Opal, Ruby, Sapphire AU | Steven Universe

War

"Do you think you can summon your own weapon?"

        Opal raised her eyes to the pink-haired Quartz, dipping her head to smell a blossoming flower. The fusion remained on the ground, her legs crossed, fingers laced in her lap. "I don't know. I've barely come to myself."

        "Well, you— Pearl and Amethyst have weapons, don't they?" she asked, hopefully, and gazed at the rose in thought.

        "Yes . . . I think so," the fusion mulled. "And of course. Amethyst is a Quartz, and Pearls are manufactured to protect their owners in extreme circumstances."

        Rose turned away from the blossoming bush and crouched down. "May I see them?"

        The fusion nodded, activating her gemstones and drawing from them a pearlescent spear and a crystal-studded whip.

        Rose gasped in delight and took them into her hands. "A spear! And look at this whip! Three tails—what a rarity."

        Opal coloured. "It's really nothing special."

        "Of course it is!" Rose gushed. "Quartzes most often share weapon choice with Rubies!—the only other Gem I've ever seen with one of these is an Agate. Amethyst is one special Gem." She paused for a moment, brow furrowing as her eyes drifted over the weapons. "Perhaps you can . . . combine them?"

        "I . . . I could try," the fusion admitted, and gently took the weapons back. Using her second pair of hands to push herself to her feet, she straightened, and tried to piece them together.

        Needless to say, that didn't work.

        She tried again, and then, upon Rose's suggestion, crashed them together in some attempt of force-fusion. The weapons defiantly kept their form.

        "Ah, well . . . that's alright," Rose soothed. "I'm sure that even without a fusion weapon, you'll be just as amazing with the original ones."

        At that moment, a cry echoed from beyond the clearing.

        In a flash of light, Rose was wielding her sword and hefting her shield in front of her.

        "Stay here," she told the fusion. "I'll be back as soon as I can. If they get past us, hide."

        And in a flutter of skirts and ringlets, she shot into the air and disappeared beyond the canopy.

✧✧✧

Opal now stood in the middle of the fray, berating herself. Her Quartz side had compelled her to join the fight and protect her friends, and now she hadn't the faintest idea of how to help.

        Avoiding attacks was no problem. With her newfound increased agility and speed, she could easily sidestep most offences, but that wasn't exactly helping the Crystal Gems. Standing tall, she scanned the turmoil, sighting a flash of pink in the distance.

        Rose.

        Steeling herself, she took running start and entered a flying leap. She flew through the air, ponytail trailing behind her, and landed softly on a small patch of vacant earth.

        The Quartz was nowhere to be seen. Turning, she glimpsed the flash of her tailored sword over the heads of the battling Gems, and sighed, running back the way she had come.

        Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a huge orange Gem ploughing towards her, and executed a series of graceful flips, landing right next to the renegade Sapphire.