#Do not let this kid near Citrine they will be too powerful together

[lcec0ldheart]

Concept scribble of Violet’s brother?

I don’t think I’ve told you guys yet, but Violet has a younger half brother -Haven’t gotten around to drawing him yet, but I think I have some kind of idea of what he looks like now. His name is Crimson (it would be funny to name him Scarlet but nah) and he’s…around 10? A chaotic, charimastic kid that’s too clever for his own good and sometimes is a bit crazy but that’s what makes him fun! He’s shy with new people but once he’s comfortable with you, better hope he’s not gonna drag you into all kinds of hijinks. He’s a bit emotional and does care what you think and likes attention, even if he doesn’t say it. Sweet kid that makes mistakes.

(update: give me a bit after class him to shade but here it is. wait why does he look like a girl-)

[domina-alba]

Domina Alba

Hey Everyone, These are the chapters that were initially posted to Ao3 and FFN so if you’ve already read Domina Alba feel free to skip! If you haven’t read Domina Alba you can find information about the fic Here.

X Eighty-nine kindergartens, sixty-seven spires, a Galaxy Warp in each facet--

Pearl is gone, run off with that troublesome Rose Quartz of Pinks --

Wanted: Ruby 1F8-4TN and Sapphire 1F2-6UO for heterogenous fusion, all information about

these suspects are to be sent to--

Pink’s Pearl will remain with me. Something will be done about that planet, something we should have done a long time ago--

There appears to be an infestation of "Stevens" in the Kindergarten.--

Yellow is the only one that has come up with a purpose for the earth now, I will leave her too it--

I believe we should terminate The Cluster.--

I need to understand why Pink was so interested in these simple creatures--

whoever did this was already close to Pink Diamond. Someone her guards would allow to get near her, someone she would listen to when asked to stop her palanquin and step outside.

There was a lot of information in both this portion of her mother's journals and the Earth file. Domina spent a majority of the trip flipping between the two, trying to match up log dates with existing information on the earth.

She watched footage from battle drones of her mother's Pearl facing a 4 Jasper fusion and winning. She read about interrogations of captured Crystal Gems and their idea that a gem could be more than a ‘cog in homeworlds machine’. She read the reports of Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut- 5XG and watched her call Yellow Diamond a clod to her face, then watched it a few more times, just because. Domina saw footage from the trial and when she was finally done she didn’t know what to think. Not that she had time to think anything.

From the time they set foot on the 36-JK8, White Diamond had catch up work to do. 36-JK8 was big enough and had enough resources that it would be come and actual planet for her court. Domina’s second, White Diamond’s 41st. That meant not only planning kindergarten locations but also evaluating the rest of the planet's resources, planning locations for spires and temples along with establishing a local warp network.

Thankfully the planet was uninhabited by all but a variety of single celled organic micro organisms.

Domina didn’t run into Steven again for weeks. She had taken to sleeping whenever she had a free 2 or 3 hours in between approving plans, meeting with high level gems and eating.

When she finally did she found him sitting on a beach that looked somewhat familiar. He was playing some sort of wooden box contraption that was emitting sounds in the higher frequencies.

“Is that actually you Steven?” Domina asked stopping behind the boy. He turned around and grinned.

“Hey Domina,” He said. Domina sat next to him in the sand, it felt warm. “I guess it did work, I’ve been experimenting with my dream powers and trying to see if I could pull people into my dreams instead of just barging into theirs.”

“Well that’s nice.” Domina looked curiously at the box again. “What is that, is it like a lyre?”

“Uh kind of, It’s a ukulele. You use it to make music.” Steven demonstrated by playing a series

of notes increasing in pitch. “See?”

“I do know music Steven.” Domina said with a small smile, “Homeworld music is different but I’m sure there are similarities somewhere.”

“Right, so... how have you been?” Steven asked setting the ukulele down. Domina shrugged.

“Busy, we’re in the process of setting up a new colony planet and I have to be more involved with this one.” She said.

“Oh,” Steven sounded a bit uncomfortable “That’s cool I guess.” Domina nodded.

“If you come to my dream next time I’ll see if I can show you around, What about you?” She

asked. “How are the Crystal gems and your friend Connie?”

“They’re good.” Steven said “Me and Connie are talking again and Lion came back so we’re going to go visit Lars and the Off Colors soon.” He hesitated. “Pearl didn’t seem to happy that I was talking to you but Amethyst and Garnet say hi.” Domina snorted slightly.

