Lapis and Peridot accidentally find a hidden room.
Lapis felt disturbed about the revelations about Steven and Connie. She cared for them, more than she'd admit to herself. She didn't properly understand humans as a whole, but she would be frugal as not let Jasper even look at the two.
Even if things were at best, 'tolerable' between them after everything had transpired, it'd be huge stretch to say whether she'd ever trust her again.
Peridot being Peridot, wanted to follow Jaspers path. Lapis relented but she had to push on as well. But following Jasper meant it could be only a matter of time until she'd reach the Security Room before they did. They had to find a quicker path.
"Have you been studying humans?" Lapis questioned, out of a curiosity that burst from reading so many books that a lot of the time she ended up question human logic more than she had liked to. Or even knew she was questioning to begin with.
Peridot shrugged. Her interest was born like Lapis's own...purely due to Steven.
"Ehhh organic life is born, then grows, changes and dies. The normal cycle of their lives." She answered with her usual tone of apathy and adjacent hand gestures.
Not what Lapis aimed for.
"Ugh, you know what I mean..."' Lapis pointed out.
Peridot rose an eyebrow.
"No...I do not. Please explain." Peridot said, continued in her kerfuffle of not reading into things properly.
Lapis rested her hand on her face and gave a subtle grunt under her breath.
"It's just that...I know those two have been working hard. Humans have far greater limits than we do. And I know suffering when I see it." She said, speaking from experience.
Peridots expression deemed her confused by the prospect of Lapis' words. Though she wasn't entirely ignorant on feelings overall and there was nothing wrong with being blunt at times, Lapis understood that Peridot did indeed try hard to grasp the more negative feelings of others.
"Lapis...wasn't the whole idea of our plan to get them to feel better?" She said, rerouting the original plot into context.
No. She still didn't get it.
"I'd spoken with Amethyst recently. She told me that Steven has a tendency to hold things back in on himself. We can be very vocal with how we feel and as a Crystal Gem we can still voice those feelings clearly because with the freedoms we have now, we no longer have the fear to use them." Lapis conferred to her.
Peridot crossed her arms and pondered Lazuli's words.
"But humans themselves only have their very small lives and they live day to day, working in with the balances of their humility verses how they express themselves in their emotions."
She'd learned that from Greg. One chat on a cloudy day had them chatting at his car wash as he explained as how humans had survived long with their contrasting culture.
"Steven's a half gem. Even the other three don't even understand his situation fully. He's had to either be the human people expect him to be or the gem we had expected him or a merge of the two. There's a imbalance of himself in the mixture."
It left Peridot curious as to what Lapis meant, as she purveyed through her words like an Analyst would.
"Steven is a Diamond. Diamonds have always been our leaders. While our leaders aren't flawless as we're lead to believe, they still have a place in the natural order. Steven's actions in helping everyone else is just how a leader should be. Taking into consideration the needs of others. Or at least going from what he claimed." She said.
Lapis sighed. She's known they had that conversation with Greg as well, comparing that of human leaders of today's standards and what they should be representing. Not all this..oppressive and overbearing ego business. Heh...don't get her started on egos.
"But not the needs for himself." She stated.
"He's got a tremendous amount of strength to carry everyone on his shoulders. Yes he is a Diamond. But Amethyst said he is also Steven. His sacrifices would weigh heavier on him far more than anyone. He isn't his original gem as we've come to know him."
Peridot was skeptical over Lapis' insight in the human psyche, going from her body language. They learned a lot from the humans, far more than once thinking of them as complete imbeciles. Amethyst would take them to Vidalia, or to try and get them to eat like her.
"We started this idea because of Amethyst. He was less about having fun and more of trying to do his duties. That day building the snow people...I don't know how Amethyst convinced him to take a day off."
He indeed did work hard. He said he didn't mind doing it, but with the amount of effort Steven took with her, with Peridot...with all of the Crystal Gems, he's had to do that on grander scale, visiting every other gem on the planet to make sure they were coping okay. That was in his very being to be like that, with Pearl mentioning that it's just like him to be that considerate and didn't believe that he was pushing himself too hard, unlike Amethyst.
