Steven drives his car down a road with "Can't Hold Me" by Emily King playing.
"Oh, man, I can't get enough of this song!" Connie turns up the volume and sings along as she looks out the window.
"And that was "Can't Hold Me" by Emily King, just one of the many songs you can request tonight at the Starlight Roller Rink featuring DJ Sour Cream!" Sour Cream exclaims on the radio.
Steven looks in his rear view mirror, spotting his sister's car driving behind him.
Connie looks back as well, "What do you think she's listening to?"
"My guess? Alarm! at the Dancehall." Steven chuckles to himself, "She's been listening to that band since she was...well the age I am now."
Pearl helps to roll up Bismuth's sleeve, the rainbow Gem blushing, "I'm so excited for you to get out there and experience some interpersonal relationships with humans, Bismuth!" Bismuth chuckles in response as Pearl unbuttons the Gem's shirt a little bit, patting her shoulder, "Don't be afraid to show off your gem. They're going to love you for who you are."
"Hope I can keep up."
"The most important thing to remember is-" Pearl gets cut off as a commercial comes on.
"Are you tired of shady mechanics bleeding you dry?"
"Ahhhh! I love this song!" Pearl exclaims.
"Bring it to Cams!"
Steven chuckles, "You mean this commercial?"
"Turn it up!" Pearl reaches over and turns up the volume, singing along, "Cam's Camshafts is the place to bring your wreck! Get your car repaired for cheap and fair without risking your neck! Cam's Camshafts!"
Steven and Connie start laughing before it dies down.
"I really hope Isabella loves the surprise." Connie smiles hopefully.
"Of course she will!" Steven exclaims, "After everything that's happened, I think this is just what she needs."
...
Pearl walks into the Starlight Roller Rink first, everyone else following her in, "Here we are!"
"Wow! So you mean to tell me people pay to have wheels strapped to their feet for fun?" Bismuth asks in amazement, "That is really something else..."
Steven looks over at something, "Hey, Sis! There's Sour Cream!"
Sour Cream was the DJ, "Keep skatin' in circles. You're doing great."
"Is this the surprise?" Isabella asks.
"I don't know about this, y'all. I've never skated before." Bismuth says.
"This'll be our first time skating." Steven gestures to himself and to his sister as Pearl looks for someone.
"How'd you end up missing out on this popular human activity?" Bismuth asks them.
"Well, with everything that's happened since we got our powers, we've kinda missed out on a lot of human stuff." Isabella explains.
"But hey, it can't be that hard to skate, right?" Steven laughs.
"If it's anything like dancing, I'll be fine!" Isabella adds before turning to her brother, "But seriously Steven, this is the surprise?"
"It's part of the surprise." Steven told her.
"Yoo-hoo! There you are!" Pearl runs over to three people.
"Yo, Pearl!" the trio stand up as the four start laughing.
"Wow, so that's Pearl's fan club, huh? They seem so..." Bismuth watches as Pearl pulls a roll of toilet paper out of her gem and throws it to one of her friends, the four laughing again, "friendly and interesting."
"It's like she has a whole other life going on." Isabella comments.
Pearl waves them over, "Isabella, Steven, Connie, Bismuth, this is Khadijah, Jaime, and Brandish. They're just a few of my human friends."
"So have you guys known Pearl long?" Khadijah asks.
"My sister and I have basically known Pearl our whole lives." Steven answers.
"Pearl taught me how to use a sword." Connie adds, "With Isabella's help too."
"I guess I've known Pearl a, uh, few thousand years." Bismuth chuckles.
"That's right! Bismuth also built Little Homeworld." Pearl told her friends.
"You're also an architect?!" Khadijah asks in amazement.
"Somethin' like that." Bismuth gets led by Pearl, the two of them and Pearl's friends walking away.
"Hey, let's get our skates on." Connie advises.
"Okay." Steven smiles.
