"Well, where are you going?" Connie sighed, talking on phone with Steven.

"To help Dad with the car wash, then it's dinner time…" Steven sighed. "But I can hang out all day tomorrow! And I'll come over all the time now that it's Summer Vacation!"

"Oh! I've heard of that! That's a long break for kids in school…. Right?" Connie asked.

"Yeah!" Steven said.

"But Peridot, I really, really want School!" Connie cried.

"What even is school?" Peridot groaned.

"It teaches you stuff! Like math, science,-"

"Teach you?!" Peridot gasped, stars in her eyes. "Oh, you are in the pursuit of knowledge, like me!why didn't you tell me?!" She whispered.

"Well-"

"I can teach you everything you need! Well, me and this." Her gem suddenly glowed. Connie gasped in wonder as a beautiful mirror came from her gem. It was a white hand mirror with diamond designs at the edges of the glass. But it's
most important detail was a shining purple gem, but it was cracked. Connie held it and looked down. "We found this Gem-powered mirror at the Galaxy Warp. It can capture and display any event it's witnessed in all of Gem history." Peridot
explained.

Peridot walked over and smirked down at the mirror. "Show is the galaxy warp."

Nothing…

Peridot grabbed the mirror. "Show us the galaxy warp, now! I know you've seen it!" She looked at the mirror and sighed. "I guess it's finally broken…"

"It doesn't seem broken to me!" Connie smiled at her reflection.

"I suppose that's the end of our school!" Peridot sighed.

"So, could you say school's out for the summer?"

"Does that mean done? Over with? Destroyed? If it does, then yes."

Connie gave a cry in triumph and ran out.

Connie ran outside, holding the mirror. She laughed. "It's Summer! Yeah!"

She suddenly ran right into Sadie.

"Hey, watch out, Connie!" Sadie growled.

"Sorry…" Connie blushed. "I'm just so excited for summer. Are you excited for summer?"

"Uh, I think I'm as excited as I can get about setting up extra seating for the summer rush. But Sadie has big plans." Lars said. Sadie nodded. "To be sure. All those out-of-town summer guys traveling away from home without their
girlfriends, if you know what I mean."

"Nope." Connie said innocently.

"Maybe I'll get a few numbers. Maybe I'll even... call one." Sadie blushed.

"Ha! Well, yeah, maybe I'll meet a new friend." Lars chuckled.

"Hm… I should try to get out of my comfort zone! I'm gonna to make a new friend!"

Connie skipped off and skipped onto the road, not seeing the Mayor's van. "Hey, watch out, Connie!" A familiar voice called. "Sadie?"

The van screeched to a halt and Connie screamed out, "No!"

"You, Police guy's kid, what are you doing on the road?" Mayor Dewey growled.

"Er, sir, I… Wait, why are you driving on the boardwalk?" Connie asked.

"I'm the mayor— I'm not going to walk anywhere. Now, go get run over somewhere else. I'm late for a speech." The Mayor said. He drove again.

"What just happened?" Connie whispired. She then heard her own laugh and looked down at the mirror, who reflected that moment back.

"You work! This is incredible! What's it like being a mirror?" Connie asked.

The mirror rippled and repeated back her words, "You work!"

"Oh, so you repeat things?" Connie smiled.

The mirror repeated her word once she had ran outside. "Yeah!"

Connie ran up to the Mayor's speech and saw Steven. She brushed down her hair and ran to him.

"Hi, Steven!"

He turned and smiled. "Oh, hey!"

The Mayor then started his speech. "Hello, Beach City, my friends! It's great to be here to celebrate the coming season. A warm summer breeze wafts through the air."

Steven suddenly put his hand in his mouth and made a fart noise. Connie held back her laughter not wanting to be rude to everyone else, but they were snickering too.

"We all look forward to the sounds of the summer season…"

Connie tried to do it but failed, suddenly, the mirror made the noise. Steven looked at it with awe.

"... the smells of the busy boardwalk…"

Again, the mirror repeated.

"... the hot, wet ocean wind…"

The mirror made the noise.

"... the time to take that pressure that's built up all year and just let it out."

It happened again, making the people, Steven, and Connie laugh.

"You're really funny for a mirror." Connie said, laying on the Beach that night.

"You're really funny for a mirror." The mirror repeated.

"I'm not a mirror!" Connie giggled.

"You're pretty funny for a - Connie!" The mirror repeated but also added Sadie's words.

"You made something new! Say something else!" Connie cried.

"Connie— is— a new friend." The mirror said, using clips from the day.

"Really?" Connie blushed.

"Yeah!" She watched herself.

"Well, thank you! You're my friend too!" Connie laughed.

The mirror repeated her giggle.

"I've got to go introduce you to the Temps!" Connie said, standing up.

"No!" The mirror said.

"Don't be shy, they'll love you." Connie smiled.

"Noooo!" The mirror repeated its distress but Connie giggled, "I know it's scary to meet new people, but they're really nice, I promise you!"

"Guys!" Connie cried, bursting through the door.

"Hi, sweetheart." Lapis grinned.

"Good evening, Connie." Peridot said.

"Sup." Jasper waved.

Jasper and Lapis sat on the couch, Lapis molding water while Peridot was fiddling with a gadget.

"Look at this." Lapis smiled. Her water flew over to Peridot's pile of parts and they made a little show, flying around the room.

"Lapis, they're all rusted now!" Peridot growled.

"Whoops." Lapis blushed.

