A/N: So ... how about those latest episodes, huh?
Still canon divergent and things are going to start ramping up a little more. There is something rather evil that I'm toying with for later on (I know where I'm going with this, but there's a chance I may slip something else in), but we'll see how it goes.
Thank you for all of the reviews and likes! I'm hoping to have a little bit of fun with the Alloys concept. I'm also having some fun with what's happening to Connie ... again, might go slightly evil towards these characters.
Also, enter some minor OCs soon.
Feel free to review! I'm hoping to have the next chapter up before next week, if I'm lucky!
-FourFaces
Connie awakened with a start about an hour after Steven had left.
She couldn't place why she was awake, and in all honesty, she didn't even feel tired anymore. She stretched and rolled over, expecting to feel Steven next to her.
He was gone.
She shot up with a start, worrying for a moment that the few days had been a dream. She calmed, seeing that Lion was no where to be found.
He's alright ... I hope ...
She swung her legs around the side of the bed and grabbed one of his shirts. It hung on her like a nightshirt, but would do in case any of the gems were moving about the Beach House for any reason. She made her way down the stairs and to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and stared in. She wasn't sure if she was even hungry, but she needed to distract her mind.
Memories of her dream came to her slowly. Flashes of light and a pink, cloudy world where she felt safe and secure.
It was odd, indeed. What was even more odd was the gem that had featured prominently in the dream. It was more of a shard, but it was there. A shard of a pink gem. She somehow knew that it was not Steven's as this did not feel like the nightmares she had been used to.
It seemed to call to her, a gentle strain of a violin playing. She remembered reaching out to it, feeling warmth and comfort ...
And life.
She shook her head, clearing her mind, and stared into the fridge again. She was lost in thought, wondering where Steven could have been. There was no light from the bathroom, the only lights in the Beach House being from his Cookie Cat alarm clock and the glow of the fridge. She stared at the temple door.
I wonder ...
She walked over to the door and stared. She could almost feel a strong pull through it. Steven was most likely in there.
Why?
She didn't even have time to answer herself when the door opened. She did not expect to see the defeated look on her boyfriend's face. His eyes were haunted, his mouth down turned.
"Steven?" Connie asked.
"It doesn't matter. None of it matters ..." he whispered.
"What do you mean?" Connie asked.
"The Earth was doomed the moment my mom rebelled ... the moment gems even set foot on Earth. I thought maybe it was just the Moonstone telling a lie, trying to psych me out ... but it's true ..." Steven mumbled as Connie pulled him close.
"What did you see?" She whispered.
"They weren't just conquerors ... they were afraid. They needed to build on as many worlds to keep away from them ... Connie, the Diamonds might have been right ..." he whispered. "Or somewhat right ... a colony here would have doomed humanity but it would have been better than ... that."
Connie could see the terror on Steven's face as he tried to forget what he had seen. She gently kissed his temple. She wanted to tell him that she was sure everything would be OK. She wanted to promise that they would get through this.
He turned to face her finally. They stared into each other's eyes, a silent conversation.
Neither knew who initiated the fusion, but soon, Stevonnie stood in the kitchen, her thoughts troubled as Steven shared the burden of knowledge with Connie. They felt the pain and fear that this knowledge unleashed.
They didn't want to unfuse, finding strength in the fusion from each other. The thought of never unfusing had occurred to them both, many times, but right now it was the most tempting idea, to keep each other from falling apart.
They had found the device in a cave.
It was small, cylindrical, and scared Garnet and Pearl more than the Cluster, Yellow Diamond, and Malachite combined. Pearl had warned Steven and Connie not to get too close, lest the cylinder explode.
"What is it?" Steven asked.
"It is an ancient weapon that can produce horrifying results. Only your mother's shield had saved us from it ... I didn't even know that one still existed," Pearl started.
"We need to bubble it so we can safely transport it off world," Garnet started. "If it were to go off ..."
Peridot was not listening, marveling at the wonders of the cave that they were exploring. She had been on many missions since officially becoming an ally and figured that this one wouldn't be any different. She gazed in awe at the crystals that jutted from the ground, decorated in crude drawings from a civilization that was long past.
A rumble shook all of the gems out of their reverie, and the Crystal gems summoned their weapons. Connie unsheathed her sword, preparing to protect Steven.
A creature emerged from the cavern, its sleek, long body glinting in the light from Pearl's gem. It turned its large, orange head and bared its fangs at the gems. A shock of white hair parted the creature's fierce head. A glint of light revealed a gem hidden in the hair.
"Keep it away from the weapon!" Garnet cried out.
