//------------------------------// // Heiligdom // Story: My Little Universe: Season 8 // by EquestrianKirin //------------------------------// It was hard to say how long they exactly were going through space, but then again how could anyone truly tell time when there wasn't anything to tell them that? Pink diamond's ship continued it's course through space, which for the moment wasn't exactly anywhere all too much, as Steven didn't coordinate anything precise in just yet apart from setting off to space. Good thing there was plenty of rooms inside the ship, otherwise they'd all just be sitting in the one spot and doing little to nothing. Blue, Yellow, and White had a bit more restricted movement around the ship, if any, thanks to their size compared to everyone else. And honestly, this was probably for the best, at least for the other Gems and White Diamond specifically, as they can do their own thing for a bit. For Connie and Steven, this meant some time to figure out the friendship lessons for White Diamond. Connie, not to mention, finally got some stretching room now that they were alone. Connie and Steven got one of the Pink Diamond screens (something the ship had installed) to work with for a list of essentials. "If we're gonna teach White Diamond friendship, maybe we should start off strong," suggested Connie. "... How about teaching her partner values?" "I don't think White's ever had a husband. Or wife," Steven replied. "Hmm … what about racial understanding? That sounds like something White should know." "That sounds very controversial … put it for number four," Connie said. Steven placed that for number four (on a twenty bulleted list), just underneath "neutral respect", "helping others", and "make someone happy". The essentials of friendship. "You think teaching her about family relationships is important? I mean, Yellow, Pink, Blue, and you are her family after all," Connie pointed out. "You're right! Here, give me a second," Steven said, quickly scribbling in that part of the friendship importance right above everything else. Since this was pre-made, he had to improvise and even scribble in a extra dot above number one. "Ok, I think we got a good start. Helping others shouldn't be that hard to do, so maybe we should try that first," Steven figured. Helping others was a concept done practically every day for anyone, so perhaps it would be good to start small and work up. "Sounds perfect! … Uh, by the way Steven, when do you want to tell the others about me? … You know, being here?" Connie asked, rubbing the back of her head. "I promise I'll tell them when we get there. I just had to hide you away from White Diamond on the takeoff," Steven reassured. There was no possible way he could keep Connie a secret the entire trip, unless Connie was VERY patient and very nimble. Steven looked outside of the room to check and see if anyone was coming their way, and sure enough, he saw glimpse of someone coming towards his room. "Connie, dive maneuver - code White," Steven quickly said. Good thing for them, Steven opened up his backpack big enough for Connie to work with. Connie nodded, and in one well-coordinated leap, she landed right inside the backpack. Steven just got the bag zipped up JUST before more company got into the room. Good timing too, as the visitor was White Pearl coming in. "Pink Diamond. Your opinion is requested: which location do you wish to arrive to?" White Pearl asked, her tone as monotone and as creepy as ever. Steven kinda had to push the list with his foot, trying to hide it from this pearl just in case things were gonna end up downhill. "Locations? OH yeah, give me a second," Steven said, going back into the bag himself, making sure that the main part of the compartment wasn't completely unzipped. As he was doing that, Connie actually spoke again. "S-Steven. Steven. I have the list in with me!" Connie whispered. SERIOUSLY?! It was a little bit harder when White Pearl moved up right behind him, keeping rather close to Steven - uncomfortably close, awaiting for his answer. He better find that list and fast. "Uh. Pearl? Can you back away please?" "Which location do you wish to arrive to, Pink Diamond?" White Pearl asked. Steven wasn't sure if White Pearl could see Connie in the bag or not, but he didn't want to take any chances, starting to push White Pearl away. "OK, Pink Diamond wants some privacy right now. Stand WAY over here, and I'll get your answer," Steven instructed, before hastily rushing back to the bag to look. Steven only had a short window of opportunity to do so, as White Pearl didn't stand still for too long, starting to slowly move back behind him! Lucky, Connie got the list in hand already, and quickly gave it to him just before he zipped up the bag completely, and just before White Pearl could notice anything. THANK GOODNESS. "Aha! Here it is! Ok, uh, let's see …" Steven took a look at the options that he had before him. Peridot already went over what each planet was to some degree, so, Steven had a easier time figuring out which planet to actually stop by. "Ok, which one was it? … Eenie. Meanie. Miney. You!" And Steven's searching finger landed on a planet that looked a bit lush. Like earth in a way, but a bit smaller and a bit more lushful to him. White Pearl took quick notes of the planet Steven picked, and then nodded her head. "I will notify the Diamonds at once," White Pearl said, before "floating" out of the room, the door closing behind her. Steven felt a wave of relief come over him, collapsing onto his rear. Connie peeked out from the bag herself, also relieved they were still okay with everything. "That was WAY too close," Connie sighed. "Let's try to get to the planet soon," agreed Steven. "Steven!" Connie quickly ducked back inside the back on the second voice, just in time as someone else came into the room. THIS time though it wasn't any malicious person coming in, but instead of Homeworld being interventive, this time it was Lapis Lazuli and Pearl coming in to see him. "Lapis! Pearl!" Steven said, happy to see some good company today. Connie wanted to come out too, but, it was still too risky with White Pearl and White Diamond not too far away from earshot, or eyeshot. "Thank goodness. We saw White Pearl come in here, did she do anything to you?" Pearl asked. "Yeah, no, I'm fine. She just wanted to know where we were going that's all," Steven replied. both Gems were glad it didn't go any further than that. "How's everyone else, by the way?" Steven then asked. "Well, Peridot, Sapphire, and Bismuth are keeping their distance from the control room, on account of you-know-who. Blue and Yellow are … tolerating White Diamond as they can't go around the ship all that much," Pearl explained. Tolerate would be the right word for those two. "Oh boy. Well, we got our destination, so they won't have to deal with this for much longer," Steven reassured, showing the planet list in question. Pearl and Lapis looked at the planet Steven