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The Call5,842 words
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Creature Quest9,206 words
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Prey for the Beasts8,682 words
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The Old Warrior6,170 words
20,000 Leagues into the Earth PT16,411 words
20,000 Leagues into the Earth PT26,288 words
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Toothed Trouble6,266 words
Corruptors7,703 words

20,000 Leagues into the Earth PT2

"Okay, steady, steady. Easy does it."

Back at the barn, the others had just managed to get themselves over back to the barn. The Mane Six, Steven, Connie, and Amethyst. The tremors didn't affect them back on the island, but they could see that something had happened around the barn one way or another, especially with the fallen boards and such. Even with that though, they were more focused on getting the now unconscious Jasper and Lapis over to the barn than much else. With no one else around to help from what they see, it was mainly up to them to move both Gems (which was easier said than done) over inside. It took plenty of Twilight's steady magic and the strength of AJ, Amethyst and Steven to get them inside, and they settled both gems down easy. Both Gems were placed down on their backs, side by side.

"I never seen Jay so worn out before. Hey, Pinkie, be a dear and -" before Rarity could finish, Pinkie was already standing there with pillows and blankets neatly balanced on her head.

"Thank you," Rarity said, as her levitation magic lifted both objects. In no time at all, Lapis and Jasper both were tucked in comfortably, heads resting on pillows and tucked in under their covers. Both Gems didn't react to much of anything, and they both did appear exhausted, if not dead. Pinkie hopped in and placed an ear onto Lapis's chest, trying to hear breathing or a pulse or something, but got neither.

"N-Nothing. No heartbeat ... NO!" Pinkie cried, streams of tears shooting out like fountains. Some were starting to get sad too on this shocking news, but Steven quickly tried to calm her down before her wailing would wake the other two up. As nice as it would be, it probably was best to let sleeping Gems lie.

"Uh, Pinkie, Gems don't have hearts."

"BUT YOU'RE ALL SO KIND," Pinkie wailed.

"No, no, Gems are lights with mass, you've all gone over it already, remember?" Steven reminded. That reminder made Pinkie Pie stop almost immediately.

"Oh yeah."

"Their gemstones look alright. They'll come back around eventually, but for now, let's figure out where the others went," Twilight decided.

"Yeah. They got some explaining to do!" Amethyst agreed. Some were already starting to head outside, but AJ and Connie were quick to get in their way, standing over by the open door.

"Slow down guys! Do we even know where they ran off to?"

"They went after that Cluster thing, where else?"

"I know, but where's that? It could be anywhere." Connie had a point there. The Cluster could be laying anywhere in the world, and who knows how long that'll take before they find it?

*rumble*

The tremors were back, and this time they were a lot rougher! Rainbow was alright since she was flying, but everyone else was shaken up on the ground. Everything in the barn shuttered, some falling down onto the floor. Panicking, Twilight rushed over to Jasper and Lapis, activating a shield spell just as a few items bounced off it. Steven provided the shield for the rest, and after ten more seconds of trembling, the world slowed to stillness. Everyone waited a few more seconds before lowering their shields.

"W-What was that?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"I dunno, but I think we'd better find the others, and fast," Steven said.

"But any idea where?" Connie reminded.

"... Lapis? Jasper?"

None of them even noticed until this point, but they eventually saw Star Quartz walk over from the corner of the barn. She was unharmed by the tremors, but a lamp shade falling from the upper level did end up falling over her head.

"Star, how long were you in here?"

"... Since last night. The whole group is gone now," Star said. That interested them, and Twilight galloped over to her.

"Star, where'd they go. Did they tell you?"

Star stayed quiet at first, but after taking a deep breath, Star looked towards the crowd.

"Beta Kindergarten. They went to the Beta Kindergarten. Garnet looked very scared," Star answered. The third sentence made everyone else worried a bit themselves. With Jasper and Lapis now safe at the barn, their work here's done. Good thing they already went by the Beta Kindergarten once before.

"Thank you, Star. Uh, maybe I should wait here and watch over them. Who knows what will happen while you're away," Fluttershy offered, sitting down by Jasper, a hoof stroking Jasper's hair.

