Dan & Phil: Not of This Earth

09 | Facing Our Fears

Word Count: 1551

    For the first few hundred years, Dan and Black Opal avoided fighting. Black Opal had had a nervous breakdown before they even got to Earth and that had forced Dan to question his own abilities. The last thing either of them wanted to do was lose their best friend.

     They were both presented to Aura Quartz when they arrived. They fused and explained how it worked, just as they had on the ship. Aura embraced this new practice and attempted to fuse with her terrifying renegade, Rosaline Pearl. After they formed Rainbow Quartz, and the attention was directed to her, Star Garnet bolted.

     He ran until his physical form broke from exhaustion. The pair then laid face down in the dirt in an uncharted forest, breathing heavily. "Do you realize," Dan warned between breaths, "that we'll probably be shattered for abandonment or whatever?"

     Tears mixed with sweat on Black Opal's face as he turned his head to Dan. He smiled with what little strength he had left. "I would rather be shattered with you than have to lose you in battle." He swallowed his spit. "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

     Dan squeezed his eyes shut. "What does your future thing say?"

     Black Opal chuckled. There was no longer a sense of danger in his being and nothing said they were in danger or would be for quite some time. "We'll be just fine."

☆☆☆

     Black Opal shot through foliage, bounding over rocks and splashing through streams. In his hand was his only friend's damaged gem. A deep, sharp crack had been made across the surface. "You're gonna be okay! You're gonna be okay! I promise!"

     They had come across some Gems from Pink Diamond's court and it hadn't ended well. They fought hard to keep one another safe, but Dan had been struck from behind. "Opal –! Help –! Fucking clods –!" His sword melted in his hands and his legs began to do the same, making him immobile, and he was surrounded by six armed Gems.

     Black Opal lunged to Dan's aid in a fury. He disabled every Gem in vicinity, accidentally poofing Dan in the process. Now, he was trying to get Dan help. He came to a skidding halt before reaching a Gem settlement and frantically scanned the Gems present. He spotted a group of Gems talking quietly in a circle. Among them was a thin pearl with black hair kept in a loose braid. He quickly identified her as Black Pearl and nearly screamed in excitement. "Pearl! Pearl! Pearl!"

     She and three other pearls from the group turned at their name, but only Black Pearl knew who she was looking at. "Opal? I thought you were captured!"

     He shook his head as he ran to her. He stopped abruptly in front of her, narrowly avoiding crashing into her. "That doesn't matter right now!" He held out Dan's gem just as it sparked. "Pink Diamond's soldiers attacked us and-and they hurt Dan!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking.

     Black Pearl held a hand over her mouth upon seeing the damaged dealt to his Gem.

     "S-something can be done, ri-right?" His voice trembled and he was on the verge of tears.

     "Yes, come with me! Aura is in a briefing but this is urgent." She sprinted to a cloth tent that was supported by wooden rods and stuck her head between the flaps. "Excuse me, Aura, but there's an emergency you need to attend to."

     Within a few moments, Aura Quartz exited the tent, Rosaline Pearl behind her. Aura stood much taller than Black Opal and either pearl. Black Opal could only match her height with the mystic topaz he had lost so long ago.

     Her eyes were a brilliant blue and her hair was a neon green. Three brims of hair topped her head and two strands dangled by either side of her face while the rest of it laid on her back in gentle waves. Her gem, green with a blue, circular center, was located in her abdomen, highlighted by a star-shape cut around it. She wore a white dress with narrow straps and at least five layers of visible ruffles in the skirt of it.

     "What seems to be the problem?" she asked, her voice warm but worried. Black Opal held out Dan's gem. "Oh!" She gingerly took the gem in her hands, which were both easily the size of Black Opal's head and as soft as her hair looked. Aura closed her eyes and her plump lips formed a small frown. With the gem held by her left cheek, three green-tinted tears fell from her eye, hitting the center of the deep crack. In an instant, the damage was repaired and Dan looked as if he was fresh from a Kindergarden. "How's that?"

     Black Opal swiped Dan's gem from her hands, eager to look at it up close. "Oh my stars! Thank you! Thank you!" The gem shined as brightly as a dark-coloured gem could, and he gasped as it flew from his hands.

     Dan reappeared before him in a daze. "Ugh, what happ – oof! Opal!" Almost as soon as he spoke, Black Opal tackled him in a hug, sending him to the ground. He refused to let go as he peppered Dan's cheek with kisses. "Stop that, you clod! It tickles!" Dan laughed and tried to push his friend away but to no avail.

     "I was so worried about you," Black Opal said into his neck once he had finished assaulting him with relieved affection.

     Aura Quartz awed upon witnessing the interaction between the two. "You two must really love each other!" she said dreamily.

     "We have been best friends for a few centuries," Dan said matter-of-factly, keeping a hand on Black Opal's back, unable to move from under his mass.

     Rosaline Pearl stepped forward with a tilted head. "Aren't you the obsidian and black opal that demonstrated different-gem fusion to us?"

     Aura looked to Rosaline Pearl and back at the duo. "Yes, that's right, isn't it? You fused into Star Garnet. What happened to you?" She then gasped with genuine concern. "Were you captured?"

     Dan and Black Opal were forced to confess deserting the rebellion before even joining it. As soon as they finished their confession, they both pleaded not to be shattered. Black Opal bowed until his forehead was in the dirt, breaking down once more. Dan remained by his side, sitting on his knees, his eyes downcast in shame and fear.

     Aura reassured them: "Oh, it's okay! We're not going to shatter you! We would never shatter fellow Gems!" She knelt to Black Opal and patted his back.

     Rosaline Pearl stepped forward. She held her hands firmly behind her back and offered a sympathetic look. "It is extremely dishonourable that you deserted your own kind in their time of need, but we will take whatever help we can get. I can understand not wanting to lose one another, but you could both be lost if the Diamonds win this war. They'll shatter every last one of us if and when they get the chance." A bashful smile crossed her face. "Besides, when you're fighting alongside a loved one, you can protect the one you love and they'll protect you, too."

     "Ro is right, and we would be glad to have you fighting by our side as a beautiful fusion of friendship and your combined powers!" Aura looked to Dan with an inspiring smile. "It's because of you two that we have been able to stand our ground for as long as we have; fusion has opened so many doors for us. We would be honoured if you were to join our army."

     Rather than feeling honoured themselves, both Gems felt obligated to join Aura in the rebellion and they did so with quivering knees. Black Opal's fear had progressively spread to Dan over time, and with the recent event, Dan finally understood the root of his fears. However, deep down, they both knew it was the proper action to take.

     When Ro and Aura returned to the briefing, Dan and Black Opal turned to one another, unsure of their next step. Dan made eye-contact with Black Opal, extended his hand, and repeated his friend's words: "I'd rather be shattered with you than have to lose you in battle."

     Black Opal just stared at Dan's open palm, contemplating his own words. He wasn't quite sure how to respond. Then he smiled and connected his palm to Dan's. "Well, please tell me you're leading; I've never been in a war before," he said, his words gleeful and reminiscent but his tone edging on sorrowful. Black Opal held back his fear and his anxieties, attempting to make the situation better for the both of them. He knew he'd have to better himself and overcome what had haunted him and terrified him for so many years.

     In response, Dan smiled widely and his eyes lit up. "I am, and neither have I." He, too, knew that improvement would be needed to get through war together and he would have to trample over his self-resentment and anxieties to remain composed throughout the many battles ahead of him. He was willing to do it all; he didn't want to lose his only friend to anyone or anything.