Chapter Text
When Pearl got the message, she immediately went to her diamond’s personal chambers.
Her diamond had dismissed her a few hours ago, but she had been ordered to warn her diamond when they were nearing their destination.
Pearl entered the room, the door sliding open with her approach. The room was pitch black; the light being absorbed by the soft materials littering the floor that her diamond insisted on leaving be. The only thing she could see were her Diamond’s eyes reflecting the light from the door. Pearl stood in the doorway for a breath, her silhouette stretching across the floor, before she took a single step inside. The door closed behind her and the dark mantled around her.
“My diamond, we will be reaching the coordinates soon. Will you be coming to the deck to watch the process?”
She could hear her diamond shifting from where they reclined on the resting platform, their eyes moving position, still visible even in the deep dark, but no longer reflecting light.
“Yes, I want to see if this is possible in person. If this is not a possible energy and material source our gamble will set us back. I need to be kept in the loop at all times.”
“Yes my Diamond.” Pearl bowed, her hands making the salute even though she knew that her diamond could not see it. She heard her diamond get to their feet and walk toward the corner of the room that housed their care items.
“Help me prepare myself, my Pearl.”
Pearl shivered at the possessive word, a smile curling at her lips before smoothing out once more. She walked toward her diamond, her gem began to glow, casting a dim light into the room.
“My pleasure, My diamond.”
“Steven, are you sure that this will be ok? This is a giant explosion in space! I don’t think that your shield will do much for this. Maybe you should tell your Grand-Aunts about this, they can send some extra ships and stuff to help!”
Connie frowned at him from the screen but Steven just smiled at her as he finished strapping on his fancy space boot. He was already kitted up in a skin-tight suit that would protect him from the effects of space, but he thought that the huge boots were just too important to leave out. They were bright green with pink stripes and reminded him of the watermelon Stevens back on earth.
“Oh come on Connie! I want to make sure that this is even a possibility before telling them. What if I just get their hopes up and it doesn’t work? They’ve already stopped crystalizing planets with life on them for me. The empire needs more raw materials and easy energy, if a dying star can’t help I don’t want to drag them all the way out here for nothing! This is just a test, we’re going to stay far enough back to not be in any trouble.” Steven gave her a smile in an attempt to sooth her nerves.
Steven knew that Connie was just unnerved because he was alone. If she was going to be there with him than she would be way more gun-ho about the plan she had helped create, but it was dangerous for her to be at the edge of the explosion, even if they were Stevonnie. The radiation from the explosion might give her cancer, even Steven was at risk with his organic parts but Citrine had been certain that his gem would either heal or ward it off. Besides, they needed his bubbled to be certain that their equipment would survive the exposure.
Connie groaned into her hands, her hair flopping forward to cover her face when she ducked her head to rub her eyes. “You’ve just jinxed yourself Steven, something is going to go wrong now. You said the cursed words.”
Steven snorted a laugh at her dramatics and tried to cajole her to smile, “Aww, Connie! I’ll be fine. And if I’m not I know that you’ll come riding in on a noble steed to save me.”
Connie peeked at him through her hair, “Oh I will, will I? Maybe I’ll just leave you to float lost in space and take over the empire myself. Lead a life of a warrior space queen.” Connie sat up prim and proper with her best attempt of what she refers to as the librarian face. Her mouth pinched into a line and her eyes squinting.
Steven stood tall, and raised one eyebrow at her in exaggerated disgust. “You would leave your Diamond to such a fate, oh disloyal knight?”
“In a heartbeat.”
Steven reared back and pressed a hand to his chest.
“Betrayer.” He gasped.
That was the last straw for Connie and she finally began to laugh. Steven was momentarily hypnotized by her pinking cheeks, squinting eyes and the smile that distorted her stern face with happiness.
Steven back smiled at her, she was so beautiful.
Tap, Tap.
The sudden noise made Steven turn around. It was 7P8, one of the Peridots that he had gotten on the job. She had been suggested by Peri as someone who was good at working and willing to try new things. She wasn’t part of his court, but she was someone that had become familiar over the months it took to put his plan into action.
“My Steven? Everyone is ready to go and we need you on site to make sure were all within your bubble’s range before the star’s detonation.”
