Pick your favorite boss music.
Thunder.
Even though the clouds in the sky were as white as snow, the crackling noise could be heard within the electrically charged atmosphere. But this piercing sound wasn't created nor heard by natural means. Instead…it was felt by the two younglings being forced into a mashindano by their irate gem instructors; the rumblings shook them to their core.
Neither Connie nor Steven moved a single muscle. They just stared at each other, completely baffled about why they were even in this situation in the first place!
Their hesitation agitated their teachers even further.
"WHAT'RE YOU WAITING FOR?!" they simultaneously roared, causing the frightened children to slightly jump in place.
Connie almost dropped Steven's sword because she was shaking so bad!
The young king wasn't faring too well either as the criticizing outcry caused tears to spring from his ducts. He looked up at Pearl, trying with all his might to articulate any words that'll get them to stop this duel.
But nothing came out.
His motherly figure wasn't even looking at him. Instead her gaze was set on the striped warrior behind him. Her glare rivaled hers in intensity.
"Just you watch! My knight is going to show you how fierce she is!" Pearl proclaimed as she grabbed her student by the shoulder, startling the skittish child even further.
"Hah! Don't make me laugh! My cub is going to show you why kings are born, not made!" Jasper countered as she pushed him forward. He stumbled a little but managed to stay upright.
"Ste-" Connie was about to say his name until Pearl initiated the same action and pushed her further towards her distraught friend.
The two children made eye contact once again and both of their eyes widened at each other's state of being.
Steven could feel the anxiety building up inside of her. If her breathing got any shorter, he was afraid that she would go into a full on panic attack, just like at the rave!
But she wasn't concerned about that.
Just seeing Steven's watery eyes and hunched position as if he was going to throw up brought back flashbacks of his recovery process!
Their concern for each other snapped them out of their terrified state of mind and they stood up straight and tall. Two words that their supposed mentors shouted rang in their heads and they muttered so only they could hear it.
"…Lion King"
"…Fierce Owl"
With that, a pink glow shone through Steven's white kalari and he summoned his shield, albeit a little bit bigger than normal.
Connie gripped the surprisingly lightweight sabre, leaned back into a side squat and held it over her head with her left hand.
After a tense motionless moment, Connie made the first move and charged toward the hybrid boy. Steven followed suit a second later, charging headway towards the inevitable collision with her.
Pearl and Jasper watched with narrowed, anticipated gazes - eager to see who would win the first move.
Connie held the sword across her body, as if she was about to do full body horizontal slash, whereas Steven held the same stance with his shield, ready to knock somebody's head off.
"YAAH!" they yelled as they finally converged.
But instead of their weapons clanging against each other, Connie stepped onto Steven's shield and he flung her into the air behind him!
"What the?!" the pure gems thought, but Jasper had to think faster when she realized that Connie was executing a perfected front-flip slash right towards her! She narrowly dodged the potentially fatal blow; Connie's strike created a huge crack in the floor while spraying stone splinters in every kind of direction.
Before Pearl could even comprehend let alone gloat about what transpired, Steven flung his shield like a discus right at her head! She managed to dodge the attack. Good thing she did too because that throw cracked the head off of one of the ancient statues that surrounded the arena, specifically the one holding the longsword.
Pearl and Jasper gulped when they realized that that could've been their gems. Without a second thought irritation coursed through their bodies and they yelled, "WHAT'RE YOU TWO-"
"Shut up."
The young king spoke without a raised voice, but the way he articulated himself sent shivers down their illusionary spines.
Everything went still; the clouds ceased their flowy movements. The wind didn't stir the dirt, finally allowing those distressed spirits to rest upon their tile markers.
"W-what?"
"You heard me" he snapped with a cold, hostile stare.
Pearl immediately shut down under his constricted pupil gaze. She never felt such animosity from him before, not even when he was mad at her for her Rose rant. Sweat beads slid down her forehead. It had been some time since she was this scared. All the horrors of the war, Garnet's berserker mode, even Rose's temper…nothing even came close to what she was experiencing right now. Facing the usually happy child as if he were…a true, home world diamond.
Jasper's mental psyche wasn't faring too well either. She looked at the rather deep indent in the floor, then back at the glaring human in front of her. Her teeth were clenched in a menacing snarl. Her natural spiky locks went limp as she, of all gems, cowered under the hostile aura emanating from those two.
Like boiling water inside of a teapot, the pressure became too much and Steven was the first to go off. "What is the world is wrong with you guys?!" he shouted through his angry tears.
Pearl and Jasper just stared at him, completely baffled as to why he and Connie were behaving like this.
Due to his heightened emotional sensitivity, Steven ran his hand through his hair and exasperated, "I can't believe it! You two really have no idea why we're so mad?! You made me fight against my best friend, against our will! That's just like what home world does to gems!"
Pearl and Jasper didn't have a second to let that sickening realization sink in before Connie faced her sword mentor and followed up with her own rant. "…Now I understand why you we're so upset when I used what Steven learned from…her. You weren't concerned about my well-being at all! All you cared about was proving that your way of fighting was right! Is that why you agreed to train me in the first place?!"
"N-no I-I" Pearl stuttered before the lava of rage continued to flow out of Connie's mouth.
"And who FREAKIN' cares what techniques we use so long as we win?! We've been learning how to fight so we can protect our home and those we care about!"
"Yea! What happened to the doctrine that my mom instilled in you?! You'd think she'd like this?! This would be like if someone forced you and mom to fight against each other in the Geode Dome!" Steven continued as he joined in on ganging up on Pearl.
"And you…" Connie seethed as she turned around to face the spineless striped gem. "…I can't believe I thought you changed. You're still the same despicable gem that hurt Steven…just to prove how strong you "are." How can you possibly be proud of yourself for beating up and using a child?!" she cried.
Every word that came out of their mouths felt like daggers. It felt as though they were cutting and burning into their imaginary skin, causing them to crumple under their hurtful, yet somewhat truthful, accusations.
All Pearl could do was hold one hand over her mouth and clutch her core with her arm. She felt like she had eaten some of Amethyst's oatmeal concoction, but this was a million times worse.
Jasper just stared at the floor, her far away gaze obstructed by her hair. She was shaking, grinding her fangs and clenching her fists until her knuckles popped out of sheer rage. Not at the children, but at herself.
When she reformed the day after Steven, once again, put his life on the line to literally fight one part of the negativity that was swirling around inside of her, she swore that she wouldn't have anything to do Yellow or any other diamond for that matter.
"And what do I do? I ACT JUST LIKE THEM!" she thought as she ran her hands through her hair and collapsed to her knees. She wanted to scream, roar, anything! But the tears streaming down her face were her only way of communicating her inner disgust.
But these outward expressions of regret came too little too late as far as the little warriors were concerned. Still, Pearl knew she had to do something before their relationship was shredded permanently. "S-Steven…p-pl"
"Save it" he coldly retorted.
