Suggested:
Part 1: "Shooting Star," fan-made episode (is a comic): www. facebook .com [insert '/' here] pg/RAWnimationArchive/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1680381128757814
Or here: rawnimation. tumblr. com
[Apologies, but you'll have to delete all of the spaces in either of the links; they're before or after every period (and you'll have to insert a forward slash after 'com' and before 'pg' if you go with the facebook link, and between 'net' and 's' for part 2). Fanfiction. net's document system does not like having links to other pages. This was the only way I could work around it.]
Completed 12/27/15.
Part 2: "Falling Star," written fanfiction: www. fanfiction .net [insert '/' here] s/13076038/1/Falling-Star
Completed 2/6/16.
Part 3-this part, the final part-was completed on 8/30/18.
For context, Topaz's plot line is introduced some time after "Jail Break," yet before "Catch and Release," and, within the confines of this 3-part series, ends just before the episode, "Beta."
Thanks,
R.A.W.
Part 3: "Rising Star"
Steven Universe was looking out at the ocean from the beach. It was some time since that day with Peridot and Topaz. He had talked to Connie and his dad about it. His dad was particularly worried, and even went so far as to confront the Gems about it. It was a weird situation. Steven didn't like being there during. (The Gems kind of brushed him off, as usual, but the point was communicated: protect my son.)
Steven had no idea why Topaz did what she did, but he could only imagine that she hurt more than he could have possibly known-to sink into something truly hopeless. He thought that it could have had something to do with Peridot, the way she talked to her, but that was something in the air right now and Steven felt it was more than that, that it was out there in the air as well, but he couldn't find it.
For now, Steven just wondered where on Earth Peridot could be, and if Topaz was ok.
…
One day, on the back end of summer, Steven and the Crystal Gems warped to a mountainous terrain covered in a dense snow. The warp pad was slick with the snow it melted and Steven slipped off it and fell very deep into the snow around it. He laughed and played in it. Amethyst joined him, shapeshifting silly things into the snow, like a canvas, creating something Salvador Dali would be proud of. The asymmetry of it made Pearl particularly bothered, Steven could tell. He had to hitch a ride atop Garnet's hair-the snow went up to her thighs.
They were here due to something anomalous in the region that'd been causing unprecedented avalanches throughout the area. It was most likely a corrupted Gem, and if it continued on this path, the avalanches would reach the human villages interspersed here. In the distance, Steven could see a distinct difference in the amount of snow that covered the mountains ahead. The valley at the base of them was piled with snow, and it was really getting close to swallowing a small town just at the end of it.
They came to the ledge where the snow dropped into the valley. Steven just looked at all of it, feeling the vastness of it. Garnet put him down next to her, with her back to the valley, and simply said, "I'll meet you down there." She then fell backwards and began sliding down the mountain slope on her back. Steven gasped and watched her go. The friction didn't slow her down. Steven didn't question it, it must be a Gem thing. He just summoned his shield, whooped to the air, and hopped on it, sliding down the mountain, too.
The rushing wind nearly blew off his hat as he tried to follow Garnet, who looked quite like a worm that wiggled its red body around to go faster and maneuver. Steven breathed in so much frigid air as he was laughing at it that it hurt. He tried to wiggle a little, too, but quit when he nearly lost his balance. "Steven, please be careful," Pearl called, seeing this. She was next to him on skis. "Don't be reckless." Just then, Amethyst sped past her on a snowboard, hurling snow on her in the process. Pearl huffed. She squatted down and sped after Amethyst.
They raced. Around boreal trees, boulders, and even a goat! Pearl vaulted off a mound between two trees and did elegant tricks midair, the names and likes of which Steven could never quite remember (salmons and cows, and things like that). Pearl stuck the landing with grace, and reached the bed of the valley first. Garnet slid to a stop just beneath a big tree, and Amethyst landed in the tree.
Steven tried to be like Pearl and saw a ramp in the snow ahead of him. He gunned for it. But, instead of sliding gracefully into the air, it was actually a boulder he slammed into and it launched him off his shield and he yodeled in fear. But, he landed safely in Garnet's arms.
Excited, Steven turned to Pearl, who, of course, was worried about him, and said, "Wow! Pearl, you were going so fast! And those moves! I mean, that was amazing!" Pearl took in his praise with a hand daintily over her collar.
