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minijenn · 5 years

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Universe Falls, Chapter 70, Part 1

Whoops, never posted this on here like this so here ya go. Enjoy!

Previous: https://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/187177169134/universe-falls-chapter-69

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Chapter 70, Part 1: Out Too Far

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A soft, almost soothing gale swept through the dense canopy of trees overhead, trees that proved to be the very first sight he was met with upon opening his eyes. He was initially caught off guard, of course, to be waking up in such a heavily foggy forested area, especially given where he had fallen asleep at, but as he sat up, he quickly discovered that wasn’t the oddest thing about his current situation. For as he glanced down, he found that his own two feet were much more… watermelony than he remembered them being.

He jumped up with an apt cry of alarm, only to find that his voice was oddly distorted, his frightened shot accompanied by a small spray of seeds. He let out as much of a gasp as he could at this, still completely disoriented by this baffling shift to the point of frustration that there seemed to be no explanation to it whatsoever. With a disgruntled huff, he plopped back down to the ground, coughing out a few more seeds before grumbling petulantly to himself incoherently, which was just about the only way he could really communicate like this. But at the very least, he wasn’t as alone as he originally thought he was.

A sudden barking shook up the nearby shrubbery, and a mere moment later, a dog that was, strangely, every bit of a watermelon as he currently was, eagerly popped out. The melon mutt seemed friendly enough, keeping up its excited barking is it ran a quick circle around him and even allowed him to pet it as it rolled around on the forest floor. It was enough to calm him down from his aggravated confusion, though before too long, the pup hopped back to its feet and began to trot on ahead to what looked like a path leading out of the woods. Not really knowing what else to do in his current state, he decided to follow the melon mutt, hoping that it could possibly lead him to some sort of answers.

While not exactly the answers he was hoping for, however, the melon mutt did lead him to something quite impressive. Just past the edge of the rather darkened forest lay a much brighter stretch of cleared out land, and upon that land, a quaint little village had been built. The town consisted of simplistic wooden huts and lush thriving fields, all of which were tended to by a surprisingly large population of living watermelons, most of which were nearly identical to him. From his high vantage point, he watched, fascinated, as the watermelons carried out their tranquil lives. The melons seemed to be sowing their farms for smaller, baby versions of themselves, which, upon being harvested, were subsequently delivered to their new, loving family homes. A number of the other melons kept themselves busy keeping their tiny homes neat and tidy, while others tended to the village’s livestock, which, fittingly enough, were also watermelon creatures, from horses to chickens. And even still, more of the melons were milling about their peaceful home, making music on their makeshift bongos or simply playing casual games of footbag with one another. Overall, the entire society was surprising, but cozy, serene and picturesque as it lay nestled on the far side of Lake Gravity Falls’ Scuttlebutt Island. In fact, the tightly-knit melon community seemed so calm and laidback and obscure that he found it hard to believe that anything could disrupt its contented residents.

Until of course, something did.

He flinched upon feeling the ground suddenly begin to softly rumble under his melon feet, stirring up not only the island’s natural flora and fauna, but the tribe of watermelons who had come to call it home. As if by clockwork, the melons dropped their usual stream of activity the moment a loud gong clamored across the entire village, summoning them all to the monument statue at its center. Curious to see where this was going, he followed after the other melons as they all crowded before who was clearly the village elder based on his ceremonial attire and staff. The elder shook that staff and the rattle attached to it, prompting most of the other watermelons to place a stubby hand to their non-existent noses. All except for one.

He glanced around the crowd of melons, internally wondering what the point of this bizarre routine seemed to be. Of course, he didn’t really get much of an answer as the elder pointed his staff directly at him, directing the other melons to action once more. Before he even really had a chance to react, a group of melons hoisted him up, plopped him down onto a surprisingly elegant carved chair, fitted a flower crown on his head, and painted a bright yellow star on his melon-patterned chest. Then, acting in unanimous, calculated swiftness, almost as if this strange ritual was some sort of regular routine for them, the other melons carried him up the island’s tallest hill, setting him down on the clifftop before quickly slipping away, apparently to take cover behind the cluster of nearby thick pine trees.

Confused, he let out a small grunt, glancing back at the melons who had carried him to this odd perch for no explainable reason. The only answer he received was in the form of one of the watermelons holding their arms out wide, as if to show him what pose he was meant to take. While he still hadn’t the slightest idea about what was going on, he decided to follow suit, facing back towards the open stretch of the vast lake before him. And as he did, he finally got a concrete hint as to what was happening, albeit one that terrified him the moment he saw it, or rather her.

The island rattled much more violently, prompting the other melons to cower tightly behind their trees in fear, especially as the sound of what almost seemed to be shattering glass, or something else entirely, cracked across the entire lake surface. Meanwhile, he froze, watching with growing dread as a massive, malevolent figure began rising up from the murky depths of the lake below before him. A figure he instantly recognized with a panicked, terrified wail when he realized just how close this dangerous fusion was, and just how much hatred brimmed in all four of her sharp, dark green, crazed eyes.

Malachite.

The monstrous fusion let out a fierce roar, stretching out her several limbs, all of which were heavily restrained by the aquatic chains that had once tethered her to the lakebed below. Clearly, the sheet of ice she had trapped herself under had been broken clean through if the scattered ice flats of all shapes and sizes that were now floating to the surface of the water were anything to go by. Even still, Malachite set her sights on him and him alone, her manner vicious and vengeful as her disjointed voice bitterly growled his name. “Steven…”

And just like that, her twisted, powerful form rushed for him. And just as quickly, everything, the fusion, the island, the other watermelons, and the sheer, unabridged horror he was feeling, all completely went black.

***

When Steven snapped awake with an abrupt, startled gasp back at the barn, he found that the ground was still rumbling slightly underneath him. It scarcely gave him much time to make sense of the bizarre, frightening dream he’d just had, especially as everyone else began to take notice of the unexpected earthquake, putting the breaks on their drill preparations entirely.

“Ok, I’m not the only one who felt that, right?” Dipper asked, steadying himself as the ground finally stilled itself once more.

“Felt what?” Amethyst asked, casually oblivious.

“The ground got all shakey just now,” Mabel said. “It hasn’t done that since the portal under the Mystery Shack was getting ready to blow open. You don’t think there’s another one of those anywhere around here, do you?”

“Let’s certainly hope not…” Ford muttered somewhat stiffly.

“Did any of you feel that?!” Peridot exclaimed, rushing out of the barn in an absolute frenzy. “The ground shook! This could be the start of the emergence of the Cluster!” The green Gem took up a spot alongside the chalkboard, where she had hastily drawn a sloppy diagram to prove her point. “Stage 1: slight tremors ever quarter hour. Stage 2: full-scale earthquakes. Stage 3: the Earth is destroyed! We’re running out of time! We need to drill right now!”

“N-now?” Ford gaped, glancing over several sheets of notes and calculations he had written up. “But we’re still not ready! We need at least a few more hours to run final tests to ensure that-”

“Those final tests may not be a luxury we can afford anymore…” Pearl interupted fretfully. “Especially if the Cluster really is that close to breaking free. I hate to say this, but we might just have to risk it and go.”

“No, we don’t!” Steven chimed in, starkly remembering his dream. “Its not the Cluster that’s causing those earthquakes, its Malachite!”

“Malachite?!” the Gems and the twins all exclaimed in unified alarm.

“…What?” Peridot asked flatly, Ford also looking to the young Gem in slight confusion.

“I-I was on the island on the lake,” Steven began to hastily explain, still clearly shaken. “I was in a Watermelon Steven. They have a lovely community, b-but Malachite, she was there! She must have broken through the ice she put in the lake!”

“W-what else did she do?!” Dipper instantly pressed before anyone else could get a word in edgewise. Admittedly, it had been quite some time since he had made an active effort to continue their attempts at splitting the dangerous fusion up, but his strong desire to help Lapis always remained a constant at the back of his mind. And now, upon the revelation that the icy shield keeping her trapped in the dark depths down below was finally gone was more than enough to bring all of his pressing concerns to the forefront. “Did she say anything? How’s Lapis? Did it look like they were finally going to split up?”

Steven shook his head, overwhelmed. “I-I… don’t-”

“Lapis must be losing control,” Garnet concluded in place of the young Gem’s lack of intel. “Soon, Jasper will overpower her and Malachite will be loose.”

“Technically, if she broke through the ice, then she’s already on the lose…” Pearl mused apprehensively. “And so close to town too! Who knows what sort of destruction an unstable fusion like Malachite could be causing, even as we speak!?”

“Uh, I could be wrong, but I think we’re about to find out,” Amethyst said, nodding over to the car that had just pulled up near the barn. Stan stepped out of it, clearly annoyed as he grumbled to himself while trudging over to the gathered group near the drill.

“Ugh, don’t know why I had to drive all the way out here, maybe if somebody decided to build their stupid science fair project closer to the shack then this wouldn’t be a problem…”

“Grunkle Stan?” Mabel called, confused. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’ll tell ya what I’m doing out here, kid,” Stan remarked, hands on his hips. “I might as well be acting as the whole town’s messenger boy. Which they better pay me for, cause gas doesn’t come cheap these days.”

“Stanley, could you please get to the point?” Ford pressed, exasperated. “We’re sort of in the middle of something here, in case you didn’t notice.”

“Geez, excuse me, Sixer,” the conman deadpanned back at his brother. “I just thought you’d all like to know that there’s some psychotic 60-foot tall green woman going off on some crazy rampage down at the lake. Half the town’s running around panicking thinking that she’s gonna come ashore and smash everything. Makes me glad the Mystery Shack isn’t next to the lake; after all, I don’t think ‘giant crazy ladies’ is covered by insurance, even if that’s something I actually bothered to pay for.”

“So its true,” Garnet concluded, her tone serious as she adjusted her shades. “Malachite really has broken free, putting innocent many humans at risk. Which means there’s no time to waste. Amethyst, Pearl, we need to get out to the lake as quickly as possible.”

“Oh, I’m already on it, G,” Amethyst smirked as she elbowed Stan in the knee. “Yo, Stan, mind if we bum a ride off of you? I mean, you got a car and like… that old rundown boat we all got on that one time, so you’re… sort of our only option here.”

“Oh yeah, and what’s in it for me?” Stan asked, raising a caustic eyebrow.

“Oh, honestly, Stan, this is an emergency!” Pearl huffed hotly. “You can’t just ask us to-”

“We’ll give you $30,” Garnet succinctly interupted, already offering the money out to the conman.

“Hmph,” Stan initially sneered at the cash. “Luckily for you, you’ve offered me the one thing I can’t refuse: money. Now come on, the quicker we get this taxi service nonsense over with, the sooner I can get back to the shack and get back to doing nothing.”

“W-wait!” Dipper suddenly called, hurrying after the Gems as they began to turn to leave alongside the conman. “Wait! You guys have to take me with you!”

“No,” Garnet quickly rejected, stopping him in his tracks as she raised a calm hand.

“Wha—b-but Lapis-” Dipper attempted to protest, only to be cut off once more.

