An Indirect Kiss

[Open Int. Lighthouse Cliff]

(A gloomy Steven, lying on Lion's back, is carried up the hill, follows Connie up the hill for a picnic.)

Connie: Steven, hurry up! *prepares the blanket for the picnic*

(Steven falls off from Lion's back.)

Connie: Are you okay?

Steven: I'm fine.

Connie: *gets a sandwich from picnic basket* Are you sure you're okay? *hands him a sandwich*

Steven: *sadly* Yeah. *eats the sandwich slowly*

Connie: Okay, uh... So, um... Is this fence new? *points to the fence*

Steven: Uh, it's a long story.

Connie: *blushes* Is it a magic story?!

Steven: Mayybee?

Connie: Well, what happened? Tell me, please.

Steven: Okay, okay. But it's not a happy story.

[Flashback]

Steven: *narrating* Amethyst was horsing around, by the cliff.

Steven: *in flashback* Amethyst, be careful!

Amethyst: *laughs* Steven, why are you getting so worked up? *makes a mock-lovestruck face* Why~? Do you care about me or something?

Steven: *with a worried face* Yes...

Amethyst: Ah, Steven, I didn't mean to make you-- *pretends to fall backwards* Woah, woah!

Steven: Amethyst, stop you're gonna fall!

Amethyst: *singsong* Ooh... Steven! *giggles* I'm gonna fa-all! (Steven chases Amethyst.)

Steven: Amethyst, you're gonna get hurt!

Amethyst: *stops at the end of the cliff* Steven, please, I'm a Gem warrior, I'm not gonna fall--

(Ironically, Amethyst falls off the cliff.)

Amethyst: *facepalms* Ugh, this is so embarrassing. *crashes into rock* I'm okay!

[Flashback cut to Steven and Connie]

Steven: So I ran there as fast as I could.

[Flashback continues back to Steven and Amethyst]

(Steven is exhausted, then pants and falls into sand.)

Steven: You sure you're okay?

Amethyst: Yes, Steven, I'm fine. Except for this!

(Removes part of hair to show her enlarged eye, then Garnet and Pearl comes.)

Pearl: Amethyst! Show me your gem!

(She tries to reach Amethyst but she slaps her hand.)

Amethyst: Fresh!

(Garnet raises Amethyst's arm and pulls her shirt to reveal cracked gem.)

(Amethyst blushes and looks away.)

Pearl: *gasps* Amethyst! Your gem is cracked!

Amethyst: Rude! *covers her gem* Ah- It's not a big deal! Plus, now I have this cool googly eye.

(Steven laughs.)

Pearl: How did this even happen?

Steven: She fell off the cliff by the lighthouse.

Amethyst: Did not!

Pearl: Of course... How could I have been so blind? We need to put a fence up there, so this will never happen again!

[Flashback cut to Steven and Connie]

Steven: And that's why there's a fence. The end. *chomps the sandwich*

Connie: Wait, what happened to Amethyst?

Steven: Uhhh...

Connie: C'mon! Tell me the rest!

Steven: I don't wanna.

Connie: Steven? (Steven looks away.) Steven... (Steven starts shaking and murmuring.) Steven! (Steven shakes faster and groans louder.)

Steven: Okay, okay... But only if you let me try on your glasses.

Connie: Only if you give me the rest of your juice.

Steven: Okay, but it's mostly backwash.

Connie: Good enough.

(Steven and Connie swaps items and Steven puts on glasses.)

Steven: How do I look?

Connie: *squinting her eyes* I have no idea.

Steven: Well... um... so... we were all worried about Amethyst.

[Flashback]

Steven: *in flashback* So, what's the problem? Amethyst falls on stuff all the time.

Pearl: It'd be fine if it was just her body, but her gem is damaged.

Steven: So, what do you do to fix it?

Pearl: Before... *sighs* ...we had Rose.

Garnet: Steven, your mother had healing tears that flowed from her gem. She felt real love for those around her. She felt real sorrow when they were hurt. You have the Rose Quartz gem now. I know that power is in you, too.

Steven: *determinedly* Amethyst, show me your gem!

Amethyst: Yeah, all right.

