In an indistinct place beyond where time or the senses could reach, Steven found himself staring up at three large Gems he didn't recognize.

...Fusions. That's what they were, he suddenly knew.

The first was cracking ...her? his? their? knuckles, as they radiated electric charisma through a fear-eating grin. Their abnormally large green shades compounded with the enormous 'S' on their red chest armor to give the impression that they formed knowing they were the hero of their own story - and everyone else's as well.

The second stood behind them, maybe twice as tall as Garnet and glowing as green as a garden in spring, contrasting that with a serious demeanor. No, that wasn't right - they were floating, their limbs flexed out a little like they were underwater. They were looking for something, their eyes darting around as they hunted for a threat to protect against.

The third didn't need to stand behind the others at all, because the others barely covered her shins. Tall and red and detached from concern, she seemed to be aware she wasn't alone; she carried herself as though knowing she could make herself the last survivor. Under those blue shades, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking or feeling.

Then, Steven felt another presence. He turned around, and saw that Peridot, Lapis Lazuli, and Pearl were there. For how long, he couldn't tell, and when he tried to speak to them his mouth refused to move. His limbs were suddenly as heavy as anchors, but then moved on their own as he reached out to them.

His friends faded away and he was now in a stranger place, dark and lit at the same time, silent and yet unquiet. So he turned around, to see if the three Giant Gems could help.

Instead, they were fighting... something. Those foes he could see had shape and mass and overwhelming numbers, but when he tried to identify them even the most obvious details wouldn't come to mind. Some had legs, some didn't; some were big, some weren't; some could fight, some were scrap.

The foes weren't pushovers. The fusions were struggling but confident in their victory, using weapons and attacks Steven had never seen a Gem use before (but were nonetheless familiar). He couldn't help them - something was preventing him - and knew it wasn't necessary anyway.

Every few moments in their great battle, he thought he could tell that Pearl and Peridot and Lapis were there too, fighting alongside. Nothing he could see gave him that impression; he just knew. But as the Gems and fusions and their foes traded blows, their battle continued as a series of snapshots - pose-to-pose, key frame to key frame without inbetween animation.

..."-ven?"

He heard a voice.

..."-teven?"

He knew that voice. And looking up, he saw Amethyst's head and hair speaking to him, enormous and floofy, over a battlefield which no longer existed.

Oh. Right.

Steven woke up.

"Heyyyyy Steven! You wanted a wake-up call?" Amethyst said. Now that he was sort of not asleep, he could see she was standing above him on his bed, getting ready to shake him awake.

"Good morning?" He remembered. "Oh! Oh, right. Today's my first day of work!"

He rolled out of bed and in his excitement immediately forgot the dream he'd just had. It was a big day for him - a workday! A chance to pay off yet another debt to Mr. Smiley...

Oh. Right.

It was a workday...

He forgot some of his excitement.

(And in the process, didn't wonder about how much of the future he'd just foreseen.)