Wulfenite: A Steven Universe Story

Chapter 70

Wulfenite slowly opened his eyes. He was lying down in some unidentified space. Around him were some bright lights. Wulfenite slowly sat upright. "Ah, there you are. We've been trying to reach you for a while now." A voice said. "Huh? Where am I? Who said that? Never heard a voice like yours..." Wulfenite said as he stood up. "My name is Aquamarine. I am part of you, mate!" Aquamarine said. Wulfenite looked at the little flying gem. "A... part of me? Does that mean..?" "Yes, this is the inside of your gem, init?" Aquamarine said with a smile. Wulfenite was shocked. "How is this even possible?!" Wulfenite asked. "Wulfenite, there's a good reason why your gem isn't healing." Aquamarine said. "What do you mean?" "I am a part of your emotional spectrum. You seem to be quite fond of suppressing us." "My emotional spectrum... I am always using my emotions." Wulfenite said. "True, but not your negative ones. You suppress us quite a lot. You have to stop doing that." "What do you mean?" "If you keep ignoring your negative emotions, you will never be healed. Your gem isn't cracked, you are. On the inside." "But I've shown sadness!" "You have indeed. But those amounts are nothing compared to the pain you hide. When our Pink Diamond supposedly died, you hid your sadness almost instantly. When Peridot supposedly died, you should've been way sadder than Amethyst was. Even when all your friends got taken away and you had to surrender your existence, your sadness was minimal." Aquamarine stated. Wulfenite looked around. "So what you're saying is-" "I'm saying you need to stop suppressing your feelings!" "But my friends look up to me. I can't fall apart on them! What would they think?" "They look up to you because you never give up! All your friends have shown their emotions! Did you think differently about them because of that?" Wulfenite didn't respond. "I didn't think so." Aquamarine said; "You need not hide your true feelings. That way no one will see the real you. Only when you give in to your blasted emotions, your gem can be healed and you will be free." A silence fell. Wulfenite looked at the nonexistent floor. "I hope you know I don't mean to hurt you. I am a part of you, remember? We are Wulfenite. I'm merely looking out for you. The geezer we represent needs to go on. Only you can make it happen." Wulfenite slowly teared up. "You're right. I shouldn't be afraid to show my true self. I'm not just some strong gem with too much joy to be sad. I have sadness in me as well. I need to let it out. It's the only way." Wulfenite's tears streamed down his face. "I'm so proud of us." Aquamarine said. Wulfenite looked up to the sky and a bright flash blinded him. "Time to wake up. Our friends must be worried."

Wulfenite slowly came to. He saw a wooden ceiling. "Ah, familiar ceiling." Wulfenite thought to himself. He found himself lying on the couch in the temple. He slowly sat upright. Next to him, he saw Lapis sleeping in an upright position. "She stayed with me. But, how long was I out for?" Wulfenite asked himself. He tapped Lapis on the shoulder. "Lapis? Wake up dear." Lapis slowly opened her eyes. "Wulfenite?! You're awake!" Lapis jumped onto Wulfenite and kissed him over and over again. "You're like an excited pumpkin! How long was I out for?" Wulfenite asked. "Just a day, no big deal. Your gem is fixed, though." "What happened when I entered the bath?" "Well, first your gem lit up and we couldn't see you for a bit. Then, your lifeless body floated on top of the water. Your gem was in the process of being healed. After a couple minutes, you finally healed all the way up. The Diamonds went back home and the gems and I took you inside. We tried to wake you for a bit, but you didn't budge. Garnet proposed we'd let you rest. Everyone slowly left, except for me. I stayed so that I could greet you when you woke up, and here we are. You're up to speed now." "Wow, what's the short version? I wasn't listening." Wulfenite said. "You jerk." "Just kidding! Thanks for informing me. Hm, I'd better tell everyone I'm okay." Wulfenite said. "I'll do it in the form of a note. We gotta get back to the barn." Wulfenite scribbled a note in a hurry. "Um, Wulfenite. That's in gem glyph." "Huh? Oh. Well, the gems can translate it for Steven. We have to go!" Wulfenite picked up Lapis and flew to the barn.

"Peridot!?" Wulfenite yelled. "Up here! Glad to hear you came to. How are you?" Wulfenite jumped up and spotted Peridot watching a documentary about plant life. He rushed to her and hugged her tightly: "I'm sorry for acting like your death didn't affect me!" Wulfenite said through his tears. "What? Oh, you mean when you thought I died. But Amethyst told me she basically had to pull you away from the execution, didn't she?" "I mean yeah, but when we came back, I should've cared more!" "Wulfenite, I wasn't even there. I don't care that you were minimalistic. Plus, I'm still alive." Peridot said. "You don't care? Phew, what a relief." Wulfenite said as he dried his tears and let go of Peridot. "Are you sure your gem healed correctly? This is uncommon for you." "Just a bit of character development I think." Wulfenite jumped back down. "So, what now? Is there something planned? A new enemy spotted? Talk to me Lapis." "Uh, I haven't heard anything new. Steven started working at little Homeworld, together with the other gems. They give lessons there to Homeworld gems. You feel like teaching?" Lapis asked. "I know I should, but the only thing I'm good at is combat and that is not a good thing to teach these days." "I feel you. I don't really have anything I excel at either..." "C'mon, Lappy, you have plenty of things you excel at! Like, being adorable, for starters! You're also a very innovative gem!" "What makes you say that?" "Those meepmorps! You made some, didn't you?" "I mean, yeah, but still." "Well, you could always teach art to the gems. But it's all up to you. You're free to make your own choices." Lapis hugged Wulfenite. "Thanks, Wulfie." Wulfenite smiled as he hugged Lapis back.