"Ah. Oh. Ow." Stevonnie winched as they walked along the boardwalk, treating burn after burn with healing spit. They'd spent the day chasing down a giant Gem dragon, one who really enjoyed breathing fireballs at them. Unfortunately, the beast had eluded them and flown off, leaving the fusion with nothing but frustration and quite a few light burns. To make things even more complicated, Lion had wondered off for a nap, forcing Stevonnie to continue their patrol alone.

"Oh, thank goodness for healing spit," Stevonnie said to themselves, dabbing a bit of the magical saliva on a cheek burn. Once all their wounds appeared to have healed, the fusion sat on a bench to rest. Despite their determination, the job was much easier said than done. Being only one-quarter Gem and three-quarters human meant that exhaustion came easier and faster for them than it did for the other Gems. Not to mention pain (which they'd already experienced) and hunger.

They looked up at the sun, currently beginning a slow decline from its high point in the sky. The fusion didn't have a watch, but Connie's intellect told them that it was late afternoon. The Gems wouldn't be back for several hours, and even then, Stevonnie had absolutely no intention of asking them to work on their day off. No matter what, they were going to finish this. Together.

Grumble!

Stevonnie put a hand on their stomach. "Right after some lunch," they declared. "Pizza? Yeah, pizza sounds good." Tucking Rose's sword under their arm, they headed for Fish-Stew Pizza.

The smell of melted cheese greeted them on the way in. The parlor was empty, save for the elder of the Pizza family manning the counter.

"You know?!" they stammered. "What-How-"

"I may be old, but I'm not dumb," Nanfua answered proudly. "I know Steven and Connie when I see them. This is one of your special Gem tricks?"

"Well-yeah," Stevonnie struggled to find their words, still baffled by Nanfua's discovery. "I-We-Uh-" "You here for lunch?" Nanfua guessed.

'Pull yourselves together!' Stevonnie thought. Shaking their head, the fusion straightened up and spoke more professionally. "Yes, please. I'll-We'll have two personal pan pizzas. One pepperoni and one ham and pineapple."

"Two pan pizzas coming right up!" The old women merrily strolled into the kitchen. "Take a seat, anywhere you'd like."

Stevonnie took a seat, sliding Rose's sword and scabbard under the table. A few moments later, Nanfua emerged from the kitchen, two large sodas in hand. "Your pizzas are in the oven." She placed them on the table. "Here, take a load off."

Stevonnie eagerly took one of the drinks and began to gulp it down. Nanfua took a seat across from them.

"So, what have you two been doing all day?"

Stevonnie wiped their mouth before answering. "The Gems are taking the day off, so we're watching over the city in their place."

Nanfua seemed delighted. "That's real sweet of you."

Stevonnie shrugged, "Yeah well, they were working too much." They took another sip and added, "Speaking of work, where are Kofi and the girls? Are they here?"

The old woman shook her head, "No, Kofi's sick, Kiki's at a track meet, and Jenny's out with her friends. They were going to close up for the day, but I decided to stick around and keep things going." A buzzer went off in the kitchen. "Your pizzas are done." Nanfua got up and went to take them out.

"Here you go," she said, placing two steaming pies on the table. "Dig in."

Stevonnie licked their lips. "Thanks Nanafua!" They looked between the two pizzas. "Which should we start with? Pepperoni? Okay. Wait!" They halted mid-reach to tie a napkin around their neck. "Manners." Snatching a slice, the fusion began to dig in while Nanfua watched from the counter.

They were just starting on Connie's pizza when a banging sound came from the roof. "Uh?" they asked, confused.

"Ugh, rats in the vents." Nanfua scoffed and headed for the supply closet. "Now where did I put that poison?"

The sound came again, this time louder and harder, causing Stevonnie's sodas to shake. The fusion started to grow nervous.

"Uh, I don't think those are rats." They began to reach for their sword.

Suddenly, a massive claw smashed through the ceiling, directly over Stevonnie's table. The fusion dove for cover as another claw came though nearby. The two claws started swiping at the air as a loud roar came from above.

"What is going on?!" Nanfua yelled from under the counter. "The dragon," Stevonnie gasped with realization. "It found us."

The two claws gripped the ceiling and, with a loud crack, tore the roof off the building. The dragon stuck its head through the gaping hole and lunged at Stevonnie, mouth open wide.

The fusion dived out of the way and their table was devoured. Reeling back, the dragon locked eyes with them, now huddled on the ground. To make matters worse, Rose's sword was nowhere to be seen.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" They screamed as the dragon lunged its head at them again, this time slamming its mouth into their shield. They struggled to hold the dragon back as it pushed them down against the floor, intending to shove them into its mouth.

"Steven, we can't give up!" the fusion yelled, struggling to maintain some level of confidence. As the top and bottom fangs became to exceed the shield's edges and get closer and closer, Stevonnie desperately looked around the room, but there was not a hint of pink anywhere. Their arms were beginning to strain from the weight.

"Connie, I-I can't hold it!" they cried, their voice growing fearful. "I can't see the sword!" They turned to look back at the dragon and found themselves staring at its upper layer of razor-sharp teeth, mere inches from their face. Its tongue lapped at the shield, which was beginning to crack due to the excessive pressure.

Terrified, Stevonnie closed their eyes. "Is this the end?"

Suddenly, there was a sizzling sound and the dragon reared back, shrieking in agony. As it shook its head in pain, Stevonnie spied a " VIP " burn mark on its cheek.

"Stay away from my customers, you ugly brute!" Nanfua stood on the counter, heroically banishing the red-hot Pizza VIP iron rod. "You come down here again and I'll turn you into next week's special!"

Furious, the dragon drew its head back, its throat beginning to glow. Stevonnie knew what was coming. "NANFUA! LOOK OUT!"

A fireball erupted from the dragon's mouth, heading straight for Nanfua. Leaping onto the counter, Stevonnie covered them all with their shield, just in time to block the fire. "Nanfua, are you okay?" Stevonnie asked concerned. Surprisingly, the old woman wasn't the least bit scared. Wiping some soot off her glasses, she chuckled and said, "Talk about a hot lunch."

The dragon roared in fury. Just as it was about to unleash more fire breath, something huge and pink smashed through the shop window.

"LION!" Stevonnie yelled in amazement as their pink stead took a protective stance in front of them.

The two beasts locked eyes for a moment, growling and snarling at each other. The dragon blew another fireball, but Lion responded with a concussive roar, which deflected the fireball right back at the dragon, scorching it's face. Shrieking in pain, the dragon turned and flew away.

"We've got him on the run!" Stevonnie yelled. They jumped off the counter and, to their relief, spotted Rose's sword amide the debris. Swiping it up, the fusion jumped onto Lion's back and gave him a kick. "Go Lion! Let's finish this!"

With a powerful roar, Lion leaped into the air after the dragon. Right as they vanished into the sky, Stevonnie yelled back, "Thanks for lunch, Nanfua!"

Now along in her store, the old woman looked around at the damage to her store, surveying the smashed window, the debris-covered floor, the crushed furniture, and the giant hole in the ceiling.

"Kids!" she called after them. "You still have to pay for your pizza!"