Steven awoke in a place he didn't recognize.
He was laying on his back on a cold hard floor.
He groaned and got to his knees.
His head buzzed slightly and his whole body was sore.
A few Memories started to come back.
They were captured.
Alone and afraid he did the only thing he could think of off the top of his head.
"Ruby?" He called. " Sapphire?"
Suddenly a memory replayed, two gemstones dropping to the ground.
" Opal!" He gasped.
Getting to his feet, reality set in.
This was nothing he had expirienced before.
" Where are they?" He turned to bolt out of the tiny room he woke up in, but slid to a stop inches from a strange yellow wall.
" Woah."
The wall stretched from floor to ceiling and was a strange translucent yellow, through it he could see more rooms identicle to his, all lining a hallway that looked to be the exact same material of everything that wasn't whatever this wall was made of.
Suddenly he was startled by a cry of anger and frustration, causing him to inhale sharply and freeze.
Deciding there wasn't anything else to do, he reached towards the wall, touching his fingertips to it before gasping and pulling them away.
The wall wasnt solid, it seemed to consist of some type of energy.
Tangible, but not painful (as he had expected it to be).
Covering his eyes with one hand he stuck a finger through the wall.
When he wasn't immediatly killed or even hurt by it, he uncovered his eyes and looked at the wall.
It parted around his finger, leaving the strip intterupted by his finger completely gone.
Steven pushed his hand further through the wall, to the wrist.
Turning it palm up he watched as strange yellow lines strated to appear where his wrist met the wall and expand down his arm.
" Eww, cool!" He giggled.
He pushed through the wall with little resistance save for a strange buzzing sensation that filled his body as it phased through.
He stopped once he was through as the feeling dissipated and a weird electric sensation traveled the lenth of his body.
" I'm out!" He realized with a happy cry.
" Ok! Where is everybody?" He asked himself.
Turning to his right he took off running down the hallway.
" Gotta find them gotta find them gotta find them gotta find-" he stopped when he saw a figure curling into itself in one of the cells.
Its hands were pressed against its face and it was visibly shaking.
Judging by the purple skin and long white hair that stretched to the ground, steven realized this was probrably a gem.
" Uhh, hey, are you ok?" Steven asked the gem.
The gem startled and pushed itself away from the source of the sound with a cry halfway between anger and panic.
It stared at Steven with wide eyes.
Suddenly its panicked expression changed to anger as it slammed its fist against the ground with such force it knocked Steven off his feet.
" Great! This is just perfect!" She growled in a gravely voice.
Steven got back to his feet and stared at the gem as she glared at the floor.
" Uhmm, do you need any help?" He asked.
" NO!" The gem yelled, " I mean.. DON'T LOOK AT ME. Just... go away." The gem curled in on herself again, shaking and exhaling sharply through her teeth.
" Wha-?" Steven cut himself off with a groan as he turned to keep running before the gem called out to him.
" Jey wait!," getting to her feet the gem approached him, staring at him through the translucent yellow wall," you're out!"
Steven turned to look at her.
" How did you get past the field?" She asked, scanning the yellow wall.
" Oh, I just sort of-" Steven reached forward towards the wall.
" Wait! No-no-no-no wait!" The gem cried out in alarm before Steven's hand went smoothly through the yellow wall.
" It's... ok?" Her voice softened as she reached out to touch the wall, only to cry out in pain and stumble backwards as she was shocked.
" What's going on?" She growled as she narrowed her eyes at Steven.
Suddenly though, her eyes widened and she gasped in shock.
A faint tune weaved through the ship, sung by a soft voice.
" Somebody's singing." Steven observed.
The gem gasped. " Pearl." She whispered to herself.
Suddenly she turned to Steven in desperation.
" Please, let me out of here, I need to find Pearl!" She pleaded.
" Is she your friend? I'm looking for my friends too." Steven replied.
" Please! She's all alone I need to find her!" The gem cried, avoiding his question.
" Don't worry, we'll find our friends!" Steven announced, stepping into the forcefield and holding hi arms out to make a makeshift doorway for the gem.
" And we'll do it to-ge-ge-th-er!" Steven yelled, voice shaking from the effects of the forcefeild.
Wasting no time at all, the gem crouched and bolted out of her cell, taking off down the hallway.
" Wuh- wait for me!" Steven called as he ran after her.
Running through an automatic door, he chased after the gem.
Stopping outside of the door, the singing was louder. The gem pressed her hands against her temples and squeezed her eyes shut.
" Hey, my name's Steven by the way, what's yours?" Steven asked, smiling.
" Shut up!" The gem growled. " I can't think..."
