The harsh words being thrown around became garbled and meaningless to Twoie's ears as he struggled to breath properly. Had breathing always been this difficult? His lungs cried out for oxygen and his head buzzed with a disorienting static. A glance at his hands confirmed what he already knew.
They were shaking. Badly.
He pushed himself off the couch, brushing off Pearl's worried hands and used what little strength he had to make a dash for the warp pad. He collapsed onto his knees as soon as he reached it.
"Twoie?!" Pearl cried. "Where are you going?"
Pearl was fast approaching and would force him to rest, but Twoie knew he didn't have much time left. He still had so much he needed to fix. He couldn't just sit around and wait for himself to vanish into non existence. The door to the temple opened behind him and the rest of the gems spilled out into the living room, their light-hearted chatter only made his urgency increase.
Pearl would no doubt reveal what Peridot had told them and Twoie didn't think he could stomach to listen to that explanation twice. He couldn't bear to see the pity in their eyes when they learned of his eventual demise. Without thinking, he slammed his fists against the warp pad, silently pleading for it to take him anywhere other than where he was.
His wish was granted a second later when the warp pad glowed brightly before activating and sending him away from the beach house. The last thing he saw was Pearl's worried face and outstretched hand as she pleaded for him to stay.
He knew exactly where he ended up the moment the light from the warp pad disappeared. He had been here before back when he was desperately trying to stop an injector from destroying the earth. His eyes were drawn to the center of the garden where a familiar figure stood patiently: Spinel.
Twoie slowly rose from the warp pad and began his journey down the steps and to Spinel, his legs wobbling the whole way. While he hadn't been consciously thinking about Spinel he was still glad that he ended up in the garden. He still had time and he intended to use it to help as much as he could.
He stopped when he reached Spinel and tried to give her the biggest smile he could muster, but he knew without even having to look that he must have been failing miserably.
"Spinel…"
The inside of the ship was as spectacular as the outside with strange and complex technology everywhere Steven looked. He just wished he could enjoy it more, but Twoie's sudden fainting was weighing on his mind. He knew that Twoie wasn't fine like he claimed to be, but had no idea how to get the truth from him.
"Why would you want a tour of the handship?" Lapis asked him as she eyed everything around her with displeasure.
Lapis had nearly attacked Jasper when she saw her leading Steven and Connie inside of the ship, but had quickly backed off once he had explained the situation to her and decided to tag along with them. Now, they were all waiting as Jasper attempted to open the door to the main control room of the ship. Apparently, Peridot had been in charge of steering the ship and Jasper was stumped as to how to open the door.
Steven took a seat on the cool floor, leaning his back against the wall before answering. "Twoie thought it would be a good idea." he said.
"Yeah, but he was really just finding an excuse to get us out of the house." Connie added. "I'm worried about him. He looked really pale when we left."
Lapis' lips pressed themselves into a thin line. "Is something wrong with Twoie?"
"I'm not sure." Steven said. "Twoie told us that he was fine, but… "
Before the conversation could continue any further the doors to the main control room of the ship slid open. Steven stood as Jasper walked back over to them with a triumphant look on her face.
"I've opened the door, my Diamond." Jasper saluted him and to Steven's surprise she glared at both Connie and Lapis. "Show some respect." she growled out as she emphasized the salute she was making.
Steven was taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor and by the looks of it so was Connie. She gave him a questioning stare to which Steven could only respond to with a small shrug. He had never seen Jasper act so aggressively before and had no idea what to do. The only one who didn't seem surprised by the gem's behavior was Lapis who merely glared back at the large gem.
Their stare off continued for a while longer until Lapis huffed in annoyance and turned away from Jasper who grinned, satisfied with her victory. Lapis rubbed at her arm nervously for a moment before moving to stand in front of him and bowing low, her arms in the Diamond salute.
"My Diamond." Lapis said, glancing up uncertainty at him.
"Diamond?" Connie repeated, her brows furrowed in confusion.
