Cave Rocks

"Cave rocks," as dubbed by Basalt, are Gems that were stranded on Earth after the Rebellion, but managed to remain uncorrupted, usually by hiding underground. The phrase is an umbrella term, but many cave rocks form groups with one another for protection and companionship.

## Members

In order to be considered a cave rock, the Gem in question must have emerged before the end of the Rebellion, was stranded on Earth after, was separated from both factions by personal choice or by accident, and still managed to escape corruption. Cave rocks do not necessarily need to have been deep underground when the corrupting light hit, but it was the most common way cave rocks avoided being corrupted. There is no way to determine exactly how many Gems ended up becoming cave rocks.

### Known Members

* Basalt: A defective Obsidian made on Earth that got trapped underground during a skirmish early in the Rebellion. After finding her way to the surface, she settled near her abandoned Kindergarten in the Great North.
* Crazy Lace Agate: A timid Agate that was trapped with Basalt and travels with her.
* Aquamarine: An Aquamarine that scouted Earth for Homeworld, but deserted and hid underground after getting caught in the crossfire during the Rebellion. She now wanders Earth to observe it on her own terms.
* Schorl Tourmaline: Aquamarine's pilot, who followed her after she deserted.
* Pink Howlite: A Howlite that was modified on accident during a direct confrontation with Rose Quartz. She fled and hid underground in shame after her transformation, becoming a cave rock.
* Star Mica: A Star Mica whose owner took her to Earth with her; she, along with the elite's other servants, fled underground after her owner was caught in the crossfire during the Rebellion and shattered.

## History

After the Rebellion started, Gems became divided between the rebel Crystal Gems and the loyalist Homeworld Gems. Other Gems, however, opted to not take a side for whatever reason (loyalist but non-combatant, believing both sides were wrong, etc.) and instead ran and hid somewhere. Some of the loyalist non-combatants fled back to Homeworld, but many, fearing potential punishment, either fled to Mars as refugees or found a hiding place on Earth to wait out the Rebellion. The latter would find that the near-complete darkness of underground caves was an area where neither side would go and therefore a good hiding spot from the chaos above.

While these "cave rocks" waited out the Rebellion, they would be joined by rebels and loyalists alike that either were tired of fighting or got trapped underground on accident, joining the refugees. Being so deep underground actually worked in their favor when the Rebellion came to a sudden end, as they were protected from the corrupting light, even if by pure dumb luck. After the war, most of them left their caves to find they were now stranded on Earth. What they did after is varied; some decided to try integrating into human society, a few became drifters, and others chose to stay in the comfort and safety of their underground homes.

About 5,000 years after the Rebellion ended, Homeworld learned that Gems had survived the Diamond attack through a lowly Peridot. In light of this Peridot's report, a Homeworld Gem was sent to search for any surviving Gems that could be taken back to Homeworld before the Cluster destroyed everything.

## Trivia

* The canon Lapis Lazuli would be considered a cave rock despite not hiding underground during the Rebellion.
	+ This is because she didn't fight for the Crystal Gems during the Rebellion, was protected from the corrupting light, and was stranded on Earth after the war ended.