Past Weeks…
After everything with Sugilite, life continued as it always does around the Crystal Gems. Steven and Sadie ended up pranking Lars when he was a bit of a lazy jerk and left Sadie to do all the work with some super-hot, spicy flake concoction.
Maybe Lars deserved something, but when that something came from one of the gems, it felt a little too much in Jason's opinion. Even if it seemed to help Lars shape up a little, using something gem related on a human had led to a long lecture from Jason.
Steven seemed to get the point and even apologized to Lars again after the lecture. This time, Jason decided to let his sort of student off with that. Next, Steven was looking forward to an upcoming festival and playing music with his dad on stage.
Before he could talk with his dad, they had to get a time-traveling hourglass device from a place that only opens once every hundred years. They said it was fine for Jason to sit this one out, but when the gems returned, it was evident that things didn't go exactly as planned.
Apparently, a bunch of Stevens started popping up out of nowhere and fighting until one of them broke one of the hourglasses. That led to them all dying, except for their Steven. While the gems were confused, the imparted knowledge Jason had helped them sort events.
Flashback
"The only conclusion I can come to is that was the hourglass you guys were looking for." Jason reasoned. "Those Stevens obtained said device and used it. I'd say the Steven that set everything off saw what was happening and decided to break it, destroying all but our Steven. By destroying the device he used, all subsequent Stevens that appeared wouldn't have existed."
"I get it!" Pearl exclaimed, glad to have it all cleared up. "All future versions were rendered null and void because the catalyst for their future was destroyed before they could have ever formed in the first place!"
"Wooooooooow." Steven drawled out his awe.
"Whoa." Amethyst said.
"Impressive." Garnet stated.
Jason nodded. "With that out of the way, got any ideas for your band Steven?"
Steven contemplated that before gasping and looking at all of them with a wide grin.
Past Weeks…
That's how the Crystal Gems, as a band, were formed. Amethyst was on drums, Garnet had a keyboard guitar, Pearl played violin, and Jason knew how to play the guitar. Considering how musically inclined the other Crystal Gems seemed, it put the thought in his head to practice. Then, Steven accidentally popped a bubble containing monster, releasing it.
He proceeded to befriend it, and things were looking alright. When it came time to grab another artifact, Steven and the gems left for it with the monster. When they got back, Steven was a bit somber, but the gems were ecstatic. Steven had to bubble his friend after it got poofed. Despite the circumstances, that was a good first step for the boy.
Beach House
Jason walked into the beach house only to stop as everyone was standing around Amethyst, who looked off. "What's going on?"
He had just been in his SUV, using the duplicator to restock his ammo.
"I was just about to send Pearl to get you." Garnet stated. "Amethyst broke her gem."
"Aw c'mon, it's not…" Amethyst began.
"What!?" Jason exclaimed before bounding over and kneeling. "Show me."
"C'mon it's not…" Amethyst tried again.
Jason gave her a glare. "Now."
"Oh, uh, okay." Amethyst stated before pulling down her shirt a little.
Looking at her gem, it was cracked.
"To my knowledge, the army never found a way to restore a gem." Jason looked at the others. "What do we do?"
"We were planning to head over to a special garden fountain that once belonged to Rose Quartz." Garnet replied.
"A fountain?" Jason asked. "What's so special about a fountain?"
"Oh Jason, this is no ordinary fountain." Pearl replied. "See, another ability Rose had was that her tears were imbued with special healing properties perfect for healing a cracked gem."
"Alright, let's go." Jason stated.
Garden
"In the center of the garden is Rose's Fountain overflowing with her healing, lacrimal essence!" Pearl explained.
Jason looked around the landscape, which was majorly overgrown. "Hopefully it's still running… Wait, if Steven's mom could heal things with her tears, why are we going to this fountain? Don't we just need him to cry?"
"Well, we tried but…" Pearl began.
"I guess I'm just too manly." Steven interrupted as he lightly flexed.
"Didn't you cry about snakes a few days ago?" Jason asked.
"They have no arms!" Steven exclaimed sorrowfully.
"In any case, we don't need Steven to cry." Pearl stated. "We have the fountain!"
"I don't see it." Garnets commented.
"I don't either." Jason looked at a massive, rounded collection of huge thorn brambles. "Oh…I'm guessing that's it."
Pearl gasped at seeing the state the fountain was in. "Now, now! Let's keep it together! Our memories of Rose can't be tainted by some overgrown brambles!" She pulled the soldier close. "Look at them. They're a mess without her guidance. Directionless, clinging things."
"Why do I get the feeling she's describing herself?" Jason thought.
