Quiet. Peace. Solitude.
Steven took a deep breath of all three, feeling at ease for once.
If he had gleaned anything from Gem missions, it was that nature never judged.
The animals, the wind, the plants, the sky and ground: none of them ever expected you to hold the galaxies on your shoulders or keep up a smile on while everything else imploded into a supernova of screw you.
They simply went about their day like they always did, simply existing.
Which is exactly how Steven had spent the rest of yesterday and this morning: existing.
And hiding, a very snide part of his brain that should shut up pointed out.
He was currently making a point to ignore it in favor of meditating on the hill overlooking Beach City, cross-legged with both hands on his knees, eyes closed.
It slightly worked. Memories of yesterday afternoon still managed to creep in.
Eventually he gave up with a sigh and set a hand beneath his chin, staring out at Beach City but not really, thinking.
After…whatever happened at his dad's carwash yesterday, Steven had retreated to prevent causing any more damage, brain still in a haze of shock and shame and panic during his mad flight. He hadn't even had a specific destination in mind, just the vague goal of getting far, far away.
And after that…well, cue a brief but brutal venting/punching session on the biggest tree he could find upon landing, crying and screaming to the point of exhaustion, neon pink for nobody to see.
So much to exhaustion in fact that he wound up collapsing to sleep, fetal position all night.
By the time morning came after a thankfully dreamless night, his head had cleared up enough for him to feel in control again – and without that strange, horrible voice too.
And now after a sparse meal of berries, he sat on the cliff, alone with his thoughts. His increasingly disappointed thoughts.
"Ugh," Steven moaned as he massaged his temples, eyes closed tight. "why didn't they tell me?"
Because no matter his efforts, the image of Cherry Quartz's rampage and lack of familiarity baffled him.
It just made no sense. He was Steven Universe for crying out loud; he couldn't be that easy to forget. And apparently this sort of thing had been going on since he left, and he somehow hadn't noticed all this time?
Well, OK, he had been staying away from Little Homeschool for the most part after the first graduation, only showing up per his Gem friends' requests for aid…which now that he looked back, should have struck him as suspicious: the others' insistence on keeping him in one location, seeing one of the Crystal Gems pass by every now and then, drained and dispirited.
Ugh, he felt like such an idiot for not realizing sooner.
And nobody ever said anything about a Rejuvenator either, so goodbye to that possibility.
At this point, Steven ran both hands down his face, moaning in frustration before taking a deep breath and holding his hands out.
"OK, OK, Steven," he said to himself in a soothing tone, "the others probably didn't wanna worry you. Maybe they figured 'Hey, Steven's done enough for us. Let's give him a break by proving we can do this ourselves!'"
Though he finished this with the fakest smile possible, he wilted upon remembering the sheer disquiet and frustration on his family's faces.
They clearly couldn't handle this by themselves.
"Or they do need help but feel too ashamed to ask me," he corrected. A moment passed as he let the thought settle – and once it did, he started chuckling, rolling his eyes skyward. "I should have known! That's so them!"
Sometimes Steven had to wonder whether his complaints about them to Cactus Steven had been accurate after all, that his family were still the utter messes they'd always been.
"Well, you know what?" he declared to nobody around. "That's just fine, and why's that fine? Cause good ol' Steven Universe's gonna get out there and figure out this silly mess himself!"
Yeah, he'd fix it, just like he did everything else!
Emboldened, Steven dared to stand back up, hands akimbo and far-too-wide smile unwavering.
"As for whatever that voice was, It's probably just another crazy new Diamond power," he decided with a shrug. "I'll learn to handle it! After all, I can handle anything! Yeah, everything's gonna be just fine!"
Cause Steven Universe always had everything under control.
For sure this time.
XXX
This time, Connie knew to brace herself for the shift into the mental world.
Everything else, not so much.
Case in point when she turned to address the others: "Uh…when did you all have time to change clothes?"
Also, what the heck was up with all their clothes? That was a lot of leather, for starters, and she had a few choice words in particular about all the girls' outfits cause seriously, what the hell was with that boob-window, Ann?
Then there were the masks, which caught her attention the most cause wow, they were actually pretty cool-looking, Connie had to admit.
The rest of the group sweat-dropped at the question, figuring this topic would have come up.
"Oh right, this is a thing that happens every time we're in the Metaverse," Makoto answered.
Connie held back a sigh of relief upon realizing she could now perfectly understand every word the girl decked in biker gear had said. Looks like Morgana had been right.
"These are basically how they envision people who stand against society. Their inner rebels, basically," Morgana added from Connie's immediate left.
Connie herself blinked at this information before shrugging and turning her head to address the cat next. "Uh huuuh, okay. Moving on, what else should I know about this world before we head – AAHH!"
Only to jerk back with a yelp because what in the hell happened to Morgana?! What had once been a cat now looked like some bobble headed mascot standing on its hind legs, huge eyes and stubby limbs included.
