Hey guys! We finally get this amazing episode. Now, this chapter will not be broken into parts. So it's going to be super long and it'll probably kill me write this. But I'm willing to take the risk for Bismuth! Anyway, here's the longest chapter I've ever written for any story! :D
-Luna's POV-
"I'm glad that your back in town, Amber," I said, smiling. Eilat, Amber, Circo and I were walking back to the Beach House after stopping by the cave. Amber had stopped by the cave to say hi to us, before heading back to the Beach House to report to Garnet of possible signs of corrupted gems or even Jasper. Amber smiled and nodded, "I needed to report back to Garnet ever since I heard about what happened here with Jasper's recent attack."
She glanced nervously at Eilat and asked, "Jasper didn't come for you, did she?"
"I don't think Jasper knows I'm even here," Eilat said, thinking. "Which is for the better. Who knows what trouble she would cause if she found out I was here."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Circo asked, looking at them. But Eilat shook their head, "You don't have to worry now, Circo. It's a story for another time."
"Anyway, I'm excited to see everybody," Amber said, as we came into view of the Beach House. "I messaged Onyx ahead of time that I was coming back. She should be warping back to the house soon."
"She must be happy to hear that your coming back," I said, smiling. We started walking up the steps to the Beach House as Amber nodded, "She was talking non-stop about all the things she wanted to tell me when she got back."
I nodded as we reached the top of the stairs. I grabbed the door and opened it, saying, "Well, I'm sure everybody will be-"
"I've made a horrible mistake!" We all heard. Circo, Eilat, Amber and I rushed inside and looked around. Steven was lying on the ground in front of Lion, staring at the ceiling in pure shock. Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet were sitting up in Steven's room, Amethyst playing a video game. "What?" Pearl asked as Amethyst lost the game. She muttered in annoyance and Steven quickly stood up.
"Wait I can fix it!" He shouted.
"Steven, wait!" I said, but he dove back into Lion's mane. The four of us walked inside and Amber asked, "What's going?" Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst looked over at us in surprise. Garnet smiled and said, "Amber, your back."
She nodded, "I did say I would be coming back today to report."
Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst came downstairs from Steven's room and we all stood around Lion. Just then, the warp pad lit up and Onyx stood on it. Her eyes sparkled when she say Amber and she shouted, "YOUR BACK!"
Onyx charged at Amber and tackled her into a hug. Amber chuckled and said, "Good to see you too, Onyx." Onyx let go of Amber and was about to say something, but Steven tumbled out of Lion's mane. He looked at all of us, saying, "There's a Gem in Lion's mane!"
Everybody looked at Steven in shock. Pearl looked at Garnet in concern. "A Gem?" She asked. Garnet looked at Steven, asking, "Describe her."
"Uh, hang on," Steven said. He poked his head into Lion's mane, before pulling back, saying, "She's big." He poked his head back into Lion's man again and pulled out, saying, "With rainbow hair and tattoos!"
Eilat, Amber, Onyx, Pearl and Garnet all looked at each other in shock. "Rainbow hair...?" Pearl whispered. Amber looked at Steven, asking, "What does her gem look like?"
"It's....an innie?" He said. Amber gasped and Onyx covered her mouth in shock. Eilat looked at Garnet, saying, "You don't think..."
"It can't be..." Pearl said, looking at Garnet. Amethyst looked between everybody, asking, "Can't be what?"
Garnet turned to Steven and said, "Steven, bring her out." Steven nodded and stepped into Lion's mane. I looked at Amber, Onyx and Eilat, asking, "Who is the gem your talking about?"
Onyx looked at Amber and Amber looked at me. She shook her head, "Let's wait until we see who the gem is before we jump to conclusions."
Steven stepped out of Lion's mane but he was holding a gem's hand. As he pulled her out, Lion's eyes widen and he stumbled back, trying to get whoever it was in his mane out. The gem finally stepped out of Lion's mane and everybody stared at her. She was a big gem with smoky gray skin. She had black shoes and maroon pants. She wore a black apron with a pink star in the middle that extended for straps wrapped around her waist. She was definitely built, as if she had worked out her entire gem life. She had rainbow dreadlocks for hair and her gem was definitely a rainbow innie. She looked around at all of us, shock written on her face and eyes. Her eyes fell on Garnet and Pearl. Garnet tapped her glasses, causing them to vanish. She stared at the gem in shock and Pearl was tearing up, her hands over her mouth in shock. Amethyst blinked and said, "Wow, a total stranger."
The gem blinked and said nervously, "Pearl... Garnet..."
"BISMUTH!" Pearl shouted, rushing towards her. She jumped and hugged Bismuth tightly, crying and laughing at the same time. Bismuth caught her and shifted her in her arms, laughing. "Woah! Hehehehe! The Pearl I know never jumps into my arms! Hey, did somebody lose a Pearl? Who do you belong to?" She asked.
Pearl smiled confidently and said, "Nobody!" Bismuth laughed and Garnet walked over, saying, "Alright, alright, settle down."
"Oh, you're one to talk, oh, oh, excuse me, you're two to talk," Bismuth teased. Garnet scoffed and summoned her gauntlet. She punched Bismuth in the shoulder and Bismuth said, "Hey, cool it, your Ruby is showing."
Amethyst side stepped towards our group as we watched the exchange. Eilat, Amber and Onyx hadn't moved from their spots since the whole exchange. They watched as Pearl asked, "Where have you been? We thought you'd been captured! Or worse, shattered."
"Shatter me?" Bismuth said. "Pshh, Homeworld couldn't lay a scratch on this Gem."
Amethyst cleared her throat and asked, "Who is this?"
Bismuth turned around and her eyes widen at the sight of Amber, Onyx and Eilat. Garnet didn't notice as she said, "Guys, this is Bismuth. She's one of the original Crystal Gems. You remember Eilat, Amber and Onyx?"
