Summary:
Not the fun kinda party either
Masha watched as kids scrabbed around. "Giant Lizard!"
"It's gonna eat us!"
"Oh my god, Rholnado was right!" Seriously, why the hell was everyone getting so bent out of shape? The girl had literally done nothing up to this point, and right now she was still doing nothing, except being scared.
"Oh my god, who spiked the punch?" Connie tried to weakly lie. "Why else would we be seeing something so crazy and out of this world?"
"Not when we're all having the same hallucination!" Another kid called out.
"We need to run!"
"Stand back students!" A teacher ran forward, pulling out a can of mace. "Back beast!" He shouted, spraying it right at the girl.
"GGAAAH!" Vee screamed, holding her eyes in pain.
"Hey, back off bub!" Amity growled, forcing purple muck into her hands and punched the man away.
"Did she just shoot out mud?!" Another kid shouted.
"Monsters, they're all monsters in disguise!" Well this devolved fast. At times like this they almost forgot everyone's ancestor was super paranoid of the supernatural.
"Great, there's goes any chance of us ending this peacefully and quietly." Luz grumbled as the four girls huddled together. "On my mark, bolt for the exit."
" Children of Gravesfield, I know that your scared right now, but you mustn't let fear overwhelm you!" That Jacob guy from the museum shouted into a mic next to Sourcream. "We have numbers, and we have an auditorium of makeshift weapons, we can work with this, and take that thing down before it takes the rest of us down, like the people they replaced! We already lost Noceda and Maheshwaran, who will be next if we don't stop this now?!"
So that's the angle they were going for. They're all evil monsters, but only one of them dropped the 'disguise'. "Yeah, he's right! Luz has always been a weirdo, and she dragged Connie into her crap!" Kids were beginning to surround the group. "We got to stop it at the source before it has a chance to spread!"
Time to pull a little … pizzaz. Masha pulled the sprinklers, dumping the room in water as equipment began to spark, causing the lights to flicker as they ran forward and grabbed Vee. "Come on!" They shouted, pulling them through the blinded crowd.
"Wait, Masha, what are you doing-!" Connie tried to ask as they rushed through the bodies.
"Oh come on, I'm not letting Steven get caught." They responded as they made their way to the doors.
"… You Knew!?" Vee shouted.
"I've watched your soul since day one." They smirked. "I don't know the details, I just know that the guy that looks like you but with a neck isn't you… as great as that neck looks, there is only one you… no matter what you chose to be." They then rolled their eyes. "Besides, it would take like two seconds to know 'Lucci' doesn't act like Steven at all, and Vee acts just like 'him'."
"Speaking of which; we need to grab Cherry before they start blowing up the students… or before they run into Belos." Luz brought up.
"How about we do that after getting Vee out of here and figuring out if that glyph did anything to her?" Connie suggested.
"I'm fine, I just feel a little drained." The adorable snake girl answered. "I just need a recharge and I'll be good to go."
"Belos spent four hundred years mastering glyphs." Luz said. "He wouldn't just drain you of your energy, there's gotta be more."
"None of that matters if we can't get out of the school!" Connie shouted. "Amity, don't you know any spells that can knock down the door?"
"Just give me a minute; I'm going to punch our way out." Amity summoned that purple mud again, right as a bottle with a flaming rag was thrown at them from across the hallway.
"They're trying to get out of the school, stop them!"
"Any of you guys have a plan B?" Masha asked.
"Get to the roof of the school and fly out of here." Luz nodded, taking out her phone. "Going to call the others. We need them and the gems. As long as Belos is here, we can't afford to take chances on anything."
Masha pulled on Vee as they ran down the halls. "... So, is this a bad time to ask if you can grow bazookas?" They asked.
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Amber was, just a tad, freaking the fuck out. There was a shape-shifting snake person, people were spitting mud, and now Noceda and Connie were protecting the freaks of nature and running away. What the fuck!? She knew there was nothing normal about those two, but this really took the cake.
Her first instinct was to get the fuck out of the building asap, go home and forget about the entire night, and hopefully wake up to the news of the psychos being locked up i some dark cell somewhere. But then that weird Jacob guy from the museum made a compelling point. They outnumbered the freaks. Just swarm them and they couldn't do a single thing about it. This would get her so popular on social media once it was all over, far more popular than that creep Kevin.
She ran down the halls, holding a heel out like a knife, trying to find wherever those freaks ran to. The pa system turned on. "They're trying to escape. Make sure to have teachers on the exits and the stairs to the roof." Jacob spoke up to the students. Weird that the museum guy was even here to begin with, but she wouldn't question well timed fortune.
