This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

That was a massive understatement, Amethyst realized as the wind whistled against her face, whipping her wild hair back, blurring her vision as she tumbled off the edge of the Cloud Arena, with a Pearl in tow, who surprisingly was a lot calmer about the situation than the Quartz was. Amethyst was trained for stressful situations during combat and yet here she was, shrieking at the top of her nonexistent lungs as she and the Pearl plunged towards bleak nothingness.

Or perhaps there really was something beneath the Cloud Arena, but it wouldn't matter, because either way, Amethyst and the Pearl would be utterly shattered by the impact.

She thought back to how the rare Sapphire Blue Diamond ordered to come to the incomplete Earth colony predicted today's events.

It was supposed to go as followed: the Crystal Gems would attack the Cloud Arena to target Blue Diamond, who had recently gained control after the beloved Pink Diamond lost her life, and would end up poofing seven Gems, no true casualty in the long run, and would get cornered eventually. The Rebellion was supposed to stop right then and there, order would return to Homeworld, and the murderer of Pink Diamond would be captured and sent to justice.

But everything went so utterly wrong and it may be because of Amethyst herself.

Despite the harsh wind blowing loose strands of hair in Amethyst's face and blinding her, she could still make out the faint silhouette of the lovely, lithe Pearl she had attempted to save during the attack. Now that the two of them were tumbling to their deaths, Amethyst began to hastily wonder why she tried to do what she did earlier.

The Pearl belonged to a Chalcedony, one of the elder Quartzes in Blue Diamond's squadron who vehemently hated Amethyst with a passion, ever since she popped out one of Earth's last few functioning Kindergartens before the Crystal Gems had overtaken them and shut them down. For a few brief moments, Amethyst had belonged to Pink Diamond, whom she hardly knew, but then she was immediately transferred to Blue Diamond after the tragedy occurred. The Kindergartners were incredibly wary of her, seeing how defective Amethyst was, lacking the extreme height most Gems of her kind possessed. It was at Pink Diamond's insistence that she lived, but then . . . it happened. After that, Amethyst was sure that she would be shattered, knowing that she certainly didn't fit any the right requirements that true Quartzes needed. But when it was heard that the Crystal Gems intended to shut down all the functioning Kindergartens and start a war, Blue Diamond had reluctantly decided to keep the imperfect Amethyst for the sake of troops and to respect her dead sister's wishes.

Chalcedony had deeply disagreed with this notion and made sure that Amethyst knew it as well.

She treated Amethyst a lot more roughly than her other, taller and heftier sisters, all to remind her of the limits she had since she came out wrong. She remembered all the taunting, Chalcedony encouraging the rest of the Quartzes to turn against Amethyst, isolating her from all the other soldiers, subjecting her to such harsh words, even making the painfully incompetent Rubies look down on her. All of her cruelty made Amethyst realize how truly different she was from the others, how she would never live up the true potential of a strong Quartz. She trained incredibly hard, far harder than any of her brethren did and still ended up being the worst of the bunch.

Even though Amethyst deeply despised Chalcedony for bullying her so much when there was a war brewing, she did respect her commander's choice in Pearls.

Amethyst could never own a Pearl herself, even if it would quell the loneliness she faced while training. The idea of owning something that could speak and move just as she would makes her flinch. Plus, it would be impractical for a soldier to own a Pearl, who was known for their fragility and elegance.

And yet she saw her powerful and menacing commander carry her gentle servant everywhere she went, to show off what the Diamonds had rewarded her after thousands of years in service.

Chalcedony's Pearl was lithe and willowy like all the other Pearls, carrying a frame that boasted of passiveness and beauty. She, like her master, was decorated with pastel colors and lightly shimmered with pristineness. Amethyst saw her constantly, standing in the corner, desperately waiting for her master's command. She always admired how lovely she looked, the aura of demure grace that surrounded her every move.

But unlike most Pearls, who were hardly more than empty shells when it came to aspects like personality, this Pearl was constantly flustered and fearful. She was prone to blushing deeply, which revealed her cheeks became a deep turquoise when she was bashful, and fidgeting when she clasped her hands together. She, like Amethyst herself, was afraid of getting shattered early and deeply feared Chalcedony's wrath.

It didn't take long for Amethyst to take pity on her commander's Pearl and made an extra effort to be kind to her when the two of them crossed paths. Pick up objects that she dropped when the Pearl became nervous (which was often), shoot her gentle smiles when no one was looking, defending her when the other Quartzes poked fun at her anxious nature. The two of them never spoke though, since that would only land Amethyst in trouble and made her one step closer to getting shattered or harvested or made useful in another way rather than being herself. But Amethyst still admired her from afar, pitying her when her master began to shout at her, deeply wishing to have a real conversation with her, since she too knew what it felt like to be imperfect.

