Later that night, Lapis was sound asleep with her magic carpet draped over the foot of her bed like a throw blanket. In her sleep, the young girl heard something, a voice calling her name; a very familiar voice.
"Lapis." the voice echoed in her subconscious. "Lapis."
In her dreams, Lapis saw a blue light glow. And from that light, her mother appeared before her; much to the girl's tearful surprise.
"Mom?" she gasped. "Is that really you?"
"Lapis, my little girl." Blue Diamond smiled.
"How are you here?" the genie hybrid asked.
"I'm communicating with you through your dreams." the mother genie explained. "But, I cannot hug or touch you."
"Oh Mom, I miss you and Dad so much." Lapis told her in tears. "I feel so alone."
"But, you're not alone, dear." her mother reminded her. "You have your brother with you and new friends as well."
"You're right." the blue-haired girl said. "I know what I am now and once I'm strong enough, I'm going to save you."
"And that is why I'm reaching out to you." Blue Diamond spoke solemnly. "White Diamond is on to you, Lapis. He has asked his son Jasper to send his gang of criminals out to kidnap you."
"I just ran into a couple of them earlier today." her daughter gasped.
"You mustn't let White Diamond and Jasper capture you." the genie mother warned her. "If you end up in the emperor's clutches, he will destroy you. You must trust in your magic and trust in the ones who love you for the sake of your protection."
Just then, Blue Diamond started to fade before Lapis' eyes.
"No!" she cried out in tears. "Don't go. Mommy!"
"We'll be together soon, sweetheart." her mother's voice resounded. "In the meantime, you be safe."
Meanwhile in the waking world, Lapis was shedding tears in her sleep; once again indicating that she missed her parents badly.
The next day, the trio of genie teachers introduced Lapis to her next lesson: levitation. It sounded easy enough. It was just lifting objects off the ground. But, this was one of the hardest magical skill for the genie hybrid to master.
"Come on!" Bismuth chanted. "You gotta put in more effort than that. Again."
"Look, I really am trying." Lapis panted after her fiftieth attempt. "It's just that my magic is so frustrating to control. And just recently, I didn't even know I had magical powers."
"Don't worry, Lapis." Peridot said coolly. "Every genie goes through stress when it comes to mastering their magic."
"Yeah but, I feel like being half human is making it even harder for me to control my powers." the genie girl confessed. "I just don't know what to do."
"We know a couple of genies who might be able to help you." Garnet told her.
Just down the block, the group of eight arrived at a medium-sized building and Garnet gave a knock on the door. It opened to reveal a pair of genies that were rather short in stature.
One of the two genies was a bit more muscular. She had scarlet skin, black eyes, and burgundy colored hair held up by a maroon headband. She wore a red and yellow top with a vest of a lighter red, embroidered denim pants held by a maroon belt, and pale red heels.
The other genie had light blue skin, bright blue eyes, and long pale blue hair. She wore a dress with all different shades of blue and a small silver pendant.
"Garnet!" the red genie beamed. "We didn't expect to see you so soon."
"Lapis, meet Ruby and Sapphire." Garnet introduced the small pair. "They're known known as the best emotional support duo in all of Zanaraha."
"It's pleasure to meet you, young Lapis." Sapphire said, shaking the hybrid girl's hand.
"So what brings you to our fine neck of the desert?" Ruby asked.
"Lapis here is a half human/half genie." Bismuth explained. "And she has very little experience with genie magic. It's been giving her all kinds of stress. We were wondering if you could help her."
"Of course." agreed Sapphire. "Come with us, Lapis."
She took Lapis by the hand and guided her inside. Everyone else tried to follow her, but Ruby stopped them in their tracks.
"Sorry, guys." the red genie apologized. "But, this is a private session. So, you're gonna have to sit this one out."
"Wait!" Lapis panicked a little. "I don't want to be apart from my friends."
"Don't worry, dear." Sapphire calmed the hybrid girl. "You're in good hands. We promise you'll be safe."
"It's alright, Lapis." Steven told his sister. "We'll stay and guard the door until you get back."
Ruby and Sapphire showed the young hybrid into their office. It was very complacent with a comfy looking loveseat, cushy chairs, and downy cushions on the floor.
