Note: Any references that this story makes aside from the universe that this takes place in belongs to their respective owners and should be as such.

Warning: Violence, Language

Ch.25: Choices Matter part 2

There is a certain phrase that isn't used very often for certain situational stories in regard to the good guys or heroes to be precise. "Pushing your buttons", a time in which...an individual (in this scenario a villain) keeps antagonizing a person that is well known to have a good, pacifistic kind of nature. They keep poking and poking and poking to expect a negative reaction just to prove a point.

At this certain point Emerald has poked too much and is now suffering the consenquences, she unleashed a pacifist's wrath. A fool who didn't realise the amount of karma that was staring her right in the face and no amount of violence or talking was going to stop this. This is what she wanted.

The bubble shield stopped moving up at soon as the monster's face was straight in view. It then slowly began to open it's big maw, causing Emerald to hyperventilate. This scenario may be different but the overwhelming feeling of dread and anxiety she was too familiar with.

"(NONONONO, HE'S GOING TO EAT ME ALIVE! I'M GOING TO BE IN THE DARK FOR ALL ETERNITY!)"

What Emerald didn't see was that the crystals along the monster's back glew white and the inside of it's mouth formed a ball entirely made of that white light. Seeing this Emerald realised of what the monster wanted to do with her. It wasn't going to eat her, it was going to erase her from existence.

"Heheh...heheheheh."

Now knowing this Emerald's distressed look changed again to a shakey smile. To her being in the dark was 1000x worse than death.


"Haah haah haah."

"Haah haah haah you got it now?"

After what both Steven and his mom thought to be an hour they were both slightly exhausted. Pink puffed up her chest and then relaxed it with a exhale.

"I think so...It's going to be tough since we both need the same speed, precision and flow of movement."

Steven gave Pink a thumbs up, showing her how confident he was with doing this.

"No need to phew worry about that. Since I'm in my own soul I can definetely keep up with you. You ready?"

"But aren't you tired Steven? Afterall we spent a while getting this right."

"Mom, don't worry. I can do this along with you. This new sensation all over my body was pretty easy to get used to. It was like you know...second nature as a gem hybrid."

Pink felt so proud of Steven with all that confidence and bravado he has, to have that determination to overcome the darkness he was slowly sinking into. Reality hit him like a freight train but now he is bouncing back even stronger.

They both took a big jump away from eachother, both softly landing with thier feet pointing inward to themselves while their eyes were closed. No breathe escaped their lips as the deafening silence filled the air. Faded from the background were the sound of violins and the weak beat of the drums. As the sound of the barely clear music pounded in their ears Steven and Pink began their synchronized dance in opposite directions.

When Pink began her dance inspired by ballet it was elegant, graceful and smooth. The mirroring of the dance Steven was doing was almost exactly like his mothers except that his had the kind of roughness and energy of street dancing. One would be reminded of two dancers with opposite with vastly different disciplines to eachothers working together in their own way to meet their same goals.

As they were closing in the circlular path they were making inch by inch a light shaped like a gem appeared from Steven's bare stomach and another lit up from Pink's gem. They were feeling the same thing, tranquility and warmth that grew warmer the more they were getting closer.

At the center one final half turn pirouette was all they needed as they clasped hands to keep themselves from falling backwards. Steven then pulled Pink's body against his while gently exhaling in sync along with her, their bodies melding together into light indicating that the fusion was a success.

After a few seconds of the process Steven opened his eyes only to see that he looked that same as he was now, except he now has his gemstone back. But the strangest thing was that Pink was still in his arms, inches to his face.

"...Sooooo did it work?"

Steven was about to respond with a no until he felt this strange sensation throughout the bery pit of his stomach. It wasn't exactly a bad sensation but it did feel weird to him, this flow of energy was definetely odd. To him this felt like he had this all along, as if this was the second nature he was born with all along.

"I..I think it did work."

"Good so can you release me, this feels a little awkward."

"Oh shi- sure!"

