Rhodonite woke up as her usual groggy self, a trait taken from Sodalite, but she preferred to call it her own. Now that she was getting settled in her new pocket dimension, nights were beginning to be a lot more comfortable, and Rhodonite was taking her place among the Crystal Gems. She ran her hands through her messy mohawk, assumed it looked fine, and walked out to see if the others were awake.
Everyone was wide awake, and they looked to be decorating some sort of plant in the corner of the room. Garnet was holding Steven up in the air as he hung up a red bulb. Amethyst would toss multicolored bulbs and other ornaments to Garnet, who caught them one handed, while Pearl screeched and scolded as each one flew in the air.
"Careful! These things are breakable!" Pearl shouted.
"It`s fine, I got it." Amethyst said nonchalantly.
Steven looked around, only to catch sight of Rhodonite, who was observing them from afar.
"Oh, you`re up! Now you can help us decorate the Christmas tree!" Steven smiled.
"Christmas tree?" Rhodonite asked.
"We didn't get it at first either, it's a human thing. A winter celebration that was originally supposed to be strictly religious, but now it's just a universal thing. Decorating an evergreen tree with lights and ornaments is just one of the many traditions of "Christmas" besides the exchange of gifts, and spending time with loved ones and/or family." Pearl explained.
"Oh..." Rhodonite said quietly.
"Come help us!" Steven shouted, beckoning Rhodonite to come.
Rhodonite was very timid, she walked over slowly, and hung each ornament with care, Pearl hung ornaments with care too, but Rhodonite acted as though the ornaments were going to explode in her hands. After all the ornaments were hung, it was Pearl`s job to hang the lights and garland on the tree.
"Everyone step back." Pearl ordered.
"Why?" Rhodonite asked out of curiosity.
"Well, I have a very special way of doing this quickly and precisely." Pearl said. Pearl spun the tree, causing it to whirl in place quickly. Pearl got on tiptoe and wrapped the tree as it twirled, leaving the lights in a perfect swirl up the tree. Pearl tapped her foot on the switch and the tree lights flickered on. Pearl did the same thing with the garland, and the tree was all ready for the star.
"Garnet, come help me with the star!" Steven said as he ran over to the ornament box.
"Star? Don`t we have enough stuff draped on this poor tree?" Rhodonite was thinking out loud.
"The star is the best part of the tree, it even lights up!" Steven replied.
"It kind of reminds me of Rose...didn't Rose have us all wear stars on our clothes?" Rhodonite asked.
"Yes, and we still wear them. Stars represent many things, they light the way, they represent how bright the future of Earth can be if we protect it, and it reminds us of our promise to fight Homeworld oppression on any star or planet." Pearl smiled at the thought of Rose.
"Be careful Steven, the star is very breakable." Garnet said as she lifted up Steven. Steven put the star on the treetop carefully, then connected a wire on it to the wire that the lights were connected to, causing the star to illuminate.
After putting Steven down, the four Crystal Gems clapped at the beauty of the tree, Rhodonite had no idea what this meant, but she followed along anyway.
"So...your past lives never celebrated Christmas? I guess you guys were too preoccupied with the war, and you also didn't know Earth culture very well..." Steven said, talking to Rhodonite on the couch.
Rhodonite was lost in thought again.. "Now that I`m hearing it, I have heard of Christmas before.." She said quietly.
"You have? How?" Steven asked excitedly.
"I can`t put my finger on it, maybe if I try to remember..." Rhodonite closed her eyes and tried to think back.
"So I`m guessing you`ll be gone a while.." Steven muttered, knowing that it takes a few minutes for her to remember things.
DING, DONG, DING, DONG!
The bell tones were coming from a chapel in Beach City, but nothing was happening there. A large crowd of both Gems and humans were waiting anxiously at an aisle at the top of a snowy hill. There was a light downfall of little flurries flying through the air. The sky was a watercolor painting of grey and white, and the sun peeked through the grey occasionally. On the top of the hill, there was a garden archway, decorated with evergreen garland and white roses. The crowd was watching the aisle, and they were restrained from touching the pathway by silver ribbon. Rose was in this crowd, along with every Crystal Gem. Waiting under the arch was a blue Gem in a black tuxedo, Sodalite, along with a priest.
Suddenly, a light, elegant piano tune played as a Gem with skin like cracked porcelain came up the hill. Her head was down, looking at the ground, her face blushing with insecurity as everyone murmured and gasped about how beautiful she looked. Her long, black, crimped hair drug on the floor dramatically, along with the lengthy white train of her gown. This Gem was Howlite, Sodalite`s forever love, dressed in a gown of white silk, her face covered by a veil of silver netting, her hair and dress studded with snowflakes. Garnet was accompanying Howlite as she walked down the aisle, wearing a tuxedo like Sodalite.
