*Approximately twenty hours prior*
The wind whipped and weaved around the three figures who dared to venture out into the storm.. The small town had begun to dim its lights as it began to settle in. Its people wrapped in warmth and comfort in their homes. The winds raged as the trio trudged forward, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. The cold didn't bother them, though the wind made walking slow.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Pearl asked
"Everything will be just fine." Garnet called back
"But the last time we fought the Slinker it took all of us just to make it retreat"
"It will be different this time" light glinted off of Garnet's visor "I saw it myself."
"So you're saying that Steven and Connie are going to get attacked by the Slinker, while we aren't around, defeat it, and then what?"
"Then, when we get back, they will be better prepared for what is coming soon. You two haven't forgotten what I told you, right?"
Neither of the two other gems responded. What Garnet had told them wasn't something they were very eager to discuss.
"We haven't…" Pearl answered "but that just gives us more reason to stay back, maybe we can-"
"Pearl." Garnet's voice took a sudden stern tone and Pearl stopped speaking. "We have to do this. If we are going to stand any chance of avoiding what I saw then there is no getting around this."
"… are you sure?"
"I am, so far everything is going just as I saw it. We just need to keep going forward."
"Well can we hurry up?" Amethyst chimed in "Cuz I'm missing out on some prime wrestling tonight, Grey thunder and Montezuma's revenge are having their rematch tonight."
The three gems continued through the white blanketed town. They trudged against the wind, having no time to admire the world around them. Garnet led them down the quickest path she could find. The darted through alleyways and flew across rooftops before reaching the edge of the city. From there the street lights faded, replaced by darkness and snow.
The gems began to climb the foot of the hill that lead away from Beach City. Far behind them the roars of a monster could be heard. Faint echoes carried on the cold wind. The gems could hear the Slinker begin its attack on the children. Pearl and Amethyst looked back. Filled with concern and worry. Garnet continued to look forward into the darkness. She wanted to turn back as well. But knew she couldn't, she knew if she did she might run back to the temple. She knew Steven and Connie were going to win. She'd seen them standing triumphant. But that didn't make going forward any easier.
The trio began to climb the hill, using the little light given off from nearby homes to guide them onward. Slowly the city began to shrink behind them. Ahead of them they could see the warm light spilling forth from the few homes that sat on the edge of the city
"So after we get what we need from the moon, what do we do then?" Amethyst asked
"We'll have to work quickly, assuming I've got the time frame right we won't have long before blue diamond arrives."
"And you're sure that dealing with her this way will prevent what comes after that?"
"As far as I can see, yes. But we still need to hurry."
"I still can't believe she's coming back after all this time. You think she knows about the Cluster being bubbled yet?"
"I don't think so, she's coming for a different reason. But I get the feeling that'll be another problem we will have to handle not too far into the future."
"Great. Now we're going to have to worry about that too."
"Not now Amethyst, we need to keep moving."
Amethyst sighed heavily "ok, fine". She walked past garnet and into the darkness, continuing up the snowy hill ahead of her.
Garnet looked back at pearl, who lagged to the back. She was looking back, paying more attention to the distant fight than she was to what lay ahead. Garnet slowed her stride and allowed Pearl to catch up. Pearl caught up to and bumped against Garnet, snatching her attention back to the moment at hand. Pearl looked up at Garnet, Who gave her a patient smile.
"It's going to be alright" Garnet said as she clasped Pearl's shoulders. "Don't forget that those two laid out Jasper when they fought her."
"I know Garnet but this isn't Jasper they're fighting." Pearl's concern was palpable.
"It will be fine" Garnet continued smiling peacefully "After all the training the two of them have done together they probably could go up against almost anything and still come out on top."
"But that was training we could stop that at any moment, even on the few missions we've taken them on there was always some degree of control."
"And there is here as well, if something was going to go wrong then I'd have seen it."
"That's not much of a reassurance, you don't always see all of the details."
"Maybe so, but I know that everything is going to go fine."
"I know, I know… It's just that…"
Pearl fell silent and Garnet waited for her to continue.
