Hoo, boy! This is a BIG one (by my standards, at any rate)! It was a lot of fun to write, but I am super tired, so this note's short and to the point. Hope you enjoy!
Fulguras V is a young colony, and thus its armory is relatively small. The way there is impressive, though - situated inside a heavily guarded, inverted crystal pyramid that was once Fire Agate's flagship, but has since become the heart of the whole operation. There's four ways in and out, one for each of the pyramid's faces, but the bridges leading into them are completely exposed - not even any handrails for cover.
OSHA would not be pleased.
Mapping out the way from the Warp Pad to the pyramid confirms Pidge's fears; there's a lot of both distance and potential enemies blocking what's sure to be an explosive escape, and that's without considering the fact that, likely as it is that Ruby is held somewhere in the former flagship, there's a lot of ground to cover. They pass several troop barracks, sparring rooms, crew stations - and even what Pidge deduces must be the engine room, given the massive, pulsing crystal it contains is connected to all the other parts of the ship via vein-like crystalline tubes. There's something oddly...organic about it that she can't help but feel unnerved about.
At long last, Fire Agate leads them to the armory. She starts describing their ample weapon selection - Pidge is momentarily confused, given she knows Gems can produce weapons from their gemstones, but the Agate answers her question before she can ask it: only the most elite are allowed to bear their personal arms, which are in some way unique to the specific Gem. Given the wildly varying range of weapons a Gem could potentially spawn - like, for example, a shock trooper-type Gem like a Jasper developing a bow - the lower castes must settle for mass produced, standardized weapons, which eliminates the randomness factor, producing more predictable results in combat.
And leaving no room for individuality, goes unsaid. As far as Pidge can tell, the only thing a Gem is truly allowed to develop for herself is a hairstyle.
In any case, the sort of medieval theme for their weaponry continues - swords, warhammers, and spears making up the majority of the arms in the armory - though Pidge does spot a few long range weapons more modern than a longbow. Namely, a series of shoulder mounted cannons like the one Hunk's bayard gives Voltron, and some ballistae-looking giant crossbows meant for Ruby fusions to wield. The Agate seems to be incredibly passionate about Gem weaponry, gleefully describing the many ways they can be used to kill, and the many variants that exist, even beyond the sizable variety on display.
Pidge is more interested in a rack of tuning fork-like implements, which hold a floating oval in between the two prongs. Her HUD reads a massive amount of energy stored within - way too much for such a small instrument. "What are these?" -she asks the Agate.
"Much too dangerous for an organic." -she warns, frowning.
"They are Gem Destabilizers." -Moonstone helpfully supplies. "They contain a minuscule fraction of Yellow Diamond's power."
"So what, we'll vaporize if we touch 'em?" -Lance asks.
"No, but a Gem's physical form will instantly dissipate." -Moonstone explains, giving them a pointed look. Fire Agate frowns as she continues. "The lower castes can be so unruly. A zap from those will set them straight in a flash, however. I am told it is quite painful."
"I would never question your wisdom, of course...but should the organics know this information?" -Fire Agate asks, raising an eyebrow.
Moonstone laughs like one of those haughty, anime princesses. "Surely you don't fear a pair of overdeveloped apes, do you?"
"O-of course not." -she amends. "But a planet full of them could prove...bothersome, should they foolishly decide cohabitation is not in their best interests."
"Gee, whyever would we do that?" -Lance asks, sarcastically. "Somehow, I don't see us angering our immortal, hyper-advanced neighbors."
"Perhaps you will not." -the Agate shrugs. "But your offspring, will they share your wisdom? Will theirs? You organics can be so...fickle. So devious, and foolish, when you mistakenly believe yourselves superior. A great many species have made unfortunate choices when it comes to allying with the Gem race - I merely suggest you make sure yours does not. We wouldn't want to disappoint Blue Diamond."
"Uh-huh." -Pidge says, narrowing her eyes behind the visor.
Moonstone giggles, breaking the tension. "Aren't these little ones such an entertaining bunch?"
Fire Agate snorts, switching her focus to a central console. Moonstone makes a stiff, pleading face that all but screams 'don't antagonize her', which the Paladins grudgingly nod to. "Now, how about those Rejuvenators?" -she pleasantly asks.
