Over 5,500 Years Ago
The war on Earth had reached a level never before heard of in Gem society. Initially when Pink Diamond had arrived to colonize the planet she met slight resistance from the locals but nothing her forces could not handle, even when a defective Rose Quartz started a rebellion.
But not even the rebels had expected to encounter such a force like the Grimm.
Leaving a path of destruction in their wake the Grimm swarmed the Gem cities being built, massacring the surprised and helpless Gems. Between the rebels and these Grimm Pink Diamond's colony was falling apart and she called out for help from her fellow diamonds. Blue and Yellow Diamond arrived on Earth to end the rebellion and the threat of the Grimm once and for all. Yellow Diamond led her armies against the Grimm while Blue Diamond coordinated from the Cloud Arena.
The Grimm's destructive nature allowed them to easily kill Gems, the dark matter they were made from infected the light energy Gems used to create their bodies and corroded their gems until both body and gem shattered. The more Yellow Diamond fought the more the Grimm appeared, a dozen seemingly spawning for every one that was slain. The fighting became so vicious that the Crystal Gems were almost forgotten by the Diamonds who saw the Grimm as the more immediate threat. Not only were the Grimm able to spawn in large numbers but they came in many different forms and abilities, including being able to possess the very technology the Gems used.
Eventually the fighting reached the Cloud Arena and Blue Diamond found herself under attack and frantically calling Pink and Yellow Diamond for help.
"Protect our Diamond!" A Jasper shouted, letting out a roar as she sliced a Beowulf's head off with her axe.
An Agate slashed another Grimm down but failed to see the Griffon slam its beak into her back. She let out a scream as blackness seeped out of her 'wound', spreading throughout her body until it exploded, her shards scattering across the battlefield. The Grimm had swarmed the Sky Arena, Griffons and Nevermores flying overhead and destroying Gem airships, giant Gem statues were possessed by Geists and Manticores battles the Gems in the arena. The battle was not going well for the Gems as their natural weakness against the Grimm cost them greatly in their effort to protect Blue Diamond.
"Has our distress call been answered?" Blue Diamond asked her Pearl who frantically shook her head.
A Griffon lunged at her but Blue Diamond summoned an energy sphere and blasted it. "Enough!"
She created several spheres that merged into one giant sphere that fired dozens on energy blasts across the arena, destroying dozens of Grimm.
"Our Diamond is with us!" The Jasper leading the remaining Gem shouted in exhilaration.
Their celebration would not last long.
A giant serpent Grimm with large red wings flew up above the Cloud Arena and opened its mouth, gathering large amounts of energy before releasing a blast of lightning down on the arena. The lightning tore through the structure, blasting all the way through it to the very bottom.
It also destroyed the anti-gravity systems that kept the arena in the sky.
Without it, the Cloud Arena began to rapidly fall back to the planet. Gems screamed as the lack of gravity threw them off their feet and into the air, some tumbling right out of the arena. Blue Diamond fell into her Palanquin which deployed its feet and managed to remain stationary in the chaos. Her Pearl clutched onto her dress, holding on for dear life as the arena finally crashed down onto the surface, creating a giant dust cloud that could be seen for miles.
And indeed it was seen.
"Blue!" Yellow shouted in horror, watching as the Cloud Arena crashed.
She had just received the distress call from Blue and had hastily returned only to see she was too late. Yellow rushed forward, ignoring her Gem soldiers calling out for her.
The only thing that mattered was finding Blue.
Another group of Gems had watched the Cloud Arena fall, having intercepted Blue Diamond's call for help.
'Blue…' Rose Quartz looked at the dust cloud.
Though she hid it well, deep down she was frantically worried about Blue Diamond and the other Gems that had been in the Arena when it crashed.
"You think any of those upper crusts survived?" Bismuth asked.
"It's hard to tell from so far away." Pearl answered, almost as surprised as Rose was.
To think the Grimm were able to get so close and attack one of the Diamonds, especially while so high up in the sky.
"Pearl, you and I will scout ahead and look for survivors." Rose said to Pearl who nodded. "The rest of you will remain here."
"Come on, we have a chance to take out two Diamonds!" Bismuth argued. "We can take those upper crusts while they are distracted."
"That's not important right now, Bismuth." Rose replied. "Many Gems will likely have been poofed or even shattered by this. Spread out and find any survivors. Even if they are on Homeworld's side they still need help."
With that said Rose picked up Pearl and jumped off the cliff, heading directly for the dust cloud. Once they landed close enough on the ground they hid in the forest as they made their way to the crash site.
"You think Blue Diamond will be all right?" Pearl asked once they were alone.
"I don't know." Rose answered honestly. "I want to believe she will be fine but if the Grimm…" She didn't have to finish that sentence.
"BLUE!"
Rushing forward, Rose and Pearl spotted Yellow Diamond running right into the crashed arena, literally crashing through the wall. Both Gems took cover and covertly followed the diamond into the ruined arena.
"Blue, can you hear me?!" Yellow Diamond frantically looked around, picking up debris and throwing it away. "Blue, Blue!"
Then she found it.
A leg from Blue's Palanquin and in an instant Yellow tearing away debris with her bare hands until finally she found her. "BLUE!"
