Sonic Gem EP9: Me and my Lion

Me and My Lion is the ninth episode of season one of Sonic Gem
== Plot ==
Unrelenting.
Unbearable.
Scorching.
The Heat was leaving poor Steven barely even able to walk, or even stand. One hand after the other, one slow crawl step at a time, Steven continued to muscle his way slowly across the shallow expanse of sand and burning sunshine above his head. HE FELT MISURABLE.
"So ... tired ... so thirsty. ..."
"Steven? You know you can just walk, right?" Tails remarked, hovering just above him.
"You don't understand ... this is how ... you're supposed to act ... in a desert," Steven groaned.
Well, everyone else walked - rather than crawled - over to a nearby sandy hill, taking time to check the area as Steven finally pulled himself up to his feet with a groan. They weren't even quarter of a mile away from the Warp Pad, but The Crystal Gems and Mobians took their time checking out the vast desert around them.
For the world around them, it at first looked like any typical desert: vast sea of sand with the blinding sun. However, looking around some more they were seeing many signs of civilization, or rather once was. Pillars, columns, gates, and pathways all made up of sandstone were scattered all over the place.
Taking the moment while everyone else was just standing there, sonic bolted off ahead and raced up one of the columns, getting a better look at the top.
"Not too bad," he remarked," kinda reminds me of back home. Hey Garnet, what's the game today?!"
Garnet looked around a bit before looking up to Sonic.
"I'll tell you when you come down from there," Garnet called.
Sonic smirked down to her. "What's wrong? Think I can't hear you from up here?"
*ssssss*
Before they could say anything, the column basically answered for them and started disappearing from underneath him. Even the speedy Hedgehog didn't react fast enough to avoid the whole column collapsing under him. All he could do was yelp, falling straight down and splatting in a pile of sand.
Garnet just pulled him out by the foot.
"That's why."
Sonic just rolled his eyes, spitting out what sand remained stuck in his mouth. Getting the hedgehog to his feet again, they all checked the area again, seeing other columns disappearing too, but also building themselves up. The sand piles morphed and altered here and there into all sorts of different constructs, more than enough to prove Garnet's non-spoken point.
"This is the work of the Desert Glass," Garnet concluded.
"What's that?" Steven asked, wiping some sweat from his head.
"An ancient gem artifact: it once was used to re-built constructs and temples, but currently it's work has become aimless," Garnet explained.
"There're stairs that go to nowhere," Pearl added, "columns without roofs to hold them, hallways going into the ground. This is out of control!"
The desert was seemingly willing to agree, since seconds after she said that the desert suddenly forced up another pillar right next to them! It was an inch off from launching Tails and Steven into the sky and rushed up just as fast. The most damage it did, thank stars, was making Tails and Steven stumble back into Garnet.
"Yeah, I believe it," Tails said. "So, do any of you guys know where it is?"
"We have an overall idea. Still, it'll be best if you stay here by the Warp Pad, Steven," Garnet advised.
"What? Why? I can do it!" Steven muttered. Garnet picked the boy up and placed him down by one of the construct walls.
"Steven, you nearly just got launched by that pillar," Pearl reminded, "We'll be quick, I promise."
"You're letting Tails go with you," Steven retorted, pointing to the fox next to them. Tails immediately found himself on the spot, but good thing for him the others got it covered.
"Well, yes," Pearl explained, "But you're still fairly new to these missions, and Tails is more experienced. ... That, and he can fly."
"Sorry, Steven," Tails muttered. He was hoping they wouldn't be THAT blunt with him, but Steven just stayed quiet. He was too hot to be that upset anyway, as he wiped off some more sweat from his forehead again. Garnet gave Steven a pat on the head.
"Don't worry, wet one," Garnet said, flicking off some sweat from her hand into Steven's face, "There's nothing here that could harm you. See you soon."
With all of that finally said, they began to head off on their way for this Desert Glass, Steven meanwhile left right by his little sand mound, hot and by himself. Without anyone around to talk to now, all he could do was continue sitting there, trying his best to NOT feel hot in the desert by pulling his shirt over his head. Maybe. JUST maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come out after all.
Wait. No. He can't think that! Steven, with the wall on his back, slowly began getting back to his feet.
"Nothing's gonna hurt me: I am a Crystal Gem. I am ... THE WET ONE."
Steven stood tall with his new determination ... for a few seconds before the burning sun made him cover his head again. Didn't need a sunburn while searching.
"I got this. Let's find that Gem thing."
And so, the search started.
...
... and ended after five minutes.
"Why does this mission ... have to be so ... hot?" Steven groaned in between his tired breathing. "I'm gonna ... turn into a puddle. ..."
As much as he tried, the heat kept forcing him to lower himself more and more, until he was just lying on the sand with the sun baking him. As if the sun itself was fighting him, and he was simply losing. So much so, his eyes began to close on him, ever so slowly ...
*growl*
"W-What was that?" The growl was distant, but it still was clear as can be, enough to spring Steven back to his feet. Being stuck out in the desert and all, who knows what could be lurking around the place? His eyes darted back and forth for whatever signs of this voice, but all he could see around him were sand, pillars, and the rock wall behind him.
*GROWL*
Closer that time. If Steven wasn't on edge before, he sure was now, moving his back right to the wall. ...
Nearby, as the kid stayed put and tried checking everywhere for the growling, his focus was completely off of one of the pillars. The shifting sands decided NOW was the time to weaken this piece of work, the lower parts shifting away in heaps of soft sand. A mighty groan echoed within it, and it began leaning off balance ... right towards Steven!
"AAHH!" *THUD*
It all happened so quickly. Even with the sound of the crash, and sand getting tossed up into the air, Steven didn't feel any part of him crushed or covered in sand. All he did feel was a strong shove, and nothing else as his body came to rest on one of the smaller dunes.
"Whoa. Thanks, Sonic."
"Wrong Mobian, kid."
Steven took a second, but his eyes went right up to meet not the blue hedgehog, but instead a rather disgruntled red echidna, arms crossed and not very pleased to see him. Steven got to his feet, shaking off the tackle as the echidna still kept his eyes squarely on him.
