Bismuth liked how the inside of the little base looked. As the group gathered in the living room, she could see brightly colored trinkets lining the shelves. It gave their headquarters, she guessed that's what this place was, a really relaxing feeling. But she noticed, from running outside and coming back in, that it was only them and the pink lion. "Where is everybody else, anyway?" She saw the temple, with the warp pad in the center. Maybe this was just the headquarters for the area they were at?
"Everybody else?" She heard Steven question. The blacksmith hummed in affirmation as she turned to face the group. Guess she was right. Maybe this was the base for Steven since he was human, and the others were at a different base. Figures Rose would release her with only a small group present. Probably thought it'd be more believable this way.
"Yeah, the rest of the Crystal Gems! Ol' Crazy Legs. Biggs. Snowflake! Surely, you've met them?" Her smile dropped when she noticed Pearl looking nervously between 'Twoie' and Garnet. "Uh, guys? Is something the matter?" Bismuth could feel her dread getting stronger when Pearl shook her head. The graceful gem motioned for her to follow as she led the way to the warp pad in the temple. "You were talking just a second ago; maybe you could try that again? I don't like you all being quiet like this." She tried to chuckle, but it sounded forced even to herself. The mood became somber the second she asked about the others, so something had to have happened. Bismuth stopped trying to lighten the mood and stepped onto the warp. She never would've expected where they went.
Strawberries. Giant strawberries as far as the eye could see. Bismuth gasped at the sight. "No. No way!" She recognized these battlegrounds. She had fought Homeworld on these grounds with the others. But all that was left were broken weapons and regret. "I knew I was gone for a while, but…" She couldn't see everything due to the overgrowth, but she wondered how far the weapons went. Which ones belonged to her friends and which ones belonged to her foes. And if the strawberries covered their shattered remains.
"We, the Crystal Gems, were able to save the earth…" Pearl became choked up. Bismuth didn't need her to finish her sentence. She knew, the moment she saw the battleground, what their win had cost.
"We're all that's left of the rebellion." That was why the base was so small. Why no one else was around. She looked down at Pearl, who had tears streaming down her face. "Oh, come on, Pearl. You know I can't take it when you cry like that." Bismuth could feel her own tears on her cheeks. Garnet walked up to them, putting her hand in Bismuth's while Bismuth wrapped an arm around Pearl.
"Homeworld's final attack on earth wiped out all of the Crystal Gems." The multi-colored gem took a deep breath to calm her nerves. As she stepped forward amongst the fallen, she heard Garnet remark about Rose protecting them. Regardless of what she thought of Rose, at least she was able to save them.
She gripped the handle of an old ax and pulled it out of the ground. "I knew those Homeworld Elites were twisted. How many of us did they shatter? Crazy Legs? Biggs? Snowflake?" Anger burned through her gem. "If I was there, I COULD'VE STOPPED IT!" She slammed the ax into the ground.
"It's not like that was enough." Bismuth turned around. Garnet had her hands on her hips, looking down at the ground. "Homeworld still has its eyes on this planet."
Pearl held her hands close to her chest. "We still continue to thwart their plans over and over."
The others ran over to join Pearl and Garnet. Steven chimed in from behind Garnet's leg. "And they just keep coming back!" Amethyst nodded along. Twoie placed a hand on top of Steven's head.
"We've been lucky, though. We've gained some new allies from the Homeworld attack. Gems that have rebelled against them and are helping us protect the earth instead. We'll have to introduce you later." Bismuth smiled at that. She'd never say no to more recruits. Rebellious gems were the very foundation of the Crystal Gems.
"I'd love to meet them later. For now, I'm glad to have another chance to show those Homeworld Upper Crusts who's boss! They're gonna regret messing with the Crystal Gems!" She strode forward until she was standing in front of the others. Garnet stepped forward to meet her.
"The gems on Homeworld outnumber us by a huge amount." Pearl stepped forward as well. She added to Garnet's warning, "And their technology far surpasses anything we have available on earth."
The blacksmith pulled them into a hug with a laugh. "What else is new?" She started telling them old stories that she remembered, battles they had fought, and won, even with the odds stacked against them. She saw the fiery spark of determination return to Pearl's eyes and a proud grin appear on Garnet's face. Her enthusiasm was even affecting Twoie, Steven, and Amethyst. The three listened from the sidelines, smiles gracing them as they were filled with encouragement. "Let's pick up where we left off! To the forge!"
Everyone but Bismuth stiffened. The broad-shouldered gem looked around in confusion at their reaction. Did something happen to it? The others were all looking at Twoie as though asking permission for something. When 'Twoie' forced a smile and agreed, the others only relaxed slightly. That was another thing she was hiding from her then. But everyone seemed to be in on this except for her. Bismuth pretended not to notice as she led the way. There'd be a time for her to get her answers, but not right now.
