"This is the moment, Steven!" Garnet said.
"It's now or never!" Twilight added.
"Come on, you can do it!" put in Fulgurite.
"Alright, I got this," Steven assured.
One click of his Gamecube remote, though, and his player missed his jump, and another life lost. Casual time for the Beach House, and so far, the game hasn't been going well for Steven. A number of friends were in the Beach House; apart from those playing Steven's game, Rainbow and Amethyst were waiting for their turn, and Pearl and Rarity were doing some simple cleaning with the dishes. Steven tried his best, for sure, but honestly, it was pretty much troubling to do. Steven passed it over.
"Dying a lot in a video game can be emotionally exhausting," Steven sighed, wiping some sweat off his head. He was just about to give it over to Fulgurite when they all heard a gnawing noise; Lion playing around with one of his star shirts.
"Lion, no!" Steven yelled, jumping down. Lion tried to get away, but Steven was quick to pull the shirt out of Lion's mouth.
"Come on, Lion you can't tear this up. I don't have too many of these left, you know," Steven explained, folding his shirt, and putting it by his closet. He was about to try again, but Lion was quick to grab the shirt again, and jump off. Steven got down after Lion again, and pulled the shirt out once more.
"since you can't play nice, I'm gonna put this where you can't get it: In your mane!" Steven said. The ponies in the room (and a few Gems too) didn't exactly get the idea of this.
"In his mane?" Rarity gasped, "Oh, Steven, it'll get completely covered in cat hair that way."
"Oh right, I didn't tell you about this yet. Lay down Lion," Steven said. Lion just sighed, and laid down, as Steven walked up to him, looking ready to jump.
"Thank you, boo," Steven said. The boy then proceeded to jump up, head first, into Lion's mane. not just in his hair, literally disappearing in a portal opening in Lion's mane! Rarity stared wide-eyed, and in shock.
"Steven!" Twilight gasped, rushing over to Lion. however, neither her, nor Rarity could get into Lion's mane the way Steven did.
"Hey, hey, chill out! It's Steven's little trick with Lion that's all. He'll pop back in a minute," Amethyst said, taking the remote for her turn.
"Y-You sure?"
"Twilight, listen. Lion has a pocket dimension in his mane. Only Steven can go in and out of it. We've seen him do this before. He'll be fine," Garnet assured them. Well, if Garnet was okay with it, then they should be okay.
Steven didn't take very long for Steven to pop up from the regular world, to the pocket dimension Garnet was talking about. On the surface, the place can mainly be described in one word: pink. The sky was pink, and the Savannah grass was pink. Looking ahead, there was one magic tree that grew in the center of the sea of grass, on a small hill. On this hill there was actually a number of different things; the bicycle Steven used to go to Bayburgh, a few tapes, a small bubbled Gem, and now Steven's shirt. Steven couldn't breathe in this pocket dimension, so Steven had to handle this first, and he placed his shirt on one of the tree branches.
"There we go. My shirt, nice and safe on this stable, magic tree," Steven thought.
However, Steven picked quite a spot to stand. The branch Steven was casually standing on suddenly snapped off all at once, and once more, Steven landed directly on the bubbled Gem! It was a complete accident, but the hit popped the bubble easy, leaving the gemstone exposed and open! Steven landed gently down on the ground, eyes wide in shock on what just happened. Did he just let loose a corrupted Gem inside Lion's head?! Steven tried to bubble the Gem again, but this Gemstone was quick to reform itself! Steven covered his head, watching the Gem reform in front of him. A sort of color shined from it, but one of multiple colors before a large humanoid shape presented itself. Steven wasn't sure exactly how to process this turn of events, and soon a large figure collapsed down on the ground.
The Gem in question looked pretty tall, taller than Garnet, and more masculine than even Jasper (or wider anyway). It was clear that this Gem had the body for a lot of power. Her hair came in thick strands, each one its own color with yellow, green, red, blue, etc.. Her main skin color was a grayish blue, and her outfit matched that of some sort of Blacksmith. What made this Gem a bit special was that she already had signs that she wasn't just some Homeworld Gem, or any rogue Gem like Flint, or Star. Tattooed on her arm even, there was a star symbol, no evidence of any true Diamond symbol like Jasper, Lapis, or Peridot. The Gemstone also was a bit different than any regular Gem Steven knew of, this one caving inward rather than poking out. Her Gemstone was square, and showed the rainbow colors as well. To sum it up: she had an innie, not an outie. The Gem suddenly jumped back, panicked, and fists raised as if expecting a fight on her hands, but nothing was there to fight her in anyway. She looked around back and forth, and then she looked to Steven ...
Steven was running out of air, and he had to go before he suffocated. He stumbled back, through the grass, and soon he was back in the Beach House to his relieved pony friends and Gems.
"Steven! Thank Celestia, are you -"
"There's a Gem inside Lion's mane!"
That immediately got everyone's attention fast and quick. A living Gem in Lion's mane?!
"A real Gem? What does she look like?" Pearl asked.
"Hold on," Steven said, poking his head through to see. His head popped out like a little gopher, and he saw the Gem again, walking around in the grass. The second she saw him, Steven ducked back out.
"She's big, rainbow hair, and a tattoo on her arm," Steven answered. Garnet and Pearl looked to eachother, wondering hard on what he just said.
"... Could it be?" Pearl wondered.
"Be what?" Asked Twilight.
"Bring her out," Garnet instructed.
Steven soon got his head back through Lion's mane, and into the pocket dimension. This time though, Steven didn't seem to see anybody when scoping the area. He saw the tree, he saw the grass, but not exactly any large Gem ...
"Hello little friend."
There she is, and right in front of Steven. Steven made a closed mouthed "eep" noise, backing up.
"No, no, don't go!" The Gem insisted. She straightened up, towering over Steven.
"I am lost. And since the only ones in here is you and me, you think you can help a Gem out?" She asked, not sounding as threatening as she appeared to be. Steven didn't react at first, but eventually he smiled, and brought out his hand for her. She held Steven's hand, firm yet gentle, and then Steven began to pull her through the pocket portal. Lucky for her, the portal expanded to compensate her larger size. Lion had to stand up to also compensate her, and he was as speechless as the others were, wide-eyes and all. Soon, after a simple step, she was out of the pocket dimension. There she was, standing there in her full glory, Steven and Lion sharing their surprise.
As for the others, the reactions were mixed depending on who. The ponies were not expecting this in the slightest, Amethyst was surprised but her feeling to it was mutual, Pearl coveted her mouth with tears in her eyes, Fulgurite's looked was surprise, but not as left in the dark as the ponies, and Garnet took off her shades to show a sort of look of disbelief.
"Wow, a total stranger," Amethyst said.
"... Pearl. Garnet," the Gem said.
"Bismuth!!!" Pearl cried, running right up to her and hugging her, crying in joy. The Gem, Bismuth apparently, got Pearl in her arms, picking her up with ease, Pearl laughing all the while.
"Hey Pearl! Hold up, we got a lost one. Who's Pearl is this?!" Bismuth said, joking around with Pearl as she was laughing. Bismuth smiled smugly to Pearl.
"Who do you belong to?"
"Nobody!" Pearl responded proudly.
"Alright, let's settled down," Garnet said with a smile.
"Oh, you're the one to talk. Oh, hold up, sorry: two to talk," Bismuth replied. Garnet got out her Gem weapon gloves, playfully punching Bismuth's arm. Bismuth chuckled and added in "Easy there. Your Ruby's showing."
"Ahem. Who is this?" Rainbow asked. Bismuth turned to the others.
