Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe!

Title: History has its eyes on you

Summary: Connie takes the Crystal Gem pledge. The Famethyst are looking for a new leader. Skinny is vying for Amethyst to take Holly Blue's place. Holly Blue isn't saying much. They all gather together for a mission of Famethyst proportions.

Author's Note: Endgame AU is something that's popped up on my Tumblr account. It's basically an AU about how SU ends. (This isn't about that, though, so it's not biggie). Connie is nonbinary.

Pairing: Bit of Amethyst/Skinny.

...

Connie picked at their simple green shirt with a considering frown. Their black leggings gave way to simple boots, tied with careful tugs. Their long hair was braided. "Are you sure this is okay? I feel like I should be more fancy-smancy for this."

Steven laughed. At seventeen, he came up to the middle of their arm. "You look great. Really."

"Ooh, Amethyst!" Pearl's voice hit that high range that the purple Gem couldn't personally reach without cracking as she plucked Amethyst off the floor, hugging her to her chest like a teddy bear. "I'm just so excited!"

"I noticed," she said.

The ocean thudded peacefully outside the Temple. Warm, salty air flooded the room, giving it a comfy glow. Garnet sat happily on the warp pad as Connie checked themselves over. Pearl paced back and forth excitedly on the main floor, boards creaking, Amethyst swinging in her arms.

Connie, at almost sixteen years of age, was much taller than they'd been as a child, coming in at almost Pearl's shoulders. Their hands were covered in scars from training mishaps, hands they now wrung nervously. Their shoulders were wide and bulky, midriff and chest flat. Their legs were eternally long.

"S'nice day for this," Garnet said.

Connie turned to her. "Has Peridot done this yet?"

"Nope."

"Jasper?"

"Obviously not."

"The Famethyst?"

"They've never been loyal to us. You oughta know that by now."

"Hey," Amethyst warned, frowning.

"'M not saying they aren't loyal, Amethyst. They simply aren't loyal to the Crystal Gems."

"So, I'm the first in how long?"

"Since Amethyst, so... couple thousand years, give or take."

"Oh." Connie looked ill. "I see."

Pearl released Amethyst with a final squeeze, striding over to put her hands on their shoulders. "Oh, I'm so proud of you, Connie! You've come so far!"

"Thank you, ma'am." They smiled sheepishly. "I hope I'm not too casual for this."

"We're beings of light, Con'." Amethyst put in. She hadn't risen from the spot she had been dropped. "What do we care about fancy clothes?"

"You have a subscription to a clothing magazine," Pearl pointed out.

"Listen. You ever seen the ladies in those things? They need to eat, but they've got killer hair."

"We don't care what you look like," Garnet affirmed. "Jus' be comfy."

Connie let out a small sigh of relief. "In that case, we should get moving."

"So, lemme get this straight," Skinny said. "Ya'll have an oath."

"Yup."

"That ya'll can take willingly."

"Yup."

"And you can still be a Crystal Gem if you don't take said oath?"

"Yup."

"What's the point, then?"

The Jasper swung her legs. They had made it a habit of meeting up at the cliff every week or so, idly chatting. Something about the endless ocean in front, rolling against the shore, made their rendezvous feel private, despite the fact the rest of the Famethyst lived in the lighthouse. Skinny sat while Amethyst laid down, legs to the breeze. The fall always seemed to make her feel uneasy. Seagulls cried in the distance.

"IDK, honestly." Amethyst shrugged. "Tradition, I guess? We do it as Rose's Fountain, so that's probably got somethin' to do with it."

"You mean in front of that huge cloddin' statue?"

"That's the one."

"Yeesh. No pressure."

"Nah. Rose always was larger than life. It's... actually pretty comforting, feelin' small in that way."

"You miss her, huh?"

"You would too, if you'd known her."

"Regardless, we know what it's like to lose someone important."

"Pink Diamond and Rose were completely different, dude."

Skinny raised an eyebrow. "Were they?"

"Rose was like a mom to us, not a leader. I mean, she was for me. I didn't know wartime Rose. She saved me, you know?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I was super scared when I heard the warp pad. I was a solo Amethyst, all alone in the big Kindergarten. Made myself look all huge and tough, like Purple Puma, only without all the silly-lookin' gear." She laughed bitterly. "Pearl and Garnet almost shattered me."

"It must've been like looking at a ghost, to them."

"'Xactly. Rose was the one who calmed me down. Rose was the one who noticed my gem didn't fit my bod. Rose was the one who wanted to take me back to the Temple."

"Be that as it may, Pink Diamond is the reason you're alive. That any of us are alive. That doesn't mean we have to be loyal to either one."

