Steven's scythe connected with Tiger's Eye's gem and stuck there for a second; the sound of the gem cracking was like glass breaking. It was a sound that he'd heard before, such a horrible, twisted sound that made his heart plummet straight to his stomach. He yanked the scythe back at once, regret already bubbling up in his chest, horror and guilt mixing at once. The gem stumbled back, staggering away from him, lifting a hand to her cheek; the battleaxe was abandoned on the ground, and Steven, for a moment, thought that was wrong. Hadn't she just attacked him at the same time? He didn't have too much time to dwell on that thought before Tiger's Eye poofed, with a scream, and her gem cracked and split apart into shards.
They were blue as they fell.
They were pink when they landed.
Steven woke with a start, pushing himself to sit up and rising to his feet before he could even completely register what was going on. The ground rumbled underneath him as he stood, startling enough that he almost fell back again, but something pressed up against him from behind before he had the chance to lose his balance. He froze for a moment, sinking back against it, then whirled around. His franticity diminished slightly upon seeing it was just Lion, barely having a chance to catch the pink beast's worried gaze before the animal pressed forward and rasped his tongue over the hybrid's face with a sound somewhere between a huff and a grunt. Steven breathed in sharply through his teeth, resting a hand against his head.
It took a moment for everything to come back to him; he remembered fighting, he remembered Tiger's Eye. Most things after that were a blur, though; he remembered the pain that had split through his stomach, radiating from his gem and consuming every inch of his body… he remembered Pearl saying that he was cracked, and he remembered them bringing him to the fountain. Lion pressed closer to him, right up against him, and pressed his head into the hybrid's chest; Steven found himself wrapping his arms around him completely as he took a look around.
He recognized the ship instantly now that he had calmed down somewhat. Part of it, anyway; the lower level. Fluorite and Padparadscha were nearby; the fusion was making her way toward the stairs, slowly climbing up to poke her head up to the top floor. Steven kept his hand on Lion's head for a moment, taking another breath to steady himself, then pulled away and headed up the other staircase on unsteady legs. Lion trotted after him dutifully, keeping himself close to the hybrid. Upstairs, the others had settled into their seats, though none of them looked particularly comfortable. Steven also noticed that Candy and Lemon Lime weren't among them, and Berry was sitting near the control panel, her hands wrapped tightly around something, while the Rutile twins piloted the ship. Pearl was holding her phone up to her face, the receiver inches away from her mouth as she spoke into it. Connie was the first one to look up when Steven and Lion made their way upstairs, and she immediately jumped to her feet and rushed over to them.
"Steven," she greeted, relieved, and Pearl's gaze snapped up at once. "Are you okay?"
"I… don't…" Steven began, furrowing his eyebrows. He lowered his gaze after a second, staring at the tear in the fabric of his shirt where his gem was, and reached down with trembling fingers to tug his shirt up enough to get a good look at his gem. It was completely fine, healed over, not even the smallest crack to indicate that anything had ever been wrong with it to begin with. The hybrid stared for a moment, fingers tight around his shirt, and frowned. "I don't know. What…?"
"Take it easy, little man. Come sit down," Amethyst warned as she stood up, and Connie took Steven's hand at once to lead him over to them. He followed without complaint, loosening his grip on his shirt without quite letting go, and lifted his gaze back to them with a frown. No, he knew what had happened - to him, anyway. He was, admittedly, confused as to why they were all piled up in the ship now, why Berry wasn't flying it, where the hell they were going, and where Candy and Lemon Lime were. He had too many questions at the moment to even begin knowing where to start, so he just fell silent as he sank back into the seat, and held his stomach.
"You were cracked," Pearl told him, scooting closer to the edge of her seat and leaning forward to inspect Steven's gem. She was still holding the phone; the hybrid glanced at it, holding still.
"Steven?" Greg's worried voice came from it after a second. "Is he awake? Is he okay?"