"He's right. Why should he believe anything that you say? Even after all the love and forgiveness he's given you over what you said, after everything's he's done…nothing's changed. You're still the same. I should be surprised by this, but in retrospect…I'm not. You two don't deserve someone like him." Connie bitingly followed up.
And just like that, that last thread that was holding their relationship together was cut by that last dagger laced with rage and betrayal.
With that final declaration, Connie assumed her battle stance and Steven summoned two shields.
But something was different…dangerously different.
Instead of being a dark pink, the vines on his crystalline weapon were grey, turning darker with each passing second. And unbeknownst to all of them, little black vein-like lines were spreading like a plague across the rose shaped pommel and guard of the pink sabre.
"W-what're yo-"
"To stop those that try to hurt the ones you love" they chanted before going after their respective opponent.
Self-preservation mode kicked in as the two distraught gems snapped out of it in time to avoid their initial attacks. But Connie kept up the pursuit and went after Jasper's feet with sweeping sword slashes to try and get her off balance. Steven morphed his shields into the knuckle busters and swung punch after punch at Pearl, eventually landing a strong right hook to her abdomen.
"GAH!" Pearl yelled as she clutched her side.
She willed herself to remain upright. She knew that he wasn't messing around and couldn't afford to be floored. Steven followed up with a charging straight left shot, but Pearl countered his hit by making her body as hard at steel. However, the impact pushed her back quite a bit. She could feel the power behind his punch as its shock waves reverberated throughout her tiny frame, paralyzing her momentarily.
"AH-AHH!"
Steven quickly turned around when he heard Connie yelp. He saw Jasper holding the sword by its guard, along with Connie's hand!
"L-let me go!" she yelled as she kicked and trashed about, even landing one hit under Jasper's chin.
She brushed aside the stinging sensation for now as she desperately tried to reason with the livid child. "C-Connie, please listen-" but her pathetic defense for her actions were cut off when she heard a whirring sound coming towards her.
She looked up and saw Steven's shield coming right towards her head! She barely had enough time to tilt her head to the right in order to dodge the head-splitting discus.
But he wasn't a fool.
"Emotional clarity" he internally chanted as he clenched his remaining gauntleted hand. The shield bended to his will and morphed into a boomerang. The weapon returned to its master, but not before slamming into the back of Jasper's skull with a vengeance. It knocked the titanic warrior to the ground, causing her to release her grip on Connie and the sword.
"GAH! Grrrooooowwww" she moaned as she rubbed the back of her head. Even if her body could be made as hard as steel, it didn't matter if she was caught off guard.
In her dazed state, she didn't notice that Connie recovered from the fall and grabbed the sword. She jumped back and got into a low squat position.
Pearl shook off her paralysis in time to witness her pupil preparing herself for perform the ending blow.
"NO!" she frantically thought as she bolted past Steven, leaving him surrounded by the dust of the fallen warriors.
Connie jumped as high as she could into the air, pointing the blade down once she reached the apex of the rainbow arc. "YAHHH!" she yelled as she speedily dove down upon her stunned opponent.
**CRASH CLING**
The deafening sound of weapons colliding against each other wrought Jasper out of her dazed state, and what she saw stupefied her senses completely.
There was Pearl, the pretender solider she had so viciously deemed, standing in front of her…defending her…with two spears drawn and held crisscrossed over one another blocking the attack of the enraged child.
Pearl allowed the blade to slip past her defenses, just far enough so she could grab Connie's hand and the guard. With a quick pirouette, she removed Rose's sword out of her grip and tossed her towards the other side of the arena as gently as she could. But with the natural momentum being redirected, it was a bit more forceful than she intended.
"CONNIE!" Steven yelled as he ran over to catch her.
"OOF!" Well…at least he caught her.
The momentum of the throw sent him off the ground as well. But he summoned a bubble shield with little spikes on the outside so they wouldn't roll off the demolished edge of the floating battlefield. The stirred up dirt created a little cloud around the bubbled fighters.
"P-Pearl…" Jasper stuttered as she stood up.
But she didn't even hear her; her eyes were glued to the ground as she let Rose's weapon as well as her own fall to the ground; the latter disintegrating into diamond fractals. She held her throbbing gem as dozens upon dozens of thoughts ran through her head, but the one that stood out was "…What have I done?"
Inside the protective bubble, Connie laid on top of Steven in a tangled mess of limbs.
"Connie! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Steven asked he moved his foot out of her face.
"I'm…fine. But what about you?!" she gritted out.
"I'm okay. Glad I brought up my bubble when I did" he replied.
"Heh…just like the first time we met…you protecting me from danger…and that's how it always will be!"
"Huh?"
"I couldn't even land one hit on Jasper!" she fumed as she pounded the floor of the bubble with her fist. "And I get your sword taken out of my hands! What kind of knight…no…what kind of friend am I if I can't even protect you!?" she cried.
Steven forcibly grabbed her hand and said, "Don't you dare think that way about yourself!"
Connie gave him his full attention as he continued, "You stood up for me more times than I can count! You gave me great ideas on how to better use my powers! You don't have to be strong to be strong. I know that sounds weird but its true! Your intellect and resourcefulness are off the charts! You're the cinnamon on a donut!"
It took a minute for her to make the connection to the food analogy, but once she got it, she couldn't help but crack a smile.
"And your compassion, bravery, and insightfulness are out of this world. You're the sugar for sure" she said.
"…I think it's time that Jasper and Pearl see that themselves" Steven seriously stated.
"I agree. Time for them to face the Fierce Owl and the Lion King" Connie replied.
"Together"
With their minds focused on the single objective, the rose quartz gem responded to their inner desire.
"Steven hates me…Steven hates me! Oh my rock, how could I have been so blind?! I'm a monster! My gem should be shattered for what I did to him and Connie!"
"Uh…Pearl?" Jasper asked trying to get the lithe gem's attention, but tears streamed out of her dilated eyes as she continued to run her hands through her hair.
"I'm a traitor to Rose's ideals! I'm a defective piece of trash. She's right. I don't deserve him or anyone else for that matter. A wretch like me doesn't deserved to be loved…"
"PEARL!" Her train of self-depreciating thoughts came to a halt when Jasper shouted her name.
"What?!" she hoarsely shouted; she was not in the mood to be told how weak she was right now. The sinister voices inside of her head told her that plenty of times.
"Look!" Jasper pointed.
She looked over at the swirling dust cloud over where she flung Connie.
"STEVEN! CONNIE!" Pearl yelled as she tried to run over to their location. But powerful shockwaves kept her and Jasper at bay.
"What's going on?!" Jasper asked.
"I don't know, but we have to help them!" Pearl yelled back as the floor rumbled beneath their feet.
