36. A Tale of Two Cross-Fusions

Holly Blue Agate proudly considered herself a lot of things – loyal, vexatious, dignified, intimidating, passionate, ruthless, devious… but, right now, she really only considered herself confused. And for her part, she really had every right to be.

Only moments ago, she had unearthed herself beneath a pile of rocks, only to be snatched by White Diamond and brought to stand on the top of the canyon. She had no way to be certain, but she had a feeling that something must have happened to her Diamond, and the Yellow shards and ruined palanquin did little ease her suspicion… and now, for the hybrid child to offer to fuse with her?

White Diamond just looked between them, making her face blank to hide her genuine surprise. She expected the child to make a show of begging, or perhaps even offer for her to torture him again, but when he had whispered that he would fuse, she thought he was trying to make a fool of her. Well, he had proven himself once again cleverer than she had given him credit for, her eyes flicking between the Agate and the child as he offered her a hand.

Holly Blue Agate's eyes flickered nervously between the mighty presence, White Diamond's frightening visage only a few yards away, and the child in front of her. "What – I, is this?" she managed to say, wondering if she was being tested.

Steven had said nothing so far, his hand still outstretched, waiting.

"I'm not going to leave Homeworld – let me prove it. Let's be Opalite again."

Was this a joke? But when White Diamond gave Holly Blue a serious nod, silently instructing her to proceed, the Agate returned the signal seriously and turned to face Steven. She wasn't one to disobey an order.

At this point, White just wanted to see if he would go through with it, to see exactly how much he wanted them to live – it was clear from his behavior on earlier occasions that he vehemently hated their fusion. What had been originally devised by Yellow as a tool to ensure he was, in fact, the Rose Quartz, had turned into a special kind of torture none of them had expected. She had not anticipated him to turn the tool around as a demonstration of his loyalty, but this information could prove useful later on.

The Kindergarten had turned into a totally new world – what had been cold was now sweltering, what had been dark was now brightly illuminate with orange flames, and what had been abandoned for thousands of years was now shaking with energy, coming apart at the seams.

Across the vale, the Crystal Gems were frozen in muted shock and horror. In particular, Prehnite was visible struggling, gripping their head as their eyes overflowed with a river of tears. A moment later, the fusion was torn apart, almost as violently as they had been the first time when the Hand Ship went down. Lapis launched herself over the edge, flying as fast as she could after him.

As she got closer, it was like she was watching a sad movie, one that she's seen a dozen times. She already knew how it ended, but it still hurt to watch every time. This time, it was made even worse – a film reel of her own mistakes, played back to her, but the original picture had been damaged and warped, no longer projecting the right images.

Maybe it was more like a shattered mirror – her image fractured across the shining surface, but so damaged it no longer looked the same. Steven was doing just what she had done to Jasper, or was Holly Blue doing what she had done to him? The millions of imperfections were familiar, but so, so wrong, giving rise to a sea of pin-pricks that spread across her blue skin.

Please, Steven, don't do this… I know what you're trying to do, but…

This wasn't like Malachite, or what happened back on Earth – not completely. It was obvious; there was no trap, no hidden agenda, but still the sacrifice was plainly there.

If Steven goes through with this…

It was a horrible sight to behold, Holly Blue far too tall for Steven and the shared distrust and anger between them palpable as they touched hands.

"No, no – NO! Steven, don't do it!" Lapis was almost there, so close, she could just grab him and go…

Much like the first time, Holly Blue led, using her height to easily spin him, and this time their gems had started to glow almost immediately.

A tiny white bolt zoomed past Lapis, just over Steven's head, long enough for them to pause, confused – an arrow?

Opal?

The so-named fusion stood tall at the other end of the void, docking another arrow – she had aimed for Holly Blue, but she was visibly having a difficult time. Amethyst was hurting, their body struggling to stay together as their face winced in pain.

Steven blinked a few times once another arrow zoomed, even further off target this time, letting himself get distracted only for a moment. He was still very aware of the cold hands holding his own, so he let himself be lifted off the ground as Holly Blue spun herself around, Steven landing on her left side now, and they dipped.

The cavern shined brilliantly, the fog radiating and twisting shades of pink and blue, and then, there was pain. The lights faded, and in its place the air swelled with hurt – hurt for so many reasons, in so many ways.

It was done; they were Opalite now.