Blue Diamond had been buried with her Palanquin when Cloud Arena crashed. Her hair and dress were covered in dust and torn but she appeared to be otherwise unarmed. Her Pearl was oddly enough in Blue's arms, nestled next to Blue's gemstone as if Blue had actually been protecting her. Her throne had been smashed, leaving her to fall onto the ground when the arena crashed.
If not for her Diamond nature it was very likely that Blue Diamond would have been poofed or even shattered.
"Blue, can you hear me?" Yellow quickly picked Blue up, pulling her out of the ruined Palanquin. "Blue, answer me!"
Blue Diamond's eyes fluttered open. "Ye-Yellow?"
Yellow Diamond sighed in relief. "Blue, thank…Us that you are all right."
Blue Diamond, despite her condition, giggled softly. "Only when we are in danger could you ever possibly try to be funny."
"No time for jokes, Blue. I have to get you out of here." Yellow Diamond said, bringing Blue's arm over her shoulder while the other arm still held her Pearl.
A roar from above was heard and both Diamonds looked up to see the same dragon Grimm that had brought down the arena, flying straight down at them with dozens of Griffons and Manticores behind it.
Yellow Diamond narrowed her eyes, glaring hatefully at the Grimm. "You want a fight? Come at me then, beasts!"
The dragon opened its mouth, gathering energy for another lightning attack. Yellow Diamond raised her hand, firing a blast of her own lightning at the monster as it unleashed its attack. The two lightning attacks collided, creating a powerful burst of electricity that scorched the surrounding ruins as the two enemies struggled to overpower the other.
Only the Grimm dragon was not alone.
Blue Diamond looked down, watching a stone fist form from the surrounding debris. "Yellow!"
Yellow Diamond glanced down, just in time to see the fist shoot up, giving a nasty uppercut that cancelled out her attack. The Grimm dragon's lightning blast hit Yellow Diamond head on, slamming her into the ruined Palanquin.
"YELLOW!" Blue Diamond screamed out, firing an energy blast at the Grimm dragon.
That blast collided with the face, knocking the dragon away but amazing it easily survived with only a scorch mark on its face. Stone debris moved around Blue Diamond, forming into several stone giants, matching the diamonds in height easily. Yellow Diamond stood up, her form sparkling with electricity to highlight her anger as she glared at the surrounding stone giants possessed by Grimm and the dragon hovering overhead. With an enraged yell Yellow Diamond kicked off the ground, jumping at the nearest stone warrior and kicked its head off.
She then brought her fist down and shattered its body into pieces. From its remains the Geist Grimm flew out, taking cover under the debris, possessing more pieces to make more stone bodies. The two Diamonds found themselves surrounded as more and more Grimm appeared, snarling at them.
"Pearl." Blue Diamond placed her Pearl on the ground. "Take shelter in my Palanquin and do not come out until I order you to."
Blue Pearl shakenly nodded and ran into the Palanquin. Once she was gone the two Diamonds lashed out, attacking the stone warriors and the Grimm with a fury only a handful had ever seen. Yellow Diamond was engulfed in electricity as she punched, kicked and stomped any Grimm in her sight while Blue's fists were surrounded by a blue water-like aura. A stone warrior attempted to attack her but she easily blocked its punches and grabbed its arm, gripping it so hard it shattered before firing an energy blast at its head.
The two Diamonds stood back to back, their water and lightning auras surrounding and protecting them as they fought.
Rose and Pearl watched the fight nearby, safely hidden out of sight. It was a rare sight for them to see the two Diamonds fighting so fiercely. Yellow Diamond was the leader of Homeworld's military and she often led her armies to conquer new colonies and while Blue Diamond was in charge of Homeworld's diplomacy she was far from weak.
In fact she was fighting even harder than Yellow.
The Geist Grimm gathered more stone, creating bigger warriors for the Diamonds to fight but had very little effect.
Or perhaps it was a diversion.
Just as Yellow punched her fist through another stone warrior, the dragon Grimm had appeared from behind it, launching a lightning blast at her from point blank range. Yellow Diamond shot through the ruins and crashed into the ground outside.
"YELLOW!" Blue shouted, momentarily distracted.
A stone warrior attacked from behind, hitting her on the back of her head and the Grimm dragon lashed its tail out, slamming it directly into Blue Diamond's face. She fell over and stones hands appeared, grabbing her arms and legs as the dragon slammed into her, keeping her down. Blue Diamond looked up, glaring into the red eyes of the monster above her.
She would not cower.
She would not scream.
She was a Diamond.
And if this was her end she would meet it with the dignity of her kind.
Yellow Diamond stood up, looking in time to see the Grimm dragon open its mouth to blast Blue Diamond's gemstone. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Rose had just been about to jump in to help. Whatever happened between them in the past was irrelevant in that one moment.
But she was shock to see Yellow Diamond running back into the arena with a desperate look on her face.
A look Rose had never seen before.
She leapt up, slamming into the dragon's face, knocking it away as she fell on top of Blue.
And that was when the unthinkable happened.
Both Diamonds were engulfed in a blue and yellow light, their bodies merging together the colors turning…Green. The light was blinding, paralyzing and blinding the Grimm long enough for the light to take shape.