Steven let go of Pink while turning red in the face in embarrassment, backing away to give his mom space. She cleared her throat afterward.

"I was going to wonder why I was still here until I realized that we're both in your soul so I exist here just as you can."

"Yeah, that's what I thought to. Huh? That seems useful."

"Hmm? Why's that?"

"Since we're now completely synced in mind, body, and soul now I can come back here whenever I want? Hell, maybe I can use a mirror so we could communicate more."

Pink just tilted her head in confusion from that last statement.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well mirrors are the reflection of one's soul or so the superstition goes. I habe never used projection the way Pearl and the others are able to...buuut maybe through my eyes I can maybe project you by using the mirror as a projection screen."

"Yeeeaah but wouldn't Pearl and the others think that talking to yourself would deem you looney?"

"Pfft who cares about that. We got a whole lotta things to catch up on, even if it means talking. Right now however-"

Steven's face changed to that of seriousness.

"-I still got some work to do before I can rest for at least a day."

And he was right to. Whatever is happening outside doesn't seem too good right now and Steven knew it clearly.

"Maybe if I can sense what's going on with my b- holy shit!"

"Steven?!"

All of a sudden Steven was brought to his knees, sweating profusely. He tried to have a sense of what was happening to his body's status only to get his nerves hit by an immeasurably powerful force and a vision of a monstrous worm creature. Being the "good" mother that she was Pink dropped to Steven's side, carresing his back to try and help him keep calm.

"Haah haah haah fuck haah."

"Steven what happened?"

"That's definetely not Emerald's power I can tell you that...Oh no."

"Oh no?"

Steven was able to out two and two together. And what a horrible conclusion he came up with.

"That's our power...we're fricken corrupted! No wonder I feel this uncontrollable, unstable power and that vision of a giant monstrous worm, shit!"

"Crap that is bad, can you even get out of this at this point?"

The feeling of great distraught that was running through Steven's mind was only there for only a moment. Somewhere in his gut he knew that he could do it. He didn't know where this certainty came from but it's better than sitting on his ass doing nothing as a giant ass monster of himself was about to turn Emerald into space dust.

"Gasp! Oh no Green Pearl! Despite all the shit she has done I can't let this happen. I gotta stop myself."

"How" was the first thing that popped into his little noggin. Steven already tried to use an imagination door yet it took him nowhere.

"It's like outside right now my body is experiencing a never ending strain of pain and anguish. God I can feel the tingling and pounding sound of the roaring."

Pink was feeling the same thing except she had a more deep feeling to the beast. Afterall, it was actually her half more than Stevens. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Steven I don't think that is roaring...I think we are...crying."

"You felt it to? I thought it would sound a little weird but since this beast is the embodiment of both our rage and sorrow it makes more sense."

Steven really thought he was crazy, no normal person could interpret a monster's roar as crying. Putting that in mind he can hear it more clearly, his own monstrous form was driving himself to scream out in emotional pain. It caused Steven's eyes to leak.

"Are you okay?"

Steven wiped away the falling tears while smiling.

"I'm cool. I know what to do now."

Walking away from Pink, Steven headed to the clear pool of water and settled in front of it while taking off his jacket, settling it down next to him.

"Alright...time to go home."

Taking a deep breath Steven placed both his opened hands on the surface of the water. As he exhaled his aura that was calm yet intense manifested. He was looking down at the pool, seeing his own reflection for a minute or two until the reflection changed forms to that of his pre-corrupted form. The poor form of his was hyperventilating while tears came down one after another like raindrops.

"(Steven, how awful it is to suffer like that.)"

"...That's enough."

The way Steven said that to himself was both calm and not to firm. From the reflection it seems like the words fell on deaf ears since he was clutching his head, clearly in pain.

"STOP IT! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"It's okay, I'm here."

"WAAAAH! STOP WITH THE BUZZING! PLEASE! NO MORE!"

"Heheh haah you definetely remind me of the old me."

It was then Steven began to hum to himself a familiar tune.

"Steven, what are y-"

"Here comes a thought."

