Drowning Ruby

Abrupt Landing

AU for Room For Ruby

(AKA What if Leggy fell, instead of Navy, after actually reaching Homeworld)

"AHHHH!"

"What? The shooting star...its screaming?" A pink flash thought to grant a wish was now falling a breakneck speeds towards that sand, a sound of terror accompanying it. The sand was quick to make a crater but also cushion the sound of the heated intruder from their enter into the atmosphere. The lone ruby was quick to raise their head in confusion, a fearful look in their eyes as they backed away from Garnet and Steven, who had come to the beach to investigate the sound.

"It's Leggy!" Steven shouted, a look of recognition on his face that didn't seem to match the gem besides him, who was quick to question the titlement.

"Who?" He fidgeted, hand moving to rub his neck in an embarrassed gesture.

"Remember?" He stretched out the word in a way that implied she should have remembered, "The rubies, I gave them all names, hers is Leggy cause her gem is on her leg!" The gem in question was already looking towards the ocean with panic, head whipping back and forth as they looked for an escape; she seemed to be irrationally thinking and was soon running in a random direction. In a mere moment, Garnet had taken ahold of her, hoisting her above the ground as Steven's bubble enveloped her form.

"Leggy, wait! We can't just let you run off but we don't wanna make this a fight!"

"...Who-who is that?" Her question was hesitant, arms moving to hug herself as her breathing became fiercer.

"Well...it's you!" His answer was just as guarded, suddenly unsure of the self-proclaimed nickname.

"Wh-what? No...I'm just-"

"I'm R-Ruby...F-Facet 2L6S...C-Cut 7ZX-"

"And...you're the only one left of your squadron?"

"W-well no, I- There were five rubies-"

"The only one left of five, yes; or at least...left alive."

"Wh-what?!"

"Fragments were found that are equivalent to three gems, one is missing. Your leader is gone so you'll need to report what happened; just answer the questions."

"I-uh...what?"

"Let's begin, what was the result of your mission?"
"We...we failed."

"That much is clear, what happened during your time- which was long past the given limit- by the way."

"Uh...baseball- base...base, Jasper- uh…"

"Coherently, please."

"Well...we...we got tricked a couple- er- a few times...and...they didn't say who they were."

"By whom?"

"I don't know…"

"I can see this report is as useless as the rest, the Ruby Squadrons are obviously far too incompetent to accomplish anything. I knew I shouldn't have left them on their own…shatter this one like the rest."

"What?! Y-you said...you said you found their shards!"

"I did...didn't I?"

"My teammates...how...how could you?! Its...its my fault! Its always my fault! They didn't deserve to be broken!"

"Take her to her cell."

"-Its my fault...its my fault-!"

'It-its my fault...its my fault- no-! No...they don't- why?!' Tears flowed, bringing an unfamiliar sensation to the young gem as emotions overcame her and left her shaking and holding herself close.

"You're such a screw-up, Newbie!" (Doc)

"Why'd we have to get stuck with the new one?" (Army)

"This is gonna end up just like last time…" (Navy)

"Grr…" (Eyeball)

"-I'm the screw-up...I'm just...the screw-up." The hot sensation on her face, a blush of frustration forming and leaving her fuming with emotions as her eyes squeezed shut; body contorting within the sphere sitting on the ground. Steven let his hand rest on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort that made the gem flinch but not pull away. Ruby still didn't know many of the philosophies of gems, not to mention her mental state, and simply let it be as she found herself babbling.

"I can't go back...they-they- the others!"

"L-Ruby, what...happened?"

"I messed-up...the Authority- they...oh why?!" Steven cautiously pulled the short gem into his arms, ignoring her slight tense as she grew hysterical part-way through her story, "They told me they found them in pieces! But they- they broke them." A collective gasp sounded from the two Crystal Gems, drawing a tearful expression from Steven as he recalled their game of baseball, he'd never even blamed Eyeball for trying to kill him; that's just how Homeworld gems are taught...especially after witnessing the war. Garnet seemed stiffer than before, fists clenched as the ruby let out harsh sobs of grief for the people she'd barely even gotten to know.

"I-I had to run or they would've…" The red gem trailed off as she took in another gasp between soft whines, "I didn't know them long...it was only my first time outside but…" Again, they stopped mid-sentence with another self-deprecating insult on the tip of their tongue, left hanging in the air. Time passed until, eventually, water had run dry and the ocean's high tides were beginning to lap at their feet during the late afternoon, slightly yellow skies showing that the sun would set in a few hours. The fragile gem was left sniffling and afraid, barely a few months old and already well aware with the terrifying concept of death that had come for their teammates so soon. This was one the only times she could ever say that she wished she could forget everything, despite it always making her such a nuisance in the past.

"Ruby...you could stay here with us…"

"I…" The sigh was scarcely audible, though it was clear relief was present within the small exhale, slightly clearing away the overshadowing sadness, "Okay."

After discussions took place, it was decided that Lapis and Peridot would be the best pair to help Ruby adjust to the Earth and all its newness. The journey through the corn-field was odd enough for the young gem, who had fidgeted before entering and was constantly pulling away when the plant touched her. Steven had asked what was wrong, she'd simply said it was weird...that it was too alive, if only she knew, for now he stayed silent and simply led on.