picked out, Steven pointing it out. Lapis and Pearl weren't really space travelers, but they do know how to read Gem writing, and the name of this planet sounded just like a place Steven would want to go to. They're on their way to Heiligdom. ~~~~~~ Twilight. The sun on Heiligdom just began to grace its life-filled planet, the native plant life starting to come to life just as the heat of the sun began to grace their "leaves and stalks". Some of the plants started to spread open like blossoming flowers the moment the sun reached them, getting as much as possible. Even on Heiligdom, life's just as competitive as ever, even with plants. But with plant life, so too were the grazers. One of the local aliens began to slowly move out of the forest thicket, and out to its favored grazing spot along the ground. The alien looked like a Sanga bull, mixed with some sort of hadrosaur, the size of a elephant. The world became known of its presence when it gave a mighty bellow, the call echoing across the land. And this call easily reached the rest of the group. It was fairly easy to find a good park job for Pink Diamond's ship, finding an open area of plain nearby the forest, which by the by was decently thick and expansive for a jungle, kinda like the forests of the Jungle Moon, only a bit more spaced. Finally a moment to reflect, and some time to relax a bit. And another thing too … "Geronimo!" *SPLASH* Some actual fun. The landing site they've picked for their stop on Heiligdom had a bit more to it than just a simple jungle, as they actually found a sort of hot spring spot within the thicket, a few jungle pools scattered in the area. One that was exceptionally huge too, big enough for all the diamonds to fit in comfortably (if White Diamond was there, that is). The group got comfortable around the hot spring, Steven keeping the bag (and Connie) over nearby the edge of the spring. After the first splash from Steven into the warm water, he soon found some land in the form of Blue Diamond's knees. Lapis and Peridot also got comfy there too, Peridot getting an extra jump into the water. Even Yellow Diamond was feeling pretty relaxed. "Finally I haven't felt this relaxed in -" "WAHOO!" shouted Pink, taking a good jump into the water herself, and making Yellow Diamond tense up. "And it's over," Yellow sighed. "This is a great idea, Steven. I don't think I've ever seen Heiligdom ever since Homeworld found this planet," Lapis Lazuli said. "Thanks. Honestly, this has a lot more life on it than I expected," Steven admitted. A gem-controlled planet and organic life, far as he was aware, didn't entirely mix. "I'm gonna bet Pink Diamond made that happen," said Peridot, once she breached the surface. Blue Diamond chuckled, and looked to Sapphire. "Actually, it was my idea. But Pink Diamond had a bit to do with it too. I know White wouldn't agree, but this planet is just too special to just turn into any simple colony," Sapphire said. Could be her future vision saying it, or just the life itself, but Sapphire did find something good enough here to keep it around. Much like Earth. "It isn't like we could've made a colony here anyway," remarked Yellow Diamond. "How come?" Steven asked. "Lapis? You were there when those chernobyls arrived back to Homeworld way back when," said Blue. Lapis Lazuli thought about it for a little bit more, but then the memory came at her in short time. "Oh yeah! Steven picture this: just a day after coming back from Heiligdom, the scouts coming back to report. Oh stars, they looked like a complete mess, and guess what happened to come out with them? Go on, guess?" Lapis insisted. Steven thought of what could have happened, though possibly an alien from Heiligdom might've done something to them. "Hmmm … I'm gonna put my bits on a fluffy alien?" "Very close actually. Here, take a look," Lapis Lazuli said. "Wait, perhaps you shouldn't," Yellow insisted. Too bad Lapis was caught up in the moment to listen. She got her water magic to work, and manipulated the water to look like a gemship, with a few gems standing off nearby just about to open up the door. Having a good of memory as Lapis Lazuli meant a perfect representation. This also included Yellow Diamond standing nearby for a report. Soon as they opened the main hatch? … *FWOOMP* out popped out what he could only describe as a giant, adorable teddy bear! The chernobyls popped out with the alien on top of them. Yellow had such a dumbfounded look on her face seeing this thing just pop out like that, and when Steven saw that, he could barely hold himself, both hands over his mouth as he tried to hold back his laughing. "So kawaii!" Steven said. Kawaii was a new word, but it had to be a good word with Steven looking to it. Yellow Diamond was flustered. "To be fare, it was reported a lot smaller upon extraction," Yellow stated. Pink Diamond came up to the surface after a bit, seeing what was happening. She was just laughing at this too. "I remember that! Oh Yellow, your face!" Pink said. Yellow Diamond ignored her, but they then heard even Blue diamond giggling. "We get the point, stop laughing already!" "N-No, not you I-It's - hahahaha - w-who's doing that?! - hahaha!" Blue laughed, almost to the point of tears, enough for Lapis, Peridot, and Steven to get knocked off into the water. Everyone was either swimming nearby or standing by the bank, so none of them could be doing anything to Blue Diamond to make her laugh so much. However, when Peridot was underwater (upside-down albeit) she did actually catch sight of something swimming underwater thanks to the enhanced visor sight of hers. And whatever was underwater was swimming rather quickly, sliding its body against Blue Diamond for a bit before finally stopping upon seeing Peridot. "EEP!" Peridot yelped underwater, as the creature bolted extraordinarily quick towards Peridot, like a darting fish. Lucky for her though, the alien didn't want to hurt her, and just zoomed passed her and leaping onto the nearby bank right next to the Pearls. Now on land they got a better look at this creature. It's skin was purely white like snow, its eyes black yet glossy, and it had a sort of body design like that of a seal, though the "fingers" on the fins were more prominent than a seal's fins as if they were just large hands being used as such. "Peridot? what is this overly-adorable creature?" Pink Diamond asked, she and Steven staring starry-eyed at the creature. Peridot got back up, a bit dizzy. "tttthat's a Sssssphettr." Peridot said in a daze, before coming to her senses. Peridot would not confuse a Sphettr with anything else. The Sphettr took a moment to rest before jumping back into the water, the silhouette of the alien bolting all over the hot spring, before leaping out of the water, and extending the fins to glide off to a spot further away. "Can we vote that being the cutest alien on Heiligdom?" said Pink. "Agreed. The motion is carried," said Steven. Both ended up chuckling on the idea, Blue