The Universe Twins

by iUsedToPostBackInTheDay

Mom-Swap AU! When Garnet gives up her physical form to give life to twins everything gets absolutely turned on it's head. Now Rose, Pearl, Amethyst, Bismuth, and Greg have to raise them to become the saviors of the Universe. In this first installment the twins will have to figure out how to use their basic powers, work on starting a band with the cool kids, and to find lost gems.

11. Halloween In Beach City

Author's Note~

Wow, I'm kinda shocked at how quickly these are getting churned out, and I am still holding onto the possibility that someone might send lyrics for the next song for Sadie and the Seven Wonders, so if you are interested, please reach out as that chapter will be out sometime in the New Year. In the meantime I hope everyone is excited because it's Halloween in Beach City! See what the gang is all dressed as, and maybe you might even start to notice a possibility or an Easter Egg to that special I'd mentioned. ;) Also enjoy the pumpkin shaped breaks.

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Chapter 10- Halloween In Beach City

The autumnal sun was hazy and low, as it cascaded an orange glow onto the white sand beach. Barb Miller, the local postwoman and mother of Sadie was walking up the steps to the temple, but not in her usual uniform. In fact it was probably the last outfit on Earth any sane postal worker would wear. It was a dark red, burgundy, and black dress, with intricate floral and other patterns throughout. With the pin-straight bodice, decorative ruffles, and tiered sleeves. The topline matched the waistline with the voluminous peplum shape flailing far out to the sides. Barb had also dyed her signature platinum blond hair into a natural orange-red color. With a slightly wet texture, it glistens in the sunlight.

Finn ran up to the door with dairy free donuts in hand, "Happy Halloween Barb! I uhh… like your costume?" He didn't mean for it to come out as a question.

Barb laughed heavily at the young boy's sheepishness, "No worries, Finn. Today you can call me Marina Finessey, she's the host of the Canadian version of The Backstabbersand has some really crazy style, so I decided to recreate her finalelook from last season."

"Oh wow that's really creative, and must've taken ages to construct," by no means was Finn any kind of fashionista, but even he knew there was a lot of work put into this outfit, and it showed with how pleased Barb was feeling about it.

Barb plucked an envelope from her mail carrier bag, "Seems like it's for you, young man!"

"Me?" Finn seemed extremely perplexed, "But I haven't ordered anything."

Barb handed the package over with care, "Well it has our name on it so it must be important." Barb turned to make her leave, "I'll catch you later Finn! Happy Halloween!"

"Happy Halloween Barb," he replied half paying attention as he reentered the house. Finn was grasping at straws wondering what could be in the small brown paper package.

A very strong and long yawn from the loft signaled Cy was awake. The sleepy sister descended from the shared space, "Who was that Finn?"

"Huh?" Finn responded, returning to reality, "Oh, morning sis. That was just Barb with the mail." He picked up the parcel and shook it slightly. With its contents slightly shifting on the inside, "She was dressed for Halloween too, I think she said… uhh… she was the host of Backstabbers Canada, I think."

Cy's eyes lit up like fireworks, "MARINA FINESSEY?! WHAT!" She practically screamed into Finn's ear, "That had to be a really cool costume!"

Finn held his assaulted ear while making noises to regain the hearing that was momentarily lost, "Yeah, it was pretty and super elaborate," he then pointed at the package, "but the real surprise was the package she had for me."

"Oooo… mysterious package, huh?" Cy was intrigued, "Well, open it up! I'm practically buzzing with excitement."

Finn laughs at his bouncy sister as he starts to tear away at the brown paper, "No return address either, but… wait… Oh my God! No way, no way, no way!" He was practically bouncing as much as Cy.

"So? What is it, bro, tell me!"

Finn took a deep breath, "Remember last year when I ate all that Crunchy Dust cereal dry? Well if you sent in the most box tops the grand prize was four VIP passes for a fan meet and greet at PickerCon!" He clapped in absolute delight, "There's a note here saying last year's winner never claimed their prize, so they waited until it was closer to the next PickerCon to mail these to me, the runner-up!" He was unequivocally beside himself in disbelief and happiness.

