Hey, everyone! Thank you for reading the latest chapter of my latest fanfic! If you're not already familiar with my work, check out my other two fanfics 'Ace of Spades' and 'Something More'. A 'Star vs the Forces of Evil' AU and an 'Adventure Time' AU.
Enjoy the story! And, I do not own 'Steven Universe'.
Chapter 2
Fire and Ice and the Devil's Gem
Pink Diamond silently fumed to herself as she walked down the hall. 'White always calls these meetings at the most inconvenient time for me. It's like she does it on purpose.' Despite her irritation, she strutted down the hall with proper posture, as was expected of her.
'You are a Diamond. An embodiment of power.' Pink heard Yellow's voice quote in her head. 'Everything you do must remind your subjects of that.'
But Pink never wanted to be an embodiment of power. The other Diamonds kept pressuring her to be an enforcer, when all she ever wanted to be was a protector. Pink always philosophized that someone had to be the protector. Gems were always treated as tools ready to be replaced if the old one couldn't perform correctly. Pink tried to rule among her court in a less fascist manner. She tried to rule her Gems not as a master, but a team leader. In other words, as a friend. Blue and Yellow never agreed with her method of command. They never agreed with any of her methods.
Then of course, there was her 'obsession', as Yellow put it, with organic life. She and Blue frowned upon Pink's love for botany, which Pink refused to even acknowledge. It made sense; Pink's chlorokinesis made plant life an essential part of her repertoire. That was probably why they never voiced their complaints out loud to Pink. But it was her fascination with the alien fauna Pink encountered that Yellow and Blue relentlessly rebuked. Pink refused to apologize for that as well. There was so much potential in the lifeforms they found across the cosmos, but the other Diamonds would have none of it. Every time a colony was created, Pink would try to save as many of the native creatures as she could before the planet's demise. Pink would give them safe harbor until they eventually expired. Sort of like what she was doing with the human.
The human.
Out of all of the lifeforms that Pink had brought into her protection, the human was by far the most noteworthy. This wasn't just some animal that crawled around looking for food. Greg could think, he could feel, he could speak, he could even sing and play music. And unlike the other bioforms, this one still had a home to go to.
And unlike any of the Gems, from the Diamonds to even Pearl, he didn't seem to care for her title. Only her friendship.
Pink was so lost in thought, she almost ran face-first into the door. The elaborately structured door bore the emblem of the Great Diamond Authority. Pink sighed at the sight of the emblem. She always found it ironically suiting that her color was at the bottom.
Pink placed her hand on the emblem and the door lit up before parting for her. With great reluctance, Pink Diamond entered the meeting room. The room was shaped into the image of the the Great Diamond Authority's emblem. Each colored diamond that made up the emblem made up a section of the room. In each colored section, a throne of the same color stood. And in the blue and yellow thrones, sat the Blue and Yellow Diamond.
Both the Diamonds were twice as tall as Pink was. Blue looked the same as she did on the holoscreen back in the Garden, while Yellow looked like Blue's counterpart. Yellow Diamond sat on her throne like a general at a meeting. Her golden hair was set in a style that made it look like she was wearing a helmet. Her skin was bright yellow and her uniform almost blended in with it. Her shoulder guards were pointed, her golden gloves covered her forearms, and her uniform had tails that hung down behind her light brown, pants. The pants went under a pair of dark brown, knee-length, high heeled boots. Yellow Diamond's gem was located on her chest. A perfectly even, golden diamond.
Yellow Diamond's intense, golden eyes focused on Pink Diamond like a set of search lights. "You're late again, Pink." she scolded. Where Blue Diamond's voice was soft and gentle, Yellow's was strong and commanding.
"I'm not late. The meeting doesn't officially start until White gets here." Pink argued as she sat down in her throne, which was only half the size of Blue and Yellow's thrones.
"And we three are all supposed to get here at the same designated time." Yellow continued. "But you are always late."
"Oh, give it a rest, Yellow." said Blue. "If all you're going to do is harass her, then perhaps she shouldn't even attend these meetings." Blue turned to Pink with a smile. "How are your Gems performing, Pink?"
"Splendidly, Blue." Pink replied. "Although, I heard that some of Yellow's Gems attacked my Factory Gems." she looked over at Yellow accusingly.
"My Gems were performing their duties, as is expected of them." Yellow replied. "Those pathetic off-colors you keep around for whatever reason were caught by my Quartzes, and they followed protocol."
"'Caught' my gem! You look for any opportunity to take away my workers!" Pink accused.
"Pink, calm yourself." said Blue. "I think putting no resource to waste is grand, but off-colors are not to be tolerated."
"You know the rules, Pink. You can keep those embarrassments so long as they stay in your Factory and out of Gem society." Yellow reminded her.
"Well, stop shattering every off-color that pops out of the ground!" Pink complained. "It would make things a lot easier!"
"We allow your foolish project to continue, Pink. Be grateful enough for that." Yellow said. "And besides, plenty of those wretched mistakes find their way to your factory. Even those off-colors my Quartzes held up were saved by your Jasper. The Jasper which, I will make another attempt at asking you to hand over to me."
"To which I will answer 'no', as I always do." Pink replied sternly. "Stop asking to take my Jasper!"
"She's one of the most perfect Quartz soldiers ever made. How you managed to make such a Gem is beyond me, and you waste her talents with the most ridiculous of errands." Yellow argued. "I would put her abilities to good use, where you have her safeguarding rejects and misfits. You have your petty Rose Quartzes, what do you need a Jasper like her for?"
"Speaking of Gems that we can't believe you made, how is that Padparadscha Sapphire of yours treating you?" Blue asked.
"Oh, she's doing great!" Pink Diamond replied a little too quickly. "Predicting the future like a Sapphire does."
"I still can't believe you showed her how to make a Sapphire." Yellow Diamond commented.
"I didn't think she would actually try to make one herself." Blue protested. "And I especially didn't think she would succeed in making one."
"Yup, I succeeded all right." Pink drummed her fingers on her throne's armrest.
"A squadron of Rose Quartzes, an ultimate Quartz, an entirely new brand of Sapphire, a Pearl we all pitched in to make for you, and that weird Spinel you keep around for entertainment." Yellow listed off. "Quite the court you have, Pink."
"Don't forget my Amber." said Pink.
"Ah, yes. That organically made Gem second only to your Spinel in absurdity." Yellow replied. "And from what Blue has told me, you have yet another addition to your court." Yellow Diamond narrowed her golden, diamond eyes. "A human."
Pink's eyes widened in alarm. She glanced over at Blue, who nodded her head at her. "Well…so what if I have a human?" Pink Diamond crossed her arms. "He got into one of my Collection Pods and my Amber found him wandering the Salvage Station. She healed his injuries and brought him to me."
"Him?" Yellow asked.
"...The pronoun used to identify a male organism." said Pink. Her grip on her armrest tightening. "I was hoping you'd allow me to send him back to Earth."
"Well your hope was in vain, because you're not sending anything to that planet." said Yellow. "Not for another decade."
"Come on, Yellow. All I need to send to Earth is a single transport pod." Pink begged. "But not an old, out of date one. I need the human to return to Earth alive."
"You are allowed to send your Collection Pods to Earth every decade and that is it." Yellow stated. "We will not allow any other contact with that planet."
Pink turned to Blue for support.
"I'm sorry, Pink, but we have that rule for a reason." Blue said.
Pink sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I know. But Greg-I mean-The human is harmless. And that whole mess was thousands of years ago."
"Please tell me you didn't name the thing." said Yellow with a tired expression.
"So, Starlight has a new pet human, does she?"
The three Diamonds turned their heads to see that the last Diamond had silently entered the meeting room. White Diamond was even taller than Blue and Yellow. Her star-shaped hair was as pale as snow, and her skin was even paler. She wore a white and grey, skin-tight leotard with a starry, black and grey cape that hung from her arms and glittered like a galaxy. Her fingernails were black and so were her toenails that her high heeled sandals revealed. Her gem was shaped like Pink's gem, but was white and located in her forehead with the tip pointing down at her charcoal lips, up between her bright, wide eyes with the charcoal eyelashes.
"I'll never understand how you move around so quietly," said Pink. "You are the biggest Gem in the universe."
White Diamond chuckled as she took a seat in her throne. "I am a Gem of many talents, my dear Pink." her voice was as silky and gentle as a stream of water. "But, you continue to be a Gem of many surprises. A human in your court? I guess it doesn't really count as an off-color."