“Got it 7P8, I’ll finish up with Connie and meet you out there.” Steven gave her a smile, a shiver going through her though she hid it well. She had been nearly drunk with joy every time Steven had said her name when they had first met. She had gotten used to it as time had passed, but Steven doubted that she would ever be one of the gems that could overlook his Diamond status as a whole.
Some just couldn’t and it was always a mixed bag about who they were going to be. But 7P8’s reactions had leveled out, she still was ecstatic for his attention, but had taken to heart his assurances that it was ok to just treat him like a supervisor or fellow worker while on this project. She understood the importance of what they were doing, and knew that her reactions might get in the way of their work.
7P8 nodded to him, her hands making the sign of the diamond before turning on her heel and hurrying away. Steven turned back to Connie only to find her once more frowning at him.
“Steven, just, be careful alright?” She looked so nervous that Steven treated her words with the seriousness that she was giving them.
“I’ll be really careful Connie. I’m going come back home ok?”
Connie bit her lip, eyes staring into his, and she must have seen something there because she relaxed a touch with a nod.
“Ok.”
A small team of gems were working at their stations when their diamond entered the deck followed closely by one of their diamond’s pearls. They all paused momentarily to flash a salute to them before returning to their work. Their diamond preferred results over words, and they wanted to please their diamond.
A Spinel broke away from her station and approached her diamond. She stopped a respectful distance away and saluted while she addressed her diamond.
“My Diamond. The explosion will begin in approximately five minutes, all of the sensors have been placed. We will soon know whether or not a gem can be created from the death of a star.”
Their diamond leaned forward, looking out the large window that showed the slowly dying star. Their eyes lingered over the shape of it before focusing on the Spinel in front of them.
“Where did you put the sample?”
“It was fired at a slow speed toward the center of the star, it will reach the outer gas layer in the moment of detonation. What will happen afterwards I cannot assume but we are prepared to record it all.”
“Good. Call everyone to the deck. We will watch together.”
The diamond walked to the window and placed themselves in front of the reinforced glass. They cut a striking figure against the dim light of the dying star. Spinel couldn’t help but marvel at the picture that their diamond made.
Their diamond was truly the most wonderful of them all.
“Alright, everything is looking like it’s going to work! The star is going to be exploding soon, and we have the best view!”
The small stocky gem bounced around the pink bubble, dodging her coworkers as they calmly stood at different angles, all focusing on their own screens. They had already gotten used to Tanzanite’s hyper personality and excessive volume. She had been the real brain behind this procedure and no one could find the energy to calm her down when she was so close to her moment of triumph.
Steven just laughed at her as she bounced past him, floating in the middle of his large bubble. Everyone else had centered their gravity and were walking around the bubble like it was normal, but he didn’t feel embarrassed. In his opinion the best part of space walking was the floating.
How she managed to not hit anyone was impressive. The little shuttle they had taken to get to the edge of the explosion had been completely emptied into his bubble. No one had wanted to be left behind in such an important moment. He had jetted them all through the mile of space from their ship, and he was a little worried about someone getting lost. But so far everything had been going well!
“Ok everyone, get ready. We don’t want to miss this.”
The star that was dying didn’t have a name. Steven was going to name it, but Connie had shot that down, telling him that then he would cry about it. It was a dark molten red, a color that was oddly dim for something like a star, but he had been assured that this was normal.
They were all right outside of its immediate blast radius and were going to go back to the main ship that was space parked much farther away after its first blast. They wanted the energy, not the black hole that would form after wards.
Steven stared at the ball of gas, and the bubble turned quiet as the light visibly changed. The star seemed to shrink for a moment before bursting outwards, a multicolored halo blazing into sight and expanding as the light got brighter and brighter. It was a breath-taking view, and Steven knew he was going to have to get a copy of the video’s being made of this.
The blazing halo expanded before something happened. The expanse paused for a moment, shrinking into itself before blowing out with a vengeance.
“Oh, no. No. nonononono!” Tanzanite’s voice broke the amazed quiet of the gems in the bubble. She had pressed herself to the front of the bubble, but now she was backing away, as much as she could in the bubble.
“What’s wrong?” Steven did not like the fear that was in her eyes.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen yet! Something is wrong. The energy was supposed to flux out much more than that before the second burst came-“ The blue gem cut herself off as the light got violently brighter, Steven closed his eyes with a hiss.
