I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

After getting some ideas from my collaborator, GabrielHerndon, I got some creativity juices flowing.

I'll also be doing responses at the end of the chapters from now on so I can focus on the chapter making process more.

Also I forgot to establish the voice actors for Buck Steel and Iron Jaw.

Buck Steel's voice actor: Will Friedle (voice of Bumblebee from transformers prime).

Iron Jaw's voice actor: Nolan North (voice of Nathan Drake from the game Uncharted).

Anyways, here's the third chapter.

I don't own anything except for my OC's.

...


After Mr. Fryman explained everything he knew about Beach City to Buck, they made it to the duplex that's just in the heart of the little beach town.

Mr. Fryman, turned the engine off once he put it in park, and the duo got out of the vehicle, with Buck grabbing his bag from the backseat.

"Well, here she is. Fryman duplex. It ain't much, but it's home for us." Mr. Fryman said.

"Better than the neighborhood I used to live in." Buck comments.

"Really?" Mr. Fryman questions curiously.

"You have no idea." Buck said.

'Psh! Yeah, he has no idea.' Iron comments in Buck's head.

"Couldn't stand some of the people that lived there, couldn't stand the people I lived with. A lot of bad history while growing up." Buck said, keeping it short, and simple. Not wanting to reopen old wounds.

"Oh, sorry to hear that. But I can assure you that Beach City is a nice quiet peaceful little town." Mr. Fryman said.

"If you say so." Buck said.

'We'll be the judge of that.' Iron said.

"Ok, I'll show you around inside, and afterwards I'll let you get settled in." Mr. Fryman said.

"Sure."

.


.

Sometime later, Beach City boardwalk...

After Mr. Fryman showed Buck around his new living quarters, he gave Buck the keys, and his phone number should he need any help with anything.

After settling in the duplex for a bit, Buck decided to head into town after letting Mr. Fryman know where he's going. He offered to drive Buck down there, and he agreed to it.

Now we cut to Buck, who's currently walking around the boardwalk to see what this place has to offer. One of those offers he's looking for is a job, because he's got rent, and a phone bill to pay.

He's definitely not going to work with fast food. That's a last resort if nothing else works out.

Anyways, Buck has seen many of the boardwalk's attractions, and some of the food places. None really spoke to him at the moment, that is until he came across a bakery with a giant donut on top. The name of the place is called; The Big Donut.

'Seems like something's caught your sweet tooth.' Iron said.

'Yeah. Hopefully it doesn't suck ass.' Buck thought.

Buck then walked inside the establishment, and his nose was struck with the smell of baked goods, coffee...

... Aaaaaaaand the sound of someone screaming in dramatic anguish.

"Noooooooooo! This can't be happening!" A young boy screamed dramatically as he hugs an empty freezer.

Buck merely stared with a weirded out look mixed with confusion.

'Iron... what the hell are we looking at?' Buck asked in his head.

'I'm just as clueless as you, Steel.' Iron answered.

The kid's short, chubby, has black curly hair, pinkish caucasian skin, a red t-shirt with a yellow star on the front, blue pants that stop at his ankles, and pink flip flops that showed his bare feet.

"This has to be a dream! Lars! Lars! Please tell me I'm dreaming!" He wailed dramatically, clinging to the waist of a teenager.

The teen has light orange skin, curly ginger hair in a weird looking mohawk (a/n: Looks like a Cheeto pooped on his head), expanded earlobes that look like donuts attached to his ears, and a Big Donut uniform.

"Get off me, man, I'm stocking here!" Lars said annoyed, shaking the kid off of him.

"Sorry, Steven. I guess they stopped making them." Said a teen girl in the same uniform as the teen.

The teen girl is shorter than Lars, is chubby, has medium length blonde hair, and light caucasian skin.

"Excuse me, but what's this kid being all dramatic about?" Buck asked, honestly still confused.

"He's just upset that there's no more cookie cats." The girl said.

The girl has a similar body type as the kid. She's got pale caucasian skin, blonde curly hair that reaches her shoulders, and is also wearing a Big Donut uniform.

"The heck is a cookie cat?" Buck asked.

Buck heard the kid, named Steven, do a big dramatic gasp. Apparently he was listening in.

"You've never heard of a cookie cat?!" He questioned from shock.

"Yeah, so?" Buck questioned.

"'So?!' They're the most deliciously creamy crunchy frozen treat in the world!" Steven said with enthusiasm.

Buck just gave him a blank look.

