Episode 1: Gem Glow
Heta City- A small, not so populated city on the East Coast of the United States. While it may look like a nice place to relax and take a vacation, with its crisp waves and white beach, Heta City is not a perfect paradise. It is plagued by magical circumstances. If you're lucky enough, you may catch a glimpse of the Guardians who protect this city and the entire World. The legendary Crystal Gems. One of the Crystal Gems is not like the others. This is his story.
It was a beautiful day in Heta City. The birds were singing, the ocean had perfect waves, and a young boy was in turmoil. Okay, so maybe the day was not perfect for him.
Inside the local convenience store, a young twelve year old boy was pressing his face up against an ice cream freezer. His messy blond hair was stuck to the glass as his blue eyes scanned the inside. The boy's thick eyebrows were turned upward when he discovered it was empty. He wore a light-blue T-shirt with a gold star in the center of it. He also wore blue jeans with sky-blue cuffs and black sneakers that were starting to scuff up the tiled floor.
"This can't be happening! This has to be a dream!" lamented the boy, giving away to the British tongue her spoke in. He turned to one of the convenience store workers, dressed in the customary purple polo shirt and jeans. The worker's blue eyes were concentrated on his job, and the heat was making his wild blonde hair sticky with sweat. The boy latched onto him like a magnet. "Mat, Mathias! Please tell me I'm dreaming!" The worker, a teenage boy by the name of Mathias Kohler stopped in his work before attempting to pry the boy off of him.
"Get off me!" Mathias said in his Scandinavian accent as he did this. It didn't work. He looked up at his co-worker at the register. "Lovise! He's doing it again!"
A teenage girl dressed similarly to Mathias looked up from the book she was reading. Her long, light blonde hair swayed gently as she moved. Her dull blue eyes seemed to hold amusement at Mathias's current situation. She ignored him for a second, adjusting the cross barrette in her hair that strangely didn't hold back a majority of her bangs. Her pale fingers brushed past the single curl in her hair. Lovise Bondevik rested her cheek in her hand before finally speaking.
"I'm sorry, Peter," she told the boy. Her accent was very similar to Mathias's. "I guess they stopped making them." The boy, Peter, released Mathias as he looked at Lovise sadly.
"Stopped making them?! Why in the world would they stop making Cookie Cat?" Peter said to her. "They're only the most delicious ice cream sandwich ever made! Don't they have laws for this?!" Mathias rolled his eyes. He bent down in front of the cabinet, finally getting back to work.
"Tough sh-" Mathias was cut off by a deadly glare from Lovise. "... shakes, man. Nobody buys really them anymore. Besides you." Mathias went back to stocking the shelves. "I guess they couldn't compete with Lion Lickers." Peter groaned both very loudly and very audibly. He walked over to the display case of the mentioned item.
"Not Lion Lickers. Nobody likes them!" he complained. "They don't even look like lions! This is heresy." Mathias laughed as he stood up.
"Well, if you miss your ice cream so much, why don't you make some with your 'magic belly button'?" he said as he walked away, laughing.
"That's not how it works, Mathias!" Peter said. He paused for a second. "... Right?" Peter lifted up his shirt. Where a normal human being's navel cavity would be, a gemstone took the place of Peter's. Peter poked the pentagonal-cut emerald stone. Nothing happened. He sighed, lowering his shirt. Peter walked back over to the Cookie Cat freezer.
"Oh, sweet Cookie Cats," he muttered a little too loudly as he drew a cookie cat on the freezer with his finger, "with your crunchy cookie outside and your icy creamy insides... you were too good for this world." The boy kissed the freezer. From the register, Lovise and Mathias exchanged a look with each other.
"Ugh... Peter?" Lovise called out. Peter didn't respond, but instead he hugged the freezer. "Do you want to take the freezer with you? We're going to get rid of it anyway." Peter looked over at her. He nodded.
After Mathias had unhooked the machine from the wall, Peter eagerly wrapped it around his shoulder and in his back. He hummed happily to himself as he ran on home.
Unlike most residents of Heta City, Peter lived on the beach. His home was rather strange. The house was built underneath an enormous, four armed statue of a masked woman.
Peter ran up his house steps and opened his door. He didn't expect the see his three guardians fighting a horde of oversized centipedes his room.
"Hey guys, you won't believe this —" Peter said excitedly before one of the bugs launched itself at him. He yelled out before the bug was caught by a whip.
"Sup, Peter?" responded the first of Peter's three guardians. Turquoise. She had bright blue eyes and wavy, blue-green hair that came to her shoulders, with two star-shaped barrettes holding her bangs out of her face. Like Peter, all of his guardians had gems on their bodies. Her teal gemstone is located on her chest, and had a hexagonal cut, with lines of deep brown running through it like cracks. Her skin was a pale teal. She wore a light blue-green, oversized, off-shoulder tank top with a black bra underneath. She wore black leggings with star-shaped cutouts on the knees. There was also a tear above the left star. Her boots were white.
