She-Ra and the Crystal Gems: Fallen Horizons
Chapter One: The Start of Something New
For millions of years, the planet of Ophidia had existed as an independent world. It had resisted occupation in the days of Eternia, fended off attacks by Homeworld, and prospered through the ages despite this, all under the rulership of an enigmatic individual. "King Hiss" was his name, but many believe this to be simply a moniker, given the sheer length of his dynasty. Surely, no normal Snakekin could live for that long, right?
But now, a new threat had descended from the skies to disrupt the Snakekin's way of life. Gem ships fired from above…but so too did Eternian ships, Etherian ships, even other Ophidian ships, seemingly united in an effort to invade their own planet. In truth, these ships were indeed united under the same banner: that of the New Horde, a rising galactic power under the control of two warlords.
Battle raged on the ground. Having had millions of years of practice, the Snakekin were no slouches when it came to defending their home. Reptilian soldiers fired back at the Horde troopers dropping to the surface, with ships rising to the air to meet the invaders. But as much of the planet slowly turned into a warzone, one individual remained blissfully unaware of the weapon-fire and explosions happening just behind her.
"Fascinating!" Entrapta exclaimed, leaning closer to a plant emerging from a stone. Looking through an eyepiece to magnify one of its leaves, she spoke her findings into a recorder: "The plantlife of this planet appears similar to that of other worlds at first glance, but its cellular structure differs from any lifeform ever discovered! Each individual cell is diamond-shaped, forming into an almost crystalline lattice–what relation this has to the actual Diamonds, if any, is unknown." She placed a small camera in front of the eyepiece, getting a picture for posterity. "Now to test if this planet's animal life is the same…"
Engrossed in the wonders of scientific discovery, Entrapta was unaware that she was being surrounded. A team of armed Snakes closed in, weapons trained on the mysterious invader. By the time she turned around, she had several guns pointed at her. "You," their apparent commander hissed. "Set down your weapons and raise your hands. Don't make this difficult, for either of us."
Instinctively, Entrapta raised her pigtails over her head rather than her arms. "Uh, Emily?" she said into a device on her wrist. "I might need some help down here…" The Snakekin lifted her up, checking her for any weapons.
"How bold of you to turn your back on the same war you started," growled the leader, glaring at the girl. "Occupying yourself with trivial endeavors while our people fall by the hundreds! Whoever this 'Emily' is…I doubt she will arrive in time to rescue you."
Entrapta now had her hands up as well, their guns pressed into her backs. "No, wait, you've got it all wrong! It isn't 'trivial,' it's science! The life on this world is unlike any I've ever seen before! I was just doing some research to try and find out why that is." She took a few steps forward. "Actually, if you're willing, can I…?"
The captain raised his weapon, stopping her in her tracks. "Be quiet! I don't care what your purpose here is, only that you are in league with these invaders! …Now then, what shall be done with you? Part of me wants to take you as our hostage, but another part doesn't think Catra and Emerald find you that valuable." It was his turn to step closer, holding his weapon underneath Entrapta's chin. "If that's the case, I can think of only one purpose you can serve–"
"Captain!" shouted another one of the Snakekin. "Incoming!" The platoon turned their attention towards the sky, where something was rapidly approaching. It was too fast and too fiery to be a ship, and it was unlikely that a meteor had singled in on their exact location. Assuming it to be a missile, the Snakes ran for cover, their prisoner momentarily forgotten.
When the object reached the ground, crashing just feet away from where they had been standing moments before, only Entrapta was left out in the open. In fact, she hadn't even flinched at the object's impact, merely lowering her visor to shield her face from the dust. Once it began to settle, a light appeared from the object. It then stood up.
"Emily!" Entrapta said happily, approaching what was revealed to be a robot nearly three times her size, with a single ominous eye gazing back at her. "Am I glad you showed up when you did! Things were starting to get out of hand here…"
Emily chirped happily, her same old voice contrasting quite a bit with her new body. Her front side opened, revealing a cockpit for Entrapta to climb inside. She took the controls, and, guided by her master, Emily stomped forward.
