Steven Universe Fan Episode
"Perfect Wave"
Timeline: takes place at any point in Season 2 after 'Joy Ride'.
The hot sun filled the salty air with the smell of baking sand. Birds swooped towards their prey and called out to one another. A soft breeze played over what grass there was.
It was a perfect day in Beach City, the kind that brought in tourists by the busload and made them never want to leave. They mingled with the town's denizens, greeting them as they spent money on pizza, donuts, fries, and souveniers. And a few of them stopped by It's a Wash for a good car-scrub. Another happy family emerged from the semi-automated building, smiles on their faces. Steven smiled back, and his dad, standing next to him, waved. Greg looked down. "Ready, Shtoo-ball?"
"Ready!"
Steven slapped the soapy rag against the side of the Universe Van, wiping away a particularly nasty patch of bird-dooky. "Washin' the van, washin' the van," he sang as he re-wet the cloth in a bucket held by Lion. The pink cat-creature yawned, his tail thumping on the ground in time with Steven's beat. "Scrubbing off dirt, just because I can."
"Nice one," Greg chuckled. He wiped sweat off his forehead and polished the van's windshield. Then, looking up, he called out, "Hey, Amethyst! Come to help wash the van?"
Sure enough, the lavender-skinned gem was hovering nearby, a bag of fries in hand. "Why bother?" she shrugged and laughed, munching another handful. "Just gonna get dirty again."
"Ah, it's the princible of it," Greg said. He shined up the passenger side mirror.
"Plus it's fun!" Steven grabbed a sopping sponge in each hand, dancing as he washed. "Washin' the van, washin' the van. Come on, Amethyst!" She stood there impassively. Steven laughed and tossed a sponge at her, but she made no move to grab it. It bounced off her chest and hit the ground, splashing water. "Aw, no fun."
Quite suddenly, Steven was thrown to the ground, his sponge falling onto his back. He looked up and saw that everyone was off balance, trying hard not to fall over. Lion dropped the bucket and roared, the sound almost lost in the orchestra around them. Tourists and Beach City residents alike emerged wobbly-legged onto the streets. Some of the people were staring upwards, probably expecting to see another Gem ship. But the sky was clear. In fact, the whole day was still perfect. Except the ground was shaking.
It didn't take long for it to stop. Luckily, nothing seemed damaged around the town. Already, Steven could hear the sound of Mayor Dewey's truck heading for the boardwalk, to reassure people that a disaster was averted.
Greg helped Steven up off the ground. "Something tells me we're not going to be able to finish washing the van," he said dryly. There was a loud thud as Garnet and Pearl dropped onto the street next to Amethyst. The two Gems seemed slightly rattled, and it wasn't from the leaps they'd taken to get there.
"We felt the quake," Garnet told them. "Are you all right?"
"I'm okay," Steven looked up. "What was that?"
The Gem turned towards the horizon, her face impassive. "I don't know," she said. "But it came from out there."
"From the ocean?"
"That's right," Pearl frowned. "Something out there caused that earthquake. It wasn't natural." No one bothered asking how she knew. Steven figured that after six thousand years Pearl could be counted on to know the difference between a real earthquake and something else.
"Uh, neither is that," Amethyst pointed. All along the beach, the water was retreating, drawn backwards into the sea. The waves stopped crashing against the shore. Puzzled humans rushed outward to investigate. The Gems ran out to stop them.
"The ocean is gone!" Mister Fryman cried. "Again!"
"'S not gone," Garnet said, just loud enough for everyone to hear. They muttered quietly, complaints mixed with curious rumbles. Her eyes, all of them, remained locked on the place where the water met the sky. "The earthquake is causing a tsunami!"
The murmurs became screams at that, terrified people rushing around in panic. A few tourists even passed out."Everyone, please, calm down!" Pearl called. She sounded perfectly reasonable. "Everything will be fine if you get to higher ground. It's not safe here on the-"
"The Lighthouse!" Ronaldo leaped up onto a bench and pointed. "Everybody run for it!" In moments, the people were swarming away, their shouts echoing off the buildings. The Gems stood and watched them go.
"Well," Greg tried for a smile. "That takes care of one problem."
"But not the other," Pearl moaned. "None of us can stop a tsunami, not even the three of us!"