"Yeesh. Ferocious, much?"

"I don't like it when you go on and on about her. It's like you see her as a Diamond."

"She was our Diamond. Only, y'know, less Diamond-y. Now she's dead, and we're on our own. You get that at least, don't you?"

Skinny sighs. "Low blow, Runty."

"I hate that nickname."

"Most of us hate our first-draft nickname. We'll find you a better one soon, promise."

"You better."

"Anyway, back to this oath thing. Do you gotta, like, chant something? Do they sprinkle the remains of a shattered Gem on your shoulders?"

"Ew, no. You just kneel, and then Pearl puts a sword or whatever on your shoulder, and Garnet tells ya' all the rules of being a Crystal Gem, and you say you'll follow them. Boom! You're in."

"That simple?"

"Well, you used to have to shapeshift on a star- like you're freeing yourself of Homeworld or whatever- but Connie can't exactly do that. They did mention a tattoo parlor willing to do 'em up, though, so they should have a star pretty soon."

"Tattoo?"

"Skin art. Somebody'll needle in a star."

"I feel like that would be painful."

"Connie's tough. 'Sides, it's not so bad. I tried it, once; it was gone the next time I reformed."

Skinny tapped her gem. "You could always shapeshift somethin'."

"I'm more of an all or nothin' kind of gal, really. Details like that aren't usually my best work."

"Did you take this oath thingy-majig?"

"'Course."

"Ah. Maybe we oughta, then."

"Nobody expects you to."

"I know. But you took it, so..."

Amethyst bristles, sitting up. "We've talked about this."

"Runty, we're Quartzes. You didn't really think we'd give up that easily, did you?"

"I would've."

"That's 'cause you're stubborn in, like, a passive-aggressive way." Skinny shrugged, running a hand through her short hair. "If you don't do it, who will? Holly certainly ain't our leader anymore- if she ever was."

"How's she doin', by the way?"

"No idea. She tends to keep her distance. Sleeps all by herself at the top of the lighthouse. She ain't complained, though, so I guess she's doin' decent."

"I didn't think Gems like Holly slept."

"Well, we don't really know what she gets up to at night, but I'd like to think she's a sleeper. Better than her just staring at a wall or the sea for hours on end."

"Pearl likes to do that. She says it's calming."

"We're getting off-topic."

"I mean, I prefer this topic to the thing we were talking about before."

"Give it a try."

"No."

"Just one mission."

"I said no."

"I know you did." Her light fingers were now tapping her thigh. "But I also know you've got the credentials."

"A whip ain't a credential."

"You're also Earth-smart. You're a lot less rowdier than we are, too, which can't hurt, and you've got that loud voice we need for all of us to hear you."

"I keep tellin' you; get Jay to do it."

"And I keep telling you she says no."

"You respect her, but not me." She sounds hurt. She is hurt.

"If I didn't respect you, I wouldn't be pestering you." She dismissed. "I just think you can do better than a lacky to a fusion and a pearl."

"Pearl. Just Pearl. And her name is Garnet."

"I might just mention this to Garnet."

"Do it." She turned away. "She'll shoot you down."

"Try it," Garnet says. "It won't hurt."

Amethyst found it mildly ironic that the fusion was coaxing her to lead a mission via a lecture, lounging back on the couch. "I trusted you, G. You were supposed to tell Skinny no."

"The Famethyst need a leader, and you're a good choice. I don't see what right I have to refuse."

"You can't make me do anything," she put in mildly.

"No," Garnet agreed, "I can't."

"So this is all pointless."

"This is me giving my permission. Go. Take Connie with you. They've been itching to get into the field."

That much is true. Connie tries to act like it's no big deal, but they keeping glancing at Garnet, awaiting assignment. Amethyst admired their tenacity.

"You want me to make my own decisions and be a leader," she said instead, "by ordering me around."

Garnet's mouth opens, then shuts. "That's fair."

"I'm too small for the big Gems, G. I've never exactly been the leader type, either."

"I think you're selling yourself short."

"So we both agree height is a factor, then?"

Garnet ignored that jibe. "Regardless, I'm going to ask them to go on a mission, and I hope that you'll join them. Give 'em a few hints."

"You're playin' with fire, Garnet," she warned.

She smirked. "I think I can take the heat."

There's a twinge, a little itch between the shoulder blades, that Amethyst steadfastly ignores. She doesn't have the right to question Garnet, and she certainly doesn't have the right to speak for the Famethyst, but... it feels a bit ichy, you know? They aren't connected to the Crystal Gems, but here they are, asking them to push onwards in their place.