Uh, White? Shouldn't you tell her she can't keep a human for a pet?" Yellow asked.
"I don't see why I should." White replied nonchalantly. "It's just a human. Those things don't live for very long. Let her keep it."
"Need I remind you of what happened on Earth?!" Yellow exclaimed.
"I remember exactly what happened." White smiled at Pink. "We were blessed with one more member of the Authority."
Pink blushed and smiled bashfully.
"But, I also remember a certain renegade Rose Quartz soldier and an angry army of humans she managed to wind into a frenzy." White continued.
Pink's eyes shot wide open in panic.
"I let you keep the Rose Quartzes, so I'll let you keep the human. However, I expect you to keep an eye on it." White stated. "Those humans aren't as dumb as you might think."
"Speaking of Rose Quartzes, might we ask about the rumors of a rogue Rose Quartz running amuck in the abandoned Kindergartens?" Blue asked. "The Gems are saying she's helping off-colors get to the Factory."
All eyes focused on Pink.
Pink gulped and put on a nervous smile. "Oh… that's just crazy. You know how Gems are these days. The old Gems are paranoid, and the new Gems will believe anything. I assure you, my Rose Quartzes are as loyal as Pearls."
"And just as useful." Yellow muttered.
"They were built for defense instead of offense. Big deal!" Pink complained. "Excuse me for trying to get creative!"
"I have lost count on how many times you've gotten creative only to get destructive soon after." Yellow commented. "There may not be any proof to the allegations of another freelance Rose Quartz, but we expect you to do your duty and take care of the issue. Even if you would rather just leave it be and continue to embarrass the Empire with the existence of your precious defects."
"...Can I go now, or are you three just gonna keep looking for loose stones to pluck from under my feet?" Pink asked.
"You are going nowhere until this meeting is concluded." Yellow scolded her.
"Actually, I don't see the harm in letting her leave early," said White. "All I wanted to discuss anyway was the matter of black hole removal in the Vinon Sector."
Pink, Yellow and Blue all stared at White in shock.
"For real?" Pink asked. "You've never let me leave early before? What's the catch?"
"The catch is go before I change my mind and begin discussing all the most suitable geographical coordinates for Kindergartens."
Pink shot out of her seat and hurried out the door.
White smiled. "Ahhhhh… Instant Pink-begone… Go ahead, Yellow."
"Are you seriously just going to let her keep that little creature?" Yellow demanded.
"I agree with Yellow. That human is a perfect excuse for Pink to try to go back to Earth." said Blue. "Or at the very least, avoid her duties as a Diamond."
"She won't try to go back to Earth." White assured them both. "And if she even manages to keep the human alive, then what harm can it do?"
Yellow began to look furious. "You know very well that those… those filthy animals are the reason Pink is-"
"Is what?" White's tone held an air of warning.
Yellow bit her tongue.
"What Yellow is trying to say, White, is that the human may prove to be a problem." said Blue. "What if it does convince Pink to take it back to Earth personally? She's not ready to go back to that planet."
"...Not yet." White Diamond stood up from her throne. "You know what? I think I can take care of the black hole issue myself. Meeting adjourned." White Diamond left the meeting room as well, leaving just Blue and Yellow.
"Well, that was definitely our fastest meeting." Yellow remarked. When she saw Blue glaring at her, she rolled her eyes in aggravation. "Am I about to receive your famous post-meeting scolding?" she asked.
Blue Diamond stood up from her throne. "...I understand the concept of tough love. But, since the day Pink entered our lives… not once have you ever told her you were proud of her. Think on that."
With that said, Blue Diamond walked out of the meeting room. Once she was alone, Yellow brought a hand to her face and let out a sad sigh.
The Garden warp pad lit up. When the beam of light died down, it revealed Pink Diamond standing on the pad. "Okay, I'm back. Please tell me Greg isn't dead." Pink blinked in surprise at what she saw. "What the…"
The Garden had been given a small transformation during her short absence. There was Earth stuff all over the place. To the left, near a few assorted piles of more Earth curios, was Greg and the Gems. Pink shrunk down to Quartz size before walking over to them.
"Okay, Greg. I have a good feeling about this one." Amber was saying as she held up a strange, blue, foggy crystal about the size of a big pill.
"That's what you said about the last one!" Greg complained. "I was literally dead for ten seconds after I ate it!"
"I gave you mouth to mouth resuscitation even though Amber said it was unnecessary!" Spinel said cheerfully.
"I think she might've been sucking air out of your lungs instead of in." said Amethyst.
"Oh, comet. I think I might've made a mistake with the Gems I assigned to look after Greg-Hey guys! How's it going!" Pink said as she approached the group.
"Oh, hello, Pink!" Amber said. "Greg was getting hungry so I decided to bring out a few experimental supplements I created!"
"This is the fifth one. The last four nearly killed me!" said Greg.
"This one will do it, I swear!" Amber held up the crystal for Pink Diamond to see. "I call it a sustenance salt. It has all the nutritional needs a human requires to live a healthy life. And the best part is: It dissolves the waste that builds up in his rectum. So there's no need for… ahem… cleanup. Which can get pretty gross."
Greg's face turned red. "I almost hope this kills me." Greg took the salt and tossed it in his mouth, then he swallowed it. After a few seconds, a look of surprise formed on Greg's face. "Wow. I don't feel full, but I don't feel hungry any more. Like I just ate a big salad."
"Now to wait thirty minutes to see if there's any side effects." said Amber.
"Wait, what?" Greg asked.
"Say, what happened to this place?" Pink looked around at the new additions to the Garden.
"Oh, ya like it?" Greg asked. "I've lived most of my life moving from one place to the other, so I'm pretty good at setting up a temporary home. Want me to give you the grand tour?"
"Sure." said Pink.
"Tour mode, guys."
Amber, Spinel and Amethyst hurried away, much to Pink's confusion.
"Right this way." Greg led Pink through the Garden. "This right here is the hangout lounge."
Amber, Amethyst and Spinel were all sitting comfortably in one of various chairs situated around a circular table. A boombox placed at the center of the table was playing Aerosmith's version of 'Come Together'. Amethyst raised a can of soda in the air before tossing the whole thing in her mouth.
"We've put up a better sound system on the pillars."
Greg pointed up at the top of the pillars. There was a speaker attached to the top of each one.
Greg led Pink to the other side of the garden. "This here is our video viewing area."
A DVD player and a VCR had been connected to a projector. The three machines had each been placed on top of a stack of cinder blocks in front of a portable projection screen flanked by a pair of speakers. Amber, Amethyst, and Spinel were each sitting in an outdoor lounge chair watching a show called Lil Butler.
"We had a lot of chairs. And just enough cinder blocks." Greg said. He led Pink to another section of the Garden. "And this here is our instrument collection."
Among a collection of musical instruments, Amber, Amethyst, and Spinel were playing the saxophone, clarinet, and trumpet in a jazz trio.
"I think I might've made the mistake of introducing them to jazz first. They really seem to like it." said Greg. "I mean, I like jazz, but not that much." Greg then led Pink to the pink dais. "And follow me to the final attraction."
Pink followed Greg up the dais. At the top, there was a futon couch with a blanket and a pillow, a wooden chest full of stuff, a nightstand with Greg's guitar leaning against it, and an odd, green device that kinda looked like a shower cubicle.
"My own little personal space!" Greg exclaimed. "I need sleep, so the other's agreed to stay out of this spot for me so I can rest."
"What's that?" Pink pointed at the cubicle.
"Oh, Amber brought that here. She said it was a cleaning station for me. I step in it, and it cleans my body and clothes from my hair, to my teeth, to my socks. Thing is, after getting poisoned four times, I'm terrified to go near the thing. So, I'm still waiting to work up the courage to use it."
Greg walked over to the futon, currently in the couch position, and sat down. He patted the spot on the futon next to him, and Pink sat down in it.
"Mmm. Comfy." Pink commented.
"I still can't believe this thing was in the Salvage Station." Greg said. "Talk about lucky."
"Yeah, the Collectors like to have fun with their work." Pink commented.
Greg and Pink looked up at the starry expanse of space. Greg let out a sigh. "It sort of looks like the night sky back on Earth."
"I'm glad you're comfortable here." said Pink.
