I'm Not Who We Used To Be (Crystal falls AU)

🔷🔸Ch.6~Let's Talk~🔹🔶

The pencil glided across the notebook paper, making lines that darkened, shading in any places it needed to be. Line after line is connected, creating a bigger picture that was never present on the page just hours ago.

Moonstone lifted the paper, smiling at the results and plans he had for the drill. The only thing missing was the drill head. The one thing that makes the drill a 'drill' is inaccessible through the blue gem's orbs. There was no way to create a makeshift drill head from the suppiles they had. It would have to be perfect, or they would never even make it passed the outer layer of the Earth's crust.

Pulling away from his notebook, he dropped his pencil on the paper and shut the book, placing it on the nightstand and turning off the lamp.

Turning over, he stared at the top bunk and thought about how easily Ammolite chose a name, but why 'Cipher'. How is he a Diamond? Why does he have a split personality? What's with him getting so distracted all the time? Why was he glaring at his own reflection? Why, why, why, why, why, why?!

He closed his optics and recalled their return to the temple:

~~~~~~
The sun was no longer in sight, but it's light was still draped over the land ever so slightly. The three gems arrive back at the temple and Amethyst greeted the twins with a smile completely ignoring Ammolite. Said gem stood awkwardly while the others conversed as if this world wasn't nearing it's impending doom.

That's when the warp pad went off and Garnet walked off holding a maroon bubble with a cracked gem inside. "Hey, Grunkle Ford!", the twins said in unison.

"Ah, children. How did your visit go?", Garnet asked, placing the bubble on the counter.

"It was great! I think we have almost everything we need to complete the drill.", Moonstone said enthusiastically.

"Well done, Dipper. We can start the drill on the marrow. Stanley, you don't mind telling-"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, poindexter. I'll take care of it.", Amethyst waved him off.

"Good.", Garnet looked at Ammolite. "Ammolite, was it?" The Homeworld gem nodded. "From now on, you will be staying in my lab. Follow me." He grabbed the bubble and walked to the entrance of the temple, his gem glowing allowing him access to his lab.

Ammolite begrudgingly obeyed and followed Garnet into the lab, the door instantly sealing shut behind him. Moonstone remembered Garnet's words when they first captured Ammolite inside of a bubble. He wasn't being serious, right? Shaking the thought from his mind, Moonstone decided to pay attention to his sister gem as she laughed and talked about playing a board game to pass the time.
~~~~~~

Rolling out of his lower bunk, Moonstone quietly snuck over to temple door and opened Garnet's lab. Inside, the walls were grey and the white floor felt smooth like glass, but was as rough as concrete. He looked around the room for any indication of the Homeworld gem's whereabouts. Test tubes, flasks, and strange colored liquids were laid everywhere you looked. Books overfilling the shelves, papers either lying in random places or stapled to the wall, and machines cluttering the room from the floor to the ceiling. His feet glided against the floor as his blue orbs searched the large room for the artificial gem.

Then he passed a desk with the bubble Garnet was carrying with him as he lead Ammolite in here. Wait...

Looking back at the bubbled gem inside of a glass compartment, he realized that it wasn't the same gem from earlier. It was a black diamond!

Acting quick, Moonstone pried the compartment holding Ammolite hostage and threw it to the floor. He never did question why he cared so much as he grabbed the maroon bubble and was about to pop it when-...