“We’ll make sure to bring Lapis back safe and sound,” Garnet assured, kneeling down to his level and placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. “I promise. We know just how important saving Lapis is to you, Dipper. But Malachite is far too dangerous and unpredictable, especially as she is right now. Which is why you, Steven, and Mabel all need to stay here and watch over the drill with Ford and Peridot. We may be needing it sooner than later…”

“But, I-”

Dipper found himself silenced once more as Garnet simply raised a quieting finger, simply standing up without another word to join her fellow Gems. The trio took pause only for a moment to confirm with Ford that the drill would be fine in their absence, leaving Dipper to trudge back over to Steven and Mabel in disappointed defeat.

“I can’t believe it,” he huffed crossly to the pair. “After everything we’ve been through, even after I learned how to fight, they still don’t think I can handle something like this!”

“Aw, Dipper, that’s what they think,” Steven reassured, though he couldn’t help but feel like it was indeed true on some level. After all, the Gems were just as well holding him and Mabel back from this momentous mission too, despite the fact that they had already well since proved their grit and fortitude by now. “I’m sure they just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“But what about Lapis?” Dipper shot back intently. “She’s been stuck down there in that lake with Jasper for way too long now, and I’m just supposed to sit by and wait while everyone else goes to save her?! I don’t think so. I’ve got to be there to help her!”

“Uh, I dunno, bro-bro,” Mabel frowned worriedly. “It’s been awhile since any of us—except for Steven—have even seen Malachite. And if she’s still anywhere near as big and scary and angry as she was when Lapis dragged them into the lake, then maybe we should just let the Gems take care of her.”

“But I just… can’t!” Dipper exclaimed, set in his resolve. “I’ve tried waiting on the Gems, and making deals and plans and doing all the research I can and none of its worked! Its time to actually go there and face Malachite, and this might be the only chance I’ll get to do it. I don’t care what the Gems say; I’m going to that lake and I’m going to set Lapis free, no matter what!”

Upon hearing this bold proclamation, Steven and Mabel exchanged a fretful glance, knowing that changing Dipper’s mind, especially on something like this, was hardly an easy feat. It was no secret that he largely blamed himself for Lapis’ self-imposed imprisonment, however irrational that self-blaming might have been. Which would naturally explain why he had always been so intent on helping her by any means necessary, even going to lengths as far and deadly as a disastrous deal they were all reeling from the consequences of even still. And yet compared to that, his drive to go and confront the treacherous fusion in person seemed, amazingly enough, far less dangerous of an alternative. And given just how dangerous and unstable Malachite clearly was, that was saying something.

“…O-ok,” Steven was the first to relent, albeit apprehensively. “If you really think this is something you need to do, then… then you should go. For Lapis.”

“Mm… yeah…” Mabel agreed rather hesitantly, clearly concerned for her admittedly reckless brother’s wellbeing. “But just as long as you promise to be careful, Dipper. None of that self-sacrificy knight stuff this time, ok?”

“Relax, Mabel,” Dipper assured with a small smile as he strapped the Sword of Seasons over his shoulder. “Both me and Lapis will make it back safe this time. I promise. But in the meantime, do you guys mind covering for me with Great Uncle Ford? I have a feeling he’d… probably agree with the Gems about me staying behind.”

“Well… I don’t really know what we could tell him, but, I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Steven shrugged.

“Oh, I know! We could always tell him you died!” Mabel exclaimed, playfully dramatic. “That way, he wouldn’t have anything to worry about because he’d think you’re already gone!”

“See, that’s like, the exact opposite of the sort of thing I want him thinking,” Dipper deadpanned, hardly impressed by his sister’s proposal. “Just come up with something simple. Believable. Just until I get back with Lapis.” He paused for a beat, as if to realize the implications of what he had just said. “Whoa… this… really could work this time. She could… finally, finally be set free…”

“Well, if you have anything to do with it, bro-bro, then we know she will,” Mabel said with an encouraging smirk. “If there’s anyone who can help her, then it’s you.”

“Right,” Dipper nodded, choosing to believe that hopeful thought himself as he turned to depart. “Well, wish me luck.”

“Good luck!” Steven called warmly, though perhaps a bit too loudly, something that Dipper quickly corrected him on in his effort to be discreet. “Ooops, I mean, good luck!” the young Gem tried again in a whisper this time as not to arouse the Gems’ attention.

At the same time, Dipper managed to sneak just past the Gems and Ford right as they were concluding their brief conversation. Stan impatiently honking his horn did startle him somewhat as he made his way towards the back of the car, but even still he kept his wits about him as he quietly drew the Sword of Seasons. Carefully, he wedged the very tip of the blade underneath the trunk’s opening, sliding it around a bit until it finally, miraculously popped open. And then, just as quickly, he slid into the open trunk, sword and all, stealthily shutting it just as the Gems themselves took their seats in the vehicle itself. And just like that, they set off towards the lake, completely unaware of the hidden passenger who had just stowed away for the ride.

As the group drove off, things returned to a relative quiet calm around the barn. Steven and Mabel both plopped down somewhat anxiously onto the blanket they had set up on the grass next to the drill, trying to remain as stable as possible amidst the occasional light tremor rippling through the ground beneath them. All the while, Peridot was tinkering away on a few last minute adjustments on the drill while Ford went to go check on something inside of the barn, leaving a tentative silence across the entire barnyard that was only occasionally broken by the low rumbling of the earth itself. That is, until Peridot decided to make a begrudging attempt at conversation.

“So… Lazuli has Jasper trapped in a fusion?” she asked dubiously as she glanced away from her work on the drill briefly. “You’re joking me.”

“Its true!” Steven exclaimed with a frown. “But… Lapis must be getting tired from fighting Jasper for so long, just like Garnet said…”

“Just being on a ship with Jasper made me tired,” Peridot snarked, rolling her eyes.

“W-well, look on the bright side,” Mabel said, forcing a bit of a smile. “At least the Gems are finally going to split them up. Not to mention Dipper…” she muttered her last statement rather worriedly.

“What was that?” Peridot asked, raising an eyebrow.

“N-nothing!”

No more than a second later, the ground suddenly rumbled once more, far more violently than before. It was enough to knock Peridot off her short ladder and down to the kids, who shared a tight breath as they looked down to the distant hills, just past where the lake, the Gems, Malachite, and Dipper were all no doubt starting to clash. “Augh, now I understand what Dipper meant about not being able to just sit around waiting!” Steven groaned, no longer content to simply sit around on the sidelines. “I wanna help them too!”

“But the Gems said it was too dangerous,” Mabel countered, far from fond of the idea of the young Gem throwing himself into such calamity too.

“Why don’t you just disobey them?” Peridot suggested. “Rebel. Isn’t that like, you guys’ thing?”

“Oh, good point,” Steven nodded. “Oh! I know! I’ll fall asleep and go into a Watermelon Steven again! This way, I can help them and be safe at the same time!” Satisfied with his plan, the young Gem lay back down onto the blanket, laughing daringly to himself all the while.

“Wow, you’re a real anarchist,” Peridot deadpanned dryly.

“No one can tell me what to do,” Steven shot back, an air of playfulness in his tone until Mabel leaned over him anxiously.

“Keep an eye on him for me out there, ok?” she whispered, her tone serious and concerned for her brother’s wellbeing.

“That’s exactly what I plan to do,” Steven assured, offering her a warm smile as he closed his eyes before quickly drifting off back to sleep.

Soon enough, the only sound that could be heard was the young Gem’s soft snores as he hopefully succeeded in his endeavor in connecting with yet another one of his watermelon doubles. “So… what are we supposed to do now?” Peridot asked, still rather confused by the situation as a whole.

Before Mabel could offer an answer, Ford cut in, walking over to the group and showing that he was even more out of the loop than the green Gem was as he noticed Steven fast asleep on the ground for no seemingly explainable reason. “Um… did I miss something?”

***

Dipper hadn’t exactly expected riding in the trunk of the car all the way from the barn to the lake to be all too pleasant of a trip, but if there was any one thing he had forgotten to take into account, it was Stan’s poor driving. The entire ride was a bumpy, incredibly cramped ride, given just how cluttered the conman’s trunk was, and as soon as he felt the car finally skid to a rough stop, Dipper couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief that it was finally over. And as soon as it was and the Gems and Stan were out of immediate earshot, he used his sword once again to wedge the trunk open so he could slip out of it.

Since Stan and the Gems had already congregated near the conman’s boat near the dock, Dipper made sure to do his best to stay out of their line of sight as he took the long way to sneak over to the dock himself. As far as he could see, Malachite was nowhere to be found further out on the lake, but, based on the fearful crowd that had gathered relatively close to the shore and Stan’s own testimony, she clearly had been rampaging around the lake at some point. But even if she wasn’t out and about at the moment, the Gems were still intent on finding her and putting an end to her fused existence, a goal that Dipper absolutely shared.

“Are you sure this… ‘boat’ will even be able to get us out to that island?” Pearl asked Stan, looking at his docked dingy dubiously.

“Looks like it’ll sink as soon as he hop on it,” Amethyst chuckled, testing her theory as she jumped onto the boat hard. “Huh, guess ya got lucky.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know this boat has been through plenty of tight spots,” Stan refuted with a scowl. “Like the time me and Amethyst took it down to Santa Monica to bust a whole bunch of sea turtles out of the local zoo.”

“Those turts deserved to be the masters of their own destinies,” Amethyst agreed with a playful salute.

“So yeah, if it can handle that, then I’m pretty sure it can handle a whack or two from some four-legged monster woman,” the conman rebuffed, crossing his arms.

“Then let’s get going,” Garnet urged, taking a seat on the boat next to Amethyst. In turn, Stan sat down next to the engine and rudder, and while a bit more hesitant, Pearl eventually got on board, though she did so very lightly, considering just how tightly packed the boat already was. And, without any further deliberation, the conman revved the boat’s engine (after pounding it a few times to get it to start) and they were off. Fortunately, from wherever she was under the surface of the water, Malachite didn’t seem to notice the relatively tiny vessel as it skipped across the water towards the fog-drenched Scuttlebutt Island. For over the course of a relatively quiet, relatively short trip, the group arrived on the island’s nearsided shore, with the Gems not wasting any time in disembarking the moment it pulled up onto the brittle sand.

“Thank you, Stan,” Garnet said, turning back to the conman as he boredly leaned against his boat. “You should head back to town. Things are going to get messy around here very soon. Trust me.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice, shades,” Stan sneered, preparing to climb back into his boat. That is, until he happened to catch a sudden odd glint on its otherwise empty wooden bottom. “Huh?” Confused, he reached down, realizing that this glint came from the metal of a blade he knew he hadn’t brought with him. A blade that was quickly withdrawn back under the seat it had been peeking out from under the moment he skimmed it. And of course, based on that, it didn’t take Stan very long at all to figure out what was going on here. “Alright, kid, the jig is up,” he said, reaching under the seat in full and grabbing a fistful of his nephew’s vest in the process. Dipper gasped in surprise as the conman hoisted him up, giving him a broad, disapproving look, one that the Gems all shared as they realized he had secretly followed them along.

“O-oh, uh… h-hey, you guys!” he laughed uncomfortably. “Crazy seeing you all here too, huh?”

“Dipper!” Pearl exclaimed, baffled by this reveal. “What on earth are you doing here?! I thought we told you to stay behind at the barn with Mabel and Steven!”

