You ever get so shocked by something that your brain needs time to reboot?

Yep, that was Ann right now.

In fact, she had a strong hunch her mental faculties needed a full factory reset.

It took Connie snapping her fingers in the other girl's face (multiple times) to break the spell.

"Hey!"

Ann jerked with a startled "Wha-Huh?!"

"I just asked if you're one of the Phantom Thieves." Connie crossed her arms with a stern expression. "Well?"

Ah, right. Better think fast. Ann scratched the side of her own head, pondering how to handle this lovely mess. "Um, let's say hypothetically I was one of the Phantom Thieves. How would you – again, hypothetically – have figured that out?"

"Hypothetically, from your and Lars' conversation back at Fish Stew Pizza," Connie replied deadpan and point-blank. "More specifically from your little speech. If not for that, I would have thought you were as obsessed as Ronaldo. "

And digging around for clues for a chance to be a hero, Connie thought to herself to avoid antagonizing the other girl. Regardless, she smirked. "Hopefully, you aren't a Phantom Thief after all, because you didn't do a good job being discreet."

Ann huffed and shifted her eyes away in offended embarrassment. "Y-Yeah, well…you'd make a pretty good Phantom Thief yourself!"

Oh yes, what an epic comeback.

Which somehow managed to take Connie back, judging by the shorter girl's shocked expression and deep blush.

"Wha—no!" she heatedly retorted. "I'm no thief! I only sneak around if there's an advantage to gain!"

Ann blinked back, blank-faced. "That's…pretty theify if you ask me."

Now was Connie's turn to blush. She stubbornly crossed her arms with a huff. "Look, bottom line: you know a way to help all those Gems and I know your secret identity! Plus, I've dealt with Gems almost as much as Steven has, so I have insight on them you and your team don't. What do you say?"

Oh boy. Ann bit her bottom lip before sighing and finally throwing her hands up. "OK, OK, just…let me contact the others first and see what they think. I'll call you tomorrow to let you know our decision, I promise."

And since tomorrow was Saturday, that left plenty of free time for the team to coordinate their next course of action.

Connie narrowed her eyes for a moment, suspicious, until she gave a stiff nod. "Fine. If I don't get an answer by tomorrow evening, I will break your door down for answers."

Most folks would have found this threat…well, threatening, especially if they knew what Connie was capable of.

Ann merely giggled despite herself, hand to her mouth. This girl would get along well with Makoto. "Don't worry," she assured upon noticing Connie's unamused frown, "as soon as our meeting's done, I'll let you know first thing. In fact, what if I introduced you to one of them now?"

At least that way, Futaba would be up to speed on the situation so far, assuming the girl hadn't already been listening in from Ann's phone.

"We could even go back to Fish Stew Pizza and split a pizza while we talk!" Ann sweatdropped after saying this, rubbing her head in embarrassment. "I rushed out after you before I could get my order anyway."

Connie shrugged. As long as she got to help the Gems and Steven with this dumpster fire of a situation, she couldn't care less where they continued this talk. Besides, she hadn't eaten anything all day.

XXX

After a thankfully short walk back to Fish Stew and a hasty apology to the restaurant girl (Kiki she'd introduced herself) for bolting away earlier, the two girls sat side by side at Ann's table from earlier, two drinks and a small pizza between them.

Ann noticed the absence of both Lars and his crew and Ronaldo though chose to shrug it off for now. Instead, she pulled out her cellphone and opened up her texting app, only to discover a plethora of messages already waiting for her – and not just from Futaba.

Out of her peripheral, Ann noticed Connie eye the messages in chagrin. Right, the other girl couldn't read Japanese. Ann punched in a quick response and then waited.

Before Connie's eyes, the display of Ann's phone glitched for a hot second before righting itself – and in it's the place the Japanese text had all been replaced by English. Connie could not help but gawk.

"Futaba's a bit of a hacker," Ann explained in a way too casual tone. "She's been listening to most of my conversations through my phone."