"That doesn't tell me anything." He said with almost no emotion.

"It's basically an ice cream sandwich with one half of the ice cream being vanilla, the other half is strawberry, and it's all sandwiched between two chocolate cookies in the shape of a cute cat head." Steven fully explained.

"Oh." Buck said, now understanding what he means.

"Well tough luck, kid. No one was buying them. They just couldn't compete with Lion Lickers." Lars said.

"What?! Lion Lickers?! They're not even that good! They don't even look like lions! Kids these days, I'll tell you what!" Steven said.

"But aren't you also a kid?" Buck questioned.

"He is." The girl behind the counter said.

"Thank you, uh, sorry what's your name?" Buck asked.

"It's Sadie." The girl, now known as Sadie, confirmed.

"Thank you." Buck said.

"Why don't you make some of your own with your magic belly button?" Lars said in a mocking tone.

"Did that ridiculous sentence just come out of your mouth?" Buck asked with a look that said 'are you serious?'

"It doesn't work that way, Lars!" Steven countered. But then he lifted his shirt to reveal, not a belly button, but a pink colored gemstone. "Does it?" He questioned.

"What in the actual- is that even real?" Buck asked, a little surprised.

"Yes." Steven said.

Buck just stood there with a shocked look on his face.

'Iron?' Buck asked in his mind.

'I'm as shocked as you.' Iron said.

"*Sigh* Oh cookie cat, you were too good for this world." Steven said, hugging the empty cookie cat fridge sadly.

"You gonna be ok, Steven?" Sadie asked.

Steven nodded his head without a word.

"You wanna take the freezer home with you?" She asked.

Steven nodded his head wordlessly again, but gave them sad puppy eyes.

"You're seriously giving him the freezer?" Buck asked, finding this to be a little ridiculous.

"Yep." Sadie said.

Buck chose not to question it, and just rolled with it.

"Ok? Well, I'll take an orange flavored doughnut to go, please." Buck said.

"Orange doughnut coming right up." Sadie said, getting the selected doughnut, and putting it in a paper bag.

"That'll be five dollars, and fifty cents please." Sadie said.

Buck paid the exact amount, and Sadie handed him the bag.

"Here you are, and have a good day." Sadie said.

"Thanks. You too." Buck said.

"Thank you." Sadie said.

As Buck was about to leave, he noticed Steven struggling to get a good grip on the cookie cat fridge as he tried to figure out how to carry it.

'You should probably help him.' Iron suggested.

'Perhaps.' Buck said in his mind.

"Yo, kid. Steven, right?" Buck asked, getting his attention.

"How'd you know my name?" Steven asked dramatically.

"Sadie literally said your name a few moments ago." Buck pointed out.

"Oh."

"Anyways, you need help carrying that?" Buck asked.

"Sure thing!" Steven accepted with a smile.

"Alright then. But you're gonna have to carry my doughnut though." Buck said.

...


Later...

"Thanks for helping me take the freezer home, Mr., uh, sorry what's your name?" Steven asked the newcomer of Beach City.

"The name's Bucky Steel. But most people call me Buck. I also sometimes go by my last name." Buck said.

"Cool! My last name is Universe." Steven said.

"No offense, but is that your actual last name?" Buck asked.

"Yep!" Steven said enthusiastically.

"Huh. Who knew?" Buck said.

Buck continued to follow slightly behind Steven so he could lead to wherever he lives, so Buck could drop off the fridge. He was expecting some kind of beach house by the sea, because they did walk far from the boardwalk, and when he was getting close he saw a couple of giant stone hands of a statue peaking out from the side of the cliff. One of the hands had broken off, and is lying in the sand.

"Uh, where'd you say you live at again?" Buck asked.

"Oh, it's just a beach house attached to a temple." Steven said.

"Temple?" Buck asked.

"You'll see when we get there." Steven reassured.

As they continued onwards, Iron voiced his opinion in Buck's mind.

'Something about that cliff side seems... familiar.' Iron said.

'Really? How?' Buck asked in his mind.

'I'm not sure. I know I've seen that cliff somewhere before, but it's a little foggy. Maybe this temple the kid is talking about will shed some light on it.' Iron said.

'Maybe you're right.' Buck said in his mind.

Once the duo, or trio if you count Iron, had circled the cliff, they could now see the full view of Steven's home, and he wasn't kidding when he said it was a beach house attached to a temple.

Directly behind, and above, the house is a large stone statue of a woman with a mask, gemstones carved out of stone, four arms, and appeared to be pretty weathered if the moss on some places of the statue was anything to go by.

