Big thanks to Cartoonman on Ao3 for wondering what the aftermath of Chapter 5 was like, so this chapter is because of (and for) them.

-------

Yellow sat back in her command chair, her Pearl standing beside it, arms folded behind her back as she attempted to stop herself from shrinking away as three different command displays hovered in the air, each holding a different Diamond's face, and each with a different expression from the one beside them. While their gaze had never strayed to Pearl herself, just the sight of all three diamonds, along with her own Diamond beside her, was enough to put Yellow's pearl on edge. In all of her time serving Yellow Diamond, it was never a good thing when all the Diamonds where in contact. Never.

"Yellow!" Blue yelled, her face contorted in rage, teeth bared and nostrils flaring.

"What? It isn't my fault." Yellow pinched the bridge of her nose again, this screaming had been going on for far too long.

"Orange was hurt on your watch!" Pink yelled. Yellow didn't think it should be possible for the younger diamond to look even angrier than Blue, but her bright pink eyes and scrunched features made her look livid. Which, Yellow could see, she obviously was. Both Pink and Blue were the most emotional diamonds of the four, er, fiveof them.

"Pink, please, stop yelling." Yellow sighed, her hand dropping from her face as she settled Pink with a blank look, which only seemed to fuel her anger more.

"Don't tell me to stop yelling! Why are you so calm about this!? My little Orange was poofed because of your carelessness!"

"It's not like I was planning to have her pushed her off the landing." Yellow grunted.

"Stars-" Blue gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth.

"That is enough." Everyone's eyes turned to look at White on their own displays. Unlike Blue and Pink, White remained rather neutral in her expression. Not quite smiling, but she hardly looked angry about what had happened, Yellow would even say she was unfazed.

"White?" Blue asked in the quietest tone she had used since Yellow had initiated this call.

"I believe Yellow has been throughly berated for what has happened." White's voice was silvery, a force of calm and reason in a storm of angry voices. Her bright eyes stared pointedly at Yellow, who sat up a little straighter under her gaze, "What has become of the Amethysts that were to escort her?"

"Destabilized and being prepared to be sent to Homeworld for harvesting." Yellow answered in the most professional tone she could muster, which seemed to please White as she gave a single nod.

"Good."

"Good!?" Pink's teeth were bared and lips downturned, her eyes were wide, furious.

"Pink." White chastised.

"Grr."

"Settle down." White's tone was hard, and Pink looked caught between wanting to raise her voice again and ducking her head in submission, "The gems that are at fault will be punished. Yellow can not control everything that happens."

"But-"

"Quiet now, Starlight. I'm talking."

Pink's eyes fell to the ground, eyebrows scrunched together and a pout on her lips. "Sorry."

"Yellow," white's full attention was back on her, "bring Orange back to Homeworld. She should be in familiar settings when she reforms."

"This is her first time having to reform, isn't it?" Blue questioned, "it may take her some time."

Pink looked absolutely distraught when blue's question registered with her, "She probably doesn't even know what's going on."

White was quick to calm the rising panic between Pink and Blue, "And if that is the case, we will be there to aid her."

Yellow pushed herself up from her chair, the three other Diamond's eyes following her as she stood to her full height. "I'll prepare my ship for Homeworld."

-------

Orange blinked, a long, drawn out motion as she attempted to sit up. Her limbs felt heavy, like she was trying to move herself through sand and she struggled to push herself up from the ground. Her eyes stung, like when she had become overly tired and had not been able to close them for a long time. She fought to keep them open, attempting to continually blink until the irritation of keeping them open cleared enough for her to actually look around.

"What...what is this?"

The light was incredibly dim, all around her was an unsettling blackness that cloaked the walls and ceiling in an almost oppressive darkness. The floor appeared to be reflecting light that had no source she could trace, like the overly polished stone floors of Homeworld reflected light. It was familiar, and the only real comfort in the mostly dark room she was in. Or, she believed this was a room, but she could not be so sure with no doors or walls to make up the actual structure of this place.

"Why is it so...empty. Hello?"

Her voice carried and echoed off of unseen walls, her own voice thrown back at her from multiple directions as it traveled around before fading into the blackness too.

"Okay. Okay, whatever this place is, it's not home." Orange reasoned out loud to herself as she looked around, taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. She strained her eyes to see if the light reflecting off the floor was touching anything else to give her any idea where she might be. She tensed, her head raising and eyes widening when her voice echoed back at her, not as a mimic of her exact words, but a repeat of just one.

"Home?" It bounced around her, the question tossed at her in reverberation.

