Monster Buddies
A seven year old Connie lies on the ground, holding a scraped knee, tears streaming down her face.
"Connie!" An seven year old Steven calls, running to his twin's side. "Connie, are you okay?" He asked.
Connie looked at him and tried her best to give an answer, the only thing escaping being a sob before she shut her eyes.
"Oh no, what do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?" Steven asked, looking around. "Oh, what would Dad do?" He asked, holding his head. "…He-…He would kiss it and make it all better… Okay."
Connie didn't know how that was going to help, but she didn't object. All she felt was Steven kiss her knee. Surprisingly enough, after a few seconds, she felt the pain flee until it was no more. When she finally got the nerve to open her eyes, she gasped. There was blood around her knee, but the scrape that had been there had disappeared entirely.
Opal let out a battle cry, using her whip to throw a large ice monster away. The beast flew into a wall, groaning as it pulled itself to its feet, Ruby flying into it before it could move away. The monster burst into a cloud of blue smoke, leaving a blue gemstone in its place.
"Don't you think that was a little excessive?" Steven asked. "He seemed like a pretty cool guy." Steven commented.
"Yea, it sure was ice to meet him." Connie added, the twins chuckling.
Ruby and Opal groaned, the only one laughing being Sapphire.
"At least there won't be anything else between us and the shooting star." Opal said.
"Yea, then we won't have to listen to their bad ice jokes." Ruby added.
"That's just col-" Connie began, the sound of the cave starting to crumble taking her attention.
Some of the stalactites above began to collapse around them, the Gems jumping out of the way.
Opal quickly looked around. "We have to get Steven and Connie out of here!" She cried.
"What?" Steven exclaimed.
"How are you going to do that?"
Sapphire picked the two up, bubbles forming around the two.
"You can bubble us?" Steven asked, Sapphire warping the two away before she could answer.
"Whoa, that was a doozy." Steven said as the bubble warped into the burning room, Connie appearing soon after.
"Man, what a ride." Connie said. The girl, noticing where they were, looked around the bubble surrounding her. "How do we get out of these things?" She asked.
Steven looked for a moment. "I think we just-" The moment he poked his bubble, it popped, dropping him. He let out a yelp as he landed on a second bubbles, popping it as well, before finally landing on the ground. "Ugh." Steven groaned, rubbing his head. When he opened his eyes, he felt fear wash over him as a green light came from the spherical gem he had released.
The light formed into a humanoid form first, the form standing up before its torso grew elongated, multiple arms spreading out and its head becoming that of the centipeetle mother. The creature soon shrunk to the size of a dog, the light fading and allowing its details to be shown.
The centipeetle, for the most part, looked the same as it did before its defeat, save its new size and only having to four legs now. Its gem, which had once only been the monster's iris, was now its entire eyes, the circle its pupil.
The creature growled and hissed, taking quick glances about the room, barely taking any notice to the fearful boy before it. Soon, a yelp escaped it, Connie falling on top of it.
"Ow, what did I land on?" Connie asked, rubbing her back. She turned to find the centipeetle, letting out a yelp before taking cover next to her brother. The two hugged each other for safety, watching the monster in preparation for the inevitable.
The centipeetle mother didn't come at them though. Not only did it not seem to be hostile, but it barely looked like it could stand, shaking as it stood.
Steven watched as the Centipeetle Mother stumbled to it knees, cradling its wounded front leg, screeching quietly in pain. In that moment, he forgot all about just what had been the reason the beast had been locked away, he forgot how it had tried to kill them and could very well still kill them. He even forgot about his fear. All he saw right then was a person in pain.
"It's hurt!" Steven cried, rushing forward.
"Wh- Steven!" Connie called, rushing after him, swearing he was crazy the whole way and that she was crazy for following him.
Steven dropped to his knees next to the gem monster. "Hey, you okay?" He asked.
The centipeetle looked at him and immediately hissed, dragging itself away with its hind legs.
Connie ran to Steven's side as her brother stood up. "Steven, what are you thinking?! That thing tried to kill us, remember?!"
"Aw, come on." Steven whined. "Look at her." He said, indicating to the small, injured centipeetle shivering in the corner of the burning room.
Connie stared for a moment before groaning. "Fine, but after you heal her you have to go to the other side of the room with me until the Gems get back."