Soon a bright light erupted from the swirling spot of dust; it was pink, but tainted with a sickly dark-purple hue. Dread coursed through the wide-eyed mentors as the light turned darker with each passing second. Even the dust clouds that were swirling around the ghastly beacon began to dissipate from the light source, as if they were being repelled by the beastly power taking form.
Suddenly, the pink sabre levitated off the ground and quickly sped towards the sickly light. As soon as it made contact with it the light vanished, causing a massive shockwave to erupt - nearly sending the gems flying into the stands.
Well…Pearl almost was, but Jasper grabbed her arm and held her close to her muscular body.
"Nnnngh…gggghh" she grunted as she shielded Pearl and herself from the wind stream and debris.
Soon there was nothing but eerie silence.
Slowly cracking their eyes open, the duo saw a pair of eyes glowing with a purple haze. Soon a tall figure emerged from the dust cloud. Jasper eyes widened at the sight whereas Pearl's complexion became as white as a ghost. Her body went completely limp from the fear; Jasper had to hold her up so she wouldn't collapse to the ground.
"Oh…my…rock" Pearl silently uttered when the new sword wielding, shield bearing being finally revealed itself. "Th-they f-fused…"
"What?! Steven and Connie can fuse?! A gem can fuse with a human?! That's impossible!" Jasper shouted.
"I th-thought so too at one time…b-but it's not. Th-they've done it before. But…something's wrong. This isn't Stevonnie" Pearl explained as her gaze never left the fused form in front of them.
The fierce fusion sported the combined kalaris of the children. Their dark blue and white colors overlapped in a zig-zag pattern as well as both of their red sashes tied around their waist. They were barefoot since they outgrew their shoes. The animal logos on their backs combined into a sinister, unrecognizable creature.
Their complexion was a bit darker than Connie's skin tone and their long dark-brown hair was braided into a ponytail. However their normally curly locks were as spiky as Jasper's. The muscle definition was more cut and bigger than before, due in part to their intense training.
But…their muscles also seemed to pulsating, as if something was trying to break through their skin. The strain of the unknown force caused their breathing to be ragged, although it was barely noticeable to the unnerved gems across from them.
But the most disturbing part about all of that was the fact that Steven's shield was almost completely black and black vein-like lines crawled up the pink blade. Not to mention that the glow emanating from their gem wasn't as luminous as it usually was. If anything, it looked dull and shadowy.
She wasn't the only one who picked up on the distorted nature of fusion before them.
Just outside the arena entrance, Garnet, Amethyst, Lapis and Peridot peeked around the corner and beheld the unimaginable sight before them.
Amethyst immediately, yet slowly, backed away from the entrance, holding herself trying to stave off the panicky shivering.
Peridot collapsed to the floor and instinctively grabbed Garnet's leg for protection.
The leader had her shades off and all three of her eyes were furrowed in agitation while her lips formed a small scowl.
Lapis held her hand over her mouth. She felt like she was going to gag due to the perverted aura that they were exuding. She didn't even think was possible for Steven to exhibit such malice.
"G-Garnet…what's going on? When you said it was important…I mean I get what Pearl and Jasper did was really messed up and they totally deserved to get their heads knocked around…but this? A-are they…is Stevonnie…"
"They're not in berserker mode" Garnet answered before Amethyst could ask.
"I-Is this what happens when a gem and a human fuse? A-Are they-"
"They're not an unstable weapon either!" Garnet hissed at Peridot, causing the green gem to flinch.
"That isn't Stevonnie. The Stevonnie I know was created out of love and trust, like how a fusion should be! But this Stevonnie was born out of the hate, anger, and sadness felt by Steven and Connie. The love they share is still there, but now it's morphed into extreme protection for one another" she explained.
"Steven? Hate? Those two words don't even belong in the same sentence" Amethyst said in disbelief.
"No…they don't. But in case you've forgotten, Steven's attitude drastically changes whenever he reaches his breaking point-"
"Due to all the negativity he's absorbing!" Lapis finished.
"Exactly. Jasper and Pearl created this…this…**sigh** I really don't want to say it but for lack of a better word, monster due to their negative feelings about each other and themselves. Not only is he absorbing their negative vibes, he's also getting rid of his own bad thoughts as well as Connie's that were spurred on by what those two did to them. It's too much at once!" she angrily stated.
"B-but last time all he did was cry and Lion took him to the spring to heal! Why would he become something like this?!" Amethyst asked.
"It's because of Connie" she answered.
"What?" they asked.
"Before, the fear he felt when he saw my berserker mode and those clusters was the trigger that caused his mind to be shattered. In this case, the betrayal was the trigger that awakened this destructive rage."
"In fusion, one partner may exhibit more influence over the fused form in certain situations. You heard what Connie said. She already has trust issues with us over what happened to him. Just to see him hurt again by those whom he put so much faith in, especially after putting his life on the line multiple times, sent her over the edge. And it shows now. His hurt is fueling her anger."
"Anger is a neutral emotion, and when it's combined with negative thoughts…well…needless to say it's not good. We've all been there. Whether it's my berserker mode, your monstrous water form, you blasting everything to bits with your blaster, or you lashing out due to your insecurities."
Everyone looked at the ground when Garnet uttered those truthful statements.
"But that doesn't define us" she followed up and everyone gave her their attention.
"Like Steven said, everyone has a temper. It's up to us whether or not to use that temper in a positive way. In this case…it's overwhelmed them because this is the first time they've experienced something like this. They wanted to teach Jasper and Pearl a lesson that they'll never forget, and thus this…corrupted form was born" she finished.
"…Dark Stevonnie" Amethyst silently dubbed.
"D-Didn't you ask him to correct us when we're wrong?" Peridot asked.
"There are many different ways to correct. What we've experienced so far is the Steve-ly way, where communication and reconciliation comes into play. Now a new, hostile way has been awakened…beat'em til they break. Which one would you rather have to deal with?" she asked.
Peridot didn't answer.
"…Thought so" she surmised.
Her face paled as she grabbed Garnet's leg tighter. "Th-they're just like a real diamond now" she stuttered.
"A real diamond?! No way! That's crazy! Don't you dare put them on the same level as that Yellow jerk!" Amethyst refuted.
"But it's true! I swear! I don't know how to explain it, but in Yellow's presence, you feel really small! And not just because she's over eight feet tall! And her eyes glowed with a golden haze similar to theirs just before she unleashed her power!" she asserted.
Amethyst looked over at Lapis for confirmation and the blue gem slowly nodded her head in agreement.
Her eyes widened in shock and she collapsed onto her knees. "…No way. Not my play buddy. It can't be! I know he was born a diamond, but I didn't think that part was in him too" she said.
"It doesn't matter whether or not he's a diamond, everyone is allowed to feel. In this case…don't you think their anger is justified?" Garnet asked.
Everyone slowly nodded their heads. It was just so surreal to see him, of all people, act like that.
"Garnet…will they stay that way forever?" Amethyst nervously asked as she gripped the ends of her hair.
