Steven's crystal gems
Bismuth
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In the wild untamed jungle of the south we find the Crystal Gems trekking through the dense foliage.
"Steven, Connie be careful. Many of the flora and fauna in this jungle are highly deadly for your weaker human bodies." Pearl spoke while looking back at them.
"Wow Pearl, way to bum them out before we even get there." spoke Amethyst with her hands behind her back.
"It's alright Amethyst." Connie said. "She has a point, one touch of a poison dart frog native to this area could be bad for either of us."
"Don't worry, just stay close to us and the path, and you'll be fine." spoke Garnet. "And remember the gem monster we're after is a dangerous one."
"You got it." smiled Steven with a thumbs up. They came to the end of the trail and the two children were in awe of the ancient city before them.
"Woah!" spoke Connie as the city before them looked similar to some of the Aztec ruins she had seen in her history books.
"This was where the Gem builders would go after they had completed their assigned tasks and wait for further orders from the Diamonds." Pearl spoke as they walked through the city entrance.
"And a place with plenty of space for the gem to hide." spoke Garnet while looking around.
"You'd think a place like this would have its own warp pad." Connie commented.
"It did." Garnet pointed further ahead at the shattered warp pad. "Now everyone, keep your eyes open and don't run ahead of the others. Whatever destroyed the warp pad is no doubt very strong."
The team nodded and kept their eyes peeled. They walked around while a low growling form watched them from a nearby building. It slithered back and waited for the perfect moment to strike.
Connie stopped near the structure and looked around while the shadow slowly moved near her. She quickly drew her sword only to be knocked back by the creature before it flew into the sky. She groaned before looking up and gasped. The monster had a green serpent's body and head with rainbow feathered wings. "Quetzalcoatl?"
"Connie!" cried Steven running over and shield throwing his shield at the creature's head.
It screamed from the hit and fell to the ground.
"Steven that creature looks just like Quetzalcoatl." said Connie.
"Who?" Steven asked raising an eyebrow.
"The Aztec god of the sun, sky and agriculture."
"Oh, is that good or bad?"
*SKREEEEECH*
"Very bad." she replied before holding the sword up as the gem lunged at her and it's teeth dug into the blade.
"Steven! Connie!" yelled Pearl as the Gems ran to their aid.
"We got this!" Connie regained her footing and pushed back against the gem. "Woah!" she held on to the sword as it flailed its head.
Steven formed a bubble around him before running over and hitting it from the side.
The creature released the sword and sent Connie rolling on the ground. It roared and swung its tail at Steven's bubble knocking him into a wall where his bubble burst.
"Gems take it down!" Garnet called out.
Amethyst and Pearl ran at it while it hissed and charged at them. The purple gem rolled into a ball and bashed its right wing while Pearl threw her spear at is left.
Garnet ran over and jumped up before slamming her gauntlets into it's head with enough force to destroy the beast. It's gem fell to the ground while the other sighed in relief.
"Connie," called Steven as he can to his friend with his hands in the air. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah, I think-" looking down at her sword she saw a crack in the metal. "Oh no. Pearl!.
"What's wrong Connie, are you hurt?!"
"No, it's….look." the girl presented the sword to her teacher who froze seeing the sword condition.
"Rose's...sword…..is….c-c-cracked?" she choked out with a paler expression.
"I am so sorry I didn't think its teeth were so hard." Connie apologized. "You're mad at me now aren't you?"
Pearl slapped herself and gulped while trying to smile. "N-No Connie, I'm alright. It's not really your fault." she reached out and took the blade. "This sword has been around for thousands of years. It's more likely that age has taken its toll on it."
"So it has a crack in it, big whoop. It'll probably keep strong for another thousands of years." Amethyst waved off.
"No it won't, any more strain and it might… shatter." spoke Pearl with a downed tone. "And the only Gem with the knowledge of how to fix it is..." Pearl stopped herself and lowered her head and closed her eyes.
"Who?" asked Steven. "Wait, do you mean Bismuth?"
"Yes." spoke Garnet.
"Who's Bismuth?" questioned Connie.
Back at the temple Steven explained the whole story behind one of the original Crystal Gems. Something that stunned Connie on his fight with the gem.
"Oh my gosh."
"That's what I thought too." said Steven. "I destroyed the breaking point in the lava and brought her Gem back."
"In short, she was nuts." spoke Amethyst walking over and plopping on the couch.
"I still can't believe she would even conceive the idea for such an insidious weapon." Pearl stated. "Bismuth was normally the first to jump into battle but to really shatter her enemies?"
"Seems the war affected her more than we thought." sighed Garnet.
"So… how long are you going to keep her in there?"
"I'm not sure."
The Gems looked down in disappointment and shame.
Steven frowned while looking down at the sword.
Later Connie was in her night dress and rolled out her sleeping bag. "I can't believe my parents let me stay the night." she looked up at Steven who was on the bed looking out the window. "You alright?"
Steven sighed and looked back to her. "I can't help but think about Bismuth. We should give her a second chance."
"I'm not so sure Steven."