Listening to— Connie processed before a sudden uncomfortable thought struck her. She hastily pulled out her own phone from her pants pocket to pry open the messaging app. Thankfully, she wasn't getting swamped like Ann, though this didn't help much since now a text bubble marked by a weird grinning catlike logo occupied the top of her screen.

FS: Indeed, I have! Hey there, Connie Maheswaran! Name's Futaba Sakura! Sorry about hacking your phone and all. I figured text-to-text would be easier. You know, language barrier and all.

Connie shot a wary glance at Ann, who gave an encouraging nod, before responding.

CM: It's OK…I guess. I don't have to worry about you abusing my personal info, right?

FS: You mean how much you stay up at night texting Steven?

Dark red permeated Connie's cheeks, eyes wide.

FS: Don't worry, I only glanced the number of conversations you two had and their timestamps. The sanctity of your love life remains squeaky clean!

Connie bit down a chagrined sigh. One minute and already she felt tested.

CM: Thanks? Anyway, how much of my talk with Ann did you hear?

FS: Pretty much everything. So, you figured out our little secret, eh?

CM: Pretty much.

FS: Welcome to the fold then, Ms. Maheswaran! We hope you enjoy your stay cuz you're not leaving anytime soon!

Connie, despite herself, couldn't help cracking a grin at this Futaba's sense of humor.

Ann, meanwhile, had been busying herself with answering her friends and glanced over at Connie's phone. The contents of their conversation so far had her smiling as well, relieved they were getting along so quickly.

AT: Hey Futaba, is it cool if we add Connie to the group chat after tomorrow's meeting? She really wants to help.

FS: Sure! I don't see how she'll be able to, considering…stuff, but sure!

Stuff? Connie cast a suspicious gaze on Futaba's answer and then Ann. Did this have to do with the mental mindscape stuff she overheard Ann discussing with Lars earlier? Because if so, Connie saw no reason for these guys to doubt her ability. After all, she's dealt with mind trips plenty of times thanks to her time with Steven and his family.

A sudden ping echoed from Ann's phone, making the blonde gasp in surprise. In a flurry, she started typing back, much to Connie's curiosity.

The darker girl didn't have to wait long before Ann looked to her, taken back.

"Our leader wants to talk to you."

Here, now? Already? Connie stiffened in similar surprise but managed to shake it off.

FS: Wow, he does! Alrighty then, let me patch him through!

Patch him? Through text messages? Connie had half a mind to ask how that could be possible but had no time to before a new text message popped up from under Futaba's, sporting a red and black hat with a mask.

AK: Hey.

CM: Uh, hey?

AK: You wanna help, right?

Damn, to the point. In that case, Connie gladly reciprocated.

CM: Yeah! What do I have to do?

FS: First things first! Hey Ann, you checked your phone lately?

Ann gave an uncertain 'hmm' before something clicked for her, indicated by her widened eyes. She briefly collapsed the messaging app to check her icons. Sure enough, a new symbol had appeared – except it wasn't the Meta-Nav. At least, not the one she and her teammates had known from their last adventure.

Rather than red with a stylized eye, the icon sported a white background framed by a thin rainbow boarder, the inside occupied a black triangle segmented into thick black horizontal lines running upward into a circle. A representation of stairs angled towards the Sun.

Ann eyed the new app in confusion and a touch of apprehension. What could this mean?

Connie, not privy to the same dearth of knowledge, only regarded the other girl's reaction with wariness. Why did she have a feeling this venture might be more out of her depth than she initially suspected?

She shook her head, fierce and defiant. No, she refused to back down now.

"Looks like we're going back to the Metaverse after all," Ann murmured, voice breaking Connie out of her thoughts. "Well, at least we have our means in. Now we just need the way, which means we're gonna need the keywords."

Keywords? Connie furrowed her brow at Ann in confusion. A ping on her phone this time returned Connie's attention to the messages.

FS: Basically, the passwords to Steven's mind. Every major target we've gone after has had this mental area called a Palace where their distorted desires take shape. Think of them as worlds that belong to a person's heart.

