Hey, wow, you kept reading! I'm blushing, I'm blushing. Anyways, onward! I haven't got much to say now that I've gotten past the initial thrill of pushing through Chapter 1! I can already feel the excitement ebbing and the stress growing.
Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe. It belongs to Rebecca Sugar!
"Keep your left foot a little further out, Connie!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The tiles of the ancient gem sky arena glinted beneath a golden sun. A lithe shadow flitted skillfully over the smooth surface.
Connie's dark hair was pulled into a neat braid that swung to-and-fro across her back, jolting whenever she would jump forth to thrust or swing back to successfully parry one of the Holo-Pearl's attacks.
Steven watched excitedly from the ancient steps, flip-flops rising and falling as his legs swayed with intrigue.
"Woohoo! Go Connie!" The boy cajoled, throwing his arms up and accidentally leaning a bit too far backwards, ending up flopping backwards with a silly 'pwah' as his head met her thigh. "Hi Garnet."
"Hello Steven," Garnet replied with a tiny smile, reaching out her hands and placing her gems affectionately on either side of the boy's rich, curly head. "I can see you're really enjoying watching Connie fight."
"With your future vision or with your normal vision?" Steven gasped, looking up to the fusion with practical stars of awe in his eyes.
"Normal vision."
"Aww."
"But my future vision foretells that you'll be even more excited when Pearl requests she teach Stevonnie a little later," amended Garnet as she leaned over and patted the boy's forehead, amused by the way his pupils dilated and nearly filled out all the white of his eyes. "But don't tell Pearl I told you that."
"Okay!" Steven laughed, a little too loudly with how close the two were, before he shot up and crawled onto Garnet's welcoming lap, flopping down with a huff before turning his eyes back to Connie and the Holo-Pearl. "Looks like she's winning already! It's only been forty seconds or something! That's gotta be a new record!"
"If I'm correct, her best time was twenty-one seconds."
"Garneeeeet." Steven playfully tapped the sole of his flip-flop on her leg. "Oh! Oh, look, she's done it!"
Connie had fluidly steered clear of the Holo-Pearl's last futile attempts to seize the opponent and therefore the victory, sliding on the arena's floor smoothly as she swung Rose's sword in a graceful arc and caught the hologram in the middle. It fizzled, admitted defeat with a static-filled "Challenger Wins!" before quickly dissipating into ribbons, then nothing.
"Well done, Connie!" Pearl called as she made her way across from the other side of the arena. "That last swing was magnificent! I don't remember teaching you that?" She landed a hand on Connie's shoulder, her eyes alight with both curiosity and stern inquiry as to where Connie had gotten that maneuver from.
"Well, I actually learned it from my tennis coach!"
Surprise overtook Pearl's face. "Oh?"
"It was a tennis move. Kind of. I just changed it up a bit! Sometimes you have to lunge to hit the tennis ball with your racquet, ma'am," started Connie, "and I thought it could also be incarnated into my swordfighting if I ever need to make a last-minute move and can't parry."
"Hmm," Pearl acknowledged, nodding her head understandingly. "I see. Though let's try to make sure you can always parry, all right? We don't want an event where you can't deflect an enemy's sword and you're caught between a rock and a hard place."
"Yes, Pearl!" Connie smiled politely before turning to see Steven clambering down the stone steps of the arena.
Steven scrambled off of the last step and rushed towards Connie, embracing the dark-skinned girl in a fervent hug. "That was amazing, Connie! It was advanced and it still didn't even land a scratch on you!"
Pearl chuckled from behind them. "I should hope not. I've recalibrated the holograms to be much less. . . dangerous, after my last regeneration," the willowy gem offered, placing a hand absentmindedly over her stomach where the old Holo-Pearl's blade had struck through. Steven shuddered at the memory.
"So, in theory, they really shouldn't be able to land a scratch on anything," Pearl finished, summoning a hologram briefly and willing it to slowly bow its thin sword and make contact with her open palm. It phased easily through, and by Pearl's unchanging features it was obviously a feat she had practiced and worked well with before bestowing it upon Stevonnie.
The hologram emitted a cry of "Challenger Defeated!" with a request for a rematch, but the query was cut short as Pearl summoned her spear and jabbed the Holo-Pearl squarely in the abdomen. "Any further questions?" She said, tucking her spear away into her gem for future use.
"Oh! Pick me!" Steven raised his arm, utterly beside himself now as he, in his zest, accidentally summoned his shield.