"Who's there?" Her head whipped around, trying to find the one who spoke back to her, but she couldn't find anything but floor a few feet in all directions of her before it disappeared into the inky shadows.

"Hello?" It asked again. Orange whimpered, her eyes darting around and she couldn't stop shaking as fear began to grip her, tightening her chest and throat, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Leave me alone!" Her voice carried around her, amplified to the point it made her ears ring.

"Hello?" The voice that had ricocheted around the room suddenly became singular and clear, its source coming from directly behind her. Orange fell over on to her elbows as she flipped herself around so quickly she was set off balance on weighted limbs. Her eyes were wide and her mouth dropped open as she started at another person. She had long bright orange hair with spiked tuffs that stuck up from the top and long lengths that fell in front of her ears. Her skin was a paler orange than her hair, her round orange eyes stared at her without blinking. It was like looking into an unsettling mirror, as Orange looked at someone who looked just like her, but obviously wasn'ther, staring her down with an expression that was much too serious for her soft, chubby features.

"Who are you?" Orange asked, her teeth making a clicking noise as her jaw tensed, keeping a constant watch on this mimic of herself, but they never made to move towards her. It (she?) tilted its head to the side, giving her an unblinking stare.

"Who are you?" It finally responded after a long moments pause.

Orange's brows drew together as she looked at the mimic in confusion. "I...I am Orange Diamond!"

"I am Orange Diamond." It parroted back.

Orange blinked, surprised, "Excuse me?"

"You are excused." Mimic Orange blinked slowly, as if she was testing out the action for the first time.

The fear Orange had felt at the sight of this mirror version of herself was quickly being replaced with annoyance, her eyes narrowing at her mimic, "You think that's funny? Just who are you really?"

"I'm Orange Diamond." Mimic Orange repeated again in the same toneless voice as before.

"No you're not! I'm Orange Diamond."

"I..." Mimic paused, "am Orange Diamond."

"Are you mocking me?" Orange snarled.

"No."

Orange's enraged expression dropped at the simple response, her head cocking to the side as she stared back at her mimic. "Then why are you...whatever. I don't care, where are we?" She questioned, taking a glance around at the blackness that still surround them.

"We're safe."

"Safe?" Orange repeated in bewilderment, "This place doesn't look safe, I can't even see 3 meters in front of me!"

Mimic made the first real move Orange had seen it make since it appeared before her, turning its head to look around at the darkness around them, "This is safe. We don't want to see."

Orange's lips curled down into a frown, her hands curling into fists in annoyance, "Youmay very well be okay living in the dark, but I want to see! Where is the light in this place? And how are you moving so..."

Mimic began advancing towards her at a brisk pace, ignoring Orange's questions.

"Wait, don't come any closer!" Orange ducked her head, her arm coming up to block her face from what she thought would be an attack. After a moment of nothing, she blinked her eyes open, focusing on an outstretched hand in front of her face, "Err..thank you." She mumbled as she grabbed the hand and the Mimic pulled her to her feet as if she weight nothing at all.

"What?" Orange whispered as she felt her limbs become less sluggish, and she flexed her fingers until she felt everything was functioning again as it was supposed to be. "What did you do-"

"You want to see?" Mimic interrupted her, "But it's safe here. We can't be hurt here."

"Be hurt?" she questioned, "Running into walls isn't exactly making the top of my fun things to do list."

"If we can't see, we don't know. We are safe."

"But...don't you want to know what's in this place?" Orange was surprised when Mimic gave her a confused expression, as if that was a concept that had never crossed her mind. "Don't you live here?"

"If I see, then I know. I want to be safe." Mimic responded, alarm stretched across her face.

"But...you can't always be safe." Orange fidgeted with the bottom of her tunic, unsure what to do as she witnessed the mirror of herself become visibly upset at their conversation. With much hesitation, Orange reached out and placed a hand onto Mimic's shoulder, feeling the light tremor under her hand, she gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Sometimes...Yellow says sometimes you have to take a certain amount of risk when you are going into the unknown, so we prepare ourselves for it. Don't you want to know what's out there?"

"Home?" It questioned.

"Maybe. It could be...Why don't we go together?" Orange proposed, "we can find out."

"Together?" Mimic's voice was small, and she reached up to cover Orange's hand with her own.

"There's safety in numbers. I'm not supposed to go anywhere alone, but I think mama would make an exception for this, especially if she knew I was helping someone." Orange smiled, grabbing Mimic's hand in her own and holding it, feeling when she responded by giving her a light squeeze back.