"Okay." Steven chirped. Quietly and slowly, Steven made his to the shaking monster. "Hey, it's okay." He assured it quietly. "I don't bite."
Connie watched, ready at a moment's notice in case she needed to help her brother. Yet, to her surprise, she watched the beast look at Steven, its breathing gradually coming to a slow.
"There, there, that's it." Steven said, lowering himself to the monster slowly, close enough to touch it. "I'm just here to help."
Steven slowly reached out, his hand touching the beast's white mane. The centipeetle flinched at first, but gradually settled as Steven began to pet it, Connie's mouth opening in shock.
"Yea, that's it. Everything's okay." Steven said. When the creature's breath became steady, Steven slowly moved his mouth to its leg, kissing it.
The creature flinched at the touch, but, as seconds flew by, its single eye widened. It jumped to its feet, wiggling its once injured limb in the air, Steven laughing at its reaction. The creature was euphoric, running around in circles while making noises the twins could only assume were out of joy. The two watched, unable to keep themselves from laughing at the healed creature's reaction.
Then, the centipeetle stopped all of a sudden, staring intently into Steven's eyes. Without warning, it charged forward, Steven unable to react quickly enough as it tackled him to the ground.
"Steven!" Connie cried, running forward, only for the sound of laughter to end her panic.
The fierce beast that had once tried to kill all of them, was rubbing its face against Steven's, the hybrid laughing as it continued.
Not a second had passed before the sound of the Temple door opening came from behind her.
"Steven!" Came the collective cry of the Crystal Gems as they ran in, Sapphire throwing the centipeetle off of Steven.
"Steven, are you okay?" Sapphire asked, holding him close.
"I knew sending them here was a bad idea." Opal said, getting in front of Steven with her spears raised, Ruby following suit.
The centipeetle didn't waste a second as it got into an offensive stance, snarling as green acid began to drip from its mandibles.
"Wait!" Steven cried out, rushing between the two sides.
"S- Steven?" Opal stuttered. "G- Get behind us right now!"
"Don't hurt her!" Steven said, shocking the three gems before him. "She's just scared!"
Ruby and Opal didn't budge, each still aiming their weapons forward. Sapphire however, gave a curious look.
"I- It's true!" Connie told them, getting between them as well. "Steven accidently popped the bubble, but it got hurt and was scared. When Steven healed it, it didn't try to hurt him at all."
"Yeah, it's not like the rest, she's nice." Steven added.
Opal looked at Ruby. "…Well?"
"Hey, I'm not trusting that thing." Ruby snapped.
Despite the two gems against them, neither child backed down.
The two gems looked to their leader.
"Sapphire?" Ruby called.
Sapphire looked to both sides, a look of thought about her. "Alright, the centipeetle stays."
Ruby and Opal's mouths opened wide in shock, Steven and Connie's cheers coming from the other side of the room.
"S- Sapphire!" Opal called. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"It was two against two and I was the deciding vote. My decision stands." Sapphire told her. "Besides, I'm curious to see what they can do with," Sapphire looked to the gem monster, the centipeetle looking at her curiously, giving small snarls. "this."
"Um, don't you think this is a bit excessive?" Steven asked.
"What do you mean?" Opal asked as she finished chaining the centipeetle to a rock.
"Meh, to be fair, it did almost kill us." Connie defended.
A chain broke, Opal jumping in fear.
Steven watched as the Centipeetle Mother struggled and snarled. "…Maybe you guys could go away for a bit." Steven said uncertainly. "She kind of looks scared right now."
"Absolutely not!" Opal snapped.
"Hm…" Sapphire hummed in thought. "Let's do this Steven's way." She suggested.
Opal looked horrified at the statement. "But Sapphire-"
Ruby picked up Opal before she could finish. "Come on, you heard the boss." Ruby sang with a cheeky grin, walking off.
"Good luck you two." Sapphire said before following the two gems back into the beach house.
Immediately, Steven and Connie saw the Gems looking at them through the window.
Steven looked back to the centipeetle, sighing in relief. "Alright bud, now it's just you and me…and Connie."
The centipeetle broke free from her chains, eye immediately looking toward Steven. She Let out a happy screech, leaping at and tackling Steven, rubbing into his chest playfully, Steven laughing.
