Now accounting for all operational injectors. Checking for aberrations in perimeter. Ugh, this Gem tech is simply archaic.
StevenI don't know... I think it looks pretty cool. [Peridot abruptly cancels out all the operations and turns her screen at him] Hi! I'm Steven. [Peridot's screen swoops up close at him]
There appears to be an infestation of Stevens in the Kindergarten.
Steven
Aw, I'm not so bad once you get to know me.
And how many more Stevens are present in this area?
Steven
Oh... just me.
Ah, that's a relief. So tell me—have Stevens replaced humans as the dominant species on Earth?
Steven
Oh, no! There's lots of humans! There's my dad, Connie, Lars and Sadie, the mailman, Onion... I think—lots of people!
Steven
Now I get to ask a question. What are you doing?
"Hm, just picking up where we left off."
[one of the giant hand constructs hovers above Steven, forms a fist and plummets down at him before Garnet catches and throws it away]
"A Gem?!" [Amethyst and Pearl jump up] "Ah! More?! But the Red Eye didn't report the presence of any Gems on this planet!"
That's because we destroyed it!
"You what?! But the records say that Gems were wiped out on Earth! Wait a minute... [turns resilient] You were the ones that have been destroying my plug robonoids! Are you the reason the Homeworld warp is down again? [shows crying waffle sticker] This is your bizarre icon?! Uhrooh!! Why do you keep destroying my things!?!"
Because we are the Crystal Gems! We're still alive and we're still the guardians of this planet and all its living creatures!!
"..The Crystal Gems?" [the Gems charge and attack the giant hands] "Stop! How dare you! I'm doing this one way or another! You're just... making it... really... difficult!!"
Amethyst! Now! [Amethyst latches the hand in mid-air]
DESTROY!!! [swings hand and crashes into the power source]
Steven
Pearl! [Pearl sniffles] Pearl, you have to tell me what's wrong.
Sometimes... you even sound like her. [beat] Do you remember this place? Do you have any of her memories? We were right here... [Steven walks to her] over 5,000 years ago.
[Pearl generates a holographic projection of Rose Quartz from her gemstone and kneels behind to her. Steven looks up to her, dumbstruck. Holo-Rose turns back to Pearl]
HRHolo-Rose
[Pearl speaking her words] "Pearl..."
HRHolo-Rose
"I'm going to stay and fight for this planet. You don't have to do this with me."
HRHolo-Rose
"I know you do. Please, please understand. If we lose, we'll be killed. And if we win... we can never go home."
[wheezes] Why would I ever want to go home if you're here?
[Holo-Rose pauses for a beat, chuckles. She offers her hand to Pearl, who looks up to her]
[they grasp each other's hands, and Holo-Rose vanishes suddenly soon after]
Everything I ever did, I did for her. Now she's gone... but I'm still here. [beat] Sometimes, I wonder if she can see me through your eyes. [sighs] What would she think of me now?
[Steven hesitates behind Pearl for a long beat, and proceeds to hug her]
Steven
Well... I think you're pretty great. [Pearl starts crying]
I don't understand. That thing has laid dormant since we found it.
I haven't heard a Wailing Stone activate since we used them for the rebellion, and I've never heard it sound like that!
Someone is trying to send us a message.
But who?! We've rounded up all the Wailing Stones on Earth, and we're not sending this message to ourselves! Unless... Amethyst, is this a prank?!
No way! I want it to stop!! I DON'T LIKE IT!!
If it's not coming from Earth, then a Gem must be sending this message from space.
Steven
Is that... what some Gems sound like?
No, no. We should be hearing a voice. Maybe this signal is too advanced for the Wailing Stone to process. That would explain the distorted audio.
Steven
..Audio? My daddy-o knows audio!
Steven
Yeah!
Don't whine. Let's try it.
[appears as a visualization on video] Steven!
Steven
Lapis?
I can't believe my flipping eyes!
I hope you're able to hear this. There's a Gem that's looking for you. She even knew your name! I don't know how... I didn't tell her, I swear! She's on her way to Earth... and she's not alone! Steven, Homeworld... it's not the way it used to be. Everything here is so advanced! I can't even understand it. There's no way anything on Earth can stand up to it. Please, don't put up a fight. It'll only lead to devastation!
[Video suddenly cuts to static; The group pauses for a beat]
[worried] It's Peridot. She must be talking about Peridot.
Steven
Lapis... she sounds so unhappy.