"Guys. This is Bismuth: an original Crystal Gem," Garnet introduced. That would explain how giddy they were on seeing her.
"Hey, new recruits! We could use more Amethysts. And what do we have here? Equestrians?" Bismuth asked, referring to the ponies in question.
"Ponies, darling. I'm Rarity, and this is Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle," Rarity introduced.
"Please to meet ya! And looks like somebody - oh excuse me, somepony's got the right style, eh Rainbow?" Bismuth said with a hearty laugh, fluffing Rainbow Dash's mane. Rainbow smiled wide, nudging Twilight.
"I'm liking her already," Rainbow commented. It was then that Bismuth saw Fulgurite.
"HEY! Now Look who decided to join us! Took my advice, eh, Fulgurite?" Bismuth said, smiling. Now this was strictly Fulgurite-only knowledge, some eyes looking to her.
"She and I met VERY early in the war. And yep, I rebelled a little bit til I got locked up in that geode," Fulgurite explained. Bismuth fluffed her hair too, though her hair made some sparks fly as Bismuth did so out of static electricity.
"So that's why you were put in there," Garnet noted. Took her long enough to say something. Soon her attention turned over to Steven.
"And who's this cute little meatball?" Bismuth asked with her smile.
"I'm Steven," Steven introduced. Bismuth shook his hand, smiling still.
"Oh it's been so long! We thought Rose lost you," Pearl commented, happy to see her. However, that comment was what got rid of Bismuth's smile. Suddenly the Gem began to look around the room in surprise more than glee.
"Wait. Where is Rose?" Bismuth asked. The mood made a little nosedive on that question, but Steven just got the answer over with.
"Uh, here. I'm Rose's son ... She kinda turned into me. I have her Gem, the rest is me," Steven explained, lifting his shirt to show the Gemstone. Bismuth took a moment to look at the Gemstone now in Steven's possession.
"Wow. There she is."
"It was sometimes unclear on Rose's choices. But we have to stand behind them," Pearl said. Bismuth stood up, looking at the Gemstone.
"... Do you remember me?"
"No. Sorry."
"... Rose ... Really is something else ..."
All of a sudden, Bismuth was laughing again.
"I mean LOOK! She really is something else! WOW, everything changing! And the base is made out of wood now?"
Well that mood changed back quickly. Bismuth took a moment to actually rip out a piece of wood from the floor.
"Who's bad idea was this? And where's everybody else?" Bismuth asked, tossing the wood aside.
"Everyone else?"
"Yeah, the rest of the Crystal Gems! Old Crazy Lace, Biggs, Snowflake!"
Looks like one Gem was gone for a little too long.
~~~~~~
Soon, the group then brought Bismuth away from the Beach House via Warp Pad, and soon they were off at the strawberry battlefield. They didn't come around here since they first came across Kyra nearly a year ago, and this place didn't change very much from that apart from frost on the fruits and plants. Bismuth looked simply shocked as she stepped out onto the strawberry field.
"Wait, what happened? We were just here!" Bismuth said in disbelief on the situation. In her mind, this place was new and full of action. But now ...
"How long was I out?"
Pearl went over to her side.
"5,300 years. The Earth stayed alive, and we kept Homeworld away ..."
"But we're what's left of the rebellion, huh?" Bismuth concluded. Pearl didn't answer her, but her tears held enough of an answer for Bismuth. It was so much that Bismuth started to cry herself.
"Pearl, you know I can't take it when you cry like that," Bismuth said, letting her own tears fall from her face. Garnet went over to her next.
"I'm very sorry, Bismuth."
"No, no. No need to apologize," she replied softly. It was a rather sad moment, to be sure, but Bismuth was quick to make her recovery. For Bismuth, it was a bit to take in, but the Gem was keeping a open mind to the situation, as she looked around the battlefield.
"Homeworld giving you trouble, or did they give up?"
"Well ... Let's see ... We had some interesting experiences with them lately," Pearl said. The question was a little harder to answer honestly, mainly because this was a Gem who wasn't around for the whole Osicone incident. As such, she didn't know about their better terms. Before any of them could tell her though, Bismuth's hand turned into a battle axe.
"Good. I didn't think I'd get another chance at that Homeworld scum. We'll show them what power we Crystal Gems have for sure!" Bismuth said, full of pride. If that didn't unsettle any of them, the moment when she slammed her axe through a strawberry, smashing it, sure did. Steven and Rarity both shared troubled expressions, irises shrunk, eyes wide, and mouths just small slits on their faces. They have friends from Homeworld, how is she gonna react to them? Rarity nudged Twilight, and whispered in her ear her concerns, which worried the Alicorn as well. The only one who didn't listen was Rainbow Dash, over with the others.
"Hey, you ok? You Look like someone shattered in front of ya," Bismuth said when she saw them. Twilight snapped back to attention.
"We're fine, Bismuth, yes we are. Just remembered we gotta go; me, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Steven supposed to handle a mission and it completely slipped my mind, right guys?" Twilight quickly said, getting it out soon as it came to her. Rarity and Steven nodded in agreement. A mission was a basic reason for any Gem to have to go somewhere. However, Rainbow was in the dark on this one.
"What mission?" Rainbow asked, only getting nudged by Twilight to keep quiet.
"I'll explain when we get there," Twilight said through her teeth. Bismuth, luckily, got the idea.
"You ponies getting missions too, eh? HA! Well have fun, crazy kids," Bismuth said. Good thing she was open to the idea, and they were on their way.
.......
"So, why're we all here again?" Jasper asked.
Steven, Rarity, Rainbow, and Twilight had gone about a bit, and got the other Gems over to the barn: Jasper, Peridot, Lapis, Jade, Flint, Emerald, Star, and Diopside. Basically whichever Gem that Bismuth didn't meet at the Beach House. Bismuth wasn't there, and neither were Garnet, Amethyst, Fulgurite, and Pearl.
"Well, I got some good news, and some bad news," Steven began.
"Let's get the bad news over with first," Flint insisted.
"... Actually, it kind of flows better with good news first," Steven said. Flint just sighed, and allowed Steven to continue.
"Good news: there's a new Gem with our group. She's an original Crystal Gem," Steven said. That got their attention fairly quickly with some mixed reaction.
"Another new Gem to the team? That's wonderful! Where is she?" Lapis asked.
"And there's the bad news: she's still got that grudge for Homeworld. So, maybe some of you should just avoid her for a little bit," Rainbow said.
"What for?" Peridot asked.
"She's a behemoth for one thing, tall as Jasper, and larger. And she's got this thing when her hands turn to weapons, so -"
"Then just tell her Homeworld's not trying to kill Earth anymore. Can't be too hard," Flint suddenly cut in.
"It's not that easy. She's been gone for 5,300 years. At least give her some time to settle down before you just jump at her, please?" Rarity insisted. Flint still wasn't too sure about it, and a few others felt the same way.
"What type of Gem is she anyway? A Quartz Gem? A Pearl?" Emerald quizzed.
"A Bismuth," answered Twilight.
"Bismuth? Haven't heard that one in a while," commented Peridot, hand to mouth thinking. However, while none of them noticed, Lapis felt a little unsettled ...
"... We can't meet her, because ..." Wondered Star.
"Because she can shatter you like you can shatter an egg," Rainbow said bluntly. She may not know the Gem well, but seeing her was enough for her to get the idea. The other Gems surely didn't want to get shattered, or see anyone else get shattered.
"Her? shatter me? You sure?"
"Jasper, she's larger than you, and can turn her hand into a battle axe. I'm sure at the least, she can hold her own against you. Please, just keep away from her until she settles in," Steven said, hands even together, and eyes wide. Jasper eventually just sighed, looking around at the others.