That got the suffering monster's attention. And it should since this song was more helpful than they would've realised after the first time with Garnet.

"That might alarm us

what someone said

and how it harmed us

Something we did

That failed to be charming."

"Nngh Ah! Please...someone...anyone."

"(Sigh stubborn as usual.) Pheew snnnf

Take a moment remind yourself to

Take a moment to find yourself

Take a moment to ask yourself

(Come on you can do it.) Go on, you know it."

"...If this...is how we...fall apart?"

Staring back at him the monster Steven saw a warm smile from his reflection. He didn't have to say anything else for the other Steven to understamd completely.

"I know, it's painful but we can rise above it and you know that as much as I do. Killing Emerald will never bring Connie back, even if we really think so."

The monster lowered himself to be face to face with his own wiser reflection. Just from looking into the black voids of his eyes Steven could feel the pain.

"Please...just let her go...Be the bigger man Universe, be the bigger man."

"...But...she wants to kill more of our friends. She turned most of the gems on Earth into love sick zombies captured the Diamonds, re-traumatized Bismuth, and she murdered Connie in cold blood and you want to let her go?!"

Damn Steven was losing himself, not by the sense you'd usually think of but you get it. He could feel the anger and hatred bubbling on the surface of the water, heating up to the point in which his hands were getting burned. His determination however didn't waver an inch.

"This isn't what Connie would want. Be the bigger man."

The monster Steven looked down to their shaking hands, realising now just how far gone he has already become. Himself was right, Connie wouldn't want this.

"You can do this."

"...I...I can. I am...Steven Universe."

"WAHAHAHAHAHA!! THAT'S IT STEVEN, YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! DO IT! OBLITERATE ME AND SHOW THIS FUCKING UNIVERSE WHO YOU REALLY ARE!!"

Just as Emerald was laughing like a bloody maniac, waiting with great anticipation from the giant monster's devastating gem blast that would very well be more powerful than the three Diamond blast, the light coming from the crystals and from within it's mouth slowly faded. Not only that the bubble that was imprisoning her popped. Her mind could barely wrap up what just happened as she floated down onto her butt due to the zero gravity.

"What just happened? Why did he stop?"

Unfortuantely for her sake she was going to get her answer. Cracks started to appear on the monster's body, pink light seeping through the made cracks. It roared when even more cracks appeared from every crevice of the creature, it wailed and thrashed about, trying to whip away what was on it? After the few seconds of the roaring and thrashing about the creature's eyes changed to white before it's entire body exploded in a blinding color of pink that reached the halfway point of our 9 planets in the solar system and past the sun.

It didn't take long for the visibility to return to anyone that has witnessed this great phenomenon, including Emerald. She was rubbing away the blinding pain she was induced with. As soon as her vision became clear again she witnessed a person staring at the Earth with their back turned towards her, their pink jacket flapping against the none existent wind.

Somehow Steven was able to turn back to his normal self, no creepy crystals growing out of his body, no horns, no giant worm body, nothing abnormal at all. It was as if he was never corrupted in the first place. The only difference to his appearance was his light pink colored hair and the fact that he NOT GASPING FOR AIR IN SPACE ON THE MOON!

Emerald shook her head in disbelief. Her plans, her resolution, everything that she invisioned even if there were a whole bunch of inconsistencies, all gone. The play was over before she could even turn her face to the empty seats in the auditorium. Gritting her teeth out of sheer anger Emerald began pounding her fists against the moon's surface.

"NOOO, NOOO, NOOOOO! You were so close! That was your last chance to kill me, why didn't you?!"

Glaring at the back of Steven he was silent, the silence just ticked Emerald off even more.

"Answer me Universe! Why didn't you kill me?!"

Again Steven was silent, not responding to Emerald's desperate cry for an answer. She got up to her feet which slightly wobbling from the fear she was experiencing earlier which was replaced by again, anger.

