Steven missed Amethyst.
In the past, there had been times where Amethyst would go away for days at a times; sometimes with the other gems, other times alone. But she wasn't away from home, she was just in her room, and she hadn't come out since Christmas. Steven knew she was probably trying to avoid her scolding, a punishment Garnet had foregone in the effort to keep the spirit of one of Steven's favorite holidays. Now Steven was missing her more than ever. He had even stayed up late into the night for the past few nights to try and catch her sneaking out to steal a midnight snack, but she never did.
His lack of sleep begun to catch up to him, but he didn't complain when Pearl had offered to make him dinner; she had been doing a lot of 'offering' since Steven's experiment. She placed the mozzarella sticks in front of Steven with a bright smile on her face and a glimmer in her eyes.
"Here you go Steven! Just how you like it!"
"Thanks Pearl." Steven said, "Can you get me some water too, please?"
"Of course Steven!" Pearl hurried to do as Steven asked.
"Thank you!" Steven yawned, and accepted the water Pearl offered to him, "If there's any left over mozzarella sticks, can you bring some to Amethyst? I haven't seen her in a while..."
Pearl's smile faded. "Steven, these are meant for you, not her."
"I know, but... I think she's upset or something cause she hasn't come out of her room in two weeks."
"It's been three weeks, Steven." Pearl corrected, "And she isn't coming out because she doesn't want us to have a very important talk with her, and she's avoiding the inevitable."
"Well I miss her." Steven whimpered. "Have you seen her?"
"No I haven't." Pearl said, "And there no reason I should have. Her room is on the bottom floor, and mine is on the very top!" Pearl seemed proud, "And it's like that for a reason."
"So, are there like, stairs, or?"
"More like... an evevator." Pearl said, "All of our rooms were connected once, because Rose wanted us all to be together. When she left us, things changed. Garnet has access to all of our room, as the leader, but felt it was necessary to... limit the rest of us. We can all go to Garnet's room, Garnet can come to all of ours. I can't go to Spinel's or Amethyst's, but I do have access to your mother's room for... memories sake. Spinel can go to Amethyst's room, and Rose's room too, but Amethyst can only go to Spinel's and Garnet's."
Steven tilted his head. "Why?"
"Garnet doesn't trust Amethyst in Rose's room, and she doesn't trust me and Spinel to have access to each other's rooms, and for good reasons too. There are creatures in there I would rather not associate myself with."
"Why doesn't Garnet just go to Amethyst's room to talk to her?"
"Garnet has it in her mind that we should wait until Amethyst is willing to talk, and not force her into it. Plus, I'm not even sure Garnet would be able to find Amethyst in all that garbage!"
Steven pouted.
"Oh, don't be sad Steven!" Pearl said, "This isn't the first time Amethyst has done this! She'll get over it eventually, and you'll see her before you know it!"
"But I want to see her now!" Steven whimpered.
"Oh, Steven..." Pearl sighed, "I suppose I could ask Garnet to leave a few of the mozzarella sticks in her room with a note... but Amethyst might eat the note too... and I doubt Garnet would let me go anyway."
"Maybe I can go!" Steven suggested.
Pearl scoffed. "Please, Steven! If Garnet won't let me go in there, why would she let you?"
Steven smirked. "Garnet can't say no to me!"
Pearl frowned, and put her hands to her face. "I don't know, Steven..."
"Please?" Steven begged, pressing his hands together and looking up at Pearl.
"Steven..."
"Pleeease?"
"Ugh! Fine! We can at least ask her. But eat first! Your foods getting cold!"
"Thanks Pearl!"
Steven ate as fast as he could manage without being sick. The thought of seeing Amethyst made it hard to think of anything else, and though he knew Pearl's food was always delicious, he barely tasted the mozzarella sticks and sauce through his thoughts. Within ten minutes, he had cleared the plate and emptied his cup. He showed the empty dishes to Pearl.
"All done!" He said through his mouthful.
"Steven!" Pearl gave him a gentle swat on the head, "Swallow first!"
Steven swallowed. "All done!"
"Good." Pearl smiled, and took the plates from Steven. "I'm just going to go wash these, and then we can head down to Garnet's room."
Steven smiled wide. He soon grew impatient waiting for Pearl to finish her washing and scrutinizing the two dishes, taking almost twice as long as it had taken Steven to clear them in the first place.
