Strong in the Real Way
An air of tranquility hung over Rose's secret armory. Concealed within a cavern in a location known only to a handful of gems, the ancient cache had been entirely overlooked by the vicious Homeworld gem in her search for the rebel leader. The crystal clear waters reflected the numerous stalactites that hung majestically from the vast ceiling. A gust of wind blew into the cavern, creating a ripple in the water which spread through the cave, breaking on rock formations which had been forming for millennia.
The peaceful silence was suddenly broken by a yawn, which echoed through the cavernous chamber. The origin of the sound, a large pink lion, stretched his jaws wide into another yawn, which lasted several seconds, before licking his lips. The gentle cat blinked and looked around the armory for any sign of intruders. Turning his head, the feline guardian looked back at the small boy resting silently on his furry midsection. Not wanting to disturb him, Lion once again rested his head on the ancient platform.
It had been a few days since Lion had brought Steven to the armory. The pink guardian had been out exploring several days earlier, enjoying the thrill of the hunt and the peace nature afforded. He frequently explored on his own; though he felt a kinship with Steven, he sometimes enjoyed being alone. After Lion had grown weary of the wilds, he had decided to return to Beach City. What he found upon his arrival had been startling.
The town was in chaos. People were frantically trying to escape the city as quickly as possible. Lion quickly realized that the source of the disturbance was on the beach, and became acutely aware that Steven could be in danger. Without hesitation, the pink cat bolted down the boardwalk, narrowly avoiding the panicked residents as they scrambled about in the darkness. His progress impeded by the frenzied humans, Lion took several minutes to reach the edge of the beach.
He arrived just in time to watch the light cannon fire, watching as the beam of energy spiraled across the sand, bathing the beach in a brilliant light. Lion froze and watched the luminous blast. After the shot faded, he began to slowly pad through the sand, being careful to remain concealed under the cover of night. Upon reaching the cannon, he saw Steven curled up in the sand motionless. Realizing that Steven must be hurt or worse, Lion dashed over to the unconscious boy and picked him up, dropping one of his flip-flops in the sand.
Though completely unaware of any of the precedent events, Lion trusted his instinct to protect the young boy. He fled the beach with Steven in his mouth, and ran until he was a fair distance away from the seaside city. From there, the pink protector had decided to teleport himself and Steven somewhere safe. He traveled to Rose's armory, where he remained for several days. Though he had left the cave a few times to find food, he had spent most of the time watching over Steven. Lion's attention turned once again to look at the half-gem in his charge, and let out a small whine. Shifting his position, Lion turned and rested his head next to Steven.
Without warning, the young injured gem began to stir. Lion watched as he waded in and out of consciousness; finally slowly opening his eyes and blinking, taking several minutes to register his surroundings.
"Ugh…Wha…where…am I?" Steven stammered groggily. "How did I get…?" Steven tried to stretch, immediately wincing at the pain as his arms protested the motion. Lion let out an inquisitive whine, causing Steven to turn his still blurred attention to the pink cat.
"Lion?" he asked wearily. "Where did you come from?" The last thing he remembered was his shield forming right before the light cannon blast hit him. As the wounded young gem gradually came to, the reality of the situation began to dawn on him.
"The gem…everyone's in danger!" Steven tried to sit up, but a flash of pain flared in his chest causing him to fall back onto Lion. The pink feline shifted slightly. Grabbing his companion for support, the wounded gem let out a pained groan as he slowly rose to his feet. Noticing that his sandal was missing, Steven frowned.
"Aw, that was my favorite pair." he murmured disappointedly, closing his eyes again and leaning heavily on Lion. As Steven's head began to clear, the events of the past week came back into focus. Realizing the danger the Homeworld gem posed, Steven's exhaustion was replaced by a feeling of dread.
"We need to get back to Beach City," Steven stated. He looked over at his feline companion, deep in thought. "But the gem might still be there. Maybe I can go through the town without anyone noticing me. "Can you get me just outside Beach City?" the worried boy asked.
Lion stared as him for a moment before sitting down. Steven carefully climbed on his friend's back. Standing up again, Lion broke into a run, summoned a magic portal, and leapt through it at full speed. The pair hurled through the magical warp for several seconds before emerging on the road that led to Beach City. The momentum threw Steven off of Lion's back and sent him sprawling onto the pavement.
"Ow!" the young gem exclaimed, nursing his bruised shoulder. Lion walked over and nudged him with his large wet nose, causing him to give a small smile. The young half-gem groaned as he shakily got to his feet, leaning on Lion in order to keep his balance. He had been unconscious for the past few days, and now felt overwhelmingly exhausted.
"Well, it doesn't look like the bad gem is still here." Steven said, looking out at the quiet town. The wounded boy tried to climb onto Lion's back once more, but his injuries stifled his attempts. After trying for several minutes, he gave up.
"Alright, let's go," Steven said determinedly. Clinging to Lion for support, he began his arduous journey to the beach.
