"ahh... Sunset, my favorite time of day"
Steven spoke.

Steven was currently walking with Amethyst around the beach, eating fry bits as they went along.

"The sun goes down, and the second some gets bigger and bigger in the sky"
Steven said with small stars in his eyes.

Amethyst coughs up some bits with Steven's statement.

"Haha, yeah, that big, hot second su- *gaaaaasp!*
Amethyst noticed that the supposed 'second sun' was a strange crystal orb in the sky.

"Oh no, what's that doing here?"
Amethyst said in shock.

"What is it?"
Steven asks, taking a bite out if some bits.

Amethyst hurriedly picked up Steven, forcing him to drop his fry bits on the beach sand. Amethyst then ran somewhere else, preferably to where the other Gems are.

"Ahh! My bits!"
Steven yelled.

.

.

.

Meanwhile...

"This is bad"
Garnet said, her tone not matching her statement, as she spoke in monotone.

"Look at the size of it!"
Pearl exclaims, looking through a telescope.

"I had no idea these things were so big!"
Pearl yelled.

"Throw me again, I think I am cracking it"
Y/N says, holding his pickaxe in both his hands.

Strangely, Y/N now has bandages going from his neck, to his right shoulder.

Before Garnet could comply and throw Y/N, Amethyst and Steven came rushing towards them.

"Y/N! Garnet! Pearl!"
Amethyst yells, getting closer to he trio.

"We saw!"
Pear says, turning to the upcoming duo.

"Some of us are trying to protect humanity! Where were you?"
Pear asks, crossing her arms.

Amethyst places Steven down and stares blankly at Pearl

"Eating fry bits"
Amethyst said nonchalantly.

"Ugh..."
Pearl facepalms

"Oh, can I see?"
Steven asks, approaching the telescope.

"Whoa..."
Steven says as he peers through the telescope, and sees the strange orb transform into an eye.

"It's a giant eyeball! Awesome!"
Steven exclaims.

"Not 'awesome', it's a red eye!"
Pearl says.

"Red eye?! It's going to infect us all!"
Steven yells.

"I think you are thinking of pinkeye, Steven"
Y/N chimes in.

Amethyst giggles at Steven's Idiocracy.

"It's going to crash into beach city, and crush us, along with a bunch of oblivious, innocent people! We have to stop it!"
Pearl explains.

"What are we going to do?"
Steven asks.

"The only thing powerful enough to destroy it, is a light cannon that belonged to Rose Quartz"
Garnet says, adjusting her visor.

"My mom?"
Steven questions.

"If Rose were here, this would be so easy"
Amethyst complains.

"I know, but she's not, and the cannon is missing. We'll have to find another solution."
Pearl says in disdain.

"If it belonged to my mom, I bet dad knows where it is. He can help us save the day!"
Steven says

"Greg is... Nice, Steven. But I doubt Rose would entrust someone like him with such a powerful weapon."
Pearl says.

"Your dad is kind of a mess, Steven"
Amethyst said.

Meanwhile, Y/N is standing around, thinking of ways to destroy the eyeball. He's already tried hitting it with his dangerous swing, what more can he do?

'if I could just land a better hit... Have more footing? Hit it in the same spot? Possibly...'
Y/N thought.

'ow... My crack is rubbing against itself. It is starting to get irritating...'

*Clang!*
Y/N was pushed out of his thought with Amethyst hitting the red eye head-on.

The Gems all wince at that.

"Uh... I'm gonna go..."
Steven says, backing up from the scene.

"Oh, uh... I shall assist you, Steven"
Y/N spoke, snapping out if his trance.

"What? No, you should stay and help. We need your swing!"
Pearl reasons.

"Pearl, if Mr. Universe does have the cannon, Steven will need help bringing it here"
Y/N countered.

Pearl thought about it for a second, before finally giving in.

"Okay... But hurry up. Who knows how long we have untill the red eye collides with Beach City..."
Pearl says, looking at the giant orb in the sky.

"Thank you, Pearl"
Y/N said, before turning to Steven.

"Let us go, Steven"
Y/N said to Steven.

"Alriiight! Team up!"
Steven says, pumping his fist as he began walking towards where his dad is.

.

.

.

