WAITING ON A MIRACLE
It's been a year-and-a-half since King Piccolo's defeat. Just like with the Red Ribbon Army over four years ago, the world is still abuzz, wondering who or what saved them. Well, looks like they'll have to keep on wondering, won't they?
Yamcha, Bulma and the Crystal Gems have been making good progress in their training, with the former two growing stronger every day. Each of the Crystal Gems are proud of them…However, one Gem in particular finds herself hiding bitter feelings. Not for Yamcha and Bulma, but for herself.
The group stops in the midst of the North Valley (a couple hundred miles from the Northern Mountains) for the night, enjoying dinner and a movie after another long day of training. It was a particularly interesting day, as Yamcha and Bulma fused into Panti to spar against Golden Beryl, giving the duo a chance to show off. The spar ended in a tie, but not without destroying a good portion of the valley.
Apache's quiet during dinner and the movie. The others don't pay it any mind, since she's usually quiet. But afterwards, once everyone's settled down for the night, Apache finds herself staring at the ceiling while her thoughts wander. Eventually, she sneaks out of the Capsule house and walks around.
It sounds crazy. She shouldn't be feeling like this, right? She should be happy for her friends—and she is—but she can't shake this bitter feeling clawing at her gem.
Apache Tears: "Don't be upset or mad at all…
Don't feel regret or sad at all…
Hey, I'm still part of the amazing Crystal Gems
And I'm fine
I'm totally fine
I will stand on the side as you shine…"
As she sings, tears form in her eyes and stream down her cheeks. Her strained smile vanishes. Oh, who is she kidding?!
"I'm not fine
I'm not fine!"
The events over the past few years have been constant reminders of one thing: she's the weakest Crystal Gem. She relinquished that title when they first started training Yamcha, but now, it looks like he's given it back to her. She knew the other Gems were leagues ahead of her, thanks to their unique skills.
Peridot is a genius and her Limb Enhancers let her do amazing things…Jasper is one of the strongest beings she's ever met (and given the past few years, that's saying something)…Lapis' abilities make her both one of the most powerful and the most entertaining Crystal Gems…Rose is elegant and can defend pretty much anyone…Yamcha has made amazing progress with both his human and Gem sides…and Bulma, previously a weak but brilliant human, has grown stronger and made amazing weapons for herself…
But what about Apache Tears?
She isn't strong. She doesn't have special powers. She can't shapeshift, fuse, bubble a gem, or even summon a weapon. The only Gem abilities she really has is regenerating, opening the door to her room in the at Kung Pao Rock, and using the Warp Pad. Compared to her friends, she's hopeless.
"I can't crush the mountains
I can't make the waters move
I can't take another night up in my room
Waiting on a miracle
I can't heal what's broken
Can't float or fuse or move metal remains
Can't keep down the unspoken, invisible pain
Always waiting on a miracle
A miracle"
She used to be able to hold her own pretty well. But the enemies they've come across have all been stronger than the last. And it just reminds her of how far behind she is.
How many times has her form turned to smoke over the past few years?
And when she tried to keep the Dragon Ball away from Daimao. How long did that last? Ten seconds?
And during the final battle against Daimao, she hadn't been able to fight alongside her friends.
…When she came to Earth five-thousand years ago, Apache learned another thing that separated her from her teammates: When they formed, they were wanted. After joining the Crystal Gems, she tried to put that behind her…but it's easier said than done…
"Always walking alone
Always wanting for more
Like I'm still at that door
Longing to shine like all of you shine
All I need is a change
All I need is a chance
All I know is I can't stay on the side
Open your eyes
Open your eyes
Open your eyes!"
Apache finds herself running alongside the shore of a nearby lake as she sings her heart out. Her mind is swimming with different scenarios. Scenarios of her fighting alongside her teammates, of helping them in battle, of making them proud.
Sure, she's scrappy and calculating in her own way. But compared to the others?
