//------------------------------// // 20,000 Leagues into the Earth PT1 // Story: My Little Universe: Season 5 // by EquestrianKirin //------------------------------// "Come on, there's got to be a Warp Pad somewhere around here," Amethyst said. The group still roaming around the pink flower hills into the night, and so far Steven and his friends had not even remotely found any sort of Warp Pad, or any way to get back. At this point, they practically ignored their little list, and were just more focused on getting to the rest of the Gems back home. How can they just hide the fact their Earth could just blow up at any moment?! Seriously?! The second they get back, they got some serious explaining to do. The rest of the day went by much faster than they'd like, and sure enough, the group ended up going through close to night time. "Still nothing. It must be hidden somewhere," Twilight said, sitting down, getting a little tired from the wandering. Going around all day, and they've got to nothing. "Say no more. Pinkie AWAY!!" Pinkie exclaimed, suddenly bolting off fast and out of sight. Well, none of the group really did try to stop her (who could?). Steven, who actually was trailing behind them a bit, just caught up with the rest at this point. He honestly was just beside himself after what they found out earlier, and just wasn't sure what to really take. It got to the point when he was getting a bit beat himself, as he gave a yawn. "Getting tired, sport?" Rainbow asked. "No, no, I'm ... fine ..." Steven said. They've been walking all day, almost non-stop, trying to find the next Warp Pad. Who wouldn't get tired? The kid kept walking for a bit more, but he gave out another yawn. "Maybe we've been going a little too much. Let's try and relax for a - *thud* ... bit." Before Fluttershy could finish, Steven took a headstart, and was on the ground sleeping away. Well, that was decided for them, that's for sure. ....... There he stood. Steven woke up after a bit, and he found himself sitting in some sort of odd room. The room had no windows, no doors, not even any exact walls. It was like Steven woke up inside some odd dome, and it surely shows: pitch black emptiness circling around the large area, the floor having an inch of consistent water, not going anywhere deeper or shallower. The floor itself looked more like mixed paint, with shades of light and dark sea green twisted and twirled into eachother. The floor itself seemed to be the only main source of light, the floor illuminating a greenish color, but it wasn't enough to remove the darkness everywhere else. "Where am I? ... Hello?!" Nothing. Steven's voice just trailed off into a sort of echo. Steven looked around some more, and waited for a little bit. Each step he took covered his feet in water, though Steven didn't need to take very many steps until he began to see something from the distance. Steven found the figure unmistakable, and quickly raced over to her. Her thick hair, muscular body, and shield cutie mark made it very much so. "Jasper!" Steven called. As he got closer though, Steven began to realize that Jasper was not all the same. She was down on her knees, hunched over, and her hands were apparently cuffed by some sort of strange water chains, Steven unable to see Jasper's hands in them. These could be from Lapis's own doing, or a result of being in the fusion, but Steven knew that either way, it was not a nice sight to see Jasper in. Jasper herself turned her head, and the expression alone told Steven that Jasper was not the strong powerhouse she once was. NO, this Gem was tired, and struggling. "S-Steven! Wha - but - h-how're you here?" Jasper managed to say through her tired, wheezing breath. Of course, Steven wanted to help her out, and he went closer to her. "Where is here? Jasper, what happened to you?!" Steven asked, urgently. He only got more scared when Jasper felt her chains pull her down, and all Jasper could do was pull back on them to keep herself upright. "I ... I've been trying to - ACK! ... T-To keep her down. Lapis. S-She's - OOF! ... She's powerful. S-So strong ..." Jasper's own sentence was cut off time to time as she tried to pull the chains on her end. "Tell us where you are! We've been searching for you for months - we're worried sick over you and Lapis," Steven pleaded. "S-Steven, back away. Have - to - concen - AAH!" "Jasper!" Steven gasped, trying to get her. Suddenly, in a swift pull of her chains, Jasper was pulled under the floor, out of sight. Steven was alone for a moment, seeing the floor ripple under him like waves in a pond, only to hear someone else yelp from behind him, and fall to the ground. Turning around, Steven soon caught sight of the other Gem in question, down on her knees, and breathing heavily. This time, it was Lapis Lazuli herself. Her gemstone was still deeply damaged, and by the sound