"Just what?" Garnet urged
"It's just that… I don't understand how you expect them to beat the Slinker without their sword."
"What?"
"It's not that I don't think that they can, but without their sword I can't imagine it-"
Garnet cut pearl short, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her in the eyes. In one of her rare, brief moments of visible emotion Garnet displayed an emotion pearl had not seen from her ages. She was afraid.
"Pearl, what do you mean they don't have their sword!?"
"I mean they don't have it! Connie didn't bring it with her."
"But that's not possible, I saw them-"
"In you vision?"
"Yes I… oh no."
Garnet released Pearl and began to back pedal. She looked off in the direction of the temple and focused her vision as best she could. Even in the darkness of night, shaded by the clouds and snow, she could see something. High in the air she could see a limp humanoid shape rising high into the air. Garnet's widened to their fullest and her body felt numb. She watched in terror as something unexpected played out before her eyes.
"Garnet!" Pearl shouted
Garnet's attention snapped back to Pearl. Though unaware of what Garnet had seen at the temple, Pearl was still set on edge by Garnet's sudden change in behavior
"What is going on!?" She asked anxiously
"This is all wrong." Garnet answered
"All wron- What do you mean!? Are you telling me you missed this many details?"
"No Pearl…"
"Then how is it wrong!?"
"It's not because I missed a detail. I didn't see any of this."
"…What?"
"Pearl I-I never saw this path. Out of all the paths I saw, this one literally did not exist."
Pearl stared wide eyed at Garnet. "Are you saying that-"
"I'm saying that the path we are on is one I can't predict with my future vision."
The wind shifted and for the first time in a long time, both garnet and Pearl could feel the chill.
"We're on a path that doesn't exist." Pearl gasped
"No, One that can't exist." Garnet corrected her.
A roar echoed through the air from the distance. It was faint but Garnet and Pearl knew exactly where it came from.
"We have to go back." Pearl stated
"right" Garnet agreed "Amethyst! We're turning back!"
The answer Garnet received was not that of Amethyst. But of another roar. One more guttural and primal than what they'd heard in the distance. And much closer.
Garnet and pearl stared in the direction of the roar, their eyes scanned the darkness that lay further up the hill. They watched as the lights that had previously been motionless danced in the darkness. Moving in concert with a faint purple dot. On the wind they could hear a thrashing. The sound of cracking pavement and breaking foliage.
The crack of a whip echoed clearly through the air and one of the dancing lights was snuffed out. Another roar echoed across the hill, followed by a resounding thwack!
The purple light leapt through the air. Flying toward Garnet at high speed. Amethyst crashed head first into Garnet's stomach and the two continued further down the slope. Colliding with the street at the foot of the hill, cracking the pavement and indenting the ground.
Amethyst landed on top of garnet, bounced off of her, and landed on her feet. Garnet lay with her back on the ground, staring up at Amethyst.
"Ok, stuck the landing, at least I've got that going for me." Amethyst mumbled, she looked down at Garnet "Hey G, there's something wrong, I think you missed a few details."
"More than you know." Garnet grunted as she kicked herself up off the ground.
"Really? What else could there be besides the corrupted gem on steroids?"
"I don't- Wait, Corrupted gem? That's what that is?"
"I thin- look out!"
Amethyst Grabbed Garnet and threw the two of them off to the side. Narrowly avoiding the pillar of flame that had been launched at them.
"I think so, It's got cluster gems sticking out of it."
"Alright then we need to… wait did you say gems? As in multiple?"
"Yea it- *ack*!"
Out of the darkness pearl was launched head first into Amethyst. The two collided and Amethyst made a second crater in the ground, a sibling for the one she and Garnet had made.
"Hey P, nice of you to drop in"
Pearl groaned and picked herself up off of Amethyst. She was dazed and felt as though the world wasn't standing still beneath her. All the while the creature continued to slowly encroach on them.
"Whatever is wrong with that cluster isn't something we have time to deal with. We just need to poof it and move. Amethyst! Pearl!"
