A wish came true... A dream became a reality...
This is set to become an actual episode of Death Battle. Check out the Death Battle Wiki’s page for it here.
| Star Butterfly vs. Steven Universe | |
|---|---|
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| Season One, Episode Fifteen | |
Vital statistics
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| Air date | |
| Written by | WarpStar930 and Ganime |
| Directed by | WarpStar930 and Ganime |
Episode guide
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| Previous | Next |
| Morrigan Aensland vs Iron Man | Tifa Lockhart vs Yang Xiao Long |
Star Butterfly vs. Steven Universe is a What-If? Death Battle by WarpStar930 and Ganime.
Description
Two Magical Children with powers they're still figuring out enter to see who will survive.
Interlude
Wizard: Throughout all of Fiction, hundreds of Children have been selected to gain a magic ability and fight the forces of evil.
Boomstick: And we're pitting the newest defenders against each other in a battle to see who could kick the others ass.
Wizard: Like Star Butterfly, from The Kingdom of Mewni.
Boomstick: And Steven Universe, Son of Rose Quartz and member of the Crystal Gems.
Wizard: Now because the fighters today often accomplish their goals with Teamwork, we'll be giving them their respective teammates. Excluding the Crystal Gems of course.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and im Boomstick,
Wizard: And its our Job to analyze their Weapons, Armor, and Skills to find out who would win, a Death Battle.
Steven Universe
Wizard: Thousands of years ago, a group of space conquerors know as Gems appeared from Space with the goal of annihilating Earth's inhabitants and using the planet as a staging area to create more Gems.
Boomstick: But one of the Gems wasn't going to stand for it! This Gem in particular was Rose Quartz. She turned half the Gems against each other and Civil War broke out but by the end of it, Rose and her last handful of Gems won. They devoted their lives to protecting Humanity under the name, The Crystal Gems.
Wizard: Thousands of years later, Rose fell in love with a solo musician named Greg Universe and Quartz became pregnant with the first ever Half-Gem-Half-Human in existence.
Boomstick: Unfortunately, Gems are incapable of giving birth, as their Gem is passed down to the child they bear. So this means Steven, her kid, and Rose, could not co-exist. So when he was born, she technically died.
Wizard: Steven was handed over to the Three Remaining Gems, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl-
Boomstick: AND STEVEN!
Wizard: Now he was to be trained in the way of Gems and one day become a great hero.
Boomstick: But because he was half human, his training was much slower. But after a few cookie cats, misadventures and a meeting with the One and Only Uncle Grandpa, we've got a good list of abilities he can use.
Wizard: In a Captain America-esque style, Steven can summon Rose Quartz Shield from his gem. This Shield is strong enough to block everything that comes his way, and he can now summon these at will. He can also toss this shield, but it will fly around like a ricocheting bullet until finally coming to a stop in something soft. He can always summon a new one, like most Gem's can.
Boomstick: His arsenal is more based on Defense rather than attack, and this is apparent in his other useful ability, Rose's Bubble. He forms an all encompassing, indestructible bubble that prevents damage to those inside.
Wizard: His battlefield support comes in the form of his best friend and love interest, Connie Maheswaran. Connie is rather smart, analyzing opponents to find an opening. While originally a non physical combatant, she's become a rather Expert Sword Fighter under the tutelage of Pearl. She was even able to take on multiple adavanced HoloPearls and survive.
Boomstick: Steven's even got the greatest pet ever! Lion. Lion is a big pink, cotton candy maned beast that is SO awesome, his mane houses a pocket dimension where Steven can store his stuff. Lion also can use a Sonic Boom Roar, that was able to punch through a wall that not even Garnet herself could punch through.
Wizard: Lion can also run on water AND open up Portals to other areas at will. The fastest any human has ever run is Usain Bolt's 10.7 meters a second. To run on water a human would have to go Three times this speed. This means Lion can run at a speed of roughly Thirty Meters a second.
Boomstick: Lion quote, "Does his own thing" but has shown to protect Steven from evil whenever it is needed. He always shows up to save Steven last second from danger. But he was almost put down after being slammed into a van after getting hit by a spray of water...
Wizard: Steven however, is rather tough on his own, as he was able to push a possessed Together Breakfast into the lava, despite none of the other Gems being able to. He also has shown some interesting feats of athleticism, such as surviving a thirty feet fall without a scratch or punching through a Glovebox.
Boomstick: Kinda like me as a kid...Fell seventy feet and hit my head. Didn't feel bad at all.
Wizard: Well that explains a lot...
Boomstick: What's that supposed to mean!?
Wizard: While Steven is tough, he's pretty clumsy and has only had one year of combat experience. And Connie is sadly just a human, and is just as tough as one. Which isn't very. And once again, Lion is only tied to Steven, and won't protect anyone else.
Boomstick: But Steven is a Crystal Gem and will always save the day. It's best for everyone to Believe in Steven.
Steven: If you're-wait hold on...Uh, If you're evil and you're on the run, you can always count on the four of us taking you down!
Star Butterfly
Boomstick: In Mewnie the princess, known as Star Butterfly was at the right age to own the royal wand..... she did TERRIBLY!
Wiz: So she was sent to Earth so she could practice her magic there, don't see how that would fix anything, I mean are they trying to destroy Earth? But she was sent anyways and became accustomed to Earth while fighting against Ludo and his forces of evil.
STAR BUTTERFLY
Age: 14
Height: Around 5' ft
Weight: ???
Princess of Mewnie
Boomstick: Since she was given her wand she has been given access to many types of magics, and God is it me or is she making them up as she goes.
MAGIC
- Flaming Rainbows
- Transforms creatures almost always making them stronger
- Creates puppies that shoot eye beams, doing very minor damage
- Mystic room suck transform makes a very weak black hole
- Rain clouds
- Can wand can make rainbow punches
- Can Create hallucinations
- Drops Narwhals on fores
- Dimensional Scissors can transport herself to other dimensions
- Teleportation
- Can turn anything into arms
- Can Summon a dragon, however it can not breathe fire
- Dagger Crystal Heart Attack can pierce foes with hearts
- Sends Foes flying with Super Rainbow Dolphin Slap
- Turbo Nuclear Butterfly Blast creates a giant explosion that hurts even allies
- Wand can turn into Mace
- Wand runs on limited Battery
- Honey Bee Tornado storm does exactly what the name is
- Syrup Tsunami Shockwave makes a Tsunamis of syrup that also affects allies
- Winterstorm Hyper blow sends freezing wind at opponents
- Location Manipulation
- Crystal Poison Cupcakes
Wiz: Currently she has over 18 spells for combat but for now we'll talk about are Mystic Room Suck Transform, the DImensional Scissors, Turbo Nuclear Butterfly Blast, her Mace, Syrup Tsunami Shock wave, and Winterstorm Hyper Blow.
Boomstick: Mystic Room Suck Transform makes a Black Hole that can Suck up anything.
Lex: WRONG!!!!
Wiz: In the episode, where Star and Marco were standing, they should've entered Event Horizon, also sucking up the entire Earth, and the Terrestrial Planets, so this can't even be close to the Black hole the size of a Peanut, anyways the Dimensional Scissors allow Star to any dimension she knows of.
Boomstick: Turbo Nuclear Butterfly blast has a blast radius of 200 meters and a force of a measly 20 psi, and winds of 502 mph, however this has to be weaker than it's real world equivalent, not killing any monsters or Marco.
Wiz: Her Mace, that is almost as tall as her, and is used as a blunt weapon of whacking foes and made of reinforced iron, and can be brought back at any time from he wand.
Boomstick: Syrup Tsunami Shockwave traps anyone with syrup temporarily, and anyone strong enough can come out without struggle like Marco
Wiz: And lastly Winterstorm Hyper blow brings cold wind to and can sometimes freeze.... when the object is less than half a foot.
Boomstick: But in this fight she won't be alone with her best Earth friend Marco
SUPPORT
Marco is a Green Belt in karate, an intermediate level, but is also significantly weaker than Star, and being slightly smarter when it comes to tests.
Wiz: Marco being a Green Belt probably knows the Crescent Kick, Elbow Strike, Knife Hand block, and the Hammer Fist Strike. All of them however are for Intermediate students, therefore he must have decent attacks, but compared to people who have been fighting others on an advanced levels he is weak.
Boomstick: But Marco isn't the only one to have weaknesses, being a cartoon blue-eyed blonde she isn't the smartest, seeing as most of her intelligence comes from her fighting. Her wand has a limited battery and once it is out she can no longer use her magic, and lastly she has trouble handling very strong foes because Ludo's Army is well....... shit, plus some times her spells can backfire hurting herself and her allies
Wiz: But even with those weaknesses she has been able to beat Ludo on a regular basis, a great matchmaker, and a decent match maker. Always count on this princess to give you a brighter day..... or a day in the hospital bed.
Star: I think that strangers are just friends you havent me, I'm blasting monsters and I never break a sweat, I'm really thinking I can call this place HOME.
DB-Interlude/Special Thanks!
Wizard: Alright the combatants are set, let's end this debate once and for all.
Boomstick: But first, we have to thank Ganime for providing info on Star and providing a thumbnail, Groudon for providing a thumbnail and Mcgasher for his thumbnail! They all look great! ALRIGHT it's time for a DEATH BATTLE!
DEATH BATTLE!!!
WarpStar930
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbTMJZzj0YU
Midday, Beach City
A Girl in a blue dress is walking alongside a boy in a red jacket and jeans. These two are Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz.
"I can't believe you guys took us to the beach! A whole city designed to profit from beaches!" Star said excitedly, pointing out everything there was.
Suddenly they were cut off as they passed a Fry Shop.
"Nothing happens here you say..." an older voice said from the side.
The two turned to see a teenage boy with crazy hair that looked like Curly fries. He had glasses and a fedora on.
"Uh...Who're you?" Marco asked him.
"I'm Ronaldo Fryman, head of the popular blog KEEP BEACH CITY WEIRD!" he exclaimed dramatically, enticing Star's attention and Marco's disinterest.
"If you see my blog, you'd know that strange magical happenings exist here...a strange group of people known as The Crystal Gems seem to cause stuff to happen all the time! You'd best be careful weary tourists..." Ronaldo said, disappearing into the shop once more.
Now Star was looking at everything with interest, examining the walls and the boardwalk until she heard the word "Gems" from off by another shop.
"Evil gems?!" she cried out as she shot in that particular direction and hit a building, turning it into a giant arm. The two people who were about to enter the shop, stopped and ran off.
*meanwhile*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wd9WxS5_nc
Steven and Connie were sitting at the beach near the boardwalk eating Jam and Biscuits while Lion sat nearby. They were both interrupted by a flash of light and a heep of commotion from the boardwalk. They both jumped to attention and rushed up to the boardwalk only to see what appeared to be a giant arm where the big donut should be.
"Steven what's happening?!" Connie exclaimed.
"I don't know but I don't think it's a gem thing!" Steven replied, scanning the area.
"GEMS?!" Steven saw a girl turn toward him and run over.
"Do you know where I can find the gems? If they're causing trouble, I have to stop them." she said sincerely a boy following her. Steven's eyes narrowed making the girl look at him funny. He back up along with Connie.
"I'm not gonna let you turn my friends into arms!" he said angrily getting into a stance as he pulled Rose's Sword from Lion's head and handed it to Connie.
"Wait you're friends with the gems? I'm gonna have to stop you too!" Star said as Marco aslo got into a stance next to her.
"I am a Crystal Gem! You don't look like any rogue gem i've ever met but i'm gonna stop you too!"
The two groups locked eyes....
FIGHT!
Star opens up the battle by shooting a Flaming Rainbow towards the group. Steven automatically let's out a yelp and opens up his shield, blocking the oncoming stream of Rainbow attacks.
Steven then hops onto Lion's back and brings Connie with him, Star attempts to turn him into an Arm with another magic blast but Steven hops off of Lion last second and blocks with his shield again. He then crashes into Star and the two fall to the ground.
Meanwhile Connie also jumped off of Lion too and went to engage Marco, who rolled away and dodged the oncoming slice in half. Then he kicked Connie away and tried to punch her while she was on the ground but Connie rolls to dodge as he attacks. She slices Marco but he grabs her arm and Rabbit punches her in the face again. He kicks her down too for good measure.
Marco goes to punch her again but stops as he hears a growl. Suddenly a pink and heavy figure knocked him over. Marco looked up at the thing to see Lion staring down on him with a deathly look. He struggled to escape but Lion let loose a Sonic Boom Roar, turning Marco's head to mush.
Star Rainbow Punched Steven off of her long enough to see Marco get killed and she gasped.
"MARCO!" she screamed in anger and fear, letting the anger consume her and she let out a scream,
"Mystic Room Suck!"
Suddenly a black hole appeared and began to bring in Steven and Connie. They yelped and began to get pulled in but they were rescued by Lion, who leapt in and swept them onto his back.
Star watched them run off, then Lion turned and rushed back towards her. Star grinned and activated her Honey Bee Tornado Storm. Steven yelped and held out his hands, protecting the trio with his Shield and crushing some bees by rolling over them.
Star ripped open a hole in Reality and tried to trap them by rolling them towards it but Steven Dissipated it and bashed her with his Shield. Star switched her Wand to Mace mode and swung at Steven but Connie intercepted her with her Blade and the two engaged in a duel before Connie disarmed her.
Steven grabbed the wand and bubbled it before sending it away. Star grew angry and activated her shoe spikes. She kicked Connie and punchered her side. Connie gasped and fell to the ground in pain.
"Connie!" Steven exclaimed, picking up her dropped blade and swinging the blade and chopping her in the side. Star fell down as well and Steven impaled her in the chest, effectively ending the princess.
K.O!
The Gems came rushing up to Steven and saw the destruction that Beach City had become. Steven was letting Connie sidle up against him.
"STEVEN?! WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!" Pearl freaked.
"Uh-uh, This girl turned the Big Donut into a giant Arm! I thought she was a rogue gem!" Steven responded.
Amethyst laughed, "Geez Steven, didn't know you had it in ya."
"Please don't tell my parents!" Connie yelped.
ALTERNATE ENDING!
"So the Gems are evil?" Marco asked Ronaldo, last second.
"Oh, no! They actually returned the ocean to us AND prevented an alien invasion." Ronaldo told the duo. Star sighed and looked disappointed.
"I wanted to kill some evil..."
At the same time she overheard Connie and Steven talking and walking alongside Lion about some Gem Mission.
"Scuse me! Do you know the Gems?" Star asked, rushing over to Steven.
"Uh....I am a Gem." he said informatively. Star exploded in flaming rainbows in happiness.
"REALLY!?"
"Waah!" Steven fell back and out of his Cheeseburger Backpack fell a couple of Cookie Cats. Steven tried to pick them up.
"Woah Cookie Cats?" she asked, snatching one up.
"Yeah. I like them!" Steven told her, opening one.
The group, Connie, Marco, Steven and Star, spent the next half hour explaining their sides of the story and nomming on Cooke Cats.
NO K.O!
Results
Cue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-jFWoU4BLY
Boomstick: Damn! That was PG-13 if i've ever seen it!
Wizard: While Star possesses MUCH more power that Steven, Connie and Lion combine, Steven's Shield and Bubble rendered most of these attacks completely useless.
Boomstick: And Lion was fast and powerful enough to escape the black hole, no question about it.
Wizard: In the case of Connie vs Marco, Marco was very strong, beating up Humans and Monsters often.
Boomstick: But Lion was tough enough to stop Marco in his tracks!
Wizard: Star was strong, but sometimes the Best Defense is the best Offense.
Boomstick: Star couldn't penetrate Steven, but Steven certainly penetrated her.
Wizard: The winner, is Steven Universe.
Strength Star<Steven
Experience Star=Steven
Weapons Star>Steven
Speed Star=Steven
Magic Star=Steven
Armor Star<Steven
Intelligence Star=Steven
Endurance Star<Steven
Trivia
-This is the fourth Completed Fight to use Characters from Steven Universe.
-This is the first completed fight with Characters from Star vs The Forces of Evil
-This is WarpStar's 11th Completed Battle
Gallery
Steven Universe vs Star Butterfly is an episode of SoMaShadow's Death Battles. It features Steven Universe from the television series of the same name, and Star Butterfly from the television series, Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
| Steven Universe vs Star Butterfly | |
|---|---|
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| Season | Off-Season |
| Season Episode | 4 |
| Air date | October 3rd |
| Written by | SoMaShadow |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Heihachi Mishima vs Geese Howard |
Next Delita Heiral vs. Edelgard von Hresvelg |
Description
Steven Universe vs Star vs. the Forces of Evil! Up and coming teenage heroes, these two have struggled with learning how to use their abilities and prove themselves worthy of the weapons their mothers wielded. They’ll always save the day, and if you think they can’t, they’ll always find a way. It’s gonna get a little weird, and maybe a little wild, but only one will walk away from this Death Battle.
Interlude
Wiz: The responsibility of saving the world being pushed on a courageous teenage hero is certainly not a new concept, but these two take it to a whole new level with the weight of family relationships and the legacy of their mothers hanging over them.
Boomstick: Wow, that’s pretty heavy for a kid. Add on balancing their magic tied to their growth and emotions, plus the threat of a war that threatens to swallow several worlds in its grasp and you’ve got the perfect recipe for massively unhealthy stress.
Wiz: Thankfully, they didn’t crack under the pressure and managed to resolve all conflict, fighting for justice and uniting the opposing sides for a peaceful future for all races.
Boomstick: Steven Universe, the half-Gem hero of the Crystal Gems.
Wiz: And Star Butterfly, the wild teenage princess of Mewni.
'Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick!
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor and skills, to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
Steven Universe
Wiz: Thousands of years ago, there lived an alien race of beings with humanoid bodies made of light that originated from their gemstones. These are the Gems, extra-terrestrials with astonishing magical powers tied to their… Gems. At the top of them all were the Diamonds: White, Blue, Yellow and Pink. These four ruled over the entire Gem empire, originating from their home world... Homeworld. Go figure.
Boomstick: Long story short, Homeworld was a totalitarian dictatorship led by the Diamonds, with White Diamond at the top of the pecking order. At the behest of White Diamond, Yellow, Blue, and newly indoctrinated Pink Diamond were in charge of expanding their intergalactic empire, conquering all they could, and starting new Gem colonies. Of the four diamonds, Pink had no planets to her name, and after years of begging, finally got one: Earth.
Wiz: After soon becoming bored of her new responsibility, Pink decided to disguise herself in the guise of a Rose Quartz, her signature self-made Gem, to experience the world she was in charge of. After soon falling in love with the planet and its inhabitants, as well as the Gems she was in command of, Pink decided to defend Earth, as well as her fellow Gems that were also tired of being treated as tools. Now fully adopting the title of Rose Quartz and faking her own death, Rose banded together with these rebels and formed the Crystal Gems. Her love for all things living was one of the main driving forces behind the war, which she eventually won alongside the Crystal Gems.
Boomstick: Many, many years later, she met a man named Greg Universe, a musician just starting out on a solo career in Beach City. The two immediately took a liking to one another, and one thing led to another, and they eventually had a kid together. Please don’t ask how that works, Gems are weird. And unfortunately, due to how Gems operate, this would cost Rose her life. In a way, she gave up her life to… become her child. And this child would go on to topple the Homeworld regime. Meet Steven Quartz Universe.
Popup: As a Gem, Steven has access to many of the abilities that the rest of the Gems do, such as controlling the Warp Pad, bubbling objects, fusion, shapeshifting, not requiring oxygen, and being vacuum resistant. Though it is unknown if Steven possesses all the abilities of a pure Gem, such as retreating into his gemstone after taking fatal damage, as these have yet to be shown.
Wiz: While being raised by Greg in his younger years, Steven would eventually move in with the remaining Crystal Gems: Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. Being his surrogate mothers, they raised and taught him how to use his powers, taking him on missions and helping him feel included. Due to being half-Gem on his mother’s side, Steven’s physiology allows him access to Gem-related abilities. As associated with his gemstone, Steven's powers are maternal and the control of his gemstone is based on emotional clarity.
Boomstick: Which basically means that he needs to feel a strong need to protect and help others. Due to possessing Rose Quartz’s Gem, Steven can summon his mother’s shield and bubble to protect himself and others. Though unlike other Gems, Steven doesn’t draw his shields out of his gemstone. Instead, they simply appear over his arms, or around his body in the case of his bubble. He can also alter their size and shape at will, whether it be for stretching, adding spikes, or allowing the shields to boomerang back to him after hitting something without even needing to change their shape!
Wiz: His bubbles have been able to survive the pressure of ocean trenches, a spaceship crash, and even an entire warship detonating directly on top of him! Though the bubble has shown to be better at withstanding short, narrow bursts of pressure than a large amount of pressure constantly being applied over a large area. Despite the bubble being airtight, it can generate its own internal atmosphere, allowing Steven and others to survive in the bubble for hours.
Boomstick: But don’t you worry, because Steven can pop his bubbles if need be, blowing enemies back. Though this can also be triggered if enough pressure is applied to it, or if Steven is startled, due to his powers being linked to his emotions. He can also create small but hard bubbles around his fists like boxing gloves and can shapeshift his body for all sorts of wacky shenanigans, like making tiny cats on his fingers or growing older.
Popup: Despite not carrying much equipment for battle, Steven has a backpack shaped like a cheeseburger, aptly named the Cheeseburger Backpack. Though he doesn’t carry much more than food and toys in said backpack, it does contain a raft, which is useful for water travel.
Wiz: Though these do have some drawbacks due to his human half. Such as when the cats threatened to take over his entire body when he pushed the ability too far, or when he nearly died of old age after continually aging himself from a teenager into an elderly man. Thankfully, Steven was brought back with the help of his friends and family, but he also has his amazing regeneration to fall back on. He can heal broken bones almost instantly, but this healing ability isn’t just limited to himself.
Boomstick: By using his saliva, Steven has the power to heal animals and plants, as well as repair Gems and inanimate objects. He can heal cracked gemstones and cure common injuries and conditions, like when he healed Lapis’ gemstone or his father’s broken arm. It even improved his love interest, Connie Maheswaran’s eyesight, removing her need for glasses entirely. Hell, his tears can even resurrect the dead! Though if he wants to heal a corrupted or shattered gem, he needs the help of the other Diamonds.
Wiz: These life-giving abilities also allow Steven to bring inanimate objects like pebbles, watermelons, and pumpkins to life as adorable sentient pets. Steven can also float, manipulating his speed of descent with his emotions, and Steven even possesses a form of telepathy, though he can’t usually access it consciously. Though if under enough stress, he can interfere with radio signals to affect devices such as televisions or cell phones.
Boomstick: But usually, Steven’s asleep when his mind begins to mess with things. He can enter the dreams of others, be they Gem or human, and even transfer his mind into other people’s bodies, like with Lars or the Watermelon Stevens. Steven can also link minds with others, allowing him to feel their emotions and see the world through their eyes, like with Blue Diamond. He can also relive moments experienced by his mother, Pink Diamond, in a form of retrocognition.
Popup: Steven has used his telepathic powers to connect with and befriend the Cluster, a fusion of cracked Gems deep in the Earth’s core. Threatening to rip the planet apart, Steven helped to bubble it and keep Earth safe from the Cluster emerging. They have since become close friends and the Cluster sometimes comes out to help Steven if required.
Wiz: Gems have the innate ability to fuse with one another in a synchronized dance known as the Fusion Dance. This allows two or more Gems to combine and transform into one being, though due to Steven’s human half, he’s even been able to fuse with other humans, something which was previously thought to be impossible. Fusion causes an increase in power and the ability to wield and combine the user’s arsenal into even more powerful weapons and abilities.
Boomstick: But these do require the presence of another person, and fall under the realm of outside help since Steven does not have access to it himself. Additionally, consent from both parties is required for the form to work. But even though Steven can’t use it himself, it’s a pretty important element of the series, so it’s worth bringing up. Though it acts as an allegory for sex, which raises some questions about Steven being underage or fusing with his father…
Wiz: Moving on! Because Steven experienced a great deal of physical and emotional trauma from his numerous adventures and ordeals during his childhood, it affected his body's ability to respond to minor stress normally. As a result, Steven's body began reacting to new stress as if he was in a life-or-death situation. This response manifested as a defence mechanism known as Pink State. In this state, Steven's body glows pink, and his strength, speed, and destructive energy output becomes tremendous.
Boomstick: At first, Steven had little to no control over this state. He would enter it automatically when angry or when he experienced anxiety, and it put him at risk of accidentally hurting people near him. During his training with Jasper, however, he managed to maintain this state for a prolonged period of time and gain some control, during which he gained a greater degree of strength and a change in personality. However, he eventually lost all self-restraint as a result, enjoying the thrill of the battle and actually shattering Jasper.
Popup: When unconscious, Steven is able to enter an astral dimension while his body remains comatose. While in this state, he cannot interact or communicate with anyone in the physical world unless he phases through them. While in this astral dimension, Steven is able to project a powerful pink aura, something he used to convince the other Diamonds that he was truly Pink Diamond’s reincarnation.
Wiz: In Pink State, Steven’s perception of time slows to a crawl, and he can smash physically superior Gems like Jasper through part of a small forest. His scream nearly collapsed the Reef, and he can also manipulate his body’s proportions, enlarging his limbs as he sees fit. Most impressively though are his shields, as they become hexagonal in shape, and can be stacked to create a thicker wall, or protrude spikes that can shatter Gems. But Steven has one last form he can access, though it’s not something he can usually tap into. Due to Steven’s emotions controlling his powers and ability to transform, all of his emotional grief, PTSD, inability to help others, and sense of purposelessness dwelled and festered inside him until Steven reached a boiling point and viewed himself as a monster.
Boomstick: And then he literally turned into one! A giant pink Godzilla, he has a bestial mentality not unlike a Corrupted Gem and is much more powerful and dangerous than before. In this Monster State, Steven quickly defeated the Crystal Gems and their fused form, Alexandrite, completely resisted the powers of all three Diamonds, broke free of Lapis' water chains, and even overpowered the Cluster. But once all of his friends and family got through to him with their words and love, Steven snapped out of this state and turned himself back to normal.
Wiz: But if he hadn’t returned to his senses, he’d likely have stayed as a monster forever. And though he loses most of his sanity, the increase in power is massive. Years ago, White, Blue, and Yellow Diamond were able to create a flash of light so powerful that it reached Earth from Homeworld, which is two galaxies away. Outputting this much energy over a span of eight seconds would require over 192 KiloFOE, and Monster Steven was able to overpower them all at the same time. Not to mention that Pink Diamond was the target of this attack, and she defended herself with her powers, which Steven has access to.