He was blind, but he could still hear the fear in Tanzanite’s voice as she grabbed his free hand in a desperate grip. “We need to leave. We need to leave right now, this star is dying at an accelerated rate, it’s going to hit black hole status soon, too soon if we don’t get out of here. We will be sucked in!”
The other gems in the bubble began to become frantic. Voices talking over each other as they panicked. A few clutching each other and others running around the bubble in panic.
Steven didn’t know how much time they had, but he knew that he was the only one with any kind of jet propelling device. He needed to take control of the situation. He was a crystal gem, he was a leader. He was their diamond.
“Everyone come here. Grab onto me, or to someone else hanging on to me, but leave my back clear. I’m going to fly us back to the shuttle. Citrine, point me in the right direction, I can’t open my eyes.” Steven’s voice was full of determination. He was going to save them.
Immediately, Steven was being grabbed from all directions, hands clutching to his arms, legs, chest and a few grabbing fistfuls of hair. Soon everyone was quiet again, clutching onto their diamond, hopping that he would save them from a disaster.
“Citrine, am I pointed in the right direction?”
“Yes, My Steven.” Citrine barely had a shiver in her voice, but from the direction it was coming from, she was one of the ones with a death grip on his leg. Flexing and un-flexing in her nerves, like a cat kneading.
“Everyone got a good grip?”
A chorus of voice offered conformation.
“I’m going to drop the bubble now. Do not let go.”
Steven concentrated and released the power keeping the bubble up. Suddenly the light seemed to get brighter, the pink shield must have been tinting the light. He tapped the button on his hand that would propel him foreword, but without opening his eyes, he couldn’t actually feel if they were moving. At least there wasn’t any wind resistance in space.
Everyone was that particular type of scared quiet. The one where everyone is focusing on something and act like just speaking will affect its outcome.
Suddenly the light went out, and Steven opened his eyes in shock. The light that had been so overpowering was all gone now.
But the ship! The ship that he had been heading for was a few hundred feet in front of him. They were almost there!
Steven was about to let out a shout of triumph when the subdued voice of Tanzanite beat him to the punch.
“It’s been an honor serving you, My Diamond.” Tanzanite’s voice was surprisingly calm and steady for all that she had been panicked earlier.
Steven looked to where she was latched onto him, gripping his shoulder but stiffened arm putting her in front of him. Her eyes were glued to something behind him. A quick look around showed that all of the gems he could see were staring behind him. He couldn’t turn enough to look without throwing them off course.
But he nearly jerked around when Tanzanite suddenly let go of Steven. She stayed in front of him, but she had let go of Steven to cross her arms in a diamond salute.
She’d never done that before. Not after their very first meeting where he had asked her to treat him like a friend.
“Tanzanite, what are you-“ Steven cut himself off at the feeling of all of the gems letting go of him, one right after the other. “Don’t let go!”
“It’s been-“ Citrine let go as well and saluted.
“-an honor serving-“ 7P8 followed behind them.
“-you, my Diamond.” The last bit was a chorus of the other gems that had volunteered for this mission. Steven was surrounded by saluting gems floating in space and he barely managed to open his mouth before he felt a sharp backwards jerk, reflexively putting a bubble around the group as they sped backwards so fast that Steven only just managed to close the bubble, keeping everyone together, before everything went dark.
The formerly dim deck was awash with light from the window, their diamond having to be forced to turn away from the light. Spinel was panicking at her station as things rapidly went out of her control.
“My Diamond, the explosion is accelerating! The sample must have had an immediate reaction. Its-its drawing the energy from the explosion much faster than I had thought possible. It’s accelerating the star’s death, a black hole is going to form much faster- we, we need to leave my diamond.”
Their Diamond wasted no time on her, turning their attention to the Emerald who was already punching in coordinates and moving the ship to angle its path from the star.
“Emerald, get us out of here.”
“Yes my Diamond.”
She finished the last sequence and tapped the ignition button, and every gem braced themselves for the jerk that comes with sudden movement.
Nothing happened.
“. . .”
“Why aren’t we moving Emerald.” The diamonds voice wasn’t angry, but stress was leaking into the tone. A diamond under stress was never a good thing for any other gem.
