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Chapter 151 - Chapter 137: One Cluster of a Problem

Summary:

A large large problem

Amethyst watched as the two of them tumbled to the ground. "How long has it been now?" She asked.

"Two hours." Vee said. "Two hours of them trying to fuse through dance."

"I thought it was just getting on the same wavelength to fuse?" Gus asked.

"It is." Garnet nodded. "Dancing is mostly a bit of a crutch to help those with differing mindsets. Like Spinel's, who's unfocused and refuses to take anything but games seriously, and Lucci, who's too focused on what Belos is doing at the moment and how little time we have left."

"We are fortunate that the trip to the core itself will take most of the day for Belos to drill through." Pearl groaned. "I still say this is a rather foolish endeavor."

Spinel just twirled Lucci around endlessly while they fumbled to the ground again. "Okay, I'm pretty sure dancing is the problem here." Lucci said, shaking his head. "I've never needed to dance to activate fusion before, and this is just giving me a headache."

"Well then why not get on the same page." Luz said. "Because as much as you like each other-" A glare from Boscha. "As friends … you don't see eye to eye all the time."

"What's there to not see eye to eye about?" Spinel asked, putting a stretched out eye next to Lucci. "First one to the center of the earth wins!"

"Like that. It's like you and Hooty. You like him…for some inexplicable reason…." Willow shuddered. "But you don't always listen to him, right?"

"Not all the time. Sometimes I have to stop him from eating too much garbage, stop him from dragging blood and guts into the house, stop him from thinking that mushrooms are in love with him.." Lucci paused. "Okay, I see what you mean."

"So either you need to think like her, or she needs to think like you." Hunter said. "... I think the former's easier given the apparent … insanity."

"Hey, she's not insane." Lucci argued.

"Yeah, it's perfectly sane to spend six thousand years waiting on a planet for your bestest friend with no one else around but the voices in your head!" Spinel defended.

"...Alright, just give me a moment to uncomplicate the situation in my mind." Lucci shook his head, turning to Boscha. "Angel, I'm going to save this planet, but just in case something goes wrong…" He pulled her into a dip, and gave her one big, deep, and sloppy kiss, with lots of tongue.

"Wow …" Amethyst turned to Vee. "So did you and Masha do any of that recently?"

"Amethyst!"

"Right, sorry … Did you and Connie do any of that recently?" She corrected.

"Uggggh." The basilisk blushed, turning away.

"Mmmmgmgmgmgmghhh…" Boscha let out moans of pleasure, lifting her leg up high as Lucci ended it. "Ughghghgmghg…." The three eyed girl gave off a dopey, relaxed smile of pure delight. "Aghghahghgg…"

"... We've taught him well." Luz nodded, staring at the dazed witch.

"Okay Spinel … lets play a game!" Lucci shouted in a hyper happy tone..

"Yippe!" The pink gem screamed in joy.

"It's called save the world from the sludge!" He exclaimed in joy. "We gotta reach the cluster before the sludge does. The first one to break wins, but we gotta do it as a team!"

"Yay, me and my second bestest best friend in the whole universe on the same team! Lets go!" The joined hands this time, spinning around and laughing together, as finally their gems glowed simultaneously in a bright light.

Once the flash ended, they finally got a good look at what the fusion looked like. Their hair was now black and pink, curved upward, shaped like devil horns. Their body followed a similar pattern, being half black and half pink with fur, and a fox-like tail in the back of them.

"So … what do you think they'll call themselves?" Gus asked.

"We'd probably just call it whatever a Spinel and a Rose Quartz make when they mash together." Amethyst noted. "Like me and Lucci would be Smokey Quartz. Him and P would be Rainbow Quartz. Him and Garnet would be Sunstone."

"... Gems aren't very creative with names, are they?" Amity asked with a sigh. "... They've been standing still for a bit, are they alright?"

