Eclipse
Chapter One: Return of the Sun Gem
It was a dark night in Beach City. Most of the local businesses had closed down for the evening, the streets were empty, and all was silent, save for the seagulls flying overhead and the gentle waves washing up against the beach. Down by the shore, there stood a temple with a statue that had four pairs of arms spread out, and a small house built at the base. On the front porch, a young boy was sat in a chair, looking through a telescope, looking up at the stars. The boy was short with a thick, stocky build with fair skin, curly dark brown hair, dark brown eyebrows, and full black irises. He wore a pink t-shirt with a yellow star in the center, a pair of blue jeans and salmon-pink flip-flop sandals.
The boy looked up at the stars with his telescope, before gasping, "Wow! I see the Big Dipper!"
Looking through the telescope, he gazed at the stars above before something red covered the lens.
"Aaah! A meteor!"
With a cry, the boy fell back, but someone caught him, thankfully. Looking up, he saw that it was Garnet, leader of the Crystal Gems, holding him while her hand was over the lens of the telescope. She was tall, had red skin and a black hair styled into a cube-shaped afro, wearing a pair of pink translucent peach-tinted shades that covered her three eyes. She wore a black and crimson bodysuit with cubic shoulder pads, one being bright pink and the other one crimson, and a pale pink star with a bright pink outline on her chest. She also wore long, elbow length black gloves that covered her middle fingers.
"Sorry, Steven, didn't mean to scare you." She apologized calmly. "It's time for bed now."
Nodding, Steven went inside and got changed into his pajamas and crawling into bed, with Garnet sitting at his bedside.
"Can you tell me a bedtime story?" He asked.
"Of course." Garnet said with a smile. "What story would you like to hear?"
Thinking for a moment, Steven said, "What about a story from long ago? Like, way back then?"
"You want a story about the Crystal Gems?" Garnet asked.
"Yes, please!" Steven declared, his pupils turning into stars from excitement.
"Okay, let me think." Garnet said, putting a finger and thumb to her chin in thought, before snapping her fingers. "Okay, I've got one that might interest you."
Steven tucked himself under the covers, paying close attention as Garnet began, "I told you stories about how your mother, Rose Quartz, was a hero. However, there was one Gem that fought at her side, who was different from every other Gem."
"You mean besides you and Pearl?" Steven asked.
"That's right." Garnet nodded. "A one-of-a-kind Gem called Sunstone. He was so strong, he could lift entire mountains from their base with his bare hands. He was so fast, he could outrun the fastest Gem amongst us. But most importantly, he had a heart of gold, always ready and willing to lend a helping hand. Not only that, but he was also empowered by the sun's rays and nearby stars, granting him great strength."
"Wow!" Steven said in awe.
"He was one of the best." Garnet said before frowning. "But one day, during a great battle, he went missing. We searched everywhere for him, but we could never find him, no matter how hard we looked."
"That's terrible!" Steven gasped.
"I know, but fear not." Garnet gave a reassuring smile. "I'm certain he's out there, somewhere, and can find his way back to us."
After that, Garnet left Steven to sleep, the boy looking out the window into the night sky.
"Sunstone…" He said with wonder. "If you're out there, I hope we can meet. And when we do, I hope we become best of friends!"
And soon enough, he fell asleep.
Far from Beach City, there stood a tall mountain in Tibet, lying near the source of some of Asia's longest rivers. This was Mount Kailash, rising to 6.638m and can be found in the Kailash Range in Tibet. It was considered sacred by several religions including Buddhism and Hinduism and every thousands make a pilgrimage to the mountain in a holy ritual that they believe will bring good fortune.
Along the trail up the mountain, several Buddhist monks can be seen walking up the trial, both carrying what looked like incense candles, before arriving at the base of the mountain where an alter could be seen. Placing the candles in their spots, the monks proceeded to light the candles before clasping their hands together and praying. After what seemed like hours, they then made to take the trail up the mountain, but one of them noticed something within the rock of the mountain. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a sun-shaped gemstone, tucked away within the rock, the stone itself took on a bright orange color.
"Something the matter, brother?" The other monk asked.
