Luz couldn't have felt better at the moment. Being nineteen was awesome! No curfew, drivers license, a steady income of market money, and the ability to finally propose to Amity! And she had the perfect moment in mind too, under the Double Eclipse!
That's right, for the first time ever, they'd have two moons to eclipse, and it just so happened to be now, both of them, at the same time! … Well not RIGHT now, like, in a couple of hours. That was why the entire town at the moment was going crazy with celebrating, and why there were currently a bunch of gems outside on the beach celebrating with a game of volleyball.
She would've joined in on any normal occasion, to prove her witchy prowess on the sports field, but right now, there was something more important that currently occupied her attention. "Open wide, Ian." Luz cooed as she held up a spoon filled with fruity-veggie mush as her step brother held him up. "Let the owl land in its nest."
"Awwaaa." He mimicked her as she shoved it into his mouth. It was awesome to help out the little guy, mostly because her mom had been so stressed at first that she passed out the moment the baby was assured to be in good hands. In fact, both parents were unconscious.
"I guess it's just a parent thing." Steven said, shrugging as he patted their brother's cheeks
"Yes, all the queens usually became stressed when their children are young … Cresenta was so overworked we had to take away her wand so she didn't use the forced awake spell for the tenth time that week." Pearl mentioned as she supervised the game from the high chair. "Careful when spiking the ball! If you light it on fire again, I'm going to call foul!"
"Are all earth games this simple?" Asked Amity. "We don't even have mid round changes."
"I know, it was weird for me to adjust when I moved to this planet. There's hardly a game on Mewni that didn't involve wearing body armor." Star noted . "In fact, Corn Ball's probably the simplest one we have, and that's 'loaded' with rules according to Marco's perspective."
"My mind's still baffled by how the date affects anything." Star's boyfriend muttered. "So, I take it you guys have taken well to being older siblings?"
"It's strange, but a very enjoyable strange." Steven remarked as their little brother laughed. "Every giggle that comes out of his mouth is like a tiny angel whispering in my ear."
"Yeah, I can't wait until he's old enough to start brewing his own potions." Luz smiled as she continued to feed Ian. "Gathering ingredients together, stirring the cauldron together, escaping whatever explodes inside of it together, avoiding lawsuits together, the works."
"All the good stuff." Star smiled. "And when he's old enough, we're taking him badie hunting."
"Can we go one day without trying to fight?" Steven sighed.
"Nope." Kelly said bluntly. "Can you imagine it … one's child kicking the butt of their maker … growing up so fast." Kelly started getting teary eyed. "One moment they'll be learning to take their first steps, the next they'll be punching a dragon right in the snout and going on their own adventures.." Kelly blew her nose on Steven's sleeve. "Steven, don't let our babies grow up too fast, keep them young forever!"
"Already thinking about kids." Marco snorted. "You guys move fast."
"We already live together, marriage isn't that far off." Steven shrugged. "We've given it a lot of thought, and after all we've been through, it'd be INSANE to not think about that far into the future together." He said. "I mean, when were you thinking about kids?"
Marco paused, looking thoughtful. "I dunno … maybe my thirties?"
"Marco Diaz." Star glared at him. "You're thinking about making me wait THAT long? With how many threats out there, you want to deprive me of a big loving family when something can happen?"
"I um …" The Diaz looked around frantically. Oooh, someone was in the dog house. "Hey look, a distraction!"
"Marco, we're not dumb enough to look behind us and see-"
"Hello there."
".... See … Pearl?" Star looked at the figure that looked like Pearl, except not, because the Pearl they knew was still on the chair, and this one was all pink, her gem was in her stomach, and she had a large crack on her face where her right eye should be.
It looked vaguely familiar, like she's seen her but not seen her before. "Did we break something doing one of those dimensional viewings?"
"No …" Marco paused, looking at the white pillar. "... I mean even if we did, someone would clean it up … right?"
"Well the universe hasn't broken apart, so I guess." Steven sighed as he got up. "This is Pink's old Pearl…she was under White's Control for six thousand years." Ouch, painful drama waiting to be unpacked.
"It was like waking up from a bad dream. Thank you." The Pearl bowed.
"No problem, happy to help." Her brother waved off. "So what can I do for you?"
"I've heard that you have healing powers." The pearl stated with a smile. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not particularly.." She pointed to her face. "In tact."
"What, I hardly noticed." Steven laughed. "I can see what I can do."
"Wait, don't spike that…" Pearl yelled to the court.
crack
"Looks like I'm going to be healing a lot today." He handed off Ian to her and walked inside the house. "I'll be out in a minute. There's a jug of water with my name on it I need to drink."
"Dry mouth, that's the worst." She held Ian up to her face and kissed him on the cheek. "Isn't that right, baby otter?" He laughed in response.