It's not that complicated, of course. They were asked, and so they accepted, eagerly squishing onto the warp pad. Amethyst thought Holly Blue looked particularly displeased, shoulders straight, leaning as far away as she could from their touch without falling off and causing herself further embarrassment. They all took it as a good turn that she was willing to go at all, tight-lipped or not. With Garnet leading them, the major ruling Gems on the planet, it felt a bit like they had no choice but to accept.

Amethyst knows it's just her overthinking things, as always. She pats Connie on the hip- it's as high as she can reach- and squirms to stand next to Carnelian, who gifts her the smile of a Gem who knows how nice it can be to be short in a crowd of big'uns.

It doesn't occur to Amethyst that they haven't seen a mountainside before until they all ooh and aah, rapidly climbing off to explore. Amethyst nonchalantly follows, Connie by her side. Holly's lips quirk- it's hard to say if it's a positive reaction or not- as she clenches a hand against her chest, daintily stepping off the warp pad. The second group blips in soon after, Steven controlling their destination, and then they're on their own.

"What now?" Connie asks quietly.

"We walk around." Amethyst shrugs. "It'll come to us."

They go for a day, then two. The Famethyst moves like a herd- they generally go the same way but break off and explore and get caught up by small little things Amethyst hasn't been amazed with in decades. They watch seed pods flutter to the ground; gasp when a deer spots them and sprints away. They especially have an interest in the things Connie eats- fish and small prey. They like the 'low tech' feeling of fire.

"We're easy to please," Skinny says, one time, with a shrug. "With our old jobs being so sucky and boring, we kinda had to be."

"And Holly?" she asks in a low murmur, extremely off-put by the Agate's hundred yard stare. She's always on watch- at least, at the lighthouse, she lets her shoulders fall, lets herself sit down at the edges and listen. Now her hands twitch toward her neck whenever a twig snaps.

Skinny hiccups a laugh. "She may be a blowhard, but she's no slacker. It's, like, her one redeeming quality."

Chip's voice crawls over the horizon, though Amethyst hadn't noticed her disappear. "Heeeey! Boss Lady! Heeeeey!"

Connie coughs politely into their fist, stifling a laugh. "I think she means you."

"Good for her; I don't come when called."

"There's a buncha water over here!"

"Shoot. She's gonna get her lungs full of it, isn't she?"

"Probably."

"Alright, fine." Amethyst raised her voice. "Fan out and the find the cranberry!"

"She's over that way." Holly Blue grimly pointed to the East of them, past a ditch and into some deeper terrain, face like she'd swallowed a couple lemons and found she hated the acid.

"Never mind, then. Follow Holly!"

"I'm not leading," said Holly.

"Dangit, Holly, just get us to Chip," Skinny snaps, crossing lengthy arms.

Holly blinked at her, seemed to control herself, and instinctively moved to the side, letting the other Amethysts and Jaspers charge by in a bundle. She met Skinny's gaze defiantly then followed, almost seeming to strut.

Amethyst whistled. "Holly got sass."

"Oh, please," Skinny said, looking caught between anger and humor. "She just doesn't wanna lead a buncha traitors. You'd think she'd realized she's technically a traitor too."

"Ah, but she left to save her gem. That's totally different." Amethyst smiled with all her teeth. "You oughta know how hypocrites think by now, stripe-face."

Skinny scoffed at the new nickname. She reluctantly strolled after the rapidly vanishing crowd, spindly limbs prominent compared to the more contained Prime Gem as they ducked branches. "Just 'cause she's not off-color, she thinks she's so great."

Amethyst thought of Jasper, metaphorical heart sinking. Her stripes were different from what was typically uniform- thin on the face, thick every where else- but she didn't think Holly Blue would have much to say if they met face to face. They were on better terms, now, but she still found her intimidating. Maybe it was from the squint she carried now; a pleasant keepsake she hadn't bothered to try and fix. The eye still worked, so why bother? "She really should know better by now."

"You think?"

"Stupid question; am I off-color? It's not like anybody here would tell me if I was."

"Nah." She shook her head. "Just short. Dunno how you think you can intimidate anybody at your size."

"I mean, I'm at eye-level with your stone. One punch and your scrawny little butt is gone."

"Ooh, so scary."

"Not as scary as a stiff breeze, I'm sure."

"You remind me of a... of a..." Skinny paused, swearing under her breath. "Forgot the word. My burn is useless now."

"Describe it."

"It's that... blegh, I can't word today. That weird thing of Steven's."

"Steven's got a lot of weird things. You're gonna have to be more specific."

She snapped her fingers. "That half-circle... looks like a snowglobe that got squished."

"Ohh!" Realization dawned on her. "You're comparing me to a paperweight?"

