Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Episode 1 - Alien Girl 

In the Bustling city of Bellwood City, a school is nestled in the heart of the city. Inside a bright, crowded classroom, a group of students sits at their desks, the chatter subdued as the teacher is excited about summer vacation. However, among them, a girl listens intently, her attention fixed on the lesson. With minutes to spare before the fateful bell rings, the Teacher reminds them they'll have the chance to join her for summer school as the bell rings, cutting through the air like a clarion call. The student streamed out of the classroom, “Everyone, have a good vacation, and I hope to see you all again in the fall,” he said as students left with the girl tucking her books under her arm and trailing behind the others as they stepped into the bustling corridor.

She was an 11-year-old Indian-American girl with dark brown skin and a slim figure, black eyes with thick eyebrows with dark brown long puffy hair, she had a pair of magenta glasses with rose-colored lenses and she was wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans with blue shoes. Just as she begins to find her just walking through the corridor, three girls spot her and rush to her side. “There you are, Connie!” one of them exclaims, catching the now-identified Connie off guard. “Oh, Girls,” she replies nervously, taken aback by their enthusiastic approach.

“Sally is having a little get-together at her house. You wanna come?” one of the girls asks casually, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Connie hesitates for a moment, smiling politely. “Oh, sorry, girls... I’ve got a lot of studying to catch up on,” she replies, her voice tinged with regret.

The girl who initially spoke lets out a sigh, her disappointment is evident. “Do you do anything except study? I think you’re more interested in books than friends,” she says, her tone hinting at frustration.

Another girl joins in, her annoyance is more pronounced. “You’re moving out soon, right? Isn’t it time to, you know, relax a little?” she said. Connie feels a wave of discomfort washes over her but keeps her composure. She understands their perspective, yet the weight of her responsibilities looms large.

The girls exchange glances, sensing the tension, but choose not to press the issue further. They continue to walk alongside Connie, the chatter through the corridor…

Later, outside, the two kids cornered another child, Jamie, against a tree. The first, Cash, was a tall boy with striking black hair, dressed in a grey shirt adorned with navy blue accents and a playful light blue cash register print. While the other, TJ, was a bespectacled boy with tousled brown hair, sporting a dark olive shirt layered over a bright yellow T-shirt. “Normally, we'd take your money and beat you up, but since it's the last day of school, we're going to give you a break. Now fork over the cash so we can get out of here!” Cash stood with his open palm facing Jamie while his other arm rested against the tree.

“Leave him alone!” a determined voice rang out as a book flew through the air, striking Cash squarely in the back of the head. Two bullies turned to face Connie, who glared at them. Cash crossed his arms, a smirk on his face.  “Oh, looks like we got us a hero.” he taunted, stepping closer to her. “Get lost, shrimp,” he sneered. “Yeah. What are ya gonna do about it, Maheswaran?” TJ mocked, but the girl stood her ground, unfazed by their taunts. “I said, back off!” she warned, her voice steady and unwavering. The three stare intensely at each other in a standoff…

“Rrrh fine! You lucky we don't hint girls,” he said before leaving, shoving her aside; she glared at the two. “jerks,” she said before helping the boy. “You alright?” she said. “Yeah, Connie, I own you… again,” he thanked her as three girls rushed over to them. “Connie!” “Seriously again?” “Girl, you were cool” 

The two then glared at Julie, shifting towards Connie, who rolled her eyes. “pfff, please, I know those jerks by now.” After a few moments, Jamie asked. “So Connie, is it true that you are moving away?" he asked, causing the girl to give a sad look. ”Yeah…”.

After that, she and the others went their separate ways. She went to the bus stop, where a car shop was next to her. “So Connie,” her father; Doug Maheswaran said before she got in the passenger seat. “So, how was your last day of school?” he said as they made their way through the busy streets of the city. but Connie was staring out the window, clearly lost in his own mind., before responding. “... fine,” he said deadpan.

Her father worked as a private security guard. But due to his job, they frequently moved to different locations, which made it difficult for her to make friends. Eventually, she decided to give up on making friends and focus on her studies. And just when she finally felt comfortable in Bellwood, her father received a job offer in another part of Delmarva, which meant yet another movie again.

After a long pause, her father gently tried to comfort her, offering words of reassurance. "I know it’s hard, sweetie," he said softly, "but change can be a good thing. We'll make new memories, and it'll be an adventure." He smiled as they pulled into the driveway of a small apartment building and parked the car. The daughter remained quiet, finding little comfort in his words. As she stepped out of the vehicle, she noticed an RV park adjacent to them, a sight that momentarily distracted her.

She blinked, then quickly smiled as she made her way to the front door. Upon entering her apartment, she was greeted by the familiar sight of her living room, where her mother and…

“Grandma and Grandpa!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up as she rushed forward to embrace both of them. Her grandpa smiled and gently tousled her hair, giving it a playful shake and ruffling it affectionately. “How’s my little girl doing? OW! Have you gotten taller, or have I gotten shorter?” he said happily, making his wife chuckle at his remark. “She is the spitting image of Party at her age,” her grandma added, playfully smushing Connie’s face.

Latika and Koa were her maternal grandparents. According to her mother, they met when her grandpa was serving in the military. 

Her grandma was a somewhat pudgy woman with long greyish brown puffy hair with streaks of gray. She had brown eyes and was wearing a sleeveless pink Nehru jacket over a white blouse, paired with blue jeans. In contrast, her grandpa was much skinnier, with white hair and brown eyes. He wore a white shirt covered by his old red Hawaiian shirt, which had a floral design.

Her mother was finishing her coffee. “So, how's school?” She asked. Her mother, Priyanka Maheswaran, is a bit strict and overprotective but well-meaning, apparently always overcautious at her age due to her parents'… lifestyle. Which made her pursue a career as a medical doctor. 

Connie just says everything went well. Unfortunately, her Grandma insisted she tell more, and she sighed. “well… My classmates are having a little get-together… but I declined.” she admitted.

Her grandma gave her a sad look. “If you keep this up, you will be worse than your mother when she was studying at university,” she said, causing Priyanka to blush in embarrassment, “Anyway, what are you two doing here?”. She attempted to change the subject.  Her Grandma smiled. “Well, Me and your Grandpa are going camping in ‘Baja California.’ “

Her grandparents always travel all over the world every summer, but this time it was different. “Aren’t you two traveling abroad?” Connie asked, noticing them smirking at each other. “Nope, we think you could come with us,” her grandmother revealed, surprising Connie. Her mother just sighed.

Connie looked at her father as he hung up his coat. “Your grandparents insisted,” he said. Connie wasn’t so sure about it. “I don’t—” but she was cut off by her grandpa. “Sweetie, we know you like to stay cooped up in your room…” he began, causing Connie to blush in embarrassment. “...but a girl your age needs some fresh air. Otherwise, you’ll never have a boyfriend,” he continued, which made Connie flush even more. “Grandpa!” she exclaimed, feeling embarrassed. Koa just rolled his eyes, and her father chuckled; sometimes, she forgot that they were her mother’s parents.

After a few moments of contemplation, Connie decided, “All right, I suppose it might be fun,” and she smiled. Her grandma hugged her, saying, “That's the spirit!” as she adjusted her glasses. “So, when do we leave?” Connie asked.

“oooh…. right now,” Grandpa bluntly stated, much to her shock; her mother just rolled her eyes at her father. “Just please be careful, “ she asked; Koa just laughed at his older daughter. “Oh, don't worry, just like not going be like that time in at Krakken Lake,” he said; Priyanka just started not liking he brought ‘that’ up. He cleared his throat. “Hmmm, besides, it is just a mouth. What the worst should happen?"...

–

A Rift opens up in near-Earth orbit, and a pod emerges out of it before slowly approaching the planet,,,

–

Back on Earth, Connie and her Grandparents arrived at a campsite, the sun was setting. They parked near a table bench, where she was helping her grandma just up the plates for dinner. She is now currently wearing a field shirt under a beige jacket with blue jeans and grey shoes. 

Grandpa Koa brings to the table a bowl full of… pale, still-wriggling grub. Connie stared at it. “Ummm, Grandpa, wh- what is this?” she asked as one attempted to flee the bowl. “Marinated mealworms. Hard to find them fresh in the States. You know, they're considered a delicacy in some countries.” As he says it, the worm falls out of the bowl and crawls on the table but is caught by Grandma, who eats it. “They also great with Mooli (White Radish),” she added

Connie gave a somewhat disgusted look, which grandparents just laughed at. “Aahaha, That’s the same extant face that grandmother had when I met her,” Koa said, causing Latika to punch his shoulder. “only because you're all covered in mud,” she said with a laugh; Connie just raised an eyebrow. Later, Latika asked her husband to bring some wood, Connie asked to accompany him if he would come, and Koa smiley approved

–

Meanwhile, in Earth’s orbit, the small pod flies down into the planet's atmosphere…

–

Two were gathering wood; Connie caught the sigh of a meteor shooting across the sky. “Whoa! A shooting star!” she said, causing Koa to turn to see the "shooting star," …. which instantly changed course, aiming straight for the two of them.

Without hesitation, Koa grabs his granddaughter, fleeing, just as the meteor crashes right behind them, the shockwave launching the duo and sending smoke and debris in the air. 

As it clears, getting to their feet, Connie stares at the glowing crater. “Looks like a - satellite or something…” she said, then her Grandfather gestured for her to stay still as he slowly approached it and pulled out a small boxy device, as the meteor's white-hot light faded. After a few light beeps, he slides down towards the creator; Connie observes him leaning in at the edge of the crater, but the ground he's standing on crumbles beneath him, sending him sliding down.

Koa rolled his eyes, helped her up, and scolded her before turning the pod, now in full view. 

He stares at his device, which doesn't detect any off. “What… ever, this thing is not from here,” he said, stepping closer to the pod, inspecting the pod, circling it.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, she approached and leaned closer, then suddenly it opened itself before them, and with a beeping noise, a green light in the shape of an hourglass shines from it. It spills out, revealing it to be the centerpiece of a watch-like device

“...A watch? What's a watch doing in outer space?” Connie said as she outstretched her arm to it. Her grandpa attempted to stop her when suddenly, the watch leaped out of the pod and onto his wrist, latching itself to the girl.

“Ahhh!” she screamed as she frantically tried ripping it off her wrist, to the point of losing balance and falling over. Koa quickly rushed over to her and calmed her down; after rapid breaths, her grandpa smiled, gave her an assured shake of the head, and pointed his device at the watch, which beeps.

“Grandpa? Is it radioactive?” Connie asked, her voice trembling with fear. Her Grandpa’s eyes widened in surprise at the question. “Oh no, no, sweetie,” he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “It’s perfectly safe!”. Connie felt a lingering uncertainty... 

As they made their way back to the campsite, Latika, visibly worried, approached them. “What happened?” she inquired. After expanding the situation, while Koa headed to the RV, Latika examined the device closely. She poked it, her brow furrowing in contemplation. “Hmmm, most of this thing feels like a rumble,” she remarked nonchalantly. Connie's concern deepened at her grandmother's seemingly relaxed demeanor.

Moments later, Koa returned with a box of tools and retrieved a chisel. He reached for Connie’s hand, and as he did, the faceplate's hourglass morphed into a diamond encasing a black silhouette. “Um, Granp–” Connie began, but her words were cut short as Koa pressed his fingers firmly against the faceplate, pushing it down. A blinding light erupted, enveloping Connie, and in an instant, she suddenly found herself in a void, plant matter spreading suddenly across her skin, transforming her into something else. She emerges from the void; Connie opens her eyes and meets with her grandparents’ stunned expressions. “Did they shrink?” she wondered, glancing down to discover that her body had transformed into a vibrant, green, plant-like body, she looked at her hands. After a minute of proceeding, she let out a scream. “Aaaah”...

—

A Year Later

"Hey Internet!! It's your boy, Lord Decibel!" exclaimed a figure clad in a sleek wearing a high-tech dome helmet. Dressed in a black coat and pants, the dome displayed a cheerful smiley face. He held his phone in hand, facing himself as he stood atop a towering vantage point, surveying a city below. It was chaos; traffic lights flickered, and scenes glitched, causing gridlock throughout the streets. Amidst the undefined chaos, “aaaand you can see I hacked the city, thanks toooo…” he swiped the screen, flipping the camera's focus, now facing an apartment where two men of different heights, wearing simpler suits and helmets, were presenting a strange device. “My device called… THE DEVICE,” he said, flipping the camera's focus to face him. “And your city is back to normal, I demand a billion dollars in next the 5 minutes, or I will–”

“Ummm, Boss?” said the star-shaped visor helmet goon dressed in a pink suit, “Yes, Bass?” Decibel said happily to his henchman. “Yeah, 5 minutes? seriously?” The now-identified Bass said, the leader just tilted his head in confusion. “Yeah, Why?” he said with a bit confused

The Other henchman was a shorter man wearing an oval-shaped visor helmet dressed in a purple suit, just facepalms. “It's too short of a time, Boss!” He yelled. Decibel stared for a second before responding, “You right, Treble!” he said; as he faced the camera, a blue blur appeared behind him, but he didn't notice. “You have 10 minutes, or you active my device crippled your ci–”

–

thunt

–

Decibel suddenly turned to see both his henchmen tied up, his device lay in ruins, and then everything went dark…

He suddenly couldn't move his arms. His helmet shifted slightly, and as his vision cleared, he was faced with a bizarre light blue creature that resembled a raptor. Decibel realized he was bound to a tree, struggling against his restraints to no avail. The creature let out a mocking laugh. “Sorry, but it looks like you're all tied up in your own mess,” it taunted. 

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Decibel seethed, “I swear, ‘Changeling’ you will all pay for this!” The Changeling merely smirked in response before a visor slid down to obscure its face. “Whatever you say, Chrome Dome.” And with a dismissive wave, it sped off just as the police arrived on the scene.

The blue creature dashed through the streets and onto the highway, weaving through the forest, deftly avoiding trees and rocks, leaping over a gorge, soaring over a wall, and rushing into a building. Finally, it slipped into the girls' bathroom, entering the restroom just as the red warning symbol began to beep and then let out a blinding light. 

As the Bell rings, a girl leaves the bathroom before heading to class…

Later

The bell rings, signaling the end of class and the start of the weekend, as the students left, Connie sighed. She was currently wearing a white-mint green dress and peach-colored boots; the strange watch was still latched to her waist; lucky her dad got the idea to put a ring below the faceplate to prevent her accidentally transforming and a cover to hide the symbol, making it a wrist guard.

She was about to leave when she heard a voice. “Hey, umm Connie.” She sighed and turned into a pretty brown-haired girl with long, curly pigtails from another class; Connie rolled her eyes at her. Francesca, the popular girl of school and ‘her eternal rival.’ Shortly after, I began attending Buddy Middle School, Francesca started, eying her; she didn’t understand. It was a few months later, after scoring a high gym class test, that she learned that she quickly became 2nd most popular at school; being the nerdy cool girl much to her shock...

After that, Francesca declared her as her rival, and she has been compared even since to her, much to her annoyance. But now she is here, Francesca looked away. “Look, it pays me to say this…” struggling to speak, “but… I need your heeeh….I need your heeeeh……”

“You need my help?” Connie asked dryly, Francesca regained her composure. “Yes… you see, my class is going to have a math test next week, so I was hoping you would…” she said, embarrassed. “You didn’t pay attention to your math classes, and now your test is up, and you can’t afford to fall,” Connie said with a smirk, causing the school queen to blush in annoyance. “is Math!!!.... *sighs* But yes” she defeated, Connie stared at her, sure she is a pain in the rear, but she’s not a bad person… “fine, but on one condition, you come my home to study and–”

“DEAL! We can have a sleepover!” Francesca exclaimed suddenly, pulling Connie into a tight hug. "See you after dinner!" With that, she dashed out of the classroom, leaving a bewildered Connie behind, who could only sigh in response.

As she stepped off the school grounds, her phone rang, and she answered, "Hey Mom!" 

Priyanka was currently at the hospital’s break room. “Connie, did you go to ‘that thing’ at school?” asked bluntly, and the daughter nervously responded. “noooo…” she said, clearly lying, the woman signed while making sure no one was listening. “Really? Because I just saw a news report about Lord ‘Desi-ball’ being arrested after being stopped by a blue blur, which he described as a “Light Blue Raptor person…”

Connie just gave a nervous laugh. “Hey, took down the guy like… 4 times,” she said, her mother sigh rubbed her temples, “just… please be careful, just because you got powers, doesn't mean you're invincible,” she said, Connie just smiled, “I know mom… Oh by the way, I also am going… a classmate will come after dinner for a sleepover to study.” she said, surprising her mother. “Aww, that's sweet, alright; see you later.” Connie’s mother said before hanging it up.

After that, she rushed home, after arriving, she realized her father hadn't arrived. She decided to take a walk at the beach. It's been a year since she and her grandparents found the watch, initially, she wanted to lay low, but she started using it to help people and thwart petty crimes, before long she began to use it regularly. She and her grandparents tried to keep this a secret from her parents, fearing a reaction… But everything changed, after

what happened in Empire City, the truth came to light. At first, they were adamantly

against the idea of her using the watch, which only resulted in the faceplate coming off… and the less talk about it, the better… 

Her grandparents managed to convince them, and they decided to allow her to be a hero… on a few conditions: she focuses on her studies, not to get to fight with superpower weirdos, and, more importantly; never draw attention to herself. Which she didn’t mind and agreed.

Since then, she got a routine: go to school, use her speed alien form to travel to other places when she got word of trouble, and return home while occasionally having odd encounters with monsters when she and her parents went off town. 

After arriving at the beach, she found a place with shade and sat down to read a book, suddenly she odd rumbling, but when nothing happened, she smuggled it and continued reading, until she noticed a boy paddling on a bike… on the sand, pasting her and parks it,  “Some smooth ride... “he said, before turning to look at her, who ignored him. “Five speeds...  Hand brakes…” he spoke as he repeatedly turned between her and his bike. “ Electric blue finish with a tiger bell! *rings the bell*” He finished by ringing the bell of his bike, clearly to draw the girl's attention, but continued to ignore him. She glances at him, he seems a bit chubby boy wearing a pink shirt and blue pants.

“I bet there are a lot of kids who'd love to ride this bi- Woooah!” The boy tries to climb onto his bike but falls over. Connie turns her head towards him to see if he hunted himself. Fortunately, he is fine, but he throws his helmet away and runs off screaming, embarrassed. She just blinked at what just happened before rolling her eyes. “He must have been one of those boys at school hitting on her,” she murmured… Although he did look familiar.

But she snuggled it and continued rearing; however, shorty after, the boy reappeared; at first, she thought to grab his bike, but in her direction, murmuring something, then a roar was heard, and the earth began to shake, startling the both. Connie tries to stand up, but she tripped over as a piece of the rock boje and starts falling towards her.

Suddenly, the boy runs towards her. She tries to warn him, but he pounces onto her while saying, “Hi, my name is Steven!” Fortunately, she slammed the watch to the ground, pressed the faceplant, and involved her in a bright light. An odd bubble-like shield appeared and attempted to surround both of them but dissipated as soon as it appeared as two large, red, muscular arms grabbed a rock, stopping it from falling.

—

Steven opened his eyes, seeing the rock being lifted by a... “Oh Stars!!” Steven exclaimed as he observed in awe, as a large four-armed creature was holding the rock with its upper arms; the creature looked at him. “Are you, Ok?” He spoke in a deep but oddly feminine voice. 

"yeah.... th- thanks", he said as he observed the creature putting the rock down, but he remembered. “Oh No!! Where is that girl?” he stood up, panicking, looking around. “I ran to save her from that falling rock when... When...“ he trailed off, slowly turning, looking up at his savior, wondering in his eyes as he recognized the hair. “... are you?” he asked in utter awe at the red creature, who looked away from him, and he could tell that she was nervous. The ‘girl’ started to leave. “Lo... Look, I'd better go. You don't wanna get seen with a freak like me…” she said, about to leap when Steven stopped her. "Wait!!" Steven said as he grabbed one of her lower hands. Much to the girl's shock, the two stared at each other. “Is OK, I am also not normal," Steven said while giving a warm smile, lifting his shirt to reveal a pink gemstone his navel should be.

The Girl's eyes widened. “What? You are an alien?” she asked, causing the boy to stare at her. “Well, no, I am not an alien... maybe”, he said as he put his knuckles on his chin. “...not sure, but I am 100% sure that I am a half-human,” he said happily, confusing the muscular girl. “Half...human?” she murmured. Steven adjusted his shirt.“Yep, My Mom was one of Crystal Gems, the guardians defending the world from forces of evil since... forever.” He proudly said, the girl would stare blankly at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“But anyway, the name is Steven, Steven Universe,” he introduced himself; the girl was a bit unsure but ultimately decided... "Connie, Connie Maheswaran," She said, shaking his hand, getting on one knee to somewhat at eye level, Steven shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Connie. But just one question: are you a Gem?" he asked; this confused the transformed girl; she did have that ‘diamond form,’ and maybe it was the same thing. After a moment, she responded, "Ah... No?" She said before showing him a weird dial thingy on her upper right arm; it had a double triangle shape symbol on it. Steven looked at the symbol, which was kinda like those hourglasses that his dad showed him once before he concluded that it was definitely not a Gem. After a few moments of silence, the Hybrid got an idea.

“Ohhh, Why don't you come to my house and meet the Crystal Gems? They may know something," he said happily. Connie hesitated at this; she had been avoiding people from knowing this... these abilities. Now, only this boy has discovered it, and now he wants her to show it to more people. Upon seeing her worried face, Steven grabs a hand and gives her an assuring smile. “It's alright; they wouldn't hurt you, I promise.” He said. Connie gave him an uncertain look before saying, "OK." Steven gave a wide smile before proclaiming, “Great,” and pulled a hand to bring her to what she thought was his house.

—-

Steven opened the door and saw three odd-colored women in the living room. One of them, a slender pale woman with a pointy nose and what looks like a  gemstone located in the middle of her forehead, rushed towards him. “Steven! Are you already? We heard a roar!” she asked; the boy assured her that he was fine, and then another woman, a shorter purple-colored woman with long white hair, smirked. “Chill out, Pearl,” she said as she placed her arm over her shoulder. “So how did it go?“ She pinched his cheek, and he pushed her arms aside without dropping his smile. “It went great and managed I invert you meet guys,” he said; this one named Pearl smiled widely, then a larger woman with an afro and a visor placed her hand on her shoulder. “Now, you two, don't mess with his funky flow,” she said, causing Steven to get embarrassed.

Garnet smiled at the young gem. “Go ahead, call her in.” Taking a deep breath, Steven peeked out the door and gestured for the girl to come in. Pearl's smile quickly transformed into one of shock as a large, red-skinned being entered, ducking her head slightly to fit through the doorframe. The 'girl' gave them a nervous smile and waved. “Um, hi…” she said, eliciting various reactions from the three women. 

The pale woman stood with her jaw dropped in shock. The shorter purple woman looked at her with a smirk and simply said, “Nice.” The large woman maintained a neutral expression before turning to Steven and giving him a thumbs up.

Steven quickly introduced the girl to the gems. “Connie, these are the Crystal Gems,” he said, gesturing to the pale woman. “This is Pearl,” he added, still in utter shock. Pearl responded with a nervous laugh, “Yahuhuhuhuhu.” Then, Steven moved toward the purple woman. “This is Amethyst,” he said as her face lit up. Suddenly, a pair of sunglasses appeared on her face, and she smirked. “S’up?” she said playfully. Steven then approached the large woman. “This is the leader, Garnet,” he concluded. Garnet didn’t say anything; she simply stared at the nervous girl.

Steven gestured towards the large girl with a smile. “Crystal Gem meets Connie!” he announced. Amethyst and Garnet exchanged knowing glances while Pearl remained frozen in stunned disbelief. “Whawhawha…” she blabbed incoherently. Amethyst couldn’t help but chuckle. “Ahahaha! I think you broke her!” As if on cue, Amethyst began to glow, transforming into a purple version of Pearl, wide smiled. “Whhhaaaa!” NotPearl exclaimed dramatically, her voice echoing through the room. This sudden outburst jolted Pearl back to reality, and she shot a glare at the purple gem. “AMETHYST!!” she exclaimed, exasperation lacing her tone. In response, Amethyst turned her back to Pearl and playfully smacked her own rear. “WOMP, WOMP! BAhahahaha!” she burst out laughing, tumbling onto the floor in a fit of giggles as she shifted back to her usual form. The room was filled with laughter, a moment of pure, carefree joy that brought everyone together.

Steven blushed a bit, but Connie chuckled just The symbol on their arm started beeping red, before bright red, and before the quarter stood a dark-skinned girl slightly taller than Steven. The Girl stopped and gave a wave at the Gems; the Pearl blinked at the girl. “How did…” she trailed off, shocked that a seemingly human girl would change from like that.

Amethyst quickly chimed in conversation, “Ha girl, she clearly used…” She ran towards the girl, grabbed a hand, pointing at the watch. “this… um? Thingamabob!” she said, slender gem narrowed in eyes. “Amethyst, that's clearly a wrist guard,” she pointed; Steven tilted his head. “Huh? It looks like a watch,” he said, to which Garnet nodded; Pearl just rolled her Eyes. The Purple Grm eying at the watch, turning towards Connie. “So you changed to that hot hulking gal,” she said and smiled; the girl blushed at that. “Ummm yeah, the watch transforms me when I press–” she gets interrupted by the purple gem.

“Cool!” Amethyst exclaimed as she pressed the watch… but nothing happened, Connie nervously laughed. “Sorry, it needs to recharge,” she explained, which disappointed “Ah, Laaaame!” She said as she flopped on the floor. Garnet approached the girl and got on one knee; Connie reeled for a moment by the woman’s gesture. The woman, sensing the girl’s uncertainty, "It’s okay," she tried to assure the girl, her tone warm yet steady. "You don’t have to be afraid." Said as she grabbed her visor, and to Connie's shock, the gem had three eyes.

Before Connie could say anything, a sudden knock at the door was heard. The Gems jumped, their attention snapping to the door. Steven walked over and said, "I get it," as he opened it. Suddenly, a moderately tall man with a thick build and blonde hair barged in, wearing an anxious expression and holding a camera. Connie immediately panicked and hid behind the sofa. 

The man exclaimed, “Where is—” before Amethyst tied him up with her whip, causing him to fall to the floor. “Well, this is a knotty situation, isn’t it? Hehehe…sorry,” she apologized as the man groaned in pain. Steven waved at him. “Hey, Ronaldo, how are you?” he asked happily. Ronaldo winced, his face against the floor. “I’m alright... just a bit sore,” he muttered. Steven turned the sofa. “It’s okay; he wouldn't hurt anyone,” he said, and Connie peeked out as Amethyst untied the intruder. 

Connie recognized him as the son of that Fried cook, Fryman, she thought; Ronaldo dusted himself as Garnet crossed her arms, “What doing here?”. Ronaldo gave a determined look. “Well, Ms…. um, Square Head, I'm looking for the Red Amazon! I spotted her not too long ago!” he exclaimed. Connie's eyes widened in panic… but everyone else was confused.  “Um, Mr.... um, Fryrocko, we don't have a red Amazon forest,” Pearl said. The blonde reeled back. “What? NO! The tall red woman with dark brown hair,” He said; Steven perked up. “Oh, you mean Co-” but stopped by Garnet. “You mean me?” she suddenly asked in her stoic tone. Ronaldo’s eye twitched before facepalms. “no, no, no,” he murmured before grabbing his smartphone; after a few presses, he turned it towards them - Showing an image of Connie's Red form rescuing a man from a burning building. 

Steven couldn't help but gasp in awe as the gems exchanged knowing glances. "See?" he began in an excited tone, although Connie became nervous. "This alien woman, along with seven others, suddenly appeared a year ago…" Ronaldo exclaimed 

as he switched to the next image. "...And this is probably one of the earlier sightings of them," he remarked, presenting a screenshot from a news broadcast. The headline blared: "Breaking News: Mysterious Monster Sighted During Forest Fire." 

The accompanying photo revealed a semi-silhouette of a large humanoid creature, complete with the same symbol as Connie's watch, standing ominously against the backdrop of a forest fire. “On the same night a meteor crashed in that forest, it must be the spaceship of this mysterious alien group that fell from the sky! And I witnessed her saving those two!” he exclaimed, making Connie sweat nervously as Steven hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. “Oh, her? I... um... well, she, um...” he stumbled over his words, desperately trying to keep Connie's secret. Fortunately, Amethyst stepped in. “She appeared and told them, ‘I have to go, my planet needs me… also, don’t do drugs, kids,’ and then she flew away,” she finished in a mock-serious tone.