Cy clapped in unison at her brother's fortune, "That's amazing, Finn! So who are you taking with you?"

"Well obviously you, but I haven't thought about it really, I mean I just got this, so," he trailed off as their attention went right to the front door. Greg had just come in, "Dad! Dad! You won't believe what just happened!" Finn bounced over to his father showing off his prize, "I won that contest last year for VIP passes to PickerCon, and it includes a Meet and Greet! I get to meet Jederikka Corlin!"

Greg was blown away by this news, "Really!? That's so greatson! When is PickerCon by the way?"

"We have a whole year to prepare as it just happened on the West Coast in August," he was so giddy, "they always swap the location every year, so it should be in November."

Greg's phone buzzed, "Good to know," he answered his phone. "Hey Priyanka!" Greg paused, "Okay, you'll be here in five minutes… at eight o' two, sounds good! We'll be waiting outside. See you all in a few minutes!"

1

{^vvv^}

At exactly eight o' two the Mahashwaren's minivan pulled up in front of the Temple. During that interim Bismuth had joined them to greet the Mahashwaren's.

"Hey guys! Happy Halloween!" Connie practically flew out of the van in a euphoric bliss, "I can't wait to go trick or treating tonight in Beach City!"

Priyanka and Doug also exited their vehicle following Connie, but naturally were more somber. "Ah yes, Halloween, a holiday of cavities… and fun!" Priyanka surmised adding the fun part to the end of her statement after Doug shook his head at her with a cheesy grin.

"Greg!" Doug extended his hand to shake, "Nice to see you, are you taking the kids trick or treating tonight?"

Greg took Doug's hand and shook it in kind, "Nah, Amethyst has taken that mantle on."

"Oh," Dr. Mahashwaren looked at the tall blue gem in front of her, Bismuth's rainbow mane reflecting the sun's rays, "Are you Amethyst?"

Bismuth extended her huge hand to shake Dr. Mahashwaren and Doug's hands, "Oh my no! I'm Bismuth! It's great to meet you folks, Connie and the kids have told me about you two, and they didn't tell me you two were so professional."

Doug and Priyanka laughed, "Oh Bismuth, that's so kind of you to say!" Priyanka waved around hand in slight embarrassment, "I do wish we had more time to chat, but Doug and I's flight leaves in three hours, so unfortunately we must leave."

"We're looking forward to the all-parents dinner in the future though!" Doug interjected, "We'll have to discuss that when we get back. Thanks again Greg and Bismuth for keeping an eye on our Connie for the remainder of the weekend." Connie came up to her parents to give them a huge hug, "Have fun tonight, kiddo!"

Priyanka pulled herself from the hug, "But not too much, I don't want to hear from Greg, unless it's about how wonderfully behaved you were, okay, young lady?"

"I promise I'll be good, and I'll make sure to do my studies on Sunday!" Connie beamed at her parents.

"On that note, we'll have to leave! Thank you again Greg!" Priyanka waved off the kids, Greg and Bismuth, with Doug as they got back into their minivan, "We love you Connie!" With that final remark the children, Bismuth, and Greg wave off the minivan as it disappears around the bend.

"It's a bummer, you two are grounded from watching TV, but didn't you mention Bismuth made that sword?" Connie inquired of the twins, "You mentioned it was a clean break, so maybe she can solder it back together?"

Finn smacked his forehead, "How did we not think of that?" He looked at Cy with a dumbfounded expression to which Cy responded with a shoulder shrug.

1

{^vvv^}

Finn, Cy, and Connie looked down from the loft at Bismuth who was enjoying a nice coffee, "Bismuth?" His voice was trembling slightly.

Bismuth looked up from her cup, "What's up Finnbar?" She could see the nervousness on his face, "Woah, you look like you might be sick? What's up?"

Finn mustered up some courage. He'd never really asked Bismuth to do something so big for them, "Do you think you can fix Rose's sword for us?"

Bismuth pondered the inquiry for a moment before setting her mug down, "Hmm… I could do that, but it's not gonna help your punishment. Still, it's definitely a start to making amends with Rose."