She wants to be helpful. But with how much stronger their opponents are getting, she doesn't know how to.
"I would crush the mountains
Make metal parts and waters move
Someone please just let me know
Where do I go?
I am waiting on a miracle
A miracle
I would heal what's broken
Show this family something new
Who I am inside
So what can I do?
I'm sick of waiting on a miracle
So here I go!"
With the water splashing at her dress, Apache stare up at the moon…It looks nearly identical to the planet she was made on…
Tear continue to trickle down her face. Holly's actions indirectly caused her to come to Earth. Holly and the others made her feel loved and wanted when she came to Earth, and while Holly's no longer here, she can still feel that same love from Yamcha and the other Gems. But even so…
She doesn't want to feel like a burden. She wants to feel worthwhile.
"I am ready!
Come on, I'm ready!
I've been patient and steadfast and steady!
Bless me now as you blessed us all those years ago
When you gave us a miracle!
…Am I too late for a miracle?"
OoOoOoO
Minutes later, Apache finds herself walking at the bottom of the lake, just wanting to work through her thoughts. After a few minutes, her foot suddenly hits something, and she looks down to see…a strange device. Curious, she picks it up to examine it. It looks like a tuning fork, but sharper, and with an oval-shaped orb suspended between the tips (later revealed to be an old Gem destabilizer).
Apache accidentally hits a small button on the side, causing the device to whir and crackle with electricity. It shuts off when Apache drops it in surprise. Then she looks up and, despite the poor lighting underwater, quickly finds a small trail of more devices, each of them resembling old Gem technology…
Apache follows the trail, leading her to a short underwater tunnel that opens up into a cave with an air pocket. She swims to the surface…and her eyes widen at the sight before her.
There's ledge on the other end of the cave…and a giant, green hand is perched on that ledge. It's covered with overgrown plants, and it looks like it's been sitting there for millennia.
Nevertheless, it piques Apache's curiosity, and she finds an opening and climbs inside. There are long hallways filled with a bunch of cells, some with yellow forcefields up and others that are cracked and deactivated. Was this…some kind of Gem warship?
Halfway through her exploration, a sudden sound makes Apache stop in her tracks. She listens, and realizes…It's a voice…singing…
Against her better judgment, Apache follows the voice through the halls. And she's in for a surprise when she finds the source.
There, standing behind a yellow forcefield in one of the many cells, is a short Gem (about Apache's size) with a stocky build, short messy hair, wearing a simple tank top, pants and boots, and her back turned to the forcefield.
Apache blinks and slowly walks towards the cell. "Uh…hello?" she says.
The Gem immediately stops singing and gasps, whipping around on the spot. Apache nearly steps back. Her gemstone is located on her chest…but it's cracked. And her eyes…they're glassy and reflective…
"Please!" The Gem cries out. "Please let me out! I've done nothing but sing!"
"W-What?" Apache says. "What do you mean?"
"I did what you asked!" The Gem continues her pleas. "You said if I sang, you'd let me out and fix my gem! Please!"
Apache stares in surprise. "Who…Who did this to you?"
The Gem looks confused for a second, then a look of realization appears on her face. "You're not…one of them…?"
"One of who?" Apache asks.
"The Crystal Temps," the Gem responds, and Apache suddenly feels cold for a second.
The Crystal Temps…Holly and the others had mentioned that name a few times. According to the others, the Crystal Temps were a group of rebel extremists that cropped up the during the War. While they wanted freedom like the Crystal Gems, the Temps viewed the genocide of every single Homeworld Gem as the only way to achieve that, forcing Holly to distance the Crystal Gems from them.
From Holly's stories, the Temps did horrific things to anyone they even suspected was a Homeworld Gem…
She obviously can't touch the forcefield, and she left her weapon back in the Capsule house. So, Apache picks up a piece of debris and destroys the panel next to the cell, deactivating the forcefield.
