Hey guys! We're back with Luna and the gang as they continue on with their adventure filled lives in Beach City. I wonder what will happen this time? Let's jump in and find out! :D
-Luna's POV-
We beamed onto the warp pad and I immediately felt the cold of the north. Thankfully, I was bundled up for the weather. I was wearing two layers of long sleeved shirts and pants. I had on snow pants and a large, dark blue winter coat with a white fur hood. I had on black snow boots, and no gloves, though I had a pair in my coat pocket.
Connie, Steven and Amos were all bundled up too, all wearing coats and layers like I was. Pearl was the only one that didn't need to wear extra layers since she wasn't effected by the cold. Steven raised his arms, saying, "We're here!"
"Wow! The Great North is so beautiful in person," Connie said. She looked up at Amos and said, "Isn't this great? Our first mission!"
"I'm surprised Circo isn't here to watch," Amos said, smirking. I giggled, "He said he didn't want to come because he's not used to the cold weather like I am. That and he wanted to talk to Eilat about something."
"Wait, wait! Stay right there!" Steven said excitedly. He walked away from the Warp Pad and pulled out his phone. He held it up and said, "Smile!"
Amos wrapped an arm around my shoulder and lifted two fingers in a peace symbol, I followed suit and smiled. Pearl and Connie looked at Steven's phone and smiled. Steven took the picture and said, "Okay, now one more where it looks like you're looking for a monster."
Amos and I shared a look and I cupped both of my hands over my eyes, looking for a monster. Amos pointed in a direction and puffed up his chest, trying to act like he knows where the monster is. Pearl shrugged her shoulders and Connie placed one hand over her eyes looking to the left. Steven took the picture and said, "Okay, now one like you made a joke."
Amos and I looked over at Pearl and Connie. Pearl raised a finger, as if she just told a joke. Connie hunched, looking as if she was laughing really hard. I smiled and put a hand over my mouth, looking as if I was giggling. Amos rolled his eyes just as Steven took the picture. Steven smiled, "Okay, now do one where the joke's not that funny, but it's more like a joke that makes you... think."
Pearl smiled and said, "Okay, I think that's enough photography."
"But it's Connie's and Amos' first mission! Connie's parents and Amos' mom asked me to take lots of pictures."
"Uh.." Pearl said, unsure. Connie looked at Pearl and said, "Thank you so much for letting us come on this mission, Pearl!"
Connie then bowed, saying, "It's such an honor to work alongside you."
"Well, Connie, your sword fighting skills have far exceeded my expectations. And, with my careful supervision, of course, I'm confident that you can handle a simple Gem recovery mission like this," Pearl said. She looked at Amos and said, "And you've come quite far with your hand to hand combat training, Amos. This should be easy for you too."
"Thanks Pearl," Amos said, smiling. Connie beamed with determination, saying, "Thank you so much! I promise I won't let you down, ma'am."
I noticed a flash of light and glanced at Steven. He had taken another picture on his phone and he whispered, "Connie's and Amos' first mission!"
I giggled and once everybody was ready, we started walking through the woods. Pearl said, "Recap the mission for us, Connie."
"A Crystal Gem named Amber sighted some corrupted gems in this area," Connie said. "It is our job to locate it, destabilize its form, and bubble it. By the way, who is Amber?"
"Long story short, she's a friend of ours," I explained. "She's a recent gem to our group but has been with the gems since the war."
Pearl's face flinched in worry for a split second before turning into an uneasy smile. I raised an eyebrow but Pearl coughed, saying, "Amber....was a complicated gem back in the war. But at least she realizes her mistakes and is a better gem now."
Pearl looked at Connie and said, "By the way, very good on the recap. Now, your human bodies aren't designed to last in this cold, so we'll have to be extra careful."
"That's okay, I've got this backpack filled with everything we need to survive in the wilderness," Connie said, shrugging her backpack. Steven shrugged his cheeseburger backpack and said, "And I've got board games in case we get bored."
"I can also get us fresh water if were thirsty," I commented. Pearl nodded, "Ah, yes. Very good."
"So, how will we know if this corrupted Gem is nearby?" Amos asked. A loud growling noise was heard and we all gasped. Pearl summoned her spear and said, "That's how! Here it comes!"
