Thanks again for the faves, follows, and review! This chapter took way too long and I'm still not 100% happy with it. I almost sped something along too fast and went "Oh no. You don't get to have your glimmer of hope this fast! I subscribe to the 'Don Bluth philosphy of storytelling of you can 'handle just about anything as long as you attach a happy ending' to quote Nostalgia Critic so you're not getting off that easy!"
This chapter has a little more pearlidotethyst in it as well as some Ruby/Sapphire interaction, some creepy dream walking, and an appearance from one of my new favorite cartoon moms!
Feel free to review!
-FourFaces
Connie had been sleeping when Peridot and Pearl returned from the beach that night. Amethyst joined the two at the base of the stairs, after having made sure Connie was really sleeping.
"So, are we doing it?" Amethyst asked.
"I still think we should talk to Garnet about it, but Connie is right. Humans don't stand a chance against Homeworld without gem weapons and the best way to power them ..." Pearl trailed off. Peridot gently grabbed her hand.
"I'm sorry, Pearl. If I knew of an easier way -"
"No. This is the only way with what materials we have on Earth. Plus, I'm certain that the former Crystal Gems who perished would rather still be used to fight for Earth than sit in a room, bubbled away for an eternity," Pearl sniffled. "If Steven ..."
The two smaller gems held onto Pearl and walked her towards the Temple door. It would be best to go into her room. They didn't know when Garnet would be back and it would be best to not discuss this in front of her.
As the door closed behind them, they made their way to the tallest water column in Pearl's room and then gently helped her to a sitting position. Pearl's body shook with sobs and both gems alternated between caressing her hair and rubbing circles on her back.
This was the first time in the week where they had been able to do this for Pearl together. Amethyst hugged her tightly while Peridot placed gently kisses on her cheek. They had all grown into a comfortable relationship over the years, especially after adding Peridot into the mix, and they found comfort in just being near each other. Opal, Flourite, and Aventurine were three very strong fusions now and when the three Gems were fully in sync, Lepidachrosite was almost as stable as Garnet. At times like this, Peridot and Amethyst both wondered if it would be easier to form her with Pearl so they could shoulder the pain with her.
It was over an hour before Pearl had the composure to speak. She bit her lip and then looked between her two companions. A decision had to be made. They had accidentally shattered a bubbled gem at one point when they were trying to harvest a gem for the drill to stop the cluster and Steven, as usual, was crying that they needed to take the gem to Rose's fountain.
That was when they learned that the fountain did not work on the corrupted gems. Steven had nightmares for weeks after that.
There wasn't even a guarantee that Steven would be able to heal any of the gems.
"If Steven does not return in a week, we'll have to start creating the weapons. I don't know how long the posturing between the Diamonds will last before Jas- Yellow Diamond returns … And if they determine we are enough of a threat, then it might not just be her armada," Pearl decided. "The nearest outpost isn't that far from here, if I remember right, so they could be here much sooner. Within the year."
Peridot snaked an arm behind Pearl, so she was touching both her and Amethyst who was busy staring at Pearl's clenched hand.
"We won't add any gems until we know for sure that we have lost Steven. He will still be our hope that we won't have to turn to this," Amethyst reassured Pearl.
"If he does come back and cannot heal our shattered comrades, then it might be more merciful to do this. Again, at least they'll have a purpose again," Peridot whispered.
"Like Lapis in the mirror," Pearl whispered.
The three gems held each other into the night, Pearl drifting off to sleep first, relaxing in the comfort of the smaller gems' arms.
Connie had finally calmed down enough to get her bearings in Steven's bed. She was tempted to leave the Temple and walk on the beach, maybe taking Lion with her. She looked at the sleeping cat and finally wondered if he had moved from this spot at all in a week. She leaned over to Steven's nightstand and turned on the lamp and finally noticed a very big difference in her slumbering companion.
His pink fur was broken up by ginger colored stripes. He also seemed a little smaller, his mane less luxurious.
Connie knew Lion was magic, possibly even a gem, but this sort of shape shifting had been so subtle and strange. She shook the beast a little and received no response.
"Lion?" She whispered.