She nodded and Eilat stepped forward, smiling. "It's great to see you again, Bismuth," Eilat said, sticking a hand out to shake Bismuth's. Instead, Bismuth gathered Eilat in her arms and hugged them tightly. "You don't have to be so formal around me, Eilat!" Bismuth said, laughing. Eilat blinked in surprise but hugged Bismuth back. Bismuth put them down and she looked down at Onyx and Amber.
"Hello Amber and Onyx," She said, her face emotionless. They both flinched as she looked down at them. I stepped forward and said, "Amber and Onyx have been helping us a lot and they said they used to be part of the Crystal Gems too."
"Oh really?" Bismuth asked. She then grinned and grabbed the two, hugging them tightly. "Well, their right!" Amber and Onyx laughed and I smiled as they relaxed. But I quickly noticed a slightly change in Bismuth's face. Was she mad at them? Did they do something? But Bismuth's face changed back into a smile as she let them go. She looked at Circo, Steven, Amethyst and I, saying, "Oh, hey! New recruits! Welcome aboard, we could always use more Amethysts. And who are these meatballs?"
"I'm Circo," Circo said, gesturing to himself. I smiled and said, "Hi, I'm Luna."
"Hi, I'm Steven! Y-you were in my lion and now you're in my house," Steven said. Bismuth knelt down and shook Steven's hand, saying, "Well, thanks for having me!"
"I can't believe it! Rose, Lucine and Circa said she lost track of you at the battle for the Ziggurat! She was worried sick!" Pearl said. Bismuth's face completely dropped into a worried expression. She looked at Pearl, asking, "Wait, where are they?"
"Um," I said, causing Bismuth to turn towards me. I opened my hand as Steven and Circo raised their shirts. "We're actually their children," I explained. "Rose, Steven's mom, turned into Steven, kind of. And Lucine and Circa turned into Circo and I...well, sort of. We have dads so...they had each of us."
"Wow, their they are," Bismuth said, looking at each of our gems. Pearl sighed, "It's not always easy to understand their decisions, but we have to respect them."
"They really are something else," Bismuth said quietly. We all looked at her confused as she said, "I mean... Look at this! She really is somethin' else!"
She laughed and looked around the house. "Wow! Everythin's changin'! And we're buildin' bases out of wood now?!" She asked. She pulled up a piece of the floor board and smirked. "Hmph! Whose terrible idea was this? And where is everybody else?"
"Everybody else?" Circo asked.
"Yeah, the rest of the Crystal Gems! Old Crazy Lace, Biggs, Snowflake?" Bismuth asked. We all looked at each other in concern. This was going to be hard to explain.
-Time skip-
We warped to the strawberry fields and Bismuth's face dropped dramatically. "No! No way! We were just here! How long was I out?" Bismuth asked, walking away from the warp pad. Pearl and Garnet walked after her, but Circo, Amethyst, Steven, Amber, Onyx, Eilat and I stayed on the warp pad. I glanced at Amber and noticed how Amber was hugging herself. Onyx stared out over the field, her expression blank. Eilat raised an eyebrow and looked at Amber, "What is this place?"
"This..." Amber said, gesturing to the strawberry fields. "This was where you lost your form."
Eilat's eyes widen and they stared out at the field in horror. I glanced at Steven and Circo, each of them giving me the same look. This must be really hard for them. I looked at Amber as she said, "I remember like it happened just a second ago. You....were injured and you....you just...."
Eilat looked at Amber as she tried to keep it together. Onyx took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Eilat mustered a smile and placed a hand on Amber's shoulder. Amber looked at them as they said, "But that's in the past now. We're all together again."
Amber smiled and nodded. I smiled and gestured for everybody to walk over to Bismuth and the others. We walked over as we heard Garnet say, "Homeworld still has its eyes on this planet."
"We continue to thwart their plans over and over," Pearl said, as all of us stood next to them. Steven looked at Bismuth and said, "But they keep coming back."
"Yep, they want us bad," Amethyst said. I looked at Bismuth and said, "They even know about Circo and I."
"About our moms," Circo clarified. Bismuth nodded and glanced at Amber and Onyx. "Wonder how they found out," She said. Amber and Onyx flinched and looked away in shame. Eilat noticed and said, "They don't work for Homeworld anymore. If anything, it was because of Amber and Onyx I was able to reform again."
Bismuth looked at them for a moment then smiled. "I'm always willing to give gems a chance to prove themselves," She said. "I'm glad they were able too."
Amber and Onyx smiled, glad to see Bismuth was okay with them. Bismuth looked at me and asked, "So Homeworld wants Earth still?"
I nodded and she smirked, "Good. I thought I wouldn't get another chance to show those uppercrusts who's boss! Let's show 'em what happens when you mess with the Crystal Gems!"
"Yeah," Steven said, excited. Garnet and Pearl walked up to her, the former saying, "Bismuth, the Gems on Homeworld outnumber us by a huge amount."
"And their technology far surpasses anything we have available on Earth," Pearl said. Bismuth laughed and placed an arm around each of their shoulders. "What else is new?" She asked, laughing. She looked at Garnet, saying, "Garnet, remember when you and I took on a battalion of Quartz soldiers? We walked out with our stones shining brighter than when we walked in."
"As I recall, it was three battalions," Garnet said, smirking. Bismuth turned to Pearl and said, "And, Pearl, remember when we stopped that drop ship? I'll never forget the look on that Nephrite's face when you pulled her out of the cockpit!"
Pearl laughed, "I know. How embarrassing for her."
"Ha-ha! So let's pick up where we left off! To the forge!" Bismuth said. Steven cheered, "Yay the forge!"
"What's a forge?" Amethyst asked. Eilat smiled, "A forge is a place to form various kinds of metallic things. But it's mostly for weapons and armor."
Bismuth nodded, "Always knowing as usual, Eilat. Come on, let's head over there."