Steven
What's wrong with the microwa—ow!! [grumbles] What is the meaning of this?! [knocking on door] Huh? [walks to the door, opens it] Mayor Dewey?
MDMayor Dewey
Hello there, young Universe. Any of your... sisters home?
Steven
My sisters?
MDMayor Dewey
Your caretakers, you know. The tall one, the purple one, the hot one? [Steven stares for a beat] Look, the power's out and I've been mayor long enough to know they had something to do with it.
Steven
..My sisters?
MDMayor Dewey
Is there anyone else I can talk to about this?
Steven
Pearl!!
Coming! [walks to him with the robonoid] Oh, can I help you?
MDMayor Dewey
Yes... oh, hi! Uh, Beach City is currently experiencing a widespread power outage— [the robonoid sparks]
Oh, don't worry about that. The power should be back on as early as tonight, or as late as... never.
MDMayor Dewey
Never coming back!?!
MDMayor Dewey
No, no, no! It has to come back! The people of Beach City can't handle a situation like this! They need their electronic distractions so they won't notice that this town is a magnet for disaster!!
Oh, don't be dramatic. I saw humans get on fine without power for millennia. You used to hunt and gather. [chuckles] What happened to that?
MDMayor Dewey
You don't understand! Sure, things seem calm now in the light of day, but when the sun goes down, so does... the town.
Steven
[beat] He's right. Mayor Dewey, this is our responsibility. We'll help you clean up this mess.
[inside] No, we won't! [Pearl goes back inside]
Steven
I'll help you clean up this mess.
MDMayor Dewey
Okay. But you're not getting paid.
Steven
Maybe when Peridot gets to Earth, she'll see how nice all the people are, and she won't want to hurt anyone.
You're just like your mother.
Steven
Yeah?
Yeah. But these other Gems aren't like your mother. They're not like Garnet, Amethyst or Pearl—they're not gonna start caring about people now. They didn't the first time they—
Steven
The first time they what?
I mean—it was thousands of years ago! It's— it's not like I was there! [pauses for a beat] Th-the Gems should be telling you all this stuff, but... I get it, I mean—they don't want you thinking of them like that!
Steven
Like what?
[Greg is profusely sweating with fear]
Steven
Dad, like what?!
Like aliens, Steven!! Aliens who invaded Earth!!
Steven
What..?
All they do was try to make up for it, but... they just can't forgive themselves! Do you understand? Look, they were doing something awful to the planet, and your mother couldn't stand it anymore. She told me that's why she had to turn on her own kind. She gave up everything just to stop what they started here and drive the invading Gems off of Earth.
Steven
So... sh-she saved the world, that's good!
Uhh, no such thing as a good war, kiddo. Gems were destroyed. People too. In the end, your mother could only save a handful of her closest friends. If it weren't for her shield, man... I don't know.
[Greg looks at teary-eyed Steven for a beat]
Bu-but hey! Let's look on the bright side! We're gonna drop by that waffle place in a couple miles.
Steven
We gotta go back! Turn the van around!!
No way! The Gems don't want you going back!
Steven
I know they're just trying to protect me, but... I have to protect them! I have Mom's shield! They need me!
Steven
Please, Dad! What if they get hurt?! [Greg is still driving straight] Dad, turn around!! DAD!! [breaks into tears and punches the glove compartment] TURN THE VAN AROUND, PLEASE!!!
Steven
No!
I won't let you risk your life!
Steven
[tearing up] But this is my home, and you're all my family! [his gem glows]
Steven
I'm… I'm a Crystal Gem TOO! [jumps in front of the firing beam from the ship and summons out Rose's shield, protecting the Gems and himself]
[turns around in shock] That shield! That symbol! [Steven collapses to the ground after his shield dispels] You! You have the power of Rose Quartz!
Now do you believe I needed an escort?
Fire a barrage, widespread! [to Steven after the ship fires a cut line across the beach] Rose, why do you look like that? Why are you so weak?
It wasn't relevant to the mission!
Forget about the mission!
Yellow Diamond needs to see this... thing.
[the red-colored Gem runs to a cell with Steven and gasps]
GGem
Oh, it's just you...
Steven
Lapis! [Lapis looks behind] Lapis, I can get you out! [moves his arms forward]
Steven
It's okay, I can—
No! I don't want your help! Things are bad enough as it is! I've already made too much trouble. Once we get back to Homeworld, they're going to decide what to do with us.
GGem
ARRGH!! I don't have time for this!! [runs off]
Steven
Wait!
