"Hey, Steven!" Connie yelled to him, waving from across the beach. He had been leaning against a rock, looking out into the ocean. Thinking about the gems. About the Crystal Gems back at the temple. About his mom. About how Peridot hadn't been found. About how Homeworld Gems could come back. About how there was an arise of corrupted gems even were the corrupted gems? How did they become that way? Why were they here? It scared him to think of what they were or where they came from. Especially to think that possibly their only purpose was to hurt him and the Crystal thoughts were interrupted by Connie's yell.
"Oh, hi Connie." He meant to say it enthusiastically to hide how he was feeling. But he could tell that it sounded anxious.
"Steven, you okay? It sounds like there is something wrong." Connie had a worried expression on her might as well tell her. He tried to hide things from her before, and that didn't work out well. It would be good to voice his feelings to someone. He couldn't say that to the Gems or they might think he was scared, or that he was too young to know.
"Well... I have been thinking about the gems..."
"You mean the ones from your home planet? Steven, I'm sure you'll find them. And I just hope you'll stay safe." Connie put her hand on Steven's. He smiled weakly. It faded immediately. He held her hand and continued.
"No, it's about... You know those monsters that we fight? The ones who also have gems and I have to put my bubble around them?"
"Yeah. Those things are scary. I don't question why you would think about them."
"Well, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl kinda explained them to me a bit... about how they used to be gems. And were 'corrupted'. I guess that is why the Gems call them 'Corrupted Gems'. But I just can't help but wonder how they got that way... and if they can ever switch back. I would hate being a monster for the rest of my life...I wonder if I could fix them. If I could make a Corrupted Gem back into a normal gem... If they could ever be fixed. I get sad fighting them now. Because I am hurting someone who could have been a really nice person. I just hope Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl use the gems we collect to make them whole again."
"Aww, Steven. I'm sure that one day they'll be back to normal. Maybe they would even be on your side." Steven smiled at the thought of the Crystal Gems growing into an even bigger family. Connie smiled and squeezed his hand. He smiled back.*Bffffffffffffffz**Bfffffffffffffz* Connie's phone vibrated in her pocket. She stood up and walked away again. Steven missed the touch of her hand for just the few seconds that she was gone. She really understood him, and it was always great having her around. He wanted it to always be like that. Connie hung up the phone and walked back over to Steven.
"I gotta go. My dad is waiting in his car over at the Big Donut to take me to violin lessons. But I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe I could even spend the night tomorrow!"
"Ahhhhhhw, yeah! Sleepover!" Steven screamed and highfived Connie. They chuckled and grasped leaned in and quickly kissed him on the cheek. He was surprised and blushed furiously. She did too.
"Bye, Steven." She said quietly and jogged towards the Big Donut.
Just like when she has left just for the phone call, Steven missed her. But now he knew that she wouldn't be back till tomorrow. But Steven was even scared that it would be longer than that. He was always scared that he was never going to see her again, or anyone, when he left for a shrugged it off and took a walk. There were a lot of rocks and cliffs along the shoreline that he hadn't explored. He loved to climb over them and look up at the towering cliffs. There were some caves but not a lot, or they were really up high on the about half an hour, he walked slowly along the shoreline, kicking shells as he went. He hadn't really paid attention to where he was going, sometimes wandering into the water, or knocking into rocks. He just stared at the ground, trying to think positive, but occasionally still thinking about Connie or the corrupted gems. When he finally looked up, he didn't know where he was. There were more rocks that he was used to around, and a really big cliff side towering above him. He looked around a bit, walking toward the cliff. When Steven was within arms length of the wall, no longing looking at the ground, he didn't notice the small rock jutting from the ground and tripped. He was expecting to go head first into the rock, hitting his head, but he didn't. He just fell into the sand. He lifted his head, sand pouring from his mouth. He had fallen into a cave. He hadn't noticed it, in a daze from thinking. The cave was narrow, but opened up and reached far stepped in, though cautiously. He looked around. As he walked further, he noticed a sparkling from the inside. It was a lake! It was beautiful, the rocks from the ceiling dripping light waterfalls into it. There was a small opening to Beach City above the lake, so the sun was sparkling across the rippling surface. He gazed in amazement. As he walked closer, he thought he would go for a swim. We he was at the edge of the water, he stopped and leaned against a rock to take off his shoes. But the second he had touched the rock, he knew that it wasn't what it seemed. Stiff with shock, he stayed leaned against it.
"It's... breathing?!" Steven thought. He was rigged, not daring to breath. And then he felt a twitch in the creature below him, which set him off. He twirled around, breathing heavily. Studying the rock more closely, he wondered why he didn't notice it before. Its skin was a deep gray, with rocks littering the surface, imbedded into the skin. Steven stared, scared to move. When he finally worked up the nerve, he grabbed and pebble, and tossed it at the creature. He prepared to scream, but nothing came. He picked up a handful of sand and tossed it. Nothing. He wanted to see what this creature was. It might be a bad idea, but he was curious. So, he stepped closer to the monster and gave it a kick.
