AN: Okay, guys, please remember, I wrote this fanfic a few months after the Wanted arc and this story is canon divergent, so don't start saying in comments that this story doesn't follow A Single Pale Rose. Also, sorry it took so long to update. I'll try to make these updates quicker in the future.
E/N: We are fully aware of the conflict between this story and canon, we have been aware of it since the good doctor started writing this. Our canon has made it clear that this takes place in an AU where PD was a separate gem from rose quartz, and looked much different to her canon appearance. I'm sorry for not keeping up with this, currently working on this from away from home, so… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Scream.
Steven screamed in indescribable agony as the blade of the axe lodged itself into his shoulder. He didn't know if it had broken his shoulder bone and he didn't care. All he cared about was that it hurt. A lot.
As the blade receded from his shoulder, albeit a little roughly, his hand darted for the wound, clutching it in a futile attempt to ease the pain.
Jasper raised the axe and was about to strike again when suddenly, she noticed something that caused her eyes to widen.
The business end of the blade was stained with a viscous red liquid.
"Blood?" she thought to herself. She then looks down at Steven and noticed the liquid oozing from the large cut on his shoulder. "That's impossible. "Gems don't bleed; unless..." Jasper thought back to what Rose (?) said earlier. "No."
Jasper lifted her foot off the small gem's chest and gently replaced it with her hand. After a couple of seconds, she felt it: a weak "thmp-thmp, thmp-thmp" that could only be one thing; a heartbeat.
Removing her hand from the oddity's chest and stumbling back a couple of paces in shock, the perfect quartz beheld the wounded creature in front of her with shock, horror, and disgust. "What are you?"
Out of nowhere, Jasper felt something thump against her calf. Turning around, she saw Padparadscha wielding an old, brittle sword, half of the blade having been cracked off from the blow to her leg. Padparadscha was breathing heavily, clearly blinded by fear and anger. Glaring at the small off-color, Jasper marched toward the defective sapphire, who dropped the broken sword and started to backpedal very slowly. As Jasper began to close in on her target, a white orb of light struck the back of her head, leaving her blindsided. Before Jasper could recover, a red gauntlet impacted her chest, rocketing her into a small overhang, stamping it with a Jasper-shaped indent.
"Steven!" a familiar voice called out. Turning to the source, Steven found Garnet standing over him.
"Garnet?" he returned weakly. The fusion phased away her gauntlets and placed a hand on his cheek. She thoroughly looked him over for any severe injuries, before letting out a sigh.
"Besides the gash on your shoulder, you should be alright," she assessed. Garnet then cast her eyes to Padparadscha before smiling. "New recruit?"
After a five second pause, she nods.
"Welcome aboard," the fusion replied, a ghost of a smirk gracing her lips.
"STEVEN!"
At that moment, the other Crystal Gems, along with Lapis, and Connie made their presence known. Pearl's eyes widen when she catches a glimpse of the cut on Steven's shoulder. "OH, MY GOODNESS!"
"Pearl, it's fine," Steven reassured.
"It is not fine! You're bleeding! Lapis, head back to the temple and get some bandages," she ordered.
"On it," the blue gem said, taking off back to the temple.
"Amethyst, he's down here!" Garnet called out.
Amethyst, in the form of an owl, flew down to join the rest of the team before returning to her original form. "Oh, good, for a second there I thought..." Amethyst cuts her sentence short as her eyes widen at the sight of Steven tearing up in pain, clutching his shoulder. Walking past her teammates, she examined Steven's injury and frowned.
"What did this?" she snarled. As if on cue, Jasper lets out a grunt, indicating her recovery. But Amethyst's mind wasn't focused on the quartz, it was more focused on the axe she wielded that was covered in blood. This was what had hurt Steven. The little sibling that always supported her on her best days and helped her through her worst. The thought filled her with incomprehensible rage. She balled her fists and her eyes took on an unusually bright, pink sheen.
"Giving him a black eye was one thing, but this? This is something else entirely," she thought, gritting her teeth.
Jasper raises her head and catches a good glimpse of the team before getting back to her feet and assuming a battle stance, sporting a malicious grin. "Finally, the whole team of traitors who've done nothing but disgrace Homeworld by just existing. All gathered here to get what's coming to them."
The gems summoned their weapons and were about to strike when suddenly...
"STAND DOWN!"
