"I`ll be in the audience, just not...leading her out." Sodalite said as she re-did Howlite`s braid.
"Yes, I know. Is there a specific way you want me to act?" Howlite asked.
"Just act like you would any other Homeworld Gem." Sodalite said.
"You mean...hateful, ruthless?" Howlite asked.
"Just act like yourself, and don`t worry about that corrupted Gem, Rose has her, you just have to get Pinky, the Pearl and the Pilot." Sodalite tied the end of the braid and let go of Howlite`s hair. Howlite turned to face Sodalite.
"Wish me luck." Howlite whispered.
"What do you need luck for?" Sodalite smiled. The two Gems looked into each other`s eyes. Howlite`s irises were gunmetal blue, but the augmentation caused her scleras to be replaced with metal, and the scleras could constrict and dilate with the pupil so Howlite could zoom in on objects better than a regular Gem, and if you looked deep enough into the blackness of Howlite`s pupil, then you could see the mechanics done in her eye. They were jarring, Howlite`s eyes, but Sodalite found them beautiful. Sodalite`s eyes, on the other hand, were natural, and they were a deep, dark blue, like the ocean.
The two exited out of their room and parted ways, Howlite going to the prison this time instead of Sodalite.
Rhodochrosite heard brisk footsteps down the hall again, there was the clicking of heels on the concrete that sounded so familiar to her. It was Sodalite, and she knew it, come to let her out and lead her to the biggest decision of her life. She crawled to her usual spot and craned her neck to see if Sodalite had dressed out for the occasion.
What came to the cell door wasn`t Sodalite. It was a tall (Taller than Sodalite) white Gem in black and white samurai armor, she was wearing a black bandana over her mouth and she had a long, black braid that almost touched the floor. She was rubbing the blades of two throwing knives together and her eyes were a jarring, steel gray, they looked robotic.
"What, I wasn`t who you were expecting?" The white Gem asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Where`s Sodalite?" Rhodochrosite asked.
"Oh, she`s fine. I`m just a friend of hers. I`ll be leading you out today." The Gem said.
"I know what we`re doing." Rhodochrosite mumbled.
"Oh? I see...Soda wasn`t the kind to keep secrets." The Gem smirked.
"Just let me out." Rhodochrosite grumbled.
"Ooh, fiesty. You know, Sodalite never told me much about you, Rhodochrosite." The Gem opened the cell door and unchained Rhodochrosite, only to chain her again. "You`ll be chained and dragged along with your friends in a few minutes, I just gotta let `em out." The white Gem said, dragging Rhodochrosite down the hallway.
After grabbing the Pearl and pilot, chaining them to Rhodochrosite, and beginning their trek out of the prison hall, Rhodochrosite finally asked. "Who are you?"
"I thought Soda told you about me?" The white Gem said, looking at Rhodochrosite. Rhodochrosite looked closer into Howlite`s appearance, she saw the metal and inner workings of her eyes and she had an epiphany.
"You`re Howlite, aren`t you?" Rhodochrosite said.
"Got it." Howlite turned away, looking forward.
"You`re the one with the augmentation, right? Who spent three years wandering the Earth blind?" Rhodochrosite asked.
"Look, Pinky, I don`t want to be known as the Gem with the augmentation, the weak one who scampered around here as a lost, scared animal only until Rose Quartz found her." Howlite`s voice turned rough.
"But isn`t that what happened?" Rhodochrosite argued.
"Let`s just pretend it didn`t, that will get you my sympathy when you get shattered." Howlite snapped.
Rhodochrosite quieted down. "I`m not going to be shattered." She mumbled.
"And why not?" Howlite asked, her tone still snappy.
"I`m a Crystal Gem." Rhodochrosite said.
"Really? What led to that decision?" Howlite asked in a mocking tone.
"Sodalite took me out, and I got to see Earth and all of it`s beauty, and it shouldn`t be destroyed, and all of the innocent creatures that live here shouldn`t be destroyed." Rhodochrosite stated proudly.
"Well save your speech for when we get there." Howlite said with hints of sarcasm.
