Steven strolled leisurely beside Lapis as the sea breeze carried the scent of salt and a sliver of sand in the air. I held a hot box while she watched the path with little interest, as if everything on Earth were a boring museum.
"This is the fish pizza. It's amazing, really. When you grow a stomach, I highly recommend it," I said excitedly. Only with Amethyst could I talk like this about what I liked and see if she would like it too, though it wasn't much of a mystery, because she liked absolutely everything.
Lapis examined the pizza with such a thoughtful look that she seemed to be analyzing whether it was a weapon or a culinary insult. "Interesting," she said, "but no." She turned away indifferently, as if she had just rejected a diplomatic proposal, and walked toward an area filled with bright lights and loud sounds.
"And what's that?" she asked curiously, pointing.
"Oh, that," I said, joining her. "Those are arcade games." They're for kids, or people who get bored easily, to have some fun now and then.
Lapis looked at me, then back at the rides. Then he looked at me again, but now with such big questions that they seemed to be weighing on his brain. "But aren't humans supposed to be fragile?" he asked. "Why would they go up so high?"
"It's simple," I replied. "Just like the Gems have their ships to roam through space, we have safety features."
Lapis looked at me with three imaginary beads of sweat trickling down his temple. "What a great example," he said with such heavy sarcasm that you could practically scoop it up with a shovel.
"Right," I replied, putting a hand to my chest, proud of my explanation that even I didn't understand.
"Anyway," Lapis muttered as he approached the bumper cars. "How does this work?"
"Give me a minute," I said as I paid the attendant, who signaled that we could use two cars. "We always have to pay, don't just jump in," I explained as if I were signing an international trade agreement.
"Okay," she replied, completely unconcerned.
I just looked around, searching for two free carts. We both got in, and as I explained how they worked, I instantly felt regret coursing through my veins. A bad feeling, like a premonition of impending destruction.
An hour passed. A damn hour in which my cart was brutally rammed, emotionally and physically shattered, by a girl named Lápiz who had a smile so intense it combined happiness with a hint of uncontrolled madness. And there I was, staggering inside the cart, wondering who the hell had the brilliant idea of teaching a gem how to ram cars for fun.
I would never get on that thing again. I said that with utter indignation as I glared at Lápiz, who seemed to have unloaded all her frustration on me during the most painful hour of my life. She just snorted calmly and then started laughing as if nothing had happened, as if she hadn't destroyed my spine with constant, savage collisions.
After that traumatic experience, we walked around Beach City for a while. We talked to some people, visited stalls, and observed little human details that seemed to catch her attention. Lapis even met Ronaldo, the self-proclaimed conspiracy hero, and his brother, whom she considered completely normal, which was an interesting detail coming from her.
Later, we found ourselves flying over the sea. I was holding onto her back while she, with the most brazen calm imaginable, decided to be my personal airplane. I had told her she could use her powers to fly better, but she insisted that the skies were her territory and that if there was nothing else to be done, she would become an improvised airplane. Something in her tone sounded like pride mixed with stubbornness.
I just watched the night clouds as the breeze hit my face. They looked beautiful, almost as clear as the water's surface beneath us. Lápiz looked at me with a calm expression as she agreed, saying yes, it was beautiful. I told her not to look at me like that, and she feigned innocence, as if she didn't even know what I meant. I ended up letting out a snort that barely sounded like a word, and we both burst out laughing.
Then I rested my mind on the sensation of her shoulder as I watched the coastline slowly receding. I asked her exactly where we were going, because the distance no longer felt normal or accidental. She replied that we were going somewhere and that she just wanted to check something out, without elaborating.
I accepted with the same calm a prisoner accepts his fate, and looked back at the night sky. It was beautiful, that was undeniable. However, I couldn't stop thinking about the Cluster and everything that was approaching us. I needed to train more, improve more, become more. If I didn't, that horror beneath the earth would cease to be just a fear in my head and become the worst imaginable reality.
I looked at Lapis again. She seemed lost in thought, until her expression suddenly changed when she saw a tower in the distance. She pointed with barely contained excitement and said it was there. Before I could prepare myself or even breathe, she descended with speed as if we were a missile hurtling toward Earth.
I yelled for her to warn us, holding on with all my might to avoid falling like a stone. We hit solid ground with a thud, but without any injuries. I recognized the area instantly. It was a place any of us would have identified, and the air felt heavier as we touched the ground.
We were in a familiar place, and we certainly hadn't arrived there by chance.
The Galactic Warp stretched out before us like an endless collection of living mirrors. Lapis gently lowered me, though she still seemed thrilled as she gazed at the portals floating around like miracles suspended in mid-air. She said it was incredible, and I admitted I'd been there before, but yes, it was beautiful. I picked up a tiny piece of portal that shimmered like liquid crystal and tossed it into the air to watch it fall. Then, on pure impulse, I flung it into the sea. Just then, a fish leaped, collided with the fragment, and was immediately devoured by a shark. I shrugged, only managing a sincere "oops" and a little sympathy for the poor creature I'd accidentally doomed.
