Dreary is the only word Steven can think of to describe the day. The fluffy clouds created by Orange rumble and darken into Teal's, covering the view of Gold's sun in the sky. It's going to rain, he can tell, and while normally he looks forward to it, enjoying the proof that his siblings existed in some form, something doesn't feel right about today. The very air is cold and damp. It's probably going to storm today, something that hasn't happened very often, but when it does he can't help but think it's as though Orange and Teal are arguing with each other, like they used to do over food from time to time.

There's more to it though. Silver has been acting odd all day. She's been so distracted that while they were out hunting together they wound up losing the deer they'd been stalking. She apologized for it several times. Steven told her not to worry, that momma was out hunting Shadow Beasts again so it's not like they'll go hungry. Relaxing, the two return to the clearing, with Steven shifting into his partially human form. He's long outgrown his old clothing and, even though the dragons don't care one bit about nudity, he's much more comfortable in the half form, where he's covered head to toe in tiny fluffy feathers. It's warmer and keeps him covered where it counts.

Stretching tense muscles he glances around the clearing, a smile on his face. The flowers that started blooming after Teal's rain started falling have turned the clearing into something right out of a painting; a beautiful clearing full of flowers of every color imaginable offset with the shades of blue-ish green grass unique to this world, completed with a picturesque, waterfall flowing into a glittering lake. It would be perfect with some bright sunshine to really show off the colors around them.

Steven

His smile fades as he looks at Silver when she calls his name. She's standing near the edge of the water, looking closely down into it.

That strange feeling is back again, really strong this time.

He frowns and joins her at the lakes edge, looking into the water, for what, he's not sure. He doesn't bother to ask, he can feel Silver's unsettlement. The two of them stopped communicating verbally a long time ago, finding it simply easier to understand each other if their mental connection is kept open at all times. It's a two way street, him feeling her unsettled emotions, and her feeling his hesitation to hope that maybe, today, he'd finally get home. Thanks to their connection she's able to understand that by this point he's accepted the possibility he'll never get home, despite never giving up the hope that it'll happen, and he's able to understand her determination to get him home, and frustration that it hasn't happened yet.

Silver shifts to her humanoid form and together they watch the water's surface. A moment later the ground begins shaking, causing them to nearly topple over with its intensity. They both look to each other in concern; earthquakes have never happened here before. Suddenly the water in the center of the lake explodes outwards, and Momma launches from the water fighting the largest Shadow Beast they've ever seen.

It's horrifying in appearance. An amalgamation of monsters, all mouths full of sharp teeth, milky white eyes and legs sticking out all willy-nilly. Steven and Silver run into the shelter of the forest as Momma and the Beast destroy the ground around them. Slime from its body rots the plants and burns Momma's scales wherever it touches. She snarls and roars as she tears into it with her claws and teeth, uncaring of her wounds. The beast rips and tears at her with its many mouths, each one taking chunks out of her, blood and saliva mixing and dripping onto the ground.

Steven begins to worry their fight will destroy the entire clearing. However Momma manages to rip into wherever it's heart is, and pulls the beast apart at the seams. As it collapses to the ground dead, it seems to almost melt away, turning into a tar-like substance instead of leaving edible meat. Momma stumbles away from it, collapsing to the ground in a heap of scales and half formed feathers, covered in painful wounds.

MOMMA! Silver and Steven run to her, Steven quickly licking his hand to heal her wounds

Stop, Steven, I'm okay. You need to go. Steven pauses and stares at her. He glances at Silver, she's standing next to him but staring at the lake again.

That beast came from Earth. You need to go now, before its portal closes. Now's your chance! Both of you. Silver looks to Momma, eyes full of unshed tears.

She's right Steven. We need to go. I can sense the portal, I'll guide us to it but we need to go now.

He stares for a moment, then nods, gives Momma a quick kiss, but pauses in concern when her wounds don't heal. They should heal… why aren't her wounds healing? As he stares he realizes something horrifying. She's not breathing anymore. He stumbles back and nearly falls to the ground. Silver grabs him instead, gasping and sobbing with tears streaming down her face, and drags him to the water. At the shore's edge they shift into dragons and dive in, both giving one last glance to the dull gray-ish yellow of Momma's form.