Opening her eyes she looked both ways down this new hallway before deciding on the left. " This way!" She yelled, and took off running again, leaving him to follow.
" How many more gems do you think are trapped here?" He asked as they ran.
" Don't know, don't care." She replied.
Suddenly, she slid to a stop.
" She stopped singing" the gem wispered.
" PEARL!" The gem called out.
However Steven's attention was brought to the window behind where they had stopped.
Through the glass he saw earth, stretching and curving into the distance, and the moon straight ahead.
He was... in space.
Before he could stare for too long though, the gem took off running again.
He followed her down another hallway until they reached another occupied cell.
The gem gasped in excitement and releif, before her face dropped again.
" Oh, it's just you."
" Lapis!" Steven smiled,causing the skinny gem to turn her head towards him.
" Lapis, I can get you out!" He grinned, approaching the cell, while the purple gem grew more and more agitated as she paced back and forth.
Steven reached forward but was met with " Stop!" From the prisoned gem.
Assuming her alarm was for his safety he reassured her " No, it's fine I can-" but was cut off. " No! I don't want your help. Things are bad enough as it is, I've already made too much trouble."
Lapis paused for a moment.
" When we get back to homeword they're going to decide what to do with us." The gem continued defeatedly.
The purple gem growled in frustration.
" I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" She yelled and started running back down the hallway.
"Wait!" Steven called after her as he turned to follow her, but was stopped as Lapis called out to him.
" Steven, whatever you're doing, just stop. If we do everything they say, they might go easy on us." She said with a defeated hope that made Steven's heart break.
" But they're... MEAN! They hurt my friends! They hurt my face! They've got you here in prison!" Steven argued, gesturing to his black eye and then towards Lapis.
" That's why we cant fight them!" Lapis tried to convince him.
" That's why we NEED to fight them." Steven countered.
Lapis said nothing in response, simply leaned her back againt the wall, pulled her knees into her chest, and lowered her head.
" I'll come back for you." Steven promised, before turning to follow his new ( hopefully ) friend down the hallway.
Song drifted and echoed through the hallway, words now discernabke.
" [ You do it for her, again and again]..."
Steven had to admit, it was a pretty song, he thought it was quite nice.
But before he could think anymore on the subject, he heard voices.
Gasping, he flattened himself against a doorway, as the figures of Jasper and Peridot walked by.
" We can't leave yet!" Peridot's voice whined, " The whole point of coming here was to check on the cluster!"
Steven poked his head out of the doorway, enough to see the two gems stop outside of another cell.
Directly followed by Peridot's words was a loud slam as Jasper punched the wall next to the cell. " STOP SINGING!" she yelled, and whoever was inside, complied.
" Rose Quartz takes priority." The large gem turned to her green counterpart.
" Get back to the bridge, and set a course for homeworld." She ordered, before turning and walking off.
Steven flattened back agsinst the wall as Peridot passed by again.
" Go to earth they said," she grumbled under her breath. " It will be easy they said."
After a few moments, Steven ducked his head out again.
As he did, he caught a glimpse of the gem within the holding cell.
She was tall and skinny, built similarly to Lapis.
She had peachy-pink hair that jutted out behind her head, tapering off into a sort of fluffy cone, and parting in the front to show off a glimmering white gem on her forehead.
She wore a sort of cyan dress that streatched up like a turtle neck, and was translucent until it met her chest, where it went completely opaqge and had a golden star glimmering in the center of her chest.
The skirt reached to just above her knees, with bright yellow shorts underneath and pink ankle socks that dissapeared into similarly cyan flats.
Her eyes were closed, but she tenatevly opened one, revealing bright light-blue orbs, checking her surroundings before closing them again and opening her mouth.
" And she does it for you so your love will never end..." she continued singing.
Steven stepped out of his little hiding spot and approached the gem.
Seemingly sensing his presence, her eyes snapped open and widened in surprise.
" Hey, I like your song, are you Pearl?" Steven asked.
" You escaped." The gem whispered, surprised.
In responce steven stuck his hand through the forcefield, causing the gem's lips to part and curl upwards.
" Of course..."
Steven stepped into the field, making a doorway as he did for the other gem.
" Co-O-me oOn It's sAY-ay-afe." He grinned, his voice once again warped by the field.
The gem ducked under his arms and out of the cell.
" Thank you Steven." She replied.
" You're.. welcome!" He replied with a grin, stepping out of the forcefield.
" PEARLLL!" The purple gem's voice echoed down the hallway.
" Come on!" Pearl called to Steven, picking him up in one arm as she ran towards the sound.
They came to another hallway bisecting their current one where they stopped.