"Seriously, this is fucking bullshit." A squeaky voice calls out as she and a couple of other kids turned around the corner and saw the four… or five counting that androgynous person. "This… how is he riling up everyone this quickly?!" The freaky snake thing shouted.
"Because a scaled creature just showed up in the halls and everyone is scared and in need of a way to either run away or beat it up." Luzer deadpanned. "Welcome to humanity girls."
"You know, I always knew you were a weirdo, but I never expected you to be deranged Noceda." Amber stated.
"And I always thought you were an air headed High school mean girl cliche, and you haven't proven me wrong yet." Connie grumbled. "Seriously, can't you people just calm down for a second instead of mindlessly panicking?"
"It's not mindless." A jock said. "There's a snake that was LITERALLY inside of another person's skin." He pulled out a bat, ready to use it like a weapon. "In no reality is that ever a good thing."
"What about the reality where she came here literally just to enjoy a dance?" The androgynous one glared. "And was having a good time until people freaked out and sprayed her with a mace?"
"It's a freaking. Giant. Snake. The school already had enough of a problem with Noceda bringing them to class." A nerd counter, holding a microscope like it was a baseball bat. "I still have blueberry tangerines."
"... What?" Luzer asked in confusion.
"He has brain damage from snake venom, sometimes he says random words." Amber rolled her eyes. "Whatever, stop talking and start beating them up!"
"Oh no you don't!" The purple haired girl threw mud at her and the nerd, which left her open for the jock to rush in and swing a bat into her head.
"Honestly, it's like no one in this school has common courtesy." Connie intercepted the back before it could make contact, and used the back end to hit the jock in the eye, before taking full control of it and pushing him into an open locker.
"I'm a jock trapped in a locker by a nerd! Oh the irony!" He shouted from within.
"There they are!" A few more students found them, rushing forward with chairs from the other side, pincering them in.
"Really wish I brought my sword right about now!" Luz exclaimed.
"Luz, I'm sorry that I dragged you into this! I shouldn't have pushed you into going to prom!"
"It's fine, literally everyone but me suffered this time!" She shouted back, before pausing. "Wait, if that was on the intercoms, shouldn't have Cherry heard-"
BOOM
The wall broke down, multiple lockers falling to the ground, ringing out in the now silent halls as a … thing with four arms, four legs, and an unnatural number of eyes came through, with pink skin glistening from its body. "You know … lately people have called me selfless, cheered me for being the hero … it's about time I remind them the parts that make me up aren't all that." Pink fire danced around its hands. "Because at the end of the day, I'm a stubborn bastich that hates being stuck in this world, and now you've given me the perfect opportunity to speak my MIND!"
One dude scoffed. "Like I'm going to be scared of an overgrown spider." Flames enveloped his body until nothing but charred skin remained. "... Ow." He cried out in a high pitched voice, followed by a punch that treated the students like bowling pins.
The thing turned to the other freaks. "Fight or flee, I don't care which!"They shouted, before tackling the crowd of students with flames and brutal hits. " Just make sure none of them hurt Vee or Amity!"
"On it! Let's go while they're distracted!" The freaky fivesome began to flee.
"Oh don't you think-" A bubble popped around their arm, making them yell in pain.
"Oh Ammmmberrrrrr."The spider thing said in a sing song voice. " Someone who cares a whole lot about Luz has told me how much of a bad girl you've been." A sickly green web wrapped around Amber, being forced back and staring at the spider freak, face to face with those eyes that looked like they were burning her hotter than the flames of hell. "And do you know what happens to bad girls where I'm from?"
"... They're … let go … with a threat?" She asked.
"... You know, considering Kikimora and Lilith, maybe …but for those stubborn stuck up bitches that think they're tough shit.." They raised up a hand, where Amber was able to notice that their finger nails were multicolored, and secreting some kind of liquid. "They experience pain … pain beyond this world, pain that makes them wish they never existed."And the freaked scared her across the arm by those sharp nails.
"GGGAAAAAA!!!"
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Kiki had kinda been hit with a lot. The person they had a crush on left 'for some air', and Vee was a snake person that the students were hunting down … well, not too many things, but there was a lot of quality. And while the latter was probably something she should've focused more on, the former was what bothered her the most.
She took a chance to be bold, to be more outgoing and express her feelings to the one that had helped her out in the first place….and Kiki completely screwed it up. Of course Cherry wouldn't want to be in a relationship. They were too free spirited to settle for someone like her.