Pearl and Garnet nodded and we all walked towards the warp pad. I noticed that Bismuth, Amber and Onyx had stepped back from the group. I slowed my walk so I could hear what was happening. Bismuth placed a hand on each of their shoulders, saying, "What are you two playing at?"
"What are you-" Onyx started. But Bismuth glared at her, saying, "Don't play games with me. I knew you two were spies back during the war. And I bet you are now."
"It may be true that we were before," Amber said, causing Bismuth to look at her. "But we're not with Homeworld anymore. We haven't been in contact with them since we got here. And we wouldn't be with contact with them now that Luna helped us."
Bismuth glanced up at me as I quickly looked forward, silently hoping she didn't see me eavesdropping. I overheard her say quietly, "Fine, I believe you. Lucine was always able to break even the hardest of hearts into being soft. But if you show any sign of back stabbing anybody, especially Eilat, I won't hesitate to fight."
"Noted," Amber said. I didn't hear any other conversation after that as we stepped onto the warp pad. As we warped, my mind reeled at the idea of Onyx and Amber being spies. It didn't surprise me but....why do I feel betrayed in a small way? We warped to a volcanic area and Bismuth stretched, saying, "That brings back memories, huh?"
"Is this the forge?" Steven asked excitedly. Bismuth chuckled, "Not yet. Follow me." Bismuth lead the way as we started walking around the side of an active volcano. I wiped the sweat off my brow and said, "It's hot."
"Eh, not really," Circo said, shrugging. I gave him a dead-pan look, saying, "You have no right to speak, Mr. I-can-handle-the-heat."
Circo shrugged and we kept walking. Steven looked at Amethyst, asking, "Is this the forge?"
"Ugh. Don't ask me. I've never been here before," Amethyst said. Pearl looked at all of us, saying, "Well, since Bismuth was gone, we've had no reason to come back here."
"Let's just say this place ain't the same without me," Bismuth said as we turned around the bend. Steven's face lit up and he grabbed Amethyst's arm, saying, "What does that mean? Amethyst! What do think you that means?"
"I don't know, dude. I've never even seen this Gem before today," Amethyst said. Eilat looked around, saying, "At least Homeworld didn't touch this place."
"We took a huge blow from Homeworld. But, now, we're back in Bismuth," Bismuth said, giving Eilat a wink. Eilat smirked and I smiled at the pun. Circo rolled his eyes and Steven burst into laughter, saying, "She's got jokes!"
We stopped in front of a smooth piece of rock. I looked at it and asked, "Is this the forge?"
"Not quite," Pearl said. Bismuth lightly touched her gem and it began to glow. Suddenly, the piece of smooth rock started forming into various squares, constantly going in deeper and deeper until it revealed a door. Bismuth turned to us and said, "Ta-Da!"
"Wow, now that's an entrance," Circo said, nodding. Pearl started clapping, saying, "Bravo Bismuth!"
We all walked down the ramp into the forge. We came across a semi-circle door, to which Bismuth opened. Pearl's eyes lit up, "Aaaah! Bismuth. It's just like I remember it."
"Whoa," Steven, Circo and I chorused. Inside, the room was a circular shape. Various weapons hung on the ceiling in chains and leaned against the wall. The walls had hollowed lines all around, connected by hallowed circles. In the middle of the room, was a large anvil planted into the ground. Various jars holding different types of material sat along the walls. To the far side of the room, was a grate underneath which was flowing lava. A large block of stone sat on it. I wiped my brow as Steven said, "It feels like an oven in here."
"You think it's hot now?" Bismuth asked, walking over to the block of stone. I nodded, "Yeah, like an oven."
Bismuth smiled, and turned to the stone. She shape-shifted her hand into a hammer, saying, "Well, it's about to get way hotter!"
She raised her hammer-like hand and brought it down on the stone block. The stone sank into the ground at the same time a small panel of stone on the wall moved. Lava flowed from the hole and Bismuth stood over the grate, allowing the lava to fall right on top of her. I gasped and watched as the hallowed out lines and circles filled with glowing lava. I started to sweat more and I quickly grabbed my water bottle from my belt, taking a sip. Circo sighed in content, saying, "This is nice."
I grunted in disagreement. Bismuth stepped out from the lava-fall, stretching. "Nothing like a hot lava bath to get into a working mood," Bismuth said. She walked over to the jars of materials, taking a handful of each pot. Steven looked into one of the pots, looking at the stuff. Circo looked over at Bismuth, asking, "Uh, what, exactly, do you do here?"
"Homeworld used us Bismuths to erect spires and temples for the Gem elites to enjoy. But Rose taught me that my life was my own, that I could choose to do whatever I wanted," She said, as she made a piece of metal. She took the material and stuck her hand into the lava-fall. She removed it and walked over to the anvil. She dropped the metal on it and changed her hands into hammers. She hit the metal several times before walking over to a boiling pot of lava. As she pulled a sword out, she said, "So I chose this."
The sword was on fire as she pulled it out fully. She blew the fire out as Steven said, "Bismuth, you make... weapons?!" Bismuth rested the sword on her shoulder, smiling proudly. "That's right!" Bismuth said. She then gestured to all the weapons around the room, saying, "I outfitted the entire Rebellion. Every material weapon used by the Crystal Gems was made right here in this forge."
She seemed to realize something and put the sword down. "Wait. Is it still here?" She asked. She walked over to a chest and grinned, "Aha! Yes!"
She pulled out gloves spikes and tossed them to Garnet. "Here. Something to pack a little extra punch," Bismuth said. Garnet caught them in her hands and summoned her gauntlets, making them look more fierce. Bismuth then tossed what looked like a spike to Pearl, saying, "And why don't you try a trident."
Pearl pulled out her spear and attacked the spike to her spear, making it look like a trident. Pearl smiled and turned to Bismuth, "Oh, Bismuth, you shouldn't have."
