Pearl looked around. Nothing could come out of her mouth except for long, deep breaths of tainted air flowing in and out of her mouth. She wanted to scream. Wanted to scream and yell that everything will be fine. Everything is under control. But it's not. She knew this. And failure jabbed her in the backs of her skinny legs with every step she took.

Yet she still kept running. What was she to do?

"Amethyst! Amethyst! I'm coming! Please just hold on!"

The words felt like gravel scraping against her vocal cords. The thick, polluted air was a monster in itself. Placing its mighty strength on the tender flesh of her lungs. And it pushed down.

Pearl was trying to save her friend from the clutches of the sand beast. But it was through black spots.

She dazedly noticed Amethyst's whip trying to slash at the horrid monster that Steven accidentally made. Her short leg being strangled in the beast's mighty grip.

Such a pain. He's such a pain. Such a pain, too me… Sometimes…

Pearl fell. Her head hit the ground with a skid. Her body still pushed on, trying to end the beast's life. But after her brain closed the curtains on her conscience, her body danced off stage as well.

But at least he's safe.

She lay limp in the crumbled dirt.

"Pearl!" Amethyst cried.

It wasn't a cry of grief. But a cry of pain. The same cry a child makes to their mother when they get hurt. Amethyst looked at the beast upside down. Its blackened eye sockets spewing oil and mud. Its mouth dangling in pieces, dripping sewage. How Steven managed to create this much of chaos on accident is beyond her. The feeling in her leg is now beyond her. She can't move. Paralyzed by pain. The monster's gangly tree trunk of an arm and hand wrapped tightly around Amethyst's leg. Debris and gunk dripping down her body. She spat out what tasted like washed up bile out of her mouth. The air around her stung her eyes and throat.

Suddenly her arms became weak. Her whip now swung ridiculously below her in her clutch. But before Passing out, she managed to catch a glimpse of dark pink with a head full of black. Amethyst slightly (slightly) smiled at this. And just like Steven's Cookie Cat supply, she was out in no time.

"Steven."

Said boy stood still, and gulped. He knew his leader was always intimating. But hearing the stern, deep voice she made while saying his name terrified him. His girl-in-favor stopped to look at him. She gave him a nervous look. Her fingers curled up around her white, thin dress, and her thick eyebrows knit upward together. Steven could feel sweat drip from his plump cheeks and dowse his toes. Connie, with a heated red color spreading through her dark skin said, "I…guess I'll see you later. Good luck with…you know."

She walked away off the beach, leaving Steven to fend for himself against his upcoming consequence.

"Steven."

Her voice was a deep, loud, and absolutely terrifying tone now. Steven looked at her. She was standing straight, her muscular arms crossed, and her lean back turned toward him. She was looking (or so Steven thought) at the ocean that lay next to their home. The crystal temple.

It was normally a beautiful display of nature. The temple stood tall and proud on the shiny, sandy beaches of Beach City. But not today.

Today it looks like hell. Sewage and oil littered the sand. Mud and dirt sprayed all over the waters. Tree bark and branches sticking out of the mess. And this was all Steven's fault. And the young Gem knew it.

He slowly stepped through the muck coating his feet to his mentor. He looked at the ground with every step. His strong but foolish heart becoming heavy with all of the guilt. Oh man…What have I done? Why couldn't I stop that monster?

He often slapped his belly in frustration. Trying to activate or arouse his gem's powers. He often thought that his gem was useless. That it was his mother's, and that's the only reason why it worked for her and not him. He simply assumed sometimes that the gem did not belong to him and therefore, it would not work for him either.

Whenever he would voice this, Garnet would be the first to speak. A rare occurrence, as far as Steven is concerned (he knew the woman liked to keep to herself), and was always surprised when she did speak first to him on the subject.

"She is your gem, Steven. When she passed that gem to you, she knew that that was the best way she could still be with you. She knew it could protect you. Like any mother would."

Steven often found hope in her words. He looked up to Garnet, and decided she knew what was best.

Even if it was for punishments.

