Connie had plans, before she'd given herself over to Homeworld and signed her death warrant. There was the long-term plan, of course, the one where one day, years and years from now, Connie and her family would be done capturing the corrupted gems and would be able to relax aside from the minor annoyances Homeworld would throw at them to catch them, which all would fail. She didn't have anything planned past that though for long-term, she didn't allow herself to dream of anything more as to remind herself: she wouldn't make it past that. With Homeworld out to shatter her and her family, Connie liked to plan small, day to day, like every day would be her last on Earth. And so, she felt incredibly stupid now. She'd done something she rarely ever did that morning, and planned for the day after this one.
After saving everyone, the next day would be spent making a full proof plan on how to make sure it never happened again: destroying any means of gem transport so that none could come in or out. The planning would be fun though, everyone in town would be invited, there would be food from every shop, and they would all sleep easy that night. The Temps would be so proud of how much of a leader she'd grown into. She'd given herself hope. She wouldn't make that mistake again.
All that was on her schedule for today, as it being her last, would be to be killed.
Connie gritted her teeth as she tried not to burst out crying, slamming her head on the ship door that had closed moments ago.
"Come now, 'my Diamond'." Zultanite suddenly cooed behind her. "Aren't you excited to go home?"
Connie glared back at the gem, wiping away her tears before slowly walking away from the door.
"I'm sure all your gems will be delighted to see you…" The gem chuckled, smirking down upon the girl. "But wait…! You don't have any gems left, do you? They were all captured by The Crystal Gems after you left."
Connie looked up slightly. All of them…? Those gems in the museum, there were thousands upon thousands, most yellow. So all of those gems were her people, innocent people that did absolutely nothing.
"Huh, you didn't know that?"
"Zultanite, of course she wouldn't know about that." The Sapphire moaned after waving off the Peridots to go downstairs to operate the ship.
"Yes! She's been on this disgusting planet for thousands of years! She could not have known about the imprisonment." The Pearl piped up, looking delighted she had something to add. She then blushed, glancing at her Sapphire and curtsying. "Forgive me, my Sapphire, I spoke out of line."
The Sapphire brushed her bangs out of her eye to look at her, seeming upset and confused. "Why are you sorry…? I always let you speak your mind, we all do."
"And that's because we love you, don't forget that!" Zultanite said in a singsong voice, hugging the icy pearl from behind and making her giggle.
"Oh, I know that! But…"
Connie's eyes widened in surprise as the Pearl babbled on about 'after the mission'. She thought this scene was actually very sweet, even if she dislike the gems in it.
They seemed to have forgotten they were in the same ship as a past war criminal, a very powerful one at that, such was the power of love.
After a few moments of discussing, Zultanite finally turned back to Connie. She gave a laugh. "You really have given up, haven't you?! You aren't even trying to escape."
"Trying that would be foolish." Connie whispered dryly, the first time speaking since she'd said goodbye. "... We made a deal, after all. And you'll keep true to it."
"Everyone! Wonderful news!" A light voice suddenly cried. The pink Sapphire, Padaparcha, practically bounced up the steps.
Zultanite kneeled down to her and she whispered something in her ear. The larger gem's smile widened still and glanced back at Connie, giving a mock bow to gesture down the steps. "It seems your quarters are all ready for you."
Connie narrowed her eyes in distrust but she slowly walked down the steps, Zultanite followed shortly after. The girl glared back. "I don't need an escort."
"I'm not escorting you, I'm just making sure you don't do anything rash down here." Zultanite smiled.
The girl was about to ask what she meant when she suddenly heard a familiar yelling.
"Let me out of here, or you'll be sorry!" Sadie cried to the Peridots, in a cell with a pink shield in front of it.
"SADIE?!" Connie gasped, running to the girl's cell and kneeling down. "Wh-What are you doing here?! You…"
The girl then glared back at Zultanite with rage. "You said-!"
"Ah, ah, we said we'd leave the Earth alone...!" Zultanite told her, grabbing her shoulders from behind.
Connie turned, about to punch when she saw Peridot. She gasped in shock and then she gritted her teeth and tried again.
Zultanite shapeshifted during the attack, causing Connie to fall to the floor as she went to the other side.
"We said we'd leave your family alone…" Lapis' form pouted, twirling around before displaying Sadie look some kind of prize. "You know, it doesn't even matter, because we didn't do anything! The little human snuck in here all by herself!"
"You what?!" Connie cried, Sadie winced.
