Connie begins to understand Steven's dilemma.

Another deep breath of life was taken as Connie reached out towards the light. She could see her hand again. Although, she felt incredibly weakened from the events, as random hands adjusted her asthenic body. Seeing Snow's face however brought her warmth, that mellowed as Peridot carried Steven's gem and promptly put it into a bubble. Though from the look on their faces, they weren't too happy to do it either. It was Steven. They could trust him. Connie knew better than to mess around with such a dangerous version of him to be left wandering around, his motives clear and jagged, holding singular desires and uncaring of collecting collateral along the way.

She could see Dori sitting at the end of the gurney with a sorrowful expression. Connie rose her arm, although even doing so commanded a great deal of willpower. Never before had unfusing made her this tired. Even being Stevonnie for a few days straight wasn't that exhausting.

"Hush Connie, preserve your strength." Snow urged. Dori grabbed hold of Connie's gear, including her sword, then handed it to Peridot for safekeeping.

"We need to run some resonance scans. Just rest easy for the moment while I put you into the machine."

Snow sounded like she had a hold on the situation. They needed it, with Connie herself feeling like she had blood drained out of her, staring at her skin as it had gone pale alongside her mind threatening to go in and out of consciousness. Like a flickering light, Connie found it irritating, with no energy to counter her weakening frame. She'd been in an MRI before as the gurney moved inside of it. She remembered the loud, clanging noises and how they caused her to flinch constantly. She knew not to move as the machine took the necessary steps, with her hands by her side and her legs out straight. The last time she'd been in one was to check for any cancers from a previous incident that her mother became paranoid about. Of course it ended up being nothing but her mother just wanted to make sure she was nice and healthy. It wouldn't be the first or last time her mother went overboard.

But she couldn't help but think of how Steven was feeling right now. The way she felt, having a gem ripped out of her must have been the same way it happened to him. The curse of lethargy and barely being able to move under your own power was simply degrading. That didn't matter; hopefully this wouldn't last long.

His body however. She kept thinking over and over. Where was it? Was he still alive? Was Pink Steven clinging on because he already sensed something that Stevonnie couldn't? It was hard to say when Pink Steven was foreign to her as he was to the other gems. Normal gems. Functional gems that were born from dirt and rock. Steven was not born like them.

Connie held enough belief he was still alive out there somewhere. His gem was pulled out but his body was missing. They had planned to use his gem for what ever reason. To infect it perhaps? Connie took little comfort in knowing they had Steven's gem here and not with the Lillim. Goodness knows what would happen to it if they got their grotty little hands on it. His body was equally important, however and Connie would do what ever she could to bring them back together again. It brought little attention to her own being, her thoughts flipping pages within. So now onto this...Diamond business. Connie would become like Steven...just made in a different way. Pink Stevonnie was a taste of it, but this would be Connie on her own. Allowed to be her own person. Just powered up with a gem. That's all. Maybe she should take this more seriously. Would Steven want her to take it seriously? Would he want her to be afraid instead? She wished he could be here and be all like, it'll be okay Connie and it's okay to feel this way.

But she was alone and she had no idea on what she should be feeling. In a way, she missed Pink Steven being with her already. This was like what Jasper suggested. No. She wasn't addicted to it. But it was the hollow feeling. It never left. A loss of a hand constantly in hers, the gentle, subtle nudges of assurance and comfort.

The gurney shifted and was pulled out shortly after.

"Okay resonance scans are complete. There's a special machine that's sending the data to the gem now. According to the Kindergartens records, the gem has a node attached to this section. I need blood samples too. Peridot, hand the bubble to Jasper and come over here to help please." Snow continued, being thorough just like a doctor.

It was good she was telling her what was going on, with Connie's consciousness clinging on to the grafts of a stable reality. Connie remained passive as Snow got hold of a syringe and inserted into Connie's arm. It only reminded her of the many occasions her mother had to do it. She barely felt it. Snow then ordered Peridot to put the sample into the console's biopod and typed away as Snow pressed a tissue against Connie's arm to stop the bleeding.

"How are you feeling?" Snow asked her.

Snow would be a good mom, if Connie was honest.

"I could be better." Connie replied, her voice weak.

"But I could be worse."

Snow smirked. Connie learned to deflect her worries with humor thanks to Steven. It was easier to cope with laughter than to cry in most instances and where appropriate.

"I do apologize for the sheer amount of trauma this must be inflicting on you. If I had have known earlier it would have come to this, I would have never brought you all here." She admitted.