“Y-yeah, you did,” Dipper glanced away sheepishly as Stan finally set him down. “I just… didn’t really choose to listen to you guys on that? Though, I guess that’s kind of obvious since I’m here in the first place…”

“Kid, how’d you even get out here?” Stan asked, arms crossed. “Don’t tell me you stowed away in my trunk. Cause if you did… well, I gotta say I’m kinda impressed. Guess you have more of my genes in you than Ford’s. Heh, remind me to rub that in his face later.”

“Stan! Don’t encourage this kind of behavior!’ Pearl huffed, annoyed.

“Dipper,” Garnet spoke up, her tone stern yet steady. “You know we only told you to stay behind for your own safety.”

“I do know, but you guys don’t have to worry about me!” Dipper insisted, drawing his sword. “I can defend myself, and maybe I won’t even have to do that if I can just find a way to reach Lapis somehow. Who knows? Maybe I might even be able to convince her to unfuse!”

“Convince her?” Amethyst asked, incredulous. “Dude, have you even seen Malachite? She’s like, completely bonkers! I don’t think just talking to her is really gonna solve this one. Though I’ll give you points for coming up with a very Steveny way to deal with it.”

“But I-” Before Dipper could argue his stance any further, the entire island suddenly shook from its very foundation, nearly knocking the entire group to the ground. The entire surface of the lake seemed to ripple, until the shifting waters practically turned into waves. And from those waves, on the far side of the island but still in sight of the group on its shore, a massive shape began to emerge, thrashing against the chains that had once held her down violently and growling in her heated struggle all the while.

“It… it’s her…” Dipper whispered in shock the moment he saw her. All at once, it was as though he had been struck by the very same anguish he had felt when he had first watched her drag herself into the depths far too long ago. The pain he had felt in all of his failed and futile efforts in trying to get her back. But not again, not today. For today he resolved to push that pain aside in the hopes that he could finally be free from it, that they could both finally be free once and for all.

“Stan, get back on the boat and take Dipper back to town,” Garnet ordered firmly. “Now.”

“No!” Dipper protested, though before he could rush forward, Stan swiftly grabbed him by the arm.

“Listen, kid, just because you’ve got some kinda crazy death wish doesn’t mean I do,” the conman remarked as he began to drag his nephew back towards the boat. “Now c’mon, let’s skip outta here while we still can.”

No sooner had Stan said this, however, then a massive wave, caused by Malachite’s continued fearsome struggling against herself, suddenly burst out of the water and crashed onto the shore. Amethyst acted quickly, shifting herself into an umbrella large enough to shield the entire group, lest they be carried away by the water entirely. But what hadn’t been spared was Stan’s boat, which was easily dragged out of the shore’s reach when the wave quickly retreated. Given how tumultuous the lake’s surface already was thanks to the restless fusion, it didn’t take long for yet another high wave to overwhelm the small boat entirely, snapping it clean in half before dragging both halves down into the depths.

“Nooooo!” Stan cried, running out into the shallows to try and salvage his sinking ship. “My boat!”

“Well, that’s… convenient,” Dipper noted largely to himself before turning back to the Gems with a triumphant grin. “Oh well, looks like you guys have to let me stay here and help after all.”

“No, we don’t,” Pearl shook her head, adamant. “Both of you need to find somewhere to hide where Malachite won’t be able to see you. As destructive and out of control as she is, there’s no telling what she’d do if she spotted two humans in her range.”

“Oh, come on!” Dipper sighed petulantly, getting incredibly tired of being told no on this matter.

“No, you come on, kid,” Stan reiterated, grabbing Dipper’s arm once more and more or less dragging him towards the island’s dense forest. “It’s bad enough I lost my only boat, I’m not about to lose my only life too. Oh, and uh, you I guess.”

Dipper scowled, quite disgruntled as the conman forced him just past the tree line and into the woods. However, just past that tree line happened to be pair of Watermelon Stevens, completely oblivious to the danger that was only just beginning to beset their peaceful island home. Instead, they were simply content to enjoy playing their makeshift bongos together, or at least they were until one of them suddenly seized up and collapsed to the ground before snapping back to life just as quickly.

When Steven awakened, it didn’t take him very long to realize that his aim had been successful. For sure enough, with a single glance down, he found the short, green, stubby legs of one of his watermelon doubles rather than his own. The young Gem allowed himself a small celebratory cheer at this (or as much of a cheer as he could get out since his speech was quite limited in this form) before quickly getting up and rushing down to the shore, leaving a very confused other Watermelon Steven behind.

All the same, Steven broke out of the woods only to find the Gems, standing together against Malachite, who was still engrossed in a struggle all her own to the point that she hadn’t even noticed their presence yet. “Alright,” Garnet said, extending her hands out to her teammates. “Let’s put an end to this.”

Pearl and Amethyst agreed, simultaneously breaking into a synchronized, smooth dance towards Garnet, who did the same as she remained stationary. And as the trio met, with hardly any effort at all, their forms lit up, joining together and rising up to form a force that would finally be enough of a match for Malachite herself: Alexandrite.

At the same time, Malachite’s own internal fight only seemed to intensify as she tugged hard against her aquatic chains and manacles. For weeks now, the bonds had remained steady and constant, Lapis’ own intense fortitude and resolve proving enough to weigh them both down. However, Jasper wasn’t the type to let herself stay buried under the surface for too long, and sure enough, she had brutishly pushed her way past the blue Gem’s restraints, entirely bursting free from them entirely.

“Augh! Give UP!” the twisted fusion shouted, her disjointed voice echoing across the lake. With one final, fierce pull, the watery chains snapped, at last releasing Malachite, or rather, her more vicious half from her lengthy imprisonment. “Finally…” she grinned, rubbing her wrist where the manacles had once held her. “I’m impressed. You really held out.”

“MALACHITE!” Alexandrite’s fearsome shot rippled across the water as the powerful fusion splashed into the shallows of the lake herself, ready to square off. While initially surprised, Malachite sneered as she turned to her, recognizing well the group of Gems that this opposing fusion was composed of.

“Hmph, they’re here. Figures they’d come running to protect all those stupid humans,” the twisted fusion turned her nose up at the crowd of townsfolk still spectating on the distant main shore. Even so, as submerged in their shared mind as she now was, Malachite’s other half growled in protest at the thought of exactly who might possibly be within that group. “Ugh! Stop!” she hissed, forcing her other half back into the darkness of their fusion’s existence. “Pathetic! Don’t you see? We’ve been holding us back for too long! And for what? If we’re going to be this thing together, why don’t we have some fun?”

“We don’t have to fight!” Alexandrite appealed, all six of her hands clenched into tight fists. “You’re outnumbered.”

Malachite didn’t respond right away, bowing her head low as she tightened her own fists for battle. As she did, two similar arms rose up from the water, composed entirely of liquid and just as ready for the fray ahead as she was. “I may be outnumbered… but you’re out of your depth!” With two swift sings, the water fists both slammed into Alexandrite, catching her off guard and sending her stumbling back in the water, unsteady but hardly ready to fall to pieces so easily. “I can’t wait to tear you Gems apart!”

Back on the island’s shore, Steven gasped fearfully as he watched the titan-sized fusions violently clash, sending another round of dangerous waves tumbling to the shore. The young Gem hurried out of their path and onto a small bluff, watching as Malachite and Alexandrite exchanged blows afar off in the distance. By all accounts the fusions seemed to be matched in size and strength, but if there was anything Malachite had over her opponent, it was sheer, utter ruthlessness on her side. The twisted fusion went in for low blows, ones that Alexandrite was only barely able to ward off with her lower arms and slighter frame. Not helping matters were Malachite’s aquatic powers, as well as the fact that she had plenty of water at her disposal all around her to weaponize against her foe. Even within the first few moments of the battle, Steven could tell that Alexandrite was struggling to get a hit in edgewise, which could certainly prove to be a problem when it came to taking Malachite out in the long run. But as he watched their intense fight, the young Gem couldn’t help but worry about the danger he knew such a fight could pose to someone else he knew was on this very same island.

Hoping that Alexandrite could continue to hold her own, Steven hesitantly turned away from the brawl and ran back into the woods instead. His current watermelon body wasn’t exactly well-suited for trekking through the forest, but he forced himself to make to, keeping a close eye out for any signs of Dipper all the while. And sure enough, it didn’t take him too long to catch wind of his friend amidst the clear complaining he was making essentially no effort to keep quiet about.

“But this is stupid!” Dipper huffed as he paced around the small clearing him and Stan had taken up shop in. “What’s the point of me going through all this training to sword fight if I can’t even use it when it matters most?!”

“Hey, don’t hassle me about it, kid,” Stan remarked, casually leaning against a nearby tree. “I’m just here to make sure you don’t run out there and get yourself killed by that big wacko broad you seem so deadest on running right up to with nothing but a dinky sword.”

“Well, maybe if you actually understood why I’m so deadest on doing that, then you’d actually let me go!” Dipper argued intently.

“Well, too bad for you, cause I don’t really care,” Stan crossed his arms, though his expression softened somewhat when he noticed Dipper’s obviously downcast expression. “…Ugh, look, Dipper. I know you and your sister have had a bunch of close calls with all this Gem stuff this summer. And you may have gotten lucky enough to make it out of all of those tight spots until now, but all it takes is for one unlucky call to bring everything to a screeching halt.”

“Heh, that’s funny, coming from you,’ Dipper retorted somewhat crossly. “Weren’t you the guy who spent half his life risking it on the road as a drifter?”

“Hey, I never ran into danger,” Stan countered. “In fact, I spent most of my time trying to get out of it. And that’s something you’d be smart to try for yourself too, kid.”

“Ugh, I’m not trying to run into danger,” Dipper shook his head bitterly, glancing away. “I’m trying to-” He suddenly cut himself off as a small, smooth form latched itself onto him in the form of a tight side hug. Startled, Dipper glanced over, only to see none other than one of the countless Watermelon Stevens that had wandered off into the woods quite some time ago now. “Whoa, uh… hi?” he laughed somewhat uncomfortably as he pulled himself out of the watermelon’s hug. “Huh, I guess Steven wasn’t kidding when he said these guys moved all the way out here.”

“Hmph, and to think, I could’ve been makin’ money off of them all this time!” Stan scowled as he poked the Watermelon Steven with a stick. “Suckers would pay a fortune to be ferried out here to look at a whole bunch of weirdly shaped watermelons. Could’ve sold merch and everything! Huh, you know, maybe after all this giant woman stuff has settled down, that might not be such a bad idea…”

As the conman began plotting out his next moneymaking scheme, the Watermelon Steven clung onto Dipper’s arm once more, its expression apparently distressed as it spoke in a series of unintelligible grunts and murmurs. “Uh… sorry,” Dipper frowned, aptly confused as he pulled away from the watermelon once more. “We’re kind of in the middle something here.” He paused for a beat, glancing over at Stan, only to find that he was still completely engrossed in thoughts over his new potential tourist trap. “Or… I guess I’m in the middle of something. If only I could find a way to get up close to Malachite on my own, without Stan or the Gems getting in my way! If I did, I know I’d be able to do… something to finally split them up!”

