The sound of voices made me stir, the beginnings of sunrise staining my room with an orange glow. Remembering the weird dream from last night, I got up, stretched, and walked down the stairs. Gathered in the kitchen were my best friends and family: the Crystal Gems.

“Steven! I hope you slept well,” Pearl greeted, breaking away from her conversation with Garnet and Amethyst.

“Good morning,” I said.

“Ste-man, what’s up? You seem off,” Amethyst pointed out, leaning against the counter with her head on her arms.

“Is something bothering you?” Garnet asked from her spot next to the fridge.

I hesitated for a moment before telling them. “I had this strange dream last.” I described it as best as I could, but it was difficult since it was all a jumble. When I was done, they seemed as confused as I was. “And that’s it,” I concluded.

“Did you see a gemstone anywhere on this person you were seeing through?” Pearl asked immediately.

“No, I didn’t. At least, not that I could tell,” I turned to Garnet. “I wanted to make sure that it was nothing. Do you see anything, Garnet?”

Garnet adjusted her three-pointed visor and fell silent. The rest of us didn’t make a sound, aside from Amethyst gnawing on a yogurt cup. After a few seconds, Garnet looked down at me with a small smile. “I don’t see any futures where anything comes out of this dream.”

I sighed. “That’ s good.”

“Welp, if that’s done, I have to go,” Amethyst left her spot and walked over to the Warp Pad. “The Famethyst are visiting New Homeworld and I’m going to hang out with them. Catch ya later.”

“Bye Amethyst,” I called as she disappeared in a beacon of light. “What are you guys doing today?”

“Garnet and I were going to check some of the old Gem structures left on Earth,” Pearl answered. “With so many Gems around, we figured it was would be wise to see if any of them could finally be repurposed.”

“Do you need my help?”

“We can handle it,” Garnet said. “You deserve a break. Go have fun today.” She ruffled my hair affectionately, a habit that neither of us had broken as the years passed.

“I guess I’ll head to Beach City. I’ll see you later.”

“Be careful,” Pearl called after me as I walked out the door.

It was hard to imagine having to be careful these days. It had been months since Spinel had attacked Beach City with her giant Injector, and things had once more lapsed into tranquility. Beach City was once again in one piece, the only scar being the craters on the cliff left by the Injector’s destruction. Once the grass had grown back, you could hardly tell it was anything more than a depression unless you were to trek across the broken ground. Last I saw, Spinel was fitting right in with the Diamonds, the four of them making each other happy and forming a new family.

The residents of Beach City had done their level best to return the town to its former glory, rebuilding the town almost identically to before it was attacked. Some of the houses and patches of boardwalk were clearly new, but they would take on the same faded wear as their surroundings in a couple of years.

To be honest, it had been a while since I got the chance to just walk around. Rebuilding had been a long process, and it only ended a little over a week ago. I tried to help as much as I could, and the residents of Beach City and New Homeworld were right along with me. Still, the damage had been immense, and while the town may have been whole, fissures still marked the surrounding hills and beneath the shore. But it was over now. The future was ahead of me. I could spend my time relaxing, no more obstacles in my way.

I crashed into something, the collision knocking me down. Forced out of my reverie, I saw what I ran into: a girl.

“Oh. Oh! I’m so sorry!” I jumped to my feet, offering her to pull her up.

“It’s alright. I didn’t see you. My bad,” She took my hand, her stark white fingers standing out against my own. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I said, dusting some sand off my jacket. “I’m really sorry about that.”

“We’re both sorry, so we’re even.” She held onto my hand and shook. “I”m Mo.”

“Steven,” I replied, returning her handshake before letting go. “Are you new here?”

She shrugged. “I only got in today. It took me a while to find this place.”

Mo didn’t seem like a beachgoer. First of all, she was wearing a thin white jacket with sleeves ending at these metal rings above her elbows. Underneath that was a black shirt with a white “X” on the front. It kind of looked like my outfit, but that’s where the similarities ended. Her pants, also white, were loose, the legs tucked into pitch-black boots. She also had this black choker around her neck, which she tugged at after wiping sand off her clothes.

The rest of her appearance wasn’t any more colorful. White, limb hair dangled down to her shoulders, only a few shades lighter than her skin. A lock of it seemed to find permanent residence on her face, covering her nose and the corner of one of her eyes. Speaking of which, her irises where a polished gray, like coins on a piece of paper. Mo’s face didn’t have any defining features so she looked rather plain, but she had bags under her eyes. She moved slowly as if every motion carried a lot of weight.