The twins rejoiced with Connie in the hopefulness that maybe, just maybe, their bargaining chip could help their case to end the grounding from TV. Finn was extra motivated now that he was going to PickerCon, he absolutely couldn't go without catching up, so this was his best shot at redemption.

Pearl and Amethyst then entered the room to speak with Bismuth, "Bismuth, we need to talk. Amethyst says she's found a gem monster while flying over Ocean Town, and since she's taking the twins Trick or Treating with Connie I need you to come with me to check it out."

Bismuth picked up her mug and took a big swig before replying with a simple, "No problem, Pearl."

1

{^vvv^}

Around midday there was a knock at the door, "Oh goodie! An early crowd." Cy delighted before yellowing, "AMETHYST, IT'S CANDY TIME!" Amethyst dropped from the ceiling like a ninja with a bowl of candy, and possibly a mouthful with wrappers still on. Cy graciously took the bowl, her hair was adorned with pumpkin clips that complimented the orange and glitter shirt she was wearing.

She opened the screen door only to be greeted by Ronnie who had his costume in hand. The larger boy was a bit flustered by Cy's winning smile, "H-Happy Halloween Cy!"

Cy kneeled handing him a chocolate bar, "King size, for a true member of royalty! Happy Halloween buddy, come on in!"

Ronnie graciously took the candy bar and pocketed it, "You flatter me, Lady Cyrene of the Beachlands!" He bowed low to his tiny friend. The two laughed as Cy closed the door behind Ronnie. Ronnie walked over to the foyer and hung his wrapped costume next to Cy and Finn's, both also hidden under trash bags so as to not ruin the surprise.

Finn and Connie had descended from the loft area upon hearing Ronnie's voice, "Ronnie, my dude! Slap me five!" Finn and Ronnie high fived up top and kept the momentum for a low five.

"I'm so excited for tonight dude!" He gave Connie a warm hug as they exchanged greetings, "I've never had friends to go Trick or Treating with, so I've been saving every penny I could find around my house and school… without bullying anyone, of course. All that work so I could afford my very first Halloween costume!" He was so giddy and pleased that his efforts weren't in vain.

Connie looked at him in awe, "He's right! I haven't seen him take advantage or bully anyone at school. Well except his stepbrother… I'm not super jazzed about that since it's still bullying, but I would guess most families have similar dynamics among siblings."

"That's some facts, if I ever heard them!" Cy flicked Finn's nose, who in turn blew into her ear causing her to shudder, but then the two started laughing uncontrollably while hugging each other tightly.

1

{^vvv^}

Later afternoon was upon them as the sun was beginning to drop lower into the horizon as a colorful ocean lapped onto the beach outside. Cy was already dressed in her Zebra onesie. All afternoon she'd been on candy duty, and right now she was greeting probably the tiniest Tiny Jasmine she'd ever seen and a scarecrow baby being held by his mother who was a crow, "You all look amazing! Here you go, and for the baby too… but really for momma crow, she needs it too!" She winked at the mother who thanked her as they made their way off into the Halloween pre-twilight horizon.

Cy closed the door behind her and was greeted with probably one of the best sights she'd ever laid eyes on, "Ronnie! You never told me you're a fan of Starspangleton: the Musical!" She dropped the candy bowl in surprise with Connie and Amethyst picking up the pieces, well mostly Amethyst as Connie's Protractor costume was a bit too bulky to aid in the cleanup.

"Good eye! Yes, it is me!" Ronnie placed a hand to his chest like he was very important, "Your musical warrior, Pin Brandel Casablanca!" Cy clapped like a mad woman absolutely taken with how on point it was from the mustache to the beautiful tail coat all the way down to the knee high period boots.

While in absolute admiration to the detail Cy barely noticed Finn crashing out from the bathroom door. He was a vanilla ice cream cone, but it appeared it was very topheavy. Ronnie helped the disoriented Finn to his feet, "Thanks man, hmm how can I stand up in this thing without crashing into the ground?" Ronnie let him go and watched as Finn hobbled to the left.

Ronnie pondered for a moment then realized it was the cherry headpiece that was making the costume lopsided, "Can you take off the cherry?" He steadied Finn in front of him, and luckily the cherry popped right out, and the spot looked like a bite had been taken out now, "How's that Finn?"