“I don’t- the spacebender isn’t- It won’t respond! “ Emerald began to franticly beat at the controls, retyping the sequence over and over, but just getting error messages every time.
“My Diamond, the star’s death combined with the sample’s birth must have already circumvented the surrounding space, making it unbendable.” Spinel’s voice was gaining in pitch, her panic making her hands jitter and she put them in the diamond salute so to stop their shaking.
“Can our engine get us out in time?”
“. . . no my diamond. It cannot.” Emeralds voice was quiet. Her cold fear dousing her panic, and at her words all of the gems in the room finally broke down. Gone were their tightly controlled visages. A few of the gems dropped to their knees, some of the closer ones grabbed onto one another for a comfort in their coming demise. The pearl that had come in with her diamond took a step closer to them and a thin hand gripped the corner of the cloak they had just dressed their diamond in.
All of the gems eyes were on their diamond, on the window behind them, when the light suddenly disappeared and the brightest light in the room came from their diamonds eyes.
Their diamond stood tall. Posture perfect as they looked down at the entirety of their small court. At all of the lives that they owned and had cared for and now had led to their death.
At least they wouldn’t be leaving anyone behind, to be alone like they had been in the beginning.
“My gems. It was a pleasure having you in my court.”
Then there was a jerk, throwing their diamond to their hands and knees, a last stumble before everything became darkness.
It was loud. Voices screaming in panic. In confusion. Some were sobbing. Some were laughing hysterically.
(I need to save them)
(I want to save them)
Two voices were speaking over top of each other.
(What can i do?)
(What haven’t I tried?)
But they were only getting louder the more they spoke.
(We need to work together)
(I need to work with them)
Like they were echoing off of each other, gathering strength as they clashed.
(I need to take control of the situation)
(I need to take control of them)
Getting loud enough to drown out the other voices.
(We need to fuse, it could save us)
(If we fuse, we might survive)
They began to mold together.
(I’ll apologize later, but it’s a desperate situation.)
(I’ll pardon them later, it’s a desperate situation.)
Speaking in time.
(I need to get back home.)
(I need to get them back to safety)
A single voice.
(I told Connie that I’d come back!)
(Who?)
The control center was silent. Everyone was looking to the far-off explosion. The surveillance for the team had gone dark. The light was brighter than it should have been and everyone had been tipped off that something was wrong when the light had suddenly gone out. In the beginning the gems at the comms had been frantically trying to radio Steven but now all of the gems were just trying to deal with the realization that they had lost their Pink diamond. For a second time.
Some gems were silently crying, while others were still unmoving in their shock.
But the single human among them had gone pale. Her hand gripping her sword so hard that her hand looked as if the bones world tear through her skin.
“He said he’d be back.” She whispered, the only sound besides her breathing. The other gems seeming like statues with their lack of movement.
Suddenly one of the gems, a ruby, toward the front lunged forward. “I see something!”
There was a stamped to the window, statues leaping forward with just a chance of hope.
In the vast empty plot of space, even the light of stars being sucked away with the birth of the black hole, there was a light. It was solitary, but as they watched it grew and grew. It was gaining a form as it became brighter until it became clear.
The form that took shape was a vaguely human figure with dozens and dozens of wings. It launched itself toward the ship, seemingly huge from a distance but as it came closer it became obvious that this fusion was much larger than any of them could comprehend. It’s face was a single giant sideways eye and one of its two hands was reaching out for the ship.
“They’re ok. THEY’RE OK. HE CAME BACK. They’re coming-“ Connie was ecstatic with joy. They had escaped the black hole. Steven was coming home! They were ok!
As Connie came down from her high, adrenalin pulsing through her veins she began to bark orders. Her strict voice cutting through the hazy joy of the gems.
“We need- we need to be prepared to catch them! Peridots get the gravity beam ready. That fusion isn’t going to stay together for very long, the moment they feel safe they’re going to come apart we need to be prepared to get them out of space. Ruby, any Ruby, go get the space gate open, the big one, we’re going to need the room. Turn the ship toward them so that they can keep their current trajectory, if they miss it’ll be difficult to pick them up in space.”
Gems sprung into motion, follow Connie’s orders as if she was a diamond herself, a few of them still crying, but with smiles on their faces this time. Their Diamond had returned again, and this time it wasn’t thousands of years later.