"Yeah. My own home away from home." Greg reached over and grabbed his guitar and set it on his lap to play a tune. "Gotta say, it's gonna be kinda boring here, even with the Gems. I actually have some books in that chest because I couldn't find a gaming system in the Salvage Station Item Log. I'm still looking, though. I know you told me to never leave the Garden, but don't you have any work that I could do for you? I gotta repay you somehow."
"Nah, don't worry about it. Really." Pink said.
"Are you sure? I could perform for you. I was desperate for gigs even before I was abducted." Greg tempted.
"Look, I would feel better if you would just stay in the Garden." Pink told him. "White Diamond may not really care, but Blue and Yellow want me to throw you into space."
"Thank you for not throwing me into space."
"You're welcome."
Greg put his guitar down. "Hey, me and the Gems are going to watch a movie. Wanna stick around? It's called Dogcopter. It's kind of a cheesy movie, but we needed to pick one that was appropriate for Spinel."
"That sounds like fun." Pink said. "But, I have to get going." She stood up off the futon. "There are some matters that require my attention."
"Oh. Okay." Greg tried not to sound disappointed.
"I'll come back to check on you when I have the time." Pink promised. "Just stay in the Garden, that's my only rule. If you need anything, just ask Amber."
"Got it." Greg replied.
Pink smiled at the human. "I'll do what I can to get you home. Until then, I guess I'll just have to enjoy your company."
Greg's face turned as red as a Carnelian.
Pink Diamond walked down the dais. "Goodbye, Greg! I'll be back as soon as I'm able!"
Greg watched as Pink walked to the warp pad and was beamed away. When she was gone, Greg leaned back and let out a heavy sigh, his eyes staring wide open into space.
"Wow. I can't believe a Dogcopter flies around and blows stuff up on your planet." said Amethyst.
"Dogcopter isn't real." Greg replied, seated next to Amethyst. "It's just animation. A bunch of well put together drawings made for entertainment."
"Why do the projectiles shoot out of its exterior?" Amber asked.
"Eh, ya got me." Greg said. "This movie was made for kids. At least Spinel's loving it."
Seated next to Amber, Spinel was clapping her hands and laughing at the projection screen.
The warp pad suddenly lit up.
"Were you guys expecting anyone?" Greg asked.
"I don't think so." Amber said.
"Hey, it's Padparadscha!" Spinel shouted. She bounced out of her seat towards the warp pad. Greg paused the movie and he, Amber and Amethyst stood up and followed Spinel to the warp pad. Just as Spinel had said, the princess-looking Gem was standing on the warp pad.
"Hello, everyone." the Padparadscha said.
"Padparadscha!" Spinel threw her stretchy arms around the Sapphire.
Padparadscha laughed from the hug. "Hello, Spinel!"
"Hey, Pad. What's up?" said Amethyst.
"Yes, what brings you here to our human habitat?" Amber asked.
Pad gently pried herself out of Spinel's grip and turned to Greg. "I'm here for him, actually."
Greg blinked in confusion. "Me?"
Padparadscha stepped towards Greg. She was only a head taller than Amethyst, so she looked up at the human. "I don't think we were properly introduced. My name is Sapphire. Padparadscha Sapphire. I normally go by Padparadscha."
"Universe. Gregory Universe. I normally go by Greg." he returned the greeting.
"I predict...you will tell me your name is Gregory Universe!" Padparadscha exclaimed.
Greg tilted his head. "Uh...correct?"
Padparadscha seemed to realize her mistake and she blushed. "I apologize. That happens."
"Yeah, she does that a lot," said Spinel. "But she can see the future just as good as any other Sapphire. I've seen her do it!"
"Yes...I receive visions of the future." Greg didn't fail to notice the hesitation in her voice. "And I have been given a vision of you, Greg."
Greg pointed at himself. "Of me?"
"Can we speak in a more private area?" Padparadscha asked.
"Okay, sure. Follow me." Greg led Padparadscha to his private area up on the dais.
"What do you think she wants from Greg?" Amethyst asked.
Amber hummed in worry. "Where's the item list screen? I think I need to place an order."
Greg sat down on the futon and Padparadscha hopped up next to him. "So, what do you need?" Greg asked.
"Your help." Padparadscha replied. "Are you familiar with a Sapphire's gift?"
"Spinel said you could see the future." Greg said. "If that's true, then the hell with the music career. If I ever get back to Earth, I'm taking one of you Sapphires with me and hitting up Vegas. You in?"
"I may not be the Sapphire you want to bring along to….uh, Vegas." said Padparadscha. "Are you familiar with the term 'off-color'?"
"No, but it sounds mildly racist."
"It's a term used for a Gem that came out wrong." Padparadscha explained. "Take Amethyst for example. Quartz soldiers are supposed to be big and strong warriors, but Amethyst is a small, lovable mischief maker."
"I don't see anything wrong with her."
"Neither do I. But everyone outside of Pink Diamond's court would shatter her just for the way she is."
"Shatter?"
"Kill."
Greg gulped. "That's kind of...harsh...don't you think?"
"That's how it works on Homeworld." Padparadscha's tone was partly sad, but mostly just matter-of-fact. "The only safe haven for off-colors anywhere in Homeworld's galaxy aside from Pink Diamond's Palace or this Garden is the Factory."
"What factory?" Greg asked.
"Pink Diamond's Factory. A long time ago, the Diamond's made a deal with Pink Diamond. If any off-color can escape their Kindergarten, a place where Gems are created, and make it to the Factory, then they're granted immediate asylum. At the Factory, the off-colors manufacture building material and other things. Amethyst used to work there before Pink Diamond assigned her to you. Those off-colors live in safety from Homeworld's tyranny, but many others are shattered before they can make it. Pink Diamond's not allowed to help them directly, but she finds ways to help them out while covering her tracks."
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Greg asked.
"Because I've been told you can be trusted." Padparadscha parted her bangs, revealing her single, bulbous eye. She was wearing some kind of weird, single lens, green goggle of some kind.
"EYE…! Uh, like your eyewear." said Greg.
Padparadscha removed her eyewear. It wrapped around her head like pair of wrap-around Oakley's. "You see, Greg; like Amethyst, I too, am an off-color. The only thing I can really predict are things that just happened. But, I have a...spotter, you could call her. Another Sapphire belonging to Blue Diamond's court, who I can communicate with when I wear this lens. She predicts the future, and I repeat it for the sake of appearance. With her predictions, and her inside information, she helps me and Pink Diamond get off-colors safely to the Factory."
"Well, that's awfully nice of her." Greg commented. "But, why does she do it?"
Padparadscha smiled. "Let's just say: What Pink Diamond gives her in return…is very much worth the risk, from what I've seen."
Greg just raised an eyebrow.
"My Sapphire spotter contacted me and said she needed help with something. She predicted that you can help her."
"With what?" Greg asked.
"She made it sound like she had trouble seeing your future, but my Sapphire friend has predicted that you if you were to sneak through the abandoned Kindergarten, you would go completely undetected, being an organic bioform."
"I still feel like we're beating around the bush. What exactly do you want from me?"
"I need you to meet with Sapphire deep within the abandoned Kindergarten." Padparadscha explained. "Any search drones you encounter wouldn't even be able to spot you because they're designed to hunt down Gems, and you are gemless."
"Why-"
"Here me out. All you have to do is traverse the abandoned Kindergarten with a Gem guide I'll assign to you, and meet the Sapphire at a designated location. You have my word you won't get hurt."
Greg rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I'm all for helping people, but your Diamond told me to never leave the Garden."
"I'm only asking for your assistance. If you do not wish to get involved, then I won't make you. However, I can't guarantee the Sapphire will continue to help us smuggle off-colors to the Factory if we don't help her. Without your help, we can't get her help. And without her help, off-colors will be shattered."
"Ohhhhhhhh, you really gonna guilt me into helping you?"
"All you need to do is meet the Sapphire at the designated location in the abandoned Kindergarten. Once you get to her, the rest will be explained. Do that, and she'll continue to help us get off-colors safely to the Factory. Will you help us?"
Greg stared down at the ground in thought.
"I say we watch some more of that Lil Butler." Amethyst said as she dug through the pile of human stuff.
"Ooo! Let's watch this one!" Spinel pulled a DVD case out of the pile. The title read 'Nightmare on Elm Street'. "I think I'll like this one!"
The two little Gems continued to dig through the pile. As they dug, they saw Padparadscha and Greg had come back down from Greg's space.
