Everything was spiraling out of control. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Twoie was supposed to make the past better, instead he had only managed to make things worse. Now because of him Garnet had split up, maybe permanently, and they still had Jasper to deal with. He chewed the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from screaming. Getting upset now wouldn't help the situation.
He jumped over the wooden railing and used his powers to safely land on the sand under the beach house where a sleeping Lion rested. He couldn't suppress the pang of envy at the sight of the snoring pink cat. He was pretty sure Lion never had to deal with accidentally messing up the timeline. All Lion worried about were snacks and naps, both of which were things that Twoie had very little of recently. As if hearing his thoughts, Lion opened his eyes and peered up at him as if to say 'what do you want?'
"Hey, bud." he greeted, stroking his impossibly soft mane. Lion leaned into his touch, purring in approval. "I need to get something, someone out of your mane."
Like always, Lion seemed to understand what he was saying. He lowered his head, making it easier for him to enter the weird dimension that resided inside of his fur. He summoned a bubble around his head so he wouldn't suffocate and entered Lion's mane.
He took some time to admire his surroundings, something that he rarely got to do since this dimension lacked any breathable air. Everything was as pink and serene as he remembered it being. The only difference being the lack of a second hill that connected to Lars' head.
The bubble containing Bismuth was easy to spot. It was cradled by the branches of the tree at the top of the hill. It was too early for Bismuth to come out, but they were in a tight spot and they needed all the help they could get. He wanted to bring Bismuth back sooner, but he had been so busy with figuring out how to stop the cluster and with trying to convince the gems that he wasn't some Homeworld spy that it had slipped his mind.
He reached a tentative hand out toward the pink sphere and stopped short of touching it. A thought struck him— if he brought Bismuth back now then Steven would have to deal with her and the breaking point.
He pulled his hand back.
Twoie loved Bismuth, but he couldn't deny that she was the cause of some of his nightmares. He had been so confused and scared in her forge as she accused him of being Rose Quartz. He didn't want to fight her. He begged and pleaded, tried to convince her that he wasn't his mom, but she didn't believe him.
She tried to shatter him and he was forced to defend himself. He had no choice but to poof her, if he didn't then she would have… killed him. He didn't want Steven to have to deal with that, but he had no other options. Bismuth was strong and she would fight for the Crystal Gems without question.
He reached his hand out again.
His fingers brushed the smooth surface of the bubble and he was suddenly glad he decided to bubble his head because an unexpected wave of vertigo hit him with so much force that he fell to his knees, unable to move. He clutched at the ground like a lifeline, his fingers digging into the soft dirt underneath him. A buzzing, static filled his head, dulling all his senses. Not this again, not now. What was happening to him?
Hot.
Hot.
Hot!
Everything burned. It was as if someone had replaced all his blood with boiling lava. Sweat streamed down his face as his body desperately attempted to cool itself. His chest heaved, his breaths coming out in short sporadic puffs.
Then, like a bad dream it was suddenly over. He remained still for a few moments and rose from the ground slowly once he was sure everything was okay.
He snatched the bubble from its spot on the tree before anything else happened. He took a moment to steel his nerves before popping the bubble and freeing Bismuth. Her gem stopped its dissent and hovered in the air. It shone brightly, taking on a familiar form.
Bismuth was back.
Her eyes were wide as she took in her surroundings and Twoie suddenly realized how strange his situation was. He was the future half-human, half-gem son of Rose Quartz. How do you even explain something like that to an ancient gem warrior?
Bismuth finally noticed him and stared, a dazed look in her eyes.
He could have told her a million things that were more important in that moment, but in the end he settled on, "Um… Hey."
"Mayor Dewey, the whole town's in danger." Steven said in between haggard breaths "We have to evacuate the city."
Mayor Dewey said something in response about slogans, but Steven wasn't really paying attention. He hung up as soon as he could and rushed to keep pace with Amethyst as she zoomed past the boardwalk and headed toward the beach house.
His foot must have caught on something because he was suddenly hurtling toward the ground and would have landed on his face if it weren't for a pair of arms holding him steady.
"Are you alright, Stchu-ball?" the concerned voice of his father said, surprising him.
"Dad? What are you doing here?"
"I came as soon as I saw that." he said pointing toward the hand ship that loomed over the town.
Oh right. Something that weird was usually related to the gems. He was glad that his dad had found him, everything had been so chaotic lately that he hadn't had time to hang out with him. He just wished it was under better circumstances, but he guessed that an alien invasion was as good a time as any to spend time with his dad.
"Steven!" a distant voice called out to him.
He and his dad both turned to the sound of the voice and saw Amethyst barreling toward them.