"So.." Amity looked at her with her entire face blushed. "When doyou want to have kids?"
"... I better make sure that jug is double filled."
========================================================================
Pearl watched as Steven cured the stalactite. "Now remember, hitting someone is one thing, but you need to do it gently. Too rough and you end up seriously hurting them, which is bad." He'd be a good doctor if it wasn't for the dry mouth.
"I honestly thought they could take it. I thought we were tougher than one rubber ball." The gem replied as they exited the living room.
"You know, if the gems had any concept of money, we could've turned this into a side business." Kelly chuckled as the other gems went back to their game, leaving just the one left, the one that, unfortunately, brought up some uncomfortable implications for herself.
"I'd never charge for healing, it's better to just help people, you know?" Steven smiled. "Now present your gem and hold still Pearl … um." The boy blinked. "We're gonna need a nickname."
"Oh, just like Pink did." The gem smiled with a tiny clap. "She'd give names to every little thing she could find, often taking in random creatures as pets."
"Yeah, like that." Steven groaned, obviously not comforted by the comparison with his mother, before looking to the youngest universe in the room. "Do you have any ideas, Ian?"
"Volv wll." The baby hugged the volleyball.
"Volleyball it is." Steven nodded. Still hadn't improved in the creativity department it seemed, at least outside the realms of music.
"Volleyball?" The now named Volleyball laughed fondly. "Oh that's so silly. It's exactly the kind of name Pink would've made." She looked up nostalgically at the air with a far out expression on her face. "She always knew how to make smiles."
Pearl gave a smirk. "Someone's got it bad." Everyone turned to stare blankly at her. "Oh ha ha." The gem rolled her eyes. She wasn't that bad.
"Let's forget about Pink and just focus on the now." Steven cleared his throat. "Now hold still and … there." Steven placed his licked hand onto her gem, watching it sparkle as … nothing happened.
"Did it work?" Volleyball asked with a head tilt and a smile.
"Maybe if I try applying it directly." Steven licked his hand again and placed it on the cracked eye. The sparkles appeared once more…and nothing happened again.
"Are your powers on the fritz again?" Marco asked.
"Not the last time I checked." Steven turned to a nearby house plant, ripped off a piece and placed a tiny bit of spit on it, making it bloom into its own bouquet. "All fine on my end."
"Maybe it's because of how she got the injury." Star guessed as they tuned to the pink Pearl. "You don't happen to know what happened during your time being a mindless zombie, do you?" That could've been said with a lot more tact.
"Nope. One moment I was there, and the next, boop, it's eight thousand years into the future and I'm watching White Diamond blushing pink on the ground."
Kelly groaned. "I can't believe she'd do something like that to you while you were under mind control. Like, what's the point?"
"Oh, I had this before she used her powers on me." The former Diamond's Pearl laughed.
"So white attacked you and then put you under?" Steven questioned.
The Pearl looked at the group strangely before laughing. "Hehe, sorry, I can see how you'd get the story mixed up. Pink did this."
There was a very dark silence. "What?"
"Oh you know how it was." The liar said with a chuckle. "Trying to get her colony, punished by the Diamonds for being 'childish' as they put it, then becoming so infuriated she screams in frustration with raw pink energy." They said. "One time it was so destructive it broke a moon in half."
"… I don't know whether to accept that my mom did something horrible again, be hateful of another bad connection, or be scared I can apparently destroy a planet with a temper tantrum." Steven groaned.
"Oh, don't worry about it, it was just Pink being pink, you know?" The Pearl waved off like she wasn't accusing Rose of something horrible.
"She was never like that. She didn't destroy, her powers weren't destructive." Pearl huffed.
"Ah, dude, have you been blind to everytime Steven goes pink?" Star looked at her with disbelief. "The power that turns him into a kaju sized monster if it gets too out of control, no offense Steven."
"None taken, I know how terrible it is." Steven sighed.
Volleyball stared at her with a smile. "Well I guess I knew her better than you did."
"Oh, were you there when she fought a war?"
"No, but I was there when she crafted me, two years after she was made, near the beginning of the universe, I might add."
"Hey Steven, do you wanna … sit this one out?" Marco asked. "This one seems pretty baggage heavy for you specifically." He said as he noted the boy's pink glowing skin.
"Can't. I have to make sure Mom's mistakes are fixed or else I'll have something else that'll haunt me for the rest of my life." Steven groaned. "You and Luz should get going to Nexus city. Molly and Rex are coming, and they'll need guides."
"I'm on it." Luz picked up the baby boy. "Wanna see a ghost and robot boy? You wanna?"
"Yayayaa!" Ian cheered with his arms raised. So adorable. He was going to be a troublemaker just like his siblings.
"Guess the rest of us are sticking with you till the end of this one." Kelly smiled. "So if Pearl's are just glorified toys to other gems, no offense.."
