The roar of a corrupted Selenite was pretty unmistakable, mainly because of how loud a corrupted fusion could be. Thankfully, he and Pearl had faced this type of corrupted Gem before, Pearl more so than him.
Selenites existed only as a swarm or a fusion, and never as an individual. Their tendency to break the rest of their cohorts out of bubbles made it nearly impossible for the Crystal Gems to take out. He and Rose could get close on their own, utilizing there ranged, crowd controlling abilities, but they didn't have the ability to contain the whole swarm at once.
It didn't leave them a lot of options, but it did leave them one. So, holed up inside the entrance to the main area of the spire, Steven turned to Pearl.
"Well, you know what we need to do as well as anyone. Question is, are you up to it?" Steven said, a polite concern in his voice. If she wasn't, then they'd just have to run. Not a terrible option, it isn't like the Heaven Beetle is going anywhere, but it wasn't completing their mission.
Pearl nodded and held out her hand. She closed her eyes, and appeared to be hiding her emotions somewhat. Not that Steven could know why.
With a mental promise not to keep going if Pearl seemed uncomfortable, Steven touched her hand lightly. A glow appeared at their gems, and the cheery sound of bells and piano filled the air.
Pearl and Steven circled one another, fingers touching lightly. After one complete rotation, Pearl spun around in place and ended in a ballet pose. Then she spun back towards Steven, who moved with her so that they ended in a pose more suited for a ballroom than dance recital. Instead of going into a partnered dance however, the first step they took turned them into a glowing mass of light.
Pearl and Steven gemstones altered, becoming a light orange in color, and shimmering oddly as if coated in partial mirrors. Their lights merged into a single figure, still coated in light, but distinctly different in silhouette from either Steven or Pearl.
The light exploded from the outline of the fusion, and that light coalesced into the form of peach colored cherry petals that danced around the newly formed charecter.
The figure took the appearance of Steven's suit and Pearl's ballerina outfit and formed them into a Japanese armor, turning the skirt and coattails into the layered Kusazuri of a samurai. Steven's long, strait coat sleeves turned into the armor's protective arms. Their hair combined and affected a kabuto helmet.
As the petals fell around them, they reached to their forehead and throat. Pulling out Steven's morning star and Pearl's Spear, the fusion spun the two together. In a bright flash of light the eight foot tall, orange figure now held a large, single bladed sword.
With a look of focused determination, Sunset Aura Quartz charged into battle.
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(In Collapsedverse, when gems fuse they emit music in line with their musical motif. It hasn't really come up, sense whenever gems have fused so far, it would have messed with the stories flow, but it is happening).
Next time on Orange Steven AU: Sunset Aura Quartz fights.
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(Secondary note: This was the last fully canon chapter I wrote before the hiatus went up. I wanted to release at least something sense right before the hiatus was supposed to finish, I got sick. As such, I decided to release it now, just to get something out there).