Steven blinked. Whatever he had been expecting Lapis to do that definitely wasn't it, but it did help explain Jasper's odd behavior. If what Pearl and Twoie had told him was true then not only did the Diamonds have great authority over all of gemkind, but they also were treated with the utmost respect.
"You don't have to bow to me." he said. "Or salute me." he hastily added when he noticed Jasper narrowing her eyes at Connie who was doing neither. "We're all friends here so just call me Steven."
Lapis straightened up and dropped the salute. She sent Jasper a smug look before walking ahead of the group and into the main control room. Jasper was quick to follow after her, a scowl plastered on her face.
"What was that about?" Connie asked.
Steven placed a hand over his shirt where his gem rested. "It's because my mom was a Diamond." he revealed.
Other than quirking an eyebrow up Connie didn't react to his statement, not that Steven was expecting her to. Connie was a human who shouldn't have any knowledge about Homeworld or the Diamonds.
"They're a really big deal on Homeworld, the planet where the gems come from." he explained before she could ask. "They're basically the leaders of all gems."
"But I thought your mom was a Quartz?" she asked.
"I thought so too…" he said, frowning. "But it turns out she was a Diamond the whole time and just never told anybody."
Finding out that his mom was a liar was honestly more of a shock to Steven than the revelation that she was actually Pink Diamond. His whole life he had been fed stories about how much of a wonderful, caring, and honest person she was and Steven constantly lived with the fear of never living up to her memory. Realizing that his mom wasn't as perfect as everybody claimed she was left Steven feeling more than a bit unsettled.
Connie placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she had a good reason for hiding the truth." she said. "Maybe she didn't want you to deal with the responsibilities of being a leader."
"Yeah, maybe…" he said, choosing to stay silent on the issue of the Diamonds. Connie still didn't know about the cluster or about how the Diamonds corrupted most of the gems on earth, and Steven really didn't want to think about that now.
Thankfully, Connie seemed to sense this and pulled him along toward the direction of the control room instead of asking him any more questions. "C'mon," she playfully nudged him in the shoulder. "I've been dying to check out this spaceship."
A genuine smile stretched across his face at her excitement. "Race you there." he said.
Connie grinned. "You're on!" she said before barreling ahead of him.
The garden was falling apart. There were more weeds than flowers, the pillars that littered the area were crumbling, and the fountain at the center of it all had long since dried up. It was a depressing sight, beaten only by the haggard expression that Spinel wore as she waited for someone who would never come.
Twoie had taken a seat on a small patch of grass near Spinel after she had agreed to let him stay, too weak to stand for much longer. He didn't say much at first, waiting to see if Spinel would change her mind and leave with him, but she remained still as a statue. It was clear that she still believed Pink Diamond would be coming back.
In an effort to pass the time he invited her to play a game.
Her eyes lit up in excitement. "A game?" she said. "What kind of game?"
"Hmm…" he racked his mind for game ideas "I know!" he said, after a while. "We can play I-Spy."
Spinel was, surprisingly, unfamiliar with the game and Twoie had to explain it to her. She quickly caught on and seemed to be enjoying the game. After all, she had literally been doing nothing but waiting for several thousands of years.
Twoie stroked his chin as he tried to come up with something harder to guess. It had taken Spinel less than a second to figure out the previous items he had picked. "I spy with my little eye something… pink." he said.
"The fountain." Spinel immediately guessed.
He grinned, happy to have stumped her for once. "No."
She paused and thought for a moment. "The pillars?"
He shook his head. "Nope, but good guess."
She snapped her fingers, eyes lighting up in realization. She pointed at herself. "Is it me?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, you got it!"
Spinel clasped her hand together in excitement, a small giggle escaping her as she relished in her victory. Twoie's grin grew wider at the sight of the happy gem. He worried telling her about Pink's demise would send her spiralling into a fit of rage and vengeance similar to what had happened in his time, but he couldn't sense an ounce of hostility coming from this Spinel.
