Opal, Sapphire, Ruby, and STEVEN!

by iamconstantine

Steven had a normal life. He lived in an ancient temple with a four-armed giant woman, a stoic future-seer, and a hotheaded warrior, and he had a pink Gemstone where his belly button would be. A walk in the park - that's what he thought. But as of late, he's being proven wrong. With Opal, Sapphire, and Ruby, Steven is determined to protect the planet Earth! Osrasaskblog on tumblr!

21. The Secret

Steven leaned down to bring the plastic box closer to his eyes. Inside, sitting among soft sand and plastic plants, was the Heaven Beetle that Opal and had just recently retrieved from a mission. It was a small thing, white and yellow with a small green gemstone embedded in its back. It scuttled through the sand aimlessly, albeit not seeming to mind its new surroundings.

Steven held up his bag of potato chips. "Do you think it would like a cheddar cheese?"

Opal shrugged a shoulder. "I don't see why not."

Steven reached into the bag and withdrew a smaller chip. He placed it in front of the Heaven Beetle, which inched closer curiously. Steven wasn't sure how, but it started eating, nibbling away bit-by-bit.

"Can I get some other things that it might like?"

Opal set the box onto the table. The Heaven Beetle had gone back to scuttling about. "Knock yourself out."

Steven hopped off the sofa, leaving the bag behind him, and trotted to the stairs. However, as he did, Opal called out, "But no fashion shows!"

Steven halted in his tracks. He turned to Opal with his face stony and heavy with the horror of the past. "Never again."

He resumed running up the stairs to his loft. As he did so, curtains of shimmering light shot up from the Warp Pad. They fell away a moment later to reveal Ruby, holding up the dark Earth Beetle with the other hand on her hip as smoke and steam wafted up from her body.

She stepped down to the floor and walked over to the plastic box to set the Earth Beetle inside. It and the Heaven Beetle circled around one another like old friends.

"So," Opal chirped. "How did it go?"

Ruby shrugged. "It was easy enough. I just had to maneuver through the geyser field without being blown to shards, swim through the lava lake without being eaten by the giant snake—"

From up in his loft, Steven called down, "RHYME!"

"—and get the Earth Beetle from the bottom." Ruby huffed as she flicked away some black lava rock that had become crusted to her elbow. "No biggie."

"Wow," Steven said as he came trotting back down the stairs. His hands were full of numerous playthings for the Beetles, from miniature food to miniature furniture. He scattered them across the tabletop as he added, "That's so cool!"

Ruby shrugged again, but a smirk tugged at her mouth. "I guess."

"Or should I say…" Steven winked at Ruby. "That's so…'hot'? Get it? Because it's the opposite of 'cool'?"

Opal reached into the Gem at her forehead and pulled out a small air horn. She blasted it a few times and whooped as she and Steven high-fived one another.

Ruby turned on her heel. "I'm going to my Room."

"Oh, wait!" Opal lifted the box into her hands and held it out to the smaller Gem. "Can you take this and Bubble it? We need to put them somewhere for safekeeping."

The box was about half her height, but Ruby still managed to take it with one arm. She lifted it onto her shoulder and turned for the Temple Door once more. "Got it."

"Oh, hey!" Steven quickly gathered all of his Beetle items into his hands and hurried after Ruby. "Let me put all the stuff in before you Bubble it!"

Ruby nodded and held up her other, Gem-bearing hand to the door. The familiar red crack ran down the middle and split it apart. Ruby and Steven hopped down into the Burning Room, and Steven could immediately feel the temperature soar.

Ruby craned her neck upwards and hummed thoughtfully. Following her gaze, Steven looked up at the dozens upon dozens of Bubbles suspended in the air above their heads. Gems, some familiar, some not, were stored inside transparent spheres of red, blue, white, and purple. It was still a bit weird for Steven to think that these Gems used to be like them at some point, walking and talking.

She eventually stopped and set the box down. Steven sat down beside it and went to placing everything inside. Pizza saver for a dining table here, empty acorns for hats there…

After a couple of minutes of waiting, Ruby sighed. "Can you do it just a little bit faster, Steve?"

Steven did not raise his eyes away from the work in his hands. "These miniature gummy burgers aren't going to stack themselves."

Ruby tapped her toes and chewed on her cheek as she waited. After a few more minutes, she looked over at him once more. He seemed to be trying to pry something in his hands apart with great effort, judging by his tongue poking through his lips and the sweat collecting on his brow.

"You okay?" asked Ruby.

Steven huffed and held up the object in his hands. It looked like two squares, blue and red, stuck together.

"I'm trying to give them these squares to play with," he explained. "But they're stuck."

"Here, let me see."

Steven handed the blocks over. Ruby grabbed either one and pulled. She was soon frowning. The squares were small, and her fingers were a bit wide, so she couldn't get the grip that she wanted to. She didn't want to try too hard, either, lest she break them.

"They're really fused, aren't they?" she mumbled.

Steven hummed and held out his hand. As Ruby passed it back to him, he mused, "Yeah, it's a tricky business. The only one who knows how to do it is Sapphire."

Ruby looked back down at the squares. "...Let me try again."

Another few minutes were spent of Ruby fruitlessly trying to pry the squares apart. Her arms shook with tension, her jaw ground in frustration. At one point, she placed the squares between her teeth and tried to bite the halves apart.

Steven pursed his lips as he watched. "I can just...get Sapphire...It's no biggie..."

"I can handle—"

"Do you need me?"

They both raised their heads to the top of the Burning Room. From one of the mirror-like holes amongst the red crystalline 'veins' that ran along the walls, Sapphire's face and long, fluffy hair had appeared.

Ruby huffed through her nose. "Eavesdropping, much?"

Sapphire's head pulled away to be replaced by the blue skirts of her dress. She gently descended down to them until she touched the tiled floor.

She held a gloved hand out to Ruby. She rolled her eyes in turn, but nevertheless placed the combined squares into her awaiting palm. She crossed her toned arms over her chest.

Somehow, whether with prior experience or her more slender fingers, Sapphire had the squares apart in just a few mere seconds. She handed them to Steven, who granted her with an enthusiastic "Thanks" before he placed them into the furnished plastic box of the Beetles. He lifted the box up, turning it this way and that to inspect his handiwork.

Sapphire turned her head to Ruby, but said nothing.

After several seconds of silence, Ruby's glower returned and she snapped, "What?"

Sapphire kept staring at her for just another moment before turning away. "Hm."

Ruby's arms dropped from her chest to curl into fists at her sides. She continued to stare Sapphire down, as if daring her to say anything else. Eventually, she wiggled her fingers at Sapphire and gave a mocking "HM~!" before turning on her heel for the Temple Door.

As the Door opened to Steven's Room, Steven held up the box and called, "Uh...Ruby? I thought you were supposed to...Bubble the Beetles..."

Ruby said nothing, but she did slow down a touch. When she stopped in front of the Door with her hands raised on the ledge, heat rippled over her stiff form. She seemed to be contemplating continuing out of her Room or turning back around with some degree of embarrassment.

Sapphire held out her hands for the box.

