Episode 22: Mask Island

July 7th 3:30 p.m.

At the Evans Residence Green and Christie were both in the kitchen cooking. It wasn't often they had some quality time to themselves as husband and wife. But since their kids were occupied with their own activities it seemed like a special occasion for the two of them to do something like this.

"Okay." Green said as he carefully stirred the pan. "I believe my little concoction is nearly complete."

"*Giggling* Be careful. Make sure you stir it at the right speed or it's gonna spill." Christie replied as she added some pepper to her pot.

"*Chuckling* Don't worry. I've got plenty of experience. You just need to focus on your stew." Green said as he slowed his stirring.

More giggling left Christie's mouth as she took glances at her husband's dish while focusing on her own. To the side she added in some chili peppers and a small pinch of salt. Soon after she grabbed a large wooden spoon and began to stir her stew.

Green himself stopped stirring his dish and placed it slowly onto the stove. Leaning forward he took a big sniff of the stem and hummed. To his left he grabbed a clear cover and placed it on top of the pan. Moving the pan to an unused cooker a sudden beep caught his and Christie's attention.

"My Parmesan's done." Green said as he grabbed some gloves and pulled his Parmesan Chicken from the oven.

Stopping her stirs Christie picked up a large ladle and placed her wooden spoon to the side while putting the ladle into the pot. Scooping up a small portion of the stew she placed it near her mouth and blowed it before placing it into her mouth. Hums exited her mouth as she chewed while placing a hand onto her cheek. Swallowing her stew she put the top onto it before turning the stove off.

"The people at the community center are definitely gonna enjoy these." Green said joyfully.

"I'm sure they will. Mr. Lee needs all the help he can get and we're the perfect duo chefs for the job." Christie replied. She then spun around and into the arms of her beloved, "By any chance, do you think you could come with me if nothing comes up?"

"You already know the answer to that, my beautiful wife." Green said as he lowered his head before their lips connected.

After a few seconds their lips separated before they hugged once more. Christie held onto him even tighter than usual while Green made sure not to add additional pressure. At times like these it didn't feel wrong to wish for more moments such as this to last for an eternity. Holding the person you cherish the most in your arms, feeling their warmth, and allow joy and happiness to take over your thoughts. However...we do not always receive our wishes.

*Ding Dong*

The sound of the doorbell ringing caught Green's and Christie's ears. Locking eyes Christie puffed her cheeks before they separated. She soon turned around and exited the kitchen to make her way to the front door. Grabbing onto the doorknob she soon twisted it and opened the door fully. On the other side was none other than Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst. The Crystal Gems. As her eyes were placed on them Christie slowly narrowed them before crossing her arms. Green noticed who was at the door and walked out of the kitchen to join his wife.

"H-H-Hi, Christie." Pearl said hesitantly.

"I'm assuming you three are here for a reason?" Christie asked rhetorically.

"Yes." Garnet replied. "We've come to speak to Azurite."

"I see. And why is Amethyst with you?" Green questioned.

"They asked me to come." Amethyst admitted with a shrug.

"May we please speak with your daughter?" Pearl asked.

Green and Christie glanced at one another before looking back at the Crystals. With silent nods they allowed the trio to step inside.

"Azurite is in her room at the moment. It's upstairs to the right and if you see a large blue door then you've found it." Green informed.

Walking passed the living room the Crystals went toward the stairs near the kitchen. Reaching toward the top they noticed to the left was a pale white door with a butterfly at it's center. Though curious, they instead went to the right as instructed. Down the long hallway the Crystals took notice of several photos placed on each side of the walls. Some were of the Rainbows all together, some were of them separate, some were of Kameron in his early years, some even included the Crystals themselves alongside Steven and Greg. Each of their lips slowly stretched as they looked at them, but those smiles slowly faded as they soon reached the end of the hallway.

Right in front of them were a total of eight large doors in different colors. Green, Yellow, Blue, Red, Orange, Indigo, Pink, and Black. Each door also had the head of an animal at it's center. The Green Door showed a tiger. The Yellow Door showed a bat. The Blue Door showed a dove. The Red Door also showed a tiger. The Orange Door showed a toad. The Indigo Door showed a cow. The Pink Door showed a horse. And the Black Door showed a crow.