There was silence for the rest of the walk, only breathing and light grunts. Rhodochrosite accidentally stepped on Howlite`s heels a few times, causing Howlite to growl at Rhodochrosite. They finally stepped out of the prison hall and into the bright morning sun. It blinded Rhodochrosite and the other chained Gems at first, but their eyes got used to the light. Howlite hurried the Gems along and pulled them up to a stage, an executor waited there, a big, burly red Gem who wielded a Katana. The red Gem was large with a muscular, masculine build. This Gem`s eyes were more unsettling than Howlite`s, they were florescent lime green which contrasted with her red skin and hair. The mouth was even worse, covered in dripping saliva with a little foam, crusty lips, Rhodochrosite didn`t even want to know what her teeth were like. There was a crowd of Gems watching intently, and a large crowd in fact, all chattering excitedly among themselves. Rose Quartz was sitting in the second row, and Sodalite was in the same row, trying to find Rhodochrosite in the sea of heads.
Everyone eventually quieted down and allowed the ceremony to begin, it was a simple ceremony, and everyone was expecting shards in the sand by the time it was over. It started with the Pearl, who was led to center stage and asked a question by the red Gem.
"What side do you wish to take?" The red Gem asked the Pearl.
The Pearl took a moment to think. "I would like to follow the side of my superiors."
"What do your superiors suggest?" The red Gem asked.
"My superiors support the Kindergarten and the progress of Gem society." The Pearl closed her eyes.
The red Gem cracked her knuckles. "Very well. Just close your eyes, and you will be free to go home in a moment." The red Gem summoned her sword and raised it, she then brought it down on the Pearl`s neck, causing it to poof. The Gem of the Pearl clinked on the ground, only to have the sword jabbed through it, causing the shards to be scattered on the floor of the stage. The crowd cheered, with the exception of Rose Quartz and a few squeamish Pearls. Rhodochrosite and the pilot gasped.
Howlite unchained the pilot and pushed her towards center stage. "No pressure." Howlite said in a singsong tone.
The red Gem got rid of her sword and asked the pilot, "Now, what do you believe? Be honest, I can see if you lie."
"I wish to join the Crystal Gems and fight for Earth." The pilot said quietly.
"Really now..." The red Gem said, her voice cold as ice and sinister, it made you feel..suspense..like a cobra stalking you in the night. That feeling where something is about to happen, but you can`t defend yourself because you don`t know what`s about to happen.
The red Gem leaned in closer, looking into the pilot`s eyes...it took a few good minutes before the Gem screeched, "LIAR!" She wielded her sword and ran the pilot through with her blade, poofing the pilot Gem. The red Gem shattered the pilot`s Gem with finality, causing the crowd to cheer more.
"What you said to me better not be a lie or else I`ll go over there and shatter you myself." Howlite hissed as she pushed Rhodochrosite to center stage.
Sodalite held her breath.
"Saved the best for last, a pretty little Homeworld princess. Ooh, Howlite and Sodalite, you always bring good ones." The red Gem still had that sinister voice, she looked over at Howlite and smiled a wry, crooked toothed smile, like a jack-o-lantern.
"Get on it with it, Almandine." Howlite snapped.
"What side do you wish to take, Rhodochrosite?" Almandine, the red Gem asked.
"I am a Crystal Gem!" Rhodochrosite declared loudly and proudly.
"Ooh, you sound sure of yourself. Why do you wish to join us on the planet you plan to destroy?" Almandine hissed softly.
"I don`t plan to destroy it. This planet is too beautiful to destroy, and after all I have discovered in these past few days, I will not let Homeworld destroy anymore planets, or hurt anymore innocent people just for the sake of "the greater good". The greater good isn`t progress in science or society, what`s good is that everyone is happy, the naturally beautiful things, like the ocean and the moon. I`m sick and tired of being the naive princess, I want to be the Gem who stood up for a truly good cause, and that truly good cause, is exactly the cause you guys are fighting for." Rhodochrosite said. She looked to Almandine, who was already studying her. "And if you wish to shatter me with your so-called lie detector, I`ll fight back." Rhodochrosite put a hand on her Gem, ready to summon her weapon.
Almandine took a long, hard, look at Rhodochrosite before finally reaching a decision. "It`s the truth."
The crowd cheered just the same, even if she wasn`t shattered, they had a new person to share in this fight. Sodalite exhaled in relief, she got up to greet Howlite and Rhodochrosite.
Howlite and Sodalite instantly ran and hugged each other. "Can we take in Rhodochrosite? Can we?" Sodalite asked like an excited kid who found a stray puppy.
"Oh, if you insist, but she sleeps in the living room." Howlite said.
