Consequences

21 - Aftershock

The Crystal Gems were petrified.

They just witnessed a Homeworld Gem, an Andalusite by the looks of her, stab Steven in the back with her dagger.

The unsuspecting teenager cried out in shock, before his body poofed away into a white cloud, which was pulled quickly back into the pink rose quartz gem that remained present.

It all had happened so fast.

Rage replaced shock, as it engulfed the three rebel gems like a tidal wave.

Pearl sprang forward on impulse, and summoned her spear. The Andalusite barely had time to react before the tall gem yelled out a war cry, now on top of her. Pearl plunged her spear into the chest of the Andalusite.

The Andalusite poofed, and Amethyst was next to Pearl in seconds. The pale gem grew only paler, breathing hard as she picked up the Andalusite's gemstone. Amethyst watched her, still frozen with fear and shock.

Pearl stared at gem in her hand, her grip tightening dangerously hard. Her glare was that of a predator. You could see a murderous intent in her glassy eyes, like a trance, as she looked down at the clear, yellow and brown tinted gem.

"Pearl! Don't!" Amethyst choked out, tears flooding from her eyes.

Pearl snapped out of it, her grip still tight on the Andalusite's gem. She stared hard at Amethyst's grief-stricken face, her brain struggling to catch up with the situation.

Suddenly, a strangled sob was heard a few steps away.

Ruby and Sapphire were crumpled on the ground, looking at something held in the blue gem's icy hands. A wave of tears overtook Pearl as well, as she ran over to join them, followed by Amethyst, who slid down on the ground beside her. The Andalusite gem was forgotten on the ground behind them.

Ruby's tears were evaporating straight off of her cheeks, while Sapphire's froze into glass as soon as they left her eye and dropped onto the ground. She was sobbing uncontrollably, and Ruby was holding on to her uncomfortably tight, struggling to vocalize.

Pearl immediately fell into a fit of gasping and crying as soon as she saw the pink gem, and her form slumped over into the huddle.

Amethyst cried out an agonizingly distraught sob, before covering her mouth and running away, down the cliffside.

Nobody paid the purple gem any mind as she fled. They were about ready to run themselves, but they couldn't. This wasn't their main thought, but the Crystal Gems knew what this Homeworld Andalusite meant... Homeworld was here, and it was going to be brutal. Merciless.

"S-Steven..." Pearl whispered as if Rose's son was still there, and could hear her. She took in shuddering breaths, though, being a gem, she didn't need to breathe. Somehow, this human function was the slightest bit comforting.

The grass was burning around Ruby's knees and hands, and her head was bowed down, so noone could see her face. Her intense despair was turning into another, more powerful emotion. Rage was a feeling Ruby was very familiar with, but she couldn't remember the last time she wanted to shatter another gem. It was a disgusting feeling.

Sapphire, sensing the anger boiling in the air around her partner, motioned for Pearl to take Steven's gem, so she herself wouldn't accidentally freeze it, and so Ruby wouldn't burn the gemstone.

Pearl gave out a sad cry as she cupped the gem in her hands. She held it and stared at it as if it weren't even real. Pearl was so upset, she could practically convince herself that she was just hallucinating, even though that was something a gem couldn't do.