The centuries were passing. Time was moving forward and the Earth began to change in so many ways. Rose, Pearl, and Garnet were witnesses to so many events that would changed the course of human history. With Garnet's future vision, Rose was able to learn so much of what was going on in the human world. As the times changed, the humans were building powerful and mighty kingdoms that soon turned into nothing when the wars began. Wars among humans. Rose chuckled at herself for seeing the odd similarities between the humans and her own personal choices. What had kept her sane and at least cheerful in her current life were both Pearl and Garnet. Pearl's daily devotion to Rose helped her in more ways than one. Garnet was also a pillar of strength. Both Ruby and Sapphire had been fused as Garent for so long, it was extremely rare to see them both.
Then one day, something unexpected happened. Rose, Pearl and Garnet went to the Kindergarden fortress to investigate, and the whole place was abandoned like an open wound. The years of fighting and torment were all evidenced there in this terrible place.
"What do you think could be here?" asked Pearl.
"Perhaps a corrupt Gem or maybe even a survivor." said Garnet.
"I hope it's another Gem who needs a home." said Rose.
Garnet then pushed Rose out of the way while something came right at them. The figure moved so fast, it was like a running creature there. But Garent caught a good glimpse at their attacker.
"Who are you?!" cried the strange newcomer.
"Oh! I hear a voice!" said Pearl.
"It is a voice. And it belongs to an Amethyst." said Garnet.
"An Amethyst soldier here?! Still alive?! How wonderful! We mean you no harm!" cried Rose cheerfully. The Amethyst in question peeked through broken equipment.
"What are you guys?" asked Amethyst.
"I am Rose Quartz. And these are Pearl and Garnet." said Rose.
Amethyst came out of her hiding spot and the three gems were taken aback. Amethyst was not like the other giants that once roamed this place. This Amethyst was small. She was stout, had large cheeks and she was wearing small homemade armor she found in the scraps of the kindergarden.
"You look wonderful!" cried Rose.
"Who are you?" asked Amethyst.
"You have never heard of me?" asked Rose.
"Careful." warned Pearl.
"Nope. Doesn't ring a bell. I never heard of you. I'v lived here my whole life. I came out of this cave right there behind you all. I don't know for how long I was here." said Amethyst.
"Then...you came out late." said Garnet.
"There were supposed to be more of me?" asked Amethyst looking at the caves. Rose smiled. This Amethyst was recently brought into this world and she had no idea of the turmoils and terrible things that has happened here on Earth in the past centuries. She was like a newborn baby, only with a bigger brain and with the ability to reason. Rose thought she could use this to her advantage. Having Amethyst in the group would make them more complete. Also, she needed a proper home. Rose smiled at the thought of taking here someplace safe.
(You are a hypocrite.) Rose snapped out of it. Her inner voice was speaking to her again. And this was going on for centuries. Whenever Rose was alone, or inside Lion's Mane, the voice kept getting stronger by the minute and they were more direct than ever before. She could have sworn to hear her own voice, but sometimes she heard the voice of another. A dark and sinister voice that sounded eerily familar... Rose placed her hand on her head and she fainted right in front of Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl.
"Woah! Big lady, what's going on!?" cried Amethyst.
"Rose!" cried Pearl.
"I didn't see that coming! Why?!" cried Garnet.
"Now is not the time Garent. We have to take Rose back to the Temple!" cried Pearl.
"But the Temple is... are you sure?" asked Garnet.
"The holy statue of Obsedian would watch over her!" cried Pearl.
Both Garnet and Pearl helped Rose to her feet, but she was too heavy. Amethyst quickly went over and helped the three of them.
"Where are we going to take her?" asked Amethyst.
"We are going to the temple we recently found. She will rest there!" said Garnet.
"What happened? Did she not rest at all like I suggested her?" asked Pearl.
"Oh Rose. She never rests." said Garnet.
They then headed towards the warp pad and Amethyst thought they were crazy at first. "So, where are we going to lay her?" asked Amethyst.
"You'll see little one. You'll see." said Pearl.
"The name is Amethyst!"
"Right. Amethyst." replied Pear as the light beam went on. In a little bit, they all finally arrived at the Temple of Obsidian, the most powerful fusion known to Gem Kind. It was nothing more but a lone warp pad, a custom made portal that led to different resting places for the Gems and in front of the large statue of the beautiful Obsidian, laid the ocean, rocking back and forth on the shore.
"We're home at the temple Rose." said Pearl.
"Oh everyone. I'm sorry. I just... felt lightheaded." said Rose.
"You didn't rest at all for a while." said Garnet.
"I'm sorry. My head was beginning to hurt." said Rose.
"Do we get headaches?" asked Rose.
"We are Gems. We don't suffer such things." said Garnet.
"I have heachaches all the time! Whenever I ram into rocks just for the fun of it." said Amethyst.
"Because your a savage heathen!" cried Pearl as Amethyst crawled on the floor looking at her brand new sarroundings.
"Is this where you guys live? Wow! I can see the Ocean! I have read about it in some broken old manuscrypts." said Amethyst.