'Sweet mother of Meldar, I KNOW THIS PLACE!' Iron said in realization in Buck's mind.

'Wait, you do? How?' Buck asked mentally.

'I'll explain later. Let's just drop off the kid's fridge first before I dump a shit load of information on you.' Iron said mentally.

'If you say so.' Buck thought in his head.

After walking up the stairs, Steven opened the door, and greeted whoever is inside.

"Guys, you won't believe this!" Steven said.

As soon as he opened the door, a black and green centipede with brown legs, and a singular eye within its serrated beak, leaped out of nowhere to tackle him.

"AH!" Steven yelped in fright, keeping the bug monster from trying to bite him.

"YO! WHAT THE FU-" Buck yelled in shock and surprise, then punting the centipede so hard with his foot that it went flying across the room.

"Thanks, Buck." Steven said.

"No problem." Buck said, setting the fridge down.

Another one was about to pounce them, but it suddenly got smacked away by a fancy looking spear. Basically it has a screw-like twist at the base of the spear's blade.

The owner of the spear is a thin pale woman with a ballerina-like attire, a yellow star on her light blue shirt, pale pink-ish pixie cut hair that looks like a rose before it blooms, a pointed nose, baby blue eyes, and an oval shaped pearl on her forehead.

"Sorry, Steven! We'll get these centipeetles out of house as soon as we can!" The pearl wearing woman said.

Buck also noticed that there's more of these 'centipeetles' in the house, as well as two more women fighting them.

One woman was short, and chubby looking. Maybe it was muscle that looked like body fat, Buck couldn't really tell. Anyways, she has long ombre purple white hair that covers her left eye, and reaches the back of her legs. Purple skin, plump lips, a purple amethyst gem on her chest that's half covered by a purple grey top that has the right strap on her upper arm, which exposes a black strap that Buck can only assume is a bra strap. She has dark purple pants that almost appear black with tears in the shape of stars on each knee, white boots, and she's wielding a dark purple/black whip with three whip ends, and it's studded in amethyst gems.

The other woman is easily the tallest of the group. She has a curvy figure, with a pinkish red, dark red (almost black), and red suit with no sleeves, but instead puffed shoulder pads, and exposed arms. She has a half star pattern on her chest, and she's wielding red gauntlets with red gemstones on the knuckles, and a golden star on each gauntlet. She also has golden pink visors that cover her eyes like a one way mirror, a cube-like black colored afro, and reddish brown skin that matches the color of red dirt.

Anyways, all three of these women are fighting these bug monsters, and the tall one with an afro just tore one in half, which then poofed into a cloud of nothing.

Which is a little weird. Then again, this whole scenario is bizarre in its own right.

"What the heck is going on here?!" Buck exclaimed, a little baffled at the sight.

His voice managed to get the attention of the purple one.

"Yo, Ste-man! Who's your friend?" The purple one asked.

"On your left." The afro one said stoically, focusing on the monsters.

The purple one used her whip on a centipeetle coming up on her left, which then poofed like the one the afro woman killed.

"Uh, guys? These things don't have gems." The purple one said while picking her nose.

Ok, ew.

"Then the mother must be around." Afro woman said.

"Either way, we need to keep them from getting inside the temple." The pearl woman said, grabbing one by its neck.

"Aw, you don't need to get rid of all of them. They're pretty cool!" Steven said, walking up to the one the pearl woman had.

But then it spat a green slime that melted the floor. Apparently it's acid. Then the pearl woman casually snaps its neck, poofing it.

Another centipeetle began to crawl its way towards Buck. However, Buck growled like an animal, and his eyes glowed red for a moment. This caused the centipeetle to yelp in fright, and immediately began to quickly crawl away like an animal being scared off by something scary.

"They seem more like an biohazard mixed with an infestation." Buck said, finally setting the freezer down, and closing the door.

"Again I ask, what the heck is going on here?!" Buck asked once again.

This time he caught the attention of the pearl woman.

"Oh, um, nothing to be concerned about, human." She said.

Buck arched an eyebrow at her, and crossed his arms. Either these people are method actors, or they're not human themselves. Not to mention, there's acid spewing arthropods running around the house.

"Really? Because acid spewing centipedes with eyes in their mouths isn't exactly what I'd call not concerning." Buck said.

"Well-"

Before she could get a word in, they're distracted by Steven over at the fridge.

