"Pearl!" Blue called as she raced into the barn. She very nearly crashed into Peridot in her hurry and immediately steadied the smaller gem by the shoulders. "Sorry! Is Pearl here?"

"She's right over there," Peridot replied. "Why are you—"

"I'm here!" Pearl slipped out from inside the ship. "What happened? Is everything alright?"

"Oh, good! I'm not sure, but Garnet needs you back at the temple."

"What for?" Yellow asked, coming around to join them.

"For…Malachite?" Blue replied with a shrug. "I don't know, that's all she said."

"Oh no," Pearl sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "I knew we'd have to deal with her sooner or later. Alright, let's go." She dropped the tools she was carrying in her other hand and took off towards the warp pad, leaving the other three to follow.

"What's Malachite?" Yellow asked.

Peridot looked like she wished she was anywhere else. "A fusion of a Jasper and a Lapis Lazuli. My former escort and informant. I haven't met Malachite in person, but she's…definitely not friendly."

"A Jasper fused with a Lazuli?" she repeated in disbelief. "We are talking about the 'Kindergarten Quartz That Could', right? One of Yellow Diamond's most respected soldiers?"

"And the Lapis Lazuli that came back to Homeworld saying she'd been trapped on Earth?" Blue asked.

"That's them," Peridot confirmed.

"Why?" Yellow asked incredulously.

"Don't ask me, I wasn't even there!"

"I thought you said she was your escort," Blue said, puzzled.

"Our ship crashed and—look, it's a long story! I'll explain after we've taken care of the huge fusion that probably wants to crush me!"

Blue nodded, already quickening her pace, with Yellow and Peridot following close behind her.

They arrived back at the temple to find the rest of the gems on the deck, looking out at the ocean. A few seconds after they joined the group, something broke the rhythm of the calm waves, rising up from the water and making both Blue and Yellow take a step back.

Even from a distance, huge was nowhere near enough of a descriptor for Malachite. Blue suddenly felt very, very grateful for the fact that she and Yellow were both Pearls and incapable of creating a fusion of that sort. She immediately felt guilty for thinking it though, because Garnet was right next to her—a fusion of two very different gems—and she was nothing like Malachite. It was about the relationship, she reminded herself.

But stars, Malachite was scary. Blue had spent the majority of her life next to a gem many times her size, but Blue Diamond had always had a rather dignified air. Blue might not have liked her, but there was a familiar calmness and constancy in her presence most days. Malachite, on the other hand, was unknown, unpredictable, and angry. As much as Blue relished the idea of a real battle, she was not looking forward to fighting her.

Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet were already jumping down to the sand, and the others followed a second later. Blue summoned her spear—though it took concentrated effort—and Yellow pulled out a pair of swords, tossing one to Peridot since she was unarmed and then retrieving another for herself.

"Thanks," Peridot said in a small voice, shoulders tense as she kept her eyes on Malachite.

"Gems," Garnet said. "Get ready."

Pearl and Amethyst nodded, and Blue was about to ask what she meant but a moment later the three of them were dancing—three different styles synchronizing and coming together in seconds—and there was a burst of light that towered far above her.

Blue looked up at the fusion in awe, not quite able to take in the massive, six-armed gem before her. "Hi," she said faintly, taking a step back and bumping into Yellow, who seemed equally stunned.

"Hello." The fusion crouched down, giving Steven a very careful pat on the head. "You don't have to hide, Peridot. We're on the same side."

She peeked out from behind Steven. "I know, but you didn't give us much warning!"

"Sorry, didn't have time." She glanced the Pearls over briefly. "I'm Alexandrite."

"Nice to meet you," Blue offered cautiously.

"You four stick together, and keep Steven safe. I'll handle Malachite. Try not to get involved unless you have to."

She nodded. By all rights, she should have been disappointed to have been relegated to a smaller role, but the prospect of fighting a fusion like Malachite was much more daunting than she would have thought.

"Good. Take care of each other."

She could do that.

Blue glanced down at Steven, who had somehow ended up in front of them with his shield already in hand, and then exchanged a look with Yellow and Peridot. There was an unspoken agreement that Steven's safety came first, especially as his body wasn't made like theirs, but she appreciated the fact that he didn't sit idly by like a Diamond while other gems fought his battles.

