<Garnet>

 

No one can see the future.

Standing on the balcony of the beach house, Garnet stared out into the vast starry night sky.

Time was a titanic, convoluted construct that made up a key fragment of their world. It was essential to existence in every sense of the word but hard to fully grasp. If one were to compare it to a river, it would be an enormous, endless stream that veered randomly and broke apart. Never truly having a start nor an end.

For the average gem, time remained forever elusive. Forever out of their reach or understanding. However, this was a completely different story for Garnet. Sapphire, her fusion component, used to be a seer gifted with clairvoyance. An ability that allowed the user to glimpse a single stream within the endless river of time. Garnet, as a grand fusion of love between Sapphire and Ruby, naturally possessed the same ability but greatly enhanced.

Instead of glimpsing a single stream in the boundless river of time, Garnet was able to perceive its countless flows. Its creeks, pools of lakes, and careening waterfalls. Navigating them with a map in hand like a master of the sea.

Garnet has seen innumerable possibilities and opportunities surrounding her and her loved ones, having lived thousands of years. No matter how tragic or fortunate they had been. She had witnessed it all. She even lived in futures impossible to have imagined. After all this time, she couldn’t have believed there was anything new to learn regarding this power.

She was wrong.

Glancing once more into the stream, Garnet confirmed her sight.

It was stagnant.

The once-flowing streams simply stopped. No longer did they flow. The formerly lively creeks, pools of lakes, and careening waterfalls stilled.

Dead and empty.

But… for better or for worse, this stoppage, this weird occurrence, only affected the future. The waters of the present still flowed soundly and timely. Unaffected by the force restraining the future.

Strained, Garnet closed her eye.

No matter what she did, she couldn’t see the future. It was a fact and one that filled her with great annoyance. It felt like trouble was brewing, and that was the last thing they needed. At most, a mere two months had passed since Steven fell into a corrupted state.

It was too soon.

Walking back into the beach house, Garnet debated with herself. Was this issue pressing enough to alert the others? If she were to alert them, should she also have Steven know, given his current condition? It has only been an afternoon since this issue arose. Wouldn’t it be better to wait and see how the situation plays out?

‘No.’

Garnet affirmed herself.

Letting the situation fester could result in a worse outcome due to giving the problem time to grow. The best decision would be to act right away. Being swift to alert others may offset any surprises. It also meant informing Steven was a must. As much as Garnet wanted to protect him, he was no longer a child. He was a member of the Crystal Gems and, despite facing his own challenges, would still be able to act when the time comes. With the support of all of them, he wouldn’t crumble. Together, there was nothing they couldn’t all overcome.

Stepping into her room, Garnet decided to alert everyone tomorrow. With the Diamonds coming over to check on Steven, there couldn’t be a more perfect time. Tomorrow they will sit down and figure out everything. And, who knows? Maybe Garnet was overestimating the situation.

In the end, it never hurts to talk it out with others.

 

"Hm... Nothing as well.” (Y.D)

“Unfortunately, I too have a similar report.” (B.D)

Listening to Yellow and Blue caused Garnet to frown. It was just like she expected. No other Sapphire was able to see the stream of time. Waiting on White Diamond, she held for the final confirmation.

“Nothing.”

They were all walking blind.

“But! Does that matter?” (W.D)

The soothing, relaxed voice of White Diamond spoke,

“I have learnt that with the power of love, you can conquer anything. Losing those powers is inconsequential in the face of that truth, right, Steven?” (W.D)

Ignoring the slight insult, Garnet did agree with White Diamond’s words. With the bonds they had formed, any threat coming their way ought to be wary. But, just because she agreed with those doesn’t mean anything she said was helpful. As Steven let out a tired sigh, Garnet spoke,

“That isn’t helpful.” (G)

A voice spoke up.

“Haa, the main problem is simply that we don’t know what to expect.” (Pearl)

Garnet was aware. Watching Pearl don a thoughtful, worried expression, she chose to remain silent. It was unreasonable to expect to find a solution to the problem when you don’t even know the roots of it.

“Haha, true, but don’t worry, Pearl. No matter what comes our way, we’ll smash it to pieces!” (Bismuth)

“Yeah, we’ll clobber them!” (Peridot)

Peridot high-fived Bismuth as Lapis lightly chuckled.

“Um, guys, I think we’re getting a little off track here.” (Steven)

Nodding, Garnet continued.