"Ah man! They ate everything in the fridge! Hopefully they didn't eat what's in the- *GASP!*" Steven gasped, seeing what's inside.

A whole bunch of cookie cats.

"No way! Cookie cats!" Steven said happily, grabbing one of the packets containing his favorite treat.

'Iron, any clue what's going on here?' Buck asked in his mind.

He got no response.

'Iron?'

The pearl woman walked over to him as he closed the fridge, and the other two women finally took care of the rest of the centipeetles.

"Where did you get these? I thought they stopped making them?" Steven asked excitedly.

"Well we heard that too, and we knew that they were your favorite." The pearl woman began to explain.

"So we went, and stole a bunch!" The purple woman said, sitting on the kitchen counter.

"I went back, and paid for them." The pearl woman explained.

"It was my idea." The square afro woman said stoically, standing next to the counter.

"Uh, it was all our idea." The purple one said.

"Not really." The afro one said, making her gauntlets disappear in a flash of light.

With her gauntlets gone, they revealed more feminine hands with her forearms covered by what Buck could only assume to be gloves that cover her middle fingers, and the rest of her fingers and hands exposed. On each palm is a red gemstone, and they each have a different cut despite being circular.

"Is anyone gonna explain what happened?! I'm still here, you know!" Buck exclaimed, getting frustrated that he's not getting answers.

All four of them turned their attention to the other human in the room.

"You're still here?" The pearl woman questioned.

"Yes, I'm still here!" Buck exclaimed.

"Sorry. Almost forgot you were here. Steven didn't tell us he brought a friend. Speaking of which, you didn't answer my question, Ste-man." The purple one said, then asking Steven the same question.

"Oh! Sorry. Guys, this is Bucky Steel. But he mostly goes by Buck, or his last name. I met him at the Big Donut. Buck, these are my friends. This is Garnet *gestures to the afro woman, Pearl *gestures to the pearl woman, and Amethyst *gestures to the purple woman*." Steven introduced.

"S'up, dude." Amethyst greeted with a peace sign.

"Together, we're the Crystal Gems!" Steven said with a big smile that radiated enthusiasm.

Buck stared blankly at them. Not sure how to respond to this.

"The what?" Buck questioned.

"Not important at the moment." The afro woman, now known as Garnet, said stoically.

'We need to talk.' Iron finally spoke up.

'Now you speak up?' Buck thought.

'In private. NOW!' Iron demanded.

'Ok ok! Sheesh man!' Buck thought.

"You okay there, dude?" The purple woman, now known as Amethyst, asked.

"Hm? Oh, uh, yeah I'm fine. Just thinking to myself. Anyways, I'm gonna head out. Wait, Steven, you still got my donut?" Buck asked before leaving.

"Oh yeah! I set it on the coffee table." Steven said.

Buck turned to see that the paper bag containing his orange flavored donut is indeed on the coffee table. Completely untouched by the scuffle with the centipeetles.

"Ah, thanks. Well, see ya." Buck said, picking up the bag, and leaving.

"Bye, Buck!" Steven waved.


Once Buck had left the beach house, he got to talking with, Iron, once he got within a distance between the temple, and the boardwalk.

"Ok, Iron. Spill it." Buck said.

'I know who they are!' Iron exclaimed with shock in his mind.

"Wait what?" Buck questioned in confusion.

To anyone that would've seen him, they'd think he's just talking to himself, and think he's got a couple of screws loose.

'The Crystal Gems. I know who they are! Especially when I was alive! But the kid, and the purple one are new to me.' Iron somewhat explained.

"Wait. When you were alive? That would me the last time you saw them was-"

'Thousands of years ago? Yes.' Iron interrupted.

"Dang, dude. Bet you didn't expect to see them after so long." Buck said.

'You bet your ass, I didn't.' Iron said.

"So what's the deal with the gemstones on their bodies? Is that a cosmetic thing?" Buck asked.

'Technically those gemstones are their bodies. What you see is actually projections of light from their gems. Despite that, they do have their own weight to them. Basically their bodies are holograms, but with mass.' Iron explained.

"How's that even possible?" Buck asked, a little bewildered by this.

'They're an alien race, Steel.' Iron said, getting straight to the point in a blunt matter.

"Holy shit, dude!" Buck said out of shock.

'Pretty crazy, right?' Iron said.

"If it weren't for the fact that I knew about your existence, I wouldn't have believed it. But seriously, HOLY SHIT!!!" Buck said.

'Well believe it.' Iron said.