"There you are!" she said. "C'mon, dude! We have to hurry!"
"Hurry?" said his dad. "Is everything alright?" he asked and then more frantically, "Is Twoie okay?"
"Ugh! We don't have time for this!" Amethyst said before scooping both him and his dad up in her arms and dashing toward the beach house.
He could do this. It was fine, totally fine. The gems would probably be so happy to see Bismuth that they'll forget to ask where he found her and why he hadn't brought her back sooner. Everything, for once, was going to work out.
"Twoie?" Bismuth said next to him.
He made a shushing motion with his hands and looked around to make sure no one had heard her. She raised an eyebrow at his strange behavior, but did lower her voice.
"Why are we just standing outside of a wooden base?" she asked. "I thought you said we didn't have much time."
He flushed, recalling his earlier urgent words. She was right, they didn't have any time to waste standing around. He needed to act now, every second was a precious resource.
"You're right." he said. "Just wait there-" he pointed to a spot on the staircase that was out of the view of the window. "-and when I call your name just walk into the house."
If she thought his orders were weird, which they were, she didn't show it and merely nodded in agreement before standing exactly where he had shown her.
He took a deep breath. "I got this." he whispered to himself before walking up the stairs and into the house.
The living room was just as it was when he left, a sulking Ruby was brooding on the couch, Sapphire was nowhere to be seen, and Pearl was staring at the empty air in front of her. He debated whether he should call Sapphire out, but figured she would ignore him. She probably wasn't in the best of moods right now and trying to coax her out of her room would take too long.
He cleared his throat in order to get everyone's attention. It didn't work. Ruby and Pearl remained motionless in their respective spots. He sighed. Why did everything have to be so hard?
"I'm back." he said, even though he was pretty sure neither of them noticed he had left in the first place.
Ruby spared him a glance before going back to staring at the wall. Pearl blinked and turned to look at him.
"Oh. Twoie." she said, a touch of confusion in her voice.
Well, this was depressing. The majority of the Crystal Gems either refused to talk to one another or they were mentally checked out. Hopefully, the return of Bismuth would breathe some life back into their team which was currently in shambles.
"I have some good news!" he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, hoping that some of it would rub off on them. Ruby grunted in reply and Pearl just blinked at him. "Aren't you going to ask me what it is?" he said.
"What's the good news?' Pearl asked him after a beat of silence.
"I have someone I want to introduce you to. Well, I guess reintroduce you to since you guys already know her."
He grinned when Ruby looked up, she actually seemed to be listening to him now. The haze in Pearl's eyes also lifted and was replaced by curiosity.
"Already know her?" Pearl repeated, her face scrunching up in thought.
He nodded, "She's brave, strong, and means serious Bismuth." he said, projecting his voice at the word Bismuth.
Ruby's eyes widened as she perked up, her full attention was now on him. Pearl was in a similar state of disbelief, her mouth agape in shock.
"No. Way." Ruby said.
"Twoie, you don't really mean…" Pearl trailed off.
Before he could answer the door behind him creaked open and judging by Pearl and Ruby's faces, Bismuth had walked in.
"Did I do it right?" She asked him as she sauntered into the house, stopping when she was in the center of the living room. She didn't seem to notice the two stunned gems yet as her eyes scanned the house with curiosity, no doubt wondering why they were in such a flimsy wooden base.
He didn't respond, content to wait and see how long it took for either Bismuth to notice the other gems or for Pearl and Ruby to react to her presence. The former happened first, when Bismuth was examining the kitchen her eyes landed on Pearl who had gone stiff as a statue.
"Pearl?" she said, moving closer to the pale gem.
It was a fascinating thing to watch, the way Pearl's facial expressions changed so rapidly from shock, to disbelief, to acceptance, and finally to pure unbridled joy.
"Bismuth!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking with emotion. "You're back!"
She leapt out of her chair and practically threw herself at Bismuth who let out a boisterous laugh as she swung her around in her arms.
"Woah! The Pearl I know never jumps into my arms! Hey, did somebody lose a Pearl?" She asked, making a big show of looking around the room, which succeeded in making Pearl laugh. "Who do you belong to?"
Pearl stifled her laughter. "Nobody!" she proclaimed proudly, the fire in her eyes back.
Ruby finally snapped out of her shock and, like Pearl, flung herself at Bismuth.
"Ruby?" Bismuth said.
"You're here!" Ruby said. "You're really here!"
She latched onto Bismuth's arm and nuzzled their heads together in an excited embrace. Bismuth patted her back and laughed as she looked down at herself. Twoie couldn't help but laugh along with her, they made for a ridiculous sight with how they were both clinging onto her as if she were a teddy bear and not a gem warrior.