Ronaldo stared at her in bewilderment. “Flew away?” he asked… Then, he began typing on his phone. “Hmm… interesting. Either she can fly, or she jumps incredibly high…” he mused thoughtfully before turning back to them. “Sorry for popping up out of nowhere and… Um, what’s that on your wrist?” he asked, noticing the black brace on Connie’s wrist. She offered a nervous smile, replying, “Oh, I had an accident a few months ago.” she said, He accepted her explanation without questioning it further. “Well, I appreciate your assistance in my investigation of weird happenings on this fine beach,” he declared proudly, the group exchanging glances with the purple gem shrugging. Steven suddenly asks the blonde before he leaves“. “Hey, why did you call the red alien the Red Amazon.”

“Well, she is a seven-foot-tall, curvier alien woman with a toned physique…” he began but trailed off as he noticed the group's visibly unnerved expressions. “What?” he asked, bewildered. It was the purple gem that finally broke the silence. “Maybe you should reconsider how you describe her because it sounds a bit… creepy,” she suggested, causing the blonde to reel back in shock. “Well, um…” he stammered, trying to clarify, but ultimately decided against it. “Well, do YOU have any better suggestions for a name?!” he shot back, frustrated.

The Young Gem immediately smiled as an idea struck him. “Oh! What about Four Arms?” he exclaimed, looking at the blonde. “That’s dumb,” the blonde replied in annoyance. Steven let out a sigh of disappointment, but Connie murmured, “…I kind of like it,” which cheered the boy up. Ronaldo rolled his eyes before leaving.

After he left, the kids let out sighs of relief. Pearl turned to them, then approached Connie and began inspecting her for any anomalies until she noticed the device on her waist. “Now, um, Connie, can you tell us how you got this… ‘device’?” she asked cordially.

With a bit of hesitation, Connie explained how she and her grandparents had found the device, which then lashed itself to her waist. She described how it transformed into a plant creature with fire powers... and how she accidentally started a forest fire.

“...but we managed to put it out!” she exclaimed as the Gems suddenly huddled together. Connie felt nervous, but the boy reassured her before coming up with an idea. “Hey, why don’t you show off some of your ‘aliens’?” he suggested. Connie looked unsure; at first, she wanted to refuse, not wanting to repeat what happened with… him.

But Steven seemed different. “Alright, but on a few conditions: you cover me because I don’t want people to know about this and most importantly no hunting others,” she said in a firm tone…. And to her surprise, Steven accepted without hesitation. “Deal,” he replied, grabbing Connie by the hand and pulling her outside.

As they left, the Gems were in conversation. “Okay, Mrs. Connie, we—” Pearl started, but then she noticed the kids were gone. Alarmed, her eyes widened with anxiety as she scanned the surroundings. “Wh-where are they?” she exclaimed frantically. “Oh, they left,” Amethyst said with a nonchalant smile. Pearl snapped at her, “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Amethyst rolled her eyes. “Pfffft, let them have fun! Besides, didn’t Steven say not to mess up his ‘funky flow’?” she pointed out. But Pearl grabbed her and began to shake her violently.

“We don't know where that watch came from. It might be a Gem probe. She could be a gem infiltrator, and that thing might allow her to shapeshift into an organic form OR MAYBE —” Before she could continue, Garnet patted her shoulder to calm her down. “Relax, everything will be alright,” she assured with a smile. 

Pearl attempted to retort but only widened her eyes before narrowing them at Garnet. “You’re using your vision, aren’t you?” she asked deadpan. The Gem Leader just smirked as she adjusted her visor. 

Pearl rubbed her temples while Amethyst lounged lazily on the sofa. “Chill out, P. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?” she asked, causing Pearl to glare at her.

— 

Outside, the duo heads downhill until they reach the edge of the water, allowing the girl to get a good look at what Steven called the "Temple." She had always seen it from a distance, but seeing it up close left her in awe. Behind the house lay a massive statue carved into the hillside: The statue of a woman with four pairs of arms with four arms spread out, and the other four converging around the Temple's entrance on the statue's navel. However, three of four spread-out arms were broken off, and only the top-right arm with an intact hand remains. Connie at first mistakenly believed it to be the desperation of a Hindu goddess, but on close examination, it was more… alien.

“Soo cool, isn’t it?” he asked her with a smile. She nodded and removed the cover from the faceplate, which turned red for a few seconds before changing to green. “So you just press it?” he asked.

“Well, yes, but the faceplate…” Connie showed him the watch. “It has a dial that allows me to transform into ten alien forms,” she explained. The boy gasped in amazement, especially when she let him try it, turning the dial, new silhouettes appeared. He continued to turn it until he stopped, before pressing it, and enveloping the girl in a bright light….

—

Welcome to my second story! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

**Author's Notes**

I've been wanting to write a Ben 10 story for a while, and I decided to do a crossover with Steven Universe. This allows me to explore the alien aspect of SU. My initial idea was to create a “This Bites” style story where a Ben 10 fan who has never watched SU gets an Omnitrix and is transported/isekai to an alternate SU world with Ben 10 elements and where Rose is alive… But I decided against that.

This story primarily follows the SU narrative but incorporates Ben 10 elements. I will include flashbacks of Connie’s first year with the Omnitrix. And before someone asks, Connie is 100% human… also a funny story, I realize I’d unintentionally made Steven into the Gwen to Connie's Ben…

This a bit of a AU; Where the Maheswarans live in the outskirts of Beach City 

I will also incorporate elements from the Ben 10 reboot, including Lord Decibel (although he’s more inspired by Screwball from the PS4 Marvel’s Spider-Man). 

I won’t focus much on Connie's school life, so I’ll be introducing only a few original characters.

Connie’s three alien transformations are Swampfire, XLR8, and Four Arms. 

Next time: the kids mess around with the watch!

Chapter Text

Episode 2 - Alien Buddies

-A Year Ago-

Koa and Latika stood in stunned silence, their eyes fixed on the scene before them. Suddenly, Koa pressed down on the watch, unleashing a blinding light that enveloped Connie. Before they could react, the light dissipated, revealing a tall, plant-like creature in Connie's place.

The creature stared blankly at them for a moment before glancing down at its own hands. After a brief pause, it let out a piercing scream. "Aaaah!" it shrieked, its voice oddly feminine as it frantically ran around, its arms flailing. A faint green mist wafted from its hands as it moved.

"Connie?" Latika asked, and the creature stopped, panting. "Grandma? What's wrong with me?" Connie panicked, causing the two to be taken aback by her outburst. "Sweetie, calm down," the older woman attempted to soothe her.

"Calm down?!! Look at me! I’m a monster!" Connie exclaimed, flailing her arms and releasing more of the eerie green mist, which suddenly ignited, creating streams of fire. The stray flames caught the nearby trees, igniting them; the trio panicked, and Connie rushed forward to try and put out the fire. "Wait! Stop!" She shouted, but the mist from her hands erupted into more fire, spreading to other trees.

Connie, in her panic, released even more of the strange green smoke, causing the older couple to flinch. Koa's eyes widened in realization. "Methane," he murmured. Latika quickly grabbed Connie’s hand. "Connie, take deep breaths," she urged, and the girl began to calm down.

"That's my girl," Latika said, eliciting a smile from Connie before they all flinched as more trees caught on fire. "Right!" Latika exclaimed, examining the situation before turning to her husband. "What should we do?"

Koa thought for a moment, then turned toward them. "Backfire. Start a new fire and let it burn into the old fire. They’ll snuff each other out," he explained, looking at his granddaughter with a serious expression. "Think you can do that, Connie?" he asked, startling her.

"What? I can't do that! I—" Connie began, but Latika interrupted. She gently caressed her granddaughter's face to calm her. "Empty your mind, then imagine your hands as a match, and then release it," she instructed. Connie nodded and ran to the other side of the fire. Finding some trees a distance away, she took a deep breath and shot a beam of fire at them, igniting a new blaze.

At that moment, a park ranger approached the scene, upon spotting the creature, grabbed his phone and took a picture…

-Present-

Inside the Big Donut store, the only employee was perched on a stool in the storage room, trying to move some boxes to high shelves. She was a slightly stocky teenage girl with blonde hair, wearing a shirt with a donut "D" on it. She was working alone because her co-worker was running late.

Suddenly, she heard the bell above the entrance ring. She hurried to the counter to greet the customer. “Welcome to the Big Donut; how can I—” She stopped when, to her surprise, she saw a small, UFO-shaped object floating in front of her. It flew upward, and the girl jumped back as some green slime got up, it squirmed around before her. “Hello,” it said in an oddly feminine voice. It was earlier taller than Lars. 

Before she could yell, the slime creature placed a candy on the counter. She stared at it in disbelief before turning back to the slime creature. “Um... three dollars, please,” she said hesitantly. The slime placed the money on the counter.

Just then, a soft thud echoed from the storage room; the teen entered and saw one of the boxes had failed; she groaned in annoyance and frustration. Before she could do anything, the slime creature extended a pair of slimy arms from behind her and grabbed a box, placing it on the shelf.

She watched in awe as the small UFO floated over the storeroom, pulling slime toward it. The creature continued putting the boxes in their places, generating arm-like projections to handle the remaining boxes. Once it finished, the slime creature turned to see the teenager stunned in astonishment. “Do you need any more help, miss?” it asked, pulling her from her stupor and prompting an awkward smile from her. “Oh no, that’s quite enough! Thank you. And please, miss’ is my mom; call me Sandie,” she said before realizing she was talking to a sentient glob of slime. The creature waved at her before floating away from the storeroom just as a taller teenage boy entered the store. He stood frozen, jaw dropped at the sight of the creature, it waved at him and left, leaving Sandie and the boy to process what had just happened. The male teen turned to Sandie and asked, “Um, what was... that?” She could only shrug. “Um, a customer?”

Connie left the store and headed to the back, where Steven was waiting, clearly having been watching. “WOW! That was amazing!” he exclaimed as she handed him the candy. After transforming into her slime form, she used her UFO to allow her levitation of ground to the boy for a ride.

“So what else can you do?” he asked, the slime girl pondered for a bit. “well…” she then merged eyes, before asking for a piece of candy, which he was happy to oblige, she warped the candy inside her hand, and after a few moments it started to dissolve. Steven applauded. “Wow, that was amazing, Con… I mean… um, what do you call it?” He asked; Connie rubbed her head. “Well, I never gave it a name,” she admitted as the watch's beep before letting out a blinding light return back into Connie.

The Two walked as Steven rubbed his chin “How I gave it name… Umm about Slimmy?” he said, but upon the girl’s unsure expression, he tried another “What about Slush? No…Mush?... No” he murmured, before noticing an ad placard for ‘Goopy Gum’

“Goop!” he exclaimed, Connie thought about it and smiled, and the two continued until they reached...

In the Beach City Pier, an… unusual boy was walking through the wooded docks holding a bag of popcorn; before he noticed Steven looking at the water; he approached him, and Steven turned. “Oh, Hey, Onion!” he said with a smile before gesturing to the water; Onion turned to his surprise he saw… What looks like a trio of lizards during synchronized swimming, one dolphin jumps into the air before catches, then positioned upside down with their legs elevated, before the third jumps high up before landing the second one’s legs with both arms and, open pals raised up.

They both applauded and then they heard murmuring; they turned to see a bearded man in a yellow raincoat. It was Onion’s father, and they waved at him. “Hi, Mr. Yellowtail,” Steven said, as the man approached then greeted… Steven thinks at least, since he wouldn’t understand him. After a few moments, the trio leaped on the docks, shocking into the docks. The Man was taken aback as the trio waved at him.

“HELLO”

They said in unison; Yellowtail blinked in confusion as the odd trio smiled widely before bowing and leaping, merging as one, before hitting the water. The father and son exchange glances before shifting to the black-haired boy, “Their name is Ditto”. He said, noticing behind the duo, Connie hopped out of the boat. “Oh Connie, How’s Your Study?” he awkwardly said, the two turned, the girl. Steven introduced her to the duo. After their brief encounter, the kids departed, “those two were… interesting”. Connie said that the Boy said that Yellowtail was a fisherman. “Yeah I would tell by his attire and trawler” 

“Oh, You know about fishing,” He said; Connie rubbed her back head. “Yeah, That's what happens when you hang out at the beach and don't swim and don't have friends... Y-you look at boats…” she said, which made the boy uneasy. 

Later, they head to a car wash facility, where she signs an elephant washing itself with the business name “It’s Wash”. Connie, an oddly familiar van, parted in front of the garage door, where a Large man was currently working the engine, the boy ran over to him, “Hey, Dad!”

A plump middle-aged man with a bit of tan, he also had long dark brown hair with a large bald spot on the top of his head, he wore a sleeveless white tank shirt and short gray jeans. “Hi, little buddy. Come to see your old man?” he happily said, hugging the boy. After that, the boy introduced him to Connie.

“Well, Nice to meet Connie; the name is Greg. Say I’ve seen you before?…” he said. Connie smiled a bit nervously. “actually, live on the outskirts… by the way, is something wrong with your Van, Mr. Greg?” she asked. Greg gave an awkward smile. “yeah, it's the engine stopped suddenly…’” he rubbed his head.

“Ahhh, that sucks,” Steven said; however, Connie politely inquired if she would use the bathroom, and Steven’’s father responded with a cheerful tone, saying It was inside, on the west side of the car wash building. After hearing this, Connie nodded and went ahead. After she got inside, the older man gave a sly look to his Son. “so, where do you meet the Lit’ girl?” he asked, while elbow bumping the Boy; for his part, he blushed a bit in embarrassment. “Actually, Dad, I know, except We never talked, and she didn't know me at the time,” he said before he would ask…

“excuse-me”

They flinched and spun around, but there was no sign of anyone until Steven felt something pulling his pants, looking down and saw a small grey frog-like being, jumping on his shoulder, which he was able to see they had large green eyes, which had rectangular pupils and horizontal eyelids and wearing a type white coat. It didn't take long for the boy to realize who this was.

His Dad, on the other hand, was taken aback by the small creature. “Um, hello?” he said, a bit unsure by the odd newcomer, who hopped on top of Steven's head. “Hello, mister, I couldn’t help but notice you are having Van troubles,” said a feminine voice before hopping from the boy's head and onto the van's engine. “Let's see,” she said, inspecting the engine; two could hear the little grey girl messing around much to the older man's worries.

“…just little…. And Done,” she exclaimed before booking her head out and then off the van, grabbing a cloth to clean herself. “Ok, try it!” she said; Greg gave an unsure look before starting the van… and to his shock, it was working. Steven couldn’t help but smile before suddenly Connie jumped once again on his shoulder before hopping to his hands. “Wow, that was amazing!!” he exclaimed, the little grey smiled smugly. The Father thanks the girl. “Thanks…. um, sorry, what’s your name?” he asked; the kids widened their eyes, and they paused, their minds scrambling for a name. Steven smiled sheepishly. “Ahhh, um, Brainfrog!… no,” he said, shaking his head which confused Greg. Connie scratched her chin. “Mmmm, Substantia Griseo!” she said with a wide smile; the father and son duo stared blankly at her. She rolled her eyes. “it was named after Substantia grisea ou grey matter; the greyish nervous tissue containing cell bodies…” she trailed off as she saw the confused faces of the two. “About just Grey Matter,” Steven asked; the little grey girl narrowed her eyes. “that's …. huh, that's not bad,” she said, liking the name, before hopping off the boy's hands and waving at them before leaving. 

Greg blinked before turning towards his son. “Well, that was... lovely,” he remarked. Just then, Connie appeared out of nowhere, catching him off guard. “Oh, Connie! You Won't Believe What Just Happened!” he exclaimed with an awkward smile. Greg shot a knowing look at both kids before smiling and ruffling the boy’s hair. “Well, if you see that Grey Girl, tell her I said thanks,” he added.

After a short while, the kids left and headed to Central. “That was amazing!” he exclaimed, asking her if Grey Matter would do other things. “Grey Matter is just smart and... jumps good,” she replied.

Steven let out a disappointed sigh before asking, “How does she feel?” Connie tapped her chin, trying to find the right words. “Funny,” she said with an awkward smile before elaborating, “It was like I was still me, but at the same time, I felt like somebody else... does that make sense?” she asked, noticing Steven's confused expression. 

“Okay, when I transform into Grey Matter, I feel a bit different, but then I suddenly get a surge of ideas. For example, when I look at the van, I just understand everything about it by seeing it,” she explained, much to Steven's amazement. 

“Wow... but how did you first transform?” he asked, causing Connie to recoil at the question. She twisted strands of her hair around her fingers, trying to find the words. 

“Scary...” she finally admitted.

-A Year Ago-

Koa just finished talking with the two park rangers, and it seemed one of them had glimpsed a strange creature amidst the flames, Koa half-lied about seeing a silhouette extinguishing the fire. After exchanging thanks, before leaving, “See ya.” Once they left, he let out a sigh of relief and returned to the RV, and Latika caressed their still-transformed granddaughter, who was now slumped on the floor under a blanket; she gave a worried look. “Do you think I'm gonna stay a monster forever?” the girl asked, her voice trembling with fear.

Koa rubbed his head, unassured. “You're not a monster. You're an alien”. He said suddenly, causing Connie to stare at him inquisitively, while Latika shot him a disapproving glare. Realizing what he asked, Koa quickly tried to clarify, “I-I mean... look at her. What else could she be?” His attempt at humor fell flat as Latika simply facepalmed in response.

The Girl's slumped arms wrapped around their knees, with a worried expression. Her grandparents smiled at her. “Don't worry, Connie. We'll figure this thing out”. They assured her. Just the watch symbol on her chest beeps red 5 times, then lets out a blinding light towards the two. When they open their eyes, Connor is standing in front of them, human once again; she looks at herself and stands up, elated. “Hah! I'm me again!” she exclaimed joyfully before recoiling upon noticing the watch was still on her wrist; she tried to rip it off her, but Grandpa Koa stopped her. “Better not fool with it anymore until we know exactly what we're dealing with,” he told her, Latika helped her sit on the bed. 

After a long time, she fell asleep. The two let out sighs of relief before Latika glared at him. “Seriously, Koa?!” his wife scolds him; he rubs the back of his head.

-Present-

Two Kids walked across the walkway before stopping near the grocery store, “Hey, Mr. Baumann 's store!” They exclaimed in unison, must they were surprised. “oh? Know him,” she asked; the young gem nodded happily. “I often buy stuff from here,” he mentioned; Connie smiled at him. “I’d actually know the owner; he’s my neighbor,” She told him, which amazed the boy.

The two entered the store the the store's owner at the counter; He was an old man with a little black mustache, he was wearing glasses, a dark pink bowtie and a light pink-striped yellow shirt with a dark pink apron, and brown pants

He was currently serving, giving a large bag to an… odd individual wearing a fedora and a trench coat, a surgical mask, and those old red and blue 3d glasses. 

“Here is your unprocessed meat, Pax,” The owner said happily to the man, who easily lifted it with no problem. “Thanks, Mr. Baumann! Your life savior!!” he said before leaving… in an odd awkward crab-like walk. The Kids saw the odd man leaving the store, 

“Owww, poor guy, he has crab legs,” Steven exclaimed with sympathy; Connie just raised an eyebrow. The Two head towards the counter. “Hi, Mr. Baumann,” She exclaimed, catching the owner's attention. “Oh, Connie, what a lovely surprise,” he said before noticing the boy beside her. “Universe?” Baumann said, Steven waved at him. “Hey Mr. Baumann, how business?” 

Connie turned at the boy, confused. “Wait, Universe?” she asked; the boy just smiled at her. “Yep, my full name is Steven Quartz Universe,” he proudly said; Connie blinked at him.

“Well, Universe, business is going good, would be great if it wasn't for those aunts,” he exclaimed, shocking the girl, but the boy gave a nervous smile. “sorry…but hey, I saw the car is all fixed up,” he exclaimed, the owner just rolled his eyes…

—

Baumann parked his car and headed to open his store when suddenly Amethyst crashed into the car. “Och, Jerk,” she said, groin in pain while getting up.

“GEM!!”

The Gem recoils as she slowly turns. Mr. Baumann glares at her; nervously, the Gem snaps her fingers and gives the man a quick finger gun, greeting him. “Oh, Hey, Pout-mann! How are you doing?” Nervously smiled while attempting to keep her cool. However the owner glared at her and pointed at the smashed car she was standing on, which she noticed, and she began to panic. “It wasn't my fault! I was–” 

“AMETHYST!!”

A voice echoed from across the street, making the Gem flinch once more, she hopped off the wrecked car and bolted away, waving goodbye to Baumann. “See Ya”

Baumann let out a frustrated groan as he watched the Gem run off…

–

Steven chuckled nervously while Connie stared at the store owner with a blank expression before turning to the boy. “Wait? Amethyst is the one who wrecks Mr. Baumann’s car?!” She exclaimed. Since moving to this town, she saw Mr. Baumann riding home on his bicycle, claiming that his car had been in an accident - not just once, but multiple times. Steven offered a nervous smile, but Mr. Baumann quickly reassured her. “Oh no… it is just most of the time, a few times it is that Pale girl, while others are that large one,” he informed, shocking her...

The sky was almost nighttime, Steven stood at the shore, watching the ocean as In the distance, he saw various blurs running through the water, rippling the water as they moved. Before suddenly appearing next the boy on shore, kicking up sand dust from the ground, revealing a light blue raptor-like creature. The creature struck a confident pose, hands on hips and chest puffed out. Its visor slid up, revealing a smug smile, just as the symbol on its chest began to flash red. In an instant, it emitted a dazzling light, transforming back to her human form before collapsing, thoroughly exhausted.

Steven knelt beside her, his eyes wide with wonder. “Wow, that was amazing!” he exclaimed with a wide smile spreading across his face. Connie returned his smile, before glancing away. “Yeah, but you mean the watch is amazing.” She exclaimed, confusing the Boy “Huh?”

Connie suddenly sits up. “Please don’t lie; you only hang with me because of this watch; without it, you wouldn't notice me… nor anyone,” she exclaimed. Steven was taken aback, the girl looking away and grabbing her knees. “Heck the people at my school only noticed me because of my athleticism, but I only developed as a byproduct of my hero activities… without that, I’m just a nobody who someone will notice if I am gone besides my parents…” she admitted, a tear started to form. Steven looked at the girl before sitting down when he felt something brush against his back pocket, reaching in; he took it out…

Steven placed his hand on her shoulder, and she turned to see him holding up a glowing bracelet. Connie looked at it, confused, as it seemed familiar. “I saw you at the Boardwalk Parade last year,” he said with a small smile. “You dropped your bracelet. I picked it up, but then I couldn't find you. I saved it in the freezer so it would last longer, in case I saw you again.” Connie finally remembered: It was shortly after she had moved here, and she had attended a parade where she spotted a boy with bubbles in his hair, perched atop a van. 

“Oh! You were the kid on the car wash float!” she exclaimed, realizing that his dad’s van was the same one from the parade. She started chuckling. “You had soap bubbles in your hair!” she laughed, blushing a bit as she wiped away a tear.

Steven chuckled as well. “Yeah... I'm sorry, Connie,” he said before putting the bracelet on her wrist. “I should have returned your bracelet sooner.” He apologized, but the girl, blushing even more, adjusted her glasses. “Oh no, it's okay. I'm having fun… and thanks,” she said, hugging him, which caused him to blush even more.

Suddenly, the water began to stir, and the waves churned violently. The kids turned, and Connie quickly got up and positioned herself in front of Steven. Just then, a large, worm-like monster emerged from the water. “A monster!” she exclaimed, pressing down on her watch. To her horror, the watch was still recharging. She began shaking in fear, but Steven tried to calm her down. 

“Don't worry, Connie. Sea worms normally eat bright ‘grass,’” he said. The two watched as the worm looked around. “See? It must be attracted by a bright light when you transform. Now we need to—” he began, but the worm stopped and looked toward them, letting out a roar.

“AAAAAHHH!” the kids screamed as the monster attacked. “RUN!” the boy exclaimed as they both dashed away. “Steven! Hide behind the rocks!” Connie shouted as she climbed up a bunch of rocks while Steven ran under the pier, pressing the button on her watch repeatedly as the Worm Monster aimed for her.

Steven panicked. “Why is it chasing us?!” he shouted, seeing the monster loom over Connie. Then he noticed her bracelet gleaming. “The bracelet! It eats bright stuff! Connie!” He ran toward her, grabbed her, and pulled her away just as the worm slammed down onto the ground, causing it to resume its transformation.

The two ran under the pier. “Give me the bracelet!” he suddenly said, taking it from her. 

“What?” she asked in confusion, but he assured her, “It's okay. Now go, go! Run that way!” he exclaimed, pushing Connie in a different direction, adding a hasty, “Sorry!” as he did so.

Connie hesitated, wanting to turn back, but the monster was now pursuing Steven, he darted through the columns of the pier, zigzagging wildly as he yelled and evaded its grasp, causing the monster to wrap and knot around itself. After Steven escaped the pier, Connie hurried toward him, and the immobilized monster struggled to break free, attempting to reach the kids.

Connie and Steven backed away, holding hands in horror, as the monster writhed beneath them. Suddenly, the pillars broke from the struggle, causing the pier to collapse on the monster, crushing it, and causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke. The two let out sighs of relief. “Are you okay?” she said while checking for any injuries

“STEVEN!!”

The two turned to see the Gems rushing toward them. Pearl looked at the destruction. “Steven, what's going on?! What did you do?!” she exclaimed. Steven chuckled nervously, trying to find the right words.

“He was incredible!” Connie said, hugging the boy again, causing him to blush. “Really? You mean it?” he asked, and she nodded with a large smile before letting him go. Garnet approached a fallen gem, picked it up, and bubbled it away. Steven then gave Connie back her bracelet… again. Connie chuckled before thanking him.

Suddenly Amethyst placed an arm on the boy's shoulder. “So, how was your Day?” she asked, causing Steven to blush; Pearl chastised the Gems.

“Amethyst! Don’t embarrass him.” Before turning towards the girl, “…. But anyway, Mrs. Connie–” But was stopped by Garnet, who handed the girl her book and her phone. “You forgot this,” she asked. “Oh thank you, I completely forgot this,” Connie thanked her. 

“It’s been Making noise so I thought it must be imported,” Garnet said, leaving the girl puzzled. “Making noise? What…” Connie’s voice trailed off, her eyes widening in horror as the phone suddenly rang, the screen lighting up with the name -Mother-.

She quickly answered the call. “Hi, Mother. It's Connie. How—” she recoiled as a loud shout echoed from the other end. She nervously tried to explain. “Oh ah, well, Sorry, I- well…” She looks at Steven, before smiling. “I'm hanging out with a friend… No, he's not from school… No, I am actually heading back” she finished, hanging up the phone. She turned the group. “sorry but need to get back home” she told them

Steven smiled warmly. “It’s okay… Hey, why don’t I accompany you?” he offered, his tone friendly and reassuring. Connie was taken aback by the suggestion. She raised her hands in a nervous gesture. “No, no, that’s very kind, but I’m fine,” she insisted, but Steven’s smile didn’t waver. "I’d feel better knowing you got home safely.” he replied, and before she could protest further, he took her hand and began to run off. “I’ll be home later!” he exclaimed as they dashed away, the Gems waved goodbye, Pearl looking a bit uncertain.

After a while, the duo arrive at Connie's house. She knocked on the door, and before long, her parents opened the door. “Connie! Oh, thank goodness you're safe.” Her mother hugged her before she pulled away, her expression shifting to concern. “What we told you about…” she trailed off when she noticed a boy beside her.

“Hi, I’m Steven,” He waved at them with a smile; the two adults exchanged glances before looking at the boy. “Oh, you must be Connie's friend; nice to meet you, Steven…” her father said, his words slowing down as he recognized my face. “Say, aren’t you that boy who hangs out with those ‘monster exterminators’?” he asked, his wife groaning in annoyance that Connie was hanging out with another ‘troublemaker.’

“Yeah, they are my mom's friends,” The Boy told him, surprising the girl. “Really? Is she off town? We saw your dad, but I didn't see your mom.” She assumed that one of the three ‘gems’ was his mother. But Steven explained. ‘Oh, my mom gave up her physical form to make me.” He said, the Maheswarans stared at him.