"It's no big deal. I was working on them since before... Well, may as well give them to you now," Bismuth said. Garnet looked at her and said, "It was worth the wait."
"Hey, it's a pleasure doing Bismuth with you," She said, giving Garnet a wink with finger gun. I giggled and Steven said, "Bismuth is so funny."
"I don't know. Same joke twice?" Circo asked. I shrugged my shoulders, "Well, it'll be really funny if she does it a third time."
"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?" Amethyst asked, looking as Bismuth, Pearl and Garnet all started laughing. Eilat blinked and placed a hand under their chin, realizing what Amethyst said. Amber and Onyx glanced at each other, wondering too.
"I guess that is a little strange..." Steven said, a pensive look on his face. At that moment, we all heard, "Hey, deep cut, don't think I forgot about you. What you packin'?"
Amethyst blinked in surprise but pulled her whip out from her gem. "Oh, this old thing?" She asked. Bismuth walked over and bent down to look at her whip. Her eyes widen and she said, "Oh wow."
"What is it?" Amethyst asked, looking concern. Bismuth smiled, "Well... Not every Quartz can make a whip like this. You mind if I take a look?"
"Knock yourself out," Amethyst said, handing her whip over to Bismuth. She smiled and turned away, saying, "Hang on, I got an idea."
She went over to a chest and opened it, taking things out and connecting it to Amethyst's whip. Once she finished, she walked back over and handed it to Amethyst. "Here. With this, you can really do some damage," Bismuth said. Amethyst looked at the whip and we all saw three spiky balls at the end of her whip. Steven, Circo and I flinched as Amethyst's face lit up. "Aw yeah!" She said, swinging her whip. "Bismuth is the best!"
Amethyst sung her whip around, testing out her new weapon. I flinched and glanced at Eilat, who was looking around in disappointment. "What's wrong?" I asked them. They looked at me, saying, "I don't see my staff anywhere."
"Don't you have a weapon of your own?" I asked, confused. Eilat's face darkened with blush and they muttered, "I don't know what it is..."
Amber placed a hand on Eilat's shoulder, saying, "Eilat, during the war, didn't like to fight. So they never really knew how to summon their weapon. So Bismuth gave Eilat a staff to use."
Eilat looked at Amber, asking, "Do you know where it is?"
"Isn't it back at your old hideout?" Onyx asked. Amber nodded, "We can go back and get it if you want, Eilat."
Eilat smiled and nodded. Amber looked at me and said, "Onyx and I will be back and get the staff. We'll be right back."
I nodded and the two left the forge. I glanced at everybody, seeing them excited with their new weapons. I glanced at Circo with an uneasy look. This was becoming a little too much.
-Time skip-
We warped back to the Beach House and Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl stood on one side of the beach as Bismuth stood on the other side. Circo, Steven, Eilat and I sat on the side, each of us with a soda since it was hot out. Even Circo grabbed one after our visit to the forge. We all sat in chairs as we watched as Bismuth changed her hands into hammers. She grinned and said to Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst, "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 hit her hammer-like hands together, saying, "Now show me what you got soldiers!"
Garnet charged at Bismuth and her fists came in contact with Bismuth's hammer hands. Bismuth smirked, "I think the power couple's losin' their spark."
She slammed her left hammer hand into Garnet, causing her to fly back and slam into the sand. I flinched and Steven hugged his knees. Circo took a sip of his drink, looking a bit uneasy. We heard shouting and looked up to see Pearl jump down onto one of Bismuth's hammer hands. Bismuth raised an eyebrow, saying, "Pearl, I don't recall asking you to bring me a spear."
Bismuth threw Pearl in the air. Pearl flipped and pointed her trident at Bismuth, saying, "You won't like how I give it to you."
Lasers shot out from Pearl's trident, causing Bismuth to stumble back. "Lasers? When did that happen?" Bismuth asked. Amethyst's whip wrapped around one of her ankles and she looked at Amethyst in shock. Amethyst chuckled and shape-shifted into her wrestler form. She lifted Bismuth off her feet, shouting, "I'm gonna wreck your Bismuth!"
She slammed Bismuth into the ground and pulled her whip back, releasing Bismuth. Bismuth laughed and said, "Very creative."
Amethyst changed back to her normal self, saying, "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty great."
"That's right!" Bismuth said. She continued sparring with Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst, saying, "We are powerful. We are important. We! are! the Crystal Ge-e-e-e-e-ms!"
She lifted her hammer hands and slammed them down on a rock, breaking it into pieces. Steven, Circo and I tensed, feeling the intensity of the sparring. Bismuth looked to us, saying, "Steven, Luna, Circo, come down and show me what you're made of!"
"Uh, this is a bit intense," I said, as Steven nodded in agreement. Bismuth changed her hammer hands back to normal as Garnet and Pearl walked up next to her. She placed an arm around their shoulders, hugging them. "But it's a ritual for us Crystal Gems to spar before battle," she said.
"Well," Steven said. "Actually, we have some rituals of our own we like a bit better."
Bismuth smiled and said, "Oh, yeah? Let me see 'em."
For the rest of the day, the crystal gems and us did things that either Steven, Circo or I suggested. We started with badminton, which quickly ended when Bismuth spiked the birdie into the sand. Then, Circo suggested a game of cards. Garnet won, but I assumed it was because she used future vision. Then I suggested making some pizza. Steven grabbed a roller and Bismuth shape shifted her hand into a roller too. Eilat helped me make the pizza sauce as Circo shredded the cheese. Once we put the sauce and cheese on the dough, we put it in the oven. Circo was able to help cook it quickly by adding a little more heat to the oven without blowing it up. Bismuth shape shifted her hand into a oven plate, easily getting the pizzas out of the oven. Bismuth placed each of the pizzas on a plate and Amethyst grabbed one. She rolled it up and put potato chips on it. Then she rolled it up again into one large burrito pizza.