"Well, well, back again! You should just move-in with us at this point!" Peridot chimed as the boy cleared the field and came face-to-face with a smiling Lapis and Peridot, both eager for their friend's visit. The somber mood that he had been left in seemed to lift at this.

"Well...this is actually about someone else," He said, already aware of their confusion as he walked back and led an apprehensive ruby from the field. Her hand had a loose hold on his in a gesture less memory-inducing than holding his arm but also more a symbol of a more intimate friendship from their shared moment. She could trust this human who knew of her pain, he was the closest thing she had to a bond left and at the moment she needed someone to rely on. Not to mention the game they'd played together and the actual introduction had, after what had happened, however, people she thought were trustworthy had fallen through, leaving her on edge at the sight of the familiar rebels.

"H-hi…"

"So...when did you get here?" The green gem inquires.

"She fell down a few hours ago." Steven replies.

"New Barnie!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait. We should talk about this first." Lapis quickly interjects, letting her water move and envelop the gem in a little bubble. At first, Ruby feels panicked but quickly calms after viewing the familiar sensation of being submerged in her bubble. Unfortunately, its a double-edged sword, bringing her back to a time when they all floated together and then sat together on the green ground...something that would never happen again. She didn't want to cry anymore, the feeling of it had not been at all pleasant, yet, despite the hours spent draining emotion from herself, she already felt it once more; sneaking up on her through joyful times. Her arms reached around her middle and eyes shut tight, even though it only made the images more vivid, in an attempt to calm herself. Even if the water didn't drown out all the words being said, the ringing bells of pictured movies of thought would have done it just fine.

"Steven, what's going on? Why would she wanna live with us? Doesn't she hate us?"

"Actually, she hates Homeworld."

"But why?"

"She got found by them and...they hurt her friends, she became a prisoner...like you." The blue gem seemed surprised but sympathetic, no one should have to go through what she did; the situations weren't exactly alike but she had been hurt by them too...no wonder she seemed scared.

"Why did they hurt her squadron?" The shorter gem asked in confusion.

"I...I don't know but I do know that its been really hard for her, especially knowing she was betrayed by whoever was in charge." He gave them a pleading look, "You both went through some tough times with adjusting so...we decided that maybe you could help her through this."

"I'll do my best, I guess but we'll have to teach her all the confusing new things about Earth, I mean, some of them are still confusing to me." Lapis answered with a hesitant look.

"We'll do it together! We can both help her out with understanding this complex planet!" Peridot added, ever enthusiastic about spreading her knowledge. On that note, a chalkboard was pulled from the barn, Ruby was let down from the bubble (quickly scrambling back to Steven's side) and class was ready to begin.

"So you're an Earthling! But what does that mean? Well, the answer is-" Flip. "Who knows?! Ha ha ha! And that's the beauty of Earth! Nothing here makes sense but that's why...you have us now!" Peridot quickly explained, slapping the board with a fly-swatter to punctuate her point.

"It might be hard to like Earth at first, it is where...a bunch of bad stuff happened." The bluenette added as her own take, hand moving to rub her arm self-consciously. Ruby didn't respond outside of a confused look that left her with a familiar feeling of cluelessness, it made her feel more at ease but she still stuck close the the human next to her.

"Now, let's move into weather!"

"This planet is sunny now but it could always rain later."

"...Wh-what's…'rain'?" The red gem whispered, feeling the need to ask so as to understand at least part of the makeshift lesson. The other gems seemed pleasantly surprised by the soft-spoken question.

"It's like...oh! Wait! I can just show you!" A pull came on the water that sat in the hole to the right of Ruby, the liquid rising into the sky and slowly letting out subtle drips that soon became harsher, falling down at a constant rate that got everyone wet. Ruby decided almost instantaneously that she hated rain as the little droplets touched her skin, brushing it with a terrifying feeling that seemed to crawl to every part of her body. It made her quiver, immediately running out from under the onslaught to try and brush it from her arms; she'd never liked being wet since Kindergarten emergency...the bubble from before tolerated due to the feeling of the crawling drops quickly dissipating after being freed (since they didn't remember ever being submerged during the incident), instead of sticking around- and worse, falling from the sky itself-

The gemstone was pleasantly warm as it sat inside the rock, taking the necessary materials from around itself (though feeling slightly starved for the lacking parts). Completely content to simply wait and wait until- oh! A consciousness was the first to form itself, telling the ruby that they are a gem, that they are living. The rock melts around them in a perfectly neat manner, only making room for their short body and all around the limbs. A part of the hole burns outwards, leaving a keyhole of light to the surface where light floods in. Body slowly beginning to form around the gem with only slight growths to keep the process correct.

Until...screaming. People shouting and yelling outside as an alarm rings and voices are soon diluted by...something. Blueness rises steadily, easily reaching their low key-hole and slowly letting in a gentle spray of cold liquid that sizzles as it reaches the smoldering rock within. The process is instantly frozen, pre-formed limbs already schlepping off from the wetness that only rose higher, changing it from merely turning them to sludge into full-blown disintegration. Their consciousness was quick to shut down after that point, leaving nothing but a gemstone left without a body and too encased in water to ever form without help. When the ruby finally did form, it would, no doubt, be defective.

