At that moment, they heard a loud flapping of wings outside. The three looked at each other before leaving one by one. A huge flock of birds was crossing the sky in the opposite direction, as if something had scared them off. Steven immediately understood that this could only mean one thing: something dangerous was approaching. His instinct led him to slowly back away, holding the goat tightly in his arms.
Amethyst and Pearl, on the other hand, were absorbed in observing the birds' behavior. "That's strange," Amethyst murmured, crossing her arms thoughtfully. "We've been through this kind of thing before, waiting for them to come home and that's it, you know?"
Pearl narrowed her eyes, following the erratic flight of one of the birds. "I agree... although, hey, don't you think that one looks a bit big?"
Amethyst turned her head where Pearl was pointing and her eyes widened. "Fuck," she exclaimed, immediately summoning her whip. Pearl reacted at the same instant, making her glowing spear appear.
Steven, get behind us, Pearl ordered firmly.
The boy blinked, confused, and looking back, took a clumsy step back. "Yeah, yeah, I'll stay back," he replied nervously. "You know, I have a goat, and well, someone has to take care of it, right? So... you two sort this out." With that, he turned and ran toward the dome, clutching the animal to his chest.
Both Gems remained silent, a bead of sweat running down their foreheads. "Well," Amethyst commented with a sigh, "at least this time he listened to us."
"And when doesn't he?" Pearl retorted, raising an eyebrow ironically.
"You don't know," Amethyst replied, smiling back at the training sessions with Steven, where he always seemed stubborn and hard to convince. Pearl glared at her, but said nothing more.
The silence grew heavy. All sound disappeared, leaving both of them in absolute tension. And then it happened.
A roar shook the air. The water in the small lake shot upward with brutal force, forming a liquid curtain that shimmered in the light. From within it emerged a massive creature: a gigantic bird, its shadow darkening the ground beneath them.
The two Gems reacted immediately, ready to face danger. Given the size of the beast, there was no doubt it would be strong. However, what truly puzzled them wasn't its power, but its attitude. The bird didn't launch into an immediate attack, as Gem monsters usually did.
Amethyst tightened her grip on her whip and muttered with a frown. Shit... this thing seems a little smarter than we thought.
The bird watched them with the coldness of a predator assessing its prey. Both Gems tensed instantly and leaped to attack without hesitation. Amethyst formed into a ball, rolling at full speed toward the creature, and as she came out of the momentum, she swung her whip straight at it. The monster caught the weapon in its beak and, with brutal force, dragged Amethyst towards itself before slamming her into the ground with a violent movement.
Pearl took advantage of the distraction. Her spear flashed as she hurled it with surgical precision toward the bird's head. However, at the last instant, the creature bent its neck and dodged the attack with surprising agility. The incident left both gems petrified, unable to process that such a being could react so quickly.
Amethyst ran toward Pearl when she noticed that she was in shock. Her eyes had focused on something terrifying: the bird's body was composed of dozens of embedded gems, fused together irregularly, as if it had devoured or absorbed others to form its body. Although they were small gems, the number was enough to make the creature monstrously strong.
Pearl was paralyzed by the discovery, and the enormous bird extended its talon to grab her. Amethyst, without a second thought, pulled her out of reach and dragged her toward the dome. They ran at full speed, and barely made it inside before the monster charged at them. The door closed behind them at just the right moment, shaking from the impact.
They were both left panting, breathing heavily, their nerves still on edge. "You saw it, didn't you?" Pearl whispered, her voice trembling. "Absolutely," Amethyst replied, though neither of them said anything else, because Steven was right there.
The boy was crouching down, completely absorbed in the goat, which was watching him from the ground. "Your name will be Alfredo Segundo," he murmured, stroking its head. The goat looked at him in complete bewilderment. "Or maybe Roberta? Are you a girl?"
To everyone's surprise, the goat nodded. Steven froze, a drop of sweat running down the back of his neck. "What the hell? Did she nod at me? Or is it my imagination?" He looked back at her, and she was still nodding naturally. "I don't think this would happen even when I was talking to Connie... it seems to be factory-made," he thought with resignation.
Amethyst and Pearl watched him silently, noticing how focused he was on that absurd moment. They exchanged a serious look. "We have to merge," Pearl said softly.
"Fuse?" Amethyst repeated, surprised.