"Huh, well that was easy." Connie said.
"Hey Centipeetle, be careful." Steven told it as he laughed. "You don't wanna crush the chips.
The centipeetle jumped off, tilting its head in confusion.
"You brought chips?" Connie asked.
"Yep. I thought it was appropriate if she didn't calm down." Steven told his sister, taking out the bag of chips. "Hey buddy, hey girl, you wanna chip?" He asked, taking out a chip and holding it out.
The Centipeetle Mother looked curiously at the chip and then back at Steven.
"Oh, come on. They're good." Steven said, eating a different one. "See, yum."
Connie watched in surprise as the creature walked up and ate the chip out of his hand. It didn't take long before the centipeetle decided that she liked the food, jumping up at Steven like a dog.
Steven chuckled. "I guess that means you like them." He said, throwing another in the air, the centipeetle catching it.
Connie laughed. "Alright, let me try." Connie said, reaching forward, only for the centipeetle to growl menacingly at Connie, the girl pulling her hand away.
"Hey, bad girl." Steven said to the centipeetle.
To Connie's surprise, the creature seemed ashamed, lowering it's head.
"I guess it likes you a lot." Connie said.
"Aw, come on buddy, it's okay." Steven assured the now upset gem monster. "Uh…hey, you want another chip?" Steven offered, pulling another one out.
The centipeetle gave a look to him, but the moment her eye fell on him, it fell right back to the ground.
"…Maybe a little too much." Connie added.
"Come on bud, I didn't mean to make you upset." Steven said. "I'm not mad see?" Steven said, spreading out his arms to allow the monster to get a good look at his entire form.
The centipeetle looked, but her eye moved slightly upward as a seagull swooped down and tried to grab the chip out of Steven's hand, biting him in the process.
"Ow!" Steven cried, holding his hand in pain, looking as the bird landed, finishing the chip it had stolen.
"Hey, shoo!" Connie called, coming to her brother's aid.
"Those aren't for you!" Steven called.
A screech sounded behind them, the twins turning to find the Centipeetle Mother growling at the seagull, spitting out a stream of acid from her mouth. The seagull took to the skies in time to avoid the attack, only for another stream of acid to be fired at it. The bird narrowly avoided it, quickly deciding that potato chips weren't worth it's life and flying away.
The centipeetle glared off to the fleeing seagull, giving another aggressive shot to warn the bird to never come back.
"You…" Steven's eyes lit up. "You saved me."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Opal asked as they warped back into the cave, looking at the centipeetle standing close to Steven.
"Yes." Sapphire answered. "The only way we're getting into the cavern now is with the help of our friend here. Plus, I would like to see how Steven's 'training' has worked."
Steven gave a determined look, nodding. "Squawk!" He cried.
Immediately, the centipeetle shot a stream of acid forward, burning a large hole into the rock.
"Alright centipeetle!" Connie called, pumping her fist in the air.
"Good girl." Steven said, petting her head before throwing a chip into the air, the monster catching it.
Opal watched with an uneasy expression as her allies walked through the hole, sighing before following.
"Whoa!" Steven and Connie exclaimed in awe as they looked around the room. "Cool!" They said, not meaning to make a joke that time.
The group made their way to a small pond at the center of the room, a large pink rock resting at its center.
"There's the shooting star!" Opal exclaimed.
"What's it do again?" Ruby asked.
"Well that's easy, it…it does…"
"It's an elemental so hot and volatile that it must be incased in ice." Sapphire chimed in.
"Exactly." Opal said. "Now, Ruby, we need you to summon your gauntlet and pick it up."
"Why do I have to do the work?" Ruby whined.
Opal gave a tired glare. "Because you're the only one who can handle its heat."
Ruby groaned. "Fine, lazy." She said, summoning her gauntlets.
Connie, after this occurred, noticed the centipeetle begin to fidget a little, but quickly calmed down as she looked to find Steven not seeming afraid. Connie smiled. This thing really did like him.
"What do you do with a shooting star anyway?" Steven asked.
Ruby turned to the hybrid, shooting star in her hands. "Uh, you shoot it."
A screech sounded as the centipeetle dived between Steven and Ruby, hissing.