"A paperweight! Yes, thank you. You're short, low to the ground, wide, and heavy."

"So I'm a fat glass object. Thanks."

She winked at her. "You know it, jewel."

"On Earth, we say 'babe.'"

"That's a baby. That's weird."

"Runty! Skinny!" XL yelled. "Hurry up!"

They both broke into a sprint. The Famethyst had made themselves quite comfortable, splashing and rinsing. Connie is grumbling as they pluck off their shirt, revealing a torso and chest edged with scars. Judging by the mud caking their back and legs, they tripped during the race over.

"I suppose this is a good sign," they said, slipping into the pond. "All the bad Karma I'm getting'll mean plenty of good Karma during the fight. If you believe in that sort of thing."

Amethyst settled in next to where they're soaking, dipping her boots into the water. It's chilly, though that hardly matters to Gems. "I'm thinking we head for that flat place towards the top and wait."

Connie nodded. "Open ground. Plenty of space. Things get dicey, we can always chuck the corruption off, Plague Dog styles."

Carnelian burst from the water, right to Connie. She slung an arm around their shoulders. "Yooo, we still gotta give you a nickname. Everybody's gotta have a nickname."

"We usually just call 'em, Con'," Amethyst offered.

Carnelian waved her off. "S'gotta be somethin' original."

"Like Runty and Skinny are so original," Skinny snorts, finally dipping in. Standing at the edge leaves the water at her hips.

"Runty is a prototype name. Guys, what're we gonna call Con'?"

"Slice 'N Dice?"

"Eagle Two?"

"The Little Human That Could?"

"Meatball?"

"Deathblade?"

"What about Renegade?"

They all turned to stare at Holly's thoughtful tone. She noticed, flicking a hand dismissively. "It's what they always called that Pearl. During the war."

"Uh, duh, everybody knows that," Sharky said. "We just never thought of that."

Carnelian excitedly pulled herself onto the edge. "Yay for Holly, finally figuring out how to nickname Gems!"

"I'm not a Gem," Connie interjected weakly, uncomfortable under their scrutiny.

"Not true." Skinny rifled through their hair with a smirk. "You're a Crystal Gem. That's what that whole oath thing was about, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, she's a member of the Fam now too," Carnelian threatened to bubble over, still fairly hyped. "Yay for Holly! Yay for Renegade!"

Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone else get cool nicknames?"

"For the hundredth time, littlest sis," said Carnelian, "Runty is a prototype. Maybe we'll think of somethin' later. Unless Holly has another bright idea?"

Holly's brow furrowed with displeasure. "Runty is... fitting."

Skinny cradled her chin on her hands. "Aw, the big bad Agate doesn't like being called on by the Betas." She splashed the water like one pats a place to sit. "Come'on. You should at least get those fancy boots of yours clean."

They all collectively shift as the blue Gem hesitantly approached, shoulder squared. Carnelian, Amethyst, and Connie all moved closer to each other and away, whereas the Jasper moved closer, as if in invitation. Faster than the eye could follow, Skinny grabbed her boot and yanked her in. Holly let out a high-pitched squeak which would later mortify her as she hit.

"Ouch, Skin-Skin," Amethyst wheezed, trying desperately to control herself. "You're brutal."

Holly breached the surface, rolling onto her rear. One of her pristine buns had been knocked askew. She looked surprised, then enraged, catching Skinny's eye.

"Come'on, big bad," she urged. "Learn to play a little."

"I'm going to shatter you," she replied, "shard by shard."

"Whoa, looks like I'm gon' die." The Gem was already climbing out. "Runty, a little help?"

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm a soft little defect. Probably the weakest on this little adventure."

"Ahem," said Connie, with the express purpose of inviting criticism.

"Definitely the weakest on this team," Amethyst rectified.

Holly thundered out of the pond with great vengeance, chasing after the Beta Gem with a roar. Skinny ducked- Holly's fist embedded itself in a tree. "It was funny, Holly!"

"Funny?" The Agate wrenched herself free with a splutter. "It was an insult to my very existence!"

Jay glanced at Amethyst. "Uh, Runty?"

"What?"

"I mean, Skinny's practically glommed onto you by now. You gonna do somethin'?"

"Something tells me this is out of my control. Hey, Holly? Do me a favor and keep her whole. We need all the soldiers we can get."

"She's lucky I'm too wet to summon my whip without electrocuting myself!" Holly hissed.

"That might've been the plan all along, big bad," Skinny admitted.

"So is that a thing now? Is big bad Holly going by Big Bad?"

She pointed an accusing finger at Carnelian. "I did not agree to any nicknames!" She roared, breathless with anger.