Boomstick: And other Gems like Garnet can collapse parts of mountains and react in time to block lightning! Steven himself can dodge laser fire, and even managed to lift Spinel’s gargantuan injector, and that was before he unlocked his Pink form! Not to mention that he was stronger than Lapis Lazuli, who could lift all of Earth’s ocean into the atmosphere! A feat requiring over 92 Petatons of TNT! And that was from early on in the series when she had a cracked gem, she’s only gotten stronger and faster since then.
Popup: While Steven was home-schooled, Pearl and Garnet's education for Steven was so effective that Steven was able to achieve a perfect score on a conventional human school's standardized test. Steven is also an expert problem solver, albeit a bit naïve and socially oblivious.
Wiz: Like when she flew from Earth to the edge of the Milky Way, all while carrying a barn with her. To accomplish such a feat, Lapis would have to be moving at over 93414 times the speed of light. Even more impressive is that Steven can react to things while warping, and warps are incredibly fast, reaching speeds of up to 34 trillion times faster than light.
Boomstick: But Steven’s not infallible. He’s prone to motion sickness, and when he’s not Pink Steven, he’s not a very skilled offensive fighter. He’s far more focused on defence and trying to de-escalate the situation. Most of his telepathic powers only work when he’s unconscious, and most require the target to be unconscious as well. And his emotions are also some of his worst enemies, as they can very heavily affect his mental state and powers. Like with his monster form, which, while incredibly powerful, makes him a rampaging beast.
Wiz: His Gem is the core life energy of his body, and if it’s damaged in any way, he could be in some serious trouble. Shatter it, and you shatter Steven. But eventually, Steven would learn the secrets of his mother’s past, including her not so fantastic treatment of Spinel, her identity as Pink Diamond, and therefore his own. But despite this, Steven put an end to the clashing ideals perpetuated by his fellow diamond family members, finally ending the tyranny of the Diamond Authority. In the end, Steven was able to put his trauma behind him, entered a loving relationship with his girlfriend Connie, and now travels the country, finding his place in the world.
Boomstick: Just as his mother did, Steven aims to protect all life across the universe, and chooses to deal with issues without the need for violence, ever the pacifist. An entirely new era of peace was founded under Steven’s influence with other Gems, and he has proven time and time again to be a true hero for all Gem and humankind. With his friends and family by his side, Steven will continue to find his way in the world, no longer held down by the trauma of his past. No matter what, you can always believe in Steven.
Steven: I changed. That’s the final piece. All those struggles, I learned from them, and I grew! Oh my gosh! It’s not just my Gem powers I’ve forgotten! All this "happily ever after" stuff has made me forget the first power I ever had: The power to change!
Star Butterfly
Boomstick: Welcome to Mewni, a fairy tale alternate dimension of magical beings dominated by kingdoms. These medieval lands are ruled by the royal Butterfly family, with each female descendant inheriting the Royal Magic Wand upon their 14th birthday. As tradition dictated, the latest cheerful princess, Star Butterfly, inherited the family wand… only to cause massive destruction with it by accident.
Wiz: Rather than continue to train her under their own tutelage, Star’s parents shipped Star off to Earth to learn her magic, and truth be told, likely avoid extensive damage to their own home dimension. There, Star would find companionship, and eventually love, with human resident Marco Diaz, and would continue to hone her skills and keep her family's royal wand safe by fighting the forces of evil who wanted it for their own nefarious purposes.
Boomstick: While juggling school and her home dimension’s version of puberty, Star has protected various dimensions from the clutches of the villain Ludo and his army. Many tried to take what they could not have, and many failed. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows being a wizard superhero. Aside from romantic issues, more dangerous enemies came along, including some of the people she thought she could trust. And she still has school on top of that! School’s the worst!
Wiz: Luckily, Star ends up resolving most of her problems before too long with her friends by her side. Not to mention her Royal Magic Wand, which isn’t just useful for casting spells like your average magician. No, this wand can make whatever the user thinks of a reality. Be it for crafting attacks, creating sentient life, or just making your day to day that bit easier, the potential of the wand is only limited by the user’s imagination. It even changes its appearance depending on who is wielding it.
Popup: Star also carries a pair of Dimensional Scissors gifted to her by Pony Head. Forged by Hekapoo and given to those who rightfully earn them, these magical scissors can cut open portals to other dimensions and allow travel between them. Marco used to borrow them from time to time, but he eventually earned the right to get his own, so Star’s will almost always be on her person.
Boomstick: But Star doesn’t just have her wand; she’s also got her Book of Spells, too! Passed down through generations, the Book of Spells is exactly that: an encyclopedia of history’s countless recorded magic spells and the extensive knowledge of past queens. The book is rather hard to navigate, and there are certainly a good deal of dangerous practices located inside. Thankfully, a little blue man named Glossaryck comes with it as a guide, snarky and unhelpful as he may be at times.
Wiz: With Glossaryck’s assistance, Star would come to master her wand in record time, and she eventually learned how to “dip down”, or how to tap into the innate magic within. This allows Star to perform magic without her wand, allowing her to control tremendous power, and over time, she became a master of this as well. According to Glossaryck himself, wand magic is only skimming the surface of what’s possible, while dipping down unlocks the true power deep down, hence the name.
Boomstick: And now we get to the fun part, her magic! Since Star can make whatever she wants into a reality, she’s got a buttload of spells ranging from offensive attacks, to messing with people’s minds, to creating life, summoning, transmutation, dark magic, and some spells just alter physics or even reality to her whim! Like making your arm into an evil octopus intent on eating organs, turning you into a delicious marshmallow, or forcing people to swap bodies. Though she can reverse the effects without much trouble. That’s some certified Disney magic right there.
Wiz: Star can raise the dead, summon stampedes of warnicorns, generate miniature black holes with their own gravitational pull, utilise telekinesis, create weapons and armour, manipulate time, alter gravity, and so, so much more. Her laundry list of magic spells are immensely powerful, and according to Star, her Mega-Explosive Crystal Laser is powerful enough to obliterate planets! But she just likes to use it to play with cats, like a laser pointer.
Popup: With ‘Easy Peasy Time Freezy’, Star brings time itself to a screeching halt. Though it’s a bit risky to do this, since it relieves Father Time of his duty by knocking him off of his wheel, and time could possibly be broken if he isn’t brought back to work. Though she has only used it once, Star should still be able to use this spell. Star can also induce time loops, or advance time forwards by 10 minutes.
Boomstick: Star has been said to be one of the most powerful princesses to have ever wielded the wand, surpassing her mother’s skill at her age, and Mewni’s had some pretty damn powerful rulers in the past. Skywynne, Eclipsa, Solaria and Moon being prime examples. And if that wasn’t enough, Star’s Raspberry Ribbon Lasso spell has proven capable of spinning the planet! And this isn’t with magic, Star has to physically pull it since the spell just provides leverage. What the hell kind of stuff are they feeding this girl, god damn…
Wiz: With the Mind Entering spell, Star can forcibly project her consciousness into another’s mind, and with the Mind Erase spell, she wipes the target’s memory and puts them into a vegetative state. Pretty self-explanatory. She can trap people in place with her Syrup Tsunami Shockwave, or freeze anything or anyone solid with her Winterstorm Hyperblow. She can blast narwhals, cupcakes, dagger-shaped hearts, snakes, bunnies, lightning, and various other rainbow-coloured objects from her wand, and can induce a hallucination of colourful jellybeans and body horror if she really wants to mess with her foe.
Boomstick: She’s got Rainbow Kaiju Battle Armor, the Honeybee Tornado Swarm, Sparkle Kitten Fireworks Shower, Black Widow Calamity Cobweb, Thermonuclear Butterfly Blast, Bacon Kitty Hawaii Nightmare, and she can create adorable laser puppies! But one of her most deadly and lethal spells summons a dapper arachnid whose fancy hat doubles as a deadly minigun. None other than the iconic Spider With A Top Hat. Ah, a classic. But Star also has access to a number of dark spells as well.
Wiz: The All-Seeing Eye allows her to see any event happening in different locations, and she can even somewhat affect those places. The Black Velvet Inferno traps the target in an inescapable black sphere and engulfs them in searing white light, reverting them back to infancy. Low Self-Esteem Nightmare Dream clouds the target's brain with a sea of unwanted negative self-speak and she can trap foes in a perpetual state of dreamless sleep. Midnight Shriek blasts the target with deafening sound from a black spectral butterfly, and the Ouroboros spell makes the target attempt to eat their own feet. One of her most powerful, the Total Annihilation Spell generates a giant spectral skull face with butterfly wings that vaporizes anything it touches.
Popup: The "Darkest Spell" is a blast of dark energy that can kill immortal beings, as well as negate regenerative abilities. The spell is only considered lethal if it’s aimed at the victim's heart, and use of this spell comes with the cost of blackening the user's hands. Queen Moon Butterfly once sought out Eclipsa Butterfly’s help in learning this spell in order to fend off Toffee.
Boomstick: But the Butterfly magic isn’t just versatile, it’s crazy strong! Lots of people like Moon Butterfly, Ludo and Toffee have gone on record to state that the wand has the potential to destroy the entire universe, and it’s no boast! One of Star’s ancestors, Skywynne, was bored one day and decided to blow up an entire dimension just for fun! She then wrote it down in the Book of Spells to let her descendants know how to do it too, and Star’s one of the most powerful of all the Butterfly heiresses, so she should undoubtedly be able to do it too.
Wiz: Skywynne’s explosion was said to expand across the universe in an instant, and to accomplish such a feat, her magic would have to be moving at over 146.76 Quadrillion times faster than light. Additionally, though the Book of Spells has numerous spells created by queens and princesses of ages past, Star never went through to read them all. By series testimony, Star has only fully read two chapters of the book; Skywynne’s and Eclipsa’s. And since the innate magic that the Butterfly heiresses possess is stronger than that granted by the wand, Star’s magic should be more than comparable to Skywynne’s.
Boomstick: But before any princess of Mewni can become queen, they have to go through Mewberty. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Mewman Puberty. So after a lustful rampage and a weird butterfly monster stage, Star achieved her magical Butterfly form, an ability gained by Mewman girls when they come of age. With this new development comes giant wings, some extra arms, and real wicked eyes that allow her to see multiple dimensions. But more importantly, she can create golden energy barriers, portals to other dimensions, and her physical and magical abilities increase tremendously.
Wiz: And with all the power that the wand holds, many sought after it. Though Ludo and his gang would show up nearly weekly to grab the wand, the well-dressed monster, Toffee, went about attain it through different means. Manipulating Ludo and abducting Marco, he forced Star to cast the Whispering Spell and destroy her wand. The first spell taught to any Butterfly heiress, by whispering the incantation of this spell, the wand is forced to self-destruct. Though instead, Star’s wand split into two pieces, and Toffee was able to possess Ludo, who had taken one half of the wand.
Popup: Star has been trained for combat since she was a toddler. Her baby-sitters being the Mewni Royal Guard, she was taught everything from breaking necks to Warnicorn wrangling to sword fighting. Star is also extremely agile in combat, and is proficient with numerous weapons, alongside being skilled in hand to hand combat. Alongside “dipping down”, Star has multiple ways to fight if she is disarmed of her wand.
Boomstick: Through his possession, Toffee was able to corrupt and drain most of the magic in the universe, being powerful enough to single-handedly take on and defeat Queen Moon and the Magic High Commission, including characters like Omnitraxus Prime, who is a living space-time that contains an entire dimension within himself and can grow to the size of a galaxy in an instant. To do this, he’s need to be moving at over 13.07 trillion times the speed of light, and Toffee steamrolled him without much trouble.
Wiz: However, Star was able to restore the Realm of Magic from Toffee’s corruption and came back to all but vaporize him. And despite him being an evil monster, Star came to the realisation that not all monsters were evil. Ludo just wanted his parents to be proud of him, and Buffrog strived to be the best parent he could be for his children. Though it was not a popular choice with the everyone, Star sought to end the conflict between Mewmans and monsters.
Boomstick: Some people like the Magic High Commission and Star’s very own idol, Mina Loveberry, kinda went bonkers and tried to exterminate the monster race, including Eclipsa, the Queen of Darkness, one of Star’s great-grandmothers. Or so she thought. Turns out, Star isn’t actually a Butterfly. She’s still royalty through her father’s side, but Eclipsa’s true heiress, Meteora, was swapped out for a peasant due to being a half-breed. Every queen since has been a part of this false lineage. This would lead Star to give up her wand and status as ruler, and focus on stopping monster racism.
Wiz: After being mistreated by the husband she was forced to wed, Eclipsa ran away with her true love, the monster, Globgor. Though the Mewmans made him out to be a terrible… well, monster, Globgor’s really just a big softie trying to be a good husband and father. Meteora though, didn’t get to live a good life. Tortured and brainwashed in St Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses, she couldn’t even remember her own parents, much less her own name, but she eventually learned of the truth, and it sent her into a rampage.
Popup: Star’s impulsivity and headstrong attitude has frequently landed herself in trouble, often not planning out things before they go south. Not that she’s dumb or never knows what she’s going to do, but she’s a bit too eager. Star’s hyperactivity has also led her to skip over much of the Book of Spells. There are only two recorded chapters that she’s read fully, meaning her full potential will likely never quite be realized.
Boomstick: Tapping into her monster heritage, Meteora went on a warpath against the kingdom for the horrors she and her family had to endure, and she nearly overpowered Star in her Mewberty form, but the arrival of her dear mama Eclipsa helped to save our princess from her daughter. Being forced to attack, Eclipsa turned Meteora back into a baby, now with the chance to give her the life she and Globgor were previously unable to, due to being cyrstallized by Rhombulus of the Magic High Commission. Needless to say, people weren’t happy about this. Least of all Mina Loveberry, who began to stage a revolt using magic armoured warriors left behind by Eclipsa’s mother, Solaria.
Wiz: Though Star and her forces fought valiantly, they were ultimately no match for Mina, and drastic action had to be taken. They had to destroy magic itself. And so they ventured into the Realm of Magic and cast the Whispering Spell. All magic then ceased to exist. Things powered by magic lost their function, and the creatures made of magic were no more. Was it accidental genocide? Perhaps. Regardless, it ended the war without any more casualties and Star was able to establish peace between Mewmans and monsters.
Boomstick: And without the ability to travel between dimensions, it looked like Star and Marco would be forever stuck in their respective home worlds; Star on Mewni, and Marco on Earth. A real Romeo and Juliet situation, y’know? But this is Disney, and we have happy endings here. Through what can only be described as a miracle, Star and Marco were able to merge Earth and Mewni into one realm. A realm of peace where monsters would no longer be discriminated against, and where the two could be together in.
Wiz: After destroying magic and merging Mewni and Earth, Star Butterfly was done fighting the forces of evil. From rough beginnings, Star was eventually able to control her powers, bring peace to the realms and lead the way for equality between people of all walks of life. She may be one wacky princess, but it’s always a good time when she’s around. Despite her background, Star ended up becoming one of the strongest and most powerful Mewmans to ever adopt the crown, growing into a truly admirable Butterfly.
Star: Mewni should be a place of peace and unity for everyone. But for that to happen, we need to stop following the old ways. We need to be the change we want to see.
DEATH BATTLE!
A calming summer breeze blew across the boardwalk, carrying the recognisable scent of the sea and freshly cooked food to all who strolled along the familiar walkway. The early morning sun shone down as store owners began to open their shops for the working day ahead. At the end of the footpath lay a quaint donut store, beloved by the inhabitants of the town. The north side of town hosted a local car wash, amusement park and the worn-down docks.
Out west was the giant blue water tower, marking the entrance to the town, and opposing it was the lighthouse to the east, framing the top of a giant hill. On the other side of the hill was a secluded and weathered statue of a gigantic woman with eight arms. Her top right-most arm held a small blue platform in its palm, alongside a washing machine and clothesline for drying purposes. Very out of place compared to the statue itself, the objects were very well maintained. Someone lived here.
To the citizens of the town, they were all familiar with the residents who inhabited the area. In the statue’s lower-most right hand was a wooden beach house. With stairs leading down to a patch of grassland at the front and a small, yellow umbrella to the side, alongside some chairs, it had clearly been lived in for a while now. This was the home of the Crystal Gems. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. And Steven! Or more accurately, Steven Quartz Universe.
All of this scenery culminated in a charming seaside locale in Delmarva USA; Beach City. Yet despite the name, it was a city of very few residents, but Steven was glad to be back in the place he called home nonetheless. On the cusp of adulthood, Steven had been travelling the country, trying to find his place in the world, and though each new day was its own adventure, Beach City was always a home he could come back to.
Though he had not been back for long, he had been eager to meet up with his friends and family who he had not seen in the time he’d been away. Though he saw Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and his father upon his arrival last night, he was looking forward to seeing everyone else today, most of all Connie. But something the Gems said last night struck him as odd. Something about a wand with a star-shaped gem in the middle. They didn’t know the specifics, but they suspected it was an imprisoned Gem from the war, like Lapis.
Steven figured that he’d probably bump into the Gem sooner or later, but was hoping to go for a relaxing walk before he began his search. If he was lucky, no one would be in possession of the wand and there wouldn’t have to be any conflict. Talking it out was always much easier, and no one had to get mad. Still, if he kept pondering, the day would slip away from him, and he wanted to get his stroll in sooner, if possible.
Slipping into his classic dark blue jeans, Steven also donned his black t-shirt adorned with a yellow star in the middle, topped off with his pink varsity jacket. A comfortable selection of clothes. Pushing the door to the balcony open gently, he exited his abode, the cool morning breeze putting him at ease as he gazed out at the ocean momentarily. Picking up a pair of sandals as he exited, Steven held them in one hand. He’d put them on once he got to the more populated areas of Beach City, but he’d be walking along the beach before he got there.
Thinking to himself as he began to descend the stairs, Steven didn’t want to get sand in his sandals, because it’s not super comfortable to constantly walk with grains of sand beneath your feet, and he knew from experience – it’s just a whole ordeal. Snickering lighting at the wordplay of sand and sandals, he felt grass beneath his feet as he stepped off the last stair. Toes curling lightly around the soft patch of land, he made his way down the makeshift ramp, the grass beginning to end, and beach starting to begin. The warm grains of sand shifted beneath his weight as Steven stepped down fully onto the beach. The familiar smell of the ocean filled his senses, and he found himself at ease. It was a good day.
Breathing in deeply, a smile grew across Steven’s face as he began to walk. Leaving footprints in the sand as he began his trek, Steven began to hum a familiar tune, reminding him of all the time he’d spent with Connie. He’d missed her over the time he’d been away, and was eagerly looking forward to seeing her later that day. They’d come a long way, both of them, and time couldn’t pass soon enough. Still, it wouldn’t be too long, fortunately. As he rounded the corner of the beach, the boardwalk began to enter his view, alongside one of his favourite stores, The Big Donut.
However, something caught Steven’s eye as he advanced towards the stores; two people walking hand-in-hand along the boardwalk. A fair-skilled girl with flowing, knee-length blonde hair, offset by a crimson devil horn bandana that she wore proudly. With light blue eyes and what appeared to be a set of pink heart-shaped marks on her cheeks, she definitely seemed bubbly. Her attire consisted of a sea green, short-sleeved dress with a white collar, sporting white lace on the sleeves and skirt, accentuated with a cute pink octopus on the front. Additionally, the girl also wore pink and orange leggings and dark magenta boots with a rhino design, plus a little yellow star-shaped side bag with a face was connected to a strap she hung over her shoulder.
The strange girl’s outfit made her stand out among the regular denizens of the city, not that many were out at this time to see her. By her side was a boy less striking than her, but just as happy. Both wore beaming smiles. With tan skin, a slender build, brown eyes and hair, a person like him was a much more common sight than his female companion. Wearing a light gray shirt, red hoodie, dark gray skinny jeans, and olive and white sneakers, it wasn’t exactly attire suited for the beach, but hey, who was Steven to judge?
Smiling lightly at the happy couple absorbed in their own world, Steven kept trekking on, the boardwalk not far away. Over with the two teens, the girl’s beaming grin seemed to sparkle in the sunshine as they explored the new area. The pair were taking a well-deserved vacation after all they had done for both Earth and Mewni, soaking in the summer rays along the beach. It might not have been the Beach Day that had kept the girl hopeful through trying times, but it was time spent with her best friend and the love of her life. To Star Butterfly, that was more than enough.
“Marco, look!” Star exclaimed in surprise, glancing at her partner. The boy, Marco Diaz, turned to look at where his girlfriend was pointing, seeing a store labelled “The Big Donut” in their line of sight. Knowing where this was likely going, Marco intervened before things could get out of hand, but Star was already jumping up and down like an excited schoolgirl. “Star, we don’t have to get the donuts from out back. We can just get them from the store like normal people.”
"Yeah, I know, but where’s the fun in that?" Star responded, breaking out into a run towards the store. "Star! Wait up!" Marco shouted, as Star quickly craned her neck to look at him whilst still running. Her eyes not on what was in front of her, she accidentally barrelled right into the unsuspecting Steven. The two tumbling together onto the ground comedically, the Crystal Gem and Mewni Princess ended up sprawled on the ground outside The Big Donut.
"Oww…" Steven mumbled out, trying to get a grip on his bearings. Sitting up, Star looked over to see the half-Gem knocked over. "Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?" Star asked, standing up and holding out a friendly hand to Steven. Blinking a couple of times, Steven looked up to see Star’s outstretched hand, reaching up to accept the kind-hearted princess’ offer of help. Standing up himself now, he saw the girl who had knocked him over, and she looked sad, clearly remorseful for the accident. It was the same girl from earlier who he had seen walking with the hoodie boy.
'"Hey, it’s alright. I’m perfectly fine!" Steven beamed, not looking to sour the mood. "I’m Steven. Steven Universe. Nice to meet you!" the half-Gem said, his friendly nature exuding from every fibre of his being. "Nice to meet you too! I’m Star Butterfly. Do you live around here?" the inquisitive princess asked, hoping to learn more about Beach City. "Yeah! Right around the-"
"Star!" Marco exclaimed, having caught up to the princess. "Are you alright?" Cutting Steven off from his sentence unintentionally, Marco grasped Star’s hand as the bubbly girl responded. "Yeah, totally fine! Guess who I met though? Marco, meet Steven. Steven, meet Marco." The hoodie-wearing kid looked over next to Star, where a curly-haired teen stood, a friendly smile on his face.
"Sorry about that" Marco sighed. "Maybe we could make it up to you with some donuts?" Marco offered, retrieving a large stack of 650 dollars from his pocket, the royalties from the Princess Turdina merchandise proving useful once more. Marco kept his eyes on the half-Gem, but his hand began to rub Star’s palm absentmindedly, a small gesture, but a genuine show of affection between the two. "I don’t want to impose on your date or anything, but sure! That sounds great! Thanks!" Steven beamed at the kindness of these strangers.
The mention of their relationship bringing heat to the teens’ cheeks, they glanced at each other with a small, but genuine smile. Reluctantly letting go of Star’s hand, Marco headed into the store, his presence disappearing with the small chime to indicate the entrance of a new customer. Star opted to stay outside with Steven, finding a table to sit at. Directing her attention to the sea, Star gasped in awe. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen the ocean – far from it – but the crystal clear waters of Beach City were absolutely gorgeous. Steven gazed out at the view that lay out before them, also smiling at the familiar sight. He couldn’t get enough of Beach City.
Retrieving her wand, Star grasped the striped, deep purple handle as she chewed lightly on the purple rim of her wand that surrounded the golden gemstone in the middle. Careful to avoid getting the ornate white and purple wings on the side or the crimson devil horns at the top, the familiar taste of caramel corn filled her mouth as she waited for Marco to return. Alongside a pink heart where the grip met the rim, and a magenta charging crystal at the base, all of these features came together to form the Royal Magic Wand that had been passed down from one Butterfly heiress to the next.
Unbeknownst to Steven, this was the very item he had been warned about. Not for very long though, as he returned his attention to the girl sitting next to him and the strange object she held in her hands. "Whatcha got there?" the Gem boy inquired, interested in his new friend’s item. "Oh, this?" Star responded, grinning widely and twirling the wand with practised ease. "It’s an heirloom that’s been passed down my family for generations. Helps me do magic. Wanna see?"
Nodding enthusiastically, Steven’s eager response spurred Star on, shouting a spell with a wave of her wand. "Summoning Cloudy Charm!" And low and behold, her wand called forth Cloudy with a poof of magic! The jolly, winged, pink cloud friend greeting Star jovially. "Hey there Star!" he spoke in his high-pitched voice. However, just as soon as he was summoned, Cloudy was dissipated with a flick of the wand, sent back to the lounge with the rest of the spells.
"Pretty cool, right?" Star asked excitedly, happy to share this experience with a new friend. However, the golden, star-shaped gem in the centre of the wand caught Steven’s attention. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, he uneasily asked Star about the object of his interest. "Is… Is that a Gem in the middle there?" Obviously concerned for the wellbeing of another Gem, Steven recalled what he had been told earlier about an imprisoned Gem in a wand. His visage grew more grim by the minute.
Taking note in the shift in mood, Star’s happy grin slowly faded. "Well, yeah, but what’s the problem with that?" she asked honestly, a bit confused about what had caused Steven to become so serious all of a sudden. A look of shock crossed Steven’s face, as well as hurt. "’What’s the problem’?! That poor Gem has been imprisoned for generations! It’s probably hurting, and it deserves to be free."
"You do know that it’s just a rock, right?" Star hesitantly asked, trying to gain a better understanding on why Steven seemed to take offence to the gemstone in her wand. It was just decorative, after all. Other wand-wielders didn’t even have a star-shaped gem like she did. Yet, for some reason, Steven visibly recoiled from her truthful comment.
"It’s not just a rock! It’s a Gem – a living being. One who’s been held captive for far too long…" Steven spoke somberly. "One of my dear friends was imprisoned in a mirror for centuries, and she’s still trying to regain what she’s lost after all that time. You might not know, but that Gem is conscious. Trapped in that wand, they can’t escape. Can you possibly imagine what that’s like for them?"