"Good idea. We'll be back soon," Steven said, as he and the rest of the group exit the barn, and start to go off to the nearest Warp Pad from the barnhouse. Fluttershy and Star were left to watch over Jasper and Lapis from there.

.......

The Warp Pad got the group out straight away, and soon they were right at the Beta Kindergarten. The whole Kindergarten itself was more than crumbled up thanks to the tremors before, the recent one toppling down plenty of injectors and splitting up the uneven holes in the place one way or another. Without another thought, they immediately started looking around the Kindergarten for the others. If this was where they really were drilling, then it shouldn't be too hard to locate them if they didn't go down just yet. A pretty large group and a big drill was kinda hard to miss. And even so, it honestly didn't take more than a minute before they began to see the group standing further away. The tremors seemed to be affecting them too, as Garnet and Bismuth were moving a fallen injector away from the drilled hole in the ground, just in case if any debris would fall all the way down onto Peridot and Pearl. The others amongst the group were a bit worried over the fate of this world now.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Steven called, running over with the rest of the group. The other Crystal Gems did not expect any of them to show up, especially now. Even if Garnet had her future vision, she was too distracted to even remotely see it, and was just as blindsided as everyone else here.

"S-Steven?!"

"Yeah, it's Steven. him, me, and everyone else you left in the dark," Amethyst said, not pleased at all.

"Why didn't you say anything about the Cluster?" Connie added in. Not only were they surprised that they're confronting them like this, but the fact they somehow knew the Cluster by name already.

"What Cluster? I mean, this is just -"

"Fulgurite, don't," Flint said, stopping the speed talker. He remembered the deal they had when this all started, and he wasn't going to alter anything now about it, even with the drill gone at the moment. Flint cleared his throat to start the explanation.

"Ok, look. We received a message from Yellow Diamond a few months ago, informing us that a Cluster was buried in the Earth and would activate during the upcoming months, so me and the other members of the Crystal Gems had been busy creating a drill to deal with this geo-weapon. We thought since that little reveal back with White Diamond, we thought to give you and company a break from all this drama."

Well, all of that was out of the way, and rather quickly too.

"Blunt much?" Fulgurite commented.

"What's with the list then?" Amethyst questioned, showing the list they were given.

"Garnet's idea. Getting a few future missions finished, and to keep you guys busy until we were done here," Flint simply answered. Steven tried to think up of some sort of comeback, or response, or something that would make sense to this, but Flint pretty much covered everything in just two sentences.

"Sorry, Steven," Bismuth said.

"Wait a minute ... where's the drill?" Twilight asked. They saw everyone else around, but the drill was nowhere to be seen. All Flint had to do was point to the circular hole when the rest of the group got the idea.

"THE DRILL'S ALREADY GONE?!" Twilight gasped, the others rushing to the hole. Not a single bit of evidence that they could see inside the deepening abyss. Garnet had to hold Steven and Pinkie Pie back since they were peering in so far. Flint was just as worried over the situation, but he tried to keep it together.