of her breathing, she wasn't fairing any better than Jasper was, if not worse. The second she noticed Steven, she stared back at Steven with her reflecting eyes, though she didn't do anything at first, her body glitching time to time. "Lapis," Steven quietly said. Lapis hunched over, like a cat arching its back in a threatening response. Immediately, Steven had to make things right: he licked his hand of his life-giving saliva, and he began to move closer to Lapis, hand extended. However, as Steven grew closer, Lapis began to hiss at him! Steven tried, but Lapis gave him a huge shocker, and actually clawed him! Her hands were sharp like claws, and Steven was forced to quickly leap back before he could get any damage. Luckily for him, the only damage he got was to a cut on his shirt, but no harm on his body or gem. "Lapis, please! It's me. Steven. Remember?" Steven asked. Lapis was still growling at him, though her back wasn't arched at this point. Looking at her though, she didn't really seem to remember much of anything anymore, her cracked Gemstone messing with her mind and body. Steven's heart sank. One of his closest friends doesn't even recognize him anymore. Lapis felt her own cuffed hands pull her down, and she tried to stop them from doing so. "Lapis. I-It's me. Your Beach Summer Fun Buddy? ... Lapis? ..." Steven tried to keep a smile on his face, but he still felt tears come down from his face. Lapis's growls began to, ever so slowly, go away. However, they just came back, and turned into screeching when she ended up being pulled under again, just for Jasper to surge out of the floor again. Steven saw that Jasper was dwindling away, and if this was what Jasper had been doing for months now, then the half Gem would NOT take this lying down. Steven went straight over to Jasper, not wasting any time. "S-Steven." "Jasper, please, tell us where you and Lapis are. You're not going to last much longer this way," Steven said, urgent and rather firm for him to do. Jasper knew he was probably right, and if they hadn't found them yet, she had to. Jasper tried to say, but she felt the struggle Lapis was holding on to her own chains. "Mask Island! W-We're at Mask Island!" Jasper choked out. FINALLY, Steven had gotten some decent tracks on where to go. And not a moment too soon: soon after Jasper said that, Steven's vision began to blur, as the room started to slowly disappear around him. The thing that didn't disappear though was a bright light over in front of him, which grew and grew until that was all he could see. ....... Steven woke up with a startle, back with the others seconds after that, still with his caterpillar sleeping bag, still on Earth, and seeing it was the dawn of a new day. Steven's startling jump did wake up some of the others amongst the group, Connie being the first to wake up. "Steven! What's wrong, are you okay?" Connie asked, almost instinctively. Steven needed to calm down a bit, but the others had their own questions still. "Did you have a nightmare, sugarcube?" AJ asked. "No, no, it's Malachite!" Steven exclaimed. "Malachite?!" Everyone else gasped. Steven felt in his heart that, fake or not, that the dream was indeed some sort of calling card for him. No way would he remember a dream THAT clearly, to the point where every single word and action was remembered. Normal dreams can't do it that well in memory. "... Do we know Malachite?" Fluttershy asked. "It's Lapis and Jasper's fusion! They spoke to me, I swear they did!" Steven insisted. Twilight and Applejack went over to Steven, trying to calm him down. "Ok, calm down. What did you see?" Twilight asked. "Let's see. I was in some dark room, and I saw Jasper and Lapis both in chains, still fused. I think they're both trying to take control of Malachite. Jasper is in control now, but I don't know for how long," Steven explained, worrying the others a little bit more. "What else did they tell you?" Connie asked. "I know where they are now! Jasper told me they were at Mask Island. We have to get them before they leave again!" Steven concluded, getting himself out of his sleeping bag. He had been worried over Lapis and Jasper for far too long, and now that they know where they are, best to go get them now before they could wander away and lose them. The name of the location got Amethyst thinking as the others spoke. "Wait, but what about the Cluster? That can go off at any time," Connie pointed out. "The other Gems are working on fixing that, remember? We have to go and get Malachite, and if we are, I say we do it now. Who knows how much damage that kind of fusion could cause for anypony else, and to themselves. Such a unstable combination," Rarity explained. "That, and the Cluster isn't going anywhere - Malachite is!" Added Steven. "Agreed. But, where's Mask Island from here? Sounds like it's off coast to me," Twilight