"Hey, guys!" said Amethyst. "Whadja talk about?"
"Uh," Greg rubbed his wrist nervously. "...I'm going to the Abandoned Kindergarten on Homeworld to meet with Padparadscha's friend."
"WHAT?!" Amethyst and Spinel both exclaimed.
"Absolutely not!" Amber stormed up to them waving her item screen at Greg and Padparadscha. "Greg cannot leave this Garden, he is soft and fragile!"
"Hey, come on." Greg complained.
"Our human stays in the Garden as ordered by our Diamond!" Amber stated. "No ifs, ands, or buts about it!"
"I have asked the human to aid me with a mission." Padparadscha said. "A mission requested by a Gem who helps with the off-color smuggling operation,"
Amethyst's expression softened at that.
"and the human has agreed to help."
"I don't care. He is our human, and he is not endangering his life." Amber stated.
Amethyst and Spinel ran up to Amber's side. "Yeah!" they both shouted.
"Hey, hold on. This is my choice to make, not yours." said Greg. "Listen, guys. This is a chance for me to help out. I know the affairs of this world are none of my business, but I wanna help the off-colors." Greg smiled at Amethyst. "Homeworld might not think much of them, but the off-colors I've met so far are pretty awesome."
Amethyst looked away and blushed.
"Look, I'm gonna lose my mind staying in the Garden for ten years. If I can help Pink Diamond out in any way I can, then I have to." Greg argued. "Come on, Amber… Please." he begged.
Amber defiantly met Greg's pathetic, begging gaze, but she quickly broke. "Uuuuuuuugh, okay." she exclaimed as she threw head back. "But I swear to the Authority, if Pink Diamond finds out-"
"I'll take all the heat, I promise." Greg said.
"And if you die?"
"...Well, that'll be on me, won't it?"
Amber sighed and placed a hand on her head. "Ah, geez. Hold on." she pulled out her item list screen. She tapped the screen a few times and the Salvage Station Pad lit up. An odd looking device appeared on the pad.
Amber walked over and picked up the device. It sort of looked like the hidden blade from Assassin's Creed, except the body was green and the blade was a yellow, knife-sized, double pronged fork with a thin, levitating disc set between the prongs.
"What's that?" Greg asked.
"This, my friend, is a custom made, wrist mounted, Gem destabilizer." Amber explained. "I designed it myself for off-colors to use for defensive purposes. A quick, stab and run, sneak attack. This is a prototype, I've yet to get it approved for distribution."
Greg stared at the device in disbelief. "Who am I, Altair? I can't use that thing!"
"Then you'll probably die." Amber replied. Her tone was dead serious. "Pink Diamond's Palace and the Factory might be safe havens for Gems like us and organics like you, but the rest of Homeworld is a cold, cold place. Anything less than perfect is immediately discarded. Any Gem that doesn't come out as she was meant to come out is shattered, because anyone that can't serve her purpose is labeled useless."
Amber held out the device. "So what do you think you'll be labeled as?"
Greg gulped in fear. With shaking hands, he took the device from Amber.
"You're still going to do this?" Amber asked.
"...I'm not useless." Greg declared. "I can do this." Greg rolled up his sleeve and tried to attach the device to his wrist, but seemed to be having a little trouble.
Amber sighed and walked up to help Greg put on the hidden destabilizer. "I admire you for wanting to do this, Greg, I really do. We just don't want you getting hurt is all-"
Amber accidentally touched the tip of the destabilizer and her whole arm turned into wild, honey-colored static. She screamed and jumped back.
"Oh my God, Amber! Are you okay?!" Greg shouted.
Amber's arm had returned to normal. She rubbed her arm with a frightened look on her face. "I'm fine, don't worry. I had the Gems at the lab boost up the potency of that little thing. One quick jab can take out a Topaz."
Greg finished attaching the device to his wrist and held it up for examination. He flexed his fingers and the mini-destabilizer shot out from under his hand. Greg hummed skeptically. "This might be a gamer's dream, but I'm still not sure about this."
"Please just wear the thing." Amber begged. "If not for yourself, then for us."
Greg sighed before he slid his jacket sleeve over the device.
Amethyst walked up to Greg and looked him right in the eyes. "Greg...Please don't die." she looked away and blushed once more. "I-I only say that because if you do die, then I have to go back to the Factory, and that's gonna suck."
"I'll be fine, Amethyst." Greg said. "Don't worry."
Spinel jumped up and wrapped her arms around Greg's neck. "Be safe, Greg!"
Greg chuckled. "I will, Spinel. I will." He pried the pink Gem off of him and turned to Padparadscha. "Alright. Let's go."
'Holy hell, this is spooky.' Greg thought to himself as he stood within the Kindergarten. When Greg had heard the word 'Kindergarten', he pictured a more cheerful environment. But the vast walls and pillars peppered with humanoid holes and the dark, shadowy, grim atmosphere of the place made Greg feel like he was in an Alien sequel. 'I kind of am, in a way.'
"This is as far as I go." Padparadscha said. "A Ruby will be here with you shortly. Follow the Ruby through the Kindergarten, and she'll lead you to the Sapphire."
"What's a Ruby?" Greg asked.
"A common Gem soldier." Padparadscha explained. "They normally operate in groups of three or more, but you're only going to have one leading you through the Kindergarten."
"And when we get to your Sapphire friend, then what?" Greg asked.
"I can't tell you that." Padparadscha said. "Your reaction however, will determine whether you can be trusted or not."
"You're kinda raising more questions than you're answering."
"Just do as the Ruby asks of you." Padparadscha reached up and placed a hand on Greg's arm. "And be safe, human friend." she said with a smile.
Greg nervously smiled back. "Here's hoping."
Padparadscha walked away, leaving Greg all alone.
Greg spent the next half an hour leaning against a Kindergarten pillar whistling to himself. He could feel the weight of his new wrist destabilizer in his arm. Greg had hoped that he would just get used to it and forget it was even there, like a pair of sunglasses, but it felt cold and heavy on his wrist. Greg prayed he would never have to use it.
"Psst… Hey. Are you the human?"
Greg looked over to his side. Peaking around the pillar he was leaning on, was a short, red Gem about as tall as Padparadscha was. Her hair was a dark, red-brown afro that was cubical instead of round. She wore dark shorts and a matching, sleeveless top over her scarlet skin. With her bulky, little body, she looked like the star player of the girls baseball team. Her red gem was in the palm of her hand. I'm being literal, it was embedded in the palm of her left hand.
"Yeah, that's me." Greg greeted with a friendly smile. "Are you Ruby?"
"What? Never seen a Ruby before?" the Gem asked as she walked around the pillar up to Greg.
"Well, I think there might've been a few in Pink Diamond's Palace, but I didn't know what they were called." Greg said.
Ruby crossed her arms and studied Greg with narrowed, skeptical eyes. "So you're the one who's gonna get me through the Kindergarten undetected, huh? I expected you to be taller."
"You're one to talk, aren't you, tiny?" Greg asked.
Ruby raised her hand and clenched it into a flaming fist.
"...Point made. Anyway, Padparadscha said I can get you through undetected since I'm gemless and your Gem tech won't be able to see me."
"Wait, have you never actually done this kind of thing before?" Ruby asked.
"Well, I've snuck into concerts before. I was almost killed at a few of them. How's that?"
Ruby just blinked in confusion at Greg. "...Uhhh… Okay, listen. You might not be much, but you're all I have right now. So here's the deal: You do exactly as I say, when I say it. I don't want to hear you argue or complain about anything. Once you get me to where I need to go, I don't really care what you do after that. Understood?"
"Understood, shorty."
"You know I can kill you with a single punch, right?"
"I'm pretty sure everyone here can."
Ruby led Greg through the ominous Kindergarten. They traveled far below the building and structures of the surface of Homeworld. If Greg listened carefully enough, he could hear a bunch of weird, scyfy noises far up above. Ruby marched along in front of Greg like the little soldier she was.
Something was still bothering Greg, though. He couldn't figure out why he needed to get this Gem through the Kindergarten to Padparadscha's friend, Sapphire. Was it a classified mission or something? Were they bringing the Sapphire her bribe money so she'd keep helping smuggle off-color gems? Greg had no idea. He tried asking Ruby about it as they traversed the Kindergarten, but the red Gem just snapped at him to stop asking questions. And so, he did.
