Somewhere far away from the Crystal temple, there was an underwater cave with an air pocket. There were stalactites on the ceiling, water nearly warm enough to the point of boiling, different tones of white, brown, and green hues all throughout the cave, and the only sound was the echoing of the water droplets from the stalactites... and the sobs of Malley Kite.
Alone, Malley didn't know what to do or what to think. Their meeting with each other started out with fighting and yelling, then it somehow ended with Malley slicing through Lapis with a sickle. There's no way Garnet and Steven will forgive her for that. But for some reason, Malley couldn't figure out how it happened, she didn't even remember when she got out of the sea after Lapis tried to drag her down.
Malley didn't know how long she had been in the cavern; Minutes? Hours? Days? She didn't care enough to know and she eventually grew very tired of waiting around and crying. She climbed out of the water and eventually found a relatively flat, smooth surface where she could rest. She missed the comfort she had at Steven's house but tried not to think about it and fell asleep.
Malley opened her eyes again and the first thing that she noticed was that she was in a dark room. Just then a bright spotlight shined down on her from above. She had to cover her eyes for a moment before they adjusted.
"Oh great... another one of these." Malley muttered to herself before she started shouting, "Okay! Whatever weird, horrible, Malachite related thing you wanna show me just hurry up and get it over with!"
Suddenly there was a large click sound and Malley felt something heavy around her ankle. She looked down and over her pant leg was a large ice cuff with a linking chain of solid ice, leading to somewhere behind her. While anyone else might have looked at this with fear, Malley just looked confused verged on to annoyed.
"Of course... what else?" Malley groaned.
Just then, there came a powerful tug from the chain, it made the turquoise gem loose balance until she fell over and landed on her side, which made her cry out. The ground underneath her then came to life with a green glow, the spotlight disappeared overhead and a greenish–grey fog rolled in, surrounding the area. But Malley barely noticed the fog, she was suddenly dragged across the floor until she was pulled under.
Malley tried to look up when the tugging finally stopped, but the wavy green colors made it impossible to make out the images from up above. However, she could see a large shadow and she heard a low distorted chuckle. She could hear also another voice but she could not understand what they were saying. She didn't get a chance to focus on the voices as she felt more of those ice chain starting to snake their way around her body.
"Malley, it's me, Steven!" Steven called out. "Malley!"
Just then there came a low chuckle and Steven felt that he was no longer alone.
"Malley's not here right now." came a deep, distorted and groveled voice. "But we can talk... Rose."
Steven looked around, he saw some of the fog clear before him and there stepping out of the shadows, not Malley, but the large Malachite fusion that towered over him. But there were some differences between this one and the original. This Malachite wasn't quite as gigantic if there was a comparison; she was as big as Sugilite. She had the green colored Jasper gem where her nose should be and the second torso with four hands for a lower body however instead of four, light–green eyes, this Malachite only had two. They were bright yellow and glowing like embers. Steven stared up at her fearfully while the fusion simply smiled down at him.
"What's the matter, runt? Fusion got your tongue?" Malachite taunted. She chuckled again as she lifted her hand up.
Steven recognized that hand gesture as a summoning of her water powers and he was about to make a run for it but then the ground began to swirl under him. A large mass of water took the shape giant hand under him, he fell into a sitting position on the open palm and it lifted him to Malachite's eye level. Before Steven could say anything to object, he suddenly felt something stroke the top of his head. He then realized that the giant gem was using the tip of her index finger to lightly pet the boy's curly hair, and all the while she was smiling.
Steven was too stunned to speak from Malachite's action, at first, but he soon found his voice again and he said tentatively. "Y–You're... N–Not Malley."
Malachite's expression shifted from amusement to annoyance from what Steven had said and moved her hand away from him.
"Damn right I'm not," Malachite growled. "That's the name she stupidly chose for us even though I've tried to tell her otherwise."
"You tried to... tell Malley? Like she's a different person?"
"Of course she's a different person... Though thankfully she's the only other here and nothing like... well, you know." She looked at him warily.
It took Steven a moment to figure out exactly who Malachite was talking about.
"You mean Jasper and Lapi–"
"DON'T EVEN!" Malachite snapped and slammed one of her lower fist against the ground, her equivalent of stomping. Thankfully she didn't seem to aim for Steven, though the tremors caused the water hand to shake before steadying itself again. She glared at him but then she covered her eyes, calmed herself slightly and said in a softer but hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, it's just... don't ever mention their names to me. I've done too much now to be reminded of those monsters who used me just to fulfill their own twisted desires."
