The legend reborn arc. CAP 1: Meeting Pidge.
"The legends never die".
It only takes a single moment to change things in the universe… Lapis Lazuli was one of those that would be affected by it…
He could not believe it; for five thousand years she was trapped on Earth and was now finally free to return to her Homeworld. Lazuli's water wings flapped with determination as the blue woman flew through the cosmos, her long skirt fluttering with each one. Lapis sincerely enjoyed this sensation; it felt like her first time taking flight. After what felt like an eternity of being unable to do so, the excitement of flying was almost foreign to her at first.
However, as she soared across the solar system, the feeling became blissful to her senses; growing to the point where the blue Gem started to cry tears of joy. The one thing Lapis sincerely wished she could bring with her was Steven, her first real friend in centuries. However, Earth was his home as much as Blue Diamond's Court is hers. Lazuli will, and is as of now, miss him dearly; but no matter what happens next, she will never forget all that he did for her.
As Lapis continued soaring closer to the edge of the solar system, something caught her attention upon flying over Pluto's moon, Kerberos; she saw what looked like three humanoids wearing some advance exploration uniforms, examining the surface of the dwarf planets moon.
Humans and their technology have indeed advanced far greater than Lapis had even realized. Before her imprisonment humans could barely cross from one continent to another, now they are just about to near the edge of their solar system. Compared to Gem-kind, from Earth to Kerberos does not seem like much of an impressive achievement; but if humans can progress more apace than what the Diamonds give them credit for; who knows what else they can accomplish. Lapis now understood why Steven enjoyed being with them so much.
Lazuli shifted her focus away from the explorers to continue onward; just a few miles left until she has successfully gotten out of the solar system. Lazuli was so close to real freedom when the area in front of her suddenly began growing darker. This instantaneous spread of shadow surprised the blue woman at first but calmed down as she thought that maybe a meteor must've gravitated in front of the sun; only to be immediately disproven when a blinding purple light comes seemingly out of nowhere, forcing Lapis to stop midflight to shield her eyes with her arms.
"Wha… What is that?" Lapis asked herself as she squinted through a small gap in-between her arms; discovering the light source originating from a large vessel of the likes she has never seen before in her lifetime. "Oh… My… Stars…" Lazuli's voice trembled upon gazing at the massive vessel, finding herself unable to move as she froze out of fear. The sheer size of the dreadnaught alone terrified her as it rivaled the that of Yellow and Blue Diamond's arm ships, if not bigger.
A violet-red radiance glowed from the front of the gigantic ship; before firing a broad ray of energy that engulfed everything in sight. Lapis snapped out of her trance and proceeded to flee from the oncoming beam of light. However, it was ultimately futile as her body was swallowed up by the energy within seconds.
In the mere moments before the hostile light touched her body; the blue Gem tearfully closed her eyes as she thought to herself that this was the end of the line for her. Lapis figured she would be disintegrated right there and now; without being given a chance to see her home once more. After a prolonged period of feeling nothing; Lazuli's eyes slowly opened, only to find herself still alive but unable to move as she was dragged unwillingly to the face of the ship. The light was not a weapon; it was a tractor beam.
"No! This can't be happening!" Lapis screamed in frustration, fear, and sadness as she struggled to escape. Despite how hard Lazuli fought, her body grew weaker with every fleeting moment as she drew closer to the opening doors of the battleship. Her will to fight began to die out as everything slowly went black.
The freedom she longed for was finally within her grasp, then denied. As soon as she achieved her independence; it was being taken from her just as quickly.
Two Years Later in Beach city, Delmarva.
Beach city is a place among many other beaches in the state of Delmarva but unlike them, What makes this city special is it's the people in the first place: wherever you go there will always be a person who five a welcoming smile.
Second thing is the place itself: it may not be fancy like Manhattan or Miami, but it will be able to offer you in a certain way peace, tranquility and healthy fun.
Finally, what makes Beach city a place to spend your holidays are the large number of myths that are born in this land: from terrifying creatures to aliens from another world live peacefully with the people.
And this is the place where a great adventure begins.
"Welcome back, Steven." Connie enthusiastically greeted her Jam Bud at the temple with the biggest hug she could muster. "I've missed you." She sported her usual attire: a sea-green t-shirt with dark gray, knee-length shorts and orange shoes with silvery highlights; along with one of her father's coffee-colored security guard jackets, which was overly big for her body.