"We can probably get a few missions done anyway," Jasper concluded. Steven smiled, being assured they will do that. The other Gems found it a little silly, but it's for Steven and his own friends, so probably good to just ease into it.
"Thanks guys. We'll let you know when you can talk with her," Twilight said, leaving the barn with the others. For the other Gems, keeping away from Bismuth couldn't be too hard to do, though some still weren't so sure if that was exactly needed or not. Should they really stay away?
~~~~~~
As for Bismuth herself, she was doing pretty well with the Gems who stuck around with her. After their time at the Strawberry Battlefield, she decided to get back in the swing of things, and decided to head off to a rather familiar area in her mind. She, Fulgurite, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, and Steven who met up with her after finishing up, were now in another location far away from Beach City. In fact, this sort of place was actually an active volcano! Smoke bellowed from the top of the peak, and the group of Crystal Gems went along a mountainside trail. Steven just hoped that this Gem wouldn't find the others too soon and try to cause trouble for them. Last thing they really needed was a Gem massacre for Bismuth's first day back. As they kept going, Bismuth brings them to a entrance into the Volcano, and the Gems finds themselves in another unique location.
"Welcome to my Forge, gang. Sight for sore eyes, isn't it?" Bismuth announced.
The Forge consisted of a stone room with a number of different details: three barrels of dust, an anvil shaped work bench in the middle of the room, weapons hanging everywhere, and a blue chest with gem weapon enhancements inside. Bismuth walked right on in, and pulled a leaver to release, all of a sudden, a lava waterfall! Steven and Amethyst cringe in shock when the waterfall landed directly on the smiling Bismuth, the lava suddenly lighting up the walls in the room through lines and circles to see better inside. Steven and Amethyst relaxed a little when Bismuth walked casually out, a manor similar to one exiting a shower. Steven at least looked excited to see this.
"Oh, it's just like I remembered," Pearl said, almost fangirling.
"Yep, nothin like a lava bath to get you in the working mood," Bismuth said, stretching and tossing her hair back. Amethyst and Steven glanced to each other, as Bismuth started grabbing a few things from the three barrels. Fulgurite though went over to check things out.
"So, what do you do here exactly? collect dust?" Fulgurite asked, scooping out some herself. Bismuth gripped the dust in her hand, as she started to explain.
"Back on Homeworld, Bismuths like me make spires and temples only for only the elites to enjoy," she began, shoving her hand into the flowing lava. She felt just fine with it, though her hand looked red and burning. Bismuth went over and dropped a gold brick on the anvil, her hands turning into hammers.
"But rose taught me my life was my own. To do what I want!" She then started slamming the gold with her own hands, molding it up into a longer, sharper shape. She then got it on a handle, and shoved the piece down into a smaller lava pit, just enough to her hand and handle were inches away.
"So this is what I chose," bismuth finished, pulling out the object, which was on fire. All she did was blow at it to remove the flames, and harden the material to make a sword! Steven's eyes boggled on seeing such a sword being made in only a minute which would take a normal person days to do.
"You make weapons?!" Steven gasped. Bismuth smirked, full of pride.
"That's right: I outfitted the ENTIRE Rebellion. Every material weapon used by the Crystal Gems was made right here in this very Forge," Bismuth explained. Those new to her were a bit impressed with her, though Steven only had it confirmed that she was surely a Gem of weapon-craft. Soon, something crossed Bismuth's mind.
"Wait, are they still here?" She wondered, suddenly moving towards the chest. once she opened it up ...
"HA HA!! YES! Garnet, Pearl, these're for you," bismuth announced, giving them both some unique objects. For Garnet, it was a pair of gold, spiked knuckles as an attachment to her already brutal gloves. For Pearl, she was given two curved points for her spear, to create a trident.
"Sweet," Garnet said.
"Bismuth, you shouldn't have," Pearl added.
"Pleasure doing Bismuth with you," Bismuth joked, with a wink and a gun-shot finger point. Fulgurite, Amethyst, and Steven stood aside watching this. While Steven was happy with her, liking her, Amethyst seemed a little withdrawn to her still.
"Dang, she hadn't changed a bit, did she?" Fulgurite said, nudging Amethyst. Amethyst rubbed her arm, smiling a fake sort of grin.
"Yep, not a bit," Amethyst said with a fake laugh. Fulgurite was a little confused, but that changed when Bismuth went over to her.
"K, sparky, what do you got?" Bismuth asked confidently. Seeing the enhancements the others got, Fulgurite was excited to see what she would get, so she quickly got out her Gem boots to show Bismuth. The Gem Blacksmith took both boots from Fulgurite, and yellow Gem psyched, and ready to see what bismuth would do with hers. It took a little bit, but Bismuth whipped up a little extra something for Fulgurite's boots; now her running boots were strong cleets, nice sized spikes at the bottom of her feet.
"AWESOME! More traction to my step," Fulgurite beamed. This little moment gave Amethyst a moment with Steven.
"Psst, Steven, can I talk to ya for a second?" Amethyst asked. Steven nodded, and the two step out for just a moment, just outside of the Forge.
"This about Bismuth, isn't it?" Steven asked, getting that out of the way.
"Lucky - yeah it is. You and the Ponies, what did you guys really do when you went off earlier? I know it's something with Bismuth," Amethyst assumed. Why else would they go off like that?
"We went off, and told Jasper, Lapis, and the others to stay away from Bismuth for a while."
"What?!" Amethyst gasped, Steven jumping.
"I-I just thought it may be too soon for her to meet -"
"No, no, that's fine. I mean you didn't do anything about the Warp Pad? Steven, we have a Warp Pad leading directly to Homeworld, remember?" Amethyst brought up. amethyst wasn't one to normally be freaked out about this sort of thing, but what she got with Bismuth did get her slightly riled up.
"We'll just keep her away from that. Not hard, right?"
"Let's try to be sure. She's sounding a little ... suspicious."
Now Steven didn't follow. He got the idea with Bismuth and Homeworld, but he didn't label her as suspicious. If anything, she was open and cheery with the Gems.
"How come?" Steven asked.
"She's apparently an original Crystal Gem, right? During the Rebellion. Why didn't the others tell us anything about her? Neither Garnet, Pearl, nor Rose even said anything about her before. That, and, Somepony? Equestrians? How did she know that stuff so fast?" Amethyst brought up a good point with that. This Gem knows a little about Equestria at least, and she apparently did so much for the Rebellion, yet no one even remotely mentioned her.
"Yeah. That is a bit odd. But didn't mom know about Equestria? Maybe she learned it from her," Steven asked.
"No she didn't. I don't remember her saying anything about them once, and even if she did, WE would've figured out where the Ponies were from on day one," Amethyst pointed out, which was also true. you'd think Celestia would mention her, or something.
"Good point," Steven concluded.
"I don't know. We should keep an eye on her for a bit. You in?" Amethyst suggested.
"Only if you keep quiet about Homeworld. Might as well give her time to settle and open up first," Steven said.
"Deal," Amethyst replied. Both she and Steven shook hands to seal the deal. Figure out what's going on with her, and tell her when she's ready. Seems simple enough.
"Yo, Amethyst!"
The sound of Bismuth made them both jump, but she looked happy anyway as the two walked back in the Forge.
"Sorry, just got a little hot."
"Gotcha. Hey Ame, don't think I forgot about ya. Let's see that weapon of yours," Bismuth encouraged. Amethyst played along, and showed Bismuth her whip. The Gem looked to it with some intrigue.
"Not often can a Quartz make a whip like this. Mind if I have a look?"