Amethyst cracked her whip, wrapping it around the head of the monster, causing it to roar in anger. Pearl and Connie charged at it, assaulting the creature's tough hide with sword and spear. Garnet and Steven were next to lead the attack, charging at the creature to protect the others.
Peridot was attempting to summon a weapon, helplessly grasping at her gem in vain. She watched as the rest of the gems pummeled the creature, trying to herd it away from the device.
The creature reared up, throwing the gems every which way, before landing with an earth shattering thud.
This armed the bomb.
The other gems had run to Steven, knowing his shield, when summoned, would protect them.
Peridot did not know this.
She only knew that she was failing to protect the gems by not summoning a weapon.
She did not know how she had reached it, but the green gem was soon curled around the device, shielding it from the others while she tried to disarm it before the internal fuse ran out. She had known that it had to be an explosive of some sort, having created a few during training on Homeworld. She did not hear the cries of the others, completely focusing on the task at hand. This was what Peridots were fo-
FLASH!
She felt her whole body seemingly turn inside out, She could feel searing hot pain tear through her body, picking her apart and trying to rearrange her.
She could see the monster they were fighting. The bomb had poofed it. That was good.
The thoughts of failure hit her like a hammer next, tearing at her and breaking her down. She writhed in pain, feeling her physical form start to shift, unwillingly.
She did not notice the small hands that grabbed her, pulling her away from the bomb.
She eventually realized she was behind Steven's shield, away from the active device. Amethyst was curled in on herself and Pearl's face was frozen in a horrified expression.
"It's almost over," she could faintly hear Garnet state.
"Steven, what do we do?" she could hear Connie ask. Her first fully human friend. How nice that she was concerned ...
The pain shot through Peridot again as her physical form tried to separate her fingers from the rest of her hand. She cried out, feeling them curve into sharp hooks. She wanted to know what was happening to her, but she already knew. This was the corruption. This was how they made monsters out of gems. The device was rewriting her code and there was little she could do to fight it.
Weapons like these were banned on Homeworld, so this had been foreign territory for her. Now, however, she was going to be twisted into some monster.
"Peridot! Please fight it!" She could hear Steven cry. "Please!"
Poor kid ... he seems so upset about this Peridot ...
She could feel her identity slipping away. She stared up at the face that looked down at her. Pearl's heartbroken expression pierced at her heart.
"Please stay with me ..." Pearl cried. "We can't lose you ..."
She could feel the warmth from Pearl. She craved it, needed it.
"Peridot! Try to remember yourself! You're a gem! You're my friend!" Steven tried out, squeezing one of Peridot's hands.
She could feel herself needing to retreat into her gem. She wanted to so badly, but she needed to know if the bomb was truly disarmed.
Yes, that was what she was doing ... disarming the bombs to save the gems. To save the ones who took her in and had started to treat her as if she was one of them ... like family ...
She had poofed before she could act on this, the last sound she heard before reforming being Amethyst's cry.
She found herself taking care in reforming, the diamond emblem on her knees being replaced with the star. Even though she didn't feel like a Crystal Gem, she wanted to prove that Steven was right. That they were all right ... that she wasn't a monster. She was a friend.
When she emerged from her gem, she felt intense pain and worried that she had done it incorrectly. When she opened her eyes, she could see the astonishment in the faces of the gems and Steven. She struggled to find her voice, coughing and clearing her throat.
"Peridot ..." Pearl gasped.
Steven was grinning now and Amethyst was running towards her, arms open for an embrace
"Peri, I'm so glad you're okay!" She cried out, hugging Peridot tightly.
Peridot looked to Garnet who smirked.
"I like the new look. Subtle."
Peridot grinned and found her voice.
"Thanks."
She often flashed back to that moment, being saved ... being truly accepted. She was sitting on the roof of the Beach House, having snaked away from Amethyst and Pearl's embrace and tiptoeing through, hoping to not wake anyone. She had left before Steven had awakened from his nightmare and was unaware of anything that could be happening in the Beach House. She often thought back, when she had her moments of wondering if this had been the right decision, to when her place was truly solidified.
She heard a voice, speaking in a language she had not heard for a long time. It was almost ancient, by Homeworld standards, and the use had always been frowned upon. The lilting tones were almost hard to decipher, but she instinctively knew it. She scanned the horizon to see the source of the conversation. Lapis and Chrysoprase danced on the surface of the ocean, a soft glow around them. They never phased into each other, but continued to orbit one another, spinning in closely and singing in the light language to one another. Peridot smiled, curling in on herself to watch the pair.