"Welcome to my world," Amethyst sing-songed.

Skinny started laughing, bent over in the middle, hands on her knees. Amethyst thought the Jasper looked pretty cute, holding back tears with little snorting noises, but it only lasted as long as it took for Holly to turn and punch her in the chin. Skinny flew back against the tree with the hole in it.

The Agate shook out her hand, taking in a deep breath. "I do not enjoy being made a fool of."

Skinny rubbed her chin. "I mean, fair enough."

"Don't do it again."

"'Kay."

Holly pushed past her and into the treeline. Amethyst took a second to admire the Gem's ability to move so effortlessly through the foliage with heels tall enough to skewer a small mammal. "Well, that was a clustertruck."

"A what?"

"We aren't supposed to cuss around kids, Kay. Might hurt their eardrums."

"Amethyst, I'm sixteen years old and have had more stab wounds than you have freckles," said Connie. "You can say fuck. It's not gonna hurt my feelings."

"Force of habit. 'Sides; I don't like to use 'cluster' in vulgar stuff. S'like making fun of someone who can't defend themselves."

"Touche."

They stop for the night after covering a few more miles. The Famethyst lounge around on the forest floor, some sleeping, some not. Holly, still very sore from earlier, leans against a tree, back facing them. There's an inhuman screeching in the distance; it's a bit like if a lion ate a monkey.

"Sounds like it's keeping its distance," Connie reports, eyes flickering towards the trees in the distance eagerly. "Might be feeling us out."

"Yeah, probably. We're a big group, and we make a lot of noise. You up to feeling back?"

Their shoulders straighten. "Absolutely."

"Good. We're gonna keep heading for the mini-plateau. See if you can lure it close somehow. If you can't find any sign of it in two days, come back."

Connie nods, grabs their sword, and glances up at the stars. "I can probably find my way back to the pond. I'll go up from there."

"Good luck."

"You too."

They adjust their strap, slipping into the trees. Amethyst waits until she can't hear or see them before slipping into the pile to get some shut eye. It's a bit cramped- she's not used to having so many bedmates- but light is softer than dirt. She tells herself that Connie is awesome and can handle themselves just fine before slipping off.

A sharp pain in her foot wakes her. Carnelian is sitting up, staring frantically into the woodland.

"Where's Renegade?" she whispers.

"Rene-wha?" Amethyst responds intelligently, yawning.

"Renegade. Connie."

"Ooh. I sent them on ahead." The Quartz waved her hand, falling back onto the warm side she'd been sleeping on. "S'no biggie."

"You sent them off alone?"

Amethyst cracked open an eye, shoving down a handful of doubts. Trust. She just needs to trust in them. "Connie is a tough knight, dude. They can handle it."

"Won't they get lonely?"

"Lonely? I mean, yeah, I guess? We kinda got bigger problems than that, though. A couple days solo won't kill them."

Carnelian flopped beside her. "I don't get you, littlest sis. You live all by yourself with that fusion and that pearl-"

"Garnet and Pearl."

"-And, yeah, you've got Tiny Pink to keep you company, but you're practically all alone. Don't you hate it?"

"Why would I?"

She shrugged. "It's not how Quartzes are supposed to live."

"It's how I've lived for thousands of years. I like having a place to hide away that's all my own, and having room to breathe and stretch."

"Well, yeah," she responded, nodding. "Everyone likes that."

"I got that. All the time. It's sweet."

Carnelian shook her head again and fell silent, baffled.

Connie felt the ground fall out from under them suddenly, pain flaring in their ankle. The knight catches themselves with their hands and knees, just barely avoiding an inopportune faceplant.

"Rabbit holes. Right." They rolled onto their rear, feeling their ankle protest. "This is going on the list of 'never telling anyone this happened, ever.'"

They get up and keep moving, ankle throbbing. It's been two days since they left the Famethyst, and Connie likes to think they've done fairly well for themselves. They're much more agile alone, slipping through the trees and the bushes. They bagged some food to eat and some water to boil and drink, sleeping in the crook of a tree branch. The trail of wreckage started a day ago and has continued ever since; broken trees, deep gouges in the dirt, the usual MO. Connie estimates the corruption to be about four times longer than they would be laying down, and perhaps three times as tall. And once they brought this thing down, there was no way Pearl wouldn't be proud of them.

Of course, that isn't to say Pearl isn't already proud. She always is. She cried for an hour the first time they took her down solo, hugging and ruffling clothes and generally just fussing. She baked a whole cake when Steven beat her on the same day, gushing incessantly to Garnet and Amethyst and Peridot- pretty much anyone who'd listen, honestly.

