Steven Universe Fic (Season 2)

part 2 chapter three: Pacifier

Garnet lunged at the tinted gem, her gloved fist penetrating her watery form in search of the real gem.

Antarcticite met eyes with the fusion and sighed, "Wow, you're more gullible than White was."

Garnet's eyes widened at her words, feeling a thousand tiny needles prick her skin. She pulled her hand back and jumped away from the poisonous gem.

"Don't touch her!" She yelled, Pearl halted her attack and swiveled around in confusion, allowing Antarcticite to smack her into the air with a giant hand. The venomous gem turned toward her last foes, easily dodging Connie's rampant cleaving, her target was Amethyst now who was lashing at her viciously with her whip.

Spinel's attention was drawn away from the fight for a moment, now focused on Pearl and Garnet who seemed to have gained a familiar pink hue, she turned her head back toward the fight that was destroying the beach side.
Amethyst was struggling against the gem, and all Steven could do was shield her from Antarcticite's swats.  She stood up, knocking against the protective bubble Steven so rudely trapped her in. It was hard, strong, something only Steven could pop. She stuck her tongue out in thought and began pushing against it, slowly gaining momentum.

Antarcticite was bored of this repetitive fight, she yawned and threw several spike of venom toward the purple gem, quickly roundhousing Steven and melting to avoid Connie's blade.

The gem built her body back up just behind Amethyst, preparing to encase the gem in her poisonous waters until a large and very unexpected force smacked into her. Sending Antarcticite flying into the air, losing all the water she had used in a single instant.

Spinel volleyed through the air glaring down at the tiny gem as gravity pulled her back to the ground, sending the sand flying.

Steven stood astonished, and somewhat proud of the pink gem's ingenuity. Though, he knew she was livid at him for bubbling her at all.
He almost didn't want to unbubble her, in case she decided to get violently angry with him.
Instead, he decided to leave her alone for a moment and hope she would cool off, though the fire in her eyes said otherwise.

"Pearl! Garnet? Are you okay?" Steven trailed off, noticing how the two of them sat gazing at nothing as though it was the most interesting and entertaining thin ever. His stomach turned with discomfort as realization fell darkly over his shoulders.
He recognized that look. In White Diamond.

Whatever Antarcticite had done, she had been in collusion with that thing.

It wasn't over.

Steven fell backwards, landing on the sand in front of his friends. His mind reeled, all this time, eight months, he had thought things were fine, that he had dealt with the problem, the monster left screaming, surely it wouldn't come after him. He didn't want to face it.
He didn't want to risk it, losing anyone again. He couldn't do it.

Connie and Amethyst came to his side, watching Pearl play in the sand like a child, awestruck by the grains that sifted through her fingers.

It brought tears to his eyes, he didn't know how to fix this. He couldn't figure out how to fix White Diamond, how could he fix Garnet and Pearl? And if Antarcticite would have gotten Amethyst...at least Spinel was protected, and Connie was human so she was immune. So was he, as far as he knew.

"Steven?" Spinel's voice drew hom from his thoughts, she didn't sound mad, maybe because she watched him fall to his knees in front of his friends and rolled toward him to see what had happened.

He popped the bubble around her, allowing her to come closer, she hesitated, before reaching out toward Pearl and holding her hand for her to take. The amused gem's eyes drifted toward her an md she smiled, taking her hand and standing up with her.

Amethyst did the same for Garnet with the help of Connie, and they walked the two mindless gems toward the beach house, hoping to think of a solution to their problem.