"..So is this it?" a soft, gentle voice asked.

"I believe so," the other, sharper tone added. There were two human-like figures standing along the shore line. The sun began to sit on the horizon of the ocean and the sky was filled with bright oranges and pinks. The clouds were painted perfect and blurred into on another, creating a soft white contrast to the flame-like background.

Chapter One

Five hundred years after the final war of the Gems, there were a new generation getting ready to blossom and take the place of their ancestors, but they didn't know that yet. A small, tiny figure was pacing around the crystal lair that housed all of the warp pads which transported these so called "gems" to wherever their heart desired. They all led to some place unique. One, however, was broken. Obsidian, the new Homeworld master, had made that very clear.

Amethyst kept walking in circles. Her deep lavender hair bounced around her shoulders, all contained by her high ponytail, following her every step. She had one of her hands on her hip and the other led up to her lip and she kept her point finger close to her mouth and her hand in a loose fist constantly mumbling who knows what under her breath.

"It just doesn't make sense! What is she hiding?" She finally busted out, plopping her bum to the ground, quickly settling into crisscross-applesauce. Her sister poked her head around one of the crystal pillars in the warp pad chamber.

"What doesn't make sense?" her sibling asked, smiling making her way over to sit beside Amethyst.

"The warp pad. Out of all of them, why is just this one broken, Moonstone?"

"Silly. It's not broken. It's just disabled." Moonstone spoke with a soothing tone leaning her head on Amethyst's shoulder.

Amethyst's eyes widened, but she had a puzzled look on her face, "disabled? What do you mean by disabled?"

"I mean exactly what I said. Disabled. As in, not broken, but just shut down until reactivated."

Amethyst had a blank expression on her face, "You...you mean I can turn it on?"

"Well yeah. But the request has to be passed through the council and later approved by Grandmaster Obsidian. And you and I both know how that will go. The last time someone even brought it up in mere conversation around her, she shattered them to pieces. For some weird reason, it's just not something you talk about. But I mean there are thousands of places you can go in the galaxy. I'm pretty sure one warp pad being dormant is not going to kill you."

"Right.." Amethyst responded, having her head in the clouds. "So, if someone were to, I don't know, sneak and reactivate it, how would they do so?"

Moonstone slowly got up, rolled her eyes and laughed a little, "Amethyst. Let me tell you something. You aren't getting in that warp pad. I know you are curious about things, but this is one thing you have to let go. You've been coming here every Monday for the past 10 years trying to figure this out. As much as I'd love to see where it leads to, we're fine without it." Amethyst let out a disappointing sigh and she slouched over placing her palms straight on the ground.

"But," Moonstone added, "if you are just so eager to figure out this so called mystery you're obsessed with, why don't you go talk to Prasiolite? She is an apprentiace to the Paridots. Being associated with the council, I'm sure she could tell you at least why it's shut down."

Moonstone then stepped up on one of the smaller warp pads, and a light beam faintly covered her body, and she soon disappeared from the chamber. Amethyst's eyes light up, and she ran out of the room and charged down the hall with excitement.

"Paris!" Amethyst exclaimed. "Paris, oh for where art thou?"

A light, pastel green gem was in her work room several doors down, but could here her sister clearly, "what in the Homeworld does she want now?" she muttered, annoyed, under her breath. Soon, a purple hand wrapped around the door frame and Amethysts eager faced slowly rounded the corner and giggled.

"Paris! If I ask super duper nicely can you-"

"No. Whatever it is, no. And stop calling me Paris. You know I'm a Prasiolite and refer to only that." Prasiolite snapped.

"Okay so, Paris," Amethyst started again as her sister rolled her eyes walking over to her computer screen touching certain buttons that made different screens appear and continued to work.

"I would adore you so so much if you could answer something. Well I already adore you, but that's besides the point. Anyways, I figured you could help me because it's related to your council work."

Prasiolite stopped suddenly and halfway turned her head, "...go on."

"The disabled warp pad. Where does it lead to and why is turned off?"

Paris chuckled, "well for one, it's not disabled, it's broken and will never be in use. I'm surprised Grandmaster hasn't destroyed it yet. And two, that's classified information. I'm not even allowed to have knowledge of it. All we need to do is forget about it and pretend it's not there."

"No. I'm pretty sure Moonstone just told me it's not disabled. She said we would have to get permission to turn it on. That's where you come in. She said if we go talk to Obsidian about it, it's possible to have it turned back on."

"Here's a tip. Don't listen to our sister. Who's the one actually working on council's terms? Me. Even if what you said was the case however, do you know what happened the last time someone mentioned that warp pad in conversation around Grandmaster? She destroyed them. And as much as I can't stand you, I don't want my own gem blood gone because of some ignorant question. So drop the topic and forget about it. I can't help you." Prasiolite then focused on her computer and Amethyst left the room, head down, slowly walking to down the hall going back to the warp pad chamber.

She then continued pacing around in circles, frustrated as could be. Hours passed and she finally say on the dull, lifeless warp pad, "I just want to know where you lead to. That's it. No tricks needed. I just need to know." Amethyst then got up, stepped on a bright pad, and transported back to her home.