"I have to try Connie, it was my mom who bubbled her for thousands of years. You didn't see how sad she looked after I ran that sword through her."
"But what if she tries something again?"
"I really hope not, but I just wish I could see her again."
"Uh, Steven." said Connie pointing at his stomach where a pink glow shone from under his shirt. "I think your gem heard you."
The door opened to Rose's room and the two grinned. They slid down the pole to the basement before jumping off
"Careful on the landing!" cried Steven as he let go of the pipe.
While Connie landed on her feet Steven plopped on his stomach. "You alright?"
"Yup, perfect landing." he replied.
"So which one is Bismuth?" Connie asked.
"That one." he replied pointing at a pink bubble. He jumped up and grabbed it. "Okay remember she might still be a little upset so stay back." he spoke before he popped the bubble.
The gem fell to the floor as they saw to glow and the gem slowly start to take form.
Steven gulped as her eyes locked on him. "Bismuth?"
"You." she growled clenching her hands before walking towards him.
Look I-I know you're mad, but I had to do what I thought was right." he spoke nervously with his hands up. "The good news is you were only bubbled for a few months."
"Sure." she scoffed before noticing Connie. "And who are you?"
"Connie, Connie Maheswaran." she introduced herself. "It's nice to meet you."
"Yeah." Bismuth looked back at Steven and walked up. "Hey, meatball, you tell the others about me like you promised?" she questioned.
"Yes, they know what happened."
"Good." she pushed him aside and walked to the exit. "Then I'm out of here."
"Bismuth wait!" Steven ran after her.
The door opened and Bismuth walked into the house with a smile at seeing her old friends. "Hey guys I'm back! Did you miss me?"
"Bismuth!" gasped Garnet walking over. "How did you get out?"
"I think that kid did it. I just found myself in front of him and some other human and heard he told you guys the truth."
"He did." Amethyst crossed her arms and looked away. "And it's hard to believe."
"Aw come on deep cut, be cool." spoke Bismuth. "Look, just hear me out and you guys will understand the ups to my invention."
"No! Its out of the question!" Pearl glared. "That, thing, is not what Rose would want us using, ever!"
Bismuth frowned and crossed her arms. "And what about what Homeworld did? Would Rose want all of us to be shattered, taken prisoner, or worse?"
"No gem deserves to be shattered. I feel like I don't even know you anymore." Pearl frowned and turned away. "You've become just like homeworld."
"Don't you dare compare me to those Uppercrusts!" Bismuth pointed. "Garnet, you know what I'm saying, right? We'll never win this fight if we don't fight back like we mean it."
"Bismuth, if we go against what Rose didn't believe in, then we're turning our backs on our whole goal." spoke Garnet with a frown. "I'm sorry, but as of right now you are no longer welcome here."
"W….What?"
"You have gone against everything we stand for and until you realize this, you have no right to call yourself a Crystal Gem." she crossed her arms. "Will you leave calmly, or do we have to make you?"
Bismuth was agape with shock. She looked to Pearl who still had her back turned. She then looked to Amethyst who lowered her head so her hair covered her eyes. "You all feel this way?"
They all stayed quiet as she looked to each of them again. She frowned and stamped away while punching the door open before stamping out of the temple.
"Steven, Connie." Garnet called to the open temple door. "Get out here."
The two stepped out guiltily with Connie rubbing her arm.
"You shouldn't of let her out." Amethyst said with her arms still crossed.
"Sorry. We just thought, maybe giving her a second chance might change things." spoke Steven.
"Where will she go?" questioned Connie.
"Most likely back to the forge." replied Garnet adjusting her glasses. "She might try to recreate the breaking point. We'll go check on her at 10:00 tomorrow. If she is we'll have no choice but to bubble her again, permanently."
Steven and Connie gulped hearing that.
(9:00 p.m. the next day)
Steven and Connie warped to the volcanic area where the forge resided.
"We are going to be in so much trouble." said Connie.
"I know, but if we don't do something, then Bismuth just might be doomed to be in a bubble forever, come one." he said leading her to the entrance of the forge.
"Do you think she'll hurt use it if she sees us?"
"...I don't know."
The two slowly made their way inside, sweat beaded down their heads from both heat and anxiety. They heard the sound of metal clashing against metal. Once they reached the round doorway they could see Bismuth with her back to them as she was hammering away at something.
"Let me try and see if I can talk to her and get her attention." Steven whispered before slowly walking into the forge and towards the gem. "Uh, Bismuth?"
Hearing his voice made her slam her hammer harder.
Steven jumped and swallowed. "Uh, look, I'm here because I wanna, well help both sides to this….predicament."
Bismuth's hammer made a louder rang as it came down on the metal as the gem didn't budge from her spot.
"I know you're upset but you shouldn't have made that awful weapon. I know your heart was in the right place, but you can't just shatter other Gems."
Slowly Bismuth stopped hammering and let out a sigh. "You're wrong."
"Huh?"
"You know I'm upset? Tell me then, have you ever been in war? Have you ever fought alongside your closest friends to try and reclaim our freedom? How about knowing the fact that one mess up could cost everything?" she asked with her hand clenching into a fist.