"Yes, Steven?"
"Can Connie and I form Stevonnie? I wanna do the cool tennis move she did, too!"
Connie laughed. Garnet inwardly smiled; Pearl never would have asked for Stevonnie to fuse in any immediate futures, so it had required a bit of coaxing to push that particular path into the light.
Pearl swapped her gaze between the two of them, pursing her lips before giving in and rolling her shoulders in acceptance. "I don't see any reason why not."
"All right!" The children said in unison, turning towards each other and high-fiving with goofy grins. "We're gonna be great!"
After a few moments of initial dancing turned simple synchronized hand-holding, a pink light briefly engulfed the two and suddenly in their places stood Stevonnie, proudly wielding both Rose's shield and legendary sword. "Let's do this thing," they said with a spirited smirk.
Garnet watched Stevonnie with zeal, once again donning the sign she had created for them months ago when they had unfused because of Connie's emotional peril. Now, though, the fusion, if anything, looked whole and stable and well. They abstained from even giving the Holo-Pearls a chance to take a swing. They were proficient as they took down two of the holograms with a broad sweep of the large pink sword, knocking a third off-balance with a hefty shove of their shield.
Stevonnie truly was a remarkable experience, Garnet thought as she watched them take down a fourth by hindering its ability to move by locking its knee into place with their own foot, and thrusting the other in a powerful manner into the hologram's chest. It flew past Pearl, who cheered them on with words of encouragement. "You're doing incredible! This is the best I've ever seen, Stevonnie! Keep it up!"
Stevonnie swung their head and flashed a pleased smile at the pale gem. They took off again in the direction of another phalanx of Holo-Pearls just summoned to reinstigate the mock battle session.
Garnet's eyes traced every step Stevonnie took, how every individual finger tightened around Rose's sword when bracing the weapon for impact with one of the illusionary enemies. Instead of jabbing one directly in its abdomen, as it would have been easy to do, Stevonnie instead twirled on their bare feet and promptly sliced through the set of-
Gems.
Garnet's eyes widened beneath her visor as, for what felt like eternity but could very well have been only the mere fraction of a second, the calm sky arena was washed in an eerie green light. Dark, swollen shadows loomed in crooked streaks over the tiles, now sprinkled with a fine layer of multicoloured dust.
Stevonnie stood where they had previously, except where the Holo-Pearls had stood there were the silhouetted, shaking bodies of gem soldiers.
Homeworld Quartz soldiers.
No details could be discerned other than their signature builds, which were swiftly poofed when their sword cut through the gems like a knife through butter.
In an instant, it was gone.
Stevonnie had done away with the last of the Holo-Pearls, now brandishing their sword with a holler of victory and raising it above their head with a jocular laugh. Pearl, too, was speeding over and commending Stevonnie on a job well-done. Stevonnie thankfully grabbed a hold of Pearl's hand and gave it a happy squeeze as they turned to Garnet with a grin.
Said fusion seemed to catch Garnet's earnest expression, which was generally much more full of enthusiasm during their fusion training. "Garnet?" They asked, losing the grin and tilting their head worriedly.
"That's me," Garnet confirmed as she stood and jumped down the flight of steps and landed cleanly in front of Pearl and Stevonnie. "I was just thinking about how well you handled that," she pondered, before joining her hands in a familiar motion that Stevonnie gladly mirrored: thumbs touching, with fingers cupped supportively over one another.
The stance their hands had assumed when the fusions discussed the balance of fusion altogether, of how one counterpart's instability worried at its wholeness.
Pearl let the two have their moment before meaningfully clearing her throat, rocking on her dainty heels. "Now, I think it's time that Steven and Connie work individually again. We know that you're impeccable, Stevonnie, but I want to see if that still translates into separated." Pearl laced her hands together and pointed at the fusion expectantly, aqua eyes broad with hope.
"Of course!" Stevonnie agreed.
Stevonnie with Steven and Connie separating with only a single dazzle of rose-tinged light, catching each other as they fell with a giggly laugh.
Pearl chirped with a satisfied hum and turned to her leader. "Garnet, you're welcome to stay and watch."
"I think I have business at the Temple that needs tending to," she clarified, much to the dismay of Steven who looked up at her with wide, sad eyes.
She looked down to Steven and his puppy-dog eyes, offering a small smile. "Very important business."
He seemed to understand, because he nodded with a determined huff and wished her good-bye.