Steven’s words caught Star off-guard. His words seemed genuine, but what he was saying literally could not be true. There was no life in the gemstone. In the wand itself, yes, the unicorn running on the treadmill and the spells within her section of the wand were as sentient as she was, but not the rock. It had been shattered before, and just represented the magic of the wand. If it was alive, she’d have known about it. Or Glossaryck would’ve, at least.
"Listen, I might not be the best at Earth culture, but I’ve been around long enough to know that sentient rock people definitely isn’t something they have here" Star responded. ‘Earth culture?’ Steven thought to himself. ‘Does this mean that she isn’t from Earth?’ If she was from Earth, then it would explain not knowing about Gems, but in space, she’d have to be living under a rock not to know about a long-standing empire spanning galaxies.
"Whether you’re being genuine or not, I can’t just stand by whole innocent Gems are being exploited or hurt. I’m going to need that wand." Steven spoke resolutely. Though he was staunchly against violence if it could be avoided, he was prepared to do what was necessary to save the life of a fellow Gem in danger. Reaching out quickly, Steven made a grab for the wand, but Star was faster. Recoiling her arm, she pulled the wand out of Steven’s reach.
"I’ve had lots of people try to take this wand before. I haven’t lost it yet, and I won’t lose it now!" Star said decisively, standing up from her chair and aiming the Royal Magic Wand at Steven. Wand shining with magical energy, she let forth a small warning blast at Steven, sending him flying back onto the beach at insane speeds! Crashing into the sand with a scream and a Steven-shaped indentation, the half-Gem spat out sand as he uprighted himself in time to see Star standing in front of him, looking remorseful, yet resolute. "Look, I’m sorry, but this is the one and only opportunity I’ll give you to walk away. This wand is too powerful to let fall into the wrong hands, and though your intentions seem innocent, I can’t take any chances…"
To have to warn such a pure and honest soul like Steven to stay away hurt Star, and the fact that they were beginning to become friends, only for this to happen, tore at her heart. But keeping the wand safe took priority. Hopefully Marco wouldn’t have to come back to such a scene if it could be avoided. "You’re putting an innocent in danger! Can’t you see that?" Steven exclaimed sorrowfully, trying one last time to try and talk down the situation and retrieve the Gem within Star’s wand.
“If I don’t have this wand, countless more innocents will be put in danger! More dimensions than just this one hang in the balance, and someone with access to the wand could wreak more havoc than you could possibly imagine. I have to keep it safe.” Star retorted, her grip on the wand tightening. "Please, don’t let this go any further than it needs to…"
"Then please know that I’m really sorry…" Steven spoke. "But I won’t ever give up when someone needs my help! And if I need to take that wand by force, then I’ll do it…" Star could tell that Steven held no malice in his tone, and that he truly believed he was doing the right thing. His conviction was admirable, but misplaced. Neither truly wanted to fight, but at this point, conflict was inevitable.
Holding a hand to his stomach, Steven’s gem shone with bright pink light, bringing forth his mother’s shield on the outside of his right arm. Clenching her fists, Star held her wand at the ready, prepared to do what was necessary to protect it. "Please believe me when I say that I’m truly sorry, Steven…” Star said somberly. “I never wanted it to come to this…"
"Me neither, Star… But I’ll protect that Gem at any cost. Even from you…" Steven responded dejectedly, but with resolve, raising his shield into a fighting position, ready for combat.
FIGHT!
(Cue Sound of Night Wind – Under Night In-Birth)
Making the first move, Star aimed her wand to face Steven, building up energy within her weapon before letting it out with a cry. “Cupcake Blast!” a torrent of small cupcakes with pink icing and sprinkles shooting forth from the wand, Steven’s eyes widened at the surprising choice of things to attack with. Raising his shield in time, he managed to block the storm of projectiles as they bounced harmlessly off of his mother’s shield, falling onto the sand harmlessly. Tentatively lowering his defences, Steven was hit in the face with one last cupcake, the delicious cake delight smashing into his mouth comedically.
Stifling a giggle, Star watched as Steven swallowed the cupcake whole, a visible look of contentment at the consumption of the treat. Using this lull in the battle to make an advance, Steven broke out into a run towards Star, intent on reaching her wand. Jumping out to reach the girl, Steven’s outstretched hand nearly grabbed the weapon, just barely falling short of reaching his target as Star pulled back, wrenching the wand out of his reach. Falling to the ground, Steven rolled as he impacted against the soft sand, getting up soon after, his momentum intact.
Once again sprinting after Star, Steven sought to get her up close. That way he could get the wand easily and he could minimise any potential damage. Star saw this coming however, and jumped back, aiming her wand at the boy before he could reach her and letting forth another spell from her library. “Narwhal Blast!” Star shouted, as several horned marine creatures spouted from her wand, shooting out at Steven with great speed. Alarmed, Steven held his hands out in front of him, a large pink shield appearing to cover him and protect him from harm.
The narwhals pushing him back, Steven kept up his defence, the onslaught of magical sea creatures slowly but surely overpowering his shield. His feet leaving a visible trail in the sand as he was pushed back, Steven quickly jumped to the side, throwing the shield at the origin of the torrent of narwhals. Seeing the shield quickly coming her way, Star sidestepped the projectile without much trouble, quickly letting forth another potent spell. “Bunny Rabbit Blast!” Star cried out the name of her next spell, a soft bunny barrage hitting Steven before he could react.
Falling back onto the sand with a soft thud, Steven looked up to see a small bunny on his chest. “Aww” fawning over the tiny creature, Steven softly petted it, a look of contentment visible on the bunny’s face, happy with the attention and gentle care. Picking up the soft creature, Steven put it on the sand, taking extreme precaution to not hurt his new animal friend. Turning back to face Star, Steven jumped into the air, his ability to float keeping him aloft. Summoning another shield, he threw the disc at Star as she hastily tried to avoid.
“You can fly?!” she asked incredulously, not expecting this trick the half-Gem had in store. “It’s a bit more like floating actually-“ Steven tried to say before being cut off as he floated around a high-speed rainbow from Star’s wand coming right his way. Not letting up, Star kept shooting rainbows from her wand at the airborne target as Steven continued with his evasive action. One finally hitting the Gem hybrid, Steven remained in the sky, albeit pushed back by a fair amount. Regaining his balance, he tossed another thin shield at the princess, seeking to make her drop the wand.
Used to his projectiles by now, Star saw that her method of attack wasn’t getting anywhere. Jumping over the thrown shield, she aimed her wand directly at the ground before casting another spell. “Radiant Rainbow Bridge!” she exclaimed cheerily, a massive rainbow bridge sprouting from the ground in an instant, reaching Steven’s position in the air. Being brought along the bridge as it grew, Star held her wand at the ready and aimed at Steven. “Dagger Heart Blast!” she shouted, a storm of red, heart-shaped daggers flying forth at the teen.
Eyes widening in shock at the sharp objects heading his way, Steven reflexively threw his hands out to the side, his pink bubble popping up soon after. And it couldn’t come soon enough, forming just in time to protect him from the blood-red hail of magic weapons. Flying back from the force of Star’s magic, Steven’s bubble impacted against the cliffside, cracking under the pressure of her attacks as he fell. Though Steven was protected from taking the brunt of the attack, his bubble shattered upon hitting the sand, his defence now gone.
Keeping up her offence, Star peered over the edge of her translucent rainbow bridge, firing off shots of concentrated magic. Each blast kicking up sand, it became increasingly harder to see Steven, but she continued in her pursuit. For Steven, the wild blasting all over the place obscured his vision greatly, but he knew that it would do the same for Star. With his defence gone, it was clear that offence would be the next best thing. Hitting his fists together, Steven formed small bubbles over his hands, almost like pink boxing gloves, and he jumped into the air with a grunt of exertion, ascending into the sky.
Shooting into the sky, Steven looked down onto Star’s rainbow bridge and saw the blonde princess still shooting off blasts to the ground, unaware that Steven had escaped. Forcing himself to fall at a heightened pace, Steven angled himself in line with the Mewman, on a set course to crash into her, bubble fists first. Ceasing her shots, Star looked around for Steven below, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t see a thing. The sand had well and truly settled down now, but Steven was still nowhere to be found. That wasn’t good…
Assuming that he must’ve gone into the sky with his ability to float, Star looked around for the half-Gem and saw the person she was looking for seconds away from crashing into her! Jumping back, Star just narrowly escaped Steven crashing into the rainbow bridge she had constructed, his bubble fists cracking the surface of the bridge upon impact. Momentarily stunned, Steven stopped. “I thought rainbows were supposed to be made of light!” he exclaimed, surprised at the apparent disregard for logic in her spells. Though he truthfully should’ve been able to piece that together by now.
“Well, my rainbows are made of stuff!” Star shot back defensively, getting ready to launch another spell at the Crystal Gem. Not too eager to be on the receiving end of her spells, Steven quickly got up and broke out into a sprint towards Star. Closing the gap in good time, Steven narrowly dodged a blast from Star’s wand which hit against the cliff face harmlessly, throwing out a jab to her abdomen, Steven finally landed a hit on the princess. Knocking her back slightly, the jab clearly wasn’t pleasant, as evident by the look on her face, and Steven instantly felt remorseful for his actions. He knew they were necessary, but he still felt bad about it.
He would be dragged out of his introspection however, as Star threw a punch of her own into Steven’s chest. The blow holding far more power than Steven anticipated from a girl of her size, he was pushed back, having to rest his hands on the bridge to balance himself. Knowing no time could be wasted, Steven shot back, aiming for her head. A strike which Star easily telegraphed and avoided, landing a strike of her own against Steven’s cheek, followed up by an uppercut that staggered the half-Gem hero. Landing another strike to Steven’s abdomen and cheek, Star kept up her strong offense as Steven tried to strike back at her again, throwing out a powerful haymaker which Star was able to roll behind.
Jabbing her fist into the Gem child’s back, Star ducked under a sweeping elbow strike that Steven threw out, and jumped into the air just in time to avoid a wide, arcing slice with Rose’s shield. Bringing her hands down onto Steven’s head, the half-Gem stumbled back, disoriented. Arms flailing about in an attempt to not fall off, Steven wobbled near the edge of the rainbow bridge, luckily catching himself in the end. Taking a second to breathe from Star’s physical assault, the girl’s combat training and experience clearly made her a formidable fighter. Panting lightly, Steven looked up to see Star charging yet another spell from her wand. He just couldn’t catch a break…
Spinning around once as a trail of golden liquid followed the movements of Star’s wand, the Mewman heiress jumped into the air, surrounded by a spiralling wave of syrup as she held the wand directly downwards at Steven. “Syrup Tsunami Shockwave!” the Mewni princess yelled, casting her explosive wave of syrup that emerged from the wand she held tightly. A tidal wave of sticky golden liquid blasting into Steven, the half-Gem closed his eyes tightly and summoned a shield out in front of him in preparation of the incoming wave. Crashing into his shield, it could only protect Steven from so much, and though his head was left uncovered by the adhesive substance, Steven’s lower body was all but covered.
Trying to life a leg to escape the syrup he found himself in, Steven’s leg immediately stuck itself back down to the ground, the syrup clearly not wanting to let him go. Focusing his emotions into positive thoughts, Steven jumped with great force, activating his ability to float once more. The substance still holding him by golden strings, Steven was not able to achieve full lift-off. This would prove to be very disadvantageous for Steven, as Star wasted no time in capitalising on his moment of vulnerability and took a running leap at him, smashing directly into Steven with a drop kick that broke him free from the syrup, but sent him sprawling off of the bridge.
Flying off with a scream, Steven’s cried were soon muffled by a massive splash! Falling into the ocean, Steven opened his eyes to see nothing but water surrounding him. Holding his breath, Steven swam up to the surface, eyes adjusting back to his surroundings as he resurfaced. Taking deep breaths now that he could properly breathe again, the half-Gem was cleaned of the syrup that had covered him, all washed away by the sea. Looking around, Steven saw Star standing on the beach, her rainbow construct dissipated. “Aww man, now my clothes are wet…” Steven said disappointingly to himself, a bit annoyed at the prospect of having to fight in wet clothes.
Creating an airtight bubble around himself, Steven started to run, the bubble floating on the water and providing him with a way to return to the surface without having to further soak his clothing. Rapidly approaching the edge of the beach, Steven popped his bubble as it touched the sand, jumping into the air and falling directly towards Star, who had her back turned to him. Summoning his shield once more, the Gem hero was set to crash right into her, but she noticed Steven with just barely any time to react. Yelling out the first spell she could think of, Star shot off a pink beam of energy directly at Steven, who used his shield to defend his body from the blast. “Magnificence Marshmallow Mush!” Star yelled as the spell impacted against Steven’s shield, transmuting the weapon into a harmless marshmallow, ready for consumption.
Still falling towards the princess, Steven grabbed the shield-turned-marshmallow with an outstretched hand and pulled it into his mouth, quickly eating the delectable treat while continuing his descent, not slowed down by Star’s attack. Holding a fist out, and assisted by gravity, Steven slammed right into Star, staggering the princess as he prepared to make his counterattack. Calling forth his shield again, Steven rammed into Star, launching her into the air with a bash of his rose-coloured weapon and soon throwing the shield not unlike a pink frisbee, at the princess. The magical construct clipping Star in the stomach as she fell, the Mewni heiress was propelled further away.
As she fell, Star knew that keeping Steven at a distance would be the best way to utilise her spells, and yelling out the name of her next one, Star cast a storm of tiny black and yellow winged creatures to surround and cover Steven. “Honeybee Tornado Swarm!” her magic announced, Steven saw the aforementioned swarm of honeybees heading his way. Jumping into the air and forming a bubble between his hands around an approaching bee, Steven bubbled the creature away, glad that he could save it from potential harm. Many more coming, Steven held his arms out wide, capturing several of Star’s magical bees in bubbles, poofing them away to the temple where they’d be safe from harm.
Breaking out into a sprint, Steven jumped at another cluster of bees, bubbling them away, falling down to the ground in time to capture another group and send them away. Star’s swarm thinning out due to Steven’s bubbling, she knew a different method would need to be taken. Though she made note to be careful of that strange ability of his. The bubbles just seemed to disappear into thin air. Who knows what could happen if he did managed to get her wand in that, or even Star herself. She couldn’t take any chances.
(Cue Wave Ocean (The Water's Edge) – Sonic the Hedgehog)
Landing back onto the ground safely, Star knew of a sure-fire technique he wouldn’t see coming. Seeing the Gem boy bubbling away the last of her bees, Star yelled the name of another of her spells. “Starlight Foot Smash!“ two horse hooves seemingly appearing from underneath the sand below Steven, he was suddenly and violently launched into the air with a shout in surprise. Holding her wand upright, Star put her other hand to it, and pulled back, a stream of magic following her hand, forming the wand into a makeshift rocket launcher, as she made noises to mimic the sounds an actual one would make, with all the accuracy one would expect from a person her age. That is to say, very comical, but not very accurate.
Closing an eye and aiming her weapon at the sky bound child, Star let go, making a ‘woosh’ sound with her mouth as the blast of magical energy shot forth. Reaching its target almost instantly, a massive explosion was created from the collision of Star’s magic and Steven’s body. Twirling her wand and blowing on it to remove the smoke like she’d seen in movies she loved to watch with Marco, Star was confident that her attack had been effective, and looked cool as heck. She was partially proven wrong however, as Steven descended to the ground with a smash, having forced his descent to hasten significantly and the pink shield on his arm protected him from the blast.
The half-Gem was all but unharmed, his body having recovered the damage he’d suffered throughout the course of the battle, though his shirt was looking worse for wear. At least it still looked cool, Star thought disappointingly. Holding her wand out behind her, she used a blast of magic to propel her forwards with insane speed! Jumping off of the ground, Star morphed her wand into a spiked mace as a wave of sand followed her movements, kicked up by the blast and her speeds. Using her increased momentum, Star came crashing into Steven, bringing the mace down just above his head. Shocked, but still able to react in time, Steven brought up his shield to cover his head just in time for Star to smack right against the hard light construct, a distinct clanging sound made as the objects impacted against each other.
Smirking lightly, Star removed her presence on top of Steven’s shield, and instead took a step back, directly facing Steven. Her decision confused Steven for a second before he was hit with a massive cloud of sand, the effects of Star’s fast movements catching up to him. With her back to the sand that was kicked up, Star was unimpeded in her next attack, slamming her mace at the underside of Steven’s shield, knocking it up and away fiercefully, as Steven shielded his eyes against the sand with his hand. Star’s next attack would prevent this however, as she slammed the mace into his chest, cracking some of the half-Gem’s ribs in the process.
Crying out in pain, Steven was sent him sprawling across the rough sand as his body worked to recover the damage done to him with great speed. For a second, his body flashed pink, but it didn’t stay for any longer than that, the danger not life-threatening or serious enough. Running towards Steven, Star jumped into the air, coming down upon him with an axe kick, though the Gem child brought the shield of his mother up in time to block the kick. Crying out as her foot impacted with the shield, Star recoiled, feeling like she had kicked a brick wall.
Though the pain would dissipate soon enough, Steven hit back with the flat of his shield, pushing the princess backward. Throwing his shield out to hit her wand-turned-mace, it certainly made impact, but not the one he’d hoped. Star had seen the attack coming and she smashed the mace into the side of the shield, launching it back at Steven! The reflected shield flying his way, Steven instinctively ducked, the shield narrowly missing his neck in what surely would’ve resulted in a decapitation. Releasing an exhausted breath he didn’t even realise he held, Steven collapsed face-first into the sand.
His fall would be a blessing in disguise however, as it caused him to dodge a blast Star had cast in his direction, harmlessly flying past him and hitting the sand. Hearing the distinct sound of a blast from Star’s wand, Steven raised his bubble, successfully blocking any further attempts to attack him. Star was no idiot though, and she called forth the Starlight Foot Smash to kick Steven into the air again, this time already having her next attack ready. Raising her wand into the air, a large fist made of pure rainbow smashed into Steven’s bubble from above, sending him careening into the ground below once more with a sonic boom that kicked up all the sand around his impact.
Landing in a crater in the sand, Steven shook his head as he came to, the quick succession of attacks having thrown him around in the bubble. Definitely not a pleasant experience, but he was kept safe, and that was the most important thing. A sudden ‘crack’ sound and a flash of light were the next things Steven experienced, his world now viewed through a tinted blue haze. Steven’s pink bubble had been entirely encased in a solid block of ice, a quick flash from Star’s wand accomplishing the feat without difficulty.
Closing his eyes and focusing, Steven held his hands to the sides of his bubble, and forced it outwards rapidly! The block of ice strained against the expanding bubble, but it held firm. Clearly, he needed something more. Pushing the bubble further, Steven popped the pink sphere, the force exploding outwards and causing the ice to crack. Lines like spiderwebs travelled across the surface of the block, and with another hit, the entire construct would shatter. Reeling his fist back within the room he had, due to the space the bubble inhabited within the ice, Steven punched the cold block and the cracks that covered the rest it grew in size.
With one more well-placed blow, the entire thing shattered. Chunks of ice falling down around him into the sand, Steven looked up at Star, who was taken aback that he could break free from it so quickly. It was impressive, if nothing else. Leaping out of the crater he stood in, Steven covered his hands in miniature bubbles once again, coming down upon Star in a swift motion. Throwing her own hand out to intercept, Star punched Steven’s fist, forcibly popping the bubble around his hand, but the half-Gem’s momentum was not halted in the slightest.
Bringing his foot up to kick at Star, the Mewni princess brought up her arms in defence, lessening the potency of Steven’s strike, as the Crystal Gem landed safely on the sand. Jabbing his remaining bubble-fist out at Star, the princess threw her body out to the side, narrowly evading the blow, and grabbed onto Steven’s forearm, forcing it forwards and sweeping her leg under his feet, knocking the Gem hero over. Creating a large, flat shield beneath himself, Steven landed gently on the pink construct, as Star’s wand loomed over him with its terrifying might, flashing with magical energy ready to be released.
“Rolling Thunder Lightning Blast!” Star yelled, as a flashing bolt of lightning crackled from her wand, blasting straight at Steven. Conjuring a larger shield in front of his body, Steven rose the defence in time to deflect Star’s magic into the ground, the lightning crashing into the sand by his side, the immense temperature and speed causing the sand to be heated and form glass upon impact. Charging another blast of lightning, Star kept her aim focused on Steven, making sure she would not miss. Letting forth another crackling blast of lightning at her target, Star remained unshaking, her grip on the wand as tight as a vice.
Enlargening the shield, Steven held it steady as Star increased the output of her spell, trying to break through the defence. His back still lying on the shield as he held the other outwards against Star, Steven began to be pushed back through the sand, a defining trail in the sand denoting where he had been. Seeing that Steven would get away from her if she kept this up, Star changed tactics, calling forth a different spell. Slowing down before coming to a stop, Steven kept the shield up, not knowing what the princess could pull out of her wand next.
“Emerald Snake Strike!” Star shouted as she aimed her wand at Steven’s shield, the pink defence turning into a pile of emerald-coloured snakes that fell onto Steven. Jumping back in surprise with a shout, Steven quickly dusted down his body, making sure no snakes were left on his person as he breathed a sigh of relief. All of the snakes gone, Steven was now left defenceless for the time being, and though he could always keep making shields, Star could turn them into snakes or marshmallows, so it wasn’t always a foolproof measure.
But there were other uses for his shields, Steven cleverly thought. Sprinting at Star, Steven jumped to the side quickly in order to avoid another one of her spells, and put his plan into motion. Lightening himself slightly, Steven summoned a shield below his feet before increasing his weight back to normal, having gained momentum from the jump, and angling himself at Star, the shield acting as a makeshift surfboard for the sand. Allowing his approach to be that much swifter, Steven caught the girl off-guard as he jumped from the shield directly at her, his fists covered in his small bubbles.
Striking Star across the face, she flew back from the impact, all but hitting the cliff face as she dug her heels into the ground, stabilizing herself. Rapidly approaching, Steven jumped up and formed a bubble around his right foot, aiming for a descending kick on the girl, but Star had caught on to the strength of his mini bubbles and dug her heels into the ground further, bracing herself for impact. Putting a hand out, Star grabbed hold of the bubble around Steven’s foot as it struck her hand, pushing the Mewman heir backwards, but less than before.
Tightening her grip, Star shattered the bubble around Steven’s foot and grabbed the boy by the leg, spinning around to smash him into the cliff face they were nearly up against. Face and upper body hitting the hard rocky surface before he could properly react, Steven let out a tearful cry of pain as he brought down his other leg upon Star in an attempt to break free, although not coated in the hard surface that made up his bubbles. Loosening her grip in response, Star realised only too late that Steven had freed himself and had regained his footing upon the sand.
Punching her in the stomach, Steven launched his counterattack, anger rising at the pain and trouble he had been put through today. Just as soon though, he was met with a punch to his chest, Star having taken the blow and powered through it to land one of her own. She was clearly no ordinary girl. Beyond just the absurd magic powers and all that, her skill in combat was scarily impressive. It was a bit less refined than that of Pearl’s or Connie’s, but it garnered results. Effective results. Results which were currently causing the pain he was feeling throughout his entire being.
Body working to heal Steven from the attacks landed on him, neither let up in their attacks. A punch landed by one was soon returned by the other, the close-quarters allowing neither much room to evade, and were thus forced to power through the pain. Landing a savage kick to the Gem boy’s shins, Star forced Steven to buckle momentarily as she struck his jaw, fist seemingly coated in a rainbow substance. A larger fist like those she used with her wand was covering her hand as Steven flew back from the impact, but he wouldn’t have any time to dwell on the thought, as the cliff they were next to sported a new Steven-shaped dent in it.
The cracks previously sported in the cliff face grew larger by the second, slowly growing up the side of the hill as Steven popped himself out from the rock, clearly getting further frustrated from the combat. An idea coming to the Mewni princess almost immediately, she aimed her wand at the indent in the cliff where Steven had previously been thrown at, a bright purple beam of light rocketing towards the surface, and exploding upon impact! A loud growl rumbling across the beach, Steven felt the ground shake beneath his feet. Something was definitely wrong.
His suspicions would only be confirmed as the rocky face of the cliff gave way, crumbling right before his eyes. Without a second to waste, Steven threw up a bubble in defence, arming it with pointed, pink spikes. But just as soon as the rumbling had started, it stopped. Curiously, Steven looked up through the tinted pink view of his bubble, seeing that the rocks which threatened to come down had suddenly halted in mid-air. Glancing back at the girl who’d caused it in the first place, Steven saw her glowing wand pointed at the floating rubble and let out a sigh.
(Cue Normal Battle – Megami Ibunroku Persona)
Although in relief at first, this was quickly transformed into exasperation as Star moved her wand from pointing at the stationary rocks to Steven’s shield. The rocks starting to descend even faster than what would’ve been possible, Steven held tight within his bubble as the rocks hit like meteors, spurred on by Star’s magic. Unable to shatter his bubble, the rocks all shattered upon impact with the spikes, falling to the ground around them and kicking up dust alongside the sand. Not wasting a second, Star aimed her wand at Steven’s bubble next, lifting it into the air before throwing it with the same ease as she did the rocks.
Already jostled around the bubble from the rain of rubble, Steven bounced from side to side within his protective pink sphere as Star shook it around with her telekinesis. Once more smashing Steven into the side of the hill, the force of her throw embedded Steven into the cliff, protected from taking the damage directly thanks to the gifts his mother left him. The spikes helping to keep Steven in place, he knew another attack would soon be coming his way, but he wasn’t sure what, or how exactly she’d attack. One thing was certain though, she was a natural in combat, and taking her by himself would be no easy feat.
The Gems were away, but there was still one more thing he could do! He just needed to reach a warp pad. Which would be difficult at the current moment, but if he could pull it off, he could put his plan into motion. About to pop his bubble to make a run outside, Steven heard a shout from below the cliff, knowing Star would be casting another spell. Playing it safe, he remained in his bubble, knowing that it could protect him from most of her attacks, and she’d be hard pressed to reach him where he was regardless.
On the beach, Star readied her spell to draw Steven out, aiming it across the cliff face and into the hole where Steven was embedded. “Supersonic Leech Bomb!” she cried out, launching several green creatures which stuck to the cliff like glue, and began to beep upon contact. The beeping sound beginning to increasing in frequency, Steven looked at the front of his bubble to see if any had found their way near him, instead of just on the hillside, and sure enough, one was able to land right in front of his feet. The alarming sound only getting faster, Steven knew he was safest in his bubble and that lowering his defences would be ill advised.