"It was an ambush!" shouted the captain. "All troopers, fall back! Armor, on my position, now!" The ground-based Snakes fell back, firing their weapon at the advancing mechanical juggernaut, for what little good it did. Entrapta barely noticed as she bulldozed through their ranks.
The Snakes' armored vehicles provided more of a challenge, though Entrapta herself was more occupied with other things. Emily did most of the work, a gun on each arm ripping through their hover tanks. A message from up top came through. "Oop, looks like Catra's calling." She pressed the button, and was greeted by the angry voice of her commander.
"Entrapta, what's going on down there?" asked Catra. "I thought you said this was supposed to be 'a brief scientific analysis.' What do you need Emily for?"
"Ah, yes, that," Entrapta said, sheepishly observing the destruction before her. "I ran into some…resistance, who weren't exactly happy with my being here. Probably on account of…well, everything happening." The battle in the skies continued to rage, a truly massive Gem warship in the upper atmosphere overseeing the carnage.
Catra sighed. "Well, at least you're distracting some of them. Just do some damage while you're down there. And hurry back when you're done! Half of the reason we're even here is because you wanted to investigate that signal."
"Is that Entrapta?" Another voice came over the comms, that of Emerald. "Tell her to hurry it up! The longer she's down there, the more time we're wasting before–"
"She can hear you, tell her yourself!" Catra said back. "And I don't think you're one to talk about wasting time, given how we're practically at a stalemate!"
Entrapta laughed awkwardly. "Okay, you two, I'll be back before you know it! Bye!" She quickly shut off the radio, sighing in relief. "I tell you, Emily, those two get worse and worse all the time. Don't get me wrong, they're still my friends, but they can be a…bit tough to deal with sometimes." Emily gave a sympathetic beep. "Now, let's find the source of that signal so we can get back home!"
In truth, the plants and animals of Ophidia were not Entrapta's reason for coming. Rather, mere days after Etheria had emerged from Despondos, she had detected a strange transmission emerging from deep space–specifically, this very planet. Strangely, it was being broadcast at a frequency much too low for most communicators to detect, but was exactly right for her robots to receive. That, coupled with the fact that decoding it revealed a vague yet specific message–'Builders wanted'-led Entrapta to believe it was intended for her. Not literally, of course, as she didn't believe in fate, but still.
Initially, Catra had been skeptical about traveling all that way just for a simple signal. Entrapta had done her best to convince her, but it was ultimately Emerald that had persuaded the newly-crowned Empress. She told her that Ophidia was rich in resources, and would be an ideal first planet for the New Horde to conquer.
The Snakekin had retreated at this point, giving Entrapta enough space to locate the source of the signal. The broadcast led her to a beach, its sand black in color. "Well, this should be the place. Now to see where whoever or whatever was searching for us is hiding. Hmm… Aha!" A cave had been carved into a nearby cliff face, with far too much precision to be natural. Emily stomped over and tried to enter, but soon found she was too big. "Uh-oh. Looks like I'll be going alone this time." Emily beeped sadly as Entrapta stepped out. "Don't worry, I'll be careful! I brought protection!"
Entrapta crept into the cave, holding onto a flashlight and a stun baton. It proceeded much deeper than it had seemed from outside, and she was likely underground before long. She took care not to slip, as the floor and walls were damp with seawater.
"I've located the likely source of the transmission–well, the location of the source, anyway," she said into her recorder. "The chance of this being a trap or a trick feels higher than it did on the ship…but still unlikely. After all, there are easier ways to obtain a 'builder' that don't involve luring them with a nearly-imperceptible coded message. Like kidnapping!" She paused for a moment. "Er, anyway, I will now continue on."
Before long, she came across signs that the cave was inhabited: specifically, metal girders holding the cave up. Seeing this as a good sign, she continued on, and soon the cave became entirely metal. Now in more of a hallway than anything, she reached a large door at the end.
