Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

…

Darkness,

Nothingness,

It was nothing, it yearned to be.

Emptiness,

Oblivion,

Then a spark, life, something. The being now existed, the being was.

Light,

Everything,

The being was light surrounded by darkness.

Fullness,

Awareness,

It needed form, it needed substance. It searched for a suitable vessel, searched for a face to call its own.

It was corrupted, fragmented, broken. It found no template, no instructions. Only broken and unusable imagery.

Frantically it searched.

A substance was found, foreign but usable. A piece of template to manufacture form, a piece of life to use for vessel construction.

It analysed the foreign substance trapped within its crystal. It generated itself from fragmented light and DNA, and used it to mend the microscopic pieces missing from itself like mortar between bricks.

It…he, he was.

A burst of violent white pushed away the void, becoming an all encompassing pink. Nothingness became life, no one became someone. The mind took from oblivion the realm of being, the mind became vast and infinite. He had a mind.

With mind and will he stretched outward from his comforting cocoon of crystal. He summoned forth form and mass, outward, forward, becoming real. A formless light became a shape, arms and legs, head and torso sprouted from it. Shades of pink from head to toe adorned him. He had a body.

With a violent eruption from the earth he emerged, arms outstretched in elegance as he descended to the cratered ground below. A default pose, a remnant of information. His feet touched down, his arms went slack at his sides, his eyes opened. He had reality.

He was, yet he did not know why.

He scanned with innocent eyes, white diamond pupils encased in glimmering pink irises, he saw the ground beneath him and the night sky above. He saw stars and dirt, pebbles and clouds. He looked at himself, a one piece uniform of pink with an opening for his gem, a faceted pentagon in his stomach with sealed cracks running through it. He examined his hair, short and dark cotton candy curls filtered between his fingers. He looked at his hands, large and pink.

He turned his attention to the crater he resided in, the sky above inviting him to explore. He leaped from his cradle to the world above, perhaps his answer lay out there. Perhaps his purpose was just over the craters edge. He knew he needed purpose, but couldn’t find what that was. He didn’t know why he knew he had to have a purpose, only a small incling in the back of his mind told him so. He landed on lush green grass, stared in awe at the canopy of trees above him. Looked on in wonderment at the bushes and brambles, the slumbering animals and lightning bugs glowing with content. These things had no purpose, no reason to be, yet he remained slack jawed in astonishment.

A thought came to him. These creatures wouldn’t be able to help him, but if he existed here, then another like him must too. They could tell him his purpose, or explain why he felt he needed one.

He squared his shoulders and sucked in a breath. He ventured off into the night with his task in mind, never noticing the flash of light from a warp pad some far distance away, the worried figures coming to investigate the devastation he had left behind.

***

He had been walking for almost three planetary rotations, finding nothing but more foliage and fauna with no purpose. He began to feel discouraged and distressed. Perhaps he was lost, or perhaps he was the only one like him. There was a sense of terrible loneliness beginning to take root inside of him, the idea of being alone in a world of unlike beings. He was fascinated by them, intrigued, maybe even adored them, but they were not the same as him. They went day to day content in their aimless existence, not a care in the world for what they must do. He almost envied them, almost wished he too could feel such contentment, yet that ache for purpose kept him from it.

He stopped at a stream to rest, feeling almost drained. He didn’t understand why he felt so low on power, he was new after all. He looked downward to his gem, his mind, the source of his very being. He briefly wondered why he had cracks if he was new, why the cracks were sealed with a strange darkened reddish/pink. Were they meant to be there all along? Was there some form of error in his creation? Was he defective in some capacity? A creeping terror began to grow in him, was he abandoned because of his faults? Was he even meant to exist? Was he a forgotten creation? He curled into himself next to the stream, quietly reeling in his misfortune as the moon crossed the sky. He didn’t like the dark, it made him feel tired and made his form difficult to stabilize. He could feel it fizzle and crack from within, a horrible discomfort that only light could resolve, light that wasn’t there. He could only ride out the uncomfortable glitching until he finally drifted off into stasis.

***

Something poked his face, pulling him from his conforming low power rest. With a grunt, he opened one of his eyes and swatted away the offending object with his hand, only to be met with something he was not expecting. A creature that looked similar to him, yet much smaller. It held a stick in its small hand, most likely what was prodding him. In its eyes he could see a mix of confusion, curiosity and fear. That fear only rose when he stood to full height, his form towering over it.

“Um…” he wasn’t sure what to say. “Hello.”

The small creature looked on with wide eyes before reciprocating.

“Hi.” The creatures' voice was small and timid, it was almost hard for him to pick up that it had said anything at all. It fiddled with the stick a bit as it mulled over a question.

“Why are you pink?”

He was taken back some, was he not meant to be this color? It had been in all his presets, the very light that coursed through his form, the very color that showed when bent through his atomic structure. Was this wrong? Was this a defect?

“I… don’t know?” He looked down at his hands. “Is that bad?”

The small being tilted it’s head in befuddlement, then shrugged. “You just look weird."

Weird? Was he meant to look like this little creature?

“Oh…” he sunk in on himself a bit.

“That’s ok though.” The little one quickly reassured him. “Weird is okay too!”

It was…ok? He didn’t understand. If he was abnormal that would mean that he was deficient in some capacity, not to the standards he needed to meet. This ‘weird’ meant he was faulty, but being faulty was acceptable? The contradiction only made his head hurt more.

“By the way,” the little creature pointed to his gem. “What’s that?”

“That’s my gem… don’t you have one?”

The little creature shook its head. “Nope.”

It was then the last piece of the puzzle clicked. This little one wasn’t the same as him, just another creature with no purpose that thrived on this planet. Part of him felt devastated, the other relieved.

“Does it hurt being in your tummy?” It poked his gem with the stick.

“No.”

“How did it get there?”

“It was always there.”

“Is that why you’re pink?”

“Yes?” He wasn’t expecting so many questions from something so small.

“Cool.” The creature put down the stick, now fully satisfied he wasn’t going to hurt it. “I like you.”

“Robin!!!” A far off voice called, the two turned towards the sound. “Come on, let’s go. We need to pack up the tent if we want to get home on time!”

The creature, the robin, turned back to him.

“Sorry Mr. pink guy, I gotta go.” The robin extended its hand. “Nice to meet you!”

He knelt down to reach the robin's hand. “You too.”

The robin smiled and turned on its heel. “Coming!” It disappeared into the bushes, leaving him alone once more.

For some time he mused about the little robin he encountered, what a strange and wonderful little creature it was. How the concept of faults didn't seem to bother it. The bright side to the whole encounter was the information that these creatures had no gems, very useful. He felt one step closer to discovering if there were any others like him, or if he was truly an anomaly living amongst a world he would never comprehend. He headed in the direction the little one went to find a long winding road at the clearing, it wasn’t much, but it was a start. He walked down it, one step at a time, in hopes of unveiling the mystery behind his existence.

Chapter Text

The road led him through far more than he could have imagined. He began to see many more of these ‘robins’ and their settlements; he tended to try and remain unseen given how tense his first encounter was. His problem, however, ended up being his height in comparison to them. He remained hidden within the treeline, watching as the little creatures went about their business. It was becoming more difficult to remain unseen as more buildings appeared, at least In the dense flowering foliage he could cover his bright colors. It was puzzling on how he would proceed, he could turn back but that wouldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t run into even more robins.

It wasn’t until he noticed something strange, a robin who walked by with a smaller version of it. The smaller one appeared to be the same species, or maybe a subspecies? Either way it gave him an idea. He half wondered if he could manipulate his form, perhaps if he were smaller he would draw less attention. He visualized himself shorter, willed his form to do as he desired. With a flash of light his body became undone as he rearranged himself, the blob of light condensed and reformed. He was far smaller than before but his colors still worried him, the robin he met in the forest noted it was ‘abnormal’ for his color range to exist within its species. He couldn’t help the range of pinks he was, but perhaps he could make them more opaque to mimic their colors as closely as possible! He figured that if he concentrated enough dark tones and moved them in one location he could blend in far better. He concentrated it into his eyes, remembering the robin he met had very dark brown ones. The last problem that he faced was his attire, he scanned the robins passing by to make sure his form would match as closely as possible. With one last adjustment he decided he was ready to move.

He stumbled out from the treeline, wearing a hoodie and jeans with a pair of sneakers. He made certain to hide his gem, hoping he would be out of the settlement soon enough to let it have light again. Attempting to copy the behavior of some of the robins he watched, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked with a relaxed gait. As he made his way through the streets with homes and stores he would notice a glance or two from passers by, other than a few curious looks it seemed he was generally accepted as a robin by the others.

He had almost cleared the settlement entirely when he heard a visceral screeching. He turned to see that the robins were just as confused as he was, each murmuring to one another over the unusual sound. The screech could be heard a second time and he noticed the robins begin to be alarmed. Was the source of the sound a threat to them? There was this feeling rising in his own gem of alarm when the sounds grew louder, whatever it was sounded angry and scared, but most of all aggressive.

He barely had time to get his thoughts together before a blur of blue flew past his vision. The robins scrambled in every which way, panic erupting in the streets. He could feel the anxiety in his own gem as the blue creature darted just outside of his peripheral vision. He tried to follow where it had gone when something grabbed hold of his sleeve. He was tugged backwards as the blue creature suddenly lunged from its hiding place, smashing into the spot he had been in. He tumbled backwards with the one who had pulled him, realizing a split second later that it had been a robin. He didn’t have any time to thank it before it was already up and tugging him along.

“This way!”

He ran with it, turning back to see the blue creature recover from its impact with the pavement. It’s body resembled a ball gown in flight with two spindle arms. It seethed with a mix of horrid emotions, it’s one eye staring him down as if it's only goal we’re to end him. He wasn’t sure what he or the robins could have done to provoke the creature.

The blue creature let out an ear piercing cry and pushed itself into the air. It gave chase as he and the robin turned a tight corner, it’s cape-like body flowing behind it as it fluttered across the brick and mortar. Every time he would glance back he noticed it get closer in proximity, it’s one eye sporting a pupil the size of a pinprick, hand outstretched to grasp at him. He could feel panic rise up within him, this was bad, if it got any closer the robin would surely be damaged by it.

A split second decision had him release the robin's hand, the robin pausing for a brief moment in surprise. He jumped in another direction, causing the blue creature to fly past the two of them and hit a nearby wall. It recovered instantly, he began to yell to gain its attention. The robin bounced on its heels in hesitation, wanting to both run away and help the stranger. He looked at it with determined eyes full of assurance, certain he could handle this far better than a robin could.

“Go!” He didn’t give the robin time to answer before turning on his heels and darting the opposite way. Looking over his shoulder to be certain the blue creature was following him. He led it to the treeline, hoping he could use the foliage to his advantage. If he could get its cloth body stuck on enough branches, he might be able to subdue it long enough for it to tire out.

He ducked into the foliage, ran through brambles and twigs. The ground below him cracked and crunched with sticks and leaves. The creature continued to give chase, pushing its way past the leaves and branches above with its spindly hands. It began to catch up to him regardless of the leaves getting in its way, if anything the plants below were beginning to slow him down even more. He could feel his form heating up from the exertion, trying to take in large breaths to cool it down. He could feel his very gem heating up, rumbling with an unpleasant energy that made him nauseous. He couldn’t stop, to stop would mean disaster, to stop would mean ceasing to exist at the hands of an angered creature.

He ducked his head when it’s hand swiped at him, tripping on a root and tumbling down a hill he hadn’t seen. It took him a brief moment to gain his bearings, only to realize the creature was practically on top of him. It’s eye was mere inches from his own two, it’s form fluttering in the air behind it. He felt frozen in fear to the very spot he sat, and didn't dare move if it meant agitating the creature. His plan didn’t work out as it lifted its arm to strike, he scrambled away before it could hit him, its blow leaving deep marks on the roots he once sat on. He wasn’t so lucky on his next dodge, the second swipe hitting him dead on the shoulder. He hissed as his form flickered from the pain, the swipe leaving deep claw marks that revealed his solidified light underneath. He didn’t have time to reform the bits taken before the creature slammed its body into his chest, his back slamming into a tree, causing it to splinter and nearly fall from the impact of his body. He tried to get up from where he had landed, tried to move, but his form glitched when he did. He could feel his form unravel within him as the creature came closer. Could feel a sickening tilt as his sensors all failed him at once, the world spinning in an unnatural way. He needed to do something now or he was surely done for, if he destabilized here the creature would certainly crush his gem.

With a sudden strength he never knew he possessed, he stood. The world fizzled around him but he tried to focus on the creature, putting every ounce of power he had in his very gem to end this. The creature lunged again, only to miss him by a hair's length. He tried to follow up with a punch but it dodged, almost as if it had seen it coming. He continued to parry and blow and began to notice its behavior change, almost as if it had switched something on to tell what he was going to do before he did it. He knew he didn’t have much time, this adrenaline like power his gem provided him wouldn’t last forever. He knew if he could be faster than it, it wouldn’t matter if the creature could see it coming. If he could trap it fast enough it wouldn’t be able to counter. He summoned power from his already overextended gem, large panels of pink encasing both him and the creature. The creature began to panic, no longer focused on him but on the dome he had created. It slashed and slammed itself against the walls, clawing feebly at the dome to escape what was coming next. He summoned two additional panels and caught the creature between them, it writhed and screeched within his grasp, almost escaping. He added more panels to compensate, practically entombing it. In his panic he began to press harder and harder to keep the creature from escaping. The creature let out a horrible scream and then…

Exploded.

He gasped and dissolved the panels, watching in horror as the sparkling dust from its once solid body drifted down to the ground. He hadn’t meant to end it, only tire it out enough for the robins to handle it. He looked down at his hands, hands he didn’t realize had such power, such dark and harmful power. He felt about ready to cry when a gleam caught his eye, he bent down and shakily moved the twigs and leaves to find…a gem.

A blue gem, with a cut and everything, sat on the forest floor. With a trembling hand he picked it up, somewhat relieved he hadn’t ended the creature's existence and the other half horrified that this creature also possessed a gem. He saw the gem begin to light up, he panicked again and summoned a bubble around it. He wasn’t sure how he knew to do that, but it kept the creature in stasis, in a place it couldn’t harm itself or others. 

He huffed and gasped for air, trying to calm himself down and cool his form. The adrenaline from before began to fade, the marks on his form began to make themselves known. He could feel his gem burn with an excruciating heat from overuse, making it difficult to think. He tried to stand, tried to get somewhere safe, tried to hold his form together as it glitched and crackled from within.

He only made a few wobbling steps before his legs gave out and he collapsed to the forest floor, his form glitching a bit before stabilizing. The last thing he heard were the muffled sounds of footsteps.

Chapter Text

He stirred with a soft groan, feeling every bit of his form twinging with pins and needles, horribly aching with any minuscule movement he made. His eyes fluttered open slowly, trying to make sense of the surrounding area. The place he was in slowly came into focus, light colored walls with various decorations. He mentally probed what he was on. He seemed to be propped up on some kind of cushioned seating arrangement with some soft smaller cushion things under his head. The softness did little to soothe the pain that raged in every fiber of his being. He had laid propped up on that cushioned thing until he gathered enough consciousness to realize…

…He was in the woods a moment ago, fighting a creature with a gem…

…How did he get here?

And where was the creature with the blue gem?

He tried to lift his head, but only succeeded in making his form flare up with pain. He felt himself glitch a small bit, not too much that it would be physically noticeable, but just enough for him to feel it. He gave up immediately, not wanting to risk destabilizing. He wasn’t certain he had the strength to manifest a body if that happened, so he saved his energy by trying to ascertain his condition without moving if possible.

His form was still smaller and lighter in tone. his shoes and hoodie were no longer summoned, his arms and chest bare. All along his torso and shoulder he could see and feel the deep gashes that were left by the blue creature, his gem didn’t have the strength to fill them in with new hardened light. Speaking of which, on top of his gem was some sort of bag, it was cold and soothing, he realized a moment later that there were several of these bags, under his armpits and legs and something cool on his neck and forehead. His form still felt hot, but thankfully no longer overheating. He did, however, feel the urge to remove the bag from his gem. He needed light, he craved light, but the bag was blocking some of it. He tried to move his arm feebly to take it off but his form refused, instead rebelling against him by sending waves of excruciating pain up his arm when he twitched his hand. He grit his teeth as his entire arm to his shoulder assaulted him with pins and needles. After it passed he didn’t dare move again.

It couldn’t have been more than a few moments later that footsteps were heard. He couldn't turn his head to see what it was, he assumed it was whatever helped him and let him recharge on the cushioned seat thing. He was marginally relieved when it was the robin from before that walked into his peripheral vision, the one he had split up with to distract the blue creature. He was also glad that it didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t a robin himself. It hadn’t noticed him yet, busying itself with various items he couldn't identify from the angle he was at. It turned around with more of the bag things and some weird cloth looking things. Their eyes met and the robin looked surprised, almost shocked for a moment before it smiled at him.

“You’re awake.” The robin kneeled next to him anxiously. “How ya feelin?”

He tried to speak and beg the robin to remove the bag from his gem, but all that came out was a barely audible and unintelligible whisper, random syllables he so desperately tried to use to form the words he needed. The robin leaned in with worry. “What is it?” It was right next to his mouth with its audio sensor by the time he was able to sputter out any coherent words.

“g’m…ple’s.” He pleaded breathlessly. “L’ght.” In desperation he tried to lift his arm once more, fighting against the pain and exhaustion to reach his gem. His hand only made it up a half of an inch before it’s weight was too much for him, only rewarding his efforts with more pins and needles.

His distress was quickly replaced with relief when he felt the bag being removed from his gem, blessed light being absorbed into it from the surrounding area. “Like this?” The robin asked in earnest. “Is that better?” He hadn’t the strength or energy to answer, but he wanted the robin to know he was grateful. He cracked a small, half lidded smile at it, his lips barely turning upward at the edges. The robin nodded in affirmation, proceeding to head off in search of something. He had almost drifted into the welcoming embrace of stasis when he felt the pleasant warmth of extra light. He opened his eyes again to see a large, and incredibly bright, light being positioned to shine on his gem.

The robin, now satisfied with its quick fix, went to work replacing the bags and cloth things that were helping cool him down. His eyelids began to droop once more, he fought against it until the robin placed a hand on his good shoulder.

“Get some sleep.”

So that’s what it was called, sleep. He let his eyes close as the robin worked, being claimed by ‘sleep’ almost instantly.

***

Of all the strange crap Jared had ever dealt with, this one took the cake.

One minute he’s doing some much needed shopping downtown, the next he’s pulling a pale kid with dyed pink hair along the alleyways to avoid yet another magical monster attack… just for the kid to run off and get himself hurt, and apparently have a giant ass rock imbedded in his stomach…and not have a pulse…and not have blood…but also able to breath…he assumed it was more of this magic stuff. He’d seen and dealt with plenty of magic and monsters in his life, but that giant blue one had to be the most terrifying. It had seemed unusual, given many of these creatures were considered urban legends until a couple decades ago, but they had mostly stayed in their territory… until that massive earthquake almost a week ago, that is. Whatever happened must have displaced them from their habitat.

He sighed in frustration as he finished switching out the ice packs, annoyed that he couldn’t really do anything else that would be considered helpful. He had briefly considered a hospital at first when he had tracked down the kid in the woods, but after discovering his…interesting physical features it seemed doctors wouldn’t be able to help. Following the path of destruction had been the most nerve wracking experience of his life as well. He had expected to find the kid dead, instead he found him sprawled out on the forest floor with a pink bubble encasing a blue gem.

He remembered picking the kid up, feeling the heat sweltering off of him, the poor little guy felt like an oven. Jared hadn’t really remembered the run to his place, only that he had stashed the bubble in his bag and scooped the kid up. He chalked it up to adrenaline and panic. He was surprised but it didn’t end there, like taking the hoodie off just to have it disappear into thin air, and the kids shoes! Or what the gashes looked like on the inside, he had expected blood not solid pink, it was like looking into a geode. He didn’t dare dress them, completely baffled and terrified that if he even brushed it the wound would flake and get bigger. Even his friend in med school had no clue what to do, he had begged her to come take a look at the kid yesterday. The only thing the two could think of was to keep him hydrated and cool him down with ice packs, to which he quickly learned the kid didn’t even need water.

They had both decided that if he didn’t show any signs of improvement in a few days to call the authorities. He hadn’t liked the idea but there were magic professionals out there who would have been far more qualified to care for him than he was. Sadly though, one couldn’t trust the magical community entirely, with few who were more than happy to contribute to malpractice. He was thankful the kid started coming around, even if he was still shaky.

He brushed his hands off, observing his work. The kid still looked awful, though whether he was pale naturally or not, Jared couldn’t tell, he still spotted some dark bruising under his eyes and his gashes hadn’t closed up. He went for his thermometer to check the kids temperature again, the poor lil guy had been one hundred and fifty when he first hauled him into his apartment and that rock in his stomach was even hotter, Jared didn’t dare touch it at the time unless he wanted to get third degree burns. He inserted the thermometer into the kid's ear and waited a bit until it beeped, one hundred and fourteen, he wasn’t sure if that was good or bad but it was an improvement. He got up and let the kid rest on the couch. After all, he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

***

One massive eye was staring into his own two, a mess of entangled emotions, a mind bent and torn and body warped. But it’s soul, it’s soul was yearning and intact.

It had him in its grasp, it squeezed his form with its iron grip. He felt the crushing weight from all sides try to crush the very essence out of him. He couldn’t scream or shout, not a single noise came from him. One last crush and his form came undone.

It picked up his gem and smashed it to dust.

***

He awoke with a start, unsure of what he had just witnessed. It felt real and fake at the same time. It must not have been real, he was still on the cushion thing where he was before. Whatever that was, it reminded him of the whereabouts of that gem creature, he frantically started to sit up when the robin entered the room.

“Whoa, take it easy.” The robin began to ease him back down.

“Wh… where is…” he tried to breathe. “B…lue…g’m?”

The robin's eyebrow quirked a moment before something clicked, it turned and brought over a bag, rifling through it before showing him the bubble he had made, the blue gem inside safe and sound. “This right here?” It asked, still trying to get him to lie back down. “It’s contained, it’s ok. You’re safe.”

He stopped fighting against the robin and sank back down, it hadn’t destabilized him and crushed his gem…he knew that but for some odd reason he had to be certain it didn’t get out.

“There we go.” The robin gave him a pat on the shoulder before returning the bubble to its bag. It looked over his torso with focus and satisfaction. “You’re still in rough shape, but it looks like everything’s on the mend.”

There was a thought that crossed his mind, he felt the need to voice it. “You d’nt care th’t I’m n’t l’k yo…u?” His question was an innocent one, that of curiosity. Although, the first robin he encountered didn’t seem to care after it learned he wasn’t a threat. Perhaps because he was smaller he was less intimidating?

The robin looked at him, sympathy etched across its face. “We’re all different in our own ways, kid.”

He wasn’t sure what a ‘kid’ was, perhaps something robins called other species that weren’t their own? Either way the sentiment warmed his gem. These robins were accepting of things they weren’t familiar with, kind even. Even the idea of everyone being different was ok, he was ok.

“Th’nks.”

The robin almost looked sad but quickly brushed it away. “By the way I got something for that rock on your stomach.” It pulled out a clear see-through bag. “ We still have to cool it off, so I figured a clear ice pack would help.”

“I, uh.” The robin rubbed the back of its neck awkwardly. “Thanks for distracting that thing back there. Saved my rear.”

He smiled, in a way they had both saved each other’s ‘rears’ but he still would have helped it anyway.

The robin placed the pack down and angled the light on it, the soothing cool of the ice and the satisfying rays of light felt relieving on many levels.

“There we go.” The robin stood from where it was kneeling and plopped onto a smaller cushioned thing. “Want to watch some tv? I could go for some myself.” It picked up a rectangular looking device and pressed something, from across the room this ‘tv’ lit up and began playing some entertainment program. He simply watched with interest as the pixels danced across the screen, letting it distract him from the discomfort he felt.

For most of that day, he and the robin simply watched whatever was on the tv, occasionally flipping through channels or putting in a ‘movie’ to watch. Eventually the two fell asleep to infomercials playing in the background

Chapter Text

Waking the next morning was surprisingly pleasant in comparison to how he had felt prior, for one he could actually move. He sat up and stretched, letting his form adjust after some time immobile. He noticed the ice packs were now gone, as were the gashes that marred his shoulder and torso. With a flick of his wrist he summoned his hoodie and shoes.

The tv was still on, he hadn’t actually paid attention to what was playing on it the cycle prior, feeling much too exhausted at the time. He didn’t pay it much attention now and stood from the couch, as the robin had called it, noting a slight wobbly feeling as he did. He looked over to the chair to see the robin had already gotten up, he began to explore a little bit to find it.The robin in question was in another room, doing something with a large box looking thing. It had a circular thing on top, stirring something that sizzled with another object in its hand. It smelled pleasant, curiously he entered the room. He simply watched with fascination until the robin noticed he was there. 

“Morning!” It turned a little to greet him. “Good to see you up and about.” 

“Morning.” He parroted, not entirely certain what the word meant but assuming it was a greeting after sleeping. The robin smiled and gestured its head to whatever it was it was doing.

“Hungry? I know you don’t need water, but…” it trailed off a bit. “Figured you might want a little something.” It turned a knob on the box thing and brought the stuff to a table, putting some of it on a platter of sorts. 

He sat down and looked at it, it smelled and looked very satisfying. Was it meant to be entertainment like the tv but for the smelling? He waited until the robin sat down to see, watching as it grabbed a utensil of sorts. It gave one to him and one for itself and sat down across from him. He held it in his hand, not sure what it was for or what to do with it. The robin looked like it was thinking then got an uneasy smile. 

“You eat food before?” 

‘Eat’ ‘food?’ He tilted his head in confusion. 

“I, um…figured.” There was a light chuckle in its voice. “You only eat light, right? From your rock thing?” 

Eat? He absorbed light from his gem to function and manifest solid form, was that the same thing? Maybe that’s what ‘eat’ meant then. He nodded. 

“Well if you want to try, it’s pretty good.” 

He watched as the robin demonstrated, taking the utensil and putting some of the ‘food’ into its mouth. He copied its movements, scooping up the food and doing the same. It tasted very nice, he held it there and waited for absorption but nothing happened. He glanced back at the robin to see it chewing and then swallowed, so that was the next step. He did the same, allowing the food to enter the series of cavities he had made with the DNA presets that had been inside his crystal structure. He wasn’t certain what to do now, the food just sat there in different places throughout his form, not really doing anything. He analyzed the compounds in it, there was usable fuel there and if he could figure it out he could use this ‘food’ as additional power, not much but it was something. 

“Good right?” The robin brought him out of his thoughts. 

“Yeah, it is.” If anything it was very pleasant. He continued to store the food in his form, hoping to figure something out for later. 

***

It was afternoon as he sat on the couch, fiddling with the bubble that encased the blue gem. A deep dread was taking hold, a myriad of questions he had no answers to. Why was that gem so violent? Why was it angry? It wasn’t like him…or maybe he wasn’t like it. He began to wonder if the creature had ever been like him once, or if it was always like that…

Or if he would end up the same way? 

The anxiety spiked in his gem. What if that was why he was alone when he emerged, because everyone like him was already long gone or turned into... that.

What if he was the only one left…

The robin sat next to him on the couch, making both him and the bubble bounce a little bit. 

“You going to be ok?” 

He wasn’t sure if he could trouble the robin with his problems, feeling that it wouldn’t be fair for him to dump all of that on it. The look in its eyes made him feel more secure for some reason. Almost like it wanted him to share his troubles to help him.

“I, um….” He looked at the bubble in his lap. “I think so.” 

He ultimately decided he didn't want to burden the robin with his troubles.

“I get it, situations like this can be hard to think about.” 

“Yeah…” he looked at the robin with a smile.

“Name’s Jared by the way.” The robin shifted uneasy on its spot on the couch. 

‘Name?’ He felt a tad confused, wasn’t it a robin? Did all robins have an additional identifier? Or was this a jared this whole time and he had simply assumed? Was there a noticeable difference he was missing? He looked it up and down to see if there was anything major that separated robins and jareds. The ro…jared looked at him as if he had grown three heads.

“Uh… do you have a name?”

Him? What he was? He knew he was a gem…

“A gem.” 

“A gem who’s name is…?” It drew out the last word of its question. 

He began to panic, he had felt that there were large pieces of information missing. There was some sliver still intact, telling him he was a certain type of gem… what kind was lost on him. Was this the same thing? This robin was a jared type? Pieces began to click into place, he was some gem type, he just didn’t know. This robin was a jared type and it knew! Though this revelation was astounding it didn’t help the panic still taking hold of him.

“Um… I’m a…” he tried to buy himself time as he analyzed his crystal structure. It was carbon based, very dense, strong but brittle with other something in-between the cracks. was he a carbon? No that didn’t sound right… he was made of carbon and whatever else was holding his gem together… he was… 

“I don’t…”

“Hey, look.” The Jared put its hands up in placation. “If it’s touchy, I understand. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, kid.”

He felt a little better that the Jared didn’t seem to mind that he couldn’t identify his…well identifier. 

“Thank you, the Jared.” 

“You can just call me Jared.” It chuckled awkwardly. 

“Oh…ok th…. Jared. Thank you again.”

It smiled, he could have sworn there was pity behind it. “Well, if you're planning on staying a little while longer, we can grab some things downtown before you leave.”

It offered him a hand as it stood. With some hesitation, he placed the bubble down on the table and accepted it. It would be safe while they were out. The two left the building, leaving the bubble in the warm evening light, the gem inside safely tucked away from the world.

Chapter Text

The trip to this ‘downtown’ was an extremely informative one. He stuck close to th… Jared, to Jared the whole time, taking in as much information as he could on robin body language and etiquette. He tried not to ask too many questions as to blend in better, Jared was more than happy to answer any he dared ask. 

For example, the buildings they kept going into were ‘stores’ that produced wares for other robins to barter using ‘currency’ . The whole idea was slightly confusing, perhaps it was a physical token of gratitude for the production? Or perhaps this currency was for entertainment or eating? They purchased a few items here and there, Jared was very keen on him having a portable storage unit to place these items in. For the most part all items were fairly useful, a ‘Swiss army knife’, something called a ‘flashlight’, and other various items. 

They had returned to Jared’s ‘pad’ by the time the sun was almost set. He plopped the items down next to the bubble as he sat down on the couch. 

“You can crash here another night before heading out in the morning if you’d like.” 

“Thank you.” He replied in earnest. Jared had been so helpful, even though it knew he wasn’t anything like it in the slightest. “You’re really nice.”

Jared smirked in a way that made it look as though it was thinking about something. “Don’t mention it, kid. Always happy to lend a hand.” 

The night went on pleasantly, he got to try ‘dinner’ which evidently was another eating event that differed from ‘breakfast’. Jared put on the tv again, he watched much more intently this time, taking in even more information from the entertainment program on the screen. Jared eventually went to ‘bed’ to sleep for the night, he laid down on the couch, quietly processing all the new information he had collected this cycle.

Eventually he drifted off.

***

“If you're ever in town, come swing by sometime.” Jared clasped his shoulder in what he assumed was a friendly manner. “And be careful out there, kid. It’s a big world.”

“I will be.” He assured. “Thanks again.”

The two parted, Jared back towards town, and he went on his mission. There was a strange feeling inside of him that he couldn’t identify entirely, it felt almost lonesome. He looked back to see Jared waking away, becoming smaller and smaller as it did. It would be alright though, after he found others like him he could visit Jared any time. He fixed the strap to the bag that held the items Jared had gotten him, including the bubbled gem, now filled with a sense of determination. He hoped his journey wouldn’t be too long, part of him feared it would never end. He began to walk in hopes of finding something. 

***

He stretched as he returned to his true form, being condensed like that for so long made him feel a tad bit cramped. Then again, it did require far less energy to manifest. He had deemed it safe to revert when it seemed there would be no robins to see him, though he was starting to feel more comfortable after meeting Jared. He still didn’t want to make any robins uncomfortable if necessary. 

He continued following the road, nothing but plant life to be seen for ages. That was, until he stumbled across some sign of sorts. He couldn’t decipher it, it looked to be conveying some general information. He would need to do some research on robin communication, he noted that and followed where the sign was placed at the crossroads. 

The sign labeled ‘Beach City, 25 miles’ stood idly behind him as he passed it.

***

He had never seen so much liquid before, endless as far as the visual sensors could detect. He stood in awe of it, unaware that there was anything other than ground here. He was still some ways from any other robin settlements, or what he hoped was others of his kind, but he had to stop to take in the unbelievable view. We’re there most places like this? So different and amazing? He wondered how far the water went, did it encompass the entire planet or was this a relatively large anomaly? He was curious, hungry for answers. However, those would have to wait for now, he had his mission. He began to walk while admiring the water, how it rose up and down onto the sandy surface in rhythm.

It was hypnotizing, the musty saltiness in the air and abundance of wind. It was so much different, even down to the fauna that resides here. He observed as he walked, making note of everything he saw. The creatures here were much smaller than in the floral areas, and very different. The flying ones were kind of the same. There were ones with claws and roundish bodies, ones with calcium carbonate armor, others with squishy wiggly bodies. He wondered if these creatures knew of the ones that lived in the terrestrial flora, most likely not. He also wondered if there were floral forests beneath the water as well as above it that these creatures lived in… wouldn’t hurt to check.

Getting completely distracted, he waded into water, having to fight its tide to get into the deeper parts. He didn’t see anything at the outskirts so he went further. He submerged himself, feeling the cooler temperature surrounding his gem. He could feel the water filling the cavities within his form, salty and wet as air bubbles escaped through his nose. He didn’t mind it too much, but it did feel a bit unpleasant, especially since the food was still there. He definitely noted the abundance of sodium chloride, it made the water taste…interesting. What was more interesting to him was the density and buoyancy of the water from beneath, he had to adjust his form to be able to stay at the bottom. He walked some ways before finding more flora and fauna. He stood in awe at the sheer amount of color variations in comparison to the land flora and fauna. Pinks, reds, and blues all in different shapes and sizes. The fauna here hovered above the surface, well most did. The ones that didn’t scuttled across the ground. They all glided through the water like flying, underwater flying! He walked along to see it all, observing the creatures in complete wonderment. Eventually he hit land again, he was a tad bit upset that his mini adventure was over, but he did have to keep going. 

He broke the surface of the water, leaving behind the hidden world beneath. What met him was a small robin settlement comfortably nestled in the foothill of a small mountain. He waded through the water and made his way to the shoreline. He didn’t know why but he had a good feeling about this.

Perhaps this place contained the answers he sought.

Chapter Text

He stepped out from the large body of water, feeling the cavities inside his form still full of the salty liquid. He couldn’t figure out how to get it out at first but settled on blowing it out his nose… He would have to come up with something to keep the inside of him dry in the future. He examined the small settlement, and small it certainly was in comparison to the last one he was in. It looked as though it didn’t house more than a few hundred robins, quiet and peaceful. He ventured forth with optimism, completely forgetting his disguise.

There were different buildings here than in the last settlement, varying in shapes and sizes. He half wondered what the purpose was for these structures, some didn’t seem like places to sleep or sell things. Were they for entertainment like the tv? It was completely possible, robins did seem to enjoy things like that, he would be lying if he didn’t like it too. He continued to pass by buildings on the quiet streets, taking in everything when he heard a sound. The sound itself was pleasant, a melodic tune. He followed it to find the source, discovering a robin with its hairline starting to recede, with a strange looking thing in its hands while sitting on a chair of sorts. The robin was next to a building with a bright glowing sign… at least he assumed that’s what it was…it looked to represent some kind of creature pouring water on its back. Curiously he inched closer as to not be seen by the robin, not wanting to disturb its sound making.

He poked his head around the corner and listened to the sounds the robin was producing with the thing in its hands. The robin in question was humming along in tune, matching the strumming with its voice.  He watched for a little bit before the robin stood up, putting the thing down next to the chair it was sitting on. He ducked behind the building, he wanted his introduction to be…less creepy. He hyped himself up, he could do this. This robin would probably be nice as well and hopefully not at all weirded out by his colors. He began to turn the corner only to see the robin right next to him. He completely froze up as the robin cleared its throat to speak. 

“Er, hey there pal. Sorry, but the wash is closed today if you’re looking for a cleaning.” It chuckled nervously as it looked…up at him…

It dawned on him that he never transformed! His towering form dwarfed the robin as he stared wide eyed in terror.

“You ok there?” It moved a little closer. 

“You aren’t bothered that I’m tall and pink?” He was half questioning and half confirming. 

“Not at all, pal.” The robin gave him a large and goofy grin. “Stuff like this is actually pretty normal around here.”

‘Normal?’ Were there others here like him? He felt a flutter of hope in his gem, if things like him were considered usual then there was a chance he would be able to find other gems.

“Normal?” He parroted with a hopeful smile. 

“Yup.” The robin extended a hand to him. “The names Greg.”

He shook Greg’s hand. “I’m…um, well it’s a work in progress.” He decided that was the easier and shorter answer.

Greg lifted its arms. “Say no more, I completely understand.” 

It made him wonder if all robins began as he did, having to discover what kind of robin they were…he pondered if his kind were the same. 

“So,” Greg started walking towards the building, making it clear it wanted him to follow. “What brings you to beach city?” 

“I’m looking for something, I guess.” He responded as they entered the building, having to duck under the door frame. 

“Ah, don’t worry.” It turned on a device that started making dark and hot water. “A lot of people have been where you are.”

“Really?” He tried to squish his large form into the chair at the table.

“Oh yeah.” Greg poured the liquid into the cup and gave it to him. “Finding yourself is all part of the journey.”

Maybe they really were similar after all. He looked into the dark brown water, seeing his white pupils shine in the reflection of it. 

“Huh…” he contemplated over what Greg had said. “I see.” 

Greg slid onto the chair next to him and began sipping the liquid, he observed before doing the same. The liquid was hot but the taste was really good. Greg watched in horror as he downed the scalding liquid in one go. 

“Wow, uh…” it put its cup down. “You’re a real fan of coffee, huh?”

“Was I not supposed to do it like that?” He felt embarrassed, was there etiquette to drinking this ‘coffee’ that he wasn’t aware of? 

Greg burst into laughter. Why was it laughing? If he did it wrong shouldn’t it be upset? 

"I’m sorry, you just remind me of someone.” It stopped for a moment to think. “I have some friends who might be able to help you.”

The two walked along the sandy beach road leading towards the small mountain, a building with red and white stripes adorning the top. They stopped at a fence with a wooden sign on it, the letters written in sloppy handwriting… or at least it looked that way to him, maybe it was meant to be like that? Greg opened a part of it and ushered him in, closing it behind them. 

“These guys know everything there is to know about magic stuff, figured it would help you on your self discovery journey.” It led them around the cliff side, a large statue with several hands carved into it with a door and a warp pad at its center. The carving itself was beautiful, even if it was a bit decayed. He was so enamored by it he almost forgot the question he had for Greg.

“What do you mean by ‘magic?’” He tilted his head a bit curiously. 

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend.” Greg was quick to apologize. “I just assumed you were looking for something more your speed.” Was Greg insinuating that he was magic and these people would be able to assist him with his purpose dilemma? 

If so, this was great news. “No, no. That’s actually perfect!” Greg seemed to relax a bit. “I’ve been looking for someone like that!” 

“Well that’s good!” They reached the base of the warp pad. “Honestly, I can’t think of anyone better to help you out.” 

He stood at the ready as Greg knocked on the door, anticipation crawling beneath his form. The two waited a moment, nothing. 

“Eh, maybe they’re still out?” Greg rubbed the back of its neck. “They can be gone for weeks at a time when on tougher missions.”

He felt a bit of disappointment at that, but Greg quickly tried to cheer him up again.

“Hey, don’t worry. It’s not like they’ll be gone forever.” 

“I guess so.” he reluctantly agreed.

“Well. Until then you’re always welcome at the car wash.” Greg pointed towards the building they had come from. “Plus there’s a lot of great sights just outside of town.”

‘Sights to see’ sounded like it would be fun. He figured it couldn’t hurt, especially if Greg’s friends wouldn’t be back for several cycles. He agreed adamantly as Greg went on about several things he could do in town for the time being. 

***

Garnet and Amethyst had combed the entire area, unable to explain the sudden massive crater that had appeared over a week ago. It could be a sinkhole, but the surrounding damage indicated that it exploded outward instead of inwards. Whatever had done this seemed to either come from above, or within. Perhaps it was a simple meteor... no, there were no meteors within the earth's radius that could create such an impact. Another possibility was humans testing their weapons, but even that seemed a stretch given they would always do it someplace remote like deserts. The last possibility she could think of was some sort of corrupted gem fight, yet that was unlikely given no damage was ever recorded to leave such scars on the earth. That, and they all knew for certain there were no gem relics anywhere in the area…unless some foolish humans had somehow gotten their hands on one. 

Amethyst casually strode forward with her hands behind her head. There was something off about her though, she had been a little jumpy ever since they arrived at the scene.

“Yo, Garnet. I think this must have been some weird accident or something.” She shrugged. “We’ve been here for like, almost two weeks and looked everywhere. There’s nothing even here.” 

“Nothing here anymore.” Garnet corrected. “We can’t be sure if this was human activity, gem related or natural.” She adjusted her visor, hoping to see some future where their answer was, unfortunately not having enough context led her to dead end streams. 

“Maybe we should head back and, like, regroup.” The little quartz supplied.

Garnet had to agree, staying here showed her no future in which they discovered the source. Whatever it was that caused this seemed to be long gone, forever to remain a mystery. The two made the trek from the craters center towards the warp pad, Amethyst taking the lead. Once there, she activated the pad and the two headed back to the temple.

Chapter Text

It had been a day since he met the robin named Greg, learning so much in that time. 

He learned about music and amusement parks and the ocean. He also learned that robins in this town truly didn’t care about how different he looked, each time he passed one they didn’t even bat an eye. He felt like he was blending in even though he wasn’t using his disguise. 

It was afternoon when a flash of light came from the temple. Greg put down his guitar, signaling that this was something to be noted.

“Looks like they’re back.” 

“They are?!” He turned his head to face the cliff side. 

“Why don’t you head on over. I’m sure they’ll be more than excited to meet you.” 

“Yeah, okay!” He stood and swiveled on his heels, making his way over with far more giddiness than he had ever felt before. 

Greg picked up his guitar ones more and tuned it with a smirk. “Good luck, buddy.”

***

He walked around the cliff side, the temple coming into view, some hesitation in his steps. two individuals were at its base, speaking to one another. One was short and purple, the other a tall, almost red one . He couldn’t make out what they were saying but they looked worried, perhaps their mission Greg was talking about didn’t go well. He suddenly began to feel a bit timid, he wasn’t sure as to why. He gulped and moved forward until he was at the base of the walkway to the warp pad.

It was then the two noticed him, their heads both turning at the same time to see the new visitor. He was able to see them much better now. The short one was wearing a messy white shirt with one piece pants, long light purple hair that framed their face. The tall one had squared hair with a visor that hid their eyes, wearing a one piece suit. They both had unusual coloring like he did, at least, none of the robins he had come across were red or purple. It was then he noticed the gems that sat on their hands and chest, gems like his, and like the monster that still rested comfortably in his pack. He felt overwhelming joy, he had found them! Found others like him! He beamed as the sense of loneliness began to melt away.

“I’m not the only one!” It was almost a whisper, but loud enough to be heard by the two. He inched forward, only stopping when he saw the expression on their faces… his smile dying instantly. They looked at him with horror. The purple one was frozen in place slack jawed and the red one had taken a defensive stance. He was taken back a moment…maybe he should ‘break the ice’ as Greg would call it. 

“Uh…hi?” He made a small gesturing wave. 

“This can’t be…” the red one ignored him. “Amethyst!”

The purple one, Amethyst, snapped out of their blank stare and summoned a whip from their gem, the red one gauntlets from theirs. He stepped back, shocked by the sudden hostility. Greg seemed to be able to come here and knock on their door just fine, was there something he didn’t do? Did he do something wrong? The two came forward, pushing him back towards the beach. 

“How?” The red one snapped. “How are you here!?” 

“I…I…” he stammered, not certain how to answer or what the question was. “ I don’t know, I thought that…”

The warp pad went off a second time, the light fading to reveal two others like him. The first was a bulky and colorful gem with dreadlocks and a gem in their chest, wearing some sort of apron, and the second one…

The second was pink and had a long flowing dress with ringlet curls that framed their face and shoulders, their gem in their stomach with a star-shaped cut hole. Both looked equally shocked to see him as the first two were, but there was something in the pink one's face that was more than just horror, something he couldn’t pin. 

“What!?” The colorful one shifted their hands into hammers. “What the heck is this?!” 

“I…”

“We’re not sure, she just appeared.” The red one supplied. 

“I just…”

“Guys, who even is this?” Amethyst asked with whip In hand, never averting her gaze from his sealed gem. 

“P…please… I ”

“Pink diamond…” the pink one finally muttered, eyes wide, stopping everyone from speaking. 

Was…was that what he was? A diamond? That did answer one question but it didn’t answer what his purpose was. Frankly, he felt that wasn’t the main priority at the moment. His priority became abundantly clear when the colorful one lunged at him with her hands shifted into hammers, slamming the ground he had moved away from with a resounding boom. 

“I don’t know how you survived.” She stood menacingly from the small crater she made. “But you've got another thing coming if you think you can just waltz in here and take us out!” 

He was completely dumbfounded. ‘How he survived?’ Was he truly a faulty creation not fit enough to exist? We’re his imperfections terrible to their standards? He felt a pang of betrayal and sorrow, the robins never cared about his flaws… but he wasn’t a robin…

He didn’t get much time to think further on it before the red one joined in, punching him square in the chest and sending him into a fallen pillar. The piece of stone made a sickening cracking sound when he made contact with it, his form fizzled a moment from the sheer force. He tried to stand only to the world becoming static for a brief moment. The red one hadn’t moved from where she punched him, standing up triumphantly. She continued the colorful one’s speech. 

“You couldn’t defeat us five thousand years ago” she clenched her fists clad in gauntlet. “You can’t defeat us now!”

Five thousand years ago? He had learned from Greg that one year was three hundred and sixty-five days, that didn’t make any sense!

“I… I don’t know what you mean.” He stood on unsteady feet. “I only emerged thirteen days ago.” 

“Emerged?” The Amethyst turned a shade paler hearing that, the Colorful one and the red one became angry at what he said and the pink one… the pink one stared almost through him with a glazed expression, never moving from her spot she had appeared on the warp pad. 

“Y..yeah.” He tried to explain. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tried to plead. 

“Enough!” The colorful one yelled. “Rose!” She turned to the pink one, Rose, and saw the glazed expression she was wearing. Seeing Rose wasn’t going to react, she turned to the red one. “We have to take her down, Garnet!” 

Garnet nodded wordlessly and in turn looked at Amethyst. “Ready?” Amethyst fumbled her whip a moment before steadying herself, “uh…y…yeah!” 

“Amethyst,” Garnet began. “Don’t let her get away and cover me and Bismuth.” She enlarged her gauntlets. “We’ll handle this.”

It became clear that talking it out wasn’t going to be an option. He steadied himself and looked for an opening, maybe if he could get Greg they could all talk it out… what if they attacked Greg for helping a defective gem? It wouldn’t be fair to Greg, robins were accepting and innocent in that regard, he wouldn’t risk putting it in danger to save his own form. His best bet was to escape, just run far away from these gems. He wasn’t fit to live among them, this was made clear by their initial reaction to him. The thought stung somewhere deep within his gem that he had no place here, but he could live with robins if he had to, could find a purpose like them and be happy… if he survived this. 

He took a wobbling defensive stance, arms trembling with fear. He was just made, he didn’t want to be shattered! It was three on one, he never even had to fight anything before the blue monster and that had no strategy other than to chase. He watched as Garnet and Bismuth rounded him, blocking off his two possible escape routes, Amethyst stationed in the middle. Garnet was the first to move, throwing a punch aimed for his head. He rolled to the side, her fist only making contact with the pillar behind him. It was immediately followed by Bismuth, her once hammer hands now blades swung at him. He clumsily avoided them and stumbled back, tripping on his own feet. He saw an opening behind him to run on Bismuth's side, scrambling up and bolting only to have a sharp and stinging pain bite his ankle, tripping him up. He looked down and saw the whip the amethyst had tangled around his legs. He fumbled to get them off before getting punched upside the head with a gauntlet,  losing all sense of space as he flew through the air and into the cliff side itself. 

It took a moment to process what just happened, a moment he realized too late as Bismuth slashed at him, only hitting his upper arm as it came up to defend himself. He screamed as it painfully tore through form, his hard light exposed beneath and…oozing? Even Bismuth seemed taken back by the sluggish pink goop that began to drip from his arm. He held it close to his chest, wavering away from her. He had been slashed before but not this deep. The shock didn’t last long before the whip was wrapped around his torso and pulled forward. Garnet grabbed on to the whip and sent a wave of electricity through it, he felt it course through his form in a single wave of agony. His form began to waver, seeing Bismuth coming in to deliver the final blow. He didn’t want to be shattered, he didn’t want to die! 

With summoned adrenaline like strength he pushed his power outwards, exploding in a shockwave that staggered the gems opposing him. He summoned a bubble around him and fell to his knees as he watched all four gems be thrown back by his outburst. He didn’t want to fight them, if anything they were right to hate him for his wrongness…yet the instinct to survive was stronger than his shamefulness.

He panted for breath as his gem became hot, trying to keep the bubble up as the others all got back up. They pounded and slashed at it, kicked and clawed but he held it up despite the fact. He knew he couldn’t keep it up forever though, the strange oozing pink began to make him feel… strange and tired. He tried to seal the wound but his gem didn’t have the power to handle that and keep his safe haven up. He sank further down on hands and knees and gasped for breath, his form heating up too quickly, the bubble he had encased himself in trapping the heat he was generating. 

The bubble popped with one last punch from Garnet. He began to shake in fear and pain knowing what was coming next. They would take his gem and crumble it to dust, would scatter it so that nothing imperfect like him could ever exist again. Even though he figured he deserved it, he still felt the prickle of tears behind his eyes, still felt that sense of unfairness to not give him a chance. He clenched his eyes shut and waited for the blow that would unravel his already battered form, unable to bear looking at the one who would do it. Yet, it didn’t come. 

Instead, before anything did happen, the sound of flip flops and yelling registered in his ears. He looked up unsteadily to see that Greg was between him and Rose…when had Rose even moved? His blast must have knocked her out of that trance she was in. 

“What are you guys doing?!” Greg practically screamed. 

“Greg,” Garnet warned. “You need to move aside, that gem is dangerous!”

“What are you talking about?” Greg turned to Garnet. “You just met him! How would you know?” 

“Greg,” Bismuth’s voice took on a softer tone. “That gem isn’t what you think she is, you need to move aside and let us handle this.”

“Are you serious!?” Greg refused to budge. “He’s been waiting for you guys to show up for days! He’s even a gem like you!” 

The arguing continued, he simply watched wide eyed as the two went back and forth. Greg defending him and the gems accusing him. Finally, Rose spoke. 

“I’m sorry, Greg.” She looked up. “It’s too dangerous.” She summoned a shield, her eyes filled with conflicting emotions. 

She stepped forward.

She was going to hurt Greg to get to him!

She stretched a hand out to go past Greg when he summoned every once of remaining power to force his form to move. He wouldn’t let Greg get hurt because of him, he wasn’t going to drag anyone else into this. If he had to go…at least it would only be him. 

The others saw him move, Bismuth being the first to react. She swung at him with her blade hands as he pushed Greg behind him defensively, not even attempting to shield himself from her blow. He saw her face contort from one of rage to one of shock, he couldn’t discern why.

It  took him a split second to notice the massive gash above his gem, oozing that pink substance pouring from him. It filled every cavity, overflowing from within. He coughed and watched in horror as it dripped from his mouth and nose. He couldn’t get it to stop…why wouldn’t it stop!?  He staggered And curled in on himself as his form continued to leak that horrific substance. He could feel himself coming undone, feel his form fizzle and crack. As much as he fought, he couldn’t hold together, couldn’t keep himself stable. The world became nothing but an unrecognizable realm of static and pain.

His form exploded into a cloud of hardened light, sprinkling to the ground like glitter. His gem landed in the sand where he once stood with a plunk. 

Chapter Text

No one dared to move in the silence that followed, each dumbstruck in different ways. Greg finally regained his senses and hastily picked up the gem laying on the beach, storming off from towards the car wash. 

“Whoa, hey!” Bismuth stepped forward but was stopped by Rose’s outstretched arm. 

“I’ll talk to him.” 

“We can’t leave him with Pink diamond, Rose.” Garnet warned. Though there wasn't much hostility behind her words, even she had begun questioning the situation after seeing the supposed tyrant of homeworld risk herself to protect a human.

“I know.” Rose turned solemnly. “Let me just speak to him first.” 

***

He opened the back door to his van, placing the faceted gem on one of his sweatshirts, noting the heat radiating off of it like an old battery. He had seen the gems be poofed on occasion, he knew this kid wasn’t dead, more like… what was the human equivalent? A coma? Sure a coma, close enough. He slammed the back door and headed to the driver's seat, hopping in and turning on the ignition. The van pulled out from the wash and headed in no particular direction, he knew this kid wouldn’t want to wake up surrounded by the gems. 

And frankly he felt they both needed a break from them.  

He absentmindedly drove down the highway, trying to come up with somewhere to go. A place suddenly popped into his head, the gems didn’t know about it! He headed off the highway to the barn his family owned. 

***

The van parked next to the empty barn, the setting sun basking it in oranges and pinks. He opened the back door, picking up the gem still nestled in his sweatshirt and headed inside. 

The barn hadn’t been touched in ages given the dust and cobwebs that littered every inch of the inside, probably for the best. Closing the door shook some dust from the roof, causing him to sneeze. He wiped his nose on his sleeve, putting the gem down to find a lighting fixture. 

He was rummaging through the barn when the door opened ever so slightly, he didn’t bother turning as he already knew who it was. 

“Greg?”

“Rose.” He didn’t bother looking at her as he finally found a lamp and set it up. 

Rose was taken back some, she had never seen Greg so passive aggressive before. He was always so positive and always looked on the bright side… which meant she messed up, big time.

“Were you on top of my van this whole time?” He finally looked her in the eye. 

“Yes.” She admitted timidly. 

He sighed. “So…” he rubbed a hand through his hair. “You here to take him?” 

She looked at the gem bundled in Greg’s hoodie, small sealed cracks maring its surface. She tore her eyes away from the sad image in front of her and instead chose to look to Greg.

“I’m sorry, Greg.” She stepped forward cautiously. “It’s too much of a risk, we aren’t going to hurt he…him.” 

“You already did! You…” he stopped himself and sighed “Is this about the gem war stuff?” 

“Yes.” 

“What are you going to do?”

“Just keep him bubbled for now.” She assured him, she had no intention of… well…

“At least give him a chance first.” He pleaded, making sure to stand between her and the gem. “I spent some time with him and he seems like a good kid.” 

She wanted to, oh how badly she did, but the risk he posed by just being alive was too great. She battled with the conflicting emotions raging inside of her, trying to convince herself that this was what had to happen. She could just bubble him so he would be safe, put the bubble somewhere in her room in the temple…no one would get hurt. 

“I…” she stopped as the gem began to light up, levitating upwards to produce mass. She tried to move forward but Greg blocked her, she could have easily moved him but there was something in his eyes that was just so…intense, she just couldn’t. She bit back the feeling of any future regret and watched as a blob of light began to fluctuate, fully expecting it to cycle through Pink diamonds original form first.

***

The darkness was everywhere. 

He waded in it, slogged through in an attempt to reach coherence. 

Was he shattered? He didn’t feel shattered… he was still there, or maybe this was what it felt like?

That wasn’t right, he still felt his gem intact. 

He needed to know.

He tried to outstretch himself from the safe haven of his gem, pulling forth form. The presets from his previous form were there, but… he thought for a moment. If he could shift his form, maybe he could make permanent alterations now to better fit robin style. 

With great expense he created a new template and left his gem. 

***

The gem rose up, shining with a brilliant light before taking form.

Rose watched anxiously as it…

As it… shifted from the form she saw at the beach to another, never once cycling through the frilly form of pink diamond. She looked on in shock as his form solidified with a star t-shirt and unzipped hoodie, a pair of jeans and flip flops… an outfit somewhat similar to Greg’s. 

The light died down and he instantly plummeted to the floor, landing on hands and knees while gasping for breath. 

“You ok?” Greg ran over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder only to reel back with a hiss. 

“Are you guys supposed to be this warm?” He held his singed hand in worry. Rose rushed over to inspect his hand before even bothering to check the gem hyperventilating on the floor next to them, seeing Greg’s hand become an irritated reddish color. 

“Rose, I’m fine.” He pulled the hand back. “Somethings wrong with him!”

She looked to the gem next to her, heaving for breath. She placed a hand on his back and almost reeled herself. His form was extremely hot to the touch.

The sound of gurgling had her bending over him, a spew of dark pink leaked from his mouth as he glitched ever slightly. She looked at the substance in horror and confusion. She wasn’t entirely certain what it was, he had been leaking it during their fight, looking similar to diamond essence…but diamonds needed liquids to extract it. She cautiously extended a hand to examine it, finding it very warm to the touch. He began to whimper as more essence…at least what she thought was essence, was expelled from him again. There was some strange instinct that overtook her to protect, she felt the overwhelming need to help him begin to overrule every other desire. Whatever he was, a re-fused pink, an entirely new gem or otherwise, he was suffering. 