No. It wasn't Snow's fault. She was just as part of this as they all were. Manipulated to deal with some prophecy they barely understood when they'd come in for a more noble and innocent reason.

"You were just trying to find your friend." Connie assured her.

"I...I would have done the same thing."

Snow took the tissue and discarded it nearby.

"Gem kind was never meant to deal with the impossibilities Pink Diamonds decisions wrought. We're left guessing just as the humans do. Maybe all the Diamonds should hold the blame." Snow stated.

Pink Diamonds actions were merely a catalyst. She would not have done this on her own accord, not by a long shot. But the vision with Diga, Petra and Rose told volumes. They just needed to translate and study each issue.

"Rose knew." Connie revealed.

"By extension, Pink Diamond knew this was coming. She helped prepare for it too."

Snow was left rubbing her chin.

"From what little I can recall, Milky before she went mad, did mention that they used a special gem to help create this one."

Connie nodded. She took this far better than expected.

"Yeah, Rose used her own gem." She told her.

"But you're just as part of this is I am. To clear the Cosmos of Despair of its binds."

Snow went silent. It had to have been a lot for her to take in as well. In a way, her situation was similar to Stevens. Not knowing the whole truth of your existence would cause some internal strife. Being lead to believe everything you were, was a lie. She'd taken it a lot better and in fact was ignoring her side of it. Memories or no memories, surely she must be constantly on the verge of wanting to think about it. But the look on her face meant everything. She was angry, she was distraught. But she fought on anyway.

"Yes. I will continue to help you. Because it's not worth it to me right now to sulk about my past. You...me...Jasper...Peridot...Lapis...and yes, Steven, Garnet and Amethyst and Pearl. We will continue to fight. I'm not going to waste any more time on things out of my control. What I will do, is utilize what is in my control right now. If the Prophecy states you and me will conquer this then we will conquer it..conquer this despair because that is not part of our design...we were literally made for this..." Snow announced, ever so boldly.

Connie was stunned at Snow's burst of confidence, but she admired her for it as she smiled. They could do it.

The next step required them to get the Diamond out of the Kindergarten. Since the Diamond was created for Connie in a similar way Steven's gem functions, it wasn't going to be easy, since most of the time it usually had a gem popping out of a hole. Snow went through Apophyllite for the process. The resonance scans were completed as well as the biodata being updated were the only two parts were required for the gems completion.

"No one has seen a Diamond come out of a Kindergarten." Peridot mentioned, teetering on geeking out.

"Come to think of it, they were there before we. So I'm interested to see how this pans out."

Connie struggled to sit up, as Dori jumped back on the gurney to help with her balance, with Connie wrapping her arm over Dori's back. She could see the far back wall from where she was.

"Warning: Tremor inbound." Apophyllite announced.

The whole room shook violently, as Dori instinctively pushed Connie down and shielded the girl with her body. Peridot ran over to the console and helped Snow out.

"Oh no...its going to emerge!" Peridot announced. Her and her big mouth.

"The pressure is so huge...it's gonna tear this whole place apart!"

The cracks on the far wall got larger and larger as the noise of the alarms klaxon rung over and over again, piercing Connie's ears. It hurt so much as Dori continued to protect her.

"There's no way to stop this?" Lapis queried, preparing to take flight.

Jasper fell over from being unable to hold her ground and dropped the bubble containing Steven's gem. She cried out as the bubble popped due to the constant quakes.

"No!" She cried. She scrambled towards the gem until the floor started crack underneath, with the diamond falling through it.

"Brace for impact!" Snow announced.

Instinct forced them to fuse again. But it was of no concern to Howlite. They pushed bits of debris out of the way as they carried a passed out Connie in her arms. She heard a grunting and whining Peridot nearby as she used her ferrokinesis to get the pieces off of them and the other gems. Jasper wasn't too far off, as Lapis pulled her out and got her to stand. Once aware of her surroundings, she started to fret over Steven's gem.

"Where...where did he go?" Jasper called out.

Peridot began to move debris out of the way, until she found it unharmed. Her first instinct was to put back in its bubble then sigh with relief.

Howlite took a look of their surroundings. The centre of the Kindergartens operations had been demolished, but the door to the Warp Pad was left untouched. It had gotten a little hotter due to the the presence of the lava pool in front of them. They saw a light blue figure on the other side, feeling its powerful Aura from afar. A brilliant radiance like none other; like a hot blue-white star.

"It's her." Howlite growled.

"It's the Hope Diamond."

