He had no time to think, though, as he finally seemed to hear Mayor Dewey's robotic chant from his car. He turned his head to see the large, glorified van, before shrinking back like a deer caught in the headlights, covering his head with his arms.
"Nooo!" He cried, dimly aware of how the mirror was still pointed at his face, before suddenly hearing a loud screech followed by microphone interference.
"Car - wash - kid!" Mayor Dewey hollered, still in the van, a megaphone raised to his lips for some reason that Steven couldn't even begin to understand. "What are you doing?!"
"I- I dunno," Steven stammered, raising his head and making sure his grip on the mirror was firm. "Why were you driving down the boardwalk?"
Mayor Dewey scoffed. "I'm the Mayor, I'm not gonna walk anywhere!" He frowned. "Now," He waved a dismissive hand at Steven. "Go get run over somewhere else, I'm late for a speech."
Steven stared unabashedly as the van drove around him, the insistent chant of "Mayor Dewey!" continuing as it drove. He stared as it drove onto the beach for a moment, a bit lost in thought, before he looked down curiously at the mirror.
"What just happened?" He asked, almost hesitantly. The mirror's screen warbled a bit, his own reflection distorting as though somebody had dropped a pebble into a calm pool of water.
Barely a moment passed before he heard his own laughter from before, projected by the mirror. He inhaled sharply, a grin growing on his face.
"You work!" He exclaimed loudly, bouncing on his heels excitedly. "Aw, cool! What's it like being a mirror?"
The mirror's reflective screen warbled again, distorting for a moment. "You work!" It repeated simply.
"So, you can repeat stuff?" Steven asked curiously, peering at the mirror.
"Yeahahaa!" It responded.
Steven grinned, about to reply, when he heard Mayor Dewey's voice.
"Hello, Beach City! My friends!" The Mayor exclaimed into his microphone, as Steven grew closer, standing between Mr. Smiley and Jamie, curious about the Mayor's speech. It wasn't as though Mayor Dewey didn't often have speeches, but he was always curious about them nonetheless. "It's great to be here to celebrate the coming season!" His voice took on a dreamy vibe as he leaned on the replica of his head on top of the van. "A warm, summer breeze wafts though the air.."
Steven's first thought was to make a joke. Stifling soft snickers, he pressed the bottom of his palm to his lips and blew loudly. The resulting noise got a bit of the crowd to chuckle good- naturedly, Mr. Smiley even smirking down at him.
Mayor Dewey either ignored it or didn't even notice. "..We all look forward to the sounds of the summer season!" Just as Steven was to make another, palm almost up- against his lips, the mirror repeated the moment where he had made the sound quickly. Steven made a soft awed sound as it mimicked him perfectly- of course it would! It was repeating the moment! That.. was so cool!
This time, more people chuckled, obviously finding the joke immature, but still amusing. Mayor Dewey, like last time, didn't notice.
"..the smells of the busy boardwalk.." Another fart noise. People were giggling almost- constantly now, Nanefua Pizza being the loudest giggler. "The time to take that pressure that's built up all year, and let it all out!" Another fart noise, though Mayor Dewey's wording was definitely not helping him here; most people were outright laughing at this point. Dewey seemed to notice the laughter now, and glanced down at the people in annoyance, a frown on his face.
"Wow, you picked that up fast." Steven commented, grinning proudly at the mirror.
Several hours later, Steven was laying on his stomach, legs swinging idly in the air. He was gazing curiously into the mirror, barely aware of the darkening sky and it's setting sun, despite how colors were skewed into a more purple- red.
"Pppfffft!" The mirror repeated yet again, and Steven found himself laughing. He would've thought that the joke would've gotten old by now, but it was still really funny!
Steven sighed good- naturedly, leaning on his elbow. "You got a lotta mileage outta that joke." He commented, tilting his head to the side. "You're pretty funny for a mirror."
"You're pretty funny for a mirror." The mirror repeated just as he finished speaking, and Steven giggled.
"I'm not a mirror!" He snickered.
"You're pretty funny for a-" It repeated after a moment, cutting itself off, and seamlessly adding on Lars's voice. "..Ssssssssteven."
Steven's eyebrows raised almost to his hairline, his curly blond hair bouncing as he jerked up in excitement. "You.. made something new!" His voice was loud and joyful, and he gripped the mirror with a wide, childish grin. "Say something else!" He insisted, laughing a little.