Ruby jumped back a bit. "Whoa Centi, you almost gave me a-"
The centipeetle spit again, Ruby barely jumping to the side in time to avoid it.
"No, no, no, Centipeetle, what are you doing?" Steven asked.
The monster simply pushed him to the ground and stood on top of him, looking in Ruby's direction with a threatening growl.
"I knew this would happen!" Opal called out, a whip and spear appearing in two of the four armed gem's hands.
The centipeetle simply turned to her and gave the same warning snarl, turning in Sapphire's direction when a blue light came.
"Easy." Sapphire warned, carefully edging herself closer. "We're not going to hurt him. Ruby was just trying to get the shooting star. That was all."
The centipeetle didn't budge, simply snarling and hissing even more as she stood on top of the boy.
"Come on, we don't want to fight." Sapphire slowly reached forward. "Yea, that's it."
Just when Sapphire thought she was going to be able to reach forward and touch the gem monster, it fired another stream of acid at her, forcing Sapphire to jump back to avoid damage. The moment she had space, the Centipeetle Mother looked to the top of the cave and spun its mandibles around, spitting acid onto the ceiling.
Stalactites fell all around them, Sapphire being the first to move and grab Connie, taking her away from the danger. Opal was the next, grabbing one with her whip and using it to destroy the rest falling at her. Ruby wasn't so lucky, four falling around and trapping her within.
The two gems surrounded the centipeetle once more, Ruby letting out a cry before bursting from her short lived stone prison, joining the duo.
"Nooo!" Steven cried, the centipeetle ignoring him as it looked to its enemies. "You don't need to do this! You don't have to fight! You're not a monster anymore!"
At first it seemed like nothing would calm down the beast, then, as it truly listened to her friend's words, it stopped, its eye widening. The creature looked towards the Gems with their weapons still summoned and then to the girl that had been there for her release. They didn't hold expressions of fear or malice. There was no anger or hate. All there was, was fear. Fear for her. The centipeetle then looked back to the hybrid she had thought she was protecting and saw it again, the same fear.
The centipeetle slowly backed off of him, mane lowered. Was this all she was, some monster?
"Centipeetle?" Steven asked.
No, she couldn't be, she had been trying to help. That's all. The centipeetle took another step back.
"Hey, I'm not mad, you were just scared." He assured.
The centipeetle looked to the gems around her, the same fear still in their eyes. No, she wasn't a friend to him, she was the same monster she had always been. No healing, no love from him could change that.
She heard a crack behind her, coming from a stalactite above a path leading deeper into the cave.
So she wouldn't let him see what she truly was anymore.
Quickly, the centipeetle Mother turned in the direction of the falling stalactite, never slowing for a second.
"Centipeetle!" She could hear behind her, but even then she didn't stop.
With one last leap, she dove forward, the entrance collapsing after her.
"Centipeetle!" Steven cried, running to the collapsed cave. He dug through the rubble to the best of his ability. He made little to no leeway, but continued nevertheless. He felt a hand on his shoulder, but still didn't stop.
"Steven…" Sapphire said. "she's gone… Even if we make it through, she could be anywhere."
Steven couldn't accept it. He wouldn't accept it. He had just made her his friend.
"Steven, you did a great job taming your centipeetle." Opal said.
What if she was scared? She was alone. What if she got hungry? She didn't have any chips.
"Even Rose hadn't been able to do what you did."
At that, Steven's digging gradually came to a slow.
"She tried everything she could to save these creatures, but even then she couldn't heal them." Sapphire chimed in.
Steven's digging came to a halt. "…but if she couldn't, then how will I…"
"Are you kidding me?! Have you not seen what you did today?!" Ruby asked. "You tamed that centipeetle. You bonded with her so much today alone she was devastated just because she scared us! I loved Rose, but I'll be the first to admit that even she hadn't been able to do that."
"Maybe we weren't able to help her this time," Sapphire told him. "But next time, I'm sure you can do it."
Steven smiled to the group. "Wait for me Centipeetle." He said, placing his hand on the rocks separating them.
On the other side of the wall, the centipeetle mother stood, head pressed against the wall, trying to fight the urge to rejoin him.
Author's note: Magic kisses. Hey, I thought it was a cute idea. Plus, cliché or not, that was where the concept was going in the show.