A/N: Well, this week is going to have nothing but rain and storms for me here. (And I'm sure Toku will concur.) Anyway, it's so good to have this third chapter done. Hopefully, I'll finish chapter 4 sooner than later. As for the other stories in the Gemstone Saga, let's just say they'll be getting along by the time I'm done with this story.

Rose's encounter with Malachite had given her a scintilla of cringing anxiety that, for some reason, didn't seem to make sense to her. After all, he was one of the Gods of the Pantheon (and one of the most powerful at that) so he could be trusted, right? Nevertheless, she accompanied him to the Heavenly Realms; it was there that she came face-to-face with Amber herself alongside her entire brood of children.

"Excuse me, Amber?" Rose called out to the golden-yellow goddess. "Your husband says I'm the one you need to save the world. Why is that?"

"Well, let me put it this way," Amber began. "What this Gem possesses right now is one of the most powerful corset Pumice ever created, not to mention one of the very first corsets ever. Do you have any idea what this corset can do?"

"No, nobody has told me so far."

"Then I will be the first. When Pumice first created it, they transferred almost half of their power into its very fabrics and stitches. They decreed that whoever chose to wore this garment would possess every ability imaginable, including one that could potentially change the very matrices of time and space. For many, many years, Gems from all walks of life sought control over its power but they all failed... until now."

"So what am I supposed to do now? How do you want me to stop her?"

"Moldavite will tell you, my dear."

A smoky green god came forward and approached the rose-haired Gem. He then said, "You must kill her, Rose."

"I-I'm sorry?" Rose asked while utterly confused.

"You have to kill her. I guarantee that it is the only way you can stop her."

"But why? She's wearing Pumice's corset! Can't I just find a way to remove it?"

"You can't remove it! Anybody who wears it will have it fused to their body until they can regenerate. That's why you need to kill her; not only will you save the universe, but you will also make sure nobody ever gets their hands on it again."

"Why is killing her the only solution though? I was raised to believe that all life was sacred, even life that supposedly had no meaning, and that everything had beauty. Do you really expect me to go against my principles just to make sure nobody else dies?"

None of the Gods could say anything to that.

"That's what I thought." Rose muttered solemnly. "Look, I just want to stop her without resorting to murder and that's it. Before I can do that, though, I just need to know who she is."

"Tell me what you know about her so far." Amber commanded.

"She's blonde, she has white eyes, and the last time I saw her she shot lightning from her fingertips."

"You're referring to a Cubic Zirconia."

"Exactly! But I heard that she was with Chancellor Zoisite. You think maybe he had something to do with this?"

"Perhaps you might want to ask him yourself."

"That's a wonderful idea. Just send me down at the Palace immediately and I will get right on it."

"I will gladly do that."

With that said, Amber sent the pink Gem on her way.

Inside the Chalcopyrite palace...

"Rose, it's so nice to see you again," Zoisite greeted her in a sickeningly-saccharine tone. "Queen Diamond tells me the Earth colony is doing well."

"She's told you correctly." Rose concurred. "However, some people there have been dying under mysterious circumstances lately."

"Hmm, that seems odd, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I don't remember lightning striking down humans when the skies were clear."

"Well, I'm sure their god's been fucking with them again. Or do they have one?"

Rose took a minute to think about it. "I'm sure they do. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they had a whole pantheon of them."

"Sorry I asked. Anyway, I have a few grievances I'd like to address about our Queen."

"Such as?" Rose leaned in a bit, eager to know what he had to say.

"She's not reliant on me as she ought to be. I'd like our queen to be more submissive, kinda like..." Zoisite trailed off into a state of thought.

Rose stared at him for a few moments, watching him ponder over whoever he was thinking about. It took him a while, but he eventually thought of someone.

"Zirconia!" he simply exclaimed. "Yes, she should be our queen."

The gears in Rose's head began to spin now. He'd sounded so eager and confident, but what exactly did he have planned for her? Could it have been that perhaps he was conspiring to overthrow the Queen and replace her? The pink Gem had to press him on.

"I don't think I quite understand." Rose said. "Why do you want Zirconia to be Queen exactly?"

"Well, let me put it this way," he answered. "She's beautiful, obedient and totally unquestioning. In fact, I recently gave her a special corset to wear at all times."

"You mean like the one Pumice made?"

"Yes, that's the one!"

I knew it! Rose thought to herself. Okay, stay calm. There's gotta be a way to get him to confess without coming off as overbearing. She then said aloud, "That must've been a hard find for you. How'd you get it?"

"I can't say." Zoisite shrugged. "Only she and I are to know."

"C'mon, sir. You and my father were friends once, so it seems fair I should know too."

"Well..."

"I promise not to tell anybody else."

"Alright, well, it seemed easy enough. Pumice's Temple wasn't very far from the Zeolite Brothel and all I had to do to get this corset was use my government powers to my advantage. The only people there were a couple monks and a priestess and they were so starstruck that they let me take it." He smirked at this. "I think they were just a bit more than relieved to have it gone."

"That's all I needed to know. It was nice talking to you, sir."

"You too, Rose. You may come back anytime."