The gems turned back to find that the voice came from none other than Amethyst, eyes glowing bright pink. The small quartz trudged past her teammates, glaring at the orange quartz.
"She's mine," she hissed through gritted teeth. The rest of the Crystal Gems stepped back, too stunned to say no. It wasn't what she said that surprised them; it was how she said it. Her usually raspy and rough tambre was accompanied by something else. Another voice speaking in unison with her own. One much smoother, more dominant, commanding and distinctively feminine. Almost like an empress.
"You know Jasper, I let it slide when you split Garnet in half, I looked the other way when you used Rose's name in vain, and I discounted the time when you made me question my own worth," Small purple arcs of electricity began jumping across her balled fist, intensifying with every word. "But, hurting my brother is a line you don't wanna cross."
Amethyst raised her fist as the charge built up inside of it. She opened her hand out in a halting motion, and a massive, purple lightning bolt erupted from her hand and collided with her mountainous opponent. The blast sent Jasper crashing a couple of yards into a giant, tower shield. Jasper was able to gather her bearings, but Amethyst was already on top of her, her fist surrounded by a radiant purple aura, ready to bring down some earthling justice.
Jasper barely managed to roll to the side as Amethyst's fist collided with the ground, shattering the giant shield and putting a huge crater in the ground.
Amethyst muttered a growl of annoyance. Her gem glowed and a pair of purple, ghostly, almost angelic wings sprouted out of her back. In a single flap, she flew out of the crater and positioned herself above the orange quartz, who was still stunned from hearing the voice of her deceased diamond.
Snapping back to reality, Jasper twirled her axe around before hurling it at the small quartz. Amethyst simply extended her hand and the axe stopped in mid-air, surrounded by a purple aura.
"Your skills are impressive," said Amethyst, in a voice that wasn't entirely her own. With a flick of her wrist, the axe was sent sailing back toward the large quartz. Jasper closed her eyes and braced herself for her imminent demise. But when all she heard was the sound of the blade piercing into the ground, she opened her eyes and turned to her side to find the blade of the axe plunged into the ground. Unfortunately, that was only a diversion.
"If only you weren't so easy to read," Amethyst added. Before Jasper could react, she was struck by a purple fireball that sent her hurtling into the flat surface of a giant sword. Amethyst descends back to the ground phasing away her wings and hardening her glare on the orange quartz.
"Tch, pathetic. You insult the Crystal Gems for utilizing fusion in their fights, but honestly; you've only really seen that from Garnet. But unlike you, the gems that make her don't remain fused for strength; they stay fused out of love. The others only use fusion as a last resort," Amethyst went on. "You, on the other hand, see it differently."
As Jasper tried to recover, she teared up as she tried to ignore the voice. Though she knew it wasn't Pink Diamond, it still hurt hearing the voice of the gem she once admired and worshipped belittling her.
"You see their unity as weakness and you look down on them because of it. But in the end, that's what makes them stronger. Stronger than you will ever be," said Amethyst.
Roaring a battle cry, Jasper summoned her helmet to crush the small quartz. Amethyst swiftly and effortlessly grabbed her helmet and held her in place.
"Acting on anger, not the best strategy," she tauntingly warned. She lifted the large quartz up by her helmet and slammed her back and forth into the ground from side to side, her enhanced speed and strength multiplying the force behind each impact. After the seventh slam, she lifted Jasper up by the back of her collar and jabbed her twice in the face before sending her soaring with a powerful uppercut.
Amethyst backed up a couple of feet and as Jasper was about to land, Amethyst stomped her foot down, sending out a powerful seismic shockwave, which took out three strawberry bushes and sent Jasper flying into a large boulder, putting a large crack in it.
Once Jasper recovered, she grabbed the boulder she landed against and hurled it at her puny adversary. Amethyst effortlessly obliterated it with a lightning blast. Jasper comet-sprinted toward her tiny opponent, reeling back her fist. But as she was closing in on her target, Amethyst swiftly leapt over her, gracefully somersaulting in mid-air, and as she landed behind the other quartz, she dug her heels into the ground, summoned her whip, and wrapped it around Jasper's torso, halting the bull-like quartz's charge.
With a flick of her whip, Amethyst repeatedly slammed her around the battle before yanking the large quartz toward her. Once she was in arm's reach, Amethyst delivered a rapid flurry of punches to the towering quartz's chest before delivering a roundhouse kick to her gut, tossing her a couple yards sideways.