Approaching the Blue Door Pearl stepped forward and knocked. Slowly after the Door began to open and the Crystals made their way inside.

Going inside the room the Crystals were in awe as to what they were seeing. In front of them lied soft pine green grass and large trees all around. Up above the sun was shining in the sky as bright as a star with several clouds in the distance. Chirps of various types entered their ears as numerous birds flew above their heads and others calmly perched onto tree branches.

"I think I know understand why Kameron's favorite place is a forest." Amethyst said out loud.

"Amazing..." Pearl said in awe. "This is how big their rooms are?" She added.

"No distractions. Azurite is straight ahead." Garnet replied as she moved forward.

Pearl and Amethyst followed her. Going forward the trio soon reached the end of the trees, though as they did they soon found large groups of lakes. Down at the bottom lake was Azurite, sitting down with her legs crossed and hands clapped. Reaching her they stopped a few feet away and called out her name. Waiting for a response they watched as Azurite slowly rose up and turned around to them with narrowed eyes.

"What are you three doing here?" She asked angerly.

Pearl slowly approached her while intertwining her hands together, "We've come to apologize." She said softly.

"Is that so?" Azurite questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Pearl nodded. "We didn't know Lapis was your friend or that you were looking for her. For that, I apologize again. Rose was indeed the one who ultimately decided to keep her imprisoned because if she was released she would've given away our location. Once the War was over I found her at the Galaxy Warp and kept her within my Gem for the time being...until Steven became curious about his mother. It is true, we could've told you we've had her, but...we couldn't." She added.

As Azurite slowly balled her hands into fists she slowly approached Pearl, glaring down at her. The glare itself was enough to cause Pearl to shake as she tilted her head to look at her. Turning her gaze she directed it toward the others with Amethyst gulping while Garnet at first was unfazed, however she soon walked up to Azurite, dismissing her shades and placing both hands onto her shoulders. "Azurite. We've had a lot of time to think this over. We are sorry for our actions. If an apology isn't enough then we will do what is needed to earn back trust from you and your family. You have every right to hate us as well if need be." She added.

A small gasp left Pearl's mouth.

Azurite soon closed her eyes. She then sucked in some air through her nose and released it from her mouth while opening up her hands. Her glare began to soften as she looked at Garnet's three eyes. "I cannot hate any of you. However, a simple apology is not going to fix the damage you have done to me. If I were Pyrope or Amber physical discipline would be required onto you personally. But...if you truly want to apologize and earn back my trust and the trust of my family then there is but one thing you must do."

"What might that be?" Pearl asked.

"Come with me and I will show you. Though there is a precaution you three must have." Azurite replied.

"Precaution?" Amethyst questioned.

As Garnet released her hands from Azurite's shoulders both of Azurite's Gemstones began to glow. From them small spheres of blue light erupted from them before they were guided over to the Crystals. Stopping in front of them the spheres of light soon vanished and from them three objects revealed themselves. Taking them into their hands each of the Crystals looked at them and then turned their eyes to Azurite. Was this really necessary? Did they really need these? But if they were to make amends then they'll have to have them.

July 7th 4:00 p.m.

Leaving the house Azurite and the Crystal Gems traveled out via a Warp Whistle.

Soon enough the four of them reached their destination. Around the area were various trees and bushes. The sounds of animal life echoed in the winds alongside them scurrying from one bush to another. Up above the skies were partly clear as the sun was slowly getting blocked by a cloud.

Without a word the quartet began moving forward. Step after step they quietly traversed ahead while taking some glances toward the trees or the animals.

Moving pass another bush they soon came to a stop. Straight ahead of them was a large gate made entirely of tree bark and in front of the gate were two males who were shirtless, wore grass-skirts, and wore large white elephant masks while wield self-made hammers.

Approaching them both males gasped. They soon approached the Gems and kneeled.

"Women de tianshi." Male#1 said, speaking Chinese.

"Ni de daolia tai turanle." Male#2 added.

Azurite stepped forward and placed her hands on their foreheads, "Wo hen boqian. Wo bixu he zhangbei tan tan." She said, speaking Chinese.

"Dangran." Both males replied in unison.