"some Gems had a field day. ... It's up to them now."

~~~~~~

"How were you expecting everyone to fit in here?"

"I don't know, they shrink or something! You know there wasn't much time to plan."

In the drill, despite the situation, Pearl and Peridot both were actually given a break, and some bit of downtime. According to the time they had, which they installed inside the machine as a sort of clock, they still had about an hour or two before they'd even reach the Cluster, so this moment alone with just the Pearl and Peridot gave both some time to reflect on things. They only had the lights in the drill as their main source of true light going down, everything else completely blackness aside from rock layers.

"What was your original plan for this, exactly?" Pearl questioned. Pearl never really recalled the exact approach to this plan, but Peridot had the idea down pact enough.

"We have a drill. We're going to drill."

Yeah, not the most well-thought-out plan they've had. Really though, what other plan could they really do for something like this anyway? Facing against an object the size of the Earth's core of all things, options really were limited.
Conversation during their ride down was a rather small, and limited one, as they continued drilling downward at high speed. But even with speed to match a car, it took a long time to just get themselves going downward, the Cluster being so far into the Earth after all. Pearl only watched around in silence, occasionally feeling herself glitch ever so slightly. For being a cracked Gem, she held together surprisingly well, but that didn't mean she was completely all together. Peridot was in main control here, and it would only be a matter of time before they actually reach the Cluster.
During their dive down, the environment around them started to change completely. The rocks around them all began to soften and liquefy, turning varying shades of red as they began to enter away from the surface rock, and into the molten lava of the Earth's mantle. It provided some extra light in this drilling operation, mostly red lighting overpowering the small green lights.

"We've reached the lava mantle. Won't be long until we get to the Cluster," Pearl stated.

"Actually this is liquid Peridotite, but yes, we're indeed getting closer."

"Peridotite?"

"Yes. It's made from the same material as Peridots," Peridot said, watching what basically made her gemstone exist fly by her. Pearl knew plenty of things, but this Peridotite (the name unoriginal, sure), was something she didn't pick up on yet. It would still be a while before they'd reach the Cluster, so until that happened, Pearl decided to try some more small talk. What else can they do?

"... How did it feel anyway?"

"How'd what feel?"

"... being made on Homeworld."

"Pearl, you're a Gem, you know what it's like too."

"Sorry, sorry. Just wanted to talk for a bit before - ..." Pearl stopped herself there, but Peridot knew what she meant, and why she wanted to. Peridot sighed, and looked to the passing Peridotite.

"I didn't exist. Then I did. I don't have memories of it, just feelings. I know I can never go back to Homeworld, but it's hard. Not to have some feelings for where you came from." Peridot was quiet after that. Even with all they did, even with what they accomplished, Peridot still remembered the words Yellow Diamond said to her and Jasper during that core winter months away from Earth.

I want you both out of my city. Jasper, Peridot, I here by banish you both from my city.

Those words echoed in her head on memory. It'd been so long since she heard those words directly from the Diamond herself, but she still knew that she could never go back. At least she never heard any Diamond lifting the punishment yet, anyway. Regardless, Peridot glanced over to Pearl, only to reveal that a small tear managed to creep itself out from the corner of her eye. Pearl didn't know what else to say to her here, but Peridot filled in the gap after wiping the tear away.

"But it's fine. I have something else now," Peridot made clear.

"What's that?" Pearl asked, though she could probably guess what it actually was one way or another. Peridot needed a second to answer.

"You know. ... You. Guys."

The answer sounded a little awkward, but it still got the point home either way, and Pearl smiled to her fellow Gem. This Gem had come a long way from the moment she took her step down onto Earth from the main Warp Pad. ...

*beep**beep**beep*

And before they could even continue on it, the sensors within the drill started to go off. Pearl and Peridot took a look to the sensors, and it started to show that one small layer remained between them, and the giant orb that was the Cluster.

"We're going in!" Peridot said, just as they started to pass the Peridotite mantle, and into the deeper essence of the Earth.