Frustrated by the overwhelming power of her opponent betraying her stature, Jasper snarled and rushed toward Amethyst and the two were locked into an immediate stalemate. Jasper punched, kicked, and swatted at the smaller opponent, trying her hardest to bring her down. But, Amethyst blocked, dodged, and countered all of her attacks and even got a few of her own hits in.
"As much as I love watching your futile attempts at victory," Amethyst said, grabbing Jasper's fist. "I grow bored of this fight."
And with that, Amethyst hurled Jasper high into the air. Quickly resummoning her wings, Amethyst flew swiftly into the sky and halted the quartz's ascent just as she was about to reach the clouds. Without warning, she sent the quartz hurtling back toward the ground with a powerful shockwave punch. As Jasper collided with the ground, the resulting impact shook the whole entire battlefield and picked up a huge cloud of dust.
When the dust subsided, Jasper was lying face-down in a huge crater. The quartz's body was covered with all manner of scuff marks, scratches, and bruises. As she struggled to get back up, she was lifted into the air by an invisible force. She soon made eye contact with Amethyst, who floated gracefully in front of her with her wings.
"I really didn't want it to come to this, but you pushed me past my limit," said Amethyst. Suddenly, Jasper's axe was pulled out of the ground by an invisible force and it floated right in front of Jasper's face, aimed directly at her gem. "And this is the consequence."
Before anything could happen, Amethyst felt a cold chill run through her whole body. Time seemed to slow down, and she felt the diamond's power leave her body, as if a platform had disappeared from under her feet. That's when she heard a familiar voice in her head.
"Amethyst."
The quartz's eyes widened.
"Pink Diamond?" she replied through her thoughts.
"I'm begging you, don't do this," pleaded Pink Diamond.
"But why should I show her any mercy? She nearly killed Steven," she replied.
"I know and I'm upset about it too, but is this what Steven would've wanted; to watch the closest thing he has to an elder sibling shatter another of her own kind?" Pink asked.
Amethyst looked down at Steven and her fury wavered when saw the look of fear in his eyes. Sighing, she turned her attention back to the oversized soldier beneath her feet.
"On second thought, because I'm feeling generous, I'll spare your life," said Amethyst, tossing the axe to the front of the warp pad. "But heed my warning."
As she spoke, she extended her arm in front of the orange quartz and clenched her fist. Jasper hissed in pain as an invisible force began to push her entire form inwards. She felt she might poof at any moment. Then, the force abated, as soon as it had come.
"If you ever cross me again, I will redecorate the temple with your shards," Amethyst threatened. With that, Amethyst sent Jasper hurtling to the front of the warp pad with a huge lightning blast.
Jasper pulled the axe out of the soil before pitifully dragging herself onto the warp pad and warping out of the battlefield to some faraway part of the planet.
Soon, Amethyst's eyes returned to their original coloration as the pink aura surrounding her retreated back to her gem and the last physical remnants of what would have once been her Diamond left her. She smiled as a soothing warmth pulsed in her chest.
"I'm proud of you, Amethyst. You made the right choice," Pink Diamond's voice echoed in her mind, sweetly. "You should probably return to your normal form; your family is worried about you. Take care, my Amethyst, I love you."
The aura faded away and Amethyst floats gracefully back to the ground. Sporting a look of bewilderment, she surveyed the damage caused by her fight with Jasper.
"Amethyst?" Garnet called, walking over to the purple gem. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just… YAWN!" Amethyst yawned. "Feel...a little...light-headed."
Amethyst collapsed face-first onto to the ground, completely drained of any energy.
"AMETHYST!?"
The others quickly rushed over to the small quartz and surrounded her. Garnet gently lifted the purple gem and brushed the dirt off her face.
"Amethyst, are you sure you're alright?" Garnet asked.
"Yeah, *YAWN* It's just that whatever that was, really took a lot out of me," she replied.
Finally being brought back to reality, Amethyst looked up at the worried faces of Garnet and the others."
Pearl was the one who spoke first. "What on earth is going on?"
Amethyst replied. "It's a very long story."
"That's okay, just take your time and go into as much detail as you can," said Garnet.
Amethyst sighed. "Alright, you guys might wanna sit down for this."
. . .
(Prime Kindergarten)
Jasper laid hidden in one of the many exit holes in the Prime Kindergarten, trying her hardest to ignore the pain of her injuries. She would've warped to the Beta Kindergarten, but she knew the gems would expect her to be there.
