"Shrek?" uttered Amethyst, "BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…! Are you serious? What kind of name is that?"

"This isn't a game!" shouted Riku. "The threat he presents is very much real."

"You know," said Connie, "that show we were watching earlier did mention something about an ogre knight in shining armor. Do you guys think Shrek is that knight?"

"What are you people talking about?" asked Amethyst.

"Yeah, what is this Princess Fiona and Shrek stuff?" said Steven's dad.

Steven turned to the others and said, "We were watching this show earlier about this superhero, Giantdad. Originally, it was about Giantdad's battle against Count Dracula and his minions, but then it turns out that Princess Fiona was supposed to be the rightful ruler of the city that Giantdad's from."

"Where the heck did you guys even find this show?" asked Greg.

"Onion gave it to me."

"And you think this Princess Fiona person is somehow… connected?" said Riku.

"It does look like her," said Connie as she acquired the emblem.

Riku, whose keyblade had been dispelled some time ago, crossed his arms together, "Tell me more."

"Well," said Connie, "Princess Fiona was the next in line to the throne of Far, Far Away Kingdom, but even though her parents were human, she was born as an ogre."

"And ogres aren't allowed to have happy endings," Steven interrupted.

"Sounds like a fairy tale if you ask me," said Riku.

"Yeah, that's basically what it is," Connie replied.

"So anyway," said Steven, "the Fairy Godmother gave Fiona this magic potion that would allow her to become human…"

"The Fairy Godmother?" Riku interrupted.

"I guess…?" said Connie.

"But anyway," Steven continued, "it only worked during the daytime without receiving her True Love's First Kiss. So, the Fairy Godmother had Princess Fiona locked up in this castle guarded by this evil fire-breathing dragon so that her true love could save her."

"Wait, I'm confused," said Riku.

"About what?" asked Steven.

"Yeah," said Lapis, "it makes sense to me."

"We're talking about the same Fairy Godmother here, right?" asked Riku.

"Why, you know someone like that?" said Steven.

"I do, actually."

"Huh," uttered Connie.

"And here I thought that show was a whole bunch of nonsense," said Pearl. "Well, shows what I know."

"The plot is kinda cliche, honestly," said Connie.

"I still don't think the Fairy Godmother I know would do something like that," Riku thought aloud.

"Whatever," said Amethyst. "It's not like this other Fairy Godmother even exists anyway. It's a freaking cartoon show for crying out loud!"

"Well, technically, it's a fairy tale told inside a cartoon show," Connie added.

"Who cares?" Amethyst slammed herself back onto the floor. "I just want this night to be over with."

"I wonder…" Riku uttered. "How does the rest of the story go?"

"Well," said Connie, "the Fairy Godmother originally intended for her son, Prince Charming, to rescue her, but she was rescued by an ogre and donkey instead."

"You mean… Shrek," Riku turned aside as he said this.

"Hold up," said Peridot, "what does a donkey have to do with this over-elaborate fairy tale anyway?"

"He was just sorta… there," Connie said, for lack of a better word.

"After that," continued Steven, "The Fairy Godmother kidnapped Shrek and locked him up in this dungeon, and Princess Fiona was never seen from again."

"For some reason," Connie added, "I get the feeling this story was supposed to be based on something else, but I can't for the life of me remember where I've heard it before."

"Can someone remind me what any of this has to do with anything?" Pearl asked.

"I think it might give us clues as to the nature of this Shrek character," said Riku, "though that still doesn't explain how he was able to amass such a large and powerful army of keyblade wielders."

"Maybe we'll be able to find some more clues by watching the rest of that show," said Steven, "and I get the feeling Onion might know something too."

"Onion…" said Riku. "I think that was one of the other words Even and that soldier seemed obsessed about."

"It might also have something to do with why Sour Cream, Onion, and Vidalia were able to fend off those Heartless while everyone else was having trouble," Steven suggested.

"Don't be ridiculous, Steven," Pearl said as she planted her hands on her hips.

"Perhaps it might be worthwhile to test this theory in practice," said Peridot.

"Not you too, Peridot!"

"You are in possession of this multi-layered, bulbous vegetable, correct?"