"Come on, Pearl!" Steven urged.
"You want clean dishes, don't you Steven?" Pearl called over her shoulder, "Be patient."
Steven huffed but waited. Another few minutes, and the dishes were finally up to Pearl's standards. She dried her hands on a nearby towel, then loaded up a plate with a few leftover mozzarella sticks, handing them over to Steven.
"Okay, Steven." She said finally. "Let us go."
Steven was way ahead of her, already waiting at the door as Pearl approached and ignited her gem like a key to the lock. Steven made an attempt to rush in, but Pearl seized him by his arm. He looked to her with an innocent grin, and Pearl rolled her eyes.
"Stay by me, Steven." Pearl cooed, "This is your first time in my room after all."
Steven nodded quickly. Pearl lead him inside, and at first all Steven saw was blackness. Dark, gloomy blackness. Then his eyes began to adjust to the fog of dim white light that steamed off the floor. The sounds of his home turned into the sound of running water, and Steven looked down at his feet to see the solid water beneath them swimming with sea life.
"Woah..."
Pearl pulled on Steven gently, urging him forward. Steven let himself be guided deeper into the smoky white, and as his eyes searched for more items of wonder, the room around him seemed slightly clearer.
There were three pillars of solid water, and he and Pearl were on the middle one; three bridges, also made of water, connected the three in a triangle. On the pillar to the left, an armory of sharpened weapons rested on display. Steven couldn't even begin to identify them beyond the simple sword, spear, and other strange sharpened or blunt instrument. On the right, the same set up except with artifacts. Most of them were surrounded by a protected gleam of white light that, while they didn't block the beauty of the items within, made it clear nothing was getting past them. On the center pillar, the one Steven and Pearl were on, there was a small table with a single chair on it (a perfect setup for the tea pot and cups that rested on it in a neat fashion) and a water bed made of pure water.
"Wow!" Steven said, "Your room looks so cool!"
Pearl blushed. "It's actually one of the more tame rooms if I'm being honest." She dismissed, "You should see Garnet's! Oh, well, I suppose you're going to, haha."
"Only one chair?" Steven observed.
"Well, I don't get very many visitors." Pearl admitted, "And I like my alone time..."
"Oh." Steven could feel the falsity resonating from Pearl, but didn't bring attention to it. He looked around the room. "So can you control water, or?"
"I'm no Lapis." Pearl said, "But I can manipulate light; that's what keeping the water in, and causing the fog." Pearl summoned a small, glowing version of herself in her hand. "Just light."
"Do me!" Steven cheered.
Pearl manipulated the light in her hand to form a dancing Steven.
"Yay!"
"Hold out your hands."
Steven did as Pearl said. The light-version of him leaped from Pearl's hands to Steven's, and began to dance around. It felt light; lighter than light, like nothing was even there. Then his tiny figure faded, and the white pooled out from his hand and back down into the water.
"Now, Steven." Pearl said, "It's time I send you down to Garnet. You can explain everything to her, right?"
"Um. Yeah!" Steven said.
"Good." Pearl closed her eye and hummed as a door of white appeared out of thin air, with the inscription of a gauntlet carved into it. "This will take you straight to Garnet's room and, preferably, straight to Garnet." She gave a nervous laugh.
"Okay!" Steven cheered, "Then she can take me to Amethyst and I can give her these!" Steven held up the tempting plate.
Pearl nodded. "And you tell Amethyst to send you straight back up here to Garnet."
"Yes Pearl!"
Pearl opened the door for him, and Steven stepped into a pure white. To his left, white emptiness, and to his right the same. Above and below too; he wasn't even sure what he was standing on, and if he didn't know any better he'd say it was nothingness.
"Hello Steven."
Steven flinched, looked around and realized the emptiness wasn't quite so empty. He saw a speck in the distance, but could have sworn the voice was right beside him. In his head, almost.
"It's okay, Steven." Garnet's voice returned all around him. "Sound travels differently in here. Come to me."
"Okay" Steven said, still looking around as he ventured toward the speck in the distance, "I wanted to ask if you could send me to Amethyst."
"I know." Garnet's voice said.
"Your room's strange." Steven said, "And kinda cold."
"I like it. I'm alone with my thoughts most of the time."
Steven finally got close to her. "Do you... think better like... that?"
Garnet was balanced perfectly on her head, her legs and arms crossed and her visors somehow still stuck to her face.