"I just noticed something within the mountain." The monk replied. "I've never seen anything like it."
Taking hold of the stone, the monk managed to pull it out, "My, this stone is surprisingly light for its size!"
The stone itself was the size of a human hand, shaped like the sun with a bright orange color, with several jagged spikes along the edges that resemble rays of the sun.
"This is a rare find, brother." The other monk said. "Perhaps we should add it to the alter."
Just then, the sun began peaking out from behind the clouds, the rays beaming down upon the gemstone, which seemed to glow bright.
"What is this?!" The monk holding the stone exclaimed in surprise.
The stone suddenly started to float from his hands before light expanded from the gemstone, the light taking the shape of a humanoid body, before the light soon faded, the new figure landing on his feet, crouching down before standing up. The figure practically towered over the two monks, even Garnet, had a muscular human body that had several traits of a monkey, such as hands in place of feet, a long, orange monkey's tail and wild, unkept orange hair and striking golden eyes. He wore a pair of baggy white pants and a yellow shirt and bandage wraps around his wrists and ankles, along with a golden circlet around his head that encircled the sun-shaped gemstone on his forehead, a blue sash wrapped around his waist and a bright red cape.
The strange creature stared down at the two monks with narrowed eyes, both looking up with fear at the tall creature…
"Hoo boy!"
The creature suddenly declared, before he began stretching his limbs, the sound of bones popping can be heard.
"Feels like it's been over ten thousand years since I was allowed to stretch my legs!" He proceeded to say, as if he had forgotten that he had company, as the two monks stared in confusion.
"Excuse me?" One of the monks said, the monkey-looking man turning to him. "Who or what are you?"
The creature blinked a few times before smiling, "Oh, how rude of me to not introduce myself." He then did an epic pose. "My name is Sunstone, the Invincible Star Fighter!"
The monks only stared in disbelief, before the being calling himself Sunstone stuck two fingers in his mouth before whistling, calling forth a sizable cloud, much to the monks' surprise.
"Anyways, thanks for busting me out of the mountain!" He thanked the two monks. "As a reward, consider your planet under my protection once again!"
And with that, the being hoped on the cloud and flew off, disappearing into the skies, the two monks utterly stunned at what had transpired.
"What just happened?" One of the monks asked.
Having left the scene, Sunstone soared through the clouds on the nimbus, a massive grin on his face as he soared through the skies, before diving downwards and coming to a stopped of what looked like a city near a beach.
"HELLO, PLANET EARTH!" He bellowed loudly. "DIDJA MISS ME?! I BET YOU DID!"
He chuckled as he put his hands to his waist, but then frowned when he got a better look at the city.
"Huh. Looks different from when I was around." He remarked. "Rather than huts made of straw and mud, these look like something else."
Deciding to explore, he flew downwards, flying over the city and the various houses and local business', seeing the people walking about, some looking up and the faces riddled with surprise as they saw him fly overhead.
Soon enough, he came to the beach, seeing the temple statue come into view, much to his relief.
"Well, at least there's one good thing in all this confusion." He said. "Time to see some old friends!"
He soon started to descend upon the temple before seeing what looked like a young boy playing out on the beach with someone he had a familiar feeling towards.
"Maybe I'll go say hi!"
He soon began his descent, the nimbus floating downward.
Down by the beach, Steven played frisbee with one of the Crystal Gems called Amethyst. She had a stout build, standing at about Steven's height, though only by a couple of inches. Her skin was bright lilac, her eyes a dark indigo, and her thick, messy hair was pale lavender and went down to her ankles, with a large bang that obscured her left eyes. She had plump lips, and a small, upturned nose, and her gemstone was located on her chest. She wore a mauve, oversized, off-shoulder tank-top with a black bra underneath. She also wore black leggings with star-shaped cutouts on the knees, with a tear above the left star, and small, pointed white boots.
"Okay, Amethyst, think fast!"
Steven threw the frisbee as hard as he could, the stout female Gem running back and jumping up, and caught the flying disk.
"Nailed it!" Amethyst yelled as she landed before throwing it back to Steven who managed to catch it, tumbling into the sand.
"Got it!" The boy declared. "Even with Garnet and Pearl out, we can still have our own fun!"
