Freshwater did her best to calm her nerves as she paced back and forth outside of White Diamonds door, the room inside sounding eerily silent. While she had been serving the Diamonds for a while now, something about White just made the gem uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if it was the monotone voice, the blinding radiance coming off of her that forced the Pearl to squint, or some instinct in her, but Freshwater found herself walking away from all of their interactions with the feeling like she had just exited a lions, somehow unscathed.
Just when Freshwater was thinking the anxiety of meeting with White Diamond was becoming enough to make the gem feel like she was going to implode, the doors slid open and Freshwater was met with a blinding white throne room, an impossibly tall gem sitting atop it and smiling down at her.
"Aah, Pearl. Come in, come in." she said, motioning for Freshwater to lower her salute. The gem in question nodded and bowed lowly before stepping inside, the doors closing behind her. "You requested my presence, your radiance?" White Diamond nodded. "That I did, my pet. I did so out of curiosity." Freshwater arched an eyebrow. "Curiosity, My Diamond?" White Diamond nodded, still smiling. "Yes, Pearl. Curiosity. Do you know what that curiosity is about?" she asked. Freshwater felt her heart skip a beat as she remembered White Pearl questioning the whereabouts of the shattered gem shards and did her bes to suppress the visions that she had seen upon picking them up.
"Does…this have to do with the gem Pearl gem shards?" White Diamond clapped, her grin unfalted as she mocked surprise. "Aah, yes! The gem shards. That is the question is it not?" she said, her smile suddenly falling and being replaced with a deadly seriousness. "Where are they?"
"I…don't know My Diamond." Freshwater said, feeling a shudder run down her spine. "When Hessonite and I were searching for Off Color gems, I found them deep in the Kindergarten. I figured you would want to see them, and was under the impression that all of my bubbles went to your throne room. I have never bubbled a gem or gem shards before, but other gems explained their gems went to their base. Because this is my base, I assumed my bubbles did the same." she explained.
White Diamond listened to Freshwater's words intently before sighing. "My. That is disappointing." she said, shaking her head. "It seems even though Blue, Yellow, and I were able to fix all of your program related issues, something is still broken with you." White Diamond's words felt like a punch to the gut, and White noted the gem's eyes widening slightly as she chuckled. "Oh, don't act all surprised, Defect." Freshwater flinched at the term, still in disbelief as White continued. She'd known the Diamonds had changed things about her, but she wasn't aware the changes had been so drastic that she had once been defective. "Frankly, you should consider yourself lucky we let you serve us. Frankly, you aren't worthless like those other Off-Colors. You're so close to being perfect, but you aren't quite…what we're looking for. You follow every order with such ferocity. I love it! Blue loves it, and while Yellow would never admit it to even Blue and I, she loves it too. You see, Defect, you are a huge step in something that is far greater than you could ever imagine." White explained, leaning back in her chair.
"You see, we are planning on doing away with the majority of this hierarchy we have set up. The Diamonds of course will remain, but our goal is perfection. Uniformity. A true utopia where nobody steps out of line, everyone looks the same, and all exist to serve the Diamonds. Preferably a Pearl, as their coding currently is already setup for them to have a desire to serve. What we have now is good, but could be so much better. After discussing it with Blue and Yellow, we have come to the conclusion that we do not need separate gem types. Justo ne type of gem that does all the orders as directed because of their coding. There will no longer be a need for me to overexert myself by controlling gems who act out," she said, gesturing to White Pearl before continuing. "Or step out of line. And you are so close to being that, Defect." she said with a sigh. "But apparently you can't do basic functions like bubble a gem and send it to me. And then of course there's your base form you had before we did your physical adjustments. We are looking for perfection. And you aren't it. But!" she said, claspng her hands together. "You are the closest we have. And we think we can continue to use you." She said as if this was amazing news.
"Which is why we have yet another mission for you. You, my dear, will be going to your exit hole and recording its conditions. Afterwords, we will be re-creating those conditions elsewhere, using the information you gather to enyhance what is oh so right about you and do away with whatever is wrong. No need to beat yourself up for not being perfect. You're just another one of those many failures you saw in the Kindergarten. You are part of something greater. Before, we did not have the resources to really delve into this, but now, we have plenty. Now, do ou have any questions, my dear?"