Riku cringed as he heard Peridot speak, though the green gem did not seem to take notice of his reaction.

"Something wrong, Riku?" asked Steven.

"It's… nothing," said the silver-haired boy.

"Well?" asked Peridot.

"Probably in the fridge," said Amethyst, lying on the floor.

"I'm glad at least one of us is willing to be of assistance," Peridot climbed down from her stool and made way for the refrigerator.

There was a pause as Peridot shuffled through its contents.

Steven looked up, "You said that these keyblades have the power to open the doors to people's hearts, right?"

"Sorta," said Riku.

"Hmm… I really wish I could help Garnet out, but then I just remembered what you said about your friend."

"He wasn't that much of a friend, per say, but still, what happened to him was unfortunate."

"Found it!" Peridot proclaimed while holding up a large onion with her small hands.

As the green gem struggled to bring the onion up to the counter, Connie thought she noticed a peculiarly strange stench.

"Have they always smelled like that?" Connie asked.

"I don't smell anything," said Steven.

"Me neither," said Lapis.

"Let me see that."

Riku reached down to grab the onion out of Peridot's hands, and then sniffed it.

Riku cringed.

"I think you should put it back for now."

"But I wanted to test out my idea as to whether or not…"

"Maybe you should listen to him for now," said Connie.

"Fine!"

Peridot stored the onion back into the fridge and then slammed the door shut.

"So what do we do now?" asked Steven.

"I'm not sure myself," said Riku. "The best we can do for now is to clear out as many Heartless as we can. Those keyblade wielders are going to find us eventually, but I don't think they'll attack you unless you get in their way."

"Isn't there anything we can do to help?"

"I wish, but if those keyblade warriors were enough to take down a full-fledged keyblade master, then I don't see how you'd stand much of a chance."

"Well maybe if we understood a bit more about their fighting style, then maybe we might be able to help," said Pearl.

"Can't really say for sure since I only fought against one of them," said Riku. "They might not have all that much health, but don't be fooled. They're tough. They're fast. They're patient. They will dodge out of the way of almost every attack you make unless you are certain your attack will hit. If you let down your guard for even a second, they will go all out on you before you even get a chance to retaliate. Almost every time I tried to unleash one of my stronger attacks, he countered with almost perfect precision."

"How did you win?" asked Connie.

"Luck I suppose. Even with the cards on my side, I only won by a sliver of health. If it wasn't for the Castle, I don't think I would have stood a chance.

"I've heard some of them can wield the power of darkness without being affected by it, though I haven't seen it myself. It's likely I wasn't fighting that warrior at full strength, so I might not have seen the full extent of his powers."

Amethyst suddenly let out a great yawn, "Man am I tired."

"Yeah," Steven yawned, "it's getting kinda late."

Riku crossed his arms and sighed. "We might as well discuss more of this later; I've talked long enough already."

"Wait," said Peridot, "I would still like to discover the process for manufacturing these keyblades!"

"I don't really have a good answer to your question," said Riku. "Some of the stronger blades can be forged by bringing certain hearts together, but that's not a road you want to go down on. Keyblades aren't exactly things you can manufacture, and even if you found some way to make them on your own, you might not be able to use them."

"And why is that?"

"Like I said before, only those with a strong heart can wield them." Riku briefly looked around at everyone else. "Well, I must get going."

"You could stay here with us if you'd like, Riku," said Steven.

"Yeah," said Connie, "where will you sleep?"

"I can take care of myself on my own. Besides, I've still got to check back up on Lea. Anyway, it was nice knowing you."

Taking the Ogrelord's Sigil back into his possession, Riku made his way for the door.

Once it was open, the boy briefly turned back around and said, "Be sure to keep an eye on your friend over there. There's no telling what she might do once she wakes up."

"Got it," said Amethyst.

"Bye, Riku!" Steven waved.

Once the boy was out of sight, Pearl cleared her throat and said, "Speaking of which, Connie, we need to get you back to your parents."

"Oh my gosh!" said Connie, "I almost completely forgot about that!"

"Eh, whatever," said Amethyst. "They'll probably understand."

"I just hope they're safe."