Uh, wow. OK, scratch that; this adventure definitely wasn't going to be the same as Gem stuff. Mindscapes, Connie had seen before but entire worlds?

AK: Those distorted desires take the form of Treasures. Those are what we take to trigger a change of heart.

FS: Buuuuut we can't get to the Treasure without getting into the Palace first.

"That's why the keywords are so important," Ann elaborated.

Ronaldo's words flashed back to Connie. Ah, now she started to see how the pieces fit together.

CM: So…these keywords basically need to mean something to Steven. How do we figure them out?

AK: Three things: first Steven's full name, first and last.

Sounded simple enough. Connie nodded, following so far.

FS: Then the place his Palace is modelled after. And last but far from least, how he sees that place.

How Steven…sees it? Connie bit her bottom lip, feeling her bravado stall a bit.

Ann noticed and chimed in to help her new ally along. "Well, for starters, his Palace must at least have Beach City in it. He grew up here after all."

"Y-Yeah!" Connie chirped, thankful for the suggestion, knowing Ann had provided her a much-needed impetus. "If that's not enough, we can always include Little Homeworld too! Although" – her frown returned as she shifted her eyes to her phone screen – "I can't imagine how else he'd view this place other than home."

While the other girl mused, Ann glanced out the window at the boardwalk and beach to ponder this valid point. She thought back on all her previous talks with Steven, which admittedly hadn't given her much as the conversation had mostly been about her.

Not out of trying either. Now that Ann reflected, she realized Steven had been purposely directing all topics away from himself. The first red flag.

"What about hospital?"

Connie's voice broke Ann out of her reverie, the blonde turning to face her. "Huh?"

"Steven's always helping people, so I figured we'd go with the most obvious one."

"Oh, right!" Ann lifted her throat and cleared her throat. "Steven Universe. Beach City. Hospital."

A few moments passed before a ding sounded, followed by a familiar computerized voice. At least that part hadn't changed.

Candidate insufficient.

Unlike that.

Ann and Connie stared in silence at the former's phone, dumbstruck and jaws dropped. What did the Nav just say?

The girls shared a look before Ann tried again to make sure they'd heard right. Same response.

Candidate insufficient.

AT: Uh, Futaba…

FS: Yeah, I heard. Also, FYI, the others are in my room right now, listening in. Ryuji's wigging out.

Yeah, Ann didn't blame him. Also, she could tell as much given the sudden explosion of messages on her phone, although thankfully that settled down after a few seconds.

AK: Futaba, add Connie to the group chat.

FS: Roger, leader.

Faster than Connie could blink, messages with icons similar to the first but in different colors popped up on her screen, their answers also translated into English, thank goodness.

MN: Hello, Connie? Can you see our conversation now?

CM: Yeah.

MN: Oh good! My name is Makoto.

YK: Yusuke.

HO: Haru. It's a pleasure to meet you, Connie-san.

SY: Agreed. I'm Sumire!

RS: Ryuji. S'up?

AK: Akira.

CM: It's nice to meet all of you. I take it this 'Nav' isn't acting the way it's supposed to?

RS: Yeah. It ain't never responded that way about a Ruler before.

HO: It's not saying this Steven isn't a Ruler, though.

MN: Right, just that he isn't enough on his own to warrant access.

YK: Is that to insinuate this Palace belongs to multiple people then?

SY: Wait, didn't you say once Shido had the Shadows of other people in his Palace, senpai? Maybe it's like that?

AK: That Palace still belonged to only Shido. The other Shadows were more like confidantes.

MN: It's true. This is something else entirely.

Ann pursed her lips, thoughtful.

AT: But then that means Steven's not the only one here with distorted enough desires to make a Palace. Who else could there be?

Who else indeed? Connie thought back on today, on everything that had happened: coming to visit, the brief altercation with Jasper, Steven's incident, the scene between her own mother and…Steven's family.

A bone-curdling thought seeped into her mind, leaving a hunch she loathed to admit. Holding down a heavy gulp, she addressed her companion in a slow and wary tone. "Hey, Ann, can I try something?"