As Azurite removed her hands the males stood back up and walked back to the gate, opening it. Once it was opened up she gestured the Crystals to follow as they walked in. Turning their heads the Crystals observed their surroundings. There were several small huts on opposite sides of the area with a massive hut straight ahead. At the center of the area was a strange object with different animal heads stacked from top to bottom. Beyond the scenery the Crystals then turned their sights onto the humans. The males only wore grass-skirts while the females wore grass-tops with grass skirts, though they, like the males from the gate wore white animal masks. Most of them stared at them while others kept their distances and their children protected.

Coming up to the massive hut the quartet stopped in front of it, facing three young girls wearing a white fox mask, a white shark mask, and a white vulture mask.

"Huli. Shayu. Tu ying." Azurite greeted with a bow.

"Gezi? Women bu zhidao ni jintian hul lai." Huli replied as her and her friends quickly bowed.

"Daoqian. Wo keyi he zhangbei shuohua ma? Pozameijie." Azurite said.

"Weisheme?" Shayu asked.

Azurite stepped aside, showing the Crystals to the girls. The girls walked up to the Crystals and stopped directly in front of them each. Huli had her hands balled into fists, Shayu crossed her arms, and Tu ying placed both of her hands on her hips.

"Ummm...Ni ui wo hen hao." Pearl said nervously.

"Do not speak our native tongue." Huli replied, speaking English.

"We have not forgotten how you left our village in despair after it was assaulted by those creatures." Shayu added, speaking English.

"We've lost our parents because you three chose to only acknowledge those creatures." Tu ying added, speaking English. "We're not sure why you're here, but be grateful our sacred protector is with you. Unlike you three, she actually cares about the well-beings of humanity instead of just protecting them." She concluded angerly.

"We do care." Pearl said.

The girls huffed and stepped to the side, "Tell that to our elders." Tu ying added.

Walking pass them the Crystal approached the massive hut with Azurite following behind. Going inside the hut the quartet stood side by side as they faced the elders. From their left there were six males. One was large and bulky, wearing a white ox mask. Two had long hair and wore a white rat mask and a white dragon mask. One was slightly chubby, wearing a white pig mask. And the last two wore a white monkey mask and a white rooster mask. From their right were six females. Two had long braided hair while wear a white tiger mask and a white rabbit mask. One wore a white snake mask. One wore a white goat mask. And the last two wore a white dog mask with a green hat and a white horse mask with a purple hat.

"Zhanglao." Azurite greeted as she sat down on her knees.

Pearl slowly followed after as did Amethyst and Garnet.

The elders each stood up from their seats and walked forward. Once they approached the Gems all twelve of them sat down on their knees again.

"Gezi. Suran women hen gaoxing jian dao ni dan ni weisheme zai zheli?" Long asked.

"Ma, Xiong, and Maotouying shanghaile wo." Azurite explained, earning gasps from the elders as they turned to the Crystals. "Tamen rang wo de pengyou yuanli wo. Ba ta quijin qilai" She added.

"Is this true? Have you imprisoned Gezi's friend?" Tuzi asked, speaking English.

"Y-Yes. It was during the Great War. We were unaware that they were friends." Pearl explained.

"Even so, you should've told her." Gou replied. "And now you plan to receive forgiveness for her?" She added.

Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst nodded.

"A crime such as this cannot go unpunished." Gongji said.

"Indeed." Laohu added. "Especially the harm you have caused to our people. We are aware of what you are doing and assume you three have your own struggles, however as important as your 'mission' is, humans are not as fragile and weak as you may think. And there must always be repercussions for your actions " She added.

"I purpose they face the test." Zhu lazily said, scratching his stomach.

"The test?" Amethyst asked.

Each of the Elders stood up and walked toward a large cabinet in the back. Long opened it and each elder pulled out something from it before turning around and walking up to the Crystals. Within their hands were small silver blank rocks. Raising them up the silver rocks began to glow as did the Crystals' Gemstones. Soon the Crystals were engulfed in auras of their respected colors before small groans and grunts exited their mouths. The silver rocks the elders wielded began to glow as well. The Crystals each fell on the ground with their groans and grunts increasing. Azurite stood by and watched, not even saying a word or intervening. Slowly but surely the Crystals stopped glowing as did the silver rocks.

Holding onto their bodies the Crystal looked up at the elders. "What have you done to us?" Garnet asked.

"We've made you three weaker." Hou answered.

"If you wish for us to return what you have lost then you must climb our mountain." Fang added.