Diamond relaxing more in the pool again. "Oh, Steven. You and Pink are just as she used to be. So silly. So smol," said Blue, referring to the true Pink Diamond. Pink Diamond and Steven swam back to Blue Diamond. "Well, I don't know about Pink but I'm still growing. I don't think I'm gonna catch up to you and Yellow though," said Steven. Blue smiled, and began to reminiscent a little, thinking back a bit more. "Pink. Remember back when I let you name that patch of Pyrite? Fool's Gold! hahaha, White was furious," said Blue Diamond. Pink Diamond did remember that, though this was still memories of a Gem that she wasn't, so she only gave a small nod. "Oh, remember that one game you used to play with us?" "Which one?" Pink asked. "We play it a lot when we spend time together on that water planet colony: you'd stand out on the sea floor, right outside the colony's windows singing something. And White, Yellow and I would be inside, and try to guess what the song is. Such a nice memory," Blue explained, memories fonding over that for a little bit. However, this did come across as a little bit surprising to some. "Whoa, hold up. So White actually used to be a decent Gem?" Bismuth questioned. "Surprising, isn't it?" Blue Pearl said. Her memory wasn't as strong as Lapis, but it still was something. As they were talking though, the Sphettr began to take notice of something away from the hot spring, and over towards the forest's edge. In particular, Steven's bag. "Legend has it, that there was once a time when White Diamond actually used to truly smile," Blue Diamond revealed. "NO," gasped Pink Diamond. "Yes. Her smile use to be a smile of hope for the future. … She never smiles like that anymore." "I bet she does, she just does it while killing people," Peridot figured. "Probably not far from the truth," Bismuth figured. Since it wasn't much of a stretch, no one was gonna bother her about it. Blue Diamond sighed. "... When White Diamond was spotted coming back to Homeworld after so long, I was afraid at first. But she seemed so different from last time. … I thought that maybe we could try to reconcile. To get along again. And when you said to teach her friendship, I really was hoping it could work for a better Era 3. White Diamond began Era 1 with me, and I began Era 2 with Pink. And now …" "I'll finish that statement, if you don't mind," Yellow Diamond said, already knowing what was coming, "And now White Diamond's trying to rush Era 3 and put herself as the result again with "Green Diamond" and her hybrids." "... I don't want Era 3 to begin with her twisted ideas. But it looks like White did reassure she'll have a control of it. Sounds silly, huh?" Blue admitted. "That WON'T happen," Sapphire promised. "... You sure?" "Blue, it's not silly to be hopeful. The best ideas are from people that hope something will happen, and Era 3 is gonna be the best era Homeworld's ever seen!" Steven reassured her, climbing onto her shoulder. "And besides, we didn't even try yet. Steven's got his class of friendship ready for her, don't you Steven?" Pink said. Steven nodded, as Yellow diamond pulled herself out of the hot spring. "Well, if you're ready to begin, I'll go and fetch White. It'd make it easier on everyone if I tell her the situation," Yellow said. "Very well, but be careful. White can be very … controlling." "Yeah. … Oh! Wait, that can be a good lesson! Here, I'll go write it -" Soon after Yellow Diamond and her pearl left, they did eventually notice though was the Sphettr managing to open the bag, its head investigating what was inside. Much to Steven's worry, it was the main compartment, and Connie was trying so hard not to just expose herself to everyone else. Too bad the curious creature was like a hyper puppy, and just as well trained as one. "Hey, that's not yours!" Steven shouted, quickly jumping towards the animal … only for his diamond jumping to launch him way off in the air. "... DANG IT!" "Coming, Steven!" Lapis said, flying up to get him. However, before Lapis could reach Steven, the Sphettr knocked over the bag. Connie couldn't keep herself hidden, as the Sphettr kinda dragged her out like a dog would do dragging a garbage bag. "... CONNIE?!" Pearl gasped. "Ok, before you freak out, give me a chance and hear me out first," Connie quickly insisted, not wanting them to completely flip on seeing her. Steven REALLY wished he could've done this better, still floating up there as Lapis got to him and helped him down. "Did you predict this will happen?" Blue Pearl asked Sapphire. "Let's just agree that we did," Sapphire replied. … And with them distracted by Connie, a sight of something lurking, and spying, within the jungle made the Sphettr dive back into the safety of the water. These creatures have their target in sights. ……. As for White Diamond, she did indeed come out of the ship for a bit herself, though while the others were ACTUALLY relaxing, she was handling business of a different kind. White Pearl stood aside, and White Diamond had a open screen leading back to Homeworld, only to open and find … "D-Diamond?" "Hello, Stubby. You enjoying your stay?" White Diamond asked. It was a little harder to see on first look, but White Diamond knew Stubby was stuck in one of Homeworld's many prison cells, much to his dismay and disbelief. "Enjoying it?! Oh, let me think - NO I don't like being locked up! What gives anyway?!" "Whatever do you mean?" White asked, finding it funny that he was a bit bolder now than he would be face to face. Stubby could only look so threatening when he was in a projection screen. "I thought you're gonna throw me to the Diamonds first and let me go!" "Did I say that?" White asked. "Yes! I may be a coward, but I'm not stupid!" Stubby retorted. White brought her hand to her mouth, as if "reminded". "Oh dear, I did, didn't I? Must've slipped my mind. Oh, I'm such a terrible Gem, forgetting such a detail o so soon," White sighed, acting as if this was a actual mistake, and even throwing some "Rarity drama" into it by bringing the back of her hand to her gemstone. Stubby really felt he was looking at a troll, not a Gem, but then White's eyes glared down at him. "I don't like that look - what're you gonna do to me?" "You'll find out. Now if you excuse, I believe I got class today." and with that remark, White Diamond closed the screen, leaving Stubby shaking in his paws on what she was gonna do to him. However, it wasn't exactly gonna be THAT simple. … *POOF* White Diamond turned to the source of the noise, but the thicket didn't make vision all too impressive. What she did see was the moving shadows of a few figures bolting away. It was a very faint sight, but the glean of Yellow Diamond's gemstone was just visible enough. Guess the locals made a sneak attack on the Diamond, and whatever they were, were just strong enough to finish her fairly quickly. They were moving a bit too quick to get caught by White if she did bother to give chase, and they left nothing