Clod on the Run
Chapter 4: Hooked on a Fusion
Steven, Star-Lord and Lion had immediately arrived at the Sky Arena via Warp Pad. Looking around, Peter saw a large stone structure that was heavily damaged with strange writings in some places but the thing that caught his eye was a rhombus-like symbol with four sections, all with the colors yellow, blue, white and pink. "Hey, it's the diamonds' symbol!" he said pointing to it. "But why is there pink on it when the one I saw had three?"
"This is an older version." Steven replied. "The new one was made after Pink Diamond was shattered-" Peter then put his hand out to interrupt him. "I know, by a Rose Quartz." he said. "No, not just any Rose Quartz, my mom Rose Quartz." Star-Lord was stunned to hear this. He knew from Gamora's story that Pink Diamond was destroyed by one of her own soldiers, but until now he didn't realize that the Rose that did the crime would later give birth to Steven.
"Oh God, that's messed up!" he exclaimed. "I know, but she did what she had to do to save Earth. Now let's go."
The two walked inside the arena to find Connie clashing swords with Gamora with Pearl standing close by and the others in the stands. "Oh hey Quill, how's it going with the kid?" Rocket asked as they sat down, looking somewhat more cheerful than usual. "We're doing fine Rocket." Peter replied.
"Say, is I me or are you less surly than usual?" he wondered. "Oh I'm fine, it's just that Groot, Peridot, Lapis and I had a fun time at the barn." Rocket replied. "Well, good to know buddy."
Meanwhile, Connie and Gamora continued clashing, with the young human even landing a few hits on her smaragdine skin. "You know Connie, Pearl really has trained you well." the assassin said before clinking blades a few more times.
"Yeah, she's a good teacher. She learned from Rose." the girl replied parrying back. "Woo, go Connie!" Amethyst cheered from the stands.
"So tell me Peter, what did you do with the boy?" Drax asked his companion. "Oh yeah, it turns out that Garnet is actually two little girls standing on top of each other." the former thief answered. The other Guardians were shocked, but Garnet took it in stride. "In a way, he's right." she said. "I'm actually a fusion."
"If you're a 'fusion', then where the grop are those little girls Quill mentioned?" Rocket wondered. "You see Rocket, a fusion requires two Gems to be in perfect harmony, which is the case with them who are a couple." the fusion explained as she shaped her hands into a heart over her chest."Yeah, what she said." Peter added.
"So what do you say guys, want us to show you?" Amethyst asked. "I am Groot." Groot answered. "Oh well, got nothing better to do now." Rocket added. "Does it actually involve standing on top of each other?" Drax inquired.
"Yo Pearl!" the purple Quartz shouted to her thin as a rail companion. "These guys want us to show them fusion!" Pearl turned towards the stand with a uneasy on her face. "Are you really sure Amethyst?" she said. "Besides, it's been quite a long while since we formed Opal and I think we might be a bit rusty."
"Aw come on Pearl, you can do it!" Steven called. "I can even play the song again!" He pulled out a ukulele and started strumming as he sang.
"All I wanna do is see you turn into a giant woman,
A giant woman!
All I wanna be is someone who gets to see a giant woman."
"Okay Steven, we'll do it." Pearl said chuckling as she and Amethyst took their places and bowed to one another as their gems glowed. As the Guardians watched, they noticed Pearl's dancing was much more graceful compared to Amethyst's more rough style. When the two Gems connected with one another, they began to fully glow and form into a singular being, a large periwinkle colored figure with long white-ish hair tied into various ponytails, four arms and her gemstones on her head and chest.
"WHOO, GIANT WOMAN!" Steven cried as the new Gem turned to the others. "Hello there Steven, been a long while since we last met." she greeted the boy. "So this is that giant woman I've heard about huh?" Rocket said looking at her. "You bet Rocket. I am Opal."
"I was right, it is like they're standing on top of each other!" Drax exclaimed. "You can put it like that Drax." Opal replied. "So, want me to show you my skills?" she asked. "I got a few holo-targets you can use. Rocket answered pulling out four holographic discs from his person. "Where do even keep all the stuff you carry?" Peter wondered. "That's best left classified."