"I'm okay, Dad," Steven called immediately, a rush of guilt churning in his stomach for a second. It wasn't his fault that he'd gotten cracked, but he knew this couldn't be easy for his poor father knowing the kind of danger he was in now. He looked down for a second, cautiously touching his gem, and once he was satisfied that the pain really was gone and there was nothing to fear, he curled his fingers around it and dropped his shirt, letting the hem of it pool around his wrist. "Now, at least," he mumbled, mostly to himself, and glanced up. "That was terrifying…" He paused, and winced, recalling how agonizing it had felt, like being ripped apart… "... it hurt…"
Amethyst offered a sympathetic look and squeezed in between Steven and Garnet's chairs while the fusion reached out and rested a hand on his head. "Steven," she began carefully, and he glanced over at her from the corner of his eye. "We think it would be best if we take you and Connie to Empire City with Greg and the rest of the town while we take care of Melanite."
"What?" Steven stared at her, wide-eyed, for a moment, then shook his head furiously. "No way, I…" He trailed off, furrowing his eyebrows, and glanced away. Actually, that didn't really sound like an unreasonable request after everything that had just happened. Connie almost getting killed, and then him almost getting killed… and he knew he could have very well just been killed, he wasn't making any mistake about that. They were both lucky to be alive right now. The hybrid fixed his gaze on Connie for a moment; his best friend grimaced, glancing at Garnet briefly.
But they were so close, weren't they? "But we… Melanite's crew," he finally protested, shifting his gaze back to the gems. "We're taking them down, aren't we? There's not nearly as many as there were when she showed up. We're winning," he insisted. "I can still fight. I promise, I can."
"Steven…" Greg started, and his voice faltered for a moment.
"Dad," Steven started softly, and swallowed, taking a deep breath. "Okay, how about this? We should be able to finish them off next time. We've got-" He stopped then, blinking, as something else occurred to him, and quickly snapped his gaze away from the phone to look around the ship. "Wait, where's Lemon Lime and Candy?" He demanded, and Berry glanced up briefly from where she was sitting, shifting slightly to face them. She raised a hand, and the hybrid froze for a second, seeing the Peridot and pink Pearl's gems tucked securely into the palm of her hand.
"They were poofed just before the rebels retreated," Berry grunted. The anger flickering through her eyes was like nothing he'd ever seen before, a dark, dangerous rage that even Berry hadn't reached before that moment. He looked back down at the gems, stunned, and sank back sharply. At least they were okay; they hadn't lost anyone, at least. As his fury for the rebels doubled, Steven knew there was no way in hell he was going back to Empire City right now. Staying and fighting was the only option he was open to at that point; he was going to be there when they took Melanite down, however they had to do it, and Steven wasn't going to miss out on the chance to see her finally crumble along with the rest of her twisted excuse for a rebellion.
"I'm fighting," he said quietly, not a request for permission, or argument, but a statement, a fact.
The gems exchanged a glance, mumbling begrudging agreements, and Pearl turned back to the phone. "We'll… we'll keep a better eye on him, Greg, I'm so sorry. We won't let him out of our-"
"Jeez, Pearl… I don't blame any of you," Greg interrupted, though his tone implied there was someone to blame, a rare pinch of anger that had Steven's eyes snapping back to the phone in an instant. "I know you'll take care of him as best as you can, just…" He trailed off, silent for a moment. Steven ducked his head, gazing at the phone. "... if anything else happens, I don't care what he says, you bring him here as soon as you can. And Steven, no arguing," he warned, and Steven furrowed his eyebrows, surprised by the firm tone, and lifted his head again with a sigh.
"Yes, sir."
There was a short pause; Steven realized his mistake a little too late, wincing, but Greg only offered a soft mumble of, "we're talking about that later." He sighed, worried, "I love you, bud."