behind but a bunch of dust. The dust did leave enough of a trail to see where they were actually going, heading away from the forest and over towards some rocky outcrops. One in particular looking like a great tower. "And the plot begins," White thought. ~~~~~~ "I-I don't know what happened - my diamond just got attacked by something, and next thing I knew I was alone!" reported Yellow Pearl. That was the main message that got them away from the hot springs, and towards the destination in question (far as Yellow Pearl knew). They had little to go off of, but with one of the Diamonds in their custody, they honestly had little choice. "I can't believe this: we haven't been here for more than a few hours, and we already got a problem! Normally it takes at least a day or two before we find a problem," Steven said in dismay. "Steven, nobody ever plans for these things to happen," said Sapphire, "Now let's try and bring her back." "Yeah, everything will be fine! It'll be fine … please tell me it'll be okay," Yellow Pearl said, still shaky and looking to Steven. Steven felt bad, but he had to put on a bit of a braver face. "Hey, we'll get Yellow Diamond back. Now let's find where she is first," Steven reassured, going on ahead a little bit. The tracks the thieves had left were a bit vague in shape to paws, but they were a bit far in between, meaning either they were very far in leg room, or were moving very fast. "Hey, P-dot, you got any ideas?" Bismuth asked. Peridot took a bit to examine the footprints. "These footprints are very peculiar in placement. … No, no it couldn't be." "Couldn't be what?" Steven asked. "Well, I do have one idea. There' was an alien on this planet called a Nanjarie. But they've disappeared thousands of years ago … I think." "You think they could still be here then?" asked Blue Diamond. "Highly unlikely. … But …" *MRRRROOOOWWWW* Blue, Pink, Steven and company simply stood there, looking up to the great tower that stood before them. The tower itself was completely made out of the native stalagmites and rocks, and in spite such was twice as tall as Blue Diamond's old palace. One part looked like it might snap off at any moment even so Earth physics would find that a bit impossible, but then again they weren't on Earth, so the "physics" were a little bit different here. Besides, that was the least of their worries. Yellow Diamond was somewhere inside there, either as a gemstone, or as a prisoner, and they got to get her out one way or another. That noise was coming right at the very top. And the tracks lead directly to the tower. "Well, I've been wrong before," groaned Peridot. "This is Blue Diamond of The Diamond Authority!" Blue bellowed, "We know you have Yellow Diamond in there! Come on out peacefully and return her at once!" Blue Diamond's voice echoed right to the top of the tower. Which when they looked, was exactly where the kidnappers were. They were a little bit tough to make out all the way up there, but they knew something was there since they could just make out four lights WAY at the top. Of course, the group didn't have to wait very long until these same four started to come on down. Fast. One moment they were way at the top of the tower, and the next, they were right at the front door! Now they were on ground level, they got a much better view of what they got going here. For an alien species, the first thing that came out didn't look very alien at all. In fact, it had the spitting image of a giant black cat. A giant black cat with a human like face, giving this creature a sort of Sphinx look. This alien Sphinx strolled out to see the Gems with a easy going step, in beat to a sort of unknown tune, with such a proud and cocky grin stretched across its face. Four steps into its stroll, another suddenly "popped up" out of nowhere, a exact copy. And after their four steps, another showed up. All having the exact same kind of expressions on their face, as if they were expecting the caravan to show up. They stopped walking when they were right in front of them, but only for a fourth one to catch up to them. The fourth one was smaller than the other three, about twice as small, but compared to the others, they all were gigantic! If any of them were standing on their hind legs, the smallest one would be well over Pink Diamond's height, and the other three matching height with Blue Diamond. "Where's Yellow?" Blue questioned. The Big Cats didn't answer, and continued their strut as if not hearing her. Or if they did, they didn't care. Suddenly, the four cats decided to show off a little bit; right before their eyes they started to do some Discord tricks, each one fazing into the other until it looked like one body with four head stacked on top of eachother. Suddenly they were all walking again, but only the smaller one was walking on the ground, as the other three were "walking" on eachother. "Oh no, four Discords. Hurry, get in while they're busy showing off," Peridot said, making a beeline towards the entrance to the tower, just for the three larger ones to suddenly jump in the way. They weren't gonna let them in THAT easily. Their smiles edged their faces, as if mocking her, and the fourth one started simply strolling along by, making Peridot back up. (The Black Four Song (ブラックフォア) Jungle Emperor / Kimba Ep 35 JP parody) 4th cat; Bum bum, bum, bum, bum. Bum, bum bum, bum. Bum bum, bum, bum, bum bum bum bum, bum bum, bum 1+2+3 cat; dooooooooo WAH! The other three made Peridot jump, and just as the Gems got back together, the four Sphinx-like cats disappeared briefly, only to reappear on four columns off nearby, each one sitting on one like a platform for a singer. These jazzy cats were ready for their debut. Alien Cats; Lurking out in the cosmos And onto your world. We are K-Bora! K-Bora! K-Bora so doh! The others tried getting off into the tower again, but the four Ko-Bora jumped in the way again. "HA!" they shouted, forcing them back. Blue Diamond tried launching a blue aura ball at them, but that easily missed and made the all disappear again. Only to reappear by a cliffside, coming out of the shadows on their hind legs and doing a sort of strut along the wall, sort of like a Broadway act with all moving in unison. Alien Cats; "It's a, it's a Nanjarie! Run away back home! Suddenly the marching stopped when the smallest cat backed up, all four turning into this black ball of smiles and eyes. Aliens Cats; Before we all come for you.