The field is sunny, as is typical for high noon in spring. The four figures clashing are not.
It's three on one, but the one is large, larger than the fusion even, and fierce, with claws and feral determination to evade the crystal gems.
The gems are a little off kilter today. Especially the little Amethyst.
The corrupted gems are usually easy to dismiss as a monster, to poof by whatever force necessary, and then put in a bubble. And then put out of mind.
But the monster is mostly mottled blue and purple, with a tangled head of pale blue hair like cotton candy that reaches down to her (its?) hips. The claws on the limbs and horns on her head are a chalky grey blue. And the gem on the left shoulder is purple. Royal purple.
Amethyst avoids eye contact with Pearl and Garnet. This is one of her kin. An amethyst, corrupted, but underneath it all she (it?) is still an amethyst. She knows that dispatching it (her?) is necessary, that Rose would say it is kinder to bubble them than to leave them like this, stripped of their dignity and sanity. That they have to, for the organic life on this planet.
Still, she feels a twinge of guilt.
The foe is much larger than her, and she wonders what size she (it?) would be if uncorrupted. Amethyst herself only comes up to Pearl's elbow.
Although she is the roughest and most rambunctious of the trio (and she prides herself on these traits), she is arguably the weakest. Neither her nor Pearl have a chance of beating Garnet in a sparring match (unless they form Opal, but Amethyst's insides twist at that thought) and Pearl's skill with blades more than makes up for her delicate form. Pearl once poofed Amethyst accidentally after she shapeshifted into a bear, and that was with one strike of her spear.
Amethyst wonders briefly, should she be bigger? Pearl's gem is oval, not circular, and when she was new and pointed it out, a watery eyed Pearl had fled into her watery chamber of the temple. Garnet and Rose had looked away from her, and although she didn't know how or why, it was clear that she had struck a nerve.
Garnet used her visor to avoid questions about her three multicolored eyes. Although, Garnet wasn't big on questions in general. Amethyst herself was a product of the kindergarten, a parasitic drain on her home planet.
Only Rose, thought Amethyst, was perfect. But what if there was more wrong with her than just being a symbol of the war? What if she, supposed to be a warrior, was weak? Her doppelganger was ruthless, a formidable monster. Was Amethyst too small to be a monster?
Distracted, she doesn't notice the hand (claw?) until it is in front of her, sending her reeling and rolling off the wobbly platform.
She hears Pearl's terrified shriek, and attempts to shift wings onto her back. But her gem hurt hurt HURTS. She is falling and time is suspended.
A burgundy hand attached to a stretchy arm catches her, and she wraps herself around it. She thinks of Vidalia's offspring, and the neon orange gummy hand he showed her last time she modeled for his mother.
She is deposited onto the ground next to a concerned Garnet and that pulls her out of her musings.
Pearl shrieks again, but this time triumphant as her spear slices through the other Amethyst's midsection. A familiar looking gem falls and a pale hand catches it before the stone can touch the ground.
Amethyst sniffles (since when was she crying?) and catapults herself onto Garnet. She burrows her face into the afro of the fusion, but she can still hear the bubble forming and the fwip sound as it is sent to the temple. The white bubble appears in the cavernous room next to a blue bubble with a red gem in it.
Back at the battlefield, Garnet's hands encircle the smaller gem, one under her bottom and the other behind her head. One palm emanates heat and the other is cold, but both are soothing. Amethyst's own gem aches and she nestles deeper into the fusion.
She can feel Pearl's hands tugging at her shirt, and she is unusually docile while she lets the slim gem inspect her. Amethyst is too tired to protest and this makes Pearl more neurotic.
"At least the fountain isn't far from these fields," Pearl says quickly, anxiously, to break the deafening quiet.
Garnet lets her take the lead without protest, grunting an 'eh' of agreement. Her future vision had shown a high probability of a corrupted gem, but not what type it was. Or that Amethyst would be hurt. It is always a risk, but Garnet has maybe become overconfident.
Amethyst whines, squirming in Garnet's arms. Ruby has had many cracks in her gem, over the centuries. She is technically cannon fodder after all. Sapphire, less so, being a strategist, an elite. But both parts of her know Amethyst's discomfort.
The path to the fountain is entangled with thorns. Rose thorns. It is a bit ironic, because seeing them sends a stab of longing for their former leader, even without being physically pricked by the vines.
Pearl wields her spear as a scythe, carving out a path through the thick plant material. Amethyst shudders against Garnet as she sees the white of the spear, hears the whistle of the razor sharp blade.
And then Pearl flinches. Garnet passes the purple bundle of limbs to Pearl. She traces the fissure on Amethyst's gem, and Amethyst bares her teeth in warning.
Garnet rolls her eyes behind her visor. Even when one of her crew is in mortal danger, the two still are bickering.
She summons her gauntlets and smashes a passage into the heart of the temple. Thankfully, the statue is flowing and Pearl drops the purple gem gently into the basin.
To her surprise and slight amusement, Amethyst tugs on her ankle, making her lose her balance and stumble into the liquid. It is lukewarm, and she can feel her muscles unclenching and relaxing, and the stress of the morning fading away.
Amethyst positions herself in Pearl's lap. Garnet joins them, and the trio snuggle together under the watchful gaze of the stone woman.