Steven brightened. "Fusion time!" He punched at the air.
"Aw yeah!" Amethyst held up a hand for Garnet to high five. "You and me and the ocean. Let's do it!"
Garnet stared at the appendage like it was a snake. "We can't risk losing control again," she replied. "Not this close to the people."
Pearl's frown deepened. "But Opal isn't really equipped for this sort of-" She stopped and stared at Garnet. "Unless- Sesspartine?"
Garnet's gaze was still on the massive wall of water, growing ever closer. "It's the only way," she said.
Steven glanced back and forth between the two tall Gems. "Wait..." he blinked at Pearl, "Are you and Garnet gonna fuse?" He noticed his dad inching up the beach.
"Yes." Now Pearl was also looking out towards the ocean. She sighed. "Steven, back away. I don't want you getting hurt." Steven took a reluctant half step back. Then Amethyst yanked him up beside his dad.
"Ow. What's the big deal?" he asked, rubbing his arm. "When you and Garnet fused-"
Amethyst looked down at the sand. "Sesspartine isn't like Sugilite," she said. "Garnet and Pearl don't usually fuse. They're kind of-" She stopped and watched as the two Gems began to dance. Steven watched too, and this time there was no one shielding his eyes.
Garnet held up a palm, one hand on her waist, and gestured to Pearl, like, 'come closer'. She brought her hands down over her body and twisted her hips. Next to Steven, Greg blushed. It had been a long time since he'd seen the Gems dance. And he'd never seen Garnet dance like that.
Pearl spiraled in towards Garnet, her moves graceful and precise as always, leaping and twirling. It wasn't ballet, wasn't a slow dance or a waltz or anything like that. It was completely unique, something that deserved a class of its own.
The Gems swirled around one another in a way that turned a moment into an eternity, and finally, with a clap of thunder, they met in the center of the beach, hands held up and clasped, feet pointed together. There was a brilliant flash of light that blinded Steven, but he made out Pearl and Garnet's forms twisting together, their bodies becoming one. And then he was left blinking on the beach, Amethyst on one side, his dad on the other, and a crater in front of them, as the giant form of Sesspartine leaped out towards the water.
Sessppartine's leap didn't carry her quite all the way to the wave. Instead, she landed about about three miles short, giving herself plenty of time to work. The fusion reached up with one of her lower hands and drew Pearl's spear from the gemstone on her forehead. At the same time, she formed Garnet's gauntlets over her upper fists. Glaring at the tsunami, she clasped the gauntlets together and slammed them down on top of the spear. There was a flash of light, and the weapons morphed together into a long-handled maul.
Sesspartine grasped the hilt with all four hands and raised the hefty thing high over her head. Below her feet, soft sand gave way to slick rock. The drop off was close. If she didn't stop the wave here, it would break, and wash Beach City off the map. Her grip on the hammer tightened.
What's more, the rock below reminded her of the humans hiding in the lighthouse. She was afraid that the water would be high enough to wipe even that away.
With a fierce battle cry, she slammed the maul into the rock, the force traveling into the ground and causing a new earthquake. The energy of it shook all of Beach City, surely causing some damage. But it also shook the water, causing the large wave to falter, and after another moment, fall apart. The water collapsed back down into a flat, beautiful surface, rushing over Sesspartine. That was fine, since she didn't need to breathe. She waited another moment to be sure the wave was gone, then turned and began wading towards shore.
Steven slapped a high five with Amethyst as the water rushed back in- gently. "Yeah!" he whooped. "That was awesome! Why don't Garnet and Pearl fuse all the time?"
Amethyst huffed a little. "They're almost too good together," she muttered.
Greg reached down and put a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm sure they have their reasons," he said. "Besides, sometimes you want a hot dog, not a pork chop. Am I right?"
"Hmn," Steven nodded. He watched the water, and gasped when, a moment later, Sesspartine's head broke the surface.
She was beautiful.
He'd thought Opal looked great. But Sesspartine's face was stunning. She had features that were pointed yet soft, almost elfin, with full lips and shoulder-length, light brown hair. A pair of shades hid her eyes, but they were more rounded than Garnet's. Like Alexandrite, she had a gem in her forehead, surrounded by small, light-sensitive black dots, rather than Garnet's third eye.