Twoie invited Spinel to play more games as he thought of a way to broach the sensitive subject of Pink Diamond's death. They played tic tac toe using some twigs he had found in the garden, then later they used those twigs to draw in the dirt and play pictionary, Twoie even taught her how to play rock paper scissors.
After a while of this, Twoie struggled to come up with games they could play while remaining stationary. Spinel was adamant about not leaving her spot until Pink Diamond returned and Twoie didn't have much energy to play anything else. Still, he knew that he couldn't stay in the garden for much longer. Pearl was probably worried sick about him and he did need to eat eventually so he had to convince Spinel to come with him.
He mustered up some courage before suggesting their next game. "Do you want to play tag?" he asked in as casual a way as possible.
Spinel's initial reaction to the suggestion was one of eagerness and joy, but that quickly died down as she stared at her feet which were ensnared by thousand year old vines and moss.
"I can't play that game." Spinel said, regretfully. Her gaze darted over to the warp pad and Twoie knew without having to ask that Spinel was thinking of Pink Diamond.
"Why not?" he asked, fully aware of the reason.
Spinel's gaze fell to the ground. The smile that she wore throughout all their games had vanished into a frown.
"I'm waiting for a friend." she said.
"For Pink Diamond, right?" he asked, his gaze briefly darting to the pink gemstone hidden under his shirt. For a moment he contemplated telling her that he was Pink Diamond, but he shot the idea down as quickly as it had arrived. Spinel deserved to make her own choice for once in her life and not just listen to whatever Pink Diamond wanted her to do.
Spinel nodded. "I promised I would stand very still until she returned."
"She's not coming back, Spinel." he said. "She's gone."
Just like the last time Twoie had tried to break the news to her, Spinel shook her head in denial of his words. "She'll be back soon." she said. "You'll see."
"How soon is soon?" he asked, knowing Spinel wouldn't be able to give him a concrete answer. He took no pleasure in upsetting her, but refused to let her keep standing by herself in the ruins of a once beautiful garden.
Spinel's frown deepened at his question. She opened her mouth before closing it and refusing to answer.
"Spinel?"
There was a beat of silence. "She'll be back soon." Spinel repeated. "She promised." she added, though Twoie suspected those words were more for her own benefit than for his.
"So, she'll be back in an hour?" he asked, knowing that wouldn't be the case.
Spinel went silent, her eyes glued to a patch of dead grass like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"A day?" he pressed. "A week? A month? A year?"
"I don't…" Spinel hesitated, her mask of certainty beginning to crack. "... soon." she said with much less confidence than usual.
"How long have you been waiting here, Spinel?" he asked.
Silence was her only response, but it didn't matter because Twoie already knew the answer. Spinel had been waiting for nearly 6,000 lonely and quiet years.
"She's not coming back for me…" Spinel said in realization, her voice barely above a whisper.
Her expression crumbled as tears pricked the corner of her wide and distraught eyes. She had finally accepted Pink Diamond's abandonment of her and was not handling it well.
Not only did Twoie have to deal with the emotional guilt of upsetting Spinel, but he also had to contend with the physical pain that radiated from his body. She wasn't supposed to leave the garden for several years and the timeline seemed very upset with his interference, sending him wave after wave of agonizing pain.
He took steadying breaths as he waited for the pain to subside to a tolerable level before approaching Spinel who had crumpled onto the ground and began to weep.
The main control room of the spaceship was as fantastical as Connie hoped it would be. In the center and at the end of the room was the most advanced piece of technology that she had ever seen. A large, light-projected monitor displayed a jumble of various symbols and images which were completely foreign to her.
"How do you use this thing?" Connie asked as she took a seat in front of the large console under the monitor.
The console resembled a desk and was made of some sort of alien metal that reminded Connie of marble. She ran her hand over the cool, flat surface in search of buttons or some sort of control panel but found nothing.
"Maybe it's voice activated?" Steven suggested from beside her. "Ship, turn on." he said.
Connie stared at the monitor, waiting for it to change but to her disappointment nothing happened.
Steven frowned at his failed attempt before turning toward Jasper who was standing a few steps behind him.