Garnet held her arms out to the two of them, the gems on her palms glowing bright and emitting a musical pulse. Pearl did her best to hold back her dizziness and helped Amethyst off of the ground. The two focused and reached their hands out to Garnet. Their gems glowed bright, emitting a rhythmic pulse in tandem with Garnet's, and they began to dance.
The trio moved with grace and harmony. They did not have long to pull themselves together and put an end to what was happening. Normally, forming Alexandrite was saved for only the most serious of emergencies. In this case the trio was willing to make an exception.
At least, they would have.
The gems grouped together in a tight hug and began to fade into a brilliant white light. But from the darkness, a massive disfigured arm thrust forth and snatched Amethyst from the light. The light around her faded as she was pulled into the Darkness. But Pearl and Garnet could not stop the fusion.
In the darkness, a massive hand clutched Amethyst tight as she was pulled further in. She struggled against the grip.
"Listen, I like making friends." Amethyst said through gritted teeth "But I think you are being a little too clingy!"
Amethyst unleashed a purple light and shifted her form. The small gem being dragged into the Darkness was soon replaced by a hulking tower of muscle and hair.
The Purple Puma burst free from the hand's grasp and took a stance on the snowy ground. The arm retreated a short distance further, shrinking and growing frail as it returned to its host. A short distance away stood a willowy figure. Their pale green and white skin shifted and swirled uneasily. Several large mouths covered their body each filled with large, jagged teeth. They lacked a face, but their body held dozens of sets of arms. Each arm held a glowing amber eye somewhere on itself, though it varied for each. The creature stood uneasily on its thin legs and was constantly using its dozens of arms to support itself. It did not move, almost as though it was staring at the hulking brute that had just burst from its grip.
"Aw, What the matter?" The puma taunted as they summoned Amethyst's whip "Afraid to pick on someone your own size?"
The creature inhaled and, with a voice that sounded like a cross between nails on a chalkboard and a cat being water boarded, spoke through each of its mouths in unison.
"You… not… wanted…"
Puma froze and stared at the being before them.
"You can talk!?"
That was the last thing they could ask. With a thunderous clap, the creature swung out and expanded its arm a lightning speed. With its humungous hand connected with the Purple Puma, sending them rocketing harder and faster than before. They flew through a grove of trees, the limbs broke and tore at them. They then flew out the other side and collided with a telephone pole. Unable to maintain their form anymore, Puma reverted to Amethyst and exploded in a burst of smoke and light.
Her purple Gemstone buried itself into the snow, with more beginning to cover it.
The creature retracted its arm and changed its focus to what was now in front of it. In the distance now stood a giant woman in the dressings of a magician's assistant. She looked around confusedly. Not quite sure what she was doing here.
"Now this is quite strange." They said "I do believe That Alexandrite was supposed to be the front runner tonight."
The creature continued forward out of the Darkness. In the dim street lights they're shifting skin shimmered like sand. The creature stared up at Sardonyx silently.
"Well now" Sardonyx chimed as she took notice of the Creature "You must be the one causing all of the fuss."
The amber eyes of the creature flicked toward Sardonyx. They looked her up and down, taking in all they could see of the giant woman. The creature barred its teeth across its many mouths. A low growl began to emanate from them.
"Now hush." The gems on Sardonyx's hands glowed as she summoned her massive hammer. "You've already been quite rude to my friends as it is."
Sardonyx twirled the hammer in her hands and swung down at the creature. The hammer struck the ground with tremendous force, scattering snow and debris around the area. Creating yet another sibling for the ever growing crater family.
Sardonyx lifted her hammer and stared down at the creature. It lay flat on its back in the pavement. It was twisted and bent at several angles, yet it refused to relinquish its physical state.
"Oh, darling you really should know better than to be laying down in the middle of the road."
Sardonyx raised her hammer high again and swung downward. The impact created a shockwave that blew the snow off of the surrounding buildings and shook the ground fiercely.
And yet the creature remained.
Using three of its massive arms, the creature had ground Sardonyx's attack to a halt. The hammer remained still in the air for a moment as the snow settled. But soon the creature bellowed and launched Sardonyx's Hammer back into the air. She gripped the handle tight as the hammer flew upward, it nearly dragged her away with its newly acquired momentum. And it surely would have, had the creature not continued its assault.