"Well, dragons, and aliens is a pretty hard pill to swallow. It's a real weird combo when you think about it." Buck said.

'Don't remind me. I've had that headache before, and I don't want a repeat after so many centuries.' Iron said, grumbling at the thought of receiving a headache from his past.

Wait... isn't Iron just a voice in his head?

"I make no promises. But wait, you mean to tell me that dragons AND aliens co-existed at the same time?" Buck questioned.

'I wouldn't say co-exist. More like they invaded the planet, and some of their own kind betrayed them in order to protect the planet. Dragons, and humans got involved somewhere down the line when it happened. Long story short, the ones that wanted to protect the planet obviously won. Otherwise, you and I wouldn't be talking to each other right now.' Iron explained.

"Wait, back up. What do you mean we wouldn't be talking to each other? Why were they invading the planet for?" Buck asked.

'From what I remember, their leaders wanted to colonize the planet by draining it of its resources in order to expand their empire, and it would've resulted in the death of all life on earth. So yeah, it's pretty messed up.' Iron explained.

"Messed up? Dude, it's fucked up! What the actual flying-"

'Don't blow a fuse on me just yet, Buck. That was thousands of years ago. It's over, and done with.' Iron said, preventing Buck from going on a tirade.

"What did you expect?! How else was I supposed to react to it?!" Buck exclaimed.

'Nah, I think that's a natural reaction to hearing that your planet was invaded by an alien empire before you were born.' Iron said.

Buck took a deep breath to calm down before continuing his conversation with Iron.

"Ok, history lesson aside, what about Steven? He's got a gemstone on his stomach. Is he an alien?" Buck asked.

'Not a clue. Gems, the name of their kind, are all female. But as for the kid, he's definitely a he. He looks human, yet he has a gemstone where his belly button should be. I'm not sure it's real or not. Yet I feel like I've seen that gemstone from somewhere.' Iron said.

Buck sighed as he rubbed his hand through his short spikey black hair. This was a lot to take in. Even though it was a brief glimpse of the past.

He decided to not dwell on it, because it'll just make him more paranoid than he already is of these... gems.

As if his life wasn't stressful enough.

"Ugh! As if my life wasn't stressful enough." Buck said.

See? I told you.

'That's life for you. So what now?' Iron asked.

"You don't want to catch up with your war buddies?" Buck asked.

'No. Well, not yet at least. It'll be... awkward, to say the least. Plus, I wasn't exactly friends with the skinny one. Don't ask why. On top of that, we can't exactly just waltz back inside someone's house uninvited. I am a ghost with standards.' Iron said.

"Then we might as well look around the boardwalk for a job. If there is any." Buck said.

'No fast food jobs?' Iron asked.

"No fast food jobs. We'll save that as a last resort if it comes down to it." Buck said, finally moving from where he was standing, and making his way towards the boardwalk.

...


Beach City, boardwalk...

As Buck wondered through town, he saw many places that could be a possibility for a job. However, most didn't seem that appealing to him. Same can be said for Iron.

A job at Beach City Funland? Not interested.

Beach Citywalk Fries? He's got nothing against Mr. Fryman, but it's a no.

Big Donut? No. But it'll be his first option before resorting to a fast food job.

Fish Stew Pizza? He likes pizza, but no.

Funland Arcade? Hell no.

T-shirt shop? Hmmm... maybe.

Cone 'N' Son? No.

Just when he thought he was out of options, Bucky walked by a wooden telephone pole with flyers on it. He stopped in his tracks when he saw something that caught his eye, and it was like you could he a car brake sound effect. He backed up, and got a good look at one of the flyers.

'It's a Wash car wash now hiring.'

Car wash? This could be interesting.

Luckily, the flyer had the phone number on it, and Buck pulled out his phone to dial the number. He waited a few seconds for someone on the other end to pick up.

"Hello?" A man said on the other line once they answered.

"Uh, hi. I'm calling about the job at the car wash, and I'm wondering if you're still hiring." Bucky said.

"You are? Oh! Sure, I'm still hiring! I'm actually the owner." The man said, confirming him to be the owner.

"Ok. So could you please tell me how to get there so I can do an interview? I'm new to Beach City." Bucky asked

"It's located at the base of the cliff, right below lighthouse park, same as Big Donut, and is down the same road just behind it. It also has Rehoboth Bay behind it." The owner explained.

"Ok thanks. What time should I be there for the interview?" Bucky asked.

"Anytime today before the sun sets would be great." The owner said.

