Chapter 2: Fearless Leader

"What's wrong!?" Garnet shouted, as she came running out from the temple door. "It's Steven!" Pearl replied, as she came walking down the stairs with Steven wrapped her arms. "He had a nightmare! He's a little upset right now!" Garnet looked down upon him, then extended her arm out and gently wiped the tears from his face. "Is this about earlier?" Garnet subtly asked, as she gazed down at him. "What you saw at kindergarten?" Steven nodded his head, then Garnet said, "Give him to me." Pearl pulled Steven away from her embrace, then handed him off to Garnet. "Steven and I are going to take a trip," Garnet exclaimed, as she held him then headed towards the door.

"Can't this wait till the morning?" Pearl asked, as she began to get upset and followed her. "No." Garnet replied. "It can't wait. We have to do this now." Then she continued, "Stay here, Steven and I are going alone." Then Pearl protested, "What about Amethyst!?" As Garnet was walking, she turned her head, then said, "That's why I want you to stay here. Watch over her." As the two were about to exit the house, Pearl shouted, "Wait! When are the two of you coming back? Why don't you just use the warp pad? It's quicker!" Then Garnet replied, "We won't be gone that long. We're coming back when I feel that Steven has reassurance. He and I need to talk for a little while, so I prefer to walk."

Once Garnet exited the house, she shut the door and began to walk down the stairs. Steven looked up at her and asked, "Where are we going?" She held him close as she replied, "We're going to kindergarten." When he heard her words, Steven began to shake, as he looked up towards the night sky and could feel the crisp cool night air. "Don't worry," Garnet whispered, as she began to caress her fingers through his hair. "It was just a nightmare, Steven. Close your eyes and try to rest. I'll wake you up when we've arrived." With that, Steven shut his eyes and buried his face into her arms. As he drifted off to sleep, he could hear the sound of her footsteps pressing down into the sound, as they headed further and further away from the temple.

Kindergarten

Steven opened his eyes and started to stretch, and when he did, he saw Garnet standing before him. "Did you sleep okay?" She asked, as she helped him to his feet. "Did you have any more nightmares?" She continued.Steven yawned, then he replied, "I slept fine. Surprisingly no, I didn't have any nightmares." Garnet adjusted her visors, then looked up and said, "We're here Steven." He adjusted his eye sight to the morning sun, then looked up towards the walls of the canyon. When he did, Steven had an uneasy feeling come over him as he could now see the dozens of gem drilling machines imbedded into the walls of the canyon. Steven grew nervous, so he got close to Garnet and grabbed onto her leg. "I really don't want to be here!" He exclaimed, as he looked up towards her, and now had a few tears streaming down his face.

"There's nothing to fear," Garnet said, as she kneeled down before him. "I can assure you that whatever you saw in your nightmare, was not reality." She exclaimed. Garnet rose to her feet then continued, "Stand back Steven. There's something that I want to show you." Steven listened and stood back, as Garnet summoned her gauntlets, then slammed both of her fists down onto the gem drilling machine that was laying before her. "Look Steven," She exclaimed, as she kneeled down once more, then reached into the pile of debris that was once a gem drilling machine. "What is that?" Steven asked, as he observed what she was holding in palm of her hand. "They're false gems," Garnet subtly replied, as she too was looking down at her palm.

Steven began to stare at the numerous gemstones that she was holding. He saw that there were "diamonds present, sapphires, emeralds," and many more gemstones. "What do you mean they're false gems?" Steven asked, as he waited for a response. "These gems were never meant to be in existence," Garnet replied. She paused for a moment, then continued "They were created for only two purposes. The genocide of the human race and to aid in the settlement of a new home world." Steven watched as Garnet dropped the gemstones to the ground, then he looked back at her and asked, "Does that mean Amethyst is a mistake!? She was never meant to be created!?" She was silent, as the gauntlets on both of her hands began to disappear, then she grabbed Steven and held him close.

"Amethyst is not a mistake," she exclaimed. "She's the product of an event that was beyond her control." Garnet rose to her feet, then held Steven's hand. As the two stood there, in silence, they were now facing the canyon when Garnet continued to talk. "We can't choose how we come into this world," she whispered, then she looked down at Steven and said. "Your mother saw the good in all things, and that was Amethyst." As Steven was staring at the numerous drilling machines, he looked up at Garnet, then asked, "Do you ever think that this could happen again? If more gems could be grown here on earth?" "No," She replied. "We're the only one's here now, just the four of us."