With surprising speed, Ruby had reappeared, sliding Sapphire out of the way while the seer's arms remained extended. She took the box from Steven and furrowed her brow as she gripped it tight.

With the telltale woomp, a large red Bubble finally appeared around the box, hovering over Ruby's open palms. She let out the breath she had been holding and pressed a hand down onto the Bubble. It vanished in a swirl of red.

Steven looked up above them just in time to see the Bubble appear with the others. It was easily the largest Bubble of them all, and one of the few to hold anything besides a Gem.

Curiously, he looked back down at Ruby and Sapphire and asked, "Can anything be Bubbled?"

Ruby shrugged a shoulder and replied, "Pretty much."

Sapphire paused for just a moment before speaking up to correct her. "It has to be small enough."

Ruby waved her hand, as if to say, "Well, yeah."

"So..." Steven reached into his pocket and pulled out the toy inside. It was one of the squishy rubber ones with the huge eyes that bulged when you squeezed it—usually, he gave them to Opal to collect. He held it out to Ruby. "What about this?"

Ruby raised a brow and squeezed the toy between her fingers. The eyes bulged with a soft squeak. She shrugged once again and held it between her hands. Another red Bubble, perhaps as long as Steven's thumb, appeared around it. It vanished, and a little red spot appeared next to the large red Bubble.

Steven hummed. His hands went to the hem of his shirt. "How about my shirt?"

"Steven, like we said, it can be any..." Ruby trailed off. Steven had his pink T-shirt held out for her, but was still wearing one despite it. "...Okay."

Ruby balled up the shirt in her hands, Bubbled it, and sent it to the others.

With her job done, Sapphire turned in the direction of her mirror-puddle. It was still high above, but she could propel herself up the veins until she reached it.

Seeing her go, Steven called after her, "Not up for Bubbling, Sapphire?"

Ruby waved her hand at the retreating Gem dismissively. "Sapphire isn't much of a Bubbler."

She may have meant it as "Sapphire is not very good at Bubbling", or she could have meant it as "Sapphire doesn't like to Bubble." Either way, Sapphire reappeared between them within a second. Ruby, who was looking down at her fingers, jumped in surprise when she saw her.

"I can Bubble fine," Sapphire stated coolly. Her voice was its usual monotone, but Steven could just hardly hear a light lace of annoyance in it.

Steven wished that Ruby would say a simple "okay", or at least turn on her heel and walk away.

However, Ruby was Ruby, and Ruby was quick to start a challenge. She looked Sapphire up and down, then crossed her arms over her chest once more. "Prove it."

Sapphire said nothing.

---

Ruby's yelp of surprise sounded off from inside the blue Bubble when it popped into the air. For a moment, she sat inside of it dumbly, her limbs stiff and her dark eyes looking in every direction. Her sight finally landed on Sapphire and Steven down below, and the pieces clicked together in her head.

She growled, and the steam that rolled off of her clouded the Bubble from the inside.

"Seriously?! You took it that far?!"

Sapphire hummed as if to say, "Yeah...But you started it."

Steven frowned up at Ruby with concern. She was fairly high above them, mixed in with the other Bubbles. He had no idea how sturdy they were.

"Are you going to be able to make it out?"

Ruby's purple-hued form took in a deep breath. She let it out as she replied, "I can get out. Bubbles tend to be weaker when created by petty, immature Gems."

Sapphire said nothing to that, so Ruby huffed and went to pushing against the Bubble. She strained her arms against the sides, then re-positioned herself to use her legs as well. With every moment, Steven could tell her frustration was rising. She started to growl and sputter, and the Bubble continued to cloud with steam, more and more until all that could be seen of Ruby was her palms appearing and reappearing on the Bubble.

There was a pop, then a yelp as Ruby went falling through the air. On her way down, she landed on a Bubble for just a moment, and Steven saw Sapphire stiffen beside him.

Once Ruby hit the floor, Steven realized why: the Bubble that Ruby touched burst, and the Gem inside went clattering to the floor. Ruby managed to hop to her feet and tried to Bubble it as quickly as possible, but wasn't quite quick enough.

The Gem, round and green—the Centipeetle's Gem—rose into the air. White light spilled forth from it, distorted and hesitating like a television static. Steven could see arms, then legs, but just when curiosity and hope began to build in his chest, the light distorted once again. This time, it spread higher, creating several sharp arms and a mane of hair.

Ruby summoned her gauntlets onto her hands at the same time that Sapphire summoned her knuckledusters. Steven considered trying to summon his shield, but hesitated.

The light from the Centipeetle's Gem stopped once again. It collapsed in on itself, compressing down and down until a...

...tiny Centipeetle stood before them.

All three of them went still. Ruby's gauntlets dropped. Sapphire's lips parted in confusion. Steven's brows furrowed on his head.

The Centipeetle was even smaller than the miniature ones they had encountered back at the Jungle Temple. It was black and green, with a mane of white hair and sharp black jaws that held it single eye. Hot green acid dripped onto the floor as it snarled and hissed at the Crystal Gems. However, rather than doing so out of anger, Steven noted that it sounded more confused than anything.

"Um...okay..." Ruby rolled her shoulders back and held up her gauntlets once more. "I got it. Just give me a second."

She took a step forward, and the Centipeetle scuttled back with a high, short shriek. Acid flew from its jaws and its white hair stood on end.

Steven frowned. Even as Ruby moved forward, the Centipeetle made no move to attack her, instead shrinking away from her in fear. Ruby's movements were careful as she backed the Centipeetle into a corner. She was ready to lunge and strike at any moment.

"It's not doing anything," Steven whispered to Sapphire.

Sapphire said nothing, but she did lean her head just enough to look at the Centipeetle closer.

Ruby poised her legs and aligned her back, her body moving forward—

"Ruby, wait!"

Hands grabbed her arm, tugging her back.

Steven looked down at the Centipeetle. It was pressed to the wall, whimpering and chittering, shaking like a Chihuahua. This wasn't anything like the forty-foot-plus tall beast that had almost eaten them alive.

Ruby kept her eyes trained on the corrupted Gem as she whispered through her teeth, "What?"

"It's not trying to attack you," Steven told her. He nodded down at the Centipeetle. "It's just scared!"

Ruby quickly looked the Centipeetle over. Her gaze flickered from it to Steven as she replied, "It's still dangerous! We have to get rid of it!"

"Come on, Ruby," pleaded Steven. "Look at it."

Ruby gave the Centipeetle a flat gaze. Green acid continued to drip from its jaws as it cowered away from her. Its sharp legs scuttled on the floor as it continued to whimper and hiss.

"…Steven, nothing about that thing is remotely cu—Agh!"

Ruby flinched away from the watery-eyed pout that Steven gave her. She sighed, but let her gauntlets disappear back into her Gem. This calmed down the Centipeetle just a touch—its hair began to relax and its legs slowed down from their panicked twitching.

Ruby kept her hands in fists and kept her dark eyes on the Centipeetle as she asked, "What now?"

Steven paused. "Stay here and let me talk to it."

