Connieglanced at the clock, away from her new book. "It's noon… Everybody's out…. I guess it's up to me to make some lunch!"

Connie happily made four cheese sandwiches and glanced at the temple door. She knocked on it. "Peridot? Jasper? Lapis?" Nothing. She turned with a determined face.

A few minutes later, she had cut up a pizza into tiny pieces and scattered them on top of the stack. She stood on the warp pad and stared at the door, she sighed.

She then heated up some gravy and poured it on the sandwiches. "Beyond beautiful…" She muttered softly. The girl opened the back door, "Peridot? Jasper?"

She sighed and closed it. Then, carefully, she put a single stalk of parsley on top. "Done…"

Connie gazed at it. "I can't eat this alone… it's a… together lunch."

Suddenly, Jasper warped in and Connie ran up to her. "Jasper! Look!" She displayed the lunch. "With all the gravy… it's not that healthy but it's a… balanced stack?" She smiled a huge smile at the absolute cleverness
of her pun. Jasper laughed. "Good one, squirt, but I can't stay. I have something to do." She walked to the temple door.

"What is it?" Connie asked, trotting after her.

"I have to burn this." Jasper unfurled a scroll she had in her hand. Connie saw the symbols and heard whispering. She had to touch it… She had to release it… Jasper grabbed her shoulder roughly, shaking her out of the evil trance.
Connie took out her phone and took a picture of the thing. Jasper grabbed the phone, "I have to burn this too." She opened the temple with her gem and disappeared inside the temple. Connie cried out for her phone and she put her gem to the
door. "Open! Oh, you never work!" She growled at her gem.

She started to walk away when the door opened.

"Ghaa! Evil monster!" Lapis cried in fear. Her water came out of her gem and Connie screamed in shock seeing it going for the lunch. "NOOO!" The water hit Connie instead.

"C-Connie?!" Lapis gasped, running to help.

"Why… did you think that was a monster?!" Connie huffed.

Lapis blushed. "Well… I had never seen that thing before…"

Connie frowned and Lapis helped her up. Peridot suddenly came through the door.

"Hey! That's my door! You were in my room?!" Lapis gasped.

"Oh, hello... Lazuli… WHAT WAS MY STUFF DOING IN YOUR ROOM?!" Peridot yelled, showing a tablet.

"I don't know!" Lapis creid.

"You stole it, you clod!"

"Did not!"

"Being the wonderful and kind gem I am, I'll let it slide, Lapis." Peridot sighed. "Oh, I also dried off your room, you're welcome."

"You did WHAT?! I'm a water gem! Almost my whole room is water!" Lapis yelled, rushing to the door.

"Lapis! Wait!" Connie cried, but the door was already closed. Peridot heard her desperate cry and turned to her.

"You look… sad." Peridot commented.

"I am. I made this together lunch to eat togeth-"

"I'm bored." Peridot said. She opened her room and went inside. "Wait! This cannot become a togther dinner!" Connie exclaimed. She slipped in before it closed. She glanced back at the door and saw it was gone. She turned
back and saw a circular room made of metal that had small display cases around it. She saw Peridot place her tablet in a case and the small gem smiled, "Peridot perfection."

"Hi, Peridot!" Connie giggled. The gem gasped and turned. "Connie?! You know it's dangerous here! Get out!" The door opened behind her to reveal the home. Connie shook her head. "We're gonna have a nice lunch even
if I'm sweaty!" Connie sprinted around the room with the lunch after Peridot who started to run away when the human gem slipped. Connie fell off the edge. "CONNIE!" Peridot yelled.

Connie screamed in horror but soon fell on a platform. Rubbing her bottom, she saw she was surrounded by water. The girl heard a pouring of water and flinched. She looked up to see Lapis fluttering over her.. "Oh, hi Connie. Did you
fall of Peri's room? Peridot gets mad because all her stuff is here, but it falls off!"

"Stuff like what?" Connie asked.

Lapis flew down to her. "Stuff like… you!" The gem playfully pushed Connie in the water. Connie laughed and swam back, wringing out her hair. "I can't believe Peridot dried everything off, isn't that silly?"

"It looks pretty wet…"

"You're a sweetie!" Lapis laughed, wrinkling her nose. She then saw the lunch. "Oh, what's that?"