"I'm glad to see you too, Connie." Steven hugged the dark-haired girl in return; happy and relieved to spot the familiar face of his cherished friend and training partner after so much madness in the past few weeks.
"I was so worried when we started getting tremors across the town," Connie admitted. Her tone and expression had some genuine worry within them as she and Steven simultaneously broke from their hug to sit on the stair steps of the temple. The Half-Gem could not blame her; those quakes frightened him as well. "But I had faith that you would find a way," the teenaged girl added with glee as she gazed into the boy's full black eyes.
"Well… we are the Crystal Gems after all." Steven assuredly stated, pointing at the big, bright-yellow star in the center of his red-pink t-shirt. "But I don't deserve all the credit; we would've never been capable of finding the Cluster if it wasn't for Peridot."
"Peridot?" Connie inquisitively looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Wasn't she the one who tried to kill you and the Gems a bunch of times?"
"Yeah, but she's not so bad when you take the time to know her," Steven explained. "In fact, she's even a Crystal Gem now."
Peridot showed up on Earth a couple of months after Lapis left. The Gems believed she came to Earth to restart the kindergarten and help Homeworld take over the planet again. Instead, she was here to check on the Cluster; a massive geo-weapon that would've destroyed the Earth if left unchecked, for her superiors. However, when she ended up stranded on the planet and realized what would happen to her if the geo-weapon emerged; Peridot joined the Crystal Gems to safeguard her self-interests. However, after spending enough time on the planet; Homeworld's once-proud loyalist saw the same beauty in it that Steven's mother: Rose Quartz and the other Gems saw; defying her superior's orders to protect the planet instead.
"Cool," Connie said with amazement that everything turned out for the better. "So, where is she at, now?"
"In the bathroom." Steven flatly stated.
"I thought Gems didn't have to eat?" Connie questioned, knowing Amethyst to be the exception.
"No, I didn't mean it like that." Steven quickly realized what that sounded like and restates himself. "Peridot hid in the bathroom when we captured her while she was still a "bad guy," but said to have gotten used to living in there. But it does get a bit complicated when "nature calls" and I need to kick her out. Also, Amethyst believes Peridot might be a cat; if you spray her with a bottle of water, she'll run away."
Connie chuckles to herself at the last joke; imagining the scenario playing out in her head. "So, what happens now?" She asked upon regaining her composure.
"What do you mean?" Steven asked.
"Well... you guys just prevented the end of the world," Connie states, using her hands to emphasize how much of an accomplishment something like that is. "I would be lying if I wasn't more than a little curious about what your next big adventure will be."
Steven stayed quiet for a moment; what would his next big adventure with the Crystal Gems be? "I don't know. I was rather hoping everything would go back to the way they were before all of this. Hanging out with you and all my other friends and dealing with the "monster of the week." Not having to worry about apocalyptic events or invasions from Homeworld. If that makes sense."
"I get it…" Connie understandingly nodded. "Things have gotten bizarre lately. But that's Beach City, what else would you expect?"
The two kids just chuckled at the joke for a moment; concluding their laughter just as something hits the top of Steven's head. "Ow."
"Are you okay?" Connie asked.
"Uh-huh," Steven affirmed, rubbing the sore spot. It did not hurt, he was just caught off-guard by the sudden surprise. The teenaged boy looks around to see what hit him; eventually finding and picking up an empty and dented can of Sugar Shock Shut Down soda. "Where did this come from?"
"My guess is someone must've dropped it by accident," Connie suggested, looking and pointing up at the top of the hill behind the Crystal Temple; barely making out the short, unidentified figure in the distance. "You want to go check out who it is?" Connie asked lastly.
"Why not," Steven said with a curious shrug as the two teens stand and stretch their legs before heading up the hill to identify the mystery figure. If the individual weren't short; they would've assumed it was Beach City's local conspiracy theorist, Ronaldo Fryman.
And it was at this exact moment that a single act change the history of the universe.
After a short hike up the hill; the Jam Buds find a girl around Steven's and Connie's age whom they have never seen in town before, sitting on the grass with her legs crossed. She had light brown, medium length hair tied into a ponytail; as well as golden beige skin. She was of average build for someone her age and sported a green and white hoodie with ginger highlights and dark gray cargo pants; with a black and orange backpack. She had a pair of headphones worn over her ears, staring and typing away at the laptop in front of her.