"Oh, hi! ... You ..."
"It's Knuckles. I remember seeing you a few weeks ago," Knuckles reminded. Good thing too, since that did click something in Steven's head - not that Knuckles was bothered by that. Time for the obvious question though.
"Mind telling me what you're doing out here in the desert?" Knuckles asked.
"Umm ... depends: can I ask you the same thing?"
Knuckles didn't answer.
"... We're here looking for a Gem artifact thing," Steven answered. Knuckles did perk up slightly there, suddenly looking around him franticly.
""WE". You mean the others are with you?" Knuckles sternly questioned.
"YO, STEVEN!"
Before Steven could respond, NOW the familiar blue blur rushed on by them, kicking up sand and dust as he skidded off to a stop. Soon as said sand and dust cleared, all that remained was Sonic standing on top of two strangely convenient sand pile.
"Steven, come on, I just saw you here! Where're ya?" Sonic called. Steven popped his head out moments later from the pile next to him, shaking off some of the sand from his head.
"Ah, there you are. What're you doing burying yourself?"
"I wasn't burying myself, I swear! I was ... just, taking a small break, before going to look around some more," Steven explained.
"GET!! OFF!!"
*WHACK* Next thing Sonic knew, he was launched straight up a good twenty feet, Knuckles' angry fist jutting out of his own sand pile. Sonic's yelling was also bluntly stopped with his face meeting the ground. As he was slowly picking himself up outta the sand, Knuckles just punched off the pile from him, shaking out the sand from his own quills. He didn't need sand in his ears today.
Sonic meanwhile only needed a glance to the echidna before realizing who attempted to launch him into space.
"Oh, nice seeing you again, Knucklehead," Sonic inquired.
"Of course, you'd be here Sonic," Knuckles groaned. Part of him still wanted to just clock him again, but he had other problems to handle.
"So, what brings you out here in the desert? Finally changed your mind and wanted to hang out with us?" Sonic asked. All that did was make Knuckles grit his teeth.
"Don't get too excited. I'm here strictly on my mission. It's not like I planned to have any of you be here with me."
"You're on a mission too?" Steven beamed. Knuckles was ready to just snap at him, but the echidna just kept himself quieted down seeing Steven's more innocent face. At least more so than Sonic's smug mug. Rather than answer directly, his gloved hand reached into the locks of his hair.
"If you HAVE to know ..."
What Knuckles pulled out next made Sonic and Steven's eyes shoot wide open. There, cradled in Knuckles' cupped hand was a bright gemstone glistening in the desert sun. A deep harsh red colored its surface, and it shimmered so much in the light it almost looked like a faint glow.
"A Gem?" Steven murmured.
"A Chaos Emerald. YOU found it?" Sonic asked, astonished. He reached for it, but Knuckles pulled it back.
"Yeah I did. Because I wasn't busy partying with the locals," Knuckles spat. Sonic recoiled a bit.
"Wait a minute, I did more than just "partying"," Sonic corrected.
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Knuckles questioned, eyebrow raised.
"Let's see: I've been hunting down gem monsters with these guys, doing daily laps around the country, checking out the local chili dog stand -"
"Anything BUT finding a way to get back home?" Knuckles cut in, grabbing the hedgehog by the neck.
"Tails' got that covered!"
"GUYS STOP!" Steven finally got in between them before any fight could break out, pushing Knuckles and Sonic away ... only to ask: "What's a Chaos Emerald?"
Knuckles unfortunately was in no mood for explanations, but Sonic on the other hand wasn't so willing to keep quiet about any of it.
"Chaos Emeralds are these super powerful magic stones back on my planet," Sonic explained, "I've had the joy of using them a few times before: seriously once I go super with those things, there's nothing that stops me! Ain't that right, Knuckles?"
Knuckles put his Chaos Emerald back in the locks of his quills.
*GROWL*
That sound again. This time it sounded dangerously close, and it didn't help that Knuckles immediately got in the fighting position, fists clenched and everything. Sonic tried finding the source of the noise but with little luck, and Steven felt his back shiver as he tried to find any pillars or walls ready to fall again.
"It's coming back," Knuckles warned.
"What is?" Steven asked.
His answer revealed itself just ahead of them. It was a bit hard to see at first, but the silhouette of a large creature was out for all three to see. Exact details were vague, but it did have a strong look of some kind of large predator. This creature, whatever it was, just stood there staring them down. Sonic and Knuckles weren't fazed at first, but Steven didn't waste any time in turning tail and running, racing behind the wall.
"Good thing this wall's here," Steven said, trembling.
*ROAR!*
What a big mouth. Steven ducked down, the tremor-filled roar echoing so strong that the sand wall exploded just behind him! He somehow didn't get launched back but Knuckles and Sonic weren't as lucky as him: Sonic spinning and landing on his feet while Knuckles rolled and slammed into the ground. The Chaos Emerald got launched out of Knuckles' head, spiraling in the air before landing in the sands of the desert.
"The emerald!"
"I got it, Knux," Sonic said, already racing off to fetch it. THAT didn't suit the beast however, as it quickly rushed off over Steven, right pass Knuckles, and bee-lining towards Sonic. It wasn't as fast as Sonic stars no, but that didn't mean there was much time for Sonic to get himself together after snatching that Chaos Emerald up. No sooner did he turn around -
*ROAR!!*
A close-range roar sent Sonic rolling back again, but he kept his grip hard on the Chaos Emerald, not letting it fly off on him again. It took a few more rolls before he was abruptly stopped by a set of powerful paws pinning his arms into the ground.
The beast revealed itself in full, as it snatched the Chaos Emerald in its teeth. Steven, Sonic, and Knuckles were in company of nature's king of beasts - a large and proud Lion! It was large, imposing, a mane flowing in prestige, and eyes locked with determination. The body of this Lion though wasn't like anything they've ever seen before: a strong shade of pink above anything else.
"Easy, kitty," Sonic groaned, "Just drop the Emerald and we can try this again, what do you say?"
