Chapter Text
The gentle sound of waves brushing against the rough sound delivers a simple tranquility to the small coastal town of Beach City. The sun blazes down on the boardwalk, bouncing off windows and metal galore, offering sweltering heat to the few residents. Seagulls squawk in the air with a soft breeze, adding to the tranquility from the rushing sea. Which is swiftly broken from a heart-broken scream from the Big Donut.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” Nora screams, dropping to her knees on the crumby floor of the pastry shop, looking up at the empty freezer with a polar bear on it. “This is not happening! This is so unfair!” She sniffles, wiping her eyes dramatically as she swiftly turns to Lars, who walks by with a box of baked donuts, grabbing his waist. “Lars! Please tell you you're just restocking them”
The older boy shakes her off in annoyance, taking his earbud out to scold. “Get off me, Nora. It's just a box of donuts, not your dumb ice cream.” He places the bud back in, walking over to a fridge and beginning to stock, leaving Nora on the floor. All this is noticed by Sadie behind the counter, feeling pity for the poor 12-year-old, speaking up.
“Sorry Nora, but they stopped making them like a month ago. I guess we just finally ran out.” Sadie spouts, trying to cheer up the girl. Hearing this, however, Nora sits up, staring at Sadie from where she sticks in place, puffing her cheeks out. "Ran out?” she retorts. “How you run out? Nobody buys them but me and... oh" the girl trails on, blushing in embarrassment. "I see now. But they're just the best and most refreshing coconut ice cream bars on the planet!” Nora begins to pout, tears springing in her eyes due to her actions leading to this fate.
Lars, hearing the dramatic and in his mind, bratty monologue, speaks up as he moves to another fridge to stock up that one. “Tough luck, Nora. Maybe if youd given other people in town a chance to have some, they'd still be making some if all their sales didn't come from one freaky girl” Nora wipes her tears, gasping at Lars more than insulting nickname for her “They didn't go bust because I ate them all!" She shouts, puffing out her cheeks. "Right Sadie?"
Lars sniggers, Sadie glaring at him to stop before offering a kind nod to Nora. However, the glare does little to stop Lars from making another sparky retort to Nora. “Well if you're that distraught about your disgusting ice creams being axed, why don't you make some with your magical unicorn horn?” He snarkily jokes, taking himself and the box to the back room, earning him a Sadie slap on the way.
Nora shouts after him, stamping her foot in her untied trainers, “That's not how it works, Lars! I-is it?” She brushes the hair from her forehead aside, looking at herself in the freezer's reflection. Sprouting from the flesh is a horn-like gemstone, with 8 facets coloured a pale white with a blue-ish tint to it, inherited from her mother, Moonstone. She knows it's magical somehow, but she just can't get it to work. She sighs, letting the hair fall back into place, resting it against the freezer as she trembles.
“Uh, Nora?” Sadie speaks up, watching the strange moment with confusion etched onto her features. Not gaining any response from the girl, Sadie sighs “You gonna be okay?”. Nora nods, wiping her eyes one final time as she leaves, dejected.
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Walking down from the shop, Nora has to physically drag herself along, feeling too dejected to even do anything, a proper end of the world event for a 12 year old. She keeps walking until she makes it to the steps of her home, a large wooden beach house constructed on the front of a temple, the mountain face carved into a large 8 armed figure.
Dragging herself up the stairs, Nora makes it onto the beach house deck, looking out over the shore in front of her. She takes the time to compose herself before she hears a crash from inside. “Guys? W-what was tha-” . Before she can finish her sentence, Nora is attacked by a scuttling red creature, its legs rectangular and sharp as it climbs up her back, making her scream and squirm to get it off.
Suddenly, the creature falls off her back with a squelch, the creature's head caved in before it poofs into red clouds. Nora looks up, her body trembling as she sees Citrine standing there, holding her short mace. “Hey Nora.” She stands there with that goofy grin on her face, going for the attack on another one of the red creatures that have infested Nora's room.