Well, Amethyst's wish was granted. She did get intimate with the Pearl, but not in a way that benefited her.

Rose Quartz, the one who murdered Pink Diamond, had arrived on the scene like Sapphire had promised, accompanied by a rogue Bismuth who morphed her hands into blades to create weapons and ordered Blue Diamond to surrender.

The Quartz armies surged forwards in an attempt to ward off these rebels and keep their Diamond safe but the Bismuth proved herself to be quite formidable in battle, which was both a shock, considering Gems like her were made to build spires and arenas, and sort of an obvious revelation, seeing that she was just as strong and durable as them. She sliced through soldiers with an almost gleeful smile, like she was waiting for such a moment since forever, and she might've been for all Amethyst knew.

The purple Gem herself was very close to suffering the same fate as the others, but sheer luck pushed her away from harm. But while Chalcedony was attempting to corner Rose Quartz (and from what Amethyst could see, failing) she left her Pearl in open air, utterly defenseless and unarmed. Bismuth approached her quickly, brandishing her lethal hands, ready to destroy this Pearl's physical form.

It disgusted Amethyst deeply, seeing the sight. What kind of fighter would attack a helpless civilian—a Pearl for crying out loud—and try to harm her? For everyone else, seeing this would worry no one, since it was only the well-being of a Pearl, who was known to be quite easy to replace. But it worried Amethyst, certainly more than Chalcedony would be, because even if the two of them were never able to converse properly, she considered this Pearl to be the only one who understood her, who never attempted to ostracize her from the rest, who didn't think of her as a disappointment.

Anger seethed from deep inside Amethyst, until she couldn't take lying on the floor helplessly anymore. She gathered up all her strength to get up and lunged towards the Pearl, intending to push her out of harm's way, but ended up colliding against her for too long. She felt a hot flash of light engulf her, the startled gasp of the Pearl she was trying to save, and opened her eyes to a whole new field of vision.

In the middle of the Arena, replacing the defective Amethyst warrior and delicate Pearl, was a Gem no one had ever witnessed before.

She was at least a full head taller than proper Quartz, with skin that was a few shades lighter than Amethyst's and wide round eyes that were the same cyan color as the Pearl's. Four slender arms stretched out in the still air. Thick wispy hair that was just as messy and untamed as Amethyst's combined itself with the short bangs of the Pearl's; her tresses were messily streaked with pale peach and silvery lavender that shimmered with translucent highlights, making an almost abstract piece of art. She had the plump lips of Amethyst's and the prominent nose that was a signature trademark of a Pearl. Her clothes were a haphazard collision of a soldier's uniform and a frilly tutu of a decorative Pearl's.

The new Gem widened her eyes when she saw what she had become, muttering in a voice that sounded so different from Amethyst's husky voice and Pearl's nearly inaudible lull. Pearl's oval gem was placed on her forehead, as was Amethyst's gem on her chest, but the two of were now different gems entirely. They were now streaked with varying pastel colors.

Such a union was supposed to be impossible. No one had ever predicted this before or even bothered to see if it was possible. It was disgusting; a bond between a Quartz soldier and a fragile Pearl? Worst, the Pearl belonged to another Gem. Not only it was utter blasphemy against everything fusion was, it was violation of a Gem's property.

Amethyst had soiled her commander's belonging and disregarded the Pearl's consent and forced her to become this . . . horrid being.

Rose Quartz had halted the battle to stare at the new being, alongside her companion. Bismuth nearly lunged forward again in an attack, but was stopped by her general.

"Wait, this is," she began to say, but was interrupted by the fierce stares of the court of Blue Diamond. "Let's go," she whispered and with a rush of air, she and her companion disappeared without a trace.

The cross-type Gem quickly defused after realizing what her existence had done and with a warped twist of light, Amethyst and Chalcedony's Pearl were sprawled on the floor of the Arena.

The first one to approach the two of them was the very same Sapphire who tried to predict today's battle.

"Y-you," she stuttered, which was so unprecedented for such a composed Gem. "You changed by prediction. You altered fate entirely."

She did not wear a look of contempt, nor did she wear a look of anger, only shock, confusion, and if one looked a little closer, curiosity.

But her words were drowned out by the words of rage and spite of the conservative aristocratic Gems.

Amethyst heard words, such as "Unbelievable!" and "Disgusting!" which she had heard all too many times before, but now they were targeted at the Pearl she tried to defend earlier. The Pearl was curled up on the floor, flabbergasted and shell-shocked. Pearls weren't supposed to able to fuse; it was something unnecessary for trinket-like Gems such as her. The look in her eyes could only be described as traumatized.

Amethyst was just as startled as well. Quartzes were believed to be too strong for fusions and deemed too superior for such a tactic. That was her first experience fusing, and admittedly, it felt amazing for such a short frame of time. She spent her whole life feeling so diminutive and weak compared to everyone else, and for a moment, pure power was surging through her form, sent her towering above the rest.