"I have reached the inner sanctum of whoever sent the signal!" she announced. "Now, all that stands between me and a fellow mind of science is this giant, impenetrable gateway. It may take hours to decode what is undoubtedly a highly complex entry code, but I will diligently persevere until–oh, wait, nevermind, it just opened." Seemingly reacting to her very presence, the door slowly began to lift up, creaking and groaning like it hadn't done so in a long time.
But the awakening of this ancient structure had awoken something else as well. Entrapta turned around as her joyful anticipation was interrupted by a chittering sound coming from above. Immediately suspecting the worst, she shone her flashlight at the ceiling, where she caught the briefest glimpse of a blue carapace. The spindly creature dropped to the floor and rushed towards her, at which point she hurried through the still-opening door.
"It seems the locals haven't grown any more fond of me!" she said, finding herself within some kind of laboratory. She skidded to a halt when she reached the opposite wall, the room being smaller than expected. The creature, whatever it was, continued after her, only for an unfamiliar voice to call out.
"Don't worry! He's not dangerous!" said the metallic voice, from somewhere off to Entrapta's right. Sure enough, the creature, although it was hideous and grotesque, didn't seem to mean her any harm. "He just gets excited when he meets new people, is all." It stopped once it got close to her, examining her with its building eyes. It was certainly unnerving, but didn't seem angry.
Then there was the matter of her host. She looked to see him hidden in the shadows, but could tell that he was a strange creature as well. "Um…hi there," she said, unsure if the talking creature was self-conscious about his appearance, or just generally shy. "Were you the one who sent out that coded signal?"
He stepped out of the shadows, revealing his appearance: orange skin with a lot of tentacles, plus a device around his neck that allowed him to talk. "Indeed, indeed!" he said. "My name is Modulok, scientist by trade. I assume you're the one who deciphered it, then? My apologies for making it so complex, I had to be sure it didn't give away my location to the Gems, or this new Horde that's been everywhere."
Entrapta decided that mentioning her allegiances to the same Horde would be unwise. "Oh, no trouble at all! Actually, it wasn't very hard, I use the same sort of frequencies in my robots. Just a simple matter of recalibrating their receivers was all!"
"My, then, you must be quite the prodigy if that's the case!" he said, sounding very impressed. "And an expert in machinery, no less! You, young lady, are just the help I need! Might I ask your name?"
"Um, Entrapta," she replied. "What are–"
He gasped. "No! Entrapta!? As in, the princess of Dryl? Oh, of all the geniuses my message could have reached, who should it be but my idol!" He began circling her. "You are truly legendary! Why, it was you who inspired me to become a scientist to begin with! Why, this is just perfect!"
Though still a little confused, Entrapta was nonetheless touched by his sentiment. "O-oh, I-I guess I'm…somewhat proficient," she said. "But, could I ask, how exactly have you heard of me? Until a few weeks ago, Etheria was stuck in another dimension."
"My dear, I am from Etheria!" Modulok said. "I hail from a small town near Salineas. It's quite obscure, I doubt it even appears on any map. Things were…difficult down there due to the Horde. As soon as the stars returned, I relocated to the furthest planet I could reach, only to find myself under threat from them once more!" Another pang of guilt hit Entrapta. "I truly must thank you. I've dabbled in electronics before, but I've never been able to join the Etherian Makers Guild due to…well, obvious reasons." He gestured towards his face. "But now that you're here, I'll be able to meet my timetable no problem!"
"Um, right, about that…" Entrapta shot a glance at the door. "Not that I don't want to help you, Mr. Modulok, it's just that I have some friends waiting for me. If you give me a way to keep in touch, I'm sure I can come back later. Now just isn't a good time, that's all…"
Modulok nodded with understanding, though his expression was still of disappointment. "Yes, yes, your friends. It's best to stick with them; loyalty, and all that. I'm sure they would drop everything and run to you if you were in need, as well." Entrapta looked down, beginning to reconsider. "Or, could it be that you are instead worried of the consequences if you do not attend to their whims?" He began pacing behind her, his arms clasped behind his back. "Loyalty can only truly be called such if it is of your own volition. Loyalty borne of fear is something else entirely, especially if it does not go both ways."