Being here brought back memories of that fateful day in her own Kindergarten.
She had Carnelian pinned down. The small, red quartz was all battered and bruised. Her gem was so cracked that all it would take was a single poke to end her existence. She was completely defenseless and at the mercy of the Ultimate Quartz. Tears falling from her eyes and the look of betrayal directed toward her larger counterpart.
"Go ahead then. Do it, Ultimate Quartz," she spat.
Forgetting about the pain she was in, Jasper let tears of her own roll down her cheeks at the mere thought of what she did.
"I'm sorry, Carnelian," she said, silently to herself.
Her thoughts were interrupted by voices in the distance.
"Rubies? Is everyone accounted for?" someone asked.
"With the exception of Ruby, Yes," someone else replied.
Wiping away her tears, Jasper walked out of the exit hole only to be greeted by the sight of the Ruby Squad. Eyeball was the first to notice her presence.
"R-R-Ruby?" said Eyeball, pointing over Doc's shoulder. Following her finger, Doc turned around and her eyes widened at sight of the Ultimate Quartz.
"Oh, my stars, Jasper! We finally found you!" she exclaimed, astonished. As if on cue, she and the other Rubies went into a formation, giving Jasper a gem salute.
"Ruby Facet 2 Cut 3XC, squadron commander," Doc stated. "It's an honor to be in your presence, General."
Jasper simply nods before she turns her attention to Eyeball. "You look familiar, soldier. Have we met before?"
This got the red gem to blush excitedly. "She remembers me!"
"I-I'm R-R-Ruby-1F4 Cut-4ND, general," she replied, nervously. "I fought in the war for Earth."
"Hmm, I think I remember. Are you that Ruby from Facet 6 who was part of the first ground force?" Jasper asked.
"Y-Y-Yes, that was me," she replied, shakily.
"Heh, glad you made it out," said Jasper. "Anyways, what business do you have here?
"Yellow Diamond sent us here to retrieve you," Doc stated.
"Is that it?" she asked.
"Actually, there's more but I can't exactly remember," Doc explained.
Jasper rolled her eyes. "Of course you can't."
Eyeball facepalmed. "She wanted us to locate any remaining rebels and bring them back for punishment."
"Oh, right," said Doc. "Anyways, we were hoping we could have your assistance."
Jasper thought about it for a moment and then she said, "Sure, why not."
The rubies were absolutely ecstatic.
"She said yes!" exclaimed Navy.
"We won't let you down, Jasper," Army said, saluting.
"I'll die for you!" Eyeball declared.
"It's truly an honor to work under your leadership," said Doc.
"We'll need as many soldiers as possible after what I just went through," said Jasper.
"Oh, my stars, Jasper you're injured!" exclaimed Eyeball, gesturing towards the quartz's scratches and scuff marks.
"And I was starting to think no one noticed," Jasper said, sarcastically.
Eyeball's gem glowed as she summoned her chisel. "Which one did it? Was it Rose? I swear to my diamond, I'm gonna ram this blade right through her gem! And when she's shattered, I'm gonna incinerate whatever's left of her gem!"
"At ease, soldier, it wasn't Rose," Jasper explained.
"Then who was it; I'll shatter them!?" Eyeball inquired.
"It was the runt," the quartz replied.
"The amethyst did this? But how?" asked Doc.
"A gem as defective as her shouldn't be able to do any against you," said Army.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. In fact, she didn't even stand a chance against me the first two times we fought," Jasper explained. "But this time, she managed to turn the tables."
"How?" asked Navy.
"You four might wanna sit down for this; it's gonna be a lot to take in," said Jasper. The rubies gather around the large quartz, giving her their full, undivided attention.
"I don't how she did it, but somehow that runt was able to enhance her capabilities," she explained.
"Do you think she did some type of special training?" asked Eyeball.
"Training? More like experiments," the quartz replied. "That runt had powers that went beyond anything a regular quartz could achieve."
"How so?" asked Eyeball.
"Where do I even begin?" asked Jasper. "Creating wings made of light, shooting fireballs, lightning blasts, the ability to generate seismic earthquakes, telekinesis; this whole time I thought Rose picked the runt out of desperation, but something tells me she knew about her powers."
Jasper frowned at that thought.
"Well played, Rose," she thought. At the mention of Rose, Jasper's mind went back to the aftermath of her fight with Steven.