As she rose from the water, Steven saw that Sesspartine was taller than Opal too, though not by much, and seemed thinner. Her left arms dangled at her side, while her right ones held onto the hammer she carried on her shoulder. She wore a dark grey and orange skin-suit similar to Garnet's, but with translucent ocherous material hanging off the shoulders, and an orange sash tied into a skirt around her waist. Her platform boots were seperate from the suit.
She smiled at her three companions on the beach. "Did you enjoy the show?" she asked, her voice sounding expressive like Pearl, but deeper in pitch, like Garnet.
Greg looked too stunned to speak, and Steven felt about the same. Amethyst only let out a snort. Then another tremble rocked the beach, nearly dumping them on the sand again. Even Sesspartine had to lean on her maul for support. When the shaking stopped, the fusion glanced at the horizon, and then turned her gaze on the other Crystal Gems. "Whatever is causing these quakes, it must be stopped," she said. "I have to remain here, and keep the waves from destroying the town. So it's up to you." She wasn't looking at Greg, but he spoke up anyway.
"But Steven can't breathe underwater! He'll drown!"
"I'll be fine," Steven reassured his dad. He clapped his hands together, and the others sprang back as a pink-hued bubble encased the boy. "See?" he said, voice slightly muffled. "It's waterproof!"
Greg still looked unsettled, but didn't stop Amethyst from rolling his son down the beach. Sesspartine watched them for a moment, then turned away. Greg thought he hear her mutter, "Good luck." But he couldn't be sure. Another moment, and suddenly he was alone, the only one on the beach for miles.
"Now what?"
Steven held his breath reflexively as he and Amethyst settled onto the underwater warp pad. But his bubble stayed solid, protecting him from both the pressure and the suffocating liquid. The magical layer even gave him fresh air, so he didn't have to worry about time.
Speaking of time- "Isn't this where we got the magic hourglasses?" he asked Amethyst.
"Yep," she said, the word emerging as a belch of air bubbles. She sucked in water, and the bubbles disappeared. She looked quite pleased. "C'mon."
Amethyst started to swim awkwardly towards the hole in the Sea Shrine's roof, then stopped. Steven was still on the ground, unable to swim inside the bubble. He blushed. "Uh, maybe we could-" Amethyst didn't let him finish. With a spectacular eye-roll, she swam down and kicked his bubble hard enough to send it crashing through the glass wall of the Shrine. At first Steven tried to hold himself steady in the magic hamsterball, then gave up and let himself tumble. It was a lot more fun then.
By the time he stopped, he was laughing. Amethyst swam up to him, shapeshifted into the form of a large purple goldfish. "Again!" Steven chuckled.
"All right." Amethyst lined up her koi tail and slapped his bubble across the ocean floor. It was a very enjoyable way to travel, like taking a rollercoaster down the highway. Each time the bubble stopped, Amethyst would hit it again, making Steven whoop and laugh. Finally they came to a stop at the edge of a large drop off. The bottom was dark, obscurred by a cloud of dust. Amethyst swam up and changed back to her normal form, landing next to Steven.
"Is that where the earthquakes are coming from?" he asked.
A powerful current of water swept over the ledge, shoving them back. "Looks that way," Amethyst replied. She summoned her whip and tied the ends around his bubble. "Hold on," she said, grinning a little mischievously. Before Steven could ask what she was about to do, Amethyst gripped the whip handle and leapt off the cliff. Instantly, he was yanked along behind.
"Amethyst!" he yelped. Then they touched down, rather gently. "Oh. That wasn't so bad."
The violet Gem snorted with laughter. Steven tried to ignore it, and looked around. They appeared to be in a shallow trench, devoid of sea life. The dust was so thick that they could barely see each other, let alone the source of the quakes. Another current rippled through the water, pushing Steven's bubble against the rock. "That way, I think." He pointed towards the darkest area of dust.
Amethyst swam forward, pulling him along behind. The dust seemed to be swirling like a tornado almost. It pushed at them and pulled, trying not to let them through. But Amethyst pressed on, and it didn't take long for them to emerge in an area of clearer water.
The dust there was thinner, so that they could see they were under a large dome of dark water. Through the uneven clouds, Steven could make out flashes of light- yellow and blue, fading to green when they mingled. And there was noise- like someone flushing the world's largest toilet, filled with broken rocks.