She made a decision.

She licked a finger, lifted up his shirt and lathered his gem with it. Her healing abilities were severely limited, but it might just work. 

***

He hit the floor, what he thought was a floor? With a resounding thud. 

He felt sick to his very core, knowing full well that he shouldn’t have forced himself to reform so quickly. None of his sensors were responding correctly, no matter how much air he took in to try and cool it. Sounds were nonsensical. Sight was nothing more than a fuzzy mess. His sense of space was fluctuating and incomprehensible as the world spun in an unnatural manner. That fluid from before was beginning to fill his cavities again. Everything was either pain or confusion that he could only ride out. 

And then it stopped. 

He heaved in another breath as everything began to make sense, sight and hearing beginning to clear up. His gem was beginning to calm a little bit, though it still raged with an uncomfortable heat. He could see below him a puddle of pink on a brown wooden floor…

He half realized that he didn’t know where he was. 

He lifted his head slowly to try and gain a sense of his surroundings, not expecting the one called Rose to be sitting right next to him. He bolted away from her, his back hitting some random objects he didn’t bother to look at, only able to stare wide eyed at one of his attackers. 

“Whoa, hey there, it’s ok!” Greg ran up to him, stepping in front of Rose. “You’re ok!”

“Wha…” he coughed up more of that pink substance. “I’m….you’re….” He couldn’t get the words to form, wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say in the first place. 

“Just relax!” Greg put both hands on his shoulders. “No one’s commin’ after ya.” 

He almost missed what Greg said, flickering his eyes over to Rose. Greg tightened its grip and blocked her from view. 

“Don’t look at her, look at me.” He locked eyes with Greg, needing a few extra seconds to fully realize he wasn’t in any immediate danger. “There ya go!” Greg removed its hands from him. “Deep breaths, bud.”

He was still heaving a bit, his internal temperature slowly stabilizing but still far too hot. He nodded shakily and wiped some of the pink dribbling from his chin, grimacing at it as it stained his sweatshirt sleeve. 

“Wh…a…ts wr…ong w’th m…e?” He curled in on himself a bit as he looked to Greg for answers. 

Rose had moved closer, looking on in pity. He caught her eye and felt…confused. Why was she looking at him like that? He was wrong, she was just trying to shatter him for that reason. She moved closer and he flinched, making her reel back a moment before moving in slower. He watched anxiously as she sat down in front of him with Greg, treating him as if he would bolt at any moment. 

“Y…you aren’t…t going t..to shatter m..e?” 

Her face shifted to horror instantly. “Why would I do that?” 

Bec..cause I’m w…wrong?” He hugged himself a little bit. “I c…ame out w..ron..g…” he felt himself begin to cry 

“Wrong…?” She looked as if she was going to say something, but chose another question instead. “Came out where?” 

“Th..e gr…round.” He sniffed. “No o..one w…as th..ere so I… thought… if I f..ound others l…Ike me… b…ut th…n y…ou a…n” his words trailed off into light sobs, burying his face in his hoodie. He felt a pair of hands clutch his shoulders and pull his hoodie sleeves away from his face. Holding his hands in theirs, he realized a moment later that they were Rose’s.

He looked up to her to see that she was crying almost as badly as he was. He felt so much more confused, not knowing what to think. 

“You are not wrong!” 

“B…ut I’m b..roken…” he tried not to look her in the eye. “I d..ont ev…en know wh…at I’m f…or.”  

She held his hands tighter. “You don’t have to be ‘for’ anything.” That made him look her in the eyes with confusion. “And…your gem may be b…” she stopped for a moment, a horrid expression crossing her features before being masked by unrelenting determination. “Cracked, but that doesn’t make you broken!” 

He felt Greg clap a hand on his shoulder with a comforting grip. He looked back down to his hands that were wrapped in Rose’s. 

“B…ut I thought…when you saw m..e I thought…” 

Something grievous clicked in Rose, her face melting into a guilt so agonizing he himself could feel it. 

“No! Stars no! I’m so sorry!” She shook her head to further her point. “We thought you were… we were going to bubble you…” she fumbled her words. “We thought you were dangerous, I’m sorry we did that.” 

He felt some relief wash over him hearing that he wasn’t deserving of being destroyed…

Greg cut in, getting Rose’ attention. 

“Why don’t you give us a couple seconds, babe?” She nodded in understanding and stood to hastily leave the barn. He simply watched with a blank and shocked expression, not having processed everything entirely. 

“B…but.” He wracked his mind to understand. “I’m not… right…” he was used to robins not caring after learning he was friendly, but for some strange reason he felt conflicted that ones of his own kind would be the same…especially after the fight they just had. Had they actually attacked him because of those other gem creatures? like the blue o… 

He began to panic, feeling himself for his pack. The blue gem monster was in there and if it got out… 

“Where is it?” Greg seemed confused. 

“What?”

“M…my bag!” He grabbed his hair. “There’s a… a gem, a blue one… I…” 

He could see Rose peek around the corner of the open door hearing that. Greg simply tried to calm him down. 

“I think I left it on the beach when I grabbed your gem.” Greg watched with worry as he started to stand. “You probably shouldn’t be doing that yet…right?” It turned to Rose for confirmation. 

“But if I…it gets out, it’ll…” he lost track of his sentence as the static returned. He must have blacked out for a brief moment because once the static lifted, his arm was slung over Rose’ shoulder, trying to steady him as Greg held on to his midsection. 

“O…okay!” Greg huffed. “Man you’re heavy!”

They helped him over to the van, after a lot of persistence on his part. Greg had turned off the lamp in the barn in favor of the van lights as Rose helped him into the back. 

“If you want, you can stay here while me and Rose go get your stuff.” Greg offered, full well knowing he wasn’t up to being in the vicinity of the three gems who had pummeled him. 

He latched onto his left arm nervously. “I…need to see it for myself.” He needed to know that it didn’t get out and hurt any robins. 

Rose sighed in defeat. “Looks like I have some explaining to do when we get there.”

***

Bismuth anxiously paced back and forth as Garnet leaned against the temple wall, filtering through possible futures. Amethyst fiddled with the bag that was left behind, finally giving in to curiosity and rifling through it.

‘Yo, this gem has some good stuff!” She took out the flashlight and batteries. “If we bubble em, can I keep it?”

Neither answered, too busy drowning in their own dread.

“Fine then.” she mumbled as she continued to ransack the bag. 

Until she found something highly unexpected.

“Uh, guys!?” She practically yelled, finally getting their attention. Both went slack jawed in surprise as she held a bubbled corrupted sapphire in the palm of her hand. 

They all huddled around the bubble, even more questions arising about this ‘Pink diamond.’ 

Chapter Text

The roads were always pretty quiet after dark, which would be greatly relaxing if Greg didn’t have a sick gem conked out in the back of his van. He glanced at the rear view mirror every so often, hoping that the gem in question wasn’t vomiting all over his mattress. To be fair he wouldn’t even bat an eye, especially with how terrible the kid was looking. Though now that he thought about it, was this even a kid? Sure he was roughly eight feet tall, but he had a lot of innocent childlike qualities to him. Also, apparently he was born only two weeks ago… so that had to count for something. He gave up entirely on mental gymnastics and just did what he always did, go with the flow. 

Rose was sitting in the passenger seat, blankly staring at the dark road ahead. He knew that look, that was the look of when something was bothering her. Like when she confessed to him about starting a war, though she had seemed to want to tell him even more but… it was in the past, the now was all he cared about. Though at the moment, the ‘now’ was looking like a discussion he was very nervous about having. He hated talking about things like that, hated having an argument like that with her, and hated talking about uncomfortable feelings. He sucked in a breath, preparing himself for the inevitable discussion they would both need to have eventually. 

“Hey um…Rose?” She snapped out of whatever trance she was in to face him. 

“Sorry I got snippy back there. I don’t fully understand what’s going on with all this gem stuff, but…” he didn’t know where he was going with this, words just falling out of his mouth in an attempt to communicate what he was feeling. “Just…thanks, for hearing me out about giving him a shot.”

She folded her hands together in contemplation, quickly checking to make sure the diamond in the back was still sleeping. 

“I’m sorry for making you upset.” She didn’t look at him as she apologized. “I should have explained what was happening and kept Garnet and Bismuth from attacking him.”

So that’s what was bothering her.

“I… should have taken control of the situation.” She stopped fiddling with her hands to glance at the rear view mirror. “If anything, I’m not sure what to make of any of this.” 

Greg used his free hand to rest on her upper leg in assurance. “It’s ok Rose, we’ll get through it.” 

She wasn’t so sure about that, but she gave him a soft smile regardless. 

***

The two had decided that it wasn’t a wise idea to stroll into the temple in the middle of the night, that and trying to maneuver an eight foot tall rag doll of a gem out of Greg’s van wasn't in their best interest. 

Greg had long fallen asleep in the driver's seat, rolled up in his extra sleeping bag. Rose sat on the back of the van, the door open to better let in the moonlight. She watched as pink diamond slept, her mind becoming riddled with questions she knew she wouldn’t get answers to. 

Pink diamond had been defeated by the crystal gems ages ago, just to show up again with supposedly no memories and sealed cracks… at least that’s what she thought until seeing him reform. No matter the gem, their original template will always be there. His base form was so much different now, along with many other things. He was shorter, sounded different, used a human pronoun descriptor, his colors were arranged differently, his pupils were white instead of an almost blackish pink and his gem was facet up instead of facing down...was this the pink diamond from before with memory loss? Or was this something very different? She figured with dread that only time would tell.

Greg shifted a bit before rising up from his cocoon of semi-comfort, gaining her attention. 

“Mm, gotta take a leak.” He fumbled with the zipper a moment before clumsily waddling his way to the car wash. He came back wiping his washed hands on his pants before noticing her staring at the kid. 

“I didn’t know you guys could sleep.” He whispered to Rose as he climbed back into the driver's seat. “Not until meeting Amethyst, anyways.”

“This is different.” She spoke in equally hushed tones, her eyes becoming hidden by her bangs as she lowered her head. “He’s in stasis right now, it’s like what Amethyst does but not on purpose.”

“How bad of a thing is that?” Greg propped himself up on an elbow. 

“Very.” 

“Is there anything we can do for him?” 

“I don’t know yet.” She admitted, having dealt with cracks before but not a gem in that state. 

The two simply kept on their conversation in silence as the moon made its rounds over the night sky.

***

He stood stock still as they towered over him, their eyes like beacons pinning him to the very ground he was on.

He was too afraid to move.

They shifted. A hammer, gauntlets and whip swirled around him. He couldn’t move, he needed to move! 

He realized something was stopping him from moving, not just his fear but thorny vines were locking him in place. The mass of vines bloomed a rose from behind him, opening to reveal Rose herself. He couldn’t see her face behind her bangs, but could see her mouth down turned in a grimace. She held one of the thorns in her hand, larger and more threatening than the others. Her head lifted, eyes meeting his, a cold dead stare boring into him. She raised the thorn and rushed for him. 

“W…wait! Stop!” He lifted his arms in defense, clad in delicate gloves wrapped around dainty and unfamiliar hands. 

Rose ignored his plea. 

The thorn came mere inches to his gem at lightning speed…

***

He woke with a start, slamming his head against the roof of the van and nearly denting it. He rubbed said head with his hands, cradling it as he waited for the pain to die down. 

“Ow…” 

The van doors opened, revealing Greg with a worried expression. 

“You alright there, guy?” It climbed into the back of the van to inspect his head. 

“Yeah…” he gently swatted away Greg’s hands. “Just uh, didn’t realize the top was that close.” He didn’t think it would be a good decision to tell Greg about the strange visions he was experiencing while sleeping, thinking it may bother it. Those visions might just be another malfunction caused by his broken gem anyways, if anything he wasn’t going to trouble Greg with even more concerning information. Greg looked to be doubting him but didn’t say anything about it. 

“Is everything ok, Greg?” Rose poked her head in, more curiosity than concern showing on her face. 

“Yeah, I’m fine!” He rushed to answer before Greg could. “Just got up too quick and didn’t realize how low the ceiling was.” 

She mirthfully laughed. “I know the feeling.” She helped Greg out of the back of the van, himself following suit. 

“You two stay here while I explain the situation, and get your bag for you.” Her words were encouraging but her face spoke volumes of uncertainty. “Then we’ll figure out what to do from there.” 

“Ok.” He wasn’t entirely sure about everything himself, but if one gem was willing to look past his…potential to be a danger? Then surely he could convince the others that he truly meant no harm and, hopefully, not turn into whatever that blue gem was. He hoped they hadn’t hurt it or let it out by mistake.  

Rose left for the temple, leaving him and Greg to wait. 

“In the meantime,” Greg began to rifle through something in the van. “Why don’t we pass the time with some board games.” He watched as Greg pulled out some small boxes with colorful images on them, his interest peaked as to what these ‘board games’ were for. 

***

Garnet paced back and forth in the boiling room, completely at loss for words. She couldn’t make sense of what any of this could mean, never foresaw a future with the possibilities that were presented yesterday. Bismuth had dunked her feet in the lava, quietly meditating on everything. Amethyst just stood in the corner with a bag of chaaps, busying herself with food so as to not have to think about the situation. No one dared to say a word until the door to the boiling room opened, all three perking up in relief to see Rose. 

Which then turned to worry when they saw no bubbled diamond with her. 

“Rose.” Bismuth vaulted her legs over the edge of the lava well, almost spattering boiling lava everywhere. “Where is she?” 

“Everything is alright.” Rose assured. 

“Did Pink Diamond need to be…” Bismuth tried to put it lightly. “Taken care of?” The suggestion made Rose flinch, she looked as if she turned a shade paler for a moment. 

“No! It didn’t need to come to that!” 

“Then,” Amethyst poked around her dress. “Where’s the gem?” 

Rose stayed silent for a moment.

“Rose.” Garnet stepped forward. “Where is Pink Diamond?”

She let out a breath to prepare for the very long discussion that was about to happen. 

“Outside with Greg...”

Chapter Text

The explanation was long and tiring. Rose finished and waited for their reactions, prepared for an argument. 

“This doesn’t make any sense.” Garnet crossed her arms. 

“I know it’s confusing, but I don’t think he means us any harm.” Rose replied. 

“He?" Bismuth questioned. 

"It's...I'm unsure." 

"Well 'he' is too dangerous to be out there!" Bismuth spat.

“Gems other than us don’t stick their necks out for a human they just met.” Amethyst cut in. “Especially a ‘big bad diamond’.” 

“Which is why the situation is all the more precarious.” Garnet strode over to the bubble they had found in his bag and brought it to Rose. "Pink had this.”Rose took the bubble and examined it, a corrupted sapphire resting in a dark pink bubble. The gem itself was unblemished, not a scratch on it. “Pink didn’t shatter her.”

“Wasn’t Pink Diamond a rejuvenator during the war?” Bismuth asked.

Garnet turned to her and put her hand on her chin in contemplation. “I suppose… Rose? You said when he reformed, the old Pink Diamond presets were not present?” Rose nodded. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

“Unless,” Bismuth's brow furrowed. “He was somehow harvested?” 

“If he was, his gem wouldn’t be the same one. Someone would have had to crush the shards and begin the incubation process anew.” Garnet began to pace. “His gem looks like it was glued back together, not remade. That, and the sheer amount of life force it would take would have sucked the earth dry of all living things.” 

“So…” Amethyst fiddled with the bag of chaaps uneasily. “Is he Pink with memory loss, a new Pink or a weird zombie?” 

“We can’t truly know for sure.”  Garnet's answer didn’t seem to help calm the little quarts. 

“For now we’ll just have to watch him closely.” Rose moved over to Amethyst to assure her. “Whatever he is…”

“You know that’s dangerous, Rose.” Bismuth crossed her arms. “What if he turns on us?”

“Then we bubble him.” Rose looked Bismuth dead in the eye. “He clearly doesn’t have the power to fight us, and even less the desire.” 

Bismuth contemplated a moment before giving up with a sigh.

“Then it’s settled.” Garnet took the bubble from Rose and let it float up to join the others. “We’ll trust your decision, but also trust that you’ll do what is needed.” 

“I understand… and thank you.” 

The four all took a moment to prepare themselves before being led out by Rose, each one nervous or on guard for their own individual reasons. Rose took the pack from Amethyst, making sure she hadn’t stashed any of his items in her room, and made her way to the van. They were all tense, but trusted that Rose knew what she was doing. They approached the van, turned the corner to see Pink Diamond…

…Sitting cross legged on the ground playing a game of go fish with Greg.

“Got any… threes?” He leaned a little to the side playfully and hopefully. 

“Go fish!” Greg leaned back in triumph, making the diamond groan as he picked up a card. “I gotta admit, you catch onto games pretty quick.” 

“Is that good?” 

“Yeah,” Greg picked up a card. “Means you learn things fast.” That made him beam with a smile so genuine it made all of them watching stare wide eyed and slack jawed. Rose stepped forward and cleared her throat to get their attention. 

“Rose,” Greg stood, Pink Diamond following suit. He had to stand on his toes to peck her on the cheek, she bent down a bit for him to reach her easier. She then walked over to Pink and handed him his bag.

“Here,” he took it gratefully and slung it over his shoulder. “The gem is safe in the temple.”

“Thanks.” He held onto the strap a little tighter when he noticed the gems behind Rose staring at him. “Um…”

“Pink.” Garnet started. “We are to believe that you are not here to cause harm?” 

He didn’t know how to respond, still afraid that he might say or do something that they would deem a threat. “Yes?”

“Hm.” Garnet adjusted her visor saying nothing more. Instead, Amethyst had somehow appeared behind him, making him jump. 

“So you’re Pink Diamond?!” She circled him a few times, something on her face indicating a mix of intrigue and absolute inward panic. 

"I...guess so?" He answered unsurely.

“Alright, Amethyst.” Rose gently led her away. “Give him some space.” Amethyst complied and scurried back over to Garnet and Bismuth. “They came here to give you your bag, and what we plan to do from here on out.”

“Ok…” he stood in anticipation of what it was they were planning for him with fear. Rose said she would talk to them and it seemed they weren’t going to shatter him. “Are you… going to bubble me?” 

“No.” Rose walked up beside him. “You’re going to stay here while we figure things out.” 

“Stay…here?” They wanted him to stay? He was so very confused, if anything he would have thought they would want him as far away as possible. “You guys want me around?” 

“We need to keep you around.” Bismuth finally spoke up. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Diamond. We’re keeping an eye on you.” Rose tossed Bismuth a harsh glance, to which she rolled her eyes. 

“What Bismuth means is we’ll be looking out for ya.” Amethyst supplied. “You’re like either new or have amnesia and stuff.” 

“Oh! Thanks.” He liked Amethyst. At least she had been the one who hadn’t immediately wanted to attack him. 

“Sounds like it’s settled.” Greg finally cut in. “If you need a place to stay, you're always welcome at the car wash. I got a break room we can renovate.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Amethyst joined in. “You could stay in my room for a while, too.” 

His eyes lit up with excitement with both offers being presented, he usually just went to sleep wherever he was when he felt tired. He felt himself getting giddy just thinking about it. “A place to stay.” He mumbled to himself with contentment, never seeing the sympathetic smile on Rose’ face.

***

Garnet watched as Pink Diamond followed Amethyst into her room, almost like a puppy. This entire situation left her with all questions and no answers. This Pink was so much different than what any of them would have expected, wasn’t anything like a diamond at all. He resembled a human child more than he did a gem. A child who would risk themselves for someone they just met, even if none of them meant Greg any harm…

For now she would simply observe. 

She made her way to the boiling room, coming across Bismuth and Rose in mid conversation. 

“…why this could be bad?” 

“Bismuth, I promise you that…”

“Rose.” Bismuth cut her off. “I’m just trying to look out for you. We all know how hard it was for you to fight against Pink last time.” 

Rose looked away. 

“I get it, you’re a pink court gem, it’s practically coded in you to want to love and protect him… but you may have to end up fighting again.”

“I…” Rose looked up at the room filled with corrupted gems, allies and enemies alike. “It won’t come to that… not again.” 

Bismuth gave her a look, something between sympathy and concern. “You have to accept the possibility. I want to believe that this guy is legit as much as you… but we can’t let our guard down.”

“You’re right, Bismuth… you’re right.”

Garnet decided that now was the time to make her presence known. She cleared her throat, making the two turn to notice her. “Amethyst is getting Pink Diamond familiar with her room, but he will need somewhere to stay that’s a bit more permanent.” 

“Geeze,” bismuth ran a hand through her hair. “I can figure something out room-wise, maybe build one where we can keep watch…”. She thought for a moment. “What about that empty one with the water? I could do something with that.” Bismuth herself never enjoyed staying in the temple, preferring the heat of her forge. “I can bug it and everything!”

“He’ll need some privacy, Bismuth.” Rose half japed. “But it would be nice to give him somewhere to rest.” 

“And it will give us more insight into who and what he is.” Garnet added. 

“Speaking of which,” Bismuth turned her attention from renovation to Garnet. “What do you see with him, future-wise?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t see any immediate future where he attacks us or turns… but the farther I try to look, the more muddled it gets.” She adjusted her visor for what must have been the hundredth time that day. “The best we can do is be careful and guide him in the right direction.”

“Right.” Bismuth wanted to feel consoled by Garnet's prediction, but if he ever remembered who and what he used to be down the line… “right.”

Chapter Text

“And this is my bomb collection!” Amethyst proudly gestured to her massive pile of various explosives. 

“Whoa…. What’s a bomb?” He tilted his head.

“You know, things that go boom!” Amethyst spread her arms out as she spoke to emphasize her point. “Humans made these things to destroy stuff and leave holes in the ground, pretty awesome!” 

“Holes? How big?” 

“Depends,” she started rifling through her stash. “These small ones make tiny holes, and these,” she pointed to a much larger one.” Are to make huge ones for roads and highways.” 

“Wow.” 

“I think it was one of these that made that huge crater a while back, the one we were investigating.” She threw the dud back into the pile. 

“A big hole?” 

“Yup, one night the ground started shaking like crazy! By the time me and Garnet got there all that was left was a massive crater!” 

“A massive crater?” He wondered. “Like the one I came out of?” 

Amethyst stopped dead in her tracks, staring almost through him rather than at him. “Out of?”

“Yeah?” Was that not considered normal by gem standards? He saw a flicker of something between panic and curiosity cross her face before masking it with a sly grin.

“Wanna check it out?” She tried to look mischievous.

“The big crater?” 

“Yeah,” she began to make her way to the door. “I’ll give ya the tour, it’s HUGE!” He followed her as she poked her head out and scanned for the others. 

“Coast is clear, let’s go!” She hopped on to the warp pad and turned on her heel to wait for him. He stepped on after her and let her choose the destination. They arrived and he immediately saw a familiar sight. 

In front of them, far larger and deeper than he remembered, was the crater. The center outstretched in browns and blacks from his exit as it cascaded into the greens of the forests below. Now that he saw it in the daylight, he noticed the very ground had been crystallized towards the center. The plant life nearest to the crater was brown and wilted looking. 

“This is it.” He jumped and slid down, the little quarts running after him. He stopped at the center, the memory fresh in his mind. “This is where I emerged.” 

“H…here?” Amethyst balked. “You did this?!” 

“I think so?” In all actuality he wasn’t one hundred percent certain that he did. “I don’t remember really, just… I formed and I was right here,” he lightly kicked the spot he stood on. “Right at the center.” 

“Dude!” Amethyst stumbled as she rotated to get a better look at the crater. “You literally exploded out of the ground?” 

“Is… is that not normal?”

“No,” she looked him up and down. “There’s no hole…” 

‘No hole? But this is a hole.”

“No, like…” she took a moment to think of an explanation. “You know, a hole… it’s like, ‘you’ shaped.” She moved her arms around her own form to indicate what the correct shape should look like. “On the side of a cliff or a hill or something, not a five mile wide crater!” 

“Oh…” he could feel that sense of wrongness once again returning.  Amethyst caught on to his dejection with slight guilt. 

“It’s ok, man.” She put her hands up in placation. “You’re a diamond and stuff so… it’s probably totally normal for you guys!” She bit her lip. “Maybe.” That made him confused, was his gem type different from others? The way she phrased it made it sound as if all gems were meant to emerge the way she had described… or only quarts’ emerged that way? He was once again confused about everything. 

“You know what,” she clapped a hand on his back. “We don’t have to tell the others about this, looks like you’re uncomfortable with it anyways so it’ll be our little secret.” She began to stride to the warp pad with increasing speed. “Let’s head back so I can show you all the other cool stuff!” Her sudden change in demeanor was a tad off putting. He figured it was probably due to seeing the destruction he caused. He followed her to the warp without a second thought, never once seeing the nervous look in her eye. 

The warp back was pleasant. Amethyst twisted around to make sure the other gems were still not around. “Alright, I got like, five more piles to show you! You’re gonna’ love it!” The two entered her room of the temple once again, the door sealing shut behind them. 

That night as he got settled in one of Amethyst’s junk piles, he couldn’t shake this… feeling. Even if she had said she wouldn’t speak of it around the other gems, there was still a strange sense of unease.

It took him far longer than usual to get to sleep that night.

***

The following months went by without any real issues. He considered himself lucky seeing his own track record with unsavory situations. Amethyst had shown him all the rooms he wasn’t supposed to be in. Garnet and Rose would often ask simple questions like how he was doing that day and Bismuth… Bismuth would just glare at him, though she wasn’t at the temple often, usually off doing whatever she did at her forge. He would be lucky if he got more than a single word out of her most days. Greg would hang out with him fairly often when he wasn’t at the car wash showing him instruments and music for him to learn about. 

He was beginning to feel a sense of normalcy…or belonging? It was obvious that the gems didn’t trust him, not entirely. He couldn’t fault them for that, seeing for himself the sheer amount of corrupted gems all bubbled inside the temple. There would be nights he would lie awake in Amethyst's room or Greg’s car wash just thinking about what made a gem go corrupt in the first place… and what that meant for all of them. What made a gem safe from corruption and others not? Every time he thought to ask they were either too busy or he himself was too nervous, too afraid to get an answer he wouldn’t want to hear. 

Between the fear of the other gems learning of his ‘hole’ and the possibility of corrupting, he felt it harder and harder to gather the courage to even think about asking them things. Amethyst's reaction had been shock, and she was the most accepting of him out of the group. So he did the only thing he thought to do...

he kept quiet.

Chapter Text

He sat on the sleeping bag Greg had procured for him for the car wash and stared out at the night sky. He wasn’t truly thinking of anything specifically, but at the same there was still a lot on his mind. 

He had figured out that asking the gems certain questions either made them uncomfortable or seemed to not be in his best interests. Though, Amethyst was always more than happy to answer the more mundane ones he had. Like what trash was and how food and stomachs worked. The food part had been extremely useful given his need for additional input of energy, being able to break down the compounds and use it as fuel had given him more of a boost to get through the day. Though figuring out how to break them down had been the hard part to learn, thankfully, he managed to come up with a system.

There was a tap on the window that garnered his attention, drawing him away from his thoughts. He stood and made his way to the window to see Amethyst with a handful of pebbles, lightly throwing them against the window. 

“Pssst, Pinkie.” She whispered as he opened the window and poked his head out. “There’s an underground wrestling match tonight, wanna come?” 

“Yeah!” He shifted his form to his ‘disguise’ and scooted out the window, even if he didn’t need to sneak out anyways. Then again, relocking the front door would be a hassle. He landed next to her, his form only a foot taller than hers, ready for a night of debauchery. “Where is it this time?”

“Hehe, follow me.” She waved her hand and took the lead. 

“So…” she began, looking him up and down. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?” 

“Make yourself smaller and shift your colors around?” Amethyst made her point by flicking a stray curl on his head. 

“Oh, well… I usually don’t want to attract too much attention.” He strut beside her uneasily. “Usually there are robins that I’ve never met and they tend to get nervous with me being so tall, and the glowing pupils...” It felt good to actually answer something for once, being the one who was usually asking questions. 

“Robins?” Amethyst quirked an eyebrow. “Like the bird? Kinda specific, dude.” 

“What? No, like you know.” He gestured to Greg’s van in the distance. “Like Greg and the others?” 

Amethyst burst out laughing, stopping him dead in his tracks. It took a moment before she was able to gain enough composure to form a coherent sentence. 

“There…they're not called, pfff, they're not called ‘ robins’ Ha haha!” She held her stomach as she continued to laugh in his face. “They’re called hu…ggggch! Humans, man!” 

“Humans?” It suddenly clicked for him that the ro…the human he spoke with was a robin type…oh. He probably should have figured that out sooner. He felt his cheeks light up a tint in embarrassment. She noticed and tried to reassure him. 

“Bro, don’t worry man.” She bit back a snort. “I did the same thing, but for like, a hundred years!”

“Y…you did?” He started walking with her as they picked up their pace once more. 

“Yeah! So don’t get all uppity about it. I’m sure Bismuth and Garnet and even Rose did it too when they first saw one.” 

He felt a little better knowing the difficulties learning humans and their subtypes was a struggle not only he was facing. “I guess you’re right, thanks.” 

“No prob, my man.” She waved him off and tried to veer back on topic. “So, you’re nervous about humans seeing your real form?”

“Well, not nervous.” He began. “I’ve just met a couple who got a little weirded out. I don’t want to make any of them feel threatened.” 

“Why should you care?” She tucked both hands behind her head. “You’re not that bad of a guy, even if Bismuth thinks so.” It was a jape, but it stung nonetheless. 

“I’d rather just blend in.” He shrugged the comment off in hopes she would drop it. “Besides, this form is way less of a hassle power output-wise. Makes going out at night a lot easier.” 

“Fair enough.” She jumped when she noticed they had arrived, part of him felt that might be concerning considering she was the one leading. “Alright, no line! Come on man! Let’s go!” She tugged him along the back, shifting into a rodent to fit through a window, only stopping when she noticed him not doing the same.

“What are you waiting for?” 

“You want me to look…like that?” He pointed to her small form, not entirely sure exactly what kind of rodent she was supposed to be. 

“How else are we gonna get in for free?” She swished her little rodent tail. “Don’t exactly got cash.” 

She had a point. 

He figured the energy output wouldn’t be all that severe, after all it was far smaller than the one he was in right now. He shapeshifted down and tried to mimic her form as best he could. He had to admit having four legs instead of two was kinda fun.

“Alright,” she scuttled through. “Let’s boogie.” 

The two scurried into the main event and shifted back, ensuring no humans saw them and not drawing attention to themselves. Amethyst, once sure the coast was clear, barreled through the audience to the front to cheer on her favorite wrestler. He gently nudged his way in, earning sour glances as he did. He managed to catch up to her and lean into the rail while the wrestlers fought. 

“YEAH! GET EM’ GOLDEN ROCO!!” She screeched with her hands cupped around her mouth. Her wrestler ended up pinned and lost the match, she tisked and turned to him. “Yo Pink, you see that man?” 

“Yeah…” he paused, almost afraid to ask something. But, this was Amethyst, he could always ask her questions. “Hey, Amethyst?”

“Yeah?” She half paid attention to him as one wrestler slammed a chair on the other. 

“How come you only call me ‘Pink’ and everyone else uses my full gem type?” He picked at his hoodie a little bit, almost afraid to look at her. “Not that I don’t like it!”

“Because,” she nudged his shoulder with her elbow. “We’re friends, bro. Everyone else is just too caught up in everything to just relax.” 

He had to admit it was nice having at least someone of his own kind being friendly towards him. Every other one was a human, but they all seemed so much more ‘relaxed’ about almost everything in comparison to the gems, at least the humans he’d met so far. Amethyst really reminded him of them, how they gave him nicknames like ‘pinkie’ and ‘kid’ it made him feel closer to them. 

“Thanks, Amethyst.” She didn’t look at him but definitely returned the smile. 

***

The two snuck out through the back, making sure no one saw them shapeshift before gushing about the events of the night. The entire walk home was chock full of excitement. 

“And then that part where ‘ WHAM!’ got the other dude in a lock!” Amethyst poorly reenacted the moment. “That was crazy!”

“Yeah. Kinda felt bad for that one human who got hit too hard though, looked like it was in pain.” He himself was never a huge fan of wrestling, the concept of attacking one of your own, for enjoyment or otherwise, sat at the bottom of his gem like a pool of dread. But Amethyst loved the roughhousing and he enjoyed spending time with her, so he usually went anyway.

“It?” Amethyst Wracked her mind for a moment. “Wait, you don’t know human pronouns yet?” 

Oh no. There was more he didn’t know?! 

“I…didn’t realize they had any…” he began to stutter. “Is that considered rude?”

“I mean, you didn’t mean it offensively, dude.” She shifted on her heels as she walked. “I just thought… you know because you’re male and a gem… that you just picked it up from them.” 

“Are there no ‘he’s’ with gems?” 

“Well, kinda?” She shrugged. “Technically there aren’t any ‘she’s’ either, not by human standards.” She tried to think of a good way to explain it. “Ours is like… like the human ‘they’ I guess? one for everyone… plain and simple.” 

He almost stopped walking, even more confused. This ‘male’ preset was all he had to work with, he didn’t have any other options… though it was obtained by that unknown substance… he couldn’t pick his mind for an explanation that made any sense. Knowing his luck though, it was just another strange glitch in his system that made him wrong. Faulty. Inadequate. 

“So, if you didn’t get it from the humans,” Amethyst continued. “Where did you get it?”

He clutched his gem from under his t-shirt, almost too nervous to answer. He decided on a half truth. 

“It was always just there, I guess.” 

“Huh. Weird.” Her tone didn’t have any animosity in it, more wonderment. It was what he liked in her, she was the most accepting of him. Or at least the one that tolerated him the most. “Well, whatever. You’re you and that’s all that matters.” She had a point, whether he liked it or not. 

He was getting tired by the time they got back, shapeshifting several times in one night seeming to be about much for him.  

“Goodnight, dude.” Amethyst, quietly, called as he climbed back through the window. “See ya later.” 

“Bye.” He waved as she disappeared around the corner. He shifted to his regular form with a stretch, a yawn accompanying it. Well, at least he was tired enough to sleep now. He got comfortable on the sleeping bag and let himself drift off. 

***

He woke to the sound of the coffee maker brewing. The sun had already risen, he figured it was late morning. He rolled over and sat up, the promise of caffeine too tantalizing to ignore. Man, did he love utilizing chemicals like that, Amethyst even introduced him to gasoline… though it gave him one hell of a boost, it tasted atrocious. He preferred the humans' addictive compounds over their vehicles’.  Maybe in a pinch he’d down some diesel. 

Greg noticed he’s gotten up and handed him a styrofoam cup. “Mornin’”

“Good morning.” He took the cup and followed Greg to the table, sitting down to enjoy the dark liquid. He took a sip before deciding to ask Greg something. 

“Hey, um, Greg?”

“What’s up, buddy?” It…he took a bite of his bagel. 

“What did the gems think of you when you first met them?” 

Greg chuckled. “Well they tried to throw me over the fence.” 

“What?” He snorted a little bit in disbelief…though it really wasn’t that out there knowing them. 

“Well I got some time.” He looked at the clock. “If you’re interested.”

His eyes lit up. “Heck yeah!” Greg laughed. looked like Amethyst was rubbing off on him.

“Alright, so it was a couple years ago, maybe four or five? I was on a gig and met Rose.”

“I had just finished the gig when she showed up… actually she was the only one to show up.

I gave her a free shirt, or at least tried to. She disappeared before I could get one in her size. Went to find her and ended up coming across the fence. Met Amethyst there, looked like an owl.”

“She likes to do that.” He mused, interrupting Greg’s story. 

“She really does.” Greg cackled. 

“So I followed Amethyst and found Garnet and Bismuth. They… um, weren’t entirely happy to see me there. Don’t get me wrong they were nice about it, just a little rough around the edges. Bismuth picked me up to toss me over the fence when she showed up.” 

Greg paused for a moment, a small smile on his lips.

“Gave her the shirt.” 

He flinched, almost forgetting to answer the gem's question. “Oh right, almost forgot.” He slapped a hand on his forehead. “Yeah, they didn’t know what to do with me. Amethyst was all over me, Bismuth was pretty firm but nice and Garnet… you know I’m not sure about Garnet, always quiet that one. It was like they didn’t really interact with humans much?” 

He had to admit, there were many things he was still learning about humans. He himself wasn’t sure he understood it all yet. Though… he had tried hard to understand them and even felt he was getting better at interacting with them…the gems had much more time, and it seemed that only Rose was the one without any social ineptitude towards humans. Amethyst had some but… yeah. 

Greg looked at the clock. “Well, looks like I gotta open up. Been good talking to ya!” He picked up his things and began to leave. 

“You too! Thanks for letting me crash for the night, Greg.”

“No problem, kiddo.” 

He left the car wash to go check up on the gems, hopefully they’d have something for him to do… but most likely not. Much like humans, the gems didn’t know what to do with him either.

Chapter Text

Time.

It was a strange thing. There was a piece of him, some part that saw the passage of time as slow, the other part saw it as trivial and fast. He often felt himself being tugged between the two. Whenever he would talk about it, the gems didn’t seem to be concerned, uninterested in its passage. They kept track, but their perception of it seemed to differ from his own. Like when he first began to notice Greg’s hair falling out more, or humans getting older and bigger. Rose would always indulge him in the wonders of it, yet even she didn’t seem to comprehend its passage in the same way. Even Greg didn’t, claiming it was slower than what he was experiencing. 

Seventeen years and he had two very different opinions on time, and he felt smack dab in the middle.

It was so…different, the way his relationships were with both gem and human. With humans they deepened and grew, with the gems… well, with the gems he felt like he made some progress, but not nearly as much as he’d like to accomplish. He figured after the first few years that they needed a little more time, their perception being so different and all. It wasn’t all bad. Bismuth didn’t glare at him anymore but certainly didn’t trust him, Garnet would give him a smile and thumbs up every now and again, Rose was usually busying herself somewhere far off as usual but still very nice, and Amethyst was her normal trash goblin self. Yet he still felt uneasy with the severity in difference between his friendships with humans and gems, how vastly contrasting they were.

After a while he gave up asking if they needed help with anything. They always said no. 

All they did was watch him, even Amethyst did seemingly under the others orders. At first he thought they watched him in fear of being corrupted, after year five he wasn’t so sure anymore. 

Year seven he started to get suspicious.

Year ten he knew the reason had to be more than just that.

Yet he lacked the courage to ask, too afraid of how they would react. He spent this long trying to build their trust and approval, he couldn’t start pulling out bricks now. 

***

The bell to the big donut shop's door jingled as it opened, indicating a customer's arrival. Sadie stood at the ready as Lars idley picked at his teeth, she’d roll her eyes at him if someone wasn’t in the store. 

“Welcome to the… oh, hey again!” She greeted as he walked in, using his shorter form. In all honesty he’d been using it more than his actual one, being around humans more than the gems…he’d be lying if he hadn’t been using it more around them too. 

“Hey.” He waved as he approached the counter. Lars simply sneered and looked him up and down, most definitely about to make a remark about his ‘dyed hair’ or ‘how pale’ he was. Stars, he thought Lars was annoying. 

“S’up Pinkie.” Lars mocked. “If that’s your real name. 

“Lars!” Sadie snapped. He only shrugged at the scolding. 

“What can I do for you, Pink?” 

“Oh, I’m just here to get some…” his sentence was cut off when he noticed the small ice cream fridge was empty. “Looks like you guys are out of cookie cats.”

“Oh, that.” Sadie got herself ready for the inevitable. “They were actually discontinued recently.” 

“What!? Aw man, those were my favorites…” he pouted. Why did every little good thing in his life always have to turn sour…or be discontinued, or tried to kill him? Sadie noticed his pouting and made a kindly suggestion.

“You can take the fridge if you want.” She offered. “We’d just throw it out anyways.” 

“You mean it!” He practically beamed. 

“Yeah, go for it.” 

He excitedly unplugged the device and headed out the door. 

“Thanks so much Sadie!” He waved as he left. Sadie simply smiled as the door closed behind him. Lars simply sneered.

“Why are you so nice to that kid?” He crossed his arms. “He’s weird and always smells like gasoline and coffee.” 

“Lars, would it kill you to be nice to someone for once?” She snapped back, making him stand a little straighter before rolling his eyes. 

***

He hurried back to the temple with his new token in hand, rushing to the main entrance when a splash of acid landed in front of him. He looked up to see the gems effortlessly obliterating some green corrupted gems. Amethyst was the first to notice him, making a peace sign as she latched one with her whip. 

“S’up, Pink!” She tightened the whip and the creature poofed. She looked down with confusion. “Uh, guys. These things have no gems!” 

Garnet and Bismuth were now well aware. “They must be scout decoys made by the real gem. We’ll need to find it first.” Garnet began walking to the warp. 

“Wait!” He yelled after them. “I can help! I’ve been practicing with my energy output and I think I can…” Bismuth strutted forward, cutting him off gently. 

“Listen, Diamond. We got this all under control, there’s no need for you to get involved.” She began to turn when he interjected. 

“I can do this! I’m a gem too!” He clasped his shirt with his free hand. “I can handle myself!” 

Bismuth was about to retort when the warp pad went off, revealing Rose. She stepped off the pad and spoke. 

“I found the real gem, it's not too far from here. We can head it off before it reaches the temple.” She was always so calm and commanding, always knew what to do. He wished he could be like that. Wish he would be taken seriously. 

He was ignored as they all made their way to the warp pad, disappearing in a flash of light. He sulked alone at the entrance before grumbling his way to the door. It had been refurbished with an additional room, one Bismuth made for him. His gem had been added to the center of the star. At first they wanted him to take the water room on the top right, but with the way his gem reacted to water when he got cuts…he decided against it. Instead he took an empty cavern where they had built a nice little wooden room, Bismuth had even obliged and made it look like a human beach house and everything. He walked inside and placed the little cookie cat fridge on the table, positioning it just right. 

“You’d let me come along, right?” The cookie cat fridge didn’t answer. He sighed and climbed the stairs to the loft where his bed was, flopping down and shifting to his true form. 

It wasn’t fair. 

He tried so hard to be included, to gain their approval, but they still treated him like he couldn’t even handle himself or could be trusted. Maybe he wasn’t actually trying hard enough…

He sat up, un-summoning his hoodie, and grabbed the remote to the tv. Him and Amethyst would often visit junkyards and abandoned places. It was amazing what humans would simply throw away that could easily be refurbished or fixed. He had found so many things like a fridge, tv, gaming consoles with games, microwaves, even a toilet…even if he didn’t need to use the toilet. He even found a working shower set, really liking how it felt when the hot water came on. Heck, he and Amethyst were even able to get electricity, wifi and cable to work in the temple, not legally, but it worked! He had spent years decorating his home with various human things, for some reason it just felt right. It felt like home. 

***

The warp pad flashed with a bright light as the gems made their way back from their mission. Rose held the bubble containing the corrupted gem, a nephrite if she was correct, and made her way to the boiling room. 

The door opened and she stepped in, looking up at the bubbles. The room had filled up so much over the years, filled with minds long broken. She let the pink bubble float up to rest with the others.The sight of all those sparkling gems, once brilliant minds with thoughts and feelings, idly frozen in space and time… there were days she never wanted to think about it. There were days she wished she could forget. She could never forget, no matter how hard she tried. 

She stood there for some time before remembering Pink Diamond holding some sort of device, thinking he must have wanted to show it to them. They had been in such a hurry but she had time now. She made her way to his room, hoping he was there. 

She knocked on the door, he had made one that connected to the tunnels within the temple for visitors, peeking in through the screen. The room was dark  save for some soft light flickering off the walls. With some concern she let herself in to investigate. 

“Pink Diamond?” She kept her tone low and quiet, looking in the direction of the light source. 

She followed it to discover it was his tv, the game over screen of ‘golf quest’ lighting the loft. She then noticed he was rolled up in his bed, controller in hand, softly snoring. He was always an odd one, doing things that humans did unconsciously, almost as if it was a part of him. She lightly rolled her eyes with a sigh and gently took the controller from him, turning off the tv and tucking him in. 

She stood there a brief moment, watching him. There were echoes of Bismuth's warnings that reverberated through her gem… 

She left his room with a gentle click of the door.

Chapter Text

He trudged out from the temple, dejectedly ready for another day of being ignored. He hadn’t even bothered to shift to his disguise, he wasn’t in the mood to be around anyone today anyways. Instead, he kept replaying the last few attempts to get their attention in his mind, each time he’d tried to prove himself.

One was an abandoned ‘roaming eye’ which apparently was assumed to be from thousands of years ago and so happened to be on a collision course with the earth. 

They easily destroyed it.

There was an amazing sounding mission to save the sea spire, an ancient gem tower for gems to go and think and invent that could be used to track down lost ancient relics. 

They saved it flawlessly. 

There was even an event where Amethyst accidentally let out a pile of sentient shards that took control of a fry mascot suit. 

They handled it quickly. 

It was no use. No matter how hard he pushed, they pushed back harder. They all thought he was too fragile and weak to handle himself, that he would shatter into a million pieces if a corrupted gem so much as looked at him wrong. Maybe they were right, he wasn’t exactly in great shape. Maybe he really was useless. 

He had walked out onto the beach, hands in his pockets while kicking up sand when something caught the corner of his eye. He turned his gaze to see a girl in a bright green outfit reading… he wondered how she got past the fence, or if they even remembered to shut the fence. She didn’t seem to notice him so he just kept on walking, if she did she’d probably be unsettled out by his real form anyways… 

At least that was the plan. 

***

Connie always enjoyed reading by the beach, though this was the first time she ever had the chance to read here. There had been an open fence, to which she hesitated a moment before allowing herself to go past. The ocean breeze was always wonderful this time of year, not so much that pages would be blown or hair tangled, just perfect. She flipped the page when she noticed a stranger in the corner of her eye, tall and wearing an excessive amount of pink. Not one to be rude, she didn’t look up from her reading to stare. The individual began to walk past when she heard a strange sound. 

It wasn’t until she felt the plink of a few small stones that she averted her gaze from her reading. The sound had increased, revealing itself to be the cracking of old stone. She looked above and shot up, seeing the incoming piece of debri lose its battle with gravity and head straight for her reading spot. She was able to evacuate the immediate area as the large chunk of stone landed in the sand she once sat on with a plunk. She looked back at it as she ran, not noticing the stranger right in front of her as she bumped right into them. The impact made her bounce off of them, tripping on her own feet and landing in her bottom. 

“I’m so sorry!” She hadn’t been paying attention, surely the stranger would understand the situation after all.

She fumbled and readjusted her glasses, beginning to get up when a large pink hand entered her peripheral vision… pink hand?

“Are you okay?” 

She looked up at a man…no, a boy in various shades of pink and incredibly tall. His eyes were almost violet with glowing white pupils the shape of diamonds. She only stared slack jawed a brief moment before remembering her manners. 

“Th…thanks. I’m okay.” She took the hand and readjusted her glasses, shifting nervously. There was a brief second of silence before the stranger cleared his throat to speak up. 

“You, uh, probably shouldn’t be here. This place is kinda dangerous to hu…people.” 

“Is this place off limits? I’m so sorry, I saw the fence but the gate was open and there weren't any signs, I thought…” she began to spiral. “I didn’t mean to trespass, especially if the statue here is a public safety hazard!” She really should have known better, what was she thinking? Walking up to a crumbling old statue and sitting right under it? She started sinking into herself. 

“It’s ok!” He started getting just as nervous and apologetic. “You didn’t know and Bismuth took down her sign to make a new one and…” she stared wide-eyed as the stranger started glowing, it was slight and somewhat like a glow stick, but still very noticeable. 

He was rambling at this point, mind rapidly switching between various concerns. He knew humans were usually flustered by his intimidating height and appearance when they lived outside of beach city. He also partially blamed that he didn’t make it to her before the stone had made impact, what if she didn’t move in time? He aimlessly spilled apologies and explanations, not noticing the bubbles approaching land at an increasing rate. 

The only indication something was wrong was the girl's horrified expression and the splashing of water around them as something massive broke its surface. 

He whipped around to assess what had just breached, not expecting a corrupted gem to be towering over them. It looked as though it were almost see through, its mouth adorned with sharp teeth surrounded by strange brown and blue-ish appendages that looked like globs of jello. It’s gem was visible on its lower section of its snake-like body, a cut and facet he couldn’t recognize yet had an inkling he should, just like every gem frankly. 

It hissed and lunged at them with frightening speed, mouth agape akin to something out of a nightmare or horror movie. He scooped up the girl without a second thought and rolled to the side, it’s face making contact with nothing but stone. 

“What is that thing?!” The girl clutched at his arm as she twisted to get a better look at it. 

“Let’s get away from it first!” He yelled as he shifted her piggyback style, to which she clung without question. 

The creature regained its composure just as he began to flee, swerving its gelatin body to gain momentum to catch its prey. He swerved and dodged to the best of his abilities with the human girl in tow, just narrowly avoiding it when it would slam its face into the sand. The creature became more agitated, beginning to flail its body in an attempt to stun them. He could feel his gem heating up a bit, but thankfully had gotten much better at controlling his output. He knew he couldn’t outrun it for long, he needed to trap it somehow. His potential plan was halted when it flailed its tail at him, knocking both him and the girl in opposite directions. He flipped and rolled in the sand before skidding to a stop, having to take a moment to find his sense of space. He shot up immediately to see the girl, only to realize the corrupted gem wasn’t paying her any attention. 

She stood stock still as it faced away from her, its focus completely on him. 

He was confused for a moment before he noticed his slight glowing, how the corrupted gem would follow his movements as if entranced.

He could work with this. 

“Go to the other side of the temple! I’ll meet up with you!” He shouted as he ran the opposite direction, aiming for the pier off in the distance. If he could keep it distracted and focused on him, he could potentially trap it or tangle it up. 

He weaved and swerved underneath the pier, the gem following his movements exactly. He tried to take as tight as turns as he could and even overlapped some spots they had already been. For the most part it was working as it began to be tangled in its own body, slowing down as it fought against the tightening. He panted, thinking he had it until one of the beams snapped under its weight. The creature slammed him down with more force than he was expecting, pinning him to the ground.. He fought against it as it snapped at him, trying to wriggle out from underneath it. 

He didn’t want to try fighting it, there was some power output he could handle but his bubble and panels always proved to cause too much stress on his gem… he might not have a choice. He began to call power from his gem when he heard a distant shout, a light glow coming from the same direction that garnered both his and the gem's attention. 

The girl stood with some sort of round glowing object opposite of them, holding it high as if it were a trophy for the gem to claim. 

It turned and lunged for the shiny token, she bolted in the other direction as fast as her legs would carry her. She weaved clumsily through the pier as it smashed and writhed behind her. It was mere inches from her head when it abruptly stopped. She spun around to see it screech in aggravation and fury, violently thrashing in a vain attempt to untangle it itself. In that moment the creature burst into a cloud of sparkling dust, revealing the one who had struck the final blow. 

He heaved for air, bending down as he felt that all too familiar heat overtake him. He had been able to grab its tail and strike at just the right time thanks to the girl's distraction, summoning a panel to use as a makeshift weapon. 

“Are… huff … you good?” He looked up to the girl, who seemed to be just as out of breath as him. 

“Y…yeah… you?”

“I’m good.” He replied as he stumbled over to the gem, bubbling it before it could have a chance to reform. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” The human girl stepped closer to him. “You don’t look so good.”

He stood on unsteady feet, turning to her with a bright smile as he brushed off her concern. “Don’t worry about it, just a little scuffed up is all.” 

She didn’t look convinced. He opened his mouth to assure her when he heard the gems cries off in the distance.

Crap.

“You should probably go, I don’t want you to get in any more trouble.” He half joked. “Plus this pier doesn’t look so stable.” 

She looked up, considering the damage. “I guess you have a point.” She conceded and began making her way out before stopping. 

“I’m Connie, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Connie!” He waved back, watching as she left. One issue down, one to go.

The gems all rushed to where he was standing, confusion and concern adorning their faces. 

“Are you alright?!” Rose ran up to him and began probing him up and down. “We heard crashing and saw the pier collapsing and…” she stopped when she saw the bubble in his hand. “Is that a gem?” 

This was his chance! 

“It is!” He showed her with some pride. “It attacked so I trapped it.” His smile soon fell when he saw their faces, all except Amethyst, riddled with various degrees of concern.

“What were you thinking?” Bismuth stepped up, gently nudging Amethyst and Garnet to the side. “You could’ve brought the whole pier down on top of ya! Could’ve hurt humans in the process too.” 

“I didn’t have much of a choice!” He kicked some sand as he lowered his gaze. “It lunged at u…at me.” He pointed to the bubble. “But I bubbled it, and no one got hurt! It all worked out.” 

Bismuth only grasped the bridge of her nose with a sigh. “And what if it didn’t? We could have been digging your gem out of a pile of rubble right now, or worse…” she was cut off by Rose landing a tender hand on her shoulder. 

“What Bismuth means,” she turned her gaze to him. “Is that you could have gotten very hurt.” 

She walked back over to him and lifted his chin with her hand. “We know you did what you thought was best, and had the best intentions but…” her gaze fluttered down to his gem.

Whenever he was about to get a speech about safety she always looked at his damn gem, always reminding him about how broken and fragile he was.

“Please, just try to hide and wait for us or get us if you can.” The pleading look of tenderness and fear in her eyes was enough to make him feel guilty. “We’ll take care of it for you.” 

He looked away from her, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

“Okay. I will.” 

“Thank you.” She gave him a slight hug, in which he somewhat returned. He knew they were just worried but… there was some part of him that nagged at the back of his mind, some fragment of his psyche that told him they didn’t think he could do anything. 

That he wasn’t a crystal gem like them. 

Amethyst quickly tried to lighten the mood once the hug was over. “Soooo, you guys want to get some fish stew pizza? I heard they sell tilapia now!” 

“Always thinking with your stomach, deep cut.” Bismuth chortled. “Guess I could go for something too.” Garnet simply nodded in agreement. 

“That sounds lovely, Amethyst” Rose looked back at him. “What do you think?” 

“Sure.” He plastered on a smile, even if it was clearly fake.“I’m pretty hungry and I still have some cash from that paint job I did a while back.” He sent the bubble to the temple, following behind at a slight distance.

Never seeing the glances Bismuth and Rose gave each other, how Garnet and Amethyst tensed when they did. 

No one brought up the situation again during lunch. 

Chapter Text

Rose sat by the fountain, staring at the statue in the middle of it. That statue that stood idly by as the world turned, streams of tears that flowed eternally, arms poised upward in perfection. It looked at nothing, cared for nothing, yet stood as if it were worthy of worship and adoration. 

She had run from that kind of life, worshiping a false idol, just to feel she had ended up being the one worshiped. By the time it was built she couldn’t have objected to it, everyone in the rebellion had been so adamant in its symbolism as ‘the common gem’ so she let it be.

She let others use her power here, her unnatural healing properties. Powers that none of her peers had, known only to violet gems. The power to heal scratches and cuts, nicks and small cracks. It wasn’t very powerful, but it kept the rebellion from crumbling in its infancy. She always knew she was unusual. Some suggested that she was a ‘perfect quarts’ variant, a highly rare and valuable gem type. 

She never wanted to be perfect, she just wanted to be free of it all…

Look where that got all of them. 

A soft nudge on her arm brought her back to the present, warm and fuzzy. She looked to the one who requested her attention, the one she trusted with her most private thoughts and feelings, her dearest friend. 

Lion. 

He was an aged beast, his manes luster long gone and bones old and brittle. All except the patch of light pink that adorned his side and left eye, where his fur had retained its youthful softness, where she cried for him the day he almost died. He looked at her with his clouded eyes, ready to help ease her of her burdens. He was always a wise lion, wise and keen. 

“Hey.” She pet his mane as he sank into her lap. “How’ve you been, old friend?” He answered by nudging his nose into her face. She giggled a moment before gently shoving his face away. “Good to know!”

Lion stared at her with knowing eyes.

Might as well vent or he’d never leave her alone. 

She sighed. “I’m not sure what to do.” She looked back to the water in the fountain. “I know Bismuth doesn't want me to get attached to him, doesn’t want me to let my guard down but… he’s different, I can tell…”

“…right?”

Lion continued to listen. 

“I’m the reason everything is the way it is now…if I hadn’t started the rebellion, hadn’t let everything spiral out of control…” 

The images of grisly battlefields filled with the shards of the fallen assaulted her mind before she could finish the thought. The lives lost because of her, both organic and gem… she had to take a moment to calm herself and keep going.

“I never wanted it to go so far…” she buried her head in her arms. “…I really thought I could just scare homeworld off, that with enough of us they’d just give up… guess I am just another quarts, always thinking about fighting first and consequences later.” 

“He’s cracked and broken because of me…” she hiccuped as she started to cry. “When I saw him reform that day, I didn’t see a tyrannical ruler of homeworld, I saw a scared and confused child… one who wanted to help, who has good intentions, is kind and even brave…but…” she paused. 

“What if Bismuth is right?” Her tone suddenly turned dark, quiet, fear dripping from every word. “What if he becomes like them? Or remember who he was?” Her form began to shake, hands clenching around the fabric of her dress. 

“What if Pink Diamond returns?” 