First, the obvious source came from their physical pain, fusion putting added strain on the Rose Quartz gemstone. Opalite was doubled-over, grasping severely at one side of their head. All four of their eyes were closed, screwed up as they tried to readjust to the sensation.

But their discomfort went far deeper than their pale blue skin – they hated each other, it was so clear in their mind. Self-loathing of this caliber was downright cruel, making their heart twist darkly. Both of them triggered the sensation to flex their fists, slowly remembering how it felt to be them, stabilizing as they reflected on how horrible they both were: Steven's human half holding them back, trapping them in one quarter of an organic body, while rebuking themselves for Holly Blue's critical and haughty nature, endowing them with a dangerous, irrational temperament. On and on their brain went like this – weak, cruel, foolish, heartless – the spiral only lasted as long as it took them to stand up. The darker and crueler their minds tore into each other, the stronger Opalite felt, both of their disembodied minds filtering out in rise of their own character.

More troubling yet, just like the first time, there were reasons they liked being Opalite, too. In many ways, they were better like this, and all three of them hated to admit it. They were much faster, their weapon much more deadly, and they just felt efficacious in this form; instead of sitting idly, waiting for someone else to choose their fate, being Opalite gave them agency, at least in feeling if not in reality.

"Huh," they said, looking down at themselves, watching their many blue fingers flex at the end of their pink-tinted vision.

Lapis stopped, letting her hand drop, just a few feet from the edge – were the circumstances different, she would have been terrified to be floating right next to White Diamond's shoulder, but she wasn't. Her eyes had gone wide with fear, her whole body shaking as she barely managed to stay afloat.

The blue gem spoke, her voice weak. "S-Steven…"

"No," they said through clenched teeth. Their eyes focused on the ocean gem, anger and sincerity eminent in their voice.

"Just, go, Lapis. He… doesn't want you here. He doesn't want you to save him, so just go. "

Opalite still felt bizarre in their own skin, foreign and yet, this time, familiar, too. Blue and stout, their outfit was just as tattered as the first time, but it was white and blue all the way down – no stars. Their hair was longer, still dark and curly but disheveled, no longer supported by pigtails. One of their arms, the shorter one on their left side, was also badly discolored yellow and white against their pale blue skin. Otherwise, they were the same – aggressive, irrational, disproportionate, and hateful.

Rightly so, White Diamond could not decide what to make of them. The Lapis Lazuli at her shoulder was absolutely devastated, which she had expected – the rebels, she knew, would not take to the boy abandoning them very well. But, this was a cross-fusion – unnatural, an atrocity… had White not been trying to call his bluff, she would never had let things proceed. And it had been effective, she must admit – it was clear that this was not a bluff at all. The child had meant every word, and this blue, wild-looking creature was the personification of his intent, a demonstration of his willingness to do anything to save them.

It was as satisfying to her as it was crushing to her enemies, so she decided to let it stand for now.

"And how should I address… you?" She had said those exact words when she met Steven, but they weren't Steven anymore.

"It's… Opalite, my-our-, er," they stopped, unsure how to address her, both of their mouths turning to a frown.

Right now, White chose not to press the issue. "Very well… Opalite. We should go, then, before we are buried under this," she flicked a boulder from her shoulder, narrowly missing Lapis. "Subterrane of disappointment."

She started to turn, prepared to dismiss the rebels – White Diamond was a gem of her word, even if the prospect irritated her – but was interrupted half-way by the fusion, who spoke to the gem at her shoulder.

"And, just, one more thing…" Opalite said, sounding mostly like Steven at that moment.

"Lapis, just, tell Garnet one thing. Please. Just tell her to do the right thing. Tell her that it's still da – "

Lapis frowned, confused and hurt and afraid, but she didn't have time to ask questions before White Diamond set the air alive again and sent her flying backwards, to the cliff face, to the Crystal Gems, to safety and emptiness all at the same time.

Garnet caught her when the winds fanned Lapis back to them, managing to stop her from crashing into the lutetium chamber that was their escape, but only barely. The gales did not slow down, however, and the swirling mist soon lifted them all off their feet and threw them all inside the pseudo-drill roughly. The last thing she saw was the outline of Opalite across the valley, eyes narrowed and head looking away, an expression of shame.

Then everything started to change very quickly, and the tiny pilot bay within the pulsing green became very loud. The door sealed from the outside, likely from the dismissive hand of White Diamond, while the Crystal Gems had started to recover from the sudden shock. Their emotions were too worn, their nerves wound too tight, their hearts too broken to do anything but gather themselves in silence.