wondered. "FOUND IT!" A voice suddenly rang out, as a familiar pink blur raced right over to them. She looked extremely excited, hopping in place and a huge smile. "Found the Warp Pad - right over there! Somepony hid it with funny leaves!" Pinkie yelled. Good ol Pinkie. Suddenly, Amethyst got it, snapping her fingers in realization. "Let's go gang! To the nearest Warp Pad!" Amethyst announced. "To the nearest Warp Pad!" Everyone else repeated, equally determined. Amethyst took the lead, as everyone else followed her. It did not take very long until the group had found the Warp Pad that got them there in the first place, and soon everybody and everypony got straight onto it. Amethyst took the honor in activating the Warp Pad. Cluster or no Cluster, their friends are out there trapped as Malachite for far too long. And it's time to save them from this tyranny. ~~~~~~ Back at the drill, things were rather quiet for anyone over in the location. Being very early in the day, any Gem wouldn't exactly be there for the moment ... well, all but one. Hidden off away behind some of the foliage near the barn, Peridot snuck out into sight after checking to be sure she was alone. Finally motivated for the first time in weeks, Peridot knew exactly what she must do now to help save not just her friends, but Earth altogether. It was a long shot, but she had made up her mind, and it was too late to turn back now as far as she knew. There wasn't any ladder to climb up, so Peridot put her leash to good used, and used it like a hiking rope, getting it lasso'd at the opened hatch, and pulling herself up right into it. She did stumbled on getting in, but it was a perfect fit as seating goes. Peridot got into position, pulling the leash inside before she studied the controls. Peridot did not had one chance to look at these though, so she needed a little bit to figure out what did what. "Okay, you got this, Peridot ... just get this drill working," Peridot told herself. Looking down at the controls, Peridot started to try and work out what did what. At first, nothing seemed to happen apart from some simple twitches of the drill's legs, and some accidental activations of the drill itself. It wasn't enough to get any attention though, so, Peridot kept going. "Come on, you can do this Peri. Eh, maybe this one?" Peridot tapped another button down a few more times, but suddenly the drill fell right onto the ground under her, the little green Gem stumbling forward, but not enough to fall out. Before Peridot could try again. ... "... Peridot?" The green Gem froze on the voice, hiding within the drill, only to find Star Quartz standing there in confusion. Peridot did calm down once she realized who it was. "Oh, Star, it's only you. Hey ... are the others with you?" Peridot asked nervously. Star took a moment to look around, turning back and forth, side to side, and eventually shook her head. Peridot sighed in relief as she scrambled into the drill properly, and tried the controls again. "... What are you doing?" Star Quartz asked. "Saving the world, Star. This green Gem is going where no era 2 Gem had gone before ... as soon as I figure out how this works." Star watched as Peridot tried to figure things out, but it wasn't exactly working out for her. The white Gem moved over to Peridot's side. "... But. Why? The others wanted to do it." Peridot sighed. "Star, I was the one who was tasked a mission for the Cluster in the first place. And over a year now, I had yet to even finish that. If anyone is to confront the Cluster, it might as well be me. There's no reason for somebody, or somepony for that matter, to do a mission you were assigned to do yourself ... I have to do this, Star." Star Quartz stayed quiet for a moment or two, as Peridot tried some more to get the drill moving. She had to at least get the drill mobile, but it just didn't seem to be that kind of function available on the ship anywhere. "... Here. Let me help you," Star said, reaching into the controls, and flipping three of the switches. Suddenly, just like that, the drill started to alter in shape and structure. The legs straightened, and lifted up the drill, and the drill piece suddenly turned, and aimed to the sky, making the drill look more like a robotic hermit crab. Peridot was more than happy to finally get somewhere with this, the main pod itself in the forward facing position, like a head. "Thanks," Peridot simply said. ... "Peridot, wait." So much for being alone. Peridot and Star Quartz turned away from the barn, and found another Gem that snuck out to meet up with them: Pearl. Pearl?" "Peridot, let me come with you," Pearl said, getting right to the point. Peridot tensed up. "I can't let -" "Peridot. I want to save this planet as much as you do, and I've caused enough damage to the mission as it is. I want to make it up to everyone, whatever it