As Rocket tossed the holo-targets into the air, Opal summoned Pearl's spear & Amethyst's whip and combined them into a bow and arrow. "You see, Opal's really cool!" Steven exclaimed to Star-Lord. "I know that now!" he replied. The fusion carefully aimed at the targets and fired an arrow which split into three more and destroyed them all.
"WOO, GO OPAL!" Steven cheered as she defused back into Amethyst and Pearl. "Thanks Steven." Amethyst thanked.
"You know, Opal was really cool and all, but what else you Gems got?" Rocket asked.
"Well, we also have Sugilite." Garnet responded. "Like Opal, she hasn't been seen for a while, last I remember Amethyst & I fused to destroy the communication hub." Pearl cringed at that statement, getting flashbacks of what happened the last time they were at that location before turning around with a strained smile on her face. "Heh heh, sure why not?" she nervously said.
"Are you okay there Pearl?" Gamora wondered standing next to her. "Oh it's nothing Gamora, it's just that Sugilite and I have a...history together, that's all." she replied. "I can tell you!" Amethyst said. "Basically, Garnet & I had to fuse to get rid of a communication tower that was transmitting messages to Homeworld and we went all crazy until Pearl had to put us down! Then the next time we fused was after Garnet got kinda pissed at Pearl for rebuilding the place so that they could fuse again and-"
"Okay Amethyst, I think they've heard enough." Pearl interrupted with a scowl on her face. "No, don't cut her off! She was getting to the good part!" Drax responded gleefully. "I am Groot!" Groot added.
"Pearl's right guys, I think she's starting to feel bad." Peridot stated. "Oh right, my apologies." the destroyer quickly apologized.
"Well what're we waitin' for guys, let's go already!" the defective Quartz hollered excitedly as she took her place close to the fusion. "Synchronize!" Garnet announced with her hands out before busting a move. Amethyst started dancing as well as her gemstone started glowing.
When the two finally merged, the result was a large purple-skinned Gem with long dark hair, four arms like Opal, sharp teeth and large shades laughing boastfully. "Oh yeah, now that's what I'm talkin' about!" the fusion exclaimed stretching her arms before turning to Steven. "Hey little man, been a long while hasn't it?"
"You bet it has Sugilite!" Steven replied excitedly. "Just don't try and hurt anyone with your...shenanigans." Pearl responded groaning.
"I'd like to take part in these shenanigans!" Drax boasted shoving everyone else aside. "You there, the giant woman!" he shouted to Sugilite. "I, the mighty Drax the Destroyer, wish to challenge you!" Sugilite obviously was quite interested in the warrior's challenge. "Ooo-hoo, look at the little man trying to be all macho!" she scoffed as she summoned a flail from her three gems. "Well what're you waitin' for buddy, hit me as hard as you can!"
"With pleasure!" Drax shouted in reply as he ran up and jumped as high as he can, laughing like a maniac along the way. "Is he supposed to be really crazy, really stupid or a little bit of both?" Lapis asked Rocket. "Oh please, he's 'little bit of both' incarnate!" the masked mercenary responded chuckling.
Drax clung himself to Sugilite's body, stabbing at her torso with his twin sai. "I have you on the ropes giant woman, what will you do now?!" he exclaimed, still laughing. "Oh nothing chump," she replied. "just this!" She pulled him off her body and slammed him down to the ground with her flail. "How do like me now buddy?!" she exclaimed as she picked up Drax by the head. "Actually, I'm starting to quite dislike you." the destroyer replied as Sugilite let go and tossed him into the stands with a mighty wind-up punch.
"Oh my gosh Drax, are you alright?" Connie cried as they all rushed to his aid. "I am alright small Earth child, it's just that my nipples are in serious pain." he replied.
"What'd I tell ya, little bit of both incarnate." Rocket added chuckling some more. "Don't worry Drax, I got your back." Steven said as he rushed to the warrior's side, licked his own hand and placed it on his chest, magically healing his wounds. "I can't believe it, your disgusting germs have saved my life!" Drax boldly shouted getting up to his feet. "How do you do it?"
"I inherited this from my mom." Steven explained. "It's how I helped Lapis when her gem was cracked and how I accidentally healed Connie's eyes." The aforementioned two smiled. "It's true." they said in unison. "Wow, Gems seem really cool!" Peter exclaimed. "I mean, all those weapons, the fusions, speaking of which what can Garnet and Pearl become?"