"Awesome!" said Peter as he put down the freezer that had been strapped to his back. "What are these things?" The second of his guardians lifted up a centipede and groaned. This was Pearl.
"Sorry, Peter, we'll get these centipeetles out of your room," she said in a tone all to similar to Peter's. "We think they were trying to get into the temple."
Pearl wore white glasses and wore her blonde hair in long pigtails that were completely straight. Her eyes were green. Pearl's gemstone was located on the middle of her forehead and was completely smooth. Pearl wore a sleeveless, green top that had a translucent chest and transferred into a transparent ballet skirt around her waist. She wore short light green-colored leggings, green socks, and dark green slip-on ballet flats to match.
"Aw, you don't have to get rid of 'em," Peter told Pearl. "They're really cool." A "centipeetle", as Pearl called them, spat out acid onto the wooden floor. It sizzled. Peter and Pearl glanced down at it.
"Were getting rid of them," said Pearl simply. Turquoise managed to grab one of the centipeetles. She reduced it to a cloud of dust before realizing something.
"Um, you guys," she called out to her teammates. "These things don't have gems. They're just carbon copies."
"Zhat means zhere must be a mozher somevhere nearby," said the third and final of Peters guardians. Her accent was rather strange, considering she had never been to Europe as far as Peter knew.
And this gem was Topaz. She had long, rather wild pale orange hair. She sported a scar on her right cheek and Peter believed that under her eye. Unlike Peter, Pearl, and Turquoise, Topaz had two, golden-orange gemstones. The one on her right hand was cut like a triangle, and the one in her left hand was cut like a square. Topaz had pale yellow colored skin. She almost always wore triangular futuristic, translucent orange-tinted shades, which covered her eyes. She wore a dark orange bodysuit with the right leg of the suit being gold. The bodysuit had cubic shoulder pads with the right one being red, the left one being gold. A yellow star with a red outline was emblazoned her chest. She also wore long, elbow-length dark orange gloves that covered her middle fingers.
A Centipeetle snuck up from beside Topaz. She quickly punched it, causing it to turn into a cloud.
"We should probably find it before anyone gets hurt," said Pearl. It was these words that made Peter more excited than he had been before.
"Can I come?!" he asked Pearl. "Can I, can I?!" Pearl sighed, picking up a centipeetle off of the ground.
"Peter, until you learn to control the powers in your gem," she said calmly before snapping the centipeetle's neck. It turned into a cloud. "-we'll take care of protecting humanity, okay?" Peter frowned a little bit. That's when he noticed one of the centipeetles raiding the refrigerator.
"Hey! Get out of there!" he shouted at the Centipeetle, pulling it out. "Go on, shoo shoo! Aw, they got into everything." Peter looked through the fridge. His eyes lit up. The fridge was full of Cookie Cats. "No way... it can't be! W-where did you get these?! I thought they stopped making them!" He turned around. The centipeetles were gone, and his guardians were standing around him.
"Well, we heard that too, and since they're your favorite—" Pearl began to explain.
"We went out and stolea bunch!" Turquoise cut in as she hopped up onto the counter. Pearl shot Turquoise a glare.
"I went back and paid for them."
"Zhe whole zhing vas my idea," said Topaz.
"It was everyone's idea," Turquoise contradicted.
"Not really," continued Topaz. Pearl held up her hand to silence the Gems.
"All that matters is that Peter is happy," she said with a gentle smile. Peter, happy as could be, broke out into a little song.
"Oohhhhh! He's a frozen treat with an all new taste, 'cause he came to this planet from outer space! A refugee of an interstellar war! But now he's at your local grocery store!" he sang, "Cookie Cat! He's a pet for your tummy! Cookie Cat! He's super duper yummy! Cookie Cat! He left his family behind! Cookie Caaaaat! Now available off Route 109!" As soon as Peter was finished, the Gems broke out into laughter and applause.
"I can't believe you did this. I'm gonna save these forever!" Peter said as soon as the gems were quiet. "Right after I eat this one." He took one of the bars from the freezer, unwrapping it quickly. "Hello, old friend." He took a bite into it. "Oh, so good!" Without him noticing, Peter's gem began to glow a faint green color. The Gems stared at him in amazement. "I like to eat the ears first."
"Uh, Peter…" said Turquoise. Peter looked over at her. She pointed to her own gem and then at him.
"Wha-?" Peter looked down, almost dropping his ice cream. "My gem!"