takes. Please, Peridot, let's save the world together." Peridot took a bit to think on what Pearl said, but seeing the broken Gemstone was more than enough proof she wasn't lying to her. This little green Gem could leave her behind, but the look on Pearl's determined face was making this Gem waver. ... "Get in," Peridot said. After Pearl got into the drill. Peridot began to work out the legs of the drill, showing surprisingly sturdy movement as one leg moved in front of the other. Peridot tested out the legs a little bit more before she turned to Star one more time. "We're heading to the Beta Kindergarten now. If the others ask where We are, tell them - ... Tell them ... that they will be taking one for the team." Star simply nodded to reassure Peridot that she would give the message. After that was all said and done, Peridot got the drill working, and moved away, out of sight as she moved through the hills. Star may not had been alive for as long as the other Gems had been, but for a moment, Star was beginning to piece together what the green Gem was truly meaning ... "... Goodbye. Mom ..." ~~~~~~ A flash of the Warp Pad pierced through the nighttime air, with Steven, Twilight, and friends arriving off to the location where Steven had the information for. Without the light of the Warp Pad, the main source of light was the moon and stars on Mask Island. The location they ended up in suggested a tropical island, with many sorts of plants, trees, and bushes all growing sky high. The moonlight danced through the trees, giving them a sort of proper direction on the island. Good thing for them, the Warp Pad met with a decent sized trail, and since it was the only one, they got to going. "Did they say exactly where on this island?" Rarity asked. "Eh ... no, Jasper didn't. I got cut off before she could say," Steven admitted. It would've helped if she could say where they were before being taken away, but being on an island, it couldn't be too hard to find either one of them. "Then how will we know when we find her?" Pinkie wondered, scratching her head with her hoof. ... Well, Pinkie said the magic words: as they kept walking, they all began to hear something amongst the night wind. At first, they were only hearing the wind, but soon low groans and moans started to come up from the darkness of the island landscape. Being in such a dark place, none of them could exactly see what was what, the group trying to figure out where the sounds were coming from. The moaning and groaning turned into shivers of the earth, whatever the figure was beginning to move. They continued looking around, but it began to seem that this figure was finding them. They all heard a much louder groan, and they all finally found their opposition standing tall, staring them all down with a feral look in her eyes, the more prominent ones mirrored. Obviously the fall did not make things any better for Lapis or Jasper, and this unstable fusion was still rampaging. Malachite found her latest prey. "Oh. I think we'll know," Rainbow finished. Malachite was quick to show her feral anger with a loud roar, her front arms swinging down towards them. All of them could only bolt out of the way before Malachite could crush them both. This giant fusion wasn't going to let them even come close to her, and the whole group quickly got out of sight from the fusion's eyes thanks to the foliage around the area, but Malachite still tried her luck in finding them. "K, we found her, anypony have any ideas?" AJ asked. "OK, this fusion's only half-cracked. If I remember right, Lapis was the one who got her gemstone cracked, so maybe if we managed to heal her, maybe they'll come back around," Twilight figured, working her memory as best she could. None of them could forget about their last encounter with these two, and how it got to being that way in the first place. Malachite stood up tall, trying to find them and the moonlight revealed the currently broken stone in the fusion's body. As if to hammer the point in further, Malachite's body glitched slightly. "Easier said than done, Twilight. She'll clobber us all into the dirt the second she - ... sees ... us. ..." And what do you know, after Amethyst made that comment, Malachite found them again! The unstable fusion stared them all down, raising one of her feet to stomp on them. Panicking, Steven got his shield out to block, just strong enough to avoid getting crushed on sight. Malachite snarled at them trying to use her weight to crush them both and bringing her other foot down onto the shield. The others took the chance to bolt for it, Connie just grabbing Steven and pulling them out just in time before the shield would crumble under Malachite. Clear that the raging Lapis Lazuli was in full control of this fusion beast. Malachite gave chase after the group, but all of them raced off in different