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andrewmoocow · 1 year

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Little Homeworld Life chapter 18: De-Clustering (originally published on April 24, 2023)

AN: Yeah, this is going to be a pretty heavy episode because we'll finally be bringing back the Cluster by taking it apart and reintroducing some of its components back to society, just as Yellow Diamond promised back in Homeworld Bound. No doubt we'll explore how these Gems will react to the world they'll be brought back into and how they'll react to the whole Pink Diamond debacle, which Black Rutile will no doubt take advantage of to gain new minions. And how will the Crystal Gems deal with this as well, especially when one of their own who was a part of the Cluster will be convinced to join Black Rutile? Not good, I suppose.

Synopsis: The Diamonds pay a visit to Earth to disassemble the Cluster. However, some of the Gems they restore don't take too kindly to the new status quo.

Cast:

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball, Navy, Doc, Leggy, Army

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate

Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno Hall as Pearl, Yellow Pearl, Blue Pearl, Volleyball

Shelby Rabara as Peridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond

Christine Ebersole as White Diamond

Sarah Stiles as Spinel

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald

Hayley Kiyoko as Morganite

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid

Kari Wahlgen as Pyrope

Amy Sedaris as Teal Zircon

Martha Higerada as Topaz

Shanelle Grey as Sally Grove

Matthew Rhys as James Brenner

Jon Wurster as Marty

Christoph Waltz as Francis von Bowling

Olga Kurylenko as Rasputina

Diedrich Bader as Lennie

Wayne Knight as Milton

Andrey Batt as Konstantin

Edward Furlong as Pavel

Seth Green as Leo

Featuring Idina Menzel as Amazonite

Halsey as Tanzanite

Mia Barron as Apatite

Gina Torres as Andesine

And John Mulaney as Flipso

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the Rutile Rebels laughed uproariously as they sat down to watch an early version of "The Pink Beast of the Bay" sent to them by Marty, and they were in hysterics over the mockery over how Steven's monstrous mental breakdown was depicted.

"I don't see why Pearl refused to participate in this motion picture; this is amazing!" Black Rutile guffawed in delight as she watched the Crystal Gem be an unwilling leading lady and costar to the always overdramatic Christopher Cage. "I haven't had this much fun in ages, not just because of the Steven mockery!"

"Me too!" Aquamarine snickered. "I could watch this over and over again!"

"But didn't that Marty fellow say he needed to return this copy soon?" Holly Blue said as the movie reached the end and the credits began to roll. "Or maybe we could download our own copy of the film." Just then, the Rebels heard a very loud rumbling from outside. "What was that?"

"Oh no, is Teal Zircon getting up to shenanigans again?" Cat's Eye complained while stroking Blake in her arms. "I'm still getting all those bugs out of my hair from last time."

"Uh, guys, I think you need to see this." Eyeball said, looking out the window to find the Diamonds' ship landing near Little Homeworld. "Do you think they're finally coming for us?"

"If so, then finally." Cat's Eye proclaimed. "This is the big one; this is it! Do you hear me, Homeworld, I'm coming for you!"

"Oh, don't be so overdramatic, Cat." Holly Blue rolled her eyes in annoyance. "We should go outside and see what the Diamonds want. Who knows? Maybe they've come to apologize for their unfair treatment of us."

"I highly doubt it." Black Rutile stated as the Rutile Rebels walked outside to find the Crystal Gems talking with Yellow, Blue, and White Diamond. "You there, Gems! What's going on?"

"Oh, Black Rutile, long time no see." White Diamond greeted Black Rutile with a strained smile. "We were just discussing with the Crystal Gems about taking the Cluster apart and giving all the Gems that are a part of it a new lease on life. We feel like it's one of the only things left for us to do to fully atone for our crimes."

"Well, there are still a few crimes against me you refuse to apologize for." Black Rutile muttered.

"Would you like to assist us?" Pearl asked Black Rutile. "We'd like to make this a community effort, so that means you have to join in too."