The blonde regarded her in uncertain concern. "Uh sure."

In a clear, albeit slightly tremulous, voice Connie fixed a hard stare on the other girl's phone and stated, "Crystal Gems."

Candidates found.

Oh. Well shit.

Meager chuckles escaped Connie before petering out into another chagrined sigh. She put a hand to her head, doing her best to soothe the mounting disbelief and frustration. Even after everything, the progress they'd made for both their own sake and Steven's…

A hand on her shoulder broke Connie out of her downward spiral of thought, startling her.

"You gonna be OK?" Ann asked in concern.

"I'm fine! I'm fine," Connie hastily assured before brushing Ann's hand off. "Anyway, we figured out the first keyword. Now for the next: Beach City."

Location insufficient.

Figures.

"Alright," Connie huffed. "Beach City and Little Homeworld."

Locations found.

And now…uh. Connie and Ann shared another look, at a loss from here on out.

"We already tried 'hospital', right?"

"Let's try it again just to be sure."

Same results as before.

"OK …how about 'sanctuary'?" Connie guessed. "Or maybe 'paradise'?"

Conditions have not been found.

"Uh, shelter? Church?" Ann supplied.

Conditions have not been found.

"Mosque?" Connie tried next, only to catch a questioning look from Ann. She shrugged. "Steven's Jewish."

Alas, they met the same response still.

With a sigh, Ann tossed her head back in frustration.

AT: Any suggestions would be welcome, you guys.

RS: Hey don't look at us! You're the ones who've been hanging out with the guy!

FS: Hey now, don't go forgetting my surveillance!

MN: Now that she brings it up, based on what Futaba's shown us as well as this conversation, it's clear Steven deeply values helping others.

YK: Or rather his ability to help others.

CM: That's why I tried 'hospital' first. Steven's always doing his best to help others heal.

SY: Maybe you're thinking too small.

AK: What do you mean?

SY: I mean, he sounds as though he's done so many wonderful things for so many people.

HO: Yes, he hasn't merely healed people. He's made them all happy.

Everyone but himself, Ann reflected in sympathy. Her peripherals noticed Connie donning a similar expression.

"Hey, Connie?" she spoke up. "You heard Lars tell me about what Steven did at the first graduation, right?"

Connie, despite not making eye contact, replied with a solemn nod. "You mean how he accidently trapped everyone because he was scared to death about them leaving him behind? Pretty much." Her eyes shot wide and swiveled to Ann. "You think that might tie into what his – er their palace is?"

Ann shrugged. "It's possible. Except, how would the others see this place and Little Homeworld?"

To that question, Connie had no immediate answer. Mainly because she couldn't stomach the thought of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl still having inner demons, not after everything Steven (and to an extent Connie herself) did to help them move on and better themselves.

For the second time today, a bone-chilling thought came to her: what if that's how these white-outs and reversions found their way in? By taking advantage of these 'distorted desires' as the Phantom Thieves kept calling them?

Wait, what if the cause was the answer? Connie put a hand to her chin as she pondered this.

CM: If they're all Rulers, then their distorted desires should have something in common, right? What does it take for someone to even get any in the first place?

A bit of silence at first.

RS: Mainly society being shitty.

MN: Not quite how I'd word it, but exactly.

SY: It can also be a result of trauma. Think, what's something unfair that's happened to Steven and his family?

MN: More importantly, how has it impacted the way they see their home?

Connie took one look at all these suggestions and promptly slouched over the table with a groan. Something unfair and impactful, she mused bitterly, Gee, where should I start?

She sat back up and took a few slow, cleansing breaths. OK, no need to chicken out. Best to get the uncomfortable parts done first.

CM: Well for starters, Steven's mom basically died from childbirth.

A moment of silence followed.

FS: Oh.

RS: Damn.

HO: That's awful!

Ann similarly gaped, taken back. She had no idea.

"It left everyone she knew messed up for the longest time," Connie continued somberly, "so messed up in fact that Steven had to help them all work through their problems himself." And she hadn't even gotten into the stuff Rose/Pink had done prior to her son's birth, let alone how it had affected (and kept affecting) Steven.