directions, giving Malachite a lot more targets to try and focus on. Malachite managed to get her target down to Rainbow Dash and rushed her in a roar. The fast Pegasus just dodged her, but not without a few strands from her tail being sliced off by Malachite's claws. After that, this confusion at least left the fusion stuck and a bit disoriented on where to. After some quick sneaking around, they all got together again farther away, out of sight from the angry fusion. None of them can stand in front of Malachite without getting flattened. "That's it, I'm taking her out," Rainbow decided, ready to fly. AJ was quick to grab Rainbow by the tail, and pulled her back in. "Rainbow stop, they're still our friends. If we try to fight her, you might crack Lapis's stone again," Applejack made clear. A straight attack on Malachite was just a risk on cracking apart Malachite further, but at the same time, Malachite was simply too big to be met up with. "Look, our main problem is that cracked gemstone. Heal that, and maybe we'll get back the Jasper and Lapis we all know and love," Connie figured. "How? Not to point out the obvious, but, I don't think she's willing to listen," Rarity asked, glancing to Malachite as she tore apart a tree looking for them. Enough to make them gulp, at the least. Malachite turned to their direction, the whole group trying to keep out of sight as best they could, Malachite starting to move in closer, sniffing the air like a hungry predator. They had limited options here, and they needed to figure something out. "OK, it may not be perfect, but I think I got a plan." Steven decided. "Well, lay it out because we're running out of time," Applejack said. With just enough time to explain the plan, Malachite loomed over them all, and tried another large attack. The group all rushed away, this time in groups rather than just one alone to pick off. Malachite tried to track them, but she suddenly found herself a bit alone about the point. The fusion tried to locate them one way or another, a blood-curdling roar echoing all over the island. This fusion was not letting her prey get away from her this easily, and she tried to look through the trees and bushes to find them somewhere. While looking through one of the trees, Connie, Amethyst, and Steven slipped out of their hiding places, and met up much farther. "Alright. Let's do this," Steven decided, Connie and Amethyst agreeing. Malachite continued to tear apart a tree, but during mid-destruction, a prominent light made her stop, and quickly catch Malachite's attention. This light, coming up from the trio, soon reveal their full hybrid fusion standing to face Malachite! Compared to before, the only slight different since Amethyst's reformation was the shirt that resembled Amethyst's, but apart from that, that was about it. Everything else was the same as the last time she came across the sides that made up Malachite. Malachite locked eyes with the fusion, snarling at her new opponent that entered the ring, but Malachite didn't rush at this fusion right away, and the two were at a stand off with one another. "EarthStone," Malachite growled. "Malachite. We're only trying to help you," EarthStone said, calmly walking over to her with her hands up in submission. Malachite though was not going to give EarthStone the time of day for it, and the fusion already started to rush out at her with surprising speed, locking horns with her in just two seconds! EarthStone had to get all her strength together just to avoid being knocked back by Malachite's strength. EarthStone didn't have an extra set of legs like this centaur fusion, so traction was Malachite's advantage towards EarthStone, but the tri fusion still had an extra set of arms to push back against Malachite to keep her still. EarthStone didn't want to hurt Malachite, or damage her gemstone any further. Both fusions tried to hold their own against eachother, but Malachite finally knocked EarthStone right off her feet, and suddenly she was on top of her. "Lapis. Jasper. I know you're in there. Please, we just want to heal you!" Earthstone insisted, though Malachite was just not listening to her, giving another roar. Malachite slashed at her, though EarthStone reacted fast enough to grab both of her arms, and finally pushed Malachite off of her with her second set of arms. The other fusion stumbled back, but avoided falling on her broken stone. EarthStone jumped to her feet, and suddenly gave a signal whistle, good and strong. Malachite tried to recover, but the ponies around got to work on the signal. The ponies had gotten some vines from the island jungle, and they quickly began to race around at Malachite's feet. It didn't take too long until Malachite's legs were completely covered up in vines, and keeping the unstable fusion immobile, at least for a moment so EarthStone can get to her. "Ok. Ok, that's