"Cool.. Oh! I fixed the mirror!" Connie cried.

"Wonderful!" Peridot grinned. The others smiled.

"Why didn't you tell me it was like a person?" Connie asked innocently.

The gems smiles faded. Jasper instinctively curled her hands into fists, Peridot dropped her wrench, and Lapis bit her lip. "That's impossible…" Peridot whispered.

"No, it's not. Say "hi." Connie said to the mirror, showing it.

The gems stared, nothing...

"Little friend?" Connie whispered, turning to the mirror who seemed to speak, but only to her. "Excuse us…" She said, turning away from the Temps. "You want to come out, don't you? You have so much to say, to share
from across the ages. Are we not friends anymore?"

The mirror seemed to wait then, made the fart noise. Connie smiled softly. "I'm glad…"

"Just for - you - Connie!" Lars and Sadie in the mirror said.

"It's talking to her…" Lapis whispered.

"It shouldn't be able to do that. I-it should just be following orders…" Peridot hissed.

"Jasper, do something." Lapis cried.

"Hey, kid," Jasper said, walking up to Connie. The mirror stopped giggling and started yelling, "NOOOO!"

"Give me the mirror, kiddo, it will be safer where we can watch it…"

"Connie, sweetie, we have to bubble it." Lapis whispered.

Connie heard the mirror yelling, "NOOO!"

"But-"

"Connie, don't make me take it from you…." Jasper growled, Connie wishing she would call her kiddo as she always did.

"It doesn't want to go with you. Don't you hear it screaming?" Connie cried, backing into a wall, holding the mirror close.

Jasper struggled to stay calm. "It's a mirror, it can't want anything!"

Connie looked at the mirror, it crying in horror over and over. "Don't hurt it!"

"Give me the mirror, NOW!"

"IT WANTS TO BE WITH ME!" Connie screeched. She then did something she would never, ever in her half immortal life forget… She reached behind her to grab her mother's sword she now always wore on her back on a crudely made sheath.
She swung it out threateningly, her training instincts coming into play. Jasper fell back in shock. She looked back at her Connie, a once innocent girl, and looked angry.

Lapis gasped, her hands to her mouth, and Peridot fell into her, nearly fainting.

"What… have I done…" Connie whispered. She dropped her sword out of shock. "I'm sorry!" She cried, running away.

Jasper breathed angrily, teeth bared, eyes flashing.

"Jasper… promise you won't shatter her…" Lapis whispered.

Connie ran, tears in her eyes. She truly did that! She really just pulled out her sword at Jasper! Why?! She looked down at the mirror. That was why, her new friend. "Oh, what am I going to do?! What's their problem with you? Are you trying
to say something?" She asked the mirror. It rippled then said with different people, "Away from home," Sadie said. "Let!" Mayor Dewey said. "Me!" Connie yelled. "Out!" Jasper cried. It sounded so desperate…

"But… how?!" Connie sobbed.

"Connie!" Peridot yelled from a distance.

"Okay, I want to help you, what can I do?!"

The mirror's surface warbled and Connie saw a light violet version of herself pull out the dark purple gem on the back. She felt her heart thud. Her eyes shinning with tears, she gripped the gem and took it out with much effort. She cried
out as the mirror shattered.

The gem suddenly formed a human shape around it and a young woman with violet skin and white hair glitched before she fell over.

Connie gasped, hesitated, but ran to help her stand. The woman was short but didn't seem to have anything wrong with her until she glitched. "T-Thanks…" She croaked. She almost fell over but Connie caught her. "You…. you talked to
me!" The gem cried.

"And you saved me… You know, you're a real pal, Connie. I'm Amethyst, by the way." She ruffled the shocked girl's hair. "Now, what are ya really, hm?"

Connie looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"You can't be a Crystal Temp!" The gem smiled.

"Why can't I? I mean, I am."

Amethyst started to chuckle until she saw Connie's face. "Y-You're not joking?"

"I'm afraid not…"

"But.. you set me free, and they-" Amethyst stopped when she heard voices.

"CONNIE!" Jasper bellowed. Connie gasped and leapt in front of Amethyst.

The gems made their weapons appear and Lapis frowned. She almost felt sympathy for the poor gem, being trapped in that mirror… almost.

"Wait,-" Connie started.

"You…"

She turned to see Amethyst make her weapon, two whips. "You three knew I was in there and you did nothing! Do you even know who I used to be?!" The gem snarled, eyes flashing. Her whips caught fire and she slapped them at Jasper,
knocking her to the ground. Amethyst put her arms out and the whips hit both Lapis and Peridot. They cried out in pain and fell.

"What are you doing?!" Connie cried.

"My name is Amethyst and you can't keep me here anymore!" She yelled.

Connie was about to run to her family but Amethyst grabbed her arm. "Come on, Connie, let's go!" The gem flung her whips down and they created a path of flames in the ocean, drying the water up.

"Go where?!" Connie asked.

Amethyst smiled softly. "Home. To my friends… my family."

Connie slowly took her hand away. "... No."

Amethyst looked sad and angry. "F-Fine! I don't need you anyway." Jasper suddenly rose and Amethyst turned. "Don't trust them, Connie… See ya'..."

Connie watched her leave, the water blocked from going back with the flames.

"Are you okay?!" Lapis cried, running and hugging her. Connie numbly nodded. "That was another gem…"

"Indeed." Peridot sighed.

"Connie… you're grounded." Jasper whispered.