The parents exchanged sympathetic looks. “Sorry for your loss,” her father said, but Steven just smiled. “It’s okay. Anyway, it was nice to meet you. I hope to see you around,” I said, ready to leave. “Wait, Steven,” Connie called out, making me stop and turn to her. “…Can I—” she stammered, blushing. “...come visit you on Sunday?” she finally finished. I smiled. “Of course, anytime you want,” I replied as I left, and the Maheswarans waved goodbye.

Once inside, her parents turned to her with curious expressions. “Connie,” her mother began, but Connie quickly reassured them. “I know… but he’s different from him,” she said, referring to a previous acquaintance. Her father chuckled. “No, it's just if your grandparents were here, they’d tease you mercilessly,” he joked, causing Connie to cover her face in embarrassment. Her mother narrowed her eyes. “You can hang out with that Steven boy… but the second he tries something!” she warned. Connie nodded in agreement.….

After dinner, the Maheswarans relaxed in the living room until they heard a knock on the door. Priyanka opened it to reveal a girl of the same age as Connie, dressed in a long coat, maroon pants, and soft pink shoes, with a small backpack slung over her shoulder. “Oh, you must be from Connie's school,” Priyanka said, and the girl replied, “Yes, my name is Francesca Le Constantineau. Nice to meet you.” She stepped inside as Priyanka called for her daughter.

Two Girls entered Connie's room; Francesca had all right to take off her coat at the entrance, revealing that she was wearing pajamas underneath. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a fancy sleeping bag, placing it on the floor. “Wow, you were prepared,” Connie remarked snarkily as she changed into her short-sleeved purple pajamas. Francesca flipped her hair. “Well, of course,” she said proudly. Connie rolled her eyes and began setting the small table with their school supplies for studying when Francesca suddenly exclaimed, “No way!” 

Connie turned to see Francesca staring at her shelf filled with books. “Aren’t those the Spirit Morph Saga books?” Francesca asked. Connie blushed, rubbing her head. “Yeah… I’m actually a fan,” she admitted, and Francesca stared blankly at her. “Really?” she said, her smile slowly widening. “Oh my gosh… me too!” she exclaimed, and Connie was taken aback before smiling.

The two began discussing the series, Connie gushing about it, while Francesca was surprised to learn that Connie owned hardcover books. "You know, I still don’t have a copy of *Overneath the Underworld*," Francesca admitted, holding a folding map that was tucked inside the book. Connie looked at her with a sly smile. “How about this: I’ll let you borrow my copy if you promise to focus on studying,” she proposed. 

Francesca narrowed her eyes at her before breaking into a smile. “Connie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship…”

**Notes**

A bit showcase of Connie's Aliens; Goop, Ditto and Grey Matter. Yes, Steven will be the one who will names them (mostly), I thought it would be cute.

Mr. Baumann is here… and once again, the man's car is often wrecked, the only difference is that individuals are the Crystal Gems… he also has a tense relationship with Ronaldo for obvious reasons.

And Yes Aliens are lived on Earth in secret. I want to explore how other species deal with the Gems…. which let's just say is not good

Those who know Ben 10 (or have seen my Deviantart page) may know who the ‘troublemaker’ is or what happened in Empire City (SU's New York City)

Next Time: Steven gives Connie a tour of his house and tells her that how he took down an evil magician…

Chapter Text

Episode 3 - How to put a Hex on you

— — — —~~~~—————

-1920s-

Deep beneath the Caribbean Sea lies a dome-shaped temple, storing various hourglasses. It says that one of these hourglasses has the power to control time. But if anyone tries to tamper with any hourglass other than the Time Hourglass, the temple’s ceiling will collapse, causing it to flood and become inaccessible. Fortunately, if the Sea Shrine ever collapses, it will be rebuilt itself after a 100 years after being submerged.

However, the temple was surrounded by an eerie red and black aura. Inside the dome; Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet are battling a horde of golem-like creatures, each marked with magenta runes on their stone bodies. Amethyst swings her whip at a group of bat-like golems, smashing them apart. However, she soon finds herself pinned down by a dog-like variant, struggling to free herself as it attempts to bite her head off.

Pear stabs it on the head with her spear and lifts it up before slamming on another golem, smashing them into pieces. “Thanks, P,” The short Gem said, before a burly humanoid variant suddenly attacked, forcing them to leap away. “Thank me, later!” Pearl exclaimed. Before blasts of energy from the tip of her spear struck the Golem, blowing its arm. The Golem groans in pain as it pierces, starting to reform. 

As if these Golems weren’t bad enough, if these things aren’t completely destroyed, they can begin to regenerate. Amethyst jumped on the thing's back, wrapped her whip on its head, leaping while rapidly rolling into a ball, throwing the golem onto some hourglasses and onto the wall.

Meanwhile, Garnet was busy smashing more of the golems. One of them grabbed a very large hourglass and swung it at her, sending her crashing into the wall, sending her crashing against the wall with a resounding thud. Garnet quickly regained her footing just in time to see the golem hurl the hourglass straight at her.

However, before it could reach Garnet, a pink blur darted in front of her. In a single swift motion, it slashed through the hourglass, splitting it cleanly in half. The two halves veered off course and crashed into the wall behind them with a thunderous impact, sending debris flying through the air.  As the dust settled, a striking figure revealed a much taller figure than Garnet herself. She had peach skin, defined pink lips, and long, curly pink hair; she wore a white dress. This was Rose Quartz, the leader of the Crystal Gems. 

Rose helped Garnet up. “Thanks, Rose,” Garnet said, grateful for her assistance. Suddenly, Rose was struck by a dark bolt, nearly dropping to her knees. Garnet quickly helped her up as more bolts began to rain down on them.

Rose swiftly got in a defensive stance, using her shield to block the incoming blasts. Just then, a portal appeared above them, and a large humanoid golem emerged, crashing down towards them. They leaped out of the way just in time. Noticing someone dashing toward her, Rose quickly prepared to strike, parrying the attack with precision.

Two opponents exchanged blows. Rose attempted to use her speed to overpower her opponent, but just as she launched herself at him, he opened a portal in front of her, causing her to crash into the wall. As she struggled to recover, her opponent swung a glowing red blade at her. Fortunately, she was able to block it with her sword. The blades locked together as Rose stared down at the mage.

“Impressive Rose” The Mage said, he was a slender, gray-skinned man marked with black markings on his body, including his face, which was painted white to resemble a skull. He wore red and black hooded robes and tattered black pants that were ripped beyond the knees. His outfit included black arm guards and long socks that exposed his heels and toes. This was Hex, an ancient sorcerer with ambitions of world domination, whom the Gems had been battling for a long time. The origins of his powers and how he has managed to prolong his lifespan remain a complete mystery.

Nevertheless, he proved to be a dangerous individual. Hot only he discovered Sea Shine, but also used magic to restore it earlier in order to retrieve the Time Hourglass, undoubtedly to manipulate history for his own liking.

The Sorcerer grinned. “You know, despite my eternal hatred for you, Rose, I quite enjoy our time together…” he said. before leaping away, stopping mid-air as he levitated himself. “But you wouldn't thwart my ambitions!” he exclaimed. With a swift gesture of his hand, he levitated the hourglasses before shattering them, scattering shards and sand toward the gem. While Rose adeptly dodged the flying debris, Hex opened a portal next to her, unleashing a torrent of sand that sent her crashing to the ground.

Pearl leaped toward the mage with her spear poised for attack… when she stopped. 

She turned her attention to another mage, a seemingly ordinary man whose hands gestured upward, causing the gem to crash on the ceiling, before slamming her back down to the floor. Hex smiled at his apprentice, pride evident in his voice. “Excellent, Spellforge,” he praised. The younger mage replied with gratitude, “Thank you, Ancestor,” acknowledging the compliment.

In a swift motion, Garnet leaped towards the apprentice, forcing him to evade as she slammed down. Before land. his hands glowed with energy as he intoned,  “Merchus Verdactus.” Before shooting a beam of electricity at the gem, Garnet just tanked the hit and ran towards him. In a panic, he cast 'Interdamoto ilabortor', firing beams of energy that explode on impact, sending the Gem crashing into the wall, fortunately, she immediately pushed herself off the wall, dusted herself off. 

However the apprentice pulled out a bag, a few egg shaped stones and threw them at the gem, which they transformed into Golems and attacked her. 

Before he would catch his breath, his legs were tied up by a whip, causing a trip and fall. He turned to see Amethyst. “Yo,” she said when suddenly Hex appeared behind her and swung his blade, forcing her to dodge.

The Two faced off in a tense standoff. Suddenly, Pearl struck the Mage. Caught off guard by the unexpected assault, Hex staggered backward, the wind knocked out of him. 

The mage's face contorted in agony as she unleashed an energy blast at the Gem, but the Gem elegantly evaded it and leaped beside Amethyst, who gave an annoyed look. “Show off,” she said, and Pearl gave a smug smile.

Hex let out a guttural groan as the glowing blade disappeared, revealing it to be a staff. He spun his staff, creating a magical copy of himself. “P! He's stealing yo thing!!” she exclaimed as both Hexs attacked.

Meanwhile, Spellforge attempted to assist his master, only to be ambushed and grabbed from behind by Rose. “Please, I don’t want to hunt you,” she pleaded, but the apprentice countered with a swift incantation, “Sinu invisibus.” He lifted a massive chunk of rock from the ground and hurled it at her, causing her to stagger releasing the mage. In a quick motion. he placed his hand on the Gem's chest before casting ‘Fallum Quarca Daminigan’, creating a burst of energy, blasting her hurtling towards the two Gems. 

Two Hexes were preparing to unleash their magic upon the downed Gems, Garnet sprang into action. She fired her gauntlets, which rocketed forward and exploded upon impact. However, the real Hex managed to conjure a magical barrier just in time. Undeterred, Garnet dashed towards her gauntlets, reappearing in a flash, and delivered a powerful punch that shattered the barrier. Before delivering a gut punch to the mage, he gasped for air and staggered near collapsing to his knees.

Garnet looms over the mage before unequipping her gauntlets, disappearing in a flash of light. But she was about to punch Hex out cold, when…

“Fortia-talamh”

Garnet suddenly found herself brought to her knees, struggling to stand as she turned to face Hex's apprentice. His outstretched hands glowed with a fierce red energy, pinning her down. The other Gems attempted to rush to her aid, but both mages united their powers, casting “Gigas-Fortia-talamh” and pinning them to the floor.

Dark Sorcerer grins. “There! NOW YOU GEMS ARE BACK WHERE YOU BELONG!!” He exclaimed; the gem struggled, attempting to get up. “You haven’t won Hex!” Pearl exclaimed, but he just smiled.“Oh? I beg to differ,” he retorted, as suddenly a bat golem perched on his shoulder. In its mouth, it clutched a small translucent sphere encircling a gold ring. The Gems' eyes widened in horror as they realized the significance of the hourglass within. “THE HOURGLASS!” they exclaimed in shock.

“But how?” Pearl wondered. Hex smirked smugly at her. “It's pretty obvious. Of all these fancy and extravagant hourglasses, the most humble one was the true one,” he explained as he cast a red sphere around the hourglass.

Amethyst rolled her eyes. “The hourglass must be the most beautiful and grand,” she said in a mocking tone before turning to the pale gem. “Right, P?” she added, much to Pearl’s annoyance.

“Pearl! Amethyst! We need to concentrate!” Garnet said, struggling to stand up. “Garnet is right! There’s no telling what he will do!” Rose exclaimed as she and the others attempted to stand up, causing both Mages to struggle to maintain the spell. “Ancestor! What do we do?” Spellforge asked in a panic as he felt himself about to collapse. When Hex didn’t respond, he turned to see his master floating away. Before casting “Tempestas,” he raised his staff.

The ceiling of the shrine cracked, causing a torrent of water to fall on them. Spellforge braced himself, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes to see the leader of the so-called Crystal Gems extending her hand beneath a large pink shield above them, blocking the water. She struggled to hold it.

Spellforge cast a spell to freeze the hole in the ceiling. They all panted heavily in relief.

Hex gave an annoyed groan before sitting in mid-air with his legs crossed, his arms folded across his chest in an "X" shape, with his fists close together, except for his index and middle fingers, and then his eyes stared. “But it's too late, preparations are completed! You have failed you… four…” He stared at them, noticing something missing. “where that–”

He was abruptly interrupted as an eagle swooped in, transforming mid-flight to reveal Amethyst. “Sorry, Edgelord, but it seems—” she declared, before summoning her whip, swung it at the hourglass, shattering in a swift motion. “Your time is up,” she concluded as she gracefully landed. Hex’s expression shifted to one of shock. “NOOooo!” he shouted, desperately attempting to use his magic to piece the hourglass back together.

“Hex! Stop! The hourglass is unstable,” Rose pleaded, but Hex merely glared at her, his anger boiling over. “You think I can’t control this power?! I WILL SHOW YOU ALL!” he proclaimed, as the broken hourglass began to crackle ominously with energy, the shards breaking apart. “Now you’re going to witness your mighty fall! Ahahahaha!” he cackled maniacally as in an instant, a burst of blinding light engulfed them. When they finally regained their sight, they found Hex encased in a translucent red magic barrier, frozen in place, 

Everyone stared at the still mage in confusion, Amethyst swung her whip and… passed it through the mage like air, much to everyone's bewilderment.

Rose approached the mage with concern. “What's going–” Before she could complete her sentence, Hex abruptly vanished, only to reappear in a meditative floating lotus position, the hourglass reformed, much to everyone’s astonishment. “But it is too late; preparations are completed! You have—” His words were abruptly cut off as Garnet delivered a swift punch, sending him crashing into the wall. His staff clattered to the ground, and a small orb fell into the palm of the gem. 

Wincing in pain, Hex managed to rise, clutching his face as he extended his hand, causing his staff to levitate and soared back into his grasp. 

The Gems braced themselves, instinctively preparing for the mage’s next move.… Then suddenly, the Hourglass cracked before shattering, much to everyone's shock., “Yo Garnet! You broke it,” Amethyst exclaimed; the magenta gem stared at the fragments, confusion etched on her face when a furious scream from Hex shattered the tense silence. “YOU IDIOTIC OBELISK!! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!!” he bellowed, aiming his staff menacingly at Garnet, ready to unleash his wrath…  But never came, as he became frozen in place, his form turning translucent once more.

The Gem exchange confuses looks. “Aaaah? What is going on?” the Purple Gem inquired, glancing around in confusion. Pearl, closely observing the Mage's peculiar state, made a thoughtful conclusion. “I think he is stuck in a time loop,” she remarked, pausing to gather her thoughts. “When he attempted to use the broken hourglass, it caused its power to become unstable, ultimately…” Her voice trailed off as she caught Rose’s sorrowful gaze directed at the Mage. A few moments later, Hex’s loop restarted. “But it's too late, prepa–”

“Hex, stop!!” Rose called out, her voice cutting through the tension. Hex turned, confusion etched on his face. “What! How did you—” he began, but was interrupted, “Your use of the broken hourglass caused you to get stuck in a time loop!” Pearl explained; the mage just stared wordlessly at her before launching, “Ahaha, really? That best you got?? You must–

 “She's not lying,” a voice chimed in, causing Hex to whirl around and see Spellforge standing nearby. “Wh... what?” Hex stammered, bewildered by the implications, and began to sink to his knees, his expression shifting to one of detachment. Rose extended a hand towards him. “Please, Hex let's us help.” she offered. After a moment, and without hesitation, Hex blasted her away from him towards the others; fortunately, Garnet managed to grab her before she fell. 

Hex glared hatefully at them, especially at Rose. “Help? HELP?!! I DON’T NEED YOUR PITY!! I WILL SHOW YOU!!!” Then he raised his hands, dispelling the barrier around the shrine, causing water to gush from the broken walls. The Gems ran towards the warp pad, but Hex merely used the water to attack them, he attempted to destroy the pad, but fortunately, his time up was and became frozen

Pearl and Garnet got the pad with Amethyst carrying an hourglass behind them, but…. “ROSE,” Pearl called out as Rose bubbled the Hex, it teleported away, but the mage remained. “We need to help!” she repeated again, but Garnet ran over and grabbed her before pulling her. “Rose is too late! She exclaimed. Rose stared at their enemy sorrowfully but saw the apprentice panicking. Rose quickly stretched her arm forward and grabbed him by the arm. “Hang on!” before pulling him in and bringing him as they reach the warp pad. 

As the shine began to fall apart, everyone started to panic. “Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!” Amethyst exclaimed just as the huge wave engulfed the Crystal Gems before they warped away…

The Crystal Gems, along with the mage, return to the Temple's warp pad, bringing a massive amount of water from the wave with them. The water drenches the entire floor and sweeps the mage away from the warp pad, while the Gems find sea creatures clinging to them.

Pearl delicately disentangled a stubborn piece of seaweed from her hair. “Well… that could have gone better,” she muttered, just as Garnet plucked an octopus off her face and informed her that a lobster was clinging to her rear. Pearl's eyes widened in shock as she let out a startled scream, prompting a fit of laughter from Amethyst.

But Rose looked down in detachment. Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright?” she asked, but the larger gem shook her head sorrowfully. “It didn't have to be that way… we could have—” she began, but the magenta gem stopped her, removed her visor, and looked her dead in the eye. “You tried, Rose, but Hex made his choice,” she said. Rose gave a somewhat sad smile. “Thanks, Garnet.”

Then they heard a cough and turned to see the apprentice coughing up water. When he noticed them, he panicked, dropped to his knees, and raised his hands. “Please don’t hurt me; I have a child,” he begged. The two gems exchanged glances, but Rose approached the man, extending her hand to him. “It’s all right,” she smiled.

The apprentice hesitated but ultimately took her hand…

–Many Years later–

Deep at the bottom of the Caribbean, nestled amidst the remnants of an ancient sea shrine, stood a translucent, frozen sorcerer. Before him floated glowing mystical runes, shimmering with otherworldly light. Suddenly, time reset for him, and as he materialized, gasping for air, he quickly conjured an air bubble around himself. Panting heavily, he surveyed his surroundings, confused, until his gaze fell upon the runes.

Realizing they were part of a spell, he wasted no time and cast it, summoning a crimson barrier that crackled with energy before abruptly vanishing. Overwhelmed, he collapsed to his knees. At that moment, his hourglass slipped from his grasp, shattering upon hitting the ground and dispersing into a cloud of fine dust.

After a tense moment of silence, he summoned his strength, rising and soaring upward, breaking free from the depths of the sea that faded behind him as he ascended toward the light. Clenching his staff with determination, a growl of frustration escaped his lips.

“Rrrrhh! GEMS!! You will all pay for this!!” 

— — — —~~~~—————

-Present-

As the soft rays of the morning sun filtered through the curtains, Connie stirred from her sleep. She sat up, stretching her arms above her head as a yawn escaped her lips, she stood and quickly got dressed, wearing a light blue shirt with blue short jeans. As she smoothed her hair down,

With a deep breath, She padded down the hallway, each step echoing slightly in the quiet house, until reaching the kitchen; As she entered the space, she saw her parents were already seated at the table, waiting for her. They greeted her, as sit down

“So, did you sleep well?” her mother asked. Yesterday had been a long day; she and Francesca were having their overnight study session; Francesca brought Connie to her house, which was surprisingly modest yet still fancy. There, she met the maid. Apparently, Francesca's parents worked overseas while her brother attended university in Europe.

In the kitchen, her father asked, “So, Connie, where did you meet that boy, Steven? You never told us,” causing Connie to cough on her breakfast. Her mother stared blankly at her, and Connie nervously laughed. “Um, I met him at the beach when I saw him on his bike, and, um, we started talking,” she said. It was clear that she wasn't sharing the whole story, but her parents didn’t press her for more details. 

“So, what do you think of him?” her mother asked. Connie thought for a moment. “He’s... nice, odd but nice,” she replied before heading out.

After she left, Priyanka let out a sigh. “She’s just like my parents,” she murmured. Her husband gently placed his hand over hers. “I think she’s acting more like us when we first met,” he said with a chuckle, which prompted Priyanka to burst into laughter. “Oh please, if anything, she’s acting more like you when you punched that poacher at Krakken Lake!”...

After a while, Connie arrived at the beach house; she knocked on the door, and after a few moments, Steven opened the door. "Connie, Welcome," he said with a wide smile on his face, stepping aside to let her in.

She entered the familiar site as the boy closed the door behind her, “Welcome to la casa de Steven; make yourself comfortable,” gesturing to the whole room as she took in her surroundings. 

She was now able to get a better look at the house. It was a modest-sized home with a surprisingly large interior. It featured a spacious lounge with a cozy fireplace and a kitchen/bar area. The upper level appeared to be a boy's room, accessed by a staircase that was beside a sofa.

As she explored further, she noticed on the far side of the house's interior lays a foyer that appeared to be crafted from rock and marble. At the end of it, was a stunning crystalline diamond-shaped platform, leading to an elegant white door that resembled a gate with a star symbol.

Connie looked at it in awe; she turned and asked about it; the boy was at the kitchen/bar pouring some juice on a cup and explained that it was the entrance of the Temple. He offers a cup to her, which she thinks, but notices hanging above the door of the house entrance a picture of a beautiful pink-haired woman in a white dress; she is amazed, snapping out of her stupor. “Who is that?” she asked, blushing a bit.

“Oh, that's my mom,” Steven happily said, causing her eyes to widen; she attempted to change the subject. “So where are your…. aunts?”

Before he could respond, the platform lit up. Shocking and Amazed the girl. “Whooaaa…”

Standing on the platform were Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst, each striking different poses. “Greetings,” Garnet said as she adjusted her visor. Pearl smiled nervously and added, “Oh! Well, hello, Connie! What a surprise to see you!” she said, Connie just stared blankly at them, thinking they were trying to impress her - which they definitely were.

Amethyst placed her hand on Connie's shoulder. “So, how's your day?” she asked with a laugh, giving her a friendly pat on the back.

“Amethyst, please,” Pearl scolded the shorter gem, then turned to Connie. “Anyway, Mrs. Connie, I wanted to talk with you about something.” They moved to the kitchen corner, where Pearl raised her hands towards her gem. It glowed, and papers materialized, which she grabbed.

Pearl placed the papers on the counter, allowing everyone to see the images. They were pictures of her in her alien forms, rescuing people and stopping criminals:

• The first image showed Four Arms preventing a train from reaching broken rails. 
• The second depicted Goop stopping a bank robbery. 
• In the third was a plant-like creature summoned vines to hold a monster down. 
• The fourth showed a metallic being stopping a billboard from falling on top of her and a group of people. 
• Finally, the last image featured a blue, insect-like alien flying and carrying a pair of criminals.

Connie started nervously while Steven looked on in starry awe. “You like a superhero!” he exclaimed suddenly, much to the Gems' confusion. “Superhero?” Pearl asked. 

“Yeah, a hero with abilities beyond those of ordinary people who often wear costumes to conceal their identities. They frequently battle supervillains,” he explained. The Gems exchanged knowing looks. “Hey! We’re kind of like superheroes!” Amethyst said, shapeshifting into a buff masked wrestler. “Raaa!” she exclaimed while flexing, which made Connie blush a bit and giggle.

Steven gasped in realization. “Yeah! You're right! You even have that evil wizard as an arch-nemesis!” he exclaimed excitedly. Connie looked shocked. “An evil wizard?” she asked. Pearl, taken aback by Connie's eagerness, felt a pang of unease; it was clear that the girl was eager to learn more than the Gem was comfortable sharing. “Well…” Pearl hesitated, unsure if she could fully trust Connie just yet. 

“Pleaaase tell me!” Connie pleaded, causing Pearl to sigh in defeat. Before she could say anything more, Steven stepped forward, volunteering to tell the story and clearing his throat. 

“It aaall started a long time ago… like a few months ago.”

— — — —~~~~—————

-A Few Months Ago-

Steven was in the kitchen and was making breakfast, starting with a stack of waffles with lots of syrup on them. Then takes some popcorn out of the microwaves and dumps them over the waffles. Then, take a strawberry and carefully place it on top of the whipped cream. He then lifts the breakfast up in triumph. “It 's done!”.

After finishing it, he sets it down in the kitchen, sighs, and flops next to the breakfast. “That thing's too good for me to eat alone. It’s a... ‘Together Breakfast’”. He murmured a little down; he attempted to gather the Gems to share breakfast with them, then suddenly, the Warp Pad beamed in, startling Steven. Garnet warped into the room, carrying a scroll in her hand.

“Ah, Garnet, perfect!” He said before picking up the Together Breakfast and running towards the gem. “Check it out! It’s not exactly healthy, but it’s in a stack, so I guess you could say, it’s a... balanced breakfast?” Steven smiled at his own joke in an awkward pause, wanting a reaction from Garnet, but she just stared wordlessly. Steven clears his throat. “You know, like I made us all breakfast. I thought we could eat together. Like, like best buds!” he said with a huge smile.

After a short pause, the gem responded. “I can’t stay. There’s business to attend to inside the temple.” She says as her gems shines at the Temple Gate, opening it, 

Steven sighs in disappointment. “Aw, business? Like what?” he asked before setting the Together Breakfast on the kitchen counter. The Gem had an unsure look before unfurling the scroll. “I have to burn this”. 

The scroll had strange imagery and mystic symbols; as Steven looked at it he could hear ominous whispers… Then he grabs his smartphone. “Cool,” as he takes a photo of the scroll; without warning, Garnet snatches it away. “Ah!”

“I have to burn this, too.” She informs as leaves into the temple and the Temple Gate closes behind her, Steven runs up to the gate “No, my apps!” he exclaims, lifts his shirt, and presses his gem against it attempting to make it open, but nothing happens, walks away dejected “Aw man, you never work when I need it”.

Just then, a purple police officer bursts into the house with a water gun. “Dumb Police! Uhhh, you’re dumb!” he shouts, aiming for the room. Steven quickly jumps in front of the Together Breakfast. “Nooooooo!” he cries, as he gets squirted in the chest and drops to the floor.

The purple figure laughs, his head shapeshifting to reveal Amethyst. “Oh man, I totally got you! You should’ve seen your face!” she giggles as Steven gets up. “Aw, I knew it was you,” he replies, heading to his closet.

“Pfft, how?” Amethyst asks as he changes into a dry shirt. “Because it’s just a water gun. And I’m not dumb,” he responds, slightly annoyed. 

“You’ve got something on your shirt,” Amethyst points out. When Steven looks down, she squirts him again, laughing. Just then, the Temple Gate starts to open, and Pearl, with a sword in her hands, exits the temple through it.

“Hey P! That's ma door!” The Purple gem exclaimed as she shapeshifted back to normal and dropped the water gun; Pearl, upon seeing Amethyst, glared in annoyance. “Oh, Amethyst, there you are. Care to explain what one of my swords was doing in your room?”

The Shorter Gem shrugs. “Having a sword party,” she responded in a snarky tone, which the taller gem accused her of talking to them. Amethyst claims she didn't.

“It’s fine. It’s in the past, I forgive you.” Pearl says before swinging the sword over her shoulder as Amethyst groans, but Pearl then adds, “Also, I cleaned up your awful, awful mess. You’re welcome.” she says with a smug smile, causing the purple gem to rush into her room claiming she had ‘a system’.

“Amethyst, wait!” Steven called as the gate closed. Pearl turned, looking concerned. “What’s the matter, Steven?” she asked. He gestured to the breakfast. “I wanted us all to have breakfast together, but everyone keeps leaving.” 

Pearl smiled and patted his head. “That’s nice.” She opened the Temple Gate and walked into the room. Steven quickly grabbed the Together Breakfast. “Oh no, not you too! I can’t let this become ‘Together Brunch!’” He dashed to the door, stopping it from closing with his arm, and slipped into Pearl's Room…

— — — —~~~~—————

Connie looked at the Temple Gate, “So live there?” She said Pearl was unsure what to say, but Garnet nodded. “Yup.” Suddenly, out of nowhere, Amethyst popped out. "Why don’t I show you?" she said with a grin and without wanting, she grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her toward the temple door, which opened automatically, 

Pear widened her eyes in shock. "Amethyst, WAIT!!!" She shouted…

“WELCOME MA ROOM”

"The room was more like a purple cavern. There were messy piles of stuff, geodes, and some grass tiles scattered across the floor. A waterfall and a small river added to the unique atmosphere. Connie wasn’t quite sure what to say. “It looks… a bit messy,” she remarked, but the gem actually took pride in it. “Aw, thanks!” the gem replied before jumping onto a pile of things.

Connie turned toward Steven. “So, what happened next?” she asked. Steven resumed the story. “Well, I went into Pearl's room, which was above that waterfall, and I ended up swimming in the water.”  