The creature thrust one of its arms out at Sardonyx. Its hand collided against her, punching her with unrivaled force. The wind was knocked out of her and back pedaled into a building. Sardonyx quickly regained her composure and focused her attention on the creature. From the hole it rose, Its joints popped and cracked as it unbent itself.
Its eyes glared at Sardonyx and it unleashed an angered shriek.
"Darling" Sardonyx growled back "Now you've-"
The creature unleashed a flurry of blows against Sardonyx, pinning her against the wall as it beat her. It gave her no time to recover as it used every ounce of its strength to destroy the gargantuan goddess. Only After she slumped to the ground did it finally cease its onslaught. But even then it was not finished with her.
The creature gripped Sardonyx by her upper arms and hoisted her into the air. It glared angrily up at her as she glared down at him.
"Just so you know. I'm full of surprises, in fact one might say I'm quite articulated!"
Sardonyx's mid-section spun free of her upper half, summoning her hammer with her lower arms and striking out once again at the creature. The creature effortlessly stopped her attacks using its multitude of free limbs before wrenching the hammer free from her grip. The creature's amber eyes stared at Sardonyx, clearly not amused. The creature retaliated, it reached out and gripped her lower arms. It gripped her arms tight and slowly bent them backwards. Continuing to do so as Sardonyx cried out in pain, only stopping once they'd successfully broken them both.
Sardonyx went limp as the creature continued toying with her. It stared at her unbroken upper arms. Examining the gems that were embedded in them. It stared at them intently as Sardonyx tried to understand what was happening.
"…Wan… ted." The creature growled weakly
Sardonyx was given no time to register what that meant. In one swift motion, the creature pulled her arms taught and ripped the giant woman in half. Disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
*Back in the present*
The fire crackled softly as Amethyst finished her explanation. The two children stared at her in silence as they sat around the fire.
"Whoa whoa whoa, back up for a second" Steven said "Are you saying that Garnet and Pearl have been kidnapped?"
"That's exactly what I am saying."
"Well… that certainly explains why you guys didn't come back last night."
"Uh huh" Amethyst had chosen not to divulge why they had not turned back to help them. It was better to deal with one issue at a time than try explaining everything that was happening all at once.
"But this… stranger who attacked you, you think they might have garnet and Pearl?"
"I don't know Steven." Amethyst groaned "All I know is when I reformed I was there and he attacked me after I started bubbling the gems."
"But what about the creature that attacked you guys?"
"I don't know about that either, it kinda took me by surprise, but If Garnet and Pearl hadn't stayed behind talking we might have been able to handle it."
"So as it is now, we don't know where Garnet and Pearl are, do we?
"I… *sigh* I don't know Steven. Normally I wouldn't think that they'd get caught or anything but there was nothing normal about last night."
Silence fell back among the trio. The fire continued to crackle softly and cold wind continued to blow in through the holes in the walls. The entire house felt quiet, almost suffocatingly so.
"We've got to go back." Amethyst said bluntly "I know where that weirdo in the trench coat is hiding, maybe between the three of us we can find out if he has Garnet and Pearl."
"Um… How about we slow down and think for a second?" Connie interrupted
Amethyst and Steven looked over at Connie.
"We don't have time Connie" Amethyst whined "We need-"
"We have time" Connie interrupted "And we have to come up with a better plan than just barge in and start shouting questions."
"Connie's right." Steven agreed "We don't know if this, uh… 'trench coat weirdo' is even with the thing that attacked you guys last night."
"Yeah but-" Amethyst tried to continue
"Didn't they also knock you into the middle of town? From the water tower?" Connie added
Amethyst fell silent. She stared at the two children, frustrated. They still didn't understand the urgency of the situation. Steven got off the floor and walked over to Amethyst, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Amethyst we are going to save them" Steven said Warmly "But we need to be smart about how we do this."
"And" Connie continued "If 'trenchy' is involved with the thing that attacked you guys, we have even more reason to be careful."
Amethyst stayed quiet for a second. She took a chance to weigh the consequences of what could go wrong if they didn't plan their actions out.
