Dawn came quickly to Beach City.

The sun rolled its way over the ocean and was soon burning bright in the clear blue sky. It fell on the usual things one expects in a beachside town: small seaside fast food joints, streets just coming to life with early morning workers making their way to their jobs, shards of pulverized green metal from the recently exploded space-hand-ship, and the hundred-foot-tall statue of the planet's alien protector.

If anyone in town thought that some or all of these things were strange, they had largely gotten over them. Their neighbors on the beach, living in the house in the statue, were sometimes frightening, often distant, but always ready to help when things in the town got too weird.

The sun peeked its way through that little house's windows, revealing a room that was simple but made with astonishing care and precision. The floor was wood, but each plank lay together in a watertight weave. The staircase, bed frame, cabinets, and doors were all crafted with a level of detail that even the most gifted human carpenter would admire. Even the young boy in the bed had been created with love; his face was open and earnest, his body was fat, but it hid a surprising strength below, built from excessive energy and activity, and his curly black hair was ruffled from rolling about in his sleep.

The boy, Steven, snored softly, the first rays of light through the windows only just causing him to stir. He would toss and turn for another half hour trying to regain sleep, but in the end, as with every morning, he would sit upright, stretch his arms and back, give a mighty yawn, and get up for the day.

Steven rolled out of bed, a tangle of sheets and clumsy limbs. He fought his way free of the blanket and straightened his pajamas while peering over the edge of his loft for some sign of the gems. The house was quiet, but that didn't necessarily mean no one was home. The temple door was firmly shut and anything could be going on behind it. He could go see if the others were in their rooms, but Pearl always got mad when he intruded. He decided it would be better to avoid trouble and make himself some breakfast. He was hungry anyway.

He launched himself onto the couch below, bouncing to his feet with a laugh, and made for the kitchen. While they had plenty to eat, he didn't feel like spending a lot of time on breakfast and grabbed some frozen waffles. Toasted and buttered, he brought his plate back up to his loft and plunked down in front of the television. He powered it on and, to his annoyance, found it tuned to a news channel.

"Ugh, Amethyst," he groaned. She knew how much it annoyed him having to flip through the channels using the buttons below the screen. The numbers didn't show up right ever since Peridot got her hands on it (she had broken the controller on the same occasion) so if commercials were showing, he couldn't figure out what channel he was watching. "It's gonna take me ten whole minutes to find my favorite channel!"

He sighed, sat back, and shoveled some waffles into his mouth. Garnet was always telling him that he should try watching something useful on the television every once in a while and she always had his best interests in mind. He supposed he could give it a few minutes before looking for something more interesting, even if she wasn't there to insist upon it.

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but he already felt himself dozing off when he heard the temple door open. He sat up sharply, toppling the plate of waffles off his stomach. "My breakfast!" he cried.

"Steven?" came Pearl's voice from below. "Are you alright up there?"

"Yes, Pearl. I just knocked over my waffles."

"Well, make sure to clean it up. That syrup stuff is hard to clean once it dries." He leapt back down to grab a towel, running past Pearl as she stood there watching, a hand on her hip and a slight smile on her lips. As he passed her again with towel in hand he paused, turned back towards her, and hugged her around the middle. "Morning, Pearl!" he said.

"Oh!" she cried in surprise. "Well, good morning to you too, Steven," she said, tousling his curly black hair. In a flash, he was back off, scampering up to the loft and attacking the spilled syrup with the wet cloth. He was humming a nameless tune, staring absently at the television as he worked, and it took him a minute to realize what he was seeing on the screen. He paused his scrubbing and stood up.

"Uh, Pearl?" he called nervously.

"What is it, Steven?" she said from the couch below. He peered over the edge and saw her resting there.

"We're not expecting any gem ships coming to Earth, are we?"

"No," she said slowly. "Why?"

"Because," he said, pointing to the television, "I think that's what that thing is."

"What thing?"

"Hold on." He disappeared back over the edge and turned up the volume on the television, loud enough that it could be heard clear from the kitchen.

"…like a spacecraft of some sort. It came crashing down just after midnight, landing here in the forest at speeds estimated to be above mach 2, and yet, as you can see behind me, none of the trees show any signs of damage."

"But aren't you standing in a crater?" the newscaster's voice asked.