"A Diamond's schedule is always full." Peridot stated.
They came across an empty room, although Lapis did hear a lot of noises nearby. They were about to enter another catwalk until they saw shadowy smoke nearby. Lapis went into a near panic as they bolted back into the room and closed the door. The noises got louder. Lapis didn't realize until she heard Peridot groan that she had her pressed up against the wall. Lapis blushed and moved away, leaving Peridot dismayed. The green gem shook her head as Lapis raised her finger to her lips to shut up, as the static increased. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed nearby. The Lillim were about to head in their direction.
Lapis would have lead them to the other exit they had just come out of, but as they wandered in that direction they found that the door refused to open. Peridot tried to find the panel so she could force the door to open, but the static made it hard to move, let alone concentrate. Lapis popped one eye open to see Dori at the nearby wall as she scratched at it with her paw. Lapis dragged herself over to see where she was getting at. She knocked it a few times, revealing it to be hollow. She ran her hand over it, only for a panel to shift open. She shoved Dori inside first, then crawled over to Peridot, whom tried her hardest to hack the door. Lapis just grabbed her leg with her water wings and yanked her from the door. Peridot was about to scream until Lapis covered it with spare wing. Peridot opened her eyes to see Lapis who pointed to the open panel, who then threw Peridot in there.
With all three inside, Lapis quickly closed the panel door. She heard the door open nearby, with the howling gust and screeches that forced her to drop down with the others. The room they were in now was incredibly dark. They waited and remained still, albeit fearful of the monster back in the normal room. Lapis was left holding onto to Peridot and Dori all the while until the footsteps turned around and went in the other direction.
It was left to them eventually, to realize they had found themselves in some kind of shaft. Lapis looked at Dori and patted her, thanking her for saving them.
"Oh you have some use after all." Said Peridot.
Lapis rolled her eyes.
"Well, we can't go that way anymore if that monsters there. I wonder where this shaft goes." She queried.
Crawling through the ducts...wondrous and claustrophobic as it was, she hated being on her hands and knees. Dori and Peridot lead the way, but Lapis was incredibly uncomfortable. Though they did come to an opening to some...odd circular room. Peridot projected light from her gem and they found the walls riddled with gem texts and odd drawings that Peridot almost squealed in fear at, but only let off an 'eep'
The drawings and the texts were black and white only and they were barely legible, but...
When the world of warm is covered in the realm of cold...
When the brightest heart accepts the darkest mind..
Only the Curse of Hope and the Sight of Stone...
Can clear the Cosmos of Despair of it's bind.
"It...looks poetic enough in it's words. Is it a Snowsong?" Lapis wondered.
Peridot shook her head.
"Eh...I can't tell. Haven't studied Snowsongs that much." She said.
Peridot scanned the room with her projected light, seeing the petals of white daisy flowers scattered about. They weren't wrong about the insanity that occurred. Dori herself sat before the text and had been staring it for a while. Imagery appeared near some of the words as Lapis dragged Peridot's head with her hands to examine it closely.
"Ow...ask next time." Peridot whined.
The Curse of Hope appeared to have a light blue diamond shaped gem next to it and the Sight of Stone was a Quartz gem that had bluegreen dots in it. It left them puzzled.
"Blue Diamond? No...the gem is too light a blue..." She continued.
"I'd say it's a shade of Turquoise." Lapis stated.
Lapis looked back at Dori, who looked like she was busy absorbing the words herself. Lapis would give anything to figure out what she was thinking of right now.
"Sapphires aren't normally that...vague." She said.
"Well, according to the ones I know of, anyway."
She then noticed Peridot's gem flowing brightly for an unknown reason as Peridot barely reacted to it until Lapis pointed her finger at it. Peridot then gasped and noticed that Lapis' gem started to glow too. Dori howled as her gem did the same. The world changed form like someone had started to paint over it with dark brown and blue paint.
From what Lapis knew, was that Labradorites with their strange power sets, had an unusual way took into the past with an odd psychic power that allowed them to create scenes from the past based on visual cues and old gem scents. Even if gems were made of light, they still had a sense of smell like no other gem. Other powers from memory included fusion destabilization from Yellow's recommendation, to the usual weapon summonings. She learned that from the old Snow Quartz she met years ago. How they managed to meet was anyone's guess.
