The Temps were cleaning up the debris on the beach from the warship. Connie picked up tiny little pieces and whispered, "Guys, don't you think we should pick up all the the pieces?"

"Nah, that's too much work." Jasper muttered. "We can just get the big pieces, I don't think they'll notice the little ones." She heaved a big chunk out.

Lapis swept up a big piece of ship with her water. She washed the sand out.

"And we need to start looking for the Pearl's escape pod also, assuming she even made it to Earth." Peridot muttered, dropping some pieces in a pile.

"Yeah,there's a lot of work ahead of us." Jasper sighed. Connie dropped the pieces she had previously picked up. She walked to the other end of the beach. She ran to a part and after much effort, pried it out of the ground. "Ha,
that's a big one." She turned and started digging once more. She was lost in her own thoughts, wondering what she and the Temps were going to do after this. Prehaps go to lunch? Or maybe just relax at home? Or maybe even search for Suglite, though
they didn't like to bring her up much. "Connie!"

Connie gasped in suprsie and looked up. She glanced over and saw Jenny, Buck, and Sour Cream.

"Yo." Buck said.

"Hey Connie, welcome back to Earth." Jenny smirked.

Connie felt her heart pound, "What?! Who told you?!"

"You looked a million miles away, girl." Buck said.

Connie blushed, cheeks pink with heat, sweat and embarrassment. "Oh, um, sorry, I was zoning out.

Buck smiled. "We were about to go chill in the parking lot and freak out some squares."

"You should come with." Jenny said.

"Er, I don't have anything against squares. I like all basic shapes.." Connie whispered.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. You got that much-needed counterpart to our cynical world view. You have to come."

"It's good energy flow." Sour Cream added with a strange tone.

"Sorry, but I got a lot of important gem work to do. Maybe later." Connie said

"Aww." Jenny sighed.

"Bummer." Sour Cream said.

Well, catch you later, then." Buck said with a wave. Connie watched them go and sighed.

Connie lay moaning in pain in her bed that night. "Ugh, the calluses on my hands have calluses... A working woman'sburden is truly a heavy one." Connie sighed, rolling off. A sudden thud came from her window and she looked up.
"Huh?" She snuck to the window and gasped as a slice of pizza hit the window. "What the-" Another piece hit as the first was sliding down and she peeked out. Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream were down there, with a box of pizza. Connie
ran down the steps after changing and opened the door. She walked over to the teens. "What are you guys doing here?" The girl asked in a hushed whisper.

"C'mon. It's time to hang out." Buck said.

"We can't hang out at night! I have to sleep! I'll get in big trouble if I sneak out and might get hurt if it's dark and-"

"Night is whatever you want it to be, time is an illusion." Sour Cream murmered.

"Aren't you done working for the day?" Buck asked. "Besides we're responsible, we'll keep you safe.

"Okay…" Connie whispered, nervous. "If you say so."

"But first, we have to deliver the rest of this pizza to Mr. Frowney." Buck said.

Connie sat in the front with Jenny and the boys sat in the back in her delivery car.

"Whoo! Wind in your face, that's what I'm talking about!" Jenny laughed. Connie cracked a small smile.

"Breathe deep, Connie. This is the smell of freedom." Buck said. Connie inhaled and laughed nervously, "Freedom smells like pepperoni."

"That's just the car." Jenny chuckled.

"You know what food definitely doesn't smell like freedom? Fish!" Sour Cream growled.

"Why fish?" Connie asked, turning to him.

Jenny gave a groan. "Uh oh, here we go."

"My step-dad was all on my case today saying-" He suddenly made mumbling noises, making Connie grin. "I'm just like, I don't want to be a fisherman. Everyone knows you can't rave in a raincoat, step-dad!"

"At least he only bugs you about one thing. My dad's gotta say something about everything I do, 'cause I'm the mayor's son. And I'm like, you can't tell me what to do, I'm the mayor's... wait." Buck hesitated and failed to say more.

Jenny laughed. "Puh-lease, you're are walking in cake with that talk. You guys don't even know what bad is until you have a sister. Look, I don't know why I have to spell it out that I'm the evil twin and she's the good one! Don't ask me to
help you with your homework, I'm at some metal concert."

"Family stuff is tricky." Connie muttered. The others nodded in agreement. "A few months back, my dad and the Gems grounded me from books."

The other kids were silent.

"... and then they banned me from TV."

She got a reaction out of that one. The teens all seemed shocked and surprised, letting out cries of indignation.

Connie countiued whispering, "And then I found out that the Gems are from outer space, and are rebels, and there are other Gems out there that want us dead because they think we're traitors. And they tried to take me hostage because they think
I'm my mother, who used to be their leader… that also turned on them. And maybe I kinda am her?" The girl sighed, "I wish I could talk to Jasper, Lapis, and Peri about it, but I think they kinda blame me for my mother not being around…."