"Knock yourself out," Amethyst replied, handing the whip over to her. Bismuth was indeed impressed. She went off to the chest for a quick moment, and after just a little bit, the Gem gave the whip back to her, but her whip now has three spiked balls at the end of it. The spikes even extend on command, which was also pretty impressive as well.
"... Not gonna lie. This is awesome."
"I knew you like it. Hey, I'm up for a good old fashion training session. Who wants in?"
~~~~~~
Pretty soon, they were over at the Beach, Bismuth on one side, and the other Gems on the other side. Steven sat aside, and Amethyst joined with Pearl, Fulgurite, and Garnet.
"Alright! Just like old times, eh?" Bismuth said, her hands turning into hammers, and smashing them together.
"Ready, Bismuth?" Garnet asked, almost smugly.
"Show me what you got, soldiers!"
So Garnet did. She charged forward first, and she met Bismuth head on, her fists slamming into Bismuth's hammer fists. Bismuth was so strong, she stopped Garnet dead in her tracks (come to expect). Amethyst and Steven took a mental note on that.
"I think the power couple's losin their spark!" Bismuth said, tossing Garnet aside. Pearl came in next, leaping high in the air, trident aimed down at her. Bismuth aimed closely, and just before Pearl hit the ground, Bismuth got her hammer to halt her fall in a uppercut.
"Pearl, I don't recall you bringing me a spear," Bismuth commented, before tossing her aside. Strong, and accurate. Pearl, smirking, then shot down at her with some laser shots from her spear. Amethyst gave her shot next, her whip getting around Bismuth's leg. The Gem wasn't deterred, and was ready for her.
"I'm gonna wreck your BISMUTH!" Amethyst said, swinging her over her head. Bismuth landed hard, but was still laughing.
"Very creative."
"Yeah, guess I'm great."
"That's right!" Amethyst was suddenly flung upward when Bismuth flipped, the purple Gem landing by Steven, which was convenient. The others continue to fight Bismuth as she continued talking.
"We are Powerful! We are important! WE! ARE! THE CRYSTAL GEMS!"
Fulgurite, Pearl, and Garnet continued their training, all smiles, though Amethyst and Steven still kept their mental notes on Bismuth. So, she's charismatic, accurate, strong, and motivational. So far nothing really suspicious, but still worth noting. As they got themselves up, suddenly Amethyst and Steven got themselves facing a lock of Fulgurite's whipping hair! Steven got his bubble up just before they got hit, sending them rolling down the beach.
"Sorry!" Fulgurite called. Amethyst and Steven rolled for a little bit, getting dizzy. Amethyst grew her hand, and gave a thumbs up so they could see. She shrunk her hand to normal size, as the two got to their feet, only to find ...
"Having fun with your Bismuth?" Emerald asked. It was a few other Gems: Lapis, Flint, and Emerald. They were out of sight from Bismuth, Flint especially with his camouflage.
"What're you doing here?" Steven asked.
"Checking the Gem out. She's quite the violent one," Flint said, glancing back to Bismuth. Steven found that he really didn't say that. However, Lapis looked oddly troubled when she saw Bismuth. Like, deeply troubled.
"Oh right. We're keeping an eye on her too," Amethyst admitted.
"Are you, now?" Flint quizzed.
"I just don't know about her. Garnet and Pearl never told us about her before, but she's going on like she's been with us her whole life. Somethings suspicious with her," Amethyst said.
"She's wrong."
The group turned to Lapis, who had turned away from the group at this point.
"Eh, what?"
"That Bismuth. That Bismuth. I know her from a long time ago."
She brought her hand over to the sea close by, and soon it began to show a clear mirror, showing the images to her words.
"It was over 5,000 years ago that I was sent down to Earth. I was only meant to visit for a short time, but I got caught in the war. It was then I first saw her. She was ruthless, no remorse. I tried to get away from her, but one punch to the back was all it took ..." Lapis stayed silent for a moment, removing the mirror. The blue Gem said that with a bit more dramatic and serious tone than typical. Well it was enough to have Emerald clapping.
"Congrats, Lapis, way to amp up the drama for today," Emerald said, impressed. And that sorta killed the drama bomb that Lapis just dropped. That, and Amethyst and Steven had one involvement that Bismuth dos that could be something. But, it wasn't very much actually; it was in the Gem war, it's really expected for Bismuth to attack Lapis in the heat of battle. They did feel sorry for Lapis, of course. Flint and Steven looked over to Bismuth, who was too busy training to notice them for long. As they kept going, Bismuth stopped for a minute when she realized that Amethyst wasn't around.
"Where's that purple Gem at? She's missing out," Bismuth wondered.
"She'll be back in a bit Bismuth."
"K. Say, guys? Did I do a good impression with her?" Bismuth asked casually.
"Of course you did! How can you not?!" Pearl asked.
"Don't fret, Bismuth, she'll come around. She's just new to seeing you that's all," Garnet assured. Bismuth thought on it and nodded her head.
"Yeah. She'll warm up in no time."
~~~~~~
After training was done, it was off for some more casual things. First thing they did was a little game of team tennis. Even if it was early winter with the cold coming around, it was still clear beaches, so they could still do this. Bismuth and Garnet were on one team, Pearl and Steven on the other. It was a little clear who won the game after a few minutes. The next thing they did, and it was a little quick, was a game of cards. Pearl helped Bismuth out in how the game works, and they went along pretty well. Course, Amethyst cheated in the game thanks to some tomfoolery with her shapeshifting, but it didn't matter because Garnet won anyway in the end. So much for that. Still, even with the fun activities, Amethyst and Steven still kept their minds on Bismuth, and Amethyst kept neutral with her when it comes to direct conversation.
Soon, Steven was making pizza for the group, and Bismuth helped him out in that with some shapeshifting hands. The Gem made three pepperoni pizzas pretty easily after given some direction from Steven on how to do so, but Bismuth still wanted Amethyst to warm up a bit, so she kicked it up a notch. She made a personal pizza for her, including a big burrito as an extra, sprinkled with some chips. Amethyst wasn't dumb, but BOY it was too good to pass up! Her mouth was watering, and it smelled delicious. Her own burrito pizza.
Pretty soon, they were over in Steven's room with the movie playing on Steven's TV. Garnet enjoyed two slices, Fulgurite, Bismuth, and Steven were good with their own pieces, and Amethyst was eating hers like a seagull. Like she's gonna waste time with this meal.
"Don't get the sword," Steven said during one point in the movie.
"It holds all the power in the world, course he should get it," Bismuth said. At this point, Bismuth swallowed up her burrito pizza, filled up and happy.
"Eh, sure our ponies can beat that sword any day," Amethyst commented, followed by a burp from her swallowed meal. It was especially convenient for her to even say that, because seconds later, they began to hear their door open up. Many of them saw a familiar shine come from it, which while regular for most of the Crystal Gems, was foreign for Bismuth. Soon, a pink blur jumped right in fast, and quickly landed on Bismuth, making her fall back onto the bed.
"HI, stranger Gem lady!" She beamed.
"Heard the news, Pinkie?" Fulgurite giggled.
"Pinkie? That you?" Bismuth asked, with a smirk. Pinkie giggled, and hopped off of her.
"Yes indeedie!"
"Pinkie Pie, this is Bismuth: original, honorary Crystal Gem," Garnet introduced. Pinkie's eyes sparkled in amazement, extremely giddy to see her.
"Original Crystal Gem?! OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH! Twilight was right!!" Pinkie beamed, hugging Bismuth by the arm with her front hooves, rather tightly. Bismuth laughed, and got the mare in a friendly head lock, giving her a good old noogie to the head. Pinkie got herself out of it, and laughed along with her, her mane in a slight mess from Bismuth's noogie.