Steven faltered as he listened in on Dipper’s fretful aspirations, understanding well the noble intentions behind them. As he had said, he had been waiting for this chance for so long now, and yet it seemed as though everyone else was intent on holding him back from taking it. And while the young Gem also understood where Stan and the Gems were coming from, he couldn’t help but sympathize with Dipper’s side of things just a bit more, especially all of the lengths he had already gone through to set Lapis free thus far.

Dipper was soon broken out of his worried thoughts by another soft nudge from the Watermelon Steven. Confused, he glanced over at it just as it put a finger to its hardly visible mouth, silently instructing him to stay quiet. Dipper raised an eyebrow at this but ultimately listened, watching curiously as the watermelon stepped over to Stan and, quite easily, given how internally distracted the conman currently was, swiped the $30 dollars Garnet had given him earlier clean out of his pocket.

“Wha—Hey!” Stan flinched the moment he realized his pocket had been picked. He grew even more surprised an outraged the moment he glanced up to see the Watermelon Steven, waving the cash high in the air as it ran off into the forest. “Hey! You get back here with my money, you little punk, or I’ll turn you into a delicious fruit salad!”

Without missing a beat, the conman chased after the Watermelon Steven, intent on getting his bribe back. Of course, Dipper couldn’t help but feel both amazed and immensely relieved as he watched his uncle disappear into the trees, realizing that, oddly enough, that Watermelon Steven had given him the perfect window of opportunity. And that was a window he certainly wasn’t about to pass up.

The island shuddered once more as Malachite slammed Alexandrite into it hard, knocking down several trees in the process. With her opponent as winded by the brutal blow as she was, the twisted fusion took her opening and used her incredible strength to hoist Alexandrite into the air, spinning her a bit before flinging her across the open lake. The fusion splashed heavily into the depths of the water, leaving Malachite to revel in her momentary victory.

“Ha! They don’t stand a chance,” she sneered triumphantly, ready to launch herself right back into the fray she was confidently starting to win. But, just before she could, a small, but prominent shout happened to catch her attention.

“Hey!” Dipper yelled as loud as he could from the high bluff he had found a perch on not too far away from the twisted fusion. The Sword of Seasons had already been drawn, held tightly brandished in his hand as he stood as firmly as he could. Even so, time seemed to freeze as Malachite spun around to face him, putting him face to face with the very cause of so much of his sorrow, pain, and frustration for so many weeks now. He’d had more than a few nightmares where Malachite featured front and center ever since she had first formed that fateful morning; but now, actually facing her in the flesh was something different altogether. A sizable spark of dread rushed through him, the terror of not only the precarious position he had put himself in in opposing someone of her surmountable size and strength, but looking into the very face of all his ongoing fear and grief put together. But even so, he knew he had to face her this time. He had to put an end to this once and for all. Lapis’ freedom depended on it.

Even so, despite all of the courage he was forcing himself to have, nothing could have quite prepared Dipper for the sheer, absolute look of raw fury burning in all four of Malachite’s eyes the second she caught sight of him. “You…” she growled, the half of her voice that was Jasper’s easily taking precedent over Lapis’. Even so, Dipper stood his guard, even as the twisted fusion turned towards him fully, towering over him with malice and hatred brimming in her expression. “Its YOU!” she shouted this time, her voice booming across the entire island. “You’re that human she cares so much about! The one she won’t stop thinking about! The reason why she dragged us down and kept us trapped here for so long in the first place!”

Dipper flinched somewhat at this, the all too familiar reminder of Lapis’ resolve stinging him deeply even still. And yet, he was just as quick to remind himself of what he had learned since the last time he had seen Malachite. That the weight of the blue Gem’s momentous sacrifice for him was not his to bear, at least not alone. And he knew that was something that she needed to hear just as much as he once had. “L-Lapis,” he began, unsteadily at first, though he forced himself to be firm for her sake. “Lapis, listen to me, I-”

“Lapis is GONE!” Malachite screamed, slamming a fist down onto the ground beside Dipper. The resounding quake nearly cost him his footing entirely, but he somehow remained steady, even as the twisted fusion laid the blame with him once again. “And its ALL YOUR FAULT!”

Despite her wrath, Malachite started in surprise when bright electric sparks began to illuminate from Dipper’s sword as he gripped it tightly with both hands. “No,” he began quietly, though his volume quickly picked up as he rushed straight for the twisted fusion, ready to attack, ready to fight, ready to bring this struggle to an end at long, long last. “It’s not!”

Propelled by impulse and adrenaline alone, Dipper essentially jumped off of the cliff towards Malachite, the Sword of Seasons raised and ready to be brought down in a brutal attack. However, it was an attack that never landed, for right before he could reach the twisted fusion, she used her massive size and strength to her advantage against him. With a single swipe of one of her large hands, she easily knocked him back onto the very bluff he had jumped off of. Fortunately, he landed on solid ground, though he did so roughly, his back striking the hard soil first and jarring his entire body with hot pain as he rolled back into the nearby trees. Somehow, he managed to keep his sword in hand the entire time, though he barely paid it any mind as disoriented as he was, his head swimming and his numerous cuts already steadily bleeding. Even so, as he began to attempt to pick himself up, he noticed Malachite, still at the edge of the cliff and still staring at him piercingly, ready to finish what she had just started.

Yet before she could, another bold shout pulled her right out of the moment. Finally having recovered from Malachite’s throw, Alexandrite had emerged from the lake and was racing back towards the twisted fusion, fire brimming out of her lower mouth as she let out a fearsome battle cry. “Ugh, what a bunch of pests,” Malachite scoffed coldly, turning to face her larger foe, though not before sending a final hateful glance back at Dipper. “I’ll take care of you when I finish them off.”

Not sparing him another word, the twisted fusion launched herself at Alexandrite, the tendrils of water she controlled helping her in the reignited fray. At the same time, Dipper half-leaned, half-collapsed against a nearby tree, taking stock of his new injuries as he watched, dismayed, as Malachite got away from him yet again. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much of a chance to make another attempt as the same Watermelon Steven from before suddenly popped into his frame of vision.

“Wha—you again?” Dipper asked, incredulous to the point that he didn’t even notice the watermelon’s fretful look as it seemed to glance over his wounds. “Look, thanks for what you did earlier, but I don’t have time to mess around. I’ve got to-”

“You’ve gotta what?” Dipper realized his window of opportunity slammed shut the moment Stan stepped out of the woods, hardly pleased with his nephew if his cross expression was anything to go off of.

“G-Grunkle Stan! I-I was just-”

“Save it, kid,” Stan interupted. “I know exactly what you were doing. I’m not blind after all, I can see just how beaten up your crazy little suicide mission has gotten you. When are you finally gonna listen to me when I tell you to stay out of any Gem stuff that could get you killed before you even know it?!”

“W-well when are you gonna listen to me when I tell you that I have to do this!?” Dipper countered fiercely, refusing to back down in this fight as much as he wouldn’t give up in the struggle against Malachite. “Lapis is so important to me, she’s one of my best friends! And she’s stuck inside of… of that!” He threw an arm out towards Malachite just as she landed another heavy blow on Alexandrite. “And this might be my only chance to save her! Which is why I don’t care how dangerous it is, or how long it might take, or what you or the Gems say. I’m going to help her, no matter what!”

Stan practically froze upon hearing such an earnest resolve, one that he couldn’t deny sounded incredibly familiar. In fact, it only seemed to hit closer to home as he watched tears of desperation start to well up in his injured nephew’s eyes as he looked out towards the twisted fusion once more. “W-why can’t you and the Gems just understand that?” Dipper asked morosely. “Why won’t you just give me a chance to try?”

The conman let out a long sigh at this, overwhelmed by just how much of himself he was currently seeing in his downcast nephew right now. Which was why, with rare sincerity, Stan knelt down to his level, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as he spoke to him seriously, but respectfully all the same. “Dipper… I do understand. Do you really think I would’ve spent 30 years trying literally everything I could to get my brother back from some nutso nightmare dimension if I didn’t? I guess… I just thought you wanted to prove yourself to the Gems or something, just like you’ve been trying to do all summer, which is why ya keep trying to rush into a fight you might not be able to win.”

“I don’t care about that!” Dipper exclaimed, some of his tears finally falling. “All I care about now is getting Lapis back. That’s all I’ve cared about for a long time now.”

“…You really wanna save her, huh?” Stan frowned as he glanced out to the fighting fusions himself. “…Ok. Then let’s do it.”

“W-what?” Dipper asked, genuinely surprised.

“Let’s save her,” Stan reiterated with a broad grin as he rose to stand. “I may not be too fond of the idea of you rushing at a crazy, water-controlling broad with nothing but a sword, but… maybe between the two of us, we might just be able to come up with something better.”

Needless to say that upon hearing this, Dipper was unable to hold back a wide, grateful smile as he caught his uncle off guard with a sudden, unexpected hug. “Thank you,” he said, softly but warmly, so incredibly glad that Stan of all people was the one to give him this much-needed chance.

The conman briefly returned his nephew’s fond grin before ultimately shaking it off, gently pushing him away for the sake of maintain his gruff demeanor. “Alright, that’s enough, kid. After all, I don’t want you gettin’ all soft and sappy on me, especially when we’ve got a job to do.”

Dipper laughed a bit at this, finally wiping his eyes dry as he nodded confidently. “Right.”

However, before the pair could begin coming up with any sort of new plan, a massive splash near the shallows of the island quickly diverted their attention. It was immediately followed by a sinister cackle from Malachite herself, who had managed to pin Alexandrite down and was proceeding to dish out hit after hit with one of her lower hand-like legs.

“Yeesh, those three are really getting their a—t-their butts handed to them, aren’t they?” Stan asked, somewhat concerned.

“We’ve gotta do something to something to help them before she tears them to shreds!” Dipper said, cringing as Alexandrite recoiled from a particularly brutal blow. “Literally…” His train of thought was soon interupted however, by the Watermelon Steven as it tugged on his arm rather desperately. “What? What is it?” Dipper asked, only to be answered by a series of panicked, seemingly nonsensical grunts. “Uh… sorry. I have… no idea what you’re trying to say.”

Steven let out a long, frustrated groan at this, quite annoyed by his very limited capacity to communicate in this form, especially at a high-stakes moment like this. Admittedly, the young Gem was at just of much of a loss about what to do to help his guardians as Dipper and Stan clearly were, that is. That is, until he happened to remember that they weren’t the only ones on hand on the tiny island.

With a new, fledgling idea in mind, Steven readily pulled Dipper’s arm once more, determined on bringing him along to help him carry it out. However, still not understanding the watermelon’s intent, Dipper quickly pulled his hand away, rather frustrated by the distraction in general when his focus should have been on Malachite instead. “Ugh, stop!” he huffed, irritated. “I already told you, I don’t have time to play! I’m trying to do something really important here!”

“So am I,” is what Seven would have said if he was capable of it. But instead, he simply let out a relenting sigh, knowing that if Dipper wouldn’t go along with him, he’d just have to help him, the Gems, and Lapis in a different sort of way. And so, without making any further futile attempts at convincing his friend to go with him, Steven retreated alone, leaving a very confused Stan and Dipper behind as he went off to accomplish his own ends.