Amethyst nodded before looking up, her eyes widening a bit, "Hey, am I imagining things, or is that cloud getting closer?"
Confused, Steven looked up, seeing one of the clouds indeed coming down towards them, the boy stepping back next to Amethyst as the cloud practically floated above their heads. The two watched a monkey-like creature poking his head over the cloud, a smile on his face.
"Hey, down there!" Sunstone called. "Nice to meet some friendly faces!"
Steven and Amethyst blinked several times before looking at each other in utter confusion, unsure how to respond to such a sudden appearance.
"Steven, you seein' this too, right?" Amethyst asked.
"Yeah, and I'm still not sure how to respond." Steven nodded.
"Hope you don't mind if I drop in!" Sunstone called. "Figured I'd pay the old homebase a visit!"
And with that, he jumped from the cloud and landed with a loud thum, before standing at full height, Steven and Amethyst staring up in awe at the size of the newcomer, easily beating Garnet in terms of height, his broad shoulders and muscular frame and his wild, messy hair.
"Whoa, you're massive." Amethyst said in awe.
"What can I say, I'm a growing boy!" The monkey Gem stated. "Now, what're your names?"
"I'm Steven." The boy said before gesturing to Amethyst. "And this here is Amethyst."
"Sup." Amethyst greeted.
"Whoa, another Gem!" Sunstone declared, getting lower and looking Amethyst in the eyes. "You look interesting! A lot smaller than usual Quartz's I've met, but unique!"
Amethyst couldn't help but blush at how close he was to her face, "Uh, thanks."
"So, who are you?" Steven asked. "How come we never met you before?"
"I was trapped under a mountain for the last…what felt like years." Sunstone said. "And I…" He then did an epic pose. "Am Sunstone; the Invincible Star Fighter!"
Steven gasped loudly, "As in THAT Sunstone!? The Sunstone that fought for the Crystal Gems?! Garnet told me stories about you!"
"Oh, so I take it you're an admirer." Sunstone grinned before realizing what he said. "Wait, did you say Garnet? Is Pearl here too?!"
"They sure are!" Steven declared. "Garnet mentioned having missed you!"
"Dude, I gotta see them!" Sunstone said with excitement. "It's got to have been so long since I last saw them!"
Just then, the inside of the beach house lit up, signaling that the two Gems in question had returned.
"That's them!" Steven stated. "Come on!"
Steven grabbed Sunstone's hand and pulled him along, the larger being allowing the little boy to pull him along, Amethyst following behind.
Inside the beach house, Garnet had just returned with her fellow Crystal Gem member, Pearl. Pearl had a slender, thin build, an ivory complexion, light cyan eyes, a pointed nose, and thin lips. She was quite a tall Gem, towering over both Amethyst and Steven alike. She was nearly equal in height (with hair) to Garnet's chin. Her hair was a light peach color and resembled a pixie-cut in the front, while in the back, her hair led to a point. Pearl's gemstone was located in the middle of her forehead and had no facets.
She wore a sleeveless, sky-blue top that had a yellow star, and a translucent chest and transferred into a transparent silk ballet skirt around her waist. She also wore short salmon pink-colored leggings, light-green socks, and slip-on ballet flats to match.
"Well, that's another creature defeated." Pearl said, holding what looked like a Gem inside a bubble before tapping the top of it to warp it away.
"Another one for the temple." Garnet said.
"Hey, guys!" Steven yelled as he swung open the door, with Amethyst behind him. "We just met another Gem! You won't believe who it is!"
"He claims to be a friend of yours." Amethyst added.
"I am a friend!" The Gem yelled from outside.
"Wait, that voice." Pearl said. "It sounds familiar…"
Excited, Steven reached out and guided Sunstone inside, the sun Gem having to duck his head in order to enter before standing up straight, a grin on his face.
"Hey guys!" He greeted happily with a wave.
Both Garnet and Pearl stood in stunned silence, Pearl having her mouth covered with both hands, Garnet's visor flashing away to show her three eyes.
"SUNSTOOOOONNEE!"
The silence was broken when Pearl squealed and jumped at Sunstone with a hug, Sunstone feigning surprise before holding her bridal style.