"Of course I'll help. Just let me confer with my posse for a bit." Black Rutile answered before turning to her minions. "You all see what's happening here, right? We could collect whatever Gems are taken out and convince them to join us! It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!"

"Great idea. We just need to lay low until the time is right; then we can convince them." Aquamarine agreed. "I'd say we should start with three. Anyone else?"

"Yeah, three sounds like a reasonable number." Holly Blue said.

"That song said it's the magic number, after all." Eyeball added before the rebellion turned back to the Diamonds.

"We accept your offer." Black Rutile declared, hiding the fact that she was once again plotting behind everyone's back.

"Excellent." Garnet smiled. "We'll get to work as soon as everyone else hears about this."

Later that day, all of Little Homeworld was working together to take the Cluster apart and put the shattered Gems back together, while ensuring they wouldn't accidentally cause the Gem superweapon to be unleashed and destroy Earth. Carefully, they would remove massive chunks of the Cluster, sort which pieces of Gems went together, and allow Yellow to restore them to normalcy. So far, the process was going rather swimmingly, with numerous Gems being put back together.

"Here, I think I found a Gem." Amethyst said as she handed the broken halves of a gem to Yellow. "Recognize her?"

"Oh, I do!" Blue Diamond replied. "That's Amazonite. She was an illusionist in my court. Her shows were the stuff of legends, and I hope she'd be able to do them again!"

"Yes, I am a fan too, Blue." Yellow grinned before she held the gem pieces together, and electricity coursed through the fractures, making the gem like new before it reformed into a Gem with light blue skin, long & unkempt dark blue hair, green robes, and a blue cape with light blue detailing.

"Where am I?! What is this place?! Where's my Diamond?!" the newly restored Amazonite began panicking upon her restoration as she looked around at her new surroundings. The last thing she saw before being shattered was Gems going to war with each other, and now suddenly they're at peace? The Crystal Gems were standing alongside the Diamonds with presumably no animosity? What was going on here?!

"Welcome to the world, Amazonite." Lapis greeted the illusionist, who leaped back in alarm.

"Uh, do I know you?" Amazonite asked Lapis. "There are just so many Lapis Lazulis; I find it hard to keep track of them. Now can someone please explain to me what's going on here?!"

"I believe I can be of assistance here." Black Rutile proclaimed as she arrived with a broken purple Gem in a bubble. "I just found this Gem. You can handle the rest while I bring her up to speed."

"Oh, is that Tanzanite in there?!" Pearl exclaimed as she took the bubble from Black Rutile and admired it. "It's been centuries since we last saw her! Her sacrifice still weighs heavily on me!"

"And you're only talking about her now." Black Rutile murmured disdainfully. "Okay then." She then took Amazonite by the hand and took her away from the Crystal Gems and the Diamonds to get her caught up on the new status quo of Gem society. "First of all, Amazonite, hello, my name's Black Rutile. Pleased to meet you."

"Ah yes, Black Rutile. I think I've heard of you a few times before." Amazonite replied. "Which reminds me, I remember you having a green visor and white cape. Why the change in attire?"

Black Rutile then sighed heavily before she continued. "These represent the chains placed on me by our corrupt society, after I was wrongfully accused of treason when I tried to fix what Pink Diamond broke beyond repair."

"Wait, Pink Diamond?" Amazonite asked. "Wasn't she shattered by Rose Quartz?"

"Well, not entirely." Black Rutile stated awkwardly.

"Come on." Amazonite ordered with her hands on her hips.

"Okay, the Rebellion was started for a few stupid reasons." Black Rutile continued candidly.

"Just tell me one." Amazonite responded, a single eyebrow raised.

"You see, Rose Quartz was actually Pink Diamond." Black Rutile murmured again.

"She was what?" Amazonite gasped, desperate to know more.

"Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond." Black Rutile reiterated a lot clearer for Amazonite to hear.

"Did you say Rose and Pink Diamond were the same this whole time?!" Amazonite yelled in horror and anger.

"Yes, exactly, excellent listening." Black Rutile nodded.