A large blue red spotted corrupted gem came running into the clearing. Steven took a picture of the gem as Connie started unsheathing her sword. I pulled my bow off my back and summoned an arrow, cocking it in place. Amos raised his fists, his knuckle busters bulging through his gloves. Pearl looked at the four of us and said, "Remember, you work together!"
"Right! Ready everybody?" Steven shouted.
"Ready!" We all responded. Suddenly, a similar corrupted gem came running into the clearing. But it was brown with tan spots. The two corrupted gems seem to be talking to each other and Pearl said in shock, "Two of them?!"
The two corrupted gems kept talking until the two started running towards us. "Steven bubble! Luna wings!" Pearl shouted.
I rushed forward and summoned my wings, covering everybody. Steven summoned his bubble, covering everybody in a second layer of protection. The two corrupted gems jumped over us and the two ran into two separate directions. We all watched in confusion and Steven and I dismissed our shields. "They... ran away?" I asked.
Pearl sighed, "There weren't supposed to be two..." Connie's face lit up and she said, "Oh! Oh! I have an idea! We could split up! You can go after one of them, Pearl, and Steven, Luna, Amos and I will go after the other one."
"Connie, you and Amos are my pupils, so I know your combat skills are excellent. But I'm afraid this is too risky. You and Amos never been in a real fight before," Pearl said. Steven shook his head, "Well that's not true, Connie and Amos defeated those gem experiments at the hospital."
Amos flinched and muttered under his breath, "Don't remind me."
"But-" Pearl said. Then, Steven pulled out two Cookie Cat walkie-talkies, saying, "And look! I brought these walkie-talkies so we can talk to each other in case something happens."
"But-" Pearl said again but Connie cut her off. She pulled out a wilderness book, saying, "And I've read this book front to back at least 20 times!"
"Plus, Amos and I will be with them," I said. "So we'll be altogether if we were to find one of the monsters."
Pearl stared at the four of us, an unsure look on her face. She gave in with a sigh and said, "Well, all right. But as soon as you find the monster, contact me immediately. I don't want you fighting this thing alone. One more time, what are you looking for?"
"A monster," we all said.
"What do you do when you find it?"
"Call you."
"And whose your favorite gem?" Pearl asked with a smug look. I rolled my eyes and Steven said, "Pearlll...."
"Why thank you!" She said. We all laughed and Pearl said, "You guys keep each other safe."
"We will," I said, handing her the walkie-talkie. Our group took the right path as Pearl took the left path. We came across some tracks and Connie bent down to scoop up some of the snow. "All we have to do is follow these tracks," She said.
She ate some of the snow and said, "Yeah. These are fresh. We trail it until it stops to rest."
Steven smiled and said, "Wow, Connie, you're a wilderness expert."
"Well, I like to be prepared. When civilization collapses and this world ends, I need to be ready to build the new one," Connie said. I raised an eyebrow but said, "Yeah, I guess if Homeworld invades Earth, things could get pretty crazy for humanity."
"Forget Gems, humans are already starting their own demise! Peak oils, Steven! How do we handle terminal decline without alternate energy sources?!" Connie said, sounding like she was about to start ranting. Amos placed a hand over Connie's face and said, "You shouldn't have to worry about that yet, kid."
Just then, the walkie-talkie buzzes and Pearly said from it, "How are you guys doing? Are you hungry? Remember, you humans need to eat!"
"Okay," We all said. Steven pocketed the walkie-talkie and Connie pulled out protein bars, "Luckily, I packed plenty of survival fuel. Time to get our protein on!"
Connie handed each of us a protein bar and we all quickly ate. I pocketed my wrapper and we started following the tracks. "Good thing this snow is here, it makes following tracks a lot easier," I commented.
"I'll say," Steven said. Amos looked Steven and I, asking, "So these corrupted Gems are like wild animals. Just a bundle of fight-or-flight reflexes and survival instincts."
"Well, they're like that now, but before they were different. They used to be normal Gems like Pearl, Amethyst, Lapis and Garnet. They had thoughts, and feelings, friends... I don't really know how the corruption works. It's like they're sick. They don't remember who they used to be... Maybe they don't even know how to look like themselves anymore," I said, stopping as I stared at the ground.