Despite the island being continually shaken by the ongoing brawl, Steven didn’t stop running through the woods, recalling what his dream had shown him to locate exactly what he was looking for. And soon enough, he happened upon it: the small, quaint, homely village all the other Watermelon Stevens called home. However, the town seemed to be completely abandoned and eerily silent, a far cry from the vibrant, bustling community he had seen within his dream. Fortunately though, he didn’t have to wonder where all of his watermelon doubles had gone for too long as a sudden anxious bark caught his attention. Sure enough, the very same Melon Mutt from his dream was hurrying through the village’s empty pathways, growing even more agitated as it reached him. The pup hopped urgently, seemingly pleading with the young Gem to follow it, and given his limited options at the moment, that’s exactly what Steven decided to do.

And it was a good thing he did, for the Melon Mutt ended up leading him to a cave, tucked away within the woods and obscured by foliage to keep it hidden out of sight. And, within that cave, was the entire population of Watermelon Stevens. The entire collection seemed to be cowering in fear in their cramped hiding space, making sure to stay out of sight of the monstrous fusion besetting their once-peaceful home. However, when Steven looked over the frightened group, he didn’t see a crowd of threatened, anxious natives; he saw a genuine opportunity, one that just needed to be inspired into action to finally fight back.

Which was why the young Gem took up a perch on a small rock near the front of the cave, shouting over the various fretful whimpers of the other melons to call them all to order. Despite the fact that he couldn’t exactly speak normally, Steven hoped he could still at least speak their language as he began a zealous speech of grunts and wails. To any outsider listening in, said speech probably wouldn’t have made much sense, but the young Gem still persisted anyway, essentially calling his fellow melons to arms against the threat posed to their home, or more specifically, to the aid of the trio of Gems also trying to stop her. At first, Steven didn’t seem to be gaining much traction with the other watermelons, that is, until one of them began to chime in with his enthusiastic cheers. It didn’t take long for more of them to follow suit, a wave of determined rebellion sweeping through the entire group as they abandoned their fear to protect their community.

Fueled by this determination, the Watermelon Stevens emerged from their hiding spot, rushing to fashion any sort of weapon they could from sticks and rocks. While their arms weren’t exactly anything powerful or substantial, they still rallied themselves together all the same, forming a single file march towards the island’s shore with one unified goal in mind: to put an end to Malachite’s wrath once and for all.

Such aid couldn’t come too soon either as Malachite shoved Alexandrite towards the island once more, successfully pinning her down to the ground again. “You know, you’re right,” the twisted fusion began, a hint of mocking in her distorted voice. Alexandrite hardly paid her any mind, however, as she struggled against her forceful hold, all while building up her fiery breath to retaliate. She didn’t get the chance, however, as Malachite landed a swift slug across her jaw, quelling her flames altogether and stunning her even more. “There really is something to this fusion thing! It’s not just a cheap trick.” Malachite kept her momentum up as she grabbed Alexandrite by the legs and threw her out into the lake once more. “You’ve really shown me a whole new world of possibilities!”

Based on how many blows she had taken over the past several moments alone, it was truly a feat that Alexandrite had managed to maintain her fusion thus far. However, as she struggled to pick herself up out of the lake, her form finally began to waver a bit, light enveloping her as her face began to shift and destabilize. She let out a loud shout of protest at this, gripping her own arms tightly as the trio of Gems that composed her rushed to maintain their united form. “Keep it together!” she warned herself, even as her voice began to split just as much as her body was.

“Allow me to thank you!” Malachite called as she caught up to the other fusion. Using her own hands to mimic the motion, she called upon the lake water once again, forming a sizable set of hands that were more than enough to entrap Alexandrite entirely. Despite her efforts to break free, the aquatic hands all too soon began to crush her, especially as they turned into solid, seemingly unbreakable ice. “Sorry,” Malachite sneered, ready to obliterate her all but defeated foes altogether. “But there’s only room for one abomination on this measly planet!”

The twisted fusion let out a smug laugh at her apparent victory, though it was short lived as a stone suddenly struck her across the side of her arm. Confused and already annoyed, Malachite turned to where the rock had come from, only to find Stan standing on the closest edge of the island, wielding a full handful of pebbles to use as further ammunition.

“Hey! Tall, green, and angry!” Stan shouted fiercely. “Why don’t ya pick on someone not your size for a change?!”

“Ugh… more humans?!” Malachite asked with an incredulous sneer.

“N-no!” Alexandrite grunted, unable to free herself from the icy hands restraining her to rush to the conman’s rescue. “Stop!”

The fusion’s warnings were all but unheard however, as the ice suddenly melted, allowing the watery hands to move in order to toss Alexandrite past even the lake itself and out into the forest far beyond it. “I guess I have no choice but to deal with you puny pests now instead of later…” Malachite growled, turning to face Stan fully.

“…Heh, y-yeah,” the conman laughed nervously as he realized just how high the twisted fusion towered over him. “About that…” Stan never finished as he instead simply turned on his heel and rushed off back into the woods. Outraged as she already was, Malachite gave chase, working her way around the island while keeping the current target of her fury in her sights all the while. She only lost track of him as he made it into a patch of underbrush obscuring a clearing, which allowed him to tag out of this dangerous mission so Dipper could take over instead.

“G-geez, I’m really outta shape…” Stan huffed, breathless as he leaned against a tree from the lengthy run. “I hope you know what you’re doing here, kid.”

“So do I…” Dipper took in an anxious breath, readying his sword as he emerged from the clearing, determined to make this work this time.

At the same time, Malachite let out another frustrated growl, brushing her hand through the woods and easily knocking down several trees in the process. “Where are you, you little—AUGH!” The twisted fusion recoiled her hand back as it met with a sharp, fiery surface, one that didn’t leave any lasting damage, but still caused quite a bit of pain. Her fury only seemed to grow tenfold as she looked to the edge of the forest, only to find the elemental sword that had injured her and the tiny but stalwart human clinging onto it. “You again…” she hissed, glaring down at Dipper piercingly.

“Lapis, I need you to listen to me,” Dipper began, largely ignoring Malachite to begin his appeal all over again. “I know you’re still in there; I know you’re not gone! And I know you’re strong enough to fight back against her and win! A-and I know I don’t have any right to ask you for anything else after… after all this, but please-” He paused, making direct, purposeful eye contact with the massive fusion towering over him in the hopes that he could somehow, some way reach something deeper within her fearsome exterior. “That’s what I need you to do right now. F-for me...”

Despite his earnest pleas, Malachite simply let out a cold chuckle over them, hardly phased by his desperate words at all. “Oh, come on. You really think your useless begging is gonna do anything to-” Out of seemingly nowhere, the twisted fusion sharply cut herself off, clutching her head as she let out an agonized roar. All Dipper could do was watch as she stumbled back, seemingly struggling against herself once more, though this time he followed her out as much as he could until he was standing on the edge of the island’s cliff once more, watching and hoping with everything he had that his appeal had somehow worked.

Malachite released another raw, seemingly anguished scream, though as her eyes opened once more, they all focused on Dipper, each one wide with alarm and shock as she stared down at him. “D-Dipper…?” she asked, her voice surprisingly soft, though it was clear Lapis was taking an edge over Jasper in it.

“L-Lapis!” Dipper shouted, just as stunned as the twisted fusion herself seemed to be. “Is… is that really you?”

Malachite didn’t answer right away, her breathing harsh and heavy as she looked down at her steadily shaking hands. “I… I-I don’t—ENOUGH!” She erupted into a brutal shout, punching herself hard in the jaw as her more vicious half wrenched back control once again. “I won’t let you push me back under the surface again! I’m in charge here now, and I’m not giving that up! Especially not over some worthless, pathetic, puny HUMAN!”

Before Dipper could even react to this outburst, Malachite lashed out, controlling a swath of water to slam directly into him. The force of the attack was easily enough to sweep him off his feet as well as knock the Sword of Seasons out of his hand entirely. In fact, it even barely briefly sent him reeling into unconsciousness as he fell fast towards the lake, though what ultimately snapped him awake once more was Malachite’s hateful threats aimed towards him. “Just give up already! Nothing you do is ever going to bring her back! It’s over, and YOU LOST!”

This fierce proclamation was the last thing Dipper heard before he splashed down into the water, only half awake as he quickly began to drift down into the depths. The Sword of Seasons fell in right after him, sinking much faster to the point that it was soon lost to the lake entirely. Even so, Dipper hardly noticed as he simply stared up at the surface of the water, barely cognizant enough to realize he was slipping further and further away from it with each passing second as his vision began to blur and his lungs began to burn with the need for air that wasn’t there. In fact, he had all but blacked out entirely until he noticed a striped green hand reaching out for his from above. His misted mind briefly thought it was Malachite herself somehow, but he was quickly proven wrong as he was suddenly pulled up to the surface to find that his rescuer was none other than the very same Watermelon Steven who had been sticking by his side throughout this entire endeavor.

The most Dipper could really do was weakly cough the water out of his chest as the Watermelon Steven clung onto him and swam him back to shore. They arrived to the other melons all assembling for their own battle against the twisted fusion, but the soaked pair hardly paid them any mind as they took to a less populated area of the beach to recover. The Watermelon Steven sat close by Dipper’s side as he collapsed into the sand and tried to regain his lost breath, only to end up choking on sobs in the process. The melon flinched, surprised and instantly concerned, especially as he watched Dipper sit up and tightly wrap his arms around himself, weeping miserably all the while.

“S-she’s right…” he cried, clearly heartbroken to the point that he refused to even so much as look up at Malachite as she kept an eye out for Alexandrite’s inevitable comeback. “It really is over… I’ve tried everything, everything I know how to do to help her. I waited and watched and gave so much all so I could find a way to bring her back and none of it worked! Everything I’ve done up until now… everything I’ve been through… i-it was all for nothing…”

Unable to hold his immense grief back, Dipper let it flow heavier and harder than ever before, hating just how unfair it all was. He had sat on the shoreline, hoping that it would be enough to bring Lapis back to his side. He had researched every avenue and path he could have took, trying to find something that would be enough to free her. He had made a deal that had cost him his very own body and then some, believing that it would finally give him enough to go off of to help. He had pushed past his pain and learned how to fight, thinking that it would be enough to give him a fighting chance against breaking down the prison she had made for herself. And he had confronted her, aiming to reach her in the chance that it would be enough to split them up once and for all. He had done so much, had struggled for so long and had grieved so profoundly all for one singular, solitary purpose: to save her, to restore their broken friendship, to finally give them both the happily ever after they deserved.

And in the end, none of it had ever been enough.

Dipper was all but lost to his sorrow entirely when a sudden stubby hand found its place on his shoulder. Through his tears, he glanced up to find the Watermelon Steven, its tiny eyes growing wet as well as they made direct contact with his. The melon made no attempt to say anything this time, instead gently pointing at Dipper’s chest, or rather, his heart before doing the same towards its own. It then motioned out towards the lake, or more specifically, at Malachite, before forming its hands into a small, but meaningful heart in the hopes that it could communicate more than words ever could.