it ... that's it, there's a good girl," EarthStone said, slowly walking towards the fusion as she struggled with the vines. Malachite grabbed the vines, and started to snap each one off of her. EarthStone took a lick to one of her hands, and readied herself to healing. There was no other option to get to, and if they let her run off, who knew how long it'll take before they'll find her again? EarthStone got about a foot away when Malachite ripped off the last vines to her legs. Now or never. Malachite straightened up, and was just about to charge at EarthStone, but the tri fusion got to her first. EarthStone had Malachite in a grip, the upper arms hugging tight, and the lower arms meeting with the cracked gemstone to the back. time seemed to have stopped: Malachite and EarthStone both were in a hug, and the spit EarthStone got on her hand met the gemstone. The ponies nearby waited with fingers crossed (metaphorically), for a good result they all were hoping for. Malachite froze up as she felt the gemstone on her back start to fill in the cracks in a glimmer of light. EarthStone kept her still until she felt Malachite's gem become whole again, and only then did she released her. Everything was silent, and EarthStone slowly backed away from Malachite. Malachite was fully healed, but she was not moving an inch anywhere. The other fusion shivered, twitched, and then ... *poof* Malachite was finally finished with. Lapis and Jasper, worn out completely, were both finally able to release eachother. EarthStone saw them both fall, and just managed to catch them both, and set them down gently. Jasper and Lapis's fusion time was murder on their energy, and the two were left unconscious on the ground. EarthStone split apart herself, a little tired, but at least awake. The fall of Malachite coincided with the rise of the sun, just morning by the time everything was over. "Hey, Jasper, Lapis ... You alright?" Rainbow asked, as they went over to them. Neither side of them actually said anything, and just laid there unconscious. They may be weak as ever, but they both were at the least in one piece. "Oh geez. They look pretty bad," Steven said in worry, looking down to the two Gems. "All that time must've worn them out," AJ figured, Connie resting her hand on Jasper's head. Both such strong gems now laying in a heap. That just proves that they both were completely beyond exhausted. "Whelp, all we can do is get them back home. Come on, let's get to it," Steven decided. ~~~~~~ "THE DRILL! WHERE'S THE DRILL?!" Flint bellowed, frantically trying to locate it somewhere around the barn. Very early in the morning, and the Crystal Gems had arrived to the barn just to find nothing, and seeing the drill itself simply missing. Not a hint or clue anywhere on it being dragged off, apart from some tiny prints in the dirt. And, after a little bit, Garnet soon saw something else over nearby. Or rather, lack there of: Peridot and the leash. Once the others saw that, the reactions were quick. "I knew it! That traitor stole our drill! Good-for-nothing clod," Bismuth accused, her fists clenched. She, alongside Flint, had the least amount of trust in Peridot since this charade started, so, assuming that she stole it wasn't too far off in their own mind. Garnet stood there for a minute to contemplate this, as Fulgurite, Jade, and Pearl went to open the barn itself. Once they did, the group found that the barn wasn't completely abandoned. Just inside, quietly weeping, and huddled up with her back to the door, was Star Quartz herself. The white Gem was completely quiet, and hadn't even moved from the barn since Peridot had left, and she had only stayed and wondered on the inevitable for the green Gem, and possibly the world. She was holding a small communication device in her hands as well - one that connected to the drill, but she hadn't even used it yet. "Star? Is everything ok?" Fulgurite asked, the white Gem not reacting just yet. Star did eventually turn back to them, needing to keep her promise told to her, though tears still were on her face in streams. She walked outside quietly, and it didn't take long until the others saw her tears as well. "Star?" Jade asked. "... I ... I ..." "Star. Where's Peridot?" Flint asked firmly. Star needed a minute ... "... She ... she said she is taking one for the team. To complete her mission to Earth." "Star what are you talking about? Where'd she go?" Bismuth asked, equally firm. Star took a minute to answer, but instead of words, she simply pointed off in the general direction of the drill, but nothing further than that. "... She, Pearl, and the drill went that way." "Both of them left? Where to, and why?" "... I'm. Not entirely sure," Star said simply. As much as Flint was annoyed, he can't force it out of a Gem like her. All of a sudden though, Bismuth and Flint were moved