Disclaimer: Characters, settings, names from the cartoon television show 'Steven Universe' are creations and property of Rebecca sugar and Cartoon network. Any non-steven universe characters, settings, names, Gems, Gem powers, beliefs, mythology are my own creation.
Author's Note: Wanted to take this moment to say thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed My story. It brings in a little sense of happiness to my life. Because I've gotten so many views and visitors for this story, I will try to write out the rough sketches, fill in the pages and typed as fast as possible.
Tags: Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Beach City, Gem Powers, Romance, Adventure, Comfort, Destiny.
Music Inspiration for Chapter: "Can't We Be Sweethearts" By: The Cleftones
Chapter 3: Stuck in Place
Friday
1, May 2016, 2:00 [Afternoon]
Crystal Temple, Beach City
A disassembled tent. Tent stakes, poles, sleeping bags and several camping items had been left on the floor of Steven's Beach home. Sitting on his bed looking at television with Lion by his side, Steven waited for Connie to come out of Garnet's room.
"Connie's inside of Garnet's room right now Lion. What do you think this all means. Does this make Connie like me? Half human, half gem."
Lion flipped his tail back and forth, yawning and walking away. Steven crawled over to his window and sat down crosslegged, he looked out and saw the waves of the sea come in and going back out. The sun, enthroned high in the sky, was brilliant and warm.
"Was this my fault. Maybe it was, I should have never brought Connie with me." Steven told himself beneath his breath.
Garnet's Room
Seated on a chair made of garnet crystal. Connie sat down with her hand resting on her laps. Garnet's room was as the color of her gem, and inside of a Temple with a dome ceiling. Garnet's room was odd since it felt like Connie was in the middle of the ancient Roman pantheon. A world within the world. Focusing back at the matter at hand. The buttons of her sky blue top had been undone and her Smoky Quarts gem was being looked at and examined by Garnet. Connie was mildly embarrassed about this whole situation, but she felt comfortable and in good hands in Garnet. She didn't really all to comfortable being around Amethyst, and being in Pearl's presence would feel like she was talking to her mother.
Garnet stroked her chin with her index finger and thumb and hummed. She looked calm, but Connie knew she was perplexed.
"Is there something you can do about this Garnet."
"Did you feel any pain when this gem fused with you Connie? Did Steven the fusion happen?"
"No. like I said, I was following Steven back to our camp when a glint caught my attention. I don't know what it was. But I felt it calling me, not by name but by...energy. It was like iron dust being pulled to a magnet. I picked it up, held it up to my ear and heard the message."
"Can you repeat the message to me one more time Connie." Garnet asked.
Connie took a moment to remember what the message said before repeating it for Garnet.
"My name commander Smoky Quartz. The enemies came from their Jupiter outpost. We managed to hold them off at Mars. The armies of the mad Goddess Taaffeite have been repelled. Word is there are Rebel Gem armies on earth who have sided with the rebellion. May The Great Red Beryl watch over all of her children...That's what it said. There was only static after that. Do you have any idea what it means Garnet."
"Hmm, Red Beryl was the past Goddess of mine and Pearl's former Home-world. Where we came from, it was divided by class. The Goddess was the leader and the most powerful gem. Commanders were Gems second in power only to the goddess. Soldiers were the military and security forces of our world. And Workers were the labor force.
When The Goddess Taaffeite came into power, she made it a rule to create a class lower than workers. Parasites. She was the reason why the gems on earth rebelled. It appeared this commander was exceptionally powerful to hold off The armies of the goddess on the planet Mars. Although many of the home-world gems still managed to circumvent the defensive line set up by the martian gems, and landed here on earth. Rose...
I'm afraid I can't do anything for you Connie. If the gem is removed in anyway, you're life could be in jeopardy. I have never heard of a gem fusing with a human. I thought the only way humans could obtain gems was through the act of...procreation. Perhaps there is something greater at work here. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to enter my room, no human could remain alive for more than ten seconds before fading away.
Go home Connie, and tell your parents about this. But whether they accept this or not, one day you will have to join me, pearl, amethyst and Steven. Like it or not, this make you a crystal gem."
Outside The Temple Gate
2:30 [Afternoon]
Stepping outside of The Temple gate with Garnet, Connie looked around for Steven who was nowhere to be seen.
"Steven, where are you."
"He's outside of the temple. On the beach playing with turtles. Go Connie."
Connie looked up at Garnet and nodded her head. She ran outside of the beach house and went off to look for Steven.
Playing with the small turtles that he and Connie found up in the Emerald Hills, Steven placed Steve, Connie turtle next to his own. He was still undecided on what to call his turtle, so he just called him turtle. Steven watched Steve and turtle race each other, who was was fastest out of the two and who would reach the sea first.
"C'mon Steve! C'mon Turtle!" Steven cheered the reptiles on. He crawled around them on his hands and feet, laughing and hopping around.
Landing on the ground after descending from the sky, Pearl was back home. She noticed Steven laughing and walking around two little turtles. She walked over to Steven to see if he was alright.
'Steven, hey what you got there." Pearl asked him.
"What? Oh hey pearl! Welcome back home. I'm just watching the race of a lifetime between my turtle and Connie's. I wonder what's taking her so long."
"Oh, where is Connie."
"Oh she's inside with Garn...i mean, she's inside washing her face and getting something to drink. She was just leaving."