The forge was exactly how she remembered it. She could hear her voice echo as she welcomed the group to her beloved forge. The warm air felt refreshing, and the first thing she wanted to do was take a nice lava bath. "It feels like an oven in here," Steven remarked as he looked around. Weapons lined the walls, hanging from chains and hooks. Surprisingly, the gems stayed close together. Bismuth was expecting them to spread out and look around. 'Twoie' was holding Steven's hand as the younger boy pulled them towards her ore chips.
"You think it's hot now?" She laughed. Steven's energy and curiosity were a delight. It reminded her of her friends when they were exploring the earth during the few quiet moments between battles. She snorted when he repeated himself. "Well, it's about to get waaay hotter!" Her hand shifted into a hammer, and she slammed it against the button at the end of the room. Lava poured into the chambers around the room, spilling down over her. Stars, had she missed that!
Bismuth sighed in relief as she wiped the lava out of her hair. "Nothing like a hot lava bath to get into a working mood." She walked over to them, pretending not to notice them tense when she brushed past Twoie's arm while grabbing some ore from each of the three containers they were standing next to. She brought it over to the lavafall.
Steven poked his head into one of the urns she just collected ore from. "Uhh, what exactly do you do here?" Twoie chuckled lightly when Steven sneezed from getting dust in his face. Bismuth waved them over, noticing how the other gems quickly gathered by them again.
"Homeworld used us bismuths to erect spires and temples for the gems' elites to enjoy." She stuck her hand into the lava and pulled it out again after a couple of seconds. Everyone followed her as she made her way over to her anvil, dropping the newly shaped metal onto the flat surface. "But Rose taught me that my life was my own. That I-!" She shaped her hands into twin hammers and began pounding out the hot metal. "Could do-! Whatever I want!" She changed her hands again and dipped the formed sword into a vat of lava. "So, I chose this." Fire coated the metal, making it look like a flaming sword. She blew on it, revealing a gleaming silver sword.
Steven's eyes were starry as he watched her work. "Bismuth, you make weapons?" Bismuth's eyes widened slightly when she saw 'Twoie' flinch. She grinned. "That's right! I outfitted the entire rebellion. Every material weapon used by the Crystal Gems was made right here in this forge." She froze. 'That's right! I made those before I showed Rose the Breaking Point!' "Are they still here?" Bismuth turned and ran over to a chest on the far side of the room. Popping open the top revealed several upgrades she had made for the Crystal Gems before her imprisonment. "Ah-ha! Yes!" Bismuth pulled out two brass knuckles and threw them to Garnet.
The permafusion grinned in delight as she summoned her gauntlets, and the upgrade fused with her weapon. She also tossed what looked like two horns to Pearl. Her friend looked at the upgrade in awe as she attached it to her spear, forming a trident. "Thank you, Bismuth!"
Bismuth flashed a toothy smile. "I was working on them before…" She trailed off as she noticed the gems tense. "Well, might as well give them to you now!" She looked over at Amethyst. She didn't know the purple gem very well, but she could tell the gem had spunk. She was pretty protective of 'Twoie' and Steven, probably because Bismuth was someone new, and the blacksmith admired that. Bismuth tried to listen in on what they were talking about. Amethyst was glaring off to the side as she spoke. "-ne ever mentioned her to me? I mean. I get why Rose never said anything, but Pearl and Garnet never mentioned her. We're supposed to be friends, a team, and yet they kept this from me for so long…" Steven and 'Twoie' quietly chimed in that she should ask them about it later, leaving the gem to nod silently.
Bismuth decided now was a good time to interject. Maybe she could cheer her up with a new weapon upgrade? "Hey, Deep-Cut! Don't think I forgot about you. Whatcha packing?"
The purple gem summoned her whip and held it out. "What, this old thing?" She mumbled.
Bismuth walked over and bent down slightly to analyze the weapon. "Oh, wow! Not every quartz could make a whip like this. Mind if I take a look?" Amethyst shrugged, so Bismuth took it and gestured for them to follow. "I've got an idea!" She grabbed some spike balls from the chest and attached it to the ends of the whip before handing it back to Amethyst. "Here, with this, you could really do some damage."
Amethyst grinned when the spikes on the balls elongated when she cracked her whip on the floor. "Ah, yeah, baby!" Twoie and Steven chuckled as Amethyst started messing around with the new attachment. Bismuth patted her hands on her apron.
"Well, why don't we head back to the base and get started on training? I want to see those new weapons in action." She turned to look at Steven. "You have the same shield as Rose?" The kid nodded. "Then I'm sorry to say I don't have an upgrade for you right now. That's why I made her that sword since I couldn't do much for her shield." Steven wilted slightly in disappointment but quickly straightened up in excitement.
"You guys are going to show off your new weapons?" He tugged on Twoie's hand as he babbled about the cool new upgrades and the possible ways the gems could fight now. Twoie smiled and listened as the group made their way out of the forge and back to the warp. It didn't cross his mind that Bismuth never inquired about his fighting style or offered him a weapon.