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lefemmerougewriter · 4 years

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Cleo’s Choice, Catra’s Resolve, Connie’s New Crush, and the Bubbline Hearing

This Teen and Up Audiences fic, brings together characters from Steven Universe, Cleopatra in Space, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Samurai Jack, and Adventure Time. This story is part 29 of “An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers,” my multifaceted crossover fan fiction. As always, comments are welcome. To be frank, I struggled a lot with writing this fic and it ended up being one of my longest in a while, with a word count of over 9,000, or 17 typed pages in Word. I wanted to tie up loose ends from other parts of this fic series, bring in Bonnie and Marcy, two of my favorite animated characters, while also setting the stage for another fic series about Connie and Steven, either on this account or an affiliated account, I haven't decided yet. At the same time, RT stands for Rutile Twins, Pappy for Padparadscha, and the OCAC for Off Colors Astral Cruiser. In any case, this series will be over soon, with one more fic left in the series, so I can end it with one more fic. I'm not going to say what that will be, but I can say that it will be really exciting!

See the master list for An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers here.

Characters: Khensu, Cleo, Akila, Callie, Brian, Yosira, Mihos, Kek, Khepra, Xerxs, Samurai Jack, Lars, Fluorite, Rhodonite, Rutile Twins, Padparadscha, Steven, Connie, Adora, Catra, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Catra, Bonnie, Marcy, Chief Judge, Councilor(s), Officer Snarlepants, Bismuth

Friendships: Khensu & Cleopatra & Brian & Akila, Khensu & Cleopatra, Cleopatra & Steven Universe, Yosira & Cleopatra, Cleo & Brian, Mihos & Cleop, Lars & Padparadscha, Lars & Rutile Twins, Lars & Rhodonite, Lars & Fluorite

Romantic pairings: Akila/Brian (Akilian), Cleo/Callie (Callipatra), Cleo/Akila (Cleokila), Adora/Pearl (Peadora), Adora/Catra (Catradora), Connie/Steven (Connverse), Connie/Cleo (Cleonnie), Adora/Pearl/Catra (APC?), Bonnie/Marcy (Bubbline)

Words: 9.7k

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25582351

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1254834291-an-unlikely-alliance-of-evildoers-cleo%27s-choice

Quotev: https://www.quotev.com/story/12992038/Cleos-Choice-Catras-Resolve-Connies-New-Crush-and-the-Bubbline-Hearing

Summary: One month has elapsed since the glorious victory over the evil tyrant, Octavian. The ship of Captain Lars, and the Off Colors, has been repaired, the Gem Army has been sent back to Homeworld, and the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. scientists are working to return Jack to his home, so he can fight Aku. In the midst of this, Cleo feels she has a lack of purpose in life, even as she is having a great time dating her friend, Akila, who has lost interest in Brian. Khensu, now heading the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. council, after the arrest of Kek and Khepra for their traitorous acts, gives her a choice: stay on Mayet with her friends or travel to Earth as an ambassador, where she can start anew and have new experiences. At the same time that she accepts Khensu's offer, three others (Pearl, Adora, and Catra) decide to stay behind. When she arrives on Earth, the friendship between herself and Connie continues to grow, with hints of the connection between them growing into much more in the future. Many months later, a hearing for Bonnie and Marcy, who traveled a year forward in time, is held in Empire City. One question remains: what will this hearing mean for Cleo, Steven, Connie, and the Crystal Gems, in the days to come?

A month had passed since the battle with Octavian, the Xerxs, and Jack, the former Admiral. Cleo had fully explained to Akila what her kiss with Callie had meant, with Akila forgiving her for the transgression. Even though some may have expected that Akila and Brian would be together, due to the fact they went on a failed date to the planetarium, this could not be further from the reality. Although Callie and Cleo were not an “item,” as to say, Akila and Cleo had become one, enthusiastically dating as Callie gazed on with dismay.

Everything appeared peaceful. The Gem army, previously commanded by Jack, had been sent back to Homeworld on the liberated Trilliant Splitter. Jack remained on Mayet, as P.Y.R.A.M.I.D.’s best scientists worked to assist him on getting back to his own time and place, hoping they could make progress. At the same time, Brian had repaired the OCAC after working many long hours, even getting class credit for it! Kek and Khepra were stripped of their seats on the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. council and Khensu had been selected as the next head of the council by a unanimous vote. One warm morning, Khensu called Cleo, who often slept in late, feeling she no longer had a purpose on Mayet due to her role as a savior coming to an end, even though she had a happy and burgeoning romantic relationship with Akila.

Her communicator buzzed and she moved toward it groggily. For her, having the conversation end speedily so she could continue to snooze through the rest of the day would be the best result. She saw Khensu on her viewscreen and guiltily laughed when answering him.

“Hey, Khensu…what’s up? Just sleeping in…since it’s another BORING day on Mayet!”

Khensu groaned. He knew that Cleo likely believed that her life had little purpose since her role as the savior of the Nile Galaxy had been fulfilled. He continued to have confidence that she could complete the mission he had in mind for her. He then gave her the news.

“You need to come by the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. tower in Mayet City at once. We have an important task for you.”

Cleo rolled her eyes. From her perspective, she hated being given yet another duty, imagining it would be extremely annoying, based on the other things he had given her to do after Octavian's defeat. During this conversation, she did not notice that Akila was no longer in the room, sleeping on the bunk above hers. She grumbled, expressing her aggravation with whatever this “task” entailed.

“That’s nice, Khensu, but I’m not sure if I’m up for anything…”

Before Khensu could say anything, Akila interrupted him and happily announced to Cleo what she would be doing. Her voice, which she had recognized, caught Cleo by surprise.

“You are going to Earth…girl! Pack your bags…it’s gonna be rad!”

Cleo excitedly chirped and shot up out of her bed, declaring that she could get herself ready in a jiffy. About 30 minutes passed. Khensu believed that Cleo was not coming. Even so, he held out hope, putting the council in a temporary recess until she arrived. Suddenly she walked in, struggling to carry a huge suitcase packed to the gills. She scanned the room and observed an array of smiling faces, from Yosira to Pearl, Adora to Catra, Garnet to Amethyst, Steven to Connie. Khensu spotted her, cleared his throat, and began speaking.

“Cleo…you’ve finally made it. You will be traveling with the Crystal Gems to Earth…but its…”

Steven continued where Khensu left off, trying to make it clear what she would be doing. He knew it would be hard for Cleo to leave her friends. But he had faith in her.

“…different from the Earth you came from, which Khensu told us about. I mean, it’s still Earth...but not the place you traveled through time and space from.”

Cleo had a sad expression on her face and started to cry. She had thought she would be able to visit her dad, Gozi, and her friends, in Ancient Egypt once more. Perhaps she had been wishing for too much. Akila comforted her and Connie reassured Cleo she would lead her on a tour across Egypt. That lifted Cleo’s spirits. She grinned while Khensu gave Cleo her assignment.

“Cleo, we of the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. council are giving you a vital mission. We’d like you to be an ambassador for the Nile Galaxy on Earth. Do you accept?”

Cleo considered Khensu’s words carefully. She thought about the friends she had made at P.Y.R.A.M.I.D., how she adapted to this futuristic society, and what had been left in the “past.” She sensed an opportunity before her to explore something new, make new friends, to relax and decompress after the traumatic experiences she endured in the Nile Galaxy. She turned in the direction of Khensu, staring up at all the council members, and replied to his question.

“Yes! I’d be overjoyed to go to 'Earth' as 'ambassador' as you call it. You have been a great mentor to me, Khensu. Akila and Brian have been wonderful friends…and Yosira, I always looked up to you as a role model. One last question: can I bring along Mihos?”

Khensu nodded approvingly. Pearl, Steven, Connie, and Garnet shrugged. Amethyst said, “sure, the little bugger can come. Mihos is welcome.” That delighted Cleo. She spun around in glee. Steven announced that their journey to Earth would now begin, one person at a time. Lars leaned his head down so they could travel through his hair mane. Steven brought through Connie first. He assured her he would return shortly. She gave him a peck on the cheek and swore she would gather more people to greet Cleo on Earth. Tears streamed down Akila's face and she hugged Cleo, wishing her "good luck," and promised to see her sometime in the future. Cleo smiled and told her, "I'd like that." Returning to Mayet, Steven followed the same pathway to bring Amethyst and Garnet through the hair-mane and out Lion’s mane. When it came to Pearl, her words made him unhappy.

“Steven, thanks for the offer, but I have to decline…me and Adora…and Catra...need to work out some things first. Come check on us in a month or so.”

Steven respected Pearl’s choice. Subsequently, Adora and Catra fell in line with Pearl’s reasoning, categorically refusing to travel through the hair-mane. All that remained was Cleo herself. Before he held her hand, he picked up her suitcase, which weighed a ton, with Mihos snoozing inside. Thanks to his enhanced strength, he easily carried it through, and deposited it on the other side of the Pink Dimension. Cleo was impressed. She clutched Steven’s hand. As she left, she waved goodbye to Yosira, Brian, Akila, and others, like Lars, RT, Pappy, Rhodonite, and Fluorite, who had gathered in the council chambers. In the flash of an eye, Cleo traveled through a pink meadow and arrived inside an ordinary house, which Steven, his friends, and guardians called the “Beach House.”

She rubbed her eyes, thinking, at first, that this was in a dream. This thought quickly faded away when she saw Garnet, Amethyst, and Connie welcoming her to Earth, as did a Gem named Bismuth. She could only hear Bismuth’s voice since she was on tour as a drummer for Sadie Killer and the Suspects, while she also had an undisclosed duty to protect the planet from off-worlders.

Cleo enjoyed a hearty meal with Steven, Connie, and the other Crystal Gems. The dishes served were a combination of foods that Steven, Amethyst, and Connie enjoyed. Connie, whose parents were born in Northern India, had some Nepalese ancestors. She took out some Navratan Korma, a mix of cheese and fresh veggies in a cream sauce, from the fridge, and Steven took the food out of the bubble using his Gem powers. She cooked it before they left for the Nile Galaxy over a month before, preserved in its previous state thanks to Steven’s bubble. Amethyst threw together a rice pilaf and Steven retrieved several planet burgers from the freezer, an expression of his recent diet: vegetarianism. Even though a refrigerator and electric lights were not out of the ordinary for Cleo, when Connie stuck the korma in the microwave, pressing a couple buttons (1-0-0), Cleo watched the oven intently. She had never anything like it before. Entranced by it, she tugged on Connie’s shirt and demanded an explanation about the machine.

“…CONNIE! What’s that device you are using to heat up that food? It’s new to me.”

Connie chuckled, as did Amethyst and Steven, motioning Cleo away, gazing into her olive-green eyes. Although Cleo had begun to annoy her a bit, she thought of this in a positive way, envisioning it as her first lesson to Cleo. She moved closer to Cleo, speaking softly at first, then progressively louder for emphasis.

“It’s a microwave! It heats up food through the amount of moisture or water in something. That's how I think it works. It’s great for heating tea and other hot drinks too.”

Cleo was amazed. Similar to what she had said when she used a toilet for the first time, when arriving in Mayet, she responded with similar words, expressing her satisfaction.

“Microwave you say? I like it!”

Following this conversation, Steven proceeded to use the microwave. The planet burgers had partially thawed on the granite countertop, the best surface for those who enjoyed cooking because hot dishes could be set on top without the surface bending out of shape from hot temperatures. A few minutes later, the Gems, Steven, Connie, and Cleo sat around a table and beginning eating the dinner which they had cooked. Although it would have been lunch time if she had been on Mayet, the passage of time as a result of crossing the Pink Dimension, and distortion as a consequence of traveling through space-time, it meant that on Earth it was nighttime. Tired from her travels, Cleo began to snooze on a couch in the living room, with Mihos around her neck. Steven went to his bed, slumbering next to Connie, while Garnet and Amethyst went to their respective rooms.

The daylight shone across Cleo’s medium brown-skinned face and very dark grayish violet hair. As the sunbeams reached her olive-green eyes, she woke up. Yawning, she walked sleepily toward the fridge and clutched the handle. She saw all sorts of food inside. Bags of sliced bread were familiar, but the white-painted cylindrical container with the label “Greek yogurt” puzzled her. She grabbed it with one of her hands. The other closed the fridge door. Examining the carton closely, she carefully lifted off the top. Unsure of what contraption she would eat this whitish mystery substance with, she eyed a wooden spoon. Rapidly taking a spoonful, she sat down on a wooden stool. Her lips puckered at the extreme tartness. Luckily for her, the journey through the pink dimension had not caused anosmia, or more accurately, ageusia. The strong taste of the yogurt this early in the morning caused her to fall onto the floor. Since her other hand still held onto the container, it fell with her. The yogurt tumbled out and onto her head and chest. Laying there annoyed, she groaned about how she “hated it” here, pining for Mayet. Coincidentally, Connie had gotten up to go to the bathroom. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cleo’s hair on the ground. Inquisitively, she approached. She saw Cleo on the ground, murmuring to her, “are you ok?” Cleo nodded and Connie helped her up, taking her to the bathroom, after setting the yogurt on the counter. She lamented that there would be less of the expensive yogurt, with Greek yogurt as one of her favorite breakfast foods. She slowly closed the door and told Cleo to clean herself up.

The whole situation left Cleo in some shock. She poked her head out of the door and spoke softly to Connie, “I…uh…don’t have a change of clothes with me…it’s in my luggage…can you get it?” Grumbling, Connie acceded to Cleo’s request. Unlike Steven, she did not have super-strength. She could barely move the overpacked bag toward the bathroom. Straining herself, she barely moved it a couple inches before giving up. Examining the bag, she spied a tightly wrapped bungy cord holding it together. Seconds after she unlatched the cord, she was thrown across the room. Cleo opened the bathroom at the right time and caught Connie in her arms. The two sides of the suitcase hit the floor with a huge bang, which awakened Steven with a start. Rubbing his eyes, he saw clothes and material spread across the house. Not seeing Connie next him and unsure what happened, he called out for everyone.

“Connie? Amethyst? Garnet? Where are you all? We need deal...with this situation.”

Garnet and Amethyst raced out of their rooms, noticing clothes and other material strewn across the floor. While Garnet and Steven, who had just woken up, began picking up shirts and pants, Amethyst scanned the situation, and knocked on the bathroom door. She called out. “Uh, Connie…are you in there? There something going on out here.” Cleo tentatively opened the door, holding Connie on her lap, and then saw the clothes scattered about. She shook her head, while Amethyst thought that Cleo and Connie were being very "forward" with each other. About to call out Connie for opening her bag, aware that no one else would have done it, Amethyst held Cleo’s school uniform and commented on it.

“This is so cute, Cleo. Did you make this uniform yourself?”

Her face and body getting warm, as blood flowed to her face, her cheeks became a lighter brown. She stuttered a little and then breathed deeply, trying to avoid awkwardness the best she could, especially among people like Steven and his friends.

“That’s…uh…my school uniform, you see. I revised it to my liking, but...I didn’t make it on my own, no…to answer your question.”

Coming out of her daze, Connie touched her eyes. Since she had graduated from high school recently and enjoyed education in general, Connie’s comment piqued her interest. Eager to hear about Cleo’s school days, she made an impromptu exclamation:

“School? Tell me all about that! I just finished high school…and I love school. It’s so great.”

Cleo turned up her eyebrows in astonishment. Connie was not unique in this belief. Akila, who loved to hang out in the school library and study, felt similarly. Sighing, she explained more.

“Yeah, I went to some futuristic academy where they teach all sorts of subjects, have a cafeteria, places to live and all…I shouldn’t have to explain this to you, Connie, you were there.”

Connie bobbed her head from side to side. She knew that Cleo made a good point, but she continued to ask about it anyway.

“I was there…you are right…but after battling that evil guy and dealing with that brainwashed guy, I mainly stayed on the spaceship with Steven or strolled around Mayet City. I didn’t spend much time in that place you called P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. Anyway, would you like to go to school with me?”

She sheepishly added, “…to visit my old high school, Beach City High...it's named BCHS for short. I’d really be glad if you’d come.”

Cleo rolled her eyes but agreed to Connie’s request. She tried to make nice, even if some of the things were annoying. Being on Earth was a new beginning for her.

“Fine, Cal…Connie, I’ll go somewhere…I don’t want to go to school though. After leaving Mayet, I’d like to be done with school for now. I need to take a break.”

Even though Connie did not recognize why Cleo called her “Cal,” unaware of how the names “Callie” and “Connie” could be easily confused, she valued Cleo’s effort. She dreamed that Cleo would become her best friend. Whether that would transpire would be up to Cleo, Connie, and the other Gems on Earth.

An hour or so later, everything that had flown out of the suitcase had been folded and placed carefully on top of the couch where Cleo had slept the previous night. Cleo sat down at the table. Steven stuck some pieces of bread into the toaster and took planet butter out of the fridge, followed by taking a small butter knife out of the utensil’s drawer. Cleo watched this closely so she could do the same thing the next morning. A couple minutes later, the toaster dinged, like it did every morning. He then spread the butter on the bread with the knife and poured a small glass receptacle containing a brown-and-white mixture onto the bread, then sliced the bread in half into four equal slices. He walked toward Cleo, who cringed, wary of the food he had prepared for her. He snickered.

“No reason to be afraid, Cleo. Its toast with cinnamon sugar. Try it…its great!”

Reaching out her hand hesitantly, she held onto a piece of toast and bit down. As she began eating more, her eyes opened wide. She had never tasted something so good! It topped the honey she gobbled up with intensity when living in Ancient Egypt or the exotic cakes on Mayet. She soon gobbled up the cinnamon sugar fingers. Connie and Steven were stunned while Amethyst was astonished Amethyst and Garnet concerned. Even so, they were all pleased to have her as a guest. In the past, they had welcomed Carmen, housing her for a temporary time, while she fought against a faked V.I.L.E. plan. Adora had been their only longer-term resident, living at the Beach House with Pearl since her arrival in spring 2019. Adora often slept inside Pearl’s room, an offshoot of the Crystal Temple, like the rooms of Garnet and Amethyst, which had beautiful waterfall and lake with various fountains. Pearl kept her prized collection of swords at the top of the highest waterfall, connecting to Amethyst’s room, resulting in some of her swords occasionally landing inside. Even though Cleo did not serve as a replacement for Pearl or Adora, they respected her, nonetheless.

Connie pulled Cleo aside, inquiring if she would like to go clothes shopping, not reminding her about her former high school. She immediately shot down the idea and explained that exploring the world would be much more excited. Connie understood this and made a second proposal, which astounded Cleo.

“How about I let you borrow some of my clothes? I have some nice collared shirts and shorts. You school uniform is…nice…and I really think it suits you well…But, you aren’t in space anymore, you are on Earth now…why not try something new?”

Cleo considered Connie’s proposition. She silently acquiesced to Connie that a new outfit would be the best course of action. When she came to the year 30,000 from Ancient Egypt, she had changed her school uniform, once she had been issued it, to make it her own. I should do the same thing again, she told herself. Sighing, she carefully chose her words.

“Sure, Connie, I’d like that…but I still need to make some modifications…so it can be my own.”

Connie smiled. She rapidly replied with a few choice words: “sounds good to me! Let’s go to my house. Hopefully, my parents aren’t there.”

Steven yelped. He wanted to come along, but Connie laughed him off, saying this was a “girl thing.” As he began to cower, Cleo saw an opening. She cleared her throat and shouted, “STEVEN, of course, you are welcome!” Connie shook her head, facepalmed herself, and grumbled, spitting out one word, “fine.” She thought this could be a time to be alone with Cleo. If she revealed that she had a crush on Cleo to Steven, she believed it could confuse him and cause his angry pink aura to return. She could not remember if he had caused havoc in a Tokyo store against those who wanted bento boxes or whether that had been a dream. In any case, she feared telling him the truth.