"Yes, I am. Get the shot," he told the cameraman, and the view shifted to show the lip of a crafter half as tall as the reporter. "It's almost like the trees sank with the ground. I'm afraid we haven't been able to make any sense of this yet. We've spoken to several locals that were woken up by the blast—"

Pearl nudged in beside Steven and watched the report with some interest. "It's a very small craft," she observed. "It probably couldn't hold more than a dozen gems, though I suppose there could be more if they weren't projecting their physical forms." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "There is something strangely familiar about that ship."

"Like you've seen it before?" said Steven.

"Yes, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Really? It's not like you to forget things, Pearl."

Pearl nodded. "We've been on this planet for a long time, Steven. The last time I would have seen a ship like that would have been over five thousand years ago, before the rebellion. That also means that ship is fairly old."

Steven hummed appreciatively and turned back to the screen to study the ship. It was spherical, somewhat like the one the Rubies had arrived in some weeks back when they were looking for Jasper, though it wasn't nearly as scary. It seemed silly to say about two similar metal spheres, but this one seemed softer somehow, and much less menacing. It seemed almost graceful. Maybe it was because the ship was pink.

"Do you think it's dangerous?"

"I don't know, but we had better check to make sure. We'll go once Garnet and Amethyst return."

"Alright, a mission!" shouted Steven, jumping to his feet. "Wait… where are Garnet and Amethyst anyway?"

"Garnet has been trying to find Jasper since we lost track of her, so she is out searching for some clue as to where she escaped to. As for Amethyst, she went into town to do who-knows-what who-knows-where."

"Aw," said Steven. "They could be all day! Or even days! The ship could be gone by then!"

"Oh, Steven, if the ship has crash landed and not taken off again, chances are it can't fly anymore. I doubt it's going anywhere."

"Still, though," Steven said, slumping against his bed and resting his head in his hands. "The two of us could investigate it ourselves."

"And what if it is something dangerous and I can't protect you alone?"

"I'm supposed to protect you guys, remember?" He raised his arms and enveloped himself in his pink bubble shield. "See?" He laughed as he rolled his bubble around Pearl, off the edge of the loft, bouncing off of the couch and crashing into the coffee table below. Pearl looked over the edge at him. "I'm okay!"

"We're waiting for Garnet and Amethyst," Pearl said with a note of finality.

"Okay," said Steven glumly. He rolled himself slowly around the table and towards the bathroom to brush his teeth. He squeezed his bubble through the door. He looked at himself in the mirror and a thought occurred to him. He rolled back out as Pearl descended the stairs from the loft. "Hey look," he said, letting himself roll around, "I'm the spaceship from the TV! Coming in for a landing!" He careened towards Pearl, expecting her to move out of the way. Instead, she stood there in surprise as he slammed into her, sending her tumbling backwards into the stairs.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, Pearl!" he exclaimed, letting his bubble shield dissipate. "I thought you were gonna dodge."

She sat up and stared at him a moment, then turned and clambered up the stairs. "Pearl?" he called after her. He walked up to the loft after her, finding her staring at the screen. "Pearl? What's wrong?"

She turned toward him, her mouth agape. "Of course! How could I forget? Steven, the ship! It's a Rose Quartz ship!"

"What?!" he gasped. He threw himself down next to her to look at it. "Mom flew a ship like that?"

"Exactly like that."

"Could it actually be Mom's ship?"

Pearl looked excited at the idea for a brief moment, but it faded quickly. "No," she said quietly. "Her ship was destroyed during the rebellion. I saw it happen."

"But it looks just like it! Who's flying around a five thousand-year-old ship?"

Pearl looked back at the television. "That is a very good question."

"Come on, Pearl! Let's go check it out."

"Oh, we really should wait for the others." Steven could see her indecision. He knew he only needed to find the right way to prod her.

"What if there is a Rose Quartz on that ship?" he asked excitedly. "Are we just going to let her wander off? We've got to find her. If she's anything like mom, she's going to be an ally, right? Better us finding her now before Jasper forces her into a fusion or something."

His last statement seemed to hit a nerve. Pearl stood up sharply. "My goodness, of course we wouldn't want that." She seemed bordering on angry. "Jasper is after us, however," she reasoned more calmly. "I see no reason why she would go after an unrelated gem."

"But a Rose Quartz," Steven helpfully reminded her. "Jasper seemed to have a thing about mom, so who knows what she'd do if she saw another Rose Quartz."

"She was pretty zealous."

"It's settled, then! Let's go find that Rose Quartz!"

"Oh, alright," Pearl said, exasperated. "But we're stopping to pick up Peridot."