"Our grand opponent was that forsaken child?!" Amazonite added loudly.

"Yes, and wouldn't you know it? She died and gave birth to the same stain on the universe that forgave the Diamonds for all the horrible things they've done to the galaxy!" Black Rutile proclaimed. "Luckily, a few Gems, including myself, are smart enough to see through Steven Universe's lies and form a resistance against his tyranny. However, we have encountered many serious setbacks and are currently recouping our losses after an attempted alliance with an evil alternate-universe version of him."

"So, allow me to recap here." Amazonite theatrically said. "You, Black Rutile, are fighting back against the current status quo because this Steven person brainwashed the Diamonds into becoming his slaves by forgiving them for their actions, thus allowing them to radically alter our society?"

"That is exactly right." Black Rutile replied. "As I already said, a group of like-minded Gems and I are forming a revolution against Steven and the Crystal Gems, and we've acquired some success in increasing our forces through this Cluster project." She then stuck her hand out to Amazonite. "Would you be willing to join me in my crusade, Amazonite?"

"Are you kidding me?! Yes!" Amazonite eagerly agreed and shook Black Rutile's hand. "No one man should have all that power, the way I see it. Count me in!"

"Excellent! I'll have to introduce you to my subordinates later." Black Rutile smiled. "But right now, I must continue the recruitment process. I've already tricked the Crystal Gems into accepting my help in taking apart the Cluster and have plans for some of them."

Speaking of the Crystal Gems, they were restoring their fallen comrade Tanzanite to normalcy. Once Yellow Diamond gave the broken purple Gem a tap, it was made whole again, and suddenly, a purple-skinned Gem with lavender hair, a purple punk attire, her gem being on her bare stomach, and a purple Crystal Gem star on her crop top.

"P-Pearl, Garnet, Bismuth?" Tanzanite muttered as she slowly opened her eyes to see her old friends alive and well. "I can't believe it; you're all here! We won!"

"Should you tell her, or should I?" Bismuth asked Pearl rather nervously.

"Tell me about what?" Tanzanite asked curiously.

"I think she should tell us who she is!" Amethyst asked. "Like, I never heard of her once, and suddenly Pearl treats her like she's so important!"

"You feeling a little jealous, perhaps?" Peridot snickered at Amethyst's expense, making the smaller purple Gem blush.

"Oh, sorry, guess I should probably explain myself." Tanzanite said as she reminisced on her early days as a member of the Crystal Gems.

Before the Rebellion, Tanzanite was a low-ranking but earnest and peppy assassin who carried out her missions with cold precision and grace. However, despite how well she did at her job, Tanzanite felt like she didn't belong on Homeworld under the Diamonds' grasp. Sometimes, she would often secretly go out to planets soon to be colonized and tour the wildlife there.

Eventually, word got out that a rebellion was being formed by an insurgent Rose Quartz rumored to have shattered Pink Diamond, and Tanzanite joined out of morbid curiosity. However, in doing so, Tanzanite would finally find where she belonged as the rebels known as the Crystal Gems began treating her like family. Pearl especially saw her as a daughter and protégé. Unfortunately, those happy days would soon come to an end.

In one of many decisive battles for the Earth, Tanzanite was eager to stand on the frontlines alongside Pearl and the other leaders of the Crystal Gems to get a taste of what it was like. Unfortunately, that would turn out to be a huge mistake.

"Pearl, back me up here; I'm surrounded!" Tanzanite exclaimed as she fruitlessly tried to fend off a squad of Condor Agates and Onyxes with her epee. "Pearl? Pearl?!"

"Foolish little Tanzanite, your beloved Pearl cannot save you now!" the Onyx confidently stated. "Try and fight us while you still can, but you have no hope here!"

"I know, but it won't hurt for me to try!" Tanzanite bravely said as she charged at one of the Condor Agates and clashed her epee with her longsword.

"Impressive, most impressive." The Condor Agate complimented Tanzanite's tenacity. "I see that Pearl has trained you well."

