Update! I've updated the end of this chapter significantly, so you need to read to understand the eventual next chapter! ^^

Welcome back! I bet you've all been waiting a looong time for this, so without any further adieu, let's get this started!

A while later...

He did it. A quick dip in his mother's fountain and Peridot's Gem was fixed just like that.
Steven carried the green Gem carefully in both hands so as to not drop it and risk cracking it again.
Now he just needed to wait until Peridot reformed. If she did at all...

No, she had to. What Mike did couldn't have been enough to... you know, right?
Amethyst's Gem got cracked before and they saved her. So Peridot had to be okay, too.
He'll just have to wait and see.

He spent more time at the fountain then he needed to, though. Not only did he wait for Peridot to hopefully reform there, but he thought it'd be safer in case Hematite showed up. Then it would have been harder for him to find the two of them.

But then he thought about Lapis. She seemed like she could defend herself, but she did just unfuse from Malachite not too long ago. She might still be hurting. And...not just physically.

So it'd be better if he stayed with her and try to make her feel better.
An experience like she had must have been awful. Stuck with someone like Jasper under the sea for months...
Jasper... he wondered what she's thinking right now in the burning room.

He'd rather have her unbubbled and try to give her a chance like they did Peridot, but...
There's no way the Gems trust her enough to let that happen. Even Mike seems to despise her.

Sure, she's done some bad things, but so has Peridot, and look at her now!
...Well, maybe not this specific moment, but still, she's getting a lot better!

Hopefully when this is all over, she won't hold a grudge against any of them.
They ARE the reason she's stuck here, after all.

Finally, he reached the living room of the beach house.
The first thing he did was walk over near the staircase and call out to Lapis.

"Lapis? Can I come up?"

No answer.

Curious, Steven took a few steps up the stairs and called out again.

"Lapis...? Are you sleeping?" He asked again, again recieving silence.

Maybe she was in the bathroom? He wondered aloud, taking more steps up.
He hoped to see his blue friend resting on his bed, but what he saw instead purely shocked him to near silence.

Mike. He was sitting right there, his back to the young Gem.
He silently stared out the window, his normally mussed up hair more messy and unkept than usual.
He didn't utter a sound, but what terrified him... was his hand.

It was covered in a light blue substance. By the look of it, it seemed to be...Gem blood.
He hoped it was his, but the object that hovered above his hand shattered that theory harder than his windows.
A black bubble hovered quietly above his open palm, and inside...contained a blue Gemstone in the shape of a teardrop.

He had Lapis!

He was about to speak to him, but another object caught his eye that freaked him out even further.
A Gem Destabilizer, the same weapon that made Garnet fall apart right in front of him, layed on the bed next to him...covered in blue blood.

He used it on Lapis. He must have snuck up on her. And he didn't just jab her like Jasper did.
He stabbed her. That must be why there's blood on it!

"It's not polite to stare, Steven."

His voice scared him. It sounded like Mike, but...evil. Lower, calmer. Scary.

"M-Mike...?" He couldn't help but utter the name. He knew he wasn't talking to Mike right now, but he hoped to maybe reach out to his friend.

"Nope." He replied, with no enthusiasm, killing that hope spot.

He saw his reflection in the glass. He looked terrible.
His face was cracked, it looked like. Parts of his face looked like they were falling apart.
He was bleeding all over, and he could swear he was missing an ear.

But one thing definitely shone brighter than those features.
His eyes. The colors weren't mix-matched anymore. Instead, both of them glowed a crimson red color.

"Sorry for stealing Lapis' spot, but I'm feeling pretty exhausted at the moment."

He had no emotion in his voice. He took pauses constantly to catch his breath and he sounded tired. When he wasn't talking, he was just... breathing. and even that was creeping him out.

"W-what happened to you?"

Hematite ever so slightly moved his eyes to look at Steven's reflection. He saw his fear clear as day.
Understandable, considering he's alone with someone who's planning to kill him at any moment.
But he humored the child. Might as well know what's happening before his vocal chords are ripped out.

"I forgot, you were unconsious when Jasper cracked me open like a walnut."

"What?"

"Yeah, split my Gem like it was nothing. I can't wait to pop her bubble so I can shatter her nose before she even knows what's happening. And guess what her nose is? Her Gemstone."