Morgana eyed her drolly in return. "Really? You spend your free time with magical rock aliens, have a space lion for a pet, took part in dismantling a galactic empire…and this is where you draw your suspension of disbelief?"
Connie could only stare, her brain suffering a rare moment of speechlessness.
Morgana only shook his head in sympathy. It was gonna be a long infiltration. "This is another thing that happens every time we're in the Metaverse. What you're looking at is my true form."
"It's OK, Connie-senpai," Sumire assured her. "Finding this out about Mona was a shock for the rest of us as well."
Mona?
Seeing the other girl's baffled stare at Sumire, Akira spoke up next. "We use codenames here."
"It's to ensure our real identities don't become public knowledge through the Metaverse," Yusuke elaborated.
"But mostly it's just for cool points," Futaba added in a nonchalant tone. "Mine's Oracle by the way."
"Panther," Ann spoke next.
"Noir."
"Queen."
"Fox."
"Violet."
"Skull." Ryuji, grinning, draped an arm around Akira's shoulders. "And our leader here's Joker."
Codenames. Honestly, Connie felt as though she should have expected such a thing from a team who literally has 'Thieves' in their name.
"Now, if you've got any more questions," Morgana – Mona – asked, face and voice all business now. "It'll have to be on the move."
Fox nodded. "Agreed, we mustn't linger here."
Before anyone could add to this sentiment, a series of fluttery explosions echoed somewhere above, unviewable from the group's current position.
Ann – no, Panther (geez it was gonna take Connie a while to get that straight) – cocked her head at the sound. "Hey, didn't you say you heard fireworks last time you were here?"
Connie, thanks to the noise, was startled out of her stupor over Morgana enough to nod. "Y-Yeah."
Though now that she thought about last time, she realized something off; she wasn't the only one.
"But the sky here is so bright," Noir commented as she looked upward. Even through the thick forest, the cloudy, bright pink heavens were unmistakable. "Shouldn't fireworks take place at night?"
Before anyone could ponder aloud any further on the oddity, Mona perked his ears at something. "Wait a sec…you guys hear that?"
Oracle regarded him curiously. "Hear what?"
The cat held a paw to his mouth. "SHH! There!"
As the group stayed quiet and listened in, they too soon noticed the faint sound, a voice to more exact.
And it sounded like…
Evening, one and all! Hope everyone's enjoying the first act so far, cuz we're just getting started!
"Steven?" Connie murmured.
Sure enough, his voice could barely be heard, sounding projected and tinny as though coming out of speakers.
Without warning, Connie charged forward, following the sound of her boyfriend's voice. She barely registered one of the others calling out to her to wait up.
Only when she reached a tall imposing black gate sided by even taller shimmering pink brick walls did she stop, the others catching up to her soon after.
"Geez, thanks for waiting up," Skull sarcastically griped, only to notice the utter shock on the girl's face. "Hey, you o…kay?"
His voice trailed off at the end once he looked forward and realized what had taken her breath away, now taken himself.
"Whoa…," Oracle awed.
Beyond the gate lay a massive theme park in place of Beach City, colorful tents and booths clustered along the sides of a golden brick road, patches of vibrant green grass and trees interspersed among them. Colorful attraction rides of various types and sizes conquered the somehow nighttime skyline, loaded with iridescent lights. A massive pink and white German-style castle stood far in the distance, towering over everything.
And as suspected, fireworks of various colors burst against the dark sky, copious.
Queen narrowed her eyes at this last detail. "Wait, wasn't it just daylight where we were?"
Joker and Connie both looked back from whence the group came and, sure enough, the sky over there remained daytime – yet where they stood, there was a clear evening-esque transition between that and the night sky above the park.
"It changes right at the entrance," Panther pointed out, baffled. "I know we're in the Metaverse, but why?"
"Perhaps being Gems means the Rulers here can restrict the changes to certain areas?" Fox speculated.
It is really like his Mom's room then if that's the case, Connie marveled. Not only at that but this whole area in general. If this was how Steven and the others viewed Beach City, what did Little Homeworld look like then?
Joker scanned his eyes across the park, taking in the scenery one last time, before shifting his attention to the gate. On a whim, he put a hand to it and gave an experimental push before following with a pull.
Not even a budge.
"No good huh?" Mona asked. When Joker shook his head, the cat crossed his arms, pondering. "Just as well. It'd be too easy anyway."
Panther took in the gate and walls and grimaced at their height. "I don't think we're climbing this anytime soon either."
Connie regarded the barrier as well and frowned. There had to be a way in there.
For the next minute, the entire group silently went into a collective thought process, contemplating their next move – until Violet noticed something off to the group's left.
"Wait, what is that building?"
Everyone else looked in the direction the redhead was staring at and realized her attention was on a fanciful house-sized building affixed to the space of wall beside the gate. A golden plaque above the double doors said in fancy black engraved letters Ticket Booth.
