Gravity is Universal: Book 1

Entry 2

It's AtParty and I'll cry if I want to.

Gsv yfiwvm lu gvzxsrmt rh z svzeb lmv.

Ruby in the kindergarten

The following takes place before the prologue. It's tale of how Rose gained compassion, and decided to take a stand against homeworld, Told from Ruby's perspective.

The purple cliff walls hum with an electric resonance as three glowing visages shift through it. The volume and pitch of the humming intensifies, as the visages swell, taking on a humanoid shape. At the center of each visage, three translucent Gems of varying colors and shapes begin to emerge, cracking the stone wall around them. A red light shines upon the ground, casting two looming shadows in front of us. The glowing visages begin to contract into the Gems as they pull the surrounding rock into themselves. They crash into the ground with an audible ping. I walk toward them, my shadow completely envelopes them as I bend over and pick one up.

Its teal with a smooth spherical shape and a green line around its equator meeting at a ring on one side, I let its weight rest in my hand. Let its body touch mine. I sigh.

"Corrupted!" I yell to Pearl. I throw Gem to the sky. It sails through the air until it's out of site.

The next Gem is blue and caries a deep yellow hue. It has a round top and a pointed tip at the bottom. I pick it up, letting it touch me.

"Corrupted!" I throw it in a completely different direction, as Pearl sighs.

"We really need to find a clean Gem! We've been here for decades now and it's been nothing but one corruption after another! "Pearl says out loud with concern in her voice; to herself. She had never talked to me, only at me.

"We have yet to pull even a half decent Gem from this region. Rose is going stir crazy! The only thing she does is stare in the toy box for days." Pearl continues.

"If what I've overheard from others at the Lunar Sea Spire is true, Most of the other Kindergartens' yield have been poor as well. But even considering that; this place is just Abysmal!" She says as she slams her fist into the Incubator.

"Maybe, we should consider dismantling the whole cradle and just start fresh on another planet." Pearl said.

The Sea Spire was a little slice of Homeworld on this primitive rock. I'd only been there a once since we landed.

"But even if we do. I don't think that we will be any better off. If the wailing stone's reports can be trusted, the story is the same on most of the other cradles." She finished thinking out loud.

I pick up the last Gem on the ground. It is a deep violet color with a more saucer like shape to it, and a silver ring running around it edge. The front and back are symmetrical with each side having a hexagon shaped facet. I let it rest in my hand, letting its body touch mine. It begins to resonate with me!

Quickly, I dash over to Pearl. "What about this one?" I present it to her. Her lithe arm reaches for the treasure, and begins to inspect it.

"Hmmmm. A little rough around the edges…., But this facet is exquisite! It's a little murky… but well within acceptable boundaries!…She should be functional! I should tes…" The next incubation machine begins to hum away, its red body glowing in the distance. Pearl pushes the Gem back into my hand as she runs off to the device.

Rose will be ecstatic! I run over to Rose who is staring into the clear roof of the toy box. Her pink hue reflecting off the shimmering surface she stands upon.

"Rose, look at this!" I say as I present the stone to her. A look a joy fills her face.

"Excellent work Ruby. An Amethyst! It's no diamond, but still worth rearing!"

The Violet Gem begins to emit a glowing shadow; crafting its illusion. It begins to bend, stretch, and shape into its new form. We stare with anticipation. It emits a bright flash, and what stood before us left us in awe. I looked down upon a white quadruped with long hair, two eyes with huge elongated pupils, and triangular pointed ears. Rose looks down at me as she places her hand in my afro. "What's this?"

Rose's hand begins to sink into my afro, Her other hand points at the corrupt Gem staring up at us. "Why did you bring this to me?" Her hand sinks in deeper

"Do you think that just because I'm not doing anything, that my time isn't important?" Bit by bit her hand creeps closer and closer to my head. With a calm voice she continues.

"I know you're not as quality Gem like me or even pearl, but I expected better of you." Her hand reaches down for the corrupted Gem and gently grabs it by its furry mane.

"There is an order. The weak do not waste the Strong's time!"

She grips on the Gem's long haired mane as she slings it forward. The force of her slinging it rips the hairs from its neck. The creature is hurdled toward the cliff wall, smashing into a mechanical panel. This causes an electric pulse to surge into the creature. Then poof! Its gem falls to the ground.

"I realize that you have flaws, and that they are mainly mental ones. So I'll make this simple for you." She grabs me by the side of my head, and crashes it down onto the ceiling of the toy box.

"When one of these! Looks like one of those! Come get me. Until then, don't you even address me…" Rose yells as she points at the purple Gem.

She then turns my head down into the toy box. A light skinned human child with long black hair, wearing a headband with a blue symbol reminiscent of the trees we saw back when we first landed on this planet.

The human removes her headband, revealing a series of seven red dots in a formation similar to a grouping of stars in this planet's night sky. Me and the human's eyes meet, but I know he doesn't see me.

Rose walks up to the corrupted Gem, picks it up, and then tosses it over her shoulder.

She then addresses me in much softer tone.

"I only do these things, because I know you can do better. Because I know you are better. The strong will spearhead while weaker drive them. There is an established rank and order among us Gems, and it is important that we follow it. Now go out and get some organic things, and we'll all sit down and watch the humans scramble." She gently pushes me forward as I head off towards the fields.

She truly does love me.

"Pearl!" Rose yells.

