A/N: Okay things have been a little hectic lately, so I'll be taking a break from chapter art work. I will however continue to update. Enjoy the new chapter. :)

___The night before_______

3rd person Pov

~Steven's Dream~

It was a lively party within a fancy ballroom. There were two thrones sitting next to each other in the room one was black and the other was white. Everyone looked happy and cheerful. There were tons of different gems within the room.  All different sizes and colors but two tall gems stood out. One was black and the other was white, their attire was more elegant than the others. Both gems seemed to be royalty among the others. They both had big smiles on their faces. The two seemed very different but they were very close like siblings.  The two were talking to each other. The white figure seemed embarrassed by whatever the black gem had said. 

The black gem smirked at the white gem before clapping his hands, gaining everyone's attention. "Good evening everyone!  I know everyone is super excited and I'm sure you're all aware of why were here already, but let's not forget the beautiful gem that made it happen. Let's give it up for my sister the radiant W---!"  He cheered the last thing he said unclear. Everyone cheered in response making the white gem's blush deepen. 

The black gem laughed at her reaction grabbing her hands. "Don't be so shy W--" He said his last words still unclear. "Come on everyone!" He encouraged spinning with the white gem. Their gems began to glow. The white gems glowing a heavenly white light, while the black gem glowed every color in the rainbow, but then everything turned black. 

"I will always be by your side. May we always...remain united..."

~~

Steven woke up slightly confused by the dream before going back to sleep. He thought nothing of the dream. It was just another weird and random dream.

______________________________

Blare's Pov 

It's only been a couple days since Garnet and I became partners. Things have been going rather smoothly. We were currently enjoying each others company. I liked that our relationship wasn't similar to the start of relationships on tv. It was more relaxed our dynamic hadn't changed so far, the same as always. However now we share the connection of knowing that we care for each other as more than friends. "What are you thinking about?" I opened my eyes to see Garnet standing over me. 

"Nothing really I was just enjoying the comfortable silence, and enjoying the fact that my feelings are returned by you." I answered sitting up.  She smiled sitting next to me. It was an enjoyable silence. By far the most serene moment I've felt in a long time. The feeling of her hands softly stroking my hair and the sizzling of the lava. I could feel what Steven described sleep was taking over. 

That is until we heard a weird noise. I sighed upset that our peace was interrupted. We walked out of Garnet's room to the upper levels of the temple. The noise became louder as we approached the hallway leading to Pearl's room. We stooped at the entrance of her room. Garnet and I made eye contact nodding to each other, before summoning our weapons.  We quietly walked into  Pearl's room. We looked around until we spotted what looked to be the corrupt gem we had been looking for. 

As we got closer it seemed to sense our presence.  Garnet lunged to get it but it slipped away. I ran after it hopping to catch it before it ran into the halls. I threw my sword missing by an inch. "It got away." I said walking in the hall to see a tunnel. "The good thing is it's confined, which means we can catch it." Garnet said standing behind me. I stepped back before motioning to the hole. "Ladies first." I said she smiled at my joke before jumping in. I jumped in after her landing in Amethyst's room.

We walked around but to no avail. "I would suggest splitting up, but we don't know how strong it is." Just as I said that the temple door opened. Garnet! Blare! What are you doing in my room?" Amethyst asked she looked slightly offended that we had entered her personal space. "We saw a corrupted gem. We followed it through the tunnel it dug in the rock." "Yeah right" "Where did it come from?" It's similar to Pearl's description of the creature she saw slinking through the temple." "You saw the slinker!" "I thought we agreed that there was no slinker, and that we weren't going to call it the slinker" Amethyst reminded us trying again to convince us to leave.

"Yes we did but now it's undeniable that the creature exist, and that Steven's name stuck." Garnet said.  "Yes!" Steven cheered. "No! Why don't you just let me look for it." Amethyst suggested. "Because you won't." Garnet stated walking away. "You like to put things off to the side and the problem needs to be addressed quickly." I added turning to follow her. Garnet lifted up a pile of Amethyst's junk finding another tunnel. "How long has this thing been in here?" Steven asked before Amethyst shifted the conversation to their usual antics. 