"You two keep it up," the fusion said with the small smile still on as she started down the steps leading to the warp pad at the edge of the ruins.
It didn't take long to have that smile fall into an anxious frown.
Garnet looked back up the flight of steps as she reached the warp, eyes growing dim beneath her visor as she adjusted it. She willed herself to search for something, anything, that could deflect the path fate seemed to be taking. She sighed and rested her visor on her nose before stepping onto the warp pad and returning to the Temple.
Steven padded down the wooden steps to the beach house, chuckling to himself at the comfortable warmth spreading across his exposed neck, arms, and feet. The sand engulfed his sandals as he elatedly trotted across the stretch of beach separating him from Beach City.
"I wonder what Lars and Sadie are up to," he mused to himself as he absentmindedly watched the sand shift between his shuffling feet. "I haven't seen them in ages! There's been so much going on."
The Big Donut stood as he had always remembered it in all its snack-y, donut-y glory. The sprinkles on the gargantuan donut display on top of the pink-and-blue patterened roof seemed to sparkle in the noontime sun.
He wasted no time in scraping the sand from the ripples in his soles and bursting in through the door, his arrival met with a loud ching.
The short, heavyset Sadie sitting behind the counter seemed to have snapped to life at the bell chiming. Once they met eyes, Sadie's face lit up with sunny realization. "Hey Steven!" The clerk greeted, leaning as far over the counter as she could to welcome in the boy. "Where've you been? I haven't seen you in weeks!"
"Sadie!" Steven jovially answered, scampering up to the counter and staring up at the older human with wide, dark, and hopeful eyes. "I've been really busy doing gem stuff! I mean, some stuff around town, but, mostly gem things!"
The boy's ramblings were interrupted by his gut emanating a particularly angry grumble. He placed a pudgy hand over his stomach, sending Sadie a sheepish grin as he quirked his eyebrows humorously. "And all that gem stuff means I haven't had my favourite snack in weeks, either. Two chocolate donuts, please!"
"Sure thing, Steven. Extra sprinkles?"
Steven felt a flush of fondness for Sadie pulse through his body, and he placed a hand on his heart playfully as he whispered, "you remembered!"
He bounced on his toes as he tried to watch the clerk bow down to retrieve his fresh, beautiful baked dough from the tantalizing glass cabinet behind. "I don't know what it is, but all those fake chemicals just make it that much tastier."
"As you've said before," laughed Sadie, grabbing the tongs and dropping two fresh donuts into a paper bag for Steven. She turned back, a small smile on her face as she dropped the bag into the boy's grabbing hands. "That'll be $3.39."
Steven leaned away and palmed through his pockets, fetching the three crumpled dollars and two quarters.
"Well, would you look who it is!"
Steven stopped in his tracks as the sound of a door swinging open followed by Lars' signature snicker flooded the room.
"Lars!" Cried the younger boy, payment forgotten, dropping his bag of delicious goodies on the floor of the establishment and rushing up to the lanky employee.
"Steven," said employee regarded, giving the boy a predictably questioning, and a little hostile, stare. "What've you been gone off to?" Lars asked, a low curl in his lip. "Usually you come to bug us way more often."
"I was out with the Gems!"
"What a surprise."
Sadie from behind the counter scoffed at Lars' contemptuous disposition. "Come on, Lars, lay off," she chastised. "He's really happy to see us after so long."
"Tragically the feeling isn't reciprocated," the tanned clerk grumbled sarcastically.
"Lars!"
"That's okay! Just seeing you makes up for all the lost time!" Steven consoled.
Lars grumbled and shoved the small boy off of his thin leg. "Yeah, yeah, now shove off." Sadie sent the taller employee a rather flustered and disappointed glare.
"Anyway. . ." Steven beamed, unshaped by Lars' irritability. "I've really gotta get back to the Gems now."
He rushed over to the short girl and wrapped his chubby arms merrily around her, met with a soft gasp of surprise. "Haha, yeah, see you later, Steven."
He skipped back and snatched the bag of donuts off the counter top with a, "bye Lars, bye Sadie!" before rushing to the door and stopped only by Sadie's panicked, "Steven, wait!"
He skidded to a stop, eyes wide with confusion as he stared back into the Big Donut. "What is it?"
"You forgot to pay."
Steven unwrapped the delicate wax film paper protecting the donut. "Oh, glazed dough and chocolate frosting topped with sprinkles, how I missed you!" He was so ready to relish in this treat that he could practically hear the donut calling his name.