"..Ssssssssteven.." Lars's voice said stiffly. "Is," Steven's own voice said. "A new friend!" Sadie's voice finished, and Steven found his cheeks flushed with bright pink.
"Really?" He squeaked, holding the mirror delicately yet firmly with both hands.
The screen warbled as usual, though Steven was finding that it took less time for it to respond. "Yeahahaa!" It exclaimed.
"You're my friend too!" Steven beamed, hopping up as the mirror used his own laugh as it's own. "I gotta tell the gems!" He turned to face the side of the beach that lead to the temple.
The mirror's laughter was cut short, replaced by an insistent "Nooooo!" that he remembered coming out of his own lips when he was about to get run over by Mayor Dewey.
Steven blinked, turning his head to face the mirror with a kind smile. "Don't be shy! They'll love you!"
"Noo- oo- ooooo!" The mirror had overlapped several of his cries of "no"s, to which Steven frowned worriedly briefly. He shook his head, smiling.
"Don't worry, they're a good audience. Lapis'll probably really like you, too!" He said as he set off for the temple, sandals smacking against the dry sand. He ignored any grains of sand under his feet, as he'd simply gotten used to it after a while. It took him barely about ten minutes to reach the temple, getting a few more "Noooooo!"s from the mirror that he ignored with a heavy heart. By the time he got to the door, the sun was nearly entirely beyond the horizon.
"Guys! Wait'll you see-" Steven barged inside, looking around curiously. Jasper was laid back on the couch, arms crossed tightly around her chest. Lapis was sitting beside her, so close to Jasper that their thighs touched. Jasper looked bored, while Lapis looked a bit sneaky, smirking a bit at Peridot.. who was holding up a map with four fingers, using her other fingers to gesture wildly towards the map and parts of Europe. She had likely been in the middle of a rant.
"Yo, Steven!" Lapis called, raising an arm. Peridot and Jasper glanced in his direction as well, Jasper giving a nod and an eyebrow raise, Peridot sighing. "Peri was just telling us about boring, old human politics- I hope you have something more interesting than that."
Peridot scoffed, jabbing a finger furiously at the map. "It isn't boring, Lapis, it's interesting to see just how simple and one- dimensional humans can be-"
"Okay, that's great!" Steven interrupted, to which Peridot groaned and Lapis whooped softly. "Anywaaaaay!" He lifted the mirror, waving it in the air. "I fixed the mirror!"
Jasper nodded, offering a small, gentle smile. "Yeah, Peridot told us it was broken. You fixed it, now did you?"
"You didn't tell me it was like a person." Steven's comment, which he had thought was reasonable, got a strange response.
Jasper stared at him with slightly- widened eyes, her gentle smile falling. Lapis stared at him with even wider eyes, gripping tightly onto Jasper's arm and her teeth bared in a nervous frown. Peridot dropped the map, eyes locked on Steven, her fingers cycling quickly back to her hands.
"W-What?" Peridot stammered. "Don't be a clod, Steven.. a-are you serious?" Despite her words, she sounded incredibly anxious.
"Yeah, of course I am!" Steven frowned, feeling a bit wounded that Peridot would doubt him even in the slightest. He pointed the mirror forward, the reflective screen aimed at the three stunned Gems in his living room. "Say hey!" He said insistently, grin growing back on his face. When the mirror didn't respond in any way, his grin faltered a little as he glanced back at the others. They were still practically locked in their shocked states. "'Lil buddy!" He insisted.
When it didn't respond again, Steven's grin faltered entirely, and he turned it to face him. "Uh, excuse us." He said quickly, turning his back on the three and facing the mirror.
"C'mon! You wanna come out, don't you?" He said, the ever- constant happiness rising in his chest again. "You have so much to say, and funny noises from across the ages!" He smiled softly, gently pressing his forehead to the mirror. "Are we not beach summer fun buddies?"
There was a very brief pause, before the screen of the mirror warbled softly. "Pppfffft!"
Steven laughed, moving the mirror away from his face, unaware of the pure horror on the Gems' faces. "Just couldn't help yourself, could'ya?" He teased, grinning widely.
"Just- for- you! ..Ssssssssteven." It repeated as seamlessly as it could, and Steven laughed, not noticing how Jasper stood abruptly off the couch, Lapis clutching tightly to her arm again. It then began to repeat his laughter in a kind of loop, and Steven couldn't help laughing alongside it.
"It's.. talking to him?" Lapis whispered, peering at Steven and the mirror with wide eyes.