"They can fuse into Sardonyx." Steven replied, which made Pearl even more uneasy. "Lemme guess, it's related to the whole thing about the communication tower?" Drax wondered. "Indeed it is." she replied. "Don't worry Pearl, I'm sure we can fuse without thinking about what happened." Garnet reassured. "Alright then, let's get to it I guess."
The two took their places as everyone else watched. Unlike Opal and Sugilite, the dance was more slow and seductive. They eventually formed a vermillion-skinned Gem with triangular hair and a torso that resembled a tuxedo."GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE!" she boldly announced. "This is Sardonyx, back once again and now we have a special guest appearance from...what's your name sonny?" She formed a warhammer out of Pearl's spear & Garnet's gauntlets and pointed it in Star-Lord's direction like a microphone.
"Uh, my name is Peter Quill, though most people call me Star-Lord. I'm the leader of the Guardians of the-" he began to speak before being cut off.
"Oh we have royalty here folks!" Sardonyx exclaimed. "He's not royalty, he just picked that name because it sounds cool."
"No, I'm called Star-Lord because that's what my mom called me." Peter said. "Before she died." His statement was followed up by a studio audience going "ooh!" as everyone else reacted in shock. "Your mother's dead? Oh woe is you Starry!" Sardonyx swooned. "I definitely know how you feel! For example, our cameraman Gary just lost his pet snail to a 40-wheeler! Isn't that right?"
"I can still smell his slime!" the aforementioned cameraman sobbed offscreen. "Okay giant woman, we've had enough of your games," Drax finally said. "what CAN you do?" he asked. "Oh I'm glad you asked Drax!" she replied jumping up into the air while striking a few poses. "Last I checked, the words that best describe me are..."
"SPECIFIC!"
"INTELLIGENT!"
"ACCURATE!"
"FLAWLESS!"
"ELEGANT."
"CONTROLLED!"
"SURGICAL!"
"GRACEFUL!"
"Aaaaand POWERFUL!"
With that last word, Sardonyx slammed her hammer down on the ground, making the entire arena shake. "And yes, I am known to smash." she finished. "Speaking of which, seems I did quite a number on this place! Guess I don't know my own strength." she added laughing while turning her entire torso around.
"Wow Sardonyx, bravo!" Peter exclaimed clapping before urging the others to do the same. "Yeah, you've got good form alright." Gamora added.
"Oh why thank you everyone, but hold your applause!" Sardonyx thanked her loving audience. "Because there's a special guest that I'd like to welcome here today! Everyone put your hands, and paws, together for SMOKY QUARTZ!"
"That's our cue kid!" Amethyst whispered to Steven as she took his hand and they fused into a new Gem with dark brown hair and light-mauve skin. "Whassup everyone?" they exclaimed jumping down next to Sardonyx.
"Whoa, he just fused with a Gem!" Connie gasped in awe. "He can do that?" Drax wondered. "Well, he is half-Gem on Rose's side." Peridot answered. "Great to be here again Sardonyx, now let's get to the 'point' of this meeting." Smoky greeted pointing to Sardonyx's nose, which was responded with a booming laugh from Drax. "I get it, it's because she has a pointy nose!" he guffawed. "Why thank you for that observation sir." Sardonyx responded dryly. "Now then Smoky, why don't you show them what you got?"
"You got it S!" Smoky replied as they formed a yo-yo like weapon out of Steven's shield & Amethyst's whip and bounded high into the sky. "Yeah I can do that, no 'strings' attached!" they called from above as they whirled down to the ground, making their weapon spin incredibly fast as well before touching down as everyone applauded. "Wow, looks like I got more 'fans' than before!" they boasted before summoning another yo-yo and spinning them like fans, knocking the audience off their socks.
"Woo, encore encore!" Peter exclaimed. "Sorry gang, but it looks like I gotta 'split!'" Smoky finally said before defusing back into Steven and Amethyst.
"Bravah you two, that was quite a show!" Sardonyx began applauding as well. "Well it looks like we have to wrap up, so GOOD NIGHT EVERYBODY!" As the fusion said her farewells, she shrank back down to Garnet and Pearl.
