Aphra's Sapphic Escapade Through the Stars

They found themselves standing in the living room of a beach house, with three large ladies, and two others, staring at them with inquisitive looks on their faces. Aphra put her head in her hands. She remembered back to how this whole thing had started in the first place. She couldn't believe how they had gotten here.

Let's go back a couple of hours. Aphra had been playing a game of twirl the blaster. Glimmer and Catra had urged her not to play it, warning of the risks. To their horror, Adora had joined in, perhaps because the winner would get to hold the blaster, something she'd never done, even through her time on Etheria. She thought the weapon looked cool.

As for Bow, he was tinkering with some technology gizmo, and was out of view. He couldn't have cared less about what they were doing, at least at that point. Entrapta watched from a safe distance away as a "referee" of sorts. She wore protective armor, which she had on in case something went horribly wrong.

Of course, the latter happened. One of the ship's controls was hit by a stray laser bolt. It was the hyperspace navigation controls. They had been traveling from deep space where the USS Cerritos had been stationed. Their journey was almost complete when this blast abruptly pulled them out of hyperspace, causing the ship to be critically damaged. It remained an open question as to the severity of the ship's problems.

They had only one option: a crash landing. Entrapta instructed everyone to strap themselves in and just about everyone complied. However, Aphra was reluctant to do so, declaring that seat-belts were "unnecessary" and "no fun." A kiss on the cheek and encouragement from Entrapta quickly convinced her otherwise.

"Chelli, if you don't get strapped in, we won't be able to blow off the groundsills together. You don't want that, right? I know you like that, very very much."

She relented. It wasn't fair for Entrapta to tease her in this way! Come on. Then again, wouldn't she have done the same thing? Perhaps... it was hard to say for sure. It was this teasing which made her love this woman so much. She wished she could stay with her forever, and that they could keep exploring the universe... together.

"Fine, fine. Just know that I'm only doing this because I'm the great Doctor Aphra and I'm the best damn archaeologist out there...and I don't want my beauty to be sullied!"

Entrapta knew that Chelli was boasting and not being serious. She was used to that by now, after all their time together. And she looked at her adoringly. Glimmer rolled her eyes. Sometimes she really couldn't stand them together. How could they do this at a time like this!

"Enough with the flirting, Entrapta! We need to make sure we don't die!"

She knew that Glimmer could be serious, especially when the circumstances warranted it. That might have been due to her role as the queen of Bright Moon. The latter royal position was occupied by one of her cousins, Castaspella, during her absence. She had all but passed the duties onto her... for now. While she knew Glimmer could be harsh at times, she was still captain of the Darla Angel.

Taking the controls and instructing Chelli to do the same, they guided the ship into an area outside the huge chasm. It was foggy, vast, and full of holes carved into the rock, which had a dark and dull purple color. Neither of them knew what this place was or why strange machines, with pinkish red-colored gem ornaments at their tops, were there, sticking out of the earth. What had happened here?

Soon enough, the ship crash-landed on the ground nearby the chasm. It skidded to stop, with rocks and dirt flying every which way. Although there were some minor injuries, no one was seriously hurt. In addition, thanks to the improvements that Chelli and Entrapta had made, the ship barely had any scratches at all.

After jumping out of the ship, Bow did as Entrapta instructed. He pressed a button on his tracker pad. It put a cloaking device over the ship, so no one could find it. After everyone else followed Bow, they proceeded to stare into the chasm. It was a bizarre place. Adora and Catra were spooked out. Why would someone do this? What can gone on here?

Not long into their journey, inside the valley, they heard a whooshing sound, then a stream of light coming down onto a greyish stone pad. A small woman, with chartreuse hair, suddenly appeared, almost like she was conjured out of thin air. She held a pad, of some type, in her hands. They ducked for cover. However, it was too late.

"Peridot reporting in at the Prime Kindergarten at 0800 hours. My pad detects six lifeforms in this area. Commencing investigation."