There was a dead silence and Jenny turned off the radio. "That's heavy." She breathed.

"I guess." Connie shrugged.

"But you always seem so upbeat. You're a real champ, Connie Universe." Buck said.

"Yeah, I'd turn to fishing in a heartbeat if it meant not dealing with," Sour Cream suddenly gasped and pointing to something in the distance. "thaaaaat!"

The car screeched to a halt.

"What?! What did I hit?! What is it?!" Jenny panted.

"Glowing." Sour Cream said. They turned and saw a light turquoise glow coming from the corn field.

"We gotta check it out." Sour Cream said.

"I'm down." Buck shrugged.

Jenny turned the car to the feild and started to drive. "Alright, hold on."

Once they were close enough, the kids walked to the glow. "That's, like, as bright as like 600 glowsticks." Sour Cream whispered

The teens peered down into a crater and Connie gasped in suprsie. "Pearl's escape pod." The girl took a breath and said, "Okay, everybody step back. This is a gem machine and could be extremely dangerous."

"Check it out." Sour Cream said, picking up a rock.

"What are you doing?!" Connie hissed. The teen threw the rock onto the pod. "Boom!"

"Whoa, stop! Pearl might still be in there."

"Who's that?" Buck laughed. The kids climbed down to it.

"This biz is empty." Jenny said.

Buck gave a laugh. "It looks so busted."

"You need to get away from there!" Connie cried, pulling Jenny away.

"You need to relax. It's not doing anything." Jenny huffed.

"It's not just the pod." Connie exhaled. "This means Pearl is just out there somewhere, trying to hurt the earth!"

"Not cool, Earth forever!" Buck yelled. He started kicking the pod, as if that would do anything.

"Here come the rocks!" Sour Cream dropped loads of rocks on top of it.

"Connie, come take a selfie with me and this thing." Jenny said, taking out her phone.

"No, Jenny, I'm serious!" Connie cried.

"So am I." Jenny replied. She turned to Sour Cream who sat on the pod. "Sour Cream, what about you?"

"Sure, I'm down with whatever." The teen shrugged.

"Buck?"

"Nah, I like to just experience the moment for what it is sometimes." Buck paused, then said, "Plus the lighting is weird."

"Ugh, okay. Connie. Last call. I got funny stickers!" Jenny said.

They started taking selfies, Connie slowly and stiffly inched in over time. She soon started to smile. Jenny soon put fun stickers on them. Jenny

"These are so good!" Jenny squealed afterwards.

"Do.. Do I look ok?" Connie asked nervously.

"You look great," Jenny said reassurinly. She backed away. "look, stay right there, I'm going to take one more.." She then got a idea seeing Connie in front of the thing. She gasped. "Connie, you should get in there."

"What?" Connie gulped. She blushed, "I… shouldn't."

"Just for a second, one picture." Jenny pleaded. Connie stuttered, trying to protest but Buck already gently placed her in. Connie climbed and looked out smiling.

"Okay,ready! 3, 2…" She started taking pictures and Connie's presence activated it!

"Dude!" Sour Cream gasped, turning around to look. Connie was mystified looking at the controls.

"Oh my gosh, Connie! Whaaaaaa! This is so cool!" Jenny squealed, walking around her. Connie moved her hands slightly forward and the machine started to walk with her in it. She gasped in suprise. "Whoa…"

"Connie, how are you doing that?" Jenny whispered.

"I think it responds to my hands…" Connie whispered, trying to make it walk again, it worked. Connie gave a sigh. "I really shouldn't be playing with this. I have to take this back to the Temple immediately."

"No way, you just got it working!" Jenny moaned.

Buck nodded, adding on, "C'mon, aren't you your own mom? You can do whatever you want." Connie was going to say the Temps were her mothers truly, but Sour Cream said, "Yeah, you gotta do some donuts in that thing!"

"At least a dozen, baker's dozen." Buck added on with a smirk.

"Seriously, Connie, you've been under a lot of pressure. Don't you think you deserve to have a little fun?" Jenny whispered. Connie bit her lip.

That night, they played with the pod, Connie finally, after weeks of stress, having wild, free, fun. They raced the car against the pod, Connie winning everytime, the kids rose on top of it while Connie ran in the pod. They were giggling in joy
all night, for hours and hours.

"You really got the hang of that thing, huh?" Jenny grinned later.

Connie smiled with a happy flush. "Yeah, it always hooks to the right." She then rembered what she should've done hours ago. "I must get it back to the Temps though." The kids gave groans in sadness. Connie looked over and saw
a giant haystack. She grinned. One more exscuse for freedom. "... Right after I jump that haystack!"

