Ways - Yeah, I did have a hard time with that chapter; I dunno why, but I know exactly what you mean.
~O~
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Harvest Moon II
Jasper flipped Spinel onto her back.
"Ow..." Spinel groaned.
Jasper sighed, shaking her head with disappointment as she paced around the gem that morning. They were training that afternoon in the Sky Arena while Pearl, Steven and Amethyst watched them from the stands. Steven was reading a book on familiars.
"We've been working on this all morning, Spinel." Jasper snapped.
"Hey, come on. Maybe she just needs a break for now." Amethyst pointed out, approaching the scene between them. She smirked and cracked her knuckles before shifting into Purple Puma. "Come on, Jasper; let's rock and roll!"
The two took turns wrestling with one another. Steven paged through the book before stopping at a picture of the strange familiar he'd seen before. The one that Jasper wasn't too sure about. Pearl took the book from his hands and frowned.
"What is this?" she asked. "It's... It talks about fusing with familiars in corrupted forms."
"Corrupted? I didn't know familiars could be corrupted." Steven said.
"They can't. At least, not as we know," Pearl explained. "When Spirit told us of what would happen should White Diamond fuse with her familiar, I didn't really see what she meant. Not at first. But now I think I do. White Diamond would use this as a last resort. All of those horrid feelings kept inside of Apophis would become hers. She'd become the very monster she truly is inside."
"But Spirit also said she's a victim, Pearl."
A sigh from Pearl now. "Steven, that doesn't matter now. It doesn't matter what she is or what she's suffered. The point is that she's going to do terrible things. The needs of the many outweighs those of the few. We can't forget that."
Steven sighed, disappointed. He was hoping that he could do more to save what was left of the Homeworld gems as well as Earth. After learning so much from Spirit and the Library, he didn't want any more lives to be ruined.
All because of his mother.
Granted, her actions had been noble, for the most part; and even Pink Diamond had been the one to choose her own fate, but so many had still suffered because of this. So many lives were lost. He was hoping that there didn't need to be more.
Later that day, the gems returned to the temple and Steven found Spirit sitting on the roof. He climbed up to meet her and found that she was meditating. Jasper and Pearl were on the beach, dancing together. It seemed like Jasper still had a difficult time with human dances.
"They're precious." Spirit remarked.
Steven chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, but they weren't always like that." he explained. "For a while, all Jasper wanted to do was hate us."
"Understandable given the circumstances..."
On the beach, Jasper laughed and Pearl shared in her amusement. They held one another and shared a kiss. Sometimes it was still hard to believe that Jasper had once tried to destroy them and now here she was in Pearl's arms.
"Spirit?"
"Yes?"
"Can you tell me more about White Diamond?"
Spirit sighed sadly. "Steven, it does no good to dwell on what had once been. It will only hurt to do so." she told him. "I see the past, hear the sounds of those within and speak the truth. It's not a burden I would want for anyone."
Steven nodded. That made sense. "Yeah, maybe. I think about the past too much." he agreed. He looked up at the stars. "My mom kept this terrible secret from everyone and even if it was what Pink Diamond wanted, she still did things that hurt a lot of gems. You can't take that back."
Spirit shook her head. She rested her arm on Steven's shoulders to comfort him. "Don't think about the things you couldn't control, but rather the good you can do now." she assured him. "You are not Rose. You are something entirely new. You are Steven Universe and you are master of your own fate."
A smile lit Steven's lips. "Yeah. I guess so."
O
White Diamond stood before the enormous pillar, designed with markings of her visage. She ran her fingers over it before shutting her eyes.
"Pink Diamond."
White Diamond walked down the great halls of Pink Diamond's court, searching for her sister. She furrowed her brow when she found her kneeling in front of an enormous pink statue bearing the image of a rose.
"This is certainly an interesting sculpture, sister," White Diamond said, running her fingers across the surface. "What is it?"
Pink Diamond brightened with delight. "I had the Flint commission this for me! Watch! Please stay and watch with me!"
White Diamond raised her eyebrows a little as Pink Diamond touched a few keys on a console; the sculpture was mechanical in nature, it seemed. The petals of the device opened, glowed with soft, pink light and immediately a gentle, soothing melody began to play.
"Ah, I see..." White Diamond replied, "You've crafted a...musical instrument of sorts."
Pink Diamond chuckled. "Not just a musical device, sister. Come! Sit with me!"
White Diamond took a seat on a nearby bench beside Pink Diamond and was bemused by her younger sister's excitement. It took a few moments, but the soothing melody from the device filled both Diamonds with a sense of content.
"It's wonderful. It's intended to bring gems together; to give them the hope that they need," Pink Diamond told her.
White Diamond furrowed her brow, as if confused by the device. She leaned her head to one side, like a scientist trying to understand a particularly confusing test subject; such was how she was. Pink Diamond folded her arms across her chest, chuckling softly at her eldest sibling's confusion.
White Diamond raised an eyebrow, cracking only the smallest of smiles. "This will not catch on, sister."
"Give it time." Pink Diamond assured her, as they rose and started to depart. "Music is healing. After all, you told me that gems are made of light and sound. What if this song could be something used to nurture and heal others?"
