Lion 1: The Prologue
Within the vast sea of sand and scorching hot dunes we find the Crystal Gems as they approach a distant part of the Sahara, where they find large sand pillars that keep rising and falling, aimless and random, with no set pattern.
Though the Crystal Gems seemed fine as is, it was Steven who was somewhat struggling as they had been walking for quite a while now. He was geared up in some... interesting gear.
His usual jeans and t-shirt, some boots of his and... interestingly enough, a poncho and a sombrero. The two were meant to be part of a "Mariachi" costume, but he found that the wide brimmed hat offered protection from the sun, and the light poncho helped with the desert wind. Though now, he was getting rather tired as he began to pull out a water bottle.
As the other Gems stopped walking, he took this moment to sit down and enjoy his semi temperate bottled water, asking: "Is this the place then?"
"Yes, Steven." Garnet replies, looking at the strange landscape before them, which lead towards a distant, blocky looking pyramid. "The power in this structure has turned aimless."
"It's building columns with no roofs." Pearl adds. "Stairs that go nowhere. This is out of control!"
"Then I guess we better-" Amethyst interjects, before rolling down one of the dunes, laughing. "Roll on over there."
"That was a bit unnecessary." Muttered Pearl in slight annoyance.
"Na nana na nun-nana nana." Amethyst muttered sarcastically, mimicking Pearl with a nasal tone.
"Excuse me?" Pearl said with an impatient tone, before being cut off as they heard a strange roar piece the air.
Steven seemed scared for a moment, before going silent, realizing it was time for his fated meeting.
After a moment of silence from the other Gems, Amethyst finally shouts: "Let's go!"
"It'll be best if you stay here, Steven." Garnet advises Steven.
"We'll be quick." Pearl finally adds before they make their way towards the pyramid, leaving Steven on his own.
"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine." Steven comments, before noticing Garnet looking at him.
"Do not lower your guard, Cowboy." Garnet says jokingly, giving his Sombrero a small pat. "That there is nothing out here that can harm you, does not mean you can always be so confident. See you soon."
And off she went with the others as he was left alone. He knew what awaited him, it kinda got him excited. The only real mood dampener was the heat, causing him to constantly sweat.
And as he quietly went through his backpack, to pull out some cheese puffs he packed, he heard another growl nearby, getting him to smile a little.
And just as it seemed as though he was alone again, he spotted him. A great, pink Lion, standing before him, staring down at the boy.
...though they were strangers once more... Steven gently opened up the cheese puffs, shaking the bag a little bit, before offering them to his old friend...
...and Lion? He didn't hesitate to walk over, sniff at the cheesy snacks, and just push his snout into the plastic bag for a quick treat.
"I missed you too, Lion." And as he let go of the bag, he went over to gently hug the feline, who did not mind the child's affection.
the Lion laid down on the ground, having finished the cheesy snack as it licked its dust coated lips, with Steven gently scratching and petting the over sized cat with affection. He missed having a pet Lion.
"You know, the last couple of months have been real lonely without you." He began to talk to the Lion, to spend some time together. "I forgot how nice it was to have you around. You usually mind your own business, but... you were always there when I needed you, sorta."
The Feline was silent, only looking at him with a sort of mild curiosity, before gently pawing at Steven, who reciprocated the gesture. "You're just a big cat aren't you. Never change, Lion."
And after a moment longer spent together, the pyramid in the distance Exploded with such force, that a local sandstorm appeared for a few seconds, coating the two in sand before they shook it off.
"Amethyst, bubble it away!" Pearl reprimands as the trio approach Steven.
"No, quit being jealous, Pearl." Amethyst replies. "My kill, my keep."
"I'm not jealous." Pearl replied, annoyed as Amethyst played with the pillow. "Just be careful! If you drop it on the sand, it'll rebuild everything!"
Seeing the others approach, and Lion staring at the Desert Glass embedded in a pillow, he leans against the lion in comfort, to show he's docile.
"Steven! What is that!?" Pearl Shouts in alarm as the trio pull out their weapons in sync. "What are you doing?!"
"It's okay guys, this one's already tamed." He says in a casual tone, much to Pearl's disbelief.
"That's impossible." Pearl exclaims, to which Steven shakes his head.
"Nuh-uh, he's the nicest Lion I've ever met, isn't that right?" He says before hugging the giant cat, who doesn't seem to react, instead staring ominously at the pillow.
"That's so sweet~!" Amethyst suddenly said, finding the sight to be oddly adorable, to which Pearl merely groans.
"Get your hands out of that thing's mane." Pearl demands as she then tries to grab the pillow from Amethyst. "We have to get the Desert Glass out of the desert!"
"I got it." Amethyst replies with a smirk as she doesn't let Pearl grab it of course.
"Let's go, Steven." Garnet says as she starts to head out with the others.
Steven took that moment to just hug the Feline again, smiling. "I'll see you back home, okay buddy?" To which the Lion said nothing once more, because he can't talk.
Steven and Amethyst were sleeping together, underneath a makeshift pillow fort made from the sofa's cushions, with Steven sleeping due to exhaustion from earlier, and Amethyst sleeping despite being a Gem because "It feels good though".