"You're cracked?" Steven cautiously stepped forward. "Why didn't you say anything? We can help you!"

"First of all, Mike was the one who didn't tell you. Second of all, I'm pretty sure I'm dead, boy.
Like you said, you're so-called healing saliva doesn't work anymore. So when this conversation is over,
I'm just going to quickly shatter you harder than I will this beauty here."

He gestured to Lapis' Gemstone, prompting nervousness from Steven.
But kindess as usual trumped that.

"But we don't need my spit! There's a fountain in the temple that's filled with my mom's healing tears!
It'll fix your Gem! I can bring you there right now!"

"And why would you do that? To save Mike's miserable hide? I think you should just forget about him,
Steven. He's not saving you this time."

What did he mean by that?

"What do you mean by that?" He repeated his question out loud to him.

But Hematite just let out a sigh. "Steven... I'm dying. I don't have a lot of time left."

His heart dropped massively at that statement.

"No..! No, you can't!" He said, acting as if he were talking to Mike still.

"Look, I understand what you're feeling. You don't want to see your friend die.
You clearly care about him and don't want him to die. And if it does come to that, you want to at least say goodbye."

He turned around to fully face Steven and threw his legs over the edge of the bed, and the bubble containing Lapis' Gem disappeared.

"Well you're never going to see him again. He's already dead. Gone. I have full control now,
and that piece of garbage that calls himself a Gem is no more. I want you to think long and hard about that before what happens next."

Steven stepped back. "No... no, you're lying! You're lying to me! He can't be gone!" He said, almost in tears.

Hematite smirked. "I can ask him, if you want." He mocked.

"Hey Mike, are you still alive in there?" He asked out loud, looking up and his forehead.

"Huh, no one answered. Guess that's a no, then."

He leered at Steven. "Looks like you've run out of road, little man."

A hard kick to the gut sent Steven flying from the second floor and crashing into the ground.
Peridot's Gem flew out of his hands and fell harmlessly to the ground.

Hematite hopped down to the second floor, almost falling over trying to keep his balance.
He landed right behind Peridot's still Gem.

"Well well, looks like you fixed Peridot..." He said, placing his foot on top of the green rock.

"Don't!" Steven yelled, getting up to his feet and holding his aching gut.

"I wonder if Gems can feel this happening when they're in their Gem. Let's find out together."

He began putting pressure on the Gem.

"NO!"

Hematite looked up just it time to be struck in the face with a pink shield.
The black Gem flew into the nearby wall, stunning him.

Steven didn't waste a second in grabbing Peridot's Gem and making a sprint for the door.
Just as he reached it, a black sword stuck itself into the wall, just missing his head.

He looked back, and saw Hematite on his feet again.

"Running isn't going to help you, brat. Just make it more fun for me."
His voice was gravely, almost animalistic.

But Steven didn't stick around. He flung the door open and ran outside faster than he'd ever run before.
He made a dash down the stairs, being extremely careful not to trip and fall, as Hematite would surely catch him easier that way.

He got down to the beach and made a mad dash. He didn't know where he was going, but anywhere but here would be just great. He needed to get away. Hematite was weak, but he was still no match for him.

He just ran as fast as he could, hoping he could outrun him.
But a hand clamping down on his shoulder proved he wasn't fast enough.

"Got you." Hematite said between breaths.

Steven struggled in his grasp, nearly getting free, until Hematite grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up off the ground.

"You are seriously testing me right now, boy." He said through clenched teeth.
To Steven's horror, he lifted his free hand up and began forming a red ball of energy.

"HEMATITE!"

Hematite groaned and rolled his eyes, while Steven felt a wave of relief wash over him.
The Crystal Gems stood further down the beach, weapons drawn.

"Hematite, unhand him! Don't make us hurt you!" Garnet threatened.

His head snapped back to look at them, further back than humanly possible.

"You three just HAVE to show up at the wrong time, don't you?!" He snapped.

The three let out a collective gasp when they saw his broken, bloodied face.

"Woah! You look uglier than usual!" Amethyst shouted.

"Guys, be careful! He's cracked!" Steven yelled out to them.

"Yeah, and he's also about to blast you into next week!" Amethyst replied.

"Enough!" Pearl piped in. "You're outnumbered, Hematite! Just surrender and put him down, now!"

Hematite ignored them. He turned back to look Steven straight in the eye and held the ball of energy right up to his face.

