"OOF!"
Suddenly, after a small talk and explanation from Sapphire's side, Ruby herself ended up heading inside the ship with the other Rubies. It was an odd tumble inside, but Ruby sat up straight when she got inside. It didn't take very long before the other Rubies noticed her ...
"Wait a second," Doc said suspiciously "There seems to be ... more of us than usual."
"There's supposed to be five of us," Navy said.
"Five, Rubies!" added Army. Ruby still wasn't sure about this little plan, but Sapphire seemed happy for it, and she knew who to trust. Doc took a moment to think and started counting them down ...
"One, two, three, four, five ... tch, nevermind," Doc concluded, not counting herself amongst the Rubies. Ruby gave a sigh of relief.
Outside, the others watched as the ship started to lift off the ground, and begin to fly away rather quickly. Sapphire nodded a bit, smiling as they left.
She knew they'll be back ...
~~~~~~
While Ruby was away, everyone else that saw her off basically had to set thing up, and put things away. With one of them gone, they were short of one member for their baseball game, so, they couldn't exactly continue with uneven numbers. When that all was finished, Steven, Connie, and the Mane Six, all went off into town. It was as bustling as it would normally be.
"So, what do you wanna do now?" Applejack asked.
"How about a boat trip? We can get Lapis to show us around the deep sea," Twilight suggested.
"BORING! How about some battle challenge with Jasper? Seriously, she can give an awesome show!" Rainbow suggested. However, some of them shuttered on such an idea.
"M-Maybe not something that dangerous," Fluttershy insisted. This bummed out Rainbow Dash, but she didn't push the point along any further. Maybe she'll do it later. As they went along, the group soon got themselves further into town when ...
*boing* *boing*
"Huh? What's that?" Pinkie asked.
Before anypony could answer her, the real answer suddenly flew into sight, bouncing off of Pinkie's head, then Applejack's head, and finally landing in Connie's arms. As for their answer? A new basketball that accidentally bounced away from a nearby basketball court. Pinkie and AJ took a moment to shake off the hit before they saw what hit them.
"Hey there," A voice then said, as he walked over to retrieve the basketball. Turned out, the owner of the ball was actually Buck Dewey, and he was practicing some hoops before he accidentally lost his.
"Oh, hi Buck. Is this yours?" Connie asked, handing over the basketball. Buck nodded, and got the basketball from her, dribbling it a little bit before he balanced it on his hand.
"Thanks. So, how life been for you two?" Buck asked.
"It's going awesomely! We've got new fusions, and Ruby's off with some more Rubies on a fun trip to who knows where - it's going crazy!" Pinkie explained. Buck hadn't met Ruby yet, but, he was still glad things were going well with them as of late.
"Sounds like a blast. Any of you want to join me?" Buck asked, almost like he already knew they were bored, and had nothing to do. It honestly didn't take very much decision time to get their answer.
The basketball court Buck was practicing in wasn't really the best court there is, but it was good enough. It consisted of a flat cement area, a perfect square of fifteen feet each side, with a single hoop over to the one side of the square. To put in better perspective, the hoop itself was on the same side of the square, facing towards the Boardwalk. However, there was one other problem though; the number of people. Fluttershy would rather watch, so, that problem was solved rather quickly. Here, they were in the middle of the game, with Buck leading Rarity, Twilight, and Connie. Rainbow was having Steven, Pinkie, and Applejack on her team. They were in the middle of their game at this point, all in and giving their all, with Fluttershy keeping score. However, after explaining the rules, Rainbow had to keep her wings tied down, and Twilight and Rarity had to avoid using magic (not to mention any head shots in case the horns pop the ball).
