So I'm afraid this chapter, once again, will be somewhat short and low on action. BUT I have a good reason for cutting it off where I did. There something I really want to do for the next chapter which necessitated which required this chapter ending where it does.

For now, let's just say you're all going to want to read my notes at the end of this chapter…

Chapter 38: Something is amiss…

S&DS&DS&DS&D

"Hey Lars, can you take out the trash?" Sadie asked, unboxing several packs of donuts and sliding them into the lower rack of the display case.

"Seriously?" Lars groaned. "Saaaadie, my back is hurts! I shouldn't be walking around so much."

"Uh huh," Sadie replied, unimpressed. "That didn't stop you from running around waiting on Buck hand and foot earlier."

"T-that was different!" Lars huffed, "my social life was on the line."

"No it wasn't." Sadie rolled her eyes, a slight smile on her lips. "Look, either you can take out the trash, or you can load up the upper displays." She pointed up at the dozen empty racks over her head. "That way I won't have to get the stepladder."

Lars looked at her like she'd asked him which arm he wanted chopped off. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh fine!" Lars rolled his eyes. "Just don't say I never did nuthin' for ya."

"Now why would I ever say anything like that?" Sadie grinned as her lanky friend pulled himself over to the garbage can and halfheartedly tugged on the black plastic bag inside. "If it makes you feel better, Amethyst promised not to cut our dumpster in half again."

"Oh sure, like I'd trust anything those creepy ladies say." Lars grumbled, finally tugging the bag out of the can and nearly spilling the contents over the floor.

"Oh come on, they're nice people, Lars. Amethyst alone is making us the most profitable Big Donut on the coast."

"Sadie, she's purple."

"And you've got giant holes in your ears." Sadie answered breezily. "Isn't it fun how everybody's different?"

"Hey! I chose to do these!" Lars complained, pointing at his ears. "It's fashion!"

"Whatever you say, Lars." Sadie filled the last of the lower racks with donuts as her friend grumbled his way out the door. Sadie looked up at the racks overhead. If she really tried, getting up on her tiptoes and everything, she could probably fill them without the stepladder... "Nah," she shook her head. Better to take the extra minute and fetch it, rather than risk the extra time it would take if she did drop a tray.

"Alas, the trials and tribulations of the vertically challenged." She sighed, "least I have muscles."

She'd just managed to load the last tray when she heard the sound of the front door being flung open.

"I hate this lousy place!" Lars hollered, stomping loudly on the tiled floor.

"What, why?" Sadie asked, stashing the stepladder. "What happened? Was there a raccoon in the dumpster again?"

"I wish." Lars scoffed, throwing himself onto one of the chairs and glaring at the floor. "As if anything that normal ever happens around here."

"Oh-kay?" Sadie raised an eyebrow. "So what actually happened?"

"There was some kinda Jedi wannabe messing with our garbage."

"…Jedi wannabe?"

Lars rolled his eyes. "Some weirdo in a big cloak was huddled up by our dumpster. I told em to buzz off, then they stood up and the creep was, like, ten feet tall! I nearly wet my—I mean, I wasn't scared!" Lars hastily corrected.

"Of course not." Sadie nodded, "then what happened?"

"I, uh, told the weirdo to clear out," Lars answered. "They didn't want to mess with me, so they ran off pretty quick."

"And… that's it?" Sadie frowned. "They didn't do anything else?"

"I mean, no." Lars said, looking away awkwardly. "But you're missing the point, Sadie, a guy shouldn't have to be on the lookout for giant cloaked freaks every time they go outside! I swear, first chance I get, I'm ditching this town, go somewhere normal." He trailed off, grumbling under his breath.

Sadie opened her mouth to respond, but then there was a tinkling of bells as the front door opened. "Welcome to the big donut." She said automatically, turning. "Oh. Good morning, Onion."

"And then there's this brat…" Lars muttered, getting to his feet and shuffling into the back room.

Sadie frowned after him, but dismissed it. He'd feel better after a few minutes of griping, he always did. She turned back to her visitor. "Sorry about him, what can I get for you?"

The boy stared at her unblinkingly.

"Oh right, it's Tuesday." Sadie picked up the serving tongs and pulled out a fresh glazed donut. She turned back, not bothering with a bag. Onion had moved closer, she couldn't really see him over the counter, she could just see his hand rising up over the edge and neatly laying out quarters and nickels on the countertop. Once it was done, the hand went still, its fingers splayed.