"Oh, Steven," she said. "Well, I…" Both Garnet and Amethyst just looked at her with their hands on their hips or crossed. Pearl cleared her throat, "Do as I say, not as I do…."
Garnet set Steven down. He told her that she looked like a worm. "Really," she said. "I was going for snow shark. Guess you can't be cool all the time."
Steven and the Crystal Gems walked deeper into the valley, and where the piled snow ended, they started up the mountains. Steven could see over to the village clearly. There had to have been, maybe, twenty homes. Some people were out with their animals and he thought some of them noticed him and the Gems. After a while, they climbed with their hands, but Amethyst turned into a hawk and flew. Then, Steven started to hear something very strange. Through the wind and his hat he heard screaming. It wasn't anything he recognized though. It hurt his ears, and something about it reminded him of dial tones from a phone. "We have to hurry," said Garnet. They climbed faster. Steven held on tight.
When they hopped up on a ridge, Steven was able to walk on his own again. The screaming was less clear now, quiet. "Garnet," said Steven, "what is that?"
"You guys!" called Amethyst from the sky. "Over here!" They followed her to a cave nearly hidden in the snow. The electric screams came from it.
They approached the cave. The voice was gone. Then, Steven saw the cave glow. "Get down!" Garnet yelled. Steven fell face first in the snow. Something whirred over his head, and when he looked up again, some of the snow around the entrance to the cave was melted. "Peridot!"
"Don't come any closer!" said Peridot, holding up her plasma canon. The screaming came back from the cave.
"Put the weapon down! You've nowhere to go!"
"Try anything and I'll reduce you to slag!" Amethyst set down atop the cave and shifted to normal, then summoned her whip. But, no one moved. Steven was again hit with a wash of pain from the screaming. It was loud. Steven saw some snow fall from the top of the cave. Peridot looked back inside.
"Peridot!" said Steven, "What's wrong? We can help you!" It was quiet for a moment, just a moment. Then Steven's reply bombarded them from the cave through the snow, as Peridot shot her plasma canon wildly. Everyone ran and took cover; Steven summoned his shield. The snow around them seared and melted instantly.
Peridot came to the entrance of the cave, still shooting everywhere. She was haggard. As the Crystal Gems were scattered, she ran back in the cave and came back lugging something in her arms. She emerged, and Steven started coughing because he had inhaled the cold. It took him a second to realize it was Topaz in her arms. Her braid was missing, so was her right arm from the elbow down. She had two thighs, one shin, but no feet. Her only hand hung listlessly from her broken body. Steven felt his nose burning from wanting to cry.
As soon as Peridot emerged from the cave, Amethyst swung her whip and wrapped Peridot around the hips. She yanked her to the ground, causing Topaz's body—what was left of her—to drop pitifully into the snow. Topaz, as if from the shock of the coldness, tensed all over, arched her back, and let out a bloodcurdling cry. It was like an explosion. It crawled through Steven's skin.
Garnet and Pearl were running for Topaz and Peridot, but then the air felt like it shifted, like the ocean does when in sucks back in air and water to make more waves, but multiplied by 100. Everyone felt it.
Peridot shot up at Amethyst, who jumped away, and Garnet and Pearl ran for Steven. The mountain itself moved around his feet—an avalanche was coming.
Peridot scooped up Topaz as Garnet scooped up Steven. She held him close and took him to Amethyst. "Take Steven and fly!" she said. Amethyst shapeshifted again, this time into Dog-copter, grabbed Steven and went up with him. Garnet and Pearl ran and jumped down the mountain. The avalanche stampeded after them. And it was barreling for the village.
Steven saw some people in the village running away and indoors. Garnet and Pearl jumped into one another, spun in the air and vanished into a white light. Out came their fusion, whom Steven had never met before. She was so tall and orange, and she created a massive cartoonish mallet made from Pearl's spear and Garnet's gauntlets.
This fusion was elegant and strong, moving less like a dancer and less like a brawler and more like an acrobat. In front of the village, she brought the hammer down and sent a wave of energy straight through the avalanche and up the length of the mountain. It split the snow asunder and caused it to deviate to the left and right of the village.
Steven felt the wind from the hammer as the energy it made went up the mountain. And as he followed its path, Peridot, midair with Topaz, caught his attention. Peridot was flying away, holding Topaz by the hand. She hung like a dead fish on the end of a hook. Topaz's weight had Peridot hanging sideways. Then suddenly she wasn't. Peridot's body swung as Topaz fell from her. Topaz's hand was still in Peridot's, and the rest of her fell into the split avalanche. She disappeared in the snow.
