//------------------------------// // Sunlight in Space part 2 // Story: A Lost Crystal Gem - The Story of Sunset and how she became Spinel // by ratedoni //------------------------------// As a musician, Greg universe had always dreamed of making it big, or at least for a time; that was in his youth when he was in love with the lights of the stage and thoughts of rich and fame. He wanted to let people hear his music and know how awesome his whole Mr. Universe gimmick was. That was until he reached a small town in the coast and felt in love with his big woman. Yes, he had always had a thing for tall women and Rose Quartz was not only tall, she was beautiful, elegant and best of all, liked him too. Once he met Rose, he didn’t care a bit about fame and fortune, he didn’t care about making it big in the city; he only wanted to be with Rose and make a life with her. Sure, it was hard at the beginning since not only was this their true relationship, a serious relationship, but because they were not even the same race; hell, one was organic and the other inorganic, how more differences did you need? But, they talked, they listened to each other and they learned. It was hard work, but Greg was enthralled by every single thing that he learned about Rose and that only made him fall deeper and deeper for her. That first year that he got used to the strange things happening around the Crystal Gems was really crazy, but thanks to Garnet with her useful tips and Spinel, who understood him the most among the group, he had found a family, a place where he belonged. It didn’t hurt that Spinel was also a musician and that they decided to do a demo. It was just a crazy little thing, just experimenting with sounds, unlike his normal pop/rock at the time. They had dipped into Glam, Progressive, Psychedelic and so much more. That the album had sold was a surprise; that they reached platinum, well, that floored them. He had gained a family, love, fame, all the things that he had dreamed about and it was thanks to Rose and the love that she gave him. He was a normal human being, a tiny, unimportant and infinitesimally young man that had felt in love with an eternal gem from outer space. She was older than him by millennia and he was sure that his lifespan would only be a blink for her, that he will die and then she will continue her life. How wrong they were, because he was the one that survived and had to learn how to live without her. He poured everything that he felt; his love, his pain, his sadness and loneliness into music. Critics called it their best album; one of the best of all times they said as it sold everywhere in the planet; it would have made Rose so happy, she would have been so proud of him and their ‘daughter’. It was bittersweet, but it helped Greg to process what happened and to move on. After all, he had a son that he had to protect and raise by himself. He wasn’t alone in that after all; he had the rest of his family and he couldn’t ask for a better one. Even Pearl, who had loathed him since he appeared was nice in her own way. It was funny how their relationship changed once Rose left them. Always with the dirty looks and the rivalry for Rose Quartz, not that Greg wanted to fight with Pearl, she was just so in love with Rose just like him. It was so tiring, but in the end they made a truce, for Steven; now, well, it was nice to see Pearl and talk with her from time to time, but he was sure that she still resented him, that maybe it was his fault that they lost Rose. Maybe one day they would be able to leave all their baggage behind. Amethyst was so adorable sometimes and other times she was impossible to deal with. In a ways, it felt as if he was helping raise a young girl that had entered their rebellious phase. Well, Amethyst had been born on her rebellious phase, no question about it. Still, she was fun to be with and he knew that the hair style, her mannerism and how she looked were based on his and he felt proud of it. Garnet, what could he say about someone as amazing as Garnet? The fusion was the rock of the family, dependable, always sure and confident of what will happen. When you are capable of seeing the future, you could be that confident, but she was also smart, caring and he knew that she loved Steven as if he was her son. And Spinel, oh, what he could tell about that young gem, well, young in comparison with the other gems. She was quick witted, arrogant, funny, she was as free and indomitable as the sea, maybe that’s why she made such a good team with Lapis; well, before the black gem problems. Those days still made Greg shudder; he was grateful that Steven hadn’t been born yet because he didn’t want to imagine what would have happened. He was taken out of his remembrance by a knock on his door; forget that, someone was basically pounding his door into splinters. There was probably only two people that would do that and it couldn’t be good news. He opened the door and in front of him were the two only people -or gems- that would hit the door that much and that fast. “Amethyst, Steven, what are you doing out at this hour? Is this another gem mission? I thought that the whole eye thing was over; please don’t tell there’s another eye in the sky,” he looked in the direction of the sea, but thankfully, the only thing he could see was the night sky and stars blinking in harmony. No red, no eye, no ship from space, so what was the problem? “Hey dad, Garnet says we need something called Black Helmet,” Steven said, obviously excited at the idea of another adventure, but the name of the item only made Greg blink in confusion at what he had heard. “Excuse me Steven, but I thought you said Black Helmet, why would she even ask for something like that?!” “Lapis is back,” Amethyst said, not even in the mood for jokes at this time, which showed how serious the situation was. “WHAT! Wasn’t she supposed to be bubbled?!” “Dad, who is Lapis?” “Oh boy, this is a long story, you better get in; I need something to drink if I’m going to be involved with something like this again.”