Sadie placed the donut into the waiting hand, which was still for a moment, then about-faced and moved away. The rest of the boy came into sight as he moved towards the door, his arm still ramrod straight in the air.

"See you tomorrow," Sadie waved. The boy stopped at the door and turned back to look at her. He clenched his raised hand into a fist, crushing the donut into a ball of dough. He waved the ball at her once, then turned back and ran out the door, circling around towards the back of the building and vanishing from sight.

Sadie stared after him, playing back what had just happened in her mind.

"You know, maybe Lars does have a point." Sadie conceded, scooping up the coins without bothering to count them—it would be the exact right amount, it always was. "This place is pretty weird."

She shrugged, putting it out of her mind, she had work to do.

The floors weren't going to sweep themselves, after all.

"The government is a sham."

"Uh huh," Jenny nodded absentmindedly, most of her focus riveted to her phone. "You sing it, Buck."

"We should just get rid of it and start over. A fresh beginning."

"I dunno man," said Sour Cream interjected. "theThe problems you keep talking about come from the government's attempts to rein in the chaotic urges of humanity, which pull everybody in different directions. Getting rid of the government would just allow those desires to run even wilder. Anarchy sounds great on paper and all, but in practice it'd probably be a big mess."

"Yeah, you tell him—" Jenny paused, her friend's words trickling past her boredom inducedboredom-induced haze and registering. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, you telling me you like the government?" Buck's tone was as level as ever, but he was frowning pretty hard.

"I wouldn't go that far, dude. I'm just saying maybe we shouldn't tear down the establishment unless we have something substantial to replace it." he shrugged. "Better the devil you know, right?"

Jenny stared at him blankly. "Where's all this coming from?"

"Hey I can't think about raving all the time."

"I…guess not…"

The teens were sitting at a bench outside Fish-Stew Pizza. They usually came here around noon to get food and listen to Buck's quiet rants. It was a nice day out, even if the conservation was taking a weird turn.

"Your words. They are… unenlightened."

"Hey, don't be like that. I'm not trying to start nothing, I'm just saying…"

Jenny rolled her eyes as the back-and-forth rolled on,on; she could tell neither of them were really committed to it, so she tuned them out. She turned a lazy eye toward their surroundings, drinking in the familiar sight of beach and boardwalk. It was soooo boring around here during the day. When the sun went down, at least they could sneak away for parties.

Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention and blinked. "Hey guys, cool it with the politics for a sec and check this out."

"Check what out?" Sour Cream asked, breaking off his rant about international regulation.

"Tall, dark, and mysterious over there." Jenny pointed.

"Wow, I'm digging the cloak," said Sour Cream. "It's medieval."

"Transcendent," Buck agreed.

Jenny couldn't really make out any of their features under the hood, maybe the person just didn't like sunlight? But if the cloaked person noticed their attention, they gave no indication. Walking quickly and with purpose down the boardwalk, they paused only long enough to drop something in a trashcan before turning down an alleyway and marching out of sight.

"Well that was kinda weird." Sour Cream commented.

"You're telling me," Jenny nodded. "Wearing something like that in this heat? Must be cra-zy."

"Or perhaps they feel the need to hide away from the ever-present surveillance of Big Brother."

Sour Cream rolled his eyes. "You know, Buck, it's amazing how good the government is at spying on us, considering their track record at everything else."

"Hey, SC," Jenny interrupted, not willing to listen to them go off again. "Isn't that your little brother?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah." Sour Cream nodded. They watched as the small boy walked to the middle of the road, spun around once. Then, catching sight of them, came closer.

"Hey, lil' bro, what's up?"

Onion didn't reply, instead handing the teen a ball of crushed sticky dough.

"Oh Yuck! What is that?" Jenny demanded.

"I think it's a donut." Sour cream sniffed it. "Yep. Thanks bro." Onion stepped back, nodded to his brother, then to Buck, then trotted off, slipping away into an alley.

"No offense, but your brother's kind of weird." Jenny commented, turning to her friend. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" she exclaimed. "You're not actually going to eat that, are you?"

Sour Cream paused, his mouth open to take a bite of the dough ball. "Uh… yeah?"

"That's gross!"

"No, it's a donut, or it was, anyway. Donuts are good."

"Your brother could have found it in the trash for all you know!"

"Nah, food is the one thing he doesn't take out of the trash."

"Then why's it all mushed up."

"He does that to all his food. Donuts, mashed potatoes, ice cream." Sour Cream shrugged. "Dunno why. But it's not like it affects the flavor." He took a bite out of the ball. Jenny pulled a face. Her family might put fish on pizza, but at least they didn't put their hands all over it. She opened her mouth to say so.