Finn steadied himself in a squat expecting the worst, but actually he could walk fine now. "Phew, that could've ended badly," Finn sighed, "Good thing that cherry wasn't sewn into the costume!" He said wiping sweat from his brow.

There was another knock at the door, "Oh more trick or theaters! I'll get it!" Cy whizzed over to Amethyst who was helping herself to more candy taking the bowl from her. "Happy Halloween!" She greeted giddily from the door, she looked out to see Peedee done up in Glam Rock, "Wow!" There were sparkles in Cy's eyes, "Are you the man of my dreams?" From behind her Ronnie grunted in annoyance, but decided to let it go.

Peedee's hair was in a messy straight mullet, he flipped his hair from his eyes as Greg was walking up the steps, "Peedee? Is that you? Nice Cravin Bowtie costume!"

Peedee looked over to Mr. Universe as Cy planted a kiss On Peedee's cheek, "Oh thanks, Mr. Universe! I was hoping you'd know who I am tonight!"

Greg sighed, "Yeah, uhh, sure Peedee, no problem…" Greg was still a bit apprehensive about his daughter dating, but at least she did pick a sweet kid who wouldn't break her heart… intentionally, "Let's get a group photo of you all!" Greg said, pulling out his cellphone as he walked inside after Peedee and Cy.

As instructed the kids all gathered in the middle of the living space, well more like surrounded Connie who was just a tad too massive in her costume not to be in the middle. Greg took a few shots of the kids before being interrupted by Amethyst, "You sure you don't wanna come with us, Greg?" She gestured at the empty bowl of candy, "Nothing left to give out! See."

"I'm good Amethyst," he scratched his beard, "as much as I'd love to embarrass the kids by going around they've explicitly told me that they want you to be the chaperone." He picks up the remote from the coffee table, "Plus, there's a monster movie marathon I've been dying to catch this year! Some great stuff from when I was a kid: Swampguy, Professor Hauntingsworth, The Bleeding Hearts, and even A Nightmare on Earth 2."

Cy looked at her father with a very strong look, "Boring! Have fun with your old movies dad, we'll be back soon!" With that the kids and Amethyst departed, Connie specifically needing to turn sideways to get out the door.

"It may not be practical," Connie began sidestepping down the front stairs, "but I have to say I make a sharp Protractor, if I do say so myself!" Her protractor arm standing up behind her back.

The kids and Amethyst began making their way down the beach when Finn noticed some familiar faces or rather silhouettes coming up as they turned the bend towards the Big Donut, "Hey guys, Happy Halloween!" Finn blurted out as the others caught up.

Sadie Miller, their lead singer in the band, was locking up the Big Donut. She was dressed up as a cat, while the other bandmates including Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck waved them over.

Buck lowered his sunglasses in a rare appearance of his eyes, "Nice costumes."

Sour Cream was lit up with LEDs all over his classic tracksuit, "Big agree, Finn, your costume is making me hungry." He could feel his stomach rumbling, "Sadie, are you ready for the party yet? I'm about to run off to the ice cream parlor. for a soft-serve, Finn's got me jonesing."

"Party?" All the kids and Amethyst inquired.

"Oh yeah!" Jenny chimed in. Her classic makeup now featuring more red to evoke her devil costume, "There's this awesome field party my friend Sabina is hosting. She lives on a farm about thirty minutes away, you guys should come with!"

Sour Cream started to skank abruptly whilst nodding along with Jenny's suggestion, "Absolutely! You guys would love it! They even have games and prizes you can win! I have my eye on a set of new subwoofers for my studio, which is pretty much my room!" He chuckled a bit.

"We'd love to, but honestly it's Connie and Ronnie's first trick or treating with friends!" Cy announced with fervent vigor.

"Aww, that's really nice!" Sadie had always admired the Twins for their generosity and just being really cool people. Not just for the kids, but also herself, since if it wasn't for the band she'd probably never hang out with the cool kids, "Well the shops locked up should we head on out before Sour Cream takes another bite out of Finn." They all shared a good hardy belly laugh with that quip.

Once the moment had died down Finn looked around, "Where's Lars?" He inquired.

