For the first time since they had arrived, spring time was finally beginning to take its effect on Earth. The Off-Colors were seeing just how different the world looked, as much of the snow had actually melted away due to a warm spell passing through, and this left plenty of places for discovery. Tiger's Eye was the most curious with this big change, and she wasted no time in exploring the area, going around like a curious dog would. As she was exploring, she found a butterfly waking up and flying around, nearly landing on her as it fluttered a bit. Honestly, Tiger's Eye couldn't help herself and started to chase after the little insect.
"W-Wha? What on Homeworld happened? Why's everything ... colorful now?" Rhodonite asked, a bit unsure what even happened. First moment the place was covered in snow, and the next it was all wet and green everywhere.
"I predict that the world we currently live in will make a great change in appearance. OH, what a mystery!" Padparadscha said in glee, rather excited about the change.
"Yes. A very interesting change indeed," said Fluorite.
"But what happened? It was all white and colorless just yesterday. Oh, maybe Steven knows what's happening," Rhodonite said, heading over to the barn. Steven had given them a little something so they can contact them at any time they needed it, and that sort of something turned out to be a phone. Rhodonite was still a bit new to this thing, and it took a bit longer until the call finally went through.
"Morning, what's up?"
"S-Steven, what happened to the planet?! Did something happen, why is it so green now?" Rhodonite asked nervously.
"No, no, calm down, it's just spring."
"... S-Spring?"
"Yeah, that's Earth for you: always changing and always giving surprises."
"I'm not one for surprises, Steven."
"I know, I know, it's not a bad thing. Every year it happens: some of the year has a lot of snow and ice, and another part is all warm and colorful. It happens every year," Steven explained, as Rhodonite walked outside to see what Steven was talking about. Tiger's Eye was still trying to get her butterfly, as it then landed on Padparadscha. The Sapphire took a minute to realize what landed on her, and looked surprised and flustered by the little creature.
"So this always happens?"
"Yep. Here, we're gonna be coming up there in a bit, I'll tell you more when we get there," Steven promised.
"Good," Rhodonite sighed, before Steven hung up.
And what a time to stop. Suddenly, the group began to hear a sort of odd noise filling the air. Rhodonite wasn't sure if it was a common occurrence, but looking up in the sky, she soon noticed something ... foreign flying overhead. It was an old-fashioned flying plane basically, and it was flying rather close to them.
"Quickly, take cover," Fluorite said. Rhodonite, Rutile, and Fluorite did go off, but Padparadscha and Tiger's Eye were left out in the open. The plane missed them, and landed over just by the barnhouse. Soon though, Tiger's Eye and Padparadscha heard something else step out of the plane.
There he stood, right by the barn, looking more than surprised at what he was seeing. He was shown wearing an olive-colored pilot's jacket and a gray undershirt along with khakis and black boots. Along with a brown aviator hat which covered his head and ears. To sum it up, he looked about the same age as Greg, maybe older, and it took less time before he saw sight of Padparadscha, and Tiger's Eye.
"....... Can we help you kind sir?"
"Help? Help?! Some hobos broke into the barn!" he shouted, obviously angry. He went over and began trying to remove some of the odd items stuck in there, which worried them a bit.
"Hey, what're you doing?! That's our stuff your throwing out!" gasped Tiger's Eye.
"Oh, you're Hobettes? Being a Hobo is a man's job!" He snapped. It was at this point though that he got a good look at both Gems.
"Wait a minute. ... Those strange constructions. Your weird appearances. Your strange jewels. I know what you are." The tone of this human man made both Gems a little nervous, Tiger's Eye backing up slightly like a cowering dog. Padparadscha stayed frozen for what he had to say.
"... You're hippies! I hear of you on AM radio! What are you doin'? Comin' in here and socializin' this fine, American barn?!"
"Wait, what? What's a hippie?" Tiger's Eye asked, now confused more than anything.
"That's what you are, and you're on my property, now scram!" the man demanded, an accusing finger pointed off towards the hills and away from the barn.
"Scram? Y-You mean leave?!"
"Do I have to spell it out for you!"
"We're not hippies. We're Gems," Padparadscha said, a bit humbled.
"I don't care what you call yourselves, your on my property, and I didn't let you come here!"
"B-But neither did we! We were given this place since we got here!"
"Given? Given by who?" He demanded. Before Tiger's Eye and Padparadscha could actually answer him, all this commotion caught the attention of some of the humans; Steven and Greg mainly, along with the Mane Six. Rhodonite was relieved that the call even worked at all.
"Thank the stars, they'll sort this out for us," Rhodonite hoped.
"What's going on here?" asked Twilight.
"Oh come on, more of you - wait. Greg?"
"Andy?" Greg said. Well, that was a bit surprising, and rather fast too. Andy was pretty pleased to see him.
"Good timing! come on, help me chase off these freeloaders," Andy said, thinking he got an ally in this little fight. Many of them didn't even know what was going on though, so there was that trouble.
"Uh, wait, hold up -"
"Who gave you permission to barge in here and screw everything up?!" Andy yelled.
"I did!" Steven suddenly said.
"You? you brat, you can't just go around throwing property at people like it's candy on some free-candy holiday!"
