"Are you sure you don't remember anything?" Pearl asked laying a hand on his shoulder. Steven looked down, concentrating on something he could remember.
"A couple tunes.. but only a little bit of them, they were just stuck in my head when I woke up." Steven said quietly.
"Well.. Then what should we do?" Connie asked. Pearl and Amethyst looked at Garnet expecting an answer. She just shrugged.
"I'm not sure, if Stevens gem weren't cracked maybe he could use his healing powers, but with his gem cracked, I highly doubt he's still able to use it. He could hardly use it when it wasn't cracked." Garnet looked at Steven behind her visors, although he couldn't see her he knew she was feeling pity for him. "I don't know if we'll ever be able to heal him-"
"This would be so much easier if Rose were here!" Amethyst exclaimed.
"who's Rose?" Steven asked. They all looked at him. Pearl felt all her hope leave her, she knew now how serious this was. They needed all the help they could get if Lapis were to come back, with Steven like this, they were likely to die.
"Who wants to tell him?" Amethyst asked. She looked worried too, but still attempted to shake it off and forget about it all. Amethyst hopped on the sofa next to Steven and Connie. After moments of silence and no body answering Pearl sighed.
"Your.." Pearl started. but felt it hard to finish, but just barely choked it out, "-Mother.. Steven, Rose Quarts was your mother, she was a gem-"
"Hey Pearl, he doesn't know what gems are." Amethyst half complained half stated. She slumped deeper into the couch. "Your mother sure was awesome.." She said under her breath. She glanced at Stevens gem and sighed.
"Connie told me what gems are, like how they battle monsters and stuff." Steven said. Pearl cringed at the monster part. She glanced at Garnet. She nodded.
"Well.. they aren't really monsters Steven.. they're gems like us.. Ones that have become corrupt and since we can't do anything to help them, the least we can do is contain them until we find a way to heal them." Pearl felt a tinge of guilt.
"So you fight your own kind?!" Steven asked a bit of alarm raised in his voice. Pearl nodded shamefully.
"You do too.." She said. Steven widened his eyes in horror.
"No.." He said. He looked at the gem on himself. "It can't be.." He cried. "How do they become corrupt?" He asked.
"Well.. were not.. really.. sure.." Pearl admitted. "We just know we have to save them from themselves before they hurt themselves or anyone else." Pearl then stated quieter, "Even if their another gem."
Steven sat on the beach trying to sort his head through it all. 'Did.. my mom fight her own kind..?' Steven thought to himself as he stared into the ocean waves, 'I wonder how she died..' He felt left out, not knowing anything anymore, he wondered who he used to be before the accident, he fell off a cliff, then woke up there... but, he knew something else had happened before all of that. He was lost in thought and he didn't realize Connie was behind him.
"I remember when I first met you.. you were so much like this." Connie stated as she sat next to him. "Its not fair is it, you're the one who matters in all this, and yet this.." Connie trailed off. 'It should've been me who fell..' She thought to herself. She remembered all the times they'd laughed and when they'd almost drowned. He'd saved her countless times, and now it was like it never even happened. Just looking at him, she could see his blank face, like as if they had never met, it was all in her head, none of it happened. Connie was all alone, with the burden of being the only one who remembered it, no one else was there when they'd almost drowned, or when the lion had taken them to that gem place, and they'd almost died, or when she was almost crushed by a falling boulder when they'd first met. It really wasn't fair.