"Jasper, do you know how to use this?" He asked as he pointed at the console.
The large gem walked over to the console and made a few gestures which caused the monitor to change to a map-like screen. Symbols that Connie speculated represented planets dotted the screen, each with a small blurb of information that she could not read.
"Woah," Connie said, leaning forward in her chair to get a better view of the screen. "It kind of looks like a map."
"A star map," Jasper confirmed. She made a few more gestures and the monitor zoomed in on a particular dot. "Homeworld." she said.
"So, that's Homeworld…" Steven said, his eyes glued to the screen.
The planet was blindingly bright and, to her surprise, seemed to be divided completely in half with chunks of rock aimlessly floating in its orbit. Despite this Connie had to admit the planet was oddly beautiful.
Behind her Lapis let out a large sigh before looking away from the screen and walking off to another corner of the room.
If Amethyst were physically capable of getting a headache she would have had a massive one right then. Just when the situation with the cluster seemed to be getting under control another problem sprung up, except this time Amethyst didn't have the faintest idea of what that problem was.
After Twoie's strange and abrupt disappearance, Pearl had gathered everybody in the living room to discuss an issue of 'grave importance' only to then go on about a bunch of technical nonsense that made virtually zero sense to her. To make matters worse, Peridot had added onto Pearl's nonsense with some of her own when she started spouting facts about ancient gem history that didn't interest Amethyst in the slightest.
Thankfully, Pearl did eventually bring the conversation back on topic, although Amethyst still struggled to understand what exactly that topic was. From what she gathered, the issue seemed to be focused on the gem artifact that Twoie used to travel to the past which would explain Twoie's absence, but failed to explain Pearl's grief stricken expression.
Throughout her explanation Pearl would frequently clutch her hands to her chest (a gesture Amethyst recognized as one Pearl did when upset) and she would even hear the occasional sniffle from her. All of which were signs that Pearl wanted to cry, but Amethyst couldn't figure out why. With Twoie on their side they had not only stopped Homeworld, but had actually managed to get Jasper as an ally. As far as she was concerned everything was going great, so then why did Pearl look so sad?
Annoyingly, it seemed like she was alone in her confusion. Garnet's face had become an unreadable stone wall as she digested the information that was given to her, but Amethyst could tell by her clenched jaw and stiff posture that she was upset. Heck, even Bismuth seemed to understand what was going on and she had literally been stuck in her gem for thousands of years.
Amethyst bit back a groan of annoyance when Peridot began to speak again. She quickly cut her off before she could continue with her mini history lesson.
"And all of this means…" she said.
Peridot huffed at the interruption before her face turned serious once more. "In short, failure to restore the timeline to its original course will undoubtedly result in the taller organics… expunction."
Amethyst stared at her for a full second before turning to Pearl. "And all of this means…" she repeated.
Pearl's gaze darted over to the warp pad where Twoie had been before he ran off. She wrung her hands together as she spoke. "If Twoie does not return to his time soon then he will be… erased from existence."
Oh. Oh. Like a puzzle everything clicked into place, leaving Amethyst with an horrible mental image of Twoie disintegrating in front of her. For once, Amethyst was grateful that she didn't have a real human stomach because if she did it would no doubt be churning.
"So, we just need to send him back and he'll be fine, right?" she asked.
There was no way Twoie was actually going to die, right? She would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the idea if it weren't for Pearl's shiny eyes and grim expression. There was something else she wasn't telling them and judging by the faces of everybody around her they had all figured it out.
Garnet had crossed her arms and turned away from Pearl, her gaze glued to a random spot on the wall. Bismuth wore a small frown and her eyes looked far away and contemplative. Even Peridot was uneasy as she fiddled with the artifact in her hands, avoiding eye contact with her at all costs.
"Twoie's going to be fine right, Pearl?" she asked after failing to get a response.
Pearl refused to meet her gaze. "Ideally, if we send him back as soon as possible he should be fine, but…"
"But, what?"