Right then her eyes expanded in realization. "That's it, isn't it? Now that there's no one around who needs his help, he doesn't know what to do with himself."

Then her brow furrowed. "Except that still doesn't explain the others. They seem like they're doing just fine for themselves."

FS: Well, they did help overthrow an intergalactic empire. Pretty sure that left a scar or two.

SY: Even if they're doing better for themselves, that doesn't mean the same can be said for how they are towards Steven.

YK: Indeed. How have they treated him compared to now?

RS: Like what kinda crap have they put 'im through?

Call Connie oversensitive, but she couldn't but think these guys were starting to get the wrong idea about the Gems. Thankfully, she wasn't the only one bothered by the wording of that last question.

MN: Could you show a little tact, Ryuji?

RS: Hey, until I see them treating their kid like a person, I ain't takin' chances.

Sadly, as much as she agreed with Makoto, Ann understood her childhood friend's perspective. That argument with Connie's mom hadn't exactly painted Steven's family in the best light.

Even Connie couldn't bring herself to fully get upset now that she gave Ryuji's question a second thought, reflecting back on the messed-up things she'd either seen or heard Steven state the Gems had done. Besides, it had been a while since she'd seen any of them, never mind only Steven. What if they'd simply gotten better at hiding their problems?

Connie shook her head.

CM: Look, you guys are used to dealing with awful people, I get it. But the Gems are NOT criminals – she paused for a moment – and neither is Steven's dad. They just – then she sighed – made really stupid mistakes. A lot of really stupid mistakes.

Again, she felt Ann's hand on her shoulder but did nothing this time to shake it off.

HO: We understand, Connie-san, and we're sorry.

MN: Yes, it wasn't our intention to upset you. Right, Ryuji?

RS: OK, OK, I get it, I'm sorry! I just - a pause – think it's unfair this guy stuck his neck out so much just to get screwed over.

Despite herself, Connie cracked a smile. She was starting to see why people looked up to these guys.

AK: So, to recap. Steven feels lost because there's no one left who he can help, and his family might be hiding leftover angst themselves.

SY: Except none of them sound willing to open up. Or at least Steven isn't.

CM: Given his history, I wouldn't put it past him.

YK: Indeed, it sounds as though your friend might be determined to live out a fantasy.

Fantasy. That last word got the gears in Connie's head turning, memories of that one disastrous time with Steven in his mother's wish-granting room coming to mind. What if…?

Outside her thoughts, the conversation continued.

MN: Still, we shouldn't be too hasty. You two should see if you can't get some answers from Steven first.

HO: Perhaps you can even convince him to help? He must know something about what's been going on.

RS: Hey, who knows, maybe we can even let your boyfriend join up, too?

As much Connie could tell Ryuji was joking, her brain couldn't help pawing at the idea of her and Steven fighting together again. Perhaps even being Stevonnie again.

She smiled softly at the thought – only for said smile to shift into a puzzled frown she directed at Ann soon after.

"Wait, you said your friend's been listening into our conversations, and the Phan – you know who are based in Japan. Does she – er, do you all understand English too?" Connie now directed the question to the phone since she now knew Futaba was listening in. "Now that I think about it, why are Ann and I even texting back when you guys can hear us just fine?"

FS: Cuz it's way more fun!

HO: Agreed!

…I honestly don't know what I expected, Connie mused. This group really marched to the beat of their own drum.

Before the conversation could presume, a piercing shout from outside pierced the air, followed by a rush of screams and hurried footfalls.

"What the…?" Ann murmured as she and Connie shot their eyes to the window in time to witness people, both humans and Gems, hightailing it outside in panic.

Without warning, Connie shot out of her seat and out the door, heading the opposite direction of the fleeing crowds.

"Hey, wait for me!"

XXX

The girls did not take long to reach the epicenter of the bedlam, right in front of It's A Wash to be more precise.

