A/N: Well, 12:30 in the morning isn't a bad time, is it? it's still Thursday, the day of updating! so... give a warm hand for Chapter Thirty-Eight, everyone! yeee!
((I've also been taking the time to carefully go through and fix any mistakes I see. If you want to help, that'd be great!))
A Triangle in the Stars
Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Terrible Shortcut
Amethyst was ready just to dive on into the action, looking around as she ran. Pearl glanced at Keyhole every now and then, still dashing along. Garnet kept her eyes forward, looking for the very spot on which they could turn. Amethyst almost raced past it, but stopped, "Uh, guys? which way do we go?"
Garnet pointed left, immediately turning and rushing down through the brush. Pearl followed, batting away the various outstretching greenery with some sort of snarl on her face. She still didn't feel right about having some demon follow them. But Garnet had the final say in it. She was the one with future vision, after all.
Amethyst and Keyhole ran after them, dodging branches and bushes. They continued this way until they reached another path, but it looked strange. All gnarled up, and beige instead of white. It also seemed enclosed in some kind of dim tunnel they managed to enter through the leaves. This was indeed the shortcut. But they still had a long way to go. Just by how it looked, they all could tell it was incredibly dangerous. But the fusion knew they'd be able to survive. So they continued their merry way.
Until Garnet stopped them.
Pearl frowned softly, wondering what was the matter. Until the fusion picked up a nearby rock and tossed it right where they were about to step. That part of the path collapsed almost immediately. The tall Gem's blue eyes widened. Now they had to deal with yet another faulty path. Only much more dangerous than the last. Because it was somewhat hard to see in here, despite the glow emanating from Keyhole.
Said demon glowed a little brighter, seeming to sense Pearl's thought.
"Hey, guys, I have an idea!" Amethyst pulled out her whip, and made it connect to the ceiling, and then soared over the floor to the other side of the room. She stepped down, grinning...
..until she fell through, yelling.
"Amethyst!" Pearl gasped, eyes even wider, and Garnet stretched out an arm to try and save the Quartz. She grabbed onto it, grunting. Garnet then pulled her out and put her on a stable part of the floor. At least one of them made it across, somewhat. The fusion then retracted her arm and scanned the floor. She could see the fault-lines. Just as she had the last time. So she looked at Pearl, who had a hand on her chest as if she was about to have a heart attack, and Keyhole, and instructed them, "Follow me, and be careful."
And then she stepped across the hole, and made her way slowly through, marking where it was safe to step. Pearl trailed her, indeed being highly careful, not bothering to look back at the demon since it would make her lose track of where Garnet stepped. Keyhole followed Pearl, also being careful, and was visibly sweating. Soon, they made it to where Amethyst was, and Garnet looked ahead. It seemed a lot darker from here on in, because this wasn't just a tunnel. Pearl sighed and turned on her gem. Light shone through it and illuminated everything. It was a large room similar to the one they had faced in the pyramid back in the Strawberry Fields. Pearl's eyes widened, as she was hit with immediate nostalgia. And not the good kind. Garnet stayed stoic, but on the inside she was almost wishing Steven was here, even though it'd be way too dangerous for him. But this beast would probably be a whole lot more different.
"Ugh... do we have to go this way? all we've done so far is nearly gotten me poofed!" Amethyst growled.
"We can't exactly turn back now," the fusion stated, walking cautiously into the center of the room, scanning each of the doors.
"Besides, while it was a good idea, that turned out bad, it was also yours," Pearl spoke up, following Garnet. She aimed her light at the doors, and then searched for torchlights. Maybe she could activate them...
"Was not!" Amethyst protested, still following. Keyhole oddly felt like he didn't belong, despite knowing these people weren't from Earth either.
"Was too!" the tall Gem shot back. But it was half serious and half not. She found torchlights, and shone her light on them. Within a few seconds, they lit up, and so she turned off her gem. Garnet glanced over at Keyhole, as if noticing how he felt. She decided she'd call attention to this later, after they got to the other side.
Amethyst groaned, "I wasn't the one who insisted on me being here for any of this! why did you have to drag me along for this one?"
"Because, as you'd seen, Amethyst, there were certain things we couldn't have done, couldn't have gotten through, without you," Pearl said, frowning. This time, it was fully serious. She continued, "We're a team, in any case."
Garnet watched them, nodding along. She was patient, listening and waiting for them to wrap up their conversation. Amethyst shrugged, "That's fair."