"Thank you!" Sodalite pulled Howlite into a hug once more.
Rhodochrosite on the other hand was talking to Rose. Rose towered over Rhodochrosite, but they looked similiar with the large poofy hair and having a pink Gem on their stomach.
"Welcome to the Crystal Gems, I am very happy that you have decided to join our cause. You won`t regret it." Rose smiled.
"Thank you, but Sodalite actually helped me make this decision." Rhodochrosite said.
"Really? How so?" Rose asked.
"Oh, she took me out a few nights ago for a walk on the beach. I got to see the beauty of this place firsthand, I have never seen it before until now." Rhodochrosite explained.
"Sodalite wanted you to make your decision from your heart, not out of fear, I respect that." Rose said.
Sodalite and Howlite rushed over to Rose and Rhodochrosite. "Don`t worry Rose! We have it under control, we can house Rhodochrosite until she gets on her feet." Sodalite said between breaths.
Rose chuckled. "That`s very kind of you, as well as you taking Rhodochrosite out to the beach. I respect your idea of joining our side out of heart and not out of fear, it sounds like something I would do."
Sodalite blushed. "Really?"
"Of course." Rose smiled. "You best be off, and be sure to change the logos on your clothing, you`re one of us now!"
Rhodochrosite smiled at Rose as she followed Sodalite and Howlite out of the crowd back to Sodalite and Howlite`s room.
"Feels great to be out of that stuffy cell..." Rhodochrosite smiled as the three Gems approached the door to Howlite and Sodalite`s room.
"Well prepared to be put in another stuffy room." Howlite said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Wait, you two share a room? Isn`t that a little odd?" Rhodochrosite asked.
"Not on Earth." Howlite shrugged.
Sodalite`s Gem glowed blue on her neck and Howlite held out her palm to allow it to glow white. The door opened to reveal the room, it looked more like an apartment. There was something like a living room when they first walked in, with a couch, coffee table, and a little lamp. A kitchen was also in the big space. Another door led to the bedroom where Sodalite and Howlite slept.
"You fit all of this inside your pocket dimension?" Rhodochrosite asked in awe.
"Let`s not forget the bathroom." Sodalite said, gesturing to another door next to the bedroom.
"The bathroom? What do you need that for?" Rhodochrosite asked.
"You`ll see when you eat something." Howlite smiled devilishly. "Now where exactly will Pinky be sleeping? She won`t be sharing a bedroom with us, that`s for sure."
"I don`t even know how to sleep." Rhodochrosite said quietly.
"Oh, you don`t know what you`re missing!" Sodalite punched Rhodochrosite lightly on the shoulder.
"Rose is going to start battle training tomorrow for Operation Orosu, we`ll be recruiting humans too! I expect that Rhodochrosite will be attending." Howlite said.
"Yep, get changed, if I have to look at those diamonds on your clothes I`m gonna be sick." Sodalite told Rhodochrosite before making a fake choking noise.
"Okay okay I`ll change in the bathroom." Rhodochrosite ran into the bathroom and shut the door.
After a few seconds of waiting, Rhodochrosite slid out of the bathroom and stopped in front of Howlite and Sodalite in her same outfit, a hot pink cropped top with a white skater skirt and light pink ballet flats. However, a yellow star was on the chest of her top and all the diamond designs on her skirt disappeared, it was just a white skirt. Her poofy hair was no longer down and mountainous, but in a high ponytail. She held her lotus clip in her hands, looking timidly at it. It was the last thing she had of her past life, one of luxury, one where she was free to go anywhere, one where she could live in peace.
Sodalite and Howlite approached her slowly, not sure what she would do with this relic of her past.
Rhodochrosite closed her eyes and snapped the clip in half, she then disintegrated it out of her palm. She looked up to see her two new friends, Sodalite grinning, teeth and all, and Howlite meekly smiling with her lips and holding her elbow.
Rhodochrosite sighed, instead of longing to go home, she realized that all that time, she was lost, wandering the galaxy in the wrong place.
I am finally home. Rhodochrosite thought, and smiled at the two Gems looking at her.
Eeee guess who`s a threesome?
It`ll take some getting used to, but Rhodochrosite is here to stay and fight for Earth with the help of her new friends!
Also, the ending for Stakes made me cry! Oh my gosh I fangirled so hard through the whole thing...