One thing was for sure: Ruby seemed really set on reaching Sapphire.
"So, do you work for Pink Diamond?" Greg asked, hoping he wouldn't set Ruby off again. "Most of you have the pink diamond symbol on your outfit."
"...I'm one of Pink Diamond's Gems, yeah." Ruby said. She sounded like she was making an attempt at conversation. "Before that though, I was one Blue Diamond's."
"What, you got like, a work transfer or something?" Greg asked.
"It's...sort of a long story, really." Ruby began. "Gems aren't normally allowed to switch Diamonds like I did, but Pink Diamond has a way of talking her way into borrowing Gems she never returns. I was part of a Ruby trio, regularly assigned to guard one of Blue Diamond's prized Sapphires. But because of a…complicated misunderstanding, we'll call it…me and my trio were given a choice: Be shattered on the spot for our failure, and die loyal to our Diamond. Or, switch over to Pink Diamond's side… and live on as cowards."
"What did you and your trio do?" Greg asked. "I guess you all switched sides?"
"I was the only one who decided to switch sides." Ruby replied grimly. "The others were shattered under Blue Diamond's foot for their failure, ever loyal to their Diamond."
Greg's eyes shot open. "Oh…" he looked down at the ground and bit his lip. "...I'm-"
In a blink of an eye, Ruby spun around and pointed her flaming finger at the startled human. "I still had something to live for!" she shouted at Greg. Her face blazed with rage. "The choice I made was defiance, not cowardice! And I don't need to take any criticism from anybody!" The gemed hand she had pointed at Greg turned into a fist, which a gauntlet magically appeared on. "Especially not you!"
Greg raised his hands in surrender. He kept eye contact with the angry Gem with a look of sympathy. "I was gonna say I'm sorry. That must have been tough, making the choice you made while your friends made the other choice. Loyalty I understand, but having to die just to show it? That, I don't agree with. The last thing I'm doing right now is judging you."
Ruby's eyes blinked a few times in surprise as the anger faded away. She brought her gauntlet down and it disappeared with a glow. Her fist took a little longer to unclench.
"...Yeah, well…" Ruby turned back around and continued walking. "Who asked you?"
They continued to walk through the Kindergarten for God knew how long. Greg decided he needed to find a phone or a watch in the Salvage Station Item List. Greg watched the Ruby in front of him march along. The short Gem might've been a little hot-headed, but she was also passionate if nothing else. That was Greg's current summary of the little Gem, anyway. She wasn't mean. Ruby was just fiery.
Ruby halted and held up a fist, signaling for Greg to stop as well.
"What? What is it?" Greg asked.
"Shhh!" Ruby whispered harshly. "I think something's coming."
Greg and Ruby stood as still as stones for a full minute. All the while, Ruby's eyes scanned her surroundings for any threat.
Suddenly, a cone-shaped drone about as big as a rocking horse flew out from behind a pillar. The flying thing looked like an evil ice cream cone, with it's sleek, dark, metal body and the Eye of Sauron looking design on the bottom of the cone. It floated through the air and looked around like a bee looking for pollen with it's evil-looking eye.
"Oh, no." Ruby breathed fearfully.
"What is that thing?" Greg asked.
"Keep your voice down!" Ruby hissed. "That's a Shattering Robonoid. It's designed to shatter any Gem it finds! Perfect for hunting down loose off-colors."
The robonoid projected a red vision field it used to scan around the Kindergarten. It was beginning to get closer to Greg and Ruby.
"Back away from it slowly." Ruby instructed. "Thankfully, there's only one of them."
Three more Shattering Robonoids appeared around Ruby and Greg. Their red, vision screens turned on and they began scanning around the Kindergarten.
"Well, who didn't see that coming from a mile away as soon as you said 'there's only one of them'?" Greg commented.
The Robonoids had Greg and Ruby surrounded. They closed in on the two of them, giving them no room to run.
"No. no, no, no, no." Ruby pulled on her hair. Utter dread dominated her facial features. "Those things are going to shatter my gem and kill me where I stand!"
Greg blinked. "Your gem?" he asked.
"Yes, you idiot! So much for getting through undetected!" Ruby cried. "Now we're both gonna die!"
Greg reached down and grabbed Ruby's hand with both of his, concealing her gem.
"Hey! What're you-"
"Quiet!" Greg ordered. "Don't. Move. A muscle."
Greg and Ruby trembled in fear as the Shattering Robonoids closed in on them on all sides. They became still as statues when the four red lines of vision all passed over them.
Nothing happened, though. The drones didn't appear to be able to see them at all. The robonoids looked around in what might've been a robot's version of confusion. Then, they moved up and down in an armless shrug before floating away.
Once the Shattering Robonoids were gone, Greg and Ruby both let out the breath they were holding. "Damn, that was tense." said Greg before letting go of Ruby's hand.
Ruby studied her gem curiously. "How did you know that would work?"
"I didn't. But, it was worth a shot. Padparadscha said I could go undetected, so that had to mean something." Greg said.
"So, you just took a risky gamble?" Ruby asked.
"Pretty much, yeah."
Ruby stared up at Greg for a little bit, then she smiled and nodded before continuing through the Kindergarten.
Greg smiled to himself before following after the Gem.
"So, what exactly is your mission?" Greg asked Ruby after about an hour of walking. He waited so long because he finally felt some release of tension between them, and he didn't want to rewind any of that tension.
And just as Greg feared, he could feel a little of that tension return. For some reason, discussing the mission was a bit of a sore spot. Maybe it was confidentiality, maybe it was one of those 'if I told you, I'd have to kill you' super spy deals, Greg couldn't tell. Ruby kept her eyes on the path, but Greg could almost feel her temperature rise about thirty degrees.
"All will be explained when we reach our destination." Ruby said sternly.
"Padparadscha said Pink Diamond gives Sapphire something in return for helping her get off-colors to the Factory." said Greg. "Is that what we're doing? Giving the Sapphire her payment?"
Walking behind her, Greg couldn't see Ruby's red face turn almost pink. "...Please...stop...talking."
As confused as Greg was, he let the issue drop. He continued to follow Ruby through the Kindergarten. It was hard to tell how much progress they made, every ten feet of the dreary place looked the same. Ruby seemed to know where she was going, though. The two of them eventually arrived at a fairly large clearing in the Kindergarten. Greg took a deep breath. Even the air was cold and dead in this place.
Ruby looked around, as if looking for something. "This is the spot. So, where is she?"
Greg raised an eyebrow at Ruby. Unless he was going crazy, Ruby sounded like a girl who had just gotten stood up at the prom. Actually, taking everything in account, Greg just might've been going crazy.
Then they heard the singing. It was delightful. Whoever was singing the melody had a gentle and beautiful voice. The minute Ruby heard the singing, she took off like a bat out of hell.
"Hey, wait up!" Greg chased after Ruby, but it wasn't easy to keep up with her. The little, red Gem was fast on her feet. Soon enough, Greg had lost her.
"Oh, come on! Don't leave me here!" Greg shouted. He continued to run in the direction that Ruby had. Ruby had definitely made good ground, but Greg wasn't as fast. He continued after her, following the burn marks her feet left on the ground. The Ruby path led him to a bend in the path, so Greg took a sharp right turn.
And saw Ruby making out with a blue Gem.
Greg had been in some pretty awkward, uncomfortable situations before, but this definitely took the taco. His eyes widened to the size of plates at the sight of the smooching Gems. He took a couple steps back and coughed into his fist.
"Up, we've been caught, Ruby." The blue Gem gently pushed Ruby away and smiled. She looked a lot like Padparadscha, right down to her eye-concealing bangs, except her pale, light blue hair was poofier and hung down her back like a blue-tinted marshmallow. Her blue dress was frilled at the hip, and she wore white gloves over her hands. Her blue, round gem was in the palm of her right hand.
Greg slowly blinked. "Sapphire, I assume?"
"That's me, yes." Sapphire grabbed the sides of her dress for a curtsy. "It's nice to meet you, human Greg."
"...So...Ruby is what Pink Diamond gives you in return for helping the off-colors?"
Sapphire laughed. "Yes, and I must admit," she ran a hand through the blushing Ruby's hair. "It's a more than fair deal."
"Wait a minute." Greg pointed at Ruby. "You told me you used to belong to Blue Diamond, where you and two other Rubies were the bodyguards for a Sapphire." he then pointed at Sapphire. "Was that you? Is that how you guys...uh...know each other?"