The tall Gem smiled then, "Good. Now let's solve this puzzle!"
Garnet hummed, looking at the doors, which each had a different insignia carved into them, again. If this was the same as the one in Strawberry Fields, they had to find the gem powering it. Or simply pick the correct door. They had no time to find the gem. Well, they technically did, but she didn't want to. It's been weeks already.
Keyhole stared at it. He thought about just destroying the doors... but didn't want to overstep his bounds. Amethyst sat down, waiting for them to figure it out. Pearl walked around, taking a closer look at three of the six doors. One insignia had the four diamonds. Another had the image of a spaceship. But there was one that seemed eroded away. Garnet paid especial attention to this door. What if this one was the way out? and then she said, seemingly out of nowhere, "Try not to destroy the doors. The mechanism will think that means they're open. And we'll be in for a world of hurt."
The pale Gem raised an eyebrow, wondering where this came from, but chalked it up to her future vision. Which it was. The fusion had seen Keyhole breaking down the doors, resulting in disaster. Pearl soon nodded, deciding to say, "Alright then! noted!" anyway. Keyhole sighed, while the purple Gem looked at the other doors from where she was sitting.
There were three more symbols—a six-fingered hand for some reason, a demonic eye similar to a certain demon's, and a llama. But these wouldn't really make sense to one who didn't know about them.
Garnet soon walked back and patted Keyhole on his shoulder as some type of comfort, but Keyhole barely reacted. Pearl shot a near glare at the blue demon, seeming to showboat her lack of trust towards him, and went to the eroded door beside which Garnet was previously standing. She traced where an insignia used to be, trying to find out how huge it was. It seemed pretty big. The tall Gem began to wonder. Amethyst got back up, and wandered over to Pearl.
"You think this might be the door?" Pearl noticed her, and pointed at the door she was examining. Garnet stayed with Keyhole this time. She wanted to open her mouth and say something about his not belonging in their group, but they weren't out yet. And she remembered saying she would the moment they got out. Besides, perhaps Keyhole would eventually see that he did belong.
Amethyst squinted her eyes, "Well, there's only one way to find out..."
Pearl frowned. She hoped it was right. She really did. But she'd seen Garnet near this door. It must have been okay. So she nodded, stepping aside and gesturing for Amethyst to do the honors, and summoned her spear just in case it led to something bad happening. Amethyst grinned and pulled out her weapon, whipping the door so it broke in two.
And then an alarm went off—a very loud buzz that frightened and nearly deafened Pearl. And that was it. But they also lost a torchlight, and the area started rumbling, as the source began its quest towards this room. Garnet stood up into a battle stance, eyes wide, and brought out her gauntlets. The tall Gem sweatdropped, backing away from the door, still armed with her spear. She chuckled nervously, "Uh.. well, that one wasn't the right door..."
"Clearly," the fusion frowned, narrowing her eyes now.
Keyhole then stomped once, bringing down rocks in front of the wrong one, but also accidentally sealing them in this room, not allowing them to turn back. The source crashed into the rocks, and the rumbling stopped. Apparently the momentum and it colliding into the obstacle caused it to go unconscious. Garnet sighed of relief, and gratefully smiled at Keyhole, dispelling her gauntlets. Pearl, however, didn't share in the relief for long. She shot a look over at the caved in entrance, and groaned a little, putting away her spear. Well, they definitely couldn't turn back if they wanted now. She doubted Garnet, what with her hidden exhaustion, could bulldoze through those rocks.
"How about this door?" Amethyst wandered over and, willy nilly, slashed open the Diamond Door.
"Amethyst!" Pearl nearly screeched. They lost another torchlight, which was again a sign that it was the wrong door. A song started to play, similar to the song that was heard when the Diamonds corrupted the Gems Rose's shield wasn't able to protect. But it seemed to be heralding something. Something, well, bad. The remaining torchlights flickered, and monsters, really dangerous ones, materialized from the floor. They bore a strong resemblance to the Heartless, or, as they were called in this world, the Monds, and if Steven were here, he would have said so. Garnet and Pearl brought their weapons back out, lips upturned into a snarl.
Amethyst got out another whip, and started attacking multiple of them. Keyhole was too frightened to do anything—plus he was still in that whole "follower" mindset. The monsters the Quartz Gem attacked roared, taking the hits. They regenerated almost instantly, and then one of them decided to throw a rock at her, which she narrowly dodged with a roll. Garnet stood on the sidelines, scanning them for possible weaknesses. There was a diamond sketch etched onto each of their chests, she noted, and then spared a glance at Keyhole, raising an eyebrow. Pearl noticed Amethyst was in possible danger, but couldn't do anything to defend her. She was swarmed by some of the monsters, and, despite her attempts to ward them off, they just kept coming.