"AH!" He screamed. The rocky surface of the creature had hurt his bare toes. Tears springing forward, he held back and gazed at the monster before him. Slowly, almost painful looking, the creature got up. It looked almost human, with defined legs, arms, and a head, and stood like one, but the skin was inhuman. And the lack of neck was a give away. When it had reached its full height, it was at least seven feet tall. It turned towards Steven. Steven stared, wide eyed at the mouth, with red lips and pearly white teeth, sharp and shining. It was smiling at him. Another give away: the creature had no eyes. Just a cave man like brow line. As well as no nose, only a big build up leading down to the mouth. The most prominent rock was a big, silvery gray gem on its... forehead? When Steven could finally move, he scrambled out of the cave. As far as he knew, the creature remained there, staring at Steven as he left.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Steven screamed as he ran all the way back to the burst through the door, exhausted and breathing heavily. "GARNET, AMETHYST, PEARL! HELP! THERE WAS - IT WAS - I -" Steven held back the tears in his eyes. The Gems immediately hopped up from their seats.
"Did you spot Peridot?" Pearl asked.
"Is Jasper back?" Garnet growled.
"Did the seagles peck you up again?" Amethyst snickered.
"NOOOOO!" He said, shaking. Garnet kneeled down and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Steven, tell us. What is wrong?" Garnet's reassuring voice calmed him down. He took a deep breath, and spoke.
"There was a- a-... a monster! I think it was a Corrupted Gem! It was big and rocky and... It might have been hurt! You gotta come quick! Come on!" he said, pulling Garnet towards the door. She look back at the others and nodded.
"Steven!" Garnet said.
"Oh no, they don't believe me..." he thought.
"Hop on." she said. Steven smiled big and hopped onto her waist. They all walked down to the beach and propelled themselves in the air towards the place Steven had said. When he spotted the tall cliff he had been by, he noticed that it was the tallest at the beach and had tons of caves in landed a short distance away from where Steven had fell into the cave. He lead them around the corner to the entrance of the cave.
"Come on, come on, come on!" He said, running to the spot. But, when he got there, there was nothing. Just the cliff wall. And he couldn't even see the other caves in the cliff he had seen from the sky.
"Steven, there is no cave around here." Pearl said, looking around questioningly.
"Are you sure what you saw was actually a monster and not just Greg before he shaves?" Amethyst said, bursting out laughing. But Garnet interrupted her amusement.
"No. I can sense several caves in this cliff, one very close." Steven's face lit up as he realized what he had to walked over to the small rock he had tripped on and purposely tripped into the wall.
"Steven! You'll hit your head!" Pearl said frantically. But he didn't hit his head, just like last time. He fell right through the cliff and into the cave. And now the cave entrance was obviously visible. The Crystal Gems all walked in after him, looking cautiously walked on and stopped at the big rock he had first peered around and seen the lake at.
"Listen, guys!" he whispered. "The Gem is right around the rock and by the edge of the lake... It is big and... and gray and... and rocky, with a big, red, creepy smile! But, I think it might be hurt. I-" Garnet interrupted him, kneeling down and grasping his shoulder again.
"Steven, we'll take care of it. Don't worry." she said and suddenly tensed, squeezing his shoulder hard.
"Ow, Garnet, wha-" Steven noticed that Pearl and Amethyst were looking up above Steven's head. He slowly turned around. There, towering above him, was the creature. "Steven, watch out!" she yelled, pushing him down and vaulting over him, landing a punch on its face. Amethyst and Pearl stayed near Steven, knowing that Garnet would tell them if she needed help. The creature picked up Garnet and threw her into the ceiling. As she fell down into the lake, the creature charged towards her. It beared down on top of her, pushing her into the lake, but she kicked and the monster flew up into the air, out of the hole in the top of the cliff. Garnet pushed off to meet the creature in its descend. When she was at its level, she kicked it as hard as she could. It was sent flying towards the temple. Down in the cave, Amethyst grabbed Steven and her and Pearl pushed off towards the beach. When Garnet arrived, there was only a gem left on the impact spot. It was the one that had been on its forehead, gray and silvery. Pearl and Amethyst arrived with Steven soon after.
"Garnet, what happened? You beat it?" Amethyst asked, dropping Steven down awkwardly. Garnet just stared down at the gem, bits of glass around it from the heat of the impact. Steven walked up to examine the gem. He was gonna pick it up to bubble it, but wanted to keep it there. Something seemed precious about it. So he just gazed at it, light reflecting off of it as the sun shined on its surface. Just like the lake in the cave...As Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were heading back to the temple, the gem started glowing. Steven's eyes lit up. Pearl glanced back to make sure Steven was okay, previously unaware of the glowing, and saw the gem.
