"Let's make sure the Kindergarten isn't hiding any more 'surprises.'"

It started out as a simple-enough mission.

They always do.

"It's hurting television."

"I've located the beetles of Heaven and Earth."

"Peridot's got nothing we can't handle..."

"Those were just the desperate lies of a Gem who's been caught."

"Alright. Let's put an end to this."

Then it goes sideways. Garnet had come to expect and accept this years ago. Having Future Vision usually helps.

Until today, that is. No one, not even Garnet, could anticipate what would happen in the womb of the Prime Kindergarten.

It began with an offhand comment by Peridot one morning, when she and Lapis were visiting to watch some of Steven's shows - Lonely Blade had founded a magical sword that was designed by his enemies, crafted to absorb the life-force of slain opponents and grow stronger in power.

"Please," she sneered in that nasally drawl. "Such weaponry is elementary. I bet Yellow Diamond wouldn't even use that to pick her teeth! Now the Prime Kindergarten, that hasmere prototypes of weaponry that would send this isolated cutlery humanoid running!"

"Heh, I bet!" Steven agreed, half-listening to her ramblings.

But Garnet heard. She was laid across the sofa downstairs, wary gaze hidden behind her visor. She didn't need to be reminded of the last weapon the Diamonds had left behind in the Kindergarten. Her Future Vision uncertain, Garnet rounded up the Crystal Gems to do some exploring in the Kindergarten's underground labyrinth.

"What are you expecting?" Pearl wondered upon warping in. The Kindergarten was as still as the grave, and just as quiet too.

Though inside Garnet was on her guard for what they might find, to her teammates she merely said, "Anything to give us an edge against the Diamonds."

That was her gravest mistake.

It was because of this that Steven and Amethyst had founded a machine, and rather than return to their teammates, their curiosity and eagerness to please Garnet led to the thoughtless decision of pressing a hand to the control panel. The dark chamber filled with an intense blue light, completely unlike the typical greens of Homeworld's tech circulating the Kindergarten's sub-levels and rendering their skin and clothing an intense cobalt hue.

The machine's rousing moans echoed forlorn down the tunnel, alerting Pearl and Garnet, who saw its light beamed brilliantly out through the doorway. They made a dash for the room, and froze on the spot when the machine snapped its massive gaze to them.

"What... is that?" Pearl hissed, her trident gripped tight. Then stiffly, "What did you two do?"

Despite the situation, Amethyst hastily accused, "It was Steven!"

"Yeah, it was!" he worriedly agreed, bringing himself to the machine's attention and Pearl's instantaneous embrace. "It looks like a Red-Eye," he said, peering through her protective arms. He smiled. "But it's blue. I'll call it a Blue-Eye!"

"Creativity ain't your middle name, little guy," Amethyst chuckled. The Blue-Eye roved towards her, making her jump slightly at its abrupt motion. "Alright, that thing's really freaking me out."

Pearl turned to Garnet, still hugging Steven. "What do you think this is?"

The Fusion shrugged. "No idea. Not sure if it's even capable of harm. Doesn't seem so." She rose both hands to the eyeball, its monstrous glare whizzing between the two before locking firmly onto her face.

And it did nothing. Garnet lowered her hands, humming.

Indeed, it was more or less a massive blue eyeball stuck in the wall, staring unblinkingly at the Crystal Gems. Only its gaze snapped to whoever made a move towards it, but nothing more beyond just that. They all looked to one another, uncertain, but it was clear that this thing had no obvious means of attacking them.

It was just really, really unsettling.

"Whelp!" Amethyst announced, grabbing everyone's including the Blue Eye's attention. "This thing's stared at me for long enough. I am O-U-T, out!" She made for the exit.

Pearl squawked after her. "A-Amethyst, get back here and help us destroy this thing!"

"Hey, Amethyst! Wait up!" Steven cried, wriggling out of Pearl's grasp. As he did, his shirt rode up his stomach, baring his quartz-stone to the gaze of the Blue Eye.