The others stood there in awe of the gem that just stood there. Like Pink Steven, she failed to move, amounting it to the design in her gem. She took Connie's current form, with the same teal top, the same designed jeans and shoes encompassed the ethereal cyan glowing hue, except she had the Diamond on her forehead that heralded a similar design to that of Blue and Yellow Diamonds, being a lot smaller of course to fit just neatly above the eyebrows, going from what they barely see from a distance. Howlite didn't know what to expect, but Connie stirred as she could barely see the form before her as her instinct shifted, her pupils dilating, absorbing the light of her own being.

"I need...I need it." Connie muttered as her voice cracked. Her arm lazily tried to reach out to her. Her aura was growing cold, to her worry, while her gem alone, radiated with immense power that reflected in Connie's weary, gaunt eyes.

But they had the pool of lava to worry about. They didn't want to risk Connie getting hurt any further than she already had. Lapis tried to fly, but her wings would instantly dry up due to the heat. She tried multiple times but had the same result. Figures it would be made to be more complicated and hard putting than they anticipated it to be.

"I could create a bridge." Peridot noted.

"Jasper, if you wouldn't mind."

With Jaspers sheer strength and Peridot's power allowed them to build a makeshift bridge to the other side. Howlite was impressed with the gems creativity. Their time on Earth really did do them some good. Despite the mishap, it looked like it had been going to plan, if not.

"Oh...I should have expected this." Said a familiar voice.

Howlite turned around, seeing the small black and white gem. Anger flowed through her as the fusion snarled. Again, this was going to get worse before it could get better.

"Black Pearl." She grumbled under her breath.

The traitor, the one who'd cut the cables and left them there to rot. She was furious. Black Pearl gracefully jumped from the doors until the ground as Jasper and Lapis stood in front of them. Her infected aura was charging at an increasing rate that caused her to be anxious underneath the veil of fury.

"My, Medusa! I thought it was you. Now you're fused with your Labradorite? The irony is extraordinary!" The Pearl balked, her arrogance change glaring.

"And Jasper...Pyrope never trusted you. Now we see the Lapis, yes...and the Peridot who holds Pink Diamond. I'll take the gem back now please."

The amount of rage Howlite felt for her, remembering back to the times Black Pearl had helped their cause. It didn't matter how she turned against them. They were not gonna hand anything to the Infected to get their grimy hands on. The culmination of heated, reforged memories stirred the fire with them, bolstering their confidence alongside their desire for combat.

"I hold Medusa's true power now." Howlite roared.

"You better be careful or else you're gonna get it!"

Black Pearl then gave off the most devious smirk.

"But Dori, does your programming not make you want to protect me? After all, should a Snow Quartz strike another gem, should you...pacify her?"

Howlite didn't think about that. They were so instinctual with their actions in taring Black Pearl to shreds that she'd almost forgot about that aspect.

"We'll protect you. You worry about getting that human to her gem." Jasper called out.

"Yeah, we won't let her!" Lapis cried.

It was then Lapis and Jasper exchanged glances of their own determination. Howlite sensed their charging auras as they grabbed hold of each others hands, as both their gems lit up. Their forms were next, as the large blobs of white merged to create a great turquoise monstrosity. Funny, how Peridot once mentioned how Lapis hated Jasper, yet a situation this dire warranted them to work together.

"Malachite..." Peridot murmured with widened eyes and jittery hands. Howlite suspected some darker story behind this particular fusion, only hearing about it from Earth Reports and Peridot. She was massive and terrifying to behold.

"Haha I'm back and I'm ready to grind someone into dirt!" Malachite announced with the largest, most devious smirk on her face.

Black Pearl gave as good as she got, with her own.

"Oh a powerful fusion, what ever shall I do?" She said with venomous mock.

"How about I show you the true power of the Lillim hmm?"

The next thing they knew was Black Pearls eyes turning onyx coloured, as the smoke that signified the Lillim swirled around her form. She rose her arms and opened her mouth as more smoke poured out of it. The smoke then blanketed her entirely as she turned into a giant, centipede like creature that took on Malachites size. It was oozing and disgusting to look at it as the Black Pearls gem shot out dark beams towards Malachite's facial gem, who then blocked it with her arms. Howlite had seen a creature like that the planet and it reminded her of Snow's old friends, causing distress.

"Howlite!" Peridot cried out.

"Come on!"

