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Chapter Text

"Hello, Starlight," the enormous Diamond crooned.

        Steven stood quaking in his sandals.

        It was only the second time White Diamond had called upon him, but he was already rather intimidated by her. Like the other Gems had warned him, she was . . . different. He had never seen anything like her.

        She gazed down at him through lidded eyes. Her smile was empty.

        "I do hope you're settling in well. I'm sure your playtime must have been exhausting for you, dear. Everyone really is so glad to see you back and ready to behave."

        Steven flushed. He could never have imagined that a tone so sweet could be so cruelly condescending.

        "How have you been settling in, Pink?"

        Steven felt too miserable to answer. She had left him in Pink Diamond's room for at least twenty-four hours without anything to eat or drink, and nothing to sleep on. Pink Diamond's enormous room was just a mass of smooth polished surfaces. He was aching all over, his mouth was dry, and his stomach twisted in hunger.

        He hadn't had a single person to talk to since he had been locked in. He couldn't see anything outside, either — he couldn't discern the slightest detail about how his family was faring for the bizarre bright light whiting out the windows.

        There was a tense, expectant silence in the room. He snatched a glance at White Diamond, still smiling softly down at him as an adult would a stupid child. He could somehow feel that the conversation would not progress in the slightest if he did not reply.

        "It's been—"

        "Wonderful. I'm so glad." White Diamond's expression did not change. "Blue and Yellow have been asking about you."

        He perked up, hope rising in his chest. "They have?"

        "And I have told them that no one may see you at the moment," she continued, ignoring him. "We wouldn't want anyone interrupting your period of rest, would we?"

        He didn't say anything. He just stared down at his feet, trying to suppress the shivers running through his cold, exhausted body.

        "Of course, we do have to see about getting you another Pearl. Your old one . . . disappeared, around the time you left."

        Her tone told him that she knew exactly what had happened with that Pearl. He felt fear rise in his chest.

        "Is she okay? Are the Gems oka—"

        "I would prefer a specially made Pearl for you, Starlight. It will take at least a few years before I can give one to you."

        She batted her eyes. "Perhaps we can put that failed colony of yours to some good use. And, of course, we do need to realign your Court. That shouldn't take nearly as much time . . . unless you would prefer some new Gems altogether. After all, any self-respecting Diamond would have a Court devoid of any defective Gems."

        Her emotionless drone was unbearable. He lifted his head to look at her, and was met with those brilliant, white, sightless eyes. Eyes that seemed to pierce right through his soul.

        White Diamond was obviously unaware that he was organic. He was sure that if he went into that room again, he would starve or dehydrate. Noticing the chilled silence, he took advantage and inhaled a sharp breath.

        "I want to go home!"

        A moment's silence. White smiled at him endearingly. "Of course. I will send you back to the comfort of your own room."

        "That's not my HOME!" he cried, feeling desperate. "I want to go back to Earth! Please!"

        "Oh, Pink. You're not still obsessed with that failure?"

        "It's . . . not—"

        "I see. I will make sure to give you plenty of time before entrusting you with your next colony."

        "I DON'T WANT ANOTHER COLONY!" he was surprised she was even letting him get through full sentences, but he ploughed on. "I JUST WANT TO GO HOME! I HATE IT HERE!"

        White's eyes flashed.

        For a moment, everything was terrifyingly still.

        "I thought we established that we were finished with games, Starlight."

        Steven knew he was on shaky ground, but by this time desperation had taken over completely. "This isn't a game! I want to go home!" . . . Literally shaky ground.

        The room trembled as White's expression tightened. "Very well." With what seemed like a flicker of her consciousness, she summoned her dead-eyed Pearl out of nowhere. The ghostly Gem skimmed over the floor to stand rigidly beside Steven.

        "We will discuss this later. Our next meeting will be in a few months."

        A few months! Under house arrest!

        "I expect you will not cause any trouble until we can talk again. I hope to see you when you have rested sufficiently."

        Clearly she thought his behaviour was the result of some sort of exhaustion hysteria.

        Her expression relaxed, and her lips curled the slightest bit further. "Enjoy yourself, Pink!"

        And he was bubbled again. Before he knew it he was back where he had started.

        He sank to his knees, trembling. He was never going to get out of here. He couldn't push away the thought that he would never see Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, his dad or Connie again. It felt too cold and unreal a possibility.

        A faint musical sound made him lurch to his feet. There was a door-shaped panel glowing at the bottom of the wall in front of him. It was much smaller than any other doors he had seen thus far.

        The panel opened and in strode a well-built purple Gem. Her long pale locks swayed as she walked.

        . . . An Amethyst guard.

        In a few long strides she was in front of Steven, bending at the waist to press something into his hand.

        "There's water in the fruit. They're coming for you. Don't worry."

        And with that, she straightened and strode purposefully through the sealing panel, gone as suddenly as she had appeared.

        Steven's eyes dropped to his closed fist. What had she given him?

        He uncurled his fingers. In his palm sat an egg-sized blue fruit and a crumpled strip of paper. He sat, set the fruit down and unfurled the paper first.

        A familiar, elegant hand greeted him.

Dear Steven,
        We're on our way to get you out. Hang in there for us. In the meantime, the other Amethyst guards will bring you food.
        Love,

Amethyst
        GARNET
                Connie
                        + Pearl.

He sighed, recrumpling the paper. Then, on second thoughts, he shredded it and stuffed it into his pocket.

        He pulled his knees to his chest and bit into the sugary fruit. He trusted his family. He would be free soon.

        All he had to do was wait.

Chapter Text

Finally out of solitary confinement, and once again standing before White Diamond.

        The months spent in his mother's room had dragged by agonisingly slowly, but the Amethyst had kept her word, and he had thankfully been provided for. The Quartz guards never stayed long — he knew it was too risky for them to hang around — but he had received a few more letters from the Gems. He had taken to storing them in a little pile by one of the walls; he figured it didn't really matter if anyone read those, if they could understand the characters in the first place.

        In his time away, Steven had rather forgotten how terrifying the largest Diamond could be; but now, as he gazed up at her, he could feel the quaking anxiety settling in his stomach again.

        "How have you been, my Starlight? You're ready to collaborate, I hope?"

        Steven said nothing, eyes fixed on the ground.

        White Diamond assumedly took his silence for an affirmation.

        "Wonderful, dear. I am glad you've decided to integrate as a Diamond."

        "I'm not a Diamond."

        The words were out before he could stop them.

        White only batted her eyelashes. "Of course you are! You know you're just as capable and just as powerful as any one of us."

        "Not you."

        She smiled a little wider. "Perhaps not, Little One."

        Silence.

        "I have some time to think, and I've changed my mind. My Nephrite fleet has discovered another terrestrial planet a few million light-years away. It sounds perfect for you. Shall we get started right away?"

        He didn't want it. He didn't want anything to do with it at all. Sneaking another glance up at the enormous Diamond, he considered talking to her. It didn't seem completely impossible — at least she was listening to him now.

        He took a deep breath.