"Look at it this way:" Zultanite shapeshifted and color-changed into Jasper as she had with the other two, smiling down. "You won't be alone anymore."
Connie gave a scream in rage, running at her and attempting to attack once more, her destabilising powers at full force.
Zultanite laughed in delight and sidestepped out of the way, just for Connie to slam into the wall.
The girl rubbed her head in pain before turning around in time to see the pink forcefield of her cell go up.
"Have fun with your friend, kiddo."
Connie pounded on the field in anger at the nickname and Sadie's imprisonment while Zultine went back upstairs. She gave a yell at the burning sensation that filled her hand and glanced down to see her fist had been burned quite badly, not deadly, but close. "You have to let her go! Or I'll… I'll make you! You hear?! Let her go!"
"Connie…" Sadie mumbled, looking at her through the transparent wall that separated them. "They won't listen. I already tried."
The two elder Peridots were done putting in the coordinates and went upstairs while their junior stayed to guard. She didn't seem to notice the two, too busy observing Connie's sword.
"Sadie, what are you doing here? I saw you escape, I gave myself up so you would be safe!" Connie cried in anger.
Sadie looked surprised, never having seen Connie so upset, even when she'd insulted her mother. "I don't know, I thought I could use the ship to take them out and then blow it up, I guess! Then they wouldn't bother us anymore, right?"
"It's not that simple." Connie sighed, putting her back against the wall and sliding to the bottom. She put her head on her knees. "...More would've come."
"So, you just gave in to them?" Sadie growled, making her turn. "That's ridiculous!"
Connie narrowed her eyes. She would never understand. The girl stood up then and glanced around the cell. All it was was a small, metal, hexagonal room, each only allowing a little bit of walking space. They were identical to the one she'd been in all the way back when Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl had invaded. Unfortunately, Connie wasn't as lucky as she'd been there and in the zoo, seeing as this shield was resistant to humans and there were no controls on the inside for her to trick. "... There's… no way out…"
Sadie looked disgusted at her tone which sounded so hopeless. "Wait, what? No! There has to be a way! What are you even saying?!"
"... There's a place on Homeworld, a museum…. There's places for humans there, it's bound to have food. That's where they'll take you… Since you're my friend, maybe they'll let you stay in the luxury one."
"So… it'll be like a 5-star suite I can never leave…?"
"Yeah." Connie turned with a forced smile. "D-Dont worry, though! You'll probably only be there for a few hours at most. In that time, I can bargain with Pink Diamond, and have her send you home."
"... And you'll sneak aboard, right?" Sadie tried to confirm. Connie glanced down at her shoes. "... Or… escape a little later?"
"No. I'm not escaping." Connie whispered. She looked to her with a serious face, one of the most grim Sadie had ever seen made on anyone's face. "My mother started a war with Pink Diamond and Homeworld thousands of years ago as a promise to protect everything that lived. When I was old enough to understand, I made that promise too. I said I would do whatever it took…"
Sadie saw tears well up in Connie's eyes and felt her own come, realizing what 'keeping the promise' meant. She hated Homeworld in that instant, hated Pink Diamond, she was angry at the Temps too, they were supposed to be her guardians, right? So why was this kind, funny, sometimes annoying but well-meaning bookworm here? This little kid that she'd seen every day ever since she'd started work at the bookstore, always smiling and craving, she didn't deserve to die, her mother should've been there to do it, Connie didn't deserve any of this garbage, the punishment or guilt. "Connie, listen, you can't blame yourself like this! Y-You can't just give up! You never give up, you are annoyingly persistent in everything I've ever seen you do! So you have to figh-!"
"I did fight! I gave everything I had out there! All my training, all my research, all the planning, and growing, learning about forced fusion, I wasted all of it by letting my anger get the better of me!" Connie cried, with tears running down her face.
"Connie…"
"I'm so, so sorry, Sadie!"
Sadie watched as Connie curled up and began to weep. She was quiet for a minute or two and then shakily spoke. "... Y-You know… I let anger get the better of me too today, when I boarded this ship. It makes you do stupid things, huh?"
Connie sniffed and turned. "...I guess…"
"I actually did go to that potluck, you know?" Sadie asked, looking to her. "I got there a bit after you went looking for me. I was really nervous, but excited too. I had practiced my song so many times and was ready to perform it to Lars… but no one answered the door. And when I peeked in the window… I saw Lars having so much fun with the Cool Kids. I got so angry, angry they'd started having fun without me, that Lars didn't seem to even care I was missing… I wasn't the life of the party, I wasn't even needed."