"Yeah, she really did!" Tanzanite agreed before turning to find Pearl facing off with a Lepidolite not too far away. "Look, Pearl, look!" she yelled for her mentor, unaware of the tall orange figure looming behind her. "I'm fighting this Condor Agate all by myself!"

"Oh, that's amazing, dear, you're growing so much!" Pearl complimented her student before realizing that an Andesine was towering over her, flaming sword ready to strike her down. "Oh no! Tanzanite, behind you!"

"What?" Tanzanite asked as she turned around to discover one of Yellow Diamond's most fearsome sergeants ready to attack. "You can't scare me!" she yelled, pointing her epee at Andesine. "I got the power of Pearl by my side!"

"Is that so?" Andesine grinned evilly while raising her sword. "Let's see that power protect you while it still can."

"Tanzy, no!" Pearl screamed as she charged through legions of Crystal Gem and Homeworld armies in a bid to rescue Tanzanite from harm as she dueled Andesine. "Please, Tanzanite, don't do it!"

"I just need to-" Tanzanite began. Before she could say what was on her mind, she felt something pierce through her back and looked down to discover Andesine's sword going right through her chest and jabbing at her gem.

"Now look what you made me do." Andesine coldly declared while pulling her sword back, allowing Tanzanite one last moment to apologize for her recklessness.

"I'm, I'm so sorry," Tanzanite cried as she felt herself literally falling apart from the surprise attack. "for everything."

"TANZANITE!" Pearl screamed in horror as Tanzanite was shattered right before her eyes while Andesine let out a cruel laugh at the former servant's expense. "You won't get away with this!" she yelled at Andesine with tears in her eyes as Andesine collected Tanzanite's remains. "I will avenge her!"

"You will try." Andesine smiled wickedly before ordering the Condor Agates and Onyxes that once overwhelmed the late Tanzanite to seize Pearl.

In the present day, the now resurrected Tanzanite was given a tour of Little Homeworld by Pearl to give her a taste of what she'll expect as a student of Little Homeschool. Despite Tanzanite's excitement at her surroundings, the Crystal Gems were all left wondering how she should be eased into a particular piece of information.

"And here, you'll find the swimming pool we constructed a few months back." Pearl explained, pointing towards the pool. "If you'd like, they're always holding tryouts for new lifeguards, and we're thinking of starting a water volleyball team."

"Wow, this is so cool." Tanzanite gaped in awe of everything around her while Pearl smiled contently at her old pupil being finally back and loving life as always. However, the rest of the Crystal Gems weren't as delighted to see her since; eventually, they would have to tell her the truth.

"How do we tell her?" Amethyst drearily asked her friends.

"Uh, ask her what?" Jasper replied, not knowing what Amethyst was talking about.

"You know, about how Ose-Ray is Ink-Pay Iamond-Day?" White Topaz replied.

"What are you talking about?" Bismuth tilted her head at what White Topaz had just said.

"I think she's speaking in Pig Latin." Peridot realized. "About, uh, you know, She Who Must Not Be Named."

"Who are you talking about?" Tanzanite asked curiously, but Pearl quickly covered her ears.

"Oh, nothing, just talking about a book series!" Pearl laughed, trying her hardest to lie no matter how hard she tried. "Guys, stop talking about her so much. It's not time yet."

"Not time?" Jasper declared angrily. "She deserves to know what happened after she got shattered, especially what we know about Pink Diamond!"

"Wait, Pink Diamond?" Tanzanite asked, barely hearing what Jasper just said through Pearl's hands. "What do you know about Pink Diamond?"

"The fact that she and Rose Quartz were the same this whole time!" Jasper added, stunning Tanzanite and making the Gems very unhappy with her.

"Nice going, Jasper." Garnet growled at Jasper. "Uh, she didn't mean what she said."

"Did you disguise Rose as Pink Diamond to make the other Diamonds your slaves or something?" Tanzanite asked, feeling slightly betrayed at what she was now learning. "Or has everyone been lying to me this whole time?"