Glass broke apart while they were still in space. The gems were too panicked, the situation too stressful, and none of them were that particularly close to begin with. It was impressive that Glass had lasted as long as they did but now a new problem arose. Dozens of gems were flying through space at an accelerated pace and none of them had any ability to control their projector.
None but one anyway. The half gem used his jet pack to aim himself toward the gems, bubbling them and correcting their paths as need be, having already seen the opening space door and was expertly lining up his subjects so that they would enter the door one after another, himself at the back of the hastily made line.
The bubbles piled in one after another, turning the space dock into a ball pit. The diamond landed heavily on the floor before standing to his full height. The space doors paused for a few moments before they began to close. They sealed themselves with a click and soon the hiss of air being fed into the large room filled the air. The diamond decided it was finally safe and canceled all of the bubbles.
“Gems, sound off. Is anyone hurt?”
Gems all around the room began rattling off their numbers and clutching their gems to be sure that they were safe, the shock of what they had been though still weighing on their mind. But not even the shock of what had happened to them could keep them from noticing the obvious.
“Who are you!?” Tanzanite yelled, pointing perplexedly at a pearl who had landed close to her. There had been no pearls in the volunteers.
The pearl just blinked in confusion at this blue gem she had never even seen the type for.
“Where are we?!” An Emerald screamed, staring at the strange space ships that she had never seen before. There hadn’t been another gem ship close to the explosion, she had made sure of it!
Soon things devolved in havoc as gems realized their odd surroundings and the strangers among them. A few weapons were drawn from gems and things were quickly escalating.
“Everyone stand down.” The voice wasn’t particularly loud, but the force behind it drew every eye in the room toward its source. That was their diamond speaking, they had to listen. And what they saw shocked them all.
He was different, larger, older. His voice deeper and his colors different. No longer was he purely in the warm tones of a human but his skin was tinted pink and his black hair fluffed farther from his skull with pink fading in around his temples. A large pink and black cape fluttered behind him, cutting off too early at his mid thighs. His eyes were harsher, like he spent more time frowning than smiling.
But his boots were still watermelon green with pink stripes. His eyebrows still moved with every emotion he had. He ducked down to help a Spinel from the ground, his large strong hands still callused from his training, lifting her easily and leaving her gaping as he continued to inspect the gems. The act of kindness being seen as a small matter.
“There will be no fighting. We need to be sure that we are out of the danger zone and regroup. We need to see if any of our scanners sent any data back before the blast destroyed them and check to see if the sample survived. We came here for a reason, and it would be a waste to leave before we are sure nothing can be gained.” His star pupiled eyes blazed into the gems around the room, daring them to argue with him.
“M-my Diamond?”
The man pinned the shivering Peridot that called out to him with his gaze before visibly relaxing his face and answering her inquiry, “Yes 7P8?”
The Peridot seemed to be in shock at the man addressing her. He had responded to her call, had known her by name. But. He was not quite Steven.
“My Diamond?” This time is was a pearl from across the room, her arms folded into a salute, staring at the man with a wide panicked gaze. This was not her diamond, but he was wearing what she had dressed him in just hours ago.
“Pearl? Yes, what do you need?” The man turned to look at the pearl quizzingly, he didn’t know why his gems were just saying his name.
(it’s a title) (no it’s my name)
But the explanation was never given because the room had finally filled with enough air to allow to outside doors to open. When they did all sorts of gems flooded into the room, Connie leading them all.
The human girl charged across the room, dodging the gems on her way, a few that actually seemed to try and stop her, but she had a mission.
“STEVEN!”
She screamed his name as she threw herself at him, arms wide to hug him, but instead of crashing into his stomach like she was expecting, Connie instead got caught in a pair of arms, swept up off of the ground and pressed firmly to Steven’s chest. Connie managed to throw her arms around his neck, and began muttering into his throat, a sob chocking her voice.
“I told you something bad would happen, I told you! But you came back, you came back!” She couldn’t help crying a little, the tears that wouldn’t fall when he was thought to be dead, had no trouble bursting free now that she knew he was safe.
As for the man holding her, he seemed to be in shock at his own actions. His arms clutched her to his chest, and he stood stone still at the feeling of her lips on his neck. He was overcome with emotions that left him spinning in place. Like his skin was too tight in an attempt to contain the emotions that just seeing this girl brought him.
