Alright back again! I had plenty of fantastic reviews and it was wonderful. Here's to hoping the trend continues!

This chapter was definitely the hardest chapter I've ever written. There were a number of ways this could have gone and it took me at least three or four tries before I got something I decided to stick with.

I'm not totally satisfied, but that's life. Enjoy:

Chapter 29: Dark Moon

S&DS&DS&DS&D

It was reckless, treacherous, and stupid. But I could not help myself. When I had been exposed to its power, it had shown me what it felt like to be imprisoned, to be trapped for countless millennia with little hope of release. I could neither turn a blind eye, nor forget about it.

When I next saw PF-01-2 bound in its cage again, I knew I couldn't live with myself if I allowed this to continue. The weight of the emotions would have destroyed me. Whether those were the creature's emotions or my own, I could not say.

I wanted to help it, to set it free… But that was impossible. They were far too dangerous to safely move and even if it was possible to get them out of this place, there was no way to be sure that it would leave the planet or rampage across it. If that happened, it could, and likely would, escalate the war to even more terrible heights.

Such an outcome was unacceptable. I could not let its suffering continue, but neither would I let it hurt my fellow gems. Which left me with but a single option:

I had to destroy PF-01-2.

It was the only feasible option, the only form of mercy I could possibly show it.

So I made a plan.

Moonstone strode purposefully through the passageways towards the experiment chamber as though she had every right to do so. In fact, she did. But it didn't feel that way to her, not with the weight of her makeshift explosives weighing down her coat the way they were. But the physical weight paled in comparison to the mental .

She was going to be a traitor.

She wasn't just thinking about it, she wasn't just making idle plans, she had prepared the means of her betrayal and was moving them into place. It made the whole thing seem real in a way it never had before, and it was terrifying.

It had been years since that day, since she had been dropped into PF-01-2's emotions and drowned. After that, she had been viewed with suspicion—a potential time bomb just waiting to explode. It had taken a full cycle of this planet's gravitation just to convince her fellow researchers that she was fit to return to duty.

But she had been patient. She had waited.

Every day had been spent planning, thinking through her options. She had considered taking her information to the Diamond's, she was certain that if they understood the horror of PF-01-2's situation, in their compassion, the Diamond's would end their suffering. They would never inflict such a fate on a being still capable of understanding, of feeling what was happening to it. If they had felt what she had felt, Moonstone was sure that they would agree with her.

They had to.

But there was no way to arrange such a thing, nor would she ever wish to inflict such a fate upon her Diamond.

She could attempt to release PF-01-2, but that would cause nothing but more suffering all around. No. The only option was to destroy it, to end its suffering without hurting any other gems; and so, the explosives.

She'd made them herself. She had not had a choice. If she had officially requested the necessary explosives, it would have been as good as a declaration of guilt when all was said and done. She would plant the bombs, set the timer, retreat to an innocent distance, and wait for it to be over. Then, they would all be reassigned to a hopefully more benign project and everything would be better.

Even in the throes of the feverish emotions and her own turbulent feelings, Moonstone had the vague feeling that there was a flaw in her logic here, but she couldn't afford to care. She wasn't sure how much longer she could withstand the weight of these sentiments, of these visions.

She needed them to stop.

She stepped into the Chamber of Reconstitution. It was empty, as she knew it would be. The day had been host to yet another failed experiment, another gem whose mind had been ruined and taken away to be buried in the front chamber. Then she had received another war report on her visor. She hadn't read it, just like the last dozen since her release. She knew what it would say: another skirmish, more gems shattered, and nothing had changed.

This was the other reason her actions were necessary. The Diamond's thought that they could end the war peacefully with PF-01-2—but they were wrong. Its powers, its tantalizing potential were a trap. As long as the option to utilize it remained, the Diamond's would not commit the necessary forces to win this war. They would dance around the conflict, unwilling to commit while a more peaceful option dangled in front of their eyes.

The time they had spent trying to tame the creature were a waste, serving no purpose but to draw out the war and allow Rose Quartz to spread her taint to more loyal gems. But once it was gone, the Diamonds would see the truth of this war, the only solution would be to cut out the tumor before it grew too big. There would be no reconciliation, no reunification of the wayward gems.

The mere thought of it made Moonstone want to weep. There would be so many deaths; so many gems destroyed… but not as many as there would be if she allowed the experiments to continue.

Sometimes, there are no good solutions.

Moonstone tapped several commands into her main console, rising up PF-01-2's prison. She stared down at the floating ball of darkened light. She took a deep breath and made to step forward, but paused as a final wave of hesitation rolled over her.

