A/N: Steven begins his journey to Earth here.
Steven POV:
As I fallowed Blue and Yellow, I couldn't believe this was actually happening!
I'm going to Earth for the first time!
I'll finally be able to visit Earth, see the world where the other half of my form originated, and see dad for the first time! I may have only heard of him from Blue and Yellow, as well as logs from my late mother saying that he was a silly man who was a traveling singer. I'm so excited to see something besides reports, Gems, and HomeWorld in general, it gets so boring here!
"Now Steven, please pay attention, because this next part is very important", Yellow said sternly, knocking me out of my trance. We had all stopped before a regular sized ship, similar to a Ruby's, just slightly taller, all white, and in a diamond shape. In front of it was a Peridot Gem, who had bowed when we all showed up, "Greetings my Diamonds, your ship as requested is ready", she said stiffly. I always wonder if the Gems are made that way or it was special training to make them all act so formal and attentive.
"Very good, now, explain it to Steven, seeing as how he'll be the one inside", Yellow ordered, the Peridot nodding as she directed me towards the ship. I understood and walked over to stand by her as she lead me inside, Blue and Yellow waiting for us outside. It was a standard model with a large captains chair, a bed chamber, and a few cabinets which I assume are full of food and water I'll need.
"As you can see my Diamond, this ship is fully stocked with all that you may need on your trip, as well as a bed for you to rest in. The destination has already been set in the computers, though it will be up to you where you ultimately land on Earth. I made it so the controls are easy to use for when you need to make quick movements and get out of a bad situation. I hope it is to your satisfaction", Peridot explained, the last in a shy whisper to me with a bow.
I sighed and pat her back, shocking her briefly as I gave her a large smile, making her smile as well, "Thank you my Diamond!", she said happily. After the brief tour was over, we both went back to the entrance, her walking out fully while I stayed partially inside. "Dose he like it?", Blue asked the Peridot, "He gave me a nod as well as a bright smile, I can safely say he does", Peridot said. "And there aren't any errors or mistakes inside, it'll be a safe trip to and back?", Yellow asked, her question more stern.
"I had quadruple checked every circuit and triple checked the path the ship will take, he should be able to avoid any outer derby or asteroids. When he gets to Earth, I left that up to him", Peridot explained, checking her holo screens and showing them to Blue and Yellow. They both scanned the screens for any possible flaws or troubles, and found none, making them both nod. "Alright then, great work Peridot unit, you are free to go", Yellow said, standing back up along with Blue.
"It is an honor my Diamonds", Peridot said, giving off our symbol, and then leaving to her own transportation pod. After she was gone, Blue and Yellow directed their attention back onto me, some fear in their eyes. "Now Steven, are you all set, you don't need anything else?", Blue asked me softly, where I responded with a head shake no.
"Will you be alright visiting Greg?", Yellow asked, where I nodded with a wide grin, "Good then, now, you are free to stay as long as you'd like. Just check in with us every week so we know that we know you are ok", Yellow said with crossed arms. I nodded again, that small communicator should be inside when I go looking around, something for me to do. "Alright, we hope you enjoy your trip and that you have a wonderful time", Blue said, a few tears escaping her eyes.
I smiled as I walked out and hugged their robes, making them smile as they kneeled down and hugged me. I may have cried a little, but now I was just excited for my trip, so after the hug ended, I walked back over to the entrance, my back to them. I could feel their sad gazes on me, making me feel bad, this must be hard for them to handle given what they've gone through. Having lost Pink centuries ago and then White, forcing them to live without her and raise me, which they weren't really prepared for.
"Blue. Yellow", I said out loud, where I heard them gasp hearing me talk, a rare opportunity for me to do. I turned half my face to them, showing a bright smile with small tears, "I love you", I said as I walked inside, the door closing behind me. I went up to the controls and started up the ship, very easily I might say, another gift from the Peridot. I felt the floor move beneath my feet and saw the sights move from the screen, the buildings getting smaller and smaller.
I looked outside to the other window and saw Blue and Yellow wave and smile at the ship, seeing me off. I waved back at them, not really knowing if they could see me or not, but whatever the case, I went back to the seat and watched as the stars got closer. This was the first time in my life I've ever been off world, only hearing stories from other Gems and the Diamonds. My grin couldn't be any wider as I vibrated in my seat, witnessing the stars and planets pass me by in light speed.
'Earth, here I come!', I thought with joy as the ride got faster!