Freshwater did her best to remain calm and collected at the information White had given her as she spoke. "Just one, My Diamond. When would you prefer I leave?" White Diamond grinned and clasped her hands together. "Ooh, eager to please as usual!" she said with a smile. "No need to rush, my dear. We have waited thousands of years. We can wait a little longer while we get a few gems to go with you. I would rather you not go alone in case things go awry. Until then, though, you need to gather your materials. Hoperully you won't need much, but its better to have more than what you need than to not have enough if you understand."
Freshwater nodded. "Of course, My Diamond."
White Diamond's grin didn't falter as she spoke. "Thank you for your time, Defect. Oh, and don't take my words to heart. You may not be perfect, but you are as perfect as you could have been under the circumstances."
Pearl and Garnet took on the task of going to the Prime Kindergarten as they figured it was more likely for B9 to have gone there in an attempt to heal herself as the Prime Kindergarten was known for being a far better option in terms of how up-kept and stable it was. In case they were wrong, however, they had made the decision to send the majority of the gems with Steven to keep him from getting hurt. Meanwhile, Steven, Jet, Lapis, and Peridot made their way through the Beta Kindergarten, Steven and Amethyst trying to do their best not to look shocked at the sights before them as Peridot went on and on about the area.
"This place has the right growing conditions, but it's way too small! Clearly a complete and total rush-job." The green gem explained. "Halfway through the rebellion, the gems needed to generate extra soldiers on the ground. They were doing it so quickly that stuff like this happened." she said, gesturing to a small handful of exit holes as the others followed. "The holes don't even line up! It's like they just threw injectors down wherever! Hell, some even came out sideways because those the exit hole was from a curved wall!" she said, pointing.
Jet rolled her eyes. "As much as I love dunking on the Beta kindergarten as compared to the Prime one-"
"Same!" Amethyst said, pumping her fist in the air. "Jasper's been talking so much shit about me being defective. I had no idea."
Jet scoffed at being interrupted but continued. "I really want to find my teammate." she finished.
"That's just it though," Peridot explained. "I would be surprised if she even came down this way to try to heal herself or something. The Prime Kindergarten is far better suited in terms of quality. It's got a great location, great holes, even spacing, consistent depth…the fact that you spent more time in the ground doesn't mean anything because everything else is stacked in your favor!" she said as they continued to walk
Jet, meanwhile, had stopped when she saw the state of a toppled injector that was almost destroyed. "What happened to this injector?" she asked, hesitantly running a hand along the side. "I dunno. Probably's just old." Lapis said, putting a comforting hand on the Onyx's shoulder. "No need to worry about a shoddy old injector that probably doesn't even work. Thing was probably destroyed in the war."
Jet hesitated. "I'm not so sure." she said, looking back at Steven and Amethyst who were dejectedly talking about how perfect Jasper's exit hole was. Lapis rolled her eyes. "Just because Jasper's exit hole is perfect doesn't mean she's perfect." she said, crossing her arms. "Trust me, after fusing with her I know that more than anyone." Jet looked up, shocked. "You fused with Jasper?" she said, shocked. Lapis looked away but nodded slightly, refusing to elaborate.
"Yeah! Lapis is exactly right!" Peridot said, offering ehr barn mate a smile and putting a comforting hand on the gem's shoulder. "It doesn't matter what hole you came from. It's about who you want to be." Steven said, grinning at Amethyst.
Amethyst mulled over the boy's words before slowly nodding. "You're right. Freshwater spent a lot of time tied up in being defective, and for a while I hated her for it because she actually voiced exactly how she felt. Granted, I still don't like her after that whole abandon-your-teammates stunt she pulled, but I can say I - we. Defects shouldn't let our weirdly shaped holes keep us from fighting Jasper!" there was a chorus of "yeahs!" that abruptly turned to "no"s as they registered what Amethyst had just said.
"Please don't tempt fate like that." Jet said, shaking her head. "Even if you are strong, Jasper is the ultimate Quartz."
Amethyst shook her head. "Oh, if it comes down to it, I'm doing it. Not just for me, but for all the defects and weird holes out there! Like that!" she said, pointing to a large hole in the side of a rock. The group turned to face the rock, Peridot instantly taking on a skeptical look. "Hold on a sec.." she said, jogging over towards it and running a hand along the side. "This hole's been dug out. And recently."
"Maybe it was a Peridot? A really big one?" Steven suggested, sheepishly grinning atthe look of annoyance Peridot gave him.
