A ice monster smashed through the wall and Peridot yelled out, "One more attack, and it'll be done! I can do it!" She slashed its arm off and Connie gasped.

Jasper made her helmet and smashed the monster to the wall. It poofed.

"Now there's nothing standing between us and the Shooting Star!" Peridot laughed. "Let's go."

The cave then started to crumble.

"Guys, this place is really dangerous!" Lapis yelled, avoiding falling chunks of ice. She was suddenly buried in snow.

"Lapis!" Connie squealed. She ran to help. "Don't worry Lapis, I'm coming!"

Peridot suddenly grabbed her. "Jasper, we need to take Connie home right now! Her fragile half-human body won't stand well here!"

Jasper took Connie. "Kiddo, I'm sending you home. This mission is far too dangerous."

"But I-"

Jasper suddenly bubbled her. She sent Connie away, back to the temple.

"JASPER, YOU CLOD!"

Connie found herself in the burning room. She looked at the bubble next to her and saw it was the gem they had just beat. Connie pried the bubble apart and fell on another one, popping it.

She landed with a thud but then saw the gem reforming. "Oh no! What's happening?!"

The first monster she had ever faced reformed. It suddenly shrunk and she ran away from it. She then saw he looked almost like a little puppy…

"It looks... so scared." Connie breathed. She saw the monster tense up. "Um, hi. I-it's okay. Look, please don't be scared of me. See, I'm not gonna hurt you." She showed her empty hand. "Yeah, just relax, please." The thing started to calm
down. "Yeah, that's it. "We can totally just hang out and relax, right here on the floor." Connie saw it approach. "Don't be shy. We can be friends. My name's-"

"CONNIE! Get away from that monster!" Peridot screeched.

"Oh my gosh, Connie!" Lapis gasped.

The Crystal Temps ran to her. Jasper made her helmet and had fury in her eyes. Connie slid in front of it. "Stop! Don't hurt it! It didn't do anything!"

Jasper slowed.

Connie gave a sigh. "I accidentally let it out of its bubble, but it didn't even try to hurt me. It's not like the other monsters, it's just scared and confused. Please… don't hurt it."

The gems looked at her with confusion. Jasper shrugged, "Yeah, okay."

"You can't be serious!" Peridot cried.

"Well, I am. Connie can train 'er up, right?"

Connie nodded. "Thank you…. Oh, thank you, thank you!" She raced into a hug. Jasper smiled and accepted it.

"I can't believe this…" Lapis muttered.

"Connie, you ready to calm it down?" Jasper asked.

Connie looked at the Centipeetle chained to a rock. She glanced back. "I… think it's still scared…"

The monster suddenly broke through a chain.

The gems and Lion readied to attack, Connie looked back. "Maybe… you could put your weapons away and watch from the house?" She whispered. They stared at her. "Please?"

"No!" Peridot growled.

Jasper's helmet disappeared. "Come on." She gestured to the house.

"JASPER!"

"Peridot."

Lapis looked after them and turned to Connie. "Can I-"

"I'm sorry, but no." Connie huffed.

Lapis gave a grumble then flew back to the house.

Connie turned to her new little friend and grinned. "Just us now."

The monster broke the other chain but Connie grabbed it before it could run away. "Shh… It's okay, just calm down little guy." She stroked it. She suddenly thought of something and pulled out a bag of vegetables. "Hey, do you like veggies?
They're very tasty!"

She laughed as the thing chased her. She twirled around and offered a carrot. "How do you eat with a eyeball in your mouth?"

The thing ate it and she threw out more. The girl giggled and sang a little tune, "You like veggies and I like veggies!" But a seagull bit her finger, wanting the veggies. She cried out in pain and tried to shoo away the bird. The monster got angry
and spit acid at the bird, making it fly away. Connie glanced at her. "You… saved me."

"We have to go back for the shooting star!" Peridot cried.

"Guys! Guys!" Connie yelled, running in.

"What's wrong?!" Lapis cried.

"Nothing! I trained her, look!" Connie said. She made grabbed her phone out of her pocket. She pressed play on a app and a seagull sound emitted.

The creature spat acid out but it hit the wall. "Whoa, little guy, calm it down, we burn monsters, not our walls…" Connie said.

"That beast is destroying the house!" Peridot growled.

"You're over reacting. It's just one hole…" Lapis smirked.

"She's better, I swear! She can help us on missions and stuff." Connie said.

"Ha, please! I barley need much assistance without it." Peridot said.

"Well, we can't go get the shooting Star with all that ice in the way… Maybe this little gal can help." Jasper said, petting it.

"I don't like this plan one bit. If I could heat my pole up to just the right-" Peridot was interrupted by Connie pressing on her seagull app and Centipeetle spitting a hole through the wall.

"Good job!" Connie laughed, giving her a piece of celery.

"Ugh…" Peridot groaned.

With the help of their new ally, the gems soon made it to the Shooting Star.

"Heh, heh, here it is! This Star is so hot, it could burn a human to a crisp!" Peridot squealed, her eyes stars.

"What do you do with the Shooting Star?" Connie whispered.

"Um… You shoot it, I'm guessing?" Lapis said.

Peridot bent her pole like tongs and was about to grab the star when a screech filled the room.

"No, not now!" Connie cried.

"Connie, what's wrong?" Jasper asked. Seeing the acid from its mouth, her helmet appeared.

The Centipeetle got more scared and spat acid at the celling. All the stalactites fell and the Temps screamed.

"That's it!" Peridot growled. Her pole came out of the water and she lunged at the monster. "DIE! DIE! DIE!"

Connie screamed and shielded it. "STOP! It was a accident!" Jasper jumped next the monster and attempted to hurt it but it ran away. Lapis used water to punch the thing away from Connie and the girl started to cry.

She ran to Centipeetle and hugged her. "It's okay! Stop! You don't need to fight! This isn't you! You're not a monster anymore! You're more than that. We have so many memories now! Remember when we ate veggies, And how you saved me? And we
became friends?" She cried. "You have to remember! This all happened a few hours ago!" She saw acid running down her jacket but didn't care… There was a sudden rumble and Centipede shoved Connie away. Connie didn't know what had caused her to do such
a thing until a giant stalactite fell on her. The girl screamed and the gem rolled to her.

"You saved me…"

Jasper touched her shoulder and Connie picked up the gem. "Kid... You did a good job trying to tame the Centipeetle. Your mother would be
proud."

"She would?" Connie sniffed.

"Proud of strong kid like you? Definitely. Yellow had tried to use her powers to save these monsters too, but she was never able to heal them."

"But if she couldn't do it…" Connie whispered.

"Connie, when you have better control of your powers, you might help them in ways even your mother couldn't." Lapis said, squeezing her.

"I'll keep it safe." Connie vowed. A yellow bubble appeared in her hands around the gem.

"You can bubble Gems?! Since when?!" Peridot whispered.

"Wait for me, Centipeetle…." Connie whispered. "I'll heal you up someday, I promise." She bubbled it away. She then gasped.

In the Burning Room, next to Connie's new friend, the bag of veggies bubbled in.