He stepped forward, and Ruby moved to stop him, only to be held back by a hand on her shoulder. She sighed and shrugged Sapphire's hand off, but did not move forward again.

However, she also leaned over to Sapphire to whisper, "Is he onto something?"

Several seconds of dead silence passed before Sapphire replied by simply shrugging her shoulders with a frown.

Steven took a careful step forward to the Centipeetle. He had some experience with animals—given, they were usually bad experiences that ended in Band-Aids, tears, and lectures—and knew that a scared, cornered animal would lash out if it felt too threatened. Even though it was still pressing against the wall, Steven didn't want those sharp jaws clamping around his arm.

"It's okay," he told it gently. "It's okay, we're okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Here." Steven sat down and held his hands out beside him. "Nothing to hurt you, see? I'm harmless. I'm a nice, harmless, squishy friend."

The Centipeetle slowly began to relax its body. Its hisses quieted down to occasional warbled chirps. Steven relaxed with it, moving his legs so he lay on his belly before it.

"Yeeeeah. Just relax. Take it easy." Steven glanced behind him. Ruby and Sapphire were still watching the Centipeetle carefully. He patted the floor. "Come on, guys! Take a rest."

Ruby raised a brow at him. Steven patted the floor a little harder.

Ruby sighed, but nevertheless plopped down on her rear with her arms crossed. She continued to tap her feet anxiously. Sapphire dropped down on her legs, fanning her skirts out.

The Centipeetle finally eased itself down to the floor. The green eye of a Gem now watched Steven as it chirped quietly, as if asking, "Okay, now what?"

Steven thought for a moment. He wanted to show the Centipeetle something to prove that he meant no harm, but didn't want to do anything too quick or sudden.

A light-bulb went off over his head, and he reached into his back pocket. The Centipeetle stiffened, as he expected, but paused when he set something before it.

"They're Chaaaaps," Steven told the Centipeetle. He pushed the small pile of potato chips closer to it. "They're good. Try some."

The Centipeetle stared at the Chaaaaps almost confusedly.

"Here, like this." Steven picked up a small chip and popped it into his mouth. He made sure to smack his lips and crunch extra loudly so the Centipeetle got the point.

It seemed to. It inched forward, jaws snapping above the Chaaaaps before finally taking one into its mouth. Its jaws moved up and down and light drops of drool-like acid went flying. After a pause, the Centipeetle took the rest into its mouth as well, making satisfied chirps as it did so.

"I don't even know how you're doing that, but it sure is adorable."

"Steven."

Steven looked behind him. Ruby was still sitting, but her body was rigid. Sapphire was lying down on her side.

Ruby continued, "I don't mean to break this up, but we can't just train it. We need to go ahead and Bubble it."

Sapphire spoke up, "She's right."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm right."

Sapphire gave a long, heavy sigh.

Steven looked back at the Centipeetle. All wariness was gone from its stance. It looked up at him expectantly now, almost casually.

"We can't just Bubble it now," he told them. He set a hand on the Centipeetle's shock of white hair, and while it stiffened under his touch, it didn't attack. "We've made a connection."

Ruby groaned and hopped up to her feet. As Sapphire did the same, she said, "You can't make connections with corrupted Gems, Steven."

Steven's brows furrowed together. "Why not?"

Ruby cast her eyes to the floor and sighed. Sapphire, meanwhile, stepped forward. Steven felt the Centipeetle twitch under his hand.

"Rose Quartz tried to form bonds with corrupted monsters," she told Steven. "She thought that perhaps it could bring them back to their former selves, but it never worked. I'm sorry Steven, but I don't think this will, either."

Steven looked down at Centipeetle. It had to have some form of self-awareness, right? It could tell what he was saying, could tell when it was being threatened. It could tell that Steven was no longer a threat, so what if Steven ruined that by letting Sapphire or Ruby destroy its physical form and Bubble it?

"Maybe I can't heal its form," he told Sapphire, "But I may be able to heal its mind. With kindness, I mean. Anyone can be healed by—" Steven reached into his other back pocket and tossed up a handful of rose petals he always had on handy. "—the power of love."

Sapphire brushed away a petal that had landed on her skirt. "You can keep it out for now."

The sound of footsteps brought their attention back to Ruby. The red Gem was once again walking in the direction of the Temple Door.

"Fine, do what you want. I'm headed out to—"

The Temple Door appeared before she summoned it, and in stepped Opal.

Sapphire and Ruby both went stiff as stone. Opal stepped down the small drop easily with her bow in her hands. She never gave any mind to the Centipeetle. Steven then realized that the way that they stood, the Centipeetle was tucked behind one of the veins and behind his legs and, thus, out of Opal's sight. It still scuttled closer to the wall and further out of sight, hissing lowly. Steven quietly shushed it.

Opal kept walking down to Ruby and Sapphire. She smiled down at them as casually as ever.

"Hello!" Her smile faltered when she saw Ruby. She was frozen in her walk with one leg still outstretched. "Headed out, Ruby?"

Ruby cleared her throat before putting on a painfully awkward grin. "Y-Yeah! I just thought I'd go out and get some fresh square!"

Opal's brows furrowed. "You mean 'air'?"

Ruby said nothing at first. Then she made a much-too-loud, much-too-awkward "HEE HA HEE!" of a laugh, all with a wide grin on her face.

Opal stared down at her worriedly. Eventually, her gaze turned over to Steven, still standing before the Centipeetle. He wasn't intentionally hiding it, but Opal must not have noticed anyway, because she smiled warmly at him.

"Hey, Steven! What are you still doing here?"

"Well, when I came in here to watch Ruby Bubble the beetles, we started talking about Bubbles and—"

Steven stopped himself short when he glanced behind Opal. Ruby was waving her hands at him almost pleadingly, while Sapphire had one palm raised with the other pressing a finger to her lips. Opal did not notice and continued watching him expectantly.

Steven pressed his legs closer to conceal the Centipeetle more. It hissed quietly.

"And…that's pretty much it. Nothing else happened. At all."

Opal's bright blue eyes glanced between the three of them. Her eyebrows furrowed on her forehead once more. "Are you guys okay? You're talking…not normally."

Sapphire spoke up, "Is there something you wanted to tell us, Opal?"

"Oh!" Opal clapped her free hands together. "Right! Well, I was looking at the waterfalls in my Room and I started thinking…"

Opal continued talking, and Sapphire and Ruby nodded as they listened, occasionally glancing over at Steven and the Centipeetle. Steven wasn't sure whether he should make a run for the Door or not. Opal might turn around at any moment, or hear the flip-flop sounds of his…well, flip-flops.

As Opal spoke, she mindlessly shifted her bow around in her hands. Steven felt something move behind him, and before he knew it, the Centipeetle was crawling towards Opal. Acid was bubbling in its mouth and it moved almost like a predator closing in on its prey. Opal still did not notice, but Ruby and Sapphire did. They were getting stiffer by the second.

"…and that got me thinking about tuna sandwiches, and how fishermen have such a bad rap all the time, you know?"

Sapphire and Ruby nodded at Opal and feigned looks of understanding before looking back at the Centipeetle.