"Hey, no Pearl jumps into my arms like that." Sunstone said jokingly before holding her up. "Hey, did someone lose a Pearl? Who do you belong to?"
"No one!" Pearl declared proudly.
"Atta girl!" Sunstone said.
"Alright, settle down." Garnet said as she approached, a smile on her face.
"Oh, you're one to talk, Garnet." Sunstone smirked. "Or was it two to talk?"
Scoffing, Garnet summoned one of her gauntlets and punched him in the arm, the Gem not even fazed, as the three laughed.
"Sunstone, we've tried searching everywhere for you after the last battle." Pearl said as she got off her comrade. "But we never found you."
"I was buried under a mountain, no big deal." Sunstone waved it off. "I'm just glad to be back!"
"Wow, this is exciting!" Steven said, eyes wide with star-shaped pupils. "We have an old member and a legendary warrior too!"
"I dunno, legendary's kinda pushing it…" Sunstone said before reconsidering it. "Ah, who am I kidding? Of course, I'm legendary!"
"There's that egotist we all know and love." Garnet snickered.
"You guys have got to catch me up on everything I've missed!" Sunstone declared. "All the events I missed, the changes…" He then gasped. "What about the old crew!? I'm sure they were wondering where I've been!"
At the last bit, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl seemed unsure before Garnet spoke, "Actually, it's been a long day, Sun. Perhaps we should rest for the day, save it for later."
"Oh." Sunstone frowned in disappointment.
"In the meantime, you can hang out with Steven." Pearl said, gesturing to the human boy. "He seems to have already taken a liking to you."
"That sounds awesome!" Steven declared. "I can show you all my favorite TV shows, everything around Beach City, my games!"
"Whoa, that sounds new." Sunstone said before grinning. "I'm in!"
"Great!" Pearl said as she clapped her hands together. "In the meantime, we'll start planning for the next day, to help you get adjusted to the town."
And with that, Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet went into the Temple, Pearl and Garnet sharing worried glances at each other.
"We're gonna have to tell him soon." Garnet said.
"I know, but who knows how he'll take it." Pearl frowned. "With everyone pretty much gone, he'll be so distraught."
"We'll help him through it together." Garnet assured. "And this time, we're not gonna lose him again."
"I hope he sticks around." Amethyst said with a smile. "He's kinda cute, for a giant."
For the next few hours till nighttime, Steven showed the newcomer everything about the beach house, from the shower to the television set, although he did try to drink from the toilet for some reason, and tried to 'free a tiny person trapped in a magic box', but overall, it went rather well.
Soon enough, it was time for bed, as Steven got into bed with his pajama's.
"Well, time for bed, Sunstone." Steven said, only to look up and see that the sun Gem was nowhere to be found. "Sunstone?"
"Up here, little buddy."
Steven looked up to see Sunstone hanging by his tail from the beams above.
"Sunstone, what're you doing up there?" Steven chuckled before asking.
"Picking my sleeping spot." Sunstone said casually before pulling himself up, sitting on the wooden beam. "And I just so happen to like it up here."
"Hehe, you're funny, Sunstone." Steven chuckled at his new friend. "I hope you like it here!"
"Well, I met some new and old friends, and I look forward to exploring this town." Sunstone declared. "I think I already like it here!"
"Well, goodnight, Sunny." Steven said before turning off the light and going to sleep.
Sunstone watched him snore before turning away, but something caught his eye. Hanging above the door frame was a portrait of Rose Quartz.
Someone he considered a great friend, who he owed so much to.
Staring at the portrait for a while, Sunstone smiled, "Rose, I hope you're okay. Because I am."
He sat there in silence, blinking a few times, before realizing something.
"I don't even need to sleep."
And I have returned to Steven Universe with this new idea! Yeah, my last SU story wasn't really good; there were so many issues and I just lost interest. But I've thought up a new version with a whole new idea.
So, what do you guys think of Sunstone so far? As you can tell, he's obviously inspired by Sun Wukong, and there's a lot of history behind him that I look forward to showing you guys.
Anyways, that's all for now! Hope you stick around for more! Reviews are greatly appreciated!