Garnet stood in silence, gazing out at the sea. "... We have to kill Greg and Belos." The kids came over and explained the situation in full. This was a no resolution problem. As long as the latter existed he'd just repeat the problem over and over again.
"You know, not trying to bring down the mood, but I've been saying that for months, ever since I've come here." Lucci raised his hands. "Would've done it too, if three annoying brightly colored women didn't try to stop me."
"Hey, we try and go with the non-lethal route on principle. How were we supposed to know he'd get possessed by a four hundred year old maniac?" Amethyst asked.
"Because he was always a terrible person?" Lapis asked. "Everyone keeps the cops away, me and the gems will take him out ourselves."
"Because that worked out so well last time you tried." Boscha rolled her eyes.
"Wasn't he about to kill you before we got involved?" The blue gem asked.
"And you four let him get away when he was almost dead." Hunter said. "Not trying to be mean here…but that's what happened."
"He's only as strong as he is because of his ability to absorb and possess." Amity spoke up. "Bismuth makes him too durable, Peridot makes him too smart, and now that he has artificial magic again, he's practically untouchable."
"Yeah …" Garnet nodded. "I've run through the future … even Vee draining his magic won't be enough to stop him at this point. And the rest of us would be obliterated by both numbers and raw power." The army had already been built …
"Numbers? But can't you, like, squish humans into paste?" Willow asked.
"Not if Belos arms everyone with Artificial Magic." Hunter groaned. "You heard him, he wants to take this to a galactic scale. Give human law enforcement artificial magic would be his first step towards that."
"And if he doesn't, then there's still plenty of other weapons that can be slightly effective." Garnet said. "There is a reason that Homeworld has soldiers after all."
"Also, again, we're only after Belos." Vee stated. "As in, he's the only one we're okay with hurting."
"Aka, they're okay with not hurting them. I'm all for it." Lapis clarified. "In fact, I'm this close to abandoning earth all together and taking Vee to a new planet."
"LAPIS!" The basilisk screamed.
"Sorry sweetie, but that's what we've come too." The blue gem shrugged.
"The only thing we can do is break Belos apart piece by piece." Luz spoke up, laying down drawings of her glyphs, but in something red. "Belos has most of his power because he's being held together by the Pink Diamond Glyph. We can use that against him, but with all the advantages he has, that's not going to be enough, which is why we need another Diamond glyph."
Garnet nodded. "I'll try and find a remnant of power on earth for you all to use, see if we can access their glyphs from there."
"No need, we already know where to go." Lucci spoke up. "I ran into Blue Diamond about a week ago."
Garnet blinked out of existence for a quick second. "… What?"
"Blue Diamond. She visits earth for months at a time. " He confirmed.
Garnet began to hyperventilate. "Blue Diamond….comes to earth…..frequently?" She gasped.
"Apparently." Lucci shrugged. "She mourns Pink Diamond at this broken Pala-something."
"She razed earth because she mourned for Pink Diamond!" Garnet screamed. "She has responsibility for every Corrupted Gem on the planet!"
"Yeah, and Pearl tried to restart the timeline and sent all of us to hell." Luz countered. "We're clearly past the point where grievances are superseded by the current danger."
"There there." Vee came over and began to rub their side. "Everything's gonna be fine …"
"I'm starting to consider Lapis's offer." The fusion bluntly admitted. "We cannot in any conceivable reality rely on BLUE DIAMOND of all beings to help us!"
"We don't need her to help us, we just need to get close enough to get that Blue glyph." Lucci explained. "I talked to her, and she likes me somewhat, as an animal on a dead planet."
"In and out, piece of cake." Luz waved off. "If Lucci vouches for her, she can't be that bad right?"
"She's the one who made the human zoo." Garnet said.
"She's also the only diamond we have right now." Amity said.
"She hates fusion of any kind and absolutely despises the name Rose Quartz."
"She also the only diamond we have." Gus repeated.
"She along with the others corrupted every gem on this plan-"
"FOR THE LOVE OF TITAN WOMAN, WE GET IT, YOU'RE AFRAID!" Boscha shouted. "None of us like it either, but it's either get that glyph or watch that bastard chase us into a hole into the ground."