Time Skip, 2 Days:
Even with the best ships on HomeWorld, it still takes quite a while for one ship to go all the way to Earth. Though I spent the time getting aquatinted with the controls for when I land, a world map of where I'll officially land, and catch up on my human history. I knew all about Gem history, but if I were to get used too when I meet other humans, and I'm excited about that!
The only humans I heard about was at the Zoo, but that's all I ever did, having never actually gone there myself. Though from what I've read on humans now, on Earth, they have some interesting habits and traditions unlike HomeWorld.
They apparently like wearing clothes halfway, staring at their outdated communication devices, and listening to very bizarre sounds they call 'music'. What was weird is that they get around using strange metal boxes they call 'cars' to carry themselves small distances. It's odd that they just own small creatures to entertain them or to play, why not observe them and see how they work? Why do they all live in large bunches across the globe and not just all together, where they arguing?
Forget that, right now, I'm practicing my English writing and speaking, seeing as how I'll be landing on the northern continent where that's the most common language. The real struggle will be how I'll need to talk more and not just have all the answers said at once for no reason.
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!
I jumped a little and raced over to the controls, seeing that I was now entering Earth's Solar System, I'm almost there. Ok Steven, time to get to work and land this baby! Checking the map, I searched for the town I was going to land in, 'Maybe further away so I don't scare anyone', I thought. I moved the original pinpoint a bit always from the town, into a small highway that's clear and open enough for my ship to land.
Grabbing hold of the navigations, I entered Earth's atmosphere fast enough to catch fire, so I needed to slow down enough not to damage the ship. I pulled back as far as I could, feeling the ship get slower as I reached the ground at a still high speed.
BANG!
I lurched forward abruptly at the landing, 'Defiantly should work on that', I thought, rubbing my head in pain. You'd think with a giant Diamond in my head, it wouldn't hurt as bad since it's one of the hardest minerals in the universe. Standing up slowly, I saw that there wasn't any visible damage inside the ship, though a few sittings fell out of place or out the cabinets. 'That's a good sign', I thought as I started the ships computer, "Damage Report", I said, hearing a few beeps.
"All systems functional, no damage both in or outside the vessel",
I nodded and went over to the bed, where I had organized what I'll need when I go into town, but was slightly jumbled at the landing. There, a small dark grey bag sat with a small circle of the simple, yet necessary, items I'll need for my stay.
1 bag of dehydrated food that will grow with water
3 bottles of purified water
1 Gem Communicator
A Family Portrait
'Earth For Dummies' Book (Not actually on the list, just thought itd be funny.)
And 1 Gem Destabilizer for safety.
'Alright, that's everything', I thought, putting the things in my bag and putting it on, walking to the door. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, I was about to take my first step on Earth soil, this was so exciting! So, with a shaky hand, I pressed the open button, the door slowly opening, making me feel more nervous since it's my first view of my home planet! As it finally opened, I shielded my eyes to the bright sunlight, nearly blinding me, "What the?", I asked.
After a minute, my eyes finally adjusted, and the sight was breathtaking!
Below the ship was a small field of strange green plants that looks like hair, with brown good near the edge. (I mean Dirt, not the other thing!) After that was a strange type of rock that stretched from both my left and my right, with a long yellow line in the center. On the other side of that rock were tall green spires with brown centers that stretched all the way to the sky!
I've never seen any of this, the only sight being Gem metal or Lazuli water, which wasn't that often. Looking at the ground beneath me, I lifted my left foot and slowly lowered it to the ground, feeling that green stuff crunch under it. 'Smooth, not all hard', I thought to myself, the ground being entirely different from the tough planet I had called home my whole life. Now fully out of the ship, I stretched and took in a deep breath of the fresh air, completely different from HomeWorld.
Turning back to the ship, I had to think if it's safe to just leave it here, where a random human or native animal can ransack. 'I should probably cover this in the florae', I thought to myself as I went to work and tried to cover my ship. With a firm grip, I had lifted the entire ship over my shoulders, not surprising since I've trained my whole life, and the ship was super light.
10 feet into the woods, I set it down and grabbed as much leaves and dirt to cover it, making it look like growing moss on the tree trunk. 'That should do it', I thought confidently as I left the woods, back to the rocky pathway, 'OK, which way?', I thought. Pulling out my map, it showed a 3D image of where I was and the surrounding area, the town I have in mind just to the very far right. It's only a few miles away, so it shouldn't take me long for me to reach it, 'Might as well get started', I thought as I stared walking.
40 Minutes Later:
I would've been there sooner, but I kept getting distracted from all that was around me, from the ground to the beautiful sky. I can see what my mother saw in all of this, and the fact I'm finally here is like a dream that I've had for years. Ever since I heard about Earth, I had dreamed of going there, the place my mother had loved enough to spare and meet my father. I knew enough that Blue and Yellow were very much against me going here since when White was here, she had to leave.