"I–" she stammered, unable to deny his words. "But If I do stay, what's to stop Catra from getting angry and coming after me?"
He pretended to think for a moment. "Ah! I have just the thing for a time like this! Double Trouble, could you come here for a moment? I have an assignment for you."
Yet another figure emerged from the shadows, this one Entrapta internally classified as 'some manner of reptilian elf or something.' "I was wondering when you were going to let me make my entrance!" said DT, strutting towards Entrapta. They took a moment to examine her. "Alright, I think I've got it down. Now, how about this?" Enveloped in shadowy energy, Double Trouble changed shape before Entrapta's eyes, becoming an exact double of her. "Hey everyone! Who's ready to do some science!?"
Entrapta was amazed. "Woah…this is incredible! It's just like looking in a mirror! A mirror that sounds just like me!" She reached out to touch her doppelganger's hair, but her hand was slapped away by the dexterous pigtails.
"Hands of the merchandise, honey," said the shapeshifter.
Chuckling, Modulok beamed with pride. "Yes, it truly is impressive what a small bit of genetic engineering can accomplish, isn't it?" He admired his creation, running his fingers through 'her' hair. "Now then, Double Trouble will keep up appearances with your 'friends' while you help me out. They'll be none the wiser, I can assure you: not only is the resemblance uncanny, my creation's acting is impeccable."
"Ready when you are, boss man!" said Double Trouble, ready to head out as the new Entrapta. Both looked at the genuine article expectantly, awaiting an answer.
It only took a moment for her to consider. "Well…I guess there's no harm in it," she said. "I get to help out a fellow scientist, while Catra and Emerald get me, technically! Alright, I'll let Emily know, she might say something if she gets suspicious." She typed a message into her recorder.
"Then I'm off! Don't have too much fun without me!" Double Trouble-Entrapta headed out the door, leaving the two scientists alone–or as alone as they could be with Modulok's menagerie of creations, many just out of sight.
Entrapta eagerly hopped over to her new lab partner. "So, what were you working on that so urgently needed my help?" she asked.
"Oh, it's quite a long story," Modulok replied. He opened up another door hidden in the wall, leading down to a further chamber. "Come–I will tell you on the way. We have much to do, and little time to do it." Unseen to Entrapta, a sinister look crossed his face.
"Lower, lower, lower…okay, now a little to the left. No, my left, which is your right. Or, is it your left and my right?" In the courtyard of Castle Brightmoon, Bow directed Perfuma on the installation of a new addition. Peridot stood nearby, observing the process, looking very much like she was holding back the urge to take over.
Perfuma held a large crystalline platform in her vines. "Is it north or south?" she asked. "Just tell me which direction it is!"
Bow studied the platform. "Uh, north, I think." He looked up towards the sun, shielding his eyes. "What time is it now?"
"Nyah!" Peridot cried out in frustration, dragging the crystal into place, holding out her hands when it was where she wanted. "There! Just put it right there!"
The vines lowered the platform down into a hole, and the warp pad was ready. All three of them admired their work. "Alright, we did it!" said Bow, holding both hands up for high-fives. Perfuma eagerly obliged, while Peridot was a bit more begrudging. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Uh-huh, yeah, sure," said Peridot, picking up a walkie-talkie. "Aaand, we're done! It only took us three times as long as it should have… Anyway, you're all ready to come through!"
"Okay then, see you on the other side!" came a voice from the other end. The three of them stood back, preparing for the warp pad to activate. Which it soon did, a beam of light shooting up to the sky. It soon vanished, revealing several people standing there: Connie, Lapis, Bismuth and Topaz. It was a bit cramped due to the latter two. "We made it!" said Connie.