        "White Diamond, I . . . I'm a Crystal Gem. I just want to go back ho— to Earth, please. We can work something out. I can come visit. I just. . ." Think like a Diamond. "Want a place of my own."

        There was deafening silence for a moment. When Steven looked up, she was standing stock still, eyes unmoving and fixed on him.

        "That's why this new planet is perfect, dear. Now that I know you're ready, you can oversee the colonisation yourself."

        "White . . . Please," he continued, gluing his eyes back to the floor. "I want to go back to Earth. I miss my home. I can. . ." Tell her what she wants to hear. "I can colonise the new planet, but from Earth's moon base."

        He waited for a response, and received none.

        "I'm a Crystal Gem," he repeated meekly.

        Suddenly the Diamond seemed to make up her mind. "That's wonderful, Pink. Of course."

        His shoulders slumped in the heaviest relief.

        "Please go with Pearl. She will take you where you need to go."

        His heart lifted. Pearl. . .?

        A figure merged from the wall opposite and his stomach sank again. Of course. White Pearl.

        She stationed herself next to him, a still, lifeless anchor. As the bubble closed over them, the last of the Diamond's words echoed down to him. "We'll fix you up, Pink."

        A spearing pain. And then blackness.

Chapter Text

Pearl paced back and forth in Yellow Diamond's control room, twisting the material of the sash in her hands.

        "Pearl?"

        At Connie's voice, she stopped and lifted her head.

        The girl smiled nervously back at her. "Steven's been here before, remember? And he came home, just fine. I'm sure he's okay."

        Pearl bit her lip, shaking her head hard. "You don't understand, Connie. White Diamond is different. He's already been in there for three of Earth's months! What if she did something to him? What if he never comes back? Then . . . Then it would have all been for nothing."

        She felt a hand on her arm and turned to Amethyst. "P . . . he'll come back. They promised."

        Pearl's shoulders relaxed, but only slightly. "Blue and Yellow left . . . hours ago. What if they can't find him?"

        Amethyst's only reply was a gentle squeeze.

        Hoping for some further consolation, Pearl lifted her gaze to Garnet, seated cross-legged next to Connie. The permafusion had been quiet for days — and today alone, she hadn't moved a muscle. Every so often, Pearl thought she saw her tremble, but it was always gone too quickly to be sure.

        She exhaled, sliding to the floor next to Amethyst. "Oh . . . this is all my fault."

        "Pearl . . . no."

        Amethyst settled next to her, sliding her hand onto Pearl's knee. "We're all to blame. I mean . . . yeah, maybe if we hadn't let Steven come here in the first place, then the Diamonds wouldn't have come after him. But . . . you couldn't stop that. Alexandrite couldn't, and she tried."

        Pearl sat back and pulled her knees to her chest, giving a quiet sniff. "I miss him."

        "Me too."

        "We all do," Connie broke in. "We just . . . have to hope for the best."

        "Gems! Pearl, Garnet!"

        Yellow Diamond's strong voice echoed through the space and they all jerked to attention. The Diamond pair stepped through an open panel and into the room. They both looked breathless.

        "She said yes," Blue breathed.

        "She has him," Yellow stammered. "Steven. We can see him."

        Pearl jumped to her feet. "Where? Where is he? Is he okay?"

        The Diamonds looked at each other.

        "White wants to meet us in her quarters," Blue said.

        "Then let's go!" Connie cried, pushing herself to her feet.

        Garnet remained, unmoving, in her meditative position.

        "Garnet! Come on!" Amethyst was next to her in a flash, tugging at her in an effort to pull her to her feet. "We gotta go see Steven!"

        Garnet didn't budge. Around the third time the smaller Gem shoved her she ground out two words, voice low and dangerous.

        "Let. Go."

        Amethyst stepped back, a little shocked, as Garnet rose slowly to her feet. She moved stiffly and gave the air of a tiger on edge. She stood, trembling fists clenched at her sides, mouth a thin line.

        "Okay, everyone's ready? Perfect! Let's go, then," Pearl motormouthed, and sprinted off towards the Diamonds, who were already turning to lead the way. The rest of the party followed.

        They hurried through corridors, breezeways, past barracks and command centres, first through a yellow and then a white labyrinth. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the Diamonds came to rest at a leviathan door engraved with a star. Yellow Diamond stepped forward to file a request on the doorside panel, and with a few quick swipes of her fingers she was done, stepping back to wait anxiously beside Blue.

        Connie caught her breath.

        Amethyst bit her lip.

        Pearl's knuckles whitened around the fistful of sash.

        Garnet stood stock still, trembling.

        A few tense seconds ticked by.

        "What's taking them so long!" Amethyst burst out, voice strained.

        At that moment, a small white panel in the door lit up, and out glided a smiling boy.

        "Steven!" Pearl cried, throwing herself at him.

        She squeezed him tight, sniffing back tears. "Thank goodness! I was so worried. Steven, I—"

        She stopped, the unnatural absence of movement finally registering, and pulled back. What she saw horrified her.

        Steven's lips were drawn into a small, fake smile, his eyes wide and unblinking — and now she could see the difference on the right. The iris was pale and bleached, a lifeless disc behind a diamond-shaped pupil.

        Pearl was suddenly numb to everything except the heavy sickness in her stomach. She let go and stumbled back, hands trembling, and slowly looked up at Garnet.

        She was still standing, tall and tense, with her hands clenched at her sides. Her whole body was shaking, her teeth gritted, as tears streamed down her face. Slowly, it dawned on Pearl.

        She knew.

        Connie, on the other hand, was blissfully unaware of the extent of the damage that had been inflicted. Pearl watched as she scrambled forward, hands clamping down on his shoulders.

        "Steven?" she cried, face pinched with fear. "Steven, are you okay? What's wrong!"

        Steven's body tilted its head to the side. "Hello. I am well." His voice sounded flat and wrong. He had pointedly not answered the second question.

        Behind them, Garnet's form quivered and distorted before her components fell to the ground. When Pearl turned, she found a stricken, almost paralysed Ruby trying to hold a sobbing Sapphire in her arms.

        "Don't lie to me! What happened? Please!" came Connie's voice, and Pearl whipped back to see Amethyst pull her away. From here, she could see that the purple Gem was sickly pale and short of breath, her eyes brimming with tears. She looked like she was going to be sick, or cry, or both. And then she opened her mouth to speak.

        "That's not Steven."

        Amethyst's voice trembled and cracked. Pearl wouldn't have recognised it if she hadn't been looking at her when she said it.

        "What do you mean!" Connie yelled desperately. "Of course that's Steven! Steven—" she whipped back again to face him and made a frantic lunge. "Steven please! Talk to m—"

        She was only whisked away again, held tight in Amethyst's arms as she turned away. Pearl watched Amethyst tremble, her own chest heaving. Connie only continued to writhe in her arms, gasping, confused and panicked. With her subconscious connection to Amethyst, Pearl could understand how the two of them felt. Two fusions were dead, and the sudden gaping hole left in them must be unbearable. She had felt the same way when Rose had gone.