"Quick, try and summon your weapon!" said Turquoise in haste.
"I don't know how!" Peter began to panic as the glow began to fade "Ah, it's fading! How do I make it come back?!"
"Calm down, Peter," said Pearl calmly. She placed her hands on Peter's shoulders. "Breathe, don't force it."
"Yeah, and try not to crap yourself either," Turquoise said with a snicker.
"Please, don't," added Topaz. The gem glow faded away, earning a collective sigh from the Gems and Peter.
"I was really close that time!" Peter said, almost exasperated. He looked up at the Gems. "Can one of you just explain how to summon a weapon?"
"Oh, I'll go first!" said Pearl in singsong manner as she stepped up.
Pearl practically dragged Peter out of the house and up to her favourite hill. He sat in front of her as she stood beneath a blossoming apple tree. The petals fell before them.
"Pay attention to these petals, Peter. The petals' dance seems improvised, but it is being calculated in real time based on the physical properties of this planet," Pearl explained, catching a blossom in her hand. "With hard work and dedication, you can master the magical properties of your gem and perform your own dance!" Her gem glowed. Out of it, Pearl summoned forth her spear.
Pearl wielded a magic spear that consists of a glowing pearl blade with a white grip and a cyan, gold, and white colored band shaped like a star. The head of the blade spiraled down the upper shaft, becoming less sharp on the lower shaft.
"Like so," said Pearl, releasing the blossom from her hand.
Later on, Peter stood out back behind the convenience store. Turquoise was with him. Peter picked up a pile of petals off the ground and tossed them in the air.
"Did Pearl tell you the 'petal thing'?" said Turquoise in a bland tone. Peter gave her a nod.
"Yeah, I need to practice really hard so I can dance like a tree…" he said. "I think." Turquoise rolled her eyes.
"Listen Peter, all that practice stuff is no fun. Whenever I need to summon my weapon, it just happens." Turquoise put a fist over her gem and pulled.
Out of it came a whip. It had a cross-guard in the form of a icy blue star. The lash was dark blue and was divided into three different segments with gems on the ends. Multiple shards are embedded on the main lash. The handle itself was bluish grey, ending in a turquoise gem. Turquoise twirled the whip around before breaking a garbage container in two.
"See?" she said. "Didn't try at all."
Confused on what to do about summoning his weapon from his gem, Peter decided to ask the only remaining person. Topaz.
"So I'm supposed to work really hard and not try at all at the same time?" Peter asked once he confronted her.
"Yes. Or…" said Topaz. "you could link your mind vith zhe energy of all existing matter. Channeling zhe collective power of zhe universe zhrough your gem, vhich results in—" In a flash, Topaz summoned gauntlets from her gems. Her gauntlets had a orange and light orange spiral design around the entire shaft, orange and golden fingers and fingertips, and contained the same star motif on the tops and bases of the gauntlets.
"At least zhat's my vay of doing it."
Topaz was no help to Peter. He made up his own mind and try out a plan of his own. He gathered the Gems into the kitchen.
"I think my best bet is to recreate what happened the last time my gem glowed," Peter said as he revealed his plan. He pointed to Topaz an Turquoise. "So... Topaz and Turquoise were here. Pearl was next to the fridge. Hmm. Turquoise, I think you were up on the counter?" Turquoise smirked.
"Okay, your majesty," she said as she jumped up on the counter, leaning upon it.
"And Pearl, your foot was like this." Peter moved Pearl's foot a little.
"I don't think it works this way Peter," said Pearl. She went by ignored as Peter moved to Topaz.
"And Topaz, uh…" Peter moved her face upward. "Yeah." He went over to the freezer, taking out a Cookie Cat and unwrapping it.
"Then I took a bite of a Cookie Cat. Oh, wait! I sang the song first. Uh, he's a frozen treat, all new taste, interstellar war, now available at Ghurven's. Aww, it was funnier last time." Peter sighed. "Maybe I'm not a real Crystal Gem." The Gems exchanged looks. Pearl walked over to Peter. She put an arm around him as she knelt down.
"Don't be silly, Peter," she told him. "Of course you are."
"And you're fun to have around, even if your gem is useless," added Turquoise as she jumped down from the counter. Pearl glared angrily at her. "I... mean, you're one of us, Peter. We're not the Crystal Gems without you!" Topaz nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, even if I don't have powers, I've still got... Cookie Cat!" Peter said, taking a bite of the bar. He felt happy, hopeful and loved. As soon as Peter took a bite for the ice cream, his gem began to shine brightly. Instead of fading away like last time, something materialized from the glow. From Peter's gem formed a green shield. The center resembled an Emerald gem surrounded by thorns. There was a collective gasp from the Crystal Gems.