The teens gave cheers and Connie made the thing go. She made it leap over the haystack.

The teens ran over when it fell over. "I'm okay!" Connie giggled, getting it up. "It's not actually so bad if you give it a little…" She punched the top of the pod and suddenly a black shield closed over the gap. Connie
gasped, not able to see any one.

"Connie?" Jenny whispered. A shockwave came out, knocking the teens away.

"Guys?" Connie gasped. Suddenly, translucent liquid, like the one the robonoids used before, filled the pod. Connie gasped and held her breath, thinking she may not be able to breath. She soon couldn't hold it anymore and exhaled. She
could breathe. Outside, the pod shot lasers everywhere and it sent a flare up into the sky, making a pink diamond shape. The kids ran everywhere, screaming.

"Connie! What's going on?" Jenny cried. Connie pounded her fists on the shield, then saw the Temps in the distance. She gasped, "Guys!"

"Heh, heh! I knew it! That flare led us right to the escape pod!" Peridot cried in triumph. Lapis saw the humans and yelled, "Are you okay?!"

"Help! Over here!" The teens screamed.

Connie pounded harder. "Jasper! Lapis! Peridot!"

"We'll save you, weaklings!" Peridot yelled, leaping up. Her pole flated and hit the pod like it was a racket to a tennis ball. "I can't believe it. That clody Pearl is still inside."

"She's probably weak from the landing. Don't hold back, give her all you got!" Jasper yelled

Lapis gave a nod. Water came out of the gem and wrapped around the pod. It froze over and landed with a sharp crack as the ice weighed it down to the ground.

Jasper walked up, her helmet appearing and taking out her destabilizatior.

"Wait! No!" The other teens screamed. Connie's ears were ringing after the fall to the ground. She glanced up and saw Jasper unknowingly smirking at her. "You know, Pearl, you got a lotta nerve taking refuge here! Of all places!"
The gem laughed darkly.

"Jasper?" Connie whispered.

"But I don't know what you get off attacking defenseless humans in your dead-beat escape pod! Maybe cause it's the only thing you can stand up to? Heh, hasn't Garnet told you I can mash her into the ground now? A dantiy Pearl will be
no problem."

"Jasper! It's me, Connie, can you hear me? Jasper!" Connie shouted, pounding louder and louder.

"If you think you're safe here, oh,I got news for you, brat." Jasper growled. "You're not!" She readied her helmet to hit the pod.

"JASPER!" Connie screeched.

"Stay off my home!" Jasper yelled, thrusting her helmet forward.

Jenny suddenly slid in front of her aim. "STOP!"

Jasper halted inches from the girl's face. Jenny gasped for air, clearly not only in fear for Connie's life, but her own as well. "C-Connie's in there."

Jasper looked at the pod, bending down to see Connie had curled herself up, and was shaking uncontrollably. "Kiddo..." Jasper whispered weakly. She picked up the pod and with one mighty crack, it split in half over her knee. Connie fell
out, winded.

"Connie?!" Lapis and Peridot cried in surprise.

"What were you doing in there?!" Lapis gasped.

"Connie! You found Pearl's escape pod and didn't come get me immediately!? I mean, I wouldn've handled this so much better!"

"We almost hurt you…" Lapis whispered softly in shock, hands over her mouth.

"Connie, are you insane?!" Jasper boomed. Connie flinched. "You, young lady, are in huge trouble! Do you hear me?! I'm very disappointed in you!"

"Yes…I… I understand…" Connie sighed, tears in her eyes. "I'll knew the rules and I… I broke them, I'll never do it again."

"Hey, cut the girl some slack!" Jenny growled, the teens running to stand in front of their friend.

"It's not her fault!" Buck insisted.

"Just let her be a DJ!" Sour Cream cried, accidentally putting his own problem into Connie's.

"Sometimes I just can't understand this strange language…" Peridot whispered.

"We just wanted Connie to have some fun." Sour Cream said. "I don't know what's going on with aliens trying to abduct her, and her being her own mom. But it sounds like she's got a lot on her mind."

"I'm sure whatever you're having her do is important, but everyone needs a break once in a while." Jenny whispered.

"She's just a kid." Buck said softly.

Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper glanced at each other.

"Jasper's punishments maybe are a bit much." Peridot whispered. Jasper punched her in the arm. "I-I mean our…"

"She did save us from being shattered..." Lapis smiled softly

"Connie," Jasper grunted sternly. Connie looked up. The gem smirked, "You're ungrounded from TV."

Connie squealed in happiness, running to Jasper and hugging her.