- Steven Universe is owned by Rebecca Sugar-
Garnet and Hiddenite touched down, and were immediately greeted by a flurry of snow winds. Despite blowing one direction, it felt like it hit them from all sides. Making it worse was that it was thick, and could barely be seen through. With her visor on, Garnet's vision was hardly impaired by the weather.
Hiddenite unfortunately was forced to squint her eyes and shield her face with her arm. She was reminded of how she constantly did this during her time on the ice moon, with similar winds pelting her from everywhere. Garnet took notice of her companion.
"You okay there?" she called out, raising her voice slightly over the sound of wind howl.
"Yeah, sure," Hiddenite replied, "Just some unpleasant memories is all."
"This warp pad puts us at twenty one thousand feet, three quarters of the mountain's height already scaled," Garnet explained, "We just have to make it the rest of the way."
"How do we plan on doing that? This wind is so thick I can't even see!"
"Just follow me," Garnet said, stepping off the pad, "The higher we climb, the less thick the wind will be. And step where I step, the ground can be very unstable."
Hiddenite followed her, walking along an ice-crusted path that steadily rose higher. Even with the low visibility, Hiddenite was able to see Garnet fine in front of her. Her tall dark frame served as a useful contrast against the solid white. It was a drastic change for her though; she was so used to being in the company of her sister that she felt it nearly jarring to be in anyone else's. Perhaps it was something she would just have to get used to over time, but for now she followed close behind, her hands gripping each of her arms for warmth.
Garnet marched on forward, listening carefully to the sound of both her footsteps, and Hiddenite's behind her. The last thing either of them would need is to be separated.
Finally after about twenty minutes of marching, Garnet stopped in front of a noticeably sharper incline. Hiddenite stopped as well.
"Why'd we stop?" she asked.
"Look," Garnet motioned to her. Hiddenite moved next to her to see the incline for herself. Garnet then waved her arm in front of it, trailing a wave of magic. Just then, a set of stairs materialized in front of them, almost camouflaged.
"Well that's handy," Hiddenite admitted, "We won't even need to climb, these could just take us right to it!"
"Not quite," Garnet said, "They actually can only take us up to where the mountain just begins to peak."
She began to walk up them, and Hiddenite followed. Suddenly, as if they were made of slippery ice, she cried out as her foot slid to the side as she lost her balance. Garnet suddenly spun around and swooped in to catch her before she hit. The green gem was so shocked by how fast it all happened, she almost hadn't noticed the position she was in. Being held in Garnet's long arms with her bent over looking at her. Realization kicked in, Garnet put her down, and both stepped away, embarrassed.
"Er, thanks," Hiddenite managed.
"No problem, watch your steps," Garnet said.
"Right."
Carefully this time, Hiddenite walked up the stairs behind Garnet. As they climbed the wind became clearer and not as heavy as before, just as Garnet said. She was able to get a better view of where they actually were. Besides the snow, Hiddenite could see blackened sections where the rock of the mountain stuck out.
"Say, Garnet," Hiddenite said, "Who exactly placed these stairs here? They're definitely not part of the mountain."
"Hmmm... I've had theories," she replied, "They might have been established here thousands of years ago by precursors, with only gems being able to actually find them."
"Precursors..." Hiddenite said to herself, "You know, when Kunzite and I found the Moon Beetle, it was sealed in an altar with text written on it that she claimed Precursors also wrote."
"Interesting," Garnet said, "that would mean that Earth wasn't the only planet they visited." The next few minutes they were silent, as they quickly but carefully ascended.
By now the wind was hardly noticeable and Hiddenite could now see freely. She saw the horizon, the afternoon sun about to touch down upon it and paint the sky a deep orange. She could see other mountains with pointy peaks reaching for the sky, but were dwarfed when compared with the size and scope of the one she was currently on. It was such a beautiful sight, almost out of a painting, like the ones Steven had shown her.
Speaking which, on the path she walked on, she could now see the small flakes of snow along the incline. It looked so much different than the snow she was used to. Ice moon snow would pile up and compact itself so hard it would create solid walls of ice, glaciers even. Here, the snow could have a chance to flow in a direction since it could slide down. It added a more unique look and perspective to the ice that she had come to know all her life.
'If I wasn't so sick of snow,' she thought, 'I would actually wish for a different kind of it, the kind I could admire like this.'
Suddenly in front of her, Garnet stopped again.
"What now?" Hiddenite asked. Garnet pointed upwards in response, and Hiddenite squinted her eyes to see. They could see the very peak of the mountain, even from where they were. But it wasn't the peak she pointed to, but slightly below it. It was a ledge, and on that ledge was a patch of something that was golden yellow.
"So that's it?" she asked.
"That's it," Garnet said, "The Sun Beetle."
"But... the stairs- they've stopped! How do we get to it?" Garnet held out her hands, and her gauntlets materialized on them.
"We climb," she said. With fingers stretched, she dug her hand into the steep side. But instead of giving away, the ice held fast. Garnet then began to slowly but surely climb up the side of the ice wall. Hiddenite looked on and shrugging from seeing no other option, summoned her brawler-knuckles, flipped the side blades forward, and dug them into the wall as make-shift ice picks. They held fast just like Garnet's weapons and she began to follow her climb.
She climbed for about five feet up when she then looked down, and immediately regretted it. Not only were Garnet and her high in the air on a mountain, but now they were scaling up a wall of ice with nothing but their weapons keeping them from falling. She jerked her head back up and began breathing harder and faster.
"Hiddenite?" Garnet asked, "You alright?"
"I think so, just a little dizzy is all," Hiddenite said carefully.
"Follow me then, slowly and carefully."
"R-Right."
And so she did, following just behind Garnet. In truth she had some experience climbing ice walls on the moon, but never before did she have a clear view of such an incredible height. The walls of ice she scaled never reached the thousands of feet in the air.