The two gigantic fusions, both too far away to hear clearly, were talking now—or shouting at each other at least. Alexandrite hadn't attacked right away, and Blue admired the courage it took to try and give her opponent a chance to surrender peacefully, even if it was no use. Jaspers were remarkably stubborn and Lapis Lazulis were sturdy little gems in their own right. To be perfectly honest, she had always been unnerved by the potential strength of the ones in Blue Diamond's court. On Homeworld they didn't have the resources to do much damage, but on colony planets like this one… She wondered if that was why her Diamond only ever had a small handful of them made.

Whatever the reason, Malachite wasn't going to surrender, and too soon they were spectators to what must have been the most impressive—and the most stressful—battle of the century.

Alexandrite was just as strong as she looked and could hold her own against Malachite. But as the fight went on, it was clear that Malachite had the advantage of the terrain. Huge amounts of ocean water at her disposal, which she could manipulate, freeze into spikes or shields, or use as extra limbs. Not to mention, she could fly, as odd as that seemed.

"We have to help them," Steven declared. Alexandrite was caught in a water fist, being squeezed as its strangling grip turned to ice.

Blue wasn't about to argue. "Yellow and I will go," she agreed, gripping her spear tightly. "We can at least be a good distraction."

"What exactly are we going to do?" Yellow asked. "I don't think she'll particularly care that a couple of tiny gems are poking her."

"Then…let's be less tiny?" she suggested, holding out a hand.

"Oh my stars, Blue, you've got to be kidding me. We've never—She's never fought before!"

"It'll be fine, we just need to get her attention."

"That doesn't make me feel any better!" Yellow glanced over her shoulder at Alexandrite, gritting her teeth as she watched her struggle to stay fused. "Okay, I'm in," she relented, grabbing Blue's hand. "At least this way I know you're not going to run off and do something you shouldn't."

Blue smiled, dismissing her spear and pulling Yellow towards her, a glow of light forming around their joined hands and rapidly spreading to the rest of their bodies.

Green formed quickly, perhaps even more quickly than last time, and barely kept her balance as she found herself standing on the sandy beach. "Whoa! Okay. Well, I didn't expect to come back to this mess, but I'm sure we can figure something out. Hi, Steven, Peridot."

"Hi!"

"I'm a distraction, right? Let's see…" She glanced down at her gems. "Can I summon? Would it be half a summon? Oh, forget spears, I've got more than enough swords." Blue had, in fact, made a point of storing some larger ones to fit Green's hands. "Thanks," she said to herself as she pulled a couple out, one from each gem. Now that was interesting; she'd have to figure out how her storage space worked later.

"Are you sure you've got this?" Peridot asked.

"Absolutely! Experience is the best teacher, right?"

She didn't look entirely convinced.

"I'll shout if I need any help," Green amended. "Or unfuse. Maybe both." She dipped into a small, playful bow towards Steven. "You two stay safe."

"We will!" Steven replied. "Be careful, okay?"

"I'll do my best."

Green took off towards Malachite, finding it much easier this time to coordinate her movements. The sheer fabric around her shoulders fluttered wildly in the wind as she leapt up onto Malachite's back without hesitation. The fusion was far too focused on Alexandrite to notice her, which meant she had the advantage and she needed to use it while she could.

Really, Yellow had nothing to worry about. She had secondhand fighting experience from both her components, and it wasn't hard to translate that into action.

One of Malachite's gems was there in plain sight, a little way out of her reach, but Crystal Gems didn't try to shatter their enemies so Green wouldn't either. Besides, that was the Lapis Lazuli's gem, and Steven had seemed worried about her when he'd woken up.

Instead, Green slashed into Malachite's lower back, deep cuts gouging the two-toned skin.

That got her noticed.

Malachite twisted around in surprise, knocking Green off of her with one arm and sending her crashing into the water. "What are you?" she snarled, eyes narrowed as Green surfaced again.