Steven, whatever you're doing, just stop. If we do everything they say, they might go easy on us.
Steven
But they're... mean! They hurt my friends, they hurt my face! They've got you here in prison!
That's why we can't fight them.
Steven
That's why we have to fight them!
[Lapis turns herself to the right side, looking down on the floor]
Steven
I'll come back for you.
I saw the spaceship starting to leave and then it crashed and I came back and— [sees Steven's black eye] Ugh, your eye... But you're okay! I guess those jerks were no match for the Crystal Gems!
Steven
No way! They were super strong!
But you were able to beat them back?
Steven
No, they totally stomped us! This warrior Jasper was super beefy and knocked me unconscious. Then they abducted me onto the ship because they wanted to take me away forever, and then we crashed the ship and I almost died! [Greg freaks out]
W-What do they want with you?!
Steven
They think I'm Mom.
Ar-are more Homeworld Gems gonna come after you?!
Steven
I— uhh... I don't know. Maybe?
Steven, I'm supportive and very proud of you... and I'll be right back. [runs into his van] Gotta calm down. Where's my— [brings a series of CDs up front] Where's my relaxing music CD?! This one? [inserts CD; starts blaring loud metal music] Wrong one!! Stop!! Eject!!
Oh! I see... You come up here to brood too!
Steven
Brood?
Yes, Steven. That's just what people like us do. Suffer quietly, shouldering the knowledge no one else can bear.
Steven
Hm.
As an aficionado of the weird yourself, you've probably noticed ordinary people fear the cold leaded anchor of the truth. The abyss is no Sunday swan ride.
Steven
I know! My dad flipped out when I told him!
Sounds typical. But it's a good reminder. This is no easy path we've chosen here. There are... sacrifices. Look at them all down there, Steven. It's our duty to let those simple people live out their simple lives, without ever knowing the burden of being friends with us.
Steven
At least we can be there for each other.
Is that giant hand from the sky sitting right in the middle of the beach?! I gotta get some of this for my blog!
No whining. We need to start cleaning up the debris.
Garnet's right. People are already coming back into town!
Steven
We've got to keep them off the beach. If any humans got access to Gem technology, [shuts blinds] they could really hurt themselves. Maybe we should shut them out... for good.
You know... we did once have a fence. Let's get a new one—with barbed wire!
This time, let's build a moat. I could be... [shapeshifts her head] the crocodi-i-ile!! Jazz hands!
You always say you'll be the crocodile, but you never commit!
Steven needs to see his father and his friends.
Steven
No, I don't! I can't keep clinging to the vestiges of my humanity. It's time I got serious. [his phone starts ring-toning again] Errh!
Steven, why is your communication device playing that song?
Steven
It's Connie, trying to call me... but I can't face her anymore.
So... you're just going to ignore her forever?
Steven
It's the responsible thing to do.
[sees thru blinds] It's gonna be hard, 'cause she's coming up the steps right now.
Steven
What?!
Steven
Family stuff is tricky.
BSBuck, Sour Cream, and Jenny
Mmhm.
Steven
A few months back, my dad and the Gems grounded me from TV.
BSBuck, Sour Cream, and Jenny
That's the worst. / Bummer. / No way!
Steven
And then I found out that the Gems are alien rebels and that there are other Gems out in space that want us dead 'cause they think we're traitors. And they tried to take me hostage 'cause they think I'm my mom. And... maybe I kinda am? [sighs] I wish I could talk to Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl about it, but... I think they kinda blame me for my mom not being around.
[Buck, Sour Cream and Jenny are in a state of shock for a beat. Jenny turns off the radio]
Steven
I guess.
Steven
Oh, my gosh, Uncle Grandpa! You're really here, I can't believe it! I mean… I literally can't believe it. How is this even possible?!
Don't worry, bro. None of this is canon. [pulls a real cannon out of Belly Bag] But this is! [launches his head like a cannonball with smoke trails spelling "APRIL FOOLS" and crashes into a ship with Lars and Sadie on it]
What's going on?! Who is this stranger?
Steven
He's not a stranger, he's Uncle Grandpa!
[Uncle Grandpa honks his nose]
So that would make him Greg's brother… and father?
That would explain a lot.
BBBelly Bag
That's right! He's not just your Uncle Grandpa, Steven. He's everyone in the world's Uncle Grandpa! And when he comes to town, you're sure to have a fun time.
[All their heads circle around the Earth in space]
Steven
[laughing] We're in space!
Steven Universe · 493 quotes