"YOU THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF GAME?! Now that you aren't that giant worm I can kill you easier and begin my mark as the supreme being that will conquer all! What a wasted opportunit-"

Suddenly in a blink Steven was now in front of Emerald, even she was surprised. She didn't even blink yet he was able to appear in a *snaps fingers* snap. The moment she looked into his pink rhombus shaped pupils her own shrank. Fear was crawling back up her spine.

Though they were the same height from Emerald's perspective she saw Steven the size of a titan, he was even bigger than that monster worm form of his. By the way he was looking at her and his brow was scrunched up he was obviously mad. Her body wouldn't listen, she was frozen in fear and intimidation. Just one look was all it took to drain all the fight that she had in her.

"..."

Steven extended both his arms out to wards Emerald, she was sure that he would wrap his hands around her neck and then snap it like a twig. So she immediately shut her eyes expecting the worse until she felt his soft hands being placed on her shoulders. The weird gesture prompted her to open her eyes again. Instead of the anger in Steven's eyes his entire face was relaxed and calm yet full of pity at the same time.

"...Pearl, please stop."

What the fuck was this? He wasn't yelling at her, threatening her, hell he wasn't even talking down to her. It's almost like he was just...talking to her as if she was a lost friend going down the wrong path and he just found her from doing what she'll regret. Why the hell was Emerald thinking that despite not experiencing that shit, ever?!

"You..can't be serious are you? Tell me that you're fucking with me Universe, tell me that you are?!"

Steven's hands slid down to the top side of Emerald's arms.

"Pearl I'm begging you, please stop."

Being called her past weak self out in the open like this pissed Emerald off even more.

"Grrr shut up! I'm not that weak Green Pearl anymore, I am Chaos Emerald!"

Steven shook his head from side to side, he knew that wasn't true.

"This was suppossed to be my story, my destiny that for once I was able to forge with my own hand. MY PURPOSE WAS STARTING TO TRULY TAKE FRUITION BEFORE YOU CAME ALO-"

"No...You came to Earth to die in front of everyone."

"What? What a bold assumption that you came up wi-"

Steven's grip got tighter in reaction to his emotion.

"STOP! Just stop, you don't have to pretend anymore, I know already."

What was he talking about? What does he think that he knows about her?

"I didn't realise the severity of your motivations to your notebook plan before. But piecing it together with a level head gave me a scary conclusion. You were crying out for help to find some kind of meaning in your life."

"No...No!"

Emerald swiped away Steven's hands away from her.

"Don't you dare assume that you know how I feel! No one would want to know nor care about anything about what I went through, for 6000 fucking years! What makes you think that you are any different from the ones who abandoned me in the Coral Reef? You thinking that you understand everything about me!"

"I don't!"

"Huh?"

"I don't know anything about you other than who you are and what happened to you...I just want to help you."

"...But wh-"

"What was that?"

Emerald quickly clamped her mouth shut before she said something else but from behind her apparition gave her a warm hug, nuzzling her face into her neck with a smile.

"It's okay, you don't have to pretend to be someone else anymore. Just like how you gave Steven one last chance to kill you and failed spectacularly, you have one last chance...to finally find someone after all these years to trust again. I believe in you."

Vanishing into smoke Emerald could no longer hear her apparition. To pretend to be someone she wasn't?...That was her whole life since her birth. What was the point of all that anyway?

"Wh...WHY ME?! Why are you so determined to help someone who has done so many horrible to you, your friends, even the one you cherished so much? Why am I even worth your time and attention? Why a- mmph!"

Emerald was caught by surprise when Steven put a hand over her mouth, abruptly stopping her questioning short.

"Annnnnd that's what I expected. You're definetely acting like a teenager who wanted to hurt people from the severe lack of attention and want. Do you really want to know why I'm doing this?"

With Steven's hand still over her mouth all Emerald could do was nod her head. For whatever reason Steven was now grinning like an idiot.

"Heheh I made a promise afterall."

"Mmm whmm (To who?)"

