Author's note: Welcome to the first true chapter of When One Wasn't Enough. I know that in the Steven Universe canon, Connie is Steven's love interest, but, due to the situation in this story, Stonnie will not be a ship present. Now, I think that I'm going to include a few different ships that are not seen as much within this story (quite a few are one-sided Peridot ships for some reason). Now I already know who I'm pairing Steven with (it's a gem we all know and love), but Connie's open for debate. I already have plans on her having romantic feelings for a certain human, but why don't you guys give me a few more ideas (and while we're at it, please give me a few more unique Peridot ideas for fun; I wanna have our green dorito crushing on everything...even actual doritos if you want). Also, please tell me what you think I could do to make this more unique; I have a few things but I don't know if it will be enough. Well, I hope you all enjoy.

Gem Glow

"This is terrible!" Connie exclaimed in her brother's favorite establishment, the "Big Doughnut".

Connie was a young, dark-skinned girl with long, black hair and black eyes. She wore blue jean shorts and a sky blue shirt with a pink rose emblem at the center.

"Chill out." A tall, lanky teenager told Connie. The teenager had large ear lobes and a small, orange tuft of hair on his head, "It's just some weird ice cream thing, it wasn't even that good."

"It's not just an ice cream." Connie explained to the teenager. "It's Cookie Cat, Steven's favorite thing to eat! If he finds out about this he'll be devastated!"

The teen chuckled. "I guess your "baby" brother'll just have to cry about it then."

"You're a real jerk Lars." A stocky, blonde headed girl told her partner from behind the counter.

"Well if I'm such a jerk Sadie, then how come you're my best friend?" Lars asked with a grin.

"Because I'm the only one who will put up with you." Sadie muttered.

"Hey! I heard that!" Lars said.

Connie ignored the bickering teens, remembering the last time one of Steven's favorite foods went off the market. She shivered at the thought.

Sadie, noticing the action, looked at Connie with a sympathy in her expression. "Do you think that the freezer could maybe soften the blow for him?"

Connie nodded at Sadie hopefully. "Now all I have to do is make sure that Steven never finds out that Cookie Cat was beaten by Lion Lickers."

Connie hesitated as she made it to the door of the small house that she shared with her brother, Steven Quartz Universe. Even when they were young, Connie had always been protective of Steven. As the years went by, many people had begun to do the same due to his warm heart and kind soul. However, he was also oversensitive and could be hurt easily. This meant that she would have to break the news about Cookie Cat softly...or hopefully not at all.

"No, he's too smart for that...plus Lars will probably ask Steven how long he cried the next time he goes to the Big Doughnut." Connie said to herself. Connie sighed. "Here goes nothing I guess."

Connie opened the door, only for a centipede-like creature to leap at her. "Waah!" Connie screamed, only for a whip to grab the monster out of the air, poofing it in an instant.

"Hello Connie." A tall, bright-periwinkle woman said to the young girl. The woman had a slender form and two pairs of arms. Her lips were rounded and her long, off-white hair was tied in a ponytail in the back. The most noticeable features about her, to Connie at least, were the two opal gemstones on her forehead and chest.

"H-hey Opal." Connie replied back.

"Hey, bad centipeetle!" A young boy said from inside to one of the monsters that was eating the couch. The boy was chubby and around the same size as Sadie. He had short, curly hair and wore a pink shirt with a yellow star at the center. "Couches are for sitting, not eating."

The creature stopped eating the furniture and turned to the boy, leaping at him.

Steven yelped as the creature jumped and landed on his face, only for a short, red gem to punch the creature off with a red gauntlet.

The red gem hit the centipeetle into a wall, the creature poofing on impact. "Aw, it liked you." The gem joked, dismissing her gauntlet. She was only slightly taller than Steven and had a dark red, cube-shaped afro. Embedded in the back of her right hand was a large ruby.

"Ha ha, very funny Ruby." Steven said sarcastically.

"Man, we're gonna need a lot of bug spray." Connie said, walking into the centipeetle-infested house before setting down the Cookie Cat freezer next to the door.

Connie looked over to see a blue gem, a few inches taller than Ruby, floating to the top of the refrigerator. "What are you doing, Sapphire?" Connie asked the blue gem.

Sapphire quickly grabbed at something, pulling her arm back while holding a centipeetle by its neck. Giving it a little squeeze, the monster poofed.

"Never mind." Connie said quickly.