Steven: *whispering* The power to heal. [Scene shows Steven being wrapped by a vine and then leaping out in a burst of roses] *straining* It's not working. I guess I'm just too tough to cry.

Pearl: Just today, you were crying about snakes.

Steven: *sadly* They don't have any arms!

Garnet: We have no choice. We need to take Amethyst to Rose's Healing Spring.

Amethyst: *scoffs* Guys I'm fine, I'm not gonna get any wor-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r... r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r... *pop* *said backwards* Hey guys! What are you doing on the beach?

[Trans. Ext. Rose's Garden]

Pearl: And in the center of the garden-- Rose's Fountain, overflowing with your mother's healing, lacrimal essence!

Garnet: I don't see it.

Pearl: Wha... *gasps*

Amethyst: *said backwards* Ugh, I'm going home.

Pearl: Now, now! Let's keep it together! Our memories of Rose can't be tainted by some overgrown brambles! *chuckles* Look at them. They're a mess without her guidance. Directionless, pathetic, clinging things. It's going to be okay, Garnet.

Garnet: *shrugs* Sure.

Pearl: Y-you really think so?

Steven: Healing tears! *straining*

Pearl: Hmm... *sing-song voice* Maybe there's a path over here! (Garnet and Pearl leave.)

Amethyst: *said backwards* Make it cry... You gotta... Cry on its own... If your body can't... Hey!

(Amethyst takes her hand and slaps it across her face and imitates crying.)

Steven: Pain can make one cry.

(Amethyst shakes her head in agreement.)

Steven: Where is pain?

(Steven looks at the brambles puts his hand over his eyes and has his index finger pointing towards a bramble needle. The brambles then advance towards him.)

(Amethyst gasps and jumps out to save Steven just in time.)

Pearl: Amethyst, no more roughhousing, you'll exacerbate your crack!

Amethyst: *said backwards* The vines are coming to life and are gonna kill Steven just so you know.

(Amethyst attempts to walk forward and instead reverses herself and walks into a rock.)

Pearl: *gasps*

Steven: Aw, right in the gem! *crack enlarges*

Amethyst: *coughing* *said backwards* Don't worry or anything, I'm good.

(Amethyst's body glitches causing her head to switch with her foot.)

Amethyst: *moans*

Pearl: Ohh! Oh! Keep calm. What we need to do is to get you into the fountain immediately, if we can ever find a way through all this mess!

(Garnet in the background is pulling out a rock from brambles while Pearl is talking.)

Garnet: Shh.

(Garnet punches the rock she pulled free and creates a pathway to Rose's Fountain.)

Garnet: I needed that. This way.

Pearl: *chuckles* We could've probably gotten in without hurdling a giant rock into Rose's most precious sanctuary! But if you're okay with it, I'm fine, too! *chuckles*

Garnet: This isn't right.

(Steven peers to see the fountain.)

Garnet: The fountain isn't running.

Pearl: What? W-what's wrong with it?

Garnet: I'm not sure.

Steven: Is that Mom? Oh, oh, I'm getting emotional! I think it's happening! Uh, I'm really feeling it!

(Steven leans over Amethyst straining to cry while Pearl and Garnet watch.)

Steven: *straining*

[Flashback cuts to Steven and Connie]

Steven: Ahh! Headache!

Connie: So give back my glasses and finish the story!

(Steven gives Connie her glasses back.)

[Flashback cuts back to Steven and the Crystal Gems]

Steven: *inhales deeply* Ah, come on! I had it!

Pearl: *sighs* Steven, it's fine. Just— just stay here and watch Amethyst. We'll find out what's wrong with the fountain.

Steven: No, no. Wait! I can still do it!

(Amethyst's gemstone crack enlarges and makes Amethyst fall into pieces that are connected by a small lines of skin.)

Garnet: *hisses*

(Garnet and Pearl start to leave but Steven chases after them.)

Steven: Wait, wait! It might still happen! Guys?

(Garnet and Pearl continue to leave ignoring Steven. Amethyst then rams into Steven.)

Steven: Ahh!

Amethyst: *said backwards* Uh, little help?

(Steven looks at what she is shaking her head to, to see her body trying to round itself up.)

Steven: I can't understand you!