Was she truly going to go through with this?

She could just walk away. Dispose of her bombs and immerse herself in her work. Or, better yet, leave. She could pretend that being near the creature was having a deleterious effect on her mental health—it wouldn't even be a lie. She would be relocated to a different assignment, far from earth and never have to think about this ever again. No one would ever know.

But… she would know. Out of sight, did not always mean out of mind.

"Forgive me, my Diamond." She murmured, a tear pouring down her face.

She stepped forward, her arms felt as though they were made of lead, but nonetheless, she worked efficiently. She needed to do this quickly, get it over with. It was a matter of minutes before the explosives were placed and the timers set.

She took a step back and gazed up at the floating black ball. It was quite surreal. Somehow, she'd expected this whole thing to be more dramatic. This creature had been trapped here under their experimentation for hundreds of years—and Diamonds knew how many more before that—and in a matter of moments, it would be gone. She had expected some kind of reaction, either gratitude or perhaps fear, but the creature had done nothing. Moonstone snorted, berating herself. How could they react? The nullifier agent was still in place, paralyzing them. Even if it knew she was there, how could it possibly understand what she was about to do?

No, there would be no understanding here.

Only the end.

And, perhaps, that was a mercy nonetheless.

She shook her head and turned to go, it would not be a good idea to be in the chamber when the bombs detonated. She had made it halfway up the steps before…

"Moonstone?"

No.

"Captain!" Moonstone froze, staring up in horror at the armored figure. "W-what are you doing down here?" she asked, almost, but not quite, managing to keep the panic out of her voice.

"I'm going to check on the laboratory." Howlite replied, a flicker of concern crossing her face. "Are you all right, Moonstone?"

"Fine. I'm fine." She replied quickly, too quickly. Howlite noticed and Moonstone could practically see the suspicion starting to gather in her superiors mind.

Moonstone took a breath, trying to force herself to remain calm; acting jumpy and defensive would not help the situation. She could not let the captain go into the chamber, no matter what—Howlite could not be allowed to find out what she had done. Or worse, be in the chamber when the explosives went off. She had to stall her. "Why do you want to see it? Is something the matter?"

Howlite continued to frown at her, then shook her head. "No. There is nothing wrong, I just wish to see it." She smiled sadly. "It is a ritual of sorts that I have taken to performing."

"Why?" Moonstone asked, attempting to make conversation as she subtly positioned herself in the middle of the stairs. She knew that Howlite was too respectful to shove past her, all she needed to do was keep the Captain talking and everything would be fine.

They were far enough away that the explosions wouldn't hurt them, and, surely, the Captain wouldn't suspect her of treason... Moonstone nearly winced as that thought sent a fresh sliver of guilt stabbing through her mind. For some reason, she hadn't really thought that in doing this, she was betraying not only her Diamond, but Howlite as well. Somewhat to Moonstone's surprise, that latter thought seemed somehow worse.

Howlite hesitated. "I suppose you could call it a test of my resolve." She said at last. "Our work here is an ugly thing, Moonstone."

Moonstone blinked. "…Excuse me?"

"I apologize." The captain said quickly, misinterpreting her reaction. She placed an armored gauntlet on Moonstone's shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. "I know you believe in our work here, in its necessity to bring this war to a peaceful end. Rest assured that I share those beliefs." Her expression turned somber and her eyes became distant. "But… there are times. When I see the gems we tried to save, their mindless shells. I confess that I hold…doubts."

Moonstone's jaw dropped. "…You?" Howlite had always been a picture of unwavering devotion. Could… could there be a chance the captain would understand what she had done?

Howlite smiled sadly, her eyes soft. "Indeed." She leaned close. "I do my best not to tell anyone, it would be bad for morale. But if it's just you, Moonstone, I am willing to admit it. I have doubted the righteousness of our work. I am not certain that it is right. But…" now Howlite's eyes became steeled, making her look more like the captain that Moonstone had always admired. "What good is conviction if it is untested? Our work here is necessary, we must end this war as quickly as possible for the good of all gems." She shook her head slowly. "Even so, I will not turn a blind eye from the consequences, to do so would be an insult to the gems we have hurt here," and now she seemed to stand taller in Moonstone's eyes. "That is why I force myself to look upon the creature we have chained below and at the broken shells our work has made of once proud gems. So that I know the cost, and press forward all the harder to see this through to the end. Otherwise, the damage we have done until now would be pointless."

Moonstone stared at the captain, and felt herself a torrent of emotions battling within her: admiration, longing… and shame.

This is what it looked like: unshakeable resolve and duty; a faith so deep it could not be broken.