She didn't have to speak that way, but sometimes she still liked to, especially when she was doing something serious such as this patrol. As she started walking around, she spied ringlets of hair out of the corner of her eye. As she approached, Entrapta popped out. This person was...peculiar, she thought. She wondered if she had been purposely revealing herself or not. Her thoughts were interrupted when this woman began speaking.

"I like your pad...and use of technology...I'm a bit of a tech wizz myself."

Peridot nervously smiled. Who was this woman? And why was she trying to talk to her? That's bizarre. What in the world was going on? She did not like this, not at all. But, she couldn't be rude and ignore her...

"Uh huh," she said matter-of-factly. "I see you have five compatriots. Are they with you?"

Entrapta nodded. She declared, "it's safe for you all to come out now."

Bow, Glimmer, Adora, and Catra revealed themselves. Then Chelli appeared, with all her swagger. "Sure, little one, you look very studious...I have a blaster and I'm ready to use it."

Peridot ignored her insulting tone. She was a bit used it. She could tell that Chelli, whose name she didn't know yet, was trying to threaten her, in her own way. But she didn't care. They had a protocol if something of this nature occurred.

She had to follow it, even if she didn't necessarily agree with it. She thought it was flawed and she had told Steven so time and time again, but he insisted on keeping it in place. The idea was to welcome any new visitors, especially those from another planet, like these people. So she decided to follow the protocol in this instance.

"I'm going to take you to our 'HQ'. Follow me. Don't try any funny business."

In the past, she would have jumped on her metal trash-can lid, and used her metal-controlling powers to move each person, one by one, to the warp pad. However, a set of stairs had been installed, so people could walk there with ease. She hated that new development, but she had grown to begrudgingly accept it.

Grabbing onto the hands of some of them, and telling others to stand on the pad, instead, she activated it. A light emerged around them. In no time at all, they had arrived on another pad, this time inside a house of some kind.

This structure was fashioned with a kitchen, a large interior room, and what some would call 'a living room'. It also contained an observatory with a beautiful glass dome and a pad allowing for galaxy-wide travel, a guest bedroom, and other elements which made this house look grand. Many of these improvements had happened after a battle with the Diamonds had destroyed part of the house.

Once inside, Peridot asked them to sit. There were so many more of them than her, so they easily could have overpowered her at any time. However, they chose not to. Even so, Chelli was trying to figure out any possible way out of this situation. She was considering her options at this point. Entrapta hoped that Chelli wouldn't do anything...rash.

"So, who are you people...and why are you here?" Peridot asked, plainly. She had the other Gems on speed dial in case anything got dicey.

Glimmer answered first. She was the captain of the Darla Angel, after all.

"I'm Glimmer. Me and my crew are from a planet far away...on a mission to establish relations with other planets...we crash-landed on Earth because...of certain complications."

Peridot was intrigued. Were these people honest-to-god aliens? Some would call them extraterrestrials, but she liked the term "alien" better. She had become the moderator of some forums about aliens and even got into online fights with people, with the handle clodsmasher, and often called people she didn't like "miserable clods." Steven told her to be nice, but she didn't always listen to him.

"Uh huh. Can I take some samples from you...for...scientific purposes?"

No one was keen on this. Could they really trust this woman? They weren't sure. Chelli was nervous about the request, as was Entrapta. She decided that now was the time to make their move. They had to break free of this. Entrapta whispered in Chelli's ear and shared a plan. Chelli liked it and thanked Entrapta for the idea. Following this, she responded to Peridot.

She coyly told her, "sure. You can do that." Everyone was surprised by this, not knowing this was all part of her plan. As Peridot leaned in, she quickly drew her blaster out of her holster. She pointed it at Peridot's head. She now had the upper hand. Everything had gone as she had planned. It was all falling into place.