Twoie resisted the urge to join in on the hug. He missed Bismuth, but she didn't even know him. Instead he stood and watched as they laughed and chatted amongst themselves, often talking over each other as they excitedly reminisced about their time together during the Crystal Gem rebellion. Eventually Pearl and Ruby had calmed down enough to detach themselves from the large gem.
"Where have you been?" Pearl asked. "We thought you'd been captured! Or worse, shattered."
"Shatter me? Pshh, Homeworld couldn't lay a scratch on this Gem."
"We should go tell Sapphire about Bismuth." he said, wanting to change the subject.
"Where is Sapphire?" Bismuth asked, looking around the room for the blue gem. She turned to Ruby. "Did something happen? You two are always together."
Ruby deflated somewhat at the mention of Sapphire. "She's, um, in her room."
"They're having an argument." he supplied, but stopped to think about their situation. Were they even mad at each other? Sure, they weren't talking to each other, but they also didn't seem to hate each other. Their anger was more directed at the lies that Rose told them rather than each other. "I think." he added after a pause.
"That's… unexpected." Bismuth said, taken aback. She was quick to perk up again. "Well, argument or not, I'd still like to see her. It's been a while since we talked."
"Sapphire will be absolutely thrilled to see you!" Pearl said, walking over to the temple door and knocking on it. "Sapphire!" She called.
There was no response.
"She must still be upset." Pearl said.
"Let me try." Bismuth said. She walked up to the door and gave it a light knock. "Sapphire? You in there? It's me Bismu-"
The door opened before she even finished her sentence. Sapphire appeared with more emotion on her face than Twoie had ever seen from her and hurled herself at the larger gem.
"Bismuth!" she cried.
Bismuth laughed. "Is everyone I see today going to throw themselves at me?" she joked before embracing the smaller gem. "It's good to see you, Sapphire."
The tender moment was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering. Twoie whipped his head toward the broken window where a green ship could be seen inching closer, and closer to the shore.
They were out of time, Jasper was here.
The house was filled with talk of Homeworld and battle plans that made Amethyst feel uneasy and out of place. The first thing she noticed after placing Steven and a still anxious Greg on the floor was the presence of a rainbow-haired gem she had never seen. The gem was seated on the couch next to Pearl, Ruby, and Sapphire.
Twoie's face was serious as he explained something to the group. "She'll have a destabilizer so don't go charging in-"
"What's going on?" She asked.
Everyone's attention shifted towards them.
"Guys," Twoie began, gesturing at the new gem. "This is Bismuth. She's one of the original members of the Crystal Gems."
Steven, of course, was immediately by Bismuth's side introducing himself. His wide eyes twinkled with stars and he bombarded the befuddle gem with questions.
She noticed Twoie tense whenever Steven would touch Bismuth and it only made her suspicions grow. According to what Rose and the others had told her, all of the other gems on earth were corrupted, but this gem just so happened to show up at the same time that Homeworld did.
It was too suspicious, but Amethyst didn't voice her concerns because at the moment they had bigger things to worry about like the creepy space ship that was practically parked outside their house.
The others briefed her on what she had missed, Pearl happily introducing her to Bismuth who had mistaken her for a 'new recruit', something which she took slight offense to given that she had been with the Crystal Gems for thousands of years.
While all of this was happening Amethyst saw Twoie pull Greg aside. She couldn't quite make out what they were talking about, partially because she was half listening to whatever Pearl was saying and partially because they were speaking in hushed whispers.
What she could make out, however, was that it had something to do with Steven. They kept glancing over to where Steven stood and then to the spaceship and then back again to Steven. Greg eventually nodded in agreement to whatever Twoie told him before leaving the house in a hurry.
"Isn't that great Amethyst?" Steven asked her.
"Huh?" She said, completely lost in the conversation. She probably should have been paying closer attention.
"Bismuth can turn her arm into a hammer! Isn't that cool?"
Bismuth extended her hand out, it glowed white for a moment before turning into a large hammer just like Steven had said.
She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." She said even though she didn't really get why Steven was so amazed by that. She could turn into much cooler things than just a hammer.
"So, I take it you'll be joining us in the battle against Homeworld?" Bismuth asked.
She opened her mouth to respond, but Twoie cut in before she could say anything. "Not everybody." He said. "Steven will be leaving."
He walked over to them, a familiar cheeseburger backpack in hand. The conversation she observed between Twoie and Greg made much more sense now. He was going to send Steven away with Greg and the other Humans.
"Is that my luggage?" Steven asked, pointing at the overstuffed backpack.