~ The smallest cat then hopped off away, the other three in the air for a brief moment before falling to the ground. The fourth cat was out of sight for a moment, until he suddenly popped up right by Pearl and Bismuth, his big smiling face coming up between them. Alien Cat 4; And when we get you, you'll be in our stew. Alien Cat 1-3; WAH! STEW?! They quickly jumped away from the cat, as the alien feline disappeared again. Pearl shot at the cat, only to miss completely as all cats came back together again, them all on their hind legs and in a sort of eerie walk towards them. A mix of swag and strut, fingers snapping in tune to the rhythum. "Forget this song. Come on you rocks, let's show em we mean Bismuth!" Bismuth instructed. Rough time for a joke, but they knew what she meant. The Harmony Gems started to make a charge over to the alien cats. If they weren't going to get in one way, they gotta beat them first. Steven was hesitant, but no way was he gonna watch someone be turned into stew! "Right. Let's go! We're coming Yellow Diamond!" Aliens Cats; dooooooooo WAH! Pearl and Lapis began firing what they could do, but the four cats suddenly turned out to be water copies of sorts, melting away as the REAL ones were already heading to Steven's way again. Steven didn't stop this time, shield up to shove them out of the way. Just for one of the cats to just raise a paw and stop him cold. Alien Cats; You think that you can beat us? You think you can win? The same cat picked Steven up by said shield, holding him as one would hold a meal in a dish. We are K-Bora! K-Bora! K-Bora so doh! He threw him into the air and … "HA!" in one hit of the tail, Steven went flying. "Got you Steven!" Lapis said, flying up fast and grabbing him before he could fall. No more fooling around, everyone started to weigh in on the four felines. But these giant cats were harder to hit than they thought, them literally dancing around each of Pearl's spear slices, Bismuth's axe cuts, and Pink Diamond's punches. Not once moment losing beat to their own intro song. Alien Cats; Cut here! Punch there! You can't win. You'll hit only air! What're are you going to do? Blue Diamond even came in with a strong aura blasting orb, shooting tons of shots at the alien cats, just for the lot to dance around them as if it were just part of their act. The only thing that did hit the cats was one of their own: the smallest one landing on top of the three larger Najaries. Nanjarie 4; I'll suggest this … All Nanjarie; GO ON BACK HOME! And soon as the song was done, the cats bolted for it (one grabbing the fourth one by the tail), just before Blue Diamond's shooting left a big explosion where they were standing. The four Nanjarie rocketed clear out of firing range, appearing on the same four pillars from said song. "Well well well, our old friends the Diamond Authority," one of the Nanjarie said, "Come for a second wind or for some more pelts for your wall?" "What, no! We've come here to get Yellow Diamond back! Her Pearl said you stole her just now and brought her back here, so, where is she?" Steven asked. "On top of our tower, where else? But you're a little late, pudgy," the smaller Nanjarie said, "We already got the pot going for a nice diamond soup, and your gemstone's already boiling in the pot." "WHAT?! ALREADY?! But how could you -" Steven was on panic mode, but quickly Sapphire got to him to calm him down a little bit. "Steven. They're just playing with you - it's impossible to boil a Diamond that quickly, if at all. She's still alive in there." Steven took a breath, hand fanning his face. "Ok. Ok. Easy, don't be too hasty," Steven told himself, getting a cold sweat. "Nanjarie! If you four don't return Yellow Diamond, we'll be forced to take her from you," Blue Diamond warned. And she wasn't afraid to use lethal force on any of them either. "You know how many times you said THAT to us, big blue? And how many times did that even work?" "Don't you dare say another word, or so help me -" "ANOTHER WORD!" all Nanjarie roared, and they roared this right in Blue Diamond's ear too. The Nanjarie laughed as Blue Diamond grew furious. "Hey, leave her alone!" Steven yelled. "Wish granted," said the smaller Nanjarie … as it grabbed him and threw him away. Next thing he knew, he was being knocked back and forth between each alien cat. He got his shield up, but he kept being tossed around like a great ball, the cats swiping at him with their paws and tails for a good ten seconds flat. This only stopped when Bismuth tackled the smallest one away, leaving Steven rolling off until he struck a few rocky outcrops - a classic bowling ball moment. "STRIKE!" the three standing Nanjarie shrieked. Steven got out of his bubble, feeling very dizzy and off his footing. "You alright?" Blue Pearl asked. "I-I think so. Is the ride over?" Steven asked in a daze, before shaking himself back to his senses. The Nanjarie all laughed at this misfortune, which only infuriated them all a bit more. Not only were these aliens very fast, but ruthless in their games. "That's not funny, you jerks!" Steven shouted. The Nanjarie started to close the gap a bit, the Gems keeping around him just in case. But fighting something like this just wasn't gonna be that easy, especially when Pearl shot at one of them, only for the head to "retract" into the body to dodge it. "Eh, Peridot? Are these Aliens organic, or are they just cat-shaped slime balls?" Steven asked. "I don't know, Nanjarie aren't supposed to do any of this stuff!" retorted Peridot. The K-Bora clan snickered on this revelation. "You should've updated your journals then, should ya?" "We learnt a few tricks over the century. Wanna see one?" "NO!" they all shouted. "Oh well, if you insist." And the Nanjarie showed their tricks again. They all were armed up, but Steven didn't want to lose anyone else, and he got up his shield at the ready, up in front. The Nanjarie went back a bit, and all of them jumped into the air: all connecting at the tails. Soon, with some ingenuity, the four Nanjarie had formed what they could only say is a fan blade, or plane propeller. And then they started spinning, huge gusts of wind blowing right at them. "Everyone, get behind me!" Steven called, expanding his shield some more. They all did so, the force of the wind gusts itself pushing the shield back so slightly. It was a bit of effort to just keep them still, but luckily, Blue Diamond helped in keeping them from flying off, standing right behind them in case they would go flying. "BYE-BYE!" the Nanjarie called, before one of the Nanjarie broke off, went flat, and like a bolt of four-legged lightning, went straight for them! A single swipe was all it took to knock Steven off his feet, the law slipping just under the shield, and that was enough for Steven to lose focus and the shield go flying off. Everyone felt the wind gusts strike them hard, powerful enough to knock them off their feet, and into Blue Diamond. She could JUST keep herself from falling onto her back, but it still was enough to knock her off her feet and onto her knees. The gusts of wind eventually stopped by this point, giving them all a break. "Did … did they stop?" asked Connie. "We got only five seconds," Sapphire shuttered. "F-For what?" Peridot asked. Sapphire only pointed downward, and it was there where the rest of the Nanjarie were. Only now, instead of a fan blade, the four had flattened down into a disk, just big enough to hold them all. "Ready for blast off.~" "Oh gimma a break," Yellow Pearl groaned. *BOING!