"Why yes, we did use Pink to get what we wanted from the Diamonds!" Amethyst declared. "In fact, our friend Steven is her son!"

"I think we need to explain everything here." Garnet declared as she stepped forward and put a gentle but firm hand on Tanzanite's shoulder. "Tanzanite, it's time you learn the truth."

"So let me get this straight." a stout but curvy Apatite said as she conversed with Amazonite later that day. "Not only was Rose Quartz really Pink Diamond in disguise, but she started an entire war that lasted for thousands of years that cost the lives of millions because she was tired of being mistreated?"

"I know, right?" Amazonite agreed. "It's utterly outrageous how we lost our lives and our remains were forced against our will to become part of an all-powerful geoweapon!"

"Frankly, I never cared to begin with." Apatite replied dryly. "I never cared for the Rebellion, and I never cared for whatever was done to the Diamonds to make them suddenly forget all the horrible things they did for our people."

"Well, good to see you're already taking sides in this conflict." Amazonite stated as she ominously turned away from the construction with her hands folded behind her back. "Which reminds me, would you care to come with me to a little meeting later? I've met a Black Rutile who will have all the answers to our problems."

"Eh, I got nothing better to do today." Apatite agreed to the illusionist's offer with a shrug. "Where are we going to, some kind of club?"

"No, it's not just a club." Amazonite proclaimed. "It's an ideal."

Meanwhile, Tanzanite had been reluctantly brought up to speed on everything that had happened ever since she was shattered in the Rebellion. About the Diamonds' accidental corruption of almost every Gem on Earth, Rose giving birth to Steven, the Crystal Gems' many adventures, all the way up to the Diamonds wanting to change their ways, the beginning of Era 3, and the exploits of Black Rutile.

Tanzanite was left increasingly shocked at what she was hearing throughout this entire explanation. The Diamonds willingly surrendering to the Crystal Gems without putting up much of a fight and making a positive change for themselves & others? This cannot be possible! But one part of her old friends' story affected her more than anything else. The fact that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond, a leader of the enemy, this whole time, and they've been keeping this from her for centuries.

"So that's what she did?" Tanzanite growled angrily at the Crystal Gems, outraged at not knowing Pink was Rose. "She started a war that killed millions just because she was tired of being ignored, and all of you lied to everyone about it, so I was shattered for nothing?"

"Well, technically, Pearl lied to everyone the whole time." Amethyst pointed out, making Pearl scowl at her. "I mean, we all only learned about this when she finally fessed up!"

"And this was how the Diamonds are allowed to roam free with no consequences?!" Tanzanite added, even more furious than before. "Why was just shattering them out of the question?! How could you possibly forgive such cruel and tyrannical monsters for all their crimes?!"

"Hey now, we didn't really forgive them in the way you're thinking!" Bismuth tried to calm the purple assassin down. "It was either get their help in saving the corrupted Gems or leave them to suffer in agony for all eternity! And thanks to Steven, we had no choice but to do the former."

"Whoever this Steven is, he's just like his mother. Never thinking of the consequences." Tanzanite frowned and prepared to storm off. "Black Rutile was allowed to run amok all because she hated him so much, and the worst punishment you could give her was exiling her to Earth! You couldn't begin to imagine what that will do to you!"

"Tanzanite, wait!" Garnet cried out and grabbed Tanzanite's shoulder. "Please, if you'd let us explain!"

"You've already explained enough." Tanzanite snarled as she broke from Garnet's grasp and ran away, crying in disbelief. After a moment of silence, the Crystal Gems knew precisely who to blame for this.

"Jasper!" Lapis scolded Jasper for her outburst that caused Tanzanite's tantrum.

"I accept full responsibility for this incident." Jasper apologized and got down on one knee. "Whatever punishment you shall give me, I will obey anything you request me to do."

"No, Jasper, it's not your fault." Pearl assured the orange warrior. "We should've told her earlier instead of keeping her in suspense for no reason. You were just being a little too honest."

"So, how long before we can apologize to Tanzanite for lying to her?" White Topaz asked the Gems. "As a fellow soldier who believed that her leader lied to her, I can totally understand what she's going through right now."