The door to the beach house opened and Garnet walked in, looking like she was about to shatter. She looked up at Connie and attempted a smile.
"It's good to see you awake, Connie," the fusion said.
"Garnet? What do you know about Lion?" Connie asked.
"Rose did not tell any of us about the creature's existence, and we only met him after Steven befriended him. I've entertained many possibilities on his origins, but they all just seem too strange, even for Rose," Garnet stated. "Why?"
"You need to come up here."
Garnet was next to Connie in a flash and examined the giant, sleeping cat.
"This is strange. There's a possibility that whatever is happening in his mane is changing Lion's physical form, if he is indeed a gem."
"So … Steven could really be alive in there, then?"
Garnet smiled weakly.
"It is one of many possibilities. It's a slightly larger one than I previously thought."
Connie hugged Garnet tightly and then looked back at Lion. His ear twitched and the stripes in his fur became bolder.
Connie hoped that Garnet was right. She also wondered why Lion's physical form would be changing so much if something was happening to Steven in his mane.
Pain. Screaming agony.
Millions of voices, all of them swirling together, blaming themselves, blaming Homeworld.
Blaming Rose.
This was not Connie's dream.
Steven struggled to find someone, anyone who he might recognize.
A fragmented cry of betrayal pierced his mind, pushed out by another cry of terror, wondering if what she did was all for naught.
Soon, he saw a tall, thin figure, sitting hunched over herself. Her shoulders shook as she wept. He instantly knew who was there.
"Pearl?" Steven whispered.
Pearl whipped around and looked at him in shock.
"Steven?"
Steven ran to Pearl and embraced her. She wept into his hair and held him tightly.
"Oh Steven, I'm so glad you're back with us," She soon had a moment of realization and wept again. "No … I'm asleep. I'm only dreaming. I failed you. I failed Rose ..."
"No, you didn't fail anyone, Pearl," Steven whispered. "I was proud to fight by your side. And I'm OK! Lion has me and I'm regenerating and I'll be fine! I was trying to find someone to tell that to. Now that I've found you, maybe I can rest a while and focus on myself. I was in Connie's dreams a while ago - "
"Wait. You're dream-walking again? Like with Lapis? Oh, this is wonderful! I … I am so proud Steven!" Pearl exclaimed as she held onto Steven. "I will need to tell Connie so that maybe she can go back to being herself and - "
"How is she doing? I only saw a glimpse of her when I went into her dreams by accident. She … she didn't look OK."
"She's finally been sleeping. It took three days before she even moved from her first position on the bed and then another four days before she even slept or ate. Her parents might come and try to take her home, now that the evacuation was lifted. They even evacuated Charm City. Her parents are probably a wreck. I mean, I know that she is an adult now … you both are, but parents, we … they tend to worry. Just because Connie may as well have moved in with us doesn't mean that they aren't going to be concerned about their daughter."
Steven nodded and then looked out at the dream-scape.
"When I was trying to find someone, anyone to reassure, I found myself in the middle of so many painful memories. Some asking me for help and others asking for my blood. Is everyone else shattered?Are just the Crystal Gems and Connie left?" Steven asked.
Pearl nodded sadly.
"So, those agonizing screams were from all of them … What about Lapis? And C-?"
"Steven, if you survive this, can you try something for me?"
Steven nodded.
"Can you try to heal them? And if you can't, just know that it is not a failure on your part at all … and they will still be saving the earth, somehow."
Steven was confused, but soon he felt a strong pull away from Pearl. He looked back at Pearl and waved goodbye as he was pulled away by a warm feeling. A feeling that he often wondered during this regeneration if he would feel again.
The warm feeling was stopped by an erratic, pained feeling. He turned to see a fractured dream-scape, steaming and boiling with emotions. He had often wondered if Garnet dreamed and what she dreamed about, but now he knew.
"We have to stay together, for them. They can't see us un-fused. If we split apart, then everything will fail."
"I just see so much horror in the future and there will be nothing we can do to stop it."
"It's almost as bad as those cluster experiments."
"What else are we seeing?"