"Andy stop! Leave him alone!" Greg demanded.
"What? Why, this is my parent's barn!"
"Dad, what's he talking about?" Steven asked. It was then that Andy suddenly calmed down.
"'Dad'? That means ... no way."
Well, the truth sank in pretty quick, and he realized who Steven actually was.
"Steven. This is Andy: my cousin. Andy, this is Steven. He's my son," Greg introduced. Immediately, Steven grew very pleased on seeing him all of a sudden, going right up to him.
"Wow, it's so nice to meet you! so does that make me ... your first cousin, once removed?" Andy chuckled and picked up the tyke.
"Just call me uncle Andy. Boy, I'm an uncle, I can't believe it! Greg, you turd, why didn't you tell me?" Andy questioned, holding Steven under his armpit like he was some basketball or something. Greg was still trying to get things straight here.
"N-Now how was I supposed to, I haven't seen you in years!"
"And who's fault is that? You think you're so important you just took your van, and drove off."
"Uh, can you put me down?" Steven asked kindly.
"Oh sorry. I'm not used to holding nephews," Andy said, setting Steven down before turning to Greg and adding "Cuz I didn't know I had one!" Greg withdrawn again from Andy's rough accusations and Andy took his attention over to the Mane Six next.
"Hey, Greg, never took you for being Mr. farmer of the family. So, did you get these from a fair, or did you just pick em up?"
"HEY, we're not livestock!" Rainbow suddenly snapped, catching Andy completely off-guard. not only was she flying, she was talking.
"Whoa, you can talk?! What kind a hippie magic trick is this?" Andy questioned.
"It's not a hippie magic trick, we promise. Now, what seems to be the problem?"
"The problem is that you just dumped these random hipster folk on my property. This barn belongs to the DeMayo family!" Andy insisted.
"DeMayo?" asked Tiger's Eye.
"Yeah, you know: Steven DeMayo, Andy DeMayo, Greg DeMayo. We're the DeMayos," Andy said, hand around Steven and Greg to prove his point. That simply reminded him of something else though.
"Uh ... I thought it was Universe."
"Universe?"
"You know: Steven Universe, Greg Universe. The Universes," said Twilight, doing a similar gesture that Andy did, but with her wings. Now Andy was getting upset all over again.
"Oh, what, you waltz out on us and drop the family name? what're you tryin to do here?!" Andy yelled. As the arguing continued, Tiger's Eye began to hear some sort of odd sound. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Padparadscha was ... trembling. Her hands were over her ears at this point, and that made Tiger's Eye look horrified.
"Oh no."
"Well, anyway, I'm giving ya to the count of three to get outta here before I call the fuzz on you!" Andy said.
"Now, now, sshh, quiet," Tiger's Eye said, trying her best to get andy to stop yelling, but Andy wasn't going to stop that easy.
"Quiet for what? Quit stallin and start packin!"
"B-But Andy -"
"But nothin!"
Tiger's Eye glanced over to Padparadscha once more, but saw that Andy was just enough to tip her over the edge. Too late now.
"Your loss. Take cover everyone!" Tiger's Eye warned, before bolting off for the nearby bushes. And not a moment too soon.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Never had any of them heard such a terrible scream! Everyone around the vicinity immediately covered their ears in pain. This was Padparadscha pushed too far, and her scream just kept on going on that single note, like she was a siren or alarm going off, and twenty times as brutal.
"AH! Shut her up, someone!" Andy yelled, though they were lucky to even hear him at all. Rhodonite had enough and ran right up to Padparadscha. It wasn't the first time this had happened.
"Padparadscha, I-it's okay! Here, here, calm down, we're here," Rhodonite said, holding Padparadscha in one pair of arms as the others covered her ears. The screaming continued on for a bit more, but little by little, Padparadscha started to calm down, and the screaming ceased. It took them all a bit for the ringing in their heads to stop, all humbled and shocked by what just happened.
"W-What just happened?" Fluttershy asked. Rhodonite didn't answer at first, holding Padparadscha close for a bit more, Padparadscha taking a few heavy breaths. Once she was calmed down, Rhodonite released her, and held her hand.
"Eh, look, y-you can have the barn, we're sorry. Come on, let's go somewhere else," Rhodonite said.
"What?" Tiger's Eye gasped. But Rhodonite didn't want to start a fight, especially after that little event happening. Andy was trying to clean his ears, and just looked to the two. All Rhodonite did when she saw Andy was turn away quietly, and began to walk away.
"What was that? It sounded like there was a -"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Fluttershy hissed, her anger finally having enough of Andy's comments. Andy grew humbled, and Fluttershy trotted over to her. This was going to be a bit harder than any of them had thought.
~~~~~~
"Well, now what do we do?"
That was the main question at this point. The Off-Colors, now having little home to head to, had to go with the others over back to the Beach House. It wasn't really a happy moment though, since the Off-Colors had to leave against their will. If this was just a casual visit, then that would be fine, but that's not the case here.
"I'm really sorry, guys," said Steven.
"Don't blame yourself, Steven. It's not your fault, anyway," Rhodonite said, though her gaze turned angry towards Greg.