The fusion couldn't take her eyes off the battle before her as Peridot took her other hand, as she pressed Connie closely to herself to protect her fragile body. The distance between where they were and where the other side was larger than they anticipated. The bridge that was originally meant to go across was broken, as Peridot strained to use her abilities to keep pulling sheet after sheet of metal across. She detached from Howlite as she pulled one piece that caught her eye and jumped on top of it. She floated up and called on for Howlite to grab a hold of the edge of it. Peridot almost dropped the bubble as her balanced teetered due to Howlites and Connie's combined weights.

Peridot charged on through as another tremor hit off due to Malachites and Black Pearl's battle.

How could it have to come this? Howlite did not want to ponder. She looked at Connie who looked like she barely clung onto life as is. Fragility they would not allow to be broken, lest they deal with the horrific scenario following. Howlite forced herself to think less of the potential dangers and to focus on what they could to avoid them. Stalactites fell off the roof of the cavern as Peridot dodged and weaved themselves around them. Howlite couldn't help but look back in concern as Black Pearl had tentacles wrapped around the fusion who kept trying to punch back.

Peridot sighed with relief...until a stalactite hit the base of the metal plate where Howlite's hand was, forcing her to lose grip, following Peridot's only foolish fall of Steven's gem as well. She cried out and tried to rush down, only to dodge another stalactite in the process.

Howlite fell and held Connie close in what felt like an eternity, as she noticed Steven's gem next to her. She took a deep breath and unbubbled it. Come on Steven come out.

Next thing she knew was him rapidly coming out of it. He fell slower than Howlite, then with his hand, summoned a barrier of his rhombus like shields above the lava, forcing Howlite to quickly turn and slam her back on the basis of it, thinking it shouldn't be such a habit that should happen of as it did, but... It hurt as it almost forced them to defuse, but unlike before it did not force them to poof instantly. They still held Connie on their chest as they struggled to get up. They saw Pink Steven slowly float down, then stand before them as he constantly looked at Connie with a determined intent that was written within those magenta eyes.

"She isn't yours." Howlite told him, albeit calmly. She compared facing up to a Diamond to trying to topple a mountain.

The roaring of Malachite and Black Pearl echoed from afar, causing another tremor. Howlite raised her arm to shield Connie, but Pink Steven created another barrier above them. He then turned his vacant eyes to something else nearby, as Howlite tracked his line of sight.

While they had been frivolously trying to get to the other side, they didn't notice the light blue figure before them. Hope Diamond. Connie's Gem.

She floated there above the lava under her own, innate and raw power, but from the flatness from her feet made it look like she was standing on air as well. Both she and Pink Steven looked at one another, bright as each other, as Hope Connie (as Howlite had come to name her) walked closer to them. It was really, strange. Two Diamonds of a similar design. Different making, but were like glowing versions of their human counterparts with nary of their personality. Howlite didn't know what to do with this incredibly tense moment, between a pair of ticking tyke bombs. Were they going to fight? It was really hard to say, being more in awe of this rare event, than being outright afraid.

Peridot silently flew in and jumped off next to Howlite, although not drawing the two Diamonds attention to her, as they were incredibly occupied with each other.

"I've never seen this happen before." Howlite commented.

"A Pink Steven and the Hope Connie. It's like they're trying to decide on something."

Peridot rubbed her chin as she tried to make sense of it.

"In all my years of working in Kindergartens and studying Cluster Gems, I can only assume so much based on what I know. Pink Steven is an incomplete Steven. Hope Connie is an incomplete Connie. Their programming is all whacked. Gem Shards will seek out other pieces of themselves to make them feel whole. That's their real true desire. However, with organic and outsider influences involved with both their production and development, they might be in a loop."

"A loop?"

Ignoring the chaos outside of their area, Peridot further went into detail in regards to gem design and function. Human data is a lot different from gem data and that somehow, during Steven's...incubation, it superseded already existed programming and mushed it all together and had to make it work for Steven's very existence. To her theory, anyway.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Pink Diamond's gem had to be cracked open to let all the human data in...then reformed with her healing powers. Maybe. I don't know. There's not enough research to conclude. I could be completely wrong." Peridot continued. Howlite wouldn't have been able to think of that on her own so even if Peridot was wrong, Howlite could commend Peridot for trying with scraps to begin with.

"But if Hope Diamond was made with Pink Diamond's base wavelength design in mind, of course they'd have similar traits. So they could be trying to decide on who to fuse with in order to be whole, rushing through repeated and diverging thoughts that end with conclusion that goes back to the beginning and repeats itself. Hence the loop scenario. Or something like that."