"So you threw your notebook away…" Connie mumbled. "I was really looking forward to you telling Lars how you felt!"
"... Me too." Sadie whispered. "I wanted to let him know that I appreciated he was always there for me, and to thank him for lifting me up."
"But the song has such a sad ending!" Connie protested.
Sadie chuckled. "Yeah, well I was gonna tell him I wouldn't let that ending happen, not at the potluck or ever, because I… I just wish I got the chance to sing it."
Connie looked around the cell and nodded. "Well… we don't have anything better to do while we wait…"
Sadie heard the girl softly tap the melody of her song on the metal wall and blushed. "Connie-"
"Come on, no one else is listening!"
Sadie heaved a sigh but then nodded. "Fine. But it's not meant for you!"
"I know!"
"Looking out the window, I decided today's the day. Gonna go see what's up there, gonna live in a new way. So I hurry down the stairs to grab the tallest ladder I can find, you help lift it up, you're saying it's a sign, that I'll finally make up there where I belong: with stars and the moon all listen'... to my song… Like you, who's always listened to my song…" The woman sang softly, closing her eyes and thinking of Lars.
Connie in that moment remembered Steven's scared face when she'd nearly forced Stevonnie into play.
"This ladder is ginormous, but I don't even care, because I'm stubborn and stupid, and my head's already, up, there. So I start to climb the tallest ladder that I could find, you support me as always, you're saying I'll be fine, that I don't need to worry about you when I'm gone because I'll have new friends in the clouds and with the sun… and we'll be having some real fun… But will you still listen to my song…? Even when I'm gone…"
Connie was too angry and scared then, she wasn't thinking straight, like her head was already in space, not getting enough oxygen.
"Okay, this is is enough it's getting hard to breathe! Way up in the atmosphere, I don't think I can see you anymore… I'm scared, but what for? Cause all my new pals are up there, where I belong… where I'll be singing my song… Then I realize that down there, you've been singing along…"
Connie stopped patting the tune as she realized she'd never be able to apologize to him, or Jasper and Lapis for failing to remember the lessons she'd been taught in fusion.
"So I descend down the tallest ladder I could find, I'm coming down to Earth, I'm not leaving you behind! You're laughing already, god, I love to hear that laugh. Then I see it's not for me…" Sadie paused and took a breath. "The stars and the moon and the clouds and the sun was all I ever sang about, so why does this feel wrong? I suppose it's because… I never wrote you a song…. when you're the one who needed it, I was gone…."
They suddenly heard a tiny sob and glanced over to see the entire group of their captors all standing there, the Peridots and the Pearl were sniffing messes while the Zultanite tried to not show her big tears and the Sapphire stared silently.
"Oh, the human sings so beautifully!" Padaparacha piped up a few moments later, clapping quickly.
Zultine nodded. "You were quite good."
"I wish I could sing so beautifully!" Sighed the Pearl.
"Oh...Uh… thank you?" Sadie whispered, looking to Connie who stared in distrust.
"You and your Lars, you will end up together, won't you? After the Lars hears your song, it is sure to accept your feelings!" Proclaimed the youngest Peridot, leaning forward slightly.
"I'm not sure… It could be a clod and reject her." Said her elder, crossing her arms. Her sister nodded.
"That would be so sad!" The Pearl gasped, clasping her hands to her chest.
"Do not worry, this is unlikely to happen if the Lars is as open as the Sadie has described it to be." The Sapphire assured them.
"...Why are you all here?" Connie asked suddenly, making them turn to her.
"I heard you two talking, and I felt inclined to get the others straight away!" The youngest explained.
"We're lucky that the forcefield is in front of you, or else we would've had a powerful fusion on our hands." Zultanite chuckled.
After a few moments, the Peridot glanced at their course and sighed. "We are to be arriving soon…"
All the gems looked incredibly disappointed, besides Padapracha who hadn't heard the news quite yet.
"... Why are you guys sad?" Sadie asked, despite Connie trying to signal not to talk to them in case this was a trick. "Isn't this Pink Diamond lady going to reward you?"
"Yes, she will." The Sapphire answered coldly. "But we will lose far more than we gain. This… is our very last mission together."
Connie looked up to see they all did look genuinely upset and recognized the looks as something she'd seen before in Rhodonite. "You all fuse for love…?"
"Yes… Sapphire and I, we started as all Pearls and masters do, but then we bonded and one day, we fused." The Pearl explained softly with a blush. "We would do so in secret, we have been for thousands of years, and we added on as we met such wonderful gems!"