While he did not appreciate Malachite calling his friend a monster, Steven couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for her but there was still a lingering question in his mind.
"I'm sorry about that and I'm sorry about this but I have to know. Are you the reason Malley poofed La– Um... you know who at the beach back home?" Steven asked.
Malachite lowered her hands from her eyes and with an eyebrow raised, she looked at him almost accusingly but then she removed her hands further away and there was that familiar malicious, fanged grin of hers.
"Yes," Malachite answered but then her smile turned into a frown and she feigned a look of remorse. "I have regret though. I regret not getting to see that last look on the water witch's face before she went up in smoke." But she couldn't hold the façade and she snickered into her hands.
"But that's terrible." Steven said, not the least bit fooled. "Malley saw it and I'm sure she feels bad about it."
"Oh, believe me, she does."
"So, you don't feel bad at all for putting Malley through that? If you wanted to see it so bad than what happened."
The fusion figment shrugged. "Well before I could really finish off the witch, I lost control and I missed my chance."
"Finish off?" And then Steven had a thought that made him cringe. "You don't mean..."
Malachite's only answered with a simple yet knowing smile and a curt nod.
"No, you can't! You already beat her once, isn't that enough."
"No, it will never be enough until I'm sure she can never hurt any of us again and don't you act like she didn't deserve to be cut down a peg," Malachite said, sounding serious. "I meant what I told you at the beach... or have you already forgotten."
"What do you mean?"
"She attacked us, Steven. She attacked Malley long before I took over. We didn't do a damn thing to provoke that gem... and she nearly crushed us. If we didn't poof her first, she would have very well had poofed us instead. Now I'm not saying I'm completely innocent here but how can I still be seen as the evil gem when SHE was the one who tormented us for months on end?"
Steven didn't want to admit it but this fusion figment was making a strong argument and he couldn't deny it because of the talk he had with Lapis earlier. She would have poofed Malley without giving a second thought if the fight hadn't ended the way it did and it was killing him having to think about Lapis like that.
The dejected look on the boy's face was enough to bring a satisfied grin to Malachite's. "I know this is probably hard for you to think about so let's talk about something else. Like, why you're here." She traced a finger against the surface of the water arm's length and at once it turned to solid ice. The palm flattened slightly to help Steven stand easier. "You're here because you want to find us, right?"
"Right..." Steven answered cautiously. He tried to stand and nearly slipped before he held onto the frozen thumb. It was cold to the touch but he needed the support.
"Well, I can show you, if you want."
At first, Steven was baffled. "Why would you do that?" He said carefully.
"Because right now I'm the only one who will. Malley... she's just too confused to understand that we need to go back to you and the Crystal gems, but I want to and since you're really here I can tell you directly."
"You want to come back? Why? If you try to fight them the crystal gems will just–"
Malachite shook her head to dismiss his thought and cut him off saying, "No, no, no, you're misunderstanding things again. I'm not interested in attacking any of them."
"But you want to hurt Lapis, she wouldn't be safe with you around."
"But don't you want Malley safe? If you deny me you'll be denying her too and that wouldn't be fair, would it?"
Steven didn't know how to respond to that, so he remained silent for a moment.
"The truth is, you and the other gems are all we have in this world. And besides that, little quartz, where else could an abomination like us ever stay than with other abominations."
Ok, now it was getting really hard to feel any sympathy for this Malachite when she keeps insulting his friends but it wasn't just this that threw him off about her.
"I feel like... like I should hear what Malley has to say about all this. So if you don't mind, I would like to speak to Malley... um, please."
Inwardly, Malachite was worried by this but she tried not to show it as her expression changed to that of skepticism.
"Are you sure? She may not be as willing to tell you anything."
"Yeah well, I'm not so sure I'm willing to just believe everything you say. I came here to talk to Malley and that's what I still plan to do. I don't know what your plan was but if it was to show me any justice in poofing Lapis... all you did was give me a stomach ache and, no offense, but I'd sooner trust Malley before I'd trust you."
Malachite scoffed at the boy and turned away from him.
Steven finally got a look at the fusion figment's back and was surprised to find that Lapis' gem wasn't there at all. Instead, there was only a dark green impression of a teardrop with additional scratch marks around and across the image.
As Steven observed her from behind, Malachite suddenly felt a tug from the water shackle on her back–left wrist. It wasn't strong enough to pull her down but it was just enough for her to take notice. She smiled as she looked down. 'Had enough already?' she thought.