"Shh quite." Garnet said Amethyst sighed before complying with her wishes. Setting the pile down we both split to look for the corrupt gem in the plethora of junk. It definitely made a home for itself in here and I'm not surprised we didn't know it was here. There's so much junk in here it would be hard to know what's living here. "There!" I turned to see Garnet's gauntlets crash into a pile of junk. "Whoa mama did you get it?!" Amethyst asked. "No." Garnet stated summoning another pair of gauntlets. "It couldn't have gone too far." I said looking at the pile. 

"Ah man I think my favorite round thing was in there." Amethyst complained. "I'll get you a new round thing." Garnet sighed walking away. "Ahhh! This i my stuff your messing with! It's going to get wreaked and I'm going to be the on to wreck it. See that's how it's done ahhh!" I stepped back in shock watching the corrupted gem slither around her like a python. She was pulled into the pile before a chilling poof rang through the room.  "Amethyst got poofed!" Steven yelled. "Slinker!" Garnet yelled looking around the room.

"Garnet...Blare." Steven said walking up to us with Amethyst's gem stone. "Steven remember our body's are only an illusion. Amethyst will be fine." "B-b-b-but Pearl took two whole weeks to come back, Blare took two days, and I already miss Amethyst so much." Steven cried holding her gem tight. "Don't worry she bounces back quite quickly." I said to ease his worries. " She'll be back before you know it." Garnet added and moments after Amethyst began to reform. "Literally." Garnet said watching Amethyst reform. 

We looked at each other both of us equally concerned. She landed but now she had four feet? Steven joked about it but Garnet and I didn't see it as a laughing matter. "That was fast even for you." Garnet said Amethyst frowned her words sinking in. "You should be more careful Amethyst. At least wait 15 minutes." I suggested but she ignored me in favor of joking around with Steven. "Come on we got a Slinker to slink." She said leaving to look for the monster. 

"Garnet?" I called she nodded in response understanding what I meant. "Hey over here." We followed her voice finding another hole in the wall. "Your new form is really interesting." Steven complimented. "Thanks Steven." Amethyst said. "I didn't even no you could come back this different." Steven said amazed by her new form.  "Thanks Steven." "So why did you come back with four legs?" Steven asked. "Because I like walking." Amethyst said annoyed by Steven's comments. 

"Wow I want four legs too." Steven said I frowned at his comment. "No you don't. Amethyst rushed her regeneration she should have taken her time." Garnet said. "It insures that mistakes aren't made. It's safer to put thought into regeneration, it allows you to have time to insure that you don't over work your body." I added. "So like Pearl?" Steven asked. "Yes Pearl put a bit more thought into how she came back." Garnet answered. 

"Pearl! Pearl PEARL! You know I can hear you! I'm sorry I'm not like Pearl with her fancy room and her clean room with no monsters in it." Just as she said that the Slinker fell from the wall dragging her down with it. Another chilling poof ringing through the room the cloud of smoke  spreading everywhere. We ran to the whole jumping down to look for Amethyst. "Amethyst gem! She got poofed again." Steven said walking up to her gemstone.

"This is a good opportunity for her. Now she can make a better form." Garnet said.  "Hopefully with less deformations." I added. However we spoke too soon. Amethyst began to reform again. I turned away from Amethyst leaning into Garnet sighing in frustration, as she expressed her own disappointment in Amethyst's choices. "She's coming back." We sighed in reply. "You're right this is much better." Amethyst said reformed as Pearl. "Ha she's doing Pearl." Steven said. I frowned annoyed by her antics. 

We continued to look for the corrupt gem. Amethyst was trying to gain Garnet's attention. "Hey Garnet, what do you think of my new? I'm more like Pearl now. I feel practically perfect." I rolled my eyes at her. I moved to Garnet's other side to avoid getting smacked by her hair as she twirled. "We need to focus on listening for the creature." Garnet said but she ignored her and started mock Pearl. "Don't encourage her." Garnet and I told Steven walking away, but she continued to strive for Garnet's attention.  Steven was the only one that payed attention to her act. 