Steven looked over at Connie, his eyes moving over to the Cookie Cat freezer. His eyes lit up as stars filled them. "Oh. My. Gosh. The Cookie Cat freezer!" He called, running up to it and wrapping his arms around the machine. He looked at Connie with a wide smile. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" He said.

Connie tried to hide an expression of concern. "Don't mention it."

"Ruby, have you seen the centipeetle mother anywhere?" Opal asked the red gem.

"Sure Opal," Ruby answered sarcastically. "I saw the mother, just lyin' around somewhere, and I decided not to poof it."

"It was just a simple question." Opal snapped.

"Well it was a dumb one." Ruby snapped back.

"After all the-"

Connie turned her attention away from the bickering gems. She was about to explain the Cookie Cat situation to Steven, the young hybrid cutting her off.

"This'll be perfect for all the Cookie Cats the gems got for us!" He said, still hugging the cat-shaped fridge.

"Huh?!" Connie asked. "B-but I just heard they were discontinued."

"They were, so Sapphire, Ruby, and Opal got us some." Steven answered. "Sapphire said it was all her, but I think it was a group effort." He whispered to his twin.

"It would have been a group effort had some gems not decided to steal them all." Sapphire said, indicating to the bickering Opal and Ruby.

Ruby, who was grabbing Opal by her ponytail, and Opal, who was holding Ruby in the air, paused and looked over at Sapphire.

"It's not our fault human currency is so confusing." Ruby defended.

"Yea." Opal added, dropping Ruby, the latter yelping as she hit the ground. "If you wanted to do it your way, you shouldn't have told us about your little plan."

"I didn't." Sapphire said to the duo. "You two followed me."

"Well you didn't stop us." Ruby argued childishly.

"Whatever." Steven said with a chuckle. "The point is, you all helped."

"I think I melted a few on accident." Ruby said, looking at her hands.

"And I ate mine." Opal admitted.

"You all tried to help." Steven corrected.

Connie gave a sigh of relief. Dodged a bullet there.

Ruby took a last look around the room. "Well, that takes care of the centipeetles here."

"Yeah, but none of them was the mother." Opal pointed out.

"Alright then Gems." Sapphire said. "Ruby, you, Op-"

"Stay on the beach and see if it comes? Will do!" Ruby said quickly, running outside before Sapphire could object.

Sapphire groaned. "Alright, just Opal and I will go search around the temple." She finished.

"Alrighty then Saph." Opal said, following as Sapphire began to walk into the temple.

"I'll be back to check on you guys in a bit!" Sapphire called before the temple door closed.

"Okay!" Steven called back, moving the Cookie Cats from the refrigerator to the Cookie Cat freezer. Steven took one out of the oddly shaped box, taking the wrapper off of the ice cream.

Connie watched as Steven nibbled on the ear, the young boy closing his eyes as he savored the taste.

"I can't believe that you don't like these Connie." Steven said, some of the dessert still in his mouth.

"Actually I've never tried one, so I-"

"What?!" Steven exclaimed, gulping down the food in his mouth. "My own sister has never experienced the wonder that is Cookie Cat?!"

Connie stared at him blankly. "No?"

"No, this is absolutely unacceptable! I have to make this right!" Steven shoved one of the cat-shaped treat into his sister's hands.

Connie gave Steven a confused expression. "Steven, the Gems bough- Sapphire bought these for you."

"Yea, well I'm giving this one to you." Steven informed her, his bright smile returning. "I can't imagine how horrible it must be to have never ever eaten a single Cookie Ca-"

"Okay, I'm eating it." Connie told him with a chuckle.

Steven smiled and sat on the counter, watching her expectantly.

Connie looked at the Cookie Cat, turning it in her hands as she tried to figure out the best way to go about eating it. Eventually, following Steven's example, Connie bit off one of the ears, chewing it slowly. After a small amount of time, she began chewing faster and a smile grew on her face.

"Steven!" Connie said with her mouth full, swallowing the ear before speaking again.

"This is delicious!" Connie took another large bite out of the cookie.

Steven grinned. "Told you."

Connie took another large bite and shut her eyes, chewing it quickly. As she continued, a soft glow began to emanate from the gemstone on her bellybutton. Steven grinned as Connie continued to eat the ice cream sandwich, looking down as her gemstone's glow became even brighter. "C-Connie!"

Connie opened her eyes to look at her brother, the ever brightening gemstone taking her attention away from him. "What the?!" The gemstone stopped glowing abruptly, not even a single glimmer coming from it.