Steven didn't want to risk calling for the Centipeetle—he didn't know why he was hiding it from Opal, but he knew she would hear him. He waved and reached for the Centipeetle to come back to him, but it continued to slink to Opal. It was steadily approaching her feet.

"…cause, like, they go out in raging storms and hot sun just to get people delicious fish, but they're always treated as uneducated sea freaks…"

Steven stepped forward. Opal did not notice, so he kept moving. The Centipeetle finally took notice of him and turned toward him just as its jaws brushed against the drape of Opal's top. Steven knelt down and beckoned it to him. It curiously scuttled towards him a few inches.

"…You guys remember Yellowtail, right? The fisherman that came into Beach City a while ago? Here, I think I have a picture somewhere—"

Opal began to turn, and Steven went stopped still.

However, Ruby moved forward with Opal with her arms outstretched. Sapphire quickly walked up beside her.

Ruby had a grin from ear to ear as she told Opal, "Of course we remember Yellowtail! What about him?"

"Oh. Well, he was so nice and yeah, I know he was a bit odd sometimes, but he was so smart, too…"

Steven beckoned the Centipeetle again. It finally crept forward, slowly at first, but eventually crawled up to him. It continued crawling beside him as he moved back to the corner, and did not hiss or fight back when Steven concealed it with his legs once more.

"They just need a lot more respect. They work hard, just like the rest of us."

Ruby and Sapphire nodded and hummed in agreement. "I totally agree." "Well said."

Opal nodded with a sigh. She ran a hand through her white hair as she said, "I just feel really strongly about this." She turned on her toe. "I'm going to go lie down for a bit."

Ruby and Sapphire glanced at one another. Confused, Ruby called out, "Wasn't there something you wanted to tell us?"

Opal stopped in her tracks. "Oh!" She turned back around with a light laugh. "My bad! After all of that thinking, I realized that it's been a while since we've visited the Cove. I'm going to head over to check it out."

Opal turned for the Temple Door again, this time waving at Steven as she did. "Bye, Steven! Have fun with your nothing."

When she had left and the Temple Door vanished, Ruby and Sapphire practically deflated, going limp and letting their breaths go. Steven stepped forward and let the Centipeetle out from behind his legs.

Ruby pushed her headband farther up her forehead. "That was close."

"I don't get it," Steven said with a frown. "Why didn't we just tell Opal what happened?"

Ruby paused and pursed her lips. "Um…" She scratched at the dark hair underneath her headband. "W-We just didn't…You know, we don't want Opal to know we were goofing around in here all careless and uh…we just don't want Opal to be angry with us…"

Steven was having trouble remembering the last time that Opal was angry period, let alone at one of them.

"Why would Opal be mad? She's Opal."

Ruby clasped her hands together. "Well. It's not that we don't want her to be angry us, exactly, it's just that Opal's kind of the leader and she's…um…" She twiddled her fingers together as she searched for the right phrase.

After several seconds of Ruby's silence, Sapphire eventually spoke up for her. "She's better than us."

Steven reeled back in shock with a hand over his heart. "Whaaaaaat? Opal's not better than you guys! You're all equally 'bet'."

"Yeah, but she's more…level and calm and..." Ruby trailed off. She eventually waved her hand at Steven with a sigh. "You'll get it when you're older."

Steven deflated. "I'll add that to the list."

Sapphire spoke up, "The Centipeetle."

"Right." Ruby went straight as a needle, held her arms behind her back, and spoke in a stern voice, "Steven."

Steven immediately lifted a hand to his forehead and replied, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"You can have the Centipeetle out and you can do what you want with it. But we are to keep this a secret from Opal. Don't let it slip, don't make it obvious, and cover up any evidence. Got it?"

Steven once again replied with a cry of, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Good. Everyone follow my lead and we'll get off Scot free, alright?"

Steven opened his mouth to ask a question, but was cut off when Sapphire spoke up first.

"I don't want us to have this issue again."

Ruby raised a brow and asked, "What issue?"

"The issue of you giving out orders and refusing to listen to anyone else."

Ruby chewed on her cheek. In a clipped voice, she replied, "I wasn't."

Steven nodded quickly. "Good—"

"But even if I did—"

Steven sighed.

"—I wouldn't have any reason to listen to you right now, since it's your fault those things are out to begin with."

"You were the one who released the shards from the Bubbles," Sapphire replied. Her voice was as calm as ever, and yet still managed to have a defensive layer to it.

"Which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't Bubbled me." Ruby threw her hands into the air as she added, "Who does that?"

Steven finally spoke up. "Guys!"

Ruby and Sapphire turned to him, still frowning but listening.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is. We have to take care of the Centipeetle."

He turned to the Centipeetle. It clicked at him.

"Centipeetle, I am your friend. We are your friends. And we're going to help you get through this. Give me some kind of indication that you understand."

A bit of acid dripped from the Centipeetle's jaw.

"Great! Training starts now!"

---

OFFICIAL FRIENDSHIP TRAINING START!

---

"Okay…There we go."

Steven stepped back from the Centipeetle. The two of them were standing outside of the Temple on the sand of the beach. The Centipeetle was lightly tied to one of the deck posts with rope—not enough to constrict it, but enough to keep it from wandering off. It clicked and chirped bemusedly at Steven.

Steven cleared his throat before speaking.

"Your first friendship training exercise is being able to recognize enemies and not-enemies. So let's take a look, shall we?"

Sapphire stepped forward.

"This is Sapphire, a Crystal Gem." Steven twirled a finger. Sapphire span around in a small circle as Steven continued, "She's good, she won't hurt you, and her most noticeable feature is that she is shaped like a friend."

Ruby stepped forward then. She had shapeshifted her body into the image of a sort of dragon-lizard thing, with a stubby tail and a long snout full of sharp teeth. She growled and hissed as she stomped forward. "Rawr! Rawr!"

"This is a Corrupted Gem, like yourself. Unlike you, it has not tasted friendship yet. So until it does, it is an enemy."

Steven grabbed the small bag at his feet and reached inside for a salt-and-vinegar Chaaaap. Acidic drool immediately began to flood the Centipeetle's mouth as it gargled hungrily.

"I want you to pick out the enemy. If you do it right, then you'll get a Chaaaap. Okay?"

He just assumed the Centipeetle agreed, so he untied the rope.

The Centipeetle inched forward. It looked up at Sapphire, gargling quietly, then turned to Ruby. Steven waited on the sidelines, chewing his lip anxiously. He crossed his fingers.

The Centipeetle turned to Sapphire.

Sapphire said nothing.

The Centipeetle turned to Ruby.

"Rawr."

The Centipeetle turned between them once again, and its jaws slowly began to close…

It spat out a little puddle of acid at Ruby's feet with a soft "bleh".

The acid smoked and bubbled on the sand, turning it into clay as everyone watched silently. Ruby's form went into bright light. When she returned to her normal form, she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, "Rude."

Steven whooped and set down a Chaaaap in front of the Centipeetle. It gobbled it up instantly and happily.

"Great! Now you won't attack anyone blindly! Now comes phase two."

