you knocked your water self onto its back and clamped your jaws over its neck, while you dimly heard the others battle against their water doppelgangers in an all out water brawl.

the crystal gems fight with every ounce of effort in their very being to take these water fiends down... but thanks to their malleable water shapes, they just about outmatch their gem counterparts. bending out of shape, regenerating parts in a flash, and even multiplying if split in half, it was absolute chaos. you threw everything you could at yourself, including your energy orbs, but no matter what, it would just regenerate and retaliate. spinel wasn't having better luck; her water clone was just as limber and stretchy as she was, absorbing blow after blow from enlarged fists, which frustrated the pink gem to no end.

jeez, of all the ways this could have gone...

you thought as you pinned your water clone against the ground with your mid-paws and rapidly punching its face with your forepaws.

I didn't think I'd have to fight MYSELF.

"GAAAAH!!" you snap your head up and swing your head over towards spinel, eyes widening as you saw her water clone had its arms coiled her, binding her in a semi-tight grip as she struggled furiously. "LET ME GO... er... ME!" she exclaimed, trying to kick herself free. you gasped in a sense of fear as spinel began to strain as her clone started tightening her grip. spinel--! "RAARGH!!" your water clone suddenly shot up and grabbed your neck in its jaws, and slammed you into the ground, pinning your forearms to the ground and trying to pin your midarms as well while your back legs tried to kick it off. your water self glared at you with menacing blue eyes for a moment, snarling in its throat, prompting you to snarl back at it. "(name) don't want to fight, lazuli." you growled softly. your clone looked down at you remorsefully for a split second before lurching forward and clamping its jaws around your neck, eliciting a roar of pain from you. you struggled furiously beneath it, trying to throw it off, claw it off or at the very least kick it off, but with each blow it took, the grip became tighter and tighter, and you started to find yourself becoming weaker and weaker...

it was to the point that not only were you fighting to gain control...

but also fighting to keep your form destabilizing beneath the crushing grip of your own jaws...

"I said, I DON'T WANNA FIGHT!!"

your eyes suddenly snapped open as a normally young, cheery voice bellowed angrily, followed by the sound of something massive striking against what sounded like metal. steven--!? "GUH!" you were suddenly doused in cold water as the clone atop you dispelled in the resulting sound wave, lifting the weight off of your body and grip off your neck. you lay on your back for a moment, panting heavily, thankful for being spared a destabilization... from yourself. during your daze, you heard the hurried, squeaky footsteps approach, pausing at your side. "(name)?" spinel sounded almost tired. you grunted for a moment, before rolling onto your belly and looking up at your pink companion. she was soaked from her counterpart's 'destabilization', her pigtails drooping and dripping in seawater and her ribbon slightly torn and out of place. you lean forward and lick her cheek, making her giggle softly, before rising to your paws and hooves, shaking the heavy water out of your mane. you give spinel a lick on the head, between her pigtails before turning to face steven. he dispels his shield, his hair dripping wet from his counterpart's water bubble trap. he looks up at you, his eyes tired but still held a determined glint. once your eyes meet, you walk over to him, talk swept around spinel so she'd follow.

once close enough, steven stares up at you for a moment, before lifting his hands to part your bangs to see your apologetic eyes, shining in remorse. wordlessly, he rests his forehead against yours, and spinel pressed her cheek against yours, stretching her arms to wrap around both your backs, as you all shut your eyes taking a took a well-needed breather.

after a minute or two you all parted and looked at each other for a moment, before nodding in understanding. he steps away from you and spinel and casts his gaze up at the tower. "lapis, we're coming up to see you," he announces, before his voice dips sheepishly. "...so please don't drown me." behind you all, you hear connie shuffle slightly. "wait, steven--!" he huffs and turns back to face you and spinel. "meet you both at the top!" with that he turns to the tower, and with a deep breath, jumps into the wall of water. you watched with cautious eyes as a massive water hand forms beneath him, and after a reassuring wave, Steven is lifted up to the top. after a moment, you look down to spinel and nodded at her to which she grins and nods back, as she jumps onto your back and coils her legs around your torso into a firm grip. with a grunt, she twirls her arms together and starts spinning them rapidly, until you feel yourself leave the ground.