"Alright, pass to me!" Rainbow called. Pinkie Pie, dribbling the ball easily with her quick tail, quickly tossed the ball over. Rainbow jumped up and got the ball in her hooves. She dribbled it for a bit before she whacked it with her back hooves, sending it right to the net. However, the ball just missed, and bounced off towards Steven. Steven caught the ball, and soon found himself with the hoop in front, but with Connie in the way (go figure). Steven and Connie tried to out do eachother, laughing all the while, until Connie tried for the ball. Since the two did it once before, and they were happy together, one could probably guess what happened next. Be it accidental or not, the ball bounced away, as a flash of bright light illuminated close by. Soon, low and behold, there stood Stevonnie.
"Whoa, wha?"
"Welcome back," Buck said with a smile.
"WOO! Stevonnie's back!" Pinkie beamed. It took a little bit, but Stevonnie soon realized she was fused again. On the bright side, at least it was in front of friends who knew about the fusion anyway.
"Uh, oops. Sorry, I -"
"Don't be sorry, you two. I wanted a one-on-one match with her anyway," Buck joked. It was a spur of the moment thing, but, what other opportunity was there to do so anyway? Stevonnie took a moment, and picked up the basketball. After a little bit more thought, and the supporting faces of the others, Stevonnie decided to go and give it a try.
"Let's do this," Stevonnie happily agreed, and the full game of six turned to a one-on-one match with Buck and Stevonnie. As the game went on, Stevonnie seemed to have the advantage against Buck, but he didn't mind it much, and even bested her a few times while playing.
Unfortunately for Stevonnie, there was still one other Gem, hidden in his cloak, that had seen what happened to Steven and Connie. Without Garnet to handle him, Flint basically wandered off once he heard of what Steven was up to, only to find Stevonnie playing some odd game with a ball and a hoop. The sight made his non-existent blood boil, and a hand to his forehead Gemstone.
"Oh my stars, and the worn-out wreck the Diamonds rode to Earth on - they're fused again?" Flint growled quietly, not loud enough for them to hear. Even if they unfused once already, he still had severe doubts over the concept itself, and seeing Stevonnie fused up again didn't help him. If they keep fusing by accident, then it's just going to get worse as far as he was concern.
"Come on, Flint, there's got to be a way to handle this ..." Flint thought. He didn't want to see the two constantly fusing all the time, accidental or intentional. Flint tried to think a bit, keeping just out of sight down the road which lead to the basketball court. He knew they had different lives, and he knew if they get stuck in fusion mode then both their normal lives would be in jeopardy, and he knew that those they knew and loved may or may not fully approve of another perma-fusion running around by pure accident ...
Then something in his head clicked. He got an idea. It may not be the best idea, not the nicest with a exact outcome, but Flint figured not only will it be found out anyway, but at least then there were some others who would put a better barrier than he could do ...
"Sorry, you two. But, it has to be done," Flint sighed, though mostly it was to himself. Without anypony noticing him, Flint began to slip away and let them be. He was sure they'll get their talk soon enough ...
~~~~~~
After a while hanging out by the basketball court, Connie then went right off back to her home. It took a while for Connie, but she did get her bike right off to home, no side-stops and no trouble along the way either. Connie simply felt happy that she had some more fun with her close friends, and was hoping that she'll be able to do it again soon. Humming a good tune, Connie parked her bike, and went right on inside her home.
"I'm home!" Connie called happily.
Unfortunately, the feeling was neutral. She was immediately confronted by her mother, who stared daggers down at her.
"Uh ... Everything okay? ..." Connie asked nervously. Her mom didn't even bother to beat around the bush.
"Connie, what had you been doing with Steven?" She asked firmly. Connie didn't seem to get what she really meant at first.
"Well, Steven and I went out for a walk around Beach City, and -"
"No no. Connie, one of those Gems told me that you and Steven had done some. Magic stuff together?"
Now Connie froze; how'd she find out about their fusion?! Connie didn't know exactly what to say, and her mother looked shocked about it as she was ...
"Eh ... Wha? I don't know what you're talking about ..." Connie replied nervously.