"Also, while we're on the topic of Rose Quartz, there's something you should know," said Jasper. "During a recent battle with Rose, when I finally had her pinned down, I struck her with my axe."
"Woah!" the rubies gasped, astonished.
"Did you finally finish her off?" Eyeball asked, hopeful.
"I was about to, but when I pulled the axe back, well… this came out of her," Jasper said, pulling out the axe. What they saw, left them completely bewildered.
"Oh my stars, what is that?" asked Doc.
"That's blood; it's what's inside humans," Eyeball explained. "Wait, how is this possible? Gems don't bleed."
"Are you familiar with the concept of human reproduction?" asked Jasper.
"Yes, Pink Diamond explained it to me one time," Eyeball replied.
Jasper explained to them what Steven told her before their fight. Once she was done, the rubies were nearly speechless.
"Oh my stars!" exclaimed Doc.
"This is unheard of," said Navy.
"Rose is sick!" said Army.
"So, that kid was telling the truth," said Eyeball. Then her shock turned to panic. "Oh my stars, I tried to stab him."
"Don't get soft, soldier; this changes nothing. The Crystal Gems are still the enemy," Jasper said, sternly.
"What are we gonna do, General?" asked Doc.
"Yeah, General, what's our plan of attack?" Eyeball inquired.
"What are your orders, General?" Army inquired.
Jasper cringed at the word general, but she spoke, "The gems will be expecting me, so one of you has to go spy on them. Do any of you know the location of their base?"
"Oh, I do," said Navy.
"Good, then I'm sending you on a reconnaissance mission to obtain information on their next move," said Jasper.
"Should I take the warp pad?" Navy asked.
"Negative. Their warp pad is stationed inside their base; warping in would be suicide," Jasper explained. "You're gonna have to go there on foot."
"I'm on it," she replied. Then she was off.
"Do you have a ship nearby?" Jasper asked.
"Yes, we managed to land it successfully without damaging it any further," said Army.
"Good, then I'll need you to head back to it and see if you can find any useful equipment," said Jasper.
"I'll get right on it, General," said Army as she made her way back to the Roaming Eye.
"You two are staying with me," Jasper said to Doc and Eyeball.
"I'd be honored," said Doc.
"Me too, but there's something I need to know," said Eyeball.
"What might that be?" Jasper asked.
"Since this "Steven" isn't Rose Quartz, what are we gonna do with him?" asked Eyeball.
Jasper never thought about it. Despite having a connection to Rose Quartz, this Steven wasn't the gem in-question and Jasper didn't have any reason to hate him on a personal level. However, he was still affiliated with the Crystal Gems and that couldn't be ignored.
"We'll let the diamonds decide," she replied.
. . .
(Back at the Strawberry Battlefield)
After Amethyst finished her explanation, the gems were completely speechless. Pearl was too shocked to think of the right words to describe what just transpired and Garnet was at a complete loss of words. After a moment of silence, Pearl finally spoke.
"So, let me get this straight," she said. "You and Steven, spoke to a diamond; Pink Diamond?"
"Yep," Amethyst replied, nervously.
"And you let out Jasper, the same gem that tried to kill Steven several times, without our permission?" Pearl inquired.
"Uh huh," the quartz replied.
Pearl went on. "And you healed her corruption with a cure made from Steven's blood?"
"Pretty much," the quartz replied, apprehensively.
"Well, that would explain the bandages," said Garnet as she started unraveling them.
"Garnet, what are you doing?" Steven asked from his position in her lap.
"Your injection wound healed three hours ago," she replied, as she removed the bandages from his arm.
Sighing, Pearl turned in Peridot's direction and gave her a glare. "On a side note, you took a blood sample from him?"
"Hey, I followed the procedure accordingly and I did ask for his consent before I did it," Peridot explained.
"He's a child; you needed our consent before doing something like that," said Pearl.
"Well, excuse me for not knowing that!" Peridot exclaimed, folding her arms.
"I predict Pearl will make Peridot feel embarrassed," said Padparadscha, eliciting a blush from the green gem.
"And Steven, what were you thinking?!" Pearl shouted. "Jasper could've killed you; what made you think this was a good idea?"
Before Steven could respond, Amethyst spoke first, "It wasn't his fault!"
All heads turned in her direction.
"This was all my fault," Amethyst said, tears filling her eyes.
