Tourmaline felt it deep inside her, it was as if a dam had burst open. The bubble had been the dam to hold back the cluster's emergence, but with the breaking of the ground by Yellow Diamond, this barrier was quickly deteriorating. The cluster was rapidly losing its calm and composure, and the billions of gem shards once more felt the excruciating pressure compelling them to form. There really wasn't much of a choice, but as Tourmaline's empathetic wave of hope and reassurance washed over them, they could think. Tourmaline had allowed the cluster to focus. And with this newfound focus, the cluster made a decision; it would help the one who eased the pain and protected them.

So, with that thought in mind, it formed.

Thousands of ghostly white hands rose from the cracks in the ground, then tightly wound themselves together to form the shape of a hand. Red and brown colours appeared on the pasty white exterior so that it looked like an arm made of muscles. It slowly flexed all its joints and experimentally swung its arm around.

Yellow Diamond stood back watched on with a smug smirk on her face. It was all going to plan. Soon, the cluster would emerge completely and destroy the planet from the inside out, and Pink's world would finally have some use. Blue Diamond could be as sentimental as she wanted, but it didn't change the fact that earth still needed to be used for the ever-growing gem expansion.

It had been a surprise when she felt that familiar aura, but Yellow Diamond put it to the back of her thoughts. The possibilities it could be…Yellow Diamond couldn't think about it. It had to have been a coincidence…yes, it was probably the earth playing tricks on her mind. This was Pink's one and only colony, of course it would have remnants of her soul buried within it, still active over five thousand years later. Maybe it was Rose Quartz that had released that aura, and since she had been part of Pink's consort, her aura may have transferred a small amount to her. Well, whatever the reason was, when the world is destroyed, Yellow Diamond would be able to move on. It was an act of weakness to leave and give up on earth during the war, but now they would rectify that mistake.

She didn't know how they could have possibly survived the diamonds' attack during the war, she thought they had destroyed every gem. Shattering… there was no coming back from that. Despite the Diamond Authority's godlike status, even they couldn't bring back shattered gems. Even the rebellion leader Rose Quartz with all her healing abilities wouldn't be able to bring them back. And it was all because of one gem, White Diamond. The supreme leader of all gems. Even Blue and Yellow Diamond had to obey her commands. So, if they managed to defeat them, and there was an extremely minuscule chance that they would, they would stand absolutely no chance once White Diamond arrived. She would make short work of them.

Even the thought of what she could do…Yellow Diamond found it was better to dwell on other things. These thoughts, they were useless. Look at Blue Diamond, how she had become after Pink had been shattered. It was as if she had been shattered instead. She had been devastated. It had taken thousands of years to get her to where she was now, and even that was barely a shell of her previous self. All she could ever think about was Pink. Sure, it had been deeply disconcerting and disquieting, especially the thought of a diamond being able to be shattered, but moping didn't change anything. There were gems that depended on you, and you had to be strong. Otherwise, who else would they look up to?

You have to move on, or else the universe would move on without you.

Which was why Yellow Diamond chose to focus on the cluster's emergence rather than the presence she had felt earlier, and the possibilities it may contain. Even if it had sent delicious shivers running up her spine, and a hopefulness she hadn't felt for a long, long time. Even if it could mean possibilities she couldn't afford to consider.

After all, there was no way Pink Diamond could still be alive and whole, right?

With that preposterous thought, Yellow Diamond turned her focus back to the cluster. Which was now heading straight towards her. With no signs of slowing down. Oh dear, she thought. Fingers positioned with the thumb and middle finger together, the giant hand flicked her back towards Blue Diamond, who was for some reason standing in the ocean quite far from the rebel's precinct. Yellow Diamond may have been a diamond, but even she wouldn't have been able to withstand the physical force of a billion gem shards forcefully fused together.

However, one thought ran through her mind as she sailed through the sky and hurtled towards Blue Diamond at a perilous speed: if even the cluster had rebelled against the Diamond Authority, and had chosen to side with the Crystal Gem rebels, what did that mean for Homeworld? All gems were supposed to look up to their diamond leaders, so what did the rebels have that they didn't? They had to have been hiding something. Some weapon or mind control possibly. Of course, whatever they used, it had to be ineffective against the diamonds. But what could their secret be?

That was when she landed. Right on top of Blue Diamond. She had to say, the cluster had excellent aim. It was a shame it hadn't destroyed the earth and had instead joined the rebels' side. A real loss of potential. Ah well, there was always the next world.