"Only then will you receive forgiveness from Gezi." Shanyang concluded.

The Crystals soon turned their eyes to Azurite. She averted her eyes from them as well as turning her head to the side.

"Azurite. You can't seriously let them do this, right?" Amethyst asked.

No response was given.

"Fine." Garnet said, slowly standing up. "I did say we would do what was needed. If this is the only way then so be it." She added.

"Seriously?" Amethyst replied. "Pearl?" She added.

Pearl shook her head as she slowly stood up. "We will do it." She said, looking at the elders.

"Ugh! Fine. Whatever. I'll do it if it means I get my strength back." Amethyst added as she stood up.

Exiting out of the village Azurite guided the Crystals down a long curved path. Pure silence was placed in the atmosphere with every step they took. Yes, having the elders make the Crystals weaker was a bit harsh, but it was needed. And it was rather mysterious those twelve elders possessed artifacts that powerful. Did Azurite really give them those things or did they find them on their own? Something like this needed answers, but at the moment the more important situation right now was facing the test.

While it did take them longer to get there the quartet finally stopped at the lower base of their destination. Tilting their heads up Amethyst and Pearl froze in place. This was the mountain the elders was them to climb?

"I will meet you three at the top." Azurite addressed.

"Are you serious?" Amethyst replied. "You're not even gonna give us a hand?"

"The elders have weakened me when I had to take the test. Now you three must go through what I've been through." Azurite said as she summoned her wings.

She took flight, ascending high into the air and toward the top of the mountain.

With no other choice the Crystals walked up to the mountain and started their climb. Little by little they each gripped onto the solid rock surface and pulled themselves up. Small grunts left their mouths with every movement they made. Just merely raising out their arms onto the rock surface was enough to release a grunt, but they kept going even if it hurts.

Further and further the Crystals ascended until they eventually reached the the top of the lower base. Pulling themselves up the Crystals soon began walking.

"Ughhh! This totally sucks!" Amethyst whined.

"Whining isn't going to make this any better." Garnet replied.

Amethyst continued to groan.

Garnet soon stopped in place, making Pearl and Amethyst bump into her. Just as they attempted to ask her why she stopped they turned their heads and saw why. Merely several feet ahead of them was a young woman with long black hair and wore a white praying mantis mask while wield two tomahawks.

"Who are you?" Garnet asked.

"I am Tanglang. Guardian of Nature. If you three wish to proceed further then you must defeat me." Tanglang answered.

"Isn't there a more peaceful way of handling this?" Pearl asked.

Tanglang shook her head. Raising her arms she gripped onto her tomahawks and dashed toward the Crystals. Reaching toward them the Crystals quickly moved out of the way. Turning her head Tanglang swiftly made her way toward Garnet. Raising her tomahawks into the air she rapidly brought them down onto her, but within a split second Garnet summoned out one of her gauntlets as the tomahawks made contact with it. If this was a Corrupted then Garnet wouldn't have any issues or just swat the human away without much force, but...the circumstances now were entirely different to her.

Pushing Tanglang away Garnet summoned out her other gauntlet. She soon charged forward, raising her fist out. Just as it was about to make contact Tanglang moved her head back as she bent her back all the way until her mask nearly touched the ground. Pearl and Amethyst watched and froze in awe while Garnet herself was just as surprised. Retracting her fist she watched as Tanglang straightened herself back up before twisting her body, raising her leg out and aiming it toward Garnet's stomach. The impact actually made her move several inches away, but no damage was dealt.

Slowly lowering her upper body Tanglang prepared herself to move forward, but as her body began to move both her arms suddenly stopped in place. Turning her head she noticed strange purple rope constraining them. Turning her head around she saw Amethyst holding out her whips, but just as she attempted to make a move a sudden felling of something sharp was felt against her neck. Turning her head to the other direction her eyes slowly expanded at the sight of Pearl.

"Please. We do not wish to fight you. Surrender now." Pearl said gently and softly.

"Is it because I'm human?" Tanglang asked.

"No. Because we don't want to fight you. Please let us pass." Pearl answered.

A breath of exhaled air left Tanglang as she lowered her arms. Pearl removed her weapon from her body while Amethyst's whips were dismissed.

"Very well. You three may proceed." Tanglang said.