Gravity is Universal

Chapter 1

"I don't understand. Why can't I just stay with the Universes? Why do I have to go all the way across the continent, to attend some party with people we don't even know?" Connie said to her parents in a slightly whining tone.

"The invitation I received asked for the entire family to attend. The Northwest's are amongst the wealthiest families in the country, The Northwest soiree shindig…thing is one of the most prestigious events to even get into." Connie's mother Dr. Maheswaran said.

"Seriously, why does a social event have to such a long name?" The doctor said to herself out loud.

"It's actually pretty convenient that we got contracted out to run security for the same. If all goes well, The Company could secure a few powerful investors. I could even get promoted. We wouldn't ever have to worry about moving again! And to think all they want us to do is stay in someplace called the sandwich room! "Mr. Maheswaran says to his daughter

"Sometimes the stars just align and everything works out great" he say to himself outloud. .

Connie then asks a poignant question. "But why do we have to drive all the way there? Can't we just fly?"

Dr. Maheswaran's chagrin rang clearly. "Your Father forgot to buy us tickets and now it's too late. We can't get any."

Mr. Maheswaran looks to his wife "I, in fact, did buy tickets, but it was cancelled due to some kind of problem they've been having with their equipment…"

Dr. Maheswaran mutters to herself. "That sounds familiar…" He continues, talking very slowly. "…something about sun spots, weather balloons, and swamp gas causing electromagnetic interference…"

The Doctor raises her voice. "Don't take that tone with me!"

Sensing an impending fight Connie grabs her packed bags and walks outside. Her parents start yelling as she walks out the front door. "This is going to be a Long Trip."

Connie closes the door and begins walking toward their car, when a very familiar voice hits her ear. "Hey Kiddo, you all ready to go yet?" Connie looks up to see Greg Universe wearing a Hawaiian shirt, picking his nose in front of his van.

"Mr. Universe what are you doing here?" She asked

"Meet your Chauffer for the trip! Your parents asked me to drive you all down to Gravity Falls." Connie looks up with light in her eyes.

"Is Steven with you?" She begins to smile.

"Fraid not. Your parents said something about you losing focus or something. They asked me specifically not to bring him. Sorry Kid." The light begins to fade from Connie's eyes.

"So how come you're driving us?"

Greg Scratches the back of his head. "Honestly the Wash isn't doing so hot; I kind of need the money…" He says to himself.

"I mean, Just Getting into Gravity Falls is a trip in itself! You have to navigate this maze of backroads and it's super easy to get lost." Greg responds as he commences to flick a boogie onto the ground.

"So have you been there before?" Connie asks as she hops into the Van.

"Yeah, it was one of my first stops back when I toured the country! I even cut a single there that took the region by storm!" Greg hops into the Van and beeps the horn.

"You used to be in a band?" Connie asked.

"Yeah! Steven never told you? Well if that's case prepare yourself for this modern Bard's Tale." Greg Says as he points his thumb at his chest.

"Maybe this trip won't be so bad..."

Quartz, Rose

Reflecting

"That poor thing, It's not its fault that so much corruption was produced inside of its Gem. Not its fault that it was made. It upsets me more and more every time that I see a Corrupted Gem born, to know that there is nothing I can do to heal it. It makes me want to cry, but even that is futile. When one is born we are supposed to ""dispose"" of it. If created they are supposed to be destroyed. But I can't bring myself to do that. They are Gems, just as us. There is wiggle room in the word "dispose". So I throw them out. A short life is better than no life." I think to myself.

"I was really hard on Ruby, maybe too hard. She only wanted to see me happy. She meant well but…She has to respect her rank and place. Maybe she did…."

"PEARL!" I yell.

"Rank and File are extremely important for the very prosperity and growth of Gem kind. The Authority we forged must remain tempered and strong. There is no room for corruption. If not for this Order, then we would be so prone to in fighting that we would have never have been able to become organized enough to leave Home World. Trapped inside our own little toy box for other entities to prey upon. To think such creatures could even ever have existed." I reminisce .

Pearl runs up to me.

"Yes, my rose?" She answers.

"One of the illusion generators for the toy box was damaged."

Pearl pulls out her tools and begins fixing it. "I understand."

I begin to question her as she works. "Did you tell Ruby to hand me a Gem to train?" " I said.

"No, I did not. I only said that a Gem could possibly be ready. But I did not test it for acceptable corruption levels."

"Why?" I asked

"Another one of my incubators had activated, and I had to go monitor it." She responded.

I stare down at her "Did you by any chance say anything that would lead Ruby to present me with a Corrupted one?"

Pearl looks away. "I did say that it might, maybe, possibly…be acceptable. I then placed it in her hand." She says as she finishes the repairs.

"I see…so it was all a misunderstanding….I must come up with an acceptable punishment for the both of you." I think to myself for a bit.

Pearl has a worried look on her face.

"Clearly you can't handle the responsibilities given to you. You don't have the capacity to handle them so your performance is getting sloppy. After the Human Scramble, both you and Ruby will be forced to report to the Sea Spire and reflect upon your failings. You are not allowed to speak unless spoken to. YOU! Understand?"

Pearl contains her excitement.

"I understand, completely." Pearl leaves me.

I stare down into the toy box; a group of men are frantically looking around for something. "So Sad, So pathetic….I hate how much they look like us. I hate how much I want to play with them."

Atbash: The burden of teaching is a heavy one.