Author's Note: Hi, I just wanted to know if you like it when I write in the third person. That's all, thanks for the support and for following this story, I love you all <3.
Let's continue.
A few days had passed since Steven had managed to contact his friends, especially his father and Connie. However, that was all in the past now, because he was going to the Celestial Arena alone with the Gems. Lapis didn't want to come with him, insisting that this place and this training were for them, not for her. Steven shook his head as the portal's glow faded, revealing the vast celestial space where they had experienced both good and bad things, although—if he looked at it fondly—there had been more good than bad.
"Come on, dude," Amethyst said, pulling him along excitedly without waiting for a response.
Pearl walked behind, shaking her head with a mixture of nervousness and enthusiasm. Garnet maintained her typical calm smile as she walked alongside them.
The four of them took their positions inside the arena, now specifically prepared for training. The silence stretched for a few seconds until Steven decided to break it.
"So, what are we going to do?" he finally asked, seeing that no one was explaining anything.
Pearl looked nervous, and Steven raised an eyebrow, confused. Amethyst just smiled as if she knew something funny, and Garnet's smile widened considerably.
Steven looked at them all in silence and sighed.
"It's fusion, right?" he commented resignedly.
"Absolutely," Garnet replied, adjusting her glasses. "You need to learn new ways to use your abilities and your strength. We know it can be awkward, but you need more experience besides Connie and Pearl. We don't want to force you, but it's necessary."
Steven nodded, understanding the importance, and began stretching his arms and legs to get into the rhythm. Pearl watched excitedly, as if she had been waiting for this moment for years. Garnet approved with a slight nod, and Amethyst just watched, shrugging as if to say she didn't care about the system, as long as it was fun.
Pearl quickly approached Steven, who glanced at her as he finished warming up.
"Are you ready?" Garnet asked, unexpectedly pulling a watch out of nowhere.
"Always," Steven replied with a smile as he began a gentle dance to coordinate their movements.
Pearl, for her part, began to move with perfect elegance, each step fluid and precise, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. The two stood face to face, and Steven placed his hands on Pearl's hips to propel her upward. She let herself be lifted and, in mid-air, assumed a diving position, falling toward him with a cheerful smile. Although Steven was still getting used to it, these days he always tried to find a smile in life.
They collided gently, and an intense light shone, enveloping them as their gems spun. A blinding light illuminated the entire arena, forcing Amethyst and Garnet to shield their eyes to avoid staring at luminous points for hours.
After several seconds, during which only soft footsteps approaching could be heard, both gems slowly opened their eyes to observe the new fused figure in front of them.
-----Image in wattpad bros.
Author's Note: This is just an example; I'm not entirely convinced by Rainbow Quartz's current design. If you ever see me redesign some fusions, don't be surprised. It's mostly for aesthetic reasons... and of course, because of the change in Steven's personality, which directly influences how the fusions look. And if anyone asks why or how, remember: a wizard did it.
The fusion appeared enveloped in a soft glow, revealing the jacket she was wearing, which had expanded and adapted in ways no one could understand. Steven's and Pearl's clothes had blended more harmoniously than before, with a sleek and clean design—something Steven would definitely want to study later.
"Hi, it's me," the new Rainbow Quartz said, smiling from ear to ear. "How are the gems I love most?"
Garnet and Amethyst watched her with completely serious expressions, as if they didn't know whether to respond, applaud, sigh, or simply pretend they hadn't heard anything.
"Okay, okay, understood," Rainbow Quartz replied, waving goodbye as if nothing had happened.
The fusion began to observe herself more closely, noticing small physical details she hadn't perceived before. With a smooth movement, she pulled a mirror from Pearl's gem to examine herself more closely.
"I only have two eyes instead of the four I had when I fused with Rose," she commented, tilting her head slightly to observe her reflection. "Interesting... this is definitely very different."
Although she seemed satisfied, she still analyzed every detail, as if every inch of her body were a clue to what she herself represented.
Garnet looked calmly at Amethyst and said,
"Let's train while they investigate new ways of functioning."
"That's fine by me," Amethyst replied, shrugging with a relaxed smile.
They both took their fighting stances.
Amethyst was the first to move, running in circles around Garnet to try and confuse her. Garnet kept her gaze fixed on her, focused. This time she wouldn't use her future vision; she knew she had relied on it too much and that in prolonged fights it could become a weakness.