"…That depends."
"Don't you dare start getting all cryptic on me!" she snapped.
"I'm not. If Jasper and Pearl can't confront and beat the embodiment of their negativity, they'll lose. Whether it's by Dark Stevonnie's hands or the actual negative energy inside of them" Garnet stated.
"But what about the lesson they were supposed to learn?!" Lapis asked.
"I said they'll learn in an unexpected way. And you can't get more unexpected than this!" she said gesturing to the field. "I never said anything about the outcome" she clarified.
"So you allowed this to happen and you didn't even know how it was going to end?!" she yelled, on the verge of going berserk herself and stopping this madness before Steven and his friend got hurt.
"I see many possibilities. That's why we're here. To make sure that the right one occurs. No matter what. We can't be moved by what we see, even if it looks really bad. That's why I asked you to trust me. Can you do that…please?" she asked.
Everyone warily looked at each other, then Amethyst said "You always got our backs G. Do what you gotta do" and everyone nodded in agreement.
"Thank you" she replied with a slight nod of her own, before redirecting her triple-eyed gaze back on the battle scene.
"…This is their first step to getting rid of all the junk going on inside of them. Like I told Lapis before, Steven's song only removed one layer of what was going on inside of me. For them, he must've just opened the door. Now it's time for them to walk through it, especially if they want to repair their shattered bond and make it stronger than ever. But first…they have to get through that." she said.
Pearl had some of the same epiphanies when she whispered to herself, "…I did this. Oh rock what have I done?!"
She attempted to articulate anything that could possibly calm them down. "S-Stevonnie, pl-" but Pearl's pleas were immediately shut down when Stevonnie's purple-hazed, diamond-shaped pupil narrowed gaze focused on her.
They let out a little snarl as they raised the tainted blade into the air. "RRRRRRAAAH YYYYAH!" they yelled as threw their sword straight at them.
Jasper grabbed Pearl and the two of them narrowly dodged the high speed projectile. Jasper once again used her body as a shield from the flying debris caused by the impact.
"Holy sheet rock…" Jasper gasped.
Needless to say, both of them were completely mortified by how large the crack was on the stone stands and how deep the sword actually went in.
"Pearl, this isn't the time for talking! It's time to fight!" Jasper stated as she shook the jittery nerves out of her system.
"But we can't! What if we hurt them?!" Pearl asked as she was set down.
"In case you haven't noticed, they're hurting now. I don't know what's going on, but look at how they're moving."
Pearl closely examined their combined student and noticed that they were having trouble staying upright, like they were on the verge of collapsing due to exhaustion.
"Their muscles are spazzing and their breathing is ragged! It's barely noticeable, but I can tell!" she retorted.
"I-It's the negativity. Stevonnie's trying to expel it, but it's too much! It's consuming them!" Pearl cried.
"Then we'll have to beat it out of them. We caused this mess, now we have to fix it. It looks like that form won't last long so this is our only chance. And before I forget…thanks for earlier" she said as she summoned her helmet.
"W-wait"
But Pearl's protests were silenced when she saw Stevonnie summon another black shield and morph them into a pair of knuckle busters. They ran towards them at incredible speeds; Jasper had to toss Pearl aside in order to block the spring-loaded punch with her helmet.
"GAH!" she grunted as she held her head; the reverberations from the blow gave her a massive headache. Similar to when Steven slapped her in Rose's room, but this was a hundred times worse.
"GRAH!"
Stevonnie's battle cry snapped her somewhat out of it and she managed to dodge another dizzy-inducing left hook. But the onslaught continued as they continued their fast flurry of punches. Jasper tried her best to deflect or dodge the attacks, but she was still woozy from the first blow and as such the rapid jabs finally hit their target.
All she could do was keep her hands up, keep her feet steady, make her body as hard as steel and hope against all odds that Stevonnie ran out of steam…which didn't seem to be anytime soon.
Pearl was petrified. She wanted to help. She knew that Jasper wouldn't last long from that breakneck beat down, but her body wouldn't move! "C'mon. C'mon!" she yelled at herself as she tried to summon her weapon, but the guilt she felt wouldn't allow her to focus!
"YAAAAAH!" the fusion yelled as one super-powered punch slip past her defenses and made contact with her right cheek, bashing her into the tiled floor.
"JASPER!" Pearl yelled as the relentless warrior continued their rapid-fire attacks.
After what seemed like an eternity, Stevonnie finally stopped.
Pearl held her hand over her mouth when she saw Jasper's lifeless body sprawled out beneath the feet of the violent fusion; even her helmet disappeared due to the lack of energy.
Stevonnie's breathing became more pronounced after that assault. Their arms laid at their sides; they were slightly hunched over, trying to get as much oxygen in them as they could.
When she noticed them lift their gauntleted fists, getting ready for another pounding, Pearl begged, "S-Stevonnie, stop! Please! This isn't you!"
All she got in response was slow head turn in her direction.
She gasped once she saw finally saw the constricted, clouded gaze of the normally lovable fusion. It felt like she was being judged, and she started crying again. She knew that she failed miserably…again. But having that condemning gaze upon her…silently asking "Why?" just struck her to her core.
Just as they took a single step towards the weeping gem, Jasper suddenly sprang up and landed a powerful uppercut, knocking Stevonnie high into the air.
"URRRRAH!" they grunted.
"I told you…a million times…never let your guard down…" Jasper wheezed before she collapsed to the ground. She supported herself with one hand on her knee.
Finally feeling some energy course through her body, Pearl rushed to her side and kneeled down next to her. "Jasper! Are you okay?!" she asked.
The striped warrior arched one eyebrow and gave her a 'really' look. "If I didn't feel like lead…I'd slap you for asking such a stupid question" she replied.
"Yep, she's okay" Pearl thought, for once not being offended by one of her insults.
But that moment of triumph was short lived when they heard the familiar sound of a weapon being summoned. The mentally and physically exhausted duo looked up and saw Stevonnie in a dark-purple bubble shield doing what appeared to be a standing crunch.
"GRRRRRRR RAH!" they yelled as they stretched out of the move. Suddenly, the bruise-colored bubble burst and all of the shards morphed into razor-sharp thorns!
"YAH!" they grunted as they threw their arms downs, sending all of the thorns to rain down upon their mentors. Jasper watched helplessly as the lethal shower inched closer to her. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable poofing.
**CLASH PING PUH**
Jasper slowly opened her eyes when she heard the sound of the projectiles being ricocheted in every kind of direction and what she saw…actually impressed her.
Pearl was standing in front of her, spinning two spears at once deflecting the thorny downpour.
"…So that's the point of the spinning" she thought as the immediate threat finally ended when Stevonnie landed on the other side near the demolished edge.
"Grrrr…" they irritably growled before holding their unguarded hand up. All of a sudden, the tainted sword wriggled itself out of the divot and flew back into their grasp, just like metal to a magnet. Stevonnie charged again, this time ready to beat Pearl at her own game.