Moonstone had lost that, for all her sense of loyalty and belief in the Diamonds, it had only taken a single moment of doubt for her to lose it. If she'd ever really had it…

"But don't let me keep you." Howlite smiled, placing her hand on Moonstone's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure you have work to get to. Rest assured, I won't break anything." She pushed past and started moving farther down the stairs.

Moonstone was yanked out of her rising sense of guilt and despair by a hot flash of panic. "No wait!" she yelped, grabbing onto the larger gem's shoulder and trying to hold her back. It was like trying to hold back a mountain, but Howlite stopped and looked back at her curiously.

"Yes?"

"You mustn't go down there."

"Why not?" alarm spread across the captain's face. "Is there something wrong?"

"No! it's… it's-" Moonstone thought furiously, but her intellect abandoned her. What could she say? That she had betrayed them? That the creature was breaking free? That she'd found bombs and was unable to disarm them? All these options flashed through her mind like lightning.

In the end, she was saved from the from an echoing boom and flash of heat that shot up from below, engulfing both of them and tossing them up the stairwell like leaves caught in an updraft. Moonstone landed heavily, ears ringing, head pounding, and her body aching.

"What was that!?" Howlite demanded, already on her feet and cautiously peering down the stares. Her eyes locked on Moonstone's demanding an explanation. She opened her mouth to say something, anything… but no sound came. She closed her mouth, and sudden understanding flashed behind Howlite's eyes. The captain's shoulders sagged and her arms fell to her sides.

"Moon… what have you done?"

Moonstone was once more saved from having to answer as another noise came up the stairs. A deep, loud rumbling that slowing rose to a fever-pitched scream of pain and outrage.

Moonstone went even paler as truth dawned.

She had failed. Pf-01-2 was still alive. Worse…

It was free.


Pearl stood patiently, waiting for Moonstone to continue. But the Homeworld gem just sat quietly, arms around her knees and resolutely not looking at either of them.

"And that's it?" Pearl asked. "There's nothing else you wish to add?"

"What more is there to say?" Moonstone answered dully. "You wished to know why I was buried alongside your comrades; you have your answer. I betrayed the Diamond's, I betrayed Howlite, I attempted to destroy PF-01-2, and released it instead. Half a platoon of quartz and several of the researchers were shattered before it was recaptured and it was entirely my fault..." she paused, frowning. "No, fault implies that it was an accident. It was entirely my doing." She shrugged, "In the aftermath, I was dealt with in the same manner that befits any traitor."

Pearl glanced at Garnet, unsure what to say. The fusion took charge of the conversation.

"You did what Rose would have done."

Moonstone flinched at the words. "…I am already aware that I am a traitor; your reminders are unnecessary."

Garnet shook her head. "I did not mean it as an insult." She crossed her arms, considering the scientist. "You saw an injustice; someone in pain who did not deserve such a fate and you acted. You sought to end their suffering, regardless of the consequence."

"Then I was a fool. And by extension, so was Rose Quartz." Moonstone answered, Pearl felt a stab of anger but kept her temper this time. There was no fire in Moonstone's words, simply resignation. "My actions cost a dozen gems their lives and accomplished nothing. Rose quartz did the same, save her actions cost the lives of thousands."

"You're wrong." Pearl said simply, she kept her anger out of her voice, making her words a calm and ineffable statement of fact. "We saved the earth. Organic life has continued to flourish on this planet despite the Diamond's attentions. Rose accomplished her goal."

Moonstone considered this and looked up, meeting Pearl's resolute gaze. Her eyes were half-lidded, empty of everything except a detached curiosity. "Was it worth it?"

Pearl blinked. When Moonstone had asked that question before it had been brimming with derision and disgust; now it was flat, empty of anything except a detached curiosity.

Was it worth it?

Pearl's eyes flicked upwards to the gems bubbled overhead as her mind flashed with images of the countless things she had seen since the war. Pink flowers in a field of birdsong, an ocean full of countless sparks of life, a grassland thundering with the sounds of hooves, humans moving from place to place changing growing, learning.

Rose, disappearing in a flash of light and leaving a tiny crying figure in her wake.

"…Yes." Pearl answered, her voice cracking. She swallowed. "Yes." She repeated, her voice firmer. "It was worth it. Despite the pain, despite the loss, I would do it again."

Not just for her, but for me as well.

Moonstone held her gaze for a moment then dropped her eyes to the floor and said no more.