"Ruby? Hey, its okay, its just water!" Steven yelled, taking the gem away from their terrifying half-birth memories and back into reality as they tried to cease their shivering and Lapis dried off their skin with a quick flick of her wrist.

"I know its a bit strange but it happens quite often on this planet."

"I don't like it...I wish everything would quit changing so much…" It was obvious she wasn't just talking about her new environment. Lapis stopped the rain, letting the water return to its proper basin as they went inside to escape the wet ground.

"This, is our Gemcave! Lapis hates it when I call it that, so I don't. The barn's pretty big so you can have one of the corners! Heheh! Make it your own!"

"...What do you mean?"

"Well, we tend to decorate, as you can see, so if you find something you like that's, you know, 'Earth stuff,' you can add it your part!"

"Have a look around, Ruby!" Steven told her, nudging her forward. She walked forward, letting her gaze wander about the odd place before settling on a hanging piece of cloth. It perplexed her, Lapis seemed to take notice and decided to explain.

"That's a hammock," Ruby jumped at the sudden voice, "That's where I like to sleep. I don't have to do it but I like to do it."

"Sleep?"

"It's like turning off for a bit-"

"And snore!" Peridot yelled from the other side of the room, causing the blue gem to flush.

"How does it work?" Lapis seemed to think for a moment, though remained positively aware that the red gem was comfortable with asking her questions so openly.

"It's a little complicated, you lay down somewhere and think about...nothing, or everything. Your mind lets go without thinking eventually, and sometimes you even get dreams."

"Dreams?"

"They're like seeing but sometimes you see different things, like memories, things you wish for, even just random stuff." Ruby was in awe, willing themselves to try, if not anything else, at least this 'Earth thing.' The blue gem besides her seemed smugly satisfied.

"Here's our organic Earth-farm! The ground beneath our feet is teeming with resources, which feed the growing crops around us!" The green gem excitedly explained before gaining an odd look and adding, "Don't bother talking to the corn, it can't hear you."

"...Corn?"

"This...is corn! A living, growing species of plant-life that lacks sentience!"

"Don't worry, you don't have to love everything right away, I'm sure plants seem strange you right now." Lapis included, knowing the odd species used to confuse her greatly.

"So...it is alive...but not alive?"

"Precisely!" I almost looked like Ruby was lost in space with her faraway eyes as she looked at the corn and then at the panting, dog-like pumpkin. The pumpkin in question then yipped and she jumped in fright, very confused about the contradiction.

"Pumpkin is...a special case…" Steven tried to explain. The red gem breathed a bit heavily, taking the occasional deep breath in-between as another attempt to calm themselves.

"Ruby?"

"*incoherent mumbling*"

"Huh?"

"This...this is all so weird! Thing grow but don't talk and stuff falls out of the sky and- and- I don't get anything here! I don't know what a barn is, or corn, or- or anything!" Her eyes opened from being squeezed shut and she viewed collective looks of shock that had a flush appearing on her face out of embarrassment; another new emotion for her. Unable to deal with the staring a moment longer, her legs take her from the spotlight and into the darkness of the night as the sun's rays disappear; yet another odd way this planet changed.

"Wha- Ruby! Wait!" She felt compelled to follow the order, despite it coming from the human, but ignored it, frustration welling inside her from all the recent events piling on. She got a rather decent distant before stopping in a meadow of sorts, framed by flowers, something she'd never even seen before. She couldn't help but stop and admire them, just like her fellow ruby would have. Before long, someone approached, stopping to sit next to her in a soundless motion as they stared out into the field.

"Hey...are you, doing okay?"

"I- no. I've always been used to not getting things, I'm the newbie, the screw-up, the one that always forgets… I just...wanna go home, and I can't, and everyone's gone; why am I the one that's still here?" She pauses, "Why, out of all of us, did the defective ruby live?"

"I don't have the answer you're looking for, nobody does but I do know one thing," Lapis put their hand on Ruby's shoulder, making her turn to face the blue gem, "You are still here, and that means you still have a chance, a chance you ought to take in honor of your friends. A chance you can take to learn, live a new life, and, maybe...maybe find a reason you want to be here."

"You...think I can do it?"

"Yeah, I think we can all do it together."

"Hey, Lapis?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this what being tired feels like?"

"I think so…" With that, Lapis is lying on the flower-covered ground and Ruby follows suit with slight hesitation, pulling herself away from Lapis so they remain with space between them after their arms brushed. The same hesitation follows as she closes her eyes and tries to think about nothing, or everything, or just...the gem beside her. Darkness slips over her like an old friend, a smile creeping onto their face as pleasant dreams of learning the world around them fill their mind with hope and a confidence she'd never felt before. When the others found them later, with the help of Garnet, they found them both asleep on top of each other with a content smile on both sets of lips. As it turns out, the water had been Ruby's savior since the very beginning.