"And we're willing to have more, if we find the right gem." Zultanite added on with a small smile. "Or… we were…."
"After this mission, Pink Diamond will make sure you aren't together anymore, and force you to play your parts." Connie remembered the Pearl had been trying to get in character for being a mindless servant, feeling quite sad for them despite being taken by them.
"We'll be separated directly after we disembark, yes." One of the Peridots said with an arched eyebrow. "Why do you care?"
"Because I was just separated from the people I love, and it was the worst experience of my life." Connie reminded them. "And I wouldn't wish the pain of missing your loved ones on anyone."
The gems all looked rather guilty then, some glance up, others down, not wanting to meet her eyes because they were the ones who'd forced her to go through it.
"... If she's gonna separate you… you guys could just ditch her."
All the gems, including Connie looked at Sadie with confusion, one later than the others.
"What is 'ditch'?" Asked the elite Peridot with hexagonal hair. "Shockingly, I am unfamiliar with the term."
"Ditching? It's just not going somewhere or to something you don't wanna go to, and doing something fun instead." Sadie shrugged. "Jenny and I did it loads of times, Lars sometimes even joined in."
"If we 'ditch' turning you two in, that means we get to stay together?" Peeped the icy blue Pearl, glancing at her Sapphire. "For how long?"
"For however long you like, really." Connie answered softly. She wished she could ditch this meeting too, and was rather jealous she didn't have the freedom they did.
Sadie nodded, throwing her hands up. "I mean, you guys have this huge ship, you could use it to escape!"
All the gems besides the two Sapphires started conversing excitedly at this prospect.
The older Sapphire suddenly shook her head. "We mustn't. If we do this, Pink Diamond will capture us and shatter our gems. So, we must turn the prisoners in."
"Is that a future you came up with, or someone else?" Connie asked.
Sapphire looked surprised. "What do you mean? It is the future, there is a single one. No one can make it."
The girl shook her head with a knowing look. "That's not true. There are so many more possible outcomes, waiting to be discovered! I learned that from a Sapphire like you. Did you predict you would fuse with your Pearl?"
"No, I did not."
"How about meeting the three amigos here or this shapeshifter?" Sadie added on.
"Of course not. A Sapphire meeting such types would be…. impossible."
"Yes, I agree! The future's not set in stone! We can change it so everyone can be happy!" Padapracha suddenly smiled, having finally heard the conversation.
"But if Pink Diamond finds us…!" The Sapphire whispered.
Connie shook her head. "I won't let that happen. If she wants to separate you, she'll have to go through me!"
"And me!" Sadie smirked, standing up as well and forming fists.
The components all were at a loss as to why the two would want to help them or for them to be happy for that matter… But what they said was true… They talked a few moments more and then parted.
"Alright then." Zultantie grunted, cracking her knuckles suddenly with a smile. "Let's ditch 'er."
"I just have one reque-." Connie piped up after they and Sadie cheered.
"Yay! We're leaving!" Padaparcha cried late.
One of the twins snickered and put her hand on her head to tell her to be quiet for just a moment.
"What's your request?" The Pearl asked with a surprised expression.
The Sapphire coughed slightly. "To take them back to Earth, of course."
"Ah, we can do that!" Zultine smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "We have our own ship now after all! Somebody set the coordinates to Earth!"
The Pearl nodded and happily did so after kissing Zultine on the cheek. The younger Peridot whined slightly and demanded a kiss as well, which she received with a giggle.
The two older Peridots quickly let Connie and Sadie out of their cells, giving the girls room to stretch and quickly hug each other before the younger looked over to the escape pods nearby. She walked over to one solemnly. "If you could take Sadie home that would be wonderful but I..."
Sadie and the gems turned to her in surprise.
"I have to go to Homeworld. I don't want to risk you all being captured by landing, so I'll go in this escape pod, alright?" Connie asked.
"No way!" Sadie cried in anger before stomping over to Connie. "I'm not letting you go to that murder! Your family is waiting for you down there, so's the rest of Beach City!"
"Sadie, you know I can't go back, if I do-!"
"No, you're going home, you hear me?! You're going-!"
The entire ship suddenly jolted to a stop, making everyone fall to the floor with screams.
"What was that?!" Sadie cried, helping Connie up.
"We have to go, now! Homeworld will see our ship turn around!" Padaparcha wailed. The Sapphire hugged her when she ran into her arms.
"I-I'll go look up there, everybody else stay here!" Zultantie ordered before running up the steps two at a time.