        "I kn— knew it, I cou-ould see him . . . I SAW him— I KNEW AN— AND I COULDN'T HE — HEL. . . W-WE—"

        Pearl couldn't hold back the all-consuming sobs at Sapphire's shrieked words. She felt her arms give way and her torso hit the floor. All she could make out was cold and salt.

        Not him. Not again. Lost again.

        Connie had heard as well. She screamed and struggled, writhing until Amethyst's arms gave way and let her fall to the ground. Beside her, the latter doubled over, shuddering, retching.

        Pearl heard scuffling behind her and turned her head, making out two blurry but distinct shapes through the tears. Ruby appeared to be struggling to wrap her arms around her lover, the other Gem's frantic movements throwing her world more out of proportion. Suddenly, the room was enveloped in an aura of blue and she couldn't make out anything at all. Her vision flashed white, purple, white, red . . . Garnet flashed in and out of existence, splitting and convulsing, until their overloaded bodies disappeared, gems clinking together to the ground.

        Pearl found she couldn't move. She was trapped on the floor, limbs turning to lead pipes as soon as her vision had gone blue. She lifted her head, blinking away the river of tears, and managed to catch a glimpse of Steven before her world blurred again. Mustering up the last drop of strength left in her leaden muscles, she pushed herself forward and up, feeling her arms wrap around something solid and her cheek brush something soft.

        "Steven. . ." she breathed against cold skin. "I'm— I'm sorry I. . ." I was supposed to protect you. "'M sosorry. . ."

        Her fault. Her fault. Her fault.

        And it all ended with this.

Chapter Text

There was not a shred of happiness left in this world. There couldn't be.

        She had mourned the loss of the youngest Diamond for millennia — tearing at herself inside, blaming herself. . .

        And, when she had been given a ray of hope, when she had thought that maybe, just maybe, her suffering was at an end . . . she had been taken away from her again.

        The loss had spilled forward, bathing everything in blue, washing through minds and dampening hope . . . and yet, as she had expected some sort of load to be taken from her chest, transferred to others as it so often happened . . . she had instead received even worse.

        The collective pain of Pink's new family was agony. The cross-fusion had fallen apart, her components' forms so dreadfully tormented that they crumbled and retreated to their gems. The Quartz collapsed, the human screamed. . .

        And that Pearl.

        The despair, the stabbing regret radiating from that one, was like nothing Blue Diamond had ever felt. The fresh pain was sharp, inundating, like the pinnacle of misery, and even underneath that she could feel some quiet, drawn-out mourning. Who knew such a lowly Gem could be capable of feeling so much. . .? Of being so broken?

        It wouldn't stop. Please stop. The pain was jackhammering in her chest, and her mind was painfully blank. She felt something tugging at her, pushing, pulling, and then there was no more strain on her legs.

        A faint murmuring. Her name?

        "Blue . . . listen to me."

        Yellow. She tried to turn to the voice, but something held her steady.

        "Blue. I'll figure this out, alright? You don't have to do anything more."

        Nothing?

        "Nothing. Just sit."

        Just sit.

        She could do that, she supposed.

Chapter Text

It was a couple of hours later that Ruby reformed back in the ship. A teary-eyed Pearl was the first thing she was met with.

        On instinct, she looked down at her small, red hands. The vacancy of the gem on her right made her feel bereft.

        Sapphire.

        She jumped to her feet, looking wildly around. "Where's Sapphire?"

        Wordlessly, Pearl held out a small blue gem, and Ruby took it into her hands, sinking back down to her knees.

        ". . . Sapphy?" she asked hopefully, eyes on the gem in her hands. "Please come out."

        There was no response. Not like she had expected one, she supposed. Slowly, she looked back up at Pearl, whose eyes were also fixed on the sapphire.

        "I . . . I'm sorry. . ." Ruby managed.

        Pearl's eyes dropped, and she wiped her face in an effort to hide the tears that had started dripping down it. "Me too."

        Ruby reached out and set a hand on her shoulder in an uncomfortable attempt to reassure her. After a moment, Pearl just shook her head and turned away. "I'm sorry. I . . . I need Garnet, right now."

        And then she started sobbing again.

        Noticing a large panel in the wall, Ruby stole away, activating and stepping through the door as quietly as she could manage. Once alone, she sat on the floor, legs crossed, and set the gem in front of her.

        She reached out, fingers brushing the sapphire's smooth planes, and when she spoke, her voice was soft. "I guess . . . I should be more upset about it. I . . . I am, I just . . . I don't think it's— I don't feel like it's real yet. I. . ." she closed her mouth, sat back, and gave a small, sad huff. "I wish you were here right now. Even though you'd be really upset . . . maybe we could use our— your future vision — to distract us. Or just — focus on each other. . . I don't know."

        Feeling lonely, she took the inanimate gem back into her hand, fitting it into her own right palm as some sort of comfort. "Pearl said she needs Garnet. I think . . . I think I need her, too, Sapphy. I need you."

        And as she watched, it began to emanate with a blueish light, rising from her palm and hovering into the air. A white amalgamation expanded from within the gem, shifting and morphing until a familiar silhouette was suspended above her. The whiteness faded and Sapphire came into view, floating gracefully to the floor.

        As she settled, Ruby noticed her gloved hands bunching up her skirt, and her head hung low, eye veiled behind a fringe of celeste.

        ". . . Then let's bring her back."

Chapter Text

Blue was in a bad state. She had only barely — drunkenly — stumbled along as she guided her back to her quarters, trembling and tripping, until Yellow had sat her down.

        "Blue. Blue Diamond — Blue . . . listen to me," she had said, her hands on the other's shoulders.

        "Yellow. . ." she murmured, struggling weakly in her grip.

        The latter felt something twist in her chest. It hurt seeing her like this.

        "Blue. I'll figure this out, alright?" She thought for a moment. What could she say to put her at ease? ". . . You don't have to do anything more."

        "Anything more. Nothing?" came the tremulous reply, barely audible through slack lips.

        "Nothing," she reassured her. "Just sit."

        "Just sit," the other sighed, and she relaxed a little in Yellow's grip. "I can do that. . ."

        As much as it hurt to pull away, Yellow straightened and strode to another seat a few paces away, sinking to its cold surface and resting her head in her hands.

        This problem was bigger than just Steven and Blue. Of course, she cared about them, and she wanted to help . . . but seeing their Diamond bleached, the remainder of the Pink Court that White had inevitably regimented would prompt an uprising. Even with their combined status, there was no way she and Blue could instruct or even water down such an event . . . and she knew that White had only three ways with dealing with civil conflicts. She would demand their help in corruption, break the planet further or initiate a mass-shattering. Regardless of the chosen course of action, it would cost hundreds of thousands of Gems and resources.

        Given the last five thousand years and the toll it had taken on her and Blue, she didn't give the idea much support at all. The last thing they needed was another draining conflict.

        So how could she work things out? White Diamond was always watching, listening, sensing. There was no way anyone could slip past her defences — she was always awake and alert, save for her destructive frenzies.

        They needed a distraction. A big one.

        . . . Maybe they could use rebellion to their advantage.

        Yellow Diamond lifted her head. Stealing a glance at Blue, she stood and strode from the room. She had a lot to do.