The swordswoman accepted the challenge and ran towards her conjoined pupil. Instead of meeting them head on, Pearl jumped into the air and threw one of her spears at them, just like she did during her duel with Jasper. But this time, Stevonnie couldn't dodge it because the spear was in front of them and due to their forward momentum. They stopped in their tracks. However, the abrupt halt scrapped the soles of their bare feet.
"HRNN!" they grimaced, but they brought their sword up in time to deflect the projectile.
Pearl gracefully landed behind them and just like she wanted to against Jasper, she swung at the midsection fusion with the blunt end of her spear.
But instead of hitting their body, she hit a shield that Stevonnie summoned on their back so they could protect themselves like a turtle.
Now that there was an opening, they swiftly spun around with their sword ready to cut her in half!
Thinking fast, Pearl held her spear along her side and blocked the fatal blow, although the power behind their strike pushed her away. After getting her bearings she shouted, "Stevonnie, please! I don't want to fight you!"
But the enraged fusion didn't listen and charged towards her again.
"…Guess Jasper's right" she relented as she tightened her grip on her spear and ran to face the monster she helped create.
Jasper could only watch from the sidelines as she refreshed her strength. She took note of how Pearl's flexibility and swift movements allowed her to effectively dodge Stevonnie's horizontal and vertical sword slashes.
A small smirk appeared formed on her lips. "A clear mind always wins" she thought.
But the same could be said for the crazed fusion. They mimicked Pearl's dancing battling style to a T as they equally evaded her attacks. They even got in a couple of swift sweeping kicks and a couple of well-timed punches before Pearl scurried away from taking too much damage.
It was as if she was watching a waltz. A deadly waltz.
After colliding weapons again, Stevonnie did a back flip to get some distance between them. "RAH!" they yelled as the jumped into the air to perform a jump attack.
Sensing her opportunity, Pearl got into the proper stance and easily countered the strike with the back-hand disabling move, effectively wrenching the sabre out of their destructive hold.
She quickly threw the sword back over to the stands and put some distance between herself and the surprised fusion. She quickly launched herself into the air and came down with her own jump attack. Her intent was to aim for the clavicle so as to stun them without causing major damage.
But Stevonnie had other ideas.
Instead of simply moving out of the way, they got right under the attack and caught the back-end of the blade with their bare hands, stopping her attack cold!
Pearl stared at them wide-eyed before having the weapon wrestled away from her. She limply fell to the floor and watched them break the spear in half.
"Th-that's impossible! Even if it was the dull edge, the palms of your hands should've been severely cut!" she shakily stuttered.
And she was partly right; normally that kind of action would've had severe repercussions to the user. What she didn't know was that Stevonnie summoned a shield layer at the last second to cover the palms of their hands, so they wouldn't be injured.
They forcefully grabbed fearfully shaken gem by the collar of her shirt; she struggled desperately to try and get out of their iron grip. Then they brought her close to their face and for the first time since this whole fiasco started spoke, "I…Am…An…Impossibility!" before throwing her towards the stands.
Luckily Jasper recovered enough of her energy to run over and catch her before she hit the stone seats.
"Are you okay?" Jasper asked as she set her down.
"I'm fine, thanks. But this isn't working! Everything they've learned from us…they're combining into one style and its exposing all of our weak points!" Pearl exasperated.
That's when something clicked in the back of Jasper's mind. "…Cinnamon sugar donut" she realized.
"What?" Pearl asked.
"Cinnamon sugar donut!" she exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, but Pearl was still thoroughly confused. She growled in frustration and said, "I'll explain later. But for now follow my lead. If they can combine their styles, then so can we."
Pearl arched one eyebrow and before she could say anything Jasper interceded, "I know, I know, alright! Look, we'll talk after all this is over! But we need to do something now!"
And Stevonnie's battle roar signaled how little time they had left.
A dark-purple aura surrounded their body as they activated their gem powers, pushing it to its limits. They summoned another pair of pitch black shields and morphed them into knuckle busters, only this time it had spikes on the ends of them. Then they raised their hand up and attracted their sword off the floor again. And for the cherry on top they summoned another shield to bolster their defenses.
Using all that energy at once put a serious strain on their body, so much so that they almost collapsed. But just like the tiny flicker of light inside of their gem, their will to protect one another kept them upright.
"…They're going all out" gulped Pearl.
"Then we'd better do the same" Jasper stated as she summoned her helmet and began revving up. "Stay behind me!" she ordered before speeding off towards Stevonnie.
The fusion brought their shield up and kept a close watch on Jasper's movements, waiting to see if she would try and fake'em out. When they realized that her intent was to ram into them, Stevonnie firmly planted their feet in the ground and braced for impact. There was no way they were going to be the chicken.
All of sudden, Jasper stopped mere inches away from the fused form. Stevonnie didn't even bat an eyelash as the wind blew right past them.
They saw their opportunity to strike and rose their sword into the air.
Before they could, Pearl came up behind them and put her pupils in a grappling hold, similar to how Jasper held Amethyst behind her back. They had been so focused on the spinning attack that they didn't notice Pearl sneak up behind them!
They struggled to break free, and they managed to do so due their increased strength. Taking that as her cue, Jasper unfurled and landed a spinning backflip kick right under their thoracic cavity, literally knocking the wind out of them as well as knocking them high into the air causing them to drop their sword and banish the crystal weapons.
Then she jumped up and followed up with a two-handed hammer hit right on their back, sending them straight to the ground.
Almost instinctively, they managed to turn over so that their back was the part that made contact with the tiled floor. Even though they summoned a shield along their back to cushion themselves from the impact at the last second, it still hurt and they couldn't move due to the pain.
"Uhhhhhoowww" They moaned.
"NOW PEARL!" Jasper shouted and she jumped up and summoned multiple spears out of her gem and threw a pair, crisscrossed around their wrists, ankles, waist, and neck to pin them down. They landed a ways away from the finally defeated fusion.
After a tense moment of waiting, they both released a collective sigh of relief, knowing that they had finally knocked them out.
"We…we won" Pearl breathed out.
"…Sure doesn't feel like it" Jasper bitterly commented.
"…You're right, this wasn't a victory. This shouldn't even have happened!" Pearl cried as she looked over at their seemingly lifeless body.
They walked up to them to make sure they weren't seriously hurt. Stevonnie's breathing was shallow due to the blow, but otherwise that they just looked completely exhausted. Sensing they were no longer a threat, Pearl banished her spears.
She collapsed onto her knees right next to them and touched their dusty forehead. She retracted her hand, tightly closed it into a fist and slammed it against her thigh. "Why am I so weak?!" she yelled as more tears fell from her eyes.