"Home..." Mimic nodded, as if she had decided something in her moment of silence, "I want to go home."

"Then lets go find home."

Mimic nodded again and Orange turned around, keeping her hand clasped in Mimic's as she looked around. "Okay, lets start by finding a door or something. do you know the way?"

Mimic shook her head in the negative and Orange sighed, "Alright, then we'll find it ourselves."

Orange was cautious as she led Mimic towards the darkness, trying her best to ignore the fluttering in her stomach when they stepped into it. Slow and cautious, tapping her foot lightly before her every few steps to ensure she wasn't going to run into anything or suddenly fall off the walkway.

"see?" Orange turned to smile at Mimic, but realized she probably couldn't see her face in the dark, "Its not so bad out here. and we're bound to find the- oof." if it hadn't been for Mimic's grip on her hand Orange would have stumbled back and fallen on her butt. Her hand flung up to cup her face, "oowww."

Mimic giggled behind her and orange turned her head to glare in her general direction. "You think thats funny?"

"Yes."

"Glad i can be your amusement." Orange grumbled as she released her nose and reach out in front of her. a little ways in front of her was a flat surface, no raised details, only a cold, smooth expanse for her fingers to run over. "I think i found a wall. okay, let's feel around, there has to be a door around here."

Orange let Mimic's hand go, feeling her set up beside her, and together the two of them began to blindly explore the wall.

After what felt like an incredibly long time, Orange heard Mimic call for her, "I found something."

Using her hand on the wall as a guide, Orange moved towards Mimic, her hand stretched out before her. a few steps to her left into the dark, Orange's fingers came into contact with Mimic's arms, Mimic's hand came up to grab it, intertwining their fingers so Orange could not pull away again. With her other, Mimic grabbed her other arm, running her hand down the length of it and taking her other hand and guiding it towards the wall in front of her until Orange's fingers felt something under her hand.

"Is that...a scanner! Yes!" Orange laughed, moving her hand around the raised plate until it lit up, casting both of them in bright light. She turned to smile widely at Mimic, who mirrored her expression, looking quite pleased with herself, "Great job!"

"Home." Mimic urged, and Orange nodded, Placing her hand over the basic outline of a hand that appeared on the glowing plate.

"Yeah, lets go home." A moment later, the scanner beeped and Orange held her breath as the outline of the door beside them lit up, bright white lines shooting up from the floor on either side and following the shape of a semi-hexagon until they met at the very top and then dropped back down the middle. As the doors slid open, Orange scouted the beyond in the light they now had. Unlike the room, the hall before them was decently lit, the lights being built into the floor and casting pink light onto the polished tiles and reflecting off the walls, giving enough light that Orange could see the open space before them. High ceilings and sparkling stone walls, towering statues of soldier gems without faces that were eternally saluting lined the walkway, each placed in between the strips of floor lights.

"Well, this is promising." Orange muttered, stepping into the hall with Mimic directly behind her. Their footsteps echoed around the long hall that seemed to go on forever, no doors or windows, and the same statue repeating every ten steps. Just when Orange was sure they would be walking in this never ending hallway for the rest of their lives, Orange spotted what looked like a diamond shaped door far in the distance. "Look!"

Mimic followed her finger, her mouth dropping open at the sight. "Home."

Orange smiled, "Maybe thats a way out. Come on."

They started out at a slow pace towards the door, but the closer they got, the more excited Orange became, and it was not long before she was pulling Mimic into a full on run towards the door. She did not protest and easily kept up with Orange's pace, and a few moments later they were upon the door. Breathing heavy, Orange looked between the two side of the diamond shaped door for a hand scanner, finding one on both sides of the door. Pulling Mimic with her, Orange moved towards the scanner on the right, reaching up and putting her hand to it. the scanner lit up, but the door did not budge.

"What? no, no, no, come on! work!" Orange slammed her hand onto the scanner multiple times, but it never reacted more than lighting and then dimming. Orange only stopped when she felt Mimic tug her hand from her own, and she turned her head to look and see as Mimic walked to the opposite side of the door, stopping in front of the scanner there.

Holding her hand up in front of her, Mimic examined her hand then looking up at the scanner above her head before turning to look at Orange. "Together."

Realization dawned on Orange, two scanners meant the door needed two gems. "OH. good thinking!" Orange laughed as she was the one to mirror Mimic this time, raising her hand towards the pad and turning to look at her. "ready?"