Chapter Text

Pearl lifted her head at the pneumatic hiss to a haze of purple.

        "Garnet. . .?" she whispered. Her throat felt tight with tears.

        The other Gem moved incredibly slowly — or maybe it was her own sense of reality that was distorted.

        The fusion crouched down beside her, torturously slow, and she felt her arms snake around her shoulders. Pearl turned gratefully into her embrace, letting out a shaky breath.

        ". . . I'm sorry. About— what I said."

        "It's okay," came her soothing voice. "You're upset. We all are."

        "I can't believe I let this happen," Pearl whispered into her chest. "I— I could have done something — I could have told him not to go—"

        "Shhh." Garnet pulled back, lifting her face by the chin. She removed her visor and three sad eyes blinked back at her. "It's not your fault, Pearl. It's not."

        She found she couldn't meet the fusion's eyes and her own dropped to the floor. "Then whose is it?"

        ". . . White Diamond's. Not yours. Not mine. Hers."

        "To think I was affected so badly when I've seen these things before — Amethyst's never—"

        She stopped, looking around.

        "Where's Amethyst?"

        Garnet's grip tightened on her shoulder as she too scanned the room. Her eyes widened as she remembered something.

        "I . . . I thought Connie brought—" She gasped. ". . . We left her in the chamber."

        A bolt of fear struck Pearl and she struggled to her feet, unsteady legs almost giving way as she sprinted for the indoor warp pad. "AMETHYST!"

        Garnet followed, footsteps thundering through the ship. "Connie!" she shouted. "Stay here — don't you step foot outside!"

        The girl lay in a far, dark corner of the room. Her form only trembled in reply and she curled tighter around herself. The warp pad sounded, transporting the Gems outside, and she was left alone.

Chapter Text

She was still there when that wicked Diamond came to collect him. She couldn't even bring herself to turn around, and so didn't notice her until she spoke.

        "Are you lost, dear?"

        Amethyst whipped around and came nose to nose with a terrifyingly blank smile. Gigantic pale eyes, easily as big as her — or Pearl, even — blinked back at her, batting absurdly long lashes.

        The eyes locked onto her gem, clearly visible on her chest, and the great face pulled away. Her fake smile seemed to tremble a little as she pulled herself up, up, until she was standing straight, glaring cheerfully down at the tiny Gem. Amethyst caught a flash of pink in her huge clasped hands and turned away, despite how keenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood up in the presence of such a being.

        "Come, Starlight," she heard the Diamond croon behind her, and a second later she almost leapt out of her skin as she noticed that creepy, cracked Pearl by her side.

        The walls of a great white bubble materialised around her and she was floating, stumbling, disoriented, before she was dumped on a cold floor, and the bubble and the Pearl disappeared.

        "Exem?"

        She lifted her head groggily to come face-to-face with another Amethyst.

        "Em!" the latter cried, hauling her to her feet. "What are you doing here? Didn't you go back to Earth?"

        Exem — XM.

        "X . . . XJ?"

        The darker Gem shook her head. "L. What happened? Where—" she looked around. "—Where did you come from?"

        "The— the Pearl," she stammered. "White Diamond's Pearl—"

        XL gasped. "White Diamond? You saw her? What was she like? Did she send you here?"

        "I— I don't know," she admitted. "She's— she's evil. She—" her vision blurred and shut her eyes against the memories trying to surface. "She did something to Steven. She changed his eye and—"

        "Steven?" the Amethyst looked confused. "Oh! The human?"

        "The small one." Amethyst nodded.

        "What did she do? Did she shatter him?"

        "I . . . I don't know." Her voice was a whisper.

        "Well. . . he's organic, right? She can't hurt him."

        "He's Pink Diamond," Amethyst breathed. "She can hurt him worse than anyone else."

        XL froze and stared at her. "Pink. . . Diamond? Our Diamond? But she was shattered."

        Amethyst shook her head. "The shattering was fake. She was Rose Quartz. Now. . . Now she's gone. Steven's her, now."

        XL gazed at her for a moment, eyes wide, before she seemed to make up her mind. "I'll get the others. Holly Blue suspended me — I'm supposed to stay here. But I can be careful." She turned but shot her a playful look over her shoulder; it was strange seeing that expression when her body was so tense. "You can shapeshift too right? Any ideas?"

        Amethyst just stared up at her forlornly, trying not to cry.

        XL softened and kneeled beside her. "Hey. It's okay— well it's not, but . . . we can work out something. Okay? Just like we did with Pink before."

        She was silent for a moment, but she nodded. ". . . Okay."

        "I'll be back soon," the Amethyst told her, standing and striding for the door. "You just be careful. Hide if Holly Blue comes."

        "Wait!—" Amethyst had lurched forward, grasping a handful of XL's uniform in her fist, before she let go and stepped back. "Can I . . . Can I help? I don't want to be alone."

        XL shot her a wobbly grin. It looked out-of-place with the pity in her eyes. "Yeah, c'mon. It won't take long."

Chapter Text

As she lay, silent, hugging her knees to her chest, she shut her tearful eyes against the pain.

        But, try as she might, she couldn't escape the ache deep inside of her.

        She had felt something fade inside her, but she couldn't make sense of it until she saw her best friend. She didn't know what had happened to him, didn't care, at this point. She was so scared.

        Upon seeing the vacancy in his eyes, the puppet-like properties of his body, she realised what that hole inside her was. That place where Stevonnie had been was gone — that warm, happy, loving place had simply disappeared, and along with that, she'd lost Steven too.

        Beautiful, funny, sweet Steven. Her best friend. And them. Gone.

        She was still in denial, still coming to terms, but that didn't make it any less agonising. Dimly she registered that she was desperate for any sort of external pain, a bruise, a scratch, something to focus on, to escape that dreadful acid feeling in her chest.

        But nothing came. When she found the strength to sit up, she was met with a wall of empty silence.

Chapter Text

"Gems, this is Yellow Diamond. Listen to me. I don't care if you are a Zircon, a Topaz, a Sapphire, a Garnet. I have absolutely no regard for your status, common or royalty, from now on. I want you to abandon your current duties. I want you to file into the White Court. I want you outside. I want you in the hallways. I want you to notify the Blue, Pink and White Courts. I want chaos."

        She paused, finger on the intercom button. Not enough leverage. "I want you to disregard your loyalties to all other Diamonds, damn the consequences. This is a matter of galaxy-wide emergency. This is your chance to prove yourselves worthy. If you don't comply to my orders, I will personally have each and every one of you shattered."

        She leaned back, ending the announcement and taking a deep breath. Then she pulled up all the Yellow Court communication screens, and, to her satisfaction, watched as hundreds of Gems scrambled to obey.

        Ten minutes later, she was finished composing and sending the last bulletins to other planets, with specific instructions to delete them immediately. Her last call was to White Diamond. She was patched through on the emergency channel.

        "White, I've had reports of all production ceasing on all colonies. No one is working. No one is answering my bulletins. Gems are revolting on Homeworld as I speak. I declare a planet-wide lockdown."