"You know, if I time it right, I could just use the ocean to push the earth into the sun while we all walk away." Lapis shrugged.
"...Fine…do what you must….but….you'll have to do it on your own." Garnet turned away. "I can't face that woman….I can't…I can't…"
"We were going to do this regardless of your approval, so that works out swimmingly for us." Lucci jumped onto Spice. "Onwards my trusty feline, to lands beyond!"
The pink cat looked up, before slumping on the ground. "Ssnnnn." And lightly snoring.
"Hhsss."
"No, we're not going to skin Spice alive, sugar." He grumbled. "Hang tight everyone, I'm gonna have to use my Lion Licker supply to motivate our fluffy pink friend."
"The one time those bitter piles of bread and cream are effective." Luz snickered. "So while we do that, what are you guys going to do in the meantime?"
"Well in about three minutes Pearl will finally be reforming …" Garnet said, focusing on the door. "So … mostly that."
"Another reason to go at this alone." Lucci nodded, taking something out of his hair. "Oh, before I forget, watch over Spinel for me." He handed over the heart shaped gem. "When Pearl and her reform, tell Spinel to play Pearl Javelin. She'll know what to do from there."
… The things we have to put up with for our daughter. You can't deny Pearl doesn't deserve it. Aside from building the drill, she's been the least helpful one in the past four months…and when you're doing worse than Amethyst…I mean, Amethyst pulls her weight … stars what a nightmare.
=======================================================================
Blue once more cried, gazing at the sight before her. "Pink …" Why couldn't they spend one last moment together? Why must the world end so soon? Why was there no hope in salvaging anything? She would personally oversee the restoration of the Zoo, but Yellow was getting on her case of spending too much time there and on Earth. Her fellow diamond was close to whipping out the Zoo entirely, and Blue was fearful White may get involved and side with Yellow.
Thus, these were the last few moments she could afford to spend … alone, without her family…a concept she wished she learned about a lot sooner … "Why didn't I listen …"
"Dude, what's wrong with your eyes!?" She heard a shout nearby.
"They just get like this when I'm close to-doesn't matter, just don't do anything brash." A more familiar voice to Blue was heard in response.
"I can't tell if it's ironic or terrifying coming from you."
"Right now, it's the plain truth. You'll see what I mean in a minute." Where was it that she heard this voice before…it was rather recent, wasn't it? "Hey Blue. What's up?" She turned her head….oh yes…the small male organic that understood her pain.
"Oh, it's you." Blue felt the tiniest corners of her lips lift up ever so slightly. "I don't know why you're asking me to see what's upwards when you can lift your head." She lightly chucked. "Nothing but a clear blue atmosphere….there's so much blue on this planet." If it wasn't Pink's first planet, she might've been tempted to colonize the planet for herself.
"Whoa…that's a big gem." She looked back down, and saw that her organic acquaintance wasn't alone like last time.
"I see you've brought other organics." Blue spoke, looking down upon them. "I thought you were the only one who wandered around here?"
"I just wanted to introduce you guys is all. Everyone, this is Blue Diamond." Lucci was it, spoke as he gestured to her. "And that's her assistant, Pearl."
"Salutations." Her Pearl politely bowed. "You must feel so honored to be graced by my diamond's imminent beauty. Not many organics get that opportunity."
"… She's somehow more stuck up, yet slightly more intimidating." An organic with round ears said.
"It's all in the dead tone. She's actually pretty nice when you get to know her." Lucci brought up. Nice to see that he understood that being reserved didn't mean being rude. "Anyways, these are all my friends. The tan one is my best friend Luz. She's in the middle of a mopey phase."
"I will hit you." The tan organic muttered. Reminds her of conversations between pink and yellow.
"Nex up is Amity. She hates adults in general, so she's slightly okay with the earth blowing up."
"I've … made peace with it." The purple organic nodded.
"Then we have Willow. She loves plant life of all kinds, and will defend them all to her last breath."
"Flora … Pink used to keep a whole satellite of assorted flowers from our colonies … I wonder what happened to it." Blue pondered aloud.
"Hehe, yeah, any chance, since you want to blow the place up you can at least save a few plants?" The one with green hair asked.