The Lion didn't flinch. Instead, it looked off away and did yet another earth-shaking roar! This roar wasn't as strong, but it revealed yet another unique trick in this feline's non-existent sleeve. Something that, while not making it less scary, did at least get Steven thrilled.
It went on ahead and created a WORKING PORTAL! Just like that: a portal leading off to who knows where. Wherever it was though, that Chaos Emerald was going, and the Lion wasted no time in just tossing it right through without a second thought.
"HEY!" Knuckles rushed for it, but the portal shut itself just before he could snatch it. Wherever that Chaos Emerald went, it wasn't gonna be found anytime soon. 
"Don't hurt him!" Steven shouted. Even so, the Lion only now went off Sonic's frame, letting the Hedgehog bolt to his feet again, focusing its attention instead right on the shouting voice that was Steven. Knuckles readied for yet another attack as Steven stepped back. All he did was cover up his face for another roar-filled launch. ...
*yawn*
... The Lion flopped onto the ground and fell asleep.
.......
"....... Okay," Sonic muttered.
... Well now what? Knuckles, Sonic, and Steven stared at the now sleeping feline for a moment or two, the echidna waiting for some sort of surprise attack as the other two were just contemplating what the heck just happened.
"Well, that's it, I guess. Come on, kiddo, there's a good chili dog waiting back -" before Sonic could finish, Steven defied all basic logic any normal person would do and slowly started moving closer to the Lion. Knuckles made sure Steven didn't go further, pulling him back.
"Don't go near it. It could be ready to strike again," Knuckles warned ... as the Lion just rolled onto his back in his sleep.
"It doesn't look bad to me ... I think ..."
*yawn*
Steven jumped back on Lion's yawn, but rather than just getting blown back Lion just stretched a bit and relaxed on the sand. In spite of Knuckles' warning, Steven still felt the urge to go just a little bit closer to the big cat. Closer ... closer ...
One hand made contact with the Lion's head. ... but he did nothing. In fact, the big cat just purred a little bit, bowing his head so Steven could rub it some more. Steven actually smiled in spite of himself, even more so when the Lion licked Steven's face.
"It went from trying to kill us to being babied by the kid?" Knuckles questioned. That response almost looked like it triggered the big feline, the lion snarling at them both ready to bite into them. It was enough to make them both jump back, but Steven got in the way.
"No no no no, Lion. They're friends," Steven insisted, now both hands on the big cat. Still growling, the big cat did relax a bit with these two.
"You're naming him "Lion" Steven?" Sonic questioned.
"Why not? He is a Lion," Steven replied. Lion nuzzled up to Steven again, Steven going on to give him some more rubs.
"Aww, you just wanted attention, didn't you? Didn't you?" Steven said, rubbing and petting Lion's mane and fur. Knuckles just face-palmed nearby. As for Lion, all he did was lay there, even rolling onto his side so Steven can rub his belly too like any pet would ... oddly enough. Knuckles gave Sonic a sideways glance.
"Hey, I just met the cat, Knucklehead, how was I to know he was anybody's pet?" Sonic retorted. As Steven was petting Lion though, the big cat enjoying the seconds of pampering, a thought crossed the kid's mind once again.
"Oh, before I forget: didn't you want to tell me something, Sonic?"
"Tell you ... OH YEAH, Steven we -"
*BOOOM!*
Next thing the four knew, a explosion went off in the whole desert, one that overall made the entirity of the area crumble! All pillars, walls, any sand structure just suddenly collapsed all around them, leaving the four completely covered in a heap of sand! It was like the sky just dumped a ton of sand on top of them, and just as heavy.
Sonic popped his head out first, shaking out the sand from his quills and ears.
"Nevermind," Sonic mumbled, dizzy as the others shook the sand off of them. Lion made it easier with a well-aimed roar, not knocking them away but making sure the sand was off of everybody.
"Amethyst, bubble that away. We don't need the ruins re-building themselves again," said a distant voice.
Not even a second after getting themselves cleaned up, and on come back the others: Mobians and Gems alike. They all only looked slightly roughed around this time, but nothing too extreme beyond a bit of dirt and dust. It didn't help them though that Amethyst was casually tossing the thing in the air.
Speaking of which, the object looked a bit odd for their "target": rather than some remains of a monster or whatever, all they got for this mission was a pillow. Grant it, it did have a gemstone at the center of it, but it didn't look any more dangerous than any typical headpiece for a bed.
"Don't be jealous, Pearl: my kill, my keep," Amethyst simply said.
"The Gems are coming. Quick- put my head in your mouth!" Steven said, grabbing Lion by the un-flinching jaws.
"Say what?" Sonic asked.
"STEVEN! WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!"
Of course, that didn't go too well with the others, weapons drawn out and at the ready for this sudden beast. Lion didn't get aggressive with the Gems present, but the big cat didn't really help situations after he brought his paw up, and just rested it on Steven's head.
"S-Stop, it's okay! He's totally tame!" Steven insisted. Knuckles couldn't let this continue anymore, and shoved Lion aside.
"It just tried to eat you, kid, don't get carried away," Knuckles remarked.
"EAT YOU?!" Pearl exclaimed. Clearly this wasn't going well. Sonic meanwhile looked between the gems and the big cat, and it only took him a few seconds before picking his side of the argument.
It took even less than that for him to suddenly appear on Lion's back.
"Guys, GUYS, he's cool. We just got on the wrong paw that's all. Ain't that right, big guy? Look, he's warming up to me already," Sonic said.
Lion shook him off, unamused. Even so, the fact Lion didn't just start mauling them did at least calm them down a little bit. Not that they had time to deal with Lion anyway.
"Ehh, I'm convinced. Also hi Knuckles," Amethyst said, giving a wave to the echidna. All Knuckles gave was a half-attempted wave of the gloved hand.
"Steven, get your hands out of that thing's mouth. Sonic, I thought we told you to get Steven to the warp pad BEFORE we finished it off," Pearl said.
"Well I almost got to that, but Knuckles decided to drop by and we had a chat for a bit."
"Don't go pinning it on me," Knuckles warmed.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Tails asked. THIS time Knuckles got his hand over Sonic's mouth before he could just blabber anything to them.