For a moment, everything went dark. Not a inch of light from the mantle, or any natural light in general remotely revealed what was where, or where they were to begin with. Both Gems had their nerves locked and loaded, as they slowly descended down even further. The drill handled the darker rocks with a bit harder effort than the previous dirt, rock, and mantle, but it did eventually break through what felt like the very bottom of the trail. As if they broke through the ceiling of a house, or something. Being down so low though, it was still dark as ever, but the Gems did add a small light to the exterior of the drill for this situation. After a few minor adjustments, the small light - a robotic arm with a light orb at the end of it - started to give both Pearl and Peridot the needed light to see what they were dealing with. ...

An entire floor. Stretching miles on end. Gem shards all forcefully mashed together under a glassy surface, all delivering a rather faint glow of some lifeforce still somehow within them all. The very sight of so many Gems forced together like this made Pearl shiver, though Peridot was more dumb-founded than anything.

Then the lights started to brighten.

"Oh no. NO! I-It's emerging! PEARL, I-I'M SO SORRY FOR EVERYTHING! ANY LAST WORDS?!" Peridot shrieked in horror, as the lights and moans from the Cluster became more and more audible. The borders showed transparent arms reaching out, the moans of millions of Gems begging for a full form to be released free. Pearl and Peridot didn't even have time for that, the forces of the Cluster rocking and shaking their drill. Both Gems held eachother close, as a wave of light and energy swept over the drill fast, consuming them ... just to have them all starting to come back down. There was still time after all for any final actions, and Peridot was kicking it into high gear.

"YES, THERE'S STILL A CHANCE!" Peridot said, both Gems getting into high gear and getting action started. With the Cluster struggling to even form, the Gem drill was lowered, and ready to finish off this giant beast once and for all. The drill dropped itself from the ceiling, and landed on the smooth surface. With some quick activations on both of their parts, the drill came alive and jabbed the spinning drill right into the surface! For extra measure, two other smaller drill attachments, made out of some of the legs, also started drilling like crazy. The problem: they weren't working! The surface of the gemstone was FAR to durable for this measly drill.

"Come on, please work," Pearl managed to say. Unfortunately, that came with a horrid jinx. The drill only could take so much, and after a good twenty seconds, the smaller drills started to give and break off completely! Peridot and Pearl tried to keep the drill steady, but another drill then snapped off! It was too much for the single drill to even balance itself, and one lean was all it took for the whole drill to start breaking! Pearl and Peridot found themselves catapulted out, and landing on the Cluster itself (the only surface), just before the drill succumbed, and broken up completely, the final drill breaking off altogether. It spun around on the surface of the Cluster for a while more like a runaway top, until it finally came to rest down on the surface of the Cluster. Even with all that effort, not a single dent to show for it. no crack, no damage, only thing destroyed here was their only hopes of winning.

"NOOO! THIS HAS TO WORK!" Peridot screeched, trying to get the drill again, but with the main drill bit disconnected from the controls, there wasn't any time to even repair anything. Peridot tried to get her own metal-kinesis to fix the drill, but it just wasn't working. Peridot tried to lodge it back in place, but that seemed to damage it even more, to the point when it just crumbled down into metal. Peridot took a moment to stop, and realized something else too.

"... Pearl? Pearl, you okay?" Peridot asked. It slipped her mind for a moment when she fell out, but she had yet to hear a peep out of the Pearl. When she did eventually find her, the Gem was apparently unconscious. Amazing to say for any normal Gem, but the gemstone on her head was even more damaged now, and she wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon. Peridot was completely silent, and walked over to the Pearl, picking it up. The broken drill, the semi-active Cluster, the time they've all spent trying to fix this. ...

"... I'm going to die here. ..."

The little green Gem was gravely quiet, as the realization started to settle in. Her mouth started to laugh ever so slightly, but it wasn't any joy that came out of it. The broken Gem slowly collapsed to her knees, and then fell to her side as her laughs turned to weeping, huddling together. Peridot began to cry, her tears flowing down freely from her eyes and down onto the Cluster itself. There's nothing left she could do now, except for waiting for the end to come. ...