"Thank you." Pearl replied with a bow.

Walking away from Tanglang the Crystals moved along toward the mountain.

Up ahead there were several large rocks upon the pathway, though they weren't the center of attention for the Crystals. Around the rocks and pathway lied massive poles with several skulls on them. Below the poles were multiple amounts of bones. Some were still intact while others were completely broken. Just the sight of it was unnerving.

"Geez. That's hardcore." Amethyst commented.

"Were they trespassers?" Pearl said out loud.

"Possibly." Garnet replied as they walked.

"They were more than that."

Stopping in their tracks The Crystals quickly turned their eyes to the voice. From the rock a young woman climbed on it before standing up on the top. Interestingly the woman had long shoulder-length blue hair while wearing a white panther mask and wielded long sharp clawed gauntlets.

"The name's Bao. Guardian of Power. Heard a lot about you three." Bao said.

"What have you heard?" Pearl asked.

Bao jumped off of the rock and landed on the ground before standing up, "Just stories, though they don't really matter right now. The bones around you are from trespassers, but some are from pirates and greedy fools. Yours truly took care of them all by her self."

Hearing this the Crystals took glances back at the bones around them before turning back to Bao. She did all of this? All by herself?

"That's what happens when idiots decide to come to our island for their own selfish reasons. The spirits are taking care of them now in case you're curious. But enough about that." Bao said as she scraped her claws with each other. "Make this interesting for me." She added as she dashed forward.

Raising her claws out Bao she lunged them toward Pearl. Quickly summoning her spear she raised it up as the claws made contract, but the shear force caused her to be pushed back several feet away from the others. Retracting her claw Bao rapidly threw her arms at Pearl's spear before ending with an uppercut. Once it was done Pearl slowly lowered her weapon and saw that nothing happened, however within a split second her spear began to fall apart from the center. Small pieces of it fell to the ground as Pearl silently watched. Raising her head Bao lifted her leg, kicking her in the stomach, pushing her to the ground.

Turning around Bao quickly watched as Amethyst launched her whip at her, but she immediately began slashing the air, turning the whip's rope into mince meat. "Please." She commented, rushing toward Amethyst. Just as she came in close Garnet stepped in, raising out her arms and grabbing Bao's arms. Lifting her up she brought her close to her face.

"Where did you get those claws?" Garnet asked.

"None of your business. Not that I would tell you even if I wanted to." Bao replied. She then started swinging her body back and forth before raising her legs, kicking Garnet and making her release her arms. "C'mon. Is this really what the Crystals Gems are capable of? I thought you'd be a lot tougher than that. Guess Rose Quartz made a mistake rescuing you three." She added.

Unfortunately for Bao...she made a massive mistake. Though the Crystals were wearing masks they each silently gripped their fists. Amethyst summoned out two whips from her Gem before they were engulfed in flames. Launching herself into the air she began to spin herself as her whips covered her before her whole body was covered in purple flames. Firing herself down Bao was not expecting something like this, so as Amethyst was coming down on her she immediately moved out of the way, but the impact alone pushed her through the air until she crashed into the ground.

Small grunts left Bao's mouth as she slowly picked herself up. Her legs stumbled, but they managed to help her stand, however a small amount of force hit her back, pushing her back to the ground. Turning her head she noticed Pearl pointing her spear at the side of her head. "Do not speak about Rose Quartz like that." She told her firmly. As Bao attempted to reply a sudden force grasped onto her neck, making her rapidly turn her head to see Garnet. Without even speaking a word Garnet retracted her arm before rapidly sending it straight into Bao's stomach, making the woman gawk from the impact.

Retracting her arm she released Bao and watched as she fell onto her knees. "Okay...okay...you win. You three may pass." Bao grunted.

Dismissing their weapons the Crystal Gems walked away from her. As they did Garnet punched a nearby rock, shattering it into small pebbles. Was it unnecessary? Yes. Was it needed? For her case, absolutely.

Climbing up another portion of the mountain the Crystal Gems soon approached a strange area. Right in front of them was long pathway, but on each side was large quantities of water. Soon a large geyser erupted from the right side and landed right onto the pathway. The water cleared up, revealing a young woman wearing a white shark mask an wielding a small mace and a large shield.

"Shayu?" Pearl asked.

