Connie felt a blush hit her cheeks as she ran down the house steps, book in hand. Suddenly, a rumble erupted from the Earth, and her book slipped from her arms.

Meanwhile, Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper walked on the beach. "I don't think these tremors of the Earth are just earthquakes, they're too frequent! It's a bad sign, I tell you, a bad sign." Peridot whispered. Suddenly, Connie's book

hit her in the head. "INVASION!" Peridot screamed while Connie ran to pick it up.

"Sorry!" Connie laughed, picking the book up.

Lapis smiled. "Where are you going?"

"Just to read!" Connie replied.

"But it's blazing hot out here…" Jasper said, cocking her head.

"I know!" Connie cried.

Connie walked slowly with her book and kept glancing up at a boy she saw nearby. He had black curls and a goofy smile on his face, he was building a sand castle but kept glancing at her too. As she passed, she looked down but a voice stopped

her.

"Hey!"

She turned to see the boy waving. She blushed then shyly waved back.

"My name's Stevan, I-I mean Steven! What's yours?" Steven asked.

The girl was so nervous, she dropped her book. The boy looked at it. Connie felt her brain flip-flop. She couldn't do this! Abort the mission! Connie was so terrified and embarrassed that she ran away.

Connie slammed the house's door closed. She then felt someone watching her and saw the three Crystal Temps. "Who were you speaking to?" Peridot asked.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Connie breathed.

"That boy. Why were you talking to him?" Jasper growled.

"You saw… He's just a boy I know, except he doesn't know me. We never talked…" Connie blushed.

"Aw! You like him!" Lapis cried, grabbing Connie's face.

"I-I like everyone!" Connie cried, brushing her off.

"Hm…" Peridot said. "We must meet this boy and find out if he's a monster in disguise… then… We shall set up a schedule according to both your needs and his, so any other time, you will spend together-"

"If you like him so much, talk to him. But don't get any ideas." Jasper muttered.

Connie frowned. "Fine, but you can't watch this time! You'll mess up my funky flow."

"Your funky flow?" Lapis and Peridot asked.

Connie ignored them and ran to the fridge. She grabbed something out of it.

"What's that?" Lapis asked.

"Nothing!"

Connie gulped as she practiced apologizing in her head.

She saw Steven and a small smile appeared on her lips. Suddenly, she heard a rumble of a monster. A boulder suddenly broke off the temple and was about to hit Steven!

"Hi, my name is Connie!" She yelled, leaping to him. Her gem glowed as she fell into the boy and a yellow bubble appeared around them, protecting them.

Connie watched the rock shatter, "How did I do that?!" She then turned back to Steven. "Hi, my name's Connie, Steven!"

The boy accepted her help in getting up and looked around in wonder. "We're in a bubble?! Cool!"

Connie was surprised, but explained, "I'm magic, well... half magic, on my mom's side."

"You did this?!"

"I-I guess so…" Connie laughed. "I'm a member of the Crystal Temps, we fight monsters and protect humanity and stuff."

"That's awesome! My dad does that too! He runs a car wash." They stared at each other. "So… can you do that again? After you make this one go away, of course." Steven laughed.

"Oh! Of course!" Connie blushed. She tried to make it vanish but couldn't.

"What's the prob, bob?"

"Er… it doesn't seem to want to go away…"

"Oh."

The two were trying to push the bubble.

"So, I've seen you in town quite a bit…" Connie panted.

"Yeah, my dad runs the car wash!" Steven cried.

"I go on adventures with the gems sometimes. They usually say it's too dangerous for me though." The girl fell over in effort. Steven helped her up.

"Do you go in a bubble all the time?" Steven asked with stars in his eyes.

"I'm afraid not, this is new. But the Crystal Temps will know what to do!"

They pushed it up the hill but it back lashed and sent them rolling back.

"Ugh! Hey guys! Help! Jasper, Lapis, Peri! Help!" Connie yelled.

"I don't think they can hear you…" Steven said.

"Oh! Right! I told them not to watch!"

"It's okay, we can wait! If there's others like you, I want to see them!" Steven cried.

"No!" Connie cried.

"Fine, I have friends that can help!" Stevensaid.

Connieglanced at him.

"Looks like Connie and Steven are in love!" Sadie laughed.

"Steven, I didn't know you knew Lars and Sadie too!" Connie gasped.

"Yeah! They run the Big Doughnut together." Steven shrugged. "We're all BFFs there."

"They also run the bookstore together!" Connie said.

Lars turned to Sadie who was making kiss faces until Lars pulled her away.

"Ugh! Sadie, help!"

"I'm helping them on their date!" Sadie replied.

"You're embarrassing them!"

"They're crazy about each other…" Connie and Steven said together.

"I go to their bookstore to get books and stuff all the time!" Connie cried.

"I don't really read that often, I like to watching Crying Breakfast Friends though!" Steven exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" Connie cried. Then Sadiestarting making kiss faces again. "Well, it's still a fun place to hang out.."

Lars suddenly started running at the bubble with a stool. It shattered on impact.

"I have a idea!" Steven said nervously.

Connie and Steven were looking at the boats as they passed. "Oh, there's a big boat and a little boat!" Steven cried with stars in his eyes.

"Wow, Steven, you sure know a lot about boats!" Connie laughed jokingly.