The purple gem was visible at the other end of the passage as she looked around and eventually the two locked eyes.
" AMETHYST!" Pearl cried out, setting Steven down to run towards the other gem, who similarly sprinted towards her.
They met in the middle in a sort of chamber, where they tightly embraced.
" Did they hurt you?" Amethyst pulled away to ask her partner.
" No, did they hurt you?" Pearl asked, similarly meeting her gaze.
" Who cares!" The shorter gem replied with a grin and a tear.
" Ame-y!" Pearl almost scolded her. " I do." She continued softly, bending down to kiss away the tear that traced Amethyst's cheek.
In responce the shorter gem giggled and placed both hands on the sides of Pearl's face, pulling her in for a soft kiss.
The kiss was returned as the taller gem pulled her closer.
Just before Steven was about to turn away from the scene they parted in a fit of giggles.
Pearl lifted Amethyst into her arms and twirled around happily, connecting their lips once again as their forms turned to pure light.
The light coelested into a singular blob of light, before shifting into a tall figure.
Opal emerged from the light still laughing gleefully, arms around herself, before croughing down to face the boy.
" Steven! Thank you!" She exclaimed in her familiar deep, sweet voice.
" Opal!" Steven exclaimed, " You're a fusion?"
" Oh, I'm so sorry. We didn't want you meeting us here like this." Opal's voice softly admitted.
" It's ok, did I... make a good first impression?" He asked shyly.
" Oh Steven," she put a hand on his head, " We already love you."
The moment was interrupted by the booming of Jasper's voice.
" WHERE IS SHE?!"
Opal's fists clenched and she got to her feet.
" Jasper." She growled.
" Steven, find the others and get to the control room, I'll handle her."
" But- wait, I don't know where they are!" Steven replied.
Crouching down again, the gem on Opal's forehead glowed and projected the route to where Ruby and Sapphire were being held, letting Steven study it for a few seconds before he nodded and headed off to find his friends.
Just as Steven left the room, Jasper entered it.
" Oh, It's you two." Japser growled.
" You're out. And you're fused again."
Jasper rolled her eyes.
" Don't you know that fusion is just a cheap tactic to make weak gems feel stronger?"
Chuckling darkly, Opal got to her feet.
" And what would you know about what it's like to be fused, what it's like to be loved, hm?" Opal taunted with a smirk.
Jasper growled and grit her teeth in response.
" But you know what, I do feel stronger. I feel stronger than you'll ever know." Opal continued.
" Because I am made of love, and no matter what you do, no matter how many times you break us a part, that'll never change. As long as we're together, you dont stand a chance."
" Oh really? I could beat you two runts any day!" Jasper retorted.
" Oh really? Then I guess it's time for a little song and dance, is'nt it?" Opal grinned, summoning Pearl's spear and Amethyst's whip, combining them in a blaze of light into a bow.
Jasper grinned and summoned her helmet, clenching her fists.
" I think I remember how this one goes." Opal muses for a moment before Jasper charges towards her.
" You do it for her " Opal sings as she predicts Jasper's trejectory.
" Again and again. " Opal continued as she back flipped out of the way of Jasper's charge.
" And she does it for you." Opal aimed her bow towards Jasper, drawing back as an arrow of pure light coelescs to existance on the string.
" And that's how you know your love will never end." Opal released the string, launching the arrow towards Jasper, missing her by only a few inches.
"Deep breath, eyes wide."
Opal's eyes track Jasper's movement as the orange gem grinds her teeth.
" Always keep her in mind."
The Pearl half of Opal was calculating every movement taken, the half that was Amethyst was ready to beat the living daylights out of Jasper.
" And in that thought you'll find."
Opal easily sidestepted another charge, feeling steady in herself again
" It all becomes easy."
With Pearl by her side, Amethyst felt stable, calm, and loved.
With Amethyst by her side Pearl felt confident, capable, and absoloutely adored.
Being seperated felt like a nightmare for both of them.
" Her laugh."
Opal drew her bow again, aiming at Jasper as she charged head on.
" Her smile."
She let go, an arrow of pure light blasted Jasper square in the chest, sending her flying back.
"It's all you'll ever think."
Opal moved forwards as Jasper was still breifly stunned from the blow.
" And when pushed to the brink."
Suddenly Jasper charged the fusion, taking her almost by surprise.
Opal blocked her with her bow, just keeping her from making contact with her form.
" She makes you strong even when you feel weak."
Letting Jasper push her back slowly, Opal grit her teeth, putting on a show of struggle before grinning and simply sidestepping.
" You thought you could split us up."