Circo, Steven and I grabbed slices of pizza and we went upstairs to Steven's room to watch a movie. Steven grabbed The Lonely Blade Movie and we started to watch it. As we watched and the three of us ate our pizza, we reached the part where Lonely Blade found the possessed sword. "The powerful, legendary demon blade, possessed by Muramasa. With this demon blade, I will be the most powerful fighter in all the world!" Lonely Blade said.
"No Lonely Blade!" Steven said, his mouth full of pizza. "Don't do it!"
"What? If that thing's got infinite power, then, of course Lonely Blade should use it. It just makes sense," Bismuth said, eyebrow raised at what Steven was saying. Pearl leaned over and whispered, "It doesn't have to make sense. It's entertainment."
"Infinite... powe-e-e-e-r!" Lonely Blade shouted. The sound of the warp pad echoed and I leaned over to see Amber and Onyx standing on it, big smiles on their faces. I smiled, "You guys found it?"
"Yup!" Onyx said, running off the pad towards us. Bismuth looked up and her eyes widen when she saw what Amber was holding. She stood up and said, "Is that-?"
Amber nodded, "When Eilat....was gone, I kept their weapon and anything else that could help me find their missing pieces so they could reform. I wanted to give it back to Eilat, but looking at the staff now, it may need to be fix."
Steven paused the movie as both Eilat and Bismuth stood up. They walked down the steps and over to Amber. Bismuth took the staff and examined it. Eilat looked at Bismuth, asking, "Can it be fixed?"
Bismuth glanced at Eilat and smiled, "Sure I can fix it. I'll stop by the forge now. I'll be right back." Bismuth walked over to the warp pad and warped to the forge. Eilat turned to Amber and smiled, "Thank you, Amber."
Amber's face darkened a little and she muttered, "It was no problem." Onyx looked between the two gems and rolled her eyes. I giggled at the exchange. They're so oblivious.
-Time skip-
Later that night, Bismuth warped back. Steven, Circo and I were all hanging out in the living room talking and chatting. We looked up when we saw Bismuth warp in. She smiled and said, "Hey you three, where is everybody?"
"Amethyst, Garnet and Pearl are in the temple," Steven said, nodding to the door behind Bismuth. I smiled and gestured outside, saying, "And Eilat, Onyx and Amber are down at the shore talking."
Bismuth nodded, glancing quickly out the window to be sure. She walked over to us and noticed the couch had extra pillows and blankets. Steven smiled and said to her, "Bismuth, you can chill out here tonight and...sleep, if you want to."
She smiled, "You know what? I think I'll give it a try. I like these new Crystal Gem rituals."
We all laughed and Circo said, "You know, usually, when we meet a new Gem, they try and kill us and it takes us forever to become friends with them. I guess I mean, we're really glad you're here."
"Me, too. Glad to have another chance." I smiled and Bismuth looked at the three of us, asking, "So, tomorrow, you guys gonna show me what you three got on the battlefield?"
I nodded, "I haven't had much practice with my arrows but I'll do my best."
"Same here with my sword," Circo said. Bismuth nodded and looked at Steven. He smiled nervously, "Oh, I mean, I-I would, but, most of my weapons are for defense. Oh, except for one."
Steven walked over to Lion and reached his hand into his mane. He pulled out his mother's sword and Bismuth gasped. "Rose's sword. My finest piece of work," Bismuth said. Steven looked at his sword and held it out to Bismuth, saying, "You made this?"
Bismuth nodded and shook her head, "You guys really don't remember, huh?" The three of us shook our head and Bismuth sat down on the floor, leaning against the couch. Circo and I sat down on the couch on either side of Bismuth as Steven sat on the floor next to her.
Bismuth smiled at us and said, "Rose Quartz changed my life. I came to Earth thinking this was just another colony. Build another arena for important fighters to fight in, build another spire for important thinkers to think in, and then, I met her. Just another Quartz soldier, made right here in the dirt, but she was different. And she was different because she decided to be. And she asked me what I wanted to build, and I'd never heard that before. And Gems never hear they can be anything other than what they are, but Rose opened our eyes. Then, when Lucine and Circa joined the cause, they didn't open my heart but mind to the endless possibilities of this world. They had the true ideals of what it meant to be a gem, and it gave me hope that maybe someday, they could bring those old ideals back."
Steven looked away, saying, "Everybody always tells me how great Mom was. I just don't feel like I can ever measure up to her."
I nodded and Circo looked away, looking the same way as Steven and I did. Bismuth looked at all three of us and said, "I can't believe this, that I'm the one giving the pep talk to Lucine's, Circa's and Rose's... Rose's...?"
"Kids," the three of us said. Bismuth smiled, "Right. You guys are different. That's what's so exciting. You don't have to be like Rose Quartz or Lucine or Circa. You can be someone even better. You can be you. And you know what? You guys deserve an even better weapon."
Steven smiled and looked at us. I looked between Circo and Steven, unsure how to feel about this. Bismuth got up and gestured for us to follow her. We followed her to the warp pad and we warped back to the forge. We walked to the forge and we walked into the main area. Bismuth stopped in front of the anvil, looking at Rose's sword in her hand. "I designed this sword for a fair fight. It can cut through a Gem's physical form in an instant! Destroying the body, but never the Gem," Bismuth said, sheathing the sword.
"Cool," Steven breathed. Bismuth looked to us and said, "But... Homeworld doesn't fight fair. That's why we need a different strategy."
Bismuth shape shifted her hand into an X shape. She walked over towards us and we stepped back. She put her X hand into an X shape hole in the floor. She turned her hand and the entire platform moved a little before descending down. Sweat rolled down the sides of my face as the intensity of the heat grew. I looked at Steven and Circo. Both of them were sweating and even Circo looked like he was starting to become somewhat uncomfortable. As we descended, Bismuth said, "I was working on a weapon that would've been a game changer. Homeworld knows how to hit us where it counts, but we can do everything they can do, and better."