"Peter, it's a shield!" Pearl said, almost amazed.
"Whoa, what?! I get a shield?! Yes!" Peter said. His tone was a mix of surprise and his own amazement. With the excitement he was feeling, Peter accidentally released his shield. It bounced off the walls of the house before finally crashing through the window. Turquoise burst out laughing. "Huh? Cookie Cat! I summon my weapon by eating ice cream!" Pearl picked the wrapper off of the ground, giving it a suspicious look.
"What's in these things?" she muttered.
Suddenly, a small earthquake shook the house and its inhabitants.
"What was that?" Peter asked the Gems. No one had an answer.
The Crystal Gems ran out of the house and onto the beach. Centipeetles by the dozens were crawling up the house, all of them heading towards one larger Centipeetle.
"It's zhe Mozher!" shouted Topaz as she and Turquoise ran towards it.
"Stay in the house, Peter!" Pearl called before rushing to join her fellow Gems.
"No way, I'm coming too!" Peter yelled. Before rushing out to meet the Gems, he went back into the house, grabbing several Cookie Cats and the freezer.
Meanwhile, the Gems chased the mother to the back of the Temple they resided in. The table turned, however, when the mother cornered them behind a broken piece if the statue that was carved out of the temple. Acid from the Centipeetle was pouring over the edges.
"We could really use Peter's shield right about now!" Turquoise cried out, ducking from a shot of acid. As if on cue, Peter ran outside to the Centipeetle Mother. He dropped the freezer in the ground. Picking up a stone, he threw it at the Centipeetle.
"Hey!" he shouted, getting the monster's attention. "Leave them alone!" The Gems peered out from behind the hand.
"Peter, no!" they cried out. Peter didn't listen. He took a Cookie Cat from the freezer, hastily unwrapping it.
"Cookie Crystal combo powers, activate!" But when Peter took a bite, nothing happened. "Uh-oh." Peter stumbled backwards as the Centipeetle got closer to him.
"We need to save Peter!" said Pearl, her voice filled with worry and concern.
"Can we save ourselves first?!" shouted Turquoise.
"Goodbye, my friends," Peter muttered as he ate several more of the ice cream bars. Once again, nothing happened. "Why isn't it working?" He took a few more steps back before tripping and falling on his back. The Centipeetle Mother was inches from him.
"Peter!" Topaz almost shrieked. She reached out from behind the hand, grabbing the tail of the Centipeetle. It fell, being dragged backwards. It turned it's attention on the Gems. Peter's eyes fell on what remained of the freezer, destroyed when the Centipeetle fell.
"No... Oh, no no no no no!..." Peter got to his feet, running over towards it. His fist clenched together. "Cookie Cat, he's a pet for your tummy. Cookie Cat, he's super duper yummy!" Peter became more aggressive as he picked up the freezer. "Cookie Cat, he left his family behind! Cookie Caaat!" With all of his strength, Peter threw the freezer at the mother. The cord entangled around it, successfully shocking it. "Now available... nowhere." With the distraction they needed, the Gems emerged from their cover.
"Yes!" cheered Turquoise.
"Gems, veapons!" Topaz ordered. The Gems summon their weapons. "Let's do it."
The Gems ran and attacked all at once, destroying the mother. It poofed into a cloud, leaving behind a round gemstone similar to an eye. Topaz caught it in her hands. Using her powers, Topaz created an orange bubble around the gem. The bubble and gem disappeared, successfully captured and contained.
Peter dredged up the ruins of the freezer, as well as a couple of wrappers, before finding a spot on the beach. He buried them both, using a rock as a grave marker. He sat down in front if it.
"Farewell, sweet Cookie Cats. I'll always remember the time we spent together," he said sadly before he stomach growled. "Shh, hush now." The Gems looked at each other before walking over to Peter.
"Are you crying?" asked Turquoise.
"Only a little!" Peter shouted, wiping his eyes. Turquoise squatted down next to him.
"Well, I guess your powers don't come from ice cream."
"Of course they don't come from ice cream," said Pearl. She sighed. "Don't worry, Peter, I'm sure some day you'll figure out how to activate your gem."
"Yes," Topaz added. "In your own Peter-y vay." Peter smiled a little bit before doubling over. The Gems went to help him, but Peter stopped them.
"I'm okay guys. I just—"Peter said as his stomach rumbled again. "Ugh, I think I ate too many Cookie Cats." Gems laughed. Peter laughed anxiously with them before he vomited onto the beach.
After releasing everything in his stomach, Topaz picked Peter up and the Gems headed back into the temple.
In the next episode, a magical comet hurtles toward Heta City, and Petet must dig through his dad's collection of old junk, and the past, to find the weapon that can save the town.