Jasper just looked at the broken gem in front of her. That's when an old memory resurfaced in her mind, of how she asked herself the same question when the other warriors would berate her over her size. Whenever that pressure became too much…in a sense she became this version of Stevonnie, a raging maniac bent on beating up anyone in her path.
But the big difference between her and them was she became strong so she could survive and impose her will onto others. They became strong due to their desire to protect one another.
Due to their love.
"You try to stop the other from hurting you or the one you care about, the latter providing the most motivation and strength to win."
Copy Rose's words rang in her head as she ran her hand through her tangled locks.
"…Sheet rock" she muttered to herself. "I still have a long way to go" she thought as she crouched down beside the weeping gem. She knew she had to do something, but she was still new to this whole reconciliation thing…and so far her track record sucked.
"Hey…you're not weak" she tried to comfort, but the words felt weird as they crossed her lips. Especially considering all of the stuff she said and did to her in the days prior to all…this. Forget days, just mere minutes before this melee ensued.
Even Pearl looked at her incredulously with a raised eyebrow and spat, "Really? That's not the impression I got before this whole mess started! But in the end…you were right. And I guess the truth hurt…really really bad. I know I'm just a Pearl…I'm useless on my own. I needed somebody, anybody, to give me a sense of purpose…a sense of worth."
"And I guess I used Connie to feel that way. You should've heard her speech about wanting to defend Steven. It reminded me a lot of myself and Rose. And what do I do? I use them for my own agenda. Trying to prove a pointless point and ended up endangering them. I mean, it was your plan that ultimately stopped them. I just followed orders…like I'm supposed to do. But that's the only thing good about me. Other than that… I'm beyond defective."
Jasper just absorbed her degrading drivel as she laid her head on top of her knees, her tears adding to the sorrowful memories etched into the tiled floor.
"…You're not the only one" she commented. Pearl lifted her head up.
"I guess some of home world's dogmas are still in me and it'll take a while to get them out completely. When Steven told me that you were training Connie…I guess I got a little insecure. I mean, that's my thing! Being the big buff Blazing Beast! And I guess…I didn't like the fact that that was being taken away from me by someone who wasn't even built for fighting, at least by home world standards. Not to mention I was so stuck on how humans were in the past…I guess I just closed my mind off to any other possibilities."
Pearl wiped her eyes as she continued to listen to her talk.
"So…in the end, we were both right. You were made a Pearl and nothing will ever change that. Just like Connie was born a human. But if there's anything that this fight has shown me…reminded me…is that we can rise above what we've been born with. Not everything is set in stone. Sure there are inherited traits that'll give us an advantage, but it's how you use them that determines how strong you are. That's how I made all the other warriors back off when they were picking on me" she explained.
"Besides…this Pearl saved my gem by deflecting those thorn shards with that spinning trick" she smiled as she grabbed her shoulder.
Pearl blushed from the gesture, looking at the hand on her shoulder then back at the awkward grin Jasper sported. A small smile crept on her face as well. "…Steven was right. You do have a soft, snuggling side" she commented.
Jasper tried her hardest not to let a blush appear on her cheeks, but failed miserably. "Yea…well**ahem** I'm still learning" she miraculously articulated.
"…We all are. And I'm sorry for…pushing you like that and being so desperate for an answer. You're entitled to your opinions and I should've talked to you about how I felt in a more respectable manner" Pearl apologized.
"Don't worry about it" Jasper assured as she brought her in closer to her body.
"…In retrospect, Steven's song only took out one layer of all the junk going on inside of me. I know have to deal with it…but…it's just so hard! And I wish I didn't have to involve them" she lamented as she gazed upon the still fusion.
"Well…he did what Garnet asked him to do. He…They…corrected us when were way wrong. I just didn't expect to learn a lesson like…this" she said.
"I don't think any of us did. What…what if they don't forgive us?" she worriedly asked.
"…Then so be it. Greg did say that we'd have to deal with any consequences for our actions. We've been very fortunate so far…but…I don't know. I wouldn't forgive myself if I was in their position" Jasper lamented.
Pearl's eyes began to water up again as the truth hurt her like one of Stevonnie's jabs. She got out of Jasper's hold, placed her hand on their warm forehead and gently ran her fingers through their messed up hair.
"Stevonnie…I'm…I'm…" but more sobs wracked through her body before she could finish her sentence.
Jasper clenched her hands into tight fists instead of shedding tears.
Pearl managed to compose her long enough to hiccup, "I-I'm sorry! I-I was just…A-and the anger... I didn't m-mean for any of this to happen, I swear! I would never, ever, hurt you or Connie! You two mean so much to me. Y-your one of the few bright spots in my life. I-I don't…I don't…who am I kidding?! I DO care if you decided to hate me! It would crack my gem in half! I know I deserve to be scorned, but please! I'm begging you! Give me another chance! I love you too m-much!"
As soon she uttered that last sentence, Stevonnie's body suddenly jerked. "HRRGH!" they grunted.
"What the?!" Pearl exclaimed as she and Jasper scooted back.
Soon their body was engulfed in a black aura as their gem shone with the light of the sun. But it gradually lost its luster, almost as if it were being covered by dark clouds.
They opened their purple, hazed-covered eyes and quickly sat up. But the rapid action almost caused them to collapse on the ground again.
"What's happening?!" Pearl shrilled.
"You're asking me?! How the heck should I know?!" Jasper retorted as both of them moved further away.
Stevonnie finally managed to stand up on their weakened legs, and they turned their delirious attention to the two gems across from them.
"Rnn…RAHHHHH!" they roared in a gravelly voice as they slowly walked towards the startled duo.
"No…not…again" Pearl uttered as they somehow managed to summon another pitch-black shield, only this time it had spikes protruding from it! They rose their hand again and the almost equally black sword entered into their awaiting grasp. Their muscles were pulsing faster, even their veins were showing through their skin.
They slowly got into the traditional swords stance, ready to continue the duel. Before they could initiate any kind of attack, Jasper stopped moving backwards and stood her ground.
"Enough of this!" she thought as she approached the crazed fusion.
Stevonnie growled at her through her newly fanged incisors and shot the thorns out of their shield.
Jasper barely dodged them; even had one bounce off her helmet. She dismissed her weapon and continued walking towards them.
Seeing Jasper's resolve, Pearl clenched her fist and decided that she was done running away as well. She quickly caught up to her just as she bellowed, "STEVONNIE!"
At least she got their respectable attention…or at least enough time before they regenerated their spikes.
In a bold move, Jasper collapsed to the floor and bowed before the superior opponent.
Pearl was absolutely stunned! Normally any quartz would rather have their gem shattered than submit to anyone that they lost to. This was an act of true humility on her part. But then again…she has changed.
Even Stevonnie's eyes widened just a tad as they were taken aback by the action. But their razor-sharp focus returned and they still kept their guard up in case she tried any funny business.