She wandered the halls as students ran about. Tonight was supposed to be amazing. Spend it with the guy …girl … punk that made her happy, have some fun, finally kiss … and now it was no more. Cherry would probably want to avoid Kiki cause they made it awkward.
This was a mistake, she needed to leave. She'll ask the kids what the deal was with Vee later. Steven hung out with the gems, so it wasn't like a snake person was any different…although now she had to mentally grumble at the notion of Rhonaldo of all people being right about something.
She continued walking to the door … as a student went flying by her, skidding down the hall, and into a locker hard enough to indent it. "Come on! You were so dead set on tearing up freaks right!?" A familiar voice shouted. "Then I'm the freak you should be worried about!"
"Cherry?" She quietly asked out loud to herself, looking at the sight of carnage right before her. A plethora of students and teachers alike were surrounding and being brutally repelled by Cherry … except they had five eyes, four legs along with four arms, and they threw fire all over the place.
The spider person paused their rampage, turning to her with concern. "Kiki …"They muttered, before being hit in the head with a chair … which broke. "... I'm going to start punching you now, and I don't know when I'll stop."
"Gaze upon them!" That Jacob museum shouted from behind. "Another monster roaming the streets, hiding among us! Don't give it a second to recover! Prove that humanity is stronger than this vile spawn of hell!"
"If it isn't the bastard of the hour!"Cherry shouted in rage, ripping apart the ground as all their hands were full, keeping everyone back. "Just like you to use brainless peons to do the dirty work. Some things never change for you, do they Belos!"
"I have no idea what you're on about, demon." Jacob calmly, pulling out an ax behind his back(something she swore he had no room to set it in) as Cherry's attention kept being pulled back towards pushing away the mob.
He was going to hurt Cherry … Kiki wasn't even going to question the absurdity of the situation, he was just going to hurt Cherry …
Time to do something that her sister would do. "Back the fuck up!l" She grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher, and hit the creep across the head.
The moment she did… it exploded… in greenish black goo that seemed to move on its own. "What the fu-"
A bubble popped around her head, blocking the goo from jumping inside of her open mouth. "Don't question it, just stay the hell away from it!"
The goo merged itself into a fist, grabbing Cherry's still flaming skull, before slamming it into the ground, dragging it through the hall as teenagers screamed in horror. "They really are taking our skin!" A kid shouted.
"How does it feel, Belos?! Now you're just as unholy and abominable as the rest of us!" They gripped the goo and began secreting something green from their fingertip, making it steam and smoke.
"I can still take satisfaction that they still fear you for the monster you are!"The two of them were sent flying through lockers and a wall, leaving the students screaming down the halls.
"… Seriously … what the fuck?" Kiki wondered. "What the heck is going on here?"
"Long … Long ...story." Turning around, she saw an exhausted looking Luz and Connie, now armed with swords. "You may want to get far far away if you're not comfortable being stabbed in the stomach." Luz said.
"Gotcha … is … Cherry going to be alright?" She couldn't help but ask.
They watched as the punk was thrown through another two walls, the goo forming a hammer and slamming into them like a missile that by all rights should have killed them. "… Would you like the sugar coated answer?" Connie asked.
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Everything had cracks. Belos just needed to know where to look for them. This form of Clawthorne's focused on precision and general expansion, it left weak points in places if he focused on the whole body. We got this right? My body's starting to feel a little bit funny. Oh no, everyone saw you die anyway, so … it's not like Belos needed to pull my punches for now. That's his fun little way of saying you're going to die after today.
So what, I get nothing and suffer for it!? Fear not, you did something truly incredible to our cause. "After today … everyone will fear you and your friends."They purposely set off the fusion's anger, letting them attack before shifting around the ignited bubble and striking their elbow with a spear.
"Oh boo freakity hoo. Like I give a rat's ass about what these idiots think about me, but you're still going to pay for what you did to Vee!" Diving head first into their body, their pink skin turned a shade of green as everything began burning.
"I have already paid many prices, none of which I'll be receiving from you." He swung a kick into their side. "I've done my part, I believe it's time I take my leave."Not much of a reason to stick around. "Soon there will be nowhere left on this planet for you to run. Your friends, your allies, all of them will disappear."
"Maybe, but not before we make YOU disappear first!" He heard the voice of Luz from behind him, striking him in the shoulder and slicing it off.
