Chapter 7
Homeworld, Sapphire Kindergarten, 6000 years ago:
Peridot 3FG glanced around the tiny blue valley around her. Homeworld's last remaining Sapphire kindergarten was a small affair; there were so few resources left on the planet of late that most of the empire's Gem production had long since been shifted to colony worlds. Gems that were only needed in small quantities though, such as Sapphires and Pearls, were still produced on-world. Most days, the kindergarten didn't see much use; the Diamonds rarely needed new Sapphires after all. However, one of Blue Diamond's Sapphires had recently been shattered in a cave-in on the Kyanite colony. Said Sapphire had failed to predict the accident, so as far as 3FG was concerned, it wasn't exactly much of a loss. Nonetheless, Blue Diamond had requested a replacement Sapphire, and so 3FG had been spending the last few days monitoring the soon-to-be soothsayer's incubation. It wasn't the most stimulating work, so she breathed a sigh of relief as the hole she was monitoring began to glow, and released its inhabitant in a puff of smoke.
Sapphire was awake. She had never been 'awake' before. It was a strange sensation. She had all the knowledge of what to expect programmed into her, but the experience itself didn't seem to quite match up. She had anticipated that it would get much brighter once she emerged from her hole, but it remained pitch black. Puzzled, she used her future vision. Doing so gave her a perfectly clear view of the kindergarten around her, and the disgruntled green Gem who would shortly be coming to greet her. Yes, clearly this vision meant that someone would turn the lights on in a moment. She was quite surprised therefore when she heard the Peridot's greeting while the kindergarten was still in complete darkness. "OK new Sapphire; I see that your physical form seems to be in order. Welcome to Homeworld I guess."
"Huh? Oh…yes, thank you." Sapphire replied. She had seen the Peridot approach in her future vision, so she knew exactly where to look when conversing with her, but that didn't change the fact that she couldn't actually see her. Then it hit her: the Peridot had been examining her physical form; the engineer could see her just fine. Panic coursed through Sapphire as she realised what this meant: there was nothing wrong with the lights; she was the only one who couldn't see. For a split second, she considered reporting the defect there and then. A flaw such as hers was unacceptable, and the best course of action would be for her to be shattered, and her minerals used to grow a replacement Sapphire. For some reason though, she couldn't bring herself to speak up. It was as though a voice in her head was saying "Be quiet. If you stay quiet you'll get to live." Gems weren't supposed to think for themselves, or prioritize their own wellbeing, but Sapphire found herself overcome by the inexplicable desire to survive. So, she played her part well, using her future vision to feign eyesight until the Peridot finished her checks. "Well, looks like you're good to go. I trust you can make your own way to Blue Diamond's court" said the Peridot, clearly disinterested in the prospect of being a tour guide. "Yes, I'll be fine, thank you" said Sapphire, walking out of the kindergarten as quickly as she could while still appearing calm. From that moment on, her mind was made up: she would keep her condition secret from the entirety of Homeworld; she would survive.
Beach City, present day:
Sapphire stood silently in the Galaxy Bakery, leaning against the side wall. The little store didn't have any internal seating, and there wasn't anything else she wanted to buy, but she found the atmosphere of the place comforting for some reason. She stared solemnly down at the two paper bags in her hands, each containing a pastry she'd bought that morning. What with everything that had happened at the arcade, she hadn't even remembered to give Rose the one she'd bought for her. While Sapphire's face was an inscrutable mask, internally she was still reeling from what had happened. The previous day, she had been questioning whether to even speak to Rose again, and now she had not only done that, but had also let Rose in on her biggest secret. She had never told anyone that she was defective, and in the space of a single conversation, that Nephrite had unintentionally blown her whole charade wide open.
She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Lars emerge from the back room. "Oh! Hey again" he said as he spotted her. Sapphire jumped slightly. She was used to being caught off guard these days, what with the disruption of her future vision, but being so lost inside her own head had made her extra jumpy. "Oh. Hello there" she replied timidly. "I apologise for loitering in your store. I just…like it here." Lars smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "Pssh, it's no big deal. You're welcome to stay as long as you want; we are open 24/7 after all." Turning his gaze back to her, his face fell slightly when he noticed the bags she was carrying. "Oh, you've…still got those pastries from earlier. There wasn't something wrong with them was there?"
"Huh...? Oh, no no; I'm sure they're lovely" Sapphire quickly responded. "I just… didn't get a chance to share them with the person I had planned to. I've… got a lot on my mind today." She wasn't quite sure why she was revealing even the vague details to some random human baker, but it did feel somewhat cathartic. "Oh, that's ok" replied Lars sympathetically. "Like I said, you can hang out here as long as you need. I'll leave you to it; I gotta get in the kitchen and get cookin' anyway." Lars turned to leave, but just as he was about to head through the kitchen door, Sapphire called after him. She hadn't intended to, but somehow the words just…came out. "Wait!"
Lars looked back over his shoulder. "Everything ok?"