While quiet had fallen within, all hell had broken loose beyond; boulders and rocks were falling atop their heads, making creaking and dull thuds against the lutetium loudly around them, but none of them seemed to mind. The floor had started to shake violently, so Pearl scooped up Amethyst gently into her arms and rested against a wall, eyes void of emotion as the purple gem groaned. Peridot had found Lapis crumpled on the floor, yelling words of concern over the din, trying to rouse her, but the blue gem was unresponsive. Her gaze was as distant as if she were still floating across the vale, so the green gem eventually gave up and just hugged her tightly. Garnet wanted to be angry, but she had seen it all happened already, and now she just stood with one hand weakly against what had been the door, seeing nothing but the image of Opalite burned into her vision. Vaguely, she noted that Connie's bubble hung somewhere nearby, thankful that Pree had thought to move her inside before the madness had started.

Peridot was hurting, but she had not been through the ringer as badly as the others, so when no one moved and more and more rubble continued to cascade down on their little enclave, she took it upon herself to take the seat at the helm and start to dig their way upwards. It wasn't the most effective method, especially without Lapis to help her guide the drill, but it felt better than sitting there, doing nothing. The green gem silently hoped the movement might incite someone else to do something, at least nudge someone to speak.

But the empty conversation spoke more than their words ever could, no one really needing to talk to reach the same conclusion: they had lost, it really was over.

After a few minutes, Garnet finally interrupted their brooding.

"Lapis, what did… Steven say to you?"

The blue gem was studying her shaking hands, like she had never seen them before in her life, and blinked when she realize the question was directed at her.

"What?" Her voice was dead.

Garnet crossed her arms, realizing something didn't feel right about this. The future was… too certain, all of the sudden. How did everything go from chaos to perfect order so quickly? What was going on?

"I saw Steven was trying to tell you something – what did he say?"

"Oh." Lapis looked from the fusion back to her hands, and then cast her eyes away entirely. She felt horrible, guilty, wronged, lonely – she wanted to be alone, or maybe just with Peridot right now, not to answer questions about how badly she had just failed. All she could see in her mind was Steven being dipped, or thinking about the way Jasper had grabbed her leg and pulled her out of the air, or the way it felt to smash her with a fist when she found them on the boat…

But Opali – Steven did say one final thing...

"It was… to you, actually. Just, they, he said, to tell you 'to do the right thing.' That 'it was still'… something."

"Something?" Pearl had now joined the conversation, and Amethyst had turned slightly so she could see Lapis in her arms. Peridot said nothing, but she was very tense, listening.

Lapis buried her head in her knees, sucking in a breath that burned her insides. She didn't need to breathe, but it felt good right now for some reason.

Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl looked between each other, wondering, hoping – but they hadn't been there to see him, to hear him, not like Lapis had been. It was over – it didn't mean anything.

Peridot chimed in after another minute, having to yell over the bumping of dirt and boulders as their little reverse-drill dug upwards. It was slow moving, but she wanted to give Lapis a break from having to talk.

"Uh, sorry, just – what do we do when we reach the surface? Just… something to think about…"

But Garnet already knew – it was clear as day, which troubled her as much as it would if there was no possibilities at all. They would surface, be escorted by Quartz soldiers to a Roaming Eye that would bring them home, and it would return to Homeworld where Steven would stay indefinitely. That wasn't satisfying, though, so she ignored Peridot for now.

"Lapis, what did he say?"

The blue gem wasn't having it, though. She yelled at them, eyes flaring under the green light.

"I don't know! He – they – why would he…" and as quickly as she had flashed with anger, she was crying. Hard, heavy sobs; she had failed him. She could have stopped it, if she had just been more focused, a bit faster…

Garnet sighed and approached Lapis. She did not make to touch her, but made her voice patient and calm. "Lapis… there's something… off about my future vision. I… I don't know what it means, but I need to know what he said. It might be important."

After an extended pause, Garnet's usual stoicism cracked ever so slightly. "Please."

Lapis nodded her head, still buried in her knees, and spoke very softly. The others could not hear over the rumbling and rattling of the lutetium against the packed dirt.