"Correct, human." Sapphire took Ruby's hand in her own. "After Ruby was transferred to Pink Diamond, seeing each other went from incredibly difficult and risky, to nearly impossible and even more risky."
"After I was transferred, I struck a deal with Pink Diamond's off-color Padparadscha, which Pink Diamond herself condoned." Ruby said. "Using the headsets Padparadscha and Sapphire wear,"
Sapphire lifted her bangs to reveal an eyewear nearly identical to Padparadscha's on her single eye.
"Sapphire can give Padparadscha actual predictions on the off-colors, which Pink Diamond uses to get them safely to the Factory."
"And you do this just so you can see your girlfriend?" Greg asked. "That is, insanely sweet."
"I find it difficult to understand your method of speech, but I do believe the correct thing to say is thank you." Sapphire turned to Ruby and crossed her arms. "Now I believe you have something to say, don't you, Ruby?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Ruby."
Ruby shrunk under Sapphire's gaze and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "...Thanks for helping me get here." She told Greg. "Sorry if I was difficult, and I'm sorry we had to keep you in the dark. We had to know if you could be trusted with this."
"Well?" Sapphire took a step towards Greg. "Can we trust you with this?"
"Of course you can." Greg said. "But, is this all you wanted from me? To help get Ruby through the Kindergarten and keep your secret?"
"If we were to be discovered, we would both be shattered immediately, with or without Pink Diamond's protection." Sapphire said. "I want to make a deal with you, as I made a deal with Pink Diamond. Continue to help Ruby sneak through the Kindergarten undetected so we can see each other, and I'll use my future vision to your benefit."
"Me? But, aren't you already using your future-vision to help the off-colors?"
"Afraid I'll skimp out on the off-colors?" Sapphire asked. "Never you fear. I don't support their oppression any more than Pink Diamond does, so I put much of my effort into their aid. I know how to efficiently put equal distribution into my gift." Sapphire tilted her head and tapped her chin. "Although, you are quite difficult to predict. I've never had this kind of problem before. It's like your very nature is unpredictable."
Greg shrugged. "I guess my species is full of surprises. Not all of them are good surprises, but we do have a lot of surprises."
"You're telling me. I still can't believe you got us out of that scrap with the Shattering Robonoids." Ruby said. "But before Pink Diamond decides to shatter me for bringing you here, let's get you back to the-"
A loud, frightened scream sounded through the Kindergarten.
"What was that?" Greg asked.
"You will go see who made that scream and you will see a Topaz fusion and a Fire Agate cornering a defective Jasper." said Sapphire.
"No one likes spoilers, ya know." Greg said before he ran off to go check out the scream.
"Should we go with him?" Ruby asked.
"He'll die if we don't." Sapphire replied. "The Fire Agate I mentioned...has a reputation."
Greg ran until he could hear someone begging for their life. He hid behind one of the smaller pillars and peaked around it. Two Gems had another Gem cornered against a wall. One of the Gems was the size of the Hulk, with bright, canary-yellow skin. The brown Gem uniform she wore had the Yellow Diamond sigil on her massive chest. Her short hair was perfectly smooth like a military cut and she wore an orange, translucent visor over her eyes. She had two gems instead of one. Each on either side of her head like a pair of round, orange-yellow ear muffs. If you were to hide behind her body to shelter yourself from an atomic blast, you'd probably survive.
The big Gem had a crystal tipped, pugil stick aimed at a scrawny Gem cowering against the wall. She looked a lot like the Jasper Greg had seen when he'd first met Pink Diamond, with her orange skin and the red over her eyes and on her forearm. Even her hair was the same color, although this skinny Gem's big hair didn't go below her neck. She wore a blue, two piece uniform similar in fashion to what the Rose Quartzes wore, revealing her midsection and the round, red-orange gem in her belly button.
"Please! I don't want to be shattered!" the skinny Gem begged. "Just let me go! I'll go to the Factory and none of you will ever see me aga-"
The third Gem backhanded the skinny Gem's face so hard, Greg couldn't help but winch. She might not have been as big as the yellow one, but she was clearly an elite Gem. She was a few inches taller than Pink Diamond's Jasper was, and a few inches slimmer. She wore coal-black, knee-high boots and lava-red pants. The black vest over her red shirt had the Yellow Diamond insignia on her chest. Her hands were covered in black gloves that matched her boots and went up to her elbows. To complete the outfit, she wore a cape that covered her shoulders and went down to her ankles Batman-style. With its color and texture, the cape resembled flowing lava. Her face was fiery orange and her crimson hair was shaped like Bendy's head. Her gem was egg-shaped and the color of fire, located on the front of her left shoulder, half concealed by her cape. She looked like the Gem that came straight out of Hell with the Devil's blessing.
"Your very existence is an insult to the Diamonds." the devil-Gem said. Her voice was as smooth and cold as volcanic glass. "My Diamond is so eager to be rid of you defects, she sent me to hunt you freaks down, with a squadron of Gems I myself picked. A true slap in the face, really, taking into consideration my rank and all I've accomplished for the Diamonds. But, the Diamond's will is mine to enforce."
The red Gem knelt down so she was eye level with the terrified off-color. Her grin was cruel and evil. "But how unfortunate are you, to have come across me and Topaz here in your attempt to reach salvation? I almost pity you and your misfortune… Almost."
"Pink Diamond protects the off-colors!" The skinny Gem cried. "You defy a Diamond by shattering me!"
"Ah, yes. That little game the greater Diamonds play with the small Diamond. I'm sorry to say that the Diamonds are getting sick of playing that ridiculous game, and they will put an end to it." The devil-Gem's grin widened. "And when that happens, I will be one of the Gems leading the assault on that off-color cesspool you call the Factory. We will shatter...each, and every one of those off-color defects. And your Pink Diamond will stand by and watch it all happen, because she won't have any other choice."
"Pink Diamond is the only Diamond who isn't a monster!" the skinny Gem shouted defiantly. "And you're just a tool that they use to do their horrid deeds!"
The crimson Gem's grin turned into a frown. "...At least you'll die with an ounce of true Jasper in you. Most Gems don't have the courage to say such a thing to me,"
The red Gem stood back up. Her gem glowed and she reached up to pull a sword out of it, making it look like she was drawing a blade out of its sheath. The sword was equally beautiful and scary in its craftsmanship. A crimson hilt with a red crystal at each of the three points, and a long, bright orange blade that was on fire.
"For good reason."
The red Gem lifted her sword to strike.
Greg jumped out from behind the pillar. "STOP!"
The Gem who Greg assumed was Fire Agate froze. She turned around and focused her gaze on Greg. The devil-Gem had plenty of intimidating features, but her eyes were the scariest thing about her, no contest. They were like two, blazing, red suns in the white of her eyes, capable of melting her foes with a mere glance.
Fire Agate raised an eyebrow at Greg, her blade still in hand. "You are, by far, the strangest looking off-color Quartz I have ever seen." she said. "And believe you me, that is saying a lot." The Agate tilted her head. "Also...what did you say to me?"
'I'm out of my fucking mind.' is what Greg thought to himself. "Leave her alone. There's no point to this." Is what he said.
"No point?" Fire Agate asked. "I shatter the off-colors in the name of my Diamond. That is the only point needed. For the sake of perfection, I rid Homeworld of imperfection."
"You are the farthest thing from perfect." said Greg.
The big Topaz and the skinny Jasper both widened their eyes incredulously at Greg. Fire Agate stared at Greg with flaming eyes, then she threw her head back and laughed. "Ahhhhhhhhhh. This is why I pride myself in being a Quartz. Even the off-color Quartzes have that unwavering moxie that our brand of gem is famed for."
"You shouldn't take pride in who you are or what you do."
Fire Agate took a step towards Greg, who quickly took a step back. "Do you have any idea who I am?" the Gem spread her arms in self-reverence. "I am Yellow Diamond's prized Fire Agate. One the most respected Gems among her court."
"Respected, or feared?" Greg asked.
"What's the difference?" Fire Agate replied. "I have been Yellow Diamond's favorite for hundreds of thousands of years, because from the moment I burst out of the ground, I have never failed my Diamond. Not. Once. And so, that brings us to what I need to do to the idiot off-color who dared to stand against me."
Fire Agate raised her blade at Greg.
"I surrender!" Greg threw his hands up, losing any courage he had left and reverting back to sanity.