“YOU WHAT?!” she exclaimed, which made Steven nervous. “In my defense, I thought it was just a pool… But I swam a bit before I noticed the water flowing down…” Connie looked at him with wide eyes. “But I managed to keep the breakfast from getting wet,” he added proudly. 

Before he could continue, the purple gem spoke up. “Steven then washed up in my room while I was still trying to fix my things from Pearl's organisation. When I noticed that breakfast thingy, I tried to take a bite…”

—

“Oh... Gimme, gimme!”

Amethyst attempts to take the breakfast, causing Steven to run out of the purple room to the cavern corridor. Amethyst chases him; the two continue to a twisting corridor, which turns him upside down, like twisted gravity, before the corridor turns back upright again. “You can’t outrun me, we both have short legs!” Amethyst

Steven comes to the end of the corridor and sees a room full of floating platforms, forcing him to start hopping between platforms as the Gem exclaimed. “I’m hungry!”

Steven leaps down towards the final platform in a red-colored room before jumping and clinging onto a crystal pole; the Gem suddenly stops and is alarmed. “Hey, wait for a second!” 

“Steven! There you are!” They turned Pearl entering from the other side, causing the boy to smile when he saw Two out of three Gems gathered. A worried Pearl tells him to be careful, confusing the half-Gem.

“Why? Whaaaaa?” He asked as looks up and saw a heart-like structure, making beating noises. He stared at the odd structure with wonder. Pearl explained that this was the Crystal Heart, the most dangerous area of the temple. “Hold on tight, and don’t look down,” she tells him… which causes him to look down, sees a dark abyss, and causes him to panic. “Aaah!” he screams and loses his grip, and starts sliding down, much to the Gem's horror.

Steven continued to scream as he slid past, eventually coming to a halt when the pole bent horizontally. He looked around and saw Garnet walking toward a pool of lava. She took Steven's phone, snapped it in half, and dropped the pieces into the lava. Then she unfurled a scroll, dipped it into the lava, and began to burn it within a bubble. 

Just then, Steven slid off the pole, just as Amethyst and Pearl came sliding down. They approached him, whispering, “Steven, we’re getting you out of here,” Pearl said.

But Steven smiled and shouted, “Ah, this is great! We’re all together!” This caused Garnet to gasp and turn in Steven's direction. The smoke inside the bubble tried to escape but was halted by Garnet.

The smoke began to expand and attack the Gems. They summoned their weapons and began to fight the smoke monster, physically hurting it while Steven backed away. Suddenly, the smoke monster dashed toward them but then stopped.

Steven and the Gems stared at the monster until they noticed a red glow surrounding it. They then heard clapping followed by a dark chuckle. One of that,  the Gems, recognized the voice and exclaimed, “No…”

They turned to the entrance, where a pale man was leaning against it, extending his hand and causing the monster to fly toward him.

“Hex!!”

— — — —~~~~—————

“A REAL WIZARD!!” Connie screamed in excitement, everyone stared at the girl, causing her to give an awkward look. “Sorry, sorry, *Clears throat* I just got excited there... About the wizard... Keep-keep talking.”

Garnet is the one who resumes the story. “There he was, Hex…” Connie screamed again; the gem wasn’t faced by the outburst. “Just going to ignore that,” she said in a deadpan tone…

— — — —~~~~—————

Ahahahaha 

You!!” The leader exclaimed as she and Amethyst pulled out their weapons, the latter groaning in annoyance. “Ah great!! This edge lord again!!” she retorted, just as Pearl instinctively pulled Steven behind her, causing him to drop the Together Breakfast, before she summoned her Spear. “Hex? How are you…” she began, but the sorcerer merely chuckled darkly. 

“Alive? You Rocks, always underestimate me, yet…” he extant his staff glowing in eerie red; he causes the smoke monster to envelope with a red glow, transforming into a serpent dog-like creature that snarls at the gems. “I always have a trick up my sleeve” he finished with a smug smile.

Steven is a bit fearful. “umm guys, who are this?” he said; Pearl was uncertain but told him. This is Hex, a dangerous mage with delusions of greatness, we have dealt with since the medieval age.” she revealed… which the boy gasped in amazement.

The Sorcerer not noticing the boy, swung the staff over his shoulder  “You Gems may fold my plans in the past, but soon I'd will have an army on my becky call, thank this "vault" of creatures of yours.” he exclaimed gesturing upwards, Steven looked up curiosity and was amazed when he saw gemstones inside of bubbles around the ceiling.

“Ummm, dude…” Amethyst spoke, catching the boy's attention. “Last time, you got stuck in a time loop because of your stunt in the Sea Shrine. Speaking of which, how did your smelly rear got out of there?” 

Hex shot an irritating glare at the gem. “In your perspective, it may have seemed like a few decades, but for me, it was just a moment. But now, I will finally get my revenge on you four…” He trailed off when he noticed something off. “Where Rose?”

This question caused the Gems to exchange unsure glances, but the silence was broken by Steven. “Umm, she's not here,” he said, causing Hex to notice him. “huh? Why is there a boy here? When did... you.... oh.” His eyes widened in realization. He was in disbelief… but his expression shifted as he smirked. “Unless, she's the boy's…” The expressions of the gem were enough to make him burst out laughing. “ ah ah ah ahahaha it seems that oversized rock was good of something ahahaha” 

He laughed, causing the Gems to glare angrily at the mage, especially Pearl, who grits her teeth. “Why you!!” She shouted but Garnet stopped her. “Enough!! Don't get cocky, Hex; we are still able to put you down. Now this is your last chance, surrender or..” She got into a battle stance.

Hex however just gave a cruel smile. “oh really, well then…”  his eyes began to glow. “and let's put that to the test!” he exclaimed as his beast roared and charged toward Amethyst, who swung her whip at the Golem Hound which erupts into a cloud of smoke, leaving her bewildered. But as the smoke swirls behind her, it begins to reform, bringing the monster back to its original shape. “Huh?”

“Amethyst! Look Out!!”  Steven warned, before the Gem could react, the monster lunged, its jaws snapping wide open. She barely managed to dive to the side, hitting the ground hard, feeling the rush of air as its teeth missed her by inches; the creature turned on her again, and before others could react, the sorcerer fired magical blasts, but the Gems dodged them.

Pearl’s eyes narrowed in fury. “I'll handle him,” She shouted, in a heartbeat, he leaped herself toward the mage.

“Pearl Wait!!” Garnet exclaimed as she struggled to keep the creature at bay, gritting her teeth as she fought to hold its massive jaw shut with both hands. The creature snarled, its sharp teeth gnashing dangerously close to her face. The Purple Gem swung her whip around the Hound.

But once more, it burst into smoke; it swirls upwards before swinging its extant claws at her, sending her to the wall. “Garnet!!” Steven cried out, catching the hound’s attention; it snarled at the boy. Amethyst leaps towards the monster; it swings its tail, smacking the gem, before lunging towards him with a ferocious roar. 

Steven reacted quickly, and leaped away out of its path, causing the hound to crash into the stone wall, slamming into the hard surface, 

Steven sees the dog monster as it recovers from the collision with the wall; it turns toward him with a guttural growl, as it stalks forward, panicking. Steven flicked around the room, desperately searching for anything, when he noticed Together Breakfast. He quickly ran as the Hound leaped toward him in a vicious arc. 

With a quick, desperate motion, the boy grabbed the Breakfast,.Just as the monster came crashing down toward her, jaws opened wide. “STEVEN!!” Both Gems exclaimed as the boy held the breakfast in front of him, with a bit of hesitation, closing his eyes, bracing for impact.

A moment passed. Steven finally opened her eyes and saw the monster's upper body now completely covered in the thick cream and waffles. The creature howled in frustration, its squealing and thrashing at the air. “That’s... enough!” Steven shouted as he started pushing the monster. “I... don’t care if you are a magical wizard’s pet!!” He attempts to shove the monster into the lava pool, but breakfast remains start to merge with the hound, creating a pair of tentacles made of waffles and grabbing the boy with them. “Oh no he weaponized the most important meal of the day!!” he exclaimed. 

But lucky Garnet swiftly grabbed the smoke/breakfast hybrid, hoisting it high before forcefully slamming it into the bubbling lava. The hound let out a scream, thrashing wildly as it burned, until the gem shoved it completely into the lava, ending it.

Turning around, the Gem sees Amethyst assisting a painting of Steven up to his feet. “I’m sorry, guys…”. he murmured before the short gem wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “Whaaat? What are you talking about? You did great,” she said, patting him on the back; Garnet gently patted the boy through his hair, which, made him smile softly.

But then, his smile faded as his eyes widened in realization. “Wait, I think I forgot something?” she asked with alarm, causing the other to freeze.

“PEARl”

Pearl and Hex continued their fight in the corridor, with Hex spinning his staff before pointing it at the Gem. He caught her magical grip and threw her against the wall, causing her to groan in pain as a fire beam shot from the tip of his spear, striking her shoulder. This attack allowed her to lunge forward at the mage, thrusting her spear with determination.

The mage gripped his staff, deflecting her thrust with a practiced parry. The two traded blows in a fierce exchange until he floated into the air to deliver a kick at the Gem. However, with an effortless leap, she evaded the strike, and Hex began firing magical beams at her.

Pearl spun her spear to deflect the incoming beams before firing her own attack. The blasts collided in midair. At that moment, Hex smirked and cast a spell that caused the ground beneath Pearl to shift, making her lose her balance. Seizing the opportunity, the mage closed the distance between them, moving quickly and gracefully. With a swift motion, he swept his staff in a powerful arc, sending her crashing against the Temple Gate with a resounding thud.

She struggled to her feet, desperately trying to grasp her spear, but only to realize that she had dropped her weapon. Her eyes darted around until they landed on the spear, now lying next to Hex, who had kicked it away with a disdainful flick.

Glancing at the gate, her gem glowed softly, opening the gate. She leaped towards it, causing Hex to quickly fly after her, soaring through the air in pursuit. After entering the room, he found himself in a large pool with many fountains over a starry dark indigo background. 

Just as Hex hovered above the pool, and scanned the room, When suddenly, a violent burst of water erupted from the river, an immense column surging upwards, striking him and sending him tumbling skyward as His arms flailed as he fought against the violent surge.

Hex gritted his teeth, forcing his mind to focus. With a swift hand motion, he chanted an incantation, and a pulse of magic radiated from his fingertips as ice crept up the stream of water, forming a massive frozen pillar.

His relief was brief as he spotted his opponent darting across the pillar, armed with two swords. The mage clenched his fists, gesturing upward as spikes erupted from the ice, but she was faster. With fluid grace, she leaped between the spikes, dodging them effortlessly, not a single shard touched her.

Hex barely had time to react before his opponent reached him. The mage's eyes widened in frustration as Pearl swung their swords, forcing the mage to raise his arm instinctively, summoning a thin barrier of ice just in time. The impact sent a sharp vibration through the pillar 

The Two trading blows in a flurry of rapid strikes until. Both of them summoned clones, and the copies crashed into each other, causing Hex copies to explode, which caused the pillar.

As the pillar crumbles, Pearl quickly adapts, using the falling pieces as platforms to maneuver through the air. Bounces off a fragment towards another chunk and launches it at the Sorcerer. But it just disappeared.

Suddenly ice chucks all slammed towards her, creating an explosion. The Gem drops onto one fountain, nearly tilting it.

Pearl struggled to stand; as she got on her knees, she saw floating above her with a smug look….

— — — —~~~~—————

Pearl trailed off, and for a moment, she saw Connie and Steven with wide smiles, they a sofa in the purple gem’ room which she currently eating 

Connie tilted her head slightly as she studied Pearl’s expression. "Why did you stop?" she asked, the gem forced a small, nervous smile, like brushing away the tension. "Oh, it’s nothing," Pearl said.

“You know I always found your bravado amusing… But I suppose without Rose giving orders, you are just helpless… “

Pearl lightly waved a hand. "Just lost my train of thought, I guess. Anyway, he was about to strike me when….

— — — —~~~~—————

Hex raised his staff menacingly towards Pearl, but got rocket punched and sent off the fountain, but quickly recovered, but as he processed, his leg wrapped, he quickly turned Amethyst on one of the lower fountains, she pulled her whip, dragging towards her, which Garnet embraced out water with Pearl's spear in the head, uppercut the mage sent upwards. The Gem leader hurled the spear sending it flying toward its rightful owner. Pear leaped and seized the spear and, with a powerful swing, brought it crashing down onto the sorcerer, sending him hurtling backward, tumbling toward the pool below, sending up a massive splash. 

Staff dropped on the water fountain. Three Gems stared at the water for any sign of Hex. “OH NO!” They turned to see Steven at the entrance, worried about the sorcerer. “Pfffft,” Amethyst waved her hand.  “please, that was like… the 15th worst beating we gave this nasty dude. He–”

Suddenly The pool pulsed with an eerie glow, the water churning violently before swarm tendrils burst forth from the depths, lashing out at the Gems with fierce intensity. They expertly dodged the writhing appendages as they slammed into the ground, leaping from fountain to fountain.

Panic surged through Steven as he searched for a way to help, and then his gaze landed on the sorcerer's staff perched atop one of the fountains. Without hesitation, he plunged into the pool, swimming determinedly toward it. As he reached the fountain, he carefully scaled the side and, upon reaching the top, grasped the staff in awe. "Cool," he whispered, marveling at it.

"STEVEN!!" the Gems shouted in alarm, snapping him from his reverie and causing him to swing around in confusion. Just then, a menacing shadow loomed over him. Heart racing, he turned to find Hex glaring down at him with a sinister grin.

Without thinking, Steven leaped and aimed the staff at the sorcerer, who cackled darkly in response. "The Staff of Ages can only be wielded by the hands of a master magician," Hex taunted, extending his hand toward the boy.

But at that moment, Steven closed his eyes and concentrated, and the staff reacted, unleashing a powerful blast that struck Hex directly, sending him tumbling down the waterfall with an anguished scream of "AH!" as he vanished from sight.

Tendrils gradually dissipated into smoke. Everyone stared blankly at where Hex was before turning towards the staff. “ Okay, how come that worked?” Amethyst said. But Steven was too mesmerized by the staff. “I am a Wizard!!”

Not long after, the group made their way to Amethyst’s room, to find Hex washed up and unconscious on the floor. After confirming he was still breathing, they exchanged glances…

— — — —~~~~—————

“Soooo, you guys, what happened to you *gasp* were you sealed away in another dimension, banished by a magic book, or still locked up in a mountain?” Connie began to speculate when Steven interrupted her. “Oh no, we just call the cops,” he said simply, causing her to stare at him blankly.  

“What?”

— — — —~~~~—————

The group stood outside, watching as the police loaded the unconscious mage into the back of a patrol car. “Well, that happened. At least we ripped off that dirty bum,” Amethyst said. Garnet frowned. “Yes, but he will come back… he always comes back.”

The short gem rolled her eyes while Steven, still holding the staff, turned toward Garnet. “was that sorcerer been a problem?” he asked. The gems exchanged glances.

Garnet knelt down. “Steven… When we swore to protect the Earth, we never anticipated that we would have to deal with humans who wish to do harm to it, and Hex is the worst of them,” she explained.

Steven gasped in amazement, before looking at the staff. “So, what do we do with it?” he asked. Amethyst shrugged and said he could keep it, but Pearl protested.

“He can’t keep it! Who knows what vile magic that mage put on it?” she exclaimed. Garnet regarded Pearl for a moment with her stoic expression before turning to Steven and smiled.

“... he can keep it,” she decided, much to Pearl's annoyance. Steven beamed and lifted the staff high above his head, grinning from ear to ear. "Awesome!" he cheered.

— — — —~~~~—————

The Group returned to the living room, where Steven went to his room, where after a short while, he showed Connie, the Staff. She gasped in excitement; she grabbed it and stared at it in her hands. She then raised it high above his head, expecting some kind of reaction… but nothing happened. She sighs in disappointment.

“Is ok, I was unable to use it after the first time,” he said with a smile; the gem just sat on the sofa. “This is the first time that we ever got a hold of Hex’s Staff, but it didn’t reactivate. It must have..." Pear started to elaborate but paused when she noticed Connie staring at her in awe. 

“Wait, you mentioned you’ve been dealing with this Hex since the Medieval period,” Connie interjected, her eyes wide with disbelief. Amethyst casually placed her hands behind her head, grinning. “Yeah, we’re, like suuuper old,” she said, much to Pearl’s annoyance.

“Hex claims to have existed since the era of Gilgamesh,” Garnet added nonchalantly, her words shocking Connie even further. “What? That’s like… 4,700 years!” Connie exclaimed, her astonishment palpable, while Amethyst merely scoffed. “Please, I’m at least 5,000 years old,” she replied, leaving Connie’s jaw hanging in disbelief; the boy gave a short chuckle as he put the staff on the table. “Yeah, I pretty shocked myself; they are like a bazillion years old!” he said before adding something he recoiled. “I attempted to hold a birthday party for–” he stopped by the Pearl.

“Ok, that was quiet enough.”  she cut in, standing up with a serious look in her eyes at the girl. “Listen…” She was a bit hesitant. After a brief pause, she continued, her tone now calm but cooler than usual. "The truth is… I don’t trust you." The kids fell silent, shocked. “But Pearl, she’s not a bad per—” Steven started, but Pearl raised her hand stopping the boy. “That’s why I want to test you,” she continued, her eyes narrowing. "I need to know if you’re truly someone I can rely on.” She crossed her arms, leaving the kids in awe.

"You see," she began again, her voice softening while still holding onto that serious edge, "we’ve been defending the world for a long time… longer than you can imagine. We’ve encountered countless faces and faced numerous challenges. But you…" she paused, studying Connie with an intense, unwavering gaze, "you’re different. That watch you possess holds secrets we don’t yet understand…" She lowered herself closer to Connie. “... so will you let us test you?” she asked earnestly.

Connie stared back at her, uncertain. On one hand, she hardly knew these Gems… but on the other, she had always yearned to be part of something greater than herself, and ever since she received the watch, that desire had only grown.

After a moment of reflection, she nodded with determination. Pearl stood and slapped her hands in approval. “Well then, let’s get a move on,” she declared as she and the other gems made their way toward the diamond pad, the kids following closely behind. As everyone gathered on top of it, Connie cast a nervous glance around. “So how does this thing work?” she asked, her curiosity piqued. Garnet smiled warmly at her. “You will see.”

Suddenly, the platform lit up, and its passengers began to fade away into the brilliant light. After the second flash, they were nowhere to be seen…

Elsewhere in New Napoli

In the old district of the city (or The Piazza Vecchia or just the old square), a Tanned girl with long white hair ran toward the rundown streets with a bag on closed her chest, she had a black choker around her neck with a necklace, she wearing a black top with a purple coat over it, a magenta skirt, grey leggings, and black boots. She reached what looks like a rundown apartment. 

The Girl quietly pushed open the creaky door to the rundown apartment, the scent of old wood and dust filling her nostrils. As she stepped inside, she saw an older woman sitting slumped on the couch, didn’t even look up from the TV. The woman seemed oblivious to the girl’s arrival.

Without a word, the girl walked past her and reached her room. She closed it behind her and locked the door. Turning to see the messy room, without hesitation she headed to a broken, makeshift table in the corner, pulling a chair, and she sat down. She pulled a clay package from the bag and began to unwrap it. 

She began to mold it. Her fingers pressed into the clay, pushing and pulling it into the shape of an egg. Then, she grabs a vial of purple paint and paints lines over it. After repeating this a few times until she has four eggs.

After clearing herself, she headed over to her bed and pulled out a book under the mattress. It was a dark purple book with a cover depicted with a violet trim, with a circle with a spiral pattern Inside of a segmented diamond.

After filleting a few of the pages, before clearing her throat, she began murmuring an incantation, as eyes stared glow, before ending by casting “Actum. Eradico” created multiple streams of light headed to eggs. They started shaking and glowing, before they formed into bipedal-like creatures, letting out small cries.

Suddenly, a loud knock comes from the door, she hears her voice, stern and edged with authority, through the wood. “Hope, what did I tell you about making noise?” the woman, the girl grins before snapping her fingers, causing the creature to grow in size, they roar loudly 

“HOPE? WHAT WRONG?” The woman's voice shouted through the wood field, worried and panicked; the girl cast a spell on one golem, causing it to change into a dog-like creature, which she got on top of; she gestured at her command, and the other creatures surged forward, crashing through the wall. Splintering it into rubble. As the dust settled, her ride leaped gracefully through the opening, soaring effortlessly over the wreckage before bounding across the rooftops

The woman finally broke through the door, stepping inside to survey the room, her eyes lingering on the gaping hole in the wall. A gasp escaped her lips and panicked; she screamed the girl's name, her voice trembling with both fear and urgency.

She cried, echoing in the empty space, but they fell on deaf ears; the girl had slipped beyond her reach. At that moment, she was free…

**Notes**

The first Ben 10 villain is introduced and as well 1st look at Rose. Honestly, I think Hex mixes well with Steven Universe, more specifically, a sorcerer-type antagonist.

As Hex’s story goes; He’s an ancient sorcerer of unknown origins, claiming to have existed since the times of Gilgamesh. He has plagued the Earth with his relentless desire to conquer it, employing various methods to achieve his goals. Hex asserts that he mentored Heracles, fought in the Trojan War, he was Macbeth, etc; however, it remains uncertain whether he is exaggerating his accomplishments or simply lying. During medieval times, he encountered the Crystal Gems while attempting to seize a European kingdom. They initially mistook him just to be an ambitious court mage and had multiple encounters with him. It wasn't until the Renaissance on the Age of Discovery, where he aided the Spanish in their attempted colonization of the Americas, that Rose realized Hex must be immortal.

This Hex, while mostly based on the original series, combines traits of the reboot, which means he's not Charmcaster’s uncle in this, instead, she and Spellforce are his descendants (the latter may be Charmcaster's grandfather).

Also the transformed Smoke monster was inspected by the Hounds of Tindalos from the Cthulhu Mythos

Hex's relationship with the Gems, despite his loathing of the gems for ruining his plans for centuries, he has a begrudging respect for them, especially towards Rose, who flirts with him, much to Pearl’s annoyance. Their dynamic can be seen as a twisted mirror to her relationship with Greg; while Rose found herself somewhat drawn to Hex, she was aware of the destructive nature of his ambitions needed to stop… before he became another Diamond.  

The Gems in this story have already had encounters with some villains… 

As for the Steven Universe timeline goes, some episodes have already happened, just a little out of order, like So Many Birthdays, a few weeks after Together Breakfast. Also, thanks to Hex's actions, Steven and the Stevens will not happen (so no Pompadour Steven…)

And finally, New Napoli is the SU Version of New Orleans

Next Time: Connie shows off some of her aliens, later Gems take her and Steven for a simple mission… However, things don't go as planned when they encounter a mad veterinarian.

Chapter Text

Episode 4 - Wild-ington

Both Connie and Steven were in awe of what they were seeing. The Gems brought them to an ancient-looking open area with tiled ground and marble obelisks lining both sides of the area. The place is surrounded by low-hanging clouds.

“This is my personal arena.” Pearl gestured towards the area, and the kids gasped in amazement. “Here, where I spent countless centuries training in the art of the combat, honed my skills–” but interrupted. “laaaaame!” Amethyst exclaimed, sitting lazily on the bleacher next to Garnet.

Pear glances at her in annoyance before placing her behind her in a proper manner and turning to the girl, “I want to value your form…” she said to her, who stared blankly at the gem. “Is there a preference you like?” he asked; the gem just smiled.

“Surprised me,” Pearl said simply; Connie took a deep breath before looking at the watch, and suddenly, Amethyst spoke. “Oh, Oh Oh, Let me press.” She ran toward the girl, must Pearl to annoyance.

After Connie explains how it works, Amethyst turns the dial a few times, pressing it, and enveloping the girl in a bright light, blinding them.

Once they opened their eyes, before they widened them, they saw a being resembling a cloth body with black lines running all over and a purple eye and a black pupil. In Short, it was giving off a ghost vibe; both Steven and Amethyst looked at her in awe.

“Wow, Connie, you're a ghost now! That's so Cool,” Steven exclaimed; the Ghost girl just giggled. “Hehehe, Thanks,” She said, surprising them, as they were taken aback by her raspy voice.

“Wow Freaky…” Amethyst said with a laugh. Which Steven turned to her. “You say a… Ghostfreak,” He said as a joke… but both kids exclaimed glances. “Hmmm, I like that,” The now-identified Ghostfreak said; the purple gem just laughed. “Okay, this that’s not exactly what I was expecting, right guys…. guys? she turned to Garnet, and Pearl just stared at the girl in shock and… horror. “Ectonurite,” the latter murmured before realizing what she thought a lot, confusing the trio.

“Wait? You know what I am?” The Ghost asked the older gems and exchanged unsure glances. “Connie… you are a being called Ectonurite, a creature not native to this world,” Garnet said, shocking the kids; the Gem explained that Ectonurites are beings of the dark and the fact the watch can be a bit concerning.

Pearl sighs. “Let’s hold that thought for later…” She turns to Connie. “This is more reason to see if we can trust you.” Gem pulled a pair of wooden swords, and Amethyst pulled Steven to the bleacher as Pearl and Ghostfreak stared down at each other before the ghost girl dashed towards her.

The Ghost Girl swung her claws at the Gem, who effortlessly blocked the attacks. Pearl swung her sword at her, but the ghost swirled to avoid it and used her tail to attempt to grab the Gem's arm.

But once she easily avoided it and managed to get behind her, before Pearl would strike her, Ghostfreak… Before the ghost, for lack of a better word, became inverted, the sword passed through her. This surprised the boy. “Intangibility” Garnet stated, which the boy   

in-tanned-bla huh?” he said, clearly not understanding Garnet without turning. “Intangibility is the power of phase through physical matter; in this state, Ghostfreak can't be touched.” She said,

As on cue, Ghostfreak flew towards the floor and phased through it; Pearl observed her surroundings until the ghost phased her hands to her legs to grab the gem’s legs. But she leaped away.

Ghostfreak embraced from the floor; she streaked through the air toward Pearl once more before dipping, phasing through the floor. Then he reemerged in front of her, but the gem simply sidestepped and swum the sword that the ghost… gently tapped her.

The Ghostfreak flopped the floor and turned towards the gem. “But bad… but clearly to practice,” Pearl told her simply. After more than a few moments, the ghost's symbol began to time out, and Ghostfreak came back into Connie; she let out a sigh as Steven ran towards her.

“That was Amazing,” he praised her, causing her to blush a bit; the Gems looked at them, and Pearl tapped her sword, catching everyone's attention. “OK, Miss Connie, let's try a different form,” she said… but was confused by the children's blank stares.

“She can't, the watch needs time to recharge.” The Boy told her, causing them to give her own blank expression. “Well, that… awkward.”...

-Somewhere in Washington-

A man walks into what appears to be a rundown warehouse, passing by various cages and glass cases that hold different animals. He saw a still-lit TV and various pieces of equipment. He wouldn’t be there if the tenant had paid his rent. As he turns to look at another animal in a cage, “Phew! It smells like a zoo in here!” he remarks.

The landowner's attention was drawn to the large, cloth-covered object in the center of the room. Something about it felt... wrong. 

As he moved closer, he noticed wires and a breathing tube spilling out from beneath the heavy fabric, twisting across the floor like veins. Just as he reached for the cloth, the object beneath it shifted slowly and deliberately. 

Startled, he stumbled back and bumped into something. He quickly turned around and was shocked to see a pale green man with messy white hair glaring angrily at him. "HOW did you get in?!" the man demanded.

After regaining his composure, the landlord adjusted his tie. "Pass key. I am still your landlord, Animo, remember? Or maybe not, since your rent is six months past due..." he informed him, but the man, now identified as Animo, seemed unimpressed.

“All my funds go into my research. Now GET OUT! You're disturbing me!” Animo told him that before heading to a table with a case with a frog, the landowner looked around. “Hmm. Looks like you were "disturbed" long before I got here, pal!” he pointed out as the place was messy, turned towards the tenant. “Listen, ‘Doc,’ you and your furry friends are out on the street unless you pony up the green.” he managed. 

However, it just made the doctor smirk, "Pony up"... “ He picks up a frog from one of the cases. “Interesting choice of phrases... You must be an animal lover! Then you're gonna love this” he said, confusing the man.

The Doctor sets the frog down and puts on an odd-looking helmet with two horn-like protrusions. The landowner just stared at him, before laughing mockingly. “What's that? You a member of the "moose lodge" or something?” he said mockingly.

