Bonus Chapter: Sunstone
Sunstone let out an, admittedly exaggerated, sigh as she pressed her back against the tree. Running her hand through her hair, before grabbing her face and sliding down the trunk, she let out several muffled screams. It was then that the tears started to flow. Tears of a gem who didn't regret her life choices, but was having a hard time dealing with its consequences. Consequences that wouldn't have spawned if it weren't for one particular gem.
"Rose..." She growled.
Before she could dwell any further on that though, Sunstone paused when she realized that she wasn't the only occupant of this particular oak. Hushing herself, she listened to what she made out as light sniffling. Curious, she crawled around the tree until she spotted another gem limply standing near the stream.
"Moons?" She whispered to herself upon recognizing the Moonstone.
Said gem had tears flowing heavily as she reached up to her gem located on her cheek. Her gem glowed, and she pulled out a light blue sabre. Grabbing it with both her hands, she shakily held it out parallel to her gem. Slowly, she brought the weapon in and tapped her gemstone before fully extending her arms. Her hands tightened on the handle and she bit her lip.
The gem yelped as the sabre was knocked out of her hands and into the stream alongside a orange tinted dagger.
"What are you doing?!" Sunstone screamed, nearly tripping as she ran over to the gem.
The gem looked in Sunstone's direction as she collapsed onto her knees. Sunstone followed Moonstone to the ground and grabbed her shoulders.
"Why would you even attempt that?!" Sunstone asked frantically, visibly forcing herself not to shake her fellow gem.
"My Pearl..." The gem said listlessly as she blankly stared off in the distance.
Seeming to forget Sunstone's presence, Moonstone made an attempt at reaching for her gem. Sunstone slapped her hand over the gem's cheek and pulled her in close. Her vision began to blur with tears as Moonstone began sobbing loudly. Thinking only to gently rub the gem's head while fear paralyzed the rest of her body.
In the still air of the calm, sunny day, eager footsteps raced up the stairs to the beach house. The owner of the restless feet held a beaming smile as she clutched an old library book in her hands. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, and noticing that the door had suspiciously been left open, her excitement failed to let her realize that she had forgotten to knock as she grabbed the handle.
"Steven!" Connie called as she slammed the door open.
Her eyes quickly scanned the room, only to find a seemingly empty house.
"Sorry, they left in a hurry a while ago."
Connie's eyes darted to the couch where the figure of Sunagade sat up and smiled at her. The two out of three eyes closed, and the relaxed posture giving away that they were sleeping.
"Oh, Sunagade!"
"Just the 'Sun' right now. The 'Agade' is still asleep." Sunstone said with an added yawn.
"Oh!" Connie said, her disappointment obvious by her tone, and disappearance of her smile as she moved to leave "I'll just come back later then."
"Did you need something?"
Connie turned back around and held the book in both hands.
"Well...I wanted to get help with an essay for school. We have to choose an urban legend and write our own interpretation of it. And, with how old the gems are, I wanted to ask them about some of the legends to get some inspiration."
"Well I haven't been...as alert as Pearl or Garnet, but maybe I can still help." Sunstone offered.
Connie beamed. "Okay!"
With a bit of effort, Sunstone maneuvered their body into a sitting position so that Connie could sit next to her. Connie set the book down on the table and opened it to the already bookmarked pages. And while she dug through her backpack for a notepad and paper, Sunstone had already started looking at the page she turned to. One side had what looked to be a poem, while the other was of a sketched picture of a feminine-like figure on a cliff screaming out to the ocean. It could be assumed that she was of average height. Wearing short, flowy, clothing with long hair that was as unbound as the wind. With the shading in the drawing only making it seem more dramatic.
"Here's the one I was thinking about doing. The Legend of the Screaming Maiden." Connie explained, trying to add in a haunting tone to her voice.
A tone that Sunstone didn't pick up on as she leaned in to study the picture. "Screaming maiden?"
"It goes like this." Connie began.
"On nights cold, devoid of happiness or devotion
One may see the screaming maiden on a cliff by the ocean
She stands tall, yet with a voice so sad and wavering
"What caused her such grief?" Such a question is beckoning
But as soon as she started she would stop and retreat
Back to the shadows, like a warrior calling defeat
To this day no one knows why the screaming maiden yells
What story does each piercing cry have to tell?
All that is known is that if you are by a cliff on a stormy night
Open your ear, and you may hear the screaming maiden's plight"
"Wow." Sunstone said, her eye wide.
Connie's eyes, on the other hand, were shining with stars as she pulled out several printed articles she had stashed in the back of the book.
"I know right, so mysterious! And there are many interpretations for why she's screaming. Some say that she is a widow whose husband died at sea. Others say she is a goddess cast out of heaven, and thus screams for her misfortune. Or that-"
"She's a pseudo therapist that couldn't take the weight of everyone's pain."
Connie paused and gave Sunstone a concerned look.
"What?"
Sunstone sighed. "That 'Screaming Maiden'...was me."