"Alright! Peridot's first mission!" He paused. "Unless the cluster thing counts as a mission. In which case: alright! Peridot's second mission! She'll be a full-fledged Crystal Gem in no time! She'll be so happy!"

Peridot looked up from a clipboard slathered in drawings and equations. "No, you guys said I was a Crystal Gem. I—" she struck her chest with the clipboard for emphasis "—am stuck here because you clods made me care about this dumb planet and it's dumb inhabitants. Now that we've rendered the cluster dormant, I have no interest in following you around on any of your adventures." She looked back down at her clipboard. "I hope this doesn't impact our relationship."

"Come on, Peridot! I thought we were friends!"

"We are, Steven. That is why, as my friend, you should respect that I have said no."

Steven ruffled Peridot's hair playfully. "Wow, good job turning that one against me, buddy."

Peridot blushed and swatted his hand away. "Please don't mess up my hair. It does not retain its diamond shape easily."

"Peridot, please," said Pearl. "We don't know anything of what has happened outside of Earth for fifty-five centuries. If we have any hope of effective communication, we will require your help."

"Bring her here, then. I'm not going anywhere. Lazuli and I are perfectly happy here. Isn't that right, Lazuli?" She looked over to see Lazuli's half of the barn empty. "Right. I forgot she went out."

"How are things with Lapis?" Steven asked. Peridot visibly winced. "That bad, huh?"

"There have been marked improvements, but progress has been slow, far short of my estimations." She crossed her arms. "Maybe I'm not as likeable as I thought."

"She'll come around," said Steven. "Maybe if you did selfless things like helping us out, it would impress her and make her like you."

"Nice try, Steven Quartz. That trick might work on a Pearl, but I think you'll find I desire peace and safety more than your approval."

"But what if—"

Peridot held up a hand. "That wasn't an invitation to try harder. If you want my help, bring the gem here. That's the only way you're getting my help."

"Well, thanks anyway," said Steven.

"Yes," said Pearl coldly. "Thanks for all your help."

"Well, I took care of the cluster, so…" Peridot shrugged and shooed them out the door, closing it behind them.

"Ungrateful little…" Pearl mumbled. "We'll have to take care of this ourselves. Just be careful, Steven. You know a lot of what Rose Quartzes are capable of, but there is also a lot you don't know yet. They can be extremely dangerous."

"Will she be able to break my shield?"

Pearl considered. "I'm not sure. I'd never seen Rose fight another Rose Quartz. Maybe they can." She suddenly looked very worried. "Maybe we shouldn't be—"

The barn door opened again and Peridot poked her head out. "I'm sorry, did I hear you say the gem you're looking for is a Rose Quartz?"

"Yes, it is," Pearl said sharply. "What does it matter to you?"

"And you're going with just the two of you?" She looked back and forth between them. "Without the fu—um, without Garnet?"

"Yeah," said Steven. "Why?"

"A piece of friendly advice: I wouldn't risk it."

"There is a lot you wouldn't risk," said Pearl.

Peridot gritted her teeth. "I'm trying to help. Look, if a Rose Quartz is here, that means it's a renegade, probably running from the local security wing. Do yourself a favor and avoid contact at all costs."

"Not all Rose Quartz are renegades," said Pearl.

"Uh… yyyyyeeeah they are? Or they are now, anyway, ever since your little rebellion succeeded."

"What?"

"Yeah. Rose Quartzes were deemed too dangerous to continue to exist. Red Diamond herself even gave the command to hunt them down and shatter them. It's probably why a warrior like Jasper was so eager to find your Rose Quartz."

Pearl put a hand over her mouth. "That's terrible."'

"Tell me about it," said Peridot. "The galaxy's premier gem for fixing other gems and they decide to just break them all. It's such a senseless waste."

"They're killing them!" shouted Pearl.

"Please, Pearl, do you really think this is the first time? Or that it's going to be the last? Rose Quartzes care too much about organic life—it kind of goes with the territory of being made for preservation. The Diamonds decided they were all too likely to choose said organic life over their gem brethren. Your Rose Quartz's rebellion was proof enough."

"So if Jasper finds this Rose Quartz, she's just going to shatter her?"

"In all likelihood, yes."

Pearl spun in place and began running towards the warp pad. "Come on, Steven, we have to find her before Jasper does!"

"Coming!" Steven shouted after her. He turned to Peridot. "Thanks for all your help, Peridot."

"Pearl said that too. How come I actually believe you when you say it?"

"Because I mean it?"

"Fair enough." Peridot disappeared into the barn and closed the door.