"Oh my gosh." Steven said, awestruck. "What did you just do?"

"I-I don't know!" Connie exclaimed. "I- I think I almost summoned my weapon!"

"Really?!" Steven asked. "How?! Let me try!"

"I'm not too sure how I did it." Connie admitted. "Sorry bro."

"Aw man." Steven said in disappointment.

Connie looked at the food in her hand with intrigue, putting her free hand to her chin.

"What could this mean?"

"Really? Congrats Connie!" Ruby said to the girl as the former rested on the beach.

"I didn't say that I did summon my shield, I said I almost summoned my shield." Connie explained.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Ruby asked.

"No, if I almost summon my weapon then it's basically saying that I didn't!" Connie said to her.

Ruby gave Connie a perplexed expression. "Okay."

"I need you to tell me how to do it." Connie pressed on.

"Oh, that's easy." Ruby hopped to her feet. "All you have to do is get really, really mad. Like this!" Ruby summoned her gauntlet, smashing it into beach, the heat coming from it turning the sand around it to glass. Ruby dismissed her gauntlet and smiled confidently, leaving Connie staring at her in awe.

The first thing Sapphire heard as she walked out of the temple was loud battle cry. Sapphire looked around the room, finding Steven staring out the window with a worried expression. "Hey Steven." Sapphire called, earning his attention.

"Hey Sapphire, you weren't gone long." Steven said.

Sapphire chuckled. "Opal wanted me to get her one of those Cookie Cats."

Steven smiled. "I should've guessed."

Sapphire glanced around the room. "Where's your sister?" She asked.

Steven's smile dropped slightly. "She's outside with Ruby."

"Are they having fun?"

As if on cue, another cry sounded from outside, followed by loud grumbling.

"No." Steven answered.

Walking outside, Sapphire found Connie jumping up and down, the young girl holding her fist in her pain and muttering curses under her breath.

"Come on Connie, you can do it!" Ruby cheered on the beach, eating some popcorn as she watched the display.

Sapphire walked up to Connie. "What are you doing?" Sapphire asked.

"Ruby's helping me summon my weapon!" Connie explained loudly, pain still coursing through her hand.

"How exactly is this helping?" Sapphire asked.

"I have no idea!" Connie answered.

Ruby walked up with a cheeky grin. "I'm trying to make Connie really mad." She explained.

"How are you planning on doing that?" Sapphire asked. "All this is managing to accomplish is hurting her."

"Simple." Ruby turned to Connie. "Hey Connie, I was lying. Punching things is completely pointless."

"What!" Connie shouted. "I've been hitting the temple for the past ten minutes! Do you know how badly my hand hurts right now?!"

"That's how." Ruby told Sapphire before running off, Connie chasing after the red gem.

"When I catch you, I'm gonna hit you into yesterday!" Connie shouted at Ruby.

As Connie passed Sapphire again, close behind Ruby, Sapphire caught Connie by her uninjured wrist and dragged her away from Ruby.

"Just you wait!" Connie called to Ruby as she was pulled inside the house by Sapphire.

Connie gave a low growl. "Stupid Ruby."

After Ruby's poorly thought plan (that had really just become a sick prank), Sapphire had taken Connie to a small island that the Gems always called "Mask Island" due to the numerous animals that had mask-like faces.

"You know she means well." Sapphire said, wrapping up Connie's sore hand. "Most of the time."

"Oh well, not the first time she's done something like that." Connie said as Sapphire finished wrapping it. Connie clenched her fist, glad to see she could still move it with little pain. "Sapphire…since Ruby's plan didn't work…and wasn't really a plan in the first place, do you perhaps know how am I supposed to...well-"

"You want to know how to summon your weapon." Sapphire finished.

"Yea." Connie admitted sheepishly.

"Don't worry. Summoning a weapon isn't the easiest task for younger gems like you and Steven." Sapphire said with a kind smile. "You'll learn how in time."

Connie groaned. "But I want to learn how to summon my weapon now. I want to be able to fight with you guys and be a Crystal Gem."

"If there were some sort of method to just summoning it, I would tell you in a heartbeat. However, you can't just find some shortcut for something like this." Sapphire explained. "It'll take time, patience, and work. Some day, when you and Steven are ready, you will both be able to do it."

Connie sighed. "Fine."

"Hey Connie!" Steven said as his sister and guardian warped back to the temple. His happiness faded as he saw the disappointed expression on Connie's face.