"I think it's magnificent," Buck cut her off. "Not allowing oneself to be sold to set shapes of their confectionary consumables." He nodded once more, "Your brother's pretty tight."

Jenny gave up. Her friends were just too weird. She turned away, staring out at the ocean as another boring day wore on around her.

Mr. Smiley rubbed a handkerchief against his brow, trying to keep the sweat at bay.

He was dead tired, currently in his third consecutive shift at Funland, and at least eighty-seven percent sure he was starting to hallucinate. It was difficult to be sure of that last thing though, considering that he lived in a place regularly plagued by giant monsters, magic ladies, giant hands in the sky, or some unholy combination of the three.

He'd just managed to shoo off Ronaldo for the fourth time. No matter how many times he told that Fry boy that, no his roller coasters were not sentient, he kept coming back. At least, he was pretty sure it had been four. That last time may have been a seagull carrying a box of curly fries.

So when he saw a big, blurry shadow skulking between his rides, he wasn't sure what to do. Maybe it was a cloud casting a weird shadow… nah, if there was shade around, he'd already be standing in it.

It was probably one of them teenage trouble-makers, wearing all that weird dark clothing, studded belts, and pretending to be a vampire or whatever it was kids were in to these days. He should probably do something about it, chase the kid off or tell them to get on some rides, but his chair was just so comfortable and his eyes were so heavy. Maybe if he just shut them for a little while.

"Nope." Mr. Smiley shook his head. "Smiley don't sleep on the job!" Besides, it was just three more hours before his shift ended, he could go home, and conk out for a week. Until then, he would be strong. He glanced around, that shadow was nowhere to be seen. There, see? The problem had solved himselfitself. He was right to ignore it.

Then his eyes landed on something he couldn't ignore, something even his exhausted brain wouldn't dare try to trick him with, and he shot to his feet.

"Oh no! No you do not!" he yelled, running forward and snatching the tiny figure off the ground.

"Moe!"

"Don't you 'moe' me, mister." He shoved his finger in the boy's face. "You are banned from my establishments, and you know it! I will not have another lawsuit because of you, do you hear me." He ignored the boys protesting squeaks as he carried the boy out of the amusement park. He didn't feel any guilt from the child's struggling, not after the fire incident and besides, Vidalia—bless her understanding heart—had given him permission to manhandle the boy provided he didn't actually hurt him. An offer that Mr. Smiley was all too happy to accommodate—he didn't need no more lawsuits.

Gently, yet firmly, he placed the boy on the ground just outside the Funland property. "Alright, scram."

The boy shot him a dark look, Mr. Smiley crossed his arms. He would not be bullied by a three-foot-tall child—no matter how terrifying the child in question might be. The kid squeaked again then darted off.

Mr. Smiley smiled, satisfied, and returned to his post.

Funland was safe for another day.

"So Steven's back safe and sound?" Vidalia asked, pouring out a drink for herself, and handing a cup of sludge she'd found under the sink to her guest.

"Yep." Amethyst answered, taking the cup and drowning it in one gulp. "Dude wandered back while I was gone, he was sleeping when I got back, but I think he hashed out that drama with the others first; some of it, anyway."

"That's good. Everything's back to normal then?"

"I guess?" Amethyst shrugged, "Say, you mind if I…" she held up the empty cup."

"Knock yourself out."

"Thanks, babe." The purple gem took a bite out of the cup, crunching the porcelain between her teeth. "Anyway, Garnet and Pearl are still actin' all serious, so I bailed. I figure if its anything super important, they'll let me know."

"Sounds good."

The door opened and there was the patter of tiny footsteps. Vidalia looked up and grinned, "There's my little trouble-maker! You have a fun time out on the town, sweetie?"

Amethyst watched lazily as the tiny boy trotted over to them, and raised an eyebrow when he stopped in front of her.

"Sup little dude?"

The boy held out his fist.

Amethyst stared at it, then shrugged and gave him a fist bump.

Onion narrowed his eyes and shook the fist at her.

"I think he wants to give you something, Ames," Vidalia chimed in helpfully.

"Oh, gotcha," Amethyst nodded, holding out her hand. Onion unclenched his fist and dropped something into it.

"What is it?" Vidalia asked, peering over Amethyst's shoulder. "My little trooper is always bringing back the strangest things."

