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It was just another average day for the Crystal Gems. No monsters had been spotted near the area, so they were all mostly doing their own sort of thing. Currently, Steven was sitting in Amethyst’s room, helping her dig through mountains of stuff to find something of interest. It was then that he came upon it. That photo. It was the one he had found a long time ago, which contained a picture of his mother and the other gems in a boat. Garnet was punching a shark, which Steven chuckled slightly at. She had always been the toughest of the group, and it showed.
He suddenly wondered what exactly was going on during the time the picture was taken. It was obvious that it was during the Revolutionary Era, seeing as that was the style of clothing at the time. A part of him wondered if cameras even existed at the time, but that thought was quickly shoved away as he continued to think upon the origin of this picture. What was going on during the time? Why were they in a boat? What did the shark have to do with it? He had so many questions, and absolutely no answers.
He then realized that the best way to find out about the photo, was obviously to go ask someone. He stood up from his place among the piles of junk, taking the photo with him. He then walked over to Amethyst, before clearing his throat and beginning to speak. “Hey Amethyst, I found this picture in the piles over there, and I was wondering if you could tell me about it.”
Amethyst turned quickly away from the pile she was currently looking through, glancing over at the other. “Wait what?” She then looked at the picture he was currently holding, and a wave of realization hit her. “Ohhh…that picture. Yeah I can totally tell you about it! So it all started loooong ago…”
The year was 1776. The war between the 13 colonies and the British was in full effect, and many people had already died. It was during this time that the Crystal Gems had already been settled in the continent for several centuries beforehand. Normally, the rule was that they refused to get involved in the petty conflicts of humans, refraining from causing any disastrous effects through their own assistance. However, seeing as this involved the fate of the place that they had decided to call home for several centuries, Rose had insisted that they help the colonies regain their freedom from the cruel British monarchy. It would be easier to maintain their place if they had a hand in helping form the nation, after all.
So it was due to this fact that the group of gems had went to General George Washington, and signed up to help assist in the rebellion. Once their abilities were clearly demonstrated to the leader, they were enlisted immediately, and became a key part of the war. Because of their unique abilities, Washington had placed the gems on a very important mission, to deliver supplies across the Delaware in a small boat. They would be accompanied by three of Washington’s best soldiers, as they knew of the location to which the supplies would be delivered.
As they left the camp towards their mission, Pearl decided then was a good time to speak up. “Are you sure we should be doing this, Rose? There’s sharks, in that river! You could get hurt. Or eaten. And what about the humans going with us? They’re not even as strong as us! If they die it would be our fault!” She continued to ramble about all the negative consequences, concern evident in her tone of voice.
“Of course I’m sure! We need to do what’s best for the community as a whole. And if that includes delivering supplies, then that is what we shall do. Human life is just as important as our own, and it is our duty to help protect this planet and all the creatures on it. The safety of this small, growing nation is at stake. Therefore, we must deliver these supplies safely, in order to make sure the peace between our races can be maintained. Not only that, sharks are not as dangerous as you make them out to be, Pearl. They are living creatures, just like the other things upon this planet. We need to respect them as well,” Rose replied calmly, attempting to emphasize the importance of what they were doing to her concerned friend.
“I think it’s a great idea! Plus sharks are super cool!” Amethyst chimed in, a grin upon her face. Being the youngest of the gems, as well as born upon the planet in which they resided, she loved almost everything it had to offer.
“Everything will work out fine, I know it. Our assistance in this war will help this nation grow into a much better place,” Garnet added in, patting Pearl gently on the shoulder as she did so.
“Okay…if you say so.” Pearl sighed, seeing that she was outnumbered. Plus, if Rose believed that it was a good idea, then it usually was. After all, that was what made her the leader of their small group.
They finally arrived at the shore, where the boat, supplies, and three crewmen were waiting. Rose greeted the humans politely, while the rest of the Crystal Gems began to load the supplies upon the ship. It was a fairly small craft, which only made Pearl more concerned about the safety of their group. After all, smaller ships were more likely to topple over. However, Rose was quick to quell the other’s fears, as she ceased talking to the crewmen to comfort the other.
Once everything was loaded upon the ship, they started off to cross the Delaware. Unfortunately, the river was much more volatile than they had counted on, and the boat swayed much more than intended. The gems worked to keep the supplies safe from the incoming waves, holding tightly to make sure they wouldn’t fall overboard. Unfortunately, their assumption that the humans would maintain their position in the boat was disregarded, as one of the three fell out into the icy water.