Lapis didn't seem bothered by the fate of the fish or the shark. Instead, she began manipulating the water as if she'd forgotten I was even there. The water rose beneath my feet, and I jumped, cursing at the air, clutching my chest. I was still smarting from accidentally killing a fish, so I wasn't prepared to be drowned without warning. She apologized without a trace of guilt, as if I'd only sneezed near her. I decided to use my power to float to avoid getting wet; no way was I going to accidentally submerge twice in less than a minute.
I asked her what she wanted to do. She replied that she wanted to remember. Her voice sounded so sincere that the water around her began to move on its own, molding itself like liquid clay until it formed a landscape. I remained silent. I knew something like this would happen someday, but I didn't think it would be so soon. Lápiz looked at me with a gentle smile as she said that I had given her something she'd never had on Earth: happiness. She said I told her everything about myself, my likes and dislikes, what bothered me, that I had helped her improve. She sighed. She thanked me for everything I had done for her, so she could become a better gem. Then she looked directly at me and asked if I thought she was a good person.
I answered with complete certainty that I was. She smiled as if she had expected it, but something in her gaze cracked slightly as the water revealed an image. It was her, terraforming a planet for Homeworld. She said it with a voice heavy with guilt, as if each word weighed a ton. I watched without saying anything, my hands in the pockets of my jacket, as if silence were the only appropriate reaction.
Lapis continued speaking. She told me to look at her closely, that she was the one who had destroyed the life I now respected and protected. Another image of water appeared, showing a happy, almost radiant Lapis, as she destroyed lands, seas, and creatures, thinking of nothing but fulfilling her duty. She avoided looking directly at me, though I noticed her trying out of the corner of her eye, perhaps fearing my reaction.
She sighed. She said she wasn't a saint. She remembered her time trapped in the mirror and confessed that she had felt it was a just punishment, as if she had deserved it. She recounted how she had imagined that Homeworld would have changed over the millennia, but she was wrong. They were even worse.
Then the water stopped moving. The images faded as if someone had closed the ocean's eyes. Everything fell silent in the Galactic Warp, as if the universe had decided to show respect for Lapis's confession. And for a moment, neither of them said anything, because there were memories that could only be understood in silence.
"You know, Lapis?" I said as I floated slowly toward her. My feet barely touched the air, as if the wind were carrying me straight to her side. "From the beginning, I knew you were a gem who suffered a lot."
She looked at me with teary eyes, but didn't say a word. I gently fell to the ground and walked toward her.
"Maybe everything that happened to you was punishment for what you did before. Perhaps, in a way, you deserved it." Lapis lowered her gaze, as if the word "punishment" had pierced her. Then I raised an eyebrow and added, "But tell me something... did it do any good?"
She nodded as the memories created by the water moved around us like ghosts. She saw her past: happily destroying worlds for the empire, the same empire that later abandoned her, her own people locking her up like trash, using her as a tool without thought or value. She saw how the Diamonds had swept everything away, destroying gems that had once been her companions. She saw centuries of pain, punishment, silent slavery. And then, ironically, she remembered the moment a rebel "rescued" her only to leave her trapped in a mirror. A prison, yes, but at least there she was treated as more than just a machine.
Lapis collapsed to the floor, sobbing, her hands on the ground. Her illusions blurred because the tears were too many. The ocean responded, moving abruptly as if it shared her emotion.
"Pencil," I said, looking up at the sky as if searching for my former self, "everything you did, good and bad, built you into who you are today. Every decision is a brick. Everything you did, even the terrible things, brought you here, where you're no longer that gem of the past."
She slowly raised her face, her eyes wide and trembling. "Do you forgive me for everything I've done?" she asked, tears pouring down like entire tides overflowing. The water reacted with a deep roar, as if the whole ocean, too, awaited the answer.
"Of course, Pencil," I said, approaching her with a genuine smile. "You've changed. And if you don't see it, you should look at yourself from the outside. Believe me, I recommend it."
I extended my hand toward her.
"You're different, Lapis. You can change, and you already have. That's undeniable."
Her hand trembled before touching mine, as if she were learning to believe in herself. And when she held it, the water that had been roaring became calm.
"You're truly someone to admire, Steven Universe," Lapis said through tears, looking into my eyes as if her entire world were right there.
"Of course," I replied as I hugged her. I didn't notice a soft glow beginning to envelop us both; I only felt her body tremble slightly as I wrapped my arms around her.
Steven still didn't notice the light, too focused on comforting her with the warmth of his embrace. Lapis did notice it, but she didn't care at all. Her gaze locked with mine, and her tearful smile spoke volumes.
"I don't care if it's with Steven," she thought as her tears turned from bitter to sweet, filled with relief. And then, the light completely enveloped us both.
The new person didn't understand at first what it was; she only knew that she was embracing herself while the ocean beneath her feet calmed as if paying homage to her presence. The sea didn't bow like a king, but like a beloved one, as if it recognized its mistress and wished to protect her.