* With amazing strength combined with all four of them, the Nanjarie straightened out, and the entire group, including the heavy Blue Diamond, ended up launched clear out of the field! The group was well out of sight, and the Nanjarie turned back to normal. "Have a nice flight!" one of them called, the rest laughing as they went back into the tower. Yellow Diamond wasn't gonna be given up that easily. As for the group, it took some combine effort between Blue Diamond and Steven's bubble in order for them to land safely. But with that launch though, that "K-Bora" group had launched them so far away, they found themselves by the edge of the same jungle they started in. This isn't anything natural, alien or animal, but regardless these Nanjarie weren't giving Yellow up. "Everyone okay?" Blue Diamond asked "I think so," Connie replied. The giant bubble was removed, and everyone got off of Blue Diamond, a little shaken but pretty ticked at these four giant alien cats. However, not all of them were entirely alright. "M-My Diamond …" Yellow Pearl whimpered. Very rarely did Yellow Pearl have to strike it alone, but at least when she did she was reassured Yellow Diamond was alright. But not in this case. And it didn't really help that the area where they landed was right over by yet another Diamond, her walking in soon after they landed. "White?" said Pink Diamond. "Hello Blue, Starlight. Having some issue?" White asked, the "Starlight" still referring to Steven. "No, we thought flying like birds would be a fun idea," Pink groaned. … Which actually did sound like fun. You know, if they actually wanted to try that. "I see. So, where's Yellow?" White inquired. Barely time to give them a chance to regain themselves it seemed. "Oh White. She's been taken away by some of the aliens here on Heiligdom … and now they're gonna make her into stew," Blue said, her emotions starting to come back up. The others around her began to feel a hint of the emotional barrier, tears coming in their eyes as well (except for White Diamond, that is). "What is this "stew" you're talking about? I've heard some find it pretty delectable," inquired White. "Does it matter?! They're gonna shatter Yellow now in their evil dinner pot if we don't do something," Pink said. White Diamond started to ponder a little. "Oh, this is a bothersome thing. And just before our "friendship class" as well," White said. Well with that remark, they could say that Yellow did give the message (if Yellow Pearl told them that, at least), but now was not the time to wonder about White's mental state. "Don't worry, White," Steven said, "We'll make your first lesson happen, AND save Yellow Diamond too. Now, where do we start? …" *KYAAAA!* Steven almost had his heart skip a beat on that sudden screech of a noise, making him and Connie bolt away. And here they thought they were actually out of trouble. At first, they thought it was those K-Bora coming back for another toy, but this thing didn't look remotely like any cat. "What's that?" Blue Pearl asked Peridot. "I'm … not entirely sure. Local aviary, maybe?" Peridot wondered. It did look like some sort of alien bird, but on an alien planet who was to really say? It was some sort of strange hybrid mixture of a wyvern dragon and some prehistoric pterosaur, but of course some alien influence included at least three sets of eyes, some extra limbs ending in webbed hands, and the wings almost fish-like, like the fins of a whale or dolphin but hollowed out. It also had a long beak, straight and pointed like the prehistoric flying reptile though some teeth could be noted inside the jaws so it was by no means unarmed. "Are you hurt?" Steven asked. All they got were some non-sensical squawks, which themselves sounded a bit like a mix of a cow's moo and dog's bark. "Nice try, Steven, but maybe it doesn't speak English," said Connie. Only for the alien to squawk back. "I vet up, pprity soon!" it shouted, though obviously "pprity soon" wasn't gonna come up so quickly. Not exactly English, but broken English was about as good enough. "Good enough for me," shrugged Lapis. Seeing this though, while it didn't help with Yellow Diamond much, did give Steven a good idea on his first lesson. "I got an idea. White, think you can find us some fruit, or find my bags? I think there's some snacks it can have." "Starlight, I know you mean well, but what even for?" White questioned. The alien tried to go for a tiny alien bug on the ground, but its beak couldn't seem to get it all too much. "Friendship lesson #1: helping others because it's the right thing to do," said Steven, "He's hurt, and we want to help him. Here, watch me." And so, Steven walked right up to the alien in question, clearing his throat for some "alien language". "We. Help you?" "VISH OFF!" the alien snapped harshly. Well, it wasn't gonna be that easy, as the alien tried to steady himself on his legs, one of his wings dropping to the side and one leg a little wobbly. "Vat fer you help me?" "What happened to you?" asked Connie. "K-Bora shump me, Nanjarie!" replied the alien. Well they just met the K-Bora not too long ago, so they knew what that was. The alien tried to better balance a little bit, trying to show he was okay, just to end up collapsing onto the ground again. Whatever those K-Bora did really didn't leave him with much to work with. "Uh, ok uh. We. Take you. To hot spring?" offered Connie, trying the same language approach. "Go vey," the alien said, "wing no goo, but I walk venty gud." The alien tried again … only to fall over again. "... is long vay?" "Where you come from?" asked Bismuth, as Steven and Connie helped this alien up and began going off towards the hot spring from earlier. "From vig! VIG OKAN! My homevin. Vig okan. KYAAA. Kyaaaa." And as they were moving this alien bird away, White diamond took a glance back towards the tower herself ... ~~~~~~ A quick turn of events. So, they brought their alien "friend" back from the forest's edge, and over into the hot springs from earlier. He found a nice spot to settle down over by the water's edge, dipping his beak to drink now and again, and occasionally going for some of the bugs that fluttered by as the others nearby tried to think on what to even do. It was a nice gesture to help their alien, which at this point they were calling "Cya", but that didn't exactly help Yellow Diamond's predicament. It was high enough odds that Nanjarie were still around, but it was even moreso to have Yellow Diamond of all gems just caught and captured like that. "Looks like this family trip isn't gonna be so simple, huh?" Bismuth said at a point. "Since when was it anything simple for us? You'd think we would've learned by now," Peridot said. "Speaking of learning, what was with those K-Bora? They said they learned some new tricks over the century, do Nanjarie normally do any of that stuff?" Connie asked. "Not at all. Nanjarie are literally just giant cats from outer space, so unless