It was nearly 12:15 by the time Greg had gotten Connie to the Maheshwaran's house, but Steven didn't mind being a little late. He loved how the beach shimmered with snow, and watching it all through the car window made it feel so fleeting. Every moment passed him so quickly, scenery spanning from ocean to forest to snowbanks in a matter of seconds. The wonder never left him, no matter how many car rides he went on.
When they arrived at the Temple, Steven and his father had decided to spend the day together, leaving the gems alone.
Garnet stood up, approaching the warp pad. "We can't just sit here and watch Phosphosiderite like she's a child. We have missions to attend to, and the real test is whether or not she can help us with them.
"Of course I can! If missions are a part of being a Crystal Gem, I can handle it. Earth has been my home ever since the Rebellion, and even if I haven't been conscious the entire time, I want to be there for these humans. I'll do whatever it takes for you to trust me. Plus, if I didn't want to be a Crystal Gem, I could have easily fled when i had the chance; as soon as I regenerated," she told them, eyes wide.
"Alright. Let's go," said Garnet.
"What?" Pearl wailed. "It's only been one night!"
"Are you serious?" Amethyst was shocked.
"If Rose hadn't spared us, we wouldn't be here right now. I can tell she has good intentions, and if she tries to overpower us, we can easily defeat her. Now, let's go. Last night, I heard another corrupt gem in the jungle-" a rumbling noise from afar interrupted her, shaking the house. "We need to go."
They gathered on the warp pad, now slightly crowded with the new gem. She was nearly Garnet's height, however her features contrasted that of hers, with a stocky build and long magenta hair tied back into a ponytail.
"Everyone stand still. They can sense us-" Garnet turned to find several giant ape-like creatures raced towards them, each around two stories tall.
"They're so big!" exclaimed Amethyst, leaping into action. "It's been a long time since we've seen ones this size."
"They're drawn in by Sid, since more gem energy attracts them. It doesn't matter though, because if we don't bubble them, they'll destroy everything-" the corrupted gems began crushing the warp pad. "Pearl, fuse with Amethyst."
Garnet raced into battle, catching up with Phosphosiderite, who had already gotten one of the beasts on the ground.
"It's hard to get their gems-" she dodged a hit from its powerful fist. "They're behind the stupid thing's arms!"
She jumped into the trees and launched herself onto the monster, slamming it into the ground as she summoned her double sword. She slit its throat, resulting in the ape bursting into brown dust. She collected its gem and moved further into the jungle.
Sid sensed them all around her, dozens of the creatures hiding throughout the trees and brush. One after another, she penetrated them with her blade, and one after another she collected their gems, until her arms were nearly full of the cocoa-colored stones.
Rushing back to the warp pad area with the gems, she met Opal and Garnet, who had defeated several of their own.
"Hey, guys!" she exclaimed. "There were a lot more of them deeper into the jungle, but don't worry, I defeated them all. Here, you should probably bubble these," she handed them to Pearl and Amethyst, who had long since unfused.
"Great work, Sid," Garnet congratulated her. "You've been an asset to us in this mission. Once you've become and integrated member of the Crystal Gems, you can unlock your own region of our Temple. For now, though, you can stay in the house with Steven."
They warped back to the Temple. The sun had set, bathing the house in a scarlet twilight.
"Finally, you guys are back!" he complained. "What were you doing for so long?"
"We were on a mission with Sid. So far, she has proved herself useful and successful in combat," Garnet smiled.
"That's great!" he yawned, falling flat in his bed. "I'm sleepy. Can you tell me a bedtime story, Sid?"
"I don't understand. You want me to tell you a story that makes you fall asleep?" she tilted her head in confusion. "Shouldn't stories be interesting enough to keep you awake?"
"No- Well, yeah, I guess. Bedtime stories are supposed to help you get to sleep, and since I don't really know anything about you, it would be fun," he gestured her towards the bed.
"Well, I guess I'll tell you about how I got to know Jasper," since I can't get her out of my head, she thought.
"I was only a few thousand years old, and I was learning how to take full advantage of my double sword. Jasper was very young, however she was raised into combat and battle, so she was fighting even at only a century old. Of course, she didn't know how to use her weapon, so she fought with an axe.
"Oddly enough, even at her age, she was positioned to train in battles with me, so she and I fought together. This was millennia before the war, but it was required for all gems to be able to wield their weapons, and have some degree of experience training with them. I guess that's why we have a weapon, after all.
"Anyways, the Diamond Leadership would assign us dueling partners until we had our basic training skills, and as the story goes, I was paired with Jasper. Even after we both completed basic training, we went on to higher levels of training, and I even got to see her summon her helmet for the first time!
"I guess from then on we really got to know each other, and the thousands of years after that were spent becoming best friends. We both got promoted to generals in the Kindergartens. I was working under Rose, and Jasper was working under Yellow Diamond, so we were seeing each other less until Rose rebelled. I was transferred to Yellow Diamond, and we were closer for just a little while, until I got poofed.
"You know," she sighed. "I think that even the day I met her, there was something about her that I couldn't place. It just felt right being around her. It's probably weird, hearing all of this after she hurt you and captured your friends, but-" she looked down at the boy. He was unconscious, quiet snoring escaping him.
"Well, I guess my story worked. Goodnight, Steven Universe," she whispered, gently moving from his bed. She left the sleeping boy behind as she gazed into the sky, wondering how things had changed since she had left the galaxies behind so long ago.