"Whoa, hold the phone, I didn't drive you away. I would let you stay there -"
"Greg, right? You didn't say anything about this Andy, or the fact someone else owned the barn since we got here!" Rhodonite accused. Now was not the time to get into yet another fight, especially with Padparadscha still trying to relax a little bit, Fluttershy sitting right next to her with a wing around her shoulders.
"Look, I'm sorry about that, I'd never would've guessed Andy would just show up out of nowhere."
"Is there anyway to convince him to change his mind?" asked Applejack.
"I don't know. Andy's never been the type to change his mind about something, and he's really got his longjohns in a twist. It's gonna take a lot to calm him down," Greg admitted. Before they could go any further, the Warp Pad nearby activated, and in came Flint, Garnet, and Jasper.
"Ok, that several places so far, and none of them had any clues," Flint sighed, looking at a written list he had in his hand as he and Jasper walked over the room. Though, it didn't take too long until all three Gems noticed the group of Off-Colors standing inside.
"Come by for a visit?" asked Jasper.
"Well not exactly. We don't have anywhere to go," left Rutile sighed.
"We're homeless. again," added right Rutile.
"Homeless? But we all thought you liked the barn, didn't you?" Jasper questioned.
"No, no, no, we did of course, but uh ..." Rhodonite couldn't finish it, so Tiger's Eye chipped in.
"It's like this: we found him in front of our barn, making all this fuss, and he turned out to be Greg's ... what did you say he was?" Tiger's Eye asked, scratching her ear.
"My cousin, Andy."
"Don't tell me: he showed up, and made you all run off before you had a chance to explain yourselves, right?" Flint concluded.
"Y-Yes, exactly!" Rhodonite said, though she was a bit shocked that Flint got it altogether so quickly.
"Well, we tried explaining but he kept calling us this ... "hippie". Whatever that is," said Tiger's Eye.
"It's a group of humans who's beliefs counter the common way of thinking. ... We fit into that a whole lot," Garnet noted.
"Does that even matter? The point is, is that he's acting like a stubborn stone over it. No offense, Greg."
"I-It's okay," Greg replied bashfully. Stubborn would fit Andy pretty good.
"We'll have a word with him, Rhodonite, maybe we can reach a common understanding. Greg, he's your relative, where would he be at?" Garnet asked.
"My guess? Probably getting the junk out of the barn. It won't be too long I think before he flies off again."
"Flies off?" Jasper asked.
"Yeah, he showed up in this weird flying machine, which nearby crashed the barn!" said Rhodonite.
"Hmm ... a pilot, eh?"
.......
Well, Greg wasn't wrong about his assumption: by the time a number of them had arrived, Andy was actually getting some loose "junk" out of the barn so he had room for his plane to get in. Not too much trouble for Andy, but it did prove what point they had in mind. The Off-Colors weren't there this time (obvious reasons), and it was mainly Greg, Steven, Garnet, Flint, and Jasper.
"Hey uncle Andy!" shouted Steven.
"Ah, back are ya? Here, mind giving me a hand with this?" Andy asked, trying to get out. Steven simply moved over to help his uncle out (or cousin, whichever you want to see it), and with a bit of a pull, Andy found Steven got out the metal part rather easily. Andy took a moment to get his breath before the others confronted him. Jasper wasted little time though in actually picking him up.
"Ok, there."
"Jasper, hold it, put him down. That wasn't what I meant by 'handling it'," Garnet quickly said. Jasper found this easier, but she just placed him down.
"Not. cool," Andy groaned.
"Excuse me, Andy. We'd like a word," Garnet stated. Andy though wasn't amused with more "hippies" coming by the barn, but thinking it over, he started to get the idea.
"OH, gotcha. K, Greg, who's the wife eh? Gotta give her my condolences, am I right?" Andy joked, nudging Greg. However, the Gems got a little bit uncomfortable again.
"What, I gotta guess? alright, let's see, uh, you!" He then points over to Jasper. "He's gotta have a big girl to keep him in line, eh? Er, not big, I mean your tall, not -"
"I get it," Jasper groaned. She could see why the others didn't like him now.
"Rose is not with us ... not anymore," Garnet simply answered. That was all that Andy needed to hear to get the idea. He grew a little perplexed before Greg started talking again.
"Andy, listen, their friends needed a place to stay, and my son wanted to give them the barn. They're a group of refugee aliens who -"
"Illegal aliens?! You couldn't even marry an American?!" AND he got angry all over again.
"Why does that matter?!"
"Uncle Andy, please. I know I didn't know you owned the barn, but it means a whole lot to everyone," Steven said, not wanting another fight to happen.
"Well it means a lot to the DeMayo too. Every year we come here, sit down, have a good meal, and catch up with one another," Andy said. Steven quickly got his next idea.
"Oh, yeah? Well, we can do that, too. We've got a farm here with plenty of food. Let's make a big, traditional meal and eat it together. You'll have a good time, and then you'll have to admit their family. And would you kick family out of the family barn?" Steven proposed. Well, they weren't expecting that so suddenly, but Steven was determined to give the Gems a good home. Andy felt a bit humbled again, but at least he wasn't screaming his head off like before.