The Gem has purple skin, pale hair, and her clothes are blue. Apache can barely register this before the Gem rushes up to her, hugging Apache tightly. "Thank you," she says, sniffling as tears appear in her reflective eyes. "Thank you!"
How long was she in there?
Questions for later. First things first, they need to fixed her cracked gem.
As soon as they separate, Apache grabs the Gem's hand and leads her down the hallway.
"Apache," she says with a small smile. "My name is Apache Tears."
The Gem smiles back. "Amethyst."
OoOoOoO
The scene before him is so vivid. He's in some kind of lab, though it looks like it's in a cave. But he can't move, only look around.
Various machinery is scattered around the room. There's an old man at a nearby table, tinkering with a device. There are a few large containers on one end of the room, each filled with liquids and developing, humanoid creatures.
And there are two teenagers—a girl with blonde hair and a boy with black hair. They're both unconscious and strapped to table, with various wires and tubes attached to them, and bloodstained bandages covering their bodies.
A fourth person steps into view, walking over to the old man. The man's black hair is tied into a braided ponytail, and he's wearing a pink changshan. Dreads hits his stomach. Is that…?
The two men are chatting now, but their voices are distant and echoey. He can't make out what they're saying.
A loud, electric hum fills his ears, and suddenly a burning agony spreads across his chest. He tries to scream, but it seems that even his voice box is paralyzed.
He can hear a familiar, feminine voice in his ears. "She was here…She was here the whole time!"
"…cha…Yam…Yamcha!"
OoOoOoO
Yamcha gasps as he's shaken awake, the dream projection from his gem disappearing. What…What was that?
As the pain in his chest slowly vanishes, he turns his attention to what woke him up…and he blinks in surprise when he sees Apache and a small, unfamiliar Gem right behind her.
Apache quickly explains the situation, and asks Yamcha if he can make one of his 'healing snacks' for Amethyst. He agrees and jumps out of bed, having the two Gems follow him to the kitchen.
Yamcha quickly makes hanami dango, making sure to add a couple of Healing Tears to the mixture. During the fifteen-or-so minutes it takes, Yamcha and Apache listen to Amethyst's story.
She emerged from the Prime Kindergarten in the middle of the War, 500 years after the other Amethysts made there. She left the Kindergarten and wandered around for a bit, and was eventually discovered by a few Crystal Temps, who were convinced she was a Homeworld Gem and captured her.
The Temps took her to one of their bases—that green hand warship—and started asking her questions. But she could barely understand what they were asking, let alone answer them. They repeatedly stabbed her with those 'weirding shocking sticks', which would make her scream in pain, and keep demanding that she answer them. After countless torture sessions, one of the Temps hit her hard enough to crack her gemstone and threw her in a cell, saying they'd only let her out and fix her gem if she sang.
She did as they asked and sang, hoping that they'd fix her. They kept putting it off, saying they'd do it later. Then, one day, they all suddenly vanished. Even so, she kept singing and singing, thinking that if she did so, one of them would eventually come to free and heal her. And that's what she kept doing, losing track of how many songs she sang and how long, until Apache Tears showed up…
Yamcha and Apache both remain silent, feeling sicked at what they're hearing. Thankfully, the dangos finish cooking, and he places the full plate on the table. Amethyst stares at them curiously, until Apache picks one up and shows her how to eat it. The purple Gem copies her, and as soon as she swallows, the cracks on her gemstone vanish and her eyes return to normal.
Amethyst blinks in surprise…then laughs in joy as she jumps at Yamcha, thanking him over and over again, tears of joy appearing in her eyes. Yamcha chuckles as he wraps his arms around her in a hug. Amethyst eventually lets him go, then returns to the table and finishes off her dango…as well as the rest of the dangos on the plate, even wolfing down the bamboo sticks.
Yamcha chuckles at her excessive appetite. "Man, she's like Goku," he says. Though Apache freezes up at the thought of having someone like Goku eat with them…
As soon as she polishes off the dangos, Amethyst asks Yamcha if she can have more. He laughs and goes to make something else for her.