"STEVEN, GET AWAY, IT'S COMING BA-" she stopped as she saw the creature materializing again. The gem levitated in the air, the monster reforming around it. Steven backed up in front of the Crystal Gems. He didn't want the gem to get hurt again, but he definitely didn't want the Crystal Gems to get hurt either. He didn't want his friends hurt... He didn't want anyone hurt... He just wanted to protect as sudden as the monster gem glowing, Steven's gem started glowing bright and out burst a rose, mutating into a focused his attention on the monster gem. Mid reformation, the shape of the monster started to change. The only thing you could make out was eyes, illuminated by the light of Steven's shield. And then it was complete, the glowing ceased, and the monster lay huddled on the ground. Only... it wasn't a monster. It was a normal gem! Human looking... The gem looked up. Its... His, resembling more of a human male, eyes were different from normal ones... they were dark with white slits. And... there were tears shining in his eyes. The glowing rose design of Steven's shield reflected in his gleaming eyes. They tears started springing forth and pouring down as he crawled forward. Towards Steven. The Gems tensed behind the shield but didn't move, as there was no immediate threat. And then the gem spoke.
"Rose..." it murmured. Steven's eyes went wide. The gem repeated the name. "Rose... Rose..." It continued. "Rose... is that you?" Steven knew that this gem was on their side. At this knowledge, his shield retracted. The glow in his gem ceased and only tears were left in the unknown gem's eyes. Steven knelt down and shimmied towards it... him. He shrank a bit, looking even sadder, tears pouring down rapidly.
"Hi. I'm Steven." Steven smiled a bit. The gem seemed to lighten up. "I know you were expecting my mom... but it's alright. We won't hurt you. The only reason we did before is because... well, we thought that you were a mon-... An enemy. But now we know that you are on our side." The gem shrank back drastically.
"I am on Rose's side. Rose's! Where is she? Did she... Did she survive the war?"Steven looked back at the Gems. Garnet stepped up.
"Yes, she survived. She beat back the forces of the Diamond Authority and protected Earth. She lived out the rest of her life here. On Earth, at this temple. But... But..." Garnet struggle to go on. Pearl cut in.
"But she met a human and... they loved each other. And they wanted a child. So, she gave up her physical form to bring that child into the world. That child... was Steven." Pearl's eyes welled up. So did Amethyst's. She clutched gem looked back at Steven, eyes still gleaming, cheeks wet with tears.
"So... she's..." the gem choked up. "Gone?" Steven, holding back tears like he had been doing all day, shook his head.
"No, no she's not. She isn't gone and will never be gone. She is with me. She is always with me. She is the love that is in me and will live on past me." The gem had an unreadable face for a bit. And then collapsed into Steven, heaving and crying against him.
"Rose! Rose... Rose... Rose..." After a bit the gem grew silent. His breathing slowed. Amethyst, sniffly, chuckled a bit and smiled.
"The poor guy is out, man. This guy must have been through a lot to cry more than we do over Rose..." The smile faded off her face.
"Let's get him inside." Garnet said bluntly. Steven was surprised at what she said. Amethyst and Pearl walked back to the temple, still sniffly. Garnet hadn't shed a tear. But under those shades, Steven knew that she had been holding back tears, and has been for a long time. And that's why Steven did and does. Garnet heaved the gem onto her shoulder and walked back to the temple with Steven trailing along. Falling a bit behind, Steven thought about what Connie said as he looked back at the ocean.
"I'm sure that one day they'll be back to normal. Maybe they would even be on your side."
"One step closer..." Steven thought. He jogged back to Garnet, sun sinking into the ocean, covering the ocean in a brilliant, sparkling light. Sparkling lake. Sparking ocean. Sparkling eyes.
Steven woke up to the sound of dishes clanking and thought "Mom must be doing the dishes." He immediately realized his mistake. That happened sometimes. Even though he had never had her around, he always expected her to be there. When he walked downstairs, he saw that Pearl had been the one doing the dishes. She was always the one to do the chores. Sometimes Garnet would help, lifting up the sofas when Pearl was vacuuming. All Amethyst ever did was add to the mess. But sometimes she would succumb to Pearl's commands...Steven was surprised that when he had gone to sit on the couch, the gem from yesterday was there. He had almost forgot. He was still sleeping. As to not disturb his sleep, he went to go sit at the counter with Amethyst.
"Good morning, Steven." Pearl said, surprisingly cheerful.
"Yeah, mornin'." Amethyst added with a yawn.
"Hi guys..." Steven said worriedly, looking over at the gem. "I wonder when he is gonna wake up. Maybe he is sick..." Steven stuck his upper lip out.
"Steven, you know gems can't get sick. And he will wake up on his own accord. Cheer up. You, and Garnet, decided that he was on our side. So we can just wait it out and let him sleep here for as long as he wants. No matter how worryful he is..." Pearl said with a worried glance. She wiped off her hands and turned around.
"Now, what do you want for breakfast?" Pearl said with a smile.