"That was actually pretty cool you guys." Rocket said with a genuine smile on his face. "Made me forget that we're probably stranded on this planet for a while since the Milano crashed." he added.
"Hey speaking of which, what are we gonna do with that?" Peter asked. "I don't know, maybe we could contact Yondu." Gamora replied. "Wait, who's Yondu?" Steven wondered. "He's a mighty space pirate who's the leader of the Ravagers and Star-Lord's adoptive father." Drax replied.
"Oh, I think I may know of him." Pearl responded with a frown. "He helped me and Rose all those centuries back, but I chose to forget about him."
"Are you kidding me Pearl, he's actually a cool guy!" Peter claimed, trying to defend his friend. "He's a lot like Han Solo or Peter Venkman where they act all mean & tough but deep down they're really nice!"
Pearl still wasn't buying it until Rocket interrupted. "Hold up there Quill. From what I've read about Pearls, they can get pretty salty when it comes to their masters gettin' smooth with others." he smugly explained as the white Gem blushed. "So anyway, are there any more fusions you want to show us?" he asked. "Well, we do have one more Rocket." Garnet replied smiling. "Alexandrite, a fusion of Pearl, Amethyst, and myself."
"And it's like really big!" Connie exclaimed. "And super powerful! It took down another fusion faster than you can say 'Excelsior'!" Steven added excitedly. "Well I'm convinced, let's see it." Gamora said. As she finished her sentences, the Gems took their places. "Ready everyone?" Garnet said. "Ready!" the other two replied.
They started dancing towards their leader, who only stood there & snapped her fingers before busting a move & whirling her arms which the others grabbed onto before they started glowing and formed into a giant pink woman with green hair in the shape of a star. "See, she's huge!" Steven excitedly said.
"Wow, she is pretty big." Lapis said. "Greetings giant-er woman, I am Star-Lord. Pleased to meet you." the space pirate greeted Alexandrite, but she didn't reply. "I guess she's more of the strong, silent type."
"So can Gems fuse with non-Gems?" Drax wondered. "I'm not sure about that guys, the only one who we know who can do that is Steven because well, he's one half human and one half Gem." Rocket answered. "Well who knows, maybe we could try it!" Peter added. "I am Groot." Groot agreed.
"Now lemme see, eeny meeny miny...you!" Star-Lord said choosing between the remaining Crystal Gems before pointing to Lapis, who winced. "Wait, me?!" she exclaimed. "But, I have a bad history with fusion!"
"C'mon Lap, it'll be fun!" Peter stated before scrolling through the music on his Walkman. "I have to agree with Lapis, she's fused before and didn't-you're not even listening are you?" Rocket said as his human friend turned on "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede and started doing moves reminiscent of Elvis. "You can trust me, I'm a great dancer!" he said continuing to dance.
"Oh alright." Lapis finally gave in and started dancing as well, raising her hands and swinging her hips side to side.
As the song went on, they advanced toward one another, with Peter doing a moonwalk and Lapis performing a pirouette, Steven, Peridot, Rocket and Groot watched with uncertainty. "Is something wrong?" Connie asked walking over to them with Pumpkin in her arms.
"Oh it's nothin' kid, it's just that Lapis has, ahem, 'history' with fusion, shall we say." Rocket answered as Star-Lord took Lapis' hand, twirled her around and caught her in a dip, which completely caused the ocean Gem to snap.
"NO!" she screamed escaping from her dancing partner's arms and flying off. "What, was it something I said?" Peter wondered. "Is it because I smell bad? Rocket, sniff my pits and see if I showered!" He raised his hand exposing his smelly underarm.
"Ew, I ain't gonna lay my nose on that greasy wasteland Quill, especially after what happened!" Rocket shouted back. "Seriously, what did I do?" Star-Lord was still confused. "Calm down Rocky, let me explain." Steven stated walking to his older buddy. "You see, back before we met you guys, there was this big mean Gem named Jasper who came to Earth and beat us all up until Garnet defeated her in a fight." he explained. When the chips were down, Jasper fused with Lapis but was trapped underwater as a result."
"Oh God, I feel terrible." Peter realized his recent actions. "I think she might be really pissed off at me, where is she now?" he asked. "Don't feel bad Pete, we all make mistakes." Peridot reassured him. "Also, I think she might be at the steps of the arena." With that, Star-Lord ran away to try and apologize.