"... I'm sorry. I can't save you. ... I can't save anyone. ... OH, what was I thinking?! A tiny drill? REALLY?! This was doomed from the start. ... It's all my fault," Peridot wept, the only sound being her own voice echoing in the emptiness between the Cluster and Earth's inner core. Peridot turned onto her back, and looked over to Pearl.

"You'd tell me it's not if you're still here. ... But, if you can hear me in there. ... Even if we're about to die ... I'm. Kinda glad you're here? ... I really don't want to be alone right now. ... Aren't I awful?"

Peridot's eyes poured out tears of sorrow. She figured that Pearl probably couldn't hear Peridot anyway, but what else is she supposed to do? At least Peridot could say she got it out of herself. Still, what can a tiny Gem like her even do other than just sit there? Not a single trick she had gained while on Earth, or any knowledge she caught in any of her previous missions could save her now, or any of the Crystal Gems for that matter. That fact only became even more prominent when she began to hear the Cluster try to form again, arms reaching out around her. All Peridot could do was silently cry, and wait for the end to show up. The energy surged out again, lasting longer than earlier, but again, it wasn't enough to fully release the Cluster, and Earth still withheld for now. Peridot didn't feel hurt, or even if she did she was more worried over Pearl. After all, Peridot's stone was still whole anyway. The arms retreated back, and the cluster was quiet all over again. Peridot didn't feel as pleased about it as she was before, believing that the world was just prolonging the inevitable for a few more minutes. ...

Then something touched Peridot's forehead.

The green Gem didn't even realize it at the moment until she looked up, and the figure she saw made Peridot speechless. Peridot spun herself around so she was facing the figure, sitting on the Cluster and holding Pearl very close to her, as her eyes locked with the figure. This figure's body was small, humanoid, and vaguely transparent. No facial features, no complex details, just a simple humanoid body with a set of small arms and hands. It didn't even have any legs or feet, the bottom half merging into the surface underneath it. The figure didn't say a single word to her, and even when standing up straight, it matched Peridot in height so it wasn't very big, despite what this figure was supposed to represent. Despite no mouth, some sort of voice seemed to escape it, though it was a bit hard to tell what it was exactly saying.

"... You're the Cluster ..."

The figure didn't make a noise at first, but it did nod its head to Peridot's assumption. This was really the Cluster. Or at least, a representation so it can see Peridot face to face.

... Clu ... ster ...

The voice it did say wasn't a specific one, but rather than the voice of millions speaking at once, in a slow and echoed sort of manor. The figure moved a little closer, sliding on the surface, but Peridot retreated a little bit, holding Pearl close to her just in case.

"You're just here to watch us die, aren't you?" Peridot accused coldly, tears still going down her face. Still, the figure moved forward more until it was right in front of the terrified Gem. The small hand gently reached for Peridot's face, and wiped away her tears. Arguing just wasn't going to work, and Peridot quickly realized that it just wasn't going to do anything. More tears started to fall from the green Gem's face.

"What's wrong with me?! Arguing with the Geo-weapon, what good will that do? What good will anything do?! I mean, I'm just some measly little clod in way over her head. Yep! THAT'S ME. A little runt who can't save anyone for anything!" Peridot wailed.

... you ... hurt ...

"Hurt? ... Wait a minute."

Peridot then got it.

"Wait, listen, You can't reform! You'll take down the entire planet, and everyone else with it!"

... Have to ... Want to ... Need to ... Must!

The Cluster started to become active again in a fit, Peridot jumping at the rumbling and moans as it tried again, only to fail.

"Wait, wait, wait! Maybe you can work something out?" Peridot begged, but the Cluster wasn't listening to her. Suddenly, the whole Cluster lit up again.

FORM! FORM! FORM! FORM! FORM! FORM! FORM!

.......

"ARGH!"

Steven gripped his Gem, suddenly feeling a sharp sort of pressure run through him, sweeping over his whole body.

"Steven?! What's wrong?" Connie asked.

"I-I don't know!" Steven said, feeling sick to his stomach. Such a bad situation. Before anyone could catch him, Steven fell backwards onto his back, cringing from the pressure.

"Steven! STEVEN!" Garnet said, worried over him now, and rushing over to him. Steven's breath grew heavy, and strained when he looked again, appearing terrified. Everyone else didn't see it, but just past Garnet's head, Steven was seeing silhouettes flowing by, apparently going upward and scattering around. Steven could see one of these start to rush down at him, and then the lights went out.

"STEVEN!"