"None taken. I'm happy to be useful." Oh that sickly happy attitude made her want to vomit.
"…Then there had to be a place to fix them, right?"
"Oh yes, there was the Reef." She remembered. "It was where all Pearls were made, as well as general accessories you can get as add ons, not that we need them." Pearl muttered bitterly.
"Pink was so happy when I came out of the chamber. I was the first gem she designed." The pearl smiled, and Pearl could feel the smugness. "Personally designed by Pink. Better than being designed by white, don't you think?" Oh, she just HAD to rub that in!
"Well an ancient relic compared to modern advancements just seems like pitting a rock against steel, doesn't it?" She asked, watching a bit of twitch in her one working eye with satisfaction.
"... You sure you don't want us to handle it bro?" Star asked.
"If I don't fix this, it's all that's going to be on my mind." Steven grabbed a nearby pillow and screamed into it. "I wish I had my stress ball."
"Oh, Pink had those too." The damaged pearl reached into her gems and pulled it out. "She always made them explode in one grip, so she resorted to screaming." She rarely screamed, you lying pebble!
"... Note to self, get Phineas and Ferb to up the ante on durable materials."
========================================================================
Molly ran up and shook hands with the tall dude in orange. "Hey there, I'm Molly Mcgee, nice to meet a new friend!" She greeted a stranger as she always did. She had spoken with a couple of the people in Steven's friend group before, and she got along great with Luz and Anne, but this was the first time she got to hang out with the entire group in one setting.
"Thanks.." The teen said a bit awkwardly. Ah, a newbie to social interactions. Probably didn't have that many friends back wherever he was. "I'm Rex." He looked at the area above her head. "Am I dreaming or is that a ghost floating on top of you?"
"That would be the case, yes." Said ghost nodded. "The name is Scratch, I'm an expert at causing misery to others."
"Don't mind him, he's just a tsundere." She laughed at his disappointed whine.
"Gazuntite." Ah, he didn't watch that much tv either. So uncultured, Molly would have to make him a list later. on the do's and don'ts of pop culture.
"So as you can clearly see, I make friends with dead people. What's your thing?"
"I make friends with talking monkeys." He gestured to said monkey looking through a garbage can.
"I gotta say scratchy, you have a mean collection here." The monkey with an eyepatch did in fact talk back. "And I'm an ape, just fyi."
"It says something that this is normal in my life." A genuine SUPERHERO said in an almost bored tone. "But on the plus side, someone who understands the witty genius of a pawsitively miraculous pun game."
"OMG, OMG, OMG! You're Chat Noir! The French superhero that's clad in leather!" Molly went up to him and eagerly shook his claws. "You're so amazing and funny! I mean, Ladybug's cool and all, but you laugh in the face of danger, and your powers are way cooler!"
"It says something that I have a bigger fan base outside of Paris than inside of it." The guy chuckled, patting her head. "So, any cool superpowers you guys have?"
"I can talk to machines." Rex said with a smile.
"Really?" A teen with a triangle head asked with surprise. "Can you help me on this matter alteration ray, I'm having a bit of trouble working it out."
"Sure." They simply touched the machine, eyes glowing blue. "Overheating issue, just keep him cool."
"Talks to … machines …" A duck person in red wrote it down. "Technopath, very useful in future."
"I didn't think things would get better than traveling to a dimension filled with candy people, but I'm glad to be proven wrong!" She ran up to the duck guy and squeezed his face. "What strange and marvelous secrets does your world hold?"
"Multiple stuff, but not what you're thinking of." A green duck spoke up as he sipped on some soda. "And before you ask, yes, we're just talking anthropomorphic ducks, just as you are weird things with no fur or feathers." He replied as if he's said it way too many times.
"So none of these people are evo's?" Rex looked around in disbelief. "None of them are mutated by nanites? Not even the colorful ladies around here with spikes on their heads?"
"No, but we do have mutants. Those are alien rocks that look like women." The family voice of Luz came as she arrived with Marco, also carrying a baby for some reason. "The people with pointy ears are witches, the giant frogs, toads, and Newts are Amphibians, and everyone else not a gnome, elf, and fairy classify under the generic term of monster, unless they are aliens."
"That seems a bit…ignorant, don't you think?" The ape asked.
"Trust us, that's a whole other issue that we barely just got over with dealing." Marco slumped forward with a tired look. "The one's native to Mewni.." Marco pointed to the second moon, (she was so stoked that she lived in a world where that was possible) "don't mind, but we have been trying to lean against using that word little by little."
"Okay, I know I'm new to the whole universe hopping thing.." Rex stared at the sky. "But you do realize there's two moons in the sky, right? That's not something that should happen, right?"
