The Woman in the Mirror
A Steven Universe/Worm crossover
Chapter 1
***
Nothing made sense...
A Steven Universe/Worm crossover
Chapter 1
***
Nothing made sense...
The Woman in the Mirror (Steven Universe/Worm)
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Chapter 1
- Location
- In my daydreams
The Woman in the Mirror
A Steven Universe/Worm crossover
Chapter 1
A Steven Universe/Worm crossover
Chapter 1
***
Nothing made sense. The world had stopped turning, frozen in place.
Dirt upon dirt being shovelled, muddy with rain. The wet sound as each chunk met the wood made my insides twist.
They were now praying, but I couldn't find the energy to even pretend to move my lips.
"Taylor..." Dad's voice came from behind me, voice strained and lost, searching for the appropriate words as if there were any. "It will be alright."
I felt like crying and screaming, but couldn't as if I was completely paralysed. Maybe I could try laughing. This was just some sick joke after all, right?
The crowd parted, retreating into small groups of threes and fives to talk among themselves with hushed and respectful tones. Soon, they would be leaving to continue with their lives.
H-how?
Some were Dad's friends from work, some were Mom's-
The people she once knew, but she is gone now? I... I don't understand.
-and then there was my friend too, looking perhaps almost as confused as me. That made some sense at least. We were like sisters, so Emma must have felt something similar too.
"Do... do you want to stay at our house tonight?" She offered me uncertainly, the quivering in her voice too obvious.
I didn't answer at first, staring at the general direction of the stone slab which declared: 'Here Lies Annette Rose Hebert'.
Why would anyone write down something like that here?
Maybe... maybe it referred to a complete stranger? People could have similar names, and even then typos happened. Maybe Mom was actually home and this was something silly which we would look back on and laugh.
Yes, that made more sense than anything else.
"I want to go home." Home meant Mom, right? It wouldn't really be Home otherwise, right? That would be ridiculous.
"Oh, s-see you later then," she paused. "I-I'm sorry, I... don't know how to deal with this," then she walked off towards her sister and Aunt Zoey, sharing even more nonsensical reassurances among each other.
Dad took my hand and squeezed it with a grip stiffer than I was expecting.
"Honey... let's go home."
But, home meant Mom. Didn't he know that?
***
The car was quiet as we pulled into the driveway. Home. This was Home. Mom surely had to be here, there was no way that was her back there in that-
Shaking my head, I ran up the steps and paused at the door. If I went inside, she'd just have finished cooking dinner for me and Dad and we'd all just sit at the dinner table and eat like we always did. Surely that would be what would happen, right?
I turned the knob and went through the door.
"Mom, we're home!" I called, hoping for a response.
No answer came.
The kitchen was unusually silent. I couldn't see her in there, nor could I hear the stove or the sound of pans moving around.
Oh, she must be hiding somewhere, that's what's going on here. Maybe she's in the living room?
"Mom? Where are you? Someone's been pulling a really mean prank on us!" I said. "They must have a really bad sense of humor, as everybody's telling us that you died!"
I could hear Dad closing the door behind me. Maybe he was in on the prank as well? What I saw earlier couldn't have been real, right?
I turned towards him. My stomach started to turn as all I saw was a grim expression. "Dad, where's mom?"
A flinch was his response. "Taylor, I-
"Dad, where is she?" A sinking feeling churned inside me as my breathing slowly sped up. "I thought she would've been done with work by now. Isn't she home yet?"
Dad winced and tried to take my hand, but I didn't let him.
"Taylor, please listen to me. I'm sorry, but she…" He paused for a moment and took a breath. "Annette lived a long and good life, but she is no longer wi-"
"Why are you talking like that?!" I said. "Mom's still here, she's not…"
My breathing got faster and faster and my head started to throb. I didn't understand-couldn't understand what was going on. Didn't want to.
"Taylor..." Dad reached out a hand-I could feel the warmth hovering above my shoulder-but he pulled away and gulped. "Taylor," he tried again, "Can we sit down? We need to talk about your mom-this. What we... What we need to do."
Talking about people behind their back is rude, Mom would say.
I glanced at him, then the chair. Turning around I walked out deeper into the house. He didn't even try to stop me. My pace sped up with each step.
A box in a hole meant nothing.
I... I needed something. Anything. Maybe even show it to dad. Show him that mom was still here, not...
I opened door after door. Some of them slammed on creaky hinges and banged against the wall. (That felt kinda nice.) Empty room after empty room greeted me exactly as we left them. (That felt not as nice.)
I needed to prove him that I was right. Show him that he was wrong. A box in a hole meant nothing. Anything around the house could prove it.
I stopped in front of an old oak door. If she was anywhere it would be here. The cold brass knob felt worn and familiar under my hand. I remembered being so proud of myself the first time I touched it, standing on tippy toes with strained arms stretched upward.
Entering my mom's study has never been this hard. She had to be in here. It was the only place left that she could be. If she wasn't in there...
I turned the knob and pushed forward.