The platform reached the bottom and I looked around. The area we were in now was a hexagonal shaped room. Along the walls were small platforms with casings of gem dummies for fighting practice. In between each platform was a flow of lava that was constantly bubbling and moving. Bismuth walked over to a crate on one of the small platforms. She opened it and pulled out a weapon. "Here it is: the weapon that would've won the war," Bismuth said, putting the weapon on her arm.
The weapon on her arm was a pressure nail from the looks of it. The sharp end was on one side and the flat side poked out from the box mechanism it was in. A pink star and small triangle underneath was on the box for design. Something inside of me made me nervous at the sight of it. But Steven asked, "Whoa! What is it?"
"I call it a Breaking Point," Bismuth said, showing off the weapon. Circo looked at Bismuth and asked, "What does it do?"
She smirked, "Let me show you." She tapped a button on the floor and lava flowed down from openings above the gem dummies. The lava filled the dummies and the lava cooled into hard rock. The dummies moved out from the cases and onto the platforms to be used. Bismuth walked up to one and pointed the tip of the weapon at the engraved gem. "Hah! Listen up, you Homeworld upper crusts! We! are! the Crystal Gems!" She shouted. The pointed penetrated the gem and caused a hole in the dummy. The entire dummy crack and broke into stone pieces. I stared in horror as the pieces of rock fell into the lava.
Bismuth turned to us and said, "So, what do you guys think?"
I looked at Steven and Circo, who both looked upset. Steven had his hand over his shirt, where his gem was. I looked at Bismuth and said, "Y-You shattered it."
"That's right! One shot from this baby will shatter any Gem in the galaxy, in the blink of an eye," Bismuth said, walking over to us. I looked to Circo for help and he said, "Shattering a Gem would destroy them forever."
"Exactly! The Homeworld won't be able to retake this planet when they're reduced to shards," Bismuth said. She walked over to Steven and took the Breaking Point off. She took Steven's arm and attached the weapon to his arm. She stood back and smiled, "There. Now, you look like you really mean Bismuth."
Steven stared nervously at the weapon, unsure of what to say or do. Steven looked at Bismuth as she said, "Now, that's a real weapon. Why don't you give it a test run?"
She walked over to a dummy on a different platform, saying, "This one's got your name on it. Wait, let me get out of your way." She jumped over to a neighboring platform and Steven walked over to the dummy. I put my hands to my mouth, silently hoping Steven wouldn't do it. Sweat rolled off my face but I felt tears forming as well. I covered my eyes; I didn't want to watch. But I didn't hear Steven use the weapon. I looked up and saw that Steven had lowered his weapon. "Bismuth, I can't use this," He said.
Circo and I relaxed, glad that Steven wasn't going to use it. Bismuth looked surprised then raised a suspicious eyebrow, "Why not?"
Steven backed up towards us, saying, "Sh-Shattering Gems... wouldn't that make us the same as Homeworld?"
"Of course not!" Bismuth shouted. "We'd be shattering them for the sake of our cause, to protect our allies, our friends, to free all Gems from Homeworld's tyranny!"
"But that's the same thing Homeworld is doing," I said. "Shattering gems for their cause. We would be like them if we were to start shattering gems."
"No we wouldn't!" Bismuth shouted. She stepped onto our platform, saying, "Our cause is for the greater good! For the Crystal Gems!"
"It's just, it... It's not what a Crystal Gem would do..." Steven said quietly. Bismuth leaned towards Steven, shouting, "Don't tell me what a Crystal Gem would do. Nobody's more "Crystal Gem" than I am. If you won't take it, I'll just use it myself."
Bismuth reached for Steven's arm but Circo and I quickly stepped in between them. Bismuth glared at us and said, "Get out of my way!"
She shoved Circo and I back but Steven had already taken off the Breaking Point from his arm. "NO! No one is using it!"
He tossed the weapon away and turned to Bismuth, saying, "I'm sorry, Bismuth, but it's not right."
I smiled and stood next to Steven. Circo stood on the other side of Steven and we stared at Bismuth, not wavering. Bismuth stared at us in shock before her hands curled into fists. "That's exactly what she said..."
"Huh?" All three of us chorused. Bismuth glared at Steven, saying, "That's exactly what you said."
"Bismuth, what do you mean?" Circo asked. But Bismuth didn't pay attention to him, but instead kept her stare on Steven. "It is you, isn't it, Rose?" she asked.
"Wh-Wha-What are you talking about?!" Steven said nervously. Bismuth's stare changed into a glare and she shouted, "Don't lie to me! You can't expect me to believe you now, after you lied about everything? You're lying about this new form, just like you lied to the others about ME!!"
Bismuth grabbed Steven by the short and lifted him up. "Steven!" I shouted. I jumped onto Bismuth's arm, trying to get her to let go of Steven. Bismuth glared at me and kicked me in the stomach. The wind left me as I sailed into one of the stone dummies, breaking it in half. I crumbled to the ground, but quickly moved when my hands and face started to burn. "Luna!" Circo shouted, running over.
"Protect Steven!" I shouted, stopping Circo.
"But I didn't just disappear, did I?! You know what happened to me!" Bismuth shouted. Circo drew his sword and charged at Bismuth. She shape shifted her hand into a sickle, and blocked Circo's attack. "And you and Lucine did nothing to stop her!" Bismuth shouted at Circo. "You took Rose's side without hesitation, seeing me as the enemy!"
Steven shut his eyes and concentrated. He formed his pink bubble, causing Bismuth to drop him and stumble back. Circo rushed over to Steven and helped him up. "Wait, Bismuth! This is just a big misunderstanding!" Steven said.
"Liar! Don't play games with me, Rose. We were right here. I offered you, Lucine and Circa the secret to victory, and you three refused. The Breaking Point would've changed everything," Bismuth shouted. I quickly got to my feet and rushed towards Steven and Circo. Bismuth shape shifted her hand into a hammer, shouting, "I didn't want to fight you three, but you left me no choice!"