"It was originally two, then one got sent to another dimension, then it came back." Luz explained. "But hey, I'm sure your planet is like that, right?"
"No. As far as I know, none of the whole magic deal exists." Rex explained. "Freakiest things that ever happen are always man made experiments gone wrong."
"Hah, no need to worry there." A kid with a bandana laughed. "We've taken on crazy creatures at the age of six."
"Not to mention leading and fighting a whole freaking war across the multiverse." A red head standing next to a guy with a cool watch muttered.
"Wait, like, child soldiers?" Rex asked with confusion. "Isn't that kinda morally wrong?"
"Weren't you recruited at the age of seven?" Luz asked. "To fight in the military."
"Well yeah, because I'm the only person on the planet that can turn mutated humans that have lost their sanity and livelihood back to normal, otherwise they're either executed or locked in a zoo." The guy shrugged. "Dystopian loophole."
"Well we're the only ones capable of fighting off large scale alien invasions, zombie outbreaks, demons escaping from hell." A floating green clothed little girl said with an eyeroll. "Becuase if we let anyone else handle it, the world would've been turned to dust a long time ago on a hundred different separate occasions.
"Aww, don't be a negative Nancy." She told the girl. "With just a smile and friendship, anything is possible."
"Finally, someone sees the light!" The bandana kid cheered and gave her a high five.
"So, you have super skills?" The green girl asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, check it out." She took a deep breath, before her body hit the floor, her wraith form present. "Tada, I'm dead!"
"That's usually not something to be happy about." Rex looked freaked out.
"It is when you're a wraith! I've done it so many times that I can do it naturally!" She cheered as she floated in the air, doing a couple of loops. "I'm basically a ghost like this, and I just leak so much positive energy I can influence other spirits." She tapped Scratch's back and made flowers bloom. "Tada!"
"Wow, impressive." Marco nodded. "I mean, I'm mildly concerned about how you're literally tip-toeing death, but still impressive."
"Pfft, like I fear death, I literally made him explode into nothingness from my sheer joy." She waved off, flying above the baby in Luz's arms. "And now I can spread my joy to precious little bundles just like this, can't I, little guy?" She booped his nose, making the baby laugh.
"Heh, guess my brother loves the weirdness just as much as me." Luz chuckled.
"Then I guess our kids will love it just as much too." Luz blushed adorably at that comment made by the pointy eared purple haired girl.
"Wait, you mean adopting?" Scratch asked as he scratched (heh, pun) his head. "Because you're both …"
"Dude, it's fine." Rex waved off. "I'm sure the stork doesn't discriminate same sex couples." How sheltered was this guy? Even she learned the truth at a young age…though that was mainly from coming into the room during her own brother's birth after hearing her mom scream.
"... Riiiight." Ladybug nodded slowly. "So, lets focus on preparing for the double eclipse, we've still gotta set up some food vendors and the cooks can only do so much before they pass out from the strain of feeding an entire city."
"Oh, already taken care of." Anne waved off. "Mom's an absolute slavedriver in this environment, she won't let anyone rest until they're fed. And I ran into this purple bear-cat-rabbit creature awhile back that works for some catering company, so we should be covered…"
Kaboom
A smokey figure coming flying into the ground after the explosion, revealing said bear-cat-rabbit creature. "Explodnitoes explode…why didn't anyone tell me?"
"You never asked." KO shrugged. "Also it's in the name."
"I just thought that meant it had an explosive flavor." What a fun little place.
========================================================================
Volleyball walked through the halls with a chuckle. "Such memories … I remember when Pink gave me this little wonder." She pulled out a ribbon, spinning it around. "We played so often with it."
"Yeah, so nice, like when a kid dresses up a doll." The old Pearl smiled, though she could feel the obvious jealousy. "Pink never felt the need to get me such trivial things. She considered me equal."
"Yes, if that's what you tell yourself." She would let the old Pearl stew in her denial.
"Girls please, you're both pretty." Star rolled her eyes. "So when are we getting to the room that will fix the eye?"
"It should be just beyond this door." They said, gesturing to the room. "Thank you for helping me this far, even if the matter is trivial."
"Nothing about it is trivial. You're hurt and I want to help. That's all there is to it." Steven nodded firmly as they walked ahead. Aw, so kind natured, just like Pink.
"I'm more surprised this place leans into the whole sea theme." That Kelly girl Steven seemed to be particularly attached to observed as they looked at the bluish green architecture. "Calling it a Reef, making the design seashell shaped, heck, when you rebooted, they said you came out of a clam."
"Whenever something new is made, usually all the Diamonds are allowed their input." Volleyball explained. "Blue Diamond felt that they should honor the planet they harvested Pearl's from by designing it after their environment."
"Of course they did." Steven glowed a slight shade of pink, a sight that made her step back just a little bit, before thankfully dying down. "Let's just get this over with." He placed his hand on one of the panels.