Isabella raises an eyebrow, "Can you guys please tell me the surprise. I'm dying here."
"You better not be!" Steven jokes, making his sister laugh.
...
The three put roller skates on, tying their laces.
"Alright! You two ready?" Isabella asks.
"'Mm-hmm!" Steven nods.
Connie stands up, "Then let's get this-"
"Whoa, is that Connie?" a girl and a boy skate over to them.
"Patricia! Daniel!" Connie exclaims.
"What's up?" Daniel asks.
"Is this the surprise?" Isabella whispers to Connie, the girl shaking her head and giggling.
"Steven, Isabella, these are a couple of my friends from Cram School."
"Oh, uh, h-how's it going?" Steven stands up.
"It's cool." Daniel answers.
"You shoulda seen Daniel earlier. He was all bent out of shape cause his mom tore into him over his last test scores." Patricia says.
"UGH! You know I kinda forgot about it for a sec."
"Heh. I know how that is." Isabella spoke up, "One time, White Diamond tore into my brother and I. Literally."
Steven chuckles uneasily, "She, uh, she took our gems, we're part Gems, by the way, she pulled them right out of our bodies."
Daniel and Patricia stare at each other in confusion, "Okayy."
"So, what grade are you in, Steven?" Patricia asks.
"Grade? Uhhhhh, ahhh, sixteenth?"
Patricia chuckles.
"So you're taking AP classes?" Daniel asks.
"Uhhhhh."
"Y'all ready to skate?" Connie asks.
"Heck yeah!" Patricia laughs as she, Connie, and Daniel skate off to the roller rink.
Isabella facepalms, "This is what happens when I lose all my friends. I make things awkward. Why did I mention the White Diamond thing?"
Steven sighs, "It's okay, Sis. I really blew that one. I bet if they were enemy Gems, we'd be best friends by now."
Hey, Steven! Come on!" Connie waves him over as Patricia and Daniel enter the roller rink with her.
"Alright, here I come! Ah!" Steven rushes in, slipping and falling over.
"Woah, are you okay?" Connie asks.
Steven laughs nervously as his sister rushed over, "Yeah."
"It's your first time, right?"
Steven tries to get up, but fails, "Uh, yeah. But I'm sure I'll get it."
Connie raises an eyebrow, "Do you want some help?"
"No, thanks. I'm okay." Steven tries to stand up on the edge of the rink, slipping but managing to catch himself, "You can go on without me. I'll catch up."
"Oh, okay." Patricia says.
"Yell if you change your mind." Connie told him as she, Patricia, and Daniel skate off.
"Don't worry about me." Steven nervously laughs as he slowly skates across the edge of the rink, "I'm already getting the hang of it."
"They just passed you again, bro. Let me get-" Isabella steps onto the rink and nearly falls, but someone catches her.
"Whoa! Falling already?"
Isabella's eyes widen as she looks over at her brother, who was smiling.
"Surprise, Sis!"
Pearl, Bismuth, Khadijah, Jaime, and Brandish skate past, laughing.
"Wow, Bismuth. The way you skate is like marvellous." Khadijah compliments.
"I love your flow." Brandish adds.
"Well, you guys ain't see nothing yet!" Bismuth accidentally bumps into Pearl, picking her up and swinging her across as they laugh, "Careful there!"
"Bismuth, you're a natural! Now, get this. When humans want to see each other again, they exchange "numbers". You should try it. I'm sure you'll have fun."
Bismuth laughs, blushing, "What are you talking about? I'm having fun already."
"Oh! Here, take this." Pearl pulls a roll of toilet paper from her gem, giving it to her, "Every human has at least one of these in their homes. Sometimes they even use it for vandalism. Good luck out there!" she skates and twirls away.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"You don't need me anymore, Bismuth. The humans already love you. I'm going to make some connections of my own!" Pearl skates over to an old man skating, "Hello, fellow skater! Would you like a fresh roll?" she pulls out another roll of toilet paper and gives it to him.
