The Sword, The Shield, and The Smith

"So tomorrow you gonna show me what you got on the battlefield?" asked Bismuth.

"Oh, I would. But most of my weapons are for defence." Steven summoned his shield in demonstration. "Oh, except for one!" Steven went over to Lion, plunged his hand into his mane, and pulled out…

"Rose's sword!" Bismuth gasped. "My finest piece of work."

"You made this?" Steven asked, awed. "Wow… I can't wait to tell Connie…"

"Connie?" said Bismuth.

"My best friend," said Steven. "I'm… not actually that good a sword fighter. But Connie's amazing! Pearl's been teaching her and she's already a real master! She's the one who uses the sword most of the time, not me."

That was surprising. Rose's summoned weapon may have been her shield, but her chosen weapon had been a sword. Yet this… new version of her didn't use it, or even remember who'd created it. Bismuth thought, ' he really doesn't remember .'

"Huh, well," Bismuth said aloud. "This Connie really sounds like something. I'd like to meet her."

"You can! Not now," Steven said, quickly. "She'll be sleeping. But if I call her tomorrow morning, maybe her parents will let her come over. It'll be great!"

oOoOo

For a long time, Bismuth didn't sleep. Steven had explained the process to her, but it just wasn't coming. She lay on her back, eyes open, staring at the wooden ceiling. At one point, she rolled over, and a portrait of Rose Quartz hanging above the doorframe came into view. She quickly rolled back and forced her eyes closed, and at some point, she drifted off.

She dreamed, although she did not know the word for dream.

She dreamed of Garnet and Pearl, cheering and laughing. But the cheers turned into screams, the laughter into sobs, and there were other voices too— voices belonging to Biggs, Crazy Lace, Snowflake, hundreds of others, rubies and pearls and emeralds and bismuths and quartzes and corals… They were fighting somewhere in the distance, but Bismuth couldn't see them, couldn't reach them. The sound of steel against steel, of a Gem shattering into shards, of a sword snapping in half.

A new form appeared in front of her.

"I'm sorry," said Rose Quartz, tears in her eyes, lies on her lips.

"I'm sorry, Bismuth," said Rose Quartz, but it was Steven.

"Bismuth, Bismuth, Bismuth," the voice kept saying, again and again, and Bismuth opened her eyes, and it was Steven, small and eager, grinning down at her. She sat up, staring around. She was in the wooden base, daylight streaming in through the windows, the darkness and screams and fighting gone.

"Morning," Steven chirped. He was holding two white spherical things in his hands. "Wanna help make scrambled eggs?"

Bismuth shook her head. She didn't have any idea what had just happened. But she said, "Sure, why not?"

oOoOo

After breakfast, Steven 'phoned' Connie— which was a basically a form of long-distance communication using a device similar to a Wailing Stone, only smaller and significantly less annoying. The boy bounced on his feet as he talked. He didn't mention Bismuth, seemingly content to leave it as a surprise— but judging by his ear-to-ear grin, and the way he kept nearly bursting into giggles, it seemed as though he might let it slip at any moment. At last the call ended, and he punched the air. "Yes!" Steven cheered. "She'll be here at one, and her parents are even letting her stay the night. It'll be a real sleepover!"

"Sweet," said Bismuth.

They had time to spare before Connie's arrival, so Steven set off to give Bismuth a tour of 'Beach City'. The others tagged along, laughing and joking as they went.

"Humans sure have developed a lot," Bismuth sad, as they approached the boardwalk. Their clothes were different— brighter, for starters. Their buildings were bigger and sturdier, and they had invented fast moving vehicles.

"Pssh, this is nothing," said Amethyst.

"Beach City is quite small," Pearl agreed. "You should see Empire City. I hate to admit, but it has skyscrapers tall enough to match some of the Spires you used to build."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Bismuth with a laugh.

But Beach City was more than enough for now. She was taken to eat 'donuts', to play 'arcade games', to ride a 'roller coaster'. She met humans, too, big and small. They took her in stride— none of the awestruck, worshipful looks of some of the ones she'd dealt with in the past. A girl called Jenny complimented her on her hair; a boy took a video of her shapeshifting for his 'blog', whatever that meant; a third tiny, odd just stared at her with round, expressionless eyes, before turning his back and walking away.

Then they came to a building decorated with a large picture of an elephant. Steven ran up to it shouting, "Dad! Dad!"

The man appeared from behind a vehicle, dripping hose in his hand. He was on the older side for his species, with long grey hair and a big belly, which surely meant he was successful, as far as humans went. He looked quite anxious when he first noticed Steven with a strange Gem, one so large and muscular. But he relaxed when he saw Steven's excitement, the way Pearl leaned into her, the way even Garnet smiled brightly.

