Disclaimer: I only own the story and my OCs.

Corruption

Connie spotted the smoke in the distance from her bedroom window. It took her only a fraction of a second for her to realize that it came from the direction of Beach City. She snatched her sword from its post, dashed down the stairs, and was out the door before her parents can say anything about it. She dialed Steven's number five times as she ran. All five of them went unanswered. Dozens of worst case scenarios played in her head faster than she'd like. She desperately wished she was wrong.

She was wrong. She was so, so wrong. It was worse than she could possibly imagine.

Beach City is in ruins.

The car wash is reduced to nothing but rubble. Half of Funland is somehow submerged in the ocean, while the other half is going up in flames. The Big Donut, Fish-Stew Pizza, Beach Citywalk Fries; all reduced to unrecognizable bits of wood and concrete. And the bodies… oh god, the bodies

And in the middle of it all, stood a rampaging, ten-foot tall, pink-furred monster.

The monster has its back turned on her, using its massive claws to destroy a random shop in a blind rage. Connie choked, tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away, shooting a glare at the monster, her whole body shaking with fury. She reached for her sword's grip, pulling it out of its sheath and putting on a battle stance in one fluid motion. The creature paused its mindless rampage, and Connie held her breath. The cat-like ears at the top of its head flicked back and forth, and she can hear it sniffing the air. With a growl, it turned to face Connie.

That's when she saw the pink gem on its stomach.

Connie's blood ran cold. She stumbled backwards, almost losing her grip on the sword. That gem. That pink gem. She has seen it countless times, but not attached to this… this horrible monstrosity. No, the owner of that gem could only be-

Oh no. Oh god no.

She knew that Gems could become corrupted when their gemstones are damaged, but… could it be…?

"S-Steven…?"

The monster seemed to recognize the name. It tilted its head, as if curious. Connie lowered her sword, gazing deep into the monster's eyes. She could sense him; behind those wild, slitted pupils, she can still see him. And she knew he can see her back.

"Steven… it's me, Connie!" she took a few steps forward, tears going down her cheeks. "Y-You recognize me, right?! You gotta recognize me! You're my best friend! I-I…"

Connie stopped barely a foot away from the monster. It looked down at her, its eyes showing confusion. She met his gaze, now sobbing freely.

"Please…"

Its eyes seemed to lit up, like it realized something. A hopeful smile dawned on Connie's features. She knew it! No matter what he looked like on the outside, he's still Steven on the inside. He couldn't possibly forget about her! She just knew he would remember!

Maybe he did. Maybe, somewhere deep inside him, behind its wild eyes, behind the monster that he is now, he did remember.

But it didn't.

The monster swung its claw, and Connie went flying through the air like a ragdoll. She crashed against a wall. She heard a loud crack, and then she can't move anything. All she could is stare straight, at what her best friend has become. She could only lie there, hear its thundering roar, and smell the blood seeping from the back of her head.

The last thing she saw was the monster.

And the last sensation she felt was fear.

So, this is horrible. Hope you're horrified!

This here is a Halloween special that I've planned. Trust me, it's gonna be real dark. Also, I put this under X-overs because there a bunch of other shows that are gonna be featured in this fic (and yes, the Mystery Kids will appear later on).

Hope you enjoyed! ...or not.

XVI IMAGINARY LEX XVI