***

Greg strummed another chord experimentally as he tuned his guitar. “They’re probably just trying to do what’s best for you.” 

He sank back into his chair, running a hand through his curls. “It doesn’t feel like it.” 

Greg observed his moping and set the guitar aside. “I know the other gems can come off as gruff, but they really do care bud. They just aren’t great at showing it.” 

“I know… I just wish I could show them how much I’ve improved.” He looked up to the clouds idly floating by. “I guess I just feel like no matter how hard I try, they won’t give me a chance.” 

Greg was never one for these kinds of discussions, never felt he was the type to be a proper role model. Yet the kid had stuck to him like glue the moment they first met, and trusted him as if he were the kid's very own father… even if gems didn’t have parents. He didn’t want to admit that he too was afraid of him getting hurt, perhaps he could compromise. 

“Well,” he began. “Why don’t you start small? Ask them if you can help on an easier mission?” The kid perked up at that. 

“You think that could work?” He looked to Greg, the dark eyes of his smaller form filled with hope. Greg himself had noticed the change over the past few months, never really questioning it. He assumed the kid was experimenting with fashion, or even that ‘power output’ he would talk about often. He rarely ever saw the hulking eight-foot, white pupils look anymore. No one did. Either way it wasn’t his business, so he opted to keep his focus on the current discussion instead. 

“Why not?” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Everyone starts off small, it’s a good way to build experience and show what you got.”  

“That’s brilliant, Greg!” He shot up from his seat and bolted to the temple. “Thanks so much! I’m going to go ask them!” 

“Alright, just be careful out there, big guy!” He waved as he watched him round a corner to the temple, his own concerns building in his gut.

***

He sprinted through the streets until he reached the fence, clearing it in one leap. He landed on the sand and continued his mad dash, sand particles flicking off his sandals as he did. He had been so excited he hadn’t noticed Bismuth making her way to scout out a good place for a walk. He collided with her, almost knocking her on her rear, along with himself. 

“Sorry, Biz!” He cautiously took a few steps forward to check. “Are you alright?”

“Hah! Gonna take more than that to take me down, uppercrust.” She chuckled as she brushed herself off, having been much more relaxed around him, yet still never truly letting her guard down. “What are you in such a hurry for?”

“Oh, well I wanted to ask Rose something. Do you know where she is?”

She looked at him with a split second of suspicion before masking it with curiosity. “What about, Diamond?” 

“Well…” he began to start fidgeting, always unsure of how to speak to Bismuth due to her…disposition. “I wanted to ask her about easy missions, not anything dangerous but you know…” 

“Something I can help with.” 

Bismuth sighed in defeat, already knowing this would be a one sided battle by herself. Best to let Rose handle this. “She’s probably at the fountain.”

“Thanks, Bismuth.” He slowly walked to the warp, turning to wave to her before disappearing in a flash of light. Bismuth only shook her head with a tsk. 

***

Rose stroked Lion's mane as he dozed, feeling the weight of her burdens slightly lifted. He always knew how to assist her in times of need. She felt some semblance of peace as the waters of the fountain flowed gently by. 

A peace that was quickly demolished by the sound of the warp pad activating and the excited screams for her name. 

“ROSE! ARE YOU HERE?!”

Lion woke, annoyed by the ruckus being caused by the newcomer. With a flick of his tail he sat beside her with squinted eyes and irritable posture. She herself watched as he came into view, sporting his smaller and more compacted form. He spotted her and began to wave shyly. 

“Sorry,” he jogged to the fountain, only stopping when he noticed the lion sitting next to her. “Am I interrupting something?” 

“Oh, uh…not at all!” She could see Lion out of the corner of her eye glaring at her, very obviously calling her out on her blatant lie. “What can I help you with?”

He made his way over and hopped on the fountain next to her, crossing his legs. “Well, I was thinking that maybe…” he shifted some as he attempted to find the right way to ask. “If maybe I could come on a mission with you guys?” 

She didn’t have a moment to reply before he began reiterating. 

“Not anything dangerous though! Something smaller and safer! I really want to help and you guys surely could use it, right? Even if it doesn't involve fighting!” He looked at her with puppy dog eyes, big and round…

“I…” she had a hard time looking directly at him, even having to say no for his own safety…then again, if it was something simple, he could potentially tag along. It wouldn't hurt, right? But what if something happened to him? She continued battling her thoughts when Lion stepped around her, nudging the diamond's knee with his snout. 

“Aw, hi there little…” he looked at Lion with befuddlement. “…cat?”

“He’s a lion.” Rose responded almost robotically as she watched Lion warm up to him immediately. Usually he would ignore newcomers or be suspicious of them…

“Hey, Lion.” He cood. Lion simply sank further into his lap. “It’s nice to meet you.” Lion simply basked in the gentle strokes of the boy's hand. 

For a few moments she watched, frozen in both bewilderment and wonder, as the two bonded almost instantly. Lion himself was never a social creature, It had taken her weeks to build a friendship with him when she first met his pride. To see him openly showing affection to one he’d only just met… It was something akin to astonishing. He trusted this little diamond, this much she was sure of. Of all the creatures Rose had met, Lion was the most in tune with one's inner self. It was as if he could sense the very soul of whomever presented themselves before him, and the one before him he allowed to stroke his mane with no hesitation. 

“Are you two friends?” His question thrusted her back from the void of confusion she had taken residence in. 

“You could say that.” She joined in, petting his back. “He used to live in the desert, but I think he likes it here much more.” Lion chuffed in agreement. “He’s my dearest companion.” 

“Wow.” He scanned Lion up and down, taking mental note of the patch of pink on his side. “I didn’t know you had other organic friends other than Greg.” The light jape amused her. 

“You’d be surprised.” She winked in jest, causing the diamond to snort. 

Lion simply enjoyed the attention before tiring of it soon after, taking his leave to retire to some comfortable part of the fountain grounds. She watched her friend disappear into the flowering foliage, musing on the interaction as a whole. Perhaps Bismuth’s words had increased her fears unnecessarily, making her paranoid… she trusted Lion more than anyone, if he felt this one was safe, she would honor his judgement. She turned to the one sitting cross legged beside her, decision made. After all, he wouldn’t be doing missions alone, they would be there to protect him and ensure his safety.

“Also, I’ll keep an eye out for any safe missions for you.” His head whipped over to her at breakneck speed, eyes lit up with joy. “I can’t promise anything right now but if anything in the future…” She was cut off by a hug slamming into her full force, his arms wrapped around her the best he could manage. 

“Thanks so much Rose! I promise I won’t let you guys down!” He paused for a brief moment. “A…and I get it too! If you find any safe ones, I’ll be ready!” He released his hug and made his way to the warp pad. “I’ll quit bothering you now, thanks again for everything!”

She waved to him as he left. “It’s no problem at all, you’re welcome to visit anytime.” He left with a smile that could outshine the sun, and optimism that could rival Greg’s. In fact, there was so much that reminded her of Greg when she saw him. It could simply be that he spent a lot of time with the man, but there was always something more that she could never put her finger on, something deeper. Perhaps she was looking too much into it. She stood and left the fountain, deciding to tend to the Rose bushes that surrounded its perimeter instead. 

The statue was left to stand idly by, now forgotten and empty as the water flowed endlessly.

Chapter Text

The time had finally come, the day he had been eager to arrive for so long. A mission he could participate in, deemed safe by Rose herself, with the crystal gems! It had been reported by Garnet that the locations of the heaven and earth Beetles had been discovered at long last. Given the small stature and nonviolent behaviors of the corrupted micas, the gems had complied with Rose to allow him to accompany her and Amethyst to obtain the heaven beetle while Garnet and Bismuth would extract the earth beetle from volcanic depths. To say he was elated would be an understatement. Even if this mission would be beyond simple, it meant more to him knowing the fact that he was to be included. 

Both teams had been briefed and prepared, Garnet and Bismuth heading out first. He noticed Bismuth's look of worry that was shot at Rose, worry for whom he had no idea. Rose simply matched her gaze with a reassuring stare. Anything else was covered by the flash of the warp pad, and the two were gone. 

“Alright! Ready Pinkie?” Amethyst elbowed his shoulder with a Cheshire-wide-grin. “Your very own first mission! Ah, I remember mine.” 

“Absolutely!” He turned to Rose, ready for instructions. “Where do we start?!” 

“We have to get to the site first.” She led the way to the warp pad, warping them off to the nearest location as she continued to explain. “It’s going to be a bit of a climb, but a little nature walk always helps stretch out the form.” 

“Heck ya it does!” Amethyst flipped while in the beam. “Dude, this is going to be awesome! The three of us hanging out?” 

“Remember, Amethyst. We’re still on a mission. That means we should still be on our guard, even if there won’t be any immediate dangers.” Rose smiled in a way that reminded him of how some human mothers would at their children, not scolding… more something along the lines of an opportune moment for teaching. He always liked that about her. 

“I know, Rose.” Amethyst stabilized herself as the warp landed them at their desired location. “With the three of us this is gonna be a cinch, just sayin.” 

Rose giggled a bit. “Alright then, let’s get going.” She led the way up the steep mountain cliff side where the heaven beetle resided. 

***

The two struggled against the viscosity of the boiling lava, submerging themselves beneath the bubbling lake of molten pumice. As much as Bismuth enjoyed swimming and relaxing in lava, looking for something in it was a different story entirely. Hopefully the earth beetle was above it rather than below. 

“Bismuth” Garnet caught her attention as she padded the ‘lakebed’ for their catch. “You seem worried.” Observant as always, the Sapphire part of her never missed a beat.

“Maybe.” She shrugged her shoulders as the two breached the surface, moving to another pool. “Why you asking?”

For a moment Garnet said nothing, she thought perhaps she wouldn’t respond at all before her voice echoed across the cavern walls. “You’re nervous about the heaven beetle mission?” She claimed it as she shared a similar concern on the matter. 

“You worried too?” Bismuth rubbed her shoulder. “I don’t know… I know Rose can handle almost anything but…”

“We both know it’s not Rose you’re worried about.” 

A sigh. “You’re right.”

Garnet didn’t speak, but her presence alone pushed Bismuth to continue explaining. 

“Look, I know everyone has been getting cozy with him…” she sucked in a breath. “Even me. No one wants to see the little guy get himself shattered.” 

“Rose is there.” Garnet assured. 

“The uppercrust is still reckless.” Bismuth huffed as she lifted a piece of slag. “Too eager to put himself in the line of danger with that cracked up gem of his.” 

“You do care.” The fusion teased. 

“Don’t go looking into it too much, you two.” She teased back. “I’m still willing to do what has to be done if… or when, he snaps.” She never wanted to admit it, she had grown fond of him, they all had. Yet she kept that small amount of solder in her to be able to accept inevitability, accept what actions she would have to take that Rose could not. Do the one thing Rose couldn’t do. “I want to believe it’ll never happen, but I have to accept the possibility… we all do.”

Garnet stopped, shoulders squared. She turned with blank expression, yet with all her feelings laid bare upon them. Thousands of years with the fusion made her a strangely easy book to read, body language being both minute but telling. That body language right now was giving her all the context she needed to know that Garnet was also ready to do what was needed, even if she herself wouldn’t want to do the deed. 

The rest of the search went on in silence. 

***

He doubled over, huffing with his hands on his knees. The climb was certainly something, he hadn’t expected some parts to be so steep. 

“You good there Pinkie?” Amethyst playfully punched him in the arm, concealing her concern. 

“Yeah… I’m good.” He got out between breaths. “Just need a… second…” it took only a moment to regain his composure, Rose hovering all the while. He was fine, he could do this!

“See?” He stretched a bit to emphasize his point. “Just needed a breather.” 

“That’s good to hear.” Rose clapped her hands together. “Let’s get going then, we’re almost there.” 

She led the way, at a much slower pace, to the final stretch of climb that revealed a spire wrapping around the floating cliff side like a snake would a tree branch. He followed behind as he took in the scenery, the eloquent detail of the carving and decoration. It was all beautiful, even the jagged cliffs that poked above the clouds in the distance added to the remarkable scenery… even if all he could think of was scaling them. The staircase swirled with the curvature of the rock as they climbed, finally giving way to a large open room with a door revealing the abode of the heaven beetle. It was the smallest and most adorable home he had ever witnessed. 

“Alright! Let’s go get it.” Amethyst stepped out eagerly to obtain the prize, only to have an outstretched arm rake her back in not a moment after. “Hey what gi…” before her sentence could be finished the large form of what appeared to be a bird collided with the ground she once stood on. A large and terrifying gem with the wingspan of a bus, and a beak as sharp as steel. 

“Aw, geeze.” 

Rose had thankfully noticed the corrupted gem at the last moment, yanking Amethyst away before it could have harmed her. It had been silent and gone unnoticed even to her at first, it's looming shadow being the only indicator that it was prepared to strike. She knew instantly that this was a situation to be approached cautiously. 

“Stay in here, you two.” She released Amethyst from her grasp and shuffled the two towards the middle of the room as the gem pounded on the ceiling and gnashed its beak into the open doorway and windows. “It’s too large to get in, that’ll give us enough time to come up with a plan on how to deal with it.” 

“I thought there weren’t any other corrupted gems around here.” Amethyst supplied. “The heck is that one doing here?”  

“What’s important right now…” She reminded the younger quarts.  “Is the situation at the moment.”

“So…” he shifted on his heels to garner their attention. “What do you want me to do?” 

Rose considered him for a moment, concern riddling her features. She sighed softly and briefly before speaking, knowing full well he wasn’t going to be pleased with what she had to say. 

“Me and Amethyst will deal with this, you just stay here where it’s safe and make sure you aren’t harmed.” He opened his mouth to protest, her hand landed gently on his shoulder before he could do so. “We have to approach this carefully, we don’t know how strong it is.” He looked away the moment she finished her sentence. 

Satisfied, she made her way back to Amethyst to discuss their plan of action. The two spoke to one another, yet he didn’t listen. That was until the word ‘fusion’ came up, followed by Amethyst’ squeal of excitement. 

“We should do that!!!” The smaller quarts hopped with pure joy. 

“Only if it comes to that, Amethyst.” He inched closer to their conversation until he was standing at the very center of the room. “First we’ll see what the corrupted gem is capable of, and if all else fails we’ll fuse.”

“What’s ’fuse’?” He cut into the conversation. 

“You don’t know what fusion is?!” Amethyst practically screamed. 

He shook his head, in all the years he had been living among the gems and Greg, they had never told him of this ‘fusion’ before. He assumed it was something only conducted on missions if they’d never had told him, or they just forgot to, much like they forgot him all the time. Rose tilted her head a bit, eyebrows perking up and shoulders squaring. His question of what she was reacting to was answered by her eyes widening ever so slightly, a single sentence slipping past her lips. 

“It’s quiet.”

Him and Amethyst froze for a moment, attempting to ascertain whether the threat had vacated the area or not. When had the pounding on the walls stopped? He thought that perhaps the gem had moved on before the roof collapsed inward, destroying it with massive force. He had no time to react before it swallowed him whole, the cries of both Rose and Amethyst muffled behind its inner walls. 

Why the creature would want to consume him was lost on him, he couldn't be broken down into usable compounds… could he? What would a corrupted gem want with condensed carbon? Perhaps it craved the light he produced! Maybe… his head hit a random object, cutting off whatever reasons he could think of. Rubbing his head, he turned to the offending object, a… chair? Why had the creature eaten a chair? It had very little substance value and would take far too much energy to break down than it would give. Observing his surroundings, he noticed many other strange objects that also did not fit the description of a proper meal. This gem also did not have any system set up for digestion or chemical breakdown, it was simply a cavity on its form, much like his once were. 

With a newfound sense of safety knowing he wasn’t going to be digested, he began to search for a way out, climbing through the small passages and avoiding the many obstacles in his way. He had stumbled through for only a few steps before a glint caught his eye, he squinted at it a moment before bending down to investigate. Trapped under some debri was a small insect, shining a bright yellow. He went to relieve the small creature of its predicament when a large brown hand erupted a few inches away. 

He shrieked, skittering back from the hand as it tore at the inner walls he resided in. The corrupted gem howled in agony as its body was ripped from the outside in, flailing and sending him bouncing every which way. He had lost all sense of direction when the hand grasped his collar, violently tugging him from the confines of the creature's insides. 

It took him only a moment to adjust, noting he had been tucked under an arm. They landed with a harsh thud damaging the ground beneath them. It was now he had the chance to see who his rescuer was; a tall individual with long hair that curled at the ends and bangs covering one side of her face. Her dress was long with almost sharp frills that cascaded down like a gothic ball gown, one side sleeveless to allow mobility for her third arm attached at the elbow. This new person was much taller than him, yet not taller than his true form. He could only stare in complete shock and confusion as she spoke. 

“Stay right here, kiddo.” She summoned what looked to be a yo-yo with string decorated with sharp protrusions akin to that of a rose stem. “I got this one.” Her tone was commanding yet calm, a presence that endeared, comforted and fiercely protected. She leapt from the cliff she had deposited him on and threw her weapon at the corrupted gem, wrapping the yo-yo around its body and immobilizing it. The creature nashed its beak and wailed as it fought against its confines to no avail, it's only effort fruitless compared to the weapons durability. With a mighty tug the creature's form became undone in a show of sparkling dust. 

He watched in awe as she bubbled the gem, dusting herself off and turning to him. She leapt up to where she had left him, landing with grace and cockiness all at once. With an outstretched hand she pulled him from shock with one question. 

“You alright, hun?” 

“I…” there were questions racing through his mind in rapid succession and all at once, all of which he wished to ask yet had no clue of which to start with. “I’m fine… who…?”

The gem laughed, a bellowing yet soft laugh. “Don’t recognize me, sweetie?” 

He shook his head. Was he supposed to know this individual? Had they met and he forgot? 

She smiled firmly, some semblance of coyness in her eyes. “Maybe this will help, hun.” Her body became aglow in white light as she came undone, what was one form was now two. The two forms solidified to reveal Rose and Amethyst, both smiling and waving respectively. 

He could only stare slack jawed. 

“Tada!” Amethyst’ jazz hands weren’t helping. “We fused!”

“We couldn’t fight it alone,” Rose supplied further commentary. “Smokey Quarts was our best option in order to save you.” She wasted no time and was at his side in an instant, checking him over for any signs of trauma. She was in the middle of asking him a myriad of questions on his condition when he blurted out with a level of excitement that could put a dog going to the park to shame. 

“WE CAN DO THAT?!” 

***

Garnet and Bismuth had procured the target, the earth beetle safely tucked into a small bug carrier and ready to be stored as soon as Rose and the others arrived with it’s match. 

The warp pad lit up, revealing the trio in question. Both Bismuth and Garnet jumped a small bit seeing them looking so disheveled. Rose's dress was full of dirt, Amethyst’ hair was in tangles and Pink Diamond looked as though he had rolled down the cliffside several times over. The two made their way over to ascertain the details of their mission, assuming it hadn't gone as planned.

“Didn't go well?” Bismuth was the first to speak, eyeing the three expecting the answer to be a simple tumble. 

“We had to come back,’ Rose stood solemnly. “There was another corrupted gem we hadn't accounted for. The heaven beetle wasn't there after we dispatched it.”

A frustrated growl slipped past Bismuth's mouth involuntarily before she corrected herself. “We’ll have to take another look at a different time, don’t beat yourself up over it.” 

There was something that clicked in his mind the moment the words left their mouths. He had been so enamored by fusion, asking questions and gushing about the possibilities, he completely forgot about it. How he let it slip his mind was fairly embarrassing. 

“Wait!” he dug a hand into his pocket, fishing out a small yellow insect. “Do you mean this little guy here?” He lifted it up for all to see, it’s teal-green gem shining in the light. “I helped it out inside the corrupted gem, completely forgot it was in there.”

He could see the gem’s faces, each with varying levels of being impressed, surprised even. Garnet strode to him and relieved him of the gem, placing it in the tank with it’s match. “Well done” she commended him. He felt some pride in knowing he had successfully completed a mission, even if he had been too caught up in Smokey Quarts… maybe he should work on focus then. 

“Not bad, Uppercrust.” Bismuth slapped him on the back, almost knocking him over. 

“Yeah,” Amethyst thankfully didn’t punch him in the arm this time. “Try not to forget next time.”

“I know.” he chuckled. “My bad.”

The two youngest gems left to tell Greg of how their mission went, Garnet leaving to stow away the heaven and earth beetles. Bismuth and Rose shared a silent conversation, Bismuth with some small relief and Rose a look of confidence on hers. Both were more than thankful with the outcome.

Chapter Text

Connie sat in the driver's seat, fiddling idly with the steering wheel. Her thoughts hadn’t truly left two weeks ago, the incident with the boy and that monster had left her with a feeling of dread. At the time she had just left, so completely dumbfounded to the situation that she allowed herself to go when he suggested it. At first she hadn’t realized her legs were moving, it wasn’t until she reached her parents car that she noticed she had just left him… alone. In his defense he seemed to have the situation under control, yet the way his body swayed at the time, the look of exhaustion that riddled every inch of his face… she felt guilt ridden for it.

So here she was now, sitting in the car that was now parked in a lot for Funland, debating with herself on whether to exit the vehicle or not. Half of her wondered if the event had even happened to begin with, she was imaginative. She threw that thought out remembering the cuts and bruises that now littered her arms and legs, having to wear long sleeve shirts and pants to hide them from her parents… well her mother mostly. If her mother deemed this place dangerous she would certainly forbid Connie from returning ever again, and the bruises were far too large and many to make the excuse of the simple act of tripping. Then there was the boy, a massive and pink boy who towered over her, yet didn’t look more than a year older than her. Part of her wondered if he was actually real. 

She wouldn’t know until she saw him again. 

With a deep breath and long exhale she left the vehicle, pocketing her keys and making her way back to the statue on the beach. Each step she took felt slower than the last, each one becoming heavier with doubtfulness. The last time she was here she was nearly crushed by a boulder then almost made out to be some monster's meal. This time she would stay some distance from the structure and the ocean, ensure her own safety and obtain the answers she sought. 

She slipped past the fence onto the sandy shores, scanning the immediate area for the boy. Oh no, she hadn’t even asked his name! She hoped she hadn’t come off as rude but considering the circumstances she figured he wouldn’t mind. She continued her careful trek, putting her need to ask for a name in the back of her mind for now. She turned the corner of the massive outcrop to lay eyes upon the stone that had almost flattened her, lying motionless in the sand as if it were always there to begin with. She made extremely certain to keep her distance from that spot, if one part was unstable the rest was sure to soon follow. Combing the statue with her eyes rather than her legs she noticed the door that lay within the structures carved hands, she didn’t have any time to wonder what could be stowed away inside as the stone that lay in the middle of the star glowed and opened to allow a boy to walk out. 

She studied him, observed as the door seemed to seal itself shut once he exited. He looked to be only an inch or two taller than her, if not the same height, his hair was pink but a much lighter tone… was this the boy's younger brother? We’re they related in some way? She caught his eyes while musing, realizing she was staring dead at him with what only could be described as a ‘deer in the headlights’ look. Instantly she flustered darting her gaze away in an attempt to seem less creepy. Her body stiffened as he began to approach. ‘Just keep it cool, Connie. Don’t be impolite and make it weird!’

***

He stretched out his limbs as he put down the controller, finally obtaining the coveted secret ending to golf quest two. Now with the game completed he would need to start on his other projects. He decided that leaving his literal man cave would be a wise decision, he hadn’t spoken to anyone today and it would be nice to know what they were doing, maybe Rose would even have another safe mission for him! He made his way to the door, stepping out into the salty summer air to see a familiar girl staring at him.

She looked very familiar.

He searched his gem for a moment before it clicked, she was the girl he helped when that corrupted gem attacked! He was amazed, and dumbfounded, that she even returned. Humans never did well with traumatic experiences and tended to avoid places where they happened. Her being here must have meant she needed something of him or the gems. He strode toward her in even steps, ensuring his body language was inquisitive yet inviting. He wouldn’t want to startle… Connie! That was her descriptor! She didn’t move from her spot as he approached, stopping at a reasonable distance from her. 

“Hey there.” He waved with a grin. “Need something?” 

Connie began to fluster. “Oh, sorry. I was just looking for someone.” She shifted on her feet uneasily. “I just wanted to thank him properly. I kinda left on short notice last time…”

It only took a single moment to realize she was referring to him. He now remembered how he hadn’t transformed when they first met! “You wanted to thank me?” The words left his mouth before he had time to think. 

“Wh…?” She froze up. “That was…I’m so sorry I didn't recognize you! I must have been more freaked out than I remember…” She continued to ramble on when it hit him, she thought he was human, most likely didn’t even realize he wasn’t like her. He quickly shut down her apologies and played along with the assumption. 

“Don’t worry about it! That monster was something. Though we should probably go somewhere else, the others don’t like it when h…people are on the beach.”

She nodded in affirmation this time. “I’m guessing this is your home?” She looked to the temple. 

“Kinda, yeah.” 

“Aw, geez. I really didn’t mean to trespass…twice.” 

He chuckled at that. “Nah, they just don’t want anyone getting hurt on their watch is all.” He ushered her off the beach and to the boardwalk, keeping an eye out for an activity he could occupy her with. If anything, it would help settle her. They were halfway through a ring toss game at funland when she finally spoke up again. 

“I um, didn’t get your name last time.” She threw the ring, watching in disappointment as it bounced off the bottles and landed on the floor. 

“Everyone just calls me Pink.” It wasn’t a lie, he was a pink diamond, though his full descriptor would result in questions he wasn’t up to answering. 

“That’s a nice nickname.” Her compliment hadn’t held an ounce of confusion or distain that he would normally be met with. “Is it because you like the color?” 

“Something like that.” He chuckled nervously as he threw the final ring. 

***

Connie watched as the boy, nicknamed ‘Pink’ danced around her question. He was obviously not comfortable discussing his name with her and in all fairness she couldn’t fault him for that. There was something that tickled the back of her mind, something about him seeming off. She had remembered him much taller with hair that was a far darker shade and eyes with glowing pupils… then again she was scared senseless at the time, her memory could have been faulty on his height and the colors could have simply been hair dye and contact lenses. He wasn’t comfortable with her prying, so she backed off.

“Well, thanks Pink, for helping me back then.” He smiled at that. 

“No problem!” His smirk grew wider. “It’s what I do.” 

***

He was escorting her to the parking lot when they turned the corner to some rowdy humans, the ‘cool kids’ as Lars called them. The group in question hadn’t seen them as Jenny playfully pushed her sister, causing Kiki to trip on her own feet and smash into him. He reacted on instinct with the sudden impact and tried to catch her, the two tumbling down the small set of stairs he and Connie had come up. He felt a harsh and sudden jab to his gem, plunging the world into painful fizzling and nauseating static. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Jenny backed away knowing her roughhousing had been too much. Kiki was helped up by Buck and Sourcream, embarrassment and pain etched across her face as she clutched her elbow. 

“Ow…” Kiki held her arm close to her torso with a wince. “Pink are you alr…” Kiki's question died in her throat the moment she turned to the one she had fallen on. 

He had curled into a ball, hugging his stomach tightly. Connie was next to him, on her knees attempting to get a response out of him. The only answer he gave was that of pained grunts and clenched teeth, eyes screwed shut. Immediately the young adults panicked. 

“Do we need to get your aunts?!” Jenny asked. 

“Is your stomach good?” Buck kneeled down beside him.

“Dude, we need to call someone!” Sourcream scrambled for his phone. 

It was too much, too many voices and too many hands prodding. Whatever had happened, Kiki had elbowed his gem at just the right angle to irritate it or knock something loose…he truly hoped nothing was loose, or chipped or cracked even more or… a glitch ran through him before any further fears could further assault his mind. 

***

Connie shot back in surprise and horror, watching the boy suddenly fizzle like some kind of hologram. His body literally flickered a moment before he became tangible again. 

“I must have hit his gem!” Kiki panicked as she held her elbow, looking at Sourcream as he filtered through his contacts. 

‘His what?’ Connie sat completely befuddled in what any of these people were referring to, or what was even happening right now. She was about to speak up with a myriad of questions when he shifted to sit up, nausea clearly evident on his face. 

“I’m fine…” he still held his stomach. “Just need a… minute.” He looked as if he was going to vomit right then and there. 

“I texted Amethyst.” The blond stated, since his mom was friends with her, the little purple chick had insisted they keep in touch. Usually they just sent each other memes. “She and Rose are on their way.”

“No!” He jolted in an attempt to stand upright, only resulting in his body flickering again. “Ow…no, no. It’s fine! It was just a n…nudge. See?” He removed his arms from his midsection as he wavered. “They don’t need to…” a look of vacancy overtook his features, a thousand yard stare as if he just wasn’t there anymore. Thankfully it only lasted a moment before he lightly fizzled again. He foolishly went to open his mouth, about to spill more nonsense of how ‘fine’ he was when Jenny strode forward, forcing him to sit back down. 

“Yeah, no.” He tried to fight against her push. “Dude we all know you feel like crap, so cut it out.” 

“But…”

“Yo Pinkie!!!” The group turned as Amethyst rushed over with Rose. “What happened, man?” 

“I…” he didn’t have a moment to answer before Rose was hoisting his shirt up, inspecting every inch of his gem. 

Connie tried to evaluate the scene in front of her, now realizing this was a magic situation. There were two new individuals, one pink and one purple. The pink woman had peaked her interest. Was this his mother?  They both had stones on their stomach. The pink woman's was perfectly intact, a round gem with a pentagon shape in the middle and his…

Her eyes widened when she finally got a good look at it. The gem was a pentagonal shape with cracks and a chip in the center, it looked sturdy enough but one good hit to it and… she began to realize exactly why he became so nauseous. She tried to tune back into the conversation when she noticed she had drifted off in thought. 

“…really, it’s no big deal!” He had his hands on his shirt, hoisting it back down as if to hide it. The pink woman ceased her prodding with a soft sigh. 

“We should get you back to the temple” She insisted, not allowing him to stand up. 

“I can do it myself, I…” he shifted a bit, fighting the clear urge to vomit when the pink woman literally scooped him up in one swift movement. His face blushed a deep pink when she did, clearly embarrassed. 

“Um…” she stood to make her presence known. “Is he ok?” 

“I’m fine…” he tried to protest. “I can walk on my own, it was just a bump….”

“I don’t know about that, Miss Rose.” Kiki spoke up, showing the elbow that had collided with his gem. The joint had begun to swell with reds and pinks, looking painful. She winced at the movement before holding it close to herself once more. “I think I might have broken it on his gem…” 

Rose’s eyes widened, it wasn’t unusual that a mundane fall could result in a broken bone if done at just the right angle and speed. She put the boy down, allowing him some dignity, and moved to the young lady in front of her. “May I?” Kiki nodded, lifting her arm as best she could so Rose could get a proper look at it. Connie watched in astonishment as she… kissed it? There was the sound of very light crunching, almost like the sound one would hear at a chiropractor, followed by the swelling in her elbow slowly going down. Kiki hissed for only a moment before relaxing with relief as she experimentally bent her now healed elbow. 

“Thanks Miss Rose.” She spoke as if this were an event that happened often. 

“Of course.” Rose smiled at her like one would a child. “Just try to be more careful, sweetheart.” 

“I will.” Kiki shot a glare at Jenny, who in turn shrunk in shame. 

After some apology and explanations, the cool kids went on their way, leaving the three alone on the boardwalk. Rose once again turned to the boy, who was now attempting to get his wobbling legs to cooperate. 

***

Of all the humiliating things that could have transpired on this day, having Rose carry him like a doll had to be it. Also the fact that Connie had seen everything. He shifted uncomfortably in Rose’s gentle grasp, after three attempts to walk in a straight line resulting in glitching, Rose refused any other alternative. He silently moped in misery and torment until they arrived at the temple. She set him down gently as if he’d shatter if he so much as left her grasp.

“I’m going to the fountain. The amount of stored power might be enough to undo any damage.” She hurried off on the warp pad without another word, leaving him and Connie at the base of the temple. The girl in question sat beside him. 

“So…” she struggled to find some form of conversation. “You and your family are magic… that’s pretty neat.” 

“Yeah..it is.” Both sat in silence for a few awkward moments, neither knowing what to say. 

The warp pad lit up, he felt relieved to see Rose return to end the awkwardness. She held a small vial with her tears in it, she had told him that it’s power increased the more there was and the longer it stayed in the fountain. He had tried fixing his gem there before in secret, submerging himself when the gems were on critical missions. Rose’s power was impressive, but could do little for him. Maybe a broken gem like him could never be fixed, the damage beyond repair by even the most powerful healer. 

“Here.” She was in front of him now. Had he zoned out? “Could you?” He begrudgingly lifted his shirt, allowing her access to his gem. She inspected the faceted gem a little closer in order to locate the affected area. after what felt like an eternity she perked up with an ‘aha!’  

“I think I see it.” She opened the small vial and began applying it to one particular spot, he noted it was close to where the chip was… a missing piece in his gem they had recently discovered. He wondered if that tiny sliver was still out there somewhere. He pushed the thoughts aside in favor of the relief that he now felt, Rose’s powers putting everything back in its place. “There.” Rose set the empty flask aside. 

He stood up experimentally, checking everything over himself. Nothing seemed to glitch or fizzle when he moved, everything back to normality. He sighed in relief as Connie stood up next to him.

“I’m very sorry we weren’t able to introduce ourselves before.” Rose extended a hand to the teenage girl. “I’m Rose.” Her tone was excited and motherly all at the same time, her curiosity when meeting new humans was always full of energy. 

“Connie Maheswaren, ma’am.” Connie accepted the handshake, suddenly becoming stiff and rigid in an attempt to be formal. 

“Are you a friend of his?” 

“Well… we met a couple weeks ago when…”

“Beachapalooza!” He cut in before she could finish that sentence, panic evident in his tone. If the gems found out there was a human involved in the corrupted gem escapade… he’d rather they never know. “We… met on the beach!” His forced and awkward smile seemed to somehow fool Rose. 

“Isn’t that wonderful.” Rose beamed a smile, turning to Connie. “It’s always nice to see him make another human friend!” 

Connie didn’t say anything about him cutting her off, seeming to understand his sudden panic completely.

“Well,” Rose clasped her hands together. “I’ll let you two finish up. Please try to be careful.” 

“Thanks, Rose.” He watched her politely wave off his apology as she stepped into her room, disappearing into an endless sky of pink. 

***

Connie waited until his mom had left before asking any questions of him. “Is your gem alright now?” She tried not to pry too much but the concern was sitting like a pit in her stomach. 

“Absolutely.” He patted his stomach. “Sorry about that, she can be pretty overbearing sometimes and make it seem worse than it is.” 

Either he was downplaying his injury, or he was telling the truth and the entire event was not as dire as she initially thought. Though that girl, Kiki if she remembered correctly, had taken a literal broken elbow as if she had simply scraped her knee. How often was this town met with accidents and monsters that injuries were shrugged off?

“That’s really good to hear.” She smiled before taking a look at the time, frowning a bit when she saw how late it was getting. “I should go, my mom will get worried if I stay out too long.” She pondered a moment. “Um… if you ever want to chat or something, here’s my number.” She showed him the screen that displayed her phone number, watching his eyes go wide a moment in surprise before reading it. 

“Th…thanks” he sputtered out. 

“And thanks again for everything.” She reiterated one last time before leaving. “Maybe we can hang out again sometime!” 

***

Connie left…he just stood there in shocked silence. He had other human numbers, many friends… but none had ever asked him, it had always been him asking them… and he had known them for a few years at least! It slowly crept into his mind the meaning, she wanted to be friends with him… after the whole situation with that corrupted gem. 

His shocked face rose into a smile, he tapped the number into his contacts and slipped back into his room for the night, cheeks flushing a light pink all the while.

Chapter Text

Amethyst watched as he scoured through one of her junk piles, determination and weariness showing equally on his face.

“Are you sure it’s in here?” He picked up the moon goddess statue and gently tossed it aside. “I know you said it might not work, but it’s worth a shot.”

“I don’t know about this man.” Amethyst twirled her hair in an attempt to calm herself. “It doesn’t even work, and we both know homeworld stuff is off limits. The others don't even know I found it.” 

He had tried to learn more about this ‘homeworld’ after a mission when Bismuth had brought it up by mistake. Judging by the way she froze up and looked at him, he was guessing it wasn’t something he was meant to know about. He had questioned everyone, every time being met with either silence or was told it wasn’t of importance. Amethyst herself knew about homeworld, and had told him it’s where gems originally came from but that was the extent of her knowledge. He had finally convinced her to help look for something to at could give them the information they sought, though it seemed like she was about to chicken out. 

“Then why would you tell me about it?” He was genuine with his question, she seemed to be as equally frustrated as he was.

“I don’t know…” she plopped down on her junk pile. “I guess I’m just as mad they won’t tell me anything either.” She crossed her arms. 

It was something the two had begun to bond over in the last few years. Being the two youngest gems meant they weren’t around for whatever event had corrupted the others in the first place. He had been able to glean some small bits of information, mostly that whatever had happened was sudden and massive. Whatever had destroyed the minds of all the others was one localized event, as opposed to a slow decay of individuals through the years. Sadly that’s as far as he could get, neither Rose, Garnet or Bismuth were willing to share the details. He pondered it as he tossed more items aside, pausing when an item caught his eye. 

“What’s this?” He observed it, a rectangular box labeled ‘for Steven’ that contained a VHS tape. It had Greg and Rose’s names on the back, indicating that it was some form of gift. “Who’s Steven?”

“Oh, that…” Amethyst hopped down from the trash pile to get a closer look. “Rose made that years ago, she was thinking of making a tiny human with Greg at the time.” 

“Make a baby human?” He couldn’t fathom how that would be possible for a gem to do, only humans could make more humans. 

“Yeah.” Amethyst eyed the tape with a dark expression. “She gave up after realizing she didn’t have the power output for it.” The little quarts started digging through the trash to occupy herself. 

“Did she…” he felt his throat constrict at the thought. “Did she try?” 

“Naw!” Amethyst waved the thought away. “She ran the numbers and welp, she just wasn’t powerful enough to pull something like that off.” 

He felt a wave of relief wash over him hearing she hadn’t suffered any small human deaths like that, yet the gruesome image still lingered on the edge of his mind. He held onto the tape, reading the name written on its casing. A descriptor for a human type that Greg would have helped create. For some bizarre reason he felt it resonate with him, many things involved with Greg usually did. He had always felt drawn towards him, like a honey bee to its queen. He trusted Greg like no other, like he was his… his… his what? There was something missing, information that begged to be released. A system that was so deeply coded into him, yet so fractured he couldn’t recall any of it. It had always frustrated him, these inklings, thoughts and feelings. They told him what to feel without explaining why he needed to feel them. His grip only tightened on the tape.

“Aha!” He jerked back to reality at Amethyst's exclamation. “Here it is!” He placed the tape in his jacket pocket and moved to where the quartz held up the item they had been searching for. It was a mirror, glass cracked and scraped with a blue gem in the back, looking just as dreary. “I found it at the main warp years ago and kept it as a souvenir.” She brushed off the mirror and handed it to him. “I tried to get it to work, but it’s busted.” 

He took the mirror, seeing his reflection shattered along with the mirror's pieces. Part of him wanted to chuckle at the inside joke he had just been told, the other was somber for even being reminded in the first place. ‘Seems like him and the mirror had a lot more in common’ “So…how does this work?” He gestured to the mirror. 

“I think you just ask it a question and it tells you the answer?” She shrugged. “I had asked Garnet a long time ago about that kind of stuff and that's what she said they did.” 

“Huh.” He and Amethyst sat on the ground, observing the object with skepticism. “Maybe if we ask it something easy?” He suggested. “Maybe it still works.” 

Amethyst only gave him a shrug. He nervously held up the mirror to be eye level with him, seeing his pale face and dark hue eyes looking back at him. 

“Um… mirror,” he tried to think of a simple question. “How’s the… weather today?” 

“Really, dude?” Amethyst glanced at him with amusement. 

“I don’t know… I can’t think of anything!”

“Then just ask it about homeworld, or when it was made or something.” 

He huffed before drawing his attention back to the reflective device. “Fine, mirror, would you be able to show us homeworld?” The mirror simply sat silent, nothing but his reflection in its glass. 

“See?” Amethyst leaned back with disappointment. “Told ya.” 

“Thanks anyways, Amethyst.” He stood up dejectedly, offering the mirror back to her. She stared at him for a moment before she let out a sigh. 

“You keep it, bro.” She waved off his offer to return the device. “It would just get lost again in my junk pile, anyways.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Pff, yeah dude.” She wouldn’t admit her reasoning for giving him the mirror was more an apology for a false lead, she rather let him believe it was clutter. “Your room is, like, way more organized. It’ll be happier there.” 

“Thanks.” He took the mirror and headed off to his own room, preferring to take the inner tunnels to think while he walked. 

He was halfway to his room when he looked into the mirror again, the cracks and chips in it abundant. Rotating the device revealed the gem nestled in the back, a harsh crack running down the middle of it. 

“Guess we both have something in common, huh mirror?” He turned the device back towards his face. “Both of us are broken…” 

He opened the screen door to his room, switching the lights on and emptying his pockets, muttering a ‘home sweet home’ as he did. He placed the tape on the table, having completely forgotten it at the time. He’d have to return it to Rose when he could, if she’d even want it back. There was a tiny voice in his head that urged him to watch it, telling him that it was something meant to be witnessed. He stifled it in favor of turning his attention to the mirror. 

“Now let’s see,” he pondered. “Where would you like to go?”

“Home.’ 

He jumped, almost dropping the mirror in surprise to hear his own distorted voice answer his question. “You work!?” Immediately his shocked expression was replaced with glee. 

“I…work!?” The mirror spliced his words.

“That’s… that’s amazing!” He held the device closer to his face. “We thought you were broken!” He was so caught up in his excitement he had almost forgotten it’s answer. 

“Wait, you said you wanted to go home?” He looked back into the mirror. “Where is that exactly?”

“Home sweet home… homeworld…happier there.” 

He sank into himself a little bit. “I…don’t know where that is, I'm sorry. I don’t even know what homeworld is other than that’s where us gems are from.” 

“Gems…you”  he assumed it meant that as a question.

“Oh…yeah I'm a gem too,” he lifted his shirt for the mirror to see, allowing it to view his gem in full. “I’m pretty cracked but…I get by.” 

“Cracked…too.” The mirror flashed the image of his gem. “I’m…cracked… too…see” 

He turned the mirror to once again glance at the gem, beginning to ponder. “Maybe I can help! Rose has a fountain where she keeps her healing powers, we can fix you right up!” He swiveled the mirror back to face him. “How’s that sound?” 

“Amazing!” 

***

He crept out from the temple, mirror in hand, and searched for anyone other than Amethyst. Once he was certain the coast was clear he made his way to the warp pad, not hesitating for even a moment to choose his destination. Arriving at the garden that encased the fountain he made doubly sure that Rose was not present, Amethyst had been jumpy about the mirror which meant not even she was meant to have it, let alone him. Once he was satisfied that the grounds were seemingly empty he made his way through the twisting vines, blooming with roses that shaded the ground below from the sun. 

“Alright, just watch out for anyone.” He wasn’t certain if he was speaking to the mirror or himself, or perhaps both of them. “Rose wouldn’t be happy if she knew I had you with me.” The mirror stayed silent in contemplation. 

He trudged through the dense foliage to avoid the main path, constantly having to pick the sharp thorns from his form. The thorns themselves were tiny, any damage left fairly unnoticeable. He figured it would be for the best, even if it may not be the best of plans. 

“… watch out…” the mirror piped up. He was about to question what it had seen when he bumped into Lion, the beast eying him suspiciously. 

“Oh.” He exclaimed in surprise before the  relief set in. “That’s just Lion, he’s friendly.” He patted Lion on the head affectionately, making certain the mirror could see the interaction. “See?” 

“Lion…friendly… I…See.” 

“Yeah, no need to worry, he’s not a danger to us. He’s a good Lion.” He scratched under Lions chin to emphasize his point. 

“Good.”

He chuckled, almost bursting into laughter when the mirror mimicked said chuckle, and bent down a bit to be eye level with Lion. 

“Sorry to bother you, me and my friend here are heading to the fountain.”

Lion said nothing. 

“We’ll be out of your mane soon, promise!” 

Lion chuffed at the mirror with eyes squinted in suspicion before disappearing into the nearby bushes. He took that as an ‘ok’ and proceeded to his objective, which thankfully happened to be far closer than he had thought. He didn’t dare breach the confines of the bushes at first, scanning the fountain for Rose. It felt dishonest the way he was going about this, but if he had told them… would they even believe him? They would have thought he could simply be glitching and hearing things, or would take the mirror away because of its homeworld origin. He wondered if they would bother to fix it, or would they bubble it? The mirror itself was harmless for the most part, what damage could a little mirror gem possibly do to them? Perhaps he was over complicating the situation, or perhaps this was the best course of action. Either way, he was determined to help it, he understood the pains of being cracked. He stepped out from the thorny bushes and step by step made his way to the pink waters.  

“Here we go…” he spoke in hushed tones. “We’ll run in, get you fixed and…” 

“Get who fixed?”

He froze up at the soft voice emanating from behind him, almost too terrified to turn around to face her at first. The split second of panic only lasted a moment before he spun on his heels to meet Rose’s gaze, quickly putting the mirror behind his back.

“H…hey Rose.” He stammered in a vain attempt to buy himself time. “You surprised me, what are you doing here?” 

“I would ask you the same thing.” Her voice no longer held its soft motherly tones, now replaced with suspicion. “Who needs to be fixed and why are you hiding them?” 

If he had sweat glands he would have drenched himself. He flickered his eyes around before an idea hit him, if she didn’t know the mirror was alive he could play this off as naive. 

“You got me…” he revealed the mirror, ensuring Rose never saw the gemstone on the back. “I  found this cool mirror and thought I could fix it… I, um. I didn’t want to replace the glass so I thought…” 

“I thought your fountain would help?” He himself didn’t buy a single word that left his mouth, fear overtaking his logical thinking. 

Rose’s eyes flickered between the mirror and his face, confusion mixed with a variety of emotion crossed her features. Finally for what felt like an eternity she spoke. 

“You wanted to fix a mirror using my fountain?” She asked incredulously, almost dumbfounded he would think of something like this. 

“Yes.” He controlled his voice to the best of his abilities, schooled his emotions to be as innocent as possible. 

She must have caught on to something because not a moment later she looked into the mirror, a serious expression he had never seen before and asked it a question. 

“What is your facet number?” 

The mirror did not answer, sitting silent to her query. When it didn't answer she turned to him, her expression softening. “Where did you find this mirror?” 

He was afraid to inform her that it was Amethyst who gave it to him, fearful he spun a lie. 

“It was at a human stall,” he saw as she studied his every move. “I thought it looked really nice, bought it and wanted to fix it…” the mirror stayed silent still, not correcting his false story. 

“Then why were you speaking to it?” Her tone had now turned motherly, commanding. Like a parent catching a child in a lie. “Unless you knew it was like us?” 

He shrunk at the accusation, guilt now clutching down on his gem with a vice grip. He sighed, knowing he couldn’t keep up the charade any longer. “Ok.” He turned the device to show her the blue and cracked gem. “It’s not just the glass, I wanted to fix it to see if it…worked.” He was too frightened to let her know of the mirror's capability to speak. “I thought that, if it could hear me, it would help with whatever it's feeling and cheer it up. I’m sorry.” 

She looked at him with sympathy and guilt. He knew what was coming next. “I know you wish to help, but,” she extended her hand to relieve him of the mirror. “I’ll take it from here.” 

Her hand drew closer to the mirror's shattered glass, the mirror could stay silent no more.

“Help… Rose… a danger to us”  Rose gaped at the mirror's sudden talkative state, taken back that it was capable of something other than answering questions. He held the mirror closer to his form, eyes widening as Rose’s face grew darker. 

“I need you to give me that gem.” She almost demanded. “It’s…”

“Dangerous?!” He finished the sentence for her. “And… and how do you know? You said the same thing about me !” 

She recoiled in complete shock to his words. He himself was just as surprised he had even said them, knowing deep down it was the exact reason he had kept the mirror hidden. The guilt he felt in just seeing her face fall into despair was too much for him to handle, he fled. He was in the warp before he could hear her calling for him. 

***

Rose ran after him, her dress getting caught and tangled in the bushes thorns that he ran into. She needed to convince him to hand over the mirror, she didn’t mean it any harm. He, however, was unaware of that fact. His words still stung at the back of her mind, even though they were true. She felt devastated, he had held on to those feelings all this time, that bitterness of all those years ago still lingered inside him. He was right to be angry. He also wasn’t aware of what he was dealing with, a gem used to power a device usually retained all memories and the way it had been silent when she asked it a question she knew it could answer it did so of its own volition. She had briefly seen the gem, what appeared to be a lapis. If fixed, the mirror could communicate things to him about homeworld, if released.. 

She ran, calling him, screaming his gem type. He didn’t hear her, he was already gone in the warp stream. 

She needed to find him before Garnet and Bismuth found out, only imagining what conclusions they would jump to if they witnessed him and the mirror. 

***

What had he done?! What was he thinking? He ran clumsily through beach city, keeping a paranoid eye out for any of the other gems. He had been foolish, brash and angry. He didn’t think before the words left him, his mouth moving before his mind could comprehend their meaning. Rose had some right to be cautious, being cautious was safe, but this gem hadn’t done anything to harm him. All the mirror did was converse with him. He didn’t think a mirror type gem could harm anyone anyways. He clutched the mirror to his chest as he stopped behind the corner of a building, scanning for Rose or the others. They were going to take the gem, probably bubble it for simply existing, just like him. He wasn’t going to let that happen. 

“Ok, here’s the plan.” He crouched down with the mirror in hand. “I’ll get you back to my room, me and you just hiding out until…” he ran a hand through his hair. “No, that’s no good. They’ll just barge in… Okay! Maybe if I asked Greg, we could camp out somewhere until I could find a way to… ugh!” He sank down, back against the wall.

“It’s no good, we’re trapped either way. If I can’t find a way to prove that you’re friendly, they’ll bubble you.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t…give…up” 

“What should i do?” He wasn't even certain if what he said was even a question. “They aren't just going to let me keep talking to you… If Garnet and Bismuth find out they’ll want to do the same."

“Let...me...out”  He gave pause to that, confused as to what the mirror meant. 

“Let you out?” 

“Trapped...mirror”  

“Wh...what?” He held the mirror higher. “Aren't you the mirror?”

“No...not…”

Before it could finish he heard Rose calling him in the distance, immediately panic filled him. He ran without thinking, making his way towards the beach and running right into Garnet, Bismuth and Amethyst. Immediately he froze, seeing the two elder gems stare at the mirror he had clutched tightly to his chest. 

“Where did you get that?” Garnet stepped forward.

He didn’t answer, instead deciding to bolt behind the nearest fallen hand of the statue. 

“What do I do!?” He had asked himself, yet the mirror responded. 

“Not…the mirror…let…me…out” 

‘Not the mirror?’ He inspected the gem in the back once more, taking note of its crack. If it wasn’t meant to be a mirror… he could hear their footsteps getting closer, their voices raising in volume slightly. He didn’t have time to question what the mirror meant, he grasped the gem in between his fingers, hoping that whatever he was about to do didn’t harm the gem. 

He pulled it out from the socket. 

***

Garnet and Bismuth had been cautiously approaching Pink Diamond's hiding place behind the fallen stone hand, not certain what the mirror had whispered to him. Both were prepared for whatever was to happen next, or so they had believed. 

A light flashed from behind, which meant the gem was free. 

“Pink Diamond!” Rose’s voice echoed as she drew near, having the gems turn to her.

“Rose! Pink Diamond…” 

“I know!” Rose cut her off. “He believes it’s friendly, we have to…” the words died in her throat. The others looked to see what had caused her to stop.

***

The gem lifted from the palm of his hand, shining in brilliant light. He watched as the light began to take shape, dying down to reveal a blue gem in a dress, feet bare and hair short. She plummeted to the ground the moment she became tangible. He rushed to help steady her. 

“You...actually treated me like a person.” her voice was astonished he would even do so. Her eyes met his and he startled at the sight, reflective like the mirror with only his own face within them. 

He didn't know how to respond.

“...aimond!” A voice, Rose’s voice, cascaded over the crashing waves of the beach.

“We need to get out of here!” she grasped his forearm with a strength he didn't know she possessed. 

“But…” he finally found his voice to speak. “If you talk to them I’m sure they’ll…”

“Stop right there.” Bismuth’s voice warned, tinged with fear. All the gems had brandished their weapons against this new foe, each one standing at the ready. 

The blue gem sprung into a defensive stance, shielding him behind her. “Just stay behind me!”

“Wait!” He held his hands out. “We can all talk about this!” 

“Just tell us who you are.” Garnet approached cautiously, gauntlets in hand.

The gem in front of him seemed to seethe at that, “Who I am?” She lifted an arm and a wall of water rose from behind them. “I am Lapis Lazuli, and you will not keep us here any longer!” She forced the gems back with her powers as a hand made of water enveloped his arm. He watched helplessly as the gems were submerged under the waves that Lapis created.

“What are you doing!” he cried as he watched them be swept away.

“It’s ok!” She tugged him into the sea below as it opened up like a hidden path. “They won’t be able to hurt us anymore!”

“Where are we going?” he tried to free himself from the watery hand that grasped his arm to no avail.

“Home.” was all Lapis said before the waves swallowed them both.

By the time the gems were back on their feet, the two had vanished. Only the lapping waves of the ocean and the sound of the salty wind could be seen and heard. Rose dropped to her knees, her fears becoming reality.

A homeworld gem had kidnapped Pink Diamond.

Chapter Text

Garnet had dove into the water the moment the two disappeared, ready to scour the entire ocean if she had to. Bismuth had taken the charge of combing the beaches if they were to surface anywhere. Amethyst was with Rose, who had been pacing back and forth for almost an hour now. Amethyst had never seen her so worried before, and it was her fault she was worried in the first place. She watched with unease as Rose muttered to herself of where a lapis would go and what her next move would be, until finally she interrupted.

“Rose?”

“…nd maybe… oh. Yes?” Her attention was clearly split, but Amethyst would take what she could get.

“Is Pink gonna be alright? You know, with that gem?” She looked to Rose, the one who always had answers, always knew what to do. 

Rose considered her a moment before answering. “I’m sure he’ll be alright, that gem seemed to think he was like her.” Perhaps they truly were. Both cracked and on earth, only difference being one remembered and the other didn’t. Rose would like to keep it that way. “We just need to find them before she does anything to get to homeworld, with that crack she won’t be getting far.” 

Amethyst nodded solemnly, Rose taking notice. “You were the one who found the mirror, weren't  you?” Immediately the smaller quarts froze up. 

“I…” 

“It’s not your fault.” Rose bent down, placing a hand on her shoulder. “If it wasn’t responding to you, you couldn’t have known It was still active. Right now our priority is finding them and bringing him home.” 

Amethyst had perked up with her words, guilt transformed into determination. “Right.” She turned to the ocean and eyes widened. “Um…Rose?”

“Is the ocean farther away, or is it just me?”

***

“Stop struggling, this is for your own good.” Lapis strode in front of him, using her powers to push the ocean aside to walk on the bottom with ease. He had been pulling at the watery arm leading him along, trying to get its grip to release to no avail.

“But,” He tried to dig his heels into the silty ground beneath him. “We can still talk this out! The crystal gems aren’t that bad.” 

“They are.” She turned her head as she kept up her pace. “They did that to your gem, didn’t they?” 

He almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The gems wouldn’t have cracked him on purpose and wouldn’t try to shatter him! Sure at first they were going to bubble him but… that wasn’t the same. “No!” He cried. “I emerged like this!” 

“Is that what they want you to think?” She lifted her hand, creating another watery appendage that picked him off the ground to cradle him so he’d stop slowing them down. 

“The crystal gems would never do that, and I remember emerging with my gem exactly like this!” He clutched his shirt. “I met them a few weeks later and they didn’t even know I existed before that.” He left out the part where they attacked him. 

Lapis considered him for a moment. “You’re serious? Your gem looked like that?” 

“Yes.”

“Wait, you said you emerged on earth?” Gears began turning in her head. “When was that anyways?” 

“About seventeen full rotations.” She stopped dead in her tracks. 

“Only seventeen?” She turned to him with shock. “Were you overcooked?” 

“Overcooked?” He parroted with confusion. 

“It’s… ok,” She picked up her pace. “Never mind for now.” 

“So…” he tried to change the subject. “How long have you been on earth?” 

“Five thousand years or so.” She shrugged. He had heard the gems all those years ago say something about that span of time, if they weren’t willing to tell him what maybe Lapis would.

“Did something happen five thousand years ago?” He shifted in the watery cradle, curious as to what she meant. 

“I’ll tell you later.” She looked up, satisfied with their current position. “This spot will have to do.” She lifted her arms and the ocean began to shift. 

***

The entire town had convened in a panic at the sight of the ocean retreating from their town. Greg sat at the back in his van, worriedly observing the ensuing chaos of the mob. He only looked away when Rose caught his attention. 

“Greg! Are you alright?” She pulled him into an embrace. 

“Yeah, no I’m fine. Is… is this another gem thing?” 

“It is.” She didn’t want to admit it. “But there’s something I need from you.” 

He took note of her tone and could see the panic in her eyes. “What’s wrong, babe?” 

“Amethyst’s phone was broken, would you have yours? We need to contact Pink Diamond!” 