"Yes. I don't like the idea, but we'll have to. It's for your own good," Pearl added, looking at Steven.
The boy, who had already raised his head, was looking at them curiously. "Hey, girls, are you finished?"
They looked at each other, and it was Pearl who made the decision. It was time to explain what they were planning to do.
Steven, sit down. We need to explain one of our abilities to you."
The boy looked at them for a moment and, without saying a word, sank to the ground next to the goat. She, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, rested her head against him, receiving Steven's caresses with complete naturalness.
"Well, Steven, you know we're Gems, right?"
Absolutely," he replied matter-of-factly, just as debris fell behind his back, the result of the monstrous bird that continued to pound and destroy the dome they were in.
Pearl continued, without losing her composure. "Well, we have an ability. An ability that makes us stronger."
"Uh-huh," Steven said, looking at her as if he were listening to a common story.
"This ability is called fusion."
"Fusion?" Steven repeated with feigned surprise. "So they can fuse?"
"Yes," Pearl replied seriously. "Fusion allows two or more Gems to form a new being. This being possesses mixed thoughts, feelings, shared strengths and weaknesses. Essentially, it's a new individual born from two people, or even more, as I told you."
Steven looked at her as casually as ever. "So what?"
"What about what?" Pearl replied, confused.
"Are you explaining this to me because one of you is going to fuse with me or something?"
They both froze completely.
Um... no," Pearl murmured doubtfully.
"So, why are you explaining this to me at such a crucial moment?" Steven replied, his face expressionless.
Amethyst burst out laughing from the background, and Pearl, resigned, just nodded. "Well, just so you know," she said finally.
A piece of debris fell right next to Steven, but he didn't flinch, while Amethyst shouted with a confident smile. "Quick, Pearl."
The two Gems positioned themselves on opposite sides. Amethyst turned her head toward Steven and pointed proudly. "Look, Steven, this is how it's done."
Pearl looked at her with an annoyed expression, but said nothing. Then they both began to move. Pearl's dance was elegant, refined, completely calculated, with a fluidity that seemed like art; a delicate spectacle that anyone with refined tastes would enjoy watching.
Amethyst, on the other hand, moved with a completely different style. Their steps were abrupt, intense, a twerking so vulgar that even the goat, offended, looked away with dignity while Steven continued calmly petting her.
Despite their differences, the two began to approach. Their movements clashed, contrasting, but the energy they gave off began to shine. Just as a glow was about to engulf them, they glared at each other with suppressed fury.
The light formed, powerful and blinding, creating an enormous glow... but instantly it began to flicker violently, as if something within it rejected the union. A turbulence of energy shook the place, and in a sudden flash, the two abruptly separated.
Amethyst, Pearl shouted furiously, completely enraged, while the failure of the fusion echoed in the air like a cruel mockery.
What do you want? Amethyst growled accusingly. "It wasn't me," Pearl retorted, frowning. The argument escalated until I stood up, carrying the goat, and tried to calm things down. "Girls, calm down," I muttered. They both shouted "shut up" at me in unison, which paralyzed me; it was harder to handle than I'd imagined.
At that instant, they understood what they had just said, but before they could apologize, the bird broke through the roof of the dome with a crash. My thought was a private and absurd curse: I hope they merge, or I'll shove this bird up their... I didn't finish the sentence because the creature swallowed me and the goat. "Steven," the two gems cried, and watched in horror as the goat made a noise that sounded like swallowing. The bird moved away as if it had satisfied its appetite.
Inside the creature's stomach, everything was a strangely luminous cavity. Instinctively summoning the shield, I knew that at least we would be somewhat safe there; however, I preferred not to find out what a gem's digestion would be like. The goat, unfazed, walked in front of a pile of jewels and glittering objects that lay like treasure inside the belly. I watched, fascinated, as the bird accumulated so much stuff.
The goat returned with something small between its teeth and casually placed it in my hand. What have you got there, little one? I looked at her and offered my palm for her to release. She placed a tiny creature inside: a glowing beetle. I didn't even remember we'd come for that; a drop of sweat ran down the back of my neck as I smiled and whispered an absurd thank you to the goat.
Suddenly, the bird made a sharp turn, and the goat and I began to float. I instantly adopted a self-imposed mission to save her, hugging her tightly. A pair of arms pierced the creature's interior and tugged violently; what the hell, I thought, and suddenly understood the urgency of fusion in situations like this. I went straight for the hands that were frantically searching for something. I resolutely took one of them and held the goat with the other.