"Any friend to the Crystal Gems is a friend of mine," Bismuth said with a big grin. Pinkie was happy to hear that especially.
"Oh goodie! Then you'll LOVE all the friends in Ponyville!" Pinkie beamed, trying to move Bismuth to the portal. Bismuth didn't budge, but she did look over to the portal though, and that idea did get Pearl beaming too with the new idea.
"So that's where that goes to, huh? Think you can show me?"
Pinkie made a gigantic gasp.
"Can she go, pleasepleasepleasePLEEEEEASE?!" Pinkie asked, almost begging Garnet to let her show Bismuth around. Garnet looked over to the movie, but the others seemed fine with it. They can finish it up later.
"Why not?"
One portal jump later, and the group was now over in Equestria. It was lucky for them Bismuth was put in first, because she ended up tumbling through, and rolling out. Unlike then, she wasn't exactly used to it. She rolled head over heels at least two times before landing on her back. It took her a bit, but she did get to her feet, and she got a good look around. Unlike Beach City, which the main shift was cold air, Ponyville had a far more immediate change in seasons thanks to the working Pegesi on weather duty. The town was going along pretty well, but the Pegasus gave these pony residents a nice snowfall. The snow was big, soft, and gently floating down around town, some already getting on the Gems and Ponies.
"Well I'll be," Bismuth commented, even sticking out her tongue to catch a snowflake. Amethyst, for the heck of it, joined her on that. She, however, used her shapeshifting to stretch out her tongue, making it catch about twenty snowflakes at one time. Not too bad for a shapeshifter Gem. As for the ponies, some were just taking simple walks, while some were working through it as if it wasn't even going on.
"Welcome to Ponyville, Bismuth," Pinkie beamed, hopping on ahead a bit, as Bismuth walked around the place. As they went along through town, it didn't take very long until one familiar face showed up. Humming a familiar Ponyville winter tune, Applejack was bringing some warm apple fritters and apple pies from her farm out for some ponies to enjoy.
"Applejack! Look who's here!" Pinkie called. Applejack stopped, and began to make her stand when she heard Pinkie Pie. It didn't take very long until Applejack saw Bismuth either.
"Well look what we got here, a baker pony. Sure smells good," Bismuth said, hands on her hips.
"Howdy there. Twilight said there's a new Crystal Gem goin about," AJ replied, bringing out a hot, fresh, and free apple betty. Bismuth just needed one smell of the apple betty to be sold, and she happily took it. Bismuth popped the treat right in her mouth, enjoying every second of it before she swallowed it up.
"I give y'all a five star," Bismuth congratulated, going along with the accent Applejack had, fluffing AJ's mane. AJ adjusted her hat after that with a flick of the hoof. Seems the Ponies were starting to like her as much as the other Gems, according to Amethyst and Steven.
Throughout the afternoon, Bismuth went along around Ponyville for a while, and enjoying every moment of it by what the others were seeing. With Pinkie Pie going around guiding her along, Bismuth visited a number of places around Ponyville: Twilight's Library, Sugarcube corner, the local school, town hall, and Sweet Apple Acres. Each spot had Bismuth interacting with the ponies here and there, and each spot had a pretty good time with the new rainbow-haired Gem. In places like the school, many fillies and colts were especially excited to see Bismuth during recess, and Bismuth was playing around pretty well with the foals of the school. Sweet Apple Acres had some good help with her as well, with Bismuth helping out Granny Smith and Big Macintosh at the farm for a little bit. Amethyst and Steven kept their minds focused on Bismuth, but the more they saw her, the more that they began to question if being suspicious was even needed here with her. Sure, rose never mentioned Bismuth to them, but Bismuth seemed to be a very kind, and likable character, it was starting to make them feel guilty. The only catch that still remained in the air was the lack of conversation about Homeworld ...
~~~~~~
"Well, she's not the most passive Gem ever," Flint said. After seeing Bismuth at the beach, they went off back over to the other Gems at the barn. The only one who actually wasn't there at the moment was Jasper, but everyone else stuck around the barn for the time being, pretty far away from Bismuth anyway.
"... She still doesn't like Homeworld?" Star asked.
"Not at all, Star. In fact, I think she's ready to shatter the Diamonds just like that -" Emerald snaps his fingers to finish up his statement for how quickly Bismuth will get at those Diamonds again. Star Quartz was just slightly confused, though Peridot stopped her, as Flint laid his back against the rim of the barn door. Oddly, Lapis laid her back on one of the barn house support beams in a similar manor.
"What's wrong now? Getting bored, or what?" Emerald asked, nonchalantly.
"This whole plan ... It's sucks," Flint said, getting to the point of the problem.
"Eh?"
"Don't 'eh' me. We've been watching Bismuth all day, and they didn't tell her what happened ONCE. She may be new to this, ok, but she's gonna have to know at some point or we'll get Gem War all over again," Flint brought up. They couldn't help but get a bit troubled on a second Gem War thanks to a Gem who lacked any memory on what actually happened. Lapis though kept her gaze down and away from Flint as he was talking.
"So, what do you think we should do then? Bubble her again?" Lapis suggested. The very opinion coming out of her mouth was so out of left field for those who didn't hear what Bismuth done to her. Lapis was a kind Gem, but she had her limits, same as anybody.
"... Lapis?" Peridot asked, blank-faced and speechless.
"Ok, look, someone's gotta go tell her soon. Lapis, why don't you -"
"NO!"
The demand made everyone jump, even Flint almost.
"Did something happen while you were gone, or ...?" Peridot asked. Flint looked over to Lapis first, who looked back to Flint to keep him quiet. Flint rolled his eyes.
"Don't ask. Peridot, how about you go and tell her," Flint decided.
"Why me?!"
"Because you got this," flint then pointed to Peridot's metal flower Cutie Mark. "How many Homeworld Gems do you know that has a Equestrian Cutie Mark. Perhaps she'll make an exception if you actually say something without her pounding you," Flint finished. Peridot was NOT down for the idea at all, and if Bismuth is as dangerous as they brought on, then she'd rather keep herself in tact.
"You're the one worried over it!"
"I don't have a excuse as well as yours, Peridot, you know that," Flint insisted, moving her outside of the barn. Peridot tried to get herself back in and out of the way but before she could.
"And here is the barn, bismuth," Steven said from the distance.
"So the Crystal Gems got a barn now?" Bismuth replied as well.
Oh great. Peridot, panicked, tried to get in, but the others weren't giving her the chance to. She looked simply freaked out.
"Who're you?"
Now it was troubling. Peridot turned around, terrified, and she ended up seeing that Bismuth was right behind her. She had the Diamond symbols on her, she had no signs of being a CG, and Bismuth was a bit confused on seeing her. She looked a little bit suspicious as well. As for Peridot, well ...
"I'M A CRYSTAL GEM NOW!!" Peridot screamed, quick, and in a cold sweat. Hopefully she could get that out of the way fast before Bismuth could try and attack her. However, Bismuth looked her down, and saw the Cutie Mark on her cheek ...
"Hey, Steven! Why didn't you tell me that we got another recruit here? Long time since we got another Peridot," Bismuth commented. Steven and Peridot relaxed, Peridot giving a sigh of relief, as Bismuth ruffled up her triangle hair.
"Must've slipped my mind. Sorry, Peri," Steven said.
"I-It's ok. So, we good?"