Blue Pearl watched from inside the Palanquin and she was shocked by what she was seeing.
"Oh my stars…" Pearl covered her mouth.
Rose was speechless she witnessed what she could only describe to be a miracle.
Where Blue and Yellow Diamond had been, a single new Gem, a new Diamond stood up looking very confused and disorientated. She had green skin, pale green hair that curled at the end that fell down her back and a spike tip coming down over her forehead. She wore a long green coat with a hood, two cotton tails and enormous shoulder pads, a dark green body suit underneath and green arm length gloves on all four of her hands. She had two gemstones on her chest, both of them green and her four eyes opened to reveal their light green color with black diamond shaped pupils.
This was a fusion.
A fusion of Diamonds!
"Wh-What?" The new fusion looked down at her hands. "I…We….We are…Fused." She brought her hands to her face. "WE FUSED?!"
The Grimm dragon slammed its tail in the face of the new fusion, knocking her to the ground. The fusion was dazed and looked up, watching as the dragon lunged at her, its mouth wide open.
"NO!" The fusion brought a hand up, green electric energy forming into a sphere and fired it straight into the face of the dragon.
The dragon was blasted away again, slamming into the ruined arena stadium. The fusion, Green Diamond stood up, letting out an enraged roar as her form crackled with green energy. Whether by a desire to survive or by the outrage of the two Diamonds that had formed her; this new Diamond was motivated to destroy every single Grimm in her sight. A green aura surrounded her, resembling a tidal wave as she gathered power in her four hands, forming one giant green sphere crackling with lightning.
With a battle cry Green Diamond threw it at the Grimm and to the shock of the spectators the sphere split apart into a dozen smaller energy blasts that collided with every Grimm in the arena, destroying even the Geist Grimm before they could retreat. The Sea Dragon Grimm raised its head in time to be peppered by dozens of energy bolts from Green Diamond, letting out a pained shriek.
"YOU MADE US FUSE!" Green Diamond shot forward, grabbing the dragon by the neck and held it, gathering energy in one hand and shoved it right down the Grimm's throat.
The inside of the Grimm's body exploded and a second later it dissolved into nothing. Green Diamond and looked around and saw that all of the Grimm in the arena had been destroyed. She then fell to her knees and with one final scream she split apart back into Blue and Yellow Diamond, both of them on their knees and both looking very shocked.
They both looked at each other, trying to grasp what had happened.
"Did…Did we…Really…" Blue seemed unable to form a single sentence.
Yellow Diamond simply nodded, just as speechless.
"We broke our own rules regarding fusion." Blue Diamond was trembling now. "We broke our own rules."
"It was an accident. We never meant to." Yellow Diamond quickly said, her mind racing to come up with any kind of excuse.
"I've heard that excuse before…I never thought I'd hear it from you." Blue Diamond brought her hands to her face. "We, the Diamonds who are above fusion committed what we have labelled a taboo! What do you think White will do when she finds out?"
"We don't tell her." Yellow said, placing a hand on Blue's shoulder. "She doesn't have to know. It was an accident."
She looked back at the Palanquin and saw Blue's Pearl peeking out, staring in shock. "No one will tell."
She raised her hand, ready to destroy the Pearl's form but Blue grabbed her hand. "Yellow, don't!"
"We can't have witnesses!" Yellow argued.
"She is my Pearl. She will not tell anyone what she saw." Blue replied, looking back at her Pearl. "Is that clear?"
Blue Pearl quickly nodded. "Y-Yes, my Diamond."
Blue Diamond only released Yellow's hand when she saw she was not going to attack. "We will not reveal what has happened today. You came to my aid when I needed it and that's all White needs to know."
Yellow Diamond nodded. "Yes. That's all she needs to know. And Pink?"
"We cannot tell her either. If she finds out and tries to fuse with us and White finds out…It'll be even worse than when White took away her Pearl." Blue answered.
Rose and Pearl, who had been listening both flinched.
"The two of us could handle it. The worse that would happen is if she bubbles us for a couple millennia. If Pink finds out and fuses while she's supposed to be building her colony…White would never let her leave Homeworld or even the tower ever again." Blue looked down at the ground. "We can't tell her either, even if she promises not to tell White."
"Yes…" Yellow agreed, just as sad as Blue was. "The only reason Pink has her own colony is because we convinced White that running a colony would help Pink mature and act responsible as a diamond. If Pink were to have done something like…"
"She would take over the colony herself." Blue finished.
Rose's eyes went wide in shock at what she and Pearl were hearing.
"So, this never happened." Yellow said, standing up.
Blue nodded, standing up as well. "Never happened."
"Good. Let's return to our ships to make our report and request reinforcements." Yellow looked around. "Blue, your entire court."
"I know." Blue responded sadly, kneeling down to pick up a few shards. "So many…Now gone."
"We will have to make replacements for them, immediately. A Diamond without a court will be seen as a sign of weakness."
"Later for now…I just want to see Pink." Blue brought her hood over her face. "I want to see her. Maybe one of her games will help us put this behind us."
"…Yes. I think such a thing would be in order." Yellow smiled a bit. "She always does know what to say to make me laugh."