It was then that the sharks began to approach, smelling food within the water. The man was pulled under by one of the sharks, gurgling on water as he tried to escape. His clothing was torn away, and Amethyst and Pearl both quickly went into action. Each of them grabbed one of his arms, attempting to pull him from the water. Rose continued to watch guard, searching for signs of any danger ahead of them as the boat continued forward.
Another shark approached the small craft, leaping up into the air in an attempt to get into their boat and feast on the flesh inside. As Amethyst and Pearl continued to help save the drowning man, Garnet stepped up upon the bow of the boat, and socked the shark in the face. The men that were still within the boat were amazed at the impressive feat, and cheered as the shark fell back into the water. More cheers were released as Amethyst and Pearl pulled the man back into the ship, with only a few bite marks for his troubles.
Rose picked up one of the blankets from within the supplies, wrapping the now wet and unclothed man in it. She then returned to her post, staring out ahead in search of any more danger upon the river. Once they made it ashore, near the camp to which supplies were meant to be delivered, the drowned man was led inside one of the hospital tents by Garnet. The rest of the crew and Gems began to unload the other supplies, bringing them to the leader of the camp there.
They had successfully completed the difficult task, and were rewarded by the camp by a feast that night. It wasn’t often that the soldiers there were given a celebration, so it was a wonderful moment for the whole group. Songs were sung and everyone enjoyed themselves for once, all thanks to the Crystal Gems brightening up the dismal conditions with their own, bright personalities. War was cruel, but one night of celebration was able to make it much better, even for a little bit.
The man the Gems had saved upon that craft had never forgotten what they had done for him. After the war had ended, he went to a painter of the time and commissioned the man to paint the scene in which they saved his life, as well as the lives of everyone upon the boat. He emphasized their heroicness, and the beauty that each of them displayed in that moment. After the painting was done, he went to the home of the Crystal Gems and delivered it personally, thanking them for all they had done.
“And that’s how it happened. You shoulda been there Steven! It was awesome!” Amethyst finished her story, grinning. However, as she saw the expression Steven had on his face, she corrected her statement. “Oh…Right sorry about that. The whole being your mom thing and stuff. Anyways, it was pretty scary too. I thought that dude was gonna croak for sure!”
“I’m glad he didn’t! Then I wouldn’t get to see this picture of Garnet punching a shark!” Steven’s dejected expression turned into a smile once more, as he looked at the picture again.
“Yeah me too. He was a really chill guy. It sucks that he’s dead now, though. I guess that’s what I get for getting attached to squishy humans, I guess.” Steven frowned at this, and Amethyst quickly corrected herself again. “Sorry again, Steven. Jeeze, I gotta watch what I say. I’m really glad I got attached to you, though! You’re my favorite squishy human!” She then tackled him in a hug, which caused him to giggle.
“Heheh, thanks Amethyst! Hey uh…do you have any other cool stories about you guys before I came around?”
“Duh! Of course I do! All my stories are cool. Anyways, what do ya wanna hear?”
“I dunno. Why don’t you decide?”
“Alright. I guess I could tell you about that one time. It started a few decades ago…”
The year was 1924. Prohibition was running high and mobsters all over the nation ran speakeasies to satisfy the demanding public. The Crystal Gems had been maintaining the control of earth for a few millennia now, keeping it safe from any Homeworld Gems that might want to invade. Humans all over Beach City were talking about the new laws, and in murmured conversations would mention these things called speakeasies, where they could go get a drink in a not so legal manner.
Amethyst, being the curious gem that she was, had occasionally listened in on these conversations. From them, she was able to learn about a cool human beverage called “alcohol”, which they all seemed to love. It had apparently been around as long as humans had, but it was only now that Amethyst really payed attention to it, seeing as it was such a big topic of conversation these days. She also noticed that, from the conversations, the human government had made this drink “illegal”. She had never really cared much for human laws before, seeing them as less of a necessity and more of a suggestion. So, in a state of rebellion, she had decided to go visit one of these so-called “speakeasies”.
She had attempted to convince the other gems to come along with her, but they all shook their heads, stating that they didn’t want to get involved in any “human business”. After all, the gems wouldn’t be very useful to Earth if they were stuck in jail. Plus, Rose had a sort of respect for the human laws, deciding that if she was going to stay on their planet, she might as well follow their rules. The other gems advised Amethyst to do the same, but of course they knew she wouldn’t listen. Therefore, they just stated that she needed to be careful and not get caught.