"... I'll give your coven a chance and eat your dinner, but only 'cause I lost my sandwich in the Atlantic. Now, excuse me, I gotta go get my junk out of the plane," Andy finally decided, walking away towards his plane. It was probably the best they're gonna manage with this, but if it'll work or not will entirely be on them.
"You sure about this?" asked Jasper, unconvinced.
"W-Well what else could we do?"
"Flint, Jasper. He's apart of Steven's family. The least we can do is try to get on his good side."
"But Gems don't exactly have families," pointed out Flint. Garnet looked to Steven and smiled.
"Not until we came here. So Steven, for the sake of our family, tell us what we need to do," Garnet said, waiting for what he had to say. Steven was starting to feel confident.
"Let's head back and tell the others first, they will give Andy DeMayo the best time ever," Steven said, starting to head on back. While many of them followed, Flint paused and looked over to Andy, who was getting a few things out of his plane. Well, it was now or never, and he went right up to him, clearing his throat.
"Uh, Andy? It is Andy, is it?"
"What is it now?" he asked. Flint too a look at the plane.
"Can I assume you're a sort of pilot with this flying machine? Looks pretty ... authentic," Flint began. Andy started to see where he was coming from and smirked.
"And a good flyer too. Been all over the world in that thing."
"Have you now."
"You better believe it. It's really something else, you know? Just you and the hum of your engine up in that thin air," Andy said. Flint took that into consideration, but then Andy started to get another idea in his own head.
"Wait a minute. if you think you're gonna butter me up for this dinner, then I'm not fallin' for cheap tricks here," Andy made clear.
"You can believe what you want. Now, can I change the subject and ask you a question?"
As Flint and Andy were talking, it didn't take much time until the group took notice. Or at least Steven did.
"And what's that?"
"Well, you said you've been all over the world in this plane. Did you happen to notice anything out of the ordinary in your flights?" Flint questioned, pacing around the plane and looking it over. Flint had more on his mind than just to persuade him, apparently.
"What's it worth to you?"
"Everything."
"What are you, some kind of cop?"
"Detective actually, and I'm in the middle of a case here." Technically he wasn't a detective by nature, but if it could get Andy to cooperate, he could pull it off well. Andy looked a little surprised, but not too convinced.
"Uh ... Case? What case?"
"Considering you are apart of his family, this case involves your cousin's son ... well, sort of."
"WHAT?! You're joshin! What'd they do, kill somebody?"
"That's what the Diamond Authority is stuck thinking, and unless this is worked out, I'm afraid execution for everyone's almost inevitable," Flint explained. Andy could feel his heart pound out of his chest from the freakout, mixed with anger towards the supposed good kid he would call his nephew.
"Y-You're kidding me. No way, that cute kid? How'd he get charged with that?" Andy asked in disbelief. Flint needed a moment to figure out how to word it right. This was a man who thinks Gems are hippies after all.
"Let me explain DeMayo: It has come to our attention that Rose, Greg's currently deceased wife, has been charged with murder over a member of the Diamond Authority. Unfortunately, and don't ask me why, but they're charging her son with the same crime despite him not even being involved at all. It was questionable as is, and I'm trying to get this solved before they get his head."
"Diamond Authority. That's ... what, a mob gang?"
"Something like that, though one of them is smart enough to move on from it. Now, back to the previous question -"
"HA! They think they can get part of the DeMayo, they got another thing comin to em!" Andy said, sounding confident in fighting for one of his family members.
"Don't start that! You get in a fight with one of them, you'll get crushed under their foot - literally."
"Literally?" questioned Andy. Flint was losing patience.
"Oh, nevermind that we're getting nowhere here. Now can you answer the question or not?" Flint demanded, arms crossed. Before Andy could answer.
"Flint, come on! Leave him alone, we're gonna figure this out later," called Jasper.
"Alright, don't tumble your rocks. We'll finish this later," Flint sighed, before going off on his way.
.......
"A ... dinner?" questioned Rhodonite.
"Yeah. All we have to do is show Andy how wonderful you guys are. It doesn't sound too hard," Steven explained. It sounded like a pretty good idea in his eyes, but the Off-Colors weren't so thrilled.
"I-It's not gonna work out, I know it won't."
"It doesn't sound like a bad idea: a family get-together with some good eats. Sounds like a good time to me," Applejack said.
"It's the best shot we have. Unless being driven off from home to here's fine with you." Garnet stated.
"It's fine, I'm down with it!"
"Rhodonite!" snapped Tiger's Eye. Clearly one Gem wasn't willing to try that approach.
"We'll try our best with it," right Rutile said, left Rutile nodding in agreement.
"That's more like it. Jasper and Flint are telling the others about it: if he's going to meet the family, he might as well meet all of them," Garnet informed.
"Maybe? Isn't twenty five a bit uh ... high?"
"No one's forced to come, but Andy will demand to see everyone involved when we get there. Regardless of what path we try, he'll demand it anyway," Garnet explained, adjusting her shades. Her Future Vision had given her a rough scenario to work with indeed, but if it could work out in the end, then so be it. Even if it'll be a bit overwhelming for Andy.
"Well, in that case, I'd better get cookin. Pinkie, care to lend a hoof?" AJ asked. Pinkie was more than willing.