"Oh right!" exclaimed Steven, "What are we doing here? We gotta help them!"

The boy leaped from his seat and sped towards the door, taking Connie by the hand.

"Wait, Steven, not so fast!"

After about another hour or so teleporting across Beach City and speaking with everybody, Steven Universe was finally certain that the Heartless no longer threatened the city's inhabitants, at least for the time being. Steven now lay exhausted atop Lion's fur, just barely cognizant of the leaps and jumps his steed took as it strode across the city.

He heard a door open.

"Steven," he heard Pearl say, "you're back! You really shouldn't…"

"So… tired…"

As Lion edged his way into the Beach House, Steven rolled off the beast's back, and fell asleep right there on the floor.

Steven found himself soaring through an endless blue sky with no land in sight. Clouds drifted all around him, though many remained out of reach even when he tried making his way towards them.

Even here, the boy felt strangely tired.

"It sure is a nice day out today," Steven remarked. "But where is everyone?"

"Good morning, Steven!"

Almost as if on cue, Steven heard a voice.

"Hello?" Steven called out.

Something about the voice seemed familiar, though he could not quite remember where he had heard that voice before.

"Over here, kid!"

Steven turned towards the voice. The bright, glowing gleam of the sun shined in his face, though it was not bright enough to blind him.

"Uncle Grandpa?"

The memories slowly began to return to him as he gazed upon Uncle Grandpa's hideous mug, which now took the guise of the morning sun.

"Yup," said Uncle Grandpa, "it's me, Steven."

"What brings you here, Uncle Grandpa?" Steven asked.

"Just thought I'd stop over for a visit."

"Oh, okay." Steven glanced across the skies. "Where is everyone else?"

A second head of Uncle Grandpa popped out from underneath Steven's shirt. "Don't worry kid, they're safe in my RV."

"Well," said Steven, "that's good to know."

Steven glanced from side to side, holding his arms crossed as he tapped his foot on an invisible floor. The second head seemed to have disappeared, though Steven took no note of it.

"Say, do you think you could help me out with something?"

"Sure!" said Uncle Grandpa. "What do you need helping out with, Steven?"

"Well, something happened to one of my friends. We're not sure if there's any way to get her back to normal, so I was just wondering if maybe…"

Steven stopped for a second. The more he thought about it, the more unusual he found Uncle Grandpa's existence, as if he was trying to worm his way into Steven's mind.

"Wait a second, I thought you said that episode wasn't supposed to be canon!"

Wait, did I just say that?

The words seemed to spill from Steven's mouth beyond his control. Nothing about what he said even remotely resembled what he was thinking. Why did he even say that in the first place, and why did he say it like he was talking about something on TV?

The sky suddenly grew still and dark, and the cool breeze washing over Steven just seconds ago turned warm, humid, and stagnant like a bog or swamp.

Far in the distance, Uncle Grandpa's face no longer glowed with the sun's life and radiance.

Steven found himself staring at Uncle Grandpa's dry, crusty lips, unable to look away. Even though the man had to have been at least a million miles away, Steven could see nothing but Uncle Grandpa's face, the upper half of which was now concealed in a curtain of shadow.

"Oh Steven, wherever did you get that idea?"

Steven swept his arms about. He could no longer see, hear, or feel anything that was immediately around him other than the oversized head of Uncle Grandpa looming in the distance. Uncle Grandpa's appearance wasn't all that unsettling on its own, but something about the way his lips cracked and moved filled the boy with dread.

"Wha…? No! That's not what I was trying to say! I was just…"

A deep chuckle rumbled across the sky.

Uncle Grandpa's voice suddenly deepened, carrying with it a certain malign intelligence.

"You don't get it, do you boy? Do you really think your precious canon can remain undefiled for so long without consequence?

"The universes may carry on with their own little games, but only one truth remains constant throughout...

"EVERYTHING IS CANON!"