“This is my Transmodulator; phase number one. It creates and accelerates mutations at the genetic level. Observe…” The Doctor then twists a dial on his chest, activating the Transmodulator. Beams shoot out from its horns and to the frog on the ground. The landowner stumbled back, horrified as the frog mutated into a gigantic version of itself. He looks up and screams as the frog opens its mouth and engulfs him. Some muffled grunts can be heard, which Animo laughs

“Oh, I'm sorry! I can't hear you. Sounds like you have a frog in your throat! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Or is that - the other way around?!” he mockingly asked as he continued to laugh maniacally as just the frog spit out the man who fell to the floor, groaned, and passed out. 

Animo checks a slip of newspaper. “So close to having what is rightfully mine... All I need is some LOUSY COMPONENTS to finish my work!” he exclaimed as he crushed the paper in his hand; then he heard the TV. “...So whatever your need, from hair spray to state-of-the-art electronics, you'll find them under one roof at the grand opening of the district's newest MegaMart!”

Animo smirks darkly. “Ah! Just what the doctor ordered.”…

Back to the Pearl's Arena: Garnet let awhile, leaving to just Steven and Amethyst to watch Pearl dodging plant vines that were embracing from the ground, while avoiding the plants, parrying fireballs being fired by her opponent. 

Just as Pearl got her footing, her opponent threw seeds near her, which more embraced out, but she leaped high up and looked down towards her opponent: A tall plant-like creature, a bit taller than herself, its body mucky green, its head was back colored with medium maroon flame-patterned “hair’, and also had long arms and root-like feet, seemingly holding a black rock.

They or the Gem would say she was a surprisingly able generation. At first, she was confused by that, but when she noticed a faded green mist coming from the plant girl, she soon realized that it was Methane.

Steven asked the purple gem what it was Methane; she nervously tried to explain. “It's a… gas, I guess, that is highly flammable, and it seems your girl not only can produce it but ignite it, giving her fire powers.” she attempted to explain, but Steven was able to understand it. 

Pearl gracefully landed atop one of the obelisks; looking down at the plant, the girl panted heavily, Pearl lower weapons. “Ok, that's enough,” she declared, the plant set down onto the floor.

"Wow, Connie, that's so cool!" Steven exclaimed as he and Amethyst approached her. However, they both paused, wrinkling their noses. "But you really smell quite strong," he added, causing Connie to blush in embarrassment. Pearl interjected, explaining that methane is typically a colorless and odorless gas, which meant that Connie's plant form was the source of the smell.

"Yeah, but she still smells like a swamp," Amethyst chimed in, causing Connie to cover her face in mortification. Meanwhile, Steven rested his knuckles on his chin, deep in thought. "Mushy Swamp..." he murmured, before tossing the name aside..

Suddenly, light emits from the platform, revealing Garnet, which the boy runs towards to greet her. “Garnet! " he said with the others closed back, with a gentle smile, she reached out and patted him on the head. “What's wrong?” Pearl asked.

“There was a monster sighting in Washington,” Garnet said, surprising the kids. “Wait is the capital?” Connie asked; the leader nodded, causing them to get excited. “Sorry, but you two are going to stay in Beach City.” She told them, making them sigh in disappointment.

Pearl, however, had an idea. “Actually… why don’t they come with us?” she said, causing gasps from the kids. “Really?!!” they exclaimed, their faces lighting up with excitement. Without any warning, Amethyst grabbed Pearl's face and squished her cheeks. “Alright, who are you, and what did you do, Pearl?” she asked. Pearl simply pushed Amethyst’s arms aside, and Garnet stared at her. “Are you sure?” Garnet inquired. Pearl smiled back at her.

“Yeah, since this is a non-crucial mission, it will allow us to evaluate Connie,” she explained as the kids jumped up excitedly, especially Steven, who had never seen the capital before…

—

The Group arrived just outside Washington; while walking through the street, Connie was sending a message to their parents that word a crime, and she was going to Washington. Steven noticed it. “Hey Connie, aren’t we monster hunting? why can’t you tell them the truth?” He asked, causing her to recoil, and he sighed. “Is just… I do not want them to get worried.” She told him, the boy wasn't sure understand before he asked, Connie ran towards the gem leader. “So where we heading” She asked 

Garnet glanced at her “The Monster would be around here” she said, which the girl got confused, the gem adjusted her shades. “Called it a feeling”...

As if on cue, the group heard screams and ran toward the source, spotting people fleeing from a supermarket, MegaMart, where a large hole had been created. Some were crying out, "Monster!" as they fled. The group exchanged glances before moving inside the supermarket.

Once inside, they caught sight of the monster, which left the Gems confused. They saw a giant horned frog with four red eyes and numerous orange lumps on its back. 

“Huh... have we ever fought a frog monster?” Amethyst asked, looking puzzled. Garnet stared at it thoughtfully. “No. This is not a Corrupted Gem,” she replied, bewildering the kids. “Corrupted Gem?” Connie wondered. Just then, Steven pointed to a strange horned man with a parrot on his shoulder, who was riding on top of the croaking frog. The man dismounted and began to pocket some electronics.

“Hey! What do you think you're doing?” Connie exclaimed, causing the man to turn toward them, revealing a pair of red goggles covering his eyes. The giant frog then used its tongue to knock over stacked boxes next to the group.

“Don't be a hero, girl. Just run along and play,” he said dismissively before he climbed back onto his ride; his legs were bound by a whip, and he snapped his head around, he saw Amethyst gripping the other end. “Oh no, you don't, Frog—” she began, but before she could finish her sentence, the man’s parrot suddenly swooped toward her and clawed at her, causing her to drop her whip.

The Man now freed, grins and turns the dial and red beams shoot out of those horns towards the bird, causing it to grow into a gigantic, it slammed it’s claw at the gem.

The Other Gems pulled out their weapons, as Connie dialled the watch. The Man glared at them. “I don’t know who you people are, but you are not in front of the ambitions of Dr. Animo!” The so-called doctor as he turned to the nearby pet section, as he shot his beams, at a Hamster, a Crystal Basilisk and a Rabbit. “Ariiiiise to your full potential, my pets!”. The mad doctor exclaimed as animals grew size casing exploded out of their cages and mutanting.

The Trio stare menacingly at the gasping group: The Mutant Hamster has eight red eyes and Its teeth now protrude like fangs; The Mutant Rabbit had large light pinkish eyes and tusk-like teeth; and the Mutant Basilisk has six eyes, sharp teeth and grew spike on back.

The Trio snarled as taking a step forward, the Gems hesitated but prepared, as The Man mounts his frog and theatrically presents his mutated animals, all aligned next to him. “Behold the genius of Dr. Animo. Nothing can stop me from getting what I deserve. Mark my words! Today I will make history!!” he exclaimed triumphantly, before two security guards arrived on the scene. ”Freeze!” They exclaimed, pulling their guns… only bewildered, one man “Get down off that giant...frog and put your hands up!”

Doctor snapping his fingers, the Mutant Basilisk lunged towards the cops, but fortunately Pearl got on top of it, the creature struggling to get her off, Garnet tackled both rabbit and hamster Mutants, while Amethyst… was currently dangling at a large bird's beak.

The hamster managed to recover and saw the kids, it ran towards them, forcing them to flee, Garnet attempted to rescue, but the rabbit launched at her.

As the doctor snapped his fingers, the Mutant Basilisk lunged ferociously toward the officers. Luckily, Pearl managed to leap onto its back, grappling with the creature as it thrashed beneath her. Meanwhile, sending them crashing through the market shelves. Amethyst… on the other hand, was dangling from the beak of a massive bird.

Animo glares at the simpletons trying to him. “You cannot stop me!” He declared, before jumping from his frog to the mutated parrot who posed the purple gem aside and who flew off with him through a sky light off the building, the frog following after.

One Security Guard grabbed his walkie-talkie. “ Uh, we got a grab-and-dash in Electronics. Male, five-foot-six, riding on a giant frog - or a toad. Trust me, you can't miss him!” He said, just as the hamster, mangend to recover and spotted the kids and darted towards them, prompting a frantic retreat. Garnet saw the danger and attempted to swoop in for a rescue, but the rabbit lunged at her.

The kids ran from the giant hamster, Connie panicking press the watch transforming into Ditto, who sent a pair of clones at the mutant, but the hamster roars, lunged towards Steven and the original, Steven panicked as hamster leaped, when his gemstone glowed brightly and creating pink bubble around him and Ditto 1#.

Causing the hamster crashed into it, sending they onto staff, the kids were a bit dizzy, Steven mangend recovered, but noticed the Ditto copies acting a dizzy, the Mutant attack one them, smack the Ditto to shelf causing all three Dittos gasp in pain, especially Ditto 1# who dropped the knees. “DITTO!!” Steven exclaimed, helping the girl up. “Thanks” she said to him, only to gasp in horror as Hamster leaped towards the downed Ditto.

Fortunately, Amethyst leaped onto the top of the mutant. Without missing a beat, she binding its muzzle with her whip. With a mischievous grin she then shapeshifted her head into a cowboy hat and hopped onto its back, riding as it thrashed wildly. "Yeehaw!" Amethyst whooped.

Meanwhile the rabbit mutant clamped its powerful jaws around Garnet, shaking her violently, before hurling her off the building then the creature leaped after her, aiming to land on top of her. but Garnet expertly braced herself, kicked it, sending it reeling back.

Back with the kids they were as they saw the purple gem swing herself onto the mutant's back, Steven noticing the Ditto copies recovered, remembering that Connie telling him the Dittos are connected by a hive mind…

––~~––

-Flashback-

At the Beach City Pier, where the watch had just finished recharging, Connie pressed the button, transforming into an adorable black and white reptilian-like creature, the boy was surprised to see orb-like nodes adorning its arms and waist. Initially, he thought they were gems, but when she pressed one of the orbs, she was pleasantly surprised to find it soft to the touch, prompting a delightful giggle from the girl. “Hehehe, stop that! It tickles!” she exclaimed, causing the two kids nearby to burst into laughter.

Steven, intrigued, asked, “So what can this one do?” Just then, the reptilian girl surprised Connie and created two identical copies of herself, who embraced Connie from either side. Steven gasped in amazement, then reached out and poked one of the copies on the arm. “Whoa… you’re not just some kind of illusion.”

The duplicate smirked. “Nope. Flesh and blood, just like the original,” she said as she rubbed a finger under her non-existent nose, Steven, intrigued, asked, “So what can this one do?” Just then, the reptilian girl surprised Connie and created two identical copies of herself, who embraced Connie from either side. Steven gasped in amazement, then he reached out to poke one of the copies on the arm. “Whoa… you’re not just some kind of illusion,” he breathed, astonished.

The duplicate smirked. “Nope. Flesh and blood, just like the original,” she said as she rubbed a finger under her non-existent nose. One of the Dittos leaped onto the other, their bodies shimmering with a faint glow. In an instant, they melded together into a single form, which made Steven clap in delight. "Wow, amazing!" he exclaimed, his excitement infectious. The two Dittos giggled in response.

"hehehe that's not all, just whispered something to one of us.," she said, Steven was confused but he complied with the request. He leaned in and whispered something to one of the Copy’s’… fin? Anyway after finishing he turned towards the other ditto, her expression eyed, clearing her throat,

Oohhhhh!

He's a froze-en treat with an all… new taste!

'caused… he arriv– came to this planet from outer space!

He a refugee of an… interstellar war?

But now…. he's your local grocery store!

… Cookie Cat

She finished and saw Steven wide eyed expression… and the other the copy covering her face in embarrassment, which she did the same. The Boy just applauded. "Wow you guys can read each other's minds? That’s insane!" He stared at the two in awe, the two copies giggled. "hehehe is more complicated than that, we are connected by a hive mind…” They said, but the boy stared blankly at them 

“It is like an extension of me, like extra hands... if the hands could talk..” she elaborated, trying to clarify the concept, it seemed that he understood. “That 's cool.. um hmm” Steven muttered thoughtfully, tapping his chin. “Double? No Same? ha hmmmm… OH about Ditto” he asked, the two nodded liking the name.

“We Are Ditto”

Steven smiles, asking one more question. "What else can you do?" he asked . Ditto smiled. "Well…”

––~~––

He got an idea, Leaning in close, he whispered it to her, causing two copies of grabbed bats to rush toward the bubble and circled around it, hurling towards the unsuspecting hamster, as Amethyst leapt, her whip striking out to snatch the hamster midair. With one fluid motion, she swung the creature toward the nearby shelves. The force of the throw was enough to knock the hamster out cold, sending it crashing into the shelves, which toppled over onto it.

Pearl sprang onto the top shelf, skillfully navigating the swerves as The Basilisk chased after her. The creature lunged, attempting to snap its jaws around Pearl, but instead tumbled between two shelves. Meanwhile, Ben landed on a nearby shelf, causing a cascade of items to topple down, effectively trapping the hamster beneath the clutter for good. The scene was chaotic, yet thrilling, as the chase unfolded in a flurry of movement and suspense.

Pearl leaped on top shelf, before jumping through swerves with The Basilisk gains on him and takes a leaping attempt to bite her but falls in between two shelves. As Pearl lands on a shelf, he topples them over on the Basilisk, trapping it for good. She looks at the trapped creature with a sorrowful and sympathetic gaze. Before swapping to run until she saw Amethyst and a pink bubble which abruptly disappeared. In its place stood Steven alongside an odd lizard-like child, both appearing a bit dizzy, she also spotted two identical beings nearby, equally disoriented. Suddenly, a symbol began beeping, drawing the two copies toward the original. As they merged together, they detransformed, the disoriented girl nearly tumbling but Pearl stopped her.

The group stood and looked at the wreak market as the intercom suddenly spoke. “Clean-up on aisle six.” it announced, they let out a sigh of relief as Garnet appeared. “Ganet! You wouldn’t believe what happened” the boy said proudly, the gem patting him on the head, as Pearl inspected the mutated hamster. 

Suddenly a bald older middle aged man wearing a red apron with his nametag on his right side, clearly some employee, appeared towards and shaked Garnet’s hands. “You saved the store! If there's anything I can do to repay you...anything you want!” he said, the stoic gem gave him a smile and gently declined his offer, before she and others ran screeching that so- called doctor…

Afterwards, after falling to man and his monsters, the Gems and the kids were sitting at some branches, Connie rubbed her temples due a bit of headache. 

“so you can feel what your copies feel” Steven asked, Connie avoiding her gaze from him, the gems were surprised. “Wow must be annoyed… say you reverted back, the copies pull towards you.” she asked

The girl was unsure how to explain it. “Well since the Dittos are all share senses I can't change back, if every copy isn't in the same area.” she explained

The group quickly changed the subject, shifting their focus to something about that odd man from earlier. “It seems that man uses that helmet, animals transformed into monsters” Pearl said pouring. “You think he's a magic user” She asked, Garnet crossed her arms, she wasn’t convinced. “no… this is different.” she firmly 

Amethyst sat lazily, shrugging as she pointed out, “All we have is a name to go on.” she said. Just then, Connie’s eyes widened, getting an idea “That it!!” she exclaimed, confusing the group, as she surveyed the surroundings until she spotted the orange logo of a Lunabrew in the distance.

Connie grabbed Steven by the hand and pulled to near by Lunabrew, the gem not far behind…

After the kids ordered their orange juice, Connie grabbed her phone. "Okay, so the guy?" she asked. Amethyst thought for a moment. "Dr... Anima or something." she said.

“Is Animo” Pearl corrected, the shorter gem just shrugged. "Close enough.”Pearl just rolled her eyes, as after a few taps on her screen, Connie's eyes lit up. "Bingo! I found something!" she exclaimed. The group quickly huddled around her and on the phone a photo of the doctor albeit a more clean look. 

“His name is Dr. Animo a former veterinary scientist and the son of Apotheosis Animo, a world famous, but accounting here he was caught performing twisted genetic experiments on animals mutating them into monsters.“ This horrified the others, especially Steven. "That’s... that's awful," 

Garnet, as always, remained calm, ponders. "Hmmm, that's... disturbing. But that doesnt help us what he’s planning or where he is…” she said, but Connie quickly spoke up. “… well this might help, it seems their reports activities a Warehouse at Downtown. If we can track down where he's been operating, we might be able to stop whatever he was doing." she said, 

The group exchanged determiner glances, they began investigating in their search for the doctor through Downtown…

Hours slipped by unnoticed, and soon, the sun began to dip lower in the sky, the group was staring at a run-down warehouse.

"You think this is the place?" Amethyst asked the girl, who gave a determined nod; Steven had a serious look. "All right to do this!!" He exclaimed, raising his fist... but the other gave unsure looks. "... Steven, Maybe you should sit this one out," Connie said, shocking the boy. "What But why?" He asked with a pleated look, Connie looked away.

"Steven, this is too dangerous for you." Pearl chimed in, Steven looked at pleading before turning towards the leader. "Please, Garnet, I will be careful," he begged; the taller gem looked at him before getting one knee, opening hand, which Connie was able to see a blue gem on her palm, which started glowing, and in her other hand, she pulled out... Hex's Staff

"Garnet!! You brought that thing??" Pearl exclaimed, horrified as the leader handed the staff to Steven. "I Thought he might need it," Garnet said, her tone calm as ever as Steven smiled widely; Pearl narrowed her eyes at them. "Steven, that thing is incredibly Da--" she cut herself off, rubbing her temples. "Fine! What will you get behind of Connie if things get dangerous!" She told which the young gem nodded and saluted "Yes ma'am" he finished, Pearl let a sigh as Amethyst laughs

They managed to get inside, walking through the lit warehouse and were shocked to see various animals encaged. They moved further, and they began to see more doctors' creations in cages. Most lizards and oddly a chicken...

As they reached the center of the building, they saw the doctor working on his device; Amethyst summoned her whip and was about to strike when Pearl drew attention towards a large, cloth-covered object next to the animal... which was moving.

"Yo what is that?" the purple gem asked, unlike others, this one was out in the open although restraints

Suddenly, Animo headed toward the cloth, syringe in hand, and yanked it away. To the Gems' horror, the creature that Connie can describe as a giant bear/wolf-like creature with three horns and light dull blue hair/fur on head and its back body that ends resembling a tail. It has an ice blue and olive complexion with peach blotches across its body, it had wires covering its body, and a breathing mask concealed its mouth. The kids gasped as they heard the poor thing murmur in pain. Before they could fully grasp what was happening, the doctor had already injected something into it.

To the Gems, there was no doubt—this man was experimenting on the creature.

The Gems felt disgusted, especially Amethyst who felt her stomach churn. Connie wanted to rush at the mad doctor, but Pearl stepped forward. "What! Are! You! Doing! To! HER!!" Pearl yelled, catching everyone off guard as Gem got out from hiding; 

Animo flinched and glared in annoyance and anger at the group. "You Again?!!" he exclaimed as Pearl pulled her spear, pointing towards the mad doctor. "I said what are you to her" she demanded as everyone prepared themselves 

Animo glares at them... before shifting in realization. "Wait 'her"? Subject 0 is female?.... Huh," he said before taking up a notebook and starting to write in it. "Now I'd need to make some more tests... Maybe some breeding tests, eh eh eh," he laughed, causing the gems to recoil in disgust while Steven tilted his head in confusion about what breathing has to do with being female...

This Garnet was enraged, walking forward and summoning her weapon. "Let her go, " she demanded, the doctor just gave an annoyed look. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but..."

She interpreted it as catching the doctor's attention as he raised theatrically. "OHHH? Do you want to know why I'm doing this?? Well, you see..." he began but Connie interpreted him

"You're Dr. Aloysius Animo, a veterinary doctor, who got caught performing twisted genetic experiments on animals." Connie raised their hand, prepared to press the watch... But Animo just gives a surprised/annoyed look to the girl...

Connie just narrowed her eyes at him. "What? I'd just googled," she told him; Animo just rolled his eyes. "... Well, at least someone knows their manners, but that's irrelevant. Soon, the world will remember my name as the greatest genius mind in history!!" he exclaimed.

Steven looked at the man, confused; while he knew most supervillains were driven by greed or a desire to conquer the world... but they were something he still didn't understand. "But why?" he asked, causing the doctor to turn through him. " If it's respect you want. then why do this--" but the doctor interrupted him.

" Boy!! You're too young to understand, I was a respected member of the scientific community, but nooo, they said my work was 'unethical'!" he yelled, the kid recoiled at the man's outburst, then he continued. "and they revoked my license, but worst of all, when I was denied my Verity Award which was rightfully mine" he said with gritted teeth...

But that last statement stuns the group, who are appalled; they already knew he was insane... but this man is so...

"..Wait?" Amethyst spoke. "So you're doing this... Over a prize? That's kinda lame dude... petty even" she said, Connie just blinked, 

That caused Animo to glare at the short gem with a deranged gaze. "Petty? PETTY?!!! How dare, you oversized grape, I will show everyone my genius!!" He exclaimed.

Connie narrowed her eyes at him. "The only thing you show is that you're nothing but a sad egocentric man," she snapped at him

"Why little..." he yelled at Connie before he noticed her watch, eyes widened. "Wait, that symbol.. that device... is You," he said. A deranged grin formed on his face.

It made Connie take a step back. Steven tightened his grip on his staff. "What do you know about her?" he asked nervously; the doctor chuckled at the boy. 

"Oh yes my boy, because see all this?" extant his hands at the room around them. "This is all thank your little girlfriend"

This caused Everyone gasped "What??" The Doctor chuckled. "You see, a year ago, there was a fire in a forest..." he informed, causing Connor to widen. "no," she murmured, causing the doctor to give a deranged smile. "Oh yes, the report on TV showed a Plant creature putting out the flames; after seeing that, it inspired me to continue my work to improve the world to reach the next step of evolution," he exclaimed, the Gems, standing nearby, recoiled, their faces twisted in disgust and horror. "You're sick," Amethyst spat. "You think turning people into monsters is going to help the world?" she said, other gems glaring at him

The Doctor narrowed eyes "You don’t understand, do you?" he sneered. "I can bring true evolution to the world: prey will become the Predator, the Predator will become the Apex Predator,, and mankind? Well, imagine humanity being able to breathe on water and building underwater cities or underground cities due to having dark vision ah ah ha hahaha!!” he laughed echoing through the room unsettled by Steven and Connie were unnerved by the man's insanity, 

The Gems only gave a disgusted glance towards the mad doctor. “You know. I'd just thought you just a petty man, but you just proved to be not a human, but a self-seeking monster no different from the Diamond” Garnet asserted no even Hex was this monstrous

"Your work is nothing but a mockery of the natural beauty of life. You claim to improve the world? This is nothing but an ego trip!!" Pearl exclaimed with disdain, if Rose were here would be utterly disgusted by him

Amethyst opened her eyes. "Seriously, why do we get these nutjobs? I mean, first, it was Hex, then that Armored Hero Wannabe, and now that is!!!" she exclaimed, which that last statement infuriated Animo. 

"Crazy?? I will show you CRAZY!!!" He exclaimed his face contorted with rage as he pressed a button that released his creatures from their cages, circling the group.

"Now pretties get them!!"

And with that, the Mutants ran towards them, one that looked like a Lizard/Rhino hybrid, charged at Garnet, but blocked it and threw it towards the others, as Pearl grabbed the Kids leaping away as more mutants attacked them, managing to surround the tall gem, she tossed them, only to be tackled by a giant chicken, she managed stopping the creature in its tracks, it in squawked as it tried to peck at her.

Amethyst lunged forward, aiming to swing her whip at Animo. Just as she was about to strike, a long, wet tongue shot out and ensnared her. She glanced over to see the giant frog pulling her towards its wide-open mouth. However, she quickly shapeshifted into a snake and slipped away from the frog's grip with remarkable agility before reverting back to her original form.

In an instant, Amethyst grabbed one of the nearby empty cages with her whip. With a swift motion, she swung it and hurled it towards the giant frog. The cage slammed into the frog with a resounding thud, momentarily stunning it. The frog let out a guttural croak of pain.

Pearl and the kids were dodging lunges from a pair of canine-type mutants. They screamed as one nearly managed to bite Pearl's leg. Connie quickly dialed her watch. 

"Pearl! Let me go!" she shouted, shocking the two.

"What? But Connie, are you—"

"Trust me!" she pleaded. Pearl hesitated for a moment, but ultimately let the girl go as Connie pressed down on the watch.

One of the mutants bit down on Connie's arm, but its teeth clamped onto rock.

Pearl and Steven gasped in amazement as Connie transformed into a tall, crystal-like being (slightly shorter than Pear) with a green-blue head and arms, while the rest of her body was indigo rock, similar to a bodysuit. Her eyes were a bright orange.

Crystal Girl stared blankly at the mutant before raising her arm and bringing it down with great force, slamming the mutant into the ground.

The other mutant snarled at her, and more mutants dashed toward them. Connie quickly placed her hand on the ground, and a moment later, crystalline pillars surged up beneath the mutants, striking some of them. Others circled around her. Connie stood up and formed her hands into blunt weapons. Though it was difficult, she began knocking the creatures out.

Steven cheered her on, "Yoohoo, way to go, Connie!" But Pearl stared at the crystalline being in stunned shock, murmuring, "Petrosapien," which confused Steven.

Animo glared at this before grabbing a whistle and blowing it. Moments later, a mutant bird crashed through the wall, charging toward Connie. It slammed down with its beak, seizing her, and began dragging her across the floor with a harsh metallic screech, indenting her into the wall.

"Connie!" the two gasped. Just then, the staff began to glow, shocking both of them. Steven stared at it before turning toward the menacing bird that was attacking Connie. Without a moment's hesitation, he aimed the staff directly at the mutant. “Lucky Starlight Beam!” he exclaimed, firing a magic beam filled with hearts at the bird from behind. The sudden impact caused the bird to flinch by the magical strike.

This allowed Connie to leap towards the bird. Morphing her hands into solid hammers, she swung with all her might, slamming her fists down onto the bird. The creature let out a surprised squawk and staggered back before collapsing to the ground, utterly knocked out.

 She painted looking Steven who gave thumbs up. “Nice job, Connie!” Steven exclaimed, Connie, still catching her breath, she smiled, returning the gesture with a thumbs up.

Then they turned to see Animo finished putting on his helmet, "You are very persistent. I HATE persistent." he exclaimed, the trio aiming at the doctor, when Garnet hurled and crashed into Pearl, sending them both tumbling across the ground, as two of stood up, the mutants, who had been circling them. 

Then, Amethyst appeared, riding on a mutant dog. She attacks, crashing into one of the mutants before jumping to the side of the group with a smug grin, Garnet turns towards her. "Nice timing,"

The Doctor smirked. "I must say, I’m impressed you handled my fine creations.” he said, the group glared at him, “Yeah right” the purple gem said clearly not buying into his false praise, Connie stepped forward. “Is over Animo!” she declared, but the doctor just grinned.

“Oh, but this has only just begun.. See, I only needed a few components to push my work into phase two: by injecting various samples of DNA to this creature and recreating life by reanimating dormant cells with subject zero as a host. Observe!” The Doctor fires his beams at the monster, it yells as it twists and molds, reshaping and glowing in heigh, the group can only stare as the monster transforms into…

“T-REX!!”

The group stepped back as the now-transformed Tyrannosaurus Rex unleashed a mighty roar in their direction. It resembled a typical T-Rex, but still retained its previous characteristics: a striking blue color, back fur, and horns. "Behold the genius that is Dr. Animo!" the insane doctor exclaimed as he climbed onto the back of the monster. "I'd love to stay, but I need to claim the award I so richly deserve," he announced, just as the monstrous dinosaur turned away, nearly striking the group with its tail, before running off and crashing through the wall.

Before they could react, the recovered parrot darted toward them. Instinctively, they ducked. Just then, Steven's scream filled the air as the parrot latched onto him, its talons gripping tightly.

“Steven!” they exclaimed. Connie leaped over the Gems, managing to grab hold of the parrot as it flew through the hole. Before the gems would follow. The remaining mutants attacked them. “Pearl, go help Connie!” Garnet said as she and Amethyst fought off the. As she leaves, Pearl notices something on the floor, she bends down, picking up a piece of paper. 

 —-

Outside the building, police and SWAT cars had just arrived, surrounding the warehouse as agents prepared to storm inside. Suddenly, a blue T-rex burst onto the scene, charging past them and crashing into several cars along the way.

Before the officers could react to what had just happened, a giant bird flew past, and they heard a boy scream. A few of them noticed a green crystal dangling from the bird's tail feathers. Shortly after, a pale woman ran past them.

Officers exchange confused glances when roar is hear and then rumbling of brawl, they can badly silhouette of a large four armed being beating a bunch of giant animals. 