Curious, the team approached the edifice, only to discover the front doors were locked after an attempt by Skull to pry them open.
"Yeah, that figures," the blond griped, hanging his head in frustration. Undeterred, he took a step back to take the building in full. "Any ideas, guys?"
Connie took a moment to study the building again – only to gasp when its appearance momentarily warped and shimmered to reveal a familiar house.
"Wait a second, this place is Billiam Dewey's house in the real world?"
"Uh who?" asked Skull, not recognizing the name.
Panther perked. "Oh yeah, Peridot mentioned him to me. He used to be the mayor of Beach City until a few years back, right?"
"And his house is the ticket booth here," Mona concluded with a sympathetic tone and headshake to match. "Sheesh, what a way to illustrate a fall from grace." He paused upon noticing something on the roof and smiled. "Ironic since it's about to be our way up."
Curious, Connie looked where Mona meant and realized the angular roof came within reach of a few bricks sticking out, leading all the way up to the wall's ramparts.
Joker gave Mona an appreciative nod before jumping up onto the roof to scale up the wall, the others following suit, everyone's show of agility taking Connie back for a second.
How often did these guys train?
Noir, the last of her team to jump up, noticed the other girl hadn't moved. "Coming, Connie-san?"
Connie jolted at the address and hastily nodded before taking a running start and jumping up, though only high enough up to latch onto the roof, rather than clearing the thing all together like the others did, much to her embarrassment. Thankfully Noir made no comment about this as she helped her up.
From there, it was a straight shot up into the park – and goodness, everything looked even brighter and more colorful up-close.
Right now, the gang stood in a section dominated by a huge water coaster painted blue and navy with gold accents. If Connie were to hazard a guess, this was Beach City's water tower in the real world.
What she could not have guessed, however, was the sheer number of people scattered about the place, humans and Gems alike. In fact, she could even make out that one tiny Gem with the scarf and her black and white companion from yesterday off in a corner, chatting like nothing unusual was going on.
What the heck?
"Oh, this place is beautiful!" Violet exclaimed in awe.
"Indeed," Fox agreed as he framed with his hands as if taking a photo. "Such a balance between the vibrancy of neon and subtlety of pastels. Truly a mastery of color."
"And big as hell," Skull murmured, taken back by the size of this place. "Where are we supposed to start lookin' for the Treasure?"
Queen put a hand to her chin. "Well, this is a theme park. There should be maps being handed out near the front entrance."
Connie eyed her skeptically. There's no way figuring out their path to Steven and his family's treasure could be that easy.
"That said, there's no telling how much of the park these maps cover in detail."
And there it is.
"We should also practice caution," Fox added. "Even stepping foot here feels different than in a Palace."
"Maybe cuz of the whole 'multiple Rulers' thing?" Oracle suggested. "With so many people adding to the distortion here, it's bound to be a lot bigger!"
Noir put a hand to her chest, pensive. "Not to mention most of Steven's family are our first alien targets. We've no way of knowing whether things work the same here."
Panther pursed her lips and rubbed her nape, feeling the same. "Or whether sending a calling card would even work on them."
Joker took in his team's collective hesitation and simply yet confidently stated, "We'll figure it out."
And like that, the mood lightened, smiles returning to his teammates.
"Yes, we absolutely will."
"Hell yeah, man."
"Senpai's right, we shouldn't lose heart so easily!"
Even Connie found herself smiling, unable to stay cynical in the face of such sureness. This Joker guy would get along well with Garnet.
Queen noticed something not far off, face contorting in surprise. "Actually, we might not need to go all the way there for a map after all."
"What do you mean?" asked Mona. That's when Queen pointed out the giant cartoonish cat in a spacesuit waddling their way. Mona gawked along with the others, utterly taken aback. "What the?!"
Connie rubbed her eyes, not believing them. No way, wasn't that…?
"Howdy-Howdy-Do, brave explorers!" the space cat greeted in a high, chipper voice. "Welcome to the Crystal Kingdom, a world where joy and peace are never far behind!"
It reached behind itself to pull off what it'd been wearing on its back, revealing the item to be a cheeseburger backpack, and opened it up to produce a neatly folded laminated map which it then handed to Joker.
"Make sure not to drop it!" the space cat advised in a singsong tone before merrily skipping away.
Panther blinked at the retreating mascot, amazed. "Huh…that was easy."
Skull rubbed the back of his head. "I know, right? We're straight up dressed like this, and that thing doesn't bat an eye at us."
"To be fair," Fox spoke up, crossing his arms. "The sight of us wouldn't be the strangest-looking thing, compared to what Steven and his family must have seen before."
Connie couldn't help but chuckle. "It's not just that. Steven's pretty used to befriending people who've threatened him in the past."
The entire group eyed her in disbelief.
"That's…a little concerning," Queen commented. "Although that would explain that creature's behavior towards us, let alone why we appeared in our Thieves outfits the moment we entered this world."