As Steven limped along the quiet road, he began to think about the events of the past week. It disturbed him that the Homeworld gem had managed to best the crystal gems twice. Steven had never seen someone so powerful in his entire life! Sure, Jasper had been pretty beefy, but Steven believed the mysterious gem could have crushed the orange warrior without breaking a sweat. He wondered if there were other, stronger gems elsewhere in space. If there were, he wasn't sure how he and the gems would fair if one of them came to earth. Steven dearly hoped that he wouldn't encounter any more Homeworld gems.
Once he reached the outskirts of the beachside town, he was forced to stop and catch his breath. The young gem had much less stamina than usual; his injuries were taxing his strength. Still leaning on his companion, the resolute half-gem continued his trek down the street towards the boardwalk. Looking over at a store window, he noticed his reflection in a store window. The image that stared back startled him.
Steven looked as he had after his first encounter with the Homeworld gem. His hair was wild, and his face was covered in cuts and bruises. One of his sleeves was missing, and his jeans were ripped. A section of his shirt was torn, revealing a large burn that crossed his side. A wave of nausea hit the young gem, forcing him to lean against the window until it passed.
After a few minutes, Steven renewed his journey towards the beach, still leaning on Lion. As the duo continued their grim pilgrimage, he began to get the feeling that something was wrong. The streets were totally empty, devoid of the usual traffic which flowed in and out of the sleepy beachside town. All of the shops and businesses were deserted; Steven noticed that many of were displaying 'closed' signs.
"Lion, does this seem weird to you too?" the worn gem asked his furry companion. Lion looked over at the disquieted boy clinging to him and let out a curt snort. Smiling weakly, Steven reached out with his working arm and petted him for a few seconds before continuing forward. As he trudged through the town, horrifying thoughts danced through his mind, causing him to cringe. What if the gem survived the light cannon blast? What if his dad and the others didn't escape in time? What if the gem was still at the beach, waiting for him? Steven shuddered and looked around nervously for any sign of danger.
After walking for another minute, Steven was forced to stop and rest once more. The heat of the day, combined with his numerous injuries, was beginning to wear on him. After a short break, the weary boy managed to carry on his desperate mission. Finally, he reached his dad's seemingly abandoned carwash. Scanning his surroundings once more to make sure it was safe, Steven slowly made his way towards the looming structure. He managed to carefully traverse the concrete driveway, still leaning on Lion for support. Upon reaching the wash tunnel, Steven stealthily peered inside, only to find it empty. His inspection of the rest of the building yielded similar results. Emerging from the deserted business, Steven proceeded onto the main road before stopping once again to catch his breath.
"No one's here, Lion. It looks like all of Beach City is deserted. Do you think the Homeworld gem got them?" Lion responded with a blank stare.
"We should get to the beach," Steven asserted, fear evident in his voice. "Everyone might be there."
The young gem took several steps before stopping abruptly. Steven suddenly felt breathless. Without warning, a wave of dizziness came over him. Steven waited for the feeling to pass, however, it only worsened, and the injured boy's strength began to fail him. Loosening his grip on Lion, the hurt gem stumbled backwards, trying desperately to maintain his balance.
"Lion…I don't…feel…so…good." The pink guardian watched as his companion crumpled to the ground. Lion let out a long whine of concern and nudged Steven with his nose, eliciting a pained groan from the fading boy. Lion hesitated for several seconds, unsure of how to proceed. Not wanting to put Steven in more danger, he decided to go to the beach alone in search of help. Turning, the pink guardian bolted down the street towards the beach. Lion dashed as quickly as he could, ignoring caution and stealth as he sprinted towards the sandy shore.
Finally, the magical animal reached the edge of the beach. Noticing an unusual group of humans by the shore, Lion slowed his pace. Lowering his head defensively, he slowly began to pad through the loose sand. After a moment, the large pink cat noticed several of the humans staring at him with looks of surprise, confusion, and grief. As he drew closer, more people turned their gaze towards him. Finally, someone from among the group spoke.
"Lion?" The pink protector looked down to see Connie approaching him, her eyes stained with tears. After a minute, Greg emerged from the crowd and joined the grieving girl. Remembering his mission, Lion let out a roar before turning and bounding up the beach. After several yards, he turned, glared at the pair, and let out another roar.
"I…I think he wants us to follow him," Greg suggested. Connie nodded, and the duo took off after the magical cat.
The pair ran up the beach, trying to keep pace with Lion as he bolted towards the heart of Beach City. The pink guardian slowed occasionally, allowing Connie and Greg to catch up before surging forward again. After several minutes of running, Lion finally came to a halt and let out a roar. Seeing that the pink feline had stopped, Connie and Greg slowed to a walk, panting heavily.
"He stopped," Connie gasped. "What do you think he wants to show…" At that moment, the pair simultaneously noticed the injured boy lying in the middle of the road.
"Is that…" Greg began.
"Steven!" Connie finished. Her exhaustion forgotten, Connie sprinted over to her friend's prone form and knelt down. Carefully grabbing his shoulder, she flipped him onto his back, and looked him over. After a few seconds, the young girl put an ear to his chest, and her eyes widened.
"He's breathing! He's alive!"