"The party mare's gonna make this happen!" Pinkie beamed. And for a quick measure, Pinkie popped the key out for quick access back home.
"Let's get to work!"
~~~~~~
So time ticked on by for Andy at the barn, the barn was cleaned up and cleared out of any foreign objects. His plane was nicely parked inside , and at the moment, Andy was polishing up his plane. It was nice and quiet, the slightly warmer air making the snow softer and thinner under foot, and with everyone no longer there, Andy was given time to think about things. Despite that, it was just ... well, that. quiet. A little too quiet for his tastes.
"Hello."
Andy jumped back on the voice, and found one of the "hippies" was there again, and this time it was Star Quartz.
"Dang it, don't do that, you bound gave me a heart attack," Andy snapped, hand over his heart from the surprise visit.
"Are you Andy? Steven's ... wncke?"
"Uncle. And yeah, what's it to ya?" Andy asked.
"The others just told me to come here," Star answered, having a seat on some nearby hay. Andy was unamused.
"I'm already dealing with a group of hippies and their dinner tonight, I don't need anymore of em," Andy griped. Star scratched her head.
"Hippie? But aren't they Gems?"
"That's what I said. How many more of you are there anyway?" Andy asked. Star paused, and started to count out the members with her fingers. The more she added together, the more surprised Andy got.
"... I have to say about fourteen."
"There's fourteen of you?" Andy asked, the most surprised he had been all day.
"Well, if you count the Off-Colors and the Mane six, that's twenty five."
"Twenty five?! You gotta be kidding me!" Andy gasped. How many members of this family was Greg keeping from him.
"You didn't know?"
"Course I didn't know, that space nut Greg didn't tell me anything," Andy griped, taking a seat next to her.
"Why would he tell you?"
"He's my cousin for one thing. A cousin who'd rather bolt off on his family than stick around," Andy said. Star was quiet for a moment or two.
"... Wait. But, you're the one in the plane, aren't you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Andy growled. Star didn't see what her words were doing yet, so she continued.
"Well, Greg seems to be stuck here most of the time. And Flint told me how you were flying all over the planet."
"It ain't my fault he ditched the DeMayo family! I've been trying to keep the family together, and here he runs off on us after some rock band gimmick like it's nobody's business! And you're telling me it's my fault?!" Andy yelled. The whole time though, Star was only slightly surprised, but she didn't get too emotional. In fact, she actually started thinking.
"Oh what, got nothin to say to me?"
"... Did you read the Zays story?"
Well that was out of nowhere.
"... What? what's that got to do with anything?" Andy questioned. Star got up, and began to go into the barn, looking around slightly before jumping up with little sound, and landing gently on the second floor. Andy never got to that part yet, so everything was right where she remembered, and eventually she jumped back down with a book. It looked like a nursery rhyme book. Star Quartz sat down on the hay again, and started skimming through the pages until she saw a picture of what looked like a set of birds, both standing stubbornly in pride right in front of eachother, not budging from one to another. Star Quartz cleared her throat.
Out in the plains known as the haze, and moving west a ways came a west-going Zays.
And then, late but not least, off and heading east, came an east-going Zays.
A west-going Zays.
An east-going Zays.
Both Zays on the move, to their world a new, until a thump camp to.
And there stood the Zays, standing firm and upset between them both too.
"Fellow Zays!" yelled the west-going Zays with little care "What do you think standing in my way, as you dare! Move out of my way, as I'm heading West, and moving out of my way will be your absolute best!"
"Who's in who's way?" retorted the Zay, east going prideful-ness on high. "You're the one in the wrong, and not am I, for you're in my way, for I'm going east, so I will not budge, not an inch at the least!"
The West-Going Zays, now angered almost a daze, pushed him with his beak and said. "Oy Vey! And Oy Vey to you if you dare not move by this noon, as I'm not anywhere else but West anytime soon. I'll prove you're wrong, and here I'll stay, even if it takes me 79 days!"
The East going Zays was calling his jargin, and as just as well willingly took the bargain. "Is that so, well fine, and stand here shall I until you veer, and I'll stay here for 79 years! You will move out of my way, and then move I will, even if it means you, me, and the whole world stands still!"
Star Quartz then turned the page, and both birds were still standing there, but this time with a busy street worked all around them, going around and even over them.
But of course, the world didn't stand still, and it never did even under their will.
A busy highway was made with the Zays standing there, going around and going over without little care
and in the end, the world continued on and relaxed, as those two stubborn Zays were left. Un-budging, in their tracks.
Well, Andy never expected to hear a childhood story today, and Star Quartz closed the book.
"Remind me again what this has to do with me?"
"... You're acting like a Zays," she simply said.
~~~~~~
The day continued to tick on by, and the Gems and Ponies were pretty busy with this new get-together. Many of the Gems weren't familiar with this get-together plan, but if it meant keeping the Off-Colors home and not leaving them homeless (again), then it'll be worth it in the end. Applejack, Amethyst, Steven, and Pinkie Pie were the bakers for today, and they really got it all down pact after such a long time of baking, plenty of food left out for plenty to eat. They had to be with the twenty plus "family members" coming by to see Andy DeMayo. Fluorite was the only singular exception for meeting Andy face to face (for obvious reasons), and Rhodonite was given a bit of a pass since Andy didn't freak out on seeing her earlier.