Looking at her, I discovered a stunning woman. She had a gem embedded in her forehead and another on her chest, highlighting her exquisite features. Her four arms moved with deadly grace, and her skin shone with a sleek, almost noble hue. She smiled at me with a hint of panic and, without hesitation, slammed the bird hard; the impact caused the creature to explode into thousands of fragments.
The threat didn't end there. Those fragments weren't mere debris, but pieces that transformed into the beaks of small birds that dived kamikaze-like toward us. The woman—by now clearly a fusion—moved naturally. She jumped with me as if rescuing people from the stomachs of giant birds was her daily bread, and with an elegance that made us sweat until we reached the exit, she descended the stairs while I held her steady.
She did a totally unnecessary but spectacular backflip, jumping across the floating stones until we almost reached the entrance. She gently placed me on the ground and smiled at me with that calmness that unnerved me and told me to wait for her there. I just nodded, even feeling the goat nod along with me, which I didn't know if it was funny or unsettling.
The fusion wasted no time. She summoned Amethyst's weapon along with Pearl's, and in a beautiful flash, the two combined to form a majestic bow. From it emerged an arrow of light that aimed directly at the birds swooping down on us in fury. "Forgive me," the fusion whispered, and released the arrow.
The projectile sped through the air with such force that the birds had no time to react. One after another, they were impaled and trapped in bubbles that appeared around them. In a matter of seconds, hundreds of them were sealed and transported toward the house.
Meanwhile, Garnet, who was quietly in her room, noticed the sudden arrival of so many bubbles. Seeing their color, she only smiled slightly. "I knew it," she murmured in a serene, somewhat joyful voice. Her gaze fell on a beetle she kept in a small, carefully decorated box. "Looks like your sweetheart will be here soon." As if understanding her words, the creature stirred happily.
Back on the mission, Steven watched in amazement at this display of power. I couldn't hide my surprise myself and, with a trembling voice, asked who it really was. The fusion smiled even wider and firmly replied that it was Opal, our trusted fusion. Even the goat seemed to understand, though only Steven noticed these subtleties, as if the creature were also conversing with us.
We spent the rest of the afternoon together, almost until nightfall. Finally, the two of us returned home. The goat, however, didn't return. You might wonder why. I tried it myself, looking at it and asking if it would come with us. The goat gave me a sideways glance and simply left on its own. "Well, it seems it doesn't like me after all," I said, a drop of sweat rolling down my forehead.
Opal looked at me then. I didn't understand why they were still fused together, but I didn't ask any questions either. Without warning, she grabbed my cheeks and began to shower me with exaggerated caresses. "Who wouldn't want to be with you, you pretty, precious thing, my strong, adorable baby?" she said in a mixture of tenderness and playfulness that made me blush completely. We spent another while like that, between laughter and embarrassment, and although I won't admit it, I liked the caresses.
Finally, when we reached the front door of the house, Garnet was already waiting for us, standing with that mysterious calm that always accompanied her.
It seems they did well, Garnet said with a calm smile upon seeing Opal. And it was all thanks to this little one, the fusion replied with another radiant smile.
I just thought, with a drop of sweat on my forehead, that I hadn't really done anything.
"So? Where's the beetle?" Garnet asked.
An awkward silence suddenly stretched. You might wonder why Steven didn't say he had it at that moment. The answer was simple: the fusion had his mouth covered, and he couldn't utter a word. "He forgot," Opal murmured, her voice sounding double, strange, and broken.
In that instant, the fusion quickly dissolved. Amethyst and Pearl returned to normal.
"Amethyst," Pearl shouted, completely upset, and the argument began without delay. "You were the one who wanted to show off."
The two of them started fighting each other, accusing and contradicting each other. Meanwhile, I looked at Garnet, and she looked back at me. Without saying anything, I simply handed her the scarab. Garnet calmly received it, placed it next to her companion, and wrapped it in a bubble that disappeared in the direction of her room.
We both watched as Amethyst and Pearl's argument now turned into a dispute over who had forgotten about the scarab. Garnet, calm as ever, firmly told me to take one step at a time.
I glanced at her, took a deep breath, and whispered yes, one step at a time. Looking toward the room, she murmured, "Thank you, little one."
End of Chapter 11.