"I love you, too. I'll be more careful," Steven added, biting the inside of his cheek. He looked down for a moment, hand still curled tightly around his gem. Faintly, almost distractedly, it hummed against his touch, a gentle thrumming like the beat of a drum… like a heartbeat. He ran his thumb over it as he listened, tracing it carefully. "It'll be over soon," he murmured.
"Just keep yourself safe, Schtu-ball," Greg replied gently. "Ah- tell Connie to call her parents, they're, uh…" There was a pause and some yelling in the background, and Connie lifted her head at once, an alarmed look rapidly flicking across her features. "They're… pretty worried."
Connie mumbled something under her breath that sounded dangerously close to 'shit'.
Steven couldn't bite back a grin in time, ducking his head and glancing away again while the human pulled her phone out of her duffle bag and headed downstairs. The hybrid reached up, running his fingers through his hair, and leaned his head back with a sigh. "She's calling them," he told Greg, watching Connie go, and he heard Greg call something over his shoulder, presumably to Priyanka and Doug, before his father spoke into the phone again, relieved now.
"Good." There was a pause, and Greg's voice quieted a little as he asked, "so what happened? The gems told me your gem was cracked and they took you to the fountain and all, but…"
"Oh." Steven shifted slightly, pressing his mouth into a thin line as he recalled the fight with Tiger's Eye. His gaze trailed after Connie briefly, wondering for a second if they'd even seen the gem that had done it, if Connie knew it was the same one that had hurt her. Actually, now that he thought about it… stars, she was cracked too, wasn't she? Despite himself, he couldn't keep himself from wincing sympathetically at the thought. He wouldn't have been able to bring himself to crack another gem on purpose even before he knew what it felt like, but now that he did, he especially felt something akin to sympathy for the gem, despite what she had done to Connie.
And to him… she had aimed right for the gem, hadn't she? She'd seen him during the first battle, back on the Pyrope Colony. She knew where his gem was. It hadn't been a frantic, blind swing like his had been, a last-ditch effort to defend herself. She had aimed for his gem. She had fully intended to shatter him with that blow. Thinking back on it now, remembering how the blade had been stuck in the crack it had made, he wondered how it hadn't shattered him.
The hybrid blinked, distracted, and gazed down at where his gem was, his hand still clasped tightly around it, before he forced himself to reply, "it, um… I was just… I was just fighting, and…" He sucked in a breath through his teeth and frowned. "One of the rebels had cornered me, I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings." Agate would be furious with me for that, he knew immediately, making a face. That was one of the many things she had stressed on the way to the Pyrope Colony. "But I'm okay. Actually, uh, the gem that did it, before she attacked me, I was trying to get away and I kind of-" He huffed out a laugh, albeit somewhat pained. Despite his anger toward the rebels, he was absolutely guilt-ridden over what he did. "Accidentally cracked her gem, too, and she poofed… did anyone see it? On the beach?"
Pearl frowned, exchanging a glance with the others. "I didn't see any gem… though I'll admit I wasn't really paying attention," she mumbled, sparing a worried glance toward Steven's stomach, and the hybrid sank back with a grimace. That meant she was still on the beach… could she even reform like that, cracked as she was? He shuddered at the thought of it, of how much pain she must be in, and how much pain she'd definitely be in if she reformed right now. "We should probably go back and look for her," the pale gem sighed, covering her face.
"Why?" Amethyst muttered. "She's not exactly a threat right now."
"No, but…" Steven sighed, glancing away. "I don't wanna leave her out there cracked."
Amethyst snorted, but the corners of her lips tilted up into a faint smile as she shook her head at him. Bismuth offered him an incredulous look, while Pearl and Garnet exchanged fond glances.
"Hey," Steven defended himself, managing a tired smirk. "It hurts."
"Oh, I know." Amethyst's smile shifted, a little more strained, but it didn't vanish. "Trust me."