After the conversation and lecture on not getting into trouble, Amethyst headed down to one of the only speakeasies they had in the small town of Beach City. It was called The Juicer, and it was hidden away in a back corner of the small town, where it wasn’t very noticeable. She smiled a little to herself, finding the humans to be very clever about hiding how they broke their own rules. She then stepped inside, looking around at the other humans already in there.
There were a variety of different people, both women and men, in all sorts of different attire. It was obvious to pick out between the people who had money, and those who didn’t. However, it seemed that in this case, the difference in wealth did not separate the humans like it often did. Instead, they all mingled together, starting different conversations and just chatting over the drink they called booze. Amethyst only became more fascinated in this beverage, seeing as it had the strange effect of bringing humans of completely different classes together.
She sat down at the counter, pulling out a few dollars from her gem and slamming them on the counter. “Gimme one of those drinks called ‘alcohol.’”
The bartender glanced between the money and her, chuckling slightly. “Alright kiddo. Whaddya want? We got beer, whiskey, moonshine, wine, scotch, and any other beverage you can think of.”
“Whatever you think is good. I don’t know much about this stuff, honestly.” She shrugged, looking down slightly.
“Yeah I can tell. Hey…Aren’t you one of them Crystal Gems I hear about every so often? I heard those guys once saved an entire building of people from a big fire and such,” he stated, as he began pouring Amethyst a glass of whiskey.
“Yep that’s us. I’m Amethyst. What’s your name?” She took the glass as he handed it to her, studying the liquid inside.
“The name’s Sal. You ain’t working with those cops, are ya?”
“Nah. I’m not a big fan of the ‘rules’ those guys talk about all the time.” She took a small sip of the drink, before shrugging and downing the rest.
“Yeah. Me neither. Those guys really are a buzzkill. Also that right there drink you just downed was whiskey, just so ya know. It’s my personal favorite.”
“Cool! It’s pretty good. Can I have another?” She held out her glass to him.
“Of course you can. With the money you gave me, you can drink for the rest of the evening.” He filled her glass up again, setting it back in front of her. He then turned his attention to the newest customer that entered the speakeasy, getting their drink request.
Amethyst continued to down glasses of alcohol, deciding to try a different one each time. Seeing as she was a Crystal Gem, it didn’t seem to have the same effect on her as it did on the other patrons of the place. She was slightly disappointed, as it seemed to be a fun time, acting all weird and stuff because of some drink. She still got amusement out of watching the other people in the place, however. They acted really stupidly. One guy even stood up on the table, belting out some love song to the crowd before his friends had to pull him down. As she was laughing at the guy, another man slid up next to her.
“Hey darling, mind if I buy a nice lady like you a drink?” the man slurred, obviously drunk.
“Nah. I got all the drinks I want right here. But that lady over there looks like she could use a drink.” She pointed to another woman across the bar, not turning to look at the man.
He put a hand on her shoulder, leaning over her. “But I insist. Wouldn’t want a fine gal like you missing out on a fine piece of work like me.”
“Dude, I said no the first time.” She shrugged him off, a little bit too forcefully.
“Alright. Fine then. I didn’t wanna have to get rough, but I guess I’m gonna have to.” The guy swung a punch at Amethyst, but just as his fist was about to make contact with her face, he was in the air, flying across the room. The whole room was in awe, watching as the man soared through the air, thrown by the gem currently back to sipping at her drink at the counter.
After the guy had recovered, he stood up, stumbling back over to her. “Nobody throws me, and especially not some lady!” He swung another punch at her, obviously not smart enough to take the hint the first time.
“Alright dude. If you want a fight, I’ll give you a fight.” She let the guy hit her, before engaging him in a full out barroom brawl. The lecture about not getting into trouble was forgotten as Amethyst threw punches left and right, barely earning a scratch on her. The fight ended up with the man unconscious on the floor, dead to the world. Amethyst grinned, wiping her hands together. “That was pretty fun! We should do that again sometime. Also just so you know, I’m not a lady. I’m a Crystal Gem.” She then sat back at the counter, finishing her 10th drink.
The room stood silent for a few minutes, awestruck at the events that had just unfolded. Then, a few men emerged from the crowd. They were wearing fine tailored suits, and appeared to have been observing the fight. They approached Amethyst, sitting on both sides of her at the bar. The rest of the room went back to their drinks and conversations, no longer interested in the events taking place in the other part of the room.
Amethyst glanced over to the guys, downing the rest of her drink. “Do you guys wanna fight too? Cuz I can give you all the full Amethyst knock-em, sock-em combo.”
One of the men on her left side spoke up. “We don’t wanna fight, no. But we would like ta offer you a job.”