He knew this girl. He knew her in ways that most people can never know a person. At the same time, she was a complete stranger.
He thought that the look on her face, the one of complete joy that she had had while sprinting toward him had only looked more beautiful for the tears at the corners of her eyes. He thought that she was the strangest looking gem that he had ever seen, one that he wanted to keep close in case someone else would try and shatter her for being off model.
He loved her so much. He didn’t know he could feel this happy just for the existence of another person.
“Connie. I came back.”The words that left his mouth sounded odd. Like they weren’t sure of themselves. The tone and deep voice finally woke Connie out of her joyous mood. Something was different.
She leaned back in Steven’s arms, finally realizing that she was higher in the air then she should be, that the body she was being supported by was too big.
Her eyes were wide as she took in the new features of her friend. The colors that shouldn’t be there, the lines in his face. The look in his eyes.
“Who . . . are you?” Connie asked slowly, recognizing the fusion for what it was. Barely anything had changed, but it was the most obvious explanation. Steven had just stuck with someone a little more than normal, he would unfuse when he realized.
The fusion frowned, the lines on his face deepening, “What do you mean, I’m-“
(Pink Diamond)
(Steven Universe)
“Wait, I’m not-“
(Pink is gone!)
(What’s a Steven?)
The fusion fell apart. Connie gave a little flailing shriek as she hit the ground, but was soon distracted by the pair of groaning men that flanked her.
On one side was Steven, still in his space suit and watermelon shoes, hair a mess and face young and unlined once more. Face open and full of emotion. He groaned, his hand pressed to his head where it hit the ground. But soon he dropped it in favor of propping himself up to stare in front of himself. Where the other him was sitting up.
The other boy looked like Steven, but was as different as a photo negative. His skin was shades darker and tinted pink. His hair was longer and was streaked with pink like it had turned different colors from stress. He didn’t groan in pain, giving a grimace before looking up and a poke face slammed into place. The corners of his mouth tugged down in a frown. The boy was sitting in a pile of material, the cape that had been a part of the fusion now fully encompassing him. He was dressed in different shades of pink worn tight to his body, looking like athletic wear with a large gap on his stomach showing off the pink glittering gem embedded there. It was point up, not the flat bottom.
The other Steven got to his feet first, eyes darting around the ship and the gems all staring at them. He could finally think, could finally see all of the things that should have been impossible. He made eye contact with his gems in the crowd and they understood and quickly came toward him. Something inside of him relaxed fractionally now that his gems were closer to him, now that he could protect them from these new gems.
He stood to his full height and pulled on the face that he knew was intimidating despite his short stature compared to the other diamonds. Apparently, his eyes were sharper because of how they changed from circles to diamonds when he was focusing. The strange doppelganger on the floor jumped but didn’t flinch like he was hoping he would. He might not be able to intimidate this strange gem into telling a superior gem all of their secrets.
“I am Pink Diamond. What are you?”
A blur of motion and suddenly the strange gem was in front of him, standing between him and the doppelganger. She bared her teeth at him and the sword that had been at her waist was now unsheathed and pointed at him. She looked ready to shatter him, eyes harsh and body ready.
Pink wasn’t worried, she was uncomfortably close, but he could have a shield between them before she could do more than pitch forward.
A ghost of the love he felt before passed through him. A left over from the fusion with the strange double. He still found her amazing even while she threatens him, placing herself opposite him.
She was still so beautiful, perhaps more so with a weapon in her hands.
“Connie! Connie, hold on. He’s not done anything yet.” The doppelganger had finally climbed to his feet, but his face was still so open, emotions flashing across features. He pulled back the brown gem with the sword.
Connie? Was that a new type of gem or simply an abbreviation of her number or type?
The doppelganger stepped forward, breaching the space that had been left between them. A hand reaching out before dropping quickly, as if he was remembering something. But while the hand fell, a smile grew on his face, his eyes turning to stars making Pink flinch. How was he doing that?
“I’m Steven Universe, son of the original Pink Diamond and a pink diamond myself.” He laughed a little, rubbing the back of his head and looking around at all of the gems staring in shock around them. “I think we’re going to have a lot to talk about.”