"I'm already dead." He stated, ready to release it and obliterate his victim.
Steven shut his eyes tight and looked away, waiting for the blow.

But he was surprised when he fell to the ground instead, body and face intact.
But he couldn't say the same about Hematite.

A spear lay dug in his stomach, impaling him all the way through, blood coating the sharp end.
He stumbled forward, using a nearby large rock for support.

The Gems waited for him to retreat to his Gem. But to their annoyance, he didn't.
He grabbed the spear and ripped it from his body and threw it into the sand, a gaping hole in it's place.

He looked up at all three of them.

"DO YOU THINK THIS IS GOING TO STOP ME!?"

He stopped to take a breath, the yelling taking out way more of him than he expected.

"I...I'm not dead yet! You're gonna have to kill me if you want that boy to live any longer!
Either you kill me, or I kill him! You're choice!"

Suddenly however, a whip wrapped around his ankle and yanked his foot out from under him,
sending him onto his back.

"Actually..." Amethyst began. "All we gotta do is beat you until you go into your Gem.
Then we can just wait until you cool down a bit and decide to just, y'know, go away forever. Sound cool?"

He let out a strained laugh. "You really think you're all that and a bag of chips, don't you Amethyst?
Well when I get out of here, and I WILL, you're gonna be the first one I shatter while Steven watches."

Another whip tightened itself around his neck.

"Shut your mouth! The only one of us who's getting shattered is gonna be you!"

Hematite ripped a sword from his cracking Gemstone and cut the whips off of him like they were vines.

"You're defectiveness makes you weak. I can cut your flimsy whips like paper!"

With all of his strength, he climbed back to his feet.

"Hematite, you are killing yourself." Garnet stated. "It doesn't have to go this way. Just give Mike control of his body back and we can heal both of you!"

"Heheh... generous offer. Really. But like I told Rose 2.0, Mike's never getting control back because he's dead!"

"Don't you EVER call him that again!" Pearl threatened him with a spear, but Garnet stopped her.

"That's entirely up to you, and you know it. Either you surrender now... or you're not walking away from here alive. Simple as that."

"No!" Steven yelled.

Hematite kicked him in the face. "The grown-ups are talking. Know your place, you ignorant little-

A gauntlet smashing his face in promptly cut off those words.
Garnet had fired her gauntlet-clad hand directly at the Gem's chest where his Gem lay, sending him smashing through a rock, splitting it all the way down.

Hematite didn't move after that. Not an inch. He lay completely still on the beach, as if he were dead.

"MIKE!" Steven shouted, making a mad dash towards him.

"Steven, no! He might still be dangerous!" Pearl yelled out, but Steven ignored her plea.

Steven reached Hematite's body and fell to his knees.
He nudged him. When there was no response, he began shaking him.

"Mike? Mike? Mike! Please wake up!" He pleaded to his friend, getting no response.
Tears began filling his eyes as he used his strength to roll him over on his back.

He unzipped his hoodie and to his horror, he saw his Gem.
It was horrifically cracked open, almost looking as if the entire front of it had been ripped off.

The Crystal Gems approached him cautiously, but lowered their weapons when they saw the state of his Gemstone.

"No..." Pearl simply muttered.

Amethyst shook her head. "Oh, man..."

Garnet looked shocked, even through her visor.

"I... I didn't mean to hit him that hard..." She said.

Indeed, her attack worsened his Gem's state. At this point, he could be mere moments from death.

He was still motionless. But Steven persistently shook him.

"Mike, please! You can't die! You were supposed to go on all kinds of cool missions with us! I was gonna show stuff like video games and cartoons! Don't... don't go..."

Pearl put a hand on his shoulder. "Steven... I'm so sorry. But... I think...

"No, he can't be gone! He can't be!" He looked at her, eyes red and tears streaming down his face.

Suddenly, he felt a hand grasp his. He turned back.

Mike was looking at him, squeezing his hand gently. His soft green eyes looked up at him with nothing but sorrow.

"Mike!" He said with relief.

"Suh...S...St-eve...n..." He uttered, barely able to form words.

Steven hugged him. He hugged him hard, and never wanted to let go.
Mike weakly hugged him back with one arm and patted him on the back.

"Steven...buddy...I'm so sorry..." He said.