"PANCAKES!" Steven yelled, smacking the , sitting on the counter, still sleepy, jumped a bit but then started laughing and pounded on the counter with him.
*Nnnhhuh...*There was a moan from across the room. The gem turned on his side, facing the kitchen. His mysterious eyes opened a bit. He must have forgotten that he was inside the temple because at the sight of Steven and the others, he sat up straight back. But he immediately hunched back over.
"He's in pain..." Steven thought. He seemed used to it and sat up a bit. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the group in front of them. He let out a weak chuckle and smiled. Steven smiled big, but didn't know what to say. There was a lengthy period of silence.
"Hey, pal, rough night, huh?" Amethyst asked, breaking the silence.
"Uh, yes, hibernate well?" Pearl asked the gem. Steven forgot, gems don't sleep. Pearl calls it hibernating because it is different than sleep but there is no other way to describe it.
"I haven't been able to rest in awhile, so it was nice." he said. "Oh, and thank-" He got up to bow, but something was wrong. "Ah..." he moaned. Steven, looking concerned, walked over to him and helped him stand all the way. "I'm sorry, I-"
*Nnngh...* he moaned. Amethyst was about to come help, but he seemed to recover. "I'm sorry, it's just that... I haven't really moved... since the war. I went to that cave to hide and never really left. A couple times I was crushed by parts of the cave falling on top of me and had to regenerate but I never moved much other than that. And all the wounds left from the war were just kinda left there, untreated, so I am kinda... damaged... broken... uh..."
"Corrupted?" Steven said questioningly, still sticking with the gem for help. The gem then looked embarrassed. Steven felt bad. He felt like that might have been wrong to say.
"Uh, anyway, I could treat those for you, Mr. -" Pearl said. Steven realized too. They hadn't learned his name.
"What is your name, good sir? Or... what is your gem?" Steven asked regally. He wondered why no gems had actually names, just their gem names. Because what if there were multiple of the same type of gem? What would you call them then?
"I'm anything but good..." He thought. "I'm Moonstone. But you can call me Moon." he said nervously. Pearl looked kinda excited.
"I have never met a Moonstone before! Even on Homeworld!"
"Yeah, I'm pretty... rare..." he said. "I am a mistake..." He tried to block out his past memories.
"Uh, so, if you don't mind, what are your names?" Garnet walked in from outside, covered in water goggles on her head.
"Probably looking for Malachite again." Steven thought.
"Garnet." she said. She must have been listening.
"Amethyst!" she exclaimed, flipping her hair.
"I'm Pearl." She flipped the pancakes.
"And Steven!" He screamed, throwing his arms up. Unexpected, Moon started to laugh. A lot.
"Haha, haha, haha... ha... I wish I was more like you Steven. You're so upbeat. It's great." he said with a soft smile.
"Doesn't everybody?" Amethyst said, spread out across the counter. Pearl turned around and was gonna put Steven's pancakes down in front of him, but Amethyst was in the way.
"Amethyst! Move, your... bosoms are blocking the way!" Pearl said.
"Did you seriously just say bosoms? Just say bewbs." Amethyst asked.
"Boobs is inappropriate!"
Moon and Steven both stared at the two arguing girls, feeling really awkward. They turned around to sit on the couch, only to see Garnet unfused, Ruby and Sapphire hugging and kissing eachother on the couch.
"Uhhh... how about I show you around Beach City?" Steven asked. "I could take you to the Big Donut! And the Car Wash!"
"Doe... nut? Car?" Moon asked."Wow, you are even more behind that the Crystal Gems. Come on, let's go."
Steven walked the gem down to the boardwalk. Moon gazed in amazement.
"Welcome to Beaaaaach City!" Steven said, gesturing to his surroundings.
"Wow..." Moon said under his breath, walking slowly behind Steven. It was hard to take all this in. All the new sights, all the new smells, all the new sounds...
*May-or Dew-ey*
*May-or Dew-ey*
He had never heard a sound like that before. It was like a voice, but amplified and distorted.
Steven, who had been talking to some man with weird yellow hair and a white robe, gestured to Moon, and noticed the truck speeding towards Moon.
"MOON, WATCH OUT!" Steven yelled. But it was too late. Moon looked to the side and saw the truck as it plowed into him. But this time Steven watched in amazement as the truck slammed into Moon, but Moon not budging. The force of the impact sent the truck over Moon. Moon just blinked, confused on what had just bumped into him. "Moon, are you alright?" Steven said, walking over to him. Moon nodded, nervous by the gaining crowd and the crash. In the small town, it was hard not to notice something like that happening in the main gathering area. Soon, half the town was gathered around Steven, Moon, and the battered truck. The mayor promptly crawled out from under it, unhurt, but enraged.
"You! You did this to my truck! Who are you?! Are you one of those monsters?! Or those freakish gems?!" the Mayor screamed. Moon knew what he had done, but he didn't know that those people cared so much for a moving scrap of metal.