The Agate hums. "Yes, about those. We don't seem to have received a shipment, unfortunately." -she says.
"What? Really? That's such a shame."
"Indeed." -she says, her tone clipped.
"I suppose we'll have to finish this little tour with a look at the harvesting facilities then?" -Moonstone suggests. Pidge worriedly notices that her form is beginning to swell, ever so slightly - the fusion must really be pushing the limits of her shape-shifting ability.
"I'm afraid they are currently in use. A defective Ruby, you understand." -she says, apologetic. "I doubt it's something the organics would like to be exposed to - no doubt their delicate sensibilities will have them...object to the process."
"I bet the Ruby would object to the process." -Pidge mutters.
"Oh, no. The Diamonds' light shines through us all, my dear - the poor things understand that they must reflect their perfection. No impurities. No cracks. And certainly no off-colors - which this unfortunate little corundum appears to be a part of."
"You are unsure?" -Moonstone asks. "Is that kind of defect not immediately obvious? A unique case, perhaps?"
"So it would seem." -the Agate says, narrowing her eyes. "It was the strangest thing; a panicked little soldier, claiming she served a Hessonite, of all Gems. We found no record of her service, of course. The Peridots assumed she was cracked, or perhaps the result of an old, malfunctioning Injector, abandoned long ago. But no, the gemstone was perfectly adequate, a normal Ruby by all accounts - it's the only reason she wasn't immediately repurposed, you see. Reviewing her memories has proved...difficult, but the technicians seem to believe she abandoned her post, somehow."
"Oh? A traitor in Era 2? Fascinating." -Moonstone says.
"Yes. Fascinating." -she says, then crosses her arms, gesturing at the console as she turns to face them, a scowl on her face. "As fascinating as the place she warped in from. Care to take a guess? I promise you'll find it...familiar."
Pidge doesn't need her HUD's translation of the information on display to know the jig is up. "Imagine my surprise when a Moonstone seemed to share my passion for weaponry." -the Agate continues. "And my shock, when she seemed to know about a new weapon I'd never heard of. I was too overwhelmed, I'll admit, by the honor of hosting a Moonstone, to realize the...coincidence of your timing. And, now that I know better, of your origin."
Moonstone shrugs, awkwardly. "It's a small universe."
Fire Agate smirks. "Not that small."
Moonstone groans. "Oh, fuck it." -she says, then glows, her figure returning to her normal, abnormal proportions. She sighs in relief, her being no longer compressed into such an uncomfortable shape. Moonstone flicks her short hair, towering over the shocked Homeworlder. "I wish I could say it was fun while it lasted, but...it really wasn't."
"Fusion!" -the Agate hisses. She reaches into her gemstone - an angular, tear-ish shaped little thing hidden on the inside of her left arm - and pulls her weapon, the handle and flame-shaped pommel of a sword, topped by a series of flaming spheres floating one on top of each other, five in all, in place of a blade.
Lance, smart boy that he pretends not to be, immediately reaches for the Destabilizers, but the Agate is quicker, lashing out with her weapon, which links the orbs with flame when swung, like a whip, and sends the Destabilizers flying, shattered in pieces. "I'll give you credit, little ape. That was the smart play."
The Blue Paladin brings his bayard to bear, riddling the Gem with hard-light rounds, but the Agate is mostly unfazed, barely wincing at the sting of the impacts. Pidge pulls out her own bayard, hoping to distract her, but the Agate merely side-steps, grabbing the glowing green zipline and pulling her into a punch - one that would would've likely wrecked her shit, if not for the fact that Moonstone body slams into the elite Gem and sends her careening against a nearby wall.
"You two get out of here." -Moonstone says. "You can't hope to match an Agate, and there's no telling what vile things they're doing to Ruby."
"Will you be ok?" -Pidge asks.
The fusion brings her weapon into existence, brandishing the pike with expert dexterity. "I think I'll be fine." -she says, amused. "Now go, save our little friend."
Lance nods, helping Pidge to her feet, and leading the way. "This is crazy!" -Lance says, running past a Jasper that immediately growls and starts chasing them. Pidge lassoes a cylindrical container with her bayard and throws it at the Jasper, wincing as it explodes on contact. The Gem groans, landing in a smoking heap, but it obviously draws the attention of every other Gem in the vicinity.