"No... you don't have to be!" He replied. "It was Hematite that did those things! It's okay!"

"No...no, it's not." He replied. "I couldn't control him. I should have been able to. But...I was scared.
I was so scared of what he'd do to you, and everyone else. I let him get to me. And...and he took control...
he almost killed you."

"Mike, you don't have to be scared anymore! We-we can fix you! We can take you to my mom's fountain!
We can-

"Steven...I'm sorry, but...you can't. I'm running on fumes, here. At best, I've only got...a few...minutes."

"That's okay! I-I can run back, and bring some tears to you! You'll be fine! Y-You'll be fine!"

Mike smiled at him. "Heh...you're always good for a smile...No, buddy. It's...it's too late for that.
I just...I need you to listen to me. Alright...?"

Tearfully, Steven nodded. The Crystal Gems watched solemnly.

"Steven...from the day I got here...you were kind to me. Offered to help me find everyone...offered to keep me a secret...I'd have never expected that kind of generousity from someone on Earth.
You're a charming kid. I love you for everything you've done for me...and...I'll miss you."

Steven could barely keep himself from breaking down. He squeezed Mike's hand for comfort, and replied.

"I'll miss you too..." He said through tears.

Mike nodded to him, tears beginning to fall down his face as well. Then he turned to Amethyst.

"Amethyst...you definitely know how to show a Gem a good time...that day you took me wrestling...
it was a pretty good time...well, maybe not the second time...I wish we'd be able to do more of that..."

Amethyst nodded. "...Yeah..." She said with a smile, trying to laugh, but couldn't find the strength to.

Mike turned to Pearl next.

"Pearl...I barely knew you. We never...we never actually had a one-on-one conversation with eachother...
But Steven cares about you...so...I wish I could have gotten to know you better..."

"...I...you seemed like a nice person." She replied, struggling to find the words. "It would have been nice to have known you better aswell..."

Lastly, he turned to Garnet.

"Garnet...I can't thank you enough. Knowing...knowing your history with Homeworld Gems now...I'm surprised...
that you didn't just poof me right then and there. Even with Hematite as a threat to Steven...you still gave me a chance. And...you let me become one of you. A Crystal Gem...I just wish...I could have done more as one..."

"With the time you had...you made an amazing Crystal Gem. We never would have stopped Malachite without you.
I'll...we'll... always remember that. I'll be sad to see another one of us go. You were one of the best."

Mike laughed weakly. "You big...sweetheart." He said, bringing a smile out of Garnet.

Finally, he turned back to Steven.

"Steven...I need you to do something for me..."

"S-Sure! Anything." He hastily replied.

Mike nodded.

"Tell Peridot...tell...her...I'm..."

He violently coughed up blood.

"Tell her...I'm...I'm sorry..."

"No...no, you can tell her yourself! I can help you! I can try my spit again!"

Mike shook his head and sighed. "Steven...I..."

But his strength was used up. His voice slowly faded away, and his eyes shut.
But Steven was determined. His body was still there. He was breathing still. They still had a chance.

He licked his hand and covered it in spit, and touched Mike's Gemstone.

Nothing.

"Steven..." Garnet said, but didn't know what else to say.

"No, I can do this!" He refused to listen, and coated his hand in spit again.
He touched Mike's Gem. Again, nothing happened.

"Steven...I don't think...I don't think it's gonna work." Amethyst said, taking a step forward.

"No!" Steven repeated.

Come on, Steven. He thought to himself. You can do this! You HAVE to do this! If you don't, Mike's gone forever!
Just work...please, please, PLEASE work!

Steven coated his hand all over with his spit. He placed it on Mike's Gemstone and coated it all over it, not leaving a single spot uncovered. For good measure, he did it a second time. Then a third.

He waited. He waited and he waited. Time seemed to stand still. He watched his Gemstone carefully,
waiting, hoping, praying it fixed itself.

But it didn't. When he realized this, he broke down completely.
He buried his face in his hands, and he cried. He cried his eyes out.

Mike was gone.

Pearl closed her eyes and looked down. Amethyst crossed her arms and looked away, not wanting to show tears.
Garnet shook her head. She crossed her arms, lifted her visor with two fingers, and rubbed her eyes.