---

"Now that you know what friends are, it's time to learn how you treat them. So here's the next exercise."

Steven gestured over to Ruby. She was seated on the checkered picnic blanket with her legs crossed and her elbows on her knees. She had a red apple, a chocolate chip cookie, and a small box of what was originally apple juice but now contained Opal Juice placed before her.

"It's lunchtime, and Ruby has a nice, nutritious meal set in front of her. That's good."

Steven gestured to Sapphire. She was on the other side of the blanket, but she had nothing in front of her.

"But Sapphire doesn't have anything to eat. That makes her really sad." Steven held his hand to his mouth and whispered, "Sapphire, be sad."

A single tear ran down Sapphire's face.

Steven pointed down to the cookie, apple, and juice box set down before him and the Centipeetle. "This is your food. Now, what are you going to do?"

The Centipeetle looked between Ruby and Sapphire, then at the food before it. It sniffed at it curiously. A moment later, the food was a rotting lump of bubbling acid.

Steven frowned and shook his head. "Noooo! Sapphire was hungry, so you should have offered her some of your food!"

The Centipeetle looked down at the putrid mess before it. It nudged the glop and clay with its jaws until it rolled over to Sapphire. The Centipeetle looked up at Steven expectantly.

Steven paused. Eventually, he reached into the Chaaaap bag and pulled out a chip, breaking it in half and giving one piece to the Centipeetle. "You get half for effort."

---

The Centipeetle showed remarkable improvement over the course of the training day. Not perfect, of course, but it did well. It never attacked any of them, eventually stopped tensing up every time one of them came near it, and eventually learned that spitting up acid wasn't the solution to everything. Ruby and Sapphire were both impressed by the improvement, too.

Ruby and Sapphire eventually got over their little feud, as well. They stopped throwing blame and insults, almost completely forgot about Opal being a problem, and began talking to each other normally again. They agreed with one another, laughed with one another, teased one another. Steven had seen it time and time again, but he was happy to see it nonetheless.

Eventually, come that afternoon, Steven was stumped for more training ideas. Opal had yet to return, but even if she were to come home at any moment, he felt that she would be happy to see how the Centipeetle turned out. Ruby and Sapphire didn't agree. They still followed the Centipeetle with washcloths and broomsticks to clean up any trace of evidence.

So Steven decided to let the Centipeetle tag along with him to Beach City, just long enough to grab some food and head back. The Centipeetle scuttled at his feet, sniffing at food trash and clicking at unfamiliar faces and the occasional seagull.

When they came to Beach City Boardwalk Fries, Steven tapped his hand on the counter bell. Peedee appeared so instantly that Steven jumped back in shock.

"How may I help you?" he asked through a much-too-peppy grin. "Today's special is the cheddar fries—fries that have been fried to perfection and covered in cheddar cheese for the best basket of fries this side of Delmarva. Fries."

Steven paused, putting a finger to his lips. "Yeah…Yeah, that sounds good!"

Peedee perked up at that, and his smile turned into a genuine one. He reached down for his notepad and pen and replied, "Really?"

Steven nodded. "Yup! But can you replace the fries with bits?"

Slowly, harshly, Peedee carved the word "BITS" into his notepad. Black ink stained the paper and his fingers, and when he stiffly turned away from Steven, he was practically growling through his smile, "Coming right up."

Once Peedee had left, Steven turned around and leaned his back against the counter. The Centipeetle nudged his leg, and he rustled its white hair, earning him a low hiss. He sat down beside it and pulled its head into his lap. It didn't lash out or try to wriggle free, but its many legs did twitch.

As he ran his fingers through its course white hair, Steven said, "You know, Centi, I wish Ruby and Sapphire could get along like this all the time. I mean, they're not always attacking each other, but when they do, it goes on for a long time and eventually, I kind of forget what they were fighting about to begin with. They're doing good today, though. Maybe things can stay like his, huh? I mean, we'd have to hide you away from Opal forever and ever, but I think we could manage! What do you think?"

He looked down at it for its response, only to see that its jaws were shut close and lightly leaking acid as the Centipeetle breathed slowly and softly. Steven had to bite his lip to keep himself from cooing in delight.

"Steven?"

Steven carefully gathered the Centipeetle into his arms and stood back up. It gargled sleepily.

Peedee raised an eyebrow at the sight of the sleeping...Gem-bug-thing, but he said nothing other than "Cheddar bits. That'll be two-fifty, please" as he placed the basket of cheese-gooey fry bits onto the counter.

Steven leaned forward and nodded down to the bills in his hand, still tucked underneath the Centipeetle. Peedee reached over and took them carefully.

When he began to move, Steven spoke up, "You can keep the change. And...uh..." He tried to move one arm, then the other, but each movement caused the Centipeetle to stir and hiss. Eventually, he just stopped and asked, "Could you just put the basket on top?"

Peedee set the basket on top of the Centipeetle's back. In its sleep, it seemed to appreciate the heat, because its head sunk lower into the bend of Steven's elbow with a purr.

Steven turned away and whispered over his shoulder, "Thanks, Peedee!"

Peedee flicked his hand in a wave after him. He stepped away then with a sigh, moving to return to cleaning up the miniature restaurant, but nearly jumped out of his skin when his older brother slammed the door open and ran outside, screaming, "STEVEN! WAIT! LET ME GET A PICTURE OF YOUR WEIRD DOG!"

---

Steven—after having a miniature photoshoot with Ronaldo—returned back to the Temple with the Centipeetle still asleep in his arms. He carefully ascended the stairs, and was just wondering how he was going to open the door when he saw it leaning against the railing. It was torn clean off the hinges, and as Steven continued to climb the steps, he heard muffled yelling. It was definitely Ruby's voice, but he couldn't tell what she was saying.

His brows furrowed. Had Opal already come back, and she really was angry about what had happened?

When he came to the door, he saw what was going on.

Ruby was stomping through the living room, her body as hot as a furnace, her boots leaving charred black prints in the wood of the floor. Her footfalls were so heavy that pictures on the walls were askew and items had toppled off their shelves to the floor. She was rambling at the top of her voice as her arms flipped and swung around her.

She was still yelling, and when Steven came in, he only managed to catch the last (or perhaps the middle?) of, "...I MEAN I GET THAT I FREAK OUT SOMETIMES I MEAN I'M FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET TO...!"

Sapphire, meanwhile, was seated at one of the stools at the island. As she usually was, she had her hands in her laps and her lips in a neutral line, prim and proper and calm as ever. Steven's eyes went lower, and he saw that the stool was frozen into a shape of ice. More frost was spreading across the floorboards and across the top of the island.

The yelling and stomping was causing the Centipeetle to stir and gurgle. Steven held it closer as he called out, "Ruby!"

"I'M REALLY GETTING TIRED OF YOU ACTING LIKE YOU'RE SO ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE EVEN WHEN YOU-!"

"RUBY!"

Ruby spun to him with smoke rising from her lips. "WHAT?!"