"Yes." She said simply. "Those are for Amethyst."
"Yeah!" Steven said, looking down at the plate, "Can you take me to her room?"
Garnet considered it. "No. But I can take you to Spinel's."
"Huh? But... Pearl said you could access any room you wanted."
By some strange force, Garnet was able to throw herself into the air, spinning around as she fell and eventually landing straight back down on her feet. She walked away the moment she touched the nonexistent ground. "I can."
"Then... why do I have to go to Spinel's room first?"
Garnet didn't respond. She waved her hand and a pink door materialized out of the endless white, with the carving of a hammer on it. Garnet opened it for him.
"Spinel is inside."
"Okay... Thanks Garnet!"
Steven stepped from the white of Garnet's room into an open, grassy field.
The room itself was pleasantly warm, especially when compared to the cold chill he still felt from Garnet's and Pearl. A deep, earthy scent surrounded him and so did birdsong that came from the trees. Actual trees, with life filling their branches; a few of them scattered at Steven's abrupt approach, but most of them barely even acknowledged his presence.
"Woah."
Steven gaze shifted above the tree tops to an open sky, a few flying birds the only thing obscuring the sun. Then he down at his feet to see a few of the smaller creatures working on the forest floor; squirrels stuffing their cheeks, mice scampering for cover, tortiouses continuing their slow march to whatever destination they had in their mind.
"Aww, cute!"
"Steven?"
Steven would recognize that voice anywhere. "Spinel!"
The pink gem stepped out from the forest, her hair a mess even more than usual. Sticks and leaves stuck out from her pigtails, and she was covered head to toe in mud and tree sap.
"What are you doing here?"
A chameleon crawled out from behind her head, and perched there on her shoulder.
"Aw, you have a lizard!"
The chameleon drew itself up, parting its mouth slightly to show it's tongue.
"A cranky one, too." Spinel said, "You put that tongue away, mister!"
The chameleon listened, and was rewarded with a stroke from Spinel.
"Good boy!" Spinel took the chameleon in her hand, "Wanna hold him?"
"Um." Steven looked down at the plate in his hands, and then back up at Spinel.
"Oh." Spinel stretched out her free hand to take the plate from Steven, then offered the chameleon. Steven took it gladly.
"Aww he's so cute!" Steven said, "And cold."
Spinel took the lizard back. "It's about time to put him back in his terrarium. Come on."
Spinel returned Steven's plate and lead him down the trail and deeper into the woods.
"I like your room." Steven said, "Are we really outside?"
"No, it's just an illusion. The sky's on a timer."
"Oh, that make's more sense."
"Why are you here anyway?" Spinel asked, pushing aside a fern and leading Steven away from the dirt path.
"I wanted to bring these to Amethyst, so Pearl sent me to Garnet, and Garnet sent me to you. You haven't seen Amethyst have you?"
Spinel hummed. "Not really. She's probably sleeping right now."
"Well I still want to leave these for her." Steven said. "She likes to eat too."
Spinel nodded her agreement. A few more twists and turns later, and they arrived to a grand tree.
The tree stretched up higher than all the ones surrounding it, with vines hanging over a doorway that lead inside of the trunk. Spinel parted the vines, and let Steven inside first.
The room was compact, the cluttering offering such a unique experience from the neat organization of Pearl's room and the vast emptiness of Garnet's. A bed of leaves and feathers that more resembled a nest than anything else. There were a few smaller versions of the bed scattered around, a few of them occupied by various creatures basking under heat lamps. Among the nests, a few artifacts were littered around the walls and the floor with no true order to them that Steven could see.
"This is your room?" Steven asked.
"It's my room in my room!" Spinel said, "Here you go."
Spinel gently placed the chameleon under the heat lamp, and the lizard immediately settled into the warming glow.
"I like your room, Spinel..." Steven said slowly, "But I really came in here to see Amethyst."
"Oh. Right." Spinel stuck out her tongue and reached into her gem, producing a small slip of paper and handing it over to Steven. "You'll need this."
Steven unfolded the small slip, and quickly realized it wasn't so small when its folds seemed to keep coming with no end in sight. By the time it finally did reach the end, more than half of it dragged on the floor.
"It's a map of Amethyst's room." Spinel explained.
"Her room's huge!" Steven glanced over the countless intercrossing tunnels and pathways marked down in green and yellow and red; he immediately associated them with good, dangerous, and bad.
