Steven Alternativerse

More Answers, More Questions (Lion 4: Alternate Ending)

Outside, late at night in Beach City, a pink portal opens opens up, allowing a lion with a similar hue to jump out into the area. Steven dismounts from the beast as it walks away from where the portal was. Steven's right eye twitches as he frowns. "This is...near Beach City?"

Steven turns to his lion for a moment, critical of their arrival. "Lion, are you sure this is the right-!" Steven hears a guitar play in the distance as he stops and turns towards the direction in which the tune plays. "Nora." He darts up the hill, panting as the tune grows louder and louder in his ears.

He finally stops, taking a quick step back as he spots a big figure with long, flowing brown hair in front of him. He narrows his eyes as Greg turns around, plucking his fingers against a couple more strings before looking up at his son with a smile. "Oh, hey shtooball!"

Steven widens his eyes as his limbs drop before him. "DAD?! You're Nora?!" Greg frowns, raising an eyebrow from Steven's response. "Who?" Steven marches up the hill as a hint of disbelief escapes his mouth. "What are you doing here?"

Greg smiles as he looks over at his guitar. "Getting some songs figured out! Aw, this is sort of my jamming hill! It used to be a tree by the warehouse, but a seventh grader with a flu muscled me out." Steven narrows his eyes, looking down at the grass beneath him. "Uh, yeah."

He sighs as Greg looks back at Steven. "You okay?" Steven looks behind him before he holds out the white tape with the small rainbow crossing through its cover that he received in the desert out to his dad. Greg widens his eyes with a half smile crossing into his lips. "Oh my gosh!"

He takes the tape and he holds it up to his face. "I never thought I'd see this again!" Steven strains his arms and legs outward as his grimaces in his amazement. "You've seen this tape before?!" Greg looks up as Steven gawks at him. "Of course! C'mere ! You should to!"

Greg turns on the TV beside him in his van as Steven walks up to it. Greg places the tape in the slot of his VHS player and he presses the play button on the TV set. Steven's face scrunches up in anguish as the tape plays.

The home video starts off with a wave before it cuts off to Greg, middle-aged, backing away from a seagull. "It's calling me now!" Rose, offscreen giggles as she holds the camera to record the video playing before Steven. "Maybe they'll help you with your intro this time!"

Steven raises an eyebrow to Greg. "Dad?" He shushes him, still smiling as enthusiasm comes out from a whisper. "Keep watching." The video cuts over to the sand on the beach. "Okay, now!"

Rose moves the camera up to record Greg who is standing one foot against a big rock, holding his guitar in his hand. "They call me..." He strums his guitar in triumph. "Mr. Universe! Get ready, baby! You're gonna have the coolest dad in this side in the cosmos!"

Greg continues to play as Steven narrows his eyes. His face stresses tension as he starts to realize what the tape holds. "This is-!"
"I press it now, right?"
"Do it." Greg slips on the rock, collapsing into the sand as a seagull perches itself on his guitar.

"Greg?!" Rose laughs as Greg smiles up at the bird. "Should we edit this part?" Rose shakes her head. "No! No! It's perfect!" The tape cuts over to a familiar segment as Steven grits his teeth. "Isn't it wonderful, Nora? This world is full of so many possibilities."

Steven hisses out to the video as he watches his mom speaks offscreen to him. "My video!" Steven narrows his eyes further as he bears his teeth, raising his eyebrow ever so slightly.

"Each living thing has a entirely unique experience. The sights they see. The lives they live are so complicated. So simple." Steven speaks out, unable to comprehend the purpose of the same video in the tape. "This is just like the video mom made me."