"No...I haven't. But let me ask you, have you ever seen what happens to gems after they've been shattered? Do you even know what it's like for them to be broken into pieces and struggling to put themselves back together?"
"No, and frankly if it's the worst experience, then that's just more of a reason to make every one of the Homeworld Gems pay." spoke Bismuth before she resumed her hammering.
"...then you really are no better then them." Connie spoke walking in. "What's the point of fighting a war and trying to obtain freedom if you turn into the exact thing you want so desperately to destroy? Even if you do it for your own friends it's still the exact same thing Bismuth."
"I don't need to listen to either of you!" she yelled as she hit the metal harder and faster than before.
"Then why don't you just go back to Homeworld and grovel to the Diamonds!" Exclaimed Connie.
Bismuth stopped her hammering while Steven looked at Connie with concern and worry.
"If you're going to think like a Homeworld Gem, then go back under the Diamonds boot heels. Because to me you don't sound like such a great Crystal Gem. They understand that there's strength in mercy, but Homeworld Gems just take and take without any consideration for what it does to others or the pain their actions cause." spoke Connie while ignoring Steven who was waving his hands up to try and get her to stop. "If you're what passes for a real Crystal Gem then I guess I bet on the wrong side." she finished and tossed the sword at Bismuth's feet.
Bismuth looked down at the sword and changed her hammer back to a normal hand before reaching down and picking up the weapon. She looked down at the symbol on the scabbard. "This is Rose's."
"Yeah, I'm pretty good with it too." remarked Connie. "We came here just in case you'd change and be able to fix it."
"Fix it?" she questioned and drew the saber and saw the crack. "Oh..."
"Come on Steven, let's go back." Connie turned and started walking away.
"Where do think you're going?" questioned Bismuth making the kids turn back to her. "...This is simple enough to fix, just give me a few minutes."
"Wait, you mean...you'll fix it?" asked Steven in surprise.
"You got spunk, I like that." she replied before setting the blade on her workbench. "Plus...you got me thinking."
"I did?" spoke Connie with surprise as she and Steven shared a confused glance.
"Rose's mercy was what made her such a great Gem, I forgot that." she remarked before bringing her hammer down on the blade. "It's something that made so many of us follow her in the first place." she said with eyes beginning to water. "Most wouldn't believe she was such a great fighter, leader, or tactician from just one glance. But she was all that and so much more."
"Like what?" asked Steven.
"Heh where do I even start." she sniffed and wiped her face. "Well it didn't take much effort for her to get a lot of their attention. Her voice wasn't just soothing, it pulled you in and made you listen clearly like you were hearing for the first time."
"You miss her, don't you?" asked Steven looking at her with sympathy.
"I do, so much." admitted the gem while wiping another tear away. "I...I just got so mad. I got so mad I thought I was on the breakthrough to something to end the war, something to give us our freedom. But hearing Rose dismiss it, even after everything that happened. I don't…..I just went unhinged."
"Yeah, I heard about Pink Diamond." Steven frowned.
"Heh, I don't even know what to say when she did that. Happy to see she understood, or furious that she was against my idea if she wound up doing the thing she says she went against." Bismuth shook her head. She slammed her hammer onto the red hot metal of the blade. "What I do know though is that even though she was against my invention, the look in her eyes said she understood it had to be done." she picked up the sword and dipped it into a pool of magma then pulled it out and blew out the flames around it. "Looks like it's all done."
"Wow." Connie breathed marveling at the sword. It looked as though it had been reborn.
"But I'd let it cool for a while, I don't think human skin can handle this kinda temperature." spoke Bismuth setting the sword down to cool.
"Bismuth, do you think you're ready to come back to the temple?" Steven asked her.
The Gem turned to Steven and looked away. "I'm not sure. You heard what the others said, I'm not a Crystal Gem with this kinda attitude. And….I don't know if I could even see myself as one."
"We'll let you have sometime alone to think it over." said Steven patting her leg.
"Heh, ya know I gotta say, a kid like you should never have to feel what war's like." she remarked while patting his head. "You're too darn good of a kid to let it get to ya."
"Come on Connie, we'll come back for the sword later."
Connie nodded as Steven walked out and almost followed before turning towards Bismuth. "Bismuth?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry, for saying those things to you. I...got ahead of myself."
"Nah, it's all good. It was sorta like a wake up call, I should be thanking you, for opening my eyes." she waved off. "Like I said girl, you got guts. Don't let that stuff get away, alright?"
"Yeah." the girl gave a thumbs up before rushing out to follow Steven.
"Those two kids are alright." Bismuth remarked while looking up at the ceiling with a smile. "They make a pretty good team." She then looked over to her previous project, a new Breaking Point, and frowned. "And way better Crystal Gems then I've been."
"Steven? Do you think Bismuth will ever come back to the Crystal Gems?" Connie asked her friend.
"I can't be sure."
Bismuth's hand turned into a hammer.
"But I have a good feeling she will."
The rainbow haired Gem brought the hammer down, smashing the breaking point to bits.