"Figuring out how to get back home. Unlike SOME OF US, I'm actually trying to fix this mess!" Knuckles said, his smart-alic venom spat directly at the annoying blue hedgehog. Before anyone could get any more answers from the echidna, Knuckles shoved Sonic aside, and rushed off. Knuckles was basically long gone before Sonic could get to his own feet.
"... Ok then, that happened," Amethyst shrugged.
"Let's go, Sonic, Steven," Garnet instructed, as they all began making their way back to the warp pad, pillow in hand. Sonic just sighed.
"Anger issues much? Nevermind him, Steven, let's get going," Sonic decided.
"Ok, give me a second," Steven replied. Sonic went on ahead as Steven took a moment with Lion. The big cat looked down to him with Steven giving the big cat a smile.
"Lion? It's been fun hanging out with you, but I gotta go back home now. I had a lot of fun. I feel like you really get me, you know?"
Steven brought up a hand to Lion's muzzle.
"Ssssshhh. This is already too hard for the both of us," Steven sighed, as he began walking away. All Lion himself could do was sit there, and watch them all walk away.
~~~~~~
"A Lion, Steven?"
It didn't take too long before they were back in town, and in Steven's case, off telling his story to whoever would listen. In this case, Steven wasted no time in getting outta the house and straight over to the car wash, where his good ol dad was just finishing up his latest car for the day. Even so, there was always time for Steven to share his stories with the guy.
"Thanks Greg," the customer said, just before going off with Greg's pay in his hand.
"Yeah! A BIG but really cool Lion, just chilling out in the desert," Steven explained.
"No kidding," Greg said, as he was getting his hose put away, "and you got your prize in the end from that beast? Good job, kiddo!"
"Well, the Gems did that. I just hung out by the Warp and Lion found me there. Me, Sonic, and Knuckles too," Steven explained.
"Knuckles?" Greg asked.
"Oh, you didn't meet him yet: he's a very strong but very grumpy Mobian. Anyway, wish Lion could've stayed with us," Steven explained. As happy as Steven was about it, Greg felt a bit uneasy.
"Ehh, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Steven," Greg said.
"Aww, you too?" Steven sighed, arms crossed. "A pet Lion would be so cool. Think about all the oversized rats he can chase away!"
"We don't have any rats, Steven."
"Not yet."
"Steven, that's a wild animal," Greg said, "I don't think I can pay for that much cat food."
Steven slumped over, finding a closed bucket to sit on as he sunked. He can't make his dad take a pet Lion in after all. Greg sat down next to him, arm around his shoulder.
"Hey, Steven, it's okay. Look, maybe we can get you a dog when you're older, that sound good? I should have enough money by then," Greg offered.
"Hmm ... I guess so," Steven sighed. Though in his mind, a dog was nothing compared to the king of the jungle. With that said though, Steven fell off of the bucket and laid down on his back, groaning. How hard was it to get a wild big cat as a pet anyway?
"It's not fair. If only the world can just let me show Lion to everyone. Then they can see how good of an idea having a pet Lion can be. ..."
*huff*
"LION!!" Steven beamed. The sight of the big pink cat sitting there, starting him down from above like any curious pet would, was enough to make Steven spring up to his feet. Greg only had time to yelp before Steven bumped into him, Lion doing nothing else but stand there and stare at these two. Greg quickly grabbed hold of that same hose and aimed it right at Lion.
"I'm warning you: I got a hose and I'm not afraid to use it!" Greg warned.
Lion just kept staring, head tilted. As for Steven, he didn't hesitate and he hugged Lion's leg.
"Thank you, world!" Steven beamed. Greg still kept the hose up and ready, but Lion didn't even flinch.
"Steven! Is that ..."
"Yep! Dad, meets the cotton candy of the Jungle himself: Lion!" Steven introduced, hands out in presentation. Greg wasn't sure what to say, but his nerves were still on edge.
"It's okay, dad, look at this!" Steven added. He reached out to Lion's closed jaws, but as he tried to move em, all Lion did was step back and grunt a bit.
"No, Lion, work with me please," Steven insisted. Reluctantly, Lion did comply and just sat down and lowered his head for Steven. Once he did that, much to Greg's surprise, Steven opened up Lion's jaws good and easy and without any hesitation either, placed his head inside. Lion had to keep himself from just biting into his head and be done with it.
"See? Totally tame Lion!" Steven concluded, going as far as to shake his head inside of Lion's jaws to drive the point home. As embarassing as it was though, Greg started to lower the hose away from the big cat after seeing this.
"Huh. what do you know. ..."
"Soooo .... can we keep him? PLEEEEASE?" Steven asked, moving his head out of the mouth -
*chomp*
And Lion biting his hand instead of his head. It hardly was much of a bite, but still enough to make Steven jump. Despite earlier, Greg did make Lion let go with a quick spray of the hose, making the big cat rush back in surprise.
"You okay?" Greg asked, checking Steven's hand.
"Ehehehe, yeah. ... Strong chompers," Steven muttered. Lion didn't go any further than that, shaking off the water and the shock. Greg looked to his son, who despite the bite was still keeping his hands together in begging. He REALLY wanted Lion for a pet.
"He ... doesn't look like he wants to eat you. ... You better look up what he needs though. I get the feeling cat food might not cut it," Greg admitted.
Good enough for him.
"WOOOOO! I gotta show the others! They're gonna LOVE it!" Steven said, excitedly, barely even able to keep himself still. Greg couldn't help but smile either, even with the concept of owning a wild animal for a pet hanging over them all. Either way, Lion went right over to Steven from there, and actually laid on down right next to him.
"Aww, okay we can go. Come on, my home's this way," Steven said. The excited boy started off back home, but he only took a little bit to notice that Lion didn't actually move. The most movement he got was a swish of the tail and a flick of the ear.
"Lion! ... LION!"
Still nothing but a loud grunt.
"Lion," he whined, "You're supposed to follow me when I call you. You're family now, why won't you come with me?"