Steven could soon see, displayed in front of him as if on a theater screen, every possibility that Garnet could see. Steven returning from Lion's mane. Rose returning for some reason and Pearl completely cracking from heartbreak. Nothing happening and Lion forever sleeping, wasting away into dust. Connie unable to live. Connie becoming overzealous trying to protect the earth and avenge Steven, losing her life to the Diamond Authority. Connie and Steven fighting side by side once more. Amethyst being corrupted. Peridot being corrupted. Ruby being shattered and Garnet ceasing to exist. Sapphire losing her mind. Greg, seeing the carnage of a final conflict with all three Diamond forces, running headlong into the laser blast of a war ship to protect one of the Gems. The Gems pushing back the Diamonds with little to no casualties, humans assisting them with terrifying weapons at their disposal. The Diamond Authority taking earth, imprisoning and experimenting on Connie and Steven … shattering the rest of the Gems, Ruby and Sapphire split apart and unable to be there for each other in death.
Garnet held her hands to her head and cried out. Steven watched in horror, seeing, for the first time since he was a child, how horrible Future Vision could be.
Before he could say anything, the warm pull grabbed him again and he was whisked away to one of the wetlands near Beach City.
He looked ahead and saw Connie, sitting on a dock with a book in her hands. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she muttered something under her breath. Steven watched as the world changed around him to the familiar beach outside of his house. The sun was hanging low in the sky and the eastern horizon was beginning to show the first twinkling of stars.
He started to walk towards Connie until a piercing shriek pulled him away from her.
"No! I needed to talk with her!" Steven cried out. He was certain he saw her turn to look at him.
He was dragged into a landscape of broken glass. He looked around, wondering whose dream he was in.
Another shriek forced Steven to cover his ears. He looked around, searching for the source of the shrieking. He felt something cold wrap around his ankle and looked down.
A thin, blue hand clawed its way around his ankle, trying to feel for something or someone. It glitched and poofed into a shard before trying to reform itself again.
Steven turned around and saw several blue shards among the broken glass, all of them trying to reform and failing. He walked past the shards until he saw the source of the screaming again. A familiar half of a face, frozen in fear and broken like a china doll.
Lapis.
"Ahh!" Steven cried out as he woke up again. Lion leaped from his perch on the treasure chest and landed near Steven's leg.
"What happened? Did you find anyone?"
"Yeah ..." Steven said, shakily. "There were all of these voices at first. Some were angry and some were just sad. Then, I found Pearl and she was so upset until she saw me. I told her I was dream-walking and she asked me to heal everyone. Then I found Garnet and I almost got to Connie but I was pulled away by ..." Steven paled. "She looked horrible, Lion. More frightening than when she was released from the mirror. At least then, she was whole. She's in pieces and in so much pain."
Lion rubbed up against Steven, comfortingly, before crawling onto his lap.
"It's alright Steven. You will be able to try to help them once you regenerate. We need to work on your form so that you will be able to leave. Let's check your wounds," Lion said as he pawed at Steven's shirt.
Steven lifted his shirt and Lion tilted his head, looking at the wound that had almost stitched itself together.
"You're almost healed. Have you thought about what you want to look like when you are out?"
Steven shook his head. Lion smiled.
"It's alright. I just know that you used to be so disappointed when one of the gems barely changed after regenerating. Of course, you don't want to change too much." Lion chuckled.
Steven nodded and then curled in on himself.
"I'm afraid to sleep again, Lion," he whispered. "What if I end up in Lapis' dream or whatever that was again? It was so terrifying and painful. I wanted to let Connie and the gems know I was OK but … I don't think I can do it this way."
Lion smiled sadly.
"It's alright, Steven. I understand."
Steven didn't respond. Lion trilled before batting Steven with his paw.
"Hey, did I ever tell you about when your father went into battle alongside Rose against some corrupted gems? It's quite a great story. He did pretty well, for a human. It was just the two of them against …"
Connie dodged a swing from a holopearl before slicing her sword at its legs. A look of bold determination was in her eyes as she sparred against her opponent. She glanced to the side and took out the second holopearl that was flanking her.