"You are welcome to stay. And you are not a heathen." said Garnet.
"She's right. Welcome home Amethyst. Pearl, be nice." said Rose.
The remark stung Pearl to the core. But she didn't falter nor did she show how it badly hurt her feelings. Pearl simply nodded and walked beside Rose.
Another thing Rose was starting to find a little annoying. Pearl almost followed her where ever she went. Which explains why Rose would escape from time to time.
"Rose... forgive me. It's just that... this Amethyst is small. She should be bigger... don't you think?" asked Pearl.
"I didn't realize you were so shallow Pearl. She lost her home like us. And she needs to be given a chance. Just as you did to Quetzan and his siblings." said Rose.
Pearl looked up at Rose. "Those names... who were they again?" asked Pearl.
"You don't remember? It has been thousands of years ago." said Rose.
"Who is that giant lady statue!?" cried Amethyst pointing up at the statue of Obsidian.
"She is a fusion made of four powerful gems. She has not been seen in millenias." said Garnet.
"Wow. She looks very... stiff." said Amethyst.
"Yes. She does." said Garnet.
"You look different... are you like her? Like a fusion? And what is fusion anyway?" asked Amethyst.
"First off, we will teach you how to talk properly and to be one of us. In time, you will be a Crystal Gem." said Garnet.
"Sounds cool." said Amethyst as she and Garnet walked down the beach. Pearl watched and shook her head. She was still reeling at the fact Rose lectured her, for the first time in ages.
"Rose? May I ask you a question?" asked Pearl.
"What is it?" asked Rose as she sat down on a rock. She was still trying to process what has happened in her mind. The voice she hears was her own. Or was it? She was thinking too much, not paying attention to Pearl.
"We have been through a lot together and ... we are best friends. I know all your secrets and I know all about you..." said Pearl.
Rose stood up. "Then... if you know about me, then you can help me! But keep this to ourselves. I wouldn't want Garnet to worry, not even Amethyst. She's too new. Why am I hearing my voice in my head?" asked Rose.
"W-well those should be thoughts. We think and things come to mind every once in a while Rose. We all do that." said Pearl.
"But... can they be so intrusive?" asked Rose.
"Sometimes they are. And they can distract us from what is all around us. Why? Is something the matter?' asked Pearl.
"I'm going for a walk. Please excuse me." said Rose.
"A walk? May I come?" asked Pearl.
"No. You stay here and train the new Amethyst." said Rose.
"O--okay, but she's hitting it off with Garnet pretty well." said Pearl.
"Just do as I say." said Rose as she went to the warpad, leaving Pearl alone.
Rose went to Lion, who was resting near the place his family died. Thousands of years have passed and a new generation of lions took over where his children once played. But now, they have become dust in the wind, passing on into the great circle of life.
Rose appeared before Lion and sat in front of him. Rose looked deep into his eyes and she "spoke" to him through his mind. This happened rarely, but Rose could understand Lion's speech.
"Alone again?" asked Rose.
"This is where my children have died. I sit here to mourn their loss. And something tells me that you have come to seek me out?"
"I'm hearing voices in my head. My own voice. But... there is something very sinister about it." said Rose.
"It could be your concience. In my mane, I have the Bismuth you imprisoned as well as weapons hidden away in a chest. Everything about you is well hidden among my mane. The question is... do you, Rose, have regrets of the choices you have made in your life?""Regrets? What Regrets? I'm fine!" said Rose. ("Liar!")
Rose put her hands on her head.
"The voice is speaking to you?""It is. It's bothering me now as it did thousands of years ago." said Rose.
"You have told me that you left behind so much to protect Earth. I may not know all the details, but perhaps you feel something in you that you choose not to think about.""I have no regrets! I protected Earth from Homeworld!" cried Rose.
"And yet many of your kind have perished either by losing their physical forms or their gems. Which by the way... I will have to warn you of something... ""Warn me? Warn me about what?" asked Rose.
"This is something I should have told you long ago. But the moment you brought me to life... I was still a mere Lion, despite glowing with the life you have graciously given me. That young man you brought with you... Quetzan was it? What became of him?""Quetzan died. He was my first love. And he became one with the universe. He found his Nirvana." said Rose.
"Lies. There is no such thing.""What? What are you saying LIon?!" cried Rose.
"For thousands of years since my revival, I have been travleing between the Earth from one corner to the next creating portals that allowed me to travel easily. In all my travels, I have humans who were like your Quetzan. They too believed in the power of the universe... but this power comes at a terrible price.""A price? What price?" asked Rose.
"Human beings do not have the power Gems posses. Humans are fragile, prone to greed, hatred, and lust. Long ago... ages before the Gems arrived on our planet, my greatest grandfather... the first Lion was born in a garden. A beautiful lush Garden where the first humans were created. Adam and Eve. They were to populate the Earth with perfect humans and life was to flourish. However... an evil Angel came to Earth and seduced Adam and Eve to eat from a tree that was forbidden to eat. The creator told them if they ate from that specific tree, they were to die. After they have commited treason against the creator, Adam and Eve lost thier perfection and they both died. As a concequence, all human beings that were born here after were now marked with the sin of both Adam and Eve."""I never knew this story." said Rose as she listened intently.