" 'Are you one of those monsters?!' " Those words ran through Moon's head.
"I... I'm sorry." he teared up. " 'Monster!' "
"That is not an excuse! You freaks just think you can tear apart our city without any consequences! You... you-" the Mayor was cut off.
"WAIIIIIT!" Steven screamed. He couldn't bare to hear the Mayor speak so harshly to him. "Look, Mr. Mayor, I know that you are mad about your truck, but I promise you, we will fix it and cover the damages, like we always do. Moon is not a monster! He is a gem... a Crystal Gem like us! And just like always, we will help you. With anything. With monsters. And with the damages they cause. But this was just an accident... that you were the cause of! You need to stop driving down the boardwalk! You have almost hit me and others countless times! If you care about your people as much as the Crystal Gems do, you will mind their safety and try to keep that in check."
"You-! I-! ... I'm sorry. I will not drive down the boardwalk anymore... For the safety of the people!" He said nervously to the crowd. They clapped and some cheered for Steven. "But, thank you for covering the damages. I hope that my apology will make up for my rude behavior."
Steven nodded and grabbed Moon's hand, pulling him away from the crowd. He was gonna take him to the Big Donut when he actually spotted Lars and Sadie walking back to the shop from the crowd.
"Lars! Sadie!" Steven said, running to them with Moon tailing along. Before he reached them, he turned to Moon, noticing he was walking slower than before. "Moon, are you sure you weren't hurt by the car?"
"So that's what a 'car' was..." Moon said. "But yes, I am fine." He smiled at Steven.
"Pfff- Hahahaha!" Lars cackled. "You didn't know what a car was! How sheltered are you?!" Lars continued to laugh. He was then cut off by an elbow to the side.
"Lars!" Sadie hissed. She turned away from him and walked toward Moon, interested. "So you were the one in that car crash? How did you survive without a scratch?" She smiled, genuinely interested and sincere, unlike Lars. He blushed, aware of his mistake. He stepped up.
"Oh, uh... Yeah, that was pretty awesome. How'd you manage?" Moon was happy that they were not showing such hate towards him.
"Oh, well, I don't really know. It's probably because of these." He held out his left arm. Moon pointed to the multiple gems littering his body. And when you look closely at his body, you see the rough, gray leather-like substance that is his skin. "But I didn't come out unscaved." He then let his left arm drop and showed his right arm. There was a long gash in his arm. Oddly no blood was coming out.
"Woah, pretty nasty cut you got there." Lars said.
"Yeah... Here, let's take care of that." Sadie said. She walked them all to the Big Donut and unlocked the door. They all went back to the breakroom. Steven got the first aid kit that he had been informed of when he spent the day working at the Big Donut. Steven remembered that day and how much of a jerk Lars had been. And how much Sadie had been hurt. But it seemed it was always like that and then they just went back to normal. Sometimes he forgot that they were together, whether they wanted to admit it or not.
"Thanks, Steven." She placed the box on the table and took out the alcohol swabs and the gauzes. "This may sting a little." She dabbed the wound. Moon winced but got used to it. Once the bleeding had stopped and the gash was cleaned, she wrapped it up. "There. Nice and tight."
Moon looked at the bandaging on his arm, and then at the weird liquid that was applied to the open wound. It must be some kind of healing element. Why did it sting though? And why did it look like water? Was it just water?
Moon picked up the bottle and immediately gulped it down before anyone could stop him.
"Woah! Dude! I don't think you are supposed to drink that!" Lars gaped.
Moon coughed and licked his lips. Definitely not water. He look at the container. There was a bunch of symbols and lettering he didn't understand. He looked at Sadie.
"What is this?"
"Oh, it is alcohol. But for medical purposes. Not the kind that you... get drunk on." She whispered the last part, as for Steven's sake.
"... Drunk? What is drunk? Isn't that passed tense of drink? No, for English that is drank... What is this 'drunk'?"
"Well, it isn't proper English but it is a verb and a descriptive word. It-" Sadie was cut off by Lars.
"It's when you drink a lot of alcohol and the chemicals in the alcohol make you act loopy and do crazy shi- stuff." Lars explained. He clearly had a lot of experience with the word "drunk".
"I have a lot to learn about Earth..." Moon said. Steven stared awkwardly.
"HEEEEeeeey, how about we get donuts now?" he said.
"There is chocolate, double chocolate, chocolate chip, vanilla, plain, caramel, sprinkles, jelly, and a bunch of other kinds! And you can get some coffee if you want to." Steven pointed to each flavor.
"Um... anything is fine." Moon said, unsure of what any of that was.
"Hmmmm... Okay, 2 chocolate jellies and 2 coffees please!" Steven always ordered chocolate jellies. Never coffee though.
"Wow, Steven, coffee, you rebel. You know what, make that 3 coffees. I'll join you. This order is on the house." Sadie said.
"Make it four, I'm in super need of a break."
