19: Moon Landing

X X X X

We had been working on the drill for a couple weeks, and one evening, we decided that it was time for a break. I was sitting near Steven, looking at the sunset, when Peridot approached.

"Steven," she said bluntly.

"Hi!" Steven greeted, looking up from his ukulele and smiling at her.

"Why did we stop working on the drill?!" Peridot asked, confused and worried. "Why are they just sitting there looking at nothing?!"

"We worked hard and we deserve to take it easy for a little bit. I mean, just look at that view," Steven explained, gesturing to the sunset. "It's beautiful."

"It's going to be blown to oblivion by the Cluster if we don't get back to work!" Peridot snapped, waving her arms around frantically.

"Working hard is important, but feeling good is important too," Steven said.

"What are you talking about?!" Peridot asked, not understanding what he meant. In her flailing, Peridot accidentally turned on the power drill in her hand and it made a buzzing sound.

"Hey!" Steven said, imitating the drill. "What is that, a C?" He played the note on his ukulele.

"The drill?" Peridot asked, making the drill buzz again.

"Yeah!" Steven said, and Peridot made the drill buzz in a higher pitch. "Oh my gosh, now it's music!"

"Music?" Peridot asked.

"Yeah! It's music! Like this; do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do." Steven explained, strumming his ukulele.

"Do-mi-so-do..." Peridot said, contemplative.

"Isn't it pretty?" Steven asked in a sing-song voice.

"That's exceedingly simple," Peridot said, and Steven strummed his ukulele again. "Do-mi-so-ti..."

"We're making music," Steven said, still sing-song.

"What is the point?" Peridot asked, "You're not making anything."

"Well, if it isn't anything, then why does it sound so good?" Steven asked.

"I suppose it's just interest... Do-mi-so-do." Peridot said, mostly talking to herself. "Devoid of substance or purpose, a hypothetical pattern... Do-mi-so-ti. For the satisfaction of bringing it to completion."

"Sure," Steven said.

"Do-mi-so-ti. Interest without meaning? Solutions without problems?" Peridot asked nobody in particular.

"And then you just add words," Steven said, gripping his ukulele in playing position. "Here's what I have been working on."

x x

(Steven, Peridot, Steven/Peridot, Amethyst, Pearl, Garnet)

Life and death and love and birth,

And peace and war on the planet Earth.

Is there anything that's worth more

Than peace and love on the planet Earth

Oh - Whooah, come on and sing it with me...

Sing?

The words relate to the key...

Key?

If it's a pattern,

If it's a pattern,

Then just repeat after me...

Life and death and love and birth-

Life and death and love and birth-

Now you sing mi-fa-mi-mi-fa-mi-ti-la!

And peace and war on the planet Earth!

Yes, yes! That's it!

That's so easy.

Yeah, but that's what's fun about it.

You should write something, you should write a song!

About what?

Whatever you're thinking!

I guess we're already here,

I guess we already know.

We've all got something to fear,

We've all got nowhere to go.

I think you're all INSANE!

But I guess I am too...

Anybody would be

If they were stuck on Earth with you.

Hahaha, yes!

Live and death and love and birth and-

Life and death and love and birth and-

Life and death and love and birth and

Peace and war on the planet Earth.

Is there anything that's worth more?

Is there anything that's worth more?

Is there anything that's worth more

Than peace and love on the planet Earth...

x x

"Nice work," Garnet said as we appraised the finished drill. She patted Peridot on the back, but Peridot jumped in fear. The Crystal Gems laughed, and Steven hugged her.

"We really did it, huh?" Peridot commented, surprising everyone.

"We?" Steven gasped.

"Oh wait," Peridot said, straightening up in sudden realization. "I need to check something!" She ran to the drill.

"She's come so far," Steven said proudly. "It feels like yesterday she was trying to kill us."

"No no, that was several weeks ago," Pearl corrected, and I let out a chuckle, walking away and lying on the grass to look at the stars.

x x x

Ten minutes later, we were on the moon. Well, we were in a Diamond Base on the moon, but we were on the moon nonetheless.

"Woah," Steven laughed as he floated around in the Gem Base, "look at me! I'm a" he paused and jumped really high "moon boy!"

"Haha, alright moon boy!" Amethyst said, jumping in the air in an attempt to float around with Steven, but instead she fell on her face.

"Moon boy quadruple back flip!" Steven declared, still floating.

"Hey! Why can't I be a moon boy?" Amethyst asked, dejected.

"We're Gems," Peridot explained, "we're a space-faring race designed to conquer other worlds. Our physical forms adjust automatically to the gravity of any planetoid."

"Ahhh, lame," Amethyst said.

Steven bounced around some more, then crashed into a mural on one of the walls. Peridot immediately rushed over to the mural of Yellow Diamond and started fangirling over the "Great Diamond Authority".

x x x

Fifteen minutes of stair-climbing later, we were in the control room. Peridot had pulled up a map of Earth, with red dots showing various Gem sites. I recognized quite a few of the locations, both from school and TV shows.

"Oh, there's the Tunguska Sea, up in Russia," I said, pointing to the large body of water in North Asia, "and Ft. Mulder, in Deseret! Ronaldo told me a few weeks ago that the government studies aliens there. I didn't believe him, even when he showed me
a picture of one of the 'aliens'. It was clearly the skull of a fox."

"Hush, Emerald," Garnet said, silencing me with a wave of her hand.

I thought it was interesting... Amethyst thought, giving me a quick glance before turning back to the screen.

X

(AN: Again, multiple things to address.

1. Emma didn't sing because I couldn't find a place to fit her in the song.

2. Yes, Emma went to school. She lived a normal human life up until she met the Gems.

3. In going with the alternate history theme of the SU-verse, I modified some place names.

-Tunguska Sea: around where the Tunguska Event occurred IRL

-Deseret: Utah and surrounding land, named after the original Mormon name for the area

4. I referenced The X-Files for some bits at the end

-Ft. Mulder = Area 51, named for Agent Mulder

-the "alien" being the skull of a fox: skull for Agent Scully, a fox for Mulder, whose first name is Fox

My mom is a fan of The X-Files, so I felt like referencing it.)