Steven paid no attention when Connie sat down, or what she'd said, he just wanted to remember, he knew something bad was happening, but he didn't know what, he needed, and wanted to know what was threatening his friends lives. He looked behind him, he saw the pink lion approaching him, the gems had introduced him to Lion, but he was still cautious at whether or not he was tamed. The creature sat down next to him, Steven laid down in the fur and closed his eyes. Suddenly he couldn't breathe, he opened his eyes, seeing the new world before him, he wanted to explore, but his breath was running short. Where had the beach gone? Was Lion suffocating him? Steven pulled his face out of the fur and felt air coming into his lungs again. HE stood up shocked for a moment. 'what just happened...?' He thought. He went back into the lions fur. It was pink, pink grass blew among the wind with flower petals blowing along in the wind as well. He couldn't breathe in the new world. He got up and looked around. There was a single tree in the field of fur, a bunch of clutter surrounded it, a shirt, a treasure chest, and a flag, and several other random things. He suddenly felt nostalgic. Had he been here before? He saw a sword, it matched the fur and area of the place, but it looked so familiar. He went over to it. It glowed slightly and he brushed the handle. He picked it up, it felt so right in his hands, it was bigger than his hands though, it was a struggle to hold it, he held it up close to his face, not noticing the burning in his lungs. Suddenly upon realizing he was choking he dived back down, taking the sword with him.
"Steven, whats that?" Connie asked as she saw the sword in his hands.
"A sword, I found it in the lion." He stated, he brushed his fingers across the blade. "Its so pretty." Steven commented.
"It matches your gem!" Connie pointed at the rose quarts gem on his stomach.
"Maybe it was my moms.." He said suddenly. He examined it closely, running his fingers along the seams. "It sure looks like it'd belong to her."
"How do you know?" Connie asked.
"Well.. its just sorta.. nostalgic." Steven said. He looked at Lion as if expecting it to say something. "Lapis.. right?" Steven asked.
"huh?" Connie was shocked at his sudden question, he couldn't be asking to see Lapis right? Connie was worried he'd try to stand up to her, but in his current state it would be impossible to win. He didn't stand a chance before his gem was cracked, let alone in this state, especially with no memories. Connie, nor any of the crystal gems would allow him to face her, she was strong enough before Steven healed her, the gems had told Connie about how strong she was, then Steven healed her, and after that, all she seeked was revenge, she couldn't take being trapped in there, I bet she was mad about the other gems that were imprisoned, she didn't understand human values, she'll kill them all upon chance.
"The gem they... we.. fought on the ocean I healed her right? Why would she want revenge?" Steven asked. 'Didn't we let her go home?" He tore his eyes from the blade.
"Yeah.. but she was corrupt, unable to understand anything but vengeance and revenge on the crystal gems. That's why they keep them imprisoned, so they can't hurt anybody once they loose sight in everything but their petty revenge, they have to contain them so they don't hurt anybody, I bet the gems would return them to normal if they could. Of course... you don't always get what you wan't though, happy endings don't come so easily huh?" Connie asked. Steven shook his head.
"It makes no since, they were like us, how did they become corrupt? Did they one day just forget-" Stevens eyes widened. 'forget..' What if he would become corrupt too, not know any better and not knowing he was doing something wrong, one day became one of those monsters, locked up forever.
"Steven-" Connie started. Steven stopped her.
"I know I wouldn't hurt anyone." Steven began as if knowing exactly what she was going to say, "But, what if I don't know i'm hurting someone and turn into-"
"Don't worry, the crystal gems wouldn't allow that to happen." Connie reassured him, a bit of doubt was in her voice though.
"What happens when Lapis comes and I don't know what to do, what happens if shes a good guy and I kill an innocent person?!" Steven suddenly freaked out a bit. Connie couldn't protest, she knew there was no way to be certain if Steven was safe or not.
"We just.. have to try right..?" Connie asked quietly. "I know i'm no gem, but I'm still here to help." Connie smiled. "Even-" Connie took a deep breath. "-Even if you turn into a monster, I'm still here for you." Connie smiled. "I'll always be your friend, no matter what, me and the gems, and your dad are here to help you, so don't worry, even if you don't remember, we can guide you." Connie took the sword from Steven.
"Thanks.." Steven said shyly. Steven helped her put the sword back into Lion's mane. 'Are we really safe from Lapis Lazuli...'