Holding an arm out in front, Steven created a second, smaller bubble within the first, aiming to provide extra protection against the ensuing blast. He wouldn’t have to wait long before his precautions would be put to the test however, as the irritating beeping sound reached a crescendo and magical leeches exploded violently in a flash of light. The cliff erupting into emerald light as stone fell from the sky and was strewn across the beach, the ground above it began to give way as well, the lighthouse threatening to fall as well. Within his second bubble, Steven was protected from the brunt of the explosion, though a bit shaken around during the ordeal.
His first bubble popped during the explosion, Steven bore witness to the debris which he once used to call a hill come crashing down around him, some parts impacting with his bubble, though breaking apart or falling by the wayside, none could pierce his maternal defence. Star however, was a bit less together than Steven was. Having not quite thought her plan through the entire way, she sprinted back as fast as her feet could carry her to avoid the rocks that came falling down, weaving her across the sand as she narrowly avoided being struck. Once a substantial distance away, she gazed upon the destruction wrought by her actions, and held a hand to the back of her head, wincing and sucking in an awkward breath.
“Aw jeez…” Star muttered, a bit embarrassed at having let things escalate to this extent. People still lived around here, and they’d surely miss a giant hill at the end of town. This wasn’t good... Her eyes then drifted from the wreckage to the previous top of the hill, a giant object starting to fall down with no support underneath it. The lighthouse that had stood tall as a beacon for all Beach City residents for decades was now beginning to fall, and Star’s eyes widened in surprise. “Pegasus feathers!” Star exclaimed with worry, aiming her wand at the structure with no delay, closing her eyes to better channel her magic as a stream of pink energy travelled between the two instantly, the lighthouse stopping dead in its tracks mid-air.
Opening her eyes once more to observe her surroundings for a safe place to put the lighthouse down, Star decided that next to the giant stone statue shaped like a person would have to suffice. Though she made a mental note to look over that later, because from what she could see, it looked rather interesting. Perhaps an ancient monument of worship? Star wasn’t sure, but she was getting off-track mentally anyway. Slowly lowering her wand so as to make sure the structural integrity of the building would not be harmed to altered, she placed it gently onto the sand, and though it shifted slightly due to the soft nature of the ground it was placed on, it ultimately remained still.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Star looked back towards the rubble that remained of the cliff, searching for a sign of pink anywhere, as she was pretty sure Steven would’ve kept up his defences during the attack. Once again lifting up the rocks with her wand, Star held them all aloft to make way to see where Steven may have been after the explosion, but she saw nothing but sand. “Where’d you go, pink bubble boy...?” Star mused to herself, holding a hand to her face in confusion. “He couldn’t have gotten too far…” she added, animatedly shaking her head around in her search.
“OVER HERE!” Steven shouted from atop the top right hand of the statue that held up his home, laundry flapping in the wind next to him as he stood on the blue Warp Pad commonly used by the inhabitants of his household. His plan set in motion, Steven smiled widely down at Star as she looked up at the half-Gem, finally locating him. Steven saw her begin to raise her wand in his direction, and knowing that he’d rather not be hit with another one of her spells, he shot his hands out to the side with haste, calling upon the power of the Warp Pad to do its job.
Star’s attention sufficiently drawn towards him, the princess fired off another spell from her wand. “Super Rainbow Dolphin Blast!” a beam of blue light that seemed to emit the sounds made by a dolphin shot forth at the teen Star’s gaze was locked on, but just as soon as it was fired, the attack missed Steven entirely. Though not for means of bad aim, no, rather because Steven was no longer there. “The heck!?” Star called out, seeing Steven disappear in a flash of azure light headed directly upwards into the sky. Craning her neck to see where he was going, Star couldn’t make out anything above the clouds as Steven ascended beyond her sight.
Utilising the Warp Pad to bring himself to a more optimal location for battle, partially to avoid more damage being done to Beach City and partially to set up his plan, Steven vanished, leaving behind a confused Star. “Where’s he going…?” Star pondered aloud, gazing out at the devastated beach and hillside. “Is he running away, or… is he running to somewhere?” she questioned, unsure on what Steven planned to do by leaving their fight. Especially considering how determined he was to get her wand, it was unlikely he’d just give up now and let her go. No, that couldn’t be it.
So the only other option was that he was running to somewhere. Perhaps as a trap? Regardless, it was clear that Star couldn’t take any chances. She had to finish this with him so he would stop going after her wand. Knowing that she’d have to make the approach, despite the potential risk it posed to her, Star grasped the wand tightly, her next spell requiring great focus. Her wand taking on a purple sheen and a yellow light emitting from the gemstone in the middle, a oval-shaped hole appeared in front of Star, out of place with reality, and projected due to her wand.
"I summon the All-Seeing Eye to tear a hole into the sky. Reveal to me that which is hidden. Unveil to me what is forbidden." her incantation recited, the blank hole began to show what Star sought. Colour appearing within the scrying spell, a moving image of Steven appeared, his location becoming clear to her. He appeared to be running through a village of… watermelons? And they were all shaped like him… Star thought it was strange, but considering what she’s done and been through, it would be rich at best, and hypocritical at worst. As Steven made his way across his location, Star zoomed out to get a good view of his overall position, displaying the image of an island split in two down the middle.
This was Mask Island, a lush, fertile land surrounded by water, life and greenery. Gorgeous crystals dotted the island, making for a picturesque view granted to Star by her spell. This island was not just home to basic plant life, but a certain race of magical creatures created by Steven himself. The Watermelon Stevens lived on this island, split up into two groups, separated by the divide in the island, but they all gathered together around Steven as he ran through the island. A lightbulb appearing on her cheek marks, Star had figured out Steven’s plan. Unconventional as it may be, if he wanted to play like that, then she could too.
Dispelling the All-Seeing Eye spell, Star instead held up her wand along the level of the horizon, the gem becoming transparent as she switched her wand to infrared mode. A blue light shining through the wand, Star peered through her ancestral weapon as she moved it around, searching for Steven’s heat signature. It was a bit difficult due to the long distance, but her wand was still able to locate him after enough fiddling. Her wand pointing directly into the ocean, Star figured that if she kept going that way, she’d eventually reach the Gem child.
Twirling her wand out in front of her, Star called forth a summoning spell she’d used not long ago in an effort to impress her new friend. How poorly that’d gone… “Summoning Cloudy Charm!” Star spoke, calling forth her winged cloud ally. Like a ball of cotton candy and just as soft, Cloudy’s colour matched his mood, jovial without much care in the world. Flying down to allow Star to get on, the princess stepped onto the cloud, eventually getting to her knees and bracing herself with her hands. “We’re gonna need to go that way, and fast!” the Mewni princess declared, pointing out a finger towards the endless expanse of ocean that lay before them.
Cloudy wasn’t one to question Star though, and responded without complaint. “No problem Star! Hold on tight.” Wings flapping in the air, Cloudy shot off like a rocket, flying straight towards Star had pointed at breakneck speeds. Holding on tight, Star’s hair blew in the wind as they soared, water following them in a trail as they flew across the water. Yelling out in joy as they zoomed above the ocean, a childish grin broke out in Star’s face. She’d have to go flying on Cloudy like this more often. This was awesome!
Looking up as they flew, Star could see the idyllic island from her spell appearing before her eyes, the telling split in the middle assuring her it was the same location. As she approached though, Star could see waves of tiny green beings all standing behind a pink one, tiny sticks in their hands. As the distance between the lessened, Star gained a clearer vision of the sight before her; the green beings shaping into watermelon-like things that shared Steven’s visage, and the pink being standing out in front of them all was Steven standing defiant, his arms crossed over his chest like a commander about to lead his army into battle.
(Cue Wand Fight (By The Book) – Star vs. the Forces of Evil)
“Aww, so cute~” Star swooned over the creatures as she and Cloudy had nearly reached the land upon which her adorable foes stood. Leaping off of Cloudy as he disappeared with a puff of smoke, Star braced her knees for impact as she landed, a crater forming in the sand at her arrival. Looking up at Steven and his organic army, Star simply smiled and held her wand outwards, posing with her wand held above her head and other arm holding out four fingers straight, with her thumb tucked in behind them, striking this position on the tips of her toes.
Moving to point her arms and the wand away from Steven, her gaze remained steely and focused on her spell. Beginning a twirl, Star spun around, holding her wand away, but gradually moving it closer to her, eventually holding the object close to her chest. Grasping the wand with both hands, Star held it aloft as she finished her incantation with a few simple words which held great weight. “Warnicorn Stampede!” the Mewni princess spoke, casting her spell as blinding light shone out from behind her. That was not all that accompanied her words however, as the sound of rumbling steadily increased by the second, carrying the perturbing noise across the beach.
Whinnying neighs broke through Steven’s focus as true to Star’s incantation, a stampede of angry-looking unicorns appeared behind them, charging forwards rapidly. Jumping into the air with a stylish backflip, Star landed on top of the lead Warnicorn as they charged towards Steven and his army, holding her wand out as it transformed into a sharp one-handed sword. Gripping the reigns, Star called out as she held her blade high, her warnicorns ready to advance upon the foe. “CHARGE!” with her ferocious battle cry, Star now had her own army ready to take on Steven’s. Hooves galloping upon the sand towards him, Steven wasn’t deterred. His resolve only furthered after seeing what she would force that poor Gem to conjure up.
The watermelon Stevens behind him were just as ready to go. Chanting in their native language, they raised their spears high and prepared to meet the warnicorns head-on. Summoning his shield to his arm, Steven rose his hand into the air, yelling as he brought it down in Star’s direction, his army knowing the signal for attack. The sentient watermelons charged forth, running down the hillside to the beach, jumping off before they landed to use their height to their advantage. Looking to jump onto the warnicorns and attack from above, several watermelon Stevens made it, holding on tight as the warnicorns tried to shake them off.
Some weren’t as lucky however, and were impaled with sharp horns or trampled underfoot as the army charged, their blood-red juices squishing as they were crushed. Their vital fluids seeping into the sand, they knew that it might be the end for them individually, but they lived their final moments knowing their fellow watermelon brethren would continue the fight in their place. It was an honourable death. A warrior’s death. To fall in service of their creator was a noble and worthy cause, and they only lamented the fact that they could not have served better. Steven would ensure that none of their sacrifices were in vain, of that they were certain.
Those of Steven’s army who made it onto the warnicorns stabbed downwards with their spears, puncturing the steeds in their backs. An obvious blind spot, the watermelon Stevens made sure to take advantage of it, jumping across to help their brethren when they could. Warnicorns falling to the ground defeated amongst piles of watermelon corpses, both sides were suffering casualties, and their leaders could see it. Should this continue, it would be a pyrrhic victory at best, and draw at worst. They needed to prevent the bloodshed of their armies as soon as possible. Both realising that they needed to take out the commander, Star and Steven locked eyes, each burning with determined indignation.
Leaping off of her warnicorn, Star held her blade aloft as she held it ready to fall directly onto Steven, the Gem hero not having a great wealth of time to deal with her advance. Swiftly bringing the blade down as gravity assisted her, Steven brought up his shield to defend himself, enlargening it for greater protective ability. Successfully blocking the strike, Steven held tight as Star’s sword ran down the length of his shield, creating an irritating grinding sound, but just as soon as it appeared, Star pulled back, striking low where Steven’s shield didn’t reach. Slamming his shield into the ground to block it as well, Star rolled behind the teenager, attempting to take him by surprise and slash him across the back.
Summoning another shield across his back, Star slashed up the shiny surface of the maternal defence with her maternal-gifted offence. Spinning around to meet her, Steven was forced to block yet another incoming strike from the girl. Holding his shield with both hands, he put his weight into pushing her back, but she seemed no less deterred. Pulling back for a second, Star switched up her offensive strategy, this time holding the blade with both hands and thrusting forth. The tip of her sword shining as it made contact with Steven’s shield, Star attempted to stab right through Steven’s defences. Though her offence was halted, Star held more power in this stance and while she wasn’t able to break his shields before, she just might be able to now.
Stomping her foot onto the ground, Star through her body forward, pushing the blade further against Steven’s shield, and little by little, it appeared to push Steven back. Eyes widening, Steven saw that Star’s sword was indeed piercing his shield, and in that moment of surprise, he faltered. Star pushed through with all her might and broke the shield entirely, her momentum carrying her forward until her sword embedded itself into Steven’s right shoulder, tearing through the teenager’s flesh and drawing a spray of dark crimson which dripped onto the sand beneath them. The effects of what Star had done were already put into place before she could comprehend the full weight of her actions, the ear-shattering cry of her pained opponent snapping her out of her battle haze.
Tears dropping from the edges of his eyes, Steven screamed in pain, the sword lodged into his shoulder causing him unbearable agony. Shocked and mortified, Star’s face went white, immediately pulling back as she herself began to shed tears at seeing what she’d done. Clutching at his bloodied shoulder, Star could see the crimson coating Steven’s hand as he desperately held his wound and her guilt and shame intensified tenfold. What had she done…? All she wanted was for Steven to back away, but he wouldn’t listen to reason… Now look at what her actions led to… Star tried to squeak out words, but her throat couldn’t vocalise the sounds, being left utterly silent.
Star had seen people in pain, and she’d had to inflict far worse wounds upon far worse people, but that was the thing. Steven wasn’t like Toffee or Mina. He wasn’t out for blood or revenge. He was earnest, and wanted to protect someone he thought was in danger. What she’d done to someone so kind broke her. Fresh tears welled in her azure eyes, the remorse for what she’d done was something she couldn’t vocalise, even if she was able. All Star could do was stand and watch as she held her bloodied sword, scarlet droplets falling onto the sand, mixing with her own tears. She was horrified at what she’d done…
Through teary eyes, Star looked at Steven, trying to put into words all the things she wanted to say. How sorry she was that things had gotten so far, that she should’ve had more self-control, how she wished she could take back what she’d done, but she was frozen. Not only just at the gravity of her actions, but at what she saw before her. Steven was flashing pink… Back and forth, Steven would look completely normal at one second, and at the next, his entire body was coloured bright pink, spare for his clothing. The strange shifting colours was something Star definitely wasn’t expecting, and she reached out with her left hand, seeking to try and make amends.
“S-Stay back!” Steven yelled, the anguish in his voice so palpable that Star could almost swear that she could feel it. Recoiling immediately, Star stepped back, not wanting to make anything worse than she already had. “W-Why…?” Steven pleaded, his usually joy-filled eyes filled with nothing but sorrow and pain as he flickered between hues. His body was working to repair the damage done by Star, the process being shifted into overdrive due to the increasing external stress forcing his Pink State to appear. Steven kept trying to suppress it, but his control over it was slipping. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened with Jasper…
“S-Steven…” Star began, voice cracking as she finally spoke. She was… for lack of a better word, confused. Obviously, what she’d done still weighed heavily on her mind, but the rapid colour flickering had her utterly dumbfounded. Was it something she caused? A side effect of the sword being her transformed wand? She could certainly call upon some rather out-there spells, but this wasn’t something she’d done before… Maybe there was something left in the wand from previous queens which caused this reaction. Whatever it was, Star had no idea how to go about trying to fix it. All she had left now in an attempt to try and fix things were her words, for whatever they were worth.
Steven wouldn’t have any of it though. “You could’ve stopped this! It never had to escalate to this! We could’ve just talked it out…” the reality of Steven’s words hit Star like a truck. It was the truth, and she knew it. But how could she salvage things from here? Star would get no more time to dwell on these things as Steven spoke again. Their conversation had drawn an audience, the warnicorns and watermelon Stevens ceasing their combat to observe their masters. “I’m so sick of all of the fighting. I’m sick of all the pain and the hurt; both my friends’ and my own. But most of all… I’m sick of you.”
The sharp contrast in Steven’s voice forced Star to take a step back. He no longer sounded like the gentle kid she was talking to earlier. Steven sounded different. Older, more tired, angrier. What Star sensed from him was rage. Something she’d never thought she’d hear in the tone of the kind boy she met at the donut shop. Steven’s face contorted into a scowl as his phased in and out of his rose colouration, the pink hue staying longer and longer before fading momentarily. “You have the audacity to abuse that poor Gem, and then you destroy my hometown, and then you stab me!”
Star choked on the breath she could summon up, taken aback by Steven’s words. They dug deeper than any weapon he could strike her with, but the truth in them is what hurt the most. While she may have not been abusing any Gem, the destruction of the hillside and Steven’s painful wound were offences to which she could not deny to have caused. Fresh tears welled in the sapphire of her eyes, the full extent of what she’d done hitting her with full force. “Is there no limit to your cruelty? Just how far will you go?!” Steven screamed out, wrathful indignation burning within the usually gentle child. At this painful scene, the only thing Star could feel was her own overwhelming guilt…
“What will it take… for you to just…” streams of water rushed down Steven’s face as he screamed out, the trauma of everything that Star had put him through bubbling to the front of his mind as his anger took over, forgoing his normal skin colour for the rose coloration of Pink Diamond. “…leave me…” Star stepped back further as Steven’s powers began to go into flux, the very space around him distorting and inverting as he held his hands to his head, trying to control his overflowing emotions. The gemstone on his stomach shining a blinding light, the watermelon Stevens who fought in service of their creator felt a light overtake them as Steven went out of control. “…ALOOOOOOOOONNNE!!!”
(Cue Let Me Try (Instrumental) – NateWantsToBattle)
The ground quaked as if the Earth itself was tearing apart Steven’s scream. The smooth sand around him giving way as he roared, power swirled around Steven, covering him in an aura of pink light. His jacket ripping to shreds under the might of his transformation, Steven’s upper body grew more muscular and defined, the wound on his shoulder slowly fading away by the second. That small fact brought some joy to Star, but everything else left her in awe. Violet lightning surrounded the teen as he stood up, his black t-shirt now in full view as he glared at Star, eyes burning with hatred. The Pink State was now fully active.
Star could only stare in shock. This definitely wasn’t something she’d done before, and could only conclude this was part of Steven’s powers. But just what kind of power did he hold? More than anything else though, she could see the emotion in Steven’s eyes. The anger, the rage, the hate. It was such a stark difference from what she’d known of him, and to know that whatever this new form he was in was triggered by his hatred for her… that was what hurt Star the most… Resolve weakening, she was frozen as the watermelon Stevens across the battlefield were coated in that same rose light, their physique changing to match Steven’s.
Letting forth a cry of their own, the plant army wasted no time in resuming their combat against the warnicorns, forgoing their spears and instead punching the equine animals with their larger fists, now much more suited for battle. Using their hooves in more creative manners, several of the war steeds bucked their legs back, splattering watermelon Stevens who were attacking their companions. Ignoring the battle between their armies, Steven coated his fists in bubbles before shooting forth, smashing Star in the stomach with far more force than she’d endured in the fight thus far. Sputtering as the blow landed, Star immediately flew back at unbelievable speeds towards the right half of Mask Island’s mountain.
Soaring through the air, Star’s short flight would be brought to an abrupt end as she felt her back connect with hard stone, eyes widening as she coughed up blood upon impact. Her momentum fading, Star began to fall forward, seconds away from splattering upon the unforgiving ground. Her sword still in hand, Star immediately changed it back into its wand form, letting forth a blast directly at the ground in hopes to slow her descent. Ultimately, her plan would prove successful, a beam of purple light impacting with the ground as it pushed her up against gravity’s wishes. Able to slow herself down in time, Star landed on the ground as gently as she could, scaping her knees a bit as she fell onto all fours, coughing up the remaining blood in her mouth onto the stone.
With minimal damage sustained, Star tried to regain her bearings, definitely not expecting a blow of such potency from the Gem child considering what he was capable of earlier. It both worried and surprised the Mewni princess as she slowly sat down, resting for a second as she caught her breath. The strike had left her winded, and she’d need a bit to recover. Steven sought not to give her any time to recuperate however, leaping up from the beach to the mountain top with his floating ability, summoning a shield into his hands and throwing it directly at Star’s head, seeking a quick decapitation. Seeing Steven’s approach, Star was caught off-guard by how fast he appeared to be now, and ducked as soon as she could, just narrowly missing the shield by a hair’s breadth.
Panting heavily, Star was disturbed by how quickly Steven was willing to go for a killing blow, only just having moved in time for it to not slice open her neck. Tentatively placing a hand to her throat, she breathed a sigh of relief that nothing had been cut or damaged. The same could not be said for the rest of the mountain behind her though, as the shield shot straight through and sliced it in two, the top half slowly sliding down behind Star to crash onto the other side of the island. Steven didn’t care though. His attack had missed, and he needed to correct such an egregious mistake. He wouldn’t miss again.
Summoning two shields into his hands, Steven threw them directly at Star, forcing the princess to jump to the side to evade as they sliced through the remnants of the mountain. From his elevated point of view, Steven saw that the damage he’d inflicted would soon cause it to collapse entirely, and hopefully take Star with it. Summoning more shields to his arms, Steven threw them like frisbees, consecutively launching them at the princess, who was kept on her toes in order to avoid being sliced apart by the razor-sharp shields. Placing a foot down on a particularly unstable piece of rock, Star’s balance immediately began to fail her, as her foothold gave way, along with the rest of the mountain.
Just like the stones crashing down onto Mask Island, Star had but mere seconds before she would fall flattened and broken onto the harsh ground. Grasping onto her wand for dear life, Star yelled out the name of one of her familiars to save her from certain doom. Her life depended on it. “CLOUDY!” she called, the small winged cloud appearing underneath her and carrying her up to safety, away from the scene of disaster. Holding tightly onto the sentient cloud’s back, Star looked around for Steven, seeing the Gem child floating in the air with a cold glare etched onto his face. It only darkened once he recognised that Star had survived the mountain’s collapse.
Wordlessly raising a hand skyward, Steven pointed it towards the Star and Cloudy duo, calling for two hexagonal shields to appear from thin air. Distinctively dissimilar in comparison to his normal shields, these were smooth and flat, with sharp edges. Though they were thicker along the sides, and offered a more efficient means of protection. In contrast to his regular defences, these just… felt colder. Less warmth and life in them. His others were round and thin, with an ornate spiral rose pattern on them, but there was no sense of Rose’s maternal defences here. The Pink State was entirely Steven’s own. Shooting the shields off, they raced towards Star as she and cloudy wove in between the projectiles with grace.
With their aim set on the other mountain, Star and Cloudy attempted to make the short journey there as fast as possible, but the hail of hexagonal shields made it difficult. At many times having to fly directly up or straight down, their progress was impeded, but not halted entirely, much to Steven’s displeasure. Landing on a plateau on the opposite mountain and quickly turning to face Steven so as not to be caught unaware again should he pull the same tricks, Star kept Cloudy around, ensuring she’d have a getaway option for whatever he tried to do. Frustrated with the princess’ ability to avoid all of his projectiles, Steven attempted another option. If small shields wouldn’t work, then perhaps a large one would prove more fruitful.
Holding his arms out, Steven beckoned a large hexagonal shield in front of him, significantly wider, and made up of several smaller shields, all interlocking to form a giant one. Pushing it forth at Star, the Mewni heiress aimed her want without delay at the incoming projectile, and knowing what damage it could cause to the rest of the island, chose a spell which would make it all but harmless. “Magnificence Marshmallow Mush!” Star chanted, a beam of light immediately transforming the inbound shield wall into a giant marshmallow which stopped in its tracks, falling down to the ground harmlessly. This was only a distraction though, as Steven altered his speed of descent to fall directly at Star, bubbles on his fists.
Jumping back as Steven impacted with the ground fists first, Star aimed her wand at him, ready to cast another spell. A distinct rumbling sound caught her off-guard though, as cracks appeared along the ground, originating from Steven’s position. Knowing that Steven could very well cause this mountain to collapse like the other one, she needed to take action now. “Jellybean Hallucination Mist!” Star called out, a colourful beam of energy racing from her wand to hit Steven before he had time to react, but unlike her other spells, Steven felt no pain whatsoever. In fact, he felt good. Looking around, Steven saw jellybeans falling from the sky, leaving him amazed. Gasping in awe, the delicious food treats floated around him as he looked down at his hands.
And Steven saw his own face looking back at him. A miniature Steven face on each of his palms, Steven was astounded, this just felt so nice. What he wasn’t aware of though, was that Star’s spell had messed with his mind, leaving him open to any follow-up attacks, and sure enough, that’s what Star had in mind. “Black Widow Calamity Cobweb!” Star chanted, levitating into the air slightly, a ring of violet energy surrounding her feet as she waved her wand in a full rotation, dark indigo energy trailing behind it. Calling on the power of one of Eclipsa’s spells, Star pointed her wand at the Gem child, a web of dark electrical energy pushing Steven onto the ground and entrapping him beneath its might while he was still tripping out on jellybeans.
With Steven trapped, Star had the perfect opportunity to utilise one of her most deadly and powerful spells, one she usually only called in last-resort scenarios. And so, she called it forth. “Spider With A Top Hat Blast!” she cried, summoning a very dapper, moustached spider with a top hat resting on his head. His gloved hands bracing himself on the ground, Spider With A Top Hat knew that Star only called him in desperate scenarios, and prepared himself for combat. His hat transforming into a minigun which began to whirr in preparation to fire, Spider took aim at the downed target, the chamber in his hat spinning around, only seconds away from firing.
And fire it did. A hailstorm of bullets firing from his hat, the ammunition pelted Steven over and over again, smashing into him with the force of a freight train, each round like fresh agony bombarding his body. “WAR CRY!” Spider With A Top Hat cried out, his very literal war cry drowned out amidst the sound of his minigun-hat assaulting Steven’s defenceless body. The assailment helped to break Steven out of his jellybean daze, but he wished that it hadn’t, as the shift from peaceful hallucination to agonising reality was a change far too sudden for his liking. As the rounds pierced the cobweb in order to attack him, Steven was inadvertently let free from his bindings, but the rain of bullets constantly showering him prevented Steven from raising his defences.
Spider With A Top Hat’s attack only increased in power, going from pelting a prone Steven to launching him skyward, causing the half-Gem to rocket backwards, off the mountain entirely. Falling down to the ground below, Steven angled himself towards the surface of the cliff, summoning a shield into his hand and stabbing it into the wall, slowing his descent. Leaving a gash in the mountain, Steven eventually slowed to a halt, dismissing the shield embedded into the cliff face as he began to float upwards once more, increasingly annoyed with Star’s antics.