"Let's go now Steven, you've seen enough," Garnet exclaimed, as she grabbed him, then leaped onto the cliff towards the warp pad. Steven was now standing on the warp pad, and as he looked down at his feet, he nervously asked, "Are you sure no one else can come to earth? What about that other gem, the one who we saw at the galaxy warp, Peridot? What if she comes back to earth?" Garnet became silent, as she pondered his concerns. She was about to respond, when suddenly she felt an uneasy feeling come over her. She felt a "disturbance," as she began searching her thoughts and feelings, only to find that she could not deny what was about to occur. She looked up towards the sky, as Steven said, "Garnet! What's wrong!? Is everything okay!?" Then she looked down at him, and said, "Here's the thing Steven, she's already back. She's on her way right now, as we speak." Steven's eyes grew wide, as he looked up towards the sky and saw a "green metallic ship" descend from the clouds. "We have to hide!" Steven shouted, as he grabbed her by the hand and attempted pull her away. When he could feel that she was not moving, and her body was completely stiff, he looked up at her and yelled, "What are you doing!? We have to hide! She's going to be here any moment now!"

"No more hiding," Garnet replied, as she summoned her gauntlet's and looked up towards the descending spacecraft. "I want to know who she is, and why she's here. If she attacks me, this will be her last trip to earth…" Then Steven pleaded with her, "Wait Garnet! You can't do this alone! We need to get Pearl and Amethyst!" Without warning, Garnet pushed Steven onto the warp pad, then replied, "Then go and get them." A beam of light came down upon the warp pad, as Steven disappeared. The last thing that Steven saw before he left, was the ship landing on the cliff above and Garnet leaping towards it with both of her gauntlets drawn….

The Temple

Pearl and Amethyst were sitting on the couch, and observed as a beam of light came down upon the warp pad. "Guys, we have to go!" Steven shouted, as he ran off the warp pad towards them. "We have to go back to kindergarten!" "Why? What happened" Pearl asked, as she had a look of concern on her face, then Amethyst said. "Yeah Steven, why would you want to go back to that place?" There's nothing but bad memories there!" Steven grabbed both of them by their hands and said, "It's Garnet! She's in trouble! We have to go now!" In no time, Pearl and Amethyst jumped off the couch, then ran towards the warp pad. "Stay here Steven!" Pearl shouted, as she turned to face him and was now standing on the warp pad. "But I want to come to! Garnet needs my help!" Steven shouted back, then Pearl quickly responded, "This is not up for discussion! Stay here!"

Then a beam of light came down upon them, as Steven defiantly jumped into the warp stream. "What are you doing!?" Pearl shouted, as she could see Steven making his way up towards them in the stream. "I thought I told you to stay! Why don't you ever listen to me!?" Then Steven protested, "You guys are gonna need my help! I'm not going to let Garnet fight all by herself!" Pearl and Amethyst stared at each other, then Amethyst asked, "Fight who?" Then Steven quickly replied, "Peridot! She came back to earth! My nightmare is becoming real!" Pearl had a shocked look on her face, as she stared at Amethyst and said, "This can't be happening! First Lapis, now this gem! It's been so peaceful for so long! Why must it come to an end!?"

"I don't care who it is!" Amethyst replied, as she could feel her anger brewing inside of her. "It doesn't matter, I'll kill them all!" The three gems continued to float aimlessly, as they were carried by the current of the warp stream.

The Wrath of Garnet

The three stepped off the warp pad, and immediately ran to the edge of the small cliff that was before them. Pearl already had her spear drawn, and as she looked around, she frantically called out to her friend. "Garnet! Where are you!?" She shouted, but there was no response. Her voice echoed throughout the canyon, and as it did, Amethyst said, "What the hell happened here!? This place looks like a warzone!" The three observed how the walls of the canyon were bare, as all the gem drilling machines were destroyed and now laying on the floor. "We waited too long!" Steven cried, as he stared at the debris of machines that was before him. "I should've just stayed with her!"

Steven's eyes began to look up, and when they did, he noticed that the green metallic ship was still sitting on the cliff above. "Look guys! There it is! There's the ship!" he exclaimed. Pearl's heart sank, as she looked up and saw the spacecraft. "Come on Steven, we're leaving! It's time to go back to the temple!" Pearl yelled, as she immediately scooped him up and began briskly walking back towards the warp pad. Suddenly, the pile of debris shifted as the gem being known as Peridot leaped out, and grabbed onto the cliff beneath their feet. Pearl screamed as she was staring at her, then Amethyst shouted, "Get him out of here! I can handle this!"

Amethyst summoned her whip, then swung it down upon Peridot, but before she could do any damage, Peridot yanked her whip away from her easily. Amethyst was in shock, as she saw how Peridot held onto the cliff with one arm, and with her other arm she transformed it into a "canon." Amethyst was now staring down at the barrel of the canon, when Peridot looked at her and spoke in a mechanized voice, "You're defective. It shall be easy to reprogram you once I've confiscated your gem. Hold still." Amethyst watched, as a light of green energy began to develop in the canon, and her face suddenly felt warm, as she could feel the heat that was exhausting from it. But before Peridot could fire at Amethyst, Garnet leaped out of the debris and grabbed onto her.