Unfortunately for them, the moment that Ruby turned around and yelled so loudly was the exact moment that the Centipeetle's jaws finally opened. At the sudden burst of sound and the sight of a furious Ruby, the Centipeetle jumped up with a shriek. Steven yelped as drops of acid went into the air and cheesy fry bits scattered across the charred floor. Ruby's tirade came to a stop as she jumped back to avoid the jets of hot acid that came bursting from the Centipeetle's mouth. Sapphire quickly hopped off of her stool just as a jet melted it down.

Ruby stepped forward, then immediately stepped back when the Centipeetle warningly spat at her. Steven held his arms up and flinched when the Centipeetle turned to him. Acid dripped and oozed through its jaws as it shook and gargled, but Steven was not hit by any acid.

"It's okay," he cooed to it. "It's okay."

The Centipeetle just barely relaxed. It continued to shake and growl.

Ruby groaned as she turned around the room. The stool was melted into a pile of goo, a sizzling slash had been put into the wall, and the floor was covered in acid-lined potholes. "The floor! The wall! Look at this mess!"

Sapphire gestured her head to the tilted pictures, scattered items, and black footprints. "It already was a mess."

The effect was instant. Ruby turned to Sapphire with her form once again wavering with heat. "WE COULD REALLY DO WITHOUT THE SASS RIGHT NOW!"

"GUYS!"

For the second time that day, Steven just hardly managed to bring their attention to him. The Centipeetle tensed under their gazes.

"What's going on?!" Steven cried. "I thought we were on a team! What happened?!"

Ruby heatedly growled, "What happened is that Sapphire, once again, has decided that she can say and do whatever she wants without any consequences, and still act like she's better than everyone!"

Sapphire coolly replied, "Ruby is overreacting. As usual."

"See?!" Ruby threw her arms into the air. "THAT'S what I mean! You say things that you know are going to upset me, then act like you have no idea what I'm talking about!"

"Maybe," countered Sapphire, "You should look around the room and decide for yourself whether or not your reaction is appropriate."

Before Ruby could make another retort, Steven spoke up, "How many times do we have to go through this?! You guys were saying the exact same thing when we went to the Jungle Temple! Can't you guys just drop it? We need to clean this place up before Opal comes home!"

Ruby's hands curled into fists. "No! This whole mess wouldn't be here if Sapphire hadn't been as immature as ever and Bubbled me! This is her mess, not mine! You can tell Opal that when she gets home!"

She stomped forward, moving past Steven and through the empty doorway. When she came to the railing, she pulled herself over and disappeared from sight. The Centipeetle growled after her.

Steven sighed through his nose as he turned around. "Sapphire?"

To his surprise, she had already left. His head turned left and right, trying to figure out where she had gone, and only stopped when he caught a flicker of movement. Through one of the potholes in the floor, he could see Sapphire walking away through the sand below his Room.

Not a moment later, he heard a familiar 'woosh' and looked up just as the light pulled away from the Warp Pad.

"I'm hooome~!" Opal called out. She had her eyes closed shut and a smile across her face as she stepped down to the floor. "The Cove is okay. There was a giant pufferfish there, but I took care of—"

Her eyes finally opened and stopped on Steven. Then they trailed over to the shaking Centipeetle. Then they trailed over to the missing door. Then the slashed wall. Then the potholes, and the footprints, and the half-frozen, half-melted stool.

When she said nothing, Steven spoke up, bringing her attention back to him. "There's...uh...something I need to tell you..."

Opal's eyes went wide and she spoke in a low whisper. "The others are dead."

"What? No!"

---

"...and then you came back. I don't know what Ruby and Sapphire are doing now."

Opal nodded, frowning. She and Steven were in her Room, seated atop her stacked collection of sofas overlooking a pool of shimmering water. The Centipeetle sat between them, gnawing and disintegrating a collection of rubber dog toys that Opal had forgotten she owned.

Opal brought a finger to her chin. "I know that I'm supposed to be the 'leader'—" Her bottom hands rose up to create quotation marks in the air. "—but I didn't think that they were afraid of me..."

"No, no, no! They're not scared of you!" Steven paused. "They said they you were 'better' than them, like they didn't want to disappoint you…"

Opal said nothing. She pursed her lips and turned away from Steven with her eyebrows knit together. She absentmindedly combed through the Centipeetle's mane with her fingers.

Eventually, Steven spoke up, "It's weird. When they were trying to hide it from you, they were working together just fine. Then I left and they just started clawing at each other again."

Opal's eyes went wide, and Steven could almost see the light-bulb go off over her head. She turned to him with a grin on her face and her eyes shining. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Slowly, a smile lifted up Steven's lips and he nodded. "Yeeeeeeah." He paused. "But you should tell me anyway just to be sure."

---

Ruby's arm moved for the door, only to touch nothing. She paused, and only then seemed to notice it lying against the railing. She pursed her lips and continued inside.

Her eyes scanned the room, just as damaged and tossed about as she had left it. Her lips pursed further, and her eyes fell on the black footprints that she had left. Maybe she should have cleaned those up…At least get some more wood while she was out…

"Steven!" Her voice was met with nothing. In a softer voice, she called, "Opal?"

Neither of them appeared, but another Gem did. Sapphire's white gloves appeared at the edge of one of the gaping holes in the floor, then her head.

Pulling herself up, she asked, "Are Steven or Opal here?"

Ruby shrugged. She still wasn't quite happy with Sapphire at the moment, and although she knew the feeling was mutual, she didn't have the energy to start another argument. "If they are, I don't see them."

She walked back out of the house to the railing of the deck. She cupped her hands around her mouth and cried, "STE-VEN! O-PAL!"

Laid down behind the Warp Pad, Steven inched his head up to peek at them. Ruby was on the deck and Sapphire had her back to him. He silently moved up to the Warp Pad and activated it. The light swallowed him, but he did not go anywhere, staying where he was for just a few seconds until the light disappeared once more. As he wanted and expected, Ruby and Sapphire had both turned to him.

Panicked and terrified, with sweat collected on his brow, Steven cried, "RUBY! SAPPHIRE! HELP!"

Their reactions were instant. Sapphire had zoomed over to him in the blink of an eye, and Ruby skidded against the floor as she dashed over. Both held their hands to him as if expecting him to collapse at any moment.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

"I-I was upset that you guys were fighting, and I went to the Cove to go get Opal," he gasped out. "A-and I went to the Cove t-to get her, but right when I did, a giant Gem monster came out of nowhere! It got Opal and th-the Centipeetle, and Opal held it off so I could run away! We have to go help them!"

"Okay, okay." Sapphire waved her hands at him. "Calm down."

Ruby placed a hand on both of their backs and pushed them forward. "Let's go!"

The three of them pressed together on the Warp Pad and quickly activated it together. As they rose from the surface, their hair and fabric lifting into the air, Ruby's brows furrowed on her forehead as she turned to Steven. "How did you know how to get to the Cove?"

"Does it matter?!"

"Okay, okay!"

They hit the surface again as their environment appeared around them. They stood at a far end of a crescent-shaped beach illuminated in the light of the moon and stars. Dark waves lapped at the pearly white sand and the rim of the Warp Pad. There was no Gem or bug monster to be seen.