"You win" she declared, banishing all thoughts of a sneak attack out their mind. "I was wrong"
"We were wrong!" Pearl corrected before Jasper could say anything else. "We're so sorry we hurt you! Please…we're the monsters, not you. Please, please don't stay like this! We couldn't live with ourselves knowing that we turned our dedicated, hard-working, and sweet little cub and knight into this raging fusion! Look inside yourself! Is this what you truly want to become?!" she asked through her tears.
Stevonnie slowly lowered their weapons and rapidly looked across the floor through their constricted gaze, trying to process what they just heard.
"HRRNNNN!" they grunted as they closed their eyes and grabbed their head, inadvertently dropping their sword and banishing their shield. "RAHHHH!"
They sealed their eyes tighter and ground their teeth together, as if they were trying to stave off a massive migraine.
Although they may have won the physical battle, the true fight was about to place inside of their mind.
Darkness.
A swirling vortex of pain and anger within the conjoined mind tossed the two vulnerable souls to and fro without mercy. That is until a small flicker of light allowed one child to resist being tossed around like a rag doll.
**GASP**
The star child gasped for air as he slowly rose out of the murky depths of the all-consuming darkness. Breathing heavily, Steven looked around his surroundings and asked himself, "Where am I? Wait…the duel!"
"CONNIE!" Steven called out as he ran around the area.
"Just give up!" one voice shouted, but he ignored it and continued his search.
"Connie! Where are you?!" he yelled.
"Why go on? You liked this power, don't you?! Don't you want to stay like this forever?!"
Fed up, Steven shouted, "NO! This is messed up! You're messed up!"
"I'm messed up? I'm not the one who forced you into fighting that weak spit of a knight! You wanted to show them what the lion king and the fierce owl could do…together. Both of you gave into your rage and look how strong you two have become! Why would you want to give it up? What kind of friend are you to take away the strength that she so badly wanted?!" the vile voice spat.
"…You're right. I was angry at what Jasper and Pearl tried to make us do. I was so upset at how scared Connie looked. And I wanted to teach them a lesson…but not like this! I wanted to show them how different styles could combine to make something amazing! Like a cinnamon-sugar donut! I wanted to show them true strength and this isn't it! I heard their apology! And I'm tired of being an angry little sad sack, it's exhausting and it hurts! If I'm taking you away from her, then I'm a great friend!" he retorted.
The detestable entity knew it was losing ground, especially since the light from his gem started to shine brighter. For its ace in the hole, it shouted "You actually believe them?! Especially after what Pearl said about you!? You're dumber than I thought!"
Steven got quiet when he heard that.
Black tentacles slowly approached him, getting ready to pounce and drag him back down into the whirling void. Before they could snatch him up, Steven spoke, "…I might not believe them now…but I won't ever believe you!"
With that declaration, the horrid darkness fled from the overwhelming light shining from his gem, leaving an unconscious girl in their wake.
"CONNIE!" Steven yelled as he sprinted towards his companion.
He knelt beside her and gently lifted her head. "Connie. C'mon…wake up. Please…" he softly pleaded. Soon the light that was surrounding him engulfed her as well. After a brief moment, Connie's eyes fluttered open.
"S-Steven?"
"Heh…talk about déjà vu huh?" he joked as he wiped the developing mist out of his eyes, relieved that she was okay.
"Huh? W-what happened? Wait…the fight! Where's Jasper and Pearl?!" she angrily asked as she stood up. Steven had to catch her since she was still pretty weak from the ordeal.
"They're on the outside. We're Stevonnie now" he explained.
"What?! When did that happen?" she asked.
"I-I don't know. I remember I caught in you in my bubble, and we said that we were going to show them what the lion king and the fierce owl can do together. I think that's when we fused. But then everything went…black" he explained.
"Yea…you're right. I remember feeling so much pain, it'd hurt just to stand. Then it shifted in this…power. I really can't describe it, but it felt…amazing. Like I could take on anyone! But it was also really scary! It felt like I wasn't in control of myself" she shuddered.
Steven sighed in relief, glad to hear that she didn't want that kind of power anymore. "I think my bad thought absorbing power had something to do with it. All the negative energy I must've absorbed from everyone was just too much, and I think it took over Stevonnie" he said.
"…None of this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for them" she bitterly said.
"I know" he agreed.
"I mean, what in world where they thinking?!" she yelled.
"I don't know…but I know that they're sorry. I heard Pearl say that while I was…knocked out. I also heard her say how she loves us so much" he said.
"You can't be serious! You can't believe her! She hurt you!" she shouted.
Almost instantaneously, a voice whispered, "That's right…she nothing but a defective piece of trash that deserves to be hated!"
Soon the illuminated area started to turn grey, getting darker with each passing second.
Steven picked up on the ominous change and sighed. "…You're right, she did hurt me. Back then and now. But…I'll still forgive them."
"What?! Why?! Steven, don't. I-I don't want see you get hurt again" she said as tears started to form.
"There may be that chance…but I know I'll hurt others if I don't forgive them" he said.
Slowly, the domain started to get brighter again.
"If I stay a bitter, little sad sack because of what they did forever, then I'll carry that hurt and anger into whatever relationship I try build. And those won't last long. Soon I won't have any friends because I'll always be scared that someone will always try to hurt me."
"Don't get me wrong, I'll be a little more guarded with who I place my trust in and they'll have some serious making up to do. But I'm still willing to give them a chance, just like with any other person. Just like how you took a chance on me" he smiled.
Connie remained quiet as she absorbed what he said.
He grabbed her hand and said, "I know I've said it before, but thanks for sticking up for me. But I don't want you to be ruled by fear, especially over me. It's already had its way for far too long, and I'm not going to let you get sucked up by it!"
A few tears cascaded down her reddened cheeks as she lunged forward and grabbed him in a tight hug.
"Steven! I-I'm sorry!" she hiccupped as she cried into his shoulder.
"It's okay. People feel. If we didn't, we'd be…well…like home world. We just have to remember to do right with our feelings. That being said…"
She lifted her head up and stared into his eyes.
"How 'bout we show them how to be strong the right way. Together."
Connie smiled and nodded her head.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" the sinister voice boomed. "You two are the most idiotic people in the whole world! They scarred you! And yet you claim that forgiveness is the right way to be strong?! Rage is the only way and you know it! It'll always be your fallback tactic and-"
"SHUT UP!" the children shouted.
"You're the stupid one! Don't you know that scars fade away?!" Connie shouted.
"Yea! We'll move past this together and we'll chalk it up to learning experience!" Steven added.
"So you must be really dumb if you haven't figured out by now that you'll never beat us! So take a hint already and SHUT UP!" the concurrently yelled.
The immoral creature was instantly obliterated due their passionate outburst and soon the area transformed into the beach house with some of the crystalline elements from the underground grotto.
"Wooooww" they marveled.
"We're safe now" Connie smiled.