Connie cocked her head in confusion, not understanding the significance of that last part.
"We only assume our Phantom Thief attire once the Ruler considers us a threat," Fox explained. "At that point, their stance towards us extends to their cognitions as well."
Before Connie could open her mouth to ask, Queen beat her to the punch. "Cognitions are basically mental copies of people made by Rulers. Like all the Gems and humans around us for example."
That part took Connie aback, the girl shooting her head around at the crowds in shock. So, these were all fakes? They all looked so real…although then again Connie had thought the same of her double back in Rose's room.
Which reminded her…
"Nobody's attacked us yet though," she pointed out.
"It's true," Noir agreed. "In fact, that one cognition in particular seemed perfectly at ease with us."
Mona crossed his arms in thought, face serious. "It might not last long, or at least not apply everywhere. Remember, this place belongs to his family as well, and they might not share his openness towards us."
Good point, Connie mused. Even before she had officially joined the Crystal Gems, she had witnessed some of their more ruthless moments towards enemies. Plus, there was Garnet's growing suspicion towards Ann back in the real world.
Joker shrugged. "We'll make it work."
"True," Mona agreed. "Since this place has multiple Rulers, there's no guarantee they'll agree on everything. That could work to our advantage. Anyway, let's take a look at that map."
With an agreeing nod, Joker opened the map up, holding it open for the others to see, Mona hopping onto Joker's shoulder for a better look. Right away, Connie could see how the layout of this world (mostly) matched up with Beach City.
However, she couldn't see anything that indicated Little Homeworld. Perhaps they needed another map?
"Let's see. Here we are." Queen pointed to a spot on the map, their current location, before tracing it along the nearest road. "And following this should take us to the main path."
"That looks like that highway that leads straight into Beach City," Panther commented. "But nothing about Little Homeworld. We might have to check there too."
"Maybe we won't have to," Skull suggested. "I mean the Castle's right there. Can't see where else the Treasure could be."
Joker hummed in thought as he closed the map an stored it in his pocket. Skull wasn't wrong, but it also couldn't be this easy. "Let's do a little recon first."
"Agreed," Queen added. "That way, we'll have a better idea of how to set up the infiltration route. Not to mention have a better idea of what we're up against."
The group shared a collective nod in agreement before making their way towards the exit.
Unfortunately, they only managed a few steps out into the park proper before a series of black and red splashes burst from the ground before them and materialized into…
Well, they seemed like Quartz soldiers based on their build but all wrong, their back proportions off and strange half red and pink dragon masks with horns on their faces. Plus, they were dressed in uniforms that reminded Connie of those royal guards from Tangled, except the symbols on their chests resembled roses in full bloom.
The soldier at the front stepped forward, the mere sight enough to get the Thieves and Connie into defensive stances.
That is, until it stood at attention and bowed its head.
"Our apologies for losing sight of you so easily, Captain."
What?
Blinking, Connie looked to the left and then right before turning her head to regard the Phantom Thieves, who all shared her taken back reaction. Yet when she returned her attention to the head soldier, it was obvious this…thing had eyes only for her.
"I…what?"
"Yo, the hell are they talking about?" Connie heard Skull murmur behind her.
"Her cognition maybe," Mona suggested, "although it's also possible they're referring to her—"
"Now what's all this then?"
It's hard to say what threw Connie for a loop more: the startlingly familiar voice or the figure that the soldiers parted to both sides for, primly making her way to the group. The head soldier even redirected their bow.
Connie had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
Cause no way in hell was she seeing Pearl of all people walk up to her in this place of all places. Not to mention she was dressed in the same tutu Connie remembers from the first time she met Steven's family. Hell, she even had on that same frown she'd wear whenever someone (usually Amethyst or Steven) did something she disapproved of.
No, no-no-no-no. That is not her, Connie had to remind herself with a shake of her head. This must be another one of those cognitions the others mentioned.
Although, this also gave her an idea.
"Our apologies for taking so long, ma'am," the head soldier hastily answered. "We've finally located the Captain. It would appear these intruders were accosting her."
Violet pulled a face at the accusation. "Accosting?" she murmured, incredulous.
Queen merely shook her head, feeling the same. "Does this Shadow even realize how they sound right now?"
Apparently not because the head soldier continued, completely straight-faced. "Either that or she's bringing them in for questioning."
Cognitive Pearl simply alternated a blank stare between the soldier and Connie for a few moments, letting on her eyes linger on the latter in the end…before cocking her head back in a light prim chuckle that sounded so much like the real Pearl that Connie had to remind herself again.
Once she got a hold of herself again, Cognitive Pearl shook her head..
"Oh goodness, no. This is clearly a misunderstanding," she replied as she gestured a hand at Connie. "That isn't the Captain."