"Alright you two, I'm going to have another look around the temple to see if I can find the Centipeetle Mother." Sapphire said as she walked towards the temple door. "I'll be making dinner around five, so don't go spoiling your appetites with those Cookie Cats." With that, Sapphire entered her room, leaving the two children.

"Wait." Connie looked over to the cat-shaped freezer plugged in next to the door. "Hmm."

"Connie, I know I'm throwing stones in a glass house, but this doesn't make any sense at all." Steven said to his sister.

"Yes it does Steven." Connie said. "My gem began to glow when was eating one of these and it's the only thing I've done differently today. So it's the only logical explanation as to why it happened."

"We're talking about using a cat-shaped ice cream sandwich to make a magical weapon appear out of the gemstone you have in your bellybutton." Steven told her.

"Well...that's actually a fair point." Connie admitted. "Still, it couldn't hurt to try." Connie insisted.

"Okay then..." Steven said as he watched his sister open the Cookie Cat.

Connie took the treat in her hands and shut her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Please work you cat-shaped piece of heaven." She whispered. Connie took a bite out of the ear and waited. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, finding her gem to still be dim. "Gr, dang it!"

Connie cried, throwing the Cookie Cat down on the ground in frustration.

Steven flinched at the volume of Connie's voice, watching as she began to pace back and forth through the kitchen.

"If it wasn't the Cookie Cat then what could it be?" Connie wondered aloud. "Maybe it was the fact that I was eating something new. That could be it...no, otherwise I would've done that every time I ate something for the first time. Perhaps it was..."

Steven just watched as Connie continued to contemplate what could have been the cause for her gem glowing, the former taking a few glances down at the slowly melting Cookie Cat on the floor. "Poor guy; never had a chance." He muttered.

"-and then the radiation in it gave my gem the energy it needed to glow." Connie finished as Steven tuned back into what she was saying.

"Connie, I think you're way off."

Connie put her hand to her chin. "Yea, if that were true then they would've been sued."

"No, I mean I think your off in thinking that it was the Cookie Cat at all." Steven said seriously.

"But it's the only thing that makes sinc-"

"No, it doesn't make since at all." Steven told his sister. "Listen, I know you want to find some easy way to do this, but I can tell you right now that there isn't one; believe me, I've tried many ways. There isn't just something to summon your weapon with, there isn't a shortcut, you're going to have to wait... I don't know how we're going to summon our weapons, but I know for sure that it's not gonna be easy." Steven looked at the Cookie Cat freezer. "And it isn't Cookie Cat."

Connie smiled. "Thanks Steven."

"No prob Bob." Steven said happily.

Connie looked at the now liquid ice cream on the floor and gave a nervous chuckle. "I guess I got a little carried away there, didn't I?"

Steven scratched the back of his head. "Yea, but you were just trying to find out how you did it; I can't really blame you for that."

Connie chuckled. "Still, I can't believe that for a moment I thought I summoned my weapon by eating ice cream. Who'd be crazy enough to believe that?"

"I know right." Steven agreed, sharing in her laughter.

Their laughter ended as the house began to shake beneath them.

"What's that?" Steven asked, the quaking finally ceasing.

Sapphire ran out of the temple, followed by Opal and Ruby. "Steven, Connie, are you two alright?" She asked the twins.

"Yea, just a little shaken up." Connie said.

"Heh, shaken up." Ruby said to herself with a humored smile.

"What was that?" Steven asked.

"I've only got one guess." Sapphire said.

The Gems ran outside, looking as a large, centipede-like creature began to crawl to the top of the temple. The creature had a large, white, messy mane growing from the back of a large, black, pincer-like mouth. The creature let out a massive cry, revealing an eye within the mouth and a dark green gem acting as the monster's iris.

"It's the Centipeetle Mother." Sapphire said as the beast reached the top of the temple. Sapphire summoned two, bright blue brass knuckles, the weapons resembling ice. Depicted at the tip of each weapon's spikes was a dark blue star. Sapphire quickly leaped to the top the temple, ready to fight the Centipeetle Mother.

"Hey, it's not a guess if you've already seen it." Ruby complained, leaping after Sapphire.

"How did we miss that?" Opal asked, chasing after her teammates.

Opal landed next to Ruby and Sapphire, the trio looking forward at their foe. The Centipeetle Mother looked at them and roared in their direction.

"Pee yew!" Ruby said, pinching her nose. "Two words: breath mints."

The Centipeetle growled at its foes, raising its tail in the air. It swung its tail at the Gems, Sapphire jumping over as it hit Opal and Ruby back to the beach.