        A moment later, she watched in satisfaction as all unofficial structures beyond her window lost power. Homeworld was blanketed in darkness save for the Diamonds' headquarters.

Chapter Text

Pearl had only just entered the sound-proofed complex when she found herself watching through the windows, eyes wide in panic, as Homeworld went dark before her eyes. Still her feet pounded on the hall floor, Garnet on her heels.

        She didn't have time to question the cut. Not now. At least, not too much.

        Such a significant cut of power could mean one of three things. 1) White Diamond was severely inundated and could not keep up the flow of energy, which would result in the downfall of Homeworld society. 2) Homeworld was under an emergency shutdown. 3) White Diamond was on the move — and she had, as far as Pearl knew, not budged an inch in 6,000 years.

        None of these options were favourable in the least.

        "Garnet!" she called over her shoulder. "Use your future vision! Can you see anything? Anything at all?"

        The fusion was silent for a moment, save for the echo of her heavy footsteps. "It's White Diamond," she shouted back. "She's declared an emergency shutdown and severed all outgoing power. Steven's with her Pearl."

        "Then that's who we're looking for," Pearl gritted, straining forward. They whizzed down corridors, mainly operating off her memory of the complex — with Garnet's occasional correctional shout.

        It had only been a few minutes before Yellow Diamond's voiced boomed throughout the corridors. Pearl kept running, blinking back tears. Do it for her.

        Garnet called back to her again. "I can't see Amethyst. I don't know if she's safe, I— oh! I think— I can't—"

        It was at that moment, distracted by Garnet's voiced train of thought, that Pearl smacked into something incredibly hard and was knocked to the floor.

        "Hey, watch it!" a familiar voice groaned.

        The pained haze in her mind cleared instantly. "Amethyst?"

Chapter Text

XL barged through the Yellow breezeways, dutifully ignoring the harried announcement booming through the space. Where had she last seen the other Amethysts?

        Blue Diamond had sent them to assist White Diamond's Quartzes, and Yellow Diamond had ordered them back to . . . to where? She strained her ears, but the announcement had ended. She made a mental vow to diligence in the future.

        She sped past a window, snatching a quick glance through it. She almost tripped over her own feet as she stopped herself and ran back. In the Courtyard below, she could see the other Amethysts, all filing with masses of assorted Gems into what looked like the White Court. She pressed her face to the glass. What in the Stars was going on?

        A chime sounded behind her and she spun around. Down the hall there was a Pearl standing in the open doorway. A white Pearl with a navel gem and a cracked—

        Eye.

        White Diamond's Pearl! And she was with some smaller figure. The Pearl turned mechanically, blank eyes settling on her instantly.

        She looked around wildly, searching for a quick way down. There were no stairs nearby, no branching breezeways, no teleportation panels . . . there!

        An Aquamarine soaring past the window. There was nothing for it; XL summoned her club and swung at the glass with all her strength. To her surprise, it shattered easily, and she vaulted herself through, latching onto the flying Gem's leg. The Aquamarine squeaked in surprise and fear and dropped, sending the two of them flailing through the air. Barely ten feet above the ground the Gem somehow righted herself, and, straining visibly, halted their fall, wings flapping wildly. XL let go and dropped down, landing with a thud! on the polished ground. She could hear indignant chatter behind her as she tore through the crowds.

        She smacked into more than a few Gems, face-planting into backs, shoving figures aside, even copping an elbow in the rib. Finally, she caught a flash of wayward white hair through the crowd.

        "XJ!" she cried, barrelling forward. XJ turned, looking confused, and then her face lit up she nudged the Amethyst beside her — XG.

        "Hey, whassup?" XJ's strong, gravelly voice easily carried over the ruckus.

        "I need you!" XL panted, finally coming to rest beside her caste sister. "I need everyone — all the Amethysts, the Jaspers, and Carnelian! Bring her too!"

        "Wha? . . . didn't Holly Blue suspend you or something?"

        "It doesn't matter. Remember 8XM?"

        The other Amethyst's eyes were blank.

        "The small one!"

        Her eyes lit up. "Oh! From Earth? Little squirt," she said fondly.

        "She needs our help, and so does Pink Diamond and her team. We needa get them outta here."

        XJ looked understandably confused. "Pink Diamond? But she's—"

        "She's here! She's alive," XL cut in hurriedly. "And White Diamond's got her."

        XJ stared at her. After a moment, she broke into a grin. "Aw, sis, you got me!"

        XL was by now frustrated. "Aren't you listening to me? Our Diamond's up there!"

        It was at that moment another announcement sounded over the intercom. "Now that you have all gathered, I would like to add to your cause and let you know that Pink Diamond is at White Diamond's mercy. Pink Diamond is alive, but bleached. You are not just doing this for me — do it for her. If you want the youngest Diamond back, you must wreak havoc."

        XJ gaped.

        "WHAT DID I TELL YOU?" XL yelled, and turned to the mass of Earth Gems. "YOU HEARD HER! IF WE WANT OUR DIAMOND BACK, WE GOTTA FIGHT!"

        The mass surged towards the White doors with a roar.

Chapter Text

The hope in Garnet's chest was quickly extinguished.

        The Amethyst on the floor was much larger than their Amethyst, and her gem was smack-bang in the middle of her forehead. It also looked like she was missing a tooth.

        Pearl quickly arrived at the same realisation. "No," she moaned. "No, no, no! Amethyst! Have you seen her? Amethyst?"

        The soldier on the floor looked understandably surprised.

        "The small Amethyst from Earth," Garnet supplied.

        There was a glint of recognition in the Quartz's eyes but she pursed her lips.

        "We're with her — we've got to—"

        "Have you seen her?? Where is she? Is she okay?"

        Surprisingly, Pearl's frantic questions were what spurred the soldier into action.

        "I— I don't know," she confessed, getting to her feet. "But I was just going down to the Courtyards. She's prob'ly down there with everyone else."

        "Oh!— Garnet, quick!"

        The fusion didn't move. "Is there a way to get down from here?"

        The guard blinked at them. "There's a door down the hall that opens right onto it."

        "Okay! Okay. Garnet, let's go."

        In what seemed like seconds they were standing in what looked like the Yellow Courtyard. Gems were rushing past them in crowds so thick they pressed the Crystal Gems up to the wall.

        Garnet could see Pearl trying to vain to squeeze through but to no avail. When a gap appeared in the masses, the slender Gem tensed, and Garnet hurriedly steadied her with a hand.

        "Pearl, there's too many of them. We'll never get though — not like this."

        Pearl spun to her, wide-eyed and frantic. "Then what will we do?!"

        The fusion gave her shoulder a squeeze.

        "Pearl, will you fuse with me?"

        The smaller Gem was silent for a moment, then nodded. "For her— for him."

Chapter Text

"Out of my way, out of my way!"

        Sardonyx's clear voice rang out through the Courtyards and, for a split second, the siege of Gems stilled. Then, almost like a switch had been flipped, they were running, barging, milling perhaps even faster than before. Some of the higher-classed Gems were screaming, some were keeping their heads down, but all of them were fleeing. To where, Sardonyx didn't know.