"The rest of Beach City is evacuating, you should too." Twoie said, handing the bag to Steven who refused to take it. "Dad will be here soon with the van."
"What? But I'm a Crystal Gem too! I can't just leave!"
He looked around the room for support, for someone to agree with him. Everyone remained silent, even Bismuth who seemed to realize this was an important moment.
She turned away when their gazes met. She was never good at this mushy goodbye stuff. She didn't want Steven to leave, but she also didn't want him to get hurt. If Twoie believed that the best course of action was to send Steven away then who was she to argue with him?
"Come on, Steven." He slung the back across his shoulder and used his free hand to tug Steven toward the door. "We shouldn't keep dad waiting." Twoie said just as the sounds of Greg's van spilled into the house.
Steven jerked away from his touch as if he'd been burned. "I'm not leaving." He said, voice firm.
Twoie's mouth twisted into a frown and Amethyst watched with fascination as his cheeks glowed that unnatural pink color she had seen only once before. Twoie never did explain what that was all about and it was something she would definitely ask him about once this whole mess was over.
Twoie took a deep breath and his face returned to its normal color, then in a calm voice he told Steven, "I need to talk to you, alone." He said while glancing at her and the other gems.
Steven looked like he was going to protest, but the serious expression that Twoie wore must have changed his mind because he nodded silently and followed Twoie outside.
"I'll be back soon." Twoie said before leaving.
Steven followed Twoie outside, away from the gems and near his dad who was waiting in his van. Twoie was silent, a series of emotions flashing across his face too fast for Steven to decipher them.
Twoie hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I know you feel like you have to fight, but you're still really young. You shouldn't have to deal with any of this."
"I can handle it! I've been training really hard and I can summon my shield now." He put his arm out in front of him and his shield appeared a few moments later. "See? I'm ready to fight."
He shook his head. "The reason I started training you was so that you could defend yourself. I don't want you fighting unless you absolutely have to."
"But the earth is my home too! Shouldn't I be defending it?"
Twoie looked up to the sky and Steven followed his gaze to the large green ship that loomed over them.
"Maybe if it was just another corrupted gem, but Jasper isn't like them." He paused, a faraway look in his eyes. "She's dangerous and she won't hold back especially when she learns that you have mom's gem.
"But I'm not my mom."
"As long as you have her gem she won't believe you. No matter what you say…" he said, his tone suggesting that he had tried to do exactly that and failed.
"I'm a gem." he said, placing his hand over where his gemstone rested. "I have to stay and fight. It's my job to protect the earth. I-"
"No, it's not!"
Steven gasped, eyes wide as he stared at Twoie's glowing pink face. Something in his eyes caught his attention, something he was too shocked to notice the first time Twoie had turned pink— Diamond pupils. Twoie blinked and they were gone, his eyes along with his face returned to normal. He avoided Steven's gaze, looking ashamed of what just happened.
"You're not mom… Homeworld, Jasper— none of this has anything to do with you. The gems mean well, but I know that sometimes they can make you feel like… you're her replacement."
His words stung because they dug into one of Steven's greatest insecurities— that no matter what he did he would never live up to the memory of his mom. He would never be as strong, or as brave, or kind as her. He would never be good enough, but this could be his chance to prove himself even if the thought of facing off against Homeworld soldiers made his stomach churn.
"You have nothing to prove, you don't have to fight." he continued. "When this happened to me I thought I would be ready to face anything… I was wrong."
That mental image of Twoie being unprepared for anything gave Steven pause. He glanced at the ship again, his earlier confidence fading. He then looked at his dad who was watching them, a worried look on his face.
"Trust me Steven, you don't want to fight Jasper. It's not a happy memory. I'll fight her so you won't have to."
"I… I-I should stay." he said, but his protest was half hearted and sounded weak even to his own ears. "I can help."
"I know you can." Twoie said. "But right now I need you to stay safe."
"What about you? Who's going to keep you safe?"
He smiled. "Don't worry about me. I know how to take care of myself."
"B-but, what if-"
"Everything will be fine." Twoie reassured. He handed him his cheeseburger backpack. "I promise."
He gaze darted between the threatening ship, the promised safety of his dad's van, and Twoie's pleading eyes. His shoulder slumped in defeat. "...Okay." he said.
Twoie sent a nod to their dad and the van sputtered to life. He clutched at his backpack. He wanted to help, to prove himself as a Crystal Gem, but as the ship approached and as the shore turned an ominous green he came to a startling realization— He was afraid.