"Ruby, Opal!" Steven called, running out of the house to check on them. Steven dropped to his knees, checking on the two gems lying on the beach. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, this nice, soft earth cushioned our fall." Ruby said, slowly sitting up.

Opal sat up next. "Alright, where is that stupid thing?!" Opal asked angrily.

"Don't sweat it, Sapphire's got it." Steven assured.

The group looked up as the Centipeetle gave another loud screech, the monster throwing Sapphire to the beach as well.

"Never mind." Steven told them as they looked at the spot Sapphire landed.

A loud crash came from behind Ruby, Opal, and Steven, making the trio freeze.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is." Steven said.

There was a low growl from behind them and a green liquid began to drip down in front of them, the fluid burning into the ground.

The trio slowly turned around, looking up to see the Centipeetle Mother looming over them. The monster gave a loud roar.

Ruby summoned her red gauntlet. "For glory!" Ruby called, jumping at the monster.

The Centipeetle Mother brought its tail in the air and hit Ruby away, the latter gem flying into Opal.

Steven turned his head towards the duo. "Guys!"

"Steven, look out!" Sapphire called, running towards him.

Steven turned back to the Centipeetle Mother, the monster preparing to crush Steven between the pincers on its tail. Steven turned away and closed his eyes, ready for the worst.

A metallic scraping sounded, surprising Steven.

"Huh?" Steven looked forward and his eyes widened in awestruck wonder.

Connie stood between him and the centipede-like creature with a glare on her face, a pink shield keeping the monster away from her.

Sapphire stopped running, gasping. "It's...Rose's shield."

Connie gave a loud cry before pushing the monster away from them. As she did so, her shield disappeared and the girl fell to her hands and knees, panting tiredly.

The Centipeetle mother glared at Connie and Steven with its one eye, hissing before spitting a stream of acid at them.

Sapphire resumed towards the twins, grabbing them and jumping out of the line of fire.

Sapphire set the children gently on the ground before turning to the monster. "Gems!" Sapphire called.

Ruby and Opal stood up, running to the blue gem's side.

Ruby turned her head to look up at Opal. "You got this?" She asked.

Opal smiled. She put her hands near the gems on her chest and forehead, pulling out a spear and whip. In a single movement, she brought the two weapons together into a bow and aimed it at the Centipeetle Mother, an arrow of light beginning to form in her hand.

The Centipeetle Mother hissed, crawling towards the group quickly.

"Oh no you don't!" Ruby ran forward, putting her hands against the front of the approaching creature, using her strength to make the Centipeetle Mother come to a halt.

Sapphire came soon after, putting her hands on the beast's legs, freezing them in place.

"Now Opal!" Sapphire called.

Opal grinned, letting go of her arrow. As the arrow began to sail forward, Sapphire took Ruby in her arms and rushed away.

The Centipeetle Mother struggled to break out its ice bonds, spitting acid on the frozen liquid. The monster pulled its legs free from the ice, looking forward as the arrow connected with its body. In a flash of light, it was no more, the only evidence of its existence being a floating green orb.

The ball dropped to the ground, Ruby walking over and putting a red bubble around it. She gave the bubble a little bump with her palm, teleporting it away. "Boy, that was a doozy." Ruby said, wiping her forehead.

Steven looked at Ruby, Sapphire, and Opal and smiled. His smile dropped when he turned and found his sister looking at her hands with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Connie?" Steven called. He waited for a moment, earning no response. "Connie?" He called again. "Are you okay?"

"Steven..." Connie said. "I-I-...I summoned my weapon again!" Connie exclaimed in excitement, holding her bandaged arm in the air. "Ohmygosh, that was so cool! I need to figure out how I did it." Connie began to pace back and forth, trying to remember everything that had happened. "Alright, so there was the Centipeetle Mother coming for Steven, and then I-"

Steven and the Gems watched from afar, all wearing exasperated expressions.

"She'll never learn, will she?" Steven asked.

"I would say yes...but then I'd be lying." Sapphire answered.

Steven sighed. "Well at least she's not going to think it's something crazy like the Cookie Cats."

"Steven, I know what it is!" Connie called. "I need to put myself in danger! Ruby, I need you to throw me as hard as you can off that ledge!"

"If you insist." Ruby said with a mischievous grin, walking over to the girl.

"...Oh boy."

Author's Note:

Meanwhile in another universe:

"Pearl, I think someone was just talking about me."

"That's nice Steven."