“You can tell your Pearl that she doesn’t have anything to worry about from me.”

“She’s not my pearl.” Steven said quickly. “I know how Pearls are treated on homeworld and she doesn’t belong to me. Pearl doesn’t belong to anyone.”

“So You’ve both said, and I’ll agree with you.” Domina said. “She is certainly her own gem.”

“What about Pink Pearl?” Steven asked. Domina blinked.

“What about her?”

“Well is she happy?”

“I don’t know.” Domina said.”Is your Pearl?”

“I.....I think so.” Steven said, his hand moved to cover his Gem. Domina put a hand on his shoulder, though she didn’t really feel anything.

“Pearls the only Family I really have.” Domina said. “I hope she’s happy, and I rely on her help so much.”

“So she doesn’t just stand there and look nice?” Steven said looking up at her. Domina burst into laughter, almost falling back into the sand.

“No, are you kidding? Steven there are only three people in the universe that can tell me what to do. Two I almost never see and the third is Pearl. Like I said” Domina sat back up “She’s indispensable.”

The next day Domina finally got a chance to spar with the Quartz’s, it had nearly been a month since she had gotten to practice, and she was finally caught up on enough work that she could afford to take time out of her day. There were Agates supervising meaning that Milky Quartz 9ZQ had to keep her taunts to Domina to a minimum, it was also the cause of Domina’s frustration.

“Come on 9ZQ.” Domina dodged the Quartz easily clanging her swords together in irritation.

“Quit pulling your hits, I can take it.”

“You know Do-” The Quartz’s Enhydro Agate turned towards them, and 9ZQ stumbled over her words, “My Diamond, when your Father told me that I ended up breaking his leg and got put on janitorial duty for a decade.”

“Well.” Domina said tripping the Quartz and leveling her swords on her chest. “I do have a few thousand years on my father.” 9ZQ laughed and got to her feet when Domina pulled the sword away.

“Alright Alright.” She said the Milky Quartz fell back into the ready position. “Let’s go again, less talking this time pebble.” Domina grinned as the Agate gave 9ZQ a warning glance and moved back into her stance.  9ZQ lunged forward and Domina raised her sword to block when she heard her name. The hit caught her off balance and sent her sliding back out of their practice area.

“Wait wait!” Domina said dismissing a sword to hold up her free hand. 9ZQ paused and Domina heard it again. “What in stars name,” she muttered dismissing her other sword.

“Is someone calling your human name?” 9ZQ asked.

“That’s what I heard, we’ll pick this up later.” She said making for the door. Pearl opened it quickly, and Domina stalked down the hall following the clamouring she could hear coming from an area towards the front of the base. Finally she came upon the source. A Group of citrines the fleet had picked up while Domina had been on earth. They had just gotten back from a patrol and were carrying two figures.

Their Condor Agate stopped Domina.

“This is all under control My Diamond, apologies for the disturbance.” She said. Domina frowned and stepped around the gem to get a better look. One of the figures was a girl, a human girl from the looks of it, with a complexion that was relatively close to Domina, carrying a sword that looked like it was closer to the size fit for a Quartz than for her. The other-

“Domina! Finally, See we know each other now, let us go!!!” Steven said kicking at the Citrines.

“Steven?!”

[fanofawesomethings]

Proving Yourself

This was a commission for tthemanwithmanyauandheadcannons‘ Jasper Mom Au

If you’d like a fanfic of your own with your own au, message me and I will tell you my prices

The sun watched a vigorous Steven throw another boulder across the beach and land with an unsatisfied plop on the dense sand. The orange-red hue of the dusk hour glistened on his body as never ending droplets of sweat dripped from his untamable hair, like a lion’s mane. A plethora of charcoal black boulders littered Beach City’s beach near the water and they gave Steven plenty to use for dumbbells, their weights maximized by the water they absorbed inside. The shadows of the rocks he’d thrown earlier followed the sun since the afternoon. Steven reached for another boulder, determined to make this one his last—which he said about the last boulder—but his arms trembled as he grabbed it. He clenched his teeth, summoning all the strength he had left, but he couldn’t. Steven fell backwards on the sand, panting with his tongue out like a sick dog.

“Guh! I’m dead!” Steven sighed. The grains of sand mixed with his countless strands of hair.