At first, Dipper didn’t exactly follow what the melon was trying to say, his face still wet with tears as he glanced back and forth between it and Malachite. However, the more he thought about it, the more the message started to become crystal clear. Perhaps waiting, researching, deals, fighting, and everything else in between had never been enough to bring Lapis back. But for the briefest of seconds, he almost had, he had nearly beckoned her back to the surface before Jasper hatefully shoved her back down again. And, the longer he stared at the heart symbol the Watermelon Steven was still making, the more he understood exactly how he had been able to do so in the first place. It wasn’t through anything he had done; instead, it was through everything he felt. His actions both in the past and in the present had nothing to do with any of this; instead, it had been his love, the deep, warm feelings of genuine friendship and dedication that had finally been enough to call her forward. And with brimming hope, he had a hunch that it was those feelings that could finally, finally be enough to bring her back again, this time for good.

“I-I think I get it now…” Dipper smiled softly, wiping his tears away as he looked back to the Watermelon Steven. “And it’s all thanks to you. You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d actually think you were actually the real…” He trailed off, his eyes growing wide with shocked realization as the melon grinned widely and nodded in confirmation to his musings. “Wait… no way… Steven?! I-is that… are you really…?”

Steven nodded once more, incredibly relieved that Dipper had finally seen through his temporary melony form. Of course, despite the bizarre revelation, Dipper himself couldn’t help but let out an incredulous laugh over it, almost tearing up all over again as he wrapped Steven in a tight, grateful hug. “Just for the record, this is probably the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen you do,” he chuckled warmly as the young Gem readily returned his embrace. “And I love it.”

“Dipper!” Stan called as he emerged from the forest, rushing over to the pair with genuine concern. “Geez, kid you nearly gave me a heart attack for the tenth time today. Any more and I’m gonna have to start charging ya for my potential hospital bills. Also, what the heck is going on over there?”

The conman pointed to the other side of the shore, where all of the other Watermelon Stevens were finally converging to launch their united attack. They kicked their assault into motion with the blow of one of the village’s ceremonial horn, which was more than enough to divert Malachite’s attention towards the shoreline.

“Huh?” The very instant the twisted fusion turned the melony army was upon her. The watermelons rushed for her, braving the obvious danger to make their move and pounce upon her with their various weapons. Those who remained on the shore fired off arrows from their simple bows towards Malachite, while others used their hastily-made catapults to launch stones at her from a distance. As varied as their methods of attack were, the melons were all unanimously united in their resolve to rescue their island from her ongoing rampage, no matter what it cost.

“Whoa… who knew those guys could put up such a fight?” Dipper remarked, genuinely impressed by their verve. Steven raised his hand, though as he did, he was suddenly struck with yet another idea, one that he didn’t have to make too much of an effort to relay to Dipper as he tugged on his hand urgently right more. “Right,” he nodded confidently. “Looks like this isn’t over just yet.”

With a solidifying high five, Dipper and Steven parted ways, both of the intent on doing what they knew needed to be done. Stan, however, was rather confused, left out of the loop as he followed after his nephew. “Whoa, kid, what exactly are you planning on doing here?” the conman asked warily. “I watched your sword fall into the lake along with you; don’t tell me you plan on going up against that kooky broad without it, are ya?”

“Don’t worry, Grunkle Stan,” Dipper assured with an upbeat smile as he made a beeline for the island’s highest cliff once more. “I have a feeling I won’t need it. I’ve found a better weapon to use against her this time.”

“What, like a gun or something?” Stan asked, still not following whatsoever.

At the same time, despite the best efforts the Watermelon Stevens were putting forth to take her down, Malachite was hardly phased by them. In fact, if anything, she was downright amused that creatures as small and insignificant as these would dare to stand against her. However, amidst her uproarious laughter of this seemingly measly rebellion, she failed to notice the trap the watermelons had already set for her until she stumbled right into it, tripping over the rope they had stretched out and falling into the shallows as a result. The melon army acted quickly to try to keep the twisted fusion pinned down, but in her surprise and fury, she was quick to retaliate.

“What is this?” Malachite roared, easily pushing past and snapping the ropes restraining her. “You think you can hold me down?!” The moment the twisted fusion picked herself back upright, she lashed out, sending several Watermelon Steven’s flying in the wake of her broad swing. “Nobody can! Not anymore!”

“Hey!” Once again, Malachite was caught off guard by a familiar call, one that enraged her even more than the watermelons’ resistance as she turned towards the cliff to find Dipper standing firm, seemingly ready to oppose her once more.

“Augh! I thought I told you to give it a rest already!” Malachite snapped, pulling up a heavy mass of ice which she quickly maneuvered to hover directly over Dipper’s head. “Lapis is GONE and she’s NEVER coming back!”

“I-I don��t want to talk to Lapis!” Dipper countered, forcing himself to be as steady as possible. “I want… I want to talk to you. To Malachite.”

The twisted fusion seemed entirely taken aback by this, her eyes suddenly wide as she leaned in a bit. “W-wha—with… what?” she asked, her anger seeming to subside somewhat into genuine confusion.

“I… I want you to know that… that I think I know what it feels like, t-to be you…” he began earnestly. “A-after all, I was once part of an unstable fusion too…” His expression saddened as he glanced over at the shore, or more specifically at Steven, remembering all too well just how lost and confused and distraught he had felt when they had first formed Stepper. And while Stepper himself had never once been anywhere close to the levels of dysfunctional Malachite was on and had indeed found peace and harmony by the end of it all, the experiences were at least somewhat comparable on some level.

“N-no you don’t!” Malachite shot back defensively. “How could you possibly understand how awful it is to be me?! How much both of them hate to be together as me?! You can’t even begin to understand what that feels like!”

“…Maybe I can’t…” Dipper admitted solemnly. “But… that doesn’t mean I don’t want to try. Which is why I can’t help but wonder… what do you even want out of all this? Not Lapis, or Jasper, but you, Malachite. What do you want?”

Clearly, Malachite had no idea how to respond to such a question as she leaned down even closer to the human who was bold enough to ask her such a baffling question, who was brazen to refer to her as if she was something more than the sum of her conflicting parts. It was only as her face drew in to sit just a few feet away from his that tears, of all things, started to well up in more than just one of her four eyes, her expression awash in wonder and pain as she offered up her soft-spoken answer. “I-I… I want… I don’t want to exist anymore…”

Admittedly, this wasn’t really the reply Dipper had been expecting, but it was one that filled him with a rush of heavy empathy all the same, especially when he noticed just how torn the twisted fusion seemed to be. Perhaps a testament to how torn she had been from the very moment she had first been formed. “T-then you don’t have to,” he said just as quietly, working up the courage to step forward. His hand was trembling as he reached out towards the twisted fusion, but surprisingly enough, she allowed him to place it against her head, before resting his forehead against hers in a comforting gesture, perhaps the first and only she had ever really known. “You can stop now. You can end this. Please…. Malachite.”

The twisted fusion let out a small, shuddering sob at this, light slowly starting to overtake her form as it wavered ever so slightly. Dipper himself was unable to hold back a few sparse tears as he maintained contact with her all the while. For a solid moment or two, it really did seem as though Malachite had every intention of splitting apart on her own terms, as incredibly as it might have seemed. And yet, it was still far too good to be true, for as much as Malachite herself wanted to unfuse, one certain, vengeful half of her refused to let her immense, devastating power go so easily.

“NO! STOP IT!” Malachite suddenly screamed, not wasting any time in snatching Dipper up and gripping him threateningly in her massive hand. “Quit it with these stupid mind games already! NOTHING you say or do will ever tear me apart!” The twisted fusion’s wrath quickly turned into a malicious, treacherous grin as she clenched the fist she was holding Dipper in even tighter, eliciting a cry of distressed pain out of him. “In fact, just to keep you from getting anymore bright ideas, I think I’ll finally put you out of your misery just like I should have done from the very beginning!”

Malachite cackled hatefully, ready to do just that as she reveled in the clear anguish and fear she was causing her defenseless victim. Back on the island, both Stan and Steven respectively gasped in horror as they watched helplessly while the twisted fusion began to slowly crush the life out of Dipper, with neither of them in any sort of position to stop her. However, even if they weren’t, that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone else who was.

Malachite gasped, her murderous attempts halted as a heavy purple flail suddenly sideswiped her, its coil wrapping around her before Sugilite’s weapon struck her hard in the face. It took her a second to recover from the blow, only to glance over her shoulder to find Alexandrite, standing strong and ready to throw every part of herself back into this decisive fray. “Don’t forget about me!” the fusion proclaimed, swiftly yanking Malachite in towards her. All the while, she kept her tight hold on Dipper, something that he was admittedly grateful for as the twisted fusion was reeled in towards the deeper half of the lake.

The moment Malachite was within range, Alexandrite didn’t hesitate to pay her back for all of her brutal blows by delivering one of her own, striking the twisted fusion clear across the face and making sure to steer clear of hitting Dipper all the while. Alexandrite kept her momentum up, calling upon Sardonyx’s massive war hammer to swing low and precisely, easily launching Malachite high up into the air. Of course, Dipper initially panicked as he was tossed up along with her, but Alexandrite made sure to offer him some silent assurance with a confident grin as she summoned Opal’s longbow. While Malachite beckoned a pair of large water wings to keep her afloat in the skies, Alexandrite took aim, her arrow of light pointed straight for the twisted fusion high above her.

“You two should spend some time apart,” she admonished as she quickly let her arrow fly. The projectile soared through the air, shimmering as it split apart into the silhouettes of each of the Crystal Gems before they joined together in luminous harmony. And as soon as they did, the arrow struck its target true, piercing Malachite cleanly through where her heart would have been if she’d had one. Unable to keep herself together when met with such a fatal blow and the conflict still going in deep inside her, the twisted fusion’s form illuminated brilliantly until she finally, finally, after weeks of waging an endless war against herself and the world around her, fell apart.

Caught in the midst of this grand explosion of radiant light was Dipper, who instantly allowed himself a deep breath of much-needed air the moment Malachite’s grip on him at last released. However, he didn’t have much time to be relieved as gravity took its hold in his stead, instantly starting to pull him down towards the surface of the lake far below. Even so, despite his instant panic at this, he happened to glance over to notice another figure in a freefall alongside him. A spark of brief bitterness filled him as he looked to Jasper, apparently unconscious but seemingly unharmed from the whole endeavor. However, that bitterness was quickly replaced with immense, overwhelming joy as he spun around midair to find the other Gem falling not too far away from him.

“L-Lapis!” Dipper shouted over the racing winds, unable to hold back a delighted smile over finally seeing the blue Gem herself after all this time. Of course, much like Jasper, Lapis had been completely drained thanks to their lengthy stint as Malachite, which explained why she was every bit as out of it as the orange Gem herself was. Even so, Dipper did his best to swim over to her midair, his elated tears falling upwards as he made as much of an attempt to reach her as he possibly could. However, he didn’t quite get the chance as he suddenly landed into the palm of a large hand that had already been waiting to catch him. Surprised but ultimately relieved, he briefly glanced back at Alexandrite, only to notice that she had done the same for both Lapis and Jasper before she silently began to make her way back to the island.