Next to her was an assortment of snacks and drinks. To her left was a bag of Chaaaaps brand chips; along with half of a remaining six-pack of Sugar Shock Shut Down to her right. The girl paused her typing to eat several chips from the bag; before drinking, what the Jam Buds assumed to be, her third to stare at the screen; seemingly unaware of two teens existences. Steven and Connie looked at each other for a moment, then back to the girl; not sure on how to approach her. Steven wanted to ask her upfront what she was doing but didn't want to bother her too much since she seemed to be doing some in-depth research. The best friends gave each other agreeing nods and walked over to her carefully; standing directly behind the mystery girl.
"Excuse me…" Steven starts, unintentionally startling the girl; who, in turn, startled him and Connie with an unexpected shriek, making them fall onto their butts.
The girl took off her headphones and glared at Steven and Connie. She had soft brown eyes covered by a pair of round glasses with a black frame; with visible irritation behind them. "Can I help you two?" She asked in a slightly abrasive tone.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Steven apologetically states as he and Connie stand up, before showing her the empty can. "We were just wondering what you were doing up here since one of your cans hit me on the head."
"Oh, sorry about that." The girl apologizes as she takes the empty tin container, setting it aside before turning back to her laptop.
"I've never seen you around town before," Steven states, trying to strike up a conversation. "I'm Steven, and this is Connie. What's your name?"
"My name is Pidge, and I just arrived in town about a week ago," The girl disinterestedly answers.
"So… what are you working on Pidge?" Steven asked as he and Connie leaned forward to see what was on the computer screen.
"Just some stuff I doubt either of you would be interested in," Pidge answered.
Connie leaned in a little closer to the computer; her eyes widened with interest as she recognized several the of diagrams on the screen. "Unless I'm mistaken, aren't those radio waves and satellite frequencies?" Connie asked.
"Oh… Oh, yeah, they are." Pidge said with a brighter tone and expression than before. "The same kind that are used to communicate long distances. I don't know many people my age who are familiar with or interested in this kind of stuff."
"So, you're trying to talk to someone?" Steven asks.
"Well, not talk to someone." Pidge begins. "More like… never mind." She said lastly in a gloomy manner.
"Is something wrong?" Connie asks, picking up on the girl's tone. "You sound upset."
"It's nothing… it's just…" Pidge pauses for a moment, looking over the computer monitor. "If I told you; you'd probably think that I'm a weirdo."
"Well, to be fair. Beach City is home to the weird." Steven retorts. "So, believe us when we tell you nothing said will sound that far out there."
"Well, if you're not going to judge… okay then." Pidge looks at Steven and Connie with assuredness, taking a deep breath; she barely knew these two for a minute, yet, had a strong feeling of trust towards them. "I'm using the radio waves and satellite frequencies to look for two someone's… my dad and brother."
"What happened to them?" Steven carefully pressed. He wanted to know more but could tell it was a delicate subject.
Pidge turns back to her device and brings up several different graphs onto the screen, each of them containing strange readings. "They were both astronauts for the Galaxy Garrison…"
"The Galaxy Garrison," Connie spoke up, with rising enthusiasm. "As in the leading heads of modern-day space exploration, composed of some of the most brilliant minds and pilots ever known."
"The same one," Pidge confirms.
"What's the Galaxy Garrison?" Steven asked the girls, instantly receiving a quick summary from Connie.
"The Galaxy Garrison is a space exploration division established in 1999 and is well-funded by the world governments with a goal of seeing how far humanity can travel beyond Earth; as well as discover signs of life beyond the Milky Way Galaxy. Some of the world's greatest minds offer their intellect to the organization, with their ships being navigated by some of the best air force pilots ever seen. One of the Garrisons most well-known pilots was Takashi Shirogane." Connie blushed a little bit upon explaining the latter part; if her tone was any indication, it sounded like this Takashi Shirogane was her celebrity crush. "However, Shirogane disappeared during a mission on Kerberos that went terribly wrong."
"Ahem… Like I was saying." Pidge started anew. "My dad and brother were astronauts for them; both were a part of the crew for the Kerberos mission two years ago with the aviator you mentioned. The official records state that it was due to a "pilot error." But I believe something else happened that not even the Garrison knows or doesn't want to admit to the public about."