"We don't want any of your weird experiments. We just want parts to fix our ship and that's it." Glimmer tried to interject, but her attempt was an utter, and complete, failure. Peridot could have used her metallic powers to push the gun aside. Alas she did not. It was Entrapta who ended this tense situation, with a few words.

She stood and held Chelli's hand. She whispered softly into her ear. To everyone's surprise, she lowered her gun. They had expected her to do something more. Then she boldly declared: "My cute partner-in-crime, Apta, says that there is no reason to threaten you...as long as you...don't take any samples from us."

Peridot mulled it over. She liked to experiment on others so she knew what she was up against, to prepare herself for the unexpected, and whatever the world would throw at her. She would let it slide, this time. Why not? And she didn't even have to call the Crystal Gems for assistance. She was about to, but decided against it.

"Fine. I will deal with whoever is the captain of...your group...it was Gl-"

Before she could finish her thought, Chelli interjected. This was her attempt to take power for herself. Apta had given her the idea after all. She wasn't the biggest fan of Glimmer being in-charge of anything, anyhow… something about it made her feel uneasy. She had to claim power for herself. She had done throughout her entire life and this was no different.

"No, no. I am the captain now. My talented girlfriend is co-captain...Glimmer is just a common officer...that's how it is."

Glimmer was shocked to hear this. What in the world was Chelli planning? What had Apta told her? She wasn't sure. But, she had to maintain dominance.

"Aphra is wrong. I am the one who was voted as ship captain in a majority vote. I ask for another vote among the crew members... between me and her."

Catra and Bow raised their hands. That was two votes in favor. As Glimmer explained, neither she, nor Chelli, could vote for themselves. Peridot watched the entire thing, intrigued, but said nothing. To the surprise of everyone, Adora raised her hand in favor of Chelli, and stood by her and Apta. That was two votes in favor of Glimmer and one in favor of Chelli. This was followed by the typical, and unsurprising, vote of Apta for Chelli.

The vote was tied. Two for Glimmer and two for Chelli. It was then that Chelli whipped out her blaster and fired it into the ceiling, shocking them all. They were a bit terrified about what she would do next. She declared, "this kind of vote is unfair! We can't have a divided crew like this. I'm the one who should be in charge."

Putting her blaster away, she stepped close to Glimmer. She came close enough that she could talk quietly into her ear, without anyone else hearing. It placed Glimmer on edge once again. She decided to tease her. She knew that Glimmer was in a relationship with Bow. That much was obvious, which anyone with half a brain could realize. Based on Glimmer's personal story, which she had boasted about, one night prior, she guessed that this sometimes brash queen (and former princess) had never been a relationship, or dalliance, with a woman before. So she went in for the kill.

"If you support me...I'll give you pleasure beyond anything you've ever imagined...you've never been railed by a girl, have you?"

Glimmer's face got flushed as she backed away. How in the world could Chelli say this to her? She knew that this rambunctious woman had a point, as someone who grew up in a prim and proper castle. How could she decide something so simply based on her desires? Wasn't she with Bow? Did she even have a desire to do this? She wasn't sure. She couldn't think straight.

Like the many women that Chelli had successfully seduced over the years, she folded, like a deck of cards. She weakly muttered, "fine. I'll support you as captain...you just have to fulfill your promise." Chelli beamed. She didn't have any intention of doing what she claimed. Why would she? It was all a ploy to pull in Glimmer. And it had worked perfectly. It remained a question whether Glimmer would ever remind her of this, or if she would push it to the back of her mind.

Bow and Catra were surprised. What had happened? What did Chelli say to her? They grumbled and decided to accept her decision, even though they knew it would be more chaotic from then on. Peridot was still trying to piece together what was happening, when someone with kinky hair walked in with his girlfriend in tow. And boy was she glad to see them!

"Hey, Peri. I'm here for a visit. I brought Connie with me...and...uh...who are these people?"