Without warning, Garnet leaped and charged straight at Amethyst.
Amethyst noticed just in time and ducked to avoid the attack, but she didn't see that Garnet had already summoned her gauntlets, with which she delivered a direct blow to Amethyst's lower abdomen, sending her flying toward a pillar.
Before impact, Amethyst reacted and threw her whip, wrapping it around the pillar to use it for support. With a swift burst of speed, she propelled herself downward, landing steadily but without losing momentum. Before she hit the ground, she started running again, spinning on her own axis, multiplying her speed with every second, like a body tornado ready to strike.
To stop her, Garnet slammed her fist into the ground. She didn't break it completely so as not to damage the arena, but enough to make Amethyst lose her balance and slow her speed.
Garnet dodged Amethyst's initial attack without much trouble, but she didn't realize that the whip had become attached to a floating rock, which Amethyst then propelled directly toward her.
Garnet barely had time to cover her vital points before taking the full force of the blow.
Rainbow Quartz watched the battle for a couple of minutes, noticing how both fighting styles grew increasingly intense as the seconds ticked by. She shook her head gently as she summoned both weapons to examine them more closely.
The fusion twisted the spear between her fingers, feeling its shape, weight, and edge.
"My spear is much sharper... and it feels more durable. I don't know how light can be made harder, but it definitely is," she thought, running a finger along the edge with an almost childlike scientific curiosity.
Then she picked up the shield, turning it over to appreciate the changes.
"The shield looks the same, though it now has spikes on the sides... it's no longer so round." This could be useful as a secondary weapon or even as a distraction if the enemy assumes it's only for defense.
Without wasting a moment, she opened Steven's jacket and pulled out a small, worn notebook—the one where Steven jotted down thoughts, training exercises, and any absurd or brilliant theory that crossed his mind.
She began to flip through it quickly.
Let's see... she murmured mentally as she skimmed pages filled with notes, drawings, and diagrams. Among them, a hastily written note caught her eye, causing her to raise an eyebrow in obvious interest.
"A figure appears in my dreams. It's tall and pink. I don't know what it means, but I'll find out."
The fusion remained silent for a few seconds, observing those words with a mixture of discomfort, nostalgia, and understanding. Pearl immediately blocked the thought, trying to keep her mind as clear as a freshly ironed sheet of paper, while Steven, from the deepest part of the fusion, stifled a nervous laugh at the obvious intention behind writing that.
Being a fusion is strange, Steven reasoned internally. It's like existing and not existing at the same time. Since fusing with Connie, I've learned to filter thoughts, as if we were two computers using the same processor. We share a screen, but each of us can send information whenever we want. That makes all this easier... but if fusing isn't necessary, I'd rather not.
Rainbow Quartz finally found a blank page and quickly began writing down all the physical, emotional, and tactical observations she had just discovered. For her, it was much more efficient to be fused while researching than to do it separately later.
When she finished, she closed the notebook with a soft clap and refocused on her weapons. In one fluid motion, they fused, becoming a tactical umbrella, identical to the one the fusion between Rose Quartz and Pearl had once used.
"Let's see," she whispered as she summoned a hologram of herself from Pearl's gem.
The replica appeared before her, completely neutral, awaiting instructions.
"Give me a moment, beautiful," she said mischievously, removing her jacket and carefully putting away her notebook. "I just want to stretch my legs. You know... I haven't existed for a while, you understand?"
The hologram remained motionless as Rainbow Quartz performed small stretches, moving her neck, shoulders, and arms, preparing each muscle for the next part of the training.
Her gaze remained fixed on her luminous reflection, her expression a mixture of analysis, emotion, and a spark of danger.
Rainbow Quartz took a deep breath, flexing her fingers and adopting a firm, almost feline pose, as if her body were recalling a routine her mind had put on hold for years. She wondered if she still possessed the same dexterity, if her flexibility remained intact, or if time had silently rusted her. With a defiant air, she invited the figure before her to find out. He wanted to feel the adrenaline again, the frantic rhythm of reflexes, and the feeling that every move could decide the outcome of the battle.
The hologram responded emotionlessly as its two eyes turned red, like a newly activated combat system. It declared the start of training and, without further warning, launched itself at her at full speed. Rainbow Quartz reacted with precision, shifting her body with a fluid movement that surprised even herself. She felt flexibility course through her muscles as if she had awakened something dormant, something that had waited far too long to be used again.