Steven marched right back to Lion, who still wasn't moving right away. Steven tried getting Lion to budge, pushing him as best he can, but Lion wasn't having it. If he was gonna have Steven's head in his mouth, the least he could do was let him lay down for a sec. Steven couldn't help but smile though.
"Ohh, you must be tired, aren't you?" Steven said. "Okay, you big softie, we can hang out here."
Another quick move on his part, Steven decided to relax on Lion's back. He crawled up a bit, got himself comfy, and laid down on the big cat. ... Only THEN did Lion suddenly get to his paws. Steven got himself sitting up, straight ahead, with Lion glancing up at him.
It took a second, but Steven knew exactly what this meant.
"You wanna give me a ride," Steven said, his voice hushed and eyes sparkling. Lion didn't attempt to shake him off, and simply waited for instructions. Steven looked to Greg with the biggest smile he had all day. Greg ... didn't know what to say.
"Well. ok. Hey, big guy, don't knock him off ok?" Greg asked Lion. Instead of growling at him, Lion just huffed and looked back ahead. Best answer they were gonna get here.
Steven didn't even have to speak, as all he did was point ahead and Lion prepared to take off.
"BYE DAD!" Steven called.
That was all Steven had time to say before Lion took off. Greg just waved bye to his son, watching as Lion ran with surprising grace and sturdyness. Steven made sure to hold on tight in the run, and as promised Lion made sure the running didn't knock Steven off. It was less like riding a Lion, and more like riding a well-trained horse.
Steven couldn't wait to show the rest.
~~~~~~
Speaking of the rest, while Steven was out and about, everyone else took the time back at the Beach House. With the main mission over and done for the day, they had the free time to do whatever. In this case, Tails was busy with some of his own studying his small blue substance. Their last encounter with their water monster left him pondering for answers whenever he can manage it, and with the time now he was using his touchscreen for some more scanning and notes.
"How's it coming with that piece of blue goo, Tails?" Sonic inquired from off the couch.
"Not too good, actually. Ever since our last fight with that water monster, it hasn't done much of anything," Tails replied. The touchscreen didn't help much either, since just after scanning it, all Tails got was an empty screen. Sonic, not having anything better to do for the moment, got up off the couch and went straight for the container.
"I'm starting to think this isn't worth the trouble, buddy," Sonic questioned.
"Sonic, I swear, it did move when I found it, I KNOW there's more to it. But I don't understand, why isn't it doing anything?" Tails wondered, poking the container again only for nothing to happen. If anything, the tapping of the glass made the goo jiggle, but that was all. Before either Mobian could go further, they were interrupted by a pretty loud yawn nearby from a pretty bored Amethyst, her laying on the couch as well and munching on some chips.
"I dunno, Tails, Sonic might be right. It hasn't really done anything at all since you got it. That, and seeing you THAT distracted by a piece of goo's getting a bit weird."
"Aren't you even a little bit curious about it, Amethyst?" Tails asked. Amethyst shoved the bag of chips into her mouth.
"Not really," she shrugged in between chews, "I mean, all we do is find these things, beat them up, and put them away in the basement. What else is there to know?"
"Excuse me?" Tails questioned. Amethyst gulped down the whole bag, meeting the questioned gazes with another remark.
"Well duh! where do you think we bubble all these monsters to? The zoo? It's not like we just leave them where they are," Amethyst replied. Sonic and Tails glanced to one another on this new information, and then glance to a particular pillow on the couch.
"... Then why do you still have that out?" Tails asked, pointing to the Desert Glass pillow. Amethyst just flopped herself onto it, head and arms cuddling up to it.
"I killed it, I can do whatever with it. Just don't touch this on the sand and we'll be fine. Besides, it's surprisingly comfy," Amethyst explained, pushing her face into the soft pillow-encased gemstone. All Tails and Sonic did was shrug. How were they to know how these gem monsters worked exactly, especially when the monster looked no more dangerous than an actual pillow? Tails went back over to the substance capsule, as Sonic just stretched a bit and went for the door.
"Eh, you guys do what you want, I'm gonna go for a run. Getting too quiet around here," Sonic decided. Whatever results Tails would find can wait until he gets back either way.
Now normally, this would result in Sonic rushing out the door in a blue blur and off a mile down the beach to who knows where, and indeed Sonic looked ready to do that. He even backed up a few steps, and started revving up his feet for the rush out of the room. With his feet screeching the ground, Sonic was just seconds of rushing out the door before -
*ROAR*
"GAH!" Nothing worse that screeching the breaks moments after charging. Sonic's blast off wasn't house-shaking enough, but Lion's sudden entrence made everyone in the room quickly make sure nothing fell or broke. Lion's roar came with him jumping inside at such a speed, that the big cat skidded along the floor for a bit before stopping just at the warp pad in the back.
"GUYS! I FOUND LION!" Steven shouted from on top of the cat. His hair was standing back from the wind, and he still had his big smile on him. 
"L-Lion?! How'd you get him here?!" exclaimed Tails. "I thought we left him in the desert!"
"I don't know: he just popped up back at the carwash. Not that I mind, right Lion?" Steven explained. Lion sat down, Steven sliding off of his back and thumping on the floor.
"Dang, that thing gave you a ride back here? Lucky," Amethyst said, arms crossed at the missed chance. As Steven picked himself up, Lion got himself comfortable on the couch, resting his huge body down like any large pet would. No doubt he was already at home in the beach house.
"How did you get him to do that so fast?" Sonic asked, though he was more curious than surprised. Steven, unafraid of the king himself, went right over to Lion again.
"Actually, he let me do it. BUT I taught him something else on the way home. Here, watch." 
This time, Lion was more "going with the flow" here, and just turned his head as Steven got a hold of his jaws again, only this time moving around them up and down and saying "I LUV YOU." as if Lion was talking.
"Awwww, that's so SWEET. I love you, too," Amethyst replied.
Lion ignored her, and just settled down. All that running left the big cat tired, as cats do, and it wasn't long until he was fast asleep with his head on the pillow. Only Tails really had some questions with Lion, everyone else kinda rolling with it. To be fair, it wasn't the weirdest thing ever since the Mobians showed up.