           A melodious tranquility sang alongside the soothing song of the beach. To Steven’s right, the boardwalk was contently active on a weekend evening; people strolling up and down without a care in the world, enjoying the buildings as they began to light up with a glow of neon. On Steven’s left, the waves touched the shore and quickly ran away like a mischievous child with a soothing rhythm, while seagulls sang with their insistent squawks. Steven laid to catch his breath; he enjoyed the melody of the city and the beach gave him.

           A bulky shadow covering Steven cooled him while the soft breeze hit his sweaty arms.

           “Finished already, tough guy?” Jasper asked.

           “Are you kidding, Mom? I’m just getting started,” said Steven.

Jasper bent down to bump her forehead on Steven’s. “Sure you are, kid. But, whoo, thirty rocks in a couple hours, that’s has to be some kind of record. Of course, you haven’t beaten by record yet.”

           The burley orange Gem grabbed the rock Steven tried to list with one hand. Her robust fingers cracked the tough surface and in one swift burst Jasper plucked the rock from the ground. It was far bigger than Steven thought it was. She winded back, drawing the boulder that reached up to her chest in height beside her head, and threw the boulder into the water. A spout of water rose at least ten feet off the water’s surface.

           “Aww that’s no fair, even your muscles have muscles,” he pouted.

           “What, do you expect any less from me?” Jasper smirked. She dropped to lay on the ground the same as Steven.

           The half Gem boy wriggled over to his mother’s head and rested his head on her full hair which for him to hide inside. Mother and son watched the motionless sky together.

           “So what did you do today, Mom?” Steven asked.

           “Nothing much. Citrine made me go on a mission with her in the morning. Then Greg sang me this song. It was…nice.” The Gem with the stone brick exterior blushed on the sides of her face but Steven didn’t see.

           “Whoa, can you tell me about both?”

           “I couldn’t understand either to be honest. Citrine told me about some suspicious activity outside the city so she and I went to investigate, but we didn’t find anything. It was boring, especially with Citrine constantly reminding me of the consequences of letting a corrupt Gem run amok.”

           “And what about dad’s song?”

           Jasper had to try hard to keep her voice from sounding as embarrassed as she felt remembering it. “Well…it was about…how much Greg loved me and how my smile reminds him of…you know you should probably just ask him to sing it you. I don’t know how to describe a song.”

           “Why don’t we go visit him?”

           “No way, kid, if we visit you’ll end up watching movies until the two of you pass out. The last time you did that I couldn’t wake you up in the morning.”

           Steven petted the top of his mother’s head trying to appeal to her softer side. “Come on, Mom, I promise we’ll only watch two movies, maybe three tops if there’s popcorn.”

           “No way, little guy.”

           Jasper stood up and strung her son off the ground by his waistband. She threw him over her shoulder like a towel and started for the temple. Usually when she carried Steven like that it was a sign to him not to annoy her with the matter any more. He groaned under his breath.

           Grains of sand beneath their feet suddenly jumped. With her heightened Gem awareness, Jasper’s ear perked up; only she could hear what came in the distance. Steven heard it much later. Beneath miniature quakes, thunderous like beats of a giant drum, the ground shook. The two of them recognized the stomps immediately.

           Citrine Quartz, the towering leader of the Crystal Gems who dwarfed every citizen in Beach City, and Steven, with her height and air of leadership, trailed behind her son Jack who seemed more in a rush. Steven immediately guessed they came for a mission; Jack was wearing his knight’s helmet which he often brought along important Gem missions and Steven only needed to see that to presume something serious was about to happen. Although, Citrine held her composure, sophisticated and calm as she walked without a hint of alarm, unlike her son who reached Jasper and Steven long before Citrine did.

           “Guys, something’s come up. A rogue Gem has been spotted in a forest nearby,” said Jack who darted from Jasper’s head to her shoulder to see Steven.

           “What?” Jasper looked to Citrine who nodded to confirm.

           “Whoa, a new Gem, that’s amazing! I wonder who she is,” said Steven.

           “Eyewitness described her as a ‘purple girl’, an Amethyst more likely,” said Citrine. “It seems she might be alone, but we can’t take any chances.”

           “Wait, how did you guys find out about her?” Steven inquired.

           Citrine had a look of exhaustion as she let out a deep sigh, motioning her head to her son. Jack beside her slid the glass visor bearing the insignia of his mother’s Gem to cover his blushing shame.