Steven made it to her side at the edge of the destroyed beach. She didn't say anything, and stared out at the water. Finally, she lowered her head, and looked at Steven. Her shades catching the mirrored images of the destruction. "I'm very disappointed in you."

The words stung, like a bee jabbing the young boy's heart. He tried to gulp away his sadness, but it got stuck in his throat. He spoke anyway.

"I…I'm sorry, Garnet." He said quietly. Garnet pursed her thick lips.

"'Sorry' does not undo the damage that has been done, Steven." She stated.

Steven closed his eyes, trying not to cry. He hiked his shoulders up, tensing his body.

"I just wanted to train...have fun…"

"That is no excuse Steven. Disobeying me and destroying the beach is inexcusable."

He couldn't hold it in any longer. The tears poured out. He tried his best to keep quiet. He pushed with all his might to squeeze the tears out until they stopped coming, and pushed his lungs hard to keep from hiccupping. He only breathed in when he was about to speak.

"I know…I know…I just thought that…" he hiccupped, and continued, "That I could…could get my powers to work…if I used those crystals…and…I protected Connie…B-but…"

"The others could've died." Garnet deadpanned.

Steven pushed his hands through his curly black hair, trying to both calm down, and think things through. He was too young to be dealing with these things. He was too immature to know how to handle them. Steven couldn't find words to say next. Lost in his thoughts.

"Steven. Even if you could use your gem, that does not mean you should go and create chaos." Garnet calmly informed him. Recognizing the boy's distress.

"But you and the other gems do it all of the time. You aren't scared, or weak, or anything. You can defend people easily." Steven explained. Garnet adjusted her shades.

"Steven, there was a time when I was weak. When I was scared. I was young like you. But with help, I grew up, and learned, and was patient. The time to defend will come for you,"

Garnet lowered herself to look at Steven eye to eye. "But it is not now."

A moment of silence passed.

"Do you understand me?" she asked.

Steven sniffed, the settling dirt irritating his nose, and nodded.

"Ahh jeeez…I am in so much paaain." Amethyst grumbled. Both she and Pearl where placed in Steven's bed via Garnet carrying them after pulling the crystals out from the giant earth monster.

"I am too, but that doesn't give you the right to hog the blankets." Pearl snapped, and grabbed a fistful of blanket and pulling it over her. She winced once the shift in weight hurt her bruised ribs. Amethyst's leg was no better. They were both groaning and grumbling once they woke up from their day long half passed out half healing nap. Once they did, Garnet informed them of what happened.

Steven managed snatch the crystals that can bring objects to life (although Pearl knew about this), and brought them outside with Connie. He then exposed his belly button gem, and threw the crystals all over the beach. Instead of the crystals forming individual lame monsters like he hoped, they formed into one big super monster. And super deadly. Amethyst and Pearl noticed this, and tried to stop it, but it was too strong and powerful. They both got seriously injured and knocked out by the toxins the creature formed from the mutations. Steven managed to get Connie somewhere far away and protect her with his shield that he formed (in the spur of the moment, otherwise known as "on accident"). Garnet was investigating some strange crystalized bugs found around the car wash when she noticed the filth and commotion from the beach. She then sprang into action. She managed to rip the crystals out of the beast, do quick nursing on the limp Gems, and rush them into the temple to rest them on Steven's bed. She then went back outside to analysis the damage. Her conclusion was anything but good.

Steven tried his best to nurse his hurt friends alongside Garnet. Once his worry for his friends and the beach vanished, he was only being tortured by one thought. Why can't I ever help those in need?

He often thought about what Garnet said. About how she was weak and vulnerable at one point too, but she got stronger as time moved on. Her words helped him a little. At least it helped him realize that he still has a long ways to go. But eventually, he'll reach the finish line.

Yooo! Been a while since I wrote some FanFiction, but here I am!

This will be my first Steven Universe Fanfic, so if the characters seem a bit out of character, that's why. I'm also a bit poor on writing stories with tons of characters in it, so that might effect this story also. :P

I hope you enjoy it! And do not be afraid to review/critique it. :D