"Guess we got ourselves a mascot for the team now," Sonic stated with a smirk.
"Didn't you already ask the other Gems about this, Steven?"
"Tails, Lion came all this way just to find me," Steven explained, "He even gave me a entire ride all the way back here! That must mean something, right?"
Steven tried the innocent look again on the others, but Tails' curiosity was by FAR stronger than any cute look could give to convince him of anything else. The two-tailed fox went over to Lion and the Desert Glass pillow, eyes squinted. Lion though took one look at the fox and gave the Mobian a good growl to make sure he didn't try anything with him or the pillow. The big cat moved his paw over the pillow and barred his teeth to better pin the point.
"No, bad lion, bad!" Steven said, giving Lion a rough pat on the head to stop the growling - which did nothing of course. "We don't growl at our friends."
Lion rolled to the side, his back to everyone else, and just giving another rough grunt.
"... Guess he's just sleepy," Steven shrugged.
"Ehh, no problem. Time to go to nap city," Amethyst decided, just tossing herself back on the couch again. Lion didn't groan or anything this time as Amethyst relaxed, head on Lion's back, and her hands behind her head as if she landed on a recliner.
"Ok, I'm feeling like we got a picky animal here. You wanna just go for a run with me?" Sonic asked, thumb aimed to the door. Tails glanced over to Lion, and then back to the container again with touchscreen in hand. Seeing Lion's snarling mouth left the fox feeling a bit shaken up already, so the decision wasn't so hard for him.
"You know what? Sure. Just let me put this away first, and I'll be with you," Tails said.
It hardly took less than 20 seconds to get this handled: grabbing the container, Tails got it hidden away in the only spot available for the thing that Lion won't accidentally get it. Namely, the back of the kitchen cabinets.
Not the best spot, but the only one he had. With that handled, both fox and hedgehog were off and on their way to who knows where, leaving Amethyst and Steven with the big pink cat and their Desert Glass pillow. All Steven did was shrug himself, and joined Amethyst in her nap.
"Oh well," he sighed, "you just got here, Lion. You'll like everybody eventually ..."
It didn't take much longer until he too went off to sleep. ...
.......
*scratch**scratch**scratch*
"Hmm? ... hmm ..."
.......
*scratch**scratch**CRACK*
"W-Whuh?"
Who knew how long they were napping for, but that nasty crack was enough to finally get Steven awake. Few things to note: Lion was no longer on the couch. Instead, Lion was at the Beach House door, claws digging into the mesh and wood until he actually made a hole in it. It was as big as his own paw, but still a nasty cut.
"NO! Lion! No scratching! We just fixed that door!" Steven shouted, springing up off the couch.
"Not so loud, Steven," Amethyst sighed, still sleepy even with the noise. Lion didn't stop, but then came the other note with this whole thing: Lion had the Desert Glass pillow in his muzzle, gripping it hard with his teeth.
"Where're you going with that? That's NOT a chew toy, let go," Steven demanded. Either Lion had enough of Steven's demands, or Steven was missing something important because Lion refused to give it up. Despite everything, Steven even grabbed the pillow and tried to pull it out of Lion's mouth. Steven tried, and tried, but Lion kept his teeth firmly gripping the fabric of the Desert Glass.
"LET. GO!" Finally, with a strong shove, Steven got Lion to release the Desert Glass, though the sharp teeth did cut into the fabric a little bit. Lion grunted loudly, and for the first time since Steven met him, he started growling at the kid with the pillow, his eyes pure white and focused on the Desert Glass in Steven's hands.
"Lion, we can't bring this outside! If you have to go outside, all you have to do is ask! Now, just meow if you want to go out."
*ROAR!*
Lion's roar came with the magical power from earlier, strong enough to launch Steven back right into Amethyst, knocking them both onto the floor! The couch cushions, and living room coffee table were also knocked over roughly. As Amethyst and Steven were left in a daze, Lion took the moment to snatch the Desert Glass off of the ground, and before either of them could say anything, Lion turned and charged right through the door! The wooden frame was nothing against the Lion, being smashed to bits.
"LION!" Steven shouted, rushing to the door. However, the big cat was more than gone by the time he got there.
"Amethyst! I need your help!"
"Calm down, when you gotta go, you gotta go," Amethyst sighed, ready to go back to sleep.
"But he's taking the Desert Glass away!"
... just like that Amethyst shot awake.
"He doin WHAT?!"
No sooner after that, they both rushed out to the front of the house, Amethyst nearly rushing off the front porch and slamming the fence of it, only for them both to see Lion rushing up the beach with Desert Glass in his jaws.
"Oh SNAP. GET BACK HERE WITH MY PRIZE!" Amethyst shouted, leaping off the front porch and giving chase.
"Wait for me!" Steven shouted.
Soon, Amethyst and Steven were hard running to keep up with Lion along the shoreline. Even with the two chasing him, Lion ketp a steady pace, already a lot faster than they both were even in a trot. Lion just glanced back a few times in his run, making sure to keep as much distance he was to them as a Lion could be. Steven was lucky to even keep up at all at full speed, sand kicked up behind him every step he tried, as Amethyst was locking her sights on the pillow itself. No way was this cat gonna get away with HER catch. As they were running along, Amethyst got out her whip.
"You ain't gettin away that easy!" Amethyst swung her arm around, and in a VERY LUCKY swing, the very end of the whip wrapped around Lion's tail. Amethyst pulled hard back, Lion actually skidding somewhat from the sudden grip. This only lasted a few seconds before he went full speed again.
"WHOA!" A quick yank from Lion made Amethyst lose her footing right then and there, the purple Gem being dragged along the beach, not giving any chance to regain herself as she flopped and flipped around behind the cat. Steven barely was able to keep up, but when he tried getting hold and making Lion stop, he just ended up dragged behind as well.
Lion wasn't done yet.
*ROAR!* Lion's roar created another portal off to who knows where, straight in front of them no less, and Lion didn't hesitate to jump right through it with Desert Glass in muzzle. All Amethyst and Steven could do was get dragged through the portal themselves. The portal pathway got them both gripping on for dear life. Lion flew through it like it was nothing, not even acknowledging the company he was dragging behind him as they were being whipped around in this vortex.