"Welcome Steven Universe." A voice that sounded like all Pearl voices announced itself. "I am Shell, your guide through the Reef."
The boy blinked. "Nice to meet you … Shell." He responded, before muttering something about 'the robot got my name right first', and then speaking aloud once more. "Can you help fix Volleyball?"
"What is a Volleyball?"
"Right, keep forgetting about how literal Homeworld likes to be." The boy gave a tired sigh. "Our…" He looked at her strangely. "..Friend here has a crack on her face. We were hoping we could get her fixed."
"I shall see what I can do." The door opened to reveal an open area, where in the center of the room, there was a big, round, and clear circle. "Welcome to the care center. Have your Pearl walk in the middle, and we shall update and or repair her."
"She's not…No point in arguing." Steven shook his head. The matriarchy might've been abolished, but she would gladly assist the boy in any way he'd want as a thanks. She'd believe it would be what Pink would want her to do.
"Well at least it's simple." Star spoke up. "Go ahead Volleyball."
"Yes, please do, so we can leave this circus of objectification." The old pearl scoffed. Pink must've not given this one so much attention. Not her fault Volleyball just happened to be better, only so much you can do when you're second best.
She gracefully stepped onto the scanner and bowed as it measured her. "So, how do I look?" Volleyball asked with a smile once it was done.
"I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do." … What?
"What, is there some other place we need to go to?" Kelly asked. "Like phone operators from earth?"
"No, there is quite literally nothing anyone can do. Physically, her gem is intact and thus there's nothing wrong with her form."
"But the crack!" Steven yelled in a way that made Volleyball flinch involuntary. "That wasn't always there!"
"Gem forms are a reflection of the mindset the gem has." The AI explained. "The damage she received must have been so impactful that it persisted even when the damage repaired itself."
"So … like corruption?" He asked with bafflement.
"In a way, yes except it's purely mental, or in your earth terms, psychological. Quite simply, this is just how your Pearl is .Her mind was broken? She was what was wrong with her?
"Oh, that's so funny, hehehehe." She tried laughing it off. "I mean, it's just a little scratch, I'm completely fine, right guys?" She turned to the rest of the group, feeling a slight pain go over her now absent eye.
"Ah, it's getting bigger!" Star pointed to her face.
"I mean, when you think about it, it can be a good thing." Volleyball did her best to reassure. "Now I have something to help me remember Pink…"
"Okay, that's enough!" The old pearl walked up to her and pointed an accusing finger. "I won't stand for you insulting Rose like that!"
"I'm not insulting her, this was just an accident." Volleyball explained again. "She just had an anger problem, most people have those."
"She didn't! She wouldn't be that careless!" The Old Pearl yelled. "She didn't destroy, she was a healer!"
"What are you talking about, she broke things all the time." Volleyball asked confused. "For the longest time, it was her favorite pastime."
"Pearl, we knew she was a jerk, can we just roll with it?" Star asked. "She kinda lost all moral standing after the Spinel thing."
"But that's not who she was when she left! I saw her grow, I saw the great person that she became!" The old pearl kept yelling like a maniac!"
"Guys, seriously, stop yelling before Steven loses a gasket." Kelly pointed to the boy who face was a clear red. Just the normal amount of restrained anger, just like Pink did.
"Then you clearly never knew her to begin with." Volleyball said. "Pink was always great, just how she wa-"
"Would you just stop it!" Steven shouted, his body glowing Pink as the air around them felt like it exploded. "Pink was a sociopath who rarely cared about people, Rose was a kind and gentle soul, Pink did this, Rose did that! I am so SICK AND TIRED of learning about whoever the hell she was, I just want to FIX THINGS! If I hear one more thing about what my mom did I'm going to lose it!" The ground shook and cracked from his shout.
crick
It was … an instinct. She hid behind the new Pearl, breathing heavily as she was close to being shattered, just like last time. "I'm sorry …" She apologized quietly as she could feel her eye start to hurt again. "I'm sorry, please calm down …"
"Steven, back away!" Star yelled as she and Kelly pushed Steven back. "You're triggering her."
Steven looked at his reflection in the ground, and looked horrified. "I..I…I didn't mean to…"
An alarm sounded off in the air, the lights beginning to go red. "I'm terribly sorry for the pain these defective Pearl's have given you. For Pearl to exhibit such dysfunctional behavior, immediate rejuvenation is required."
"What!?" Kelly shouted as she tried to run up to them, only to be cut off as what looked like a giant metal shell closed them off from the outside.
"What, no!" Steven shouted from the other side. "Open this up!"
"Don't worry, I have a screen for your enjoyment as you watch their minds eb away." Shell said from outside their confinement.
"And here I thought you were a nice computer!"
