There was no lapse in between the visions. Morganite's consciousness was shared by Lapis and Jasper and their constant fighting in the blue-green darkness, drowning in salty water.
At first, there were only voices. Jasper's howling. Lapis yelling back. A fist fight of only a few seconds and then the quiet came immediately, as if it had been dropped out of fifty story window and made a terrible impact on the ground down below. The earth-shattering silence might be punctuated with Lapis breathing. With upset water. With a battle cry. With Jasper's shouting.
It all came in uneven frequencies, but Malachite's presence never really went away. She was always there, struggling. Those enormous legs would kick up some sand and Morganite followed her trail.
In the immense space between them, the little pink one could make out two figures.
And it was becoming more and more difficult to tell who the pain belonged to.
There was more yelling. More biting and clawing. Violence. Silence. Again.
The rowing of Morganite's arms synched up with the eruptions, which became louder and louder with each stroke. The translucent pink fins she had made were gaining tears like abused tissue paper. Her ruined muscles inflicted bruises upon themselves. Rainbow eyes were saturated red and her ears imploded from the pressure and the fighting. But somewhere, in the vast difference between all three of their souls was the war goddess and her tenacity.
So Morganite kept drawing closer until those little figures grew distinct colors and shapes.
Familiar silhouettes.
Facial features.
Four enormous eyes and a head of wild white hair.
Morganite froze for only a moment. It must have lasted about 124 seconds.
Coming from that enormous creature was a communal screaming birthed from hatred and bitter, bitter anger. There were bands of power drawn in the sand around her. And the ex-aristocrat—with all of her tenacity—was small. Her beautiful rapiers were toothpicks and every single fiber of her wretched, outcast being was nothing more than a contribution to the overall pain.
And yet, Jasper was calling out again, screaming obscenities at the water witch. She used her muscles, which were bruised up and torn to shreds, only to lose for the thousandth time. Lapis kept her as their fusion's subconscious. But soon enough there would be a one thousand and first time, and then a one thousand and second, and a third after that.
Morganite swam forward. When Malachite saw her, there was another battle that practically cleaved her face in two. All of her limbs thrashed and kicked up a cloud of wild sand, in which her right arms got a hold of the temporary mermaid and crushed her in a stern grip.
They moved to the surface waves.
Malachite held Morganite in front of her face and she pumped her enormous lungs full of air to shout.
"What are you doing here?!" And then in a familiar voice: "Morganite! You're—" A struggle. "Answer the question!"
"Lapis Lazuli! I demand you release Jasper this instant! I've tracked you down and I—"
But the ex-aristocrat was squeezed into silence.
"You should really learn to mind your own business. You have no idea what's happened and how bad it would be if Jasper escaped. Go back to wherever you came from so I don't have to kill you."
On the inside, the warrior emerged again from the murky waters of Malachite's subconscious and Lapis was pulled under. The enormous woman caught her breath. "Morganite, please! Get me out of here!" The grip around the champagne pink gem slackened. "You have to fight her! I'll do the best that I can to help you—! Her gem is on our back, it's—"
Again, Malachite's grip tightened. "You won't win! I have the entire ocean with me right here, and I don't want to kill you, Morganite. Go home! You need to leave."
"Lapis, how could you do this to her?!" The faux mermaid managed a little freedom and sucked in a chest full of salty air. "Do you not realize that you're doing the same thing to Jasper that the Crystal Gems did to you?! You're both absolutely miserable! I'm begging you, please! Let her go! I don't want to fight you, but I will if you leave me no other choice!"
"And what if I hand her over?! Do you honestly think she's going to stay with you on this miserable planet?! She won't!"
"Lapis!"
"Stop! I can't have you distracting me any longer! Forget about Jasper and go away!"
"I shouldn't have helped you, if this is what you're willing to do! You've become a monster! And we'll stop you if that's what we have to do!"
Malachite collapsed Morganite's lungs.
"You're absolutely right. I am a monster. I'm a four-eyed, four legged monster. But I'm not Lapis Lazuli anymore. If you think you can kill me, then you better get to it!" That blue-green arm lifted like a catapult into the air and threatened to send Morganite skipping continents away. But it halted, and through the flesh on Malachite's palm, the faux mermaid felt the constant battle for control.
"No! Stop! I won't! Not until you let me out of here! Morganite! Use your swords to break her gem!"
The grip around the refugee loosened enough to allow her free, and with her entire body shaking, Morganite slid down Malachite's arms and jumped onto her shoulder. But the fighting between Lapis and Jasper was so intense that the ocean was thrashing all around them, and Morganite's little pink feet could hardly maintain a steady balance.