"Perhaps I can show her the new Gem White is making and see if she can come up with a name for it." Blue suggested, surprising Yellow and Rose.
"You remember what happened when Pink called White's Pyrite 'Fool's Gold', do you?" Yellow asked skeptically.
"I do. If she comes up with something that makes White angry I'll say the name was my suggestion." Blue said, the two of them walking out of the ruins, just walking past Rose and Pearl who remained hidden with Blue Pearl quickly walking after them.
"You?" Yellow asked, now very surprised.
"I've named Gems before and if White doesn't like it well…It's not like a bad name is worse than fusing." Blue chuckled a bit now.
Yellow snorted. "I think Pink has been affecting you more than you let on."
"Perhaps, Yellow. Perhaps."
Rose and Pearl slipped out once the diamonds were far enough away, watching as they walked away.
"Can you believe what happened?" Rose asked, suddenly smiling now.
"They fused." Pearl answered.
"They fused and they are keeping it a secret!" Rose giggled in excitement now. "This is amazing, Pearl."
"But what can we do? They won't fuse again and they won't tell anyone else." Pearl pointed out.
"I know but maybe…It's a first step to ending the fight and the colony." Rose said, smiling in the direction the two diamonds walked. "Pearl, we'll have to inform the others that we'll be scouting a new Gem White is making."
Pearl nodded but suspected an ulterior motive. "…You are going to come up with a name just to make White Diamond mad, aren't you?"
"And so I can see Blue take the fall for it." Rose Quartz giggled as she shifted into…Pink Diamond. "I might not ever get a chance like this again."
Pearl rolled her eyes.
As much as she loved her leader she had to admit, she was a bit of a dork.
Xxx
"Rules are the foundation on which a society is found upon. Laws are made to ensure a proper form of order so we don't descend in chaos and behave like complete morons. Of course not everyone is about following the rules and there can be times when the rules must be bent or changed." TOM stepped onto the bridge. "What happens when the rules of society no longer benefit the people they are meant to help? Can it be changed by someone simply saying 'Okay, I changed them all' or does it take much more than that? The kinds of change that only happens after years of hard work, perhaps never seeing it pay off, before it becomes worth it."
Xxx
Just before the attack at Independence Mall
Greg was humming as he played a soft tune with his guitar, sitting out on the porch of the Bravo residence.
The door opened behind him. "Dad?"
"Hey sport." Greg smiled as Steven sat down next to him. "How's it going?"
"Dad, I need to tell you something that happened when I was fused. I couldn't before because I thought it was kind of personal." Steven said, shifting his leg a bit.
Greg put his guitar down and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "What's up, Steven?"
"Dad…Did you know someone named Wirt?" Steven asked, watching as his father froze and seemingly paled. "He said you gave him that name."
"Wirt…How do you know that name?" Greg asked so quietly his son almost didn't hear him.
"When I was fused I was…in some sort of weird dream of maybe it was something else. I could hear Bill laughing and hurting you all and…He showed up. He helped me unfuse from Bill." Steven explained slowly. "He encouraged me to stop Bill and when we split apart, he told me he knew us and that's all. Dad, did you really know someone named Wirt?"
"Steven…" Greg sucked in a deep breath. "I knew someone named Wirt but…The Wirt I knew has been dead for years."
Steven's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
Greg sighed. "I guess I should have told you a long time ago but it's not the kind of think you can just spring up at breakfast." He cleared his throat and took another deep breath. "Steven, Wirt is the nickname I made up for my older brother."
"Older…brother? I have an uncle!?" Steven gasped.
"Had an uncle." Greg corrected. "And to be honest, Wirt or William was my older half-brother. We both had the same mother but she remarried after Wirt's father passed away and I was born not long after. Wirt was the one who mostly took care of me when I was a little since our parents were so busy."
Greg stopped to chuckle a bit. "Actually, when I was very little and having trouble sleeping Wirt told me 'if every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs.'"
"Really?" Steven was completely spell bounded now.
"Yep, he got it from his dad. He and I were close, even if sometimes we were completely opposite. I was into music even when I was little while Wirt was more of a poet and a bit of history geek but he was no stranger to the classical arts. He knew the cleverest rhymes when he was thinking up what to do for poetry class but like me he was a bit of a dork when it came to the dating department." Greg was smiling now. "Actually, I may have been a bit of troublemaker that made things worse for him but he forgave me even when he was mad. I helped keep him positive through the tough times. Actually Steven, I think you would have really liked Wirt. I taught you music and how to clean cars but Wirt probably could have showed you things with poetry and interior design, like pointing out what kind of house this is." Greg pointed to the Bravo house behind them.
"He sounds like a great person, Dad." Steven agreed, his smile mirroring his father's but frowned. "What happened?"
Greg's smile faded now. "Well…It's really complicated and if not for things happening in my life like the Gems and your mother I would have chalked it all up to one big dream. You see, Steven one Halloween night Wirt and I were coming home from a party. Wirt had made a recorded poem for a girl he liked but decided against giving it to her and me being the clueless happy kid back then went ahead and gave her it thinking I was helping my brother. Wirt wasn't happy with me then but on our way home we ended, well lost.