Everything was as I last remembered. Everything, except for the lack of a pen-filled hair bun and the sound of shuffling papers at an occupied desk.
A box in a hole meant nothing. Right?
The massive desk was empty, only a few thick books left open along with a pile of neatly stacked papers. Some knickknacks laying here and there. There was also a tape recorder awaiting its next use. Mom often carried it around the house, making verbal notes whenever inspiration hit.
I picked it up and played the last recording. No sound came out. The batteries were dead. I almost threw it at the wall. I wanted to see it-something-shatter. If I accidentally broke anything of hers...
A box in a hole...
I opened the closet just to be sure. She hid in there once during a game of hide and seek. Nothing but boxes.
A box...
My knees gave out. I jammed my elbow on the way down. Sharp stinging pain was nothing compared to my spasming lungs. My hands were clammy before entering the room. Now, they were desperately grabbing at the flat wooden floor.
"Breathe deeply when you are scared," Mom would say.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
My eyes cracked open slowly, my vision obscured by tears.
As I wiped my eyes, a glint caught my attention through the blur, the only thing shining in the darkness. I crawled to the nearest plastic container, where the shine was coming from. Then, with a small choke, I pulled out a mirror.
Silver with a deep blue stone dominating the backside and flower-like ridges around the looping handle, it was pretty despite the deep crack down the center of the gem. Mom got it a long time ago for Christmas from a friend that vacationed to Lake Michigan.
She used it to tell me fairy tales when I was younger, gesturing with the mirror when characters asked about fate. In the mornings, she fixed my hair before school with carefully done bow ties while I held the mirror back then.
Dust hid within the intricate frame and small crevices. Hiding for years. Mom doesn't-didn't-like messes...
I used the edge of my shirt to clean every last groove, folding a corner to rub away the specks till my fingers hurt and scrape away the dusty, distorted reflection. Bringing some luster back into the cracked stone, restoring it back towards the once pristine condition I remember it being.
I stared into the reflection and, for a brief second, thought I saw her. Dark curly hair, narrow green eyes, concentrated frown. But the hair was too matted, eyes red and puffy, mouth too wide. Only my own face stared back.
I couldn't stare at myself anymore.
Hugging the mirror I cried. I screamed. I begged.
One more day.
Just one more day.
She can't be gone, right?
I looked around the room. Filled but not filled. Purple and blue afghan draped over a chair, doctorate hanging on the wall, a fancy wine glass still encased by packaging, a shelf full of her favorite books. I recalled all of it, useless facts about their stories and where Mom got them. I even knew about the feminism pamphlets she kept deep in a filing cabinet.
Racing thoughts became words. Who I was talking to, I didn't know. I talked a lot, Emma would say.
"She's gone isn't she? She-I'm not getting her back," my voice was coming to a standstill, "Why did this have to happen? She was just here and now she's..."
I absently rubbed the blue stone, staring at the cracks in it that reminded me of my own.
Turning the mirror face up, I closed my eyes. I couldn't stand to look myself in the face. "Please, I just-I just want to see her again. I want... to see Mom again."
All that responded was the silence of the room around me.
A faint voice rang out. "Taylor?"
My heart clenched at that familiar voice. The world seemed to stop around me. My eyes snapped open towards the mirror in my hands, staring right back into an impossible face where my own should have been.
...Mom?
---------------
(Major thanks to Otterberries and KindaApatheticButNice for their aid in writing this chapter)
Oh, and if you guys have any questions, feel free to ask away. I'll do my best to answer them as well as I can, though some questions may have to be left unanswered for a while so not too much gets spoiled.
Last edited:
HircumPrinceps
Goat Lord
- Location
- Seattle
what
is she crazy???
or is it magic
is she crazy???
or is it magic
- Location
- United States of America
Given that this is a Steven Universe crossover it is mostly likely Lapis Lazuli
- Location
- Utah
God that makes me so sad
HircumPrinceps
Goat Lord
- Location
- Seattle
I don't know shot about SU. Pls elaborate
- Location
- United States of America
Lapis Lazuli is a crystal gem that was trapped in a mirrior while she was trapped she was capable of manipulating the image that is shown in the mirror when she was freed from the mirrior she showed that she also has a very strong hydrokinesis ability
Last edited:
CaesriusPolybius
Worldgate Mechanic
- Location
- United States. Ish.
Lapis Lazuli... on Bet?
Oooh, this is gonna be Fun™.
Oooh, this is gonna be Fun™.
- Location
- In my daydreams
Don't worry about that. I'll try my best to ease people into it, and you guys won't need too much knowledge of the show to follow along for quite a while (there will eventually come a point where some show information is required, but that's not going to be until way into the story and you don't need too much even then).
And thank you for your support. This is my first ever fan fiction that I've done, and I've got lots of plans for his one (I've even figured out the endgame already!). So buckle your seat belts people, we're all in for a long ride.
- Location
- In my daydreams
Yeah, I know how to do them, just forgot to set them up. That's all.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
So, Lapis duel with Leviathan when? Her tower indicates she can do hydrokinesis on a pretty macro scale, even if it's not quite entire cities.