The figure floated slowly, still embracing herself, eyes closed. From her back emerged liquid wings, clear as sea foam and firm as crystal. No sooner had she begun to fly above the waves than the water parted before her, as if celebrating her birth.
It was beautiful. Her hair resembled Lapis's, but longer, with black tips that shone like wet obsidian. Her skin was fair, like Steven's, giving her an innocent yet flirtatious look. Her body possessed a strange, human beauty, a perfect balance. Her pants and Lapis's dress had merged into a single ocean-blue garment, and a warmth impossible to ignore emanated from her black eyes.
The new fusion slowly opened her eyes, not fully understanding, but feeling the salty breeze, the power, the freedom.
She descended into the galactic distortion and, touching her face, noticed tears falling harder with each passing second.
But they weren't tears of sadness. Not at all. They were tears of pure happiness.
Both voices within her recognized each other in a single heartbeat, a single thought.
"We fused?" she said in surprise.
"So what?" she answered herself with a soft laugh.
"Do you want to be like this?" she asked hesitantly.
"Of course... I mean, if you want, of course."
There was silence, a beautiful silence, like the sea before a wave.
"Of course," she finally replied, confidently.
And the ocean celebrated.
The seas, the dolphins, every creature and every current of water moved in perfect harmony. The fusion turned around in surprise, noticing how she unwittingly molded the ocean according to her emotions.
Incredible, she said to herself as she watched the water respond to her as if it were part of her body. She could move it with even greater ease than Lápiz, as if the sea recognized her as more than just a twin of the ocean.
"Why did my power increase?" she murmured as she unwittingly summoned water from nothing, as if creating it instead of controlling it.
...
...
...
She gazed in amazement at the liquid sphere floating between her hands, and a smile spread across her face. It was pure water, born from nothing.
"It seems we have a new power," she said excitedly. Since they had vented to Steven... or to herself... depending on how you looked at it... she now felt freer. More alive. More herself. Or more them. Honestly, speaking in the plural was already confusing, so the fusion decided to think with one mind and two ideas. How clever.
"But before we experiment, my name," she said with sudden excitement. Steven always named his fusions, so she, being the first Lapis to fuse, or so she thought, should have her own. She scratched her head with that characteristic Steven gesture as she gazed at the sea as if searching for inspiration.
"Steven... Lapis... Estela. Yes, that's it."
"What did you say?" she asked the void, answering herself.
"Estela."
"Hmm... Estela."
"I like Estela. I like that name."
And so, the fusion now called Estela spread her liquid wings and began to sail the sea. She wasn't training, just exploring out of curiosity. If they wanted to train later, they could train Estela again. For now, it was a time of discovery.
As they glided harmoniously over the waves, Estela spotted something in the depths.
"Shall we?"
"Of course."
A bubble quickly formed around her head, and she launched herself into the ocean. She moved forward in a strange mix of swimming and flying, speeding past coral, colorful fish, and seaweed... some of which ended up in her mouth.
"Ew!" she complained, spitting it out. "Wait! How the heck did something get in my mouth if I have a bubble?"
"No freaking idea," she answered herself, deciding to ignore that stupidly curious detail. She continued swimming and exploring, enjoying the sea as if it were part of her body.
Sure, she could only see a drop compared to the entire ocean. But it was a start. A beautiful start.
As she flew back to the beach, Estela couldn't hide the smile spreading across her face. She never imagined that fusing would end like this, so liberating, so... perfect. Lapis had waited for this for so long, and Steven, well, Steven always found a way to turn the impossible into something beautiful.
She hovered in the air, without wings, suspended as if held by the breeze. The wings were part of Steven's power, and yet she felt she could stay there for hours. She looked up and realized it was practically dawn; the sea shimmered with cool hues, and the sky looked like a half-painted canvas.
She calmly descended toward the house, excited, already eager to tell the girls how it all happened. She searched for her keys in one of her pockets, still smiling, but didn't notice the sudden flash of the portal activating behind her.
When she opened the door, her smile vanished. A heavy, almost sad feeling filled the entire room. It was as if the whole house wasn't breathing.
"What?" Estela murmured, completely confused.
Three gems stood before her, exhausted, dirty, and with a strange expression somewhere between defeat and urgency. They looked at her as if they didn't know whether to be happy or more worried.
"Um... surprise?" she said, unsure what to do or how to introduce herself.
She received no smiles. Garnet was watching her seriously, too seriously even for Garnet.
"Jasper escaped and took Peridot," she said in a tone so dry it seemed to freeze the air.
Estela didn't need any further explanation. In a flash, his body split into two forms, reverting back to Steven and Lapis. The surprise vanished completely from the boy's face.
"Tell me everything," Steven said with a seriousness that contrasted sharply with his usual gentleness.
Lapis looked at him silently, but her eyes remained fixed on Garnet. Something in her gaze burned.
End of Chapter 46.