"Thank you. Please leave a review before you go." Well it was functional, Volleyball would give it that.
"Alright, no more Mrs nice gall." Star shouted. "Prying Crystal Crowbar!" The head banging on the shall, only for the sound of it bouncing back to be heard. "Dang it, I forgot this stuff's magic reflective!"
"No, no, no, no!" The Old pearl banged on the wall, as the scanner glowed pink, and a colorful electricity began flowing through their bodies.
"I apologize for dragging you into this." She told her. "Who knows … maybe the rejuvenation will fix me."
"No…this is my fault…I didn't believe you." The old…The Pearl looked downward sadly. "I just got so mad when you said all those things about Pink, about what she did…" Pearl let out a small tear. "Even after all this time, I'm still making excuses for her."
"And I never knew her after I was taken in by White …" She rested a hand on Pearl's shoulder. "I'm sorry I tried to suggest I was more connected to her than you."
There was rumbling. "OPEN! UP! YOU! STUPID! SHELL!!" That voice, that voice that just made her feel so small and vulnerable and weak and scared and…
"Steven, stop, or you're going to give her worse trauma than you!" Kelly shouted as the banging stopped.
"I'm so pathetic." Volleyball crouched on the ground. "He's not her, but I still see her…he doesn't mean to scare me, she…she didn't mean to…hurt me…"
"But she did." Pearl picked her up and looked her right in the eye. "She was flawed, she made mistakes…terrible mistakes, and regardless of if she got better…it doesn't change the fact it was wrong…that she was wrong to hurt you…to hurt us."
"I…I was hurt….she hurt me….hurt me badly…" She almost threw up trying to say those words, they were natural words that came out of her mouth, but they needed to be said. "How.." She looked to the Pearl, watching her with sad eyes full of tears. "How did you stop hurting?"
The Pearl smiled and hugged her. "I didn't." That…made her feel warm…warm, appreciated, and less alone.
========================================================================
Steven was a bit panicked at the moment. "What do we do?" Star couldn't free them, and him trying to break it open just made the situation worse.
"We could just let them be rejuvenated then put the pieces back together again." They turned to Kelly. "Oh, screw me for suggesting an easy answer."
"We don't know anything about Volleyball, and I don't feel like traumatizing her again to get her to remember another trauma." Steven gripped his hands. "Dang it! I just wanted to finally put the past behind me, after dealing with the Diamonds, with the other Rose Quartzes, with Spinel…with Mina and Jasper…I thought this would be it."
"It's never it." Star replied bluntly. "Kelly, try wedging it with the sword, see if we can pry it open with enough force."
"Oh, I hope we're not going to be too late." Steven looked at the monitors, slightly confused as the two Pearls cried and hugged each other. "Well they look at peace at least."
"Nothing gets over a grudge like surviving a crisis together." Star and Kelly began working together to pry it. "Steven, help, maybe with your strength we can.."
The screen went white as the entire shell began to crack with a bright light escaping from it. "Look out!" He grabbed the two girls just in time as the shell exploded. Steven coughed away the smoke, looking up to see … a really tall Pearl, standing there with royal garb, a pale pink body, along with minor cracks along one eye. "So … fusion?"
"You can call us Mega Pearl." They said with a deeper voice than he usually heard Pearl with.
"Wow, you look like a total boss." Kelly whistled as the alarms sounded off again. "Knew that felt too easy."
"Unauthorized entity identified in the facility." Shell announced as long mechanical tentacles began reaching out.
"Can I just authorize them so we can be done with this mess!?" Steven shouted, trying to take out his shield as they attempted to reach them, only to get sliced into pieces by the ribbon Volleyball had been showing off earlier. "Whoa."
"There's a control panel at the entrance, touch it and the place shuts down." Mega Pearl noted as she looked at the closed door. "Allow me." She charged forth, and cut the door into ribbons in an impressive feat of speed and agility.
"...Okay, Pearls are pretty badass." Star also whistled at the sight. "Kind of forget that…you know, because our pearl has the obsessive thing going for her."
"All gems are pretty badass when you let them fight." Kelly said. "Spinels are supposed to be for entertainment, but she managed to nearly destroy all life on earth."
"Part of the whole being allowed to grow into your own person thing is we're always promoting." Steven couldn't help but be mesmerized at the eloquent almost dance fighting they were implementing, turning the ribbon into a giant lance that smashed through most of the walls.
"Well we're not falling behind." Star went into her Mewberty form. "Come on guys, after the elegant giant woman!"
"Well, seeing as Pink State's a trigger…" Kelly looked at him. "Still remember our wool-man-do training?"
"Remember? I still feel the bruises." Steven laughed as he jumped into Kelly's hair, propping his top half out. "I hit high, you hit low?"
