"Pink, why aren't you getting ready?"
The Crystal Gems had been transported to Homeworld, and Steven had convinced the Diamonds to hold a ball in honor of "Pink Diamond's" return. He and his friends had been getting planning advice from the Diamonds' Pearls – which hadn't amounted to him being able to do much—when Blue had arrived to check on everything.
"I guess I am ready if all I have to do is sit in a chair," said Steven.
Inside Garnet's mind, Disgust R growled. "Ugh, I still can't believe we have to make nice with Blue Diamond, of all gems."
"Well, it's been over four thousand years," said Joy S, "and all this time, she's been mourning, reflecting on how she treated Pink. And now that they know she was actually Rose… perhaps she's better now?"
Blue looked over Steven's form with a look of dawning horror. "Are you really going to look like this, even at the ball?"
"Nope," said Disgust R. "Still awful."
"I can't really help it," Steven explained.
Blue glanced past Steven to the rest of the Crystal Gems, almost as if she was noticing them for the first time- or at least, bothering to acknowledge them for the first time. "You weren't thinking of inviting your Earth friends, are you?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
With a swift movement of her hands, blue separated Steven from the others and swept him off to the side.
"No!" Fear S cried. "She's taking away Steven!"
"We have to keep him safe!" Fear R said in agreement.
"Relax," said Joy R. "She still thinks she's Pink Diamond. She's not going to hurt him."
"Physically, at least," Sadness R said. "Emotionally, though, she could ignore him, belittle him, disregard his wants…"
"Sort of like the Gems did when he first moved in with them," Sadness S noted.
"We got better," Disgust S retorted.
"Right," Joy R said, "and that means that maybe the Diamonds can better too!"
Blue Diamond, meanwhile, had acquiesced to Steven's request that his Earth friends attend. "Very well. You can bring your Pearl, of course, and your pet. As for this faulty Amethyst, she'll need limb enhancers to meet her height requirements. The Sapphire will need to enter with the other Sapphires of course, and the Ruby will need to enter with the guard."
"Well," said Joy S, "I suppose that's better than threatening to shatter them."
"Better, yeah," said Disgust R. "But still pretty awful."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Steven. "Are you talking about Garnet?"
"Garnet? Does that call herself a Garnet?" Blue Diamond gave a contemptful laugh. What would you have her do? Enter with the Demantoids, the Hessonites, the Pyropes?"
"Okay, we're not going," Anger R said. "We're not going to split up to attend some ball for a Diamond who openly mocks Garnet like that."
"At least the Sapphire has some sense," Blue Diamond remarked.
"What!" Anger S shouted. "We can't just let her insult Ruby! Or any of you guys," she said, pointing to Ruby's emotions. She slumped into her seat. "And it's not even accurate; R was contributing most of the anger for that decision."
'Well," Sadness R said, "She can't exactly tell which one-"
"Don't defend her!"
"Pink!" Blue said, addressing Steven. "Are you going to ring in the ball?"
"What?"
"Ugh, I'll take care of it. I'll take care of everything. Come, Pearl!" With that, she departed.
Steven turned to Garnet. "Garnet-"
"I'll find you when it's over."
"I thought we'd get to do this together!"
"Yeah," Sadness R said. "That's the cost of us not going."
"Well," said Anger R, "if we'd have to unfuse-"
"I suppose we could go as Garnet if we wanted," Disgust R said, "but that'd probably just upset White and the others."
"Right," Sadness S said. "We have to keep on their good side..."
"But this is Steven's chance to talk to White! To convince her to help!" said Joy R.
"She wouldn't listen to Garnet anyway," Disgust S said.
"But she might listen to Steven," Joy R continued. "Or Pink, I guess."
"And she'll listen when I tell her about you!" Steven said. "Once I talk to White Diamond, I'll change everything. I promise."
Joy S let out a sigh. "We can only hope."
"I feel bad that Garnet won't be there for Steven," Sadness R said.
Garnet was, at the moment, standing outside an armory, waiting for Amethyst to be fitted with limb enhancers.
"Well, she wouldn't be able to anyway," Fear R said. "You heard Blue; they'd make her unfuse, and so it'd be Ruby and Sapphire instead."
"Yeah," said Anger R. "Steven's great and all, but there's no way we're unfusing for the ball."
"Maybe we should," Sadness S said.
The two Angers exploded almost immediately, volleying a series of objections and accusations of betrayal at Sadness. The Disgusts looked at her incredulously. The Fears, more in reaction to the Angers than S's suggestion, let out tiny yelps and tried to hide under the control panel.
"I know you're worried about Steven," Sadness R said, "but he'll be all right. He'll have Pearl, and Amethyst, and Connie."