The shore itself was awash in celebration, the Watermelon Stevens all happily celebrating Malachite’s defeat with a round of uproarious cheers. The only ones who didn’t join in were Stan and Steven, both of them far too concerned with Dipper’s unknown wellbeing to even try. However, their worries were soon put to rest as Alexandrite lowered her hands, allowing Lapis and Jasper’s unconscious forms to slip out of her hands and giving Dipper a chance to hop of off her other one just before she gracefully unfused herself. Before much of anything else could happen, Steven was already upon Dipper, practically drowning him with a relieved hug as he babbled happily, yet still incoherently.

“Heh, yeah, I… still have no idea what you’re saying,” Dipper chuckled as he began to wipe his tears dry once more. “You’ll have to translate everything for me when we get back to the barn, ok?”

Steven nodded enthusiastically at this, however, the warm reunion was quickly short lived as both Stan and the Gems soon stepped in, the latter of which seemed none-too-happy with Dipper’s actions of the entire battle. “S-so… uh… I guess… all’s well that ends well?” Dipper ventured all the same, hoping that his brashness hadn’t cost him too much of the Gems’ good graces.

“Dipper, I think it goes without saying that what you just did was ridiculously dangerous,” Pearl scolded, hands on her hips. “You went against just about everything I taught you as your sword fighting instructor.”

“I… I know…” Dipper admitted somewhat sheepishly.

“Yeah, dude, you could’ve been like… squashed or drowned or something!” Amethyst added just as incredulously. “In fact… are you sure you weren’t? It looks like Malachite messed you up, man.” The purple Gem frowned as she glanced over the various still prominent cuts and bruises all over his body.

“And you Stan, you should at least made more of an effort to stop him from jumping into such a deadly fight!” Pearl huffed, sending the conman an annoyed glower. “After all, he is your responsibility for the summer, isn’t he?”

“Hey, don’t pin all this on me,” Stan remarked defensively. “Once this kid sets his mind to something, there’s pretty much no stopping him. Kinda reminds me of… well, me, to be honest.” Despite all of the admonishing going around, the conman went against the grain, offering his nephew a genuinely proud grin as he ruffled his hair somewhat. And, surprisingly enough, this pride was something Garnet also seemed to share as she spoke up.

“Stan’s right,” the Gem leader said evenly. “You didn’t give up, Dipper, no matter how many times you were knocked back, you kept looking for a way to rescue Lapis. And in the end, you did the one thing none of us were able to do. You wore the chains of hatred keeping Lapis and Jasper together by using something far more powerful against them: love. And for that, we our victory over Malachite to you. Thank you.”

Dipper finally broke into a smile at this, one that only grew wider as he glanced over towards Lapis’ still form first, before looking to the Watermelon Steven still hovering close to his side. “Well, I can’t say I came up with the idea entirely on my own.”

When met with the sight of his guardians safe and sound, Steven was unable to hold himself back from rushing forward, clinging tightly onto Pearl’s leg in a relieved embrace. “Steven…?” the white Gem wondered in amazement. “Is that you in there?”

“W-wha—how did… how did you know that was him?” Dipper asked, dumbfounded as Steven cheerfully nodded.

“Oh come now, Dipper,” Pearl chuckled as she finally grinned, gently patting Steven’s head all the while. “I’d be able to recognize Steven anywhere. Same goes for all of you kids, really.”

“Thank you too, Steven,” Garnet smiled, briefly kneeling down to the melon’s level. “We couldn’t have done it without your help.”

“Yeah, good job, melon head,” Amethyst teased, patting the young Gem on the back.

“Oh, what, you all don’t actually think that watermelon is really Steven, do you?” Stan asked, absolutely bewildered by the concept. “What, did everyone get knocked around too many times in the head by that green chick?”

“Uh, actually, Grunkle Stan, that really is Steven,” Dipper pointed out. “It makes sense if you don’t think about it.”

At this, Garnet looked over the vast assembly of other Watermelon Stevens, who had all gathered in to spectate on the reunion. “Thank you,” she addressed them broadly. “All of you. You are truly brave.”

Excited by this commendation, a round of hearty cheers arose from the entire collection of watermelons, one that elicited a bright laugh from the Gems in response. However, the celebration didn’t get the chance to last too long as a soft tremor began to rock the island, one that quickly turned into a momentous quake. The violent shaking rattled throughout the entire island, downing countless trees in the process and even splitting open the shoreline itself. The Watermelon Stevens clung onto each other to avoid being sucked into the fissure, and while struggling to maintain their own footing against the rift, Dipper and Amethyst acted quickly to pull Lapis’ unconscious body away from it. Jasper, on the other hand, was not so lucky, as Pearl barely missed her hand just before she slipped away into the unknown depths of the earth below.

The initial earthquake soon calmed down a bit but it didn’t stop, resulting in a continuous shaking that left the entire group anxious as to when the next quake would emerge. “W-what the heck was that?!” Stan asked, clinging tightly onto Pearl for support, despite her clear aggravation with his hold on her. “I thought you three already solved the town’s whole earthquake problem by taking care of the Wintergreen Wonder out there!”

“It must be the Cluster,” Garnet said urgently. “Peridot was right, it is set to emerge soon. Steven, its up to you,” the Gem leader turned to the anxious young Gem, stooping down to his level once more as she placed both her hands on his shoulders. “Stan’s boat was destroyed. We won’t make it back in time. Wake up, get Peridot, Ford, and Mabel, and start drilling. The Earth needs you, Steven. We’ll be fine. You can do this, we believe in you.”

Despite the natural burst of fear that came along with being presented such a momentous mission, Steven nodded, determined not to let the Gems, or the Earth for that matter, down. “You got this, dude!” Amethyst encouraged with a bright thumbs up as the young Gem began to close his eyes to drift back into sleep. Or rather, into awakening. “You know the drill.”

“Be careful, Steven,” Pearl warned worriedly. “Watch each other’s backs.”

Stan flinched as Amethyst elbowed him, prompting him to offer up his own words of encouragement. Or at least something of the like. “Uh… y-yeah, kid?” the conman shrugged, unsure of what to say to the nearly-snoozing watermelon. “Knock ‘em dead or whatever. Oy, as if today couldn’t get any weirder…”

“Steven, please,” Dipper began earnestly though apprehensively as he offered the young Gem one final, thankful smile. “Take care of Mabel for me down there. And of yourself. I’ll see you guys soon. We all will this time.”

“And Steven,” Garnet finished, her voice barely audible as Steven finally drifted away into the darkness of dreams altogether. Dreams that would hopefully carry him back to the mission that the group on the shore, the Earth, even life itself as they all knew it depended on. “We-”

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korkrunchcereal · 7 years

Text

Revelations

The distance between Crystal Terra and the Crescent Hills was some two days of hard riding, yet the portal Amalta had created made it mere seconds at most. As both she and Calithielwen stepped out of the arcane bridge, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the smell. It had been a very long time since she had last stepped foot in her own lands, and the crystalline dirt beneath her feet was comforting, as was the smell of arcane. It was a sweet smell, almost otherworldly in its fragrance in comparison to the waterfall ridden Castle Indaris.

"It has been so long since I was last here." The sunlight above was near blinding in its intensity as it reflected over the violet hued crystals protruding from the ground. As Amalta squinted to better adjust to the sunlight, she realized the vast shadow down the crest before her. Glittering eyes followed the shadow to its origination, stopping upon the base of a massive tower. On either side were large rock formations, too small to be mountains yet far too large to be hills. She knew what it was however; it had been the source of her lands' arcane enriched landscape, a central explosion that formed a vast crater while transforming the rest of Crystal Terra.

"I confess I never quite made it this far when I was first with Aurelian..." Calithiel's voice held wonder in it, for she gazed upon an enchanted landscape. It seemed more a dreamscape than anything else, for magic permeated the air with such a heavy nature as to be near suffocating. "I've heard the stories but I never pictured it to be quite like this."

"In my house's arrogance long ago they sought to create another Well of Eternity to feast upon. Their greed ended in their near destruction, and the lands transformation. However..." Amalta waved a hand forward, towards the tower before them. "The source of their folly also became Aetherveil's greatest strength. The Scrying Pool was born in the chaotic energies of the failed explosion, and with it we were able to gain the power of prophecy."

"The pool gave you such powers?"

"As my ancestors bathed within its waters whilst divining the future, the very essence of creation and time formed in the swirling torrent of raw magic seeped into their very beings. Overtime the necessity of the pool diminished as our own natural gifts grew. It has been both a blessing, and a curse..."

"A blessing other's coveted." Calithielwen pointed out. Amalta knew of whom she spoke of; it was a man both woman despised and reviled, for his scars upon them both had yet to heal.

"Some did, yes...Arcannon being one among them." Amalta raised a brow as she turned to face her companion, noting the soft clenching of Calithiel's fist at the name. The man who had ensured she had lost everything. "But we are not here for history or to bring up dead men."

"You're right of course." Calithielwen finally agreed, fists unclenching. "You believe your powers may be regained from the pool?"

"I do...or at least I hope as much. Come, we should hurry lest those loyal to House Illova find us." Calithiel nodded in answer, waving her hand forward.

"After you, lady Aetherveil." It was a strange feeling for Amalta to be back. A knot had formed in her stomach, though whether it was fear or excitement she did not know. She had been away from what should be hers for so long now. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before marching forward.

As she drew closer, the tower rose high above, casting its darkened shadow over the world. Though she could not see them, she knew the blind priests that tended to the tower were attending their duties diligently; they had always been efficient. Her mother had often brought Amalta to the pool when she was but a child, both to guide and show her the process. A process she now had to perform.

They had not yet reached the tower when the massive oak doors had swung open to them, causing them both to pause. A lone figure stood in the doorway, their near skeletal frame covered in the dark cloth of the priesthood. Milky, blind eyes stared outward and yet despite their lack of sight, the individual seemed to stare directly at the two.

"Lady Aetherveil, you have returned to us once again." The elderly voice was one Amalta recognized immediately.

"Dairus? Is that you?"

"It is, my lady. Fate has blessed me with a long life, fortunately." The man tilted his head towards Calithiel, a crease forming upon his brow. "And you bring with you company."

"Lady Calithielwen Riverwind, my friend." The man had always been kind to Amalta when she visited; as far as she knew, he had always been the caretaker of the tower, his word the closest to law outside of her own within the confines of the pool's grounds.

"Ah the lady Riverwind...how fascinating. Come in; I know why you come, my lady, for it is why you come always. You seek the clarity of the pool, no?" Dairus moved out of the doorway, allowing Amalta and Calithiel entrance. Both shared a look before moving into the tower, the latter giving Dairus a glance of curiosity.

"That is right, Dairus. I am afraid my powers are being kept from me. It is as if a veil of darkness has trapped my gifts from me, leaving me blind."

"Being blind isn't so bad..." The wizened elf gave a lopsided grin as he walked through the tower. All around them were various members of the priesthood, who stopped to watch the visitors. Whispered murmurs arose, Calithielwen catching some of what they said.

"They're speaking of you." She muttered to Amalta.

"Why of course they do!" Dairus stated as if the answer was obvious. "Despite the house that sits upon the throne of this land, our priesthood has always served the house of Aetherveil loyally. We have waited a long time for your return, my lady."

"Alas, I am not here to take back my lands..."