Amethyst told gems about the events in the Beta Kindergarten, explaining what Jasper did to Ocean, Ocean's potentially permanent corruption, and how she felt since she and Jasper were both Earth gems. By the end of her explanation, tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"Steven and the others told me that I was the better gem because I wanted to help Jasper, despite everything she's done, but all I did was put Steven in danger. I-I'm sorry," said Amethyst, tearfully.
Steven stood up and gently embraced his sister. Amethyst didn't say anything, she just wrapped her arms around the child and held onto him as if her life depended on it.
As the two quartzes separated, Pearl got down on her knees, placed her hands on Amethyst's cheeks, and wiped away her tears.
"Amethyst, you didn't have to do all this to show you're a better gem," Pearl said, smiling.
"I didn't?" she asked.
"Of course not," said Garnet, smiling as she placed her hand on the quartz's shoulder. "You've shown us over-and-over that you're an amazing gem. You're kind, you're supportive, and you're very brave. Rose would've been proud to see how far you've come."
Amethyst smiled. "T-Thanks, guys."
Suddenly, Pearl's smile fell and her eyes widened as she lets out a gasp.
"What's wrong, P?" Amethyst asked.
"Amethyst, your hair!" Pearl exclaimed.
"What about it?" she asked.
"Half of it changed color," Pearl replied.
Amethyst looked at her reflection in a puddle, and sure enough, while the rest of her hair retained its usual color, Amethyst had developed two identical pink streaks, one hanging by her right cheek and the large bang that usually covered her left eye tinted a pink color, and the bottom half of her hair, just at the tips, had gained the same pink color.
"Well, this is new," she said.
Meanwhile, Peridot was trying her best not to pass out. The green gem's cheeks were heating up and her mouth was agape as she gazed at Amethyst's new appearance.
"Stars, she's even more beautiful than ever," she thought to herself.
"Peridot?!" Pearl shouted.
The green gem immediately snapped out of her trance. "Uh, uh, y-yes?"
"Didn't you hear us calling you? I was asking if you knew anything about this?" Pearl inquired.
"Well, not exactly. But, I do believe this has something to do with the fact that they were able to communicate with Pink Diamond through Steven's dream," Peridot explained. "Amethyst, when Pink Diamond saw you and Steven, how did she react?"
"Well, she was very nice to Steven and she treated me the same way Garnet treated Steven when he was three years old," said Amethyst. "She said she loves me."
This new revelation elicited a surprised gasp from the gems, except for Padparadscha, who gasped after ten seconds.
"An affectionate diamond? Impossible," said Peridot.
"I have to agree with Peridot on this one. That must've been a ruse," said Pearl.
"Diamonds are known for their deception. She's obviously lying," Garnet added.
"Oh, yeah. Well, she told me that Rose didn't shatter her," the purple gem said.
Garnet and Pearl were both shocked by this news.
"What?" said Pearl.
"If her nice personality was just an act, then she wouldn't have told me that; she would've just let Rose take the fall," said Amethyst. "She told me that one of the diamonds were responsible."
"Those monsters!" Pearl shouted, angrily. "This whole time, they blamed my Rose for their horrific crime. Desecrating her name just to cover for their own treasonous act."
"Pearl, calm down," said Garnet, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Right now, there's nothing we can do about that. We need to focus on getting Steven medical attention. Lapis should be back with the first aid kit right about now."
As if on cue, Lapis flew toward the gems with the first aid kit. "Okay, guys, I got the medical supplies."
"Oh, good. Steven, move your hand, we're gonna try to cauterize the wound," said Pearl.
Steven nodded and removed his hand from his shoulder. When he did, the skin underneath the gash emanated a pink glow, outlining his veins. After a good five seconds, the cut on his shoulder sealed itself up, much to the astonishment of the gems and Connie.
"Oh my god, Steven, how did you do that?" asked Connie.
"I don't know," he replied.
"I think I can answer that," said Peridot. "I believe that the heal properties in Steven's blood must've enhanced his body's cellular repair function. He basically has a healing factor now."
"Was that why you needed his blood for the cure?" Pearl asked.
"Yes, in fact, I have three more vials of it in cold storage. Steven told me he needed them for something called a Centipeedle," Peridot explained. "You see, Jasper was just a trial run. Now that we know that the cure works, we can create more of it."
"Keep those vials on cold storage, because I'm shutting this whole operation down…"
"Unless, we're there to supervise," said Garnet, cutting Pearl off.