We suddenly ended up in some weird place that was nowhere near where we were living. Truth be told, I am not even sure if it was real or if it was some sort of weird parallel dimension."
"A parallel dimension?" Steven questioned.
"It was like, a whole bunch of places you see in fairy tales or history books all meshed together. We even met a talking bird named Beatrice. Anyways we were trying to get home but we were being hunted by something…" Greg trembled a bit now. "That creature in the woods called Moloch, only back then we called him the Beast was looking to turn into trees."
"Turn you into trees?" Steven was now confused and slightly scared.
"Well, the Beast had a lantern that held his soul in it. If it went out so did the Beast so he needed a special kind of wood to always keep it lit. This wood was called Edelwood and it was made by the souls of people the Beast had haunted, making them eventually hate themselves to the point they did nothing as the Beast tuned them into trees and we were next on its list."
Steven looked really scared now.
"Wirt was almost the first but…I convinced the Beast to take me instead because I was the reason we got lost in the first place." Greg said, rubbing his head. "I had a bad habit of running off and Wirt had to be the one to find me. I got us lost in the Unknown and between giving his recorder to Sara and not be able to get home finally started to take its toll on Wirt. The Beast was starting to turn him into an Edelwood tree but I offered myself in his place."
Steven was speechless by what he was hearing. "What happened?"
Greg smiled again. "Wirt and Beatrice came for me and rescued me. Wirt managed to get the lantern and when the Beast tried to frighten him into giving it back Wirt figured out that its soul was in it the whole time. He threatened to blow it out and it scared the Beast so bad he let us go. Wirt left the lantern with a Woodsman whose daughter was kidnapped by the Beast but I think he got her back.
Wirt and I finally made it back home and almost thought we dreamed it all up. But deep down we knew it was all real."
"Wow…" Steven whispered but was confused. "Wait, if you both escaped then what happened to Wirt?"
Greg closed his eyes, looking like he was about to try. "Well, years later I was in college now and Wirt actually married Sara, landing a cushy job as an author and he already sold several books. I have every one he made."
"Really?!" Steven was star struck now.
"Yeah…I dropped out of college and started my career on the road, working under my first manager named Marty." Greg snorted. "He wasn't much of a manager and to be honest he's dead to me now. If I had just a bit of my brother's brain I wouldn't have worked for him but things were not easy for me back then. When I dropped out of college my dad threw me out and disowned me. Wirt let me live with him and his wife but he hated seeing me work with Marty since he considered Marty to be well, for the lack of a better word: a slime-ball.
He wanted me to stop working for Marty but I wouldn't listen to him. Marty was the only one around who would gave me a chance and I took it. When Marty wanted to take me on a tour that was when Wirt had it and offered Marty a million to just walk away. I had it too and we both had this big fight and we…said some things we didn't mean." Greg looked ashamed now. "I was going to walk away and leave behind everything I knew. I had a van ready and I had no friends to say goodbye to. Wirt didn't want to say goodbye and followed me to try and change my mind but then…It was a dark night, so dark and rainy that we couldn't see clearly and the car crashed.
When I came to I found a huge tree had suddenly grown out into the middle of the road. I was lucky. My side of the car was spared the worst but Wirt…" There were tears now. "I got out of the car, looking for him and I found him…" Greg knelt over, letting out a small sob even as Steven hugged him. "He was torn out of the car with a large piece of wood in his chest. It happened so fast and I couldn't do anything. Wirt was dead."
Steven was crying like his father was now, hugging him tight. Both were silent for several minutes before they both calmed down.
"So, what happened?" Steven sniffed.
"I took off with Marty and did the tour until I came to Beach City and met your mother." Greg smiled sadly as he wiped his eyes. "Pretty much the only smart thing I did in my life. Wirt only wanted to help me and I threw all of it back in his face without a second thought."
"You didn't mean it." Steven shook his head. "I see Pearl and Amethyst fight all the time and I know they don't mean anything no matter they say."
Both father and son stayed silent for another moment, calming down enough to speak again.
"Dad, do you still have a picture of Wirt?" Steven asked.
Greg nodded and pulled out his wallet, slipping a picture out. "This was taken on his wedding day."
Steven looked at the picture, seeing a man who looked exactly like the man who helped him. "That is him. He's the one who helped me."
"I don't know what to say. It was a long time ago now." Greg put the picture away. "For all I know Wirt picked up some magical stuff he didn't show me."
"What do we do?"
"I have no idea, Steven. I have no idea."
Suddenly the door kicked open, knocking Steven and his father down. "I'm coming, Mama!"
Johnny Bravo raced past the two, running onto the sidewalk and ran down the road, letting out a battle cry.
"What was that?" Greg asked, rubbing his head as he sat up.
Amethyst ran out, followed quickly by Garnet. "You guys saw Johnny?"
"Yeah, he ran out screaming for his mama." Steven pointed at the road. "What happened?"
"A news report said that the mall was under attack and Johnny's mom went to the mall." Garnet answered.
"Johnny shot off, grabbing his weapon and went right through the door." Amethyst gestured to the knocked down doors with her thumb. "Better hurry after him before he hurts himself."
Xxx
"Thank you for answering my invitation."