"Great, it works!" said Bow. "Now we can travel between Earth and Etheria whenever we want! I'm sure Hessonite will be glad she doesn't have to ferry us every time we want to visit each other now…"
The new arrivals stepped off of the warp pad, taking in their surroundings. Although years had passed since three of them had been to Etheria, it looked the same as when they had last seen it. Topaz, who had only recently joined the Crystal Gems, was amazed at the picturesque castle. "This is…" she said, unable to find the right words. "...um, very pretty."
"Welcome back!" said Perfuma. "It's good to see you all again! And, for the first time, for some of you." Topaz waved shyly. "Do you have time for sightseeing, or should we head right in?"
"Well, Glimmer did make it sound like she wanted to see us right away," said Bismuth. "Hey, how 'bout you take us on a tour of the new, improved Etheria once we're done here?"
"That sounds like a plan!" said Bow. "You remember the way to the war table, right?" With him in the lead, everyone headed inside the castle.
"'War table?'" said Lapis. "I don't remember something like that. Seems a bit violent for you princess types."
Perfuma looked down sadly. "Yes. I think everyone thought, and hoped, that things would be peaceful once Catra left. But Glimmer hasn't been the same since Angella…" There was a brief silence. Even those from Earth had heard the news by now. "Now that Glimmer's queen, she's committed to cleaning up what's left of Catra's Horde on Etheria."
"Angella…I wish we could have been here," said Connie. "If not during the Eartheria debacle, then afterwards to pay our respects. We didn't get to know her for long, but she was definitely a good queen. A good person."
"She was," Bow said sadly. "She really was. And, I know what Entrapta said about her being trapped, and not actually…dead, but, I don't know." He took a long, slow breath. "As much as I want to get my hopes up, I feel like it wouldn't be fair to Glimmer. Thinking that we might be able to save her, I mean."
Connie put a hand on his shoulder. "Anything's possible," she said. "If I've learned anything from Steven, it's that you should always hold out hope, no matter how impossible something might seem."
"Speaking of Steven," said Perfuma, "did he not arrive with you all? We were hoping to see him again."
"Oh, he and the rest of the Gems were busy with something," said Bismuth. "Some sorta training exercise for his new sword. They'll probably be along before too long."
"Let's hope so," said Peridot. "We'll need all the help we can get if Emerald decides to come back…"
"Y-you really think she will!?" Topaz asked worriedly.
"What, you think she'd just leave Earth and Etheria alone, after all she's done?" she replied. "Not a chance in my book. And even if she did give up, as long as there's a chance she'll be back, we have to be ready!"
"I guess 'anything's possible' applies to bad stuff too," Connie observed.
They soon arrived at the planning room, where a conference was already in session. Most of the Princess Alliance was already there, though Adora was strangely absent. Other new attendees included Hordak, Lars, Hessonite, and Yellow Diamond (by way of hologram). And at the front of the table stood Glimmer, now Queen of Brightmoon. Even at a glance, Connie and the others could tell that she was no longer the happy-go-lucky princess they had known. She was a queen now, with all the regality and dignity that implied.
"Now that the Fright Zone is back under your control, the Crimson Waste has become a hotbed for New Horde activity," she said. "Instead of scouring the entire desert, we'll need to locate where they're operating out of. Have your scouts search for old raider hideouts, oases, anywhere they could afford to hunker down. Your new lieutenants are familiar with the area; have them lead the charge."
"Oh, right, I forgot we teamed up with Hordak…" Connie said quietly.
Hordak didn't seem thrilled with that plan. "My resources are stretched thin enough as it is," he said. "Although Catra's loyalists are fewer in number, this has necessitated their use of much more conservative tactics. As such, their attacks are much harder to predict. Taking the Fright Zone was one matter, protecting it from guerilla attacks is another entirely. Perhaps the pink one can observe their activity from the skies."