"Connie?" Her mother said, almost in a panicked growl. She thought Connie had enough trouble with Magic thanks to Sombra, but with this information told to her, not only was she freaked out still, but also figured Connie didn't learn anything. Connie gulped.
"Seriously, I don't know about any fusion -"
Well, that was a bust. Connie quickly buttoned up her lips, maybe it being enough to keep those words from slipping. It was too late though, and what's worse, by the horrified look on her face, her mom wasn't told the exact details. And when she heard of fusion ... well ...
"You ... Y-you ... fused with him? ..."
As her mother said that, her fingers locked together as more of a visual expression of this "fusion". While Connie's thought on it was more literal, her older and mature mother had a different kind in her head. All Connie could say was, "... Yes?"
*thud*
"Mom! Mom, wake up!"
~~~~~~
Sometime later, Connie's mother did get up after a while, but soon as she did, she wanted answers. And she wanted them NOW! Connie knew she couldn't get the answers all by herself, so, after some time to get herself settled, she contacted Steven for some help on the issue. It was the first choice she could think of when thinking on who to call that had some experience and information on a short notice. Connie's father, Doug, also came in and helped his wife after she fainted.
"Priyanka, you feeling better now?" Doug asked, after Priyanka managed to calm her nerves a little bit more.
"Yeah. Yeah ... I think so ..."
"Good. Now, Steven, what is this fusion stuff? What did you and Connie do?" Doug asked firmly. Steven took a moment, trying to think out what actually happened.
"Um, well actually, it was kind of an accident," Steven said, referring to the first time they did it. And it was technically true; Steven and Connie didn't plan to fuse during Lapis's anniversary party, yet they did, and had a fairly good time with it.
"Accident?" Priyanka questioned.
"Well, we didn't plan it. It just - happened," Steven admitted.
"Steven, I'm asking what this is, not how it started," Doug groaned. While it was some information, it didn't explain all and all on what exactly happened, or what fusion is in their case. Steven tried to think a bit more, glancing to Connie first.
"I-It's kinda hard to explain."
"Try," Doug simply responded. Steven closed his eyes, and just went for broke on what he knew.
"It's when two people mix together to make up one being."
It was the sum up, and the best Steven could really do. Still, looking at the parent's faces, it didn't seem to exactly help them out. Doug and Priyanka both looked shell-shocked, Priyanka much more so.
"I don't think it helped," Connie whispered. Steven didn't need to be told that twice - seeing their faces were proof enough. After some silence, Priyanka spoke up again.
"WHAT?!"
"No, no, no, not that way, I swear it's not like that!" Connie insisted.
"Like what?" Steven asked. He never got his answer though.
"Connie, I thought we all agreed you wouldn't get involved with this dangerous stuff anymore. Didn't you learn anything from that dark Unicorn incident?" Priyanka snapped. It was impossible for her to forget her encounter with Sombra, and how she was scared out of her mind before that same creature took Connie away.
"But mom, dad, it's not a bad thing!" Connie suddenly insisted. However, it didn't seem to really help the situation anymore than with Steven's explanation. Soon, the two came to their own conclusion; they need more help.
.......
"What's the trouble?" Sapphire asked. Connie was hoping Ruby would be back by the time they got Sapphire to come over to get Garnet instead, but, Sapphire was still a smart Gem with thousands of years of fusion experience. So, if anyone knows the true risks and benefits of fusion, it would be her. Steven and Connie kept quiet as Priyanka and Doug spoke with Sapphire.
"It's with Steven and our daughter. We were told something about this "fusion"," Doug said.
"I see."
"Can you please explain what it's about? What is fusion? Is it dangerous?! What risk is it putting Connie in?!" Priyanka asked worryingly. Steven and Connie had their fingers crossed, as Sapphire took a short moment to think it over. Before Sapphire spoke, she used her future sight to see the results at the end, but didn't say anything about it just yet.
"Well, if you're worried about prolong effects of Fusions, depending on the cooperators, there's little chance any permanent physical harm will come to Connie or Steven."