Limburger was quite pleased with the job he had been given and like any other Plutarkian he had the perfect person in mind to do all the work for him. The man in question was a tall, bearded bounty hunter. His clothing was similar to that of a cowboy, disheveled and unhygienic, and sporting two mechanical hands with card suits on them. He also had a card with a black spade on his hat, and club shaped spurs on his boots.
"My employer expects this target here." Limburger held up a picture of Peridot. "To be eliminated immediately."
The cowboy simply looked at the picture before walking off.
"Ain't he a talker?" Karbunkle commented.
"I like him. Takes orders, no questions asked." Limburger smirked at his minion. "Just think of it, Karbunkle. Our partnership with Sammael will open all new doors to us and the Plutarkian Confederation. We would even gain an edge of the Gems."
"Sure, boss." Truth be told, Karbunkle was scared of this alliance.
It was glaringly obvious how dangerous Sammael was and they had absolutely no clue what he was even after.
Only that he was someone who was not afraid of the Gems or even Limburger and that was all the proof needed to know that he was very dangerous.
The intercom buzzed. "Sir, there is someone else here to see you. They claim they have an appointment."
Limburger looked at his schedule and saw he had no appointment. "Send them away. They are obviously lying-"
The doors were kicked open and in walked a beautiful woman with dark hair, dark eyes and wore a green dress with black frills. She also wore a green with a green brim, green flowers and black feathers.
"Excuse me, darling. I heard that an acquaintance of mine was stopping by here, something about mention of a reward." The woman stepped forward, stopping in front Limburger.
"That depends." Limburger answered, gesturing for Karbunkle to get security.
The woman pulled out a parasol and a sword extended from its tip, stopping mere inches from Karbunkle's throat.
"On what?" The woman asked sweetly. "On me being a bounty hunter like he is."
Limburger raised an eyebrow, looking very interested. "As a matter of fact, it very much does."
"Good." The woman lowered her parasol, ignoring Karbunkle's relieved sigh. "Now let's talk business, sugar."
"Business is my favorite kind of talk."
Xxx
"The Gems have taken the Slime, Candy and Ice Elementals."
"Yes I know."
"You seem too calm about this for my liking."
"Because I knew this was going to happen for a very long time."
"What?"
Sammael smirked. "The Gems have held a long interest in this planet from the first day they landed. It was only a matter of time before they came for the Elementals."
"You speak as if you were there. As I recall you said it was before your time…Unless it was a deception." Moloch narrowed his eyes at Sammael who smirked. "The Gems appeared before the Time of Awakening. Before that, the Grimm were dormant along with any Fallen around that time. So you are from before the Time Awaking."
"Indeed I am and the Grimm were also dormant before the Emperor awoke them again." Sammael summoned a Seer and showed Moloch images of past warriors and Elementals. "The Time of Awakening is just one of several periods of when the Grimm have awakened, only to be sealed away by the Elementals and the warriors of that time. Whenever the Elementals sealed the source they would cast a spell to erase the memories of the Grimm along with Aura and even suppress the animal traits of the Faunus and even the human traits of the Mobians. This was done to make sure the gifts given to people of this world were not used in a manner that would destroy the world, perverting the purpose to ensure life endured. Of course whenever the Grimm reawakened the gift of Aura would eventually return, along with the Faunus and Mobians regaining their traits."
"And what does this have to do with the Gems?"
Sammael paced around the Seer. "The Gems are a warrior race, expanding by colonizing organic planets and using them to produce more of themselves. That was the exact purpose of why they came here over six thousand years ago, around the time of when the Catalyst Comet with the planet that signaled the next cycle of awakening."
"And that is how the Grimm appeared along with the warriors of that time." Moloch caught on.
"The Gems ended up almost losing their colony immediately and they fought back against the Grimm. It soon became apparent that the Grimm were not like any other organic race they had faced. Their light energy based bodies were especially vulnerable to the destructive matter the Grimm are made from. The four leaders of the Gem race eventually became involved in the conflict." Sammael continued, dismissing the Seer. "Yellow Diamond led the Gem armies in battle, Blue Diamond coordinated the remains of the colony, Pink Diamond was the original leader of the colonization and White Diamond…She discovered the existence of the Elementals and became interested in them. Four organics powerful enough to match a Diamond along with an entire race of warrior organics that are able to fend off Gems; it was enough for her to consider what use they could be under Gem control and thus became involved in the conflict. Eventually the Elementals revealed their powers and it was enough to convince White Diamond that they were more useful to her alive than dead."
"As I understand Gems consider organics inferior." Moloch stated.
"Indeed they do but the war on Earth shook their beliefs to their very core. White Diamond believes in perfection and order but she is the oldest of the Diamonds and enjoys controlling everything around her. The thought of controlling the Elementals is all too tempting for someone like her." Sammael remarked amusedly.
"And how does this help us get the Elementals back?"
The doors opened and in stepped a…woman?
She had white long hair with divisions on her face that split her face into six parts, her left eye was an organic black eye and her right was a cybernetic and glowing green eye. She wore a 'collar' with green letters appearing on them. Finally she wore black dress and her left arm was a thin, weak-like Drone arm.