"I could try, though yellow would berate me for preserving 'worthless fauna." Not that she didn't have a point. Gems didn't need to breathe or sustain sustenance.
"… Then we have Gus, he's a bit of a showman."
"You're majesty." The short one bowed.
"Ah, so he's the organic equivalent of a Spinel." Blue nodded. "Strange, bizarre, utterly nonsensical and irrelevant, but entertaining to keep around."
"… Yep." They spoke in a high pitched tone.
"Then there's Hunter….honestly have no idea why he's around; but I can't get rid of him." Lucci stated.
Oh, they required help it seemed. "I could do so." She raised her hand to the organic.
"No!" His companions seemed to cry out. Hm, if they were getting in the way of the one that the boy wanted to get rid off, then maybe she needed to be rid of the entire group.
"Thanks…but..Ah…the world's going to blow up, why be needlessly cruel and cut the day's shorter?" Lucci brought up.
"If you say so." She rescinded the hand. "But if he gives you too much trouble, I'll be happy to assist."
"Best behavior." The yellow organic squeaked.
"Last, but certainly not least, the best of the best, who, in my opinion, is an Angel given physical form, Boscha." He held the organic with pink skin close. "My girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Blue asked in confusion. "Why is this female different from the others you view as companions?" It seemed like a needless distinction.
"Oh, I am much more than a mere companion." The pink one rubbed the boy's face affectionately and closely in a manner that seemed to make the other organics uncomfortable.
"Ohhh … she's your mate." The Diamond nodded in understanding. "Isn't it pointless to produce offspring when the world is coming to an end?"
"I mean I know the trees take a year to grow, but it's the thought that counts right?" … What? "Besides, having a girlfriend or mate or whatever you choose to have isn't just about having kids. It's about being close with someone that you care for, and vice versa."
"Really?" Blue asked. "That's all? There's no other alternative? No other driving factor for two dissimilar beings to be paired together?"
"Why would you need a reason?" They asked.
"Because … it doesn't seem to have a point." Blue went on. "Rubies and Topaz's work with their own types and fuse with their types when needed. To mix it up..it's pointless."
"Who cares about it needing a point?" White would obliterate this planet the hypothetical moment she heard of this conversation. "If you like something, do it."
"And just being with other people makes us happy." The purple haired one held the hand of the tan organic. "You hang around with the Pearl, and she's a different type."
"I'm a servant who will obey every whim my Diamond has, even in shattering." Pearl smiled.
"Well, between all of us, we're pretty much equal." The green haired one explained. "Sure; some of us could utterly beat others to a pulp more easily than some, but we don't let that affect how we treat each other."
"We all work together in the end." The tan one smiled. "After all, it's just fun to hang out instead of doing work … that usually drains us in the end."
"I'm…not exactly well versed in the manner of fun…that was Pink Diamond's territory." Blue sighed. "Even when she took it too far I still loved her. My free time is usually spent here or in the zoo."
"Then why don't you shake it up just a bit." Lucci spoke up. "You haven't seen much of the planet other than this spot, right?"
"Correct … there's nothing else to look out." A half finished kindergarten and an abandoned and dying moon base.
"There's a whole town about five miles of from here; and that's just one example." The round eared one responded.
"A town…you're suggesting I visit a human colony?" Blue Diamond raised an eyebrow. It sounded like something Pink would do in her lifetime…that actually made the idea sound halfway decent. "I..I shouldn't. I am a diamond; to do so would be beneath.."
"It's…it's a pink planet, isn't it?" Lucci asked. "Why not see more of it, more of her world? That way you can have more pleasant memories here when the planet goes bye-bye."
Blue laughed. "You do make a compelling point….but still…humans and gems…they're so fundamentally different. I'm not sure I could enjoy the pleasantries that you indulge in. The grass and dirt…it's so dirty."
"I'm sure we can find something." The boy snickered. "If there's anyone that's seen how bad the earth can be, it's me, but there's one or two things about it I can enjoy just enough to not want it completely destroyed."
"You say that like it's an option." She chuckled. "Not when the Cluster is building within the planet …"
"Then I'll enjoy those little things before the end comes, and embrace it with a smile." He grinned. "Come on, we can just take a stroll through the town with no problem."