"That would be my sister. My name is Yachi. Guardian of Defense." Yachi replied.

"Great. How many of you girls are there?" Amethyst asked in annoyance.

"I am the final Guardian. After me you shall meet Gezi. And I can see how agitated you three are. Bao is the kind of person to always get under your skin. I myself may not know much about Rose Quartz, but if she alone made the selfless decision to protect the planet and those that live on it then she must've been a good or decent person." Yachi replied.

"She was." Pearl admitted, placing a hand onto her chest.

"Ma, Xiong, and Maotouying. Show me your capabilities." Yachi said.

Raising her arm out Yachi waved the air with her mace as a blue aura engulfed it. From left to right water from both sides of the pathway came to her and encased her shield. Summoning their weapons the Crystals Gems charged at her. Garnet launched both of her fists at the shield, but while the impact was successful and caused Yachi to get pushed back, no damaged was placed onto her weapon. Amethyst stepped up and launched her whip, however just like Garnet's attack, no damage was placed on it.

Pearl dashed forward with her spear in hand and thrusted it toward Yachi. The impact made no damage to the shield. Stepping back Pearl gripped her spear tightly while Yachi continued to raise her shield up.

'If we keep attacking like this it'll be pointless and drain us of more energy. A full-frontal assault won't work either and because of the-' Pearl thought to herself before something sparked into her mind. 'Wait... No matter how much we attack nothing will break that shield unless it's impacted with enough force or...' An idea soon came into place.

Raising her spear Pearl dashed ahead. Yachi watched careful as she readied herself for another blow, however as Pearl came in close she impacted the ground with her weapon and pole-vaulted over her. Yachi, Amethyst, and even Garnet watched as Pearl pushed herself over to the other side. Once behind Yachi she spun her body on her tiptoes and kicked Yachi's side, pushing her toward the water.

Dismissing her weapon Pearl watched as Yachi resurfaced before raising her hand to her. Yachi took it as Pearl helped her out of the water. Taking in a few breaths Yachi looked up as the Crystal Gems and chuckled, "Not bad. Never seen a maneuver like that before."

"Brute force would only drain us further. So I only used the more logical approach." Pearl replied, pointing at her head.

"I definitely need to keep that in mind. For now, you three may pass." Yachi said, pointing toward the pathway.

With that the Crystals nodded to her as they walked toward the end of the pathway.

Ascending up the Crystals soon came to a stop and slightly kneeled forward. Small grunts left their mouths as they slowly raised themselves up. Those three battle really took a lot out of them. And those girls...where did they get those weapons from? Did Azurite give them those weapons?

"Geez. Those girls were pretty strong." Amethyst said as she rolled her arms.

"They were, but we're wasting time. Let's keep going." Pearl replied as she took a few steps forward.

"C'mon. Can't we take a little break?" Amethyst asked.

"No. We need to reach Azurite. She's just up ahead-" Pearl replied. Another grunt left her mouth before she fell onto her knees. "We have to keep going until we get to her. Then I'm sure she'll accept our apology. We hurt her. I hurt her the most. Rose kept Lapis in the mirror, but I'm the one who increased her suffering." She added.

She felt her body shake with small sobs leaving her mouth. Scraping the dirt on the ground Pearl slowly got onto her feet and raised herself up. "No matter what I need to make this right."

Small grunts left Pearl's mouth with every step she took. Watching her go Garnet and Amethyst got up an followed her. Didn't matter how much energy they had left. They had to do this.

Luckily for them there was a large hill on their path, so no more climbing.

It hurt. Doing all of this. Is this how humans felt when their energy was depleting? The Crystals weren't entirely sure, even Pearl who is an assistant teacher. There wasn't a point in thinking on it anyway.

More and more the Crystals continued on as the sun was shining in the skies. Looking up they somehow managed to reach the top of the hill and right in front of them were Azurite and the elders.

"Well done." Azurite softly praised as she walked up to them. "I knew you three would make it, though I didn't know how much strength you had left."

As she attempted to speak again Pearl ran toward her, wrapping her arms around her waist and catching Azurite by surprise. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Azurite! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! Please forgive me! Forgive us! Please!" Pearl sobbed. Her sobs continued as she tightened her hug.

Azurite closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Pearl. Her sobs were real. Her emotions right now were absolutely real. It greatly sadden Azurite seeing her in this state, but it was a relief so they can make a amends.