they got some magic book or something, I don't know HOW they got to do that," Peridot replied. Not a single report prior to abandonment of this colony had said anything about this, so she was just as lost as they were. "Well it doesn't matter, I'm not leaving until we get Yellow Diamond back. … I just wish I knew how," Steven said, feeling rough about the whole thing. "Well ok, let's see what we do know," said Connie, "... Well, we know they're very fast, they don't have any bones apparently, and by the sounds of it they've seen the Diamonds before. You think they're the reason this planet wasn't colonized like the others?" "Hmm … I never thought of that," Peridot pondered. Sapphire may of said the planet was special and wanted to keep it as such, but these Nanjarie did kinda throw a wrench into that story. Some eyes began to look over to Sapphire, who was … actually a bit flustered. "Sapphire?" Bismuth asked. "... W-Well, it was such a slim possibility there would be any left, I didn't think this would happen. Sorry everyone," Sapphire admitted. It was a mistake sure, but some of them knew how rough that could be on her so they didn't really push that subject any further. "It's fine, Sapphire. Now, all we have to do is get Yellow Diamond out of there. Now, how to do it?" "Don't you have those portal keys?" Blue Pearl asked. The idea seemed simple enough: use the Portal Keys to teleport there and get Yellow out. "Wait. Oh yeah!" Steven said, readying his key. "Don't!" Sapphire suddenly said, getting Steven before he could use the portal. This time, her future vision was more on point now, and the possibilities were a bit more focused now they know the Nanjarie exist. "Don't tell me: they're gonna be waiting for us?" Peridot figured. "If any of us go there, they'll just ambush us, and add to their dinner. If they can poof a Diamond, how easy for them would it be to poof any of us?" "WHY is there always a catch?! We can't just stand here, my diamond's gonna be stew-ified or something!" Yellow Pearl said. She REALLY wanted to get this sort of rescue going, but it was just becoming a bit too troubling. Sapphire took a moment to check on the future visions of hers, keeping calm as to not have the visions overwhelm her. As she was thinking, one of their group did eventually come back to them, Lapis simply walking back … and ready to just pull her hair out. "I. Can't. Take. Anymore." "Lapis? You ok?" Steven asked. "Can someone else talk to Cya, please? I had to sit there for half an hour to watch over him, and he WON'T SHUT UP," Lapis said, fingers digging into her own head as she glanced back to the alien bird, who by the point was trying to bite into one of the alien bugs, and chatting away with a Sphettr close by. Whether or not the Sphettr even understood him was hardly a difference to the alien. Apparently. "You couldn't handle him? But I thought you were used to that kind of thing by now," Yellow Pearl said. As much as Lapis wanted to slap her for saying that, she just huffed. "Doesn't mean I enjoy it," Lapis growled, before taking a breather by some actually good company. "Peridot, it's your turn." "What?! No way, I'm not listening to that noise!" retorted Peridot. Still, it was kinda funny that they would bring up Cya now, because Sapphire just finished going through the possible outcomes of their rescue mission. A number of these options didn't bring in any end result all too good, but there was one idea that just might be their best bet. "That's it." "What's it?" Blue Pearl asked. "The bird. Cya. Everyone, listen, I have an idea." ……. So, with the plan explained, and with some reluctance on Lapis and Peridot's part, some of them began going over to Cya, who at the moment was just about to have a drink. He sure didn't look too hurt now, which was a bit good. "Hey, Cya. You still aching?" asked Bismuth. "Hoo hut? I no hut, yo hut," said Cya, as he went back to clenching his palette on the water. They better get to the point. "Good. Listen, we kinda need some help in getting someone back. Can you help us, please?" asked Steven. Cya stopped drinking briefly on that question. "Ay, Ay le mi thik abut it. … no." Well, their alien "friend" wasn't gonna be of much help for them if he wasn't even gonna bother himself. All his squawking, and complaining REALLY didn't suit well for much of them either, but Steven just needed a few minutes as he started looking around … "Ha on … vere are maet? no big maets?" the alien wondered. Blue Diamond and White Diamond had to kinda disappear from sight for the moment, if this plan was gonna work, and it did seem that the alien was taking notes of that. "Yes," Steven thought. He FINALLY noticed. The alien got up, a bit wobbly of course, his head darting one way to another, but all he could find is the group of female gems and nothing more. He started "sniffing" around for a bit, his beak touching the ground a short bit. and then … *KYAAAA! *KYAA - KYAA - KYAA - KYAA!* "Clod, can you squawk any louder please? I don't think we heard you," Peridot groaned, finger digging into her ears. "YO STUPID PEBLES! YO GOT VO MAET! VERE ARE MAETS?! VERE ARE CHIIKS! PPRITY TRUBLE FER YO!" the alien shrieked, suddenly slapping Peridot repeatedly in the face with his hand. Peridot had to step back, but this was just crossing the line. "Why you little -" "No, no, no, Peridot wait! I think it's working," Steven quietly said, holding Peridot back from just attacking the alien all over again. The angry alien couldn't believe that this colony would have no mates to speak of, or "maets" as he referred to it. And his barrage of insults weren't done yet. "Yo got vo branes, yo no plant - yo nee big maet fer plant! … Listen. ving betta, I go fy. fy fer yo," and he said this as he flapped his wings, which as it turned out fluttered much like that of a bee or hummingbird. "I fin big maet." "Wow what an amazing idea!" Steven said, eyes sparkling at this "ingenious" decision, "I'd never thought of doing that, that's diamond-levels of clever! You're such a super smart creature." They all knew this was just to rub into the alien's ego and all, but so long as he was willing to do it, the others kept their mouth shut. So much as they wanted to give him some choice words for acting so pompous. Lapis Lazuli kinda felt the most bitter about it, because for one she could easily do it herself, and feeding and egomaniac just didn't feel right either. "Oy, this hurts," thought Bismuth. "Now, when will you be able to fly?" asked Steven. The cocky grin on the alien's beak swiftly turned to judgement all over again. "I fy envytine. Stan bak," the alien said, as he got himself ready. Only Steven really followed his advice, and went back until he was by the tree. "Huen I fy - STAN BAK! BAK! bak bak bak!" the alien demanded, his wing shooing the other Gems away. "I nee voom." So, unfortunately, they had to comply for this to work and they all went as far back as Steven's tree. This was more than enough