The Crystal Gems should have won.

Homeworld had the advantage in numbers, but that was all they had: numbers. The Crystal Gems were objectively superior in their strategy, and their individual soldiers. Homeworld had thousands of Quartz soldiers, while the Crystal Gems only numbered in the hundreds, but of those hundreds were gems who were motivated to fight by something far greater than fear; their love of each other, and the planet they fought to defend.

They should have won. They had fusions, some of whom were powerful enough to rival the Diamonds. They had gems who wouldn't be considered fighters normally, who trained hard every single day to prove they were capable; they became the sort of fighters Homeworld wasn't prepared for, those who could slip between their ranks and cut them apart from the inside, or make the very ground beneath their feet open up and swallow armies whole. They had Rose's leadership, Pearl's tactics, and Garnet's unique future vision.

They had bonfires every night, where all 743 of them gathered and laughed and danced, strengthening the bonds that made the Crystal Gems who they are. They had trust; trust in each other, trust in their leader, and trust in themselves.

Homeworld had none of this.

The Crystal Gems should have won.

They had support from galaxies away; entire networks of gems cheering them on from afar, little pockets of quiet rebellion springing up on other colonies, even on Homeworld itself. They had informants planted within the Diamonds' forces, who gave them endless streams of information to win each and every battle; though none of them realized their leader was their best informant as well. They had plans in place to move beyond the Earth, to take down Homeworld's oppressive regime once and for all, if they only had the chance.

The Crystal Gems should have won.

Why didn't they win the war?

There was one other thing Homeworld had that the Crystal Gems didn't: technology. First it was destabilizers, but those were a minor inconvenience at best, to an army who were used to watching each other's backs and protecting vulnerable gemstones. No, what turned the tide of the war in Homeworld's favor was the invention of the Rejuvenator.

The first time the Crystal Gems went up against those weapons, a few more gems were poofed than normal, but they didn't think much of it. But when those gems reformed, it became abundantly clear just how serious the situation was.

They didn't worry about the off-colors; most immediately chose to stay with the Crystal Gems anyway. It was the rest of the gems that were their main concern. Even gems who had been part of fusions would immediately leave, believing themselves to be on the wrong side of the war. The Crystal Gems could do nothing but watch them go; as much as they hated to see it, they believed in freedom, and if these gems wanted to go back to Homeworld, then so be it.

Those off-colors who stayed did eventually regain their memories, after months of living among the Crystal Gems, being told stories of their former selves. But by the time this revelation came, it was too late.

Rose made a rash decision. In hindsight, it was obvious, but right then she was incredibly scared. More gems were being lost every day, and they were starting to get overwhelmed. She was afraid for them, because every gem who left was a friend to mourn, and she didn't want to lose anyone else. So she played her trump card, the final act to end the war; she faked her own shattering.

The Crystal Gems should have won. In the end, they achieved a kind of Pyrrhic victory; the Earth was safe, for now, but it couldn't possibly be worth their loss.


A/N: So I know I've interpreted the Gem war a bit differently from canon, but honestly, the CGs were way overpowered when you think about it, especially compared to Homeworld's armies. I firmly believe they could have won the war outright if Rose hadn't faked her shattering.

Keep reading, keep writing, and above all, keep dreaming!