A few hours later, as the sun climbs into the sky, Yamcha is fast asleep with his head on the table. Apache and Amethyst, the latter finishing off her fourth stack of pancakes, simply watch him as he snores.
"Is he dead?" Amethyst asks through a mouthful of pancakes and syrup.
Apache snickers, then tells her, "No, it's just something humans do to recharge."
The sound of footsteps makes them look up to see Lapis walking into the kitchen, hair a complete mess and yawning as she heads to the coffeemaker. "Morning, Yamcha," she says, only half paying attention. "Morning, Apache. Morning—"
Lapis freezes, then whips around when she finally registers their new guest.
Sometime later, everyone else is awake and clustered together in the kitchen. Amethyst clings to either Apache or Yamcha, acting wary around the other Gems, as the three of them explain what happened and Amethyst repeats her story to them. The others stiffen up when they hear 'Crystal Temps', unwanted memories starting to resurface…
Rose is the first to say that Amethyst should join them. Despite their sympathy for Amethyst and hatred of the Temps, a couple of them are a bit cautious, since they don't really know her.
"Do you really think it'd be a good idea to keep her around?" Peridot whispers to the others.
"We kept Apache," Jasper reminds her with a shrug, earning a glare from the monochromatic Gem as Peridot snickers.
With that, Rose asks Amethyst if she'd like to join the Crystal Gems. The purple Gem turns to Apache and Yamcha, asking if that's a good thing. And when they nod, she enthusiastically says yes.
OoOoOoO
It doesn't take long for the Crystal Gems to grow accustom to Amethyst's presence. Of course, at times it feels like watching a toddler, since everything is new to Amethyst and she wants to explore and touch stuff…which lead to more than a few hilarious hijinks.
Amethyst spends most of her time with Apache and Yamcha at first, but she slowly warms up to Bulma and the other Gems.
The group continues their training trek, exploring new places and growing stronger. During one of their stops in Bamboo Forest, Lapis finds herself playing with the water of a nearby stream, morphing it and tossing it around to her heart's content. A few minutes later, a flash of purple catches her attention, and she looks up to see Amethyst watching her from behind a few bamboo trees.
Lapis invites Amethyst over, and the purple Gem eventually joins her. Amethyst watches her 'water play' in awe for a few minutes. Then, an idea strikes Lapis. She tosses Amethyst up in the air, then levitates a bit of water to catch her in midair. Though surprised, Amethyst laughs with joy and starts jumping between the levitating puddles.
Lapis laughs at Amethyst's joy, and the two continue playing with the stream until Rose calls them for dinner. The duo heads back to the Capsule house, soaking wet but giggling like mad.
OoOoOoO
After Lapis, Rose is the next Gem that Amethyst warms up to. It doesn't take her long, mostly thanks to the pink-haired Gem's cooking. When it comes clear that Amethyst doesn't really know anything about Gems, Rose takes it upon herself to teach her everything she knows: shapeshifting, bubbling, weapon summoning (Amethyst is excited the first time she summons her multi-tailed whip), and of course, fusion.
Rose and Jasper demonstrate fusion by forming Golden Beryl, much to Amethyst's awe. Then, after they defuse, Amethyst asks Rose if she can fuse with her, which the pink Gem agrees to. The two of them laugh as they dance, and with a warm glow, a new Gem appears.
Jasper's admittedly impressed, and asks the new Gem her name. She thinks about it for a second, then answers with a proud grin: Smoky Quartz.
Jasper challenges her to a spar, which Smoky gladly accepts. Smoky spends most of the 'fight' laughing and having fun, especially with her new Yo-Yo weapon. Once they're done, Smoky defuses, revealing Rose and Amethyst laughing and hugging each other.
Smoky Quartz is all that Amethyst can talk about during lunch. The others are happy, though Bulma pouts that she wanted to see another new fusion, much to the others' amusement.