"Has she been doing this for the past week and a half?" Priyanka asked as she watched her daughter from the crumbling seats of the arena. The drive to Beach City had been a long one, dealing with traffic coming back in and disaster junkies who had flooded to the beach to try and find a piece of evidence of the battle. Peridot and Amethyst had done a good job making sure no one approached the areas that were still littered with gem shards.
"No. This is the most she has done since … She said she really needed to practice, in case Yellow Diamond returned," Pearl explained, "She actually banged on my door until I came out, demanding that she go to the Sky Arena to spar. I'm surprised that she wanted to, in all honesty. She was not doing well last week, but our communication line was down. Not that any calls would have reached you. I don't know where Steven's portable communication device went. It may have been damaged in the battle. Greg will have to replace it most likely if – when Steven returns."
Priyanka had seen this denial in families before when she was in the ICU. She gently placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder and turned her attention back to her daughter.
Garnet watched from the top of the Arena, not having moved since escorting Priyanka there. She knew what the others were planning, or at least she thought she knew. A part of her (most likely Ruby) wanted to just hide all of the bubbled gems or lock everyone out of the bubble room until Steven returned (it had to be almost certain now. It was more than the previous 5% probability and that was all that Ruby cared about). Another part of her (definitely Sapphire) knew that the only way that humanity could survive another attack was if they had access to Gem weapons. The only way to efficiently power them, especially on this planet, would be from harvesting the shards.
If all of the Diamonds were going to send their forces (right now a 30% probability as she was pretty certain that Jasper had only recently regenerated, if at all), then they would need all of the strength they could get. And it was a 50% probability that Steven would not be able to heal the broken gems (if Steven returned which was a 60% probability now that she had seen Lion start to change. She had often wondered about the identity of this strange pet of Steven's but a memory of a vision when she had seen Greg so distraught about his missing cat was starting to resurface and it interested her greatly).
She watched as Priyanka gripped Pearl's shoulder occasionally when Connie would have a close call. Connie would be alright in this sparring match. She had rage, skill, and a purpose. Garnet knew this, not only with her Future Vision, but with her trust in Connie. She watched as Connie took down the last holopearl. Connie stood, chest heaving, as she turned around to see her audience.
"Oh Connie …" Priyanka started.
"That was excellent, Connie!" Pearl exclaimed, trying to sound chipper and failing. Connie could sense the tone in her voice and walked over to them. Garnet headed down to join the group.
"Connie … I wish I had known what had happened. If I had been here -" Priyanka began.
"No, mom. This wouldn't have been safe for you. It was barely safe enough for the gems. We lost almost everyone. We're all that's left," Connie said, a fire in her eyes. "Humanity is still being threatened and we have to make sure we can fight back. We have to be able to protect ourselves."
It was terrifying for Priyanka to see her daughter like this. She almost wanted her quiet, unassuming child back, but she remembered how unhappy she had been before the day she had come home babbling about the "strange boy she met on the beach". She had been so happy after that. It was obvious that Connie needed to be around him. She couldn't deny that.
"Connie … Did you want to come home at all? Maybe spend a few days away from everything?"
Connie froze. She looked between her mother and the two gems before a tear ran down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away.
"No. No! What if Steven comes back and I'm not there? He'll wonder where I am and he could be disoriented! I can't leave yet! He'll think I abandoned him! That I forgot about him! I can't do that to him!" Connie cried out.
Garnet walked over to Connie and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, Connie. I understand these feelings, in a way. You are more than welcome to stay if you need to."
Priyanka watched as Connie relaxed into Garnet's touch. She met eyes with her daughter before walking over to her.
"It's alright Connie. I didn't mean to upset you. I just worried that you might need a break from … everything. But if you feel better waiting here, then I'm OK with that. You are an adult now, after all," Priyanka grinned.
Connie nodded and then turned to look at the crumbling Sky Arena. She looked at all of the different statues and then turned to Pearl.
"Pearl? If the entire Diamond Authority were to show up, would they be like the statues depict? Would we stand a chance against them?"
"I don't know, Connie," Pearl admitted.
"Did Rose ever spar against your holograms to practice fighting against any of them?"
Pearl did not like where this was going.
A thrill went through Garnet as she looked into the future. She knew she liked Connie for a reason.