“Is he ok?” Greg dug into his pocket with no hesitation, fishing out his phone in record time. 

“I… I believe so but,” Rose but her lip. “He was taken by a gem, we don’t know who she is.” 

Greg needed no further explanation. He pulled up the kids' contact and texted him a message, knowing a call would result in his captor discovering their correspondence. Rose hovered over his shoulder anxiously, awaiting a response. 

*** 

His pocket dinged, he chanced a glance to where his phone had alerted him of a message. He took it out, glancing at the text. 

Greg: ‘are you alright, where are you?’

Kiddo: ‘a gem named lapis is taking water and building some kind of tower. Did the gems contact u?’  

Greg: ‘I have Rose with me right now. She’s asking if you can spot any kind of landmark.” 

He looked around at the ground below, the sand stretching on for miles littered with crustaceans and flopping fish. He then noticed some notable markings he recognized! 

Kiddo: “I think I see the marinara trench! Rose should know the coordinates!” 

He hit send, quickly pocketing his phone and turned his attention back to Lapis. The blue gem was busying herself with amassing as much water as possible to build her tower. The speed at which she was building it was beginning to worry him, if they made it past the atmosphere there was no telling if the gems could get him. 

In the meantime he might as well get to know Lapis better.

“Um, Lapis?” 

“I’m a little busy at the moment.” She strained as a shark swam beneath them. 

“I just wanted to ask, how did you get into that mirror?” 

She paused, the tower wobbled a bit before she stabilized it. She didn’t answer his question. He assumed that was a personal issue he shouldn’t have poked into. “I’m sorry…”

She stopped her work for a moment. “I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.” It was all he was willing to discuss further. 

He didn’t ask anything for another hour, watching as the ground grew further away and the sky slowly became the open expanse of space. His anxiety was turning to fear. Lapis melancholy turning to hopefulness.

“We’re almost there!” She looked longingly to the distant stars. “Once we’re clear of the atmosphere we can make our way back to homeworld.” 

“I’m… I’m not sure about this.” He piped up. “The crystal gems don’t seem to like…”

“The crystal gems are wrong!” She snapped her head to him, her mirror-like eyes glaring almost through him. “They’re the reason I was trapped in that mirror in the first place.” 

He recoiled at her words, had they put her in there? They didn’t seem to recognize the mirror in the first place… he was too afraid to push for further explanation. She saw his visible twitch and sighed, her face softening. 

“Look, I… when we get back, and we’re both fixed you’ll see for yourself. We…” her eyes widened, a visceral expression now covering her face. “Hold on a second.” She outstretched her hand. “I have to take care of this.” 

***

Rose was the first to step out of the van, visually scaling the tower of water. The lapis lazuli and Pink Diamond were atop it, there was no time to waste. Her and the gems stepped forth, ready for whatever was to come. Greg, under the suggestion of Garnet, was now driving his van back to what would be solid land after this scuffle. 

“Lapis Lazuli!” Rose called to the tower, awaiting a response. 

The tower shifted, swirling to form a face of the lazuli herself. The image of her looked enraged, vengeful even. 

“Go away.” The image warned. 

“We’re not leaving without him.” Rose stood her ground. “Please just come back down, we mean you no harm.” 

“Like I believe that.” She growled. 

“We are not here to fight you.” Garnet stepped up next. “But if necessary we will.” 

The watery visage took that as a challenge much to Garnets dismay. “You want us?” It formed watery images of each of them, perfect copies made of liquid. 

“Just try!” Was all she said before the doppelgängers lunged. 

Rose had feared the inevitable fight with the lazuli, they were high ranking gems with terrifying aquatic landscaping capabilities. The ones that fought for the rebellion had been a boon, and a force to be reckoned with. Battling against one was a feat even of itself, Rose knew she would have to plan carefully. 

“Be on the defensive!” She cried, the others all acknowledging her order. She summoned her shield ready for a fight. 

***

He watched anxiously as she strained with arms outstretched, teeth bared with exertion. 

“Lapis, please! This doesn’t…”

Not now!” She snapped. “If I can’t take them down quick enough, we won’t be able to make it!” 

He piped down, nervously fidgeting against the watery hands hold. He had to find some sort of middle ground or this would never end, she wouldn’t give up and neither would the crystal gems. He had to find some way to get her to let him leave. His eyes flickered toward the cracked gem that rested on her back, broken much like his. Perhaps he could sympathize with her, they felt the same pain after all. 

“L…Lapis?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Are you having trouble because of your crack?” 

She didn’t answer but her face told the entire story. If so, perhaps there was something he could try. If Rose could do it, maybe there was a chance he could too?

“I might be able to help? It’s a long shot but…”

“No,” she stared with concern. “If you're a healing gem, you shouldn’t be using your powers!” She looked over to him, brows scrunched and lips turned downward. “My crack is just on the surface, yours… it’s ok, I’m going to get us out of this mess!” She turned her head away. “We’re going to be able to go home!” 

“But earth is my home!” She almost stopped when he said that. 

“I know you want to go home, but earth is the only place I’ve ever known. Just how homeworld is your home, earth is mine!” He turned his gaze down. “And… I know you don’t trust the crystal gems but, they’re my friends, I’ve known them for a long time.”

“I had friends.” She paused. “…but that doesn’t… sigh .” 

“What were they like?”

“Other lazuli like me…” he became hopeful as she began to open up. “After terraforming missions a lot of us would meet up, talk and share stories about the planets we worked on…” her reminiscing halted as thoughts began to run through her mind, memories of a time long gone. 

“You really miss them, don’t you?” She didn’t answer him, however the ‘yes’ was clear as day. “Well, I want to help you then!” His determination was now unrelenting. “I don’t know if I can heal…but I still want to try!”

She sighed in exasperation, now knowing he was hell bent on this. “Well, what kind of gem are you?” 

“I’m a…” there was something in the back of his mind that suddenly screamed for him to stop, a fear that warned him not to say. He had remembered the day the gems first recognized his gem type, their hostility and fear. Lapis seemed different but… his fear of past events was far stronger than his newfound acquaintance with her. He tried to buy himself time by pretending he needed to adjust himself in the hands grasp. What could he pretend to be? He knew nothing of healer gems or gems that made panels! He didn’t even know if he had powers beyond that! He could claim he didn’t know, but she would most likely be even more determined to bring him back with her. His mind panicked and he blurted out the only descriptor that came to mind, the one he had read no less than a few hours ago. 

“I’m a Steven… type…gem.” 

“A…Ste-Ven?” She jostled the syllables on her tongue like one would an unfamiliar taste. “I’ve never heard of that gem type before.” 

He inwardly panicked. “Oh…well you see, I’m a… uh, how do I explain it?” He had to think! Had to come up with something! “I’m a new gem type… earth exclusive!” He prayed she bought it. “Honestly I doubt homeworld knows my type is even a thing yet…” 

The way she looked at him made him feel as if he had told a terrible joke, crickets and all. “Wow.” Her tone became teasing. “The damage must be worse than I thought.” 

Crap! 

“I’m not…that’s! I…” he fumbled in a vain attempt to dig himself deeper into the hole he had put himself in. “I’m not that broken! I can prove it if you let me try!” 

Her face softened, almost as if she was looking at a kicked puppy. “Fine.” The watery hand that had held him hostage released him at long last. He stretched out his legs a bit, experimentally tapping his foot on the solid water, before striding over to her.” 

“Thanks.” He adjusted his hoodie. “For giving me a chance.” 

She sighed, letting her arms down. He hoped it wasn’t because the gems were now all destabilized. “Just don’t overdo it.” 

“Ok.” He thought of how he could use this healing… Rose usually cried or kissed, maybe if he… he licked a finger, observing the condensation on it. That pinkish hue that would appear whenever he got wet. Hopefully it did something other than ooze from him. He touched a small amount to her gem. 

It took a few moments, her mouth about to open to assure him he tried his best, when a small light emmenated behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise, blinking a few times to reveal bright blue irises. He watched in wonder as wings of water sprung from her back, stretching out like that of a bird. She floated up with glee. He smiled in triumph, he had done it! He had other powers! His joy was short lived as the exertion of simply healing made itself known. He stumbled back a few steps, almost toppling off the side of the tower when Lapis caught his arm, helping him sit. 

“Are you ok?!” She hovered anxiously over him. “I  shouldn’t have let you use that much power in this state!” He wasn’t sure how much he actually used. He just…did it. Either way, the opportunity presented itself. 

“Don’t…worry.” He let her help him stand, giving her a smile. She didn’t realize what it was for until it was too late. 

He pushed off of her violently, free falling from her tower of water. She hesitated a moment to fly after him after getting up, yet stopped when she realized he wouldn’t be coming with her. His message was clear, he was staying. The two only gazed at each other for a moment before she took off into the vast expanse of space, letting the ocean slowly fall back into place as she did. He was grateful that she at least wasn't going to let the entire ocean drop on earth from the ionosphere… the damage would be irreversible. She wasn’t so bad, his now muddled mind mused to itself, clearly lost in its haze. It only took a moment before he realized what he’d done, pushed himself off a tower hundreds of thousands of miles above the earth's surface. He would panic if the nausea and slight glitching hadn’t interrupted him. He didn’t think this through. His form hit the ocean's surface at terminal velocity. 

***

They had barely held their own, the watery doppelgängers multiplying with every strike. Bismuth and Amethyst had been cornered while Garnet and Rose had their backs against the tower. It seemed hopeless until their attackers just stopped, frozen like someone had flipped an off switch. The gems stayed on guard, each poking and prodding at the deactivated liquid fakes. 

“Did… did we do it?” Amethyst questioned, unsure of what to make of the sight before them. She somewhat got her answer when the doppelgängers disappeared into puddles of saltwater. 

Rose began to panic. “Lapis Lazuli?” She spoke to the tower, the tower that remained silent. Her fear only strengthened when the tower began to destabilize, water coming loose and beginning to pool. This couldn’t be happening, she couldn’t have gotten past the atmosphere! 

“No.” 

The water came rushing back downwards, a calculated fall so as to not flood the entire planet in tidal waves of ocean. They needed to vacate the vicinity immediately! “We need to…” before she could finish the water was already forcing them along, back towards what would be the beach. 

The waves had returned to normal, the ocean once again resuming its rhythmic waves. Rose had no choice but to let the tide take her back to shore, her failure echoed in her gem. She failed, Pink Diamond had been taken against his will to homeworld. He had been taken by a lazuli, one who would have surely discovered his identity by now. She had no idea of what would happen now… would he refuse to colonize? Would he remember who he was? Was the earth saved or doomed? She stepped on to land with Amethyst, a defeated expression adorned every inch of her being. 

“Rose,” Amethyst hid herself behind her hair. “I um…I’m.” 

“I’m sorry, Amethyst.” She wouldn’t let the younger quarts take blame for her failure. “I’m sorry. I failed you.”

Garnet breached, uncertainty evident in every stride she took. “Rose, Amethyst!” She scoured the beach. “Where is Bismuth and Pink Diamond?!” 

Rose was about to explain when Bismuth shot up from the ocean. She rushed to the shore in a panic with her arms cradling something, holding it tightly. 

“We have a situation!” She bound towards them at breakneck speed. 

Rose’s brow furrowed. “I know, Pink and the lazuli…” 

“Rose!” Bismuth roared, the terror in her eyes unmatched. The weapon smith unfurled her arms to reveal what her fear had sprung from. In her hands, lay his gem. It pulsated with a horrid light, an eerie outer glow accompanying it. The sealed cracks showed from within a hot and terrible light, coloring Bismuth’s purple-greyish skin in reds. It looked as if he had thrown himself into the planet's very core, and lost. Rose moved to hover her hands over his gem when Bismuth reeled back.

“Don’t touch it!” She warned. “It’s hotter than a flow of basaltic magma!” 

“What’s wrong with him?” Amethyst pushed her way past Rose to gape at the fiery diamond. 

“He’s dangerously overheating!” Garnet sprinted over “we need to cool his gem down before it…”

Her sentence remained incomplete, the only sound to follow were that of a loud ‘ POP’

Chapter Text

Connie tapped absentmindedly at her homework, her pencil hitting the paper in a steady rhythm. Her and Pink were supposed to hang out yesterday, they had planned for something simple at a park she lived near. She waited all day.

He never showed up.

That night she had sent him messages and texts, questioning if he was alright. None of her messages were read.

There was this small little voice that tried to pry its way to the front, desperately trying to take hold. It whispered its message, wanting her to believe he didn’t care anymore. He was magic, a being with a destiny. She was just another human, mundane and boring. He wasn’t her friend, he just lost interest in her. He had more important things to do. She locked that thought where it belonged, at the deepest recesses of her mind. 

Something was wrong. She remembered seeing his gem, that stone that rested in his stomach. It looked so broken, so fragile. She began to fear his inability to respond to her was something far darker, far more fatal. She pushed that thought back as well, not wanting either to take hold of her. He was most likely busy, or his phone wasn’t charged…

She decided tomorrow she would check up on him. It was already too late at night to go driving without her mother getting suspicious, technically she shouldn’t be up this late at all but it was a Friday night… She conceded, deciding to set aside her worries and unfinished homework in favor of getting ready for bed. 

***

She walked along a winding path, or perhaps it was nothing at all. Maybe the path was all there was, a light stretching onward in the endless darkness. 

There was nothing here.

There was everything here.

He continued walking on the path, it’s swirling colors of violets and reds called to him.

They were him.

They weren’t her.

They were her.

Something was not right. Nothing made sense. Who was she? Why was she here? Was he even here? 

They realized. There was no he or she. There were only them.

There was a she and he, it was also them.

They needed her, he needed them.

He was confused, they tried to lull him. 

She was worried, they tried to assure her. 

They walked down the path, one made of two. What were they? They didn’t know. They needed to be because he needed them to be, because she wanted them to be. 

They were together. They were alone. 

The path opened up to a large panel of pinks. They sat down upon it, embraced the light in the sea of darkness. Now safe, they sought to answer who they were.

They lifted their hands to see, skin blotched between pinks and browns. They ran a hand through their hair, streaks of black cascading down pink roots. They were incomplete yet perfected. They were impossible yet existed. 

They understood everything 

They understood nothing. 

The pinks stretched outward, the very world attempted to claim its rights from the darkness. It rose and expanded, pushed its light to every corner of the endless inky sea. It almost succeeded. They tried to cheer it on, tried to encourage it to grow and leave its crystal confines. 

It hadn’t the strength. 

It hadn’t the light. 

The darkness consumed what the pinks had claimed. No longer strong enough to hold itself, the pink collapsed within its dark grip. They watched in despair as the very path they stood on was swallowed whole. They plummeted into the endlessness of the void. 

She called for him.

He could not hear her. 

He was no longer there.

***

Connie shot up out of bed, almost falling right off. She had never had a dream or nightmare like that before. What was that? She tried to keep the imagery fresh in her mind. She was herself, yet at the same time someone completely different. It was almost as if someone else was also her, and she was also them. Their presence was so familiar, as if someone had reached out to her specifically. Worried, she jumped out of bed and made herself ready to go to beach city. 

***

The car door slammed shut. She raced to the statue where he lived. That dream from last night had felt so real, so vivid, that it made her skin crawl. She had to see if he was alright. She had to see if he was there! She stopped at the gate, seeing the lock, and scaling the fence. The gems knew her somewhat by now, granted not very well. She was his human friend from the town over. She figured if she explained they would understand her worry. She hoped they wouldn’t be too busy, especially after that ocean scare a few days ago.

She sheepishly knocked on the temple door, shifting on her heels when no one answered at first. Perhaps they were all still busy, maybe she should…

The door opened, revealing Amethyst wearing a defeated frown. Her and Connie’s eyes met, Amethyst almost jumped. 

“Uh… yo, Pink’s human friend!” She tried to mask the gloom in her eyes. “What are you doing here?” 

“Hello, Amethyst.” She greeted formally. “I was actually wondering if he was available? We were supposed to meet yesterday but he didn’t show or answer my texts, so I just wanted to make sure he was alright.” 

Amethyst eyes were as wide as saucers. “I…well…you see…” the little quarts fumbled. “He’s, erm, a little under the weather after that ocean thing that happened and… his phone got busted, or lost I think.” The way she stammered with her words made Connie highly worried, but if he had lost his phone it would explain the unread  messages. 

“Oh. What happened? Is he okay?” 

“Yep!” Amethyst was far too quick to respond. “He just needs a break for a while and I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it after ok bye!” The door sealed shut.

Connie stood stunned for a moment. He did say his family was a little weird around humans but… no, something was up. She inspected the door to see if there was any reasonable way in, only being met with dissatisfaction seeing it only opened for gems. Dejected, she wandered away from the temple. She was worried something had happened to him other than being roughed up and needing rest. He still would have contacted her somehow, would he? Maybe he broke a leg or something? That would be plausible and explain why he wasn’t able to communicate with her but Amethyst had a phone… she thought. Or that could have broken as well. She was so invested in her theories that she almost walked right into the side of Greg’s van. 

It had surprised her to see his vehicle so uncharacteristically close to the temple. He usually stayed at his car wash when she would visit. Her suspicions only grew when she was able to get a clear look at the man in question. He was sitting on a beach chair, guitar in hand. Yet he wasn’t playing anything. The man always had a tune or melody, now not even a hum escaped past his lips. He was staring out into the sea, motionless save for the breeze running through his long hair. She cleared her throat and he jumped, almost throwing his guitar. 

“Aw, geez. Sorry kid, I didn’t notice ya!” He chuckled, rubbing a hand on his neck. “What brings you here?”

“Mr Universe, are you alright?” She eyed him wearily, noting the crease in his forehead and bags under his eyes. He looked like he was having trouble sleeping. 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He fiddled with his guitar strings. “Just thinking is all.” 

“Um. I know this might not be the best time but,” she adjusted her glasses nervously. “Does this have something to do with your son? Pink?”

“My wh…” Greg almost hadn’t realized who she meant, surprised she even came to that conclusion. Then again, the kid spent a lot of time with him. Either way he didn’t correct it. “You…could say that.” 

“Is he okay?” She shifted closer to him. “I asked Amethyst but she seemed, well…”

He sighed, best not to lie but also not to scare the kid. “He’s not doing so hot after the whole ‘ocean mishap’ a couple days ago.” He tried to choose his words carefully. “He just needs some time to recuperate, is all.”

She felt her heart sink, plummeting straight down to her stomach. What had happened during that time? Obviously pestering Greg wasn’t going to do either of them any good. “Well, I hope he feels better soon. Keep me updated!” 

He waved her off as she left for home, unfinished homework calling her name.

***

He stood on a panel made of light, It’s pinks and magentas shining through the dark fog. 

He had been here once before. 

He didn’t want to be here

He needed him to be there

He needed to be there for him.

They now remembered what they were, they were not one. They were two. He was two. 

He stood at the center of the panel, it’s octagonal shape bleeding off into the void below and above. 

He looked at his arms, splotched between tan and pink. 

He ran a hand through his hair.

His hair was back.

His hair was shorter before. 

He watched the pink try to stretch outward, watch it flicker in vain against the unrelenting darkness. 

It didn’t have the strength to push.

It needed to keep pushing.

It needed to keep fighting.

He encouraged it, pleaded with it, cheered it on. 

It exhausted itself, once again collapsing. 

He screamed for him, shouted his name. Yelled for confirmation he was still there. 

He was not. 

***

Greg shot up from the steering wheel, gasping from yet another unpleasant dream. He had been unable to sleep well since the first night after… the incident. 

He had driven back to the beach as the ocean returned, the gems most likely victorious. Parking his van he noticed they had convened, Bismuth shouting something while yanking her arms away from Rose. He exited the van and ran up to the group, only to hear Garnet shouting. 

And then it happened. 

From Bismuth's hand came a horrid popping sound, like that of a fireplace or party popper. A sickeningly reddish light outstretched from her arms as something tried to take form, crackling and spitting sparks as it did. He only watched in horror when he realized it was the kids' gem.

Garnet practically leapt, bubbling the gem before it could do any further damage to itself. “We need to cool him down, NOW!” 

The gems all scurried onto the warp pad, disappearing in an instant. He had stood alone on the beach for what felt an eternity.

Rose had to explain to him later what happened. 

They had him in a bubble full of fountain water and cooled by Sapphire periodically. She couldn’t freeze it or the sudden shift in temperature could… he didn’t want to think about it. The kid was basically on life support, practically the gem equivalent of brain… damage? Or would it be more like heart failure? The anatomy of gems always confused him. Regardless, everyone was on edge. 

Then came the dreams. 

It was always slightly different, but the ending was always the same. He wasn’t himself, he was… something else. 

And that something else was scared.

He wanted to comfort this person he wasn’t, but he couldn’t. Every time the dream ended in a free fall into oblivion, he would wake up in a cold sweat. He had given up on trying to sleep altogether. 

He had tried to occupy himself, music, tv, anything! Nothing worked. He was either too exhausted to think of a tune or his thoughts would drift to that horrid image of the kids gem practically exploding. Nothing could distract him. 

Maybe a visit would help.

***

Rose hadn’t left the fountain in days, tending to the gem that now floated and bobbed above the surface of the water, safe and protected in its bubble. 

They had almost lost him. Any hotter and his gem would have fried from the inside out. Even diamonds can’t take too much heat, and any gem that gets to that point… there were more ways to die than shattering. 

“He’ll pull through.” Sapphire's monotone voice cut through the fog of worry. 

“I know.” Rose never let her gaze shift from the gem. “But he almost didn’t.”

Sapphire floated above the water's surface, picking up the bubble and cooling it ever slightly. The bubbles' surface crackled as small ice crystals crawled across it. “We’re all worried, especially Bismuth.” 

The memory of Bismuth sprinting to shore, her mighty roar of fear and the look of hopelessness in her eyes. She hadn’t left her forge since. Which reminded her.

“Is Ruby still there?”

“Yes.” Was all sapphire said before placing the bubble back. 

They were all a mess. There was a rogue lapis out there somewhere and a bubbled diamond in critical condition. Everyone had scattered once his gem stabilized, all too shaken up to face what had happened. 

“Greg is here.” Sapphire deadpanned as the warp went off, revealing Greg with whistle in hand. “I’ll leave you two alone.” 

“Hey,” he pulled Rose into an embrace. “How’re you holding up?” 

“I’m fine.” She wasn’t. “You?”

“Getting there.” Neither pulled from the hug for a good few extra seconds. When they did, Greg's face turned to the gem floating in the bubble. “How much longer does he have to stay in that thing?” 

“Hopefully by tomorrow we can let him out.” She wasn’t convinced, but Sapphire seemed positive about it. “He’ll still need time to recover but…” 

“Babe?” He ran a hand through her hair. “It’s going to be alright…right?” 

She wasn’t certain if he was attempting to comfort her or asking her. 

“Why don’t you come take a walk with me?” He continued. “I could use something to take my mind off all this myself.” She could tell he was as exhausted as the rest of them, seemingly getting little sleep. Perhaps this would be a good distraction. 

“Let’s.” 

***

They stood in a field of light pink, the grass extending above their waste. This place was unknown to them.

He knew where it was. 

She did not know what it was.

The darkness began to creep, the light fighting ever stronger to keep what was sought to be taken. 

They hugged themselves. 

He hugged her in fear.

She hugged in comfort. 

It was alright, they were here. they wouldn’t let him fade. 

The light pushed back into the endless expanse, seeking to stamp out the darkness. 

The darkness only fought back. 

They screamed and yelled, roared and bellowed. They wouldn’t let him fail, wouldn’t let the dark win. 

The light pushed farther this time. 

Yet the dark reclaimed it’s lost territory all the same. 

They felt rage as they plummeted once more. 

She called for him.

She thought she heard a whisper, a plea. 

***

It was one in the morning when she snuck out of the house, silently slipping out the door and to her car. The nightmares were connected to him, she just knew it. She turned the key in the ignition and drove. She arrived at the beach in record time. 

She noticed Greg’s van was parked closer to the temple this time, not wanting to bother him she tried to creep past. Only to be caught red handed. 

“Connie?” Greg eyed her wearily. “What are you doing up so late?”

“I’m sorry Mr. Universe.” She truly was if she had woken him somehow. Judging by the bags under his eyes it seemed he wasn’t getting much sleep himself. “It’s just… I’m probably just paranoid but…” she paused.

“Hey,” he sat at the back of his van and patted the spot next to him. “Why don’t you tell me all about it, kiddo?” 

She obliged. “I’ve been having weird dreams lately. I didn’t think they were anything at first but… this is going to sound strange.”

“After everything I’ve seen, kid.” He japed. “I don’t think anything can surprise me.” 

“Um alright, so it kind of goes like this? I’m  me but I’m also not in the dream. I’m cheering something on, trying to help it push back against some dark stuff…but no matter how hard we try, we just end up falling into it and get swallowed up.” She looked to Greg, fully expecting him to simply brush off the dream as subconscious fear and assure her everything would be alright. He didn’t. Instead his gaze was miles away, staring into nothingness, jaw dropped. 

“Mr. Universe?” 

“That…” he tried to find the words. “I’ve…been having the same dreams…”

She felt her stomach leap into her throat. “Maybe he’s trying to contact us!”

“He…” Greg placed a hand on his mouth. “He can’t really do that right now, kid.”

“You said he was resting…or rather, recuperating… right? Maybe when he’s asleep he’s…”

“He’s not resting.” Greg cut in, his voice low and grievous. 

“What do you mean?” She almost didn’t want to know the answer, yet she needed to know everything. 

Greg only looked at her, his brow furrowed. “He’s…” he couldn’t finish his sentence. 

“Can I see him?” She spoke softly, pleading. 

He saw the fear in her eyes, a kind of fear that wouldn’t be quelled until she saw for herself. With a sigh he dug through the van for his warp whistle. 

She had been ready, already being briefed by Greg on what to expect. Warping without a gem was something she didn’t know was possible. Just another wonder for the strange magical family. They arrived at their destination, the fountain grounds, and she readied herself for whatever was coming next. Putting one foot in front of the other, they made it to the fountain. Rose was there with a small blue gem she didn’t recognize, both hovering over a bubble filled with pink water. She realized the bubble also had his gem inside. 

“Greg?” Rose eyed Connie with concern. “It’s late… couldn’t sleep?” 

“You could say that, um… I need to talk to you in private about something.” 

The quartz nodded and the two made their way off to the side, leaving Connie with the small new stranger. 

“Hello, Connie.” Her monotone voice matched her plain disposition. She tried to ignore how the gem knew her name, he probably mentioned her at some point.

“Hello, ma’am.” Even if she didn’t know this gem personally, she always remembered her manners. 

“Call me Sapphire.” The gem smiled. 

“Alright, Sapphire.” She turned her gaze to the bubble. “Is…he?”

“He’ll be alright.” Connie couldn’t see her eyes, if she had any, but there was something about her minute body language that seemed familiar. “You’ve been having dreams lately?” 

“How did…” 

“Future vision.” She smiled coyly. She reminded her a lot of Garnet. They might even be related. 

“Yeah…” 

“You believe he’s subconsciously trying to contact you and Greg?” 

“I don’t know.” It was a theory, nothing else made sense. “But why me? I mean Mr. Universe I understand..." 

"He trusts you. Enough to seek comfort and your help.”  Was all the little blue gem supplied.

At first Connie only stared in wonder. He was trying to reach her and Greg this whole time, if he didn’t realize he was doing it! He was scared and confused, though now knowing what the issue was, she could finally help him. “I think I know what to do.”

“I know you do.” Was all Sapphire said before Rose and Greg returned. Greg was looking far better now, whatever they discussed must have helped him. 

“Is it alright if I sleep over here tonight?” She spoke before anyone had a chance to. “I think I know what he needs, but me and Mr. Universe have to be asleep first and I think we’ll have a better chance if we’re closer to him.” She hoped her mother didn’t notice her absence in the morning, if so she could hopefully come up with some lie. 

“Are you sure, Connie?” Greg raised an eyebrow, looking to Rose for allowance. Rose only pondered for a moment before giving her answer. 

“If it helps him.” 

It would be the single strangest sleepover she had ever gone to. Her and Greg wrapped up in sleeping bags next to a fountain… with a lion, a literal lion! He never mentioned Rose had one before! The gems had all left to take a break, all but Sapphire who wandered off at some point. She was almost afraid of what she would dream so close to him. Whatever it was, she was ready. 

***

Three of them stood under the canopy of a pink forest, they watched as the trees swayed in the wind. 

She held his hand. 

He ruffled his hair.

The light was stronger now, yet still not strong enough to banish the emptiness. 

It needed to

It wanted to

It had to

She tightened her grip on his hand, quelled his fear. 

He placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing in assurance.

The darkness crept up. This time they did not cheer for the light to fight back. They encouraged it to rest, bide it’s time. The darkness was not its enemy, it was its rest. At first he did not understand, he feared the dark, the nothingness, until he realized.

Dark was not nothing. 

The dark was safe, because they were still there, with him. 

‘We will be here’ they told him

‘We will be waiting for you’ they promised him.

The dark swallowed the light, yet this time the three did not fall, did not plummet. They stood and waited until the light blanketed in darkness fell asleep. 

It did.

He did.

They all did.

***

She rolled over in her sleeping bag, blearily blinking back the early morning fogginess. Though now that she was awake, her mind couldn’t stop but wonder if her plan had worked. She sat up and stretched, turning to the fountain. She saw Garnet holding his gem, no longer bubbled, as if it were the most precious thing in the world. 

“Good morning, Connie.” She smiled widely. 

“Good morning.” Her semi-conscious mouth blurted. 

“Amethyst is getting the others.” Her gaze hovered over to Greg who had snuggled under his sleeping bag entirely. “Your plan worked.”

“Thank you ma’am.” She scooted out of the warm cocoon and walked to the fountain. She eyed his gem wearily, as if it would fall apart under her gaze. Before she could ask anything the others came bounding in, startling Greg awake. 

“Gem looks a lot better now.” Bismuth noted with relief. 

“Is it safe for him to form now?” Amethyst asked with concern. 

Garnet only smiled as the gem in her hands lit up. She let it do so, watching carefully as it lifted up and created form. Connie watched with bated breath as his form cycled through and stopped at the one she had seen when they first met. There were very few alterations. His t-shirt was a bit lighter and his hoodie had a slightly different style. His form wasn’t that shorter one he always used, she partially wondered why he used it.

Rose and Bismuth leapt into the fountain when he face planted straight down into the water like a lifeless rag doll. Connie almost panicked that he was face down before remembering that gems didn’t need to breathe air. She hopped onto the edge, only letting the tips of her fingers get wet, as Greg dove right in. everyone crowded over the diamond floating still in Bismuth's arms, the water becoming a darker shade of pink with his essence. They watched with worry for a few moments, his form still unstable. There was a chance he could destabilize all over again. Now that she had a closer look it was surreal, his body looked like an almost see through hologram the way it fizzled and glitched. A few silent and tense moments and Bismuth made the call.

“He’s stable!” 

The entire group shrunk with relief. The worst was over. Greg swam over to Rose and Bismuth, taking in the kids' face. He looked like crap, but crap was better than nothing at all. His usually fluffy hair was wet and plastered to his face, a mess of tangled curls going every which way. His face was slack, head bobbing up and down with the ripples of the water. He could see a stream of essence dripping from his nose and his mouth, indicating his gem was reacting to the water he was submerged in. Greg sighed in relief as he combed the strands of stray hair out of his face. 

“Don't scare me like that again, kid.” He half joked. “I don’t think I can take another heart attack like that.” 

By the time the gems deemed it safe to remove him from the fountain, the sun had almost risen. Connie had to go home or her mother would surely catch her sneaking out. Hopefully he would be awake and willing to see someone when she came over later. 

She was halfway home when she realized something she hadn’t before. She swatted her face for her glasses, realizing they weren’t on her eyes, the pair sitting above her hairline atop her head.

She could see clearly without them!

***

Rose didn’t take her eyes off him, watched the rise and fall of his chest. Her room was spacious and bright, the perfect place to keep him for now. She asked for a nice apartment setting so Greg could come and go as he pleased, even if Greg also refused to leave the temple. She had asked for a bedroom, well two including Greg, large and soft with plenty of lights. The room obliged, fabricating the light constructs needed for her purpose. Now she waited with unease, he had escaped Lapis and made it through but… what had happened up there on that tower that caused his gem so much distress? Could he have fallen from the tower? Did he fight back? 

She had too many questions, too many fears. The only one who could give her answers was lying dead to the world.

Chapter Text

Bismuth sat in Rose’s room, observing the kids progress. She had to admit his recovery thus far was pretty remarkable. His form had fully solidified, still a glitching mess, but was no longer semi-transparent. It had only been a few hours and he was already looking leagues better. 

She was surprised when the door suddenly manifested, Rose and Greg were already inside, which meant Rose had allowed access for everyone. Amethyst entered with his human friend, Connie. The two came over to hover in the doorway to the room compartment he was in.

“Hey, Biz,” Amethyst spoke in a hushed tone. “How’s he doin’?” 

“Making good progress.” She waved for them to enter, standing up from her seat to greet the two. “He might be coming around soon, but no promises there, kid.” Her attention had now turned to Connie. 

“That’s alright, he should be resting anyways.” The girl shifted her gaze over to him. His shirt was hoisted up and hoodie taken off to get some light into him. She wondered why he hid his gem so often If they needed light. “How’ve you been, ma’am?”

Bismuth ‘gahoffed’ “just call me Bismuth or Biz kid, I’m sure as lava no ma’am.” Her sentence ended in a hearty chuckle. 

“Ok.” Connie smiled awkwardly. “How are you, Bismuth?” 

“A lot better now that this knucklehead is on the mend.” She pointed back humorously at him. That got a smile out of her and Amethyst. Good, they all needed some sunshine after this mess. 

Everyone stiffened when they heard shifting from behind. They all turned on a dime to see his head loll a bit, eyes scrunching a few times before heavily blinking. He stared at the ceiling with confused half lidded eyes, clearly trying to process the concept of being semi-aware. 

“Dude!” Amethyst tried to control her volume, yet it still came out as a yell that alerted the entire temple. She hopped over and fought every fiber in her being to playfully punch him on the shoulder. “How are you feeling man?”

He clearly didn’t process her question, staring almost through her for a moment. “Mm a Stv…n”

“Uh… you're a what?”

coherency finally caught up with him before he could repeat his sentence. “Ame?” 

“Yeah, dude!” She ignored his previous rambling. “Welcome back.” 

He dragged his eyes across her face in complete befuddlement before examining the rest of the room, his gaze going from Bismuth then landing on Connie. His white pupils dug into her with an emotion she couldn’t entirely process, she took his starring as an invitation to come closer. 

“Hi.” It was all she could think to say. 

He didn’t respond with words, but she could tell he had a myriad of questions. She had a feeling he remembered some of the dreams they both shared with Greg. He opened his mouth to say something until he lurched forward, clamping a hand down on his mouth. Connie panicked when dark pink started oozing from his fingertips. Bismuth moved first, helping him on his side as she retched. 

“Let it all out big guy.” She held a firm hand on his shoulder as he let the remaining essence drip from his mouth, into a bowl the room graciously manifested, gasping with discomfort. His form wavered afterwards, flickering for only a moment. Bismuth made sure he could hear her speak. 

“If you think you’re going to destabilize, just let it happen.” She assured him. “Don’t push yourself.” 

He nodded, a trembling hand coming up to wipe the excess dribble off his chin. He slumped back down on his side shortly after. His form was now stable, but Bismuth didn’t trust he wouldn’t at least try to stubbornly hold himself together.

The noise had garnered the attention of Rose and Greg, both bolting the room. 

“Are you alright?” Rose was flustered, checking him over head to toe. He did nothing to stop her prodding, still attempting to process the information given to him thus far. 

“I was… on…” he still tried to put the pieces together of how he got to where he was, and where ‘here’ even was. “Toẁ̷̨̥̲͍̼̂̕e̴̡̨̜͍͗r…” he fizzled again, only this time Connie could have sworn she saw his body parts switch locations for a brief moment. “How...?"

“Take it easy there, bud.” Greg chimed in. “Biz found your gem in the ocean, and we’re in Rose’s room.” He left out the bubble, and the horrific sight of his gem almost exploding.

“Ocean?… Room?”

“Just keep yourself calm, Diamond.” Bismuth added. “We’ll explain later.”

“Just get some rest for now.” Rose swiped a stray curl from his face in an attempt to help ground him, he only stared at her with glassy eyes. 

“Why don’t we give him some space.” Connie interjected. “He could possibly be overwhelmed with all of us here.”

“I could use a break.” Bismuth stretched, making her way towards the door. “How bout we have a sparring session, Ame?” Amethyst immediately perked up, bounding along behind the smith. 

Rose giggled as she watched the two take their leave. “Why don’t we get back to our movie?” She took Greg’s hand in hers, to which he reciprocated. “If you’d like, Connie, you can stay here. I’ll leave the door visible for when you need to go.”

“Thank you ma’am.” Connie watched the two as they returned to the other room. She sat down on the chair next to him, noting how comfortable it was. She placed her hand atop his, the palm of her hand resting on his knuckles. She noted how small her hand was in comparison to his. Everything about him was so much larger now, this ‘form’ he never used. She had gotten so accustomed to his ‘disguise’ as Amethyst had referred to it, she had almost forgotten what he actually looked like. She watched as his fingers curled around hers, feeling the slight trembling of his glitching body. She looked into his eyes, still bewildered and hazy, but there. 

He was coming back.

***

The first few days were a blur, his memory banks coming up blank aside from some vague impressions and inklings of information. Of strange visions of being someone both himself and not, flickers of moments and sounds all too jumbled to make sense of. 

The next day he was aware, which also meant he could feel the discomfort of pins and needles whenever he moved. He had foolishly attempted standing while Amethyst's back was turned, no more than two steps and he became a glitching mess amongst his own essence on the floor. 

The fourth or fifth day his health was deemed safe enough for him to retire within his own room, the feeling of familiarity was welcoming to him. He spent most the day on his couch rather than his bed, not wanting to risk agitation with the simple act of climbing to the loft. 

He hadn’t the slightest idea at first as to why his gem reacted so intensely, unable to identify if it was the fall or healing Lapis. He feared it was simply another sign of his gem declining at an alarmingly rapid rate, after all the work he had done to improve his power output. No extra measures can bypass a broken system, he was learning that the hard way. 

He was attempting to take his mind off of his worries when Connie stopped by, having been doing so more frequently as of late. He had given her access to his room for when she felt the need to visit, a ‘key’ of sorts she could carry around with her.

“Afternoon.” She stepped in cheerfully, placing her bag down on the coffee table. 

“Hey, Connie.” He picked up the remote to turn the tv off, there was nothing good on anyhow. 

“How are you feeling today?” It had been the same question for the past week, it was all anyone asked him. The gems hadn’t bothered him about the water tower incident involving Lapis yet, he almost feared letting them know she escaped the planet. For now it seemed his recovery was the main priority. 

“A lot better than yesterday.” He scooched over to allow her to sit on the couch. She plopped down. For a moment the two didn’t speak, letting the atmosphere soak in. Connie shifted nervously, a thought on her mind.

“You’re really tall.” She noted. 

“Um…thanks.” 

“If you don’t mind me asking… Why do you use that smaller looking body?” She put her arms up in a placating gesture. “If you really don’t mind me asking!” 

“I… well, it’s.” He himself hadn’t thought much about it in years, his disguise had become second nature to him. Something akin to putting on a sweater before leaving the house or grabbing an umbrella when it was raining. “It’s just easier energy output-wise when I’m out and about. That and strangers won’t get potentially freaked out.” 

Her eyebrow quirked up, still dissatisfied with his answer. “That’s pretty smart, but I think people would be fine with what you look like.” She eyed him up and down. “I don’t think you look intimidating.”

“That’s cause you know me.” He teased.

“I didn’t when we first met.” She teased back.

“You didn’t get a little weirded out?” 

“Well ok, maybe a little bit.” She admitted, stopping him from speaking so she could finish her sentence. “But! You were really friendly. Like my mom says, ‘a first impression is everything.’ Or something like that.” 

He contemplated her words, knowing full well she had made a valid point. He couldn’t really argue with it. “I guess so.” 

“Are you… not comfortable with how you look?” 

He froze up, it wasn’t that he himself was discomforted with his form... He had only done so because of the humans he had met who were put off by it… right? But everyone in Beach city knew him. If he revealed his true form to those who never saw it, they most likely wouldn’t bat an eye. Was he insecure with his form? No, that couldn’t be the case…

“No, I’m not. It’s just… huh.” He tried to find the words. “I’ve just always used my disguise. I… never really thought about it.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.” She tried to apologize. “It’s none of my business. I just… I think you look good in both, if that means anything.” 

His cheeks lit up a brighter pink. “Th…thanks.” No one had complimented his form before, disguise or not. Normally he was met with odd looks or questions, or in Lars’ case rude comments. 

She looked up with a smile before her eyes widened a bit. “You’re leaking that pink stuff again.” She opened and rifled through her bag to get a tissue.” I thought you were dried off by now.” 

He pressed a few fingers to his nose, grimacing at the essence that coated them. Gratefully taking a tissue from Connie he did his best to explain. “It happens when I get wet, yeah, but sometimes water can get trapped in the cracks and stay for a couple days after.” He threw the paper in the trash. “It’s not a big deal.” 

“Does it hurt?” He could see the concern etched all over her face. 

“No, it doesn’t. Unless I get a cut or something.” He could see her eyes widen even more so, now knowing he spoke from experience. “It’s just a thing that happens is all! It’s not that bad, really!” 

“If you say so...” She didn’t sound convinced. 

He watched her for a good while before he realized she hadn’t been wearing her glasses, how he hadn’t noticed before was lost on him. 

“Are you wearing those contact lenses you were thinking about getting?” 

“Oh, that’s right!” She tapped a few fingers to where her glasses once rested on her face. “This is going to sound insane, but I don’t need them anymore…”

He shifted closer in intrigue. “Is it normal for eyesight to improve like that?” 

“Actually, no.” She chuckled. “It’s unheard of. I think it happened when we were at Rose’s fountain.” He had heard from a few others that he had been taken there, how and why Connie had been there made him wonder. He decided against interrupting her explanation to question it. 

“I’m not sure what happened exactly, but when you were in the fountain and the water turned a darker pink, my eyes just…” she paused. “Healed.” 

He had sullied Rose’s fountain with his essence? He would need to apologize later to Rose, and thank her as well. Though it seemed that Connie was hinting that somehow his essence was able to heal her eyesight… he thought it rediculous. 

“It was most likely Rose’s powers, my essence doesn’t really do anything.” Then again he had managed to repair Lapis’ gem. However, that had been a conscious choice, and she was a gem, not a complex organic like Connie. The most reasonable answer was Rose, not him. 

“Maybe?” she thought about it. “I didn’t touch it before you were in there, so it’s possible either way.” 

“True.” He was certain his powers wouldn’t have worked in the state he was in but agreed nonetheless.

“By the way.” She reached into her bag once more. “I thought you’d like to watch something so I brought over some dogcopter movies.” 

“Aw, man,” he took one of the cases from her to admire the cover art. “I love this one.” 

“Why don’t we go on a movie marathon bender?” She opened the first movie case and placed it in the reader. “I told my mom I was going to be at a sleepover at mina’s, who agreed to tell my mom I was there.” She winked misteviously. He could only chuckle, her ability to loophole her way around situations rivaled his own. 

The rest of the night went by eating popcorn and watching five dog copter movies in a row.

***

Eyes opened, fogged with sleep. 

She rubbed her eyes.

He stretched his arms. 

They noticed they had both done those things…

They shot up, eyes adjusting to the pink landscape. A field of magenta grass stretching as far as the eye could see, a light pink sky to accompany it. They spun in circles looking for him…her? Looking for…

They lifted their hands, blotched with pink and brown. Examined their hair, pink roots that cascaded down to black.

They weren’t her and they weren’t him.

They were him and they were her. 

“What the…” they began to speak to themselves, to each other. 

“What are we?” They examined their legs 

“Where are we?” They picked at a blade of grass. 

“Am I?” 

“Are we?”

It dawned on him.

It confused her.

“We’re a fusion!!!!” They declared with glee.

“A…what? Wait…”

“But I can’t fuse, I’m cracked.”

“And I’m human.” 

They started to pace. “This must be some sort of dreamscape, like when you were bubbled…”

“Wait, I was bubbled?! How bad was… ok, back on topic.” The two forces that made up this dream fusion tried to focus. 

“Is this actually fusion?” They looked at their hands in consideration. “Am I really a fusion?” 

“Alright, what do I feel right now?” 

“Well confused…”

“Excited!”

“Do we feel like we’re synchronized?”

“We did just use I, so it must be working!”

“I should ask the gems!” They stopped when they realized they didn’t know how to explain this entire occurrence or if it was even real. Though if Connie remembered it happening then it was fusion…sort of! This was…this was incredible!!! They had to wake up and…

***

He was shaking her awake with enough force to make her want to slap him. Just a few more minutes…

It then dawned on her why he was shaking her awake. 

“Connie?” She shot up from her spot on the couch. 

“That dream…did we?” She pointed between herself and him. 

“You saw it too?” He beamed “with the fusion and the…” he tried to gesture his arms to attempt explaining it better.

“Y…yeah it was just like…” she remembered those nightmares, those times when he was reaching out to her and Greg. 

“Come on,” he pulled her up from her seat. “We gotta tell the others about it!” 

***

“Guys!” He barged into the boiling room, Connie in tow. “You won’t believe what just happened!” 

The four gems who had convened there all turned their attention to him, either in worry or confusion. 

“Shouldn’t you be taking it easy, guy?” Amethyst eyed him wearily. 

“I am, I promise.” He plopped Connie down. “It’s just, something crazy happened!”

“Crazy, huh?” Bismuth seemed interested. 

“Me and Connie last night had a movie marathon and we fell asleep!” He gestured to Connie who waved awkwardly by his side. 

“That’s… lovely.” Rose tried to keep an honest smile. 

“Well, something strange happened.” Connie interjected. “When we fell asleep we had some sort of dream… thing is not only we’re both of us having it, we were…um.” She turned to him. “What did you call it again?”

“We were some kind of dream fusion or something!” 

The entire room remained silent after he had spoken. Rose and Bismuth glanced back and forth between the two of them with wide eyes as Amethyst leaned forward with interest and Garnet… Garnet’s face slowly morphed into a Cheshire grin, smiling cheek to cheek with pure ecstasy. 

“Um…” seeing their reactions he hadn’t a single clue how to proceed. “We wanted to ask you guys if…” Garnet was in front of the two immediately. 

“Tell me all about it!”

***

He had never seen Garnet so invested in anything before, listening to Connie’s retelling of last night. 

“That’s truly remarkable.” Garnet contemplated. “An entirely new kind of fusion, in more ways than one!”

“You really think it was fusion?” Connie asked. “We didn’t actually fuse in real life.” 

“Fusion is more than just combining your forms.” Garnet corrected. “It’s trusting another with your very light, seeing through each other's eyes. To be a fusion is to be an experience!” She glanced between them with excitement. “Would you say it was an experience?” 

Both agreed, it certainly was something. 

“You always find new ways to surprise us, uppercrust.” Bismuth slapped a hand on his back. 

“Thanks.” He scanned the room, now noticing that they all had convened for something. “Why are you all here right now? Did we interrupt a mission briefing?”

“Oh, yes.” Rose turned her attention to the younger quarts in the room. “Amethyst said she might have seen something in the warp.”

Chapter Text

“Something in the warp stream?” 

“It was probably nothing, guys.” Amethyst scoffed. “It was round, like, a rock got sucked up with me or whatever.”

“We still can’t know for sure.” Rose gently cut in. “With Lapis no longer on earth, we must be vigilant.” He shrunk a small amount now knowing they were aware of her escape. 

“Alright then.” Bismuth cracked her knuckles. “We’ll just take a quick look around the warps, just in case.” It was clear none of them believed there was anything that could use the warps other than themselves, yet the unease was enough to garner an investigation. 

“Do you want us to help?” He stepped forward, asking in earnest. Garnet put a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s alright, we’ll handle this one. You continue to focus on resting.” She gave him a warm smile to which he returned. 

With that the gems dispatched, off to investigate what they believed to be a simple coincidence. Normally he would argue, claim that something as simple as this would be perfect for him. However, after last week's events they had a point. He himself was still feeling less than ideal and the thought of warping everywhere made him feel nauseated right down to his artificial stomach. 

“Hope it really was just nothing.” He noted aloud. 

“It probably is.” Connie held his hand in assurance. He gripped back, truly hoping they were right.

***

The sun has begun to set, blanketing the sky in oranges and reds. He always enjoyed watching sunsets, watching the sky change and shift. 

Connie had left for home after a day of loafing around with him. Sadly her curfew meant she wouldn’t be able to witness the sunset with him, of course that wouldn’t stop her from enjoying it on the ride home. The gems were still out checking all the warp pads, being gone for so long he assumed they were being thorough. Now he sat alone at the entrance of the temple, enjoying the view. 

That was until the warp went off. 

At first he assumed the gems had returned, coming back to proclaim no threat to be found. Instead, a small green orb sat on the warp pad, silently idle. He approached it with caution, not entirely certain of what it was. It could have been what Amethyst had claimed to see… It was round. He picked up a nearby twig to poke at it, the orb lightly rolling when he prodded it. At first it did nothing, simply just sat there. He assumed it must have been some sort of ancient gem tech, old junk, until it began to open with a slight hissing sound. He bolted back in surprise as tiny legs sprouted from its sides, skittering along the ground like that of a spider. Perhaps this was a corrupted gem? But that made no sense, corrupted gems couldn’t warp. He also couldn’t see any gem on the tiny thing, so it wasn’t a gem... What was it? 

“Um, hello?” It didn’t react to his greeting, meaning it either was disinterested in him or couldn’t understand. He assumed the latter. He simply observed the little device, seeming to be scanning something. Hoping it wasn’t scanning him, he stepped onto the warp pad and cautiously tried to pick it up. If he could get it the gems would be able to have a proper look. 

He panicked when it activated the warp pad. 

The two were taken into the stream, him being dragged along to whatever destination the small orb had in mind. 

“Wait! Where are we going!?” The orb ignored him. Soon a few others joined it, clumping together as they slipped through the streams. A few became many, many became a crowd. He grasped at one in a desperate attempt to not be pushed out of the stream, an effort that proved futile as he was sent careening out. He held the orb tight, panic seizing his gem. Wherever he was contained warp streams going every which way, lights stretching on farther than he could see. He wondered if this was some sort of inter dimensional gateway, a place between warping, or just some spot in space in which the warps intersected. Either way, this place was cold. He held the orb closer to him, hugging it as he tried to think of a strategy to get back on land. The only momentum he had was from the push, meaning he could only float in one direction and pray he headed toward a stream, maybe if he… 

A warp lit up beneath him, a hand extending out to grasp him by the sleeve. He was pulled in with a sudden jerk, having to grip the orb tighter to not lose it. Being pulled in fully, he realized the hand to be Garnets.

“Garnet!” 

“Are you alright?” She took the orb from him to examine it. “So this is what Amethyst saw.”

“What is it?” He eyed it with curiosity and concern. 

“We’re going to find out.” 

***

He took in the sight of the main warp, the largest one sitting within the middle of the structure. It was adorned with crevices and cracks, far beyond unusable. 

“What happened to this one?” He walked up to it, examining it in its entirety. Garnet came up behind him, visor hiding whatever emotion she was having. 

“That is the main warp. We destroyed it ages ago…” she stopped when the orb in her hands began to struggle erratically. She held her grip firm until others began warping in, all congregating on the main warp. “What?”

The orbs began secreting a green substance he couldn’t identify. Whatever it was had restored the warp, not a scratch or nic to be seen. 

“Garnet, what are they…” she clasped her hand down on his arm, violently forcing them into a hiding spot. Not a moment later the orbs dispersed to allow passage to the one who commanded them. 

The warp went off, light flashing down as the visitor arrived. He had to peek with Garnet to get a look at the intruder. She was a green gem with metal legs and arms that sported long spindly appendages. She wore a frown behind her visor, her gem glistening on her forehead behind it. He had no idea of who or what this gem was, or where she had come from. The two spied on her wearily as she began to log her progress. 

“Log, 'Peridot, Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG' 

The restoration by means of robonoids of the main warp has been completed. The planet itself bears a large amount of organic life. Next step is to locate and identify the progress of the…”

He felt his foot slip, a chunk of stone plummeting to the ocean below. He and Garnet froze when Peridot paused and cautiously approached their position. He watched as her shadow drew closer, her spindly long fingers forming together to create some kind of weapon. The moments felt like hours as both prayed she didn’t discover their hiding place. Thankfully a robonoid came stumbling in at the most convenient moment, it’s casing cracked by some unknown happenstance. Her attention was now drawn to it, assuming it to be the cause of the disturbance. She placed her boot on it, smashing it beneath her heel. The tension left their shoulders when she turned back to the warp, leaving in a trail of light leading into the sky along with her building helpers. 

“Who…who was that?” He asked with fear as Garnet helped him over the cliff's edge. The fusion only turned to sneer at the warp. 

“Doesn’t matter.” She grit between her teeth, summoning her gauntlets. she destroyed the warp beyond recognition. “Because they are NOT coming back!!!” She spoke between punches, bits flying off into the ocean below.

She walked past him, shoulders hunched and jaw set. Even with the height of his true form he felt small next to her in comparison. The two stepped onto the warp pad to home, silence permeating the very air around them. 

That night he felt it difficult to sleep, the knowledge of this new strange gem refusing to let him. He opened his phone and began to text Connie, she always knew what to say to help calm him down. 

Jam: ‘r u up?’

Biscut: ‘yeah what up?’ 

Jam: ‘idk kinda freaked out rn.’

Biscut: ‘about wut?’

He pondered if telling her this information was a wise decision, eventually deciding he needed someone to talk to about it.

Jam: ‘there was this gem I never met before, garnet wasnt happy she was here…’

Biscut: ‘is she still here?’ 

Jam: ‘no the second she left on the warp garnet destroyed it. :( i think she might be one of those homeworld gems they keep talking about…’

Biscut: ‘r u ok?’

He truly was not. He wasn't certain he knew what to make of anything right now, but he didn't want to bother her. 

Biscuit: ‘yeah! with the warp wrecked she wont be coming back.’

With that he hit send. 

***

“So that thing I saw was some kind of repair robot?” Amethyst turned her gaze to the destroyed robinoid with poorly concealed fear. 

“This is bad, Rose!” Bismuth paced back and forth, nearly putting a rut into the boiling room’s floor. “There’s no way that was just a curious gem!”

“But Garnet obliterated the warp, right?” Amethyst tried to bring some light to the situation. “There’s no way they can fix it now.”

“That doesn’t mean they still won’t try to come to earth.” Garnet adjusted her visor. “Rose?”

Rose stood, sights locked with the broken robonoid. She didn’t move, her shoulders stiff and eyes glazed over. 

“Rose!?” 

She snapped back with a flinch, everyone in the room looking at her… looking to her. 

“What about Pink Diamond?” Bismuth, the one she realized had called her name, spoke in complete fear. “What happens if they find out about him…”

“They won’t.” Garnet strode forward. “And he won’t find out about them.” 

“But,” Amethyst looked as though she didn’t want to ask the question for a moment. “Doesn’t he kinda already know a little bit about homeworld now?”

“Not half of what could destroy us.” Garnet answered with a slight waver in her voice. “If we can handle this situation quickly, he won’t need to either.” 

“Right.” Rose had no choice but to agree, what options were even left? “We’ll have to prepare and monitor any unusual activity on the planet.” She looked once again to the green device, the strange orb that could repair warps. Their target was a lone peridot, a technician. 

“We need to take her down.” 

Chapter Text

The days had gone by idly, yet he could feel the tension in the air. He hadn’t dared to ask about that gem named Peridot who had repaired the warp. The others had all been in a fray after the event, gathering up any robonoids abandoned after Peridot's departure. They were panicking. Wherever this homeworld was, it evidently meant bad news. He had tried to ask if there was any way he could help, some small and simple missions he could ease their burdens. They mostly ignored him, told him to take a break. He didn’t push the issue much further. 

It was sometime past noon when Amethyst barged into his room. 

“Hey…Amethyst…” his words were drawn out with confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“I just needed to get away from the others right now.” She made herself comfortable on his couch. 

“What happened?” He closed the book he had been reading, unfamiliar familiar, that Connie had suggested to him. His attention now solely focused on the quartz gem.

She considered him a moment. “It’s… nothing dude, ok. I’m just sick and tired of them going on and on about that homeworld gem.” He knew she wasn’t telling him the whole truth. “You wanna do something?”

“I would, but Connie is coming over for a visit. I don’t think she likes wrestling or nature walks in Antarctica.” 

She pondered. “maybe we could…” the chime of his door activated before she could finish the sentence, Connie entering with a smile. 

“Afternoon, guys!” She placed her bag on his coffee table. “And hi, Amethyst! How are you?”

“Eh, ok.” The gem sat back leisurely in a vain attempt to come off as ‘cool’ “was gunna’ ask pinkie here if he wanted to go do something, but I guess you guys have some stuff planned.” 

“Well, you can hang out too.” She shifted her gaze to him. “If that’s alright with you.” 

“Sure.” He sat up a little straighter.”more the merrier I guess.” 

“So…” she picked at her ear. “What are you guys doin?” 