"Any friend of the Crystal Gems is a friend of mine," he said, after introductions had been made. His name was Greg, and he barely even flinched when Bismuth gave his hand a mighty shake.

He was apparently Steven's 'Dad', the person who had provided him with half of his being. "I gotta say," Bismuth remarked, after his relationship with Rose had been explained. "I wouldn't have pegged you as Rose's type. But I guess I never could predict what she would do."

"She was a real wild card," Greg agreed.

Bismuth laughed along, but it felt hollow.

oOoOo

Steven grew more and more excited as Connie's arrival approached. He kept trying to think up the best way to introduce Bismuth to her. Amethyst wanted to create an elaborate mock battle, filled with swords, shape-shifting and screaming— Connie would come running in to save everyone, only to discover it was just one big joke at the last second.

They never got that far. But Bismuth did end up hiding beneath the porch steps.

Through them Bismuth watched as a human who could only be Connie came up the beach. Brown skin, black hair. Small, but that seemed to be from organic youth rather than inherent size. She was slight and slim, but well-muscled, and Bismuth could see how she'd be well suited to Pearl's fighting style.

And when Bismuth jumped out from under the steps, Connie screamed and immediately came at her with a roundhouse kick.

That's how Bismuth knew she was something special.

oOoOo

Connie was chagrined when she discovered what was really going on, but Bismuth waved her apologies off. "Don't worry about you. I can see you got some real skill. Wanna show me some more?"

Connie's eyes glittered, and she said a little slyly, "Only if you'll show me something too."

A trade was more than fair. Another four-way brawling match was held on the beach, mighty-Gem clashing against mighty Gem, leaving the two children starry eyed. Once the Crystal Gems' sparring was finished, they suited up and stepped onto the field themselves. Steven and Connie, versus Pearl and an army of holograms.

They were amazing.

They wove in and around each other, pure coordination. Connie cut, slashed, jabbed, parried; Steven blocked and shielded, never leaver her back undefended. They had combo moves— Steven throwing his shield as a distraction, so Connie could land the killing blow on a hologram; Connie jumping off of Steven's shield for height and speed; Connie and Steven back-to-back, spinning in a circle—

— and glowing—

— and fusing .

They didn't even stop, didn't even notice. Just continued their attack on Pearl, relentless, until they sent the sword flying out of her hand.

"Ha! Surrender?" they shouted.

Pearl laughed, throwing her hands up. "Yes! Wonderful work!"

Amethyst was whooping, while Garnet was screaming. "GO STEVONNIE!"

"Huh?" the fusion looked down at themself. "Whoops. Did it again."

Amethyst snorted.

Bismuth got up, went over, and gave the fusion a hearty pat on the back. "You were awesome," Bismuth said. "Care to go a round with me?"

"Uh…" said Stevonnie. "Honestly— I've only ever fought as myself once before— er, not counting just now, and—"

("And you rocked!" Amethyst shouted.)

"— and fusion training isn't scheduled until next week—"

"This ain't training. This is just for kicks!"

So Stevonnie decided they were in. The fusion ran at Bismuth, armed with both sword and shield, Bismuth with nothing but her own hands, and eventually, left panting, the two had to agree to a tie.

(Bismuth had gone easy on them, but only a little.)

oOoOo

That night, after beds were prepared and the lights had gone dark, Connie and Steven sat on the couch as Bismuth cradled the sword in her lap, and talked of soldiers, of choices, of revolution, of reshaping yourself, of being you and no one else.

And she looked at those two— a human girl, and a not-quite-human boy— and she saw their anxiety. Saw their fear of not being enough. Saw how the only weapons they had were not their own, but ones handed down to them by someone they'd never even met.

So Bismuth said, "And you know what? You deserve an even better weapon."

oOoOo

Deep in the Forge, Bismuth spoke of fighting, of fairness, of justice, and presented to the children something which could achieve it all. The Breaking Point.

Steven wore the weapon on his arm, and stood, trembling, before the statue of a featureless Gem. He closed his eyes, pressed the pointed metal against its stone chest, and… "Bismuth, I can't use this."

"What? Why not?" Bismuth cried, as Steven's arm dropped.

"Shattering Gems— wouldn't that make us just the same as Homeworld?"

"Of course not! We'd be shattering them for the sake of our cause; to protect our allies, our friends! To free all Gems from Homeworld's tyranny!"

Steven, mouth dry, tried to find the right words. He looked to Connie for support.