           When Jack didn’t speak so Citrine did for him, straightforward. “My son was flirting with that Pizza girl, again, and she informed him she and her friends spotted the Amethyst.”

           “I was not flirting, Mother!” Jack protested. He noticed Steven and Jasper gawking at him and he turned away. “I was having a casual conversation, that’s all.”

           “Kiki says she likes it when you flirt with her,” said Steven.

           “R-Really?” He was animated. Citrine gave him a disapproving look and he stayed silent.

           “It’s just a rumor, right? This could be another pointless search, Citrine,” said Jasper.

           “Rumor or not we need to investigate. We’re all that’s left of the Rebellion, any Gem outside of us needs to be considered as a possible threat and needs to be dealt with as one,” said Citrine.

           An unwavering aura of seriousness outlined Citrine’s firm grimace. Jasper understood; she picked Steven off her shoulder.

           “Steven, get to bed on time, we’ll be back late,” Jasper instructed.

           “No way, I wanna go on the Gem-searching mission too! I’ll get a chance to use my puffed up guns for something,” Steven asked flexing the humble muscle bumps on his right arm.

           “Steven,” Jasper said firmly.

           “It could be beneficial for us to include Steven. If we’re up against an Amethyst soldier we’ll need all the strength we can get. You aren’t as powerful as you once were, Jasper, you need to understand those limits,” said Citrine. The Crystal Gem leader wasn’t always too keen on Steven joining them on missions so it was rare for her to be the one who sided with him.

           Jasper grunted in agreement. Steven shouted in excitement as he ran with his arms held up high in a victorious way to retrieve his shirt. Jack and Jasper turned to their leader who, despite not showing it, had some form of regret for the decision. Steven returned with his shirt clinging tightly to his body because of the sweat that had not yet dried.

           “Ready!” Steven proclaimed.

           Citrine knelt down to speak to Steven. “Listen Steven Universe, you may share half of Jasper’s power but you are nowhere near her level of warrior, you’re still a child.” She turned to Jack. “Keep an eye on him.”

           “Mother, if it’s an Amethyst I want to—” Jack started before receiving a rigid look from Citrine. He bit his teeth in frustration to comply with her orders.

           “What? But I’ve been on tons of missions before; I’m ready to fight any rogue Gem! Tell her, Mom.”

           “I’m sorry, kiddo, but this isn’t like the other missions against corrupted Gems. A Gem that knows what she’s doing is a lot worse,” said Jasper. “You have to stay by Jack’s side.”

           Steven squeezed his fists tightly, holding inside his silent protest.

 The piercing chime of the Warp Pad activating echoed through an empty forest and it was the sound that greeted them. As the last ray of sunlight began to fade in the horizon and the stars started resurface on the purple skies, the Crystal Gems and Steven were surrounded by an unsettling silence. Miles and miles of forest everywhere they looked, not a single footprint towards where they start looking.

           Steven was the last one off the Warp Pad. The excitement of the mission had been replaced in him with a disgruntled annoyance. It was true the young half human boy had never been on a mission involving a non-corrupted Gem, but he didn’t see the difference between this mission and the dozens of other ones he’s been on. With his hands in his pockets and a pouting face aimed down, Steven still didn’t see the reason why he had to stick close to Jack who was a little more preoccupied scanning the area than watching Steven.

           “This is a lot of ground to cover,” said Jasper.

           “We’ll split up. Each of us will take a direction and start our search. Jasper, south and west, Jack and Steven east, and I’ll take north. If anyone encounters the rogue Gem fire a shot in the air to alert us,” commanded Citrine. She turned to Jack and Steven. “Do not engage the rogue Amethyst, signal us first. Understand, Jack?”

           The older half Gem didn’t seem to hear his mother. Concern for her son outlined Citrine’s eyes; she knew what was on Jack’s mind.

           As soon as the Crystal Gem were scattered to their assigned direction, Jack took off running to the eastern side of the forest. A few moments into their search Jack launched high into the air above the trees with a single pounce; his slow descend allowed him to analyze the path ahead. The ground split apart when he landed; Jack took off full sprint. Steven struggled to keep up with the half Gem.

           “Jack, wait for me!” Steven called.

           “No time, Steven, keep up!” Jack responded, not even turning around to see how much distance he put between him and Steven.

           “Ugh, my puffed up guns!” Steven complained, feeling the weight of his exercise earlier start to take affect.