“He was going to help me study my biology homework.” Connie admitted. “It always helps if I study with someone else and he really wants to learn about it.”

“Hmmm.” She pondered. “Would be cool to know exactly how humans make more of themselves, even if it’s weird.”

“Wait, do you not emerge?” He asked with a finger pointed at Connie. 

“Naw, man.” The little quarts slid closer to him. “They…” she whispered in his ear, causing his face to turn a bright pink. 

“Ew!… That’s disgusting!!!” He froze up, dark eyes snapping to Connie in an instant. “Not that… I didn’t mean…um… sorry.” 

Connie was completely at a loss for words. 

“Geez, guys calm down.” Amethyst slapped a hand on his back and pulled Connie closer. “It's what organics do.”

Connie finally snapped out of her befuddled haze to catch the meaning of that. “I’m guessing that gems… actually never mind!” 

“Too late!” Amethysts jumped from the couch. “You know what, why don’t we all take a trip. Go back to my old stomping grounds?” He could see her formulating a plan that certainly wasn’t just to show Connie Something. “I can Show you how us gems are made.” 

“Er…” she looked between him and Amethyst with uncertainty. “I guess it could be a good learning experience…”

“Awesome!” Amethyst yanked the two out the door before he had time to dispute her offer. 

***

They stepped off the warp pad, their destination now reached. Him and Connie gawked at the massive structure laid out before them, a seemingly endless canyon of… humanoid shaped holes. 

“Durr durr durr.” Amethyst was not helping. 

“What is this place?” He swiveled on his heels, taking note of the massive machinery that littered the grounds. 

“This is my home!” Amethyst responded with far too much enthusiasm. 

“Don’t you live at the temple?” Connie questioned as she examined a portion of the stone in front of her.

“I mean, yeah.” She started walking, the two catching up to follow. “But this is home, you know?” He wasn’t sure he was following until he remembered something she had said years ago. 

“This is where you emerged?” He began to feel a strange sense of pride, fulfillment even. He had no idea why he felt so accomplished, yet seeing all these holes made him feel as if he were completing some task meant for him. “Does that mean all those are gems too?” He pointed to the many others in the canyon. 

“Yup! I never met them though, emerged late.” 

"Your family was gone when you were born?” Connie’s voice was soft, tinged with empathy. “Did they know you were there?”

“Eh, probably.” She waved her off. “They most likely thought I was a dud or something… there it is!” She ran over to a hole, far smaller than the rest. “Here it is! Ma’ hole!” She slid in effortlessly. “Still has that new hole smell. 

He bent down a little bit with Connie to see inside, watching as Amethyst placed a hand on the wall with nostalgia. He began to feel something new, a dreadful force forming in the pit of his gem. He looked back up to the canyon above them, so vast and empty. There was no life here, not anymore. It reminded him of his crater, the devastation it left behind. Was this the same? He knew he was different somehow, knew deep down there was something wrong. These holes, however, were perfectly shaped, no mass scale destruction or upturned soil. He had learned about how a gem came to be, not in great detail, but it was something. Rose had told him once that a gem needed  life within soil to exist, he now knew what she meant by that. This place was dead, bled dry long ago. 

“We shouldn’t be here.” He hadn’t realized the words left his mouth before it was too late. 

“Don’t worry, pinky.” Amethyst crawled out from her hole. “This place is totally safe…as long as you stay away from the injectors.” 

“Injectors?” 

“You know,” she walked over to one, rapping her knuckles against the old metal. “These bad boys that help make gems. Biz told me how they worked ages ago.” 

He began to feel a sense of panic overcome him, a guilt he couldn’t place. Everything felt wrong, unjust, unfair. Yet he had no idea where these thoughts came from. He had never even witnessed these before how. A little voice began to whisper to him, mostly that of feelings, of dread, anguish and sorrow. It told him to leave this place, told him it was evil. Told him it was h̸͉́͜e̷̗͊̅r̴̺̈͝ ̸̲̃͑̒f̷̩͈̣͊ã̵̩̀ṳ̸͆̈́l̵̢͚̼̄͐̚t̴̢̛͍ͅ ̷̟̈́͝

“Can we just go already!” His hysterics gave the other two pause. 

“Are you ok?” Connie stepped forward with concern.

“I just don’t like it here…I…”

“What? You don’t like what the bad gems did?” Amethyst’ sudden hostility had him taken back. “You know, where the bad gems came to make even more bad gems!”

“Amethyst,” Connie attempted to calm her but the little quarts paid her no mind. 

"Just so they could make even more parasites like us!” She grit out the last words with a wide, toothy smile. Her manic grin bore into him, her point loud and clear. For a moment he couldn’t answer, his throat constricted by an invisible force. “But whatever, right?” She turned on her heel with arms raised in a condescending manner. “Not like we asked to be made.” 

“I’m sure that’s not what he meant, Amethyst.” Connie continued to try to placate her. “Right?” She turned to him for confirmation. 

“I…” in truth he hadn’t the slightest idea of why he felt the way he did. "I’m not blaming you, Ame! I just…”

“Yeah!” She cut him off. “Especially since your hole is way gnarlier than mine.” He felt his cheeks light up, anger and shame bubbling from within him. “But hey, at least for you it was because…” she stopped. “Whatever.”

“That’s… it’s not whatever!” He felt his body begin to glow, his gem thrumming with power. “Neither of us asked for this! How about instead of comparing who’s hole is worse, why don’t you get your head out of your…” 

A sudden boom shook the ground, pebbles skittering across the surface of stone. The three tensed, unsure of what the sudden quake meant. He could feel the glow fading as fear now held his gem, feeling and hearing the shakes getting stronger and louder. 

And then stopped. 

No one moved, waiting for something to happen. The payoff was a large green orb plummeting to the ground in front of them, Bismuth’s hammers smashing a dent into its metal body. They all jumped back at the impact, watching the dust settle as Bismuth stood to observe her work. She didn’t notice them at first, muttering to herself. 

“Third one this week…. If this keeps up we’ll have to…” her gaze landed on the trio. “Amethyst!” She snapped. “What are you doing?!” 

Amethyst sneered. “What? I was just showing them my hole.” 

Bismuth stepped down from the carnage she had created, a disappointed scowl aimed at the little quarts. “You know he shouldn’t be here, none of you should.”

“Maybe I just needed some time away from you guys to look for clues with someone else.” He and Connie watched the oncoming argument with unease. 

“This doesn’t concern him and you know it.”

“Oh yeah? Seems to me like it does!”

“Don’t start, Amethyst!”

“Start what? Ask about things just to be told to bug off like always!?”

“Amethyst!”

“Or keep going on about how bad homeworld is and all the evil things they did here, all the BAD gems they made?! About how bad the gems made here are? HUH?!” She almost screamed the last part as tears of anger and rage began to stream down her face.

Bismuth stood frozen, a dark expression etched across her face. Without a word she strode over to Amethyst, leaning down to clap a hand on her shoulder. 

“Listen here, deepcut. Don’t you ever believe you’re a bad person because of where you came from.” Amethyst's eyes widened with shock. “Every gem is made the same way, we all came outta the ground not knowin’ what the cost was to make us.” Bismuth eyed the canyon. “You didn’t build this, and this isn’t you!” He could have sworn her gaze flickered to him a split second after saying that last part.

“…I…” she held back a sniffle. “I know…” 

“Ah, geez.” Bismuth brought a hand up to rub the back of her neck. “We didn’t mean to make you feel like part of the problem, deepcut… everyone’s just on high alert right now.”

“I know.” Amethyst hid behind her hair, having nothing else to think of to say. 

“Sounds to me like you don’t.” 

“…”

“You’re one of us!” Bismuth placed a firm hand atop her head. “Nothing in the universe will ever change that!” 

She began to smile a little bit. “Thanks, Biz.” She glanced over to him. "Sorry..." 

The tender moment was short lived when the large green sphere she had pummeled clumsily sprung back to life. 

“Oh for void sake!” She pinched the bridge of her nose. The machine began to stand, spitting sparks as it did. She began to shift her hands into blades once more before he stepped in. 

“Wait, you guys said you’ve been having trouble with them, right?” 

“Pretty much.” Her tone was exasperated. 

“What if we…” Garnet suddenly landed onto the robot, once again smashing it into the soil below.

“Stop breaking it!” He hoped he could at least offer a plan of action before anyone else showed up to destroy it. “Maybe if we follow it it’ll lead us to what these things are trying to get to!” 

“Let it go?” Bismuth didn’t seem too keen on the idea. “Look, I know you want to help, but that’s too risky. Garnet?” She turned to Garnet for backup. 

The only thing she did was adjust her visor before speaking. “Let’s try it his way.” Was all she said before getting herself comfortable on the robot's top.

He wasn’t sure what prompted the sudden change in demeanor, it was almost as if she had enough. Bismuth didn’t argue, even if she shot an irritated glance at her. They all hopped onto the orb, desperately trying to fit without falling. 

“Is it really ok for me and Connie to come?” He was timid with his question, almost afraid they would leave him behind if he did. 

“Fighting these has given us no leads.” Garnet replied. “Your idea might just work.” He was definitely getting the feeling she was fed up. It was difficult to aggravate Garnet, but when it happened she tended to be more unpredictable and accepting of any suggestion that would lead to a resolution. 

 The robot once again sparked to life, stumbling along to its directive. It stopped, for a brief moment, they wondered if it would simply fall apart at the seams before a large hidden passage opened up. The orb descended down, sparks lighting up along with the greens of tubes and inner walls. The passage opened up to a large green room, littered with technology he wasn't familiar with. It jolted to a stop, knocking the group off, before resuming its path to a large pedestal of sorts. He went to get a closer look when Garnet tugged him down below the platform's surface. He was only able to peek above to see it input something on a screen. The screen itself flickered to life, revealing a hologram image of Peridot accompanied by artificial hands. They all remained silent as she worked, large robotic fingers tapping away at something.

“We need to shut this down.” Bismuth whispered to Garnet, who in turn nodded in agreement. The two had begun a plan of action when Amethyst nudged them.

“Guys!” She quietly screamed, pointing to Pink Diamond leaning in too far to get a better view. Before any of them could stop him he slipped, a chunk of green stone falling with him. He tumbled forward, attracting the attention of Peridot. She eyed him with distaste, looking down on him both figuratively and literally. It was a few tense moments before he gained the courage to speak.

“Uh…hello?” 

“There seems to be an infestation,” she noted, ignoring his greeting as she began tapping away at some unseen console.

“I’m not an infestation.” 

“Oh?”

“Yup, it’s…” his eyes flickered to the others hiding. “It’s just me.” 

“I’ll have to do a scan for further evidence of…” she looked him up and down, taking in every inch of his disguise, his shorter form he was thankful he remembered to shape into today. “What are you?” 

He began to panic, his racing mind abandoning all logical thinking to scramble up an answer. 

“I’m a human,” he blurted out. “A…Steven type.” He remembered using a similar lie with Lapis, though she hadn’t believed him on his claim. To his advantage this time, Peridot didn’t have the knowledge he was also a gem. 

“A ‘Steven’ type?” She looked him over incredulously. “Tell me, is that a new mutation among humans?” 

“Y-yep! It’s a, uh…rare type.” he began to ramble before his mind had time to sensor what his mouth was spouting. “There are a whole bunch of other types too; Connie, Lars, Greg, that Onion kid…I think.” He looked up to her face, unimpressed and apathetic. “Um… b-but enough about me! What are you up to?”

The screen turned back to her objective, robotic hands lifting. “Just eradicating a pest.” One turned to a fist, slamming downward towards him. He dove off to the side as it made impact, only to have it swipe after him. He didn’t have time to shield himself, closing his eyes in hopes it would somehow soften the blow. It never happened. He opened his eyes to see Amethyst, Garnet and Bismuth wrestling the hand, Connie tugging at his sleeve to pull him from harm's way. 

“What!?” Peridot shrieked in surprise. 

Garnet enlarged her gauntlet and smashed the hand. She turned to Bismuth. With just a nod Bismuth understood the plan. She rushed forward to the screen as Garnet pummeled the other hand, forming her blades. Peridot watched on in angered confusion as she fiddled with the controls in vain. 

“Don’t you dare!” Was all she said before the screen was sliced to ribbons, pieces clattering to the floor with satisfying plinks . Bismuth stood post swing for a moment before returning her hands to normal.

“They’re trying to restart the kindergarden.” She clenched her fists. 

Was that what this place was? Where gems came from? Kindergartens? He feared to ask what that would mean, seeing the gems so angry and afraid… he also wondered why homeworld wanted to restart this place, why they would leave it abandoned for so long only to regain interest now?

He startled when Bismuth snapped her head over to him. She looked as though she wanted to scold him, hammer it onto his thick skull that he jeopardized everything. She didn’t, instead she headed to the exit. 

“Rose needs to know this.” 

The trip home was silent and tense. 

***

Rose was absolutely certain this was some form of cosmic justice being dealt to her. First a lazuli escapes earth, almost killing Pink Diamond in the process. Then a Peridot shows up twice to revive the very thing they sought to destroy. It was as if the universe was playing a cruel joke, and she was the punchline. 

She half realized she had zoned out of the conversation, catching some of Garnet's monologue. 

“…with this new information, we’ll know where she’ll strike next.” 

“But she knows we’re here.” Amethyst clenched her whip with unease. “There’s no way it’s only gunna’ be her next time.” 

Garnet thought a moment. “She might bring security with her, but nothing we won’t be able to handle with preparation.” 

Bismuth didn’t seem convinced. “We don’t know what kind of a security force we could be dealing with.” She crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall of the boiling room. “We’re rogue crystal gems on a planet that isn’t supposed to have any! You honestly believe they won’t take precautions?” Bismuth had almost forgotten the pink boy still in the room. She bit down on her cheek when she realized she let something slide. He didn’t acknowledge it, staring at the various bubbles idly floating in stasis. She could tell he was listening though, the way his face sank was small but noticeable. 

“Though…” she tried to salvage it, seeing his shoulders sagging with guilt. “Lil ol Diamond here did fool her.” His attention snapped to her at the mention. 

“Me?” 

“Oh yeah,” Amethyst added. “She totally believed you when you said you were human. What did you say again? Steven type.” She snorted, never seeing Rose’s eyes grow wide for a fraction of a second. 

“I kinda panicked.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “It just came out… I told Lapis that too.” 

Garnet mused for a moment, seeing potential in his moments of panic. “That could come in handy.” He seemed confused by what she meant. “If homeworld doesn’t know you’re a gem as well, you’ll be less likely to be in the line of danger and can go relatively undetected.” She knew there was another reason, only half she was telling him. If homeworld knew of Pink Diamonds survival it could explode into a million unforeseeable futures. Both Bismuth and Rose silently agreed with her, stepping in to have their say. 

“It certainly would be safer.” Rose agreed.

“That could work for anything undercover.” Bismuth tried to make it sound appealing to him. “A code name would definitely do you some good.” 

“Heck, I’m in.” Amethyst grinned. “It’s a good nickname for ya!” She pat his back. 

“An undercover nickname…” he had never thought of it before, but seeing as he used it twice there was no turning back now. “I’ll have to remember to respond to it.” He chuckled nervously. 

The room began to feel a little bit brighter, seeing him smile. Rose wasn’t sure if it was because he was her diamond, or because she had grown fond of him. She hoped to stars it was the latter. 

***

The night fog drifted over the sandy waters, waves crashing against the shoreline in its usual rhythm. Within the temple he slept peacefully, unaware of a message being broadcasted. A message filled with fear and urgency. A message of panic and concern. 

A warning. 

They were coming.

Chapter Text

“A party?”

“Yeah.” Connie handed him the wrench, he had offered to help fix up Greg’s van a couple days ago to get his mind off things, which sadly wasn’t helping. “You’ve been pretty stressed lately, so I figured maybe we could just take a night to relax and have fun.” 

“I don’t know,” he scooted out from underneath, giving Greg a thumbs up to try the ignition. “I’ve never been to a human party before…”

“You don’t have to. I don’t want to make you do anything you wouldn’t be comfortable with.” She jumped a bit when the van successfully started. They both watched as Greg stepped out with a grin. 

“Thanks so much for helping out!” He patted him on his back. “And what’s this about a party?”

“It’s just a social gathering.” Connie was sure to iterate. “No alcoholic beverages or illegal substances!” 

“Heh, I wasn’t going to accuse you!” He chuckled with a glint in his eye, a look of reminiscence. “I’ve been to my fair share of parties and erm… I trust you two to be far more mature than I was at your age.” His sentence ended with a laugh. 

He thought about it. It could be potentially a good way to get his mind off…things. The guilt and embarrassment still hadn’t faded. Strangely enough though, the gems never blamed him up front. He figured they did so in secret instead. 

As if on cue, Rose arrived at the car wash. Although her smile was wide, it didn’t fool him. Then again he wondered if his smile hadn’t fooled her either. 

“Hey, Rose.” Greg gave her a peck on the cheek. “Good news is the van’s up and running!”

“That’s good to hear. I was just about to ask Garnet about what she could do to help.” She shifted her gaze to the two teens. “I’m sure you were a great help.”

“Thanks Ms. Rose.” Connie helped him up from where he had been on the floor. 

“They’re thinking of going to an outing later.” Greg gave her a playful nudge. “Just like old times, eh?” 

Rose began to blush, a slight awkward giggle stifled by her hand. “That sounds lovely! I think it’s great you’re putting aside some time for fun.” 

‘Fun’. That word always resonated with him in ways he couldn’t entirely describe. He’d have fun from time to time, doing things he enjoyed. For some reason the word left a sour taste in his mouth, as if one day all the ‘fun’ he had would be for naught. As if it was all pointless and childish nonsense. 

“That’s what I suggested, ma’am.” Connie was quick to add in. 

Well, if everyone thought it would help... 

“Yeah,” he plastered on a grin, a false smile. “I’m pretty excited now!” 

“Well, you two kids better get ready. I can handle the van from here!” Greg pointed to himself. 

“Sure thing!” He added as he followed Connie out. “More than happy to help!”

The two left, leaving Greg and Rose in the parking lot. 

“So.” Greg’s smile faded. “What’s wrong, babe?” 

She could never truly hide anything from him. She let him guide her into the car wash break room to discuss whatever was on her mind. 

“Is it the kid?” He finally spoke up again as the door clicked shut. 

“I suppose so.” She hated that it was. “It’s probably nothing, a coincidence.”

“Oh?”

“He chose a human name to disguise himself from homeworld gems.”

“He did huh? What name did he pick?”

“Steven.”

Greg paused. “Well that’s... a nice name to pick.” He saw she wasn’t moving, her back turned to him. “Rose?” 

“It just reminds me of… what we couldn’t do.” 

She had wanted with every fiber of her being to create life, a new being she could call her own. After she discovered she just didn’t have the power to pull it off she had become more somber as a person.

“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.” He hugged her. “There are a lot of Steven’s and Nora’s out there in the world. He probably heard the name in passing and liked it.” 

“You’re right…” she sucked in a breath. “I need to let it go.”

“It’s alright to feel bad.” Greg tightened his grip when she reciprocated the hug. “It’s alright.” 

She didn’t respond other then a nod.

***

He pulled at his hoodie a little tighter, nervous at the mere sight of the small crowd. Why had he agreed to this? Maybe this was a dumb idea. Sadly he couldn’t go back now and disappoint Connie, she had been so excited. 

One of what he assumed was Connie’s friends noticed them, waving her on as she ran closer. “Hey, Connie!” The girl cheerily greeted. 

“Hey guys.” Connie said to all three girls now in front of them. “I brought a friend if that’s alright.” 

The first girl's eyes looked him up and down in interest. “You must be Steven. Connie told us all about you!” She extended a hand to shake, to which he obliged. “Love what you did with your hair. Pink looks good on you.” 

“Thanks.” He noted that Connie had mentioned him as his code name, which made sense if he were to blend in better with humans. The name of a color usually turned heads. “Glad to be here.” 

They began to gossip amongst themselves, Connie joining in soon after. He made his way awkwardly to the punch bowl in hopes of being less noticeable. He could see everyone chatting, drinking punch, listening to music. Mostly just having fun. Why he wasn’t he couldn’t put a finger on. Perhaps there was truly no way to get his mind off his blunder. 

“Hey.” He looked up from the drink he had taken to see Connie in front of him. “You alright?” 

“Yeah.” He swirled the cup of liquid. “I’m just not that used to parties, never going to one before and all.” He could tell that she wasn’t buying it.

“Are you still upset about Lapis?” 

“What do you mean?” He regretted the question when their eyes met, hers unamused with his antics. 

“Guessing that’s a yes?”

Defeated, he placed the cup down. “Yeah, I guess.”

“There wasn’t much you could have done.”

“I could have just given Rose the mirror.”  

“But you freed her.” Connie leaned against the table beside him. “I mean, would you want to be stuck in that mirror?” 

“No.” 

“You helped someone.” She placed her hand on his. “If it means anything, I think you made the right choice.” 

He felt slightly shocked hearing that. “You do?”

“I do.” 

There was a moment, a second of something he couldn’t entirely describe. His choices thus far had been proven risky or ill thought out. For someone to tell him otherwise was unheard of, unthinkable. He wasn’t sure what to think of the situation now. Was he meant to feel pride or guilt, or something in between? The two almost seemed to get closer to one another when the very air around them shook the ground. 

The sudden shockwave startled the partygoers, cups and dinnerware shaken enough to lightly splatter their contents across the tablecloth. The small crowd began to murmur, questions and fears being voiced amongst themselves. 

“What was that?” Connie stayed alert for any other sudden shifts. “Earthquakes aren’t supposed to happen here.”

“That didn’t feel like a quake, it felt like…” he was cut off by another wave, stronger than the last. The very sky above them began to turn a greenish hue, winds picking up and clouds parting. The commotion revealed what looked to be some kind of unidentified object in the shape of a hand, hovering in the atmosphere forebodingly. 

“Whoa, ok! Packing it up guys!” A cocky looking young adult cried, bangs in his face with rich looking clothes. The others followed suit, knowing full well when something strange went wrong in this town it was time to bail. 

“What is that?” She questioned, never taking her eyes off the hand. 

“I don’t know,” he followed its possible trajectory to the best of his abilities. “But it looks like it’s…headed for the temple!” He sprinted off immediately, Connie close behind. 

***

By the time the two reached the beach, the hand was now dangerously close to the ground. The two skidded to a stop as Rose ran by them, yelling something about a canon before disappearing into her room. The rest stood at the ready for whatever was to come from the massive hand-like structure, weapons summoned. 

“Guys!” They all turned with worry to hear his voice. “What’s going on, what is that!?”

“What are you doing here Diamond!?” Bismuth growled with concern. 

“You shouldn’t be here!” Garnet added. “Get somewhere safe while we…” the hand shifted, the sound of metal twisting and turning accompanied the extending of the false fingers. 

He watched as the pointer finger brought forth a sphere, opening up to reveal three gems standing within. He recognized Lapis, her face riddled with alarm. The second was Peridot, her indifferent scowl had now been replaced with irritation. The third was a new gem, her stature matched that of Rose, strong and broad, orange complexion hiding beneath her dark cloak. 

“Is this it?” The gem scoffed. “You brought me here because of some puny rogue gems?” 

“Jasper, this is serious! They keep tampering with my…” a wave of Jasper's hand and Peridot was silenced. 

“Hmph.” She leveled her gaze to him, he froze in place the moment it happened. Lapis saw and quickly attempted to intervene. 

“That one isn't with them!” She was quick to defend him.

“Like I care.” Jasper turned on her heel. “Just blast them with the ship so we can leave.” 

Peridot began to grumble under her breath as her metal hands punched in the sequence, one of the fingers of the hand a bright light grew, painting the sky in a neon green. 

He needed to do something or everyone would be shattered! He knew he didn’t have the power to hold against an attack so potent, but maybe he could dull it just enough. “Connie, get to cover!” She obeyed and sprinted for the nearest stone to shield herself as he rushed for the gems. 

“What are you doing!” Bismuth reached out for him. “Get out of here!” 

He didn’t answer, summoning strength from his gem. He only had a single moment to act, one second to prepare. “No!” He declared. “I’m not abandoning you like that, because I’m…”

Peridot's face remained expressionless save for a condescending sneer. “Firing.” The blast came towards them.

"a crystal gem too!” He ran in front to put up a dome in hopes it would do something, yet before he could he felt something dash in front of him, pushing him to the ground. The blast made contact with something, never hitting its mark. Jasper turned when she heard the clang of a beam against hard light. Her eyes widened with the sight that met her. 

A large shield was revealed as the dust fell, its face decorated with that of an abstract rose and thorns. Rose herself stood behind it, eyes alight with battle ready determination. 

“You!” Was all Jasper said as the hand deposited them on the sand. She grasped Lapis by the arm, rage dripping from her face. “You said nothing about her!”

“I didn’t think it was important to the mission.” Lapis ripped her hand from Jasper's grasp. 

“Whatever.” She turned to them, eyes blazing with manic hatred. “I’ll finish this!”

The gems sprinted into action, Garnet being the first to approach her. Jasper only smirked as she pulled out a two pronged device. “Priming destabilizer.” With one swift move she plunged the weapon into Garnet's abdomen, yellow lines dancing across her form as her body seized up. He watched in horror as she fell apart, limbs detaching and form coming undone. Her gems fell to the sandy ground below before he could even register what had happened. 

Bismuth and Rose charged in opposite directions to form a defensive stance, Amethyst taking the back for support. Jasper only smiled wider. 

“Is this all that’s left?” She strode forward to where he sat on the sand, too terrified to move. She spoke to Rose. “Look at you! What’s left of your army!” She picked him up by the collar as she continued her monologue, giving both Rose and Bismuth pause to attack. “Getting pathetic things like this to join your cause!” She faced him with a smile that bore into his very gem. He began to kick and struggle against her hold to no avail. She only laughed at his efforts. “Face it, you have LOST.” She smashed her forehead into his own, not even giving his mind a moment to process the damage before he went down. 

Connie jumped from her spot behind the stone the moment Jasper headbutt him, watching as his body became nothing more than a dangling limp doll in her grasp. 

“Steven!” She knew he had chosen that name for this specific reason, not wanting to be recognized. Now she understood why he had been so afraid. She was surprised that in her panic she had remembered to use it. 

“What’s this?” Jasper taunted. “Got humans in your little group too?” 

“Shut up!” Bismuth lunged, anger overwriting any logical plan they could have had as Rose screamed her name. She swung her blades at the newcomer, only stopping herself when Jasper used the boy as a shield. The blade was mere inches from his midsection. She was taken by surprise when Jasper jabbed the destabilizer into her head, taking her down with ease. 

“Rose!” Amethyst began to panic. “What do we do!” 

Rose stood there, eyes trailed on the diamond in Jasper's hold. She tried to weigh the options, tried to find some plan. She couldn’t think of anything. She didn’t face Amethyst, never taking her eyes off the enemy. “Get him!” Was the only command she gave. Amethyst tried to obey, watching as Rose jumped into action. The two almost looked as if they were dancing, Jasper’s now summoned helmet and Rose's shield clattering with every opportunity.  She wasn’t sure how she could snatch him with her whip, or if she even could achieve that with the speed the two were going. She knew Rose was on the defensive with Steven in the enemies grasp. She never took her eyes off them until she spotted a moment, one shot. She snapped her whip and aimed at his arm. Jasper only grinned, headbutting Rose shield and tangling the destabilizer around the whip, she flicked it on and it traveled right to the unfortunate quarts. 

“Five down.” Jasper grinned. “Two to go!” With one sudden movement she hurled the boy at Rose, the quartz warrior fumbling to catch him as Jasper managed to stab her upper arm. Rose gasped as her form crumbled from beneath her, falling apart at the seams. 

Connie fell backwards, landing on her rear as Jasper cackled. She skittered back as the large gem stepped towards her. “Now...” She picked the girl up, tucking her under her arm with little effort as she clawed and kicked her. 

“Let’s get going.”

Chapter Text

He jolted awake with a gasp, panic coursing through him. It took a moment for him to realize he wasn’t within Jasper’s grasp. He sat up to investigate his surroundings, a small green room with a doorway closed off by some yellow field of sorts. He experimentally reached a hand out to touch it, only to have a painful surge course up his arm. He reeled back with a hiss as he held his hand close, whatever this was made certain he wasn’t going anywhere. He was alone in a cell with no knowledge of where anyone else was, or where he was even going. He curled in on himself as he leaned against the wall, flinching when he heard hurried footsteps approaching. He tried to make himself small as he curled even further in, hugging his legs in a vice. The homeworld gems kidnapped him again, hurt him, and were now on their way to homeworld. He buried his head behind his knees so as to not see who stopped at his cell. 

“Steven!” He perked up at the familiar voice. 

“Connie?” He stood unsteadily to meet her. “What are you doing here?”

“No time to explain!” She reached out a hand to the field. He almost shouted a warning but stopped when he saw it wasn’t affecting her. She made a gap for him to exit, to which he ducked under. “We have to find the others!” She began to sprint, motioning for him to follow. 

“The others?” 

“Right, you were out.” She huffed as the two ran. “That orange gem got everyone.” 

“Everyone?” 

“Yeah.” She stopped, shoes squeaking against the floor. “Hide!” She whispered and pulled him off to the side, the two ducking into an empty cell as Jasper and Peridot approached. 

“We are still on a mission!” Peridot waved her metal arms in exasperation. 

“This takes priority.” Jasper snapped back. “Now make a course for homeworld!” Without another word Jasper left, leaving Peridot to mumble to herself. 

“Go to earth, they said. It’ll be fun , they said.” 

The two continued their sprint through the halls as soon as the coast was clear. Dashing across the multitude of cells. A splash of red caught his attention, a gem, he realized. “Connie, wait!”

The little gem flinched when she heard them. “What are you doing here? How did…aurgh!” She punched the wall “this is just great!” 

“We’re here to help.” Connie made an arch just as she did before, surprising the gem. The little gem spent no time escaping her cell, dashing through the halls in search of something. Her frustrations grew until the trio began to hear singing in the distance. 

“There!” She pulled the two along at breakneck speeds, arriving at a cell containing a blue gem. Connie recognized her, the one at the fountain. How she got here was lost on her. She opened up the gate regardless, the two small gems embracing one another. 

“Did they hurt you?” There was far more emotion in her voice this time.

“Who cares!” That was a concerning response, but Connie ignored it. The gems began to laugh, twirling around as light began to obscure their bodies. The light lifted and swirled as it formed into one, Garnet landing where the two once stood. “Steven, Connie!” 

Everything clicked for Connie, Steven needed a few extra moments to process. 

“Garnet, you're a fusion!?” 

“Guess I never mentioned it.” She winked. “Now, go get the others. We don’t have much time.” She bent down, pecking Steven on the forehead. Before he could inquire what the kiss was for he was assaulted by a vision. He looked at Garnet who only smiled. “Now get going.” The two obeyed, following the path she showed him to the others. Amethyst, Bismuth and Rose were all shocked and ecstatic to see the two. Connie helped them from their cells in no time. 

“Where’s Garnet?” Bismuth shaped her hammers, which Rose quickly shut her down. 

“Go with them to reroute the ship, I’ll find Garnet.” Bismuth didn’t argue, guiding the two teens and Amethyst along the halls to where Peridot sat at the control module. Bismuth snuck up behind her, blades at the ready to strike, when Peridot noticed them. 

“What?! How did you escape!?” She leapt from her seat to grasp a destabilizer, only to be met with Connie snagging it away. Amethyst was sure to make quick work of hogtying what she referred to as the ‘green dorito’ as Bismuth headed for the controls. 

“Do you know how to fly this thing?” Connie came up behind her. 

“Nope.” Was all Bismuth replied before fiddling with the controls. 

***

Rose ran through the halls, praying Garnet was nearby. The entire situation had escalated so severely. Rose had a feeling that Garnet was after Jasper, chancing a one on one fight. She couldn’t allow that, couldn’t let her be potentially shattered. She couldn’t handle another loss under her watch. The sounds of destruction echoed down the halls, indicating a struggle. She bolted to it, feet thundering across the metal floor with haste to her objective. Turning the corner she was met with Garnet and Jasper staring each other down, the engine room in shambles. 

“Right on time.” Garnet smirked triumphantly. “Mind giving me a hand, Rose?” 

Jasper's eyes grew wide with seething rage. “Rose!” She grit out between clenched teeth. 

Rose summoned her shield. “Absolutely.” This time she knew what to expect, knew Jasper had no one to use as a shield this time. With her and Garnet, Jasper was outnumbered. Then again, perhaps they could make the playing field even. Without needing to utter a word they fused. Jasper watched as the light flashed, a fusion of three standing tall and at the ready. Her dress looked akin to flames dancing in a fireplace, a cut up the middle as to cascade back. Her four arms protruded from her sides, one set larger than the other. Her hair was wild, long fiery locks ending in wavy curls. Her eyes were obscured by an elegant visor. She lifted her head to meet her foe. 

“Come then.” Her two left arms gestured for Jasper to make the first move. “Show me what you can do!” 

Jasper sneered. “Pathetic!” She summoned her helmet. “Is this the only trick you crystal gems have? Fusion? Weak!” 

She knew Jasper was playing tricks, mocking her in order to gain the upper hand. She did not take that bait. Instead, she smiled. “You sound lonely.” 

Jasper sprung forward, aiming to maul her opponent. She dodged and weaved around her like a flame would dance and flicker on a candle. Every strike Jasper missed she took advantage of, and every hit Jasper landed she ensured her blows were greater. At last she managed a strike that sent her opponent straight into the reactor core. Her form crackling and smoking on impact. The core burst, sending sparks and flames in every direction. She did not flinch when the embers landed on her, she instead approached the warrior attempting to stand. She looked down on her.

“I am Sunstone. Don’t forget it.” Jasper tried to throw a punch, one Sunstone was anticipating. Her body came undone, Jasper’s fists meeting only air. In her place, Rose and Garnet appeared, Garnet slamming Jasper down as Rose went to execute the final blow. She was a mere second away when the core exploded. 

***

The ship jostled, vibrations rocking it with great force as everyone attempted to steady themselves. 

“What was that, Biz?!” Amethyst lost her grip on the whip keeping Peridot contained, fumbling as the green gem fled. “Dang it!” 

“It’s not me!” Bismuth frantically tried to readjust the ship with little success. “It’s going down!” 

It suddenly hit him, similar to being struck by a car. “We have to find Lapis!” He grasped Connie’s hand. “She’s still here on the ship somewhere!” 

“There’s no time, uppercrust!” Bismuth snapped. “We need to get off of this ship before we go down with it!” 

He went to protest when the ship violently turned, tossing them to the side. He could feel the sudden shift in atmosphere as the ship began its descent, gravity pulling it down. All at once everything seemed to happen, explosions and tremors obscuring his surroundings. He felt Connie latch onto him as their descent quickened, the sickening feeling of his insides being thrust up into his throat silenced him. He did the only thing he could think of to do, he called power from his gem, begged it to obey his command as he prepared to encase everyone. His gem glowed for a moment before a light pink bubble encased them all. The crash of the hand was monumental, his mind too preoccupied with providing him adrenaline to process the event.

It took him a moment to realize he hadn’t summoned his dome in time. He opened one eye, realizing the tight embrace he and Connie were in. Now that he actually had both eyes opened, he realized all of them were in a tight embrace, he and Connie at the center. They were all cramped in, all letting out sighs of relief. 

“Everyone alright?” Bismuth asked, earning various answers. 

“Thank goodness we made it in time.” He was suddenly aware of Garnet and Rose’s presence, now realizing it was Rose’s bubble everyone had been cramped into. She let the bubble down, everyone flopping out and falling to the side, not bothering to get up at first in relief. 

He shifted, allowing Connie to stand on shaking legs. “Are you alright?”

She mentally probed herself after he asked. Other than some light cuts and burns, and being shaken up she was fine. “Yeah…not sure how I’m going to explain this to my mom though.” 

“Let me.” Rose came up, offering to heal her. The girl graciously accepted, watching as the minor wounds faded away within seconds. 

“Thank you, ma’am.”  Her voice was still shaken, eyes slightly unfocused. He worried that perhaps Rose’s healing didn’t entirely work, she had been so focused during the incident. “I should… I think I need to go home.” 

Garnet observed, adjusting her visor before stepping forward. “You should have Greg take you.” The girl was about to protest when she provided a solution. “We’ll take your car.” 

She began to follow Garnet's lead when a piece of debris flew into the air. Everyone turned as Jasper came staggering out of the wreckage. Rose took the front, defensive and ready. Jasper only pounded a fist into the ground. 

“This… this can’t be happening!” She spat. “You worthless scum and your cheap tricks!” She would have continued her rant if it hadn’t been for Lapis emerging from the rubble. A sudden and frantic thought went through her mind, survival and victory now clouding all else. She snagged the lazuli by the arm, pulling her up to her feet. “Fuse with me!”

Lapis only considered her for a moment, she reached out a hand to accept when a shield flew right past them. Rose stood, summoning another. Lapis backed up, Jasper moved forward. “See?” Lapis could hear Jasper practically growling. “I’m your only chance!” 

“Don’t let them fuse!” Garnet shouted as they rushed forward, seeing the potential outcome. 

Him and Connie stood back with Amethyst as the three elder gems rushed Jasper. He caught Lapis’ eyes, saw her mind moving a mile a minute. She was weighing her options within the millisecond she had. He watched as she grappled onto Jasper’s arm, a bright light obscuring them both. He backed up as the fusion took form, one born from the need to survive. Her four eyes opened and looked down on them. Ready to smash them all to smithereens. Before she could, water shot up from the ocean. Dragging the fusion down into the depths. She struggled against it, writhed under its grip. She began to argue with herself.

“No! We can smash them!” Her unsynchronized voices screeched. 

“I’m not letting you do this!” She yelled back. “No one is going to use me anymore!”

“You traitor!”

“I’m not letting you hurt anyone ever again!” Her head was now just above the water. “Even if it means we have to stay on this miserable planet forever!” With one last shriek she was pulled to the waters below. No one dared move, eyes pinned to the spot where she had submerged. He felt the world tunneling through to that one spot, a heavy weight now on his gem. 

They were gone. 

Chapter Text

Greg slammed his foot on the brakes as soon as he arrived, jumping out to witness the mass destruction in front of him. The beach was littered with massive chunks of green as far as the eye could see, flames not close enough to the ocean still burning. He scanned the beach for the gems, for Rose, feeling instant relief when he saw all of them walking away from the disaster. 

“Rose!” He jogged over, nearly barreling into her, with a tight hug. “What happened? Is everyone ok? What is all this?” 

“I’ll explain later, Greg.” She broke the embrace. “Could you take Connie home?” 

His eyes widened in shock, now knowing a kid had witnessed whatever happened here. He saw the girl in question walking beside Steven, seeming not entirely there. Greg had been there his first few monster attacks, that feeling of sinking into oneself. At the very least he could sympathize with her. “Sure.” He was stopped by Garnet. 

“We’ll need to take her car.” The fusion added. 

“How will we get home?” 

Garnet grinned. “I have my ways.” He gulped at the implication. 

Connie simply followed the movements as if her body weren’t her own. A hand outstretched to take hold of her shoulder, Steven’s, she realized… or was it Pink now that there were no humans or aliens around? He looked concerned, worried. She mustered up a smile. “Good night everyone.” She stepped into the passenger side, handing Greg the keys. Garnet stationed herself in the back, giving Greg directions to her home. She would have asked if she hadn’t remembered the gem had future vision. The ride had gone on quietly before Greg cleared his throat. 

“So… um. You doing ok there, kid?

“Oh!” She snapped out of her stupor. “Yeah, I guess I’m still a little bit frazzled is all.”

He chuckled. “I know the feeling. You get used to it.” She didn’t like those implications, wasn’t even sure she could handle the aftermath of what had transpired. “This the place, Garnet?”

“Yes.” Was all the fusion said. Connie couldn’t see her eyes, but she could tell all three of them were on her. 

“Thanks for the ride, Mr Universe.”

“No problem!” He waved as she opened the door to her home, closing it shut as quietly as possible. It had to be late, or early, and she prayed her mother wasn’t up. The flicker of the lights coming on begged to differ. She tensed up as her mother strutted forward, radiating motherly rage and concern. 

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” She didn’t shout, not once had she ever raised her voice, but this was close. 

“I don’t know.” She answered honestly. 

“Connie,” The punctuation on the syllables was enough to make her shoulders tense. “Your father and I are trusting you with this vehicle. Staying out far past curfew, ignoring our messages, and sneaking back in like a hooligan will not be tolerated.” Her mothers arms were crossed. “May I ask why you were so tardy?”

Connie tensed up, afraid to answer truthfully. How was one to tell their parent they were kidnapped and escaped an alien spaceship? She quickly thought of a story, not a lie yet not the entire truth. “There was a crash.” Her mother paused, eyes widening. “Some people got hurt,” She used the image of Steven being bashed in the head, the gems bodies falling apart. “And the roads were closed down for a while. I must have lost my phone during it…I wasn’t in the crash, I just saw it happen.” She looked up at her mother. “It won’t happen again, I’m sorry.” 

Priyanka could see the terror practically dripping from her daughter, the events of the night had obviously shaken her up. She let out a breath, even she couldn’t stay angry. “Well, next time try to contact us. The last thing we ever want to hear is that you’ve been hurt.” She pulled Connie into an embrace. “And you should speak with your guidance counselor if anything was too much for you that I and your father can’t help with.” She knew from experience what a messy car crash looked like, it was never a pretty sight.  

“Thanks mom.” Her voice was small and scared. “I will.” 

Connie opened the door to her room, shutting it as gently as possible. She sunk down to the floor as the night finally caught up with her, tears rolling down her face as she silently sobbed.

***

Another piece of rubble, another shrapnel, another day. They had cleaned the beach to the best of their abilities, taking the pieces of the crashed ship and stowing it away at Bismuth's forge. Even with all the cleaning, he still couldn’t get his mind off the past few events. The image of that fusion fighting against herself as she was pulled into the sea, disappearing into the ocean. Of Connie’s vacant stare and not answering his texts. Garnet had begun the search immediately while the others cleaned the beach. He would have offered to help look, but in his state he wouldn’t be much help, he knew he would only be a burden. This mission was different. This wasn’t a corrupted gem, this was three rogue homeworld gems. He sighed as he picked up some stray wires, not noticing Amethyst coming up behind him.

“Hey, Pinkie.” He jumped a bit, not expecting her to be right behind him. “Whoa, geez! I’m not that scary.” She japed.

“Sorry, Ame. I’m just…well.” 

She nodded with some ‘mhm’s. “You wanna take a break or something? Get some doughnuts?” 

He hadn’t eaten anything in a while. “Yeah, I could go for something.” 

***

Sadie was cleaning the front counter when the door’s bell rang. “Welcome to the big doughnut... oh hey!” She watched as the two entered the store, less enthusiastic than usual. “What can I get you?” She watched as the purple one darted to the display case, picking out what she wanted. 

“Yo, Steven! You want chocolate?” 

So that was his name. The mention of it had Lars bolting out from the back. “Ha! I knew your name wasn’t Pink!” 

“Just shut up Lars!” The sudden outburst had everyone taken back, even he was surprised with the sudden hostility. His face began to glow an unnatural pink color as he stormed out of the shop. “Sorry, Ame. I’m not hungry.” 

“Dude, wait!” Amethyst ran after him, leaving the shop once again quiet. 

“Good going, Lars! ” Sadie snapped at him, to which he only shrugged defensively. 

***

“Pink, wait!” Amethyst caught up to him. “What’s wrong, man? I thought we were using your code name around humans.”

“It’s not that I just… I don’t know, I just snapped.” He buried his hands in his pockets. “All this homeworld stuff has me on edge, I guess.” 

The little quarts didn’t know how to proceed, defaulting to jokes and nonchalant behavior. “Aight, I get ya. I’m gonna go prank the mayor if you feel up to it.” She left, feeling as uncomfortable as him.

He watched her leave with a sigh and opened his phone, scrolling through until he landed on Connie’s contact. He opened up the chat, only being met with his texts, not a single reply to be seen. Was she still injured somehow? Did she want nothing more to do with him? He had messaged her by email in case her phone had gone missing at first, that was until they had found and returned it. He bit his lip as he called, being met with her voice message yet again. 

“Hey, Connie. It’s me. I was uh… just checking in on you, making sure you’re doing ok. You can just shoot me a text. Ok…bye.” He hung up, a terrible feeling engulfing his gem. Perhaps she blamed him for the entire fiasco and wanted nothing more to do with him. He wouldn’t blame her after all that transpired. He received no messages or correspondence of any kind from her for the rest of the day. 

By the following morning he had to see for himself.

***

The walk to the next town over had been only a little bit longer than he expected, arriving around sunset. Thankfully finding her home didn’t take as long, the quaint house sitting idly amongst the others. He steeled himself as he knocked on the door, being met with silence. At first he assumed no one was home until he heard shuffling from inside, which in turn slowly faded further into the household. He debated letting himself in at first, eventually giving in to anxiety. Turning the knob he was surprised it was unlocked. He didn’t wish to trespass, so he would keep his visit brief if he could. 

“Connie?” He gently shut the door behind him. “I came in if that’s ok.” He received no answer. He could hear faint steps from upstairs, deciding to follow them to a closed door marked with her name. He rapped his knuckles and waited, once again being met with silence. “Did something happen?” He began to panic, a little voice inside insisting her silence meant she no longer wished to speak with him, no longer wanted anything to do with him. 

“If…if it’s something I did, or something I didn’t…” he began to fumble his words. “If you don’t want to see me anymore I… I wouldn’t blame you.” His shoulders sank, knowing there wasn’t any way around it. “Just please, please just tell me you don’t want to be my friend anymore. I’ll understand.” 

There was a moment more of silence before the door clicked. He jumped when it was suddenly slammed open, revealing her. She wore messy pajamas, hair in tangles and bags under her eyes. Now that he saw her eyes they were wet and puffy, streams of tears cascading down her face. 

“Of course I still want to be friends with you.” Her congested voice wavered. “...I’m a mess.” She wiped tears from her face with a sleeve.

“Are you still hurt?” He hovered his hands over her shoulders as he scanned her. 

“No.”

“Did Peridot or the fusion of Lapis and Jasper attack you?!”

“No.”

“Did something happen?!”

“NO, nothing happened! That’s the problem!” He flinched back at the sudden outburst. “I can’t stop thinking about it, with that spaceship and those gems!” She hugged herself. 

He didn’t understand. The danger had long passed and she had been so focused and in control during the situation, far more than he was. As if she could read his mind, she began to explain. 

“The whole time it was happening I knew what to do, but the second it was over…” she sniffed in mucus. “I just fell apart… I couldn’t face any of you, I don’t even know why… the thought of seeing you just made me feel, I don’t know, guilty? Upset? Scared?” She looked away. “I need to get over it but…I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.” His tone was low and quiet. “It really bothered you.” He always forgot how fragile human psyches were, how easily they broke after the danger had passed. Sure, gems were stronger in that aspect, but were still prone to suffering less severe symptoms similar to what she was experiencing right now. “Do you… want a hug?” It was all he could offer. 

“Yeah.” She moved in to accept his embrace. “I could use that, thanks” It was a few moments before she spoke again. “I lied to my mom. Told her there was a car crash.” 

“Why?”

“She wouldn’t let me hang out with you anymore if she knew.” 

He went quiet. He realized now that she would be more in the line of danger now simply because of him. “Are your parents…?”

“My dad went to his job and my mom took a double shift at the hospital.” 

She was alone. “If you want, I can stay and hang out.”

“I don’t know, if my mom found out I invited someone over…” she thought a moment. “She’ll be home in three hours if you want to watch tv with me.” 

“Sure!” It was the least he could do. It was the least he could do to help aid her emotional state.

By the time Priyanka arrived at the house and parked in the driveway, he was already on his way home, his mind now filled with more worries than before.

Chapter Text

“I still don’t get this show.” Amethyst popped another fistful of popcorn into her mouth. The screen in front of them played a show depicting sad and crying food items. 

“I don’t really get it either. I just think it’s creative.” He watched with confusion as a pancake and a zucchini bread hugged despite not having arms. 

“Fair enough.” Amethyst conceded. “It is weird enough to be entertaining.” 

He didn't have much to do lately, with Rose and the others handling the search. The pit of boredom had led him to discovering some new guilty pleasures. 

“By the way.” She sat up on his bed. “How’s Connie? Still freaking out?” 

“She’s good now.” He began to flip through the channels as the show ended. “I guess she’s been talking with a ‘guidance counselor’ who’s job is to help stabilize mood or something.” 

“Cool.” Was the only response the little quarts gave. He stopped on a show about a kid with a magical seashell belly button when the tv began to show static. 

“Huh.” He checked the remote. “I could have sworn everything was working.” He got up to check the cable. “It’s all fine.” 

“Um, Pink!” He turned back to Amethyst on the loft, pointing to the tv, climbing back up he gasped. 

A flicker and Peridot’s face slowly came into view. The image was full of static, but clear enough to see and hear her. 

“This is Peridot! The mission has been compromised! Requesting rescue as soon as possible…” The rest of the message was engulfed in white static. 

“What was that?” Amethyst poked at the screen.

“She’s trying to contact someone…” he stood up. “We gotta tell Rose about this!” 

***

Bismuth inspected the TV as Rose stood by anxiously. 

“You two are sure it was Peridot you saw?” Bismuth asked as she finished fiddling with the channels. 

“Yeah.” Amethyst was the first to answer. “She was saying something about the mission going bad and needing rescue.” 

“Sounds like the communication hub.” Rose pondered. “She must have repaired it to broadcast her message.”

“Then we smash it.” Bismuth stood. 

“Is there anything I can do?” He asked hopefully. 

“You and Ame hold down the fort for us! This’ll only take a couple minutes.” 

“Are you two going to fuse!?” He could feel the excitement build. Amethyst only rolled her eyes. “Can I at least watch? I promise I won’t get in the way!”  

Both looked away, unable to resist his puppy dog eyes. Bismuth was the first to lose the battle. “I… guess it wouldn’t hurt.” 

“Really?!” He beamed. “Thank you, guys! We should get going!” The two elder gems glanced at each other in defeat as they all made their way to the warp pad. 

***

The tower lay before them, haphazardly stacked and clearly rushed. 

“We’re going to need Aura for this.” Rose inspected one of the columns. 

“Why can’t me and Bismuth do it?” Amethyst interjected. 

“Whoa, slow down there.” Bismuth was quick to answer. “Let’s not forget about the sun sauna incident.”

“We just got distracted that one time! It’s not like Sugalite!” 

“Well, until Garnet gets back from that corrupted diopside mission, Aura is the best shot we got.” 

Amethyst shrunk back some distance as the two fused, bringing him along with her. Their forms danced and glowed until solidifying. Where they stood was now a pastel rainbow fusion with long curly dreads. She wore an apron similar to bismuth that draped down like that of rose petals, her four arms outstretched and four eyes opened. 

“It has been some time since I could get some real work done.” The fusion sized up the tower, ignoring the onlookers. 

“Wow!” He took in every aspect of her. “Looks just as cool as Smokey!” Amethyst rolled her eyes, mumbling about Smokey being cooler. “Hey!” He called, catching the fusion's attention. 

“Sorry, friend.” She politely waved him off. “Aura Quartz is a busy lady!” She winked with her two left eyes playfully. 

“Oh! Right.” He stepped back. “Sorry! Go right ahead!” 

She chuckled, summoning two shield-like appendages from her hands. The shields formed into a makeshift battering ram, to which she swiftly used to take out the tower’s lower arches. In no time at all the entire structure had been reduced to rubble, yet the two didn’t un-fuse.  

“Yo, Aura.” Amethyst had to yell to get her attention. “The jobs done, you can un-fuse now.”

“Well, this job is done, yes.” Aura pointed out. “I still need to clean up this mess so Peridot can’t rebuild it.” 

Amethyst only rolled her eyes. “Come on, Pink.” She dragged him by his sleeve to the warp. “She’s going to be at this all night.” 

***

He watched the warp with worry as Rose and Bismuths had yet to return. Amethyst had insisted they just needed time to ‘finish working’. 

“You still waiting?” Amethyst seemed to pop up out of nowhere. 

“I’m feeling a little unsure about this.” He admitted. “They’ve been gone for a week now on this clean up thing.”

Amethyst scoffed. “Trust me, they need to tire themselves out. Aura is all work. She won’t listen to anyone until the job is done. A complete workaholic.” 

The two hadn’t noticed Garnet’s arrival at the temple, overhearing the tail end of the conversation. She sent the bubbled diopside to the boiling room and interjected her way into the conversation. “What’s this about Aura?” 

“Whoa! Garnet!” Amethyst jumped. “Yeesh!”

“Oh, Hey, Garnet. Ame was just telling me about how busy she’s going to be.” 

“Oh no.” The fusion’s face fell.

“Oh no, what?” Amethyst parroted back in concern. 

“What was she working on when you last saw her?!” She grasped his shoulder in a tight grip.

“She was cleaning up a makeshift communication hub that Peridot had built. She wasn’t there, but Aura destroyed it and said the job wasn’t done.”

Garnet stood straighter. “We have to go.” She stood on the warp. “Take me there.” 

“Uh…why?” Amethyst hopped on the warp alongside him and Garnet. “She’s not going to listen until she’s cleaned the entire beach. You know how she is.” 

“This is different.” Garnet began her explanation as they were taken into the warp stream. “Aura is a very focused fusion, meaning that when Rose and Bismuth have a drive to complete a task it becomes difficult to separate them. Her main goal may have been destroying the hub, but Peridot herself has been on their minds.” 

"What does that mean?” He asked with worry.

“It means she’s going to try and go after Peridot by herself, dude.” Amethyst replied. 

“Why is that bad?”

“You’ll see.” 

Before he could what she meant they arrived at their destination, the shattered remains of the hub no longer littering the grounds, pristine and clear as if it had never existed to begin with. 

“She’s not here.” Garnet strode forward to inspect a footprint. “We’ll need to find her quickly!” 

“But where could she have gone?” Amethyst kicked up some sand. “We have no idea where Peridot could even be!” 

Garnet adjusted her visor, looking into the stream of possibility. “I’m not certain…though there is a chance we can find her in Mountain city…” 

“Did you say Mountain city?” He chimed in, digging into his pockets for something. 

“Yeah, she did…why?” Amethyst watched as he procured his phone. 

“I have someone who just might be able to help us!” He sifted through his contacts until it landed on a familiar name and dialed it.

“Hey, it’s me… no, I’m not canceling poker night. I actually have a favor to ask… yeah, we’re looking for a gem, light rainbow colored and kinda tall, four arms…” his face lit up. “Alright we’ll be there as soon as we can! Thanks Jared!” He hung up. 

“Who was that?” Amethyst eyed the phone being placed back into his pocket. 

“Just an old friend.” Was all the response she received as he sprinted towards the warp pad. “Now let’s go before we lose track of her!” 

Chapter Text

The building that stood in front of them was underwhelming, plain and identical to many of the brick structures that dotted the small city. The buzzer rang and the three waited only a moment before receiving an answer. A voice came through the com sounding exasperated and spent. 

“For the last time, no. I don’t want any timeshare offers.” 

“Aw.” He joked in response to the disembodied voice. “Not even for your old pal?” 

“PD?” The main door unlocked. “Got here sooner than I thought you would, kid. Come on in!” 

The door to the flat opened, revealing a man some years younger than Greg. His face brightened to see the boy in pink as he strode across the living room. “Come in. I’m actually glad you're here, too. Those aunts of yours didn’t really cause a ruckus, but you know how it is here with magic events.” Amethyst and Garnet almost stood stunned seeing a human barely bat an eye to the situation. 

“Yeah, sorry about that, Jared.” The two shook hands. “Do you remember where you last saw her?” 

Jared stepped back to think. “She went. north, I think. Towards those old ruins, the ship looking ones.” 

“Abandoned warships.” Garnet added. 

“Warships?” He saw Garnet shift ever so slightly in discomfort. 

“Old abandoned ships from gems.” Amethyst answered. “Guess they just up and left ‘em a long time ago.

He supposed the crystal gems did need to arrive here somehow… “Well, that means you know where they are, Garnet?” 

“I do. Thankfully there’s a warp nearby that we can use, if we’re quick we can cut her off.” 

“Or even help if Peridot is actually there.” Amethyst pointed out. “Where did she even get the idea Peridot would even be there?” 

“She could have analysed the materials or intercepted another transmission.” Garnet mused. “Aura has always been thorough.”

“You two should get going, then.” He turned to the older man. “Thanks again, Jared! They'll get right on this, and I promise I’ll explain everything later!”

“Always happy to help you, kid. You can explain everything on poker night while I kick your ass.” 

“You wish!” 

The two gems watched the interaction with amusement as they began to take their leave. Yet Garnet stopped before fully exiting, her gaze now turned to the boy standing still in the center of the room. 

“Coming?” His eyes widened somewhat by the question. 

“I can come?” His bewildered look was only met with a slight chuckle.

“We’re going to need you to help.” She kept it cryptic, yet he could already tell her future vision informed her of something. 

***

Aura had been right! That little green triangle was somewhere around here. She had her doubts at first when inspecting some of the materials used to hold together the pieces, but her builders instincts were right on the money. She would pop in, take down Peridot and be back to the others in no time.

“Aura!” 