Keyhole soon decided he would help after all—he had to do something, since he could do something, right? so he did the best he could—he grew himself up taller and stronger, and began to beat the "Gems" like they were nothing, dark smoke dispersing into the air. Amethyst found herself incapable of poofing any of them.
Because they weren't exactly Gems, what they were dealing with. Pearl finally managed to keep them at bay, but it was incredibly tough since they weren't playing fair. Garnet shouted, finally jumping into the fray and aiming for her enemy group's insignia, "Aim for their chests! it's their weak point!"
The fusion punched one of them square in the chest, and it instantly vanished with a brief shriek. Pearl nodded, backflipped to give herself some space, landing on a wall, and then jumped off and started aiming for her group's insignia as well. Now she had a much better luck cutting them down, and what seemed to be endless amounts of dark smoke emanated from their nonexistent corpses. She noticed Keyhole had finally joined the battle, but wasn't quite sure what to think about that. Keyhole continued to do that. He had already figured that out for himself, fortunately. Amethyst was having bigger trouble still. Getting her whip to aim in one exact spot, hard, was not the task it was designed for.
Garnet allowed a small smile to flit upon her lips as she watched Keyhole. Just like Steven, she noted. She kept bashing her group of Monds in their chests, leaving behind nothing but dark smoke. Pearl looked over at Amethyst's section again, and finished off the Monds attacking her before she jumped over to help, with an obvious and unnecessary, "Need a hand?"
She nodded, smiling a little. Pearl then took Amethyst's hand and hurled her into the horde, expecting her to use that spindash attack she had. And then Pearl rushed ahead and spin-kicked a few monsters right in the chest. They shrieked and vanished. Garnet finished with her group of monsters, and decided to go over and help Keyhole, whether he needed it or not. Amethyst did indeed use that spindash attack, and killed a whole line of them. Pearl cheered her on, cutting more monsters down. Soon, there was only one left, and it looked a little scared. Garnet and Pearl turned their sights onto it, wearing the most serious battle faces, and the former directed her gaze to the blue demon, almost smirking now.
Keyhole then grabbed it from behind, knocking both fists into the insignia, which made the creature vanish into a puff of darkness. A moment of silence passed before...
"Clearly..." Amethyst began, brushing off some dust, "that was the wrong door."
"Gee, you think?!" Pearl shot a wide-eyed look at the purple Gem. But they didn't get a chance even to breathe, and Garnet couldn't even relax out of her battle stance. For the creature that had been knocked out cold had recovered and burst through the rocks, sending them flying. Pearl dodged these while Garnet punched into them. The tall pale Gem got even paler when she saw it, "Oh, for the love of—!"
It was towering, almost as tall as the door itself, and almost as big too. The unknown beast roared, the tiles it had for skin rattling. Garnet took to studying it, teeth clenched and eyes narrowed. Keyhole stared at it, a little afraid. Amethyst decided to use her whip like a lasso and tossed it around the creature. It was disoriented for a moment, but this moment wasn't long enough for even Pearl to get in an attack. It stretched its body against the force of the whip holding it firm, and snapped it.
"Oh, my stars!" Pearl shouted, eyes wide. Garnet decided to run up the wall behind it while it was at least semi-distracted, and jumped for it, gauntlets out in front of her for a strike. It struck its back, but it was a next to a no sell,—there were small resultant cracks here and there—and the powerhouse didn't even notice. The fusion landed on her feet, and then knelt moments later, huffing and puffing for a while. The exhaustion was starting to take a toll on her.
"We should fuse and beat it that way!" Amethyst suggested, glancing at the ceiling. It would probably squish them, but it wasn't like they had a better option.
Garnet glanced up at the ceiling too, and frowned. Sardonyx would be way too tall. Sugilite too. Opal would be the best choice. She had a feeling this beast was vulnerable to piercing damage. So she nodded, getting up slowly and moving away before she got stomped on, "Agreed. Opal is needed here."
Pearl saluted, and quickly headed over to Amethyst, dodging a swipe from the monster, who roared once more, but it was clearly not as loud as the first time. Amethyst met the tall Gem halfway, fusing almost instantly with her. Keyhole was a little anxious about the whole situation.