As Uncle Grandpa's dark, demonic laughter rang throughout the universe, Steven could once more see the entirety of Uncle Grandpa's face, though it now barely resembled the friendly mentor from before. His eyes had vanished from their sockets, leaving nothing but shriveled skin and exposed tissue underneath. Scabs appeared where they weren't there before, and Uncle Grandpa's skin took on a strange, porous, rot-like quality sickening to the eyes. Maggots began to fester and multiply underneath, occasionally breaching through the surface to create even more sickening, pus-filled holes in Uncle Grandpa's skin, though somehow these holes seemed to repair themselves on their own. Blood welled up within Uncle Grandpa's gaping mouth and then spilled forth from the sides, carrying with it a steady stream of browned, rotting teeth.

Steven could only watch in horror as all this played before his eyes, unable to draw his eyes away due to some strange, magical force.

"No!" Steven screamed, "I didn't mean any of that! This is just a dream! This is just…"

"THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM THIS HELL! ONCE ALL THE PIECES HAVE COME TOGETHER, ALL WORLDS SHALL BE ENGULFED IN DARKNESS AND TOTAL OBLIVION! GEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHA…!"

"Must… look… away…"

Just for a split second, Steven was able to close his eyes and turn away from the giant head looming in the now apocalyptic sky. He tried swimming away, but felt himself being pulled back as if Uncle Grandpa's mouth was some giant vacuum.

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE WHAT HAS BEEN FORETOLD BY PROPHECY!"

Steven tried swimming harder and harder, trying to imagine things that might aid him in his escape. But it was no use.

"Somebody… anybody…"

"Steven…"

"Huh?"

Steven shook his head and then looked up, where he saw a giant version of Garnet's hand reaching out toward him. The sky around him also seemed to turn a bubbly shade of pink.

"Garnet?"

Even though the hand was clearly visible, Steven couldn't see anything beyond Garnet's forearm.

"Steven, take my hand."

Although Steven wasn't sure whether he was safe from Uncle Grandpa's demented designs, Garnet's voice seemed to drown out the old man's hideous laughter.

"Okay…"

Steven paddled over to the giant hand, latching onto Garnet's index finger with his hands and legs.

"Come with me…"

"Where are we…"

But before Garnet could answer his question, everything began to fade to white, and Steven fell into a deep sleep.

When he finally regained consciousness, Steven heard a stream of rushing water.

"Ugh…"

Once more, Steven opened his eyes, finding himself sitting atop a small islet sitting in the middle of a narrow brook. Tall pines stood all around him, and a bright, overcast sky loomed overhead.

In spite of the relative tranquility of the place, it seemed oddly quiet, and there were no animals anywhere in sight.

"Where am I?" Steven asked aloud.

"Home," he heard Garnet's voice say all around him.

Steven looked up to the sky, though Garnet was nowhere to be found.

"But… this doesn't look anything like home!" Steven replied.

"Perhaps not, but here you are safe so long as you remain within these woods," said Garnet's voice. "This is your sanctuary, Steven."

"My sanctuary?"

"Yes, Steven. You are free to wander through the forest as much as your heart desires, but should you come across a lonely temple built into the mountainside, you must not enter it."

"A temple?" pondered Steven.

"Whatever you do, Steven, you must not go inside that temple. That is all..."

Although Steven could not see Garnet's face, he could feel her voice growing distant.

"But wait! Garnet…!"

Even as Steven called out to her, Garnet's voice did not reply back.

"Oh… Guess I'm all alone now. I wonder what that was all about."

Even though the boy had no reason to distrust her, there was something about Garnet's fixation on this temple that Steven found odd. Did that mean he should try to find this temple for himself, even though his guardian specifically warned against it? And if there was something dangerous inside, why didn't Garnet mention what it was?

Well, I guess I can look into that later.

There was no need to rush. After all, Steven hadn't even begun exploring this place.

Steven stepped to one side of the brook. Upstream, he saw a small series of waterfalls formed from several wide ridges feeding into each other. Something about the stone suggested it had once been part of some ancient building, as seen by the small pillar jutting out near the top of the falls.

Steven walked up the sloping terrain to examine the pillar, but once he reached the top, a pair of mountains became visible in the far distance.

So those must be the mountains Garnet was talking about.

He couldn't tell if those were the only mountains within the area, though it was likely one of them contained the temple Garnet mentioned.