Pidge pulls them into a small alcove, letting a dozen soldiers run past. "We don't even know where we're going!" -Lance hisses.
"We know where we're not, though." -Pidge reasons. "I've been mapping this ship out as best I could, and we know Ruby isn't in any part of it we've been through."
Lance nods. "Good idea. What do we have left to check?"
Pidge brings up a holographic depiction of the ship, marking in red all of the places they've been. As it turns out, Fire Agate was incredibly diligent - there's only two, fairly large rooms left, roughly the same size, and both on the second to lowest deck. "These two rooms. Should we split up?"
"Let's not. You've seen what these people can do. If they catch us alone, they're gonna kick our asses." -Lance says. "We have a better chance of keeping them on their toes if there's two of us."
Pidge purses her lips. "Alright. Take your pick, then."
Lance rolls his eyes. "Shouldn't we figure out how to get there first?"
"Help?" -a tiny voice says, beneath them.
The Paladins, taken aback, look at the floor, where three small creatures are staring up at them. They're various shades of gray, lumpy shaped, with stubby little arms and legs. Their stones are tiny, but they're there - small and misshapen as they are, these little creatures are Gems, too. "Uh…'help'?" -Pidge asks.
The little creatures giggle. "Help, yes!" -the middle one says. Then, fast as lightning, the Gems get to work, shape-shifting their hands into tiny saws, which they then use to cut a square hole right beneath them. All five of them fall into one of the conduits flowing from the ship's core, the Paladins hanging onto each other for dear life as they ride it down into the lower levels.
"Jump!" -the little Gem says. Trusting her gut, Pidge does, Lance following suit shortly afterwards. They land, hard…inside what can only be a cell in the ship's brig. It's a spartan place - a generous descriptor, really, as there's literally nothing but three walls, a floor, and some kind of energy barrier leading to a hallway with many other similar cells.
Pidge is about to simultaneously praise and curse the Gemlings for their smarts, but it's all part of the plan; before Lance can even consider squishing them for the betrayal, they cut a hole beneath them once again, and they fall into a tall, cavernous room - so tall, in fact, that they're forced to activate their jetpacks to avoid breaking their legs. The only thing inside the room is a catwalk, leading to a sort of altar upon which floats a small, white pyramid.
"Take!" -the tiny Gem says, excited. "Take, take!"
"Uh...sure." -Pidge says, and jogs up to the platform. The pyramid is about the size of a tangerine, and hums with unimaginable power. Her HUD indicates it's safe to touch, though, so she picks it up, half expecting the ship to blow up, or a comically large, round boulder to flatten her. Nothing really happens, aside from the pyramid glowing slightly brighter.
The tiny Gem climbs on her shoulder. "Yay!" -she cheers.
"I guess so." -Pidge says. "What should I call you?"
"Pebble!" -she says, pointing at herself, then at both of her fellow Gems. "Pebble, Pebble!"
"Oh. Yeah, I should've guessed that one. Context clues, and all."
The Pebble giggles, then points at the farthest wall. "Shoot!"
"With what?" -Pidge asks, raising an eyebrow.
The Pebble points at the pyramid. "Prism!" -she says, then giggles. "Boom!"
Pidge is mighty skeptical, but she points the prism at the wall. All of a sudden, her HUD is filled with Gemglyph symbols, streaming down too fast for even the armor's systems to understand. Sure enough, a beam of light blasts at the crystalline structure, tearing a person-sized hole into it, and knocking her onto her butt.
Boom, indeed.
Lance joins her side, smirking like a madman. "Holy shit, Pidge. I think I love our new friends."
"Flirt with the tiny rock people later." -she snarks, rising to her feet. "Let's go get Ruby."
Pidge leads the way, making the jump from the platform with the aid of her jump pack. Much like she'd predicted, the only remaining room is the harvesting room, which is about as horrific as it sounds. Instead of a mostly empty space, this room is chock full of machinery - grinders, presses, furnaces, everything you'd need to turn a gemstone into dust, and use it for something else. At the end of the room is a suspended beam of light, within which floats an unconscious Ruby.