Connie sincerely hoped Mr. Universe wouldn't have to worry about being sued by the tourists because the scene that greeted her and Ann upon arrival was not pretty.

A pink and red Quartz with discolored spots currently in one-sided fisticuffs with a more magenta and shorter pigtailed Gem who kept stretching this way and like a cartoon to avoid the incensed soldier's attacks while doing her best (and failing) to get the other Gem to settle down.

"Hey, will ya quit swingin' already?! What I said ain't that big a deal!"

"IT IS THAT BIG A DEAL, YOU INSOLENT PEBBLE! NOW TAKE BACK YOUR BLASPHEMOUS COMMENT!"

Spinel, Connie mentally realized once she recognized the upside-down heart gemstone. Out the corner of her eye, she also noticed Greg peeking out from behind the building with a few Gems, cellphone in hand and up to his panicked face.

On the bright side, no civilians to get into the crossfire, she noted in relief before reaching back for her sword – only to realize her trusty weapon and its sheath were not there. Shit, I left my only weapon at home!

In defense, she hadn't expected to come across a fight today. Oh, the words Pearl would have for her.

Only one thing left to do then. Without further prompt, Connie stuck two fingers into her mouth and whistled.

Fweeeee-EET!

"Hey!" she called out, hands cupped around her mouth. "You scared to have a real fight?!"

That did the trick. Right way, the Quartz paused in her rampage to fix Connie with an insulted glare.

I guess we're doing this now, Ann thought in flustered resignation. Oh well, better than standing on the sidelines. "Y-Yeah," she shouted in suit, "you heard her! Only a coward singles out someone who doesn't want to fight back!"

"This has nothing to do with you humans," the Quartz sneered back, her attention now wholly on the girls and allowing her previous target to slink away unnoticed in turn.

"Tch, sure," Connie drawled in a sarcastic tone, "somebody causing trouble at my boyfriend's dad's place? Obviously not my problem!"

"Seriously," Ann added in a more confident tone, "do you get off of causing scenes or is this just how you treat everyone who doesn't agree with you?"

The Quartz grit her teeth, temper clearly rising, much to Connie and Ann's dread because what now? As much as the girls didn't regret helping that other Gem out, now they had a hulking rock warrior ready to pummel them.

Thankfully, neither of them had to provide the answer for one came in the form of a pink shield that came flying in and clocked the Quartz clean upside the head, pausing her rampage.

Both Connie and Ann shot around to regard the curly-haired boy dashing their way with thankful smiles. "Steven!"

"Cherry! Spinel!" Steven called out. "What is going on here?!"

The magenta Gem, who'd taken refuge behind the huge sign atop the carwash, held her gloved hands up in defense. "Don't look at me! I was just havin' civil conservation when this chick went all ham on me!"

"Quiet, you impudent jester!" Cherry snapped. "You have some nerve to spread lies about the Diamonds!"

Lies? Steven, Connie, and Ann stared at the Quartz in utter bafflement. What did she mean?

Also, who are the Diamonds? Ann wondered to herself.

Spinel adopted an irritated snarl in return. "Hey, all I said is that the Diamonds' been doin' their best to change Homeworld. Don't really see which parts warrant tryin' to sock me!"

Cherry, snarling, tucked into a ball to spin-dash towards Spinel, only for Steven dash over at a speed that left both Ann and especially Connie gawking in shock (Had he always been that fast?) and deflect her with another shield, sending the soldier skidding back.

Once her momentum cleared, Cherry eyed Steven and his weapon in utter disbelief. "You…but you're human! How are you…?"

Her confusion reflected onto Steven's face. Why was she talking as though she'd never—

SHING!

In the blink of an eye, an opalescent spear sliced clean through Cherry's neck and effectively beheaded her, a sight that sent Ann gasping in shock. Cherry herself barely had time to even register what happened, let alone notice her head fly off, before her entire body exploded in a puff of brightly colored smoke.

The miasma cleared seconds later to reveal Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst standing tall and proud.

Well, at least until Pearl noticed their boy.