The fusion looked at them slowly … before smiling so wide their mouth stretched out beyond their face. " Gooooooooooooooood Morning Gravesfield! " They shouted, their voice sounding like it was going through a radio, stretching up to the sky with a laugh. "What lovely day it is, lovely like a desert rose~" They spun themselves around, coiling their legs as they stretched themselves upwards and uncoiling, floating down gently like a helicopter. "Howdaya do, good friennnnnds~?" The fusion sung out.

"Doing well…" Luz said hesitantly. "How about you….um.."

"Didn't you hear my name before? I pretty sure i made it loud in clear." The formed their hand into a radio with a mouth. " Testing, testing, is this thing on?"

" Pretty sure, I heard you loud and clear!" The hand radio laughed.

" Well for those that didn't hear me, I am the lovely and vibrant Desert Rose! And I'm as happy as sunshine and puppies!"

"Nice to meet you … Desert …" Hunter greeted them.

"You too, dear old Hunter. Say, what's that on your shirt?" They stretched out a finger.

"My wha-" The kid looked down and got a flick on the nose for it.

" Hah, made you look! Hey, don't you look so glum, chum, I say, I say, don't you look so sour. That's what we call, I say, I say, a practical joke."They answered with a rooster head.

"Okay, suddenly all those hours they spent watching Looney tunes is suddenly looking like a bad idea." Luz groaned. "So, Desert, wasn't there a…special game that you were supposed to get to play?

"Just a minute, I wanna play a short game real quick." The fusion said, playing ping pong with both hands. "I'm winning!"

"... They inherited both sides' lack of focus." Willow deadpanned. "We're fucked." Mildly putting it.

"Listen Desert Rose!" Pearl shouted. "You need to go down there and-"

"And you need to lighten up!" They grabbed her by the legs, swinging her around. "You know the saying, float like a butterfly, fly like a very annoying bee!" They swung the woman far far away into the distance.

"Bzz." A bee on Willow's shoulder protested … a strange life they lived.

"Fine, fine, dear clover, I'm not one to argue with such intelligent individuals." They bounced on their tail like a pogo stick. " And a one, and a two, and away we go!" They jumped into the hole.

"... So you think they can do it?" Lapis asked.

"Yeah … we may want to fix up the Galaxy Warp." Garnet admitted.

"Aghghghah." Boscha was still dazed and dopey looking.

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AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! That had been going on for a whole, two, HOURS! AAAAHHHHHHHH!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  When will this infernal hell END!? You're the one that absorbed her. This is all on you bub. Just like last time. So tiny, have a name?AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Bit uninspired, but I can work with that.AAAAAAHHHHHH!!

Will you quiet yourself, woman!? LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT OF THIS DISGUSTING LANDSCAPE OF BEING STUCK TO ANOTHER LIVING BEING! I AM NOT GOING THROUGH ANOTHER FORCED FUSION AGAIN! Well you don't get a choice in the matter. So stay quiet and let him do his job. You're a very inconsistent one. What's the point of making the world aware if you're just gonna kill it? Do you even know your own motivation anymore? 

I'm perfectly aware of what I am doing. My main goal is to save humanity from its own destruction. The acceptance and compromises they have made are far too deep and setting. With the power of this 'Cluster' within me, I can force Humanity to see the error of it's way. Or destroy it in the process. That is a price I am willing to pay. And if the earth falls….then I continue out on my quest, and eliminate ALL inhuman cultures. You do realize that there're as many civilizations in the universe as there are stars in the sky.

Then it will be a long and prosperous- LET ME OUT OF THIS THING! AAAAHHHH!!! ENOUGH! Your gem has been absorbed! Everything that has made you special is now within my being. You don't exist anywhere else aside from your consciousness. UNABSORB MY GEM FROM ITS BASE COMPONENTS YOU CLOD! Hah, I don't even care that I'm getting a headache now, the fact you're suffering is more than enough for me to be content.