She let out a small huff once her jacket was cleaned. “That’s better.” She turned her eyes on me, reminding me of light reflecting off metal. “Now then, could I ask you a favor?”

“Sure,” I answered. “What do you need?”

“I’m actually a little lost,” she replied, obviously a little embarrassed. “I’ve been wandering around with no idea where to go.”

“Well, I know Beach City, so I can help find where you need to go,” I said. “What are you looking for? Funland? The Big Donut?”

“I actually have no idea.”

“...You… don’t know what you’re looking for?”

“Not a clue.”

Okay… that’s weird. “Then, how are you supposed to find it?”

Mo’s fingers snapped suddenly. “That’s my problem!”

“Well… uh… is there a clue or something? Anything could spark an idea,” I tried to be helpful, but it was getting confusing.

“Hmm…” Mo twirled a look of her hair absently as she thought. “I guess this could help.” She turned slightly so that her left shoulder was facing me. A gem with a translucent-white color caught the light of the sun, the table* shaped like two squares overlapping, surrounded by triangular facets.

“Oh! You’re a Gem!” I gasped in surprise. I hadn’t even noticed her gem when I helped her stand up.

“Yep. A pleasure to meetcha’.” She smiled briefly. “And you’re Steven Universe, Pink Diamond’s successor and savior of the galaxy and whatnot.”

I felt myself blush. “That’s me. But you can just call me Steven.” I shook myself as I turned my thoughts back on track. “If you’re here, you must have been looking for New Homeworld. Follow me, I’ll show you how to warp there.” I took her hand again and tried to guide her to the temple.

Mo pulled back. “Actually, I’m not...comfortable going there.” She replied quietly, her posture rigid. “Since I found you, I have an idea of what I’m looking for.” Her stance relaxed and she put her hands in her pockets. “Do you know where the rest of the Crystal Gems are?”

“The Crystal Gems?” I mimicked.

“Yeah, you, know Garnet or Pearl. Maybe Biggs or Larimar?” She listed off a few more names. I recognized most of them as those that were freed from corruption and currently living in New Homeworld, but many were unfamiliar. “Could you show me to any of them?”

She knows the Gems really accurately, so Mo probably knows them personally. I just… I’ve never heard of her. The last time a Gem showed up looking for the Gems, well, it was Spinel. A voice of worry dug into my head before I thought back to this morning. Garnet hadn’t seemed alarmed by Mo’s appearance when she looked into the future, but she didn’t say anything. Maybe this is one of those “pools of improbability?” I don’t know. Mo doesn’t seem vicious, so I’ll trust her.

“Pearl and Garnet are busy and I don’t know where to find them right now, and the others are probably in New Homeworld,” I told her. “Are you sure you don’t want to go there?” Mo nodded. “Well, maybe…” A sudden thought sprouted. “I know exactly where to go! Follow me?”

Mo seemed hesitant, but she pushed that aside and followed anyway. I lead her to my house, through the door and over to the Warp Pad by the door to the Temple. A beam of light lifted us, our bodies hurtling through empty space. When we landed, the air was free of the scent of ocean spray and replaced with traces of pine. To our left was a cornfield. On the right, the Barn.

When we had resettled after returning the Corrupted Gems to normal, construction of New Homeworld took over the space that once housed the Barn. Peridot and Lapis had scrounged as much of the wreckage of their home left from when Lapis dropped it on Blue Diamond. While the pair loved New Homeworld, they missed the sense of seclusion where the two could relax and grow their crops like they used to do. With the help of Bismuth, the trio had relocated the Barn to a new stretch of land and installed a new Warp Pad. It was a few hours' drive away from Beach City, which was a quick flight for Lapis, but still a nice spot for the roommates, now including Bismuth. The three of them had made this area their personal oasis, and they even sold their harvest to Beach City and had donated what they could while the citizens were homeless after Spinel’s attack.

The Barn was still its odd assortment of personal items decorating its walls, this time with extra weapons and ores scattered on the ground and propped on hooks. A short distance off, a forge had been set up for Bismuth, not near the quality of her volcanic workshop, but functional enough for hobby projects and equipment for the farm.

Eager barking sounded from the cornfield. A pumpkin emerged from the stalks, tripping over itself as it bounded towards us.