"So, Lapis." began Sapphire. "We understand that you've only been in Zanaraha for a few days. Are you starting to adjust to this realm?"
"Well, it's kind of hard to adjust in a city where outlaws run amok." Lapis replied as she sat down on the loveseat.
"The outlaws are the least dangerous things you'll encounter in this world." Ruby scoffed.
"Really?" the hybrid girl said. "What could be more dangerous than criminal genies?"
"Well, there are sand people who abduct anyone who treads through the desert." the red genie answered. "You also have to watch out for mesmerizing cobras, the siren of the oasis, and gargantuan bandit eagles that would love to snatch up genies like you."
The details were too much for Lapis to handle. She was hugging her knees and hiding her face in them.
"Ruby, settle down." Sapphire ordered. "You're scaring her."
Ruby saw that the young genie girl was trembling in the loveseat still hugging her knees to her chest.
"My bad." she giggled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry about that." her partner apologized. "Ruby can sometimes get a little overzealous. Let's just focus on your powers for now."
"Look, I really do want to be stronger in my powers, but I'm worried that being human might make my magic have limitations." the young genie admitted. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just inadequate."
This made her therapist ponder for a moment.
"Let's try this meditative exercise." Sapphire recommended. "Close your eyes."
Lapis complied, letting darkness eclipse her vision.
"Now, think about the ones you love." the light blue genie instructed calmly. "Your parents, your brother, your friends, maybe even someone that you're in love with."
A faint blush lit up the hybrid's cheeks when she thought about her crush Jamie.
"Now imagine they are in danger." Sapphire continued. "What's the first thing you feel?"
"Terror." Lapis responded, her voice cracking a little bit. "Sheer terror."
"That's okay." the genie therapist said. "But, what else are you feeling?"
"I feel like I have to save them." the hybrid girl answered, her confidence starting to peak. "Because if I don't, then who will? I don't care if I'm scared, I won't let anything or anybody take the ones that I care about away from me!"
In that moment, her eyes opened and glowed a violent white. An immense burst of blue genie magic pulsated from Lapis and she started to float off the floor. So did everything else around her (that wasn't attached to the floor).
"You are indeed powerful, Lapis Lazuli." Sapphire commented as she and Ruby were being levitated.
"What's going on in there?" Amethyst asked as she and her friends were watching from the windows.
After a little bit, Lapis' power settled down and the white glow in her eyes faded. Everything stopped floating and the young hybrid held her head, feeling dizzy like she had just come out of a trance.
"I think I blacked out a bit." she groaned, her head spinning. "What happened?"
"Well, you're obviously not inadequate because you're half human." Sapphire clarified.
Just then, Steven and the other genies burst in making sure that their friend was okay.
"You good, sis?" asked Steven.
"Oh yeah, totally." Lapis answered in a winded voice.
"Feeling less stressed about your powers now?" Bismuth wondered.
"Sure." the young girl replied, feeling like she was going to collapse. "I just need a quick two-thousand-year nap."
"I don't know what you did, but you did... something." Amethyst commented to the support duo.
"I'm glad we could be of some assistance." Sapphire said.
"Come back soon." Ruby added as she waved goodbye.
And with that, Lapis and company waved back and went on their way back home.
"By the way, how did you know that Lapis was in love with someone?" the red genie asked her partner.
"A good therapist never reveals her secrets." the azure genie winked cleverly.
Meanwhile at the criminal camp that night, Jasper had brewed up something sinister and deplorable.
"Finally." he said, revealing a bottle that glowed a toxic green. "It is ready."
"What is that?" asked Bluebird Azurite curiously.
"It's a viral concoction that I brewed myself." the evil prince explained. "Once it gets into Lapis' system, it'll make her so sick that she won't even be able to move."
"Will it be able to find the princess once you release it?" the smaller genie questioned.
"Absolutely." Jasper nodded. "This virus knows exactly what to do and who it needs to find."
To prove it, he removed the bottle's stopper and freed the noxious blend from it's glass confine. It slithered through the air towards the city like it knew where it was going. Then, it wafted through the glass free window of Lapis' temporary bedroom and entered her mouth as she was inhaling in her sleep. This potion needed a few hours to take affect, but Jasper was confident in his plan to capture his princess. So, the wait would be worth it.