Off around sunset was when the big eat was to take place, and about time for the group to finish up. A table was set up for the dinner, and lined on it was all sorts of food. For the sake of the ponies, most of it was a vegetarian diet (salads, fruits, cake, etc.). No meat was present at this banquet, though hopefully it wouldn't be too much of a problem. But for Andy ...
"Is it just going to be a bunch of vegetables? I should've known, you're a bunch of vegetarians!"
Another issue. The other didn't officially show up yet, but Andy got a good look at their meal first, alongside Steven and Greg.
"A vegetable grown by a family's love nourishes the body and soul," said Steven.
"Aw, don't let them get to you Steven. I'll get you a stick of pepperoni for your birthday," Andy decided, fluffing his hair. Steven wasn't sure if he was rolling with it, or being legitimate about it. Anyway, it was at this point when some of the group did start to show up, the first being the flyers: RD, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Lapis specifically. A bit odd to see them flying around, but like any other human in Steven's world, he didn't question it too much.
"Steven!" Lapis called, landing down gently nearby them.
"Hi, Lapis," said Greg.
"Are the others coming?" asked Steven.
"They'll be here in just a bit sport," Rainbow said, still hovering in the air as the rest landed over by the table.
"Holy. Steven, you sure outdone yourself this time," Fluttershy complimented. Steven smiled, going over to them. Andy actually looked a little surprised.
"Hold up. He made all of this?" Andy asked, pointing to the table of food.
"I had a little help," Steven admitted, but he was glad he had so much made here for the dinner. Andy glanced over to Greg for the moment, Greg feeling a bit bashful about it.
"Well, that's one thing he got from you, Greg," Andy admitted. Steven heard that loud and clear.
"You didn't tell me you're a natural chef!" Steven said. Andy glanced at Greg again, unamused, but at the same time expecting it. Greg recoiled a little.
"Eh, I dabbled a little when I was your age."
"Dabbled? Heck, he had enough to cook in those fancy diners, but no he'd rather run off and play Mr. rock star. Still fiddling with that guitar by the way with that, er what's-his-name ... Matt?" Andy asked, though he wasn't sounding too interested in his answer whatever it would be.
"What's he talking about?" Twilight asked.
"See, before I gave up on it, I was in my rock career, and I had a manager named Marty as I went around Delmarva. ... He's dead to me," Greg simply said. Blunt, but that about sums it up.
"Bout time we agreed on somethin today," Andy added in, arms crossed. Before they could continue on that (if they wanted to that was), it was then that the others finally arrived. Aside from Flint (five bits if you can guess why), everyone seemed to have arrived. The second Andy saw just how many other members were there, he was ... speechless, to say the least.
"Wow ... that silver girl wasn't joshin' after all, gees," Andy commented.
"You mean Star?" asked Greg.
"Know any other silver women?"
"Hello again."
Andy jumped again when Star Quartz just popped up right behind them, Andy having a hand over his heart.
"A-Again? You need a bell or something," Andy said, trying to recollect.
"Andy DeMayo? Meet the family," Garnet said, giving her basic introduction for Andy to everybody there. Andy was still a bit surprised as to just how big this family even was. Sure, he wanted to see the family, but this was a bit overdoing it. The first one to go up to him was Bismuth and the Rutile twins. Bismuth was alright, but seeing Rutile come up sent a shiver through Andy's spine.
"Hey there, DeMayo, so you're Steven's uncle, huh?" Bismuth noted.
"Nice to meet you," said the twins. Andy took a step back from the Rutile twins, and his face showed a bit of worry, which the twins easily caught. Andy then noticed Star Quartz nearby ...
"Er, uh *ahem* L-Likewise. You all take a seat, and we'll get comfy," Andy simply said. Both twins glanced to eachother, and they began to head over to the table.
"Is your friend one of those "Siamese twins" or something?" Andy whispered.
"Let's just agree to call it that, if it's all the same to you," Rarity quietly suggested. It would probably be for the best if Andy kept his judgmental comments to himself, at least until after dinner. Andy mainly agreed though so he wouldn't set off Padparadscha again.
It didn't take them much longer until they all were sitting down at the table. Sure, all these Gems and ponies did make things a little bit crowded, but it didn't bother them too much, as the table was surely large enough to accommodate them all, with a little magic, of course. Andy was pretty impressed, to say the least, once he got down to it. He didn't know how many chefs were in this family, but they knew how to feed them all together.
"Alright, let's get started. Since we're throwing tradition out the window, let's start with this gorgeous cake! Dessert before Dinner," Andy decided. He was ready to dig right in, but he quickly caught himself before he could take his bite.
"Where are my manners? Steven, pass this down to your friend," Andy said, giving a slice of cake to Steven. Steven was glad to do so and passed the plate down. What happened then, well ...
"Oh, where're my manners?" said Lapis, passing the plate.
"Where're my manners? Here you are," said Rhodonite, passing the plate.
"Thank you, P, but where're my manners?" said Fulgurite, passing the plate.