"Course we are! you're a Crystal Gem, no need to be on bad terms. OH, and what is this? Gems getting Cutie Marks now, I see. Lookin good, Peridot," Bismuth realized, Peridot touching the Cutie Mark on her cheek. Peridot felt some admiration (and maybe pride) come up on hearing that from Bismuth, and Peridot smiled.
"I'm the first Peridot with one. And check this out!" Peridot looked to some nails in the nearby barn fence. With a quick motion of her hands, and some concentration, ten metal nails popped out, and were soon floating in her hands. Bismuth, of course, was impressed.
"HAHA! Well look at you! First Peridot with her own metal magic," Bismuth congratulated. Peridot felt pretty good with herself, and the admiration from Bismuth, even if the two pretty much just met. Bismuth turned away from her for a moment, confidence in her face.
"And Homeworld thinks we're nothing? HA! We got them beat in no time!" Bismuth beamed, confident as ever. Peridot, halted her little game, a bit puzzled as that reminded her of the situation, but before she could say anything, Steven glanced back while Bismuth wasn't looking, and made a slicing motion across his throat. Flint wanted her to say, but Steven didn't think she was set just yet. The other Gems just inside the barn waited to hear Bismuth's reaction when ...
"Yeah, they won't know what's coming!"
"Seriously?!" Flint uttered under his breath from in the barn. Luckily, Bismuth didn't hear him, and she instead lifted up Steven and Peridot right off the ground, having them sit down on her shoulders with ease.
"You know it! come on, let's go back to the Temple and see those fighting moves of yours," bismuth offered. Caught up in the moment, Peridot agreed, and they all went away.
All Flint could do was have his hand meet his forehead.
~~~~~~
Soon, night time came. Bismuth, not having a room for herself, spent the night over at the Beach House. It was quiet for the time being, except for Lion chilling out by the door, and Steven finishing up his own bit of nightly duties. At this point, Steven got himself into his PJs, and then stepped out of the bathroom, now clean and ready for bed.
"Hey, Steven, you going to show us some skills out at the battlefield?" Bismuth asked. Steven felt hesitant on that idea, if not just tired.
"I-I don't think so. most of my weapons are defensive ... OH, except for this one," Steven said, his hand reaching into Lion's mane. Soon, Steven pulled out an impressive pink sword. Bismuth gasped upon seeing it, smiling to him.
"One of my best creations," Bismuth commented.
"Wait. You made this?"
Steven sat down, as Bismuth held the sword in her hands. She smiled, more softly this time, as she looked it over.
"You really don't remember, huh? 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."
Bismuth remembered it like it was yesterday, and each word that came out was the pure truth. Bismuth was grateful that Rose showed her the light, and Steven could tell that from hearing her. However, his smile diminished after a little bit, and he looked up to the picture of Rose on the wall above the door.
"Everyone tells me how great she was ... I don't think I can measure up to her."
"Wow, who'd of thought. Me, giving a pep talk to Rose's ... uh ..."
"Son."
"Right. Listen Steven. You are different. That's what's so exciting. You don't have to be like Rose Quartz. You can be someone even better. You can be you," Bismuth said, a hand on his shoulder. That really made Steven feel a bit better about things when it came to that, even if it wasn't a subject brought up too often. After hearing that, Steven gave a yawn , stretching.
"Thanks. Time for me to go off to bed. You can chill out and ... sleep, if you want," Steven said, though he wasn't sure if Bismuth even knew what sleep was.
"You know what? I'll give it a try. I'm liking these new Earth rituals," Bismuth decided. Steven went right off to bed himself, and Bismuth chose the couch as her metaphorical bed. Steven took a little bit to tell her how to sleep, and Bismuth took to it pretty easily, thank goodness. Steven did had one thing on his mind. He was actually liking Bismuth a lot now. As for Bismuth herself, she waited a bit until she was sure Steven was asleep. One of her eyes peered open, hearing Steven sleeping. Soon, the Gem got back up, and quietly left the Beach House.
She had a little surprise.
.......
However, while Steven and Bismuth were asleep, one Gem was up and about: Garnet. It was a clear night, though her Future Vision told her that tomorrow isn't going to be as clear, so she might as well come out and enjoy the clear night and clear ground while she could before then. She went off over to a spectacular lookout over the city. The residents of Beach City call the spot "Brooding Hill", and it had a amazing view of the entire coast. Every square inch of Beach City could be seen from up there, no doubt. With the nighttime atmosphere shining up the street lights down below, it was almost like stars in the sky, and on the ground. Still, Garnet took a comfortable seat, and gazed up at the stars. As she continued to gaze up, her mind began to wonder a little bit more, until she realized a little something.
"Hmm ... Haven't seen Discord in a while. Discord?!" Garnet called. However, the Draconequus didn't show up. She got up, and turned around.
"Discord!" Garnet called again. Still nothing. She didn't need him for anything, but he wasn't seen in quite a while, really. Some reality bending could be some fun as of late. However, Garnet simply shrugged, and was about to sit down when ...
"Garnet! That you?"
Lapis Lazuli. The blue Gem, seeing the clear night sky, decided to fly on out for a bit after being inside the barn for the day. Besides, she needed to clear her head on the news Steven told her about anyway. Lapis flew down, and gently landed down next to Garnet, retracting her water wings afterwards. Garnet patted the ground next to her, and Lapis just took it, sitting down next to her.
"A clear night. We might as well enjoy it."
"How come?"
"It's going to be cloudy for the next couple of days," Garnet replied.
"Oh ... You know, good thing I found you. I want to talk to you about someone," Lapis said, looking away from the fusion. Garnet turned to her friend. Rather than just say who it was, she might as well ask.
"Who?"
"... Bismuth. Is she ... staying?"
Garnet was quiet at first, thinking over what Lapis had just asked. Then again, Lapis didn't meet with Bismuth recently like Amethyst, Fulgurite, or Pearl.
"Probably. Why?" Garnet asked. Lapis felt a groan escape her mouth, and a cringe sort of feeling overcome her. She didn't know about her. She was okay with plenty of other Gems joining up: Peridot, Jasper, Jade, Flint, Emerald, and all that. But unlike them, Bismuth had a sort of history with Lapis, that Lapis didn't like her for. Not even the war veteran had that sort of thing with Lapis.
"I was just wondering," Lapis simply stated, though she didn't feel much better about it. Garnet took off her shades, knowing what she was feeling.
"OK, Lapis. What happened with you and her? You can tell me."
Lapis knew she couldn't lie to Garnet, and she got up in a huff, and turned back to her.
"It's all her fault!"
"What is?"
"The reason why I was stuck on Earth. The reason why I was trapped in that mirror! SHE was there in the Gem War, and SHE got me trapped in that mirror in the first place! All those years being trapped in there, and Bismuth was the one who made it happen!" Lapis Lazuli felt her anger build a bit on reminding herself what happened to her. Garnet stayed quiet, but was honestly unsure if it was HER Bismuth who did so. Then again, Bismuth was a strong fighter against Homeworld, and Garnet was for sure that Lapis was not a Crystal Gem then. In the end, Garnet gave a sighed, as Lapis sat back down.
"Lapis. Listen. You can call me a liar, but Bismuth is not as bad as you brought her on to be. She did that because she was with the Crystal Gems, and you were with Homeworld. But that was thousands of years ago from now, and even after you were released, it was still a while since then. She is a very nice Gem, even if she's a bit rough at times ... I'm not going to make you do anything. But, at least try to give her a chance," Garnet advised. Lapis still felt a little colder from the response. Obviously Garnet was treated much different compared to Lapis.
"I would if I could. Is she ready to meet us yet?"
"Excuse me?"