Belos was silent for a moment, simply staring down at the blade, before his arm reattached itself. "… Such a disappointment. You could have been so much more if this world hadn't corrupted you."He swung at her, sending the girl into a wall.
"Have you seen your face lately?! You're not one to talk!" The mahaswarren girl came for the other side and struck him by the legs, making him briefly fall limp. Okay, ow, this is really starting to sting!
Luckily he didn't have sentimental attachment to this one. He sent forth ten tendrils to restrain her limbs, three of them being cut before they reached their mark as he squeezed her bones. "Sadly it seems you don't learn. There is no sane reason to attack me."He spoke, crunching them.
"Oh…we did learn Emperor Boolus.." Huh, the girl had impressive pain tolerance. "That's why we know you're not going to see this next part coming."
"What are you talking abou-"
POOOOOOWWWWW
What felt like two giant fists crashed into his body, smacking him against the metal of the lockers "Wha-" He didn't get to finish, as a water fountain burst, the liquid coalescing around his body and squeezing him, until a wave of ice froze it over.
"Pearl, Amethyst, help the others." What looked like a gem with blocky hair spoke, walking to the hall of ice containing him and holding it between their hands. "Lapis … don't let go."
And then the bubble heated with Belos inside, as his flesh began to bubble, the water boiling yet keeping constant pressure around his entire body. What is the meaning of this!? Haha, those are MY girls! Way to go Crystal gems! Show this bitch what for!
"Wow … pulling your weight for once I see." The transformed form of Clawthorne spoke, making their way to the scene. "What now?"
"Lapis keeps him contained with enough pressure to prevent an escape while I flash boil him until nothing remains." Their captor spoke. "After that, Pearl and Amethyst will run as much damage control as possible."
"Yeah, that's probably not going to be the best idea. Belos freaked everyone out with making Vee pop out of nowhere." The Mahaswarren girl sank. "You guys going around will probably only accelerate their fear."
The water pressure and the heat increased greatly at that. "I saw." The blocky one answered. "We'll figure this out, don't worry."
"Just leave … the asshole's suffering … to us ." A blue gem spoke as even more water was added to his current prison.
Ow, ow, oh fuck, fuck, fuck, this hurts, this fucking hurts!
Yes, this was a problem. Even if they could force their way out, the body didn't have enough mass to escape even in death …Of course I could survive. It'll use up most of the body's remaining flesh and reduce it to bones, but I'll survive. Do you really think that'll be enough, Boolos? The fact you're trying to stall makes you think there's a chance. So I'll live!? Not at all. Your mind is frankly far too weak and undisciplined. The only downside is that I'll be left with your pathetic memories.
"Cherry, bubble it, he's trying to escape!" Wait, he hasn't even started- Future vision, bitch!
"Again, for once, you're pulling your weight." Okay, he needed to move, NOW!
Using every bit of strength that he had, he ingested all the flesh that was left and expanded his body outward, exploding onto the ceiling in a mushy pile. The second that he did, the annoying museum curator's voice began to fade away slowly….ah….such bliss. My … verification …Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad he's gone.
They began to move, only for a wave of water to arrive in front of them. "That escape must have cost a lot of energy …" The blue one cracked their neck. "Let me add to that." Now THAT is a Crystal Gem! Quiet you!
Philip began scooping his body up to at least form a more solid and mobile body, only to be attacked by a whip that bursted into purple flames. "So the big bag enemy you're all afraid of is a sentient pile of snot…gotta be honest, I'm not that impressed." The short purple gem snickered like a petulant child.
"You little-AGGGGGHHHHH!"He didn't even have the time to retaliate as a white beam of light struck his back.
"Don't even think about it!" A pale thin one spoke. "You're outnumbered and outmatched!"
"You are all nothing, I will shatter you all!"He formed an axe…that immediately evaporated into smoke. "No…NO! I should have enough power to defend myself! Why am I falling apart so quickly!?"
"Oh, you've fought with Lucci, and you've seen Boscha fight before, but you've never seen me fight. I can secrete whatever poison I want. The holes in your body, that's the acid you've been covering yourself with every time you touch me." The pink figure laughed.
"Very well … I can tell I need to gather my strength."They spoke. "After all, now I know there's plenty more gems to select for my own."
"Oh really … then tell me … when you fought us the first time … you completely overlooked one gem … one I'm betting you don't want in your head." The fusion pulled something out of the head, and threw what looked like a rubber ball right at his face.
"Hey, I remember you, you poofed me!" The lanky looking gem smirked, before growing a giant fist, and punching him through the walls. "Now I break you!"