Steven furrowed his eyebrows, silent for a moment. He remembered when Amethyst had cracked… before he could lose himself in the memory, however, a pink glow caught his attention from the corner of his eye; he turned his head at once to watch, as Berry shifted Lemon Lime's gem to one hand and held up Candy's gem with the other one, allowing it to rise up into the air so that the pink gem could reform. She sank back again almost immediately, trading glances between the gems briefly, and Steven sat up and leaned forward a little. Everyone seemed to be poofing lately… but they all came back much different when they did. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in seeing what Candy looked like now.
She landed on her toes, one foot crossed gracefully in front of the other, hands up at her sides, and blinked her eyes open. Her outfit was much different; instead of the pale pink, tank top-style top she had worn before, she now wore a dark pink outfit that resembled something of a turtleneck. It didn't cover her shoulders, and arched in an upside down 'V' just above her stomach. The outfit picked up again just below her stomach, arching downwards into a 'V' - the shape the outfit as a whole made resembled a diamond, if he was being completely honest - and the leggings cut off just above her thighs. Wrapped around her legs, all the way down to her ankles, she wore some sort of pale pink, transparent fabric, not quite a skirt, but too loose to be considered pants. She also wore a pale of gloves to match the outfit; the top half was dark pink, with white stars on the backs of her hands, and the undersides of the gloves were white.
Steven smiled slightly, relieved to see her, and stood up while Pearl offered Greg a quick goodbye and a promise to call back soon before she hung up the phone. "Welcome back," the hybrid sighed, venturing closer to the pink Pearl, and Candy looked up at him with wide eyes. Then she gasped and whirled around, eyes darting around, presumably in search of Lemon Lime, because Berry was quick to hold up the Peridot's gem before the Pearl could freak out.
"He's fine," the Ruby muttered, and fell silent again with a scowl.
Candy covered her mouth, looking nothing short of worried, and Steven took a deep breath and eased himself into the chair beside Berry's. Candy ended up sitting down on her other side, eyes fixed on Lemon Lime's gem, which the Ruby didn't seem to have any plans of letting go of. Candy gazed at it for a moment, eyebrows furrowed. "... where did the rebels go? They retreated," she recalled, narrowing her eyes slightly, and Berry ducked her head with a faint nod.
Clementine shifted slightly where she sat, crossing her arms. "We don't know where they are. Melanite took her crew and dipped." She rolled her eyes, looking irritated. "Freaking cowards."
Candy frowned, narrowing her eyes further. "Where are we going?"
Steven hummed softly, glancing out the window, and blinked. He was startled to see that it was night time already, the stars glittering brightly across the pitch black sky. Steven found himself staring for a while, watching thin, wispy clouds drift across in front of the moon, and bit the inside of his cheek with a frown as he sank back in his seat and rolled his shoulders back. The Rutile twins glanced back from their place at the control panel, then turned their gazes to where Lars sat in his seat in the center of the ship. The pink human snapped back to attention quickly, lifting his head from his hand with a frown, and glanced out the window before simply shrugging.
"Let's head back to the beach," Steven offered, sitting up and leaning forward a little in his seat. The Rutile twins turned to obey immediately, while Steven went on, "I wanna find that gem."
"What gem?" Candy asked curiously.
"The gem I accidentally cracked before the rebels retreated," Steven murmured, and the pink Pearl raised her eyebrows in surprise, sinking back with a somewhat startled look on her face. "Who happens to be the same gem that nearly killed Connie and then cracked me before she poofed - I just don't wanna leave her out there cracked. She'd be better off in a bubble where she can't hurt anyone else, and she's not hurt either." He turned his head, glancing over his shoulder when he heard Connie heading back up the stairs, a startling mixture of frustrated and amused. He watched her carefully as she crossed over to them with Lion at her side and sank down into the seat beside Steven's, offering the hybrid an exhausted smile. "You okay?"
"Fine." Connie sighed, and smiled, rolling her eyes. "They're just worried."
"Understandably so," Steven murmured, glancing down to her neck briefly, and Connie rolled her eyes again, this time toward him, and raised an eyebrow skeptically in response. "I know," the hybrid responded before she had the chance to say anything. "I know, I'm one to talk."