aside by Garnet, the fusion feeling more troubled. "Star Quartz, please. What did Peridot tell you, exactly? What is she trying to do?" Garnet asked, both her hands on Star's shoulders, looking her eye to eye without her shades. Star saw the fusion looking extremely concern, far more than normal. Star knew this wasn't exactly the message, yet she had to tell him. She must. Not something she normally would do, but she didn't want Peridot to go away like this. After all she's gone through ... "Peridot and Pearl had gone after the Cluster ..." The Crystal Gems had their share of reactions to this, though surprise was the overall feel to this. The most shocked out of all of them though was Garnet herself. Garnet though felt a swell of guilt strike her over her shock. These past few weeks, she and the others had been hard on Peridot over something that she forgot about, and they just hadn't been giving her the time of day to make up for it. Next thing they knew, Garnet turned and was suddenly running away from the barn, almost running over some of the other Gems just to get going. "GEMS, COME ON!" "Where're you going? We still don't know where they are!" "They're going after the Cluster, where do you think?! MOVE!" Garnet ordered, and raced off fast to catch up to Peridot and Pearl. Not often does Garnet end up this panicked over anything, so they had to get themselves going. ... *rumble* Before any of them could, the tremors started shaking up the Earth! This earthquake lasted for a solid fifteen seconds, shaking the entire world apart. The barn itself threaten to collapse on them with nails and a few roof tiles shaking off it. The fence collapsed nearby, and flora everywhere was being shaken of their leaves. It was enough to get them into high gear, and take off running. As they ran, Flint got the communicator in hand, and trying to contact Peridot and/or Pearl as they made their way on the Warp Pad, and teleporting off. ....... One quick warp later, and soon they were in the Beta Kindergarten. The Beta kindergarten, being in summer, was a lot hotter and drier than before. While the tremors didn't had too big of trouble in Beach City, the earthquakes here, caused by the Cluster, made the earth a bit more unsteady underfoot, the ground cracking open in several places as they were moving on their way through. Injectors had fallen over, and holes were split apart all over, probably explaining why the kindergarten was as disarrayed as it was. Lucky for them the earthquake already happened here, otherwise they would've been in the middle of a canyon-sized landslide. It wasn't the kindergarten itself though that Garnet wanted to get to, and she immediately got herself out into the arid desert, the others trying to keep up with her. "GARNET, WAIT UP!" Diopside called. Garnet kept running like mad, until she finally skidded to a stop once she saw what was ahead, FINALLY having the others catch up. Just ahead, out in the middle of the desert itself, the others found a large, circular hole in the desert dirt. It was too big, and too even, to be of any similar animal, and as Diopside and Flint looked down in, it was obviously deep. "Wonderful. They already started drilling," Flint groaned, as he went back to the communicator to try to reach her. Flint fiddled with it more and more, until finally he managed to get a connection. The screen showed Peridot and Pearl down into the earth, the lights on inside the drill pod, and the earth flowing upward outside the windows like a flowing river. Both Peridot and Pearl didn't even notice the screen turn on, a bit too focused on the mission at hand. "Peridot!" Flint yelled, Peridot jumping in her seat. The green Gem quickly recovered though, and turned to the screen. "GEMS, give back that drill this instant!" "Flint, We're already drilling, just let us do this for you!" "The only thing you can do is get your -" suddenly, Garnet had grabbed the communicator from him, her shades thrown off her head to show her worried eyes for Peridot and Pearl to see, both hands gripping the communicator. "Peridot, Pearl! I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so hard on both of you! We all make mistakes, even I do! Please, just come back and we'll all go down there together," Garnet said, trying to get both Gems to change their minds on going down on their own. "We can't do that, Garnet. The rest of you find a place safe until this is all over," Pearl advised. Garnet looked very troubled. "We'll even heal you, just come back! You'll never make it by yourselves!" Garnet begged. Neither Gem ever saw Garnet beg for anything, but both Gems were already drilling, and they couldn't turn back now. Besides, both Gems had a straight mind on this one. "Then it's been fun being with you." "GEMS!" Too late. The communicator went quiet, and so were their only chance to contact them.