He didn't want to fight alien soldiers, he didn't want to think about the Diamonds, or about the thousand year war for the earth's independence. He didn't want any of this and with Twoie reassurances that everything would be okay, that he would fight so Steven wouldn't have to it was easy to agree.
It was easy to hop into the van with his dad and let someone else worry about gems stuff for a change. It was easy to watch the green ship fade further and further into the distance, and It was easy to allow himself to be treated like a child even if it made him feel like a coward.
Knowing how events would unfold, Twoie decided, did not make them any easier to watch. The enormous hand ship was just as intimidating now as it was when he was a child. His heart beat spiked as a green ball rolled down the finger of the ship. All of the Crystal Gems next to him stiffened, falling silent as they waited for something to happen.
Peridot was the first gem he got a clear view of as the ball encasing the Homeworld gems disappeared. Twoie almost didn't recognize her. Not only did she have her limb enhancers on, but her usually bright and curious eyes were now cold and analytical as she scanned the beach.
"That's them, all right." she said. "They're the ones who keep breaking my machines."
Jasper took a step forward so that she was standing next to the green gem. She towered over Peridot whose limb enhancer gave her an added height boost. "This is it?"
"Jasper! They keep interfering with my work!"
"Looks like another waste of my time." She yanked Lapis, who had been hidden from view, forward. "Hey, get over here!"
Lapis twisted her arm out of Jasper's tight grasp, taking a step away from the taller gem. She looked tired, much more tired than the last time Twoie had seen her. Her hair was messy and she had a frown plastered on her haggard face.
Their gazes met. Recognition and confusion flashed in her wide eyes as she took in his much older appearance.
"This is their base?" Jasper asked.
"Yes…" Lapis muttered, sounding defeated. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned away, refusing to meet his gaze.
Jasper kept talking, but Twoie had stopped listening. His mind wandered back to the first time he experienced this, how scared he'd been when he was captured, how relieved he was to have escaped, and how horrified he'd been when Jasper and Lapis fused into Malachite.
She was a hulking, vengeful fusion who had imprisoned herself at the bottom of the ocean for months. After she had been defeated and Lapis was freed, he remembered how Lapis would avoid water— something that she used to love now brought her feelings of anger and regret. Twoie wasn't going to let that happen again.
The Crystal Gems were shouting now too, warning Homeworld to leave the earth alone. Jasper stood, impassive, with an almost bored look on her face as threat after threat was hurled at her. Even when she was clearly outnumbered, Jasper remained cool and collected as she dropped down from the ship and onto the sand dragging Peridot and Lapis along with her.
Her cold eyes bored through every last member of the Crystal Gems as she sized them up, insulting them as she went along. Pearl was 'lost and defective', Amethysts was a 'puny overcooked runt', Bismuth and Ruby were 'gems who had forgotten their place', and Sapphire was a 'traitor and a disgrace'.
"Hmm? What is that?" She asked when her gaze landed on him.
His muscles tensed and he didn't answer, it was Peridot who responded. "It calls itself 'the Steven' though it seems to have doubled in size since last time I saw it." her artificial fingers came together to form a screen where she hastily added new information to her logs.
"He's just a human!" Lapis shouted, her voice tinged with desperation as she tried to shield him from Jasper's wrath. "He isn't a threat at all! He's not one of them!"
"I know what a human is." was Jasper's cold, dismissive reply. "You don't need me for this. Just blast them with the ship"
Lapis' mouth fell agape at Jasper's words, her pleading eyes turned toward an apathetic Peridot who was already swiping at her monitor, pulling up the screen that controlled the ship's weapons system.
"Ugh, fine." she said, drawing a circle on her screen.
The ground rumbled beneath him as the ship began its ascent, a single mechanical finger was pointed in their direction. A ball of bright, crackling energy manifested itself, quickly growing in size.
Twoie took a step forward. "Everyone, stay behind me!" he ordered.
Peridot tapped on her screen. "Firing."
He thrust his arm in front of him and summoned his shield. He ignored the surprised gasp of Bismuth and focused on making the shield big enough to protect everybody.
The beam from the ship was blinding as it crashed into his shield. The last time this had happened Twoie was a child, weak and woefully unprepared for an attack of such strength and magnitude. He had barely fended off the blast, his shield disappearing and his body crumpling under the strain of using so much energy.
This time he was older, stronger, and prepared. The impact of the hit pushed Twoie back only a few inches. Sand flew up into the air and swirled violently around them. When the dust settled Twoie along with the rest of the Crystal gems remained standing, unharmed.
"That shield! That symbol!" Jasper shouted, her calm demeanor cracking and giving way to anger. "You! You have the power of Rose Quartz!"
"Now do you believe I needed an escort?" Peridot said.