Steven looked at me with a furrowed brow, having the same worried look that I had. Amos and Connie looked at me, the latter asking, "Whoa...are you okay?"
I looked up and forced a smile, "Yeah I'm okay. Just deep thinking."
"I know what'll cheer you up," Amos said. Before I could ask, he pushed me and I fell to the ground. I suddenly started rolling down the slope, picking up speed and snow. When I finally reached he bottom, I was stuck in a large pile of snow, my sight spinning. "Ugh....." I said, feeling my head spin.
When my head stopped spinning, I heard something to my right and saw that Steven must've rolled down the hill too because he was stuck in a pile of snow next to me. He smiled and said, "That was fun."
Connie rode on a piece of wood down the hill and Amos slid down on his feet. I glared at him and said, "I hate you."
"No you don't," He said, smiling. There was a buzz from the walkie-talkie and Steven managed to pull it out of his pocket. Pearl said from the walkie-talkie, "Guys? I'm not having any luck finding this monster. We might have to return to the Temple and regroup."
All four of us stared wide eyed at the walkie-talkie. It was Connie though who spoke up, "No, no! We can handle it! We're making great progress. We can definitely take care of this ourselves."
"Oh, well, you sound very confident. Carry on, then, and remember, Connie-"
"Stance wide, body lowered. I've got it, ma'am."
"Balance is the key!" Pearl said in a sing-song voice. Connie took the walkie-talkie from Steven and pocketed it. Connie helped Steven out and Amos helped me out. All four of us fell to the ground and busted out laughing. Steven looked up and his face fell, "Whoa, look at the tracks"
We all looked up and saw the tracks. Not only that, but the broken trees around the tracks. The monster prints were there but there were also humanoid foot prints. Amos walked over and bent down, taking a closer look. "Whoa. Now this is a mess. Some of these prints look humanoid... Could Pearl have been here?" He asked, looking at us.
"Pearl went the other way though," I commented. Steven took a few pictures of the footprints and Connie said, "Monster... Humanoid... Monster. What could this mean..?"
Something small and white floated down to the ground. I looked up and saw that it was starting to snow. "We should probably take shelter from this blizzard," I said. "No point staying out of the tracks are going to be covered with the new snow."
Everybody nodded and Connie grabbed a few pine needles. "But first, let's grab some of these pine needles. We can brew a vitamin C-rich tea with them, so we don't get scurvy!" She suggested. I smiled and nodded.
Steven grinned and said, "Like a pirate!"
Amos and I started laughing and Connie and Steven joined in. We each gathered a good amount of pine needles and started looking for a shelter. Amos found one in a hollowed our part of a large tree. We all crawled inside and Connie took out a blanket. As Amos and Steven pinned it up, Connie and I started the portable burner. I took some snow and placed it in the pot, making sure the water didn't burn. Connie added the pine needles and Amos and Steven sat down with us.
Because of the growing heat, we each had to take off our coats. Amos held his and I noticed new patches on his aviator jacket. "Glad to see your jacket is fixed," I said. "But what are these new patches?"
Amos looked at his jacket and turned it over. On either sleeve, were two new patches that said something I couldn't understand. He pointed to the one on his right and said, "This one, in Swahili, says, 'Baada ya dhiki faraja', which translated means, 'After hardship comes relief.' And the second one says, 'Hisani haiozi,' which translated means, 'Kindness does not go rotten.'"
"You speak Swahili?!" I asked, surprised. "That's amazing!"
"From my mom's side. Her and her family speak it so it was a requirement for me to know," He explained. He rubbed his hands over the patches, saying, "When my mom was fixing it, she taught me how to sew. When she did, I grabbed these two patches from my room and sewed them on. Just...something new to add to make it feel like my own."
I perked up, remembering something. "Oh! I almost forgot," I said. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a small box. I handed it to Amos and said, "I noticed you got rid of the gold ring earring. So I went out and got you this."
Amos took the small box and opened it. Inside, was a single gold star earring. Amos stared at it in shock, not saying anything. Steven, Connie and I stared at him, waiting for him to say something. He looked up at me and said, "Jamala yako haipotei."