“Pumpkin!” I scooped up the living gourd in my arms, scratching his belly like a normal dog. “I missed you too, buddy. Where are the others?”

Pumpkin licked my face before he leaped from my embrace, barked, and ran towards the Barn. I followed him, making sure Mo was close behind. Pumpkin disappeared around the back of the Barn, reappearing moments later with a familiar green Gem behind him.

“Steven!” Peridot called, throwing an assortment of oddly shaped tools she was holding behind her. “What are you doing here? And who's your friend?”

“Peridot, this is Mo. Mo, Peridot.”

Mo waved. “Nice to meetcha’ Peridot.”

“Mo? Hmm.” Peridot noticed Mo’s gem. “What’s that?”

“That’s… her gem?” Peridot would recognize a gemstone from a mile away.

“I know it’s her gem, but I don’t recognize it.” Peridot leaned in, studying the jewel. “I’ve never seen a gemstone like this. I’ve never found a Gem I hadn’t heard about!” Peridot suddenly grabbed Mo’s shoulders, pulling herself up until her face was right in front of Mo’s. “What colony are you from? Are you Era 1? Era 2? Era 3? Which Kindergarten where you incubated in? What soil did it consist of? What did the attending Peridots describe our emerging hole like? What powers do you have? What-”

There was a rush of wind as Peridot suddenly disappeared. A blue Gem with wings made of water had snatched her up and flown off. Lapis circled back around, depositing Peridot a safe distance away before landing between us. “Sorry about her. She gets a little excited. I’m Lapis Lazuli. You called yourself Mo, right?”

Mo, keeping a wary eye on Peridot, nodded. “That’s me.” She used her hand to gesture widely at the farm. “Do you guys live here?”

“Yep. It’s our home away from New Homeworld away from Homeworld.”

“I like it. It’s got a lot of…” Mo thought for a moment while staring at an alien mask with a Camp Pining hat. “Personality. I mean that in a good way.”

Lapis smiled, an easier feat to accomplish these days, but still impressive. “Thanks. We like it.” Lapis glanced down as Peridot tugged on her golden sash. “Are you going to behave?”

“I’ll be nice,” Peridot insisted. “I wanted to show them our Meep-Morps.”

“Actually guys,” I cut in. “We’re looking for Bismuth. Is she here?”

“She is. One second,” Peridot ran over to the entrance of the Barn, yanked the door open, and yelled, “Hey, Bismuth! Steven’s here with a friend!”

I felt Mo tense beside me. Her lips moved inaudibly, but they seemed to form “Bismuth.”

Peridot returned. “Here she comes.”

“Steven!” I heard Bismuth's voice boom from the Barn, her massive figure appearing seconds later. In her hands was a pipe from the field’s irrigation system, the end bent. “Sorry I didn’t notice you arrive. I was busy… with…”

Bismuth fell silent as she saw us. The rainbow-haired Gem stared at Mo with an expression that sent me back several years, a moment when she emerged from Lion’s mane to a stunned Garnet and Pearl. The pipe fell from her hands, her fingers trembling. “Mo…” she breathed.

Mo was staring right back, the same thunderstruck look on her face. “Bismuth… It’s been… I’ve…You’re...” She couldn’t find the words to say.

Bismuth took a step forward, then another, and another, until she was sprinting towards Mo, wearing the widest smile I’d ever seen. She scooped Mo up in her arms, pulling her into a hug as she spun the new Gem around. She started laughing, a wild, overjoyed sound that filled the air as tears ran down her face. Mo started laughing along, stuttering and choked, as she joined Bismuth in crying. Bismuth finally set her down, hands on her shoulders. “I never thought I’d see you again! We thought you were shattered!”

Mo wiped away her tears, her tired presence replaced with one of pure joy. “I’m sorry. I tried to get back, but I couldn’t. I missed all of you so much. I didn’t know… I just didn’t know.”

“It’s alright. You’re back now. Everything’s alright.” They pulled each other into another hug, this time both of them staying on the ground.

“Excuse me,” Peridot interrupted. “Would you mind telling us who this is?”

Bismuth released Mo, the latter’s head just reaching the large Gem’s shoulder. “This! This is Moissanite! One of the very first Crystal Gems!”

*Table = The flat facet at the center of a gemstone's face (Like the triangle on Sapphire's gemstone or the square on Ruby's).