        "Um, excuse me! Pardon me, move!"

        Being mindful of the crowded Gems was making progress painfully slow. No one was paying any mind to what she needed to do.

        "A little legroom would be nice!" she shouted, to no avail. Up ahead, she thought she saw a flash of white. A short figure was moving away through the crowd.

        She looked down. She was practically being trampled like a common insect.

        "Of course, I have to do everything myself," she sighed, and with a few deft movements she had her warhammer at the ready. She was thinking more of a gentle hockey routine when she saw the bounce of dark curls through a high window. Steven?

        One last unsuccessful push with her foot. "Move, if you please."

        No response to speak of.

        The next moment a handful of Gems were arcing through the air in the wake of her swing. "I said MOVE!"

        Progress was much quicker this way, but now it was raining screaming Gems. She grumbled under her breath, gritted her teeth and surged forward. Three steps to go — two steps—

        "Got you!"

        In a second Sardonyx had swooped the fleeing Gem up and held her in her fist. "Now, would you kindly explain— oh for goodness' sake!"

        A tiny Jasper squirmed in her grip.

        "And where would you suppose Amethyst is, hmm?" She rattled the Quartz uselessly, knowing she would be no help. Thinking out loud just happened to be a rather inset trait of hers.

        "Garnet— Pearl! Sardonyx! Down HERE!"

        The fusion reeled in her panicked excitement. "Amethyst!"

        "ARGH— don't squash me! Near your foot!"

        When she looked down, she found the short Gem frowning up at her with hands on her hips.

        "Oh!"

        The Jasper went flying and Sardonyx snatched the purple Gem up to her face.

        "Amethyst! Where's Steven?"

        "Your eyes are so big! Not so close!"

        Sardonyx obediently held her at arms' length. "Well?"

        "I— I don't know! The last time I saw him he was heading to that big white mess!" She pointed across the Courtyards to the White Chambers.

        The pearl against the fusion's forehead flickered. "White Diamond."

        Her form distorted, and for a split second, Amethyst could see the silhouettes of her components clinging to each other. She braced herself for the fall.

        But then, with a determined expression, Sardonyx pulled herself together again. "Then we know where to go."

Chapter Text

The immense roaring outside had pulled her out of her trance and drawn her to the window. Now, she stared in shock down at the revolting Courts.

        Gems of all status rushed around the Courtyard, all hoarding towards the White Chambers. Gems were battering the doors, summoning their weapons in a clueless panic; and then she gasped in horror as the doors caved and rioting Gems streamed through.

        She spun around and charged to the control panel, pulling up communications. She patched through a one-sided connection to Yellow's chambers. "Yellow! The Gems! It's chaos! Help, we need to—"

        She reeled back when a panel across the room slid open. Yellow stood defiantly in the doorway. "They are under my orders."

        "What?" At first, her mind was numb, blanketed in a mist of confusion and disbelief — and then her chest flared with panic. "Yellow! White! She'll— she'll shatter us, she'll—"

        "She won't be doing anything," the other Diamond seethed, and she strode forward, grabbing Blue's wrist as she passed and tugging her along. "We'll see to that."

        "We?" Her chest heaved. "We? How— why? White Diamond—"

        "Is nothing but a monster," Yellow snapped, and activated the opposite door without breaking her stride. She marched through. "She's a tyrant, and we're getting Steven back."

        Blue could only stumble weakly behind the other Diamond, gazing out the windows. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the imposing white silhouette against the sky.

Chapter Text

Amethyst could feel herself trembling as she gazed down at the sheer distance between them and the ground. This was nothing compared to the height of the Temple back at home, but if she was to be completely honest with herself, she didn't always feel completely safe with Sardonyx. She was just so . . . showy, energetic, flamboyant.

        With effort, she averted her gaze and stared up at the humongous structure across the courtyard.

        "Uh, guys?" She had to yell over the riot. "How are we gonna get up there?"

        Sardonyx turned and frowned up at the thing. Amethyst could practically see Pearl configuring the distance in her head.

        "It's too tall for me," she finally admitted, and chewed her lip. "Alexandrite would have . . . difficulty, but it's worth a shot!"

        Amethyst grumbled. She wasn't particularly fussed about the idea of fusing with Sardonyx, but it would be quicker than deconstructing to dance properly. She felt a pang as she glanced up again at the structure. Anything could be happening to Steven in there.

        She sighed. "Fine."

        Before Amethyst even knew what was happening she was sent sailing through the air. Wow, soooo relaxing, guys! When she stopped spinning, she could see Sardonyx below her carrying through with a very flashy, Pearl-esque routine. Does she even know how fusions work, or does she just not wanna see me dance?

        . . . Probably the second option.

        As she fell through the air, Amethyst stumbled through a quick routine, only just managing to set her gem aglow before she fell into the fusion's hand and into Sardonyx herself.

        A bright flash and Alexandrite stood above the torrent of Homeworld Gems, fists clenched by her sides. She raised her eyes to the White Chambers.

        Amethyst cringed inside her, and she could feel Pearl's anxiety, too. Where was Steven? How would they find him? How could they take him before—

        With a roar, Alexandrite leaped from the Pink Courtyard and latched onto the surface of the smooth structure, hoisting herself up. So hot was Garnet's determination (her power) in her veins that in no less than a few pulls was she high above the Courtyards, and, tensing, she looked down.

        The coloured diamonds etched into the giant courtyard were no bigger than dinner plates. The fall from here would poof all of them for sure.

        Alexandrite felt her fingers go clammy and scrabbled against the surface, panicking. Her throat was going dry, her shoulders tensing—

        Amethyst was left free-falling for a moment, frozen in terror, seeing Pearl and Garnet try to grab onto each other — and then she was caught up in a solid, warm hand, and looked up at Sardonyx.

        You again, she couldn't help thinking, but felt a pang of guilt when she noticed the concern in the fusion's eyes.

        "Are you feeling alright, dear?" she asked.

        Amethyst forced a nod.

        "We're almost at the top, at any rate," Sardonyx cooed, and with a few short lunges, they found themselves face-to-face with . . . a face.

        "It's White Diamond's ship."

        Sardonyx pursed her lips. It was such a Pearl-like gesture that Amethyst felt herself smile.

        "Well, in we go."

        Amethyst stiffened. "Wait, you mean—"

        "Meet you inside!"

        And she was sent tumbling down a chute, into a white darkness.

Chapter Text

If anything, she was amused. Two tiny Gems and a fusion had come tumbling from the chute and now they were lying in a crumpled heap at her feet. She could dispatch them all with her Pearl — but that would be no fun.

        "What have we here?"

        Her voice echoed back to her and, seeing the terror in the Gems' faces, she smiled. "And what are you here for? Here to take my Starlight back to Earth, even in the state she's in?"

        By now they were all on their feet, weapons at the ready, but she could see the fractures in their defence. There were so many they were barely protected at all.

        "I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Trapped in this lower life form as she is, she is in the process of reformation. She is a Diamond, after all, and she needs to act as such."

        The overcooked Amethyst growled. "That lower life form is our family! He doesn't belong here!"