Yellow Diamond leapt up from her position on top of Blue Diamond and dusted off her light manifestation of her gem. There was no way she would be able to defeat the cluster, so she decided to focus on the rebels instead. Correction, rebel. It seemed they had fused. Yellow Diamond wasn't surprised. She glanced at Blue Diamond, and looked back to the fusion. Then, quickly, fast enough to give any inferior gem whiplash, she snapped her head back to Blue's face to reassert what she thought she had seen.

Fat tears leaked from her eyes and dripped down her face, but that was normal, that wasn't what had caught her sudden scrutiny. It was her expression. Something she hadn't seen in a long time.

It was barely there, but a slight smile curved her lips, and a shining glimmer could be seen in her eyes, one that spoke of hope and yearning. For what, Yellow Diamond could certainly guess. Even she had almost thought of the same thing, and she knew that Blue would feel that dangerous hope even more strongly. She knew what Blue was likely feeling right now, so she hated herself for doing what she was about to do. Yes, even the great diamonds had regrets time to time. But, it had to be done, and no matter how much she loathed herself, no matter how much Blue Diamond may come to detest her, this hope had to be destroyed. They were treading a far too dangerous line.

So, Yellow Diamond wearily gripped Blue Diamond's shoulders and turned her towards herself. She looked into her eyes, 'Blue, that feeling…'

Blue Diamond, as if sensing what she was about to say, let her smile drop. Her eyes seemed to plead with Yellow Diamond, 'Don't…whatever you are about to say, just…don't.'

Yellow Diamond almost gave in, but resolved herself. It had to be done. 'Don't be delusional, Blue. It isn't Pink. No matter how much you may miss her and want her back, there is no coming back from a shattering. This was a trick, an illusion. It has to be.'

The light in Blue Diamond's eyes died. She swallowed thickly and turned her face away. She took a long, shaky breath. She looked back to Yellow Diamond's eyes, but instead of the ravaged expression Yellow Diamond expected to see, determination shone in her eyes.

'I want. To see. For myself.' she said quietly. Yellow Diamond had never seen this emotion on her face. She could only stare as Blue Diamond ripped away from her arms and shot up into the air.

When she landed in front of the fusion, Yellow Diamond snapped out of her trance. She couldn't let her destroy herself. They had already shattered Pink Diamond. She would NOT let them shatter Blue Diamond. She couldn't change Pink's fate, but she could change Blue's. And she would do anything to stop her shattering.

Well, assuming they could shatter her. There was no way they could win against the diamonds after all. Besides, White Diamond was surely coming.

White Diamond would definitely obliterate them.

Yellow Diamond followed Blue Diamond. She dashed past Blue Diamond and attempted to engage the fusion in combat. However, Blue Diamond, not to be outdone, fought to keep ahead of her.

'Stop, Yellow! I want to know what they have to say! Please, I just want to know if it's really Pink, because if it is, then this changes everything.' Yellow Diamond couldn't afford to listen to her.

She raised her arm and shot a yellow surge of her power at the fusion, who used her shield to block it and rushed towards her with her sword. The fusion swung her sword at Yellow Diamond, but she dodged it just in time so that her sword only grazed her body. However, the strange pink light that surrounded the fusion's body and so had transferred to her sword sent thrills of emotion through her being. It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain her emotional distance from this situation. It evoked the feelings she had felt when Pink Diamond had still been whole. And it…unnerved her.

Blue Diamond was yelling at her to stop from the outside, conscious of the danger Yellow Diamond's attacks posed. Finally, Yellow Diamond, resorting to physical combat rather than relying on her power, landed a punch squarely on the fusion's jaw with such force, the fusion's head snapped to the side in a sickening crunch and she was thrown back several meters before bouncing and skidding to a stop at the foot of the cliff.

A snap sounded. The fusion did not move.

Blue Diamond screamed, probably thinking the worst. She ran to the fusion, to perhaps check on her, or maybe put up some sort of defence against any more attacks from Yellow Diamond, but she would never know.

Because at that moment, a completely unexpected turn of events took place. Or maybe it was completely expected, maybe it was the only course of action that would make sense.

