Steven Universe: Beyond The Mirror

Just Your Reflection

The desert is a place that few actually know about considering the fact that its scorching temperatures and lack of water would drive people away from coming anywhere near it. It was home, however, to a pack of lions and a flurry of corrupted Gems who were tragic victims of the infamous Gem War.

In the heat of the moment, Steven forced himself to think of a place where Lapis and himself would be safe and not easily detected by any of the Crystal Gems. What sparked the warp pad back at his mom's fountain was the memory of meeting Lion for the first time...in the desert.

Unfortunately, Lapis wasn't lucky enough to get away from two of the most formiddable Crystal Gems. In her best efforts to get Steven and herself away from harm, Lapis has costed herself an incredible pain that didn't allow her to focus any longer.

Steven has been caught in the gauntlet of the leader, but Lapis, through tears, pushed him out of the warp and out of her hands. As far as Lapis is concerned, she has sacrificed herself for what she now believes is a lost cause. The next thing that happened was something she saw coming for her.

Lapis closes her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks as she feels her dress getting roughed up by guantlets. A clean fist jabs at her cheek. A hand is slapped onto her shoulder as Lapis listens to the screams of anguish coming from her punishers. The trip in the warp is just that. A punishment.

Resistance is futile at this point and Lapis knows it. She knows that she deserved what she's been given. She is a Homeworld Gem who has taken a boy, a special boy, away from his caretakers. They had to chase them down, twice, in almost the same day. Lapis, through clenched teeth keeps her head bent down through squinted eyes as the screaming floods into her ears.

"What have you done?!"
"Steven could be gone forever now and it's all thanks to you!"
"I should've shattered you when I had the chance!"
"Did you ever think about how much he meant to us?!"
"Why did you take HIM?!"
"Did you ever think about what would happen to him, Lazuli?!"

Lapis doesn't move her lips but an inch as her fists remain at her sides, trembling. A few minutes after it started, Garnet and Pearl finally let go of Lapis, step back and allow her to utter something to herself. "Steven." She bites her lip and she shudders. Pearl and Garnet pant heavily, their eyes bloodshot and puffy as their foreheads sweat in front of Lapis.

Lapis stands in mid-air, her body convulsing as her torn skirt billows. Her cheeks have been bruised a shade of dark blue. Her hair has also been ruffled along with her skirt. Lapis finally opens her eyes, her right eye blackened and she counters the glare of her attackers. "Why?"

Pearl folds her arms as Garnet's gauntlets dissipate. "Why did you do this to me?" Lapis narrows her eyes. "Is it because I'm just another Homeworld Gem to you?!" Pearl points a finger at Lapis, scowling. "YOU took away Steven-!"
"HE wanted to come with me!"

A tense silence takes up the warp for a moment as Pearl steps right in Lapis' face. "Why would he choose to go with you?" Lapis takes a moment to blink. "I meant something to him. To you, I was a mirror. But to Steven, I was his friend...but you couldn't see me like that can you?"

Pearl lets up her glare as Lapis casts her eyes down. "I'm just...your reflection to you, aren't I? I'm just everything you ever hated about yourself staring you right in the face." Pearl widens her eyes as Lapis continues, her eyes drooping. "I was a Gem just like you. I was a terraformer and a diplomat for Blue Diamond. That's just the way I was made."

Lapis locks her eyes back on Pearl. "I was caught up in your war and I disappeared for over five thousand years in the form of the mirror. The mirror that showed you things. The mirror that showed your reflection." She a presses a hand to her breast, her other hand outstretched. "The mirror that was my prison until someone set me free!"

Lapis huffs. "If Steven can see who I really am beyond the mirror, why can't you?" Pearl turns around, gaping with Garnet as the light of the warp fades to reveal the intended location: the desert. Lapis doesn't waste any time as she leaps into the air, her water wings popping out. In a burst of speed, she soars into the sky.

Lapis looks down one final time towards Pearl and Garnet who have turned their heads just in time to watch Lapis flee. Pearl turns back to face Garnet, facepalming with a heavy sigh. "What do we do now, Garnet?" Garnet lifts her head up towards the sky one more time before bringing it back down. "We need to find Amethyst. We lost her at Rose's Fountain." Pearl nods. "Right."

She casts her eyes down on the warp for a moment. "But...Steven. He-!" Garnet adjusts her visor. "We'll find him too." Pearl rolls her eyes back up. "And Lapis?" Garnet groans through her enclosed lips, pinching two fingers to her chin for a moment. "We'll have to wait and see." Garnet's visor glints in the sunlight. "Let's go." The warp pad activates, the beam of light taking the Gems with it.