The papers fell to the floor as Connie now stared in shock at Sunstone. A look that Sunstone, once again, missed as she stared at the drawing of her old form on the page.
"I thought that I was completely alone up there. But I guess another human saw me and took it out of context." She explained, in a more somber voice than her usual attitude.
Sunstone looked at Connie, whose mouth had now fallen agape, and smiled.
"I'm guessing that you now wanna hear the full story, huh?"
Connie slowly nodded and, without losing her surprised expression, reached for her pad and pencil and positioned herself to write. When Sunstone had assumed Connie was ready, she leaned back into the couch and stared at the ceiling. Reminiscing on the long ago times before converting them into a story.
"Let me tell you a story about a gem who was everyone's outlet."
"Ames~" A voice moaned in between their long sobs.
It was a sight only rarely seen by gem eyes. A Jasper, one of many proud and pompous gems of their kind, reduced to a tearful and sniffling wreck. Held tightly, yet delicately, in her arms was the bubbled shards of an Amethyst gemstone that had been shattered in the most recent battle. An Amethyst that the Jasper had seen as her lover.
The Jasper laid her head on Sunstone's lap as she cried. Sunstone offering condolence as she held the Jasper's head and gently stroked her hair. Her bearing calm and patient as she allowed the Jasper to release the tsunami of her emotions. As this wasn't the first time she'd seen a case like this.
"What do I...even do...n-now?" The Jasper openly asked. Taking breaks in between her words to snivel a bit.
"We fought...t-t-to...t-to be...to be together!" she wailed as her weeping continued, now with more ferocity.
"You fight for her."
Jasper's mourning paused as she looked up at Sunstone, only to see the gem staring sternly back down at her. Sunstone grabbed the Jasper's face and looked her in the eyes.
"This is just what Homeworld wants! For you to give up!"
Her eyes softened as she continued. "I know you miss her so much, and you can keep crying if you need to. But do you really want all her hard work to go to waste if you quit right here?"
"N-no..."
Unbeknownst to Jasper, Sunstone had slipped the bubble out of her grasp to hold up in front of her face.
"Just know that, wherever Ames is now, she is cheering you on! And is this what you want her to cheer for?"
Jasper looked past the bubble and to Sunstone, who smiled at her. "No..."
As Jasper looked into Sunstone's eyes, she suddenly felt the weight of grief lifted off of her. Replacing it was a newfound determination that brought a confident smile back to its rightful place on her face.
"You're right!"
Jasper jumped up and stood in a mighty pose. Reaching over to her elbow, she summoned a large war hammer from her gemstone.
Raising it high, she yelled, "I'll fight for the both of us!"
She swung it downward. Cracking the earth beneath it, and jolting Sunstone off the ground a few inches as the earth shook under her force.
"And when I take down those Uppercrusts, I'll shout 'This one's for you Ames!'!"
"Yeah!" Sunstone cheered.
Jasper grinned and picked Sunstone up into a tight hug. "Thanks Sunny! You're the best!"
"No problem!" Sunstone replied humbly.
Gently dropping Sunstone back on the ground, Jasper took off into the distance.
"I'm gonna go train now! Later!"
"Bye!" Sunstone called. Her smile wide and bright as she waved Jasper off.
But as the Jasper got farther away, Sunstone's smile slowly fell until what remained was a saddened frown. Turning, she looked to the sun, which was just starting to signal this part of the world that this day was at its end. Around this time, if there was no battle to occupy her, she would meet up with the rest of her friends. Using this time to make whatever memories they could by laughing and sharing stories while watching the sunset until the stars arrived. Then they would either sleep or play games until they could watch the sunrise. On any other day, Sunstone would jump at the chance to participate in those activities.
But not tonight.
Tonight Sunstone would do what she had done for many nights now. Standing up, she dusted off her clothes and started walking. A memorized direction that she alone knew about. One that, in no time, led her to a cliff overlooking the ocean.
For a moment she stared out to the scenery before her. But she didn't marvel in what was likely a magnificent display, nor did she retain any detail of what she saw. It was, simply, just a direction for her eyes to look as she gathered her thoughts. When she was ready, she closed her eyes tight, grabbed her face...
And screamed.
As a gem, she had nothing to gain, or anything to lose by doing this. So to any outsider this would be considered pointless. But to her, it was a release. To no one, she cried the tears of an Amber who lost her dearest friend. Released the sorrow of a Pink Tourmaline who lost a gem they saw as a sister. Scratching at her face, as if to let the memory of a once strong Topaz reduced to tears over the loss of her other half drip away.
But most importantly, she screamed. When she screamed it was as if thousands of gems screamed with her. Each shrieking voice having a story behind its pain. Each anguished howl echoing through the night, breaking through the heavens and turning the bright white clouds above into dark shadows. And each wail getting swallowed up by the waters, never to be heard again.
When she could scream no more, Sunstone collapsed onto her hands and knees and cried. The sky choosing that exact moment release the bullets of heavy rain. It was soothing though, giving Sunstone the strength to stand back up. Wiping her eyes she held her head up to the sky and whispered.