No, Pearl is very proud. Too proud, sometimes. So much so Connie fears that she isn't proud at all, and is faking for their sake.

Regardless, this time they're going to earn that praise.

Connie thought back to their new nickname. Renegade. It didn't fit like it did with Pearl. The Renegade Connie just didn't have a good ring to it. No Gem would ever get a shudder when they heard it. It came off as a mockery of their mentor's title; a satirical quip. They'd have to work on that too.

The snapping and snarling ahead gave them pause. Connie edged behind an untouched tree, fingers wrapping around the hilt of their sword. No time like the present.

Keeping low, Connie did a wide sweep around the trail created by the creature, awkwardly stepping over branches and bushes, crunching leaves. This was no place for proper stealth, though Connie did the best they could.

The corruption appeared after a few minutes, chewing noisily on a tree. Matted hair (or would this constitute as fur?) clung to its back, billowing around it. Horns protruded slightly from its skull; all the ramming and scratching had broken them off, it seemed. Blue and green swirls decorated its thick skin in odd shapes and sizes; a green stripe cut down the face, a purple foot clawed at the dirt, to name a few.

A Quartz. Ametrine, if they had to guess. Connie wasn't sure if that was a naturally occurring Gem, or if perhaps an Amethyst and Citrine had melded together as time went on. Corruption behavior is largely a mystery.

The new Crystal Gem ducked lower, hesitantly drawing their sword. Now that they had seen it in person, they weren't sure how they were going to move it anywhere. Climb a tree and ride it? No, that would only get her broken limbs. If they were careful, they might be able to cut at its legs and poof it.

Their twisted ankle screamed. Connie hadn't noticed the root until they'd tripped on it, dropping the blade. It hit the ground with a dull thud.

The corruption screeched.

"Sounds like someone's got their gem in a twist."

"It probably just fell into a rabbit hole or somethin'. There's a bunch of 'em 'round here."

"That's not shock," Bareface chipped in quietly, as if afraid the corruption would overhear and be offended. "That's a mad monster thingy, that's what that is."

"It's not a monster. And I'd be mad too- falling into one of those things hurts." Amethyst patted the distraught Jasper's knee. "Let's just keep going. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can go home."

Carnelian glanced over her shoulder warily. "Are you sure Renegade'll be okay?"

"Con' can take care of themselves. The best way we can help is by getting onto that plateau."

The first thing it did was rip the tree Connie was hiding behind out by the roots, sending an arc of dirt crackling to the ground as the corruption chucked it with a heave, uncaring where it landed. Then, when Connie stood, sword and scabbard in hand, it latched its maw onto them, engaging in a one-sided tug-of-war. The weapon joined the carnage, landing in some bushes. The corruption advanced, roaring like a lion with a bone caught in its windpipe.

Connie fell back onto their rump to avoid being in snapping range. Terror pulsed in their muscles; without a weapon, they were about as threatening as a fly. A fly skilled in self-defense, true, but still nothing dangerous. It wasn't like they could snap its neck or send its nose into its skull.

The Ametrine sniffed them and growled, looking torn. Finally, it pawed at the dirt in warning and shuffled away.

"What the hell?" Connie found themselves too weak to stand. "That's it? My first mission under oath and I get the nice corruption?"

It swung a claw at them, just barely missing the crown of their head. It hissed and turned away.

Or maybe not.

They glanced at their mud-spattered clothes. Can it smell the Famethyst on me? Does it think I'm just a weird Quartz of some kind?

They debated how good or bad this was. The corruption obviously saw them as a nuisance, which would help with leading into the plateau. But it also meant that their part to play in all of this depended on the Gems, which is the exact opposite of what they wanted. Take your losses with dignity, Connie. No one needs to know.

The corruption rolled onto its side, tongue lolling. Embarrassment flourished under their skin.

The mountain mission had quickly devolved as time went on. At first it had been thrilling and breathtaking- the scenery, the idea of having a purpose- but now it was just a bunch of pretty trees and mud and some big rock thing to climb. Amethyst didn't seem to mind all that much, simply pulling up her hair and marching on, but they weren't designed for this. At the very least, they'd never been used for this. Their primary function had been to care for humans, not to fight, and with every noise the corruption made it become a little more real, a little more frightening.

Ol' Kitty Ears was a fairly quiet Jasper, almost always hanging on the edges of the crowd, to the left or right of an Amethyst. She was a trickster; she enjoyed the anonymity her silent nature had given her and used it often, leaving buckets of water above doors or whoopee cushions under seats. Her most favorite of her victims was, of course, Holly Blue. She didn't startle as easily as maybe Chip or Strawberry, but she took it very personally when she did, yelling and screaming. This, of course, meant that they weren't very close- quite the opposite, really. So when she came to walk on the left of the Agate the Gem immediately tensed. That was another thing; Holly liked to fight. You had to be real careful not to provoke her to that fight. "Hey, Holly?"