Ah, so she could tell the difference! Connie seized this moment to step forward. "That's right! I'm actually from the physical world, you see, and I came here to talk with Steven's Shadow. Something bad has been happening to Gems over there, and it got to Steven too. We think the cause might be somewhere here."
To the girl's relief, Cognitive Pearl seemed to be following along, nodding to show she was listening.
Behind Connie, however, the Phantom Thieves stood tense and ready.
"The hell is she doing?" Mona whispered in a frantic hiss. Did the gang not just tell her about cognitions being fakes?
"M-Maybe she's trying to reason with her?" Panther suggested. Steven's family didn't seem all that unreasonable during that argument with Connie's mother after all. Something about the look in Cognitive Pearl's eyes, however, didn't give her confidence.
Joker shared the same doubt because his fists tightened. Something in that cognition's eyes didn't sat well with him.
"So, if you could just take us straight to Steven's Shadow," Connie continued, feeling the exact opposite and seeing none of the tell. "We can get to the bottom of this mess right away, or at least have an easier time changing his mind. That way, the real Steven won't feel so—"
Once again, Cognitive Pearl did that same laugh, cutting off Connie. Except now she sounded amused, as though the girl had said nothing more than a witty punchline.
Connie by contrast gave a confused (and somewhat hurt) expression. What did she say that was so funny?
Fortunately, Cognitive Pearl didn't take long to wind down, shaking her head again. "Ah…not that it wasn't an honest effort, but there's no fooling me."
Wait, fooling? Connie and the Phantom Thieves looked at her in confusion.
"I mean it's only obvious," Cognitive Pearl continued with crossed arms and a disturbingly chipper smile. "That you are a fake."
Now listen, Connie is a smart, smart person. Frighteningly so in fact. However, she also values logic. Ergo, it was only natural she responded in the following manner.
"Say WHAT?!"
Cognitive Pearl merely waved her off. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important matters on hand. Guards, be dears and show our guests out."
"At once, madam!" the head soldier and her fellow soldiers affirmed in unison.
Connie was not done here though. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm as real as you and anything else here, technically even more so since this is all supposed to be in the Crystal Gems' heads!"
"The Metaverse isn't that literal," Mona muttered, making a note to give the girl a more thorough rundown later.
"I may not know everything about this world," Connie continued in an insistent voice. "But I know enough to surmise it's connected to how Steven feels, and if what I've seen on our side is any indication, his Shadow is having as much a bad time as him."
Again, Cognitive Pearl let off that irritating chuckle. Although now that Mona took a closer look, there seemed to have been a flash of panic in her eyes right before she did.
"Oh, come now, there is positively nothing here! Why that would be absurd!"
"With all due respect," Connie snipped back with precisely no respect. "You're one to talk. Now are you going to take us to him or not?"
Much to Connie's mounting frustration, Cognitive Pearl rolled her eyes, dropping her smile at last. "Ugh, Steven has better things to do with his time and you are clearly not one of them."
"Then he'll make time for us cuz we're" – Connie set her stance, standing tall and defiant – "not leaving."
Cognitive Pearl sighed. "Typical human nonsense," she uttered before addressing Connie like a mother scolding a petulant child, hands akimbo. "Steven only has time for those who need his help, and I don't think he'd appreciate someone being so selfish that they'd hog his time."
Though the smile from before returned to the fake Pearl, it dripped with condescension, especially when she started waving of Connie and her allies like a bunch of children.
"Now be a good human and do as you're told. I'm sure Steven will make time for you eventually."
In the back, Queen grimaced.
Do as you're told.
Well, that's a bit of nostalgia she didn't need, which would explain the burst of empathy she felt for Connie, who indeed seemed ready to fistfight the cognition right there and now.
And Connie indeed was because oh, hell no.
She would gladly take a lot of things for Steven's sake, but not this. Not after the practical hero's journey she'd had since meeting him. And not after all the wild surprises sprung on her in the last 24 hours or so.
Jaw set and fists clenched, it took the girl's entire willpower not to growl, settling instead for a low cold tone.
"You know what? Fine, don't believe me. I don't even care if you think me capable." She stepped forward and pointed a finger right in the false Pearl's face, that damn smile withstanding. "But you won't stop me. I am going to march right up to Steven's Shadow myself and I will—"
"NOOOOOOO!"
Everyone, even the guards, jerked back at the unholy shriek in either shock or fright.
And in a blink, Cognitive Pearl snapped back to her eerily pleasant smile from before, as if her outburst never happened.
"Now then, that will be all," she cooed in a far too calm tone before she clapped her hands. On cue the guards formed a protective line in front of her. "Make sure not to leave a mess, Gems."
And with that, Cognitive Pearl leapt far and out of sight.
Connie did not even have time to call back before the guards started to convulse violently before being overtaken by red and black goop.
"Brace yourselves," Joker ordered before assuming a defensive stance, his teammates following suit.
