Steven Universe: Beyond The Mirror

Fight and Flight

There is nothing to hear but the eerie, tense silence taking up the perimeter of the Strawberry Battlefield. Pearl, having successfully located the wanted Homeworld Gem and the offspring of her one and only love, stands her ground a few feet away in front of them.

The grip on her spear tightens as she narrows her eyes. "What...did you do to him?" The tone of her voice is one she hasn't spoken with in a millenia, a mix of rage and stern expression. Steven holds a finger up, opening his mouth. He immediately shuts it for the corruption is starting to develop from within.

Steven, being half-human, undergoes a different kind of corruption. It may not affect his physical appearance, but it can infect his interior or whatever may be inside of him. Steven can feel his heart slowing down as his muscles weaken, forcing his body to go limp.

Lapis, noticing that Steven is slipping out of her hands, grips his armpits which are covered by his stained shirt. She grunts as she looks up towards the spear's tip. She grimaces as the tip of Pearl's spear brightens in cyan. "DON'T move!"

Lapis looks back down at Steven's unconcious face as he groans. She lifts her head back up to confront the Pearl. "It wasn't me! I swear! There was a beetle and-!" Pearl clenches her teeth. "Liar! There are no more corrupted Gems around here because if there was one, Garnet would've informed me of it!"

Lapis reproaches her, taking a step forward with crossing eyebrows. "Well apparently she was wrong because there was one and I can prove it!" Pearl raises an eyebrow, letting her spear down a bit as she detaches her left hand to pull her whistle out of her gem.

Lapis bends down, detaching her right hand from Steven to reach out for the stone of the corrupted Gem, its outer layer just above the surface. Steven slips through Lapis' grip and he crashes down into the pool, causing Pearl to react. She gasps as her eyes bulge. "Oh! That's it!"

The whistle dissapates and Pearl grips the spear with her left hand. Pearl splashes through the pool as she charges towards Lapis, raising her spear towards her. Lapis raises an eyebrow, lifting her head up. "Huh?" Pearl slams the tip of her spear into her mid-region. She grunts as she flies towards the edge of the pool.

She groans, pressing her left hand against it as Pearl steps up towards her, pointing her spear down. Lapis thrusts out her left hand and a stream of strawberry juice sprouts out towards Pearl. The juice slaps her face and she drops her spear, allowing it to dissapate.

She grunts as she presses her right hand to her cheek. Lapis gets up, her dress dripping with the juice as she curls her fingers into fists. She thrusts out her right fist and the juice turns into a small fist with an arm attached to jab at Pearl. She clocks her left cheek...her chest...her jaw...her gem-!"

Pearl ducks just before Lapis could hit the gem on her forehead. Pearl whips out another spear from her gem as Lapis leaps towards Steven to her right behind the opposition. She grunts as she lands next to his left arm. Pearl whips her body around as Lapis sprouts out her water wings.

She hops into the air and Pearl lifts her head up towards the night sky as Lapis hovers a few feet into the air. She growls before she yells, launching her spear towards Lapis. Lapis swerves to her left as the spear passes a few inches from her dress.

Pearl whips out another spear and she clenches her teeth as she fires balls of light towards Lapis. Lapis swoops down towards her, grunting as she swerves to her right...left...right to avoid the projectiles. She retracts her wings just before she crashes into her.

They collide as they splash into the pool of strawberry juice. They wrestle with each other, their forms staining with the juice as they roll one another through the goop. Pearl strikes her spear down towards Lapis' face as Lapis squints her eyes shut, tilting her head to her left.

She licks the juice from her lips which curls up for a moment in delight. "Huh. Not bad." She grits her teeth as she thrusts her right hand, covered with juice, into Pearl's face to push her off of her. Pearl grunts, getting back on her feet.

She wipes the juice from her face as Lapis gets back up from the surface. She turns to Steven and she shields her eyes as the stone of the corrupted Gem nearby starts to glow. Lapis smirks as Pearl turns to the gemstone. "No. It can't be." She whips out her spear as Lapis pulls Steven from the juice.

She lifts him up with a grunt into her arms and her water wings pop out of her gem once more. She leaps into the air just before the beetle reforms in front of Pearl. Pearl takes a step back, widening her eyes as she thrusts her spear out in front of her.

"So where have been? Hiding in strawberries all this time?!" Pearl completely loses track of her mission, alternating her quest as she turns her undivided attention towards the beast. Lapis flies away, panting as she grunts from the burden of Steven's unconcious body in her arms.