"Uh guys! There's more." Lais said, staring at the open area with steel bars over the exit holes. The rest of the group jogged over to see what Lapis was talking about. Shocked, they all began to spread out, observing each of the holes in shock. "These aren't exit holes anymore." Jet muttered, peering into the darkness of one of the holes. "Then…what are the-" the boy's question was cut off when a large arm shot through the bars and attacked, the boy barely being able to dodge out of the way as Jet, Amethyst, Peridot, and Lapis went to check on him as a snarling corruption threw itself against the bars.
"Corrupted gems? In cages?" Steven said, shocked.
"Why? Who would do this?" Peridot said, equally shocked.
"I…I think I have an idea." Lapis said, pointing at the dust that was slowly clearing, revealing an all-too-familiar gem with a white mane.
"Is that…" Jet asked, looking up at Lapis. "Jasper." Lapis said, locking eyes with the gem. For the first time, Jet saw genuine fear behind the gem's eyes as they took cover behind a large rock.
"What is she doing?" Peridot whispered. "She's…building an army." Jet said, clenching her jaw as Jasper kicked the cage the corruption was in. "Pipe down, runt." she snarled. "If I would have known you were this aggressive whenI found you I would have just put you out of your misery. You take orders from me now, understand? You used to be a Bismuth, so you know I outrank you. What happened?" she asked, calmly stepping back as the large creature threw itself against the bars, growling. Jet's eyes widened at Jasper's words as she poked her head out further to get a better look, instantly regretting it at the sight. What used to be B9 was now a purple wolf-like creature the size of Jasper with sharp fangs and piercing yellow eyes.
"We need to go get reinforcements." Lapis murmured.
Steven nodded. "We can't do this by ourselves, right Amethyst?" The boy said, him and Peridot turning to the ge and letting out yelps when they realized Amethyst wasn't by their side.
"Diamonds sake, just look at you. This planet ruins everything." she said, boredly watching as the corrupted gem tried to bite through the bars. "Well, except for me of course." She said, scoffing and crossing her arms. "I can't believe I had to resort to using your kind to help me. But I gotta admit it's better than relying on that Crystal Runt. Right Amethyst?"
The gem in question jumped, surprised the gem knew of her whereabouts as she thought that having a high ground meant she was less likely to be spotted. The surprised caused her to lose her footing and fall, right behind the Jasper guard.
As soon as the purple gem's cover was blown, Lapis started to sprout her water wings, initially intending to run. This was all just…too much. Before she could, however, she looked down and saw Jet, who was shaking violently with rage. When Peridot and Steven rushed out to defend the Amethyst, she took a deep breath and stilled her nerves, forcing herself to stay with the others.
"Of course your lackeys wouldn't be far behind you." Jasper said, rolling her eyes as Amethyst and Steven rushed forward. Jet, however, took a deep breath and pressed herself against the rock. "If…they can distract her for long enough, I can fly you closer to get an opening and free your teammate." Lapis whispered as Jasper, Amethyst, and Peridot went back and forth. "Jet nodded. "No point in us all revealing ourselves." She said, poking her head out while Jasper was preoccupied with fighting Amethyst. Just when it was looking like Amethyst had mustered up enough confidence to win, Jasper carelessly walked forward, ignoring the sting of the whip that repeatedly hit her face.
Jet looked up at Lapis and the two nodded, Lapis picking the gem up and swiftly launching herself into the air amid the fighting, the pair landing silently behind a rock that was about a foot from the makeshift cage. "B9. B9 it's me." Jet whispered, the creature immediately turning att the sound of a new voice and throwing itself against the cage, snarling and frothing at the mouth, making Jet jump. Jet glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Steven and Amethyst fuse and the battle grow more intense immediately. "Oh shit." Lapis murmured under her breath, looking down at Jet. "We need to get her out and get her out now." she said as the battle intensified with every shot of Smokey's yoyo landing perfectly. Jet nodded and stepped from her hiding spot, raising her hand defensively to show her teammate she didn't have anything. "B9. It's me, Jet. Remember." she said, staring into the corruption's eyes as she continued to walk forward. B9 growled a warning growl, taking a step back when Jet continued to walk forward. "Jet. Don't be stupid." Lapis whispered as the growling intensified.