Despite her frustration, Connie managed to school her feelings into a steady anger as she got her sword out. At least she could take her feelings out on whatever these things coming out of the goop were.
And by 'things', apparently…blue mermaids in flowing togas and a bunch of wooden puppets?
Uh…
"BOOM!" the little wooden boy in suspenders shouted as he did a backflip that caused his head to unsettlingly do the same. Right away, Connie felt the ground beneath her start to tremble and her instincts, despite disuse, were on point. Her reflexes however were not.
Lucky for the girl, a pink gloved hand grabbed her by the back of the collar and managed to pull her out of the way before a sharp spire of rock burst up from the ground where she had just been standing!
"Yo, what kinda attack was that?!" Skull exclaimed in surprise.
"That didn't look like a physical move," Oracle analyzed, tone frantic. "Could it be a new element? Everyone, stay on guard!"
No need to tell the others twice, especially when three of the other puppets all attempted the same move, forcing the group to scatter.
"Ugh, of course the Shadows here get the bright idea to attack all at once," Mona griped. At that moment, even more of the mermaids and puppets splashed into existence, much to his chagrin. "Damn it, there's more?!"
"Keep moving," Joker ordered as he deterred one of the advancing mermaids with a gunshot to the head.
Noir nodded before dodging a swipe from one of the puppets and putting a hand to her face. Her black mask immediately vanished in a flurry of blue flames that swirled and expanded behind her into…a tall skinny and somehow faceless lady dressed like someone out of an old spy movie.
Oh yeah, Connie was officially giving up on understanding anything in this world anymore.
"Lucy!" Noir called out, the black mask she was wearing disappearing the moment she put a hand to her face. In response, the spy lady summoned an array of multicolored waves upon the puppets with a flourish. The attack did a good bit of damage to the puppets but barely anything to the mermaids.
The other Thieves present gawked, Noir especially, though why Connie couldn't fathom. That attack landed, didn't it?
"Wait," Queen said. "Noir, did your Persona just use Mapsi instead of Mapsiodyne?"
Joker steadied an intense gaze on the horde of enemies, studying them, and then shot his hand to his own mask as well, and holy shit did he just summon a demon lord?!
"Satanael, ravage them!"
The demon whipped out a crazy-long gun and fired a black of black and red energy at some of the enemies…which apparently also did less damage than expected judging by the look of surprise on Joker's face.
"It's just not hers," Oracle called out in alarm from seeming nowhere. Seriously, where did she even go? "I think this place reset all our abilities!"
"What?!" Panther cried out in disbelief.
"Oh, that is just bullshit!" Skull exclaimed.
Connie's jaw dropped at hearing this. In other words, things just got more complicated. Great.
Okay, okay, nothing she (and they, she reminded herself) can't handle. Just had to be careful not to be separated from the others. After all, this was her first time fighting alongside full-blown humans.
And a supposed cat.
Who can all summon stands with supernatural powers.
Seriously, where was any of this back when Homeworld was attacking cause Connie had half a mind to ask what kind of blood pact would give her one of these Persona things.
Mostly because she and her sword were feeling a little overshadowed. To her credit, she'd managed to land a good number of hits on some of the enemies and even took out two. On the other hand, even with the apparent downgrades, the others and their stands were clearly ahead of her in terms of wiping out the opposition.
She shook her head to regain focus. No, no comparing yourself, Maheswaran. Make the best of what you've got.
To prove a point to herself, she jumped up to dodge a swipe from one of the mermaids and came down with an overhead slash that bisected the offending fish woman straight down the middle, reducing her to a screeching splash of black that faded away.
Brandishing her blade in a flourish, Connie smirked in triumph as she faced down the next nearest enemy.
See, Maheswaran, she mused to herself. You can do this!
Out of her peripheral, she noticed one of the puppets lunge for her next and so braced herself to dodge roll.
Only to get whacked in the head from behind by the tailfin of a mermaid that managed to sneak up on her, sending her flying forward towards the puppet's fist.
That is until a bullet pierced the puppet right in between the eyes, damaging it significantly and sending it back.
And that set Connie off.
"HEY!" she shouted in fury once she righted herself. "THE HELL'S THE BIG IDEA?! I HAD THAT ONE IN THE BAG!"
Queen, the one responsible for the shot, lowered her gun in concern. Indeed, Fox and Panther who were near her eyed Connie with worry as well. Even Joker, who'd been taking care of business with his demon lord buddy, shot her a similar look in between strikes.
For some reason, everyone's concern only pissed Connie off even further.
"Easy now," Queen coaxed. "We just need you to stay still and—"
"I don't need to stay still," Connie growling before charging for one of the Shadows. "I need to TEACH THE BITCH WHO HIT ME A LESSON!"
And in her defense, she definitely landed a few more hits. Unfortunately, everything else whiffed, the enemies managing to dodge most of her slashes with ease.
And it just made her angrier and angrier.