room for the alien flyer to take off, but with all this healing, he still needed to check himself first. "Vings op!" he said. The alien aspect of those wings started to show, as they suddenly shapeshifted from whale fins, to sharp-edged albatross wings with a flick of the muscle, the tips sharp as knives, and gleaning in the sunshine. He checked with his beak to make sure his skin was clean, sleek, and streamline for the upcoming flight. He had to look his best and feel his best to take off into the air. "Huen i fy, I sooooorrrr … I guiiiiid … I sircle." And then he started to run. Everyone made sure to stay out of his way as he charged off along the ground, racing at top speed as he could go as his wings stiffened out. It took the alien a few decent attempts to get himself going, but once he was fast enough, he launched himself right off into the air. It took a few flaps of the wings, but sure enough he was airborne in no time at all. Once he was up high enough, his four legs retracted into his body, like the wheels retracting on a airplane, leaving only his wings and his small arms as he flew amongst the skies again. "... You sure we HAVE to wait here?" asked Lapis Lazuli. "It's the best chance we're going to get." ……. But was it though? White diamond overheard everything that happened, and her gaze turned over to the tower. Which, she took note, that Cya was NOT flying towards. "Helping someone because it's the right thing to do, huh? … Well, Starlight, let me give that a try then." ~~~~~~ The hours ticked by, and they still had no sign of Cya anywhere. It really shouldn't take Cya this long to find the K-Bora, but they probably should've planned ahead on this part in case Cya would just ditch the altogether. And at this point, as the Heiligdom sun was starting to go down, the group was getting a little bit antsy. "Not that I doubt your plans Sapphire … but this is the worst plan ever," Peridot grumbled. "Be patient," Sapphire said. They really tried to be, and while it was good that the alien bird wasn't jabbering in their ears, they still weren't sure when he'll come back, if he'll come back. "Yeah, he'll come back any minute now," Connie said. "Why're you putting so much trust in this creature? He's probably gone back to that "vig okan" of his," Yellow Pearl figured. "I don't think so. But geesh, if I knew we'd just end up using him to get Yellow Diamond back …" "Don't feel bad, Steven, it's the best chance we have," Sapphire reassured. "But guys, we're just helping him because it's the right thing, not to use that to bribe him. I want to save Yellow Diamond too, but I think White Diamond might get the wrong idea." "Wrong idea?" Pearl asked. "White might get out of this that you're only supposed to help someone if you get something out of it. But that isn't friendship if you only do it for yourself, it's to help others and make everyone feel good." *KYAA!* *KYAA!* "Cya!" Pink said, now up on her feet. Sure enough, high up in the sky was Cya coming in for a landing. Good timing for the alien bird to come flying in, just as they were having doubts about their own plan. Cya took a bit to steady his flight path, his wings spread out as he brought out his back legs … just for him to crash into the water. Not the best landing they've ever seen, and Cya poked his head out of the water. "Pefekt ladin." he simply said, pulling himself out of the water. He gave his body a good shake before the others got over to him. "Cya you're back! Did you find anything on your flight?" Connie asked. Cya nipped off some of the kinks in his wings, retracting them before looking to the rest of the Gems in front of him. "I fin big maet un fy ovr ere," explained Cya, "GREA MITY MAET!" "That's great, where is she?" "Seriously, how're they understanding him so well?" Peridot HAD to ask. The broken English was still hard to get for her, no matter how close to English it sounded. "Vy vig plan. Oof ere! Too maets fer yo. Heh. Ish Cya goo r wat?" "Very good, Cya, very - … wait, two?" "Did I miss anything, Starlight?" With all their troubles, and they forgot the most complex one. Then again, there probably was a reason that everything was a bit more quiet today. As the trees moved aside, there came in White Diamond and her Pearl coming in. White Pearl was just fine going along, floating over towards the other Pearls, and White Diamond had a little bit of a surprise for them, cradled in her hands like a child. "Yellow Diamond!" Yellow Pearl gasped. Well, moreover Yellow Diamond's gemstone, but still her diamond nonetheless. White Diamond smiled, and placed the dormant gemstone over by Yellow Pearl, who grabbed it and held it tight in her grip. "You got Yellow back? When'd you do that?" Steven asked. "I took a visit by the K-Bora's stronghold while you all were tending to Cya here. Helping others because it's the right thing to do, correct?" White Diamond answered. Steven suddenly felt ecstatic about this response, as White Diamond kneeled down to him. Just one lesson and White's already taking it to heart! "So, Starlight. Did I do good on my first lesson?" "You did great! Thank you, White!" Steven beamed. White diamond smiled sweetly to him, straightening up. "Come along everyone. Starlight, we had plenty of time on this planet, ready to visit the next one?" "Oh, sure! And I'll make sure to get friendship class started this time," Steven promised. This all was fine and good, and a good end result for getting Yellow Diamond back, but the way it happened … well, something just didn't feel correct here. White Diamond just walked off, and got back Yellow Diamond even after Sapphire's main plan? "Wait a minute," Bismuth wondered. "You're thinking it too?" Lapis asked, Bismuth nodding. As the others were starting back to the ship, the two looked over back towards Cya, who himself was going to go off on his own way. "Cya, one question before you go," Bismuth said. "Eh? Wat?" Cya asked. "Did you happen to see anything else on your flight over here? Somewhere by the K-Bora, maybe?" Lapis questioned. Cya took a little bit to think about that one before answering. "K-Bora? OOO, K-Bora! Yah, thee gon gud. Vig maet wen too em a - BOOM!" "Boom?" the two Gems thought. Cya turned around from there. "Goo luk!" Cya said. And with a running start, Cya went off towards his "vig okan" of his, for real this time. Bismuth and Lapis pretty much got the same idea right then and there. With a nod to one another, Lapis got out her own brand of wings and flew right up into the sky to see what actually happened. Lapis had to fly up pretty high to get a good view of the landscape. She saw the forests and the hot springs, and the plains splitting the place from the K-Bora territory, but she saw something that shook her up. The giant Nanjarie tower was missing. Lapis landed right next to Bismuth with the most shaken up look on her face, only confirming their suspicions. "... We'd better tell Steven," Bismuth said. "Agreed," Lapis replied.