~~~~~~

Steven stayed quiet for the next minute, not sure where his mind had ended up, or what had just happened. The world around him was dark, and quiet. It took Steven a bit to wake himself up, but when he did, he was nowhere near anything familiar, or anywhere at all for that matter. At least it seemed that way at first. His body wasn't touching ground, and floating around in mid air. Around him, it seemed like nightfall, the space around him filled with sparkling lights from the smallest of shards suspended and floating around in the air around him.

"Where ... Where am I? Hello?!" Steven said. As he floated around with little effort, he did start to hear a number of voices but they seemed a little incoherent. At least it did at first, but after a bit a word did become easier to work out.

... Hi. ...

"Who's there?" Steven called, to no direction in particular.

... Clu ... ster ...

"Clu. Ster. ... Cluster. I'm inside the Cluster?!" Steven realized. Where else was he at? This realization was quite a shocker for the kid, as he continued to float around in space with these many little shards of life floating around him. He didn't even know he could do this, or how it was even possible right now, but he wasn't going to just sit there. The Cluster was still trying to emerge, and the world was on its threads. It took a little effort, but Steven started to swim through space, a sort of doggy paddle going on in his movements. As he tried to figure things out, the lights from the Cluster started to come to life once again.

FORM! MUST FORM! TO BE WHOLE.

Steven had to cover his ears since the Cluster's combined voices were so strong and loud. Even with covered ears, he heard every word crystal clear.

"To be whole? ... But you're already -" Steven stopped himself as another shard moved by him. This Cluster wasn't full, not exactly. And shards were just floating around in space for nothing. That's when it hit him.

"Wait. ... You're alone, aren't you? B-But forming won't work, you'll destroy everyone if you do!" Steven insisted. Suddenly the light show screeched again.

FORM! MUST FORM! NEED TO FORM!

"AH! Stop please!" Steven pleaded, feeling his body move around a bit. The lights and voices started to calm down a little bit once again, but when it came back around, Steven found himself in a different part of the Cluster. Looking around, he was seeing Gem after Gen all over the place, and an idea quickly got to him.

"You don't need to form! Look, you got hundreds of friends right in here. Look see? Shard meet shard," Steven explained. To prove the point even further, he brought two different shards together, and both glowed in a friendly hue. That simple act of introduction among new friends started a chain reaction from within the Cluster, different voices greeting eachother.

hi, hi. Hi! Hi.

"See? You can stay this way, and you'll never be alone."

... Want. ... To stay. ...

Then his back suddenly hit the very edge of it. What did he see when he turned himself around?

"Peridot?! Pearl?!"

"Steven?!"

There they were. Like looking up from transparent ice, Steven saw his friends standing above him on the impenetrable surface. Peridot and Pearl were just as shocked to seeing Steven as he was to the Gems. Seemed as well Pearl did wake up during Steven's time inside the Cluster, but all the same, the odds were uncanny at least.

"HOW DID YOU GET IN THERE?!" Pearl gasped, pan caking her face into the surface.

"I don't really know, but the Cluster, it doesn't want to form!" Steven revealed. That was an even bigger shocker to Peridot and Pearl than just seeing Steven in there at all.

"You serious?" Pearl gasped, excited. However, the joy was short lived as the Cluster suddenly became alive again, tremors shaking and lights shining.

CANT STOP! GOING TO FORN! CANT STOP! GOING TO FORM! HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP!

Now they all were panicked. Thinking quickly, Steven went off and tried the only thing he could think of to do.

"I know, eh, here!" Steven went right to action, and his arms and hands began bubbling gem shards left and right. He knew the task was unorthodox but it was their best, and only chance. Steven managed to bubble up about five before realizing there's no time to get them all himself.

"Guys, you have to help me! We need to have it in a bubble!"

"Bubble THIS?! There's no way!" Peridot screeched.

Then, something started to happen.

It started out rather small, but soon they were starting to see the Cluster doing something no other Gem could really do. Little by little, bubbles were starting to show up, covering up shards around them. Steven could see the interior of the Cluster, and seeing a far faster result of bubbling, more Gems bubbling themselves and eachother. Steven, Peridot, and Pearl all saw their biggest chance ever since starting this whole thing. What have they got left to lose? So, with that in mind, they all brought their hands to the surface and focused as hard as they could.

"Come on, I got you. You got this," Steven said, they all doing their pure best. It was pure will now.

"WE ALL GOT EACHOTHER!" The three Gems proclaimed.

Then it happened.