Vaguely she could make out screams and shouts that oddly didn't sound like the mermaids and puppets but those didn't matter.
If any other idiots wanted a piece of her, she'd gladly—
"Snap out of it!"
WHAM!
"OW!" Connie cried out, holding her now throbbing cheek in pain. Shocked, she shot her eyes at Panther, standing before her with an absurdly huge paper fan in hand. "What was—?"
"Sorry, but I had to," Panther apologized profusely. "They cast Rage on you."
Wait, cast Rage? Connie thought as she eyed the redhead in confusion. Were these things like Blue Diamond?
"It's a status ailment," Fox explained as he and Queen joined their side, katana out to face the incoming enemies. "That's why you went out of control."
"You even almost hit us as well," Queen added.
Connie furrowed her brow in disbelief, not sure she heard right. Status ailments? What, she did step into an RPG?
Then Queen's statement registered, and Connie felt her stomach drop, face stricken.
Did…did she really almost hurt the others?
No more time remained for rumination because one of the mermaid-like Shadows took their turn to attack next.
"How's this?"
This time, Connie managed to dodge alongside the others right as a burst of water erupted from below where the four had been standing in a brief geyser.
"Another element we've never seen before!" Mona griped before summoning a big-chested blue Zorro-man to heal everyone with (to his chagrin) Media instead of Mediarhan. "Damn it, we don't have time for this!"
Joker nodded in agreement before turning to Panther beside her, who nodded in turn before summoning her own Persona, a pink punk-rock chick with crazy red pigtails.
"Célestine!"
Before everyone's eyes, spires of flame burst from the ground all around, hitting every enemy in sight.
"OW!" every Pinocchio cried out in pain before flopping to the floor in a daze alongside their aquatic comrades.
Huh, fire working on a wooden puppet? If they weren't fighting for their lives right now, Connie would have facepalmed at such an obvious weakness. Oh well, at least now the team could finish these guys off.
Then Joker raised a fist and called out, "Hold on."
Connie tossed the team's leader a look of utter confusion. They had these things on the rope. What was there to wait on?
Mona by contrast knew, evident when he called out from above where he'd been observing alongside the others. "Ah, so you do remember!"
"Oh right!" Panther exclaimed with a fist-pump.
Fox chuckled. "It has been quite some time, hasn't it?"
Connie looked among the Thieves in ever-mounting wonder. What on Earth were they all talking about?
"Heh-heh," Mona chuckled before calling down again. "Watch and learn how the professionals do it, rookie."
Without further ado, Joker, Queen, Fox, and Panther all encircled the fallen enemies and held them at gunpoint.
"No sudden movements," Fox warned in a low yet cool tone.
"How dare you," the mermaid angrily spat at the Thieves. "How dare you sully such a jubilant world! Have you no shame at all?"
"Hmm…looks like this one's disposition is sulky," Mona observed. "Best not be too direct, Joker."
Joker nodded, taking a few moments to think over his response. "Maybe a little."
"Is that so?" the mermaid answered back in a somewhat more placated tone. "Then how do you intend to make this up to me?"
Joker pursed his lips, thoughtful. "I'm sure I'll think of something."
Connie could only furrow her brow. Seriously, was she watching an interrogation right now?
Because it seemed to be working, considering the mermaid's next response.
"Well, I appreciate your honesty. Wait, that's it…I remember now! I'm not from this place, but from the sea of humanity's souls!"
And with those words, the mermaid rose (floated?) back to her full height and happily declared, "I am thou, thou art I!"
Then for some reason she lit up and transformed into a ball of light that rocketed towards Joker's face. Connie barely had time to shout at him to duck before, um, did he just absorb that mermaid into his mask?
What's more, the other Shadows scuttled away as they faded out of sight, apparently having lost their will to continue the fight.
Connie had to rub her eyes with her free hand. "What…what just happened?"
"A Hold Up," Queen explained. "It's how Joker finds and, as you just saw, collects Persona during missions."
"It's also a pretty good way to get money and items!" Oracle chipped in.
Connie shot her eyes to the places the other Shadows once occupied. "Well the other ones got away. Shouldn't we go after them?"
Mona shook his head, not worried at all. "Shadows never come back to an area unless we leave it so there wouldn't be much point. It's just how things are in the Metaverse."
Just how things are, Connie repeated in her mind before sighing in resignation. Oh yeah, she had so much to learn about this world, let alone how the Thieves operated in it. Again, she couldn't help but feel that gap in skill between herself and the others.
Weird because she was sure she'd gotten over this sort of thing with the Gems. Even excluding those disastrous first few rounds of training under Pearl, Connie had always known she could never equal Steven and the Gems in raw power.
Which had been fine by her because she had plenty else to make up for that shortcoming.
Still, there's a difference between making up and catching up – and seeing a bunch of regular humans pull off the sort of stuff she'd expect out of a movie or a book or a game…
It made her feel like her twelve-year old self all over again, before she met Steven, reading to peer into a world she knew she could never join.