"Have fun."
"Hey, Bismuth! You gotta show us more of those cool moves." Jaime told her.
"Well, if you insist!" Bismuth starts to skate again.
"Woo! Alright!" Jamie cheers as he, Khadijah, and Brandish follow her.
"See? You're doing great." Lars helps his girlfriend skate around.
"Lars, when did you get back? I thought you left for space?" Isabella asks.
"I did, but Steven told me that...you weren't doing so well."
"What do you mean? I'm fine."
"Isabella, he told me about the plant thing."
"Oh, that! Yeah, so I named a plant after you! That's not a big deal!"
Lars frowns at her, "I was talking about the rampaging cactus."
Isabella's eyes widen, "Uh..." she fakes a cough, "Man, I'm parched! I'm gonna go get some water!"
"Babe, let me get it, okay?" Lars reassures her before skating off. He gets off the rink just in time to see Steven falling over at the exit from exhaustion, "You okay?"
"Okay, one lap! I think that deserves a break."
Connie skates over, "Hey, Steven. Hey, Lars."
"Connie! Where are Daniel and Patricia?" Steven asks.
"Who?" Lars look at him in confusion.
"My friends from Cram School. They're still having fun on the rink." Connie explains before turning to Steven, "Did you wanna hang out? I don't have to skate, you know?"
"No, no. You're here to have fun. You're so busy studying. You should get to be with your friends." Steven told her.
"You're my friend. We could sit and have some tater tots?"
"No, no. You should skate." Steven gets up with Lars help, "I want you to skate."
"Well, okay then..." Connie skates off.
Steven groans to himself, "What am I doing?"
"Isabella's not saying anything about the plant incident you told me about." Lars told him.
"What?! I thought for sure she'd open up!"
Bismuth skates over to them, "Hey, Steven. Hey, Lars. Done tearing it up?"
"Bismuth, I think I've forgotten how to talk to humans." Steven told her.
"Really? Have you tried one of these?" Bismuth hands him the roll of toilet paper Pearl gave her.
"What is that supposed to do?" Lars asks.
"Pearl says it's supposed to help."
"Maybe later..." Steven says.
"What's the deal? I thought you got along great with humans. What about Connie and Greg?" Bismuth asks.
"Greg's my dad, he doesn't count. And Connie, it's fine when it's just us, but I don't know how to talk to her when she's with her friends. You did fine making friends, right, Bismuth?"
"Oh, yeah, um. It was alright." Bismuth told him.
"Alright? It was what you came for, wasn't it?" Lars asks.
"Uh, well...um." Bismuth looks out at the skating rink, specifically at Pearl.
"W-Wait, Pearl? Bismuth, you're here for Pearl?"
Bismuth covers Steven's mouth, "Shh!" Pearl looks over at them for a moment, waving as the two wave back.
"Are you trying to hide it from her?" Steven asks.
"I just don't wanna take her away from what she's got. She's got her own thing going on. She's like the Pearl I remember, but a little different. She's happier. I just wanted to catch up." Bismuth blushes.
Lars looks over at Isabella, who looked a bit anxious about falling, "I'm gonna go talk to Isabella."
"Yeah. When Connie and I were fighting to save the universe, things were sort of easier. We were fighting the same fight, now it's like we're living different lives. I wonder if I'm even her best friend anymore."
Bismuth slams her arm on the edge of the rink, "How long has this been going on?"
"Uh, a couple months."
"Listen, Steven. Pearl brought me here to set me up with her friends, you brought Lars here so he could be with Isabella, but Connie came here to be with you. You've got nothing to mope about."
"But her friends think I'm weird."
"Of course you're weird! You're a Crystal Gem! Connie knows that, she's always known that. That never stopped you from being friends."
"You're right. Connie knows who I am, she's been my friend, she's still my friend!"
"So, what do you want?" Bismuth asks.