"Fire a barrage! Widespread!"
Peridot swiped her finger across the monitor in a single rapid motion. The finger sprung to life again, glowing briefly before another beam of energy was shot at them and just like the last attack, Twoie was able to successfully block it.
Jasper's anger only grew at another failed attack. "Rose, why do you look like that? Why a-"
He signaled for the gems to remain where they were before rushing her. He summoned spiked bubbles on both his fists and slammed them at Jasper's head. The first one connected, but Jasper was quick to recover and moved out of the way before his second fist could land.
She clutched at the spot on her head where his fist connected and threw her head back in laughter. She summoned her helmet and cracked her knuckles.
"I don't know why you're hiding behind that ridiculous disguise Rose, but I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my Diamond." She pulled out a destabilizer. "Priming gem destabilizer." she said before charging at him, weapon in hand.
Instead of moving out of the way of her attack he caught the destabilizer with his bare hands, the pulsing electricity caused a strange sensation to fill his body but didn't actually hurt him. He used her surprise to his advantage and yanked the weapon from her hand, snapping it in two before she had the chance to steal it back.
"Now!" He shouted at the Crystal Gems.
They wasted no time, immediately springing into action.
"Hey, ugly!" Amethyst shouted as she wrapped her whip around the startled gem. She pulled on it. Jasper stumbled and fell to her knees.
Sapphire used her speed and was at Jasper's side in an instant. "You're not welcome here!" She used her ice abilities and began to freeze Jasper's legs to the ground.
Ruby was not far behind her, screaming incoherently as she pummeled the detained gems face with a barrage of punches.
"Stay out of this!" Jasper roared. "I don't have time to deal with you defective gems!"
She grasped the whip and pulled on it with enough strength to yank it out of Amethyst's hand. She punched the ice that was trapping her to the ground. Ruby attempted to stop her, but Jasper caught her fist and would have slammed the small gem into the ground were it not for Sapphire. The blue gem threw some ice into Jasper's face, temporarily blinding her and forcing her to drop Ruby.
"Enough!" Jasper shouted, rubbing the frost out of her eyes before snatching Sapphire off the ground.
"Sapphire!" Ruby said, running over to try and protect the blue gem.
Jasper smirked down at her before squeezing Sapphire with enough force that her form dissipated and she retreated back into her gem. She threw the gemstone into the sand. "Pathetic." she said.
"No!" Ruby shouted, enraged. She charged at the larger gem recklessly throwing punches left and right. "You'll pay for that!"
Jasper didn't so much as flinch as she took all of Ruby's punches. "Is that all you got?" she asked, catching her fist and slamming her into the ground with so much force that she poofed on impact.
Twoie watched horrified as two of the Crystal Gems were put out of commission with barely any effort on Jasper's part. This wasn't going as planned.
"Amethyst!" he said. "Try restraining her again!"
The purpled gem snapped out of her shock and nodded in agreement, summoning her whip once more.
"Pearl! Bismuth!" he said. "Get ready to attack!"
"Right!" Pearl said, gripping her spear.
Bismuth shape shifted her hands into sharp weapons. "You can count on me!"
Amethyst threw her whip at Jasper, but unlike last time the orange gem was prepared for the attack. She caught the whip and wrapped it around her hand, pulling it so that Amethyst was thrown further down the beach.
"Did you really think I would fall for that trick twice?"
Twoie grimaced. Thinking quickly he summoned a shield and threw it at her face successfully stunning her long enough for Pearl and Bismuth to attack. Jasper blocked Pearl's spear, but it left her wide open to Bismuth's attack. The rainbow-haired gem's sharp hand slashed at Jasper's chest making her stumble and release the spear.
Pearl used the opportunity to charge her spear before sending a blast of white, hot energy directly at Jasper's face. Twoie kept throwing shields and the occasional punch at Jasper and it continued like this for a while. Twoie smirked as more and more injured began to appear on Jasper. He could hear Amethyst running toward them ready to rejoin the fight, they were winning.
He hadn't been expecting Peridot to join in on the fight— he certainly hadn't been expecting her to pull out a destabilizer. The yellow energy it emitted crackled threateningly in the air. He saw her smirk as she charged at Bismuth, the warning died in his throat when her hit landed and the rainbow haired gem disappeared in a cloud of smoke and sand.
"Bismuth!" Pearl cried.
He threw a shield at Peridot's hand and was successful at knocking the destabilizer out of her hand.
"You two deal with her!" he ordered. "I'll take care of Jasper!"
Pearl looked like she wanted to protest, but knew the situation was too dire to be hesitating. She nodded and turned to Amethyst, "Try restraining her legs while I take her out."