"Earlier today, Steven, Twilight, and Rainbow visited us and basically told us to stay away. At least until Bismuth had settled down and more open with the idea," Lapis revealed. Garnet actually didn't realize that, looking a little perplexed, which was foreign to Lapis.
"You mean none of you ..."
Lapis just shook her head. While Garnet was glad that Bismuth was back, but she didn't realize that every other Gem didn't even remotely tell her! No wonder Bismuth was still going on about things the way she was doing. If she could say, she thought that they said something, but now after hearing this ...
"... Thanks for telling me, Lapis."
~~~~~~
Bismuth was up and about, and waiting outside in the morning light for the others to get out to join her. Clouds were gathering up, but it wasn't that big of an issue for the rainbow Gem. She had better things on her mind anyway that she wanted to show the Crystal Gems.
"YO! come on, Steven!" Bismuth called. Steven, after an extra minute or two, did finally get himself up and out. He still was a bit groggy eyed, and was joined by Peridot and Amethyst. Peridot went on down, but Amethyst and Steven took a moment to talk to eachother.
"Eh ... Amethyst? Do you think we're being too hard on Bismuth?" Steven asked.
"Yeah, I'm thinking that. She's a nice person, even if Rose didn't say anything. And she accepted Peridot easily," amethyst pointed out, the green Gem going right over to Bismuth, who proceeded to fluffed up her hair again with a few laughs.
"That's true. Here, let's forget this hiding thing. We'll just go down, let her do what she wants, and then tell her what happened with Homeworld. Deal?"
"Deal," Amethyst replied, shaking hands with him just before going on down. The trio were soon over in front of Bismuth, who actually took the time out of the night to go off back to the Forge, and bring back the chest.
"So, what's up with you now, B?" Amethyst asked.
"Ok. Steven? I thought it over all night, and we all know you're Rose's son. Rose's sword is great, but you know what? You deserve a better weapon," Bismuth said. She walked off to the blue chest, and soon, she got out a strong weapon right out for everyone to see. The weapon had the appearance to match something similar to a Pile Bunker: It had a maroon colored base, a salmon colored Bismuth emblem, two little black straps underneath for the arm, a silver cylinder on one end, and a large metal spike on the other. Bismuth was happy with it, and the others were curious with it too.
"What's that?" Peridot asked.
"I call it the Breaking Point."
"Breaking Point?"
"Got that right. I designed Rose's for a fair fight. It can cut through a Gem's physical form in an instant! Destroying the body, but never the Gem."
"Cool," Steven said, smiling.
"But ... Homeworld doesn't fight fair. That's why we need a different strategy."
And the smile was gone, as Bismuth raised the Breaking Point up to her eye level.
"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 weapon that would've won the war," Bismuth said. The trio of Gems began to get a little uncomfortable on where this was going. Bismuth looked a little puzzled, but the rainbow Gem still smiled.
"OK, I get it, you three are new to the whole thing. Here, I'll show ya how it's done, then you can test it out," Bismuth decided. Convenient for her; she also brought some Gem dummies with her in the same chest, setting a few up. The dummies didn't look the same as human dummies per say, but more like bell-shaped objects with heads and gemstones on them. Or markings as hard as gemstones anyway. What better thing to test out the main weapon in question as the three watched. Soon, the dummies themselves started to circle all of them, but they didn't exactly attack as, say, Pearl's practice holograms. They simply moved around them. Bismuth was ecstatic to use the Breaking Point, and she got it aimed at one of the dummies, directly at the gemstone. The weapon's metal skewer charged up ...
"We! Are! The Crystal Gems!"
One hit was all it took. The weapon pounded directly through the gemstone, and the dummy, in just under a second like a concentrated jackhammer. The sharp triangle end made short work of the dummy's hardened exterior, leaving a perfect circular hole right through the body, the gemstone disappearing completely. Seconds after, the dummy disintegrated, leaving nothing but dust. Amethyst, Peridot, and Steven simply froze, wide eyed in almost pure horror. For Peridot, she especially was on thin ice for her involvement with Homeworld, and for Amethyst and Steven, they now had at least an idea on why Bismuth was gone so long, and without Rose saying anything. Peridot made a simple sidestep to hide behind Amethyst, spooked out of her mind, as Bismuth proudly went over to Steven, fitting the Breaking Point onto his arm.
"There. Now you mean Bismuth," Bismuth joked. But Steven was too spooked to laugh. And, with this kind of killer device in his hands ...
It was no joke.
"Come on, give it a test run. Oh, let me get outta the way," Bismuth said eagerly, one of the dummies actually stopping in front of him. Steven was still frozen on it, and he couldn't think straight. Here he was, with a killer weapon, and he was expected to use it against Gems to kill them for good. And not the good in the way of Rose's sword, either.
"No, I-I can't do this!" Steven yelled, backing away, and withdrawing the weapon.
"Why not?" Bismuth asked.
"Sh-Shattering Gems ... Wouldn't that make us as bad?"
"Of course not! 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 it's not what a Crystal Gem would do!" Snapped Steven.
Now Bismuth was actually getting upset.
"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 decided, yanking the Breaking Point out of Steven's hands. however, Peridot used her metal powers to jerk the weapon away from Bismuth. The other Gems were on the same side as Steven here.
"Are you mad, Bismuth?! You can't just march on in with this kind of weapon!" Peridot said, throwing it to the side. Bismuth, still fuming, went right on over to her, but now instead of just anger, she had more suspicions on this little green Gem.
"And why not?"
Peridot gulped, realizing what just happened.
"I-I just thought that maybe there's a better way to go at this? Something that doesn't involve shattering anybody?"
"Now why would you think that?" Bismuth asked, firmly and slow so each word can sink in. Bismuth was towering over Peridot at this point. Peridot backed up.
"It's just ... I-I just think that, maybe if we can go in a more calmer, and open-minded sort of way, then -"
All of a sudden, Peridot was grabbed by the collar, and pulled up hard! Steven and Amethyst gasped on seeing this. Peridot struggled to get free, but she won't be breaking out of her grasp.
"So you still like the Diamonds?" Bismuth questioned coldly.
"Put her down, she's our friend!" Steven insisted.
"She's a spy for Homeworld! Only a Gem working for the Diamonds would try to stop us from shattering them!" Bismuth retorted, slamming Peridot down into the ground. That did it. Amethyst brought her whip out, at the ready. Bismuth smiled, but more menacing this time, as she reached for the Breaking Point! Amethyst got her whip around the Breaking Point to throw it out of her reach, and she grabbed Bismuth's arm to swing her to the rock wall! Amethyst and Steven raced over to Peridot's aid, as Bismuth got to her feet.
"You ok, P?" Amethyst asked.
"I'm fine," Peridot replied, as Steven helped her to her feet.
"TRAITORS!"
"Uh oh."
Amethyst, Steven, and Peridot decided to make a run for it, and dodged Bismuth's charge. Amethyst already fought Bismuth, she knows how strong she is, even without a Breaking Point to use. The trio got a head start, but they were still plenty smaller than Bismuth, so the behemoth was gaining on them fast! Steven had to get a bubble going to cover them all, but Bismuth's impact was so hard, and so forceful, that it rocketed them skyward like a loaded spring. So high in fact, they landed all the way up to the lighthouse! The force Bismuth had to use must've been beyond incredible. When the three landed, Steven removed the bubble, all three of them laying on the ground. Peridot, still wide eyed, sat up almost immediately.
"STEVEN! We have to tell her RIGHT NOW!" Peridot screamed, getting it out there.
"Okay, you're right! I'm wrong! This plan was stupid," Steven said, agreeing. Suddenly, Bismuth made her horrifying return, and leaped all the way up to them! She wasn't going to let them get away that easy.