A figure appeared in the middle of the room once they were surrounded by Dori's ability. It appeared painted, but it had the size and shape of a noble Sapphire. She had grey hair with a white torso and black skirt. Her gem was located on her right cheek. She had her hands together, then fell to her knees.
"I'm sorry Milky." She said as she started to cry.
"But I got Medusa out like you said. Like what my future vision predicted...but there was too much darkness ahead of that I don't know where she'll go next."
Medusa?
"Pyrope will try and find me. I need to stay here...need to stay here until the darkness passes. I don't know when it will...but if I'm patient I know it will...but...I can't explain the next parts to you...so I will try and sort out the future vision as I go..."
This was like a Thought Marker, except more...colourful.
"I couldn't take your other project out however. It needed more time incubating. We took a big risk in it's creation but with Medusa out there she's bound to go back at some point to find it...hopefully save it from Pyrope's grasp. I always said I didn't trust that Garnet and neither did our mutual friend. Pyrope took all the Thought Markers away, saying that only Snow Quartzes can use it, but your faithful Labradorite's recording this and will leave its residue here in case you come back...or even Medusa's Labradorite. Or any Labradorite, really. Those gems hold so much loyalty...I envy them."
Medusa must have been another Snow Quartz.
"But our other friend. The organic one. You know...she who said this was absolutely necessary for the future. She's not a Sapphire, let alone a gem at all! But her knowledge in gem creation and alteration is far beyond any of our understanding! Not sure where she's come from and how she's managed to grow our project in the Delta Kindergarten. But it's location is kept secret from Pyrope. She has no idea where it is. Not even the Lillim will be able to touch it. I'd like to know how she can see beyond the darkness, like how she empowered me to see beyond it once. Until then...I will leave this fate...and the knowledge of the Darkest Gem in my mind until the day of my shattering."
A Labradorite appeared in the sight as well, although it was not Dori, since the gems position was where her left eye would be if she had one.
"Thank you Luna...you really are the Moon of Comfort."
The vision disappeared as Lapis and Peridot were left reeling from her words.
They looked around. It was obvious the Sapphire believed the darkness had passed, it seems. Or something far worse occurred.
"That was a Black Star Sapphire from White's Court." Peridot revealed, notably a bit afraid and jittery.
Lapis was more interested in this Medusa character and why she was so important. She was a Snow Quartz too, from the sounds of what she was saying. Something she'd had touch base with their Snow Quartz but for now, they had something dire on their hands. Pyrope was clearly up to no good...as well as Black Stars Prophecy...and the organic being she mentioned. Could have been a human...maybe. It was hard to say.
"But I don't know of any organic species that's been an ally with us in the past. We're all about ravaging the planets and not really caring who's there to begin with." Peridot pointed out.
Lapis wondered on what ever happened to Milky's Labradorite. If Milky was here, surely here Labradorite would be as well. She patted Dori and smiled at her, thanking her for the critical yet perplexing info.
Their next move was just as important. Now they know for sure that the Pyrope Garnet was up to some dirty business they needed to make a decision on whether to take her down but risk Jaspers wrath or continue on the long trail to the Security Room.
She looked at Peridot whom was still analyzing the texts.
"Peridot.' Said Lapis.
She was a bit unnerved by Jasper and hoped not to fight her again, despite her supposed new leaf that she had turned after all that had happened, but she was determined to find the Pyrope before she got to the Security Room. She was after Steven and Connie as well who were heading straight there too. It was obvious that it was a trap. They had no way of contacting the others in this location to halt their progress nor warn them however. She became very worried.
"We need to stop her. The Prophecy, Black Stars words...the fact that's she needs Steven and Connie..."
Peridot rubbed her chin, the nodded.
"I'm thinking the same thing. Black Star clearly doesn't want Pyrope to fulfill the Prophecy. What ever she needs Steven and Connie for, is surely not gonna be pleasant." Peridot concurred.
Finally, one thing they could agree on.