From Rebellions To Steven Tag
Garnet doesn’t lose.
Be it a rebellion against Homeworld, or just a game of Steven tag, Garnet is irrevocably compelled to make sure she comes out on top. It’s probably an ego thing—winning makes her feel powerful and proud and accomplished, and she loves all of that. She can admit that her competitive spirit can get a little overzealous sometimes. When it comes to games in particular, she tends to get overly invested in the outcome—but she can’t help herself. Winning games is one of the few frivolous things Garnet actually cares about.
However, this brand of winning tends to bleed into all aspects of her life and personality. Once Garnet has decided to have her way on something, there is no stopping her. That’s just how she is.
“I know what the diamond means.”
At first Garnet doesn’t think anything of the odd adolescent human’s remark, hollow with realization. Steven has been saved from being chained to a chair in his homemade snake costume; mission accomplished. Garnet wins again.
The young human straightens up and thrusts both fists into the air. “Polymorphic sentient rocks!” he cries.
That catches her attention. She and Pearl exchange a quick look, and Amethyst makes a mildly impressed humming sound that is drowned out as the child begins to laugh maniacally. They are all thinking the same thing: no, way.
Just because the term ‘polymorphic sentient rock’ describes gems perfectly doesn’t mean this human has actually figured anything out, right?
Naw, couldn’t be.
She and the Crystal Gems (and the odd human’s brother) leave the weird one to his laughter. They all walk calmly from the lighthouse as the weird child rushes out to the balcony to call after them.
“They’re here to hollow out the earth!”
Garnet reaches out to affectionately ruffle Steven’s hair as they stroll back down the hill.
“It’s part of the great Diamond Authority!”
Pearl is carrying Steven on her shoulder, and Amethyst doesn’t appear to be paying the least bit of attention to what’s being hollered down at them.
“They’ll take on any form!”
Steven and the other human child are none the wiser.
It isn’t until Steven has been asleep for hours that Garnet meets with Amethyst and Pearl in the temple. They’ve kept this planet safe for too many centuries to become complacent now, even over something this small.
“The guy’s crazy,” Amethyst says with a dismissive wave of her hand. She crosses her arms across her chest. “So what if he put it up on his blog? Nobody’s going to believe him anyway.”
“That was more than simply a wild guess,” says Pearl. “I don’t know how, but that young human boy actually figured out that the Diamond Authority exists.”
“He doesn’t know anything,” Garnet maintains, her arms akimbo. “He just thinks he does.”
“He referenced the Kindergarten!” cries Pearl.
“I don’t know why we’re freaking out,” says Amethyst, casually digging earwax out of her own ear. “I didn’t think we were in hiding.”
“We’re not, but the Diamond Authority thinks we’re dead,” Garnet says gravely. “If one person with enough power believes that human, the commotion it causes could potentially be enough to draw their attention. We’ve already fought off one red eye, so we know they’re still watching Earth. What we don’t know for sure is how closely they can manage it, with all communications with Homeworld down.”
“But if we make a big deal out of it…” says Pearl.
“It could end up just the same,” Garnet agrees. “We did the right thing, ignoring him as we left. If he actually knew everything, then the first thing he would be doing is going after us. He didn’t, and he’s not. If nobody takes the bait, then he will probably move on.”
Amethyst groans. “Are we actually still talking about this?”
“It’s a small thing,” Garnet concedes. “But we’ve come too far to fumble now. Even something this small needs to be handled properly.”
“The last thing we want is Homeworld stalking this planet again. They’ve already done enough,” Pearl chimes in.
Amethyst lets out another sound of aggravation and props a hand on one hip. “Okay, so we pretend like nothing happened and hopefully it will go away. Is that the plan?”
Garnet adjusts her glasses. “For now, yes.”
Of course, this discussion takes place long before the long-dead communications tower starts spontaneously trying to contact Homeworld again, or Steven sets Lapis Lazuli free to fly back to Homeworld and tattle that the rebels aren’t all dead after all, or Peridot and her blasted robonoids begin fixing the intergalactic warp pads. By the end of all that, pretending like nothing has happened is no longer an option. Might as well have given the weird blogging human’s revelations the good ol’ thumbs up of approval, for all the good it did.
By the time they find the waking nightmare that is the cluster, it’s pretty clear that a second war for Earth is brewing. It’s impossible to say whether it can be diffused before it can begin, but Garnet is already preparing herself for the worst.
Did she expect to have to fight Homeworld off a second time after winning the rebellion? No. Is she ready to do it anyway? Absolutely. After all, this is her planet; it’s the only home she knows. Humans are still defenseless against gems, too.
There is also something to fight for that she never had last time: Steven. Keeping that little boy safe is more than a promise she made to his mother, and it’s more than an obligation; if anything were to happen to Steven, Garnet doesn’t know what she would do, which is why she is determined to never find out. Technology and numbers are not in their favor, but damn it, the Crystal Gems are going to win anyway.
Why? Because Garnet doesn’t lose.