"This is the path I've chosen, and I will help others walk it."
With that, Sunstone turned and walked away. Taking the path back to where she had previously located herself. By that point the rain had stopped, something that she had come to note of that particular rain pattern. But as she neared her usual tree, she spotted another gem. She was of the blue variety, and her mood seemed to mimic her colors as she paced back and forth. But that wasn't Sunstone's first concern. Even from her shortening distance, Sunstone could see that her friend was crying.
"Tori?"
Tourmaline's eyes widened and she immediately started to frantically wipe away her tears. An action Sunstone had seen many times, and she knew what was to come next.
"He-Hey...Sunstone. Where have you been?"
Sunstone lost the eye contact she had been trying to maintain. "I was just..."
"Rose...has been asking around for you."
"She can wait." Sunstone replied with a half eye roll, before she placed a hand on Tourmaline's shoulder.
"Now, what's wrong?"
Tourmaline froze as her eyes widened. Sunstone almost smirked at the lie she could see being sloppily woven in her friend's head.
"N-nothing! I'm just fine, really! I just came to...to get you! Cause ya-know the others hadn't seen you and Rose is looking for you so-"
"It's about Rutile, isn't it?"
As Sunstone expected, Tourmaline's flimsy facade crumbled. Flinging herself onto Sunstone's chest, she hugged the fellow gem tightly as she began to sob.
"It's...all my fault! If I had just been...been strong enough to-to save myself!"
Closing her eyes, Sunstone wrapped an arm around Tourmaline, while using her other hand to rub Tourmaline's hair. As she did she gently started to rock them, soothingly singing to the distraught gem.
"If there's sorrow in your heart
You've held in so much pain
Be just like the clouds above
Let your tears fall like rain
What's the sun without the clouds?
It's like ups without downs
Balance is what we all need
So we can be happy"
Sunstone smiled as Tourmaline's cries got louder. It may be a hollow victory, but it was certainly better then letting Tourmaline bottle up these emotions. So, with practiced ease, Sunstone set about helping her fellow gem through her pain.
It was only now that Sunstone realized that she was crying as well, and she quickly ended that process.
She would have another time to be upset.
Sunstone looked over to Connie, who looked to have been crying for several minutes now.
"You need a hug?" Sunstone offered.
Connie chuckled weakly as she wiped her eyes on her arm.
"I should be asking you that question."
Sunstone smirked, she then scooted away from Connie so that she could return to a lying position without forcing her to move.
"Nah. In the end, I'm fine as long as my friends are happy."
Connie frowned. "But Sunsto-"
Connie was cut off by the sound of the warp pad. Immediately, once they entered the room, Steven threw his arms up in a cheer.
"Woo-hoo! Another great mission! Expertly executed by Pearl"
"Oh Steven, please."
Jade yawned, "Oh, you guys are back." She said as she instinctively wiped their entire face. Only stopping when she reached Agate's eye and her hand was slapped away by said gem.
"How'd it go?" Agate asked, rubbing her eye with her wrist as their body sat back up.
"It was awesome!" Steven beamed. "First off, we-"
Steven stopped when he then noticed Connie, who was starting to pack away all her papers.
"Oh, hey Connie. What are you doing here?"
"I wanted some help with an assignment. Don't worry, Sunstone helped me."
All eyes went to Sunstone, who put a smile on their face as she shrugged their shoulder.
With all her things neatly in her bag, Connie slung it over her shoulder and headed to the door.
"I'm gonna get home so I can write it."
"Here, I'll walk you home." Steven offered, running to her side. Connie smiled, and nodded in appreciation.
"You sure you have everything you need?" Amethyst asked.
Connie gave one last look at Sunagade. Sunstone nodded their head, and Connie smiled and nodded right back before looking confidently at the others.
"Yup."
It was only ten minutes left until school ended. And since today's lesson had already ended, the students were free to entertain themselves; as long as the entertainment was within the school rules. So, some students played on their phones, others chatted with their friends, and a handful stared at the clock in a vain attempt to make time go faster. Connie, however, did neither. Deciding it would be best to take the time to catch up on her reading.
She only half listened when her teacher called out to the class.
"By the way students, I finished grading the assignment."
Standing up, the teacher went down the row of desks, fishing out each student's paper from her stack as she passed them back.
But, when the teacher stopped at Connie's desk, she stood there for an extra amount of time to get her attention. Connie looked up, and her teacher smiled warmly as she set the paper, upside down, on Connie's desk before continuing on. Putting her book down on her lap, Connie eagerly snatched her paper up and looked at it. To no surprise, an 'A+' sat proudly at the top corner of the paper. The only difference was that now there was a small note under it to accompany her achievement.
'Very original interpretation! Great job!'
Smiling, Connie did a mental victory lap as she re-read her essay.
"Why are we happy? Because there is someone out there who absorbs our sadness, and purges it from this world for us. The Screaming Maiden is one such person who carries that burden."