As they walked across Beach City, Connie and Steven saw familiar faces. Some of the town’s residents like Bill Dewey, Peedee Fryman, and Ronaldo Fryman waved, while Steven smiled back at them. Just before they reached the bus stop, Cleo, who hit a sleeping Mihos in her pocket, hit Connie and Steven on the back in a friendly manner.

“You wanna walk? Ha. Just hop on my hoverboard…because I’m awesome like that…next stop…Connie’s house! Hold on!”

Connie grasped Cleo around the waist, while Steven encircled his arm around her waist. They sped through the streets so fast that it made Connie and Steven dizzy. Even so, Connie still could make out their surroundings well enough that she Cleo the correct directions to house. Thanks to this, they reached the door of Connie’s home in record time. Unfortunately, Cleo stopped abruptly, throwing all three of them into the air. Cleo somehow caught them and descended to the ground softly. Connie muttered under her breath, "let’s never do that again." She unlocked the front door and felt relieved. She said hello to her mom, Priyanka, and dad, Doug, before she realized they were sitting on the couch, surprising her beyond belief. They were so consumed by their work that neither noticed that the door had opened or that she had talked to them. As Steven slipped up to Connie’s room, Cleo accidentally bumped into a badly placed dresser, causing her to trip and fall. As blood rushed to Connie’s cheeks, making them lighter brown and warmer than before, she froze in place in fright. At the same time, Cleo groaned about her injuries. Doug and Priyanka hopped up. Priyanka lent a hand and asked if she was ok, with Cleo responding, “I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” Realizing that Cleo likely covered up her pain, Doug went to the freezer to get an ice pack. Gazing at Connie wild-eyed, she cheerfully chirped, “is this a new friend? I always LOVE to meet your new friends, snookums!,” and then messed with Connie’s hair. For Connie, this could not get any more embarrassing. She decided to accept it for now and pointed to Cleo dejectedly, “this is Cleo. Meet my…mom and dad.” Cleo shook their hands, while she held the ice pack on her left leg with the other hand. Since she knew that their presence made Connie uncomfortable, she tried to end the interaction as soon as she could, adding, “nice to meet you both.” Connie followed up on this by placing her arm around Cleo and telling her parents that she had to go to her room. They waved back at her, shouting, “nice to meet you Cleo! Come by anytime!”

Steven sat in the room and hugged Connie at once. He had overheard everything. Before she could say anything and explain what had occurred, Cleo blurted it out.

“We talked with Connie’s parents after I tripped over some wooden contraption…one of them gave me an ice pack and the other…appeared to be nice too…You have nice parents, Connie…unlike mine…who are gone…forever.”

Steven and Connie stared at Cleo with sad eyes, sitting crisscross on the floor, clearly wanting a story. She rolled her eyes after noticing them there. She bobbed her head side-to-side. She decided that being completely truthful with them seemed to be the best possible approach.

“I don't know even know where to begin my story. I'll tell what I remember. I was born in a place called Egypt and my dad was King Ptolemy. I don’t remember my mother well, but I definitely had one…Anyway, long story short, I was a princess who lived in a palace and had a bunch of people waiting on me…I loved it. One day, when shooting rocks from a slingshot with my friend Gozi, the burial ground accidentally collapsed, revealing a secret tomb. I pulled Gozi inside and touched a tablet which began glowing pink…suddenly, a portal opened and I was transported 30,000 years in the future, to this other cave…where I met Brian and Akila…and had to run from these robots who were shooting at me…I escaped them, but not before Brian shot me with a gun so I could have this neural translation net on my face...we traveled in this spaceship, where they told me I wasn’t in a dream…and had been transported through time and space…Later, I arrived at Mayet and spoke to this council of cats on Mayet…and the rest is history…until I got here, of course.”

Steven and Connie smiled, even though her storytelling abilities were clearly subpar. Just then, Connie murmured that she had to excuse herself so she could go to the bathroom. As she left, Steven inched closer to Cleo. He whispered in her left ear something that caught her off guard:

“I’ve been Connie’s friend for years and recently her boyfriend. She has the hots for you. I can tell just from her face and expressions when she is around you. It’s okay if you too have a fling or relationship, I wouldn’t mind. I’m totally for open relationships with multiple people. Just know that. Connie is for that too…I can promise you that.”

Like the time when Callie confessed that she had a crush on her, Steven’s comment dumbfounded her. Connie listened to the whole thing from the bathroom and waited for when Cleo would admit her feelings. Even though she did not do that, she did say how much Connie meant to her, even though they had only met less than two days before:

“That’s great, Steven, but…I don’t think of her that way at this point. I mean, I met her, you, and the other Gems not long ago. That’s too soon to form any meaningful romantic attachment. I do like girls, I mean, I dated that fish-girl, Akila, you probably remember her...and I may have had some feelings for the mean girl, Callie. I'm not sure. Even so, I am thankful for what you, Connie, and everyone else did, aiding me in fighting Octavian. I foolishly thought I could take him on alone…but I was wrong. So, thank you.”

As Cleo turned her head, a tear came streamed down Connie’s face. After hearing everything, she opened the bathroom door and ran toward Cleo, shouting “can I hug you?” Cleo softly answered with a “yes!” Connie kept sprinting her direction, sliding onto the ground, coming into an embrace with Cleo. Not sure how to respond, she clasped Connie around the chest with her arms. Connie mouthed two words, “thank you.” Steven started to tiptoe away. Connie motioned him to come back, reminding he was part of her life too. In a friendly gesture, which Cleo accepted, Connie kissed her on the cheek. Steven tried to do the same, but Cleo moved a little, causing him to accidentally kiss her hair, causing him to crawl back. He stuttered and stumbled rearward, bowing his head in shame.

“I’m sorry, Cleo…I didn’t mean…”

Cleo interrupted him, as her arm disappeared into a portal coming out of her head. She pulled out her arm quickly and let out a loud squeal of extreme terror at something that had gone wrong. Connie had put on a white noise machine after they came into the room, so her parents did not hear Cleo. She demanded answers about what he did to her hair.

“Steven! My arm and hand disappeared into my head. What is going on? What did YOU do?”

Scratching his head, he could not figure out what was talking about. By contrast, Connie comprehended what Cleo meant without hesitation She sighed and told Cleo the truth.

“If this is like what happened to his friend, Lars, your hair became a portal of some type, which you can only access...I think that’s kinda cool actually.”

Steven questioned Cleo, wondering if had permission to prove Connie’s hypothesis right. Cleo resigned herself to it, approving his request on the condition he not “mess with” anything. He consented to her terms, swearing to not damage anything inside her portal world.

Entering Cleo’s head-portal, he saw a vast grassland with several small pyramids on several hills. He held his breath for a second until he realized he could breathe normally. The land, appearing to go on forever like the pink dimension, had a bubble of some type around it, allowing normal breathing. It fascinated him. He snapped a couple pictures with his phone and left in hurry. Flying out of her portal, he caught his breath. He took out his phone and showed her some of the pictures he had taken. As she leaned down to examine his photos, her crown fell to the ground. Suddenly, Steven’s phone fell inside the portal! This mystified her, Steven, and Connie even more. She swore she would retrieve his phone from inside the portal. As she jumped in, the portal world filled her eyes with wonder. To think that a simple kiss could have created all this made her respect Steven even more. She snatched Steven’s phone up and stepped out, proudly. Connie and Steven gave her confused looks. She squeezed Steven, thanking him for creating something which was so beautiful. He proposed a second theory for:

“Connie had it right that I created a portal...my Gem abilities must have mixed with the fact you traveled through time and space 30,000 years into the future, giving you that pink power. And the portal was created from that, a mix of both worlds, as to say.”

Cleo partially understood and thanked him yet again. He waved and told them he had to get going, wishing them well. Cleo smiled and waved back. As he walked out of the room, Connie reminded Cleo why she had come there in the first place: to get/create a new outfit.

She pulled out some of favorite clothing, one of which was an intricately woven orpiment-and-azurite striped, and linen dress, a kalasiris of sorts. It came in colors reminiscent of Cleo’s Ancient Egypt. Cleo picked up the dress in awe and asked if she could try it on, something which Connie accepted, only pointing a finger to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Cleo came out announced herself: “ta-da! What do you think?”

Connie smiled and stuck her thumb up. She let drop her thoughts on the dress:

“It looks…GREAT on you, Cleo! Still, that may be a little too formal, making it hard to maneuver around in…let me get something else for you. How about you try on some blue jeans, a t-shirt or maybe a blouse?...how about that, Cleo?”

Connie’s response disappointed her a little. Playing along seemed to be the best approach. She took a t-shirt, blouse, and blue jeans with her to the bathroom. Like before, when she came back, Connie had the same answer. Cleo lamented that the white t-shirt had no markings on it, saying that she would prefer something more colorful, even though she liked the blue jeans. Connie told her that she could tie-dye her shirt later. When Cleo raised an eyebrow over it, curious about what she meant, she vowed to explain it to her later. Discarding the blouse, complaining about its frills, she grasped a couple other pieces of clothing, like a grey turtleneck and some black sweatpants. Connie told her that she did not have to go to the bathroom this time but could change in the room itself. Flabbergasted by this, she saw Connie spin around the other way, with her back facing her.

While the sweatpants were a little baggy, the turtleneck was tight-fitting. She called out to Callie, soliciting her aid with trying on the clothes. Tentatively, Connie turned around, only to see an almost half-naked Cleo in front of her, her head stuck in the turtleneck, in part because of her crown. At first, she tried to avert her eyes. Seeing someone, especially a person she had a crush on, partly naked made her uncomfortable. She set aside these feelings. Breathing deeply, she scooted over to Cleo and examined the turtleneck. She saw that the crown had gotten in the fabric. She began with one simple question: “can I take off your crown?” Cleo shot back, “yes…but don’t damage it! Be incredibly careful with it! It was once my mothers.” Connie understood. She removed the crown and laid it on a nearby table. She implored Cleo to try putting on the shirt again. She had some success, but now it was stuck around her head. Instead of making Cleo struggle again, Connie posed another question:

“Can I try something? You’ll have to close your eyes for this one. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Cleo, afraid of what Connie might do, assented with the proviso that she be gentle. Picking up a pair of scissors from a desk drawer, she walked over to a Cleo, crouched on the floor, and began cutting into the padded color, creating a slice in the front. She did the same for the right side, left side, and the back. She called for Cleo to try slipping the garment on over her head again. This time it worked, and it slipped down to her neck. She then slipped each of her arms into the sleeves. She thought that this style did not suit her like what she normally wore. In front of Connie, she began taking off the sweatpants, with Connie's mouth wide open and aghast. Cleo let out a laugh and teased her.

“Oh, Connie. You already saw my chest, so seeing my legs is nothing different. My girlfriend, if I could call her that, saw it all the time. So, its ok for a second…if it in a secluded area.”

Cleo’s openness took Connie aback, and she shook her head. “I get what you are saying, but we only met…I want to give you privacy...in the future, we can have this discussion again, if you want.” Cleo could accept those terms. She pulled up the blue jeans and examined it in combination with the turtleneck with a collar sliced in four areas. This matching of the top and bottom still did not appear right. After telling Connie to it was “safe” to turn around, wanting her advice on this fresh look. Connie thought that Cleo had it right to dislike the outfit and suggested that she try the t-shirt again. A few minutes passed. While she disliked the t-shirt, she had a wild idea: to rip off the sleeves. This did not bother Connie, who had eight other white shirts. While looking at Cleo, she accidentally bumped a pen off the desk which sparkled in the sunlight. Cleo pointed at it, wanting answers about this mysterious writing implement: “Connie, what’s that?” She explained that it was a sparkle pen, each of its strokes making a glittery pattern. This really excited Cleo. She demanded something else: “Draw on me! Print my name! Make it snappy!” This confused Connie even more, whose face got hot, as blood flowed to her cheeks and she froze in place. Realizing that her words had caused discomfort, Cleo clarified:

“No, no...silly, I don’t mean literally draw on me. I mean on this t-shirt. Write something like ‘Cleo rules.’ I think it would be awesome to have that with that pen on this shirt. It would make it SO much better. It really would! Can you PLEASE do it?”

Connie assented and began writing the first word, starting with the C, then the L, followed by the E and O. Luckily she had not centered the word and she snickered a little, adding the letters P-A-T-R-A to the first line, followed by C-O-M-I-N-G on the second line, with two words on the third line: A-T and Y-A-!. This shirt had the catchphrase that Cleo herself had coined when at P.Y.R.A.M.I.D., yelling it one day when she sped across the campus on her hoverboard: “Cleopatra, coming at ya!” Examining her work in the mirror, she deeply enjoyed it, thanking Connie for her work on it. Connie then told Cleo she could keep all the clothes she tried on, making Cleo even happier. After telling her that she should leave and go back to the Beach House, she clung onto her arm and began crying a little.

“I don’t want to go back. It’s so boring there. They are trying to be nice and all, but I don’t feel at home there. Can I stay here with you? You could keep your bed. I’d be ok with sleeping on the floor, if I could sleep on something comfortable on top of it...and Mihos will behave himself.”

This turn of events made Connie internally squeal with joy. On the surface, she grinned and gave Cleo a hug, telling her that she was “always welcome.” Steven called her afterward about Cleo, wanting to know if she would be coming back to the Beach House. Connie told him the truth, that she would be staying the night. Steven beamed and wished her the best on “improving your friendship with Cleo.” As the sky began to get darker, Connie opened the window, with the cool breeze rushing in, and they sat together, watching the sun go down.

Months past. The late cold of winter turned into the warm days of spring. Connie was taking a gap year after graduating from Beach City High School the past fall. Even so, she still worked on her college applications while Cleo became a fixture in the room, despite the fact she was unsure what to do with her life. Cleo had become bored with Beach City and everything around it, refurbishing the portal dimension while Connie wanted to do something new. Steven began video chatting with them. What he said fulfilled their desires, but not in a way they expected:

“Connie…and uh, Cleo. I’d like you to come to Empire City, in the Empire State, as soon as possible. We picked up these two women in Yokohama after the planet’s missile defenses shot them down…they will be questioned by World Court of Justice in a few hours…it’s the first new test of this court and I’m excited. I’d like you to sit in.”

Connie raised her eyebrow. He felt disappointed, unsure she could fulfill his request. Cleo then piped in as she had a huge smile on her face.

“I can take her there! I have my hoverboard…I’ve been using it every day and I’m really skilled with it. If that’s all right with you, of course.”

Steven gave his consent and Connie accepted it. Having on the shirt Connie had decorated for her, she put on the turtleneck with the sliced collar over top, and blue jeans, along with her trademark crown. Connie wore her casual late spring clothes. Closing the door of her room, they slipped down the stairs and out the front door. Her parents were at work and could not bother either of them, which they had done since she had begun rooming at the house. Cleo took out the hoverboard from her crown-portal with her hand and placed a helmet around her head. Preparing for this occasion, she handed Connie a bike helmet, who strapped it tightly around her chin. She gave Connie one pointer: that she needed to hold on tight.

The hoverboard sped out of Connie’s neighborhood and along the road. While Cleo could have gone faster, she did not want to hurt her precious new friend, Connie. Empire City was far away. To get there quickly, one had to travel through the States of Delmarva and Jersey, both neutral states, before reaching the glittering city. Luckily, at this time of day, early in the morning, vehicle traffic remained light, making their travel smooth and without any hiccups. In no time at all, they entered the Empire State and Empire City itself. The trick now was finding where the “questioning” of the two unidentified women, that Steven talked about, would occur. Cleo slowed the hoverboard to a crawl as she intently searched for any sign of World Court of Justice, while Mihos poked his head out of her pocket, enjoying the adventure. Unfortunately for them, the hearing has already begun.

Under the rules of Appendix B of the Charter of the World Parliamentary Assembly (WPA), the statue of the court, this court was composed of a group of 38 independent judges (Articles II & III) which had to be approved by 2/3 of the members of the Universal World Assembly (Article IV), and had six-year-terms (Article V), with their members disallowed from exercising any “any political, administrative, or professional function” which interfered with the court’s functioning (Article VIII). The court was also, according to the appendix, headed by a Chief Judge elected by the court’s members, who serves a four-year-term, while the court can “appoint other officers such as a Registrar, Scribe, and Secretary, as needed” (Article XI). The quorum of the court is 20 members (Article XIV) had the ability to split into one or more chambers to “deal with particular types of cases,” sometimes determining cases by “summary procedure” (Article XV). The court's jurisdiction only applied to Member States of the WPA (Article XVIII), with the court applying “worldwide convention, customs, and general principles of law” in making its decisions (Article XVIV), with Parties in cases represented by agents, whether advocates or counsel (Article XXI). All cases were public “unless otherwise stated” (Article XXIII). In this case, however, they were only holding a hearing and giving an advisory opinion on a legal question, a power granted them in Article XXVII. The advisory opinion had been requested by the Earth Defense Force (EDF), a WPA organ “tasked with defending the Earth from threats from within and outside the solar system.” A gavel hit the table. The court’s 20 members, naming themselves Councilors for this hearing, sat behind a desk, all wearing long robes and covering their faces, along with voice distorters. The hearing had begun, whether Cleo or Connie were there to witness it or not.

“I, Chief Judge of World Court of Justice, call this Hearing on the Yokohama Incident into order. We have assembled witnesses to come and testify before our panel, which has been hastily assembled. As a reminder, we will give an advisory opinion on this issue, but our ruling is not binding. We call Officer Snarlepants, the officer who apprehended the two beings which entered Earth’s airspace, with their craft shot down by EDF defenses, in for questioning.”

The officer approached the table where a microphone was ready for him, as was a glass of water in case his mouth became parched. The Chief Judge began the questioning.

“Officer Snarlepants, can you please describe what occurred yesterday, June 9, 2020?”

“Certainly. The Earth Defense Force or EDF has a sworn duty, as enshrined in Chapter IX of the WPA Charter, to defend the planet from threats whether within or outside the solar system. What happened yesterday was an extension of those obligations. Under the authority granted to the EDF in Article 34, we had a rapid response unit ready to face the perceived threat. At 13:00 hours, our systems detected an unidentified object about to enter of Earth airspace. We attempted to contact the craft, but our efforts were unsuccessful. As the ship continued its approach, the EDF troops, exercising our Article 35 authority, fired the planetary defense systems. As a result, the ship was shot down and crashed in Yokohama, a city in the State of Japan. While a team had been dispatched to the location, our operators contacted neighboring states to inform them about the incident. When the squad of EDF personnel arrived at the scene, they discovered a damaged ship and two unconscious people. While the persons were transported to a nearby hospital, where local medical personnel attempted to treat them. One of these individuals appeared to be comprised of a gooey pinkish substance as malleable as melted candy and called themselves as ‘Bonnibel.’ The other had greyish skin and shied away from the sunlight identifying themselves with the name of ‘Marceline.’ We brought them here today for this hearing, in order to be transparent with the peoples of the world about this incident.”

The Chief Justice and the fellow councilors scratched their chins, fascinated, and interested by the testimony of Officer Snarlepants. One of those on the panel asked a further question in hopes of clarifying the Yokohoma Incident, as they called it, a bit more.

“Mr. Snarlepants, you said that a team found the crashed craft in Yokohoma and you extracted those aboard, bringing them to a hospital. Were there any weapons or tools aboard?”

The officer cleared his throat and drank part of the glass of water. He knew what he was about to say may scare people even more, but felt he had a responsibility to give a full explanation.