So she summoned her deux rapiers and plunged both points into the beast's flesh, holding on with what strength she had left. Two pools of dark green blood began around the puncture wounds and Malachite's defeating cries nearly broke the ex-aristocrat's ear drums.
All of a sudden they were going underwater again, with those long blue-green limbs making tsunamis on the way down.
Morganite, you have to get closer!
You two aren't going to win!
Malachite grabbed Morganite by the legs in an attempt to remove the champagne pink gem from her body but the refugee did not let go. Her thin arms nearly snapped, but her fingers remained linked around the handles of her swords until the power struggle began again.
While Malachite beat herself to a bloody pulp, Morganite kept pulling out rapiers and plunging them into the monster's sinews. With each blade that went in, a hazy trail of dark blood came flowing out into the deep green ocean water and Morganite crawled a step closer to Lapis' gem.
The pain affected both parties. A silent underwater howl permeated the marrow of Morganite's theoretical bones, and from the molecules of Malachite's skin, the ex-aristocrat was privy to each wretched sensation she felt. Despite the agony, the warrior queen and the water witch continued to go at it, drowning the inside of their mind with crimson and royal blue ink.
Morganite, keep going! You're doing great!
Don't you speak to her!
Malachite reached even further back this time and grabbed a hold of Morganite's second half.
Get off of me!
With desperate strength she pulled.
Did you not hear me when I said—
And with desperate strength, Morganite held on.
Go home?!
Snap.
The refugee's right shoulder dislocated, and in the mind numbing pain, her set of left fingers let go of the handle. From blurry eyes, she saw her sword shine beneath the water and distorted rays of the sun.
Once again, her chest was collapsed inside the monster's savage grip. All three of them were heading back to the surface. In what little space she had, Morganite struggled. She kicked her legs and wiggled her shoulders, but the grip around her provided no give. Once again, Malachite lifted the comparatively tiny woman into the air to skip her like a stone across the waves, but merely succeeded in dropping her.
The pink gem rode her descent into the frothing waters and did her best to swim nearer to that blue-green sea monster. With both legs, she kicked as hard as she could. But with only a single working arm, she quickly became directionless and gradually sank lower to the ocean floor.
Meters away from her, Malachite dyed the waters an even darker shade of green with her escaping blood and her muscles contorted in ways they should not have. Those four arms broke themselves only to snap back into place with the motions and pace of a seizure. Her face pulled apart and came back together. More screaming Morganite did not hear or feel because they were not touching.
The pink mermaid landed on her feet in the pliable sand.
And Malachite swam to her, scooping her up with her bottom left arm. Each of those fingers were gentle with her, and her eyes widened upon observing her dislocated shoulder.
What did she do to you?!
A fingerprint brushed past her ruined arm and Morganite swallowed lungfuls of water. Her consciousness became a bright white burst, but the little warrior kept her focus.
I'll murder her for this!
Morganite pointed to Malachite's back.
Can you go on?
The refugee nodded.
Okay, do it!
Jasper had given Morganite an excellent shot at Lapis' gem and with her left hand the ex-aristocrat pulled out a small dagger and plunged it deep into the space a few millimeters off from that royal blue stone.
The warrior queen shouted in pain as Morganite awkwardly pulled the blade downwards and out. With an unsteady grip, she grabbed Lapis' gem and began to pull as hard as she could while the flesh around the rock's edges phased into a blinding white light.
What are you doing?! Just stab her!
But Jasper was sucked beneath the waves yet again and the gem was pulled directly from Morganite's hand. A rush of water came around the small pink woman that became a heavy set of chains.
Malachite pinned Morganite to the ocean floor. Each one of her limbs sank beneath the links and the refugee was unable to move, save for the incontrollable shaking. Every time she twitched an arm or a leg in a futile attempt to get out, the chains grew tighter, and soon she was trapped beneath an enormous hand.
You couldn't just go away!
Silence inside the wild sea monster. From those four enormous eyes, Lapis stared down at the ex-aristocrat. Those blue-black eyes acquired a layer of water. And for a long time, Lapis used Malachite like a glove and held the small pink woman down.
Frequent interruptions came from Jasper's internal thrashing. She caused the little lake occupying Malachite's head to swell with chaotic waves, but did not manage to break through again.
Lapis spent a lot of her energy keeping her down.
Jasper doesn't want me to kill you.
Malachite squeezed hard and took Morganite out of the sand.
But I don't think I have a choice.
The pressure became even worse. The sea monster stared at the faux mermaid with solemn eyes and a bent-up mouth and squeezed and squeezed. Morganite's ribs bent inward they threatened to pierce her lungs all while the champagne pink gem quietly screamed and kicked her legs.
She and Malachite still stared at one another.
And even though it would have been impossible to tell otherwise, their fusion was crying.
A few of Morganite's ribs cracked.
She was about to disappear.