"Halt!" -a yellow-green, slender Gem says to them. It's a Peridot, if memory serves, and there's another one like her just beside. They're each pointing one of their strangely voluminous arms at them, the floating fingers rearranged into a sort of blaster cannon, four fingers pooling green energy into the thumb, at the center. Lance aims right back, putting them in a stand-off. "This is a restricted area!"
"We'll be right on our way." -she says, sarcastically. "Just as soon as you hand over Ruby."
"This Ruby unit is slated for inspection and harvest." -the lead Peridot says, as if that should stop them. "Our report is not complete!"
Lance shakes his head. "We just blasted a hole in your creepy execution chamber and stole your glowy pyramid thingy. Step aside or we will poof you."
The second Peridot gasps. "You've pilfered Fire Agate's Light Prism! Give it back, you-you...you clod!"
The Paladins look at each other, then smirk. "Oh, so this is important, huh?" -Lance asks, giving them a predatory smile. "It'd be a shame if we...dropped it…" -he says.
"Oh, please, a Light Prism is hardly that fragile. You'd have to blast it with a not insignificant amount of energy."
"Like the one you're planning to shoot us with?" -Pidge asks, sarcastically.
The Peridot growls, frustrated. "Grrr...just hand over the Prism, meatbag!"
Pidge tries to think of a way to get past them, but the room is too narrow to go anywhere but forward. She glances around at the machinery - maybe she could mess with it, commit a cardinal engineering sin and mess with a fellow technician's tools - but the Pebbles beat her to the punch, jumping onto her back and activating her jetpack somehow. Pidge hastily adjusts her angle, and brings up her shield, which takes on the brunt of the blasts the Peridots manage to get off. The Pebbles go flying off, while Pidge and the Homeworlders land in a heap, just before Ruby's suspended form. Pidge rolls away, as one of the Peridots tries to pin her down, but she can't escape the grasp of the second one, those pesky fingers slamming her against the wall, hard enough that she blacks out for a second.
Lance shouts her name, his assault rifle becoming a marksman's one, and blasts the Peridot holding her down straight between the eyes. The Gem doesn't poof, but she does relax her grip as she stumbles backwards, stunned, enough for Pidge to bring out her own bayard and shoot it at her chest, willing the strongest possible current to zap her into nonexistence. It's a gamble; Pidge knows Yellow Diamond's powers are electrokinetic - and even though her bayard, legendary tool of the Paladins that it is, can't hold a candle to a Diamond's power, the principle behind it should be similar enough to work.
As the Gem bursts into a cloud of yellowish green smoke and light particles, and her triangular gemstone - as well as, bizarrely, her forearms and feet - clatter onto the ground, she breathes a sigh of relief. It'll take her bayard a minute or two to recharge, but it's worth it.
The other Peridot shrieks in anger, projecting a green field around Lance and throwing him, weightlessly, against her. Both Paladins grunt in pain, Pidge thankfully ending up on top of the tangle of limbs they've become. He stares up at her, dazed, as the Peridot gathers herself, muttering something about reporting her fellow Gem's poofing. "Huh. Never noticed. You have really pretty eyes." -he says, a goofy smile gracing his lips.
She rolls her eyes, though the compliment does make her feel the tiniest bit warm inside. She must be starved for human interaction. "Tell me about it when we aren't about to die, dummy." -she urges.
"Not gonna happen." -Lance glances down, and she follows his gaze. He's holding his inactive bayard in between them. "Get it?"
Pidge snorts. "You're not nearly as pretty as Leia." -she remarks.
"I dunno, I think I could rock a metal bikini." -Lance argues.
Pidge scoffs, then rolls out of the way, Lance's bayard morphing into the assault rifle again and unloading into the approaching Peridot. Unlike the Fire Agate, the technician is driven back by the bayard's firepower. Pidge helps Lance to his feet, the pair a bit worse for wear than they're used to.
"Really thought that would poof her." -Lance says, wincing as he rolls his shoulder. "What's our next move?"
She quickly scans the scene; Peridot is already getting back up, the Pebbles are hiding with the Light Prism in a corner...and Ruby is still floating, completely unaware of what's happened.