"I'm not being stupid." Jet said calmly, doing her best to ignore the sound of the area around them to shake violently as Smokey threw Jasper against the wall, releasing many corruptions with it. "I know she remembers me. Even if…Even if she hates me I know she at least remembers." she said, reaching into her gem and pulling out a picture of herself, B9, and Buckstar. It was taken the day after they had finished the healing fountain, meaning the only thing that had gotten done at the Zoo that day was an endless water balloon fight. The pic showed Buckstar and B9 laying on top of a towel and dozing lightly, B9's arm draped over the gem and a small smile on her face, Jet staring at the camera and making a funny face as she held the camera out to get a picture of her and her little family. For a moment the growling stopped as the corruption eyed the picture.
"B9. You remember me. You remember Buck. Rig-" the gem's question was cut off by Jasper's loud voice right behind her. "I refuse to be beaten by a fusion!" turning, Jet washed in shocked horror as Jasper reached in and fused with a corrupted gem.
Jet turned back to B9. "Hey. Bismuth." she said, a confident look on her face as she stepped close enough to hold onto the bars of the cage. "I know you remember me. This isn't you." she said, locking eyes with the wolf-like creature, who blinked and whimpered, all ferocity behind the creatures eyes instead replaced with sadness. " 's okay. I'm right here." she said, griinnng.
"Great. You tamed the corruption. Now let's get out of he-" Lapis was cut off by a loud crash and the ground rumbling as Jasper and the corruption hit the ground after being tossed skyward, the corruption immediately sprinting off and leaving Jasper lying in a crater and chuckling at the irony of even a corruption not wanting to fuse with her.
After a beat of silence, Steven stood up to help, Amethyst at his side in case the gem tried anything. "I'm not Rose. I just want to try to heal you." he said, licking his hand and reaching out to Jasper. In response, Jasper lashed out and swiped at him, thankfully only ripping the boys shirt. In response, Lapis, Amethyst, and Jet rushed over, ready to draw their weapons.
"Stop." Steven said, putting his hands up as Jasper chuckled. "I see how you do it now Rose. You wait until gems are at their lowest, then you show up and offer them help. Because when you're at the bottom you'll follow anyone who makes you feel like you're less of a failure. Just look at them!" she said, gesturing first to Lapis, Jet, then to Peridot. "You've stripped them of everything from Homeworld's hierarchy. Why do you protect this cursed planet? It's a shell!"
"I'm not protecting this planet." Jet said simply, crossing her arms. "I'm protecting the people on it." she said, her eyes flickering to B9. Peridot nodded in agreement. "Anyway, Earth's not a shell. There's so much life. Life that is just…living here! I've been learning new things about myself all the time." Lapis, meanwhile, remained silent. "The point being…" Peridot said. "Earth can set you free!"
Jasper grunted. "Earth…is a prison. I got out because I'm better than this place. Hell even that defective Pearl was able to get out because she thought she was better than this place. The only reason I came back was to finish you off. I've been fighting since I came out of the Earth's crust because of what you did to my colony." Jasper snarled, punching the ground. "Because of what you did to my planet. Because of what you did to my Diamond!"
B9 growled at Jasper's increasing hostility and began to slam her form against the steel bars which were thankfully loosened after all of the commotion.
Steven looked confused. "Yellow Diamond?"
Jasper snarled. "What?! My Diamond! Your Diamond! Pink Diamond!" B9 managed to finally crash through the bars just as Jasper roared and snarled the final word, immediately rushing the gem as Jasper charged Steven and easily knocked her a few feet back from the gems. Thankfully, before the now corrupted Jasper could attack again, Peridot managed to use her metal powers to stab the Jasper guard through the chest, sending her poofing in a large form of smoke.
For a moment, the gems stood in silent shock before it was broken by Peridot. "You're…welcome." she said before putting her hands on her hips, proud of herself.
"Is that...?" Amethyst started, staring at the fusion that had helped them.
Jet nodded. "B9. I knew she would remember me. Even if our relationship is rocky at best I….I still care about her." she said, looking up at B9. "Alright teammate. Let's get you back to the base. I should be able to build you a place big enough for you to comfortably-" the gem was cu short when B9 affectionately nuzzled her before looking deep into her eyes, Jet sighed. "Yeah…Yeah I know. You can't stay with us. Hey, it was worth a shot right? Look, when we figure out how to solve this corruption thing, I'll find you, okay?" she said, hugging the gem's leg and doing her best to fight back tears.
"I promise."
(Man it feels good to get back to this story. Hope all enjoyed!)