OoOoOoO
A few days later, Apache finds herself sitting next to Amethyst in the grass, the two of them watching as Yamcha and Bulma spar with them other Gems. The two of them start talking, with Amethyst dominating the conversation about all the cool Earth and Gem things she's learned.
Amethyst has a sad yet grateful smile on her face. After being isolated for what she now knows is over 5,000 years, she's drinking in every moment of freedom. Every new food, every new piece of information, every interaction she has with the others…
Amethyst is cut off when Apache abruptly hugs her, but doesn't question it. Apache lets her go after several seconds with a sheepish laugh. "Sorry, just…Nostalgia," she says quietly.
"Nostalgia?" Amethyst echoes, titling her head curiously. Then, her face lights up like a Christmas tree. "Ooh! Is that a food? Can I try it?" And Apache laughs again, a genuine laugh this time.
OoOoOoO
Bulma and Jasper are the next ones.
It starts when the Crystal Gems decide to take a day off. While everyone is off doing their own thing, Amethyst curiously rummages through one of the closets, and stumbles upon a baseball. She brings it to Yamcha and Bulma (who are deciding which movie to watch), and asks what it is. They explain the game of baseball to her, and with a starry look in her eyes, Amethyst asks if they can play it.
A few minutes later, the trio finds themselves outside, constantly switching between pitching, batting, catching and running around. All three of get more than a little dirty, but they're a laughing mess by the end of it.
They return to the Capsule house, and after cleaning up (leading to Amethyst taking a bubble bath with Bulma, who giggles at the purple Gem's reaction to bubbles and a rubber ducky), the three watch a movie together. During this particular film, Amethyst hears one of the characters say 'sister'.
She asks Bulma what a 'sister' is, to which she quickly explains family dynamics. Amethyst is intrigued, and has a thoughtful look on her face for the rest of the movie. As soon as it ends, Amethyst leaves the Capsule house and searches for one of the Crystal Gems. She soon finds what she's looking for: Jasper relaxing at the base of a nearby tree.
Jasper opens her eyes as she hears Amethyst approach, and she can barely say hello before Amethyst asks her something important: "Are you my sister?"
Jasper blinks in surprise, and Amethyst continues. "Bulma told me what sister are, and Peridot says that we were both made here on Earth. Does that mean you're my big sister?"
She's…never thought about it like that. Nevertheless, Jasper grins and ruffles Amethyst's hair, saying they can be sisters if she wants, much to Amethyst's delight.
The next morning, as Jasper awakens at the crack of dawn, she feels something on her chest. She looks down to see Amethyst (who's finally gotten the hang of sleeping) laying on her chest and snoring away. Jasper merely smiles at her, deciding to just stay here and wait for her to wake up.
OoOoOoO
Weeks and month continue to pass. The Crystal Gems are having fun not just training together, but also spending time and having fun together. A good portion of their downtime is spent watching movies. Some are good, while others…bring out some interesting reactions from the group.
And today's movie falls under the latter category.
"She is a black hole of annoying," Peridot concluded within the first ten minutes of the movie, glaring daggers at the main character.
"And featuring the writer's barely concealed fetish…" Jasper groaned into her hands during one of the 'hilarious misunderstanding' scenes.
"Countdown to someone calling her a hussy starts now," Lapis' dry comment made a couple of them nearly choke on their drinks and snacks.
"What's wrong with her face?" Amethyst asked for the third or fourth time.
"Listen…I firmly believe in…eighty-seventh chances…" Rose said through gritted teeth, as the movie gave them all second-hand embarrassment for the umpteenth time.
"Wait a minute…" Yamcha said, everyone staring in bewilderment at the main characters' stupidity. "You're telling me that this is all you've been thinking about for weeks now…and yet you never bothered to double check it?!"
"It'd be funny if somebody shot her right now," Apache grumbled out during the big 'final boss' scene.