(Amethyst looks up to him.)

Steven: I don't understand anything! Why is everyone acting so strange? Why can't I-- (Steven looks at the statue of his mother.) why can't I cry?! *echoing* Why can't I cry?

Steven: It's just... I mean, I don't know how to feel about you, but everyone else does. I wish I could have met you then this place would make me sad, and I could cry healing tears, like you.

[Flashback cuts to Steven and Connie]

Connie: *sniffles*

Steven: Are you okay?

Connie: *sniffles and nods her head* Keep going.

[Flashback cuts back to Steven and Amethyst]

Amethyst: *hooting and screaming*

(Steven puts his hand over her mouth.)

Amethyst: *said backwards* Cheer up will ya?

Steven: *gasps*

(Brambles come out of the statue of Rose and get caught on Amethyst's foot and one of her hands and squeezes them tight. Steven runs in the opposite direction and gets blocked of by advancing bushes.)

Steven: Ahh!

Steven: Amethyst, where's your gem?

(Amethyst uses her other hand to point where it is to see bushes advancing in her gems direction.)

(Steven pants while trying to run faster.)

Steven: *panting* Ahh! *grunts*

(Steven throws himself and Amethyst into the center of the fountain where the bushes could not reach.)

(Amethyst's gem cracks even more.)

Steven: Amethyst, I'm sorry! I can't do anything right. Now I'm going to lose you, and it's all my fault.

(Amethyst glitches again.)

Amethyst: *slowed down* Ha ha, you care about me.

(Steven hugs Amethyst.)

Steven: Please let me be a magic healer. (Crying, a tear hits Amethyst's gem and he gasps.)

(Amethyst's gem stays cracked.)

Steven: Oh, come on!

[Rumbling]

(Rose's fountain activates and washes over them, growing roses on the bushes, making all the brambles disappear, and flowers clear away the brambles above them.)

(Steven looks up to the top of the water and thinks he sees his mother reaching down to him.)

Steven: *gasps*

(Amethyst bumps into Steven, healed.)

Amethyst: Look at this guy, saving my life and junk.

(Steven and Amethyst both laugh.)

Pearl: Oh, thank goodness.

Steven: Did you see what I did? It was magic! My tears brought the fountain back to life and saved Amethyst!

(Steven swims forward.)

(Garnet and Pearl look at each other.)

Pearl: I'm pretty sure me and Garnet unplugging the clogged chamber brought the fountain back to life.

Garnet: We saved Amethyst.

Steven: You don't think my crying was a little related to that?

Pearl: Oh Steven, you don't have healing tears. You'll never have any real magic powers, and we don't want anything more to do with you.

(Steven looks at Pearl horrified.)

[Flashback cuts to Connie and Steven]

Connie: She didn't really say that.

Steven: No, but that's what it felt like.

Connie: Is that why you've been so down?

(Steven shrugs his shoulders.)

Connie: Oh. You can have your juice back.

Steven: Nah, that's okay. *sniffles and then sighs* Everyone expects me to be like my mom. What if I never get those powers?

Connie: Then you'll be like me. That's not so bad.

Steven: But if I don't have powers, then I can't hang out with Amethyst or Garnet or Pearl, and I-I can't go on missions! *grips pants tight*

Connie: You don't need any powers to be here with me. *wind whistles, juice gurgles*

(Connie leans forward attempting to kiss Steven, but suddenly stops.)

Connie: Ow. Ugh.

Steven: What's wrong?

Connie: I think-- *sighs* there's just— something wrong with my glasses. My... My eyes. I-I-I can see!

Steven: What?

Connie: I can see without my glasses!

Steven: Did I heal your eyes? But how?

(They both stare at the juice box Steven gave to Connie, Connie drops it.)

Steven: *gasps* The juice box! I don't have healing tears, I have healing spit!

Connie: What am I going to tell my parents? What am I going to tell my optometrist?!

Steven: I don't even know! Oh thank you Connie!

(Steven hugs Connie.)

Steven: Lion, let's go tell the Gems, they're never going to believe this!

(Steven and Lion rush down the hill leaving Connie alone. She takes her glasses, pops out the lenses and puts them on.)

[END]