Gem Glow.

~Narrator's POV~

"Noooo! This can't be happening! This has to be a dream!" I cried in dismay and distraught. I ran over to my friend and threw my arms around his waist, "Lars! Lars! Please tell me I'm dreaming!"

"Get off me, man. I'm stocking here." Lars told me, walking off and leaving me to face-plant the ground.

Oh, I'm sorry. I should introduce myself. My name is Steven Quartz Universe, but everyone calls me just Steven. I'm 13 years old and... Well... I'm not really a normal kid. Despite my dark brown hair, eyes and peachy skin, I'm Half-Gem and Half-Human.

My mother was a Gem. Gems are a magical alien race that are personifications of our own gemstones; rubies, emeralds, diamonds, pearls and even quartzes.

Lars is one of my friends in my hometown of Beach City. He's quite tall and skinny. With ginger hair styled in some kind of poofy mohawk, fairly tanned skin and dark brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, Steven. I guess they stopped making them." Lars' colleague, Sadie, apologized and explained.

Sadie is actually nicer than Lars. Unlike him, her build is more short and stout. Nearly the same height as me. Sadie has shoulder-length curly blonde hair, pale skin and deep blue eyes.

I sat straight up again, "Stopped making them? Why in the world would they stop making cookie cats? They are only the most scrumptious and delicious ice-cream sandwich ever made! Don't they have laws for this?"

Lars sighed, continuing to stock the shelves, "Tough bits, man. Nobody buys them anymore. I guess they couldn't compete with Lion Lickers."

Wait. Did he say 'Lion Lickers'? I groaned in slight annoyance. You can't be serious, "Not Lion Lickers! Nobody likes them! They don't even look like lions! Kids these days. I'll tell you what!"

Then I sighed and walked over to the Cookie Cat freezer, "Oh, sweet cookie cats, with your crunchy cookie outside..." I drew the symbol on the glass of the door, "Your icy creamy insides, you were too good for this world."

I kissed the symbol and hugged the freezer. Sadie spoke up, "Uh, Steven? Do you want to take the freezer with you?"

I looked at her and nodded.

*A Little Bit Later...*

With Sadie's help, I was able to get the Cookie Cat freezer strapped to my back and made my way home, which was a bungalow built into the hands of the Gem Temple.

Like I said before, Gems are a magical alien race that are personifications of our own gemstones; rubies, emeralds, diamonds, pearls and even quartzes. They take humanoid forms with elven ears, different colored skin, and color-coded outfits.

My mother was named Rose Quartz, and I've been told she gave up her own physical form so I could live.

My father is a human, named Greg Universe. He used to be a building-up rock star, until he met my mother. Now he owns the local car wash.

Since my dad is still trying to pick himself up from losing my mother and handling me, he entrusted me to my guardians, the Crystal Gems: Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst and my best friend, Ellie.

I entered through the front door and spoke up, "Hey, guys! You won't believe this!"

Before I could continue, some centipede monster attacked me. I tried to pry it off, until it was tied and pulled back by a black and purple whip.

I looked behind it and saw the whip belonged to Amethyst. "'Sup, Steven?" She greeted, then threw the monster across the living room.

Amethyst is a purple Gem. A Quartz, like my mother, but she's about the same height as me. Maybe about an inch or two taller than me. And her Gem placement is in the center of her chest.

Her skin is a shade of purple. Her long, wavy hair reaches past her ankles and bangs cover her left eye. It's a very pale lavender color.

She wears a darker purple tank top with the right strap hanging over her shoulder. Under her tank top, Amethyst wears a pair of black overalls with purple stars at the knees and white boots.

I looked around and saw Pearl fighting off more of the monsters at the Warp Pad with her spear and ballet moves. And Ellie was with her, slicing through the monsters with her scythe.

Pearl is a tall and skinny Gem. Her stature gives her a crane or swan feel. Her Gem placement is her forehead.

Pearl's skin is white, or a very pale cream. Her short pointed hair is a pastel orange and she wears a yellow, sheer, short dress over a pastel blue tube top and pastel pink shorts. Pastel blue socks and pastel green shoes.

Ellie is a Spinel Gem, but she prefers being called Ellie, as it brings her closer to being human. She stands just a few inches shorter than Pearl and her Gem is an up-side down heart embedded in her chest.

Her skin is a magenta pink with darker pink hair tied in pigtails. Her eyes are the same color as her hair. She wears a black t-shirt under a pair of dark pink overalls with a star on her right hip. White tights and pink sneakers.

Pearl knocked a monster over toward Garnet. Garnet broke its back and threw toward another. She continued fighting more of the monsters near the kitchen, using brute force and her gauntlets.

Garnet is the tallest Gem out of my guardians. She has a slim torso and a thick lower body. Calm and mysterious as she is beautiful. She's unique because she has two Gems. One in each palm of her hands.

