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Description
Warning: long read ahead (1445 words)

Fluffy sat at the edge of the forest, just where the elevated patch of grass separated the sand, her fur glinting subtly in the orange evening sunlight and flowing softly in the lukewarm seabreeze. Any other time, she'd be basking; the beach was silent and empty this time around, which would give her time to unwind from today's tasks, taking time to watch as the sun slowly sank behind the ocean's horizon while listening to the waves before turning in for the night.

But this particular evening, she kept her eyes firmly on large beach ahead of her, tensed and stoic. Waiting.

"..Mama?" A small, tentative voice called out from behind her. "Mama, a-are you sure you don't want us up there with you?"

"Y-Yeah!" Tri-T took a step out from under the shade, her talons glinting in the fading light. "Maybe we should in case they-"

"No, you two." Fluffy spoke, her voice gentle but firm, as she didn't take her eyes off the beach. "Stay put. By having you all up here may give them an advantage if this is some sort of trap... Besides, Centi can attack from a distance."

There was an uneasy crackling noise as Centi rubbed her forelegs together anxiously. "Th-That may be true... b-but-!"

"Then I'll be fine. Just as long as Lil Quartz is safe." Fluffy stated gently.

"Mama..." Lil Quartz wanted to protest further, but cut himself off with a gasp as he caught sight of three figures in a distance.

"It's them," Came Tri-T's hushed voice, along with Lil Quartz's startled gasp. Fluffy heard the sound of floral rustling as Tri-T started to shuffle on her feet in anticipation. "Fluff, are you sure we-?"

"Stay put." Fluffy orders, squaring her shoulders and lifting her head to faintly glare the approaching gems, hoping her lengthened horns would warn them.

Once the Crystal Gems were a substantial length away from Fluffy, they stopped just in front of her. Garnet was in the middle, like usual, her hands laced in front of her, presumably to show she was unarmed. The other two gems flanked her; with Amethyst oddly smiley, looking eager for something as her hands were clasped together in front of her chest. Pearl had her arms crossed, looking off to the side with a bitter expression.

Garnet took a step forward and dipped her head briefly to the Feral Gem. "Good evening, Fluffy. Thank you for seeing us on such a short notice."

"Evening, Garnet..." Fluffy's gaze switched between the three gems, narrowing them in suspicion. "What is this about...?"

"I-" For a moment, Garnet showed the briefest flicker of uncertainty; taking the smallest of steps back and she adjusting her visor. "It isn't anything bad, I promise." She took a deep breath and looked Fluffy in her eyes. "In fact, this can be very beneficial for us all."

Fluffy tilted her head, her eyes squinted in curiosity. "Beneficial?"

"Yes," Garnet nodded briefly, dimly hearing Pearl's soft scoff as she shook her head. "It's not as easy as you think; poofing and bubbling fellow gems. We only did it to keep them from hurting other earthlings."

"I've heard." Fluffy remarked. Her voice was calm, but her tail tip was twitching indignantly. "What's your point?"

"Right." Garnet took off her visors, looking at Fluffy with three hopeful, almost pleading eyes. "Fluffy. We want to join forces with your pack."

"Huh?"

Fluffy was dimly aware of the others behind her leaning forward from their spots in surprise as her own eyes widened slightly. "Is... that right?"

"Yes. We thought that poofing and bubbling Feral Gems were the only way to keep earthlings safe." Garnet explained. "But Lil Quartz showed us that we don't have to do that anymore. You and your pack have proven that there's hope to coexist with Ferals. By joining forces, Earth will he safer than ever."

As Fluffy listened, she was barely aware of Lil Quartz stepping forward, his ears perked as he listened to the fusion's explanation.

"Alright..." Though the proposal sounded tempting, she couldn't bring herself to trust these gems, given what they put her boy through last time. "And what will this alliance bring us this time around?"

Garnet straightened up. "If you join us, we will no longer poof and bubble Feral Gems. Instead we will bring them to you. Then you can teach them about us and how we keep earth and all of its inhabitants safe."

Fluffy looked back at her teammates, unsure of what to make of the proposal. It sounded tempting, but at the same time, hearing the over come from them sounded too good to be true.

Seeing their hesitancy, Garnet placed her visor back on. "Please consider this. The more of us there are, the safer our planet will be."

Fluffy stared at the fusion, her eyes narrowing. "Mmmm..."

"Garnet, this is hopeless." Pearl finally spoke, turning to give a faint glare at the gem Leader. "We're here now, we should just--"

"Okay so, hold on." Lil Quartz stepped forward on all fours, until he was standing in front of Fluffy, his brow furrowed in skepticism. "If we allow this... do you promise I stay with my mama in the forest?"

"Steven, please." Pearl turned to Lil Quartz, her voice taking on a pleading edge. "Give us another chance, you can't live like--"

Garnet set her hand on Pearl's shoulder, lightly pushing her. "Yes, of course. You can return to the Beach House whenever you want."

Lil Quartz's eyes flickered between the two gems, narrowing in skepticism at the Pearl's incredulous expression towards the fusion.

