Bad Gems
Steven and Connie sat on the cool sand, quietly watching as Greg and Garnet carried the Quartizine Trio to the edge of the tents. After a few seconds, Garnet looked at Greg and said something Steven couldn't quite make out, and the two stopped for a second. Greg replied inaudibly to Garnet, and the two slowly began to turn the cannons to face the warp pad on the other end of the beach. After a minute, the pair slowly set down the guns next to the first laser light cannon, which had been carried to the beach earlier. Steven briefly regretted not being able to help the two out with carrying the laser light cannons to the beach.
Earlier, Steven and his dad had gone to the storage shed to retrieve the cannons. Upon reaching the shed, Steven had tried desperately to help his dad move the heavy weaponry; despite best efforts, the injured boy and his dad were unable to lift the cannons. After multiple attempts, Steven gave up and decided to go get Garnet to help.
Steven was broken out of his train of thought when Connie abruptly spoke up.
"Wow, Garnet sure is strong. That thing must weigh a ton." Steven looked over at his friend. He could tell something was bothering her.
"Yeah," the young gem replied, "she is. Hey, are you alright?" Connie looked over at Steven, who was staring at her with a concerned look on his face. The young girl sighed and looked down at the ocean, watching the waves crash against the shore.
"I'm…just a little worried. Do you know why the gems are setting up the cannons? Is the Homeworld gem coming back?"
Steven looked over at Garnet, who was talking to Amethyst and Pearl, before meeting Connie's gaze again.
"Um, I'm not sure…," Steven started. The young gem stood up and stretched. Turning to Connie, Steven extended his good hand to help her up.
"…but the gems probably have a plan. C'mon, Connie, let's go ask them," Steven suggested, flashing the worried girl a smile.
Feeling reassured by Steven's positive attitude, Connie stared up at him for a few seconds before smiling and taking his hand. Steven quickly helped her up, and the pair made their way over to the gems, who were talking among themselves.
"Hey guys!" Steven yelled as the pair approached the magical warriors. The gems turned to face Steven and Connie.
"Hey, buddy," Amethyst said, waving at her young comrade. "¿Qué pasa?"
"So, why are you guys putting up the laser light cannons again?" Steven inquired.
"We have to go fight the Homeworld gem in the Kindergarten," Garnet replied promptly, "…and we need to make sure the humans are safe in case she comes back to the beach."
"But didn't you say everything would be okay?" Steven asked, perplexed by the gems' caution.
"Don't worry, Steven," Pearl responded. "We just wanted to take precautions. You can never be too careful."
"Sooo… when are we leaving?" Steven asked, looking over at the light cannons. Garnet adjusted her shades before answering his question.
"We're leaving now. And you're staying here."
"What!" Steven exclaimed. "How come?"
"It's too dangerous Steven." Pearl stated, briefly looking the boy over. "Besides, you still haven't recovered from the last attack. You should be resting. We can handle it.
"Sorry, dude," Amethyst chimed in.
"But I really want to come!" Steven asserted. Tears began to form in the young gem's eyes. "Besides, what if you guys get hurt? I have mom's shield! I can protect us! I'm a Crystal Gem too!"
Garnet kneeled down, put a hand on Steven's shoulder, and met his tearful gaze.
"That's why you need to stay here. If the gem comes back, the others will need you to protect them. They will need a leader."
Steven sniffed and looked a Garnet for a few seconds before nodding and wiping his eyes.
"Okay."
Connie walked over and put her arm around Steven.
"Don't worry," she stated, "I'll stay here and help make sure everyone is safe, too."
Steven looked down at his injured arm before turning his attention to Connie.
"No. You should leave. What if you get hurt?"
"What if you get hurt, Steven?" Connie replied indignantly. "You promised me you would be more careful. I'm not going to let you stay here by yourself and fight a dangerous gem. We're jam buds, remember?"
Steven looked at Connie for a few seconds before smiling and pulling her into a one-armed hug, which she gently returned.
"Thank you, Connie."
After a minute, the two let go of one another. Pearl cleared her throat, causing Steven and Connie to look up at her.
"Well, Connie," the pale gem started, "if you're going to stay, you should take this." Pearl stepped back and quickly performed a dance, summoning a sword from her gem. The tranquil gem drew the sword briefly, examining the blade of the weapon, before re-sheathing it and handing it carefully to Connie.
"Just remember what I taught you," Pearl stated.
Connie stared at the weapon in her hands for a few seconds before looking up at Pearl. With a confident smile, she nodded.
"Alright, gems, time to go," Garnet stated suddenly. Amethyst and Pearl both turned to their leader and nodded. Garnet looked over at Steven one final time, giving him a curt nod, before walking towards the warp pad, followed by the other Crystal Gems. Neither Steven nor Connie moved, simply standing and watching as the gems made their way to the other end of the beach. A minute later, the gems reached the warp pad among the rubble. Steven waved goodbye to the gems as they disappeared in a pillar of blue light. After they vanished, Connie and Steven looked at one another silently, concern present in their features. Without warning, someone grabbed Steven from behind and picked him up. Steven turned his head to see his dad looking at him. Greg gently lifted his son onto his shoulders before speaking.
"I'm sure they'll be alright, kiddo. How about we go get something to eat?" Steven hesitated for a moment before responding.
"…Yeah, okay. C'mon Connie, let's go." At that, the trio started towards the boardwalk.