As Tanzanite ran far away from Little Homeworld and deep into the woods, she continued sobbing and rethinking everything she stood for as a Crystal Gem. She remembered their creed as it raced through her troubled mind. "Fight for life on the planet Earth. Defend all human beings, even the ones you don't understand. Believe in love that is out of anyone's control. And give everything for it!" Yet now, Tanzanite had no idea what she should give everything for now that she's learned of how insidious the Rose Quartz she once looked up to really was.

"What's even the point anymore?" Tanzanite muttered as she sat down at a tree and buried her face in her knees. "My leader's literally no better than the other Diamonds, and my so-called friends encouraged her for centuries. Who am I without a leader? Without a purpose?"

"Oh, I understand exactly what you're going through." Black Rutile's voice sympathized with Tanzanite's plight as she looked up to discover the voice's owner sitting on a nearby branch. "Hello there, little Tanzanite. Name's Black Rutile. I suppose you heard of me before?"

"You're the one who hated the Crystal Gems and Era 3, aren't you?" Tanzanite murmured as she looked up at Black Rutile, who then got down from the branch to lend a comforting ear. "What do you want?"

"I've been watching you since your tantrum at the Crystal Gems." Black Rutile revealed. "In fact, I was the one who suggested they bring you back to life! So basically, you have me to thank for you being here, and you're welcome."

"Why should I trust you?" Tanzanite asked. "You may have helped me, but why are you here?"

"I followed you because like I said, I understand what you're going through." Black Rutile answered as she put on the charm to rope Tanzanite in with her every word. "I, too, had unwavering faith in my great leader, White Diamond in this case. But then she revealed that she allowed me to get this far in life because she found it funny that a Rutile like me thought she could make it as a high-ranking member of her court. I felt so betrayed when White turned her back on her idea of perfection in favor of becoming Steven's slave, and now she views my entire being as one sick joke! Can you imagine how heartbreaking it was for me?!"

"Yeah, I get that." Tanzanite wiped her tears away before the two stood up.

"And that is why together, we can bring our oppressors to justice!" Black Rutile exclaimed, taking Tanzanite's hands in hers. "Come with me; I have an entire army of Gems who feel as betrayed as we are! Perhaps there, you can find a new family."

"I-I guess I can come with you." Tanzanite replied nervously. Black Rutile just smiled with pride as she took the now-former Crystal Gem out of the forest with her. As they say, a sucker is born every minute, and emotionally distressed suckers made easy pickings for an opportunist like Black Rutile.

Later that day, a small congregation of Black Rutile's allies, both old and new, had gathered at the abandoned warehouse outside of Beach City. The Rutile Rebels stood together onstage, joined by Marty, Sally, and James Brenner. Below them were numerous Gems that Black Rutile had manipulated into joining her, like Topaz, Teal Zircon, Emerald, Morganite, Demantoid, and Pyrope. Also present were the supervillains Francis von Bowling and Rasputina, now restored to their human forms after being previously transformed into an owl and a frog, along with Lennie, Milton, Konstantin, Pavel, and Leo.

"She should be here by now." Marty impatiently said to himself while looking at his watch. "I don't want this whole gathering to be for nothing!"

"As much as it would entertain me to see a straight white man like you feel shame, I have to agree." Sally replied.

"I feel like I don't really belong here." Dr. Brenner nervously proclaimed. "But since Black Rutile has been one of my most interesting cases yet, I still feel obligated to come along."

"Quite an eclectic bunch we have here." Amazonite observed the audience below them. "Black Rutile truly has a way with words if she could convince such dear friends of the Crystal Gems to join her."

"Wait, I thought this was like a book club or something." Teal Zircon said innocently. Lennie responded by knocking Teal to the ground, lying on her side with her feet twisted and arms splayed out behind her back.

Just then, Black Rutile had finally arrived with Tanzanite by her side, and she was eager to introduce her new recruit to the fold. "Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. I was busy finding a new member to join our collective. Allow me to introduce the former Crystal Gem Tanzanite!"