"Steven!" The lean Gem dashed over and proceeded to check him over in maternal panic. "Oh stars, are you alright?!"

"Yeah dude," Amethyst added with hands akimbo and a calmer though no less worried expression, "you hit the ground runnin' right after we got Greg's call!"

"Guys, I'm fine! Really!" Steven insisted, being quick to gently push away smothering Pearl's hands. He looked over his shoulder at Spinel who'd hopped back down once she saw the coast was clear. "What about you?"

Spinel tossed her hands with a wide yet awkward grin. "Eh, shaken but not stirred." Her attention drifted to the gemstone left behind by Cherry, curious. "What was her deal?"

"I don't know," Steven admitted before regarding the stone with a saddened gaze as he watched Garnet bubble it away. "She'd been doing just fine so far."

At least last since Steven checked, and that'd been back when…

Dawning horror started to creep over Steven's face. Had…had Cherry been suffering a relapse into old habits because he left? The rising despair and guilt he wore must have been obvious because right away he felt the warm facets of Ruby's gemstone on his shoulder.

"Steven, you're not at fault for what happened," Garnet gently assured him. "And you're right, she had been doing well up until now."

"Like I tried to tell her," Spinel chimed in, "we were just talking about the Diamonds and all of a sudden she went looney on me!"

A clear of the throat brought everyone's attention to Greg and the small group of Gems who had emerged from their hiding place. A slim pink Pearl with Princess Leia-like buns and cute leotard, the source of the sound, spoke up.

"Actually, I noticed that while we were all talking that her eyes went white for a moment after Spinel took her attention off her. Right after what Spinel said about the Diamonds, in fact."

White? Steven's pupils dilated even further as unwanted memories came flooding in. He quickly shook his head to keep himself from drifting away, though the fear still clung hard.

"Yes!" chirped a Peridot-sized cyan Gem decked in a little sweater and scarf, her accented voice breaking Steven's thought process much to the young man's relief. "And right before she started attacking, she was holding her head as if she were coming to from something."

"And when little Larimar here asked her what was wrong," a huger and bulkier black and white Gem added, "Cherry snapped at her to get out of the way so she could get to Spinel."

Ann's brow scrunched at that last detail. Hang on, so that Gem hadn't fainted like Steven and the others had before changing?

At this moment Greg sought to break up the tension with a classic Universe smile. "Hey, what matters is that nobody got hurt, right? Maybe the stress of adjusting to a new way of life just got to her. Right?"

The sea of unconvinced faces did much to knock the wind out of his optimism's sails. He rubbed his nape with a nervous cringe. "Or maybe not. I've been gone on tour with Sadie and Shep, so I'm a little out of the loop here. Anybody wanna clue me in on what's happening?"

Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst shared reluctant and tense looks, as though holding a silent counsel. Not an assuring response.

The tension only became more palpable once Steven spoke up.

"Yeah, what has been happening?" His tone and face indicated zero room for bullshit. "Why did Cherry attack Spinel like that?"

At this point, the three elder Crystal Gems balked at being caught red-handed in their secrecy, a habit Steven had wished he'd never have to witness again.

At last, Garnet sighed in defeat. "This has been happening for almost two weeks now, not long after you left Little Homeschool."

"And the, uh"— Amethyst spared a conspiratorial gaze at everyone else before lowering her voice and hiding her mouth behind her hand – "Prickles Incident."

"The first case cropped up the day after we returned from the rink with Bismuth in fact," Pearl elaborated before wringing her hands. "We don't know how but Gems have started acting as though they'd been rejuvenated."

In the background, Spinel flinched guiltily at the last word.

"We tried interrogating them," Pearl explained, "but we've had no leads whatsoever. It also doesn't help that these incidents have had intervals of one or two days in between. We haven't been able to make any sense of how this is happening!"

During this whole explanation, Steven stood there, dumbstruck and unable to believe his ears, all anger replaced by dread.

Two weeks. Almost two weeks of things falling apart, things that had been perfectly fine with him here.

And he hadn't been there to fix any of them.