"Garnet!" Steven screamed. "You're alive!" She was silent, as she began grimacing in pain, and was holding onto Peridot's throat. She grabbed Peridot's arm, then with all her strength and in one swift motion, she ripped out the canon. Peridot screamed out in agonizing pain, as she and Garnet fell back to the ground. Amethyst ran towards the edge of the cliff and was about to jump down to aid her friend, but before she could, she saw that Garnet was now standing over Peridot, with her foot pressed down upon her chest. "Are you okay?" Amethyst asked, as she leaped down onto the ground and walked towards her. "I'm fine," Garnet replied, as she continued to stare down at Peridot. Amethyst began to look her over, and as she did, she saw that her visors were shattered, but were somehow still attached to her face. She saw that she had bruises and cuts all over her body, but she was still standing.

"You don't look okay," Amethyst exclaimed. Then Garnet replied, "Look down at her. She's the one missing an arm, not me. I'm fine." Amethyst looked down at Peridot and asked, "Who are you? Why are you here?" Peridot looked back at her, then responded once again a mechanized tone. "You're defective, your memory needs to be replaced. You were created for a purpose, other than what you are currently doing right now." Amethyst became frustrated, then shouted, "So who the hell are you!? Are you like my creator or something!? Because if you are, then you and me have lot to talk about!" Peridot was emotionless, as she replied, "No, I'm not the creator. But I serve him. He will be most displeased, when I report back to him. You shall be dealt with."

"Is everything okay down there?" Pearl asked, as she hesitantly peered over the small cliff, with Steven still wrapped in her arms. Peridot looked up to observe her, then said, "Master Bloodstone will be pleased to know that I've located the two of you." Then she turned to face Garnet and continued, "Rose Quartz must be close by. The three of you are fugitives. You're wanted by the council for crimes against other gems, and for fleeing the home world." Amethyst had a worried look on her face, as she stared up at Garnet, then said, "What are we going to do!? I don't know about you, but I'm a little worried right now!"

"I've heard enough of this," Garnet exclaimed, as she continued to press her foot down upon Peridot. "You and Pearl go back to the Temple, I'll be there shortly." Amethyst, without questioning Garnet, leaped back onto the cliff and said to Pearl, "We need to go, now!" Pearl looked at Amethyst, then looked down upon Garnet, and when she saw that she summoned her gauntlets, she immediately turned around and walked towards the warp pad. "Wait guys! What about Garnet!? Isn't she coming too!?" Steven asked, as Pearl was holding him "Yes!" Pearl replied. "Garnet will be home soon! But right now we're leaving!"

"Cover your ears!"

"Cover my ears!? Why!?" Steven protested, then Pearl quickly responded, "Because I said so Steven!" As they were standing on the warp pad, while holding Steven, Pearl began to jump up and down. "Why isn't it working!?" Pearl asked. "We need to get out of here!" Amethyst looked down at her feet, then said, "It's not going to work, it's chipped. We need to start walking." Pearl had a wild expression on her face as she said, "Let's just wait up here for a little awhile! There's no reason for us to go down there and start walking!"

A Gem Passes

As Garnet held her Gauntlet's over her head, Peridot looked up at her and said, "Tell me something. Before I exit this life, I would like to know who that child was." Garnet felt her rage growing inside of her as she replied, "It doesn't matter who he is! You won't be around to know him!" As the gauntlets became larger, Peridot continued to talk. "It appears as though he possesses the Rose Quartz Gemstone. That means your Leader is no longer present, and the three of you are vulnerable. If Rose is no longer in existence, then the child will stand trial for his mother's actions."

"No he won't," Garnet replied, as she connected her Gauntlets, then continued. "I am the Leader of the Crystal Gems now, and I accept full responsibility for the groups actions." With that, Peridot looked up once more, then said her final words. "Rose made a mistake by coming here. The four of you are no longer safe. Other gems will continue to come to earth, and you will be brought to justice for your crimes against our species."

"You made a mistake as well," Garnet replied. "You made the decision to come back to earth. When other gems come upon our planet, then I'll deal with it. But until such time, I think the four of us will be just fine."

After Garnet said her words, she slammed both of her Gauntlets down upon Peridot, and the ground shook as she did. Steven had his ears covered and had his eyes closed, when he felt the ground rumbling. "What just happened!?" Steven shouted, as he opened his eyes and was searching Pearls expression for a response, but she gave none. "Let's go Steven," Garnet exclaimed, as she was now standing next to him. "We're going home."

She took him out of Pearls arms, then lifted him up and placed him over her shoulders. Then Amethyst said, "The warp pad is down. I don't know how it happened, but it's not working. It looks like we're walking back to the temple." Then Garnet replied, "Good, one less warp pad…"

As the three walked away, Steven looked over his shoulder, and saw the canyon slowly fade off into the distance. "I'm glad you're okay," Steven exclaimed, as he buried his face into Garnets hair. He lifted his head up and looked up towards the morning sky, then asked

"What happened to Peridot? Is She gone? What was she doing here?"

"I told you Steven, it was just a nightmare," Garnet replied. "All nightmare's come to an end…"