It was a completely valid question. Peri had forgot to report in what she had seen in the Prime Kindergarten, probably because she was pulled in by all of their drama... including getting a gun held to her head. It was a lot to process. But how could she explain this? She had trouble figuring how what exactly to say to them.

Luckily and hilariously, she was saved by...Chelli. She only wanted to boast about herself, especially to those she hadn't met. And she didn't think these two people were a threat, at least they didn't seem that way. She began with a bow.

"I am the illustrious Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra and this is my wonderful crew of spacefarers from the great beyond, including my super talented girlfriend...who I love deeply...my our ship, the Darla Angel, crash-landed near something you call the 'Prime Kindergarten'...and your green friend brought us here...and attempted to take samples from us."

Steven knew the place she was talking about. He had been there so many times he couldn't keep count. He sighed. He only meant this to be a quick visit. He didn't want to get involved in whatever drama there was with these people from another land. Even so, he wanted to remain welcoming to anyone from space, as he presumed they were. Maybe he would even take them to Little Homeworld.

"Ms. Aphra, let me apologize for my friend's behavior...she is just curious about people from the stars...after all, that's where she's from...but...I'm Steven Universe and I'm from this planet, along with my partner here, Connie. Why don't you let me show you around?"

Chelli considered whether this would be a good idea or not. She didn't think he was harmful. Nothing could go wrong, right? She sure hoped not.

"Sure. As long as no one tries to experiment on us."

Peri walked away and to the warp pad, disappearing into nothing. She was going to another nearby settlement, filled with Gem beings, known as Little Homeworld. Steven wanted to bring them to one of his favorite places instead: a donut shop. Connie stayed behind, rolling her eyes, and decided to read a book in the observatory instead. While plants were grown there, it also had great light for reading.

He could have gone to Videlia's art studio or the space-themed bakery, Spacetries, which had been taken over by Blue Lace Agate when Lars left. He didn't go to either of those places. When they entered the shop they were greeted by former Mayor Dewey, also known as Bill, who was now just an employee. The store was collectively owned, so no one was a manager and everyone had an equal stake. It no longer just sold donuts, but they had kept the store named "The Big Donut" anyway. Beach City citizens were very supportive of the store, after everything it had been through.

"Hey Steven, it's been a while, what I can get you?"

He looked through all the selections. They were a little different from what he remembered in the past. They had some items labeled with the following: "completely vegan. No animal products used." He hadn't seen anything like that, but he was willing to give it a try. After all, he had been a vegetarian for years, although he wasn't sure if he could make the leap to becoming a vegan.

"I'll have a slice of the spice cake...it looks...interesting."

He had eaten something like it in the past, but what he ate was made with eggs. This was made with a different food which worked the same way. Some would call it an egg replacer, but others said that it made the cake just as tasty as one made with eggs. There were always those who hawked "plant meat" products. Steven hated those people, especially those who justified their occasional meat eating. He dubbed them "vegetarian propagandists."

Bill, who had once been known in Beach City as "Mayor Dewey," packed up the slice of spice cake for Steven. He smiled and then added, "it's on the house, since you did so much for us over the years." While Steven began to pull out his wallet, Bill motioned it away. He insisted on doing this. Steven felt that he had to oblige.

"Okay, thanks."

Chelli wasn't sure what to make of this shop, nor did Catra or Bow, while Glimmer and Adora were taken in by all the pretty colors. Apta was fascinated by the tiny treats. Back in Dryl, she had loved eating tiny food which her kitchen staff had made for her, something which she deeply appreciated. However, after she joined the Horde, they didn't come with her to the Fright Zone, and they held some resentment that she had left them behind. Following the end of the conflict, she had made up with them and apologized for discarding them as she did. She didn't want to be a despicable person. She cared about others.

As Steven walked toward the door, with Catra, Bow, and Chelli behind him, Glimmer and Adora didn't want to leave. They wanted to keep perusing. Apta blurted out something which stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Can I have one of those mini-cupcakes! I just love treats like that...tiny food is great."