He shouldn't have left.

He never should have left.

Why had he ever left?

Meanwhile Connie and Ann both noticed Steven's cheeks start to…blush?

Hang on. Am I going nuts, the former mused in wonder as her eyes peered closer, or is his whole face glowing pink?

Indeed, before everyone's eyes, Steven's body and even clothes became engulfed in an eerily pink neon. Exactly like – Connie's stomach fell once the similarities struck her –that day.

Ann, too, gaped as she took in Steven's new state. Had this been what Lars and his crew had seen that day at graduation?

Only Steven himself didn't seem to notice the change, still stuck in the downward spiral of his mind – that is until his father approached him, soft concern (and slight fear) in his tone as he placed a gentle hand on his son's shoulder.

"Schtu-ball? Hey, you OK there, buddy?"

The well-intentioned touch caused Steven to startle for a hot second before he remembered where he was. Seeing his father's taken back expression, he hastily plastered on the fakest smile anyone had ever seen him wear.

"Wha – Y-Yeah! Yeah, totally! TOTALLY!" He gestured to himself, both hands on his chest, chuckling frenetically. "I'm in control! Absolutely and perfectly in control!"

This ramshackle answer only earned the boy an audience of unconvinced and increasingly worried stares.

"Dude," Amethyst slowly voiced, "maybe you oughta sit down? You're lookin' kinda..."

"Stressed?!" The crack in Steven's voice could not be any more obvious. He threw his hands in a blasé manner, the pitch of his cackling rising. "No, do I even look stressed to you guys?"

"Well yes," Pink Pearl timidly piped up from behind, "a little?"

Somehow, Steven could feel himself glowing even harder. How could he have overlooked her presence? How could he have overlooked anything?

At this point, Connie had seen enough. She stepped forward, not wanting her boyfriend's anxiety to spike any higher. Though she took ginger steps lest she startle Steven way, judging by the boy's startled look upon noticing her, her caution wasn't amounting to much.

When she noticed her friend start to back up, eyes wide from fear and shame, Connie paused to fix him with an assuring smile. "Hey," she coaxed as she extended a hand towards him, "it's gonna be OK. We're all still here. I'm still here."

To her relief, Steven's body started to lose tension at her words, slowly yet surely, and while the glowing hadn't fully subsided, it had lost enough opacity for his skin tone to peek through.

Tentatively, he started to smile and reach forward in turn.

Then he stopped immediately, smile dipping into a frown, much to Connie's confusion.

"Steven?"

"She's not," her friend angrily muttered under his breath, eyes suddenly downcast. Steven started shaking his head as if in denial, eyes clamping shut. Before Connie would ask what was wrong, his hands shot up to grasp his head. "She's not lying."

"Steven, who are you—"

"Stop talking…," Steven growled, fingers digging into his scalp.

"Steven?" Greg reached out in rising worry. "Hey—"

"Stop lying…"

"Yo, dude," Amethyst asked in a gentle tone, "what are you—"

"Stop. Lying."

"Steven," Pearl begged, "please. Just tell us what's—"

"STOP LYING!"

BOOM!

Without warning, Steven's shout went off like an explosion, punching a crater into the concrete beneath him. It sent every person near him – Connie, Greg, Amethyst, and Pearl – flying while everyone else either fought to stay on their feet or clung to the nearest support.

The tremors ended as quickly as they'd come.

For the first few moments, everyone could only gape in utter shock at the boy glowing a fierce neon pink.

For those first few moments, Steven paid no attention, too busy with coming down from his outburst to notice, breathing heavy and eyes wild.

But then he lifted his eyes and noticed. He noticed the aftermath.

The damage, the hurt, the fear.

All by his own hands.

All color drained from his face, both glow and skin, as he gripped his own arms, face stricken.

He did this. He did all of this.

An apology tried to fight its way out, only to die on his tongue.

No apology could fix this. He didn't deserve to apologize for this.

He didn't deserve forgiveness.

Tears stinging his eyes, Steven shot off towards the sky, levitation powers taking him far, far away.