"Gelorum." Moloch stated, surprised to see the woman here.
"Moloch." The woman replied before turning her eyes to the other Fallen. "Sammael."
"Thank you for coming, Gelorum." Sammael greeted, stepping forward to meet the cybernetic woman face to face.
Both were very similar in many ways.
They had markings on their skin that showed their heritage. Gelorum's markings glowed green, stretching across her face to hide her true form while Sammael's markings revealed the nature of his heritage. Both wore black and had long hair, one white that reached down to the middle of the back and the other blood red that stopped at the shoulders. She was a machine disguised as a Human while he was a hybrid, part Human and part Grimm.
Green and black eyes stared into red eyes as they spoke.
"You stated that you have a plan for making a direct strike against the Gem home world." Gelorum stated.
"Indeed I did." Sammael summoned his Seer back and it projected an image in front of the cybernetic woman.
The woman looked at the image, narrowing her eyes. "A Gem Fusion."
"Captured and alive beneath my sanctuary. This fusion is unique, even among other fusions. This fusion was created by two Gems and a third life form that is half human. I believe you are familiar with Van Kleiss and his project."
Gelorum looked at Sammael. "This third life form is from another dimension."
"A human with the power to shift into a spirit like creature made completely of ecto-energy. Its unique biology allowed it to merge with the Gems in their fusion, becoming even more powerful." Sammael dismissed the Seer. "All thanks to Van Kleiss being able to peer into the multi-verse."
"And what use is it to me?"
"When it can be used to open a portal that leads directly to the Gem homeworld."
Gelorum was now grinning. "You plan to use it to send an army to attack the Gems on their homeworld."
"An army of Grimm or perhaps something else efficient enough to provide a diversion. This is something you can be a part of." Sammael replied.
Gelorum paced to the window. "What do you want from me?"
"I understand you've created specialized drones to serve as generals for the drone army. Perhaps this is a chance to see how well they work in an actual war." Sammael suggested.
"Or a chance to retrieve the Elementals." Gelorum smirked, looking over her shoulder at the Fallen. "I have my own reliable sources."
"Of that I have no doubt. You know how valuable the Elementals are." Sammael remarked, holding out his hand to Gelorum. "Help me retrieve them and I will bring back any harvested Gem remains for you to use a power source."
The woman stepped forward and grasped the hand with her cybernetic arm, sealing the deal. "Business as usual then."
Xxx
"Status report."
"Sensors show the Omnitrix is in Dakota. All members of your team have retrieved and they will be combat ready very soon."
"Good. What is the status on the drill?"
"Progress has doubled under Psyphon's supervision. He estimates it will be ready under forty eight hours."
"Excellent." The yellow liquid in the tank started to bubble.
"There is one more matter to report. A Gem warship was detected, taking shelter behind the moon and sent several ships down to the planet. Two returned but one is still here, heading towards GrimmFall."
Vilgax growled. "They must be checking the progress of their fusion weapon. Tell Psyphon to double his efforts."
"Yes, my lord. Is there anything else?"
The tank suddenly cracked open and shattered, spilling liquid all over the floor.
Edwards remained back far enough to avoid being splashed. He watched as Vilgax stepped out of the shattered healing tank, looking more powerful than ever. His height was the same but his shoulders were broader, his arm and leg muscles were twice as large and bulging now with pods in his arm and red veins surrounding the pods. His gladiator armor had been modified, now black and red and he wore a black breathing mask over his mouth meant to keep him hydrated.
"I will now finish what I have started. Gather Team MSKR."
"Yes my lord." Edwards bowed and left to carry out Vilgax's orders.
Xxx
He wasn't sure how long he had been out cold(no pun intended).
As his eyes flooded open he was greeted with the sight of blue all around him. Slowly sitting up he looked around to see he was in a massive room that looked more luxurious than any he had seen in his entire life, sitting on a lavish bed. It was lavishly decorated with blue designs on the walls. As he stood up he looked down at himself and saw he was wearing clothes different from the ones he remembered.
He spotted a mirror and quickly walked over to it, looking at the reflection.
He wore a blue coat with dark blue shoulder pads and details in dark blue, a navy blue high collar dress shirt with light blue linings and a blue rhombus shaped crystal just below the collar, royal blue pants, black shoes on his feet and white gloves. His sunglasses were gone, exposing his blue eyes but that was the least of his problems.
"Where am I?" He asked out loud.
"You are in the palace of White Diamond."
He turned around, spotting a woman standing behind him, making him jump in surprise. She had cyan skin while her hair was pale white pulled in a double bun and her gemstone resting on her chest. She wore a cyan gown with white boots and powder blue sleeves and silver trimmings at the end.
"…Where am I?" He carefully asked again.
"The palace of White Diamond, the man base of operations for the leader of the entire Gem race." The woman answered. "I am Pearl, Facet 190-2B3. I have been created for the purpose of being your guide and prepare you for meeting White Diamond."
"Why have I been brought here?" He asked, trying to understand why he was here.
"You are the Ice Elemental of Planet Earth. Our Diamond required your presence." The woman named Pearl answered.
