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“Stay calm, try to keep from forming!” a voice called through their mind.
Rose? No, no, not Rose. Steven. Friend. Right, musn’t form. But Diamonds! Diamonds will destroy Earth. Have to protect Earth! But forming will destroy Earth. Mustn’t form. But the noise, the pounding, so loud. Diamonds were coming for them. Their bubble was breaking! Can’t stop! Going to form!
“Nonononono Nooooooooo!”
Their bubble burst, and for a few moments they panicked, the chorus that was their mind wailing in despair. Then a searing fury, hot flashes of rage from a million different points of light, washed away their fear. Then they were in control. Then they felt their power. The Diamonds were not going to make them destroy their home. They didn’t form, not entirely. With gentle care they sent a portion of their light up through the Earth, up towards the surface.
Careful. Must be very careful. Not want to hurt Earth. Only want to stop Diamonds.
For a moment their light wavered and faltered as it breached the surface, and dozens of voices bickered simultaneously about what to do, what to form. Then inspiration struck, courtesy of the very gems they had to stop.
Arm. Big arm. But not too big. Fight arms with arm.
The plan sent a wave of satisfaction rolling through their mind and their light solidified. They flexed their fingers, flexed their muscles. They had a form. Not a whole form, but still a form. It had been so long. They could feel the cool night breeze playing all across their skin, they relished in the rough embrace of the Earth itself around their arm as it extended up from their core. They wanted to stop and simply enjoy these long lost sensations forever.
No. No time. Must stop Diamonds. Must help friends. Must protect Earth.
They made a fist. They poured every bit of power they had into their muscles, reared back -taking special care not to graze the Earth’s surface- and punched Yellow Diamond clear across the bay.
Good. Yes. Felt very good.
They stretched out after their foe, then they sensed Steven. Steven and… other Crystal Gems. For a moment emotion nearly overwhelmed them.
No. No Time. Battle now. How to communicate? Have no mouth.
Then it came to them, an old human gesture that several pieces of their consciousness recalled fondly. They curled their fingers into their palm and raised their thumb straight up. Steven smiled. Steven understood.
Good. Yes. In control. On your side. Here to help.
Then the massive yellow arm swung at them.
They caught it.
Rude. Very rude. We will show Diamond manners.
They struggled briefly; Yellow was strong, but they were stronger. They were together. They heaved both themself and Yellow into the bay, then they clasped hands. If this Diamond wanted a test of strength, then she’d get one. Yes. They tightened their grip, they could feel their muscles bulging, straining, but they could also feel the cold metal of Yellow’s ship creaking and warping. They pushed. Back and forth, each of them waning and waxing in turn, the earth beneath them grinding and crunching under the immense pressures of their struggle.
Without warning, a wave of immeasurable grief washed over them. Their form trembled and every part of them wailed as one, they felt as if… as if they were shattering all over again. Losing pieces of themselves. If they’d possessed eyes, they’d be weeping uncontrollably. If they’d had knees, they would have fallen to them.
Blue Diamond.
Sad, sad. So very sad. Hurts. Gone. Gone. So much hurt.
Steven and the rest of the Crystal Gems, the rest of their family, they were faltering. They must help. But they couldn’t. Yellow pressed the advantage, Yellow pushed them back. They were losing. Their strength was failing.
Then they noticed her.
Had they any eyes to see, they would have spotted a ghostly winged silhouette, backlit by a brilliantly shining moon. They knew the lifeforce, they could sense it; a lapis lazuli.
Lazuli? Blue gem? Friend or foe?
The lapis lazuli dropped - no, hurled - a very large structure down towards the beach. Right on top of Blue Diamond. The despair and grief fled their mind with the tremendous impact and a massive collective sigh of relief rolled through them.
Oh yes. Friend. Very good friend. Smash Blue Diamond. Like new friend very much.
Their struggle back on even elbows, they pushed against Yellow Diamond in earnest and managed to regain lost ground. But they were growing tired. Very tired. So much exertion on an incomplete form, after so long without one at all. Could they really win? Could they really stop a Diamond? A part of them began to doubt, another part refused to doubt.
A thousand, thousand glinting sparks of anger flared across their consciousness. A million individual gems within them remembering what the Diamonds had done. To Earth. To their friends. To them.
WE ARE CRYSTAL GEM!
Metal groaned and flashes of energy erupted from Yellow’s wrist.
WE ARE OWN GEM!!
Great rifts opened up in the ship’s hull and explosions rocked its wrist.
WE PROTECT EARTH!!!
Power swelled up from their core, from all the individual gems that they once were and from all that they had now become together. And then, all at once, they were more. She was more. With a mighty heave, pushing her form to its limits, she lifted the yellow arm high into the air and slammed it into the blue arm threatening her friends. The earth shook and the ocean trembled.
Yellow and Blue Diamond’s ships were destroyed.
And with any luck, the Diamonds had been stopped with them.
She stretched out towards Steven, towards her friends both new and old. She was so tired. Her form flickered and wavered. She was losing control. That was dangerous. She couldn’t lose control, couldn’t hurt the Earth.
“Cluster, you were amazing! Are you okay? Do you wanna go back in your bubble?”
Bubble. Yes. Bubble good. Done all I can here. Done well I think. Rest now.
She gave Steven the raised thumb signal once more as she felt her form flicker and distort. Then she let go. She let go and retreated back within the Earth. Back within her home.
“Okay. Take it easy! You’re the best.”
Best. Yes. We… I did good. I helped Earth again. Like before. Felt... good.
Her light faded and receded into her core as she returned to her resting place. She had one last thing to do before she could dream. With a massive act of will, every individual shard that made up her being working together, she formed an immense bubble around herself, a bubble with every hue imaginable dancing across its surface. As her mind fogged over with exhaustion and contentment a thought drifted through her multifaceted consciousness.
Next time she formed, she’d like to have her star back.
Yes. I… miss… star…
And then Earth’s new guardian -created as a destroyer from shattered protectors of old- having successfully defied her torturers, fell peacefully asleep.