... This kept up for a good minute, and after a pretty long while, the only ones who were left with any cake were the ponies, Greg, Steven, and Andy. Everyone else was left out of it.
"What, none of you like cake?" asked Andy.
"Gems don't need to eat. Well, Amethyst enjoys it that is," Garnet stated.
"Eh, I'm good, I had three bottles of cooking oil earlier," Amethyst said, followed by a burp, which came with some purple fire. no one got burnt, but it was comedic if anything.
"So that's where it all ended up!" Pinkie realized.
"Eh ... It's alright," Andy said. At least the ponies had some cake, though he was weirded out someone would actually eat cooking oil. Anyway, it didn't take long until they started to get into their meals - whoever got a meal - and started some small talk.
"So, Steven. you got a pretty colorful family here, don't ya?" Andy noted. Andy didn't mean to make that a joke, but a few did snicker anyway. It was more literal considering the group.
"Yeah, all my family," Steven said with a smile.
"Yeah. Though I see women are especially strong in this family," Andy noted.
"Hey, I'm a dude!" Emerald corrected.
"We don't have genders, Emerald," corrected Jasper.
"So? You look at me, you think I'm a girl?" Emerald said. However, it was pretty quick that many of the girls didn't look too ... well, girly.
"I think you don't have a problem here," Jasper simply said.
As they were chatting, the ones who had the most discomfort towards the situation though was Rhodonite, still a bit uneasy about what happened earlier. Rhodonite kept a closer eye towards Padparadscha, who was still sitting there with her smile on her face, as she would normally do.
"You are alright, are you Padparadscha?" Rhodonite whispered, wanting to be sure.
"....... It's such a nice get-together," Padparadscha replied. Rhodonite breathed a sigh of relief on that answer, something Peridot caught.
"What's with you now?" Peridot asked.
"Just checking, that's all," Rhodonite insisted. She wanted to keep it as that, but Rainbow Dash was quick to oblige in filling the gaps here.
"Padparadscha had a ... little situation earlier. She seems pretty alright now, though," Rainbow Dash said.
"Seriously?" Rhodonite said under her breath. Some people were such open books, it really bothered her. Peridot thought it over a little bit, but then there was one situation that came to her mind.
"Wait. That scream you mean?" Peridot stated. RD just nodded, and Peridot turned over to Padparadscha, who at first was still smiling, but after a little bit laughed a little nervously, embarrassed that her high screech was overheard that much.
"Well, Sapphires are known for their tones of voice, so ... yeah, makes sense," Peridot shrugged. At least it wasn't as bad as they brought it out to be.
"Well, as long as everyone's happy," Fluttershy said, as Pinkie Pie was happily eating away as her own cake. She looked up and nodded her head in agreement, swallowing down her piece.
"Yep, I'd hate to have anypony all grumpy here. By the way, where's Flint? Is Mr. grumpy too busy again?" Pinkie asked, not seeing him in the crowd.
"I tried to get him to help, but he insisted on working. ... It would've taken hours," Garnet sighed, a bit disappointed admittedly.
"You did what you had to do, don't sweat it. We wouldn't have any time to get all the ingredients together if we waited for him. He probably preferred it anyway," Applejack stated, which was probably true anyway.
"Wish we could've taken one of those carts with us. We could've added it to the barn!" said right Rutile.
"That would be stealing," Pearl firmly stated.
"Because it's made of steel," Steven then joked, the Rutiles chuckled on the joke.
"We did save the world from mass destruction, we should have access to anything we want," Peridot said in pride. Andy would ask, but a part of him knew better.
"Eh ... fair point, but rules are rules, Peridot," Pearl stated.
"You just don't want to run into the cops again, right?" Emerald teased, making Pearl blush.
"I can guarantee you I did nothing wrong, and you know it Emerald."
"We just played a game with him, Pearl," Star said.
"Can we change the subject please?" Pearl quickly suggested. Being reminded of her little line walk with a cop was not something she wanted to do.
"Calm down, Pearl, it's alright. You didn't hurt anyone, and everything turned out okay," Peridot reassured.
"Yeah, true."
"Everything turned out alright in the end. It sure is funny though: to think that this place used to be a battlefield for hundreds of Gems," Bismuth brought up, aiding Pearl in changing the subject.
"I know right? And here we are, playing around with dinner on the same ground some Gem ship was probably sitting on. Goes to show how much things can change, eh?" Fulgurite said.
"For better especially," agreed Amethyst, giving Fulgurite a high-five. It was then that Greg got an idea.
"Well, how about we share our thanks?" Greg decided, raising a glass.
"Oh, good idea," Steven agreed. The others weren't sure what this was about, but they went along anyhow. If it was apart of this tradition, then so be it.
"I would like to thank everyone for helping make this happen. This turned out to be a great dinner," Garnet started.
"Well, all that gardening was done by Applejack, I thank her," said Amethyst.
"Thank you kindly. And I'd like to give my thanks for all your hard work."
"I agree. With how much we all have done, I want to raise my glass to you. The world would never have looked so bright if it wasn't for all of you here today, and all the determination and care you've all put in making this future possible. Cheers to a brighter future, everypony," Twilight said.
"Cheers!" everyone said.
"....... Cheers!" Padparadscha finished.