There was a single, enormous crash, accompanied by a blue flash and a rush of water, and quite suddenly the dust cleared. He was startled by how close they'd been to the source- to the fight. But more than that, he was startled by the ones who'd been fighting.
One of the warriors was a burly female at least eight feet tall, with a head of white hair that looked like she enjoyed sticking metal objects in electric sockets. Her face, too, had that look- a crazed sort of sneer. Her features looked strained and stretched. Her muscular frame was covered by an outfit not dissimilar to Sesspartine's, though without the accessories, and somehow much meaner looking. In place of a nose she had a single sharp shard of crystal.
Steven recognized her, unfortunately. It was Jasper, the Homeworld Gem who kidnapped them into space. In the darkness underwater, she didn't look nearly as scary as she had on the beach, under the glowing Gem ship. She seemed to be missing her elbow-length gloves and cape, too, so that helped. Jasper knelt on the ocean floor with one hand on a knee. She seemed almost exhausted, but she still glowed with malevolent power.
But it was the other fighter who took Steven's breath away. She looked only about twelve years old, a girl in a flowing cerulean dress, with wavy blue hair and skin the color of the sky. Her large eyes were narrowed in concentration as she faced Jasper, the teardrop-shaped gemstone on her back glowing bright as day. "You're never escaping," she said, her voice echoing through the water around them.
Jasper raised her head, her own eyes narrowed in hate. With a roar of rage, the Gem commander launched forward, a golden helmet sparkling into existance over her head. The hammer shaped point of the helm slammed into the other Gem, slamming her into the rock. For just a moment, the dust storm quieted. In that instant, Steven gasped aloud in empathy. "Lapis!"
Lapis Lazuli looked up and saw her friend Steven standing beside one of the Crystal Gems, surrounded by a glowing pink field of energy. He looked... afraid. For her. She was afraid too. She had no idea how long she'd been fighting Jasper. First as Malachite, keeping them contained within their fusion for as long as possible. Then sparring, each tired from the act of sharing form. And now brawling, doing anything to keep Jasper down. She knew she'd fall soon. Likely, Jasper would grind her gem into powder when she did. Jasper was fighting to get away, to get free. That gave her a strength that Lapis simply couldn't match. Not forever.
The one thought that had comforted her was knowing that her sacrifice was keeping Jasper away from Steven. The look in the commander's eyes when she'd seen what Steven could do- no. Lapis would do anything to stop her. But now Steven was here. And as Jasper raised her head, Lapis could see that she knew.
"Rose," Jasper hissed as she stood. The warrior glared at Steven. "You're still hiding in that form? Even now that I know what you are? What happened to make you so weak, so foolish?" Without waiting for an answer, Jasper turned her back on Lapis. "Come on. All this time wasted with this brat, I want a real fight!"
Amethyst stepped in front of him. "You'll have to go through me first," she snarled. She summoned her whip and brandished it in a threatening way.
"Hey," Steven protested. "I can fight, too!" Amethyst shot him a shut up look, then went back to glaring at Jasper.
The tall warrior laughed hideously. "You? You're not even worth my time. I'm surprised you don't remember me." Her smile widened. "I made you, runt. In the Kindergarten. Why fight with Rose? Why fight for this trash world?"
As Jasper spoke, Amethyst went rigid. Her face contorted into an expression Steven had seen her wearing before, when she fought Pearl at the Kindergarten. It was pure rage and self loathing, all directed outward at her opponent. Amethyst threw back her head and screamed. "Shut up shut up SHUT UP! You don't know anything about me!" She hurled herself at Jasper, not bother with the whip. Instead, she shape-shifted into the massive form of Purple Puma, attempting to body slam the other Gem. In the background, Lapis simply watched, dumbstruck.
Jasper chuckled as Amethyst jumped, then grabbed her and tossed her a wall of rock. She slammed against it hard, settling to the ocean floor. She raised her head and groaned. "Like I said," Jasper sneered. "Not worth it." She kicked Amethyst, and the smaller Gem changed back to her normal form, apparently knocked unconscious. Jasper turned towards Steven. "Now for you."
But she'd forgotten about Lapis. Lapis held out her hand as Jasper lunged, screaming, "No!" Instantly, a manacle of water formed around the commander's wrist. She struggled against Lapis to no avail. "Leave him alone!"