“Councilor, on board this ship, a spacecraft of an unknown, origin, we found a number of materials, all conveniently labeled. All were futuristic beyond what any of us had ever seen. Our technicians classified the items within the craft, which we have brought here: the ‘Ball Blam Burglerber,’ the ‘Electrode Gun,’ the ‘Googoomamameter,’ and a ‘Tea Robot.’ There was also a chest with the label “candy seeds,” a device which looked like a video camera, a music-playing device, a blueish transforming object apparently a phone, and a bunch of musical instruments.”

The councilors considered his testimony and decided to not pursue any other inquiries. He had given them enough information at this point. The Chief Judge began speaking again, their voice booming across the room, almost making the ground shake.

“Thank you, Mr. Snarlepants. That is all the questions we have currently. If you don’t mind, we would like the items you found on the spacecraft to be available for examination by the members of this panel on the Yokohoma Incident. Mr. Steven Universe, before this panel began, you told our members that you have vital information on this case. Please explain.”

Steven scanned the room for Connie and Cleo but could find them nowhere. He decided to continue anyway, hoping to clear up any misunderstanding.

“Thank you for inviting me, councilors and Chief Judge, to this panel. I am as eager as you are to resolve this case and find the underlying cause of this issue. As a person who helped build institutions like the World Court of Justice and others within the World Parliamentary Assembly system beginning over a year ago, I’m excited to see this all play out. Let me tell you what I know. While I was not here when the two individuals you have brought before this panel crashed in Yokohama, I remember over a year ago, on June 14, 2019, to be exact, when my friend Lars, now in the Nile Galaxy, encountered a mystery ship. It was, from what I can gather, piloted by the two people you have before this panel. From what Captain Lars told me, they fought a ship in an intense dogfight which went across the Earth’s surface. They mysteriously disappeared, originally in the orbit of the planet, and after that point, I confronted Lars about his actions. That’s the general summary of what happened. But, my friends Pearl and Adora saw the individuals that are here today on that day. Would you like to talk to them? I ask because Captain Lars is unable to attend, as he is still exploring the Nile Galaxy under an agreement with the newly created Off-World Exploration and Contact Committee to be Earth’s Ambassador.”

The Chief Judge and councilors pondered his proposal. Around the same time, Cleo and Connie walked into the room, with Connie waving to Steven and whispering, “sorry we’re late…but traffic in Empire City was heavy today.” Steven nodded and accepted her apology. Connie and Cleo sat on chairs in the front row, ready to watch the panel intently. Cleo did not care about this as much as Connie, as it seemed a bit dry and dull to her. The Chief Judge announced the decision that they and the councilors had made together.

“Mr. Universe, we have decided to accept your request. If you could obtain the two persons you speak of and bring them hear post-haste, that would be wonderful. They are not obligated to come but tell them that we would welcome their testimony.”

Steven, who had left out some parts of his story when speaking to the court, followed their suggestion. He stepped into the hair-mane of Lion, saying he would be back in a “short-bit.” The Chief Judge then slammed his gavel onto the table. He announced something which put everyone at ease:

“In light of the testimony by Mr. Universe, the panel is hereby in recess until he returns with the persons he names ‘Pearl’ and ‘Adora.’ Thank you.”

Sitting in her seat, bored out of her mind, Cleo hoped for some excitement. Otherwise, she predicted her eyes would glaze over as yawned even more. Suddenly, Steven reappeared with Pearl and Adora, dressed in snappy suits. Catra, who had wanted to remain in the Nile Galaxy because she did not want to attend a “silly trial” as she put it, had not cared enough to change her clothes. She sat down next to Cleo as she grumbled about this “absurd excursion.” The gavel hit the table once more. The Chief Judge called the panel back to order. They requested Pearl and Adora to sit behind the table in the designated chairs. Once they had sat down, the questions and queries would begin. One of the councilors started off.

“Ms. Pearl and Ms. Adora, you have been informed by Mr. Universe about the circumstances of this panel. I would like each of you to recount what happened on June 14, 2019. Ms. Pearl, if you could start off, that would be great.”

Pearl cleared her throat and began speaking.

“Certainly. I was visiting the capital of Rizalia, Manila, with my girlfriend, Adora, where we met our good friends Lapis and Peri. At one point, we saw a huge spaceship chasing another one across the landscape. It looked like Adora was in danger, so I fired my shotgun at one of the ships. In the process, I became injured. Being a good person, Adora tended to my wounds. From what I recall, the ship turned around and dispatched a medical kit, with a handwritten note and a photo of the two people piloting the ship. Later, we talked to Steven, Lars, and others about it… I wish I still had the photograph, but I gave it to Lars. So, he has it somewhere I have the letter if you’d me to read it.”

The Chief Judge nodded and gave his consent for her to read it. She did so, and it revealed a lot about their motivations for coming to the planet:

Dear Peach-Haired Woman and Blonde-Haired Companion,

I’m sorry to have caused you any trouble. A ship is chasing us, but we don’t want to harm anyone, whether here or in space. We are from a far-flung planet…and came to this blue planet of wonder to check on one of the colonies of my people from the great Candy Kingdom which landed on your planet surface. We wish you both the best. As a small act of gratitude, we are sending you this first aid kit accompanied by a photo of me (with the pink hair) and my girlfriend, Marceline (with the nightshade black hair) and a cool guitar. We apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you.

Yours truly,

Princess Bubblegum

P.S. Marceline sends her love.

The councilors were glad that Pearl shared this information, but they still wanted to know more. Neither were aware that Lars had given the photograph of Bonnie and Marcy to Melty on Gargantia as a parting gift. Hearing from Adora would inform their ultimate advisory opinion.

“Ms. Adora, do have any additional testimony which builds on what Ms. Pearl talked about?”

Wanting her appearance before the panel to end soon, she spurted out some words, without much thought. This is because she liked to improvise, even as she also liked planning (and strategizing), part of the reason that Adora and Pearl were together in the first place.

“My partner described it pretty well, to be honest. I can confirm that everything she said is correct. Furthermore, I recognize the two individuals here today as the ones me and my partner saw about a year ago. That’s all I have to say at this time.”

The councilors would have liked to hear more. Despite this, they were glad that she and her partner had attended. After Adora and Pearl took their seats in the audience, there were two remaining individuals who needed to give testimony: Bonnie and Marcy. A person, resembling a bailiff in a trial setting, brought them out of containment unit where they had been detained during the hearing and to the table. Barely with it and a bit woozy, they sat down in two chairs. The Chief Justice probed them for information.

“Ms. Pearl, Ms. Adora, Mr. Universe, and Mr. Snarlepants have given their testimony. Is there anything else either of you would like to add?”

Marcy held Bonnie’s hand tightly, as she spoke to the panel. She hoped to get them out of this situation as soon as she could. This situation made each of them nervous in separate ways.

“The words that have been spoken here today are completely accurate. The letter that I wrote over a year ago is the clearest statement of our purposes for coming to this planet. We did not mean and did not intend to harm anyone. We only came to check up on a candy colony in a place you call Yokohama, with the candy seeds sent there from the Land of Ooo, on a world in ruin, our homeland. If you could allow us to examine the site, that would be appreciated. We don’t want to be burden to anyone.”

Like they had with Steven’s offer, the Chief Judge considered what Bonnie had to say. The gavel hit the table with a loud bang. They announced a short recess in order to deliberate and make their final advisory opinion. Bonnie, Marcy, Cleo, Connie, Steven, Catra, Adora, and Pearl waited in anticipation. This case would be the first test of the world justice system.

The councilors, still in their long robes, came out. The Chief Judge stepped forward and announced the opinion of the court, regarding Marcy, Bonnie, and the so-called Yokohoma Incident:

“Spectators, witnesses, and people of the world. We have come to a unanimous decision. We recommend the two individuals be discharged into the care of Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems at their home in Beach City. All the materials gathered from their spacecraft should be sent to the same location. From the testimony given here today, it is clear they are no threat to anyone. We also do not object to these people being allowed to visit the site in Yokohama for scientific purposes. Nothing should interfere with their examination of the site. That is all and we hope that the EDF follows our suggestions. Thank you.”

As the councilors stepped away from their chairs and filed out a back door, the Commander of the Earth Defense Force stepped forward. She revealed herself to be Bismuth. She read a short proclamation which agreed, and accepted, the court’s opinion:

“We are pleased to see this result from the World Court of Justice and accept the opinion. We will honor the opinion and ensure it is implemented. That is all.”

Steven chuckled as he offered to give everyone a ride to the Beach House on Lion. He knew that the court had not been comprehensive, because Lars, Utena, and Anthy could have all provided testimony, as could have any of the Off Colors. Strangely, they were not called to testify, which seemed weird to him. Even so, he saw this panel as successful. Although Cleo would have used her hoverboard instead, she agreed to go with him. Pearl, Bonnie, Marcy, and Connie rode on the back of Lion. Steven stayed inside the Pink Dimension with Cleo, Catra, and Adora. Since Cleo's crown-dimension was ingrained in her crown and not directly tied to the Pink Dimension, she could stay inside without a problem. All four were in a bubble together. Lion ran forward as quickly as he could toward the Beach House, where they could be together peacefully, at last.

Later that day, all eight of them arrived at the door of the Beach House, completely exhausted. The panel, which had begun early in the day, had lasted until the late afternoon. Lion did not arrive at the house until the evening. Steven laid down at once and fell straight asleep. Connie, used to being with Cleo, felt herself torn, and decided to stay on the couch with Cleo. Pearl and Adora retired to Pearl’s massive room, as did Catra reluctantly. Bonnie, tired from the time travel and the grueling day of being questioned by a group of faceless and nameless beings, collapsed on the ground with fatigue, while Marcy floated above her, ready to comfort her in the trying times that lay ahead. Amethyst and Garnet came inside to find everyone sleeping and moved into their rooms, ready to make their big revelation the following day.

The path forward had many difficulties. It could serve as a new beginning for Cleo, Bonnie, Marcy, Catra, and everyone else in the house, as each person worked out their problems in the days to come.

******

End Note: In this story, I used “Cleopatra Philopator VII (TV)” page from the Cleopatra in Space fandom site for some details about Cleo and “Pearl’s Room” page from Steven Universe fandom site. Otherwise, I just used my accumulated fan knowledge and general knowledge. I'm excited about my next fic series. I'm not going to say what it will be yet, but I will note that it will be centered around Adora, Catra, Entrapta "Apta," Glimmer, and Bow. Back to the story, calling what Steven ate "planet burgers" was a mistake at first, but I decided to keep it for laughs and giggles, as its obviously a nod to "plant burgers," with the same being the case about "planet butter," a nod to "plant butter." I am also teasing here that the Bento Brawl actually happened, my silly one-off story I wrote not that long ago. I purposely used gender-neutral pronouns to describe the Chief Judge as to hide their reveal in the next fic. As an additional note, I ended up making the panel like a psuedo-court, and it would have been better if I has based it on my congressional hearings or something. Oh well. Finally, I used bugger here to not mean sodomite, but a small and annoying thing, to be clear. I looked through what other people have tagged Bubbline and Conniverse fics, while discovering that I'm the only one who is writing Adora/Pearl fics, lol. I probably am the the first person to have an Adora/Pearl/Catra relationship tag, with them likely in a poly relationship together. I originally titled this fic "Pax Cleopatra and the Departure of Heroes," but felt that was too limiting, so I came up with the original title instead.

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lefemmerougewriter · 4 years

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Marcy's "Revenge," Cleo's Newfound Freedom, and the Beach City Dance Party

This Teen and Up Audiences fan fic brings together characters from Steven Universe, Cleopatra in Space, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, and Adventure Time, is part 30 of “An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers,” my multifaceted crossover fan fiction. I took a while to write this, which was too long since my last fic, which I did not intend, but I struggled with how to tie up the loose ends in this series. This fic also sets the stage for my next (and upcoming) series, following the adventures of Cleo and Connie. The Marcy-Steven confrontation at the beginning may be a little overboard, but it's interesting to think about what a fight between both of them would be like, which I showed a bit of in this story. As always, comments are welcome!

See the master list for An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers here.

Friendships: Cleo & Steven, Greg & Steven, Apta & Fuma, Cleo & Marcy, Cleo & Glimmer, Cleo & Kipo

Words: 5.7k

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25917475

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1254842377-an-unlikely-alliance-of-evildoers-marcy%27s-revenge

Quotev: https://www.quotev.com/story/13000354/Marcys-Revenge-Cleos-Newfound-Freedom-and-the-Beach-City-Dance-Party

Characters: Bonnie, Marcy, Steven, Connie, Pearl, Cleo, Catra, Adora, Garnet, Amethyst, Mihos, Perfuma “Fuma”, Entrapta “Apta”, Lion, Greg, Bismuth, Utena, Anthy, Glimmer, Kipo, Akila, Peridot “Peri”, and Lapis

Summary: Marcy and Bonnie are off the hook for their “crimes” of entering Earth airspace without authorization after the conclusion by the panel. While Bonnie is breathing a sigh of relief, Marcy wants to strike back at the Earthlings for what they did to her and her girlfriend. Steven is first in the line of fire. Will Marcy’s emotions get the better of her or will restrain herself before she tries to turn Steven into a vampire? Will she listen to Bonnie’s reasoned pleas to stop her emotion-laden “revenge scheme”? Whatever the result, secrets will be revealed and people will be brought together in this final chapter of the saga of unlikely loose “alliance” against evildoers, who will go their own ways, as the world and universe are before them, coming together in a celebration of peace...

Bonnie yawned, awakened to the smell of sizzling pancakes on the griddle, and a kiss from Marcy. Both were wary of the planet’s inhabitants. Steven smiled back and waved. While Bonnie tried to comfort her, Marcy pushed her away, saying she needed to deal with “this” on her own. She became invisible and Bonnie face-palmed herself, warning an aloof Steven:

“Watch out, Marcy can turn invisible and likely will attack you, even though you did nothing wrong…for revenge after yesterday’s trial...I mean panel...so be prepared.”

He quickly turned the griddle off and prepared himself for battle. Suddenly, something ripped his shirt off his chest, with the shirt pulled the floor and the reddish color beginning to disappear from his shirt. Watching this unfold, he tried to grab the shirt back, but it unexpectedly wrapped around his body, putting him a bind. Marcy, still invisible, picked up Steven, opened the door, and threw him down to the beach below. His loud, and pained, scream woke up many of his friends sleeping inside, while Lion and Mihos snoozed. Connie, Cleo, Pearl, Catra, Adora, Garnet, and Amethyst groggily came outside the house to see what all the commotion was about. The shirt, which had enveloped his body, dropped to the sand. Marcy reappeared, transforming into a huge copperhead snake with huge fangs. Steven cowered, readying his shield and pink powers in a defensive posture. Despite his jabs at her, she remained nimble, easily deflecting his blows. He put a bubble around himself, hoping it would protect him for now. Instead, she picked up the bubble, put it in her mouth. She planned to break through and bite him, with her fangs turning him into a vampire. She vowed this would be the proper revenge for what they had “been through.” Bonnie ran out to Marcy, threw up her hands and stamped on the ground, attempting to stop this heinous act.

“Stop this at once, Marcy! These people aren’t here to hurt us. They only want to help.”

Hearing Bonnie’s words, Marcy shapeshifted into her normal form, causing Steven to go flying across the beach collapse under a mountain of sand. She hugged Bonnie and started crying, saying she was “sorry” and did not know what came over her. Bonnie put her arms around Marcy, saying she forgave her, while encouraging her to apologize to Steven after giving her a peck on the cheek. Ashamed for her behavior, she walked over to a stunned Steven and helped him up from the sand. To his astonishment, she expressed regret for her behavior.

“Steven, I didn’t mean to attack you…me and Bonnie have been through a lot...and I released that aggression on you…that wasn’t right…you had nothing to do with what happened to us.”

Chuckling a little and attempting to make light of being attacked by a half-vampire, half-demon shapeshifting woman, Steven told her he did not mind roughhousing, but intense fighting was a little much for this time in the morning. She agreed with him and they shook hands. Pearl yelled down to him, “Steven, put on a shirt, for gosh sakes!” and threw him one of his classic red shirts with a yellow star in the middle. Putting it on, Marcy groused that she did not like to “see men’s chests.” Bonnie asked her why and she said that the “jerk” she used to date had ruined them for her, while admitting her occasional sexual attraction to men. Neither Steven nor anyone watching them knew what she meant, although Bonnie understood that the jerkwad was Ash, Marcy’s ex-boyfriend. Bonnie once had a boyfriend, Cream Puff, as well, but he never came up in their conversations.

As all three of them began walking inside, Garnet stood in front of the door, blocking entry inside. Amethyst and Pearl examined Steven, asking if he was ok. He rolled his eyes and declared “yes, I’m fine!” Marcy and Bonnie were just as annoyed. Garnet sat down in a meditative pose. She hoped that her words would cause their dispute to dissipate.

“I don’t know why you two are sparring, but...I have something to admit. You know that panel, the pseudo-trial yesterday? I…was the Chief Justice and…”

Amethyst then piped in. “...and me as a councilor. Lapis, Peridot, Utena, and Anthy were councilors too! We wanted to make sure that the planet’s new visitors, Marcy, and Bonnie, were treated right...and we won! Instead of fighting, maybe you should kiss and make up.”

Bonnie and Marcy thanked Garnet and Amethyst profusely for saving them from that panel. Both gems gladly embraced them. Marcy began floating into the air, with Bonnie in her arms, while Adora looked at Marcy with wide eyes, telling her that her shapeshifting abilities were “super cool,” reminiscent of the time she had been entranced by Carmen Sandiego. Uncomfortable with the sidden praise of her “powers,” her light blue-grey skin became a little lighter in the cheeks, as blood rushed to that area, and she gave Bonnie big smooch on the mouth. They slowly descended to the porch, both refreshed, although a bit hungry, as neither had eaten breakfast. Like clockwork, Pearl and Adora brought their heads (and lips) together, while Connie and Cleo looked like they were about to do the same. At that exact moment, Steven’s dad, Greg, blissfully unaware, came around the rock outcropping, excited to see his son again, hoping to do some father-son bonding. Then he saw it. Embarrassed by the public displays of affection, he nearly turned tail and ran. Steven sprinted out to him, telling him that everyone had been following Amethyst’s advice. Greg mumbled about Amethyst meddling in people’s affairs again. Just as he spoke those words, Amethyst’s whip bound his arms, pulling him closer. She snickered, telling him he “couldn’t escape.”

As she pulled him across part of the beach, he struggled and bellowed, demanding she let him go. She did so at once, having no intention of hurting him, and only wanted to mess with him. Not long after, Greg stomped his foot on the sand, lamenting the situation.

“Amethyst, you are doing it again! I came over here to spend some quality time with my son and you encourage people to kiss and make up? Seriously! I guess you won’t be part of my band.”

Marcy’s ears perked up. Hearing that word brought back positive memories, like the time she had her own short-lived band, Marceline and the Scream Queens, managed by Bonnie, and the times she played solo concerts as a musician across the Land of Ooo. She scurried over to a perplexed Greg and began prattling on.

“Band, you say? I LOVE music. I have this hella cool guitar made from a family heirloom…an ax…or I did before we were arrested by those military guys in that place you call Yokohama.”

Almost on cue, Garnet threw her the Ax Bass, Marcy thanking her once again. Taking her favorite bone pick out of her pocket, somehow not confiscated by the EDF soldiers, she began playing a song, Bonnie softly sang along in this duet.

Gentle dance with you/

I just wanna gently dance with you/

I know the others are rough and soft/

And I got the blues/

I just wanna gently dance with you/

Steven, Greg, Connie, Cleo, Pearl, Catra, Adora, Garnet, and Amethyst were impressed. Her musical abilities gave Steven an idea that eluded everyone else. He wanted to host an event which would bring the world together after the so-called “Yokohama Incident.” Turning to Marcy, he began babbling about his proposal, in hopes of attracting her interest.