"Now you decide to do the smart thing." Fire Agate said. "But, I'm afraid the mistake has already been made. You are going to die now. But, first…" Fire Agate turned her head to Topaz. "Kill the Jasper defect."
Topaz raised her weapon to strike.
"NO!" Greg shouted.
That's when something slammed into the Topaz, knocking her a good few yards away from the skinny Jasper. Or, someone rather. It was another Gem, about as tall as a Quartz. Her legs were long and thick, one being red, the other being black and the color going all the way up to her narrow waist. The black and red, rounded chest area of the outfit went well with the red, rounded shoulder guards. The new Gem's face was magenta in color and she wore a reflective visor with pointed bottoms. Her big, bread-shaped hair was as black as a thunder cloud.
The new Gem raised her big, crimson gauntlet fists at Fire Agate in a fighting pose. "You are not shattering this Gem." she stated firmly. Her voice was a beautifully deep octave with a hint of a British accent, which Greg found confusing. It was a big enough mystery how they all even spoke English.
Topaz got back on her feet and stomped back towards the new Gem.
"Says who, exactly?" Fire Agate asked.
While keeping eye contact with Fire Agate, the new Gem raised a gauntlet at Topaz. The gauntlet shot off her fist like a rocket and slammed into the Topaz's face in a small explosion, bringing the giant down once more.
"Says me." the gauntlet magically reappeared on her fist. "Call me Garnet."
Fire Agate stared curiously at Garnet before letting out a chuckle. "You two go well together." she said. This only confused Greg, though. "I've never thought much of fusion. Just a cheap combat tactic for Topazes and Rubies. But aren't you a well blended mix? Entirely offensive to Gem etiquette, but not a bad pairing."
"Flattery will get you nowhere." said Garnet.
"Well then, how about this?"
With incredible speed, Fire Agate rushed Garnet and swung her flaming sword at her. Garnet met the Agate with equal speed and countered with a blow to the side before the blade could hit her.
Agate slid back on her feet a couple yards with her head down. She looked back up at Garnet with burning, hungry eyes. "Very good, fusion." she reached up to her gem and pulled out a second sword. "I was hoping to find a challenge down here."
Topaz chose that moment to rejoin the fight. Garnet had Topaz on one side and Fire Agate on the other. All three of them were posed and ready.
Garnet smirked. "...Well, come on."
With an expert twirl, Topaz swung her weapon at Garnet and Fire Agate ran up slashing. Garnet managed to dodge and counter every one of the attacks. The way she fought almost made it look like she was dancing; with grace and unmatched harmony. It was almost like she knew exactly where to be at each moment. Every dodge, every counter, every attack seemed perfectly timed and executed, like she was following a script she had memorized.
Greg watched the fight in complete awe, until he noticed the skinny Jasper was still on the ground against the wall, also watching the fight with a look of wonderment. As quietly as he could, he snuck around the fighting Gems to get to the Jasper. When he reached her, the off-color Gem gave him a part curious, part fearful look.
"Who...who are you?" she asked.
"I'm a friend. I promise." Greg helped the Gem up to her feet. "Now, let's get going while the going's good."
Skinny nodded. "I know how to get to the Factory. Follow me." Skinny led Greg away from the fighting and into the Kindergarten.
Fire Agate happened to notice her prey's escape as she fought the Garnet. She growled and her eyes burned with rage. Garnet was preparing for another attack from Fire Agate, but with a swish of her cape, the crimson Gem turned her back on Garnet and walked away. "Keep this perma-fusion busy."
Garnet was about to launch herself at Fire Agate, but Topaz came up from behind and hooked her pugil stick under Garnet's chin with both hands, holding her back and pressing the scarlet Gem against her own body to keep her from going anywhere.
Garnet fought against Topaz's hold on her and watched as Fire Agate went after Greg and Skinny Jasper. "No!"
Greg ran alongside the Skinny Jasper through the Kindergarten. Like Ruby, Skinny seemed to know exactly where to go.
"Thanks for getting me out of that scrap." Skinny said as they ran.
"Don't mention it." Greg replied. "I guess…us off-colors have to stick together, right?"
Heh. Yeah, I guess." said Skinny. "Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but what kind of Quartz are you? I'm kinda leaning deformed Onyx, but it's really hard to tell for sure."
"Oh. Well, I-"
A speeding fireball went straight through Skinny's chest. She barely had enough time to look surprised before she exploded in a cloud of colored smoke like a gas-filled balloon. Skinny's gem fell to the ground.
"Holy shit!" Greg tripped on his own feet and tumbled to the ground. He tried to get back up, but something grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hoisted him up off his feet. Greg was met by an angry, fiery gaze and a flaming sword aimed at his face.
Fire Agate glared into Greg's terrified eyes with her own devilish eyes. It was like staring straight into hell. The sword aimed at his face was so hot, Greg could feel the blade giving him a sunburn. Greg's arms hung down to his sides as the Agate held him up.
"I will not have my reputation be tarnished by some useless, hideous, defective off-color." Fire Agate declared. "You might think the mistake you made was attempting to defy me, but the real mistake you made was being made, as is the mistake all off-colors make."
Greg's wrist-mounted destabilizer extended from his jacket.
"Take solace in the fact that you shall die the bravest off-color I have ever hunted down. Or perhaps the craziest. Either way." Agate ran the tip of the blade gently across Greg's cheek. Greg cringed from the sting of the blade. "I almost wish I could keep you. Just for my own amuseme-"
Fire Agate stopped when she saw blood run down from the cut she made on Greg's cheek. She stared in confusion at the red fluid leaking out of the off-colors face.
Fire Agate blinked her eyes. "...What are you?"
Greg thrust his hidden destabilizer into the Fire Agate's throat.
Fire Agate's eyes shot wide open as her body began to glitch like static. Yellow lines traced along her body from her neck like an infection. Her fiery eyes burned with horrifying rage.
"...I'm...gonna…"
She exploded in a cloud of red smoke and her gem fell to the ground. Greg could have sworn he caught a whiff of sulfur.
Greg fell down onto his back. He propped himself up off the dead ground and panted with fierce terror. Greg held up his hand and looked at his extended, wrist-mounted destabilizer. He flexed his fingers and the destabilizer shrunk back into his jacket sleeve. After that, he fell back onto the ground and stared up into the distant, chaotic skies of Homeworld.
"...I wanna go home." he whimpered to himself.
He heard footsteps coming towards him.
"If you're here to kill me, then go for the head. It'll be painless that way." Greg said.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Greg tilted his head up to see the one who called herself Garnet standing over him with a friendly smirk on her face.
"Oh, it's you." Greg said a little blandly. "Thanks for the save, I guess."
"Oh, please let up on the praise, it's just too much." Garnet remarked sarcastically. "Let's get you back on your feet, human." The tall Gem picked Greg up as if he were a kitten and placed him on his feet. She dusted Greg off a little bit with her now gauntlet free hands, which were slender, yet strong. Greg saw a gem in each of her palms.
"I have to say, I'm impressed." Garnet said. "You took down one of the most feared Gems Homeworld has ever known. Aside from the Diamonds, of course."
"I just killed somebody!" Greg cried. "This was not a win for me!"
"She's not dead." Garnet assured him. "Fire Agate and the off-color Jasper have just had their physical bodies destroyed, but only for the moment. Their gems are still intact, so they are both still very much alive. Our bodies are merely solid illusions. To kill a Gem, you'd have to shatter the gem."
"Oh, right. Amber said something about that." Greg placed a hand on his head and sighed in relief. "Man, I feel soooooooo much better. Thank you for telling me that."
Garnet walked over and picked up Skinny Jasper's gem. On her way back to Greg, she gave Fire Agate's gem an ornery kick. Garnet placed the Jasper gem into Greg's hand. "Bring her to Pink Diamond. She'll get this one to the Factory safe and sound."
Greg looked at the gem in his hands with a strange look on his face. 'This is all a Gem really is, huh?' Greg then looked up at the Gem that had saved him. "Am I going to get in trouble for this?"
"Never you fear. In the report, you will be described as an unidentified defective Quartz, while I will be described as an unidentifiable fusion." Garnet explained. "We are both in the clear."
Greg tilted his head curiously. "Who are you?"
Garnet grinned and held up her palms for Greg to see her gems. "Don't recognize us?" Garnet chuckled as she began to glow and shrink, until where Garnet once stood, Ruby and Sapphire now stood, holding hands.