"Together lunch!" Connie announced.

Lapis frowned. "... That… actually looks pretty good…"

Connie smiled. Lapis suddenly tried to grab it but Connie took its away. "No! This was made for everyone! That's why it's called together lunch!"

"But Connie!" Lapis protested.

"No!"

Lapis frowned again. "I want that food, Connie!"

The girl cried out as Lapis tried to grab it once more. Connie leapt to a corridor and ran. She suddenly ran upside down and was confused but got her footing again.

"You can't out run me, Connie!" Lapis chuckled. "I can fly, remember?" The gem landed in front of the girl who expertly slid between her legs.

"Just… wait!" Connie yelled, landing on the final platform. Lapis leapt after her swiftly. "Come back! You can't run forever!"

"You're missing the point!" Connie yelled. She jumped again and grabbed onto a pole of some sort.

"Connie! Stop! Wait!" Lapis cried.

Peridot entered from another side and gasped. "There you are!"

Connie smiled. "One more to go!"

"You really shouldn't be in here, this is the Crystal Heart. It's connected to the most dangerous areas of the temple! Hold on tight, and don't look down." Peridot said.

Connie glanced down and saw endless darkness. She slipped and started to fall.

Screaming, she fell but then saw a yellow room filled with clouds. "Oh, this isn't that-" but she kept falling and screamed again. "Nevermind!"

She landed and saw a room full of bubbled gems. Then she turned to see Jasper snap her phone in half and toss in in the a pit of lava. Jasper bubbled the scroll which started burning.

"Aw…" Connie whispered. She got off and Lapis and Peridot landed beside her. "We're getting you out of here." Peridot said.

"Come on!" Lapis whispered.

Connie looked at them and smiled. "This is great! Now we can eat!"

Jasper gasped in surprise but controlled the bubble.

"Let's just go home, and eat lunch, please?" Connie begged.

"Connie… run! Please, run!" Jasper struggled to contain the smoke.

"But-" Connie was interrupted when the smoke escaped. It expanded and the gems got out thier weapons.

"Force it back!" Jasper yelled, flipping away from it trying to smash her.

Jasper smashed into it with her helmet but the evil saw Connie shaking behind her. It attempted to grab the girl but Lapis landed in front of her, slapping it with water. "Get away from her!"

Peridot gave a war cry and swung around her metal pole, bending it sharper. She attempted to stab it but it went around her and slammed into Connie and the lunch. Connie yelled in pain.

"CONNIE!" The gems cried.

The girl grabbed her head and looked up. "W-what happened?"

The meal suddenly started to shake and she cried out as the lunch grew into a monster.

It attempted to smash Connie but Peridot hit it with her pole.

"Heh, heh! I got it!" Peridot cried. It suddenly pinned her to the wall with gravy and she struggled. "CLOD!"

It hardened its push on Connie who cried out in fear with tears in her eyes. "I didn't want this to happen! I just wanted us to eat like a family!"

"Connie! You have to run!" Jasper called. "It's gonna kill you!" She attempted to smash into it but Lapis cried out and grabbed Jasper's arm, as it attempted to hurt the big gem.

The monster smashed Jasper into a wall.

Lapis used her wings to fly over it but it slapped the woman aside.

Seeing Lapis fall to the ground, Connie pushed harder. "That's... enough! I... don't care if you... are delicious!" She shoved the beast to the lava. "I made you to bring us together…" She growled. "not to tear us
apart!" She punched the meal into the lava. Her cheeks were red with energy.

Lapis had gained consciousness and helped Jasper and Peridot out. They gathered around the lava. "I'm sorry…" Connie sighed. Peridot and Lapis put their hands on her shoulders. "I guess I dream too big…"

Jasper met Lapis and Peridot'd eyes and they nodded to each other in agreement of something.

Together, the Crystal Temps and Connie Universe made another together lunch… It was twice the size of Connie's old one.

They gazed upon it with awe… and a bit of sadness. They had finally made… the ultimate togther lunch.

"I can't eat this…" Connie sighed.

"Breakfast for lunch?" Lapis suggested. They all nodded.

"It did try to kill us." Jasper said.