"The shield and sword combo is back in action baby!" Kelly chuckled as she ran forward, cutting apart tentacles that tried to slow them down as Steven blocked others with his shield.
They ran, Mega Pearl leading the charge with grace and precision as all obstacles were eviscerated in her presence. Star would fly through the lasers with narrow dodges as she blasted the weapons into splinters.
Kelly and Steven used their weapons for a continuous block and counter as they sprang forward. Inch by inch they made it closer to do the door. "Almost there!"
A bunch of rotating buzz saws popped into the ground. "Oh come on!" Star shouted into the air. "If you think we're going to leave a good review after this Shell, then think again!"
"You'd changed your minds after the rejuvenation. Two perfect pearls, who could ask me for more?"'
"I don't need to be perfect!" Mega Pearl yelled as she shot that giant lance through the saws and into the door. "I'm already the best me I can be!" They created a gaping path. "Press the button!" She grabbed him and shot Steven through it.
"Wait!" Shell yelled as he held his hand over the panel. "Can you at least recommend my services?"
"I'll see if there's anything Peridot can do with an old AI." Steven answered with a groan, slamming his hand down on it.
"Thank you for using the reef. Have a lo-lo-lovely dayyyyyy." It answered with a stutter, before the room went dark.
He sighed, looking up at Mega Pearl. "Sorry for bringing you into this mess."
"Don't be…I'm grateful for it." The giant fusion layer down on the ground, looking content with herself.
"Really?" Kelly asked as she scratched her head. "Even after all the trauma."
"If you hadn't brought the Pearls here, they wouldn't have the closure they've needed for so long." Mega Pearl lightly laughed. "One only saw how your mom changed, the other never expected her to. But me?" Mega Pearl looked at her hands. "I can see it all….I can understand all parts of myself."
"So by fusion, you undid years of trauma, got all your answers, and solved the problem?" Star asked. "That's usually the opposite of how this goes."
"It's not that simple…but it's a great start." The two diffuse back into their original parts, and Volleyball smiled as she bowed.
"Volleyball.." Steven was hesitant to approach. "You're still scared."
"I know, and I'm okay." Volleyball approached him and gently rubbed his face. "It still hurts, but now I know I can make it hurt less. You helped me … thank you." She gave him a curtsy.
"Your..you're welcome." He smiled back, doing a curtsy of his own. His feelings with his mom would always be complicated, but there was a point where he needed to not let it affect him so much. "You can come back with us if you want. The Double eclipse should be happening in an hour."
"No thank you. I'd … like to be alone with my thoughts for a change." She admitted. "Although maybe we can visit Spinel, she's been begging to see The Kelly again."
"Tell her I can arrange a visit in a month or so." Kelly nodded. Looks like that was another friendship for the lonely gem. "Alright guys." She held his hand. "Let's go home."
"Yeah, let's." Steven nodded as they walked to the galaxy warp, Star giving him a soft smile as she did.
"You're going to be alright, Steven?" She asked him. "That wasn't a pretty sight for you either."
"It…it wasn't." Steven admitted, before looking at the pearls, smiling and content. "But Volleyball had it worse than me, and they were able to work through it. I should just stop complaining and work harder to recover."
"We seriously need to evaluate our lives." Star muttered. "Come on, let's just enjoy an eclipse … not the woman, the actual astrological event."
"You know astrology?" Pearl asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What, do you think I just magiced my diploma into existence? I worked hard for that damned thing."
"She knows it because every female butterfly is space themed." Steven snickered. "Her name is Star, Mom is Moon. You were there Pearl. I thought you'd remember that of all things."
"You know, Star's right. Let's just enjoy the eclipse."
========================================================================
"Remind me why we need glasses again?" Star asked as she chomped on popcorn. "Eclipses are supposed to be dark, right?"
"It doesn't mean you can see them with your bare eyes. It's still looking at the sun." Marco explained as they sat with all their friends. "The UV rays get intensified, and that creates a bigger strain on your eyeballs."
"Yeah, I'd rather not have everyone go blind." Steven mentioned. "You know, I've never seen an eclipse before. What's it like?" He asked Garnet.
"Pretty much this totality of cool and warmth that covers you, like being under the shade on a beach." The fusion nodded their heads. "Saphire's seen quite a few before coming to earth. Some planets had two suns and two moons, one, so there was two eclipses happening simultaneously at the same time."
"Intense." Kelly said with some impressment in her voice. "How about you guys? Any eclipse related events?"
"I've met a comet once, but no eclipses." Finn answered. "They were cool with me, since I was a comet in my past life. They took my dad and gave him a new mode, all the jazz." She forgot that her brother probably wasn't the most unadjusted kid in the group.
"Last eclipse I ever experienced was on the boiling isles, when Belos tried to use it to kill every witch." Luz mentioned. "Then the Collector moved the moon, so it may come back soon."