Soon Pearl released her, wiping away her remaining tears.

"Crystal Gems. You may remove your masks now." Azurite said.

Raising their arms the Crystal Gems took off their masks from her heads, allowing their true faces to be shown. Azurite herself removed her mask, revealing her face.

"So...are we good now? You're not gonna make go through another test, are you?" Amethyst asked as she walked forward.

Azurite shook her head. "No. This was enough. While I still am upset, I forgive you."

Garnet's lips slowly stretched. "Thank you."

"And I will inform my family of this as well." Azurite replied.

"Thank you." Pearl said, taking Azurite's hands into her own. "I really, really am sorry. It's just...after Rose...passed away we had to take care of her son. It...it's not fair that your father is still around while someone we loved is gone. And there are times when...we're actually jealous of you all." She admitted.

A small gasp left Azurite's mouth as she blinked. Pearl adverted her eyes while releasing Azurite's hands.

"Yeah... We're pretty bad at being a family." Amethyst said.

"Amethyst!" Pearl replied, quickly narrowing her eyes at her.

"What? It's true. You always have a hard time with Steven. And he shouldn't be taking any advice from me. And most of all, Rose isn't here to tell us what to do. The Rainbows are like experts at it." Amethyst admitted.

"There are times when we are unsure of what Steven needs or wants. There hasn't been anything like him or Kameron before." Garnet admitted.

Azurite soon directed her eyes to each of the Crystal Gems. Her lips slowly stretched into a small smile. She soon closed her eyes and sucked in some air through her nose before exhaling out of her mouth. Reopening her eyes she brought both of her hands together, smiling at them.

"Girls. Me and my family have our own struggles as well. We are not a perfect family as I'm sure you must've noticed at times. Greg isn't perfect either and it is not his fault that Rose is no longer with us physically. She is still here, with the stars, in your hearts, and in your memories. Those we cherish leave. Life is complicated and difficult. There are times when it is too much for any of us to handle, but you must never let that despair consume you. You have to fight, even if you don't want to. You can change the world for the better or for the worst, but that alone is your decision. No-one can tell you what you're worth." Azurite said honestly.

Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst locked their eyes onto her. They absorbed every word she said. And her smile... It was similar to Rose's. Gentle. Kind. Pure. How could a woman such has her have a smile like that? Even after they hurt her deeply she still had that smile.

"How are you like this, Azurite?" Pearl asked.

"Hope." Azurite simply answered. "That is my anchor. For the future. For my parents. For my siblings. And especially for our kind. I was broken many, many times, but the stars, the spirits, and those I cherish always ignite the hope inside of me and my soul. Even when I feel despair my hope will never waver, no matter what happens." She added.

The twelve elders soon stood side by side next to Azurite and held up the silver rocks. Large portions of energy erupted out of them and returned to their rightful places. Gasps left the Crystals' mouths as their bodies were getting invigorated. The auras around them as smile were soon spread on their faces.

"You have passed the test." Pu said.

"Let this be a lesson to be aware of your actions and how they themselves can affect those around you. Understand?" Long added.

"We do." Pearl replied as she and the others bowed. "But if something terrible happens here we have to come and stop it, but we'll do better to make sure others won't get hurt." She added.

"Good. Now tonight is our annual star ceremony. Would you like to join us?" Tuzi offered.

"Would the village be okay with us there?" Pearl asked hesitantly.

"They will. Even if you've caused us harm you've accepted your punishment. They will have to deal with it, and if not then you'll just have to deal with it." Zhu replied.

The Crystals looked toward Azurite before they stopped and looked at each other. Guess this is their reward for the test.

"We will come. May we bring our family with us?" Garnet asked.

"Of course." Gou replied. "Laohu makes too many dumplings so we've find someway to eat them all."

"That won't be a problem when you meet my brother Citrine." Azurite informed.

End of Episode 22.

Whoa...that was a long one. Sorry for the long delay everyone.

Hope you all enjoyed this. I wanted to make Mask Island be inhabited since it didn't have too much of a purpose in canon. And in case any of you are curious, I do have a bad habit of introduce countless OCs in my stories, but the ones here will reappear again. Not sure when, but I'll come up with something.

Next Time:

Two Become One