        "Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow playfully. "And what would you know about Homeworld life? An Earth-born, defective Quartz?"

        She could see the anger building in her tiny body and laughed. "Don't strain yourself, dear."

        "White Diamond!"

        This time, it was the fusion speaking. She turned to her. "A Ruby and a Sapphire as one Gem! Fascinating."

        The Ruby inside gritted her teeth. "We want him back. Release Steven now."

        "Steven?" How delightfully absurd. "Is that the new nickname she's chosen for herself? Steven? As if trapping herself in an organic wasn't enough!"

        "Pink Diamond no longer exists."

        Ah, and now the Pearl was contributing to conversation.

        "Pink Diamond is gone. Steven is someone new. He's . . . he's completely different!"

        "Mmm, she really has fooled you, hasn't she?" She clicked her fingers and received the answering bubble. From inside she withdrew the bleached Gem in question, and there was a collective gasp from below. She placed a long nail under the Diamond's chin and tilted her head. "She always has had a penchant for games . . . but even I didn't expect her to so sufficiently delude her own Pearl."

        The Pearl tensed. "She hasn't deluded anyone."

        "That's what you keep telling yourself," White sighed, and closed her fist around Pink. "It's really very . . . sad, to see you convinced so completely. Gems are a superior race."

        The Amethyst looked like she was about to speak but was interrupted by a musical chime. When White turned, she found Yellow and Blue standing in the doorway.

        "Hello, dears," she cooed. "And what are you doing here?"

Chapter Text

Yellow's face was hard. "Put him down."

        White only grinned wider. "Him? Don't you mean Pink, dear?"

        "No." Yellow reeled in surprise when Blue spoke. The sullen Diamond stepped forward. "His name is Steven. He is not Pink Diamond. He never was."

        It was at that moment Amethyst darted forward, pulled another whip from her Gem and lassoed White's feet. For a moment, the Diamond looked startled, and then she laughed in amusement.

        As if in response, Garnet leaped towards her, gauntlets enlarging, and delivered a powerful blow to the Diamond's thigh. Pearl followed in quick succession with a flurry of bursts from her trident.

        White Diamond didn't fall, but she looked anxious. She glanced at the smaller Diamonds as if in a request for help.

        Instead, Yellow struck her with a burst of electricity, and Blue Diamond conjured a blue orb. White cried out in shock and overbalanced, stumbling back a few steps.

        By her feet, Amethyst conjured a wrecking ball and lashed at her ankles. Garnet darted after her, dissipating her gauntlets and firing a stream of ice at the floor. Gritting her teeth, Pearl brandished her spear. Just get to Steven.

        White's eyes were aglow, her face pinched with anger, and it looked she was just about to attack when she was slammed with the blue orb and she stumbled back, slipping on the ice. Pearl glimpsed a flash of pink as something fell from her hands.

        "STEVEN!" Pearl shrieked.

        "PINK!" White screeched.

        Adrenaline burned through her body and Pearl took a running start, vaulting herself into the air and arcing towards White. She tossed her spear over her head and stretched out her arms—

        There was a solid thump! as White batted them both away. Pearl was sent flailing through the air and slammed into a wall, body bursting with numbing pain.

        She dropped to the floor. She could dimly register Amethyst and Garnet calling her name, but when she cracked open her eyes, she could see him, sprawled just a few paces away. With a last, desperate burst of energy, she pushed herself forward and stumbled the last few steps to the boy. When her legs gave out she fell beside him and wrapped him in her aching arms.

        Another hellish shriek rang out and Pearl screwed her eyes shut, panicked tears burning. She had Steven but she couldn't move. Her body throbbed and she had no energy left. She could feel her arms gradually loosening around Steven.

        "Garnet. . ." her voice was a whisper, an echo. "Amethyst — please. . ."

        And as if she had flipped a switch, everything became silent. The ground stopped shaking. For a split second, there was a sense of calm.

        "I'm back, baby."

        The voice seemed like a fabrication. It seemed to tremble, fade away, and when Pearl looked up, her eyes widened.

        "And how did you get here?" Sugilite grinned, menacing eyes locked on White Diamond. "Did someone leave your cage open?"

        The largest Diamond was too shocked to even react. By the time she finally opened her mouth, Sugilite shut it again with a devastating wind-up punch. Given, she was shorter than the largest Diamond, but her arms were long.

        Yellow and Blue surged forward to overwhelm White — she looked like she was struggling with something deeper than physical exertion. Once she was down, Sugilite marched over to Pearl, ground quaking with every stomp.

        "C'mon, let's go," she grumbled, and for perhaps the first time in a hundred years, Pearl smiled up at the rough-edged fusion.

        "Thank you," she said weakly.

        Sugilite frowned and turned away. Pearl could have sworn she saw the fusion's cheeks darken. "Whatever, let's just get outta here."

Chapter Text

"I was lookin' forward to a fight — just didn't realise it'd be 'gainst some murky, malformed rock."

        Pearl sighed and Sugilite jumped on the attack, clenching her fists. What was her problem?

        Wonder she ever became a Crystal Gem. Bet she'd hide every chance she got in a real fight.

        Pearl looked up and Sugilite prepared to verbally smack her down. So what if she might've said it out loud? It was true.

        "Sugilite . . . do you mind unfusing?"

        The fusion bristled. "Why? You don' WANT me here?"

        "It's not that, I just . . . I want Garnet and Amethyst right now. Please."

        She was about to deny her the possibility of seeing them when Pearl locked gazes with her. Her eyes were big and sad. "It's just . . . Steven. . ."

        Looking down at the boy, she deflated.

        In a burst of white light, Garnet and Amethyst were left standing together, hand in hand. Pearl shot them a grateful smile. "Thank you."

        Garnet glanced down at a sullen Amethyst and gave her hand a quick squeeze before she let go, striding over and kneeling beside Steven.

        "What do you think we can do?" she asked, consulting her future vision. "Steven should be free — there's no way White Diamond could still be controlling him. He's just—" another glimpse into the future. "—Trapped."

        "I— I'm not sure." Pearl ran a hand affectionately through his dark curls. The gesture drew Garnet's attention to something.

        "He's breathing," she said.

        Pearl jumped — but the sound she made was somewhere between shock and relief. "That— That's good, right? He'll be okay?"

        Garnet sighed. "Pearl, I don't know. There are so many possibilities. I don't know how this is gonna turn out."

        "Uh . . . guys?" Amethyst stepped into the circle. "What about Rose's fountain? We've healed cracked gems in there — what if it can fix . . . whatever this is?"

        Pearl gazed at the boy for a moment. He looked like he was sleeping. "Well . . . it's worth a try."

        Garnet could sense the tension in the air, strung taught like a bow string. Every one of them was devastated, but reigned in by the tiniest ray of hope. They had Steven back, now. At least they had a chance of fixing what White had done.

        There was a sniffle from the corner and everyone turned. Connie still lay facing the wall. Her thin body was trembling.

        "Connie," they all said at once. Pearl pushed herself up and scrambled over to the girl. "Connie! Are you  . . . Are you alright?"

        From her post across the room, Garnet could faintly make out her answering whisper. "No."