In the separation between house and rock, Pearl maneuvers between the things on the warp-pad, compressing their forms as soon as she snags them with her ribbon wand. In the kitchenette, Hessonite spears multiple creatures on one of her swords, the other protecting her from others. Nora lights up, “Wow! What are these things?” Pearl looks up, having snagged a squirming beast in her ribbon as she drags it towards her, tightening the constraints. “Ugh, sorry sweetie, we'll get these Scuttlerants out of your room.” She eyes the temple door, her hair buns bouncing as she does. “We think they were trying to use the warp-pads”
Nora tilts her head, stepping towards Pearl in the chaos and at the Scuttlerant she struggles to hold. “Aw, but they look so cute. Maybe you just scared them.” Pearl purses her lips together at Nora's statement, raising an eyebrow as the creature reveals its hidden mouth, a barbed segmented tongue lashing at Nora as she stumbles back, Pearl shutting it with ribbons. “I don't think so Nora”
With a thudding sound, another Scuttlerant falls at the hands of Citrine's mace, her eyes looking through the clouds left behind and noticing the lack of any drops. “Uhm, guys,” she says, “these things don't have gems.” Hessonite glances over, eyes hidden behind her visor, “That means these are just children. The actual mother has to be nearby.” She stabs behind her, skewering a Scuttlerant that was about to pounce on her.
Pearl grunts, bashing the Scuttlerant in her grip with the end or her wand, poofing the beast. “Ugh, well we better find it before it starts breeding more of these hideous things!”. Being joined by the other three gems, they begin talking about any plan to stop these things, not noticing as Nora tries to get their attention at wanting to be on this mission, feeling dejected.
As she keeps trying to get the gems' attention, she notices one of the Scuttlerants chewing through the metal shell of her fridge with its barbed proboscis. She rushes over, kicking at the thing to make it stop “Hey, shoo you stupid thing! This is my fridge!” She jumps as Hessonite stabs the offending creature with one of her swords, poofing it and leaving the outer shell a mess. Thankfully, it doesn't look like it made it all the way through, with only the inner metal exposed, but no damage to the electronics or food inside.
She mumbles,, checking the food items inside just to be safe before she comes across sonething that makes her eyes light up. “P-Polar Bars!” She shouts, ecstatic as the three gems join her. “But Lars and Sadie told me they stopped making them!”. Pearl chuckles softly, playing with the hem of her glove nervously. “Well, we heard that too, and since they're practically you're favourite food-” Citrine speaks up, voice filled with glee. “We went out and raided a warehouse full of them” Pearl laughs nervously, “Yeah. Something like that.”
Hessonite smiles, her swords fizzing out of existence and back into her gems. “It was my idea really, I knew you would be distraught without them”. Citrine scoffs, idly playing with her sweater hem, “It was all our ideas Hess.” “Not really” The orange gem retorts. Pearl laughs softly at their bickering.
Nora squeals in glee, already ripping the wrapper off the treat in her hand, unveiling the cool white chocolate coated ice cream treat, coated with coconut shavings and shaped like a bear's head, all perfectly balanced on a stick. She giggles, humming the song associated with the snack, earning maternal and protective glances from the gems as she takes a bit from the treat, enjoying the cold flavour. “Hm,” Nora hums, her mouth full with the sweet ice cream she thought she'd never taste again. She takes another bite, unaware as her gem flickers to life, a white light pulsating from it, leaving the three gems around her in awe.
“Uhm, sweetie…” Pearl speaks up, hands shaking as she watches the moment. Nora raises an eyebrow, noticing the faint light in her eyes as she yelps, rushing to the window beside the door, seeing her gem glowing fully as she moves her hair back. “Ah! Is my gem finally working?” She replies, dropping the Polar Bar on the ground. Citrine speaks up, awe in her own eyes as she practically vibrates on the spot. “Quickly girl, try and summon something!” The Yellow gem quips. Nora tries to focus, noticing the light from her gem start to flicker into darkness. “O-oh no, it's fading! W-what do I do!?” The young one says, starting to panic, her mood affecting the other gems.
Pearl tries calming her down, placing her hands on her shoulders, “Just breathe Nora, concentrate on it, try and feel it.” Nora tries to concentrate, but her fear and panic overwhelm her, causing her gem to stop glowing completely, everyone sighing in disappointment. Nora pouts, dropping to the floor and pulling her knees to her chest. “Ugh, can't one of you just teach me how to make my gem work?” She enquires, Pearl immediately raising her hands first and dragging her out of the house.
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Having dragged Nora out of the house, Pearl took her to her favourite field of white lilies, just a few short minutes away from the central Beach City area. The bright Colourless petals contrasting against Pearl's red outfit and pink buns. Nora sits peacefully in front of her, breathing in the calming scent after her earlier panic. Next to Pearl however, is a music player she pulled out of her gem, that starts to play a soothing song.