this ends now, lapis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

at the top of the tower, you find steven, entrapped in a water bubble beside the blue gem. he turns to you both and smiles brightly. "there you are!" you and spinel smile warmly at the boy before landing onto the watery platform beside him, steering your attention to lapis, who wasn't looking at you three. "what are you guys doing here?" her voice was flat, yet vexed. "what? I-" Steven sounded stunned, but he quickly gathered himself. "no, what are YOU doing here!?" he exclaimed. "lazuli take the ocean! that crazy!" you added, pounding your fist against the watery ground for emphasis. "can't we work somethin' out?" spinel queries, fiddling her with her hands nervously. "I mean... we gems should be friends!"

suddenly, lapis wheels around and gets into your faces, a terse sneer on her face. "don't you guys know anything?" she hissed. "your friends, they don't care about other gems." your eyes widened, startled by such a claim. "all's they care about is the earth." she turns away lowering her voice to a mumble. "but I never believed in this place..." she then lifts her gaze to the endless sky of space, freeing steven from his water bind. you stare up into the direction she is, and your eyes catch the sight of a notably shiny cluster of stars. you squinted at them as the gears in your head began to click...

"i just... want to go home.."

home...

you all then set down next to her, Steven and spinel at her sides and you behind her. "we know how important a home can be." steven reassures, snapping you out of her thoughts. "but that's why we're here," he explains lightly. "you took the ocean away, and the ocean is an important part of our home!" lapis turns to face the boy, a look of some kind of reassurance on her face. "I'm only using the ocean because my gem is cracked." she looks back up to the star cluster, a desperation in her eyes. "If I can just stretch it far enough..." she then slumps, letting out a somewhat defeated sigh as he hugged herself. "this is never going to work." you look down to her back to see the same tear shaped gem from the mirror right in the center of it. and across it was the same good sized crack from the mirror as well. your eyes widened at how large it was, poking steven in the arm so he'd look as well. once he sees it, he gasps. "I can fix your gem." he proclaims, prompting you to squint your eye at him. "I have healing powers!"

"Euh?" you grunted, prompting steven to look up at you, smiling almost proudly. "oh yeah, you don't know yet." he realized. "wait till you guys see this!" lapis suddenly looks around, looking slightly confused. "oh, what should I...?" he turns back to lapis, suddenly looking awkward. "oh, uh.. sorry." he replied, scooting closer to her back. "this might be a bit wierd." he then looks up to you, eyes shining in eagerness. "ready for this, (name)?" you curled your lip in confusion as lapis queries with a very baffled, "what?"

you open your mouth to ask how he's gonna go about doing this, but he suddenly licks his hand, covering it and a strangely sparkly substance and pats it onto lazuli's gem, earning a shudder of discomfort from her. you wrinkled your muzzle in minor disgust as spinel keeps her eyes on the gem in curiosity. "er... did steven just-" you were cut off by the gem glowing brightly, radiating a beautiful blue light, her body suddenly brightening up I color as the crack disappeared. your eyes widened in amazement as two large water wings suddenly sprouted from the gem's back. "ooooooohhhhh.. " you heard spinel murmur from your flank as lazuli gave them a test flap. the blue gem then turned to you all, her eyes now holding a grateful blue gaze. "thank you, steven!" she exclaimed gratefully. after a moment of awe, the boy responds. "no prob, bob." The gem stared back in a baffled silence.

"...it's lapis." she corrected, earning a snort of amusement from you. lapis then turns her gaze over to you and spinel. "thank you both, to." you grinned and nodded toward her while spinel leaned against your flank. "anytime, lapis!" she chirps, earning a sincere smile from the blue gem. however she keeps her gaze on you for an extensive amount of time, as if she were searching for something. ...what? She bore a slightly sad smile for a split second before she backs up a step and turns around. "okay, bye!"

with that, she takes off and you all watch as she flies towards the cluster of shiny stars, smiling in achievement. "great job, team!" steven chirps, raising his hands and giving high fives to you all. we did it! you thought in elation as you fist pumped spinel. we actually saved a gem...

however, your celebration was short lived as the tower beneath you began to rumble.

uh oh...
~~~~~~~~~

I can't draw Steven too good-

Child or not, I can't help but draw him with some kind of neck-