A somewhat gentle punch to the shoulder snapped the girl out of her brooding.
"Not bad for a first timer!" Skull congratulated with a wide smile, he and the others now out of hiding.
"Yes!" Violet agreed. "You were really good out there, Connie-san!"
A dark blush took up Connie's face at the praise, though whether at the honorific or the self-imposed feeling of unworthiness, she couldn't say.
"It's not like I managed to be much help out there," she admitted in a glum tone, eyes downcast as she self-consciously brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I even got put under a spell, for crying out loud."
Skull gave her a baffled stare. "You mean that? Dude, stuff like that happens to us too!"
"That's why we make sure to stock up on as many healing items as possible before missions," Queen added. "Not to mention have a healer in our main group at all times."
"Of course, there's always the ol' reliable Harisen Recovery," Mona chipped in. "As Lady Panther here demonstrated earlier."
Hearing that caused Panther to blush herself. "Yeah, sorry about that by the way."
Connie shook her head. "No, no! Thank you, actually." Her eyes went downcast again. "It's not like I don't deserve it for letting myself become a liability so easily."
Mona sighed. "All right, that's enough beating yourself up. Just be aware from now on that certain Shadows can inflict mental conditions, 'kay? Cause trust me, there's plenty more types we'll have to deal with."
Of course. Regardless, Connie raised her head back up to give Mona a nod, feeling a little more assured now that she had a better idea of what happened. She had to keep vigilant from here on out, is all.
"Since we're on the topic of the Shadows," Fox interjected, arms folded over his chest. "They mistook Connie for their 'Captain'. Could they have been referring to her Shadow or a mere cognition of her?"
"My guess is as good as yours, Inari," Oracle quipped. "Considering we haven't run into any version of her yet, it's too early to tell."
Connie crossed her arms. "Well, it has to be a cognition of me, right? Because if it's my Shadow, that'd have to mean it's likely one of the Rulers. Except that can't be the case because I'm pretty sure I'm not distorted."
She regarded everyone with a worried gaze. "Right?"
Mona crossed his arms with a pondering face as well, humming. "Hmm, you're definitely not distorted…at least not as far as I can tell. Still, those guards made it sound like this other you had gone missing."
"You think she got kidnapped by the culprit?" Skull asked in an urgent tone.
Connie stiffened in alarm at the idea. If her Shadow had been kidnapped, what did that mean for Connie herself then?
Wait a minute, what am I saying? With that thought, she snorted in amusement.
"Okay, hold up. They called me 'Captain', which is an obvious rank, and considering how this place looks, I'm pretty sure they meant 'Captain of the Guards'. Whether or not she is one of the Rulers of this place, there's no way they'd let themselves lose track of someone that important."
"That is true," Noir agreed. "Plus, such a position would also imply she's capable of fending for herself."
Connie smirked, glad to see her point had gotten across.
"And Shadow or not," Panther added. "I doubt Steven's Shadow would let anything happen to her. If anything, I'd think he'd want to check on her from time to time."
Oracle cocked her head back, one finger to her chin. "Cognitions always follow the wills of their Rulers, though. Unless Steven wants a Connie that runs off so much, I'm willing more to bet it's her Shadow the guards were searching for."
"I'd have to second that bet," Mona agreed. "I'm starting to get the impression this other Connie not so much went missing as much went into hiding." He trained his huge eyes on the actual Connie. "Either way, there's clearly a version of you in this world."
Connie could only sigh in frustration, realizing she'd more or less routed the conversation back to square one.
"That's another thing that bothers me," Queen spoke up. "If those Shadows are looking for their Connie, why come here of all places?"
Skull scratched the back of his head, curious. "Yeah, we barely been here for a few seconds with the real one before they showed up. We couldn't have been that obvious getting in."
"Meaning there's no way they could have known another Connie would be here," Queen continued. "They even spawned here immediately instead of walking over."
Realization dawned on the whole group.
"They knew she'd come here?" Mona asked.
"Or at the very least had strong suspicions," Queen responded.
Panther put a hand to her head, putting the pieces together. "Wait, if they thought they'd find her here, then does that mean…?"
Joker, who'd been silent this whole time, nodded his head with an affirmative hum. "She could still be here."
Noir cocked her head, curious. "Or at the very least nearby. Where should we start looking?"
"We won't have to."
Everyone turned to Oracle, who'd just spoken, in surprise. The girl was looking up from a few floating green holographic screens, where she'd been busy inputting data for the last minute.
"What makes you say that?" asked Violet.
"Cause I'm looking at her right now."
That's when Connie realized the tech girl wasn't just looking up from her screens; she was staring at something higher up. Her eyes traced to where the shorter girl was staring and stiffened.
Up upon one of the tents stood a shadowy figure with a silhouette matching Connie, save for the armor gleaming from the nearby lights.
And glowing yellow eyes.