It was Garnet who answered. "Twoie has altered the past drastically." she adjusted her visor. "The future is in constant flux due to his changes which is why I have been struggling with my future vision. His original future may not exist anymore."
Amethyst frowned as realization dawned upon her. If Twoie's past no longer existed then what would happen to him if they tried to send him back? But they couldn't keep him in the past forever either since, if Peridot were to be believed, staying in the past would only lead to Twoie's eventually death.
Before she could ruminate on the helplessness of the situation any longer, the subtle shaking of the ground pulled her attention towards the window and at the only thing capable of causing such a disturbance. The handship jerked forward, the floor rumbling with its movements before going still.
"Does anybody know where Steven is?" Amethyst asked, suddenly aware of his absence.
Silence was the only answer she received, but everybody's gaze had darted over to the green handship. The next minute was a hectic blur as they (mostly Pearl) panicked about Steven's well being and the sudden movement from the ship. It was quickly agreed that Bismuth would stay behind to watch Peridot and wait for Twoie while Amethyst, along with Garnet and Pearl, went to investigate the ship.
Steven walked over to the corner where Lapis stood. It was clear from her expression that something had upset her.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
Lapis hugged herself and turned away. "It's nothing," she said. "Don't worry about it."
Steven glanced at Jasper who was preoccupied with translating the strange gem writings for Connie before turning back to Lapis.
"Is this about Jasper?" He asked.
Jasper and Lapis didn't exactly get along, but Steven hoped he could get them to talk out their issues and become friendly towards each other.
"I don't like her." Lapis admitted. "She held me prisoner and had Peridot intergate me for information."
Steven winced at the revelation. He knew that Lapis had arrived on earth with Jasper and Peridot, but he was unclear on the details since nobody had bothered to fill him in. Everybody had just assured him that they won and that they had new allies. He had assumed that Twoie and the others managed to convince Jasper and Peridot of the beauty of earth, but realized now that their initial encounter probably wasn't that peaceful.
"But that's not what's bothering me." Lapis said.
Steven looked at her in surprise.
"Is it… the cluster?" He asked, whispering the last part while glancing over at Connie.
He didn't want to scare Connie by telling her about it especially since Twoie reassured him that the cluster didn't pose a real threat to them. Still, Steven couldn't help but worry about the geoweapon that resided in the earth's core.
Lapis gave her head a small shake. "I thought when I got back to Homeworld all my problems would disappear, but I just ended up being a prisoner again."
"You're not a prisoner now." He pointed out.
"But I'm still trapped here on earth, millions of light-years from Homeworld."
Homeworld, the planet where all gems came from and the place that Lapis had been so desperately trying to get to when they first met. She must have been feeling homesick, Steven realized. She had been trapped in a mirror for so long only to be taken prisoner the second she got home.
Lapis hesitated before continuing. "But you're a Diamond, aren't you?" she asked. "You could take me back to Homeworld and explain to the other Diamonds that I'm not a criminal."
It was true that he was a Diamond. Hypothetically, he should have no problems going back to Homeworld, but Twoie was adamant that nobody use the ship or contact anybody from Homeworld.
"I don't know if going to Homeworld is a good idea." he said. "Twoie doesn't want me talking to the other Diamonds."
Not that Twoie ever really explained why he was so against the idea other than telling him the Diamonds were unreasonable. There was a lot about the Diamonds and Homeworld that Steven didn't know and it seemed like Twoie and the others were content with keeping him in the dark about it.
Lapis sighed. "Twoie told me the other Diamonds don't have much respect for you."
Steven raised an eyebrow at her statement. Apparently, Twoie had no issue talking about the Diamonds with anybody other than him. He made a mental note to confront Twoie about the issue before focusing his attention on Lapis.
"Why not?" he asked her.
"They wanted to colonize the earth, but Pink Diamond was against the idea and eventually started the Crystal Gem Rebellion."
Steven nodded at her explanation. It made sense that the Diamonds would be upset at his mom for starting a war against them, but that had been thousands of years ago. They couldn't still be mad about that, could they? Maybe if Steven talked to them then they would agree to let Lapis go back home and they might even agree to help with the cluster. Surely, it wouldn't hurt to at least try? After all, Twoie had managed to get Jasper on their side.