Her skin is a brick red color. Black square-shaped afro. You can't see her eyes because she wears a pair of shades that hide her eyes.

She wears a black and red body suit with a star on her chest, dark red sleeves and black gloves under her gauntlets.

One of the monsters leaped on top of Garnet's head. She calmly grabbed it, ripped it in half and it poofed like a cloud, so the monsters must be involved with Gems.

It turns out the entire house was infested with the monsters. I put the freezer on the couch next to me and gasped, "Whoa! What are these things?"

Another monster crawled past me. Pearl picked one of the monsters, "Ugh! Sorry, Steven. We'll get these centipeetles out of your room." Then she turned to me, "We think they were trying to get into the Temple."

"You don't have to get rid of them. They are really cool!" I encouraged.

However, the monster, centipeetle, spat acid at me. I stepped back and the acid hit the floor, melting a hole through the floorboards.

Amethyst threw another centipeetle into a wall and the monster poofed. "Um, you guys? These things don't have Gems." She alerted.

"That means there must be a mother somewhere nearby." Garnet summarized.

Another monster tried to surprise-attack her, but Garnet punch-poofed it without flinching.

"We should probably find it before anyone gets hurt." Pearl suggested.

I got excited and asked, "Ooh! Ooh! Can I come? Can I? Can I?"

Pearl looked at her and grabbed the centipeetle's head, "Steven, until you learn to control the powers in your Gem, we'll take care of protecting humanity..." She snapped its neck and dropped it, "Okay?"

I sulked and sighed, "Aw, man." Then I heard the refrigerator door open and noticed a centipeetle was going through it, "Hey! Get out of there!"

I chased it off, "Go on! Shoo! Shoo!" Once it was gone, I looked at the mess it made, "Aw! They got into everything!" I looked at the bug and shouted, "Not cool!"

Ellie giggled and smiled, "Looks like I need to go grocery shopping."

Garnet punched it toward the Temple's door.

I looked into the freezer and saw familiar pink wrappers with a smiling cat on them. Wait a minute!

Stars appeared in my eyes, "No way! I-It can't be!" I grabbed one, as Pearl closed the freezer, "Where did you get these?! I thought they stopped making them!"

Ellie giggled and shrugged, "Well, we heard that, too, and since they are your favorite-"

"We went out and stole a bunch." Amethyst finished.

Pearl glared at the purple Quartz and corrected, "I went back and paid for them."

"The whole thing was my idea." Garnet spoke up, making her gauntlets disappear into her Gems.

"It was everyone's idea." Amethyst interjected.

"Not really." Garnet answered.

Pearl folded her arms and sighed, "All that matters is that Steven is happy."

I was so happy, I broke into song of the Cookie Cat theme,

'Ahhhhhh! He's a frozen treat with an all-new taste,

'Cause he came to this planet from outer space.

A refugee of an interstellar war,

But now he is at your local grocery store.

Cookie cat, he's a pet for your tummy.

Cookie cat, he's superduper yummy.

Cookie cat, he left his family behind.

Cookie c-a-a-a-a-a-t!'

"Now available at Gergins off Route 109." I finished.

Garnet and Ellie clapped while Amethyst and Pearl giggled.

I looked at the wrapper and smiled, "I can't believe you did this! I'm gonna save these forever!" Then I opened the wrapper, "Right after I eat this one. Hello, old friend."

I took a bite off the left ear of the ice cream sandwich. Yum. Raspberry and vanilla ice cream in a chocolate cookie wafer. So good! Happiness and delight filled me to the brim, "So good! I like to eat the ears first."

"Uh, Steven." Amethyst called me with wide eyes.

I looked and noticed a bright pink glow coming from my stomach. I lifted my shirt, "Wha-?" The glow got brighter, it was coming from my Gem. I gasped, "My Gem!"

"Quick! Try and summon your weapon!" Amethyst encouraged.

"I-I don't know how!" I answered. The glow must be responding, because it was starting to fade. "Aah! It's fading! How do we make it come back?!" I panicked.

"Calm down, Steven." Pearl told me calmly, "Breathe. Don't force it."

"Yeah. And try not to poop yourself, either." Amethyst added.

"Please, don't." Garnet agreed.

Unfortunately, the glow vanished. All of us sighed as I sat on the floor.

I sulked, "Aw! I was really close that time!"

Ellie shrugged, "There's always next time."

She put my sandwich back into its wrapper and put it back into the freezer.

I sighed and looked at my guardians, "Can one of you just explain how to summon a weapon?"

Pearl quickly raised her hand, "Oh! I'll go first!"

*A Little Later...*

Pearl lead me out of the Temple and to a cliff with a cherry blossom tree.