Rushing to the arena steps, he found Lapis sitting there with her face buried in her knees. "Uh hey Lapis, it's me Peter." he nervously said. "Sorry about what happened earlier. We still cool?" he asked.
"Apology accepted, but I just need some time alone." Lapis replied glumly. "So I hear you have bad experiences with fusion after you did it with someone named Jasper?" Peter inquired, which made her wince again.
"Yeah, I did it to protect Steven but Jasper was...an utter brute. We fought over control of Malachite for months on end until she finally won. Being stuck with her was an utter nightmare, and-" she explained before she was stopped by Peter putting a hand on her shoulder. "Listen kid, you don't need to be so mopey right now, you got some really cool new friends here." he reassured her and she replied with a grin before hugging him. "Thanks Pete. And I'm sorry for lashing out."
"Hey you two, if you're done bein' all sad and apologetic, we still got Alexandrite out there wanting to show us how she kicks ass." Rocket interrupted the two. "Maybe later Rocket, I gotta go home." Connie added walking behind him. "I had a great time fighting with you Gamora." she thanked the former daughter of Thanos. "It was a pleasure Connie." Gamora replied shaking the girl's hand before she left for the Warp Pad. "See you all later!" Connie called before she vanished in a flash of light.
"Aw man, I really wanted to breath fire!" the newly-defused Amethyst groaned as she followed Garnet and Pearl out.
"Maybe some other time Amethyst." Garnet said to her shorter comrade. "By the way Rocket, you said something about your craft being in disrepair." she turned to the mercenary. "Yeah, I think we crashed because Quill didn't turn on the autopilot." he replied glaring at Peter. "Hey, that story was really intense!" Peter added defensively. "Well, let's see the damage." Peridot decided.
"Ladies, gentlemen and flora colossus, our proud vessel!" Rocket proclaimed as they all gazed upon the wreckage that used to be the Milano near the barn. "Or what's left of it anyway." he added pawing his face. "So where did you get that name anyway?" Steven asked. "I got it from my childhood crush Alyssa Milano." Star-Lord answered. "Wasn't she on 'Who's the Boss'?" Amethyst added. "You got it Ame!"
"Looking through all this wreckage, some of these parts are completely foreign to me." Pearl said digging through the remains of the ship. "Like this thing for example. What is it?" she asked holding a gizmo that looked like a small spinning top.
"That's a Makua motor from the planet Kirjack." Rocket answered taking it from her hand. "And it looks like it ran out of Isotope-8 from Lithios."
"I said it once and I'll say it again. We need Yondu." Star-Lord announced before taking out a holo-communicator and pressing some buttons on it, which made the image of his former mentor show up, and apparently he was in quite a pickle.
"You'll never take me alive J'son!" he shouted raising his fist before turning to Peter. "Peter, is that you?" he wondered. "He-hey Yondu, been a long while!" Star-Lord replied. "So what're you doing now?" he asked. "Oh let's just say I've pissed off the ruler of Spartax and now he wants me dead." Yondu explained. "Whoa, is that your friend Pete?!" Steven exclaimed. "He's all blue and has that thing on his head!"
"Who's the little squirt there?" Yondu asked. "Oh yeah, my name is Steven Universe and I'm his new friend." the Gem child replied. "The Guardians crashed here on Earth and their ship really needs some fixing. Peter said you might have some parts needed." he added.
"I think I may have a few spares lyin' around kid." Yondu said. "I'll be there in like a day, just gotta get the Spartaxians off my tail first. Later!"
As the holo-communicator shut off, Peter turned to Peridot. "Looks like we're gonna need a place to crash before Yondu gets here," he said. "is it okay if we hang out at the barn?" he asked. "Of course, the more the merrier they always say!" Peridot replied. "By the way, you wanna see the meep-morps Rocket and Groot made?" she followed up.
"Wait, a meep-what?" he wondered. "It's what they call 'art' around here Quill." Rocket replied before pulling out a ball of duct tape. "I call this one 'A Ball of Duct Tape.' It's literally just that, a ball of duct tape." he explained.