Dude, Lapis Lazuli drained an entire ocean to make that water-space elevator in question.
Lapis gets out and repaired, Leviathan will lose the big picture, while if Levi stops holding back his control over *all water* within a certain radius could just one-shot almost everyone in range.
- Location
- In my daydreams
I can not discuss any details on my plans for the future, but I will say that I do have a plan to address something like this. Just wait and see to find out what happens.
- Location
- Down Under
Woah... really powerful start!
I shall watch.
I shall watch.
- Location
- chico
also, I wonder if the gems have ever had contact with the entity or if there can be a gem that is also a parahuman ... paragon whatever
also lapis triggers with fire control would be so sweet, how would the powers interact also when Taylor trigger, if she triggers how much damage will she do and can she fuse with Taylor or other people with shards, will be close enough to gem to be able to fuse
also lapis triggers with fire control would be so sweet, how would the powers interact also when Taylor trigger, if she triggers how much damage will she do and can she fuse with Taylor or other people with shards, will be close enough to gem to be able to fuse
CaesriusPolybius
Worldgate Mechanic
- Location
- United States. Ish.
If Gems/Lapis can trigger, and Lapis' backstory is relatively close to SU Canon? She would've probably been among the first triggers.
As for your other question, it's unlikely. Only Gem/Human hybrids can fuse with humans(as far as we know, at least), and parahumans are still biologically human (barring changers and C53s).
Castle_Bravo
The user formerly known as Nuke_Equestria
@IdeaGenerator could you please fix you font color? Grey on a white background is hard to read.
Parabola
Divided Loyalties Librarian
- Location
- The Destination of Fate
- Pronouns
- She/Her
In many ways SU is the complete opposite of Worm. SU is idealistic in the face of tragedy, forgiving where terrible things have happened, and a very strong proponent of communicating clearly with people around you, being emotionally honest, and loving yourself. All things that Worm lacks or laughs at because lol it's so grimdark.
That said, most of that general idealism and wish for peace and love is the result of Steven's honestly great upbringing. Taylor is a decent person, but she's not some paragon of light and joy like Steven is. So I don't know what direction this story will take, tonally. Lapis is a lot like canon Taylor, really... A survivor, someone who has suffered so much that it almost seems like suffering is their power source. They basically mean well and want to be left alone, but they have a terrible power within them that could someday cause a lot of trouble if they lose their self-control.
Yeah, the only reason Lapis' actions didn't basically cause global disaster from that tower is because SU is a kid's cartoon.
It was very recently revealed that Lapis' true purpose may have been aiding in terraforming. The only probable reason her gem type isn't a big deal in Gem society is because Gems adapt themselves to planets they're in - presumably most planets they conquer don't have water. But on Earth, that makes her a weapon of mass destruction. Either that, or Lapis is just abnormally powerful for her gem type.
This is just my own speculation, but I would say that if Homeworld hadn't been concerned with getting the most out of Earth and its resources, etc, they would have just nuked the whole thing with Lapis (or possibly multiple ones, if she's an outlier). I mean, they made the Cluster to be able to destroy Earth and get some resources out of it, but that seemed like a last resort.
This is just my own speculation, but I would say that if Homeworld hadn't been concerned with getting the most out of Earth and its resources, etc, they would have just nuked the whole thing with Lapis (or possibly multiple ones, if she's an outlier). I mean, they made the Cluster to be able to destroy Earth and get some resources out of it, but that seemed like a last resort.
- Location
- In my daydreams
? Grey on white? For me, the background is a light black, but I guess I can do something with the font color (don't know what's up with the color issues on your end though).
Don't worry about the tone too much, it's not going to go anywhere grimdark anytime soon or later. The only thing I can say at the moment is that you may be in for some normal and/or serious moment feels in the future, as well as a couple of tonal elements from Steven Universe sneaking in (as this is a story mainly about the relationship between Lapis and Taylor [and possibly some other characters] and how it will evolve throughout their interactions and affect their lives).
Castle_Bravo
The user formerly known as Nuke_Equestria
I suspect you accidentally changed the color and then tried to change it back. What you want is to select "no color" from the "font color" drop-down menu.
I'm using a white background because it's more legible in direct sun light.
- Location
- Hell
It's a formatting error actually. I suspect you simply copypasted from Word and that causes it to pick Black as a text color as opposed to No Color. This causes it to look gray on FlexWhite and white on FlexPink. To solve, simply Control+A and switch Text Color to No Color.
- Location
- In my daydreams
Huh, that's weird, as all I did was copypaste from SpaceBattles. Does that still mess up the text color? Well, at least I learned something new today. Thanks!
Anyway, is there anything you guys would like to ask me at the moment about this story (and sorry for the delay that's on the next chapter. Got a lot of stuff to do right now, what with being the manager of an entire club sub-team for a national robotics competition and having plenty of college stuff to do)? I am willing to answer any questions to the best of my ability that will not give away too much of my plans.
- Location
- Hell
Yes, that is why Castle Bravo and I ask that you please remedy it.