Pearl stands alone in the crisp air of an Earth Autumn. Leaves danced through the air, golden brown and fiery red. One lands atop her head, unnoticeable except for it tousling her hair slightly. She doesn't pay it any heed, as all of her attention is on the voices softly drifting from the cave-like area Commander Rose had made into her private study. Rose's soft, sweet voice echoes off the rock and straight to Pearl.

"Thank you for coming Sapphire. We had started to worry about you."

"Yes, I know."

Pearl's grip tightens around the shaft of her spear. How dare Sapphire talk to Commander Rose that way? If not for the prospect of learning more, Pearl would storm in there and teach her about respect. Instead, she waits quietly for more.

"Well, do you have any visions you'd care to share with me. We can use all of help that's available."

"Homeworld will attack tomorrow evening. They will bring a hundred transport ships with at least fifty soldiers apiece. There will also be twenty gunner ships, each with five fully functional cannons. Heading it all will be a mothership a third the size of this planet, two guard ships nearly as large, and two prisoner ships."

Rose sighs deeply. "Can you see if any of the diamonds will be coming on the mothership?"

"I cannot tell. When I try, my vision goes blurry. Likely they are aware I am looking for the answer to this specific question and another Gem is blocking it."

"There are Gems that can do that?" Rose sounds surprised.

"Yes."

"Right. Do you see anything of the battle itself. Where they'll land, what their strategy will be, how many we'll lose?"

"Their initial attack will land twenty of the smaller ships in the Strawberry field. From there the same blur that covers my attempt to see the Diamonds appears, and I struggle to see further than that. There are flashes of the battle I do see. It appears that Homeworld will take prisoners, and we will lose at least thirty warriors in just the first hour of battle."

The air feels heavier as Pearl leans closer to the cave, desperate to hear everything. It seems as if they're done talking for now. Taking a moment to process all that Sapphire had said, Pearl slumps against the cold rock, sliding down until she sits on the ground. "So many," she thinks, shaking a little from fear. Was this really worth it? Was protecting Earth worth the lives of so many fellow Gems? Pearl doesn't know, but Rose insists that the life and beauty of this planet was valuable, and so Pearl would defend it to her death.

From the cave voices drift out once again. Rose sounds exhausted as she dismisses Sapphire.

"Thank you for all you have shared. That is all."

Waiting for the sound of footsteps, Pearl picks herself back off the ground and stands straight, spear held tightly in one hand. Instead of Sapphire leaving, though, Pearl hears the Gem's voice again. It's soft and fearful, nothing like the cold calculation from moments ago.

"Commander Rose, I hate to bring this up but...but I was wondering if there is any way you could keep Ruby from the battle."

"Keep her from the battle?" Rose sounds confused. "Why would Ruby need to stay away from the battle? She's a strong fighter and we're going to need all the help we can get. Do...do you see her getting hurt."

"Not... no, I don't. But please, if there's any way to keep her from the fight I'd be eternally grateful."

"I make no promises. I can talk to Ruby and see if she will, but it seems like she'd listen to you more than me. You really ought to talk with her and stop avoiding any interaction. It's not healthy to have tension between comrades right before a war."

"I...I don't think I can. There's too much I've seen, none of which makes any sense. Emotions I didn't know I could feel have tormented me day and night, and the last thing I want to do is worry Ruby with any of it. It's my burden to bear. If you could talk to her, it'd be better for everyone."

Rose sighs and says something softly. Pearl can't quite understand what she said, but it seemed like she agreed to talk to Ruby. Looking back up towards the sky, Pearl notices the first tendrils of sunlight licking across the serene landscape, casting long shadows across the leaf-covered ground. They have a day until Homeworld arrives. It doesn't seem likely Rose will find a chance to talk to Ruby at all.

"She did," Ruby interrupted. Heads turned away from Pearl and over to Ruby, who had gotten up from the couch and stood by the window, gazing out on the sun hanging lazily above the ocean, creating golden rays across the water. A flock of seagulls glided through the air, casting shadows in the sand. Ruby slowly turned to face everyone. Her right hand clutched the wooden frame, leaving burned marks the shape of her fingers.

"Rose told me, I mean. That evening, as I was sparring with several other Gems, she pulled me aside and asked if I was willing to step down from this fight. It seemed like a ridiculous request. Why would I have joined the Crystal Gems if I didn't want to fight against Homeworld? When I asked here where this was coming from, Rose avoided answering. She just said it was my choice, but she believed it was best if I stayed at the Galaxy Warp and defend our base. I chose to fight. If Sapphire had come to me instead, I would have stayed. But I was stubborn and hot headed-"

Pearl pretended to clear her throat.

"Fine. I am stubborn and hot headed, and thought there was no way I could get hurt. That...wasn't the case."

"What ended up happening. During the fight, I mean?" Steven asked. "You guys have told me some of the story, but always leave out chunks. Did...did something happen with you and Sapphire?"

Pearl and Amethyst looked towards each other nervously, then glanced towards Ruby. The small Gem looked back out the window. Thick, black smoke curled from the floor below her feet and the wood frame. She sighed.

"Yeah, something did happen. It...it was during the fight with Homeworld. Sapphire and I were unfused, but both at the battle. Homeworld had just launched its first attack…"

Sorry for the abrupt ending. I'm trying to find a good chapter length and the breaks in the story are a bit awkward still.