“Hey, Marcy, how about we have a concert here in Beach City? You can play your songs, me and my dad can play together, Peri and Lapis can play something, too. We can broadcast the whole thing across the world. We'll have a grand ole’ time...together!”

Bonnie was unsure, since they had only met briefly “met,” if that could even be called a meeting, and the fact that Earth’s residents nearly killed them both in an effort of "self-defense," resulting a terrifying near-death experience. Marcy excitedly jumped at the opportunity. She strummed her guitar, singing her answer: “YES!” Greg grinned and looked content. He promised to try and bring Sadie Killer and the Suspects to this concert, and if not, then he would come instead. Preparations for the concert began, with everyone playing an important part, especially those who would performing before the town’s residents and the world. Cleo shook her head at this whole extravaganza, and muttered, “Oh brother.”

A few months passed, from the blazing days of July and August to the cool days of September. Adora, Catra, and Pearl returned to the Nile Galaxy through the Pink Dimension, journeying across the cosmos with Lars and his merry band (Pappy, Rhodonite, RT, and Fluorite). Bismuth continued to tour with Sadie Killer & the Suspects, a band managed by Greg, while Steven had fun adventures and hi-jinks with Amethyst. Garnet taught meditation classes to the town’s residents, Connie and Cleo had fun days on the beach, whether in Beach City, Ocean Town, or any of the surrounding cities, with Cleo enjoying her newfound freedom on Earth.

The day of the concert, October 8, 2020, had arrived. People and all beings celebrated it around the world as a day that those women who loved other women, in whatever form they came in, whether Gems, humans, or something else, came together, whether in the Principality of Eastern Australia, the Indigenous Republic of Aotearoa, or the Unified Australian Islands. Those in any of the other 74 nations across the world, listed in the WPA Information Bureau’s absurdly named pamphlet, “What is the World Parliamentary Assembly (WPA) anyway? And Why Should I Care?,” proudly commemorated the day, while some bigoted people disagreed.

The stage on the beach had been set up, constructed with the help of Garnet, Amethyst, Steven, and Pearl. The latter decided to visit Earth again with Catra and Adora. All three of them were in a throuple, which they liked to call a triad. All three of them had become more intimate while traversing the Nile Galaxy, learning more about each other, new planets, cultures, and civilizations. Like any relationship, problems cropped up from time to time, and they were talk to each other to resolve any issues. Each person in this relationship respected each other so much that jealousy has become non-existent. No one had secrets and all three of them intensely loved each other. Based on what she knew about them, Pearl guessed that Peri, Lapis, Utena, and Anthy (LUPA) might have a similar arrangement as a “quad,” but she did not know for sure, since she had not seen them for long time.

Cleo’s groan pierced the air like a deer being shot with a poison-tipped arrow. Connie had taken away her hoverboard, stashing it in the Beach House. She bemoaned her supposed “mistreatment”:

“Come on, Connie...legs are so slow!...can I use my hoverboard...please...pretty please.”

Connie shook her head and was unwavering. Cleo complained. Not wanting a fight, she gave in. She walked off in a huff, deeply worrying Marcy. Although she had only stayed on Earth for a brief time with Bonnie, she knew Cleo better than when they first crashed there in June when their spaceship was shot down by the EDF’s missile defenses. They had become friends, although her Cleo's appearance sometimes made her shiver. As she moped on the porch of the Beach House, Marcy floated over and tried to take her out of this funk:

“Hey, buddy, what’s wrong...Connie is just trying to be...”

She stopped speaking when she saw tears streaming down Cleo’s face. She admitted that she missed her friends in Mayet, and her dad, 30,000 years in the past. As she began to float into the air and glow pink, Marcy tightly wrapped her arms around her body. For some reason, this comforted her, making her feel at home. Her powers receded, just before she sucked the electrical energy out of the Beach House, and she fell, appearing virtually lifeless, into Marcy’s arms. Setting her down on the soft beach sand, Connie and Steven came quickly to her side. Garnet, Pearl, Adora, and Amethyst would have helped, but Steven told them to stay behind. While they did so, all four remained worried due to Steven’s past “pink outbursts,” which had not been a problem when they were in the Nile Galaxy, but has started up again in the last few months. Before Connie could open her mouth, Cleo, a bit dazed, explained why she had floated in the air, understating her abilities.

“Sorry for scaring you...When I think of home, I glow pink and can suck out all the electrical energy of an object or person...it hasn’t occurred since I fought Octavian with you all those months ago, but it cropped up again. I didn’t tell you because I thought I had found my center and a new place here...but I can never forget where I came from, no matter how hard I try.”

Steven and Connie hugged her, promising to support her through whatever she needed. As Cleo stood up, declaring she would strive to “solve” this “problem,” one day, Steven sheepishly laughed. He added, “make sure you don’t do that pink glow thing when the concert is on...that would be such a bummer.” Howling at his remark, Cleo asked him one simple question:

“Can I bring my friends...or just a friend...you know, from Mayet, to this concert?”

Nodding at her request, she jumped up and down in joy, saying she would be back in a “jiffy.” Handing her crown to Connie, she then dived into the crown-portal. Once inside she moved toward the first inter-dimensional gateway on her right. She passed a nearby signpost titled “Akila’s room ♥ ♥,” written above the spot where she kissed the sign when trying on some red lipstick which she “borrowed” from Connie without telling her, like the time she stole Akila's clothes. After staring at the sign for a second, she snapped out of it, and walked through the gateway to the Mayet’s P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. campus. She had been sneaking away there at least once a week, especially at night, after Connie fell asleep. This time, when she popped her head in, Akila told her to come back later. She ignored this until she saw Callie. Acting rashly, she firmly grabbed Akila’s hand, pulling her inside the portal, whirling them back to the crown-portal dimension. Hitting the “ground,” with a thump, Akila, and about to excoriate Cleo on her recklessness, she remained in awe of everything inside the dimension itself. Cleo quickly to cover up the sign she had created for Mayet, standing nervously in front of it, blocking it from view. Not noticing that Cleo was “protecting” anything, Akila taunted her about why she had pulled her from Mayet as it seemed unusual and uncharacteristic of her.

“Why’d you bring me here, cutie? Are you gonna tell me you love me again?”

Cleo rolled her eyes and came within a few inches of Akila’s face. “Everytime I come to visit I declare my love to you...I wanted to invite you to a concert my friends are having on Earth.”

Akila’s ears perked up. She enjoyed music more than anything. Anyone could see that from her continued man-crush on Zedge despite the fact he tried to kill Cleo when under Octavian's mind control. Akila smiled and said something that astounded Cleo, knowing what this newish “friend” had done to her partner.

“Can Callie come along too? I’m getting to know her better now...and she isn’t a bad person.”

Cleo guffawed at such a request. She had completely forgotten about Callie. She had a better person in her life now, Connie, who did not try and score romantic points with her, like Callie. She turned up her nose, asserting, “nah. I don’t want her to come. I’m unsure what I should think about her...having her would confuse stuff too much. She can stay on Mayet. That is where someone like her belongs.”

Akila understood and did not ask again. She did not want to go back and inform Brian about this concert. Even though both remained friends, any inkling of romantic attachment between them had evaporated away. Akila wanted to take a break from dating and romance, with Cleo as a huge, gaping exception to that self-created “rule.” Just before they were about to exit the crown-portal dimension, she pulled Cleo aside, surprising her such a bold action. She grumbled about what she had gone through on Mayet after Cleo's departure.

“Do you…sometimes, feel inadequate? Sure, I have Brian, Khensu, and the rest of those at P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. but it's different without you there…”

Akila started sobbing, adding, “can you PLEASE come back, Cleo? I NEED you!”

Cleo hugged her and whispered to her, “its ok…let’s talk about this later. I’d like to see this concert. That could make you feel better. Does that sound good?”

Akila nodded and clasped Cleo’s hands. Excitedly, both bounded out of the portal and landed perfectly on a blanket sitting on top of the soft sand. The first show was about to begin. No one knew who the next guest, or guests, would be. While the Gems guessed it would be Steven, it could be anyone, whether Marcy and Bonnie, the LUPA grouping, or someone else entirely.

Steven, the MC of the event, walked onto the stage to some applause, beginning the show:

“Hello Beach City! Thank you everyone for coming and for all those tuning in across the world. There will be several performances tonight and everyone will be singing original songs, I am happy to say. Without further ado, I’d like to present our first guest, LUPA!”

All smiles, these two Gems and two magical warriors walked onto the stage, each announcing themselves to the eager audience.

“Hi, I’m Lapis.”

“I’m Utena”

“I’m Peri.”

“And I’m Anthy.”

Utena stepped forward and screamed, “WE ARE LUPA!” Utena sang the first verse:

It began with an epic fight/

I freed Anthy from her chains/

That filled me with delight/

But it did not stop the pains/

Anthy joined in, voicing the song’s next section:

I cried when my brother’s swords hurt my love/

I thought she had left the world for good/

But the arena was imaginary, dissolved by true love/

I found my dear Utena in the wood/

Despite the fact the song was from the heart, some of the audience saw it as lackluster, and turned away. As such, the next verses, including Utena and Anthy singing together had been a bit obscured. When Lapis and Peri began a duet together it caught everyone off guard.

We met Anthy and Utena in house in the “thicket”/

In no time at all, we all became conversant/

When we left for missions, we realized we missed it/

Later we returned and were fervent/

The song went on like this for a while. Although not the best song, it expressed how Utena, Anthy, Peri, and Lapis felt about each other. While some of those in the audience did not like the song, Steven and the Gems cheered LUPA on. They wanted to remain supportive, even when some of them were more down on the song, like Garnet and Amethyst.

After Utena, Anthy, Peri, and Lapis left the stage, Steven came after them. He announced that he and his dad would be performing next. This had been such a well-kept secret that not even the other Crystal Gems had known that he would be performing at all! Steven reached behind a curtain and grabbed his guitar, followed by Greg coming onto the stage, holding his own awesome guitar. They would play an instrumental number, meaning there were no lyrics. For whatever reason, as they began to play ferociously, some people started grooving to the tune. Connie began a funky, dorky dance and invited Cleo to join her. She cheerfully accepted while Akila chatted it up with the original Crystal Gems, being her usual bubbly self. The music suddenly got even more intense when Marcy floated onto platform, jamming alongside Steven, Greg, and even Bonnie, who hummed a simple tune. Not long after, they were joined by Bismuth, the truly unannounced guest, who pulled out her drums and drumsticks. While having Sadie Killer and the Suspects would have been great, there were unable to travel to Beach City, due to earlier commitments of their music tour through the Great Scandinavian Republic. With a sick beat going, Connie and Cleo enthusiastically danced on the sand together, joined by Pearl, Adora, Catra, Peri, Lapis, Anthy, and Utena. The other townspeople watched wild-eyed, joining in one by one, turning the concert into a big dance party. After everything they had been through, this event provided the break everyone needed.

This peace was short-lived. There were gasps from the crowd after an enveloping blue light covered their faces. It came from an inter-dimensional gateway. This concerned Steven and the other Gems who prepared themselves for the worst, while Adora had the opposite reaction, chuckling. She knew exactly what it was: her friends from Etheria. They had finally made it! Since she did not travel back to Etheria, she had the clever idea of bringing them to Earth to celebrate with her. After the gateway closed, three people stepped out, led by a lilac haired woman in her 20s. She cleared her throat and began to speak.

“SURPRISE! Adora invited us to come, so I hope its ok.”

Steven yelled back, “its fine! Come join the party!”

Apta came bounding to the stage’s edge, with her friend, Fuma, in tow, while Bow sauntered out of the portal. Adora shouted and waved to him. Catra saw him walking her direction and rolled her eyes, muttering to herself, “not arrow boy again.” Adora smacked her on the back and told her to “cool her jets” because Bow was “cool.” She moaned and accepted Adora’s logic, this time. Even so, she remained skeptical of him, resenting his testimony against her in the trial brought by the victorious Princess Alliance, where he recounted how she had kidnapped Glimmer and himself at the Princess Prom. While she knew Bow had been right, admitting his charges were correct, his testimony had been key in her conviction, leading to her imprisonment in the Northern Reach. She was only freed after Apta spearheaded a revolution which drained the princesses (apart from Fuma) of their elemental magic, accompanied by revolts by the populace. The princesses remained only as figureheads, or even advisers, with their royal realms fading away the second their magical powers had become mute, with the long work of democracy beginning. Although she harbored a dislike of Apta, she remained thankful for her help. After working with her on “experiments,” Apta has encouraged her to come to Earth, so she could reconcile with Adora. She then traveled through a portal which Apta had constructed with her own two hands and prehensile hair. After Bow and the others on Etheria learned that Apta had let Catra “escape” to Earth, they expressed their disappointment, reminding her of the awful things that she had done, especially to Adora, and worrying about her safety. However, under the new arrangement in Etheria, they had no power to compel her to bring Catra back. She claimed the portal was “broken.” She blatantly lied about this to them because she saw the relationship Catra and Adora had and knew that if Catra returned to Etheria it would emotionally wound Adora. Walking up to Adora, Bow shook his head when he spotted Catra. He pulled an oblivious Adora aside.

“Uh, Adora, are you sure about Catra? Don’t you remember what she did? I mean there was a trial and everything...and she hurt you.”

Adora scoffed at his questions. She explained how Catra had changed and explained how Catra was “one of her girlfriends.” Bow bewilderingly stared at her. She realized that Bow did not get it, so she made it even simpler for him to understand.

“Ok, so I have two partners: Catra and Pearl.”

She followed this up, adding, “we have our disagreements and disputes from time to time, but are working them out day-to-day. I love Catra and Pearl equally…and dearly.”

This took Bow aback. He knew that Adora had a relationship with Pearl, but he had no idea that Catra was part of it too. Remembering how his dads had accepted him all that time ago after he came out to them as a master archer and rebellion fighter, he realized that accepting her relationships was the right thing to do. He hugged Adora and yelled, “I support this!” As her cheeks became flushed and felt warm, she scampered back to Catra, nervously dancing with her on the sand, while Pearl talked with Akila at length about Mayet.

Meanwhile, Apta approached Peri, who came toward her with glee. Although in distinct parts of the universe, both had become fast friends due to their shared love for technology and general dislike of people. They began going through all the technical aspects of the inventions they had created, a nerdy discussion which everyone accepted and expected. Amethyst looked at Peri and said under breath, “that’s my nerd alright.” Bow wandered around the party, feeling aimless until he saw someone he knew: Connie. He waved hello. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Cleo. He had not seen her before, piquing his curiosity even more. Nervous about talking to a new person, he took Connie aside so he could ask her a question.

“Hey, Connie, who is this girl you are dancing with? I don’t remember her from the time you and the other Gems came to Etheria…by accident.”

Talking in a muffled voice, she giggled, telling him “why don’t you find out,” and pushed Bow toward Cleo, proceeding to bump into him. Staring up at him, since was a bit taller, she outstretched her hand, saying, “I'm Cleo. Nice to meet you...whoever you are. What’s your name?”

Bow introduced himself and told the story of how he knew Connie, Adora, and a lot of the people at the party. Cleo nodded. During this tale, he mentioned Glimmer, describing her as a “short, stocky girl with pastel pink hair which is sparkling purple underneath,” while sadly noting that she had disappeared to an unknown world. Cleo’s eyes opened with wonder. “Another world? I can take you there! I have this portal thing in my crown, thanks to some funky thing that guy did by accidentally kissing my hair or something,” pointing to Steven on the stage. She cried out to Connie: “Hey, Conn, can you hold this crown for a sec. I’d like to do something for this guy.” Wanting to be amiable to Cleo, she complied and held the crown in her hands. Cleo pulled Bow inside the crown dimension, while he worried about what would happen next. Pacing around, she came across a sign which reading “Las Vistas,” with the words “place of cute girls and weird monsters” scrawled below it. Nervous about Bow seeing what she had written, she stood in front of the sign, and directed Bow to the portal. When he asked how she knew about it she confidently asserted, “oh yeah, I go there all the time, when Connie is asleep. It's fun to go to all these different worlds. And I don’t even need a spaceship!” She came close to Bow and asked him if “he was ready.” He uttered one word in response: “yes.”

All Bow could see around him was a desolate wasteland and a decaying city. It reminded him, in some ways, of areas the Horde had destroyed on Etheria, now in ruins. More adept at using the portal than in the past, Cleo knew how it worked. If she stayed outside of the gateways for too long, it would be close permanently, stranding her on a planet, something which she wanted to avoid at all costs. Glimmer and a girl with purple hair, Kipo, ran their direction, receiving her with open arms, in an occasion which had become very frequent.

“Hey, Cleo, what brings you here this time? And who is this friend you brought with you?”

Before she could answer that, Glimmer’s face went completely pale. She never expected to see Bow again in a million years. Crying uncontrollably, she embraced Bow, and only made out a few words, “I’m so sorry for leaving you...and everyone else on Etheria.” He hugged Glimmer back, saying to her: “its fine. I get why you left. I’m glad you are ok.” He then examined her outfit, remembering fondly what she had worn as a princess, then a Queen. She jested him about her new look, proudly declaring she had chosen the outfit herself. While Cleo liked seeing two old friends, Bow and Glimmer, catch-up, she wanted them to hurry back.

“I don’t want to break up this reunion, but we need to get back before the inter-dimensional gateway closes. So, Kipo and Glimmer...do you like parties? Because there is one on Earth where Adora and a bunch of other people are.”

Glimmer heard the name Adora and pleaded with Kipo that they go. While Kipo had wanted to do something else, she agreed to come along, excited to meet new people. Cleo held Bow’s hand, while Bow held the hand of Glimmer, who clasped the hand of Kipo. They all stepped inside the gateway, which closed behind them. Entering the crown-portal dimension, Kipo was amazed, while Glimmer teased Cleo about her sign for Las Vistas. In order to ensure that no one would humiliate her further, she quickly pulled Kipo, Glimmer, and Bow through the portal’s opening to Earth, all of them flying out at great speeds and onto the sand. They were greeted with cheers. No one had seen Kipo before, so Glimmer absurdly bowed, and hoped to wow them with her “special friend,” with their relationship developing leaps and bounds from when they had been strangers, then friends.

“Hiya! This is Kipo. She is a wonderful, hella cool person with mad survival and leadership skills...and is the best person ever...oh and she is my girlfriend...thought I should mention that.”

The mouths of Mermista, Sea Hawk, Spinnerella, Netossa, and Frosta, who had come out of Apta’s dimensional gateway, were hanging open in shock. They had never expected that Glimmer would have such a cute girl as her partner, her companion. Frosta did not get it, but Mermista and Sea Hawk, Netossa and Spinnerella fully understood it. In some ways, all of them had assumed she would get together with Bow, or even Adora, although never transpired in the end. Perhaps, in an alternate universe, Bow and Glimmer would be together, but not in this one. Even so, Glimmer continued to have some feelings for Bow, although she had not sorted them out yet and what he meant to her.