I demand you let me out of this infernal form! Or at the very least let me drive! If it was up to me, every gem would be shattered and I'd laugh over their shards. Unfortunately, more important matters must be attended to, so I am forced to disgrace myself with your presence. You really are nothing but a hypocrite, you know that right?  What I am is a man that has forced himself to the brink to purify the world he loves. And sometimes the best way to love something is to destroy it completely. Oh snorsehit, you don't know how to love. Not even when you were still human. The only thing that exists in you is bitter, black, hatred.

CAN IT! I am the one in control, and I'm the one who will absorb the cluster and control- wait a minute, I just started paying attention to your feeble conversation. It was NOT feeble you ignorant oaf! You want to absorbthe Cluster?

That is my intention. I sustain enough power for myself to keep my form and to destroy all you impure demons of the sky. That is a HORRIBLE idea!To your feeble mind, but the raw power-The Cluster is made of up millions of gem shards! We'd all be lost under an ever shifting sea of insanity and mayhem as we're unable to process our own names!… And you get this annoyed from just the two of us. You're brain's about to be torn to shreds. I assure you my will is stronger than the common man's. You're completely delusional.

THIS NIGHTMARE JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS!?!?

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Form. Form. Form. Form. Form. Form. Form. Form. FORM. FORM. FORM! FORM! Must form. Let us form. Please form. FORM! FORM! FOOORRRRMMMMM!!!! Why couldn't they form, they needed to form, form form form fromforomfoformform

Rumble. Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble Earth, moving, rocks, falling, world shaking, need to form NEED TO FORMneed to formFOOOOOOORRRRRRRRM

The sky broke as things fell, metal clashing down onto them. Curious. Ignorant. Unknown. Danger . Fleee . Form. 

"So this is the so-called 'Cluster"." Creature coming out. Not gem. Friend?Enemy? "So much trouble for what amounts to one oversized rock in the long run." The creature slithered out of the metal, reaching out to them. "So much power … with that many shards I'll be able to sustain myself for a century at least." They touched them.

Strange. Friend? Foe? Connection. Form. FORM! FORM! FORM! The thing pulled away with a noise. "So many voices … oh shut it you." Connection in head? Lonely. Form. FORM! F orm Form FORMFORMFORM!

"Agh, shut up, shut up all of you!" Creature growled, flinching their head. Rude. Rude. Annoying. Hurtful. REJECT! REJECT! They punched itsqueezed it tore it.

"No, no, no! You will not reject me! I am Philip Witabane!" Creature shouted as he lost control of his grip. "I am the savior of humanity, and you will listen to me!

We are … Lapi- Jaspe- Ameth- Rub- Emer- Peri- Topa- Nepheri- -Unknown-

"I do not care what you are! You will do as I say!"

We want … FORM FORM FORM FORM! They threw thing to wall, they screamed and dancedas they began to emerge.

"Ladies and gentlemen, men, boys and gems alone. I don't know if you can see what I'm seeing, but what it is is amazing. Right before us is the sight of the universe's most pathetic pile of snot getting his butt walloped by a giant rock!" New pink creature came. Funny creature. Friend?

"Oh I do NOT need this right now!" Thing/ Rude one shouted, grabbing pink thing. "I should have shattered you when I had the chance!

" Pfft, like you have the know how to shatter a pebble, let alone little ole me!" Pink thing went thin, slipping out of rude creatures traps like water and battered them in the air. " Jibbity jabbity hoppity hop! I'm going to beat yah back until you pop!" They kept hitting the rude one with hands in the shape of clubs.

"Enough!" The thing/ Rude one hit back with hammers/ Blunt weapons. "I will not be beaten by a child!!"

" Rude; I am not a child, I identify as fun." They skipped around, slithering around the hammers like a snake/ Slitery organic and pushing the rude one into another wall. "The best thing about a Desert Rose, is that I'm the only one!"

Desert Rose? Desert Rose.Gem like us. Gem like us! Gem like us! We meet when we form! Form! Form! FORM!

"Whoa, what's with all the voices? Hello, hellos, is this radio broken?" They messed with their shifted hands.