"… ok" Amethyst sighed "But we need to come up with something ASAP"
"Agreed" Steven said with a smile.
"… Actually there is something I'm curious about." Connie said
Amethyst and Steven looked over at her, curious as well.
"If 'trenchy' is connected to what attacked you guys last night, then why did he save us from the Slinker?"
"Well they did attack us afterwards" Steven commented
"Not so much attack as grab, but even before that he still tried to keep us safe from the Slinker."
"Hmm, that is true. And they did seem pretty angry that Homeworld was still around."
"That… still doesn't clue us in to who they are exactly though."
"Well maybe they-"
A high pitched scream echoed in through the hole in the wall. The trio shot each other a look and bolted for the hole. Through it they saw a man and a woman carefully backing away from a large pink lion.
"N-nice kitty" The man said "Easy now"
The lion stood listlessly, staring at the two with a melancholic gaze.
"That's not really helping Doug."
"Well I'm sorry Priyanka, but I'm a Security guard not a lion tamer."
The Two continued to slowly back away from the large feline. Steven and Connie quickly ran down the stairs and towards the two adults and cat.
"Mom! Dad!" Connie shouted
"Lion!" Steven joined in
The two adults looked past the large rose colored cat that was staring at them and noticed the children approaching.
"You two stay back!" Doug shouted
"It's ok Mr. Maheswaran!" Steven called as he ran alongside lion. He did to pull the large furball away from the two dumbstruck parents.
Connie ran past Steven and up to her two parents. She tried her best to give them both a hug but her arms were too short.
The two of them would have hugged her back but they were still staring slack jawed as they watched Steven try and lead Lion away from them.
"Should he really be doing that?" Priyanka asked
"What?" Connie asked "Oh, that. Don't worry Steven is always trying to get Lion to do things. I'm just surprised-"
"Wait." Doug interrupted "Steven has a pet lion?"
"Well not exactly a pet lion. More like a house guest of sorts."
"How is this the first we're hearing of this!?"
"You never asked. Also he isn't always around most of the time he's disappeared somewhere."
"Yeah" Steven said as he rode up to them on lion's back. "Normally he doesn't come around when it's cold either."
Doug and Priyanka looked fearfully at Lion. Lion continued to stare at them stone faced. Doug reached out his hand tentatively towards lion's head. Lion yawned and Doug's hand quickly found its way back to his side.
"It's ok Mr. Maheswaran" Steven continued "Lion's just a big pink fluff ball"
Connie gave up trying to hug her parents and stepped back with Steven. "Why didn't you guys let me know you were getting close by?"
"We were going to but… well…" Priyanka said
"I sorta crashed the car into a telephone pole." Doug said awkwardly
The two children stared at Doug wide eyed.
"In my defense though, it didn't help that there was still snow on the ground."
"Or that there were three huge potholes in the middle of the road." Priyanka added.
"Or that there were three large craters in the ground." Doug agreed.
"Are you two ok?" Steven asked
"Oh don't worry, we're fine." Priyanka said, slowly adjusting to the fact that Lion wasn't going to hurt them.
"Someone made sure we were alright and called us a tow truck. The car's at a mechanic's in town right now." Doug continued
"Yes, it should… be…" Priyanka trailed off as her Gaze shifted away from Lion. "Is that where you live Steven?"
Doug and Priyanka stared at Steven's wrecked house, Steven realized how bad that looked and quickly tried to recover.
"Yes, But it doesn't normally look like that. We kinda had an issue last night."
"What kind of issue?" Priyanka asked, her voice and expression growing stern.
"Uhm- uh" Steven stammered
"M-mission oriented!" Connie blurted
"Oh? Is that so?" Priyanka asked, still eyeing the house
"Yes, things uh- got a little out of hand."
"hmm… Well at least you weren't doing drugs." Priyanka shrugged "You weren't right?"
"No ma'am"
"Good, do you mind if we reconvene inside?" Priyanka shuddered "It's a tad chilly out here."
"Sure" Steven said with a smile "Do you want to stay the night too?"
