I'm Here

Corruption and blame

Obviously this story's not over yet, there's always going to be issues. Let's get this show on the road shall we?

Warning: Nothing major, poofing of a minor character though if that upsets you, but you probably wouldn't be here if that bothered you.

It takes some time for Apatite, now named Danny, to settle in but he does it quite well; that's what Andrew had said anyway, and before he knows it he gets replicas of Angelite and Adventurine's gems placed in the star on the door so that he has his own room, and begins helping Andrew and Sam out on missions when he is able to get his bearings. He still doesn't know what his weapon or powers are yet, but he isn't necessarily in a hurry at the moment to figure it out. Andrew told him when the time is right he'll be able to summon it, but there is no need for it at that moment; Home World seems to not be interested in them after Danny's components came to earth.

So for now, Danny is simply getting to know the other gems, and getting to know himself in other ways. Everything is a new experience and Danny wants to know everything he can about the Crystal Gems and earth in general. Once he is able to figure out the warp pads by himself and not lose his balance over his new height, he goes everywhere the teleporters can take him and explores. One day however, he discovers something unpleasant.

On one of his solo trips, Danny comes across a strange island: waterfalls rising in the opposite direction of gravity, fish with weird faces on them, and an abundance of crystals and rocks shapped like masks. As strange as it is, the island has a good vibe to it, and Danny can't help but like it. He lays out by one of the lagoons, relaxing and enjoying the sounds and smells, when he senses something coming at him. Two of his eyes crack open and he flips out of the way before the thing can crush him, spinning around to face the threat before he freezes.

He has no idea what this thing is, but he knows it's not an earth creature. The thing is long and willowy, with points for hands and six legs. It looks much like a cross between a worm and wasp, with orange stripes instead of black and no eyes. Danny's eyes widen and he covers his ears as a screeching sound assaults him, a very familiar screeching sound that makes Danny's stomach turn. His thoughts become frazzled and as the thing hisses and takes to the air, the only train of thought he can focus on is this: get rid of it.

The gems on his front glow bright and Danny instinctively reaches up and grabs hold of two hilts, pulling as a sound of metal comes to his ears. Something comes out of his back at the same time and by the time Danny has become aware of what he is doing, he finds himself not holding a broad sword, or even two of them. In his hands are twin Katanas with silver blades, one with a black handle and one with white. Sharp blue wings that looked like they are made of sleek ice float above his shoulder blades and cause him to hover when he gives an experimental flap, muscle memory from Angelite telling him what to do. He hears a buzzing coming from above him and brings his attention back to the creature, narrowing his eyes as he charges up to meet it.

The thing opens a sharp toothed mouth, seeming ready to eat him, but Danny is ready, bringing one of his swords up to the side and cutting the creature all the way through. The thing screeches and Danny covers his ears again with a grimace, watching as the creature...poofs?

...what?

But that's exactly what it does; no blood, no evidence of a body left behind except for an octagonical shaped, multifaceted gem. The gem falls to the ground and Danny follows it, gazing at the gem in surprise. He can tell that it may have been a type of quartz, but the gem is spotted in unnatural blues and greens; almost like mold or algae. Danny picks the gem up and cringes when that screeching starts ringing in his head again, becoming swamped with feelings of pain and wrongness. This gem isn't supposed to be like this.