I love you both, her thoughts whisper.

The portal Momma creates to go into the In Between is rapidly shrinking, appearing to them as nothing more than a black hole at the bottom of the lake. Steven and Silver barely manage to squeeze through in time. The In Between, itself is like swimming in the deepest depths of the oceans. No light, no air, and insanely cold. Steven creates a bubble around his head to keep from drowning. In the water they both instinctively shift their wings and tails into fins, and they rapidly swim through the water, nearly as fast as they fly through the sky. Steven is able to see Silver, thanks to the tips of her scales beginning to glow, just like Momma's spines would in the dark.

Silver seems to know exactly where to go, staring into the distance as she leads him. Steven looks around, watching for threats. From the darkness they're suddenly surrounded by Shadow Beasts! Several attack them, swimming at them like sharks in a feeding frenzy and going in for the kill. They're in their realm now, and the Shadow Beasts aren't afraid to let them know it. Steven uses the shield powers he's been developing to protect them without having to stop. He's spent the last three years working his powers constantly, learning to summon not only his shield, but also pink glowing hexagonal panels that he can manipulate in size and number to create walls, steps, armored bubbles, and more. He hadn't really needed the abilities before, but it all comes in handy here in the depths, as Silver doesn't show any sign of slowing and he refuses to leave her at the mercy of the shadow beasts.

As they go and Steven fends off the Beasts, Silver begins to slow. She pauses a couple of times, whipping her head around to snatch several small Shadow Beasts from the water, killing them quickly, before turning to Steven, and gesturing in front of them with her head.

There! Just up ahead is the portal, it's closing. The Shadow Beasts though… they're flooding through it, slowing its closure. That Beast Momma fought must've been insanely strong to have made a portal this big, and the smaller beasts are taking advantage to go to Earth. We're gonna have to fight to get there, but I'm not gonna stop until I get you home. That's what I'm meant to do, I know it. I'm going to get you home.

He stares intensely at her glowing form in the dark. It feels like she doesn't plan on making it with him, herself. The thought fills his stomach with dread. She's his sister, he's not going to let her die just to get himself home…

We'll both go to Earth. You'll get to see Beach City, you'll get to fly under the stars. I'll even take you to see Homeworld! You'll love all the colors there! I'm not going to just leave you to the Shadow Beasts. You got that?

Her relief is palpable across their mental connection; if she's crying Steven can't tell, as the water around them washes away any tears. They swim as close together as possible, then launch themselves as fast as they can towards the portal. Steven can't see it in the dark, but Silver can sense it and he trusts her to guide them. Gradually her chest begins to glow, the glow traveling up her neck and into her mouth, blue flames that shouldn't be able to exist under the water flicker at the corners of her mouth.

He swims under her, flips on his back, and holds her claws with his, they both roar,

TOGETHER!

They burst through the portal, Silver's fiery breath boiling the water around them, frying the small Shadow Beasts nearest them, and causing the portal to completely collapse behind them. Neither of them slow their speed as they rapidly ascend towards the surface.

Once they break the surface of the water, Steven gasps for breath, his bubble popping and allowing him to take in deep gulps of air. He immediately checks Silver over for injuries. She looks exhausted but otherwise okay. He then looks around him, trying to get his bearings. The sun is just beginning to set, it must be late afternoon, and Steven sees a very familiar land mass in the distance.

That's Mask Island! I know where we are and I know how to get to Beach City, follow me!

They look down, prepared to dive then launch up into the air to shift their fins into wings, but pause in horror. The portal may have closed, but the ocean is teeming with Shadow Beasts. All heading the same direction the two dragons are. Beach City. They share a glance, and launch themselves into the sky. No words are needed to know what they're going to do next. They'll fly to Beach City, protect it and the gems from the Shadow Beasts that are, undoubtedly, honing in on them. They're both much faster in the air than most of the beasts are in the water.

They'll be in Beach City in no time.

He'll be home before dark.