Steven cupped his hands around his mouth, and he and Ruby both screamed out, "OPAL?!"

Somewhere beyond the thick trees and bushes, a distant voice, strained and frantic, screamed back, "STEVEN!"

The three of them splashed through the saltwater and stumbled through the sand until they were running into the jungle. They tripped over the roots and their skin was swatted raw with vines and branches. As dark as it was, they could see hardly anything other than their silhouettes. Somewhere in their run, their path was blocked by a large tree fallen on its side. Ruby wrapped her arms around Steven and Sapphire's waists and lifted them up with her. At another point, the dangling vines became too thick to weave through, so Sapphire used her knuckledusters to slash them down and lead them through. Every now and then, they would call out for Opal, and her replies would come closer and closer.

At long last, they broke from the trees and found themselves standing in the middle of a sort of valley. Jugged and uneven walls rose up on either side of them with waterfalls dripping from their cracks and fissures. A pillar of rock and boulders stood between the walls, and below it, the water falling from the walls collected into a pool.

Atop the pillar, Opal pulled at the bars of a small cage built of wood and stone. She appeared battered and exhausted. Her hair was a mess of twigs and leaves and her clothes were smeared in mud and torn in patches. When she saw them, she pulled at the bars again, but as strong as she was, it was clear that she was simply too worn out to do anything.

Sapphire tapped on Ruby's shoulder. "You stand guard. I'll get her down."

Ruby nodded and summoned her gauntlets onto her hands. She stood before Steven and faced the jungle as Sapphire dashed to the pillar. She quickly climbed and propelled herself up to the cage, and with her knuckledusters, she slashed and swiped at the bars.

"Where's the Centipeetle?" she asked Opal.

As Sapphire pulled a bar away, Opal replied, "I don't know! It ran away when the monster attacked!"

From below, Ruby called, "Where IS the monster?"

Opal shrugged. "I don't know! It threw me in here and left!" She pursed her lips, murmuring, "It's smart, I'll give it that. Keep your eyes peeled or it'll sneak up on—!"

She was cut off by the sound of a thundering roar the emitted from all around them. Everyone immediately went rigid, and Ruby held an arm out to Steven. There was another roar, louder, closer than before.

Opal gasped out, "It's back!"

Sapphire went to tearing at the cage with twice as much speed as before. Ruby held her feet apart and her gauntlets upwards in preparation to strike at any moment.

"What do we do?" whispered Steven.

"Just stay behind me," Ruby whispered back.

From the wall closest to them, a cascade of boulders came rolling down in their direction. Steven went to clumsily stumbling and lunging out of their path while Ruby expertly side-stepped them. She pressed her gauntlets together and aimed them to where the stones had rolled down from. Her gauntlets shot off of her arms in a blast of steam like rockets. They crashed into the stone, creating a spray of dust and pebbles, and even more stones came rolling down.

Steven dodged these stones, too, moving closer and closer to the wall with each move he made. He finally stopped to catch his breath…which was quickly cut off when something inside a deep crevice grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in. His scream was drowned into an echo, and whatever had grabbed him sealed the opening with a cascade of rocks.

"STEVEN!" three voices cried at the same time.

Ruby ran to the crevice, tearing away at the rocks. On the other side, Steven placed the last stone into its place and made his way to his next spot. He had to be careful not to trip in the dark, winding tunnels, while also being as quick as he could be and making sure the splashing of his flip-flops wasn't too loud.

At some point, he stopped to peek through a crack. In the jagged stone, he went unnoticed by the Gems. Ruby had stopped pounding at the rock, but was now glaring at the wall with newfound fury. Sapphire was now ravaging the cage with her teeth grit. Opal was playing her role perfectly, whipping her head left and right, frantic and panicked.

He kept moving forward through the tunnels. Outside, Ruby bellowed, "GIVE HIM BACK!"

He came to the next spot, a plateau that was covered by a wall of jagged stone. The Centipeetle was there, standing in front of a large horn just like the one it had used a minute prior. Steven nodded, and the Centipeetle screeched, the horn turning its sound into a bellowing roar.

Steven peeked down to the ground. Ruby had turned to the sound, as he expected, and was aiming her gauntlets once more. Steven grabbed the Centipeetle and the horn and took off running. He heard the gauntlets smash into the stone behind him.

At the next plateau, Steven set the Centipeetle and the horn down and moved to the slingshot that he and Opal had built earlier. This was the part that he had the most concern about, but he knew it would work fine regardless. It held a sharp arrow of a log held back only by rope. Steven aimed it carefully, first pointing it at Sapphire but then lifting it upwards.

The Centipeetle roared again, and Ruby turned to the sound. She could see the arrow but nothing else, and she cried, "SAPPHIRE, LOOK OUT!"

Sapphire flung herself away from the cage, and the arrow soared down just a moment later. It splintered against the far wall instead of hitting Sapphire or Opal. Ruby and Sapphire stood side-by-side, both tense with their weapons ready.

This part also made Steven uneasy, but he again knew that it was for the better. He put the Centipeetle down and simply screamed. He shrieked as loud and as hard as he could, as if he were in pain and terror. He knew that at this exact spot, his voice would carry everywhere, so there would be no way of knowing where he was.

He heard his name being screamed, groans and growls of frustration, then whimpers as his screaming continued. He was happy that he didn't have to look at Ruby or Sapphire, because he knew that with every "HELP" and "NO" he threw into his screaming, it was like twisting their guts with knives.

"STEVEN!" Ruby's cry was only met with more screaming, but she dug her fingers deeper into her hair and continued, "STEVEN, I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY I WAS BEING SO IMMATURE! YOU WOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME!"

"No!" Sapphire pressed her face into her hands. "No, I should have known better! I was being so petty and selfish! I'm sorry!"

The screaming stopped.

Sapphire lifted her head from her hands as Ruby's fingers slowly dropped from her hair. They both turned to Opal, and blanched when they found her sitting cross-legged in her cage with a smile on her face. She flashed brightly, and her body returned to its clean and proper state. She then stood to her feet, easily breaking the top of the cage off and tossing it over her shoulder before placing her hands on her hips.

"Welp," she said, "Now that that's taken care of, we can finally tell you that this was all a way of getting you two to stop—!"

Her voice was cut off by the sound of a warbled growl loud enough to echo throughout the valley. In the jungle, trees crashed to the ground, and vines crackled and snapped. Steven held his breath. This was not part of the plan.

The monster that broke out of the jungle appeared as a giant, hovering pufferfish, green along its scaly back and reddish pink at its underbelly. Its swollen body was covered in needle-sharp spines that jutted out in every direction. Gray lips were pressed together as its diamond-shaped pupils glared down at the Crystal Gems, and it huffed warningly.

From the plateau, Steven felt his jaw drop at the sight. He stood to his toes and called down to Opal, who was just as confused and alarmed as the rest of them.

"Opal! I thought you said you took care of the giant pufferfish!'

As Ruby and Sapphire stared at him, baffled, Opal replied, "I did, I swear!"