*Bang* *bang* *bang*
Steven is currently banging on a van door.

"Dad it's me! Daaaad! Are you in there?"
Steven spoke, continuing his banging.

"Wake... Up!"
*Bang!*
Steven rams at the van door.

Y/N simply watches the scene, tilting his head with Steven's strange tactic.

A couple more banging later, and Greg comes rushing out the door, holding what seems to be a waffle iron.

"Whose there?! I have a waffle iron!"
Greg says.

"Dad, it's me!"
Steven says, smiling at his dad.

"And me"
Y/N makes himself known.

"Steven? Coal?"
Greg says.

"Y/N"
Y/N corrects.

"Right- omf!"
Greg gets cut off by Steven running up to him and hugging him.

Greg hugs Steven back.

"I almost waffled your face! What are you doing up so late?"
Greg asks, backing away from the hug.

"What do you mean? The sun just went down an hour ago."
Steven says.

Greg gets embarrassed, and scratches the back of his head.

"Ah, oh... It was a slow day at the car wash..."
Greg says.

"Anyway what's up?"
Greg asks.

"That..."
Y/N spoke, pointing at the red eye in the sky.

Greg looks to where Y/N is pointing, and sees Amethyst flying towards it, only to crash into it and fall into the ocean.

"Wait... Is that a magical thing?! The gems told me not to get involved with magic stuff"
Greg says.

"But they need mom's cannon. You've gotta know where it is! Like a cave dungeon or a cloud fortress or in a clam at the bottom of the ocean!"
Steven suggests.

"Or a storage area"
Y/N spoke.

"Oh... Well, I might have an idea"
Greg smiles.

.

.

.

The trio is currently walking to a storage unit with the words 'U-Store' painted on the side of the structure.

"A magical storage unit!"
Steven exclaims.

"Hah, not exactly. But some would say there's magic inside."
Greg winks.

Steven stares at his dad blankly.

• • •

"Perhaps... A light cannon?"
Y/N asks.

"Ah, it's just a shed I use to keep things that don't fit in the van..."
Greg says.

"If it's anywhere... It'll be here"
Greg says, opening up the storage unit.

Steven's eye widen upon seeing the piles, and piles of random junk. Y/N stares at it with confusion.

"If I'm going in there, I'm gonna need some gear."
Steven said, as he grabbed a sock, and a flashlight.

Steven used the sock, and flashlight to turn it into a makeshift mining helmet.

Y/N's eyes widen as he gets some nasty flashbacks, seeing the mining helmet Steven has made. All that piled up trauma resurfacing back up... He's gonna need some therapy after this adventure.

"Here I go!"
Steven said, now tied up in the waist with an orange cord, which Greg was holding.

"Good luck"
Greg says.

"Be careful, Steven"
Y/N spoke.

And just like that, Y/N was left with Greg. An uncomfortable silence overcomes them...

"So... How's the gems?"
Greg asks.

"They are doing fine"
Y/N blandly answered.

...

Another long silence.

"Anything new going on with you?"
Greg strikes another conversation with Y/N.

"I have been... Fractured..."
Y/N gets flashbacks of his first fracture, which was now a few days ago.

".........no"
Y/N said, not wanting to tell him the truth.

Greg basically gave up on talking with Y/N after that... Y/N is like Garnet, but more... Silent, and blunt.

For a while, Steven could be heard from inside the cave. Talking with his dad, and asking him a few questions here and there. Y/N simply stands there, lost in thought, until...

"Dad, Y/N, I found it!"
Steven calls from inside.

"Really?"
Greg asks.

"Get the van!"
Steven said.

"I have a better idea"
Y/N said, as he grabbed onto the cord.
"Stand back, Steven"

"O-Okay!"
Steven said.

"Hup!"
Y/N pulled the cord with all his might.

*Crash!*
Y/N pulled with all his might.
The good news was that the cannon is now out... The bad news, is that upon pulling the cannon, everything in front of it was pulled out with it... It made quite the mess.

The crew all surrounds the cannon.

"This thing could save the city! We've gotta get it to the beach!"
Steven said.

"How? It's too big for the van"
Greg says.

"I can carry it"
Y/N said.

"Can you really do it? It looks heavy..."
Greg asks.