Sadie sighed, "He went on ahead and didn't even want to wait up for me." She seemed a bit saddened by her admission, "At least you guys decided to wait for me, plus I'd hate to drive there by myself now that it's getting dark." Her expression softened as she smiled at the other three teens.

"Of course Sadie, you're like my bestie now!" Jenny pulled in Sadie for a quick hug trying not to mess up her cute devil makeup. "Besties never leave besties behind, so what if Lars is an idiot and takes you for granted? Me and the band always got your back! Isn't that right you guys!"

"Heck yeah, Sadie," Buck chirped.

Sour Cream stopped dancing, "Sadie and the Seven Wonders have done wonders for my confidence and mental state!" He beamed with happiness, "Just the other day I felt empowered after band practice to tell Yellowtail that I am gonna make something of my music career!" He blushed.

"That's amazing Sour Cream!" Connie piped up, "I wish I had that kind of confidence to tell my mom I'm passionate about antique weaponry, but she'd probably never let me out of her sight again…"

Sour Cream put his hand on Connie's shoulder, "That's really rad, Connie! I thought you were only about learningby choice, but I could see you wielding a samurai sword or even a medieval flail!" He blushed again, "Sorry for assuming Connie."

"It's okay, Sour Cream, thanks for the encouragement!" She responded, also blushing. "Well we should all get going, we've got houses to uhh… Treat it up!"

"Rad!" Sour Cream blurted out.

"You guys have fun!" Sadie and Jenny said in unison as they started to head towards Barb's van which Sadie was borrowing.

Buck didn't follow immediately, "What are you guys doing after this?" His vampire teeth showed a bit more now that his eyes weren't the main attraction.

The kids all looked at each other shrugging, "Well Connie, Ronnie, and Peedee are staying over for the night, but you guys should come over after your party! We can stay up and tell scary stories while slowly descending into candy comas!" Cy exclaimed, practically foaming at the mouth, "Friendship, yay!"

Finn and Peedee had to hold her down as she was practically floating on air from excitement, "Cy, honey, how much candy did you eat, already?" Peedee inquired, practically laughing at his girlfriend's high octane energy.

1

{^vvv^}

Amethyst and the kids were pretty much the talk of Beach City, every house had pretty much been blown away with their costumes. Nanefua, Jenny's grandmother, even gave them all extra candy after Ronnie and Cy sang a verse from Starspangleton.

Mr. Fryman, Peedee's father, had to of course embarrass his son by getting a picture with his boy and the young lady who caught his eye as he put it.

1

{^vvv^}

The streets were packed with busy trick or treaters in so many different costumes from simple sheet ghosts to characters from television, but as they made their way down North Park street towards the main street there was a large gathering of kids who were in the park in a huge circle, "I wonder what that's all about?" Connie wondered, her protractor arm waving a bit in the cool breeze.

"Oh, that's probably just the Fernandez twins. Rich kids from Bayburg, up north," Peedee nonchalantly said, "and not worth our time. They kinda ruined my Halloween costume last year."

"Wait what?" Finn said, taken aback as he and Cy both stopped.

Cy let go of Peedee's hand, "They should apologize for that." She looked into Peedee's deep brown eyes, "Did they, sweetie?"

Peedee got red in the face, "No, but it's not a big-"

Cy stopped him from speaking, "Oh no! No, no, no! No one and I mean no one hurts my man and gets away with it!" She looks at Finn, "Come on Finn, we should meet these twins." She put a heavy emphasis on 'meet' before walking up to the crowd of kids with Finn right behind her.

"Cy, please don't- Oh gosh!" Peedee panicked running after Cy, Ronnie and Connie held up the back of their group following their friends with concern in their faces.

In the center of the crowd was presumably the Fernandez Twins who were dressed as race car drivers with actual working miniature race cars that idled next to them, matching their green and pink outfits. Kids were gathered practically gawking with envy, "It gets twelve miles per gallon, and comes with a working radio." The female twin had pretty much been steering the conversation among her peers as her brother merely sneered at the crowd as if he was a king.

"Wow, Coco that's so awesome!" An onlooker commented in adoration.