Mimic nodded, and together, the two placed their hands against the scanners. The plates lit up simultaneously and like the first door, a light traveled the shape of the doorway before sliding open. Orange and Mimic walked towards one another, giving each other a look before peering inside together. Inside was a very large, very familiar room. Black marble floors, white shimmering walls and the raised flooring.

"This is White's command room on her head ship." Orange said, looking around in wonder. "This is weird."

Stepping through the doorway, the door unexpectedly slid closed behind them, and even when Orange stepped up to them, they did not move. "Okay. Were trapped."

"Not trapped. Safe."

Orange turned to look at Mimic, her eyebrow raised in question.

"Hello, my little Gemling."

A bright light exploded in the room, momentarily blinding Orange, who attempted to cover her eyes with her arms as she looked away. After a moment and the light had had dimmed to an acceptable level, Orange turned her head and was surprised when the bright face of White Diamond smiled down upon her. Standing on the raised platform, White Diamond towered over both of them, becoming the brightest source of light in the room.

"White!" Her face lit up as she made to run to her but was stopped when Mimic wrapped her hand around Orange's wrist, keeping Orange in a vice grip that she couldn't tug her hand free from. "Hey! Let go."

Mimic shook her head, looking from Orange to White, who was watching them with interest. "Together."

Orange's annoyed expression morphed into surprise before morphing again into a smile, reaching down to take Mimic's hand in her own and then guiding her towards White.

"I see you have progressed far, my dear."

"What's going on?" Orange questioned, "what is this place?"

"We are inside your gem, Orange." White smiled kindly.

"What?" Orange's eyebrows snapped together in confusion, "What does that mean?"

"You were hurt at Yellow's moon base. Do you remember that?" White questioned as she knelt down to Orange and Mimic's level.

"No, I-...wait...I was...no. That can't be right." Orange hunched over, her hand slipping from Mimic's as she grabbed at her head, her eyes squeezing shut, "Why does my head hurt."

Mimic was at her side in an instant, her hand on her back as she looked at Orange with concern, unsure of what to do.

"Calm down, dear. Don't struggle against it, your fighting it and that is why you feel pain." White reached forward, her fingertips brushing Orange's head and the pounding that had been building up between her ears began to dissipate. "That's me. Do you sense me?"

"Yes...yes, I feel that." Taking a deep breath, Orange's hands fell away from her head as she blinked the new tears from her eyes before they could fall, turning her attention back up to White. "It's like I can feel things being moved around in my head. What are you doing?"

"I'm combing through your thoughts for your last memory. Ah, here."

Orange's eyes dilated as she was suddenly cast into a memory. The familiar light yellow floor and white stairs. the laughter of her guards. Pain in her back, and then she was being tipped over the edge of the landing, the floor rapidly coming up to her. The fear made her chest feel like it might explode as she realized a second too late she was falling. "Ahh! I'm falling! I-"

And then she was back in the room with White and Mimic, breathing hard and clutching at her gem.

"Your not falling anymore, Orange." White said gently, "You're safe now."

"I am? i am."

"Safe." Mimic repeated, squeezing her shoulder.

Orange nodded at Mimic, a silent thanks for her being there, before she looked up at White."You said i'm in my gem, then how are you here? are you a figment of my imagination?" realization hit Orange and she turned to mimic, "Are you?"

Mimic shook her head no.

"Your back on Homeworld. Pink, and Blue, and Yellow are here as well." White answered.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Can I see them?"

"You'll have to reform to see them." White responded.

"Is...is Yellow mad at me?" Orange hesitated to ask.

"What for?"

"I made her come to Homeworld, when she had work on her colony. She doesn't like it when I'm a distraction." Orange told her, her voice quiet and small.

"Do not worry about that, Orange. Blue and Pink are very worried about you."

Orange's eyebrows came together in a mix of confusion and alarm, "But you said I'm okay."

"You are, but you have been in your gem for some time."

"I have? How long?"

"It's been almost two months now, my Gemling. It's time to return to us."

"I...I want to, but I don't know how. I want to go home, I want to see mother, and Blue, and Yellow."

"Then come back to us."

"How?" Orange's voice broke, tears forming in her eyes again.

"Think about your physical form."

"My form?"

Orange turned to Mimic as she tugged on her hand, pulling attention to her as she intertwined their fingers together in one, and covered them with the other. a small smile forming on her face as she look into Orange's eyes. "Together, we'll go home."

"You're not a copy, you're...me, aren't you?"

"I want to go home now."

Orange hesitated a moment before reaching up with her other hand and covering Mimic's hand with her own, and together they began to glow until they were nothing but white light.