"Fine, if that's how you feel." She said as she turned back around to him. "You want to see Malley, you can. But remember this, I'll still be listening even if it seems like I'm gone. So no gossiping about me or Malley goes back down."
Before Steven could ask her what she meant, Malachite suddenly sank down beneath the surface of the floor and disappeared. The frozen hand that he stood on began to crack and crumble until it broke into large pieces before melting into the floor at almost rapid speed. Luckily Steven could gently float back down and as he did, he heard another series of splashing. The watery surface swirled before Malley sprang up, gasping, her water wings out and she lay sprawled on the floor.
"Malley!" Steven cried out. He ran to her side and was surprised to see how wretched she looked. Her hair was messy, her clothes slightly torn and even bruises on her body. "Malley, what happened to you?"
Before she could answer, Malley began to cough up water and she wobbled as she tried to lift herself with her arms.
"Don't –... don't get up if it hurts," Steven said.
Steven carefully slid a hand under Malley's neck, across her chest, and held her up gently as she continued to cough up. As he held her there, he looked behind her and he finally noticed the chain wrapped around Malley's ankle, thick links of solid ice, leading somewhere under the wavy green ground. When Malley opened her watery eyes, looked up, and she could see Steven's face.
"St–Steven? Is th– *cough* –Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me. I'm here. I'm so sorry I didn't try this sooner but I'm here now."
Malley slowly pushed herself up so she was sitting up. Steven tried to help but she wordlessly refused his help by moving his hands away from her.
"Why... why are you here?" Malley asked, her nausea starting to pass.
"Malley, please, tell me where you are? The gems and I can help you." Steven pleaded.
Hearing this, Malley's eyes widen and she weakly scooted away from him.
"Steven, don't look for me. I can't go back..."
"Malley, we're really worried about you. Garnet, me and the rest of the gems. We just want you back home and safe."
"But Lapis... she didn't want anything to do with me and I cut her through the chest." tears running down her cheeks as she spoke. "She's gone and it's because of me."
Steven didn't understand what she was talking about, 'Lapis isn't gone, she just reformed. Doesn't Malley know that gems can back after their–' his eyes went wide with realization. 'Oh...'
"Malley, Lapis isn't gone. She just reformed yesterday." Steven explained.
"She... what?" Malley asked.
"It's another gem thing. Sometimes when a gem is badly hurt, they go poof into smoke but they can come back from it so long as their gemstones aren't damaged. Her form was destroyed before but she's reformed now."
For a moment, there was a gleam of hope in the ocean gem's eyes but it faded as quickly as it came.
"Even if that's true, it doesn't matter," Malley said sadly. "Lapis hates me and I'm sure the other gems don't want me around you anymore. I'm sure they'll just poof me too if they find me."
"That won't happen if you don't attack them and or, once I know where you are, I can go with them and make sure you don't get poofed. But you have to tell me where you are first."
Malley was silent for a moment, seeming to think it over and then she sighed. "If I tell you, do you promise you'll be there with them?" her voice low.
"I promise."
Malley gave only a small nod before she opened her arms for him. Steven didn't understand at first but it seemed like she wanted a hug and he could never pass up an offer. So he leaned in, carefully wrapped his arms around her neck, and she put her arms around him, she squeezed him gently.
Still holding onto Steven, Malley then moved her head so that she and he were touching their foreheads together. Steven closed his eyes and he could see images flash in his mind. He could see a blue sky, the ocean, and then he could see an island. His vision then zoomed in on the island and into an underwater cave. Then, all of the sudden, Malley pushed Steven away from her and she shrieked.
Steven tumbled over before he looked up. "Malley, what happened?" Steven asked, startled.
But he wouldn't get an answer as the world around them began to fade and Malley riled and thrashed around midair as if struggling against something unseen. Soon her image disappeared completely.
"Malley!" Steven cried out.
Steven woke up trembling and his forehead felt warm. It was very early morning as he sat up in his bed, the events in his dreams still fresh in his mind.
"Malley..." Steven muttered.
He sprang out of his bed, he found Lion lounging in the living room. Perfect!
"Lion I need you to take me to Malley right now. She's in trouble." Steven pleaded.
Lion didn't seem all that interested at first but then he slowly got up after allowing the boy to jump on his back. Even though he was basically still in his pajamas, Steven was determined to find Malley. With a loud roar, Lion activated his warp powers and he sprinted into the portal.