Captain just looked blankly at this. "We... should leave." he said, every officers nodded agreement 

Meanwhile 

As the bird flew with the diamond girl dangling holding the bird's feathers' tails, when suddenly it plucked away, causing her to fall to the ground as the bird carried Steven off. The watch began timing out as well; fortunately, Connie only detransformed after hitting the ground. 

She climbed out of the crater, when Pearl arrived before grabbing and leaping towards a car then a house until jumping through rooftops, at same time; The Blue Dinosaur continued crashing through more buildings, much to Animo's satisfaction. "Ah, I do love my work," he smirked.

Pearl jumps through rooftops while chasing the Mutant bird, with Connie clinging tightly to her back.

"Oh, I hope Steven is alright," Connie murmured worried; Pearl... tried to assure her. "Don't Worry is not like that. Bird could DROP HIM. Ha ha ha," she laughed hysterically as she continued running; Connie stared blankly at her, snapping out of her stupor. "Pearl concentrate! We do know what psycho planning is." She told the gem, somewhat calmed down, and handed over a paper to the girl. "Here, look at what Dr. Animo left behind. "

Connie stared at it, which was a newspaper clipping. "Dr. Kelly accepts Verities Award." She read it out loud. " He's gonna finally pick up on his award! We gotta stop him!" she exclaimed as the oversized parrot screeched as it released Steven, leaving him desperately clinging to a wall-mounted flagpole on the side of the building. "Not good, not good!" he muttered. His grip was tenuous at best, with only his staff keeping him from plummeting to the streets below.

Pearl and Connie were at a nearby building, seeing what happened. "Steven!" Connie yelled.

"Hold on, Steven! I'm coming!" Pearl shouted as she launched herself from the rooftop they were on, aiming for the building where Steven was hanging.

The parrot circled above, its beady eyes gleaming as if deciding whether to attack again. "Guys, hurry!" Steven called out, his grip slipping.

Without warning, the watch turned green, allowing Connie to press it. The bird swooped down toward them... only to crash toward the building.

Shaking off the impact, the bird quickly regained its bearings; it turned its gaze, and it spotted a strange, greyish blue moth creature with blue eyes and a white fur around its neck, it has dark blue patches around its legs, also it has four wings. It flew overhead, carrying both the gem and the boy.

Steven stared at Blue Bug in awe. "Woooah, Connie, you look really cool," he said. However, he quickly noticed that Connie was fixated on Pearl, creating an awkward tension that felt almost predatory, making Pearl feeling a bit uneasy.

It flapped its wings; the bird flew towards them. Connie managed to dodge it and exhaled. A blue mist engulfed the bird’s face, instantly coating it in a thick layer of frost. It let out a muffled screech, flailing in midair as it struggled to shake off the freezing chill. 

Pearl gasped in amazement before noticing the staff glowing once more. "Steven! The staff!" she shouted. Steven aimed at the staff and fired a "Lucky Aurora Wave," unleashing a rainbow-colored beam that struck the bird. It hit the wall before plummeting toward the ground.

Pearl leaped toward the enormous bird, quickly pulling out a sturdy rope and wrapping it around its body. Then, she jumped onto the flagpole, looped the rope around it, and yanked it tight, halting the bird's descent and leaving it suspended in the air. Steven cheered for the gem, "Great work, Pearl!" He said.

"With having no time, we went to where Dr. Kelly was," Connie said; while Steven didn't know who Kelly was, he saw where the doctor was going...

Meanwhile, at Kelly Industries, the owner, Dr. Kelly, a gray-haired man dressed in a cyan-gray suit, was showcasing his award to a group of VIPs. "And here is my Verities Award. It was an honor just to be nominated alongside such a distinguished group of scientists," he chuckled, suddenly, the glass wall shattered. To the confusion and horror of the men, a T-rex emerged from the broken glass, they also noticed a pale green man riding on its back. "Kelly! I believe you have something of mine," the man said. At first, Kelly was confused, but upon hearing the man's voice, he recognized him.

"Animo? What happened to you?" Kelly asked as the mad doctor jumped down. "What I'd had to do to claim what is rightly MINE!" he exclaimed, grabbing the Verities Award. "I'd like to thank the committee for this honor!" he shouted before snapping his fingers, causing the T. Rex to roar and swipe its massive mouth toward Kelly.

Animo smirked darkly as Connie and Steven rushed to tackle him. "We knew you were petty, but this?" she said, putting the boy down and flying toward the dinosaur. However, she quickly got swiped by its tail. As she stumbled to her feet, Steven helped Kelly and his guests to safety.

Animo fires his beams at the boy but is blocked by a pink bubble forming around the boy, much to his frustration and confusion. "What are you, you little pest?" he yelled as Connie exhaled blue mist at the monstrous dinosaur, but it was unaffected, attempting to bite down at the girl.

Animo turns at Connie and fires his beams at her, but to shock, she becomes transparent, and the beams pass through her.

This distraction allowed Steven to rush forward, crashing into the mad doctor with force and knocking him off balance, causing him to drop the award. "No!" the doctor yelled, snapping toward the boy with fury. Just then, he felt a light tap on his shoulder, and before he could react, Connie swiftly snatched the helmet. "My Transmodulator!" he shouted in shock.

He lunged forward, attempting to grab her, but Connie leaped back, floating in midair. Connie lifted the helmet and exhaled blue mist on it, freezing it, before throwing it on the ground. To the doctor's horror, it broke.

It caused the T. Rex to de-transform into light, shaping into a humanoid before morphing back to its monster. "No...! No...! No!" he exclaimed as the monster turned toward him.

The monster roars as he tries to eat him, much to his horror. "Wait, no stop!" he orders as stepped back until he stumbles backward; as the creature looms over while snarling, it bares its fangs...

But it stops before suddenly bursting into smoke; a gem drops to the floor, and a moment later, Pearl, spear in hand, bends down and picks up the Gem before turning towards the mad doctor.

The trio glares at him, Pearl raising her spear and aiming it directly at him,

Shortly after, the police arrived and arrested Dr. Animo at Dr. Kelly's workplace. The mad doctor struggled as he was dragged away to the police car. “Let me go! I deserve that award! I've got it coming to me! I want it!” he screamed while the gems looked at him in disgust, and the kids sighed in relief.

"All's well that ends well, right?" Steven smiled, much to Connie's annoyance. "How can you say that after what just happened?" she replied, but Steven's smile didn’t fade. "Ahh, come on, Connie, you're great, especially in those Crystal and Blue Bug forms," he said, making Connie blush a bit.

"Well... think of it this way: that Crystal was actually a Diamond," she informed him. Amethyst suddenly popped up behind Connie. "That was... quite a Diamond-headed move you pulled!!" she laughed. Connie rolled her eyes while Steven smiled and murmured, “...Diamondhead.” The two looked at each other, Connie liking the name, while Amethyst seemed confused.

Steven rubbed his chin in thought. "Now about that Big Chilly Moth... hmmmm..."

Pearl and Garnet look at the three with smiles, "Excuse me. "They turn to see Dr. Kelly approaching. He was looking directly at Pearl with a grateful expression on his face. "I just wanted to thank you." 

Pearl blinked in confusion. "Wh- What? Thanked me? Fo- For what?" she stammered nervously as the doctor without warning took her hand and shook it firmly. “You, that boy and that Blue moth save me!” The Doc exclaimed, Pearl looked at the man wordlessly, glancing at Garnet for guidance, the leader nodded. “She appreciated just you thanking her” she said, Pearl just stared at her in annoyance.

As the adults continued talking, Connie received a call. To her surprise and relief, it was her grandfather. She smiled and answered, "Hey, Grandpa!"

("Deary, did you fought a giant bird?")

Connie let out a nervous laugh. She attempted to lie, but he saw right through it.

("Now, sweetie, I know when you're lying, but if you don't want to talk about it...")

Connie sighed and told him about Steven and the Gems.

("Crystal Gems, huh... Connie, are you sure about them? We can't have a repeat of what happened with Ke—")

"I know, Grandpa! But Steven is different from him..." she said. After a brief pause, Koa finally responded.

("Okay, if you trust him… of course! But if those Gems try anything funny—")

Koa warned, causing Connie to roll her eyes. She said her goodbyes and hung up the call. Turning back to Steven and the Gems,, "Everything good?" he asked, She just smiled and said

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "Let's go."

With that, they all stepped forward together, heading home.

After returning to Beach City, Connie headed home, while Steven went to his room. The Gems gathered in the Burning room to discuss the recent events. 

Amethyst lounged casually next to Garnet, who stood confidently near the glowing lava pit. Pearl, on the other hand, paced back and forth with quick, restless steps, clearly deep in thought. It was in this moment of tension that Garnet broke the silence. 

“So, what’s your opinion about Connie?” she asked.

“Well, I think she’s A-okay,” Amethyst replied casually. However, Pearl continued pacing. “I’m still… uncertain about her. She has proven she doesn’t hesitate to jump into action when others are in trouble, but I can’t shake the feeling–”

The Purple Gem interrupted her. “Oh, come on, P! The girl is not a bad person–” but was stopped by the tall gem.

“That's not what she meant,” Amethyst said, turning to Garnet in confusion. The leader clarified, “She is talking about that watch.” Pearl nodded in confirmation, “Those forms aren’t just random… they are other species,” which shocked Amethyst and triggered her memory.

“Oh right, Ghostfreak! You two called her an… Ecto-nurian?” she asked, trying to recall the term. Pearl nodded, her expression turning more serious. “Ghostfreak's species came from the Anur System, a dark and gloomy solar system in the galaxy,” Pearl explained, pausing as she noticed Amethyst's wide-eyed expression before continuing. “They are ectoplasmic beings that can possess others, including Gems. Once they latch onto a Gem host, they wrap their appearance into monstrous forms.” This left Amethyst horrified, while Garnet turned her gaze away. “Let’s just say our first contact with them didn’t end well for us… There’s a reason Gems generally fear them,” she said, remembering the Ectonurite invasion of Homeworld.

Amethyst nervously scratched her head and asked, “So… what about Diamond Gal, the… Petro-spaghetti?”

“Petrosapien,” Garnet corrected her. “They are from Petropia. Although they are simpler to us, they are made entirely of crystal stone and can mold and shape the body,” she explained to the short gem, who was impressed by the Petrosapiens.

“That’s cool! But how did Homeworld meet them?” she asked. Pearl stepped in to explain that Homeworld had attempted to colonize their world, but the natives fought back fiercely, especially when Homeworld stole their sacred artifact. It wasn’t until Pink Diamond managed to form a truce that the conflict came to an end. This last part surprised Amethyst. 

“Wait, Pink Diamond? That same Pink that Rose—” she began, and Garnet nodded.

“Yes, THAT PINK!” she replied before standing up. “But the important point is that two of Connie’s transformations represent species that have a history of fighting us.” This realization struck Amethyst. “Her other forms might belong to species that fought off Homeworld…”

The older gems nodded, understanding what Amethyst was getting at. “Exactly. A lot would have happened since the war; many species would have fought and defeated Homeworld. Now, extraterrestrial devices have arrived on Earth that could empower a human to potentially defeat and even shatter Gems.” Pearl paused, trying to find the right words. “I suspect that the watch is not from Homeworld. It may be an Anti-Gem weapon,” she exclaimed. Amethyst's eyes widened in disbelief.

“An Anti-Gem weapon?!!” 

Pearl nodded slowly, her expression growing more serious. “Yes, an Anti-Gem weapon designed to neutralize Gems by utilizing the powers of various species capable of fighting us. If that is the purpose of the watch, then its potential is more dangerous than we ever realized.” 

Amethyst shifted uncomfortably, letting the idea sink in. “So, someone out there is making weapons to take us down? But... why send it here?” she asked. Pearl wouldn’t respond. 

Garnet finally spoke. “It’s possible that a Counter Homeworld Force saw the Gem ruins and thought Homeworld was beginning to colonize the planet, so they sent the watch to protect Earth,” she theorized. Pearl nodded in agreement, but Amethyst pointed out a crucial flaw in the theory. “If that's the case, why would they send their weapon without a user?” she asked, recalling that Connie mentioned the device had only landed in the middle of the forest a year ago. “Doesn’t that seem a little off?" 

Garnet and Pearl widened their eyes in realization. “That’s a good point. If it was meant to be used, someone should have come for it by now…” Garnet murmured, rubbing her chin. Pearl crossed her arms, deep in thought. “Maybe it was never meant to be used,” she suggested, causing the others to stare at her in surprise. She clarified, “Maybe it’s here to hide it. Homeworld might discover the weapon, and the creators sent it here to keep it safe… *gasp* What if Red Eye was sent here not looking for us, but for the watch!” 

The others recoiled at the implication. If Red Eye was after the watch, then it was clear that Homeworld was out to get it.

Elsewhere in outer space, on the planet Xenon, a horde of machines had just finished drilling through a mountain, revealing a laboratory filled with large machines connected by green and red tubes running across the tiled floor.

In the lab stood a humanoid female figure surrounded by the remnants of destroyed crimson-red robots. She lay still, having just dismantled a large, rotund green robot, its shattered pieces scattered around her. Her skin was a striking tangerine, adorned with reddish-orange markings tracing her face and arms. Long, messy white hair cascaded down her back, and she wore black and silver armor. However, the most noticeable feature was the yellowish-orange gemstone that took the place of her left eye.

Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed behind her, prompting her to turn. A towering figure loomed before her. Without hesitation, she knelt down and bowed before him.

It was an imposing figure with red veins coursing across his arms and a long scar running diagonally across his face. His head resembled that of an octopus, and he wore a black and reddish-brown armored suit and gloves. On his left hand was a golden gauntlet adorned with several mounted gems, and his mouth was obscured by a respirator. He stared down at the being before him. “Striped Report!” he commanded.

“My Lord!” the gem known as Striped responded, standing up to meet his gaze. More robots began to enter the lab. “There are no signs of the Omnitrix or its maker!” she concluded. Vilgax moved toward the destroyed robot that had clearly been defending the lab. Striped attempted to reassure him, “But we will find—”

Before she could finish, his foot crashed down onto the remains of the robot, causing Striped to flinch. “We’ve wasted an entire year searching for this accursed planet!” he roared, his frustration evident as Striped cast a nervous glance at him.

Suddenly, the lab doors swung open, revealing a figure reminiscent of Pearl. She had dull ivory skin and chin-length cream-colored hair. Her equipment featured simpler colors than those of the robots, including a visor that looked more like cybernetics than actual gear. The cyber-pearl saluted robotically. “This Unit has determined that this site was abandoned at least a year ago.” She reported in an electric, artificial voice, her movements unnaturally rigid.

Striped widened her eyes nervously as she sensed her boss glaring at her, the glow of his eyes intensifying. 

Suddenly, the Cyberpearl emitted a beep before speaking again, “Forgive me, O Great One.” A completely different voice emerged from the gem, adopting a tone that was both smug and subservient.

“Report, Chrysolite!” he demanded sharply. The cyber-pearl disclosed that the situation within the Crown System had become more difficult. “...half of the system’s natives have allied with Homeworld Gems and the Rebel Gems to fend off our forces,” she finished.

Her Master grabs the robot by the head before crashing it in frustration and annoyance. Taking control of the Crown System was crucial for launching an invasion on the Gem homeworld, thus crashing those annoying rocks… but it seems that Yellow is desperate enough to ally with the organics and the rebels.

He turned toward the trembling Striped, his voice cold and commanding. “Strip this lab for anything useful and anything related to Omnitrix, then… “ he turned away, his tone darkening. “Burn this rock,” he ordered, leaving Striped in shock. “What?! But I’m sure that—” she began, only to be silenced as Chrysolite gripped her jaw and forcibly slammed her to the ground. “Learn your place, ROCK!!” she snapped before following alongside their master.

Chrysolite and her master made their way toward the gaping hole in the lab's wall, where a ship awaited. “My Lord, I advise against destroying the planet…” she suggested, much to his irritation.

He turned towards his assistant, who reminded him of the planet's rich deposits of strong metals ripe for mining.

After a moment, he relented, saying, “Fine, but I still want this place stripped of everything related to the Omnitrix!” He commanded. Chrysolite nodded and saluted. “I awaited your arrival, O Supreme Lord.” she affirmed as he boarded the ship and took off. After a brief pause, the Cyber-Pearl beeped again, her movements reverting to her earlier robotic demeanor.

Striped glared at the creepy Mecha-Chimera pearl, really hated that egotistical Peridot. Swore that she wouldn't be humiliated by some useless gem just because she is the boss’s favorite…

She turned toward a group of robots and cybernetic Gems. “Start stripping this place of everything to take to the Chimera Hammer!” they saluted in unison. “FOR LORD VILGAX!”

*Notes*

The Introduction of Ghostfreak, Diamondhead and Big Chill

I honestly think that Animo would be a great foil for Rose, while the kind and caring Rose saw the beauty of life on earth and sacrificed everything to protect it from her own people. Animo, on the other hand, is a selfish and uncaring man who only sees the world's potential to get fame and is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to prove to the world his self-serving genius no matter what.

Also, the Gem Monster is the corrupted Blue Lace Agate.

As for Connie's abilities, although she had a year of experience, she was still quite rusty. As for Steven… spoilers he wouldn’t keep the staff for long…

As the short of tense: Vilgax currently unaware of the location of Omnitrix and is off conquering and fighting off Homeworld.... for now, and as for the man himself like Hex, he's mostly based on the original series, but with traits from alien force and the Reboot.

The Gems working for him, well basically, they either can join him wildly or be shattered and/or become weapons…

Striped and ‘Cyberpearl’ are based Fems from the Phantom Fable game:

 - Striped being Eyeball Jasper, although I am making her akin to Sentinel Prime (Transformers: Animated) if he was a Decepticon. 

 - While "Cyberpearl" is the cyberized Lonely Pearl.

The unseen Chrysolite is my Peridot OC who taking of place of Psyphon as Vilgax's right hand man (gem), as for her personality well... just imaged S1 Peridot and the worst traits of Pearl mix with Demencia (Villainous), Shockwave (Transformers), Touko Fukawa (Danganronpa) and Malware (Ben 10: Omniverse)...

Next time: Connie and her parents go of visits her grandaunt for the weekend… where weird things are happening

Here the Gems’s history with Diamondhead's Race:

Before Pink Diamond was granted her own colony, Homeworld stumbled upon a massive planet-like crystal surrounded by a belt of icy asteroids, recognizing the abundant resources awaiting extraction, the establishment of the three courts launched a colonization campaign.

The Courts were nearly finished building the Kindergartens when they were attacked by unknown individuals. Initially, they believed that another group was also attempting to mine the planet, but their scans wouldn't find anything organic; later, they tried scanning for life forms, and to their shock, they found various life signs all around the planet.

They soon discovered that the planet was already inhabited by beings simpler yet very different from them, The Petrosapien.

A species of gem-based race, but unlike the Gem Race, they were completely made of Gemstones that came in variable colors, like emerald green, ruby red, etc. Additionally, Petrosapien is divided into various tribes and still lives in a tribal-age level of technology.

The Gems, understanding the natives, decide to ignore them and increase security in facilities. However, during their routine exploration at the Blue Court's Kindergarten, they stumbled upon an unusual red crystal that radiated an immense amount of energy. Upon closer analysis, the Gems discovered that this crystal possessed nearly limitless power. 

However, word spread among the various tribes of the planet, and they learned of the invaders' finding of the striking red jewel that matched the description of the Heart of Sugilite, a revered artifact from ancient Petro legends. The tribes, believing that the Gems had stolen the sacred heart of their deity, united in their outrage and declared war on the intruders. 

The Gems, recognizing the complexities of the native tribes, chose to disregard their presence and instead bolster security around their facilities. 

The Petro-Gem War lasted 8 years; despite their technological advancements, Petrosapien was able to fight them off. Fortunately, the one Diamond who didn't participate in the others' colonization, Pink Diamond, managed to make a deal with the most powerful tribes to end the war and return the Heart of Sugilite in exchange for becoming trading partners, which they agreed. While some tribes refused try continue the war but they were unsuccessful 

While Yellow Diamond reluctantly agreed to the decision, the other Diamonds remained astonished. They collectively decided to grant Pink her very own colony, signaling for a new era.

Since then, ten tribes and eventually the entirety of Petropia and Homeworld forged enduring trading partnerships. Even in the aftermath of Pink Diamond's shattering, the Petrosapiens carried on with their trade, demonstrating resilience and adaptability. Some remnants of her court chose to move the planet and decided to live on traveling shows, retelling the 'Petro-Gem War', 'The rebellion War', 'The Life and Death of Pink Diamond', etc.

However, 50 years before the current day, the planet was found destroyed.

Yellow and Blue launched an invention, and they discovered that "the mad conquer" somehow stole the Heart of Sugilite and used it to power his weapon, which was used to destroy the planet…

Chapter Text

Episode 5 - Invasion of the Old Folk

Summary: Connie and parents visit an old relative, while the Crystal gems are searching for the monster. Soon both groups discover that the retirement community has been overtaken by shapeshifting aliens…

-A Year Ago-

Connie awkwardly avoided the shelves and the crowd bumping into her, especially the strange watch stuck to her wrist. Just then, her grandma gently placed her hands on Connie's shoulders, calming the girl down.

It had been two days since this strange device latched onto her wrist. Her grandparents had tried various methods to remove it, but all their attempts had failed. Sometimes, when they pressed the top, it triggered a transformation; to their surprise, she morphed into different forms. First, she became a rock-like creature, then, to her shock, she changed into a creepy, bedsheet-style ghost, then was a striking, four-armed Amazon, and finally, into a small, grey, frog-like creature that, for some odd reason, allowed her to recite the first 300 digits of pi with ease.

During these attempts, they discovered that the top was a dial.

Right now, they were shopping, with Koa checking a can of canned octopus. “They only have canned octopus? Seriously... I thought this store prided itself on a wide selection,” he muttered. Connie gave a disgusted look while Latika suggested they do Jing Leed… all needed is to get grasshoppers. The girl let out a resigned sigh.

Later, as they left the store and stepped onto the sidewalk, the sounds of traffic filled the air as they began walking down the street.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion shattered the atmosphere. The trio halted and, to their horror, saw fierce flames pouring from the window of an upper floor of a nearby building.

As people fled the building, a collective sigh of relief was heard, but then panic broke out when Connie gasped, spotting someone waving desperately from a window.

Her grandparents continued watching as she overheard others saying the firefighters wouldn’t arrive in time. Anxiety washed over her, and she began to sweat nervously. Just then, she looked down at the watch; while her distracted grandparents were preoccupied, she subtly slipped away into a nearby alley. Taking a quick breath, she dialed the watch and pressed it.

Her grandparents exchanged a determined glance, knowing they couldn’t just stand there. "Connie, I want you..." Koa trailed off as he noticed the girl was missing. Before they could worry, a large red, woman-like figure sprinted toward the burning structure. The figure launched herself upwards, grabbing the wall and propelling herself higher, leaping again with precision until she reached the burning window.

The person inside, a young adult man, stepped back in fear. In front of him stood a large, muscular, four-armed, and four-eyed woman with long curly hair, wearing a red qipao-like dress.

Without hesitation, the red woman grabbed hold of him and, with a powerful leap, descended back down, the man screaming as he went. The large woman landed gracefully on her feet with a loud thud, cracking the ground beneath her.

Everyone stared in awe as she gently set the man down. His legs trembled uncontrollably, and he collapsed nearby, staring up at her.

The woman smiled nervously at him. "Um... You’re safe now," she said. The crowd was silent, still processing what they had just witnessed. Some instinctively stepped back, while others were unsure whether to cheer or run. Then someone whispered, “Who is she?”

Just then, the sound of firefighter sirens wailed in the distance. Without a word, the red woman glanced once more at the man and then at the stunned crowd. She leaped into the air, soaring over to a rooftop and disappearing from view.

By the time the police arrived, the fire had been put out, and the situation was under control. Koa and Latika exchanged glances before leaving the scene. After a minute, they found Connie back to normal, and they both gave her a scolding look. She hung her head. "I... I wouldn’t just sit there and watch... I just—" Her grandfather patted her heavily on the back, surprising her.

"Ahahahaha, spoken like a true Devaraja," he laughed. Latika chuckled, but Connie stared blankly at them. ".... you’re not angry with me?" she asked, causing her grandparents to continue chuckling. "Oh please, sweetie, we and your parents have a habit of helping others," her grandmother said. This surprised her, but Grandma Latika quickly added a serious note, ".... but give us a heads up next time," she told her granddaughter. Connie nodded in agreement.

However, Latika still had something on her mind; how they were going to explain this to their daughter….

-Present-

Week of school had come and by, Some of the Students were shocked to see Francesca the most popular girl at school, who was known to be very competitive and prideful, always striving to be the best in whether it was academics, sports, or social events… having friendly conversation with Connie, the unorthodox 2nd popular girl, known to be nerdy cool girl, who surprisingly very athletic despite her appearance.

Francesca was one of the first who noticed Connie’s athleticism and after she scored highly on the gym class test at her class, Francesca walked up to Connie and declared her as her eternal rival, this shocked everyone at school, Connie on other hand stood there, completely unfazed, She stared at Francesca which misunderstood by the girl's stare as bravado. "You're going to be like that, huh? Well I, Francesca, will prove to you I’m number n° 1, Connie. Mark my words!!!”

Now the two were talking, everyone were curious about their conversation… until they realized it was about Francesca’s class incoming Math test and after some time, their interest quickly faded.

Much later, the girls finally left school, chatting casually as they made their way out.”... and that’s why I think Plinkman’s death was so sudden!” Francesca finished; after their study session/sleepover, they discovered they shared similar interests, although she was more into traditional fantasy than subversive urban type. Francesca let Connie borrow one of her favorites, The Good Witch Azura, which Connie quite enjoyed.

Before Connie responded, she received a call, grabbed the phone, and saw it: Steven; after dealing with the mad doctor, Animo, the two of them decided to exchange phone numbers. She excused herself and answered the call. “Hi Steven, what’s up?” she happily, reeling a bit from a loud sound from the phone.

“Hey Connie, sorry about that, the Crystal Gems are dealing with a monster” Steven was currently just outside of the city nearby, where he was watching Pearl and Amethyst fight off… What can only be described as a runway mixed ice cream ball with various arms (including one coming out its left arm) and legs with an orange grey gem for an eye, Garnet was off on a different mission. “But Anyway how things, I thought tomorrow we would–“ 

“Oh, sorry, Steven, but I’m off to visit a relative this weekend,” Connie told him. She heard a disappointed sigh and assured him that they could hang out when she got back. 

"Okay, I hope you enjoy your visit!" he replied. 

"See you, and good luck on your mission," Connie said before hanging up the phone. She turned to Francesca, who was curious. "Who was that?” she asked.

“Oh, that’s Steven. He’s a friend of mine,” Connie replied nonchalantly. Francesca narrowed her eyes at the word 'friend' but didn't press further.

“So, you’re leaving town?” Francesca asked. Connie nodded. “Yeah, I’m visiting my great-aunt, who lives in a retirement village somewhere in Rackensack," she explained.

The two continued talking until they went their separate ways…

Meanwhile Steven hangs his phone just as Pearl attempts to bubble the surprisingly large gemstone. "Wow, that's a big stone, although it seems to be broken,” he said, noticing the large open crack on the stone. “Actually, Steven, this is a geode, a plain rock on the outside that contains crystal on the inside, " Pearl explained, amazing the boy, though she seemed to be having difficulties carrying a bubbled gem, which the two noticed. “Hey Pearl, I carry one side for you,” he offered to help, but the pale gem insisted on teleporting it by herself.

“Pfff Sounds to me like you could use a little…” The purple gam smirk glowed blight, which caused the shadow to cast over Pearl and Steven. They turned to see a large version of Pearl with an exaggerated bodybuilder physique. “Extra Muscle!!”

"AMETHYST!!" The Pearl exclaimed in embarrassment.

“Do Not, Tiny Baby One, Amethyst Will Take–” The Gem said in an exaggerated Russian accent, extending her hand towards the bubble gem; unfortunately, the oversized gem bumped Pearl on the back of the head, causing her nose to poke the bubble… and popping it.

The Monster reformed itself now with shoulder armor and more arms; the trio stared at it, and oversized Amethyst chuckled. “Wow… That nose of yours is a deadly weapon,” she said, Pearl’s eye twitches. “AMETHYST STOP MAKING FUN OF MY NOSE!!!”

After Connie returned from school, she and her parents decided to head for a motel for the night so they could arrive at her great-aunt’s retirement village during the morning. 