A massive silence swept over the beach. The only sound was the shrill wind, blowing through their hair.
Everything finally seemed to be going perfectly. Peridot warmed to the idea of Earth activities, Malachite was unfused, Jasper was captured, and Lapis was safe.

But now everything was falling apart. Peridot was poofed, Hematite sent Lapis' Gem lord knows where,
and Mike was dead.

But...there was a hope spot.

Everyone heard a sound. An odd, crackling sound.
They all looked at Mike. His body was still unmoving. His face and Gem were still cracked.

But to their surprise, and to Steven's pure shock and joy, the cracks... were mending themselves.

His spit was working!

Every Gem watched, stunned in silence, as the cracks on Mike's face and Gemstone slowly receded.
His Gem filled out, his face repaired itself, the blood on him disappeared.

Steven and the Gems waited in anticipation. In time, every crack, every drip of blood, every trace of his deathly ill state, had all but disappeared.

Mike grunted, relieving everyone, but not as near as much as Steven.
They watched as Mike slowly sat up, and fell onto his hands and knees.

Steven wiped the tears from his face and smiled.

It...it worked. He did it. He fixed his Gem!
The boy was overwhelmed with emotions. And the other Gems could help but smile with him.

Steven walked over to Mike eagerly.

"Mike! Are you oka-

A brutal elbow to his nose that completely shattered it cut off his concerns.

Steven let out a yell of pain and fell to the ground, blood pouring out of his broken nose.

Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst were utterly shocked, but rushed to the boy's aid.

"Steven! Are you alright?!" Pearl asked with concern.

Steven held his burning nose in agony. "Ugh...Mike...?"

Everyone looked at him. They hoped it was just a reflex.
But when they saw his face, they knew that wasn't the case.

Hematite laughed. "Well, that had to have been the sappiest thing I've ever heard come out of that weeping heap of emotions you call a friend."

Everyone but Steven's stare instantly became a glare.
They stood in front of the boy protectively.

"...Hematite." Garnet said.

Until he lifted his head, his fedora shaded his face. But when he lifted it up to reveal his blood red eyes,
it was as clear as day.

"You know me so well." He stated mockingly.

The Crystal Gems took out their weapons once more.

Hematite snorted and backed away. "Ready for a fight, huh? Well, I'm feeling a lot better now."

He kneeled down and looked at Steven, who hid behind the Gems.

"Thanks so much for that...buddy."

"Back off, two-face!" Amethyst cracked her whip at his feet. You're Gem's not broken anymore, so we can kick the crap out of you now! So what's it gonna be?"

Mike made some considerable distance between himself and his opponents.
Like he did with Steven, he formed a crimson ball of energy in his hand.

The Gems braced themselves.

Hematite smirked. "That was truly a heartwarming moment you had with Mike. Truly.
But I'm afraid the part where your Gems get cracked is fast approaching, Crystal Gems."

"Like hell it is." Amethyst spat.

"You're outnumbered three to one. There's no way you're winning this fight." Pearl said.

"She's right, Hematite. It's over." Garnet added.

"Wrong. This isn't over until every one of you has been crushed under my foot. But right now?
Not just yet, Gems. I'm no fool. I'm a stragetist. Sure, there may be three of you, five, if you count Cripple-Dot and that tiny child with you, whom I refer to as a Mistake. Sure, one of you is a fusion who managed to defeat a Gem like Jasper, but you're all forgetting one thing; I beat Malachite."

"Bull! Mike did that! All you did was hide in his head like you've been doing up til' now!" Amethyst took a step forward and lashed her whip at the black Gem.

But he caught it in his hand firmly.

"Did he? I'm pretty sure I'm the one who unfused her. In fact, if I'm correct, Mike did NOTHING but keep himself alive during that fight. Alive, something he wouldn't be had I not intervened.
And if I recall, he didn't even beat Jasper on his own. Again, he displayed remarkable resiliency, yet it was Peridot who subdued her. He'd have been dead by now if it wasn't for the people around him. OR me!"

"What's your point?!" Pearl shouted.

"My point, is that I'm the superior half between the two of us! I'm stronger, quicker, smarter! I'm the one who defeated Malachite! I'm the one that put a hole in a human's skull without remorse or guilt, and I was the one who could easily shatter every single one of you!"