"I just… he said it was still 'da', and then I couldn't hear the rest. Maybe… dark? Or, something about his dad?" Lapis frowned, recalling Steven's human father in her mind's eye, his crinkly smile and kind laugh. How could they possibly go back to Earth and face him after this?

Garnet grimaced, disappointed and confused. It was still… what? Still… days? Still… dawn?

She gasped and stood up. "It's still damp."

Pearl and Amethyst exchanged a look, and even Peridot turned to look behind her.

Lapis, surprised, looked up at her. "What's damp?"

"I – " she started to say, covering her mouth as she remembered. It was a private conversation Garnet had with Steven over a year ago. In a way, she was surprised he remembered such a small detail.

Grabbing her head with Sapphire's hand and supporting herself against a wall with Ruby's, the memories came rushing back to her. They had been underground that day, also beneath a Kindergarten… it was the day they found the artificial fusions of the other Crystal Gems. She felt a tightness in her chest, shameful at the memory; Steven could have died, and she failed to protect him. The irony of that was not lost on her.

Oh. Hey, Garnet. How's it going?

Still damp.

Oh. Right. The clothes. There are towels in there. Do we even have plumbing up here? How do you get the washer and dryer to work?

Looking at her left hand, Ruby, Garnet could have smirked at the memory. "Magic," she whispered out loud. The others were hopelessly confused, but they did not interrupt her.

Are you… alright?

I wish you hadn't seen that…

Oh, it's okay. – Of course he would say that, but it wasn't.

It's not okay.

He had seemed really sad at that. …Why?

She blinked, still examining Ruby's gemstone, thinking. How had she put it…? What Homeworld did, taking the shards and parts of fallen gems and combing them, these gems weren't asked permission. Fusion is a choice, those gems weren't given a choice. It isn't right; it isn't fusion.

Then, Steven asked her a question. What's it like, being a fusion?

He had fused before.

I mean, like, all the time. Do you forget who you used to be?

Somehow, he always asked all the right questions. Garnet felt a wetness line her eyes, remembering. You forget you were ever alone. You know, when you fuse, you don't feel like two people, you feel like one being. And your old names might as well be names for left arm, and your right.

When you split up, is it like you disappear?

That had made her trip up the first time. She doesn't disappear, she's a feeling, but she could understand what he meant.

That's why you're so great.

The others were watching her go through the motions. Garnet felt like she was reliving the memory, a quiet, intimate moment between them – a sunny, beautiful day, the ocean sounding calmly in the background. She had been so proud of him for fusing, for understanding the sensitivity behind it, for being patient with her after almost coming undone.

"Steven…" she said out loud, sitting against a wall and putting her head between her hands.

Amethyst, still dangling uselessly in Pearl's arm, nudged her ever so slightly. She twitched her head, and made a show of moving her eyes, towards Garnet, trying to convey wordlessly to Pearl – go over there.

Taking a deep breath, Pearl started to walk, careful not to drop Amethyst as they moved across the shaking floor. Lapis and Peridot had both grown silent, listening but preoccupied in their own ways.

"Garnet…? What is it?" Cautiously, Pearl sat down next to the fusion. Garnet said nothing for a moment, thinking.

She leaned up, her face returned to its usual unreadable mask, but her voice sounded pained. "It's… him. He was trying to tell me something, but…" Pearl bit her lip, curious despite the hopelessness that had settled into her chest, but she did not push her. If Garnet wanted to share something, she would.

Fusion is a choice. Those Crystal Gems, they hadn't had a choice. I wish you hadn't seen that… It was true, but he tried to say it was okay. That he was okay. That's why you're so great.

Oh.

Steven was just trying to protect them, one last time – it wasn't a message, it was a warning.

He had seen how much it hurt us, the artificial fusion – we almost came apart.

He didn't want that for us, for all of us. The punishment of the other Crystal Gems… forced fusion… It was punishment for the rebellion.

Steven, he… made a choice. Fusion is a choice.

Processing, Garnet spoke out loud again. "Do the right thing…?"

Again, the others did not interrupt her, but they could see her expression change from confused to disturbed. Then, Garnet took off her visor, and turned to Pearl and Amethyst. Her eyes were hard, and her voice was heavy with emotion.

"He… he knew we would fail. He knew what they would do to us, once we were captured," she winced involuntarily, thinking of the desperate cries and sickening wriggling of the artificial fusions.

"Steven… he fused, so we wouldn't have to."