Opal paused, turning her eyes back to the Gem monster. Frowning, she added, "But I thought it was smaller, and less pointy, and..."

She trailed off into silence as everyone continued to watch her.

It took a moment for her to slowly and sheepishly call, "You know, now that I think about it…Maybe that was one of its offspring..."

The pufferfish sucked in a deep breath and blew it out in a harsh, powerful gust that swept Ruby and Sapphire off their feet and sent Opal tumbling down the pillar. Steven ducked behind a wall of rock, hearing the wind howl and whistle around them. The Centipeetle was snarling, its hair rising on end.

When the wind stopped, Steven peeked to look at the Pufferfish. It was sucking itself together, it seemed, with its eyes squeezed shut and its body pulling inwards. When it let itself go, every spike on its body shot out, firing into the rock and earth. The Gems dodged out of the paths of the spikes, while one went right to the plateau where Steven and the Centipeetle hid.

The barrier they sat behind was blasted away instantly. Steven gasped at the force, and coughed and sputtered when he sucked in the dust. Opening his eyes again, he flinched when he saw that the Pufferfish was now glaring directly at them, and was bringing in another breath.

Steven grabbed the Centipeetle and slid down the side of the valley just as a gust harsh enough to cut skin came blowing at the plateau. They stumbled down to the earth in a heap.

Something began to growl and snarl with ferocity, and Steven turned to the Centipeetle. It looked like a rabid animal. Its jaws were snapping closed and shut, acid flying everywhere, jumping up and down. The Pufferfish glared at it, and it only became more frantic.

"Centi, calm down!" Steven's words only seemed to spur the Centipeetle more. "It's not a friend, but you need to take it easy!"

He reached out a hand to it, and almost immediately felt his chest burning. He gasped and pulled himself away, landing down on his back. He heard his name called again, and cracked open an eye to look at the Crystal Gems.

Opal was firing at the Pufferfish as fast as she possibly could, but it was zipping around in every direction. Ruby grabbed Sapphire and threw her at the Pufferfish like a football. Sapphire just barely scraped by its fin, and was left to drift back to the ground.

Steven looked down at his chest. A slash of acid had met his shirt. The fabric was rotting away in smoke before his eyes. The skin of his chest was pink and raw to the touch, but it wasn't burned nearly as badly as it could have been.

The Centipeetle was still jumping and snarling and now, with its head whipping left and right, it was spewing acid in every direction. The jets almost hit the Crystal Gems, distracting them and making them stumble, but the Centipeetle refused to calm down.

As Steven watched, he realized that it wasn't aiming for the Pufferfish anymore. Its eye was trained on the Crystal Gems. It jumped back every time Opal fired and arrow and snarled with every swing and punch Ruby and Sapphire made.

"Centi! Centi, stop it! Please!" Steven pulled himself to his feet. "It's okay! We're friends, remember? Calm down?"

He stepped forward again, and had to duck out of the way of another jet of acid. When he landed, he had to move again, as the Centipeetle was now firing everything it had at him.

"Centi, it's me! Steven!"

The Centipeetle paused for just a moment before spewing at him again. Steven tripped back over a stone embedded in the ground, and landed on his back with a grunt.

Turning his eyes to the Crystal Gems, Steven saw that the Pufferfish had moved in on them and was using its breath to drive them up the cliff-side. They fumbled to grab something to anchor themselves with. Opal found a grip on the rock with three hands and used the other to grab Ruby when she went tumbling to her. Ruby just barely managed to snatch her hand in hers, and when Sapphire flew to her, she reached out to grab her.

The Centipeetle was now closing in on him. It was snarling lowly, warningly, and snapped its jaws at him. Steven inched back, but found himself cornered against a boulder.

"I-I know you're scared," he told it. "B-But I swear I'm not going to hurt you! No one's going to hurt you!"

The Centipeetle stopped before him. Its jaws continued to snap, but its snarls dropped lower.

The Pufferfish finished its gust with a final, powerful huff. Opal lost her grip, and the three of them went flying to the top of the cliff. As they sprawled out like rag dolls, the Pufferfish turned back to Steven and the Centipeetle. It drifted towards them as its body already began to sell. More spines had already formed on its body.

Steven only noticed it when it was a mere twenty feet away. He threw an arm out, and the Centipeetle jumped back.

"Centi! Look out!"

The Centipeetle whipped around. The Pufferfish was swelling to its largest, its eyes directed at them.

Steven didn't know what to do. He could run, but the Pufferfish was fast, and would probably catch him with its gust. He pressed himself against the boulder.

The Centipeetle's head whipped between Steven and the Pufferfish. There was a low rumble, and the Centipeetle stared up at the Pufferfish, growling.

Just as the Pufferfish's gray lips opened, the Centipeetle leapt up right through them with a POP.

The Pufferfish's eyes bulged out as it croaked. Its body began to shrink and twist, pulling in and out like a balloon, before it finally burst with a POOM and a cloud of shimmering dust. Putrid green steam also lifted into the air before wafting away.

The Pufferfish's green-and-pink Gem fell to the ground beside the Centipeetle's.

When he finally brought himself together, Steven stood to his feet and ran over to them. He quickly Bubbled the Pufferfish's Gem and sent it away, but held the Centipeetle's Gem in his palms. It was still warm, but its pupil was gone, leaving it lifeless.

"Steven!"

He heard footsteps coming to him, and then felt the others kneel and lean forward behind him. He sighed as he encased the Gem in a pink Bubble and held it to his chest.

"It was freaking out," he told them, "because of everything that was happening. But it saved me."

He felt fingers weave themselves into his curls, then Ruby's voice, "I'm sorry, Steve."

There was a pause, then Sapphire's voice. "It's my—"

"It's no one's fault," he told them.

He pressed down on the Bubble and sent it away to Ruby's Room. He stood to his feet, dusting the dust off of his already-ruined shirt.

"Still," Ruby sighed, "We should've worked it out from the beginning."

Opal nodded, but not scolding. "Yes, you should have." She bent down to them, sitting on her toes with her hands on her knees. "I know you guys think I'm the leader, but together, we're a team. We're supposed to work together, not be against each other."

Ruby and Sapphire nodded.

When they began to move back to the jungle, Sapphire with a hand between Steven's shoulders, Ruby spoke up, "You know, I get that the whole point of that was to get us to get along…" She turned to Opal and threw her arms into the air. "But could you have done it a little tamer?! I'm going to have nightmares forever!"

"I promise," Opal replied, "That everything that happened was taken into account and nothing would go wrong." She paused. "Except for the Pufferfish, that really came out of nowhere."

The two of them began to toss arguments back and forth, hot and upset, but also laughing and light-hearted. Steven laughed when Ruby's arms began to flail, and Sapphire smiled when she added that she was simply surprised that she didn't see it coming.

When they were back to the Warp Pad, Sapphire set a hand on Steven's shoulder.

"Are you going to be okay?"

He nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yeah. I'll try again with the Centipeetle. I may not bring it back to normal, but I'll try. Maybe it'll work someday."

The Crystal Gems nodded, and they were whisked away by the Warp Pad.