The hologram began attacking with a flurry of direct, swift, almost mechanical punches, testing every possible angle to break her defense. Rainbow Quartz moved gracefully as the air sliced like invisible blades around them. A conclusion formed in her mind: she needed to recognize the new limits of her body, but the movement confirmed that perhaps that limit was much higher than she remembered.
She took a few steps back and accelerated, running flawlessly. The hologram reacted by summoning Pearl's spear, firing beams like an energy weapon. Rainbow Quartz responded with movements worthy of an acrobatic dancer, gliding to the ground as her legs stretched beyond human capabilities, demonstrating a fluidity Steven could never achieve on his own.
The arena vibrated as the hologram switched weapons and unleashed Steven's shield, charging forward to strike her. Rainbow Quartz also summoned the same shield, colliding with the attack. The impact resonated like thunder within the arena, a deep, metallic sound that made Garnet and Amethyst stop their own training to watch in amazement.
The fusion smiled with a certain satisfaction, as if that impact had awakened something more than just strength: the feeling of belonging to the battle. With a precise movement, she launched a low kick as the hologram defended itself with its shield, leaving them at a stalemate where neither had the upper hand and both analyzed every tiny mistake.
They retreated cautiously, processing errors, calculating weaknesses, gauging their rhythm. The training was working.
Rainbow Quartz then decided to combine her weapons with an elegant maneuver, forcing the hologram to replicate it. Both rose on their own weapons as if they were platforms, slowly ascending into the air to fight on open ground, where gravity would be a mere bystander.
From above, Rainbow Quartz propelled herself from her umbrella toward the hologram, but it swiftly dodged. What she hadn't considered was that the umbrella could be maneuvered remotely, and even mid-air, it returned to strike her. The hologram hesitated, flickering for a few seconds, not because its resistance had diminished, but because Rainbow Quartz had decided not to let the training end so easily.
The battle raged in the sky, where the wind swirled with energy, flashes, blows, shields, and lightning without pause. The sounds were no longer those of a training arena, but of a true battlefield. The tranquility of moments before had vanished completely; now it was a stage where strength, technique, and will resonated with every impact.
In that instant, Rainbow Quartz understood that she hadn't returned to remember... she had returned to surpass herself.
Minutes passed, almost reaching a full hour, during which Rainbow Quartz explored and recalled past abilities while analyzing her current form. She discovered that she possessed a kind of weak, almost childlike telekinesis, but it still worked. She thought that perhaps it wasn't incredible, but any improvement was always better than nothing.
She sat calmly, speaking aloud, letting her ideas flow as if giving an impromptu lecture, and the hologram wrote with incredible speed, not missing a single detail of her explanation. He glanced at the nearly full notebook and felt a bead of sweat trickle down his cheek.
He should buy another notebook, he thought with a mixture of discomfort and resignation, just as he noticed the hologram drastically reducing the font size to save space, as if it were the official notebook of the end of the world. This reminded him of Pearl's habit of always carrying extra books for Steven's intellectual or emotional emergencies, so with a gesture he summoned two more books so the hologram could continue writing comfortably and neatly, allowing Steven to understand everything later.
For a moment, she thought she saw a kind of grateful expression on the hologram's face, which puzzled her. She shook her head at how absurd it sounded, knowing that Steven's human, emotional side could make him imagine things. In fact, she remembered Steven saying he sometimes heard voices, but she didn't hear anything and decided to ignore it.
When she looked up, she saw Garnet and Amethyst exhausted from their own training. Garnet was fusing and unfusing repeatedly, almost as if she were doing it on purpose to condition her emotional body to prolonged stress and thus strengthen her resilience in future battles. Finally, they both walked toward Rainbow Quartz with slow, somewhat shaky steps and sat beside her without saying a word for a few seconds.
Garnet spoke calmly as she analyzed the fusion with her glowing glasses, asking how her training had gone. She commented that she seemed tired, but she was still fused, which demonstrated a remarkable level of control. Rainbow Quartz let out a small laugh as she placed a hand on her chest, feeling both internal and external pride, divided between Pearl and Steven.
Those who take something seriously always go far, she thought. Steven had set himself a personal challenge to see how long he could stay fused. Pearl didn't object, and that reinforced the idea of perseverance. She admitted to feeling tired and that he could probably unfuse at any moment if he relaxed, but she wanted to push herself as hard as possible to improve, even if it meant reaching his limit.