"That's what happens when you'refriends with everyone and need a break and your dad is working all the time to keep you living… and your mom is gone…. You look at boats…" They were quiet.

"Steven… Are you-"

Steven interrupted her after seeing a young boy on the docks. "ONION!"

Connie frowned as the boy walked up. "Um… We need a harpoon gun…."

"Yeah! To pop this bubble!" Steven exclaimed.

Connie breathed air on the bubble and spelled out harpoon gun. The boy stared obviously.

"Let me try…" Steven said. He made pictures to explain. Onion gave a thumbs up. Connie looked Steven, impressed.

Onion ran up and fired the harpoon gun. It deflected off the bubble and hit a boat.

"Whelp, there goes the big boat…"

"Connie, why are we at Funland?" Steven asked.

"Tons of horrible accidents happen here every day!" Connie explained. "One will break the bubble!"

"But which…" Steven muttered. They heard the screams of the kiddie coaster behind them. "Yeah, the kiddie coaster! Alright, we just roll down this ramp as the carts are coming at us, and the crash will break us free!"

They were waiting for the coaster. "Er, Steven what happens after the bubble pops?!"

"We'll be free!" Steven cried.

"Steven, I don't want you to get hu-"

A sudden roar filled their ears and the kiddie coaster hit them. They flung off and right into the ocean.

"Where are we?" Steven asked.

"Um… at the bottom of the ocean…"

Steven gasped.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Connie cried.

Steven gave a small smile. "Let's… get rolling…"

Suddenly, a worm monster went over them. They gasped. "Look, it's eating that bright stuff!" Connie explained. "T-that's better than us, right?"

The monster suddenly burrowed under ground, making a crevasse that made them fall farther down.

When Connie awoke, she saw her foot was in Steven's face.

"Yikes! Sorry, Steven!" Connie gasped, removing her foot.

He stood up wordlessly.

"This is horrible!" Connie whispered. "I'm afraid, Steven, and this is my fault! We're not okay…"

"YES, WE ARE!"

Connie flinched and looked up at Steven. His tone calmed down. "Connie…. We're going to die down here… but in a messed up way, I'm happy you're here with me… I've never had a best friend before."

"M-Me neither, do you want to be friends?" Connie whispered through tears. She broke down in tears again. All the scary things she had faced, she had to keep a positive attitude about it. "Steven, do you know how many times

I've nearly died this week?"

"Once?"

"Six times. I don't have my mom to talk to it about though…" Connie then saw something unexpected happen. Steven started to cry too.

"T-that's funny, my mom's gone too… She died… when I was born." He whispered through tears. "I miss her… everyday."

A sudden light filled the darkness and Steven looked up. Connie offered him a glow bracelet. "I saw you at the Boardwalk Parade last year. You were the boy on the car wash float, you had soap bubbles in your hair and you dropped yourbracelet. I
picked it up, but then I couldn't find you. I saved it in the freezer so it would last longer, in case I saw you again… and now look…"

Steven gave a hiccup and smiled. "Thanks Connie…."

"I'm so, so sorry, Steven." Connie whispered again.

"It's okay. I'm having fun."

The bubble suddenly burst and Connie's lungs stung, but she lead Steven to the surface.

They smiled at each other when the worm monster suddenly attacked them! They flung to shore and it chased them.

"Come on!" Steven yelled. He ran to hide in the rocks but Connie tripped while running and fell in the sand.

The monster was getting closer and headed for Steven. "Why is that thing chasing us?! We didn't do anything!... unless talking about feelings shakes it up!" Steven creid.

Connie suddenly saw Steven's bracelet and gasped. "The bracelet! Steven!"

Steven ran from the monster and to her. "Connie!"

The children ran together from the chasing monster. Connie grabbed Steven's bracelet.

"Go! Go this way!" Connie cried, pushing Steven the other way.

"Connie!" Steven yelled. "Are you crazy?!"

"I'm sorry!" Connie cried. The girl evaded and dodged the monster, wrapping in around the poles of the dock. She gave a cry as she leapt right into Steven. Connie held up the bracelet though and the monster pulled. The dock shook

and then collapsed on the monster, destroying it.

"S-sorry for running into you." Connie laughed nervously.

"CONNIE!"

The two turned to see the Crystal Temps running to them.

"Connie, there is 99% chance you did something to make this!" Peridot growled.

"She was AWESOME!" Steven yelled, punching his hand in the air. Connie blushed. "Really? You mean it?!" He nodded.

"Here's your bracelet." Connie laughed.

"Thanks! So, you need to introduce me to everyone! Please?!" Steven cried.

"Yes, introduce us!" Lapis squealed. "Or does that mess with your funky flow?"

"No way! I use that all the time!" Steven creid.

Connie laughed. "This is Jasper,"

"I'll let you come near her, kid, but if you hurt a hair on Connie Universe's head-" Jasper started.

"Moving on!" Connie yelled loudly. "This is Lapis,"

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Lapis said, making her wings and flying to him to shake his hand. "But seriously, don't you ever hurt our Connie."

"No prob, bob." Steven said.

The gem frowned. "Connie just introduced me, my name is Lapis."

"And last of all, Peridot."

"Greetings-"

"Ah ha ha!" Steven suddenly cried with stars in his eyes. "You're so cute! Like a little slice of pie!"

Peridot gave a groan.