Just like that, they reached the other end of the portal, Lion's paws skidding in the sand beneath him and his duo of hitchhikers tumbling into the ground. It took them a moment to look around, and sure enough they found themselves right back at the desert again.
"Drop the pillow!" Amethyst shouted. Lion turned back, just to find Amethyst grabbing hold of the cat. Both gem and cat struggled for a bit, sand being kicked up as the pillow was being pulled between the two. Lion growled and snarled, teeth gripping hard as they could, but Amethyst was equally determined to get her prize back from the stubborn feline.
"Steven, give me a hand!"
"U-Uhh, right!" Steven rushed over, and grabbed hold of Amethyst to help with the pulling. All the pulling back and forth kept tearing up more and more of the pillow, enough to make the stuffing inside start falling out. It took one final yank for Lion to release the pillow from his jaws, the two stumbling back onto the sand in a rough spin.
Getting back up, it was them, Lion, and the pillow.
"I can't believe you," Steven muttered, holding the pillow close to him. "All day long. After everything we did together, and ... all you wanted was THIS PILLOW? I thought we were connecting!"
Lion didn't respond that time, even after seeing Steven's watery eyes. No, his target was set, and the big cat moved in closer for the pillow again, making Steven rush away from him. This was the final straw for the kid.
"You know what?! FINE! Take your stupid pillow!" Steven shouted. With anger and betrayal filling up his eyes, Steven tossed the pillow high into the air well over Lion's head, and landing just off into the desert sands beyond them. Just a single thud to the ground was all the sound it made.
... Then came the shifting towers. Lion, Amethyst, and Steven watched as the sands all around them started to alter and shift around, growing taller and more robust as the seconds ticked by like emerging trees. The ground shuttered and rumbled as hundreds of pounds of sand shaped themselves into walls, towers, spikes, and whatever else to surround the Desert Glass with. The trio were lucky to stand back just far enough to avoid any emerging arcitecture, but the shifting sands were quick to knock them away.
"We're dead," gulped Amethyst.
"STEVEN! AMETHYST!"
Who would've guessed they would end up close by the warp pad? They couldn't see it, but seeing Garnet and Pearl rush in from the sands further away was proof enough. They didn't need time either to see what was going on.
"The Desert Glass is rebuilding itself. AMETHYST, why didn't you bubble it?!" Pearl asked in anger.
"Hey, like I planned to bring it back here! Blame the cotton candy cat over there," Amethyst snapped back, pointing over to Lion standing there in the sand. They didn't have any time to handle the big cat right now, so they instead got themselves armed up.
"Steven, get back to the warp pad! We'll take care of it!" Garnet insisted, weapon out and at the ready.
"But what about you guys?"
"GO STEVEN -" Lion turned around, and stood in their way. Not even the shifting sands and walls made this big cat move aside for anything, like a royal guard before a castle.
"What's that animal doing?" Pearl questioned.
"Get pass him!" Garnet instructed.
The Crystal Gems, exclduing Steven, armed up and started towards the large cat. Their target needed to get bubbled before the entire desert could turn into a mismashed castle again. Lion meanwhile kept himself firmly standing there with his claws digging deep into the sand, and as soon as they got a foot in front of him, he began his attacks on them with the craziest first move any attacker would do.
Garnet, leading the charge, attempted to just jump pass Lion to get to the Desert Glass, but the big cat lunged straight upward, his large paws grabbing hold of her and swinging her to the ground! Garnet got herself to her feet fast, shoving Lion back before he could pin her down. Not that he would've anyway, as he quickly changed targets to Amethyst to try and go for her. Amethyst wasn't any better either, as one pounce was enough to slam her to the ground, and be grabbed by the big cat to be thrown into Garnet for a moment. Pearl got further into the storm before Lion started off after her, a mighty roar throwing her off her feet before he grabbed her in the air to swing her away.
This kind of pattern kept up for a good minute, Lion struggling to keep them away, but eventually all three of them rushed forward at one time. Lion could only get a hold of one of them, again being Amethyst, as Pearl and Garnet raced by him too fast for him to do anything about it. Those two were on their own in there. Lion launched Amethyst back in a strong throw, the purple gem landing in a pile of sand nearby Steven. Steven and Amethyst got up, but when they looked back, Lion was already rushing into the blinding sands of the shifting Desert Glass.
"I swear, the things I do to keep my kills," Amethyst groaned, shaking sand out of her head as another pillar launched off right next to them.
"What does he want with that thing?" Steven had to ask.
"How the heck should I know, that cat's crazy!" she replied. She got up to her feet, bringing out her whip and ready to rush back in when -
*CRACK*
The tower right next to them began to give way! A giant sand pillar falling down directly towards them. Both didn't have time to move, and could only brace for the oncoming impact. The giant collum plummeted down, sand and rock scattering around them.
...
No roar, but in their scream, one strong tackle forced them out of the way of the falling column. Just seconds from becoming flat as pancakes, Amethyst and Steven saw Lion once again with them, only this time he was above them, covering their bodies with his as falling rocks and sand scattered by them.
Lion just saved them.
NOW it suddenly made sense what was going on here.
"You don't want to steal it from us ... you wanted to protect us from it!" Steven concluded.
Lion actually nodded with a growl. Steven was spot on. With this revelation, they all turned back to the released Desert Glass fortress being created, the distant sounds of punches and slices from the other Gems echoing in the rumbling of the fighting beast. The sight of it made Lion growl again, determination filling up his eyes. He was about to rush in for the other two, but then he felt Amethyst and Steven get onto his back.
"I'm sorry for doubting you, Lion. Let's go!" Steven said.
That was all Lion needed to hear.
With his claws dug into the sand, Lion charged straight for the chaos before them all. Even with all the sand virturally blinding them, they made sure to keep an eye open for their target and their friends. The Desert Glass, of course didn't make it easy: launching out pillars around them and walls in their way for Lion to roar through, even spikes on the ground to jump over. Amethyst added some extra firepower with her whips hitting any stone or sand pile launched their way whenever she could.