"Been WAY too long since I got back in the game. Say goodbye to Homeworld, clods!"
"That word was ours, you can't have that!" Peridot yelled, but Steven got up the shield again, as Bismuth slammed a pick axe hand onto it.
"Bismuth, hold on! We got something to tell you!"
"Save what breath you got left, traitors! Savor what you have," Bismuth said. However, the three backed up in the bubble.
"No no no, just hear us out! It's Homeworld, they like us now!" Steven yelled, trying to convince her.
"I know they like you, you're Homeworld! And Homeworld does NOT belong here!"
"No, I mean -"
Before they could finish, the trio in the bubble realized that they were going faster, and weren't slowing down. They were on the highest hill in Beach City, and they just started going down it in their bubble. The three tried running forward to slow it down, but it was no use. Suddenly, they all tumbled around, and were rolling down the hill fast! Bismuth ran after them, the bubble not slowing down from its decent. What's worse, the bubble wasn't just rolling straight, and it veered towards the cliff! The three Gems couldn't make the connection in time, and they ended up falling down fast! They hit one extension of cliff on the way down, making them fly off back another twenty feet until they hit the sand, rolling like a speeding bowling ball. They didn't stop rolling until they made about three hundred feet down the beach, Steven too dizzy to keep up the bubble any longer. They groggily got up, and saw they made a ton of distance ...
Until they saw Bismuth running to them.
"Oh COME ON!" Amethyst groaned. This time, there was no running. Bismuth didn't even slow down, the Breaking Point out in front of her like an aimed spear. Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot stayed together, knowing Bismuth was going too quick this time around. Bismuth got all three of them pinned to the ground at once, Breaking Point aimed and at the ready. One trigger, and either one of them are gonna die ...
"Any last words, clods?" Bismuth asked, ready to finish them off. The three honestly didn't know what to say. Just a few minutes, she was their friend, and now that they refused to play her game, she's ready to kill them. Talk about your one eighty. They weren't sure how to react from her, but they did had one when they looked to the sky, just to see something break the clouds ...
"Steven, bubble, bubble NOW!" Amethyst shrieked. Steven immediately did so, pushing Bismuth back.
Not a moment too soon.
.......
*BOOOOM!*
The trio couldn't see what happened, Steven keeping the bubble up as the beach suddenly, apparently, exploded up around them. The blinding sand and dust stayed for a good twenty seconds, and during that time they couldn't see Bismuth anywhere. Did she poof? Or worse, get shattered? The three didn't had a single clue. Once the dust cloud drifted away, they saw Bismuth on the ground, blunt force affecting her, and something encircling their bubble. It looked like some sort of snake, and they saw the tail had feathers.
Blue and green feathers.
"Who are you?!" Bismuth demanded.
"Quetzalcoatl. Q for short."
Quetzalcoatl is back! Steven only saw him once before, and even then he was just as dumbfounded as everyone else there. Q was clearly protecting the trio in the bubble, yet Bismuth tried anyway to attack with her Breaking Point. Quetzalcoatl's scales though held one surprise, as Bismuth made contact with it.
One trigger, and the Breaking Point broke! The metal end launched out with a loud crack of metal. Bismuth was speechless.
"...wh...WHAAAA?!?!"
Q Just gave a huff, looking down to Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot. Steven, astonished more than scared, removed the bubble for the moment as Quetzalcoatl unraveled himself. His attention first went over to Bismuth.
"It's time we put the past in the past. One who does not learn from past mistakes are doomed to repeat them," Q said. Bismuth though wasn't getting it.
"What're you talking about? That's got nothing to do here," retorted Bismuth. Then Q turned to the trio of Gems, looking disappointed.
"I think we're all tired of your sharada, don't you?"
"Wait, you knew?! Why didn't you come out?!"
Q sighed.
"I wasn't supposed to. I don't enjoy being the ex machina. But circumstances left me with no other option. Like I said, history is doomed to repeat. Now we all know what's left to do, right?"
"... Yeah."
"Then go on. Tell her the truth," Q instructed. Not having any other option (and the fact they were gonna do that anyway), the trio decided that it was enough. Q moved aside gently so the three had no barrier with Bismuth. Bismuth was just as confused on the situation, but waited for an answer from the three there. Amethyst, feeling stupid and guilty, went first.
"Bismuth. Let's just be clear first that we're all on the same side. We really are the Crystal Gems, we're not against you, and what we're about to say won't change that at all, okay?" Amethyst asked.
Bismuth, not saying a word, just nodded. Peridot was up next.
"Okay then. You see, Bismuth, over recent events that had happened over the course of one Earth year, things had changed between the Crystal Gens, and the Gems over on Homeworld. A lot," Peridot started.
"See, you know Garnet, and she has this fancy mind trick to see in the future. So, one day, she saw this big future vision she wanted to happen. Like, REALLY wanted to happen, which involved Homeworld, actually," Amethyst added.
"We've been busy then to make a spaceship for a while, and we got over onto Homeworld. Blue Diamond was happy to see us, and Yellow Diamond was, eh, okay. So we stayed around, helping out Homeworld for a bit, and we ..." Steven trailed off.
They all just said it.
"We saved Homeworld."
There was a long pause. Bismuth wasn't sure if they were lying to her, or telling the truth. They seemed to be very honest, if not embarrassed, while they were talking. There didn't seem to be anything to make them say that, or inspiration from anywhere for them to work that sort of explanation off of. Bismuth just stood there, starting to relax a little bit, as Q curled up close by. This was Bismuth's decision now. Bismuth crossed her arms, looking a bit judgmental.
"... So let me get this straight: you, the Crystal Gems. You made a spaceship, went back to Homeworld after a thousand years of war. And you managed to save Homeworld, and they actually like you now?"
The trio only nodded in response.
"Well. More or less. Most of them like us now, anyway," Steven admitted. Bismuth expected lying from the Homeworld Gem, maybe even from Amethyst. But Rose's son also was on board with the idea. Bismuth took a few steps forward.
"... But, then why didn't ..."
"We thought that you needed some time to settle first. You just got back, so ..."
"Oh ... I see ..."
There was another silence that hung in the air for a little bit. Steven and the Gems weren't sure if Bismuth was believing them or not, Bismuth not giving them any real clue ...
Then giggling.
Then laughing!
"HAHAHAAAA! WOW! I knew things were changing here, but DANG! Homeworld liking the Crystal Gems? Who'd of guessed that happening?! You really made history, you know that?"
They've never been so relieved. Looks like Bismuth believed them. Even Q made a sigh of relief on hearing that. Bismuth was back to her cheery self again.
"So, we good? For real?" Peridot asked. Bismuth picked them up, hugging the three for her answer.
"Course we are! Sorry for trying to kill you all back there," Bismuth said.
"Eh, I'm used to it," Steven said. Bismuth just laughed on Steven's answer, giving him a noogie to the head, Steven laughing himself. They were darn glad that Bismuth accepted them, and Q silently slithered away. No one even noticed that he was gone until Amethyst looked back and saw three stray feathers left behind where Q was laying. While each one was the essential blue, the tips of each feather were different colors: pink, purple, and brown. Odd, but it was a minor detail.
"Well, peace on Earth. That's great."
"Actually, there's still missions we do handle here. You know, helping Equestria, fighting monsters, that sort of thing," Amethyst said. Bismuth smirked, her hand turning into a hammer.
"Then I got your back."
The four then started to head off home ...
Still, some had seen the whole thing, hidden nearby.
"Did your Future Vision see that?" Flint asked.
"Let's say it did, and move on," replied Garnet.