"In time, humans began to create their own beliefs, and their own ways of living, getting farther from the creator with each passing day. Sadly, humanity began to make their own legends, their own religions. And they began to practice dark arts. Forbidden practices men were not meant to touch. That day, when you arrived with that young man... there was something about him that caught my eye. Something very...different.""Quetzan never practiced dark arts. He was a kind gentle soul." said Rose.
"You have told me a few times that Quetzan strongly believed he was part of the Universe and he was part of it. In all my travles, I have come across humans who have practiced a forbidden art. An art of marrying the universe... and going to where no human was meant to be. That is called the Crossover of Stars.""Crossover of Stars? Never heard of it." said Rose.
"It's a secret art not many people know. But the people who practice it are cultists and fanatics of crossing over to space. Those people have this strange belief that if they became one with the quote on quote universe... they marry the universe. For you see Rose, they see the universe as a person. Not a place. A person they can marry. The way Quetzan expressed himself that day you brought me back... it sounded like he was one of them. I have met my fair share of people that spoke and act like him.""Then when I saw his body vanish... he crossed over to marry the universe? But if that were true... then he saw for himself the universe was a place. And that means... he could have trapped himself in a prison!" cried Rose.
"If that is so, then Quetzan is the first human in history to perform the Crossover of Stars. When you saw him... who else did you see?""Why... his sister... Cory. And his brother Zigi always called this his mumbo jumbo..." Rose then stopped to think. The expression Mumbo Jumbo. It was an expression used to mock magic as Rose has come to learn. Then this meant one thing... Quetzan was practicing forbidden arts after all. And the fact that Cory had future vision like Garnet... a disturbing realization came to Rose. Cory was blinded and given power by Quetzan himself. And Zigi tried to stop it... but he never could. He ended up joining them, but that cost him his life in the battle. This meant that Cory and Quetzan were still alive... somewhere in space perhaps?
Lion then gave a small growl and Rose jumped to her feat. In front of her was Cory, with her eyes glowing blue and her hair was white as snow. She was still young in appearance, but she was thousands of years old. She should have been dead.
"Cory... is this true? Are you a practioner of forbidden arts?" asked Rose.
"Yes. Quetzan and I practiced the same magic. I'm sorry Rose. But... Quetzan never found his nirvana. The name of his bride. He named her Nirvana. But she was not there. Quetzan grew furious and now he seeks revenge against the cosmos." said Cory.
"There is no way. Humans are fragile. There is nothing you can do Cory." said Rose.
"Quetzan found himself with powers he never thought he would have... for you see... when he reached the stars... his chakra became similar to that of a Gem's. You see... he now has the strength of a Jasper. And I, the power of a Sapphire. We are going to do something you should have done in the beginning Rose. We will take over the universe. We will have humanity bow at our feet as we brind down the Diamond empire and rule everything." said Cory.
"You sound like the Diamonds right now Cory! You wish to build one large colony through out the cosmos?! This is insane!" cried Rose.
Just then, a winged figure came to land next to Cory. It was Quetzan himself. But he no longer looked human. His skin glowed a tannish color, his eyes glowing orange like fire, and he had large black wings like that of a raven. He looked terribly demon like in appearance.
"My love. Rose. It has been so long." said Quetzan.
"It's all true then. You have fallen deep in what you were practicing. All this time I thought you wanted to travel the stars... not wed it!" cried Rose.
"I sense a little bit of jelousy Rose. The Universe... I did belive it to be like a Goddess. I imagined a naked woman in the stars, begging for me to embrace her. When I met you, I thought you were she. But no. You were a runaway, trying to prove that you were worthy of protecting the planet. But at what costs? You lie to your friends constantly, you made choices that put everyone in jeaopordy and worst of all, you even lied to your own family back home that you have died! The Diamonds were like your mothers. How tragic." said Quetzan.
Rose drew her sword and shiled. Quetzan then smiled wickedly. "What's this? Do you want to kill me because I know all your secrets? Why? There is no one left here on Earth who doesn't know your lies? Only your Pearl and Garnet. They know everything." said Quetzan.
Rose felt relief. Quetzan thought Garnet knew. That allowed her to speak with confidence. "So what are you going to do now? Take over the entire uinverse?" asked Rose.
"I wish. But I cannot leave. The atmosphere of the planet is keeping us both in. But I will find the way out of this planet. And there is. I will shatter the core of Earth and make it my own." said Quetzan.
"You can't!" cried Rose.
"Oh yes I can! In the future! It will take me time to dive in deep into the Earth's core. It may take me centures again. But who'se to say in all that time I find another way? I'm sorry Rose. But this planet you fought so hard for will now be mine!" said Quetzan as he flew into the air.
Cory smiled and walked towards the warppad. "You know what I see in the future? Darkness. Nothing else." said Cory as she began to chuckle and vanished.
"Those were not Quetzan and Cory! Those were... monsters! They were... what were they!?" cried Rose.
Lion replied. "Evil. True Evil."