Chapter Text
6000 years ago.
The scenery is green, lush, and beautiful. A light breeze blows through the thick woods, rustling leaves accompanied by the low stream of a river gently flowing through the forest. Birds sing in the distance, as the sun shines down through the gaps in the trees, bringing warmth and light to the forest floor, where grass, weeds and flowers relish in the pleasant glow.
The calm atmosphere of the greenery is interrupted by the loud sound of a spaceship soaring above. Inside the spaceship, an Aquamarine, their Pearl, a Peridot and a Bismuth are preparing to land on Pink Diamond's first colony - Earth.
"We will be landing soon," The Peridot reported, beginning to plan the gems' descent onto the planet.
The Aquamarine sighs, their daydreaming interrupted. This mission has to be perfect , they thought, we go in, we report on the planet's conditions, we go out. Simple.
As the ship lands, Aquamarine flies out of their chair. "What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" They call out excitedly, flying their way to the ship's door - the rest of the crew trailing behind them.
The door of the ship opens, and the first thing the gems see as they leave the ship is… life. Green, wild and all-encompassing; then a current of water making its way through a weathered path of stone and dirt that looks like it goes on forever.
They make their way through the thick woods, to find a clearing in which the Bismuth can create a communication tower and a home-base for the gems to come.
As soon as they reach an opening that the Aquamarine deems fitting, the crew gets to work. The Bismuth begins constructing the base, while the Peridot analyzes the surroundings to check for valuable resources and potential for gem creation. The Aquamarine silently observes, making sure no mistakes are made, and their Pearl notes down the crew's progress for the report they will send.
Soon enough, the base is finished, and so is the tower. The gems send the report they've compiled over the extent of the mission, and depart from Earth, having successfully completed their assignment.
5800 years ago.
Sapphire is to meet with the leader of the Earth Sector 28 colony. They will tell Pyrope about the potential of the land. Soon after, a Bismuth will make a fatal mistake during construction of a nearby base. Sapphire will be shattered by the falling debris.
They have always seen their whole life laid in front of them, and they have accepted their fate; there is nothing to be done, anyway. Their continued existence is not necessary. There are hundreds, if not thousands of Sapphires. They could easily be replaced, without a moment's thought.
Bismuths and Lapis Lazulis work tirelessly around them, shaping the land, building impressive spires and communication towers, as they approach the main base of Sector 28. Walking in, Sapphire notes their surroundings one last time, knowing they won't have time to do so later.
Lapis Lazuli gently lowers themselves to the ground, looking up at the mound they've made. It's not the most impressive, but… it fits right in with the rest of the scenery? And so they leave it be.
As they go to receive new instructions from Blue Lace, Lapis notices a Bismuth miss a strike in the building they're constructing. This causes debris to tumble down right where a Sapphire now passes by calmly, either somehow oblivious to the falling rubble or totally accepting of their fate.
Whatever it was, Lapis could not just sit there and watch it happen. As fast as they could, they summon their wings and rush over to the Sapphire, knocking them out of the way of the rubble.
To the both of them, time seemed to slow as they saw each other up close.
They land roughly on the ground, safely out of the way of the now-crashed rock.
In the heat of the moment and their proximity, the Sapphire and the Lapis fuse.
This feeling…
The moment is quickly cut short by the realization of what they have done, as they immediately unfuse. The gems around begin to crowd together, in an attempt to block their exit as an Agate calls for them to be shattered.
Without thinking, Sapphire grabs Lapis' hand and starts running.
5790 years ago.
Emerald is in the midst of what used to be a grass filled battlefield, now charred beyond recognition, on their soon-to-be newest colony. Surrounded by Rubies and all sorts of different Quartz, the heated battle rages on. The planet's locals fight for their lives, while the gem army easily defeats any forces sent their way.
The Emerald spots a few opposing soldiers break away from the battle, and follows after them to make sure they won't be a problem later.
After a short chase, the soldiers suddenly stop, and Emerald grins. Foolish soldiers, they think, as they get closer.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them gives in, as they step on a pile of charred leaves - seemingly placed there intentionally in order to create a trap.
As Emerald falls into the hole, they can hear the soldiers run away. Damn it.
Cutting through the silence, a Ruby falls into the hole with a surprised yelp. It takes a moment, but as soon as they notice Emerald, they salute nervously, immediately beginning to explain themselves.
"Emerald! I apologize for following you, but I saw you run off and wanted to make sure you had backup in case…" The Ruby trailed off, as they looked around at the walls of the moderately sized hole. Almost immediately, they straighten back up again. "...In case something like this happened. But I didn't see the hole in time. Please forgive me, Emerald!"
Emerald looks at the Ruby, at how almost helpless they sound to them, and smirk to themselves. They had been refused a Pearl countless times now, being told they can handle their "meager amount of colonies" perfectly fine on their own. Apparently, their importance isn't clear enough for the Diamonds.
If so, they can take matters into their own hands.
"I can forgive you, under one condition," Emerald finally stated. The Ruby perks up slightly, eyes glimmering with relief. "Anything for you, Emerald!"
"You will now serve under me directly, as my… assistant, so to speak." The Ruby tilted their head slightly, confused. "Isn't that a Pearl's job?" Emerald sighed lightly, starting to get annoyed. "Don't ask any questions, or I will shatter you. You aren't in a position to ask questions. Understood?"
The Ruby froze for a brief moment, before nodding, still saluting. "Yes, my Emerald!"
5600 years ago.
Somewhere, in a kindergarten, a Banded Amethyst emerges.