She found her eyes drawn up to the sky. She didn't even remember which star was Homeworld's star anymore. She had given herself to Earth so fully now. She wondered, occasionally, if it was the right choice. She remembered building weapons for the war. Bombs to be sent to colonies to delay any attacks. It was an arms race, almost. An arms race against an enemy that was so alien that they couldn't even communicate. She had never actually seen the enemy, but she remembered the posters vividly.
But Earth was far enough away. There was no chance that they could come here.
I hope ...
She made her way back down the roof after an hour of silent contemplation and slowly opened the door to find Stevonnie standing at the kitchen counter, bracing themselves against it.
"Oh, h-hi Stevonnie," she stammered, embarrassed to walk in on such a private moment. After Garnet's explanation of human fusion, she had to admit that she felt a little more awkward around Steven and Connie. She supposed that it made sense that they would do something like that, but it still sounded so ... strange. It made her wonder if proper fusion was serving the same purpose when they did it.
"Hi Peridot," they smiled weakly.
"What's up?" she grinned awkwardly.
"Connie didn't want Steven to feel alone in this ... He learned something ... We've learned something."
Peridot tilted her head. They had fused to protect each other from emotions. It shouldn't have surprised her as that was often the purpose of the fusions with Pearl and Amethyst. She gently placed a hand on Stevonnie's.
"What did you learn?" Peridot asked, curiously.
Stevonnie gritted their teeth. They could feel the inner conflict boiling. They could tell Peridot and maybe get some guidance ... but it was too painful to think that Rose doomed everyone.
They looked up at Peridot, seeing her eyes search them for the cause of their anguish.
"Peridot ... Did you ever hear about the Alloys on Homeworld?"
Peridot paled.
"I think we made it through," Blue Diamond's Peridot stammered. "If we keep on this course, we should arrive in time to stop Yellow Diamond's forces."
Blue Diamond smiled, watching the stars pass. She had sent the Larimar back to her work, preparing a method of testing that would safely work on these strange creatures. They had to make sure that they survived the process or else it would all be for naught.
"Um ... Blue Diamond?" she heard the Larimar stammer behind her. "We ended up with a boarder ..."
Blue Diamond turned to see the Larimar straining to hold a bubble together. Inside of the bubble was mutilated, screaming body of an Alloy. It tried to reform its missing legs but failed, screeching in frustration. Blue Diamond nodded and placed her own bubble around it.
"Thank you. It's very interesting. I've never seen one that wasn't in tact. This could prove useful as well ..."
Larimar nodded and sent the bubble back into her lab.
"Preparations are almost ready, ma'am," she began. "Will we need to find provisions for the creatures when we land?"
"Possibly. I'm still trying to come up with a plan that will end this without the need for violence. Colonizing Earth will do little to help our kind now, but if we can somehow tap into the resources that those two provide, then we might be able to have an effective way of stopping the Alloys' march across our colonies."
The Larimar nodded, wanting to believe her leader. She still had doubt in her mind. She had never seen a human in the flesh, only looking through research notes from millenia ago. She wasn't certain what could destroy them, so this would have to be delicate work.
As she headed back towards her lab, another thought came to mind. The Alloy that was in the bubble might also unlock some clues to how to win. She cursed her weak bubbled and dismissed the thought. If she tried to release it, she could doom the entire ship. She sighed and returned to her work.
Greg had decided to take the day off from the Car Wash today. Business was slow lately anyway and he needed to check on his son and see how things were going. He drove down the beach, heading towards the Temple as the sun rose over the horizon. As he pulled up, he noticed Lapis standing near the door with a dark green gem who he didn't recognize. He parked and walked up, the stairs. He heard them speak to each other in a language that he couldn't even begin to comprehend before the dark green gem placed a small kiss on Lapis' cheek. Greg cleared his throat, alerting Lapis to his presence.
"Uh, hey Lapis. Glad to see that you're back," he smiled, sheepishly.
"Oh! Hello, Greg! Yes! Steven healed my gem ... again," she blushed. "And I think he's fiured out how to fix the corruption."
Chrysoprase smiled modestly, her hands finding their way behind her back.
"I was wondering ... Glad to see you're feeling better, uh ..."
"I'm a Chrysoprase," she smiled. "You may have seen me with a lot more legs last time," she chuckled.
"Oh! You were his little monster buddy! I'm so glad he healed you!" Greg laughed. "Rose would be so proud."
Chrysoprase grinned. The three headed into the Beach House to see Stevonnie consoling Peridot on the couch.
"Um ..." Greg started.
Stevonnie and Peridot looked up and the fusion immediately split apart, leaving a bewildered Peridot to stammer as Steven and Connie gathered themselves up, blushing slightly.