Pearl glanced at Garnet again, who failed to meet her gaze. The fusion had that air about her that Pearl recognized as future vision look. She assumed Garnet was teasing her way through the potential futures to determine what to do. Pearl waited patiently until; finally, Garnet gave a definitive nod.

"I've heard enough." She declared.

"…And?" Moonstone glanced upwards. "What are you going to do with me?"

"Nothing," Garnet answered. Moonstone blinked, but otherwise made no response. "You're free to leave the temple." Garnet pointed towards the entrance, and the door whooshed open. "I suggest you try to get some rest." Garnet smiled. "I have no doubt Steven has a busy day planned for you."

Pearl found Moonstone's reaction surprising. She expressed no disbelief, no suspicion, not even relief at having been allowed to live. With the face of one who was truly beyond caring, she stared at Garnet for a moment, then rose, and shuffled out the door into the house.

The door shut behind her, leaving Pearl and Garnet alone.

"…Are you sure it is wise to leave her unattended?" Pearl asked.

Garnet shook her head. "Amethyst is out there. As are Steven and Connie. I foresee no trouble from our guest tonight." Garnet sat down on a rock jutting out of the floor and turned to Pearl. "Well? Your thoughts?"

"Hmmm…" Pearl closed her eyes, putting aside her feelings and going over what Moonstone had told them. "At the very least, I do not believe she lied to us. Everything she told us is either accurate, or she believes it to be so." For one thing, it hardly painted her in an innocent light. She had made no effort to hide or soften how involved she had been in the experiments on their former friends. "But, I still have some questions. Do you believe these experiments of hers are related to how Homeworld… did it? Corrupted the Crystal Gems?"

"It seems likely." Garnet nodded. "But that wasn't the whole story, just a part of it. Did you notice the time frame?"

"I did." Pearl nodded. Assuming that Moonstone arrived just before the war started that still only accounted for, at most, four centuries. What was happening in the last six hundred years of the war? Obviously, the corrupted fusion had been moved from the jungle to that tiny facility that they'd first encountered it in weeks ago. What had the Diamonds been doing with it there? "Do you think she can tell us anything else? About what happened to the creature afterwards?"

"I believe she can." Garnet nodded. "I am unsure how much, but I saw few answers in pushing the issue now. Her mind is too muddled at the moment. If we had continued to try, she likely would have snapped and closed off completely. We can try again tomorrow night."

Pearl nodded hesitantly. There was one question hovering between them—the elephant in the room, to use the human colloquialism—she didn't want to talk about it… but…

"What are we going to do with her?" she asked tremulously, the emotions bleeding back into her voice.

Garnet tilted her head back. "I don't know."

"She experimented on our friends, Garnet. She helped break their minds." The thought of it sickened her, it was something she would not, could not forgive.

"... Do you want to shatter her?" Garnet asked quietly.

Pearl narrowed her eyes, refusing to flinch or back down. "Do you?"

"We cannot afford to." Garnet answered. "I believe we are going to need her. We still do not know what Jasper is up to, what she has found. Moonstone may be able to point us in the right direction. We have no other leads."

"You did not answer me."

"No. I did not." Garnet pulled off her shades and looked Pearl in the eye. The fusion's third eye was closed, her red and blue ones were somber. "Part of me wants to." Garnet admitted. "It would be… justice." Her eyes barely flickered, but Pearl knew she was thinking about the gems overhead. "And yet…" she trailed off.

Pearl closed her eyes."…I know." she murmured. She understood.

She had shattered hundreds of gems during the war, possibly thousands—she'd stopped keeping track long before it ended. It had been awful. She had done it for Rose, for the earth, and she would do it again!

But it was awful.

When it had finally ended. She had been happy. Even though it ended badly, at least she didn't have to kill anymore. She had never enjoyed it, never taken satisfaction from it.

She didn't want to do it again. Not if she didn't have to.

"We could bubble her." Pearl suggested. "That way, if we need her we can let her out for a little while. Then, once we have what we want, we can shove her back in the bubble."

"We could." Garnet agreed, running her fingers through her hair wearily. "We wouldn't be able to hide such a thing from Steven." Pearl frowned. Garnet was right. Somehow, she didn't see Steven allowing them to do that.

"For now," Garnet continued. "I think it best if we leave her free. We can decide what to do with her once this is all over."

"…If you think that best Garnet." Pearl replied, nodding reluctantly. She stood, brushing herself off and making for her room. "Good night Garnet."

"Goodnight Pearl."

Pearl wandered through the temple, her feet mindlessly following the path to her room as her mind whirled with half-formed thoughts and emotions. By the time she'd reached her room with its calming series of waterfalls, she still wasn't quite sure how to feel about it all.