"Then, you get the coffees." Sadie shoved him around the counter. Lars filled the coffees and set them at the table while Sadie got the donuts. "He's been sleeping all day..." Sadie whispered. She and Steven shared a quick laugh and walked over to the table.
Moon sat down. He stared at the 'donut'. He looked over at Steven, who was already munching on his. He looked back at the donut. "Chocolate? Jelly?" He shrugged and put the whole thing in his mouth. Chewing it slowly, he noticed that there was a weird liquid inside of the spongy cake. It was also good. He swallowed the donut and noticed that the others were watching him intently.
"So?" Sadie asked.
"It is... good." Moon replied. Lars sipped his coffee. So did Sadie. Moon looked at Steven. He was staring at it. He noticed Moon.
"I am waiting for it to cool down." Steven said. He stuck out his tongue. "Don't want to get a burn." he said while his tongue was still out. Lars and Sadie laughed. Moon picked up the dark liquid. He took another look and then gulped it down. It was hot. Really hot. Moon stuck out his tongue and held it. There was no visual signs of burns, but his tongue hurt a lot. Lars laughed, seeing that Moon was actually looking for burns.
"Dude, you should've waited for it to cool down."
"I'm sorry. But it was good. Thank you very much."
"Don't worry about it. And don't be sorry. Just know that next time you probably shouldn't drink hot liquid." Sadie laughed. And Moon laughed too.
"Well, it is good that you have come to Earth and became friends with us and Steven. I can tell he thinks a lot of you." Sadie said with a smile.
"Yeah, man. Come here anytime. Hopefully you can learn a little more before you hurt yourself again." Lars said. Sadie gave him a look but then noticed that he was actually being sincere. She leaned up against him and he put his arm around here.
"Yeah. Anytime." She said. Moon looked around at them.
"My first real friends...
It seems like earth will be interesting."
"Hey, Steven!" Amethyst said. Garnet and Pearl materialized with her on the warp pad.
Steven was sitting on the couch texting Connie.
"Hey, Amethyst." he said. Moon was sitting next to him, looking over his shoulder at the device. Pearl noticed his amazement.
"It is just a cellular device in which humans communicate, through written or spoken language. You should have seen devices similar to which on Homeworld. We saw Peridot using something similar." she said, questioningly.
"Really? They have technology this great on Homeworld?!" Moon asked, still in astonishment.
"Far more advanced than just that. Homeworld has evolved greatly." Garnet stepped in.
"Oh... they've evolved without me then." Moon smiled a sad smile. "As I said, I have been dormant since the Gem War. So, I haven't gone to Homeworld."
"They were advanced then as well as recently. Haven't you gone there before the war?" Pearl asked.
"Oh, I forgot I haven''t told you... I haven't told you..." Moon still smiled sadly. "I have never gone to Homeworld... At least from what I can remember."
Garnet pressed. "What happened to you? In detail. We want to know and help."
"Well... It all started... around a thousand years before the war... I think you have all noticed, I am not normal. I am not a Corrupted Gem either. I am... a creation."
Pearl looked confused. Garnet as well. They were both stuck on the idea that he wasn't a Corrupted Gem. But Amethyst already knew what he was.
"I was created in something the Homeworld Gems call... a kindergarten." Amethyst nodded sympathetically. "I was made... to be evil. To be on their side. To fight rebellious people, people like you, people like Rose! I hate myself for it... But they made a mistake on me... They made me different. They corrupted me with their own means. To make me more powerful... Made me into a monster...! But then they realized they could use that to their advantage... and most of the time they couldn't do anything to stop it... but then I do have my trump card... something they didn't expect...
I can rebel. I have my own control. At least... when I am in this form. In this form I am a normal gem. With feelings. But in my other form, I take the form that they wanted me to be... a killing machine.
During the war... I was unstoppable. No one could 'poof' me. I ran amok, poofing rebel gems, smashing them..." He started to tear up. "I- I couldn't even stop myself... And then... I saw Jasper. She had been weakened and went to regroup with the other Homeworld Gems to send out another wave of war.
But then there was her... Rose. She had walked up to her fallen soldiers. And instead of watching herself, instead of sending out more soldiers... she bubbled the gems. She made sure they were safe. And the ones still standing, she healed them. I had noticed... one little scrawny Pearl... standing guard of her. In the way of Jasper... I smiled on the inside." Pearl blushed.
"Most of the gems were ones I had poofed... And destroyed. But she still collected the parts. I had never noticed how much the rebel army really cared for each other. They were all making sure each of them were safe, over the safety of themselves. A Ruby and a Sapphire kissing each other's wounds, and following Rose to help bubble." Garnet smirked.