Howlite finally reached the arch, and stopped, facing Sodalite, looking at her through the veil. Sodalite smiled and lifted the veil to reveal Howlite`s face, like a cracked porcelain doll, but in a beautiful, timeless way. Howlite`s eyes were closed, more snowflakes landing on her lashes.
"Open those pretty eyes for me." Sodalite whispered.
Howlite`s eyes flashed open to reveal the robotic mix of steel grey and gunmetal blue, but Sodalite didn't mind. The crowd was silent as the priest began to speak. Most of the time Sodalite wasn't listening, just gazing at Howlite love-sickly. It had eventually come time for Sodalite and Howlite to say their vows. After saying them, Sodalite slipped the golden wedding ring on Howlite, and Howlite slipped a ring on Sodalite`s finger too. After the priest pronounced their marriage, he finally said the words Sodalite was waiting for,
"You may kiss the bride."
"Oh, finally. I thought you`d never get to it." Sodalite said in exasperation.
Howlite lightly giggled before Sodalite pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips didn't crash into each other or anything like that, it was just smooth, lips touching lips like a casual bedtime smooch. Both Sodalite and Howlite closed their eyes when kissing, and after a while, the two finally let go and turned to face the crowd, hand in hand. The people watching clapped and cheered, even Garnet, who didn't agree with the whole thing at first.
That night, at a fancy hall in Beach City, everyone, Gems and all, feasted and celebrated the occasion. Lights and ornaments were already hung for Christmas, for it was Christmas Eve night. Stockings were hung on the mantle, and a roaring fire flickered underneath. A glowing evergreen tree was not too far from the mantle. Sodalite and Howlite were sitting by the fire, Sodalite braiding Howlite`s hair as Howlite studied her ring and how it glimmered in the firelight.
"Death do us part...let`s hope that isn't soon." Howlite said quietly.
"Don`t say that, you and me, we`re survivors. If anyone tries to get to you, I`ll have their head." Sodalite replied, her eyes burning with enduring love.
"Thanks Soda. You know, the humans are not as primitive as I thought. At least they have the ability to love, and instead of looking down on it, they celebrate it with beautiful ceremonies." Howlite smiled.
"Yeah, so I guess we`re the primitive ones, then. We may have technology and advancements, but they have love." Sodalite looked up to the ceiling, thinking of Homeworld.
Howlite and Sodalite had wine glasses on the floor next to them. Howlite picked up her glass and raised it. "To love."
Sodalite smiled and raised her glass. "To love."
Rhodonite`s eyes flashed open, much to Steven`s surprise.
"That was actually quicker than usual." Steven said perkily.
"Howlite." Rhodonite whispered breathlessly.
"What? You mean that snake we fought?" Steven asked.
"When is Christmas Eve?" Rhodonite asked quietly.
"Uh, two days from now. We kind of procrastinated on the decorating this year." Steven smiled.
"I know what Christmas is now." Rhodonite was still speaking in that breathy sort of whisper, the kind of tone she spoke in after realizing something important.
"What is it to you?" Steven asked.
"It`s my anniversary." Rhodonite whispered, covering her mouth.
"Your anniversary? Gems got married during the war?" Steven asked, his eyes lighting up at the thought of hearing more Gem history.
"We were the only ones." Rhodonite said.
"I should ask Garnet if Ruby and Sapphire can get married, I`ll be right back!" Steven jumped off the couch and ran off into the temple.
Rhodonite sighed and rested her chin on her palm, daydreaming once more about the wedding.
One day later...
Rhodonite could hear Steven groaning outside in the living room, he was complaining about how he had to wait one more agonizing day until Christmas morning. Rhodonite could understand, the presents under the tree were pretty tempting. Rhodonite didn't want to get up, she was feeling rather depressed, more depressed than usual, mourning the corruption of Howlite.
She sighed and just stared into the endless blackness of her pocket dimension, until reaching an epiphany.
"Maybe if I go see Howlite than I`ll feel better." Rhodonite got up and opened a portal to Garnet`s dimension, where all the bubbles were kept. Luckily, Garnet wasn`t in the room at the time, so Rhodonite jumped into the portal, falling on her face with a thud.
"I could've done that with a lot more grace." Rhodonite muttered as she stood up and dusted herself off. She looked around the room, trying to find Howlite`s prism. It eventually caught her eye, and using her shapeshifting powers, which she was able to master, she stretched her legs to the bubble, seized it, and took it back up to her dimension.
After closing the portal, Rhodonite imagined a couch for her to sit on, and it appeared, she sat on the couch and let go of the bubble. The bubble hovered so that it met her eyes.