           Suddenly a rustle in the brush nearby was picked up by Jack and he stopped his rampage. Steven finally caught up. Glowing yellow eyes like vigilant suns cut across the shadows and watched them. Jack punched the top of his crusader helmet, whose bumps on the skull were remnants of his previous battles, and took a battle stance. Steven was too worn out to summon his helmet. The leaves parted and a shadow flew towards them; while Jack was braced, the figure ignored him and pounced on the defenseless Steven.

           “Steven!” Jack cried. He rushed to help, but Steven’s screams of terror quickly became giggles.

           The creature licked and nipped at Steven’s neck playfully, much to Steven’s delight. Black stripes that ran down a brown hide curved and bounced on the creatures muscles. Its eyes glowed steadfast and precise yet wrinkles around them showed the animal’s extended age. And two giant white fangs like ivory daggers protruded from its mouth.

           “Tiger, it’s you, you found me, ol’ pal of mine!” Steven laughed.

           The magical animal which belongs to Jasper at times disappeared from Beach City. Sometimes he’d return with tattered magical creatures in its jaws or special Gem relics. But he always seemed to return to Beach City so Steven is never worried.

           “What is that thing doing here?” Jack groaned.

           Tiger bore all of its fangs beneath a snarling growl directed at Jack. The two had never gotten along friendly. He got off Steven and curled up in a ball next to him. What Jack and Steven were doing in the forest mattered little to him. Steven scratched behind Tiger’s ears; he purred.

           “Hey Jack, how are we going to find the rouge Gem? She’s probably hiding. Maybe underground!” Steven gasped.

           “No, Amethyst never hide or plan out their next move, they just act. Reckless creatures, all of them,” Jack fumed.

           “Oh, do you know any?” Steven asked, obvious.

           Jack cracked his fingers together. “Something like that.”

           “You know,” Steven started with a persuading tone, “if we split up we could cover more ground.”

           “No! Even if I don’t like it you will stay close to me.”

           “B-But I’ll just keep slowing you down.”

           “Good idea. I’ll carry you then, hurry up!” Jack knelt down and offered his shoulder to Steven.

           “I don’t need a babysitter, I’ve been on tons of missions with you guys. I could do this!”

           “No, you can’t, you’re just being arrogant and stubborn! You’ve never been on your own before, especially against an Amethyst! Grh! We’re wasting time, hurry up and do as you’re told!”

            Steven slapped Jack’s hand that tried to grab him. In a fit of anger, but not without watching for the spiked fur on its back, Steven jumped on top of Tiger who rose to its paws immediately.

           “Steven!” Jack shouted.

           “I bet you know where the rogue Amethyst is, right?” Steven ignored Jack and asked his companion. The creature’s sharp ears perked in a direction. “Take me there!”

           Steven tapped the end of his sandals on Tiger’s sides and the beast took off. But while the magical tiger’s speed was higher than the average Earth feline, Jack was able to catch up without much effort.

           “Steven, stop messing around, this isn’t the time for jokes! Listen to me, no human can beat an Amethyst!” Jack shouted.

           “We’re the same, Jack, so I have the same chances you do!” Steven fired back. He kicked Tiger’s sides again.

           To Steven’s luck, this was one of the rare times the magical tiger actually listened to his master’s son. His sun-drenched eyes flooded into a single glow. The brilliant light traveled liked a river using his zigzagging stripes as a funnel, with his two fangs being the last to be swallowed by the light. Jack knew what would follow, but he couldn’t stop it. Tiger let out a mighty roar, and a ball of dancing light flew from in between his teeth. The orb struck the ground and expanded into a swirling vortex of bright green. Seeing the portal form, Jack hastily jumped to tackle the beast before it reached it, but Tiger soared over Jack’s attack and dove straight through the doorway. It vanished as the two went through.

           Jack landed on his face with grass in his mouth but not in his eyes because of the visor. It wasn’t hard for the half Gem to lose his temper, no matter how much he wanted to be like his mother; he tore a chunk out of the ground and threw the clod into a tree.

           “Fine! I don’t need this! I’ll find that Amethyst faster now,” roared Jack, throwing away any restraints he had on him. “I’ll shatter her fast.”