"Uh, I am Groot." Groot added before he pulled off a tarp, revealing a finger painting of them. "Is that supposed to be us?" Drax asked pointing to the painted version of himself. "Surely my face isn't that simplistic."
"Oh yeah, almost forgot to tell you guys. I'm planning on staying the night here." Steven interjected."WHOO, SLEEPOVER!" Star-Lord hollered. "What are we gonna do, spin the bottle, truth or dare, pillow fights?!" Everyone was left stunned by his sudden excited outburst until Lapis spoke up.
"I think we should make meep-morps and watch Camp Pining Hearts all night." she suggested. "Yeah, that's a great idea too."
Meanwhile in a dark part of outer space, Titus and his new ally Holly Blue Agate were soaring across the cosmos in his ship. "How much longer before we reach Earth?" the Homeworld Gem asked. "Approximately 0900 hours." the renegade Nova Corpsman answered. "Mark my words, those Guardians will be behind bars and I will regain both my honor & position."
"Quite the ambitious one, aren't you my friend?" Holly Blue quipped before the alarms sounded and a certain craft caught their eyes. "A Ravager ship, here? Not on my watch!" Titus exclaimed as he began to try and shoot it down.
"Oh great, Nova Corps on my ass now?" Yondu groaned as he began firing back. "Hopefully I can get down there with my head still on!"
It was a long and arduous battle between the space pirate and the duo, with Titus looking to gain the upper hand until his opponent pulled out a trick from up his sleeve. "Hey you furry jackass, take this!" he shouted firing a giant laser blast that took out the enemy ship's boosters and zoomed off. "Correction, 0930 hours." Titus grumbled as they made an emergency landing on the moon.
"I can't believe we were outsmarted by a criminal! Now what do we do?!" he shouted to Holly Blue, who was more interested in a large tower in the distance. "I think I have an idea, follow me." she responded as the two began walking towards it.
Back on Earth, it was nighttime and everyone had gone to sleep in the barn, except for Groot and Pumpkin who were watching Camp Pining Hearts. Lapis & Peridot slept in a hammock, with the water Gem snoring quite loudly, Amethyst was completely knocked out on the floor with a bucket near her head, Drax, Garnet, Pearl and Rocket resting on a haystack, Gamora leaning on one of the support beams, Star-Lord resting on a curled up Lion and Steven snuggled up in a bug-themed sleeping bag until he opened his eyes.
"Oy, I'm feelin' kinda funny." he whispered to himself climbing out of the sleeping bag to be caught by Groot, who innocently waved to him. Walking over to Lion, he found Peter sleeping soundly. "Hey Pete, I can't sleep." he said touching his face, when suddenly he found himself in an unknown place. Everything was pitch black except for a small speck of light. Walking towards it, he discovered a woman standing before him.
"Oh Peter, my little Star-Lord." she simply said before she vanished in a flash of light, and Steven woke up back in his caterpillar sleeping bag.
"That...that was his name." he realized. "And that was his mom." He went back to sleep with this new information in his head.
Morning finally came as everyone rose from their slumber, with Rocket walking over to Amethyst's comatose form. "Hey Amy, you still awake?" he said kicking her in the head. "I guess that bucket I stuffed in the pillowcase must've done a real number on your noggin." he mumbled to himself before the defective Quartz finally woke up. "Yeah, I'm alright furball." she said rubbing her eye.
"Morning everyone!" Peter exclaimed as he wrestled himself out of Lion's paws. "So how did everyone sleep last night?"
"Peridot told me Lapis snores very loudly." Drax stated. "Yeah, kinda like this!" she added before imitating her roommate's snoring, much to her chagrin. "So is that Yondu guy coming soon?" Lapis asked the space cowboy. "Yeah, he should be right about now." he replied before they all heard a sound coming from outside. Rushing out from the barn, they all found a shabby-looking spaceship touching down in front of them, and out from it finally came Yondu Udonta.
"Sorry I was late everyone, Spartax is not one to be messed with." Yondu apologized before Peter suddenly ran up and hugged him. "You're finally here!" he exclaimed. "Thanks for the hug kid, now get off me." the Ravager replied shoving his apprentice aside to meet the Gems.
"So you must be that little sprout from earlier today!" he said tousling Steven's hair. "Yeah, my name's Steven Universe." the child giggled. "And these are my friends, the Crystal Gems."