"Happy Anniversary, I`m sorry I didn't remember it at first. You have to understand, I can`t remember anything these days. I wouldn't even know who you are, who I am, if I hadn't come so close to what you are today. I guess corruption has benefits..." Rhodonite half chuckled, half sighed. "I wish you were here. Things would be different if you were. It would make transitioning a lot easier. I never knew Garnet or Pearl as well as I did you, and sometimes I think they don`t accept me. Well, according to Steven, I`m not the only one. Steven told me that he doesn't fit in either, and he bears the Gem of Rose Quartz." Rhodonite tightened the grip of the couch cushions as she continued to talk to the bubble. "That`s all that`s happening with me...thanks for listening, I wish you were here..." Tears began to well in her eyes. "I love you." Rhodonite pushed the bubble away, and it drifted into her pocket dimension, waiting for the next time Rhodonite needed her. Meanwhile, Rhodonite allowed a few tears to fall...
Little did she know, she was being watched by Garnet as Steven through a hole in her pocket dimension. Garnet and Steven looked at each other with looks of pity for Rhodonite, then smiled as to that they both got an idea, and closed the hole in the pocket dimension. Two minutes later, Garnet invited Rhodonite to a joyful snowball fight outside, where Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Steven, Connie, Greg, Peridot, and Rhodonite played the day away. After the snowball fight, Steven was way too exhausted to even stay up and count the hours away...
Rhodonite had to get up early and wait for Steven with the rest of the Gems. It was hard, getting used to becoming a parent, which meant holding back swears and trying hard not to express annoyance. However, Rhodonite got up anyway and sluggishly trudged into the living room. The six Gems waited by the Christmas tree, Pearl holding a camera anxiously, and all of them except Rhodonite were wearing Christmas sweaters.
Steven sprung up out of bed suddenly, and barreled down the stairs quickly in his "banana pajamas". Before Steven even touched the gifts, Pearl took about a million family pictures, where Rhodonite had to face the agony of doing the usual fake, toothy, picture smile. Rhodonite hated those kind of smiles, ever since she emerged, she had insecurity about her fang-like teeth, they made her look like a monster, which she was about 75% convinced she wasn't that.
Steven tore into his presents, throwing wrapping paper all over the floor ravenously whilst Pearl frenetically picked it all up. Rhodonite was dozed off as usual, she had sat on the floor with the rest of the Gems as they exchanged gifts, but it wasn't very interesting, so Rhodonite`s mind just saw it as time to drift. Of course, Rhodonite didn't even know what everyone got, and to be completely honest, she didn't care. Garnet tapped her on the shoulder, waking her up, she blinked back to life and looked around,
"What?" Rhodonite asked.
"Don`t think we forgot about you!" Steven shouted.
"Yeah, you`re one of us now!" Amethyst smiled.
"Steven and I were in the Kindergarten together, when we found these." Garnet said, handing Rhodonite a small gift box.
Rhodonite blushed and took the box out of Garnet`s hands. She stared at it for a second, wondering what could possibly be inside, before opening the box...
It was a necklace, the chain was of pristine gold, and dangling from the chain were two, slightly faded and dirty gold rings. Rhodonite recognized them as her and Howlite`s wedding rings, since they were actual material rings, and not part of their holographic masses, they must`ve fallen off when they were shattered and/or poofed. Rhodonite couldn't help but smile a real, toothy smile as she unclasped the chain, put on the necklace, and clasped it back again. She liked the necklace, it added a special touch to her outfit, and the rings hung just below her Gem.
"Thank you." Rhodonite smiled and looked up at the Gems sitting in front of her, she was also feeling the texture of the rings on the necklace as she was doing this.
"I knew you`d like it." Garnet grinned.
"Of course you did!" Pearl said.
The group of Gems giggled before leaving Steven to his playtime. Greg even came over to help make the Christmas dinner, and the seven of them partied and celebrated all night. Even Rhodonite, who had decided that it was best to celebrate the holiday season and the life Sodalite and Howlite shared rather than mope about how it was cut short, and perhaps, Howlite wanted it to be that way too...
We celebrate them...
Happy Holidays from AmethystGalaxy999 and the gang!
I was kind of upset that we couldn't have a Steven Universe Christmas special, so I just added what was needed. A little sneak peek of what's to come...big things are happening very very soon! Here is a little blurb...
Rhodonite has been a strange anomaly since she first emerged, but when Homeworld spies inform the Great Diamond Authority of Rhodonite's existence, Rhodonite is in for an intergalactic adventure of a lifetime, with torturous experiments, edge of your seat battles, memorable and surprising new characters, and with the help of a shocking new ally, Rhodonite rallies the oppressed people of Homeworld to stand up, become modern day Crystal Gems, and take down the villainous Great Diamond Authority from the inside...
Oh, and by the way, a little look into how the dork behind the writing is doing...
I had a Christmas concert tonight, I play bass clarinet, sing in the choir, and play drums in the percussion ensemble! I did okay haha but I was soooo nervous, I have a little bit of stage fright. Oh well, I just hope everyone's holidays go well!