"It's going to be okay, Jason!" Pearl exclaimed hysterically.
"Pearl." Jason stated sternly. "Take a deep breath and calm down." He pulled back. "Look, the five of us will figure out some way to the fountain, but overreacting isn't going to do Amethyst any good. We need to be level headed right now."
Pearl took a deep breath. "Right. You're right."
"Good." Jason nodded. "Now, why don't you go with Garnet to find us a way into the fountain while I stay with Steven and Amethyst to make sure they don't get hurt."
Pearl nodded, seeming calmer. "I actually see a path over here."
She and Garnet took off.
"Healing tears!" Steven declared, straining to force tears out of his face.
"Steven, stop that." Jason chastised. "You'll get a hernia or aneurism.
The boy does stop, but he looked depressed over it.
Amethyst began to speak gibberish again, leaving the hybrids stumped. "Amethyst, we can't understand you. Either write it out or play charades."
The purple gem shot him an annoyed look before it turned into a happy one. She slapped herself and dragged fingers down her face from underneath her eyelids.
"Oh, pain can make one cry." Steven stated.
Amethyst nodded her head in agreement.
"Look, I know I was the one who said we just needed Steven to cry, but he shouldn't have to hurt himself for it." Jason stated firmly.
The soldier looked around for Steven, only to see him slowly reaching towards one of the thorns with one of his fingers outstretched and the other hand covering his face. The brambles started to move on their own terms.
Jason summoned his swords and had them plow straight into the brambles, cutting them to shreds, while jumping towards his fellow hybrid. "Steven!"
He got the boy and himself back.
"Amethyst, Steven, Jason!" Pearl yelled as she and Garnet made their way towards them. "What's going on?"
"I don't know!" Steven exclaimed. "One moment, I was standing near the brambles and the next…"
"…they almost shredded Steven." Jason concluded angrily. "Amethyst, you need to think before you speak. Steven could have gotten hurt because you mentioned we need pain. Steven, you need to use common sense. You have experience with how time has affected your mother's plants."
The two of them looked down with Steven saying, "Sorry."
The soldier sighed. "Look, just be careful in the future, alright buddy?" Steven nodded in a way he seemed to get it. "Good." He sighed. "Now, it looks like my blades managed to open a tunnel to the fountain, so let's go."
Jason led the way down the path, returning all but one of his blades just in case the brambles tried to attack them. Garnet had her gauntlets ready for the same reason while Steven supported Amethyst.
"This isn't right." Garnet stated.
They had come to a large opening in the brambles that wasn't made by the blades. It was almost as if the plants tried to touch the fountain but couldn't.
"The fountain isn't even running." Jason commented.
"What's wrong with it?" Pearl questioned.
"I'm not sure." Garnet replied.
"Is that…mom?" Steven asked as he looked up at the statue of his mom in the center of the fountain. "Oh, oh, I'm getting emotional! I think it's happening! Uh, I'm really feeling it!"
Jason brought Amethyst underneath him, and the boy strained to cry while Pearl and Garnet watched. The next few seconds were filled with Steven grunting and trying to cry to no avail.
"Ah, come on!" Steven cried out. "I had it!"
Pearl let out a sigh before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Steven, it's fine. Just… stay here with Jason and watch over Amethyst. We'll find out what's wrong with the fountain."
"No, no. Wait! I can do it!" Steven tried.
Suddenly, Amethyst's crack enlarged catching everyone's attention as she fell to pieces, only connected by thin lines to her body. Garnet let out a hiss at seeing her fellow gem in such a state before starting to leave with Pearl.
"Wait, wait!" Steven chased after them. "It might still happen! Guys?"
Unfortunately, there was no time for chances, so they headed off further in to find the reason for the dry fountain.
Steven let out a sad sigh before sitting next to his fellow hybrid. "Jason, I wanted to say I'm sorry about earlier. I just thought if I cried…"
"Look Steven, you and I aren't like the gems." Jason sighed as he put an arm around the kid. "Even with my new durability, I'm still nowhere near gem level. Yeah, I may have sounded angry back there, but I was just worried. It doesn't mean I won't care about and protect you."
Steven sniffed a little before surprising Jason with a hug. "Thank you."
"No problem." The soldier patted Steven on the back before he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks Amethyst." She tried to talk. "Still can't understand you…but thanks."
He pat her hand, but, to his confusion, she sounded farther away than where her hand was. She talked some more and tried to get Steven's attention while pointing to her tangled body parts.
Fed up with the whole situation, Steven snapped. "I can't understand you! I don't understand anything! Why is everyone acting so strange!? Why can't I…" He stopped ranting and looks at the statue of his mother. "Why can't I cry!?