"In a different non english speaking country with a giant woman?" The tan human asked. "Even ignoring the language barrier, that's not going to go over well at all. Maybe she could shrink down?"
"My diamond, do I have permission to eliminate the human girl?" Her pearl spoke up.
"No need, but do keep what happens today under wraps, Pearl. No one is to know anything that transpires, especially not Yellow." So much lecturing.
"Yes; my diamond." They saluted.
"Now pardon me…shapeshifting isn't my most refined ability. This might take a while."
She took a breath, and began to compress … and compress … a little too much energy… oh, that might work. She finished, opening her eyes to meet Lucci, who was now able to reach her chest. "Does this work?"
"... Why do you look like Willow?" He asked.
"I figured if I was shrinking down to blend in, I should look like one of you … also I had to place extra mass around, so I figured I'd model it around the largest human here."
The green one gripped her hands, silently muttering as she turned around. "Not an insult, not an insult, not an insult." Strangely the flowers and grass seemed to get bigger around them.
=======================================================================
Willow was a bit ticked off by the comment, but not only was it technically not an insult, there was the small issue of this woman being capable of killing them all in an instant in a manner reminiscent of Belos himself. The only difference was this one didn't seem outright malicious of other life as much as ignorant and clueless. "Such tiny and fragile dwellings." The diamond gazed at the passing buildings. "How do you humans protect yourselves in such weak fortresses?"
At least it wasn't an exact copy the woman took, or otherwise people would have made twin comments that would set Lucci off. They were taller than Willow, about Ms Noceda's height. Blue skinned, their dress was like their giant one, only resembling a hoodie more so than just a dress, and finally the diamond that rested on their chest. "They work well enough with the weather. It's pretty mundane here." Lucci said. "The rain doesn't boil, tornadoes rarely form, and they're far enough inland to avoid tidal screams."
"Oh my, from the tone of your voice, it sounds like you have seen the elements get that disastrous."
"You say disastrous, I say interesting." The boy smirked. It was such a bizarre sightseeing experience with Lucci playing the peacekeeper role, especially to a gem of all things…a gem that was a diamond like his womb donor.
"I'm personally a fan of the food and tv dramas. Oh, octopus dumplings." Boscha grinned, walking to a vender. "How much for one?"
"Boldang cheon-wa." The man responded.
"…So I know I'm pretty ignorant of most earth cultures, but exactly how many languages exist on this planet?" Boscha turned to Luz.
"Hundreds, that's not even including different dialects and lost languages no one speaks anymore." The girl responded as she went on her phoon. "Hold on for a second, there's an instant Korean to English app I need to download."
"How can a planet function with so many languages?" The diamond asked. "Even organics on other planets speak one language per planet generally."
"Not easily, I can tell you for sure." Luz sighed. "Took a lot of years to get peace on earth … alright, he's asking for a thousand won per ball"
"THE FUCK!?" Boscha screamed in rage.
"… Which is about one dollar."
"Oh." Boscha looked at the food. "Earth is needlessly confusing."
"The idea of currency itself baffles me." Blue diamond spoke. "Would it not be simpler if everyone just gave each other services to benefit each other in exchange? Adding currency seems like an easy way for civil unrest."
"It was invented so people wouldn't have to spend five hours trying to work out how many meals the equivalent of a week's work was worth." Hunter explained. "Then it was used for international trade … and just evolved from there."
"The key to succeeding in the system is to make people believe they need it, whether they actually do or not." Lucci snickered as he juggled a dumpling in his hands. "A decent product with a convincing sales pitch, and you're set for life."
"... This sounds a lot more complicated than it needs to be." The Diamond looked at him with bafflement.
"Believe me, I've been there." Willow agreed.
"Complicated, maybe, but the end result is pure satisfaction." The boy plopped the piece of food into his mouth. "You wouldn't happen to know how to form tastebuds, do you?"
"I've…studied human biology slightly so I could provide for the human zoo. I'm…knowledgeable about the function of a tongue." The woman hesitantly looked at the food. "It's just…ingesting organic matter, placing it inside…it seems so unsanitary."
"True, but sanitary hasn't stopped us before." Amity said, taking a bite of the food. "You can't enjoy life without getting a little messy every now and then. Even the flowers grow from dirt."