"Well, she's had thousands of years to build it up." Spinel took the map back and summoned a pen to mark a spot on it. "This is where you'll come out; so just follow the tunnels to her main chamber; she spends most of her time there." She pointed out a room slightly larger than the rest.
Steven nodded and took the paper back. Spinel waved her hand, and just as Pearl and Garnet had summoned doors, so too did Spinel; it was a purple door, marked with a whip.
"Good luck!"
Steven took one last, deep breath of the air in Spinel's room before stepping through the doorway into Amethyst's. Immediately, the scent of wood and sap was gone, replaced with decay and rot that surrounded him on all sides and nearly made him lose the lunch he had just eaten. Dirt turned to mush under his feet, and he didn't even want to think about the greenish-yellow mush he was standing in. He turned back around to give one final farewell to Spinel, but found the door gone. In its place, a hedge that climbed so high it was lost in the white mist that covered the ceiling, far past where Steven could see.
The air was putrid, and when he took a step there was a squelching sound as he pried his feet free of the mush and into even more of the same.
"Amethyst lives here?" He spoke to himself. He had to squint his eyes through the dim light to find where Spinel had marked him down on the map, and traced his eyes along the path he was sure would lead to Amethyst. "No wonder Pearl didn't want to come down here."
A few more steps and he came to the first mound of garbage. A tower of unorganized trash looming dangerously overhead in a precarious pile, impossibly balanced and somehow stable. Some loosened elements from the pile were scattered in the puddles all around his feet; milk cartons dating all the way back to the 18th century, shattered and broken toys forgotten among all the artifacts. Cushions and pillows and pictures dulled with time; pointed metal and torn blankets and tarps ripped beyond repair. Everything Steven could ever think of, lining the walls as he entered the first tunnel and surrounded him on all sides.
The scent was sickeningly strong, and even as the minutes wore on it seemed to get worse and not better. He'd come to tunnels where he'd have to get on his hands and knees to crawl through the gray water, working with a great effort to keep the meal and the map safe. Constricting paths that made it nearly impossible to move, and others that opened up into grand, open spaces that seemed to have their own ecosystem growing among all the chaos; he was almost certain he had seen a few animals skittering around the trash, and some plants growing through the cracks.
Ten minutes into the excursion, Steven was already beginning to go consider going back; he was wet and sticky and felt gross. The stench clung to his hair and to his clothes and weighed him down as they sank into him and refused to let go. Looking at the map, he wasn't even sure he could find the way back; he felt lost. Every time he'd think he'd recognize some part of the map, he'd soon realize he was mistaken and he would have to start all the way back at the beginning again. He twisted the paper, trying to get a better angle and a new view of the path, but that didn't help either, and so he just kept going.
The more he walked, the more he got lost; the more lost he got, the faster he walked. The faster he walker, the more frantic he became. The walls seemed to be closing in, and the air constricted all around him in a suffocating fashion until he was practically holding his breath. It was like a blessing when the darkness opened up to a dim lantern light and a large, open room. The ceiling stretched high above him, curving into a dome with expertly organized disorganization. The floor was lined with stained carpet that, while not in the least bit appealing, he much preferred over the wet puddles he had traversed to get there.
Multiple piles of pillows and blankets were scattered around, as well as stuffed animals, toys, clothing of all sizes; mattresses and bed frames too; every type of comfort item Steven could think of. It didn't smell as bad as the rest of the tunnels did either; if he didn't know any better, he'd say it actually carried the faintest scent of sugar maple. In one corner, there was a high, towering mountain of pillows, and in another a small wooden dresser that seemed oddly out of place. A few strategically placed lanterns lit the area perfectly even, so that there were no dark corners, but instead a constant, even light. Steven noticed one dimmed, unlike the others, and that's when he made the discovery of an oddly shaped lump laying under a large purple comforter. Amethyst!
Steven rolled the map up and stuck it under his armpit, shifting his grip on the present and running over to the lump.
"Amethyst! Amethyst, I brought you something!"
The bump stirred at the voice as it echoed all around them. Steven tried to follow the echo in his awe, but the moment his double voice faded away, his true reason for being for being there returned to him.
"Amethyst! Get up!"
Steven pulled the blanket off of Amethyst with a grin, but that grin quickly faded when he realized it wasn't Amethyst.