"What?" she snapped curtly.

"How does this plateau-thingy help us fight better?" She, out of all of them, should know. She was an Agate.

Holly examined her. "It doesn't. It's a senseless time-waster."

"But-"

Amethyst had heard them. "It's so we can all fight stretched out. If we fought in the woods we'd be tripping over each other."

Holly snorted derisively but didn't respond.

"And why send Renegade?" Strawberry inquired hesitantly, eyes darting between the two, hands up for peace. The Amethyst was never one for conflict. "One of us coulda gone. Quicker, too."

"Connie needs the win, and I trust them to know how to find their way back. No offense, but ya'll suck at navigation."

"Fair enough," said Skinny.

"You put that scrawny little human's feelings over the mission, then."

"You got somethin' to say, Big Bad?"

Her nose wrinkled. "I just did. None of this has been logical." Holly gestured behind them. "You brought everyone when you really only need a few; you sent the weakest one here to confront the enemy, and now we're wandering around to find a rock that does nothing other than elevate us a bit."

"Hey," Amethyst warned. "I know the way. I've been here loads of times."

"This mission has been a disaster. You've made it a disaster." Holly waved her hand dismissively. "We could've shattered that Gem and gone back to the base two days ago, but you're making this as complicated as you can. You want this to fail."

Skinny took a threatening step forward, hands bunching into fists. "Lay off, Blue, or I'll lay you out."

"I don't have to fight to prove I'm right. We all know it's true."

The Famethyst awkwardly glanced at one another, unwilling to give the Gem the pleasure of being right by speaking their doubts aloud. Amethyst's face went blank, almost disinterested, as she took those few steps to be toe-to-toe with Holly. She realized too late that it made her lack of height (and, in turn, Holly's sheer size) even more prominent.

"You wanna lead this mission?" she asked. "'Cause you can go right ahead. Good luck finding anything out here."

Holly's lip curled. She looked at Amethyst as if she were dirt on her heel. "I don't lead traitors."

Amethyst pointed at her, unintentionally jabbing her in the belly; the highest point she could reach. "You're a hypocrite."

Holly took in a deep breath- in, then out. She spoke with a self-awareness that made them all stare. "I know," she sighed. "But even a hypocrite has to fall back on their morals. I don't lead traitors. That's final."

"Then don't go running your mouth like you wanna."

"I'd say to try and make me, but I'm pretty sure the Amethyst closest to me would punch me in the lip."

"Yeah," Jay admitted without any particular rancor. "I would."

Connie lets the corrupted Gem lead. It takes them uphill, making frequent stops to gnaw on trees. It chucked a branch at them for what they assumed was a peace offering. They swing it around for a bit before tossing it into the distance.

They try to come up with a solution as the day goes on, but nothing viable comes to mind. Irritation had caused the creature to follow for a mile, mile and a half, before shambling away. The Ametrine either didn't recognize or didn't care about their tone of voice, be it coaxing or demanding. Food was a worthless venture- it didn't seem to swallow anything it chewed, spitting out shards and splinters before moving on. By the time night settled Connie knew they'd lost the battle.

So, this must be what it's like when they talk about an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Connie watched as the Ametrine diligently built itself a nest out of shrubbery. I suppose that means it's time for me to go to the extreme. What that extreme is... well, I've got time to work that out yet.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Connie let out an embarrassing shriek as the Ametrine gripped them by the collar of their shirt, pulling the knight to rest beside them. It gave off no heat; Gems never did. The shame that had been firmly gripping their throat only rose. Good job, Maheswaran. You're such an intimidating Crystal Gem. Truly a threat. They blew a loose tuft of hair out of their face. They really did need to re-do their ponytail. It's playing sleepover with you, for pete's sake.

It could be worse, they told themselves. Steven could be here. He'd coo and demand photos and blech. He means well. Still a no. Connie settled in with a shuffling of their limbs, listening to the corruption growl and snort. They didn't know if it was asleep or just really noisy.

Guilt gurgled in her belly; they were pretty sure it got invited by shame. I was supposed to go to that appointment at the tattoo parlor... I only skipped it to do my job, shuffled getting my star- Rose's big thing- to the side for a mission... look how far that's gotten me... stars above am I terrible at this...

Alright. That was enough. They'd spent plenty of time feeling sorry for themselves and not enough working on the actual problem at hand. A Crystal Gem didn't back down. Didn't know how. They kept punching until something worked. Connie made a silent vow to have the corruption heading towards the rendezvous before sunset the next day. Connie closed their eyes and tried to sleep.