Opal stood where they once were when the light vanished, taking a deep breath, and summoned her components' weapons, combining them into a bow and arrow. The monster rounded on the fusion immediately, and started running at them. She flipped over it and shot a barrage of arrows at its back. And Garnet was correct in her tactic. Once the arrows hit home, where the cracks were, it made the fissures bigger and splintered the tiles of the monster even more, and it screeched.
Keyhole cheered them on, and the taller fusion smiled at this, and continued shooting arrows at the monster. It screeched even more, backing away. But it was starting to lose its footing and balance. Garnet noticed and smirked, and began running towards it, bringing her arms out in front of her. She rammed into the beast's leg, and the monster roared, with agony, as it buckled and collapsed. The arrows embedded into its back impaled it, going through its chest now, and it shrieked, flailing about. It was waiting for someone to deal the final blow. And so Opal and Garnet turned to Keyhole, gesturing for him to deliver the coup de grâce.
He ran up to it, a little nervous, but punched it right in the face with all his demony power. He kinda was expecting it to explode from the intensity of the punch. And it indeed exploded, or more like imploded. The debris that would have been sent flying, because physics, actually disintegrated the moment they hit the ground. Garnet and Opal cheered, the former clapping, and then the latter defused. Pearl was smiling, and applauding. She seemed to have gotten over her distrust towards him. Outwardly, that is. Inside, she was still a little aloof and unsure.
Keyhole grinned at the praise. But eventually...
"Okay... so let's actually try and find the right one now," Amethyst sighed, tired. She wanted to sleep even more now.
Garnet nodded, finally relaxing and dispelling her gauntlets. She was slightly slumped over, sharing the same feeling and sentiment. She decided they could all rest after they found the right door. She looked around, examining the insigniae that Ford and Stan, and the whole of Gravity Falls actually, would definitely recognize. She inspected the demonic eye in particular, rubbing her chin.
Pearl groaned tiredly, putting away her spear, slightly limping around. She ignored the door with the spaceship. She knew that was wrong, and not just because she had a bad experience with one. But because it didn't fit with the motifs they'd seen throughout their journey. The zodiac motifs.
Keyhole turned his attention to them as well. He gasped when he saw them, but was focused on one in particular.
"I think it's th-this one!" he pointed to the one with the eye, recognizing it instantly. He didn't understand how it fit into Gem culture... but he had a good feeling about it.
Pearl glanced over at said door. It happened to be the same one Garnet was eyeing, and the fusion smirked. The tall Gem walked up to it, hand on her chin, "Hm... it might be... this is strange though... I don't think I remember something like this..."
Amethyst glanced up at Garnet, "Can't you just use your future vision to find the right door?"
"My future vision isn't exactly absolute..." Garnet sighed, sounding exhausted. "But this... this is definitely the right door.."
She was certain of it. This eye... she was sure at least one of her components had run into its owner. Pearl frowned, examining it some more. The more she looked at it, the more distant it seemed somehow. And it looked mysterious.. and evil. She felt as if it was watching all of them. And it sent chills down her spine.
"Okay... should I bash it in?" asked Amethyst, getting excited.
Garnet chuckled, and Pearl smirked. They both nodded. Pearl then said, "I think we should do it together this time..." and glanced over at Keyhole, "on the count of four..."
The two summoned their weapons once more, smiling, and Garnet started off, "Four."
Pearl raised her spear, "Three!"
"Two," Amethyst called, summoning not one, but two whips.
Keyhole took a deep breath, "One..." he got ready to kick the door in its face.
"Zero!" they all shouted, and then bashed open the door. A ding sounded through the air, similar to the chime of the Warp Pad and to the sound of the game shows when someone got the answer correct. They didn't lose a torchlight, and nothing threatening was happening. So their choice was right. Pearl jumped for joy, just barely since she was so tired, and Garnet dispelled her gauntlets, her smile broadening. Who knew a simple eye that didn't seem to belong here would be the answer? but soon they'd learn that it wasn't just a goof...
"Whew... catch me, Garnet!" Amethyst shouted, before she began to collapse from exhaustion.
And Garnet indeed caught her, no questions asked, before sitting down, sighing. Pearl chuckled wearily, letting vanish her spear, and then sat down also, back leaning against the wall. Despite her body resting, her mind certainly wasn't. It was still running through thoughts about the eye. There was something about it. Did Rose ever mention it to her? she soon shook her head.