Opal grinned harshly as Jasper flew into another wall, without an obstacle she simply sped out of control.
" You think making others feel weak makes you tough."
Jasper cried out in frusteration.
She wasnt losing this battle.
Especially not to this abomanation.
"Honestly it just makes you look pathetic."
Opal mockingly cooed this line, causing Jasper to whirl around in fury and ready for another charge.
" You think you have me figured out."
But Opal was ready, she drew and fired her arrow, hitting Jasper's helmet and cracking her visor.
" But there's so much you know nothing about."
In her confusion, Jasper let her gaurd down, plus her disrepaired vision made her easy prey.
"I'm love given life, it's nothing short of poetic."
So it was quite easy to simply pick her up and throw her.
Jasper hit the glass dome with a thud and a growl.
" So she does it for her."
Jasper groaned as her head buzzed.
" Again and again."
No. She wasn't going to let her win this.
She was going to put an end to this delusion and break them a part with her bare hands.
" And in me they know their love will never end."
Jasper planted her feet on the ceiling and launched full charge at the fusion.
Opal was taken off gaurd and felt the impact as they busted through numerous floors before one stayed solid.
The rubble from the damage of their fall scattered around them.
They were in a large chamber, the only light from the hole they had made.
Against the wall there was a large ball of pure green energy with tubes hooked up to it and a glass case around it.
Dust started to settle in the air and Opal's body screamed from the impact.
Yet still, her song continued.
" Deep down, I know."
Opal struggled to her knees, severely injured by the impact.
" I'm one of the lowest stations."
Her voice took on a melencholy tone as half of her mused.
" A servent by creation."
Hopelessness tinged her slightly.
They were.. she was losing.
" But that's all left behind." Her other half finished.
Suddenly feeling confident again she began to stand.
" Deep down, I know."
Her other half now sang.
" I'm insrtumentally defective."
She grit her teeth.
" An unusable weapon."
Jasper couldnt believe this thing's audacity.
" But I no longer mind."
Opal grinned and her eyes sparkled darkly.
" Because this is who we are."
Opal's bow reappeared in her hand.
" And this is who I am."
Jasper snarled and groaned in annoyance and frustration.
" And if you think you can stop me then you need to think again."
Opal straightened.
" Because I am a feeling."
Opal's eyes softened as she felt her two halfs' immense joy. They loved eachother so much.
" And I will never end."
Opal removed her lower set of hands from around herself.
Readying for more.
" And I won't let you hurt my planet."
Opal aimed her bow at Jasper and drew the string back.
" And i wont let you hurt my friends."
Opal released an arrow that knocked Jasper square in the chest, but Jasper was barely knocked back, charging forward almost instantly.
Opal was left using her bow as a melee weapon, blocking Jasper's headbutt attempts with sucsess for the most part.
That is until Jasper landed a particularly brutal blow that sent her flying.
But little did Jasper know, this move just cost her the battle.
Opal grinned, with the distance advantage she had enough time to land the perfect shot.
However since they were directly across from from the green orb that Pearl had deduced was the energy core, and that was the direction Jasper was running from, Pearl decided there were 3 outcomes to this.
She would shoot Jasper and knock her back into the energy core, bringing the ship down and crashing them into the earth.
She'd hit Jasper and not knock her back, by that time Opal wouldn't be able to land another shot before Jasper reached her.
Or she would miss the shot, shoot the energy core and bring the ship down with Jasper still attacking her.
Pearl knew their best hope was the first outcome, it would allow her enough time to reach the others and protect them as the ship crashed.
She also had noticed that the ship was moving in the oppisite direction now, meaning Steven, Ruby, and Sapphire, had reached the control room and turned the ship around.
With Amethyst there, Pearl felt confident and lucky.
Lucky enough to get the first outcome.
"With a new life worth living."
Opal aimed and drew the string back.
She paused for a moment, making sure her shot was lined up, before firing.
" There's nothing I'm not giving."
The arrow hit Jasper.
2 out of three.
" To be there, by her side."
It knocked her back.
1 out of three.
Jasper cried out as she was knocked into the energy core, electrecuting her.
Opal grinned, basking in her victory for a moment, before running to the bridge.
" Opal!" The trio exclaimed as she entered.
" This ship is going down." Opal stated matter of factly.
" What about Lapis?" Steven asked desperatly.
" I'm sorry, there's no time." Opal told him.
Lapis curled furthur into herself in her cell, accepting her fate as the ship entered orbit.
The ship crashed onto the beach, exploding into rubble.
As the dust settled, Steven dissapated the bubble he had surrounded them in.
Opal had the whole group clutched to her chest in a protective stance, but now let them go and took a deep breath.