"Pay attention to these petals, Steven. The petal's dance seems improvised, but it is being calculated in real time, based on the physical properties of this planet. With hard work and dedication, you can master the magical properties of your Gem and perform your own dance!" Pearl told me. She closed her eyes and summoned her spear from her Gem. Then she caught a petal with ease, "Like so."

I looked at the ground and picked up a punch of the fallen petals.

*Later, At the Big Donut...*

I started practicing with the petals, by throwing them into the air. However, I'm not having much luck. Amethyst came by from picking out donuts from the garbage.

"Did Pearl tell you the petal thing?" She asked me.

"Yeah. I need to practice really hard, so I can dance like a tree..." I answered, "I think..."

"Listen, Steven. All that practice stuff is no fun." Amethyst told me. She took a bit from the donut and continued, "Whenever I need to summon my weapon, it just happens!"

She closed her eyes and reached for her Gem. Her Gem glowed and she summoned her whip. She used her whip and sliced the dumpster in half.

"See? Didn't try at all." Amethyst smiled.

I scratched my head in confusion. Try hard and try nothing at the same time? I don't get it.

My train of thought was broken by a loud gasp. Lars just arrived, with a bag of leftover donuts, "Again?!"

Amethyst and I quickly left the scene, before he found out how it happened.

*Later, That Night...*

I joined Ellie at the beach, as she was strolling alongside the waves.

"I don't understand, Ellie. Pearl says it comes with practice, but Amethyst says she doesn't need to try at all. Is that how it is with you?" I asked.

Ellie shook her head, "Not really." She reached for her Gem, "When I summon my scythe, my Gem reacts to my emotions. When it's time to fight and I need to protect my friends, my weapon is ready to be used."

Her Gem glowed and she summoned her scythe and gave it a few twirls with a small smile.

"At least, that's how I summon my weapon." She finished.

*The Next Morning...*

I joined Garnet at the lighthouse, at the top of the temple.

"So, I'm supposed to work really hard and not try at all at the same time?" I asked her, "Or think about how I feel about the situation?"

"Yes." She answered, then her Gems glowed, "Or you can link you mind with the energy of all existing matter, channeling the collective power of the universe through your Gem, which results in..." She summoned her gauntlets, "At least, that's my way of doing it."

I just stared in dumbfound. Work really hard, don't try at all, use my emotions, link my mind with the energy of the universe?!

Okay... Now my head hurts.

*Later That Day...*

~Ellie's POV~

"I think my best bet is to re-create what happened the last time my Gem glowed." Steven thought, as he gathered me and the other Gems to the fridge, "So Garnet and Amethyst were here." He strategized, as Amethyst sat on the counter, "Pearl and Ellie were next to the fridge." Then thought for a moment, "Hmm, hmm." Steven pointed at Amethyst, "Amethyst, I think your arms were crossed."

Amethyst nodded and folded her arms, "Okay, your majesty."

"And, Pearl, your foot was like this." Steven spoke up, moving Pearl's right foot a small angle. Then he looked at me, "Ellie, your head was slightly tilted." I slightly tilted my head to the right. Steven nodded.

"I don't think it works this way, Steven." Pearl shrugged.

But Steven didn't listen and turned to Garnet, "And, Garnet." He grabbed her face and re-positioned it, "Uh... Uh... Yeah." He opened the freezer and grabbed the Cookie Cat he took a bite of yesterday. He removed the wrapper, "Then I took a bite of this Cookie Cat." He was about to take a bite, then realized something, "Oh! Wait! I sang the song first!" Then he started singing again, "Uh, he's a frozen treat... All new taste... Interstellar war... And now available at Gergins." He sighed, "Aw! It was funnier last time!"

Steven lifted his shirt to checked his Gem and there was nothing happening. He sighed with a sulk, "Maybe I'm not a real Crystal Gem."

Pearl knelt to his level and assured with her hand over his shoulder, "Don't be silly, Steven. Of course you are."

Amethyst nodded, "And you're fun to have around, even if your Gem is useless." Pearl growled and Amethyst corrected herself, "I mean you're one of us, Steven. We're not the Crystal Gems without you."

Garnet quietly nodded in agreement.

I sat to Steven's level, "Come on, Steven. Don't be blue. Even if you don't have powers, you've still got Cookie Cat!"

Steven looked at me, then the others. They were all smiling at him. Steven regained his smile, "I guess you're right, Ellie." With that, he took a bite of the ice cream treat in his hand and smiled. He smiled in delight, "So good!"

Suddenly, his Gem glowed out of his shirt again. This time, it glowed so brightly, it projected a small pink shield in front of him. It had a vine pattern spiraling toward the center. The rim was white. And the center had an emblem of a spinning triangle. Rose Quartz's shield. Garnet, Amethyst and I gasped in awe and shock.

Pearl gasped, "Steven! It's a shield!"

