Overnight, Rhodonite began to get a lot more talkative, she was still quiet and reserved, frankly lost in thought, but she still occasionally said things, and because the Gem couldn`t possibly know anything about the experiments, the Crystal Gems didn`t jump into interrogation.
"Aren`t you excited? Today you are going to get a lesson from the Gems! I always love those!" Steven said to Rhodonite, who was sitting on the couch, staring into space.
Rhodonite looked up, suddenly becoming alert. "I suppose." Rhodonite went back to thinking.
"So, whatcha thinking about?" Steven asked, peeking over to make eye contact with the Gem.
All that flashed through Rhodonite`s mind was a giant flail coming down on her as she heard the person behind the eyes scream, "Help, Sodalite!" Before Rhodonite snapped out of the dream and held her head, wincing in agony.
"Hey! What is it?" Steven moved closer to Rhodonite and tried to wrap his arm around her comfortingly.
"It`s-" Rhodonite began but was interrupted as the three Crystal Gems warped into the living room. "Nothing." Rhodonite stood up.
"Steven, we`ll be gone a while, there`s snacks in the fridge, stay out of trouble. I love you, bye." Garnet said as the Gems warped out of the living room.
"Okay, Rhodonite, whoever you are. We`ll start with summoning your weapon, and then we`ll move on to other things, like fusion." Peridot began.
"We all have different ways of summoning our weapons, you just have to find yours, and find your weapon." Pearl explained. "If your body is capable." She whispered under her breath.
"Try to summon your weapon. Maybe your weapon is a defensive one!" Amethyst pulled out her whip and began to slash at Rhodonite. Rhodonite whimpered a bit in terror, and grabbed her Gem, hoping something would happen.
Nothing did, her gem stayed dull.
Rhodonite jumped out of the way, and fell in the dodging process.
"Hmm, interesting. We`ll work on that. Let`s try fusion." Pearl said.
The Gems looked at each other.
"Well, someone has to do it!" Peridot shouted.
"I volunteer Pearl." Amethyst broke the awkwardness.
"Amethyst! I-" Pearl shouted before looking at Rhodonite, who was looking at a butterfly as it fluttered around her. "Fine." Pearl walked over to Rhodonite.
"Yeah, Pearl! Let`s mash it up!" Amethyst shouted before cracking up.
"Um, nobody has actually showed me this before...I don`t think." Rhodonite stuttered.
"Garnet, help me out here.." Pearl looked at Garnet.
"Just dance and see what happens, but try to combine your lights together." Garnet said.
Pearl and Rhodonite bowed to each other, Pearl looking quite graceful and dainty, Rhodonite just followed her lead.
Pearl twirled around, but Rhodonite stepped back, unsure of what to do.
"Dance like you!" Garnet shouted.
Rhodonite squatted slightly and began to move her arms about in a dance similar to waacking. Pearl leaped forward toward Rhodonite, full stride out, only to trip over Rhodonite`s leg and fall.
Rhodonite stood up and covered her mouth in shock as she helped Pearl up. "Sorry, sorry! I am so sorry. I didn`t know what happened I-"
Pearl dusted herself off. "It`s fine, but you clearly need a different dancing partner."
The Gems began to walk back toward the warp pad.
"That`s it? Come on, we have to practice more! I remember... I remember fighting for this place! I remember fighting in this very sky area, I remember that you fought for Rose Quartz wholeheartedly, Pearl, without a shadow of doubt that what you were doing was wrong, and when I watched you fight, I didn`t think for a second that you questioned that your existence was even worth it. Mine might not be worth it to you, and I don`t know how...this, happened or how it works, but I want to fight, be a Crystal Gem again! Please give me that chance, I don`t have much reason to be alive, please give me one!" Rhodonite shouted.
The Gems turned around, silent and shocked.
"There`s nothing we can do right now, except keep training, and we have a lot on our hands, just practice on your own." Garnet walked up to Rhodonite and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don`t know what you were created for, but if you really have the capabilities of a fusion, then you have the potential and power in you, it`s not that we don`t care, we do, we just have other priorities. Got it?"
Rhodonite nodded.
"So basically you aren`t important." Peridot said, smirking then giggling.
"Don`t mind her, she`s still learning." Amethyst smiled.
It was raining, but Rhodonite didn`t care, she liked the rain, and she liked to sit outside, let it touch the skin that even she was unfamiliar with. She stared blankly off at the stratus clouds and the few lightning strikes on the horizon. Rhodonite then closed her eyes, allowing her mind to escape.
"No, you don`t understand!" The person behind the eyes shouted angrily at a pink gem that sported a ponytail and a lighter pink tank and a medium pink short skirt.
The eyes looked up, seeing a thunderstorm form above her. She felt the warm air hit her as a few lightning strikes came down too close for comfort. The rain fell and hit her skin, it soothed her, felt like cold, wet kisses. But the pink Gem couldn`t see that, she suddenly feared the Gem behind the storm. The storm Gem tried to shut down the storm before something happened, but her inner rage caused a lightning strike to come down.
CLAP! Thunder rolled loudly and a large lightning strike came down in the distance as Rhodonite banged her fist on the porch screaming in fear, anger and sorrow. Steven was there, he held Rhodonite`s shoulders and helped her calm down.
"Whoa, hey! What has been going on with you?" Steven asked.
"I..I...dreams." Rhodonite stuttered.
Don`t worry, I have weird dreams too." Steven smiled. "How was training with the Gems? What is your weapon?"
Rhodonite let out a slight laugh. "I can`t summon my weapon. I can`t do anything, I can`t be a Crystal Gem, I`m not even sure if I`m a Gem at all!" She sighed. "You should`ve seen the way you guys looked at me when we first met, I`m a disgrace, an embarrassment, and I shouldn`t be here! I should be shattered in the ground, at least then I know who I am! It`s not fair!" A loud clap of thunder rolled.
"Look, we really aren`t real Gems either. Garnet`s a fusion, she`s two Gems, Amethyst is a defective quartz, Pearl is a Pearl, Peridot is a failed Homeworld mission coordinator and a traitor, and I`m a Gem/Human hybrid. We aren`t like all the others, but we`re people, we still have feelings, we still have strengths and weaknesses. You`ll find your place on the team, and you`ll be amazing at it, even if you are just there for moral support or to relieve a hurt member, you are a Crystal Gem now, and we wouldn`t be the Crystal Gems without you." Steven hugged Rhodonite.
"Even without a weapon?" Rhodonite asked.
"Yep!" Steven smiled.