“A job? What kind of job? Cuz I’ve kinda already got a job. Y’know, protecting the Earth and all that stuff? Someone’s gotta do it.”
“Yeah yeah…but this is a different kind of job. You’d make lots of money,” another guy spoke up, this time on her right.
“I don’t really care about that…money thing. And you still haven’t told me what this job is,” she commented, a glare shot towards the man that had just spoken.
“You’d be working for the mafia. We’ve been looking for a new enforcer, and you have just the kinda skills we need. Plus you got that rule-breakin’ attitude. We could use a person like you in our little…group.”
“Sorry dudes. Not really interested. You guys are kinda too…mean and stuff. At least from what I heard. Plus I’m not really supposed to get involved in human stuff.”
The man on her right shrugged. “Alright, but you’re missin’ out. If you ever change your mind, just come let us know.” He slid her a card, with an address on it. “Also, get rid of that card once you memorize it and stuff. Can’t have people knowin where we at and all that, now can we?”
“Alright. Can do buddy.” She mock saluted the guy that handed her the card, before turning back to the counter. The men then got up and disappeared as quickly as they had come.
After she finished her drink, she took the card and headed back to the base. At least if she ever needed a place away from the Crystal Gems, she knew where to go. It had been a pretty eventful day, and she was ready to return home. Plus, she had some cake waiting for her in her room.
“So that’s the time I almost got a job in the mafia. Did you like it?”
“Like it? I LOVED it!! That was sooo cool! Especially how you beat that guy up! Crash. Boom. Bang!” Steven grinned, obviously excited by the story Amethyst had told.
It was then that Pearl wandered into the room, making a face as she looked around at the obviously dirty surroundings. “Amethyst, have you see- Oh there you are, Steven! I was just looking for you! I was wondering what kinds of things you wanted me to buy you from the store.”
“Oh right. Can you get me some ice cream? Oh oh and chips! Amethyst ate all the rest of mine,” he replied, looking at Amethyst with a slight face of disapproval.
Amethyst just shrugged in reply. “What can I say, dude? Your chips are really good!”
“Alright. I’ll add those to the list. But I’m getting you some vegetables too. A growing boy like you needs vitamins and protein. At least…I think you need those things…” Pearl frowned, thinking for a moment. She wished she could remember human’s needs better. It was always so difficult sometimes…
“Yeah…I do,” Steven answered honestly, although with a hint of disappointment. He pouted slightly, obviously disappointed that he would have to eat vegetables with his chips. He perked up quickly though, remembering the story. “Hey, Pearl! Did Amethyst tell you about the time she almost joined the mafia?”
“Oh dear…You didn’t tell him about that, did you Amethyst?” Pearl looked over to the other gem expectantly.
“I uh…might’ve told him a little bit about it.” Amethyst shrunk back slightly, preparing for the lecture she was about to receive.
“Amethyst! I told you not to talk to Steven about such…inappropriate topics! He’s only a young boy! He doesn’t need to hear about such awful things like…like…booze and sleazebags! And especially not about that crooked mafia!”
“Yeah yeah, whatever. Stop being such a buzzkill, Pearl. Steven’s old enough now!” Amethyst replied, crossing her arms.
“No he’s not! He’s only 14! That is nowhere near old enough to be able to handle such serious topics!”
“It is too!”
“Is not!”
“Is too!”
Steven was snickering as the two continued to bicker, when Garnet entered the room. “What exactly is going on here?”
“Amethyst told Steven that awful story! The one about the sleazy bar,” Pearl chimed in, crossing her arms and turning up her nose.
“Excuuse you! It’s called a speakeasy! Get it right, Pearl.” Amethyst retorted, sticking her tongue out at the other gem.
“That’s enough. Both of you. Now Amethyst, maybe it was a bit of an inappropriate story for Steven,” Garnet began, looking pointedly at the youngest gem.
Pearl smirked, looking to Amethyst. “See? I was right!”
Garnet cleared her throat. “I wasn’t finished. Now Pearl, you should also realize that Steven is much more mature than he once was. You need to have more faith that he can handle such stories!”
“Hah!” Amethyst grinned, blowing a raspberry at Pearl.
Pearl just huffed, leaving the room to go buy groceries. Steven knew that the anger between the gems would soon dissipate, as it always did. Therefore, he wasn’t too concerned about the tension that was left between the two. Plus, he was going to get ice cream soon!
Garnet smiled then, sitting down beside Steven. “Now that that’s settled, it’s my turn to tell a story…”