The enemy began to come in waves, swarming after the Crystal Gem's spread out bases of operation. Meanwhile special groups found their way secretly into the Kindergarten, smuggling out Gems that were able to be salvaged. Fighting was often, and locations would be captured or saved under the horrendous pressure. Ships from space arrived every few days, bringing in supplies to the side they were in allegiance to.
Gems were killed and Gems were born. Small replaceable platoons of barely trained babes would be wiped out in a few hours, whereas platoons of older Gems took much more time to win against. When the enemy came knocking the Quartz soldiers would flock to protect their cause. They were loyal to Rose, even if it meant their possible death.
Rose Quartz revealed a lavish fountain of clear water, connected via warp pad. The mighty statue was secluded and difficult to find. Warp pad was the best way, if the only way, to get to it. It had been the reason she would disappear. For months upon months she had slaved away at it, with Pearl being the only one to have known. The first to be healed by the essence of the statue's tears was Ruby.
The joyous Gems gathered to watch as Rose demonstrated. "It has taken much time," she said "but here, in this place, I have made a safe haven. If anything is to happen to me, you will have a way to heal your wounds."
Her loving subjects cringed at the thought, and she smiled at all the anxious faces. Ruby, who stood nervously beside Rose Quartz, looked so much smaller with the goddess to compare her to. Even though it was only Ruby being healed, Rose had quickly and easily agreed that Sapphire may stay by her side during the process. The blue Gem held her hands to her chest, clasping them together and frowning. Ruby jittered, twitching. Parts of her would occasionally fall out of existence, as if limbs would suddenly disappear. Her fingers were held out stiffly, scared to touch her cracked gemstone.
Suddenly Rose's face was beside her, asking "Ready, little Ruby?"
Ruby nodded, body jerking. She clenched her teeth but appeared eager. "Well, yeah! This is. This is," she smacked herself to get rid of the loop. "this is starting to give me a headache!"
Rose chuckled and reached over to pick Ruby up, but Ruby backed away and said she could do it herself. If Sapphire gave her a extra boost as she tried to squirm onto the edge she didn't mention it. Rose explained that she did not need to submerge in the liquid, as only her Gem needed to feel the water.
She stuck her hand in, watching the way the clean pink waters caused light to sparkle over her palm and stone. It glinted and soaked into her, tingling. Relaxed, she felt her gem begin to slowly stabilize. Observers were quiet. After a few minutes passed someone murmured their worry, but Ruby soon removed her hand and held it up. She grinned wildly with her excitement. It seemed the crowd leaned forward together, and below her Sapphire sighed with relief.
"I'm so glad." heaved the blue Gem.
Ruby jumped down. "Aw! You were worried!"
Sapphire smiled and whispered as Rose gave final words. "Of course I was."
The Quartz Gems were ecstatic, but everyone could feel the tension. The presence of the fountain made them worry, because that in it of itself meant Rose expected the worse. Still, they all smiled and clapped as Ruby once more held up her thick arm, displaying her perfectly intact stone.
At a Quartz base hidden within the thick of a deciduous forest the Crystal Gems finally saw their leader in battle. Ambushed by a large squad of Homeworld Gems while she was present, she took to her sword with her followers. They had before been interacting with three visiting humans. It was unlucky timing.
With her decorated pink shield she protected her girth, and with her sword she struck down attackers. Fighting alongside their Goddess, the fort's occupants were invigorated. Some Diamond Gems, upon seeing her bright form, filled their faces with awe and dropped their weapons, either running away or freezing in place. Rose would not strike a Gem who did not strike first.
By the end of the long drawn out attack the invading Gems were decimated. Rose sustained minor injuries, and had been forced to ward off the final Gem standing, a large striped orange Gem, by cutting straight through her arm, chopping it off. The humans had all been killed in the midst of it. Rose cried deeply for them and her shattered Gems, but not for very long, as appearances were becoming more and more important.
She had asked her closest friends to give them a ritual, because she felt she was simply too guilty to do such a thing. So Ruby, Sapphire, and Pearl buried the dead humans. The small Gems dug out the graves, which was more straining than a Gem grave, and Pearl spoke for them. Few attend, but those who did were either in extreme allegiance to the planet or were Gems who witnessed the humans die.
"They bleed so much." whispered a deep blue gem in the sparse audience.
"Yes, because they're flesh." replied a pale yellow Gem, shaking her head in either sympathy or disapproval.
"It's such a shame." said Pearl after giving them the ritual. "We should perhaps inform the nearby human settlement. They will likely find out their friends have died when they do not return, anyhow."
When everyone left, either going to their posts or back to the main center of operation, Ruby clenched her fists. She kicked a rock, walking ahead of Sapphire in the woods.