They were closing in on the Desert Glass. It was nearly impossible to make out, but the very deep defenses of the towers told them that the Desert Glass was just ahead of them. Lion stopped himself just along the edge of the moat it made itself, all lined to the teeth with spikes ready to hurt anyone and anything, the wind spiraling around them.
"We're stuck!"
"Not yet we're not!" Amethyst took the lead this time, jumping off of Lion's head and right into the open. Lion readied to rush for her, but then Amethyst started pulling off what can only be described as her own "spin dash" - her now a lavender blur and rocketing ahead of them. Seeing the advantage, Lion regained his speed and rushed behind Amethyst, the walls of spikes being wrecked and turned into dust within Amethyst's wake. The purple Gem sprung up, and landed on Lion's back. One clear path, straight for the tower.
"NOW LION!"
*ROOAARR!!!!*
One final mighty bellow from the feline, and the trio were victorious. The charge through the tower from one end, and they exploded out the other with the Desert Glass in hand. The very moment that Desert Glass was taken off of the ground, the entire construct around them collapsed into nothing but sand casted off to the wind.
As if to reward them for beating the challenge, all that sand that collapsed gave the trio a much softer landing as they were brought to the ground, even if the impact did knock Amethyst and Steven off of Lion's back.
"YEAH! We got it! YES!" Steven beamed.
Not too far away, Pearl and Garnet managed to pull themselves out of the sand pile. A bit dirty, and shaken up, but the two were fine otherwise.
"Are you two okay?"
"All good here, P. And check it out, we got the pillow back," Amethyst said, Steven holding it up high so they can say. Pearl was quick to snatch it.
"Thanks. Finally, we can get this actually bubbled -"
Pearl got cut off when Lion snatched the pillow from her.
*RIP**TEAR**THRASH*
No chances this time. Lion shook around the pillow as much as he could, tearing the thing into pieces of cotton and fabric by the time he was done with it. All that remained after that was the gemstone locked in his jaws.
"... Good enough," Garnet shrugged.
~~~~~~
Hours ticked by in the now normal desert, Knuckles still on his visual for any more Chaos Emeralds in the area. Even with the cool clear night now before him, Knuckles was no doubt still fuming over everything else going on with him: with one Chaos Emerald off to who knows where, it was anybody's guess to where any more could be now.
It also didn't help that he had no landmarks to navigate anymore. Nothing but distant dunes of sand, and dark blue sky above him. What was the echidna to do? ...
With his eyes up to the sky though, his current situation wasn't the only thing on his mind. ...
*bzzzzz*
*snatch* "Just the last thing I need: pesky bugs."
Knuckles readied to crush the "insect" in the palm of his boulder-crushing glove, but just before he could complete his fist clench, the moonlight showed the echidna just what he had in his hand as the faint moonlight bounced off of the tiny metallic skin, and the faint bussing of a radio speaker ...
"Knuckles! Knuckles? Can you read me? I need to talk to you for a second."
Knuckles paused just long enough for this "bug" to fly out of his hand, but that didn't make Knuckles feel any better. If anything, that familiar voice made him even more suspicious.
"Eggman. ... What do you want now?" Knuckles questioned through gritting teeth. As if things couldn't get any worse.
"Knuckles, listen to me please, I need your help!" Eggman's voice pleaded through the bug. Knuckles just snorted.
"Whatever it is, the answer's no," Knuckles made clear. He tyurned to go, but the bug quickly flew in the way.
"Wait, wait, just hear me out!" Eggman said, "If we don't do something fast, we all could be prisoners on this planet forever!"
As much as Knuckles didn't trust Eggman, the desperation in his voice did at least make him pause for thought, giving Eggman a chance to talk some more.
"I'm trying to work out a way to get us all back to Mobius, but that blasted Hedgehog won't give me any chance to fix anything!"
Knuckles crossed his arms, eyebrow raised. "Let me guess: you need the Chaos Emeralds to make it work, don't you?"
"Exactly!" Eggman stated (much to Knuckles' dismay), "They're the only objects in the universe that could hold enough power to undo the damage, and create a path for us to return to our home planet. Please Knuckles, I need you to help me find them!"
"Why should I? The last time I helped you with anything it nearly cost me my island," Knuckles retorted. Knuckles could feel the nervous sweatdrop form on Eggman's face.
"That was because I had a way out," Eggman explained, "But I'm trapped on this planet just like you, and I don't want to be here either! Work with me on this alliance, and we'll be able to get back home in no time. You need to get back home, don't you?"
Knuckles paused in thought, weighing his options. As right as Eggman was about it ... this was Eggman talking to him after all. In the end, he just began walking away again.
"You think I'm THAT gullible? Forget it!"
"B-But Knuckles -"
"Nope, not hearing it. If I help you, you'll just backstab me all over again. You just want me as your errand boy. It's bad enough we're all stuck here in the first place without dealing with you."
Eggman pulled out his trump card. "That's just it! Sonic and his friends won't let me try! They actually WANT to stay here!"
NOW Knuckles stopped.
"I swear on my life this time," Eggman continued, "I'm trying to find the Chaos Emeralds myself, but I found out that they're being taken away by those Crystal Gems. And the worst part: they won't give them up! Our only way home, and they're keeping them under lock and key, and don't care at all! As for Sonic, he's in no rush to get home, you know that! He told me before he's working on it, but he's not even trying at all."
"... The Crystal Gems are hording them ...?" Knuckles asked.
"Absolutely: I could barely get even one out of there myself! I'll give mine to you if you can get the rest out of there for me," Eggman promised.
Each word, in spite of the source, stuck a bit in Knuckles' mind. He thought back to earlier that day and each of the events that occurred: the pink Lion who was casual with Steven before that stole the Chaos Emerald from him. Those Gems appearing in the SAME DESERT he was at where he found said Chaos Emerald. Sonic above all else being so casual about the whole thing. ...
Only one way to make sure. ...
"... I'm not going there just to please you. I'm going there to see if you're lying."
Category:Sonic Gem