"Whoa, a Crystal Gem?" Eyeball gasped in shock. "You really convinced one of the enemies to join you!"

"But what about Teal Zircon?" Navy asked, pointing to Teal still lying on the floor.

"What about Teal Zircon?" Eyeball sarcastically repeated. "Pleased to meet you, Tanzanite. It's good to see that a Crystal Gem has finally seen the light."

"Yeah, whatever." Tanzanite sullenly replied. "Just get this over with so I can go home."

"It would be my pleasure." Black Rutile responded before she cleared her throat and began to speak. "CAN YOU COUNT, SUCKERS?!" she yelled. "I SAY THE FUTURE IS OURS! IF YOU CAN COUNT!"

"Of course I can count!" Milton exclaimed proudly. "One, two, three-"

"I don't think that's what she meant, Milton." Lennie said to his larger partner.

"Now look what we have here before us." Black Rutile continued her speech. "Our little legion of doom may seem a little small, but nobody else knows that our numbers are far greater than they think. With the help of some dear friends of mine, this gathering is being live-streamed to my followers across all of social media! I consider that a miracle, and miracles is the way things ought to be."

"I don't know why I forgave Aquamarine if she wanted me to come here." Topaz nervously muttered to herself before she picked up the unconscious Teal Zircon and tried to make a break for it, only to be stopped by Doc and Leggy standing guard at the doors.

"If anyone tries to get out and warn the Crystal Gems, there will be consequences. I'm looking at you, Topaz." Black Rutile threatened the Topaz fusion, which caused Emerald, Morganite, and the Garnets to look nervously at each other. "Now, back on subject, I have been trying for almost a year to exact my revenge on the accursed Crystal Gems for attempting to assimilate me to their fascist ways."

She then pulled the torn page of Rasputina's spellbook from her gem. "When I lost Rasputina's grimoire to the Crystal Gems, I was able to steal this page at the last moment. This is everything I need to know about the being known as Flipso. This is an interdimensional imp of great power over chaos and destruction who was sealed away by an interstellar librarian for crimes against all conceivable reality. However, that didn't stop him from manipulating people throughout the ages so that one day, he could finally be free to turn the universe into his playground. Rasputina?"

"It will be my pleasure, master." Rasputina declared before she surrounded her hands in a dark aura surrounding the page as she began an ancient chant. "Ooh-eeh-ooh-ah-ah, ting tang, walla-walla bing bang!" At the last word, a shadowy figure emerged from the page, letting out a maniacal laugh before yawning loudly.

"Oy! Ten trillion years can give you such a crick in the neck!" the newly emerged Flipso yelled as he stretched like he woke up from a very long nap. "Oh man, I haven't slept this good since I convinced that mustached twit to drop out of art school and pursue politics!"

"Incredible!" Konstantin, Pavel, and Leo gasped in awe.

"Well, well, well, let's have a look at the menagerie here!" Flipso said as he got a good once over of all the Rutile Rebels before coming face to face with Black Rutile. "I suppose you must be the schmuck who released me, huh?"

"I am Black Rutile, yes." Black Rutile tersely introduced herself to Flipso. "Would you explain why your physical body doesn't seem to be how I expected it to be?"

"Oh yeah, that." Flipso realized his current status. "Unless you can find a way for me to return to normal, I'm stuck like this for a while. But that won't stop me from doing this!" With a snap of Flipso's fingers, Konstantin, Pavel, and Leo turned into a talking drinking cup, a large fry, and a wad of meat.

"YOU QUESTION THE WORD OF THE MIGHTY JIMMY?!" Konstantin yelled angrily.

"So he can bend reality to his whims, just as she said." Francis von Bowling observed Flipso's powers as the imp continued showing off for the Rutile Rebels, changing Topaz into a pineapple with her face on it, switching everyone's genders, and unleashing beasts with forms inconceivable to any sane eyes.