"E-Even if they - ... Fused?"
"It's not that kind of fusion; Gems are inorganic, you know," Sapphire said, showing her Gemstone to them both, giving off a shine in the light.
"What? What's that have to do with Steven doing it?" Doug questioned.
"Steven is half Gem, and therefore, the rules of Fusion apply to him. I won't lie when I say it's the first time a Gem had fused with a human being, but the results still seem to follow the same way as fusion with two Gems."
"W-Wait! First time? You mean this never happened before?!"
"It's the first time having a Gem-Human hybrid too, so, it's plausible," Sapphire admitted. Connie and Steven glanced to eachother, and began to worry a little bit with Doug and Priyanka's worry. Sapphire seemed fine though, so, it was something to hold on to.
"Sapphire, this is serious! What is it?! It isn't them -"
"NO." Sapphire quickly said firmly. Last thing they needed was more of that talk.
"No. Fusion is an amalgam of the cooperators combined magical and physical attributes, fused into a single entity." Steven felt a odd sense of Deja Vu, but Doug and Priyanka both started to look less scared, yet perplexed.
"... What?" Priyanka asked. Sapphire tried to think a bit, but then Steven glanced into the kitchen. Then he got an idea, snapping his fingers.
"Got it!"
.......
"What're you doing, Steven?" Connie asked. Steven had got out some loaves of bread, and two containers of Peanut Butter and Jelly, to give Doug and Priyanka a simpler explanation. Steven kinda understood Sapphire's just fine, so he can use that. Sapphire meanwhile found this method of explaining a possibility, and was intrigued to see it go through. Not to mention the choice was kinda cute.
"Maybe this can help you understand," Steven said, as he started putting peanut butter on one slice, and jelly on the other.
"Think of these two slices of bread, as two people. One slice has creamy peanut butter, and the other has yummy grape jelly," Steven began, showing the two the slices of bread on the clean plate. Doug and Priyanka still weren't too sure, but let Steven continue anyway.
"They're both good on their own, with good stuff to give. Now, when they fuse up, you get something better," Steven explained, putting both slices together to finish the PB n J sandwich. Priyanka held the sandwich in her hands after Steven gave it to her, as she and Doug looked to each other, thinking over Steven's simpler explanation of this fusion thing. Far as they got, fusion's basically the good stuff in people making something new. It still seemed vague, to say the least, but, it began to come around as less dangerous than the two first were brought on. Eventually, Doug sighed and turned to the others.
"Can you give us a minute?" Doug asked.
"Uh, sure," Steven replied, letting the two walk off to the next room. Sapphire, Connie, and Steven all sat down in the living room, as Doug and Priyanka went off to discuss in private. Priyanka actually went on to eat the sandwich given to her as Doug paced a little bit.
"Well, Doug? What do you think?" Priyanka asked, taking another bite of the sandwich. Doug still wasn't too sure about it. Even if this wasn't dangerous on the surface, their family's involvement with magic wasn't a fun one, especially since it mainly involved Sombra and his evil plot to use Connie almost a year ago to date.
"Well, I don't know any better than you do, honey. This is all too confusing to understand," Doug admitted gravely. It honestly was hard to understand right away, especially since there was no true promoting for this to just pop up on them. Priyanka finished the sandwich before speaking again.
"I don't know, that Flint Gem said it's too dangerous, but Sapphire keeps saying it's not so bad, it's just -" Priyanka stopped herself, and just sighed.
"Honey, honey, there, there. Look, I'll handle this," Doug decided. Priyanka just nodded, and Doug left the room to confront Connie and Steven. However, Sapphire had already left during that time, which was confusing for him.
"Where's Sapphire?"
"Well ... She had to leave," Connie answered.
"Leave?"
"She felt that she was needed somewhere."
Doug just sighed. He was going to have to deal with Sapphire some other time, but for now, he put his own plan and ideas in motion. He cleared his throat, and stood up straight.