"Oh no, no" Priyanka said, looking at the drafty house "The mechanic said it wouldn't take too long to fix the car, and we'll just call a cab if need be."
Doug reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "The person who helped us referred us to a good service if need be. I must say, they were very helpful despite those weird clothes."
"Weird clothes?" Steven asked
"Yeah, they were all bundled up in a black trench coat and scarf. They had one of those old aviator hats too."
Steven and Connie's eyes widened and they shot each other a look.
"For a second I thought they was going to mug us on top of the Accident-"
"Did they give you a name?" Steven asked suddenly
"What? Umm… Come to think of it I don't think they ever did. It was hard to make out what they looked like under all those clothes too. Why?"
"They were involved in what happened here last night, we need to talk to them."
"What!?" Doug shouted, looking back up at the house "Did they do that?"
"No, they- uh… helped us beat what caused it."
"Oh! Well in that case we might be able to help you find them."
"Ok, we just need to get Amethyst and then we can-"
Steven was interrupted as Lion suddenly broke free from his stupor and began to growl. Doug and Priyanka took a step back. Being careful not to agitate Lion.
"Easy Lion, What's gotten into you?" Steven asked
"Steven, you might want to see who he's growling at." Connie said
Steven looked up and did his best to follow Lion's line of sight. It wasn't hard, considering what he was staring at stood out like ink on a Rorschach test. No more than twenty feet down the beach stood the Stranger.
Steven dismounted lion and carefully began to pull Doug and Priyanka towards him and Connie.
"Howdy Neighbor!" The Stranger Shouted, their voice rife with anger "I was wondering if I could trouble you for a cup of sugar?"
The Stranger began walking towards them. Their stride unflinching and unbroken, even as they stared down a full grown lion. Steven and Connie could feel a chill in the air, it made their blood chill. The person that was staring them down felt nothing like the one that had saved them the night before.
"H-hey buddy!" Steven tried to talk to the stranger, biting back the fear he felt. "Hate to tell you, but we- uh- ran out of it, heh heh-"
"Oh? Truly? Now that is unfortunate. Oh well, I guess I can just substitute my foot for the can of Whoop ass I'm preparing for you. I just got one question for you."
"W-whats that?"
"Why are you working for them?"
"…what?"
"Homeworld. WHY ARE YOU WORKING FOR THEM!"
The strange broke their stride into a lunge and they thrust themselves at the quintet. Lion roared and pounced, colliding with the stranger midflight and knocking them to the ground. They struggled as the pink beast opened its jaws wide and tried to wrap them around their head.
"No! Bad Kitty!" The Stranger howled
The fear that Gripped Steven and Connie faded and they responded with the only thing they could think of. They grabbed Connie's parents by the hand and bolted for the house.
"Come on, run!" Steven shouted as the four of them put as much distance between themselves and the struggle behind them.
"Hold on!" Priyanka shouted as Steven and Connie dragged her and Doug up the stairs. "Maybe we can reason with them, they seem to understand what's going on about as well as we do."
"We know" Steven said "And we're going to try, but we can't do that when all they want to do is fight."
Steven and Connie reached the top of the stairs and ushered their parents into the dilapidated building. Just inside the doorway, they stopped and looked around.
"My, this is your house Steven?" Priyanka asked "I must say it probably is a wonderful place when its not in total ruin."
"Most of the time yes" Steven answered quickly "Connie let's get back out there!"
"Right!" Connie nodded
"Let me out there" Amethyst said, stepping forward "I have to get some payback for earlier."
Steven shook his head "Amethyst please keep calm, We need to try and talk to them."
"Oh we're gonna have words, right after I shove my whip so far up-"
Lion yowled and flew head first through the hole in the wall, crashing against Amethyst and sending her flying into a back wall. They both crumpled into a heap on the floor.
"Amethyst!" Steven called
"That was just a warm up!" The stranger boomed "Just wait until I get my hands on you!"
Steven and Connie shot each other a look, nodded, and made for the hole. Doug motioned to stop them, but Priyanka stopped him instead. They had to watch as their daughter went outside to fight some… thing that could treat a fully grown lion like a rag doll.