Further upstream, Steven saw a bridge and an old tablet sitting right next to it. A dirt-paved road began on Steven's side of the brook, and then crossed into the forest on the other side.

Steven walked up to the tablet but found it illegible, due to the writing's arcane script and erosion.

"How long has this been here for?"

Steven scratched the back of his head as he made his way across the bridge. Something about this place seemed oddly familiar, though he couldn't place his mind on just what that was.

Is this place even real?

Garnet had said this place was his 'Sanctuary,' but why was he being shown this place?

Then, Steven saw a bright gleam up ahead.

"What is that?"

Steven ran toward the source of the light, not caring for his immediate surroundings.

There, out in a small clearing, he saw a large statue of Rose Quartz, colorless save for the bright sparkle on her gemstone.

"Mom?"

Rose had been seated on a large, square pedestal, her broad legs crossed underneath the fold of her dress. Her eyes remained shut as if meditating in contemplation. She held her right hand right up to her breast, its palm facing outward, while the other hand lay relaxed atop her left kneecap.

Steven approached the statue, speechless at its presence.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask. About the statue. About the forest. About the dream he had. About his mom.

About Garnet.

The gem suddenly cracked, and a thin mist began to spread throughout the forest.

"Gwah!"

Steven jumped back, and shortly after, he thought he heard the rustling of leaves somewhere behind him.

"What was that?"

Steven wasn't sure if he wanted to be here any longer, so he moved along on his journey, wary of whatever dangers might be lying within the forest.

Sometime later, Steven found himself standing within a rocky clearing, confident he had finally gotten away from whatever was pursuing him. No matter where he went, the thing seemed to follow him. Occasionally, he saw shadows, but he could never make out just what the figure was.

Perhaps outside the forest, the creature would not pursue him.

Hey wait a minute! Why don't I just use my shield?

Steven looked back into the forest, but for some reason he could not find the will to summon up his shield.

Okay, maybe not.

Steven turned back forward. Before him stood a sheer mountain cliff with a temple carved into its side, much like the Crystal Temple he and the other gems resided in. A wide gorge separated the temple from the surrounding landscape, with only a thin rock path formed from erosion bridging the gap. The temple featured a wide entryway with two stone-carved channels carrying water into the pit below, though it did not seem to fill up even as time passed. On each side of the entrance stood several statues, separated by ornate, human-decorated columns pushed out away from the front wall. Steven recognized two of the statues as Ruby and Sapphire, though the other figures remained unfamiliar to him.

Steven crossed the bridge, and briefly stopped to examine the statues of Ruby and Sapphire.

"Well, looks like there's nowhere else to go."

Steven proceeded into the temple.

The inside was dark, but Steven's eyes quickly adjusted. Occasionally, light would shine in from a crack in the wall or a gap in the ceiling opening to the world beyond, even though there should have been at least a few dozen more feet of solid rock.

"Hello?" said Steven. "Is anyone there?"

As Steven moved deeper into the temple, specks of fairy-like light began to illuminate the interior.

"Hey there! I'm Steven. Do you guys know anything about this place?"

The lights did not seem to respond, lazily drifting in place.

"Oh, okay."

Steven proceeded further down the corridor. The lights did not appear to be sentient, but as Steven went further in, more of the lights began to appear.

Eventually, the temple's features became clear.

"Wait… are those…?"

Many statues of Rose Quartz stood on each side, assembled into myriad poses. None of them seemed to have actual gems, however, and quite a few of them looked like they had suffered some damage.

"But why are there there so many statues of mom?"

Although Steven stopped for a moment to contemplate, he figured he would find his answers once he got deep enough into the temple. So he continued his trek, though as he went forward, the boy felt a growing sense of dread.

Much of the interior had been decorated just as elaborately as the outside, even the floors Steven now walked on. Each section portrayed a scene from long ago, with hundreds to thousands of figures carved upon them, though Steven could not recognize any of them.

Farther up ahead, Steven saw a bright light.

"Light! Huh, wait, what is that?"

In the large chamber at the end of the corridor, Steven could see a giant figure etched into the wall, though most of its features had been obscured by the light coming from above. Underneath it, Steven could see a fountain formed from a series of square platforms, feeding into the channels that flowed alongside Steven.