"Okay you two. If this really isn't anything bad, then show us," Doug said. Connie and Steven were taken aback by this sudden decision, but then again, it was probably the best idea.
"You sure?" Connie asked.
"Is fusion a bad thing you shouldn't do?"
"No!" both kids said.
"Then show me," Doug concluded. His mind was made up, and he wasn't going to be convinced until he sees it for himself. Priyanka too went out, and waited to see the fusion for themselves. There was just one problem with this idea though; each time they fused, it was accidental. The first time they fused was just a dance together, not thinking or focusing on fusion, and the second time that same day was simply bumping into eachother during the Basketball game. Still, Steven and Connie had to at least try. The two kids got up, but, before they could start, Connie had at least one request.
"Can we have some music, please? It might make it easier," Connie said. Doug and Priyanka looked to eachother, but if it meant to actually see this happen, then Doug decided to do it. After a little bit, he got on the kitchen radio, and turned on some classic music on a CD. It wasn't as upbeat as it was at the party, but, it was good enough. Looking to eachother, Connie and Steven started to dance together. However, the music itself seemed low beat, and not as well as it was in order to get it started. Connie and Steven were also too uncomfortable to actually get it right; the last two times they were at least happy with eachother, but this was more forced than they'd like it to be. After five minutes of nothing, Doug and Priyanka began to suspect that the idea was going nowhere.
"Okay, stop," Doug finished, turning off the music. He was left convinced now that this Fusion wasn't as innocent as it was brought on to be by Sapphire. Steven and Connie sensed that things were going to hit a deep nosedive by what happened next.
"Steven? It's time for you to go home. Until I'm more convinced, Connie, you are to stay away from him."
"What?! But dad -"
"No, no, my mind's made up. If you two aren't going to show us this fusion trick of yours, then I'm not allowing it."
"We're trying, we are, really! I don't know why it isn't working," Steven insisted.
"Well then, until you figure that out, then I suggest you go home, and stay away from my daughter," Doug responded, slightly cold. Steven and Connie were really worried, and in dismay. Connie and Steven both didn't know why it wasn't working when it worked fine twice before. In the end, without any reason to back him up, all Steven could do was go.
"No, Steven don't leave, we can try again!" Clonnie insisted, not wanting to lose her closest friend. Doug though wasn't having any of it, and got in between them both. He even pushed them apart to further the point. While the push wasn't needed, it was painfully clear that in order to maintain their friendship, they needed to figure out how to get Stevonnie out ...
~~~~~~
What started off nice and friendly, ended up going downhill for both Steven and Connie. Connie was stuck in her room again, bored and distraught over what had happened. She had a book in front of her, which was all she could do. Even with the book opened up, it was almost impossible for her to focus on reading the book, mainly because her mind was off in different places. In particular, what to do about herself and Steven. She didn't want to lose her first true friend this way. If only she could figure out this fusion thing better, then maybe it can work out, but how can she figure it out without Steven with her? She did fuse with him, after all. It just felt unfair. Connie felt alone in her room, as she didn't hear her parents talking, or doing anything for that matter. As she laid there on her bed, she stared up to the ceiling, swinging around onto her back on the bed as the book fell off. However, unaware to Connie at first, the book didn't exactly fell on to the floor...
"Connie?"
Connie turned her head, and found a ... rather interesting surprise. Holding her book, and placing it on the bed again, was another girl. She looked exactly like her, apart from a few subtle costume changes.
Connie the Second - Connie's Doppelgänger!
"Oh. It's you!" Connie gasped. She almost forgot her after the longest time, and Connie hadn't met her in quite a while since her run away excursion to Ponyville nearly a year ago. Connie II didn't seem to worried about that, and she was more worried about Connie herself.
"I-I'm so sorry we hadn't talked in so long, things just happened here, and -"
"Hey, hey, don't worry, I understand. I've been kinda busy myself," Connie II said, sitting down next to her. Seeing just how different she looked to her, Connie could get the idea. Connie sat up, and the two sat side by side. One could say Connie was beside herself.