"Garnet?" Pearl replied.
"This is what Rose would've wanted; it's what Steven wants," said the fusion.
Pearl sighed. "Very well then."
Steven had stars in his eyes as he gave one of his signature toothy grins. Garnet smiled knowing that her Steven was happy.
"I predict Steven will gain a healing factor. Oh, how marvelous," said Padparadscha.
Garnet's attention immediately turned to the off-colored sapphire.
"I almost forgot about you," Garnet said, smiling as she pets the sapphire's head. "What's your name, cutie?"
After a five second pause, she replied," I'm Padparadscha Sapphire, I was labeled defective due to my delayed visions."
"Garnet, it's a pleasure to meet you," said the fusion, holding her hand out. After ten seconds, Padparadscha kindly shook it.
"Is it true what they say? Are you really a fusion between a ruby and a sapphire?" she asked. In an instant, Garnet's form was enveloped in a bright light and she split into two separate gems.
"Does this answer your question?" asked Ruby with a cheeky grin.
"Ruby? Is it really necessary for you to show off in front of the newbie?" Sapphire asked, smirking.
Padparadscha's mouth was agape as she was beyond astonished. "Oh, my stars! This is extraordinary! Fluorite and Rhodonite would've loved to meet you!"
"And I think I would've loved to meet them," said Sapphire. "Oh, and someone was really worried about you."
On cue, Ocean Jasper nuzzled the sapphire's arm, letting out concerned whimpers. "Padpa?"
Turning around, Padparadscha gently stroked her mane.
"Shhh, it's okay, Ocean," she said, pressing a kiss to Ocean's forehead. "I'm alright."
Ocean sighed remorsefully before writing her response in the ground.
"Oh, no, you don't have to apologize. You tried your best to stop Jasper," the sapphire said.
Unfortunately, this did nothing to change Ocean's depressed demeanor.
Steven simply stared on until an idea popped inside his head. He picked up a strawberry the size of a basketball and presented it to Padparadscha.
"Try giving her this. I did something similar with the Centipeedle," He said. The sapphire took the strawberry and presented it to Ocean Jasper. After sniffing it for a good few seconds, the corrupted gem devoured the large fruit in one gulp. Everyone waited for her reaction with bated breaths.
"Ocean, are you ...WOAH!" Padparadscha was cut off by Ocean Jasper tackling her. The sapphire laughs to her heart's content as the canine gem starts licking her face.
"Aaaawww!" cooed the gems and Connie.
After a few good seconds, Ocean allowed Padparadscha to get up and she gasps.
"Oh my, I predict a ship will land in front of the temple," said Padparadscha, earning gasps from her teammates.
"When will it land?" Ruby inquired.
"Thirty seconds ago," she replied, causing Peridot to panic.
"I knew it! It's happening! They've finally come for me!" she exclaimed.
"Why would they be after you?" Bismuth asked.
"I called Yellow Diamond a clod right to her face," Peridot explained.
"Woah, really?" asked Bismuth. "Stars, I wish I could've been there to see the look on her face. I bet it was priceless."
"You have no idea," said Amethyst.
"Excuse me, but I think we should be focused on the fact that we could be under attack," said Pearl.
"I predict a group of Prime and Beta quartzes will enter the house carrying a tied-up, whining agate," said Padparadscha.
Hearing this, Amethyst gasps joyfully, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Paddy, would these quartzes happen to have a defective carnelian with them?"
After a ten second pause, she replied, "Why, yes."
Amethyst lets out an excited shriek. "REALLY?! THEY'RE ACTUALLY HERE?! OH, MY GOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I'LL SEE YOU GUYS BACK AT THE TEMPLE!"
And with that, she ran at high speeds to the warp pad, leaving behind a huge dust trail.
"Wha… how did… when did?" Pearl was completely astonished by Amethyst's newly acquired speed. Meanwhile, Ruby and Sapphire fused back into Garnet.
"Well, we're not gonna get anymore answers if we're just standing here. Let's go gems," she said as she and the others made their way to the warp pad. Lapis was about to join them when she felt Bismuth grab her by the arm.
"What are you doing?" she asked the blacksmith.
"I recognized your gem. You were there during the war," Bismuth explained.
"What? How did you know that?" Lapis asked. Suddenly, she caught sight of Bismuth's gem and everything started coming back to her. "Oh my stars, it's you. Y-you were the gem that attacked me!"