"...And you'll bring us more feral gems? Including all of the ones in your lava room?" Lil Quartz pressed, leaning forward.

"Yes. Every last one." Garnet nodded, ignoring the scoff of disbelief from Pearl, lightly nudging her behind her. "We'll lead you to the Feral Gems if necessary."

Lil Quartz hummed. "One last thing..." He fixed Garnet with a steely glare, his pink pointed ears folding back. "If I'm going to go through with this alliance, I want to do this on my own pace. No tests, no missions. No more talk of Rose Quartz." He pressed out the final words, focusing his attention on the Pearl who shrank back. "I want to be my own person, and discover things about myself at my own pace. I get it, I have her gem, but that doesn't mean I can live up to her name. I'm my own person. A half-human kid at that! I just... want you to respect that. Okay?"

Pearl wrung her hands, biting her lips. "I... never said you had to live upto her name." The Pearl said after a moment of hesitance. "I just... she would've--"

Garnet nudged Pearl again, giving a nod to him. "Yes. We'll respect your boundaries. And we'll respect your choices." She knelt down onto one knee, to match Lil Quartz's height. "Please believe us. We'll try our best to follow your rules."

Lil Quartz stared at the fusion for a lengthy amount of time before backing up and turning to face the Ferals behind him, gesturing them to huddle closer.

"Lil Q... do you think we can trust them?" Centi asked in a hushed voice. "After what they put you through..."

"Yeah! Especially that Pearl! I don't like the way she looked at us..." Tri-T hissed, one of her many eyes catching sight of the Pearl complaining to Garnet, who stood staring emotionless at the thin gem while Amethyst glared at her tiredly. "She's the one with the spear, right? Shouldn't we poof her first?"

"Think about this carefully, dewdrop." Fluffy cautioned, stealing a glance at the spying Crystal Gems behind her son.

"Guys, we gotta give them a chance. This offer is too good to pass up, and we can save all of those captive Gems I talked about!" Lil Quartz said, his own voice hushed, stealing a glance over his shoulder, then back to his team. "Besides, they're the ones closest to Rose. And they know things about the war. The Pearl especially! She might know things about Rose as well. We need to earn her trust if we're gonna know about who she was."

The three gems exchanged weary glances with each other. "Well... okay. But the first sign of mutiny, we're moving to attack."

Lil Quartz nods, turning to the fusion to deliver his final decision.

"Okay. We have an alliance."