Her expression was conflicted. "I don't know, Steven," she said. "Humans kill each other all the time in war. Sometimes for really bad reasons… Because people can be cruel, or greedy, but…" She wrung her hands. "Think of that part in Destiny's End , where Lisa attacked Councillor Hale before she could issue that execution order? Maybe sometimes killing someone might be the only option…"

"Exactly!" said Bismuth, although she had no idea who Lisa or Councillor Hale was.

"But— humans aren't like Gems," said Steven. "Humans kind of… die really easily. But if we poof a Gem, we can stop them being dangerous without shattering them. And… well, I don't know what happens after a person dies, but I don't think shattering's exactly the same… I think it's worse. I've felt shards' minds. They can still think, but they're broken, and hurting… trying to find lost parts of themselves." He turned from Connie to Bismuth, sorrow in his voice. "I just don't think it's what a Crystal Gem would do."

"Don't tell me what I Crystal Gem would do. Nobody's more Crystal Gem then I am. If you won't take it, I'll just use it myself!"

"No! No one is using it!" Steven threw the Breaking Point to the floor. It clattered. Connie flinched. Bismuth stared. "I'm sorry, Bismuth. It's not right."

The heat from the lava floor seemed to grow hotter.

"That's exactly what she said."

"Huh?" said Steven and Connie.

Bismuth stepped towards Steven— no, Rose— fist balled. "That's exactly what you said!" The imposter was sweating, and Bismuth knew she was right. "It is you, isn't it Rose? Don't expect me to believe you now, after you lied about everything! You're lying about this new form, just like you lied to the others about me!" She picked Rose up by the shirt; she squirmed and struggled. "But I didn't just disappear, did I? YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!"

Rose summoned from her bubble, popping out of Bismuth's grasp and flying backwards. She landed sprawled on the floor. Connie ran to the side of her false-friend. "Are you okay?" she asked. Then she turned on Bismuth, eyes flashing. "What are you doing ?"

"I'm showing you the truth. She's been lying to you!"

"Wait, Bismuth, this is just a big misunderstanding—"

"LIAR. Don't play games with us Rose. You were right here. I offered you the secret to victory and you refused. The Breaking Point would have changed everything. I didn't want to fight you—" Bismuth's raised a glowing hand, its shape shifting— "But you left me no CHOICE!"

Bismuth brought her mallet-of-a-hand down on Rose—

— and stopped it just centimetres away from Connie's face.

"No," Connie said.

"Get out of my way, girl," Bismuth ordered. "This is between me and Rose. She doesn't need a human for a shield."

"Steven's not Rose Quartz."

"You think that. She's very convincing. It's a lie, a trick—"

"No." Connie stepped forward. She hadn't brought a weapon, not even a stick, but still, she was standing up to a Gem a good three times her size. "You've been here less than two days. You don't know Steven. You don't know what you're talking about."

Bismuth's face softened. She knew how this betrayal must be hurting. But Connie needed to know the truth. "Rose is thousands of years old. She knows how to play the long game."

"Steven is fourteen," Connie yelled. "He's fourteen and he has baby pictures and on his birthday he made himself taller just because he thought I would like it! When we met he fell of his bike and ran away screaming. He kept a glow bracelet for me for months just because I'd lost it! He's sweet and caring and considerate! He's not a liar and he's not Rose !"

Bismuth took a step back. Connie wasn't finished.

"I've fused with him. Lots of times. Do you think he could keep something like that from me?" Bismuth lost her grip on her shapeshifting, and her mallet turned back into a hand. "Don't pretend to know better than me, because you don't!"

Bismuth looked from Connie, fierce and full of fury, to Rose, hiding behind her, tiny, wide-eyed, shaking…

… and he really wasn't Rose, was he?

"Oh stars," Bismuth said, anger melting away and reality sinking in. "I could have…"

Connie took her place next to Steven, wrapping her hand around his. "I don't know what's right. I don't know if we should shatter Homeworld Gems." Connie picked up the Breaking Point. "But we're going to discuss this with Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. Now."

oOoOo

Author's Note: I've been wanting to do something with Bismuth since before her episode even aired. I was talking with a number of folks on Tumblr about how things might have gone differently is someone else had been there when Bismuth revealed the Breaking Point- if Pearl had been caught in the heat of the moment, if Garnet had seen things coming, if a still rage-filled and insecure Amethyst had found hope in her fight against Jasper...

But honestly, I'd just come off of my story 'Xenopology', and a really, really wanted to write interactions between Bismuth and Connie. So here we are.

This was meant to be a one-shot, but such is the way things go. Big thanks to LadyRavenEye for beta'ing this for me. Check out their work if you haven't. 3