With Steven, Greg, and Marcy playing their guitars, Bonnie singing softly, and Bismuth hitting the drums, the beach was a suitable place to have a concert and a rocking party. Those from Etheria, Mayet, Vevoson, Las Vistas, the Land of Ooo, and Earth were in the same place, brought together for the first, and likely, the last, time, ever. It served as the proper end point of the "alliance" between these heroes who had faced the Horde, the antics of V.I.L.E., the deception of A.C.M.E., the soldiers of Octavian, the army and fleet of the Great Diamond Authority, cackling Peridots, and all the others who had challenged them along the way. Some were not attending, however. Carmen and her partner, Julia, were not present, and neither were their many friends in the State of Japan. None of them, cared about shindigs like this one and were mostly out of the loop with all those in Beach City, even for Carmen and Julia, who were great friends with Lapis, Utena, Peri, and Anthy. Similarly, Lars and the Off Colors did not appear, dedicated to their continued exploration of the Nile Galaxy. All of those gathered would have been shocked to found out that a young girl, Melty, who lived on the floating city, more accurately a fleet, called Gargantia, had a crush on Lars. Neither she, nor those on the Pascal Magi, were there either, none whom knew about the party. Similarly, a samurai named “Jack,” had returned to his Earth, dedicated to his quest to return to the past and defeat Aku once and for all, saving the world from evil, would have eschewed such a party.

As the sun set on the horizon, the townspeople and the musicians began to leave. Kipo and Glimmer wished everyone the best, while Bow, Apta, Fuma, Mermista, Sea Hawk, Spinnerella, Netossa, and Frosta did the same, heading for Etheria, one by one. Before they departed, Kipo, Glimmer, and Bow took a selfie together, sharing the image with each other, so each of them could have a copy, while promising to stay in touch. As Akila began to do the same, swearing she would remain in good context with those on Earth, a statement which mainly referred to Cleo, and perhaps Pearl, Peri handed her a small crystal stone. She instructed her to plant it in the ground on Mayet. Once planted, it would grow into a warp pad, allowing for easier connection between their worlds. She smiled and bid everyone adieu. Cleo led Glimmer and Kipo back to Las Vistas, and Akila to Mayet, returned to Earth, then fell asleep in Connie's arms, tired from all the inter-dimensional travel.

While the unlikely alliance against evildoers had concluded, outliving its usefulness as the reign of peace had begun in the known universe, with the defeat of various villainous individuals and their groups, challenges remained. The desire of some to be evil, or commit heinous acts, would continue. While some heroes would settle down in this “peace,” others would embark upon new adventures in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. These heroes had learned, the hard way, that nothing remains static, not even harmony across the stars...

********

End Note: I used the “Marceline” and “Ax Bass” pages from the Adventure Time fandom site, which were helpful in supplying details for this story. The song sung by Marcy is slightly adapted from the original, a song by Evil (formerly known as Babeo Baggins) titled “Slow Dance,” which Marcy sang in the episode “Marcy & Hunson.” The date I mention there is International Lesbian Day, held on October 8 of every year! In this story, Apta stands for Entrapta, while Fuma stands for Perfuma, and Peri for Peridot. They actually didn’t come to Etheria by accident, as it is revealed that the Diamonds set up Steven and the others to travel there as shown in “Jack and the Magical Portal”, so they could wipe out the fleet of Horde Prime in “For the Honor of Etheria?: Adora's Choice and Jack's Bold Move”, but Bow and those on Etheria still think the Crystal Gems arrived there by accident. The parts of the song Utena and Anthy sing refers to the last events of the anime, while the parts Lapis and Peri sing refers to their first meeting, which occurred sometime before the events of the fic, "Carmen, Pearl, and Adora's Unexpected Sugary Horror". I don't know how warp pads are created, but perhaps Peri knows how to make the warp pad into a planet or something, dunno.

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lefemmerougewriter · 4 years

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A Galaxy in the Balance: Octavian's Devious Offer, Adora's Peach-Haired Girlfriend, the Crystal Gems, and Jack's Momentous Realization

This Teen and Up Audiences fan fic brings together characters from Steven Universe, Cleopatra in Space, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and Samurai Jack. This story is part 28 of “An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers,” my multifaceted crossover fan fiction. This story is set after episode 19 (“Vacation”) of Cleopatra in Space and the “Change Your Mind” series finale of Steven Universe. LDD stands for Liberated Diamond Destroyer, RT for Rutile Twins, Peri for Peridot, Pappy for Padparadscha, GDA for Great Diamond Fleet, GDM for Great Diamond Military, and PAST for Peri Autonomous Sailing Talisman. The tanks would look something like the Diamond at the top of this page. Also, this story has some "My Dragon Girlfriend" vibes. It’s an ongoing cute comic with a lot of gay energy on Tapas and Webtoon about a bisexual girl, Christy, and her girlfriend, Dani, which can turn into a dragon, and a bunch of other characters. Check it out! They just posted a new story a couple days ago.

See the master list for An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers here.

Romantic pairings: Akila/Brian (Akilian), Cleo/Callie (Callipatra), Cleo/Akila (Cleokila), Adora/Pearl (Peadora), Adora/Catra (Catradora), Connie/Steven (Connverse)

Friendships: Khensu & Cleopatra & Brian & Akila, Akila Theoris & Brian Bell, Yosira & Cleopatra, Mihos & Cleopatra, Khepra & Xerxs, Khepra & Octavian, Lars & Fluorite, Lars & Padparadscha, Lars & Rhodonite, Lars & Rutile Twins, Lars & Off Colors, Lars & Steven, Pearl & Catra, Khensu & Lars

Words: 6.0k

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25192117

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1254832028-an-unlikely-alliance-of-evildoers-octavian%27s-offer

Quotev: https://www.quotev.com/story/12887984/A-Galaxy-in-the-Balance-Octavians-Offer-Adoras-Girlfriend-and-the-Crystal-Gems

Characters: Khensu, Cleo, Akila, Callie, Brian, Yosira, Mihos, Khepra, Xerxs, Samurai Jack, Lars, Fluorite, Rhodonite, Rutile Twins, Padparadscha, Steven, Connie, Adora, Catra, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Alexandrite

Summary: Battle on Mayet! With the unexpected departure of the Gem fleet due to the designs of the hacker Peridots who want to overthrow the Diamond Authority, the fight remains on the planet’s surface. The forces of evil make their way inside the city’s shields, setting the stage for a tense encounter between Cleo and Octavian. Will she take his offer, or will she retreat to fight another day?Captain Lars commands a liberated Gem warship, on which Steven and Pearl are recovering, with Adora, Catra, and Connie comforting them. As tensions run high, can these newfound friends of Cleo help her in her time of need, even though they have never heard of Octavian nor know of the power he holds?Mayet is still on edge, as Octavian forces a confrontation with Octavian and the Gem army continues their invasion of the planet to make it another colony of the Diamonds. How will the heroes defeat these villains? And…will the relationship between Cleo and Callie be repaired?You’ll have to read to find out the answers to these questions…

Admiral Jack immediately ordered his compatriots to search the area for Octavian. The huge shining and sparkling Esperanzas, the tanks of this Gem army, opened fire. These vehicles had a pointed front and slimmed-down sides, armored vehicles unique to the GDM itself. The shield around Mayet easily repelled the attack, even though each projectile destabilized the shield's surface further. Khensu, Garnet, Amethyst, and Callie watched this from the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. academic building, under the impression that it was safe. Cleo, with Mihos wrapped around her neck, sat near Akila, weakened from the Xerxs' lasers earlier that day, while Brian continued to tinker with technology, as he always did. Yosira had left to rally people to struggle against those invading Mayet, whether Gems or Xerxs. Suddenly, the sounds of metallic moving gears, and feet hitting the earthen ground with precision, filled the air. Before anyone knew it, the Xerxs had walked through the shield's barrier and were on the inside. Khensu could not understand how this occurred until he saw Khepra heading the unit. This shook him to the core. He felt betrayed and angry, so much so that he wanted to bolt out the window and tackle her. Cleo and the others were able to restrain him. What happened next made them shake with dread. Octavian appeared from behind the Xerxs, battered and sore. He wanted to go after Jack, as he had a score to settle, but stumbled upon Cleo and her comrades first. He still believed he had an immense amount of strength. He hooted and yelled into the empty air, pressing a button on a remote control handed to him by Khepra, which deactivated the Xerxs, showing them to be nothing more than set pieces.

“Come out, come out, Cleopatra...I challenge you to a winner-takes-all contest. If you win, we leave Mayet forever. If you lose, you will be forced to be bonded to me…forever!”

Cleo considered this offer. While it seemed risky, she wanted to take this opportunity in order to put Octavian in his rightful place. Khensu and a debilitated Akila warned her against it. Amethyst and Garnet encouraged it, vowing to be her back up in case a scuffle broke out. Although Cleo doubted it, Callie pledged to do the same. Even with Cleo’s dismissiveness, she did not need an excuse to protect her crush from harm. Bounding out the window, Cleo did a few flips through the air and landed in front of Octavian. She snorted, and leaned in, as she told him, “I’m ready to kick your ass, Dorktavian.” He guffawed and accepted her challenge.

Octavian cackled, holding onto his curved sickle-like sword, called the Sword of Kebechet. He tried to act as tough as he could, even though he hurt all over from the injuries caused by the crash and the slices by Admiral Jack’s sword during their brawl on Octavianus. He was not alone in this: Cleo also tried to appear “threatening.” She had a sinking suspicion he would win, making her like the slaves she observed every day when she lived in Ancient Egypt. She thrashed her head from side-to-side and stamped her foot down, determined to battle to the end. She told herself, I am Princess Cleopatra, not just a common bloke! This jerk will get what’s coming to him. As she drew her quasar, Octavian readied his sword to counter her blows. Both would clash to the bitter end, something the French, billions of light years away on Earth, called á outrance, a term that not even Yosira, with her worldly knowledge, knew about.

As Cleo and Octavian prepared themselves to clash, Khensu snuck off and went behind a column. He sent a video message to Lars and the Off Colors. While strongly believing in the right of individuals to make their own decisions, he knew that Cleo’s choice to come to blows with Octavian was a foolheartedly one. If she lost, the whole galaxy could fall into the clutches of evil, with Xerxs oppressing the masses, destroyed more records, and committed other heinous acts. Cleo served as their best hope to defeat evil from spreading its roots from planet to planet. While she had done a decent job up to this point, if he won, all that progress would be for naught. Finally, the call went through, with Lars answering, even with the static.

“Hey, Khensu, what’s up?”

Clearing his throat, Khensu explained that the fate of the galaxy could be in jeopardy. Like always, his paws rose to emphasize certain points he made to Lars.

“Cleo wants to spar with Octavian…if he wins it could doom everything! We have to…”

Lars cut him off as he raised his eyebrow, unsure of what Khensu was saying. He had heard of Octavian from Cleo the day before, but he did not know who Octavian really was, whether a friend, villain, or something else. Before going ahead, he wanted immediate clarification from Khensu.

“Wait. Stop for a second. Who is Octavian? I know Cleo mentioned him before…”

Khensu bobbed his head from side-to-side. He grumbled at the fact he had to describe their villain. He realized it would be for the best since Lars had already served as a great ally.

“I’ll tell you. He’s a big bad man who wants to enslave all of those in the galaxy under his command. According to the records I’ve read in the library, he is immortal, and if true, Cleo can’t face him alone, even with her powers. She’s new to this whole saving the galaxy thing. Please, help in whatever way you can. I’m begging you.”

Lars scratched his head. While he had explored places such as Gargantia and Etheria, with his crew, he felt more comfortable to stay in place on the liberated Gem ship rather than fighting on the surface. Realizing that Adora, Catra, Pearl, Steven, and Connie were onboard, he assured Khensu he could deliver.

“That sounds bad. I’ll see what I can do. I won’t let Cleo battle that monster on her own.”

Lars clicked off the viewscreen and told Rhodonite to stand-in as captain while he traveled down to the medical bay. She nodded, as did Pappy and RT. He moved from the bridge and took the elevator to another part of the ship. He anticipated that he could recruit either Adora, Catra, Pearl, Steven, or Connie for this important mission.

Walking into the first room, he saw Connie sitting in a chair by the bed, her head on her hand, while Steven lay fast asleep. Lars asked her about Steven and how she was doing.

“So, Connie, what’s the haps? How’s Steven?”

Connie shook her head. She conveyed her worry about Steven, after his use of energy to keep them all safe from the Gem fleet had exhausted him. She had promised to stay by his side.

“Lars, I’m concerned about Steven. His power has never been this drained before. I’m not sure what I can do for him since I’m not a Gem or anything.”

Sighing, Lars reminded her that it did not matter if she was a Gem, as she could support him by being a reliable friend and a good person. He believed his words could get her out of this funk.

“Connie, you don’t need to be a Gem to be there for him. He has so many human friends and family. You are one piece of that. You and Steven have a deep connection. I mean, you can, and have, fused together into Stevonnie. Remember, fusion is the height of relationships between two or more people.”

She smiled back. Lars’ words had lifted her self-esteem. She much felt better. Even so, she wondered why Lars had come to visit her and Steven since he was the captain of this ship, that Pearl, Adora, and Catra had liberated from the Gems, after all.

“I appreciate you coming, but why’d you come down to visit? You have a ship to run…”

Lars chuckled. Connie did not realize what a captain did. Her implication that he would be cloistered on the ship’s bridge without moving across the ship caused him to snicker. He could not blame her for this misunderstanding. The only time she had seen him as a captain was when he led the Sun Incinerator in the skirmish against Emerald. He had barely moved from the bridge, only briefly going to the engine room where Fluorite calibrated the instruments.

“You think that’s all a captain does? They just stay in the bridge and don’t move across the ship? That’s pretty funny…anyway, I wanted to check on two of my best friends and…well…there’s a situation on the planet surface. Some evil guy might bring ruin to the universe, yada yada. You should care for Steven. I’ll get the others…”

Connie cut him off, bounding from her chair, and pounded her feet on the ground.

“I want to go! Steven will get better…by fighting!”

Lars shook his head. Not aware of how powerful this “Octavian” was, he dreaded that this evil dude would mar Connie and Steven. As a responsible person, he wanted to protect his friends.

“Connie, I understand your enthusiasm, but this evil guy is immortal or something. I’ll ask Pearl, Adora, and that new girl, Catra, to aid Cleo. As soon as Steven is at full strength, you can both go down there and battle alongside him. I promise.”

Accepting his reasoning, Connie demurred. Lars waved his hand and stepped outside the room, with the door closing behind him. While she wanted to aid her friends, new and old, Connie knew that serving as moral support for her boyfriend was also important.

Walking across the vestibule of the next suite, he saw Catra sitting in a chair growling while Adora comforted Pearl, saying sweet things while she laid on the bed next to her. This open display of affection was a lot, even for Lars. He tiptoed inside and announced himself, one eye looking at Catra, the other at Adora and Pearl.

“Hiya, Adora, Pearl…and Catra. What’s the haps?”

Catra rolled her eyes and pointed her finger at the bedstead. Adora resumed her hugging of Pearl, then began kissing her on the neck. She whispered in Pearl's ear, “come on, sweetie, it’s time to get up. Everyone wants to see your cute face.” Red blood coursed through Catra’s veins as her cheeks became hot, as did much of her face, neck, and part of her chest. While she would have uttered inappropriate remarks, as others did when they were embarrassed, she did not do so. Instead, she froze in place, not even a tear coming down her cheek. Observing Adora’s adoration toward Pearl put Lars in an awkward position too, simply because of jealousy. He wondered if Catra felt the same as he did. To break the silence, he cleared his throat. Pearl shot up like a rocket and smiled.

“Hey, Lars. Just here with my gf and…uh…Catra too. After everything, I feel a bit dizzy but less than before, which is good!”

Glad to see that she was awake and alert, Lars took a deep breath. After convincing Connie not to travel to Mayet's surface, he remained confident that Pearl, Adora, and Catra would help instead. Brushing his hair back with his left hand, he stepped closer to a weakened Pearl.

“I have a big favor to ask you. I’d like you, Adora, and Catra, to fight with Cleo on Mayet. She’s clashing with this guy who wants to destroy the universe. She is trying to face him alone and Khensu is worried that she might lose and the whole galaxy will be destroyed or something.”

Pearl’s ears perked up, as did Adora’s. Before Pearl could say anything, Adora moved closer to Lars and planted her foot firmly on the floor. She voiced a bold declaration.

“I’ll go. My gf will come along with me. Catra is welcome too. I care about her too…”

Pearl embraced Adora and giggled. She turned to Adora and said softly, “of course, I’ll go with you, Dor, I wouldn’t leave your side for a second.” Catra accepted what Adora said as her fate. She gave a rejoinder, adding, “Fine, I’ll go too. I don’t want to be left on this metal death trap.”

Lars accepted their terms and gave them tips for how to reach the escape pods. The OCAC, which they had used to get inside the ship, remained in the docking bay, too damaged for space travel. Wishing them adieu, Lars entered an elevator which took him back to the bridge. Thanks to directions from Lars, in no time at all, Catra, Adora, and Pearl reached the area of the ship which held the pods. Tightly squeezing inside one, Catra took the initiative and pressed a red button with the word “EJECT” written on top. Speeding through space, Catra screamed in terror, while Adora put one arm around Catra and another around Pearl, remarking at the beauty of space, in awe of what she could see from the craft. Pearl appreciated this gesture, as did Catra, who had repressed her romantic feelings for Adora. The latter resulted in a lower self-worth as she questioned if her attractions were real or something made up in her head.

The clash between Cleo and Octavian had begun. Originally attacking him with her quasar, she dropped it, and proceeded to use a two-sided electrified staff, countering each of his blows. As he laughed maniacally, he easily blocked each of her strikes, and taunted her.

“Is that really the best you can do? I thought you were the savior of the galaxy, Cleopatra?”

Cleo did not take such insults lightly. However, her sassiness balanced it out, meaning that she could control her emotions and channel them into the proper zinger. She sneered at him in an attempt to impugn his pride.

“Hey, Dorktavian, otherwise known as Emperor Pinkletoes, you can’t beat me. I have my…”

Unexpectedly, Cleo broke into song. Words poured out of her mouth in perfect harmony. Octavian remained aghast since he had nothing to counter her beautiful singing voice. It began with a mediocre opening stanza, as she formed a fist, and brought it up near her mouth, acting like she was holding a microphone in the same hand.

♫ If I’m feeling blue

My friends will help me through

We are gonna wreck you

We’ll be cackling. ♫

Akila, Brian, Amethyst, Garnet, Khensu, and Callie were watching, confused about what was happening. Cleo motioned them to join in. Soon, each of them tried to sing along. Each line echoed across the landscape as everyone followed Cleo’s lead. “Hey there. We got allies in the sky,” Cleo sang, followed by Callie joining in, ad-libbing the words “like a shooting star, we will go sky-high.” This did not rhyme but no one cared. Everyone joined with the final words of the chorus, “we stand by one another, oh yeah!” followed by Cleo singing one more stanza as they all went on the attack:

♫ When things go south

We stand by each other

We won’t back down

‘Cause we got one another! ♫

Garnet then belted out the words “Here comes the heroes, hell yeah,” three times. Cleo followed this by singing the song’s last line, unabashedly, without shame: “on Cleo’s team, friendship never stops!” All the vocals bombarded Octavian, making him a little disoriented, while he attempted to fight seven people at once. He closed his eyes and concentrated, setting his sword in the ground and kneeling. He soon emitted a huge energy wave toward Cleo and her friends, scattering them in many directions. In the process, Garnet and Amethyst were poofed, while Akila lay injured on the ground, Brian with gashes in his robot body, Callie with skinned knees and arms, and Khensu with bruises everywhere. Somehow Cleo survived the assault. She hobbled over to him and thought she had lost. She began to think that she had made a mistake in taking his offer.