"She doesn't have to. There's no doubt Homeworld is pulling us in through a tracker beam!" Squealed a Peridot.
The other looked worried, checking the screens. "I thought we'd be out of range by now! Sapphire, why didn't you say anything?!"
The Sapphire looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment, which was unusual for her character. "I-I wasn't thinking, I thought it would all be okay! Th-This isn't what I saw happening, I was blinded somehow!"
"You saw and had hope for a different future!" Connie reminded her, grabbing her sword from the table. "It can still happen, there are enough escape pods to-!"
"Ship SK-215, you read me?" A sudden voice asked through the ship's speakers.
If gems could pale, all of them would've in that moment.
The Sapphire looked to a older Peridot and gave her a small nod, telling her to answer.
"Y-Yes… we do." The Peridot whispered softly after pressing a button. "W-Who am I spea-?"
"You all have some nerve, you know that?" Laughed the gruff voice, making her pause. "I mean, you guys were safe from being shattered if you just did this one thing! But you decided to turn around!" The voice softly whispered. "… Sticking it to Pink Diamond like that, you have my respect."
"What do you want?" Sadie suddenly growled, pushing the Peridot aside.
"Uh, I'd like you to land, obviously. Pink Diamond is generous despite you withholding her long awaited reunion with Yellow Diamond." They could hear the drawl, as if she seemed bored with this. "Just take the easy way out… You won't get to see each other again, but at least you'll be alive, right? Free to see the glorious Era 3 of Homeworld that will come after Yellow Diamond's shattering…"
Connie winced while Sadie narrowed her eyes.
Sadie was about to respond when the Sapphire suddenly stepped up, pressing a gloved finger to the button. "Fluorite is a magnificent fusion crafted from the undying love of my partners and I. I can assure you with utmost certainty any future that has her in it is far better than any Pink Diamond has planned. So, we will stay together, and will not land."
There was silence before they heard the gem scoff. "Fine. Have it your way, bring them in!"
The vessel jerked forward towards Homeworld, making the group gasp in fright as they were pulled down into the ship hanger.
Zultantie ran down the steps with a grim look. "We don't have much time…."
She huddled together with the group and they fused one last time. Fluorite was crying from all sets of eyes, most of her arms hugging herself, while one lifted up Padaparcha. "... I suppose… this is goodbye… because I won't unfuse again… not for anyone."
Connie placed a hand to her chest, her body slumped as they drew closer still.
Sadie glanced between everyone for a few moments before she chorused with Padaparcha: "We can't give up!"
"Come on, you're a giant!" Sadie called up to the fusion. "The Crystal Temps, they've been dealing with giants and you still almost took them down!"
"Hey!" Connie growled, offended.
"It's encouragement!" Sadie promised before looking back to Fluorite. "What do you say?!"
"I say… we ditch them…"
"They said she came willingly… but it was probably just to recruit more for her rebellion." Grunted the one who had spoken to the group. She turned to her soldiers with a smirk after seeing the ship getting closer. "And she clearly succeeded! So, we have to knock some sense back into them, right?!"
"Right!" The team cried.
"Biggs, Crazy Lace, be ready at the door for when these traitors come out, the side of the door! We don't want you destabilized in seconds!" Their captain commanded.
The two obeyed, getting in the positions they were told to as the gem walked to the ship's door. Crazy Lace was a fusion created to be a warrior for the Crystal Gems while the Biggs Jasper was given the job the moment she emerged, kinds of her strength and build being quite rare now.
"Snowflake, be ready to call for Rose if Yellow Diamond gets out of hand." She told the once trench digger that now served as the right hand to Lady Rose's right hand.
Snowflake looked concerned, glancing up from the controls. "Lady Rose? But if Yellow Diamond does plan to fight, wouldn't it be smarter to call for Pin-?"
"Just do it!" Growled her captain, clearly already on edge as she readied her weapon. She glared at the ship then, seeing it had landed. She exhaled softly and then grimaced. "Time to show that Diamond what the Crystal Gems are made of…"
The door opened.
Finally back! I'm sorry it took so long, you all are owed an explanation! From the time you last read, a lot happened in my life! I changed schools, I lost someone, I started a new job and started a new series of fics for Kingdom Hearts that is in a similar vein to this being a Roleswap (check it out if you wanna!) A few people wondered why I was working on that rather than this: one, I had writer's block, the worst disease a writer can have! And two, I wanted to finish that story before I started up this again so I could have my main focus be on Connie and her adventures again. Anyway, that will be all, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!