"Like what?" Steven asks curiously.
"After hearing the news about the Kerberos mission, I didn't believe what was said and began doing some digging on what happened. That's when I discovered some crazy and unexplainable readings." Pidge states as she enlarges several of the charts on her computer. "These are the readings for satellite feeds, magnetic disturbances and hundreds of other anomalies from two years ago that I've managed to gather up."
Steven and Connie lean in closer to the screen, where she caught sight of something odd about one of the graphs. "Pidge, would you mind zooming in on the date for that reading?" Connie asked, pointing to the chart she wanted to view.
"Okay, why?" Pidge asked. "Because I looked at it already; it was the same day the mission went wrong."
"I just have a feeling…" Connie said. Pidge gave her a trusting nod and zoomed in on the diagrams date with the highest spike. "Steven, doesn't that date look familiar to you?" Connie asked her best friend.
Steven leaned in closer to look at the date she was referring to and indeed recognized amongst the others. "That's the same day Lapis left Earth."
"I don't think this is a coincidence," Connie stated.
"Who's Lapis?" Pidge asked the two of them.
"She's a friend of mine," Steven answers truthfully. "A Gem who was trapped here on Earth for a long time; until I fixed her up, then she flew into space on wings made of water."
"What?" Was all Pidge could say to the summary; unsure of how to respond to or believe what she heard.
"It's complicated." Connie quickly exclaims, before turning to Steven. "I think we should bring this information to the Gems; they might be able to figure out what happened to the Kerberos explorers."
"Hold on for a second, sorry but, who and what are the Gems?" Pidge confusedly asks.
"Again, it's really complicated. But if anyone would know what happened to your family, it would be them." Connie stated as she and Steven offer Pidge a hand up; which she accepts.
"And that is pretty much the gist of it," Steven concludes his explanation of the situation to Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Peridot; as Pidge shows the four intergalactic women the data on her laptop. She was jumping up and down in place; trying her hardest to contain her excitement over the fact that aliens are real.
"This is quite fascinating." Pearl began as her sky-blue eyes scanned the diagrams with intrigue. "The algorithms you put together are outstanding, especially for some your age. You have quite the gift for the sciences Miss…" The pale woman paused with some embarrassment as her cheeks flushed a bright blue. "My apologies, I didn't catch your last name."
"My last name is Holt," Pidge stated plainly; still trying to hold in her eagerness to ask the four alien women a million questions on the spot.
"Do you think Homeworld could've snatched them?" Amethyst threw out as the stout purple girl curled her long lavender hair with her index finger.
"Highly unlikely," Peridot answered in her normal tone; which still sounded rather snobbish. "I would've known if there were unregistered Homeworld ships anywhere near the solar system at the time. Even if there were any Homeworld ships here; why would they grab a small group of humans on a dwarf planet's moon, instead of coming to the source? It's what I would've done at least." The petite green girl added, in a pompous manner.
Pearl and Amethyst just rolled their eyes at the lime Gems remark; just because Peridot helped save the world, it still doesn't detract the fact that she has a maddeningly obnoxious ego the size of the sun.
"What if…" Steven started but stopped as his rosy face turned pale.
"Yes, Steven?" Garnet asked the boy with concern; sensing that he was anxious about speaking his mind.
"What if… Homeworld accidentally took the astronauts when they were trying to capture Lapis, instead." Steven said with worry for his Beach Summer Fun Buddy. Steven was so happy that Lapis got a chance to return to her home at first, but when Peridot explained to him how Homeworld is; he began to fear for the blue Gems safety.
"That is equally unlikely too." Peridot intervenes, garnering Steven's attention. "If they were there for Lapis, she would've been brought to Homeworld for interrogation due to her being a Gem from Earth; if that happened, Yellow Diamond… would've ordered a soldier to accompany me to Earth instead of going alone; like a Jasper, or maybe a Topaz fusion."
"I'm sorry, who?" Pidge asked, lost in translation with all the names and terminologies being casually thrown out.
"Okay, can you stop disproving all of our theories? It's making it hard to figure out what could've happened to Pidge's family." Amethyst criticized Peridot.
"What's wrong with me being right?" Peridot asked the purple Gem.