Connie hadn't seen her since he was very little, according to his father, Rivea was his aunt, who worked as a barkeeper for many years before he met her mother, 

They arrived at a motel, and she and her mother went to a diner nearby while her father was using the local ATM outdoors. 

Suddenly, Doug turns to see a big, burly man towering behind him. "Sorry Man. I got a major withdrawal to make!" the man exclaimed before shoving Doug to the ground. Dazed, Doug looks up to see a buck-toothed man pulling up in a dirty red pickup truck.

At the diner, the women were choosing their food when they were served by a tall, curvy woman with a bouffant hairstyle 1960s-looking waitress that they initially thought was smoking, but it was a lollipop in her mouth.

"Um... Do you something non-fat," her mother asked, while Connie was attempting to avoid her gaze on the waitress'... assets.

"Chicken sandwich, Veggie burger, Southern Salad, etc," she said in a deadpan but husky Southern voice, which Connie made blush.

Just her mother opens her mouth; she gets cut off by the sound of a large chain, causing everyone in the diner to look out the window and see the burly man walking to the ATM with a chained metal hook.

The mother-daughter duo exchanged glances, the former gave her a nod, which The Girl sneaky out of  the dinner as she primes the watch

Outside, the burly man digs the hook into the ATM and yells to his associate in the pickup pumping the gas,  When suddenly the dirty red pickup surrounded is pulse wave that causes it to lift up, the two widen to confusion until they see what looks like taser with floating head, legs, and claws, which used to firing a pulse like energy beam at the pickup causing to lifting up.

"Sorry, Your cash request has been denied!" They said before turning the pickup to the side, causing the driver to fall out. The burly man grabs the hook, swings it in the air, and throws it at Metal being. They point with their claw, firing another pulse beam, launching it back to man, sending the ground. As he tries to get up, Doug puts his foot on his chest. "Where do ya think you're going?" he said, turning to see the metal being tiding up the large man with a rope.

"Thank you, mysterious stranger," he said, metal being happily waving "Happy to help" 

After the police arrived to take the thugs away, the Maheswarans all sat down. "Well, that happened," Priyanka said.

"Yeah, it's a good thing Lorstar showed up," Connie bluntly replied, only to realize what she had just said. Her parents stared at her in shock. "You... named it?" her mother asked in a whisper.

Connie nervously laughed. "Ha ha ha, I... some kids at my school gave them names," she lied somewhat. Her mother gave her an annoyed look just as the waitress appeared to take their order. 

"Okay, normally we don't do this, but the kid's order is on the house," the waitress said. The Maheswarans were stunned. Doug assured her it wasn't their fault what had happened, but the waitress leaned in and whispered to them, "It's for the kid who stopped those thugs." This caused the Maheswarans to widen their eyes in surprise as they stared at Connie as if to say, "I know…”

Elsewhere in Next Morning, Sarita, a dark-skinned elderly woman wearing a magenta blouse and lavender shoes, just finished helping her neighbor Marty carry a few bags to his house. “It's been years since I've seen Doug’s family! I'm not sure I'll even recognize little Connie! Stop by and say hello.” 

Marty smiled. “I'd like that.” he waved to her before stepping inside his house, the door clicking shut behind him. After some time, After a while, he turned on TV and putting on a scary movie, after grabbing a bowl of snacks, he settled onto the couch and. As he watches, suddenly, an odd sticky gurgling is heard beside him; Marty turns, only to gasp in horror when something grabs his hand…

Meanwhile, in Beach City, Steven was sitting in the kitchen watching Pearl pull a pie out of the oven. “Hey, Pearl, if you don’t like eating, how come you like baking?” he asked. Pearl smiled and replied, “Well, baking is like science. It involves a lot of precision and analysis, just like any other scientific discipline.” She placed a lime-strawberry cherry pie on the kitchen countertop. Steven looked amazed at the pie and attempted to take a piece, but Pearl gently slapped his hand away, telling him it was still hot. The boy pouted in disappointment.

Suddenly, Garnet arrived in the room through the warp pad. Steven rushed happily towards her and gave her a hug. Pearl asked Garnet how her mission had gone.

“Sun Lion managed to hide in a small town,” Garnet informed them, which concerned the pale gem. “It must be laying low; we need to track it down,” she murmured. The taller gem nodded in agreement while Steven eagerly offered to help, noticing Pearl’s worry. Garnet smiled and asked him to get Amethyst

The boy gave a salute. " On It!" He exclaimed before hurrying off…

The Car finally arrived at Sarita's retirement village. “When your Aunt Sarita said she wanted to "’ move away from it all,’ she really meant it!” Connie’s mother asked, as drives past old folks' homes and some people out on the sidewalk. They observed an old man climbing on his roof, trying to reach his satellite, but started slipping down. Instead of falling off, he makes an expert Olympic-level backflip off the roof and lands safely on the ground, just as the car passes by. They just stared blankly at what just happened but decided to shrug and ignore it   

The trio have arrived at Saritas. Connie and her mother both step out; the former holds her hand up against the glaring sun. “gee, how do these people have to live where it's soooo hot!” Connie complains as it catches her eye; it was her great-aunt’s neighbor, who was staring at him before… started to crack his neck in every direction and shut the blinds on him. 

Connie was both disgusted and confused. “Gee, they really make you feel welcome here…” she murmured as her father stepped out of the car. “Just watch your cheeks, Sarita is a pincher!” He said just as her grandaunt came out from her house. “Doug!”

“Aunty!” He explained as Sarita gave her nephew a hug and then hugged Priyanka. “Priya, you look quite lovely, dear,” she said warmly, before then hugging Connie and pinching her cheeks. “And look, you've grown so much!” she said; Connie winced a bit. “Oww!” she murmured. 

Sarita smiled and motioned toward the house. “Come on in! I can't wait to chew the fat with all of you.” as they followed her inside, Marty sneered at them through a crack in his blinds.

Once inside, Connie took a cautious look around the house, heading to the living room where she saw various frames and trinkets on the bottom shelves; her grandaunt came to the room with drinks. “Como on sweety take a seat, don’t be shy!” The girl blushed and settled on the sofa; Sarita gave her a cup. “So, Connie, what have you been doing with yourself these days?” She asked.

“Oh, Nothing special, Me and my parents moved to this place called Beach City an ago,” Connie said, which surprised the older woman. “Oh Really? What is liked?” she asked, her father chuckled. “It’s an odd little place, but it grows on you.” he said, packing his coat; his wife rolled her eyes, but Sarita tilted her head. “odd?” she asked, causing the Maheswarans to flinch; Connie hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “Is just… different. The people are really unique.” she smiled awkwardly, as her parents had forced smiles. But the older woman didn't notice. “And your school?” 

“Oh, I'm still doing school stuff,” Connie said quickly. “I'm friends with the popular girl; we normally hang out and help each other with studies,” she said, catching Sarita’s interest. “Oh really? It seems like you take a lot after your grandfather.” Sarita said, catching the girl off guard. “Realy?” she asked, the woman chuckled.

“OH Yes! He was quite the casanova–” She was stopped by her nephew. “Aunty, please don’t talk about my father,” he pleaded in annoyance; the older woman rolled her eyes, completely missing the awkward pause. “But anyway, just remember to stay focused on your studies, dear.” she finished, to which Connie nodded. “I am. Don’t worry.” She glanced over at her mother, who gave her a subtle, supportive nod, then took a sip of her cup. 

“So, Aunty, how have you been since moving here?” her father asked, which Sarita smiled. “Oh been lovely, the folk here are quite welcoming and friendly… although last night a wild animal was running through the street,” she said, shocking her relatives, but she assured them no one got hurt. “... especially trio animal catchers arrived this morning trying to track the beast,” she said before letting out a laugh.  

Connie exchanged glances at her parents; her mother asked the woman, “What did the animal catchers look like?” “Oh, strange bunch,” her grand-aunt replied, waving her hand. “They were all women. There was a tall one, a pretty pale one, and a short one with long white hair... Oh! And they brought a boy with them. Must’ve been Bringing your Son to Work Day or something.” she chuckled; Connue narrowed her eyes as her mother and father glanced at Connie. "You’re thinking what I’m thinking, aren’t you?"

Connie sighed and stared at her great-aunt. “Hey, grand aunty, do you mind if I go outside for a walk?” Sarita looked at her and smiled. “Sure, go ahead. But be careful, alright? With everything going on, I don’t want you wandering too far.” Connie smiled faintly. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry,” she said leaving.

As the girl stepped outside, walked through the walkway, passing the old folks... and getting odd looks. She continued until...

"Nope! Nothing here." A certain purple woman looking through the dumpster, much to Pearl’s annoyance. "Amethyst, please! You're making a screen," she said before poking out from the trash and eating something, which Pearl recoiled in disgust. 

"Any luck?" They turned to see Garnet and Steven approaching them. "No, no one here has seen anything strange... well, those respond; major here just hiss at us before locking the door," Pearl said, rubbing her gem, before glancing towards Amethyst with a disapproving glare. “But clearly, someone! Thought the trash was more interesting!!.” she shouted.

"What are you guys doing here?"

The quarter turned to see Connie, to which Steven smiled. "Connie!!" He ran and hugged her. "What are you doing here?" he said, causing the girl to blush. "I would ask that! This is where my great-aunt lives!" the girls exclaimed, surprising the gem. "I have been changing a monster. Unfortunately, they hide themselves somewhere around here." Garnet said, causing Connie to worried ask them if they found it. Unfortunately, the gem leader shakes her head. "No, not yet.” 

Amethyst folded her arms and sat on top of the dumpster. "Yeah, everyone here are jerks. Watch this." Amethyst looked around, spotting an old man walking. "Yo man! Have you seen any monsters around here!!" she asked; the old man stared at her and then violently hissed, his jaw stretching unnaturally at her before continuing walking; the kids started to be bewildered at what just happened. "Ok... Something weird is happening here" she exclaimed.

“I don’t know; maybe they’re just grumpy. I heard that it’s common among elderly folks,” Steven said, but the girl shook her head. “Anyway, you guys should ask my great-aunt, she might know something,” she suggested to Garnet, who nodded in agreement.

“Okay, Steven is still with me,” she said, and the boy beamed happily. “Pearl and Amethyst, you two continue your search.” Garnet finished, and the three left, leaving the duo alone, much to the pale gem's annoyance. “Ugh, come on, Amethyst. We—

“HEY!”

The Two Gem turned to see an old woman driving a golf cart passing them, shooting them a sharp glare as she passed. "Go back where you came from you freaks" the old woman shouted as she drove past, 

Pearl stared blankly. “aaah OK?.... Well anyway, we…. Amethyst?” She searched for the purple gem before noticing her heading to someone’s house.

The Shorter Gem sneaked her way toward the house, drawn by a delightful smell. "Hmmm, apple pie!" she thought to herself. As she reached the windowsill where the pie was cooling, Amethyst was about to grab it when she noticed the pie's cook: an old lady trying to swat a fly in the room.

Just then, a hand fell on Amethyst’s shoulder. She jumped in surprise, only to turn and see it was Pearl, who had an unimpressed expression.

Pearl whispered, “What are you doing?” she whispered hushed, Amethyst grinned sheepishly. “What? It’s just sitting–” she trailed off when she noticed something, causing the other gem to turn.

The fly flew above her fly-swatter's reach and landed upside down on the ceiling. Then to the gems' shock, the old woman suddenly springs up on the ceiling and eats the fly right off it!

The scene gem's jaw to drop. "Eugh! No way! Ninja old people! Amethyst exclaimed as the old woman landed back on the ground and cracked her neck with an audible crack; the gems exchanged glances before exclaiming, “TIME TO GO!” Before leaving as just the woman turned her head toward the window…

Meanwhile Sarita's household

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Connie's Parents." The Boy happily greets them; Priyanka is surprised to see the boy here, especially when he and Connie bring the boy's… Aunt?. 

She glanced at the tall woman, who stood there stoically with her arm fooled; she hadn’t spoken since she arrived. Priyanka glanced at her husband, who had a suspicious look toward the woman. She sighed "Um, hi," Priyanka said slowly, still looking Garnet up and down. "You're the boy's... aunt?" She asked. Garnet stared at the girl’s parents, adjusting her visor, before… nodding. “You can say that,” she told them, and the boy stepped in, “She and the others take care of me, anglo with my dad,” he told them. Connie’s parents blinked, and before they spoke, Sarita stepped into the room. “So I hope you three like Limon ….”

 But then she stopped upon her eyes locking onto Garnet and Steven. Her brows lifted. “Oh. Is it animal catchers again,” she said, and the boy waved at her. “Hi miss” he greets her.

Connie introduces Sarita to him. “This is Steven; he’s a friend of mine,” she told her, and Rivera raised an eyebrow, hand still on her hips. “Friend, huh?” She looked Steven up and down. “Is that what they’re calling animal-catchers these days?” she joked, which Steven awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “I’m more of a part-time magical creature catcher,” he said with a grin. Sarita chuckled. “Mm-hmm. He’s got a cute friendly face… “ she then elbowed bump Connie. “You really liked your grandfather,” she joked, causing the girl to blush; Steven tilted his head in confusion, not getting the joke.

Rivea then turned to Garnet, narrowing her eyes in suspicion or interest “And you,” she said. “Wearing those shades indoors, huh?” She rubbed her chin. “You know, that only works if you're either a jazz musician or hiding a secret third eye.” She joked, causing Connie to flinch in worry, but Garnet was unfazed. “You say that,” she said in a calm and deadpan tone, causing Sarita to narrow her gaze… before bursting out laughing.

“Ohohoh, You're just a kicker,” she said, panting the tall woman on the back; she turned to the boy. “Your mother got macky! I liked that!!” she laughed, giving another pad on the gem’s back. Everyone just looked at the old woman blankly, while the gem just stood there unfazed.

Doug cleared his throat. “Um, Aunty, Miss Garnet is the boy’s aunt,” he said, causing the woman to flinch, her eyes darting back and forth between the woman and the boy; she should have thought Garnet was the mother of the boy; she rubbed her chin before snapping her fingers. “Oh I get it; your mother must be that shorter woman… although looked a bit too young to a mother… but that again… “ 

Steven was about to respond, but Priyanka stepped in first, “Steven's mother is no longer with him…” she told the older woman, who blinked, clearly thrown off. “I… I see, sorry” she apologized, but Steven smiled and assured her. Rivera hugged and also pinched his cheeks. “I am surprised what cutie you are! Connie is lucky.” she teased, Steven giggled as he rubbed his cheek.

Connie blushed. “Oh Garnet, didn't you want to ask my great-aunt something?” she asked, trying to change the subject; the Gem nodded and asked the older woman if she had seen something last night, which she claimed that 'the wild animal' appeared eating out of trash, before leaving. ".... I think it ran in someone's garden before... disappeared." she trailed off for a moment before waving her hand dismissively. “But anyway…” she said before turning back toward the kitchen, “you want lemon cake? Just pulled it out of the oven a half hour ago. Still warm.”

Connie gave a sheepish laugh. “ah no, thanks.” said while Garnet didn’t say anything; Steven was just about to say something when Connie cut in. “Hey, Rivea, is it okay if Steven and I go play outside for a bit?” she asked, Sarita just smiled .“Of course, sweetheart. and beside...” Then, with a mischievous grin towards Garnet. “... I want to show Steven's Aunt my jazz collection.” She finished before entering the Kitchen.

Garnet stiffened slightly; she gave the kids a quick glance. The kids exclaimed, glancing before leaving…

Once outside, Connie surveys the area. "so, what are we looking for?" Steven asked; the girl wasn't sure herself; she was rubbing her hair when they heard a door opening. "hide!" she exclaimed; the two got behind a tree as Rivea's Neth left his house and carried the rolled-up rug over his shoulder.

The Girl narrowed her eyes on the man. "Wonder what 'Mr. Friendly's up to..." 

They obsessed the old man placing the rug onto the backside of a golf cart before it and began to drive off. 

Without warning, Connie grabbed Steven's hand, taking him to another golf car nearby; climbing onto and sliding into the driver’s seat, she gestured towards the boy. 'Come on, we can’t lose him.” she told him. 

Reluctantly, he climbed aboard as Connie and started the cart. "Um... Connie, do you know how to drive this thing?" he asked just as the engine buzzed to life; Connie just nervously smiled. "ah ha ha... no," she said as they rolled onto the path, lucky old slow speed, allowed at a cautious distance. However, as he passes a house, the automatic sprinkler system kicks in, and the old man suddenly swerves the cart around it, to the point of breaking a sweat. The Kids exchanged glances. "What was that?" she asked. Steven wondered if the guy was caught off guard by the sprinkler, as he freaked out when it activated. Connie narrowed her eyes in wonder...

Marty (and the Kids) arrive at a gated-off dumpster site. Marty grabs the rug, carrying it once more, and approaches the fence gate..... He stretches his legs beyond human capability over the gate. The Kids gasped in shock at what they were seeing. "This place just keeps getting weirder by the minute," Steven murmured as he and Connie got off the cart; they approached the gate, and Connie started climbing the gate, but the boy wasn't sure. "Don't worry, stay here," she assured him as she climbed over it and quietly landed.

She saw Marty approaching some dumpsters aside. She hid behind some boxes, and she saw the old man pushing one of the dumpsters aside, revealing a trapdoor underneath. 

Connie leaned a bit to get a better look as the old man opened the trapdoor, and she pushed one of the boxes, which fell to the ground. 

The noise immediately alerts Marty; his head rotates completely behind himself. Connie gasps. Marty lets the door and rug go, turns the rest of his body around, and roars at the Girl.

"AAAHHH”

The inhuman old man ran towards her, forcing her to flee. Steven gasped. “Connie!” he yelled as she climbed over the gate. Marty stretched his arms out, trying to grab Connie. She managed to escape their grasp, but unfortunately, she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Steven helped her up just as the old man stretched his legs to step over the gate.

He reaches his arms out to grab the kids by their legs and pull them toward him.

Connie, now in a panic, dialed the watch and pressed it, enveloping herself in light, which confused the old man, then got a sucker punch to his face, causing him to fall to the ground.

Standing over him was Four Arms, crashing all her arms together. “Alright, mister, I don’t want you!” she warned.

The old man blinked before hissing at her and swinging his elongated arms, striking Four Arms. She attempted to counter, but the old man twisted himself unnaturally to dodge the large girl’s strikes, he flared his arms, striking her various times. Before uppercutting her, throwing her ground, as Four Arms gasped, she tried standing up. When he quickly wrapped his arms around her face, gripping tightly in an attempt to subdue her.

She struggled against his grip, her hands clawing at his arms in a desperate attempt to break free. Upon seeing this, Steven gasped in horror and panicked. He frantically searched around, his eyes darting for something; he noticed a golf bag on the old man’s cart.

Four Arms was losing ground. Her strength waned as the old man’s grip tightened, suddenly 

Steven ran and swung the golf club at the old man’s head, but the club sliced the man's upper head through as if it was made of something more liquid than solid. It was enough to make the old man lose his grip. The Boy was stunned to see the old man‘s head reforming, and he hissed before lunging to swing at the boy.

Lucky Four Arms delivered a powerful punch at the old man, sending him toward the cart with a loud clang; Steven helped her up. “Are you OK?” he asked, worried; the red alien smiled, assuring him; before they spoke, they heard a yell.

“STEVEN”

They turn to see Pearl and Amethyst running towards them. The two, especially Pearl, were shocked upon seeing the battered cart. “Steven! Connie! What happened? Why is that vehicle wreckage?” she asked, the purple gem just looked at the wreckage. “Man… It’s a good thing it wasn't Baumann’s” she murmured. 

The Kids explain the situation. When suddenly, the old man’s body erupted from the wreckage of the cart, twisting and reshaping itself with a sickening, gurgling sound. He Glares at newcomers. “ROCKS!!” he hisses. The Gems brace themselves materializing their  weapons… when another cart flew past them and hit the inhuman senior colliding with the wreckage causing an explosion. 

The Gems had stunned expressions, wondering what had just happened. They turned to see Four Arms shielding Steven, who looked at her with starry-eyed awe. It was clear that she had thrown the cart at… whatever that thing was. Amethyst grinned and gave her a thumbs up; however, Pearl crossed her arms with a disapproving look. “Miss Connie, that was unnecessary!” she scolded, just as a guttural noise emerged from beneath the wreckage, causing it to shake violently.

The group flinched as a silhouette began to emerge from the flames of the cart’s remains. The figure was more inhuman, warped, and globular. It staggered at first, growled at them, and then fled the scene.

The group just stared, trying to process what had happened. After a long silence, Four Arms finally spoke. “Umm, guys? Have you ever encountered that?” she asked. The Gems struggled to respond. “No…” they said in unison.

Connie returned to Sarita house and rushed to the kitchen, where her mother was waiting. “Connie! Where were you? I heard an explosion!” she exclaimed as she hugged her daughter.

Connie looked around, searching for the others. "Well, your Grandaunt took your father and your friend’s aunt to show them some jazz..." her mother said before demanding to know what had happened.

Connie explained the situation, which horrified her mother. “YOU TRANSFORMED—” Priyanka paused her yelling and spoke in a whisper. “You transformed in front of them?!” 

Connie defended herself, while Priyanka rubbed her temples. Although she was relieved that the kids were already safe, she really didn’t want Connie to expose herself to an unknown enemy.

“Where are Steven and his two aunts?” she asked, causing Connie to hesitate before answering….

Meanwhile, Steven and the two Gems entered Rivera’s neighbor's apartment, which seemed to belong to someone named Marty. Amethyst wanted to rush towards the door, but fortunately, it was unlocked.

The apartment was dark and deserted. Pearl used her gem as a flashlight, and everything appeared to be in its place. Suddenly, Steven called for their attention. "Hey, guys! Look!" he exclaimed, pointing to a rug outline on the floor. The pale gem knelt down to inspect it. "Hmm, judging by the dust, the rug was moved recently," she noted.

Just as Pearl was about to say something, they realized Amethyst was missing. The two of them shifted their focus to find the purple gem, who had wandered into the kitchen to peer into the fridge. "Prune juice, purple stuff, and—oh, what a surprise—more prune juice!" she exclaimed.

"Amethyst!!"

The purple gem turned to see Pearl and Steven standing behind her with disapproving expressions. "Amethyst, stealing is wrong," the boy stated firmly.

Amethyst waved her hand dismissively, while Pearl let out a resigned sigh when she noticed a glimmer of green slime coming from the windowsill. She approached it to examine the faded slime trace.

“Hey, what is that?” Steven asked as Pearl inspected it further, noticing that the trace led into the living room. It appeared that the slime had entered through the window.

Amethyst stared at the slime and touched it with her finger before tasting it and spitting it out. "Gross!" she exclaimed, while the pale gem recoiled in disgust.

"What if the monster is possessing him?!" Steven gasped in worry, but the gems were skeptical.

Back with the Maheswaran women, Priyanka glared at her daughter after she revealed that Steven and the others had just broken into the neighbor's house. Before Priyanka could scold her, Sarita entered the kitchen.

"Oh Sarita, how was your tour?" Priyanka asked, but the older woman looked a bit stoic. "Just... fine. How about you?" she replied. There was something off about her that made the Maheswaran women feel uneasy.

Sarita grabbed Connie's cheeks and shook them violently. "Well, that’s nothing special," she said. Connie recoiled in pain, rubbing her cheeks. Priyanka raised an eyebrow at that but decided not to say anything. She turned to grab a tray with a mug of coffee and a glass of water. "I made you some coffee," she said, but then she tripped and spilled both on the floor.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed as the water spread across the floor. Just before the water could reach Sarita’s shoes, she jumped up and held a perfect split against the wall.

"CLEAN IT UP! CLEAN IT UP RIGHT NOW!" 

Both mother and daughter stared in stunned silence before they started cleaning.

Just then, both Dough and Garnet appeared at the kitchen entrance, taking no mind to Sarita. "Oh Dough, could you pass that cloth?" his wife asked. Dough was about to step forward but pulled back a little when he noticed the water on the floor. "Oh, sorry dear, I'm going to help Missus... Garnet, through the door,  then I'd need to get something from my aunt's friend," he said before leaving. Meanwhile, Garnet stared at them as they cleaned. "Forgive me, but do you know where the other gems are?" she asked.

Connie felt a sense of suspense; she didn’t ask about Steven. Glancing at Sarita, she responded to Garnet, "Um, Steve is nearby at the neighbor’s house." Garnet nodded and left.

After finishing their cleaning, Sarita landed back on the ground. "Thank you, dearies. I need to go back to help someone... Well, behave yourselves. I'll be back soon," she told them before leaving the house.

The Maheswaran women exchanged glances. "Okay, she must be one of them!" Connie exclaimed. Priyanka bit her finger in worry. After a moment, she placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Connie, listen to me very carefully! Go find Steven and the others, and see what’s going on. If they’re acting odd, RUN!" she instructed. The girl gave a determined nod, before leaving.

Back with Steven, he and the others were outside discussing what to do when Garnet suddenly appeared. The boy happily hugged her. "Garnet, you wouldn't believe what happened!" he exclaimed. The gem stood stiff, her arms still at her sides, her body cold and unwelcoming.

Steven blinked in confusion. Garnet patted him on the head. "I’m sure it was very exciting, Steve," she said, which confused the trio. “Um, Garnet... you never called him Steve,” Amethyst pointed out, causing the gem to flinch slightly.

“I was being friendly towards the boy,” she replied with a sly smile, which left them even more confused.

Just then, Connie came running up to them. "Hey, Steve!" she smiled, confusing the others. She hugged the boy and whispered in his ear, “She’s one of them,” she told him.

After that, they smiled at the gems. “Hey, Miss Garnet, can I hang out with Steve to play?” Connie asked. The tall gem smiled back. “Of course! Just stay out of any trouble,” she told them before turning towards Amethyst and Pearl. “Alright, we need to stay focused. The monster is still out there. We can’t waste time.”

Pearl’s brow furrowed as she looked between Garnet and Steven. “Um, Garnet, are you sure we—?" But Garnet didn’t budge and coolly interrupted her. “You’re not here to question. You’re here to serve,” she said, causing Pearl's mouth to drop slightly.

“Serve?” she exclaimed, confusion and hurt in her voice. But she noticed the kids gesturing towards her... something.

Before she could say more, Garnet turned to Amethyst. “Soldier. Stay alert. Be ready. I want you to be prepared for anything,” she ordered. Amethyst raised an eyebrow at this; why was Garnet acting like a general? She felt Pearl's elbow as the other gem gestured towards the kids, signaling something about Garnet.

“Let’s move!” the gem leader exclaimed before turning and recoiling when she noticed the kids there.

“Hey, Garnet, you are not using the monster tracker,” Connie said innocently. The gem blinked before smiling. “Ah... of course not! Pearl! Pass me the tracker.” Without hesitation, the pale gem handed her… a fancy-looking stick.

As the gems left, the kids were left behind, and once out of earshot, the boy's expression shifted. “CONNIE! WHAT’S GOING ON?!” he exclaimed tearfully. The girl grabbed his hands to calm him down.

“Look, whatever is happening here, we need to find out. The others can handle that fake Garnet, but right now we need to follow my grand-aunt!” she told him. After wiping the tears from his eyes, he nodded, eager to discover what was going on with Garnet.

Sometime later, the kids walk through the village, taking alleys and less-visible paths. As they entered one of the alleys, they noticed some people walking ahead who quickly crossed the street. Steven pulled Connie to hide in a dumpster.

After a few moments, two figures appeared: Marty and Doug. They met with Sarita. "Is the food supply ready for transport?" she asked. Doug adjusted his glasses and replied, "Well, the pods are in the final stages of gestation. What about the young ones?" His question worried the kids.

"The adult woman might be fine, but the kids are too chewy! They need to age more before they get nice and tender..." Sarita began, but she was suddenly interrupted by Marty. "The kids are suspicious," he said, a look of concern on his face. "And that girl... she transformed into a Tetramand," he added, which shocked his associates.

"What? That’s impossible!" the fake Doug exclaimed, glaring at Marty. "That brat must be a shapeshifter or something!" The fake Sarita rubbed her jaw in thought before informing them that she would tell the others. With that, they left.

After some time, the kids climbed out of the dumpster. "What did they mean by saying we are too chewy?" Steven worriedly asked. Connie had a hunch but didn’t like the implication and was also curious about their mention of Tetramand. "I need to find my mother!" she exclaimed.

Elsewhere, the gem was located near the outskirts of the village, with Garnet pointing the stick towards the path they were following. Amethyst was still puzzled by the gem’s odd attitude, but beside her, Pearl leaned in slightly and said, "Get ready." She turned to face the tall gem ahead.