Yosira, fellow P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. students, Professor Sitre, and their allies, attacked. They had an easy shot at Octavian since he had deactivated the Xerxs. Octavian, howling in pain, fell to the ground. The fact that a bunch of quasars hurt him so badly, angered him. Sure, Admiral Jack had greatly injured him, as did the crash landing, but nothing stung like the laser bolts. He gnashed his teeth and stood up, and waved his sword in a circular motion, releasing another greenish energy blast. As the energy wave neared those with the laser guns, some ducked and were able to avoid it. Others were not as lucky. They were thrown backward, even into Mayet City itself, to the horror of everyone watching the scene unfold. Octavian then threw a few small balls onto the ground, and using his strength, created a line of Xerxs-like warriors. There not comprised of robotic material, but of magical sinew from himself, making them harder to kill. They aimed their cannons, while Octavian gave Cleo another offer, supposing that she would not refuse it under any circumstances.

“We have you surrounded. I will spare your friends if you come with me, quietly. You have lost.”

Cleo coughed. Hoisting herself up from the dirt with her two-sided staff, she inched forward tentatively. She refused to buckle to his demands, despite her prior verbal agreement. His attack enfeebled her, but it had not broken her resolve to quarrel.

“I will never…never give up. Even if die, it will be worth it!”

With Khensu and Akila unconscious, Amethyst, Ruby, and Sapphire's Gems sitting on the ground, Callie was still conscious, but barely, as she had been hurt by the energy wave too. She shouted out, “no, Cleopatra, don’t do it! You have so much to live for.” Weakly, Cleo responded, “I have to. I must be a martyr for the Nile Galaxy. Its why I was chosen as the savior.” Callie understood, and collapsed, beginning to cry. Rolling her eyes, she sauntered over and grimaced at her next task, wanting to make Callie happy before her possible death.

“Callie…I know you have the hots for me…while I personally, even after all you have done for me in the last couple days, still don’t like you…if you’d like me to kiss you or something, as a parting gift, just tell me…your happiness is important to me…as a…uh…friend.”

This surprised Callie. She never expected Cleo be so considerate. Respecting Cleo was important to her. She did not want to make Cleo more uncomfortable. So, she simplified her request, putting aside a smooch or anything like that. Speaking softly, she voiced her wish.

“A hug would be nice…sure, we don’t see eye to eye, but I don’t want your last moments to be awkward, unpleasant, or distressing.”

Cleo obliged and embraced her, promising she would give her a “present” if she ended up surviving Octavian’s onslaught. Callie did not have any idea what she meant and entered a state of unconsciousness not long after. Steadying herself on her feet, Cleo grabbed her two-sided staff and wielded it with intent. She believed this would be her last moments alive. The prophecy seemed to be wrong, or so she thought. Accepting her fate, she walked in the direction of Octavian, who grinned like a Cheshire Cat, ready to strike her down. He compelled the Xerxs, which he had created, to dissipate into thin air, clearly only a parlor trick of sorts.

Out of the blue, an escape pod came crashing down, knocking Octavian back. Pearl, Adora, and Catra jumped out, and stood in front of Cleo, to her shock. They made it clear that Octavian would not lay a finger on their friend, not on their watch. Adora spoke for the group.

“Hey, back away from Cleo, man. You are nothing better than a pile of trash. Going around destroying planets, enslaving people, controlling them to be your little minions in your perfect empire. You are the one who should surrender because we’re gonna kick your ass.”

Octavian chuckled. He was not above insulting those he fought against, even if the words he said were hurtful, mean, or disturbing. He did not care about the feelings of others.

“That’s a lot of verbiage from a person with a blond hair poof atop her head, you scrawny weakling. This brawl is between me and Cleo…and no one else.”

Adora was at a loss for words, while Cleo cowered behind her new friends. Pearl stepped in front of Adora and summoned her spear, ready for combat. She angrily yelled in response and demanded he apologize to Adora for uttering something so hurtful.

“How dare you call my Adora a name. You take that back, you beast! If you don’t say sorry, I’ll blast you to kingdom come, jerkoff.”

Octavian shook his head and wielded his sword menacingly. He would not agree to her demand. He shut his eyes and declared: “so be it.”

Roaring as loud as she could, Pearl emitted one of her most powerful blasts yet, hitting Octavian squarely in the chest. The forcefulness and strength of her attack caused him to stumble. The pure gay energy, deriving from a deep place inside Pearl’s Gem, overwhelmed him. He staggered in retreat and asked that Cleo call it off. She stepped forward, and weakly told him, directly, “NO! My friends came to battle you and that’s what we are going to do.”

Octavian, reeling from their attacks, committed himself to persist despite his current condition. Catra and Adora locked arms, which Catra accepted as a necessity of combat. Pearl picked up the Gems of Ruby, Sapphire, and Amethyst, and began to fuse with them. A massive being, named Alexandrite, with six arms and bright magenta skin, appeared, their eyes covered by a dark indigo visor. She had a large mouth with a set of sharp teeth and a long tongue, coupled with thick hair of a turquoise color, combining the hair styles of Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, and Amethyst, with her face serving as a mask of sorts. She towered over Octavian and opened her mouth, emitting a plume of fire, causing him to be pushed rearward and onto his knees. Even so, he renewed his determination to beat them back, hoisted his sword, saying he would neither be deterred nor be afeared of the conflict to come.

He grated the skin of Alexandrite, but his weapon could do little, except make a small scratch. Like before, he began to focus, channeling all his energy into the sword, resulting in yet another energy wave, which disintegrated Alexandrite, causing Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst to land on the ground in the opposite direction. Adora and Catra, who had been ready to strike the next blow, stepped back. Feeling powerful, Octavian thought he could defeat anyone. A second pod crashed nearby, and two individuals jumped out: Connie and a re-energized Steven. The liberated Trilliant Splitter stood on standby, in position to assist, while the PAST, the automated starfighter created by Peri back on Earth, could lend a hand as well.

Octavian grumbled, not wanting to face yet another enemy. Steven floated the idea that they combine their power, harnessing it together into one critical strike. Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl agreed with this, as did Connie, Adora, Catra, and even a debilitated Cleo. While Adora shouted “For the Honor of Greyskull!,” transforming into an eight-foot-tall warrior woman named She-Ra, Cleo harnessed her pink power, and the other Gems prepared themselves. As Catra and Connie lunged their swords forward, Pearl released a blast from her spear, Garnet her gloves as missiles, Amethyst her electrified whip, Steven his pink energy, and Cleo her untapped abilities which she could call upon when she thought of home.

They blew Octavian away. Little did they know, but Admiral Jack could sense him coming. He quickly ran forth, outstretched his katana, and waited for Octavian to fall. As the Gems and their newfound friends celebrated their victory, they were stunned to see someone stab Octavian from behind. The sword coursed right through Octavian's heart. Cleo, Steven, Garnet, Connie, Catra, Adora, and Pearl faced him, scurrying from the plaza nearby the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. dorms. He laughed and tried to scare them away.

“I’ve vanquished your foe and now it’s time to lay down your weapons. You will never beat me.”

Octavian croaked, warning them to not accept Jack’s terms. He added, in his dying words,

“Cleopatra, I asked for your aid…but you refused…I get it…but…please give me mercy.”

Remembering all the evil he had caused in the galaxy and how he had tried to kill her more than once, she scoffed. She refused to be lenient or sympathetic. While some people could be redeemed, Octavian was not one of them, in her mind, not even close. Her words would be the last ones he would ever hear.

“You deserve no pity or forgiveness. Your crimes are unparalleled…I will not weep when you die. With your death, my role as the savior of the galaxy is fulfilled and I can be free. Bye Dorktavian, I won’t miss you one bit, you can be sure of that, mister.”

Octavian fell limp. The whipping wind dispersed the bits and pieces of his body. The goodness inherent in Jack’s katana, formed by the gods of Jack’s universe, destroyed Octavian's essence. Everyone reeled from Cleo’s harsh words. Jack picked up his sword and faced them. Calling up his Gem forces, he stood in front of them, with their weapons drawn. He proclaimed their imminent demise:

“Evil will reign across this galaxy! The Diamonds will be fair rulers…you will all have a place in this empire. All you have to do is surrender to me, Admiral Jack. Lay down your arms.”

Steven snickered. He could not imagine that someone would believe propaganda from the Diamonds and be serious about it. He knew that this man, named “Jack,” could not beat them. He took out his communicator, walked toward this villain, and spoke into it.

“Lars, we need backup…now! This jerk thinks he can take us on!”

The communicator crackled. Lars knew what Steven’s words meant and prepared his crew. He believed they could win with the ship’s superior firepower. He quickly answered.

“Aye, Steven! Sending the PAST your way. Getting the ship into position. Over and out.”

Jack did not see any difference. He thought Steven had been bluffing until he saw a slim ship speed over the landscape, its cannons blasting at full strength, blowing up everything in its path. The Gem soldiers ran in panic as their compatriots were poofed all around them. Jack released his sword from his grasp as he dropped to his knees. Everything seemed to be falling apart. Steven came in closer. Jack aggressively resisted, resuming a fighting stance. Steven tried to exert a calming presence and made his intent clear.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Jack…let’s just talk. We don’t need to fight.”

Jack lunged toward him, crying out. He refused the help of anyone who told him how to make himself "better," even though Steven was doing nothing of the sort. Steven countered Jack’s fists with boxing gloves of sorts, consisting of pink bubbles covering his fists.

“I can solve my own problems! You can’t change how I feel!”

Steven nodded. He knew Jack was correct. He did not want any misunderstanding.

“You are right. I can’t change how you think of yourself…only you can. I know there is good in you. I can sense it. It’s there…even if deep down and buried.”

Jack’s mind control began to form its last fracture. When on Octavianus, and earlier, some cracks had formed. What Steven told him caused the gap between his true self and the one created through the mind control of Blue, Yellow, and White Diamond became a chasm. He stepped back and tried to ward Steven away as he fought to regain control of his body. Jack had dealt with such an issue before. However, the Diamonds’ action was more severe than anything Aku tried to do, as it had become deeply ingrained in his being. He shouted.

“I…can’t take this anymore! I’m not evil…what have I become? Who am I?”

Wriggling, he soon regained control of his mental abilities. He raised his katana and concentrated all evil essence into the blade, pushing it into the ground, as his father had done with Aku, imprisoning it for a temporary time. Steven, the Gems, and their friends concentrated their powers and blasted this seeping evil, causing the mind-controlled version of Jack to be completely obliterated. Tuckered out, Jack approached them and bowed, surprising everyone.

“I don’t know what happened. Last I can remember, clearly, I was in a palace after being transported there from some planet named Etheria…then, these beings called Diamonds used their powers on my mind to make me their slave…everything else is fuzzy. I can recall bits and pieces but that’s all...I’m sorry if I caused any of you harm…I only wanted to get back to my planet and battle Aku…the worst incarnation of evil…and I got manipulated.”

Steven understood his words fully. He had fought the Diamonds and their minions with his friends, so he knew about fighting villains. He agreed to help Jack in any way he could.

“Jack, we’ll do what we can to get you back to your planet…while you’re at it, can you get the forces you commanded to stand down?”

Concurring with his assessment, Jack issued an order to his forces: to drop their weapons and admit defeat. The Gem soldiers were not keen on this approach, so they resisted. Steven saw this and called Lars, who said he would bring the liberated Gem warship near the planet’s surface in an attempt to assist. On board, Lars gave an order to Fluorite.

“Fluorite, calibrate the ship’s engines so we can bring it near Mayet.”

Glad to hear from the captain once more, she grinned. She had remained mostly silent as the battle had been raging on the planet’s surface. She gladly obliged with his request.

“It will be done, Captain Lars.”

The Gem soldiers gulped in fear as they saw the huge Trilliant Splitter come through the atmosphere, its turrets pointed at them. Most put down their arms but some continued to fight, annoying Lars. The cannons began blasting at them, poofing those who remained one by one, while the guns of the PAST began blazing at full strength. Seeing their situation as hopeless, these soldiers gave up, even as the officers grumbled. Even though they had the advantage of numbers, the firepower of the spaceship far exceeded anything that these Gems could produce. To make matters worse, a squad of students and professors, led by Yosira, approached, armed with quasars, bringing the Gems to their cells inside the brig of the Trilliant Splitter. The plan, by Steven and his comrades, was to send these soldiers back to Homeworld where they could be re-integrated back into Homeworld’s stratified society rather than menacing the Nile Galaxy.

While the fighting appeared to be over, there was much left to do. Mayet City and P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. needed to be repaired since the battle had caused a lot of damage. The ship of Lars and the Off Colors, the OCAC, remained in poor shape after Pearl and Adora had crash-landed it in the docking bay of the Trilliant Splitter. Brian could work his magic and bring the ship back to working order. In the meantime, Dr. Queed would undoubtedly examine the new arrivals for his studies, adding his observations of them to the library’s growing collections. At the same time, Steven and the Gems had to return to Earth in order to oversee the World Parliamentary Assembly, working to make the world more peaceful. Additional issues lingered. Neither Catra nor Adora seemed to remember that Glimmer remained in Las Vistas with Kipo and her compatriots, as they attempted to control the wasteland. Despite this lapse of memory about their former friend, they, and their newfound friends, were aware of something else: that Jack needed to return to his home planet. Brian began probing his memory banks for a solution. Others worked to bring Mayet back into working order. Khepra and Kek were arrested for their treachery while a new leader of the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. council would need to be chosen.

A few hours passed. Callie eagerly awaited the “present” that Cleo had promised her. She searched around for Cleo but could not find her. She walked up the stairs of the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. dorms and reached the second floor. She saw a sign next to a door with the label “Room of Akila and Cleo” written in beautiful script, likely by Akila. Hesitantly she knocked on the door and cried out.

“Hello, Cleosmoochtra…are you in there?”

Cleo, who lay on her bed, semi-resting, was awoken by Callie’s voice. She tiptoed to the door. It opened so fast that both stepped back in shock. Realizing she had no choice but to let her in, she grumbled and responded to an anxious Callie.

“Sure…you can come in…uh…what is it you want?”

Sheepishly, Callie, whose cheeks became bright red as blood began flowing to those areas, her body beginning to tingle, as her body temperature increased, she hemmed and hawed. Without much thought, she blurted something out, feeling even more embarrassed.

“Please KISS me…now!”

Cleo was taken aback, not expecting these words from Callie, who continued to confuse her. Suddenly, the thought clicked in her head like a light bulb. She realized why Callie had come there.

“Ooh…you are looking for your present…what I mentioned earlier…and you think it’s a kiss…that’s not really what I had in mind.”

As she started snickering, Callie began crying, disappointed she had not “figured out” Cleo even after their newfound time together. Cleo rolled her eyes, knowing that it was a way to get her attention. She played along. She considered the idea of kissing Callie as a way of putting her in high spirits. Sighing, she laid out the conditions, looking Callie directly in her eyes.

“Ok, Callipolli, I’ll kiss you but only if you are ok with it…and it can’t be some long and involved thing…to be clear, it's not like we are in a relationship or anything.”

Callie nodded. Cleo put her arms around Callie’s head, and brought her mouth closer to Callie's, while puckering her lips. Callie did the same. As their lips touched, Akila unexpectedly opened the door to the room, carrying a stack of books. When she swerved her eyes toward Cleo, she saw them smooching. It startled her so much that her heart missed a beat as the books fell out of her hands and onto the floor. She began stuttering and weeping, angrily denouncing Cleo:

“How could you? I…love-d…you…and this is how you repay me? In our room of all places? I thought you didn’t like Callie! What is going on?”

She ran out of the room sobbing. Hearing this, Cleo quickly ended smooching Callie, and boisterously shouted, hoping Akila would hear:

“Kiki! This isn’t what it looks like!…I…can explain.”

Callie slumped to the floor. She sat in a daze. Before leaving the room, Cleo whispered to Callie, telling her it would be better that she left, as her presence could cause more trouble. She agreed and solemnly filed out the door. Cleo waited until Callie had disappeared from her view. She then darted out the door, searching for Akila so she could explain everything…

*****

End Note: For this story, I used information from the pages “Alexandrite,” “Pearl,” “A Single Pale Rose,” “Lars and the Cool Kids,” “Sworn to the Sword,” “Familiar (episode),” “Steven Universe (Character)”, and “Hessonite,” “Garnets,” “Gems,” and “Light Prism,” on the Steven Universe fandom site, and the “Catra” page on the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power fandom site. The song sung by Cleo is supposed to be a parody/knock off of the song in the Lolirock series titled “BFF.” Some dialogue is somewhat based off the Steven Universe movie and even some lines adapted from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

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lefemmerougewriter · 4 years

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Rupturing Tranquility in the Nile Galaxy: Rhodonite's Dimensional Disturbance, Catra's Jealousy, and Pearl's Memoryscape

This Teen and Up Audiences fan fic brings together characters from Steven Universe, Cleopatra in Space, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and Samurai Jack. This story is part 27 of “An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers,” my multifaceted crossover fan fiction. This story is set after episode 19 (“Vacation”) of Cleopatra in Space and the “Change Your Mind” series finale of Steven Universe. LDD stands for Liberated Diamond Destroyer, RT for Rutile Twins, Peri for Peridot, Pappy for Padparadscha, GDA for Great Diamond Fleet, GDM for Great Diamond Military, and PAST for Peri Autonomous Sailing Talisman. My summary is written in the style of the opening intros to the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. A collect transmission is basically the same as a collect call.

See the master list for An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers here.

Romantic pairings: Akila/Brian (Akilian), Cleo/Callie (Callipatra), Cleo/Akila (Cleokila), Adora/Pearl (Peadora), Adora/Catra (Catradora), Connie/Steven (Connverse), Lapis/Peridot (Lapidot)

Words: 7.9k

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24871099

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1254831735-an-unlikely-alliance-of-evildoers-rhodonite%27s

Quotev: https://www.quotev.com/story/12887910/Rhodonites-Disturbance-Catras-Jealousy-Pearls-Memoryscape

Characters: Khensu, Cleo, Akila, Callie, Brian, Yosira, Mihos, Crystal, Khepra, Xerxs, Samurai Jack, Peridots, Emerald, Lars, Fluorite, Rhodonite, Rutile Twins, Padparadscha, Hessonite, Citrines, Nephrites, Crystal, Steven, Connie, Adora, Catra, Pearl, Surface Pearl, Memory Core Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Lapis Lazuli, Peridot, Lion, Professor Sitre

Summary: Dimensional travel! Rhodonite interrupts the tranquility of Steven and the Crystal Gems in an attempt to help her beleaguered captain, Lars, and his comrades, fighting off an assault from the Great Diamond Armada. Steven and the Gems agree to help Rhodonite, but before they leave, Connie reports that Catra, Adora's friend (or more than a friend) from beyond the stars, is missing. Pearl, Adora's girlfriend, has something to do with the disappearance, but won't disclose it for fear of hurting Adora, despite possible repercussions on their relationship...P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. is under attack from a traitorous Khepra, in the employ of the villainous Octavian, while Admiral Jack plans to invade the planet of Mayet, and Cleo struggles to ground herself in the new reality, dealing with a flirty Callie. Later, Adora and Catra travel through the Pearl's memoryscape on a journey of self-discovery and understanding.The fate of Mayet and the Nile Galaxy hang in the balance. Cleo, her friends, the Off Colors, and the Crystal Gems face their greatest challenge yet, facing the wrath of Admiral Jack, hostile Gem warriors, Octavian, and Xerxs led by Khepra. Can the heroes save the day, or will they succumb to the forces of evil?

Steven and Connie were having a wonderful time, sitting around a roaring fire, playing music, and enjoying the feel of sand particles on their toes. Greg sat close by, strumming his guitar, while Peri and Lapis, visiting Beach City for the weekend, played their cymbals and other instruments. Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst hummed along. Steven glanced at Beach City. Bright electric lights illuminated the astronomical twilight. They were relaxing after yet another tough day. Trying to convince more peoples and nations to become part of the World Parliamentary Assembly, an institution created with the desire to unite the world together, was not easy. Lion yawned, half-sleeping at Steven’s feet with one eye open and one closed. Everyone enjoyed the tranquility, like Bismuth, off touring as an occasional drummer for Sadie’s band, Sadie Killer and the Suspects. However, it would not last.