Greg blinked his wide eyes. "...What the…"
"I take it you've never seen fusion before, huh?" Sapphire asked, a happy smile on her face.
"What the hell was that?" Greg asked.
"Fusion." Sapphire repeated. "Gems have the ability to morph together to form another Gem, like mixing chemicals."
"Some fusions are more practical than others." Ruby said. "The Topaz Garnet took down? She was two Topazes fused together, that's fairly common. Rubies do the same thing. We travel in groups and fuse together when we need to. But when me and Sapphire fuse, we create a more unique fusion. We create Garnet."
Greg pocketed the Jasper gem and gulped. "I would like to go back to the Garden now. Could one of you show me the way?"
"Hold on, what about our deal?" Ruby asked. "Are you in?"
"Look, I just...I just need a little time, okay?" Greg asked. "I am exhausted. The near death experience has left me partially traumatized. And for a brief moment, I thought I had just killed somebody. Would one of you please just take me back to the Garden?"
"Very well," said Sapphire. "But I beg of you to consider taking the deal and helping us see each other." Ruby and Sapphire both looked at each other sadly. "We really need this."
Greg sighed. "Okay, I'll think about it. I want to help you guys out, I really do. But, things might be safer for me if I just lay low."
"Yeah, no kidding. Yellow Diamond's top Fire Agate is not a Gem who forgives or forgets." Ruby commented. "She'll be bent on killing you once she reforms."
"You're not helping, Ruby." said Sapphire.
"Alright, alright." Ruby took Sapphire's hands and looked her in her hidden eye. "Until next time, I guess."
"Try not to miss me too much." said Sapphire.
"Too late."
"Yeah, same here."
Ruby and Sapphire kissed before finally letting go of each other. Ruby then walked up to Greg. "Ready to go?"
The Garden warp pad lit up and Greg and Ruby appeared on the pad. "So, do they all only have one eye?" Greg was asking Ruby. When he saw Pink Diamond looming over him with her arms crossed staring at him in irritation, he gulped in fear. "Uh-oh."
Pink Diamond tapped her foot like a vexed housewife. She was standing at her true height, not bothering to shrink down. Pearl was with her, standing by Pink Diamond's feet. "I gave you one rule, Greg. One rule. Don't. Ever. Leave. The. Garden. And, what did you do?"
"He left the Garden." said Pearl, with a look of disappointment on her face. She had her arms crossed just like Pink did. Amber, Amethyst, Spinel and Padparadscha were over in the hangout lounge hiding behind some chairs.
"I can explain." Greg said as he stepped off of the warp pad.
"No, I can explain!" Ruby put herself in front of Pink and Greg and did a Gem salute. "My Diamond. I asked for Greg's assistance..." Ruby looked away and blushed. "With the deal you, Padparadscha and I made with Blue Diamond's Sapphire."
Pink Diamond's face immediately softened. Pearl's face even did the same.
"Oh...that." Pink said. "...Did you run into any trouble?"
Greg reached into his pocket and pulled out Skinny Jasper's gem and held it up for Pink Diamond to see. "This gem is off-color. She was about to be shattered by a fusion named Topaz and a very scary Gem named Fire Agate."
"What?" Pink reached down and took the gem out of Greg's hand. She studied the Gem in disbelief. "Yellow Diamond's Fire Agate and a Topaz fusion?! How in the name of the cosmos did you pull that off?"
"Well, I had a little help." Greg glanced over at Ruby. "Plus, there's this," Greg showed Pink his wrist-mounted destabilizer.
"I designed that!" Amber called over from the hangout lounge.
Pink and Pearl stared at Greg in utter bewilderment for a while. "You may go, Ruby." Pink finally said.
"Yes, my Diamond." Ruby said before stepping back on the warp pad and vanishing in a beam of light.
"And, Greg?"
Greg held his breath anxiously.
Pink Diamond smiled. "I'm proud of you for saving this off-color." Pink Diamond held the gem up and it became encased in a pink bubble. She tapped the bubble and it disappeared. "Off to the Factory with you, little friend. You'll be safe there."
"Woah. It's that easy?" Greg asked.
"For me it is." Pink replied. "Listen, Greg. I don't approve of you ever leaving this Garden. But, I suppose it's unfair of me to ask you to stay in this place like a prisoner, no matter how badly I want to keep you safe. So, if it means helping Ruby and Sapphire and thus aiding the off-colors, then I suppose I can allow you to help Ruby through the Kindergarten. But only, and I mean only, if Padparadscha comes to me with a thorough prediction of you making it safely through the Kindergarten, and if I have your word that you'll play it safe, regardless of the circumstances."
Greg placed a hand on his heart and raised his other hand. "I swear on my soul, if I ever help Ruby through the Kindergarten, I will be as careful as I can. No heroics, just off to Sapphire and back."
This seemed to relieve Pink. "Thank you. Now, I need to get going. Boring Diamond stuff that makes me want to shrink back into my gem."
"Try not to have too much fun." Greg said.
"Oh, it will be ever so difficult." Pink replied. The two of them shared a chuckle before Pink Diamond stepped onto the warp pad. Pearl followed after her Diamond, but not before shooting an upwards nose 'hmph' at Greg. The two of them disappeared in a beam of light.
Greg turned around to see Amber, Amethyst, Spinel, and Padparadscha approach him. "Good to see you're not dead." Amethyst said. She tried to play it cool, but she couldn't hide the immense joy in her eyes.
Spinel made no attempt to hide her joy. She jumped right into Greg's arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're alive! YAY!"
Amber decided to join in on the hug. "I love that you're alive! But I love that the hidden destabilizer I gave you saved your life even more!"
Padparadscha walked up to Greg. "I am glad to see you made it back safely. Sapphire says thank you, by the way."
"I'm glad to see all of you guys, too." Greg gently released himself from Amber and Spinel's grip. "But, I really need to get some sleep. I feel like I haven't slept for days, and I am very tired. So, I'm going to need a lot of sleep." Greg headed off to his private space. "Please don't wake me."
Greg stepped out of the self-cleaning station in a cloud of mist, feeling clean and refreshed. "Wow. That actually feels pretty good. I was for sure that thing was gonna melt my skin off or fuse my clothes into my skin." Greg stretched and yawned. "Time to see how my futon works." Greg walked over and put the futon on the bed position. He took off his jacket, his hidden destabilizer and his shoes and laid down on the futon bed. He stared up into space and sighed in content.
"Ahem."
Greg propped himself up. He saw Amber, Amethyst, Spinel, and Padparadscha peeking up from over the top of the dais stairs at him.
"What?" Greg asked.
"Weeeeeeeeeeeell…" Amber started. "We're still kinda freaked out from almost losing you, and we just want to make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine guys, really." Greg said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get some sleep."
"About that." Amethyst said. "We all wanted to try out the 'sleep' thing."
"It looks like fun!" Spinel shouted.
Greg blinked. "...Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhh..."
"Come on. Please?" Amber asked. "I really want to try out this period of hibernation you organisms do. For study purposes...and to keep you close so we know you're okay."
Greg looked at Padparadscha. "And you?"
Padparadscha hung her head. "I don't have a lot of friends and I just want to be a part of something."
"Come on, Greg!" Amber begged. "Please let us sleep with you!"
"Oh, for God's sake. Alright!" Greg finally gave in. "Just don't ever word it that way again for reasons I'm not going to explain, and I'll show you how to sleep. Okay?"
All four Gems nodded their heads.
Greg sighed. "Alright. The futon isn't that big, so how do you guys want to do this?"
'This was not the right way to do this.'
Greg laid on his back on the bed, staring up into the stars of space. Amber had Greg's left arm wrapped in her arms and was using his shoulder as a pillow. Spinel had Greg's right arm in her grip and cuddled against it as if it were a teddy bear. Amethyst was curled up on his chest like a cat, and Padparadscha was using Greg's head as a backrest pillow. All four of the Gems were snoring loudly.
'I teach them how to sleep, and the very next thing they learn is how to snore?' Greg thought glumly to himself.
As he listened to the symphony of snores, he couldn't fight the small smile forming on his face.
'Oh, well… It's nice to feel like part of a family again, at least."
Greg closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
Fire Agate… will return.
Did you guys like my take on a Fire Agate? I hate to sound like that guy, but I myself really liked it, and am kinda proud of it.
Till next time!