It's just…I mean…I don't know how to feel about you, but everyone else does." Steven sadly curled up in the flower bed at the base of his mother's statue. "I wish I could have met you. Then, this place would make me sad, and I could cry healing tears."
"Steven." Jason sighed as he got up and walked over to him. "Look, the others expect big things from you because they knew your mother, but you can't tie that burden to yourself. Just as I can't be my moms, you can't be your mom. All we can be is ourselves."
Steven looked up at him as the soldier continued. "I know to you I might seem powerful, but it wasn't always that way. It took years to unlock the ability to use what my moms' left me, and it took more to get where I am now. I know you'll get there to, so don't beat yourself up."
Steven sat up. "You really think so?"
"You got a lot of potential Steven." Jason assured. "While they might have been your mom's abilities at one point, they're yours now. Don't ever forget that, and don't think you have to be who your mom was. I like Steven, not his mom."
As Steven went in for another hug, Jason suddenly moved and gathered Amethyst up before throwing her into the fountain. "Steven, join Amethyst now!" He had seen the bushes move in on them and summoned his blades before beginning to slice them. "Now!"
"On it!" Steven confirmed, jumping into the fountain with the purple gem.
Jason sent three of his swords out to cover the other sides while grabbing two to use in slicing down the bushes. Eventually, there was a rumbling sound, making everyone look around for what it was. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, the fountain's water flowed.
It simulated tears from Rose's statue. The water washed the entire area healing every bush and making them grow roses. Steven and Amethyst broke the surface of the fountain with the latter now healed. It was at this point that Garnet and Pearl came in.
"Oh, thank goodness." Pearl declared in relief.
"Nice job finding the plug you two." Jason sighed in relief.
"We had to." Pearl stated. "Steven doesn't have any healing tears. He'll never have any real magic powers, and we don't want anything more to do with him."
Steven looked at her with a horrified expression.
Beach City: Cliff…
"Steven!" Jason exclaimed, getting him and Connie to look at him. "She did not say that." He sighed. "You were doing so well recounting the adventure until the end there."
"That's what it felt like!" Steven sighed. "Despite everything you said, I felt so useless."
"Is that why you've been down?" Connie asked.
Steven simply shrugged.
"You hit the nail on the head." Jason ate another bite of his sandwich. "He's been mopey ever since we got back."
"Oh, you can have your juice back." Connie offered the boy.
"Nah, that's okay." Steven sniffled.
"Steven, even if you never get powers, and for some reason the gems wanted you gone, I wouldn't let it happen." Jason assured him.
"Yeah Steven." Connie added. "Just like how you don't need powers to be here with us, you don't need powers to be with them. I don't know where you got such an idea, but I know everyone cares about you with or without…" She suddenly rubbed her eyes. "Ow. Ugh."
"What's wrong?" Steven asked in concern.
"You alright?" Jason asked.
"I think…" Connie let out a breath before continuing. "There's something wrong with my glasses." She took them off only to become freaked out. "My…My eyes. I can see!"
"What!?" Steven/Jason exclaimed in shock.
"I can see without my glasses!" Connie exclaimed.
"How's that possible?" Jason asked.
"Did I heal your eyes? But how?" Steven asked before everyone suddenly staring at the juice box and Connie dropped it in shock. "The juice box!" He gasped out loud at the revelation. "I don't have healing tears. I have healing spit!"
"Whoa." Jason smiled at that. "See, just like I told you. It might still be healing, but it's your brand of healing. Your power."
"What am I going to tell my parents?" Connie asked distressed. "What am I going to tell my optometrist!?"
"How will she explain this to her parents?" Jason pondered, the realization of what this mean washing over him.
"I don't even know! Oh, thank you Connie!" Steven hugged her before running to Lion. "Lion, let's go tell the gems! They're never going to believe this!"
Steven ran off down the hill with Lion trailing behind.
Connie sighed and took off her glasses. "What am I going to do?" She eventually settled for taking out the lenses and putting them back on. "I guess…this will just have to do."
"I guess it will." Jason sighed before rubbing the back of his head. "Hey Connie, if you ever need a friend, or something weird comes up, you know Steven and I got your back, right?"
Connie nodded. "Yeah, I know."
"Good." Jason nodded. "Anyways, I better get going. I should confirm what Steven tells the gems, so they don't think he's lying."
"Yeah, that's probably best." She walked back to the picnic area and grabbed the blanket. "I should get home too since I don't want to make my parents worry."
Next chapter: Mirror Gem
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dindagangleader14: Yeah, there will be.