She also commented, with a hand under her chin analyzing the recent sensations, that Steven might be able to learn to fly in the future. She felt that the aerial experience during training had left an interesting mental and muscular connection, like a seed that could bloom if watered with practice and persistence. After all, she was Steven and she wasn't at the same time, which confused her, and she ended up hitting herself to stop thinking so much.
Amethyst watched her calmly as she drank water out of habit, knowing she didn't need it but enjoying the post-training gesture. She finally asked if it would be her turn to continue the next day. Rainbow Quartz smiled reassuringly, confirming that it would be, although it would be a bit more difficult for them because they didn't have as much prior experience with mixed abilities.
Amethyst simply accepted naturally, hoping there would be enough time to learn. Garnet added nothing more, letting the calm of the moment unfold. The day ended with training, rest, thoughts, laughter, and shared silence.
Late into the night, a loud sound echoed in the room, making Lapis look up from the phone she had borrowed from Steven. She was completely immersed in online arguments with people complaining about certain episodes, especially those where she used a sword and shield. She passionately defended what she liked and had spent hours arguing with someone until she felt trapped in an endless digital battle.
She even went so far as to furiously fire off a defiant message against the user named Noobmaster67, her eyes seemingly sparking with frustration. The sound of the portal forced her to fix her attention on the screen, and instinctively she stood up to greet whoever was arriving, without interrupting her online argument.
As she walked, her eyes glued to her phone, she didn't immediately notice the extremely tall woman watching her with an amused expression and a raised eyebrow. When she finally looked up, she remarked on how stubborn humans were on the internet and mentioned having spent over seven hours arguing about a romance between a maid and a janitor, as if it were a critical debate for humanity, but she froze when she saw the giant woman with two gems, one in her stomach and the other in her head.
She stood there confused as Rainbow Quartz wearily waved and bent down, her bones cracking from the exertion. She introduced herself as the fusion of Pearl and Steven, explaining that this had been her training for the day. Lapis remained silent as she observed them, then looked at Garnet, then at Rainbow Quartz, and finally asked a question no one expected.
She wanted to know if they planned to remain as Garnet all the time. The question triggered such a strong internal reaction in Pearl and Steven that the fusion collapsed, and they both separated in an instant, falling face-first to the ground with a rather undignified scream.
Amethyst burst into merciless laughter as Garnet waved to Lapis, trying to contain her own laughter, though she too was silently chuckling to avoid adding to the chaos.
Lapis watched everyone's reaction with surprise. Her voice trembled slightly, and she wasn't sure if she should apologize, so she asked, confused, if she'd said something wrong. Steven slowly got up, rubbing his face from the fall, and calmly assured her that he hadn't done anything wrong. Lapis sighed with relief and then looked at Pearl, who was still staring blankly into some unseen distance, as if her soul were trapped between memories and impossible theories.
Amethyst watched the scene for a few seconds and decided it was best to intervene before Pearl had an existential meltdown, so she picked her up like a sack of potatoes and casually carried her toward the room. Garnet said her goodbyes calmly, recommending that they rest before going to their rooms.
The atmosphere became quiet and relaxed as Steven and Lapis stood there, unsure of what to do next. It was Lapis who decided to break the silence with a sudden question. She wanted to know if Steven thought she could fuse someday too. He raised an eyebrow because he hadn't expected that question, and in his mind he remembered that Lapis no longer had the trauma she'd experienced in the past with Jasper, which made everything lighter, like a second chance to learn without fear.
He answered honestly that yes, he could do it, as long as he trained and put in the effort, because in the end, fusion was a combination of mental, emotional, and physical synchronization, not something impossible. Lapis nodded hopefully, though also nervously, and asked if Steven would ever fuse with her.
Steven remained silent, not out of discomfort, but because he was surviving solely thanks to his faith in God and two glasses of water he'd drunk hours earlier. He admitted that at that moment he didn't think it was a good idea, but perhaps at another time it would be. Lapis understood, nodded without resentment, and the conversation ended peacefully.
They both continued with their nightly routines, Steven taking a bath to relax his tired muscles, and Lapis returning to her epic virtual war against Noobmaster67, convinced it was a battle worthy of honor and that she had to defend her favorite episodes to the bitter end.
Finally, they both went to sleep, each with different thoughts about the future, imagining what was to come, what they would learn, and what fate had in store for them in the coming days.
End of Chapter 37.