But they couldn't have Pink Steven fuse with Hope Connie. They'd become some kind of...uncontrollable and thoughtless Stevonnie. A Diamond fusion like that would be much harder to split. Not to mention having to contend with one of the most powering being in existence, that they better hope the other Diamonds don't get involved. Howlite barely held on to what Snow could remember, in order to know what she needed to do. Dori filled her in, but even then...Dori's memory was patchy at best as well, leaving the fusion to feel alone in that regard. Whether or not Milky can fill in the necessary blanks, they'd have to balance the powers here, to make certainty and not scrutiny.

"We need to get the Hope Connie with the human Connie. She doesn't have much time." Howlite noted. She took the initiative as they wandered towards Hope Connie who turned to her and started to walk to her. Peridot kept her eye on Pink Steven, although she was horribly out of her depth if he tried to do something funny, still she stood in front of him with her arms wide. They stood in the middle of the barrier that Pink Steven still held as Howlite looked at him on their right. Peridot approached him with caution, shifting and dragging her feet ever so slowly. He didn't budge at all, being completely unresponsive. Howlite then carefully handed Connie to her gem and stood back as Hope Connie held her human counterpart in her arms. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, but what ever it was, it happen to happen quickly or else they ran the risk of being caved in with no way out.

Connie woke up, her eyes batting open, fighting fatigue, as she could see her own gem looking at her. She had the same blank stare as Pink Steven did. The contrast felt, the feeling...the same scenario. Fear did not ride her mind, but she did carry awe, wonder and...hope. At last, she could feel the same joy and energy just by looking at her. The gem her forehead glistened as Connie touched it, lighting it up briefly in the process. It seemed a fraction smaller than Steven's but she didn't mind. It was still beautiful. A beautiful, shining light blue diamond meant for her. Her own magical destiny.

"It's weird." Connie said as she smiled.

"Well, it's going to be weird. N-not that it isn't now."

She became incredibly nervous, for a variety of reasons though logically she shouldn't. This was like looking into stars reflection. This gem was going to be a part of her now and her Heart needed to accept in, merge with it, to become whole. Connie looked over to see Pink Steven who had begun his slow walk towards them, despite how frantic Peridot was right now who wanted him to stop. But for an odd reason, it felt different. Howlite tried to intervene too. A feeling went through Connie. It was not anxiety...that had melted away. It was not doubt, for that too, had melted away. Connie couldn't discern the localities of a gem with uncertain intentions and varying thought patterns that made him completely unpredictable. Connie could gauge that Steven's normal bouts of randomness could be due to his gem, but that thought was discarded as it didn't make sense. Who really knew the overall idea of being what they were, a form kindled by unforeseen mappings of the fragmented boy. A thousand theories left on the ground with no one to pick up the pieces correctly, puzzles pieces that no one could fit together yet, they had found a way on their own. A logic, turned on its head, reforming because it had to, not necessary with any other explanation but the reason, the need and the want. It didn't always have to be the why.

"It's okay, let him through." Connie called out. The reason to help was there that Connie knew, but why...why no longer became important. A reality that needn't to be explained. It was acceptance that had to became the norm.

Howlite and Peridot were hesitant, but moved away as to let Pink Steven through.

For all these kind of psychic ghost type situations, she could sync herself in properly with all of Stevens strange adventures, dreams and what not. Pink Steven stood before them and just..stared. At the same time, in an unheard whisper, she could hear Stevonnie calling out to her. He remembered as he placed her hands on Connie as well. Hope Connie then emitted a bright blue light around them.

Will either human or Gem comprehend such a feeling? Such a blend of their lights and their Hearts to create something that was pure magic in creation? Stories written about the powerful hybrids that could save the world over and over. Howlite then defused, as Snow took to her knees and had tears in her eyes, being overwhelmed with a Aura so strong it brought tough gems to the ground. A strike of divinity; as becoming like those were there before all others.

"Hope Connie is emitting her Aura." Snow worded, her voice cracking not with despair, but with bewilderment.

"Oh geez...what is this? It's..." Peridot cried, doing the same.

Connie felt the power run through her too. Pink Steven stood back, unsure of what to do with himself. But this was a feeling that was actually more familiar the more she understood it. It was like Blue Diamonds Aura except...

"This is...Hope." Connie muttered. Heart and Aura.

She then turned back to Hope Connie. There was a bit of Connie's strength that poured into her, minute by minute, than got stronger. She wrapped arms around her neck and pressed their foreheads together.

"You and me..."

Me and you...

Just us...

That puddle feeling came around again.