It obviously has a thing for trees, so let's see how much it enjoys fire...

Holly Blue Agate had never been properly trained. At least, not in one sitting. Mourning the death of a Diamond is busy work, no doubt about it. If a freshly made Agate doesn't quite have a grasp on her task during the hullabaloo- no one cared. Just pretend to do your job and you're golden.

Holly minded. She always had. She'd made sure to make up for it- pouring herself into her duties, working to build a bond with Blue Diamond (as close as a Diamond could bear lowering herself for an Agate, of course; Holly knew she was idealistic at times, but she was no fool), keeping her charges in line. She knew how to fix the machinery and how to pitch her voice just right it made most Gems feel guilty for whatever reason. Vague shame always hit its mark, though it wasn't as powerful as an aggressive statement.

Point being; she did things. She was going places. Maybe not in the time frame she wanted, but there was still something there. Blue Diamond would never have given her a spot in the memorial of Pink Diamond if there wasn't.

Until 'the incident.' Holly kicked a stone into the pond; she'd managed to find herself back this far, but she didn't know if she could make it to the warp pad. She couldn't just return, could she? No. That would be humiliating. She'd had quite enough of Skinny's little mind games and Ol' Kitty Ears' little pranks and Amethyst's little mistakes. Little form, really. It hurt her neck to look at her for long.

Fine. She'd find that insufferable creature herself and put it out of its misery. Surely, if she did that, they'd allow her to stay? She couldn't see why they wouldn't. I'd save them days of work and hassle. That's more than that 'Runty' ever did.

Holly glanced at the pond one last time. For as much as she hates this place, even she couldn't deny it had its little beauties. Most things did. The stars glittered above, unheeded by light or other pollution, and seemed as if Homeworld's galaxy was the biggest and brightest of them all. The water hardly rippled. She knew from earlier that it was cool and calm to the touch, much like the pebbles around her boots. She took one into her hand, feeling it with the pad of her thumb. The urge to sing was pressing in on her, a dry tickle of the throat, and she resisted it.

Singing and crying- that's a Crystal Gem thing. But she never did get to do it on Homeworld, and, deep down, she enjoyed it. One moment of personal freedom- who needed to know?

Her voice was low, quiet at first, slowly growing in confidence. She always did like slow songs.

I've played my part
As is expected
I've made my mark
As is expected.
No one on Homeworld would miss me
And honestly, that needs fixin'
But if you think this ugly hovel will be my grave, well...

Just you wait.

She strode forward with grace, heels thudding quietly against the dirt.

I was born
For a purpose
Something classy
Something perfect
And if those off colors think they can hold me down
Just you wait
I'll prove them wrong.

Holly chucked the stone into the ground with brutal force, lodging it deep in the dirt.

An Agate and a Quartz
There's no real difference
We're strong
We're capable
Those defects
May be the exceptions
But otherwise we're fellow classes of higher making.

Quartzes for guarding
Agates for intimidating
In a dark room
Height and color
Hardly even matter.

But Agates have
This little spark
Somethin' that divides us from the riff-raff
We're built self-righteous!
Unwilling to barter
But deep down, that's not quite true.

Putting it nicely, we'll come along nicely
We'll do anything to not end up dead
Quite the set self-preservation skills
I'm proud to have them.
Any sane Gem would.

When Homeworld's eroded
And all has been broken
You can count on the Agates to have made it out
Oh, yes.

So just you wait.

You trust in this simple lot
And their stupid views
Give it time
It'll all fall out from under you
And I'll laugh
But that's just how Quartzes are
Willing to sacrifice
Even their own life
Just to prove a point

She paused, glancing around guilty to see if anyone had overheard. No one had, of course. This place was empty. Her little secret. Holly snapped a low branch off a tree, gesturing like it were a sword and she the knight, fighting off some invisible enemy.

The first thing they teach you
The day you crawl out of your hole
Is not to give away your dignity
Then they wrap you up
With a whip and a grin
And show you the truth.

If you want me to bow...
I'll bow.

But don't imagine things ending good for you.
You'll regret it
You'll regret it
You'll regret it

Just give it time...

(Here, her voice rose slightly in pitch, drawing out 'time'.)

You think I'm the Big Bad
Well, just look at you
Give it time
I'll prove I'm better than you

Author's Note: Obvious Hamilton reference is Obvious, but I don't mind. Have some Skinmethyst and Hollydemption (the very beginnings thereof, I mean)

This is gonna be a two-parter, of course. I believe that's obvious.

-Mandaree1