Peridot had backed up a little, shoulders raised in fear. "It-it shouldn't be able to do that.." She half- whispered, voice trembling. "It should only be following orders.."
"Jasper, do someting," Lapis muttered, shivering as she stared at Steven.
Jasper barely hesitated before she gently tugged herself out of Lapis's grip, striding with a stomp to her step to Steven. The blond boy, who had been giggling along with the mirror, staring into it with a grin, suddenly stiffened as the mirror's laughter turned into a "Noooooo!".
"Steven." Jasper said, voice unusually gruff. She bent down to one knee, staring down at him as he turned around, shrinking back slightly at her expression, which was hard and guarded. "You should give us the mirror. It'll be safest where we can watch it."
"We should bubble it." Peridot suggested coldly, her fingertips clicking against eachother anxiously.
The mirror responded immediately. "Nooooooo!" It exclaimed, and somehow Steven felt as though it had somehow warped his voice to sound more.. desperate. Upset. "Noo- ooo- ooooo!"
Steven turned to stare at the mirror, back to Jasper, distress flooding his mind as he watched his and Lars' faces circle around in the mirror. "Wh.." He choked out softly.
"Steven." Jasper said unusually sternly, as she extended a hand, creamy orange- white hair falling into her eyes. "Don't make me have to take it from you."
The mirror continued to loop Steven's cry of "Nooooooo!", which Steven himself found.. somehow heartbreaking. He swallowed anxiously, glancing between Jasper and the mirror.
"It-it doesn't wanna go with you!" He stammered, backing up into the door. "D-Don't you hear it screaming?" He gestured at the mirror, staring at Jasper's face, desperately hoping for her to understand.
"Steven, it's just a mirror." Jasper growled, orange eyes growing hard. "It can't.. want anything." She seemed to be struggling to keep calm, and Steven found himself terrified both at Jasper and her expression, and what she would do to the mirror.
As the mirror cycled Steven's, Lars', Sadie's and Mayor Dewey's heads in a circle, Jasper's outstretched hand was reflected in it, it's persistant cries of horror repeating frantically. Steven's nerves were rising wildly, and he glanced quickly between Jasper and the mirror.
It was then that he did something that he would regret immediately.
He pushed Jasper's hand away from the mirror quickly. "It wants to be with me!" He cried, cringing a bit suddenly as Jasper's hand knocked back into her face, connecting with her gem roughly.
His hand was already reaching for the doorknob, but Jasper's expression when she raised her head filled him entirely with dread and fear. Her eyebrows were furrowed, teeth bared in a snarl, and light amber eyes furious- it was an expression he'd seen on her face only when she was fighting particularly powerful enemies.
He scrambled for the doorknob, pulling the door open quickly and rushing outside. "I'm sorry!" He shrieked, leaping over the stair railing and rushing down the beach.
As Steven ran, he repeated a mantra in his head. Breathing in and out, keeping his pace steady. He'd ran down this beach with Connie before, but had always lost- she had much better endurance than he did, after all. So, as a way to better his stamina, they'd started to run to a little corner on the beach every time she visited. She'd given him tips, too- breathing in and out, and keeping his pace steady. Steven had a tendancy to run in bursts of speed before virtually falling over in exhaustion, so keeping his pace steady was a bit of a trouble they had to work on for a little while before he got it.
But this time, adrenaline was pumping through his veins thanks to fear. Fear of what Jasper would do (He punched her, oh god he punched her! He would apologize for days on end for that, for certain..) to him, fear of what Jasper would do to the mirror..
He glanced at the sand as he noticed waves beginning to brush his ankles- Lapis! He had to get away from the water..
He took a left, running towards higher ground, where the sand turned more into dirt. He'd be safer from Lapis that way, he knew.. he continued to run until he found a large rock, to which he slid behind it, breathing heavily.
"What am I gonna do?" He panted to the mirror, his lungs feeling as though there were ashes in them. "W-What's their problem with you?" The mirror's screen began to warble madly, the image of his face displayed in it growing blurry and disturbed by lines of interference. "A-Are you trying to say something?" He said quickly, his nerves rising.
The images and sounds the mirror displayed were more frantically patched- up and put together.
"Away from home." Lars's voice said proudly. "Let!" Mayor Dewey declared joyfully, hand waving in the air. "Me!" Steven's own voice and body cried out, cowering from Jasper. "Out!" Said orange gem exclaimed, gripping the side of her face with a snarl.