        Pearl laid a hand on her back. "What have you been doing all this time?"

        "Crying," came Connie's frail voice. "And sleeping." She let out a sob. "Dreaming about Steven."

        "Oh, Connie. . ." Pearl's voice was drenched with regret. Then, she seemed to brighten a little. "You know, we . . . we have Steven. He's here."

        Garnet had never seen a human move so fast. Connie bolted up, shadowed eyes wide, and scanned the room. "Here? Where?"

        Garnet cleared her throat and the girl's eyes settled on her. She gestured to the boy beside her. "He's right here, Connie."

        The girl scrambled over in a flash, nudging her way next to him. "Steven! Steven? Are you okay? Wake up!"

        Garnet was about to place a hand on her shoulder when Amethyst did just that, crouching down beside her. "He's still . . . gotta way to go. But he'll be fine, alright? We'll fix him."

        "If we just had some of Rose's water. . ." Pearl sighed, standing and making her way over.

        Connie bolted upright. "Water? I have water!"

        There was a short silence, and then Garnet sighed. "Connie," she began carefully, "We need some of the healing water from Rose Quartz's fountain—"

        "No!" Connie jumped to her feet and Amethyst fell back with a yelp. "I— I have it! I brought some with me! I just need to. . ." She looked around wildly and then, with a gasp, bolted across the room. She pounced on the backpack slouched against the wall. "I had some in here! Me and Steven — we. . ."

        She pulled out a bottle and examined it. Shaking her head, she threw it aside. It rolled across the floor.

        Another bottle — discarded. Another? — no, not that one either. Garnet could see the panic dawning on Connie's face, the widening of her frenzied eyes, the heaving of her chest—

        "YES!" she shrieked, and pulled out one more bottle, this time dotted with cartoon stickers. She stumbled over, sitting shakily down, and held the bottle out in trembling hands. "This . . . This is it."

Chapter Text

Now, even the steady fusion's hands were trembling. Carefully, slowly, she removed the cap, and with everyone watching, brought it down to Steven's mouth. She let some trickle in, then a little more for good measure, and pulled back, waiting.

        Ten seconds ticked by. Then another ten. Everything was silent.

        Without warning, Garnet flung her arm out and crushed the bottle, raining water down all over the boy. Pearl spun to her. "Garnet!"

        She didn't reply, just watched him intently. Behind the visor, her eyes were panicked and wide.

        A tiny, faint glow lit up his shirt. Then, it grew bigger, brighter, pinker, colouring the whole room, bathing everyone in warm, rosy light. The colour returned to his skin, the volume to his hair, and with a startled gasp, he opened his eyes.

        At first, he was frozen, eyes wide, staring at nothing in terror. Then, slowly, he relaxed, and with evident surprise he noticed the others.

        "Uh . . . guys?" he said timidly. "What are you—"

        He never got to finish his sentence as he was immediately buried in a laughing-sobbing pile. Garnet was the first to release him, pushing everyone back and pulling him up for a proper hug. When Connie wrapped her arms around him again, the strength in them was crushing.

        Steven wheezed. "Guys! I— thanks, but— I can't breathe—"

        Immediately everyone pulled back. They all sat quiet for a few seconds, just gazing at each other. Pearl was the first to break the silence with a choked laugh. "Steven — you're alright."

        And then, much to Steven's exasperation, she swept him into another tight hug. "What do you mean?" he sputtered. "Of course I'm alright!"

        There was a flurry of kisses that left Steven spluttering, but internally overjoyed. When she finally pulled back, he gave her a warm smile.

        CRASH!

        Everyone wheeled around. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl all summoned their weapons.

        A beam of light shone in the centre of the floor, depositing two huge figures, and then dissipated.

        Everyone sighed in relief.

        When Blue's eyes landed on Steven, she let out a delighted sob. "Pink — Steven! They fixed you!"

        She looked like she was about to rush forward, but Yellow, most likely reading the expression on his face, gently held her back. "That's fantastic. White released her hold on the Pearl, too."

        Steven was about to ask, "What Pearl?" and then froze when Yellow produced a tiny someone and set her on the floor.

        Pink Pearl gazed at them from her knees, eyes wide.

        "Pearl!" Steven cried in delight. "You're free! And White—" his smile faltered. ". . . What about White?"

        Blue Diamond looked fit to burst into tears but Yellow held her steady. Her eyes were hard and serious. "She's gone."

        "Gone?" Amethyst said, incredulously.

        ". . . Shattered?" Pearl breathed.

        Yellow didn't reply, but the answer was clear. Everyone fell silent.

        "It was for the best, Steven," Yellow said. With difficulty, he met her eyes.

        "And . . . what about you guys? What about everyone else?"

        "We'll take care of them, Steven," Blue answered, a soft smile on her lips. "You're free to go."

        Steven was gobsmacked. ". . . Just like that?"

        "Just like that," Yellow snapped. "Now you better hurry it up or we'll have to assign you a Court, too. Goodness knows how that will turn out."

        The Gems chuckled.

        Steven shot the Diamonds a grateful smile. "Thank you. For everything."

        "Of course," Blue said. "We love you."

        He felt something in his chest catch. It was warm and lovely. He wasn't quite ready to trust his tongue, so he just nodded, beaming.

        "Well . . . we better go home, hadn't we?" said Pearl, and everyone turned to her. Her cheeks flushed a little and she laughed. "What, do you all want to stay here?"

        She turned to the Diamonds. ". . . No offence."

        "None taken," Yellow said curtly.

        "Pearl's right," Garnet said, standing. "And Connie, we need to get you home to your parents and to bed. And I doubt they'll ever let you come with us to space again."

        "What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine."

        Connie grinned lazily, but the shadows under her eyes gave her away.

        "C'moooon," Amethyst whined. "Let's get outta here. I just wanna get back to Earth!"

        "Wait."

        Everyone stopped and turned. Blue gazed at them timidly.

        "Steven . . . you'll come to visit, won't you?"

        Steven shot her a dazzling smile. "Of course! If we can repair the warp pads back home, I can come see you every weekend."

        "That sounds wonderful," she smiled.

        Yellow leaned over to whisper in Blue's ear. "What's a weekend?" she murmured.

        "So, Steven, are we going?"

        Connie captured his hands in her own. She looked hopeful — and very, very tired.

        "Yeah! Just one more thing."

        He pulled away and approached the pink Pearl by the Diamonds' feet. She seemed to withdraw a little, but relaxed when he stopped a few feet away and held his hands out. "You're Pearl, right? White Diamond's Pearl?"

        The Pearl paused for a moment, then nodded. "Pink Diamond's first," came her quiet voice.

        Steven smiled. "Then, do you know about Earth?"

        She shook her head.

        "Earth was Pink Diamond's colony. It's our home. — and it's . . . beautiful. I think you'd love it." She watched him steadily, and he took a step closer. "Would you like to come home with us?"

        Slowly, nervously, she nodded.

        "Alright." He took the last few steps to her and took her hand in his, turning to smile at Connie and the Gems. "That's everything. Let's go home, guys."

The End.