"It's not that," said Sadness S. "It's just… think of all the corrupted Gems. You saw what the Diamonds were able to do. If there's a chance White can help heal them, it would be best to get on her good side. All of us, not just Steven. And if that means complying with Homeworld's awful rules..."
Disgust S sighed. "I hate to say it, but you're probably right. A few hours of discomfort in exchange for dozens of Gems getting their minds and bodies restored? It's a fair price."
"She should restore them for free!" Anger S said. "And we're not sure she will even if we attend her stupid ball!"
"It wouldn't hurt to try," Joy S said.
"Physically, at least," Sadness R said.
Anger S glanced around. "Fine!" she said. "I know where this is heading. I'm not gonna try to argue a losing cause."
'Well, I am!" said Anger R. "Why do we have conform to Homeworld's standards to attend a ball we don't really care that much about in the first place?"
"Well, Amethyst's getting limb enhancers in order to go," Disgust R said.
"Garnet defusing is not the same as wearing a couple of accessories!" Anger R said. "It's not even close!"
"Maybe not," said Sadness S, "but it's not like Ruby and Sapphire haven't unfused before, and in worse situations."
"Right," Fear R said. "They unfused to stop the Ruby squad from searching the barn, and they unfused to infiltrate the human zoo and save Greg."
"And quite recently, they stayed unfused so they could have a wedding," Fear S added.
"And that's why Ruby and Sapphire got married in the first place, right?" said Joy R. "So they could be together even when separated."
Anger R frowned. "Fine, but I won't enjoy it."
"None of us will," said Joy S. "But it won't be for long. We'll be back together before you know it."
Ruby Facet 3R6M Cut 2ES stood in line with the other Rubies, each moving monotonously in the steps that Homeworld considered a proper Ballroom dance for Gems of their type. In her mind's control room, her emotions watched on the viewscreen as, on the other side of the chamber, the Sapphires did the same.
"This is the worst honeymoon ever," Disgust mumbled.
"Iceland would have been wonderful," Sadness said with a sigh.
"And White didn't even show!" Anger groused. "We unfused for nothing!"
"I mean, at least Ruby and Sapphire are able to be here to support Steven," Joy said.
"Er, I think they might need to support him even more now," Fear said. "Look!"
Steven and Connie, emboldened by White's absence, had taken to the dance floor and were twirling around, hands in hands.
Over in Sapphire's mind, her emotions were having a similar reaction to this development.
"What are they thinking?" Anger said. "Don't they remember what can happen when they dance together?"
"Hey, now," said Joy. "There's a chance they won't-"
She stopped as, on the screen, Steven and Connie accidentally fused.
"Never mind."
"Ah! They fused!" Fear yelled. "Right in front of everybody! Right in front of the Diamonds! They don't like Ruby and Sapphire fusing, but someone they still think is Pink Diamond? Fusing with a human!?"
"I never thought there'd be a time I wouldn't be excited to see Stevonnie," said Sadness.
"When are you ever excited at all?" Disgust said. "But yeah, this… this isn't good."
In Ruby's mind, the emotions watched Stevonnie get berated by two upset and embarassed Diamonds. "Pink, this is completely unacceptable!" Blue said. "Unfuse or I'll make you!"
"Nobody threatens Stevonnie!" Anger said. "Or Steven! Or Connie! Any of them!"
"And fusion," Disgust added.
"Yeah!" said Anger. "Nobody threatens to break up a fusion made of love, either!"
"You know, I've been wondering- what type of love is it, exactly?", said Joy. "I mean, it's clear they care for each other very much, but are they just friends, or is there any hint of romance between them? In other words, is it simply philia, or might it be a blossoming eros?"
"Not the time, Joy," said Disgust.
Ruby and Sapphire rushed to each other and fused. Their emotions once again shared the same room.
"Ready to do this?" Anger R asked.
"Of course," said Anger S.
"You'll have go through me!" Garnet, addressing the Diamonds.
"And me!" Pearl added. She ran over to Amethyst, and soon Opal was in the room as well.
"And me!" shouted a Jade fusion who had formed in the crowd.
"Wait, who's that?" Fear R asked.
"How should we know?" Anger S said. "We haven't been on Homeworld in 5,000 years!"
"Probably just two gems who discovered each other and have been living secretly for who knows how long," Sadness S said.
"Well, whoever she is, we can use all the help we can get in standing up to the diamonds!" said Joy R.
Yellow Diamond sent out a bolt of electricity at the new fusion, poofing her.
"I don't think all the fusions on Homeworld are going to help us!" Fear S shouted, clutching onto her Ruby counterpart. Soon, however, she was clutching onto nothing as Garnet's physical form had been destroyed, forcing the two components to retreat back into their respective gems and their emotions along with it.
The emotions in Ruby's mind looked at each other. Sadness started crying.
"Yep," said Disgust. "Still awful."