It was a feeling that was utterly addictive.

But it didn't seem that way for the Pearl, who had tears forming at the edges of her eyes. Amethyst followed her pale gaze to see Blue Diamond staring at the two them, a burning glare manifesting underneath her hood. Chalcedony had also found herself in between her Pearl and Amethyst, shooting icy daggers at her inferior.

"What has happened here?" Blue Diamond cried, both outraged and unnervingly calm at the same time.

"I'll tell you what happened," Chalcedony shouted furiously. She roughly grabbed Amethyst's hand, nearly dangling her in the air. "She had soiled my property and created . . . a disgusting creature!"

"She wasn't disgusting!" Amethyst snapped, realizing too late that those were the wrong words to say. The harsh collective stares surrounding her hardened.

"I didn't know what you created when you fused with that Pearl," Blue Diamond seethed, no mercy whatsoever in her voice. "But all I know is that I have been holding back trying to get rid of you ever since you landed in my control. I've given you chance after chance to prove that you just as worthy as the rest of your perfect sisters, but you have disappointed me every time. And now after you heinously marred your superior's Pearl, I have no choice you but to break you!"

Amethyst's eyes immediately dilated. She hadn't expected such a harsh punishment after doing something that felt so thrilling. But hadn't she been waiting for this day to happen? She could never keep up with the rest of the "pristine" Quartzes and certainly never had a single victory in her life. Even if she had never expressed it until now, Blue Diamond held nothing but contempt for Amethyst and was simply idly waiting for an excuse to be rid of her.

Such a fate was inevitable for Amethyst. She couldn't escape it. All she could do at this point was accept this as her final resting place.

Just as the crowd as about to get their hands on her gem, a light smooth hand grasped Amethyst's hand and yanked her away from the crowd, dragging her at an almost immeasurable speed.

Her vision focused to see the Pearl she had tainted pulling her away and she was absolutely shocked as the rest of the crowd, seeing a Pearl defy orders and showing regard for someone who wasn't her master.

"What are you doing?" Amethyst cried, as the Pearl kept racing away from the enraged crowds.

Suddenly, it was clear to where the Pearl was headed: the edge of the Arena, where no one would dare follow them.

Before Amethyst could warn her against it, try to reason with the Pearl, the two of them were forced off the ledge and sent spiraling towards the ground.

She had no idea why the Pearl would risk herself this way. She was in the clear while Amethyst was being punished. Her master might've been angry with her, seeing now that her once-pure servant was now tainted with the experience of being that . . . thing . . . but Amethyst was the one who forced it on her. She deserved no pity from the Pearl. She should've just let fate take its course. It was what Amethyst expected from her life. It was inevitable.

But then again, the Rebellion ending should've been inevitable, as declared by the Sapphire. So what was fate anymore?

"Please grab onto my hand!" the Pearl shouted against the sharp whistle of the wind, attempting to reach for Amethyst. That marked the first time Amethyst had ever heard the servant speak, at least audibly. Her voice was undoubtedly pleasant, even when she was shrieking hysterically.

"No, after what happened," Amethyst cried back, "how could you ever trust me to touch you again!? I'm not letting myself hurt you anymore!"

"I don't blame you for what happened," the Pearl yelped as they plunged towards the ground faster and faster. "I don't think anyone can explain what happened between us. But that's not important right now! Just hold onto my hand and trust me!"

Amethyst gulped before making her decision. This Pearl was so gentle, so pure, and she had ended up ruining her life and severing the connection between her and her master. How could she—or anyone really—try to risk everything for her, especially when her life was oh-so-delicate beforehand?

But she couldn't deny the pleading look in her eyes. So without hesitating, the purple Gem latched onto the Pearl's smooth hand, intertwining fingers.

Pearl sucked in a deep breath before taking action. With a little yelp, the speed that was dragging down both her and Amethyst began to slow down and down until the two of them were merely hovering as their feet reached the grassy soft earth.

Staring at her with wide eyes, at her mundane but somehow brilliant savior who rescued her from an inevitable death for who-knows-why, Amethyst asked Pearl, "What were you thinking?"

A/N: I've been wanting to do an Opal AU version of "The Answer" for a very long time and then "Mindful Education" came out and I realized that Opal must've went through a lot of hallucinations, considering how delicate her bond is. So instead of just covering "The Answer" love story, I decided to expand further than that, through all the trials that lead from Opal being a forbidden bond between a common Pearl and elite Quartz to a perfectly stable couple. After I cover the whole "The Answer" arc, I'll go through several situations that involve Opal defusing and facing the individual pain of both Pearl and Amethyst and overcoming their inner demons. Leave a review if you think I should continue this!