Days went by, and I, Steven, was living a pretty chill life. I trained, ate well, spent time with my awesome dad, and studied on my phone. Yeah, I know—technically, I'd already gone through university in my past life, but I still kept reviewing things so I wouldn't turn into a total meathead. My dad, just like in the original story, let me do whatever I wanted, and I took advantage of that freedom to craft my own strategies.
Though, honestly, talking to myself so much was starting to get to me more than I thought. Sometimes I was the teacher. Sometimes the student. All within the same mind.
But sidetracking aside, that morning I was training on the beach. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon and I'd been working out for a while, focused on my pull-ups, when suddenly I heard the familiar sound of the house warp pad activating. I glanced at it without stopping. I kept my rhythm. Up and down. Until I hit my hundredth rep.
That's when I heard the front door creak open. I turned my head with curiosity and there they were: Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet.
All three were staring right at me. Garnet had her serious expression, though it was charged with a different energy, like something big was about to go down. Pearl, on the other hand, had that mix of disapproval and fear on her face that I knew all too well. And Amethyst... well, she was Amethyst. She had that relaxed look and playful smirk that defined her.
The air got thick in an instant.
"Hey, girls," I said with a smile, wiping the sweat from my brow. "How's it going?"
Garnet gave a brief wave. Amethyst hopped down to my side immediately. Pearl just muttered, "Good morning."
"Something you guys need?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I want breakfast," Amethyst said without a second thought.
"Amethyst!" Pearl snapped with that classic disapproving glare.
"What?" Amethyst fired back, crossing her arms.
They started bickering instantly, as usual. I looked over at Garnet with a face that basically said: "Can you stop them, please?" She got the message. She stepped between them, placed a hand on each of their faces, and said calmly but firmly: "Enough fighting. Let's get to why we're here."
All three turned to look at me at the same time.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked, rubbing my cheek as I finished drying off.
"The time has come," Garnet said, her voice heavy and serious.
I glanced at her. "Time for what?"
Pearl stepped in, her tone much more somber. "To prove your worth. You need more training if you want to follow in your mother's footsteps."
Her words hit hard. I looked at her, then fixed my eyes on Garnet.
"So... am I going on a mission with you guys?"
"Yes," Garnet replied. "Are you ready?"
I looked down for a moment. Took a deep breath. Then I looked at all three of them.
"Well... I don't know if I'm truly 'ready'." I looked straight into Pearl's eyes. "And I don't know if I'll ever live up to my mother. But I hope this mission makes me stronger."
Pearl watched me with her typical air of disdain, though this time, deep down, there was a flicker of fear in her eyes.
"Alright," I said with a slight challenging grin. "Are we going or what?"
"Let's move, G-man," Amethyst said. She headed to the warp pad and I followed with a smile. I didn't bother changing; I was gonna get dirty anyway.
Garnet glanced at Pearl and walked calmly toward us. Pearl stayed behind, whispering to herself: "You look so much like her... but at the same time, I know you aren't her. Don't be like her..."
The four of us stood on the pad and it lit up instantly. As we traveled through the vortex, Pearl and Garnet noticed I was perfectly calm. I wasn't tumbling around like they expected. They had to adjust the warp, which led to a small lecture, but they were both pleasantly surprised. Amethyst looked away to hide her laughter. She knew I'd done this before—just not with them.
"Where are we headed?" I asked.
Garnet waited a few seconds before answering. "We are going to the Lunar Sea Spire."
I raised an eyebrow. "Objective?"
"To restore it," Garnet replied.
Recalling the few memories I had of the show, that lined up with what I remembered. "What else has changed?" I wondered, feeling a bit uneasy.
In moments, we arrived at a rock where the warp pad sat. The travel sensation faded, and we geared up for what was coming. We walked to the edge, and I was stunned. In front of us stood a tower that looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Tilted. Partially sunken. Surrounded by walls of water.
"It's beautiful," I said, amazed.
"Isn't it?" Pearl replied, letting her inner nerd out. "It was an oasis for Gems on Earth. But over time, it fell into ruin." She paused and looked at me intently. "A great chance for us... and you. We're going to rebuild it."
I followed her words with some excitement. "If we're gonna fix it, I assume we have what we need."
Pearl nodded and pulled a statue of a woman from her gem. "We must place this at the top to stop the spire from deteriorating further."
"Got it," I replied, still a bit skeptical.
"You will carry it," she said, handing me the statue.
"Wait, what?" I froze. A bead of sweat ran down my face. "Wouldn't it be safer inside your gem?"
"It would," she replied firmly. "But this is a test for you."
Garnet nodded silently. Amethyst watched with a mischievous grin. The four of us jumped inside. Garnet and Pearl were surprised by the power of my jump, though they tried to hide it. Amethyst was on the verge of cracking up.
We moved through the spire's hallways, navigating worn corridors until we hit an area covered in worms. Pearl started sketching an improvised plan, using a hologram to explain how I should follow her. I looked at her in disbelief.
"Wouldn't it be better to just watch how they behave?"