“For now, this situation is unknown; I suggest everyone stay alert. Report anything suspicious immediately.” (Garnet)

This was all they could do. Garnet surveyed the group. The Diamonds, gems, and humans before her. All former enemies, lost comrades, or new recruits. The Crystal Gems had worked hard to make it this far. Sacrificing their mind, body, and heart. Many friends and allies had been lost along the way. The challenges they faced always grew stronger, yet so did they. A lot has changed among them, but one thing always endured.

Their will to see better days.

A hand raised.

“Amethyst?” (Garnet)

“Ah, well. I don’t think this is super important, but I will mention the warp gates have been down since yesterday.” (Amethyst)

“Yesterday?” (Garnet)

“Yeah, all of them—” (Amethyst)

A subtle, pleasant hum echoed throughout beach city.

It was shortly accompanied by a violent trembling. The ground shook and broke apart, exposing deep fractures in the Earth. A pillar of light erupted in the sky like a fountain. Its pinkish glow pulsated almost like a heartbeat. The whole thing clamoured for attention. Showcasing its strange combination of softness and aggression.

The aura of a diamond had engulfed the entirety of the beach city. It was crushing, sinister, and yet so starkly familiar. Familiar in a way that should be impossible.

Few words were exchanged.

They all moved instinctively, heading towards Little Homeworld.

Something deeply unpleasant had arrived.

 

 

Moving rapidly, Garnet swiftly approached Little Homeworld.

With her gauntlets already summoned, she readied herself to meet this new foe. Sharing a few hard glances with her fellow Crystal Gems. Though forced, they held reassuring, hard smiles. It was clear already that this new foe would be challenging. The aura encasing Little Homeworld felt nothing more than malicious. As more time passed, the aura grew thicker as the erupting pillar of light shone brighter and brighter.

Garnet composed herself as they drew near. A task that increasingly seemed uncharacteristically difficult the closer she got. The closer she got, the more it seemed like something was trying to forcefully undo her fusion. 

"Garnet! Are you okay!?" (Steven)

Grinding her teeth, Garnet came to a realisation.

She had stopped.

Chuckling at herself, she smiled a wide smile.

"Never been better!" (Garnet)

Leaping into the air, she descended into the centre of Little Homeworld.

The Crystal Gems were the defenders of Earth.

With her friends around her, there was nothing to fear.

 

 

It was pure chaos.

Everything had been so quickly destroyed.

Landing at the scene, Garnet immediately called out.

"Steven, Lapis, follow me! Everyone else, focus on evacuating all the remaining gems!!" (Garnet)

Their first priority was ensuring everyone else made it out safely. So, naturally, Garnet focused their efforts off there. Calling only Steven and Lapis to ensure them, including her, held whatever was present at bay. Garnet would serve as both a close-range tank and bait, Steven would back up with healing and defence—mainly for Lapis—while Lapis herself served as a long-distance main damage dealer. It was a combination they were all sharply intimate with.

It allowed for rapid deployment.

The other Gems quickly got to work evacuating everyone as the three ran forward. They passed by the destroyed new buildings and ran along the broken roads. Aiming for the centre of new Little Homeworld.

Reaching the centre of Little Homeworld, Garnet paused.

Studying the situation revealed a rather disturbing fact.

Whatever was causing this had yet to arrive. All... All this damage was from it making its way.

They couldn't let it arrive.

"Quick! Destroy the Pad!" (Garnet)

The three of them charged forward, sending attacks flying right at the warp pad.

...But it was too late.

The warp pad exploded in a kaleidoscope of vibrant pink hues. Steven jumped in front of Lapis and Garnet, casting multiple shields. Yet, despite it, they were all still violently thrown back, causing them to crash into a building.

Cold silence filled the air.

Nothing moved.

Breaking the stillness, Garnet struggled to her feet and called out,

"Steven! Lapis!" (Garnet)

No response greeted her back. Instead, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard. Turning her attention to the noise, Garnet spotted something, someone, standing on the warp pad.

With puffy pink hair and mischievous diamond eyes, a short girl stood alone on the pad. Wearing a black t-shirt and shorts painted with pink stars, the girl seemed unbothered with the current situation at hand. No, unbothered is the wrong term. The girl's gaze constantly shifted around the place. Never staying in one spot for a second. 

The girl wasn't unbothered.

She was excited.