Steven held Connie's arm and jumped down from the porch to the beach, slowing their fall with his powers. The stranger stared them down.
"We don't have to do this." Steven said
"No, see, I really think we have to. My only regret is that I didn't take care of you last night."
"But there are things you don't understa-"
"Oh no, I understand plenty! I understand you're just as cowardly as you've ever been! You took advantage of the little kindness I am able to give and Hurt what I have left. I am not here to compromise."
The Stranger summoned their Sword and lunged in a single motion. They closed the distance between them and the children in an instant, with Steven just barely summoning his shield into time to catch the tip of the blade as the stranger stabbed at them.
"I'm here to end you!"
The stranger pulled their sword back and began swinging. The blade arced through the air gracefully and sharp. It clashed against Steven's shield in a fury. Steven did all he could to protect himself and Connie. But he wasn't going to just stand there and take it.
Steven summoned his bubble at lightning speed and expanded it, knocking the stranger backwards and staggering them.
"Connie!" Steven said as he extended his hand. Connie nodded and took it. They wrapped into a hug and were instantaneously enveloped in light. The children were gone, and in their place stood Stevonnie Once more.
The stranger regained their composure and stared at the two fused children. Even beneath their scarf, the children could see a look of shock on the stranger's face. It soon faded beneath even more rage.
"Oh now you're just mocking me!" They shouted
"You mad bro?" The fusion said with a smirk
"Very!" The stranger let loose a roar and lunged at them again. This time it was rendered fruitless, as Stevonnie met them mid-flight and delivered a knee to their face. The Stranger flew backwards as Stevonnie's knee continued driving them. They landed and the stranger ground to a halt. Stevonnie tucked into a roll and landed on their feet.
The stranger didn't miss a beat. They picked themselves up off the ground and stared at the fusion. Stevonnie took a stance and the stranger… just chuckled.
"You know" The stranger said "I never got an answer out of you before, about why you're working for Homeworld."
"We're not!" Stevonnie growled "We keep trying to-"
The stranger Sprang at them once more, sword leveled at them. Stevonnie raised their shield, ready to parry. The Stranger dispelled their sword and planted their foot on the shield. Using it as a stepping stone, they launched themselves upward and summoned a new weapon, a War Pick. Stevonnie raised their shield in defense and the stranger drove their pick into it. The pick pierced the shield and poked through to the other side, but it held its form fast.
The Stranger's momentum carried them forward, as they fell they wrenched the shield away from Stevonnie, spun, and smack the side of their head with the blunt end of the War Pick.
A ringing shot through Stevonnie's head, They were dazed and stumbling to keep their ground. But the stranger continued their onslaught, punching and kicking them furiously. Despite their daze, they kept their guard composed and did their best to tank the blows. But with each successive strike the pain grew more intense. The Stranger swept their leg out and took Stevonnie's footing away. They crumbled to the ground, groaning. The stranger stared down at them. Their opalescent eyes held a great anger in them.
"If I didn't know any better" The stranger sneered "I'd say that homeworld stopped training their soldiers right. That purple troglodyte put up more of a fight than you."
Stevonnie struggled to get off the ground. Their body was taxed, it had not fully recovered from the previous night's conflict. They should have expected no less than for someone who beat the Slinker single handed to put up such a fight. But they had not expected for them to be so ferocious.
Stevonnie got to a knee and stopped, they couldn't force themselves to go any further. The stranger still towered over them. They summoned their sword and rested it on Stevonnie's shoulder. It felt warm against them, and they could hear a faint hum emit from its keen edge.
"And I believe this is the part where despair sets in." The Stranger growled
"…Why?" Stevonnie asked
"Why, what?"
"Why are you doing this?"
The Stranger chuckled. "Cause and effect."
"What?" Stevonnie asked, a tear welling up in their eye
"You did something, and some aftershock is the result."
"But I never-"
"Oh don't even try. Here's a reason: you're trying to destroy my home"
The Stranger pressed the blade firmly against their shoulder.
"Or, how about, You destroyed my friends."