…He was NEVER going to have a voice THAT demented in his skull… although they really should have just shattered it when he had the chance.
Water reached the room, acting as a barrier as it froze over. "Nowhere to run." The blue gem stated with malice. "It's the end of the road, you demented maniac."
As long as the blue one could manipulate so much liquid and blocky one could see his next move, he couldn't actually escape. Philip either needed to neutralize them, or rely on an outside source. "There they are officers!" One of the students came in from the side with people clade in black and blue uniforms. "They crashed the auditorium and began trashing the school!"
"Hands in the air, freaks!" They began pulling out weapons.
"Officers, I assure you that we have everything perfectly under contro-" A wire shooting out from one of their weapons shot out at the pale gem… and electrocuted them.
"Pearl!"
"I said hands in the air, freaks!" Such noble enforcers of the law. If he had the authority, he would award them. Something to think about as he slipped away.
His goal was done. He both managed to show the world the truth … and acquire a bit of blood from the magic brat.
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Camila listened intently as she listened to the children recount the story of what just happened. She had heard it all over the news, and, going by past experience, chose to be patient and wait to hear them out rather than jump to conclusions.
"So … every gem knocked out the police while we ran." Boscha explained. "So on top of Cherry, Amity, the gems, and Vee are all wanted by the law."
"Not only that… I haven't been able to change back since recovering my strength." The snake like girl, who was apparently Vee (and incredibly adorable she might add), sulked. "Whatever that glyph did to me…it's stopping me from shifting."
"I've never seen a glyph last more than twenty four hours. You should be good by then." Luz said, comforting Amity. "It's okay my little sweet potato …"
"No it's not… I pushed us into going to Prom, I exposed us out in the open..I gave Belos the chance to exploit everyone…" Amity begin self doubting
"He was always going to do that." Hunter said. "He just … likes taking advantage of any opening … he would have done it as soon as you all were in the open, even if it wasn't prom."
"At least he won't be starting trouble for a while with how weak he is now… but now we don't know where he is or who he'll possess again." Connie sighed.
"This sucks." Lucci sighed as he leaned into the couch. "The gems were the only ones who could contain that bastard…and even then we can't risk them. Belos is libel to absorb them like he did Bismuth if he recovers too much. Spinel got off the hook because she'd annoy him to death, the other's don't have that distinction."
"I have a wonderful personality!" The pink girl with a crystal heart on her chest cheered.
"So …" Gus started. " Are we gonna have to worry about the police? Since they saw Luz and Connie with the people they're looking for …"
"My dad has a little leeway, he can cover any connections they could bring up." Connie said. "Although I think it's safe to say publicly…none of you can risk being seen anymore." The girl looked at all the witches. "Your jobs, going out in the streets, the beach… none of that's an option for you guys anymore."
There was a long moment of silence within the group. "I'm gonna rip him to shreds." Willow growled.
"Get in line." Everyone said simultaneously. This monster…this Belos….all the children were freaked beyond measure. Her daughter was just having a simple night at the dance, and now it was ruined. She did her best to defend her friends, and she was ostracized for it. They all were….there was SO much wrong with the situation.
"Safe to say, I don't think I'm ever going to have a normal school life again…especially if Belos could take over anyone. Jacob already hated witches, now he has a whole building full of options." Luz sighed, and Camila realized what this meant. School was now officially the worst place for Luz to be right now. "Mom, I know you're not going to like it, but this proves we need all hands on deck.."
"I agree." She nodded.
"It's not fair for them to risk their lives and have trouble when-wait what?" Her daughter flinched.
"Miha, your friends can't live a normal life now and a psychopath tried to attack the school." She reminded them. "We're clearly beyond the point where school is a priority…and I admit..it was insensitive of me to have you return to school when your friends clearly needed you more." Camila gave her daughter a hug. "Until we've sorted your friend's situation, you can pull out of school."
"... Thank you." The girl hugged her tightly.
They stayed like that for a few moments, before pulling away. "I'll set up dinner if anyone wants it. Or you can head to bed."
"I'll sleep." Lucci said. "Belos kinda knocked the wind out of Cherry there …"
"Right behind your crystal, it gives us more time to figure out how to handle the Kiki thing later." Boscha groaned, rubbing her forehead.
They watched as the kids walked upstairs. "Ten years of saying he could easily find a girlfriend better than Boscha, and it turns out he likes someone after already being in a relationship." Willow muttered. "This is why romance sucks." Gus patted her on the back.