The minigun within his hat finally slowing down and coming to a complete stop, Spider With A Top Hat looked up at Star, curious as to if he’d done a good job. He was greeted with a beaming smile and gentle pat on the head, affirming his good work. Extremely pleased with his help, Star let him return to the wand, ready to relax with the rest of her spells. Sighing, Star proceeded to prepare another spell for when Steven returned, knowing full well that he’d be back soon. And with his floating, it wouldn’t take him long, so Star called out her next spell pre-emptively to assist her in combat. “Raspberry Ribbon Lasso!” and just like that, it was here.
But so was Steven, as he rose up, only to have a raspberry-coloured ribbon wrap around his waist, ensnaring the half-Gem. Pulling her wand sharply to the right, Steven was jerked around violently, flying to the right and smashing into taller parts of the mountain, before feeling the same tugging sensation once again, Star pulling him in the opposite direction. Flying around and slamming into the same rock but on the other side, Steven growled in displeasure, shoving himself off of the rock, only to be wrangled around and thrown back in the same direction where he’d been blasted only moments prior. Not having any of it, Steven forced his floating to send him up higher, fighting against Star’s control over him.
Wrapping a hand around the ribbon tied to his waist, Steven tugged on it fiercely, pulling Star up to him as she held tightly onto her wand. Flying up with a scream, Star hadn’t expected Steven to be able to reverse the lasso’s hold on him, which was impressive, if not terrifying. Swinging the ribbon up to send her higher, and then downwards to launch the princess to the ground, Steven felt the magic’s grip on him loosen and eventually fade entirely, freeing himself as his opponent plummeted to the earth below. Seeing his master in trouble, Cloudy raced towards the ground, intent on reaching Star before any damage could be done to her. Feeling the air around him push back against his descent, Cloudy didn’t care, and pushed on anyway, now mere seconds away from Star, and the ground.
Flying underneath Star right before she could hit the earth, Cloudy came to the rescue, soaring up from certain demise to the air where Steven floated, Mewni princess in tow. Her hold on Cloudy tight, Star looked up to see herself free from harm, at least for now. Releasing an exhausted breath, Star gazed around the area, seeking to spot Steven and hopefully get the drop on him. As she stared into the long expanse of ocean that surrounded Mask Island, Steven was nowhere to be found, but Star knew he’d be somewhere not far away. With how he was acting now, escape from combat seemed rather unbelievable, as sad as it was to say.
(Cue Another Medium – Undertale)
Far above the clouds, Steven lay in wait, peering down at Star from miles above. Not wasting a second, Steven filled himself with negative thoughts, altering his descent speed and coming down like a stone, gravity barely having any effect on him. His right arm growing larger, the muscles followed suit, giving him more control over the arm and overall strength. His fist enlarged and his acceleration through the air intensified massively, Steven dropped from the clouds, directly at Star. Unable to perceive him in time, Star’s vision was filled with pink as Steven’s arm crashed into her, sending the princess rocketing back down to the beach, out of the skies.
Landing back-first into the sand, a crater formed around the site of Star’s impact, tiny flecks of sand eventually falling back down after they’d be launched into the air. Grasping at her back in pain, Star let out a grunt of exertion, slowly getting to her feet again as Steven flew right at her. Grasping at her sand-covered wand, Star needed something with a bit more power in order to subdue Steven, and so called upon another of Eclipsa’s spells once more. “Midnight Shriek” Star painedly spoke, aiming her wand at the incoming Gem. A wave of lilac energy dusting her wand of all sand, the ancestral weapon producing an ethereal butterfly, pitch-black in colour which began to open its mouth and scream.
Hitting Steven immediately, the half-Gem cried out in pain as the deafening sound assaulted his eardrums, forcing him to cover his ears in an attempt to block out the sound. Ceasing in his descent to Star, Steven fell to the ground immediately, trying to escape the butterfly’s ear-piercing sound. No such luck though, as if only seemed to make the sound worse. Quickly creating a bubble around his body, Steven tried to block out the sound, but not even his bubbles were immune to sound, as though it dampened the noise for a while, the bubble showed signs of cracking, not able to endure the vocal onslaught for long. Splitting open, the brief respite Steven had savoured, the agonising sound returned twice as strong, causing Steven to scream out in return.
A shockwave spreading across the ground, Steven’s shout wasn’t able to stop the butterfly, but it was able to stagger the caster, Star losing hold on her spell as she tried to remain steady. Seeing his opportunity to capitalise, Steven rushed ahead, his ears still ringing from the nauseating sound. Fists covered in his bubble gloves, Steven attempted a haymaker to Star’s face, but the princess saw such an attack coming from a mile away. Twisting her body to the side in order to evade, Star struck at Steven’s stomach with her own fist, though it no longer held the same effect it once did. This new form clearly had increased Steven’s power. She had to be careful.
Bringing her wand hand upwards, Star let forth a stream of ominous violet energy, wave upon wave striking Steven as she swung her wand in his direction, her magic following her command. Knocked back by every blast of eerie magic, Steven was knocked out of the consecutive strikes by a hard kick to his chest, sending him sprawling to the sand. Landing on his knees, Steven attempted to get up, but he felt something surrounding him. A dark power he was unfamiliar with, it began to circle around Steven, growing higher by the second. Tracing this back to Star’s wand, he saw blue butterflies accompany the beam of purple light as Star spoke the name of her dark spell. “Black Velvet Inferno…”
Her voice filled with both hardened resolve and a familiar twinge of remorse, Star knew the full capabilities of this spell and what it would do to Steven, as demonstrated by Eclipsa on Meteora. Frankly, Star wouldn’t normally have resorted to such an attack, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and she saw in the burning rage of Steven’s eyes that he wasn’t going to give up. So she had to make him, by whatever means necessary. The energy shooting out of her wand forming a perfect sphere around Steven, it encapsulated the Gem fully, trapping him in a cocoon of hardened magic. Then, for a second, the sphere lights up from the inside, giving Star a view of his silhouette as Steven begins to bang on the walls of his magical prison.
Knowing what came next, Star could barely force herself to keep watching, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. She needed to confirm the effects of the spell would be complete, and that nothing would go awry. Going from half-hearted knocking to full-on punches against his violet cage, Steven’s efforts weren’t getting him anywhere fast. Then, just as soon as it had lit up, the sphere went dark, the inside becoming entirely opaque, as fissures begin to form along the surface of the dark bubble, spewing bright light out of their crevices. The light flaring up one final time, Star winced as she knew what would be coming next. It was a part she despised, and wasn’t looking forward to what it would do to Steven, considering how loud Meteora had screamed…
The inside of the sphere igniting with blinding light, the beach was soon filled with the agonising screams of the half-Gem hero of Earth, his tortured yells only causing Star that much more regret. For a full minute, Star forced herself to stare at the hollow ball of condensed magic as Steven endured unimaginable suffering, the cracks in the sphere pulsing and shining, but not breaking, even as Steven roared loud enough to shift the sand beneath them. Eventually though, his screams began to fade, before going utterly silent. As silence reigned across the beach, not even the waves dared to disturb the false peace, as the foreboding tension was shattered, the cracks in the sphere giving way and splintering into fine glass, falling harmlessly onto the sand.
Walking up to the site of her spell’s devastation, Star peered around the area of dark magic shards, searching for Steven, no doubt in a far different state to what he was just moments prior. Looking around, Star also saw innumerable crushed bits of watermelon seeping into the sand, no doubt thanks to the efforts of her warnicorns. Judging by the fact that they were no longer in the area, Star concluded that they must’ve routed their enemy and returned to her wand. Thankful for their efforts, Star made a mental note to thank them the next time she call upon their aid. They’d done a lot today and deserved the rest though, so she’d do it some other time once they’ve fully recovered.
Putting the war between horse and watermelon out of her mind, Star cautiously stepped forth, particularly careful to avoid any harmful bits of solidified magic that lay in her path. Spotting a bundle of clothes that belonged to the Gem warrior she had fought, Star ran up to the loose apparel, and wrapped in these garments was a small baby, its body entirely pink in colour. Just like Star had hoped, the Black Velvet Inferno still held the same effects as when Eclipsa had done it. Her spell having returned the half-Gem to infancy, Star gazed down at the child, a bit unsure on what to do next. Whatever species Steven seemed to be was clearly very different to that of Buffrog’s kids, so she was a bit out of her field of expertise…
Should she… leave him here? Or return him to Beach City? As Star took a step towards the infant Steven, he began to wail, bawling incessantly. “No, no, no! It’s okay, don’t cry…” Star spoke, trying to calm the tearful baby and reaching a hesitant hand out towards him. Her attempt at soothing the woeful child only serving to further increase the crying, Star pulled her hand back, uncertain on how to proceed. Her indecision would prove futile however, as Steven’s body began to shine once more, forcing Star to close her eyes, lest she become blinded. As the light dimmed, Star cautiously opened her eyes, the baby now completely gone. In its place was Steven, back to his normal height and age, and unfortunately just as infuriated.
Stepping back, Star struggled to form words in response, absolutely bewildered at what had just happened. Steven however, had some very pointed words to communicate. “Alright, that’s it…” Steven said, lumbering towards Star menacingly, with each step sending out shockwaves across the sand. “I tried going easy. I tried restraint. But no more…” making his intentions clear, Steven formed bubbles around his fists, staring down Star with pure malice in his gaze. “No more holding back.” Both a statement on his part, and an expectation of Star, Steven shot forth like a bullet, sound failing to keep up with his movements as one well-placed jab to Star’s stomach sent the teenage princess flying back through the forest behind her.
Crashing through tree after tree, Star eventually came to a halt, resting her body on the oak wood behind her, a trail of dust denoting her location to Steven, who leaped after the girl. Breathing heavily, Star looked up to see her opponent jumping right at her, heart racing as she quickly dove to the side, narrowly escaping Steven’s strike as the bundle of wood she was leaning up against was crushed into tiny splinters under Steven’s might. His perception of time slowing to a crawl, Steven leapt straight at Star with his hands outstretched, but despite this, Star seemed no slower than usual, evading his strike and landing a kick to his side in return. This sequence of events utterly perplexed Steven.
How was it possible that she was able to move at normal speed when he saw everything at a snail’s pace? Could she be faster than she initially let on, or was she messing with his mind again? Steven wasn’t sure, but sent a series of hexagonal shields flying her way to buy himself time to gather his thoughts as she weaved around them, avoiding each one with ease as they crashed into the surrounding forest. Jumping back, Steven allowed himself to become light as a feather, floating up into the sky, albeit slower than before, his emotions not fully under his control. Glaring at Star, he summoned another shield directly above her head, letting it fall without any further input on his end.
Somersaulting forward, Star eluded the clutches of the pink shield as it smashed into the ground, firing off a blast of lightning from her wand at the Gem child. Creating a wide shield in front of his body, Steven was successfully able to block the attack, deflecting the lightning bolt down to the ground where it struck a pile of fallen trees and the discarded wood caught aflame. Summoning additional shields to interlink with the original one, they steadily expanded in overall size, becoming a rose-coloured wall in front of Steven’s body. Beginning at the right-most side of the wall and continuing on to the left, razor-sharp spikes began to form across the surface of the construct, each pointing down at the Butterfly heiress, ready to impale her as per the wish of their collective creator.
Gazing down at the metaphorical thorn in his side, Rose’s reincarnation spoke to the girl, his voice simultaneously cold and devoid of warmth, but full of tempestuous anger barely contained behind a façade of control he could not maintain forever. “Die.” Full of murderous intent, Steven had given in fully to his instincts, the urges and impulses of the Pink State screaming for him to end his opponent. Pushing his hands downwards, Steven sent the spiked wall careening towards Star, who could barely react between the coldness of Steven’s tone and message, and the giant looming threat of death headed straight for her. Tapping into her wand’s telekinetic abilities, Star tried to reverse Steven’s hold over the wall, and stop it in its tracks if not push it back to him and force his hand into dispelling it.
Though it seemed to work for a second, halting the momentum of the shield wall, Steven forced his body to put all of his energy into pushing it onto Star, and her telekinetic abilities failed her. Without enough time to push back against it with one of her stronger spells, and with the very real possibility of it not working in time, Star hurried to cast the best option she had in removing the wall entirely. With the spikes closing in on her, Star screamed out her spell, arms pointing her wand directly at Steven’s magical construct. “EMERALD SNAKE STRIKE!” Her spell connecting with only what seemed like milliseconds to spare, Steven’s spiked wall shone green before dissipating entirely, a giant mass of kindly snakes taking its place.
Gently falling to the ground, the snakes Star had summoned to transmute her foe’s wall were swiftly dissipated and sent back into her wand with a hiss of satisfaction, glad to have helped. Releasing the breath she didn’t even realise she’d been holding, Star drew air into her lungs as she returned to her regular breathing pattern. In the short time she’d taken to launch her attack and breathe, Steven had come to a realisation. An epiphany which would prove detrimental towards Star, and something he needed to put into action immediately if he wanted to win. And he would win, at any cost.
Holding his hands out to the side, an even larger mass of interconnected hexagonal shields appeared behind Steven, far larger than the wall he’d made moments prior. Spreading out in a curved fashion, the shields all met up with each other, forming a wall that enclosed Star within. Turning around to see what was happening, Star watched as the curved wall left her imprisoned, a sinking feeling of dread welling in the pit of her stomach. Digging into the ground and covering the top to ensure Star would have no means of escape, the hexagons shifted into diamonds, Steven’s shield dome now complete, and his foe trapped inside. Floating above Star, Steven looked down cockily as he spoke, voice filled with a flurry of emotions.
“Goodbye, Star Butterfly.” Addressing his opponent by her full name, Steven allowed Star one last ounce of respect as he put his plan into motion. Bringing his hands together, the dome began to close in on itself, and fast! Though he didn’t doubt that his shield was strong enough to slice her into bits, Steven was going to take no chances, leave no margin for error. This was going to be the end of it all. Forming familiar spikes along the inner edge of his shield dome, all pointed directly at Star, intent on taking her out, permanently.
Looking around, Star took in the extent of her situation and paled. “Pegasus feathers…” Star said, voicing her extreme displeasure of the situation. It wasn’t looking good… But if one thing were to be said about Star Butterfly, let it be that she never gives up. Even in the face of unbeatable odds, she keeps fighting until she’s prevailed. If it’s a cause worth fighting for, then she’ll keep fighting for what she believes in, up until the very end. But this day wasn’t going to be her last. Holding onto her wand for dear life, Star let the energy flow through it, lighting up her heart-shaped cheek marks with magic, and extending on to Steven’s dome, intent on busting her way out.
Azure flames with pink hearts residing within their fiery walls rose up around Star as she cast her spell, the pink light of her magic colliding with the pink walls of Steven’s dome. The spikes in Star’s way shattered underneath her overwhelming power, the wall of the dome began to fracture, cracks appearing along the surface of the construct as Steven merely grinned. This is what he’d been waiting for. Within the dome, Steven created a bubble around Star’s wand, realising that it was the link to her magic, and that without it, she’d be defenceless. Sending it away to the Temple, a mad grin broke out on the Gem child’s face, finally having rid Star of her pesky magic.
Steven couldn’t have been more wrong.
(Cue Star Is A Dipper (The Battle For Mewni) – Star vs. the Forces of Evil)
Her wand ripped from her grasp, Star went utterly still. The dome continued to close in on her, but Star remained unmoving, the loss of her wand sinking in. Closing her eyes as if resigning herself to her fate, Star stood eerily still, almost like she was calm, but Steven could barely imagine that to be the case. Regardless, he closed his right fist as the dome enclosed even further, the spikes nearly at the point of striking Star. But then, all of a sudden, everything went white.
Painedly opening his eyes on the ground, Steven bore witness to a awe-filling sight. Star’s eyes and cheek marks were shining a radiant white as she levitated in the air, surrounded by an aura of what Steven could only describe as pure magic. But he’d hardly seen anything yet. The forest began to swirl around as Star floated in the air, debris circling around her in the air, but giving her a wide berth, as if afraid to get too close. Steven looked around to see tiny pink shards of glass where his shield dome used to be, the construct completely and thoroughly shattered. All of Steven’s machinations laid to waste, a terrifying realisation had Steven frozen in place.
Star didn’t need her wand to perform magic.
But she sure as hell wanted it back. In a deep and booming voice which echoed with an ethereal tone Steven could only call otherworldly, Star spoke, filling Steven with an emotion he hadn’t felt whilst fighting her. Fear.
“WHERE IS MY WAND?” Star spoke almost calmly, yet her voice was deafening. Having Dipped Down to call upon the magic within, Star’s potential was terrifying. The flames her magic had produced only increased in ferocity, intertwining with the fire already beginning to grow within the forest due to the deflection of her lightning spell. Soon it would become a raging inferno, and though Star had the ability to put it out, she would only do so once she had the information from Steven, and not a second sooner. Steven could barely utter out any words to speak, but he knew that even if he could, she would never get that wand back ever again. The Gem was safe now.
While he would have had to reason to continue fighting if this had taken place prior, the matter had since become personal for Steven. Though he was immensely glad that another Gem had been protected from someone seeking to abuse them, he wanted to ensure Star would never get such a chance ever again. And who knows? Perhaps she’ll provide a more entertaining fight without her wand. Only time would tell. But Steven wasn’t going to tell her a thing. “It’s gone, and you’re not getting it back!” Steven said, finally able to muster up the words and throwing his head back in a chuckle. “I’ve saved that Gem from your clutches, and you don’t have access to where it’s kept. Might as well make your peace with it now.”
“BRING IT BACK TO ME.” Star stated matter-of-factly, as if it was something she expected to happen, not something Steven had to voluntarily do. Despite her lack of visible emotion, Star was still very much conscious within her Dipped Down state, and understood that if persuading Steven to bring it back to her would not work, then intimidation, and if required, force, may be necessary. Steven merely laughed, Star’s booming voice and appearance no longer frightening the half-Gem hero, as his constant use of the Pink State continually fed his ego and arrogance, driving him to say and do things he normally wouldn’t have done. His combat with Star had forced an acceleration of the form’s effects, and being in constant danger meant that it wasn’t going to fade anytime soon.
The forest fire raging around the two of them, Steven responded to the Mewman princess condescendingly. “Make me.” His declaration of defiance acknowledged, Star began to cease floating, and the blinding light she produced began to fade as Steven wasn’t sure whether to smirk or frown, taking her act of powering down as a sign of forfeit. On one hand, he was glad that Star knew she couldn’t beat him, but on the other, he was looking forward to furthering their fight, seeing how far both could be pushed to. Personally, Steven was more inclined towards seeing the latter option, and as a precaution to ensure this would come about, gave her one last smart remark. “What’s the matter? Giving up?” Steven prodded haughtily. “Surely you’re better than that. I want to see your full power!” A manic grin spreading across his face, Steven stared down his opponent with sadistic glee.
Star regarded his words carefully. Whilst they had no effect on her immediate actions that were to follow, as she had planned to continue down her elected path ever since he denied her the wand back, they did provide her with humour. He wanted her full power? Fine. Then he would feel the full extent of her magic. No holding back. “Then know that you’ve brought this upon yourself…” Star remarked coolly, having since turned back into her base form. She no longer held any of the same regret she once had. Whatever this pink form he was in was clearly driving him to act far differently than he normally did, but if he chose to remain in this form, then that was his mistake. Star had given him enough chances to stop this.
Jumping back, Star exploded with golden light. Covering his eyes to protect himself, Steven was unable to bear witness to Star’s transformation. Her dress turning from a sea-green to a brilliant gold, Star’s boots also turned into a radiant yellow, now more angular and fitting her foot tighter. Star held her hands out as two followed suit on each side, giving her six arms in total, her tiny wings growing into magnificent golden ones and her flowing golden hair flying about in the wind as it began to come together, forming into twintails as magical hairbands tied her locks up. Striking a pose, Star’s transformation was complete, now in her Ultimate Magic Butterfly Form.
(Cue Waltz of Wind and Fire – Naruto Shippuden)
Uncovering his eyes, Steven took in Star’s new form, but his manic smirk didn’t fade. Truly, their battle would be legendary. Holding an arm out, Steven materialised a hexagonal shield in front of his body, but before he could command it to do anything, he felt a punch to his stomach knock the wind out of him, Star repaying his strike from earlier by sending Steven through a large stretch of the burning forest. The speed at which Star did so was insane! Shattering his shield and going through to his body in just one blow… This would prove to be interesting indeed.
Coming to a screeching halt as he dug his heels into the ground, Steven crashed against several trees, smashing their trunks from the force Star had used to strike him. Eventually coming to a complete stop, Steven beheld his surroundings, viewing nothing but flames and smoke everywhere. It was perfect cover. Covering his fists in bubbles, Steven stood ready in the smoke, waiting for Star’s next attack under the cover of the fumes. What he didn’t expect however, was for Star to come up behind him, striking his back with two of her fists, launching him high up into the air. Swinging his arm in an attempt to predict where Star would be and strike in that location, Steven’s powerful haymaker split the air around him, but there was no contact with the Mewman heiress.
Star had flown above Steven’s location before he even arrived, waiting for him to make his attempt to hit her before gripping his shoulder like a vice and throwing the half-Gem at the remaining half of Mask Island’s mountain. Star could see the crater he made upon impact from a long way away and travelled the distance almost instantaneously, coating her fists in hard-light rainbow as she threw them all forward, crashing into Steven as she used his body like a drill to dig straight through the mountain with ease. Breaking through to the other side, Star grabbed Steven with her two upper arms and held him still with her bottom two, leaving her middle arms to lay a smackdown into the Gem hero.
Fists crashing into her opponent, Star made sure her hands holding him would not let go as she pummelled the half-Gem, hands hitting at speeds Steven couldn’t even comprehend. For added effect, Star covered her fists in rainbow magic, executing her Rainbow Fist Punch over and over again on the defenceless Steven. Despite being in excessive pain, Steven summoned up the strength to conjure a shield in front of his stomach to prevent Star’s blows from landing, but it was blown away with the first strike, Star’s magic proving far more powerful than he’d thought. Reeling her fists back, Star let off one last mighty punch to the Gem, which sent him flying back to the mountain from which they’d just exited.
Embedded into the side of the giant landmark, Steven looked up to see Star charging an nondescript blast of magical energy with all six of her hands. Gathering the power into a singular point, it reached a climax and shone brightly, but just as it did, Star was gone. Seemingly disappearing into thin air, Steven was wholly perplexed. Unbeknownst to the Gem, Star had flown above the apex of the mountain, aiming her hands straight down. Pushing forth with all hands, Star’s blast of magical energy travelled straight to the ground, carving straight through the mountain and the island’s surface, blasting to the ocean below. Seconds later, the beam detonated with blinding light.
Showering the island with raging flames, Star’s beam caused the second half of the island’s original mountain to explode, Steven at the epicentre. Luckily able to form a spiked bubble around himself, and a smaller bubble within that one, Steven minimized the damage done to him, but the same could not be said for Mask Island. Blasted away by the sudden detonation of the mountain, Steven’s first bubble shield protected him to the best of its ability before shattering mid-air, leaving him with one last defence. Gazing upon the havoc wrought by Star’s magic, Steven witnessed the once-home of the watermelon Stevens go up in flames, and for a second, a wave of guilt hit Steven before the Pink State waved it away, reminding him about the battle at hand.
Dispelling his bubble, Steven stopped mid-air, floating around to seek out Star. Eventually he saw the golden princess, standing amongst the flaming rubble of the mountain, fists raised high. With no idea what Star was going to do next, Steven stopped to watch, curious as to what the princess would try to accomplish. Shining a brilliant gold, Star brought all six of her fists down, each covered in a rainbow sheen as they impacted with the earth, and for a second nothing happened. A bit disappointed that she’d seemingly hit the ground for no purpose, Steven began to close in before he heard a deep rumbling. Raising an eyebrow, he stopped moving once again and looked closer at the scene, a small smirk coming to his face.
Fissures spreading across the island, they extended from where Star stood to the far corners of Mask Island, water spewing from the cracks and dousing the flames as the island began to sink into the ocean. At least, it was, before those very same cracks shone with light, causing the rumbling to become exceedingly loud. Reflexively putting up a bubble to protect himself, Steven watched as the island detonated just like the mountain. The entire landmark disappearing in a flash of blinding light, Steven opened his eyes to see giant chunks of stone raining from the sky, falling around Star as she remained floating above the water, her wings flapping gently. Looking up to see Steven unharmed from her attack, Star’s face turned into a light frown before disappearing from Steven’s sight entirely.
Knowing she’d try to pull the same trick once more, Steven armed the outside of his bubble with rose-coloured spikes, dissuading a physical attack on his person. This gambit would pay off, as Star re-appeared right in front of Steven coming to a complete stop as she halted her momentum from carrying her forward into the spikes. Calling two hexagonal shields to his front, Steven shot them forward at the heiress before she could fully regain her balance, knocking her backwards, falling into the water with an audible splash. Holding her breath, Star created a magical bubble of air around herself with the Bulla Spiro spell, and dove deeper into the water, seeing an opportunity to catch Steven unaware.
Using her telekinesis, Star forced the water to swirl around her, soon becoming a violent underwater vortex, travelling upwards and disturbing the water on the ocean’s surface. Still floating in the air, Steven looked down, confident that Star wouldn’t have been taken out by an attack as simple as that. Expecting to see a golden light or something to that extent under the water, what he saw was unexpected. An underwater twister forming, it began to rise into the air around him, the golden Butterfly undoubtedly the cause of such a phenomenon. Despite being in his bubble, Steven began to feel the air around him twist and move, pushing and pulling his bubble around to its whims as a loud crashing sound broke him out of his reprieve.
Glancing around, Steven saw that not only had Star created a twister, but she’d also summoned lightning clouds. Along with the swirling winds, it was clear what Star was trying to accomplish. She was creating a storm. Chuckling, Steven wasn’t just going to sit here and let her build it up to dangerous levels, and so he summoned another interlocked wall of pink hexagonal shields with spikes, sending it right down underneath him, where Star was. To Steven’s surprise however, the shield wall couldn’t even breach the water’s surface, and not for lack of effort on his part. Pushing harder, Steven tried to get his shield wall underwater, but his efforts proved fruitless, the surface tension of the water holding an unbreakable defence.