"Still figuring that out, actually," she replied brightly, chin just barely above the surface and hair dripping water down her face. "But I'm a who, thank you very much." Green steadied her grip on her swords underwater.

"Stay out of my way."

"I'm really quite tired of gems telling me what to do." She ducked her head under the water and slipped closer to one of Malachite's legs—arms?—to stab a sword through it blatantly.

It earned her a painful kick and a hand yanked her out of the water by the hair, but it was worth it.

"I said stay—" Malachite's four eyes squinted at the fusion she was holding, finally getting a good look at her. "Are you a Pearl?"

"I am, yes. Technically I'm two Pearls."

Malachite threw her aside carelessly, easily tossing the smaller fusion at least a number of yards away.

"That was uncalled for," Green muttered irritably as she picked herself up again, rubbing her head. She was missing one of her swords too, having left it stuck in Malachite's leg. That was annoying, but at least she had a few backups ready to go. She pulled one of them out and made her way back towards Malachite as quickly as possible. "Hey!" she shouted, glaring up at her. "I wasn't finished!"

Getting absolutely no acknowledgment whatsoever, Green scaled Malachite's nearest limb and hauled herself up onto her back again as fast as she could. Alexandrite was very nearly free, she thought, and she could at least keep Malachite from causing any more damage while she escaped.

Well, if she wouldn't pay attention, she'd make her. Green drove both swords down into Malachite's back as hard as she could, piercing through the dark green uniform and deep into her form. It was unspectacular brute force and she wished it had been a real fight so she could practice her sword techniques, but this would do. It got the job done.

Malachite howled in pain, stumbling forward and trying to shake Green off.

The smaller gem held on tightly, refusing to lose her grip on the swords.

"You little pest," Malachite growled, reaching back and grabbing her bodily.

After a few moments of fighting back, kicking uselessly and holding onto her swords so hard her arms ached, she dropped her hold. Malachite was stronger, and she'd just end up hurting herself—hurting Yellow and Blue—if she kept it up. She yanked another sword out of one of her gems and held it defensively in front of her chest as she was whipped around and grabbed by a water hand.

Stay safe, stay safe.

Stay together, she told herself.

She flung one of Blue's spare daggers at Malachite's face with her free hand, then winced as a barrage of sharp ice was sent her way, Malachite squeezing her hard to keep her in place.

Green dropped her sword, curling her arms in around her gems protectively as she felt the ice pierce her skin.

Stay safe.

It hurt—hurt even more than it should have because she'd never experienced severe pain as a fusion before—and it was a struggle not to separate.

"Hey!" Alexandrite shouted, breaking free. "Don't forget about me!"

Oh. Good. She could feel Blue and Yellow's relief distinctly in conjunction with her own. Her job was done.

They could take this from here.

Green unfused, leaving the two individual Pearls to slip out of Malachite's grip.

Hitting the water from that height sent another jolt of pain through their bodies, but Yellow and Blue both forced themselves to stand once they'd fallen to the bottom.

Yellow knew they had to move before they were located or turned into collateral damage from one of Malachite's attacks, so she grabbed Blue by the arm and hauled her away from the battle. Alexandrite's voice was above them, muffled by the water, but still enough of a guide to know which direction they needed to go to get to safety.

Yellow had never actually been dissipated before, but she assumed it must feel something like this. Everything hurt, and her head was fuzzy from a combination of the pain and the fusion.

Blue looked ten times worse though, when she checked over her shoulder. She seemed like she could barely walk and, though it was hard to tell in the water, her form didn't look particularly stable.

Yellow spared a few seconds to get an arm around the other Pearl and give her some support, eventually giving up on her initial plan to get them farther away and pulling Blue up to the shore as quickly as she could manage.

Blue fell to her knees as soon as they were on land, hunched forward with her hair falling over her eyes, clips loose in the wet blue tufts. She coughed up the seawater she'd inhaled by accident.

"Blue, we can't stay here." They were still far too close to the fight for her liking.

"I-I know, I just…" She shuddered, and her whole body flickered in and out for a split second.

"Blue. Blue." Yellow grabbed her shoulder. "Come on, you're not allowed to do this right now."

She tried to laugh, though it came out weak. "I can…poof whenever I like. Nobody owns me."