The door very nearly slammed shut on Amethyst's toes. "Hey!" She whirled around. "What's the big idea?!"

Her question was quite rhetoric, at least it was in her mind - which is why Amethyst went rigid with fright, as did her fellow Gems, when a booming, guttural voice echoed in the chamber of blue light.

"GEMSTONE PRINTS TAKEN. ASSESSING... ASSESSING..."

The Crystal Gems huddled together, weapons at the ready, their eyes trained on the massive one that no longer focused on them, merely the space adjacent to the wall. This only served to unnerve them further.

"CONVERTING ORGANIC MATERIAL INTO COMPACT FORMS. LOADING... WARNING: MULTIPLE FIGURES WITHIN CONSTRUCT POWER SUPPLIES DETECTED. DIRECT SCANS REQUIRED. PLEASE STAND STILL."

It acted too fast for anyone, even Garnet's Future Vision, to evade. From its massive hexagonal pupil, four, no, five arcs of electricity shot forth, swerving directly into each gemstone on their persons. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl and Steven all twisted and cried, their bodies surging with energy sprouting from their gems. The pain was boiling, their forms feeling like they should have poofed from the agony alone but the Eye, whatever it was doing, prevented them from doing so.

It soon released them all, near as quickly as soon as the torture began, and the four collapsed on top of one another in sweaty heaps, panting like dogs. Exhaustion quickly overcame the Crystal Gems, Amethyst and Garnet fighting to keep their eyes open but ultimately failing.

The last thing any of them heard was the Blue-Eye.

"GEMSTONES READ. PERSONALITIES SAVED. COPYING."

"ENJOY YOUR ARMY, MY DIAMOND."

Fusion Family

by TheOneAndOnly1993

Prologue

The first thing Steven noticed as he came to was a familiar wind brushing against his face - dry and dusty and cold and odorless.

He was back outside, in the Kindergarten.

This realization was quickly overridden by something more important. "Guys?" he called out shakily, rubbing his eyes. "Is everybody okay?" Steven pushed himself up, ignoring his own pain in his stomach as his vision slowly adjusted to being outside again. The land before him was grey and lifeless, not a soul to be found.

"Am I dead?" he wondered. The wind responded. Steven found this place infinitely creepier when he was alone. "Amethyst, come out! This isn't funny!"

He flinched when a hand suddenly touched his shoulder.

He froze, however, when the owner spoke.

"Steven..."

The boy went rigid; this voice, it sounded a lot like Connie's, but distinctly older and... and eerily familiar.

He couldn't stand the mystery any longer; Steven whirled around, and jumped back almost a full foot at who it was. "S-Stevonnie?!" His voice even cracked, he was so surprised.

Indeed, there they were, or perhaps in this case, she? For he was here, and Connie Maheswaran was there, somewhere not here. This is impossible! cried the logical part of his brain.

Yet the half-human, half-human-half-Gem Fusion was physically there, at eye-level with him on one knee, hand still awkwardly stretched out. She looked exactly as he remembered her: tall, fair-skinned, with jean shorts and a red crop-top revealing a rose quartz, his signature star on the front. Her hair was wild and dark, eyes alive with energy as she mirrored his gaping-stare.

Steven reacted the only way he knew how.

"This is a-may-zing!" he cried as he leapt into the Fusion's unsuspecting arms.

Stevonnie almost fell back with a yelp, but she caught her balance and reciprocated Steven's embrace just as fiercely. "Hey there, little guy! You're definitely taking this, well, exactly how I thought you would, actually." She chuckled, squeezing him tighter.

Steven breathed deep, and let it out in a sigh - Stevonnie's arms were strong and warm, and her scent burned his nostrils with the odors of seafoam and sweat.

Yep, definitely Stevonnie.

He pulled away, hands resting on her forearms. "Oh my gosh, Stevonnie! How are you here?!" The boy went rigid, and for just a moment he was staring off into space. "Oh no, does this mean I poofed? Am I inside my Gem?" He pulled further from Stevonnie, though kept one hand still resting on her wrist, and observed the dreary, hole-riddled cavern enclosing them. "Thought it'd be a lot pinker."