"Leaving? But you two were supposed to be camping. I told you me, garnet and amethyst trusted you to stay out late. Lion would be there to protect both of you. And you've gotten really proficient using your Gem."
"I know. It's just that, well I missed being at home is all."
Pearl looked at Steven with slight suspicion. Her attention on Steven was pulled away when she saw Connie running out of the beach house, down the stairs and coming over to Steven. Pearl looked over at Connie and saw that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Except that she was covered in mud and her hair had some twigs and leaves in it.
"Steven!" cried out Connie.
Pearl walked towards the temple and waved at Connie. "Hey Connie, Steven's alright. He's just playing with some turtles."
"Hi Pearl. One of those turtles is mine. Bye pearl."
Connie approached Steven and skidded to a stop. Steven turned around, still seated on his knees, smiling up at Connie.
"Hey Connie, so was Garnet um...able to help you with that Gem on your chest?" Steven said in a whisper.
"She said there was nothing she could do for me. It doesn't really bother me though, I think it's pretty amazing. This makes me a lot like you now. Look, I have to go home now. I need to tell my parents about this, because sooner or later their going to find about this."
"Oh. Connie listen. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. If it wasn't for me and my stupid dumb idea of wanting to go camping, then this never would have happened to you." Steven kicked the sand at his feet and looked down at the sandy beach beneath his feet.
Connie pushed some of her black hair behind her left ear, in took a sharp breath of fresh air and closed the distance between she and Steven. Walking up the steps of The beach house, Pearl took the moment to look back over to Steven and Connie. Her cheeks went a light blue in color as her blush came over her. She was surprised at what she was seeing.
Steven pulled his face away Connie's. His cheeks were pink with blush. his eyes were flooded with tears that escaped from his eyes. His arms were wrapped tightly around Connie's waist. Connie smiled, a hint of blush also coming over her dark cheeks. Steven wiped his tears away from his eyes by brushing his forearm across them.
"I promise you Steven, everything's going to be ok. Sure they might ground me, but they can't keep me down forever." Connie said, reassuring Steven.
"Maybe I could go with you and explain it to them." Steven replied, sniveling a little.
"Nah. Besides, they'll get over it after they realized there's nothing they can do. You might not see me for a while though Steven. But don't worry about me."
"Ok Connie. Here, let me take you to my dad's car wash."
"That's' alright Steven, I know where you're dad works. Look after little Steve for me, ok. Um Steven, i'm gonna need the rest of me back." Connie said with a giggle.
Steven had almost forgotten he was so holding Connie was so close to him. He released his arms from around her waist and smiled sheepishly at her. "Sorry about that Connie."
"That's ok Steven, I kind of liked you hugging me. Alright, see you Steven."
Steven waved goodbye to Connie, and Connie waved goodbye to him. He felt happy, but underneath the sunshine of happiness. The roots of concern and sadness grew inch by inch. Steven turned around and saw that Steve and Turtle were almost washed away by the sea waves. He shielded them inside of small pink bubbles of their own and brought them back over to him.
"Connie told me to look after you Steve. And Turtle, I can't have you going off swimming and being eaten by sharks. It's a cold, mean and...wet world in the ocean for the both of you. Out there in...the ocean."
Steven placed Steve and Turtle back into the plastic water filled traveling case. He took a seat back down on the sandy beach and looked out at the sea.
"Lapis..." Steven said with a slight pained tone.
His mind took him back to the moment when Lapis sacrificed herself to keep Jasper and herself imprisoned down in the ocean. It's been two long years, but her last words. The pained look she had on her face when she knew she would never be looking up towards the sky ever again. Steven felt a pain on his chest, there was a knot in his throat. He wanted to cry, but if he gave himself over to his emotions, well it probably wouldn't turn out so well.
Mount McKinley, Denali National Preserve
10:30 [Morning, Alaska Daylight time]
"It might have taken me two earth years to construct, but I have finally assembled a crude but functioning Gem Destabilizer. With this I can release Jasper from that fusion she's stuck in. let me just check my data banks and Gem Locator map."
Peridot's hideout for the last two years have been spent inside of the largest mountain in The state of Alaska. Mount McKinley. Peridot was wearing only white shorts and a white bra. Most of her armored clothes were resting off to the side. Her hair had lost much of it's tetrahedron shape, long strands of her yellowish green framed the sides of her face. Her light green visor was off much of her days.
"Ah yes she's still in the same location as when I last checked. But why did she have to be close to the enemy. Those stupid crystal gems and that halfling called Steven. Their all going to pay, for messing with my machines. For destroying the star ship and for marooning me on this backwater planet of rock and water."
Peridot deactivated her Finger-screen and brought her floating fingers back into place. Peridot walked over to her makeshift bed of rock and animal skin. She sat down and looked at the crude gem destabilizer in her hand. Her mind took her to many places. one of them was back to her Home-world when she along with other Scientists and Technicians were being briefed by their Commander about what Yellow diamond, Their current Goddess had told them.
"Her majesty Yellow Diamond has given us the green light to return to current and old colonies to activate the kindergardens. She wants to reinstate the program our past Goddess, her Excellency Taffeite started 5000 years ago. You will be given captains, laborers and star ships. Do not fail your Goddess."
from a memory from the past, Peridot's mind went to Steven.
"That Steven is an Interesting little Halfling. So interesting, I might just take him. just to see how his existence is possible. Half human, half gem. Hmmm."
- Continued in Chapter 4