I grabbed Circo and Steven just as Bismuth brought her hammer down. I summoned my wings and flew back, barely getting out of Bismuth's way. I flew back and landed behind one of the dummies, dismissing my wings. I leaned heavily against the dummy, feeling light headed from the overwhelming heat. I could hear Bismuth walking over towards us, shouting, "What type of leaders don't give their army the best chance to win?!"
"Duck!" Circo shouted, pushing Steven's and I's heads down. Bismuth's hand had shape shifted into a scythe like weapon. We all fell to the ground but quickly looked up at Bismuth as she stepped onto the broken rock dummy. She glared down at the three of us, saying, "How could you value the gems of our enemies more than our own? And look what you've done without me, without the Breaking Point!"
She brought her scythe hand down on us. Steven summoned his shield and blocked Bismuth's attack. But she kept slamming her hand onto the shield, saying, "You've... lost!"
Steven's shield broke at Bismuth's attack, causing Steven to fall back. I stood up, though my body shook, and spread my arms out to protect Steven and Circo. "Bismuth!" I shouted. "We're not our moms! I'm not sure what it was they did, but I'm certain they never wanted to fight you!"
"It's too late. I don't believe you anymore!" Bismuth shouted. She raised her scythed hand to bring down on me but I heard a soft gasp and a bright pink, spiked bubble surrounded Circo, Steven and I. Bismuth jumped back and glared at us, "All that talk about how Gems could take control of their own identities, how we'd been convinced to ignore our own potential?"
The bubble surrounding us vanished and I looked to see Steven on his hands and knees. But he quickly sat up, saying, "Ah! Hot!"
"That's all it was, wasn't it?! Just talk!" Bismuth shouted. Bismuth shape shifted her hand into a hammer and jumped up. As she brought her hammer down at the three of us, I grabbed Circo and summoned my wings. Bismuth slammed her hammer down before I could jump. I stumbled in the air but managed to keep a grip on Circo. I floated above the lava and I noticed Steven was floating too. His sandal fell into the lava and melted. He whimpered and I pulled Circo up, holding him under his arms.
Bismuth grabbed two stone dummies, shouting, "You should've listened to me! I would've taken the war to Homeworld and shatter the Diamonds! I would've liberated... everyone!"
"WATCH OUT!" Circo shouted. Surprising me, Circo lifted himself up and hugged me as Bimsuth threw the two stone dummies at Steven and I. The stone dummy slammed into Circo and I, slamming me into the wall and leaving a cracked indent. I couldn't see anything from the dust, but I felt Circo let go of me and I heard something fall into the lava. My heart stopped and I coughed, "C-Circo?!"
There wasn't a response. The dust cleared and I couldn't see Circo or Steven anywhere. I looked to my right and saw a similar dent in the wall from where Steven must've landed. But there wasn't movement. I looked at Bismuth and saw she had her back to me. Something in me snap and I screamed in rage. I raised my hands quickly, lifting the lava and threw the sphere at Bismuth. It slammed into Bismuth and, to my shock, Circo collapsed to the ground at Bismuth's feet as the lava splashed her. Just as Circo hit the ground, a rock dummy slammed into Bismuth, causing her to fall onto a knee and groan in pain.
I landed on the ground and rushed over to Circo. He had his hands on the ground, taking in deep breaths. The lava had burnt his shirt off and his skin was a little darker from the heat. His pants and shoes were still intact. Steam rose off of him but he look exhausted. Steven hopped on one foot towards us, standing next to me as we looked at Bismuth. Steven held the Breaking Point in his hands, saying, "Bismuth, this has to stop."
"So what are you gonna do, shatter me?!" Bismuth asked. I placed a hand on Circo's shoulder, making sure he was okay. He nodded and touched his gem, slowly pulling out his sword. I looked up at Steven and saw that Bismuth had grabbed the tip of the Breaking Point, pointing it at her gem. "Go ahead! Just do it!" She shouted.
But Steven shook his head, "No! Even if we don't agree, nobody deserves this...!"
Enraged, Bismuth grabbed the Breaking Point from Steven. Steven stumbled back into his sword as Bismuth positioned the Breaking Point in her arm. "Luna!" Circo shouted. I looked down and Circo tossed me his sword, as Bismuth lunged at the three of us. I closed my eyes and thrust the sword forward. I felt something sharp slice my cheek but I felt my sword hit something. I opened my eyes and gasped.
My sword and Steven's had stabbed Bismuth.
I stared in shock at Bismuth and saw that the point of her weapon was just past my cheek. Circo stared up at Bismuth in horror and Steven was silent, his eyes wide. Bismuth stared at us before shedding a tear, "You shoulda shattered me back then... At least if I were in pieces, I wouldn't have to know how little I mattered to you... You didn't even tell 'em.. You bubbled me away and didn't ever tell your friends... My friends..."
I shook my head, tears and sweat running down my cheeks. "We're going to tell them," I said. "We're going to tell them everything."
Bismuth stared at shock at us before she chuckled, "Then you really are better than them."
We stared at her before her form poofed. Her gem and the Breaking Point fell to the ground. Steven hopped over and bubbled Bismuth's gem. I helped Circo to his feet and asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," He said, nodding. "My body can handle extreme temperatures but not for very long. It's a good thing you grabbed me when you did, Luna."
"Just don't ever do that again," I said, shaking my head. Circo smiled and nodded. I looked at the Breaking Point and narrowed my eyes at it. I kicked it into the lava and we all watched as it melt and sank. I looked to Circo and Steven. They both looked pretty beat up but I still had enough strength to help them. I summoned my wings and flew the three of us out of the here. We headed towards he exit of the forge when I noticed something leaning against the wall. A metal staff leaned against the wall, the ends of it covered in metal caps and the handle had bands of metal wrapped around it. I grabbed it and sighed. Eilat wasn't going to be happy about this.