"I never-"
"Or better yet, those you didn't kill you just corrupted beyond saving."
"What?"
"Oh, you know what? Here's my personal favorite."
The stranger dug the blade into Stevonnie's shoulder, They cried out in pain.
"The fact that, even after corrupting and destroying everything I cared about, you chose to leave me behind."
The stranger withdrew their sword and kicked Stevonnie back to the ground.
"To pick up the pieces and stay as a living testament to the destruction you wrought."
The stranger's words oozed with malice. The kind being that had even seemed to exist earlier had vanished from existence. The only thing that remained was a monster. The stranger leveled the tip of their blade at Stevonnie's throat.
"How's that for a reason?"
Stevonnie stared at the Stranger down the length of the blade. They were filled with fear by the being that stood before them. They were nothing if not callous and hard. They wanted nothing less than for Stevonnie to die. But it was at that moment that Stevonnie got a clear view of their eyes. The previously burning, raged fueled light that danced in them had died. Instead replaced by a shimmering, melancholic glow.
"Y-you're crying." Stevonnie said
The Strangers eye widened slightly, they blinked and chuckled weakly. "This'd be the part where I ask 'Wouldn't you?'. But that would mean you HomeWorlders understand what it means to take a life… especially ones so young."
"I'm not-"
"But you want to know the kicker to all of this?."
The stranger edged the tip of the sword closer to Stevonnie's throat.
"You would've made an amazing Crystal Gem."
Stevonnie's eyes widened. Shock and realization gripping them.
"Goodby-"
The stranger was interrupted by the all empowering broken 2x4. As Doug swung with all his might and brought the piece of lumber crashing against the face of the Stranger.
"Stay away from my daughter you psychopath!"
He continued swinging, giving the Stranger no chance to recover. Priyanka reached down and lifted Stevonnie from the ground.
"Are you two alright?"
Stevonnie gave her a weak smile.
"Right, silly question."
She hugged them tight, Stevonnie winced in pain.
"Alright, Stev- uh- Conn…"
"Stevonnie" Stevonnie answered
Priyanka smiled "Cute name. We need to move, come on."
Priyanka Helped Stevonnie away from the Stranger as Doug continued swinging. He was beginning to grow tired, he just needed to keep them busy for a little longer.
Priyanka helped the fusion into the house and Doug broke away from the Stranger. Putting as much distance between himself and them as possible. But the Stranger recovered quickly. They rose from the ground, panting and struggling to breath.
Within the house Stevonnie stood uneasy.
"You're hurt badly" Priyanka chastised "Let me-"
Stevonnie held out her hand and panted "No, we have to stop this."
They shuffled over to the kitchen table and steadied themselves. The room was spinning and they felt like they were going to throw up. But they needed to stay conscious.
Doug burst through the hole in the wall. Shouting "They're coming!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the stranger landed on the porch behind him and delivered a sharp kick to Doug's backside. The grown man tumbled face first into the floor in front of Stevonnie and Priyanka.
The Stranger panted through their scarf as a dark liquid oozed through it like a sieve. They unwrapped it slowly, revealing their face.
Before them stood a man with a strong, slightly unhinged jaw and a long, broken nose. Their brow was slender and their cheeks sallow. A fine, crystalline stubble grew across their face. But most telling of all was the smooth, elongated blue crystal gem that ran from the bottom of their jaw and disappeared into their hat above.
The strange gripped their nose and jaw. In one swift motion and a wet pop, they were both moved back into place. As if they were never broken in the first place.
"You really need to stop making me angry" They growled
"Or maybe you should just calm down." Stevonnie groaned as they leaned against the table.
With those words, Stevonnie lost their balance. They collapsed to the ground as the Stranger closed in on them. Priyanka tried to defend them. But as their vision began to fade, they could only see the stranger standing over them again. The watched as they raised their sword and readied to drive it down.
Only, it never fell.
The Stranger's attention had been captivated by something else and the blade just hovered in the air. The Stranger stared at the table at the portrait that laid on it.
"Rose?" The stranger asked quietly
With that, the world faded to black and Stevonnie fell into a quiet sleep.