“Watch closely, Nora. Notice how the wind guides these lilies into a perfect rhythm, their petals brushing against each other so gently, yet with just enough force to push the other one along, like one big continuous dance.” Nora nods along, doing as the slim gem in front of her says, watching the ‘dance’ of the flowers.
“Now the music. To activate your gem, you must be able to dance like these lilies like i do.” She begins to move gracefully, swaying her body like a ballerina, which she finishes by hovering her hand above the gem on her naval, the gem glowing a bright white as her ribbon wand materialises, waving it elegantly with expert control, Nora watching her intently. "Does that make sense?" Pearl asks, a gentle smile on her face as Nora nods, not wanting to hurt her feelings.
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Nora sighs, standing on the edge of the boardwalk, closing her eyes and letting the breeze blow against her, music playing on her phone as she waits for something to happen, only opening her eyes as she feels Citrine sit beside her, looking out at the ocean. “Don't tell me Pearl went all out about the dance thing” Nora sighs, her shoulders slumping as she sits next to the small gem. “Yeah, it was really confusing. She said I should be able to dance gracefully like a lily.”
Citrine smirks, patting Nora on the back, “Look Nora, that sounds great and all, but if I'm being honest? It should just come naturally to someone like you.” The Yellow gem covers her gem with her hand, immediately summoning her mace and spinning it about, before tossing it in the air“See?”. Nora nods, nervously fidgeting and cringing inwardly as Citrine's mace lands on a nearby car, smashing it to bits before it dissapears.
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On the beach outside the Temple, Nora sits beside Hessonite, watching the waves crash against the shore as she rants about her other teaching moments. “It's like they're teaching me two different things! Pearl says I should wait for the right moment, b-but Citrine says I should just be able to do it at will!” The frustrated girl crosses her arms across her chest, looking up at the tall gem for a response.
Hessonite sits there, the breeze from the ocean moving her hair buns until she speaks up, a hint of wisdom in her speech. “Maybe that's a good thing. It means they're preparing you for any circumstance Nora. Someday, you're gonna be in the right situation where your gem activates. And other times, you're gonna need to do it on a whim.”
Nora's face scrunches up in surprise, contemplating it for a moment, sighing after a moment before speaking up once more “Then, how do you summon your weapons Hess?”. The orange gem smirks, standing up from the sand. “Me? I just connect with myself in the moment.” She reaches up to her shoulders, pulling her swords from them and digging them into the sand, kicking up dust and just leaving Nora more frustrated and confused than anything.
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As the sun begins setting over another day in Beach City, Nora sits dejected at the kitchen counter, head planted against the wood as she consumes another Polar Bar, adding the wrapper to the piles beside her. The whole day had been so confusing. The gems have given her conflicting messages on how to activate her gem. Now they just stand there, trying to break Nora out of her stupor as she tries to drown them out.
“Nora,” Pearl says, breaking through Nora's persistent isolation. “What's wrong?” Nora looks up, wiping her mouth where coconut flakes stick, wiping her eyes from tears that she hadn't realised had started to form. “It's just,” she sniffles before continuing on, “you've all been giving me conflicting things on how to work my gem but, i-i don't know if I can and if I can't work it, then maybe I'm not a real Crystal Gem…” She wipes the tears from her eyes, being hugged by Pearl, her soft buns offering comfort for the moment. “Oh Nora, don't be so silly. Of course you're a Crystal Gem.”
Citrine nods, sitting next to Nora, except on the counter, eating one of the discarded ice cream treats. “Yeah,” she says, her mouth full. “even if you don't have a working gem, who's to say you're not a Crystal Gem?” Hessonite nods, ruffling Nora's hair softly, offering her own brand of comfort.
Nora chuckles, staying in their embrace for a few moments before they all let go, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. “Yeah, I-i guess I am” She laughs softly, unwrapping another Polar Bar and biting into it, lost in thought as her gem begins glowing again, brighter than before erupting in a blinding flash of light, a long stream of light curving into existence. A bright white bow materialises from the gem, wrapped in a black leather wrapping, with small moons and stars etched across its surface.
The gems gasp, bathed in the harsh white light from Nora's gem, Pearl covering her mouth, Citrine's mouth wide open and Hessonite placing her hands over her chest. “Nora,” Pearl gasps out, “i-it's your mother's bow!"
Nora opens her eyes, gasping as she notices the shield, squealing in joy. “I did it! I-i actually did it, I can summon from my gem!” Her gem flickers, the bow fizzing in and out until it explodes out of existence in a large disorienting flash of light, making Nora see stars and blinding the gem's forms for a few seconds. Once she shakes off the momentary blindness, Nora looks down at the Polar Bar in her hand, making a connection only a young twelve year old can make. “I can control my gem through ice cream!” She exclaims, Pearl picking up one of the wrappers and reading through it, concerned for Nora's health. “What the hell is in those things?”