It was tough, but the fact they let me come shows that they still care very much, so much that they'd risk their own insecurities to let me go.
FWEEEEE!
I jumped a bit hearing that unknown sound, making me turn to see one of those bizarre vehicles stop not far from behind me. It was an older model from what I can guess, the metal all rusted and beat up, possibly from years of abuse or experience. Out one of the Windows was an older male human with a large amount of facial hair, greatly intriguing me.
"Hey man, ya lost?", he asked me in a strange accent, but this gave me a chance to converse with humans. "U-um, no, I'm heading to Beach City", I said, my words slightly jumbled because of my nervousness. He hummed, "That's another 4 miles, you sure you can make that?", he questioned me, "I've been-n doing this for a while", I responded. "Huh, I can give you a ride if you want?", the man offered, referring to his open passenger seat, shocking me.
"U-u-um, if it's alright with you?", I said, "Not at all, climb in!", the man said enthusiastically, confusing me a lot. Though can you blame me, growing up around literal made being's of hard light with destined jobs and emotions. Aside from maybe Blue Diamond and Yellow Pearl, there really wasn't any Gem or creature I've met that actually has different emotions!
I'm gonna have more fun with humanity than I thought!
So I went in the vehicle, a little confused how these were productive, and buckled in, though I jumped a little when the 'Carr' started moving. I watched the tress and plant life zoom past the car, it was strange since this car doesn't go very fast, in comparison to Gem like machinery. "So, what you going to Beach City for?", the man asks me suddenly, forcing me to carefully think of what to say.
"Well, I'm going to see my father", I say in a shaking voice, "Huh, been a while since you've seen him?", he asked. "First time actually since I was a baby", I said back, his facing showing surprise, "Whoa, you excited?", he asked, making me smile. "Yeah, I don't know much about him so finally meeting him will make things all the better", I said with a grin. "That's nice, say, if you don't mind me asking, what's that on your head?", he asked, pointing to the tip of my Gem.
!
The sweat was beading off my head, I hadn't thought about if a human asks about my Gem!
"U-u-u-u-uh, i-i-it's um, a piercing!", I said, the final part being louder than I intended, but he seemed to understand, how? "Cool, kids these days trying to make new piercings for their bodies", the man said looking away with a grin. 'I cannot believed that worked', I thought to myself, sighing in relief at the avoided crisis, which may be harder if I meet other humans. "So what's your name?", he asked, "Um, Steven, Steven Universe", I said, the man looking at me weirdly.
Oh know, I messed up!
"You wouldn't happen to be related to Greg Universe, right?", he asked, shocking me at how he knew my father's name! "Uh, yeah, I'm his son", I said, unsure what will happen with the answer to his question, "I'M A HUGE FAN OF HIS!", he suddenly yelled. I ducked down in surprise at his sudden shout and how the carr suddenly swerved at his outburst. "I-I'm sorry, fan?", I asked, "Yeah, he was a big rocker back in the day, I love his songs, especially Let Me Drive My Van Into Your Heart", he said, a grin threatening to split his face.
Huh, I knew he was a rocker of some sort, but I didn't know if he was actually famous, Yellow and Blue just said he liked playing the guitar.
"Say, do you think I can meet him?", the man asked me, "I-i don't see why not", I said, somewhat nervous of what his response would be.
"WOOOHOOOO!",
His shout hurt my ears, forcing me to cover them and then quickly grab hold of the car seat as the car swerved yet again, but this was larger. It took a bit for him to straighten out, and after he did, the ride felt faster than before, the images outside looking like complete blurs. Was he just excited to meet my dad that he's ready to speed up as fast as the car can go? I didn't know, nor did I have much time to process this, since I could see a small town closing in, very fast!
SCREEEEEEEEEEECH~~~~~~~!
I could feel my internal organs move out of place and my fingers sink into the seat and metal of the car, leaving indents. "We're here!", the man said, exiting the car, unaffected by the sudden carrs' acceleration, which worried me a little. So with a bit of effort, I removed my imbedded fingers, grabbed my bag, and got out the car, slightly fast if I had to be honest. The man who owned the car was waiting for me at the entrance with a huge smile, "Welcome kid, to Beach City!", he announced proudly.
I smiled myself, excited to see my dad for the first time!
'Here I come dad!', I said in my mind as me and the man raced to the city as fast as we could.
A/N: Next chapter will be a flashback showing Greg on Earth during the time before Steven's arrival.