He offered his hand to her, and Garnet gave a large, genuine smile, taking it into both of hers. "Thank you. We promise we'll work together."
~~~~~~~

Note: from here on out, the events from the show will be scattered.

Description
Warning: long read ahead (1445 words)

Fluffy sat at the edge of the forest, just where the elevated patch of grass separated the sand, her fur glinting subtly in the orange evening sunlight and flowing softly in the lukewarm seabreeze. Any other time, she'd be basking; the beach was silent and empty this time around, which would give her time to unwind from today's tasks, taking time to watch as the sun slowly sank behind the ocean's horizon while listening to the waves before turning in for the night.

But this particular evening, she kept her eyes firmly on large beach ahead of her, tensed and stoic. Waiting.

"..Mama?" A small, tentative voice called out from behind her. "Mama, a-are you sure you don't want us up there with you?"

"Y-Yeah!" Tri-T took a step out from under the shade, her talons glinting in the fading light. "Maybe we should in case they-"

"No, you two." Fluffy spoke, her voice gentle but firm, as she didn't take her eyes off the beach. "Stay put. By having you all up here may give them an advantage if this is some sort of trap... Besides, Centi can attack from a distance."

There was an uneasy crackling noise as Centi rubbed her forelegs together anxiously. "Th-That may be true... b-but-!"

"Then I'll be fine. Just as long as Lil Quartz is safe." Fluffy stated gently.

"Mama..." Lil Quartz wanted to protest further, but cut himself off with a gasp as he caught sight of three figures in a distance.

"It's them," Came Tri-T's hushed voice, along with Lil Quartz's startled gasp. Fluffy heard the sound of floral rustling as Tri-T started to shuffle on her feet in anticipation. "Fluff, are you sure we-?"

"Stay put." Fluffy orders, squaring her shoulders and lifting her head to faintly glare the approaching gems, hoping her lengthened horns would warn them.

Once the Crystal Gems were a substantial length away from Fluffy, they stopped just in front of her. Garnet was in the middle, like usual, her hands laced in front of her, presumably to show she was unarmed. The other two gems flanked her; with Amethyst oddly smiley, looking eager for something as her hands were clasped together in front of her chest. Pearl had her arms crossed, looking off to the side with a bitter expression.

Garnet took a step forward and dipped her head briefly to the Feral Gem. "Good evening, Fluffy. Thank you for seeing us on such a short notice."

"Evening, Garnet..." Fluffy's gaze switched between the three gems, narrowing them in suspicion. "What is this about...?"

"I-" For a moment, Garnet showed the briefest flicker of uncertainty; taking the smallest of steps back and she adjusting her visor. "It isn't anything bad, I promise." She took a deep breath and looked Fluffy in her eyes. "In fact, this can be very beneficial for us all."

Fluffy tilted her head, her eyes squinted in curiosity. "Beneficial?"

"Yes," Garnet nodded briefly, dimly hearing Pearl's soft scoff as she shook her head. "It's not as easy as you think; poofing and bubbling fellow gems. We only did it to keep them from hurting other earthlings."

"I've heard." Fluffy remarked. Her voice was calm, but her tail tip was twitching indignantly. "What's your point?"

"Right." Garnet took off her visors, looking at Fluffy with three hopeful, almost pleading eyes. "Fluffy. We want to join forces with your pack."

"Huh?"

Fluffy was dimly aware of the others behind her leaning forward from their spots in surprise as her own eyes widened slightly. "Is... that right?"

"Yes. We thought that poofing and bubbling Feral Gems were the only way to keep earthlings safe." Garnet explained. "But Lil Quartz showed us that we don't have to do that anymore. You and your pack have proven that there's hope to coexist with Ferals. By joining forces, Earth will he safer than ever."

As Fluffy listened, she was barely aware of Lil Quartz stepping forward, his ears perked as he listened to the fusion's explanation.

"Alright..." Though the proposal sounded tempting, she couldn't bring herself to trust these gems, given what they put her boy through last time. "And what will this alliance bring us this time around?"

Garnet straightened up. "If you join us, we will no longer poof and bubble Feral Gems. Instead we will bring them to you. Then you can teach them about us and how we keep earth and all of its inhabitants safe."

Fluffy looked back at her teammates, unsure of what to make of the proposal. It sounded tempting, but at the same time, hearing the over come from them sounded too good to be true.

Seeing their hesitancy, Garnet placed her visor back on. "Please consider this. The more of us there are, the safer our planet will be."

Fluffy stared at the fusion, her eyes narrowing. "Mmmm..."

"Garnet, this is hopeless." Pearl finally spoke, turning to give a faint glare at the gem Leader. "We're here now, we should just--"

"Okay so, hold on." Lil Quartz stepped forward on all fours, until he was standing in front of Fluffy, his brow furrowed in skepticism. "If we allow this... do you promise I stay with my mama in the forest?"

"Steven, please." Pearl turned to Lil Quartz, her voice taking on a pleading edge. "Give us another chance, you can't live like--"

Garnet set her hand on Pearl's shoulder, lightly pushing her. "Yes, of course. You can return to the Beach House whenever you want."

Lil Quartz's eyes flickered between the two gems, narrowing in skepticism at the Pearl's incredulous expression towards the fusion.

"...And you'll bring us more feral gems? Including all of the ones in your lava room?" Lil Quartz pressed, leaning forward.

"Yes. Every last one." Garnet nodded, ignoring the scoff of disbelief from Pearl, lightly nudging her behind her. "We'll lead you to the Feral Gems if necessary."

Lil Quartz hummed. "One last thing..." He fixed Garnet with a steely glare, his pink pointed ears folding back. "If I'm going to go through with this alliance, I want to do this on my own pace. No tests, no missions. No more talk of Rose Quartz." He pressed out the final words, focusing his attention on the Pearl who shrank back. "I want to be my own person, and discover things about myself at my own pace. I get it, I have her gem, but that doesn't mean I can live up to her name. I'm my own person. A half-human kid at that! I just... want you to respect that. Okay?"

Pearl wrung her hands, biting her lips. "I... never said you had to live upto her name." The Pearl said after a moment of hesitance. "I just... she would've--"

Garnet nudged Pearl again, giving a nod to him. "Yes. We'll respect your boundaries. And we'll respect your choices." She knelt down onto one knee, to match Lil Quartz's height. "Please believe us. We'll try our best to follow your rules."

Lil Quartz stared at the fusion for a lengthy amount of time before backing up and turning to face the Ferals behind him, gesturing them to huddle closer.

"Lil Q... do you think we can trust them?" Centi asked in a hushed voice. "After what they put you through..."

"Yeah! Especially that Pearl! I don't like the way she looked at us..." Tri-T hissed, one of her many eyes catching sight of the Pearl complaining to Garnet, who stood staring emotionless at the thin gem while Amethyst glared at her tiredly. "She's the one with the spear, right? Shouldn't we poof her first?"

"Think about this carefully, dewdrop." Fluffy cautioned, stealing a glance at the spying Crystal Gems behind her son.

"Guys, we gotta give them a chance. This offer is too good to pass up, and we can save all of those captive Gems I talked about!" Lil Quartz said, his own voice hushed, stealing a glance over his shoulder, then back to his team. "Besides, they're the ones closest to Rose. And they know things about the war. The Pearl especially! She might know things about Rose as well. We need to earn her trust if we're gonna know about who she was."

The three gems exchanged weary glances with each other. "Well... okay. But the first sign of mutiny, we're moving to attack."

Lil Quartz nods, turning to the fusion to deliver his final decision.

"Okay. We have an alliance."

He offered his hand to her, and Garnet gave a large, genuine smile, taking it into both of hers. "Thank you. We promise we'll work together."
~~~~~~~

Note: from here on out, the events from the show will be scattered.