.......
"Ok. You can have the barn."
This was rather sudden of Andy to say, and he didn't feel to good about it. Without another word, Andy placed his hat down on the table, and actually started to walk away.
"Huh? Andy, you ok?" Steven asked, but Andy didn't answer, and he started to head over to the plane. Seeing all this made Andy feel ... sad. And in the end he didn't want to deal with anymore. Some of them tried to get him, but eventually Andy got into his plane, started it up, and actually flew off and away!
"... Alright, we did it!" Rhodonite said with a smile. However, Jasper gave her a rough nudge to keep her quiet.
"Andy, wait!" Greg called, but it was no use. Andy had left.
"Oh dear," Rarity simply said.
"... Wait a minute. Where's Star?" Peridot asked.
~~~~~~
Off out on the wing, Andy was all silent. Normally, a fly over the ocean would give him a good feeling, but this time the situation just seemed a little bit down hill for him. Seeing all this just didn't sit well for him, seeing Greg in such a different way, seeing so many new people, hearing how much they've done ...
"Where're you going?"
Andy couldn't believe his ears. He was sure that no one else was in the plane with him when he left, but when he looked around, he saw that he wasn't alone up there in the sky. Star Quartz! And worse yet, Star Quartz was sitting casually on the plane's left wing!
"You mad?! Get off of there!" Andy yelled. Sure, he was still fifty-fifty on the Gems, but he didn't want them hurt like this!
"What happened back there? Is everything okay?" Star asked, surprisingly casual as she sat there.
"NO everything's not okay, you're sitting on the wing! Get down from there before you fall off!" Andy snapped. Star didn't see what was so dangerous, being a Gem and all, and even if she fell she had little weight for a hard landing anyway.
"... Sorry Mr. Zays."
"It's. DE.MAYO. DeMayo!" Andy yelled. Star didn't say anything, and it could be Star's ability acting up or just the flight itself, but Andy did begin to calm down.
"I thought they were having a good time. Weren't you having fun?"
"You don't know nothin about me! I wanted everything to stay the same, but no one else would! Everyone just didn't," Andy finally admitted. Strange, and he even found it strange, that he would just flat out say something like that to a complete stranger like Star. Star herself still felt a little perplexed about the whole thing, but the idea to her sounded ... well, a little silly.
"What's wrong with change?"
"What's wrong with it? My whole family had left me, that's what. ... No one cares anymore ..."
"Not even you?" Star asked.
Andy was silent, continuing the flight forward, and looking out to sea. Star laid down on the wing, and looked down to Andy.
"Steven looked like he cared to me. Greg looked pretty caring too. I don't know why they wouldn't care if they wanted to have this "dinner" with you," Star pointed out, and she was right. If they really didn't care, why were they trying to even do this? They would've just driven him off if that were the case, but instead they were willing to try and make him comfortable. Andy just groaned.
"Everything just happened so fast. It's like yesterday that we were all just together like real family ... then there's just me. I didn't decide to get into flying until after practically everyone flown the coop without me, and ... well, here I am, flying solo. And hearing how much Steven's aunts, sisters, uncles and brothers did already, it's just - ..."
"... I may not know as much of the Earth as the others do. I'm only a few years old after all ... but all this change that happens here. It's actually comforting to me."
"Comforting? ... Wait, you're how old?"
Star laid down on the wing, turning over to her back as she looked up to the sky, feeling the wind blow by her.
"When I was made, I only had the Kindergarten. Cold. Alone. No one was there except for me. ... When I found my mom, it changed. ... Weren't you happy to see Greg again, or ...?"
Andy didn't have a correct answer for her. I mean, he was upset at Greg for being gone this whole time, one way or another, and for him just ditching the family like everyone else did, but a part of him ... felt glad. He knew Greg was ok, and he found just how big of a family the DeMayo now was thanks to the Universes. And that's when it hit him.
"Eh, I'm just a stubborn Zays aren't I?" Andy commented.
"Hmm?"
"Oh, nothin. Let's get you back home, your family's probably worried sick about ya," Andy suggested, gently turning the plane and starting to fly on back.
.......
"YOU WERE ON THE PLANE?!"
Andy couldn't call it any better when they got back. They all were glad to see that Star Quartz was okay after her little fly around the sea, and when they got back they explained everything. Er, well Star did, Andy just kept quiet at first.
"Thanks for bringing back Star, Andy," Garnet said.
"Eh, well I wasn't gonna leave her on the wing like that, you know? Anyway, I figured you could use some help with the leftovers. You know, since you don't eat and all," Andy said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Understood. We'll get it situated for you," Pearl said, her and a few others getting some items ready for Andy's flight. Then Greg went over to him.
"Thanks for the barn!" called the Rutile Twins, as they too helped the others.
"Glad you came back, Andy," Greg said. At first, there was some silence between them, but Andy then smiled.
"EH, come here you goofball!" Andy finally said, hugging Greg, and giving him a playful noogie to the head. Greg couldn't help but laugh with him, seeing Andy was happy to see him too. Looks like they got another member in the family after all. Star saw them both, and all she did was smile. Garnet was smiling as well, seeing this happen.
"Welcome to the family."