Nobody was going to be.
-Third Person POV-
Pearl and Onyx sat at the counter inside the Beach House, looking at a human magazine in curiosity. Garnet was leaning against the fridge, watching Amber, Eilat and Amethyst have a conversation. All of them were waiting for Circo, Luna, Steven and Bismuth to get back. They couldn't wait to hear how everything went on their mini adventure. The light from the warp pad lit up and they all looked. When the light faded, Onyx started, "Hey guys! How was-"
She stopped short at the sight of them. All three of them looked worst for wear. Steven limped off the warp pad, holding Bismuth's bubbled gem. Circo and Luna supported each other as they stumbled off the warp pad. All of them had burns on them and Luna's cheek had dried up blood on it. Circo's shirt was missing and from where Onyx sat, she could feel the heart radiating off of him. Everybody jumped up and rushed towards them. Luna looked up for a second before her eyes rolled up and she fell. Circo tried to catch her but winced in pain, nearly falling over himself. Amber rushed forward and caught Luna, while Onyx caught Circo. Circo looked at Onyx and smiled, "Thanks."
Her face darkened with blush and she nodded, "Sure. But....mind if I ask what happened to your shirt?"
"Well," Circo said, looking to Steven. Steven looked down at the bubble before looking up at everybody. "There's something we have to tell you."
For the next hour, Circo and Steven told everybody what happened. Everybody moved outside so Luna could rest in her hammock. Eilat noticed that she had their new staff and they took it, grateful that Bismuth was able to improve it before thing went bad. When Steven and Circo finished telling them what happened, both in the past and now, Garnet held Bismuth's bubble and said, "We should keep her safe with the others."
Pearl nodded and everybody started heading inside to go to the temple. Eilat, however, remained outside. Amber stopped and asked, "Are you okay?"
Eilat nodded, "Someone should stay out here and watch Luna. I....would also like some time to think."
Amber nodded and walked inside. Eilat leaned against the porch railing, holding their staff tightly. Their grip tightened as they gritted their teeth. "Bismuth...why?" Eilat muttered. "I know you were angry with Homeworld but...never to this degree."
"Well, this is a surprise," Eilat heard. Eilat froze but slowly turned around. Standing not too far from them, was Jasper. Jasper wasn't smiling, but instead was staring evenly at Eilat. "To think you were still alive," Jasper said. "Makes this trip here worth it."
Eilat raised their staff in a defensive position, saying, "I don't want to fight, but I will if I have too."
"I'm not here to fight," Jasper said. She raised a finger and pointed it at Eilat, saying, "I'm here for you."
"Why?" Eilat asked, not lowering their weapon. Jasper pinched the bridge of her gem nose, saying, "I've been growing my gem army lately, but all of them are corrupted gems. None of them will listen to me. But I heard rumors that you were back. I didn't think it was true but thought it would be worth the check. You used to be part of Pink Diamonds court, Eilat. Even though you betrayed her, you still were her adviser. I need someone like you to help me control the corrupted gems."
The idea alone made Eilat cringe. Eilat's grip on their staff tightened and said, "If you think I'm going to go with you willingly-"
Suddenly, Luna started coughing, causing Jasper to look in her direction. Her eyes open just the slightest and she looked, only to have them open wider at the sight of Jasper. "J-Jasper!" She croaked, sitting up too quickly. Luna fell out of her hammock and onto the deck. Luna stumbled to her feet but Jasper grabbed her hand and lifted her off her feet. Luna kicked and squirmed, but she was too weak to do anything else. Jasper laughed, "I wish I could crush your gem right now, Lucine. Actually-"
Jasper glanced at Luna's hand and saw it was the one with her gem on it. She grinned and looked to Eilat, "Alright Eilat, I'll give you a choice. You can come with me quietly and I'll let Lucine go. If not, then I guess you'll watch her get shattered."
"D-Don't Eilat," Luna said, before coughing. Eilat gritted their teeth and looked between Jasper and Luna. Finally, Eilat dropped their staff and said, "Fine. Just put her down."
Jasper nodded and tossed Luna. She slammed into the ground and weakly pushed herself up. "Eilat, no," Luna said, trying to move. But she collapsed to the floor, too weak to move. Eilat frowned and said, "I'm sorry, Luna. I'll be okay."
Jasper grabbed Eilat and tossed them over their shoulder. "Hey! Put me down!" Eilat protested.
"Aint't happening," Jasper said. "I'm not risking you running off." Jasper looked over their shoulder at Luna, sneering, "Too bad you couldn't protect them Lucine."
Luna's face dropped and she watched helplessly as Jasper jumped up into the air and disappear into the ocean. The sliding door was thrown open and Amber rushed out, her sword in hand. She looked down and saw Luna lying on the ground, staring out at the ocean. She knelt down and said, "Luna?! What happened?! Where's Eilat?!"
Luna looked at Amber and started to cry, saying, "I-I'm sorry! Jasper took them! I-I couldn't save them!"
Amber looked out over the water, anger burning hot inside of her. She nearly got up and went after Jasper. But Luna's sobs broke her concentration and she looked at her. An image of Lucine crying flashed to her mind, looking so upset and hurt in failing to protect Eilat. Amber back then had a different reaction to Lucine acting that way. But Amber didn't want to make the same mistake twice. She helped Luna up just enough to hug her. Luna looked at Amber in surprise as Amber said, "We'll get them back. It's not your fault."
Luna's eyes filled with more tears and she cried into Amber's shoulder. Amber held Luna tightly, making sure that Luna didn't see her own angry tears roll off her cheeks. She made the same mistake before, but she wasn't going to make it again.
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Twenty-six pages. That's how many there are for this chapter. And this is my longest chapter yet. Sure, I could've broken it up. But at least this chapter is extra, extra long for you guys. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this long, amazing chapter and I'll try to update ASAP :)