"Are you okay?" asked Sapphire, concerned. Her heart was heavy from the funeral.
Ruby stopped walking and shook her head. She suddenly snarled and punched a tree. Ruby turned to Sapphire, arms out. "Why do they have to fight us?" she yelled. "They-the humans can't protect themselves like we can! They get hurt so easy, can't they just leave them alone?"
Sapphire twiddled her fingers and stared into the grass and dirt. "It only means we have to keep doing this, to keep them safe."
The red Gem ran her fingers through her bouncy locks, leaning on the bark she had originally punched. "Why couldn't we have just found a lifeless planet?"
"Well, we didn't." Sapphire admitted sadly. "And these are the consequences."
"How can you stay so collected?"
Sapphire shrugged. "I guess I just express my pain differently. I'm as disheartened as you are, Ruby." she stepped closer and set her forehead against Ruby's shoulder.
Ruby, made null, put her arms around Sapphire and the two let themselves be sad together.
The small gray Blue Lace Agate sat with her back against the wall, her short, thick pale blue hair shading her watery eyes. The Gem in front of her was still holding out her dark azure hand, smiling. She was a Sapphire, barely bigger than her but older by thousands and thousands of years. Agate wasn't even a year.
"Come, don't you want to make friends?" asked Sapphire, still stooping. The room was littered with young Gems stolen from the Kindergarten in hopes of keeping them from becoming part of the Diamonds' army. Other Quartz Gems cultured them, along with Sapphire who was focused on the shy Agate.
The baby blue banded Gem shook her head and sunk further into herself where she sat. "No." she said sternly.
Sapphire's hand retracted and she placed it upon her knee. She sighed. "Well, you can be my friend."
Again, Agate shook her head, giving glimpses of her bright eyes. "No, I want to go home."
"Sapphire!" yelled an enthusiastic voice that Sapphire had been trained to smile upon hearing.
She straightened and turned, greeting Ruby. The red Gem put her hands on her hips, stopping beside her companion. "Who's this?" she asked, looking down at Agate with the sweetest face she could pull.
"This is Agate. Her gem is on her back." replied Sapphire, tilting her head and sighing again. "She says she doesn't want to make friends."
"Whaaaat?" Ruby exaggerated. "You can be my friend!"
"I want to go home!" screamed Agate, clutching her legs hard.
Ruby froze and gave Sapphire a look, who was giving her an apologetic one back. "I already tried that, dear."
"I see." Ruby muttered, squinting. She got onto her knees, wanting to help Sapphire. "Well, this is your home now, so get used to it."
"But why?" whined Agate, as if she would cry.
"Because we saved you from those evil Gems, that's why!"
Agate scrunched her nose and stared Ruby down through her bangs. She snarled. "They're not evil! I had friends!"
Ruby started to snap back at her, but Sapphire placed a hand upon her shoulder to calm her. She got down beside Ruby, and patted her knee. "That's alright, I'm sure your friends were really nice." she soothed.
"They were." muttered Agate into her legs with disdain.
She went on."But if we hadn't rescued you, or any of the other young Gems here, then do you know what the older Gems were going to do to you and your friends?"
The stormy Gem blinked and shook her head silently.
"They were going to force you to die in their army!" Ruby blurted out.
She looked taken back. "R-really?"
The two older Gems nodded.
Agate was quiet for a few seconds, thinking hard. She seemed less agitated, but still nervous. "And.. and you won't?"
Sapphire beamed. "Rose Quartz doesn't force anyone to do anything."
After that the tiny, barely born Gem was more receptive. Sapphire was able to convince her to play with the other rescued Gems and the care takers who were nurturing them.
Sapphire sighed, relieved. She watched the Agate talking with a much bigger Gem, who was likely a Tiger's Eye. She leaned partially against Ruby where she stood. "Sometimes this can be exhausting. But rewarding."
Ruby wrapped an arm around Sapphire's waist. "I'm just glad there are less Gems for their army."
She giggled. "There's that too. I'm glad you came to visit me."
Suddenly Ruby brightened and let her go. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I almost forgot!" she thrusted a hand into a pocket of her loose, baggy shorts. "I asked Rose for these, cause I know you like them so much." she ripped her hand away from the pocket and proudly displayed a handful of blackberries.
Sapphire grinned with bliss and took them. She was amused by the look upon Ruby's face, who was obviously hoping for praise. "So thoughtful!" she chimed, leaning in to peck her on the lips. "Thank you."
"Awww," Ruby turned to mush, holding her hands behind her back and looking down. "glad you're happy!"
They were lucky for a lazy day. Sapphire was able to keep to the Gem nursery for some time, before she and Ruby were both assigned to go with Pearl to a newly conquered base.
These current chapters are half 1. I will post the next three tomorrow.