Something about the carving told him that he shouldn't approach it, but at the same time, Steven felt compelled by some strange force to see what it was.

Maybe I should have listened to Garnet.

Yet even as Steven thought this, Steven felt his legs move him forward.

Once he was just two feet away from the edge of the corridor, Steven looked up at the large carving, though the light reflecting off the stone made the carving's features difficult to make out clearly. Much of the rest of the chamber lay in ruins, with moss and vines covering much of the stone. Above the edge where the chamber met the ground above, Steven could see the beginnings of a lush tropical forest, where a pair of narrow falls poured into a set of waterways that connected into the small pool surrounding the main fountain.

"Hmm…"

As Steven began to crouch down and shield his eyes, he heard a harsh ruffle somewhere behind him, akin to a body being dragged along a sandlot.

"Huh?"

Steven jumped up and sprung himself. To his surprise, he could now see out of the other end of the corridor as if it were only a hundred feet away. Steven was not sure how this was possible, though it seemed to be only a minor concern at the moment.

"Who's there?"

There was no one in sight.

"Whoever you are, show yourself!"

No one responded.

This is getting really weird.

Steven carefully backed himself away, and then turned to examine the back corners of the room, but aside from the crumbled stonework, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

After a few minutes of staring down the corridor, Steven strut over to the side, closed his eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Maybe I'm just imagining things."

Steven opened his eyes and began examining the carving once more.

When he looked, however, he was in exactly the same spot as before.

Wait, what am I…

But just as Steven recognized his error, he heard that same ruffling sound from before, but this time he found himself unable to move.

What's happening? I…

A large shadow loomed over him. Two heavy hands slowly grasped hold of Steven's shoulders.

Steven felt a warm, damp breath pass over him as the figure behind him whispered into his left ear, "You're in my swamp now."

The boy felt himself being lifted up and then turned around, and just for a second, Steven thought he caught a glimpse of the figure's smiling, nightmarish visage.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH…!"

Steven woke up in his room, sweat dripping across his face.

"Steven! What happened?" Pearl said as she stood up from beside Steven's bed.

"I dunno," said Steven. "I guess it was just a bad dream."

Even as he said this, Steven felt unsure. It just all felt so real.

Who was that person who chased him all over the forest? Was it that Uncle Grandpa guy, or was it something even more sinister and cruel?

And why did he remember Uncle Grandpa of all people?

Could it be…? No…

Although he had his own fears and doubts, Steven still wasn't sure of the answers.

He tried calming himself down, taking deep breaths in and out while reassuring himself of his surroundings. Garnet hadn't moved from where she was before, and his dad was sleeping on the couch below. Amethyst was probably off sleeping in her own room or something like that.

It was still night outside, but without power it was hard to tell what time it was.

"Aren't you going to talk about what happened?" asked Pearl.

"Maybe later," said Steven, "I've still got to get some sleep."

Although the boy tried to rest once more upon his pillow, he feared the sorts of things he might see once his eyes gave way to sleep.

Those two kids are thinking about me right now, aren't they?

Kevin's new ride sped down on the interstate at over eighty miles an hour, uncaring of whether it crashed through anyone or anything.

On this night, Kevin felt more alive than ever before. Dark energy coursed through his veins, and he could even see his own shadowy aura flickering out from his own skin.

The dark-tinted windows may have obscured his vision a bit, but he didn't need to see where he was going. The car had a life of its own.

With this lean, mean machine, there was no one in the whole wide world who could beat him.

Those kids think they can teach me a lesson? I'll race them! I'll race them so hard they won't know what hit them!

And it was all thanks to his newfound pit crew.

Sure, he had no idea where the heck they came from, but after a few tweaks, Kevin's Himitsu X-12 was more powerful than ever.

Through the rearview mirror, Kevin could see the streaks of shadowy fire his car left behind, along with three of his crew members buckled up in the back seat and two 'Spark Plugs' floating in between them.

Those kids are obsessed about me! They think they can just snub me?

I'll show them! I'll show anyone who thinks they can mess with The Kevin!

Kevin's darkness-enshrouded hand reached for the clutch.

"It's Kevin time!"