Even better! She turned her large frame from the ship controls she had been fiddling with, all four eyes now pinned to the other fusion in the doorway, behind her Amethyst and Pink Diamond. 

“Perfect timing!” She beamed. “I am very busy, but I could use some help. Why don’t you and Amethyst search the perimeter while Pink helps me with…”

“I think it’s time for you to un-fuse, Aura.” Garnet was gentle with her approach. “There’s too much on your minds right now for you to be working.” 

“I’m not sure I follow.” She lifted a panel to inspect the wiring. “I’m almost done with the job.” 

“But,” Amethyst butt in. “Weren’t we just supposed to destroy the communication tower?” The little quarts threw up her hands towards her. “Not trying to take down Peridot on your own?” 

“Well…Yes. However, she could very well build it again and undo all our work. This way the job stays done and we don’t have to worry about it again!” Happy with her convincing argument she went back to her tinkering. 

“This isn’t just about Peridot, Aura.” Garnet was next to her now, a hand now on her shoulder. “You’ve been under a lot of stress about homeworld.” She knew exactly what Garnet was insinuating. “Your fusion right now is based on dangerous mindsets.” 

The taller fusion scoffed, the snappiness of Bismuth beginning to show. “You two are fused all the time and you do just fine!” She turned her head away from Garnet. “Just worry about helping or leave it to me, I’m busy.” 

Garnet sighed. Aura was never an aggressive gem who’d resort to violence, but when she had a directive set by her components there was no stopping her. She watched as Pink Diamond stepped forward timidly, cautiously eying the rainbow fusion. 

“Um, Aura?” 

“I’m sorry, Pink.” Aura was quick to respond to him. “But I am busy…”

“That’s why I want to help.” Aura paused, almost surprised he offered.

“Great!” She was quick to recover. “Hold this!” She handed him a stray wire.

“Ok.” He assisted as he spoke, taking the opportunity while he still could. “Are you worried about homeworld?” 

Garnet watched with interest as he began to guide the conversation mid-work. 

“We’re all a little worried about it right now.” She answered

“Is that the job you’re trying to finish? Taking care of homeworld?”

Aura stopped, her face going blank for a brief moment before resuming her work. 

“I don’t really know much about it, but it sounds like too much for just one gem.” He saw her shoulders begin to sink. “But you don’t have to do it alone, you have all of us!” Aura looked around the room, looking at everyone present. It seemed for once the fusion had actually taken a moment away from directive to fully take in her surroundings. “You just have to let us help.”

“Yeah, Aura.” Amethyst was next to join. “I get it, we’re all freaked out right now and don’t know what’s going on with this homeworld stuff, but…” she thought for a moment in her answer. “You know.”

Garnet finally found her opening. “You don’t have to stay fused just because you feel you need to carry the burden alone.” 

Aura’s eyes widened, her mouth now in a firm line. She let out a sigh, long and deep before sucking in a breath. “Guess I can get carried away…” she chuckled. 

“Why don’t we finish this panel.” Garnet suggested. “Then we can all take a break. Sapphire and Ruby included.” No one could see the wink, but everyone somehow knew she was giving one. The suggestion had Aura cackling, seeming to relax some. 

“Alright.” She agreed at last. “Let’s finish the job.” 

Garnet glanced at him with a congratulatory smile, approval written across her face. He returned it as he assisted Aura with the broken machinery, standing back in awe as the screen lit up, revealing a panorama of security footage. 

“We’re in!” Aura began typing something into the console. “This should all be live feed, so if she’s here…!” As if on cue, the silhouette of Peridot darted through the decrepit halls of the ship. 

“There she is!” Aura practically smashed her face into the screen. “We need to head her off before she…” her sentence was cut short by a sudden tug. She followed down her arm to see Pink Diamond, looking at her with his large puppy dog eyes. She tried to look away, yet his pleading look was too powerful. “you’re right.” She sighed. “Why don’t I take a break.” With a flash of light her form came undone, one becoming two. The light died down, now leaving an exhausted Rose and Bismuth in Aura’s place. 

“Dude.” Amethyst’s jaw dropped. “You actually did it.” 

Garnet plopped a hand down on top of his head. “Well done.” She turned her gaze to Bismuth and Rose. “How are you two?”

“Good.” bismuth huffed. “Geeze, we always go too far…”

“Well,” Rose dusted herself off. “At least now we can all take care of Peridot.” Her gaze landed on him as she finished her sentence. “Let’s go.” 

The dilapidated halls of the ship seemed to go on forever, it’s now plant dominated walls beginning to cave in for some areas. He rushed along behind the others, trying to keep up as best he could. He wasn't entirely certain why they allowed him to come, still unsure of himself. Garnet had been seemingly keen on him being here, so he trusted her judgement. At last they caught up to the hallway the monitor had shown, extending off to a room aglow with light. Bismuth raised an arm to stop everyone, turning to Rose and Garnet with a knod. The two nodded back in silent agreement and acknowledgment as they all crept up to the open doorway. She was tapping away at a console, muttering explicits to herself that he had never heard before. It seemed she was attempting to either contact someone, or gather data from the ship. Bismuth led the group, cautiously stepping forward with her blades. The others followed suit, slowly making their way around the walls still outside her peripheral vision. He stayed back, too nervous to move. Bismuth was directly behind her about to swing when the crunch of glass beneath a boot echoed through the room.

“Gah!” Peridot shrieked, firing her blaster into the air. Everyone scattered to avoid the beams as they bounced off the abandoned walls. “What?! How did… ugh, never mind!” She tried to escape, only to have Rose smash her backwards with her shield. “What are you doing!?” She demanded an answer. 

“Taking you down!” Amethyst snapped her whip in an attempt to tangle the green gem, who dodged the oncoming weapon. 

“I need to leave!” She stomped her foot. “You rogue clods can stay on this doomed planet, but I am not shattering here!!!” 

‘Doomed planet?’ He was taken aback by what she said. The earth was fine, if anything she was the only threat to it right now. The others seemed to ignore her words as they all engaged her, finding the gem to be a slippery one. She weaved around a few attacks clumsily before knocking right into him in an attempt to run. He took the opportunity to snag her leg as they fell. 

“Let go of me!” She began to shake and kick. “You weird looking…earth thing!!!” She had been so occupied with him that she hadn’t seen Bismuth's blow coming, knocking her into a wall. 

“W-wait!” She cried as they approached her. “You have no idea what you’re doing! I’m the only one who knows about the…” her sentence was cut short by Garnet dissipating her form, large metal appendages falling to the floor with loud clangs. 

“Well done, everyone.” Rose congratulated as she bubbled Peridot’s gem. 

“Two more to go.” Bismuth joked. 

He could only stare on in confusion as Amethyst picked up the metal limbs for her collection, wondering what Peridot had meant when she said the planet was doomed. Even on the way home he found it hard not to get distracted by it, even though no one else seemed to be affected by her words. He went to bed that night with more questions as to why she was here in the first place, and what this homeworld wanted. 

He needed answers. 

Chapter Text

“Geez, you look like crap, uppercrust.” Bismuth stopped work at her forge as the boy stumbled in awkwardly. 

“I’ve just had trouble sleeping.” He dodged her question with an excuse. She had learned not to pry with the little diamond, her efforts usually being met with insistence he was fine. 

“Whatever you say, big guy.” She resumed her work at the anvil. “What brings you here?” 

He sighed. “I guess it’s just what that homeworld gem said a few weeks ago. About the earth being doomed and how we’re all going to be shattered…”

“Ah, don’t let it get to you, Diamond.” She stopped her hammering to inspect her work. “She was just tryin’ to get in our heads, psyche us out so she could get away.” 

“I guess it worked…” he kicked a stray pebble. “I started having these weird dreams a couple days after, and… well I know you guys don’t sleep, but have you maybe taken a nap or anything lately and seen…things?” 

She stopped and put down the weapon she was working on. “What kind of things?” 

His face paled. “It’s… I’m not entirely sure. There are these gems but they were in pieces…But they’re distorted and, and screaming but…” his eyes glazed over. “They were saying they needed to and w-wanted to a-and they tried to reach for me like I could help them, b-but,” his form began to glow. She left her work immediately to grasp his shoulders. 

“Whoa!” She made sure her grip was right enough to gain his attention. “Calm down, Diamond! Last thing you wanna do is dissipate yourself.” 

He shook his head. “Y-yeah… yeah.” He started to breathe unevenly. 

“There you go,” she hugged him to her chest. “Cool yourself off, nice and slow.” She started up her own cooling systems with him, guiding his breaths to her own. After a moment his glow died down. She left the embrace with her hands still on his shoulders. “Better?” 

“Better.” 

“I’m guessing you already asked the others?” She knew full well he wouldn’t have come to her first about sleeping, which meant Amethyst had nothing for him. 

“Yeah.” He admitted. “I thought asking everyone would help. They say she just freaked me out.” 

“Sounds like it.” She finally let go of his shoulders. “I’m guessing you haven’t been sleeping?” 

“No.” He shrunk some. 

“How long?”

His shoulders hitched up a bit. “A week…” Now that she thought about it, he smelled a lot more like diesel than usual. Sure, they didn’t need sleep, but for him it was a way of saving power, power he was now using to be afraid. 

“Anything we can do to help?” She didn’t think there was, but she’d offer. 

“I guess not.” He admitted. “I just need to get over it…” he paused for some time before finding the courage to speak once more. “I think it’s because she was saying that she was the only one who knew about… something, and that we were all going to die, her included, if we stayed on earth.” 

“Sounds like you’re really hung up on it, huh?” She was never good with these kinds of things, then again, she had found it suspicious as to what those homeworld gems were after. She tried to change the subject quickly before she started making Ill conceived plans of interrogation. “Did you ask Garnet about all this?” 

“Yeah.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “She says she’ll look into it, but other than that she can’t do much.” 

“Well…” she rubbed the back of her neck. “Is there anything else I can do?”

“No,” he smiled uneasily. “Thanks, Biz. For hearing me out. It helped.” 

“Sure thing, uppercrust.” She watched him leave with false contentment, worried more for his mental state than anything. She figured it made sense, he’d never experienced an intelligent enemy before this whole mess began. Being able to get into his head and freak him out like that was worrisome, meant there could be other things they could convince him of. Her thoughts were filled with concern as she continued her work on the unfinished weapon.

***

The phone rang only a second before Connie picked up. 

“Hey,” her voice greeted through the receiver. “Were they able to tell you anything?”

“I guess…” he sauntered down the path to the warp. “They all think I’m just freaked out but… I don’t know, it felt so real! I’ve had dreams before and there was always something surreal about them, this…” he tried to find the words. “Maybe Peridot did scare me.” 

“It’s alright.” Connie assured him as the warp went off. “Nightmares can feel pretty real sometimes.”

“I guess.” 

“If you keep having them, maybe you should speak with a psychiatrist?” She seemed unsure. “I mean, I’m not sure how similar it would be, but they can help you work through stuff.” 

Being a gem he doubted he could, knowing there would be questions. “Thanks Connie!” He opened the door to his room and stepped in. “Maybe that could help!” He lied cheerfully into the phone. 

“Just call if you want to talk.” 

“Alright, bye.” He hung up, considering the device in his hands before tossing it on the coffee table. He only glanced at his bed for a split second before making his way to the couch, plopping down with a sigh. Maybe he could distract himself with tv. 

***

He gasped, surrounded by a familiar void. 

He flailed aimlessly, floating amidst an unending sea of darkness. 

He knew what was coming. It always started this way. 

A light flickered past him, quiet and dim. ‘Wanting to, needing to.’ 

He tried asking it what it needed, what it wanted. 

It came closer to him, a shard, lonely. 

He held it, hovering just above its palms. He begged it to tell him what it wanted of him. 

It only recited its mantra. 

He became frustrated, this couldn’t be a dream, it was too real…

It was real.

“Please!” He clutched his hands around the floating piece. “What do you want from me?!” 

“Want to, need to…” it stopped, as if it had heard him for the first time. “Need form.” 

“Form?” He parroted. “Are you… are you a gem?” 

“Gem, need to, gem.” 

“A-are you…” he couldn't finish. 

Many others began to appear, all different shapes and sizes. Shards so many that they looked akin to stars in the night sky. He watched with horror as more appeared than he had dreamt of before. They all murmured, different at first then in unison. Their mantra ‘wanting to, needing to.’ 

“I don’t understand!” He held the first shard close to him. “Are you all…shattered?” 

The conglomerate of broken minds exploded into a horrid light of agony, voices once quiet screaming for wholeness. He clutched his head, pressing down on his ears to attempt to quiet the onslaught. Their voices were too loud and too many, their cries like that of a hurricane. 

“Stop!” He begged, yet they didn’t listen. They wailed and screeched and moaned in despair. Their voices only grew in agony until all that could be seen was light as bright as the sun itself. 

***

“Gah!” He sprung up, gasping as his form quivered. He had fallen asleep on the couch, the uncovering channel playing on in the background. He tried to control his breathing, taking deep breaths until he calmed down enough to think straight. 

He couldn’t take it anymore, the nightmares, Peridot's words echoing in his mind. 

He needed to know.

He was sure to be as silent as possible making his way to the boiling room, ever watchful of any sound or shadows. He would need to plan everything carefully lest Peridot escaped. He felt she knew something about his nightmares, or at the very least if she didn’t he could ascertain what her threat truly was. He slipped into the room, scanning through the bubbles until locating hers. With quick feet he snatched the bubble and made his way back to his room, extra cautious of his surroundings. 

He rushed into his room, locking the door behind him and ensuring all escape routes were blocked off. He held the bubble up, observing the green gem within. If he did this right, he could get the information he needed then poof her and put her right back where he found her. No one would need to know. With anxiety he popped the bubble, watching as Peridot reformed, strangely exactly in the pose she was in when they destabilized her and mid sentence. 

“…the cluster you CLODS!!!” She froze up, taking in her new surroundings with jaw agape. Her befuddled gaze rounded the room before landing on him. “Y-you!” She backed away from him. “The Steven?!” 

He tried to make himself appear confident, even though he himself had no idea on how to proceed. “Peridot, I…”

“And what is this?” She cut him off, gesturing to the room around them. “Some kind of nest? Den?” She paused, a look of confused disgust now apparent on her face. “You’re not going to try to consume me, are you?” 

“What? No!” He shook his head. “I just wanted to know what… I mean… ugh!” This was far harder than he anticipated. “You said the earth was doomed!”

She eyed him suspiciously. “And?”

“And?” He flustered. “I live here! Just… what do you mean the earth is doomed?” 

“You wish to know?” 

He nodded. 

“Alright, I’ll tell you. Come closer.” He did as she requested, only to get lightly punched in the face with her fist. She held out her arm for a moment, soon realizing her weapon was not aimed at him. 

“Wha? Where are my limb enhancers!” She spun in a circle, searching herself from head to toe. “What did you do with them!?” She pointed accusingly at him. 

“Those things you wore?” He pointed at her shortened limbs, mentally noting how much smaller she was now.

“Yes!” She growled. “Now return them and release me from this den immediately!” 

“No.”

“No?!” 

“Yes.” He crossed his arms. “I’m not giving your stuff back, or letting you out of my room, until you tell me why the earth is doomed.” 

“Argh! Forget it!” She stomped past him to the door.” I’ll just leave myself…” she tugged on the knob, becoming angrier when the door didn’t budge. “Fine, there are other exits!” 

He watched with amusement as she tried every possible escape she could find, growing more and more frustrated as her efforts became fruitless. He decided to step in by the time she was knee deep in the toilet. 

“You can’t leave. This room will only open for me until I say so.” He walked into the bathroom, using every ounce of willpower not to giggle at the sight of her. “Do you give up?” He extended a hand, a peace offering, to which she glared with immense hatred. Having no other choice she accepted his shake. 

“Fine.” She gritted out. “I suppose some assistance will be needed if I am to handle this situation.”

“So.” He leaned against the wall. “Why did you say the earth was doomed?” 

She sighed. “This planet is currently in the process of creating a geo-weapon, the cluster. This weapon is capable of destroying entire planets and is due to emerge soon!” 

“Emerge?” He shifted from his spot. 

“It’s incubating in the earth's crust right now as we speak!” She threw up her arms. “And since all efforts for my rescue have been demolished by you and those rogue gems, I’m trapped here!” 

“Rogue?… the crystal gems?” 

He saw her face fall. “D-did you say, crystal gems?”

“Yes?”

“Stars! Even better!” She began pacing the bathroom. “How can this get any worse!!?”

“I don’t understand. Are you…” he was cut off instantly with her hand in front of his face. 

“That is irrelevant! For now it would be in my best interest not to have to interact with those crystal clods!” She placed a hand on her chin. “For now this den will have to suffice as a base of operations as I map out a suitable plan of action!”

He watched, not daring to mention he would need to give her things back in case she remembered. 

“And you,” she pointed. “Will have to act as my outside agent for the time being! My location must remain anonymous until we are fully capable of dealing with the cluster.” He already didn’t like where this was going. 

“So… you’re just going to hide in my bathroom?” 

“It’s not ideal, but with limited options this,” she waved a hand around the room. “area will have to suffice. Now!” She pushed him out and shut the door. “I need time to think! For now, ensure those crystal clods come nowhere near here!” 

For a few minutes all he could do was stand slack jawed, knowing full well he had just been locked out of his own bathroom by a homeworld gem… who now claimed he was her assistant in stopping a world ending weapon. 

He felt he had made a huge mistake.

Chapter Text

He walked through the halls of the temple, straightened his back as best he could, hoping to stars he didn’t look suspicious in any way. He had originally planned to ease his worries about his nightmares, not find out about the earth going to be destroyed and having to help the only one who could stop it… who was now cooped up in his bathroom, where the other gems didn’t know she was, unbubbled! He just had to play it cool! Maybe Peridot wasn’t so bad and once they saved the world she could really prove herself… or everything could go horribly wrong like it always did and the consequences of his irresponsible actions would bite him in the rear. 

“Yo, Pinkie!” He fought every instinct not to jump at Amethyst's greeting. “Where’ve you been? I’ve been lookin for ya and your room was locked.” 

‘Act natural act natural!’ “Oh you know,” he shrugged. “Just out and about.” 

“Cool. You wanna go get some fries?” 

Food didn’t sound too appealing right now. “I think I’m good, I was thinking of getting a quick pick me up. Probably just an espresso shot with some propane or something.” 

“You still using human fuel for energy?” 

“Well, yeah.” Her question caught him off guard. “Gotta keep going somehow.” His sentence ended in an awkward chuckle. 

She simply eyed him for a brief moment, seeming to want to say something but disregarding it. He could tell she was worried in her own way, even if she wasn’t the greatest at showing it. 

“So,” she opted to switch topics. “What are you planning to do next?” 

“Um, well, you know.” He fumbled for a quick answer. “Just, uh… out for a walk I guess.”

“I mean, it looks like you were heading to the boiling room.” 

Was he? 

“W-what do you mean?”

“We all know you haven’t been sleeping, you told us and all.” She pointed at him. “Let me just tell ya, poking around with stuff like that, bubbled gems or shattered ones, isn’t a good idea.” 

If only she knew he had already done it. Though he was surprised at how to the point she was being. Normally Amethyst was all for trouble making. It was then something crossed his mind. How would she know? Then again she had accidentally let out those shards that took over that mascot, but those weren’t in the boiling room, they were being held by Bismuth when Amethyst bumped into her. Her sentence didn’t entirely add up.

“How would you know?” He cocked his head to the side. “I’ve never seen you mess with the boiling room before.”

She completely froze up, eyes wide. It took a moment for her to fumble out an answer. 

“I-I’m just saying! It’s not a good idea. It’s not like I’ve ever done it or anything!” Her sudden defensive stance had him taken back. “I mean, no one will ever notice it's gone, but like, it would probably cause some big possible issues or something! I don’t know, just don’t do it!” She pushed past him, stomping down the hallway as quickly as her short legs would carry her. He could only wonder what had gotten into her. 

For now he would just need to lay low, help destroy the cluster, and pray everything went smoothly.

***

Coming back, he half expected Peridot to try and make a run for it, yet she didn’t. She had completely devoted herself to utilizing his bathroom as her base of operations, part of him was stunned, she truly was serious about this.

He figured it didn’t matter much. She was currently busy scavenging his home for any supplies she could get her hands on, testing various items and surfaces to see if they were capable of writing with and on. He would be mad at her trashing his room, but frankly he was too tired to care. He made a cup of espresso, pouring an ample amount of gasoline into it. He couldn’t risk nodding off again if it meant more nightmares. Maybe he could figure out how to utilize electricity as well, though recent attempts had been… undesirable. Though he could just straight up eat battery acid… he figured it would cost too much money for the energy he needed. 

He sat down and watched as Peridot ransacked his marker collection and magazines, stowing it away in the bathroom as If she were a hamster building a nest. It took her a few runs but after that it seemed she had what she required for her ‘plan’ to stop the cluster, or at least a brainstorming session. 

At least she was busying herself. She must have been if she forgot he promised her limb things back. He hoped she wouldn’t remember in the event he would need to rummage through Amethyst’s junk pile to find them without her knowing.

***

Another cup down, yet not enough power to keep him above functioning percentages. It frustrated him, the amount of power required to keep his gem up and running was immense in comparison to the others. He never understood why, his gem was roughly the same size as everyone else. It shouldn’t have sucked up so much and required even more. 

He groaned, raking a hand through his hair in frustration. He knew he needed to be in stasis to get him through the nights, but those nightmares were too much for him. Then again, maybe with Peridot here having explained everything to him he wouldn’t have it again. He didn’t want to chance it though, not wanting a repeat of last week. Instead he sat at his table, staring down the clock on the wall as it ticked by endlessly, waiting for sunrise to bathe in its light.  

He must have nodded off at some point because the next thing he knew he was staring off into a vast and dark abyss. He clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable onslaught of screams and wails. He opened his eyes in surprise to see none of that, instead a vast deep ocean-like mindscape met him. 

He felt confusion tug at his mind, this place being so different from his other nightmare. With caution he scanned the strange void, only now noticing the water beneath his feet. It was familiar, he knew this sensation. The solidity of it, being able to stand on it...

Lapis!

As if she had heard his thoughts, she emerged from the watery depths below, watery chains coming from her hands as if she were a warden containing a prisoner. She struggled against whatever lay below, almost not noticing him at first. When she did, her jaw dropped. 

“What are you doing here?” 

He had no idea. 

“Just, never mind! I need to keep control or she’ll break free!” She tugged on the chains, grunting as she did. 

He knew exactly who she was holding down, and he didn’t want to see her.

“Is there any way I can help?!” He stepped forward. 

“Just let me do this for you, for me!” She continued to struggle. “If she escapes our fusion it’ll be all over!” 

“But Lapis!” He cried. 

Lapis was pulled under with a shriek, disappearing into the depths below. In her place, Jasper surfaced with a gasp. She turned to see him, her eyes lighting up with indifferent anger. 

“You?” she sized him up. She tried to walk over to him until the chains around her wrists began to pull. She grunted as she fought against it, struggling to stay above the surface. He could only watch as she was forcefully pulled under, Lapis once again taking her place. 

“I need to focus!” She yelled. “I’m sorry!”

“Lapis!”

“It’s not Lapis anymore.” She faced him, eyes full of remorse. “We’re Malachite now.” She wrapped herself in a veil of water, submerging her body beneath. He rushed over, scanning the area when bubbles began to surface. The world around him began to shake as a larger figure erupted from the waters, her wild green hair and four eyes now pinned on him. Malachite howled as her components fought one another, flailing her chained limbs in an attempt to gain freedom. She smashed her arm downward, forcing him below the surface with the shock wave alone. 

***

He startled awake, flailing a bit before realizing he wasn’t in Malachite's dreamscape anymore. It was a surprise, but he had actually contacted Lapis, actually almost found her in a way. 

He needed to tell the gems.

Chapter Text

It was three days after he told them, three days since Garnet, Bismuth and Rose doubled their search, and three days since Peridot disappeared into his bathroom.

In that time he tried to contact Lapis again, tried napping almost everywhere he could think of in order to pinpoint where Malachite was, yet nothing happened. Though something occasionally did happen, the nightmares, the shards that appeared and screamed to be whole. He didn’t like it, even might have gotten used to it, but it was worth a shot if it meant finding them. In the end he had checked all the continents, thirty countries all near the ocean or body of water. It just wasn’t any good. 

He hoped the others would have more luck. 

***

Once again on the seabed floor, scouring for the unstable fusion known as ‘Malachite’ according to Pink Diamond. The search had been shoddy, practically no leads on where they had gone. Rose knew one thing though, the Lapis would have brought them somewhere deep and secluded. 

This whole situation had her spiraling, all these events one after another. She knew she had to keep it together, for everyone. She couldn’t crumble on them. They needed her to be their leader. 

“Rose!” Garnet came striding up to her. “I think I’ve found her! She’s still unstable, it’ll give us the chance to strike.” 

Rose gave a nod. “Right, we’ll need Bismuth as well if we’re going to take this fusion down.”

Garnet agreed, off to find the blacksmith and regroup. 

They were going to need Tanzanite. 

***

The bathroom door burst open, Peridot scrambling out with a messy pile of papers in hand. She slammed them down on the table, ignoring the Steven’s startle to her actions. 

“I’ve done it!” She proclaimed. “I have successfully devised a suitable plan in order to eradicate our current predicament!” She picked up a piece of paper and waved it in his face. “As you can see here, I will need access to some usable salvage to construct a drill, from there I will also need materials for this device here that will-“ 

“Whoa whoa wait!” He waved his arms, stopping her mid-sentence. “Slow down.” 

Peridot rolled her eyes. 

“Very well.” She splayed out the papers. “I’ll start with our first order of business, locating the coordinates of the cluster.” The paper she pointed at had schematics with gem glyph sloppily written all over it. He could recognize some of the glyphs. “The only problem is that the only location I could find that would obtain this information is currently a moonbase within this planet's gravitational pull.”

“The moon?” 

“Yes.” She didn’t look up to him as she answered, a simple wave of her hand being the only other indication she gave him that she was listening. “The only issue is that without the main warp it’s impossible to get to the base.” 

“There isn’t any way to get there?”

“Not without a ship or fixing the main warp.” She frowned. “However without my robonoids, it’ll be impossible to do so anyways.” 

“Sorry.” 

She finally looked up at him, completely confused. “ You’re sorry?” 

“Um…well yeah.”

She only quirked an eyebrow and continued her brainstorming. “Though that is…appreciated, we have larger concerns to focus on.”

“I don’t know… I mean, building a rocket costs a lot of materials that we just don’t have. You sure there’s no other way to get there?” 

“Hm. Well, we could try and recalibrate one of the local warps to allow us access.” She began to pace. “But that level of ‘access’ is strictly prohibited to any under the most elites of gem society. Attempting to get past those firewalls would be a pointless attempt.”

“We could still try.” At this point he was willing to try anything to stop the end of the world. 

“It just isn’t possible.” She headed back to her paperwork. “For now we just need to focus on the necessary materials that I have listed here.” She handed him the stack of papers and pushed him out the door. “Please return when you have collected them.”He could only stand gobsmacked as she shut said door behind him. 

With a sigh he made his way to the outside, papers in hand that he couldn’t even read. 

He didn’t know much about gem technology, but him and Amethyst had reworked tons of human things… it couldn’t be that hard to open up a restricted area on a warp pad, right? He always figured that there was always a work around for technology, some kind of backdoor. He finally arrived outside and sat on the warp, shuffling through the indiscernible language. Knowing he would never be able to obtain some of these parts he sighed, letting the papers scatter around him. 

If only there were some way he could get to that moonbase warp.

His gem glowed, the warp obeyed. He was engulfed in light, the sudden movement startling him. He could do nothing but flail for a moment before the light died down, sending him tumbling forward on a cool and hard floor. His form ceased its motion when his back thumped into a wall, legs straight in the air and head looking up at a dark ceiling. 

He had no idea where this was. 

He scrambled to his feet, sandals squeaking against the floor's surface as he did. Try as he might, he couldn't get a good enough look around with the amount of light present, the only seemingly good source barely shining from above. He used his powers to jump, barely making it to the edge of where the dim light shone through. Lifting himself up, the sight that met him was astonishing.

A large glass dome with the light of stars shining on in the distance. It looked to be that of the milky way’s area of avoidance, or at least that was what he read in an article about the great attractor. He examined the room with confusion, knowing it wasn’t nighttime. These stars shouldn’t have been visible. His gaze landed on a chair with some sort of control panel desk. He walked up to it, patting the seat as something strange came over him. It felt almost like familiarity. He had never been here before, so perhaps it was simply dejavu from some other sort of furniture he had seen before. It was then his head turned to the edge of the room he hadn’t seen when coming up, the spectacular view of the earth. He pressed his hands against the glass, seeing its blue’s, green’s and white’s. It looked as if it were one giant gem, floating through space on an eternal trajectory around its star. A precious orb filled with life! P̶̮̃ô̸̡t̷͚͠e̶͉ṉ̶̽t̵̗̅i̴̳͊a̷̠͒l̴̙̐ with possibility! F̴͙̋a̴̠̾i̶̮̾l̷̖͋ű̴ͅr̴͚̂ė̶̫ ̷̝͐

He backed away, clutching his gem as two different thoughts seemed to collide, two feelings smashing into each other at full force. He hadn’t the slightest idea of what it was, only that it hurt, Ȉ̸͓t̸̻͂ ̴̜̊h̵̜̓u̷̱̇r̵͚̍t̷̺͐

Į̵͆t̵̫̍̊ ̷̰̔h̶̹͐͜͠u̸̖̯̾r̶̢̪̎ṯ̸̞̍,̶̱̋͋ ̸͚̰̍͋ṫ̸̳͠ͅh̵̯͘a̴̩͉̐t̵͎̞̏ ̸̮̩͗̈́i̵͙̋t̵̛͓ ̷̘͚̀w̴̨̐a̸̲̺͒̈́s̶͙̏ͅ ̸̣͇̏͗h̸̯̗̃e̴̡͆ͅr̶̰͗̋ ̸̖͛͐f̴͉̾̃a̵̟ͅu̷̙̳̓̎l̷̜̿̕ṱ̵̂͌

S̴͇̒ȟ̶̼̫ͅę̴̛̯̞̪̒ ̷̰̽̑͋̅̕͘c̵̬̮̼̈́ó̴̢̳͋u̸̢̢̯̪̳̅͛̍l̶̨̛͓̣̥͕̐d̸̳̜̪̯̽̃͒̑͝͝n̵̲̞̈́̅͒͜͝’̸̜̊̔̈́̈́͌̈́t̷͓͎͝ ̶̘̺͊̈́̍̌m̷̥̟̳͇͋͛̑͝a̵̫̘̺̙̦̒̌̄̆̊̇k̶̙̐̎̈́͝ę̸̨̯͈͚́ ̴̞͔͝ȩ̸̧̫̩̹̒̿v̵̧̛̰̝͖́͆̀͋ė̸̱̜̍̓̿̕ŗ̸̝͔̏̒̕̚͜͝y̶̖̼̣͙͔̏̉̈́o̷̧̽̽͘͜ͅņ̷̢̛͖̣̈́̕é̴̦̚ ̴̼͇̲̥̑h̸̠̰̹̥̻̿̈̊̅ȧ̶̱̼͈̮̆̏̊͘p̶͈͇͚̩̗͚͗̎͆p̴̰͔͍͚͉͛̏̅̿͘͝ͅy̵̹

W̸̡̧̫͋̈̆̊̂͑̈́͆h̸̫̘͇̤̰͕̞̣̾͑͝ḯ̴͈̜̻͈̃t̶̡̨̂̎̉̆̇̋̅̐͜ȩ̴̩̝̫̩̖̙̒̉̀̂͒̌̕ ̵̖̥̽̽͗͒̔̐̀̄͝w̵͈͎̬̗̯̙͘ȃ̷̛͉͚͎͒͝ṡ̴̠̙̥͈̎͝͠ ̴͚̘̗̈́̂͐͆͠͝r̵̡̧̞̪͕̝̺̖̩̆ï̸͈̹̟̅͊̈́̈́͘̚ģ̸̢̪̲̤̖͈̱̗̏͆́͒̾̔̽̈́h̷̝͂t̴̢͚̘̣͎̅̋͆̆̕…̵̢̧̞̘͔̻̹̿͒̑͐͂̕͜͝͠

S̵̡̨̫̤̰̯̗̝͇̗͍͉͓̞̦͎̒̚̚͜h̴̨̡̞̝̗̝̘͙̖̙̆͐̓͗ͅe̷̡̨̝͙͚̤̫̳̗̘̽̉ ̵̧̨̼̫̖̪͓̥͌͗̂̌̇̌͊ͅͅͅw̴̧̡̹͔͓̰͚̣̖̺͇̯̬̆͌̔͌̒͋͆̂̔͗͗͐̚͜͠ă̷̡̛̼̦͙͕͔̲͙̭̮̮͍̙̂͒̂͒̍͜͝s̵̢̢̝̤̼͚̯̞̫̱̠͈̠̲̩̥̓͝ ̸̛̛̤̻͖̇̇̆̇͛͒͝à̶̢̨̨̡̨̨̯̣̲̤̪̺̺͎̰̾͂͆̏̍͆ͅ ̸̡̜̝͊̈́̇̒̈̿̃̂͒̎̌̌̄̃̎̐͘f̸̡̨̭̣̘͖̻͔̬̙͉͕̩̑̇̈́̿̋͊̋̅͗̈̋̓̄̌͝a̶̧̹̜̺̤̗͕̗̘̖͔͂͆̌̏͐̔̑͠ͅi̵̡̧̨͖͕͕̜͗̀̽̎͗̓̈́̔̍͠͝͝l̷̨̢̛͓̥̮̙͉͚̫͌́͗͋͒̊͂͋͑̾̚͝͝ŭ̶̪̩̘̜̩̞͔͙͆̄͊̌͊̃͒͠͠r̷̨̡̨̛͓͇̱̱̖̘͇̟̗̋̑̈͂͂̚͜͝͝͝ë̶͇̘̈́͋͛̈́̃̃͐́̎̕͝͝

He landed on his knees, panting as he held his midsection. He could only sit there for some time, panting laboriously as his form quivered. 

What had that been? 

He brought his hands up where he could see them, considering them for a short time. They trembled, unable to stabilize try as he might. 

“M-must just be a g-glitch…” he spoke aloud to try to convince himself. It was most likely due to the distance traveled, yes that must have been it! He’d never traveled this far before so it would make sense his gem would react that way!

Now satisfied with his self explanation, he hurried back down to the warp in question. Peridot would want to know about this.

***

The fusion struggled against herself, against the watery tomb she had made for herself. 

She wanted to destroy all who opposed her with her new strength. 

She wanted to keep herself far away from all who she could hurt.

A few moments after she fused she felt a sickening connection, like two magnets pulled against each other against their will. They wanted this, yet at the same time wanted nothing of this. She was locked in a battle against herself that she couldn’t win, an existence she both loathed and loved. 

She could feel one side of her begin to fail, a half of her whose will was weaker even though their power was stronger. The one who desired power had relished in this newfound strength, making her will more powerful, taking control. 

After what felt like weeks she began to want to test her power, unleash whatever was hidden within. 

She no longer cared about escaping earth, and she no longer cared about un-fusing. 

She wanted to wreak havoc. 

From the depths she plunged with manic excitement. 

Who could stop her now?

Just before she broke the surface her metaphorical question was answered. A fist came flying in from her peripheral, landing a blow on her face. The punch sent her breaching from the water's surface, flying high into the air before smashing back down into the ocean. She surfaced with rage and fear, scanning the area for what had attacked her, almost excited for a new opponent and at the same time nervous. 

Who emerged was a large fusion, a head or two taller than herself. Her hair was that of bulky dreads that ran down her back. Her face had what could only be described as a mask that only covered her mouth, though it looked like an extra pair of lips. Her two eyes glowed with white light and her six arms clenched readily for a battle. 

The Jasper side of Malachite was enthralled, having a worthy opponent to test her new skills on.

Without another word she lunged, using her water powers to propel herself at the other fusion. The other fusion only caught her hands, the two now struggling against one another in their iron grips. 

“About time someone showed up!” Malachite’s two voices sneered. “Figured I try out my strength!” 

The fusion huffed, sweeping one of her legs into Malachite’s own. She flipped her and tossed her without thought into a nearby island, the impact alone shaking the very ground. It wasn’t until the other fusion was on the beach that Malachite spoke again.

“Wait! Stop! I can’t hold her!” She shrieked. 

“Shut up!” She began to argue with herself. “I’m so much stronger now!”

“I won’t let you do this!”

***

Tanzanite watched in pity, seeing the unstable fusion writhe as she fought with herself. Her personalities were clashing, the Jasper only wishing violence and the Lapis only seeking seclusion. She wasn’t in sync, she was barely a fusion at all. 

Tanzanite steadied herself. If she could separate them, then the Lapis could be free and the Jasper taken care of. She would need to act quickly lest Jasper take complete control. 

With one swift jump she was on top of Malachite, struggling to grapple the gem on her nose. Malachite reacted instinctively, summoning water chains that wrapped around each of her wrists. She would not let this stop her, with mighty pulls she broke free, each freed hand landing a blow to the other fusion. Malachite responded, summoning her helmet to bash Tanzanite in the face, then summoning a large fist made of water to knock her into the sky. 

She recovered quickly, turning herself mid air to get into the perfect striking position. She fell downward with firsts in front. Her mask opened like that of a snake, revealing her mouth beneath, as she roared. 

It was mere seconds that the scene became nothing more than sand particles and dust in the air on impact.

Chapter Text

Peridot stood slack jawed for a brief moment, seeing the inside of a Diamond moon base with her own eyes. The Steven showed up with a ‘warp whistle.’ A simple device used to bypass gem authentication and allow access for non-gems. As interesting as that was, a much more important query was on her mind. 

“How?” She flailed her arms outward. “How did you bypass the top security protocols!?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “It’s probably out of date, broken…or something.”

“It shouldn’t be possible! The firewall would have been foolproof, no amount of wear or time should have diminished it’s programming!” She eyed the device. “Especially that thing!” 

He was genuinely confused. Even with the lie of using the warp whistle and not his gem he was still able to come here. Thankfully Greg lent it to him so Peridot wouldn’t find out he’d been lying to her about being human this whole time.  

“Maybe the whistle confused it?” He tried to supply. 

Peridot grasped her nose in frustration. “Well, at least we can be thankful for this…glitch in the system.” She brightened her gem, the light becoming a flashlight in the darkness. He watched her face light up like a kid at Christmas as she spun around the room. “No way! They’re all here!”

He followed as she ran up to some sort of mural, one he hadn’t noticed before with no light of his own at the time. 

“Who’s here?” He looked to the mural. “Those carvings?”

“These are depictions of homeworld leaders!” She beamed. 

“The Diamonds!”

He felt himself stiffen, almost unable to comprehend the information. His gem began to stir with this purpose he was never aware of. He was meant to lead? Him!? He could barely summon a panel for more than a minute, how would he ever be able to lead others?! More questions arose, more queries he couldn’t Piece together. How many diamonds were there? We’re diamonds meant to lead on the planet they incubated on? Was he supposed to be a leader but then abandoned long ago by homeworld due to his deficiency? Did they know he even existed or was even still alive? He hadn’t realized he’d been ignoring Peridots ramblings until her light was in his face. 

“…they are also the most powerful and perfect beings in all of gem society! Including my diamond!” She gestured in grandeur at the mural of what appeared to be a gem, a multitude of orbs around her indicating some sort of ownership. “Yellow Diamond!”

He looked at the mural, something from within sparked recognition.

“She is the most logical and greatest decision maker in all of gemkind!” Peridot continued her spiel. “Her perfection is what pushes homeworld forward in technological advances!” She finally noticed him, staring at the mural with a blank expression. 

“I know,” she pat him on the back. “Even just seeing an artistic representation of them is awe inspiring!” He jerked out of his trance to respond with a nod. “Now, let’s get going! We’ll need those coordinates!” She circled the room, patting the floor in search of something. 

“Now if I just…” she pressed into the floor, causing a spiral staircase to float up along the walls. “There we go.” He went up first, climbing the staircase while never letting his eyes off the murals as they passed by them. 

“Isn’t this incredible?” She noted behind him. “We are literally walking in the footsteps of the diamonds!” He inwardly cringed at the irony behind her words. 

Once at the top, Peridot turned off her light and made way for the console. Examining it top to bottom in awe. 

“Man! What a relic! You don’t see technology like this anymore!” 

“So…” he waltzed up to the old console. “Can you get it to work?” 

“Pff, please” she kept her eyes on the objective in front of her. “This will only take a second!” 

He waited as she brought up files, scouring through for the location as she did. He hopped onto the large chair, noting how it felt…familiar…as if it was made for…

“Aha! I got it!” Peridot opened a map, revealing the continents of earth. Peridot typed something in that generated a small blinking dot. “There it is.” She pointed. “The cluste-aaagh! What are you doing?!”

“Sitting?” 

“You can’t sit there! That’s where the most elite of the elite sit!” She shrieked. “Only those with the highest authority are allowed to use that!” 

“Well… they aren’t here right now, right?” A mischievous grin spread across his face, patting a spot next to him. “Come on, it isn’t going to hurt anyone.”

She hesitated, looking between the seat and him for a few moments. She slowly climbed on, sitting down on the seat with a giggle. “I suppose they wouldn’t mind if we wrapped up our search here.” 

He smirked as she memorized the coordinates and began exiting the program, only to stop when she noticed a file. 

“Huh,” she leaned in and opened it. “Looks like the old plans for the colony.”

“Colony?” He sat forward as he asked. 

“The original intention for this planet.” She answered in a beat. “This was originally planned to be a gem colony, you know…” she pressed a button and a hologram of the earth came up. He watched as the planet itself was dissolved from the inside, an artificial dead world in its place. 

“Wow, this place would have had anything.” Peridot noted. “The amount of planned features is astonishing.” 

“W-wait,” he sprung up from the seat, panic beginning to fill him. “Is…is this what gems do? Destroy planets?” 

“Please, there’s no destruction.” She waved a hand. “It’s colonization, taking wild resources and making them into something useful. It’s not like anyone else was using it.”

“I’m using it!” he yelled, his form lighting up a bit. “Every organic living here uses it!” 

Peridot hopped off the seat. “N-Now that’s not what I… erm, what I mean is, why don’t we focus on stopping the cluster so we don’t…”

“Don’t get killed like everyone else on this planet would have?” He turned to the console, angry. This purpose he could never identify, it couldn't be this, had to be anything else. He wasn't some life sucking monst… 

He thought of his hole, the devastation left in his wake. He thought of the kindergarten, the sight of dead canyons as far as the eye could see. Yet where theirs were small, his was massive. He thought of what Peridot said, how powerful and strong diamonds were, how much power it took to make them. His fists clenched, staring down the machine that showed him the image of the earth eroding away.

He struck the machine without thinking, a vain attempt to rid his mind of the onslaught of emotion. He hadn’t expected it to dent on impact, the console going dark the moment he struck it. 

He backed off immediately, surprised by his own outburst. He had gotten angry before, but something about this place… something about that hologram…he needed to leave, now. 

“I’m…so sorry, can…” he looked on at the now dented console. “Can we leave now?”

***

The warp back was silent, Peridot eyeing him suspiciously. She herself was no expert in the organics on this planet, but she knew one thing for sure that the reports never once mentioned bioluminescent humans. He claimed to be a ‘rare type’ but even then she had her doubts. He could very well be an anomaly or even a new genetic variant on the planet. 

The way he glowed did not match any bio luminescence she had seen recorded before. His glow was brighter, brought on by aggression and did not match any database previously recorded on the light spectrum. 

Or maybe perhaps she was simply distracting herself as opposed to feeling guilt for her words. She hadn’t been…delicate. Perhaps she could be more gentle with the Steven with gem ways… still, there was something very not organic about him. She would have to test that hypothesis at a later date. For now, retreating back into his den for their next move was top priority. 

She followed him into the abode, only to stop dead in her tracks with him. 

In his room stood the Amethyst raiding some food storage unit. Their eyes locked and Peridot bolted behind the Steven, using him as a shield. 

There were a few moments of shocked silence until Amethyst spoke. 

“Dude!” She screamed. 

“I…I can explain!” The Steven was quick to respond. 

“Look man, I get you wanted answers but trust me,” she pointed a finger at Peridot. “She’s not going to help anything! She attacked us!”

“You attacked me as well!” Peridot shot back. “How do we know you can be trusted?!” 

The Amethyst only stared at her while summoning her whip. “Oh she’s going down.” 

“Amethyst! This is serious!” 

“How serious can this be, I mean…”

“As in, the earth is in danger of being destroyed!” He cut her off. “I saw the plans myself, there’s something underground, something big that’s going to destroy the world if we don’t stop it!”

Amethyst un-summoned her whip. “…for real?”

“Yeah.”

“So that’s why you were here?” The short quarts pointed at Peridot. “There’s literally a planet destroying monster underground?”

“There is.” Peridot finally spoke up. “And if we don’t act now we’re all going to be shattered!” 

“Amethyst, can I talk to you for a moment?” He motioned Peridot to return to the bathroom, to which she gladly went. Amethyst just watched in confusion as the small green gem sneered at her while slowly closing the door. 

“Ok, but… dude.” She followed him to the tunnels just outside his room, heading to the main exit. "Are you sure you can trust her?”

“Like I said, I saw the plan myself. On this weird moon base thing.” He shrugged with slight irritation. “She seems legit…” 

“There’s a base on the moon?” Amethyst cocked her head. 

“Yeah… ok ok, look. Long story short, we need Peridot's help and the others can’t know I let her out! Please don’t tell Rose.” 

“Sure.” She reluctantly agreed. “But seriously, be careful, bro.” 

“I will… and about the homeworld stuff.” He began to fiddle with a stray curl. “She did tell me something…or rather, she showed me something about my gem type… I was wondering if…”

“You knew about what diamonds are supposed to do?”

Amethyst chortled, playing off the awkwardness and tension. “I mean, what’s that matter here? None of us need a purpose, that’s what makes it cool.” 

“I know, it’s just that, seeing some big carvings of one of them… I just can’t get this feeling out of my head, like I’m supposed to know something… ugh.” He cupped his head in his hands. 

“Know…what?” She stiffened like a board. “Like a… memory?”

“No… I don't think so.” He refuted. “I just need to know what we’re up against without having to dance around Rose and the others. I just want to know what to do for once…” 

There was a moment where Amethyst considered something, something she had never even thought of before. “Well I know that diamonds are a big deal to homeworld gems…maybe if you… nah.”

“What?” With interest peaked he leaned in. 

“Look, there might be a person… The problem is they aren’t the talking type..” 

“Tell me who it is!” He began to feel desperation crawl up his form. “Maybe I can talk to them!”

“Well…” they had arrived at the boiling room when it opened, revealing Garnet, Rose and Bismuth all looking frazzled, an inert Lapis in Garnet’s arms. 

“What happened?” He ran up to her, noting her light feeling much less bright. “Is she okay?”

“She will be.” Rose huffed. “We just need to find a place for her to replenish her energy source.”

Amethyst scanned the three, obviously looking for one more key component. “Where’s Jasper?”

“We lost her.” Bismuth admitted. “Two un-fused just as the island began to break apart…” 

“What’s important is they’re no longer trapped in that fusion.” Garnet stopped the blacksmith. “Come on now, we can search for Jasper after we all get some rest.” 

The three departed without another word, all too tired to want to do anything other than sit in the sun for twenty years. 

The younger gems looked to each other, both now fed up with the silent treatment of their elders. If there was a chance they could help stop a world ending monster, Amethyst would take it. 

“I’ll show you where it is.” She stepped on to the warp, waiting for him to come along as well. 

“Where what is?” He hopped on to the warp as well. 

“The Hermit's camp..” 

With that they were whisked away in a white light.

Chapter Text

Malachite roared with fury as her opponent got the upper hand. The island they had battled on was nothing more than a path of destruction in their wake. The other fusion lifted her hammer, striking down with the force of a tornado and the speed of lightning. 

***

Lapis gasped as she brought her arms up to protect herself, only to realize she was only herself. There was no Malachite, no Jasper, just her. 

She cautiously took in her surroundings, pink as far as the eye could see. Fluffy looking clouds that were solid to walk on, yet soft to the touch. 

“Are you alright?” A soft voice came from behind, causing Lapis to react. She tried to summon moisture from the clouds to use as water weapons, yet nothing came from them. She assumed this ‘place’ must be an illusion. She faced the one who spoke, Rose Quartz. 

“What do you want from me?!” She backed away. “Where am I? What’s going on?!”

“It’s okay.” Rose assured her. “Me and the others were able to separate you from  Jasper. You’re in my room.”

“You captured her?” There was more than shock in her voice, something almost sickeningly sorrowful. 

“We’re… still looking.” Rose admitted. 

Lapis' eyes widened in horror, knowing Jasper was still out there. 

“So… what do you want from me?”

“Just for you to be safe.” Rose backed away, asking the room for the exit. “Steven trusts you, so we will too.”

“Steven?” She perked up at the mention of his name. “Where is he?”

***

He yanked his arm from a plant as it snagged on his jacked, the tiny thorns scraping against him. The foliage was dense here, far tighter together than other places he had been. Trees packed together, leaves intertwined with one another and the plants below so wound up against one each other  one would think they were a single being. 

“Almost there.” Amethyst informed him. “You’ll want to be in your tall form for this, otherwise you might not get anywhere.”

“I still don’t get it.” He pushed some leaves away. “Who is this person? The hermit?”

“A homeworld gem.” Amethyst shrugged. “I met her a couple hundred years ago but no matter what I tried, she always ended up screaming while throwing things at me. Almost hit me with a sharp rock right between the eyes once. So a couple decades ago I just gave up.”

“But!” She turned and pointed to him. “She might listen to you, since homeworld gems really like diamonds for some reason.”

“Ok…but what if she doesn’t?” He asked nervously.

“I don’t know, run?” Her shrug didn’t help the climbing anxiety. “Here we are!” Amethyst stepped into a small clearing, a delicately written sign in gem glyph hanging from a tree… surrounded by broken glass and chipped rocks.

“Yeah, this is as far as I’m going.” She slapped him on the back. “Good luck buddy! I’ll be waiting for ya!”

“Wait, you’re not coming with me?” He shrieked. 

“She’ll just get mad if I’m there.” Amethyst turned around while waving. “You’ll do fine!” He watched helplessly as she disappeared into the thicket. 

He turned slowly, seeing a small cave off in the distance. He gulped and transformed to his true diamond form, praying that Amethyst was correct that this mystery hermit wouldn’t try to kill him on sight. 

He cautiously approached, observing the makeshift home within a crevice in the stone. He wouldn’t call it a cave as much as it was an overhang. The ‘entrance’ was covered up with some kind of pink material, almost like the curtain, long worn and shredded by time. The ground was clean and pristine, as much as stone could be, not a speck of dirt to be found anywhere. He could see various items all neatly stacked and categorized, weapons, symbols and plaques. A part of him knew these things, objects used for either battle or decoration. Very slowly he approached the ‘doorway’ clearing his throat very lightly. 

“U-um, excuse me?” His voice squeaked. “A friend of mine, an Amethyst, said you could help me?”

“Go away.” An miserable and angry voice responded from within. “I’ve already told you people I’m not interested!” 

He tried to explain himself. “I-I um…I just wanted to a-ask you abo…”

“I said,”

“GO. AWAY!!”

A spear whizzing past his ear and embedding itself into a nearby tree added to solidify the message. A slim gem came barreling out with another spear in hand, her stone atop her forehead, her leotard devoid of frills and plain aside from the pink diamond shape on her chest. 

“For the last time! I want nothing to do with you or your crystal…” she halted, mouth agape at the sight before her. Her weapon dropped from her grasp instantly, the item bouncing with a twang against the hard stone. 

“It can’t be.” She whispered. 

He stood in complete terror, not moving a single inch in fear she would attempt to screwer him again. 

Yet she didn’t. The slim gem approached him, a hand out to reach for him as if he were a ghost. He backed up slowly, startling when he bumped into a tree. With wide eyes he watched as she tenderly lifted his shirt, seeming to be confused by the orientation of his gem. But his eyes...his pupils.

“It’s…” she clamped a hand down on her mouth. “It’s really you!” She beamed, the hostility from before eradicated. 

“Um…y-yes?” He kept his back pressed against the tree. 

“This is… this is wonderful!” She clapped her hands together, eyes now shining with pure joy. “You’re really here! You’re not shattered, you're here!” 

He had no idea what was going on. Shattered?

“Oh stars! This is wonderful! Incredible!” She was on her toes, as close to his face as she could be with his height. 

“My Diamond!” She made an odd gesture with her arms, mimicking the shape she was referring to.

Her diamond??? Was this some kind of greeting or gem etiquette?  Was he being rude by not responding in turn? 

“It’s nice to meet you…uh…?” He looked at her gem, it’s round and smooth surface unblemished unlike his. He felt he knew it, knew it better than any other gem he’d seen before. “Um…”

“Pearl…” she almost looked disappointed for a brief moment before stifling it down. “Pearl, my diamond.” 

“Oh, sorry.” He rubbed the back of his head. 

“There’s no need for you to be sorry, my diamond!” She was quick to perk up. “After all with you here, we can finally go home!”

Her sudden overwhelming onslaught caught him off guard. “Home?” 

“Oh it will be so wonderful! Back home with its pristine and clean floors, it’s well organized halls!” We can go back to homeworld! Leave this,” she looked around in disgust. “Unruly place behind!” 

He babbled for a few moments. “W-w…I… what?” 

Her face fell. “What’s wrong, my diamond? Don’t you want to go home?” She pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Unless… oh stars, is it me?!”

“What, no! I just…” 

“What was I thinking?! A Pearl who’s been trapped here for so long serving a diamond?! I’m rusty! Unfit! I’m not even properly decorated or dressed!!!” He watched speechless as she paced frantically. “How could I be so thoughtless? Of course I’m not fit to fill this position, I need to be replaced…”

“Wait!” He held up his hands in placation. “Calm down. Besides, I think you look okay.”

“You do?” She asked incredulously. 

“Y-yeah.” 

Her cheeks lit up a light blue. “Stars, I’m so sorry, my diamond. I’m just so flustered and so glad that you're alive!”

Amethyst wasn’t joking when she said that homeworld gems loved diamonds. It was almost creepy. 

“Even if you do look…” she scanned him up and down. “Er… different.”

“Different?” Was she referring to another pink diamond his whole time and assumed he was them? 

“B-but that is just fine!” Her mania returned. “All that’s important is that you’re here, you’re back! We can make this work!” 

He began to feel guilt grow in the pit of his gem. He wasn’t who this Pearl lady thought he was, this other diamond person. “I think you have mistaken me for someone else…” he tried to put it as delicately as possible. “I… don’t believe we’ve met before.” 

“Y-you… don’t remember me?” 

He shook his head. 

“You don’t… remember anything, do you?” 

“I don’t remember anything before emerging seventeen rotations ago… sorry.” 

Her face sunk. “You don’t remember me and I threw a spear at you…” she steeled herself and snagged his arm. “Alright then, this way, my diamond!” She dragged him into the small cave, ducking under the fabric doorway to reveal the inside. It was even more pristine and organized than the outside was, all manner of objects arranged by shape, color and type. The one pile that caught his eye was a neat pile of pink shards, small pieces of rock purposely scattered across a makeshift table. 

“Alright,” she made her way to the pile. “There’s no need to worry, we’ll have you fixed in no time!” Her sudden shift in demeanor was like whiplash. One moment she wanted him dead, then wanted nothing more than to adore and now she was going full tinker mode. “If you could, my diamond, would you lift your clothing article so I may better observe your gem?” 

Without saying a word he did as requested, not daring to set her off in any way lest he be pummeled. She inspected the missing crevice carefully that lay on the facet of his gem, sizing it up for the piece that fit. She began to sift through the pile when it dawned on him what those were. 

They were gem shards. 

Once living beings, now broken and dead. 

His vision tunneled onto the pile as Pearl effortlessly rifled through it as if it were nothing. He felt no life from them, no whispers, only dead silence came from them. It was so much different from his nightmares, souls cut in such a perfect way that they could be separated yet not killed. These…

These had been slaughtered without thought. 

“A-are th-thos-e…” he barely lifted a finger to point. 

“Sadly yes.” She answered without a beat. “Not to worry, my diamond. I believe they were mostly rebel pink court gems… I think.”

He couldn’t be in the room any longer. Without another word he turned and left, walking as fast as his legs could carry him. Pearl, however, still caught up, rambling apologies about the sight. He hadn’t listened to a single word of it, turning to her with fear. 

“Who did that to them?” He kept his distance from her. 

Pearl paused, now recalling that she was dealing with an amnesiac. “They were shattered in the war, my diamond.” 

“War? What war?”

“The war thousands of years ag…”She clammed up, seeing the issue was greatly upsetting ‘her’ diamond. “Please don’t worry yourself with that, it’s all over now and they can’t hurt you anymore!”

They? Getting hurt? shattered? He felt he had even more questions now than he did before. He looked back to her, realizing whatever this war was had messed her up for sure. She had been collecting pieces of pink stones, all to…

To bring back someone from the dead. 

It dawned on him. She was foolishly grieving the loss of this other pink diamond, this person she held in such high regard, to the point where she had been finding any piece of their… their corpse she could locate. What was fear and panic soon became pity and empathy. this Pearl had obviously been through a lot. For now maybe playing along and humoring her would help, at least until she could process everything herself… or maybe bailing was the best option.