It was hard to fully comprehend what happened next, but surely, a wave of lighted matter began to sweep across the cluster surface from where they all were. A mixture of lighting, hues matching Pearl, Peridot, and Steven in a valiant mix of stripes. Peridot and Pearl began to feel a shift at their feet, the Cluster itself working its own way of thanks. Using its endless arms, it picked up the main pod for the drill, and got Pearl and Peridot inside it. As for Steven, he began to feel his weight increase, and he started to sink down. He tried to reach back, but it wasn't any good. He couldn't see what was able to happen with Peridot and Pearl, before everything turned completely black.

~~~~~~

"Steven, wake up!" Connie begged.

Steven began to come to, finding himself back where he started: with the others back at the beta Kindergarten. The tremors didn't do any worse damage to the place, so that was a good thing. It didn't take much longer for Steven to get his mind together.

"IT DOESN'T WANT TO FORM!" Steven announced.

"What?" Asked Bismuth.

"The Cluster, it doesn't want to form, but it's okay, we -"

Before Steven could finish, a strange sound started to be heard from the hole they dug out, like a pressure of sort, or a jet engine starting up. Regardless of which case, it was increasing at an alarming rate until something blasted out in an extreme blur! Faint screams from two Gems came from the object as it rocketed out into the air a good mile, before it plummeted down to Earth. The object rushed down, and slammed down in a different area of the Beta Kindergarten, not too far away from the others. Amazingly, the object remained in tact, albeit a bit dented from the launch and landing. The thing turned out to be the main pod for the drill they made, and the hatch opened up, Peridot and Pearl stumbling out.
Dazed? Yes. Freaked out? Yes. Dead? Far from it.

"Oh. My. Stars. ... heeheehaHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Peridot's shift in laughter proved they were alright, and both Peridot and Pearl hugged tight in joy. They had done it. They REALLY had done it!

"Peridot. Pearl. ... You CRAZY CLODS DID IT!" Garnet said, tears down her eyes, and she too gave her hug, amazed and relieved beyond belief that both Gems came out alive at all.

"What happened down there?" Flint asked urgently.

"The world should be saved now. It didn't want to form, so it should be happy. Now that we bubbled it," Pearl revealed.

Flint stayed absolutely quiet, eyes wide as dinner plates, and the most dumbfounded he's ever been since joining the team. There was a more immediate reaction out of the others though, cheers and joy abounding from everyone for what they've accomplished. Flint didn't react and stood aside as the trio got their appreciation.

"THIS IS SO PSYCHED!!! YOU SAVED THE WORLD FROM THE BIG BANG!" Pinkie beamed.

"Just wait til Lapis and Jasper hear about this, won't they be surprised," Rarity chimed in.

"Excuse me?" Asked Bismuth.

"Oh yeah, we forgot to tell ya: we fixed Lapis and Jasper on the way back, and they're chilling out in the barn," Amethyst revealed. Equal surprise spread to everyone around, and it was just a great feeling to figure out.

"ALRIGHT, two for one!" Fulgurite cheered.

As they were singing their praises, Garnet took a moment to turn to the most dumbfounded Gem there. Flint just stood there, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. Not only did two Gems they put in custody stopped the Cluster from emerging by bubbling it of all things, but also that their group they kept away from the Cluster had managed to save Lapis AND Jasper from their fusion Malachite. Two of their biggest problems they've had to get, and all handle under half a day. Flint would have his doubts of he knew that they weren't lying by their tone and mood about it. Some hint somewhere would say something to him if they were lying, but he didn't see anything with them that would say.

"... They ... they saved everyone ..." Flint recapped. All of a sudden, Flint started to sit down, a hand on his head, as he felt the most relieved in his entire existence. So much stressing over this, and now it was finally over.

"Flint? What do you say?" Garnet said, showing up right next to him. Flint knew what she meant, and knew what to do. The writing was up on the wall now. Flint moved over to Pearl in particular, the cracked gem looking up to him along with the others. At first, he was a bit quiet, but after a while he just gave a long sigh.

"I think it's time we fix you up, don't you agree?" Flint decided, a smile on his face. Pearl's eyes swelled up with tears of joy, and it wasn't long until Flint got his own hug from Pearl.

"Ok, no need to get that emotional," Flint said modestly. After all, he wasn't the one who saved the world.

"There's only one thing to do at a time like this. ... CELEBRATE!" Pinkie decided, pulling out a blower out of her mane and blowing it right away. That didn't sound like a bad idea, actually.

"You all can go on ahead. I'll stay here and try to fill in that hole," Flint decided.

"What hole?" Questioned Amethyst. Flint turned over to where the hole was, but it turned out a hole filler wasn't needed: the hole was already filled in!

"Oh. Well, nevermind then. Let's get Pearl healed first at least," Flint said.

"Say no more," Said Twilight.

Looks like their work here was finally done.

Author's Note:

Two-parter in the middle of the season? WELLLLLL I did say things will get different this season. ... I think Well, finally they made it over the Cluster hurdle, now they can go on with the rest of the crazy stuff the world's are going through. HORRAY