"This is getting out of hand she could hurt herself." I said. Garnet looked at me her anger self evident in her posture and mannerisms. Steven continued to ask Amethyst the questions from the quiz, but Steven's request for next reformation set her off. "This is not a good choice for your form." Garnet said attempting to contain her anger. "Lighten up garnet can't you take a joke." Amethyst replied her answer nonchalant as usual. "It's not funny you've made yourself look ridiculous." Garnet seethed I took a step back.  "RIDICULOUS!" Amethyst yelled.  "Keep you'r voice down the creature." Garnet said but Amethyst was too far gone.

 "You wanted me to be more like Pearl and now I am!" She yelled "Pearl would have taken her regeneration seriously." Garnet countered expressing her frustration. "Why do you care my form is my business!" Amethyst yelled. "It's my business when it affects the strength of the team." Garnet yelled. "So what I'm not strong enough! Are you saying I'm weak!" The creature had come back wrapping itself around Amethyst, but she was too focused on her anger to care. 

Steven caught her gem before saying, "Is it weird I'm getting numb to this?" He asked. A moment after Amethyst began to reform but she looked more like a blob, until she started to form and actual body. Steven clung to Garnet scared of this unusual reformation. Her body was now completely proportional. One arm and one leg was muscular bulged in an unnatural way, while the rest of her form looked relatively natural"Okay you know I wasn't feeling this at first, but I might be coming around. You St-man my seams straight?" She asked but Steven looked more uncomfortable than ever.

"Does that new form hurt you?" Steven asked Amethyst frowned. "No. Hey Garnet how would you like to mix it up with this. Just a little something I threw together you now." I frowned at her comment. "This form isn't sustainable Amethyst." Garnet said Amethyst shrunk at her words. "This reckless reformation is dangerous." I added but she wasn't having it. "But Garnet you're the one that said I need to be stronger." She said. The screech of the monster resonated through the room. The sound reminding us of the task at hand."Okay if it's my monster than I'll deal with it." Amethyst said chasing after it. 

We ran after her but eventually lost her. Garnet grabbed Steven jumping to another part of the room. I followed her landing in a cleared area. "Stay behind me." Garnet instructed Steven as she ran off to look for Amethyst. I drew my sword staying close to Steven. Suddenly Amethyst busted from the crystals struggling against the monster. Her movements were fierce as she bested the monster with brute strength. 

"Let it go!" Garnet yelled "No, you wanted me to be stronger. I'm doing it! I'm being what you want!" Amethyst yelled. "I don't want this." Garnet yelled back  much to Amethyst's dismay. "Well what do you want? Just tell me and I'll do that!" Amethyst asked. I frowned at the sudden familiarity of her strive for approval. "I can't tell you Amethyst! You have to figure this out for yourself!" Garnet yelled back.  "She can't... she doesn't want to think about herself." Steven said everything stood still for a second. "What?" Amethyst asked before she was poofed again. 

Garnet and I reacted quickly. She punched the corrupt gem back, while I sliced it in half poofing it. I bubbled the gem while Garnet went to go check on Steven and Amethyst. 

_______________________

We were currently waiting for Amethyst to come back. "I knew that thing was real. It's a good thing we finally caught it." Pearl said walking over to Steven. "How long has it been. "Four hours." Steven answered. "Four hours she's never taken so long. What is she doing in there?" Pearl asked in disbelief "I'm not sure I was to hard on her." Garnet said.  "I could have worded my remarks a little softer as well." I said thinking back to her moments of insecurity. 

"Oh she's coming back. Alright everyone be supportive." Steven said stepping back. When she finished she looked better than ever.  Her choice of darker colors was very fitting if I do say so myself. "What?" She said playing it cool as usual. "Aww you barely changed." Steven whined. "Steven." Pearl reprimanded.  Garnet walked up to her, and I followed behind her to further admire her new form. "It's perfect."Garnet said after a while. "Ehh whateves it's just what feels right." Amethyst answered. "That's why it's perfect."Garnet clarified. 

"An wonderful color selection." I complemented smiling. "It is a fine improvement. You finally fixed that shoulder strap that's always bugged me." Pearl added. "Welcome back." Steven said starting a group hug. "Well done Amethyst." Pearl said joining in Garnet and I joining soon after. "Knock it off we gotta go find the Slinker." Amethyst protested. "That's already been taken care of." I said. "It's hug time." Steven said. "Uhh this is so dumb." She whined but we all knew she loved it.