The storm picking up, rain began to pelt Steven’s bubble, gradually becoming more and more intense over time. As the lightning strikes became more and more frequent, Steven knew he was going to need to take proactive measures. Deciding to take a more manual approach, Steven dropped from his bubble haven onto the back of the spiked wall, kneeling as he rose a bubbled hand skyward. In one fluid motion, Steven brought it down onto the rose-coloured construct, a shockwave blowing away the rain from his immediate area, only for it to continue pouring just as it had before. The wall hadn’t budged even a little, and if Steven was going to get the whole thing submerged, he needed to put his all into it.
Lifting up both hands, Steven brought up down upon the shield wall without delay over and over again. Continuously and without delay, Steven kept smashing his fists into his creation in his bid to get it underwater to strike Star, and eventually, he felt it begin to move. Reinvigorated, Steven doubled down, moving his fists as fast as he could into the construct, each strike causing it to shake wildly. Slowly but surely, the water began to give, one final strike from Steven forcing it underwater. Sending it as far as he could with all the strength in his being, Steven jumped back into the air, forming a bubble around him once more in case something unexpected were to happen.
As he slumped back against his bubble, regaining his strength and allowing his body to heal him of fatigue, Steven stared up into the tumultuous sky, now darkened and wild as the storm gradually transformed into a twister. And in the middle of the typhoon was a golden butterfly. Star Butterfly. Unharmed, she controlled the swirling winds from the eye of the storm, having long since escaped the water. Realising his efforts were in vain, Steven growled in anger, dispelling his bubble and forming a shield underneath him as a platform for him to stand on. Rising upwards, the platform met Star at equal height, and tilted itself, aiming Steven on a 90 degree angle directly at the princess.
Using the platform to bound off of, Steven launched himself at Star, who merely flew to the side, evading Steven without issue. Steven was expecting this though, and made another platform underneath him as she moves, rebounding off of it to strike at Star again, flying up, Star once again avoided his attack, but Steven was ready and prepared. If she wanted to play that game, he could too. With each leap, Steven came closer and closer to striking the heiress, just missing by a hair’s breadth. Eventually, Steven was able to land a solid hit, his fist connecting with Star’s stomach, launching her back into the air as he regained his footing on a platform.
Wings flapping faster to stabilise Star in the air, she held out a hand in Steven’s direction, closing her hand into a fist as the platform under his feet shattered into pieces. Floating immediately, Steven was no worse for wear as he floated up, coming at Star like a bullet. Swiping a hand across in Steven’s direction, a massive geyser of water followed Star’s command, knocking Steven out of Star’s way as the winds around them picked up even further, now a true tornado. Holding a hand up, Star called down lightning to her, directing it down at Steven, still held in the water. His perception of time slowing once more, Steven rose up a bubble to defend against the incoming bolt, rendering Star’s attack useless.
Forcing the winds to accelerate, the violent tornado picked up Steven’s bubble in its riotous gusts, lifting him into the air. Immediately, Steven forced his acceleration to skyrocket, letting the airstreams pull him around and gain momentum. As the Gem spun around, Star was putting her next plan into motion, seeing Steven adapt to storm she’d created, it was evident that he was a crafty fighter. “Come on! Is this really the best you can do?!” Steven taunted, voice echoing throughout the storm as he spun around in its grasp. Although it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where the voice came from as he kept moving around so often, Star wouldn’t have draw him out – he’d come to her.
(Cue Between Heaven and Earth – Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Creating another platform under his feet to bounce off of, Steven flew straight as a bullet at Star, recreating his tactic from earlier with much more success, the anarchic storm serving to provide ample momentum. His first strike missing Star by a matter of moments, Steven immediately created another springboard for himself, launching directly at her wings, hoping to cut off her flight capabilities. No such luck though, as Star ducked under Steven’s attack as he flew by her. Angling himself upside down, Steven aimed himself directly earth-bound as he shot at Star, this time landing a brutal punch to her back as he forced her down. Pushing him away, Star covered her hands in a warm substance the colour of raspberries as she prepared to throw them at Steven.
She wouldn’t get this opportunity however, as Steven summoned another platform underneath himself before he could get far, enlargening his arm to bounce back up and land a savage uppercut to the Butterfly heiress. Time seemed to slow as Star felt the impact of Steven’s flow and was launched into the sky, the clouds which formed her storm being blown away by the force of Steven’s strike. Rain and thunder disappearing almost instantly, Steven jumped after Star in the air, high above the clouds. As she soared, her wings sought to bring her back to a sense of balance, and with substantial flapping, they eventually did. Peering down into the azure expanse of ocean, Star saw her storm begin to disperse as a pink ball began to rush at her.
Knowing this was Steven, Star held all six of her hands back before thrusting them straight down, looking to intercept Steven with her Raspberry Ribbon Lasso. Tendrils shooting down and latching onto the Gem, Star pulled with all six of her arms around to the side and up, sending him above her. Steven tried to pull against his restraints, but his two arms were outmatched by Star’s six. Effectively having reversed their positions, Star flew up to Steven before he could encase himself in a bubble, wrapping her arms around him with the lasso still held tight. Having gotten in close, Steven wasn’t able to throw up a bubble as a shield as she’d be caught in it too, and nothing would be gained.
From Star’s hands began to stream arctic blue energy, flowing over Steven’s body as he tried to fight it off. A close-range Winterstorm Hyperblow was too much, too fast for Steven to be able to effectively protect himself from, and he felt the frost begin to cover his body faster than he could shake it off. Within a matter of seconds, Steven was frozen conscious in a block of ice. His limbs colder than he could stand and still restricted by her Raspberry Ribbon Lasso, Steven was rendered immobile, unable to fight back and completely at Star’s mercy. Despite her current advantages, Star knew Steven was a clever opponent, and would eventually free himself from his temporary prison, but she didn’t need long to enact her plan.
Her foe completely frozen, Star grabbed hold with her arms and began to fly, soaring upwards at speeds Steven could barely keep up with. A Mach cone being formed around the two as Star flew higher and higher, eventually entering the atmosphere. Within the block of ice, Steven tensed up. Although already frozen, his body went cold, and memories began to flood back into him. Memories from a time when a pained Gem tried to escape back home, but was unable. When the world’s oceans all formed one giant tower. When Lapis tried to return to Homeworld, in space. A distinct view of his home country of North America from a height Steven couldn’t comprehend, he began to worry. He needed to bubble himself now, no matter if Star was trapped with him.
As the little oxygen there was in the atmosphere began to thin, Star positioned herself facing the planet and spun around abruptly, letting go of Steven and dispelling the Raspberry Ribbon Lasso. As it was underneath Steven’s layer of ice, it unfortunately shattered the ice from the inside, freeing the Gem from his bindings. This was definitely a joy for the freezing teenager, but the worrying fact that he was about to leave Earth’s atmosphere outweighed the joy. He couldn’t breathe in space. Throwing up a protective shield as soon as he could, Steven breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be within an isolated pocket of air. Stretching his limbs, Steven broke off any remaining frost, glad to be rid of the icy prison.
Having seen Steven project his bubble once more, Star had to break it, and in the vacuum of space, it should prove a suitable environment. If Steven were able to breathe in space, then he wouldn’t have summoned his bubble so quickly, nor looked as relieved once he was safely inside. Covering her fists in a rainbow glow, Star threw her two top-most arms forward, launching her Rainbow Fist Punch directly at his shield, the final blow needed to knock Steven out of Earth’s atmosphere and into the murky depths of space. Launching her bottom left fist’s punch, Star pushed Steven further back, and flying forward to meet him, another strike from her bottom right arm was all that was required to launch the protective sphere to the moon, covering an absurd distance in an incredibly brief amount of time.
Flying back in the vacuum of space, the only thing propelling Steven was the force of Star’s punch, which sent him on a collision course with the moon’s surface. Confident in the bubble’s ability to survive an impact like that, he simply added spikes to the outside of the construct, hoping for it to assist in his sure-to-be-rough landing. The moon’s gravity, although weaker than that of Earth’s own, pulled Steven down to its surface as the half-Gem braced himself for the landing. Crashing onto the moon’s surface, Steven was thrown around within the bubble as a gigantic crater formed at his point of impact, making a new landmark on the lunar body.
Chunks of moon stone flying up in the low gravity atmosphere, Steven looked up from his spot on the giant mass of rock orbiting the Earth to see a golden winged creature flying straight at him. Preparing himself for Star’s arrival, Steven created a shield dome around himself, layering it with the diamond-shaped pattern used by his mother. His dome set, Steven had his trap now fully prepared for Star, although she was blissfully unaware of it. Her two hands still coated in rainbows, Star made no effort to slow herself down, merely throwing her hands forward right before she made contact with the dome, shattering part of its wall as she flew in through the newly formed gap.
The hole fixing itself up right after she landed, Star noticed that the dome had once more started to close in on itself, but she could sense something was not right with the scenario. No spikes looking to impale her this time? And Steven had dispelled his bubble during the time between her landing and the hole closing. Just what was he planning? Walking towards the princess menacingly, Steven cracked his knuckles as his footsteps kicked up the dust in their makeshift arena, holding his hands ready in a fighting position as he formed bubbles around them. Mimicking her opponent’s movements, Star also began to slowly walk towards Steven, cracking her own knuckles as her lightly flapping wings pushed all the dust away from her.
Staring each other down, the Mewman heiress and Gem warrior met in the middle of their arena as it began to close around them, lessening the area they had for combat. Pink fists met cream ones as the fighters engaged in hand-to-hand, their blows blindingly fast. One fist narrowly sliding by Steven’s head, the Gem ducked as two more swiped across where his head was but moments prior. Defending against a hammer fist attack by raising his bubble gloves up high, Steven kicked at Star’s knees with his left leg, breaking her balance and giving him enough time to strike her in the midsection. Rushing up to the girl as she was still dazed, Steven tried throwing out a quick jab so as to test if he’d be safe to land more serious blows.
Unfortunately for the teen, Star’s middle arms had instinctively caught the strike before it could land, her uppermost arms flipping Steven over her shoulder and onto the moon’s surface, where she wasted no time in jumping onto her foe elbow-first, knocking the wind out of Steven as she landed on his stomach. Rolling off as Steven was gasping for air, Star brought her hands, now covered in rainbow, down upon the ground in Steven’s direction as tremors began to shake the surface of the moon, long and angular fissures formed in the rock upon which they fought. Rolling away and jumping into the air with ease due to the lower gravity, Steven was able to avoid the fracturing ground as he kept himself aloft, but this could not last forever.
Landing on the ground, Steven immediately shot out at Star, jumping up and spinning to bring his foot down in an axe kick, which was nearly blocked by Star’s fists, were it not for the shield Steven had put in front of her arms to prevent her from grabbing him. Smashing through his shield as though it were nothing more than glass, Steven’s foot crashed onto Star’s fists as he angled himself forward, landing a sickening headbutt on the princess of Mewni. Knocking her back, Steven saw his golden opportunity to advance, and he took it eagerly. As the walls kept closing in, Steven was able to knock Star against them, and with no room behind her to escape, she was effectively trapped.
Careful to avoid the reach of all of Star’s six arms, Steven kept his posture loose, mimicking what he’d seen in movies as he bobbed and weaved, never staying in one place as he poked at Star’s defence, landing several strikes to her arms and torso. Feeling her body begin to bruise, Star tried to swipe at Steven’s head with her upper arms, nothing coming of her effort due to Steven’s constant movement. Throwing out all of her hands at the same time, Steven was forced to step back momentarily to avoid being struck, but this moment was all Star needed, pushing her hands off the back wall and dropkicking Steven thanks to the moon’s low gravity. Something which felt oh so satisfying to pull off. She’d need to tell Marco about it when she got back.
Their enclosed space becoming almost claustrophobic, the available room for fighting had decreased significantly, so Star’s dropkick had sent Steven flying against the opposite wall just moments shy of instantaneously. The substance cracking as Steven impacted against it, the Gem warrior fell to the ground dazed, but still ready to fight. Pushing himself up with both hands, Steven regained his balance as Star rushed at him, throwing her top right-most hand out, about to hit Steven across the face. Bringing his own fist up to match hers, the two collided as time seemed to stand still, the impact of their dual punches sending another shockwave across the battlefield, only the dust still remaining in their arena daring to move.
(Cue Ultra Necrozma – Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon)
In an instant, both fighters seem to disappear, the only thing denoting their presence still within the dome being the rapid flashes of pink clashing with gold. Across their field of combat, Steven and Star came to blows so fast that they themselves could barely keep up with it, bodies moving on pure instinct. And each time they clashed, they’d quickly separate, colliding fists at another section within the dome. However, as their space decreased, each knew this couldn’t keep going on forever, and had to press their advantages sooner rather than later. Subtly forming spikes on the outside of his bubble gloves, Steven sought to prevent the use of Star’s hands by dealing internal damage, but as they struck fists once more, Steven found himself kept at bay.
Noticing that Star had formed a similar plan by covering her fists in protective rainbow, it had prevented the spikes from reaching her hands. Muttering an angry grunt, Steven stomped his foot on the ground, pushing against Star’s arms with his entire body, looking to push her over and crush her within the dome. Star was able to hold her ground though, using her own feet to stomp on Steven’s as her arms held him back. A bit of a childish tactic, she knew, and very reminiscent of her early ballroom dancing lessons, but it got the job done, making her foe lose focus for a second, clearly not expecting the unorthodox retaliation.
Pushing back against Steven’s arms, Star had reversed their position from earlier as her eyes took note of the crack on the dome’s wall still present from earlier. Apparently Steven could only replace broken parts of it, not weakened ones. A smirk coming to her face as she knew her next plan of attack, Star moved the hands in charge of holding Steven back to her upper hands as the four below had free reign to capitalise on the close range. One fist channelling fire, another covered in ice, a third sparkling with electricity and the fourth surrounded by dark purple energy, they laid into Steven with no remorse, sending a brutal barrage of elemental energy at whatever part of his body they could strike.
Gritting his teeth and he tried to bare the pain, Steven’s Pink State was working to minimise the damage done to his body, but Star was hitting faster than it could keep up, a number of bruises and burn marks appearing on his skin before they could be healed away. Tightening her upper hands as they held Steven’s in a death grip, Star could feel them slowly giving way under her might, and with enough force, would eventually break. She was certain that he would be able to heal it off though, and thus wasn’t too concerned about dealing lasting damage to his body. She just needed to get them out of here.
With one last crushing motion, Star felt the bones in Steven’s hands break as he roared in pain, Star’s arms still delivering a beatdown onto his battered body. His forced moment of vulnerability created, Star let go of his hands and reeled all six of hers back, slamming them forward as Steven was launched back, smashing through the dome wall as it began to dissipate, soaring across the moon’s surface and skimming across the ground like a pebble across water. Taking into the air to follow after him, Star had noticed that he’d put his bubble back up, only able to last in the vacuum of space for so long. But this time, Garnet wasn’t here to pull him back to safety. He needed to rely on his own abilities.
Making a beeline for the bubble, Star slammed her fists on top of it, causing the bubble to bounce off of the ground, and slightly into the air. The perfect height for Star to land a push kick against the shiny material, jostling around Steven who lay inside. Sending it flying, the bubble soared, but eventually it stopped, something large and tall preventing it from moving further. Turning around, Steven saw that he’d crashed against the entrance to the Moon Base once owned by his mother, Pink Diamond. Glancing around, Steven saw the entrance to the building nearby and rolled the bubble around to get next to it. Taking in all the scarce oxygen he could, Steven held his breath as he dispelled the bubble, knowing he only had a matter of seconds to activate the entrance and get inside.
Putting his hand to a smooth panel, a pink glow emanated from it, opening to let Steven in as it quickly closed behind him, another door opening in front of him and flooding the enclosed chamber with oxygen. Letting go of his held breath, Steven took in several more, calming himself down and now content with the fact he could breathe properly, incredibly thankful for whoever decided to install… whatever it was that provided oxygen to the Moon Base. Successfully isolating himself from Star, who was still left on the outside, Steven knew it’d only be a matter of time before she entered, and almost definitely by way of force.
With no time to waste on climbing the staircase, Steven floated up from the entrance way directly to the top of the abandoned colony-planning headquarters, greeted with a scenic view of his gorgeous home planet. The glass dome giving him an uninhibited observation of Earth, Steven stood in the middle of the control room wondering what to do next, as survival was his main priority in the heat of the moment, not fighting off the magic golden bug girl chasing him down. Steven knew that the Moon Base had no Warp Pad to travel back to Earth with, and he didn’t have Lion or any sort of space craft for him to pilot, so for the foreseeable future, he was stranded here.
Without any way to traverse the distance between here and Earth, nor any means to break out of the moon’s gravitational field, Steven had come to the realisation that Star was his best option in getting back home, however she deigned to get them back. If she decided to bring them back. Which was the main issue in this whole problem, that Star was in the best position she could be. Without oxygen to sustain himself, Steven wouldn’t be able to survive on the moon, and though the Moon Base could seemingly provide endless amounts of it, if Star destroyed it and left him here, he’d either suffocate or starve to death. And it didn’t help that she seemed to be perfectly fine in space, so such a fate was a very real possibility.
It’s not like she’d just carefully take him back down, even if he asked nicely, and the Pink State’s mental influence was dissuading him from that train of thought regardless. So he had to somehow goad her into taking the fight back down to Earth. As cool as the moon was, it certainly wasn’t a hospitable environment for a human being, nor one suited for Steven’s style of combat. And right on cue, the golden butterfly that had been engaged in combat with the Gem appeared in the window he’d been gazing out of. Golden wings shimmering in the light, Star stood immobile in the air, peering down at Steven. Perplexed by the structure that her foe resided in, Star was positive she would’ve been taught about such a thing being built on the moon.
For humans, their ability to reach out into the stars was nothing short of impressive, and though she could just travel anywhere she wanted with the Dimensional Scissors, humans didn’t have magic. So their exploration accomplishments were made possible only through hard work and ingenuity – something she’d come to admire during her time spent on the planet. She’d learned about the moon landings in history class, as boring as it could be at times, and Marco was far more well-informed about that kind of stuff than she was, so she’d have thought Marco would’ve mentioned a giant station built on the moon’s surface. Unless… it wasn’t created by humans? Steven had mentioned something about living rock people, and Earth most certainly didn’t have those running around.
Assuming he was telling the truth, it was entirely possible they could’ve come from another dimension or the far-off reaches of space. And if they’d truly been here, and built something like this, there’s no wonder what kinds of plans could be in store for it, and for Earth. A sinking feeling welling up in the pit of Star’s stomach, she didn’t like the feel of the place. From what she could see, it was gorgeous, but that wasn’t the point. If it had some sort of vile purpose, then it would put those she cared about in danger, and that was one thing she couldn’t stand for.
Flying straight through the glass dome, Star landed upon the elegant flooring as the vacuum of space quickly sought to suck both the princess and Crystal Gem out into its cold depths. Creating a hexagonal shield in front of the gap Star had made in the dome, Steven took in more breaths, the sudden loss of oxygen alarming him until more was pumped through the walls of the Moon Base. Having plugged up the hole with his shield, Steven knew it was a rudimentary solution to the problem, but it was all he could really do to prevent any more air escaping. No worse for wear, Star simply took in the features of the base’s control room, looking around with wonder.
Spotting a spherical projection device and a control panel which had been smashed in, Star assumed Steven had either done the damage recently, or perhaps knew what had happened to this place. Why it was built, who built it, and what it was for. With only one way to find out these answers, she bit the bullet and asked. “This place… do you know who built it?” Star’s question had caught Steven off-guard. He wasn’t expecting her to inquire about the Moon Base, much less ask him outright. “It doesn’t look like it was made by humans…”
Star was right on the money, but Steven wasn’t sure whether to tell her or not. Only a select few Gems knew of its existence, and those within the circle of the Crystal Gems and their trusted allies. Ultimately, it was likely the rest of humanity would find it one day in their exploration, and she didn’t seem like the type to be spreading news of Gem creations around with the press. Plus, who’d actually believe her anyway? Risking the chance, Steven kept his answers concise. “I do know, yes. And you’re right. It wasn’t made by humans.”
Perking up at the response, Star opted to continue their conversation further. “Can you tell me who built this place? What’s its purpose?” Seeking more knowledge about the strange station, Star prodded further, but she was treading into dangerous territory. Gem weapons and artifacts weren’t known of by the public, for the most part, and if they happened to be discovered, were often covered up, or found useless or inoperable. Though she ultimately wasn’t human, she didn’t seem much different aside from the magic and weird butterfly form. Deeming it unlikely she’d be able to operate anything in here, especially considering it was tailored towards Pink Diamond, Steven let a little more information slip.
“It was made as a station to observe Earth for some… less than ideal reasons. But it hasn’t seen use for those purposes in a long time, and won’t ever again.” Steven answered truthfully, his word both delivering an adequate response to Star’s question, and a promise to himself that he wouldn’t let such terrible things happen to his home planet ever again. Pondering Steven’s response, Star could definitely rule out the structure being created by humans once and for all. His words indicated that it was built before mankind had touched down upon the moon, used to observe them as a species. It wasn’t a pleasant thought…
Regardless of the structure’s current state, Star couldn’t be sure that it wouldn’t be used to harm the people of Earth. It’s not like her opponent was fully human himself, so maybe he was just placating her with lies? It was difficult to tell, but one thing remained a constant. This place was likely dangerous, or at least once was. If alien in origin, then she couldn’t make guesses as to their intentions, but her instincts were telling her they certainly weren’t for fostering peace. This place needed to be destroyed. “You’re right…” Star spoke, closing her eyes and putting her hands together as a faint whirring sound began to echo around the room. “It never will again.”
(Cue Grimmjow Theme – Bleach)
A feeling of dread overtaking Steven as tingles shot up his spine and he felt the sudden urge to protect himself, the half-Gem knew something terrifyingly astounding was about to happen. A red light shining onto the main console, it was soon joined by several others, and almost instantly, the entire room was lit up with red lights like a laser pointer. Sensing that whatever was coming would be bigger than anything she’d thrown out so far, Steven encased himself in his bubble shield immediately, forming another one inside of that, and yet another for as much protection as he could create. His instincts would prove to serve him well, as thick beams of blood-red light began to shine from Star’s hands.
Casting the Mega-Explosive Crystal Laser, beams of pure magical energy blasted out from Star’s hands, covering every surface of the Moon Base with far more energy than it could handle. Carving through the entire base in an instant, all of the oxygen vanished from the lunar station as Steven’s vision was filled with red. Carefully constructed floors of the base vaporized in an instant as Gem technology was disintegrated and burned down to ash, Star ripped through the entire building like a hot knife through butter, her attack tearing down every last trace that there had once been any creation on the moon. Steven’s own defence didn’t hold up much better under Star’s magical onslaught, the blazing intensity of her magic obliterating the first shield.
The second lasted much longer. With her attack being dispersed to decimate the entire base in one attack, her power was more focused on it than on Steven. Her beams were still unbelievably powerful though, and the shield was able to survive the intensity of her beam for a short while, cracking and eventually fracturing before shattering entirely as her riotous magic devastated the Gem tower. Throwing up another shield as soon as he could, Steven’s view of the outside was obscured by the blinding ruby light of her magic, but the third shield lasted until most of the structure had been destroyed, only leaving a bit of the building left before Star’s beams forced it asunder.
Now just down to one last shield, Steven saw that it was beginning to rupture, sharp lines covering the entirety of his shield, only seconds away from shattering entirely. And just before it could, the massive source of energy died down. Light dimming to regular levels, Steven was able to make out his surroundings, hoping to see at least some remnants of the ancient Diamond base once belonging to his mother. All Steven saw was utter annihilation. Not even specks of dust remained of the Moon Base, the entire thing having vanished into nothingness alongside a fair portion of the moon’s surface, leaving a permanent scar into the face of the celestial body from the explosion of Star’s magic.
In bewilderment of the sight which lay before him, Steven blinked a couple of times before the reality of what had happened fully sunk in. As he was gathering his bearings, Star floated before him, content with removing the potential threat to Earth. She still had one more threat to deal with though, as he still seemed intent on continuing their fight. Wracking her brain for ways to deal with him non-lethally, Star remained floating in their aftermath of her magical wrath, ethereal golden wings flapping as the idea finally came to her. It was not normally something she’d approve of, but at this point, she wasn’t seeing a great deal of options for negotiation with the strange pink teenager.
For her plan to work however, Steven would need to be still, and she couldn’t hold him in place and accurately fire the spell, so exhaustion seemed like the best bet. But with how he could recover from injuries, she’d need to rack up all that damage fast and not give him a moment to rest, remaining up close so he couldn’t put a bubble between the two of them. A solid plan of attack formed, all that remained was putting it into action. For Steven to be as well as he could be after he plan was fully completed, he’d need to be close to those who could support and care for him, so taking him back to Beach City was the end goal.
Now just a matter of wearing him down on the trip there, Star knew what she had to do. Looking over to Steven in his bubble, she saw its fragile state, and knew that any attack she threw out would shatter it entirely, and that wasn’t something she could risk doing until she was up close. Holding her hands out towards Steven as she slowly floated over in his direction, Star flash froze the bubble solid in a block of ice as she had earlier, this time a more concrete plan of attack in place. Lifting the block as Steven remained frozen still, but still capable of moving within his bubble in the slab of ice, Star threw it up with ease thanks to the low gravity.
Lifting it above her head with all six hands to hold it in place, Star began to hover above the ground, gradually ascending higher as she angled both herself and Steven directly at Earth. Looking through the arctic tint of the ice and pink tint of the bubble, Steven was able to make out the beautiful planet which he called home, seeing that Star had thankfully decided to take them back to Earth. He wasn’t sure why she was going ahead with it, but he was glad he didn’t have to try and goad her into it, however he would’ve tried it. Resting within the bubble as he prepared for the trip back and no doubt conflict as they landed, Steven kept himself alert, but made no effort to escape.
There was one thing Steven didn’t account for regarding their return to the planet. And that was re-entry. Star was fully aware of it though, and with Steven positioned above her head and primed to endure the brunt of the force, she kicked off, leaving a massive shockwave behind her as she entered space, only seconds away from entering Earth’s atmosphere. Her ludicrous speed allowing her to close the distance in little time, Steven began to notice something was wrong upon reaching the edge of their atmosphere. The ice around him had begun to melt, and fast! Just as soon as he noticed however, it had entirely melted away, leaving only the cracked bubble for protection.