A couple hours later, the three were lying on the beach, enjoying the quiet on the beach as the sun moved lower on the horizon. Steven sat up and looked over at the warp pad. The gems still hadn't returned, and he was getting worried. Resolving to go see if they were alright, Steven got to his feet and dusted off his shirt.
"Where are you going, Steven?" Connie asked.
"I'm going to go find the gems. I think something happened."
"It's not safe, son," Greg asserted, worry evident in his voice.
"I need to go, guys," Steven replied, determination filling his voice. "Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl can't beat the Homeworld gem alone. They need me. I have to go help them. Please understand."
Greg stared at Steven for a few moments before letting out a sigh.
"Well, alright," he said, "but it's getting dark. There's a flashlight in the tent. I'll go get it." Greg got up and quickly began to walk towards his tent.
Connie looked over at Steven, who was staring out at the ocean. Connie stood up and walked over to the young gem. Being careful not to hurt him, Connie put her hand on Steven's shoulder. He turned to find her staring at him, concern evident in her face.
"Promise me you'll be careful, Steven."
"I will," he responded. Footsteps behind him signaled the approach of his dad. Greg walked down to the pair and handed Steven a small, black flashlight.
"Good luck," Greg stated, his voice wavering slightly. The aging father watched as his only son gave him a nod, whirled around, and began his trek down the beach. Upon reaching the warp pad, Steven turned towards his friends and waved as he disappeared in a flash of light.
As Steven traveled through the magical pillar of light, he mentally readied himself for what he was about to witness. The young gem knew that he was about to face an enemy far stronger than anything he had yet encountered. As far as he could tell, the Homeworld gem had no regard for human life. His friends and family in Beach City suddenly came to mind. Steven hated to think what would happen if he and the gems lost…
Without warning, the warp ended, depositing Steven in the middle of the Kindergarten. Steven looked around the canyon, scanning for any sign of Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, or the Homeworld gem. The dim light of the setting sun silhouetted the injectors against the sky, giving the Kindergarten an surreal appearance. Steven paused and listened, hoping to hear one of the gems. However, the entire canyon was ominously silent. The young boy began to feel nervous. He could tell that something was wrong.
Without warning, a yell pierced the silence, echoing through the rocky chasm. Steven immediately recognized the voice.
"Pearl!"
Without hesitating, the young gem took off in the direction of the noise, desperately trying to find his friends. As he ran through the Kindergarten, sounds of struggle and the gems' voices continued to reverberate through the rocky walls, creating a violent chorus. As Steven drew closer and closer to the source of the noise, the sounds fused into a dreadful cacophony.
Then the valley fell silent.
Steven continued running, morbid thoughts playing through his mind as he searched for his friends. Suddenly, a flash of red caught his attention. Steven abruptly stopped running and ducked behind a boulder to avoid being seen. Being careful to avoid being spotted, Steven peeked out from behind the rock to find Garnet grappling with the Homeworld gem. Steven looked around the canyon for any sign of Amethyst or Pearl. After searching for a minute, he located the gemstones of his friends lying on the ground a few feet from the fighting gems. Steven watched from his hiding spot as the Homeworld gem slowly began to overpower Garnet.
"Well," the gem started, her voice dripping with malice, "you 'Crystal Gems' certainly are annoying. Tell me where Rose is hiding!"
"I'll never tell you" Garnet yelled in response. "I won't let you hurt any more defenseless humans." The Homeworld gem snickered, her mouth stretching into a sadistic grin.
"As if you could stop me." The Homeworld gem promptly grabbed Garnet's midsection with both hands and pulled, ripping the tall gem in half effortlessly. From behind the rock, Steven watched as the gem smirked, admiring her gruesome handiwork before throwing the pieces of Garnet to the ground. Garnet's physical form disappeared, causing her gemstones to clatter to the stone floor. Steven stood completely still, utterly terrified by what he had just witnessed. The young gem could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks. The Homeworld gem smiled, nonchalantly kicking Sapphire's gemstone across the rocky ground. Suddenly, Steven heard a voice from the other end of the canyon.
"Finally, someone came! I've been trapped on this miserable planet for weeks now!"
Steven looked over and spotted a familiar lime-green individual approaching the Homeworld gem.
"It's Peridot!" Steven whispered, being careful not to make too much noise.
"Where is the ship?" Peridot asked, creating a holo-display with her fingers. "I need to get back to Homeworld and report on the status of the Cluster."
The mysterious gem looked down at Peridot and snickered.
"I'm not here to help you, you pathetic excuse for a gem. You failed your mission. Twice. Going to Earth should have been easy. You can stay on this worthless ball of rock for the next ten thousand years for all I care. My only concern is finding and killing Rose!"
"Well, my job is getting back to Homeworld and reporting back to Yellow Diamond!" replied Peridot angrily. "So you will take me to your ship, and set a course to return to Homeworld."
"Make me," the Homeworld gem replied coldly, glaring at Peridot. "I'm not going anywhere until Rose Quartz has been destroyed."
Overhearing this exchange, Steven shuddered in his hiding place.
The Homeworld gem abruptly stopped, listened for a second, and turned towards Steven's hiding place. The young boy huddled closer to the rock, trying desperately not to make any noise.
Peridot glowered at the Homeworld gem coldly until an idea dawned on her.
"I know where Rose is."
The Homeworld gem looked at the technician and smiled sadistically.
"Then you may be of some use to me after all."