That was, until a scratching on the front door soon woke him up from his nap. He yawned and slowly got up, opening the door before seeing Lion again!
"Oh... hey buddy. Nice to... yawn... see you." He hugged him again, before the Feline forced itself inside the house.
"Oh, right. Uh... I can't... Bubble things yet." He tells Lion, looking at the pillow at the top of the fort, thinking. "But what if..."
As he grabbed the pillow, he thought about the research he did.
Lion's Mane has a sort of... Pocket dimension, right? And, he can't breathe in it, it sorta... well... it didn't smell like anything, but try as he might, he couldn't breathe when inside, as if though his body could recognize how dangerous it was to do so?
His main theory is that the mane is, in fact, a pocket dimension full of Pure Nitrogen. As an inert gas, it would be perfect for storing things, the deadly gas would prevent life of any kind, save for the tree and grass, and it would still allow for the "wind" he sees inside. Whatever the case, it was inhospitable, in a good way.
...right, the pillow. He... leaned against his mane, trying to think of something... thinking of...
...it didn't work at first, which confused him. Admittedly, it had been a while, but surely he couldn't have forgotten how to get inside his mane, right? How did he do it the first time...?
...it was then that he noticed the painting on the wall as he looked up. He... sorta ignored it, pushing it out of his subconscious in an effort to not think about her. But... because of who she was in truth, the lie she forced on everyone, he just couldn't. Rose Quartz, Leader of the Rebellion, who was in truth Pink Diamond, Liar and Manipulator who caused the death's of Millions for... Nothing?
...and yet, she was still Mom, the Mom who gave birth to him, who... ensured that Humanity would live on, who... who made his Dad the happiest man in the world.
...sometimes, he wished he could still talk to her, to... Tell her something. What exactly he would say, he would only know then.
...Rose...
...woah. He fell into the pocket dimension, the eerily silent, pink realm in which only a lone tree in a field of strange "grass" existed.
It sorta made sense. Thinking about Mom lead him here at first, he was just glad to know he could still access this place.
He pulled out for a moment to breath, before jumping in again.
The lonely tree sat before him on a small hill, a sword and a flag pole embedded in its roots, with a chest sitting there next to a picture of Mom and Dad, with a VHS tape just for him. And floating next to a hung t-shirt was Bismuth, stuck inside her bubble.
...he put the pillow on top of the chest, safe from any harm, before quickly running back to get some fresh air!
It was still sunny outside as the giant Lion was finally pacified. It held on to Steven for a bit longer, before lying down with Amethyst on the cushions.
...He would get Bismuth out of her bubble eventually, but there were a few things he had to do first. The last thing he wants is to get her out early, only for her to, say, smash Lapis or Peridot to shards when they pop up.
...and speaking of Lapis, this was so annoying. He barely had his powers back, it's a surprise he was even able to enter Lion's mane this time, but he still lacked the healing spit to fix Lapis when the time came, if he could figure out a way to convince Pearl to pull her out to begin with.
Hmm... what to do... what to do...
He sorta just stalled for time, deciding it would be a good time to just make himself something to eat. Today's trip was enough strain on his body, and some fine dining would be the cherry on top.
After what seemed like ages, he finally sat down to eat. Nothing too fancy, some chicken breast and a side of salad, with a bit of orange juice on the side.
But just as he got to eating, the temple door opened up to reveal the two other Gems, with Pearl seeming upset.
"Amethyst. Where is the Desert Glass?" Pearl demands to know, with the sleepy Amethyst just yawning as she opens her eyes.
"I dunno. Go ask Steven." She replied, with Pearl just shaking her head.
"Don't tell me you lost it. How do we know it isn't rebuilding its castle as we speak?" Pearl says, worrying over the potential risks. "Why didn't you bubble it earlier?"
Steven sensed that this discussion as leading to nowhere productive, and then noticed that Lion was missing? So he headed out to find the missing Feline outside.
Lion was merely staring at the ocean, the wind blowing on his mane as Steven quietly approached.
"...got a lot on your mind, buddy?" He asks, though the Feline says nothing, staring into the horizon.
"Yeah, it's been a lot. I'm just glad to have you here." He says with a smile, hugging his best friend before carefully entering back into the mane, and coming back out with the pillow.
Lion, of course, followed Steven as he walked back upstairs with the pillow. "Guys! I found the Gem!"
He found the trio looking for the pillow within the house, or rather, the duo as Amethyst was looking under the sofa of all places.
"It was outside!" Pearl exclaims before quickly going over and bubbling it. "We should have done this in the first place."
"In my defense, I forgot." Amethyst admitted.
As Lion entered, he saw that the pillow had been sealed away, so he went back to just laying down on the floor, yawning a bit.
"...Are we really going to let him keep that?" Pearl asked Garnet, cautious.
"We kept Amethyst." Garnet said with a shrug, as Pearl then started to laugh.
"Oh! Ahahahaha!" She laughed, much to Amethyst's disapproval. "Kept Amethyst. Oh Garnet, that's priceless~!"
Perhaps, when Lion was feeling better, he could try to make him use his portals. Assuming he wanted to.