As Blue Diamond rushed towards the fusion, Yellow Diamond also acted. It was a moment of weakness, she had let her deeply buried, or so she thought, emotions take control. It was so rare for her to act like this, to lose her composure, but even though she had been the one to hit her so hard, the one who had put in all that power, she had never expected it to actually land. The fusion had been dodging her so exceptionally, Yellow Diamond had just thought she would dodge this one. But, she was a diamond after all. No one could be expected to keep up with her.

The emotions that the pink light radiating from the fusion elicited had been difficult to endure. They had been brimming under the surface, suppressed under a stubborn refusal to consider Pink's presence, and now that she had done possibly irrevocable damage to the fusion, they had burst forth in the most unimaginable way. Concern for the source of Pink Diamond's continued presence spurred Yellow Diamond on into forgetting her trepidation and, without thinking, she had also rushed towards the fusion with Blue Diamond.

Thanks to her apparent lapse in judgement, her movements were clumsy, un-diamond-like. Blue Diamond had been particularly hysterical, and so her movements were quite uncoordinated as well. So, they had both been charging towards the fusion from almost the same direction with dangerously blundering movements.

As a result, in their haste, one flailing arm was all it took. Surprisingly, it was Yellow Diamond who had initiated it. She flung her arm out into the path of Blue Diamond, who tried to dodge it but instead pummelled straight into it due to her momentum. This had them both pushing forward at an alarming rate, and they were unable to stop themselves in time.

They were going to crash into the fusion.

Now, Tourmaline had only snapped her sword during the punch. None of her gems were actually cracked. The reason for her immobility was that she had been trying to think of battle strategies in her head. She had also been struggling to stay fused because the punch had nearly knocked her out. Inside her head, Steven had been trying to stop them from fighting, which had resulted in the inability to dodge that punch in the first place, and no one was listening.

Of course, their argument wasn't enough for them to unfuse, but Steven wanted them to talk and sort out the reason for Blue Diamond's strange reaction to the pink light Tourmaline had somehow emitted. He also wanted to know the reason why she had suddenly started crying, and not in a grief-stricken way. She had actually smiled. Smiled! Steven hadn't known if she was capable of that.

So Steven, being entirely empathetic, wanted to know Blue Diamond's grief. He wanted to console her, after all, it was his mother's fault that Pink Diamond no longer existed. And Steven being Steven, made the rest of the fusion see his way while Tourmaline lay motionless against the rocky wall of the cliff.

As their internal discussion came to an end, Tourmaline opened her eyes and saw two diamonds heading straight for her in a completely uncharacteristic way. Yellow Diamond's face was streaked with worry while Blue Diamond's face looked more hysterical than usual. She looked up in wonder and surprise.

Then, they collided.

Except, there was no pain, only a bright flash of light.

Strength, power and emotions ran deep within them all as they realised what had happened. The fusion rose her enormous hands and brought them in front of her.

'I'm…fuuused…? Againnn?'

A sob erupted from her, and a surge of longing and joy burned through her.

'Pink…Diamond…? It's…it's really you…?' Blue Diamond whispered inside their shared mind space.

'It can't be…Pink was alive all this time? Tell me the truth, is that really you Pink?' Yellow Diamond questioned. They all waited with baited breath. There was a shocked silence.

Then, before any of the Crystal Gems could form a rebuke, a weak, feeble voice quietly said, 'I wanted to tell you, Steven…but, I just, couldn't. I'm sorry.'

It was, of course, Pearl who said this. But before anyone could react, an even bigger twist presented itself. A giant white head attached to a torso descending from the sky.

It was White Diamond at last.

A/N: Ooooh, another cliffhanger. Will they unfuse at this unexpected revelation, or will the shock of White Diamond's arrival hold them together? Will Blue and Yellow Diamond stick up for Pink? Is this the end? Or will White Diamond end up seeing their side of things and sympathise with them?

I realise some of the characters are a little out of character, but I just wanted to make it a little more lighthearted. Or I was going to, but this chapter kind of undermines that doesn't it?

I'm totally not cruelly enjoying the excruciating suspense you guys are going through. Or maybe not. If you're anything like me, you binge read the first few chapters, forget about it for a while, then catch up when you finally remember. That way I almost never have to go through the pain of a cliffhanger. So sorry when I say I DON'T FEEL YOUR PAIN HAHAHA! (Actually, it works 'cause I have a terrible memory ;-; — sorry, a frustratingly selective memory. I only remember irrelevant things TT) Thanks again for reading! XD