Steven opened his eyes and gasped as he saw the shield, "Whoa! What?! I get a shield?!" He jumped for joy, "OH, YEAH!"

The shield flew away from Steven and bounced off the corners of the house, until it crashed into Steven's tv in his room. Amethyst and I laughed. That was funny and incredible!

Steven looked at the Cookie Cat in his hand and exclaimed, "Cookie Cats! I can summon my weapon by eating ice cream!"

"I don't think that's your secret, Steven." I spoke up, tilting my head slightly.

Pearl picked up the wrapper on the floor, "What's in these things?"

Then the ground started shaking. It's not an earthquake. Shadows of the centipede monsters crawled up the window. And there was a huge one following them. Steven's shield vanished from the television.

"What was that?" Steven asked.

Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst and I ran outside and there was a giant centipede monster on top of the Temple. This one had a Gem in its mouth. Longer green-ish white hair. And it was angry.

"It's the mother!" Garnet alerted, as she jumped into action.

Pearl looked at Steven, "Stay in the house, Steven!"

Steven shook his head, "No way! I'm coming too!" He ran inside and grabbed a bunch of Cookie Cat treats and the themed fridge.

Garnet delivered a kick to Centipeetle's face, but that only made her angry. Garnet jumped down to the sand and Centipeetle followed after her. Amethyst, Pearl and I looked at each other and joined the fight. Centipeetle picked herself up and growled at us. She spat a stream of acid at us, but we jumped out of the way and ran behind a rock formation of a hand. Centipeetle resumed spitting acid at the rock.

"We can really use Steven's shield right about now!" Amethyst pointed out, as the rock formation started to melt behind us.

Suddenly, we heard Steven's voice shout, "Hey!" Centipeetle turned to face the young Half-Gem, "Leave them alone!"

"Steven! No!" Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst and I shouted.

"Cookie Cat-Crystal Combo Powers, activate!" Steven shouted, as he grabbed a treat from the fridge, unwrapped it and ate the treat.

He lifted his shirt, but his Gem wasn't glowing and no shield. Centipeetle aimed to attack him. I quickly slithered over to Steven, grabbed his hand and ran from Centipeetle. Steven grabbed two more of the treats and unwrapped them.

"Goodbye, my friends." He whispered.

"Steven..." I tried to speak, but he stuffed the two treats into his mouth.

Steven swallowed and his stomach growled. Still no Gem glow or shield.

"Why isn't it working?!" Steven exclaimed.

Centipeetle spat acid at me and Steven. I grabbed my best friend's hand and jumped out of the way.

"Steven! Spinel!" I heard Garnet call, but she got caught by the monster's tail-pincers.

The Corrupted Gem turned its attention back to Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst. Steven picked himself up and looked at the Cookie Cat fridge. It was melted half-way through. No more Cookie Cats.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Steven cried, running toward what was left of his gift. He reached to touch the machine. It sparked and shut down. Steven sulked and started sobbing.

"Cookie cat, he's a pet for your tummy..." I started singing, as anger started burning in my heart, "Cookie cat, he's super-duper yummy..." I picked up a the wire connecting to the fridge, "Cookie cat! He left his family behind!" I charged toward the Corrupted Gem, "Cookie c-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-t!"

I threw the fridge toward Centipeetle. Direct hit and shocked the beast.

"Now available nowhere..." I finished, falling to my knees, as my anger vanished and sadness replaced.

"Yes!" Amethyst shouted in cheer.

"Gems. Weapons." Garnet instructed. She, Amethyst and Pearl burst out of their hiding place, weapons summoned, "Let's do it."

Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst charged toward the Corrupted Gem and defeated it. The creature poofed with only a green, round gemstone remaining. Garnet bubbled the Gem and teleported it into the Temple.

Steven buried the last wrapper of the Cookie Cats, "Farewell, sweet Cookie Cats." He put a leaf over the small grave, "I'll always remember the time we spent together."

I joined him, but his stomach growled and he leaned over.

Steven put his finger over his mouth, and his other arm over his stomach, "Shh. Hush now."

"Are you crying?" Amethyst asked Steven, joining us.

"Only a little!" Steven shouted with tears running down his cheeks.

She sat beside Steven, "Well, I guess your powers don't come from ice cream."

"Of course they don't come from ice cream!" Pearl nodded in a 'I-Told-You-So' tone.

I glanced at her, but smiled and put a hand of assurance over Steven's shoulder, "Don't worry, Steven. I'm sure someday you'll figure out how to activate your Gem."

"Yes." Garnet nodded towering over us, "In your own Steven-y way."

Steven regained his smile, "Thanks, guys. That means a-" His stomach growled again and Steven doubled over in pain, "I think I might have eaten too many Cookie Cats."

Steven, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst and I giggled, but Steven threw up over his Cookie Cat grave.