She stepped lightly onto the surface of the water and glided to the center of the pool. She stood still looking at her reflection wavering in the water's ripples. She summoned her spear and began to twirl it with the ease of long practice. The physical exertion helped her calm herself, sort through what she had learned tonight. In the end, she still wasn't sure how she felt about it. But at the very least, she knew two things for certain.

She did not trust Moonstone.

She would keep a close eye on the Homeworld gem. If she did anything, gave Pearl any reason to suspect that she was planning something nefarious…

Pearl traced her finger along the edge of her spear, feeling and taking comfort in its keenness.

She would be ready.


The whoosh of the temple door shutting behind her felt oddly menacing to Moonstone; not that she could bring herself to care, not with the memories running through her head. She could still hear them: the roars of rage, the snap of orders, the crack of breaking stone, and the finalistic gong of judgment being passed.

She shook her head, trying to clear it as she glanced around the house; Steven and Connie were lying on the ground almost motionless—sleeping, presumably. As was Amethyst, the purple gem was still sprawled out on the couch, occasionally giving off an oddly irritating grumbly noise, but otherwise appeared oblivious to the world. That was all for the best really, Moonstone wasn't sure she could handle any more questions at the moment.

She sat down by the kitchen counter. Trying to decide what to do. She glanced at the warp pad, but after a moment shook her head. She turned to the screen door. The fusion and the pearl would probably be upset if she left the house… then again, she didn't particularly care what they thought and she doubted one tiny transgression would be enough to get her in any more trouble than she was already in

She wanted to be alone. She needed to think, or purposely not think. Either way, the wooden walls seemed to be pressing in on her. She wanted out.

Decision made, she quickly and quietly crossed the room and went out into cool night air. Then downward the stairs onto the beach, the sand crunched and slid beneath her boots as she made her way to the waterline, then collapsed, folding her legs beneath her so that she sat cross-legged on the sand.

There were no gems around, no humans either. This would suffice.

So… I'm still in one piece.

And wasn't that a surprise? She wondered why the fusion had let her leave. She tried to think up several likely explanations, but gave up. She didn't really care.

She felt numb. Empty. The memories she'd gone through tonight had left her ragged. PF-01-2, Howlite, the Chamber of Reconstitution… she hadn't thought about all of it in such detail for a long time. Hadn't had the chance, really. After she was declared a traitor, she had forcefully reduced to her gem state and locked away. The times they'd let her out to run tests had been few and far between throughout the centuries.

Howlite had never visited her, at least, not when she was conscious. Probably not when she was unconscious either, the captain would have had more important things to do than sneer at traitors.

Moonstone didn't blame her, couldn't blame her.

She wondered what had happened to the captain. Had she left the planet with the rest of Homeworld? That seemed likely, she was probably still serving White Diamond with as much dedication as ever, on Homeworld or some distant colony in the far reaches of space.

Moonstone looked up. The stars were out tonight, tiny pinpricks of light in a dark purple sky. She wondered which one was Homeworld, if it was even visible from this watery rock in the middle of nowhere.

Again, it didn't really matter. She'd never really spent much time on the planet anyway. She didn't want to think about it.

There was a breeze out here, blowing cool air against her face and drying her cheeks. There'd never been any breeze underground. It felt… nice. Moonstone stared out into the water, watching as wave after wave crashed onto shore, rushed up the sand, and receded. It was hypnotizing, and much nicer to focus on than anything else. So she watched, counting the waves until the number became meaningless. Until her eyes grew heavy and closed.

And covered by a blanket of starry sky, Moonstone slept.

S&DS&DS&DS&D

I HAVE A QUESTION FOR ALL OF YOU!

I want to ask you all: if you were Garnet and Pearl here, what would you do with Moonstone? Shatter her? Bubble her? Spare her? Forgive her?

A close writing friend of mine read my story and described her as a zealot, one who doesn't care who they hurt or how they do it because they believe they are in the right—the worst kind of scum. (He says Death or Bubbling.)

That is not an invalid statement, though not quite how I see her. I see her as a humanitarian (gemitarian, whatever), someone who wishes to see as few gems hurt as possible. Organic life isn't really REAL to her; she's never had contact with it in any real capacity, so why would she value earth over the lives of gems lost fighting for it. She has Good Intentions (note the capital letters). That doesn't necessarily mean she's a good person/gem.

But back to the question. What do you think? Ignore the plot, ignore Steven's feelings. What does Moonstone deserve?

I'm asking, because I genuinely Do. Not. Know.

(Also, if you could tell me what you thought of the chapter, that'd be cool too)