"Nothing, but we lack a theory we can work with and build upon because of it," Garnet stated.
Before anyone could say anything else, Pidge's laptop began beeping frantically; forcing her to set it down by the living room table.
"What's going on?" Steven and Connie asked simultaneously.
"The radio waves, satellite frequencies and all of my other scanners; they are picking up something enter the atmosphere," Pidge explained as she typed away on the keyboard; bringing up all the diagrams she could fit onto her screen. "I can't identify what it is, exactly; though it's massive and entering the atmosphere fast."
"Let me see! Let me see!" Peridot rushed over to the device and gasps with fear after mentally scanning the screen. "It's heading towards the Beta Kindergarten… which means it must be Yellow Diamond coming here to shatter me for calling her a clod to her face."
"Peridot, calm down…" Garnet ordered as the green Gem began hyperventilating.
"Calm down, P-dot," Amethyst said; walking over to and grasping the scared girl's shoulders.
"You all said I was crazy!" Peridot shouted, pointing fingers at each member of the Crystal Gems accusingly. "I warned you all that she would come for me! That she would stop at nothing until she erased my charming smile from existence!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Peri!" Amethyst shouted as she proceeded to smack some sense into her panicking friend. "Are you good now?"
Peridot takes a deep breath in, then exhales her worries away. "Yes, I'm good now."
"Okay, now... there's another kindergarten on the planet?" Amethyst asks.
"Oh, there is a bunch of them on the planet," Peridot answered. "But Beta isn't as well made as yours Amethyst; I can't fathom why Homeworld would want to go there."
"Um, why would aliens be interested in a play school?" Pidge asked.
"Believe me when I say, you wish it were that kind of kindergarten," Amethyst warned.
"The matter of the fact is, we should still go investigate," Pearl advises them. "If it is Yellow Diamond or one of her soldiers; she's likely here to retrieve the Cluster. Even if it's not that, we should still be there to make sure everything is safe."
"Agreed." Garnet briskly said.
"All right, let's go then," Pidge says with determination.
"You're not coming," Garnet ordered her.
"What, why not?" Pidge asked with surprise.
"It's too dangerous for someone like you." The tallest woman of the group further added.
"But this might be a lead to my brother or father; if it is, I need to be there." Pidge harshly objected.
"It's our sworn duty as Crystal Gems to protect humans no matter what." Garnet loudly states.
"I don't care; this is my family!" Pidge barked back.
"Garnet, this is important to her," Steven adds in; defending Pidge's protests.
"Steven, I know you mean well; but she's not like you or Connie," Garnet stated. "She's a liability if we run into trouble."
Pidge scowled at the maroon Gem for being called a liability; but before she could declare anything else, Steven quickly stepped in. "But she's been searching for her brother and father for two years now," Steven stated. "I mean… wouldn't Ruby or Sapphire do the same for each other if they were in this position?"
Garnet was about to respond to that statement but found herself unable to say anything. Even though Steven did not intend for what he said to be like that; it was still a cheap shot from the Fusion's perspective. However, hearing those words made her understand how much this truly means to Pidge. "I see your point," The tall Gem heaved a defeated sigh. "She may accompany us."
"Thank you," Pidge gratefully said to Steven; appreciating him sticking up for her.
"But that doesn't get rid of the problem that she is still human and frail." Pearl reminds everyone.
"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on her," Connie says, stepping forward.
"We'll even bring Lion for some extra back up," Steven added in.
"Then… I guess it's settled." Pearl said, still unsure if this is the sensible decision.
"Oh Pearl," Connie spoke up. "Because I didn't think we'd be going on a mission today, I didn't bring Rose's sword. You wouldn't happen to have a..."
"No worries, I have plenty of spares," Pearl informed the girl as the gemstone on her forehead glows bright white, materializing a short Cutlass; the same one Connie used when she first began her training with the Gems, carefully handing the blade to her. It was a too lightweight for Connie's tastes, but she would still make the best of it.
"Peridot," Garnet spoke up to the little Gem. "Since you seem to know more about the Beta Kindergarten than we do; you should take the lead for this one."
"Gladly," Peridot said with a hint of growth in her already enormous ego.