A bright white light emanated from Lion’s mane. Rhodonite flew out and skidded across the sand, bewildering everyone. Lion's proximity to him meant that it shocked Steven most of all. Shaking, and having trouble keeping herself together, Rhodonite explained why she had come back to Earth unexpectedly:

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude…but my captain, Lars…really needs your help…the Diamonds…they have this huge fleet…and it’s trying to conquer the galaxy…please. I'm begging you.”

Still frightened enough that she almost poofed herself, Steven comforted and reassured her. What she told them about the Diamonds concerned him, as a half-human and half-Diamond person, who had reportedly “changed” the minds of the Diamonds years ago with the aid of his original guardians, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst, his extended family (Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, and Connie). While Earth had a lot of problems, he felt obligated to help Lars as a good friend and warrior who would fight for justice. He could not understand why the Diamonds would want to resurrect their empire. Nor he, or anyone else, were aware that the Diamonds had concocted the “plan” to consolidate their power on Homeworld.

After Steven pledged his help, Garnet and Amethyst followed suit. Pearl hesitated. She was unsure if Adora would join her. She assumed that Adora would want to explore Earth more, or meet with Carmen, Julia, and others in Japan. Peri and Lapis also wavered, hankering for the home they shared with Utena, Anthy, and Chu-Chu, in Miura, Japan. Steven accepted Lapis and Peri’s reasoning, but he did not accept Pearl's rationale, seeing it as flawed. She did not know how she would convince Adora to travel to another universe with her. Ever since Catra had teleported to Earth from Etheria a few weeks prior, emotional tensions between herself and Adora surfaced. Connie offered to show Catra around Earth while Adora and Pearl left the planet for the Nile Galaxy. Adora overheard Connie and hugged her, thanking her profusely, saying she needed a break from Catra. She then insisted they leave at once. Steven held the hands of Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Adora. Just before he entered Lion’s pink mane, Connie reported that Catra had mysteriously vanished. Steven let her grab Garnet’s hand as she entered the Lion's pink mane, ready to traverse the vast pink meadows within this Pink Dimension. He promised to aid his girlfriend, Connie, in the search for Catra on Earth after he returned. No one could realize the ugly truth. Pearl had caused Catra to go missing. She would not openly admit it for fear of hurting Adora. She had put Catra somewhere “safe” and away from Adora's prying eyes, thinking she could work out their relationship problems, without Catra's “interference.” Nothing would happen in the way she had envisioned. Once they entered the Nile Galaxy, new complications would arise, breeding mistrust between Adora and Pearl.

Steven popped out of Lars head-mane first, with a smile on his face, grasping Garnet’s hand. Amethyst, Pearl, Connie, and Adora came next, as did Garnet. Lars was relieved. On their arrival, projectiles from the adjacent enemy Gem fleet rocked the spacecraft. Their ship had taken heavy hits from the Trilliant Splitters and Destiny Destroyers which surrounded them. Somehow the ship had remained in one piece. Huffing and exasperated, Lars shook his head, staring at the new arrivals which had sprung out of his head-mane:

“About time you came! All the cannons are firing at full strength and our shields are holding…barely. We need to deal with those ships...NOW! We are sitting ducks…it’s only a matter of time before this ship turns to dust and we are killed in the vacuum of space.”

Steven nodded at Lars' grim assessment. Stepping forward, he used his pink diamond gemstone, within his belly, to create a huge pink shield around the ship. Lars and the Off Colors were grateful for the shield which protected them. Cleo, Khensu and Akila were in awe. They were amazed that someone his size could wield such power. He strained to hold the bubble in place. He could not sustain it forever. Connie looked at him worryingly, and embraced him, hoping it would give him the moral strength to go on. With Steven’s shield in place, Lars directed the Rutile Twins to steer the ship to the far side of Mayet. She yelped in response, “aye, Captain Lars! It will be done!” Turrets of the GDA's starships continued their bombardment. As the LDD moved further away from the enemy fleet, the projectiles no longer reaching the ship due to their limited range. Watching this situation, Hessonite slammed her hand on the console. She angrily stared out the window of her Trilliant Splitter, where she oversaw all the Trilliant Splitters. Not long after, she received a collect transmission from Admiral Jack, addressing her and the other officers:

“Hessonite, Crystal, and other fellow commanders, I ask you to stop assaulting the rogue Trilliant Splitter. We must conserve our firepower for a planetary invasion. The records we obtained from the digital archives on Octavianus make clear that the celestial body we are orbiting above is Mayet. It is where P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. is headquartered. Considering it is the only force opposing Octavian’s quest to take over the Nile Galaxy, he will come to the planet, I can assure you that. Furthermore, according to the records, he has an agent which sits on the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. council, which oversees all operations of P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. Please send these orders to your underlings. Invasion begins anon. Over and out!”

While the other head honchos, understanding the adjuration they took as captains, ended the call, and prepared their forces to carry out the Admiral's order, Crystal and Hessonite stayed on the line. Both loudly grumbled about Jack’s directive.

“This is poppycock! What kind of example are we setting for our soldiers to not go after that rogue ship! Who cares about invading this planet, anyway! We should leave this galaxy to rot.”

“Sure, Hessonite. We need to maintain the chain of command. Otherwise, we will be like Steven Universe and his friends on Earth, ugh. I detest those upstarts!”

“Fine, Crystal, you are right. Even so, this rubs me the wrong way.”

“Say what you will, but Jack is a competent person in charge.”

“Again, a valid point. Let bygones be bygones. Onward!”

Back on the LDD, Steven dropped his pink bubble and collapsed to the floor, fatigued from the energy output. Lars saw this and recommended Connie ring him to the ship’s sleeping quarters so he could rest. She concurred with this assessment and agreed to remain in contact with Lars to give him any updates on Steven's condition. Meanwhile, Adora and Pearl entered the OCAC, confident they could face the enemy together. Garnet and Amethyst joined Mihos, Callie, Akila, Khensu, and Cleo on a ship Akila called BACK!, named for four people: Brian, Akila, Cleo, and Khensu. This team would arrive on Mayet's surface in order to counter the enemy’s ground assault. Cleo, Akila, Amethyst, Garnet, helped load Cleo’s Sphinx bike onto the ship. The OCAC and BACK! left, one after the other, leaving Lars, the Off Colors, Steven, and Connie, aboard.

On Mayet, the Xerxs were causing pandemonium. Students, running for their lives, struggled to fend off the incoming robots with their quasars. While some robots were destroyed, more kept coming. Professors Khalbrax V and Jurval had tried to lead their students forward but their effort had failed. Both lay in P.Y.R.A.M.I.D.’s hospital, recovering from their deep wounds. One professor, an elderly cat named Sitre, led the remaining unit in Mayet City resisting the Xerxs. Some students, like Cheval, Dennis, E'Geke-Ek'Gek, Lakshmi, Philo, and Debbie, fled in fright to the supposed safety of their dorms, while Misti and Msumaki fought alongside Sitre, as did a number of brave students. Brian and Yosira, holed up in Brian’s lab, continued formulating a strategy to defeat the robotic army. They were unaware that Kek and Khepra were both working on behalf of Octavian, each in their own way. Neither of them, both on the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. Council, knew of the other’s involvement in Octavian’s schemes. They would find this out soon enough when Octavian disembarked in Mayet, who tried to flee his new foes.

Callie remained quiet and subdued as the BACK! began its descent. The automated anti-aircraft cannons, firing at the incoming meteors, somehow ignored their ship. Akila thought it would be smooth sailing from there. However, a shoulder-to-air missile, fired by a Gem on the ground, part of the invasion force, startled her. Smashing into the ship's left-side engine, which began intensely burning, a boom reverberated across the craft. Despite the damage, Akila expertly guided the craft to the ground, while the engine spewed a cloud of blackish smoke. Skidding across the ground, the BACK! stopped, but not before they were all thrown forward with tremendous force onto the landing ramp. Apart from Amethyst and Garnet, everyone was injured. Stinging from the pain, Cleo waddled over to her Sphinx bike. She sat in the driver’s seat, with Mihos wrapped around her neck, while Akila strapped herself in the auxiliary seat behind her. Pressing down a trigger, laser bolts screamed out the vehicle’s guns with extreme speed. The ship’s left lower side exploded, and the bike swerved outside the ship’s structure as the vehicle’s cannons sizzled. With the coast clear, Amethyst, Garnet, Callie, and Khensu crawled out, relieved to leave the ship, which they considered a death trap. Suddenly, a legion of Xerxs approached, declaring in, their distorted language, that “resistance is futile.” Aiming their gun barrels at Cleo and Akila, Cleo lurched the bike ahead, gunning the engine. One projectile hit Akila's seat, causing her to fly off the bike, and land on the ground with a thump. Spinning the bike around, she prepared a counteroffensive, while Amethyst and Garnet positioned themselves around a bruised Akila. Bringing the bike to a stop, she turned it on its side, shielding her friend, and with all the energy she had left, she hopped into the air, blasting at the Xerxs with a quasar in each hand. Not wanting to be one-upped by her crush, Callie tried to do the same but failed. She only blasted one Xerxs, while Cleo struck 20 in all with her quasars, downing each one with direct hits. Amethyst and Garnet cheered, while Khensu rolled his eyes. He saw this bravado from her in the past and did not appreciate it. As Cleo’s guns cooled off from their use in the skirmish, Callie took this chance to jump onto the auxiliary seat. Cleo scowled. She accepted Callie sitting behind her under the condition that she not do any “funny stuff.” Callie, giddy with excitement, continued to hope for an improved relationship with Cleo, even if it remained a pipe dream. Turning into a helicopter, Amethyst flew Garnet, Akila, Khensu, and Mihos to the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. dorms, while Callie and Cleo followed in the Sphinx bike.

In space, conditions were also atrocious for the beleaguered heroes. Adora and Pearl were under fire, barely holding their own, shooting their missiles and cannons at the enemy ships. Grousing, Pearl realized they had no choice but to release the PAST, an autonomous ship Peri created for Lars and the Off Colors on Earth, formerly the Peri-Jet, which Lars told her about prior to leaving Earth to be an ambassador to other worlds. Using the tablet connected to the captain’s chair, she operated the PAST, maneuvering it through the fleet. It soon faced a squadron of Marquise Chippers piloted by Nephrites. The cannons began booming, causing the spacefighters to explode. The Nephrites were thrown into space and easily poofed from fright. When a ship was obliterated, the console would announce: “one Clod wrecked!” While she chuckled at this message, they distressed her at the same time. She could not collect the Gems of the fallen Nephrites and bubble them, so she moped. Unfortunately, with these emotional tensions, she did not notice incoming missiles heading their direction until too late. Adora screamed. Pearl swerved the ship, while Adora hung on for dear life. Her fancy flying caused most of the skyrockets to explode. However, one slipped through and struck the ship's left wing, causing it to smoke. Desperately, Pearl guided the OCAC into a hangar bay of a Trilliant Splitter. Adora used the ship’s cannons to destroy a shield preventing entry into the immense spacecraft. Without warning, the ship glided to a stop. A company of Peridots surrounded the craft and raised their Gem Guns, insisting that those inside the ship surrender themselves.

A petty officer, given the nickname of Greenie by her underlings, sneered, and giggled at the unexpected visitors. The conversation she had with her fellow Peridots puzzled Pearl and Adora to no end. They made Pearl furious with their latent hostility toward Steven.

“Who are these goofballs, tourists? They couldn’t even dodge a missile.”

“Greenie, you’re right! Those rockets would miss my craft entirely. I’d fly right past, even if only a hair’s length away, like the human hair on that chubby kid’s head!”

“You mean the vaulted Steven Universe, right? That guy is so pretentious. The Diamonds are sooo much better, I have to say.”

“I can’t agree more, my compatriot. I want to take that Diamond out of him, so he can feel like what it's like to be a human boy.”

“Yeah, I heard through the grapevine that White Diamond showed him that, but he beat her back with his pink strength…he’s a powerful adversary. I wouldn’t underestimate him.”

“Fine, fine. What do you want to do about these gumba lumbas inside the hangar?”

“Dunno, but we gotta bring ‘em to the boss, Hessonite. She will be pleased to gaze upon some prisoners…we can take 'em back to Homeworld for tribute, hehe.”

Pearl and Adora looked at each other. Some time ago, after fighting alongside one another with Carmen Sandiego against V.I.L.E., they fused together into one being with orange hair and a slender, muscular build, wearing clothes appropriate for the cold Siberian weather, and four arms, tentatively naming itself “Peadora” after Amethyst's suggested the name. They also fused two other times, first to protect Rin Asogi from voracious angels outside Tokyo, and second when working with Carmen to lock up A.C.M.E. in a prison in Antarctica. Even so, neither had the appetite to bring back Peadora. Instead, they would fight together side-by-side. While Pearl would usually summon her pearlescent spear, she picked up a spare Gem destabilizer left in the ship and put the PAST on autopilot. Adora yelled “for the honor of Greyskull!” and transformed into an eight-foot-tall warrior woman. She had a distinctive style, different from the form she embodied on Etheria. She did not have the Sword of Protection anymore, which sat in the Archives of Etheria in Mystacor managed by former Queen Angella, and where Bow’s dads, George, and Lance, worked.

Inside Pearl’s pearl, trouble was brewing. Like any other pearl, she could store objects inside her gemstone, which served as its own dimension. There were various levels, with each one managed by a different Pearl, one on the “surface” and the others down below. To move from level to level, individuals could go through the gemstones of Pearls on that level. As a whole, this dimension served as a compartmentalized databank where memories, records, objects, and more, were stored. The objects, stored on the surface level, were organized alphabetically. They included a cannon, a carp, a cauldron, a clock, a compass, a cell phone, scissors, a screwdriver, a shotgun, sunscreen, a TV set, swords, caution tape, and phone books. In the past, she even stored people, like Connie, and Gems, such as Amethyst and Garnet, inside in her Gem. In the present, the surface Pearl tried to categorize an unusual addition to the "collection," between the cat's eye gem and catsup. She attempted to pick up the athletic, nimble woman, about 17 or 18 years old, with strong sharp features, and a general catlike appearance. This woman had large blackish feline ears and wild spiked grayish brown hair. The woman resisted, grinning with her fangs, as her multi-colored eyes, pale yellow in the left, and turquoise in the right, stared down the surface Pearl. She put the claws, on each of her hands out, ready to strike if needed and get what she wanted. As this Pearl shuttered in fright, she let out a boisterous hoot.

“This is who Adora likes now? She left me…and Etheria…for someone like you? Jeez. I guess she had lower standards. Now, if you don’t get me out of this pris…place, I’m gonna rip you a new one. Whenever she takes an object from this place out of that gemstone on her head, I want to come out at the same time.”

The Pearl timidly answered, “Yesss…I’ll do that, I don’t want to be hurt.”

“I knew you would agree…look at these weapons…they are so…cool!”

Screeching, the Pearl warned her to not touch the spear. She did so anyway, wielding it artfully, then turning it around and jabbing it at the Pearl. She snickered.

“Change of plan, Peachy. As soon as big Pearl out there tries to get something from of this place, you send me out, no matter what…otherwise, you will regret it.”

The Pearl nodded. Outside the Pearl’s gemstone dimension, Pearl and Adora stood together against the Peridots. Pearl used the Gem destabilizer to poof them while Adora blasted them with her sword. Even though they were able to escape, one Peridot, prior to being poofed, fired her Gem gun at Pearl, hitting her hand. The weapon she held onto, fell out of her hand, hit the floor, and shattered into a thousand pieces. Frustrated, she realized that her spears would be the only thing that could protect her girlfriend from harm. What she beckoned shocked her so much that she froze in place, her cheeks getting a dark bluish color. Pointing a spear at Pearl’s throat, the woman turned her head toward Adora and spoke her two trademark words: “Hey, Adora.”

Adora spun around to put her eyes upon her catlike friend with a sense of disbelief.

“Catra? Why are you here? I thought you were on Earth…after you came through that portal.”

She snorted, pulling back the spear and inched closer to Adora.

“Oh, I was, prior to your girlfriend, lover, or whatever you are with her…locked me in her Gem prison. I couldn’t stand one more minute in there! You have some sort of friends. How can you like her? I don’t get it. You left Etheria…and me…for…her! Seriously?!?”

“Uh, Catra, you shouldn’t be here. It’s dangerous. I…don’t want you to get hurt. We can talk about this more, later…in better circumstances.

“Ha…you are gonna give me that excuse? I came through a portal Entrapta built, to join you, and this is how you repay me? I should go back.”

“I didn’t mean that…I never intended to hurt you…Catra!”

As Catra began to move away, a legion of Jaspers saw them and sounded the alarm. It blared the words “INTRUDER ALERT!” repeatedly, filling the hallway with an intense screeching sound. Pearl rolled her eyes. She grumbled and gave them an ultimatum to stop their bickering.

“Catra…Adora…now is not time to argue! If you keep squabbling, I’ll have to take rash action.”

Thinking Pearl was bluffing, Catra challenged and threatened her. Pearl would not put up with it. Concentrating, she used her powers to send Catra inside her gemstone yet again. Adora stared at Pearl with horror and shouted angrily.

“Why in the world would you do that! What is wrong with you? After everything, I trusted you! WHY?”

“I…wanted to protect you…If you think you can calm her down, Dor, I’ll send you inside my gem. I have some important memories…and items there, which I need protected.”

“Fine. After this is all over, we need to discuss our relationship...Stay safe, P. And…please avoid getting captured.”

“Can do, sweetie!”

Despite her seething anger toward Pearl, Adora still gave her a peck on the cheek. She transformed out of her She-Ra form and let Pearl bring her inside the gemstone dimension. When she arrived, she saw a fuming Catra, who wanted to ruin everything in an act of revenge. When her eyes met with Adora’s, she looked up with glee and began chuckling.

“We have got ourselves in quite a predicament. Did she send you to babysit me?”

Twirling her hair with a finger, Adora responded to her curt question, “Uh…not really...It was my choice to come here. I love her and I wanted to make sure you are ok. I still care about you.”

“That’s quite a choice you made…” Catra stopped in mid-speech and challenged her reasoning, “back up a second. You care about me? Why? Isn’t she your gf? What I am I to you?”

Adora pondered her questions and possible answers. She stuttered a little and began to answer calmly. “I care because you are my childhood friend…we have a shared history together. Yes, I love Pearl and we share an important bond together, but you will always mean something to me…I’m not sure how to describe it.”

Catra beamed back, while words escaped her. She grimaced and punched the Pearl, turning to Adora and saying, “I’m not doing this because I like you.” Grinning back, she whispered in Catra’s ear, asking her where she wanted to go. Thinking it over, she mouthed a few words: “I want to know why you are so close to this Pearl fellow and why you think I am special.” Even with the possible discomfort, Adora agreed in an effort to be open about her feelings and expected it would relax Catra. She also wanted Catra to realize why she felt the way she did about Pearl. She spoke to the surface Pearl, dizzy from the beating Catra had handed her.

“Ok, Pearl, let’s look at some memories!”

“Certainly. I will send you to the Memory Core. You can speak with the Pearl who calls herself "MC-Pearl," there. She'll hook you up with all the right memories. Please, don’t hurt me again!”

“P, I won’t, and I never would! I will make sure Catra doesn’t either. When we need to go back, can we go through the Pearl...on that level?”

“Why, yes! It’s all highly organized! We have gigantic pneumatic tubes which can transport you across this dimension, but I recommend going through the head Pearl at each level instead. Moving through the tubes isn't as fast as pearl-to-pearl travel.”