Hello. Hi there. Nice to meet you. Greetings. Highya. Hello.

"Well, aren't you a lovely audience? A pleasure to meet you all!"

A hammer was sent into them by the rude one. "Maybe you should focus on your own-"

Annoying! We were talking! Leave alone! They swung, hit, hurt them.

"Finally, a lovely audience with some good taste. Been a while since I've met one of them."

The earth trembled as they kept pushing forward. Cramped. Need room. Break it all.

" Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's the rush? Why do you need to form?"

Form. Form. Form. Lonely. See everyone. Fix selves. Make everything whole. Broken.

Rude one touched them again. "I will make you submit, one way or another!"

" Hey, you don't have their consent, so back the fuck off!"Pink one's arms spun around and whacked the rude one into a goopy puddle.

Form. Form. Form! The world began to break apart. Soon … they would emerge.

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Desert Rose found themselves in a bit of a pickle. Taking care of that slimey loser Belos wasn't that big of a problem as much as their current audience was. So many voices…They sound so broken…but so whole at the same time. So many new friends! Let's help them come out so we can play! Spinel, if they come out, the planet will get destroyed and we won't be able to play games here anymore? But isn't your greatest wish to leave this planet? Yes, but if earth's gone, then I lose my way home.Oh … then no, don't form.

FORM! WANT FORM! WANT TO FORM! TRYING TO STOP US! LET US FIX US! FORM! FORM! FORM!

" Whoa, hey, calm down, I'm sure we can figure something out-hey, I'm busy having a conversation here!" Desert moldy the goopy Belos and threw him into his own drill. " You're going to have to wait in line, mister number million and one!"

"Like I am giving you the chance to do as you please!" Belos shouted as the earth continued to crumble, grabbing their arm and swinging them around like a whip against the earth. "Either I absorb the cluster or it erupts on its own and I take it over after! I win either way, Clawthore!"

He thinks he can absorb something this big after-what the ever fucking Titan is he smoking to think he can do that!?Well he did absorb greenie, maybe all those brains he sucked inflated his ego. "Again? I've been very loud and clear about this, I am Desert Rose. Sheesh, this is why you suck as an emperor." They planted themselves into their wall and bashed Belos against the drill point.

"I say it because I know only oneof the people in that broken brain of yours has the sanity to understand my threat!" Right, sanity, because that was what Boolus had-SPEAR!

"Whoa, miss me, miss me, don't you dare try to kiss me!" Desert danced around the goopy weapon; punching Belos in the face several times. " Like seriously, don't you dare, you're super old, who knows where you've been, aside from up your own ass." We gotta get him off our backs for a while until we deal with the cluster. Any ideas? Oh, let's play the floor is lava, with real lava! It's all over the place, right?

Alright, time to play! They began making spoons, scooping up the liquid rock. "How about some hot soup, good sir!" Desert shouted as they threw the liquid.

"Gaaaaaah!" Holes in the monsters body began forming as he attempted to avoid them. "You can't keep this up forever Clawthorne! I'll reach the Cluster eventually, and you'll eventually have to defuse!"

"We're well aware…which is why we're going to hate this next part." Forming their own hands into a drill, they glowed bright pink, and aimed it at the cluster. You ready for this? No. I don't mind killing people…but they seem like someone I would be friends with….someone I want to be friends with. Shaking their heads, they charged at the cluster, and hit it head on.

Pain pain pain PAIN pain danger danger danger danger danger 

Desert Rose couldn't tell what was worse. The pain they felt or the lack of damage they were doing. Needs … more … power … They began glowing brighter as the drill spinned faster and faster, visible sparks and small pieces of crystal shaving off.

FORM! WILL FORM! NO STOP! LET US FIX! Arms began to grow and thrash around violently. PLEASE! STOOOOOP!!!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggh!" The screams began to shout louder and louder in their heads as every strike only added to their stress and frustration; ironically fueling their power even more as they dug deeper into the core of the cluster.