Steven screamed for her. Peridot became hysterical, flying low over the moving snow. It took a long time for the snow to finally settle to begin a search. Enormous piles were on either side of the village and many of the people there came to look at the snow and the Crystal Gems and Peridot. Peridot used a beam of light to melt the snow. She walked on top of the snow like she was walking on water and shot at the Crystal Gems whenever they tried to near.
"Peridot, please! We can help you," begged Steven.
Garnet and Pearl's fusion hopped atop the mountain of snow. Her legs sank. Peridot stopped melting the snow and took direct aim at their fusion, backing away from her. She shot her plasma canon. Garnet and Pearl's fusion caught the plasma shots in her four hands and juggled them. She threw them back around Peridot's feet, making her dance.
Peridot went airborne again, and Garnet and Pearl's fusion made a great leap for her. Peridot shot more plasma at her, which did little as she caught them again. With one of her four hands free, the fusion grabbed Peridot by the leg. Peridot screamed as the weight of the fusion started both of them hurtling back down to the snow.
Falling, Peridot reached for her leg. The next thing Steven noticed was that she and the fusion separated, and Peridot was flying away. She was missing half her leg.
Garnet and Pearl's fusion landed square in the snow, with part of Peridot's leg. Amethyst, with Steven, flew down to her. Amethyst set Steven down in front of the fusion. He was hit by her height, her garishness, and the gap in her teeth.
The fusion stooped down to him. "Good evening, darling. This is the lovely Sardonyx." She bowed as she could from her position, using her other three hands to present herself. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances." She stood up. "Now, then. Let's find that missing Gem in the rough, shall we?"
Sardonyx turned and walked in the snow. Steven and Amethyst followed her and stopped when Sardonyx stopped. Sardonyx turned to Amethyst. "Be a doll and hold this for me, will you?" she said, handing her Peridot's foot. She took it, then Sardonyx got on her knees and put all four of her arms in the snow. She seemed to know exactly where to dig. No sooner did she start did she unbury Topaz.
Two of Sardonyx's hands were enough to cradle Topaz. She looked so lifeless. Closer, Steven saw she was missing teeth, one of her eyes seemed like it was caving in its own socket, her hair was falling out, her skin was brittle, and her Gem was broken horribly. She didn't breath and she didn't move, but she was looking at Steven with her one eye. That was the only thing that gave Steven hope.
Sardonyx stood up with her and started walking. Steven was startled. Catching up with Sardonyx, he wiped his eyes and said, "Wait! Let me heal her!"
Sardonyx picked up Steven with a free hand—and picked up Amethyst with her last-and said to him, "We're going on a little trip, darling. To you mother's fountain."
"But I can help!"
"I know you can, sweetie. But this is to be safe," she said. "You can try to help her now if you want."
She brought Steven close to Topaz. Closer, he saw fear. For the first time in Topaz, he saw the fear in her. And there, tied to it, was sadness. "Topaz," said Steven, "I'm going to help you. Please, hang on." He then ungloved his hand and licked his palm. As gently as he could, he placed his hand on Topaz's Gem. He could feel the sharpness of the fractures. They were big.
Steven took his hand away. He waited an agonizing moment. Then he swore he saw some cracks in Topaz's Gem get smaller. Topaz herself even started moving again. She looked straight up to the sky with her one eye, and looked like she was about to say something. But then, she started quivering. She was shaking all over. "Topaz," called Steven. "Topaz, what's wrong?!" The look in Topaz's eye reminded him of when he accidentally cut her in half. She then arched her back, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Her cracked Gem tumbled in Sardonyx's hand.
Steven cried. "What happened?! Why didn't it work?!"
"Maybe she was too far gone," said Amethyst, still clutching Peridot's dismembered foot.
"Is she gone?"
"She's not gone," said Sardonyx. "Not yet. She couldn't sustain her physical form any longer. Our only hope now is your mother's fountain. You did a wonderful job, baby. Whatever happens, don't ever blame yourself. Now, hold onto me tight."
"Topaz," said Steven, "fight back! You have to! Just a little bit longer!"
Sardonyx, with Steven, Amethyst and Topaz's Gem, sprinted through the snow and vaulted up the mountains back to the warp site. The last thing Steven saw before they warped away was Peridot watching them, in the air just above them.
…