"Welcome to the Beta Kindergarten, Crystal Gems," Peridot says as soon as the group rematerializes from the warp pad into a vast canyon in the middle of a desert. The Beta Kindergarten was not as dreary looking as its Prime counterpart, but it still carried an unnerving weight, but that could be common for all kindergartens.
"Are you doing okay, Pidge?" Steven asked her, making sure she was not going to throw up or pass out on the group from the instantaneous teleportation.
"I'm fine, thank you," Pidge assured him before looking at her laptop. "All right, according to this; the object that crashed here should be a few miles north of where we are," she affirms; painting a digital map on the screen.
"Then there is no time to waste." Peridot states and acts in a manner that was imitating Garnets leadership skills. "Crystal Gems, move out!" Peridot shouted lastly, pointing the northern direction while striking what she thought to be a cool pose. However, the green Gem realized that the Crystal Gems and humans had already gone ahead of her and scrambled to catch up with them. "Hey, wait for your leader!"
As the humans and Gems continue walking ahead; Pidge took in her surrounding as she stayed close to Connie, Steven, and his pet pink lion, redundantly named Lion. Seeing the human-shaped holes carved into the sides of the canyon were very disturbing sights. She tried ignoring them, but she kept finding herself looking back at them. "What… was this place?" Pidge asks aloud. One part of her wanted an answer, but another part was scared to find out the truth.
"I don't think there's a point in you knowing." Amethyst began. "After all, if this is your bro and dad we're finding, then you'll be on your way and not have to deal with all this Gem stuff."
"Wasn't that a bit rude, Amethyst?" Steven asked the Crystal Gem. It was not out of character for Amethyst to be ill-mannered, but the way she said it to Pidge bothered him.
"But she does have a point," Pidge spoke up, attracting looks from the two kids. "After I find Matt and my dad, we're going home. Outside of Beach City."
"Oh, I see," Connie said with a saddened tone and expression; matching Steven's.
"I'm sorry you guys, it's just…" Pidge started, only to get interrupted by Steven.
"It's okay, we understand." Steven started with a small smile. "For what it's worth; we're glad to have gotten to know you Pidge."
"Well…" Pidge started up again. "I think now would be the best time to tell you; if this might be the last time we see each other. Pidge is a nickname my brother gave to me. My real name is Katie."
"Oh, that's a pretty name." Connie complimented.
"Thanks," Katie said back with a blush at the kind remark.
"But... can we still call you Pidge?" Steven asked. "It grew on us."
"No, I don't' mind." Katie… Pidge responded. While she started all of this to find Matthew; Pidge never expected to make friends in the form of Steven and Connie. She'll miss the two of them deeply when her reunited family returns home.
"We should be getting closer now," Pidge informs the group as she looks at her device; after what felt like hours of near endless walking.
"Good, the sooner we get out of here, the better," Amethyst states; letting her strong feelings towards kindergartens take over for a bit.
As the group continues walking through the kindergarten, following Peridot's lead and Pidge's equipment; all the Gems remained calm and collected except for Garnet who felt a little unnerved.
"Is everything all right Garnet?" Pearl asked her leader with some concerns.
"You're looking a bit tense there, G-Squad," Amethyst asks as well, with equal amounts of worry.
"Do see any danger?" Pearl asks again, wondering if the Fusion saw something with her Future Vision.
"I don't see anything, but I can't shake this feeling that someone... or something is watching us," Garnet admits. "Keep your guard up."
"I wish I had your Mom's sword right now," Connie admits to Steven; still not used to the difference in weight.
"Well, whatever trouble we might run into, the Gems can handle it," Steven reassures her; when they suddenly hear a click in the distance
"What was that?" Pidge asks aloud as the group stops.
"You heard it too?" Garnet asks, as she stands completely still and listens; hearing another one
"There it is, again." Amethyst points out, as she looks around.
"Up there!" Garnet shouted as the group followed her finger to where she was pointing to; up on a ledge above the group was a humanoid figure concealed in shadow.
"I got it," Pearl said as she summons a spear from her gemstone and throws it at the figure; who manages to catch it, much to the Crystal Gems surprise; before throwing it back to Pearl, who jumps out of the way.
The figure leaps down from the ledge and lands on their hands and feet in the same manner as a cat, before standing himself up. The person's body was masculine and wholly garbed from head-to-toe in black, leather-like armor, and wore a complete face mask with a pair of glowing violet eyes.