In the vibrant gap between portals, Steven held onto Tiger’s hide as hard as he could against the strong current pushing against him and the speed the beast flew with. They sailed alongside an array of colors for what felt like minutes; once they entered the exit portal and reappeared in the forest only a few seconds had actually passed since they first vanished. But it wasn’t the same forest as when they left. Tiger shot out of the ground and continued running without missing a step.

“Psst, why are they always treating me like I can’t do anything? I can summon my helmet like my mom; I’ve helped out on a bunch of missions. But they won’t even let me inside the temple. And I live there for crying out loud! I just—I just wish they had some faith in me. It’s like they don’t trust me, like they know I’d fail,” moaned Steven. Tiger wasn’t paying the slightest attention to him. Steven wiped his eyes. “But I’ll show them! I’ll beat this rogue Gem and then they’ll appreciate me. Maybe even throw me a big par…”

Up ahead the land began to transform. Behind them was a forest, full of life and green, but in front of them stone spears varying in size and sharpness rose up from the ground like stalagmites in caves. Tiger swiftly moved around and in between them. The lime green pasture began to fade into a dark stone path which guided them deeper into the earth. They passed under a roof of rock that loomed above them like talons. Though Steven thought of himself as brave, he clung tightly to Tiger’s fur. He wasn’t sure where they entered until he caught something out of the corner of his eyes: a humanoid-shaped hole.

“A Kindergarten?” Steven gasped. More and more of the same shaped holes appeared on the elevated cliffs. “Maybe the rogue Gem was sleeping here all along and she just woke up.”

Tiger pushed his paws into the dark ground to stop. He picked Steven off of him by his collar, setting him down gently as though he were a cub.

“Wait, Tiger, where’s the rogue Gem?”

           There were over a hundred, maybe more than a thousand holes in front of him. Tiger examined each one with his ears perked up sharp. He opened his might jaws and spit a blast of energy into a middle hole that was five sections off the ground. The explosion tore the small entrance wide up. A purple blur flew out.

           A bright purple ball rolled down against the side of the mountain spinning like a saw blade, a trail of dust behind her. It kicked off the wall and uncurled. The moonlight bounced off an Amethyst gemstone on the figure’s chest. She raised her fists to her Gem and pulled out two thorn-covered whips. One sliced the air the air as she cracked it; the thick rope, which acted as if it had a mind of its own, wrapped itself around Tiger’s body. With a firm grip and a roar of her own, the Amethyst flung Tiger into the stone wall.

           “Tiger!” Steven cried.

           The Amethyst threw the second whip which snared Steven’s arm. She held his arm when she landed. As he struggled to take back his arm, Steven was stunned to see that the Amethyst, which was the same kind of Quartz as his mother, was no taller than he was. Her long purple hair, which was the cause of the light color in her ball form, covered half of her face.

           “Gah! Let me go, you—you rockhead!” Steven shouted, sounding as tough as he possibly could.

           “Not until you get outta my place!” The Amethyst replied. Steven gave a pause.

“You’re place?”            Tiger threw the boulders that encased him into the wall. Angrier than Steven had ever seen him, he confronted the Amethyst. She quickly threw Steven over her shoulder and met the tiger’s challenge; her hisses matched the nature of Tiger’s. Steven crashed to the ground, leaving the two alone. Both felines collided with each other. The Amethyst chomped on Tiger’s leg while Tiger gnawed at her shoulder. Unwavering determination, or rather strong stubbornness, showed with both wild animals refusing to let go of the other while in deep pain.

The Amethyst threw Tiger off her and summoned her whips. The snapped against the animal’s skin, slicing the flesh. He circled her but he could not get close enough to strike; any attempt to reach her ended with another slash on Tiger’s fur. His paws and shoulders bled.

“Leave Tiger alone!” Steven ordered. He tried to charge her, but the Amethyst cracked the ground inches from his foot.

“He started it, he attacked my home!” The Amethyst barked.

“Your home? But this is a Kindergarten, no one lives here.”

“Shows what you know. Now tell your…thing to get lost.”

Steven remembered the mission at hand. The Jasper gemstone on his face shined, summoning the small helmet which covered his entire head. He tapped the top of his helmet like Jack.

“What? You wanna fight me too? Never seen a Jasper like you before,” said the Amethyst.

“You’re a rogue Gem and Citrine said that all rogue Gems have to be treated like a threat,” said Steven.

Finally she dropped her whips. Tiger watched and waited. “Wait, there are other Gems out there?”