"Rose made sure they were all safe. In my head... I admired her so... She was so... kind. But it was my instinct... My duty in that form... to kill. I headed full force at her. The little Pearl was distracted. It was my chance. But then... Rose turned to me. She turned to me, gem aglow with a small shield. The light from it reflected in my eyes and soothed me. I stopped dead in my tracks. And stared at her. And then I saw... there were tears in her eyes. She took a step towards me, tears now streaking down her face. I stepped back. I didn't want to hurt her. She took another step, but this time, still crying, she smiled. It was so genuine. So sweet. And one more step and... she hugged me. Her tears streaming onto my face. And suddenly, I was transformed. My gem started to glow and I was back to my 'normal' gem form. I still don't know exactly how it had happened but afterwards she said to me, 'I like you much better in this form. You're gorgeous.' I was stunned. She then told me where a 'beautiful' cave was that I could hide in. When I got there, there wasn't much beauty in it. But it was a place where I could hide away from the war. So I guess in that way it was...
I lied down behind a cluster of rocks to be sure no one could find me. I started to worry for Rose. And I thought about how I had done nothing for her but she still helped me so much. I thought about how she somehow knew I hurting and healed me with no regard for her own well being. She saw that there was something in me... that I was gorgeous... And helped me. Got me away from that horrible war. And lead me to this said Who knows, maybe she saw the good in me. Maybe she knew how I truly felt about the Homeworld gems... it just seemed like she understood... everything. Tears slicked down my face. I couldn't help but feeling horrible and useless and thinking of all the gems that could have been saved... And then there was a large thud again the side of the cliff my cave was in. There was rumbling and rocks from above broke off and started falling. A large cluster landed on top of me, and I went poof. As I was mid regeneration, I heard footsteps... ones of an army. I heard Jasper's voice as they ran into the cave to regroup. Their rumblings made rocks loose. More fell. And even when they left I was stuck there, the area in which my gem was trapped too tight to regenerate into my original form. After awhile, the rocks had worn away and I could regenerate. But when I did, I was in my... 'monster' form. I had pushed the rest of them off. But I was too scared to go out. In fear I would hurt someone... or Homeworld would find me. So I stayed dormant and hurt in that cave for thousands of years." Moon paused momentarily.n"I'm glad you found me Steven. I'm sorry I scared you. And hurt you." He smiled. Big and wide.
"It's fine. So, you really loved my mom didn't you?" Steven said with a smile.
"Yeah, I did. She was... beautiful." Nostalgia swept over Moon, for once he accepted with pleasure.
"Yeah... Hey, my mom's right." Steven sat down next to Moon and stared at his face.
"Right?" He asked questioningly.
"You are gorgeous." Steven smiled.
"Thank you, Steven... Thank you... Crystal Gems."
Tears streaked down Moon's face and over his smile.
"Thank you... Rose."
"Come on, just try it!" Steven egged.
"But it looks like the dark 'coffee' liquid. And that hurt my tongue." Moon pulled out his tongue again.
Moon and Steven had gone to the Big Donut and gotten fountain sodas. Steven had been eagerly drinking his.
"But it is really good! And cold, so it won't hurt your tongue!"
"But... it has spheres. I don't think you are supposed to consume spheres."
"They are just bubbles! Full of air. So it is safe! All they do is make you burp!" Steven belched to show him. Moon flinched and looked startled.
"That sounds like a bad thing." Moon stared into the plastic tube poking out of the top, examining the brown liquid.
"If humans can drink it, why couldn't you? Aren't you tough?" Steven mocked Moon.
"I am tough!" Moon looked once more at the liquid. "Okay..." He sipped the liquid up through the straw. He took a big gulp and smacked his lips. "Sweet... Bubble...-y."
"Yay! So you like it?" Steven looked at him, wide eyed, smiley, waiting for his answer. Moon stood up.
"..." He looked down at the drink. "Y-Yes! I like it! A lot!" He lifted the drink above his head and tried to sip through the straw.
"Moon, no-" The top of the drink came off and it went all over Moon. Moon gaped, frozen.
"Pffff- BWAHAHAHA!" Steven laughed. Lars chuckled from behind the counter.
"So you've been watching this too." Sadie said quietly, looking out at the boys.
"Yeah. And it's hilarious!" Sadie elbowed him. "Go clean up!" Lars grabbed a mop and bucket and walked over. Steven just set napkins over the mess, trying to help. Lars started to mop the area, but as he turned, he slipped.
"Woah-OH!" He yelled as he fell into the sticky mess. "Ouch!" He said. Sadie rushed over to help. Lars looked at his soda soaked sweater. "Man, I just managed to clean this one after the last Steven incident!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you need-" Sadie stopped and blushed furiously. Lars took the soda covered shirt off. Sadie's eyes went wide as he threw it to the side. Lars looked over, noticing her staring.
"What?" he said, confused. She had seen him like this before.
"Uhh... S-sorry, let me help you up." Sadie stuttered and blushed as she grabbed his hands and hauled him to his feet. They let their hands stay clasped together. Lars blushed.
Steven looked over at Moon, who looked at them... with almost a longing look.