Suddenly Steven grinned.
" Opal! I can't believe you're a fusion!" His eyes went starry.
" Huh? I'm a what?" Opal blanked for a moment.
" A fusion!" Steven repeated as he got up.
" Oh, yea, right." Opal smiled.
" Wait," Ruby got to her feet," You met Pearl and Amethyst?!"
" Oh no! Opal! Your plan!"
Sapphire gasped regretfully.
" We were gonna wait until your birthday to tell you. Give you a chance to meet me- I mean Pearl and Amethyst." Opal Smiled nervously.
" We can still do it! I'll just pretend I didn't know!" Steven proposed.
The four ( five ) of them laughed, until they were cut off.
Jasper burst from a pile of rubble and set her eyes on the group.
She she stumbled forwards and glared at them.
" Don't think you've won yet." Jasper snarled.
" You only beat me because you're a fusion! If I had somebody to fuse with I'd-" she stopped when she heard movement.
Lapis groaned and stumbled out from under some of the debris.
She fell to her knees before summoning her wings to fly away.
But jasper was faster.
" Come here brat!" The orange gem grinned,
Her hand fixed around the blue gem's ankle as she left the ground and pulled her back down.
Lapis cried out.
" Don't fly away so soon." Jasper grabbed her by the arm and dangled her just above the ground.
" Lapis!" Steven cried out, starting towards her, but the gems held him back.
" Lapis listen, fuse with me!" Jasper grinned maliciously.
" huh? Wha-?" Lapis was surprised and confused, and really, really just wanted to fly off somewhere far away from here and never look back.
" How long did they keep you trapped here on this miserable hunk of rock?!" Jasper dropped her and she fell to her knees with a pained, dazed groan.
She looked towards the group weirily.
" These gems, they're traitors to their homeworld!"
The gems glared at this, but Jasper continued.
"They kept you prisoner! They used you! This is your chance to take revenge!"
Lapis got to her feet with a bit of a struggle.
Steven looked at her, pleading, horrified.
" Come on, just say yes." Jasper grinned evily.
" Lapis! Don't do it!" Steven called out, distraught.
Lapis met his eyes.
She glared, eyes fixed with rage, and then she closed them, her face losing all emotion.
There was a silence that stretched for what felt like eternity with the stakes this high.
And then, Lapis offered her hand to Jasper, face unreadable.
Jasper's grin contorted her face as she roughly grabbed Lapis' arm.
" NOOOO!" Steven cried out, reaching towards her.
Jasper twirled Lapis delicatly, catching her in one of her arms.
As their gems started to glow, she looked towards the group.
Suddenly they were enveloped in a light that stretched and morphed.
This fusion wasn't like any if the others Steven had encountered.
It was monsterous with six arms and no legs.
It scared Steven.
It's four eyes landed on him and the fusion grinned and laughed darkly.
The gems wimpered in fear.
It raised it's hand and summoned a giant arm made of water from the lake.
But she stopped laughing when the arm clentched around hers.
" Huh?! What?"
Another hand rose from the water and clenched another one of her arms.
The arms turned to shackles and two more chains wrapped around her chest, pulling her into the water.
She growled in rage and struggled against her binds.
The gems stared in shock as it struggled towards them, before being pulled back.
" What are you doing?!" She cried in the rough manner of Jasper's voice.
" I'm DONE being everyone's prisoner!" The fusion screamed in Lapis' voice.
" Now you're MY prisoner! And I'm NEVER LETTING YOU GO!" It yelled.
The chains pulled harder, overpowering the half of Malachite that was fighting against them.
Two giant watery hands rose from the ocean and pulled her to the ground, dragging her closer to the lake.
The fusion cried out in rage and disbelief.
" No! NO!" It cried in Jasper's voice.
" Lapis!" Steven cried out, rushing forwards with the rest of the gems.
" Let's stay on this miserable planet TOGETHER!" It cried in Lapis' voice before being dragged into the lake and below the surface.
It only took a few seconds for the surface of the water to calm.
Malachite was gone.
Steven and the gems stared in disbelief and shock.
Opal tsked and sucked her teeth.
" Yikes. Now that's a toxic relationship."
Before the dust could settle in Steven's mind, the silence was cut through by a song.
His ringtone.
Authour Note:
I had a lot of fun doing this.
Now of course I need to say this brilliant peice of work is heavily inspired by the Steven Universe episode: Jailbreak.
All these characters and everything belong to the amazing Rebecca Sugar.
I hope to do more stuff like this soon.
Please consider voting for this peice of work, it helps immensly.
G'day maties
- Gay peice of shit