"You got it, P!" Amethyst said as she charged at the green gem.
"Don't ignore me, Rose!" Jasper said.
She was quick and managed to land a blow on his head. He crumpled onto the ground and clutching at his injury, a familiar static filled his head. She didn't give him a chance to recover and kicked, sending him skidding across the sand.
He managed to summon his shield and defend himself from her next attack. He strained under the weight of her punches. He needed to end this quickly. He looked around for something to turn the tides of this fight, but with Pearl and Amethyst busy fighting Peridot he was all alone.
A familiar energy buzzed under his skin, turning it bright pink and for once he didn't try and suppress his power. He welcomed it, allowing the strength to flow through him. His body was engulfed in a pink glow as he pushed Jasper backwards.
He put everything he had in his next punch and was rewarded when Jasper was sent flying several feet across the sand. He dashed over to her, pulling her off the ground beofe she had a chance to compose herself and launched her into the air. He jumped up after her and with the help of his powers he was able to float above her. He slammed both his fists into her and sent her crashing back down to the beach.
He knew he had done some real damage when she didn't instantly get back up. She tittered back and forth, swaying as she struggled to remain standing.
"I won't let it end like this!"
She barreled toward him, her body becoming a blur that he ordinarily wouldn't be able to see, but his powers made it easy. He caught her fist just before it reached him. Jasper's eyes were wide and her pupils were the size of pinpricks. She stared at him, mouth agape.
"That power…"
"Give it up Jasper." he said. "You've lost."
She shook her head. "I'll never surrender to you, Rose!"
She pried her fist out of his hand and threw more punches at him, but her movements were sloppy and weak. He had no trouble sidestepping all of her attacks, but even in her exhausted state she was relentless and continued to try and hit him.
Jasper's clumsy movements left her wide open for an attack. He sent a spiked fist to her head. It landed and managed to crack the visor of her helmet. He sent a harsh kick toward her legs, causing her to stumble and fall face first into the sand.
She let out a frustrated growl and tried to get back up, her legs shook before she collapsed onto the sand again. He moved to poof and bubble her, not expecting her to grab onto his ankle and pull him down to the ground with her.
He put his shield up, ready to defend himself but Jasper didn't move. Her hand remained on his ankle but her hold was weak enough that he could probably escape it if he wanted to. He watched curiously as she peered up at him a conflicted look on her face.
"I don't understand." she muttered. "How could I lose to you? Where did you get that much power?"
He froze, eyes widening and refusing to respond. He could see the gears turning in her head as she starred at him, searching for answers. He moved to bubble her again, stopping when Jasper's eyes lit up in realization.
"You're eyes…" she murmured.
His blood ran cold.
Slivers of moonlight spilled into the small motel room where Steven laid awake in his bed. He couldn't sleep. He had tried counting sheep, listening to music, tossing and turning in hopes of finding that one comfortable spot that would lull him to sleep, but nothing had worked. His eyes were stapled open wide as he blinked at the peeling ceiling above him. He shifted to look out the small window near his bed and stared at the starry night sky.
It was a beautiful night and he was with his peacefully snoring dad, but he just couldn't bring himself to close his eyes and rest. Every time he was about to drift off to sleep, guilt would claw at him forcing his eyes open. He had just left Twoie and the gems to fight alone and even though Twoie had insisted he leave he couldn't help but feel awful for doing so.
He could have helped them! He knew how to summon his shield now thanks to his training, but he chose to run away with his dad instead. He was scared, so when Twoie begged him to leave he was all too happy to comply. He mentally kicked himself. What was he thinking? He was a gem! He should have stayed to fight. All he could think about now was whether his family was safe.
Steven shifted under the covers again and screwed his eyes shut, willing himself to sleep. It didn't work and in his frustration he kicked the covers off of him and sat up in his bed. He needed to go back, needed to make sure they were safe. He stole a glance at his dad, who was sound asleep before making a decision.
He walked over to the night stand next to his bed where he had seen pen and paper earlier and began writing a note for his dad:
'Went to go help Twoie and the gems. Be back soon. Love, Steven.'
He drew plenty of hearts and stars on the letter to reassure his dad that everything would be fine before slipping on his jeans and red hoodie. Steven tiptoed passed the bed where his snoring dad lay sleeping. His hand hovered over the door knob for a second before he slowly opened the door, wincing as it creaked. Thankfully, his dad was a heavy sleeper so he was able to slip out undetected.