Steven was taken aback by her question. “Y-Yeah, there are!”

            “But I thought I was the only one.”

           Somehow Steven felt compelled to ask, dropping his stance if only for a bit. “What are you even doing here? My mom says all Kindergartens on Earth were left empty after the Gem War.”

           “Is…is that what happened?” The Amethyst asked, suddenly low toned. “I just woke up here and there was no one around so…I waited.”

           “Is that why this is your home? Because you waited here so long?”

           She nodded, turning away from them. Steven looked at the holes around him and noticed little drawings above some of the entrances. He saw four or five rocks stacked perfectly on top of each, not budging. A yellow petal fell on his nose; bright yellow weeds were tied together into a vine and strung up on the talon ceiling. He saw so many things that showed him how long the Amethyst was there and what this place meant to her. The blast crater that Tiger’s attack left behind dropped pebbles and dust on the ground. That must have been her hole, he thought; Steven felt ashamed. He dropped his guard, certain she wasn’t going to attack; he had seen the sadness in her eye just before she looked away.

           “I’m sorry we attacked your home, I thought you were a bad Gem. You see, us Crystal Gems do whatever we can to protect the Earth because the Earth is our home,” Steven explained with a smile.

           “Is that why you attacked me and wrecked my hole?” She grumped.

           “Oh, sorry about that. But Citrine and my mom always tell me that anyone that’s not a Crystal Gem could be from Homeworld and how they might be a threat.”

           “Well I’m not. I’m just here, by myself, not hurting anybody.”

           Steven went over to Tiger who was still on alert. He scratched the back of Tiger’s right ear, soothing the magical beast away.

           “You know, if you want to you could live with us at the temple,” Steven offered. “That was you won’t have to be by yourself anymore.”

           “W-With other Gems?!” The Amethyst’ face shined, but she quickly restrained her enthusiasm. She was insecure. “But what if they don’t like me? I’ve been here for so long I wouldn’t know how to act in front of others.”

           “You seem like a nice Gem who isn’t threatening the Earth, and your whips are really cool, and your ball, I only thought my mom could do that!”

           The Amethyst blushed above a small smile she didn’t let show. Her first compliment elated her.

           “I’m sorry if I’m being nosy, but I don’t like it when people are lonely. It makes me sad. But if you want to stay here I could come visit you if you want.”

           She turned away quickly, for another would have exposed her tears. The Amethyst bit her lip to keep her sobs from escaping. It was the happiest the lonesome Gem had ever been. Steven saw her shoulder tremble and guessed right away she was crying; he turned around too to give her a moment.

           The ground suddenly shook. A deafening rumble behind Steven. He turned to discover the Amethyst was no longer behind him; she had been knocked off the ground and thrown across the Kindergarten. Jack was standing over her.

           “I found you!” He fumed through his nostrils like a raging bull.

           “Jack, what are you doing?!” Steven inquired.

           “Get away, Steven, she’s mine!”

           “Gah! Who is this guy?” The Amethyst groaned.

           “I remember the sparkle in your gems. It was your kind that did it—that killed my father.”

           A small spark floating above the palm of his hand gave way for Jack to grasp a bolt of lightning like a spear. He hurled the sporadic lightning but the Amethyst curled into a ball and the blast, barely. A trail of black smoke rose from the scorch mark.

           “No, don’t hurt her, Jack, she isn’t bad!” Steven begged.

           “Be quiet! I’m going to shatter her!”

           Jack drew his sword, a silver blade that was sharp enough to slice a boulder in two. In his right hand he summoned another shard of yellow lightning, a power that destabilized Gems and returned them to their gemstones; and on his left was his crusader’s sword.

           Jack threw the bolt at the side and the Amethyst dodged, but this was part of her strategy. He tossed the sword as a spear towards where she was going; the Amethyst had only a second to stop herself. The sword slashed the side of her hip, a shallow wound that would have been deeper if the Gem’s quick reflexes hadn’t stopped her. Jack shot, forcing the Amethyst to push back; he picked up his sword as he ran to her. The Amethyst called her two whips and struck Jack’s helmet, which blocked the attack. A chance; Jack grabbed the whip and pulled the Amethyst off the ground. He raised his sword to his chest and lunged forward. She released the first whip and then threw the second behind her, quickly grabbing a large enough rock and then pulling herself away like a pulley.

           “Stand and fight, coward!” Jack howled.