Twoie placed a comforting hand on Spinel's shoulder while she cried. For a while, he eyed her gemstone warily waiting to see if it would glow and flip upside down. He eventually relaxed when he realized that Spinel was not angry and would most likely not be attacking anyone. Having someone there to help her process her loss seemed to be enough to stop vengeful thoughts from consuming her.
Occasionally, Twoie would mutter a few kind words or assurances but for the most part he just allowed Spinel to cry. And cry she did. Tears poured forth from her eyes like a waterfall and her small frame was racked with sobs.
Only when Spinel's cries were reduced to quiet sniffles did Twoie finally speak, "Come back to earth with me." he said, standing and offering her his hand. "You can start over there, make new friends."
Unlike the last time this had happened, Spinel did not hesitate in taking his hand and hoisting herself up into a standing position. He took a step forward, pausing when Spinel did not follow. She was staring at the vines and weeds that ensnared her feet and prevented her from moving. He was just about to go help her when Spinel, in one swift motion, pulled herself free from the ground. She quickly did the same with her other foot and took her first hesitant steps away from the spot she had been standing in for several thousand years.
They continued on their slow trek to the warp pad, finally stopping when they reached the bottom of the large staircase. Twoie never imagined that stairs would one day be an obstacle he'd have to overcome, but here he was hesitating at the sight of them. He lifted one shaky leg upward and placed it onto the next step, his body screaming in protest to the action. He suppressed a sigh at the sight of the dozen other steps he would be forced to climb and focused on making sure his legs didn't give out on him.
If Spinel was bothered by their snail-like pace she didn't show it. Her eyes were shiny and held a far away look in them that made it difficult for Twoie to decipher what she was feeling. Hopefully, she would perk up when they got to earth, but that would probably take a while given how many steps there were still left.
Getting Jasper to agree to contact the other Diamonds was more difficult that Steven expected since she was adamant about following the rules Twoie gave her. Lapis attempted to help, but her knowledge on gem technology was several thousand years old. So far, Connie was having the most success in getting them closer to their goal, although she had only managed to get the screen to change.
Connie's brows were furrowed in concentration. "What if I…" she trailed off, as she made a series of gestures on the console.
The ship violently lurched forward and Connie immediately pulled her hands away.
"Maybe we shouldn't be doing this." she said. "What if I accidentally set off an alien laser beam or something? It could be dangerous."
"I'm sure we'll be fine." Steven said, determined to contact the Diamonds. "Plus, I'm pretty sure this ship doesn't actually have any lasers." he turned to Jasper. "Right, Jasper?"
She shook her head. "The ship is armed with several lasers and other explosives."
Connie paled a bit at the information. She got off the chair and took a few steps away from the console as if she were afraid it would explode on her.
"Let me try." Lapis said.
She took a seat in the now empty chair. The ship jerked forward a few times before Lapis gave up. She huffed in frustration before giving Jasper a sharp look.
"Shouldn't you be able to contact Yellow Diamond?"
"My Diamond was against the idea of contacting the other Diamonds." Jasper said.
"Please, Jasper." Steven pleaded. "I just want to ask them a few questions. I promise I won't even tell Twoie you let me talk to them." he said.
Jasper stared at him for a few moments before ultimately relenting. She navigated past a few screens with more gem language plastered on them, before everything went blank. A few seconds passed where nothing happened, but eventually the screen flickered to life and Steven was left gaping at the face of another Pearl.
Before he could even think of something to say to her, a spear whizzed past him and lodged itself inside of the main console. The weapon was quickly followed up by a familiar and large gauntlet which succeeded in completely destroying the console and causing the monitor along with the other Pearl to disappear.
"Steven!" Pearl's displeased voice shrieked. "What were you thinking?"
Steven turned around and was met with three sets of equally disappointed eyes. Oh boy, he was in big trouble.