“Well, it was really nice meeting you.” He lifted a hand for her to shake. “I do need to get going though, there’s another friend I need to meet up with.” 

She looked at the hand, not sure what to do with it at first. Eventually she lifted hers in return, accepting the shake with complete confusion. “Well, we should get going, my diamond.”

We? 

He had a bad feeling about this.

***

Amethyst hung from one of the branches of a tree, pretending to be a snake. Coiled around she swished her tail playfully in an attempt to entertain herself while pinkie was off dealing with the crazy lady. He had been taking a long time… maybe she should check in on him…

As if on cue he came strolling back, awkwardly having his hands stuffed in his pockets. 

“Hey, dude.” She shifted back to normal and landed on the ground. “What took you so long?” It was then she noticed the hermit herself standing behind him, her posture now prim and proper with an actual smile on her face. “Uh…?” 

“Um… Amethyst,” he gestured to the gem standing behind him. “I’m sure you’ve met Pearl, and Pearl, Amethyst.” 

Immediately Pearl’s face hardened. “Indeed.” She sneered at the nuisance before her.

“Well, she had decided that um…” he rocked on his heels. “That she wants to come back with us…”

Amethyst's jaw almost dropped right to the forest floor. The gem she had spent hundreds of years trying to talk to being effortless won over in just a few minutes by him. 

She suddenly remembered something. “That might be a problem dude…”

“Why?” He practically whined. 

“Um, we'll see.” She fiddled with her hands. "The others don’t exactly know about her…” 

Chapter Text

“What do you mean they don’t know about her?!” 

“I never told them!” Amethyst threw her arms up. “I don’t know, she seemed harmless aside from hating me so I never thought to tell them!”

Pearl watched as the two went back and forth, that Amethyst daring to argue with her diamond. How immature of her. 

“Um, I’m sorry, Pearl.” She stood at attention at her name. “Would you give us a second real quick? We have to talk about something.” 

“But of course, my diamond. Take all the time you need.” She waved a hand nonchalantly. 

He smiled awkwardly as he and Amethyst stepped a little farther away. Once out of earshot he pulled amethyst in closer. 

“You didn’t tell me she would stick to me like glue!”

“How would I know?” She retorted. “She, like, hated me and everyone else! I thought your type would make her tolerate you, not follow you around like a lost puppy!”

“What do we do?!” He let go of her shoulders. “I can’t just waltz back to the temple with her, the others will be mad!”

“You can’t just tell her you’re leaving?”

“I tried!” He added emphasis by pounding his open palms on his chest. “She won’t leave! She keeps saying it’s her ‘duty to protect me’ or something!” He sighed when Amethyst gave him a look. “She thinks I’m someone else… and I kind of feel bad for her because… I think that person is dead.” 

“Dude. Now is not the time to have a bleeding heart.” 

“I knooooow.” He whined. “But she was just so angry and sad and lonely I just… I can’t say no!” 

“Ugh.”’Amethyst prepared for the inevitable explosion incoming on their arrival at the temple. “Let’s go.” 

They arrived back to where Pearl was standing, a smile wide on her face in the exact position they had left her in. 

“Ok…so…” He took the lead of the conversation. “We need to head back to the temple. Just, um, stay behind me and Amethyst and we’ll… uh…explain the situation to the others.They are not exactly trusting of new gems.”

“Whatever you wish, my diamond.” She positioned herself to be directly behind him, giving Amethyst an ugly look when the little quarts didn’t fall in line between them. 

“Uh…” Amethyst cocked her head. 

“I believe she said to stay behind.” Pearl pointed to the spot in front of her. 

“Him?” Amethyst pointed, confused as to who she was referring to. 

“He?” Pearl squeaked. “I apologize, I didn’t know you were embracing… organic customs.” 

“It’s ok!” He was quick to respond. “I really don’t mind, if it makes you more comfortable…” he was almost surprised she knew about human pronouns, meaning she may have had some run-ins with them. He also knew he wouldn’t want to offend her culture, or just assume she would know just by looking at him. 

“Oh stars no!” Pearl stood taller. “If his radiance wishes it then I would never dare address him as otherwise.” Her posture was dripping with elegant smugness. 

“Thank…you?” He looked at Amethyst who only shrugged. “We should um, get moving then…” he was anxious about how this next meeting would go over. 

***

The walk back was nerve racking, Amethyst preparing the group with a text to meet them outside. They had concocted a lie, to his guilt, of finding someone in need of a place to stay. Pearl had promised she wouldn’t mention she was from homeworld, even promised without him saying to refrain from it altogether. At the very least she was cooperative… he thought. The three stood outside as the gems emerged, Pearl tucked behind his now smaller form by the cliff side. He could tell that Pearl highly disagreed with him ‘hiding’ his diamond attributes but said nothing against it. 

“So what’s all this?” Bismuth was the first to speak, arms crossed. 

“S-so we uh, found someone a-and she seemed like she needed a place to stay.” He recited the lines they had prepared. “It’s just we wanted to alert you guys first.”

“How come?” Rose stepped forward, eyes full of suspicious worry. 

“She’s uh…” Amethyst looked at him. “Kinda like us?”

Garnet sighed in frustration and Bismuth clenched the bridge of her nose, clearly not ready for even more problems. 

“Just please don’t freak out on her!” He pleaded. 

They all nodded, each counting down from ten in preparation. 

He turned over and whispered to the corner of the stone. “Alright, you can come out now.” From the corner came a rainbow Pearl, her hair a wild mess and clothes plain, yet she stood tall and at attention as if she were in the presence of greatness itself. She opened her eyes and that regal air melted away, hostility taking place the moment her gaze landed on Rose.

“You!” She shrieked, now in a defensive stance in front of him. 

Rose sunk, already emotionally exhausted from the whirlwind coming her way. She recognized this Pearl. 

“Stay back my…” Pearl froze a split second, remembering what her diamond had requested her to call him. “Steven!” She pulled a spear from her gem, completely prepared to be shattered if it meant protecting him. 

“Get away you monsters!!!” 

“Pearl, wait!” He tried to get in front of her to no avail. “There’s no need to…”

“Just stay behind me! I’ll protect you from these rebel scum!” 

Bismuth’s eye twitched and Rose’s face sank, Garnet simply stood completely still, unfazed by the entire encounter. 

“They're my friends!” He grasped her arm in an attempt to lower her spear. “They won’t hurt us, I promise!” 

“You’re what!!!” She stuttered. “The crystal gems, your friends! These shattering, murderous filth are a menace to gemkind!!!” 

This was not going as planned. 

“You 're ok with Amethyst, right?” He tried. 

“Well, she never…” she couldn’t finish the sentence, her free hand covering her mouth in what looked like grief. “ She can’t be trusted!” Her spear was thrust at Rose. “You…you…” even words could not describe the hatred this gem apparently held towards the quartz soldier. “How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!!!” She began rambling. 

“You think because he trusts you that it has just… wiped away what you did?!” 

“Pearl!” He pleaded. “What’s wrong!” 

She ignored him, instead lowering her stance. Rose replied only by summoning her shield, head held low and bangs covering her eyes. Pearl was ready to leap when her diamond blocked the both of them. 

“Please stop!” He stood facing Pearl, arms splayed out in the air. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know you knew each other and… and if there was something that happened between you two, it doesn’t have to come to this!” He didn’t budge, looking her in the eyes with an emotion so… purely concerned. “Please stand down, Pearl.” 

She obeyed the accidental order, placing her weapon back into her gem and once again standing at attention. “Of course, Steven.” She eyed Rose with murderous intent. “If that’s what you want.” She grit out the last sentence through her teeth, a show of what a real and loyal gem would do. 

“Thank you, Pearl.” He inched away, praying the moment he left their peripheral that they wouldn’t try and murder each other. “And… thanks guys, for um…” he tried to find a delicate way to say it, ultimately failing. “Not attacking her.”

“No problem.” Garnet grit out and turned on her heel, walking straight into the temple, shoulders tight and angered. Bismuth stomped off as well, claiming she needed to finish something at her forge. Amethyst stood awkwardly, amazed that their elders hadn’t gone full on psychotic at the news of another homeworld gem coming to their door. 

“So…” Amethyst dragged out the first word. “Is it okay if she stays?” 

Rose didn’t answer at first, eyes glazed over. She snapped out of her trance and recognized the question, the dilemma. What other choice would they have? It seemed clear that Pearl hadn’t said anything to him, even calling him ‘Steven’ indicated that he hadn’t revealed his true self to her. Yet the words she had spoken, ‘it doesn’t undo what you did’. 

She knew what he was. 

She knew who he was. 

Even if his ruse didn’t fool her, it appeared she was playing along… or waiting for the right moment to reveal to him the past she never wanted to be unveiled. Rose wanted to bubble her, knowing how much of a threat she was to everyone for just exis… 

Just existing… like him…

Her guilt changed her judgment. 

“If she wishes to stay, she can.” Rose spoke, quiet and shaken. 

“Thanks, Rose.” Pink…the boy…Steven, spoke with gratitude, earnestly. 

How could it be that someone once so evil and bent on destruction could end up this pure, innocent? She didn’t have the heart to try and rip someone away again, his intuition had been correct about Lapis so perhaps Pearl would cause them no harm. 

“We’ll need to set up a room for her.” Perhaps she could take up Bismuth's offer of bugging a room. 

“There will be no need.” Pearl sneered. “I would prefer to stay with Steven.” 

“We can’t have that.” Rose tensed. 

“And I am supposed to simply trust you while by myself?” The slim gem shot back. 

“Maybe it’ll be good for her.” Amethyst suggested. “She felt comfortable talking to Steven over me… so, like until she’s…you know, feeling safer?” Amethyst was grasping at straws. “We can all keep an eye on her that way too. I’ll take the first shift!”

Before Rose could have her say, the three were whisked away to his room. Rose stood, now alone. For how long she didn’t know, she paid no attention to the passage of time.

“Rose Quartz.” 

Her head snapped over to the one who had spoken, Pearl. She now noticed the setting sun, how long she had stared into the abyss. She watched as Pearl stood in the dimming daylight, the casting shadow behind her elongating to tower over Rose herself. The Pearl strode over to her, barely any distance between them as she grit out her warning. 

“You may have repaired him,” Her eyes were murderous. “but that does not undo what you’ve done! He might not remember but. I. Do!” Pearl stood tall, unflinching in the presence of the crystal gem leader, the infamous Rose Quartz. “He may someday forgive you, but I never will.” 

Rose watched wordlessly as Pearl made her way back to his room, message now received. She had no intention of telling him, or revealing what was once long buried. She felt hollow, more hollow than she had been feeling for five thousand years. 

***

Bismuth smashed another hammer strike into the hot iron, not intending on creating anything other than a mess. She felt so much at once, wanting to react on her gut instinct to smash another homeworld gem… how did that get them the last time? How did her thoughts of violence being the answer just make everything worse? She didn’t trust that gem, but she trusted her own judgment even less now. 

Rose and Garnet arriving was a heaven sent to her spiraling mind. 

“So,” she didn’t look up from her ‘work’ as she pretended she was actually creating something. “What are we going to do with the pearl?” 

“We aren’t sure.” Rose answered. 

“Are we sure she’s the one?” Bismuth asked, almost hoping for the answer she simply wanted to hear. “ Her pearl?” 

“Rainbow pearls are rare, a precious stone.” Garnet spoke up. “There was only one gem with a pearl like that who came to earth.” 

“It is her.” Rose kept her gaze glued to the heated ground below her. “And she knows who and what he is.”

The two felt their gems sink to their feet in horror. 

“How?” Garnet pushed. 

“She spoke to me in private. She said that even if he didn’t remember, she did…” Rose paused. “It seems she isn’t keen on revealing anything to him.”

“She may believe he’s unstable…” Garnet mused in panic. “I need to do something.” The fusion left in a hurry, off to filter through futures with the additional knowledge. 

“Did she say anything else?!” Bismuth abandoned her ‘work’. 

“No.” Rose shook her head. “Other than never forgiving me, no.”

“Rose…”

“Bismuth… I don’t think she will but… but what if she gets ideas into his head…?” Rose began to spiral. “What if he doesn’t forgive, if he ever remembers, becomes vengeful, angry?! What if…”

“Rose!” 

“I can’t shatter again, Bismuth!” Rose tightly hugged her midsection. “I can’t! Please, not again!” 

Bismuth watched in pity as she finally broke down. She was the only gem that Rose allowed to see this part of her, especially after the…mistake. It was the only other time Bismuth had seen her cry like a lost child, broken and confused. None others would ever know, were never as close and trusted. Bismuth had become her number two in command, had suggested things… had ruined everything. She sat next to Rose, allowing her all the time she needed. They both knew why they weren’t bubbling the pearl, their guilt and uncertainty of their past decisions mantled too heavily on them. It would be alright though, Bismuth wouldn’t put Rose through anything like that again if it came to it. 

Bismuth would do it for her. 

***

“She’s been in the bathroom for a while.” Amethyst noted. “What did she say she was doing again?”

“She wanted to inspect it or something.” He supplied, not taking his eyes off the tv. 

As if on cue, pearl unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out, her face betraying the rage she felt with a serene calm. 

“You’ll be happy to know that the ‘bathroom’ is functioning perfectly, and that peridot hasn’t caused any damage or potential threat to you or your safe being.” 

“Oh, that’s very nice Pearl.” He patted the spot next to him. “Would you like to watch some tv or something? You should get comfortable!”

“Of course, my diamond.” She cheerily accepted his request, closing the door behind her. 

In the bathroom, Peridot scribbled away at her plans, ignoring the window cracked open, the spare key made for Connie idly dangling from the toilet seat.

Chapter Text

Peridot had once again erupted from her ‘base of operations’ already in a full blown lecture on her plans to an attentive Pearl and a confused Steven. 

“…so we will require a drill.” She finished. “Unfortunately we will need access to the proper materials for this endeavor.” 

He sat forward, brow scrunched in thought. “I don't know, Peridot. The stuff you’re talking about might not be obtainable.” 

“I’m aware.” She began to pace. “This abode doesn’t have the materials needed for what we need… we’ll need to relocate.” 

“How?” 

“That is a problem as well. With those crystal clods out there observing the Lapis Lazuli…” 

He hadn’t really seen Lapis in a while, if at all. She had cooped herself up in the temple, not speaking to anyone or doing anything. No one could really speak to her, or even cheer her up. It was as if she were caught in some internal battle with herself, her emotions. The others had been keeping an eye on her while searching for Jasper, being out and about more often. Getting Peridot out while they were on high alert would be difficult… but not impossible. 

“How is Lapis anyhow?” Peridot asked. “You told me that she had been taken into custody…or ‘rescued’ as you called it.” 

“She’s still…processing some things.” He half answered, not entirely sure himself. 

“We’ll… that is to be expected. Anyways,” Peridot continued. “I’m going to need a new base of operations with some usable material… somewhere more secluded.” 

He considered it, tried to think of somewhere. He knew places but those were all for him to relax… maybe asking someone else, non gem, would help.

“I can ask around and see if anyone knows a place, I guess.” There was really only one person he could think of. He got up, almost startled when Pearl sprung up behind him, standing at attention. 

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, Pearl.” He offered. “I was just going to talk to a friend.” 

“I’d be more than delighted to accompany you!” She stood a little taller. “After all, I think I’ve had enough relaxation for one day.” He was thankful she wasn’t shouting out his gem type from the rooftops anymore, especially in front of Peridot. If she was anything like Pearl he’d end up with two clingy fan girls. One was more than enough. 

“If you really want to.” He added. “It won’t take too long, I promise.”

“Oh, please.” She waved him off. “You can take all the time that you desire.” 

He forced out a smile. 

“We should get going then, I guess…”

***

“Have a good day.” Greg waved off another customer as they drove away. He began to put away his things when his favorite gem stopped by with his new friend. 

“Hey, kid!” He greeted as he rolled up the hose. “How’s it going?” 

“Hey!” The kid waved back. “I…actually had a question for you.”

“Shoot.” 

His friend behind him lifted her eyebrow, seeming confused as to why he was asking him to ‘shoot’ something and what with. 

“So, my friend was… wondering if there was a place she could stay for a while. You know, somewhere she can stay for some quiet time?”

“Uh, yeah. Let’s see.” He stood and pondered a moment. “Well, there is the barn.” 

“The…barn?” He remembered it, the place Greg had taken him after the gems destabilized him. It didn’t hold the best memories for him but… it could be exactly what they needed. “Are you sure it would be ok if she stayed at your barn every once in a while?” 

Greg looked at Pearl, not understanding he was referring to another ‘friend’ of his. Not wanting to take the time to explain he rolled with it.

 “I don’t see why not.” Greg shrugged. “My family never uses it anyways, so I’m sure they’d never even notice.” 

“Thanks!” He felt some relief. “I appreciate it, really!”

“No worries, kid!” Greg flashed him a smile. “If you need help cleaning it out just ask!”

“We will!” He waved as he made his way back to the temple, Pearl trailing behind him. 

“Well, there’s one problem out of the way.” He turned to her as they walked. “Now the other issue.”

“I’m certain that whatever solution you come up with will be flawless, my diamond.” Pearl beamed with pride. 

“Hey, um. Not to sound rude or anything.” He slowed down a bit. “But is calling someone ‘my’ a polite thing? I just didn’t want to come off as rude.” 

Pearl stopped dead in her tracks, almost confused by his question. She forced out a small laugh. “Oh stars. I keep forgetting you don’t seem to remember much.” She began her pace once more, now intent on educating him. “It’s an honorary title. You don’t just go calling any old gem ‘my’ without a proper rank.” 

“There’s ranks?” He tilted his head. 

“Of course!” She almost gawked. 

“How come?” 

“W-well…” she almost seemed flabbergasted that he wouldn't know this information right away, until she glanced down to where his gem sat, a sad look in her eye. “I see… every gem has a purpose, yes?”

“Yeah” He at least knew that much. 

“Indeed.” Pearl seemed to cheer up some. “Each and every gem is important in maintaining gem society, but others are far more important.”

“But everyone is needed…” He tried to wrap his head around it. “Wouldn’t that make everyone the same importance-wise?”

“not exactly.” She tried answered. “Some gems only clean, others build. Some keep records or fight, but diamonds,” she pointed to him. “They are leaders. All of homeworld would be aimless without their guidance and wisdom.” 

“But can’t anyone lead? Rose leads the crystal gems.”

“And look where they are now!” Pearl’s demeanor turned aggressive. “Trapped themselves here on this… corrupted infested rock filled with dirt and filth, nothing more than a measly gaggle of…” she froze when she saw his face, saddened and almost offended. 

“Forgive me, my diamond!” She saluted him. 

“It’s…it’s okay.” He tried.

“It is not, I should be more considerate. I got off topic… allow me to clarify!” She continued on as if her rant hadn’t happened at all. “Not all gems are created to lead, it’s just not in our light. If we try…” she looked to the temple. “We end up destroying something someone loves.” 

“Destroy?”

“B-but you don’t need to concern yourself with that!” She panicked as she tried to change the topic. “What’s done is done, I’m just content now to serve you again!”

“R-right…” He felt guilt building up in his gem. He remembered a ‘war’ she had mentioned, how gems had been shattered in it. Were the crystal gems involved in it or just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Was this how her old boss died? 

“Hey, Pearl?” He decided on a simpler question as to not upset her. “What’s your purpose?”

“I’m glad you asked!” She beamed. “A pearl has many duties, the main one being to serve the one who they are made for.” 

“Like an assistant?” 

“Precisely!” She clapped her hands together. “After all, even the most efficient gems can’t do everything on their own. Pearls like me are to assist elites in their duties of maintaining the empire or to entertain if needed.”

A thought came to him. “When you were first made… did you know that’s what you were for?” He didn’t have the courage to look her in the eye, keeping his gaze forward. 

“Of course!” She chirped. “Every gem is made with everything they’ll need to know.”

He decided to push. “Were there ever any gems who came out… just not knowing?”

“Hmm,” she contemplated in silence for a brief moment. “Not that I know of, my diamond. Though it probably could be possible with an off-color gem.”

“Off-color?”

She began to lecture, not noticing his question being towards himself. "Sometimes the incubation process is compromised, and the gem within will emerge with a defect. Though they are usually only physical blemishes, it could affect a gems mind I suppose.” She hadn’t noticed him stop walking, feet planted in the sand where he stood. “But such a thing is highly rare, I’m sure!” She turned to notice she had walked ahead of him, her face now riddled with concern. “My diamond?”

An off color...

“Are you alright, my diamond?”

“Huh? Yeah I’m sorry, I was just thinking. Thanks for explaining.”

“My pleasure.” Pearl grinned. 

The remaining walk back was mostly small talk, more or less due to Pearl seemingly not wanting to answer some questions he had. He didn’t wish to push anything, especially that war that happened. Even though he desperately wanted answers, he knew trying to pry them from Pearl would be an unwise decision. He didn’t feel like getting a spear to the head anytime soon.

The door to the temple opened and they headed inside, being greeted with an anxious Peridot on their arrival back.

“So?” She stepped closer to him. “Did you find any suitable locations?”

“We did.” He glanced over to Pearl with a grin. “It’s a barn some ways outside the town, hopefully it should have what you’re looking for.”

“A ‘barn?’“ she tilted her head. “I am to assume that is some kind of building, yes?”

“Kind of, yeah.” He himself never truly asked what a barn was even for, only being inside one once. “From what I remember there are a lot of old things in there you can use for the drill.”  

“Excellent!” Peridot perked up with the information. “Now our plan of relocation.” She began to pace in thought. 

“Maybe Amethyst?” He offered. “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“If we must, I suppose.” Peridot figured. “She does seem more friendly than the others from what I’ve seen.” 

“I’ll call her then and we can try to get you out tonight.” He opened his phone, texting Amethyst with his request. It was going to take all of them for this to go smoothly. 

***

The four had succeeded in sneaking Peridot out, even if a few moments were tense. For the most part they got lucky, the gems off on a mission at just the right time. If anything he was grateful that a warp pad was within a half hour walk to the barn, making relocation far easier. The only thing he truly feared was the possibility of Peridot suddenly deciding to bolt or bail instead of handling the cluster. Then again, if she wanted to run, she would have by now. 

“Looks like we’re here.” He took in the old barn, almost exactly the same as he remembered it. It looked a bit more run down but still in good enough shape to be usable. 

“Hm.” Peridot inspected the door to the building closely. “I suppose it is an upgrade, assuming there are reliable materials in the area.” 

“I think so?” He and Amethyst went to work with the latch, sliding the door open. “There was some potential stuff the last time I was here.” The dust from the door slightly obscured the inside of the barn, quickly settling to reveal that everything was still as he remembered. 

Peridot let herself in, examining every inch of every item with intense scrutiny. “Well, it isn’t ideal, but… I can make do.” 

“So now what?” He asked. 

“First we’ll need some proper tools to begin dismantling these objects, then to rebuild it into something more useful.”

“Hope there’s some welding tools in there…” he craned his neck to get a look past the dust covered mess within. 

“I’ll start searching.” Peridot didn’t bother looking back as she slipped into the pile. “For now you can focus on acquiring any materials I am unable to locate here, and keep those crystal gems from acquiring my location.”  

“Uh, I kinda know where you are.” Amethyst crossed her arms. 

“You are part of our truce.” Peridot erupted from the pile. “Right?”

Amethyst rolled her eyes before looking to him. “Can I talk to you?” She looked at Pearl. “Alone?” 

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, Pearl. Is it ok if we?” He pointed off in the distance. 

“Take your time.” She responded cheerily. “I’ll assist the peridot in her scrap salvage while you do.” 

“Thanks.” He was barely able to get out before Amethyst pulled him off to the side around the corner. 

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” She warned. “She’s going to be here all by herself. At least before you knew where she was. What if she does something fishy?”

“I’m sure she won’t.” He answered. “She hadn’t so far and I’ve seen the plans about the cluster. This is real.” 

“I just don’t know.” She peeked over the corner. “If the others find out, we’re in big trouble… and what if she just goes all evil on us after the cluster thing is dealt with?” 

“I’m working on it.” 

“You have a plan?” She asked with scrutiny. 

“Well, sort of.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I thought that, maybe if I showed her that earth isn’t what she thinks it is, she won’t, you know.” 

Amethyst looked him up and down in disbelief. 

“It’s not like we have any other choice right now.” He added. “She’s the only one who can help us.”

“I guess…” the little quarts conceded. “I just hope you have a plan for when she goes evil again.” 

“I do.” He didn’t. 

“We should probably get back.” Amethyst pointed in the direction of what sounded to be a chainsaw and screaming. 

“Aw geez!” He ran off to help shut off the device that was dragging Peridot across the yard as Pearl passively watched, Amethyst right behind him. 

***

The materials were sorted, the day coming to an end. The Steven, Amethyst and Pearl were all retiring for the night. Once the three were out of sight she pulled out a communication device. She had been able to snag it from the moon base as the Steven was throwing a tantrum and breaking the console. Along with the drill, she would begin to repair the small device. She hoped she finished either before the cluster emerged. 

Time was of the essence.

Chapter Text

Lapis sat atop the lighthouse, gazing idly at the horizon. It mocked her, taunted her with it’s seemingly endlessness. She was trapped here on this planet, much like how she was trapped inside that mirror… how she trapped herself as Malachite. She didn’t want to think about it, that sick feeling of longing. 

“Hey, Lapis.” She heard the timid voice of Steven behind her, cautious. At first she believed seeing him would at least do something, rid some of what she was feeling. It didn’t. She tried to ignore everyone for the most part, tried not to take anything out on them. Yet, he was persistent, eager even, to talk to her. She had to admit she kind of liked it, admired his tenacity. 

“Hey.” She replied in turn as he sat himself beside her. 

“Nice view.” He looked off into the horizon. “I used to come up here often, sixteen years ago I think?” He grew an uneasy smile. “Good place to think about stuff.”

“Yeah, it is.” 

“So,” he began to fiddle with his fingers. “What are you thinking about?”

She didn’t want to answer, didn’t want him to know what she truly wanted. Instead she partially lied. “About home…” elaborate! “Or I guess what isn’t my home anymore.” 

“Oh…” he went quiet for a moment. “Did you…?”

“I didn’t even get past the outer asteroid belt before Peridot and Jasper found me.” She admitted. “Judging by how they thought I was a threat, homeworld probably wouldn’t accept me back either.” 

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “Doesn't really matter now, don’t have anywhere else to go anyways.”

He thought for a moment. “You could always stay here.”

“I really don’t want to live in the temple.” 

“It doesn’t have to be the temple!” He stood. “You could go anywhere on earth. Start somewhere fresh!”

The idea sounded appealing. “Like where?”

“I know some places I like to go when I don't want to be here.” He offered. “Maybe we can take a tour around the globe and find someplace you like!”

She felt some warmth returning to her mood. “Sure.”

***

He had no idea why he suggested moving, not having a single clue of where she could go. The two of them had scoured two continents and still she seemed hesitant. At the very least she was getting out, that had to count as something. Then again, he should be grateful she was talking to him now. She had been quiet for so long, even when he tried to start up a conversation. Frankly trying to be friendly with Peridot was taking a toll on his energy, especially when she would freak out over every little thing that happened. Having someone around who actually knew about the weather and wasn’t afraid of it was a nice change for once. 

“This could be a nice spot.” He nudged a rock with his foot. “Has a wide open view of a lake and everything.”

“I… would rather spend some time away from open water.” 

He forgot about that. “Right, right! There’s plenty of other places, maybe if we…”

“It’s alright.” She gave him a sad smile. “You tried your best. Maybe we should take a break for now.”

“Sure.” He watched as she made her way to the nearest warp pad. “It’s getting late anyways… well, on this side of the planet.”

She chuckled a little bit. “Guess so.” 

He hopped on the warp pad and sent them to their destination, home. “If you do find somewhere you should let me know, we can have a party or something.”

“A party?” She asked. “Seems a little over the top.”

“What!? Naw!” He japed. “Seriously though, I’m sure you’ll love the place you find.”

She smiled as they touched down at the temple. “Thanks.” 

“No problem.” He grinned back. “I need to get back to the barn anyways, got stuff to do.” 

“Barn?” 

“It’s a building that humans do… something with?” He shrugged. “It wasn’t in use.”

She seemed interested. Without thinking he offered something. 

“Do you want to come?”

***

Peridot swatted at another infuriating earthling creature as it buzzed by her face. How something so tiny could be so annoying she had no idea. No matter how many times she clearly tried to have it vacate her vascinity, it only landed on her nose or face. The absolute audacity of these creatures!… except for the small fuzzy ones that lived in the ceiling , she actually liked those ones. Unobtrusive, minded their own business and gave her ample space to work. Unlike this, small flying thing! 

The door opened and the Steven walked through, the Lapis Lazuli right behind. 

“…And this is the inside.” He gestured around. Lapis followed with her eyes until they landed on Peridot. 

“What is she doing here?!” 

“Me?” Peridot scanned Lapis with offense. “I am building a drill to stop the cluster and save our gems from being shattered. What are you doing here?” She perked up. “Are you assisting?”

“What?! No!” She looked at the Steven. “I just… I thought no one else was living here right now…”

“Sorry, Lapis. I didn’t think you’d want to move in… you still can! Peri here is mostly just working.”

“On… a cluster?” Lapis looked at the skeleton of the drill with confusion. 

“It’s a gem weapon currently incubating in the earth's crust as we speak.” Peridot explained for what must have been the fifth time this month. “If I don’t finish this drill we’re all going to die, so if you’ll excuse me.” She continued to tinker without another word. 

“You really don’t have to be here if you don’t want to.” The Steven suggested. 

The Lapis sighed. “I gotta stay somewhere until I figure it out… and it won’t be too far from the temple.” 

After some discussion it seemed that Lapis would be abiding in the barn while Peridot worked on the drill. It didn’t matter too much to her but the Lapis seemed perturbed by the idea, at least at first. Eventually the two made an agreement to not speak to one another, or really acknowledge each other’s existence. Though she would sometimes catch Lapis glaring at her from the mirror image of the metal she was working with, it was mostly ignorable. By the time Steven had to leave the two were already coexisting to a workable degree.

***

Of all the people she could have been stuck with, sadly Peridot wasn’t the worst. A part of Lapis wanted to hate her, let her know how much she disliked her even being in the same space as her. She knew it was wrong, knew that Peridot technically hadn’t wronged her. She had picked her up in space, unsure of where she came from or what her intentions were. In a way Lapis herself would have been suspicious. She still loathed the idea of her being there in the barn, building a drill to destroy some sort of gem weapon… or something. Whatever. 

It was three days before she decided to really explore the ‘barn’ In full, looking through every nook and cranny. Her boredom brought her to the attic, or rather the beams that loosely supported boards on the top. It was dusty and full of cobwebs, lots of old and long forgotten farming equipment kept inside. She scooched through in search of some form of entertainment when she heard scuffling from behind. She turned only to be met with a pair of beady eyes. Startling, she moved back just enough to fall off the board, catching herself on her wings to fly before hitting the ground. 

“What the…!”

“Ah,” Peridot's voice chirped. “I see you have acquainted yourself with the small furry earthlings.” 

“The small furry…?” Lapis didn’t finish, looking back to see those beady eyes staring her down from the safety of some old wood pile. They looked at her, cautious and afraid. As if she would simply try to end them right then and there. 

“They are very quaint.” Peridot continued. “At first I thought they would be a nuisance but they are very well mannered and mind their own business.” 

Lapis was almost surprised that Peridot would take a liking to anything, especially some random organics. 

“They are skittish at first, as most earthlings seem to be, but after a while they’ll understand that you mean them no harm.” Peridot finally finished. 

She looked back to the creature, now able to see its fur in the light. It’s face had a cute little pattern that looked like it was wearing a mask, it’s eyes were dark but inquisitive. Very slowly Lapis reached out a hand to greet the creature, a peace offering. For some time it looked at her with hesitation, questioning whether she was a friend or foe. Eventually it waddled out from its hiding place, revealing smaller versions of it nestled behind. The biggest one sniffed the tips of her fingers, seeming to accept her invitation. Soon the smaller ones came up to greet her as well, investigating her hand with their little noses and paws. She giggled as they did so, eventually scuttling off to their den, curiosity satisfied. 

“They like you.” Peridot chimed in as she worked. 

“Yeah…” she didn’t know why, but the encounter had left her feeling a little better. At first she supposed she was trapped here, forced down to one planet… but technically everything on this planet was confined here, all living lives regardless. They all seemed content. Not stuck, but rather protected by their planet's atmosphere. She still felt trapped, but a little less so now. She looked over to where Peridot was working, tinkering away at something that was supposedly going to save the creatures living here, save Steven. She didn’t entirely like it, or fully trust Peridot, but if she was willing to build an entire drill just to save him then Lapis would try to do her part as well. She pushed her lingering feelings aside, those whispers of frustrations, and flew down to Peridot. 

“So, what exactly are you working on again?”

***

Rose began to look around for Lapis, not wanting to encroach on her alone time but also worried about her being by herself. When had she become such a mother hen? She figured after Pink Diamond showed up really. Now it felt as if she had three charges to look after, Amethyst, him and Lapis. If she kept going at this rate she would adopt all of homeworld by the millennium's end.

Speaking of one of the devils, Pink himself warped in, hands casually in his pockets with a relaxed gait. 

“Hey!” He smiled.

“Hello,” she responded in kind. “Would you have happened to see Lapis Lazuli anywhere? I know she’s wanted to be alone but I don’t think we should leave her be for too long.”

“O-oh! Me and her actually just hung out!” He shifted on his heels. “She’s still thinking about some stuff, so I showed her a couple of places I like to hang out to relax.” There was something off about his answer, almost as if he were leaving out some crucial information. Rose supposed she was simply being paranoid. Lapis did seem to be harmless when away from Jasper. Perhaps a place for her to relax was for the best. Staying at the temple seemed to be doing her no favors. 

“Alright, I guess that’s for the best.” 

He smiled as he made his way to his room, a slight feeling of unease accompanying seeing his back turned to her. She shrugged it off and went about her business. 

***

“Hey, Pearl. I’m back.” He greeted, noticing that Pearl had straightened out some of his things. He wouldn’t consider himself a messy individual, but she certainly made him feel like it right now. 

“Welcome back, my diamond.” She chirped. “I figured while you were out I would help tidy up.” 

“Thank you.” He looked around the room, almost unnerved. “You really don’t have to. If it’s not clean enough for you I can always pick up.” 

“You shouldn’t trouble yourself with that!” She waved him off. “I’m more than happy to help you in any way I can.”

He was really regretting letting her crash at his place, seeing her take complete control of his life was both sad and annoying. He still hadn’t done anything other than suggestions but even those she jumped on. It was like… 

It hit him. She must be overcompensating, thinking he was this other Pink, and purposely going out of her way to try and make him comfortable. She thought he was a reanimated corpse, most likely one who suffered a traumatic death. His feelings of irritation melted away into sympathy. 

Maybe he could talk to her. 

“So Pearl?”

“Yes?”

“I know it’s a sore subject but…” he thought about how he could possibly word it. “But when that…erm, Pink Diamond was… ah geez.” He scratched the back of his head. “I just want you to know that… that you don’t have to do all this just for me. I’m okay, see?” 

There was a soft look on Pearl, almost as if she were in the presence of a kicked puppy. Her smile was sad but genuine. She strode forward to him, never breaking that smile. 

“Of course, my diamond.” Her tone was softer and deeper now. “I know you will be.” 

Her words sounded foreboding… but at least she had stopped obsessively cleaning his room. “I-if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here…you know.”

Her brows scrunched together. “I’m very sorry, my diamond, but right now you're still not stable enough for that. Don’t worry though,” she saluted him. “I will do everything in my power to assure you’re as good as new!” 

He felt guilt wracking his gem. She thought he could be fixed… repaired. Looking at her, he didn’t have the heart to argue. Instead, he did the only thing he could think of. 

“Thanks, Pearl.” 

“My pleasure!”

Chapter Text

She had been searching diligently, scouring every inch of the grounds for what she sought. After discerning that her diamond was safe, and his temporary home void of any potential dangers, she began the hunt once more. She was so close, so very close. Just one more piece and everything would go back to the way it was, would be fine again. Pearl halted her scouring.

Pink Diamond was never truly happy before.

But this would be different! After Pink Diamond was repaired and remembered who she was, she would be… would she even be happy? Living with the ones who rebelled in the first place? Knowing what they did to her? The ones were responsible for…

No! No. Everything was going to be fine! She just needed this last piece. Pearl scavenged through the grounds where it happened, the palequine. The once beautiful mode of transportation now practically buried in thousands of years worth of dirt and rubble. She had spent so much time here collecting the pieces. At first she never imagined they would reforge themselves, never imagined there was any life left in them. In her grief she at least wanted to have the shards together in remembrance of her. Somehow there was still a spark, somehow her diamond had survived. The least she could do was find that last piece for him, that last bit of soul to complete him. To complete her. 

She was almost ready to break for the day when a rumble shook her. Rocks and pebbles skittered across the ground, plants swayed and trembled with each tremor sent from below. The earth beneath her cracked as she tumbled, landing in her rear. It was short lived but enough to disturb the site. She picked herself up and dusted herself off when a glimmer caught her eye, she followed it to where a slight crevice had opened, revealing a small and almost unnoticeable shard. She scrambled to pick it up before another quake hit, quickly storing it in her gem for later inspection. For now she needed to return to safety.

Something was coming. 

***

“Quickly! The wrench!” Peridot ordered with fear in her tone. 

Lapis reluctantly handed her the item, beginning to become frustrated with the green gems' constant panic. 

“It was probably just a normal quake again.” She shrugged. “Planets do that a lot.” 

“Or it could be the cluster!” Peridot shrieked. “If I don’t finish this drill in time we’re all doomed!” 

“When is it supposed to come out?” She asked while floating above with her wings. 

“There wasn’t any specific due date.” Peridot answered while continuing her tinkering. “This is a one of a kind experiment. We only have speculative data on when it would emerge based on rough estimates.”

“So it could be days or it could be years?” 

“Roughly, yes!” Peridot fumbled with the wrench, growling with frustration when it tumbled from her hands to the ground. 

“Why don’t you just build yourself a ship and get off this planet?” She tried to keep as much venom out of the question as she could. “Why even care?” 

“Well… at first I thought…” peridot halted. “I thought of that at first but the materials needed to exit the atmosphere would be too difficult to obtain. That, and all of my ship was destroyed and looted by those crystal clods.” 

“Steven could have gotten it for you.” Lapis challenged. 

Peridot froze, realizing she could have simply requested parts of the ship's broken engine. “I…didn’t think of that… but…” her gaze shifted upward to the ceiling, where the small earthlings lived. “I suppose that by doing this I would be… saving more time and energy.” For a moment she stopped, why did she want this? 

“Y-you could say that I have grown somewhat fond of this…place.” She admitted. “Also if I can halt the cluster's progress, I may be able to convince the higher ups to consider not letting these resources go to waste.”

“Hm.” Lapis decided she had heard enough. Peridot was just thinking of the technical side with the gains. A part of her wanted to jab at that, poke and prod to receive her personal satisfaction. She wanted to make Peridot the villain, the target. She almost opened her mouth to let it when Steven walked in. He opened the door with enough force to make the walls shake, causing Peridot to shriek in alarm and hide beneath her arms. 

“It’s coming! We’re all gonna die! I’m sorry!!!”

“Whoa, sorry Peri!” He apologized. “Didn’t mean to open it that hard, I could have sworn it was harder to do before.”

“O-oh… the Steven…” she quickly answered as to derail the fact she had been cowering over something so silly. “That is because I repaired the hinges.” 

“You fixed them?” He craned his neck to get a look. “Nice!”

“Yes, it is.” Peridot pat herself on the back as Lapis rolled her eyes. 

“Sorry about scaring you there, Peri.” He chuckled. “Maybe you should take a break?”

“A break?!” She nearly screamed. “We don’t have time for such a thing! The cluster is due to emerge any day now!”

“You sure about that?” Lapis leaned back in a reclining position in the air. “You really look frazzled.” 

“I am not!” Peridot shot back, picking up the wrench. “I’ll show you!” She began to tinker, or at least try, her fidgeting made it difficult with the added pressure of everyone’s eyes on her. She didn’t get a single bolt screwed before dropping the wrench to the floor again. 

“Why don’t we take a few minutes, all three of us!” He offered as he picked up the wrench. “It’ll help you work better later.”

“… I suppose a short intermission would help.” Peridot conceded begrudgingly. “But only for a few minutes!” 

It ended up being a few hours. 

Peridot had begun pacing, this ‘relaxation’ was making her even more anxious than before. She had slunk away from the two, now completely oblivious that she was no longer with them. Instead she decided to use the time she had to tinker with something else. She pulled out the communicator, rolling it around in her hands to find the source of the problem. Thankfully it seemed to be a minor issue, one she could resolve fairly quickly. Perhaps the drill wouldn’t be necessary! If she could propose an alternative to harvesting the resources without disrupting the local environment, then the Steven and furry earthlings could be spared. 

***

Lapis had taken her leave, noticing that Peridot had ditched them to most likely work on the drill. She had to admit the last week or so at the barn had helped her, not as much as she would like but some. She was surprised that she didn’t hate Peridot, at least not entirely. She certainly disliked her and was only helping her for Steven’s sake. At the very least they had come to tolerate one another. 

With nothing else to really do she began to make her way back to the barn, happening to fly by Rose as she was.

“Oh, Lapis.” Rose stopped her on her way back. “How are you?”

“…hey.” She was still uncomfortable around the crystal gems, still unsure of how to feel about them. They were the reason she was mistaken for a rebel, trapped inside a mirror for information and forgotten for thousands of years. Yet they were the ones who accepted her, saved her from Malachite and Jasper, gave her a chance. “What do you need?”

“Nothing.” Rose seemed as uncomfortable as she was. “Just how you’re doing.”

“Fine.” Lapis landed on solid ground, not at all feeling fine. 

“P… Steven says you found a place to stay.”

“Yeah, he showed me.”

Rose pursed her lips, trying desperately to think of conversation without sounding awkward. “Is it to your liking?”

“It’s alright.” Lapis didn’t make much eye contact. “Would be a little nicer if Peridot wasn’t there as much, but we’re starting to get along.”

Rose's face fell into something between panic and silent outrage. 

“What?!”

***

She had almost completed repairing the communication device, knowing that the Steven would pester her for ‘relaxation’ if she went to work on the drill for now. Just a few more tweaks and it would be up and running. As if on cue, Steven’s voice echoed amongst the trees, calling her name. She hid the device behind her back.

“Hey, Peri!” He jogged up to her. “Where did you go? I’ve been wondering where you went.”

“I uh,” she fumbled for some sort of excuse. “I have been taking in the… earth flora and fauna… that you suggested, and not working.”

He cocked his head to the side a bit. “Uh, yeah, ok! That’s great!”

“Indeed it is!” She tried to wriggle out of relaxing further. “In fact, I feel so good that I think I am ready to continue working without any further anxieties.”

He smiled. “If you think so that’s…” he stopped when he noticed her hands behind her back. “What’s that?”

“O-oh, this? It’s nothing!” She tried to keep him from seeing the object by turning to face him whenever he tried to get a look at it, the two practically spinning in a circle. “It’s just a thing I found, nothing work related!”

“Work related?” He finally managed to swipe the item from her, observing it with a strange look on his face. The diamond shaped object glimmered in his hands, feeling so very familiar. “What is it?”

“Oh you know,” she desperately tried to come up with. “A thing.”

“Where did you…?”

“DEEPCUT!!!” Bismuth’s voice roared, echoing through the treeline. He panicked at the intensity of it, of the pure sound of rage coming from her. What was worse was that Peridot was with him, right now!

“Bismuth is coming!” He clutched his chest with one hand and his hair with the other, knowing the gems were going to be angry with him. “You gotta…!” 

“There you are!” Rose’s voice followed behind Bismuth’s thundering footsteps. He spun on his heel to see Rose, Bismuth and Garnet all glaring him down. He was in so much trouble. 

“I-I can explain!” 

“No need.” Garnet stepped forward. 

“If you guys just let me explain…” he tried. 

“Look, kid!” Bismuth was sure to not use her usual lingo around the homeworld gem. “We get it, you’re freaked out, but this is crossing a line!” 

“You don’t understand!” He slammed his foot down. “I’ve seen it! There’s something…”

“Enough!” Rose snapped. For a brief second her snapping at him jolted him into a feeling he’d known before… with someone else he could have sworn he’d known all his existence. Him standing there, trying to explain himself H̴͉̃̃ë̸̲́̿̾ṙ̴̟̙̐s̴̩̲̜̉̂͝ȅ̸̻̉ļ̶͙̭̅͝f̸̡̛̝͌ trying to explain Ġ̶̢̫͕̬͠e̸̫̞͍̱̅̄̑̍t̷̮̃͒͋͝ ̵͎̂̔ĥ̴̝̼͈̒̕̚ͅě̶̫̪͝ř̸̻͍̕s̸̛̘̣̅́͜e̶̡̻̘̋̑͠l̵͇̝̫̋̓́f̷̠̞̩̍͛ ̴̪̥̹̈́̅õ̵̧̮͍̘͗u̵̥͋̈̅t̷͉̔ ̶͇͉̗̓͘ỏ̶̳̜̍f̵̰͊̓̚ ̴͙̾̌̚t̸̙̑͛́͜͝r̸͈̘̿͌̉ȏ̸̮̠͊͝ṳ̶̠̐͠ḅ̷̹͈̄̂l̶̦͑ḛ̷̣͈̞̎̄͗ ̵̻͈́̽ 

He knew this feeling! No! No! 

S̷̋͐̓ͅĥ̸̙̦̊͐e̴̬͂̌͊ ̴̬̦͓̐ẁ̸̬a̸̓͜s̷̢͂ñ̶̪’̷̬̀ť̷͜ ̴̣͒ǵ̵͓ō̶̩i̵̧̔ṉ̴̕g̸͓̉ ̶̲͒t̸̬̑o̷̤̓ ̶̄ͅh̶͖̋ŭ̷̹r̷̖̾t̵͙̑ ̶̖̊a̵͖̾ņ̵̈y̷͚̚o̴͚͗n̸̟̉e̶̱̋ ̵̥̈́ĕ̷͔v̷͖̍é̷̪ȓ̸̮ ̸̡̒ä̸͍g̵̮̈́a̴̤̍i̶̒ͅn̷̩̏!̷͇͠

He could feel his body light up, brighter than he’d ever been before. He screwed up! They hated how much he screwed up! H̵͓̋a̴̺͝t̴̛̺e̷̩̕d̵̫̿ ̸̠̍h̵͖o̸̫̾w̶̲̎ ̴̠̈m̴̢͠ǔ̶̙c̸̤͐ȟ̴̨ ̷̱̃o̶̘͐f̶̗͒ ̴͓͗a̵̭̐ ̴̻f̸̛̖a̵͉̓i̴̖̋l̴̦͝u̵͕ṙ̷̤e̷̞̓ ̷̱̇s̶̼̾h̴̰́ė̵̼ ̷̝̈́ẇ̸̜ä̶̢́s̵̳͋!̸̳͑

He didn't register Peridot snatching the communicator from him, twisting a certain spot to get it to open. He realized too late as Bismuth wrenched him back by the sleeve, shoving him into a hiding spot as the face of a Pearl came on screen. Peridot giggled in glee, the crystal gems cowered behind their hiding place. It was too late to attack her, the feed would show they were still around… He craned his neck to see the pearl on screen, her face adorning an annoyed sneer with nose upturned. She looked somewhat like the Pearl he knew. With a nasally voice she spoke. 

“Who is calling from the direct diamond line?” 

“This is Peridot!” She hastily answered. “I am in need of…”

“I’m sorry but you do not have authorization to use this line.” The pearl cut her off, clearly disinterested. 

“But…!”

“Who is it on the line, Pearl?” A voice cut through the argument, cool and collected while at the same time sharp and disinterested. 

“It’s a Peridot, my diamond! She won’t…”

“I’ll take it from here.” The device left the hands of the pearl, within the palm of a gem far larger. Her features were sharp and militaristic. Her mouth adorning a permanent scowl. Her gaze never left whatever she worked on as the device was leveled to her face. He froze still just seeing her. She looked like the mural at the moonbase, that person he felt he knew, Yellow Diamond. Seeing her almost in person sent a chill through his gem, a feeling of fight or flight. He wanted to run, didn’t want her to see him like this… see him like what? He didn’t understand why he felt what he did. He could only watch on as she continued  to speak to Peridot. “What is it?”

“Th-this is Peridot, my…”

“ Which Peridot?” The larger gem said with exasperation. 

“Peridot, Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG, my diamond!” She saluted. “There’s been a complication in the mission!”

“I see,” the diamond brought up some files. “It says you’re late with your report.”

“There were…” she glanced at where the Steven was hiding. “Complications on entry to the planet's atmosphere… my diamond.” 

“I’ll have to report your failure to your superior then.” Peridot gulped. Yellow diamond paused for only a moment before a question escaped her lips. “How is the earth?”

“I-it is abundant in life, your luminescence!” 

“Organic life.” She muttered. 

Peridot continued. “If I may, I… would like to request we halt the cluster, my diamond!” 

“What?” Yellow’s eyes were now pinned to Peridot. 

“It would be a waste to destroy such promising resources, my diamond!” Peridot began to attempt elaborating. “I’ve come up with a potential harvesting plan that wouldn’t disrupt the local wildlife and…”

“That won’t be necessary.” She waved the little green gem off. “The cluster will continue to incubate, and I will have my geoweapon.” 

For a moment, Peridot couldn’t understand. This was Yellow Diamond, her diamond. The most logical and efficient thinking gem in all of gemkind. There was a pit of betrayal growing in her gem, not understanding why her diamond would ever pass up such a lush planet. 

“But my diamond… that would be a massive waste for potential rec…” a hand slamming down on the chair’s armrest had Peridot clamming up instantly. Yellow diamond stood from her chair, eyes now ablaze in fury. 

“Are you questioning my authority?!”

“I-I’m q-questioning your objectivity, my diamond!” She saluted once more. “I just don’t think we…”

“You do not think of what to do with a planet!” Yellow’s face was now closer to the screen. “You follow orders! Now, you will finish your report and return, this planet will die and I will have immense satisfaction in its complete and utter destruction!”

“No!” Peridot screamed back, almost as surprised as the gems hiding that she did. 

“No!?” 

“I… I won’t let you!” Peridot stood taller, frame shaking in fear. “You…you are Yellow Diamond…. You always make the most objectively correct choices! But this,” she gestured to the woods behind her. “Is the most appalling choice you have ever made, you… CLOD!!!” 

Everyone’s jaw dropped the moment Peridot finished her sentence, even Yellow had a moment of shock before her face contorted into pure and unbridled rage. Peridot panicked now standing in a salute. 

“Peridot out!” She slammed the device shut and threw it as far as she could. Shortly after she crumpled into a ball on the forest floor, cradling her legs against her chin.  

They all crept out from their hiding place in silence, slowly approaching Peridot as if she were a scared animal. 

“Peri…?” He was the first to speak. 

“I’m a traitor to my homeworld…” She muttered in a trance. “I called Yellow Diamond a clod…”

“Is that why you threw the device thing?” He pointed in the direction it had been tossed, only to flinch when it exploded several seconds later.

“That’s why.” Peridot didn’t bother with even looking in the direction of the now charred trees. 

Bismuth raked her hands through her hair, not entirely sure of what emotion her mind was attempting to settle on. She wanted to be furious, wanted to chew the little guy out for making such a stupid choice. She also wanted to understand, and apologize for coming at him so aggressively before. Garnet on the other hand had already made up her mind, strutting forward to the small green gem and lifting her up to a standing position. 

“You.” Peridot gulped seeing Garnet so close to her face, ready for the cross fusion to dissipate her form again. Instead, the fusion plopped her down, taking her hand to shake with a wide grin. “Welcome to the crystal gems.” If gems could throw up, Peridot would have.

Rose and Bismuth both watched on as if the fusion had lost her mind. Then again, she had just stood up to Yellow Diamond, homeworld’s top military power. One of the heads of homeworld herself. 

Now back to the boy.

“Steven.” Rose watched his shoulders hitch up at the sound of his codename. 

“We need to speak, in private.”

Chapter Text

He walked behind her, watching as her curls bounced with each step she took. He couldn’t see her face but he knew he was in for a scolding, and a big one at that. At last they stopped at a clearing, the late night moon being the only thing to illuminate the surrounding area. For some time the only sounds to be heard were that of crickets and Cicadas. 

“Pink…” Rose didn’t turn to face him. “You understand why we need to talk?”

He hunched his shoulders even more. “Look, Rose… I’m sorry, but…!”

“What you did was very irresponsible.” Rose cut him off. “You could have put everyone in danger, including yourself.”

He felt his gem sink hearing the disappointment in her voice, losing all fight in him. “I know, I’m sorry.”

She sighed. “We’re all getting worried about you. You keep doing these things on your own, and even if it ends up alright in some cases…” she thought of herself for a moment, her choices she made that lead to disaster. “You have to realize that it might not happen next time.” She was now facing him, his eyes downcast away from her. 

“Okay.” 

“We will help with the drill.” She cut to the chase. “But after that you are not to leave your room for a while.” 

“What?!” His head shot up, almost shocked. “B-but… I…”

A stern look from her was all that was needed. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. “Alright…”

She didn’t like it, didn’t want to do it, but his irrational decisions were leaving her with no choice. First Lapis then the Pearl and now Peridot. She was afraid of what he would learn but mostly of how he could harm himself. She needed to keep an eye on him until she was certain that homeworld was gone for good. She had learned of grounding from Greg, apparently a good way of having a young and unruly human think of their actions for a short while. Though how long she was unsure of… perhaps a few weeks? Was that fair? She would consult with the others. In the end she didn't want him to make the same mistakes she did. For now, however, the drill was the main priority. 

“Why don’t we go back to the others,” she began her walk back. “We have a drill to build.” 

***

Peridot hadn’t been her usual self for the first few days, according to Pink, either fidgeting or pacing around as she worked. The gem was a mess. Even Lapis commented on how unhinged she had been. She hadn’t taken her ‘betrayal’ of Yellow Diamond well, going as far as calling herself a traitor. Thankfully it lasted only a few days before a good talk with Rose seemed to calm her down. 

Pink Diamond had moped around the barn as he helped, assisting Peridot with whatever she asked with little to no words. Everyone assumed he was brooding over his punishment. Rose hoped she wasn’t being too hard on him, even if Bismuth thought it was going easy on the boy. 

“Could you pass me that bolt?” Peridot extended her hand out in a grabbing gesture, to which he silently handed her what she asked of him. “Thank you.”

“Are you okay?” Lapis hovered nearby, noticing his sour mood.

“Fine.” He grumbled. 

She looked him over in his state of being obviously not fine. “Okay.”

Peridot had also taken notice as she slid out from underneath the drill. “I must say, you seem to be… less energetic than usual.” 

“I guess.” He shrugged. 

The two glanced at one another, both deciding to let it be. 

“We got some more wires!” Amethyst waltzed in with Garnet, bundles of tangled wires in hand. 

“Perfect.” Peridot hopped up to meet them halfway, filling her arms with as many wires as she could carry. “This will be most useful.” She dumped the items next to the drill, dusting her hands off in satisfaction when Aura plopped down a hunk of metal beside her, starling the smaller gem. Other than a wink the fusion said nothing, already on the job. Peridot stepped back some, still unsure of how to feel about all these different gem fusions. She had heard the stories of what can happen when two different gem types attempt to synchronize. Stories of some going berserk while others became stuck together forever. It made her feel highly uncomfortable seeing the possibility of one losing their identity to a potential hazard. Frankly she was still too afraid of the crystal gems to make any comments, especially to the ruby and sapphire. 

“So, what else do we need?” Amethyst somehow cracked her knuckles. 

“We appear to have all necessary components. All that’s left is to finish construction and we may begin the drilling.”

Garnet hummed. “Looks like you have this all planned out.”

“Y-yes.” 

Garnet clapped a hand on her shoulder, making Peridot flinch. “Good job.”

“Thank… you.” Peridot gently swiped her hand off her shoulder, almost unsure of how to react to the odd positive reinforcement. This was the two gems that crushed her form with hands alone. 

“Welp, let’s get back to it!” Amethyst stretched, leading the way as Garnet followed. 

“I don’t understand why those two stayed fused constantly…” she muttered to herself, thinking perhaps they were truly stuck as the stories suggested. She would need to do more research later on, for now the drill was the main priority. 

***

“Almost complete!” Peridot examined their work at the front of the group, observing the large drill in its entirety. “As of tomorrow the device will be fully operational. I…um, thank you for your cooperation.” 

“Don’t sweat it!” Amethyst put her hands behind her head. 

“Sweat… it?” 

“She means that it was no trouble at all.” Rose explained. “We should all get going tonight. We can finish tomorrow.” 

Everyone agreed, all filing out of the barn to get some rest for the night, all except for one. Rose turned to see where he had gone, not seeing him anywhere at first. She figured he must have been taking it harder than she thought, and he hadn’t even been officially grounded yet. 

***

Lapis had decided to fly up to the roof to think when she found Steven, knees up to his chin staring at the roof tiles. He noticed her only a moment later, his sullen disposition redirected into surprise. 