"Yes, that's it. Think of your body. Think how it's made, limb by limb, all starting with your gem. Can you picture it?"

"Yes."

"Then join us, Orange Diamond. We have waited long enough."

------

Blue, Yellow, and Pink stood around White's control room aboard her head ship, watching in silence as White held Orange's gems in-between her cupped hands, her head bowed and eyes closed in concentration.

"She's taking so long." Pink couldn't stop the tears sliding down her face, if they were her own or Blue's, she didn't know and she didn't care.

"Patience." Yellow said, the sole dry eyed gem between the three of them. "There's no telling what White is having to do to get through to her."

"It's been so long, Yellow! what if somethings wrong, or-"

"There." White's voice carried softly around the room, her eyes blinking open as she looked down at the gem in her hand. a moment later, Orange's gem began to glow, lifting up out of White's hand and rotating until it was in its normal orientation, the glow spreading outward until it began to take the vague shape of a small body and then filled out into the outline of the form of Orange they were familiar with. There was a shared gasp between them when instead of solidifying, it began to shift again, taking on a slightly new outline and finally dropping back toward's White's cupped hands as Orange's body blinked into form and the bright light dissipated from her body.

Blinking open her closed eyes, Orange looked around, the familiarness of White's command room meeting her before she turned to look at White, a large smile stretching across her face. "Thank you, White."

White laughed, "You're very welcome, Orange. i believe," White glanced down at the three diamonds staring up at them, her eyes focusing on Pink, "there is someone who you have kept waiting."

Orange turned, following her eyes down, her face lighting up when she met three familiar sets of eyes. "Mother! Blue! Yellow!"

white leaned down, lowering her hand to allow Orange to jump off at a safe distance, Pink being the first to meet her as she jumped up, grabbing Orange and pulling her into a tight hug as she slowed their decent down. "Orange! Oh, my little gem. You had me so worried."

Orange laughed as she hugged Pink back, "I'm sorry. i didn't mean to worry anyone."

as soon as they touched to the ground they were being pulled into a hug from Blue Diamond, the two older diamonds crying and laugh as they squished Orange between them. "Orange! Oh, thank goodness. im so happy your back. I-oh, look at you."

Blue held Orange and Pink in her hands as Pink stepped back and she and Blue got a look at Orange's new appearance. No longer was her hair so wild, the upper spikes of hair on her head having fused together, creating longer pieces that fell to the side. the bangs that had once hug over her eyes were no longer there, leaving her eyes easier to be seen and having lost some of their childlike roundness. Her open top had been replaced with a new, longer maroon tunic and a belt around her midsection. Her once bare legs were now covered in dark orange stockings and her shoes had been replaced with similar ones that matched her belt's color.

"Your taller!" Pink gushed, her hands running over Orange's hair, "and look, how cute!

Orange blushed as she pushed her mother's hand away from her head before she could ruffle her hair up more.

"It's about time, Orange. You had Blue and Pink incredibly worried." Yellow finally spoke, stepping up to Blue's side, her bright eyes running up and down Orange's new form appraisingly.

Orange turned to look at Yellow directly, the smile slightly slipping from her face as she attempted to give Yellow a somewhat serious look to match her own. "I'm sorry, Yellow. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"You were no trouble, Orange!" Blue was quick to respond before Yellow could, pulling her and pink into another hug.

"Reforming for the first time can be difficult." Yellow supplied, looking away from the three hugging gems.

"What Yellow means to say," White chuckled, "is it took her almost an entire month and a half to reform the first time she lost her form."

"White!" Yellow gave White a furious look before she could stop herself, "Don't just tell her things like that. That's...personal."

"Really?" Orange blinked in surprise at Yellow, "You must have been really hurt!"

"I...Yes, I was." Yellow raised her head higher as she straightened herself, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Were you scared?"

"What? No, of course not."

Pink giggled, bending over to whisper into Orange's ear, "she absolutely was, and she doesn't want to say."

"Hey! What are you whispering about!? What are you telling her?"

"Nothing, Yellow!" Pink said, turning toward her and sticking her tongue out.

Orange laughed, smiling as she looked around at each diamond, smiles being mirror as everyone elses attention were on Yellow and Pink as they playfully bickered. Orange laughed again, placing her hand over her gem as it glowed under her touch. "Im home."

-----

Let me just say I ended up putting a lot more dream symbolism in this than I thought I would be.

It was unplanned, and I apologize for the excessive word count, but this was a whole lot more fun to write than I thought it would be.