This wouldn’t last long either, fully shattering under the pressure of planetary re-entry. All of his defences laid bare, Steven was fully vulnerable to the ludicrous speed at which they were travelling, the pair’s velocity causing immense air friction as they descended back into Earth’s atmosphere. Feeling the full brunt of re-entry, Steven screamed in utter agony as he caught alight, held in place by Star’s hands above her head to protect herself from enduring the same pain. A blazing trail of fire left in their wake, Star held Steven still as they tore through the sky at absurd speeds, the clear and soothing ocean directly below them. Forcing her wings to boost them faster, Steven’s screams of anguish only increased exponentially.
Flying straight down into the ocean, Star and Steven crashed violently into the calm water, sending colossal waves rippling out from around their point of impact, steam rising from where they entered as Steven’s burning body heated the water around them. Rapidly cooling as the cold ocean water came into contact with his body, Steven roared in pain at the sensation, but only bubbles of water resulted from his submerged yelling. Trying to power through the pain, Steven through a weakened punch at Star’s cheek. In no position to avoid the blow, Star held herself steady as she tanked the strike, severely lessened by Steven’s weakened state and the rising water pressure as she took them both deeper and deeper into the ocean’s murky depths.
Without any oxygen to breathe and the growing pressure being applied to his body, Steven was beginning to lose consciousness, eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to keep himself from passing out. But he’d just fought on the moon, and survived atmospheric re-entry for crying out loud! He wasn’t going to let himself go down to something like drowning. Summoning all the strength into his limbs that he could, Steven lashed out at Star, slamming his fists into her face and clawing at whatever parts of her he could, ripping up her golden dress slightly and leaving a thin slice along her right cheek, right above her cheek mark. As the pair descended further and further, darkness overtook the two, only staved off by the natural glow of Star’s Ultimate Magic Form.
Feeling his back hit something tense but soft, Steven wasted no energy on figuring out what it was, keeping his focus entirely on Star. The pair hitting the seabed at the bottom of the ocean, Star saw nowhere left to go but up, and with a mighty flap of her wings, began to ascend. Her hands still keeping their grip on Steven, Star raced to the ocean’s top, bursting through the tumultuous waves as her golden body sparkled in the sunlight. Coughing and sputtering as he forced the water out of his body, Steven took deep breaths in, glad to finally be able to breathe properly again. Wasting no time, Star immediately jumped right back into combat, taking off towards Beach City with Steven in tow.
Soaring through the air, Star held Steven out in front, keeping herself from having to deal with air resistance as the two formed a Mach cone, sound itself failing to keep up with Star’s movements. His hands restricted, Steven kicked at Star’s legs with his own, but she hardly seemed to take notice, tightening her grip on him if anything. Like a fly ramming into a brick wall, Steven was making no progress, and had to attack somewhere more vulnerable. His head was too far away from Star’s own to land a successful headbutt, but his mouth wasn’t constrained. Reeling his head back and taking a deep breath in, Steven screamed as loud as he could, trying to destabilise Star’s flight and get her to drop him.
Groaning in pain at the excruciating noise, Star’s hands crushed Steven’s torso in their grip as his pink scream hounded her eardrums with its violent sound. Letting go of the teen, Star instead used her hands to punch the wailing Gem in the mouth, forcefully shutting him up and sending him sprawling back down towards the water. Racing after him, Star flew below Steven as he fell, grasping at the wet and torn t-shirt which had miraculously survived all the torment she’d inflicted on its wearer, holding onto it tightly as she spun around vertically in a full rotation, letting go of her prey and watching him fly into the air.
That was, until Star appeared directly in front of the airborne Steven, landing a savage kick to the Gem boy’s face which left him reeling. Flying backwards from the powerful strike, Steven could barely keep up with how fast Star was moving, throwing him around like a ragdoll as his battered body worked to heal itself. It was unable to outspeed Star’s constant attacks though, and exhaustion began to wear at Steven as he found himself becoming increasingly annoyed at his inability to retaliate. With each blow, Star brought him ever closer to Beach City, and with a particularly potent strike, she sent him higher into the air, his beloved city now within eyesight.
Catching up to the Gem before he could react, Star held a hand out towards his body, blasting him away in a flash of brilliant light as he rocketed down towards the ever-familiar beach in front of his house. Although in a far worse condition than he would’ve liked, Steven still recognised his home, and seeing such a familiar sight filled him with a sense of joy. This wouldn’t last too long though, as Star interrupted his crash course with the sand, striking his chest with a one-inch punch, having already gotten into position and predicted where he’d be. Going from a diagonal descent to a horizontal one, Steven closed his eyes as he was launched directly into his house, the front wall splintering upon his impact.
Wooden support beams shattering and other various parts of his living room utterly broken, Steven lay in a Steven-shaped indent in the floor as Star flew in through the new hole created in the wall. “No, don’t bother to use the door…” Steven weakly joked, coughing a little after his proclamation. Everything she’d thrown at him was finally catching up, and Steven could do little more than just lie down in the wreckage of his family home, thankful no one else seemed to be in the house at the time. The absolute last thing he needed to worry about right now was people getting involved in their fight. Especially not Connie…
(Cue N's Castle – Pokémon Black 2 & White 2)
His will to fight slowly fading, Steven’s Pink State began to flicker, going between the rose colouration it perpetually held and had trapped Steven in for a long portion of their duel, and his natural creamy skin colour. Though it was not fully gone, and flared up once more as Star approached him, determined to keep Steven safe at all costs. As Star slowly stepped forward, her Ultimate Magic Butterfly Form disappeared in a poof of smoke, her six arms now having returned to her normal two arms, and dress turned back into the sea green colour it was before. Her twintails coming undone, Star’s hair flowed majestically down her back like a waterfall of golden locks as her gorgeous giant glittering wings became the tiny little blue wings they usually were.
Sighing, Star kept walking forward, now back in her regular form and admittedly a little tired from all of the fighting she’d done today. Wanting to end this, Star prepared to give Steven one last chance, despite the warnings she’d made earlier. Hopefully he’d be cooperative now that he was exhausted. “I’m giving you one final chance to return my wand and stop coming after it, Steven.” Star spoke, looking her foe directly in the eyes as she did so. “Please… just let this end peacefully…” Unfortunately for Star, her words seemed to have the opposite effect, a look of shock and anger crossing Steven’s face.
“Peace?! You want to talk about peace?!” The shock and anger had morphed into full blown outrage. “We could’ve talked it out, but you started the fight. And then you decimated a historical landmark, blew up an island, caused irreparable damage to the moon and wrecked my home!” Star couldn’t deny the truth in his words, but focusing on past events would get her nowhere. Getting the wand back was of utmost importance, no matter how guilty she felt. But at the same time, she was hardly the sole offender in this situation. Steven was equally to blame for the events which unfolded, and while he mocks her for trying to be amicable, he himself was nothing short of a hypocrite.
“I’m not the only one at fault here!” Star exclaimed. “If you’d just listened to me instead of trying to steal my wand, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place!” Steven knew her words were at least partially true, but his rage wasn’t going to dissipate so easily. “You screamed for me to leave you alone, yet the first thing you did was jump right back into the fight, so don’t try to say it’s all my fault!” This one caught Steven off-guard… Looking back at his actions, he realised that nothing Star said had been false, and though he’d wanted solace, his actions spoke very differently.
But what could he say? That he only occasionally loved the thrill of battle? No… Steven knew very well he was only like this in the Pink State, but he doubted Star would listen at this point. His strength slowly coming back to him, Steven tried to prop himself up with his hands, but Star was faster, holding a hand directly in front of his face, dissuading him from making any sudden movements. “You’re persistent, and you’ve got the strength to back it up…” Star stated. “So that’s why I have to stop you from coming after me again, or those I care about…” Her hand glowing a deep violet, Star once again called on one of Eclipsa’s spells.
“Low Self-Esteem Nightmare Dream…” Star slowly spoke, casting her dark spell. A magical beam of purple energy in the form of a double helix coming into contact with Steven’s head almost immediately, Star’s close range prevented the spell from going astray. His head covered in a thin veil of indigo light, Steven initially felt no different. A bit tired maybe, but not in pain. His body felt perfectly fine. But as he would soon come to discover, his mind was what he truly needed to be worrying about.
Star’s earlier words began to sink into Steven’s mind as he lay motionless, how all of the destruction caused in their battle could’ve been avoided. The hill which the residents of Beach City loved to admire and stand upon was just… gone. The place where he’d had his first indirect kiss with Connie… Never to be seen again, he was lucky that Star had caught the lighthouse and put it down. He wouldn’t have been able to catch it in time, that’s for sure. And imagine if there had been people in there! They could’ve been hurt or worse, killed… But it was alright, wasn’t it? No one was hurt. But he could’ve done better. He could’ve prevented it all from happening in the first place.
And the poor watermelon Stevens… They might not be human like he was, but they were still sentient. They had feelings and emotions just like anyone else. They had families, partners, children… And he’d led them to their deaths. Each and every one of them. He’d watched as they fought the warnicorns, valiantly putting their lives on the line for his sake, and how had he repaid them? He hadn’t even defeated Star, having to rely on his Pink State to keep up, and even that wasn’t enough… He’d forced the watermelon Stevens into angry forms against their will, and he was barely cognisant of them. Of their struggles as they fought against their foe, their commander and creator abandoning them in their time of need.
And he’d destroyed their home. He brought down mountains in a vain attempt to beat Star, but that hadn’t done anything significant, it only brought further destruction to their island. And then it was decimated in their conflict, destroying any trace that they’d one inhabited a place in the vast ocean. Where the island once stood, only clear waters remained, and then was the storm. If there was any chance of Mask Island remaining after Star’s explosion, there certainly wasn’t any after that. It wrought havoc upon the sea, forming tornadoes and lightning. It would’ve had effects on neighbouring nations, and people would’ve been trying to explain how a typhoon like that just sudden appeared out of nowhere. The media would be all over it.
And then they’d had their conflict on the moon. Nobody was there, but not even space was safe from their violent combat. Forming new craters with each punch, they’d permanently altered the state of the lunar body, and then the Moon Base… A historical building made for observing Earth from a distance. Whilst it had been made for vile purposes, it had no such capability anymore. It was a place where Steven could see the history of his people, and where Lapis had once found solace. A place which could never be seen again since it was blown up in a massive explosion. An explosion which left scars along the moon’s surface that astronomers would undoubtedly question. Assuming they couldn’t outright see the burst of magical energy from Earth.
Not to mention his home… The house inhabited by the Crystal Gems and his father, if they’d been home they could’ve been hurt in the attack, and they’re definitely not going to be happy at the damage it’s taken. They’d be disappointed in him, wouldn’t they? For letting a silly fight escalate this far… And for what purpose? Why did he even let it get this bad? For a stupid wand? No, it was for the Gem Star was abusing. But she’d kept vehemently denying that her wand even had a Gem inside it, and though that was what Steven thought was supplying her magic powers, she seemed to be even stronger without it. What if she was telling the truth this entire time? If it was just a regular gemstone, then everything had been for nothing.
All of the destruction that had been wrought was for a false cause. A simple mistake which had left consequences far greater than Steven ever could’ve imagined beforehand. What had he done…?
He could’ve hurt innocent people. In fact, Steven already knew that he had. Maybe not in their fight, but he was responsible for a lot more than just the repercussions of his fight with Star. He was himself, Steven Universe, a human. But he was also his mother, Rose Quartz, Pink Diamond. A woman who had neglected Spinel, who’d overseen the conquest of Earth, who’d ended countless lives… He’d messed up countless times throughout his life. He failed to restore the Lunar Sea Spire, he’d misjudged Navy’s true intentions, he’d failed to prevent Lars from dying, he couldn’t stop Lapis from fusing with Jasper, there was so much he’d tried to do, but just fell short of achieving. And what he’d done when he transformed into a monster…
He didn’t tell the Gems of his visit to the hospital, and ended up worrying them. He’d trashed the house, he’d broke and anvil, he’d fought with his father. And he’d had quite a few not so nice thoughts involving White Diamond and slamming her head through a pillar, but it’s not like he actually went through with it! He’d only actually shattered Jasper! But it was okay, since he fixed her up! He could fix anything! He could just keep messing up and fixing things forever!
“How messed up is that?” Steven spoke somberly, holding a hand to his head as hot tears began to well up in his eyes. Hearing Steven speak, Star, who had since walked over to the plush couch and sat down, resting from the battle, turned her gaze over to the Gem, curious as to what he was talking about. She knew it was something negative, as that’s what the whole point of the spell was – to cloud someone’s mind with negative thoughts – and when it was used on Tom and Rhombulus, they were all mopey and depressed, but Steven seemed a bit more in control of himself. It was a bit concerning, but Star was still confident the spell would work as she planned.
“That I’ve gotten away with this for so long…” Unsure what Steven was talking about exactly, Star inched closer to the boy, seeing his body contort, growing bigger suddenly before shrinking back down to normal size. “I’ve always tried to be so great and so mature, and to always know what to do, but I haven’t learned a thing from my problems…” Star was getting a bit uncomfortable now. Her spell was just meant to make him think bad thoughts and to calm him down, but it looked like it was sending him into a mental breakdown, if anything. This was something far more suited for his loved ones to help him through, and Star just needed to get her wand back.
Figuring that he’d probably say something about her wand sooner or later, she didn’t intervene with Steven’s monologue, as much as she ordinarily would’ve. “It’s all just made me worse! They think of me as some angel, but I’m not that kid anymore!” Taking in a sharp breath, Star bit her lip nervously. Should… should she have really done this? She absolutely needed the wand back, but surely there was some other way of getting the information she needed out of Steven, right? “I’m a fraud…” Tears hit the ground from where Steven had crumpled, barely keeping himself up. A steady stream of droplets splashing gently against the shattered wood of his home, Steven could feel it happening again.
Despite everything, Steven knew he was loved, and he never wanted to become that… monster… ever again… But Star’s magic kept those thoughts away, fuelling his mind with only his failures. How horrible he was. How many people he’d hurt. How he’d never truly help anyone, and those he tried to help, would only suffer for it. His mind was a swirling haze of self-loathing, agony and despair, and Steven just wanted it to stop. But his mind kept telling him that he deserved it. That this was his rightful punishment for all the pain he’s caused. That this was nothing compared to what some others had suffered through.
But for one small second, Steven’s mind was clear. His body trembling as it struggled to retain his normal form, Steven thought of everyone precious to him. His father, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Peridot, Lapis, Lion, Bismuth, Spinel, the Diamonds… And Connie… He knew they wouldn’t be happy with him after this. He wasn’t happy with himself for allowing it to get this far that it would happen again… But he knew Star wasn’t going to give in… This was his last resort to defeat her. It would cost him everything – his sanity, humanity, control over his own body – but if it would keep them all safe, then he would relent to the dark, maddening thoughts. If it would keep her safe…
“I’m a fraud…” Tears falling faster, he knew the process would agonisingly painful, but he was prepared to endure it. He’d endure anything he had to for her… “I’m… a monster…” Steven finally spoke, holding his hands to his head as his body shook like a leaf in the wind. The back of his shirt tearing open, sharp pink spikes burst from his body like a geyser as he cried out in pain, raising his head to meet Star’s gaze as she looked on in terror. Steven’s eyes were no longer held the youthful light they once did. Now… they were hollow…
(Cue Conquer – Star vs. the Forces of Evil)
Stepping back hastily, Star kept her eyes trained on Steven, stunned at what was happening to him. She’d only meant to keep him in a state of low energy, depressed and sad. That way he’d be more likely to tell her about what he did to her wand, but something had gone wrong. Terribly, horribly wrong… Star had seen the full effects of what the spell had done when commanded by Eclipsa, and this certainly wasn’t it… Which left the wild card in this equation – Steven’s powers. Star wasn’t quite sure how Steven’s powers exactly functioned, but he could call shields and bubbles to him. It was distinctly different from magic, and it seemed specifically tailored to him. Perhaps this was a side effect of his powers?
Or maybe it was a result of his powers mixing with her magic? Maybe it was something different entirely… Star couldn’t come to a feasible conclusion at this time – too much was still left unknown. What she did know, however, was that the boy in front of her was writing in agony as his body slowly morphed into that of a monster. His skin undeniably pink, sharp horns began to grow from the top of Steven’s head as two burst to the sides of his jaw like tusks and his teeth grew longer and sharper. His body growing lengthier, Steven’s feet grew larger and his toes sharper, turning into proper claws as his sandals split apart, unable to contain the new size of his feet.
The nails on Steven’s hands growing longer, they each terminated in long, pointed claws just like his feet, but the back of his arms began to sport sharp spikes as his body began to grow much larger and thicker. Taking this moment to run out of the building, Star could only see disaster awaiting if she’d stayed in the vicinity, and she was lucky to have ran out when she did, panting as she jumped through the hole in the wall and sprinted down the hill, reaching the soft sand of the beach. Catching her breath, Star looked back at the house, only to see a furious-looking monster burst through the roof. Face contorted in rage.
Breaking out of the structure entirely, the pink monster had sharp spikes along its neck and back, reaching down to its tail as it stepped forward, causing Steven’s home to collapse as it began to walk. A thunderous tremor shaking the earth, Star tried to keep her balance as the rumbling continued. Seagulls flying away from the sound, each quaking step shook the entire town of Beach City as the fearsome creature rose to its full height, letting out a deafening roar that travelled miles away. Hot pink across its entire body, and with a lumbering posture, the creature looked draconic in nature. Like a wingless dragon or demon about to hunt its prey.
Monster Steven was here… and it was angry.
The physical manifestation of all of Steven’s inner trauma and repressed emotions, the creature looked down at Star from up high. The mental instability and turmoil wrought by the events in his past, Steven let forth a bloodcurdling roar as his footsteps shook the earth itself. Looking up at the towering menace in front of her, Star gulped nervously, stuck frozen in place with dread. Taking a step back, Steven only took a step forward, and with a few more, would crush Star underneath his absurd weight. Mind racing at a million miles an hour, Star was struggling to come to terms with what had happened. Was this monster really Steven?
She’d seen the boy transform right before her eyes, but even now, it was still a difficult thing to comprehend. Time spent dwelling on this would only put her in danger, and Star was already well aware of the danger of her current situation. Jumping back as a large pink foot stomped onto the ground where she previously stood, Star transformed back into her Ultimate Magic Butterfly Form with a flash of light, golden wings flapping furiously as she ascended skyward, avoiding any further harm she could receive on the ground. Flying up to eye level with the monster, Star simply stared it in the eyes, seeing the same hollow gaze held by Steven right before his body exploded with spikes.
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, this was Steven. There was no other possibility. But what was she supposed to do? Could she turn him back? Maybe she could, but Lightning Twinkle Rescue reverted transmutation by her magic, and this was something spurred by Steven’s powers, not her own. And even if she turned his body into a giant marshmallow or something, then what? She reverts him back and then she’s right back where she started. Without a fundamental understanding of how his powers worked, it would be very difficult to get him to transform back forcefully. Star did have a few ideas though.
First was to try and tire him out. She’d seen his pink form beginning to fade after she’d punched him into the house, and assuming this was a similar case, if she could wear him out, maybe the monster form would fade? It was the idea she’d try first, considering her second thought was that maybe Steven was inside the monster, using it like an armour to attack with? This one was far harder to prove and left a lot up to Star’s guessing ability. Her last option would be to take Steven out entirely, but that wasn’t something she wanted to have to do under any circumstances.
He was an earnest kid, and despite his recent actions, Star could tell he wasn’t a bad person. If it came down to it though, she’d be capable of taking him down. If she had to do it, then she’d lose information on how to get her wand back, but she’d eventually be able to find it. At least she hoped so. Regardless, there were still people residing in Beach City, and Steven could prove dangerous to the civilians, so getting him away from the people was her first order of business. Everything else would have to come after that.
Flying to the side as Steven made to grab her with his massive hands, Star glided out of his reach, holding a hand aloft before aiming it at Steven. “Rolling Thunder Lightning Blast!” Star shouted, casting her spell as electric blue streaks of lightning shot from her hands and struck Steven’s body, the corrupted Gem barely flinched at her attack. Blasting the giant monster in front of her, Star kept up her assault, six different streams of electric energy travelling from outstretched hands to the bulky hide of the corrupted Gem she fought. Bringing her hands together, six streams merged into three, as the voltage increased, shocking Monster Steven in the face.
More angry than hurt, Steven lashed out with his elongated claws, slicing through the air itself as he tried to scratch Star. With her wings, Star commanded far more manoeuvrability than Steven could deal with, and was easily able to avoid his attempted strikes. Weaving through the flailing claws, Star shot random beams of energy at Steven, trying to think of a spell which could prove effective. Holding her hands together, Star quickly conjured up another spell, the shape of a cylindrical object held in her hands as she cried “Blueberry Cupcake Bazooka!”. Taking her weapon and aiming it at the monster, Star channelled her magic to form delectable baked ammunition, shining as blue as the sky.
Beginning to fire, Star didn’t even have it in her to call out a smart quip or one-liner. Simply pelting her foe with a continuous assault of cerulean cupcakes, Star avoided Steven’s claws as they neared her, not letting up in her small cake-themed offensive. No matter how many shots were fired though, none of them made any impact on the rampaging Gem other than to rile him up further. Floating back above the ocean, Star lured Steven further away from the town, seeking to use his weight to submerge him underwater. Before she could do that though, Star needed to keep Steven’s focus directed at her, which meant she still needed to keep peppering him with attacks.
Aiming her hands at Steven, Star prepared her next attack. “Bacon Kitty Hawaii Nightmare!” A wave of kittens, pineapples and bacon flying from Star’s palms, the odd assortment of projectiles bombarded Steven’s monstrous body as he roared in defiance. The array of cats, tropical fruit and somehow cooked meat rained down on Steven, some food landing in his mouth as two pineapples embedded themselves on top of Steven’s horns, making the terrifying monster look far less frightening. Stifling a giggle at the sight, Monster Steven was undeterred and pressed forward, curling his fist into a ball and punching at Star. Luckily able to dodge in time, Star held onto the underside of Steven’s arm for a second before letting go.
Disappearing in a flash of light, Star flew as quickly as she could across Steven’s body, striking the hulking behemoth faster than he could comprehend. Trying to squash the flying annoyance that was Star’s Magic Butterfly form, Steven brought his hands down onto his own body in the process, only succeeding in hurting himself as the nimble heiress evaded each and every strike. Covering every inch of Steven’s body, Star flew back and waited for the tell-tale sound of beeping to begin. Having attached supersonic leeches onto Steven with each punch, his body was covered in the small emerald creatures. Their harmonic chorus of noise reaching a crescendo, jade light obscured Steven’s monster form from sight as they exploded point-blank on the corrupted Gem.
A cloud of sand and dust concealing Steven from her sight, Star flew back, preparing yet another spell with which to fight Steven, but this one was rather unconventional. “Exploding Incandescent Wrecking Ball Devastation!” Star yelled, holding her hands out as they wrapped around cold metal. A thick linked chain appearing in her hands with a neat star-shaped ornament acting as a handle, Star moved one of her hands to it as the other five held the chain. Attached to the end of said chain was a massive wrecking ball perfect for destruction and demolition. It would be perfectly suited to her needs. Lifting up the ball by the long chain it was attached to, Star’s impressive strength held it up as she began to spin the chain, gaining momentum.
The cloud obscuring Steven from view dispersing with a deafening roar from the monster, Star could now properly see her foe and began to spin faster, wings flapping incessantly as she took off at the corrupted Gem. Swinging the wrecking ball, Star let it fly directly at Steven’s head, staggering the monster slightly as Star caught the end of the chain, throwing her hand backward before suddenly thrusting it forward, slamming the heavy ball into one of Steven’s horns, cracking it in half. Roaring in defiance, Steven reached out towards his broken horn as his hand caught the wrecking ball, clenching his fist and shattering the magical construct within his grasp as Star let go.
Her wrecking ball having accomplished less than she’d hoped, Star knew she had to pull out the big guns if she was to make any progress in overwhelming Steven. With the deft movement of her nimble wings, Star flew around each and every one of Steven’s wild and uncontrolled punches and slashes, though the longer their game of cat and mouse drew on, the more difficult it became. Diving down through the gap in Monster Steven’s legs, Star soared up behind him, latching herself onto the remaining horn on his head. Holding on tightly to the pink spine, Star used her remaining five hands to gather magical energy, all aimed point-blank at Monster Steven’s head.
“Thermonuclear Butterfly Blast!” Star screamed, a beam of rainbow light rocketing into the sky as energy swirled around her. An explosion of golden light rocking the earth as a swarm of magic butterflies soared around the two, Monster Steven screamed in pain as the blast seared his rose-coloured flesh, burning him with its intense heat. The explosion of energy encompassing both fighters, not even the ground beneath Steven’s monstrous feet was safe as the sand turned into glass and was crushed under Steven’s rabid stomping. Eventually petering out, the explosion had devastated the surrounding area, flames smouldering on the sand as Steven thrashed about, Star still holding onto the monster’s remaining horn.
Reeling back her fists, Star covered them in rainbow energy as she slammed them into the back of Steven’s head, forcing him forward and into the water. Stumbling, Steven tried to reach the back of his head with his claws, but as he did so, the pair began to tumble forward, and Steven had to abandon his pursuit in order to stay upright. His hands landing in the water with a massive splash, Steven pushed back up immediately, trying to shake Star off of his body as ocean water ran down his gargantuan physique in rivers. Twisting around, Steven finally managed to shake Star off, but the Mewni princess was far from finished.
Forcing the water around them to shoot up and form into chains, Star telekinetically clasped these liquid restraints around Steven’s limbs, torso and neck, forcing him down as he struggled to break free of his watery entrapments. Though Lapis had struggled to contain Steven’s monster form, Star was able to hold him down with much more ease, forcing the creature to bow its head, unable to move as the chains forced its limbs around with an iron grip. Letting out a low grumble, Steven curled his head down as the spines along his body began to shine a radiant pink colour and his hollow eyes filled with an eerie white, slightly tinted pink.
Fighting against his bindings, Steven wasn’t going to just let himself be bound and caged. No, he was going to resist. To keep struggling against whatever was going to hold him down. Raising his head, Steven’s arms rose as he did, pulling taught against the oceanic chains. Opening his ghastly maw, Steven glared hatefully at Star as the low grumble transitioned into a rage-filled scream, pink sound waves blasting away everything in Steven’s vicinity. The water chains coming undone and the very water he stood in parting under his shout, Star herself was blasted back, sent sprawling against the harsh sand.