"Stop trying to sound cool," she muttered, unable to keep the panic out of her voice as she watched Blue fight to stay upright. "Do you think you can move?"

"Not really," Blue whispered.

"Okay. Okay, you stay there and I'll—"

"Blue!"

Yellow looked up in surprise to find Steven running towards them, Peridot close behind.

"What happened?" he asked anxiously, situating himself between them and Malachite with his shield, even though they were currently out of range. "I can heal you if—"

"N-No. Don't. Not cracked." It seemed like more and more of a struggle for Blue to get words out.

"If you can heal her, then heal her!" Yellow said. "What are you waiting for?"

"I…" Steven looked around uncertainly.

"She needs to let her form dissipate; I'm not even sure how she's still here," Peridot said.

"Don't want to leave until everyone's safe," she whispered.

"We are," Steven said quickly. "It's okay. We'll take care of your gem, I promise."

Blue managed a tiny nod, though she stayed where she was, unmoving.

Yellow looked between them in disbelief, fear flaring in her chest as Blue shuddered again. "I don't understand why you can't—"

"It's severe damage; she has to heal on her own," Peridot interrupted.

"But…" But I'm fine, she wanted to say. I'm fine, so Blue should be too. She didn't understand why the damage hadn't been split evenly when they unfused.

And she didn't want Blue disappearing for days on end, not like this.

"Yellow." One of Blue's hands curled shakily around her wrist. "It's okay." She felt fragile, paper-thin against Yellow's damp skin. "We…We should let Green try fighting again when I get back, with Opal or someone. She did well."

"Yeah, okay," Yellow agreed faintly, twisting her hand to grab hold of Blue's wrist as well.

"You don't have to look so worried; I've done this before," she said with a small smile.

"I know." That didn't stop her from remembering the gems she'd seen release their form and never have a chance to regenerate.

"Okay." Blue's grip tightened minutely. "See you soon."

Her physical form vanished in an instant, and Yellow just barely caught Blue's gem before it hit the sand.

She stared at it mutely, only faintly aware of the sudden lack of noise behind them that signaled the end of the fight.

"Um, Yellow?" Steven asked, dropping his shield and coming around to sit beside her. "Do you want me to heal you?"

"What?" she asked blankly.

"You're hurt." Steven gestured to the lacerations scattered up and down her body.

"Oh. Yes, that would be helpful." She kept a careful hold on Blue as he licked his hand and stuck it on her arm. Yellow flinched at the wet sensation and stared at him in confusion. "What is that?"

"Healing spit."

Yellow grimaced but let him continue, pulling out some of the ice that had been embedded in her wounds before he got to them. It wasn't pleasant, but it did work, her skin healing over after mere seconds.

"Do you want to take her inside?" Steven asked when he finished, gesturing to Blue. "We can find a pillow or something so she's comfortable, and she can stay in my room."

"That won't be necessary," Yellow replied in an unusually quiet tone. She glanced back over at where Alexandrite was unfusing next to two unconscious gems. "I'll take care of her. Unless you need me for something."

He shook his head. "I think we've got it from here. I'll let the others know what happened."

"Thanks." Yellow rose to her feet, hands still cupped around Blue's gem securely.

She took the warp pad to the barn for some privacy, needing some time to process everything that had just happened.

She shouldn't have been so shaken by Blue's sudden absence, but she was.

Maybe it was because they'd fused again, and she had been so close moments before.

The reason didn't really matter. She just knew she needed to make sure Blue would be alright.

"You know," Yellow said conversationally after a few long moments, "you'd assume that the Pearl who figured out how to summon her weapon first would be the sturdier of the two."

Blue's gem sat unmoving in her hands, and Yellow sighed.

"Don't stay in there too long; we've got things to do."

She wished there could be some kind of answer or acknowledgement so she could know Blue heard her, but of course there wasn't. It was silly to expect her to come back quickly, especially after taking damage Pearls were never expected to take in the first place. They weren't built like Quartzes, who were practically expected to do this regularly.

"Never mind," she said, voice soft as she closed the gem between her palms briefly. "You can take your time."