"Is that a ninja?" Steven asks himself; drawing the comparison in his head. Steven prepared to summon his shield, Connie readied her sword, and Lion prepared to pounce the assailant, while Pidge and Peridot stayed behind them.
The mysterious figure pulled out a knife from a sheath on the back of his belt, which glowed a bright violet-blue before transforming into a full-length blade; altering his stance into a fighting position.
"Who are you?" Garnet asked the figure as she summoned her gauntlets, along with Amethyst invoking her whip and Pearl retrieving her spear. The character remained silent as he stared the Gems down. Steven, Connie, Pidge, Peridot, and Lion kept their distance from both sides; but were ready to step in if they had to.
Pearl and Garnet charged their adversary with significant amounts of speed. The pale Gem thrusts her spear forward at the ninja, who dodges the strikes before attempting to slash Pearl; who quickly blocks the blade. The assailant swiftly backs away as Garnet delivers a flurry of punches which he manages to avoid as well; an accomplishment that is easier said than done. Amethyst flicks her whip at the enemy, attempting to wrap it around his legs; only for it to get cut by the blade before tightening. Pearl lunges at him again, but instead of dodging; the ninja grabs the pole of the spear and uses it to lift him into the air before delivering a kick to the skinny woman's face and grabbing the spear from her hand. The figure then throws the spear at Garnet, who catches it with her gauntlet before delivering a blow to the assailant's face; sending him tumbling back a yard or two before landing on his feet again, ready to strike back.
"Keith, wait!" An unknown, masculine sounding voice shouted from far away; garnering the masked man's attention as the footsteps of two people are heard in the distance. Garnet handed Pearl her spear as the two Gems, along with Amethyst stood ready for another fight.
The footsteps stopped suddenly as two human men stepped out of the shadows. One was tall and muscular and appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He had fair golden skin with a faint, half-healed scar across the bridge of his nose. His eyes were a cloudy grey, and his hair was jet-black with a white forelock that stood out the most compared to everything else. His attire was composed exclusively of black and grays with a few golden highlights here and there. "I told you not to go ahead of us." Connie lowered her blade as her jaw dropped slightly upon recognizing who the man was: Takashi Shirogane.
"I know Shiro, but I had to investigate the energy Red detected." The ninja, Keith, explained to the man in a robotic sounding; yet easy to understand English. Something the Gems nor the humans expected to hear. "And I believe this group may have been the cause of it," Keith added in as he kept his eyes on the Gems; not letting his guard down for a second.
"Well, you still can't just run off like that. We're in this together, remember." A second voice added to the conversation, one that Pidge instantly recognized; as another figure stepped out to join the party of three. He was an adult male, a few years younger than Shiro. He had golden beige skin with a scar on his cheek, brown eyes and short and messy light chestnut hair.
Pidges eyes widen with a mixture of surprise, joy, and disbelief upon realizing who that man was. "Matt!" Pidge cried with joy as she forced herself ahead of the group of Steven and Connie and the Gems. "Matthew!"
The man turns to the voice upon hearing the name, and his eyes widen with the same emotions as well. "Katie." The man confirmed to be Matthew said to himself as he ran past Shiro and Keith. "Katie!" Matt cried as he and Pidge met in the middle and embraced each other with a tear-filled hug.
"I missed you so much… I... I knew you were still out there." Pidge choked on her words as she let all her emotions out.
"I know, Katie... I know." Was all Matt said, as he continued holding his sister.
"You can put the blade away now Keith," Shiro suggested to his ninja friend; who silently agreed as his blade glowed brightly, returning to a knife before sheathing it.
"Disperse your weapons," Garnet ordered her fellow Gems as their armaments simultaneously poof into clouds of smoke, and Steven deactivates his shield; with he and Connie beginning to tear up at the beautiful reunion of the brother and sister.
After a long, tender while; Matt and Pidge broke from their hug. "What happened to you, Matt?" Pidge asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes; the brother she saw right here and now was completely different from the one who went on that space mission.
"Oh, where do I even begin," Matt answered as he prepared to delve into his long and perilous adventure that took place over the past two years.
Hello there, I want to tell you that it is a great honor for me to be the one to bring back this great story that captive us a couple of years ago. I will be publishing the chapters weekly so I want yout opinion in the comments.
see you soon