"Yea. C'mon, let's go in" Steven said. He took her hand and both of them walked up the steps of the peaceful abode.
While the two children may have found peace inside of their combined mind, it sure didn't look like it from Pearl and Jasper's perspective.
"RAAAAAAAAHHHHHH" they screamed as they writhed around on the floor in extreme pain, coating themselves in the accumulated dirt.
"STEVONNIE!" Pearl yelled, but she couldn't move. She didn't know what was going on or what to do and it frustrated her to no end!
"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?!" she frantically thought as she ran her hands through her drooping hair; her analytical mind could only take so much!
Suddenly they shot up and started thrashing about, just hitting the air. One blow came dangerously close to hitting Pearl, but she was pulled back the equally disturbed gem.
"Jasper! Let me go! We have to do something" she shrilled.
"And what do you have in mind, exactly?!" she retorted.
Pearl tried to form coherent words to articulate any kind of idea, but failed miserably.
"Uh huh. Look, I'm gonna borrow a page out of Garnet's book. We wait" she said in finality.
"Are you out of your mind?! Look at them!"
"No, you look at them. They're not fighting us, they're fighting the negative energy inside of them! It's all mental, remember?! What we're seeing is the physical manifestation of the battle taking place. I mean look at their gem! That's the brightest I've seen it since this whole thing started!" she observed.
Pearl saw it as well and covered her mouth. "Oh…my…rock" she uttered as she imaginable all the horrors that Steven and Connie had to face by themselves. She almost fainted from the graphic self-created imagery.
"We can't just wait!" she countered.
"Do you have a better idea!? It's not like you can enter their mind!" she yelled.
"I know that! But I have to do something! Anything! I know I was getting through to them at least, then all chaos breaks loose!" she cried.
"Look! In addition to what I've learned right now, I've learned to never underestimate Steven. I made that mistake twice, I'm not about to do it again. Now I know not to underestimate Connie as well. They can handle whatever is going on" she proclaimed.
All of a sudden, Stevonnie collapsed onto their knees and smashed their fist into the ground. That sickening pop from their wrist shook the confidence of the striped warrior as she shuddered. Pearl would've thrown up if she had anything in her stomach.
Then the out of control fusion tightly gripped their pulsating shoulders, as if they were trying to contain something inside. Blood from their right hand was smeared down their arm as they scratched their burning skin.
"S-STEVONNE! Don't give up!" Pearl cried.
The said form closed their eyes, took a deep breath and yelled, "SHUT UP!"
Needless to say Pearl was stunned. "N-no…" she stuttered as she collapsed onto her knees as well. Never before has anyone said that to her with such disdain…not even Amethyst. She thought the composed way Steven uttered those words was bad…this was a billion times worse.
"Pearl! Snap out of it! They weren't yelling at you!" Jasper commanded.
"Weren't they?!" she retorted as she looked at her.
"Pretty sure! Look!"
At this point, Pearl didn't know if she could handle anything else, but she made herself turn her head. "…Mother of diamond" she gasped.
Right above Stevonnie's head a black, smoke-like miasma started to take form! Soon the smoke gave way to wispy, flame-like appendages.
Their gem glowed with a harsh pink light, working on maximum overdrive to banish this negative entity out of their body.
The miasma started to morph itself into what appeared to be disfigured jackal with four blood-red eyes, long erect ears, and extended forearms with razor-sharp claws.
"HHHHRRRRROOOOOOOO!" it howled before setting it ravenous gaze upon the terrified gems.
The bystanders weren't feeling so hot themselves.
"GARNET! LET ME GO!" Lapis yelled as she thrashed about in her hold.
Amethyst had her eyes tightly closed, trying banish what she just saw out of her mind.
Peridot gripped her abdomen to try to stop the strong, anxiety-filled, electrical pulses from surging throughout her body.
"Lapis! Stop! Everything's going to be okay!" she tried to assure her.
"You can't stand there and tell me with a straight face that THAT'S okay!" she countered as she tried to break out of her iron grip.
The beast moaned again as the wispy flames gave way to the slimy, sludge-looking exterior that Steven described.
"It's coming out! It's coming out!" Peridot panicked.
"GARNET! I swear if you don't let me go-"
"Not the first time I've been threatened Lazuli! I'm not letting go." Garnet stated, ending the argument.
"RRRRRAAAAAAA" it roared before lifting one claw up, with every intent to smash Jasper and Pearl into dust.
Jasper went into defense mode and summoned her helmet. "Give me your best shot! I'm not afraid of you!" she shouted.
Feeling empowered by what she just said, Pearl quickly stood up and shouted, "Neither am I! Get out of them now!" as she summoned a pair of spears.
And the jackal entity did just that. Even though it wasn't fully fleshed out yet, it had enough moxie to initiate an attack against them.
Just before its claw made contact, it suddenly recoiled in pain! As if it was stung by something!
"What the?!" the battle-ready gems asked.
Then they noticed that Stevonnie was holding the now un-tainted blade in their non-injured hand. And they could also see one of their eyes was open and it wasn't overshadowed by a purple haze.
The jackal looked down at its former host and roared.
"You don't…like that…do you?" Stevonnie mocked before they held the sword in both hands…right over their gem!
"Stevonnie! What're you doing?!" Pearl yelled.
"To stop those…that try to hurt…the ones you love" they wheezed as they raised their arms up, while still gripping the sword.
Jasper's and Pearl's eyes widened when they realized what they were about to.
"Stevonnie! Don't do it!" Pearl shrilled as they tried to run as fast as they could over to where they were, while getting past that jackal.
"Take a hint. Get out…and stay out!" they shouted before driving the sword towards their shining gem.
"STEVONNIE!"
What is Stevonnie going to do? Will the jackal monster infect the rest of the gems? Tune in next time for the finale of "Strong in Which Way?"
I hope you guys could picture the battle scenes, this is the first time I've done such a long one.
Dark Stevonnie...I know the gems weren't expecting to see that.
I based them off Darkspine Sonic from Sonic and the Secret Rings since he transforms into that when absorbs the world rings of hatred, rage, and sadness. I threw a little Naruto/Ninetails cloak. Glowing eyes from King Sombra and to top it off a little out of control Lucario mega-evolution from from Pokemon XY. What do you guys think?
I chose a jackal as the entity because jackals are a monogamous pair; they mate for life and protect their territory from intruders. Similar to Steven and Connie; they're friends for life and they'll stop anyone that tries to hurt him/her. Especially Connie.
And Garnet's right. Anger combined with negative emotions is never good. That's why half the crazy stuff is taking place in the world right now! But I won't go into that. We're here to have fun and write to our hearts content.
Thanks again to everyone for supporting this story. I'm glad you've enjoyed it and I hope all of you enjoyed your holidays! I know I did and a big shout-out to my family for making it another great Christmas. See ya in 2016 :)
For guest light: Yep I was talking about Heracross :)