/

Being alone together was strange. It gave them new things to think about, but they weren't exactly good things.

Holly Blue realized what had happened to Blue Diamond from Steven's memories, and it absolutely destroyed her heart; Steven had already been suffering the loss of Connie, and now all his mind could do was hope Garnet would lead them away.

I don't know why you would be so cryptic.

It's… complicated.

It was, but not to them. Opalite knew and felt everything that they felt, so it became obvious as soon as they thought about it – telling them to stay away had not worked. He had tried that endlessly, and Garnet was the leader, so if he could just convince her, maybe she could convince the others. She needed to feel how much he wanted it, not to hear it. It was his last chance…

Those artificial fusions… They really happened? I had only heard rumors.

It was a half-thought, the other half not bothering to respond. They all knew it was true.

Suspended high in the air, Opalite was bubbled and floating idly in White Diamond's bubble room. Steven had been here once before, so they weren't exactly surprised when White Diamond sent them here, but they hated being together like this, alone. It only served to make resentment feel more intense, to settle deeper in Opalite's stomach. She was everything he never wanted to be; he was everything she hated about humans and traitors.

Opalite figured it would get better the longer they were alone, but after maybe twenty minutes they found their own company near to unbearable.

My Diamond… Blue Diamond…

She lied to me, used you, how can you possibly feel bad?

You know how.

I know, and I hate that you know.

Tears sprang at their eyes anyways, unified despite themselves.

The fusion was having a difficult time – they had not been ordered to split apart before White Diamond sent them away from the crumbling ruins, so Holly Blue refused to let Steven go again, and he didn't resist as much this time.

It's not worth it. They weren't sure who had been the one to think that.

The cerebral wires that bound them were different this time as a result of Steven's submission. Woven together by spite, the sensation did not burn like electrical wires but felt more like a slow-moving poison; it would kill both of them eventually, leaving only Opalite behind, but there was no antidote to this sort of self-inflicted toxicity. They simply had to wait until White Diamond let them split up, or until the feeling consumed them.

From Steven's mouth, Opalite bit their tongue, a knee-jerk reaction at the bitter taste they left in his mouth.

Toxic, indeed.

We could at least separate until White Diamond comes back.

Maybe.

She can punish you, me, us, for disobeying, though.

We know.

Sometimes there were only two voices, but most of the time there were three. There was no use trying to deny it from each other – it felt better when Opalite took the reins entirely, at least they were a forced sort of harmony. They didn't understand anything anymore, or at least, it felt like that. Cross-fusion, rebels, Diamonds… when they had first formed, it had felt so wicked and horribly vindictive. Now? Now it felt… justified? That wasn't exactly right, warranted might be closer, but their head was swimming.

Accepting pain, acknowledging discomfort… it only goes so far as an alleviant. Holly Blue was not used to feeling so rotten all the time, and Steven certainly wasn't used to this kind of self-abuse. Saving someone doesn't heal a broken gem; losing yourself doesn't cure a disease. Doing these things might serve a distraction, provide some context for your pain, but it only covers what's underneath – and for them, underneath was a dark, seething distrust. Their mind felt like a collapsing star, hot and unstable, fit to burst and destroy itself under the mass of their dissonance. But what would happen next? Would they form a black hole, a void in space, as destructive as they are enigmatic? Or would they explode before they even had the chance?

More than once, Opalite felt Holly Blue even consider pulling away, disgusted by Steven's emotionalism, but he was holding her up as much as she was restraining him. Right now, he needed her, to prove himself, to save his family; and she could not disobey an order, no matter which Diamond directed it, and so she needed him to prove she wasn't a traitor.

This wasn't submission, or mercy – they were using each other for their own gain. It was textbook manipulation, and neither of them cared if the other knew.

"We're worse than Malachite," Opalite said to no one. They were the only living things in this room.

Mercifully, they only had to stay like this, haunted by the ghosts of their undead, for another ten minutes before something changed – it was quiet at first, but they could hear footfalls.

Someone is coming.

They paused, listening, waiting, and their curiosity was answered. It was White Pearl, and she looked utterly unaffected by the fact that she had been a key player in a murderous plot to kill two Diamonds. They couldn't tell from so far away, but she was sneering at them.

"My Diamond summons… you, together. And, where is it…?" Her eyes scanned the thousands of bubbles, looking for something – or, really, someone – in particular.