"Or gem." Luz added. "That's how gems are made, right? From the dirt of each planet?"
"Yes…the initial process is a bit messy when you put it like that." Blue nodded, hesitantly gripping one, and slowly placing it in her mouth. "Ohh.." She looked at it. "I didn't expect it to taste so sweet."
"Huh?" Boscha took a bite out of her own. "I wouldn't necessarily call it sweet.." Guess it was like how Spinel still had trouble tasting food.
"Different people enjoy different things differently." Lucci bit into another one. "You can enjoy the sweetness, I can enjoy the warm, slimy gooeyness, but we still enjoy it nonetheless."
"And it's just okay here…to have different thoughts and opinions from each other?" Blue asked curiously.
"Of course it is. My entire friend group has tried to kill each other at least once and we're still friends." Lucci shrugged.
"I … don't think I've tried to kill anyone." Gus noted.
"Indirectly when you got me sent to the detention pit." Luz answered. "But that's okay. The past is in the past. The future is unknown, which is why we get to enjoy life right now in the moment, as a gift. That's why it's called the Present."
"Ah …" Blue turned and just stared at Luz with eyes full of wonder . "Who taught you such wise words?"
"My dad…He really got me into the reading before….before he passed." Luz sighed. "I miss him everyday…but I know that he would want me to be happy…so…I try to make him proud by enjoying life as much as I can.
"... It seems all the joy in our life simply fleets." The area seemed to grow colder as Lucci began leaking tears again, a blue aura filling the air. "Everyone good suffers…those with hearts of happiness bleed out….until they're left with despair.." Blue gripped her hands. "Even now….even for as happy and content as this group is….that joy will go away once the cluster emerges…Happiness cannot exist without despair sucking it away."
"We finally found someone to give Luz a run for her money." Boscha muttered. "Only difference is that she has world-ending power."
"Look, Blue. I.I.." Lucci did his best to wipe away the tears. "Yes, sometimes life sucks, and you get hit with a bad streak…but like Luz said, the present is a gift. Don't worry about the future, about what will happen later. We're happy now, and you can be too. Sometimes…sometimes that's just enough, to be….. just happy in the moment."
The blue aura stayed around for a second, before it rescinded. "You make it sound like facing bleak inevitably is no big deal….." The blue lady chuckled. "How amusing."
"Being mortal has its advantages I guess." Hunter said, looking over at some open building. "Hey, what's going on over there?"
"Oooh, animation building! One of the greatest mediums of art that go greatly underappreciated!" Luz stormed in. "Now I can see where they make my favorite shows!"
"Wait, but we're in korea. Why would shows in America be made here?" Amity asked.
"It's a cheap and slightly underhanded way to get the process done." Luz clarified.
"Color me intrigued." Lucci said as he walked closer.
"So this is how cartoons are made?" Gus asked as they passed by what looked like artists drawing in their cubicles
"Yeah, they're drawn, then either constantly make panel by panel connect with each other for a moving image, use a computer to generate a realistic image, or in the best scenario, a mix of the two." Luz smiled. "Nothing like the fresh scent of hard work, inspiration, and dedication to the craft."
"WHY DID I TAKE THIS JOB!? MY WRIST, IT'S UTTER AGONY!"
"I HAVEN'T SLEPT IN FIVE DAYS!"
"I'M OUT OF ORIGINAL IDEAS AND THEY NEED TEN MORE!"
"...well anyone that still sticks around in spite of the pain is full of passion." Luz weakly laughed.
"This is freaky." Lucci said as he pointed to what looked like a panel…of them.
"Oh, I saw you all walk by and you looked like an interesting gang of misfits, so I was inspired to draw it." A woman smiled as she drank what looked like a gallon of coffee.
"That was less than a minute ago."
"You have to draw fast in this business. We constantly have to overwork to make it on time, and hopefully people think you're good enough to the point where they offer you the chance to make your own show."
"Rebecca! I need fifty frames of a walking montage by midnight or you're fired!"
"Will do, sir!" The woman saluted.
"..Wow….I have no idea what they're going through, yet I feel immense sympathy for the agonizing process that they've dedicated their lives to." Blue observed.