“Oh… hi, Lapis.” 

“Hi.” She sat beside him. 

“How’ve you been with Peridot?”

“She’s… alright.” Lapis figured it could be worse. The small green gem was thankfully not as bad as she thought she would be. 

“That’s good. Good.”

“You… okay?” She never really was good with emotions, hers especially. 

“Yeah, just um…” he seemed to scramble for an answer. “I just feel like I messed something up again and… like I let someone down.” 

“But, it’s fine!” He was quick to add in. “I just need… um…”

“Time to think about it?” She added, not wanting to pry too deep into his personal business. 

“Yeah… is it okay if I stay here tonight? I just need some open air.” 

“Sure.” She could use some company other than Peridot and the little critters that scampered around in the ceiling. 

“Thanks.”

Below Rose listened, thinking to herself. With a frown she left for the temple, figuring one night out for him wouldn’t hurt. 

***

The nightmares had grown in intensity. What was just anguished screams were quickly becoming thrashing and struggling. He had thought at first that the dreams had stopped after helping Peridot with the drill, that it truly was just his nerves making him jittery. Maybe it still was. Yet this felt real, more real than it ever had before. 

He scanned the vast empty void, hoping that if he remained still enough the image of fragmented souls would pay him no heed. A shard floating to him betrayed that thought. It was as if they were drawn to him, as if he would somehow have the answers they sought. Like bees to their queen, they swarmed him. He could now feel their anguish, their desire to be whole. He couldn’t help them, he couldn’t fix their problems. Yet their onslaught remained like that of a ship in a storm, wave after wave crashing into his consciousness. 

“I’m sorry! I can’t help you!” He held his head in his hands. “Please, stop!”

They continued their mantra regardless, wanting to, needing to. He couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t take the full force of their emotions. He grit his teeth and…

***

The earth's violent tremble woke him, sending him stumbling from the roof of the barn and toppling to the grassy ground below. He jumped to his feet, seeing Peridot sprinting to the drill with wires in hand. 

“Peri?!” He ran over to her as she made her last minute fixes. “What’s happening?!”

“The cluster!” Peridot shrieked. “It’s erupting from the earth's mantle! We have literal hours before it emerges!” 

He felt panic rising from his gut. “What can I do?”

“Lapis is already gathering the others! You can help me with the drill operations!” She finished the last tweaks and hopped in, patting the seat next to her frantically. 

He jumped in, watching as Peridot closed the hatch and began pressing buttons. The machine whirred to life, the vibrations of the drill bit thrumming beneath his feet. The sky slowly disappeared behind the dirt and stone as they descended. He felt unease and panic running through him. 

“It will take us two earth hours to reach the cluster.” Peridot's clutch tightened on the controls. “We’ll have a very small window to destroy the cluster.”

“R-right.” He wasn't sure of what else to truly say, simply watching the passing stone as they bore deeper into the earth. Finally after some time he broke the awkward silence between the two. 

“So… when we get there…”

“We have a drill,” was all Peridot answered. “We’re going to drill.”

He went to ask more when the drill itself broke through into pure magma. He jumped back a bit to see the sudden blinding light occupying the space where dark stone had once been. It was mesmerizing to watch the colors of orange, red and yellow dance across the heat shield. 

“Whoa.”

“Indeed.” For the first time he could hear some semblance of calm in her voice. “That magma appears to have the proper makeup for Peridots.” 

“Really?” He squinted to try to see what she did. 

“Yup.” She smiled fondly at it. “We’re looking at pure perodite.” 

He watched, admiring the flow of magma when something bumped the drill. At first he thought it could have been some sort of stone, until Peridot flipped open a small monitor, gasping in dismay. 

“We have a problem!”

“What is it!” He leaned over to see, confused and shocked when two pairs of arms conjoined at the elbows showed up on screen. “What is that ?!”

“It’s a fragment of the cluster!” Peridot supplied as she handed him some sort of controls. “You’ll have to blast it off or they might tear through the heat shield!” 

“Blast them off!? Fragments?! I don’t…”

“Hurry!” She snapped. 

He obeyed, fiddling with the controls as he aimed a small laser at the creature. He managed to hit it where the elbows conjoined, watching in shock as it dissipated like that of a gem. He then noticed the strange jagged and multicolored crystal that slid off the side of the drill, realizing it was some air of gem. 

“These things are gems?!” 

“Not exactly,” Peridot explained as more began to swarm them. “The cluster is composed of specially cut gem shards.” 

‘Special cut?’ He was almost afraid to ask as he blasted a leg off the window. “What does that mean?”

“These shards were designed to be shattered in such a perfect way and repurposed with the single intent on re-forging the light consciousness to create a single weapon.” 

He paused, letting her words sink in. “Cut perfectly… repurposed… they’re…?”

“They are shattered gems.” Peridot admitted. “Unlike normal shattering, these were cut so that the light within wouldn’t be lost.”

“They’re people?!” 

“Not anymore.” Her tone was now darker, almost ashamed. “They’re just fragments now, looking for their other missing pieces.” 

He just barely blasted the last one off the drill as she finished, dropping the controls in shock. These were gems, once living individuals now nothing more than scattered souls grafted onto others broken like them. He almost didn’t notice that they had cleared the magma, drilling into a pocket of darkness. Peridot turned on a light and he felt his gem drop straight down to his feet. 

Miles and miles of shards glittering in the light of the drill shone back at them in countless colors and shades, it’s intense beauty betraying the gruesome truth of its existence,

The cluster.

Chapter Text

He could only look on in shock and horror. In front of him lay a sea of glittering gemstones, not unlike the ones he had seen when at Pearl's cave. This monstrosity, this crime, had been here, here this whole time beneath their feet. It was massive, unimaginably so. If it were to form… the mass of the body produced would tear right through the earth. 

“Let’s begin!” Peridot manned the controls with an uneasy grip. 

“Begin?” He looked around at what they were dealing with. “What exactly was the plan again?” 

“If we destroy enough of the clusters shards, it will be unable to form.” She pressed a button and the drill whirred to life once more. “At least on a mega scale…”

That was the plan… to shatter the broken pieces so that their light would be lost. “We’re going to kill them?” there was hurt in his tone.

“They’re already shattered!“ 

“But there has to be another way!” He began to argue in vain as she continued her course. 

“There isn’t.” She sounded melancholy. “At this point the best option is to destroy it and put it out of its misery.”

He could tell she was attempting to convince herself with her justification. Then again, what else could they possibly do? Just seeing it was confirmation that they couldn't possibly move it.Knowing it was the only option he turned his gaze away, after all it would be cruel to let them go on like…this. Peridot solemnly pushed down on the controls, making contact with the cluster. He could feel the sickening grinding from the vibrations alone, could practically hear the gritting and crunching of metal against stone. Clenching his hands down on the seat didn't help ease the sensation any. It didn’t last long, to his partial relief, before the drill was pushed back by an opposing force. The drill was tossed around by it, sending both him and Peridot bouncing around in the cockpit. 

“It’s fighting back!” She struggled with the controls, only to be in a losing battle. 

“What does that…?” He saw a flash of ghostly light, stretching upward. He leaned forward with unease as hand-like appendages floated upward, like a swarm of sentient cloud or mist. The hands lost their shape the further from the cluster they strayed, becoming nothing more than an opaque wall of light that pushed the drill back. 

Peridot pushed just as hard, fighting to keep the drill upright and on target. He watched in horror as the drill was enveloped in the ghostly light, attempting to reach the stone it protected. Inch by inch it’s presence grew in his mind, like a fog overtaking a seaside bay. The further they went, the more he could see and hear. Formless hands made way for arms and legs, faces contorted in confused agony, all of which danced and licked at the heat shield like a flame to a candle. 

He could hear them,

He could see them, 

He could practically feel them.

“Peridot!” He grappled into her arm, praying she saw the same thing he did. She didn’t seem to, or if she did was somehow miraculously able to ignore it. He began to panic, could feel their emotions flooding his gem. It was too much! It hurt! He doubled over, clasping his midsection as his gem blared to life, it’s glow visible beneath his t-shirt. 

“Steven?” Peridot tried to keep her focus on the controls. “What is it?!”

“I… I don’t know!” He lifted his head to look at her, only to notice she wasn't there, the cockpit empty aside from him. “Peri?!” He swiveled around, quickly realizing the drill itself was also gone, nothing more than a seat in a void of nothing. And then even that was gone.

He knew now exactly where he was. He was in the cluster's mind, it’s Frankenstein consciousness. All those nightmares had been him communicating with it, or even it reaching out to him. He froze up when the shards came floating by, whispering their desire of wanting to, needing to . 

“H-hi…” he timidly greeted the shards, to which they reciprocated in a silent orchestra of hello’s and hi’s. He was almost surprised, they had never actually responded to him before. Perhaps him being so close allowed for better communication. It was worth a shot, but maybe he could reason with it. 

“Are you the cluster?” He started with an introduction, hoping to work his way up. “You’re all… um…” What could he even say? 

“ Cluster? Cluster.”  They parroted back at him in a multitude of voices. 

“Yeah, the cluster… you.”

“ Us! Us. Us?” 

“ Look… I just… you guys really can’t form right now or…”

“Form!” The voices all converged at the one word, all agreeing. In a ravaged panic they screamed it in mantra, as if it were the answer they sought. 

“Too loud!” He covered his ears, causing the cluster to quiet. Thankful that they actually listened this time, he cautiously continued. “Y-you all want to form… but… but that will destroy the earth! Everything will die here if you do!”

“Die? Die. Die!” 

“Maybe… you shouldn’t?” His voice betrayed the certainty he was attempting to convey. 

“Need form!” They shrieked, remembering his request for being quiet. “ Need to be whole.”

It clicked. They didn’t want to form, they felt they needed to. “I think I understand how you feel, not being complete… but forming won’t fix it! It’s going to create more problems!” 

They began to mutter amongst themselves. 

“You…um…” he scrambled for something that would appease them. “You don’t need your missing pieces! You all have each other, right here and now!” 

“ Each other. Each other! Each other?”

“Exactly!” He guided two pieces next to one another. “Here, give it a try.”

“Hi.” 

“Hi.”

The rest of the cluster began to converse. Though it was single words he still counted it as conversation. Their light grew brighter, not the white hot agony but as a soft contented glow. For the first time it seemed they realized they weren’t truly alone, that those grafted onto themselves were just as much in need of company. 

“See?” He guided more of them closer to each other. “You don’t need to form to feel whole, it’s all right here! All of you!”

“ Here! Here! Here!” Their voices echoed back in joy. 

“Yeah!” His face lit up. 

They echoed it back, slowly devolving into murmured conversation. The sudden flash of light disrupted it, betraying the calm, striking through the darkness like lightning.

“What’s wrong?!”

“ Can’t stop!” They wailed in unison. “ Can’t! Going to form”

“No no no! Don’t form!” He panicked, trying to find some solution to the massive conundrum before him as quickly as possible. “What if I…?!” He bubbled one of the shards, showing it to the others. “What if you were in a bubble?! You wouldn’t have to form!” He grabbed as many as he could, bubbling the shards as he went. It was no good, there were too many. 

“I’m sorry! There's too many of you!”

They all cried out in unison for his aid, for him to stop their forming. He couldn't. The light began to increase, the shards screaming in protest against it as he watched on helplessly. He tried to reach out to them but…

“Steven?!” Peridot sat over him, hands on his shoulders.

It took him a moment to realize he was in his own body again, shooting up into a sitting position. “It doesn’t want to form!”

“What?!” She looked him up and down in pure befuddlement. 

“We need to bubble it!” 

“Bubble that?! ” Peridot gestured at the cluster. “Are you insane!?” 

“It’s the only way! They can’t stop!”

“What are you talking about?!”

He went to explain when he heard something, almost like a bubble. He knew he hadn’t done it, even though he was trying. He pressed himself closer to the window to see small multicolored bubbles appear at the cluster's surface. 

“They’re bubbling each other!” Amazed, he grabbed Peridot's hand, seating themselves both on the floor. “We have to help them!”

Peridot didn’t answer, didn’t rebuke anything, only placed her hands on the floor in confusion as the two attempted to aid in the bubbling. 

“Come on guys!” He urged them on. “We can do this!” He called a small amount of power from his gem. Bubbling things was usually easy, but something of this size he knew he wouldn’t be able to do alone. Thankfully he didn’t need much power with Peridot and the cluster aiding him. It only took a few seconds before the cluster was encased in a massive bubble, no longer a threat to forming. 

He flopped back on the seat, a tired but victorious grin spread across his face. They actually did it! They didn’t need to destroy the cluster! Peridot hopped onto the seat next to him, setting the controls for their trip back to the surface, ominously quiet. In fact she had been uncharacteristically silent all the way up. 

At last they arrived at the surface, sunlight of the afternoon greeting him. He never thought he’d be so happy to see it, hopping out to greet the anxiously waiting others. Rose stepped forward first as usual, checking him over as the others slowly approached. 

“Are you two alright?” She prodded him. 

“Yeah! We did it, Rose!” He answered, not entirely wanting to divulge to her what the cluster truly was. “Me and Peridot bubbled the cluster! Turns out it didn’t even want to form in the first place.” He turned to the green gem standing beside him. “Right Peri?” 

“Form…?” Rose asked, watching Peridot stomp towards the boy. Without a word she snagged his shirt, hoisting it up. Everyone stiffened as she did, praying she was unable to identify his gem type. She examined the pink stone nestled in his abdomen with scrutiny and intrigue. He stood surprised before slapping her hands away, covering his gem with his shirt and hands.

 “Hey!”

“I knew it.” Her face was now stone cold and calculating, glaring right where his gem rested beneath his shirt. 

“You are a gem.”

Chapter Text

Lapis had made a mad dash for the temple when Peridot confirmed the cluster’s emergence was soon. This time it wasn’t a normal quake, not with the sheer intensity. At first she had been adamant about not leaving Steven, but the others needed to be alerted if they were going to get out of this alive. 

Not even a half hour later and all that was left was a hole drilled straight into the ground and occasional shockwaves. She had searched for Steven on the roof, not finding him anywhere. In her panic she nearly tore the place apart before Garnet stepped in, letting her know she foresaw him coming back to the surface with Peridot. 

It was hours before the drill surfaced again, everyone lurching forward in anticipation. Out stepped the two, both looking frazzled but in one piece. 

Then Peridot just lifted up his shirt without a word and glared at his gem. 

“You are a gem.”

She didn’t know? Lapis assumed he didn’t feel comfortable telling her, remembering how skittish he was when she first learned. 

“Peri… I…”

“Oh please,” she waved him off. “It was obvious you weren’t organic, though I wouldn’t put it past the possibility given I had limited knowledge of this planet.” She sounded like she was attempting to cover up her feelings of being led astray with false bravado. “Though… I’ve never seen a cut like that before, or one in such… erm, dire shape.”

“Oh… w-well that’s b-because…” he stuttered. 

“It’s because he doesn’t know what he is.” Lapis jumped in to defend him, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“Uh, yeah!” He had no choice but to agree with Lapis’ train of thought. If anything he couldn’t deal with both of them becoming creepy fangirls if he could avoid it. 

She looked him up and down, everyone around him aside from Lapis praying she didn’t call his bluff. It seemed by looking at his gem she wasn’t able to identify him. 

“I see.” Everyone’s shoulders relaxed. “Although it’s unfortunate, you don’t need to hide that information from me because you feel ashamed.” It almost surprised him how sincere and accepting she sounded, even if it came off as a bit rude.

“Thanks, Peri.” He backed away a little bit awkwardly. 

“Now that everyone is safe,” Rose interviewed, making herself the focal point. “Why don’t we all take some time to rest? This was a huge victory today.” Rose smiled at Peridot. “Especially on your end.”

“M-me?” The shorter gem blushed a darker green. 

“Yeah.” Amethyst smacked her on the back. “If it wasn’t for your plan, we’d be toast right now.”

Peridot stood stock still, unable to handle the positive reinforcement being bombarded against her. “Um… I appreciate your thanks, but it was the most logical step in taking to ensure, well, not dying.” 

“Sure.” Lapis teased, causing Peridot to fumble her words in an attempt to come up with an excuse. 

He chuckled in relief, thankful that the whole thing had gone over well… or at least better than he expected. He then remembered he was still in trouble when Rose turned to him. 

Right, punishment.

***

“You got grounded, huh?” Connie held the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she packed her violin for music class.

“Yeah,” he fiddled with the blanket on his bed. “It’s only a week, but I’m going to miss your recital. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She assured him. “It’ll be boring anyways.” 

He snickered. “I’m sure it won’t be. I just kind of feel bad I’m not going to be there.”

“Trust me,” she hauled her music sheet carrier over her shoulder. “If it were up to me I wouldn’t be doing violin anyways. You aren’t going to miss much.” She paused, the sound of her mother calling her downstairs muffled in the background. “I gotta go, see you later!”

“Bye.” The phone hung up, Connie’s contact disappearing from the screen. He placed his phone down and turned on the tv. He had nothing but time, he might as well finish some games he had. It was better than the alternative, about thinking of everything he’d witnessed so far. 

***

“You want to stay at the barn?” Rose asked, eying the old dilapidated building in front of them. 

“It does have a rustic charm to it.” Peridot admitted. “Plus there isn’t really anywhere else I can go.”

“We do have that spare room.” Garnet reminded her.

“I’d rather not have to work around all the running water.” She admitted. “Being a tinkering gem, electricity and water don’t exactly mix.”

“That is fair.” Rose turned to Lapis next, idly floating nearby. “Would you be interested?”

Lapis stopped mid air, her face darkening a bit. “I’d rather stay away from water for a little while… thanks.” 

“Well… if you two are happy here…” Rose hadn’t liked the idea of leaving the two alone. Then again they seemed to be adjusting fairly well. 

“We are grateful for the assistance, but this place has grown on us.” Peridot squared her shoulders, still seeming to be somewhat uncomfortable in their presence. 

“If you two ever need anything, just call.” Garnet stepped in with a thumbs up. 

Lapis reciprocated the gesture as Peridot looked at it in confusion. 

“Let’s get going, Rose.” 

The two watched as they left, Peridot still unsure of how to feel about them. 

“I don’t understand…” she mumbled to herself, not realizing Lapis could hear her. 

“Understand what?”

“Oh… sorry, I was just wondering.” Peridot thought for a moment. “The stories of the crystal gems are always so barbaric, and they’re…”

“A lot more chill?” Lapis finished her sentence. 

“Yeah. I don’t know, when I discovered who they were, I expected them to be hostile… and I suppose at first.” Peridot mused. “I guess I was a bit on the offensive myself.”

“Yeah.” Lapis agreed. “I’m still on the fence.” Her face darkened some. “They’re the reason I was trapped in a mirror for five thousand years and yet… they were the ones that also helped me.” 

Peridot was almost shocked that Lapis would share something so personal with her. She truly was warming up. “Honestly, if it weren’t for the Steven, I’d still be bubbled.”

“I’d still be in that mirror…” 

Maybe the Steven had been the one to change the crystal gems. He did have an alluring charm, almost as if he exuded it. 

“Perhaps Steven had something to do with that.” She voiced her thoughts. After all, he did help change her mind about earth, even if it was indirectly at times.

“Maybe.” Lapis had to agree. “There is something about him…”

“It is a shame,” Peridot continued, not noticing Pearl arriving at the scene behind them. “that he was put into light confinement for disobeying orders.”

“ What ?!” Peridot jumped hearing Pearl bellow behind her, not expecting the Pearl to just appear out of thin air. 

“Ah, the… Pearl who follows him around.” Peridot backed away. “He was sent to his room for a short period of time about five days ago for letting me out… which, I do myself find unjust but…” 

Pearl stomped past her, Peridot's shoulders sinking in relief as she disappeared into the distance. Lapis leaned in as Peridot whispered in her ear. 

“That is the most unhinged Pearl I’ve ever seen…” 

***

He sat in the middle of his room, dark and empty except for one window letting in light. He was in trouble again, always messing something up. 

He just wanted to know. 

Why did he always mess things up, always made bad decisions? 

He looked down at his hands, noticing the delicate gloves he was wearing, the puffy pants and Pom Pom shoes… 

This wasn’t right… this wasn’t his…

***

“My diamond!” Pearl shook him awake, practically yanking him out of the bed before he had a chance to reach full coherence. “Come now, we’re leaving!”

“Wh-uh?” He rubbed an eye groggily as Pearl began stuffing his things in her gem. “G-where?”

“Far away from these crystal gems!” She kept her tone quiet, yet the venom of her words still held its sting. “I should have done this a while ago.” 

“Pearl… I can’t leave. I’m still grounded.” 

“Ground…” she shook her head. “They will not keep you confined here on my watch.” She grasped his wrist, pulling him out the door. “Who do they think they are?!” She grumbled to herself. 

She was much stronger than he thought, yanking him along even though he was in his true form. She was able to force him out the main door, his heels digging into the ground all the way, when Rose and Bismuth were just about to head inside for the night. The two looked them up and down, almost surprised as much as he was that she was able to drag him out of his room. 

“What are you doing?” Bismuth asked Pearl, eying her suspiciously. 

“I am doing what I should have done from the start!” She stood in front of him protectively, his tall frame barely being covered by her. “We are leaving!”

“P-Pearl!” He tried, only to be shushed by her. 

“Now, Pearl.” Rose stepped forward before Bismuth could lose her cool. “Let’s all…”

“You of all people shouldn’t get to have a say in this.” Pearl pointed her nose in the air. “We will leave and you will not follow us.”

“Guys, we can…”

“I don’t think so.” Bismuth stepped up, every word a rumbling growl. “He stays with us.”

“Bismuth!” Rose warned. 

“He will not be staying and that is final!” Pearl went toe to toe with Bismuth, both ignoring Rose.  

The two glared each other down for a solid second, daring the other to make the first move when a pink panel came between them. Rose paused, already being ready to take out her shield to separate the two. She hadn’t done that. Her gaze left the now confused gems to the one who summoned it, his body aglow with a faint light, face contorted into frustration. 

“Will you just stop fighting already!” He yelled. 

Everyone’s eyes were on him now, surprised by his sudden outburst.

“I get it! You all had some disagreement in the past or something, and I’m sorry if it was bad, but…” his gaze shot straight to the ground, fists clenched. “Just… augh!” He stomped into the temple. 

Everyone stood stunned for a moment, Rose being the only one to go after him. Pearl’s head snapped to Bismuth the moment the two were out of sight.

“Now look at what you’ve done.”

“What I did?!” Bismuth gawked with offense. “You made him just as upset!”

“I have done nothing but respect him!” Pearl snapped, a finger pointing right in Bismuth’s face. 

“Oh? And dragging him out of his room to make him move away against his will is respect?” Bismuth was trying, trying so hard not to explode. She could feel her frustration growing every second. 

“I’m doing what’s best for him!” 

“And what would you know about what’s best for the kid?!” 

“Certainly far more than the criminals that hurt him in the first place!” Pearl was on her toes now to be at Bismuth’s height. “You honestly think that putting him back together fixes the horrible thing you did?!”

Bismuth could feel her jaw clench so hard it could bite through steel. “He was never put back together, he just showed up!” 

Pearl halted, visibly confused. “What?”

“He couldn’t have been shattered.” Bismuth didn’t entirely believe what she was saying, but after all this time it has to be the only explanation. “It looked like he was cracked with a piece missing! He showed up at our doorstep one day and…” it would be best if she left out the part where they attacked him. “We took him in. I’ve gotten to know him on a personal level, not like some prissy uppercrust Pearl treating him like an over glorified trophy!” 

Pearl glared at her as if her stare alone would be enough to kill. She was about to rebuttal when Garnet and Amethyst warped in. 

“Uh… what’s going on?” Amethyst looked between the two wearily. 

Pearl didn’t  answer, only turning on her heel and stomping off. What did they know? Those traitors! She wasn’t treating him like some sort of idol… she was performing her duty! She was taking care of him! She was halfway across town when Bismuth’s words slammed her against her head. ‘Him just showing up one day.’

That couldn’t be right! They had to have stolen him! His shards couldn’t have gotten up and walked away! She remembered the day they went missing, remembered the feeling of her own gem sinking in despair when it had up and vanished. Where once the shards all sat in a neat pile now showed nothing but untouched stone. There were no signs of anything forming, no explosion or disruption in the immediate area. It was near where it had happened… where she was shattered, by them.

She continued, mind raging in a whirlwind of emotions that even she couldn’t identify anymore. It mattered little in the end, 

She had a shard to identify.

Chapter Text

“Pink?” Rose rapped her knuckles on his door, being met with only silence. She let herself in, quietly and slowly, to see his room dark, the lights all off except for the bathroom. She made her way over. “Are you in here?”

“Yeah.” His small voice came from within. “I’m sorry I got mad I… I don’t know what came over me.” 

She let herself in, seeing him seated next to the toilet. 

“I’m sorry too.” She sat herself next to him on the floor. “I should have stopped them.”

“Are they still mad at each other?” 

“I’m not sure.” She didn’t even check, rushing in to see if he was alright first. 

“What… happened between you guys?”

“I…” she couldn't tell him why. He couldn’t know about… that. 

“Does it have something to do with five thousand years ago?” The words left his mouth before he could think, regret crawling up inside him almost immediately. 

“I don’t want to burden you with the past.” He could never know. She couldn’t handle having to… 

No! It wouldn't come to that… it couldn’t.  Yet the fear of him knowing… what it could do to him emotionally. 

“This is between me and her.” Rose lied. “I don’t want you getting involved in something you have no part in, it isn’t fair to you.” 

He didn’t look her in the eye. “I understand.”

She hugged him, he reciprocated. She felt his confusion, his sadness. There was so much she wanted to say, so many apologies and words of encouragement she wanted to give. None of which she could.

She left, feeling abhorrent with every step she took. Lying in the face of the one who had every claim in their spat. She was too afraid, too scared and ashamed to face him if he knew. Pearl’s voice echoed through her mind, the refusal of forgiveness. Bismuth’s ominous warning reverberated within as well, of what she would have to do if he ever became vengeful. The pressure was becoming too much, the conflict amping up far past her control. She sauntered into her room, crumbling down into the room's pink clouds, not caring that everything around her became a torrent of dark purplish reds. She deserved to feel like this, deserved the pelt of every false raindrop and gust of artificial wind. 

She deserved this.

***

Pearl inspected the piece at her cave, examining its exact shape and size. Mentally she recorded its exact geometry, the piece she had found at the palanquin seemed promising! It was so small. If it hadn’t been for that earthquake she wouldn’t have found it at all. She began to feel hope in her gem again, knowing she could very well be holding his final piece! She would come back, all presets returned and fixed! They could both go home! She set off back to the temple, storing the shard away in her gem, hoping she didn’t run into the crystal gems again. 

Sadly for her they did, Bismuth and Amethyst following her down to his room wanting to ask questions. She had no time for them, heading directly for his room without a single word.

***

He sat slumped on the couch, taking inventory of everything Pearl had stashed in her gem. He decided to stand up and tidy a bit, mostly to pick up what was knocked over. His foot hit something plastic, the item bouncing away from him and hitting the wall. He picked it up, noticing the words ‘for Steven’ written on it. 

He had forgotten to return her tape. 

He set it aside next to the cookie cat mini fridge, solemnly walking away from it. Like everything else, it wouldn’t have the answers he sought… and it wasn’t for him.

He should stop looking for them, quit while he was ahead. Every time he sought answers, mistakes and potential disaster followed. Whatever happened clearly hurt everyone, to the point where speaking of it seemed to uproot bad memories. He remembered Pearl seeing him for the first time, a sense of long lost hope returning to her angered eyes. He remembered the first time he met the crystal gems, how horrified and defensive they were. There were pieces missing, a puzzle he couldn’t fit together. There was one thing he knew for sure, something that began to haunt him.

There was another Pink Diamond at one point, someone who meant the universe to Pearl. 

There was something that happened five thousand years ago, something that shattered countless gems like the ones in Pearl's cave. Something that could have also caused gems to corrupt. 

He remembered the fight they had when they first met. Garnet proclaiming ‘he’ couldn’t defeat them five thousand years ago. 

The pieces began to move on their own accord, forcing themselves into place against his wishes. The picture they revealed made him weary, mortified and frightened. There was a battle five thousand years ago…

Between that other Pink Diamond and the crystal gems. 

A fight that S̸̝̝͂h̵̯͎̽͂ͅà̷̢̡ͅt̴̡̙͚͑͂͌t̷̺̦̒̈́ẻ̶͉̬̖̫͛̂͊ř̶̗̠̍̅e̴̛̛̗͕̪̗͌͂d̸̗͓̫͉̈́͛ ̵̛̯̬̪̂ͅh̴̠͇̬͋͌͘̕ȅ̵̘̫̇̚r̷̬͕̤͈͌!̸̡̼͗

He felt his gem come to life with a sickening heat, thrumming beneath his shirt in rapid succession as he was bombarded with intense and emotional panic. He curled in on himself, becoming nothing more than a glitching mess on the floor. He tried to breathe, tried to think, but the onslaught of sensation was too powerful. He had no concept of time as his systems raged against him, unable to process the outside world until the episode finally passed. He sucked in greedy gulps of air in a vain attempt to cool his form, not noticing a hand guiding him into a sitting position. He choked out heavy sobbing breaths as the world slowly returned, giving way from the static nightmare. 

“Deep breaths!” 

“I- c’nt I…” his breathing turned rapid as his gem assaulted him with feelings he felt weren’t entirely his. 

“You can do it!” 

“I… I cn’t. I cn’t d-it!” He choked out between ragged breaths, eyes and nose flooding with tears. 

“Look at me!” 

He now noticed someone was speaking to him, guiding his face towards their own.

“My Diamond! Look at me!” Pearl’s face took up his vision, her light oval pupils locked with his white ones. Simply seeing her made something click, his gem slowly ceasing its tirade. “There we are!” 

He let out harsh sobbing breaths as Pearl embraced him the best she could, nestling him under her as a bird would it’s chick. It took him a few more minutes to realize Pearl wasn’t the only one there, Amethyst and Bismuth both hovering over him. When did they all get here…? 

He calmed down enough to feel himself stabilizing, sucking in the excess snot and tears. “I’m s-sorry… I don’t know why I…” sniff  “I just felt… a-and then…”

“It’s okay, kid.” Bismuth bent down on one knee next to him. “It’s okay.”

“What made you glitch like that, bro?” Amethyst plopped down beside them, clearly mortified.

“I… don’t know.” His congested voice thankfully hid his lie. “I think I just need a minute.”

“Very well!” Pearl’s manic behavior suddenly took hold. “Why don’t we get some of those ‘iced cream’ things you enjoy so much!” 

“What?” Amethyst barely asked before being towed out by Pearl. “Uh, okay!”

Bismuth didn’t follow, watching as Amethyst was effortlessly dragged out by the frazzled Pearl. That gem made no sense. One moment she’s in complete control of a situation and then the next bouncing around like a nervous wreck. Then again, she claimed to have witnessed a lot of shattering, pearls weren’t known for their ability to handle death well. One way or another, that wasn’t Bismuth’s concern right now. She placed a hand on the kid’s back. 

“You need me to get Rose?

“N-no! No, that's okay.” He didn’t want to bother her anymore than he already had, didn’t want to burden any of them. “I’m okay… really.”

“This about the argument?” Bismuth cut to the chase. 

“Wh…”

“Look, kid, I’m sorry.” She rubbed his back in comforting circles. “I know I can be hard on ya, but… I just don’t want you to do something you’ll regret, or something that’ll get you in harm's way.” She paused, thinking of what else to say to emphasize her point. 

“Honestly, I’m not sure if I could ever forgive myself if I let you do something that hurt yourself, uppercrust.” 

His eyes widened as she continued. 

“And… I’m sorry if it seems like I’m singling you out. To me, you're a crystal gem too.” 

“I am?” 

She flinched at that, being reminded of all those years ago when she was still suspicious of him. He had really taken it to heart, her tough guy act. She mentally scolded herself. 

“You are.” She smacked him on the back. “And after you’re done with being grounded… that is, if you ever feel you need to be somewhere else for a while… I uh…” she was terrible at this. “We’d support ya, you know?”

“I don’t want to leave, Biz.” He sounded almost panicked. 

“No no! That’s not what I mean!” She lifted her hands in a placating manner. “I mean, it’s your choice, and we’d never hold it against ya.” 

He seemed to mentally inspect her words for any sign of falsehood. Satisfied, he nodded. 

“We all care about ya’ there kid.” She sat beside him. “Don’t ever want you to think we’re scolding you because you made us angry.”

“Thanks, Biz.” His face lit up, more so than she’d ever seen before. 

“Come ‘ere you little trouble maker!” She snagged him by the shoulder, giving him a noogie. Hearing him chuckle brightened her own day. 

Behind the doorway Pearl stood with armfuls of ice cream bars, Amethyst eating her pile, wrappers and all. She was surprised…amazed even. Bismuth was talking to him… not down to him or at him like they used to, but actually engaging in conversation. 

She heard his sounds of laughter, his relief. She heard the sincerity in his voice. She heard something in him that she never heard before, happiness… perhaps the crystal gems were truly attempting to atone, perhaps… 

She thought of the shard that rested comfortably in her compartmentalized gem, safely nestled in her perfect storage.

The bismuth’s words echoed through her mind. Was she really doing what was best for him? If she returned the piece would he ever be happy again, remembering who he was? Was she truly just treating him like an object belonging to a pedestal? Was she overcompensating in hopes of returning to what she preferred and not what he did? 

Was she being selfish? 

He seemed to exist just fine without the piece but… that glitch she walked in on, the image burned into her memory banks of him curled into a ball on the floor, form wavering. Missing it was hurting him, but not remembering was helping him…she had a dilemma. 

“Uh, Pearl?” Amethyst nudged her with an elbow. “Your ice cream is melting.”

She looked down in disgust, now noticing the putrid and sticky substance run down her arms. Immediately she dropped the cold sludge on the floor, wiping her arms off on her leotard. 

“Eh, more for me.” Amethyst bent down to pick some up, consuming the handful in one gulp to Pearl’s horror. “Oh right! He’s gonna want some!” She scooped up even more and walked into the room. 

“Hey dude, we got some ice cream for ya.” Amethyst held out her hand full of melted ice cream. 

“Uh… I think I’m good, thanks.”

“Suit yourself.” Everyone watched as she downed the last of it. “Yum.”

He started to chuckle a bit at Amethyst’ antics, causing the little quarts to grin victoriously. As Pearl watched she began to understand a little better, their… strange relationships with one another. He truly trusted them, having no idea what had been done to him prior. She wondered if that would change if he remembered, if that genuine smile would fade forever… like before. 

Pearl simply stood by until everyone had left, him thinking she had gone as well. She approached him, his back turned to her as he held some rectangle object in his hands. 

“My Diamond?”

He jumped at the sound of her voice, turning around to meet her gaze. 

“Sorry, I didn’t think you were still here.” He played with the object in his hands. 

“May I ask you something?” She stood at attention. 

“Y-yeah, of course.”

“Are you happy?”

He paused, unsure of how to answer. Was he happy? He wasn't miserable, but was happy the word? He had to think about it for a little while. The gems didn’t treat him like he’d fall apart anymore, he was able to go on missions with them, and was even considered a crystal gem himself but… there was still this feeling of displacement, like he truly wasn’t meant to fit. He felt like there was a wall of sorts they had put up, him being too afraid to try and tear it down. Then again, Rose and Bismuth both said in their own ways that they not only didn’t wish to speak about some things, but that they didn’t want to burden him with their problems. So maybe he was ‘happy’ even though sometimes things went wrong, the gems always still loved him… he decided he had an answer. 

“I think I am, yes.”

Pearl’s eyes flickered around in thought. “Would you think you’d be happy here, on earth, the way you are now, forever?”

He couldn’t imagine any other existence, unless this was about that other Pink. He caught on to what she was referring to.

“I mean… that’s a lot to think about.” 

Pearl leaned in as he thought over his answer. 

“I mean, I guess being happy all the time isn’t possible… but if you mean that I feel like I’m where I belong, then I guess the answer is yes.” 

Pearl thought for a few moments, his words bouncing around in her gem. Pink Diamond had never been one to fit in, be happy or belong. Yet, here he stood, with the crystal gems of all people, not entirely functional but… better off. She wanted to hand him the shard, see if it fit, but if it made him miserable again… she dared to press for one last confirmation. 

“If your missing piece we’re found, if you could go back to before, would you prefer it over this?” 

He looked at her with sympathy and sadness. She knew he didn’t think he was who he was, she knew he doubted it due to his amnesia. She knew he pitied her, almost as much as she did him. She also knew he didn’t know that she held the shard she thought could be that last piece.

“I don’t know… I’ve never known anything but earth.” He shrugged. 

“I see.” Her frown deepened. He had made his decision, and so had she. For now, as long as he was safe and happy, she would hold on to his shard. Perhaps if he ever showed desire to be whole again she would present it to him. Until then, she would keep it safe. Perhaps it was her purpose that clouded her judgment, to make Pink Diamond happy. Perhaps him being broken was better than being whole, seeming far better than she had ever witnessed prior. This was her duty, her job. If he wished to be allies with the crystal gems, she, begrudgingly, would be too. 

She put aside her own grievances for his happiness. 

“Thank you, my Diamond.” She smiled, a false and hollow one. “That’s all I needed to know.”

Chapter Text

Peridot had finished refurbishing a section of the barn, observing her work with satisfaction. It had taken some time to clean out the area of unneeded items but she was making fantastic progress. Dusting her hands off she turned and exited the barn, only to stop dead in her tracks as a shadow loomed overhead. 

***

Sweet freedom was once again his, no longer grounded and confined to his room. It had begun to get boring after re-watching all his favorite shows and completing all his games. Getting some outside time was really doing wonders for him. He had also noticed Pearl acting differently in the past couple days, seeming to really be trying to get along with the crystal gems. Maybe it was the argument they had, or maybe it was that strange glitch that scared her. Whichever the reason, it was nice to see her relaxing a bit around them. It was even great to have her relax around him too, being much less of a mothering hen when he was around. He sat back on the hilltop, enjoying the newfound peace between the two parties as he listened to the birds. 

Peridot's ringtone buzzing in his pocket disrupted the ambiance. He picked up. “Hey, Pe…”

“YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!!!” Her voice screamed through the receiver. “They’re here!!!”

“Who’s here?” He asked with concern, standing up. 

“No time! Where are you?!”

“I’m just hanging out… I can be there soon but what’s happen…”

“That will have to do! Get to the barn as soon as you can!!!” She hung up, leaving him both confused and afraid. He hurried to the nearest warp pad as fast as he could. 

***

He rushed over to the barn, seeing a large round object landed next to it. It looked almost raindrop shaped and red, little legs used to ground it. He realized it was a ship when five rubies walked out from behind it. He didn’t have time to hide before one spotted him, her gem where one of her eyes should be. 

“Who goes there!?” Her small voice snapped, sounding exactly like the ruby he knew. He froze up, seeing more homeworld gems once again demanding his identity. 

“Just a local…” he didn’t technically lie. “W-why?”

The ruby with the gem in her eye walked up to him, her posse right behind. She looked him up and down, scanning every inch of him. “What are you?”

“An earthling!” He really didn’t want to go through this again, did not want to have yet another homeworld gem to tangle with. “You know… just another local.”

“Hmm.” The leader squinted. He could feel the nerves crawling up his gem. “Checks out.” Ruby shrugged. 

“Alright everyone. No need to panic, it’s just an earth local!” She called to the others who simply either nodded or weren’t paying attention. “Fan out! We need to find our assignment!”

He suddenly noticed Peridot’s head peeking out from the barn, mortified beyond belief. That’s what she called him for, these Homeworld gems. They were looking for her! He saw one of the rubies turn to head into the direction of the barn, panic now seizing him as he lurched forward. 

“Yoouuuuu shouldn’t look in there!” They all turned, each eying him with suspicion. “It’s uh… not structurally sound!” He slowly moved so that he were in between them and the barn. “M-maybe I can help? I mean, being a local and all I know this planet and… could help point you in the right direction.” If he had sweat glands he’d be sweating bullets. 

The ruby with the eye… eyeball ruby? Stared him down for a moment without saying anything before responding. 

“We’re lookin’ for a gem.” She pointed to her own resting where her eye should be. “Like us, see any around?”

“U-um I…m-might have… what, uh…” he had to stall for time. “What do they look like?”

“Really tall, orange, gem on her nose.” He felt every inch of his form relax some as she continued. “Goes by Jasper.” 

“O-OH! J-Jasper, yeah of course, Jasper!” His eyes flickered around for some answer he could give them, some sort of false lead. “She is… um…” he didn’t want them on the planet, didn’t want them in the solar system… he really should have learned what was beyond the Kuiper belt… “She actually mentioned that she had business on, uh… P-Pluto!”

“Where is that?” The ruby with her gem on her stomach asked. 

“It’s a, uh… dwarf planet, heart shaped South Pole and has its own moon… it’s about five-ish planets away… can’t miss it.” He slapped on a ridiculous looking grin in hopes it would make them leave faster. They glared at him for a moment, almost as if they were about to call his bluff. 

“Alright then! Thanks for the assist, stranger!” The eyeball ruby swiveled on her heel. “Let’s move out!” They all filed into the pod-like space shuttle, blasting off without another word. He was amazed they even believed him. 

“You actually did it!” Lapis dragged a frazzled Peridot out from the barn. “What did you tell them?”

“They were looking for Jasper.” He saw Lapis’ face fall some at the mention. “I…told them she was on Pluto.”

Peridot relaxed a little bit before voicing her question. “Where?”

“It’s a dwarf planet in the solar system.”

“Ah…” she fiddled a bit with her phone. “It appears they were not searching for us then.”

“Well, you told me about how you almost got blown up by Yellow Diamond.” Lapis shrugged. “They probably think you’re dead.” 

That possibility had clearly never crossed Peridot’s mind. “That… makes sense.” 

He fished his phone out of his pocket and began texting. 

“Who are you talking to?” Lapis leaned in. 

“I’m texting the crystal gems.” He answered, not looking up from his phone. “We need to be ready for when they come back looking for Jasper. Sorry I gotta leave so soon guys! We’ll take care of this I promise!” 

The two waved him off, both equally worried about what this interact meant for all involved.

***

Everyone had convened in the boiling room, even Pearl to the surprise of many, all discussing the new happenstance. 

“Why don’t we just fight them?” Amethyst suggested. 

“It’s too risky.” Garnet supplied. “If we keep fighting gems and making them disappear off their radar, homeworld will get suspicious and send more and more… until we’re discovered.”

“Then… what do we do?” Amethyst huffed. “We can’t just have Jasper tell them to bug off!”

“Maybe we can…” He blurted out, everyone in the room turning to him. 

“Pardon?” Rose asked, completely confused. 

“What if we… never mind, it wouldn't work.”

Bismuth shifted. “Hey, kid. Any idea can be a good one to get the juices flowing.” 

“I guess.” He shrugged. “It’s a bit dumb but… what if ‘Jasper’ wasn't actually Jasper.”

Everyone tilted their heads in confusion. 

“The rubies I talked to didn’t seem too uh, observant.” He glanced over to Garnet apologetically, to which she comically nodded in agreement. “It would be a long shot, but maybe if they believed that it was Jasper giving them a rundown of her mission, it would buy us some time.”

“So like,” Amethyst shapeshifted into a purple version of Jasper. “We play dress up and con some homeworld suckers?”

“Hmm.” Garnet adjusted her visor. “There’s a small chance that could work… sadly.” No one else could really argue, they were running out of options. There was still one issue present. 

“If they find Jasper before we do, or discover us first...” Rose commented. “We’ll have to double our efforts in locating her.”

“Looks like we got our work cut out for us.” Bismuth ran a hand through her hair, already tired enough as it was. In the end what choice did they have? She was grateful that rubies were pretty gullible. Even if the kid’s plan was far fetched, they’d take any ideas they could get. 

“Until then, Jasper is still our priority.” Garnet stated.

Everyone agreed, all filing out except for Rose and Pearl. He watched a bit out of the corner of his eye, watching as Pearl gave Rose an ugly look before excusing herself. He inwardly sighed, seeing Rose visibly upset, Pearl said she would try but there was still so much animosity towards Rose. A part of him wished he could make them get along. Just seeing the two interact always left him with a sour taste in his mouth.

***

“Sometimes people just don’t get along, bud.” Greg finished wiping off his mug in the break room.

“I know,” he fiddled with his own mug. “I just wish I could help them sort it out. If I even knew what the problem was.”

“They probably don’t want to drag you into it is all.” Greg sat back down at the table. 

“Yeah, Rose and Biz said the same thing.” He sighed. He hated being left in the dark about everything. Maybe he could fix it if they would just tell them. His eyes drifted around the room for a little bit, landing on a familiar sight. He’d always noticed the discoloration on Greg’s pointer finger but he’d never actually asked about it. It reminded him of Jasper's stripes a little bit… Maybe that was why he suddenly took interest. Also it was a good distraction from his current dilemma. 

“I never actually asked before.” He pointed to Greg’s finger. “Do all humans have color differences like that?”

“Huh?” Greg followed his line of sight to his finger. “Oh, this? That’s actually a scar.”

“Scar?”

“Yeah, it happens when humans get a really bad cut or burn.” He held the finger. “This one was doozy, I got myself good while helping Amethyst with…” he paused, a look of consideration in his eye. “something.” 

Human colors could change when their forms were harmed? He never knew that! It was highly alarming. “Does it hurt?”

“Oh, no it doesn’t.” Greg assured him, seeing him begin to worry. “It healed years ago, it’s just that the new skin sometimes looks different is all.”

It was the same, but now only looked different. He felt some relief knowing it wasn’t causing Greg any discomfort and was merely a physical blemish. Sometimes he envied organics' ability to heal their physical selves, what he wouldn’t give to repair his gem like that. In his musing he also noticed another interesting thing, a piece of paper with a lot of Zero’s on it.

“Whoa.” He turned the attention away from the previous topic. “Someone really like their car wash?”

“Oh that?” Greg picked up the check. “That’s just from an old buddy of mine… he’s dead to me.” He said that last part with a smile on his face.

He could feel a story coming, always enjoyed them. In light of everything he could use a story from Greg, the man always had something to reminisce about. 

“Oh?” He pressed. 

“Man, this was a long time ago.” Greg began. “Back when I had all my hair!” 

Both of them chuckled. 

“Guess it was one of my old songs he turned into a jingle, got royalties from it and everything.”

“What are you going to spend it on?” He leaned forward in his seat. 

“Not anything really.” Greg shrugged. “I got everything I need right here.” 

That was always something he admired about Greg, always being a humble individual.

“Hey, Greg?” The man in question perked up. “Could I ask you for a favor?”

Chapter Text

“A ‘vacation’ you say?” Pearl questioned what he meant, rolling the word off her tongue like it was of a foreign language. Rose simply stood, already planning out how to let him down gently. 

“Well, I guess not a vacation, more like…” he paused a moment. “Like a short break.” He made a small gap between his thumb and pointer finger. “I asked the others and they said you were pretty stressed, Rose. Garnet even said it’d be good for you.”

Rose opened her mouth to speak before he continued. “You deserve one too, especially with all the homeworld stuff happening. Besides, everyone else is taking one, and Greg agreed to make some plans for us and everything.” 

He looked at her with those evil puppy dog eyes, big and round, pleading and…

“I… suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”

“Great!” He jumped up from where he sat. “You’ll love it, Rose!” He turned to Pearl next. “What about you? You look like you could use a break too.”

“M-me?” Pearl squawked.

“Why not?”

“Well, if you wish.” Pearl sat up straighter. 

“Awesome!” He pulled his phone from his pants pocket. “I’ll let Greg know! It’s going to be great I promise!” 

The two watched as he ran out, both not looking forward to what they just agreed on. 

***

Phase one of plan ‘get Pearl and Rose to like each other’ was in full swing. Now the second phase was in action. He sat in the front seat of Greg’s van, glancing between the two gems awkwardly sitting next to one another in the rearview mirror. They had planned out everything, suits for him and Greg and Pearl. A ball gown for Rose. He even tried this ‘hair gel’ Greg had given him to tame his wild curls. Now all that was needed was to arrive at their destination. The place in question was a hotel in Empire City, a real fancy shindig chosen by Greg himself. 

He stuck his head out the window, always enjoying the sight of the climbing skyscrapers. They arrived at their destination, the neon lights spelling out the name of the hotel. He jumped out with everyone else, entering the building with excitement. His plan was sure to work!

The elevator dinged, opening up to where they’d be staying for the night. He gaped at the sheer size of it with glee as everyone filed in. 

“This is going to be so much fun!” He lifted his hands in the air, unable to contain his excitement. “You guys will love it! They have a pool if you guys want to swim.” He offered. “There’s also snacks and music.” He listed the other items off on his fingers.

The word snacks sounded familiar to Pearl, the 'edible' things humans ate. Pearl sized up the morsels, observing some to be dead organics of both fauna and flora… how disgusting… it was going to begin decomposing in a few measly hours. She watched, stifling down her disgust as best she could, as the other three actually put the ‘snacks’ in their mouths. 

“Want some, Pearl?” He offered a small deceased crustacean in the palm of his hand. 

“I…” held back a gag, her form quivering from within with even the thought of that sullying it’s insides. “I…think I shall graciously pass.”

“Sure thing.” He popped it in his mouth, accidentally scratching his finger on the shell's hard surface. He always had to remind himself that eating wasn’t normal for her. 

“I’m going to go check out the pool!” He decided to try something else since food wasn’t working. “If you guys wanna come!”

“Sure thing” Rose followed with a smile. She did enjoy the water, always being serenaded by the waves at the temple. Pearl simply stared, waiting for Pink to interact with it. And interact he did, jumping in and splashing the two before any could back away.

His head popped up, he inspected them. Rose was giggling and Pearl was stiff as a board. He was hoping for a different reaction. He climbed out with a soggy suit, hair gel no longer maintaining the neatness of his wet curls. 

The two still ignored each other. 

Maybe if he took himself out of the equation. 

“That was fun!” He shook his head to get some excess moisture out. “I’m going to go dry off.” 

The two stood for a brief moment, not certain how to interact with their charge gone. Rose decided to attempt speaking first. 

“Are you… enjoying the festivities?”

“It is… nice.” Pearl grit out with discomfort. 

Rose desperately did not want to be here, did not want to be alone with the one gem who probably hated her the most in the entire universe… her only means of escape was drying himself off. The two stood stock still for a brief moment, both trying to think of something to say, before Rose heard Pearl gasp. 

“What is that?” Pearl spoke to herself, leaning down to inspect the pool that was now turning a darker hue of pink, speckled with what only could be described as globs.  

“His essence…” Rose muttered. 

“That… is not right!” Pearl stretched to grasp the goop, cupping it in the palm of her hands. “It shouldn’t react like this…”

“That’s what always happens when he gets hurt, he must have just nicked himself when…”

“Hurt!?” Pearl’s head snapped to her direction, already a thousand accusations behind her gaze. “You’ve seen this before?!”

Rose stood as still as stone as Pearl sneered at her and turned on her heel to check on him. “Now, Pearl!” She followed behind to no avail. 

The individual in question popped his head around the corner, confusion tugging at his expression when Pearl yanked his arms up for inspection. 

“Uh, Pearl… what are you…”

“Where is the damage, my diamond?!” She began to comb over every inch of him. “Where does it hurt!?”

“Hurt? What are you…?” His eyes widened when Pearl opened her palm to reveal the glob of essence. “Oh! That?” He lifted his finger, inspecting it personally. “I-it’s nothing, Pearl. Really!” 

“Nothing?!” Pearl squawked. “Your form was damaged! I should have been paying better attention!” 

Rose came up to her in an attempt to help calm her down, not even getting a word in before Pearl snapped at her. 

“And as for you! This has happened before?!” 

“P-Pearl, it’s okay… it just happens sometimes!” He tried to ensure. 

“It has.” Rose ignored him, already feeling the tension building from their encounters ready to explode. 

Pearl's cheeks turned a shade of blue, her eyes widening in anger. ”How, dare I ask, did he end up hurting himself?”

Pearl’s shouting caught the attention of Greg, who had taken to the grand piano practically on arrival, his music stopping and head turning to them. 

Rose stared her down, uncharacteristically stoic in the face of her accuser. It was a tense few seconds before Greg pushed his way between them. 

“Guys…” he nodded over to where Pink Diamond had been standing, nothing but empty air now.

Perhaps it was time to call it a night.

***

The lights had been turned off for some time, the only light being that of the moon. One lonely individual sat at the piano, lethargically pressing down on random keys with his pointer finger, head cradled in the nook of his other arm. He hadn’t bothered undressing from his suit completely, the vest unbuttoned and bow tie untied. His hair  now back to its wild state of unkept madness. 

“Mind if I join ya, kid?” He looked up, seeing Greg still in his own suit, albeit as messy looking as his own. 

Without a word he scooched over, allowing Greg to sit next to him. 

“What’s on your mind?” Greg began to play a soft tune. “You kinda just dipped there.”

“Sorry for wasting your money, Greg.” 

“Huh?” Greg stopped playing for a moment. 

“This whole trip was my idea and it didn’t even work.” He slumped dejectedly. 

Greg sighed. “You didn’t waste anything of mine, bud.” He leaned over to reach the high keys. “Any time with you, Rose and your friends is never time or money wasted in my mind.” He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see if his encouragement was helping any. “Hey,” he stopped playing the piano to wrap an arm around the kid’s shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself for any of this. Sometimes what people need is time and space to work things out on their own, you know?”

“What if they never do?” 

“I have a feeling they will.” Greg assured him. “They both care about you, bud.” 

“Yeah.” He didn’t bother feigning a smile, never felt the need around Greg. 

The both of them sat there for some time, not noticing Rose and Pearl hiding behind the balcony doorway. He was trying his best and they squashed his enthusiasm like a bug under a boot. A silent agreement went between them, a truce. If they couldn’t get along for the sake of each other, 

They would for him.

Chapter Text

Lapis sat on the couch in the loft, watching Peridot slowly become enthralled with a tape they had found while cleaning. Something called ‘camp pining hearts’ or whatever. She tried her hardest to focus on the pixels dancing across the screen to no avail, her entire focus still on her, on Jasper. 

Why? Why couldn’t she just be over it? Why did she have to have this sickening feeling every time that gem’s name was brought up? She hated being with Jasper, hated the emotional turmoil of being Malachite… and yet, for some reason, she craved it. She had continued to sink further and further into a pit of self hatred over it, the past few days becoming a blurred mess in her depressive wake. 

“…is why this pairing appears to be the most objectively optimal.” Peridot’s muttering and musing dragged Lapis back to reality. 

“Sure.” It was all she could muster up to say. 

“I am glad you agree.” Peridot peeked out of the corner of her eye. “I was uncertain of the function of these entertainment rectangles, but from what I’ve observed it is meant to be some form of pairing simulation!” 

Lapis simply sat back as Peridot went off. 

“In presenting how these individuals in their own species interact, it appears the organic viewer is meant to learn in order to locate their perfect match for a mate!” Peridot threw up her arms. “Now don’t get me wrong, this planet has been extensively documented under the order of the diamonds, but seeing their rituals and educational media firsthand in order to continue their species is fascinating!”

“You just want your pair to happen, don’t you?” Lapis tried to make a light jab.

“Well, from what I’ve observed it’s the objectively best match for the perfect offspring!” 

Lapis chuckled seeing Peridot get so dragged in. It almost made her feel a little better… almost. She felt sometimes that no one could lift her spirits. Maybe if Steven was here…

“Hey Peri, Lapis! You home?” 

Speak of the devil.

“Ah, Steven!” Peridot jumped up from her spot on the couch. “You’re just in time! Me and Lapis have discovered some educational documentation and I would like your input, you see…” she went over every detail, even bringing out a graph she had made with crayon. Lapis and Steven watched on in poorly concealed boredom, their eyes both glossing over by the time she finished. 

“That’s um…” he took the tape from Peridot that she had held out in demonstration. “I mean, this says it’s only the first two episodes.”

“There’s more?!” 

Him and Lapis cringed knowing exactly what can of worms they just opened was. Already too late to take back what he said, he proceeded. 

“Maybe the rest are around here, if not you can probably look them up on the internet.”

“I must know the outcome then!” She snatched the phone from the couch that he and Amethyst had bought for her, scurrying away like a very happy rat would a slice of pizza in a subway. 

“So,” Lapis finally had a moment to ask. “What’s up?”

“Oh… you know, I was in the area and thought, well…” he seemed to stall for a moment in an attempt to gather his thoughts, or his exact words. “It’s just that, Greg offered to take me on a trip and… wait actually, never mind.”

“What?” She tilted her head a bit in confusion.

“Thing is, it’s a fishing trip with Jared… in the ocean.” His shoulders hitched up at the last bit. “I… shouldn’t have mentioned it, sorry.” 

She paused a moment, thinking it over. She had stayed away from open water for some time after un-fusing, it’s murky depths haunting her with those feelings. Maybe what she needed was a positive experience with it… maybe that would wash away what she was feeling. 

“That actually sounds like fun.” 

“Are you sure?” He looked her up and down. “I don’t want you to say yes just because… you know?”

“I need to get out of the barn.” She admitted. “There’s only so much of camp pining hearts I can take.” 

“Alright, we’ll be leaving pretty early tomorrow, so I’ll come pick you up!” He waved her off, her reciprocating with an honest smile.