"Which means we should keep quiet if we want to survive this." Emerald advised the Garnets and Morganite. "Got it?"

"I don't even want to know what he could turn us into." Morganite added drearily.

"I'm scared!" Demantoid and Pyrope yelled as they held onto each other.

"Okay, that's quite enough out of you, Flipso." Black Rutile commanded, stopping the imp's antics so he could listen. "The reason why I unleashed you is that you play a vital role in my grand revenge on the Crystal Gems. Should you obey my commands, I shall find a way to restore you to your true physical form so you can wreak as much havoc as you please. Do we have a deal?"

"Well, with an offer like that, how could I refuse?" Flipso agreed to Black Rutile's deal as the Rutile Rebels cheered. Some were elated that they finally had an advantage, while others were despairing over what they had done.

Meanwhile, the Crystal Gems gathered at the beach house to tell the Diamonds of their situation regarding Tanzanite. Needless to say, the former supreme rulers of Homeworld were not pleased with what they'd been informed of.

"Oh, this is just perfect. Pink screws us over from beyond the grave yet again." Yellow Diamond complained. "I swear, we should start listing how her death has negatively affected us. In fact, Pearl, put that down."

"Yes, Yellow." Yellow Pearl answered. Even though she was free to act of her own free will now, she still felt the need to serve her Diamond when asked.

"So where has Tanzanite gone now?" Blue Pearl quietly asked.

"We don't know yet, but whatever happens, I hope we can still help her." Garnet replied.

"Frankly, I think it should be about time we shut this whole Pink Diamond debacle down and let her rest in peace already." White Diamond suggested. "She made her bed and laid in it, so we should do the same."

"Well, maybe we could if someone didn't treat Pink so badly!" Bismuth declared accusingly.

"What did you just say, you infernal builder?" Yellow growled angrily at Bismuth.

"Whoa, now everyone, time out!" Spinel cried as she tried to calm the two hot-tempered Gems down.

"Though I don't like Bismuth's tone, she raises a good point." Blue Diamond stated. "Our poor treatment of Pink was but one of many things that convinced her to fake her demise and start the rebellion in the first place."

"That said, it's not like you're any better." Yellow coldly added, much to the Crystal Gems' horror.

"Say that again." Jasper grumbled, ready to attack her former Diamond at any moment.

"Jasper, calm down, dearie." White Topaz urged her partner not to lose her cool. "I'm sure Yellow didn't mean it."

"No, I totally mean what I say!" Yellow exclaimed. "I can count on just one finger how many times lately you've tended to his needs when he needed you the most! Heck, I won't even need a finger!"

"Yellow, please calm down, and let's come to an agreement, okay?" Volleyball suggested, even though she'd rather stay out of this argument altogether.

"Yeah, listen to old One-Eye here and chillax!" Spinel agreed with her Pearl friend.

"Please understand, Steven kept us all in the dark about his trauma because he feared getting us worried!" Pearl begged the Diamonds.

"Well, unfortunately, it could've been avoided if you had come to him first." Yellow proclaimed harshly. "Come along, ladies, we got better things to do."

"I apologize on Yellow's behalf. She's just had enough of this drama." Blue said to the Crystal Gems. "And honestly, I'd have to agree."

"Us too." Garnet agreed somberly as the Diamonds parted ways with the Crystal Gems on rather sour terms. While thankfully, nobody became enemies again, it still made the Crystal Gems wonder about how their actions have negatively affected others. Others like Black Rutile, who was now on the verge of rising to power again with an all-powerful cosmic deity by her side and a new band of Rutile Rebels to aid her in getting revenge on her greatest enemies.

Well, that was certainly bit of a downer. A former Crystal Gem joins the enemy, the team is now on uneasy terms with the Diamonds, and Black Rutile has released a being who could turn the entire world into a bowl of ice cream with a wiggle of his toe. How could the Crystal Gems handle such a threat, or how long will it take before he stabs Black Rutile in the back? Find out more as the series reaches its climax, but in the meantime, next time we're hitting the beach! Episode. Next chapter's a beach episode.

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