Stevonnie's eyes shut whenever she chuckled. "Believe me, you're not poofed. I'm real, and I'm here!"

The boy snapped his fingers. "Aha! That explains it!"

"What does?"

Steven placed both hands on his hips and proudly announced, "Either this is a dream, or I'm koo-koo bananas!"

The reply was a deep laugh and a hand flattening the curls of his head. "I assure you that neither of those are true," she said quite matter-of-factly.

The boy rubbed his chin quizzically while he hummed. "Well," he began, rocking on his heels, "if you're the real Stevonnie, the really-real Stevonnie, then... show me your weapon!"

The Fusion put on a face of surprise, but quickly relaxed. "Okay!" She nodded. Stevonnie stood up, brushing the dust off her knees, and took a stance. In a flash of light, a pink roundshield appeared on her wrist, emblazoned with Rose's standard. Stevonnie looked quite determined and, dare Steven say, totally awesome! Except something was missing, and she seemed to notice it, too.

Stevonnie brought her legs together, and rubbed the back of her head abashedly with an accompanying blush. "It looks kinda silly without the sword, I know. But I, I mean, you, kinda left it... with... Lion."

He nodded, pursing his lips. "Impressive, impressive. But anybody can summon my shield!"

Confusion flashed across Stevonnie's face. With a laugh she meekly began, "Uh, Steven, I don't think-"

"SO answer me this: who did we fight that one time with Amethyst?" He leaned forward expectantly, hands on his hips.

Stevonnie playfully rolled her eyes. "Pssht, that's easy! It was Jasper, and her two corrupted Quartz-Gems." She sighed at the memory. "Hah, we really whooped her butt. Good times, right Steven?"

The boy agreed, though he failed to revel in the nostalgia as his Fusion had. She seemed to have noticed this, and adopted a look of puzzlement. "You alright?"

"Yeah, that time was just kinda scary for me. I think your Connie is showing." Stevonnie started laughing, a blush on her face, yet as soon as those words left his mouth a thought overpowered all others in Steven's mind. "Wait, Stevonnie, something's wrong!" he suddenly cried, making the Fusion jump back.

In fact, she looked completely terrified. "Wha-What!? Steven, what's wrong?! Are you feeling okay?!" In an instant she was on both knees, hands gripping the boys shoulders tight. Her eyes were wild with fear.

He was so taken aback by this reaction that Steven was momentarily at a loss for words.

This didn't help calm Stevonnie in the slightest, and in that instant she was at the rave once again, being cornered by Kevin, all alone. Tears welled in her eyes. "Steven?!" she cried, shaking the boy.

Steven rattled his head, reentering reality - the reality where one of his Fusions, Stevonnie, was right there in front of him, shaking him with her warm hands, screaming his name in a voice with such emotion that only a big sister could muster.

"Ah! Stevonnie!"

Stevonnie wiped her eyes with the heel of her palm. "Oh thank God, Steven! Don't you dare scare me like that! I thought the Blue-Eye might have left some lingering side effects."

"I'm sorry! It's just... well..." Steven couldn't find the words quick enough for Stevonnie's liking, as he knew how easy it was for her to get stressed. So he just came right out and said it: "How are you existing right now?!"

"Uh-"

"Is Connie in there too? If you poofed, will there be another Steven?! Because let me tell you, I don't wanna have to deal with that again!"

"Steven."

Somehow, the calm, strong tone of Stevonnie ceased the flood of words tumbling from Steven's mouth, to where he could now only look to her with hopelessly confused eyes.

Gently, Stevonnie grabbed his little hand in her's, and in one fluid motion she stood up. "It'll be better if I let the others explain."

They started walking through the Kindergarten, and it was then that Steven asked, "Others?"

I am aware that canonically, Stevonnie is referred to with "they" pronouns. Because Stevonnie is a singular entity in this story, they will be treated as such and referred to as female like any other Gem.