The Gems and Atom warped just in front of an active volcano making Steven turn to Atom. "Are you lava proof?" He asks.
"I honestly don't know if I am." Steven nods and walks closer to Atom as the team follows Bismuth down a rocky path towards her forge with smoke emanating from the ground below.
"Is this the forge?" Steven asks Amethyst who is in the same boat as the two youngest.
She groans. "Ugh. Don't ask me. I've never been here before."
"Well, since Bismuth was gone, we've had no reason to come back here." Pearl chimes in during the short walk.
"Let's just say this place ain't the same without me." Bismuth smiles.
"What does that mean? Amethyst!Atom!" Steven clings onto Amethyst's arm excitedly and holds onto Atoms leg. "What do think you that means?"
"I don't know, dude. I've never even seen this Gem before today."
"I agree with Amethyst, I have never seen a gem like her before..." They look over to the strong gem with rainbow hair. "Then again I haven't seen a lot of gems so don't count on me here."
"We took a huge blow from Homeworld. But, now, we're back in Bismuth!" Atom cringes at the joke slightly but can't help a smile creep onto their face.
Steven laughs "She's got jokes!"
The group eventually arrive in front of a stone slab in the face of the volcano. Atom scans the outside and notices a rise in heat levels going deeper into the depths of the volcano.
"Is this the forge?"
"Not quite" Pearl says as Bismuth stands in front of the slab and her gem begins to glow. The ground starts to rumble as several doors open up in the slab, creating a tunnel into the volcano easily impressing Atom.
Pearl claps for Bismuths display as the group walks through the tunnel and enter a dark room.
Atom looks around the dark room and notices many weapons against the walls and hanging from the ceilings like mallets, swords and other various types of deadly but well crafted weapons. Suddenly the room gets hotter as lave pours out like a waterfall from an opening in the wall.
"Ooh." Bismuth emerges out of the lavafall still hot from the molten rock. "Hah! Nothing like a hot lava bath to get into a working mood." Bismuth begins gathering a handful of dust from three barrel, as Steven and Atom watches curiously.
"Homeworld used us Bismuths to erect spires and temples for the Gem elites to enjoy." Bismuth dunks her handful of dust into the lavafall for a brief moment before pulling it out.
"But Rose taught me that my life was my own." Bismuth walks over to an anvil in the middle of the forge, drops a heated metal ingot onto the anvil, and shapeshifts her hand into a hammer.
"That I could choose to do whatever I wanted." She begins pounding on the ingot on the anvil with her hammer hands.
"So I chose this."Bismuth then dips the pounded ingot into lava, pulls it out and blows away the flames on it, revealing the finished product.
"How impressive..." Atom stares at the quickly crafted sword, admiring its structure.
"Bismuth.. You make... weapons?!" Steven states in disbelief and admiration.
She hoists the newly-made sword over her shoulder. "That's right! I outfitted the entire Rebellion. Every material weapon used by the Crystal Gems was made right here in this forge. Wait. Is it still here?" She quickly runs over to a chest in the room and opens it. "Aha! Yes! Here, something to pack a little extra punch." Bismuth chucks a pair of brass knuckles to Garnet, who catches them and summons her gauntlets.
"And why don't you try a trident?" Bismuth throws an forked attachment to Pearl, who then attaches it to her spear, turning it into a trident.
"Oh, Bismuth, you shouldn't have." Pearl looks up at her trident with stars in her eyes and maybe a few tears.
"It's no big deal. I was working on them since before-" She looks down for a moment. "Well, may as well give them to you now."
"It was worth the wait." Garnet smiles along with her two comrades as Amethyst, Steven and Atom watch from the sidelines.
Steven laughs at Bismuths repeated joke. "Bismuth is so funny." As Atom and Amethyst cringe.
"Right. Sorry, I- I don't know. I mean, she's one of the original Crystal Gems and no one ever mentioned her to me, not even Rose? Don't you think that's a little bit, uh... suspicious?"
"That is definitely suspicious..."
"I... guess that is a little... strange." Steven thinks along with Atom.
Bismuth walks over too the group, specially Amethyst. "Hey, deep cut. Don't think I forgot about you. What you packin'?"
Amethyst pulls out a wrapped up, purple whip and hands it to the grey gem. "Oh, this old thing?"
"Not every Quartz can make a whip like this. You mind if I take a look?" Amethyst nods and hands over the whip to Bismuth who quickly takes it away as Amethyst rubs her arm looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Here. With this, you can really do some damage." Amethyst retrieved her whip from Bismuth and realizes it has been upgraded with spiked flails. Steven reacts with shock along with Atom, while Amethyst gasps in awe.
"Aww yeah, baby!" She begins lashing her flails around. "Bismuth's the best!"
~~~
Back home, Bismuth prepare to spar with the Gems to test out their upgraded weapons, while Steven watches nearby along with Atom who is sitting on the sand.
"Homeworld treats us like dirt because we don't shine like the elites. But the Crystal Gems are back, and we'll give those Diamonds another taste of what's coming!" She shapeshifts her arms into hammers. "Now, show me what you got, soldiers!"
Garnet instantly charges towards Bismuth, who easily parries her knuckled gauntlets and gets knocked away making a big cloud of sand get forced up into the air.
Pearl then dives from the sky above towards Bismuth, who quickly catches her with her hammer hand. "Pearl, I don't recall asking you to bring me a spear. Uhh!" She gets launched into the air but quickly faces Bismuth in the air.
"You won't like how I give it to you." Pearl starts to shoot lasers out of her spear, surprising Bismuth and Atom.
"Ah!" Bismuth keeps sidestepping to avoid the blasts. "Lasers? When did that happen? Wha...?!" She gets cut off when Amethyst wraps her whip around Bismuths foot.
"Haha!" Amethyst shapeshifts into Purple Puma. "I'm gonna wreck your BISmuth!" And flings Bismuth into the air and then into the sand.
Bismuth laughs and gets up, cleaning herself off "Very creative."
"Yeah," Amethyst shapeshifts back to normal with her head held high "I guess I am pretty great."
"That's right!" One by one Bismuth continues to spar with the Gems. "We are powerful! We are important! We! are! the Crystal Geeeeems!!" With a final act of power she smashes a rock into pieces.
"Steven, Atom! Come down and show me what you're made of!" Steven immediately shakes his head but Atom nods.
"Sure!" Atom walks away from Steven and in front of Bismuth who summons her hammer hands.
"Come on then! Show me what you got!" Atom nods and rushes forward summoning a bow and arrow, similar to the one that Opal used and shoot Bismuth at her feet making her flinch back.
"That reminds me of someone. Take inspiration from a certain fusion?" Bismuth asks as she rushes forward and knocks Atom back.
As they regain their stance, they summon a whip similar to Amethysts and catch Bismuths arm she easily pulls it out of their hands but what she doesn't expect is a wave around the size of Bismuth, push her down and in front of Atoms feet.
"Well that was sure surprising!" Atom grabs Bismuths hand and hauls her up.
"Thanks for the fight." Atom smiles as their eyes glow with a faint yellow outline that slowly disappears as the group heads back inside of Stevens house.
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