"To my mom you silly. I promised to help whoever is in trouble even if they did try to kill me. Change is the strongest evolutionary power that we go through but it's a double edged sword. A friend went on a tangent not too long ago uhhh how did she say it again?...Oh yeah ahem 'When you change-' which is me '-you change for the better. When I change I change for the worst!' unquote."

Once again Emerald slapped away Steven's hand that was covering her mouth.

"Oh sorry about that."

"Hmph...was there a point to that little friend of yours?"

"Yeah actually, change is hard on anyone, even for us two standing here on this floating rock in space. Hell I'm questioning to how I am even talking to you like this without gasping for air. I get that you don't expect me to understand about your own personal hell in the darkness...I just want you to give me a chance to help you. So what do ya say,-"

Steven extended out his hand again except he let it hang out, clearly he was waiting for something to happen.

"-will you let me help you?"

Those words were never said to her by anyone. Barely anyone gave a damn about her existence, not one since she was never rescued. Her hatred for all of her own kind made her like this. She thought that she could be someone that would make everyone who abandoned her drop to their knees even if she had to break them before shattering them, to become the lone gem in the universe.

But what Emerald didn't expect was this lone human hybrid offspring of the beings that she despised yet worshipped as gods (when she gained the understanding of that term) was standing in front of her and extending his hand in friendship. From that day she thought she had friends, four of them to be precise but no...they didn't care.

Now, Steven Universe was doing the very thing Emerald wanted in her whole life, someone to help her.

"Say, you okay? You look like you're about to cry."

"I'M NOT!"

Emerald's mouth said no yet her quivering eyes and bitten bottom lip said otherwise, which got Steven to smile even more.

"C mon you don't need to lie. You are going to cry aren't you?"

"I'm telling you I'm not!"

"Are you positive? I can see a little tear drop emerging."

The way Emerald was trying to hold it back reminded Steven of the many times Pearl looked when she was trying not to cry. It looked painful and ugly but it was hilarious at the same time. Seems like they were related in a sense, not by much but they were.

"Aww cmere!"

Without much awareness to the danger this action might pose Steven wrapped his arms around her body. The shock that was written all over her face was evident by the eyes popping open.

"I don't think you ever recieved a hug before right? I know this might not work on you but it's a start to say least."

What Steven didn't understand was that Emerald actually learned about alot of the human gestures and literature so a hug was one of the many things that she grasped the concept of. In fact he can feel that Emerald's body was shaking in his arms.

"(I stand corrected.) See Pearl, you don't have to be afraid anymore. Let it go."

It took just one person with so much forgiveness and willingness to hear Emer- no Green Pearl's cry for help that it finally broke her. After so long she finally cried into the shoulder of someone who truly cared about her, grasping her fingers into Steven's jacket for dear life.

Steven just chuckled to himself while gently patting and caressing the broken gem's back. Jeez, thinking about how much this gem suffered all alone other than Spinel hurts a little. He's glad this all happened in almost a full day.

As some time passed for Green Pearl to let out her emotions (and by god she's a big crier apperently) the sound of cracking occured near Steven's ear. He quickly inspected that a crack appeared on her back, more of them started to appear on her arms and cheek. What was happening? Steven hoped it wasn't from her gem.

Surprisingly her gem was still intact so what was happening?

"Pearl? Hey Pearl your bod-"

Steven was going to let go of Green Pearl until she desperately clinged onto his jacket more tightly.

"PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!!"

"Okay okay I'm not going anywhere! (What the hell is going on?)"

Steven reasonably got worried, who knows what was going to happen next? Was she going to poof? Explode like a bomb?...molt? Nah that last one is silly, Green Pearl was not an insect. It kind of scared him that she wasn't noticing her body literally breaking apart.

It was then that Green Pearl's body enveloped both her and Steven within a warm green light. That light only lasted a few seconds, thank goodness Steven was able to see again. Shaking his head he looked down to be met with a sleeping Pearl in her original form, nuzzled up against his chest with a warm smile across her face.

Steven had no clue how this happened but what he does know is that Green Pearl looks like she was having a good dream.

End of Ch.25