"Dad, he can do it... I've seen him carry heavier things!"
Steven beams.

"Like Amethyst's laundry... Although she does not even need clothes..."
Y/N says.

"Okay then! Hurry, Y/N!"
Steven urged.

"On it... Hup!"
Y/N approached the cannon, and lifts it up with slight strain.

Y/N props the cannon on his shoulder, and begins to walk to where the rest of the gems are.

"Let's go dad!"
Steven said, as the two Universes get in the van.

Y/N walks in moderate speeds, while the two Universes follow right beside him.

"Y/N, are you okay?"
Steven asks.

"This... Is... Nothing..."
Y/N said in between steps... It's really heavy...

"Are you sure?"
Steven asks.

"Trust me... Steven... Do not fret... About... Me..."
Y/N spoke.

"Al-Alrighty then!"
Steven said.

And now, the trio makes their way to the beach, Steven watching Y/N with slight worry.

"Is he gonna be okay?"
Steven asks his dad.

Greg simply shrugs.
"If every pork chop were perfect..."

"We wouldn't have hotdoooogs!"
Steven finishes for Greg.

Greg peers out the windshield to see the red eye getting bigger and bigger.

"That thing's getting huge! It's freaking me out!"
Greg sweats.

Greg and Steven continue with their back and forth conversation.
Meanwhile... Y/N is fighting for his damn life.

'This is... Really heavy...'
Y/N mentally strains.
'must gotta keep going..... For them!'

.

.

.

The trio finally make it back to the beach. Garnet, and Pearl look to their direction, as Amethyst gets washed up to their feet.

"Throw me again! I think I'm cracking it!"
Amethyst said, before hearing the pained groan of Y/N.

"Is that..."
Amethyst starts.

*CLUNK!*
Y/N drops the cannon on the beach, immediately collapsing on the ground.

Y/N rests his back on the side of the van, panting heavily.

"We have found it..."
Y/N said weakly.

"*Gasp!* He really had it"
Pearl said.

"We're saved!"
Amethyst cheers.

"Whoa..."
The gems suddenly felt a gravitational pull coming from the red eye.

The red eye is now close enough, that it started up small debris from the ground, and causing destruction to unstable structures.

"We have to use it now."
Garnet commanded.

The gems, including Y/N, all rush to the cannon, trying to activate it, but failing.

"I don't know how it works! It was Rose's!"
Pearl complained.

"Dad, how do we use it?"
Steven turns to Greg, who, in turn, shrugs.

"Steven, this is serious"
Pearl says, grabbing onto Steven's shoulders.

"The gem... You have Rose's gem!"
Pearl exclaimed.

Steven lifts up his shirt, revealing his belly button gem.

"That's it!"
Amethyst said, grabbing onto Steven.

Amethyst lifts Steven up and rubs his gem against the cannon, in hopes of activating it... It doesn't work.

"Ugh! C'mon!"
Amethyst said, still rubbing Steven against the cannon.

"Stop that!"
Garnet spoke.

"It's no use!"
Pearl said.

"Fine forget it! Throw me again!"
Amethyst said.

"Me as well"
Y/N spoke.

"That's not going to work!"
Pearl shouts.

"Whoa!"
The cannon was suddenly being pulled by the red eye, Y/N stopped it before it got any further.

"I will hold it"
Y/N said.

Y/N then suddenly gets lifted up by the strong pull.

"Oh no..."
Y/N said, grabbing onto the cannon.

"It appears the cannon is the one holding me..."
Y/N said.

"I got it..."
Greg says, trying to go to his van, only for the van to get dragged away by the pull.
"No! Wait! Maybe I don't!"

"Please, work. Unlock. Activate! Go, please?"
Steven pleaded to the cannon, but it still wouldn't work.

"Everyone's counting on you! You can't just be useless! I know you can help!"
Steven continued.

"It's okay Steven! We'll figure out something else! Something even better!"
Greg reassured Steven.

"R-R-Right! If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs!"
Steven spoke.

Suddenly, the cannon started to light up, signifying it's activation. Glowing lines started to form around the cannon.

The lines near the top of the cannon suddenly flapped open, creating some sort of rose pattern.

"It's working!"
Pearl said, as she looked at the cannon in awe.