"Moon, I think they are having a moment, let's go." Steven whispered. Moon looked at them for a bit longer and finally walked out with Steven. They stopped at Beach Citywalk Fries. Peedee wasn't there today, but as usual, Steven got his fry bits. Curiosity crept in Moon.
"What were they... doing? Lars and Sadie, I mean."
"What do you mean? Holding hands?" Steven replied confusedly.
"No... they were looking into each other's eyes. It's like they didn't even know we were there anymore... And... They were happy, even though one of them just got hurt." Steven stared thoughtfully at his fry bits.
"... Moon, have you ever loved someone?"
"Why, yes, I loved Ros-"
"I mean been in love... Like, whenever you are with that person, all you wanna do is hold them. And you want to keep them safe. They mean the world to you. But not in a sibling or parent like way. Like... romance." Steven thought about Connie. Moon understood... but realized he had never felt the feeling. He wanted it.
"No. I haven't. How does one become in love? And get the other person to love them too?"
Steven chuckled. "You can't just suddenly become in love with a person you like. You've gotta develop a relationship and sort out your feelings. And they've gotta do the same... and when the time is right, you'll both know you love each other... you'll have butterflies in your stomach... but you've gotta face your fears and tell one another your feelings." Moon grabbed his shirt where his stomach was under it.
"Butterflies..." He smiled. "Do you think I'll find someone like that, Steven?"
"Sure you will! You're nice enough. All you gotta do is meet the right person!"
"But who on your planet would love someone like me? A monster from outer space...?"
"Well, I love you! You're like my brother. Just like the Crystal Gems are like my sisters. Or... my aunts?"
Moon smiled and ruffled Steven's hair.
"Thanks, Steven."
"Sleepover!" Steven ran up the stairs to his room, hectically grabbing up toys in his arms and shoving them out of site, making his room look as neat as possible. Even though Connie couldn't spend the night last week, the day they discovered Moon, tonight she could! And Steven was really excited. Especially for her to meet Moon. "Guys! Guuuys!" Steven screamed, running down the stairs. The gems were chilling on the couch.
"Yes, Steven?" Pearl asked.
"I gotta make sure everything is nice! Connie has only spent the night one other time, and that was by accident. She had to! So when her parents bring her here, I want them to think it's 'adequate for her staying quarters' or whatever. So, did you make dinner Pearl?!"
"Everything is properly prepared for eating."
"Okay, Amethyst... please, tell me you showered...?"
"Yeah, dude. What's the big deal anyways?"
"You know her parents are suuuper strict! And... I don't think they like me or... you guys very much..."
"That may be true but Connie likes you and trusts you so they should trust her judgement. And they must like, or at least trust you a bit, or they wouldn't even consider the idea of her coming over." Garnet said with a soft smile. "Don't stress so much."
"Thanks, Garnet." Steven smiled.
"And besides... who wouldn't like a cutie like you?" Garnet ruffled his hair.
Steven laughed. "Okay, okay, last thing, I really want Connie to meet Moon so..." Steven paused and looked around. "So... where is he?"
"He said he needed to go 'calm down' and he went outside." Amethyst said. "It was weiiird..."
"Do you think there was something wrong?" Pearl asked worriedly.
"I don't know... but I am gonna go look for him. If Connie gets here, tell her I will be back soon!" Steven yelled as he ran out the door. Steven stumbled as he ran through the sand down towards the beach. He saw footprints in the wet sand. They were going towards the cave that Steven found Moon in. "Weird."
Steven followed the tracks, every once in awhile looking around to see if he could see him. There was no luck so far, and it was starting to get dark. "Hopefully Connie isn't there yet..." Steven said, unaware that it was out loud.
"Steven!" Connie yelled, riding Lion. She hopped off. "The gems said you were out here and I wanted to make sure you were alright. My parents said that it was okay for me to stay the night since there was 'adults' around, and then the gems said I could use Lion so that my mom and dad wouldn't see me."
"Oh, okay. Well, Connie, you know that guy I was texting you about, Moonstone?" Steven asked, still walking along the tracks.
"Yeah. The corrupted gem you found in the caverns."
"Well, I was hoping you would meet him... and you guys would be pals... But I think somethings wrong. He can tame the corrupted part of him every once and awhile but I think it got out of hand again... I'm afraid he might do something. If things go bad, it's good that Lion will be here. You still have your sword in his mane, right?"
"Yep! Righhht... here!" Connie reached in and pulled out a sword Pearl gave her when she finished training.
"Nice!" Steven eyes lit up. "Okay, come on. Let's go find him. Serious Steven!" Steven said intensely.
Connie snickered and pushed him along. They were approaching the cave. They crept along, weaving through the rocks.
"Okay, Connie, listen. The plan is to approach slowly. He could have been Corrupted again. But if he is... don't hurt his gem. We need to try to poof him though. That's the only way he can go back to normal."
"Got it. We can do it, Steven!" Connie grasped her sword. On cue, Steven's shield appeared.
"Alright. Let's go."