"And how am I supposed to do that without my ship?" retorted Lars. "In case you forgot, Emerald blew up the Sun Incinerator! Maybe you have one I could borrow?"
"Would you like to use the Crystallon?" offered Hessonite. "It may be a bit too large for recon, but better a large ship than none at all." Although holographic, Yellow Diamond was tapping her finger on the table, growing steadily more irritated with this process.
Bow approached the table. "Glimmer, look who's here!" All the others stepped forward too, happy to see their old friends. The new queen, however, wasn't as happy as she would have been.
"Good, you're here," she said, her attitude completely formal. "Now we can really begin. Come and sit down–I think there's enough for all of you. We were just deciding on our next move against Catra's Horde. As I said, they've positioned themselves in the Crimson Waste, so we need an effective strategy to go after them."
There were almost enough seats. Bismuth and Peridot had to share one, leaving Topaz as the only one standing. Yellow Diamond decided to give her hers. "As informative and effective as this meeting has been, the bulk of the New Horde is going after Gem colonies," she said. "I need to focus on keeping the stability for now. Contact me if you need me, though I doubt I'll be much help." Her hologram disappeared, leaving an empty chair behind. Topaz examined it for a moment, before hesitantly sitting down.
"Um…it's good to see you all," said Connie. "Glimmer, Frosta, Mermista…you two…" Spinnerella waved, and though Netossa looked annoyed, she did the same. "How've you been?"
"Well, not terrible," said Mermista. "Things have been easier since Catra and her people left, but not like easy easy. She still has a bunch of minions or whatever causing problems. We aren't really sure how many there are."
"Too many," said Frosta.
"Nevertheless, we have been doing our part to help the people of Etheria finally achieve peace," said Hessonite. "With any luck, it will only be a matter of time until it is able to join the galactic community! Why, they already have such great relations with Homeworld and Earth! Or…parts of them."
"And in order to achieve peace, we need to wipe out what's left of the Horde once and for all," added Glimmer. "...Where's Steven? I was hoping his new powers could help us out with that."
"Training," Bow, Connie, Bismuth, Lapis, and Peridot said in unison.
"And speaking of swords," Connie asked, "is Adora here? This doesn't seem like the kind of meeting she'd miss. I was hoping to see her again."
A brief look of annoyance crossed Glimmer's face. "She has a mission of her own she's been focused on. And as much as I wish she'd be more involved in our mission, it's important to her." She walked away from the table, summoning a staff into her hand. "We can set out once she and Steven get here."
"Wait, set out?" asked Bismuth. "Set out where? Where exactly are we goin'? On a mission or something?"
"Yup! Glimmer's got a plan to take down Catra and Emerald once and for all!" said Frosta excitedly. "Whatever it is, you can bet it's gonna be awesome!"
Dust flew up everywhere as the two combatants traded blows, the sounds of the battle echoing through the forest. One of these two was Jasper, fighting with the fury expected of the ultimate Quartz. The other was a towering mountain of a man, who, were it not for the pink gemstone on his stomach, was almost unrecognizable as Steven. In addition to his size, he wore silver barbarian armor, had pitch black hair tied in dreadlocks and a massive beard, and wielded a glowing sword. Although he was clearly powerful in this new form, he couldn't match Jasper's ferocity.
"Slow down a little!" he said, blocking her punches with his sword, though only barely. "I can't exactly learn to fight if you don't give me an opportunity to!"
"Then make your own opportunity!" Jasper said, maintaining her assault. "Do you really think your enemy's just going to stand still and let you hit them? No!" She got past Steven's guard with a feint, delivering a punch to his back that sent him staggering forward. "Be more aggressive! You can't afford to just hang back and let your caretakers do all the fighting for you, this is war!"
Steven tried to follow her advice, swinging his sword as hard as he could. Jasper simply summoned her helmet, which the blade simply glanced off of. She then followed up with a blow that threw him against the pile of boulders that served as her house.