It was only until he got to the edge of the parking lot that Steven realized he had no real plan. He wasn't old enough to drive and even if he was he didn't have any car keys, and there was no way he would be able to walk back to Beach City even if he could remember where it was in location to the motel. He was just about to give up and walk back to the motel room when he caught sight of something bright pink and fluffy sniffing around his dad's van.
It was Lion! He wasted no time dashing up to the large cat and embracing him. Did Twoie send Lion to come get him? Or did Lion just have an innate sense of knowing when Steven needed him? He was magical after all.
"C'mon Lion, take us to Beach City." he said.
Lion blinked up at him, tilting his head in confusion before yawning and plopping onto the ground. He stretched his limbs out on the ground and shut his eyes.
"Lion!" Steven shouted before realizing how loud he was being and promptly lowered his voice. "Now is not the time for naps. You need to take me to Beach City. Twoie and the gems need my help."
Lion huffed in response and rolled over to face away from Steven.
"Please, I have to make sure they're okay." he pleaded, but Lion didn't so much as budge. Since begging wasn't getting Steven anywhere, he decided to try bribery. "I'll give you a Lion Licker if you take me to Beach City."
Lion opened his eyes, but still refused to move.
"Ok, how about two Lion Lickers?"
Lion sprung up from his spot on the ground. Steven smiled, glad that his plan had worked before hopping onto the large pink cat. Lion roared, opening a swirling vortex and jumping inside of it.
They reappeared just on the outskirts of Beach City. Steven's heart dropped when he noticed the hand ship parked on the shore in front of his house.
"They must still be fighting!" he said. "Hurry Lion!"
Lion took off in a run toward the house and he used that time to dial Connie.
"Come on, pick up…" he said as he pressed his phone against his ear. He groaned when it went to voicemail. "Hey, Connie, it's Steven. Just... seeing what you were up to. Don't know if you knew, but there's some crazy stuff going on with a giant space hand and we all might die, so, uh, I guess call me back when you get this and talk to you soon! Uh, bye!"
He ended the call just as they arrived at the house. He expected to be greeted by the sight of an epic battle and hordes of enemy soldiers, but the beach in front of his house was empty. The space was abandoned and it was eerily quiet.
"Where did everybody go?" he wondered aloud, scouring the beach for any signs of activity. When he found none, he hopped off Lion and made his way over to the house.
He caught sight of something large and orange in the corner of his vision, but before he could turn around to properly assess what it was, something grabbed onto his hoodie and snatched him off the ground.
"Where do you think you're going?" a gruff voice asked. He was spun around and was greeted by the sight of an irate orange gem. She was tall, far taller than he was and he suspected she was even taller than Garnet and Twoie. "No one is allowed on the premises unless my Diamond allows it."
"Your Diamond?" he questioned. "Are you talking about Twoie?"
Maybe this gem was another of Twoie's friends like Bismuth? But where was Twoie? Where was anybody for that matter? He was starting to worry something awful had happened to them.
At the mention of Twoie the gems face darkened, her eyes narrowing as she brought him closer. "How do you know that name, Human?" she asked, her voice deep and threatening. "Are you planning on attacking my Diamond?"
He flinched. On second thought maybe this wasn't one of Twoie's friends. She was far too scary and aggressive, nothing like the friendly Bismuth he had met earlier that day. He squirmed under her hold, glancing at the door to the house. He was so close! If he could get away from this gem then maybe he could find Twoie or one of the gems and figure out what happened.
"Answer me!" she roared in his face.
"Let me go!" He continued to struggle against her. He swung his legs around wildly, hoping one of them would hit her and she would let him go.
"Jasper, put him down!" a familiar voice called from above.
Not a moment later he was dropped onto the sand below. He quickly scrambled to his feet, summoned his shield and braced himself for a barrage of attacks, but they never came. He put away his shield when he realized the orange gem wasn't even looking at him anymore. She had turned around and was bowing her head low to someone on top of the stairs that lead to his house. The figure dropped down so that they were next to Jasper. Steven gasped in surprise when the figure came into view— It was Twoie!
"My Diamond." Jasper greeted, her head still bowed.
"You don't have to do that Jasper." Twoie said in an exasperated voice.
The orange gem, Jasper, immediately straightened up and brought her arms up in a salute. "Yes, my Diamond."
Twoie winced at the use of his title, but didn't make any further comments. He walked past Jasper, stopping when he reached Steven. Steven expected Twoie to scold him for coming back, but there was no anger on his face, only concern.
"Are you alright? Does dad know you're here?"
"I'm fine." he said. "And I left him a note." His eyes darted toward Jasper who had moved away, presumably to give them some privacy, but she was still eyeing him suspiciously. "What happened?"
"Let's go inside." He said. "I have a lot to catch you up on."