As she spoke, nearby puddles started rippling at a fast rate.
"Listen, Lapis, I didn't know. I thought you were a threat," Bismuth explained.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did me trying to run away give you the impression that I was gonna attack someone!" Lapis shouted, clenching fists. As she spoke, her eyes took on a mirror-like appearance and large puddles rose from the ground and formed large water orbs.
"Lapis, please! I did a lot of things during the war that I wasn't proud of. I should've listened to reason instead of just assuming you were a threat. I'm sorry," Bismuth pleaded.
Lapis's eyes returned to normal and the puddles returned to the ground.
"For Steven's sake, I'll let it go for now," she said. "But, we will discuss this later."
And with that, they soon joined the other gems on the warp pad.
. . .
(Outside of Earth's atmosphere, on the Sun Incinerator)
Soaring through the cold depths of outer space, the Sun Incinerator was making it's way toward the Earth. In the ship's cockpit, Aquamarine was tinkering away with the ship's navigation system and updating the files it had on gem related locations on Earth. She and Topaz had recently made a stop to the Earth's Moon Base to retrieve any necessary files that might prove useful during their mission to Earth. Even though the base's monitor was destroyed, Aquamarine managed to find a data drive in what was left of it.
Aquamarine sighed as she stared at a hologram of what the Earth colony would've looked like if it had been completed.
"No wonder the diamonds want those crystal dullards shattered. This Earth colony would've been great," she thought. The door to the cockpit opened and Topaz entered the room.
"Ah, Topaz, it's about time. Are the Off-Colors secured?" Aquamarine inquired.
"Yes, they're all contained in the holding cells," the fusion replied.
"Did they show any signs of resistance?" Aquamarine inquired.
"Well, the Lars said that it's past your bedtime and toddlers get cranky if they don't get their sleep," said Topaz.
Aquamarine's left eye twitched as she gritted her teeth.
. . .
In the ship's prison area, the Off-Colors sat patiently in their cells, except for a panicking Rhodonite, when the intercoms turned on.
"Listen here you filthy human, if I hear you make one more comment, I'm gonna have you thrown out the airlock!" shouted Aquamarine, angrily over the intercom. While the others were confused by the blue gem's sudden outburst, Lars simply smirked.
. . .
Aquamarine breathes heavily as she tries to compose herself. "Now then, Topaz, I know our original plan was to land outside the human settlement from our last mission, but the scanners have detected high gem activity in the Prime Kindergarten. There could possibly be more Crystal Gems. So, we're gonna have to land in the Kindergarten and try to get information on Rose."
"Understood," the yellow gem replied.
Before she turned her attention back to the monitor, Aquamarine added one more statement. "Oh, and if you try to side with Rose again, I'll see to it that both of your components are shattered. Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-Yes," Topaz said, sadly as she tried to hold back tears.
. . .
(Back on Earth, at the Temple)
"So, this is their home?" Holly asked from her position on Steven's bed.
"Apparently," Skinny replied as she sat next to Carnelian on the couch.
"Looks completely archaic," she stated. "I mean, seriously. The foundations don't look sturdy and the area looks small. Who are they defending against?"
"Ugh," sighed Carnelian.
"What?" the agate asked.
"This place was obviously built to house and support the hybrid," Carnelian explained.
"Well, it's safe to say that they succeeded in that front," said Bee. "Nice view of the ocean, plenty of sun; they went all out for the hybrid."
"Hold on, hybrid?" Holly inquired.
"What, we didn't tell you?" Chip asked.
"No, you didn't," the agate replied, annoyed.
"Well, I'm sure the Crystal Gems will happily fill you in," said Sharky.
"Speaking of which," Jay went on. "Remember, these gems are anti-diamonds, they're against Homeworld's hierarchy, and they don't share the diamond's hatred of cross-fusions. So, don't say something offensive that'll piss them off."
"Yeah, because as funny as it would be, I don't think you'll like the idea of getting kicked out by a pearl," said Carnelian, giggling.
Holly cringed at the thought.
Suddenly, the warp pad activated and when the light faded, the Crystal Gems appeared and the Famethyst were met with the smiling face of their youngest sister.
AN: Okay, guys, next time, we'll see Amethyst bond with her sisters and the gems will receive a message from someone who knows more about Amethyst than they expected. Also, Pink Diamond pays Steven and Amethyst another visit and we finally get to find out where Leggy landed. Until next time guys, bye.