Steven watched in horror as Jasper turned on Lapis. "I've been holding back," she said. "I wanted you alive for Yellow Diamond. But I guess it's just not meant to be." Jasper cracked her knuckles, the sound echoing underwater, and summoned her helm. With a roar, she spun into a ball of energy, hurling herself at Lapis. The younger Gem was trapped between a pair of rock outcroppings, no place to go.
"NO-O-O-O!" Steven cried. Instinctively he drew a breath as his bubble burst and the water flooded in. Beneath his wet shirt, a warm light trickled outward, heating him and taking away the enormous pressure. Without thinking, he placed his arm over his gem, feeling the energy spiral outward. Eyes locked on Jasper's speeding form, he hurled that energy forward, twisting his arm up and outward like he was tossing a frisbee. The glowing power shot out into the water, reshaping itself in mid flight into a glowing pink discus, with a familiar vine-and-flower pattern on its surface. The disc cut through the water at the speed of thought, impacting Jasper's chest just before she could reach Lapis.
The warrior was slammed sideways, crushing one of the rocks and crashing into another. The energy shield disappated. Jasper rose out of the rubble, eyes shining. "That's more like it," she rasped. "I guess you're not as weak as I thought, Rose."
Another magic bubble blossomed outward, giving Steven much needed air. He took a deep breath and faced Jasper. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Amethyst start to move. "My name is Steven Universe," he declared. "I'm a human being."
Jasper's eyes were slits. "Is this some kind of joke? You know, we're not so different, Rose."
Steven forced himself to focus only on the Gem. "Rose-Quartz was my mother. She fought to protect others. You only fight to hurt them! You hurt me. You hurt my friends!"
For a moment the Gem was silent. Then- "Mother? So she's really gone! And you're all that's left," Jasper sneered at him. "Well, if you thought you hurt before, Steven, allow me to show you what pain really is!"
She struck out, knocking Steven's bubble into a boulder. It popped, leaving him desperately trying not to inhale. And now Jasper was standing over him, foot raised, ready to stomp. At the last moment, perhaps thinking to prolong things, she changed it into a kick instead. Steven felt himself hit another rock, this one not cushioned by his gem-magic. It did hurt- but only slightly so. The water seemed to be pushing on him, slowing him down. He couldn't really think clearly- he was finding it hard not to breathe. Then, the water around his head retreated. An empty space surrounded it instead, an empty space that was rapidly filling up with air bubbles from the sea. He opened his mouth and tasted the air. It tasted like salt and seaweed and other things he'd rather have never tasted, but it was air. He could breath. It was Lapis, he knew. Lapis was using her powers to keep him alive.
"I'm merciful compared to Yellow Diamond," Jasper said as she stalked over. "And soon she'll be here. Even down here I could see Peridot's flare. Once the Diamonds are finished with someone, there isn't enough left to bury."
A sense of hopelessness was washing over Steven. He couldn't beat Jasper. Maybe if Lion were there. Then he could get out his mom's sword and really fight. But Lion couldn't go underwater. And Amethyst was still recovering, on her feet but unsteady. Jasper grabbed him by the front of his shirt and lifted, just like she had on the beach. She drew back a fist, the muscles in her arm bulging, glowing with corrupt energy. "Say goodbye," she hissed.
Quite suddenly, Jasper became as stiff as a statue. Her fingers trembled, and Steven's wet shirt slipped out from between their grip. Something poked through the center of her chest, a brilliant blue point that came out three inches and stopped. "Y-you-" Jasper's eyes flicked to the side.
Behind her, Lapis stood, the blade of a crystal dagger embedded in the other Gem's back, all the way to its hilt. "I told you to stay away from him," she said, her voice cracking slightly. Jasper's form shuddered, held up by the blade.
Then she imploded.
A single pointed orange stone dropped through the dust to the ocean floor, giving off a faint light. Lapis' arm dropped back to her side, and she to her knees. The dagger evaporated into Gem energy.
Steven slowly got up. He made sure the air that Lapis had gotten him was still there- yes, it was. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping the young Gem to stand. Lapis looked at him, sniffling, and then burst into tears. She collapsed against him, and considering she was about a foot taller than he was, that wasn't funny. He barely managed to stay on his feet. "It- it's okay," he managed. "Really."