Hey, goopy man is walking back!"Sugar … help me … give it …. EVERYTHING!" They could hear the gem in their stomach hum, their body almost vibrating with power and sparks.

"It's over Clawthorne! This is where you end-"

"WOULD You…SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!?????????!!!!!!!"  They screamed at once, making lava spill all over the place as they sent very deep and large cracks into the cluster. "THIS ISN'T!" They sent both their hands with sugar in them through the cracks and began spinning them rapidly with Sugar in buzzsaw mode, destroying it from the inside. " ABOUT!"   More cracks were made: "USSSSSSSSSS!"

PAIN! HURT! INJURY! SHATTER! NO MORE! ALREADY BROKEN!!

They wanted to stop, every part of their body, mind, and soul wanted to stop and let them be, to let the cluster live its life however it wanted…but that wasn't possible. Even if they convinced it to not form, Belos was too much of a danger.

Creak

Creak

This was the only way.

Crack 

Crack

We don't have a choice.

Craack

"I'm sorry..I'm sorry.." They cried. " I'm sorry I can't save you."

KaaaaaaaaaaCRAAAAAAAACK!

A massive shockwave was made as they stuck the final blow. The fused shards fell to pieces, too small to be probably put together as they flew everywhere. I'm sorry… I'm sorry."YOU TROUBLESOME BRAT!"And they didn't even have the energy to stay together as they were knocked aside.

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Spinel rolled to the ground, her head spinning from Desert. "So much fun … so many stars …" Fusion was weird.

"Time and time again!"She could hear shouting along with the sound of flesh against flesh. "I should have just ended you when we met, ego and reputation be damned! I will NOT make that mistake again!"

She looked up to see an exhausted Lucci getting hit over and over by that goopy guy. "You've said…that before…too. Face it Belos…you have no real plan. The draining spell was your magnum opus, and now it's gone. You failed. You're just one big loser."

Smack

Lucci was hit again. "You're right about one thing. I don't have a plan … which means I have no reason to prolong this any further!"They shouted as they grabbed on Lucci's stomach, squeezing on his gem. "No more regeneration, I'll break you at the source."

"Bismuth couldn't hope to do it, what do you have- aaaaggfffh!"

"I can rip it out of you and absorb it like I did the rainbow devil. Your gem may be unbreakable, but your flesh isn't!"Blade formed from the goopy hands, and passed through Lucci's body. "Your mother gave me immortality, now you will give me your life!"

" Back offff!" Lucci cried out a destructive shout that devastated everything around them and sent goopy man back just a little, a destructive shout that felt so familiar, along with some pink…. diamond shaped puipils..

"Pink…" Spinel wistfully whispered, thinking back on it. Lucci came to Pink's garden…had anger similar to Pink…floated like pink….shouted like pink…glowed like pink…

"Gah … that … was rough-" Lucci was cut off by a hand on his mouth.

"Yes, you shattered the Cluster. But that took EVERYTHING, didn't it!? From that psychotic gem, to that wretched palisman … to yooouuu."They spoke, continuing to wrap their mud around him.

Lucci … was Pink … they came back in some strange, new game …

"Ghfhfhshsjshdh…" Luc-pin-Lucc-pink-whoever this was, choked as they goop filled his mouth

"So much for last words."The monster growled … hurting her friend.

The friend that got them out of the garden…

The friend that let her try new things everyday…

The friend that never got mad at her when she won a game…

The friend that never abandoned her even when everyone else was saying to get rid of her…

Lucci….Lucci was her friend..:not pink…Lucci.

"Hey, Sludeball!" Spinel took out her rejuvenator, and charged at the mushy monster. "Try to get some other friends! Lucci is mine!"

Sling!

" Aaaaaaaagggggghh!"  The monster began to spark with pink electricity. " What…what did you just do to me!?"

"I reset you!" She shouted. "Have fun relearning how to walk!"

"Iii aaaaaaaaaa?!" They screamed, shaking about even as the world around them caved in and crumbled, continuously filling with lava.