"Um…" Sapphire began tentatively. "The Gems who work here with you; they're…defective, right?" Lars raised an eyebrow, and tried not to look too offended. "Well, that's not exactly the word we'd use for it, but they're different, if that's what you mean." Sapphire nodded emphatically. "Yes, of course. I apologise. I was just wondering; could I perhaps…talk to one of them? I remember seeing a conjoined Rutile, perhaps they-"
"Captain Lars!" a high-pitched voice rang out through the building as a small orange Sapphire peeked over the counter separating the kitchen and the store. "I've just been blessed with a wondrous vision! A Homeworld Sapphire is going to ask to talk… to one of us!" Lars chuckled, running his hand through his hair as he did. "Thanks Padparadscha." Sapphire was stunned. She had been hoping that one of the baker's Gem misfits might have some insight into her situation, but this was perfect. "You… have a Sapphire here?!" she asked, unable to contain her surprise. "Sure do!" replied Lars cheerfully. "This is Padparadscha: my former technical advisor and current assistant store manager." Padparadscha gave a cheery wave. Sapphire turned to her. "Nice to meet you. You're def-… different too?" Padparadscha's face fell and she nodded silently. Noticing the change in her mood, Lars stepped in for her. "Padparadscha's power works differently from other Sapphires'. She predicts the past instead of the future… and she can't control when the visions come to her, so sometimes she's a bit behind everyone else."
"I see" said Sapphire in a sympathetic tone, stroking her own chin. "Padparadscha" she said, turning back to her orange counterpart, "could I perhaps have a moment of your time? I'd like to talk about… about being a Sapphire." Padparadscha looked surprised, almost taken aback at the suggestion. "You…want to talk to me? I might not be very helpful, especially if I start having visions. Wouldn't you get better advice from Garnet's Sapphire?" Sapphire shook her head. "Not about what I want to discuss. I'd rather talk to you… if that's ok." Padparadscha's face instantly transformed into a beaming smile. "Ok then! I'll help however I can!" She bolted for the shop door before freezing, turning to Lars, and asking "Um… Captain? May I have some time off?" Lars chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Just get outta here ya doofus."
Padparadscha's face lit up in response once again, as she grabbed Sapphire by the hand and led her out of the shop. Sapphire had to jog to keep up with the excitable orange Off Colour, and within moments they had reached a secluded patch of the boardwalk. The pair sat down, their little legs dangling over the edge, not quite reaching the sand below. Sapphire took a deep breath, working up the courage to say what she needed to say. She couldn't believe she was going to reveal her secret to yet another Gem, but she knew she had to face it one day, and she could think of no one better to talk to about it than another defective Sapphire. "So…" she began, steeling herself "I asked to speak to you because we're both… well… defective; if you don't mind me using the word. Your defect is with your future vision and mine…" she lifted her fringe, revealing her Gem to Padparadscha "is with my normal vision." Padparadscha didn't respond, but seemed to be listening intently, which Sapphire took as her cue to continue. "Eye gems aren't supposed to impair a Gem's sight, but mine does. I'm completely blind without my future vision. I hid it from everyone on Homeworld for centuries, but this planet is so unpredictable… I just don't think I can do that here."
Padparadscha gasped theatrically, her hands on her cheeks. "You have a defect?!" Sapphire couldn't help but chuckle slightly in response. This conversation was clearly going to be a challenge with her orange counterpart's frequent delays, but she supposed that if she was going to ask Padparadscha to deal with her issues, it was only fair to do the same in return. "Yes" she continued, politely acting as though the Off Colour's comment had come at the intended point in the conversation. "And since you have one as well, I was hoping to ask you… How do you deal with it?" Padparadscha paused for a moment. Whether she had stopped to think or was simply being delayed again Sapphire couldn't tell, but she was willing to wait either way. "Well…" said Padparadscha "I suppose I try to not let it affect my life too much."
"What do you mean?" asked Sapphire, thinking to herself that the advice sounded much easier said than done. "I mean that I try to be useful despite my…visions" Padparadscha replied, briefly looking down at the floor as she uttered the final word. "I think that… if I can be useful enough to my friends, it makes up for all the times they have to wait for me. They're always there whenever I need them, so I have to be their whenever they need me. That way, I can prove that my defect doesn't control me." The small orange Gem clenched her hand into a fist resolutely as she spoke. Sapphire would never have guessed that such intensity lay under such a cheerful, bubbly exterior. More than that though: she felt the weight of those words. Padparadscha had been pushing herself so hard to make sure that her defect never held her back, even if that meant revealing it to the world. Sapphire wished that she could have even half of that courage.
"I don't know you very well, but I'm sure you have friends who'll be there for you too" said Padparadscha, putting a hand on Sapphire's shoulder and snapping her out of her reflection. "I predict that one of them will try very hard to make up for what went wrong in the past." Sapphire simply sat open-mouthed, unsure of how to even respond. She knew that Padparadscha's prediction, albeit delayed, was correct. Rose hadn't always been there for Sapphire, but she was trying to make amends for that now. Sapphire clenched her own fist now; she wasn't about to let some defect get in the way of the life she wanted to have; for herself, and for Rose. "Thank you Padparadscha" Sapphire said with a smile. "I think I understand now." Padparadscha returned her smile. "You're welcome fellow Sapphire" she said. "Apparently being a space pirate taught me more than I had realised."
"Wait…" said Sapphire, suddenly caught by surprise, "you were a space pirate?" The rest of their day was spent by Padparadscha regaling Sapphire with stories of her adventures across the stars.