"Ok, sounds good. I'll let you know when I'm on my way there." Bucky said.

"Alright, see you then." The owner said.

Buck then hung up before pocketing his phone, and decided to head back to where the cliff is, since it's in plain view. Once he came upon the road the car wash owner mentioned, he could see the Big donut on his right, and down the road on his left is the car wash.

How can he tell from that far away? Ask Iron.

"Well that was easy." Buck said.

'Very easy. Guess that's the advantage of a small town.' Iron said.

"Might as well get this over with, so we can do whatever we want before heading back to Mr. Fryman's." Buck said.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake a little before Buck even moved from his spot.

"The hell?!" Buck exclaimed.

'Is it an earthquake?!' Iron questioned in shock.

The ground then began to stop shaking, almost as if whatever the cause of it is began to fade away. He then saw a huge mound of sand on the beach began to move towards the cliff, and disappeared around the corner.

"The hell was that?!" Buck cussed out, not sure of what he just saw.

'I don't know, but it's heading for the temple.' Iron said.

"Didn't that Garnet woman say that those big monsters were in the house because the mother is nearby?" Buck asked.

'Oh shit.' Iron said in realization. 'You know what we have to do.'

"What?! But we don't even know what we're up against!" Buck exclaimed, not liking the idea.

'It's worth the risk. Plus, you might as well have the experience.' Iron said.

"Ok, fair point. Let's set some shit on fire!" Buck said.

'That's the spirit! Now, run, Bucky, Run!' Iron said.

With that said, Buck took off running towards the temple.

As Bucky began to get closer to the temple, he heard what he assumed was a screeching noise of some kind, and the sounds of fighting with more screeches.

When he rounded the corner of the temple, he sees the gems being corned behind a boulder by a giant version of the smaller centipeetles from earlier, only this one had a white mane around its neck, a green crystal on its forehead that resembles a broken horn, a longer mouth, green crystals along its back from the neck to its tail end, and a pincer at the end.

Bucky saw Steven there as well, with his cookie cat freezer, which was short circuiting, and he threw it at the monster with all his might!

Buck was honestly impressed with this kid's strength.

However, the centipeetle queen spat a glob of green acid at the freezer, melting it before it could hit its body. It growled at Steven as he stared back with sudden terror.

The monster roared, lunging its open maw towards Steven. The boy screamed in fear, and so did the gems.

"STEVEN!!!" They shouted.

Suddenly, a large blast of fire struck the monster in the face before it could get too close to Steven, and the monster backed off as it screamed it pain.

Everyone was select in both shock, and confusion. Where did the fire come from?

"HEY, FUGLY!!!"

Steven, and the Gems turned to see Bucky approaching the battle with a determined look on his face that would be mistaken for a scowl.

"Buck?!" Steven exclaimed, surprised to see him here.

Even the gems were surprised to see the that the human teen has returned.

The monster shook itself from its daze, and stared at Bucky, assuming it was him that blasted it. Which he did.

"YOU MESS WITH THEM, YOU MESS WITH ME, BITCH!!!" Bucky exclaimed loudly.

The centipeetle queen roared at its new enemy, attempting to scare it.

Bucky didn't budge.

Instead, he took a deep breath, and unleashed a loud powerful roar of his own!

(A/n: Use the Spinosaurus roar from Jurassic Park for reference.)

When he roared, his teeth sharpened, and his eyes changed to red with slitted pupils.

Steven, and the gems were dumbfounded. Even the centipeetle queen was surprised by this. How did he do that?!

Bucky didn't stop there. Suddenly, smoke, and flames began to surround him, engulfing his form. The plume surrounding Bucky began to grow in size, and increase in height. Soon the flames disappeared, and all that remained was a cloud of smoke. Within the smoke cloud, a pair of red glowing eyes appeared, along with a deep animal growl, and everyone felt chills go down there backs.

As the smoke began to dissipate, the group could see a large silhouette of what appeared to be a reptile, or a dinosaur. Then a long tail with a diamond shaped spade at the end of it snake its way out of the cloud.

Steven, and the gems were shocked to see that. While Steven wasn't sure what was in the smoke exactly, the gems were both more shocked than, Steven, and also terrified. Almost as if they've seen it before.

Well, except for Amethyst. She's only as shocked as Steven.

The centipeetle queen remained where it was. While it saw this as a threat, it decided to be cautious. There was something unsettling about whatever was inside the cloud.

Suddenly, a huge stream of orange flames blasted through the smoke, and struck the monster.