No. She would've remembered if that was the case. She always remembered what Rose told her. Her blue eyes were cast in shadow once again. What if this was another secret she kept? just waiting until someone or something unearthed it? she clenched her fists, frowning, as old scars seemed to reopen.
Keyhole wanted to keep moving, "I-I'll just go up ahead!"
Plus he hated having to listen to the drama unfolding inside Pearl's head.
"I think you should stay here..." Garnet frowned slightly. "It'll only get even more dangerous..."
Possibilities that centered around Keyhole going it alone flashed through her head, and they were all horrible. She held back a shudder.
Pearl bowed her head, swaying a little, and then lay down, curling up a little bit. She tried to curtail these thoughts. She really did. But Rose... how could she.. do this to her again..? especially about something that rung so terribly to her despite not knowing a thing about it? she shook her head, trembling, and tried again to shield herself from these thoughts. It was only to help her. Only to keep her and her mind safe. She had to remember that.
"Can we go, then?" Keyhole blinked slightly, looking towards the opened door.
Garnet shook her head, "We're all exhausted... we need this rest... Pearl's right. We haven't properly rested in weeks. And it's starting to take a toll on us."
As much as she hated to admit that she was tired—too tired to keep going for now.
The tall Gem closed her eyes, shifting so that she was on her back instead of her side, and then reopened them. Her blue eyes were half-lidded, as if she was about to succumb to a nap. And, thankfully, the thoughts about Rose's secrecy finally stopped once she took a few deep breaths and repeated in her head that the pink Quartz Gem had good intentions. But the visage of the eye remained. She had to figure this out. She really did.
Amethyst was already fast asleep. Snoring, actually. Keyhole was unsettled by this, and pressed, "B-but I'm a demon! I don't need sleep... what am I supposed to do?"
"You could wait here..." Garnet replied, pushing up her visor. And then she decided to bring up his insecurity. So she offered, "We could talk."
Pearl finally closed her eyes, and fell asleep too almost immediately due to her exhaustion, despite wanting to stay up. So now Garnet and Keyhole were metaphorically alone, and this was good. It was just in case their topics got deep.
"...what do you want to, er, talk about?" Keyhole raised an eyebrow.
"I know you feel like you don't belong with us," Garnet began, crossing her arms, but not in that scolding way.
"And?" he tilted his head.
"I just want to let you know that you do..." the fusion finished, and then added, "we're a ragtag team. A 'lowly' Pearl. An 'overcooked' Quartz. And then there's me. I'm something that shouldn't exist in the eyes of Homeworld."
"And now you've got a demon to wrap it all up," Keyhole seemed to get it.
Garnet nodded, smiling slightly, "Yes. And then there's Steven. I assume you hadn't met him yet. He's really quite special."
"No, I don't think I have..." he wondered what kind of Gem Steven was. Keyhole often forgot about his mind reading ability.
"And that's fine. You'll get to meet him after we're done here," Garnet brought her arms behind her large square afro, crossing them again and leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes. But she didn't go to sleep. She felt Keyhole wanted to talk more.
He frowned, "Uh... what's he like?"
And then that smile broadened. She said, "He's one of the sweetest kids ever to walk this earth. He sees the beauty in almost everything that and everyone who exists, and tries his best, unintentionally or not, to mold the rough into a diamond. Like I said, he's really special."
Keyhole nodded, feeling awkward, "Good. For him."
The fusion nodded too, "But enough about Steven. The point is that you belong here. We're willing to accept you. Pearl may not be so inclined yet, but I know she will be."
"How can you possibly know?" he gawked.
She smiled, and revealed her third, purple eye for just a minute, replying, "Future vision."
He jumped for a minute, but soon relaxed. "Eye think I understand," he winked, smiling slightly, but was troubled by it. Bill could see the future... couldn't he?
Garnet chuckled at the pun, and closed her eyes again. She was close to going to sleep this time. But she forced herself awake. He soon lay down, deciding this was enough for him, and hit the hay. And then the fusion sighed. She made up her mind. But she'd have to wake up soon, so she and her team could move on. And so she yawned, and then fell asleep, dreamlessly.
A/N: And that's that! X3
Things start to get a little more interesting, not that it wasn't interesting already. XP
I had Garnet and Pearl, (and Opal), and again Ace had Amethyst and Keyhole. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We certainly did. X3 Please leave a lengthy review. We always appreciate those.