"If it does so, I will applaud you for your insight and cherish the idea of being wrong." White Diamond replied.
A laugh from Pink Diamond. "Did my dear eldest sister just make a joke?"
White Diamond raised an eyebrow. "I would have you come to my laboratory. I have a gift for you. Yellow Diamond would have provided this offering, but she is currently busy in other affairs. Come with me."
Pink Diamond started to follow her and they passed a fountain. White Diamond stopped her and gestured to the fountain.
"No. Clean your hands of that dust before you enter," she chided gently.
Pink chuckled and ran her hands through the water before playfully splashing White Diamond with it. So affectionate and so utterly ridiculous at times. Such a strange change for a leader of the Authority. Still, it made White Diamond smile sometimes.
"Honestly, you should put more of that effort into ruling your people, not in these games." White Diamond said, as they passed through the halls of her laboratory.
"Games are fun, dear sister. And was it not you who said I am to be more congenial in my affairs?"
"Ah. I suppose I did say that..."
White Diamond led her toward a corner where an enormous pink lion was resting. It was beautiful; it had a thick, flowing mane adorned with jewels and his claws glistened like the finest marble. Two whip-like tails swayed back and forth behind him and his eyes were a fiery pink.
"His name is Buer. He is a familiar befitting your status as a Diamond." White Diamond explained. "And he belongs to you now."
Pink Diamond brightened. "Thank you, sister! I had hoped one day to have a creature as you and the others do. He's perfect!"
"Good. I had hoped such a beast would be satisfactory to your needs." White Diamond said. "Yellow Diamond had taken great care in overseeing its creation. I am far too busy to design such things."
Buer gave a low, rumbling purr and rubbed against Pink Diamond's hand. White Diamond watched the sight for a few moments before Pink Diamond spoke, her cheerful demeanor gone for a moment.
"Sister, I assume you know it is possible to reverse the damage done by corruption."
White Diamond nodded. "Yes. I am aware of such a thing. However, you must also remember that a beast, no matter how mindless, will die and give way to a successor. And what that successor will learn will prevent such tragedies from happening with their generation."
"But if we can heal the sick - "
"If you are looking for certainty, Pink Diamond, I cannot help you." White Diamond said, as if this was common knowledge that her sister should have known, "It is a simple principal of the universe. The weak perish in place of the strong. This is to make every generation greater than the next. We must evolve to perfection."
Pink Diamond frowned at her. "Then what becomes of the perfect? When we are all the same ascended beings, what else is there to be? There is no beauty in perfection at the sacrifice of individuality. What makes us who we are is what makes us perfect."
White Diamond stared at her silently and Pink Diamond sighed. She gently ran a hand over Buer's mane and shook her head.
"I feel as if my words fall on deaf ears." she said. "Is it not my purpose to create hope and love? If it is pushed aside, how am I to grow?"
White Diamond's brow knotted. "Perhaps I was wrong in my assumption. You are a compassionate being and the universe itself often spurns such a thing offered freely. I would never comprehend hope and love for certain, but I thank you for it."
Such a strange gift.
White Diamond remembered her sibling well in the way that she had offered wisdom, even to her. She remembered how strange it had been to be given such an offering of hope and love, but it had been needed most in her.
Such a pity those things had to be removed.
As the Rebels proved; it was a weakness she could no longer have.
O
Several workers were busy that morning.
They were busy in a quarry, digging and drilling away. One of the workers reached for a thermos when the ground below him began to tremble. He furrowed his brow, watching as the thermos was rocked a little toward the edge of the table before falling entirely.
He stood up, yelled at another worker in Spanish, to which the worker replied in confusion.
Within the quarry, the ground split and the Harvester's body emerged with a piercing roar. The workers scrambled to get away, screaming in terror. The Harvester burrowed back underground before surfacing again, jaws shredding rocks in its path.
Spirit was in the middle of meditating that morning on the rooftop. The sounds of hammering drew mildly annoyed grunts from her. A few bangs and the roof shook. She gave a yell and lost her balance, falling from the roof and onto the porch.
Spinel was busy trying to fix the screen door. She had a few nails she held in her mouth and was wearing a utility belt. When Spirit had fallen, she gave a startled sound and moved to help her.
"Whoa, are you okay, Spirit?" she asked. "Hey, it's not good falling off the roof like that. You can't fly. Believe me, I tried."
Spirit huffed, brushing out the wrinkles in her robes before she stared at the smaller gem skeptically. "What are you doing?"
"Oh. OH! I'm fixing the screen!" Spinel told her, beaming with pride. "I was training in the house and one of my slingshot fireballs went right through. I broke it, so I thought I'd fix it!"
"Well..." Spirit smiled a little. "That's quite thoughtful of you, Spinel. I trust Steven will appreciate the effort."
"Yeah. I mean, it only makes sense, right? We should fix the things we break."
A chuckle from Spirit. "Yes. You're right, little messenger."
Spinel's features lit up. "Oh! I just remembered! I promised Steven I was going to bring back a souvenir from France!"