Garnet spoke. "Hematite, you are FAR out of-

"SHUT UP!" He shouted loud enough to hurt Steven's ears. "I don't need to hear your threats, Fusion!
You all underestimate me. You all underestimated me since the day you found out about me. Just all assumed that I'm the flavour of the month, huh? You think I'll be easy to get rid of?! I'm chronic. I'm not going anywhere.
I'm as much a part of Mike as he is. I've been with him since we were first formed. A little dose of friendship isn't going to fix that, or me."

Pearl raised her spear.

"Not so fast, Pearl." Hematite interjected. "I forgot, you all don't know yet."

"Know what?" Pearl readied her spear.

"That I have Lapis, and have hidden her Gem, and without me, you'll NEVER find out where she is?
You strike me down now, and she'll be doomed to rot on this planet for the rest of her life, trapped.
Hm...that sound familiar to you three?"

"We don't need you to find her. We found Peridot, we can find you should you choose to run, and we can and will find Lapis!" Garnet retorted.

"Can you? Think about it Garnet. I could have put her anywhere on the planet if I wanted to.
She could be on the opposite side of the earth, she could be inside my inpenetrable Gem warship, she could be right under your noses. Point being, she could be ANYWHERE, and you can't search every crack and crevice on this planet. You get rid of me, be it kill, bubble, or simply get Mike control back, you'll NEVER find her."

Steven tried to keep blood from continuing to gush from his nose as he looked up at Hematite in fear for Lapis' well-being.

"Unless..."

"Unless what?! Stop trying to be mysterious!" Amethyst chided.

"Out with it." Garnet said, nary an emotion in her tone, as usual.

"Unless...Amethyst meets me for battle. In the Kindergarten, where the Cluster resided... Alone."

Everyone suddenly turned to the purple Gem, who now donned a perplexed expression on her face.

"Why...just Amethyst?" Pearl questioned.

"Why not?" Was all Hematite gave.

"Impossible. There's no way she's doing that after what you did to her and Peridot before." Garnet attempted to reject the Gem's offer.

"Oh, but you don't have a choice. Either you send Amethyst to fight me, and I swear not to kill her...or you don't send her and I crush Lazuli's Gemstone faster than you can say...crack."

Garnet looked at Steven.
He looked terrified. And she didn't blame him. Not only is one of his friends turned evil, but said friend threatens to kill another friend he cares deeply about. Hell, if she shared the bond the boy had with Mike or Lapis,
she'd probably feel the same way.

But...potientally sacrificing Amethyst? Would it be worth it? What if he went back on his word? What if he killed her? What if he killed both of them? Should such a risk be taken?

"Guys..." Amethyst spoke up.

Everyone looked at her. Hematite waited eagerly for an answer.

"...I'll do it." She said.

"Amethyst, no!" Pearl objected. "Do you know what he'll do to you? He could have killed you before if he wanted to! You can say no!"

"Nah, not this time, P." The short Gem insisted.

She turned her attention to Hematite and stepped forward.

"Hey, Hematite!" She yelled to him.

"Speaking." He replied, arms crossed and leaning on a rock.

Amethyst looked back at Pearl. She looked worried.
She looked at Garnet. She couldn't tell completely through her glasses, but her slightly parted lips told her she too was worried.

Then she looked at Steven.
He was obviously freaked out. She didn't blame him.
She couldn't say no to Hematite knowing how much Steven cares about Lapis.
She barely knows her, heck, so far all she's done is try to kill them and sold them out to Homeworld, but Steven's been worried about her since she fused with Jasper, so...that obviously means she can't just let her die.

The Crystal Gem turned back to Hematite.

"Fine. I'll fight you. But, on one condition."

"Shoot."

"...You promise not to kill her."

Hematite scoffed. "Obviously. Why would I dispose of my bargaining chip? She's safe, so long as you agree to my terms."

"I said yes, didn't I?!" She barked, ticked off.

"Very well. I'll see you at the Kindergarten then. We'll sit down, have a little chat over some tea...and we'll see in a fair fight, who the better Gem is. And make sure they don't follow. Because I'll know. And the second I know they're with you..."

He crushed a nearby stone under his foot. "Crack."

"Amethyst, you don't have to do this." Garnet said.

"Yeah G, I do." She replied, not looking back at her.

Mike and Amethyst had a short staredown, before Hematite spoke again.

"Don't be late."

And Amethyst replied.

"Same to you."

Did somebody say swerved?