"No? Well not yet, then." Dairus' response brought a series of raised brows from both women, who watched the elderly priest with rising curiosity.

"Not yet?"

"Ah ah ah my lady; you know better than to question the strands of fate. We both know the laws of the beyond sight, for no living creature can escape the iron willed destiny bestowed upon them."

"Can you see into the future then?" Calithielwen asked, looking upon the tower with wonder. Floating crystals harvested from outside hung in the air, while shelf upon shelf of books wrapped around the base. As she looked up, she could see a winding staircase which lead to what was probably living quarters, a proper library and who knows what else.

"Bits and pieces; I am afraid the glimpses I see are sporadic at best, a side effect brought upon by proximity to the pool's waters. Speaking of..." The man fumbled with a keyring found within the inside of his robes, pulling forth an oddly shaped golden key. He brought it to the door he had led the two women to, and with a simple twist unlocked the door. A great heave was given as the door was swung open, the outdoors once more before them. "After you, my ladies."

Amalta stepped out first and, for the first time in a long time, a smile broke over her features. She was home, in a sense. The gilded cage that was Castle Indaris was behind her and, for the moment, she was free. Around her was the massive rim of the crater, casting a shadow upon the ground before. Loose stones had long since warped and mutated, becoming shards and crystals that thrummed with power. Yet it was the center of it all that drew her attention, for it was there the Scrying Pool laid.

The swirling depths of the pool constantly churned as if with a life of their own. The water sparkled and glittered with a thousand colors that was both maddening to gaze upon and inviting. To look into its depths was to invite the very essence of arcane into your very being. Not all who looked upon its waters remained sane, driven mad by what they may see or even hear. For Amalta it was a whisper, inviting her to sink into its depths.

"It is...incredible." Calithiel whispered out in amazement. She had never seen the Pool before; not many had ever looked upon it.

"Yes, it is." Amalta took a step forward, toes light upon the crystalline ground.

"My lady." Dairus began, causing Amalta to pause. "Remember; the pool will not always give you the answers you seek. Do not become lost in the visions it gives, or you may become lost in its depths."

"Lost? Amalta are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

"I do, Calithiel. The time of cowering in the shadows is over. Now I must step into the light." Slowly she moved forward, standing upon the edge of the pool. As close as she was the whispering of the pool was near thundering in her ears; a thousand voices promising everything and calling for all things in life. She straightened herself, stepping into the water to submerge within its depths.

Pain unimaginable flooded into her mind. She screamed, though no sound escaped. Indeed there was nothing, and she was nothing. It was as if her very being had dissolved, to mix with that of the pool in an endless rhythm. It was peaceful, despite the pain. It was also a trap; the power of the Scrying Pool could not be wielded by lesser individuals, for they would misuse its powers and unleash devastation upon the world.

Amalta however was no fool. She closed her eyes, or at least believed she did, and took a deep breath. Slowly the pain subsided, along with the whispers. In that brief moment, she enveloped and embraced the nothingness. It lasted only a moment however, before her vision was assailed by a series of events. Everything became clear. She saw the weaving webs of lies, murder and schemes that were growing in the Gilded Lands, its heart found at Castle Indaris.

She followed the strands, floating in the abyss of entropy and the beyond. She was weightless as she travelled what may have been vast distances, or mere feet. She knew not how far she moved, only that she did. She saw Vallera's poisoning within her room, guided by a shadowed hand. She saw the same hand upon the body of Cyvar, his broken armored form caught in a rain and surrounded in a pool of blood.

The visions lasted mere fractions of time, jumping from place to place. It was a rising cacophony of calamity much to her horror; an unseen hand fel marked and scorned, orchestrating such a deception as to leave Quel'thalas itself in ruins. There, within the center of it all, was Calarius. She saw now who he truly was; a beast of great fangs and wings, born of nightmares that wore his skin like a disguise.

Slowly she began to rise, as if emerging from the pool. The energy of the water was far too powerful for any mortal to dwell in for long, and some instinct warned her of such. She paused however, for anther vision assailed her. The last was of fire and bloodshed; a broken crown of silver, and a field turned red. Just like that however the visions vanished, as Amalta emerged from the pool. A scream escaped her lips of such intensity that it nearly sent Calithielwen and Dairus to a fright.

"Amalta!"

"Lady Aetherveil!" Both individuals rushed to the water’s edge, though paused when Amalta held up a hand. Despite being submerged not a drop of water was on her. Her scream was not one born of fear however, for Calithielwen saw Amalta's eyes. There was no terror in them, only raw and smoldering anger. Hers was a cry of fury unimaginable. Indeed Amalta's body nearly shook in rage.

"I am fine, I think." She finally said; the arcane waters had heightened her emotions, a side effect of its sorcerous nature.

“Fine? You were screaming at the top of your lungs as if in unimaginable pain.”

“The process is always painful, but the pain is not what has roused my ire. It is what I learned.”

"What did you learn?"

"I learned everything, Calithielwen. You were right; Calarius is behind it all. Howe-" Amalta was interrupted by a great tearing sound as the fabric of reality was clawed at. Slowly an uneven crack formed in the air, widening as arcane poured forth.

"Someone is coming!" Dairus announced. "The wards struggle to hold them back, but they are failing." The wards had been why Amalta had not teleported herself and Calithiel directly into the tower. It would have taken great power to have breached it, and yet the portal forming before her spoke that someone was doing it. She had a suspicion as to whom, a suspicion proven correct as the figures began to pour out. Chief among them was Lord Illova and his guards, eleven men in total. Last came the serpent itself, who Amalta narrowed her eyes upon with hatred.

"As I said my lord, the Lady Aetherveil." Calarius announced with a dramatic flair. Illova frowned, a hand moving to his sword.

"I see that; you were correct then wizard. Your Lord Caledon has my thanks for warning me of this trespass."

"Caledon?" Calithielwen blinked, her own hand moving to a poniard upon her side.

"Stop there; I recognize you, Lady Riverwind. You're the girl Aurelian has been disgracing himself over; the lady of no titles. You and Lady Aetherveil here have trespassed upon my land, and I see you have received help."

"My Lord Illova, please-" Dairus moved forward, only to be cut off by one of the guards.

"Silence! Guards, arrest this priest. It is clear my...hospitality in letting them practice their old ways here has been misplaced." The guard stepped forward, grabbing the elderly blind priest by the wrist.

"Let him go, Illova." Amalta warned, a hand held forward. "We are not here to trespass."

"I know why you are here, witch. You aim for my crown, and to take your lands back." Illova drew his sword, the steel catching in the sunlight. His guards followed suit; they were barely constrained hounds at best. Only Calarius did not move, simply watching the exchange.

"I am here because we have all been deceived." Amalta explained carefully. "The sorcerer behind you is no elf. He is a demon in disguise."

"A demon?" Calarius blinked, before laughing uproariously. "Surely you jest. My lord Illova, do not listen to this woman. Her lies are many, as are her companions. You would do Lord Caledon a favor by getting rid of them..." Calarius had leaned in to all but whisper, the words pouring into Illova's ear.

"Her lies?" Illova blinked, shaking his head as if clearing it. "You are correct. I know she gathers support while she hides in Castle Indaris, and here they are now; the pet of Aurelian, and his whore." Calithielwen narrowed her eyes, hand clenched around the dagger's handle.

"You're being manipulated, Illova! Your paranoia-"

"Paranoia!?" Illova barked out, before straightening himself with a calming breath. "Calarius, return to your master. Inform him I have apprehended both Lady Aetherveil and Lady Riverwind for trespassing in my lands."

"It will be done, my lord." Calarius winked, chuckling softly as he took a step backwards. Slowly he began to fade from sight, as if being claimed by the shadows themselves. In an instant he was gone, leaving the party of Illova with Amalta, Calithielwen and Dairus.

"Surrender yourselves to my custody and I will at least grant you a trial. Resist and I will be, unfortunately, forced to put you both down."

"We will do no such thing. You are a fool to be tricked so easily. We have all been deceived, and if you don't let us leave now the Gilded Lands itself will suffer."

"You think I care what happens to the other lords and ladies?" A snort escaped Illova's lips. You are just like your mother. So haughty and naive. Just like you, all of her soothsaying spellcraft could not save he-" Whatever Lord Illova was going to say next was lost forever, for with a great surge of power he was sent flying into the tower. With a sickening crunch he smashed into the stone, his body lifeless before it hit the ground. Blood began to pool from the ruined body, staining the extravagant clothing.

Both the guards and Calithielwen looked bewildered as they cast their eyes upon Amalta. Raw, unmitigated fury all but radiated off of the seer, her hand glowing with a soft purple hue. With a casual effort she had thrown Lord Illova into the tower, breaking his body with ease. In an instant, Amalta had murdered the lord of Crystal Terra.

"Amalta...what have you-"

"Lord Illova would have killed us whilst imprisoned." Amalta stated, her voice taking on an ethereal nature. "From there, the rest of the Gilded Lands would have fallen to chaos. I did what was necessary to ensure all of us survive." The anger in her voice slowly began to fade, replaced by what seemed a profound sadness. "I know what the consequence will be..."

"You know? Have your powers returned then?"

"They have somewhat, Lady Riverwind. We must make haste however, for there is much we need to do." She turned her attention to the stunned guards, voice amplified. "Men of Illova! Today I grant you your lives, though I know you would have not given me the same. Return to MY castle and remember the lesson here; no one can stand against fate...not even Lord Illova."

The guards let go of Darius, slowly filtering towards the doorway that stood beside the shattered remains of their lord. There would be a reckoning for her actions, Amalta knew. She knew what was to come, and the grief and misery to follow with it. A glance was cast at Calithielwen, for she too would play some role in it. But that future would have to wait. Darius dusted himself off, moving to kneel before Amalta.

"My lady, I will ensure the guards are escorted to the main road. Go; the events of this day still echo in the chasm of what is to come. You have now taken your first steps upon a new chapter in your destiny; embrace it, and save this land."

"I will, my friend. Calithiel we must return to the Castle; Calarius is not who he appears. He is a dreadlord of the Legion, in disguise. I know not what his end goal is, but he was behind the poisoning of Vallera and the murder of Cyvar."

"Cyvar's dead then?"

"I believe so...my visions are still muddled, and I believe it will take time for them to truly recover." It was true; the effects of the Scrying Pool had already begun to fade, leaving that void of sight within her again. "Nor is he the last casualty of all of this."

"What do you mean?" The news of Cyvar was morose, for Calithiel had adored the man. She shook it off though; there would be time to grieve later.

"Both Caledon and Lord Wyrmstorm have been tricked." Amalta explained, hand weaving the runes necessary for teleportation. "A massive trollish army commanded by another of the Legion's demons is currently ravaging the Ebon Wood. We must warn Caledon of all of this, for I fear it is too late for House Wyrmstorm." it was a hard decision for Amalta, for she realized it meant abandoning any chance of saving the unsuspecting house...but what other alternative did she have?

"Too late?"

"Indeed." Amalta's tone turned bitter, eyes narrowing. "Lord Wyrmstorm is walking into a trap."

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#World of Warcraft #Skullcrusha writing #Tales of the Gilded Lands #Aurelian Indaris

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