"Congratulations, you're more human than Boscha." Willow said with sincere gratitude.
=======================================================================
Amity had no idea how they hadn't died by now. Given their luck, this should've gone off the rails. Blue diamond should've gone on a rampage, found out Lucci was pink diamond, just something along those lines. But Lucci had remained calm and the giant blue alien woman had mostly laughed the entire time she had spent with them.
"Such a strange and confusing world … I can barely imagine how one would comprehend it all." The blue woman smirked. "So much confusion…yet you remain peacefully ignorant. It almost feels like a contradiction."
"It kind of is." Luz nodded. "Humanity…there's so many different sides and ideas to it, yet in spite of so many differing ideas…we're still here, and we're still standing."
"Regardless of how much effort some of us put into it." Boscha said.
"It's a very messed up planet … but they make it work somehow." Lucci smiled. "It doesn't need a point or order to keep itself in place."
"Humans are free to use their imaginations and achieve so many great things in spite of how weak they are." Gus nodded with a wide grin. "I can't begin to list off the great things they've achieved. Landing on the moon, crazy puzzles, talking across the world."
"You're kind…you've accomplished so little, just the bare minimum, but to you, you might as well be witnessing the birth of a new universe itself." The blue woman chuckled a little, before it become full on laughter. "It's so ridiculous, but…so amazing to see at the same time….so contradicting…yet….it…" Blue Diamond continued to laugh. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make light of your existence, but…It's just so amusing!"
Amity was about to say something … until she noticed a really strange sight. "Um … you're …"
"My Diamond!" Pearl shouted. "You're emitting steam!" Yeah, that. What appeared like fluffy white steam was radiating off the giant blue woman, floating around her body.
"Ha…Steam…but...heh.." Blue continued to laugh as it began to morph into each other. "But-heh-but I don't feel hot…I-feel the same….except…happy."
They watched as the steam rolled around … and began clumping into miniature clouds. "That's … weird, right?" Hunter asked.
Luz walked up and began poking one, her hand going right through it. "Feels like a real cloud. A little wet, but otherwise ethereal."
"But it's just hanging around." Lucci looked confused as he approached one. "Do you think that it's something-" He was cut off as a cloud passed right over him. "-Something new HAHA!" He shouted with laughter. "Something exciting and crazy hahehe!? Oh titan what's wrong with me hehe, I can't stop laughing HAHAHAHA!" The boy fell to the ground.
"Lucci, are you okay?" Boscha picked the boy up in concern.
"I-HAHA. I…HHAHA…my mouth is stuck upwards…ahahaha…I…this is more agonizing than it looks-hahahahahahaha!"
"My diamond, I think we should examine you right away before whatever this is infects yo-hah.." The blue pearl laughed a little squeak. "My..apologies, my diamond, I seemed to have spoken out of-haha…what's happening…hahahahahah." The blye pearl hysterically laughed as well.
"I think this cloud just makes them laugh." Hunter thought, before walking up to the blue pearl and pulling her back, instantly shutting off the laughter immediately.
"My abilities affect the emotional state of the gems in my facility…but only when I'm saddened this is…very unexpected." The large blue lady said in shock. "I've never had my powers manifest like this before."
"Sometimes you neve- hehe know what powers you have unless-heha you experiment with them." Lucci shook. "Ange-HAHA-get me out of here-HAHAHAH!" The three eyed girl pulled him away. "Oh stomach, no longer in pain …"
"Wait." Blue Pearl looked suspicious. "How is it that this power that only affects gems affects the curly maned one too?"
They all panicked. "Um … same reason for my tears." The boy in question responded. "... Allergies." … THAT'S what he's been rolling with!?
The blue lady looked like she didn't believe them for a second…only for a light snicker to come out of it. "If I'm being honest, I never understood what Pink liked about organics, why she saw them as something worth preserving….but I think I understand it now." Blue chuckled. "You never know what's going to happen with your kind….for the first time ever, I consider that a good thing."
"Yeah … the mystery excites you." Amity smiled, reaching out for Luz's hand. "It doesn't matter if it doesn't make sense…if it makes you happy…then that's enough."