           Steven jumped in between them, his arms spread out to block Jack’s path. “Jack, stop this is, she’s isn’t a threat at all. She’s just alone and I invited her to come live with us!”

           “What?! I was right, you aren’t ready to be out here! You’re just a naïve child; you have no idea the kinds of things an Amethyst is capable of!”

           “But that couldn’t have been her, she woke up after the Gem War! Please, Jack, don’t hurt her.”

           Red clouded Jack’s vision. He pushed Steven aside and charged for the Amethyst. Her whips were in both hands and she was ready to fight. Steven couldn’t watch.

           “Alright that’s enough!”

           The battle, the tense mixture vengeance and anger that poisoned the atmosphere itself, was stopped by the sound of Citrine’s dictatorial voice. She stood at the entrance to the Kindergarten, Jasper behind her. The Amethyst felt the authority the Citrine held and lowered her shoulders, not even thinking of attacking. Jasper stopped by Steven.

           “Are you okay, Steven?”

           “I’m fine. But Mom, what about her?” Steven asked.

           “Citrine will take care of it.” Jasper was unsure in her response.

           The Crystal Gem leader stopped in front of her son. Jack, still holding his sword in a vice grip, couldn’t look at her in the eye.

           “Jack, I know it must be painful, but thinking all Gems are the same is ridiculous. We are proof that not all Gems are like the others of our kind,” said Citrine.

Reluctance weighing his arm down, Jack put away his sword with a bitter taste in his mouth. “I’m sorry, Mother.”

“It’s alright; it was my fault for letting you go through this alone. I miss him too.”

A tear formed on Jack’s eye.

Citrine then turned her attention to the Amethyst who had finished recalling her whips. As the leader walked towards her, she looked at Steven for reassurance but he couldn’t tell her anything. Steven didn’t know himself what was going to happen.

“You’re short for a Quartz soldier,” said Citrine immediately which offended the Amethyst. “You must have been incubating for longer than you were supposed to.”

“Does that mean I was supposed to be taller?” She asked.

“Taller and stronger. But you’re powerful just the same, right? You attacked Steven, didn’t you?”

The Amethyst couldn’t deny. Steven broke away from his mother and ran in front of her Citrine.

“Wait, Citrine, please don’t hurt her, she’s not a threat,” said Steven, nervous about standing up to the leader.

“Steven, she attacked you.”

“Only because Tiger accidentally blew up her hole. This is her place, Citrine and she was only trying to protect it. Like we do. Please, can’t she stay in the temple with us?”

“No way!” Jack protested, but Citrine ignored him.

“Steven, why are you quick to trust her? You barely know her.”

He didn’t answer, but it was because he couldn’t. Steven didn’t know why he trusted the new Gem so easily, but the thought of leaving her by herself stabbed at his heart.

“I don’t know exactly. But she’s so lonely here and she doesn’t seem like a bad person. Can’t we just give her a chance?”

Citrine looked over her shoulder to the Amethyst. She quickly wiped a tear off her eyes before she spotted Citrine staring at her. Like Steven, the purple Gem reached up to her the middle of her leg, below her knee. Truthfully the Amethyst didn’t seem all that dangerous to Citrine, but she began to formulate her next action in deep, quiet thought while examining the new Gem. The Amethyst felt herself cornered with everyone watching.

“I think I’ll leave it up to you, Amethyst. If you wish to be a part of us, you may come with us back to the temple.”

Amethyst was speechless, paralyzed. She could hardly think straight with the option she was suddenly given, first by Steven and then by Citrine. All she had ever known was behind her and the hesitance to leave it behind was apparent in her plum-colored eye. She took a fistful of dirt in her hand and watch it run from her fingers like falling water. Her eyes were watering. It was anyone’s guess what she’d say. Finally she spoke.

“If you’ll have me, I’d love to go with you,” Amethyst smiled.

“Yay! New Crystal Gem!” Steven cheered. He threw his arms around Amethyst who didn’t understand that gesture but appreciated it.

           Jack crossed his arms like a pouting child.

           “Are you sure about this?” Jasper asked.

           “I believe this will be good for Jack, and Steven. She’ll be in your room,” Citrine smirked.

           “What?!”

           Steven held Amethyst’s hand and Tiger’s fur with the other. They walked under the moonlight back to the temple they called home. Amethyst took one last look at the desolate Kindergarten and never looked back.