Still, watching the crimson gem above her scale the wall so effortlessly with hardly any hesitation, Hiddenite decided to see that more as a challenge, to not be shown up by a 'native' of this planet. That sudden mindset seemed to have purged her earlier anxiety and they continued to climb.
Finally, after ten more excruciating minutes, Garnet's hand reached to top of the ledge, and pulled herself over. Once she was on top, she reached down and helped Hiddenite as well.
"Thanks," she said. Garnet smiled in response, and they turned to their objective. The patch of golden yellow was actually a huge vein of amber, just as Garnet said.
"So, where's the Beetle?" Hiddenite asked.
Garnet approached the vein. "See for yourself," she said. Hiddenite stepped up to the amber vein and looked closer. Sure enough, there was the familiar form of a little beetle there, suspended and frozen.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's get it out!" She raised her fist up and punched the vein hard. Unfortunately the amber held hard, save for the two scratches that the knuckle-blades were able to make. This certainly surprised the green gem.
"What? That's not supposed to happen," she said.
"Let me try," Garnet said. She raised her own fist and punched hard. This time however the amber began to crack under the weight and force. Seeing this Hiddenite decided to retract her blades and punch with just the knuckle part. Both gems now punched the amber vein hard, Hiddenite's cracks just barely less than Garnet's this time.
'I should have done this the first time...' she noted mentally.
The cracks now ran deep and the vein of amber was barely holding together. Looking at each other with knowing eyes, both raised their fists side by side and gave one final punch. The structural amber finally fell apart under the combined force. Now suddenly free from confinement, the Sun Beetle fell and wiggled its legs helplessly to get itself off its back. It gave off a faint glow and both gems felt a warmth coming from it.
Hiddenite picked up in her fingers and looked closer at it.
"So, the Sun Beetle?"
"In all of it's brilliant, diminutive glory," Garnet confirmed, "And now it's finally in good hands." She took the beetle and placed in a tiny knapsack on her waist. She then looked back at the green gem's face.
"Hiddenite, I appreciate your help you've been in this mission."
"Yeah well, you seemed to didn't seem too have much trouble," Hiddenite said, "The walking, knowing where those stairs were, the climb, even those gauntlets of yours are stronger than my knuckles! I don't think you even needed me!"
"That's not true," Garnet insisted, "You got to experience firsthand a mission we take on, right?"
"Yeah, one that I hardly had any part in!" Hiddenite replied, and Garnet sighed.
"Alright, this was pretty easy I won't lie, but I promise next time will be a little tougher, deal?" Hiddenite's downcast face sighed as well, and looked up at Garnet's with a small smile.
"Okay, if you promise."
"Good, now let's get back to the-" a sort of sizzling sound caught both their attention. Both gems spun around and saw the broken amber shards. They seemed to melt their solidity and meld into each other. They soon began to take shape; a humanoid shape.
On the vein where the broken shards of amber were once scattered on, now stood a figure a little shorter than Hiddenite. At first the head had no distinguishable facial features, until it looked up at the two gems, and a pair of eyes appeared and glowed bright yellow at them. The two gems raised their weapon covered hands and prepared themselves. The ends of the amber figure's arms began to lengthen and sharpen into deadly blades.
"Alright, I take that back," Hiddenite said, "NOW I see why you called me for this mission!"
Garnet smirked, "Try and keep up."
As one, Garnet and Hiddenite charged the amber construct. They gold yellow figure dashed towards them as well. It prepared to slash both with deadly sharpened blades, but both its arms were blocked by the other two. Pushing them back, they pressed a counter-attack by punching hard at it. Surprisingly though, the figure was agile enough to dodge every punch, and even avoid every occasional kick.
"This thing is fast!" Hiddenite said, "What is it, some sort of guardian?"
"I guess," Garnet said, blocking a kick from it, "It must have been charged to protect the Sun Beetle!"
The figure slashed both of its blades at Garnet, who in bent over backwards an using the momentum kicked the figure up with her leg. It was popped up in the air few inches, and Hiddenite launched a deep, straight punch into its midsection. The force of the kick sent it crashing sailing into the wall.
Just as quickly though it charged back at Hiddenite this time. Slashing here and there, Hiddenite ducked, dodged, and even dipped a couple times to avoid being sliced horizontally.
Garnet tried to catch the figure off-guard with a side punch, but the figure held its bladed arms to its side and absorbed force of the blow. Both gems however caught sight of little cracks starting to form on them.
"Look Garnet! It's cracking again!"
"If it broke once, we can break it again!" Garnet pressed her attack again, this time punching so that the figure had no choice but to block with its blades. Finally with one last punch against them, the figure's bladed arms shattered again. Literally disarmed, Hiddenite charged in and gave a solid roundhouse kick against the figure's head. The force not only took off the head, but knocked the amber figure towards the side of the ledge and straight over.
The two gems looked over to see the body and head hit the snow and trigger snow to fall behind it. Soon the body, the head, and the small avalanche that followed disappeared into the thickness of the wind below. Finally, Garnet and Hiddenite caught their breath.
"Very impressive," Garnet remarked.
"Yeah, thanks," Hiddenite said.
"This is the first I've actually seen you fight," Garnet said, "You handle yourself pretty well."
"Well I don't like to brag but..." Hiddenite smirked, subtly flexing her upper body muscles.
"Seriously, I've never met anyone who was also a hand-to-hand fighter. Maybe we could spar sometime."
'Wow, someone else offering to spar with me?' Hiddenite thought, 'Kinda sounds like fun.'
"I might just take you up on that," the green gem replied, "For now though, let's try and get down this mountain, before anymore of those amber things show up."
"Agreed."
-Yes, you should've all seen that chapter title coming!-