"I'll be sure to remember that for a while." The blue woman smiled, glowing as she grew in size, shifting back into her regular form. "I shall depart for now. Thank you Lucci. You and all your companions." She gently rubbed Lucci's head with a single finger.
"Happy to help …" They watched as they got in a box … which flew into a blue arm … which blasted off into space. "... That was exhausting." Lucci instantly fell to the ground. "Just a whole minute of pure laughter…agony."
"Would have assumed the crying would be worse." Willow said, looking at the clouds. "Guess she left them behind."
"Correction, she left a piece of her own power behind…which means I can study it!" Luz exclaimed. "Come on Boscha, I need your eyes."
"Of course you do." The pink skinned witch rolled hers. "This better not take forever."
=======================================================================
Luz looked over the drawings as they made their way back to the temple. "Alright … just need to pick out the fragments … good to go." She noted, shoving around the pieces of paper. "Funny, this one's actually easier to understand than the pink Glyph." She commented.
"Maybe it's because you figured out how the Pink one worked?" Amity suggested. "It was easier to find the other glyphs once you found the ice glyph, right?"
"Yeah, cause I understood I just needed to look at nature hard." Luz nodded, flipping around the pieces. "This goes here … there … and done!" She smiled. "Success! Boiling Isles magic, now alien magic! Let's go for the yellow next."
"No more diamonds. My empathy has reserves, and I cannot muster enough for two giant alien women that consider blowing up planets practical." Lucci groaned. "Lets just take this and fight Belos."
"Wait, we have another problem." Hunter said. "… Actually two."
"Stop bringing up problems, damn it." Lucci groaned.
"Lucci powered the pink glyph because he has Pink Diamond's powers, but will that be enough for two Diamond glyphs?"
"We should figure out what it means for him to use the blue glyph to begin with." Luz said.
"That was actually the other problem, thank you for bringing it up."
"I guess there's only one way to find out." Luz grabbed a bottle of Lucci's spit, and poured it on the blue glyph, before tapping it, as everyone tensed in anticipation. The glyph began glowing blue … before fizzing out. "Damn it, I miss the days where this was almost instant."
"Hey, we got a glow, that means it's working somewhat." Gus said.
"Unless she's pulling a Lucci and the Glyph just refuses to work." Willow noted.
"Wait, on the boiling isles, Lilith told me that the problem was that the power output required more complex glyphs…so if Lucci can't use boiling isles glyphs because he's a diamond….could he use diamond glyphs?" Amity asked. Well … that just made Luz more irrelevant than ever. "Also… it's a power up right?" Amity asked. "You can't use it on its own, it has to go with other glyphs."
"I almost forgot! Pink glyphs work with the Plant glyph! We needed to connect it with it's elemental equivalent." Luz remembered.
"But glyphs function differently with every power source. We learned that on the jungle planet." Gus brought up.
"Well, let's just see what that means with Blue's." Luz began drawing an Ice glyph. "Blue goes with blue, right?" She taped it..And … nothing happened. "Great, that was a waste-"
"It hurts!" Lucci screamed, clutching his heart. "The agony, the disappointment! Make it end!"
"On it!" Boscha threw a fireball at the paper.
"Gahh." Lucci took a breath. "Oh Titan … gah … It was like Blue's tears but so much worse …"
"Wait … does that mean Luz just shoved her emotions into Lucci?" Gus asked.
Luz blinked at that, before grinning. "It works! We have Diamond Glyph powers!"
"We can totally take on Belos with this!" Boscha smirked.
"We can actually win for once! We can defeat him!" Hunter jumped for joy.
"Does anyone want to ask the implications of Lucci shutting down from that?" Willow asked.
"Come on, my emotions aren't that bad, right Lucci?" She asked her best friend.
The boy himself just held himself and stared into a corner. "With Blue…I just felt sad….with yours….I feel utterly useless, like I should just fall into a volcano and die because no one will care about my existence…"
Everyone looked at Luz. "... Well we don't have time to dwell on that. Let's just make as many copies as we can and plan." Luz looked out to the horizon. "Tomorrow…Tomorrow is when Belos falls."
"Yeah no, we're talking about this." Amity grabbed her in a hug.
"No, no time!" Please just focus on something else!