Templeschool

42. Shattered Illusions

AN: Second chapter posted today! Also Trigger Warning: Blood and Injury   

This was the last thing Amethyst wanted. As she turned around to see Twoie, standing a couple of feet behind her, she felt panic claw at her gem. "Twoie? What are you doing here?" From the quick glances she got of Garnet's and Pearl's shocked expressions, she knew her friends were thinking the same thing.

Twoie didn't take his eyes off of Bismuth as he spoke. "I was pretty sure this conversation wasn't going to go well. You saw my memory of how this happened. She was adamant that the Breaking Point was a good idea. So, I figured you'd probably need me if we're going to change her mind."

Bismuth's fists clenched even tighter as she glared at the half-gem. "So you do admit it! You really are Rose, aren't you? How dare you turn them against me!" Everyone startled at her revelation.

"What? No! I already told you, I'm not Rose Quartz!" Twoie growled as his cheeks lit up in a pink glow at the comparison. Bismuth snorted sarcastically.

"You can drop the act. You used time travel as an excuse to hide what you knew under the pretense of 'finding out in the future.'" The blacksmith took a step forward. "You shape-shifted to look like Steven, so I'd buy into the idea that you were different, but your build is too similar to Rose. And those weird features of yours are something only gems are capable of." As she took another step forward, Amethyst summoned her whip and brandished it threateningly. Pearl and Garnet exchanged a look of fear before standing beside Amethyst to form a wall between their old friend and their ward. Bismuth ignored her friends, continuing to close the gap between her and 'Twoie.' "And you just admitted to showing them a memory about the Breaking Point. A memory you shouldn't have if you weren't Rose Quartz."

Bismuth stopped right in front of the Crystal Gems, her towering figure allowing her to look over Amethyst to meet 'Twoie's' eyes. "Admit it! The only reason you let me out of the bubble is that you know you can't beat Homeworld without me. But you wanted to make sure my friends would never want to use the Breaking Point like I did, so you waited until you knew they would be against the idea before releasing me. And to make yourself look better, you hid until you could come back and pretend to be from the future. Because you knew your actions were wrong. And you would be despised if they found out."

Twoie's fists clenched in anger. He thought he had escaped this scenario with his explanation, but it seemed like he only fueled her misunderstanding. Why did he always make things worse? "Bismuth, I have been nothing but nice to you. I really am from the future, and I released you because you didn't deserve to be bubbled for mom's mistake." Twoie's cheeks glowed even brighter when Bismuth scoffed at him. "I told them about the Breaking Point because I wasn't going to take any chances of you going after Steven. In my time, you tried to kill me for disagreeing with you. You thought I was Rose just like you do now, and it led to you being bubbled away again! I want to change that, but I can't if you refuse to listen to us!" He swung his arm out in anger.

Bismuth took another step forward and, instantly, her arms pinned to her side as Amethyst wrapped her in her whip. She barely batted an eyelash at the action. "Well, now I know how you swayed them to your side! I'd never do anything to hurt the little meatball. What a sick tactic to get them to believe you." Pearl and Garnet flanked Bismuth, holding her back so she wouldn't get closer to 'Twoie.' "I never wanted to fight you back then, but you left me with no choice! And you know what? You can't expect me to believe you now after you lied to me about everything? You're lying to all of us about your form and what I 'did' in your timeline." The time traveler flinched and took a step back. Bismuth chuckled coldly as 'Twoie's' body became encased in a pink glow. "See? You really were pretending. You may look like an older version of Steven, but you can't hide who you really are. You know what I see? I see a liar." He hugged himself tightly. "I see a manipulator." Twoie tensed as Bismuth's voice became deeper. "I see Pink Diamond."