/

Peridot shifted nervously in her seat, uncomfortable in the silence. After Garnet had vocalized her realization, things had grown hostile, all of the spirit that had bonded them on this mission left behind, miles beneath Homeworld's surface. She could tell from the sedimentary changes they must be near the surface, although she didn't know exactly where they might come up. Her guess was probably somewhere near communications since she knew they were in Yellow Diamond's Kindergarten, but that was a very large stretch of space.

Pearl had shouted at Lapis when the blue gem snapped at Garnet, the blue gem having grown so angry then that she nearly punched Pearl. Garnet was muttering to herself – or, rather, Ruby and Sapphire were conversing – considering the future, maybe? Peridot didn't really understand much about that side of their leader.

About a minute ago, Amethyst had yelled so loudly that they all stopped, and then they fell into a shameful quiet, disturbed only by the rumbling of the lutetium against layers of mineral deposits.

The ascent back to the surface was agonizing for the little green gem, now knowing the potential she could have with this sort of technology. Had they still been Prehnite, she could have manipulated the drill and the proportions of the interior depending on the pressure and the types of minerals they were plowing through to speed things up. Moreover, she had created a literal drill back on Earth that was about a hundred times more powerful than this second-rate creation. More than once she wanted to interrupt their fighting, to ask Lapis to help her, but she could tell Lapis was really struggling after watching what had happened… It even made Peridot wince to think about. She now understood the challenges of fusion, and considering Malachite and Lapis' past… she didn't want to push that on her, especially not now.

Clearing her throat, the green gem tried to broach the subject. "Well, um, we're almost at the surface… I think we'll be near the Com Hub, if that's helpful?" She didn't sound confident, and no one answered her, so they continued to sit in silence.

For Garnet's part, she didn't want to ignore Peridot; she knew she was only trying to help. But the fusion was facing a terribly difficult decision, made no better by the others fighting.

Steven had made things very clear now – this was not a rescue mission. In fact, he had been the one to rescue them. If he hadn't intervened, White Diamond would have killed them, but it was at the cost of his life and his freedom. It would be… foolish, really, to try to go after him now – he wasn't even Steven, he had willingly given himself into their fusion to demonstrate what this had cost him. It was her responsibility to protect him, both as the leader of the Crystal Gem, and with Rose gone… but that chance has come and gone.

Looking around her, Garnet was struggling, hating to admit the reality before her. Now that she knew what Steven had tried to tell her, the future had shifted, but only slightly. If she tried to lead them after him again, they would fail, so he was trying to take that choice off the table. They would be punished, and it would be brutal – could it even be worse than the artificial fusions? She wouldn't put it past Homeworld…

But could she live with herself if they just… left him? The others would resent her, think that she "gave up," probably blame Sapphire for putting too much stock in a bleak future. But her responsibility as the leader of the Crystal Gems went beyond just Steven, hard though it was to admit… Could she, in good conscious, lead Peridot, Lapis, Pearl, Amethyst, her Ruby and her Sapphire to certain death, just out of principal to not stop fighting until they died?

That would be a waste of Steven's sacrifice, and they would never return Connie's body to Earth, to her parents; they would never be able to give Greg any sort of closure; there would be no Gems left on Earth to protect the humans from any corrupted gems still out there…

I hate this, Ruby.

I know Sapphy – I'm sorry. I'm here…

Do you... think we should tell them? Let them decide?

I… don't know…

Garnet let her eyes rest on Pearl and Amethyst to her left, her oldest friends in the universe. She could see how the conversation would go, but it still didn't give her an answer.

They would still want to go after him. I know it's their right to choose…

But they can only choose if we give them the choice. If we say nothing…

They'll be safe, and we'll go home.

But Steven…

Where did we go wrong, Ruby?

I don't know, Sapphire. I don't know.

Looking at her hands, the gems embedded within, she flexed her fingers lightly.

Did it really come down to just… basic numbers? One choice could cost six lives, and Steven would be trapped here, living with the guilt of their death. Another choice meant no one else had to die, and Steven would still be stuck here. She had a responsibility to them, and to him, and there was only one situation in which they all came out alive.

Sighing, Garnet stood up and walked to Peridot, the others watching her. The fusion placed a gentle hand on the green one's shoulder. "Thank you for guiding us, Peridot. We will surface near the Communication Hub…"

I'm sorry, Steven.

"But I can't tell what happens after that. We'll just have to do our best."