Without waiting for an answer, I walked firmly through the worms. Garnet watched me in silence. Amethyst followed with an amused smile. Pearl kept talking, completely buried in her explanation.
The problem was that her voice was echoing way too loud in that place. I knew any sound could trigger those creatures, so I decided to ignore her. The worms started to stir. Pearl finally realized she was talking to herself. When she turned around, she saw we'd already moved ahead and had to frantically dodge worms to catch up.
Something wasn't right. Even though they seemed restless, they didn't really seem interested in us. They didn't even bother to attack. That strange calm made my skin crawl.
We reached the room where the statue needed to be placed. We walked cautiously, avoiding the worms. They were too still. Like they were waiting for something.
"This is too easy," Amethyst whispered. There was tension in her voice.
"Yeah..." Garnet replied, glancing toward a corner of the room.
I noticed. I followed her gaze.
And there it was.
An arm. Twisted. Covered in several colors that glowed unnaturally.
I froze. "An arm?" My heart rate spiked. "No... that's not just an arm. Those colors..."
The truth hit me like a ton of bricks.
"A corrupted gem..." Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. "Uh... guys..." I said in a low, nervous voice.
"What's up, G-man?" Amethyst replied.
I took a step back. "I didn't know there were more of you guys around here..."
All three followed my gaze. And there it was. A corrupted gem. Its body was that of a four-legged beast with a messy mane and a strange gem on its back. I couldn't identify it for sure, but I knew one thing: this was serious.
The girls didn't hesitate. In a synchronized move, they drew their weapons.
"Get back, Steven!" Garnet ordered.
I jumped back, clutching the statue. The creature roared and lunged at them. Pearl attacked first. The corrupted gem blocked the hit and, with a brutal blow, sent Pearl flying out of the monument.
"Pearl!" I shouted.
Amethyst reacted instantly. She spin-dashed with force and slammed the creature into the ground. Garnet jumped in for the finisher, but the corrupted gem let out a brutal sonic roar. The walls cracked. The floor shook. And Garnet was sent flying.
"Oh, for the love of—!" Pearl managed to say before Garnet landed right on top of her. They both went down with a crash.
From where I stood, I heard: "STEVENN!!"
Cold sweat ran down my face. My eyes locked on Amethyst. She was giving it her all, but it wasn't enough.
"You want some help?" I yelled.
Amethyst hesitated for a second, then screamed: "Screw it, just get over here and help me!"
I set the statue in a safe spot. I started stretching.
"What are you doing?!" Amethyst yelled.
"Stretching! Don't you see I'm human? I don't want to pull a muscle!"
She gave me a deadpan look. "...Fine, fine! Just get over here!"
I smirked and summoned my shield. I ran straight at the beast. The creature roared, and the air vibrated. I planted the shield in front of me, absorbing the impact. Amethyst took the opening. She lashed the corrupted gem with her whip. I threw my shield like Captain America. Amethyst got it instantly; she redirected the shield with her whip. The impact poofed the creature.
The gem fell to the floor. Amethyst landed next to me.
"Not bad for your first life-or-death battle. Almost blew my eardrums out with that roar, though."
I nodded, panting. "Totally."
Garnet and Pearl came running over.
"STEVEN!" Pearl screamed.
Garnet gave two thumbs up. "She's congratulating you," Amethyst whispered.
I scratched my head, trying to hide my pride. Pearl saw my shield and went pale. She rushed me.
"Oh, my poor baby!" She hugged me tight. "Do you have any scratches? Any bruises? What did that monster do to you? Where is that monster?!"
Amethyst looked at the gem trapped in the bubble. "Are you for real?"
Pearl was still checking me over. Then she looked at the shield again. "That... that..."
"My tool," I said proudly. Pearl still couldn't process it.
"Do you have the statue?" she asked suddenly.
Amethyst and I looked at each other. The moon was at its highest point.
"Crap!" Amethyst yelled.
I sprinted for the statue and placed it just in time. A glow swept through the monument, and the danger was over.
We all sighed in relief. Pearl kept muttering about "fragile babies." We headed home in silence. I went straight to the shower.
Amethyst broke the silence. "He's leveling up fast, don't you think?"
Pearl had tears in her eyes. "And I thought... that we would protect him..." Before she could finish, she hugged Amethyst and started crying.
"Oh my god!" Amethyst groaned. "Let go, Pearl!" But Pearl didn't let go.
"He has potential," Garnet said, adjusting her shades.
Meanwhile, I was enjoying the best shower of my life. "Tomorrow's another day..."
Suddenly, shampoo got in my eye. "AAAAAH!"
Pearl reacted instantly. "My baby needs help!"
"Yo, wait! What if he's naked?!" Amethyst yelled.
"Who cares!" Pearl shouted back. "I'm coming for you, my boy!"
"Steven, lock the door!" Amethyst screamed.
Too late. Garnet watched the whole thing with a sweatdrop. Of all possible futures... this one was destined to happen.
And from a distance, another desperate scream from Steven could be heard as he saw them bust down the bathroom door.
End of Chapter 5.