"Excuse me, coming through, pardon me, make way for the angry zebra!" Cy practically pushed her way through the crowd with Finn right behind her. As she broke through the inner circle she practically yelled to get the attention of the pretentious set of twins, "Hey Fernandez twins! You owe my boyfriend an apology."

The matching twins glared at Cy and Finn as the crowd around them stopped speaking. As the silence grew Peedee came up behind Cy with such great anxiety on his face with Connie and Ronnie pulling up the rear.

Finally, the silence was broken by the female twin, "Your boyfriend is the Fryman kid? What a loser!" She started laughing at the Universe Twins as well as Peedee. The crowd was also laughing, giving Ronnie major flashbacks to meeting the twins. He was getting really angry and balling his fists together, luckily Finn noticed and held him back.

He stepped forward, "I'm sorry, I thought you were the Fernandez twins, not the Jerk-nandez twins!" Finn responded quickly, his voice silencing the crowd, and causing the Fernandez twins to glare at him.

The boy finally spoke up and approached Finn basically shooting daggers at him through his frenzied eyes, "Hey punk, no one speaks to the Fernandez twins like that and sees another day!" He and Finn kept staring each other down, neither one giving an inch. The crowd was frozen with no one saying a word.

"Well, that's all about to change," Finn spat out indignantly, "we're the Universe Twins, and Beach City is only big enough for one set of twins." Coco Fernandez seemed like she couldn't decide if she should ignore this boy or listen like he was the Dali Lama.

"Is that so, punk?!" He scoffed at Finn pretty much as if he'd won this verbal altercation as a nasty smile came over him, "Look at you, dressed as the most boring ice cream flavor, a wannabe horse, some washed up has been, a theater nerd, and a nerdy piece of garbage!"

"You might have money to afford nice costumes," Finn retorted haughtily, "but money can't change your bad attitude and snobbish nature, can it!"

The boy lifted his fists as if to punch Finn but was immediately pulled back by his sister. "Stop it Tyler!" She pulled him back towards his green miniature race car, "You… Universe Twins made a bad choice today!" Her intent expression softened a bit looking away from Cy and Peedee and now at Finn, she even turned slightly pink in the face, "C'mon Tyler, let's go!" With that they hopped into their tiny vehicles and sped away into the Halloween night. The crowd dispersed after the Fernandez twins left the scene, burning rubber could be smelt as the group gathered themselves.

"Ugh… what wads!" Cy pretty much was ready for anything it seemed like, "I'd like to slap her so hard- her face just looks so slappable!" She looked back at Peedee, Connie, and Ronnie, "Oh crap!" She seemed a tad deflated, "Sorry guys, we were supposed to take you guys out for an awesome Trick or Treating, and here we are picking fights with random rich kids." She sheepishly kicked the ground with her hoof.

"What are you talking about, Cy?!" Ronnie was practically gushing with glee, "That was awesome! You AND Finn were awesome!" Ronnie was practically tearing up with pride for his friends, "Jerk-nandez, oh man, I'm still cracking up!" He then wiped away a single tear.

"While reckless, yes," Connie began putting her real left arm around Cy, "I have to admit Cy you have really broken out of your shell since we met!" She moved towards Finn, "And Finn, that was so brave of you!" She side hugged Finn with her right arm as Ronnie patted him on his waffle cone back.

Peedee seemed a bit thrown by this encouragement, "But you guys shouldn't do that again. You two got lucky, and next time you might not be."

Ronnie punched Peedee's shoulder lightly, "Oh come off it, Peedee, that was awesome! Your girlfriend has balls!" Peedee blushed at the blue comment, but then giggled slightly looking at Cy with newfound admiration.

"C'mon you guys!" Connie spoke steadfast and with conviction. Her protractor arm pointed down towards the Main street, "The night is still young, and we have loads of candy to still acquire!"

Ronnie looked around quickly then spoke up again, "Hold on, wasn't there six of us?" He looked around realizing someone was missing.

"Your right Ronnie," Connie and the others started to look around. "Where is Amethyst at?"

Meanwhile back on the beach Amethyst was bloated from eating too much candy as it were. Somehow she must've gotten separated from them after they stopped at the Fryman's, but where she got the candy from was anyone's guess.