“Understood, P. Thanks for your help.”

“You’re welcome, fellow traveler, uh, Adora and the Catra I’ve heard so much about…”

Adora cut her off and sheepishly laughed, not wanting to say anything more about Catra. “Yeah, yeah, can we go now?”

The surface Pearl grinned and thanked them. “As the surface Pearl, I’m more than glad to offer my services…Take a deep breath and you’ll be in the Memory Core in no time.”

With a flash of white light, Adora and Catra opened their eyes. A room filled with drawers upon drawers of file cabinets, and computer monitors, allowing for easy searching of memories in front of them. While digital technology seemed to be the standard of repositories, Pearl liked the feel of card catalogs. Steven had not visited this room when he entered Pearl’s gemstone. The pathway through Pearl’s memories was different then. After that experience, Pearl used her Gem abilities to direct the Pearls inside to reorganize it and create a Memory Core for safekeeping. These efforts would all be for naught if Pearl’s gemstone cracked, as it would be game over for the memories, items, and anyone inside.

Adora cleared her throat and spoke to the MC-Pearl, which she called herself, standing for her full name, Memory Core Pearl, and serving as a commentary on her coolness:

“Hello! We’d like to watch…er observe some memories of Pearl and myself.”

The MC-Pearl smiled and replied, instantly recognizing Adora from the hours and hours of the memories stored within the core she had watched. “Certainly, Ms. Adora! I’ll pull them up for you, right away,” adding, “you are so cute in these memories. I understand why the big boss Pearl fell for you.” Adora’s face reddened, her body began to tingle, and her body began moving awkwardly. As a tear fell down her face, the MC-Pearl waved them adieu. She could retrieved the moment that their friendship began, how they flirted with each other in Mystacor, or when she was jealous of Adora for her crush on Carmen. Back then, she fled to the Strawberry Battlefield and Steven comforted her, learning how much Adora meant to her. The same could be said about the time Lapis and Peri flustered her when they talked about their relationship, Pearl's anger at Adora for drinking vodka with Mimi and Rin, and Pearl's defense of Adora from a ship piloted by Bonnie and Marcy. She did not pull up these memories. Instead, MC-Pearl picked some of Pearl and Adora’s best times together. Pearl and Catra could watch these memories but could not alter the memoryscape.

The first memory came from the time Pearl and Adora snuck away at night, walking through the Whispering Woods to a rock outcropping overlooking a lake. As Adora watched herself hold Pearl’s hands tightly, she whispered “aw” as she heard the dialog between them, while Catra rolled her eyes.

“I really admire you, Pearl, your elegance, knack for organization and order, and your inspirational talk. Bow and Glimmer are nice and all, but you are really a friend I wish I had known sooner. I wish you could stay here forever.”

"I'm glad that you like those qualities and see me as a true friend...but we barely know each other...Garnet says love is something that grows over time, not something that can just happen instantly or quickly. The same is the case for friendship."

"You are so interesting and fascinating...and I want to get to know you better...I want us to be the best of friends!"

While watching this play out, Adora cried, remembering her dismay back then, but glad that Pearl understood her feelings, bawling when she saw them cuddling. She snickered when they shouted, “Pearl and Adora together...we are Peadora united!” Catra had never seen Adora like this, and silently cheered on Adora’s new maturity. She wondered if she could have intimacy like that in her life. She became jealous, resulting in a weird fascination with the memories, wanting to see more. After the memory stopped playing, Adora slid over to Catra and popped a question. She wanted to know if Catra was still ok with this. Catra, wanting to mend the friendship, or whatever she had, with Adora, and captivated by the memories, bobbed her head, and agreed. Adora gladly communicated Catra’s assent to the MC-Pearl, who plopped them in another memory.

Unlike the last one, this took place right after she arrived on Earth and left Etheria. Adora watched as she and Pearl sat near Steven’s Beach House, enjoying the bright yellows and oranges of the Earth sunset. She could recall the emotions that flowed through her at that moment. She repeated her own words as heard them, “Isn't it beautiful, Pearl? I'm so glad to be here on this planet with you.” She cried, and cried, watching herself and Pearl squeeze each other, and enjoy an intimate moment. As the memory faded away, Catra requested a break, starting to recognize why Adora and Pearl were so close. She sighed and posed a question to Adora.

“So, you left Etheria to be with her and enjoy that gorgeous sunset? That wouldn’t be enough for me…there would have to be something more.”

Adora chuckled. “Of course, there wasn’t all of it, Catra. These memories are only snapshots of our best times together.”

Despite Catra being dismissive, Adora decided to continue, with Catra resigning herself to it. The next memory selected by MC-Pearl had special meaning. Catra and Adora were transported to a part of the memoryscape resembling the cold reaches of Siberia where the memory took place. Catra, in her orange leotard tank top and reddish-violet leggings, shivered when she stared at the snow and saw the wind whipping around. She began to get jittery when watching Pearl flirting with Adora, and their dance together. After noticing Adora's dance moves were the same ones she used at the Princess Prom, she became even more annoyed. Suddenly, a burst of intense color almost blinded her. She opened her eyes, feasting her eyes on the Pearl-Adora fusion with shock and bewilderment. Prior to moving onto another memory, she asked for clarification.

“What the heck just happened? And...Why can’t we do it?”

Adora giggled and tried to simply explain it to Catra. “It's fusion. It's when two people come together and turn into one person. We can’t do it because we don’t have Gems, but someone like Pearl or any of her friends who have gemstones in their bodies can do it. So, answering your last question, no, humanoids can’t fuse with each other, only with another Gem.”

Catra still did not get it. “So, fusion is like sex?”

Adora breathed deeply and took the question in stride. “No, no, no. It can be between people who are friends or people who love each other. There’s a lot of emotions involved in it, but it's not sex…it’s a manifestation of a relationship between two…or more…people.”

Although Adora's words made sense to her, she grumbled and worried about what memory MC-Pearl would choose for them next. Only her fascination for the memories kept her going.

Adora and Catra were whisked off to a bright, sunny location, another manifestation of the memoryscape. It was the beach near the Beach House where Steven (and the Gems) lived, after Adora’s date with Carmen in the incorrectly named Tampa Lagoon. Adora and Pearl sat together, as the ocean waves washed over the sand. Adora focused on Pearl’s words, repeating everything she said about their relationship, especially when she poured her heart out, and expressed her feelings:

“I had a realization which I had been afraid to admit because I had a fear of losing you…as you know, the last person dear to my heart, Rose, left me for a long-haired human…a feeling of loss that still resides within me…although I have recovered from it, sometimes it resurfaces in moments of pain and anguish.”

“Having said all that...there's something I need to get off my chest and state loudly...and proudly...I...LOVE you Adora!”

“Pearl…I love you too! I…”

“Hush now…let’s enjoy this moment.”

Catra watched in shock as she saw the passionate kiss between Pearl and Adora as their hair blew in the breeze. After this, they stared into the night sky and gazed up at the moon together. She thought that this was real. This illusion broke apart when she turned her head, seeing Adora sitting next to her, enthralled by the memory. She began thinking to herself, what am I thinking? Am I jealous? I should be supportive of what she has. I’ll never have that.

MC-Pearl announced that she had one final memory she wanted to show them. Adora was giddy with excitement while Catra feigned interest, tired of seeing all the memories as her fascination with them began to wane. Without notice, the memory began. Catra took a deep breath. She saw Adora and Pearl traveling across the Earth, using warp pads, checking for unusual activity. While this memory played, Adora began crying a little as she watched herself and Pearl smooching while cradling Pearl in her arms. When the dream version of her began singing a melody, she cheered, and Catra mumbled under her breath, “oh, brother.” Adora loved the song’s rhythm, romantic themes, and beauty. She enjoyed what Pearl had to say about her song and their happy scampering through a field of rose petals. Neither she nor Pearl were aware that the other Crystal Gems were watching this all from the Moon Base due to Steven's error in turning off the observation orb.

Soon thereafter, Adora and Catra were teleported back to the Memory Core room. Adora began talking to MC-Pearl, insisting they be sent back to the surface. This Pearl honored their request. She warned that the "big boss" Pearl on the outside may not be ready yet. Despite the same realization, Adora remained determined, wanting to give to Pearl for hiding Catra from her. MC-Pearl transported them to the surface level using her pearl. When they arrived, surface Pearl met them, again, and shuttered, trying to be friendly, hoping it would prevent further conflict.

“So, how was your time in the memory core? Did you resolve your…uh…issues?”

“Nice. I loved watching those memories again.”

Catra demurred, saying she agreed with Adora this one time. “I-I-I agree with Adora. I get why they like each other so much. I wish I had something like that in my life.”

The surface Pearl smiled. “As a person with markings of a tabby cat, a feline headpiece, and your…whole look…I get it! Big boss Pearl is the best matchmaker around!”

Catra rolled her eyes and easily brushed it off. “Uh…no thanks. I’ll figure it out on my own.” She wanted assistance in that department but thought that questioning her about it would be perceived as “weak,” and it would expose her to vulnerabilities. She did know that the surface Pearl lied to her. Even though she had learned a lot from her relationship with Adora, generally, Pearl did not have good advice when it came to the relationship department due to her often low self-esteem.

The surface Pearl huffed and declared, “fine! Suit yourself!”

Luckily for them, the situation outside Pearl’s gemstone dimension had degraded to such a point that she needed Adora and Catra to aid her. She instructed the Pearls inside her gemstone dimension to supply them with weapons. The surface Pearl, who served as the gatekeeper in relaying requests to the other subservient Pearls, received the order. She handed a straight sword to Adora and a shotgun to Catra. Without warning, Adora and Catra were called forth by Pearl, away from memories and things of the past. Lasers whizzed over their heads, nearly killing them both on arrival in the "real world." Using her She-Ra powers, Adora created a shield, protecting Catra, and herself, from the onslaught. She wielded her sword while Pearl retrieved a pearlescent spear from her Gem, blasting a path forward through the ship's metal superstructure. She sighed and demanded immediate action from Catra and Adora.

“Nice to see you both…but we need to go, now!”

“Aye, Captain P!”

Running quickly, Adora tightly clasped Catra’s hand. Grasping a sword in her other hand, she slashed through doorways, and sped forward with her comrades. On the way to the bridge, Pearl found an elevator. They jumped inside with only seconds to spare. The doors slammed closed behind them. The elevator zoomed up the shaft. When the propaganda message, about the Diamonds and their quest for an empire, started to blare, Pearl stabbed the speaker with her spear, causing it to sizzle and sputter.

The elevator beeped and opened. Unlike the one Lars and the Off Colors used to reach the Trilliant Splitter’s bridge, Adora, Catra, and Pearl had to traverse a long corridor, where they would be prone to danger. Pulling out the shotgun, Catra cackled as she cocked it.

“I’m ready to kick some Gem butt, oh yeah!”

Pearl and Adora were not fans of this glee to hurt others. They silently promised, to each other, to confront her about it at a later point. Seizing the ship and establishing contact with Lars, on a decrepit ship floating in the planet’s orbit, remained the top priority. Knocking out the guards remained easy, one Gem stood in their way. She had a light-orange skin complexion, curly pale-yellow afro, red-and-white jumpsuit, white-gay gloves, white-and-red boots, and other stylish clothes. She wielded her pink rapier with a teal edge, challenging them to a duel. She announced herself to a terrified Pearl, determined Adora, and strong-willed Catra.

“I am Hessonite, commander of the Trilliant Splitters and this is my ship. I will not accept defeat from pipsqueaks like you! Prepare to meet your doom!”

Adora brandished a sword, Pearl her spear, and Catra a shotgun. They were ready for battle. Hessonite charged headfirst, laughing maniacally, wildly swinging her rapier. Adora countered her attack, while Pearl released energy bursts from her spear simultaneously. Closing one eye, Catra fired the shotgun. Artfully, Hessonite sliced each bullet in half and sprinted her direction. Sensing trouble, Adora erected a shield, protecting Catra yet again. Pearl rushed in front of Adora and summoned another spear. She blocked the strong blade of Hessonite’s rapier, while Catra took potshots at her, crouching safely behind Adora’s shield. Growling and snarling, she became frustrated, preparing to go on the offensive. This never happened. While Pearl distracted her, one of Catra's shotgun blasts hit her directly in the chest. She screamed in pain while her form dissolved into her hessonite gemstone. This was a low point for Hessonite. In the Gem hierarchy established by the Diamonds, all garnet-type Gems, like hers, were originally tasked with leading armies, conquering planets, and served as colony overseers. Often, the Diamonds gave them light prisms to wield as weapons, but they were outlawed after the Steven-led anti-Diamond offensive all those years ago on Homeworld. For a human, one without a Gem, to poof her, a shameful experience to say the least.

Grapping onto the gemstone, Pearl bubbled it and put it inside her gemstone for safekeeping until they came back to Earth. While Adora knew that Gems, like Pearl, were only manifestations of light, which would return to their gemstones if “poofed,” Catra did not have the same basis of knowledge. Her eyes darting from place to place, she demanded answers.

“What in the world is going on? How...why…did Hessonite disappear into that gemstone?

Pearl pulled her aside and began to explain.

“Every Gem, like myself, projects a light-composed body, often humanoid, from their gemstone, which can change at will. When someone’s gemstone is damaged, the physical form dissipates, and they retreat to their Gem so they can regenerate. That is what happened to Hessonite.”

Despite remaining questions, Pearl’s explanation helped a little. She smiled and spoke to her, beginning to respect her a little more than in the past.

“Pearl, thanks for telling me that. I want to learn more about Gems, but what you said is a step in the right direction. You are such a great person for Adora. You have a shared history and are cute together. I have…nothing with Adora…nothing at all.”

While Pearl’s face became hot and her cheeks became a bit bluer, as she froze in place due to her embarrassment. Catra broke down and began crying. Seeing her in emotional distress, Adora embraced her, reassuring her that she mattered.

“Don’t say that! Pearl is my girlfriend, but…we will be connected until the end of time.”

While this would have comforted Catra, what Adora said perplexed her even more. She cornered Adora, and leaned in, insisting she reveal her true feelings without delay.

“Fine, fine, Pearl is your gf, significant other, a lover, whatever you want to call it…but what am I to you? A friend? A love interest? A crush?”

Adora stuttered, unsure how to respond to Catra’s rapid-fire questions. As she began to formulate an answer, an alert interrupted her thought response.

“Incoming ship detected. Designation unknown. Please take appropriate action.”

Pearl examined the spacecraft on the monitor. She recommended they prepare for combat. As a precaution, she contacted Lars and the Off Colors on their weakened Trilliant Splitter, otherwise known as the LDD, hoping he could inform them about this enemy.

“Captain Lars, we saw a new ship enter the planet’s orbit and may soon break through the planetary blockade. What should we do? Should we engage? What say you?”

Lars had never seen such a ship, so he relayed the message to Cleo and the others on the ground, hunkered in Brian’s laboratory, hiding from the Xerxs. Cleo could not recognize the craft, but Khensu did, remembering records from the P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. archives. He shouted loudly into the receiver, “it’s Octavian’s craft! Shoot it down!” A couple minutes passed. The unidentified ship was about to enter the planet’s atmosphere. Lars' order to attack the craft interrupted Pearl's thought process. She proceeded to press a button on the console. The automatic turrets opened fire. In the Gem fleet, Admiral Jack received schematics of the ship’s design and ordered the same. For a fleeting moment, the GDA and the Crystal Gems had a common foe. Although the ray shields deflected most of the damage, one laser bolt hit the unprotected starship engine, causing the ship to spiral out of control and be on collision course toward the planet's surface.

Detecting the descent of Octavian’s ship, Khepra ordered the Xerxs, she controlled, to retreat, and be on standby until the craft reached the ground. Cleo and her friends were surprised by the pull back of the Xerxs despite being surrounded and destined for inevitable defeat. They decided to not pursue. Brian used his technical knowledge to rapidly restore the shield around Mayet City and P.Y.R.A.M.I.D. Not only would it stop the asteroids but an inevitable enemy assault, whether from Octavian or someone else, like the Gem army, otherwise known as the GDM. The latter had landed on the planet's surface, with the Gems, Cleo and her friends, and other comrades distracted by the battle in space, unable to stop the invasion.

Far above the planet, Lars, the Off Colors, and Connie, grasping a delirious Steven in her arms, entered an escape pod. The LDD seemed like a lost cause. They wanted to join Pearl, Adora, and Catra aboard a Trilliant Splitter which had not suffered as much damage. Lars felt confident there would be nothing to worry about with the LDD on autopilot and rigged to explode on the click of a button. Pearl activated the tractor beam. As their pod entered the ship’s hangar bay, Pearl received reports of unusual activity on other Gem fleet vessels. A type of sleeping gas had been released, causing Gems to fall down, and become unconscious. The ship started to move on its own, without their direction, and away from the planet’s gravitational pull. Using her ability to interface with Gem technology, Pearl desperately strained to regain control of the ship. While she was successful, she fell back, completely exhausted, and into Adora’s arms. At that moment, Lars and the Off Colors reached the ship’s bridge. Lars offering to take over while Pearl remained incapacitated, which Adora happily agreed to, while she tended to Pearl. All those on the bridge watched in shock as the Gem ships powered up their engines and vanished in front of their very eyes.

None of them could understand what happened, but they prepared for the worst. Adora brought Pearl to the ship’s medical bay, with Catra tagging behind as a loyal friend who undoubtedly had a crush on Adora. She waved to Connie, who sat by Steven, who lay on a bed, weakened by the large use of energy to protect the ship Lars and his compatriots had skyjacked. Fluorite, like on the LDD, went down to the engine room, while RT, Pappy, and Rhodonite stayed in bridge with their captain.

The Peridots, who pranked Admiral Jack earlier that day, had followed through on their plan. The computer virus they had created, wormed its way into the mainframes of every ship, including the one that Lars and his crew had set to blow up, allowing them to control everything from a room on the Pear Shimmer. The virus spread quickly into all the spacecraft of the GDA, while activating the Gem sleeping bombs, with the sleeping gas spreading through the ventilation system. The Peridots all worse gas masks, so they were unaffected. Prior to leaving the galaxy, en route to Homeworld, as part of a devilish scheme to overthrow of the Diamond Authority and empower the Gem populace with the use of the Gem fleet. The head of these Peridots activated a sequence affected only one ship: Admiral Jack's Asscher Slasher. Admiral Jack found his starfighter screaming through Mayet’s atmosphere. Unable to control the craft, he cut his way out of the cockpit and leaped into the air, watching as his ship crashed into electric thorn trees and burst into flame. Landing on ground gracefully, he stood in front of advancing troops of the GDM, complete with mobile Gem drills, Esperanzas, and other technology at the ready. He held up his hand, ordering them to stop. He brandished his sword, prepared to take down Octavian for the last time. Octavian lay close by, injured from his ship’s crash, and surrounded by a legion of Xerxs, led by Khepra. Creaking from the abrasions and sores across his body, he shook his fist and cried out so loud that his voice echoed across the landscape:

“I’ll get you, Jack, if it’s the last thing I do! Get ready to be Octavian’d!”

*****

End Note: For this story, I used information from the pages “Pearl,” “A Single Pale Rose,” "Pink Dimension," “Lars and the Cool Kids,” “Sworn to the Sword,” “Familiar (episode),” “Steven Universe (Character)”, and “Hessonite,” “Garnets,” “Gems,” and “Light Prism,” on the Steven Universe fandom site, and the “Catra” page on the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power fandom site. I used the same general understanding of blushing that I used in the previous story. I was probably also subconsciously influenced by Inside Out in terms of Pearl's "memory core." I used the Pink Dimension page to again make it as close to canon as possible.

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