Steven gestured towards his guardians, and the first one Yondu laid eyes on was Garnet. "Hey there," he said to the fusion trying to act all smooth while eyeing both her head and her hips. "I see you're thick as a brick. Maybe we could, I don't know, have a charming candlelight dinner la-"
Garnet suddenly interrupted him. "I think I've heard enough sir." she calmly stated adjusting her visor. "Alright then, whatever you say babe." he responded before turning to Amethyst. "So...you're purple."
"Yep, that's why they call me Amethyst." the Quartz replied. "Nice to meet ya." She shook hands with Yondu before he turned and grimaced at a familiar face to him. "Hello, Pearl." he snarled at Pearl. "Pleasure to see you again too Udonta." the servant Gem sarcastically greeted. "How goes defending the Earth, where's Rose been all these years?" Yondu asked."Rose passed away a long time ago, she married a human man and gave birth to their son." she replied pointing to Steven. "Wait, he's her son?" the Ravager gasped. "But I thought all Gems were girls!"
"Actually, I'm part Gem myself!" Steven replied before Rocket came along and dragged him away. "I think it's best we leave these two be." he said.
"So anyway, you still lusting after Pinky even after she's died you stuck-up, hoity-toity, manipulative pebble?!" Yondu snapped. "She was a hero to all of us you thief, and if you can't realize it you should just leave!" Pearl shouted back. "Guys, wait!" Steven exclaimed getting between the two. "Let's try to calm down and talk, why do guys not like each other?" he asked.
"Well kid, it all goes back many years ago, so long I can't even remember." the Centaurian answered as he began reminiscing on the time he met Rose and Pearl.
"Here you go Pip, a couple of Robonoids stolen from the Diamonds. Hope you're happy!" Yondu said to Pip the Troll as he quickly escaped from an Earth spaceport to a nearby dropship. The Ravager stayed behind hiding from the Topaz guards until he heard sounds of combat followed by a large poof. Peeking from behind the pile of cargo, he noticed a large pink woman and her thin white companion standing over a group of yellow gems. He tried his best to keep quiet until they turned to notice him. "Hello there." the pink one greeted walking over to him.
"Uh, hello there too babe." Yondu nervously replied getting up from his hiding place.
"I am Rose Quartz, and this is my confidant Pearl." the figure, now calling herself Rose Quartz, said. "Name's Yondu Udonta, how are you doing? By the way, why are you here anyway?" the blue alien asked. "We have defected from the Gem Homeworld after we sworn to protect the people of Earth." Pearl stated. As she continued on about their origin and motives, Yondu just wasn't paying attention.
"Are you even listening?" Pearl inquired. "Oh sorry, just thinkin' about stuff." he apologized. "By the way, I think there might be a few guards onto us." He pointed to a group of Gems charging towards them, led by a small red one with her gemstone in her eye.
"There he is, and he has criminals with him as well!" the red Gem exclaimed. "Wait, criminals?" Yondu was confused about what she just said before one of the guards, a Jasper, punched him in the gut.
"Stand back sir, we got this!" Pearl exclaimed summoning her spear and stabbing an Amethyst guard with it, poofing her in the process. Rose meanwhile got into a swordfight with a Citrine and won.
"I can't believe you're all so weak against them!" the guards' leader groaned smacking her own face. "That's it, I'm capturing them myself!" She whipped out a chisel knife from her Gem and charged at Yondu. "So you think you can match me, eh?" Yondu said to the little Gem. "Well allow me to show you what I can do."
He started whistling, which summoned a single arrow to his side and striking the Jasper that attacked him earlier, poofing her. He continued whistling as the arrow zoomed around, taking down Gems left and right until the one standing before him was the only one left. "But...how?!" she howled before running off.
"Hehe, Rubies." Pearl chuckled as she put away her spear. "Thank you for helping us Yondu," Rose thanked him. "now is there anyway we can repay you?"
"Well maybe you could help me get off this planet?" the Ravager offered. "My ship crash-landed somewhere 'round here and a friend of mine took the last dropship." Rose was more than happy to help him. "I think Pearl might be useful in helping you. Lead us to your ship." she said walking away from him as he took her arm. Yondu took one last look at Pearl, who wasn't looking quite happy with the two. "What're you lookin' at beanpole?"