"How are you here?" Connie asked. Connie II rubbed the back of her head.
"It's a spell I learned a while back. Looks like it worked," Connie II said, finding it hard to explain exactly. Magic alone is hard to explain. Still, pushing that aside, Connie II could sense that Connie wasn't at her best.
"Having trouble with mom and dad again?" Connie II asked. Connie sighed, and laid down on her bed again. Connie II stayed quiet, and laid down next to her. It took a bit, but Connie did end up talking.
"I can't see Steven anymore ..."
"What? What for?" Connie II asked, shocked on such an idea.
"Because of this fusion thing! They somehow found out and - ugh! They won't let me see Steven again until they see it themselves. I don't know what to do; we hadn't fused intentionally before," Connie said in dismay. Connie II, actually, didn't realize that Connie actually fused with anyone. It took Connie II a moment to think it over before she could answer.
"And I guess it didn't work."
"Eeyup," Connie replied. Connie II tried to think a bit, on something to comfort her. Connie II didn't want to just leave her hanging, but, she couldn't think much of anything. Connie couldn't see Steven until this fusion thing works out, and since Connie II didn't know anymore about fusion than Connie did, then it wasn't any better for either of them ...
"Do you need some time away for a while?"
"No, no. I don't want my parents to worry again ... Thanks, though."
"Oh."
"Oh, what am I going to do? I'm so ... worried."
It was then that Connie II turned to Connie.
"Don't be so scared, Connie; you're a brave and smart girl. I'm sure it'll all work out, somehow."
Before they could go any further, Connie II suddenly started to fade and flicker a bit. That made Connie a bit worried, but Connie II seemed more annoyed.
"Sorry, I gotta go - spell's wearing off," Connie II said.
"You okay?" Connie gasped.
"I'll be fine. I'm just ending up back in Equestria," Connie II said, though her voice was starting to flicker along with her body. Connie didn't know how to keep her to stay, but Connie II didn't seem too worried over herself. As quietly as she came into the room, Connie II then disappeared back to Equestria. Connie was all alone again, and she still didn't know what to do ...
"... Goodbye ..."
Connie laid back onto her bed. While seeing that Connie II wasn't upset with her was a nice thought, it still didn't help her dilemma. She needed to get herself down pact on what the hay to do, or this will not work out for anybody. Connie kept trying to figure things out when -
*BOOM*
"AAHH!"
Oh no.
~~~~~~
Connie made a mad dash downstairs, only to find her mom and dad outside the house. The two were just about to go off to the store, but what Connie found outside once she showed up was the reason behind their surprise. It was out of nowhere, and out of place; a overturned car! It was about ten feet away, and completely turned on its head. There didn't seem to be any extra sabotage to it, or anyone inside the car. How the heck it got there was anyone's guess, but judging by the marks made to the hood, it's something hostile.
"What happened?!" Connie gasped.
"Connie, go back inside," Doug urgently demanded. Before Connie could even process what was going on, they all heard a loud grunt, and another car was tossed in the air! Priyanka had seconds to spare when she pushed everyone out of harm's way, as the car slammed right at their door! The car landed off back into the road, as the three heard footsteps of this enraged attacker. Doug quickly locked up the door so whatever was out there wouldn't notice them.