"Steven? Steven."
No, wait, that was Pearl.
"Huh? Oh, sorry Pearl."
The boy looked up and saw Pearl taking deliberate steps towards the couch where he'd plopped down as soon as he marched in the screen door.
"It's all right," Pearl mused. "I wanted to ask how it went with. . . Centipeetle, yesterday. Amethyst hasn't spared me any details and Garnet's not left her room much since returning from the Gal- mission."
"Gala mission?" Perplexed Steven, tilting his head and halting the pastry's entry into his mouth. Where would there have been a mission at a gala?
"Oh, no, I just meant the mission. No galas involved," Pearl chuckled, a bead of sweat threatening to trickle down her forehead. "But really, how was your. . friend?"
Steven was all smiles as he explained to Pearl how he and Amethyst had gotten into the old colony ship and found the little group of amiable corrupted gems. Amethyst wasn't able to tell the difference between the crew and captain, but Steven was quick to distinguish his Centi from the others.
"And then Amethyst shape-shifted into one of them! They were a little scared of her, though. They kept making this creepy gargling noise so Amethyst just shifted back."
Steven put a finger to his lips as he recalled the scene. Steven had been enthusiastic to see Amethyst coercing with Centipeetle and her crew; it was saddening to see that it had the kind of ramifications neither of them had aimed for. "I think they got a little offended?"
"Well, she shouldn't have been shape-shifting like that in the first place," Pearl commented warily. "It's one thing to use the power so carelessly, and other to use it to look for something so. . . "
Steven squinted up at the slim white gem. "Something so what, Pearl?"
Pearl sighed. "Nothing, Steven. I just don't think it's right for Amethyst to copy them. They're corrupted - their forms are wrong, and they're not in their right mind."
"They're not wrong, Pearl! Just a little different, is all," the boy argued as Pearl finally sat down on the couch beside him, rolling into the cushions as he pulled himself towards her and gave her a look of earnest.
"But they're not really corrupted like the other corruptions are!" Defended Steven, defiantly placing his arms on the star over Pearl's flat chest. "They didn't even think of attacking us."
"You don't know that, Steven."
"Yes, I do! 'Cause Centipeetle was their captain."
Pearl had the urge to shake her head in light crossness. It was difficult to explain corruption, let alone what the wretched curse, or whatever it was, had done to the gems Steven was trying to defend.
Their endless hunts for corrupted gems left them little room to think of them as former gems: as walking, talking, feeling gems.
The gem felt her chest concave with mortification. "They're not like that anymore. We're doing the most we can do bubbling them."
She looked down and reflected on how quick Steven always was to sympathize with the beasts.
Regardless of what she personally thought of souls lost to corruption, she acknowledged that Centipeetle truly was different from the rest.
"I suppose. She did seem to be quite fond of you," Pearl murmured.
Steven made a pleased sound and turned, training his eyes on the few scraps of napkin and the forgotten donut strewn about the coffee table. He slid down and twisted around until his thick shoulder pressed against her side, eyes suddenly downcast.
"I wish I could have saved her."
A thrill ran up Pearl's spine.
Rose had said that once.
She had tried so, so many times to save those corrupted.
She had felt true grief over the Crystal Gems lost to corruption. On numerous occasions she had tried to heal them, but never once did her healing powers extend enough to save the lost gem from the Diamond's clutches.
In the end, she had decided to bubble the creatures. It was for their own safety, and for the safety of the other life inhabiting planet Earth.
They always promised themselves that they would try to find a cure for it.
They never really did find the time to try more than a handful of times. Maybe because they knew it was hopeless.
Steven had been the only gem to ever. . . lessen, the corruption. But in the end, Steven had been unable to fully save her from the Diamonds.
Pearl imagined what it would have been like if the Crystal Gem army had been spared from their corrupting song. Or if there had been a way to reverse the effects, fully.
She hugged Steven just a little bit closer to her with her left arm, tucking her pale chin into his curly brown locks as she let out a despondent sigh.
"Me too."
Note to self: don't write about donuts when hungry. It makes you even hungrier. Yo, and I promise some interesting stuff will kick off soon! I just didn't want to rush it, y'know? This is a slow-burn story, after all. The chapters will get longer as it goes on, too, promise.
In any case, I'll be drawin' covers for each chapter (. . . probably) on my Tumblr if you're interested. It's rileys-universe !
Seeya next chapter!