"It's…" Amethyst stared at it uncertainly. "It's a gem." A finely-cut, purple gemstone stared back.

"Oh dear," Vidalia frowned, "that looks pretty pricey. I hope you didn't steal that, Onion." She said, glancing accusingly at the silent boy. "I know I told you snatching the odd bag of chips or something is fine. Stores get them by the dozen for a dollar and taking one or two doesn't hurt anyone, but it's wrong to take something actually valuable."

"We got bigger issues here, Val." Amethyst said, an ominous feeling rising in her gut. "This is a Gem."

"I, uh, can see that."

"No," Amethyst rolled her eyes. "I mean it's a Gem. You know, like me."

"Oh. I getcha," Vidalia nodded. "You sure?"

Amethyst nodded. If you knew what to look for, there were quite a few differences between earth's natural, lifeless stones and ones like her. The living kind tended to bigger, the colors more vibrant. She'd gotten pretty good at telling the difference over the years, and this gem, its purple glint just a few shades lighter than her own, was definitely alive.

But more importantly, it had a band of silvery metal wrapped around the middle. It looked eerily familiar, she'd was pretty sure she'd seen a gem with a band on it like that recently, but for the life of her couldn't remember where. She looked back to Onion, "Where did ya get this, squirt?"

Onion went through a series of hand gestures and squeaks that meant absolutely nothing to the purple gem, but Vidalia nodded along. "He says he found it stashed under a dumpster somewhere." The grown woman said slowly, "Also, something about following a cloak? I dunno," she shrugged.

Amethyst grunted, staring hard at the gem and racking her brain for why it gave her a bad case of déjà vu. It was a pretty creepy ring, just looking at it made her feel oddly trapped.

Trapped…

Amethyst's eyes widened. Trapped gems! That underground place where they'd found Moonie last week. She whipped her eyes back to Onion. "You said you found this in the town?"

The boy nodded.

Amethyst swore.

"Amethyst!" Vidalia exclaimed, "What's wrong."

"No time, Val!" Amethyst yelled, leaping off the couch and running for the door. "I gotta tell Garnet!"

Jasper climbed up the hill overlooking the town, and ducked into the shadow of the tower-like building. She pulled down the hood of her cloak and shook out her hair, enjoying the feeling of wind running through it again.

It galled her, having to hide from these meat bags—like she was weaker than them… But it was necessary. She couldn't defeat Rose Quartz and the remains of her rebels by attacking them head on. She had to stick to the plan.

She glanced to the edge of the cliff. Where, just beneath her, she knew Rose's base awaited. It was somewhat risky to get this close, she didn't want the fusion finding her yet. But she hadn't been attacked yet, so she assumed she was in the clear. It's not like she needed to be here long, after all, just until it was time for phase two.

Speaking of, it was time to draw phase one to a close. She turned back towards the sleepy town of overly loud meat bags. She still couldn't believe that Rose had turned her back on everything, on her Diamond, just for these annoying wads of flesh.

Well… whatever. She didn't need to understand it to take advantage of it. Reaching into her hair, she pulled out a tiny device. A small tube with several buttons on it. Holding out the tube towards the town. She took a pause, just to relish the moment when Rose's final defeat truly began.

And pushed the red button.

She more imagined than heard it; the little beeps now echoing across the town from all the little hidey holes she'd visited. She imagined humans finding what she'd stashed away, picking up the gemstones with their little silver bands on them. She imagined the confusion on their faces as the bands fell off and the gems began to glow.

Alas, she couldn't see or hear any of it, simply too far away.

What she could see, was the quickly-growing figures popping up between the buildings.

And then she heard the screams.

S&DS&DS&DS&D

Uh oh. Uh oh! UH OH!

YOUR ATTENTION READERS:

The time has come once more, where corrupted gem monsters run rampant en mass (that's…that's what Jasper's doing. Just in case you were confused by those last lines).

AS SUCH, I would like to ask you all for suggestions for corrupted gems, much like I did twenty or so chapters ago. HERE'S YOUR CHANCE! To see your own OC come to literary life as it attempts to murder the sweet citizens of Beach City. HOW BADLY do you want the side humans of Steven Universe dead? Now's the time to let your voice be heard!

But seriously, I'd love any and all suggestions for corrupted gems. I believe I managed to incorporate every idea people gave me last time in one way or another. I can only promise to try…that said, if you also leave some feedback along with your monster suggestion, I'll definitely give it priority over those who just say: "do a T-rex with missiles for hands" or something.

YAY, READER/WRITER INTERACIVITY!