"Stay quiet," Doug said, his voice hushed. Priyanka was terrified, and Connie didn't know what was going on. As the family waited inside, they began to hear the footsteps more and more clearly. Doug, quietly, peeked out the window to see what was there, and what was tossing around cars. At first, they didn't seem to notice anything, but eventually the figure's shadow started to become visible. It wasn't very large, only about five feet tall at its highest point, but its rounded body was packed with muscle. Four stocky legs the size of tree trunks, ending in rounded feet, with a huge square head. Its mouth was lined with triangle teeth, almost like a steel trap. The entire body was fully a reddish-orange, its head made entirely of a crystalline substance, and just as hard as a Gemstone. It had no eyes, but it knew exactly where it was going, as it moved along with the front of its head to the ground, like a tracking dog. The marks on its teeth matched the marks on the cars, so, it wasn't hard to put two and two together - it chomped down and tossed the car with its huge teeth. After a while, the Gem beast moved closer to the door, making them more worried. The Gem beast growled in a low toned groan, pushing its head onto the door itself. At first, nothing seemed to happen exactly, but it started to growl loudly, banging its head onto the door. It must've sensed them inside, and wanted to get them and tear them up. Priyanka, Doug, and Connie moved back a bit of ways as the Gem beast kept banging on the door more and more. It gave a few roars, which sounded alien to say the least; high-pitched and screechy. Finally, rather than keep banging its head, the Gem beast opened its jaws a full 180 degrees, all of its teeth drilling through the door! It backed up, pulled the door off, and tossed it aside.
Priyanka screamed, the creature screeching in response. The Gem beast rushed forward with its mouth wide open! Priyanka and Doug jumped to one side, but Connie rushed the other way, splitting herself from the other two. The beast turned back and forth between Connie and the parents, and decided to try the parents rather than the measly child. Connie wasn't going to let that happen, and tried to find the closest item at hand to attack it with.
"Connie, run!" Doug yelled, as the beast opened its surprisingly huge jaws. Just before it could bite down, Connie found something, and whacked the Gem beast's head with it. It was just the TV remote, and the remote opened up- dropping the batteries after the hit, but it still was enough to get the Gem beast's attention. Only then did Connie go to run, rushing outside with the beast running after it.
"Connie!" Priyanka and Doug gasp, running to the door. Connie was across the street, the beast still in between her and her home. It took two strong stomps forward, and the Gem beast gave off a strong roar, also high-pitched and screechy. Connie didn't had any weapons to use in the fight, and the Gem beast had its sights directly on her. It opened its mouth wide again, and rushed forward blindly. It couldn't see what was in front of it. Connie had to be quick, but she did a trained roll to her side, training from Pearl starting to show up. The creature rushed into a nearby tree, knocking down leaves and a few branches upon impact. It quickly yanked its jaws out, and turned around. Connie was standing in front of their garage door when the beast rushed at her again in the same open mouthed manor. Connie dodged again, and the beast slammed its triangle teeth into the garage door! The Gem beast slammed its jaws down, tearing the garage door clean off! Unfortunately for the Gem beast, it got its teeth stuck, and it tried to shake the door off, screeching and hollering all the while. As for Connie, her thoughts stayed with trying to protect her family from this thing, never-minding her own life. Again, this was from Pearl's training, even if Steven going against it, it still was on her mind a bit. Connie needed a weapon, and fast.
"Connie, get back inside!" Priyanka yelled.
"You stay in there, I'll be fine!"
"Connie -"
Another screech from the Gem beast silenced them, as it finally swung the garage door off of it, the door flying over Connie's head, and slamming onto the road by the tossed car. The Gem beast roared again, and all Connie could do was try to avoid another charge. Just before it could ...
"GET AWAY FROM MY CONNIE!"
In one swing, a pink shield whacked the creature off its feet, the Gem beast stumbling to the ground. It wasn't too effective, and not much physical damage. The shield disappeared as quick as it came, and its owner confronted the Gem beast.
"Steven! You're back!" Connie gasped. Steven had managed to catch the cars flying in the air, and had quickly returned just before the beast could do anymore harm to anyone. The Gem beast itself gave a screech towards Steven this time, and changed targets, charging at him instead of Connie. Steven summoned his shield again, the beast slamming into it. It wasn't enough to break the shield, but it was a strong charge and pushed Steven back a bit. The Gem beast bit down on the shield, and swung Steven towards Connie. The Gem beast shook the shield a bit until it chucked it towards the open garage. Unlike the cars, the shield disappeared before it hit anything, therefore no extra damage.