"Wait, moved the-right, god." Ladybug sighed. "We haven't seen anything like this before, so it should be fun."
"You kidding, it's amazing!" Molly shouted. "The first double eclipse in over a thousand something years. This is a special moment that only a few will ever claim to see, and we get front row seats!"
"According to my calculations, the next one won't occur for another decade or so." Huey looked over a chart.
"That seems kinda fast don't you think?" Phineas asked. "I mean, the lining up alone…"
"Mr build a roller coaster in a day is suddenly questioning possibilities?" Huey gave a sarcastic snark, before looking back on the chart. "There's something about the readings though that itches my brain a little."
"Whataya mean?" Ben asked. "It's just two moons in front of each other with the sun in the background."
"Yeah, and during planet alignment, there's a certain passive energy surge that usually occurs." Dipper piped into the conversation. "They don't usually affect anything, but something about the double eclipse is causing a slight spike."
"Meh, it's not like anyone is using their powers during the thing, right?" Star asked. There was a bit of silence. "Right?"
"I mean … does anyone know the danger?" KO asked.
"I'm mostly trying to see if there's any new glyph combos I can get out of this." Luz answered as she drew on her notepad.
"I'm going heatblast to light some fireworks as it's passing." Ben pointed to his watch.
"Glad to see we aren't the only ones oblivious to danger." Amethyst joked. "So how much longer till it, you know, actually starts?"
"Shouldn't be too much longer." Gwen pointed up at the sky. "They're almost in perfect alignment."
It was true, the two moons got closer and closer … "I can't believe I used to think Mewni was my one true home." Star started with a bit of quiet bewilderment. "Now it's just a moon I rarely pay attention to."
"Same…I never thought I'd have any kind of future outside of living in Mewni." Steven reminisced with her. "So many changes in such a short amount of time. Yeah, a lot of it's been dangerous.."
"Understatement of the century." Marco pointed out.
"But it's been a blast to, all these fun and crazy adventures." The boy laughed. "I'm glad we can experience this … all of us."
"I'm glad to be here too with you, bro." They shared a fist pump and chuckled together. "I wouldn't change this for the world.
They watched as the two black orbs overlapped, creating a bright ring that covered the sky, everyone ooing and aaing at the majestic beauty of the cosmos. Star smiled, watching the wonder of nature …
SCREEEEE
They all began covering their ears. "THE HECK IS THAT!?" KO shouted. "It's driving my dog ears nuts!"
"Ugh, I feel dizzy…" The powerpuffs fell to the ground.
"I can't shift my scales away!" Jake, the dragon one, looked to his red claw.
"It's making the Omnitrix go crazy!" Ben yelled as his device began going crazy with colors. "Any of the nerds here feel like giving an explanation!?"
"Best we can figure is that this is the surge we were talking about earlier!" Huey yelled as he looked at a scanner. "It should dissipate in a matter of a couple minutes, but all super powers and tech are gonna be wonky!"
"That explains why the world feels like it's spinning." Star struggled to keep upright as Steven looked like he was about to barf.
"Hey Huey." Dewey asked. "What about that?" He pointed to the pillar between dimensions, which had been still and stable since they made it … began to wobble like an inflatable arm man.
"That…shouldn't be happening." Huey answered.
"I feel that from all the crazy things I've seen, this is the perfect time for … GIANT DEFENSE!" Louie shouted loudly. "SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!"
"Right right …" Steven raised his hand, only for a shield to pop out behind him. "Okay, my power glitching is really starting to get old by this point!"
"You do not get to complain right now!" Chat Noir shouted as he tried to walk on one foot, all his other limbs glowing with a constant cataclysm.
"I'm drowning under all my summons!" Ladybug yelled as a multitude of red and black polka dotted items buried her under.
"Maybe I-Ah!" Star shouted as her hands fired rainbow fist after rainbow fist. "Never mind, magics going crazy too!"
"My glyphs just keep making smoke!" Luz's paper kept turning to dust.
"Does anyone have their powers under control!?" Mabel shouted.
"I do." They all looked at the Wraith form of Molly. "I just can't … you know, come back to life at the moment."
"You should've returned to your body when you had the chance." Anne deadpanned as they looked at the glitching nexus. "Because I'm not liking our chances at surviving the next five minutes."
The pillar began expanding larger and larger, various forms of static and symbols now present as it developed the sky in a looming hum. "So should we start running?" The ninja asked as only his mask was present.
"To where, it's going to cover the entire planet at this rate!" Dipper shouted.
"Not the whole planet." Garnet adjusted her shades. "Just nexus city and us along with it."
A white wave of light pulsed from it, hurtling towards them. "I really hate future vision." Star grumbled as she hugged her brother, bracing for whatever came next.