Before Spirit could say anything on that, Spinel quickly vanished in a high-speed sprint. She returned not even a few seconds later with a miniature Eiffel Tower in her hands. She beamed happily and wandered into the house. Steven was in the middle of eating breakfast when Spinel approached.
"Hey! I have a tiny Eiffel Tower!" she announced.
Steven grinned and took the offering. "Wow! Thanks, Spinel!" Then, he looked at her curiously. "Wait, do they have Cookie Cats in France?"
"I'll check. One second."
Spinel sprinted out of the door, narrowly bumping into Pearl as she passed. She returned - once again almost bumping into Pearl while carrying a few bags of Cookie Cats.
"Yep, they do!" she said.
Steven laughed. "Awesome! French Cookie Cats!"
"Spinel, I'm assuming you paid for those." Pearl said, folding her arms across her chest.
Spinel chuckled. "Actually, I found a guy just throwing these out. I asked if I could have them and he said 'no'. Then, he said 'what for' and I said there's a boy in America who loves these and it would be a waste to throw them out. So he said 'whatever, weird pink woman; just take them'."
Steven was already eating the ice cream treats before Pearl could say anything more.
While this was going on, Garnet was watching the ocean from the beach. She could see the presence of the Harvester within her future vision. Her eyes widened in horror.
"It...can't be!" she exclaimed.
She made her way into the house and looked at them frantically. Pearl looked up at her and the others had stopped what they were doing all the same to pay attention.
"Garnet?" Pearl said, worried. "What is it?"
"The Harvester!" Garnet cried. "It's been activated!"
"What?" Pearl exclaimed.
"We have to go. NOW!"
O
The Harvester emerged from the ground with a loud, bellowing roar.
The gems had pursued the creature through the jungles of South America as it devoured earth and stone in its wake. It left enormous tunnels through the ground that seemed to go on for miles. Spinel peered down one of the tunnels, whistling loudly.
"Wow, this worm can really eat." she remarked.
Jasper scowled. "We need to stop this thing. Come on!"
They followed the trail of destruction and found the Harvester burrowing its way underground nearest a cliff-side to escape the gems. A whip snapped through the air and Amethyst was already wrapping it around the creature's arms, preventing it from leaving.
"Where do you think you're going?" she taunted.
The Harvester reared back, snapping the whip before slashing through the air, narrowly missing Spinel in the process. The gem laughed with glee, standing there perfectly straight.
"Aww, come on! You almost got me!" she teased. A set of claws came down and Spinel vanished in a blur of pink, appearing on the other side. "Oops, miss me! Now ya' gotta kiss me!"
Pearl shook her head, taking Spinel's arm and pushing her aside. "Spinel, as proud as I am to see your confidence in higher form today, this is not the time!"
The Harvester screeched out and Steven had to hold his hands to his ears. The sound was terrible. Jasper charged into the fray, scooping him up moments before the creature could dive at him.
"Jasper!" Steven cried, when she swung to avoid the Harvester's claws and teeth.
"Keep focused!" Jasper shouted, over the noise. She punched the Harvester with one hand. "We need to take this thing down!"
Garnet's gauntlets appeared on her hands and she punched the Harvester's sides. It screeched out again and Steven's eyes widened when he felt a flash of pain fill his head. A white, hot agony that he'd only experienced with the Cluster.
"Garnet!" Steven cried. "Garnet, wait!"
Pearl was crouched on the Harvester's back, stabbing it with her spear. It staggered, gave another wail and attempted to flee over the edge of the cliff to escape its attackers. Pearl tried to leap from it, but she fell right over the edge.
Jasper's eyes widened in horror. "Pearl!"
She rushed to the edge and found Pearl gripping a root that stuck out of the ground. Jasper reached down to grab her and the others hurried to help. The Harvester was clinging to the side of the cliff all the same. It shrieked out and its mouth lashed out several tendrils that wrapped around Pearl's body.
"Ah!" Pearl cried out.
"Hold on, Pearl!" Spinel shouted. "We'll get you out!"
Jasper clenched her teeth, struggling to pry Pearl from the tendrils. "Pearl! Pearl, come on!" she shouted. "You can do this! FIGHT!"
Pearl struggled, attempting to slice herself free with her only good hand and spear. The others were nearly pulled off of the edge with her. Pearl winced, noticed this right away before looking up at Jasper. The larger gem's eyes widened when she read a resolution in Pearl's stare. A peaceful smile lit the smaller gem's lips.
"Jasper. Look at me." she said, panting breathlessly. "It'll be okay. I promise."
"Don't you dare!" Jasper shouted, when Pearl raised her spear toward the root. "PEARL!"
Pearl swung her spear, cut the root and she plunged to the bottom of the cliff with the Harvester. She gave her comrades a salute before turning in mid-fall, plunging directly into the Harvester's waiting jaws with her spear.
The creature screamed out in pain before they vanished into the trees below.
The only sound left was Jasper screaming Pearl's name.
O
Note - Yes, Pearl used a Star Trek quote. LOL. Also, don't kill me yet. Pearl's not gone. I promise. Also, notice Spinel has a little more confidence than she did originally? YES. And I would have really wanted to see a more familial way about the Diamonds. Make them as typical as any other gem in that regard.