(Cue I Am My Monster – Steven Universe Future)
Holding her hands to her ears in an attempt to block out the noise, Star suddenly felt more tired, and tried to use her other hands to brace herself, only to fall back onto the sand as she leaned upward. Trying to flex her other hands, Star was shocked to not feel them anymore, Steven’s scream knocking her out of her Butterfly form entirely. Looking back at Steven as the thunderous noise subsided, Star watched as the water closed back in around the draconic figure. Simply standing in place, menacingly, Steven paid the waves no mind as they crashed violently around him, covering him entirely for a second before rushing back down again, finding their natural pattern once more.
Looking up with fear-stricken eyes, Star saw the lumbering monster approaching her, each footstep bringing him closer as it shook the earth they stood on and dark clouds cast an ominous shadow over the battlefield. Steeling herself, Star knew she wouldn’t have enough time to shift back into her Butterfly form, and if Steven decided to roar like that again, she might be forced out of it in an inopportune situation. Steven’s massive foot seconds away from crushing her under its weight, Star covered her right fist in rainbow energy as she held it up. Monster Steven’s foot coming down, he subconsciously expected his foot to his sand, but it didn’t. Star putting up a valiant resistance, it was clear she wouldn’t be able to hold it for long.
Another rainbow-coated fist coming up to support her in her endeavour, Star continued to push against the overwhelming weight of Steven’s body, only proving more difficult as he pressed his foot down further, pushing her back slightly. Her heels dug into the sand, Star was running out of options. If she stopped holding Steven back for even a second, she’d be crushed, and her other spells weren’t easily pulled off in a situation such as this. But it’s not like she could just give in now! There was too much Star still had left to do. Too many people who relied on her. Too many people who Star wasn’t going to let down. People who Star wanted – no, needed to live for!
Her parents, Tom, Pony Head, Eclipsa, Globgor, Meteora, Buffrog and his buff babies, Kelly, Mariposa, Mr and Mrs Diaz, and Marco… especially Marco… She loved him. She had for a long time… And now that things were finally going well for them, Star wasn’t going to let it end because of some giant pink monster. She’d fought plenty of monsters more terrifying than this! For corn’s sake, she’d all but vaporized Toffee, and Mina’s Solarian Warriors had put all of Mewni into a tight spot – not just her. But she’d still come out on top time and time again. And she’d continue to do so as many times as she needed to. If it was a threat to her or her loved ones, then she’d never give in, and she’d never lose!
Strands of rainbow energy curling up her ankles, Star’s feet were stabilised in the ground as she pushed back against the overwhelming weight, which didn’t feel quite so tremendous as before. The energy snaking up her legs, Star raged against her impending doom with all her might, the magic surrounding her fists covering her arms down to the elbow. With one final shove and an exhaustive scream to accompany it, Star pushed Monster Steven’s foot back, forcing the rampaging creature to stumble backwards. In its moment of weakness, Star wasted no time in calling upon the spell she hoped would turn the tides in her favour. “Rainbow Kaiju Battle Armour!” she bellowed, jumping into the sky as streams of red, pink, blue, green and yellow energy swirled around her.
Mixing together, the strands all began to take physical form as a brief flash of light obscured Star from vision. When the light died down however, a rainbow giant stood tall, eyes shining brightly and the heart-shaped cheek marks of Star appearing on the giant’s face. Floating in the middle of the armour’s chest was Star, hair flowing around her as though gravity had no hold over it. The armour following her every move, Star struck a pose as she watched Monster Steven regain its balance, growling at the bright construct’s intrusion. “Alright Steven, let’s end this!” Star declared, clenching her fists as she shot forth.
Connecting with the monster’s chest, Star knocked the corrupted Gem back into the water, bringing them further and further away from the beach with each strike. Roaring, Steven reached out to grab Star’s fist right as it could impact with his torso, halting her momentum. Pushing back against the magical armour, Steven snarled as he tried to close his fists around Star’s own, but met a sharp resistance. The hands holding him back with just as much force, neither were able to make any headway, but one benefit of the armour being made to fight kaiju-like creatures was that while their bodies were susceptible to harm, Star’s real body within wouldn’t have that damage reflect onto her.
Free to fight as recklessly as she’d like, Star let Steven press down on her construct’s hands as she ducked below their interlocked arms and headbutted the rioting beast in the chest. Reversing his grip on her hands, Star prevented Steven from escaping by crushing his hands in her grasp as he cried out in rage-filled pain. Pulling Steven in close, Star landed a brutal knee to his chest, bringing her armour’s foot down on Steven’s own when she could no longer keep it aloft. Steven wasn’t just going to let her get away with it though, and as his powers worked to heal off the damage, he headbutted Star’s own armour, his remaining horn piercing through the hard magic.
Thankfully not actually hitting her body within, Star had to be a bit more cautious from now on. Can’t let him do that again. Reeling back a fist, Star launched it at the side of Steven’s head as another came up to strike at his chin with an uppercut. Trying another haymaker, Steven was able to see this one coming and avoid it, ducking his head down as his own fists came flying into Star’s battle armour. With his elongated claws, Steven sunk his fingers into his giant opponent’s torso, not dealing any vital damage, but it kept them close. Sufficient distance for Steven to lean over and open his maw wide enough for his sharpened fangs to fill Star with worry as he brought them down into her armour’s shoulder.
Snarling, Steven’s claws ripped at the armour’s chest and lower body, tearing apart the magic at the seams. This was looking bad. Relying on pure instinct, Star let her magic to the talking for her, sending energy beams of blazing intensity flying from her armour’s eyes. Try as he might, Steven couldn’t hold on forever with the constant pressure Star was applying, and he eventually had to pull back. In this one moment, Star acted as fast as she could. Grabbing Steven’s right arm with both of her hands, she immediately twisted it in the opposite direction, putting all of her body into it until she heard a sickening crack.
An unimaginably loud roar of indescribable agony ripped through Star’s magic body, leaving parts of it open and vulnerable as she struggled to maintain the spell in its entirety. And for the first time since Steven had transformed, Star saw something other than hollowness in his eyes. She saw the usual fire and rage she’d associated with the shining pink teen, and clearly this mindless beast wasn’t quite as emotionless as she’d thought, as though they were small, she saw the faint hints of rose-coloured tears welling in his eyes. Star wouldn’t get any more time to dwell on this though, as Steven reached around to his broken arm with his still-functional one, snapping it back into place with a noise just as bad as the one she’d forced out in the first place.
Seething with anger, Steven had to lay off using his right arm for the moment while his powers worked to heal his wound. Now essentially handicapped until he could recover, Steven instinctively knew he only had to deal a bit more damage to the armour before it would break. Snarling as he brandished his still-functional hand, Steven kept Star at a distance. While his claws had extended reach, her fists did not. As long as he could maintain a middle ground, it should be enough to stall until his arm was back to working condition. Slashing at Star’s left arm with his claws, Steven felt the construct give way as he tore through it, leaving a vacant space across the length of her as the gash severely weakened her striking strength.
Ducking as Star launched more beams from the battle armour’s eyes, Steven clawed at the legs of his gargantuan opponent, tearing away yet more mass from the being. With a few more well-placed strikes, he’d be able to break it completely. As his arm began to heal itself, Steven clenched his fist as Star began to bring hers down upon his head, each meeting each other right before contact could be made. Feeling more function begin to return to his arm, Steven needed only a little more time, and struck at Star’s upper torso, only just failing to hit due to the remaining energy bundled up to protect her.
Seeing the claws inch ever closer, Star was painfully aware how close she was to being seriously harmed, and with the spell’s power waning with each strike, she couldn’t maintain it forever. Deciding to cut her losses, Star dispelled the Rainbow Kaiju Battle Armour as she fell down into the water, no longer suspended in mid-air. The punch Steven had thrown at her armour now missing entirely as it disappeared, Steven frantically looked around for Star, seeking out the heiress to continue their fight. Falling into the water with a splash, the noise alerted Steven to the area beneath his feet, seeing the water settle after Star’s minor disturbance.
His arm now nearly fully healed, Steven deemed it good enough continue battle with, and reached down into the water, attempting to grab Star from where he suspected she last was. This effort would prove fruitless however, as a familiar set of raspberry bands wrapped themselves around Steven’s arms, yanking his fists up and forcing him to punch himself in the face. Another unwilling punch landed to his cheek, Steven pulled on his arms in the opposite direction, dragging his assailant through the air. Having quickly morphed into her Mewberty form upon descending into the water, Star had swam through the water with ease, emerging from behind the rioting beast in time to cast her spell.
As she was dragged through the air however, Star let the Raspberry Ribbon Lasso vanish into thin air, instead shifting focus and using Steven’s attack against him. Covering her foot in rainbow, Star smashed into the back of Steven’s head, assisted by the increased momentum, staggering the beastly Gem creature. Springboarding from his head, Star flew into the air directly in front of Steven, preparing herself for a dangerous spell she had only cast a number of times. Eyes closing as her arms all converged to one point, forming a mass of pure energy in her hands. The energy taking on the shape of a pitch-black ball, with each second, it grew exponentially, eventually eclipsing Star as she pushed it out in front of her.
“Mystic Room Suck Transform!” Star shouted, shoving the mini-singularity she held in her palms outward, drawing in everything in its vicinity. As though a void to the impossibly dark depths of outer space, everything sucked into this wormhole would never be seen again, and in a bid to defeat Steven, she’d been pushed to her limits. It had become clear that Steven wasn’t going to quit coming after her, and if left unchecked, he could prove a threat to more than just her. There were the citizens of Beach City and beyond she had to worry about, and she couldn’t just let such a dangerous monster roam free, even if he’d once been a sweet child.
She’d find her wand one way or another, but this was a more pressing matter, and the longer the fight dragged on, the more Star worried that she’d have to do something she never wanted to. To put a permanent end to the life of Steven Universe… And if this didn’t work, she only had a few other options. Letting the Spell With No Name out was definitely her last resort, but that could cause possibly even more destruction than Steven could. There was the possibility of turning him into a pile of snakes or a giant marshmallow, but Star had never used those spells on a being so large, and she wasn’t sure if it would even work.
The black hole exponentially growing in size as the sand, water and very oxygen around it got pulled into the event horizon, Star put those thoughts out of her mind, needing to focus on her current situation. Being pulled into the singularity in front of him, Steven tried to dig his heels into the ground, but the gravitational pull was too strong, and his efforts ultimately made little impact. Scowling, Steven did the only thing he could think of. With the black hole quickly reaching expanding further and further, it was only a matter of time before he couldn’t resist it anymore. He needed to act fast.
Reaching out, Steven pressed both of his hands onto the opposite ends of the singularity, pressing inward with all of his might. Roaring in furious exhaustion, Steven didn’t let up for even a second, maintaining his hold on the magic wormhole, keeping it at bay. And to Star’s utter amazement, it was actually working. Inch by inch, the black hole began to grow smaller, Steven’s massive hands compressing the singularity and fighting back the intense gravitational pull. What he was accomplishing was nothing short of mind-blowing. And with one final push, Steven’s hands clapped together with a resounding boom, having forced the black hole to collapse in on itself. Star was frozen in awe. What in the name of corn had she just witnessed?!
Immediately after dying down, the black hole made one final hurrah. All of the energy that had comprised the singularity came exploding back out in a violent flash of light and heat. Despite being enclosed within Steven’s gigantic palms, Star was still forced to cover her eyes with her hand as a wave of scorching heat and blinding light washed over her. As the flash died down, she tentatively uncovered her eyes only to be met with a gigantic flaming fist crashing right into her entire body, sending her sprawling into a crater in the sand made by her collision. Smoke rising from her point of impact, flames danced around Star’s body as she ached down to her bones.
Finally landing a solid hit on Star, Steven made his advance, hands scarred and burned from holding in the supernova. Wisps of smoke arising from his palms, Steven powered through the pain as he walked, each step bringing him ever closer to the downed heiress. Coughing as she sat up, Star propped herself up with her bottom-most hands, brushing the sand from her face and hair with the others. The soft shore she sat upon shaking due to the incoming monster, Star didn’t have the strength to mount an offensive, and needed a bit more time to think of a way out. Lying flat on the sand, she held all six hands out in front of her, forming a golden barrier of magic to hold Steven at bay.
As the monstrous being approached, it raised its leg up high before slamming it down onto Star’s barrier, intent on shattering the entire thing in one go. Fortunately for Star, her magic proved stronger than Steven had thought, and held up against the stomp with no visible damage. Growling, Steven attempted his attack once more, bringing his foot down onto the barrier over and over again, but his efforts ultimately proved useless. Breathing heavily, Star relaxed slightly with the small amount of time she had, but her energy was waning, and she couldn’t hold the shield forever. It would eventually give way, and there was no way around it. All she could do was try to spin the situation to her advantage.
Grimly reminded of her battle with Meteora, Star had one last move to pull out, but she was worried… What if it wasn’t enough? If Steven survived, then it could very well spell the end for her, but what else was she supposed to do? It was a risky gambit, she knew, but it was all she could think of. She had to at least try.
Right as Steven began to lift his foot after his latest stomp, Star dispelled the barrier, taking to the skies as fast as she could. His foot coming down hard on the sand, Steven’s vision was obscured due to the massive cloud of dust he’d kicked up, and the lack of anything pressing against his foot was not a good sign. Coming down like a meteor, Star coated her entire body in rainbow energy as she crashed right into Monster Steven’s face, knocking him off-balance and forcing him to fall back into the sand, leaving a colossal imprint into the beach.
Thrashing about, Steven tried to upright himself, but the magic butterfly girl standing on his face made it difficult. Holding onto Steven’s remaining horn for support, Star was tired. No, scratch that, she was utterly exhausted. Their entire battle had taken a toll on both of them, physically and emotionally. And she was just as much to blame for this escalating this far as Steven was. Playing the blame game wouldn’t do anyone any good now though. Disguising what was a breathless pant for a sigh, Star regulated her breathing as she stared down at the corrupted Gem. She couldn’t feel anything but sorrow. This could’ve been avoided so easily, but nevertheless, here they were. A girl and a monster, glaring each other down.
(Cue Memories of You – Persona 3 Reincarnation)
“If you can hear me in there, Steven…” Star began to speak, closing her glittering sapphire eyes as the Gem’s thrashing quietened down into aggravated writhing. “I’m… I’m sorry…” Steven calmed down further after hearing that, going completely still. “Things should never have come to this, and I know that I can’t help you…” Opening her eyes, Star’s eyes, like shining pools of light, glimmered in the sunlight as she fought back tears and a sniffle. “So… please let me ease your pain.” Her twintails coming undone, Star’s hair fell behind her in a waterfall of gold, as her gorgeous locks blew in the breeze.
Letting out an exhausted sigh, Steven relaxed his body, simply laying there motionless. Somewhere within him, he knew what was about to happen, and though he’d thought he would’ve fought against it, tooth and nail, as it approached, Steven couldn’t bring himself to do anything. He knew he’d lost. And that he was in pain. But that would soon come to an end, and he could accept that. There were a lot of things he’d messed up in his life – too many to count – but he’d also done a lot of good for a lot of people.
From simple little things like making someone smile on a bad day, to ending enduring conflicts, there were people whose lives had been improved thanks to him. Not that he ever thought of it in a narcissistic way, but the fact that he’d made others happy gave him pride. As the corrupted Gem relented, Steven felt a certain peace within him. Resigning himself to his inevitable fate, he only wished he could’ve done more. The Gems, and most definitely his father, weren’t going to be happy with this, and he was sorry that he’d make them sad one last time with no way to cheer them up, but he still wished them all the happiness they could find.
And Connie… his best friend in the entire world, his partner, the love of his life… How sorry he was that he’d not get to be with her one last time. He never wanted to hurt her, and just by giving in to this… monster, he’d forsaken everything she’d done in bringing him back from that state. But if every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hotdogs. There would be some silver lining to this, and she’d find it. She’d be able to find happiness again, and that was all Steven wanted for her; to be happy. He loved her, and she knew it, so hopefully that was what she would think of whenever she thought of him. Of how much she was loved. Because she deserved the world.
Her additional arms receding into her body and golden wings returning to their natural state as the tiny blue wings on her back, Star held her arms out in front of her chest, Mewberty form now undone. A golden sphere of condensed energy – pure magic – shone with radiant light as she spoke her final words to her foe. Someone who, under better circumstances, could’ve been a friend. “Goodbye… Steven Universe…” a single tear rolling down her cheek, Star charged her magic to its absolute limit, pooling every last drop of energy she had into her next move.
“Con… nie…” Steven struggled to say, his mind fighting for control over his monstrous body as everything in his very being screamed at him, vying for domination. His last effort spent to speak the name of his beloved one last time, Steven closed his eyes as a rose tear rolled down his cheek into the sand, staining it pink. Her breath hitching in her chest, Star tried to hold it together, but she was failing. Pushing her hands to Steven’s skin, the sphere exploded upon contact, blinding all of Beach City in a furious shower of light.
Opening her eyes, Star coughed violently as she heaved for air, feeling utterly sick to her stomach. Taking in the environment around her, the last thing she could remember was the explosion of golden light, and then everything went white. What she saw definitely seemed like the direct aftermath of such an event.
The sand was scorched, and much of it was just… missing, leaving a gaping hole where the beach used to be. Water descended into the hollow cavity in the ground, spilling into the gulf endlessly. Where the house, temple and mountain that stood behind it used to be, currently lay… nothing. Nothing but ashes remained, and though Star’s ears rang, she could faintly pick up the sound of someone calling out.
“…ar!” Something was being said, but she couldn’t quite make it out. Sputtering and spitting out grains of sand, Star’s body felt like it’d been run over by a truck, but she was still alive and kicking. Looking around for the source of the noise, she spotted a familiar red hooded teen, her face visibly brightening at his arrival.
“Star!” Marco shouted, the Mewni princess now able to hear him better. As she took in his appearance however, she was extremely worried. His shirt was ripped and torn in places, and his hoodie was hanging onto him loosely, looking as though it was cut by a bladed weapon; Star was more than knowledgeable enough in that area. His face and arms were bruised, and his dark brown hair was messy. He’d clearly gotten into a fight of his own. But Star was just glad he was okay.
“Marco!” she cried back, both equally concerned over his current state, but so, so glad to see him. “Are you okay?!” her frantic cries served to relieve Marco of her condition. If she was okay enough to be worrying about him, then she was hopefully relatively okay after that explosion. Sprinting up to her and sliding to his knees, Marco wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
“I’m fine, but what about you! Are you alright, Star?” Marco replied. “And… what happened here?”
“It’s… it’s a long story…” Star said with a sigh. Glancing around, Star bore witness to the destruction her battle had wrought. And littered around what remained of the beach was fractured pink stones, with some lightly-coloured spikes sticking out of the ground in places. Tightening her right palm, Star felt two small objects poking at her skin. Opening her palm, Star saw two halves of a rose quartz, cleaved apart. This… this was Steven Universe. It was Rose Quartz. It was Pink Diamond. A hero, a leader, a conqueror. It was all of these things and people, but no more.
The Gem held in her hand begins to lose its glow, slowly fading into a deep pink. Lifeless. She’d won. She’d defeated Steven, and protected innocents from harm, but at what cost? The events she’d just lived through were some that she’d carry with her forever more, for better or worse, but Star could only hope that some good could come of this. She wouldn’t let it all be for naught. It was the least she could do for the dearly departed boy…
Helping Star to her feet, Marco took in the surrounding area. To say that he was astounded would be an understatement, but considering the stuff he and Star had been up to before, he really shouldn’t have been surprised. Glancing around, Marco scanned the beach, looking for Star’s wand. She wasn’t holding it in her hand, which meant that it had to be around here somewhere. Eventually, his eyes drifted to a pile of rubble, standing where the Gem temple had been, not that he knew of it. And hidden beneath the stone shone a glittering rod of magical potential.
It was Star’s wand! Directing Star’s attention to the lost item, she visibly brightened even further at seeing it within reach. Helping each other walk over to the wand, Star picked it up and pocketed it, not willing to potentially lose it again. She’d ensure that a repeat of the day’s horrible events would never come to pass. Looking at her softly, Marco took Star’s hands in his own as he gave her a warming smile. It was a sight Star never grew tired of.
“Ready to go home?” Marco asked her, reaching into his pocket for his pair of Dimensional Scissors. Grasping the item firmly, Marco held them out, ready to open a portal back home.
“Yeah, it’s been a long day…” Star replied, sighing in exhaustion as she looked around, remorseful for her actions that played a part in the state of Beach City’s… well, beach. “Hey,” she started. “Do you think you could make some of your super awesome nachos when we get back?”
Chuckling lightly, he responded with a smile. “Of course”. Slicing the very air itself with the scissors, Marco tore a hole between dimensions for them to travel through. Smiling at each other lovingly, the pair grasped each other’s hand softly as they walked through, departing Beach City once and for all.
K.O.!
Conclusion
(Cue Shining Star – Star vs. the Forces of Evil)
Boomstick: Oh yeah, that definitely got wild! Kinda sad at the end though...
Wiz: Steven’s regeneration and defensive options were a bit tricky for Star to work around at first, and with his good-natured kindness and determination to avoid conflict, it’s likely that he might be able to talk his way out of this fight, but truthfully, Steven doesn’t stand much of a chance in a one-on-one confrontation.
Boomstick: Yeah, Steven might be slightly more intelligent, and his vocal chords were definitely better, but that’s really about where his advantages end, unfortunately. Steven had a few good counters to some of her moves though! He could age himself back up from infancy, and his ability to float meant Star removing his gravity wouldn’t be anything he couldn’t deal with. Plus, he could use his astral projection if he was put to sleep and he’s resisted the gravitational pull of black holes before, so Star’s mini ones likely wouldn’t have much effect.
Popup: Steven’s Astral Projection and telepathic abilities aren’t very useful in combat, but Star can still counter them by entering Steven’s mind directly or erasing his mind, leaving him in a vegetative state. Conversely, Steven was not equipped to defend against an attack against his mind.
Wiz: But it’s unlikely that Steven would ever be able to catch Star, much less hurt her. While reacting to things moving at warp speed meant that Steven was over 34 trillion times the speed of light, Omnitraxus Prime isn’t far behind that, at over 13 trillion times light speed. But that’s hardly Star’s fastest feat, as her magic can travel at over 146 quadrillion times faster than light in order to reach across an entire universe. That’s far faster than anything Steven’s ever had to deal with.
Boomstick: And when it comes to strength, Schtu-ball doesn’t catch a break here either. In the lifting department, Steven is able to lift giant objects like the injector placed by Spinel, but Star is able to physically spin a planet, and her spells can straight up destroy them. Though fighting off characters like Lapis and the Cluster means that Steven is within the planetary range for power output, and defending against the Diamond’s blast for eight seconds would require around 192 kiloFOE. Enough to destroy a solar system.
Wiz: But Star’s once again got Steven beat. Her ancestor, Skywynne, was able to blow up an entire universe, and with only half of the wand, Toffee was able to one-shot Omnitraxus Prime, who is a living universe. Star then nearly melted Toffee’s entire body with a blast from her wand, and she’s endured attacks from foes like Meteora, whose magic can overpower her own. Needless to say, having the power to decimate universes at your fingertips is a fair bit more impressive than blocking an attack with the force of a solar system.
Popup: Steven’s ability to heal has never been shown to extend past broken bones, and it is unknown if he can retreat into his gemstone like full Gems can. Regardless, his defences do not hold up against Star’s offence considering the large gap in power, and she has powered through far more impressive regeneration before.
Boomstick: Not to mention that Star’s been training since she was a toddler, while Steven only got into actual combat during his teens, and even if Steven could disarm Star of her wand, her innate magic is even stronger! She’s better at hand-to-hand combat anyway, and can create any weapon she likes. Also, Star’s flight and better range meant she could control the battlefield and fight at her leisure.
Wiz: She’d be able to track Steven down with the All-Seeing Eye, force him to eat his own feet with Ouroboros, make him trip out with the Jellybean Hallucination Mist, trap him with the Black Widow Calamity Cobweb, make him stuck in place with Syrup Tsunami Shockwave, freeze him solid with Winterstorm Hyperblow or erase his mind with the Mind Erase spell.
Boomstick: She could turn him into a marshmallow, dominate his consciousness, throw him into space, trap him in another dimension, put him in a time loop or just kill him outright in stopped time. Her “Darkest Spell” halts regeneration as seen with Toffee, and his healing ability was far superior to Steven’s. And Star nearly obliterated him entirely, just barely short of killing him with pure power output! Nothing Steven had could hold out against her might. Hell, since her powers are based off imagination, she could probably say something like “Steven Die Blast” and it’d have some pretty devastating effects.
Popup: Assuming Connie and Marco are factored into the battle, Marco offers a lot more as a secondary combatant in comparison to Connie. Stevonnie does not grant Steven any useful abilities he did not already possess, and Rose’s sword is far inferior to Star’s wand. Marco’s 16 years of experience in Hekapoo’s dimension makes him a far more knowledgeable and experienced combatant than Connie, and he’s defeated plenty of armed opponents before.
Wiz: Her Total Annihilation spell would just vaporize him instantly, and her Low Self-Esteem Nightmare Dream could make him unstable and force his powers to go into flux, since they function according to his emotions. And it’s likely that Star could forcibly draw out Monster Steven, which would just make him an even larger target for her to hit. Plus, she could calm him down with her Sunshine Friendship spell, so even Monster Steven and the Pink State could be made effectively useless.
Boomstick: Star could essentially shut down anything Steven had, and she’d be more than capable of obliterating him in a single shot, while Steven didn’t have the power necessary to land a fatal blow, nor did he have meaningful counters to Star’s magic. Steven gave it his best shot, but Star’s overwhelming power, speed, versatility, experience and abilities meant that the half-Gem hero just couldn’t keep up. To be crystal clear, Steven just got Starstruck.
Wiz: The winner is Star Butterfly.
Original Track
The track for this fight is called "Stars of the Universe". It refers to both the names of the characters, Star Butterfly, and Steven Universe. Additionally, it also refers to their series name, which includes their names in the title. This being Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and Steven Universe.
The track cover depicts a star leaving rainbow trails in front of a pink gemstone, referencing their abilities and backgrounds.