The sudden blast of fire sent the centipeetle queen flying back, and onto its backside.

But whatever unleashed those flames in the smoke cloud, had dispersed the smoke entirely from the powerful blast, and revealed what was hidden within the smoke.

What they saw, blew their minds!

"Wha-wha-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Pearl exclaimed, completely shocked to the core.

Garnet actually removed her shades to see if she was seeing what's in front of her, and revealed that she has three eyes. One red, one blue, and the one on her forehead is purple.

"Holy cow!" Amethyst exclaimed.

Steven merely gasped deeply as he held his hands against his head, and his eyes were wider than dinner plates.

Standing where Bucky once stood... is a DRAGON!!!

The dragon is huge! About sixty five feet tall with darkish medium grey scales, stands on four legs, orange stripes that go from the back of his head, back, and down his long tail, just stopping at the base of the spade tip. He also has orange stripes on his arms, and legs. He also has sharp orange colored claws. His hands having five fingers each, and feet having three toes like a dinosaur. The bat-like wings are massive, with the wing membrane being dark red, and the thumb claws are also orange. His head is orange with black markings that give it a skull appearance. He also has a pair of orange horns that curve back, but curve up at the tips. He also has a pair of brow horns, and two horns on his snout. One in the middle of the snout, and one smaller one in front of it. He also has a row of black spikes going from the back of his head, down his back, and down the base of his tail, but cease to continue afterwards. The dragons eyes have white sclera, red irises, and slitted pupils. The dragon's maw also contains sharp teeth, much like any predator, and these seem like a cross between shark and T-Rex teeth. Unlike the rest of the dragon's head, his bottom jaw has a lighter shade of grey that seems to have a metallic looking quality to it.

Garnet, and Pearl know who this dragon is.

"Impossible." Garnet said softly in a shocked tone.

(Play A Warrior's Call by Volbeat).

Once the centipeetle queen collected its bearings, it screeched angrily at the dragon before it. The dragon returned the gesture by roaring the same roar that Bucky Steel did.

"B-Bucky?" Steven asked with a stutter, still shocked to see what is in front of him.

The dragon looked back at Steven, then nodded, and returned his attention to his appointment.

"You wanna fight? Alright then. Let's fight!" The dragon spoke, sounding just like Bucky.

With that said, the centipeetle screeched as it charged towards the dragon, and the dragon roared as it charged as well.

The dragon delivers the first blow by clamping his jaws on the centipeetle's neck, and slammed it into the ground. The centipeetle struggled as it screeched in pain. The dragon's teeth had pierced into its green crystal armor on its back, and its more softer yet tough underside, but not enough to poof it yet.

As the dragon had the monster pinned down with his hands, and jaws, the centipeetle queen raised its lower body, and lunged the pincer at the end of its body, and clamped down the appendage on the dragon's neck.

The dragon roared in pain as it was forced to let go of his enemy. The centipeetle seized the opportunity to spray its green acid at him, but the dragon countered the attack by breathing another torrent of flames, and it blasted straight through the monster's acid. The flames struck the centipeetle queen once again, and it screeched in pain once more as the force of the fire blew it back again.

The dragon continued to blast fire as it advanced towards it. But then the monster ran for the ocean, and dove under the water, and the dragon roared as it gave chase.

Back with Steven, and the gems, the team regrouped as dragon chased his enemy.

"Did you guys see that?! Buck turned into a dragon! A REAL DRAGON!!!" Steven exclaimed in absolute excitement.

"We saw, dude! How did he even do that?!" Amethyst said, still in shock at what she had witnessed.

The two took notice of Garbet, and Pearl's stunned silence.

"Uh, you two ok?" Amethyst asked.

"Didn't you guys see what happened?" Steven questioned.

"We saw. But we didn't think it would be possible." Garnet said, her stoic tone having hints of shock.

"How is he back?! I thought his soul disappeared?!" Pearl exclaimed, a little freaked out.

"Wait, what?" Steven asked in confusion.

Back with the dueling beasts, the dragon is seen wading through the sea water to find his opponent. Suddenly, the centipeetle shot out of the water, and tackled the dragon into deeper water.

The two could be seen struggling in the water from the shore. Underneath the water, the dragon is clawing, and biting the monster while doing his best to hold his breath. The centipeetle couldn't use its acid under the waves, so it had to resort to using its tail pincer, and jaws.