"Uh-uh," Bulma said, disgusted at the movie's attempt at an 'empowering' ending after all the crap it pulled. "No, movie. No."
OoOoOoO
Peridot is the last one to warm up to Amethyst.
The green Gem is tinkering with a device in her and Bulma's makeshift lab, and is startled out of her concentration when Amethyst opens the door. Amethyst sits in the seat next to Peridot and watches her as she works, occasionally asking questions about what she's doing. Normally Peridot would be annoyed with someone bugging her, but she finds herself enjoying Amethyst's company.
After a while, Amethyst leaves the lab, and comes back a few minutes later with an armful of snacks and a couple of sodas. She offers Peridot some of them, but she declines, saying she doesn't enjoy eating. Though disappointed, Amethyst doesn't push it on her. She merely shrugs and enjoys the snacks and soda herself, though Peridot gets a bit annoyed at the crumbs spilling on the table.
Once Peridot's done, the duo heads back to the Capsule house. With nothing better to do, they turn on the television and start flipping through the various channels. They eventually find a show called 'Camp Pining Hearts', which is having a marathon on this particular channel, and decide to give it a shot…
A couple of hours later, Lapis walks into the house, and sees Amethyst and Peridot practically glued to the TV.
OoOoOoO
Several hours later, Peridot wakes up the middle of the night, having fallen asleep against Amethyst during their marathon. While Amethyst continues snoring, Peridot pulls herself away and walks into the kitchen.
She's been thinking about this since Amethyst offered her those snacks and drinks. She knows she should let this go by now, since it's been so long, but…
With a gulp, Peridot opens the fridge and reluctantly grabs a can of soda. At least it's not something chewy. She cracks it open. But as she brings it close to her face, she starts shaking and halts it just inches from her mouth. Come on…
Her mind is flooded with the image of several small, sharp blue objects…the sound of swallowing…a scream vanishing with a puff of smoke—
"You're up late."
The voice startles Peridot and she drops the can, spilling soda all over the floor. She turns to see that Apache had approached her.
The two of them clean up the spill. During so, Apache says she saw Peridot shaking and looking like a deer in headlights while holding the soda. She asks if something was wrong with the soda, which Peridot laughs at and reassures her that that wasn't it.
Peridot pauses and grows quiet, then reluctant asks. "Apache…do you ever feel like…you can't let go of something? Like, no matter how much time passes…no matter how hard you try to forget about it…it's still there? It's still affecting how you think?"
Apache doesn't respond for a moment. Then, she places a hand on Peridot's shoulder. "More than you know," she says softly.
Amethyst joins the party! I just love her being the little sister of the group!
I had a lot of fun exploring Apache's character in this chapter. And yes, an Encanto song (okay, I love Encanto; get used to me using it at a reference)
And we're adding another group to the story: The Crystal Temps. Don't worry, they'll be important to the story later on
Most of the lines from the "movie reaction" scene are from snippets from random videos of my favorite reaction/commentary YouTubers. It was too good to pass up lol
Just a quick heads-up: It might be a while before the next chapter is up, as I'm having trouble planning out what exactly what I want.
Thank you so much for reading this! God bless you and have a wonderful day/night/whenever you read this!
Smoky Quartz (1.0)
Gems: Rose Quartz and Amethyst
Appearance: 15 feet tall. Thick, strong build. Rosy-brown complexion. Medium mauve-colored hair that's messy, ends at her midback, and is curly towards the ends. Big black eyes. Plump lips with pink lipstick. A second forearm sprouting from her left elbow. A mix of Rose and Amethyst's facial features. Purplish-brown gemstones.
Clothing: Off-shoulder, lavender blouse with multiple, darker layers resembling rose petals, and a six-point star cutout over Rose's gem. Mulberry-colored pants. Barefoot.
Voice Actor: Natasha Lyonne (same VA as the original Smoky Quartz, but sounds a little more feminine and mature)