Pidge slaps her palm against her visor, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of this earlier. She manifests her bayard again, and shoots the grappling hook at the gravity field projector at the top. The charge may not have been enough to poof a second Peridot, but it certainly has enough juice for this. A short electric burst later, Ruby drops onto her face, groaning.
Lance raises an eyebrow. Pidge shrugs. "Ruby'll probably have an easier time of this than us."
The Peridot gasps. "My beautiful gravity projector! How dare- " -she manages to say, before Ruby's little fist slams her against a wall, where she instantly poofs, her gemstone making a couple clinks at Ruby's little bootie-clad feet.
Famous last words, Pidge supposes. Ruby stares at her trembling fist like she's looking at it for the first time in her life. The Paladins approach, while the Pebbles gather the stones and the...body parts, for lack of a better word. "You ok?" -Pidge gently asks their liberated friend, as the lead Pebble climbs onto her shoulder and hands her the Prism.
Ruby whimpers. "No, not really." -she mutters. "Why did you follow me?"
Pidge shrugs. "I know we didn't meet through the best of circumstances but...you're our friend, Ruby."
"Yeah, but...how could you have known they'd do this to me?" -she wonders. "For all you knew, I just saved you the trip, right?"
Lance shakes his head. "Yeah...no easy way to say this, but Moonstone knew they wouldn't take you back."
Ruby can't help the wince. "Th-the fusion?"
"Yes, the fusion." -Pidge says. "I can't imagine how hard it is to digest, but...the Diamonds are wrong. About fusion, about expanding at the expense of all organic life...about treating their subjects like expendable tools."
The Gem's lip trembles. "B-but they're supposed to be perfect!"
"Take it from someone who's been around most of the universe, Ruby." -Lance says. "Nobody's perfect. Not the heroes, not the villains...and definitely not the giant rock ladies."
Pidge kneels so their eyes are level. "Look, we can't expect you to figure everything out right now. But we do need to escape. Moonstone is holding back the Agate in charge of this colony, but there's a lot of Gems between us and the Warp back to the Lions. Can you help?"
Ruby tilts her blocky head. "The fusion is that strong?"
"She seemed to think so." -Pidge shrugs.
"Even a whole Ruby squad couldn't take on an Agate." -she whispers. "How could a measly Albite and an Orthoclase?"
"Seems to me like the Diamonds are wasting some potential, there." -Pidge says. "But y'know...you could always ask Moonstone herself."
Ruby considers this for a moment, then nods, her fists clenching. "Okay. Grab those Peridots and follow my lead."
Lance crosses his arms. "Why would we take the enemy with us?"
She looks sadly at the remains of her would-be executioners. "They got poofed by organics. If we don't take them, they'll probably get shattered."
The Blue Paladin sighs. "Yeah, that checks out." -he mutters. "Ah, well. If we're liberating Gemkind, I guess we could use a head start."
The way back to Moonstone is, shockingly, kind of a cakewalk. Ruby seems to be inspired, barreling through her former comrades like they're barely even there. Some of the larger Gems give her trouble, of course, but the Light Prism makes short work of them. Pidge idly wonders if she should be worried about how much the Pebbles seem to be enjoying the bloodless carnage.
It quickly becomes apparent that the fight between Moonstone and the Agate has torn up the flagship's insides. Walls and floors have collapsed into jagged crystal shards, and a not insignificant number of gemstones number among them. The Paladins almost take them, but stop when a couple of them begin to float and glow - apparently, soldier-type Gems, Ruby's case notwithstanding, respawn very quickly.
Moonstone and Fire Agate are at the entrance all of them came in. The Agate blocks the way out, but the fusion isn't anywhere close to leaving - she's got a fused pair of Jaspers behind her, and three Ruby guards. Moonstone looks a lot worse for wear, her form flickering as if on the verge of collapsing, but to her credit, Fire Agate looks even worse. Her flame-like hair has gone out, her right arm is glitching out, and her 'clothes' are all tattered and cut up. Her weapon, too, has been damaged - it's lost three of its five flame orbs.
Fire Agate spots their strange little party, and looks about close to spontaneously poofing in rage. "You!" -she hisses. "Soldiers, squash those organic pests!"