The dragon then grabbed the centipeetle's jaws, and rose to the surface. He roared as soon as he breached the water while keeping the monster's jaws shut. The centipeetle was about to use its pincer tail, but the dragon was quick enough this time, and caught it with his free hand. He then stood up on his hind legs, and threw the centipeetle to the shore.

Thankfully, centipeetle landed away from the group. Unfortunately, the monster got up, and began to run away towards town. The dragon roared, and spread his massive red wings. Then with a powerful flap, he became airborne, and resumed the fight with the centipeetle mother.

As the centipeetle ran towards town, some beach residents took notice of the beast when they heard the roars, and screeches. What some of them saw is a centipede-like monster heading towards town. They began to panic at first, but soon stood frozen in place when they saw a freaking dragon flying towards it!

The dragon flew up ahead of the beast, and landed in front of it. Blocking its path with his wings spread, and roared. The centipeetle stopped in its tracks once it saw its enemy in front of it.

The centipeetle decided to try a daring move, and leaped towards the dragon with its mouth open with fresh acid spit. The dragon quickly whipped around, and smacked the monster back with his long tail.

The centipeetle crashed, and tumbled along the sand until it stopped on its backside. The ground shook as the dragon quickly approached the currently fallen monster, and dazed. The dragon placed one of his back feet onto the centipeetle's tail to keep it from using it, and grabbed the jaws of the monster. In one swift motion, the dragon tore the jaws, and the monster disappeared in puff of smoke. All that remained was a small spherical gemstone that looked like a lime green Pokémon ball, and matching the size too.

Seeing his opponent defeated, the dragon dropped back down onto all fours, and blasted a torrent of flames into the air to signify his victory over his enemy.

Once he ceased the flames, the dragon picked up the gemstone, and flew back over to the gems by the cliff.

(End music).Once the dragon had reached the cliff, he landed on the beach in front of the beach house where the gems were, and they had watched the whole fight go down.

After landing, the dragon looked at the group, and held up the gemstone between his claws.

"I do believe this belongs to you." He said, tossing the gem to them.

Luckily, Garnet caught it, and made a bubble appear with the gemstone inside it. She then made it disappear.

The dragon then became engulfed in smoke, and the smoke cloud began to shrink. Once the smoke disappeared, it revealed that in the dragon's place is Bucky Steel.

"So I'm assuming you all have questions about what just happened, right?" Buck questioned.

"Heck yeah, we do." Amethyst said.

"I have so many questions that I have no idea what to ask first!" Steven said quickly in one breath, the excitement practically plastered onto his face.

Suddenly, Pearl approached him in one swift motion that he didn't have time to react, and she grabbed his shoulders.

"Why didn't you tell us that you were a Dragonborn?!" Pearl questioned, practically shaking him.

"Because it wasn't any of your business. Also, I was told not to yet." Buck said.

"Who told you?" Pearl asked.

"Me." A voice spoke.

Everyone turned their attention to the source of the voice, and saw... A FREAKING GHOST DRAGON!!!

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Pearl exclaimed, getting shocked by the reveal once again.

The ghost dragon looks just like Buck's dragon form, but he's a translucent grey with glowing red eyes, and an orange skull with horns. Those are the only colors displayed on his ghostly form.

"Hello, Crystal Gems. Guess who?" The ghost dragon greeted with a bit of a mischievous tone.

"Iron Jaw." Garnet said, knowing who the ghost is.

"Correct! We have so much to discuss." The ghost dragon, now known as Iron Jaw, said. Also confirming that this is who Buck has been talking to.

...


I made the freezer bigger in this story so Buck could be introduced to the gems properly instead of having him just follow Steven for no reason.

I wasn't entirely sure as to how big I wanted Iron Jaw, and Bucky's dragon form to be, so I decided to scale up the centipeetle mother (aka corrupted Nephrite) in order to make this a more fair fight.

Also, Buck is going to be referred to as his full first name more often in order to not confuse him with Mayor Dewey's son, Buck Dewey.

On another note, I'm only going to be doing chapters where I feel like Buck and Iron can actually get involved in, and not just stand there barely doing anything. I'm also going to be doing chapters that center around Bucky and Iron the most, because I've established that dragons exist in this story, and there's bound to be dragon problems as well as gem problems.

On a last note, I don't own A Warrior's Call, it's owned by the band Volbeat.

Oh! I almost forgot to do the responses!

gabeherdon308: Thank you.

King of 2211: Thank you, and yeah I agree about Kofi not allowing that.

coolgirl111: Here it is.

Stone-Man85: Thank you.

Now as always, stay tuned.