The appearance of that mysterious gem would pop into Ruby's mind. It interfered with her urgent thoughts, "Get Sapphire off this strange planet and back to her Diamond." They were becoming the sort of thoughts she despised.
Those thoughts were ingrained in her. Those thoughts would've gotten her shattered. And Sapphire was vehemently against the thought of Ruby walking back to get shattered.
It went against everything Ruby was made for; yet a stronger part of herself resisted, wanted to be here with Sapphire on this planet.
She wondered if she was worthy of such company.
When Ruby reformed she found herself in a Homeworld fashioned cell. She could hear Sapphire singing and it was a comforting and agonizing feeling. Sapphire was safe but not for long and Ruby couldn't hear the others.
"Steven saw us break apart," was on a loop in her head. He had to be safe. None of them would survive on Homeworld, less of all the son of Rose Quartz.
He found her, she hid herself as she realized his birthday gift would be ruined. It was the smallest of worries but the closest to normalcy.
They searched the ship, they got separated and then Sapphire was in her arms. She was safe and for a glorious moment it felt like everything was right in the world.
They danced, exuberant, and Garnet stood tall and proud.
She softened at Steven's awe; her overwhelming love for him.
The world was still spun off its course. Garnet sent Steven to go find the others and she confidently steeled herself for the fight against Jasper.
Garnet would protect her family.
The desert and the night sky spread out, seemingly endlessly.
Ruby used to think, when she first donned the cowboy hat and gear, "You're alone, now."
Which seemed silly in hindsight because she had Steven, Greg, and Amethyst as her companions; the thought of Sapphire was a companion in her mind.
It was strange, still to look up at the sky. Homeworld wasn't here, and the Earth was freedom.
It was something she shared with Sapphire and wanted to share now. Ruby couldn't see off into the rivers of the future, so she only had hope to hold.
Ruby thought of the comic, of the lonesome cowboy's soliquity before his revelation.
"I can hear Sally Mae's voice all 'round. See, horsey, there are folks that do what is expected of them and folks that want something that ain't expected of them. And Iā¦"
It seemed like a blueprint for Ruby's entire life. A dumb grunt gem that wasn't worthy of anything more.
But Ruby could stand on her own, make her choice without fear of external or internal judgment; she knew better now.
All throughout the planning of her wedding Ruby's mind was full of thoughts. Even an intimate, small wedding had lots of planning. Though Steven's self-made do-it-yourself book helped, the planning was still overwhelming with figuring out the head count.
The most fun had been picking out the wedding outfits Steven meticulously drew in the non-lined pages. There were color-coded dresses or suits, dark red dresses or tuxes, sky-blue tuxes or dresses, simple or complex wedding dresses, snappy or complicated tuxes.
Even something that fun had a dose of overwhelming.
Eventually she chose a simple wedding dress and closed her eyes when Sapphire chose her wedding clothes. It made Ruby feel giddy and she laughed behind her hands.
Somehow it went by quickly and Ruby found it all so overwhelmingly wonderful.
Seeing Sapphire under the homemade arch was a moment that seemed too slow. Ruby rushed there, fire under her heels, and she held Sapphire's hands. Their words were exchanged, their vows and promises.
When Steven said their union was sealed, Ruby swept Sapphire ā her wife, her wife, oh, the world was wonderful and how beautiful it was to exist, exist with her ā into her arms.
Ruby's mind was on a loop as she kissed Sapphire.
"Sapphire, I love you, I love you, I love you."
A/N: Originally posted on AO3 on December 12 2020
This was inspired by Harvest Moon's Heart Events.