I blinked, "What?"
Amos realized what he said and laughed. "Sorry," He said, wiping away the tear in his eye. "I was speaking in Swahili. I said, 'Your kindness will not be lost.'"
I felt my cheeks grow warm and said, "Oh, your welcome then." Amos smiled and Connie said, "The tea is ready!" Steven, Amos and I looked over at Connie as she poured three cups of tea. She handed them to us and said, "Try it!"
We each took a sip and immediately had the same disgusted look. "Well how is it?" Connie asked. I looked at Amos, not wanting to say anything. He looked at Steven who then said, "It's... Hmmm.... It's bad."
"Well, yeah. It's not about tasting good, Steven. It's about surviving the punishment of nature," Connie said, drinking her own cup. She made a disgusted look and we all laughed. When nobody was looking, I dumped my tea into the snow. Amos followed suit when nobody was looking. Connie looked at all of us and asked, "So, why were there humanoid tracks out there? They weren't ours, and they weren't Pearl's, it couldn't have been the monster unless it's just some guy in a monster suit but that kind of thing only happens in cartoons, usually over a property dispute."
"Maybe it is a guy in a monster costume," Steven suggested. Amos and I gave Steven a confused look and Connie asked, "You think so?"
"I don't mean literally, silly! What I mean is, there might still be a conscious Gem inside there somewhere," Steven said. I looked at Steven and asked, "Is that possible?"
"What if the monster is turning back and forth into its original form? If it is, it might not be as corrupted as we think. There might still be a chance to save it!" He said hopefully.
"How?" Amos asked. Steven looked at all of us, saying, "I can't heal Gems that are corrupted. A-at least not all the way, but if it's half-corrupted..."
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed around the area outside of our shelter. I poked my head out and heard it again. I looked back inside and said, "I think it's the corrupted gem!"
Everybody nodded and we all quickly got our coats and gear on. We all rushed out of the base, thinking of packing the stuff up later. Amos and Connie ran ahead of us, trying to listen out for the gem. They suddenly stopped and Steven and I slammed into them, not able to stop in time. "Ow...." I muttered. Amos turned to me and quickly placed his hand over my mouth.
"Sh!" He said. We all looked at saw the corrupted blue red spotted gem. It was clawing at a rock wall behind it, trying to escape. Connie whispered, "It seems scared... I-is it running from us?"
"Maybe it's running... From itself?" Steven said. Connie placed a hand over his mouth and said, "Shhh! Keep your voice down!"
"Hello, you two," Pearl said from the walkie-talkie. "How's it going? This weather has really taken a turn for the worse, and I would hate to be responsible for putting you two in danger. Make sure you bundle up with-"
The corrupted gem turned to us as Steven pulled the walkie-talkie from his pocket. "Turn it off!" I whispered. Steven struggled to turn the walkie-talkie off, saying, "I'm trying!"
"And remember, if you find the monster, don't make any loud, startling noises," Pearl continued. I looked up and saw that the corrupted gem was walking towards us. "Shut up shut up shut up!" Amos muttered.
"Stupid, slippery mittens!" Steven whispered.
"Hello?! Anyone there?! I'm just going to keep talking until somebody answers."
Without thinking, Steven threw the walkie-talkie away. "Steven!" Connie shouted. The corrupted gem was in front of us, growling at us. Connie grabbed the hilt of her sword and Amos raised his fists. Steven raised his hands, saying, "Wait, let me try talking to it."
He stepped forward slightly and said, "Hey, how's it goin'? Can you hear me? Are you in there somewhere..? You can control this. Remember who you used to be!" He extended a hand to the monster, allowing it to sniff him. The monster kept growling and Connie whispered, "Steven, I don't think it's working..."
The monster roared and lifted itself onto it's rear legs. I grabbed Amos and said, "Steven, bubble!" I summoned my wings and lifted Amos and myself off the ground. We floated in the air for a moment, looking down below as Steven formed a bubble in time. I lowered myself to the ground, putting Amos down. He rushed up as Steven's bubble popped. Steven was thrown one way and Connie the other way. "Connie!" Amos shouted.