"Did I interrupt something?" Greg asked.
"Um ... well," Connie started.
"We were walking about something that Steven saw when he was dream-walking," Peridot started, looking pointedly at Lapis. "About the Alloys."
Lapis and Chrysoprase paled as well.
"... Are they coming?" Chrysoprase hissed.
"I don't know," Steven admitted. "The Moonstone that I healed last night was telling me about it ... It was terrifying. I kind of hope that the rubies regenerate first so that we can deal with her. Though, I need to try and talk to them first."
Connie gently grabbed his hand in hers, rubbing circles on the back with her thumb.
"We can try later today ... You can try those meditation techniques I was showing you," she smiled.
Steven returned the smile and gently kissed the top of Connie's head, reassuringly.
"So, bud, that's pretty amazing what you've done so far," Greg started, hoping to cheer his son.
"Yeah ... I guess it is pretty great," Steven smiled.
"It is, Steven," Chrysoprase started. "I wouldn't be standing here today if it weren't for you. You've done something no one else could."
Connie gave Steven's hand another squeeze.
"Any mistakes made in the past by others don't reflect on you," Lapis started. "And you might be the only one who can fix them ..."
"I know," Steven replied. "That's why I'm so scared."
Greg looked between the gems and Connie as the atmosphere in the room seemed to become suffocating with sadness.
"Um ... what's going on?" Greg asked. "Did we get confirmation that they're coming back."
"They are ..." Steven started. "But, not for the reason we thought ..."
"What do you mean, bud?" Greg asked.
Connie and Steven exchanged a glance.
"They might be coming back for us ... just us." Connie answered. "Sapphire saw something and Homeworld might think that Steven and I hold the key to stopping their enemy."
"Enemy?" Greg asked. "I thought they were just conquerors."
"At first," a new voice stated from the doorway. They all turned to the Temple Door to see Pearl. She walked over, head down. "They were conquerors. They found planets that had just enough life to create a new colony on and continued to expand. But no empire can expand without attracting attention."
"Of course," Lapis started. "You knew about them too."
"Heh. It's hard not to when you're always there during meetings with the Diamond Authority. When you hear them talk about expansion and then destruction of far reaching colonies. They're attracted to gem energy. It's powerful enough to keep their species constantly growing."
"I remember the first report about them," Lapis started. "It was terrible. One moment, a promising gem colony was flourishing at the furthest reaches of our empire. Then we get a message from a supply ship that had arrived to the metallic remains of the world. Only three of the forty gems sent to that colony had survived. The rest were assimilated."
"I saw what they can do ... But if they're attracted to gems, then why would they need me?" Steven asked. "I have a gem ..."
Connie sighed and sat down. "But you're still human as well. You're the bridge, Steven."
Steven nodded and sat next to Connie.
"So, what do we do? The Moonstone said this planet was doomed as well. Because of us."
"No. Because of colonizing in the first place," Pearl started. "The minute the first kindergarten was activated, we should have known that this could happen."
"So, what do we do?" Steven asked. "If Connie and I stay, we might as well have doomed everyone."
"You don't know that, Steven!" Pearl snapped before composing herself. "We will have to cross that bridge when it comes."
"No. We'll fight," Connie started. "Not just Homeworld ... We'll fight them too. We'll find a way."
As the morning dragged on and Garnet and Amethyst emerged, the gems sat around, discussing the next move while Connie helped Steven meditate. As he was pulled into his dream state, he could feel an intense heat. He traveled, looking for a Ruby and found her hunched over. He smiled and walked over to her, noting that her gem was on the back of her hand instead of her palm.
"So ... how does it look?" She asked Steven as he approached. "Am I still a monster?"
"No. You're a Crystal Gem, remember?" Steven started. "Rose tried so hard to help you but she didn't know how to fix it. I'm not even sure if this is the right way to do it, but it's worked before."
The Ruby smirked.
"I am going to miss the extra arms," she started. "Made it easier to hit things. Are there more waiting?"
"There will be," Steven smiled. "But we'll need your help when you reform. We need you as a Ruby. As yourself."
She laughed and nodded.
"So, did I do well against Homeworld?"
"Wonderfully. It was a cheap trick they pulled, huh?" Steven smiled.
"Yeah. I swear, next time I see a Moonstone, I'm going to beat her gem in."
"Eh ... maybe hold off on doing that," Steven laughed nervously. "But ... come out whenever you're ready," he smiled.
"You know it, Small Rose," the Ruby laughed.
Steven returned to awareness and smiled at Connie who sat in front of him expectantly.
"One down," he chuckled.