"Okay, so maybe I was a bit show-offish, but at least you helped me out in getting back into space." Yondu finished his flashback sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "And maybe I was a bit too jealous. I was just a Pearl and he was a roguish space pirate who took care of all those guards so easily." Pearl added looking at the Centaurian. "Is there anyway we can at least make a truce?"
"Oh what the hell, put 'er there skinny!" Yondu exclaimed boisterously patting her on the back, much to her displeasure. "Alright, now let's get to fixing our-" Star-Lord said before Peridot interrupted him. "WAIT!" she hollered running up to Yondu. "You didn't meet me and Lapis yet!"
"Well how do ya do kid, I suppose you must be Peridot." Yondu said kneeling down to the former Homeworld Gem's eye-level. "Indeed I am, and this is my roommate Lapis Lazuli and our pet Pumpkin!" Peridot introduced the two as Lapis nonchalantly waved hello.
"Alright, now that everyone's introduced we can get to work on the Milano." Rocket stated. "And I got the perfect montage music for it!" Peter added turning on "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" before they all got to work.
Peridot helped Rocket with the engine and hull while Pearl worked on the interior. Lapis used her water powers to wash off all the dirt & grime before splashing Drax and Groot. Garnet pounded a few metal panels in before letting Yondu screw them tight. Gamora & Amethyst helped fix up the controls, with Amethyst swallowing all the old parts like a trash can. Finally, Steven and Peter added the finishing touches by fixing up the cassette player. At last, the Milano was finally fixed.
"I have to say, we make quite a team." Gamora finally said as they all admired their handiwork. "Well kid, guess this is goodbye." Peter said to Steven as they all began walking back to their ship. "It's been fun meeting you guys." Steven replied. As everyone said their farewells, suddenly there was a ringing sound coming from Steven's pocket, he pulled out his phone from there and found a text from Connie saying "Come back to the temple now, someone's broken in!"
"Oh my gosh, something really bad must be up back at Beach City!" Steven panicked. "Whoa whoa whoa, calm down there squirt!" Yondu replied. "Now then, I'm pretty sure it must be like a false alarm. Maybe we should go and check to see what's up."
The Gems agreed with him. "Yondu is right, let's head back home with the Warp Pad." Garnet declared. "I got a better idea," Rocket suggested. "how about we take the Milano for a spin?"
"Alright, we're ridin' in a spaceship again!" Amethyst shouted excitedly as she rushed onboard the ship. "I call captain's seat!" Peridot added following suit.
"Okay, to Beach City we go!" Peter declared as they all got onboard the Milano. "Whoa, this is so cool!" Steven marveled at the spacecraft's interior as the Guardians took their places on the bridge. "Now this is a technological marvel, where did you get this?" Pearl added. "Oh it was just another M-ship used by the Ravagers that I gave Quill." Yondu replied. "Now then, are we takin' off or not?"
"We're taking off soon, just gotta make a few adjustments." Star-Lord replied pressing a few buttons. "Alright, we're good to go!" As soon as he pushed another button, the Milano finally took off toward Beach City.
Touching down in front of the beach house, the Guardians and the Crystal Gems exited the vessel to find Connie hiding near the door. "Hi Connie!" Steven cheerfully greeted, only to be shushed by his best friend. "Be quiet, your house is being invaded by whatever these guys are!" The two peeked in the window to find Titus and Holly Blue Agate searching the entire house.
"Hey, I know the blue one, but who's the big cat?" Amethyst wondered. "That's Titus, a former member of the Nova Corps that's out for our blood because we made him lose his job." Rocket answered joining in on their spying. "And what's that Agate doing on Earth?" Peridot added. "I have no idea, but it must mean something's up." Star-Lord said preparing to attack. "On my count, one, two, THREE!"
Everybody barged in through the door preparing for battle as they faced the malicious duo, who turned around to notice the intruders. "YOU!" they both shouted. "Alright catman, leave here or pay the price!" Garnet ordered. "Stop right there," Holly Blue said. "I have something to explain."
Thanks for being so patient everyone, this one took a while! Plus I'm pretty sure people are going to ship Star-Lord/Lapis and Yondu/Pearl after this. Stay tuned for chapter 5, coming soon!