She barely dodges a swipe of Moonstone's pike. "Don't take your eyes off me, darling." -the fusion taunts. "I'm the aberration here, remember?"
"Every single one of you is an aberration." -the Agate growls. "A twisted mockery of the Diamonds' perfection."
"Oh, come off it, you massive tool. Pink is dead, Yellow has her hands full managing every goddamn colony, Blue hasn't stopped crying in eons, and- "
"Don't you say it!" -Fire Agate tries to stop her rant, lashing out with her shortened fire whip, but Moonstone expertly dodges it.
"White Diamond, " -Moonstone grinds out, taking extreme delight in saying the name of the missing Gem matriarch, "her pasty majesty, hasn't stepped foot out of her palace in an era. Perfect my hard-light ass."
The name brings a shiver to everyone present, even the Homeworlders. Pidge doesn't even have to ask - it's immediately clear that White Diamond is the one at the very top. Hearing the boss' name seems to push every last button Fire Agate had left, because she freakin' rushes forward, decking Moonstone straight past the Jasper fusion, and just short of Pidge.
Her whole form flickers, but she manages to remain fused, even though she moans in pain. "Hey guys." -she mutters. "Nice job rescuing Ruby."
Ruby numbly waves at the fusion, who smiles. "Nice to see you, too."
"Enough of this nonsense." -Fire Agate says, fuming. "Crush them! Make them suffer!"
Lance brings up his rifle, but it's all too clear that the bayard has absolutely no effect on the fused Jasper, who takes her sweet time approaching them. The Ruby guards, on the other hand, rush them, but Moonstone manages to put up her pike and swat them aside, poofing one of them with the bladed tip, before lying back down, exhausted.
"You have to get up!" -Ruby pleads. "We can't take them all!"
Moonstone offers a pained smile. "Sweet as it is that you're talking to me and all, I'm running on fumes, here. I'm gonna split any moment."
Pidge points the Prism at the fused Jasper, but it flashes red when she tries to blast it. "What the…?" -Pidge wonders.
Fire Agate cackles. "You thought you could wield the Prism against me? Its master? You're dumber than I thought, fleshling."
"In fairness, I was aiming at the Jaspers." -she says, sarcastic. Pidge turns to Moonstone. "We'll buy you guys as much time as we can. Figure something out!"
She arms herself with as much valor as she can, and flings her bayard at the ceiling above the Jasper fusion, pulling herself up towards it and kicking it in the face. It barely stumbles back, but Pidge still achieves her main goal: mounting the giant's back. She grabs huge fistfuls of cream-colored hair, and pulls back as hard as she can. Double Jasper roars in pain, as Lance switches to marksman mode and tries to at least annoy her by shooting at her eyes.
Ruby stares, back and forth, at her valiant friends and saviors and the fusion she's been taught to hate and feel disgusted by. Certainly, she's nowhere near the grace and poise of a normal Moonstone - and how could she be, formed from a glorified comms technician and a base guard barely more prestigious than a normal Ruby soldier? - and the 'deformities' are there, in the form of an abnormally large body and those unnerving, extra eyes in the back of her head, but…
Aside from her unorthodox appearance, what is her crime? Ruby tried not to listen before, but she got the gist of it from the open comms between the Lions; Moonstone's led a fairly happy life, away from the Diamond Authority - away from the structure, from the carefully designed plans of the Diamonds - one full of adventure, and long-lasting friendships. There were hardships and unknowns, to be sure, but...well, whatever her motivations for defecting and forming a permanent fusion may have been, they clearly changed her - and if her willingness to dive right back into the belly of the beast for a fearful, cowardly Gem like herself, knowing next to nothing about her?
Seems to her like the change was for the better.
Ruby makes a choice then. She puts out her hand. "Moonstone."
The fusion opens her eyes, glassy with exhaustion. "Yeah?"
Ruby nods, resolute. "Fuse with me."
As always, thank you for your attention! Make sure to comment or message me if you have any questions about this story. Look me up on Twitter as Darthkvzn or Tumblr as darthkvznblogs if you'd like - and on Ko-fi, as Darthkvzn, if you like what I do and have a coffee's worth of money to spare.
Until next time!