A younger Garnet, a more innocent Garnet, delicately wove strings of strange, wild flowers together, a faint smile playing at her lips, placing the finished length of chain on the ground as she began another. Although her fingers were thick, harsh from training as she practiced summoning the mighty gauntlets she'd been promised, she was exceptionally tender in her movements, as if caring for a wounded animal.

So she sat, for a long time, in that meadow. Youth and sweetness had bonded on that day, in that pastel place that seemed to overflow with virtue- distant and soft, with stretching acres of pale, wonderful flowers, and in the middle, the core of it all, was a tall tree, gnarled and crooked yet still graceful, an aging beauty queen who had never lost her touch.

Garnet, in this alternate Eden, felt that all was right with the world; her heart was young and loving, everything seemed to wrap itself around her in a perfect blanket of brilliance, safety, and a darling sense of purity that made her sigh contentedly, putting her work aside and stare at the rolling clouds.

The tiny voice on the other side of the tree said;

"Um, Garnet... you okay?"

At first, Garnet didn't realise she'd been asked a question, so it took her a moment to reply with a small 'hmm?', followed by a smirk and a 'yeah'.

"Good. Good." The other gem was smiling now, Garnet could tell, a sweet smile that was gentle and soft. "Say, uh, Garnet, I really like hanging out with you."

"Ditto, Moony."

A quiet laugh sounded, as small as the fragile petals. "Makes me feel like I can be myself. Like you get me, y'know?"

"I know."

Garnet chuckled, leaning back against the tree, closing her eyes as the day's gentle light, from the middle of a mid-day amber sky, warmed her face.

"Yeah, you know. I want to know."

That made Garnet cock an eyebrow, letting out a hum of inquiry, wondering whatever her friend could mean by such an addition.

"I... I want to know things. I want to learn..." Then the voice from behind the tree became thick with wonder and mystery, a child recounting a fond memory, and as her eyes remained closed Garnet pictured the smile that may have crossed the other's face. She felt warm and peaceful, her chest rising and falling as she sighed.

"I'm going to find the Volo Scientes."

The fine, pronounced voice that the other had now adopted startled the young gem somewhat, and she sat up.

"Moony?"

There was no reply.

Then the young Garnet was gone, the innocence was gone, and everything was burning- gardens and gardens of impervious utopia scorched and blackened by the pillars of fire- the screaming was unbearable, and an older, tainted Garnet was at the center of it all, trying in vain to save them all, she had to save them all. There was howling, keening, wailing, her mind was tearing itself to pieces, her gauntlets gripping tightly at grasping, choking bodies and pulseless wrists as the amber sky turned black with smoke until carnage was all she could see.

Garnet woke up.

She was so tired, all three of her eyes burned. A weak groan was all she could make. Deflated, she felt like she'd been hit in the stomach, sick and feeble, twitching. She couldn't recall ever feeling so helpless, so hopelessly faint and frail. Lurching, heaving, she coughed, tasting her own blood in her mouth. It was all so dark. All so...

Where... was she?

That's right. The Bloodstone Chamber. Deep within the arteries and ruby veins of the temple it lay, walls covered in pulsing black worms snaking over them, reaching for the ceiling in an attempt to escape, clawing at the cracks.

It was bolted, and tight. Nothing gets in. Nothing gets out. Unless if they had the key, which Garnet had donned around her neck, like the backstage pass to a concert, as she strolled with a mighty air through the cold, desolate corridors. It was like a prison. Like a hospital. Like an asylum.

Now here she was, lying on the cold floor, a half-painted symbol of some cryptic origin unfinished below her. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, damnit, she was supposed to carry out the ritual and leave, she was supposed to be taking Steven to the funfair by now, not lying on the stones with a broken nose and shattered teeth-

A guttural chuckle sounded above her, taunting the futility of her sudden thrash as her hand shot out, ready to grab at that great, spiked ankle, jagged and jutting like a gnarled pillar of rock. Her hand was stamped upon, a heavy heel coming down on the back of it, her gem pressed tight, the pressure unbearable, agonising.

Voice in a death-rattle, the living cliff of ragged, matted hair, wild eyes reflecting off its body's own filthy gleam, whispered something about the Diamond Moon, but Garnet didn't hear a word. She was too busy reaching out with her free hand for the paintbrush, still wet with paint, if only she could complete that devil's diagram then this entire nightmare would be over.

Dull blue aches turned into white-hot pains as the heel pressed down, and she cried out- which turned into a loud, commanding bark, all eyes widening with fear as she felt a jagged, cold, lipless mouth engulf and enclose her hand.