"Hey, Garnet, is there something we forgot?" Pearl asked. Garnet glanced over her shoulder. "What is it, Pearl?" she asked annoyance, Pearl raised her hand. “Oh? Don't tell me that you forgot about the gift?" Pearl inquired, confusing Amethyst and prompting Garnet to pause. "Gift?" Garnet asked.

Pearl nodded, her tone deceptively calm. "Yes. We told you earlier that we stopped because we found something perfect for Steve’s mother.” she said, Amethyst blinked. “Wait… we what?” before Pearl stopped her. Garnet’s mouth twitched, clearly trying to recover. “Ah… yes! A gift, of course, we would find something we are here” she  said rubbing her hair, however both gems noticed Garnet’s gem on her right hand, but her left hand... was bare.

Pearl’s voice sharpened. “yeah... those flowers over there would be perfect for her.” she said, pointing to some flowers; Garnet turned her head to see them, but before she could say anything, she was suddenly wrapped by a whip.

She struggled to break free; she turned to see that Amethyst was holding the whip while Pearl had pointed her spear at her. “You chose the wrong gem to impersonate," she said coldly. The imposter's shocked expression shifted to one of anger; they hissed, revealing sharp green fangs.

The imposter warped unnaturally as she stretched herself, twisting like liquid, managing to free themselves, and letting out a guttural snarl before snapping their arm outward, slamming into Amethyst’s chest with a heavy thud, knocking the gem off her feet, skidding across the ground.

Amethyst stood up with a grunt. “Okay, now I’m mad,” she growled as the imposter threw another punch, which Pearl managed, to slice through the imposter’s stretched arm; the limb started, dissolving like liquid. The imposter sneered as her arm started to reform.

Amethyst quickly ran towards her, dropped the whip, and, upon grabbing it, swung it, cutting the imposter's legs; they fell upon the floor and snarled in pain and anger. 

The Purple gem looms over the fake gem as pulling her whip. "Alright, slimy, where Garnet?" he demanded; the Imposter glared at her,  as the Gem was anywhere, pulling a verde ball out of their body. "You're going to see her soon, ROCK!!" They exclaimed as they were about to throw it at her, but fortunately, Pearl shot a beam from her spear at the ball. It burst open, releasing a type of foam that spread across the Imposter, who screamed in panic as their body became trapped in the rapidly expanding foam until forming a cocoon, their screaming expression was visible.

The Gems stared blankly at what had just happened. "Nice shot, Pearl," Amethyst exclaimed as Pearl stepped forward cautiously, her eyes still on the immobilized figure. "Whatever that orb was, it wasn't meant to be pretty," she said while inspecting the trapped figure.

"We need to find the kids!" she insisted. The purple gem nodded in agreement, and the two ran, only to stop in their tracks as a group of elderly figures with the same green jaws as the Imposter appeared, their eyes now pale green with orange pupils. They hissed and snarled at the Gems, who braced themselves for confrontation. 

"Great, more of them!" the purple gem exclaimed in annoyance, while Pearl spun her spear. "We don’t have time; the kids need our help!"...

Meanwhile, Priyanka entered Sarita's jazz collection room, which was crammed with vinyl records and a few old cassette tapes, each labeled in neat handwriting. However, she noticed traces of slime on the floor. After inspecting it closely, she let out a low murmur. "Oh no." Quickly, she grabbed her smartphone and made a call.

("Hey, Sweat, how’s my big—")

"Dad! I had a code orange-green!" she exclaimed. Just then, she heard the sound of the house closing. She quickly left the room and headed to the bathroom. "Honey, are you here?" her husband's voice echoed.

("Priyanka, are you there?")

Her husband began to ascend the staircase slowly. "I’m in the bathroom, dear!" Priyanka called out cheerfully. Doug narrowed his eyes as he took the last few steps. "Everything okay?" he asked, approaching the bathroom door. There was a low murmur from inside, and the sound of running water. “Want me to get you anything?” he inquired when suddenly, the door swung open and Doug was splashed with a liquid on his face, he/it screamed in agony and fell to the ground as it started slowly dissolve

Priyanka stood in the doorway, holding a cup in one hand and pressing her cell phone to her ear with the other. “Dad… I did it. He’s... It's not himself,” she whispered into the phone.

(“Now run!”)

Priyanka bolted down the stairs and rushed to the garage, gripping the industrial water sprayer tightly. Moments later, Doug appeared in the doorway, his body writhing in a mist as he let out a low growl...Only to see the Woman with a homemade gun.

Without hesitation, she fired…

The kids continue, now close to the dumpster site. However they pass by two old ladies, innocently playing what looks to be street curling with small pucks. As they try passed them Only for one lady to turn her head completely behind and hiss with sharp yellow teeth, with the other whacking the puck in their direction. “Duck” Connie exclaimed as she evades the puck, Steven grabbed her hand and started running as more pucks flying after them. They hide behind a corner and catch their breath. Pearl and Amethyst are suddenly there. “What's going on?” Pearl asked worried 

Steven flared his arms. “They're everywhere!” he exclaimed, however the two gems stared at them. “We know.” they said coldly before revealing their green teeth.”Come here, we'll protect ya!” the Fake Amethyst exclaimed as the fake pearl stretched her arms to grab them, but the kids managed to flee, they ran away but were blocked their path by more fake old folk all holding up a car with the Fake Gems behind them.

“Ooh, this is not good!” they exclaimed, their voices filled with panic. Just then, out of nowhere, another car careened into the scene, colliding with the first vehicle. The fake gems recoiled in shock, before getting blasted, sending them tumbling ground. The Kids turned to Pearl, who stood resolutely, gripping a spear tightly in her hand. 

"Get behind me," she said firmly, the kids watched, wide-eyed, as Fake Gems began to get up, they pulled out green orbs of their bodies. “Filthy Rock!” Shouted the Fake Pearl as she hurled an orb toward them. But just as it was thrown, a whip lashed out, striking the orb and splattering foam across both imposters. “You idiot!” screamed the Fake Amethyst, as the two  struggling to break free before became ensnared in a joint cocoon,

The Real Amethyst appeared tall and proud. “OH Yeah!” she proclaimed, the pale gem shot her an annoyed glance, but before they could say anything, the boy rushed forward, enveloping them in heartfelt hugs, tears streaming down his face. “Guys! I thought they got you!” one of them exclaimed, relief flooding his voice. Pearl, gently patted his head. “We're glad you two are fine,” she said, hugging the boy tightly.

“Umm, guys?” Connie called out. The fake old folks twitched unnaturally as they clung out the wreckage, their eyes filled with fury as they hissed at the group. Connie quickly dialed her watch and slammed it, transforming into her humanoid plant form. “Swarmfire!” she shouted, before unleashing a burst of flames toward the imposters… only for them to not even flinch, instead they grinned as they grew in size. she stops in stunned silence.

“Ahahah, Whatever you are, you just made a terrible mistake. Us Limaxes live for the heat!” The Fake Marty exclaimed, steamching his arm and delivering an uppercut towards the plant girl, Pearl managed to grab her.  

The group instinctively backed away, retreating through the garden as panic set in. “There are too many of them!” Steven exclaimed, his voice tinged with fear as Swarmfire began to panic, releasing a cloud of methane. Just as one of the Limaxes closed in on them, the sprinkler system suddenly activated, dousing the area. The Limaxes screamed in pain as the vapor enveloped them, giving the group a moment to escape. They stumbled away, panting and wincing from the heat. “WHY ARE THE SPRINKLERS STILL WORKING?!” the Marty imposter yelled,

“I just wanted to water the plants…” one of the Limaxes grumbled in annoyance, drawing confused stares from everyone. “You what?” Marty barked incredulously,

“I mean… they looked dry,” the Impostor said with a shrug, gesturing toward a shriveled tomato vine. “I’ve been working in this garden since this morning!” The other Limaxes stared at him with their jaws dropped. “We were nearly boiled alive!” one of them snapped.

While they were extracted, Swampfire got an idea. She ran over and kicked the sprinkler head hard. It rattled and groaned, then let out a sharp hiss as water burst from the nozzle. Without missing a beat, she slapped her hand against the base and shouted, “Take that!” Redirecting the stream of water straight at the Impostors, they screamed in pain. Some of them managed to escape, but a few dropped their orbs. 

Seeing this, Amethyst ran toward them, swung her whip to grab the orbs, and threw them at some of the remaining Impostors, ensnaring them in the slimy cocoons. This left only the fake Malty and a few others. 

Before anyone could react, one of the impostors was struck by a powerful water blast and dropped to its knees. Everyone turned to see Priyanka, who was carrying a sprayer backpack with a high-pressure water gun, pointing it at the fake Marty. “Get away from her, YOU—” she shouted before firing the weapon, causing them to retreat.

However, Swampfire's vines emerged from the ground, blocking their escape. She then grabbed the fallen impostor, pulling the green orb from its body before throwing it. Pearl quickly shot the orb, ensnaring the remaining impostors in a large deformed cocoon.

The group let out sighs of relief, but the gems suddenly pointed toward Priyanka, much to the kids' shock. “What do you—” Swampfire exclaimed.

“We don’t know if she’s your real mo—” Pearl began, but she was cut off when a stream of water hit her square in the face.

Priyanka stood there, annoyed. "Isn't that proof enough?" she asked drily. The gems sputtered and blinked rapidly as water dripped down their faces. Suddenly, Swampfire hugged her mother tightly. "Mom, you’re okay!!" she exclaimed, and the older woman smiled, patting her back.

"But wait! Where’s Father?" the girl asked, pulling away. Priyanka's expression darkened. “They have him,” she said quietly.

The group exchanged glances. “Hmm, well at least those things seem weak to water,” Steven said, eyeing the broken sprinkler still dripping behind them.

They made their way and arrived at the dumpster site; Swampfire opened the door at the fake Marty opened earlier, revealing a giant pit. "Wow, that's a big hole!" Amethyst exclaimed, wasting no time. Swampfire grabbed her mother, and Pearl grabbed Steven, then leaped down into the pit with the purple gem close behind.

As they're falling, Swampfire slows her fall by digging fingers into the walls of rock. The group arrived in a dark tunnel where gems used their gemstones as flashlights. Swampfire put her mother down. "These tunnels must go under the whole complex!" Priyanka exclaimed.

However, far behind Amethyst and the Kids, a pair of red eyes stalk her in the dark; suddenly, a pair of stretchy arms attempt to grab the plant girl, and using her strength, she wrestles and tugs the imposter to the wall, but it quickly gets up. Swampfire launched them, and her mother objected. "Connie, wait!!".

But as she was about to punch the figure, the imposter grabbed the plan girl by the neck and slammed her to the ground. As she tries to get up, the imposter punches him repeatedly and raises their fists up. 

Steven ran towards her, and the figure brought his fists down; the attack was blocked by a pink shield-like bubble. The Figure blinked in confusion,

Steven turned to Swampfire, and without missing a beat, she charged forward, using the bubble itself like a battering ram. Her shoulder slammed into the inner curve of the shield, launching it and the imposter crashed into the stone wall with a sharp crack.

Swampfire got her knee breathing heavily but focused; she got up, pulled a few seeds, approached the down figure, about to throw them, preparing to finish him.

But she was able to see it was an imposter of her father. He/They looked at her. "You wouldn't wanna hurt your own father, now would you?" he asked hurty in tone. 

The girl hesitated to allow the fake Doug to kick her to the ground and twisted himself back on his feet, he attempted to grab her, but his arm was chopped off by Pearl and then Priyanka shot its leg off  causing it the fall onto the ground,

Before the imposter could react, Priyanka grabbed the back of its head and repeatedly smashed its face into the ground, turning it into green mush. Everyone stared in shock as the imposter trembled. Priyanka glared, "Don't Ever Hurt My Girl!!" She pulled an orb from her backpack and slammed it onto the mushy face before tossing the imposter aside. She then shot the orb with her water gun, trapping it in the cocoon.

She turned to see jaw-dropped expressions of others, "Well?" she asked drily, causing the gems to salute, and the kids exclaimed glances. "Does your mom normally?..." Steven asked; the girl didn't know what to say...

The Group comes across a wall of wooden boards and moss just as the watch starts beeping red; without any hesitation, Swampfire bolts off towards the wall and crashes through before she turns back into Connie.

"Connie! Gives us head up next time" both her mother and Pearl scolds the girl.  

They walk for a bit and find that the tunnel leads to an enormous room, with a large spaceship in the middle and small green pods lining the entire floor. They walk for a bit among the pods, Marty's unconscious body. "It seems everyone in Retirement Village has been podded up!" Pearl exclaimed as Connie looked to another pod and saw-

"Dad!"

The Group tugs on the pod and it cracks open. Dough's body falls out, he groans and slowly blinks awake. "Huh? I was with Sarita and Garnet.... can't remember what happened next," he said

Steven sees Garnet also in a pod; he and Amethyst break the gem, who immediately gets stood up. "You two get bi-..."but trailed off, as she looked around in confusion. Then Steven hugged her. "Garnet! We thought we lost you" he exclaimed with tears of joy, Garnet still confused, but smiling.  

"You are quiet because of the pain!!" 

The Group turned to see embracing from the shadows, the Fake Rivea and the two remaining fake elders appeared and advanced on the group. 

The group braced themselves. “So,, you slimy creeps mind tell us what this is all about?” Amethyst snarled, cracking her whip. One of the imposters let out a low hiss. “None of your business!” she yelled as she and the others morphed into their true selves, green liquid blobby aliens with orange eyes and pink internal organs.

Garnet summoned her gauntlets. “You can fill me in later!” she exclaimed as she and other gems prepared themselves. The Fake Sarita , who seems to be the leader, narrowed their gaze. "You know....” the head alien glares at the kids. “We were planning to leave you kids alone, but “But noooo, you just had to poke your little noses where they didn’t belong. And now get rid of you all!!” she snarled, but Priyanka shot her straight in the face… but only to be unaffected, must to confuse the group.

“Ahahah, I would come here unprepared?” they mocked, revealing some device with two red gemstones on its chest; Garnet gasped. “The Sun Lion’s gemstones!” shocking others; Oooh yeah, completely forgot why we came here,” the purple gems.

“That’s right! Thanks to that mutant rock!! The stones provided me with a near-endless source of heat!! Meaning your water thick is not going to work!” It exclaimed before the stones started to glow and blasted the woman with fire. Fortunately, Garnet got in front of her, tanking it and confusing the shapeshifters. The gem simply smirked. “Sorry, but I'm heat resistant!” she proudly said, annoying the aliens.

“WHAT TYPE OF GARNET ARE YOU?” one of them yelled. The group instinctively backed away as the alien imposters advanced, Steven, stepping backward, stumbled slightly, his palm landing flat against the cold surface of the spaceship.

The surface is revealed to be a doorway; the kids turned a room full of pods with more people within, including Sarita. “Guys… They got Sarita in here and a lot more people!” he called out, causing everyone to notice. “Their ship!” Dough exclaimed as the aliens’ expressions twisted to outright panic.

“NO!” One of them shrieked. “They found it! We can’t let them out!”

“Get the pods on board! They’ve been marinating long enough!”

The group stared at them in shock. “Marinating?” Amethyst echoed, disgusted. “What are you freaks doing to these people?!” she demanded, 

“It’s simple…They are here to consume them.” Priyanka aimed her water gun and explained to the disgusting and angry Gem. “Oh, now you to be stopped” Pearl exclaimed, as the gems launched at them, Amethyst slid swinging her whip at one of the aliens, slashing its legs, it’s snarled as stretch it stretched its limbs at her, which she easily dodge one attack, before shapeshifting herself into a wrestler form and grabbing the other limb and swing it the ground.

Other Limax unleashed a torrent of slime projectiles at Pearl, who elegance, spun her spear with incredible speed deflecting the onslaught, Then with a powerful leap, she soared high above and aimed her spears, firing blasts from it, the alien recoiled in pain, 

As the fight intensified, the humans took the opportunity to grab the pods off the ship.

The head alien uses the power of the gems to increase the size of its arms, they block as Garnet starts punching it. It grabs his arm and throws him repeatedly on the ground as it slams its other at her; Garnet suddenly generates a surge of electricity, shocking the alien who stumbled back, its form flickering by the pain. “Seriously, Electricity powers?! What even are you?” They shouted in anger; the gem just picked herself up from the ground, dusted herself off, and smirked. “I guess I'm that good.” she replied simply, punctuated by a slight glint; the alien growled and allowed the slime to catch a glimpse of her… three eyes. “three? when do… YOU FREAK!!” they shouted; suddenly, the other two leaped towards their leader, combined into a larger form. 

“We are tired of you rocks,” the alien spat, each word dripping with venom, before swinging its limbs, hitting the gem, sending her towards the ship.

The Purple gem shapeshifted into Four Arms and started punching its leg, but the slime alien was unfazed; it raised one of its arms and slammed it down on her, pinning her to the ground. 

Fortunately, Pearl swooped in, cutting the arm, the Limax growled, and it reformed its limb, flailing its arms attempting to hit her, before suddenly being struck by a pair of rocket punches to the face, splashed it

Amethyst shapeshifted back to her normal form as she scrambled away from the goo. “Nice, Shot,” she muttered; Garnet stood there with arms extended before gauntlets responded. However the alien's head simply reforms. "Is not over yet!!" She exclaimed…

As the humans continued unloading pods from the ship, Connie noticed the gems struggling. She looked down at her watch, and Steven stopped her. "Connie, do you have an idea?" She froze, her mind clouded with doubt. "I... I don’t know," she whispered, her eyes wide as she clenched her head in panic. "I can’t think!"

Steven gently took her hand to ground her. "It’s okay. Just breathe. We’ll figure this out..." He suddenly paused, pointing at something above, catching her attention. They exchanged looks and nodded at each other.

Meanwhile, as the fight continued, the Limax grabbed Pearl. A bright light emerged, but before it could react, a cold breath, freezing half of its head in an instant. Staggering back, the Limax dropped Pearl and faced the flying, greyish-blue bug creature.

"Seriously?! How many forms do you have?!" the Limax yelled, but Big Chill simply unleashed a freezing gust that encased the Limax’s arm in solid ice. The creature roared in frustration and attempted to swat the annoying bug, but she dodged its swings.

The Gems stared blankly at this scene before they sprang into action. "Guys!!" Steven called, pointing upwards. They turned and noticed a water pipe above them. Understanding the plan, Pearl pointed her spear at it.

Big Chill evaded the Limax's attacks until it managed to grab her. Just before it could do anything, Pearl fired at the pipe until it burst, spraying water everywhere and causing the Limax to drop Big Chill in pain.

The flying bug then unleashed a hail of cold breath at the Limax’s chest. With a powerful lunge, she cracked the creature and grabbed the device containing the gemstones as the Limax began to fall.

"Stay cool, slimeball!" Amethyst exclaimed as the giant slime was reduced to a large puddle. Big Chill continued to freeze it; however, traces of the slime escaped, fleeing toward the ship.

At the ship, Priyanka and Doug finished carrying out the last of the pods just as the ship began to make a whirring noise. "Sorry, there's no drive-through service here!" Doug exclaimed as they ran out.

The last remaining liquid of the Limax crawled inside, and the door sealed shut. The ship shook the ground as it lifted out of the crater it had created, tunneling through the cave and bursting onto the moonlit ground above, where it zoomed into the night. The group found themselves in an empty room, surrounded by the entire population of the Retirement Village.

Steven let out a huge sigh of relief. "We did it!" he said, sitting against a pod. Doug stared at his transformed daughter while Priyanka informed him that "the universes already know." "Well... as long as we keep Connie safe, then," he nodded, glancing over at the pods. "We should put them all back in their condos so they'll think they never left." However, Pearl and Amethyst looked a bit drained, but Big Chill reassured them.

"Don't worry, give me a few minutes; I'll see if XLR8 can help out," she said, only to recoil at the looks from her parents.

"But what about the slimeball we still left behind? We can't leave it out in the open!" Amethyst asked. This prompted everyone to think for a moment before Pearl had an idea. She turned toward Priyanka. "Hey, Mrs. Can I borrow your phone?”

The next morning, everything at the Retirement Village returns to normal; Doug is hugging his aunt goodbye. "Don't be strangers!" Sarita said.

"We won't," Doug responds, before going to help his wife with the car. Connie hugs her grand-aunt. "Bye, Aunt Vera!" she said happily. Sarita apologized. There wasn't enough excitement here for her. Connie just laughs. "Honestly, it turned out better than I thought!" she said; the two started laughing together.

"Oh, by the way, has your friend already left?" Sarita asked, before the girl responded...

"Bye, Mr. Marty. Have a nice day!" They turned to see Steven and the Gems stepping out of Malty’s house, waving goodbye to the elderly man. They are just helping Malty, who is getting robbed after his old one just disappeared.

"Oh you're still around?" Sarita asked; the gems explained that they just finished with the managed deal, and the 'wild animal' situation had been handled.

Rivera laughed. “Well, You three are something else! Hope you have a safe trip. And Garnet! Come back anytime! I’ve got a whole stack of jazz records I think you’d love!" she said happily; Garnet gave a polite but stiff nod. “Thanks… Sarita.”

As the old woman leaves, Steven glances up at Garnet, “You okay?” he asks.

Garnet didn’t do anything at first before admitting. "to be honest, I was a bit nervous with Rivera's enthusiasm," she said though she was calm...

Pearl approached Priyanka as she and her husband finished preparing the car. "So Mrs. Connie’s mo–" she began, only for Priyanka to immediately turn with a narrowed look. “It’s Maheswaran,” she corrected sharply, causing Pearl to fluster. “Ah yes! Of course, Mrs. Maheswaran. My apologies.” she said nervously, Doug tried very hard not to laugh.

Pearl continued, recovering quickly. "I'm just curious....where you learn to... you know." she nervously smiled. Priyanka glanced at her before chuckling. "Well, believe it or not, my father was a major in the military. So learn a thing or two..." her smile faded, replaced by a more serious expression. "...especially when it came to people who threatened my family."

Pearl flinched at the intensity, but Priyanka suddenly burst into laughter, Pearl blinked, before letting out a nervous laugh. “Oh you were joking ahaha?” she exclaimed as the two laughed, Priyanka’s grin at her. "Half-joking...." she said, causing the gem to windend. "The military part, that’s real." Priyanka finished.

Pearl blinked awkwardly, unsure what to make of that. Suddenly Doug asked if she and others would want a ride, she kindly declared. "... we have our own method" she said,  but then he asked "Also what you and the others did with slime aliens?"

Pearl just smirked slyly. "Oh.... I call someone to take care of them"....

Military vehicles surrounded the crater as uniformed personnel methodically loaded the podded Limaxes into their vans. Among them was a blonde man with a buzzcut, clad in a black shirt adorned with two straps, who observed the operation intently.

He remarked, "Make sure everything is handled efficiently." Just then, an older man stepped forward. He had blackish-grey hair with a white stripe and a mustache, dressed in a green army uniform and cap, adorned with badges on his shirt. An annoyed expression was on his face. "How did these slimy freaks get here?!" he demanded. The blonde man didn’t flinch. "Unknown, sir. But judging by the soil composition, it appears the ship has been underground for quite some time," he responded. The Colonel rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of the situation. If those hippies hadn’t shown up...

"How did the gems do that?" he asked, pointing as his men pulled the frozen remains of the alien out of the hole. The blonde suggested that they had used liquid nitrogen, but the Colonel was skeptical. Before he could voice his doubts, a much calmer figure approached them: a slender man dressed in a sharp green suit, with dark sunglasses shielding his eyes and twin katanas strapped to his belt.

"All aliens have been accounted for," the man stated. The Colonel nodded. "Thank you, Agent Six." He then shifted his attention towards the blonde. "Steel, make sure our friends are brought to the base," the Colonel ordered. Steel nodded and saluted in response…

At the last Omnitrix Aliens, for now, you need a refresher:

1. Swampfire
2. XLR8
3. Four Arms
4. Goop
5. Ditto
6. Grey matter
7. Ghostfreak 
8. Diamondhead
9. Big Chill
10. Lorstar

Thinked is now pretty oblivious that Connie's family have a secret...

The scene featuring Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl dealing with the Corrupted Geode monster was based on from the first issue of the Steven Universe comics.

Sarita’s name is a hindi name meaning River, stream

As for the Sun Lion, she is a six-legged, corrupted fusion of a sunstone and a ruby. When the Limaxes captured her, they mistakenly believed that the Sun Lion was the result of a human experiment performed on a fusion. Speaking of gems, are you going to see gems serving other factions or individuals although sometimes not by choice.

The Southern Waitress is based on Midge from Hamhocks and Armlocks episode of Dexter's Laboratory... I don't know why, I wanted to put a waitress here and she immensely came to my head. Also State of Rackensack is SU verse of Arkansas.

The scene of Connie panicking before transforming into Big Chill was meant to highlight the differences between her and Ben. While Connie is smarter and more mature than Ben, she can still be a bit impulsive, especially in the heat of the moment or when she is panicked.

In the final scene, Agent Six from Generator Rex makes a special appearance, working alongside Lieutenant Steel and Colonel Rozum. 

They are indeed aware of the Crystal Gems. The Gems have established a non-interference policy with all governments on Earth. This means that the government does not interfere with or approach anything related to the Gems, and in exchange, the Gems while the Gems, in return, stay out of political or military affairs. 

—

Next time: Beach City prepares for its music festival, but an enemy of Connie's ruins it.

___

Here the Gems’ history with Four Arms' Race:

While the Gem War was just beginning, Blue Diamond attempted to colonize Khoros, a dusty, seemingly desolate planet that was rich in gems and other rare materials, while the Gem War was beginning. Initially succeeded in founding several excellent kindergartens. However, the native Tetramands started raiding the kindergartens, and with the help of their raw might, they were able to pillage the facilities and capture any Gem as slaves. 

Before she could retaliate, Blue Diamond was asked to head to Earth and assist her sister against some rebels; she instructed her elite gems to defend their ground before leaving. Even though they were able to project the Kindergartens, they recognized that if they didn't take action, they would soon be overwhelmed. As this was going on, two expanding factions began to take over the globe and divide among themselves. These groups were:

 - The Redmoon Empire A formidable tribe with a reputation for ruthlessness but a strong sense of honor, they are headed by the Overlordess Redfang.

 - The other, more technological Union of Great Clans, is commanded by Grandchief Galewind. 

The Gems realized if they sided with the Union, they would weaken both sides, by providing them with their technology, some included modified drills. 

The Gems were inspecting a bloodbath on both sides, however,  instead of engaging in direct combat, the two factions' leaders unexpectedly challenged each other to an Honor Duel, which shocked and confused the Gems.

One of the Union Warriors explained that: Galewind was skeptical of their chances of winning and for the Overlordess? Well according to him, there were some whispers, that The Overlordess was a hopeless romantic and that she was definitely intended to make Gale her husband, if she won.

Both Leaders accepted the duel and agreed that the loser and the army would submit to the winner. After witnessing the leaders battle nonstop for ten days, until the eleventh moon when Gaelwind crumbled and Redfang was barely standing, the Gem was stunned and turned horrified. The Union troops immediately proclaimed her the leader. When the Gem realizes they have no chance of winning, some of them run away, while most simply give up. The united Khoros soon steamrolled the remaining Gem defenders, taking their technology and, with the help of the Union, managed to reverse-engineer some of it. Following the planet's conquest, Redfang wed Galewind and assumed the title of Supreme Queen, creating the Kingdom of Redwind.

When Blue Diamond returned, her facilities were gone and her Gems either were destroyed or enslaved. In her Fury, she ordered a complete invasion of the planet, but newly untied Khoros managed to fight back against her assault on the planet. That Supreme Queen challenged the Diamond in an Honor Duel. 

Believing she was able to crush the organic, she arrogantly accepted. But the duel didn't go well for the invader as the Queen was able to outclass her. In a desperation act, Blue used her Aura power to overwhelm the Queen with profound feelings of sadness and crying hysterically. However, Redfang managed to maintain his concentration long enough to continue fighting and nearly fracture Blue's gem. Blue surrendered following the beating, much to the dismay of her court. Following this, both parties agreed to a non-aggression treaty in which neither would interfere with the other's business and recognized their sovereignties.

When Yellow discovered what happened to her sister, she was outraged and wanted the rock to be wiped away, nearly declaring war. White tried to reason and urge her sister to stand down, but shockingly Yellow refused and almost attacked her. But Blue reassured her that they would not allow a loss to devastate them and would instead focus on rebuilding their forces, to which White and a Yellow begrudgingly agreed.