Pointing to what she wanted with her prehensile hair, he pulled it out of the glass display case. Putting it on the counter, he moved over to the cash register and began pressing some buttons. He announced the price to her. "That will be $11.99, with tax." While Catra, Adora, Bow, Glimmer, Apta, and Chelli didn't know the costs for items in this world, Steven did. And he was surprised how much this cost. He tried to get the price lower.

"Can you give me a discount? I've been a loyal customer for many years…" he began.

Bill shook his head. While he gave Steven a freebie earlier, he couldn't make exceptions for this because of how much the ingredients cost. They also had banana bread made without eggs and with fine almond flour. There were many types of flour out there, but this was one of the more common ones used in baking, despite the fact that each almond nut took a gallon of water to produce, and strained the drought-ridden Central Valley in California, where most of the almonds in the world were produced, many of which were shipped overseas rather than throughout the country.

There were many other flours that people used for baking, whether amaranth, arrowroot, barley, brown rice, chestnut, coconut, corn, lupin, millet, red lentil, semolina, tapioca, teff, and white rice, to name a few. Some of those were sold in the store, as part of the sweet baked goods display, while others were not.

"Sorry, Steven," Bill began, "I can't give a discount. The ingredients cost a lot, and we have to make up money somehow...it's like that with all these artisan products." He pointed to the similar products in the glass case, all of which were deserts, like gluten-free cookies, sweet almond bread, and many others, with prices similar to the mini-cupcake.

Apta saw what was going on. She felt he was getting the better of her. Before anyone could say anything, she grabbed the treat with her hair and stuffed it into her mouth. No one expected this was going to happen but Chelli wasn't surprised, not at all. She saw this as completely in character for her. She even began to laugh. She patted Apta on the back and began speaking the loudest she could.

"That's my Apta! Taking things that are rightfully hers. That's what I love so much about her."

Everyone, but Chelli, was so flabbergasted they didn't know what to say. They left the store and stepped outside. Steven turned around and pulled out his wallet. He put money on the counter. "Here, take it. Sorry about the trouble." Bill smiled and took it, putting it into the cash register, then pressing certain buttons. Steven had given him exact change.

"A pleasure doing business, Steven. See you around!" Steven grinned back at him and walked out. Apta and Chelli glared at him, clearly annoyed. Why did he have to pay for it? Was he a goody two shoes or something? This angered Chelli even more than Apta. She was willing to let it slide as she wanted to get along, but this differed from Chelli's view.

As Catra, Adora, Glimmer, and Bow walked out of the store, Chelli was about to blow up on Steven. Apta, somehow, was able to calm her down, whispering in her right ear that it was OK and to not worry about it, because Steven was just doing what he felt was right. While she remained a bit hot and bothered, she decided to not say anything this time.

As they walked back to the Beach House, Steven, in an attempt to avoid any discussion about what happened, tried to steer the conversation in a more positive way. He turned to Apta. While he couldn't agree with what she did, and detested stealing, he wanted to know why she liked small food so much. He hadn't met anyone who felt the same way before.

"So, Entrapta...what do you like about tiny food?"

She chuckled. No one had ever asked her about this, at least not directly. She had talked to Bow, Adora, and Glimmer about it when they came to Dryl to recruit her for the Princess Alliance all that time ago, but it had never come up since then. Even Chelli hadn't brought it up, in part because their relationship was still so new.

"Oh, tiny food is so much more tasty than full-sized food, is rewarding, stress-relieving...and much cuter...it's not really nostalgic for me because I've always eaten this type of food...as long as I can remember...I can't live without it!"

That all made sense to Steven. He liked eating food in full-size, rather than miniature, but he could completely understand why she was drawn to this type of food. He didn't know everything about her life, but from his time in space, and reading about when astronauts were accidentally stranded in space for hundreds of days due a thruster malfunction, he knew it was stressful. How could it not be?