Steven Universe: Mom Swap AU

Warp Chase

119 days until final report.

It's a stormy day in Ocean Town. Rain poors from the sky as thunder crackles with each bolt of lightening that strikes in the distance.

Steven sits in his house, watching the rain, wondering where Amethyst could be. He knows the gems won't be back for awhile, so he has time to return the contents of his backpack to Lion's mane.

Steven warps to the strawberry field. Lion greets him, as per usual.

"OK Lion," Steven explains, "I can't stay long, I'm just returning some things."

Lion kneels, allowing Steven to put the sword and bubbles into Lion's mane. Steven scratches Lion's chin and gets back on the warp pad.

"See ya Lion," he smiles before warping. Lion goes back to sleep. During the warp, the tape falls out of Steven's pocket and into warp space. "No!" He exclaims, sticking his head out to retrieve it. He grabs the tape, and that's when he notices another warp stream. It's right next to his own, no more than fifteen feet. In it, he can make out a short figure with a sturdy, compact build. Steven recognizes this as Amethyst.

"Hey!" He exclaims.

Amethyst sticks her head out of the stream, and apon seeing Steven, quickly retreats back into the warp.

"Wait!" Steven demands.

Steven leaps from his warp stream and into the other one. He gets into the stream just as the warp ends. He ends up in a purple canyon, foggy, grim, and haunting. Odd machines, broken down and left to rust, are scattered throughout the canyon.

Amethyst leaps back and summons her whip.

"You!" Steven yells, "you're one of them!"

Amethyst doesn't speak, she instead tries to flee. Steven summons his shield and throws it. Amethyst blocks with her whip. Steven gives chase. Amethyst flees as Steven throws his sheild, only to be blocked by Amethyst's whip. She loops back around and warps away.

Steven leaps into the warp before it fully enters warp space. Steven throws his shield at Amethyst mid warp, sending it into the dark abyss of warp space.

"Kid be careful!" Amethyst yells, "if anything leaves a warp, you aren't getting it back!"

"Maybe I should just push you out," Steven replies, Amethyst above him in the warp, "that would teach you to threaten Ocean Town and my friends."

The warp ends, Amethyst falls flat on her face, but quickly gets her footing. Steven immediately recognizes where they are, the strawberry field.

"Lion!" Steven yells.

Lion lets out a roar as he approaches. Amethyst summons two whips.

"Guess it's you or me," she sighs.

Amethyst strikes at Steven, if only in self defense. Steven avoids the first whip and stomps on the other. He then grabs it and pulls Amethyst by it, flipping her over his head and slamming her into the brush.

Amethyst eats a strawberry and gets back up. Lion leaps to Steven's side and summons his sword. Steven grips the blade and attacks Amethyst with a barrage of slashes.

Amethyst avoids each strike, and tries to block with her whips, only for them to be slashes into pieces.

Steven makes one last leap with all his might, in an attempt to finish Amethyst off, but at the last second, Amethyst rolls up into a ball and dashes under Steven, ending up back on the warp.

"Hey," she sighs, "listien, I don't know what you've been told, but I'm not your enemy. When you learn the truth, I recommend you run. Cause if they find out, you'll have no home to go back to. Trust me, I know a bit about that. Goodbye, Steven."

Amethyst warps and is gone before Steven can catch her. Steven sighs.

"We'll get her next time," Steven sighs, returning his sword to Lion's mane.

He decides to warp back home.

The words of the Crystal Gems seem to echo. Bismuth saying he's no better, Garnet and Amethyst saying to learn the truth, all they do is lie and attack.

Steven grips the tape. "I don't get it," he thinks aloud, "if they want me to learn the truth and go to Beach City, why are they so hostile? Am I really any better?"

Steven pockets the tape.

"If course I am," he reassures himself, "after all, unlike them, I don't shatter gems. They have to be stopped, no matter what."

Steven summons his shield and examines it, staring at his own reflection in his weapon.

"And I don't care if I have to face a hundred gems alone," he finishes...