"To do friend stuff with Connie."
"And what are you gonna do?"
"Skate with Connie!"
"Then go do it!" Bismuth pushes Steven into the rink, the teen boy skating towards Connie.
"CONNIE! Ah!" Steven trips and faceplants into the ground.
"Steven?" Connie turns to see him sliding across the floor as everyone stares at him. She skates over and kneels down, "Steven! Are you okay?"
"Connie, I'm sorry. I don't wanna hold you back."
"I don't mind."
"You've got cram school, new friends. You're going places, and I'm happy for you. But I feel like you're drifting away from me. I wish we could reconnect, but- I don't know how to skate!" Steven told her.
"Skating is what you're worried about?"
"Babe, listen, I..." Lars turns to her, "I want to stay on Earth until I know you're okay."
"Lars-"
"Isabella, look into my eyes and tell me that you are okay."
Isabella looks at him, "I'm o...I'm...I..." she sighs, "I can't."
Lars smiles and holds her close, "See? There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's okay if you're not okay."
"Alright, everybody. It's time for our nightly skate competition. Everyone show off your sickest moves, and be crowned "skater of the night!"" Sour Cream announces.
"Come on. I have an idea." Lars smirks.
...
"Lets get this party started." Sour Cream plays "Can't Hold Me" by Emily King mashed up with a song by Alarm! at the Dancehall.
Larella skates into the rink, zooming past everyone, high-fiving Bismuth and spinning Pearl around. They spot Stevonnie skating around as well, the fusions nodding at each other. They skate around each other before grabbing each other's hands, fusing into another fusion that jumps into the air and does the splits while landing. The crowd cheers as the music stops.
Pearl claps, "I know them!"
"I think we can agree who the winner is unless someone wants to follow that up." Sour Cream says as the crowd shakes their heads, "I guess that makes the winner by default, the fusion of Larella and Stevonnie!"
The fusion picks themself up and smirks as they unfuse, Steven and Connie laughing as they each had one skate on.
Isabella laughs as well, "That was so much fun!"
"Steven, Connie, Isabella! That was amazing!" Patricia exclaims.
"What the heck was that out there?" Daniel asks.
"Oh, fusion? Yeah, that's kinda our thing." Connie answers.
"It's something my brother and I picked from our mom's side of the family." Isabella adds.
"The only thing I get from my mom's side of the family is stressed out." Daniel says.
Isabella laughs, "Same."
"What was it like the first time you guys did that?" Patricia asks.
"Okay. So, we were at this rave, right-"
"Oh, you too?" Lars raises an eyebrow at Steven.
"Yo. Isabella, Lars, Steven, Connie. Since ya'll won you guys get to pick the next song." Sour Cream called them over.
"The next song?" Isabella asks.
Steven looks over at Bismuth and Pearl, "I know the perfect song! Come on!"
"BRB!"
The four skate over to the booth.
"Hey, Sour Cream. I got a song for ya." Steven says.
"This one goes out to Bismuth and Pearl from Isabella, Lars, Steven, and Connie." Sour Cream announces.
Bismuth turns and blushes as Steven winks, Isabella giving a thumbs-up. The commerical starts up.
Pearl happily skates over to the rainbow Gem, "Bismuth, it's my fav song!"
Bismuth laughs and begins to sing along to the commerical, Pearl looking in surprise as they dance, "Cam's Camshafts is the place to bring your wreck! Get your car repaired for cheap and fair without risking your neck!"
"Cam's Camshafts!" Pearl sings and laughs before skating off with Bismuth as the commercial song ends.
"Lets spice this baby up!" Sour Cream plays different music as Steven and Connie skate off as well, wrapping their arms around each other.
Isabella giggles as Lars grabs her hand, skating with her.
Patricia and Daniel smile as they follow after them.
Bismuth grabs Khadijah's hand, followed by Jaime and Brandish.
Steven and Connie look at each other and laugh, blushing.