Amethyst managed to make her way over to them. She'd seen the end of the fight, and was looking a bit awed. "You did good, space-girl," she told Lapis. Amethyst slapped her fellow Gem on the back, which Steven thought might have been a little too much. She turned and wrapped Steven in a headlock. "You too, shrimp-puff!"
Lapis got to her feet, cradling Jasper's gem in her hands. "You two better get going," she said sadly. "Jasper with regenerate sooner or later."
"Hmm." Steven looked at Lapis, then at the gemstone. "Can I-" he held out his hands. Hesitantly, Lapis tipped the stone over into his palms. "Ah-ha!" Lapis gasped as Steven bubbled Jasper's gem in a small rose-quartz field.
"How-" she started. Steven closed his eyes, and the bubble disappeared in a sparkle, taking the alien Gem with it. The three of them were left in semi-darkness, the dust storm Lapis had generated calming.
"Jasper won't regenerate as long as she's bubbled," Steven explained. "Right Amethyst?" The lavender Gem nodded.
"Noice!" she whooped, giving him a noogie. Lapis sagged a little.
"So it's over. I thought-" she stopped. Her thin shoulders dropped.
Watching her, Steven remembered how he'd felt at It's a Wash, right before this had started. How happy he'd been. He thought about the day he'd spent with Lapis, when she was trapped in the mirror.
Lapis looked up through tear-filled eyes to see Steven standing there, a half smile on his face, a hand held out. "Come with us," he said. She, too, recalled her day as a mirror, the first time she'd tasted freedom in so long. She'd told herself she was only talking with Steven so she could get free, but it was more than that. He was a friend. He'd promised to come back for her on the ship. He hadn't, but then again, they'd crashed. Something must've gone wrong. And just now, he'd saved her life fighting Jasper.
Lapis looked at Steven's hand. Hesitantly, she reached out, her fingers trembling. They stopped an inch away. Go or Stay. Go or Stay...
The Temple warp pad activated with its usual shimmer of light. Steven had never been so glad for the feeling of firmness beneath his flip-flops. For the first time in what felt like forever, he took a breath of fresh air, and looked at the sun, which was starting to go down.
The door to the house slammed open, Garnet, Pearl, and his dad tumbling through. "Steven!" Greg shouted, running forward and embracing his son. Another mission, another safe return. Another near heart attack averted.
"The waves stopped," Pearl was almost crying. "I wanted to go help, but Garnet said we should wait and see! Oh, I've never been so nervous. You could've been hurt, or worse!"
Garnet watched, amused. "I thought Steven could do it. I was right." She crossed her arms and leaned back. "As usual."
"He had help you know!" Amethyst wrung sea water out of her hair and swung it around. The wet locks flopped against Pearl, who would have been angry if she wasn't so focused on waiting for Greg to stop hugging Steven.
Finally, Steven pushed him away. "Amethyst wasn't the only one who helped me," he said a bit proudly. He stepped away from the warp pad, revealing Lapis to them. She had one arm wrapped across her chest, rubbing her other bicep. She glanced away shyly.
"Who's that?" Greg asked, his memory not giving him a name that he felt he should know.
"Everyone," Steven said, "This is Lapis Lazuli!"
Garnet exchanged a glance with a near-neurotic Pearl. "We know," she said finally, raising a gauntlet clad fist.
"Wait!" Steven stepped back in between them. "It's okay! She won't hurt anybody. She helped us beat Jasper."
"Jasper?" Garnet let the gauntlet fade. "You must have quite a story."
"What happened down there?" Pearl asked. Far from calming down, she looked on the verge of exploding with emotion. Amethyst giggled and walked over to the refrigerator, enjoying the Pearl Freak Out show.
Steven drew in a deep breath, ready to start talking. Then he caught sight of Lapis, still looking shy. He let his lungs deflate back to normal so he didn't look quite as silly, then bowed Lapis forward. The young Gem stared, then finally seemed to get that he wanted her to speak. "Well-" she said, quite unsure. Steven looked up with star-filled irises. Lapis gathered up her courage and adressed the Crystal Gems. "It all started right after the prison ship crashed..."
A/N: And, spiral out with a star shaped iris around Lapis' face. Well, what do you think? Worthy of Steven Universe?