"W-What? I don't understand!" He exclaimed, sweat rolling down his face.
"Steven!" He heard Peridot call out from a distance away. He stiffened, biting his lip in fear.
Steven shook the mirror, desperation clear in his voice. "C'mon, I wanna help you! What do I do!?"
The mirror's image changed- from dark, stormy- looking clouds, to a pale purple generated image of Steven. The Steven in the mirror reached for the gem lodged in the mirror's back, tugged, and got it out, raising it into the air triumpantly.
He heard Jasper, Lapis and Peridot's footsteps now. With his eyebrows furrowing in pure determination, he knew he had no time to hesitate. He flipped the mirror over, tugging at the cracked, purple gem stuck in it's back. It was harder than he had originally expected- because of his focus on the task at hand, he barely noticed as the rock behind him split into six, sharp pieces, circling around him like a barrier.
After a few moments of rough tugging, the gem popped into his hand. He squeaked in shock as the mirror itself shattered, though the glass simply disintegrated.
The field of rocks sunk back into the ground as the gem floated several feet in front of him, glowing a vivid violet. He stared in awe as the gem grew a form, akin to seeing a flower blossom fastforwarded.
A pale- haired, mostly- purple Gem was kneeling on the ground, breathing roughly. Steven rushed over to her, about to touch her back, before she whirled around.
"I- I.." She stammered, mirror- like milky eyes wide. She reached her arms out, and Steven met her halfway, gripping her hand gently. She let out a dry sob, clenching her eyes shut and bowing her head. She laughed raspily.
"Uhh." She opened her eyes, nearly falling over again. "T-Thank you." She paused, eyes growing wider. "Thank you! Diamond almighty, thank you so much!" She wrapped her arms around him in a tight bear hug, and Steven couldn't help but hug her back.
"Steven!" The boy in question heard Jasper yell, and the purple Gem pulled away quickly.
"T-That's you." She said softly, peering at him. "You're.. Steven. Beach summer fun buddies, r-right?" She grinned before glancing at Jasper, who was approaching quickly. "I'm- I'm Amethyst." Amethyst rasped, and Steven smiled.
"It's nice to meet you, Amethyst." He grinned.
Amethyst bit her lip suddenly, looking at the ground before looking back at him. "Are you really a Crystal Gem? But.. you set me free."
Steven stared at her in confusion, eyebrows furrowing. "Wait.. what?"
Steven heard the sliding of sand as Jasper stopped her running abruptly, teeth bared in a growl. Peridot and Lapis weren't too far behind, though they stayed anxiously behind the large, orange gem.
"Steven, get away from her." Jasper boomed, and for a moment, Steven almost complied out of habit, but he kept himself where he was. Instead, he turned his back on Amethyst, guarding her with his body- they were virtually the same height, after all.
"No, I won't! You guys-" He was cut off as Amethyst spoke, her voice hard and angry.
"You." Six tall, sharp spires rose from the ground as Amethyst growled. "You three knew I was in there.. and you didn't do anything to help me."
Peridot cowered behind Jasper, the burly gem in question summoning her weapon and bowing her head in the slightest.
"Did you ever even wonder about who I used to be?!" Amethyst roared, the tips of the spires ripping off and hurling themselves at the trio, going out of their way to avoid Steven. Jasper took the brunt of the attack rather well, growling back at Amethyst quietly as the sharp spires sliced at her arms. Suddenly, a large chunk of rock burst from the ground, and Steven gasped as it hit Jasper square in the middle, shoving her, Peridot and Lapis all to the ground under it's weight.
"They aren't gonna let us leave." Amethyst said, her voice lighter as she addressed Steven. There was a series of crunches and the sound of sand falling, as the purple gem summoned a dark, deep hole just a few feet from where she was standing. "Steven." She reached a hand out. "Come with me. We can finally go to Homeworld, and see all that it's about!" Watery hope entered her voice, and she smiled.
Steven stared at her with wide, childish eyes. "A-Amethyst.." He whimpered, biting his lip. "I-I'm sorry. I.."
Amethyst sighed and looked back at the hole. "No, I understand." She shrugged, brushing her hair over one of her eyes. "Goodbye, Steven." She murmured. "Don't trust those.. those gems. They aren't what they're telling you they are.." Amethyst smiled at him. "But I don't think you're really like them, um, Steven." She said gently, just before she leapt into the hole, the hole itself closing up just as she vanished.
Steven felt numb as he flopped onto the ground, staring blankly at his hands.