So he was here because he was an Elemental. He shouldn't be surprised at this point but being abducted by aliens was definitely not something he could have predicted, no matter what he had been through. Still he had been preparing for this for a long time and he knew he needed to keep calm long enough to figure out a plan to escape.
Okay, if he was here then he was sure Abby was here as well.
KNOCK-KNOCK!
"Nigel, are you okay?!" Abby's voice shouted from the other side of the door.
Well, that confirmed his deduction.
Pearl moved over to the door and opened it, allowing the Candy Elemental to rush into the room.
"Abby?" Nigel gaped as Abby ran up to him.
This could not be Abby.
It had to be an imposter.
Abby would never be caught dead in a dress.
She hated dresses as much as she hated high heels and skirts.
And yet here she was wearing a dark red ornate dress with a high neckline and a hem that reached almost to the ground along with white trimmings at the end of her sleeves. She had white gloves on her hands and had white sandals on her feet. Her hat was gone and she had new golden earrings with small jewels on her Human and Faunus ears. Her hair flowed freely past her shoulders and there was a red jewel on her forehead.
"Nigel, are you all right?" Abby asked again, looking him over for any kind of injury.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I was wondering the same thing about you." Nigel replied, shaking his head to get over his surprise.
"Ah, the Candy Elemental is here." Pearl stated.
Abby spun around, glaring at Pearl as her eyes flared with the power of her element. "Stay back."
Suddenly before she could use them her powers were drawn into the red jewel on her forehead, shocking both young Elementals.
"What the…" Abby trailed off.
Nigel looked at the jewel on Abby's forehead and held up his hand, summoning a frost flame. It was quickly absorbed into the crystal on his shirt.
"They take away our powers." The Ice Elemental realized.
Abby tried to take the jewel off but it released a small burst of energy that repelled her hand. "Ah!"
"A precaution made to ensure you do not harm anyone here with your powers." A voice from the door said. "They use your own powers to protect themselves from refusal."
It was Pearl…or rather another Pearl.
The second Pearl had light pink skin, magenta colored hair that flowed down the back in a long braid and wore a long-sleeved magenta dress with a purple belt and purple boots.
"Another one?" Nigel asked.
Abby snorted. "She said she's supposed to be my servant. She's the reason I'm wearing…" She scowled as she stared down at the gown she had on. "This."
"Yeah, why are we dressed like this?" Nigel asked, looking at the Pearls.
"Your original clothes were too damaged when you were brought here. We were given orders to make sure you looked presentable when you met White Diamond. I am Pearl, Facet-190 Cut 2B4." The new Pearl answered. "I have been assigned to the Candy Elemental, to be her guide and prepare her for meeting White Diamond."
"Are you robots?" Nigel asked.
"No, we are Gems." Both Pearls answered. "Pearls, created to serve whomever we are assigned to."
"I am assigned to the Ice Elemental."
"And I am assigned to the Candy Elemental."
"And our third Pearl is assigned to the Slime Elemental." They both said at the same time again.
Nigel and Abby both perked up at the mention of the third Pearl. "You have the Slime Elemental here?"
Both Pearls nodded.
Nigel glanced at Abby for a second. "Can you take us to him?"
"Yes." The Ice Pearl nodded and gestured to the door.
Taking it as a sign to follow Nigel hesitantly walked forward with Abby and the Candy Pearl trailing behind as they walked out of the room and into a white crystalline hall.
"You said this is White Diamond's palace, right?" Nigel asked, trying to learn anything he could.
"Yes. Our Diamond is currently in her ship above the palace. We will be taking you to meet with her once you meet the Slime Elemental and are ready." Ice Pearl answered, stopping at a door.
She placed her on the computer screen next to the door and it opened, revealing a room as large as Nigel's. It was a mix of brown and green and inside was a Gem that looked like the first two Pearls and the so-called Slime Elemental.
The third Pearl had pale green skin and wore a green midriff-baring outfit consisting of a sleeveless top, fingerless gloves and pants with black combat boots. Her gemstone rested on her navel and her hair was black and tied into a long pony tail.
The Slime Elemental turned around, facing the other two…
"Ed?!" Nigel and Abby exclaimed, recognizing him from the tournament.
Ed smiled and waved stupidly. "Hi guys!"
Ed was wearing an olive coat with brown shoulder pads. Under it he wore a white high collared shirt with dark pants, a green belt and red boots. Like Nigel and Abby he had a crystal meant to absorb his Elemental powers placed on his belt.
"You are the Slime Elemental?" Nigel asked once he was able to speak.
"Slime? Oh yeah, that." Ed chuckled. "Sure am."
"Uh, do you know you've been abducted?" Abby asked, wondering if the Slime Elemental could even comprehend where he was.
"Oh yeah. It's pretty obvious. We are on another planet, populated by aliens who look like girls who make their bodies by the little jewels they got." Ed said, pointing at his Pearl's gemstone. "It's not very hard to figure out."
"And now that you are all together when would you like to meet White Diamond?" The Ice Pearl asked.
"Take us to your leader." Ed declared with a serious face…only for his composure to crumble as both Nigel and Abby snickered. "I couldn't help myself, sorry guys."
The Pearls exchanged puzzled glances and shrugged in unison before leading the Elementals onward.