Connie smirked, amused, and opened her mouth to respond. Whatever she was about to say, however, was effectively drowned out by a loud, thundering crackle; Steven cringed back into his seat, encasing himself, Berry, Candy and Connie in a bubble instinctively at the familiar sound. It was distant enough to not be an immediate threat, he knew that logically - and yet, even safe and secure in the confines of the Sun Incinerator, he could damn near feel the heat from the blast, he could feel the impact of the explosion, and his heart stuttered and stopped as he stared ahead at the bright flare in the distance in front of them, flickers of flames and smoke.
He held his breath for a moment, then dropped the bubble and pushed himself up, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. The ship skidded to a stop for a second as the Rutile twins stared - everyone stared - before Garnet was suddenly urging them to keep going, and they did.
"What the shards…?" Berry, effectively distracted from Lemon Lime's gem, opened her mouth and stared in open shock at the sight in front of them as they got closer, and Steven gasped.
The lighthouse…
Half of it was severed, smashed into pieces, blown to bits, debris and glass strewn across the ground. What was still standing was steadily falling apart; pieces of it crumbled every now and again, falling into the fire below; flames had wrapped themselves around the lighthouse completely, licking at the walls of the house and attaching themselves to the bushes, and what remained of the fencing around the mountain. Steven was horrified enough seeing that alone; but it didn't take long for his gaze to climb steadily toward the top of what remained of the lighthouse, what was still left standing. As they drew closer, the hybrid sucked in another gasp that didn't come back out when he saw someone dangling from the edge, struggling to hold on while pieces of the lighthouse crumbled and chipped off around them and fell into the fire below.
He didn't have to look too closely to know who it was; Ronaldo was unmistakable to begin with, but there was only one person he could think of who would have been in the lighthouse right then, when everyone had been told to evacuate the city. His heart took off at an alarming rate, mouth going dry; his gaze snapped up to the ship hovering close to the lighthouse, torn between horror and rage, but it didn't take him long to tear his attention away. "We've got to save him. I-"
"What is he even doing out here?!" Amethyst shrieked, pacing toward the windshield and staring out at the lighthouse in shock. "Everyone was supposed to- I thought you said everyone was-?"
"He was with his dad and Peedee," Connie sounded shocked. "He must have come back…"
"Stop the ship," Steven ordered, already turning to head for the door. Everything happened pretty quickly then; the hybrid stopped to let the ship come to a complete stop before he opened the door, and Connie was quick to catch up to him, grabbing the hybrid's arm to turn him around. He stared down at her for a moment, mouth open to protest, "we don't have time for-"
"You're not going out there by yourself," Connie snapped, and Steven blinked.
He glanced down at her hand on his arm, and furrowed his eyebrows, understanding.
It didn't take long for them to start glowing; and, as they did, Lemon Lime's gem did the same. Berry's eyes widened, snapping her gaze back and forth between them rapidly; Stevonnie was the first to form completely. They stood in Steven's place, rigid with tension, hands clenched tight with anxiety. Their eyes burned as they blinked them open, dark with determination and rage and worry. Their shirt, too small to cover their gem as per usual, rested just above their stomach, and they wore Connie's dark blue vest overtop of it. Their hair was pulled back into a bun, with a few curls dangling down in front of their face. They didn't stop yet to see Lemon Lime, but the Peridot had finished reforming by the time the ship had finally pulled to a stop.
They pressed their hand to the panel beside the door, but Lion nudged their hand before they had the chance to jump out. They looked back, pausing, while the pink beast dropped Connie's bag at their feet and stepped back to let them pull the sword out, and they did so cautiously.
"Thanks, Lion." They reached out, touching his head, and frowned. "Stay here."
With one last glance toward the others, Stevonnie turned and jumped out, summoning a shield to land on and soaring up toward the lighthouse without a pause.