The Gems were ready to take down the gem creature. Pearl was just about to move in for the kill, Garnet holding the panther's rearing attacks back, Amethyst standing with her whip around its middle. Steven hung back with the remainder of his bag of Chaaaps, looking forward to his chance to try out bubbling again. It was going so well.

And then Pearl froze, spear inches from the purple monster's oil-like hide.

"Where's its gem?" she asked.

Garnet paused as well. Distracted, the panther managed a powerful swipe at her, knocking her back into the trees.

Amethyst cried in alarm, grunting as her grip started to slip. "Who cares where its gem is? We've got this! We don't need a weak spot - oof!"

The panther's jagged, crystal chain of a tail came around and hit Amethyst square in the gut, sending her flying. She landed a few ways away from Steven, who had dropped his bag of Chaaaps and was now looking pretty worried.

Amethyst rubbed her head, waving Steven's fussing about off. "Didn't," she corrected herself. "Didn't need a weak spot, we had got this. Darn!"

"I'm sorry!" Pearl yelled, dodging and jumping the creature's attacks. She just managed to block a bite by jamming her spear between jaws before continuing. "I didn't want to accidentally crack its gem! I just - "

"Whoo hoo!"

A huge figure rolled out of the trees, tackling the monster head-on with a high, rather giggly battle cry piercing the air. "Kitty, kitty!" The newcomer crowed, rolling around laughing with the monster like they were playing.

Steven gasped. "A pet? Oh my garsh, did we try to subdue somebody's pet?" He yelled, "I'M SORRY! You two complement each other very well!"

Behind him, the rest of the Crystal Gems got back on their feet silently.

The figure looked up, having stopped on top of the creature, safely pinning it down. Steven was momentarily rendered speechless as two pairs of strikingly bright eyes met his, smiling. "Thanks!" they laughed, all the while in the process of maneuvering with impossible ease around their captive. "Not m'pet, but -"

"Look out!" Garnet called. Pearl and Amethyst had frozen, eyes wide, just before a razor-sharp claw -

"Whoah! Haha," the stranger dodged around the oncoming swipe, tussled for a few more minutes until they were able to lock the gem cat around its sinewy muzzle. "So, I suppose you're new around here, flip-flops and friends. Are you visiting?"

They raised both left arms together in the air, conjuring up a rectangular, curved shield that glowed in the setting sun. It casted beautiful streaks of orange on their dark grey-brown skin, then bringing it down with one sure, striking blow before Steven could answer.

"HIYAA!"

The panther yowled one last time as it shattered to a million faded sparks, throwing up a rhombus-shaped onyx up into the air. A midnight hand caught it deftly, cradling it to their flat chest. That was when Steven noticed the half-and-half gem, and gasped lightly, stars alighting in his eyes.

"Giant person," he whispered.

The aforementioned giant person hummed tunelessly, weaving their hand over the gem. A green bubble formed, bringing the former panther a good few inches above their palm before it imploded silently, teleporting to another location.

Steven clapped his hands together, shaking the stars out of his eyes. "That - was - awesome!"

The fusion stranger jumped, eyebrows raising. They seemed to have forgotten slightly about the Crystal Gems. "You think so?" they asked shyly, laughing.

The ground shivered. Steven tore his glance away from the stranger to see Amethyst practically jackhammering the ground with the balls of her feet.

"Forgive me for asking but..." Pearl cocked her head timidly. Her dainty eyebrows were furrowed upwards, her teeth over her lips, moving constantly as if she couldn't find the words to continue.

"Where was the gem?" Garnet interjected, almost too quickly. Pearl drew her hands close to her middle - a gesture that Steven had seen her do so much during the aftermath of The Sardonyx Debacle - and clamped her mouth shut. Amethyst had no input. Steven absentmindedly waved a hand in front of her face. It held an expression that was reminiscent of a deer caught in the headlights. Hm. Nothing.

"...Gem?" the non-threat cocked their head in confusion. Then two of their eyes, the blue pair, narrowed as the other, amber ones widened in surprise.

Their body turned to white light as they unfused, and two children of about Steven's age were thrown at the Crystal Gems' feet.

Steven took an involuntary step back, yelped suddenly as his sandals caught on a stray rock and tripped him onto his back. But before that, he caught glimpses of his newest potential friends.

Orange, and blue, of whom the latter slapped his forehead and groaned.

"What am I gonna put in the journal now?"