Suddenly, the house rumbles, a terrifying screeching coming from outside as the silhouette of a large Scuttlerant looms from outside the window. Hessonite draws her swords, glancing at the other two gems, “It's the mother.” Pearl and Citrine both summon their weapons, rushing outside with Hessonite to confront the beasts once and for all. Nora, determined this time, hops off her stool, rushing after them but gets stopped at the door by Citrine, “I really think you should stay inside for this one girl, it's not safe for you this time.” Nora pouts, the door closing behind Citrine. Looking at her gem in the mirror, Nora looks at the pile of wrappers on the counter and to the fridge, where the last few remaining Polar Bars are, getting an idea.
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Outside, the gems watch as the mother of all Scuttlerants bashes its head against the temple head, trying to burrow its way into the rock. Its red colouring saturated like blood against the setting sun. The gems begin their attack, slashing at the beasts abdomen and multiple legs, serving to enrage the beast as it gives chase, spawning multiple baby Scuttlerants for protection and to distract the attacking gems.
It opens its hidden mouth, extruding its barbed tongue, the segments undulating as it scuttles back to the Temple, leaving its children to attack the gems, which has them cornered behind one of the stone hands on the beach.
"Hey!, Leave them alone" Nora shouts from the balcony, one of the coolers she has strapped to her back, filled with all the bars she has left, along with her hair tied back into a ponytail to expose her gem. She hurries down the steps, Pearl yelping in horror, "Nora! What are you doing? Go back inside this instant!". Nora doesn't listen, drawing the attention of the Scuttlerant by chucking rocks at one-off its eyes, pissing it off as it stares her down, its tongue poised to strike.
She grabs a bar from the cooler unwrapping the confectionery, praying under her breath that it works before she takes a bite out of it, straining her eyes to concentrate any incoming power into forming her bow again, but nothing happens, leaving her standing there as she panics and becomes nervous, the Scuttlerant screeching as it strikes, rushing forward.
"NORA!" All Three Gems shout, rushing past the littler pests before leaping from their hiding place to knock the beast off course and focus its attention back on them. With Hessonite and Citrine distracting it, Pearl grabs Nora back via her ribbon wand, making Nora drop the half-eaten bar and freezer from the sudden jolt, settling her safely against the stone pillar. "Are you alright?" Pearl asks, chest heaving with Nora's as the girl starts crying, hugging the slim gem tightly.
From beyond the pillar, Hessonite and Citrine continue distracting the beast, the Scuttlerant's tounge accidentally grabbing the lost Polar Bar, swallowing the treat and stopping, leaving Hessonite and Citrine on edge. Citrine pants, glancing at Hessonite. "Uhm, Hess? Any idea why it's stopped?" Hessonite shrugs, watching the beasts eyes expand as it goes for the cooler, immediately feasting on the remaining Polar Bars inside, making it distracted.
Hessonite grabs Pearl out from the pillar, Nora peaking out as the Scuttlerant consumes her last Polar Bars, leaving her heartbroken like she was at the start of the day. "Nows our chance" Hessonite commands, all three gems going in for the kill, poofing the massive beast as it screeches, leaving a bigger and much more powerful poof behind. As it poofs, so do all the smaller ones, letting out screams of pain as they evaporate from existence. Once the smoke clears, its gem lies on the floor, a simple thin rutilated shape with sharpened points, coloured a deep red. which Hessonite quickly bubbles and sends away from a simple tap.
Nora gulps, stepping out from the pillar and walking over to the eaten and gnawed at ice creams, dripping from the monsters salivia. She sighs, collapsing onto her knees in front of them. "Goodbye my sweet Polar Bars." The gems glance at each other, kneeling beside Nora as she mourns the loss of her treat. "You gonna be okay?" Citrine asks, hand on Nora's back. The girl sniffles, wiping away tears once more, nodding at her comment.
Pearl hugs her from the side and Hessonite pets her head softly. "Well, you're powers don't come from a simple human food item, thankfully." Pearl states, kissing Nora on the cheek maternally, "but that doesn't mean we won't find out soon."
Hessonite smiles, "Yeah, you'll figure it out Nora, in your own special way." Nora smiles warmly, just enjoying the moment after a stressful and eventful day.