Down on his knees, she now loomed over him. "The only difference between me and them is that they won't let you get back up." She reached out a hand, helping him to his feet. "Again!"
He tried to lift up his sword, but was unable to, collapsing to his knees. In a flash of light, he reverted back to his original form. He sighed in frustration, sitting down next to the blade. "This isn't working. I need to…ugh. Can I take five?"
Jasper considered this. "Fine. But five minutes means five minutes, no more. Your real enemies won't give you the luxury of taking a break." She leaned against the rocks as Steven dragged his sword over to a nearby bench, taking a long drink from a water bottle.
"Good work, Steven! I could see some definite improvement that time!" Also sitting on the bench were Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, watching Steven's training. "You've really come a long way since you first held that sword!"
Although he acknowledged Pearl's attempts to make him feel better, Steven knew they were just that. "I was a lot better back when I was fighting on Etheria…" he said. "I wonder what happened? Back there, I was a beast, but now, I'm…not."
"Perfectly understandable," said Garnet. "It is much easier to fight when your life, and the lives of your friends, are in danger. The reverse is also true: we often unconsciously hold back to avoid hurting those we consider our friends."
"Or, y'know, our not-enemies," added Amethyst. "Speakin' of, why did ya agree to help train Steven?" she asked Jasper. "You've basically been a grumpy hermit for these past two years. What exactly changed?"
"Emerald changed," Jasper replied. "While I don't like being a teacher, I like the idea of living under that egotist even less." She nodded towards the Sword of Power. "And with that, Steven's probably our best bet of making sure that doesn't happen."
Mentally preparing himself for another round, Steven stretched out his sore muscles–which was all of them. "Don't forget about Adora," he reminded her. "I'm not the only one with a giant sword!"
"Just because you bring her up at every given opportunity doesn't mean I know who she is," Jasper said. "I'll judge for myself if she's really as strong as you say."
"She is," Garnet interjected.
"Quiet, you!" Growing impatient, Jasper began to pace. "I don't care about any of that. I'm not here to train Adora, or Connie, of any of your other human friends. Steven's the only one worth my time–and if he hadn't come directly from Pink Diamond, you wouldn't have me being nearly this nice."
"Huh. Y'know, I think we have a pretty different idea of what nice means," Amethyst joked. The other Quartz didn't respond aside from a gruff grunt.
Once he was ready, Steven picked up his sword. "Alright, let's get this over with," he said. He moved back into place in the makeshift arena, and Jasper did the same, standing opposite him. She re-summoned her helmet, unable to hide her grin underneath it.
Pearl took this moment to stand up, walking over to him. "Steven, are you sure this is the best idea? I can understand wanting to train more, but you really shouldn't be pushing yourself this hard." She looked up suspiciously at his coach. "Plus, I'm beginning to think Jasper isn't the best teacher…"
"Thanks Pearl, but she's right–this really is something I have to do. Ever since that thing with Spinel…well, look." He tried to summon his shield, but got only a few flickers of light coming from his gem. "I still haven't figured out how to make my powers work. We know Emerald's coming back, so I have to be ready. So I can fight."
Although clearly disagreeing, Pearl nevertheless let him continue. "Very well. But remember not to hurt yourself, okay? Magic sword or not, you're still human." She went to sit back down, still watching him intently.
Jasper scoffed. "Are we gonna talk all day, or were you planning on fighting me sometime soon?" She pounded a fist into her palm, clearly enjoying the action.
Taking a deep breath, Steven lifted his sword to the heavens. "By the Power of Grayskull!"
AN: That's right folks, it's the long awaited next installment in the She-Ra and the Crystal Gems saga! I know you're all as excited for this as I am, so let me just say that this is the part where things get real-a turning point if there ever was one! Alliances will be forged, friendships will be tested...ah, you don't want to hear me ramble, do you? Well, I won't keep you any longer. Hope you're looking forward to it!