"Connie, get away from that thing!" Priyanka tried to warn her, but the Gem beast targeted them both. Doug pulled Priyanka inside before it got to them, Doug and Priyanka both getting the coffee table up and blocking the door like their own shield. Now it was getting more horrifying; with the beast in the way, there's no true way to get to Connie's parents.
"Steven, we have to help them!" Connie said in panic.
"But how?! We can't pass it!" Steven replied, seeing the beast backing up for another charge. Connie and Steven needed to do something, but they don't have much to work with; no weapon for Connie, and no actual weapon for Steven. The two looked to eachother, both equally determined to save them ...
Then they got an idea.
As for the beast, it gave another screech, and rushed forward at the table. Doug and Priyanka were knocked off their feet, the beast's teeth tearing the table to pieces! After the table was turned to scrap wood, the beast turned its growling jaws over to Doug and Priyanka again, opening its mouth to tear them apart! Before it could ... something grabbed it by the back legs, pulled it outside, and thrown to the other side of the road. Priyanka and Doug looked to whoever did that, and who do they see?
Stevonnie!
The two had done it.
Stevonnie paused for a moment to look back to Priyanka and Doug, both parents shocked by not only her strength, but her surprising beauty (as many other people had been doing when you think about it). All Stevonnie did was nod, and turned back to the beast, who turned itself right side up, and back on its feet. It gave another screech before rushing at her, but Stevonnie got out her own shield to counter it. Rather than getting knocked back, Stevonnie knocked the Gem beast back, enough to shatter its sharp teeth, there was that much force! The Gem beast groaned, as one of its legs rubbing one side of its mouth. Now it was angry. It gave another loud roar to them. Stevonnie raced over to the beast, as the beast rushed her again. Stevonnie leaped up onto the beast's stout back, and aimed her shield down to the Gem beast's head. All Stevonnie had to do then, was send the sharp end of her shield downward in the smallest area of the beast's neck. It was quick, it was painless, and it made the Gem beast poof. Not too long after the Gem beast's gemstone hit the ground, Stevonnie then split back to Steven and Connie. Steven did the honors of bubbling it, and sending it back to the burning room...
Then came the parents ...
"... W-Was ... Was she? ... Was that fusion?" Priyanka asked, speechless and amazed. Doug was in a similar point of mind when he first saw Stevonnie, and what she just did. Steven and Connie glanced to eachother, and could only nod in unison.
"I ... Steven, I thought you went home."
"Well, Sapphire told me to come back here because of this beast."
"Wait, how did she - ... You know what, I don't wanna know," Priyanka decided. She had enough surprises already for one day. Then Doug stepped forward.
"So ... That was Stevonnie. Did she make a good impression?" Steven asked, hopefully.
"Nevermind that. Are you alright? Did the fusion do anything to you?" Doug asked sternly.
"No, I'm fine," Connie replied honestly. Doug remembered what he said earlier, and the two showed them the fusion stuff, even if he was in the middle of a beast attack. Still, the fusion itself didn't seem to do any harm to Steven or Connie. In fact, the fusion gave them enough power to beat that beast. Doug could tell in their faces that they wanted to know if it was enough ...
"Look. I'm still find it hard to understand how much this fusion thing does. But, it didn't seem to hurt any of you ..."
"So ... does that mean ...?"
Doug could only sigh to his decision.
"Connie? I don't want you to go into any danger ... But, if you want to keep visiting Steven ... Then you may."
Connie never felt happier.
"You're the best!" Connie beamed, hugging her father. Steven smiled on hearing the news too. It was a nice moment ...
Unfortunately, there was still the matter of a broken garage door, a torn up coffee table, and two wrecked cars nearby. They realized that again when they heard a tire fall off one of the cars ...
"We're going to need a tow truck," Priyanka commented.
Doug just took a calming breath, and sighed.
There goes plenty of his wallet.