The cannon suddenly loosened up and fell forwards... That seemed to be a bad thing, as Y/N, who was holding on to the cannon for dear life, losses his grip on the cannon, allowing the red eye to him up, albiet slowly.

The gems all gasp upon seeing Y/N get slowly up, like a cow getting abducted by aliens.

"Y/N!"
Steven shouted, as he ran to the side of the cannon, trying to lift it up to aim at the red eye, hoping to destroy it before Y/N gets too close to the red eye.

Steven tries to aim the cannon up, but it was too heavy for him. Suddenly, the cannon managed to aim up. Steven wondered why, but then he looked back to see the rest of the gems helping him.

"Steven!"
Pearl smiled.

"But, we'll hit Y/N!"
Amethyst said in worry.

"Shoot it!"
Y/N shouted,

"But-"
Amethyst gets cut off

"Do it! I will be fine! I can handle heat!"
Y/N said, giving the gems a stiff thumbs-up.

Despite their concerns, they decided to shoot it.

"Brace yourselves!"
Garnet spoke, slightly aiming the cannon so that it would not hit Y/N.

The cannon wirred to life. The tip of the cannon began to glow a bright pink, before finally firing a shot.

*BZEW!*
The cannon shot.

Upon shooting, the blast that came from the cannon began to morph and form different shapes. First was a rose with thorny vines circling it, then it became a long haired woman with laser blasts surrounding her.

*CRACK!*
The laser blast missed Y/N by an inch as it finally made contact with the red eye.

*crk-crkk*
Upon contact, the blast then began to spread across the red eye, cracking it, until...

*BOOM!*
The red eye blew up in a huge ball of heat.

Y/N, who saw the explosion approaching him, activated his power...

"Your heat cannot rival mine!
HEAT UP!!!"
Y/N curled into a fetus position, before quickly stretching his arms and legs wide open in a star-like position.

Y/N's body began to glow bright red, his hair turning into a violent flame, as the explosion finally engulfs him.

In a few seconds, the bright light from the explosion finally dies down, as countless debris crash into beach city. It caused quite some damages, including... The destruction of roads, small buildings, and a few cars.

"Steven, you just saved most of beach city!"
Amethyst congratulated.

"Sorry about that!"
Steven yelled at the civilians, who was unfortunate enough to have their possessions crushed.

"Oh goodness, Y/N!"
Pearl worriedly approached the ocean, along with everyone else.

The gems were about to search for
Y/N, until the water in front of them started to boil.

"Stay back"
Garnet said, blocking the gems with her long arm.

The boiling ocean water suddenly grew closer to them, and then... Y/N's head pops out.

"Y/N! You're okay!"
Steven shouted.

Y/N continued to walk until he was finally out of the water. Y/N's red skin began to fade back to his original dark coal-like skin. Steam came out from his body.

Y/N gave the gems a stiff thumbs up.

"I informed you that I would be okay"
Y/N spoke.

"Yay! Group hug!"
Steven said, about to jump onto Y/N, but garnet stopped him.

"Sorry, Steven. I am still hot"
Y/N monotoned.

"Hehe, you definitely are~"
Amethyst said, gaining a glare from pearl.

"Yes, I definitely am"
Y/N said, not getting the hint... Oh he's such an innocent boi...

.

.

.

The gems all decided to move on from the awkward statement Amethyst said.

"How did you get it to work?"
Pearl asks Steven, placing her hand on the cannon.

"I just said that thing that dad always says..."
Steven replied.

"That thing about pork rinds?"
Pearl arched her brow.

"I think it was about "hot. dogs."
Y/N corrected, stiffly saying 'hot-dogs'

"Rose..."
Greg teared up after witnessing the fireworks show.

The ocean water suddenly rised up to the gem's waist, thanks to the huge rocks that fell in it.

The gems all laughed as they got caught up in the small flood. The water steamed around Y/N upon contact.

Greg's van suddenly gets washed up along the water.

"My van!"
Greg shouts, watching in horror as the wave takes his van away.

"It's okay, dad. If every pork chop were perfect-"
Steven gets cut off by Greg.

"I live in there!"
Greg says, as he ran towards his van.

"Wait up!"
Steven shouted, running after his dad.