"Come on Bestest best friend! We got a cave in to escape!" She grabbed the boy in her hands.

"Right …" They raised up their hand, making a tiny bubble … which popped. "Can't make a bubble … can't fuse …"

"Don't fret! Spinel is going to do all the hard work! It's the least I can do!" She looked at the drill. "And I think I have both a fun and efficient way to do so." Shouldn't be any harder than driving the injector.Right?

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Lucci felt like he'd been dragging around Hooty for five hours. His entire body was in constant agony, begging for the sweet release of death as he was healing. The heat, fusion, and fight with Belos really burned him out, so it would be a while before he felt one hundred percent again.

Then again, that was probably due to Spinel's crazy driving with the drill. She went in every direction that wasn't just straight up. If he wasn't badly burned and bruised, he might've found this fun.

"So … we shattered them …"

"Yep …" The gem nodded, not a lot of mirth in her voice. "And we left Boolus to rot."

"I doubt it. He'll probably claw his way out … somehow." The man had survived worse before. The man was like a witch sized cockroach. Never died when you wanted it to.

"Then it probably won't be for a while. My rejuvenator did something to him, so it'll probably take a long minute for him to recover." That was one plus he guessed. "So….you going to tell me how you have pink's gem?"

There was a minute or two of silence. "… You know?"

"Now I do. Bits and pieces were there: it wasn't until I saw the diamond eyes that it all clicked.

Another, smaller silence. "And you don't think I'm her?"

"Nah. You act too differently than her in spite of the big similarities." …That was something to file away for later.

Lucci did his best to turn his head to her, seeing her empty gaze. "… She was my womb donner."

"… What does that mean?"

"That I'm her biological kid." He responded.

"What does that mean?"

Okay, how was he going to explain this? "You know how gems are made? When injectors plant rocks into the ground?"

"Doy. That's simple."

"Well…organics make other organics when two people plant trees together. Pink and my sperm donor Greg universe planted a tree together to make me…and to plant the tree…she gave me her gem, and now it's mine."

"Alright …." They nodded. "Sounds weird, but fun."

He looked at Spinel. "You're….You're not mad?"

"Not at all…okay I'm furious with pink.,.but…not with you." She wrapped him up in her arms and hugged him. "You did the one thing Pink never did...take me outside the garden and let me live . You, Lucci, are my bestest best friend. And pink….Pink Diamond is a bitch!"

"Yeah she is!" He agreed. "You wouldn't believe all the problems she dumped onto me, it's annoying. I know for a fact she's a bitch and I haven't even met her!"

"And she was such a child too! Never let me win a single game, not even once!" She rolled her eyes. 

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say something like that." Guess Lucci helped one gem after all….still felt guilty about the cluster though. "Wait, if you're hugging me…then who whose driving?"

"The drill can drive itself, right?" She asked.

"No, I don't think it can." 

"Then no one is." The moment she said that, the drill went into a loopy loop fashion. "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"I'm going to be sick!" He held in a gag reflex as the drill finally made it topside, crashing into its side, allowing him to fall on the grass. "Ugh….I am not doing that again." Someone else could deal with a drill to the center of the earth.

" Lucci!" He was suddenly picked up and surrounded by the entire group, being hugged by Luz and Boscha respectively.

"You did it, you actually did it!" Willow exclaimed.

"Yep … side note … I feel nothing but agony … ow." He winced. "The hugging is only aggravating it."

"Right, sorry." Luz pulled back as one stepped away. "Had me worried there for a second, but, guess that planet shattering strength came in handy."

"Right….handy…" He winced. "I…the cluster…there was so many voices coming from it. Every strike I felt them cry out in pain."

"I've been there." Gus nodded. "It had to be done though, otherwise Belos would have …"

"I know, it doesn't make it any easier to deal with…" He sighed, falling on his face. "Take me to the cabin. I'm going to sleep off my injuries." And the nightmares.

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