He ran around the gem towards her and I rushed over to Steven as the monster growled at him. A snowball slammed into the side of the monster's face and Connie shouted, "Hey! Over here!"
"Connie, Amos, what are you doing?!" Steven shouted as the monster walked towards them. Connie shook as she slowly stepped back. Amos kept his hands raised, trying to find an opportunity to fight the monster. "I... I don't know! I... wasn't prepared for this!" Connie shouted.
Amos rushed forward at the monster, fist raised. "Amos no!" I shouted. The monster raised a paw and slammed down onto Amos. The monster pinned him on the ground and Amos struggled against his grip. Just then, Pearl said from the walkie-talkie, "Steven? Connie? Luna? Amos? Is this because of the "Favorite Gem" thing? Heh, that was just a joke! ...don't tell Garnet."
Connie's expression became more confident as she charged at the monster. "Connie!" Steven shouted. The monster looked up and charged at her, leaving Amos in the snow. The monster went to bite Connie, but she slid under the belly and rolled out from the other side. She grabbed the walkie-talkie and said, "Pearl! We've found the monster!"
"What?!" Pearl said.
"We need help!"
"Alright. I'm on my way!"
Suddenly, something slammed into the monster, causing it to skid away from all of us. We all looked and as the snowed fell back to the ground, we all saw Jasper standing on top of the corrupted monster. Connie raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who's that?"
"Bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bubble! Aaaah!" Steven shouted, rushing over to Connie. He made a bubble, surrounding himself and Connie. I ran over to Amos and quickly helped him up. "Are you okay?!" I asked.
"Yeah," He said, placing a hand on his chest. "Just hurts a little."
A large shadow appeared above us and we ran out of the way as Jasper threw the monster to the ground. We stood next to Steven and I summoned my wings, wrapping one around Amos tightly. He looked at me in confusion and asked, "Luna what's wrong?"
"Don't. Move," I said, watching as Jasper ripped the gem from the monster. Amos flinched at the sight and Jasper held the two corrupted gems in each hand. Amos' eyes widen and he said, "Those footprints... The monsters were running from her!"
I nodded and just then, Pearl landed next to me. "Where's the-" She started but looked up and saw Jasper. She pointed the spear at Jasper and screamed, "JASPER!?"
Jasper looked up at our group and we all stared at her in tense silence. Jasper smirked and said, "Hey Lucine, Rose, look what I got?"
Jasper lifted the two gems, showing them to us. Steven raised his phone and took a picture. Jasper turned away and disappeared into the blizzard. Steven and I relaxed, letting out sighs of relief. Steven dismissed his bubble and I dismissed my wings. Pearl looked at all of us and asked, "Are you all alright?"
"Yeah... We're fine," Connie said, sounding dejected. Pearl gathered all of us into one big hug, saying, "Ohhh, thank goodness! What a disaster! I never would've let you come on this mission if I knew Jasper would be here!"
Connie stepped back, saying, "I'm sorry..."
"What?" Pearl asked, confused. She looked up at her, saying, "I thought I'd be ready to fight, but I wasn't. I failed."
"And I attacked without thinking," Amos said, placing a hand on my chest. "I was trying to protect everybody but even then I failed."
"Connie, you weren't supposed to fight, you were supposed to call me and you did. And Amos, even though you did, it was to protect your friends. At least nobody was severely hurt. This was a total success." Pearl said. Steven and I then cheered, "Connie and Amos' first mission!"
Steven held his phone up and said, "Group picture!" Steven got all of us close together for a picture and Pearl said, " Oh! A-another picture. Tell me when you-"
Steven clicked the button and took the picture. He showed us the picture and I giggled at Pearl's expression in the picture. "Oh, no... Are your parents going to see this?" Pearl asked Connie and Amos.
"My parents see all of my photos, ma'am," Connie said.
"Same thing with my mom too," Amos said. Pearl frowned and our group headed back to our tree base. Steven stared at his phone and, when I glanced over, I could see he was looking at the picture of Jasper. "It's okay, Steven," I said. "It'll be alright."
"But what does she want with those gems?" He asked. I sighed, "I....don't know."
..............................................
What does Jasper want with those gems? But at least Amos and Connie's first mission was a success. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to update ASAP :)